0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/22/2015
The women’s singles draw for the 2015 French Open has been announced. What stands out about a bracket that features so many delicious (or perilous, depending on your viewpoint) uncertainties? You can debate which item is the second most important one on your list, but there should be no discussion about the top story to […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/21/2015
In the Southwestern United States, Cox Communications has been running a series of commercials for a number of years. The point is rather simple: Cox guarantees its products in ways that competitors are prohibited from making certain statements: This is what a lot of tennis journalists and commentators (though not all of them) are doing […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
It is a basic reality of any bracketed tournament: It’s generally best to wait until the draw comes out to make more finite assessments of what’s at stake, who has a profound opportunity to create a lifelong memory, and which performers are uniquely vulnerable. With this in mind, we don’t yet need to delve into […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/17/2015
There are lies, damn lies, and statistics. Then again, numbers — while often telling falsehoods and being eternally subject to manipulation — can also reveal powerful truths. As the Roman road becomes the path to Paris, and the clay Masters 1000 series gives way to the year’s second major tournament, the numbers tell the story […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
In 2012, Maria Sharapova conquered Rome and then Paris. Being able to win the last prominent lead-up tournament to the French Open, and to then claim Roland Garros itself, represented one of the more substantial clay-court achievements in recent women’s tennis history. Sharapova has once again lifted a trophy in Italy’s ancient city, but as […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/11/2015
Every year (since 2011), the chatter builds before the French Open: This is Novak Djokovic’s year. This is the year Rafael Nadal fails to win Roland Garros. Every year, Nadal gathers himself and his resources — no matter how many setbacks he suffers in the month of May — and conquers Paris in early June. […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/10/2015
The 2015 Mutua Madrid Open — like the ones before it — is a point of intrigue and fascination, because this tournament has an inconsistent relationship with Roland Garros, the crown jewel of the clay-court season each year. On one hand, Madrid’s higher elevation lends itself to a more aggressive style, one in which quality […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 4/19/2015
Every tournament matters. Every non-exhibition competition in sports possesses value. Every time professionals take the court — in tennis or any other endeavor — they enhance their levels of integrity to the extent that they take pride in their work, putting in an honest day’s effort for an honest day’s pay. If one dares to […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 4/5/2015
The Miami Open — formerly the Sony Open and casually known as just “Miami” or “Key Biscayne” — has long been a sixth finger or toe on the tennis tour. This is not a commentary in any way on the spicy and alluring Miami area or the many people who work hard to put together […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 3/24/2015
Everyone has his or her own dividing line for when to start — or stop — measuring anything under the sun. In terms of measuring the extent to which the Big Four have dominated the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, two dividing lines come to mind after Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer — again — in […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 3/23/2015
For when the One Great Scorer comes To mark against your name, He writes – not that you won or lost – But how you played the Game. – Grantland Rice * Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing. – Red Sanders * The two above quotes — one from a giant in American sportswriting […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 2/3/2015
The Australian Open is done, and so is daily coverage of tennis at Attacking The Net… for now. This is still a major-tournament-focused blog. We hope to branch out in the coming months, but at the present time, our resources only enable us to cover the majors in full. We will provide Sunday or Monday […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 2/1/2015
On Friday, our assessment of Novak Djokovic’s semifinal victory over Stan Wawrinka at the 2015 Australian Open contained the central thesis that Wawrinka lost the match more than Djokovic won it. That happens in sports. Sometimes, you win because you excel. Other times, you win because your opponent falters. Sometimes, you lose because you stunk […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 1/31/2015
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” The above quote is an inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City, a proclamation of the mindset postal carriers must bring to their work. If Serena Jameka Williams had been […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 1/30/2015
Anyone who appreciates tennis knows there are many ways to win a match. You can play great offense or great defense. You can play first-strike tennis or grind from the baseline. You can play with pace or take pace away. You can hit hard and flat or use lots of topspin or slice. All the […]
