Stefanos Tsitsipas on Shelton, Ruud and the new wave of tennis content creators

MIAMI—Stefanos Tsitsipas led the way in the crossover between tennis and vlogging, the Greek player famously bringing a video camera everywhere in his early years on tour for cinematic travel content.

Now, it seems like there’s an endless list of top ATP and WTA players asking fans to like and subscribe—and the 27-year-old says it’s about time.

“I’m actually quite happy that other players have started doing those (vlogs), because I think it only brings value towards our sport,” Tsitsipas told Tennis.com in Miami.

“The one thing I’m just surprised about, it’s how late it took them to get into it! I feel like when I started out, it was already more popular—early 2015 to 2018, that was the era—and it’s taken them almost a decade to get into it.

“So I’m actually really surprised, but it’s great.”

There’s been a content boom among the world’s top players in recent years—Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Venus Williams, Jannik Sinner, Casper Ruud, Ben Shelton, Arthur Fils and more have all launched vlog channels or mini-docuseries aimed at taking fans 'behind the scenes' of elite athlete life, on and off the court.

Read More: Mirra Andreeva roasts Daria Kasatkina's interview skills on What The Vlog: "She can improve!"

Ranging from glossy, sponsor-backed productions to independent projects, they’ve become a welcome addition to the pro tennis vlogging ecosystem:

Daria Kasatkina’s What The Vlog is a longtime fan favorite. Edited and produced by her and fiancée Natalia Zabiiako, a former Olympic figure skater, it documents the unglamorous reality of life on the WTA Tour—featuring a wide range of player cameos.

Former ATP Top 50 player Federico Coria has a channel popular among South American tennis fans. He vlogs at ATP and Challenger tournaments, along with sharing player interviews and commentary on issues in tennis.

Other standout channels also document the grind at every level: Karue Sell’s channel follows his journey to pro tennis at age 30, while Gladiators Tribe tracks the quest for first ATP points.

Tsitsipas took a step back from his own channel a few years ago, but still drops the occasional travel video—including footage from a trip to Namibia during the offseason.

So whose content has Tsitsipas been watching these days?

“I’ve seen some of Ben Shelton’s stuff, it’s amazing,” Tsitsipas said. “I think this is the type of content that we want to see—especially coming from a fellow tennis player.

Read More: Ben Shelton is playing "The Long Game" in new YouTube docuseries

“Same with Casper Ruud, he’s actually posting a lot of insightful and interesting things on his channel.

“These are the types of things that are important for our sport.”

In Miami, Tsitsipas booked his spot in the second round with a 6-1, 7-6 (4) victory over Arthur Fery—his first win since Doha back in February, where he reached the quarterfinals.

He will face No. 5 seed Alex de Minaur next.