Five Point Friday ✦ For TennisCompanion Club Members ✦ Hi there, Here's your roundup of the five most interesting things I'm enjoying or thinking about this week in tennis. 1.) 2 Stunning 100+ MPH Forehands Carlos Alcaraz opened his Monte Carlo title defense Tuesday with a 6-1, 6-3 demolition of Sebastian Baez, and a forehand clocked at 114 mph (183 km/h) summed things up pretty well. Two days later, 19-year-old Joao Fonseca followed it up with a 105 mph (169 km/h) forehand of his own en...
13 days ago • 3 min read
Five Point Friday ✦ For TennisCompanion Club Members ✦ Hi there, Here's your roundup of the five most interesting things I'm enjoying or thinking about this week in tennis. 1.) The Surface Shift Is On Clay season is here, and Houston's River Oaks Country Club is the only place on US soil to experience it. Tommy Paul came in off a strong hard-court swing but hadn't played a main-draw clay match all year. His first-round opponent, 21-year-old qualifier Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, came in 21-5 on the...
20 days ago • 3 min read
Five Point Friday ✦ For TennisCompanion Club Members ✦ Hi there, Here's your roundup of the five most interesting things I'm enjoying or thinking about this week in tennis. 1.) Fils: Six Points From the Brink Arthur Fils was two points from elimination in the deciding Miami quarterfinals tiebreak, down 2-6, before rattling off six straight to close out Tommy Paul 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 7-6(6). Fils wrote 'GABOS' on the camera lens after the match, a phrase he's made his signature: Game Ain't Based...
27 days ago • 3 min read
Five Point Friday ✦ For TennisCompanion Club Members ✦ Hi there, Here's your roundup of the five most interesting things I'm enjoying or thinking about this week in tennis. 1.) Sabalenka Saves Match Point at IW Down match point in the deciding tiebreak of the Indian Wells final, Aryna Sabalenka cracked a cross-court backhand winner after defending a Rybakina first serve and then proceeded to win the next two points and the title. It capped a week that included an engagement, a new puppy, and...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Five Point Friday ✦ For TennisCompanion Club Members ✦ Hi there, Here's your roundup of the five most interesting things I'm enjoying or thinking about this week in tennis. 1.) Must-See Indian Wells Points Indian Wells delivered a handful of highlights on the men's side this week that deserve another look. There's a 29-shot rally that's a legitimate point-of-the-year contender, a ridiculous winner struck with the racquet handle, and one of Carlos Alcaraz's signature improvisations—an...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Five Point Friday ✦ For TennisCompanion Club Members ✦ Hi there, Here's your roundup of the five most interesting things I'm enjoying or thinking about this week in tennis. 1.) Drone Strikes Hit, Players Flee A Challenger match in Fujairah, UAE, was abruptly stopped when a security alert went off, and players and officials sprinted off the court mid-match. The incident came amid regional airspace disruption, with reports of a drone being intercepted and debris sparking a fire in a nearby oil...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Five Point Friday ✦ For TennisCompanion Club Members ✦ Hi there, Here's your roundup of the five most interesting things I'm enjoying or thinking about this week in tennis. 1.) My Poly String Guide, Refreshed Polyester strings have become a dominant choice at every level of the game, but they're not the right fit for every player. In my refreshed guide, I break down what they truly offer, where they fall short, and how to think about them within the context of your own game. I also share...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Five Point Friday ✦ For TennisCompanion Club Members ✦ Hi there, Here's your roundup of the five most interesting things I'm enjoying or thinking about this week in tennis. 1.) Two Shots I'm Replaying Two points stood out this week for very different reasons. In Rio, João Fonseca turned a defensive scramble against Thiago Monteiro into something absurd, chasing down heavy groundstrokes and a pair of overheads before flipping the rally with a clean, emphatic forehand winner. Then in Dallas,...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Five Point Friday ✦ For TennisCompanion Club Members ✦ Hi there, Here's your roundup of the five most interesting things I'm enjoying or thinking about this week in tennis. 1.) Fritz's Behind-the-Back Scramble During the Dallas Open, Taylor Fritz pulled off a behind-the-back flick while off balance, which the Tennis Channel labeled a "shot of the year" candidate. In reality, it was more last-ditch improvisation than calculated brilliance, but that's part of what made it entertaining. Fritz...
2 months ago • 2 min read