0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/21/2015
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
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 5/10/2015
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 4/5/2015
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 3/23/2015
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 1/29/2015
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 […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 1/28/2015
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 […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 1/26/2015
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 […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 1/22/2015
The Australian Open isn’t just the first major tournament (the first important event) of the tennis calendar. It is the one major tournament which exists far removed from the other three. The Australian Open really does exist on an island, an appropriate reality for a country which is in fact geographically isolated from other continents. […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 1/15/2015
The draws are out for the 2015 Australian Open. In both the women’s and men’s events, the first few days of the tournament offer the promise of a few main-event matches, which is not always something you get at a major. It can take time to stumble upon the kind of centerpiece which pushes other […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 1/14/2015
Before 1988, when the Australian Open moved to its current (and gleaming) facilities at Melbourne Park, the event simply didn’t exist on par with the other majors. Before 1988, the Australian Open lacked 128-player draws, meaning that all players in the tournament did not have to play or win the same amount of matches to […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 10/26/2014
The Women’s Tennis Association moved its end-of-the-year showcase event from Istanbul to Singapore this year. The time difference put a lot of matches on American television in the middle of the night. The sport is bigger than one country or continent, and Li Na — who retired before the 2014 WTA Finals began — had […]
