Djokovic leaves the PTPA, a secret tour meetingis conducted, Australian Open prize money hits records, and a wildcard sparks controversy.
Djokovic cuts ties with Professional Tennis Players Association: Novak Djokovic has cut ties with the Professional Tennis Players Association, the players’ union he co-founded, saying “it has become clear that my values and approach are no longer aligned with the current direction of the organization.” Full Story: ESPN
Three of Grand Slams and ATP, WTA hold secret London meetings over player lawsuit: The leaders of the men’s and women’s tours, and the organizers of three Grand Slam tournaments conducted closed-door meetings in London last week. Full Story: The Athletic
Australian Open announces record prize money for 2026: Players at the Australian Open will compete for their share of a record A$111.5 million (US$ 74.9 million) prize pool this year, a 16% bump in the total prize money for 2026. Full Story: ESPN
Grand Slam prize money is enormous. The economics of tennis tournaments is complicated: Four times a year, one of the biggest and most important tennis tournaments in the world sends out an announcement full of dollar signs and zeroes with the words “record prize money” scattered liberally. Full Story: The Athletic
Inside Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero’s Breakup: One rumor is that it was about Juan Carlos Ferrero’s hard-line approach that is at odds with Alcaraz maximizing his off-court income. Full Story: Sports Illustrated
Hajar Abdelkader and the viral tennis match where one player won just three points: Hajar Abdelkader, a 21-year-old Egyptian wildcard playing her first professional match, was hammered by Lorena Schaedel — a German ranked just outside the world’s top 1,000 — in the first round of a W35 event in Nairobi, part of the Women’s World Tennis Tour. Full Story: The Athletic
ITF to review wildcard entries after viral performance: The International Tennis Federation says it will review its procedures for awarding wildcards after a female player’s “unacceptable” performance went viral on social media. Full Story: BBC
Wawrinka receives Australian Open wild card: Australian Open tournament organisers announced Friday that they have awarded Stan Wawrinka a main draw wild card into the season’s first major. Full Story: ATP
IBM Announces Long-Term Renewal as the Official AI, Cloud and Digital Transformation Partner for The All England Lawn Tennis Club: The headline pretty much says it all. The body of this press release doesn’t say how long the new agreement will run. Full Story: IBM
Goolagong review – ABC drama about Australian tennis legend is deeper than most sporting biopics: Goolagong is the inspiring true-life story of world champion tennis player, Evonne Goolagong, one of Australia’s greatest and most loved sporting figures. Full Story: ABC iview
The Cutest Tennis Training Video You Will Ever See: Tennis star Belinda Bencic gets help warming up from her 1-year-old daughter and her husband, a former professional soccer player. Full Story: ABC Editorial Note: This is supposed to be available outside of Australia, but I have not been able to get the streaming to work.
This Week in Professional Tennis
| Date | Tournament | Tour/Level | Location |
| 1/12-17 | Adelaide International | WTA 500 ATP 250 | Australia |
| 1/12-17 | ASB Classic | ATP 250 | New Zealand |
| 1/12-17 | Hobart International | WTA 250 | Australia |
