Ben Rothenberg
@benrothenberg
Please do check out my tennis writing, BOUNCES, at benrothenberg.com
About eight hours of rain in Washington now…they’re still holding out hope for tonight, for now, but it’s been an exhausting day for all involved.
Must say the Terence Atmane spread in the latest @the2ndserve.bsky.social Open Tennis magazine is cool as heck cc @fortydeucetwits.bsky.social
Frustrating loss for Frances Tiafoe and his Washington tournament, losing in three to Terence Atmane (whom he was 3-0 against this year) in the first round. Thought this could’ve been his year here, given his strong 2026 thus far.
Update: the WTA sent a statement to Bounces about this new policy and their reasons behind it, which I have added to the article.
Linda Noskova wins Wimbledon in some of the most memorable fashion, turning her racquet into a tourniquet to stop a match that was suddenly going so wrong for her. Hell of a debut slam title for a major talent.
Quite, quite surprised that the Fery-Zverev #Wimbledon semifinal got put first on Friday's schedule, both because they played their quarterfinals a day later, and because that would seem like the better match for UK primetime TV.
Really enjoyed making this overnight at Bounces: A table of who has had the most appearances on #Wimbledon's Centre Court, dating back to 2001. Some surprising names near the top, and many stars with fewer than you might guess--even zero. www.benrothenberg.com/p/wimbledon-...
Venus and Serena have not (yet) pulled out, but they are still not on the women’s doubles schedule for Friday at #Wimbledon . *Every* other first round women’s doubles match was scheduled for today (Thursday) or Friday.
Serena Williams not doing press tonight at #Wimbledon , lol. The tournament sent a quote attributed to her.
MAMMA MIA #1 Jannik Sinner, in his first match since that shocking collapse in Paris, is down two sets to one in the opening round of #Wimbledon against Miomir Kecmanovic.
Even if you’re only in the UK for three weeks each year for tennis, you’ve seen more than your fair share of British PMs quitting. Four of the last six—and the last four men—all called it quits during Wimbledon.
First big batch of Wimbledon wild cards released: Venus and Serena get a wild card into women’s doubles together, but neither has a singles wild card so far (and there’s only one women’s spot left). Chwalinska got one for women’s singles; six others to low-ranked Brits.
So glad to see insta-legend Aoi Ito back at it after missing a big chunk of time to start the year.
As Andreeva celebrated her win, a pair of fans inside Chatrier whipped out and waved a Russian flag to celebrate Andreeva’s country. A #RolandGarros security guard quickly swooped in and had them put it away in the guy’s purse.
Thank you to the tough crowd at Reddit for all the upvotes… I’d be curious to hear how your local broadcasters, local media, favorite tennis podcasts, etc., are or aren’t discussing this issue in the next ~48 hours.
Had high hopes for this one but not much of a match so far… #RolandGarros
Loved how Frances Tiafoe and Madison Keys--in very different ways--discussed the undeniable nerves on display in the post-Sinner, post-Djokovic men's #RolandGarros draw today: www.benrothenberg.com/p/french-ope...
Holy heck, what a win for Zach Svajda, coming back from ahead to beat Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3. F. Cerundolo had been a popular pick to make it out of the wide-open #RolandGarros top half; instead, this beret-on-hoodie-wearing man plays on...
#RolandGarros has moved the Lacoste signage wedges to behind the line umpires, up against the back walls, here on Court 7.
Hell yeah, Jodar changed hats so now he and Michelsen are in the exact same outfit. #RolandGarros
In the latest Bounces, I wrote about just how remarkable it was for #RolandGarros to put Sinner first on Chatrier tomorrow. His is the first men's match to get the opening Chatrier slot in THREE YEARS. And it's very obvious that it's to protect him from heat. www.benrothenberg.com/p/jannik-sin...
Thanks to everyone who has been buying into what I am doing at Bounces in recent days! Back-to-back days atop the Substack Sports chart, just the second and third times ever atop the ladder. ☺️ Subscribe with the #RolandGarros discount below while it lasts! www.benrothenberg.com/subscribe?co...
After three very tight sets, Nishesh Basavareddy routs #7 Taylor Fritz in the fourth, clinching a 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1 win. Biggest win of Basavareddy's career, by some distance. He took advantage of the big edge he had in clay reps this year. www.benrothenberg.com/p/taylor-fri...