Craig Cignarelli’s Court News
In the early 1700’s, the British Empire was the center of global commercialism. At its height, it was the largest Empire in history - ruling over almost half a billion people - and for over a century, the foremost global power.
The terre battue is quieter now, the bludgeoning whacks and spectator roars now making way for French traffic’s distant snarls and the morning coos of Parisian pigeons.
While the players bash backhands and fling forehands across the net, the French Open entered its second week with several top seeds taking the court.
Tomorrow’s headlines will read, the Rome ATP final finished with Novak Djokovic defeating Roger Federer 6-4, 6-3 in a one-sided contest that saw Federer playing below his ability and Novak staying solid throughout.
One of the perks of having a tournament pass and being a coach, is having access to tennis greatness. Today, I got to spend a little time with Roger Federer.
The Ancient Romans constructed the Pantheon as a dedication to divinity of the past, present, and future. Today, about one kilometer from the Vatican, the 2000 year-old temple still stands, its diametrically perfect roof hole, the Greek inspired colonnades, the Latin inscription on the front crediting Marcus Agrippa for the build.
Wikipedia (def) “The most pressing feature of Rome’s decline was the Roman state’s progressive inability to enforce its rule, either through the armed forces or by administrative means...
It’s probably an interesting exercise to explore the parallels between the Colosseum and the Foro Italico tennis stadium - gladiators battling beneath a hot sun with crowds glorifying the victor, while the vanquished sulks off to the dungeon-like locker rooms.
There is a famous legend, which states, “If you toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain, you will return to Rome sometime in the future.” It’s one of those marketing myths that results in two million Euros per annum being thrown into the spinning waters.
If you know where you are going, the Foro Italico is approximately 3,598 steps from Piazza di Spagna, otherwise it is exactly 9,487. When you arrive, a blue-uniformed security guard named Giovanni checks your ID, scans your body a bit uncomfortably, and lets you pass onto the main walkway.
10sballs.com tasked me with covering the Rome ATP event this week. Intending to provide ample literary fodder, a funny thing happened on the way to Italy.
Clay court season is upon us - the smoky red dust, the soaked socks hued with brick, the strained groin tendons and the lactically-acidic quads. The ball travels higher, revolves with more intensity, and points often require an intermission.
Found: Black tennis racquet of no apparent brand, un-logoed strings, weighted to 352 grams, and head heavy
After a quarter century of questionably-successful exploits, the USTA Player Development (PD) division is, once again, making a change. Patrick McEnroe no longer sports the PD crown, and the National Board has begun the search for a successor. Having spent the last two decades watching regime after regime take the PD division’s reigns – only to drop them a few years later after effecting policies that have yet to produce a US Champion – I’m inclined to offer some thoughts...
Dawn’s light crawls up the Santa Catalina’s mountains’ pale red rocks. A lone crow caws into the morning’s chill. As the Sonoran desert heats up, hundreds of amateur athletes lace up their sneaks and descend onto the newly-paved courts. This is the second annual US TENNIS CONGRESS, now taking place at El Conquistador Resort in Tucson, Arizona.
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