Tennis fandom is going through a transitional phase as the sport sees the retirement of some of its biggest stars like Roger Federer, Serena Williams, and Rafael Nadal. What will these changes mean for an increasingly fierce fan space? And how can brands engage with calls to diversify the sport?
John Silk has been following the ups and downs of tennis for almost four decades, mostly from the sidelines, but more recently with the YouTube channel and media outlet Talking Tennis. Based in Bonn, Germany, he has a master's in journalism, the media, and globalisation. He can be found talking about all things tennis on his channel and website.
Jake Edwards is a tennis writer, creator, and host of the On The Line blog and podcast based in Glasgow. An engineer by trade, he and his podcast guests discuss the strategic and tactical analysis of ATP and WTA tennis matches. A contributor to the Talking Tennis site, Edwards is also a coach, supporting young people and adults to improve their tennis skills.
Gouri Sharma is an internationally renowned independent journalist from London living in Berlin writing for international media sites including Al Jazeera English and Deutsche Welle. Amid a career spanning nearly two decades, including five years on the production desk for Al Jazeera's flagship media critique show The Listening Post, Gouri now writes on issues such as race, culture, migration, history, and sexual health and wellness. With each report, she aims to draw out the individual story amid the wider political or historical context; centring the human story is a priority, in particular amplifying the voices of those from marginalised communities whose stories are not as visible.