The Australian Open is underway! The inside workings of the AO, player transitions, sponsorship shifts, and growing tensions between tennis and pickleball.
How Craig Tiley turned the Australian Open into a three-week tennis bonanza: A quiet revolution has been sweeping Melbourne Park. Tournament director Craig Tiley has made no secret of his crusade to ensure the Australian Open — nicknamed the happy Slam — is a favourite amongst players and fans. And coining the week usually reserved for qualifiers, and off-Broadway, media-only events like the seedings and draws to be part of an expanded ‘Opening Week’ is a masterstoke that has already paid off. Full Story: ESPN
Sloane Stephens starts new phase of “weird tennis journey” after Australian Open qualifying berth: Sloane Stephens had to come through qualifying to earn her spot in this year’s Australian Open. Full Story: Tennis
Inside the high-stakes world of racket stringing at the Australian Open: There would be no Australian Open were it not for the work undertaken in an unassuming underground room at Melbourne Park. Underneath Rod Laver Arena, a group of tennis specialists cut and twist and weave – intently focused on their preparation for the action on the blue court a few metres above their heads. Full Story: The Guardian
Iga Świątek’s tennis quandary and the puzzle of being caught between two styles: Iga Świątek is unequivocal about what she wants to do with coach Wim Fissette: bring back the aggressive, counterpunching style that defined her first years of dominance on the WTA Tour, to replace the all-out aggression instilled by Tomasz Wiktorowski, with whom she won four majors. Full Story: The Athletic
Emma Navarro Inks Clothing Deal with FP Movement: Emma Navarro was previously signed by Fila. The move reflects a shifting tennis sponsorship landscape, with classic brands long associated with the professional tour, like Fila, Sergio Tacchini, and Ellesse, being replaced by younger activewear brands like FP Movement, Lululemon, and Vuori. Full Story: Vogue
Milos Raonic retires from pro tennis: “The time has come, I am retiring from tennis,” the 35-year-old Canadian said on X. “This is a moment you know will come one day, but somehow you never feel ready for it. This is as ready as I will ever be. Tennis has been my love and obsession for most of my life.” Full Story: ESPN
The junior Slam champion who match-fixed to ‘escape’ tennis: In January 2016, Anderson won the Australian Open boys’ singles title in front of a home crowd, demonstrating his potential in a field featuring future top-10 stars Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur. Nine months later, the Brisbane teenager was busted for throwing a set. Full Story: BBC
The hidden hierarchy of tennis practice courts: Although tennis players happily train with their rivals throughout the year, the practice court can also be a source of friction. Some players are particularly irritated when some of their colleagues inconsiderately extend their practice sessions past their scheduled court time. An unwritten rule in professional tournaments around the world: do not hog the practice court. Full Story: The Guardian
Aligning games and sets in determining tennis matches: esearch, which appears in the Journal of Sports Analytics, New York University’s Steven Brams, Wilfrid Laurier University’s Marc Kilgour, and King’s College London’s Mehmet Mars Seven analyzed more than 50,000 Grand Slam singles matches played between 1968 and 2024 and found that such game-set discrepancies occur between 3% and 5% of the time. Full Story: Phys Org
What Nike’s deal with pickleball phenom Anna Leigh Waters says about tennis: The Anna Leigh Waters previous apparel deal with Fila lapsed in 2025. Nike’s elite tennis roster is also diminishing, but its deal with Waters speaks to a focus on a handful of the very best players and biggest names, including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, and Zheng Qinwen. Full Story: The Athletic
The battle between pickleball and tennis enthusiasts: An analysis by the New York Times found that more than 26,000 pickleball courts were built between 2019 and 2025, with most occupying spaces that had previously been used exclusively for tennis. Full Story: The Morning Brew
This Week in Professional Tennis
| Date | Tournament | Tour/Level | Location |
| 1/18-2/1 | Australian Open | Grand Slam | Australia |
