0 comments by Matt Zemek on 1/19/2016
The 2016 Australian Open — which burst into dramatic color on Tuesday in Melbourne — can be summarized in this image: The tournament smacked a lot of players in the face, immediately changing the tenor of a very young tennis season. * Remember the 2015 U.S. Open? Yeah, me neither. Many of the events which unfolded […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 12/10/2015
(NOTE: A story on Novak Djokovic’s 2015 season was originally posted here after Mr. Djokovic won the 2015 ATP World Tour Finals in late November, days before the Davis Cup. It was accidentally deleted and unable to be retrieved. It was not scrubbed or purposefully removed. Life just happened. What follows is therefore not a […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 11/29/2015
If you traveled 80 years into the past, you would have traveled into a world which — in tennis terms — featured Great Britain as a foremost tennis nation, not a peripheral player on the scene. In 1935, the part of the world which birthed the sport of tennis was also the best at playing […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 9/14/2015
One set all. 4-4 in the third set. The U.S. Open final. The two best ATP stars in the world, playing their hearts out before 23,000-plus spectators (many of them poorly behaved, but that’s another story). This is the moment every professional tennis player dreams of. It’s the moment every tennis pro tries to reach. […]
NY 29Aug2015 Roof scaffolding Ashe Stadium wide angle view from top on Art Ashe Day with shadows.
0 comments by Matt Zemek
BLOGUIN NOTE Before we begin, a reminder for readers: Attacking The Net is a major-tournament tennis blog, not (yet) a full-service year-round tennis blog. You’ll get coverage of the Davis Cup semifinals and finals; the WTA Finals; and the ATP World Tour Finals, with perhaps a wrap-up of the Masters 1000 events in Shanghai and […]
Flavia Pennetta, of Italy, holds up the championship trophy after beating Roberta Vinci, of Italy, in the women’s championship match of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/David Goldman) ORG XMIT: USO190
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 9/13/2015
We did this last year, and we’re going to do it again right now. Without commentary or analysis, here’s how 20 notable WTA and ATP players performed at the majors in 2015. Review the year at the majors solely through the lens of results. Commentary can be found in our other U.S. Open wrap-ups and […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 9/12/2015
Italy is a nation known for a number of things, vineyards being near the top of the list. Italian tennis has featured four industrious professionals in the 21st century, all of them players who have been able to reach a major-tournament singles final. In 2012, Sara Errani reached the French Open final. This Saturday afternoon […]
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Serena Williams did not achieve the calendar Grand Slam in 2015. She was denied by Roberta Vinci on Friday at the U.S. Open, leaving her with a major-tournament record of “only” 26-1 this year. Serena, of course, did win the “Serena Slam,” referring to her ability to win all four major tournaments in succession. She […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 9/11/2015
If ever an athlete or team felt at home — physically, emotionally, spiritually, holistically — Roger Federer at Wimbledon would rate as a top example. Andrea Pirlo in an Italy uniform, representing the Azzurri. Usain Bolt on any track at a high-stakes event. Tom Brady in a Super Bowl. The San Francisco Giants in an […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
On the sprawling canvas of life itself, one day blends into the next. We get up, we work, we aspire, we do what we need to do. We enjoy — if we’re lucky — some escapist evening entertainment in a comfortable room with ample food and drink. We might find a few hours per week […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 9/10/2015
Weren’t we here a year ago at the U.S. Open? Short answer: No – a year ago, the men’s semifinals would have been played on Saturday, and there would have been a lot less shade and wind protection available for Novak Djokovic, who will play his 2015 semifinal in much more comfortable conditions. Long answer: […]
Simona Halep of Romania celebrates after defeating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in their quarterfinals match at the U.S. Open Championships tennis tournament in New York, September 9, 2015. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 9/9/2015
It was supposed to be Victoria Azarenka’s time again. At least, it felt as though the one nicknamed “Vika” was in great position to record a victory on Wednesday afternoon at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Azarenka has stood up to Serena Williams better than anyone else on the WTA Tour over the past three years, certainly […]
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 08: Serena Williams (L) of the United States hugs Venus Williams of the United States after defeating her in their Women’s Singles Quarterfinals match on Day Nine of the 2015 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Just a few days before September 11, 2001 — when the world and America’s perception of it were quite different — Serena and Venus Williams met in their first major final. That meeting, in the 2001 U.S. Open final, was significant enough in its own right and on its own terms. More than 40 years […]
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 07: Kevin Anderson of South Africa celebrates after defeating Andy Murray of Great Britain during their Men’s Singles Fourth Round match on Day Eight of the 2015 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 9/8/2015
Kevin Anderson — whose wife is, like me, a tennis blogger (and that’s pretty much where the similarities between our lives end) — surely heard the voices in his head. “Oh no — not again. Not this time. No, it can’t be. Please, God, no. I’ve worked too hard for this. I’ve come too close. […]
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Anyone who has played tennis with at least some desire to win a match — no matter how relaxed or recreational the setting — could relate to what Simona Halep was going through on Monday afternoon at the U.S. Open. No one who has played tennis in a purely recreational context could possibly relate to […]
