Tennis Lifestyle
Net worth, culture, rivalries, and stories from the world of professional tennis — 100 articles
Emma Raducanu Won a Grand Slam at 18 and It Nearly Broke Her. Now She's Winning Again, at Home, on Grass.
In 2021 a British 18-year-old qualifier won the US Open without dropping a set — the most beautiful fairy tale tennis had seen in a generation, and almost too big to survive. The years after brought injuries, surgeries, endless coaching changes and cruel 'one-slam wonder' whispers. Now, fit and settled and British No. 1 again, Emma Raducanu is winning on the home grass at Queen's with Wimbledon weeks away. The quiet comeback that matters more than the miracle.
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Serena Williams Is Back on a Tennis Court at 44 — and It Looks Like Pure Joy.
She retired in tears in 2022. Now, at 44, the greatest of all time has picked up a racket again — winning her comeback doubles match at Queen's alongside young Canadian Victoria Mboko, and adding the Berlin Open to her schedule. This is not a sad, desperate comeback. It's a legend choosing joy, on the grass that made her a queen, weeks before Wimbledon.
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At Wimbledon, You Wear White or You Don't Play. The Story Behind Sport's Strictest Dress Code.
Not cream. Not off-white. Not white-with-a-stripe. At Wimbledon it's white from your cap to the soles of your shoes — even your underwear. The strictest dress code in sport started as Victorian embarrassment about sweat, survived Andre Agassi's boycott and banned Roger Federer's orange soles, and then, in 2023, did something it almost never does: it bent. The strange, beautiful, oddly moving story of tennis's all-white rule.
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Tennis Just Left the Slowest Surface in the Sport. In Two Weeks It Plays on the Fastest.
Roland Garros is barely over, and already the tour is packing up the red dust and heading for the green. The clay-to-grass switch is the most disorienting fortnight in sport — a player relearns how the ball bounces, how their feet move, how a point is built, in about two weeks. A warm companion to our love letter to clay: why grass is its complete opposite, and why the grass season reshuffles everything before Wimbledon.
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Roland Garros 2026 Is Over: It Crowned the Man Who Waited Forever and the Girl Just Beginning.
The most chaotic Roland Garros in living memory handed its two trophies to opposite ends of a career. Alexander Zverev finally won his first Grand Slam at 29, beating Flavio Cobolli in five sets after three lost finals. Mirra Andreeva won hers at 19, beating qualifier Maja Chwalinska. A full wrap of the fortnight that ate its kings and queens — and crowned the patient and the fearless instead.
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Marta Kostyuk Beat the Four-Time Champion, Then Her Own Friend. She's the First Ukrainian Woman in a Roland Garros Semi-Final.
To make history, Marta Kostyuk had to do two of the hardest things tennis can ask. First she knocked out four-time champion Iga Swiatek. Then she beat her own compatriot Elina Svitolina in the first all-Ukrainian quarter-final ever played at Roland Garros. Riding a 16-match clay streak, the 23-year-old from Kyiv is the first Ukrainian woman ever to reach the semi-finals in Paris — and two wins from a maiden Grand Slam title.
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Jakub Mensik Wasted Six Match Points Against Fonseca. Then He Won Anyway — and Reached His First Slam Semi-Final.
Joao Fonseca's dream run had to end somewhere. It ended against another 20-year-old. Jakub Mensik squandered six match points against the 19-year-old Brazilian, then held his nerve in the tie-break to win 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(3) and become the first man born in 2004 or later to reach a Grand Slam semi-final. Two kids, an insane level, and a glimpse of the next decade of tennis.
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Aryna Sabalenka Served for the Match. Then She Lost the Final Ten Games to Diana Shnaider.
An hour ago the world No. 1 was one service game from the Roland Garros semi-finals — the last big name standing in a draw that had devoured every other favourite. Then she imploded. Diana Shnaider, the 22-year-old Russian ranked 23rd, beat Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 7-5, 6-0, winning the last ten games. Both draws have now collapsed, and Paris 2026 will crown two first-time champions.
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Roland Garros Isn't Really About the Players. It's About Two Millimetres of Crushed Brick.
The famous red clay of Roland Garros is not really clay, and the part that gives it that burnt-orange colour — and decides who wins and who cramps off the court — is about two millimetres thick. A love letter to the terre battue: how it's built, why it breaks the favourites, why it lifts the specialists, and why it's the closest thing tennis has to a living thing.
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For Years He Was the Other Cerundolo. Then He Knocked the World No. 1 Out of Roland Garros.
Juan Manuel Cerundolo — ranked 56th, never past the third round of a major, the lesser-known brother in a family of champions — beat Jannik Sinner from two sets and 5-1 down. His father paced the stands. The kid did not flinch. Meet the clay-court Argentine who handed Roland Garros 2026 its biggest shock, and who has been quietly doing the impossible since he was a teenager.
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He Lost in Qualifying. Then Jesper de Jong Gave Roland Garros Its Best Story.
He lost a qualifying match and was packing for home. Then a phone rang. As a lucky loser, Dutch world No. 106 Jesper de Jong ended Stan Wawrinka's final Roland Garros, beat the No. 13 seed over four and a half hours, and became only the third lucky loser in the Open era to reach the men's last 16 here — before falling to Zverev on his 26th birthday. The best week of his life, from the worst starting position in tennis.
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The Men's Draw Burned Down. The Women Just Kept Winning.
While Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic all vanished from the men's draw, the women's biggest names strolled into the second week almost untouched. Sabalenka's 100th win as No. 1, Swiatek at home on her clay, Andreeva rising — and Naomi Osaka finally past the third round, straight into a last-16 test against the world No. 1.
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How can an adult learn to play tennis from scratch?
Start with 4-6 weeks of group lessons at a local club (typically $20-$40 per session) to learn fundamentals: grip, forehand, backhand, serve, and basic footwork. Practice 2-3 times per week for at least 30 minutes. Most adults reach a recreational rally level (USTA 2.5-3.0) within 3-6 months. Equipment-wise, a $80-$120 beginner racket and tennis-specific court shoes are enough to start.
Is tennis a good workout for losing weight?
Yes — an hour of singles tennis burns approximately 400-600 calories for a 70 kg adult, comparable to running or cycling. Tennis combines cardiovascular intensity (interval-based bursts) with strength work (rotational movements) and balance training. Studies link regular tennis play to reduced cardiovascular mortality risk and improved bone density.
What do professional tennis players eat?
Pros typically follow a high-carbohydrate, moderate-protein diet to fuel 3-5 hour matches. Common pre-match foods include oatmeal, pasta, rice, and bananas. During matches: bananas, energy gels, and electrolyte drinks. Sinner is known for a high-pasta Italian diet; Djokovic follows a strict gluten-free, mostly plant-based regimen; Nadal eats Mediterranean (fish, olive oil, pasta).
How much do tennis players make from sponsorships?
Top players earn $20M-$50M+ annually from endorsements alone — far more than prize money. Federer earned ~$90M/year at peak from Uniqlo, Rolex, Mercedes, Wilson, and others. Sinner signed with Nike, Head, and Rolex deals worth a combined ~$30M annually. Mid-tier ATP/WTA players (top 50) typically earn $200K-$2M from sponsors depending on profile.
What's the difference between tennis and padel?
Padel is played on a smaller (20×10m) walled court with solid stringless paddles and a depressurized ball; points often involve playing the ball off the walls (like squash). Tennis uses a larger court (23.77×8.23m for singles), strung rackets, and standard balls. Padel is easier to pick up, more social (always doubles), and faster-growing globally, especially in Spain, Italy, and Sweden.
How do you watch tennis tournaments online?
Tennis broadcast rights vary by region. In the US, Tennis Channel, ESPN, and ESPN+ cover most events. In the UK, Sky Sports and BBC iPlayer (Wimbledon free). Tennis TV (atptour.com subscription) streams every ATP match globally for ~$120/year. WTA matches are on WTA TV (~$100/year). Grand Slams are typically free on national broadcasters in the host country.