Slinging in the Rain – Running With the Bull in Paris
Bill Simons He’s only 5’6”, a full foot shorter than his famous Argentinian countryman Juan Martin del Potro. He’s only reached the quarterfinals of one Grand Slam – the 2017 US Open. But no matter,...
View ArticleA SMALL MAN IN A BIG WORLD – McDONALD’S LOVING IT
Six-foot-five Max Miryni is called “The Beast.” That’s not too pleasant. Feliciano Lopez calls today’s players “monsters.” That’s not nice. But who says sports are supposed to be nice? By tennis...
View ArticleTHE WIMBLEDON BUZZ – OH, THE SEEDS THEY ARE A TOPPLING
Bill Simons AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH: When asked why he didn’t play any pre-Wimbledon warm-up tourneys, Rafa joked, “because if I play too much, then I come here, [and] all the questions are: Why you are...
View ArticleUS OPEN 50TH ANNIVERSARY – Part 2
AURA-VILLE: Lloyd Carroll contended that “the aura of Federer is hovering over the Open.” Long before Donald Trump became president, S.L. Scott noticed him peering down from his suite and claimed it...
View ArticleRUSSIAN TENNIS – FROM ANNA KARENINA TO ANNA KOURNIKOVA AND BEYOND
Bill Simons It was a stunning suggestion. Long ago Raisa Gorbachev, the wife of the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, told Chris Evert, “Tennis will bring our peoples together.” Now flash forward to...
View ArticleAN UNSTARCHED HISTORY OF THE TENNIS SHIRT – WRINKLES AND ALL
Bill Simons New York You see Andy Murray, shirtless, walking around the court and you know that that Scottish guy with the pale complexion is looking good – very buff. And when Rafa Nadal changes his...
View ArticleUS OPEN: ZEN MASTER VALLEY GIRL WHO DELIGHTS
FAREWELL PETER HERB: Peter Herb, a beloved, longtime Executive Director of the USTA Northern California, has passed away. He was a giant in Northern California tennis. A quiet, inspired leader of...
View ArticleIT TAKES A TENNIS VILLAGE
Bill Simons New York After 63 storied years in New York, the Village Voice newspaper is closing. We imagine that many tennis players who were Manhattan residents (Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, John...
View ArticleFabulous Frances and Other Dispatches From the Barty Party
OF SCHIZOPHRENIC LADIES, FABULOUS FRANCES AND OTHER DISPATCHES FROM THE BARTY PARTY MELBOURNE BILL SIMONS THE MOST BURNING QUESTION IN MELBOURNE: Are you on board for the Barty Party? IS IT CRICKET TO...
View ArticleOF RAFA, ROME AND THE JOYS OF NORMALITY
Notes and notions as Paris approaches. TRUTH IN OUR TIMES: After the king of clay Rafa Nadal won the Italian Open, his first title of the season, Steve Weissman noted, “All is restored in the world of...
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