By Chloe Wellington-Hunt

World No. Leylah Fernandez cruised through her first round match in Washington D.C., defeating Polish Magda Linette 6-1, 6-4. Fernandez spoke positively about her game, noting that what stood out was her pressure and consistency.

“At the beginning of the match what helped was the return where I kind of put pressure on her,” Fernandez said. “Then as the match progressed, I would say my serve helped me a lot in keeping the lead and playing aggressively.”

The Canadian won the WTA 500 event last year in straight sets against Anna Kalinskaya, lifting the trophy after letting Kalinskaya win only three games. It became one of the most dominant finals of the 2025 WTA season, propelling Fernandez into the rest of the North American hard-court swing. When asked about the pressure of returning as Washington’s reigning champion, Fernandez smiled it off.

“I mean, it doesn’t really give me a lot of pressure,” Fernandez said. “Like, yes, there is that, like, sense of pressure, but it’s not, like, so big as people think.”

Fernandez discussed a new addition to her coaching team: Eric Hechtman. Fernandez’s primary coach throughout her life has been her father, Jorge Fernandez. Even though Jorge isn’t a former tennis player, he draws significantly on his background as a footballer, and has carried his daughter through the ranks of junior tennis and onto the pro tour.

For Fernandez, keeping her dad present while getting new insight with Hechtman appears to be the perfect combination.

“He seems to be getting along well with my dad and has the same view and visualization on what my game could be and should be,” Fernandez said. “So it definitely helps a lot.”

Hechtman’s coaching resume features some of the sport’s biggest names, including Serena and Venus Williams, in addition to standout WTA players Peyton Stearns and Robin Montgomery. He also served as a hitting partner for Serena and Venus Williams, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.

 “[Hechtman] has worked with some great players the past couple of years, brought them up in the rankings, done great work,” Fernandez said. “So he has a lot of experience.”

Fernandez spoke about how her father-coach relationship is only strengthened by the addition of Hechtman.

“I know what I want, and what I want is that my dad is always there present and with Eric helping us giving us a different point of view,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez’s 2026 season hasn’t exactly been what the tennis world expected. After a promising finish to 2025 and a title in Washington, consistency has been harder to find this year, making another strong run in D.C. an opportunity to regain momentum before the US Open.

Her plan? Aggression. Confidence.

“My coaches have done a great job throughout the weeks working together saying, ‘Hey, we’re coming in here to earn it. We’re not here to defend anything because we’re not a defensive team. We’re an aggressive team.’”

Fernandez knows that being back in DC won’t be a cakewalk–she’s ready to fight for the moment.

“For myself, I’ve had good matches here last year, and coming in during training week, my coaches, as always, said that we’re coming here to earn our points and not to defend or not to get another title, but to earn it,” Fernandez said. “That’s been the mindset.”

The post 2025 DC Open Champion Leylah Fernandez Cruises into the Second Round in Washington, Hopes to “Not Defend” Her Title, but “Earn It” appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

After a tough Wimbledon loss that left him dejected and frustrated, World No. 5 Alex de Minaur smiles again as he prepares to defend his title at the ATP 500 Mubadala DC Open.

Last year, after winning the DC Open in a tough match against Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, de Minaur said there was “disbelief.” Now, he’s back in Washington as the No. 1 seed in what’s been described as a “nightmare first-round draw.” The Australian will face a challenging wildcard: Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Alex de Minaur DC Open Draw Opens Against Tsitsipas

The Greek has a more-than-solid record against de Minaur, beating him 12-1 in head-to-head play. Most recently, Tsitsipas rolled through de Minaur at the Miami Open, defeating him 6-3, 7-6(3).

Wimbledon Heartbreak Still Fresh for De Minaur

De Minaur suffered a tough fourth-round loss at Wimbledon against Italian Flavio Cobolli. For the Australian hoping to make more waves on the tour, this was a moment that was “breaking him inside.” He delivered a bleak and emotional post-defeat press conference, admitting to significant self-doubt and sharing that he felt his dreams were escaping him.

“Like, I feel like a couple of years ago, I was definitely closer to that,” he said. “Now it just feels like I’m getting a little bit further away from those dreams.”

Renewed Confidence Ahead of the Alex de Minaur DC Open Title Defense

But de Minaur’s quiet and cool confidence has returned.

“I’m definitely feeling a lot better. I’m feeling in a good place,” he said. “I feel like everything is kind of clicking.”

For the Australian, no hope is lost.

“I feel like I’ve still got more to give,” the World No. 5 said. “I’m excited for what’s to come.”

And his record doesn’t lie. The Sydney native has won 11 ATP Tour singles titles and one in doubles. He’s reached seven major quarterfinals. He certainly is doing well, but as he acknowledged, many of the expectations he puts on himself come with the territory.

“One of the hardest things in sport is, as you get higher and higher, to constantly break new ground,” he said. “It gets more and more difficult. So you feel like you’re almost running up against a wall.”

Navigating DC Open Conditions at Rock Creek Park

While some players find DC’s hard court a pleasant transition from grass, de Minaur shared that the conditions aren’t entirely easy for players.

“I think one of the things I learned from last year is the conditions are not particularly easy, right? The ball is flying a fair bit. It’s quite quick,” he said. “It’s very — especially if you play during the day, it’s very rare to find some of your best tennis, right?”

He shared that even if he’s not playing pretty tennis, scrappiness is required to get the job done.

“You’ve got to be okay knowing that it might not be your best stuff, but a lot will do being there mentally and competing every point and trying to find a way to do certain things the right way,” he said. “So I can definitely draw a lot from last year and learning kind of through those things.”

But the courts at Rock Creek Park amplify one crucial aspect of the game: the serve.

“Obviously the way it’s all playing, it’s amazing serving conditions, so if you can serve well, it’s going to definitely put you in the right spots,” de Minaur said. “So a lot of focus on that.”

De Minaur Returns to the DC Open as a Newlywed

Here in Washington, de Minaur has found peace with where he’s at. Even though he’s going to bring a fight, it’s his first week back as a husband, after wedding fellow tennis star Britain’s Katie Boulter.

“It’s my first week back, right, so it’s not too many expectations,” he said. “At the moment I’m just out here enjoying getting back into the rhythm of things. I know I’m going to be building and getting better every single day.”

The post Alex de Minaur DC Open Title Defense Begins with Brutal Test appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

Former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori arrived in the nation’s capital to play the DC Open one last time. He plays Monday in the first round of the ATP 500 event against the Chinese player Juncheng Shang. Nishikori’s record alone sets him apart as arguably the greatest male Asian tennis player in the history of the sport. He holds 12 career ATP singles titles, including two in Tokyo, and was the runner-up at the 2014 US Open.

Nishikori announced his retirement at the end of April. He will play through the 2026 season, concluding his career in Asia on the last swing of the year. In the announcement, he wrote, “Reaching the ATP Tour, playing at the highest level of competition, and maintaining a presence in the Top 10 is something I am extremely proud of. Whether in victory or defeat, the special atmosphere I felt in packed arenas is irreplaceable.”

A Bittersweet Return to Washington

At his press conference Sunday in Washington, Nishikori spoke about the strange feeling of playing a tournament for the last time. When asked about his goals for the tournament, Nishikori smiled and kept it simple.

“To play a good match. This is weird feeling because I know when is the last tournament and I know there is only few more matches I can play,” he said. “Of course, I want to do good, and I want to finish good. I want to play good tennis and finish it, and that’s going to be my goal.”

Nishikori won the DC Open in 2015, after coming back from a first set loss to defeat John Isner 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

“I’m really thanks to the tournament to giving me the chance to play main draw, to play with those great players again,” Nishikori said. “Yeah, I have a good memory here. I played some good matches, won one time. Long time ago, but still, it’s in my head.”

The Physical Toll Behind the Decision

Nishikori revealed–for the first time publicly–the intricacies of the physical reasons behind his retirement. While he wanted to continue his career, the toll on his body proved to be too much.

“It crossed my mind for the first time (after a tournament last August),” Nishikori said, speaking about a potential retirement. “I had pain in three, four parts of my body and I found myself unable to make up my mind to regain my physical condition in order to battle again.”

At 36 years old, Nishikori acknowledged it hasn’t been easy–physically or mentally. He revealed that even after rehab and time off, it’s been a struggle.

“Yeah, I was really struggling last, I don’t know, ten months, one year with my body, especially my body,” Nishikori said. “Also, I didn’t feel my tennis until one month ago. I’ve been practicing a lot last two months.”

Nishikori said that he feels better now after a couple of months of practice and training, so even though his body might not be what it was before, he’s ready to give it one last shot.

“I know I haven’t played good match since, I would say, before French last year, so I don’t know how I can play tomorrow,” Nishikori said, “but I try to do my best.”

A Sea of Support from Japanese Fans

DC’s Japanese fans turned out in force just to see Nishikori practice–a sea of Japanese flags, t-shirts, and anime memorabilia filled the grounds while he warmed up.

“Yeah, I’m happy to see many Japanese even today for practice. You know, there was many,” Nishikori said. “Always happy to play here because you see a lot of Asians comes to support…That’s why also I think I enjoy this week.”

Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka shared her admiration for Nishikori, saying that he’s been the source of Japanese pride in the sport for a long time.

“He’s done so many amazing things,” Osaka said. “He’s kind of, like, I don’t want to say, carried us on his back for so long, but he has represented Japan at the highest level for an amazingly long period of time.”

The post The End of an Era: Kei Nishikori’s Final DC Open appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

by Rob Penner

The first thing you notice as you approach the grounds of the Generali Open Kitzbühel isn’t the tennis—it’s the setting.

Towering over one side of the venue is the dramatic Kitzbüheler Horn. Across the valley, the Hahnenkamm gondola climbs toward the summit of the legendary Streif downhill course, where skiing’s biggest stars take on one of the world’s most daunting races every January. Nestled between the two is a postcard-perfect Austrian village, complete with church steeples rising above colorful rooftops and lush green mountainsides.

It’s difficult to imagine a more picturesque backdrop for a week of professional tennis.

A tennis tournament in a ski resort isn’t entirely unique. Stratton Mountain, Vermont hosted the Volvo International for five years in the 1980s, welcoming champions such as Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and a young Andre Agassi. The Swiss Open in Gstaad has been a fixture on the tennis calendar for more than a century, with Cliff Drysdale becoming its first professional-era champion in 1968.

But few tournaments embrace both their history and surroundings quite like Kitzbühel.

Dating back to 1904, the Generali Open is one of the oldest tournaments in the sport. Over the past 15 years, however, it has undergone something of a renaissance under tournament director Alex Antonitsch. After nearly disappearing from the ATP calendar around 2010, the event has transformed itself into a popular stop on the European summer swing.

“When I first started, we had to cover the upper stands with tarps,” Antonitsch recalled. “We decided that we needed to bring the true tennis fan back to the tournament, not just sell VIPs and hospitality. We activate the tennis fans in a lot of different ways.”

Judging by the atmosphere throughout tournament week, the strategy has worked.

The intimate stadium puts spectators almost on top of the action. Austrian music fills the grounds at changeovers. Fans linger over coffee, beer and local food while players stroll through a venue that feels like a village festival with narrow walkways. Add in cool alpine breezes, sunshine and sweeping mountain views, and it’s easy to understand why Kitzbühel has become one of the ATP Tour’s hidden gems.

“For us it’s become a holiday tournament,” Antonitsch said. “Everyone is on holidays here in Austria, southern Germany, South Tyrol and Tyrol. We bring in 1,200 kids on Kids Day from all around Austria, for example. We wanted to make it entertainment by bringing in famous stadium announcers and having a full entertainment team.”

The tournament has become a gathering place not just for fans but for players as well. With luxury hotels and plenty of activities surrounding the venue, players are known for using every credential available to bring family members and friends along for the week.

“The rowdy crowd really celebrates the tournament here,” said top seed Alexander Bublik during his run to the final. “Austrians really have this idea of a celebration. It’s at the tournament in Vienna, too. Tennis is a celebration. They’re proud to have this tournament. You can see that people are really enjoying themselves, and you can feel this energy as a player.”

The list of champions reflects the tournament’s stature. Recent winners include Casper Ruud and local favorite Dominic Thiem. Grand Slam champions Albert Costa, Juan Martín del Potro and Pete Sampras—who won one of just three ATP clay-court titles of his career in Kitzbühel—have all lifted the trophy here as well.

For Austrian players, however, the tournament means far more than another stop on the calendar.

“As an Austrian player, we all started at this tournament—Thomas Muster, myself, Barbara Schett,” Antonitsch said. “Seeing the pros as little kids. Those are some of our very first tennis memories.”

Helping restore that tradition has been one of Antonitsch’s proudest accomplishments.

“Back in 2017, we sold out, and we made a handwritten sign that simply said, ‘Sold Out,'” he remembered. “That was something amazing. Then in 2019, Dominic Thiem won. It was very emotional for all of us. We have a photo of him on Centre Court here when he was five years old. For him to come back and win—that was special.”

In an era when pro sports continue to grow larger, more expensive and more global, Kitzbühel offers something increasingly rare: authenticity.

Players come for the altitude, the clay and the opportunity to compete. Fans come for the scenery and the summer holiday atmosphere. But what keeps both returning is a tournament that feels deeply connected to its community. The mountains aren’t just a backdrop—they’re part of the event’s identity. The crowds aren’t simply spectators—they’re participants.

That combination is what makes Kitzbühel special. It isn’t trying to be the biggest tournament on the ATP Tour. It succeeds by being unmistakably itself—a place where world-class tennis, local tradition and alpine hospitality come together to create one of the most distinctive stops on the calendar.

The post Why Kitzbühel Remains One of Tennis’ Most Charming Stops appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

Get your racquets ready and your sunscreen on, tennis fans—top-tier professional tennis has officially made its triumphant return to Memphis!

After a 13-year absence from the WTA Tour calendar, world-class women’s tennis is back in Tennessee with the inaugural Memphis Classic. As the tour trades late-summer Cleveland for the soul, rhythm, and hospitality of the Bluff City, the tennis world is buzzing. And let’s be honest: Memphis is a sports town through and through, meaning the atmosphere down at the grounds is already electric.

For years, Memphis held a storied place in professional tennis lore, hosting combined men’s and women’s events that gave us unforgettable weeks of hardcourt battles. When the tournament left town over a decade ago, local fans were left with a massive tennis-shaped hole in their hearts.

Now, the WTA 250 tournament has landed with a splash. The player field features a stellar mix of established stars and rising Americans looking to make their mark on the hardcourts. With top seeds like Ekaterina Alexandrova and fan favorites like Sloane Stephens headlining the draw, the competition out on the court is fierce from match point one.

What makes this return even more special is where the action is happening. The tournament has found its home at the completely revamped, state-of-the-art Leftwich Tennis Centre.

Nestled right in the heart of Memphis, the facility underwent a massive multi-million dollar transformation that turned it into a premier tennis destination in the American South. Boasting pristine outdoor hardcourts, top-tier player amenities, and intimate seating that puts fans right on top of the action, Leftwich is a dream venue for players and spectators alike.

There’s truly nothing quite like summer evening tennis in the South: the sun dipping behind the trees, the sound of a crisp ball echoing off a pristine hardcourt, and fans enjoying a honey deuce (or a local Memphis brew) while taking in baseline rallies.

Why This Event Matters

The Memphis Classic isn’t just a new line on the WTA schedule—it’s a celebration of community and sports heritage. Bringing the tour back to Memphis inspires the next generation of local kids picking up a racquet, fills local hotels and restaurants with traveling fans, and proves once again that Memphis is a premier destination for major sporting events.

The first-ever Memphis Classic is underway, running through August 2. If you’re lucky enough to be on-site at the Leftwich Tennis Centre, soak in every second of history being made. For the rest of us tuning in from home, grab your popcorn—pro tennis on the Bluff City hardcourts is back where it belongs.

The post Pro Tennis Is Back In Memphis! appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

By Chloe Wellington-Hunt

At just 17 years old, Australian tennis player Cruz Hewitt—the son of former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt—has advanced to the main draw of the Mubadala DC Open after an unusual series of events. Benefiting from two opponent retirements in qualifying, Hewitt earned his place in the ATP 500 main draw. While it may not have been the expected route for a qualifying wildcard, the Australian now has the opportunity to see how his junior success translates to the ATP Tour.

Hewitt’s first qualifying match didn’t even go to a full set. His opponent–Serbian Dušan Lajović–withdrew at 2-5.  In his second qualifying match, Hewitt beat young American Zachary Svajda. Their match came to a close early in the third set with Svajda pulling out. Nonetheless, before his withdrawal, Hewitt’s boldness impressed the Washington crowd. While young fans took big yellow balls down to the court for Svajda to sign, Hewitt rose to the challenge and battled through the second set, winning it in a 7-3 tiebreak. The match ended in the third set with Hewitt up 2-0. (Even though Svajda withdrew, he is back in the draw and set to play Australian Aleksander Vukic.)

After the American Jordan Lee’s elimination from the tournament, Hewitt became the youngest player left in the draw. Hewitt played Lee just a couple weeks ago at Wimbledon, when he lost to him in the boys’ singles final 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. Nonetheless, Hewitt’s success at Wimbledon marked a big transition point in his game–he started to see things click at a mental and physical level. “‘[I was] very level headed, stayed pretty composed throughout that match and then that allowed me to play good tennis,’” Hewitt said at the tournament.

Cruz doesn’t have easy shoes to fill, considering his father’s success from a young age. Lleyton Hewitt won his first ATP Tour match in 1997, at 16 years old, and at 17, he won his first ATP title in Adelaide. At 20, he was World No. 1. In doubles, he became the youngest male to win a Grand Slam crown in the open era. His records didn’t come easily, but they came early.

As for Cruz? His path has looked a little different. He didn’t burst onto the tour as a teenager–he developed–slowly but steadily–through the junior ranks. Even though it might be easy for the tennis world to compare him to the Hewitt name, it’s a big deal that he’ll be earning his biggest prize money yet, as guaranteed to earn $19,260 in the first round here in DC.

Few players on tour have watched Cruz’s development more closely than No. 1 seed and fellow Australian Alex de Minaur. While Hewitt’s coach–Wayne Arthurs–hits frequently with Alex de Minaur, de Minaur has had a front-row seat to the teenager’s progress.

“He’s got a lot of weapons. He plays very free,” de Minaur said. “He’s going to be a dangerous player, for sure, and obviously I don’t think he’s too scared of the moment, which is something that’s very important at a young age.”

Not being scared of the moment is a big ask for a youngster–especially when your dad is Lleyton Hewitt.

“It’s great to see him doing what he’s doing, obviously having Lleyton in his corner, the way he’s handling the pressure, the expectation, the eyeballs that he would have being Lleyton’s son,” de Minaur said. “He’s a good kid, and he’s definitely doing the right things. I wish him nothing but the best, and I’m sure we’re going to have plenty of years playing together.”

Hewitt will play American qualifier Marcos Giron on Tuesday, July 28. This marks his first match on the ATP Tour earned through qualifying.

The post Cruz Hewitt Benefits From Two Retirements To Get ATP Tour Singles Shot In Washington, D.C. Via Qualifying appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

At 22 years old, American Martin Damm Jr. is becoming one of the tour’s emerging talents. At the Mubadala DC Open, Damm played his way into the main draw, winning two qualifying matches. Damm first defeated Belgium’s Kimmer Coppejans in an easy 6-2, 6-0 match and then topped Jordanian Abdellah Shelbayh in a tightly contested three-set match. Damm shows us once again that he has the skills to get himself into the main draw and compete at the next level.

Washington isn’t just one stop on the 2026 calendar. It’s one that can set the stage for the summer. The DC Open begins the North American hard-court season before ATP Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati, culminating in the coveted US Open. With a notable reduction in the men’s draw this year–going from 48 to 32 players this year–getting into the main draw at this ATP 500 event is a big feat in itself.

Damm’s second qualifying match against Shelbayh proved to be a battle of consistency. After losing the first set 4-6, Damm channeled his strong left-handed serve and focused on extending rallies under pressure. In the end, he won the second set 7-5 and won the deciding match tiebreak based on his composure. During the tiebreak, after Damm snagged a point to make it 3-2, Shelbayh double faulted, generating a significant momentum shift. The Washington crowd took to Damm’s side, showing Damm what it’s like to be an American playing in the nation’s capital.

“I think it’s 50-50 in tiebreaks,” Damm said. “Sometimes you just lose your way…I thought I served well. Fortunately I had some good return points, and I was glad I was able to win it on the return and didn’t have to serve it out.”

Damm’s 2026 season so far has been one of promise and opportunity. Just this February, Damm advanced to his first ATP semifinal at the ATP 250 event in Montpellier, France. Damm, once again, worked his way through qualifying and then delivered an impressive upset against former World No. 6 Hubert Hurkacz.

Damm is one of a few men’s players at the DC Open with a decorated tennis parent–it’s not just Ben Shelton and Cruz Hewitt. Martin Damm (senior) became one of the world’s top doubles specialists, peaking professionally in the early 2000s, when he won the US Open men’s doubles title with Leander Paes. The Czech accumulated 40 ATP titles, ultimately reaching a career-high in doubles at No. 5 in the world in 2007. Before realizing his full potential in doubles, Martin Damm rose through the ranks in singles, reaching a career high of No. 42 in 1997. Damm ultimately retired in 2011.

Damm Jr. exhibited a promising junior career before entering the pro circuit. As a junior in 2021, he reached a career-high ITF junior ranking at No. 3. At 15, he beat a young Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon boys’ singles event, before a tough loss in the semifinals. Known in junior tennis for his lefty game and wicked serve mixed with a strike-first, power-heavy game, Damm aims to take that aggression and firepower to the professional tour.

For Damm, qualifying for the main draw is only the beginning. He knows the competition field is strong, so he hopes to use every chance he can to adapt to the ATP main draw level. This year at Wimbledon, Damm made it to the second round, so his goal remains set not on a specific result, but on learning how to adapt.

“I want to regroup right and now, and yeah, we’ll see where the draw puts me,” Damm said, “but obviously every player here is good, so I just continue working on my game and playing better guys [while] getting used to that level.”

Damm is a name to look out for, not just as a young American talent, but as a promising standout with the chance to break the top 100 very soon. Damm will face fellow American and No. 2 seed Ben Shelton on Tuesday, July 28 in Washington.

The post No Shortcuts– From Qualifiers to the Main Draw: Martin Damm Jr.’s Next Step Arrives in Washington D.C. appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

Four-time major champion and former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka returns to the hard courts at the Mubadala Open in Washington, DC. Speaking about the mental side of the game, her family, confidence, and of course, her iconic outfits, Osaka reflected on what it feels like when the entire tennis world has expectations of what a successful career looks like.

Osaka spoke on the eve of the beginning of main draw play candidly about why she feels that the term “comeback” is stifling for athletes who have worked their entire lives to achieve big goals. “But I think when I think of coming back, it kind of, like, washes away the whole process. Also, for me, what am I coming back to, you know?” Osaka continued, “On my end, I feel like a completely different person. There are things that I’m better at, and maybe there are skills that I’ve gotten to develop a lot more, but I feel like saying you’ve come back is a little bit limiting.”

While tennis fans around the world called her quarterfinal run at Wimbledon epic, impressive, and all the other positive adjectives, Osaka is still searching for more.

“Yeah, I mean, I would say that getting to the quarterfinals in Wimbledon did give me confidence, but like I was kind of sad that I wasn’t able to go further,” Osaka said, “because I felt that I had the opportunity to do that.”

Osaka continued, sharing that post-Wimbledon left her feeling a little lost afterward. She mentioned that she felt like she missed an opportunity–a moment where it was her “time to do something” and that she wishes she could’ve done more.

“For a long time, maybe for like a couple of days or so, I was just really disappointed in myself,” Osaka said. “Maybe that’s just my mindset, because I feel like I’m so hard on myself. Obviously if someone gets that far in Wimbledon, it’s something to be happy about, but for me, I just — I don’t know…”

Osaka’s career has met the praise and scrutiny of the tennis world, and sometimes, the non-tennis world. Whether it’s fans criticizing her outfits, the digital world calling out her personal life, or players calling her an attention-seeker, Osaka acknowledges that one of the few constants in professional tennis is change.

“I feel like every moment has blips, and it’s kind of just like always steadily going up,” she said, “Whenever I think it’s levelled out, it’s something else keeps happening.”

For Osaka, the fame that comes with everything isn’t necessarily hoped for. She spoke Sunday about the calmness she finds with her family and her desire for peace.

“I actually don’t really want to be famous, so I’m good with where I’m at right now,” Osaka smiled. “And then it’s like people are knowing me now for the fashion stuff more than the tennis, like fashion enthusiasts more than tennis fans.”

Osaka’s reflection on her personal development and fashion follows a Threads post by Osaka detailing her perspective on introverts, writing, “‘Dear Introvert, There will come a time when you finally feel comfortable enough to voice your opinions and stand up for yourself. When that day comes please smile because your life is about to change.”

Responding to what she’s done to help her find her own voice, Osaka immediately mentioned the clothing side of her tennis career.

“I would say, ironically, wearing the outfits that I wear have kind of forced me to speak a lot more, especially about topics that I’m not necessarily an expert on,” Osaka said. “Being a tennis player, I could probably sit in front of this mic and talk about tennis for a really long time because it’s a world that I’m used to. Kind of branching out, doing the fashion stuff has made me talk to people that I’ve never met before and things like that.”

Osaka shared that she already has an outfit in the works for August at the US Open.

“I have a plan of what I’m going to do for the US Open, so that’s something that I’m really excited about and I want to execute properly,” she said. “…I’m just excited about playing my matches here, and we’ll get to New York eventually.”

Overlapping her press conference with one of the greatest male Asian tennis player in history, Osaka posed for a picture with about-to-retire Kei Nishikori and spoke extensively about her respect for the athlete and what he represents for Japan on the world stage.

“Obviously as a Japanese player, you grow up admiring him,” she said. “He’s done so many amazing things. He’s kind of, like, I don’t want to say, carried us on his back for so long, but he has represented Japan at the highest level for an amazingly long period of time.”

Osaka laughed, then brought up when she first met him, tying it back to now, 2026, and Nishikori’s last time in Washington DC.

“Like I remember the first time I met him. I was shocked that he knew who I was. So he’s always felt like an older brother,” Osaka said. “Yeah, it’s something that I’ve missed for a while because I’ve been gone for periods, he was gone for periods. So to be at this tournament together is really special.”

Osaka isn’t just reflecting on the mental side of the game, her identity as a Japanese athlete, and her style. She spoke about her game post-Wimbledon, noting that she has multiple aspects of her tennis that are in transition.

“I think on this season in grass I’ve learned a lot more about my serve,” Osaka said. “I think I’ve also gotten a lot more comfortable going to the net. So moving forward and just being a little bit more aggressive, I think that’s for me what I did really well in Wimbledon.”

When asked about how she’s adjusting to this new leg of the tour, Osaka let out a soft smile. “I’m feeling pretty good,” Osaka said. “It’s nice to be back on hard.”

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As an ATP 500 level tournament. the Mubadala DC Open features a doubles qualifying event. In the most intriguing final-round qualifying match, 37-year-old Brazilian Fernando Romboli and Australian John-Patrick Smith, also age 37, battled their way into the main draw, defeating Americans Jordan Lee and Stefan Kozlov 6-4, 1-6, 10-7. Romboli and Smith will play the French team Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul on Tuesday, July 28.

Lee, at only 16 years old, is the youngest player in the tournament and is weeks removed from winning the Wimbledon boys’ title over Cruz Hewitt, Lleyton Hewitt’s son, in a neck-and-neck three-set match. Kozlovm aksi from the USA, has over a decade on Lee – he turned pro in 2013, reaching a career-high singles ranking of 103 in 2022 and a career-high doubles ranking of 180 in 2017.L

Lee and Kozlov didn’t make it easy–Romboli and Smith powered through a close first set, relying on their firepower and clever maneuvering off second-serve points. Kozlov and Lee ultimately dominated on serves throughout the first two sets, winning 90% of their first serve points.

The second set brought a huge momentum shift. After talking to Romboli after their win, he didn’t appear worried by their performance shift in the second set at all. As he expressed, it was a few points that went the wrong way, and they brought it back in the tiebreak.

“I don’t think it’s something huge,” he said about their 1-6 loss in the second set. “We got two breaks on deuce points…one of the breaks we had like 40-love up, and they got into it and played well, and we just couldn’t finish a couple points that we had our hands on.”

As Romboli told us, the highs and lows are built into the doubles game.

“Doubles is like this,” Romboli said. “It’s very fast. It’s quick. If you’re not sharp and don’t finish points, you can end up losing 1-6, like you saw.”

With Lee and Kozlov’s fan section in full force, the Americans created new opportunities on the court and secured that set easily, ultimately forcing a nail-biter match tiebreak. But the Brazilian and Australian didn’t tire out.

During the tiebreak, Romboli and Smith stayed strong, even as the American crowd started to chant loudly. “We just tried to focus on ourselves,” Romboli said. “Every time we have a crowd against us we try to do that…we try to keep it between us. It’s tough if you start to pay attention to the outside and feel the energy of course, the whole energy is against you.”

And Romboli and Smith did just that. Even as the Americans started to creep back into the tiebreak, the Brazilian-Australian duo remained strong. Using Smith’s lefty tactics and Romboli’s finishing, they remained steady in a tough tiebreak that could have easily gone either way. While a news report announced last November that the team was splitting up, as of this July, Smith and Romboli look strong and confident on the court together, especially during the tiebreak. As Romboli said, they were able to zoom in on themselves and drown out the noise.

“So you have to try to, you know, kind of forget about it, like just focus inside, so we tried that, and it worked,” Romboli said. “Really happy to go through [to the main draw].”

Ultimately, the pair pulled out the match tiebreak 10-7. While the last shot of the match hit by the Americans was barely, barely out, causing the American fans to erupt, Romboli spoke positively about Washington’s fans.

“[Washington] is nice, it’s my second time playing here,” Romboli said. “I like the conditions actually. The crowd is always nice. I know they were against us, but they were very polite.”

Neither Romboli nor Smith had a traditional trajectory into doubles. Unlike other doubles specialists, Romboli battled through both singles and doubles early in his career, reaching a career-high singles ranking of No. 236 in 2011. After turning pro in 2006, Romboli won his first ATP doubles title in 2021.

Romboli exists in a long line of exceptional Brazilian doubles players–Brazilian Marcelo Melo is arguably, one of the best doubles specialists in history. Melo is the only Brazilian to have reached World No. 1 in the ATP doubles rankings, which he achieved in 2015. Fellow Brazilians Rafael Matos and Orlando Luz have teamed up this year, doing very well on the doubles circuit, as they just finished as finalists at the Millenium Estoril Open.

The lefty Smith, on the other hand, took the American college tennis route. The Australian played tennis at the University of Tennessee, graduating in 2011, when he became the second player in the history of college tennis to be named a four-time All American in both singles and doubles. Turning pro immediately after graduating, Smith’s career-high in singles came in 2015, when he reached No. 108 in the world.

The pair officially teamed up in 2025, finding chemistry quickly and winning the 2025 U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas last April. During the 2025 season, both players achieved career milestones with other partners –Romboli made it to his biggest final at the 2025 Hamburg Open with the acclaimed Argentinian doubles player: Andrés Molteni. At a career doubles high, Romboli hopes for a good run in Washington.

“It’s a great tournament,” Romboli said. “I like the conditions, and I’m so happy to be here.”

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The match had all the tension of a breakthrough title decider. Van Assche took the first set, only to see Blockx level things up in the second. The decider went the distance, with Van Assche closing it out 7-5 to lift his first-ever ATP Tour trophy.

It’s a milestone that’s been a long time coming. Van Assche was a standout junior — a former world No. 1 in the juniors and French Open boys’ champion — who turned pro in 2021 and built his ranking steadily through Challenger-level titles before cracking the ATP Top 100 in 2023. Estoril marks the moment all that groundwork converts into a tour-level trophy.

The Millennium Estoril Open is an ATP 250 clay-court event held at the Clube de Ténis do Estoril, and 2026 marked its return to ATP Tour status after being run as a Challenger event the year before. The field featured names like Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, and home favorite Nuno Borges, making Van Assche’s run to the title all the more notable.

A first ATP title is often a launchpad rather than a peak. For a player who’s spent the past couple of seasons hovering just outside the top 100, Estoril could be the springboard toward a new career-high ranking — and a signal that Van Assche is ready to be a regular threat on tour, not just on the Challenger circuit.

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