Clay-court titans, legal showdowns, as tennis continues to enjoy pop-culture moments. The new Pope Leo XIV… plays tennis.
Boom in the Boot: How Italian tennis continues to rise: Jannik Sinner, the top-ranked player in the world, leads a small army of compatriots that now holds sway not only within the borders of Italy but throughout tennis. The Roman Empire lasted for roughly 1200 years, so the bar is set high, but the evolution of Italian tennis has been stunning. Full Story: Tennis
Ons Jabeur on Gaza, grief, and speaking up: Ons Jabeur has struggled to compartmentalize in the way tennis players often do. Palestine is on her mind “24/7.” While she tries to set the sadness aside when she’s on court, she admits it’s not easy. Full Story: WTA
Kostyuk praises Kasatkina’s ‘courage’ and shakes hands after Rome win: Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk praised Daria Kasatkina’s “courage” in switching nationalities from Russia to Australia before the pair shook hands after their match at the Italian Open. Ukrainian players have a long-standing policy of not shaking hands with Russian or Belarusian players, with Kostyuk describing it as “a personal stance against Russia’s aggression.” Kostyuk said after her victory she felt she had to acknowledge Kasatkina’s actions publicy, adding: “It’s always nice to shake hands with someone who I respect.” Full Story: BBC
Judge rules ATP Tour cannot retaliate against players who join PTPA tennis lawsuit: The ATP Tour circulated a letter to be signed by its players. The letter said that any players who signed it did not support the lawsuit, nor the PTPA. A Judge has ruled that the circulation of that letter, and a specific instance in which an ATP board member pressured two players to sign it, amounted to “coercive, deceptive, or potentially abusive” behavior. Full Story: The Athletic
Pope Leo XIV is “quite the amateur tennis player”: Old interviews of Pope Leo XIV have resurfaced, revealing the 69-year-old’s love of sports. He’s said to be a fan of the Chicago Cubs and once said, “I consider myself quite the amateur tennis player” in 2023. Full Story: Tennis, AP
The Secret Tennis Court at the Vatican: Unknown to some longtime close Vatican watchers, devout Catholics, and even several of the higher-ups at Italy’s tennis federation, the FITP, there has long been what satellite images show is a lovely red court, tucked into the northern corner of the Vatican City. Full Story: The Athletic
Tennis television coverage needs a new dawn. Can TNT’s French Open provide it? Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the owner of TNT Sports and the new U.S. rights-holder for the French Open. WBD and the French Tennis Federation (FFT) agreed a 10-year deal worth $650 million in June 2024, putting an end to a hodgepodge of coverage that had previously aired across NBC, the Tennis Channel, Tennis Channel+ (its streaming service), and Peacock. Full Story: The Athletic
Why tennis players and the ball sometimes disappear on TV: During several daytime matches at the Madrid Open, sections of the broadcast feed — sometimes one quadrant of the court, sometimes half the picture — were flooded with dazzlingly bright light. So bright that the players and the ball would disappear whenever they entered it, making the sun seem like a portal to another dimension and making the match borderline unwatchable. Full Story: The Athletic Editorial Note: Not borderline unwatchable. Completely unwatchable.
Rafael Nadal and the four musketeers of Roland Garros: A book excerpt from Chris Clarey’s “The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay.” Full Story: The Athletic
Venus Williams, Lacoste team up to ace Met Gala with tenniscore tribute: Venus Williams served up her latest ace by paying homage to her tennis roots at the Met Gala. Teaming up with Pelagia Lolotuoros, creative director at Lacoste, Williams stepped out in an emerald-green ensemble that fired on all cylinders to confirm tenniscore’s place among high fashion. Full Story: Tennis
A “Floating” Tennis Club in LA: A “floating” tennis club that operates on a series of courts in upscale neighborhoods of Los Angeles and caters to millennials and zoomers who can’t afford country club memberships, but still want an elevated experience. Full Story: The Los Angeles Times (Behind a Paywall)
Don’t Forget To Check Out NCAA Tournament Action: The first two rounds were completed over the weekend. Full Details: Men and Women
This Week in Professional Tennis
| Date | Tournament | Tour/Level | Location |
| 5/7-18 | Internazionali BNL d’Italia | ATP 1000 WTA 1000 | Rome |
