Nadal, Gauff and Pegula pay tribute to AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich

PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula were among those paying tribute to Associated Press tennis writer Howard Fendrich as players gathered at Roland Garros for a French Open that’s now missing one of the sport’s most-respected journalists.

Fendrich, a regular at Roland Garros and all the tennis majors since 2002, died Thursday, less than three months after being diagnosed with cancer.

The news elicited a social media outpouring that included a Friday morning post from Nadal, whose record 14 French Open victories were chronicled in rich and colorful detail by Fendrich. “Tennis loses one of its great journalists,” Nadal said.

Gauff, whose title last year at Roland Garros was her second major singles championship, opened her pre-tournament news conference with a shout-out to Fendrich, the award-winning writer who spent 24 of his 33 years with AP on the tennis beat.

“I just wanted to start this off just recognizing a deep loss that I think we all have experienced as a community with Howard,” Gauff said. “He was someone I always enjoyed having conversations with. One of my favorite faces to see in the room.”

Fendrich died Thursday at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He was diagnosed with cancer in February shortly after returning from Milan, where he covered his 11th Olympics. He was 55.

The Women’s Tennis Association wrote a tribute to Fendrich, recalling that “His classic opening before a question, ‘soooo, I’m curious ...’ always set a comfortable tone of kindness in interviews.”

The fifth-ranked Pegula, a member of the WTA Players’ Council, sent her condolences.

“Howard was one of the most respected journalists in our sport and someone players trusted because he always approached his work with honesty, professionalism and fairness,” she said.

Roger Federer, Billie Jean King and Patrick McEnroe, a former player and the current president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, were among those who honored Fendrich on Thursday.

Other tributes streamed in from Fendrich’s press box colleagues. Washington-based Adam Kilgore called him “the best person to see at a game, in a press room, at a dinner after an event.” They also came from across Fendrich’s home base, where, when not covering tennis, he was a regular in press boxes at Commanders, Nationals and Capitals games.

“His contributions to and impact on sports journalism extend far beyond that of the Nationals press box,” the baseball team said. “He will be dearly missed.”

Fendrich was based in Washington and the city’s football and hockey teams — the Commanders and Capitals — also extended their condolences.

Fendrich is survived by his wife, Rosanna Maietta; his mother, Renée; his brother, Alex; and two sons, Stefano and Jordan.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis