Tennis
The day Melbourne Park experienced some wet Wimbledon weather
The ‘Happy Slam’ is known for many things. Its ‘we can do anything’ atmosphere, the genteel patter of play, the thrilling late-night finishes, the sumptuous player’s lounge, the well-stocked media cafe, not to mention the oft-extraordinary tennis.
By Alexandra Willis | Sport | Friday, 14 January 2011 at 9:00 am
Five reasons why the Hopman Cup is a rather different sort of tennis event
Tennis events are funny things. There is at least one going on almost every week of the year, in all sorts of far-flung locations, backwaters, and byeways around the world, and, every single one is different.
By Alexandra Willis | Sport | Tuesday, 4 January 2011 at 9:08 am
Justine Henin returns to tennis with more of a squib than a bang, but it’s good to have her back
Of all the tennis players there are to watch in the world, Justine Henin is one of my favourites. She has that Roger Federer-like quality where you simply yearn to play like her.
By Alexandra Willis | Sport | Saturday, 1 January 2011 at 10:01 am
Boxing, sprinting, kayaking, rock climbing, Olympic lifts and more – all in a Christmas day’s work during the tennis off-season
Gone are the days when tennis players (we’re talking about you, John McEnroe) spent the Christmas break eating turkey with all the trimmings and nursing their sore limbs and tired minds after 40-odd weeks travelling around the world. Oh no. Andre Agassi boosted the off-season training trend in somewhat un-festive fashion – running up hills on Christmas day.
By Alexandra Willis | Sport | Saturday, 25 December 2010 at 9:41 am
The return of Tiger Tim – a little older, wiser and creakier, but still the same Tim Henman
Tim Henman was a mythologised sporting persona in my youth. Not quite of the Jonny Wilkinson or David Beckham ilk; in all honesty, I can’t say I ever swooned at the sight of Tiger Tim, and we certainly didn’t discuss his physique in the playground during break. But, to the probable horror of my school friends, come the summer months, Neighbours and Home and Away didn’t get a look in.
By Alexandra Willis | Sport | Wednesday, 1 December 2010 at 2:54 pm
Why turning tennis tournaments into hula-hooping extravaganzas can be a good thing
It may sound like barking up the obvious tree, but a tournament like the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals requires rather a lot of different bits coming together seamlessly in the right place at the right time. It’s a bit like making a giant cake.
By Alexandra Willis | Sport | Friday, 26 November 2010 at 5:20 pm
Will Serena Williams ever escape from the continuing case of the mysterious boot?
Serena Williams is to tennis fans what Marmite is to most people. It’s a love or hate predicament. We’re so used to her imposing physique, her nothing-to-something story, her celebrity antics, her dramatic absences and reappearances, and her less-than-sensible statements, that it’s almost become old hat.
By Alexandra Willis | Sport | Thursday, 25 November 2010 at 4:56 pm
Federer reminds us who’s boss as he flattens Murray in 14th episode of career face-offs
There is something a bit unique about a Federer-Murray encounter. Perhaps it’s because, ultimately, every soul among us who aspires to hit the ball over the net wants to be like Roger Federer. To be able to glide around the court without breaking a sweat, hitting winners from indeterminable angles, and all the while, be such an asset to humanity, such a nice guy.
By Alexandra Willis | Sport | Tuesday, 23 November 2010 at 5:57 pm
Diego Maradona, titanic poses, and eight cheery tennis players – why this year’s World Tour Finals has begun with a bang
We are back in London. The tennis caravan, which rumbles so gracefully around the world, hopping plane to plane from East to West and back again has alighted once more on the banks of the Thames. And, while the rows upon rows of press tap away at their laptops like a well-oiled hamster wheel, London’s O2 Arena, turned into a tennis court for one week of the year, has patriotic bottoms on practically every blue padded seat.
By Alexandra Willis | Sport | Monday, 22 November 2010 at 5:30 pm
The literal artistry of tennis
Tennis players are often lauded for their ‘technique’ and ‘artistry’, but the connotations with painting have become all the more literal in the current ‘Art of Tennis’ exhibit.
By Simon Rice | Sport | Wednesday, 17 November 2010 at 3:38 pm
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