Rafael Nadal slips outside the ATP top 10 for the first time since April 2005. Rohan Bopanna becomes the answer to the trivia question who is the oldest man to ever win an ATP Masters 1000 title.
The world looks very different from last time Rafael Nadal wasn’t ranked in the top 10. Novak Djokovic had only made one main draw appearance in a major. Coco Gauff was 13 months old. Twitter had yet to be founded. Full Story: ESPN
Women’s tennis works to safeguard against predatory coaches. Lindsay Brandon is a lawyer whose past clients include athletes disputing doping suspensions. In her new post as the WTA’s first director of safeguarding, Brandon is leading an increased effort to protect athletes from predatory coaches — and others — on the women’s professional tennis tour. Full Story: The Washington Post
On Expects Huge Year With Boost from Tennis Stars. The Roger Federer backed company has signed Iga Świątek and Ben Shelton. Full Story: Front Office Sports also Forbes
Novak Djokovic Missed Another U.S. Event. Jon Wertheim’s latest mailbag dives into the ever-evolving anti-vax cloud hanging over the world’s best player. Also, Daniil Medvedev’s hilarious on-court rant. Full Story: Sports Illustrated
Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk refuses handshake with Russia’s Anastasia Potapova. Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with Anastasia Potapova after she was beaten by the Russian at the Miami Open. Potapova, who was recently warned after wearing a Spartak Moscow football shirt at a match, won the second-round encounter 6-1 6-3. Kostyuk has previously refused to shake hands with Russia’s Varvara Gracheva and Belarusian Victoria Azarenka. Full Story: BBC
Rohan Bopanna becomes oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion. Rohan Bopanna proved age was just a number after becoming the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion at 43 years old, with victory in the BNP Paribas Open men’s doubles. Full Story: CNN
Cancer-free Navratilova returns to TV. Martina Navratilova returned to TV work at Tennis Channel for its coverage of the Miami Open on Tuesday, less than three months after announcing she had throat cancer and breast cancer. Full Story: ESPN
USTA National Campus set to host historic combined NCAA Championships in May. In addition to all three NCAA divisions competing at a single site, the 2023 championships will be doubly historic as they will also include the title match of the USTA’s Collegiate Wheelchair National Championships, an event that has been held for more than 20 years. While wheelchair tennis is not currently sanctioned by the NCAA, a new initiative announced jointly last month by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and NCAA Office of Inclusion could be the first step in changing that. Full Story: USTA
2024 ATP Tour Calendar Announced. The calendar for the 2024 ATP Tour season has been announced, with 63 tournaments set to take place across 29 countries. Adjustments were made to the traditional summer schedule to accomodate the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Full Story: ATP
Arlington Vows Action On Pickleball War After Stephen Colbert Segment. In his March 7 segment on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” the comedian noted that residents near the Walter Reed Community Center have been distributing flyers that accused pickleball players of “hijacking” tennis and basketball courts, bullying children and urinating in public. “Come on, seniors,” Colbert joked, “pickleball is not an excuse to urinate in public. That’s aquarobics.” Full Story: The Patch
History Spotlight: Early tennis. A beautiful photo of an early tennis match from Ohio. Full Story: Fremont News Messenger
This Week in Professional Tennis
| Date | Tournament | Tour/Level | Location |
| 3/21- 4/2 | Miami Open presented by Itaú | WTA 1000 ATP 1000 | Miami, Florida |
| 3/27-4/2 | San Luis Potosi Open | WTA 125 | San Luis Potosi, Mexico |
