(Getty/Matthew Stockman) Already an Acapulco champion on two previous occasions, Alex de Minaur is looking to make it a hat-trick in Mexico. De Minaur, who turned 27 on Tuesday, has fond memories of the ATP 500 event, having gone back-to-back in 2023 and 2024 by defeating Tommy Paul and Casper Ruud in the finals, respectively. The world No.6 has the chance to claim two titles in as many weeks, having clinched the Rotterdam 500 crown against Felix Auger-Aliassime after falling

The young Brazilian star João Fonseca has been eliminated from the singles draw at the Rio Open. On Thursday night (19), in a rain-delayed match, the world No. 38 was defeated in a comeback by Peru’s Ignacio Buse, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4, after two hours and 26 minutes in the round of 16. The loss denied Fonseca the chance to reach the quarterfinals and match his best performance at the ATP 500 event in Rio, achieved in 2024. Buse, who began the week ranked No.91 in the world, advanced

Carlos Alcaraz had a rare outburst in Doha over a time violation involving his towel. The 22-year-old survived a setback in his quarter-final against Karen Khachanov, eventually finding a way past the big Russian (6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3). Listen to The First Serve Live every Monday at 8pm AEDT in its 18th year on the SEN Network/App, Australia's only dedicated weekly tennis program on commercial radio running through till the end of November. But he wasn't happy with chair umpire M

(Getty/Elsa) Less than a week after announcing her retirement at the end of 2026, Destanee Aiava has delved into further detail about her eye-opening statement, which highlighted a "racist" and "misogynistic" culture. On Saturday, the 25-year-old issued a post on Instagram, where she didn't mince her words about the way she has been treated as a Samoan-Australian. "I want to say a ginormous f*** you to everyone in the tennis community who's ever made me feel less than," she

(Getty/Robert Prange) Dubai Tournament Director Salah Tahlak believes players should be punished for skipping mandatory events in the wake of the high-profile withdrawals of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek. The WTA Dubai 1000, which is one of 10 mandatory events on the women's circuit, won't be contested by the world's top two players, with Sabalenka admitting she is not feeling 100 per cent, while world No.2 Świątek put her withdrawal down to a "change of schedule". Listen t

(Getty/Robert Prange) World No.5 and 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula will lead a 13-person panel to put forward ideas to change the calendar, ranking points rules, and requirements for mandatory events. It comes after a letter was sent to players and tournament officials by WTA Tour chair Valerie Camillo, who hopes that a revised setup can be ticked off next year. "There has been a clear sentiment across the Tour that the current calendar does not feel sustainable for pl

(Getty/Clive Brunskill) Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley will officially be announced as the new United States Tennis Association (USTA) CEO next week. Tiley, who has served as the Grand Slam's Tournament Director for two decades and the CEO of Australian tennis' governing body since 2013, played down speculation in January regarding a move to the USTA. Listen to The First Serve Live every Monday at 8pm AEDT in its 18th year on the SEN

(Getty/Gabriel Calvino) Former world No.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas believes players deserve more prize money as a result of an uptick in workload, with the Greek also taking aim at the ATP for broken promises. Since ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi started his role in 2020, he has had multiple discussions with players to understand their views on the schedule and how it can align with his 'OneVision' approach, a long-term strategic plan to create a unified model. "Now is the time to ke

(Getty/Hannah Peters) At just 25, Destanee Aiava has announced her decision to retire from professional tennis at the end of the 2026 season. Aiava, who has reached a career-high world No.147, shared an emotional post on her Instagram account, which also highlighted a "racist" and "misogynistic" culture. "2026 will be my final year on tour playing professional tennis," she confirmed. "From the moment I had my first lesson at Casey Tennis Club, my entire life was tennis. I oft

Jesper De Jong watches on during the Netherlands' tie against India. (Getty/Abhisek Chinnappa) A dark cloud hovers over Dutch tennis amid a fight between two players after the European nation suffered a shock Davis Cup defeat. The Netherlands, without its top two players, Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp, unexpectedly went down 3-2 against India in the first round of Davis Cup qualifying. Refusing to travel for the tie, Griekspoor, 29, lashed out at the Royal Dut

(Getty/John Lamb) Aussie tennis player Thomas Fancutt has openly shared his past experiences of receiving constant threats and abuse because of gambling. It is an ongoing crisis that is yet to be fully dealt with by tennis' major governing bodies, as the situation continues to spiral out of control. "I probably get five messages after a match if I lost," Fancutt told Good Humans Pod. Listen to The First Serve Live every Monday at 8pm AEDT in its 18th year on the SEN Network/A

(Getty/Justin Setterfield) Will she or won't she? That's the question tennis fans are asking about Serena Williams' potential return to professional tennis, but another stage has been ticked. Six months ago, the 23-time major champion re-entered the testing pool for doping after registering with the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). As a result, Williams has had to provide her whereabouts for one hour each day for testing. After a photo of her name was added to th

(Thomas Fancutt/Instagram) Australia's Thomas Fancutt has marked his return from a lengthy ban by taking out a UTR Pro event on the Gold Coast. Fancutt, who turns 31 at the end of February, defeated fellow Aussie Scott Jones via a walkover to collect a paycheck of $3,600. Before his first match at the start of the month, the former world No.382 hadn't played a singles match since the end of 2024. Listen to The First Serve Live every Monday at 8pm AEDT in its 18th year on the

(Getty/Adam Pretty) Former world No.23 Dušan Lajović has experienced one of the worst days of his career, which included a swift transfer to the hospital after a freak accident. The 35-year-old was representing Serbia in the first round of Davis Cup qualifying in Chile, as he suffered a straight sets loss to Tomás Barrios Vera in the first rubber. Listen to The First Serve Live every Monday at 8pm AEDT in its 18th year on the SEN Network/App, Australia's only dedicated weekly

(Getty/Michael Dodge) Former Australian player Marinko Matosevic has set the record straight in a tell-all interview, taking aim at the ITIA's "corrupt" process involving an investigation into a blood transfusion eight years ago. In November 2018, Matosevic retired from professional tennis at the age of 32, nine months after playing his final match on the ATP Tour. However, it has now been revealed by the player himself that he retired from the sport because he felt "disgust

Ugo Humbert checking his phone during the third set of his match in Montepllier. (ATP) World No.38 Ugo Humbert has raised eyebrows after stopping play to check his phone, before losing his second round match at the Open Occitanie. Leading 4-3 in the deciding set tiebreak, the 27-year-old was four points away from victory over fellow Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. However, Humbert didn't win a single point from that moment. Listen to The First Serve Live every Monday at 8pm AEDT

The moment Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard hit his own eye with a ball. (Getty/Alexandre Dimou) A surreal retirement occurred in France as Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard couldn't continue due to a freak eye injury. The world No.57 was down a break late in the first set when he approached the net to hit a routine volley, only for the ball to hit his left eye. At that stage, he was trailing 3-5 when the incident occurred, and there were fears he wouldn't be able to continue, as he fell

(Getty/Robert Prezioso) Former Australian player turned coach, Marinko Matosevic, has called out the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for a "corrupt" and "unjust" process after being involved in an investigation. Last year, The First Serve Live reported that Matosevic was under investigation by the ITIA, but was unaware about the investigation involving a Prohibited Method. The 40-year-old officially announced his retirement from professional tennis in November 2

(Getty/David Gray) Just when you thought Carlos Alcaraz's young career couldn't get any more remarkable, the 22-year-old completed the Career Slam by winning his maiden Australian Open crown. Coming in, history was on the line, with Alcaraz bidding to surpass Rafael Nadal as the youngest ever player to win all four majors, while that elusive 25th Slam title was in sight for Novak Djokovic to steer clear of Margaret Court's 24. Confidence was sky-high for the 10-time Australia

(Getty/William West) Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski have emerged victorious in the men's doubles final, ending the dream run of Australian wildcards Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans with a 7-6 (4) 6-4 victory.   "Unreal experience. This place is unreal to play. The crowds are incredible," noted Harrison. "For me, though, it was just simple. Just focused on enjoying the moment with my partner. He brings a lot of experience. His level is just so high, and it really felt easy