Jannik Sinner accepts a three-month doping ban. The USTA has signed a deal to partner and share data with UTR. The fine line between innovative and controversial is explored with a new US Open mixed doubles format and schedule.
Jannik Sinner Accepts Three-Month Ban for Doping: Jannik Sinner has accepted an immediate three-month ban from tennis after reaching a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency over his two positive drug tests last year. The suspension runs from 9 February until 4 May, allowing him to return for the French Open. Full Story: BBC
Did Hell Just Freeze Over? The USTA has announced that four additional tennis organizations have joined USTA Connect, a program launched in 2023 to increase communication and integration throughout the tennis industry. The organization will now have bi-directional information sharing with UTR. Full Story: Racquet Sports Industry
U.S. Open takes Grand Slam tennis to a new scheduling frontier with mixed doubles move: Tuesday, the U.S. Open crossed the Rubicon by announcing that a main-draw event will take place during what has always been referred to as ‘the week before the tournament’ — or ‘qualifying week,’ or ‘Fan Week,’ as the marketing whizzes at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) prefer. Starting this summer, the U.S. Open’s mixed-doubles tournament will take place on the Tuesday and Wednesday of that week. Full Story: The Athletic
Iga Swiatek’s tennis time machine and finding joy off court: 2024 was a tumultuous year for Swiatek. She won her fourth French Open title and third in a row, but lost early in two of the other Grand Slams. She split with her coach of three years, Tomasz Wiktorowski, with whom she won all but one of her majors, and she ended the season with a one-month doping ban during which she relinquished her world No. 1 ranking. Full Story: The Athletic
Stefano Vukov: Former tennis coach of Elena Rybakina suspended after investigation: Stefano Vukov, the former coach of top women’s tennis player Elena Rybakina, has been suspended following an independent investigation by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the governing body announced. Full Story: CNN
Camila Giorgi returns to tennis with a microphone in hand: After abruptly retiring from the tour last May, the Italian was in Argentina last week on the other side of touring life. Full Story: Source
Opelka faces possible sanction for ripping ump: Reilly Opelka faces potential discipline for his postmatch comments about a chair umpire he called the “worst ump on tour,” the ATP said in a statement Friday. Full Story: ESPN
Strength and conditioning tips for recreational tennis players from Aryna Sabalenka’s Coaching Team: Francis Bougy, stresses the importance of a good warm-up and injury prevention to bring the most out of your game. Full Story: Tennis
WTA smashes record with 1.1 billion global audience: The WTA’s audience soared to new heights during the 2024 season as fans around the world watched the drama unfold across more than 50 tournaments on the Hologic WTA Tour. After passing the milestone of 1 billion for the first time in 2023, the WTA’s cumulative global audience rose by 10% last year to reach a record 1.1 billion on broadcast and streaming platforms worldwide. Full Story: WTA
Serena Williams appears in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show: Serena Williams had any tennis fans tuned into the Super Bowl doing a double take on Sunday night by making a special appearance in Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show. Williams and Lamar are both from Compton, Calif., and she made her appearance on stage during Lamar’s performance of “Not Like Us,” which recently won five Grammy Awards — including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Full Story: WTA
Serena Williams shouts out Taylor Swift after Super Bowl: Super Bowl LIX featured plenty of star power that didn’t suit up in pads. Taylor Swift and Serena Williams were among the celebrities to make the trip to the Caesars Superdome — with Williams reaching out to Swift for an amusing midgame moment on social media. Full Story: ESPN
This Week in Professional Tennis
| Date | Tournament | Tour/Level | Location |
| 2/16-22 | Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships | WTA 1000 | United Arab Emirates |
| 2/17-22 | Qatar ExxonMobil Open | ATP 500 | Qatar |
| 2/17-23 | Rio Open presented by Claro | ATP 500 | Brazil |
