The struggle to play their best tennis can sometimes bring out the worst in tennis players — and severely shorten a racquet’s lifespan in the process.

Sudden death was once a way of life for Marat Safin. Tennis’ towering terminator was the reason tennis balls and his own racquets were classified at the top of tennis’ endangered species list. This was a six-foot-four powerhouse who played with the punishing power of a player intent on deconstructing the ball with each vicious swing — and that’s when he wasn’t smashing racquets faster than the Incredible Hulk shreds shirts. (more…)

Tennis is an exercise in problem-solving skills and the players with the most well-developed weapons often wield the most effective solutions. (more…)

There’s a Monster marching through Melbourne and Roger Federer has claimed credit for its creation.

“Of course, I’ve created a monster, so I know I need to always win every tournament,” said the deposed defending champion after seeing Novak Djokovic, the aforementioned Monster of Melbourne, snap both his 19-match winning streak and his streak of 10 straight trips to Grand Slam finals with Friday’s 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(5) Australian Open semifinal victory. (more…)

He doesn’t carry the standard credentials — Grand Slam championships and a top 10 ranking —  that are the typical prerequisites for securing a place in Newport, but in my mind Gene Scott, the late, great Tennis Week founder and publisher, has a resume as worthy as any of the legendary champions in the Hall of Fame, which is why it is so fitting and fulfilling to see Gene, his friend, the late IMG founder Mark McCormack, as well as former French Open champion Michael Chang form the list of inductees into the Hall of Fame this July. (more…)

James Blake was stretching his legs out in the comfortable confines of the Australian Open’s air conditioned locker room, but his head was stuck in a pressure-packed freezer. (more…)

First-week tests carry the weight of final exams in the top half of the Australian Open women’s draw. (more…)

Tennis Week is working on a piece on how women tennis players are marketed and we’d like to hear your thoughts: Are female tennis players marketed more on their looks than male players? In your view, is it easier to market a player based on results or appearance? Do both tours do too much or not enough marketing of star players based on their appearance? How much of a priority should appearance play in marketing?

  Who do you believe is the most beautiful women player of all time? Please vote in our poll below:

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  The Australian Open women’s doubles draw is a field filled with former champions, two sets of sisters and several nationalities.

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Regardless of the clothes they endorse, the racquet brand bag they carry onto court or if they’re partial to piercings or painted nails, virtually every player who stepped on court for Monday’s opening day of play at the Australian Open adopted the universal Grand Slam accessory: the game face. (more…)

Long before he launched his acting career, New York native Burt Lancaster was an accomplished athlete and acrobat. He entered NYU aspiring to become a gym teacher, but dropped out to become a circus performer where he earned three dollars a week as an acrobat before joining the Army.

Lancaster, who won the Academy Award in 1960 for his role as the tormented evangelist Elmer Gantry, built a tennis court in back of his Bel-Air home, but it’s his famous line from the baseball-themed film “Field of Dreams” that often reminds me of tennis.

“You know we just don’t recognize the most significant moments of our lives while they’re happening,” Lancaster confides to Kevin Costner in the film.

The same can be true of major matches - players, fans, media can become so invested in moments during majors we don’t always realize the long-term impact.

In partnership with Tennis Australia, Tennis Week has assembled some historic matches and career-altering moments in recent Australian Open history, including Pete Sampras’ tearful triumph, Jennifer Capriati’s captivating comeback to fight off a recored four championship points and Andy Roddick’s epic victory over Younes El Aynaoui.

We’ve posted the video clips from these and other memorable Oz Open matches here. Just click the word “Classics” and enjoy!