Hello everyone….
• If you win the Suicide Pool at Wimbledon, you are obligated to give me a souvenir. Please contact us by DM or email address.
• We are eagerly awaiting the results of Zverev’s investigation. On the other hand, here’s a cautionary tale about golf. What if sports lacked a domestic violence policy?
mail bag
John,
Where do you stand in pickleball? Everyone I know seems to have an opinion. Tomorrow is our first lesson!
Amy F., Boston
• Media rules passed by committee while no one was looking. No print publication worthy of its masthead can get through the summer without exploring the pickleball frenzy. This is the New Yorker from last week. And before that, Sports Illustrated. and the NYT. Tennis magazine, which has terrified many, recently featured a pickleball on its cover. Simply put, Sports Illustrated helped me pay for law school by giving me offbeat assignments. In 1996(!), my dear editor Myra Gelband called me and asked if I wanted to go write about this “new” sport they were playing at her Pacific Northwest fitness center. Behold!
Today, Pickleball has overcome a name that resists being taken seriously and has moved on from the fringe. How far has pickleball come? Already there are turf wars, factional wars, Tyriac wannabes and the threat of breakaway tours. It’s bad enough that this pseudo-sport is stealing tennis players and real estate. Now must it steal its mode of existence? Just kidding.
I know you hate pickleballs. But I can get my anger down to zero. I don’t see an existential threat to tennis here. I see much more complementary than competition. Are some tennis courts converted into pickleball courts? Good. In so many institutions I have sadly seen otherwise empty courts. Will this new racquet sport make the USTA recalibrate its collective boater, rethink its business and update its playbook? Does the sport allow people to build (sometimes literally) communities around racquet sports? If our bodies can’t handle running around a full court and using a full size racquet frame, is there a substitute for tennis at the beginning and end? Does it offer tennis a new way to build a new potential fanbase and audience? (Do you think the US Open, or even the tennis channel, wants access to millions of pickleball players’ data and emails to his address?)
Instead of viewing pickleball as something that “steals” players, why not view it as a way of building practitioners (and consumers) of racquet sports? “People listen to podcasts!” In particular, the USTA should consider itself Spotify. Morning radio hasn’t lost market share.
US tennis as far as you can believe this participation data Added 5 million new players from 2019 to date. According to this site, the total number of pickleball players is his 4.8 million. How fast do pickleballs grow? no doubt. But let’s keep those numbers in perspective. Besides, it’s the padel that endangers us all.
I feel about pickleballs the same way I feel about written words. The sector faces such competition from the outside. A few years ago it might have been different. We may have had the luxury of infighting. Now I just want people to read. yours, mine. Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Guardian, NYT. on the phone. on your tablet. Printing. Anything is fine.
I think racquet sports like tennis, pickleball, padel and squash need to join forces to beat golf. Or even better, Activision Blizzard. You can divide the court space later.
John,
I was looking at the ranking of the top men’s doubles players. She is the youngest player at 29 and all the others are over 30, some over 40. Is this because doubles places a special value on experience and skill, or is it because young players are prioritizing singles?
Rob
scroll to continue
• Some theory here. The obvious and simplest: the match should be short and cover half the court. Therefore, it is not surprising that the career lasts longer. This is probably the best answer, as the Occam is as sharp as ever.
Rob’s point is good. Far more players try to strike out as singles “specialists” than doubles specialists. Many people are at a crossroads. If I continue this career, I need to switch to doubles. Not surprisingly, therefore, this cohort will be older.
Here’s something to think about….More than ever, doubles players are accustomed to a certain life and lifestyle. It means prize money. That also means you’re used, if not immune, to the kind of hotel that doesn’t have fickle schedules, car rental counters, or run-ins with room service. I’m not talking about superstars in , but as you move down the rankings, you lose the perks and lifestyles you enjoyed while in the top 10, top 50, and top 100. No more cars, no more six-figure payouts for him if he gets to the third round, no more priority bookings on the practice court. Doubles players do not need to make this transition.
John,
We were just talking around the office about the US Open. They said they wouldn’t. So what if Djokovic went to Mexico, played for Los Angeles in his Cabos, and then drove across the southern border?It’s a hell of a drive to New York, even for me who loves to drive, but it’s Is it an option for him?
Andrew, New York
• I watch this documentary 100%. Golan driving. They listen to Delta Blues and SEC Sports Talk Radio. Skip Graceland. to Sun Records.
I applaud Andre for his creative thinking. Canada is not a starter as its northern neighbor also requires vaccinated travelers. Mexico seems darker. Unfortunately, however, “the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a COVID-19 response to non-U.S. travelers seeking to enter the United States by land or ferry across the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada We will continue to require full vaccination.19 Provide proof of vaccination.An advance copy of the notice for publication in the Federal Register is now available.”
John,
why are you so exaggerated [Djokovic] Missing some majors?! Every great champion has. Rafa made a ton of mistakes. Novak made his choice — didn’t feel it for him. He’s not injured, so he has bandwidth to skip being an anti-vaccine brat. his choice.
@vanetoj
• I am torn here. We’re all so sick of this choreography and discussion. Tennis pox – no pun intended – for almost a year. I want to write about the return of Venus, tears of Bernie Pera, sinners and Alcalaz. Unleash the At the same time, the story is extraordinary. Attention. I think it’s newsworthy and will get even bigger over time. Many of your emails still relate to this story. It seems to me that ignoring this would lead to dereliction of duty. So here goes:
I sympathize with those who seek bodily autonomy. I feel sorry for those who are skeptical of big pharma. If Djokovic has these beliefs, let him go with Yahweh. What I can’t stand is victim complex and passive framing. Once he got the damn vaccine, literally billions of people got it with no consequences. Often more for shared social responsibilities than for burning personal desires. This should not be a problem. If you want to be patient, fine. But he owns it. The victim’s attitude is at least dishonest.
This is like someone saying: But I hate security lines. I hate putt-downs—hey man, my body. I read a study that magnetometers cause cancer. i don’t have a weapon And the TSA lines are proven to be fake because a man with a weapon once walked through.Only sheep go through security lines. “
This person may stick to his beliefs and refuse to go to the airport. fine. They reluctantly conceded and were able to cross the line like everyone else. fine. But “I’m going to avoid his TSA line and go to the airport. I hope they make room for me anyway. Wish me luck!” .
As for the readers’ questions, they themselves answer. Players miss majors, especially as they get older. Bake it into carrier conditions. But when it happens, it’s often devastating, and Andy Murray is in tears as his body won’t allow him to play in the majors. Same with Federer. See what Serena and Venus have done to avoid retirement and keep playing majors past the age of 40. Lesser players like Phil Kohlschreiber and Kirsten He Flipkens are staving off retirement for one last chance to play in the majors. The idea of a player making the voluntary choice to miss a Major – having an opportunity to play in a Major and deciding not to take advantage of it – is very noteworthy. Never mind the player at the top of history.
John,
A friend of mine is trying to make this argument that I make a similar musical argument: Djokovic isn’t always in the top 5 and Nadal is at best the 4th best clay court player of all time.
That’s like saying that Led Zeppelin isn’t the top 5 band of all time, and that Nirvana is at best the 4th best Seattle band of the ’90s.
JB, Portland
• I would like to know more about your friend’s logic. or lack thereof. But yeah, saying Djokovic isn’t a top 5 player is like saying ‘E’ isn’t a top 5 vowel. If Nadal is his fourth-best clay-court player, the Pacific is his fourth-largest ocean.
hello.
I’m a little disappointed that my comment below wasn’t published, but that’s okay. You can wait for Federer to retire before you agree with me.
Meanwhile, in connection with the question of the relative prestige of the four slams, here’s a fun set of two-syllable monikers for the four slams.
Australian Open: Happy Slam (as it’s already called).
French Open: Snooty Slam (For example, they didn’t warm up to early Rafa because of their pirate shorts!).
Wimbledon: Classy Slam (green, white and everything else).
US Open: A rowdy slam (and a late-night beer crowd, of course).
San Diego in the morning
• I went back and looked at the AM comments that weren’t published, and they’re good. I’ll get to it next week.
As for his two-word moniker….
1) I will buy it.
2) We can do better. The French are not particularly snooty. Quite the opposite. Tickets tend to be available and (all relative) affordable. The event is easily accessible by public transport, on foot, or by Velib, the world’s largest vehicle. The venue is small, so the fans are right above you.
3) Ok, I’ll buy it.
4) I’m not exempting myself here, but every tennis writer writes hacky articles about how the Majors incorporate host city/country characteristics. there is. There are round ones. (Aren’t you kidding? The Australian Open doesn’t have a Latvian feel?) But that’s still true.
John,
Your resume caught the attention of The Coca-Cola Company. We look forward to hearing from you about interviewing for an open position at The Coca-Cola Company. Earn up to $32 an hour with career advancement, competitive salary and excellent benefits at a world-class company.
Liz D.
• WARNING: Even after you’ve been laid off, you’ll still need multiple pick-up vehicles for the duration of your employment.
tennis reading of the week
Venus Williams’ great Candice Buckner (one of the Indiana refugees)
Helen Elliott as Brandon Nakashima
Have a nice week everyone…
More tennis coverage:
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