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Billie Jean King with Frank Deford

On By Teresa Merklin

Leading up to the release of ‘All In: An Autobiography’ by Billie Jean King last week, this site reviewed many of the previous books about her life. One notable omission was ‘Billie Jean King’ with Frank Deford. It was a simple matter of logistics. A copy of the Deford book did not fall into my hands until shortly after ‘All In’ was released. In retrospect that may have been a stroke of luck. The Billie Jean King biography is arguably best consumed after first reading ‘All In.’

CoCo Vandeweghe’s Viral Warm-Up

On By Teresa Merklin

One of the most culturally distinctive differences between tennis and other sports is how opponents are expected to cooperatively warm-up with each other prior to competition. It is a really strange practice when you think about it. A couple of week’s ago at the Koser Jewelers Tennis Challenge, Coco Vandeweghe tired to refuse to warm-up when her match resumed following a suspension for extreme heat. When the umpire and her opponent forced her to warm-up anyway, she petulantly refused to expend any effort.

Slam Ball for Service Power

On By Teresa Merklin

My home gym is equipped with a 10 pound slam ball. A slam ball is distinguished from normal weighted medicine balls because they have thicker and softer surfaces which make them great for high impact throwing exercises. You can wing a slam ball at a training partner or static surface that would be prohibitively dangerous with the harder medicine ball.

The Tennis Docket: August 30, 2021

On By Teresa Merklin

This week’s tennis news roundup includes a venue change for the Billie Jean King Cup, an impromptu tennis clinic staged by Venus Williams, and a little tournament called the US Open where fans have to provide proof of vaccination, but the players do not. Additionally, any debate over the active player with the best mullet in tennis is put to rest.

The US Open: It’s a Hard Court Life

On By Teresa Merklin

Throughout the history of the US Open tennis championships, the tournament was traditionally conducted on grass courts. That all changed in 1975 when the court surface was switched over to clay. Three years later, the event changed once again to a hard court surface. The original transition from grass to clay was prompted by player complaints about uneven and soft grass courts previously used for the tournament. The subsequent change to hard court was most likely driven by economics.

Who is the Only Woman to Win the US Open on Clay?

On By Teresa Merklin

In anticipation of the start of the 2021 US Open on Monday, I am continuing to explore trivia related to the court surfaces historically used by the tournament. Yesterday we identified the only man to win the singles championship on all three US Open surfaces: grass, clay, and hard. Today’s question is to name the only woman who won the US Open during the three years when the tournament was played on clay.

Who was the Only Player to Win the US Open on Three Different Court Surfaces?

On By Teresa Merklin

Throughout the years, the US Open has been played on grass, clay, and hard court surfaces. Only one player has won the title on all three. It is a record that will never be tied or beaten. It is doubtful that the US Open will ever be contested in the future on any surface other than hardcourt. Even if the USTA decided to make a change, it is doubtful that they would do it twice and on short order.

All In: An Autobiography

On By Teresa Merklin

“All In: An Autobiography” of Billie Jean King was the most anticipated tennis book of 2021 for me. As the most impactful female in the history of athletics, there are already several biographies previously published on her life. It might be tempting to assume that the story of Billie Jean King has already been exhaustively told. However, even when revisiting events documented in previous sources, All In brings a fresh perspective and additional color to all that transpired. With All In, we finally have the definitive book about the life of Billie Jean King.

Let’s Talk a Little More About Hindrance

On By Teresa Merklin

Last Wednesday’s “The Rules of Tennis” post drew a couple of comments that compel me to follow-up. In case you missed it, an umpire called hindrance call against Daniil Medvedev for apologizing to Alexander Bublik during a point in Toronto. This site’s (somewhat) sequential march through the rules of tennis has yet to reach the section of the USTA Friend at Court about talking during a point. Because it is current and relevant, we will jump ahead. It is a case where the written rule diverges significantly from how it is normally carried out in USTA sanctioned matches.