November 4, 2022

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

1.) FAA’s Hat Trick

Over the past few weeks, Felix Auger-Aliassime has been on fire, claiming three titles. Starting with the Firenze Open, then the European Open, and finally the Swiss Indoors. Coming into the year, he was 0-9 in finals, which he’s now improved to 4-9, a massive turnaround. As a top tennis player with all the right weapons, it’s awesome to see him getting over the hump.

2.) Teenage Abuse in Tennis

Late last week, a gut-wrenching video of a father beating his 14-year-old daughter on the tennis court surfaced. Former world No. 4, Jelena Dokic, posted her thoughts about the incident on Instagram. Jelena endured violence from her father as a young up-and-coming athlete, which she detailed in her book Unbreakable, and has encouraged the tennis community to help raise awareness. Full disclosure, Jelena includes the video in her post, and it’s not easy to watch.

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A post shared by JELENA DOKIC 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺 (@dokic_jelena)

3.) Sense Arena VR for Tennis

Marketed as VR to improve an athlete’s cognitive skills, Sense Arena is a unique virtual reality training system that runs on Meta’s Quest 2 headset. For now, they’re targeting tennis and hockey, and Martina Navratilova is backing the system as a member of their Advisory Board. Per USA Today, Jennifer Brady and Jack Sock are two of seven pros who’ve signed on to use and promote it.

Explore the VR Training System

4.) Adidas Gets a Bad Look

During an interview on the Romanian podcast “La Fileu,” world No. 38, Sorana Cirstea shared ugly details regarding her experience as an Adidas athlete. Specifically, she was told, “it’s better to look good and be in the top 20 than to not look that good and be No. 1.” Although it’s likely this is the mindset of sponsors isn’t surprising, it’s a sad reality that female athletes confront.

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𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 revelations from Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea pic.twitter.com/N6cnvvFfTX

— Eurosport (@eurosport) October 31, 2022

5.) Venus’ Reflective Post

On Monday, Venus shared a post with fans celebrating the anniversary of making her professional tennis debut 28 years ago. It’s always amazing to consider her and Serena’s longevity on tour. Although there’s no doubt Venus’ career is winding down, it’s fantastic to see her still compete when she can.

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A post shared by Venus Williams (@venuswilliams)

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.