Off the court
Pieces that don't slot neatly into one zone of the court yet. Browse here, or head back to the main sections in the nav above.
HEAD Extreme 2026 Review – The MP XL Is the One That Finally Connects
The 2024 HEAD Extreme was a racquet I wanted to like more than I actually did. On paper it checked every box — 100 square inches, 16×19, decent spin geometry, a beam that promised modern pop.
HEAD Extreme 2026 Review: Did HEAD Fix the Disconnect?
You pick up the 2026 HEAD Extreme for the first time. You tap the throat against your palm. You flick your wrist, testing the balance point. You are not looking for specs.
The Best Overgrip for Sweaty Hands Is Probably the One You Already Hate
You know that moment. You're deep in a third set, the air is thick enough to drink, and your racquet handle feels like it's been dipped in butter.
HEAD Extreme 2026 Review – The One That Finally Feels Like Something
You hit five balls with the 2024 HEAD Extreme and spent the rest of the demo trying to feel the ball. The frame was stable. The spin was there.
Queen's Club Final Match Report: Raducanu vs Vekic – A Grass-Court Masterclass Decided by Inches
Read the scoreline — 6-2, 6-1 — and you see a coronation. Emma Raducanu dismantling Donna Vekic on the grass of Queen's Club, the home crowd roaring at every winner, the British No.1 hoisting a trophy…
What High School Tennis Taught Me About Team Sports That Football Never Could
The loneliest sport in America is actually one of the best team sports a kid can play. I didn't believe this until I watched it happen. Let me explain.
Emma Raducanu at the WTA 500: The Match That Rewrote the Script
What Most People See Every time Emma Raducanu steps onto a WTA 500 court, the narrative is already written before she hits a ball.
The ATP Tour highlight: how thirty seconds of tennis became its own art form
You find yourself doing it without deciding to. A notification lands — match point, five-set thriller, someone you have never watched play a full set. You tap the thumbnail.
Queen's Club and the Real Story of Grass-Court Tennis in 2025
The myth arrives in the opening paragraph of almost every preview piece written before a Queen's Club final week. Grass-court tennis, the reader is told, is a throwback.
The Real Business the US Open Is Selling (It's Not Tennis)
It is the second Tuesday of the US Open, which means the concourse behind Arthur Ashe Stadium is a managed catastrophe.
WTA match report: Katie Boulter carves her own path through the grass — and it works
She was down break point on her own serve, the grass court at Queen's beginning to show its late-afternoon wear.
WTA Match Report: The Hidden Logic of Scorelines That Look Like Upsets
The score flashes up. 6-1, 6-2. You glance at it and think: blowout. One player didn't show up. That instinct is almost certainly wrong.
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