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Flying: Coco Gauff’s Backhand and Bessie Smith’s Voice, Art by Faith Ringgold*

Coco’s Backhand, her money shot. Bessie Smith’s voice. When you heard that voice, as they said of Armstrong’s trumpet, “you put your money down.” Coco flying to her first grand slam title at the US Open in NYC where people on subways see Ringgold’s heroes and heroines– performers, painters, athletes, activists, writers—all “Flying Home” to […]

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Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane (The Best Tennis Story I Know)

Check out my latest book, Tennis Players as Works of Art, now available on Amazon. Called “madly ambitious” and named one its 5 featured books of 2024 in the category of Art/Imagination/Creativity by Publisher’s Weekly Booklife, Tennis Players as Works of Art has also been named “One of the Best Books we Read in 2024” […]

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Melting Watches: Djokovic and Dali

Check out my latest book, Tennis Players as Works of Art, now available on Amazon. Called “madly ambitious” and named one its 5 featured books of 2024 in the category of Art/Imagination/Creativity by Publisher’s Weekly Booklife, Tennis Players as Works of Art has also been named “One of the Best Books we Read in 2024” […]

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Life and Death in Austin, Texas

Listened to the new Ash Barty biography while driving eight hours to Austin. She hated traveling to tournaments. That’s why she quit tennis as a top junior prospect. That’s why she quit the second time when she was just 25 and the #1 player in the world. Only one in a million would do that. […]

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Esther Vergeer’s Body, Art by Marielle Durand

This is an excerpt from my latest book, Tennis Players as Works of Art, now available on Amazon. Called “madly ambitious” and named one its 5 featured books of 2024 in the category of Art/Imagination/Creativity by Publisher’s Weekly Booklife, Tennis Players as Works of Art has also been named “One of the Best Books we […]

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Arkansas (Southerns) Wins Nationals

Check out my latest book, Tennis Players as Works of Art, now available on Amazon. Called “madly ambitious” and named one its 5 featured books of 2024 in the category of Art/Imagination/Creativity by Publisher’s Weekly Booklife, Tennis Players as Works of Art has also been named “One of the Best Books we Read in 2024” […]

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Daniil Medvedev: A Gemlike Flame, Photography by Ray Giubilo

This work an excerpt from my latest book, Tennis Players as Works of Art, now available on Amazon. Called “madly ambitious” and named one its 5 featured books of 2024 in the category of Art/Imagination/Creativity by Publisher’s Weekly Booklife, Tennis Players as Works of Art has also been named “One of the Best Books we […]

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Jelena Ostapenko: How to Penko, How to Parent

My philosophy of parenting is not unlike Ostapenko’s game. Try for too much. Fail often in hopes of greater success. Read philosophy, poetry to the baby in the womb. Always talk over their head. “A man’s reach must exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”* One of the worst ways to play tennis is […]

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Rafael Nadal and the Lascaux Cave Paintings

4,500 rpm on the forehand.  Borg’s topspin revolution doubled, squared.  All that topspin means net clearance, safety, angles.  The perfect weapon for clay, its wars of attrition.  Not far from the arena of Roland Garros lay the caves of Lascaux.  In the womb of their history lay hundreds of familiar, mysterious beasts.  Rafa’s afraid of […]

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Jana Novotna and Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”

Leading 4-1, 40-30 in the final set for the Wimbledon title, Novotna’s second serve sails halfway to the baseline. Double fault. Deuce. Tension. Novotna pokes a sitter forehand volley way over the baseline. Ad-out. Jana’s legs imperceptibly heavier move back on a lob, her shoulder metamorphosing tightening up slowing down as it strikes the ball […]