The Backboard: The Big Five that never was, Remnants of Greatness, and the Friendly Battle Royale
We could’ve had a Big Five, Rusty’s last few crumbs of greatness, Nadal and Djokovic, and Thick as a Brick.
The Backboard: Offseason Thoughts on Boris and Fedberg
The Backboard returns with some thoughts about the recent celebrity coaching hires by Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
A Modest Proposal To Improve the Challenge System
It’s time to turn a good system into a better one.
The Backboard: The Things I Love…and the Things I Love to Forget About the Grand Slams
This week on The Backboard: I realize I feel the same way about flying than I do about some aspects of the Grand Slams. Also, Doug Robson writes about potential rule changes regarding the use of cell phones on court, and Javier Frana witnesses a potentially historic meeting of Davis Cup captains. Musical guests: Once again, The Smashing Pumpkins!
The Backboard: 2013 Masters 1000 Power Rankings: The Good, The Bad, and the Random (So Far)
This week on The Backboard: I do a Power Ranking of the first 5 ATP Masters 1000 of the 2013 season. Also, Douglas Perry writes a great piece on Rafael Nadal, Miguel Seabra tells a revealing story of a past ATP CEO, and I write an essay about how my habit of listening to full albums has evolved. Musical guest: Toro Y Moi!
The Backboard: A Tweet Extravaganza Featuring: A “Get Off My Lawn” moment, Too Many Left-Handers, and More
This week on The Backboard: A fantastic week of tennis tweets, featuring an angry and annoyed Neil Harman and a concerned Sorana Cirstea. Plus: Brodie has a perfect tweet, ESPN tries to take the US Open from CBS, and Svetlana Kuznetsova’s unforgettable Madrid kit. This week’s musical guests: the Smashing Pumpkins!
The Backboard: Those Lucrative Wildcards, Who Owns the Hawk-Eye Data and More
This week on The Backboard: I look into how the wildcard discrepancy (and the money involved) between two American 20 year-old pros, Madison Keys impresses, Damien Demaj asks the tennis establishment to free the Hawk-Eye data, and Murray makes me realize I’ve been asking the wrong questions about stats. This week’s musical guest: The Decemberists!
The Backboard: The Walking Wounded Part 2, Jeremy “Double-Fault Whisperer” Chardy, and More
This week on The Backboard: further exploration into why top pros still show up at tournaments even though they’re struggling with injuries (hint: it’s the money). Plus: Jeremy “Double-Fault Whisperer,” Al Jazeera might or might not be interested in the Tennis Channel, Marc López doesn’t want to anoint the Bryans as the Doubles GOATs, Juan Mónaco makes fun of his good friend Rafael Nadal, and I compare my relationship with the Smashing Pumpkins’ “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” to “When Harry Met Sally.”
The Backboard: Analyzing All the Key Points of the 2013 Djokovic-Nadal Monte Carlo Final
This week on The Backboard: an in-depth look into all the Key Points of the 2013 Djokovic-Nadal Monte Carlo final. Plus: Fed Cup is making match scorecards available online, Robin Haase can’t win a tiebreaker to save his life, and the Classic Era of Genesis.
The Backboard: How Do Isner, Mónaco, Almagro and Rhyne Williams Use Video And Stats?
In this week’s edition of The Backboard, I ask the Houston ATP 250 semifinalists (Isner, Almagro, Mónaco & Williams) about their use of statistics and video; plus much more.
