Every week in the tennis world, countless stories and news emerge that don’t always make headlines but are too intriguing to overlook. It can be on-court or off-court developments that go under the radar due to bigger storylines from the past week. With the new season, LWOT is back with the weekly news roundup. The first edition of 2025 features Barbora Krejcikova and Denis Kudla.
Tennis News Weekly Roundup
Denis Kudla Announces Retirement from Tennis
American player Denis Kudla announced his retirement from tennis on Saturday via an Instagram post.32-year-old Kudla achieved a career-high singles ranking of 53rd in the world and, somewhat unusually in the modern era, was arguably a grass-court specialist. The American played an entertaining brand of tennis and would never miss a chance to rush to the net, with his best Slam performance was reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2015.
Kudla never won an ATP title but was very successful on the Challenger Tour, with nine titles. He is part of Reilly Opelka’s coaching team now and it will be interesting to see what this partnership can achieve in the future.
Barbora Krejcikova Withdraws from the Australian Open
Wimbledon champion and world #10 Krejcikova has withdrawn from the upcoming Australian Open due to a back injury. Krejcikova was defending quarterfinal points at the Australian Open and will drop out of the top 10 as a result. With five Slams in doubles and mixed doubles combined and two quarterfinal finishes in singles, Melbourne holds a particular place in Krejcikova’s career. She expressed her disappointment in not being able to compete this year.
The Czech is a devastating player at her best and can beat anyone but unfortunately, she hasn’t been healthy for the majority of her career (though she has managed to win two Grand Slams). Hopefully, the back issue is not serious and she can be back on the tour soon. The tour is better and more competitive with her in the mix.
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
