Back in the days before bounty hunters, survival specialists and X-Games adrenaline junkies populated reality TV, tennis had its own hard-core, thrill-seeking No. 1 who punished opponents with all the enthusiasm of a demolition expert taking down skyscrapers while peering out at the wreckage from beneath the brim of his baseball cap: Jim Courier.

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The simple act of serving to start a point could sometimes look like a trip into a tennis torture chamber for Elena Dementieva, but today one of  the game’s grittiest competitors delivered graceful closure to a commendable career.

The 29-year-old Dementieva called it quits today, officially retiring after her 6-4, 6-2 loss to Francesca Schiavone at the WTA Championships, to conclude a 13-year career in which she never mastered a major but gained major respect for her determination and disposition in the face of vulnerability.

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The tennis season is a marathon and two years ago the WTA Tour shortened its route. The WTA Tour enacted its Roadmap plan in 2009 in an effort to reduce players’ work load, decrease the number of injury and fatigue-related withdrawals and increase player participation and overall health.

Has it worked?

Is the WTA Tour on the road to recovery or are pain-provoked pit stops still prevalent?

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I recently wrote an article about the state of American pro tennis for “Racquet Sport Industry Magazine.”

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There’s a reason Rafael Nadal sports biceps pumped up to the point you might think there’s a pineapple protruding beneath his skin. Since snapping his 11-month title drought in Monte Carlo in April, Nadal has been doing some heavy lifting in raising title trophies in six of his last nine tournaments.

Pete Sampras has watched Nadal’s resurgence, which recently spiked again as the World No. 1 captured his first career US Open crown to complete the career Grand Slam.

Pete on Rafa: "He's a beast."

(September 13, 2010) Hurling himself into the final ferocious forehands of the night like a fighter unleashing uppercuts with incisive intentions, Rafael Nadal took his shot at tennis history on the rise and completed his Grand Slam coronation in stirring style tonight.

Nadal captured his first career US Open championship to complete the career Grand Slam with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Novak Djokovic in the Flushing Meadows final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

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On a sunny Monday last September, Juan Martin del Potro cast an inspirational light across the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium in becoming the first man to beat Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in succession at a Grand Slam tournament to win the US Open. A wrist injury has sidelined del Potro since the Australian Open casting doubt on his ability to defend his title in New York this month and raising an interesting question: can a dark horse win the US Open title?

Are we due for a shock winner?

Hindsight is 20/20 for the masses. Foresight may be 2012 for Roger Federer. Following back-to-back quarterfinal losses at Roland Garros and Wimbledon to players he once treated like the human target in his William Tell trick-shot video, Federer launched his US Open Series sending a message to the rest of the pack: he’s targeting 20 career Grand Slam titles and regaining the World No. 1 ranking. Public proclamations are like second serves on break points: they only stand up when you deliver with decisive action.

Federer looks as good as everer

The contrast in styles was as clear as the black and white shirts each wore in the generational clash between bold champions.

The Philadelphia Freedoms’ Andy Roddick, clad in black, and New York Sportimes’ John McEnroe, dressed in white, faced off in a World TeamTennis singles match on Randall’s Island in New York City Wednesday night. And while the clothing color scheme suggested a monochromatic match-up, the US Open champions lit up the multi-colored court with all the vigor and vitality of a duel between a power player armed with a paint ball gun and a finesse artist wielding a brush. It was a match that served as a reminder of just how many shades of stupefying splatter a yellow tennis ball can leave on a court and in your mind when you’ve got two completely different stylists striking it as they did.

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Serena Williams had a Hall of Fame cheerleader during her run to the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles this year — Billie Jean King.

When Williams wrapped up 6-3, 6-2, conquest of Vera Zvonareva to capture her 13th career Grand Slam title at Wimbledon on Saturday, she passed King for sixth place on the all-time list and thanked her former Fed Cup and Olympic coach for inspiring her.

“This one is very special,” Williams said. “This is number 13 for me and it’s just amazing to be among such great people and to be sixth on the all-time list is great. (Billie Jean) told me to pass her and so that’s really inspiring. Honestly, I just wanted to get to 13 — it’s my lucky number.”

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