Jake Rowland 
Imagine winning Wimbledon once and hearing the crowd roar. Now imagine doing it three years in a row—then walking away from the sport’s biggest stage because you chose to get paid to play. That was Fred Perry: a brilliant champion whose greatest success and boldest career decision helped shape British tennis for decades. Perry’s three … Read more
There is nothing quite like the moment a player steps onto a tennis court, hears “Ready?” and realizes the match is theirs to play. But before the first serve, families often face a less exciting challenge: figuring out which local Special Olympics program is right, whether an athlete is eligible, when practices happen, and what … Read more
Your racquet is twisting in your hand just as you try to block back a hard serve. You squeeze tighter, your forearm tenses, and suddenly the point feels like a grip-strength contest instead of tennis. If sweaty hands are part of your game, the right overgrip can make a real difference—but the answer isn’t simply … Read more
A junior racket that is just two inches too long can turn a promising swing into a clumsy, late one. Too short, and your child may struggle to reach comfortably and learn full strokes. The right length makes tennis feel easier: contact happens in front, the racket is easier to control, and rallies become a … Read more
You’ve landed, your racket bag has survived baggage claim, and the tournament is suddenly very real. Then you look at the local clock: it says lunchtime, but your body insists it’s 3 a.m. Try to play a sharp first-round match in that state and even a routine split-step can feel like a decision made underwater. … Read more
Imagine this: you’re watching a rally stretch into a nerve-shredding 20-shot exchange, the crowd is holding its breath, and suddenly the whole court erupts. That’s Wimbledon. But the magic starts well before the first serve—with a smart ticket plan, a bed you can actually get back to after a long day, and a rain strategy … Read more
A tennis point can turn on a split-second sound: a shouted “Out!”, a sudden cry, or even a ball rolling onto the court. But the rulebook doesn’t treat every interruption the same way. The key question is whether someone deliberately tried to disrupt the opponent—or whether play was spoiled by an accident or something beyond … Read more
The ball is coming at you like it has somewhere important to be. You barely have time to set your feet, let alone wind up for a full groundstroke. This is exactly when a compact swing can turn defense into a surprise attack. Instead of trying to hit harder than your opponent, you borrow their … Read more
The first few games of a tennis match are not just a warm-up with a scoreboard. They’re your scouting window. Your opponent is already telling you where they feel safe, what ball they dislike, and whether they’re going to protect a weakness or dare you to find it. Catch those clues early, make one smart … Read more
Before women’s tennis had a global tour, television audiences, or a packed calendar of professional events, Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman was already showing what an American champion could do—and what a champion could build for the players who came next. She won the U.S. singles title four times. Then she put her influence behind a prize … Read more