giri nathan
@girinathan.bsky.social
CHANGEOVER, my book about Alcaraz & Sinner, is out now: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Changeover/Giri-Nathan/9781668076248 giri[at]defector[dot]com
what are some essays that tackle strategy in sports and games that are still lucid and interesting to the general reader? (not looking for theory, looking for general-audience writing that does a good job explaining strategy as instantiated in actual leagues/competitions)
digging up my Angel Reese feature from 2024 “She understands that basketball, at its core, is a 40-minute series of tiny opportunities, each of which can be seized by the person who wants it more.”
Angel Reese Has Genius In Her Fingertips | Defector
Reese can scrape the basketball back to herself with what seems like a sliver of her nail. Her best boards find her bending backward mid-air, like a wide receiver hauling in a touchdown pass at its hi...
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The thing that frustrates me the most about Brennan and her ilk yammering on about Caitlin Clark being disrespected is that Clark is far and away the best-known, most promoted, most famous player in women's basketball, well beyond her actual (and considerable) accomplishments as an athlete!
giri nathan@girinathan.bsky.social · 3d agoWhat is Christine Brennan's 10-point plan to Properly Respect Caitlin Clark?
What is Christine Brennan's 10-point plan to Properly Respect Caitlin Clark?
Christine Brennan Has Fully Lost It Over Caitlin Clark | Defector
If you listen to a certain subset of the media—not necessarily the sports media—the state of the WNBA is dire. A generational talent is being squandered. Weak leadership has failed a league on the cus...
defector.com
"For a guy who wasn’t getting any free points, grinding away in both service and return games alike, trying to win by virtue of raw baseline meritocracy, Nishikori took his career about as far as his physical tools could take him." @girinathan.bsky.social www.thesecondserve.com/kei-nishikor...
Kei Nishikori: A Wizard Prepares to Disappear - The Second Serve - Home of OPEN Tennis Magazine
Kei Nishikori plays his last Japan Open
thesecondserve.com
i had a sailing adventure and survived defector.com/i-spent-thre...
I Spent Three Sweltering Days Shredding The High Seas At Jogging Pace, And It Ruled | Defector
Sisi is a Volvo Ocean 65 racing sailboat. She is fast as hell and built for sickos. She is not a comfortable luxury yacht, I assure you. Sisi is a frightening, angry, 72-foot, 12-ton sea monster. Sis...
defector.com
well, tennis offers many examples of what not to do
How Do I Get My Kid To Be A Sports Sicko Without Turning Myself Into A Vile Sports Parent? | Defector
Welcome back to Minor Dilemmas, where a member of Defector’s Parents Council will answer your questions on surviving family life. Have a question? Email us at minordilemmas@defector.com. This week, Gi...
defector.com
What’s this? It’s defector’s own @girinathan.bsky.social on The Daily Show! www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL8d...
Giri Nathan On Tennis & The Spectacle Of The U.S. Open | The Daily Show
YouTube video by The Daily Show
youtube.com
some nice brief reflections on the 🐐 defector.com/annie-dillar...
Annie Dillard Gave It All | Defector
Following this week’s news that the brilliant writer Annie Dillard has died at age 81, some Defector staffers wrote about what her work and example have meant to them. Much is made of Dillard’s genius...
defector.com
wrote about Zverev after Roland-Garros, and the same thoughts apply now: defector.com/its-hard-to-...
why did a hat with a word upside down on it become the allbirds of the head
I like how Jim Courier sees tennis defector.com/how-tennis-c...
How Tennis Channel’s Jim Courier Sees The Sport | Defector
The quality of the average tennis broadcast has skyrocketed in recent years. Analysts assume far more curiosity and intelligence on the viewer’s part than I can ever remember, and they’re no longer li...
defector.com
at the intersection of broader disconcerting trends—everything is phone, everything is gambling, and nobody knows how to be around each other in public—lies the 2026 U.S. Open
The State Of The U.S. Open Is The State Of Us | Defector
It’s being shouted from all corners: The U.S. Open has become an overcrowded, overpriced circus awash in influencers, aspirational influencers, corporate stooges, drunken buffoons, brand activations, ...
defector.com
great match and classic tennis temperament matchup between deceptively old brat-style individual and the deceptively young wizened elder
These gambling-sponsored push notifications, which have been thrusted at tennis fans for days now, are deeply trashy work by the U.S. Open. They historically wouldn’t have credentialed reporters if it was our websites pushing this stuff.
i don’t think Mertens gets enough credit for unreal consistency. i doubt many other player on tour have hit at least 3R for an almost five-season chunk of Slams
we gotta change the parameters of the sport to make this more the norm, rather than an anomaly #raisethenets
James Hansen@jameskhansen.bsky.social · last mo.the @girinathan.bsky.social they're so good + they can't serve yet = the best matches between younger players theory is indeed undefeated
Shelton has a “showtime” rep but the return game and rally tolerance make for a pretty brutal watch more often than people seem to realize
Talking U.S. Open with some tennis heads this Tuesday, 9/8. I'll be signing CHANGEOVER paperbacks too. Free to attend mcnallyjackson.com/event/2026-0...
wrote about Gael Monfils for the last(?) time [🎁]
Gael Monfils Can Make The Crowd Dance To A Swan Song | Defector
FLUSHING, N.Y. — One set into the first-round match, I wondered when the Gael Monfils show would begin. Tuesday was his 40th birthday, and this could be his last-ever match at a Slam—didn’t he want to...
defector.com
Sugar-water pop songs play on the changeovers at least two clicks too loudly. “Get into the groove,” Madonna sings, but it doesn’t seem like anybody is." via @owensports.bsky.social www.thesecondserve.com/arthur-ashe-...
Who is Arthur Ashe Stadium For? - The Second Serve
Arthur Ashe Stadium might be the worst viewing experience in all of major sports.
thesecondserve.com
so often see my timeline aligned in ironclad support of a seemingly random player in a match i’m not paying attention to and then i deduce who his opponent is lol
it was a pleasure to help @juliekliegman.com launch their book FINDING RENEE RICHARDS last week. get a copy! here's some of the ground we covered:
An Interview With A Biographer Of Renée Richards, An Actual Trans Pro Athlete | Defector
As Lauren Theisen pointed out last month, the ongoing, abstracted debate about trans inclusion in sports uses almost no proper nouns and lots of hypotheticals. Back in the late 1970s, there was a very...
defector.com
wrote a bit about Stan Wawrinka last week, watched his last match today www.thesecondserve.com/stan-wawrink...
The Stanimal's Last Stand - The Second Serve
Stan Wawrinka gets a wild card into the US Open.
thesecondserve.com
