A tennis community for the recreational player
Tonight, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova face off for the 22nd time in their careers. No doubt you already know that Serena hasn’t lost to Maria since 2004 and enjoys an impressive 19-2 record against the Russian. Continue reading “Serena vs. Maria, XXII”
The trophies have been awarded and the giant checks cashed, but we’re not done with the Australian Open yet. Today we recognize the worst of the worst in an overall fashion-challenged Slam. Continue reading “Friday Fashion Face-Off: Australian Open Worst-Dressed Award”
Scary movies, candy, and the color orange make Halloween just about the perfect holiday. (Christmas still rules, thanks to the lights and the Chipmunks’ song, but Halloween runs a very close second.) Continue reading “Friday Fashion Face-off: The Halloween Edition”
Here’s something interesting I noticed during this year’s U.S. Open. When the younger pros walk down the stadium corridor and stop for the pre-match interview, they listen to the question and respond appropriately. The more experienced player? Not so much. Continue reading “The Art of the Non-Answer”
Bring up a mental image of Maria Sharapova when she’s in between points. What’s she doing? If you watch enough professional tennis, you know she has her back turned to the court and she’s fiddling with her racquet strings.
And Rafael Nadal before he serves? Even casual tennis fans are familiar with his elaborate pre-serve choreography–a tug on the shorts followed by an unvarying sequence of touches (left shoulder, right shoulder, nose, left ear, nose, right ear.)
What’s the point of these quirks? Are they just silly superstition? Continue reading “Ritual and Superstition”
As a blog writer, I enjoy incredible perks. A platform for writing whatever I want. An excuse to watch even more tennis than I otherwise would. Free tennis gear that companies want me to review.
Yeah, that last one hasn’t happened yet. (Hey, Nike! Send me some free stuff and I promise to can the snark about your Smurf clothes!)
While I wait for the swag to start rolling in, I’ll review cheap stuff I can afford to buy myself, starting with Maria Sharapova’s candy line, Sugarpova. Continue reading “A Review of Sugarpova”
The men’s and women’s tours may have migrated to grass, but here at LittleYellowBall, we’re still knee-deep in the clay. Today we’re voting on the ladies of the French Open. Continue reading “The Friday Fashion Face-off Best-Dressed Woman Award”
I had a post all written for today–a strategic analysis of the “serve or receive” question. But interesting things are always happening in the tennis world, and now you’ll have to wait until Monday for my serve/receive post.
What caught my eye this morning was this article on tennis.com about Maria Sharapova asking Rafael Nadal to hit some balls with her at the Italian Open. Of course Rafa said yes. He’s just that kind of guy. Continue reading “My Guilty-Pleasure Player”