A new rule at the Australian Open took some players by surprise, while the extra day added to the tournament this year to eliminate late-night matches is definitely not working. It was an unusually heavy week for tennis news from the “Happy Slam.”
The new rule that has Australian Open players divided — and has nothing to do with actual tennis: A rule introduced for this year’s Australian Open, fans are now allowed to leave their seats as well as enter and exit the courts at Melbourne Park between games, and not just at changes of ends. Full Story: ESPN
Why are they playing tennis matches until nearly 4 a.m. at the Australian Open?: The women’s and men’s professional tours announced just before the start of the Australian Open that they’re instituting new rules this month to try to cut back on play after midnight. One problem: Those rules apply only to events run by the WTA and ATP — not Grand Slam tournaments. Full Story: AP News
Australian Open: Tennis Australia bailout during Covid pandemic: Tennis Australia financial accounts, lodged with the corporate regulator in December, revealed the state government forgave a $43m loan to the organization that was accrued during the pandemic. It was also revealed on Monday that the government provided up to $63m to Tennis Australia on the eve of the 2022 election to ensure it could meet its commitments for the 2023 Australian Open. Full Story: The Guardian
Top Players say tennis balls are causing arm injuries: a review is underway: Yet an increasingly vocal group of players says that the tennis balls used on tour are behind a major problem: They’re causing injuries. Top players contend the lack of consistency in the balls is linked to a rash of significant shoulder, elbow, and wrist injuries. Full Story: NPR
WTA’s Expected Saudi Arabia Announcement Sparks Backlash From Tennis Legends: SI has obtained a letter sent by former champions Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert urging the WTA not to hold this year’s championships in Riyadh. Full Story: Sports Illustrated
Rafael Nadal Becomes New Ambassador of the Saudi Tennis Federation: Rafael Nadal’s new role was announced following a recent surprise visit to a junior tennis clinic in Riyadh. The Spanish superstar will spend dedicated time in the Kingdom each year to help nurture and plan the development of boys and girls in the sport as well as grow further interest in tennis in the country’s young population. Full Story: Racquet Sports Industry
WTA and ATP Are Facing a Year of Formative Change: Tennis is trying to reposition itself by altering tournaments and spreading more money around. Full Story: New York Times
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario found guilty of fraud but will avoid prison: The Barcelona-based court found that Sánchez Vicario and her former husband had hidden assets in an attempt to avoid paying a multi-million euro debt to Banque de Luxembourg. Full Story: Tennis
Alexander Zverev to face trial for alleged assault: The 26-year-old Alexander Zverev, who is competing at the Australian Open this week, is accused of assaulting a woman during an argument in Berlin in May 2020. Zverev has denied the accusation. Full Story: ESPN
Naomi Osaka became a megastar overnight. Then the questions started coming.: In Japan, Naomi Osaka is an object of admiration and fascination. But It’s Complicated. Excerpts from her new biography by Ben Rothenberg. Full Story: Slate
The reason tennis balls are yellow is largely thanks to Sir David Attenborough: The story of how tennis balls went from white to yellow is intriguing, with British broadcaster and biologist Sir David Attenborough playing a key role. Full Story: Fox Sports
Smash Hit: The Evolution of the Tennis Racquet Digital Exhibit: Smash Hit illustrates the evolution of the tennis racquet through time by featuring Hall of Famers using the collections of the Museum. Link. Full Exhibit: International Tennis Hall of Fame
This Week in Professional Tennis
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The article on Fox Sports is not correct to assert that David Attenborough invented the yellow tennis ball.
Coloured tennis balls were first used at the Pilot Penn Tournament in Newhaven where the Tournament Director was Mike Davies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Davies_(tennis)). Mike told me they tried lots of different colours but yellow was a little better than orange. He lamented not patenting the idea!
David Attenborough undoubtedly pushed for them to be used at Wimbledon because the only TV at the time was Black and White and yellow balls showed up better than white ones. David Attenborough did push for the Government to spend money to introduce colour TV, I believe. One of the successes in the UK of colour TV was ‘Pot Black’ which brought snooker to TV screens and was very popular. Pot Black was a great advert for colour TV.
Thanks. I also have a different origin story of the yellow balls. I probably should have added an editorial note to that effect.