Welcome to Hard Court

A weekly tennis briefing that goes beyond the baseline. Here's what you can expect.

Welcome to Hard Court, a weekly tennis briefing that goes beyond the baseline. Every week, I’ll be recapping the latest tennis news on and off the court for fans of the game who want more than just a rundown of the latest stats. That means tournament highs and lows, the latest player news, and the off-court details that often get overlooked, like kit and sponsor changes, the rise of tennis influencers, and the sport’s impact on mental and physical health.

Why the name Hard Court? Well, it’s not clay or grass erasure (they’ll be covered, too). I landed on the name because, from my POV, tennis is the hardest sport—demanding not just enormous physical prowess but a level of intellectual stamina (high-Q, as I like to call it) that other sports just don’t. It’s one versus one; there’s no team to fall back on when you’re in play. What’s harder than that?

It turns out I’m not alone; Andy Roddick, my fellow hot taker, recently said on his podcast, Served, that he believes tennis athletes are the best in the world, and I don’t think it’s purely bias. I highly recommend checking out his reasoning in the full episode here and watching Alcaraz and Sinner’s epic five-hour, 29-minute Roland Garros final if you’re unconvinced.

Now, who am I? A former fashion and beauty journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Vogue Business, Business of Fashion, Time, and more. But these days it’s tennis that really has my heart.

Tennis was in the air for me growing up, and I wrote about finally falling in love with it on my personal Substack here after chronic pain derailed my best-laid plans and left me with a lot of idle time. It’s no exaggeration to say that the sport saves me daily, a much-needed distraction that thrills and delights (when it’s not breaking my heart). It’s reminded me that whoever you think you are isn’t set in stone—one day, you and your lack of hand-eye coordination could wake up and become absolutely obsessed with a sport that demands it. How lovely is that?

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So, what can you expect in your inbox every week? Each issue will include The Replay, a section recapping the biggest storylines and general vibe of the week in tennis. That will be followed by a few more focused sections that I’ll alternate in and out, including but not limited to:

• Net Gains — a look into the biggest movers, shakers, and surprises of the week

• Kitted — the sponsorship shuffle and the highs and lows of on-court fashion

• Calling the Shots With… — an interview series with the people who make tennis great on and off the court

• Unstrung — a look at the biggest crashout, yikes press conference, or other head-scratcher moments of the week (because let’s be real, there always is one)

• Off Court — a place to dive into the cultural side stories of tennis, from players’ mental health to the growing crop of tennis influencers

But this newsletter will naturally evolve as I go, and I welcome any feedback as you start reading. Please tell me what you’d love to see more or less of in the comments. Thanks for being here, and cheers to the greatest sport on earth!