Five years later, where is Peng Shuai? The ATP proposed significant changes to its tour structure, World Team Tennis is preparing its return, and new AI-powered training technologies are on the horizon.
Tennis Returns to China Where Peng Shuai’s Whereabouts Are Still a Mystery: With the ATP and WTA winding their way through one of the world’s most populous countries this month, it ought to remind us that a Chinese former player has effectively been disappeared. Peng Shuai was a popular, extroverted athlete who won majors in doubles, competed in the Olympics and was a WTA stalwart for years. After making a public and highly specific sexual assault allegation against a high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official, and she is … well, where IS she? Full Story: Sports Illustrated
An Open Letter from ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi: ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi outlined proposals to increase player compensation, revise rankings and scheduling, and potentially restructure doubles. The plan would expand the ATP Bonus Pool to $50 million, introduce $25 million in bonuses for the top 250 players, and increase pension contributions. Full Story: ATP
World Team Tennis Returns With New Model—and Some Star Players: World Team Tennis is back. The tennis event, which was cofounded by Billie Jean King in the 1970s and last held in 2021, will relaunch with a new look, new teams, and a new spot on the tennis calendar. The revamped WTT will be played in early December with three teams: The New York Empire, Florida Flamingos, and Toronto North. Full Story: Front Office Sports
USTA announces teams for 2026 World Tennis Masters 75-, 80-, & 85-and-over World Team Championships: The United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced the players who will represent the United States at the World Masters 75-, 80- and 85-and-over World Team Championships, which will be held Oct. 18-23 on red clay courts at the Kalimera Kriti Hotel & Village Resort in Crete, Greece. The tournament is the super-senior equivalent of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup competitions, where top American tennis players represent their country in the 75-, 80-, 85-and-over age groups. Full Story: USTA
Stefan Milićević banned 24 years for match-fixing: Serbian tennis player Stefan Milićević has been given a 24-year ban for allegedly fixing multiple matches and recruiting other players into a “corrupt network.” Milićević was charged with fixing six matches, including five of his own, and trying to fix six more between 2022 and 2024. He is banned from tennis until 2050. Full Story: ESPN
Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia postponed: The “Six Kings Slam” tennis tournament originally scheduled for October has been postponed to December 27–3 after the recent attacks on the kingdom. A strike on Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300. It was the the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade. Full Story: Reuters
Maryland Suspends Tennis Club Over Racist Images: The University of Maryland at College Park has suspended its club tennis team after members shared racist imagery before a scheduled invitational that included Howard University. Full Story: Inside Higher Ed
SportAI to integrate with tennis software provider Scala Sports: Racket sports analysis platform SportAI has signed a distribution agreement with Scala Sports, a white-label software vendor that powers mobile apps for the U.S. Tennis Association, British Tennis Association and Tennis Australia. The deal will see SportAI’s AI-powered technique and match analysis features, which derive insights from mobile video, made available to users of digital products powered by Scala. SportAI plans to launch a coaching app called “SportAI Coach” with technique analysis and custom training plan features — possibly as soon as November. Full Story: Sports Business Journal
The Acemate Tennis Robot Review: It makes it look and feel more like hitting against a human opponent because it’s responding to your shots. Instead of simply firing balls at you at a regular cadence, it shoots out the next one after catching your shot in its net (or after it misses and the ball goes by it). This varies the pace, angle and position of balls coming back to you and mimics the natural rhythm of hitting against a human. Full Story: CNET
Rafael Nadal on His Iconic Pirate Pants and Life After Tennis: The luxury book publisher Assouline releases Rafa Nadal, a stunning and weighty 330-page retrospective of the tennis legend’s extraordinary career. The book arrives on the heels of another Nadal spotlight: Netflix’s comprehensive docuseries Rafa, which received an Emmy nomination. Jon Wertheim wrote the text, that contains this declaration: “This is a story of a sports unicorn, a path-breaking, mold-breaking rarity.” Full Story: GQ
‘Forty Love’: Trailer for gay tennis romance film promises drama and Easter eggs galore: The long history of tennis cinema and literature is loaded with drama, romance and the exploration of nuanced relationships through competition. The sport wasn’t exactly missing a “Heated Rivalry” pop culture moment — but it appears that it is going to get one this fall. French production company Studiocanal has released the trailer for “Forty Love,” an upcoming queer tennis romance film directed by fashion photographer Pierre-Ange Carlotti and featuring the acting debut of Romeo Beckham, son of soccer legend David. Full Story: The Athletic
This Week in Professional Tennis
| Date | Tournament | Tour/Level | Location |
| 10/19-25 | Ningbo Open | WTA 500 | China |
| 10/19-25 | Kinoshita Group Japan Open | WTA 250 | Japan |
| 10/19-25 | Almaty Open | ATP 250 | Kazakhstan |
| 10/19-25 | Grand Prix Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes | ATP 250 | France |
| 10/19-25 | BNP Paribas Fortis European Open | ATP 250 | Belgium |
