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Ghost of Christmas Present visits British LTA
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The British LTA will tuck into the Quality Street a little ruefully this Christmas,
reflecting on its preposterously extravagant spending on the likes of Brad Gilbert,
Paul Annacone, Peter Lundgren, Carl Maes et al. Surely all the money at their disposal
would be better spent addressing the base of the pyramid and selective funding
of player development at international tennis academies?
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| 21 December 2006 |
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Appearance money devalues sport
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No one would begrudge the world's best players the right to earn what their market value
dictates, but there is an increasing perception that under-the-table appearance fees or
guarantees are beginning to warp the integrity of sporting commitment.
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| 7 December 2006 |
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Greatness beckons for Federer
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The world number one does not take his successes for granted. His public blubberings bear
witness to that. But it must be difficult for him to keep his feet on the ground when he can
see the heavens so close.
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| 22 November 2006 |
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Save tennis from Frankenstein!
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Today, when scientists are applying for permission to create part-human, part-animal embryos,
it seems pertinent to consider how scientific and technological innovations have blurred the
lines between reality and fantasy, between authenticity and artificiality, even in the world of
tennis.
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| 8 November 2006 |
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Round-robin rashness
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The Next Generation Adelaide International, starting on the first day of 2007, will be the
first ATP event to use the new experimental round-robin format. ATP chairman Etienne de Villiers
appears to have sold the idea to tournament directors, members of the ATP Player Council and
a whole host of concurring players and pundits who may well have paid scant attention to the detail.
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| 27 October 2006 |
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Tennis and the deprivation model
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The 2006 season-ending WTA Championships will take place next month without a single
American representative for the first time in the history of the event. Are Americans
just not hungry enough?
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| 18 October 2006 |
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On-court coaching is bananas
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The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has experimented with on-court coaching at tournaments in
Montreal, New Haven and Stuttgart so far this season and wider experimentation is anticipated
in 2007. It undermines the very principle of singles competition.
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| 6 October 2006 |
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USTA crowns King and embarrasses Wimbledon
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On the opening night of the 2006 US Open, the USTA ceremoniously renamed the National
Tennis Center as the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in honour of the
tennis pioneer who has been relentless in her pursuit of equal rights in the sport.
Meanwhile, Wimbledon continues to drag its heels on the issue of equal pay.
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| 29 September 2006 |
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Hewitt clutches security blanket in Buenos Aires
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Lleyton Hewitt's arrival at Buenos Aires for the Davis Cup semi-final between Australia and
Argentina was heralded by a blaring siren and the flashing blue-and-white light of a police
car whisking the former world number one to his hotel. Are the Argentinian players justified
in ridiculing his security concerns?
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| 20 September 2006 |
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Champion or nearly-man? Andy Roddick: in his own words
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Andy Roddick's self-deprecating quotable quips may well be a form of self-healing, deflecting
the pain and disappointment of losing for at least the duration of a press
conference, but sometimes you wonder if they reflect real insecurities and self-doubt.
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| 12 September 2006 |
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Agassi falls and rises in the valley of ashes
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Following defeat at the hands of Benjamin Becker at this year's US Open, a bald, pigeon-toed
American bowed and blew kisses to an adoring crowd for the very last time at the end of a glittering
career. What is his legacy?
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| 3 September 2006 |
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Murray in a pickle
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In just three weeks Brad Gilbert has steered Andy Murray to the final in Washington, a
semi-final appearance in the Toronto Masters and a place in the world's top twenty. What makes him such a special coach?
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| 18 August 2006 |
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Where sport has no place
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Sport has often been used to foster dialogue between warring peoples, but that's
certainly not the case in Iraq, where sportsmen and sportswomen have become specific
terrorist targets.
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| 4 August 2006 |
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Victory will not be denied us!
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Since the 90s, there has been a decline in competitive sport in Britain's schools. How can that trend be justified?
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| 21 July 2006 |
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Wimbledon 2006 - sartorial reflections
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Was Roger Federer's Wimbledon jacket a sartorial faux-pas?
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| 18 July 2006 |
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Should we accept sporting migrants?
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Would we accept Novak Djokovic as one of us if he were to apply for British citizenship?
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| 19 June 2006 |
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Federer, Nadal and the Flying Spaghetti Monster
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This month I preview the French Open hanging upside down in my gravity boots!
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| 19 May 2006 |
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Three stripes and you're out!
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Next month's high court battle between Adidas and the All England Club at Wimbledon could
cost the sport thousands of pounds. Why did the clothing company decide to bite the hand
that feeds it?
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| 28 April 2006 |
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Half-cocked Hawk-Eye
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If instant replay technology is to help achieve the goal of greater fairness and
accuracy, limited challenges must go and Hawk-Eye must be put in the hands of the umpires.
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| 19 April 2006 |
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Is Borg crazy to sell his Wimbledon trophies?
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Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors are calling on the All England Club to
buy Bjorn Borg's Wimbledon memorabilia to save it from falling into the hands
of a private collector.
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| 14 March 2006 |
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How strict should strict liability be?
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If Karol Beck proves spiked drinks were the source of his positive drug test,
should the principle of strict liability be reviewed?
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| 15 February 2006 |
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Quitting is just a shortcut to losing
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Henin-Hardenne's retirement should not take the gloss off Amelie Mauresmo's
Australian Open triumph.
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| 2 February 2006 |
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Etiquette? Are you sure?
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Cheating is becoming endemic in junior tennis up and down the country.
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| 20 January 2006 |
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Hawk-Eye: Panacea or Pandora?
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When the novelty wears off, Hawk-Eye ball-tracking technology will be judged by how intrusive it is.
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| 1 January 2006 |
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Click here for Talking Points 2007