Unflappable, poised, experienced and relentless, Andy Roddick went about his work on Sunday.

He is mortal, after all. The question is, is the greatest player to ever hold a racket more mortal than ever? For the second week in a row, top seed Roger Federer took an unexpected tumble on Tuesday in Miami.

In San Jose, second seed Fernando Verdasco found his serve just in time to deny American Andy Roddick his fourth SAP Open 2010 title in a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 upset.

Day six of the 2010 Australian Open could have been compared to an exhausted runner who, after finishing a race and drinking ample fluids, immediately finds a soft bed and blacks out for 10 hours of deep, reviving sleep. Indeed, the end of the third round in the year’s first major tournament marked a point [...]

QUESTION: Can Nikolay Davydenko break through? Much like the Kim Clijsters-Justine Henin debate on the women’s side, tennis aficionados are wondering if Davydenko, the sixth-seeded Russian, can become a force at major tournaments, beginning with this event. Davydenko has defeated Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in two separate events over the past two months, at [...]

In Israel, a land attuned to the ancient texts of the world’s monotheistic faiths, the words “my cup overflows” possess a considerable amount of historical weight and meaning. That phrasing comes from scripture, of course–it’s no small thing in the Holy Land to encounter a lavish and abundant blessing. Now, 108 years after the Davis [...]

While Wimbledon begins and tennis fans rivet their eyes on the world’s most storied patch of white-lined rectangles, one man won’t be at SW19 to soak up the adulation a defending champion deserves. Indeed, while the crown jewel of tennis unfolds in England, Rafael Nadal will be resting and reflecting on a career that has [...]

Sunday, May 31, 2009, will be remembered for one thing and one thing only in the history of tennis. The date has become etched into eternity as the day Rafael Nadal lost his first match at Roland Garros, to Sweden’s Robin Soderling. Anything else that happened in Paris on 5/31/09 will be forgotten by casual tennis [...]

The French Open draws are out, and a quick look at the singles brackets suggest that the two top seeds should stroll to the finals, and very likely capture the second Grand Slam event of the season. Part I – Women’s Singles Of the 128 women who will converge on Paris over the next 15 [...]

Roger Federer knew that Rafael Nadal’s physical condition wouldn’t decide the championship match of the inaugural Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open. He also knew that mere awareness of a situation doesn’t lead to success in the heat of battle. Quality execution and top-shelf tactics had to emerge if a storied rivalry was to acquire a delicious new taste of intrigue. After [...]