Tag: tennis

Roger and Serena: A Prescription for Success

Matt Talford

AS WE LOOK AHEAD TO THE 2020 PRO TENNIS SEASON… the question in the minds of tennis fans and analysts alike is one that began as a whisper several years ago and has grown in volume with each passing tennis season since: Are Roger and Serena done?  Though the question may be simple, the answer is a bit more complex.  The answer to that question is: “It depends.” “Depends on what?” you might ask.  Well, let’s start with Serena and finish up with Roger.   Serena Williams Serena has dominated…

The July 4th Effect

Matt Talford

The sight and smell of gunpowder smoke in the air… The constant cracking and popping… The loud booms… all coming from all directions…  Overwhelming…  For the first time in my post-military service life, the July 4th fireworks bothered me.   Yesterday, as I played doubles with my friends under the twilight and eventual nighttime sky… as I struggled to focus on playing the points, all while trying to steel my nerves, I constantly had to remind myself that I was neither on a military installation, nor deployed to a combat…

Tennis and Friendships

Matt Talford

  Facebook says we became friends six years ago, but I’ve known Scott a lot longer (since 2004 perhaps). Anyway, I remember the first time I met him… I didn’t know him back then, but we were both members at the Tega Cay Tennis Club. I knew his wife Susan because she and I both worked at Microsoft. When she learned I was a tennis player, she asked if I’d met her husband Scott. I told her “No,” but that I knew we’d eventually meet playing at the same club……

Serena Williams Might Be the Best Pro Athlete Ever

Matt Talford

If you’re thinking I had a typo or perhaps left out a word in the title of this article, think again.  The title, agree or not, was fully intended.  Now, before you start throwing verbal stones, keep in mind that this is an opinion article; and understand this… I’m not saying Serena is a better physical athlete than, say LeBron James, Usain Bolt, Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Novak Djokovic.  Those guys are physically stronger, and/or bigger and faster.  And no, the intent of this article is not to make this…

Wimbledon 2015: Venus, Serena and the Cruelty of the Draw

Matt Talford

Monday, July 6, 2015: 12:05am EDT – If you’re a fan of professional tennis and a fan of arguably the two most famous sisters to ever take the court, one of the first things that probably jumped out at you when the Wimbledon Ladies Singles Draw was released was the possibility that the Williams sisters: Venus and Serena, would meet in the fourth round. Well, what began as a potential matchup is now reality. The sisters will face each other at the All England Club today, their first meeting at a…