In Drone-Conscious Era, Cameras Fly to Cover Tennis as Spectacle By JOHN MARTIN PARIS – On a grey afternoon, a hot air balloon advertising a French bank drifted briefly into view as spectators at Roland ...
Read more »Living the Life: French Open Ball Kids By JOHN MARTIN PARIS — Spectators arriving early at Roland Garros encounter an unusual sight each morning: more than 200 children singing and chanting as they run ...
Read more »In more than 45 years as a professional journalist, I’ve covered tragedy and triumph across the world. My stories have appeared in The New York Times, The San Diego Union, the Washington Monthly, and ...
Read more »By JOHN MARTIN PARIS—As the French Open moves into its final weekend, its top officials are claiming near total suppression of illegal ticket sales. After decades of arresting scalpers on the streets and skirmishing with them more recently in cyberspace, victory appears in sight. “I think you can’t say you […]
By JOHN MARTIN PARIS – The French Tennis Federation has begun modernizing Roland Garros, the 92-year-old sanctuary of racquet combat that hosts the world’s only Grand Slam tennis championship fought on clay. Old sculptures have vanished and new buildings appeared, but one legendary player remains stitched to the fabric of […]
By JOHN MARTIN MELBOURNE, Australia – Each morning at the Australian Open, a ritual unfolds in a brightly lit corridor at the edge of Rod Laver Arena,. About 20 men form an uneven line. Their shirts shout “SECURITY” in bold white letters across their backs. Shortly before 11, the line […]
By JOHN MARTIN PARIS — Fifty years ago this spring, Fred Stolle of Australia won the French International Tennis Championship by defeating his countryman Tony Roche in the final. Stolle and Roy Emerson, another Aussie, won the doubles crown as well. For capturing both titles, Stolle’s total purse — if […]
By JOHN MARTIN MELBOURNE, Australia — Marius Copil, 24, is lean, crew-cut, bearded, and sometimes mildly sunburned, a professional tennis player from Arad, a small town in western Romania. In late December, he boarded a plane in Bucharest and flew with his coach to Istanbul, Dubai, Singapore, and onward to […]
By JOHN MARTIN SAN DIEGO – In late December, Russell Geyser, a wealthy Southern California real estate developer turned Hollywood movie producer, bought the Sportimes, a World Team Tennis franchise based in New York. The deal took place after an unusual telephone call from a close friend. “My best buddy,” […]
Interview, Russell Geyser, principal owner, San Diego Aviators, Rancho Santa Fe, CA July 14 2014 WTG: How did you come to own the Aviators? What made you want to acquire a team? Geyser: My best buddy, Lorne Abony, bought this team in Austin. He actually bought the Orange County Breakers, […]
Life of a French Ball Kid, National Public Radio, Only a Game, June 7, 2014. Listen on NPR: https://onlyagame.wbur.org/2014/06/07/french-open-ball-kid-john-martin-tennis
