Week 26, 2024

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Gill Gross & Ben Ornstein
July 02, 2024

Four comebacks from two sets down on Day 1 of Wimbledon? We are spoiled. Here’s what we found interesting this week:

  • Edited extract from book The Racket: On Tour with Tennis’s Golden Generation – and the other 99% by Conor Niland

    Why It’s Interesting: A vivid portrait of social dynamics in the lower ranks of pro tennis, with some interesting nuggets featuring Dimitrov, Agassi, Federer, and Johnny Blaze (If you know you know).

‘I’m good, I promise’: the loneliness of the low-ranking tennis player

The long read: I was once Ireland’s No 1 player, and tried for years to climb the global ranks. But life at the bottom of the top can be brutal

www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jun/27/the-loneliness-of-the-low-ranking-tennis-player

  • The Next Phase of Data

    Why It’s Interesting: The TennisIQ platform tracks ball flight and player movement in immense detail, then converts it into usable data for players and coaches. Wearables add a whole other dimension to the data collection, although we’re still scarce on details.

    Additional Perspective: Vocal PTPA advocate Vasek Pospisil has some concerns.

ATP approves in-competition wearables to enhance player performance & recovery | ATP Tour | Tennis

The ATP has announced the approval of in-competition wearable devices for players across the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour, starting from 15 July. The initiative ushers in a new era of innovative data-led performance analytics and injury prevention in tennis.

www.atptour.com/en/news/atp-approves-in-competition-wearables-2024

  • Djokovic Biography is “Stout Defense of a Star”

    Why It’s Interesting: Steve Tignor explores how his perspective on Djokovic changed after reading a comprehensive biography by Mark Hodgkinson called “Searching For Novak.” There is a whole lot to unpack here, from his upbringing, his uncompromising beliefs and his relationship with the wider public.

Novak Djokovic is testing his “no limits” philosophy again at Wimbledon | Tennis.com

A new biography by Mark Hodgkinson presents a stout defense of the Slam king and his famously far-out pursuits.

www.tennis.com/news/articles/novak-djokovic-testing-no-limits-philosophy-again-wimbledon-searching-biography

  • Isner Joins Kyrgios in ESPN Commentary Booth

ESPN Guest Commentators for the 2024 The Championships, Wimbledon: Tennis Legend John Isner in ESPN Debut, Nick Kyrgios' Return

The historic Championships at Wimbledon are set to commence on ESPN on Monday, July 1, with comprehensive two-week coverage as ESPN welcomes two giants of the game to the commentary booth: John Isner and Nick Kyrgios.

espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2024/06/espn-guest-commentators-for-the-2024-the-championships-wimbledon-tennis-legend-john-isner-in-espn-debut-nick-kyrgios-returns

  • Full College Tennis Alumni List for Wimbledon Singles

  • Coco’s Tell-All ‘Day In the Life’ at Wimbledon

@cocogauff

I hope you guys enjoyed this video! let me know if I should do more of these:) #vlog #dayinmylife #dayinthelife #tennis #wimbledon #dayinm... See more

  • Priya Brings Childs’ Innocence to Wimbledon Reporting

  • Steve Carell Explains His Alcaraz Fandom

  • Make Sure You’ve Enjoyed This Match Point

On this week’s Monday Match Analysis, Gill previews Wimbledon 2024 with quarter-by-quarter predictions, dark horses, upset alerts and popcorn matchups. Jannik Sinner is the top-seed at a slam for the very first time, 2-seed Novak Djokovic is playing against the odds after his meniscus surgery, 3-seed Carlos Alcaraz defends his title coming off of a Roland Garros triumph and 4-seed Alexander Zverev is poised for his first deep Wimbledon run.

Hey everyone, Gill Gross here. While I’m grateful for any amount of success I’ve had talking tennis on the internet for the past half decade, I believe we should all be doing better in this sport as creators and as fans. The tennis content economy is far behind other sports by metrics of engagement and popularity. This newsletter is our effort to DRAW the great things we find in tennis every week- we search for content that teaches us, makes us think, makes us laugh and ultimately makes loving this sport the best possible experience. Our vision is to speed up the growth of a robust content economy in tennis, for the benefit of fans, players and creators alike.

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