Tennis has a problem. It is slowly losing ground to pickleball and padel. Not because tennis is a worse sport, but because those sports have figured out something we haven't. They've figured out how to make people feel part of something. If you have a friend who plays pickleball, you'll see it. Medals on Facebook. Division wins on Instagram. Monthly tournaments. Constant engagement. There's always something happening. Tennis, by comparison, has gaps. We've got fixtures sorted

(Getty/Cameron Spencer) The whispers around a potential return of Serena Williams have grown louder in recent months, shifting from nostalgic hope to something far more tangible. And few have tracked those developments as closely as American tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, whose reporting via his online newsletter Bounces has offered rare insight into what may be unfolding behind the scenes. Speaking to Rothenberg, the sense is not that a comeback is guaranteed — but that

Dubai has been impacted by the ongoing war in the Middle East. (Getty/Muhammad Owais Khan) For the better or worse, the nature of tennis' global tour sees it often find itself in the midst of events – celebratory, political, or crises.   The top-flight tour alone visits various cities almost every week of the year, and the tiers below – Challenger and ITF tours – span multiple continents every day. There are simply no athletes that travel quite like tennis players.   It hit m

The great Billie Jean King in attendance for the 2025 BJK Cup Finals. (Getty/VCG) As Billie Jean King once told Lindsay Davenport during a Fed Cup tie in 2000, "pressure is a privilege". To represent your country in any capacity is a privilege. Wearing your nation's colours should be a spine-tingling occasion, no matter if it's a debut or a 100th appearance. Not to say that players aren't invested or that they don't care at all, but it's getting to the point where the Billie

(Getty/Hanne Vandewinkel) I have spoken quite a bit over the last year about Australia's talent stocks going forward, and the jury is very much out long term whether we can produce a decent group of players to reach the top 100 in the next 5-10 years on both the men's and women's sides. But for you, the tennis fan, your eyes and interests are also global as we are all curious about the names that will rise through the ranks and make their mark on the game going forward. Looki

(Getty) There is no denying it. Australians currently find themselves in uncertain times. Cost of living and inflation (expected to rise as high as six per cent as the war in the Middle East drags on) are taking a stranglehold on households. Rising fuel and supermarket prices, along with an uptick in interest rates, have forced many families across the country to be extra cautious about how they spend their hard-earned cash. When it comes to sports subscriptions in a mad-lovi

Jiří Lehečka celebrates in Miami. (Getty/Rich Storry) Czech player Jiří Lehečka made headlines recently by reaching the final of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Miami. It was the best result of his career and lifted him to a career-high ranking of world No.14. From the outside, it looks like a breakthrough, but from a Czech perspective, it looked almost like regular programming. For a nation of just over 10 million people, this kind of result is no longer surprising. Czech

(Getty/Ricardo Ceppi) Throughout part of the 1970s, Guillermo Vilas was the best tennis player in the world.   Fifty years ago, he should have begun the 1976 season as men's world No.1 tennis player. And yet decades on, he's still yet to be recognised with the title.   I've asked family and colleagues about Vilas in this era. Aside from memories of that hair, he was understandably an icon: a man who elevated tennis' status among global sports and one who brought South Americ

(Getty/Phil Walter) Technology has slowly but surely infiltrated every aspect of tennis, from racquet and line-calling to how fans interact with players through social media. One controversial aspect is wearable player metric technologies, and how they are developing, challenging, and progressing the game.  Wearable player metric technologies utilise technology through wearables such as smart watches, trackers, biophysical sensors, and even clothing technologies to monitor, t

A year ago, Omar Jasika spoke candidly with The First Serve about the growing issue of online abuse in professional tennis. At the time, it felt like a serious but still under-discussed problem. Twelve months later, little has improved. If anything, the volume, severity, and normalisation of that abuse have intensified. Recent reporting by The First Serve has highlighted how online abuse is rising in tandem with sports betting. For players operating on the Challenger circuit

I have discussed at length over the past year what the future stocks of Australian men's tennis look like regarding the current group and casting an eye forward with big question marks around whether a cohort of young players with more time on their side can turn into top 100 players, possibly top 50 players, or maybe a future Grand Slam champion. Many people have shared the same concerns as the clock ticks for our existing bunch of men in the 1-130 ranking bracket who sit in

Coco Gauff at Indian Wells. (Getty/Harry How) Who remembers men's semifinal Friday at the 2026 Australian Open? Pretty much every tennis fan, as well as seasonal watchers of the sport, were in awe of the two matches that took place at Melbourne Park. Carlos Alcaraz's Houdini escape against Alexander Zverev before Novak Djokovic wound back the clock against Jannik Sinner. Both matches had drama, sublime shot-making and a script that even M. Night Shyamalan would find it diffic

United Cup Tournament Director Stephen Farrow alongside Alex de Minaur. (Getty/Brett Hemmings) The United Cup is a tournament that has gotten better and better every year. From the somewhat wonky format of the first year, with sporadic attendance, to the most recent year, when Poland clinched the title in front of a packed crowd against Switzerland, the tournament really feels like it has come into its own under the watchful eye of Tournament Director Stephen Farrow. Farrow,

Destanee Aiava competing at the US Open. (Getty/Elsa) It was the retirement that stunned tennis fans, not just in its abruptness, but in the scathing manner in which the message was delivered. At just 25, Australian tennis player Destanee Aiava recently announced that 2026 will be her final year on tour. While early retirements are not unheard of in sport, Aiava's decision has sparked a broader debate about the environment players face in modern tennis, particularly online ab

(Getty/Dom Gibbons) As Formula 1 roared back to life at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne last week, it once again reminded the sporting world what a perfectly packaged global championship looks like. A tightly controlled calendar of glamour events, building towards a single title with just 22 drivers. For tennis administrators, it sounds like a dream and has become something of an obsession. Over the past few years, those at the top of the game have repeatedly pointed t

Ajla Tomljanovic competing at the 2026 Indian Wells event. (Getty/George Walker) On Monday, March 9, we celebrated International Women's Day, and on this day, it is imperative to analyse how tennis is changing the landscape for women in sport in Australia, as well as the current climate of equality within women's tennis.  Tennis has long played a role in advancing women's equality. In 1884, the All England Club finally permitted women to compete in the first major tennis tour

(Getty/Harry How) "The main goal for me this year is to get inside the top 100." That's what Talia Gibson told journalists at the 2026 Australian Open. Six weeks on, at 21-years-old, she is Australia's newest top 100 tennis player. It comes amid a career-best week for Gibson at Indian Wells, coming through two qualifying matches before defeating two top 50 players in consecutive matches – without dropping a set – to reach the third round in the Californian desert. It's a run

(Photo by James D. Morgan/Getty Images) Hand on heart, I love the game, and The First Serve is committed to providing day-in, day-out coverage of this great global sport, but the concern raised in the above question is real. I have said it before, and I will say it again, tennis is the toughest sport to 'make it'. That makes it appealing because the human race loves a challenge and to defy the odds, a bit like someone taking the plunge to start their own business, becaus

(Getty/Graham Denholm) When news linked to Craig Tiley's advanced negotiations with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to become the new CEO first broke in December, it was a bolt from the blue. Since 2005, the 64-year-old has been involved within the four walls of Tennis Australia, whether as a Director of Player Development, CEO or Tournament Director. For 21 years, we've seen him face the cameras, release statements, and be the face of Australian tennis' governing

(Getty/Phil Walter) Just when you thought Novak Djokovic was on his last legs at the final stretch of his long and illustrious career, somehow, someway, he proved the doubters wrong. To win a major, you need a bit of luck on your side, and fortune definitely favoured the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2026 Australian Open — no doubt about it. In his own words, Djokovic was "on his way home" as he struggled to cope with the craft and variety of Lorenzo Musetti and his scin