Remembering a Friend

This morning, we awoke to the terrible news that Steve, who tweeted at @ShankTennis and ran the great ShankTennis.com, lost his battle with cystic fibrosis.

Steve was a great friend to The Changeover and to tennis as a whole. His insight, humor, writing, tweeting, and unrelenting dedication to the sport–particularly to Irish tennis and the Challenger circuit–will greatly be missed.

We wanted to take a moment out here on the blog today to look back at some of our favorite tweets and articles by Steve. Please feel free to share your favorite memories in the comments below, and hopefully we will be able to send to his family and close friends.

***

His investigation into the ban of David Savic was one of the best pieces of tennis writing in 2012. It was thorough, smart, and fearless. It was something that nobody else was covering.

His compilation of tweets about Andrew Castle still makes my stomach hurt from laughing.

He highlighted some of the most obscure and interesting things about 2012 that few tennis fans knew about.

He wrote eloquently about his appreciation for Jurgen Melzer.

Here are just a few of his tweets from the last couple of months that showcase his wit:

Perhaps the Troicki mess could have been avoided if the doc had offered him a lollipop for being a brave little soldier & taking the needle

— Steve (@ShankTennis) July 26, 2013

Carlos Berlocq has won an ATP title. Amazing. A triumph for hard work, dedication and fighting spirit.

— Steve (@ShankTennis) July 14, 2013

Fabio Fognini has won an ATP title. Not exactly a triumph for hard work, dedication and fighting spirit but tennis wins regardless.

— Steve (@ShankTennis) July 14, 2013

Janowicz grunting since the MTO. Must be some oil they use.

— Steve (@ShankTennis) August 27, 2013

If Monfils v Fognini was the party then Robredo v Seppi is the morning after

— Steve (@ShankTennis) July 27, 2013

RIP, Steve. You will be missed.

• All posts by Changeover Writing Staff
• Website