Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 12h

Which American woman has had the best 2025 season (so far) in this banner year?

Making the cases for (and against) Anisimova, Gauff, Pegula and Keys.

www.benrothenberg.com/p/amanda-ani...

Which American Woman Has Had the Best 2025 Season?

Weighing the ups and downs for Anisimova, Gauff, Pegula and Keys in a (star-spangled) banner year for U.S. women's tennis.

www.benrothenberg.com

1 7

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 12h

I was asked by a few people about her, and I now have an update on Robin Montgomery, who hasn’t played since Wimbledon.

She underwent surgery for a lingering right wrist issue during the US Open and is “doing well and expecting to make a full comeback and full recovery in time for the new season.“

1 20

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 3d

Sinner, still limping, can’t continue play after a trainer visit, and so he calls the match down a break at 2-3 in the third.

That’s a big, hard-fought win for Griekspoor, who had the misfortune of playing Sinner four times in 2024.

1 21

Reposted by Ben Rothenberg

giri nathan @girinathan.bsky.social · 5d

Learner Tien appreciation club is booming

The Second Serve @the2ndserve.bsky.social · 5d

This kid from Irvine, Calif., has accumulated more top 10 wins this season than anyone besides Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner. -- @girinathan.bsky.social

www.thesecondserve.com/learner-tien...

Killer of Giants - The Second Serve

Learner Tien has just moved inside the top 40 after hiring as coach the greatest-ever Asian-American tennis player from Southern California: Michael Chang.

www.thesecondserve.com

1 8 32

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 8d

Just a reminder in case any relevant folks missed the update: the Double Bounce September hangout begins in a little less than an hour, Zoom link is in the Bounces chat 👋

5

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 9d

One of the items in the latest at Bounces was looking at the contrast between how the comedy green room reacted to lucrative Saudi invitations compared to the flaccid response from tennis locker rooms to the same phenomenon.

Feat. @gianmarcosoresi.bsky.social:

www.benrothenberg.com/p/china-open...

2 3 26

Reposted by Ben Rothenberg

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 10d

All sorts of tennis and culture/politics collisions to cover in this edition.

This will be the only article you’ll read this week that mentions all of Anna Blinkova, Luigi Mangione, Elizabeth Warren, Gianmarco Soresi, Mossad, Louis C.K., and Victor Barber.

www.benrothenberg.com/p/china-open...

Six-Love: China, Saudi Arabia, Rolex-Trump, Israel, PTPA...and Victor Barber

Catching up and circling back to a half-dozen of the many recent cultural flashpoints in professional tennis.

www.benrothenberg.com

4 12

Reposted by Ben Rothenberg

Carole Bouchard @carolebouchard.bsky.social · 9d

Roland-Garros announced they would again keep the lines judges next year, proud to remain the unique Grand Slam event to do so. (Source: FFT)

7 4 51

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 10d

The SSOB sells it, truly inspired shit.

3

Reposted by Ben Rothenberg

Courtney Nguyen @fortydeucetwits.bsky.social · 10d

Outstanding.

3 30

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 10d

All sorts of tennis and culture/politics collisions to cover in this edition.

This will be the only article you’ll read this week that mentions all of Anna Blinkova, Luigi Mangione, Elizabeth Warren, Gianmarco Soresi, Mossad, Louis C.K., and Victor Barber.

www.benrothenberg.com/p/china-open...

Six-Love: China, Saudi Arabia, Rolex-Trump, Israel, PTPA...and Victor Barber

Catching up and circling back to a half-dozen of the many recent cultural flashpoints in professional tennis.

www.benrothenberg.com

4 12

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 11d

Taylor Fritz’s Tokyo celebration, I am told by my resident Fritz whisperer, is a Jujutsu Kaisen domain expansion.

1 1 20

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 11d

Several times this week I have wound up choosing to watch Tokyo instead of Beijing primarily because of the shadows in Beijing’s stadiums, they’re pretty brutal.

1 18

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 11d

Fair, but I don’t think that parsing really makes our discussion any less relevant to understanding the book.

1 1

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 11d

Was delighted to dive deep into Bjorn Borg’s new autobiography and his era with the ever-fearless journalist and author Michael Mewshaw, who had covered Borg’s era and downfall.

There was a LOT missing from this book, we agreed.

Read at Bounces:

www.benrothenberg.com/p/bjorn-borg...

What Björn Borg Left Out of His Story

Legendary investigative tennis reporter Michael Mewshaw discusses the crucial elements and context missing from Björn Borg's new autobiography, "Heartbeats"

www.benrothenberg.com

1 12

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 12d

An eye-catching aside in the latest piece by Daniel Kaplan:

The PTPA vs ATP+WTA lawsuit is in front of the same New York judge who is also presiding over Luigi Mangione’s case.

danielkaplan.substack.com/p/judge-give...

Judge gives ok to add tennis Slams to antitrust lawsuit

Existing defendants ATP and WTA had objected

danielkaplan.substack.com

8

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 13d

Easily the most exciting usage I’ve ever seen of a photo I’ve taken. 🤩

www.benrothenberg.com/p/victor-bar...

3 20

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 14d

Wondering if this could be a record:

Has anyone else ever beaten an opponent six times in a row while being ranked below that opponent all six times?

5 44

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 15d

As tennis returns to China, one player put in the time and effort to connect with a culture that so often stays distant, even when the tour comes through each year.

On Anna Blinkova’s journey to learning her seventh language, Chinese.

Free at Bounces:

www.benrothenberg.com/p/anna-blink...

Now She's Speaking Their Language

Polyglot player Anna Blinkova put in the effort to bridge the cultural gap between the tennis tours and China.

www.benrothenberg.com

1 4 50

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 17d

Huge weekend for Taylor Fritz, getting his second Top-3 in two days to clinch Laver Cup for World.

Very curious how this sets him up to contend the rest of this season.

5 1 49

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 17d

Oh man, RIP Bernie Parent. 🧡

1 10

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 17d

Around the deeply debated Laver Cup, I dove into what is, and what isn’t, an “exhibition” in tennis, and why that term has become so loaded and controversial.

Read at Bounces:

www.benrothenberg.com/p/laver-cup-...

Laver Cup and the Exhibition Controversies in Tennis

Events like Laver Cup work desperately to shed the label, but what is so bad about an "exhibition" in tennis, anyway?

www.benrothenberg.com

1 17

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 18d

Hot damn, Taylor Harry Fritz.

Fritz, smothering the net, gets his first ever win over a #1, thrashing Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2.

Europe picked all three singles match-ups today and lost them all.

World leads Europe 7-3 in Laver Cup.

4 7 65

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 20d

This by @irathethird.bsky.social is the most elucidating paragraph I’ve read so far on the parallel-universeness of Charlie Kirk reactions.

open.substack.com/pub/iramadis...

15 53

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · 20d

Your US Open Bounces notebook is here, at last, with lots of stuff for y'all to dig into.

www.benrothenberg.com/p/2025-us-op...

Emptying the U.S. Open Notebook

On big fines, Serena's new look, a change to the women's trophy, an explosion of tennis podcasts, and more!

www.benrothenberg.com

1 11