Wimbledon takes a hard line stance on Russian and Belarusian players as the US-Ukraine Billie Jean King Cup qualifier generates dramatic tennis and heart warming story lines.
Tours Argue Wimbledon Sets ‘Damaging Precedent’ in Barring Russian and Belarusian Players
Professional tennis, which had been unusually united of late, is back in disaccord after Wimbledon’s bold and difficult decision to bar Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s tournament was met with strong disapproval by the men’s and women’s tours. Full Story: New York Times
A Visiting Team Like No Other
A supportive tennis crowd in Asheville, N.C., watched the Ukrainians nearly pull off an upset of the United States in a Billie Jean King Cup qualifier. Full Story: New York Times
Zverev’s Unresolved Domestic Abuse Investigation Is Embarrassing for Tennis
Zverev’s continued presence on the ATP Tour makes it clear that the organization and professional tennis in general are apathetic towards abuse allegations against pros. The sport’s governing bodies need to align disciplinary policies with one another in order to show a commitment to denouncing abuse. Full Story: The Hoya (Georgetown University)
Pam Shriver says she was in ‘inappropriate, damaging’ relationship with her coach when she was 17
Shriver, in an interview with ESPN’s Outside the Lines as well as a first-person story and podcast with English publication The Telegraph, said she decided to talk about her relationship with coach Don Candy because “this still goes on — a lot.” “I believe abusive coaching relationships are alarmingly common in sport as a whole,” she wrote in The Telegraph. “My particular expertise, though, is in tennis, where I have witnessed dozens of instances in my four-and-a-bit decades as a player and commentator. Full Story: ESPN
ATP and WTA join hands to launch joint mobile app
The new ‘ATP WTA Live’ app will replace the ATP and WTA’s existing apps and allow fans to keep up with official scores and results from both men’s and women’s matches. Subscribers to the app will still not have access to scores from the Grand Slams — the four biggest tournaments in the game. Full Story: Reuters Get the App: Apple IOS and Google Play
Lleyton Hewitt Stars in Nintendo Switch Commercial
Lleyton Hewitt, Australian tennis player and former world number 1 who won the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon the following year — has partnered with the Big N to show everyone just how to hit a ball on the court. Lleyton shows off the upcoming sports game’s motion controls and two-player mode. Full Story: Nintendo Life Full Video: YouTube
This Week in Professional Tennis
| Date | Tournament | Tour/Level | Location |
| 4/28-5/7 | Mutua Madrid Open | WTA 1000 | Madrid, Spain |
| 4/25-5/1 | BMW Open by American Express | ATP 250 | Munich, Germany |
| 4/25-5/1 | Millennium Estoril Open | ATP 250 | Estoril, Portugal |
