Growing the Game: Li Na

The WTA recently published a great piece on Li Na’s impact on our sport. She was the first Asian player to win a grand slam singles title, winning two overall, and has inspired a generation of very talented Asian players. 7 of the top 100 WTA players are from China, with Qinwen Zheng recently making the Australian Open Final! Let’s not forget, Li Na is hilarious during interviews, and anyone would be thrilled to trade their backhand with hers. Full article here.

Tennis Meets Comedy

For the last 9 days, I’ve opened Spotify like it’s Christmas morning hoping Santa has dropped a new episode of the tennis comedy podcast, “Tennis Anyone with Michael Kosta”. I love Michael’s rambling, the way he calls out bullshit, his high tennis IQ and general positivity. Michael was a former professional tennis player (he down plays it hard), and has been a touring stand-up comedian for quite some time. He and the team at The Daily Show just won an Emmy (so you know he’s legit). Give it a listen!

Slip n Slide

There’s something about Jannik Sinner’s movement that looks very different from the rest, particularly when he’s pushed out wide. He has a unique ability to hit an open-stance shot (on both the forehand and backhand sides) while getting his hips, knees and toes pointed back towards the middle of the court at the end of his swing. It seems to not only generate power, but also helps him recover back to the center of the court quicker that most others. It’s like he’s skiing out there, and every shot out wide is a turn on the mountain. The gif above doesn’t do it justice at all unfortunately. This highlight reel from last year’s Wimbledon is better.

The Tour Continues

• Montepellier (ATP 250 Event) is well under way! The points in Bublik vs. Shapovalov are just nuts, and helped me get over the post-slam sadness this week. Same with Cazoux (love his name and game) vs. FAA.

• Linz (WTA 500 Event), officially named the Upper Austria Ladies Linz is also under way. Australia last week, Austria this week, and probably another continent soon. It’s hard for me to fathom how the top players manage changing time zones so often. Follow scores here.

Thanks for reading! 🤠

DP