Viral match moments, tech partnerships, and offbeat stories paled in comparison with tales from the return of Venus Williams to the professional tour.
Venus Williams Returns: Williams didn’t overexplain her decision to come back. She’d been practicing, she loves hard courts, and D.C. just made sense. Her connection to the city is long-standing, but the return seemed more about timing than sentiment.. Full Story: WTA
Venus Williams becomes the second-oldest WTA tour winner at 45: Martina Navratilova was the previous oldest at 47. Full Story: BBC
Venus Williams Claims She Returned to Tennis Over Health Insurance: “I had to come back for the insurance,” she said in an on-court interview following her Mubadala Citi D.C. Open victory against Peyton Stearns in Washington on Tuesday. “They informed me this year that I’m on COBRA, so it’s like, I got to get my benefits on,” she said, giggling to interviewer Rennae Stubbs, which prompted a chorus of laughter from those watching in the stands. Full Story: Newsweek
How does health insurance work for professional players anyway? This article breaks down how health insurance works on the professional tennis tours. Full Story: AP
ITF introduces tiered system to expand electronic line calling: Electronic Line Calling will become available across a wider range of tournaments below the Grand Slams and elite tour after the International Tennis Federation announced a new three-tiered classification of systems. Full Story: ESPN
PlaySight Extends Partnership with the ITA: PlaySight is becoming the “Official Live Streaming and AI Video Partner of the ITA”. The company has been serving college tennis alongside the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) since 2015. PlaySight will continue to present innovative live streaming solutions to college tennis programs across the country providing live streaming capabilities to programs at nearly every level of college tennis. Full Story: ITA
Wimbledon serves up tennis balls as new homes for threatened harvest mice? According to Snopes, it’s true. The tournament has previously donated tennis balls to conservation groups that turn them into homes for harvest mice, but it’s not an ongoing program. Full Story: Snopes
Tennis Ball Boy Squashes Invasive Bug Rescued by Player in Viral Match Moment: Maria Sakkari picked up a bug on her side of the court and walked over toward the barriers to set it free, moving it away from immediate danger. The match’s commentators applauded her kindhearted move: “Good work there from Sakkari, taking care of the local wildlife. Very delicately done.” But, mere seconds later, a ball boy came over and squashed the bug with his shoe. Full Story: Sports Illustrated
The Bay Area’s most in-demand tennis court is inside a prison: The inmates at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center are seriously good at tennis. Full Story: SFGate
How to Be a Better Loser: Tennis makes another appearance in a public advice column. Full Story: The Atlantic
World premiere of play about tennis icon Billie Jean King at Chicago Shakespeare Theater: “Billie Jean” is playing at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater through August 10. Full Story: ABC7 (Chicago)
This Week in Professional Tennis
| Date | Tournament | Tour/Level | Location |
| 7/27-8/7 | National Bank Open Presented by Rogers | ATP 1000 | Toronto |
| 7/27-8/7 | Omniu, Banque Nationale Presente Par Rogers | WTA 1000 | Montreal |
