Musings on tennis & random topics from award-winning writer/editor, @WSJ alum, and word nerd. Loves art, books, storytelling & theater. 🇯🇲 @MaynardInst Fellow
Joined March 2009
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Pinned Tweet
22 Apr 2019
You can check out my essay on traditional Cuban music in “Wandering in Cuba,” an anthology of vibrant travel stories. Previous essays are published in “Venturing in Italy: Travels in Puglia, Land Between Two Seas." Both books available on Amazon.
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8 Sep 2025
Numero Uno!
Felicitación 🙌🏽
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Carol J. Kelly retweeted
5 Sep 2025
An American woman has been in the final of every single Grand Slam this season.
Madison Keys - Australian Open.
Coco Gauff - Roland Garros.
Amanda Anisimova - Wimbledon.
Amanda Anisimova - US Open.
Another strong era for American women’s tennis.
🇺🇸❤️
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Carol J. Kelly retweeted
6 Sep 2025
Tennis major post-championship speeches from the players are so much better when you let them speak freely and uninterrupted. Not sure why the US Open speeches are being done this way, with rushed questions and Mary Carillo cutting them off before they can even thank their teams.
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Carol J. Kelly retweeted
6 Sep 2025
the only players to take a set off Jannik Sinner before the final at USO 2025 were both from canada
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23 Jul 2025
The rivalry continues… ⛳️
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Carol J. Kelly retweeted
6 Jul 2025
68 years ago today, on July 6, 1957, Althea Gibson became the first Black player to win at #Wimbledon .
She turned in a dominant performance that lasted just 50 minutes.
Cannot wait to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Althea breaking the color barrier at the 1950 U.S. National Championships, the predecessor of the US Open, later this year.
📷: Alamy
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Carol J. Kelly retweeted
9 Jun 2025
‘PURPOSE’ wins a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony award in the same year! And it was directed by Phylicia Rashad! #TonyAwards
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Carol J. Kelly retweeted
8 Jun 2025
Best weekend in sports that I’ve had in a very long time. My heart is so full.
Bravo @CocoGauff & @carlosalcaraz
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9 Jun 2025
What a comeback! Congrats, Carlos.
8 Jun 2025
Carlos Alcaraz celebrating his French Open win with the ball kids is everything. 🥰😊👇
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Carol J. Kelly retweeted
5 Jun 2025
"When you were chanting her name, I was saying to myself my name!" 😅
Coco Gauff explains how she dealt with the atmosphere playing against home favourite Lois Boisson in a buzzing Paris crowd🗣️
#RolandGarros
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Carol J. Kelly retweeted
1 Jun 2025
Elina Svitolina is back in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros! 👊
ALT Score Graphic: Elina Svitolina defeats Jasmine Peolini 4-6, 7-6, 6-1 in Round 4 of Roland Garros.
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Carol J. Kelly retweeted
29 May 2025
69 years ago this week, Althea Gibson became the first Black tennis player to win a major singles title, defeating the U.K.'s Angela Mortimer in the Women's Singles Final of the French Championships.
Thinking of my Shero and all she's done to break barriers.
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27 May 2025
Life lessons…
@RafaelNadal
26 May 2025
Rafa Nadal had a beautiful quote in press about treating people with kindness
“You gained the hearts of people with your results as a champion but also as the human being you are. When we speak with the ball kids, with drivers.. they all say you were the most respectful player. Always nice to everyone. Is this something you’re maybe as proud of as your results?”
Rafa: “Of course. I always say the same. The results are results. Of course I’ll be remembered for what I did on court. That’s gonna stay there, without a doubt. To the bigger audience, you can in some way lie, but you can’t lie to the people who are next to you every single day. I’m not talking about family. I talk about team. People who work behind the scenes. They are able to see you every single day, how you react. How you are after losing, after winning. How you behave during all these moments. The drivers. The ball kids. At the end, I want to be remembered as a guy that people are happy when I come back to the places. To see me again. That’s the thing. That’s the important thing. When you are retired and you don’t go to the places for a while, if you feel that people who are working behind the scenes, that they know how you are in real life.. these people want to see you again and they’re happy to see you again.. it’s good news. And I had that feeling in almost every place.” 🥹
(via Roland Garros Press)
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Carol J. Kelly retweeted
25 May 2025
Nadal’s farewell ceremony: full
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Carol J. Kelly retweeted
25 May 2025
Rafael Nadal and Roland Garros will forever remain the greatest love story in sports history.
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25 May 2025
Merci, Rafa! 👏🏽
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18 May 2025
Forza!!! 🏆🏆🙌🏽
18 May 2025
Jasmine Paolini & Sara Errani win the doubles title in Rome for the 2nd year in a row.
They are the first women’s duo to win the title back to back years in the Open Era.
Something special about this team.
🇮🇹❤️
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17 May 2025
Congratulazioni!!!
17 May 2025
Jasmine Paolini becomes the first Italian woman to win Rome since Raffaella Reggi in 1985.
Proud day for Italian tennis.
Put it in the history books.
🇮🇹❤️
ALT 📸 📸Yves Herman/Reuters
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15 May 2025
Let’s keep it going! 👏🏽
15 May 2025
One of the WILDEST matches ever 🫨
Gauff prevails in a in a 3.5 hour thriller to reach her first Rome final!
#IBI25
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Carol J. Kelly retweeted
4 May 2025
Casper Ruud posing for photos with his first Masters trophy.
He’s had to wait a long time... but his day in the sun has arrived.
Very deserved. 🇳🇴🏆
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