James Hansen
@jameskhansen.bsky.social
Senior Editor, 🎾 @theathletic.bsky.social
Serena Williams is preparing for a possible return to tennis by reentering the sport's anti-doping pool and whereabouts requirements.
Players need to spend six months in the pool before playing an event.
@mattfutterman.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/athletic/685...
Players need to spend six months in the pool before playing an event.
@mattfutterman.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/athletic/685...
Serena Williams reenters tennis anti-doping test pool, a requirement for return to competition
Players in the pool have to be available for daily testing for six months before being allowed to play a competitive event.
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Serena Williams is preparing for a possible return to tennis by reentering the sport's anti-doping pool and whereabouts requirements.
Players need to spend six months in the pool before playing an event.
@mattfutterman.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/athletic/685...
Players need to spend six months in the pool before playing an event.
@mattfutterman.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/athletic/685...
Reposted by James Hansen
Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track instructs insolvency lawyers & restructuring firm to lead process to strike deal with vendors owed millions - letters warn companies must accept HALF of money owed or GST risks being put into bankruptcy. Athletes still only paid half of money owed.
t.co/4lojBMoFL2
t.co/4lojBMoFL2
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6837948/2025/11/26/grand-slam-track-michael-johnson-debts-bankruptcy/?source=emp_shared_article
t.co
November 26, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track instructs insolvency lawyers & restructuring firm to lead process to strike deal with vendors owed millions - letters warn companies must accept HALF of money owed or GST risks being put into bankruptcy. Athletes still only paid half of money owed.
t.co/4lojBMoFL2
t.co/4lojBMoFL2
Who among my Bluesky cohort wishes to discuss Isaac Chotiner 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 Ben Smith
November 25, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Who among my Bluesky cohort wishes to discuss Isaac Chotiner 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 Ben Smith
1) Learner Tien obviously should have been on the Breakthrough ATP Tour list instead of Jack Draper
2) I think Learner Tien will finish 2026 ranked lower than he is now
2) I think Learner Tien will finish 2026 ranked lower than he is now
November 21, 2025 at 4:29 PM
1) Learner Tien obviously should have been on the Breakthrough ATP Tour list instead of Jack Draper
2) I think Learner Tien will finish 2026 ranked lower than he is now
2) I think Learner Tien will finish 2026 ranked lower than he is now
One of the interesting subplots of men's tennis in 2026 is going to be how the chasing pack can do what the Big Three and Sinner / Alcaraz do so effectively, which is to use the experience of playing each other to generate marginal gains there and huge ones against the rest of the field.
November 16, 2025 at 9:29 PM
One of the interesting subplots of men's tennis in 2026 is going to be how the chasing pack can do what the Big Three and Sinner / Alcaraz do so effectively, which is to use the experience of playing each other to generate marginal gains there and huge ones against the rest of the field.
A fitting end to men's tennis in 2025, with two guys in their own little self-building world, feeding off playing each other to grow stronger and stronger together and move further and further into another galaxy
November 16, 2025 at 8:56 PM
A fitting end to men's tennis in 2025, with two guys in their own little self-building world, feeding off playing each other to grow stronger and stronger together and move further and further into another galaxy
Alex de Minaur hitting even flatter than normal on both sides according to Tennis Insights / Tennis Viz, and using slice. All contributing to keeping the ball out of Sinner's strike zone and making him bend and hit up
November 15, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Alex de Minaur hitting even flatter than normal on both sides according to Tennis Insights / Tennis Viz, and using slice. All contributing to keeping the ball out of Sinner's strike zone and making him bend and hit up
Reposted by James Hansen
The men's tennis season has been so dominated by Sinner and Alcaraz that feel-good stories have been hard to find. Even/especially in Turin where pretty much everyone else has looked mentally and/or physically fried.
So TF for FAA ⬇️
www.nytimes.com/athletic/680...
So TF for FAA ⬇️
www.nytimes.com/athletic/680...
November 14, 2025 at 9:57 PM
The men's tennis season has been so dominated by Sinner and Alcaraz that feel-good stories have been hard to find. Even/especially in Turin where pretty much everyone else has looked mentally and/or physically fried.
So TF for FAA ⬇️
www.nytimes.com/athletic/680...
So TF for FAA ⬇️
www.nytimes.com/athletic/680...
Alexander Zverev being exasperated by other players executing high-risk plays on big points would be fair (it's irritating, sure!) if, you know, he ever threatened to do that
November 14, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Alexander Zverev being exasperated by other players executing high-risk plays on big points would be fair (it's irritating, sure!) if, you know, he ever threatened to do that
The combination of two absolute-runaway best players in the world and rising parity on the ATP Tour has made it one of the tougher years I can remember for the world rankings to feel like they truly mean something outside of who finishes on top
November 14, 2025 at 3:49 PM
The combination of two absolute-runaway best players in the world and rising parity on the ATP Tour has made it one of the tougher years I can remember for the world rankings to feel like they truly mean something outside of who finishes on top
Why two-week Masters 1000 events were meant to save tennis — and ended up ruining it instead
www.nytimes.com/athletic/680...
@mattfutterman.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/athletic/680...
@mattfutterman.bsky.social
How the kingmaker of men’s tennis sent the sport into turmoil by trying to save it
Andrea Gaudenzi's two-week tournaments were meant to give players riches and transparency, but robbed them of their most precious commodity.
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Why two-week Masters 1000 events were meant to save tennis — and ended up ruining it instead
www.nytimes.com/athletic/680...
@mattfutterman.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/athletic/680...
@mattfutterman.bsky.social
Reposted by James Hansen
Joining the crew on The Call!
If you love my Tennis breakdowns on @groundpass.bsky.social
I am going to be talking more about the culture, media and news around tennis with @courttheory.bsky.social and Friends on The Call. First episode is Live now.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
If you love my Tennis breakdowns on @groundpass.bsky.social
I am going to be talking more about the culture, media and news around tennis with @courttheory.bsky.social and Friends on The Call. First episode is Live now.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
A Long Warm-Up
Podcast Episode · The Call with Court Theory & Friends · 11/09/2025 · 1h 8m
podcasts.apple.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Joining the crew on The Call!
If you love my Tennis breakdowns on @groundpass.bsky.social
I am going to be talking more about the culture, media and news around tennis with @courttheory.bsky.social and Friends on The Call. First episode is Live now.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
If you love my Tennis breakdowns on @groundpass.bsky.social
I am going to be talking more about the culture, media and news around tennis with @courttheory.bsky.social and Friends on The Call. First episode is Live now.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Incredible match by Taylor Fritz, the great maximizer of his era in men's tennis. Sometimes maximizing is not enough — but maybe that should be OK, given how many others in the top 20 don't even manage that
November 11, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Incredible match by Taylor Fritz, the great maximizer of his era in men's tennis. Sometimes maximizing is not enough — but maybe that should be OK, given how many others in the top 20 don't even manage that
And never more so than the two forehand misses on two set points in this tiebreak
Ben Shelton trying to force the issue far too much against a player who is never going to make him do too much from neutral
November 9, 2025 at 9:16 PM
And never more so than the two forehand misses on two set points in this tiebreak
Ben Shelton trying to force the issue far too much against a player who is never going to make him do too much from neutral
November 9, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Ben Shelton trying to force the issue far too much against a player who is never going to make him do too much from neutral
So clear that Iga Swiatek, a player who uses the word "intuition" about tennis more than anyone, is getting caught between the instincts she is trying to unlearn and the ones she is trying to reintegrate in tight moments. And yet still will likely finish world No. 2 with a GS title and a ton of wins
November 6, 2025 at 8:47 AM
So clear that Iga Swiatek, a player who uses the word "intuition" about tennis more than anyone, is getting caught between the instincts she is trying to unlearn and the ones she is trying to reintegrate in tight moments. And yet still will likely finish world No. 2 with a GS title and a ton of wins
The Battle of the Sexes has a significant place in tennis history.
In Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios' version, it's unclear what is at stake, beyond the commoditisation of the name — and an invitation to criticize women's tennis after either result
www.nytimes.com/athletic/677...
In Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios' version, it's unclear what is at stake, beyond the commoditisation of the name — and an invitation to criticize women's tennis after either result
www.nytimes.com/athletic/677...
Aryna Sabalenka, Nick Kyrgios will play ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis match organized by agency
The WTA world No. 1 will take on the ATP No. 652 in December in Dubai.
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 12:27 PM
The Battle of the Sexes has a significant place in tennis history.
In Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios' version, it's unclear what is at stake, beyond the commoditisation of the name — and an invitation to criticize women's tennis after either result
www.nytimes.com/athletic/677...
In Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios' version, it's unclear what is at stake, beyond the commoditisation of the name — and an invitation to criticize women's tennis after either result
www.nytimes.com/athletic/677...
Wouldn't be fair to Iga Swiatek or Elena Rybakina to class that as a Swiatek fall-off. Rybakina would have beaten anyone in the world 6-1 6-0 playing the way she did. Swiatek concern should be that serve speed / potency has come at the cost of stability (which she knows based on news confs here)
November 3, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Wouldn't be fair to Iga Swiatek or Elena Rybakina to class that as a Swiatek fall-off. Rybakina would have beaten anyone in the world 6-1 6-0 playing the way she did. Swiatek concern should be that serve speed / potency has come at the cost of stability (which she knows based on news confs here)
Banner week for the World Tennis Tour destroyers. Victoria Mboko and Janice Tjen win titles; Lilli Tagger reaches her first WTA Tour final. All three (and Tereza Valentová, another very serious player) got their way up the rankings by blitzing all-comers on the third tier of the sport
November 2, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Banner week for the World Tennis Tour destroyers. Victoria Mboko and Janice Tjen win titles; Lilli Tagger reaches her first WTA Tour final. All three (and Tereza Valentová, another very serious player) got their way up the rankings by blitzing all-comers on the third tier of the sport
What was taken from us
Possibility of Daniil Medvedev playing Learner Tien at a 250 in Metz for his ATP Tour Finals life ... Absolute cinema
November 1, 2025 at 9:34 PM
What was taken from us
Possibility of Daniil Medvedev playing Learner Tien at a 250 in Metz for his ATP Tour Finals life ... Absolute cinema
October 31, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Possibility of Daniil Medvedev playing Learner Tien at a 250 in Metz for his ATP Tour Finals life ... Absolute cinema
Auger-Aliassime has been very good tactically against Vacherot. The blueprint to beating him has looked clear, if not obvious since he started his run in Shanghai so it is something of a surprise that no one did it sooner
October 31, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Auger-Aliassime has been very good tactically against Vacherot. The blueprint to beating him has looked clear, if not obvious since he started his run in Shanghai so it is something of a surprise that no one did it sooner
Delighted for what Vacherot's run means for his career. The context collapse around it is indicative of a men's tour starved of narrative
October 30, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Delighted for what Vacherot's run means for his career. The context collapse around it is indicative of a men's tour starved of narrative
Reposted by James Hansen
I think Learner Tien is going to have a lot of 1-0 records against top-10 players.
I also think they may not be as illustrative of his future as some people believe
I also think they may not be as illustrative of his future as some people believe
July 24, 2025 at 1:39 PM
I think Learner Tien is going to have a lot of 1-0 records against top-10 players.
I also think they may not be as illustrative of his future as some people believe
I also think they may not be as illustrative of his future as some people believe
Relatedly, the camera angle must be a factor here, but everyone I have watched, even the winners, has looked glitchy and janky. Like the ball isn't really doing what they expect as often as they expect it to
Cameron Norrie is an awful person to play if out of rhythm. Court speed or not, the massive variance in trajectory and pace between his forehand and backhand is nightmare fuel for an Alcaraz who isn't feeling the ball
October 28, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Relatedly, the camera angle must be a factor here, but everyone I have watched, even the winners, has looked glitchy and janky. Like the ball isn't really doing what they expect as often as they expect it to