Serena Williams will host the ESPYS in July. The new “Dirtball Double” raises player concerns over the length of tournaments. The Tennis Channel introduces ‘Women’s Day’ on T2. Camila Giorgi is reportedly on the lam from Italian tax authorities, and the golden age of tennis movies continues.
New Tennis Channel App? With zero fanfare or announcement, a completely revamped Tennis Channel app was quietly released over the weekend. The organization of matches is significantly improved and much more aligned with the sport. More importantly, the constant crashing of live matches has gone away. Full Story: (Am I the only person to notice?)
Serena Williams to become fourth woman to host ESPYS in July: The retired 23-time major tournament winner will be the fourth woman to helm the show honoring the past year’s achievements, athletes and moments. The ESPYS will air July 11 from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Full Story: ESPN
The Dirtball Double: The biggest grind in all of tennis: Which is the tougher back-to-back feat on the Hologic WTA Tour? Going coast-to-coast in March to win the Sunshine Double, Indian Wells, and Miami on hard courts, or surviving the grueling clay to sweep Madrid and Rome for what we’re calling — with tongues firmly planted in cheeks — the “Dirtball Double”? Full Story: WTA
Top tennis players say they’re playing too much because the tournaments are too long: For tennis organizers, the long-sought upgrade of tournaments in Madrid and Rome — expanding them from eight days to nearly two weeks — has been a bonanza. For the players? Well, they haven’t been nearly as enthusiastic. Full Story: AP
Tennis Channel adding weekly ‘Women’s Day’ programming to T2: Beginning Tuesday, June 11, Tennis Channel will introduce a weekly initiative called “Women’s Day” on its free ad-supported streaming network, T2. Every Tuesday, T2 will exclusively broadcast women’s matches across Tennis Channel’s portfolio of live rights — primarily WTA Tour matches — while men’s and women’s tennis will continue to be shown interchangeably Wednesday through Monday. Full Story: Sports Business Journal
Jon Wertheim’s interview with Simona Halep: The vindicated Romanian believes she now has a third major title—her successful appeal. Full Story: Sports Illustrated
Recently retired tennis player Camila Giorgi on the run from Italian tax authorities?: Italian tennis player Camila Giorgi, who achieved a ranking of No. 26 in the world, abruptly retired without a statement giving a reason why. Now it is reported that the Guardia di Finanza, Italy’s financial police, is looking for Giorgi and investigating her nonpayment of taxes and undeclared income. Full Story: USA Today
Queen’s grass-court tennis tournament to become mixed event from 2025: The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has confirmed that a WTA 500-level tournament will run the week before the existing Cinch Championships men’s tournament, which this year starts June 15. It is the first time that London has held a WTA event outside Wimbledon in 50 years. Full Story: The Athletic
Perfect Match: Tennis film on Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf follows Challengers: A new tennis film depicting the relationship between Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf will screen later this summer. Perfect Match, which will premiere on June 28 on Amazon Prime, stars German actress Lena Klenke and British actor Toby Sebastian. Full Story: The Athletic
New Roger Federer documentary about the “Twelve Final Days” of his career set for June release: Originally a home video never intended for public viewing, the film captures the 20-time Grand Slam winner during the buildup to his 2022 Laver Cup farewell. Full Story: Tennis
Meet the Former Tennis Star Who Helped Bring Zendaya’s Challengers Game to Life: Kathryn “Kara” Hall was contacted out of the blued by producers for the film, Challengers. They were looking for a tennis player who physically resembled Zendaya, and Hall fit the bill. It was such an unexpected occurrence that Hall at first wasn’t sure it was legit, but suddenly she was on a film set, helping the star train for her role as Tashi Duncan and appearing as her “tennis double” in the film. Full Story: Glamour
Zendaya’s “Challengers” Tennis Whisperer: With the help of Jolly Ranchers, Brad Gilbert has coached everyone from Agassi to Robin Williams to Coco Gauff. His latest pupils: the cast of Luca Guadagnino’s new movie. Full Story: The New Yorker
This Week in Professional Tennis
| Date | Tournament | Tour/Level | Location |
| 5/19-25 | Internationaux de Strasbourg | WTA 500 | Strasbourg |
| 5/19-25 | Grand Prix De Son Altesse Royale La Princesse Lalla Meryem | WTA 250 | Morroco |
| 5/19-25 | Gonet Geneva Open | ATP 250 | Geneva |
| 5/19-25 | Open Parc | ATP 250 | Lyon |
