Tennis Lifestyle
Net worth, culture, rivalries, and stories from the world of professional tennis — 100 articles
Nine Years, Then Everything at Once: Davidovich Fokina in the Shanghai Last Four
For nine years he was the talent everybody enjoyed and nobody could quite back. Then, at 27, the Spaniard from a beach town outside Malaga started winning the matches that count.
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Under the Roof: The Six Weeks When Tennis Becomes an Indoor Sport
No wind, no sun, no rain delay and nowhere to hide. On Monday the doors close in Brussels and the best players in the world spend the rest of their season under a roof.
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The Long Way Back: Maria Sakkari Is Beating the Top Ten Again at 31
Four years ago she was ranked third in the world. Last year she was sliding towards the top 100. On Tuesday night in Wuhan she took the eighth seed apart in three sets, and hardly anybody noticed.
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The List With No Germans On It: Zverev Ends a 53-Year Wait
Boris Becker never managed it. Steffi Graf did it eight times. On Monday in Shanghai, a match Alexander Zverev was not even playing in finally put a German man on the list.
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Seven Months Away, Then Djokovic: The Quiet Return of Hubert Hurkacz
He had played Novak Djokovic eight times and lost eight times. On Friday night in Shanghai, two years after a torn meniscus took his career apart, Hubert Hurkacz won in 87 minutes and barely changed his expression. This is what that scoreline actually cost.
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Fifty Thousand Miles for Nine Games: The Life of a Tennis Ball
The umpire says new balls, six come out, three go in the bin, and nobody watching thinks about it for a second. Here is what that object actually is, where it came from, why it lasts nine games, and why the players have started arguing about it.
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Mirra Andreeva at 19: Beijing, Wuhan and the Sister Who Went First
She won Roland Garros in June, qualified for the WTA Finals on Friday, and plays a Beijing semi-final today. At 19, Mirra Andreeva has stopped being a prodigy and become a fixture, and the oddest part of the story is who she says put her there.
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The Tennis Bookshelf: What to Read When the Season Goes Quiet
The season has about seven weeks left in it, and then nothing until January. Here are ten books that fill the gap better than any highlights reel, picked for fans who love the sport without ever having played it seriously.
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One Swing and Out: How a Tennis Player Gets Defaulted
A loose ball, a flick of the wrist, and a man in the front row with his hand over his eye. Here is what actually happens when tennis throws a player out of a match, and why the rule is harsher than most fans realise.
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Eight Chairs in Turin: Inside the Race to the ATP Finals
Alex de Minaur sat down after one game of the second set in Beijing, and a race most fans never look at got tighter. Eight chairs, five of them still unclaimed, six weeks to go.
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Alex Eala and the Country That Fell for Tennis in a Year
Before Alex Eala, tennis in the Philippines was a sport you watched other people play at odd hours on television. In barely eighteen months that has changed, and in December the whole thing moves to a stadium built for 55,000 people.
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Forty-Eight Players, Twelve Places: The Tournament Before Shanghai
On Monday morning in Shanghai the big stadium is empty and the real drama is happening on an outside court in front of forty people. This is what qualifying week costs, and what it can pay.
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How can an adult learn to play tennis from scratch?
Start with 4-6 weeks of group lessons at a local club (typically $20-$40 per session) to learn fundamentals: grip, forehand, backhand, serve, and basic footwork. Practice 2-3 times per week for at least 30 minutes. Most adults reach a recreational rally level (USTA 2.5-3.0) within 3-6 months. Equipment-wise, a $80-$120 beginner racket and tennis-specific court shoes are enough to start.
Is tennis a good workout for losing weight?
Yes — an hour of singles tennis burns approximately 400-600 calories for a 70 kg adult, comparable to running or cycling. Tennis combines cardiovascular intensity (interval-based bursts) with strength work (rotational movements) and balance training. Studies link regular tennis play to reduced cardiovascular mortality risk and improved bone density.
What do professional tennis players eat?
Pros typically follow a high-carbohydrate, moderate-protein diet to fuel 3-5 hour matches. Common pre-match foods include oatmeal, pasta, rice, and bananas. During matches: bananas, energy gels, and electrolyte drinks. Sinner is known for a high-pasta Italian diet; Djokovic follows a strict gluten-free, mostly plant-based regimen; Nadal eats Mediterranean (fish, olive oil, pasta).
How much do tennis players make from sponsorships?
Top players earn $20M-$50M+ annually from endorsements alone — far more than prize money. Federer earned ~$90M/year at peak from Uniqlo, Rolex, Mercedes, Wilson, and others. Sinner signed with Nike, Head, and Rolex deals worth a combined ~$30M annually. Mid-tier ATP/WTA players (top 50) typically earn $200K-$2M from sponsors depending on profile.
What's the difference between tennis and padel?
Padel is played on a smaller (20×10m) walled court with solid stringless paddles and a depressurized ball; points often involve playing the ball off the walls (like squash). Tennis uses a larger court (23.77×8.23m for singles), strung rackets, and standard balls. Padel is easier to pick up, more social (always doubles), and faster-growing globally, especially in Spain, Italy, and Sweden.
How do you watch tennis tournaments online?
Tennis broadcast rights vary by region. In the US, Tennis Channel, ESPN, and ESPN+ cover most events. In the UK, Sky Sports and BBC iPlayer (Wimbledon free). Tennis TV (atptour.com subscription) streams every ATP match globally for ~$120/year. WTA matches are on WTA TV (~$100/year). Grand Slams are typically free on national broadcasters in the host country.