Tennis in 60
2026 news archive
October
- Zverev’s Shanghai Run Turns on the Points He Refused to Lose
Five saved break points helped the German move past Alex de Minaur and into a semifinal against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
- Medvedev Beats Longtime Rival Tsitsipas, Reaches Shanghai Masters Quarterfinals
Daniil Medvedev advances to the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets.
- Alcaraz and Sabalenka Stumble in Asia: Could AI Reveal What Happens Under Pressure?
Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka both lost early on the Asian swing. The results are clear. What artificial intelligence could, and could not, say about pressure is a separate question.
- Why Are So Many Courtside Seats Empty at the Shanghai Masters — Even When Alcaraz Plays?
Some of the biggest names in tennis have been competing at the Shanghai Masters, but empty seats close to the court have been hard to ignore on television, even when Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev are playing.
- Bublik Smashes His Racket, Cuts His Hand, and Still Beats Nakashima
After losing a first-set tiebreak in Shanghai, Alexander Bublik destroyed his racket, needed treatment for a cut hand, and came back to win.
- Is Roger Federer the World’s Most Respected Athlete?
His tennis earned admiration. His character, family and commitment to helping children give that admiration lasting meaning.
- Why Your Practice Game Disappears in Matches—and How to Bring It Back
You hit freely in practice. Then the score matters, your swing gets tentative, and the court suddenly feels smaller. The solution starts with understanding what changed.
- Is Sinner’s Forehand the Best Ever—and a Blueprint for the Future?
The power, preparation and “second loop” behind one of tennis’s most formidable shots.
- Beyond 130 MPH: What Makes Tennis’s Biggest Servers So Powerful?
From Andy Roddick and Juan Martin del Potro to Nick Kyrgios and Ben Shelton, the biggest serves combine physical gifts with mechanics that players can develop.
- Is There an Age Limit for Winning Your First Grand Slam?
Among titleless players still in major main draws at 25, about 1.5 percent of the men and 1.9 percent of the women in this historical group later won one. The window narrows. It does not close on a birthday.
- Why the Racket Loop Matters
Federer, Nadal, Sinner, and Alcaraz do not share one swing shape. The shared piece is how the racket gets from preparation to contact.
- Does the Ad Court Favor Left-Handers?
Most of a server’s chances to win the game come on the ad side. In a large historical sample, that was the stronger serving court for left-handers, by a small margin.
- Three Points at a Time
The player who strings together more runs of three points or longer won about 92 percent of the matches in a large historical sample. One run does not decide a match. Repeating them does.
- Are Pros Using the Drop Shot More?
Carlos Alcaraz made the drop shot a weapon again. Other players have followed, but copying the shot is easier than copying the moments that make it work.
- Zverev Closes In on Year-End No. 1 as Sinner Steps Aside
Jannik Sinner is done for 2026. Alexander Zverev now leads the race for year-end No. 1, and Carlos Alcaraz has a steep climb if he wants to keep it alive.
- Still in the Game: Why Great Athletes Keep Competing Around 40
Ovechkin, Djokovic and LeBron raise questions that reach beyond sport: how long can excellence last, what keeps ambition alive, and when is it time to leave?
- The Opponent on the Phone: Tennis Players and the Weight of Online Abuse
From Coco Gauff’s recent experience to Rebecca Marino’s earlier struggles, tennis keeps confronting the human cost of a public life lived under relentless scrutiny.
- Tennis Has a Scheduling Problem and Players Are Paying the Price
Carlos Alcaraz’s warning about the tennis calendar is no longer just a sound bite. It is becoming a warning sign for the sport itself. The world No. 3 spent more than four months sidelined by a wrist injury, returned at the US Open, and immediately made the case that the modern schedule is asking players to do something close to impossible.