Latest Posts

The Hidden Mathematics of Sport The 2026 USTA’s Friend at Court is Out… and a Foot Fault! The Racquet Bag Leaf Blower: A Small Tennis Tech Upgrade Tennis Beyond the Headlines: March 2, 2026 Beyond the Bell Curve: Why Competitive Tennis Ecosystems Need Edges The Participation Pyramid and the Cost of Lopping Off the Top Winter Is No Longer Coming: The LTA’s County Cup Decision

2018 AO Flashback: Fashion Hits and Misses

On By Teresa Merklin

The dawn of each Grand Slam tournament sparks a ritual in the Fiend at Court household. I say something along the lines of “It’s official. Nike has completely run out of attractive color combinations.” To which the Fiend at Court spousal unit replies “Please don’t buy me any of that.” Fun fact: Outside of league and tournament swag, almost the entirety of the Fiend at Court household’s tennis wardrobe has been gleaned from the clearance rack of one of the major online tennis retailers. We are experts in what is likely to eventually be offered at deep discount.

The Very White Anne White

On By Teresa Merklin

I knew I would be writing about former WTA professional Anne White as soon as she was mentioned in Zina Garrison’s autobiography. She came up in passing due to her tangential involvement when the sportswear company Pony decided to not renew Garrison’s clothing sponsorship contract. Before coming across that story, I couldn’t have told you anything at all about Anne White.

Best Dressed at the Australian Open: Serena Williams?

On By Teresa Merklin

Before I delve too deeply into this topic, I first have to make it perfectly clear that my personal policy is to never accept fashion advice from an engineer. If the relevancy of that statement is not immediately obvious, let me provide a reminder the tag line of this blog here: “An engineer overthinks tennis in a daily tennis journal.” Based on a lifetime of experience, engineers and fashion don’t normally play well together.

An Avalanche of Tennis Ice Photos

On By Teresa Merklin

The story of the Fiend at Court Spousal Unit chipping ice off courts in order to get a league match played last weekend inadvertently set off a cavalcade of similarly themed photos. As it turns out, there are a lot of players in our orbit who essentially did the same thing. Many went out to their local courts armed with lawn tools last weekend.

A Little More Winter Tennis

On By Teresa Merklin

Yesterday I shared a photo that illustrated that some players in the DFW area chipped ice off a court at Hurst Tennis Center in order to get some USTA League matches played as scheduled. Today I am sharing another photo from earlier in the week that shows that the courts a couple of miles away at Richland Tennis Center were fully playable. This photo was provided courtesy of Bobby Reeves who is the Head Tennis Pro at that facility.

Breaking the Ice

On By Teresa Merklin

Many years ago I once chipped ice off a tennis court before playing a junior match in the Cotton Bowl tennis tournament. That event is an indelible part of our family lore. To add insult to injury, I lost the ensuing match. The Umpire who Gave Birth To Me watched me play from the cozy confines of the pro shop. She was less than impressed with my level of energy during the match as evidenced by the fact that I never took my sweats off. It was c-c-c-c-old.

Desmond Margetson and the Tennis Bubble

On By Teresa Merklin

The recent spate of arctic weather makes this the perfect time to discuss the inflatable tennis bubble. Desmond Margetson, a black American tennis player and engineer is the inventor of the structure that enables seasonal indoor tennis. Since February is designated as Black History month AND the week of February 21-27 is designated as “Engineers Week” it is the perfect time to discuss the tennis bubble.

Who Wore It Better?

On By Teresa Merklin

When I came across a couple of 80’s era tennis outfits featured in “The 80’s Called: Vintage Elesse Tennis Clothes,” I was wondering if the house of the Umpire Who Gave Birth to me would eventually surrender a picture of me wearing those ensembles from my playing days. I had a lot of time to sift through boxes of old photos last week as Texas endured 3rd world country performance of the power grid amidst winter storms. Fun times.

Pickleball vs Tennis: Cultural Perspectives

On By Teresa Merklin

The Fiend at Court “Unplugged” series continues to revisit posts made in 2020. This is possibly the longest “Year in Review” in the history of casual blogging. Today this retrospective has reached the inevitable topic of pickleball. If the Fiend at Court goes the same way as the racquet sports industry is trending, there is a dystopian future where this site issues daily content on pickleball. It is my life’s mission to prevent that from happening.