June 11, 2021

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

1.) Dissecting Tennis Journalism

One of the biggest stories from the French Open was Naomi Osaka’s unfortunate and unexpected departure. Sighting mental health and depression, Naomi felt she was better off taking time to care for herself vs. continuing to compete, which she was widely supported for doing. Wednesday, Alex Abad-Santos published an article on Vox highlighting the long-standing issues with tennis journalism – especially surrounding women of color. It’s a worthy read for anyone looking to educate themselves on the topic.

Read the Full Article

2.) Bencic’s Seated Volley

During her round of 16 match against Petra Martić, Belinda Bencic fought to stay in a point after falling backward on the ground. Her effort was rewarded when she managed to win the point to break her opponent’s serve and subsequently serve out the set.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Women’s Tennis Association (@wta)

3.) Wimbledon Wildcards

On Wednesday, Wimbledon released their initial list of wildcards for this year’s tournament, including two previous champions: Venus Williams and Andy Murray. Andy last competed at Wimbledon in 2017, while Venus’ prior appearance served as Coco Gauff’s launchpad when Coco defeated Venus during the first round.

See Current Wildcard List

4.) Rafa’s Latest Decision

Yesterday, Rafa announced he decided not to participate at Wimbledon or the Olympic Games, coming off his semi-final loss to Djokovic at the French Open. Like Federer, Nadal is choosing to protect his health and longevity by listening to his body. He’ll be taking time off to ensure that he performs at the highest level when he competes.

Hi all, I have decided not to participate at this year’s Championships at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It’s never an easy decision to take but after listening to my body and discuss it with my team I understand that it is the right decision

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 17, 2021

5.) US Open Attendance

What a difference a year makes. Yesterday, the US Open announced that they’d be welcoming back fans at 100% capacity. For those interested in attending, tickets will go on sale for the general public on July 15 at 12 pm.

Attendance on ?

We will operate at 100% capacity for the 2021 US Open in August! pic.twitter.com/f1dcVMDJ3d

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 17, 2021

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.