The ATP Players association isn’t happy about the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon and is threatening punitive action. Did you know that there is a full sized tennis court in Grand Central Station? Neither did I…
ATP May Strip Wimbledon Ranking Points
Momentum appears to be growing among men’s tennis players to strip Wimbledon and other UK grass court events of official ranking points this summer. Player representatives on the ATP Tour are said to be in favor of taking a hard line over the banning of Russians and Belarusians announced last month. Full Story: The Daily Mail (UK)
Naomi Osaka is launching her own sports agency
The 24-year-old tennis star Naomi Osaka is starting her own sports agency after six years with IMG. Osaka is partnering with her agent, Stuart Duguid, in the venture, named Evolve. Each will hold equity stakes in the company. Full Story: NPR
The “Hidden” Benefits of Tennis Leagues
The official site of the Tennis Channel published an article about a tennis health study that was performed in 2019 and published in 2020. The headline is misleading as the study was performed on league players but did not compare league versus tournament or casual recreational play. Full Story: tennis.com Editorial Note: I previously wrote about that study in “A New Study on the Positive Health Impacts of Tennis.”
Peng Shuai named on Italian Open schedule in major listing error
It looked as though Peng Shuai had quietly returned to professional tennis after the official Italian Open website named the Chinese star on a practice schedule. The surprise listing proved to be a mistake after it was amended shortly after to display current world number 40 Zhang Shuai’s name instead. It still resurrects the question: Where is Peng Shuai? Full Story: Give Me Sport
Denis Shapovalov tells crowd to ‘shut the f— up’ at Italian Open
Tennis star Denis Shapovalov got a little heated at the Italian Open on Monday. During his opening round match against Italian Lorenzo Sonego, Shapovalov shouted “shut the f— up” at the crowd after fans became unhappy with his conduct towards the chair umpire. Full Story: CBS Sports Editorial Note: The incident arose because Shapovalov didn’t fully understand the rules. This will be the subject of next Wednesday’s “Rules of Tennis” post on this site.
Pickleball “Pop” Prompts Pilot Park Program
Complaints of the popping noise the pickleball paddle makes when it hits the ball has inspired a new pilot program in Arlington Virginia. They have closed the pickleball court and restriped two adjacent tennis courts for pickleball. This is not good for tennis. Full Story: ARLnow
‘The Last Days of Roger Federer’ Book… Is Not About Roger Federer
Despite its title, “The Last Days of Roger Federer” isn’t about Roger Federer, who receives scant mention in its pages. Author Geoff Dyer writes, “It seemed important that a book underwritten by my own experience of the changes wrought by aging should be completed before Roger’s retirement, in the long twilight of his career.” Apart from a cameo appearance here and there, there is precious little about Roger Federer in Mr. Dyer’s pages. Full Story: New York Times
There is a Regulation Sized Secret Tennis Court in Grand Central Station
There’s regulation-sized court located on the fourth floor of the terminal? If you didn’t know that, you’re not alone. Full Story: InsideHook
Cardi B Takes on Tennis in New ‘Cardi Tries’ Episode
Cardi hits the tennis court with her friend and “Wild Side” collaborator, Normani. The duo receive a lesson from tennis pro Taylor Townsend, who teaches them basic tennis techniques, including positioning fundamentals, forehand, backhand and how to rally. Full Story: Billboard
NCAA Division I Tennis National Championships
The Men’s and Women’s brackets have reached the Championship Finals. I have caught a few matches from the tournament and the competition is intense. Free live streams of the action is available from the TennisOne App that is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
| Date | Event | Comments/Details |
| 5/19-22 | Team | All 12 courts from Team Championships: Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals |
| 5/23-28 | Individual | All 12 courts from Individual Singles/Doubles Championships: First Round through the Finals. |
This Week in Professional Tennis
| Date | Tournament | Tour/Level | Location |
| 5/15-21 | Internationaux de Strasbourg | WTA 250 | Strasbourg, France |
| 5/15-21 | Grand Prix Sar La Princesse Lalla Meryem | WTA 250 | Rabat, Morocco |
| 5/15-21 | Gonet Geneva Open | ATP 250 | Geneva, Switzerland |
| 5/15-21 | Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon | ATP 250 | Lyon, France |
