Wall Street Journal tennis reporter TOM PERROTTA died at the age of 44 after battling a brain tumor, and the JOURNAL's Jason Gay writes under the header, "To Our Friend Tom Perrotta, Who Was an Ace." Perrotta's reporting was "smart and thorough, rich with the sort of detail you don’t notice unless you’re around the sport all the time." He was "always there, which was how he got to know" the likes of ROGER FEDERER and SERENA WILLIAMS. But he also "knew the many players who never cracked the top 400, as well as the parents, coaches, trainers, umpires, and all the employees behind the scenes who make the tournaments happen." He was the Journal’s "top writer at all the major tennis events," and there is "pressure in that job." But Perrotta was "unflappable, kind to colleagues and competitors, even when crunching a deadline" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/7).
TWITTER TRIBUTES: The Journal's Rachel Bachman: "Tom Perrotta was the best kind of colleague. Skilled, imaginative and exceedingly generous." N.Y. Times' Matt Futterman: "I know there is a lot going on today, a lot to be sad about, but I am overcome with emotion over the death of my friend Tom Perrotta, a great dad and husband and friend and journalist. I love you Tom." SI.com's Jon Wertheim: "RIP to an absolute press room gem." N.Y. Times' Christopher Clarey: "It would have been hard to lose Tom Perrotta at any age. He was a generous colleague, a driven & gifted sportswriter, a proud family man and, in a tough business, a friend." The Journal's Andrew Beaton: "Perrotta was the rarest of people. He was a brilliant reporter. He was somehow an even better person." Tennis coach Judy Murray: "An absolute gem. Talented, modest and the politest journalist I ever met." The IMG Tennis account: "We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Tom Perrotta. A great journalist and an even better person."
