The White House Tennis League

The court is apparently an important forum for White House politics. For Obama it’s basketball. And for the president’s economic team, it’s tennis. When top advisors aren’t trying to salvage the economy, they’re often on the tennis court, a go-to place for blowing off steam, sharpening their skills, and even flushing out their relationships with each other. Obama’s chief economic adviser Larry Summers, known for his blunt personality and strategies, “hits the crap out of the ball,” said MIT economics professor John Gruber. Some of the men even rank one another: "[Gene] Sperling [Geithner’s aide] is better than any of us," Summers says. "I was probably second-best at hitting the ball, but I don’t move as well—I’m not as fast. So I would say Geithner or I were probably second-best." Summers, Geithner, and other advisors and aides have played six double matches since Obama was elected, but many of the court relationships began in the 1990s while Clinton was in office.