Every week in the tennis world, countless stories emerge that don’t always make headlines but are too intriguing to overlook. It can be on-court or off-court stuff that goes under the radar of bigger storylines. In this weekly roundup, we bring you all the noteworthy tidbits from the tennis world that didn’t get a full feature on LWOT, ensuring you’re up to speed on everything happening in tennis beyond the main headlines.
Tennis News Weekly Roundup
US Open Director’s Remarks on Court Speeds
According to US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster, the court pace rating (CPR) will be medium-fast this year. Medium-fast, as per the ITF, is anywhere from 41 to 44. Allaster said all 17 courts’ average CPR right now is 42 after surfacing, a rating which would normally benefits big servers and players who like to play offensive tennis. By way of contrast, players with an extreme grip on their strokes, particularly those most at home on slower clay courts, might find themselves rushed.
With so much wear and tear by this time of the season, it probably makes sense to have quicker courts. Faster courts will help players hit winners and get maximum value for their good shots, as well as preventing too many extended exchanges – notwithstanding the ever-increasing standard of athleticism on both tours.
WTA Adopts ATP’s Model for the Year-End-Championships
WTA has adopted ATP’s ranking points for the Tour Finals. Earlier WTA used to give 375 ranking points to players even if they lost all the matches at the Tour Finals but they have decided to change it and now if a player goes 0-3 in round-robin play, they will receive zero points. Awarding that many ranking points for just showing up did not make a great deal of sense given players earn 400 for making quarterfinals of a Grand Slam.
Naomi Osaka’s Heartfelt Instagram Post
Following her loss against Ashlyn Krueger in the second round of qualifying in Cincinnati, Naomi Osaka put up a long post on Instagram. She said:
“My biggeest issue currently isn’t losses, my biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body. It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to. I try and tell myself “it’s fine you’re doing great, just get through this one and keep pushing.” Mentally, it’s draining though. Internally, I hear myself screaming what the hell is happening?”
Osaka also said that she feels like she is in the postpartum phase which scares her because she has been playing tennis since she was three and the tennis racket should feel like an extension of her hand. She said she would work hard and give it her best shot till the very end.
It’s super hard for a young woman to come back to professional sports after giving birth and when you spend a long time away from the game, of course, you’re going to lose some of the natural familiarity you once had.
It looks like the Cincinnati qualifying loss has hit her confidence. She may have thought things would click as soon as she was back on hard courts, or practicing well but struggling to translate that in matches. But what is great is her honesty. All sports would benefit from more open discussions about the mental toll taken by competing at the elite level, and Osaka’s openness is unquestionably a step in the right direction. And a brave one.
Alexander Zverev to Play the Golden Swing in 2025
Alexander Zverev will play the Golden Swing (Buenos Aires and Rio) for the first time in his career.
Wow. Alexander Zverev playing the golden swing in 2025! https://t.co/KLyGQNkMDK
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) August 12, 2024
Zverev has always played on hard court events before Indian Wells and this will be his first time playing on clay in that part of the season. Zverev played in Los Cabos, Mexico, this year during the same time as Rio but Los Cabos is pushed back to July, next year.
Indian Wells is very slow and some players have done well there, after playing the Golden Swing like Dominic Thiem and Carlos Alcaraz. So maybe he’s giving it a try. The field will also be less stacked than the other tournaments like the Qatar Open and Mexican Open, so he has a great shot at winning. It’s also good for the tournament as Carlos Alcaraz’s contract ended with the Rio Open and they needed a new top 5 player.
Former world #1 Takes Dig at Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek, after her quarterfinal match against Mirra Andreeva, was asked about the intensity of tennis this year to which she replied: “There are too many tournaments in the season and it makes tennis less fun for us, we deserve to rest a little more.” Former world #1 and two times singles Grand Slam champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov did not have much time for that:
“Is someone pushing you to play? All you fricking do is complain! I’ll tell you what you deserve! You deserve to get paid a lot less than you do now! How about that?”
Many other players, both male and female, have complained that the schedule is too jam-packed. This is also leading to an increase in player injuries. It’s mandatory to enter at least 20 tournaments under the new WTA rulebook (21 including the Tour Finals). That’s every Grand Slam, every Masters 1000 and six 500-level events. It is important to recognise how much this demands of players. Kafelnikov is a hall of famer, and should no better.
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