Week 18, 2025

AuthorAuthor

Gill Gross & Ben Ornstein
May 07, 2025

Italian Open Week 1

  • Swiatek In Unfamiliar Territory

    Why It’s Interesting: Ben Rothenberg thinks Iga Swiatek’s latest loss to Coco Gauff is the kind of result we might be using as a reference point for years to come. Swiatek’s struggles have quickly become a hot-button topic.

Red-Letter Rout - The Second Serve

The tennis history book’s chapters on Iga Swiatek should be far from over. But inflection points are emerging, and the 6–1, 6–1 thwacking Swiatek received from Coco Gauff in the Madrid Open semifinals on Thursday already jumps off the page.

www.thesecondserve.com/red-letter-rout

  • Jeff Blackburn — New Tennis Channel CEO

    Why It’s Interesting: During his more than 20-year tenure at Amazon, Blackburn oversaw the company’s expansion into streaming and sports. Prior to leaving Amazon in 2021, Blackburn served as senior vice president of global media and entertainment.

Former Amazon Entertainment Boss Jeff Blackburn Named CEO of Tennis Channel

Former Amazon entertainment chief Jeff Blackburn has been tapped as chairman and CEO of the Sinclair-owned Tennis Channel.

variety.com/2025/tv/news/amazon-jeff-blackburn-tennis-channel-ceo-1236382621

  • Jannik Sinner’s Rome Press Conference

    Topics: His relationship status, the settlement, the hardest part of the last three months, the goals for Rome, the perception amongst fellow players, and more.

  • Gabriela Knutson Talks Tennis & Stress

    Golden Quote: “In professional tennis, how we handle pressure directly determines how well we perform—and, therefore, how much money we make. Your job security depends on your emotional well-being, and your emotional well-being depends on your job security. It’s a ruthless, relentless loop.”

Stress, survival, and the financial tipping point in pro tennis - Gabriela Knutson

'Imagine you're one match away from what feels like securing your future.' Read how pro tennis players cope with constant stress.

gabrielaknutson.net/blog/stress-in-pro-tennis

  • A Data-Backed Theory On Spanish Tennis Decline

    Why It’s Interesting: No Spanish men made it to the Round of 16 in Madrid for the first time in tournament history.

  • Examining Pro Stock Rackets

    Why It’s Interesting: Luca Berg continues with excellent pro racket content. In this latest series, he hunts down and specs out the actual rackets used by Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and in part one, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

  • Madrid Open’s Bad Tour Guide Segment

  • Loving This Camera Angle

  • Leaving You With The Inside Guys’ Roland Garros Promo 🤣

The biggest Monday Match Analysis ever? First, Gill breaks down Casper Ruud's first Masters 1000 triumph over Jack Draper in Madrid. He then hits the French Open Power Rankings with results from the second clay Masters in. He then hits mailbag questions. He then does a quarter-by-quarter Rome Preview. Finally, Gill talks about his observations and experiences at the Aix-En-Provence Challenger where Borna Coric defeated Stan Wawrinka for the title.

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Hey everyone, Gill Gross here. While I’m grateful for any amount of success I’ve had talking tennis on the internet for the past half decade, I believe we should all be doing better in this sport as creators and as fans. The tennis content economy is far behind other sports by metrics of engagement and popularity. This newsletter is our effort to DRAW the great things we find in tennis every week- we search for content that teaches us, makes us think, makes us laugh and ultimately makes loving this sport the best possible experience. Our vision is to speed up the growth of a robust content economy in tennis, for the benefit of fans, players and creators alike.