Tennis, Where Uncertainty Is The Rule

In tennis, from players to media, chaos is at every corner: How ironic for a sport where control is key? Also, read exclusive interviews with Zheng Qinwen and Borna Coric, on the comeback trails.

Welcome back! Today’s paid edition brings you an exclusive with Zheng Qinwen about her 2025 struggles and being an inspiration back home, and also an interview with Borna Coric about how tough it’s been for him to have to find a way back to the top again. “I wasn't supposed to go to the Australian Open…,” she said. “It was a very, very dark time for me, to be honest,” he said.

I’m also giving two bonus chats: Ons Jabeur about why she’s still out there playing and Casper Ruud about why he thinks his game style is currently not helping him, about the doping system, and about how he takes the pressure down by first just aiming to reach the quarter-finals;

Here I then muse about uncertainty in tennis, bringing you backstage through my media day in Madrid a bit for it, too, and sharing past and present anecdotes that show how uncertainty is in the game’s DNA for better and worse. It’s the common thing tennis people hate but have to deal with as a de facto part of the sport.

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