The Service Game

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. I can’t believe we are entering our third Grand Slam of the year. Wimbledon is here! However, before we get into the draw, I recapped the news surrounding the tennis court this week. Emma Raducanu announced that she will be withdrawing from the tournament after reaching the Queen’s Club Championships a few weeks ago and suffering a stress...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. Let’s recap one of the fastest turnarounds on the tennis tour. It feels like the chaotic Roland Garros has just ended, but we are merely a week away from Wimbledon. Despite being undoubtedly disappointed in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz and the recent withdrawals of Lorenzo Musetti and Victoria Mboko, I believe we have to look for the pos...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. Let’s recap one of the most chaotic Grand Slams I have ever witnessed. After the surprising exits of the top seeds on both the women’s and men’s sides, we welcomed new Grand Slam winners for both tours, as well as refreshing finalists that I will be looking out for in the future. Off the court, we saw Serena Williams’s return to the tour....

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. The first week of Roland Garros has definitely delivered in its own way. It is the hottest I have ever seen Paris so far at this time of the year, and clearly, all the players agree. On the men’s side, we saw the world’s most predictable draw play out most unpredictably. Jannik Sinner, the world number one, is out, after leading two sets...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. It is finally time for the second Grand Slam of the year! As I begin my French Immersion Program in Quebec City, this year’s French Open carries a special meaning for me. It always feels like a ridiculously long time from Melbourne to Paris, but I know the wait is always worth it. Off the court, we saw the players’ collective action to “b...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. I want to start by apologizing for missing last week’s episode. I just finished my first-year at McGill, and life has been quite busy. I recently went to Toronto for an interview at the National Bank Open this year. Currently, I am in a French immersion program at Quebec City. Okay… Enough about me—Let’s talk tennis. Off the court, multip...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. Although this Madrid Open lacked the presence of Carlos Alcaraz and featured players getting food poisoning, it was one of the most entertaining tournaments this season. How much of it can we take away for Roland Garros? Listen to find out! Off the court, Kei Nishikori announced his retirement at the end of the season. Keeping with the th...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. There has been big news both on and off the court and on both the WTA and the ATP tour this week. Most notably, Carlos Alcaraz announced on Instagram that he will be withdrawing from the French Open. In the toss, we talked about Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal. To find out who will benefit from his absence and who might be affected negatively...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. Although there has not been huge tournaments on the tennis tour this week, the matches on the 500 level has delivered once again! In this week’s episode, I talked about two matches on both the men’s and the women’s side that caught my attention. In the toss, we talked about Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal from Barcelona, what it means, and ho...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. As we approach the clay swing of this tennis season, a lot of people (including me!) are surprised about how we have not gotten a Sincaraz final yet. Fear not! It finally delivered at Monte-Carlo! This week’s tennis action is not only filled with big names like Sinner and Alcaraz but also hidden treasures like Valetin Vacherot and Lilli T...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. After the Miami Open, there has not been that much tennis action on the tour. Hence the name Calm before Clay; however, there is still tennis to talk about! Off the court, the biggest news of the week was Iga Swiatek announcing her new coach: Francisco Roig. Roig is part of the Rafael Nadal Academy and most recently worked with Emma Raduc...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. The second week of Miami rocked hard (Hard Rock Stadium reference I’m sorry). Despite the humidity and the questionable setup of the main court, the tennis delivered. Thanks to the lack of rain delays! Off the court, there were multiple changes to the WTA players’ coaching team. Amanda Anisimova parted ways with her coach of two years, an...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. In Miami, the energy shifts but the stakes stay just as high. On these fast courts, experience and hunger are colliding—veterans like Venus Williams continue to command attention, reminding everyone why they’ve lasted this long, while a new wave of players is pushing to take control of the moment. Other storylines are also taking shape. I...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. At Indian Wells, the desert is once again delivering drama. Veteran champions are reminding everyone of their greatness while the next generation keeps pushing the pace. Off the court, tennis may be heading for a major shift. Saudi Arabia’s sports arm, SURJ, is reportedly planning a new Masters 1000 event starting in 2028, a move that cou...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. In this week’s First Serve, off-court headlines and early tournament drama set the tone. Craig Tiley is reportedly set to leave his role as Australian Open director to become USTA CEO, raising questions about the future of his initiatives in Melbourne—including the conversation around women’s best-of-five—and what ideas he could bring to...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. In this week’s First Serve, the Middle East Swing delivers chaos and drama, with The Hit taking center stage: Daniil Medvedev captures a milestone title in Dubai amid flight cancellations and geopolitical tension that could disrupt the road to Indian Wells, Felix Auger-Aliassime continues his surge, and Acapulco brings its own intensity a...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. In this week’s First Serve, the tour is fully in its Middle East Swing with plenty of drama from both sides: Arthur Fils and Jakub Mensik’s thrilling prospects, another tournament without a Sincaraz final, and Jessica Pegula getting her 10th title! From exciting comebacks to dramatic statements from tournament directors, the Middle East s...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. In this week’s First Serve, the tour arrives in the Middle East with momentum building across both tours: Karolína Muchova ends a six-year title drought with a long-awaited triumph, Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko surges into her second WTA 1000 final at just 19, and Félix Auger-Aliassime continues his strong run with back-to-back ATP fi...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. In this week’s First Serve episode, I discussed some of the news following the Australian Open. I gave my opinion on the Australian Open’s tournament director, Craig Tiley’s statement on women playing five-set matches. Following the Grand Slam tournament, the WTA tour had a 500 level in Abu Dhabi, and the men’s tour featured matches in th...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. In this week’s First Serve episode, I discussed the stories that dominated this year’s Australian Open. Although many people online have deemed this year’s tournament to be lackluster, I found there to be quite a few interesting storylines. From Novak Djokovic’s jaw-dropping performance to Aryna Sabalenka’s struggles in Grand Slam finals,...

Welcome to The Service Game , where serves start the story. First Serve: Fast, weekly rundowns of the biggest ATP and WTA headlines, results, and momentum shifts Second Serve: Longer, investigative deep dives into player storylines, tactics, controversies, and the forces shaping professional tennis Whether you’re short on time or ready to dive deeper, The Service Game keeps you informed on what’s...