Playing a final at The Championships is historic, whether it is the Gentlemen’s or Ladies’ singles event. It is made more meaningful by the fact the Gentlemen’s trophy chase began in 1877 and the Ladies’ in 1884.
Credited as the … continue reading
Category: History
On May 10, 1940, Germany invaded France… Forty-two days later the French surrendered on June 22… On June 14, Paris had been declared an “Open City” and the “proof” was German troops parading down the storied Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
According to … continue reading
As a result of being a tennis journalist for decades, I have had the opportunity to travel widely covering tournaments. One of the additional joys is cultural discovery… and all of it has been enriching.
Do I have favorite events… … continue reading
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Australian Open… “Bonzer…Crikey”
Prior to the beginning of the 2025 Australian Open, the year’s first Grand Slam, there was a lot going on around the country. A bushfire, started by lightning, raged in The Grampians National Park. Melbourne, 273 kilometers away, was experiencing … continue reading
Having written about the game for ages, story ideas have come to me in a variety of ways. Some were assigned by publication editors. Then there were topics that I thought would provide an interesting read if approached from a … continue reading
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St. Louis’ Remarkable Tennis History…
Butch Buchholz, whose given name is “Earl” and is a Jr., was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1940. Before Nick Bollettieri turned Bradenton, Florida into the tennis training/player development “Promised Land” and Vic Braden and Robert Lansdorp did the … continue reading
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The Racquet Club Was Historic…
In the 1930s, Palm Springs was a sanctuary for Hollywood stars such as Charlie Farrell and Ralph Bellamy.
Farrell, who brought elegance to his roles, and Bellamy, ultimately the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winner, were not only good friends, … continue reading
This year, 60 ATP tournaments were scheduled. Thirty-eight offered the winner 250 points; 13 netted 500 points.
The nine Masters Series events, providing 1000 points, reigned supreme when it came to the possibility of ranking improvement.
Of those in this … continue reading
The last couple of years has seen a flurry of tennis documentaries.
It may be due to the recent proliferation of sports documentaries generally, with Netflix leading the way with Beckham, Formula 1 – Drive to Survive, The … continue reading
When Neale Fraser took over the Australian Davis Cup captaincy in 1970, it was a daunting task. He was taking over the reins at a historic moment with legendary captain Harry Hopman having retired from the role the previous year.
Fraser … continue reading