Tennis Rule Changes in 1887
I am having a ridiculously good time combing through the New York Times “TimesMachine” to find articles from the archives that shed light on theRead More
1 responseThe First National Lawn Tennis Tournament
Last Wednesday’s post focused on the tennis ball that the fledgling United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) selected for the first official National Championship tournament.Read More
The Tennis Ball Selected for the First National Lawn Tennis Tournament
In July of 1881, the recently formed United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) announced what is now regarded as the first official National Championship tournamentRead More
2 responsesCan They Do That?
The 2023 Texas Adult Masters was severely impacted by rain. In fact, the majority of the divisions were not fully completed. On the tournament’s finalRead More
3 responsesComplaining about the Balls in Tennis
From the earliest days of organized lawn tennis, there was controversy over the ball used for the sport. One of the first orders of businessRead More
Manufactured Controversy: Medvedev Strikes Fan with Ball
Last week at the Vienna Open, Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev was steamrolling Frenchman Arthur Fils in the opening round. Down 5-1 in the secondRead More
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (All Three)
I usually prefer to have all three balls in my possession prior to serving. At the same time, I also recognize that it isn’t safeRead More
Dropping the Ball
Last August, the Second Serve Podcast did a three-part “Stump the Ump” series with Rebel Good. The long-time USTA Umpire is the author of theRead More
1 response1881: Formation of the USLTA
The imminent foundation of the United States Lawn-Tennis Association was announced in a list of public notices that ran on April 24, 1881 in theRead More
Tanking and the Suspension Point System
I got called out after last weekend’s “Suspension Points Crime and Punishment” post by a knowledgeable person over my assertion that there is a gapRead More