Fiend At Court
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Fiend At Court is a daily public tennis journal, that has captivated the interest of true tennis enthusiasts with its eclectic weekly rotation of topics. The blog's title is an obvious riff derived from the USTA's official rule publication "Friend At Court." Fiend At Court has been in continuous daily publication since December 31, 2019.
Fiend At Court
19h ago
Saudi Arabia’s $1 billion proposal marks a pivotal moment for both the men’s and women’s tours. Meanwhile, discussions to merge commercial rights between ATP and WTA intensify, as Indian Wells lives up to its claim as the ‘Fifth Slam.’
Saudi Arabia’s new $1 billion proposal and the battle to control tennis: Following months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, the leaders of the men’s and women’s professional tours are attempting to secure financial viability with at least $1 billion of investment from Saudi Arabia. Full Story: The Athletic
ATP, WTA advance talks to merge commercial rights: The ..read more
Fiend At Court
3d ago
When it comes to strategic initiatives, nothing makes me happier than a well-structured, data-based decision process. Organizations that use evidence to make smarter strategic choices generally achieve better outcomes. At the same time, data-based decisions are fraught with peril. There is always a risk that the data on hand doesn’t tell the full story or is otherwise flawed. A little information in the wrong hands can be scary.
As a case in point, the USTA Sections might query for data on defaults across all USTA League matches played under their purview. I would be willing to wager that the ..read more
Fiend At Court
4d ago
For anyone who is new here, I really don’t like defaults in tennis. Whether it occurs in USTA League or tournaments, every scheduled match that isn’t played is like a broken promise. Defaults are exactly the opposite of my “More tennis is always the answer” mantra. This weekend, I am exploring the agony of defaults. This theme was prompted by an unusual number of defaults in my orbit.
Pulling back the curtain a bit, I maintain a list of future topics that have been intentionally shelved for a cooling-off period before I publish my thoughts. Sometimes, that is to obscure the identification of ..read more
Fiend At Court
5d ago
Jimmy Connors is an American tennis player who held the #1 ATP ranking for 268 weeks. That includes a 160-week streak from 1974 to 1977. While he was clearly one of the best players to ever compete in the sport, he was also a polarizing and frequently controversial figure. His book The Outsider: A Memoir offers a compelling inside perspective that delves deep into the highs and lows of his remarkable career.
This book prompted me to examine its motivations. The Outsider contains elements of self-reflection, setting the record straight, and sometimes an apparent desire to memorialize those who ..read more
Fiend At Court
6d ago
The 2024 edition of the USTA’s Friend at Court contains Regulation updates for conducting sanctioned tennis tournaments in the United States. I suspect that most casual tournament players will never notice any difference. In fact, there is an above-average chance I would have missed it myself if I wasn’t explicitly looking for such changes.
The new USTA Regulations consolidate the roles and responsibilities of the Tournament Committee. This starts with the elimination of the “Tournament Chair.” For anyone unfamiliar with that position, the following definition was pulled from the 2023 Friend ..read more
Fiend At Court
1w ago
Once upon a time, I had the bright idea to write about the tennis training techniques glimpsed in the Netflix docuseries “Break Point.” This has proven to be excellent fodder for each Tuesday’s “Tennis Tech and Training” posts. A little over a year later, we are moving into Season 1, Episode 8 of the show.
“Fairytale in New York” is focused on the 2022 US Open. Taylor Fritz received considerable screen time as one of the season’s featured players. Unfortunately for Fritz, Brandon Holt bounced him out of the tournament in the first round. Fairytale indeed.
As he prepared for that match, Fritz ..read more
Fiend At Court
1w ago
The final contest for this weekend is an easy one. There is a facility best practice in this photo that I wish every site would implement. While this particular image is from the Houston Racquet Club, the gracious hosts of the National Senior Women’s Clay Court Championships, this picture is independent of the tournament. It is just a generally good thing to do.
The first person to correctly identify this obvious yet exceedingly rare facility best practice shown in this photo will receive a Fiend at Court embroidered logo hat. Additionally, if there is another best practice in this image that ..read more
Fiend At Court
1w ago
This photo is not staged. I keep a tennis ball in my sewing kit at all times. Unlike the used tennis balls that ubiquitously clutter my life, this one serves a genuine purpose. I recently started to wonder if anyone else uses the same eccentric tennis best practice. To check that out, I am running a contest today. The first person who can correctly identify why I keep a tennis ball in my sewing kit will win a Fiend At Court logo embroidered hat.
Responses should be submitted in the comments section against this post at FiendAtCourt.com.
If you don’t see a photo embedded in this post, your em ..read more
Fiend At Court
1w ago
In 2015, the BBC released a documentary on Arthur Ashe to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his Wimbledon men’s singles title. Arthur Ashe: More Than a Champion is a biopic of the legend of the sport. His rise to tennis prominence is traced in parallel to the American Civil Rights movement, along with his unique response to the social injustice of the era. This film is a comprehensive examination of the man that starts with his boyhood in segregated Richmond through his final days as his life was claimed by AIDS.
While there are many great books that delve into detail on the life and lasting ..read more
Fiend At Court
1w ago
Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. In fact, it happened to me during a Singles match at the Level 1 National Senior Women’s Clay Court Championships just last week. After taking a break at the end of the first set, we accidentally started the second set from the wrong ends of the court. We changed ends when we should have each returned to our original side. Oops.
As my opponent served at 0-30 in the first game, it occurred to me we might be on the wrong side. However, I was still working it out as the point quickly concluded, and my opponent served at 0-40. I won that point to end the ..read more