Two years ago, Washington D.C. area tennis fans were abuzz with anticipation of seeing teen sensation Cori “Coco” Gauff perform at the Citi Open, following her improbable fourth-round run at the Wimbledon Championships, which included a stunning upset of her idol Venus Williams. But when the curtains closed on opening day of the D.C. tennis … More Hailey Baptiste flying high under the radar
Every time I watch Cori “Coco” Gauff play a tennis match, there comes a point where I find myself marveling over the fact this rising talent is still just a teenager. It is an awesome moment of reflection because inherent in the realization that Gauff is just 17 is an exciting anticipation that the best … More Coco Gauff ready for the red clay in Paris
In her run to a second Australian Open title – her fourth major championship overall – Naomi Osaka convinced me that she indeed has the intestinal fortitude to reign on the throne of women’s tennis. About a year ago, I had begun to have my doubts. After failing to defend her 2019 Australian Open title … More Osaka answers the question Down Under
For a skinny former pharmaceutical sales rep who grew up on the south side of Chicago sharing hoops dreams with former NBA player Quentin Richardson, Kamau Murray has made quite a name for himself as a professional tennis coach. Most notably, Murray is the coach of Sloane Stephens, whom he guided to a U.S. Open … More Kamau Murray finding Success in XS Tennis
I want to give a high five and a fist bump to former WTA player Leslie Allen for her rebuke of a recent statement released by the United States Tennis Association during the surge of protests ignited by the brutal killing of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis cop. The death of Floyd … More USTA omits its past in statement on race
It has been a pleasure watching Chanda Rubin grow as an analyst on Tennis Channel. She adds a wonderful blend of insight and perspective to the network’s match commentary. Yet, as I tried to connect Rubin’s keen knowledge of the rigors and nuances of professional tennis with her own career, I realized I had forgotten … More BTHF deserves award of its own
At the conclusion of the 2017 US Open Women’s tennis championships, I wrote about a young phenom who had just competed in the girls title match. Her name was Cori “Coco” Gauff, and she was 13. Let me repeat that: She was 13! The youngest girls’ finalist ever. At the time, I was struck by … More Coco’s Wimbledon run a preview of what’s to come
In 2004, Gael Monfils won the first three of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments – Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon – and finished the year as the top-ranked junior in the world. Later that year, he gave fans good reason to salivate over his star potential when he reached the quarterfinals of his … More Gael Monfils: From Wakanda With Love
At the end of this year’s Citi Open, I began drafting a blogpost on how far Donald Young had fallen in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings. But I procrastinated…and now I’m glad I did. As I thought about it, I realized that was too easy a story and maybe a cheap shot. After … More Donald Young overcoming another slump
When Sloane Stephens beat fellow American Madison Keys to reach the finals of this year’s French Open, I began preparing my appetite for a little crow. Madison had been playing well on the red dirt at Roland Garros and, though it’s not her favorite surface, I was among those who predicted she would avenge her … More Sloane erases doubt about her desire
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