Rafa may have an issue with New York. To Nadal’s credit he plays every point with utmost effort and toughness. New York draws out reserves of toughness from more fragile players. Therefore, relative to his competition, Rafa’s intensity advantage declines at Flushing Meadows.

WTA officials should add a tab to their website that explains patronymics in Eastern European languages. It might help fans understand why so many top players last names end with “ova” or some such variation.

The U.S. is on the verge of reaching the Fed Cup final and capturing the title for the first time since 2000. But Saturday at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Lindsay Davenport revealed the U.S.’s chances have lessened considerably without the participation of either Venus or Serena Williams.

The Roger Federer vs. Pete Sampras sold-out exhibition at Madison Square Garden generated a tremendous amount of buzz,

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
World No. 1 Roger Federer has been pumped about the Beijing Olympics, but now the Swiss is backing off on his commitment to play based on painful memories of past Olympics where he actually had to sit next to people in transportation and talk to other athletes: “It was quite […]

Justine Henin said before her match against Maria Sharapova she needed to up her level, were she to stand a chance against the in-form Russian.

For a guy with so much at stake this year – the Olympics, Pete Sampras’s 14 Slams mark, the French Open - Roger Federer’s start to 2008 hasn’t exactly been ideal.

2008 is going to different year for the Swiss star than it was in 2007, 2006 and 2005 for the simple reason that it’s an Olympic year.

With Justine Henin putting up a Roger Federeresque year in 2007, the resurgence of the Williams sisters and the arrival of two instant crowd favorites from Serbia, the WTA is coming off a pretty good year.

There’s a strong implication recreational players can gain from the 2007. The main focus is on the world’s two best players, and as I see it, it can be grasped not just by recreational adults but also by juniors, parents, and coaches.