Rod Laver

The biggest grand slam of Rod Laver's life had nothing to do with major tennis tournaments. He met Mary Shelby Peterson at the Jack Kramer Tennis Club. Then, in 1966, at a church in San Rafael, he changed that to Mary Shelby Laver. Game, set, match....

Bob Kramer spoke of the loss he is about to suffer, admitting he has a hole in his heart. He wasn't grieving a child or a parent, just a best friend. Kramer is director of a tennis tournament that will be no more. The Los Angeles men's tennis event that...

Robert Gauthier, Los Angeles Times Wimbledon: We're deep into the third set and Roger Federer is on the ropes. Down a break and facing defeat, he rushes the net as his opponent, Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, powerful and tenacious, lines up a...

Sustained greatness a plus Diane Pucin Los Angeles Times Roger Federer became the No. 1 tennis player in the world Monday, one of the consequences of his 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 Wimbledon victory over Andy Murray on Sunday. He's also the best ever. That's...

The first Grand Slam of the tennis calendar takes place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, as the world’s best tennis players head Down Under. On the men’s side, Novak Djokovic won last year’s Australian Open, then went on to win...

On Monday, March 19, Tennis Channel begins its weeklong countdown of the best tennis players in history with 100 Greatest of All Time. The countdown begins Monday at 7pm ET and continues nightly through Friday, March 23, when the No. 1 greatest tennis...

Pau Gasol hasn't committed to playing in exhibition games in Australia...

The Australian Open is about to begin, showing up at all hours of the day and night on our televisions (ESPN's family of networks) beginning Sunday. There are obvious story lines, the most compelling being the chance for Rafael Nadal......

Venus Williams lasted just seven points in her third-round match Friday at the Australian Open and was forced to withdraw due to injury from a Grand Slam singles match for the first time in her career. After losing the first......

Alastair Martin, a longtime amateur tennis champion who helped transform the game by opening major tournaments to professionals, died Jan. 12 of natural causes at his home in Katonah, N.Y. He was 94. Martin was a longtime champion of court tennis, a...