Stan Wawrinka farewells the Roland Garros crowd. (Getty/Dimitar Dilkoff) There seems to be an influx of players retiring in 2026. From a three-time Grand Slam champion to one of the most entertaining players to grace a tennis court, the class of 2026 features a tall order of talent stretching back over 20 years. To help celebrate their careers, The First Serve spoke with long time tournament director Peter Johnston, who shared his experiences and memories of each retiring p

Seven months after it was first reported that Tennis Australia was under fire from four directors of Tennis Officials Australia, who, in their view, were unfairly terminated, the Fair Work Commission has delivered a stunning blow to the governing body. The decision arises from proceedings brought by former directors of Tennis Officials Australia (TOA), the elected body representing tennis officials, last October. The directors were Karen Mack, Simon Canavan, Catherine Caswell

(Getty/Luke Walker) Serena Williams has left the door open for a singles return, but in the meantime, she is focused on doubles and adjusting to life on tour. The 44-year-old retired after the US Open in 2022, and there were no signs of any comeback until she quietly re-entered the doping testing pool late last year, sparking strong rumours of a return. Williams immediately denied the rumours, explaining at the time that she's "not coming back", yet last week, in the midst of

(Getty/Matthew Stockman) When controversy erupts off-court, it usually gets forgotten about once the actual tennis begins. Think back to the loud calls to strip Saudi Arabia of hosting the WTA Finals because of human rights issues and gender inequality, and Alex Zverev's court case regarding domestic violence allegations. When the tournament commences, that noise softens as the tennis played on the court offers that distraction. The same could be said at this year's Roland Ga

Australia's James McCabe has provided an update on his father following an alleged assault by a tournament staffer at a Birmingham Challenger event. Earlier this week, The First Serve reported that McCabe and his father, Patrick, who is also coaching his son, were approached by a staff member to leave the practice court at 9:25am on Monday, June 1, with McCabe recounting that the staffer was "shouting and acting aggressively". "I directly witnessed the incident involving my f

Fans at Roland Garros. (Unsplash) The morning after Jannik Sinner's body gave out on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Paris had the specific stillness of a tournament that had just had its script torn up. The clay still bore the footprints of a world No.1 who had been 5-1 up in the third set and couldn't finish it. Somewhere in the draw, Alexander Zverev was doing the arithmetic. Defending back-to-back champion Carlos Alcaraz: gone before the first ball, wrist injury, out of Paris e

"We don't use data enough in the development of players. I don't blame coaches for that, or parents for that or even players for that, and the reason I don't is that the data that traditionally has been provided for those sections of tennis isn't great." The words of Nicholas Scott, CEO of 135 Tennis Intelligence, who joined The First Serve Live on SEN on Monday Night for an expanded chat. Scott is an expert in the field of tennis data and its use to develop players, from j

James McCabe shakes hands with Britain's Billy Moxon in Birmingham, just 24 hours before his father visited the hospital after an alleged assault. (Getty/Cameron Smith) Aussie tennis player James McCabe has issued a passionate plea for answers following an alleged assault on his father and coach, Patrick, by a tournament staff member at a Birmingham Challenger event. McCabe, 22, told The First Serve that he was scheduled to warm up on his match court at 9:30am before his seco

Wynee Warden Tennis Centre at Florida Southern College. Transferring in college has become a controversial topic of discourse in the collegiate tennis world. But the question of transferring for a player is never an easy one. So, how does a collegiate tennis player know it is time to hit the portal due to the coach, team, surroundings, or circumstances at their current program? Any collegiate athletic program, but especially a collegiate tennis team, is essentially a puzzle.

(Franco Arland/Getty Images) Alex de Minaur, by his own admission, is usually that tenacious dog-with-a-bone guy. Instead, he leaves Roland Garros as that dejected no-answers-right-now guy, headed for the grass court swing unsure of what to do next. Having delivered another raw and wretched post-mortem following his crushing defeat against the powerful young Czech Jakub Menšík to headline the disappointment of a second straight French Open without an Australian singles presen

A misleading video, which went viral online, has had to be explained by Spanish teenager Rafael Jódar amid speculation around whether he pushed a ball girl during his third round match at Roland Garros. The 19-year-old, who has suddenly risen to stardom in the past couple of months following a string of impressive results, looked down and out trailing two sets to one against American Alex Michelsen, before turning around the contest to progress in five sets. But one incident

(Getty/Daniel Pockett/) Newly appointed Tennis Australia CEO Andrew Abdo will officially start his new role on August 3, having been announced as Craig Tiley's successor on Monday. Tiley will remain in the role until July 17, before he officially heads to the USA to take up his new role as CEO of the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Tennis Australia Chair Chris Harrop, alongside Tiley and Abdo, addressed the media in Melbourne today. "We've been through a very extensi

(Getty/Daniel Kopatsch) The start of this year's Roland Garros has been dominated by two things: unprecedented heat, which is stifling, and a debate about prize money, which caused almost as much fuss. Unhappy about the cash on offer, players staged a mini-revolt on media day, two days before the start of the tournament, fulfilling only 15 minutes of their usual press time. When the protest was announced, my first thought was that 15 minutes is an improvement - most pressers

Chair umpire Ana Carvalho helps Moïse Kouamé back on his feet. (Getty/Dimitar Dilkoff) Paraguayan player Daniel Vallejo criticised a female chair umpire, who believed certain matches should be "umpired by a man". After crawling his way back from two sets down against 17-year-old Frenchman Moïse Kouamé on Court Suzanne Lenglen, the world No.71 fell agonisingly short in a fifth-set super tiebreak in front of a raucous Parisian crowd. Having held a 5-2 lead in the decider, Valle

The conditions on Court Philippe Chatrier were warm “but not crazy warm,’’ Jannik Sinner told a packed media conference at Roland Garros after the reddest of hot favourites melted in the Paris heat. His opening round match was at night against French wildcard Clement Tabur but although it was late it was “not crazy late”, Sinner recalled of a finish around 10pm after just over two hours on court in the relative cool of Tuesday evening. This, though, was crazy unexpected. Craz

(Getty/Matthew Stockman) One of the most dramatic coaching splits was made public at Roland Garros involving 21st seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. On another scorching day in Paris, the 26-year-old looked on track for a third round berth after clinching the opening set, only to concede the next three to bow out of the tournament against Argentina's Thiago Agustín Tirante 6-4, 6-7(4), 1-6, 3-6. Listen to The First Serve Live every Monday at 8pm AEST in its 18th year on the SE

Sadio Doumbia (left) and Fabien Reboul (right). (Getty/Georg Wendt) As the tennis world turns its attention to Roland Garros, France's leading men's doubles team is attracting attention for more than just its results. Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul arrive in Paris as one of the world's top doubles pairings and genuine contenders to make a deep run on home clay. Australian tennis fans will be somewhat familiar with the duo after their exploits during the summer here. The pai

(Getty/Anne-Christine Poujoulat) Five years is a long time in tennis. If you don't believe so, look no further than to ask Stefanos Tsitsipas. Throughout the mid-2000s, Greece pinned their hopes on Marcos Baghdatis for Grand Slam glory, having fallen short in the 2006 decider at Melbourne Park. But Greece were ultimately clutching at straws, because Baghdatis actually represented Cyprus, a country which shares deep colonial history, language and heritage. So when a then-20-y

(Getty/Dan Istitene) World No.3 Alexander Zverev felt the need to clarify his comments about Jannik Sinner and the rest of the field. The German star, who is seeded second at Roland Garros due to the withdrawal of Carlos Alcaraz, took care of Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi in straight sets without too much difficulty in his opening round in Paris. Listen to The First Serve Live every Monday at 8pm AEST in its 18th year on the SEN Network/App, Australia's only dedicated weekly tenni

(Getty/Mark Metcalfe) After months of searching for the right candidate to succeed Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia has confirmed the appointment of Andrew Abdo as the new CEO. In the early hours of Monday morning, news broke regarding Abdo's resignation as NRL CEO after six years in the job. Abdo's tenure as NRL chief executive delivered great success, achieving record crowd figures and TV ratings and leading the way on expansion projects in Perth and Papua New Guinea. "Andrew