This was expected to be a slow week for news in the tennis world. Instead, Mardy Fish once again made headlines for yet another bad reason. A player suspension over ADHD medication generated some insightful hot takes.
Americans Mardy Fish and Bob Bryan fined for promoting gambling
U.S. Davis Cup team coaches Mardy Fish and Bob Bryan were fined $10,000 apiece and handed bans of four months after promoting a gambling operator via social media. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced the punishments Tuesday, saying that Fish and Bryan cooperated fully with its investigation and removed the problematic posts immediately. Full Story: ESPN
Fernando Verdasco accepts 2-month doping ban over ADHD medication
Fernando Verdasco has accepted a voluntary provisional doping suspension of two months after testing positive for medication for ADHD, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Wednesday. Verdasco said he was taking methylphenidate as a medication prescribed by his doctor to treat ADHD. The integrity agency said Verdasco has been granted an exemption by the World Anti-Doping Agency moving forward. Full Story: ESPN
John Millman’s Hot Take on Fernando Verdasco and Simona Halep’s Doping Bans
The ATP player said he was not a fan of the Therapeutic Use Exemption as it’s possible for players to falsely claim a condition for performance-enhancing medication to take during matches. He points out that Simona Halep could have claimed an exemption for the anemia drug that she tested positive for earlier this year. Full Story: Give Me Sport
Bill Gates Says This Tennis Book From 1974 Gave Him Confidence as Microsoft CEO
Can the “Inner Game of Tennis” make you a better leader? Full Story: Inc
Canada’s Davis Cup Win
Canada’s victory over Australia on Sunday to capture its first Davis Cup title punctuated another big year for Canadian tennis. Though the country is still looking for its first Grand Slam singles champion since Bianca Andreescu’s historic win at the 2019 U.S. Open, Canada continued to establish its bona fides as a rising tennis nation in 2022. Full Story: CBC Editorial Note: I am starting to research the Player Development Program of Tennis Canada. They must be doing something right.
Jon Wertheim’s 2022 ATP Award Picks
Just as he did with the WTA awards last week, Jon Wertheim does the same for the men. For the record, ATP provided three categories and candidates for media voting (Comeback Player, Improved Player, and Sportsmanship.) Other categories were created by Wertheim. The envelopes, please…. Full Story: Sports Illustrated
Tennis for America
A first-person blog post about the Tennis For America Year of Service program. Full Story: ITA
Ultimate Tennis Showdown plans return in 2023
The Ultimate Tennis Showdown, a league founded by coach Patrick Mouratoglou that played exhibition matches when the pro tours were shut down during the coronavirus pandemic, plans to return in 2023 with four events. The UTS announced Thursday that it will hold matches in July, September, November, and December in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Full Story: ESPN
This Week in Professional Tennis
| Date | Tournament | Tour/Level | Location |
| 12/5-11 | Open P2i Angers Arena Loire | WTA 125 | Angers, France |
