From power outages to line-calling chaos, a whirlwind roundup of offbeat headlines and under-the-radar tennis stories you might have missed.
Tennis adopted electronic line calling on clay and created a ball-mark monster: With the bounce of a ball, tennis finds itself in a quandary that cuts to the heart of how people experience the world. When two different knowledge systems disagree with each other, which one should they believe? Full Story: The Athletic
Are the ‘mini Grand Slams’ working? – Second Serve: Stretching several ATP and WTA tournaments across a fortnight has caused some controversy, and it’s debatable how successful the move has been. The thinking was that the elongated events would have greater gravitas – essentially creating ‘mini Grand Slams’. Full Story: BBC
USTA & American Tennis Association join forces to grow Black representation in tennis: After years of successful collaboration, the USTA and the American Tennis Association (ATA) are coming together for a new initiative reflecting their shared mission to grow participation, retention, and leadership opportunities among diverse communities in tennis. The pillars of this new initiative, announced Monday, include increasing Black representation in tennis, a mentorship program developing pipelines of diverse professionals in coaching and tennis careers, and inspiring future generations to participate in the sport. Full Story: USTA
Tennis at Madrid Open suspended due to major power outage: Tournament organizers said they “had no choice but to suspend/cancel all sporting activity in order to guarantee the safety of the players, fans and personnel.” They recommended all spectators leave the sports complex. Full Story: ESPN Editorial Note: Electricity is an example of “critical infrastructure” people frequently take for granted. When it doesn’t work, the impacts are wide-ranging and potentially catastrophic.
Max Purcell, Grand Slam doubles champion, accepts 18-month doping ban: Max Purcell asked “the Clinic staff not to keep receipts relating to his infusion,” in messages sent to another professional player. Purcell also “discussed ways in which he could justify receiving infusions, including feigning illness.” Full Story: The Athletic
The Tennis Channel has a New CEO: Veteran media and technology executive Jeff Blackburn has been appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tennis Channel. In this role, Blackburn will lead the network’s strategic growth and its expansion across digital, streaming, and global platforms. Full Story: Tennis
May is National Tennis Month: With local initiatives for new and returning players, and support from around the country, National Tennis Month is the perfect vehicle to drive the sport for a lifetime. Full Story: Tennis
6 things about Alcaraz we learned from his Netflix miniseries: Spanning three episodes and documenting his 2024 season on and off the court, Carlos Alcaraz: My Way offers a candid look at the whirlwind life of one of the world’s top tennis players. Alcaraz also gets real about the pressures that he’s under—both from the sports world wanting him to become ‘The Next Rafael Nadal’ to meeting his own team’s high expectations. Full Story: Tennis
NCAA Championship Tournaments Are Underway: 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 |
