Hajar Abdelkadar went viral for all the wrong reasons after her display at an ITF W35 event. A statement from Tennis Kenya has clarified a bizarre wildcard handed to Egyptian player Hajar Abdelkader, who went viral after winning just three points during an ITF match. The 21-year-old served 20 double faults in a 0-6, 0-6 defeat lasting 37 minutes at an event in Nairobi, Kenya, leaving the tennis world stunned as to how she was accepted as a wildcard. "Tennis Kenya is aware of

(Getty/Robert Prange) Australia will aim to carry their unbeaten streak at the United Cup into the knockouts when they take on two-time runners-up Poland in Sydney on Friday night.   Maya Joint will have an enormous task as she takes on Iga Świątek first up before Alex de Minaur takes on the in-form Hubert Hurkacz, who has not dropped a set in his matches against Alexander Zverev and Tallon Griekspoor. HEAD has partnered with the Kooyong Classic for 2026. HEAD will be on-sit

(Getty/Izhar Khan) Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin have elected not to take the trip to Ecuador for Davis Cup, with Lleyton Hewitt revealing a line-up of Aleksandar Vukic, Jordan Thompson, Rinky Hijikata, James Duckworth and Thanasi Kokkinakis.   "Over the last month, I've been in constant communication with Lleyton. I have decided that with the issues that my body has given me throughout last year, it was smartest to kind of just sit this one out. I'm definitely going to b

(Getty/Andy Cheung) Fighting off a crushing defeat to Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur returned to form to lead Australia to a 2-1 victory over Czechia, with a dominant victory over prodigy Jakub Menšík and an engrossing win in mixed doubles alongside the hero of the first tie, Storm Hunter.   After Canada's shock loss to Belgium and Poland’s 3-0 victory over Germany, the Australians knew they had to win their tie to qualify for the knockouts, as their win percentage would not be

(Getty/Kym Illman) The Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) claim they are "targets of a coordinated defamation" after Novak Djokovic opted to step down from the Board. Djokovic and former Canadian player Vasek Pospisil co-founded the player-led council in August 2020, in a bid to better protect player welfare and interests. HEAD has partnered with the Kooyong Classic for 2026. HEAD will be on-site with all their latest products, including the launch of the new Rev

Thanasi Kokkinakis couldn't hold back tears in his on-court interview with Nick Kyrgios. (Stan Sport) Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis were required to dig deep to come back from a set down in their opening doubles match at the Brisbane International. The popular pair were broken once throughout the match against Aussie Matthew Ebden and American Rajeev Ram, who also dropped serve once, yet it was the all-Aussie duo who prevailed 5-7, 6-4, 10-8 at Pat Rafter Arena. HEAD ha

(Getty/Antony Dickson) There are grave fears that 2024 US Open finalist Taylor Fritz will be forced out of action for a substantial period after the same injury problem occurred in his shock defeat at the United Cup. Fritz, who is the top-ranked American male competing for the defending champions, suffered a 6-4, 5-7, 4-6 loss at the hands of Argentina's Sebastián Báez at Perth's RAC Arena on Saturday night. HEAD has partnered with the Kooyong Classic for 2026. HEAD will be o

(Getty/Andy Cheung) Storm Hunter has pulled off one of the best performances of her career to single-handedly lead Australia to victory over Norway in a late-night classic, which finished past midnight in front of a capacity crowd at Ken Rosewall Arena.   The Aussies were on the back foot from the start, with Maya Joint ruled out due to illness and Maddison Inglis also under the weather, so Hunter, who has primarily played doubles since returning from a horrific Achilles inju

(Getty/Daniel Pockett) Former world No.1 Daniil Medvedev has sent a warning to Australian Open organisers by calling for primetime matches to begin one hour earlier. At the last Australian Open, Medvedev was knocked out in the opening round by Learner Tien after finishing at 2:54am. In 2024, he survived from two sets down in the second round, as the classic match concluded at 3:40am. HEAD has partnered with the Kooyong Classic for 2026. HEAD will be on-site with all their lat

(Getty/Elsa) Former world No. 3 and two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas has admitted that he considered retirement last year. It was a disastrous 2025 season for the Greek star, who fell as low as 36th in the rankings, failed to surpass the second round of a major, and controversially parted ways with ex-coach Goran Ivanišević after a short stint. Injuries also played a factor in Tsitsipas' slump, as he retired during the first round of his Wimbledon opener, citi

(Getty/Brendon Thorne) Achieving one ATP title, two Grand Slam quarter-finals, and a year-end ranking of No.7 in a calendar year would satisfy most players, but not Alex de Minaur. It didn't all go according to plan for the top-ranked Aussie in 2025, as "burnout" and a lack of killer instinct in the big games left him more pessimistic than optimistic. HEAD has partnered with the Kooyong Classic for 2026. HEAD will be on-site with all their latest products, including the launc

Nick Kyrgios took down World Number 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the “Battle of the Sexes” on Sunday Night in Dubai, in a much hyped showdown with modified rules that has certainly divided the tennis world. The former Wimbledon finalist won 6-3, 6-3 in an exhibition match bearing little resemblance to the era-defining 1973 encounter between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Back then, there was more at stake with the nascent women’s professional tour, set up by King, as it fought for

Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios stare off in front of the battle of the sexes trophy. (Getty/Christopher Pike) Fifty-two years since that iconic battle of the sexes match in Houston between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, the stage is set for Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka to create their own piece of history. An estimated 90 million viewers tuned in to watch the great Billie Jean King defeat Riggs in straight sets (6-4, 6-3, 6-3) in what was a watershed moment for women

(Getty/Ma Ping) After lengthy negotiations, Tennis Australia has "reached agreement" to settle a lawsuit case spearheaded by the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA), just weeks out from the Australian Open. Last month, The First Serve explained Tennis Australia's push to break away from the other three Grand Slams in an effort to settle a lawsuit filed by the PTPA against multiple governing bodies. In March, the PTPA, co-founded by Novak Djokovic, lodged a 163-p

The Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club have been dealt a major blow after failing to meet the deadline to finalise the purchase of Vision Australia's site. In October, Kooyong announced an exciting plan to redevelop the spiritual home of tennis by investing in "world-class facilities" and expanding the site to include 454 Glenferrie Road, opposite the Club. Ian Robson, Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club CEO, said at the time: "The great definition of legacy is to plant the seeds of trees that y

(Getty/Robert Prange) Six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Świątek believes that the upcoming 2026 WTA season is anyone's to dominate, as the gap continues to narrow. Świątek, who has held the No.1 ranking for a total of 125 weeks, broke her 14-month major drought by winning her first Wimbledon title earlier this year. HEAD has partnered with the Kooyong Classic for 2026. HEAD will be on-site with all their latest products, including the launch of the new Revolt Pro 5.0. Visit th

(Getty/Julian Finney) Two-time major winner Coco Gauff has ended the season ranked as the top female athlete earner for the second consecutive year by Forbes. Collecting an estimated A$50 million in 2025, Gauff is the fourth-highest earner in the publication's history, behind Naomi Osaka (A$86.2 million), Serena Williams (A$69.4 million) and her own A$52 million total from 12 months ago. HEAD has partnered with the Kooyong Classic for 2026. HEAD will be on-site with all their

Carlos Alcaraz embraces Juan Carlos Ferrero after winning the 2025 US Open. (Getty/Clive Brunskill) In news that has sent shockwaves across the tennis world, world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz has parted ways with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, but the reasons for the split are beginning to surface. Ferrero has coached Alcaraz for seven years since the latter was 16, a successful partnership that has propelled Alcaraz to six Grand Slam titles. "After more than seven years together, Juanki

Novak Djokovic struggles in the Wimbledon heat. (Getty/Henry Nicholls) The 2026 ATP season will see a welcome change concerning extreme heat following a Board decision. Adjustments are based on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), which measures heat stress by combining temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle, and cloud cover. It will kick in for the first time during the Australian summer of tennis. HEAD has partnered with the Kooyong Classic for 2026. HEAD will be o

Founder of DDSA Shane Liyanage has been one of the secrets behind Aryna Sabalenka's success. One of Australia's most remarkable high-performance success stories has reached a new milestone, with global sports-science powerhouse Orreco announcing its acquisition of Melbourne-based Data Driven Sports Analytics (DDSA) — the company quietly driving some of the biggest tennis success stories of the past five years. Founded by Melbourne performance data scientist Shane Liyanage, DD