General Comments

Azarenka pulls out of Rome after win (shoulder)

World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka has pul...

Interesting observation from Federer.....

Federer: Format makes Olympics

Roger Federer says that projecting winner of the Olympics will be difficult, as the format will be best-two-out-of-three-sets until the final, when the m...

Apparently 40% chance of ra...

Veteran Lleyton Hewitt and teenager Ashleigh Barty have been awarded Tennis Australia's wildcards into the main draw of the French Open.
Hewitt, who had foot surgery in February, has made a speedier than expected recovery and has been training well on clay.
``I'm looking forward to playing the French Open especially after missing it last year due to injury,'' Hewitt said.
Juni...

Women's predictions by Steve Tignor:

When it comes to making predictions, it doesn’t hurt to preview a tournament four days after it begins. Especially a tournament that involves Petra Kvitova. At least you know that the always unpredictable Czech managed to make it past her opening round, which she did today over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Before the women get too much farther along in Rome, let’s take a look at the draw. Coming off of a final between Serena Williams and world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, the WTA is feeling . . . just about right at the moment.

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First Quarter
I was a little gloomy about Vika’s prospects yesterday, saying that her serve had turned into a serious liability. And it has been exploited by Serena and Maria Sharapova in the finals of her last two tournaments. But it should also be noted that Azarenka reached those finals in the first place. Williams may be a bad match-up for her, and she’s not going to crush Maria every time out, bu...

Match report by Ed McGrogan:

In the past 10 months, Christina McHale has beaten Caroline Wozniacki, Marion Bartoli, and Petra Kvitova, all members of the WTA Top 10. The 20-year-old American was unable to add Maria Sharapova, another player whose ranking is but one digit long, to that list, losing 7-5, 7-5, but if McHale kept a "good losses" list, today's effort against the world No. 2 would make the cut.

McHale started off well, taking a 4-1 lead after some Sharapova misses and missed break points. Breaki...

Match report by Steve Tignor:

The Battle of the Backhand Drops: If Andy Murray’s 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 win over David Nalbandian is remembered in the tennis-history books, it would have to be under that title. Forget aces and forehand winners, the backhand drop shot was the put-away of choice between these two lifetime members of the Good Hands Club and fellow all-time non-Slam-winners. For the last two sets, they pulled each other up and back and all over the court, and in the process gave us red-clay tennis at its finest.

It took a while to develop. Nalbandian was off at the start, an...

Match report by Dan Markowitz:

On the last shot of the match, Bernard Tomic was left to chase a Novak Djokovic backhand volley. Although the ball was behind Tomic, the young Australian didn't look in too much of a hurry to run it down. When the ball bounced twice without Tomic reaching it, Djokovic had secured a 6-3, 6-3 win in 69 minutes in the second round of the Rome Masters. At 19, Tomic played with a detached demeanor and a breezy approach that some might call a lack of urgency, but even as he fell to the world No. 1 rather routinely, he has to know that there will be ot...

Dimitar Kutrovsky banned two years for doping

LONDON (AP)—Bulgarian tennis player Dimitar Kutrovsky has been banned for two years after ...

Andy Murray: My Back Is Fine, I Feel Pretty Good, The Next 4 Months Will Determine No. 1

After a brief rest period for a back injury, Andy Murray says he feels now on the eve of the Rome Tennis Masters. The Scot bypassed the Madrid blue clay masters so he could better prepare for the French Open.

“It was my decision to stop,” Murray answered Sunday w...