On Federer's watch

The greatest athletes often possess a knack for holding onto their talents longer than the sports world anticipates. Their focus and determination outweighs whatever focus the mob can muster. The late success of Roger Federer is only surprising when the crowd blinks first.

The end of history, or Andy Murray's attempted rivalry with Novak Djokovic

As of June 5th, the tennis season is through Roland Garros. Wimbledon will start before the end of the month. In between those two swells in the Grand Slam ocean, Andy Murray made history by winning the Queens tournament for a fifth time. He is the only player to do so, having laid waste to Milos Raonic in the tournament's championship match. This summer has also seen Murray reunite with his former coach, Ivan Lendl, in order to start winning Grand Slams again, which is the sort of history that tends to matter most in the tennis world. Of course, this accomplishment would also entail solving the Novak Djokovic conundrum. 

Screaming inside of myself: Championship weekend at Wimbledon

Men’s Semifinals (Friday): In a match that surpassed its aesthetic billing as the Battle of the Beautiful Backhands and delivered arguably the tournament’s best match, Richard Gasquet won a berth in the semi-finals at Wimbledon. However, against Novak Djokovic, substance receded leaving only flash and Gasquet, as always, was on the outside looking in, wondering what happened to the moment. Ah, but at least he can relish his relationship with alliteration.

Storm Fronts Hatching at Wimbledon: Djokovic Defeats Nadal

So much of who a tennis player is can be observed in how they wait. As an audience we tend to focus on the power of the forehand, the grace of the volleys, and the dizziness of back and forth flight--you know, the whirlwind of the moment--that periods of incubation between each serve slip from our memories, like a yolky membrane running through our fingertips. But, it is in these moments that a player's identity is hatched and nurtured, that their personality grows warm enough to survive and endure.