Rafael Nadal’s extraordinary career came to an end at this year’s Davis Cup Finals on an indoor hard court in Malaga, Spain—roughly 127 miles from where he exploded into our consciousness on red clay in Seville almost exactly two decades ago. There, Nadal commanded the attention of the sporting world

Click here to read about Graf bidding for Agassi's racquets at last year's event. December has always been the season of giving – and getting – for tennis players, who take part in charity matches and other exhibition events during the off-season. Many pros have their own charities and foundations

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Li Na's married life is a little more complicated now that her husband is also her coach. Li worked with Thomas Hogstedt until the end of last year, when she reached the Australian Open semifinals and moved into the top 10 for 16 weeks as China's most

As he sought out his fifth singles title at Wimbledon this year, Novak Djokovic could rest assured that his quest on behalf of his homeland, Serbia, would not be a lonely one. The world No. 1 was joined in the main draw of singles at the All England Club by

After this year’s French Open, many of us wondered if the era of the Big Four had officially given way to the era of the Only One—the one being, of course, Novak Djokovic. Those thoughts were quickly tossed aside when Andy Murray took advantage of a rare Djokovic stumble to

MELBOURNE—This was the first day of the year’s first Grand Slam, but it wasn't long before it took on a familiar feel. By early afternoon, Ernests Gulbis had dynamited a racquet. Tomas Berdych had debuted “the shirt heard round the world,” an ultra-loud blue-striped number that could have been stolen

From the 70s-camp “Players” to the 80s-teenploitation “Spring Fever” to last year’s Dunst-cap “Wimbledon,” tennis and movies have never mixed. (Not that I’ve seen any of those flicks—just taking an educated guess. Let me know if I’m wrong.) It’s a legacy that makes the “The Squid and the Whale,” which

While the women will be searching for a French Open favorite in Rome, the men already have theirs picked out. With his titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, and his first win over Novak Djokovic in three years in Madrid, Rafael Nadal will be back in the pole position in

After being frozen in place for 20 years, the men’s-tennis world finally began to revolve again this season. Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray retired, while Novak Djokovic failed to win a Grand Slam title. Right on cue, two young upstarts, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, took their places at the

by Pete Bodo It takes a glutton for tennis (yes, I am talking to you) to fully appreciate this time of year. Conversely, anyone who's not willing to sit staring like a zombie, remote bungee-corded to his or her wrist (lest it fall to the floor when said zombie nods

Two-time Grand Slam finalist Todd Martin recently finished a 2 ½-year stint coaching Mardy Fish and now is looking for opportunities to tutor juniors. He is already associate director of the Altheus Tennis Academy, located in Rye, NY and run by his childhood coach Rick Ferman. Martin, 37, also is

In recent years, the women have carried the Grand Slams through the first week, before the big guns on the men’s side begin to face off in the quarterfinals and beyond. That may be the case again, as the WTA draw at the Australian Open looks likely to be filled

Technically, I’d say Andy Murray looks better with short hair. But he really seems more himself—more Muzzardly—when he lets it fly high and wild and ragged. As much as he’s cleaned and clipped and polished himself up over the years, Andy is never going to be slick. And hallelujah for

PARIS—Brian Baker, 27 but looking a few years older and perhaps a little bit wiser than his age, headed back to the baseline after the coin toss with his baseball cap set low on his forehead. He walked on his toes, took short strides, and kept his narrow shoulders high

MELBOURNE—The stated focus of the tenth annual Australian Legends Lunch was to honor Mal Anderson. The 82-year-old Anderson, enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000, is one of many native sons who served and volleyed his way to glory in the thick of Australia’s golden quarter-century, 1950

NEW YORK—Last year at the U.S. Open, I watched the University of Southern California’s Steve Johnson surrender a two-set lead and lose to Alex Bogomolov Jr., who happened to be in the midst of a career run. Johnson was on a busman’s holiday, in with a wild card and under

This article comes from the May 2025 edition of Racquet Sports Industry. Click here to read the full issue. National Tennis Month started just four years ago as a way to offer tennis providers a natural—and national—platform to help grow the game in their communities, and to help highlight their

On May 15, 2006, the notoriously divided world of tennis found something that it could agree on: that the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, after simmering for two years, had come to a boil over the course of a five-hour final at the Foro Italico in Rome. More

Well, you know we’ve come to the slow portion of the year when one of the rotating lead headlines at the ATP’s official website is: Istomin Loses St. Pete Opener. Stop the presses! That would be St. Petersburg, Russia, not St. Petersburg, Fla., which is—coincidentally enough—the home of the WTA.

A week following his Australian Open quarterfinal loss, Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from his next event. On Thursday, the world No. 2 withdrew from the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam due to his ongoing back injury. It’s the same injury that forced him to pull out of his