There’s an unfortunate truth that almost everyone who has spent time around USTA junior tennis knows but few openly say: Cheating is rampant. Of course, not every kid does it. But enough do that it fundamentally shapes the experience of junior competition in the United States. It’s maddening for the kids and frustrating for the parents and coaches. The reason why it happens isn’t complicated; it’s structural. Unlike most sports, junior tennis asks kids to officiate

Professional tennis players don’t always lose their money in retirement but enough of them do that this outcome has become a familiar, almost predictable story. The arc is so common it can feel like a cliché: meteoric rise, massive earnings, and then, years later, financial troubles. The reasons behind this pattern aren’t mysterious, but they are profoundly human. Most of the pro-players I know wrongly believed they'd be the exception to this fate––understandable considering

In view of everything dark that's surfacing in the world right now, I've found myself thinking a lot about something deeply disturbing from my time in junior tennis: an egregious case of sexual abuse involving multiple boys. The perpetrator's name is public––he's currently in prison––but I won't mention it here. I don't want to risk further exposing the victims beyond what they've already endured. The coach was well-known and had a popular academy that he ran on pub