On the opening day of main draw action here in Indian Wells, we started with a contingent of eight Australians, with four sealing a spot in round two, with three victories coming from our Aussie women. Kimberly Birrell took care of Oskana Selekhmeteva 6-1, 6-4 to produce her ninth main draw win for 2026, the leader of all our Aussie women this year, to set up a third opportunity to try and take the scalp of fast-rising Canadian teen Victoria Mboko (10) in the second round. Aj

(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

Players and officials were seen running off court after hearing explosions in the UAE. The ATP has been slammed for failing to prioritise player safety in the midst of the ongoing war in the Middle East. On Saturday night (AEDT), Iran fired missiles and drones towards Israel in an act of retaliation, but US bases located in parts of the Middle East also became targets, bringing countries such as the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan into the conflict. The ATP 500 Dubai tourname

(Getty/Fadel Senna) The tennis circuit has been caught up in the ongoing war between Israel and Iran, as players, coaches, officials, and journalists are still in the UAE. On Saturday night (AEDT), Iran fired missiles and drones towards Israel in an act of retaliation, but US bases located in parts of the Middle East also became targets, bringing countries such as the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan into the conflict. All of this occurred at the back end of Dubai's ATP 500 to

Terence Atmane in Acapulco. (Getty/Alfredo Estrella) The quarter-final between Terence Atmane and Miomir Kecmanović at Mexico's Acapulco Open has ended with a point penalty. Atmane, 24, was trailing his Serbian opponent 3-6, 3-5, when he walked over to the ball girl to quickly use his towel. After already receiving a time violation warning, Atmane was docked a point for making Kecmanović wait to serve, which resulted in his exit from the tournament in rather bizarre scenes. L

(Getty/Noushad Thekkayil) Two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas says that the South American Golden Swing has "never offered a good deal" to entice him to compete. The 27-year-old is considered a clay specialist, having won three Monte Carlo Masters titles and finishing runner-up once at Roland-Garros. 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

(Getty/James D. Morgan) Tennis' worst-kept secret is finally out in the open, following the announcement of Craig Tiley's 21-year journey at Tennis Australia coming to an end. Last week, The First Serve exclusively reported that Tiley's departure would be announced sometime this week . And yesterday, The First Serve revealed that Tiley officially addressed all staff at Tennis Australia of his departure, with the USTA announcement to be made offical sometime Wednesday (AEDT)

(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