Effective but unspectacular in her third-round victory, Sharapova reached the second week of a Slam for just the second time in her comeback from shoulder surgery and extended an encouraging passage of play that began with her Strasbourg title in May. Compiling a 14-3 record since her return from elbow injury, Maria now confronts a monumental challenge in world…

Among the most compelling reasons to watch Novak Djokovic is the Serb’s unpredictability, which echoes the pleasantly surprising narratives that emerge from this unpredictable sport. Expecting an engaging Day 5 after perusing the order of play, however, we were unpleasantly surprised by the dreary day that developed from what had seemed fascinating encounters.…

Henin (17) vs. Petrova (12) (Centre Court, 1^st match): Two Slams ago, Petrova scored a stunning third-round upset over a member of Belgium’s dazzling duo, and she has an opportunity to repeat the feat on the grandest stage of all. Typically tormented by Henin’s graceful, versatile style, the programmatic Russian dropped two tight matches to…

Trudging to the locker room after a 16-14 fifth set against Santiago Giraldo, Thiemo De Bakker must have feared that this protracted encounter would leave him at a physical disadvantage against his next opponent, either Isner or Mahut. As all tennis fans know well, such thoughts proved unfounded as the Frenchman and the American shattered virtually every record in every…

Eagerly exploiting the faster surface, Sharapova followed her Birmingham finals appearance with a suffocating salvo to ignite her Wimbledon campaign. The transition from clay to grass proved a bit less hospitable, however, to two terrors of the terre battue. Unceremoniously ushered out of their All England Club debuts, Verdasco and Stosur failed to translate their six combined clay finals into the language of grass. But their defeats speak less about their shortcomings than about…

If Wimbledon used the best-of-three format for the first week of its men’s matches, three of the top eight seeds would have fallen in their openers to Alejandro Falla, Olivier Rochus, and Kevin Anderson. While the travails of neither Djokovic nor Davydenko surprised us, the near-disaster suffered by the six-time champion was completely unexpected, since Federer had comfortably dismissed Falla twice in the last month. Forced to extricate himself from a two-set deficit, the feckless top seed…

Welcome to the debut of our daily preview series on all of the Wimbledon action, which will briefly discuss an intriguing topic from the previous day’s action before examining several key matches in detail. They will conclude with a “briefly noted” section on matches of lesser interest that might be worth more casual attention when the central action ebbs. Since there’s little to discuss from today’s action beyond the arrangement of Federer’s trophy room (read his interview if you haven’t…

Glancing through the Wimbledon draws, we found them more balanced and intriguing than their Roland Garros counterparts. Rather than reaching a premature climax early in the second week, the narratives should build compellingly throughout the fortnight. Yet perhaps this impression merely stems from the fact that grass suits more elite players than does clay; there are many fewer “grass specialists” than “clay specialists,” especially as the former surface slows over the years. At any rate,…

As players and fans anxiously await the Wimbledon draws, we turn our lens towards the snakes in the grass: dangerous lurkers who won’t hoist the trophy but from whom the top competitors hope to keep their distance. Often quirky and typically opportunistic, this group spans a spectrum from grizzled veterans (only figuratively grizzled, in one case) to surging newcomers eager to brand their imprint onto the pristine lawns of the All England Club. Ladies, gentlemen, and Jelena Jankovic, meet…

Having discussed the five tournament favorites, one of whom won’t even enjoy his own quarter, we turn our lens towards the group of players who might produce a slightly unexpected champion or champions. Once again, this article breaks down each challenger into causes for confidence and causes for concern. You might find one or two surprises in the list!

Click here to continue reading the second article in the series of…

It seems like only a week or so ago that Schiavone was ingesting particles of crushed brick and Nadal was crying softly into his towel. Well, it was only a week or so ago. Nevertheless, another Slam looms on the history-laden lawns of Wimbledon, which means that another preview is straight ahead. We start at the top with the tournament favorites, profiling causes for confidence and concern in each of their individual circumstances.

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In the 2008 French Open, the new world #1 Ana Ivanovic proudly lifted the first Slam trophy of what seemed destined to be a career replete with such memorable moments. In the 2010 French Open, the world #42 Ana Ivanovic cowered helplessly behind the baseline as the burly Alisa Kleybanova crammed a second-set bagel down her throat in the second round. How did this precipitous two-year plunge from glory to misery accelerate with such alarming speed? We look at seven of the principal…

Understated and businesslike when she takes the court, Samantha Stosur represents a striking anomaly amidst the melodramatic, made-for-TV extravaganzas produced and directed by the WTA’s current elite. Although scowls, sneers, and sobs provide compelling entertainment, it’s also refreshing to observe a sturdy competitor who simply plays tennis in an unruffled, methodical manner. Dedication to the sport shines clearly from Stosur’s focused attitude, which should enable her to build upon the…

Hope that you relished reading our fortnight of French Open coverage as much as we relished writing it! We thought that the clay season was a bit more eventful than usual this year, and we’re expecting just as many engaging narratives when the action shifts to grass. Here are five (plus one, of course!) with which we seek to stoke your anticipation…

1) Will momentum continue from clay, or rewind to Miami? A dramatic contrast to the protracted…

When Nadal strode onto Court Philippe Chatrier for his initial pre-Roland Garros practice session, his first sight of the 2010 tournament was the same as his last sight of the 2009 tournament: the gangly, grimacing scorpion from Sweden. For better or for worse, Soderling also will provide the final image of the Spaniard’s tournament this year on Sunday, having advanced to the final along a trajectory eerily similar to his route in 2009. The Greatest Upset Ever remains permanently branded on…

At the endpoint of a sensational fortnight that recalls Soderling’s 2009 tournament, Stosur has defeated three of the four main contenders for the French Open title in consecutive matches (Henin, Serena, Jankovic). The accelerating Australian now faces a highly unexpected adversary, whom she met in her opening match at Roland Garros last year; admittedly aided by injuries to Wozniacki and Dementieva, Schiavone has used her ingenuity and experience to outlast several younger opponents. While…