Aside from LeSean McCoy and Osi Umenyiora, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, Sean Avery and Dion Phaneuf, there just aren’t that many wars of words lately in the sports world. Rarely does trash talking happen in tennis. But one of the juiciest fueds was at the 1998 U.S. Open between Mark Woodforde and Goran Ivanisevic.

"He always talks how bad I am"

For my future book about Roger Federer, coach Brian Barker discussed his memories of the Swiss Maestro relating to his former player James Blake. He also talks about what he thinks were the finest performances of Blake’s very successful ATP career. I ran into Barker at the U.S. Open near the Ashe Stadium fountain, where he was on his way to watch Blake’s late afternoon match. He shared these memories…

“Federer played some unbelievable matches against James…

"James kept rushing him"

I played a USTA tournament in Nutley this weekend. Aside from winning it by beating the #1, #2 seeds and a tough first round foe, the hightlight was seeing the son of former top 10 player Kathy Horvath in action.

Horvath is famous for ending Martina Navratilova’s Wimbledon win streak.

Horvath's son put on a show

Was the former ATP #1 ranked player and Australian Open finalist Marcelo Rios a “Great Player”?

#1 is the best. Is the best great?

selection–is still the most electric player in the world.

Has anyone had more up’s and down’s in their career than James Blake? Think about that one. Can you come up with another player? Blake’s career started inauspiciously as he jumped onto the pro tour at 20 after two years at Harvard. He had an infectious game–still does–booming forehand, Roadrunner speed and a “take no prisoners” approach.

Give Me a Blake Match over an Isner/Querrey One Any Day

Israel beat Japan in Japan 3-2 in their tie. Israel doesn’t even have one decent player so how did they beat Japan who has two players in the top 50? That’s why Davis Cup is fun. Get this: a guy by the name of Amir Weintraub, you ever hear of him? (he’s 26 and ranked No. 223) and his mother’s not even sure who he is), beat both Ito, No. 70, and in the final clinching match, Soeda, No. 49. That’s ridiculous.

Amir Weintraub Davis Cup Hero

At a recent New York Mets game at Citi Field, the long-time New York Post Columnist Steve Serby shared a memory he had of covering a certain high school tennis player by the name of John McEnroe.

“He (McEnroe) lost 6-4 6-0 to Larry Gottfried in the Columbia Junior Tennis Championships when he was like 15 maybe, 16 at the most. I remember that I wrote he got…

"We laughed about it."

Spanish junior Jose Antonio Salazar Martin came to New Jersey/New York to compete in his first junior major event, the 2012 U.S. Open. His primary coach Ivan Medina could not make the trip, so young Martin was guided and coached at the U.S. Open by the long-time friend of his initial coach Medina, Miguel Perez, who currently resides in Wayne, N.J.

"He has a good brain for the game"

I haven’t watched any of the U.S. Davis Cup matches from Spain, and I also haven’t been surprised by any of the match outcomes so far. On past DCup form this year alone, Isner clearly should have beaten Almagro, but somehow, I think the disappointment of how Big John has done in the slams this year, has snuffed his potency.

Paes · Tsonga and Dolgo

As I’ve reported here before, Jeff Salzenstein, a lefty out of Denver, Colo., all-American at Stanford U. and one of only two players in the history of the game (as far as I know it, and I ain’t no Bud Collins, but…) to break the Top-100 for the first time after the age of 30, was one of the most entertaining players I ever had the pleasure to watch.

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