Howard Fendrich, award-winning AP national sports writer and tennis expert, dies at 55

Howard Fendrich, a national sports writer for The Associated Press whose persistent reporting and detail-rich prose brought readers inside dozens of taut Grand Slam tennis finals, record-breaking Olympic moments and harrowing trips down Alpine ski slopes, has died. He was 55.

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

Tennis great Roger Federer, who estimated he'd had more than 100 interactions with Fendrich over the decades, called the journalist “one of those constant and reassuring presences in the tennis world for many years.”

“He started covering tennis in 2002, right around the time I was starting to have my breakthrough in the sport, and over time he truly became part of the fabric of tennis,” Federer said. “Tennis lost a wonderful journalist and a great person.”

Billie Jean King posted on social media: “Howard Fendrich was one of the great sports storytellers. He will be missed.”

Fendrich is survived by his wife; his mother, Renée; his brother, Alex; and two sons, Stefano and Jordan, each of whom are pursuing careers in sports journalism — just like their dad.

“Howard was a gifted journalist who brought such skill, expertise and enthusiasm to his work,” said AP Executive Editor and Senior Vice President Julie Pace. “His stories were a joy to read, combining lively writing with insightful reporting. He was also a generous and beloved colleague whose warmth and passion touched so many across the AP.”

A graduate of Haverford College near Philadelphia, Fendrich worked at AP for 33 years, starting as an unpaid intern in Rome.

There, he became fluent in his beloved city’s language, mostly by watching Italian karaoke videos, and that helped him get a foot in the door to the news agency’s European sports coverage, focusing on soccer. That, in turn, landed him on the radar of the AP sports editor at the time, Terry R. Taylor, who helped him get back to the United States.

In the U.S., Fendrich started as an editor on the AP sports desk at the New York headquarters, where he also wrote a sports media column. He moved to the Washington area in 2005 and became a steady presence on sports beats in the region where he had grown up.

But his true passion was tennis. He chronicled the careers of Venus and Serena Williams, Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and others. He covered some 70 Grand Slam tournaments over nearly a quarter-century on the beat. It was at those events where his brilliance shone brightest.

Fendrich's writing honors included two Grimsley Awards for best overall body of work among AP sports writers and a handful of deadline-writing citations. One was for a piece from Andre Agassi’s last match, which came at the 2006 U.S. Open:

“Crouched alone in the silence of the locker room, a pro tennis player no more, a red-eyed Andre Agassi twisted his torso in an attempt to conquer the seemingly mundane task of pulling a white shirt over his head. Never more than at that moment did Agassi seem so vulnerable, looking far older than his 36 years.”

The passage highlighted Fendrich at his best — watching, rewatching, taking notes, going beyond the courts and painstakingly sifting through details of events that millions of people witnessed to tell them something the guy sitting right next to him might not have noticed.

Fendrich captured Federer’s heartfelt meeting with Bjorn Borg in the hallway after a history-making win at Wimbledon. He detailed the gritty realities of playing on red clay at Roland Garros, then having to wash it out of shorts and socks when the match was over.

At his last big assignment in Milan, he followed speedskater Jutta Leerdam’s famous fiance, fighter Jake Paul, down the hallway leading to the parking lot — all just to unearth a detail, just to get a quote. He got them, then Paul proclaimed: “OK, we’re done.” Bodyguards moved in and, as Fendrich said at a dinner later: “I decided, ‘Yes, I guess we are.’”

He had a knack for knowing where to go, who to ask and, just as importantly, what to ask and how.

For days during the steamy Washington summer in 2011, he sat on a folding chair on a sidewalk, perched a laptop on his lap and wrote, all while waiting for principals to emerge from tense negotiations during the protracted NFL labor lockout. Though he wasn’t what would be known today as an “NFL insider,” Fendrich worked the room, the phones — and the sidewalk — and helped AP stay as competitive as anyone in delivering developments and detailing the eventual end of the standoff.

“There was that doggedness,” said Mary Byrne, the AP’s deputy sports editor at the time of the lockout. “He was annoyed by it, and by all the time he spent out there waiting for people to come out and say nothing. But that situation wasn’t going to get the best of him, and he wasn’t going to get beat on the story.”

When Washington quarterback Alex Smith broke his leg in the most gruesome of fashions in 2018, Fendrich immediately got on the phone with the one person who could understand: retired star quarterback Joe Theismann.

Sometimes, however, the phone would ring for him and, even if he was in the middle of a World Series game, Fendrich would pick up. If he started speaking Italian, it was undoubtedly Rosanna, his wife. Or sometimes the kids called and had a school question — or a story from that day’s soccer game. For them, he had endless patience and time.

Then: Straight back to work, and he didn’t miss a thing.

“Nothing got past him,” said Stephen Wilson, AP's former European sports editor, who worked with Fendrich for more than 20 years. “Every story — even a three-paragraph brief — had to be iron-clad.”

It wasn’t just the written word where Fendrich was a master. He had a snappy, razor-sharp sense of humor. No colleague could turn him down when he raised his eyebrows, motioned his head toward the door and asked them to join him in his “office” — usually a quiet courtyard or hallway outside a press room — to hash out coverage plans for the day or compare notes about people and things seen around the courts.

Chris Lehourites, an editor at AP who guided tennis coverage in Europe for decades, spent many a long day fretting over punctuation, syntax and word choice with Fendrich, whom he called a “perfectionist when it came to his job.”

“Howard was also a friend,” Lehourites said, “whose dry humor, along with his bags of Blow Pop lollipops, made long days go by quick.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

FILE- Associated Press Washington sports writer, Howard Fendrich, is helped with putting on the head piece representing President Teddy Roosevelt, before his participation in the fan favorite "President-Race", which is held in the middle of the fourth inning of the Washington Nationals baseball games, Aug. 17, 2006, at RFK Stadium in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

FILE - Howard Fendrich, Associated Press Washington sports writer, right, dressed as President Teddy Roosevelt, and Mark Zuckerman, Washington Times sports writer dressed as President George Washington, bump heads as they celebrate after competing in the fan favorite 'Presidents-Race' which is held in the middle of the fourth inning during Washington Nationals baseball games, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2006 at RFK Stadium in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

Associated Press sports reporters, from left, Howie Rumberg, Howard Fendrich, Graham Dunbar and Tim Dahlberg pose for a photo at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Feb. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Howie Rumberg) CORRECTION: Dunbar, not Dunber

Associated Press sports writer Howard Fendrich, left, his son Stefano Fendrich and wife Rosanna Maietta pose for a selfie, May 15, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Howard Fendrich)

FILE - In this Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019 photo, Roger Federer, right, shakes hands with the Associated Press reporter Howard Fendrich upon his arrival for an exclusive interview in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

Howard Fendrich, left, Associated Press national sports writer, interviews former French tennis player Guy Forget at the 2019 French Open tennis tournament in Paris. (AP Photo/Andrew Dampf)

FILE - Associated Press sports writer Howard Fendrich is shown in this undated file photo. (AP Photo/File)

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion who won more races than anyone across NASCAR’s three national series, has died. He was 41.

The Busch Family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR issued a joint statement Thursday saying Busch died after being hospitalized. No cause of death was given.

Busch’s family said earlier Thursday that he was hospitalized with a “severe illness,” three days before he was to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details have not been disclosed by Busch’s team or family.

Busch was the younger brother of Kurt Busch, a NASCAR Hall of Famer. He’s survived by wife Samantha and children Brexton and Lennix.

“Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch,” the statement said. “A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans.”

The statement went on to say that “throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, Kyle set records in national series wins, won championships at NASCAR’s highest level and fostered the next generation of drivers as an owner in the Truck Series. His sharp wit and competitive spirit sparked a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating the proud and loyal ‘Rowdy Nation.’”

The news comes 11 days after Busch radioed into his crew near the end of a Cup Series race at Watkins Glen asking a doctor to give him a “shot” when he finished the race. According to the TV broadcast, Busch had been struggling with a sinus cold exacerbated by the intense G-forces and elevation changes at the New York road course.

Busch finished the race in eighth place.

Busch competed at Dover last weekend and won the Trucks Series race for Spire Motorsports. He then finished 17th at the NASCAR All-Star race, his final race.

“Absolutely cannot comprehend this news,” NASCAR driver and former teammate Denny Hamlin posted on social media. “We just need to think of his family during this time. We love you KB.”

Added driver Brad Keselowski on social media: “Absolute shock. Very hard to process.”

A polarizing figure known as “Rowdy” and “Wild Thing” for his post-race fights, regular feuds with other drivers and sometimes outlandish behavior, the multi-talented Busch stormed on the Cup Series scene in 2005 by winning Rookie of the Year.

He went on to win championships in 2015 and 2019 for Joe Gibbs Racing.

“His impact on our organization and on the sport of NASCAR will never be forgotten,” the team said in a statement.

From Las Vegas, Busch experienced unrivaled success across NASCAR’s three national series winning a combined 234 Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Trucks Series races. He had 63 Cup victories along with 102 O’Reilly Auto Parts wins and 69 Trucks victories — both records.

Busch was fired early in his career by Hendrick Motorsports to make room on the team for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“Kyle and I had a really challenging existence for many years,” Earnhardt said in a statement. “But we luckily took the time to figure out our differences and that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we each managed our racing teams. I was super eager for us to get on better terms. But it was he who made the effort for that to be possible.”

Busch moved on to Joe Gibbs Racing where he experienced the vast majority of career success. But Busch was let go when there was no sponsor after the 2022 season and joined Richard Childress Racing, where had struggled to win races.

His lack of success led to a recent spat with former JGR teammate Hamlin, who appeared to criticize Busch on the “Actions Detrimental” podcast. Hamlin said, “If you’re expecting Kyle Busch to just go back to victory lane on a regular basis, you are kidding yourselves.”

While Hamlin later said he meant no harm by the comments and was just making an observation, Busch took exception and said he could make Hamlin’s life “hell” on the racetrack.

While several laps down at last month’s race at Kansas, Busch raced Hamlin hard instead of allowing the race leader to pass. That decision held up Hamlin during a crucial stage of the race and Tyler Reddick won the race after Hamlin faded late.

After winning the Trucks race at Dover last week and showing an uptick in speed, Busch seemed to make a veiled jab at Hamlin, saying “I guess I just remembered how to drive.”

After earning his win at Dover, Busch was asked how many races he wanted to win in his career.

“You take whatever you can get, man,” Busch said. “You never know when the last one is going to be, so cherish them all — trust me.”

Busch’s unexpected death is just the latest tragedy to hit NASCAR. Last December, former driver Greg Biffle, his wife and two children and three others died in a plane crash in Statesville, North Carolina.

The announcement of Busch’s death came after teams had already left Gasoline Alley on media day at the Indianapolis 500. As word spread on Main Street in Speedway, Indiana, just a short walk from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, race fans -- IndyCar and NASCAR -- were saddened.

NASCAR officials confirmed to The Associated Press the Coca-Cola 600 will go on as planned Sunday.

Drivers are expected to begin making their way to Charlotte Motorsports Speedway in Concord on Friday with practice and qualifying beginning on Saturday. Earlier in the day, RCR had announced that Austin Hill would replace Busch in the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

FILE - Driver Kyle Busch sits in his car prior to qualifying for the upcoming NASCAR Nationwide Series car race at Phoenix International Raceway Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, May 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

FILE - NASCAR driver Kyle Busch bites his earpiece cord as he gets ready to practice for the NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301auto race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Friday, July 15, 2011. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch celebrates his win in the NASCAR Nationwide series auto race, in Victory Lane at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., Friday, Sept. 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch celebrates his victory in the NASCAR Shelby 427 auto race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas on Sunday, March 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2019, file photo, Kyle Busch, center, holds up the trophy in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto racing season championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch waits in Victory Lane after winning the pole position for the NASCAR Cup series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, May 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch celebrates his win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Autism Speaks 400 auto race, Sunday, May 16, 2010, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch waits for the start of a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch drinks champagne after winning the Nationwide series championship and the NASCAR Ford 300 Nationwide series auto race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch is introduced during the NASCAR All-Star auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton, File, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch is introduced during the NASCAR All-Star auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton, File)