A One-Year Unpaid Vacation
Robbie Kendrick, the 31-year-old American journeyman from Fresno, apparently was notified by the International Tennis Federation that he had tested positive for methylhexanamine during the French Open. Accepting his claim that it was an ingredient in a supplement pill to combat jet lag, the ITF has issued just a one-year ban rather than the normal two-year ban under World Anti-Doping Agency rules for a first offense of the drug code. Kendrick's... Read More
A Few Early-Round Musings from Wimbledon
With the second round closing up today at Wimbledon and the start of third-round matches, we’re nearing the first weekend with the brackets and the shape of this year’s slice of history beginning to crystallize out of the raw materials of pre-match expectation. The first two rounds are the place where we discover the very best that tennis has to offer… and bring out the very worst for those who fail to deliver on expectation. With... Read More
A Teatime Preview of Wimbledon
This time of year is a whirlwind of activity for tennis, as the Orwellian odyssey in Paris and London yields two Grand Slam champions in a month’s time. It was just a few short weeks ago that we wrapped up the clay-court season at Roland Garros, and already we’re just a day away from the start of lawn tennis’ pinnacle tournament. The All-England Lawn Tennis Club is set to host the 125th edition of The Championships, Wimbledon, beginning... Read More
Double Vision of Djokovic’s Demise
Does anybody ever wonder why NBC has migrated to a third-rate network? It is a rare talent to know how to piss off multiple constituencies simultaneously, yet somehow in tape-delaying their French Open semifinal coverage of the duel between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic and blotting out Days of Our Lives to the heartland in the process they left both groups of fans dissatisfied. No wonder Dick Ebersol walked away rather than accept a lowball offer... Read More
Previewing the 2011 French Open: Women’s Edition
The women’s game is in an absolute state of flux heading into the French Open, with many of its top draws absent or ailing or slumping. Nobody seems to have that killer instinct that would have her grab the sport by the ears and pull it up to her level of play. Even the #1 player in the world still carries the stigma of earning her top-dog status without even a single Grand Slam to her name. The two sisters that have redefined women’s... Read More
