Tough to believe it’s been a year.

A year since what? After all, we’ve been going strong on tennis since about this time of year 2015.

Turns-out, I suspect, this is an interesting time of year. In terms of tennis and in terms of my availability to do what I really like to do.

Last summer, I suppose, I got especially enthused about what I wanted to do with this blog. I was playing with t-shirt designs and hats for the blog in general, for certain Mcshow nomenclature, etc. Plans included writing more, adding other media — you know, taking this thing to the moon! Ha ha.

I have been talking about R&D for a million years, it seems. Even I want to ask myself: WTF are you doing? WTF are you going to do? Shit or get off the pot!

Scary stuff!

So, I’m writing this little blog right now because A) I do want to say a few things about tomorrow’s matches at the Foro Italico and B) I just wrapped the spring semester — grades are in — so I’m enjoying a beer and can’t wait to watch and write about tennis tomorrow and beyond, with this time of year’s customary intensity. Alas, as the tour begins to ramp towards Paris, with Wimbledon only a month after, I do tend to follow the lead; and I certainly do need to get busy: the shits about to hit the fan.

And that’s what seems to always happen at this point in the season. That’s why I say Tough to believe it’s been a year. We’re back. We’re in Rome and Paris is next, then Great Britain and back to the New (and utterly losing its mind) World. It’s time to get serious about this stuff, tennis of course, and the story-lines could not be more tantalizing.

First, I do want to give some clarification of what I plan to do this summer with the blog, other than attempt to stay consistent with ATP coverage and commentary.

1. I will produce my first podcast in the coming weeks. A pre-Roland Garros cast is a perfect goal. This could be a little rough (be patient) as I’m learning this technology on my own, keeping it simple and cheap. But this has to happen. Who knows: maybe we get a few comments expressing the horror of hearing my actual voice, which might suggest I keep things in the written word. Or maybe this is something we can develop. All kinds of possibilities with that medium; look for this soon. I will keep you posted.
2. I will get my first Ebook published and released (not sure if I will offer this for free to those readers “following” or signed-up, or if I’ll charge people a couple of bucks). HRFRT is the first piece that I really need to publish, which may be a few volumes in fact. But this is critical to this blog. This is also another technological effort on top of the writing and research. I need to learn a simple but beautiful platform on which to compose these tennis discourses or treatises. As I said recently, more argumentative narratives have come knocking on my door: Nadalism and Djokovic: Djokollapse are both wanting a word with me about further investigation and composition. A three-book endeavor detailing the golden age. Sounds good to me.

I will keep it simple with these two major goals that begin immediately: Pre-French Open podcast is #1 on the list.

In the end, of course, I just want to watch and write about tennis, with you and more of you reading my modest yet passionate efforts at reading and making sense of this great sport’s history.

In the end, that’s really all this is about. But we live in a market and I want a bigger part of that market. Therefore, time to invest. So that’s what this post is about: taking a moment to celebrate the end of another school year and tell my readers how excited I am to dive deeper into this tennis media shit storm! 😀

Lastly, what’s on tap tomorrow in Rome?

Thiem v Fognini shouldn’t be too tight, but why wouldn’t the Italian sharpen that flat upright BH and scare the Beliemers? Could be a nice match; I’ll be watching.

I get what I paid for with Dimitrov v Nishikori. Quite the marquee for a second round match at a 1000, but that’s the nature of this beast: injuries, inconsistencies and dropped rankings. This could be some nice, tense tennis. No one wants to leave this early, with so much to defend (honor); just ask Berdych.

Edmund has a tough one in Pouille tomorrow although I like the Brit. Maybe Pouille finds the polish; but I don’t see much fire in his eyes, in general, whereas the Brit wants some of that Next Gen cologne. Smells pretty good. I hope he keep this little run of his on course.

Speaking of, Sascha continues his defense of Rome. I really haven’t said nearly enough about his surge. The BH is just rude, along with his FH, and by advancing to net when his opponents are fishing 15 feet behind the BL, this is the stuff! That’s a complete game. Don’t overlook those roars of confidence and victory, either. He is making a move on the field at this point. A breakthrough at a major (getting past 4R) is next.

Indeed, we are in transition despite Fedal’s attempt to turn the ATP into an hysterical nudist colony.

By the way, Thiem and Stevie Johnson (doubles) beat the Zverev brothers today. Nice of Tennis Channel to cut to that obscure court with a not-so-obscure match.

Schwartzman v Paire, Del Potro v Tsitsipas and Shapovalov v Hasse are all lovely match-ups tomorrow, as well. There’s danger in all three. Stefanos got a w/o from Coric, but hopefully he is back to that confident tennis he was playing in Barcelona.

Lastly (but there are others of course), Nadal and Djokovic are in action tomorrow. Nadal should be fully recovered and focused on this title and Djokovic, given his Georgian foe (Basilashvili), should complete a kind of 3 and 3 on the guy. In other words, let’s keep those intriguing R16, QF and SF match-ups in play.

Cheers.