🎾 Is Tennis Killing Tennis?

The usual suspects aren’t responsible for the latest hit job on tennis.

Pickleball, Padel, Pop, Netflix, Video games and Social media are often cited as the greatest threats to tennis’ health and growth.

Look a little closer and ask yourself if we’re watching friendly fire.

Is tennis killing tennis?

Could be.

Are our sport’s deepest wounds self-inflicted?

We all know the common causes: greed, lack of transparency, minimized marketing and promotion and shutting our sport’s supporters out while pickleball embraces all.

Tennis doesn’t help itself turning away media, which in turns supplies free promotion for the tournament and its title sponsors generating buzz for both.

This event’s excuse: it’s a space issue.

Response: fine, we’ll make do minus a work station.

Answer: Sorry, No. And no appeals.

So many of our readers wondered why we didn’t mention a hard-court tournament last week?

Simple.

We’re on a boycott. no hard feelings here. We didn’t apply for a media credential. However, we know many important tennis news outlets, accredited to majors, that have spent 10-plus years covering this tournament only to be shut out this year.

By the way, writers get next to nothing for grinding out tournament stories 10 to 15 hours a day. For most, it’s a labor of love.

The event in question not only denied credentials to many long-time journalists, it also gave Zero food allowance to media providing daily coverage and no parking allowance either charging $40 daily for parking.

How can a tournament promote tennis by essentially shutting out media?

How can tennis grow by continuously limiting its own audience with crackpot decisions?

So the next time you hear the usual suspects: pickleball, Padel, Netflix, Video Games, Social Media cited as the biggest threats to tennis health in the U.S. don’t believe the spin.

Don’t blink.

The hitman is here, but we won’t run for cover.

Is tennis killing tennis?

You be the judge.

First in a series • “Is Tennis killing Tennis.”