Missed something? Read it again? Find First Ball Forehand posts below. Enjoy!
-
Congrats Marketa Vondrousova, 2023 Wimbledon Champion!
Wow! A fantastic 2 weeks of Wimbledon comes to a close. My predictions were wrong all around and that made for a more exciting, less predictable tournament. So much to discuss. Let’s jump right in – Congrats Marketa Vondrousova, 2023 Wimbledon Champion! Well done! Well deserved! Unexpected every step of the way! I have to…
-
U.S. Wimbledon Week-in-Review
Another first week of Wimbledon in the books and it’s been a great one. There was a fantastic match today as Swiatek dug deep against Bencic. Djokovic marches on. Many appetizing matches remain for week two. On the U.S. side, well, not what we’d hoped. That’s were I’ll focus this update, so let’s get started…
-
Wimbledon Predictions 2023
It’s that time again!!! Let’s talk Wimbledon Predictions 2023. Will Novak continue his slam run and set more history? Who can stop Iga? Will it be Carlos? Can Rybakina repeat? So much excitement!! First though, I’m going to jump on the draw bandwagon. The draw has taken out much of the drama, at least in…
-
Andy Murray to Reach Top 25 by Year-End
Ok, before we get to Wimbledon predictions, let’s have some fun with a legend, Andy Murray. How can you not love Andy Murray? Knighted. 3-time grand slam winner. Murray plays the game with a heart to be admired. Will he win this debate? Let’s find out. Background: Andy Murray will improve his ranking to inside…
-
U.S. Women’s Tennis: Bright Present, Brighter Future
U.S. Women’s tennis is in an interesting place, as exciting as any in history. There are currently 15 players in the top 100, 7 in the top 50, and 2 in the top 10. Wow!! That’s enough to be interesting and newsworthy on its own. The story though isn’t about the volume of players. It’s…
-
U.S. Men’s Tennis: The Time is Now
U.S. men’s tennis’ time has come. No more talk of potential. The time is now. Sporting 12 men in the top 100 and 7 in the top 50, the number of players and their high ceilings have not been seen since the early 90’s when Sampras, Agasssi, Courier, Chang led the charge. And it gets…
-
Congrats Novak Djokovic! 2023 French Open Champion
Another incredible tournament to further support Novak’s case for GOAT. Congratulations Novak!! With this title also comes a men’s record 23rd Grand Slam passing Rafael Nadal, the oldest man to win a major (passing Nadal again), a record career grand slam 3x, and a return to #1. What else can you say? Added to his…
-
Congrats Iga Swiatek! 2023 French Open Champion
Congrats Iga Swiatek, 2023 French Open Champion!! What a fantastic match for Swiatek and game effort from Muchova. During the early part of the match, I was thinking, “Wow, if Muchova settles down and stops beating herself, she’s got a shot.” Muchova has the firepower and athleticism to stay with Iga. Kudos to Muchova, who…
-
Equipment Intro
Ahh, tennis equipment. Who doesn’t like a new racket, new shoes, new clothes? Posts in this category will talk all things equipment and hopefully help you to make the best, informed decisions. But first, let’s talk about where to buy tennis equipment. There are 3 primary places to get tennis equipment. 1) Tennis club pro…
-
Hooray for Elina Svitolina!
Just a shout out for Elina Svitolina, who last week won her first title at the Internationaux de Strasbourgin in her comeback from time away having a child. Svitolina, a semi-finalist at both Wimbledon and the US Open in 2019 as well as former world number 3, followed it up nicely with a win over…
-
French Open Predictions 2023
Well, it’s that time of year again. I always can’t wait for the next grand slam. Dust off your French scorekeeping and get ready for an incredible tournament. Both the men’s and women’s have plenty of drama with the possibility of surprises. Without further delay, let’s get to the important question. Who is going to…
-
Rafa: More than “Greatness”
With the news of Rafael Nadal missing the French Open as well most of the rest of this year and announcing that 2024 will be his last year, the tennis world will be flooded with tributes. Rarely, have they been so well-deserved. We have witnessed a men’s tennis era like no other with Federer, Nadal,…
-
Sabalenka #1 Within 12 Months
Format: Best of Five Background: Debate whether Sabalenka overtakes Swiatek to be # 1 within the next 12 months. Set 1: Sabalenka has the firepower to push Swiatek around. She doesn’t let her dictate and that causes Swiatek to play defense more than she likes. Even on clay recently in Madrid, pushed her around. It’s…
-
Introduction to FBF
What is First Ball Forehand (FBF)? FBF is a place for tennis players and fans who love the game to talk about all things tennis. So rather than bombard your friends and families with non-stop tennis talk, come here instead! The format of the posts can be anything, but often we’ll use a simple best…