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Serena wins Rome, as the 2016 season swiftly shifts again

Serena wins. Yes, she does… a lot. Yet, Sunday’s championship in Rome — won against Madison Keys in a classic veteran-steals-the-cookies-from-the-young-challenger kind of match — was Serena’s first title since the summer of 2015. It had been a long time since Serena hoisted a trophy… which is an utterly odd thing to say in light […]

8 Compelling Stories, 4 Fascinating Matches… And Very Little Time To Savor Them

Manic Monday, as the second Monday of Wimbledon is referred to, claims a special place on the tennis calendar, mostly for good reasons. However, some of the effects of this day are unavoidably unwelcome. You can call it a “first-world tennis problem,” a consequence of the All-England Club’s annual decision (due to the politics of […]

The Top 10 Stories From The 2015 Australian Open

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 […]

Madison Keys, Serena Williams, And The Doors Of Time

It is easy to focus on certain details, certain individuals, certain contexts, to the exclusion of others. Thursday afternoon in Melbourne, Australia, it was so easy to look at Madison Keys — all of 19 years old — crushing a tennis ball with a smooth and relaxed stroke, and conclude that “the future of women’s […]

Serena and Wawrinka Put On A Show… But They Have Many Miles To Go

At the 2015 Australian Open, the quarterfinals went quickly, with seven of eight matches (four for both genders) concluding in straight sets. Boring, right? Well, not exactly. Not exclusively. Not even close. Yes, on Tuesday, the women’s quarterfinals fell flat when Simona Halep and then Eugenie Bouchard both had “one of those days” at the […]

Tennis Fit For A Holiday: The WTA And America Shine In Australia

Monday in Melbourne, the host nation for the Australian Open celebrated its foremost national holiday. In the past, Australia Day has marked the day during the Australian Open when play would be interrupted during the night session for a fireworks display. This has been the source of great controversy and angst, given the reality that […]

Wimbledon’s Weakness: Middle Sunday Madness

There’s so much about Wimbledon that’s right, more than the other three major tournaments and, for that matter, any other major sporting event in the world. No overt commercialism. Hushed, respectful crowds. A sense of reverence for the sport. An awareness of the importance of tradition. Clean, white clothing, free of loudness or attitude. A […]

Slow Down With Sloane

It did not take long for the 2014 Wimbledon tournament to provide a stormy, polarizing moment. After only two hours of play, Sloane Stephens — owner of six consecutive round-of-16 or better showings at the majors, the longest active streak in women’s tennis — crashed out of the All-England Club with a 6-2, 7-6 (6) […]

American Tennis On Both Tours

Where does American tennis stand on the eve of the 2014 Roland Garros tournament? The outlook is better for the women than the men… but it’s not as though the women paint a portrait of quality depth and steady, robust growth. Forget this nation’s clay-court woes; American tennis just needs players who can be consistently […]

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