January 27, 2023

Here’s your roundup of the five most interesting things I’m enjoying or thinking about this week.

1.) AO Ladies Final is Set

World No. 25 and reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina is back in the finals at the Australian Open, facing No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka. En route to the final, Elena defeated three former Grand Slam champions, while Aryna hasn’t lost a single set and is undefeated so far in 2023. In head-to-head meetings, Aryna has won all three matches against Elena, each going to three sets. It should be fun!

2.) 33% Growth in 3 Yrs

According to the USTA, tennis participation in the United States has increased for the third consecutive year. Last year, the sport added a million new players, with total growth since 2020 of nearly six million or 33%. Super exciting numbers for our sport!

Read the Full USTA Story

3.) Can Anyone Stop Djokovic?

With Novak Djokovic’s level consistently rising throughout the Australian Open, it’s hard to imagine anyone can stop him. American and world no. 35 Tommy Paul will give it his best shot during the semis. If Novak wins, he’ll face Karen Khachanov or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the finals. For context, Djokovic hasn’t played Tommy Paul and is 8-1 vs. Khachanov and 10-2 vs. Tsitsipas.

4.) adidas adizero Cybersonic

Announced in December and first available in January, the Cybersonic is the latest addition to adidas’ tennis shoe lineup, emphasizing speed and stability. Although it’s not the lightest shoe, the Cybersonic introduces Energyrods, a unique new tech that wraps the heel and continues underfoot to aid acceleration and direction changes.

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5.) The Netflix Curse

Slowly, all ten players featured in the Netflix documentary Break Point dropped out of the Australian Open, with none of them making it to the second week, leading many fans to call it the Netflix Curse. Whether it’s added pressure or pure coincidence, it made for an entertaining hashtag you can follow on social media #netflixcurse. It received so much attention Netflix even chimed in on the topic.

To clarify: this is purely a coincidence… ???? https://t.co/5bTgimuH94

— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) January 19, 2023

If you have a moment, I’d love to hear your feedback. Which topic is your favorite? What would you like to see more or less of each week?

Share your thoughts in the comments below and have a great weekend.