Tennis needs a longer grass court season — Quotes of the week
By Joey Dillon
The IX: Tennis Tuesday with Joey Dillon, June 17, 2025
Howdy, y’all and Happy Tennis Tuesday! We’re entering the second week of the grass court swing and I can’t help but be a little pessimistic about the length of the season. As the tennis world shifts into Wimbledon qualifying next week, it’s hard not to feel a twinge of frustration. It’s textbook “blink, and you might miss it.” For all the romance, tradition, and spectacle that surrounds grass court tennis — especially in the women’s game — the surface is given a woefully short stretch on the WTA calendar. It’s time to rethink that, especially for the game’s top players.
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Grass courts are where tennis becomes art — I mean, tennis was created on grass courts! The low bounce, quick pace, and slick movement reward creativity, touch, and precision in a way that other surfaces often don’t. For women’s tennis in particular, grass has historically provided a stage for unique styles to shine — from Martina Navratilova’s net-charging brilliance to the power Venus and Serena Williams changed the game with during their Wimbledon reigns. Yet, despite its distinct charm and rich legacy, grass is the most underrepresented surface on tour.
Currently, players get barely four weeks to adjust, compete, and thrive on grass — a surface with entirely different demands from the slow grind of clay or the bounce-heavy reliability of hard courts. In that time, the WTA squeezes in a handful of lead-up tournaments before Wimbledon, often overlapping and requiring tough scheduling decisions from players. There’s little room for rhythm, recovery, or redemption.
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This is more than a logistical inconvenience; it’s a competitive imbalance. Because of this, there will be some players playing Roehampton next week that will have had zero grass court preparation. That’s unheard of for a Grand Slam. A short grass season disproportionately favors players with prior experience or natural adaptability. For younger talents or those returning from injury, the transition can be punishingly steep and it’s not uncommon for people to skip the warmups and just play Wimbledon. A longer season would provide not only more preparation time but also more opportunities for points, prize money, and development on this unique surface.
A longer grass court swing would diversify the WTA calendar, which currently leans heavily on hard courts. After a long Australian summer, a North American hard court spring, then a grueling clay campaign in Europe, the grass season feels like an afterthought. Yet fan interest spikes during Wimbledon and grass court tennis consistently draws in crowds and broadcasters. Why not build on that momentum? Logistically, it’s possible. There are clubs across Europe — and even expanding possibilities in Asia and the United States — that could host more grass tournaments. With advancements in grass maintenance and the push toward more sustainable surfaces, the old excuse of fragility no longer holds. Even a modest extension by two or three weeks would make a large difference.
Grass court tennis is a gift to the sport — visually stunning, technically rich, and tactically fascinating. In the women’s game, where variety and athleticism continue to evolve at a breathtaking pace, grass provides a platform for brilliance. But that brilliance deserves more time to unfold. Stretching the grass court season isn’t just about nostalgia for white skirts and strawberries and cream. It’s about fairness, opportunity, and honoring a style of tennis that got us to where were are in the first place.
On to links!
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This Week in Women’s Tennis
The WTA announced they’ve amended their protected ranking policy to now include time off for players who undergo fertility treatments, adding to the recent maternity leave fund the tour introduced earlier this year.
Thanks to her wicked slice, qualifier Tatjana Maria won the biggest title of her career at the HSBC Championships, while Asia Muhammad and Demi Schuurs took the doubles crown.
At the Libema Open, Elise Mertens had to save eleven match points in her semifinal win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, but defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse to win the title. In doubles, Irina Khromacheva and Fanny Stollar won their first title as a team
Nuria Parrizas Diaz (Valencia), Iva Jovic (Ilkley) and Tereza Valentova (Grado) left last week as singles champions at the WTA 125 events.
Wimbledon shared that getting rid of line judges and tossing their hat into the ring of utilizing Hawkeye Live was “inevitable.”
Venus and Serena Williams will be teaming up for a video podcast on X:
Karolina Muchova looks to overcome her longtime left wrist injury and avoid any more time off the circuit.
Resse Brantemeier aims to win a U.S. Open wildcard this week to cap off a year that has seen knee injuries, a comeback, a lawsuit against the NCAA and also giving back to her local community.
Daria Kasatkina’s proposal to fiance Natalia Zabiiako was a little unorthodox and had an assist from fellow player Daria Saville.
Olga Morozova returned to Queen’s Club, where she was the 52-year reigning champion before this last week.
Coco Gauff returns to the tour this week after her Roland Garros win, but the American was mighty busy with a press tour around the United States.
No surprise here, but the numbers came back for TNT’s coverage of Roland Garros and they were big:
Florida’s Rachel Gaillis is leaving the program after her junior season and has turned professional.
Want to feel old? Lindsay Davenport’s daughter Lauren has committed to play college beach volleyball at USC:
Elina Svitolina has added “designer” to her list of trades, announcing a capsule collection with Svitlana Bevza.
Tweet of the Week
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Five at The IX: Queen’s Club
Q. Apparently you are the oldest WTA Tour winner since Serena Williams won it in 2020, who is another returning mother. I wanted to ask what that means and what the continuation of that legacy of mums coming back into the game and proving they cannot just compete but be at the top?
TATJANA MARIA: I mean, it means a lot to me, because actually, I’m 37 years old and I won this trophy today. In the past, people were always saying, Oh, now maybe it’s time. You are too old. You are…whatever reason they say sometimes.
But, you know, actually, I’m a good example that even in my age you still can win big trophies. I mean, I’m super proud of myself that I could win this tournament, because actually, I believed always in it, and my husband too. That’s why we kept also going, because there was always this belief that I can win big tournaments and that I can do great things on the court.
Yeah, so I’m really, really proud of this.
Q. I’m sure it’s obviously difficult to reflect so soon after the match, but this has still been a really positive week for you, making a big final. How do you feel about your performances this week? And what are you most pleased with?
AMANDA ANISIMOVA: Yeah, I think I was playing some good tennis throughout the week. It’s not easy to play on grass for your first tournament. I mean, always trying to adjust and quite a quick turnaround from the clay.
So I feel like I did a good job this week despite losing today. Could have done some things better today, as always, but that’s where you learn and try to move forward and keep getting better.
Yeah, I’ll definitely take the things that I need to do better after this match and, yeah, figure out what I need to do to improve.
Q. Just in general, curious about what it’s been like transitioning from clay to grass. Obviously it’s normally not a 500 event and at a high level so early in the grass season. What’s that been like for you?
MADISON KEYS: It was a very quick transition. Played on whatever day, Wednesday, traveled Thursday, was hitting on grass on Friday. It’s probably the quickest that I have switched surfaces in a really long time, but really happy to be in Queen’s.
When it came on the schedule, it was a place that I always really wanted to play. So just kind of made sense. The fact that it’s a pretty high-level 500 right away is definitely a bit of a challenge, but the grass season on the women’s side is always so tough. Every tournament, the cuts are so high, just because there is not a lot of options.
I knew it was going to happen one way or the other, so I figured, might as well just get to it.
Q. You’re getting quite close to the seedings at Wimbledon. How much is that kind of playing into your thinking? I guess it’s going to be Berlin now is going to be your chance. How difficult is it to kind of manage those ranking goals when you’re thinking of a longer-term issue like the back?
EMMA RADUCANU: I think being seeded obviously helps in Masters, helps in slams and a lot of tournaments so you’re not playing one of the top players early rounds.
But, you know, I think maybe my goals have slightly shifted from being seeded to actually improving my game, and when I play those top players, making it closer and feeling more competitive rather than just feeling, okay, I maybe get to the third round of a slam but then lose comfortably to one of the top. I think I’d rather have a more competitive match, even if that means losing first round, second round, and I think that, to be honest, is how I feel right now.
Q. This time last year, you were in the low 200s and then had the Wimbledon run that launched you up to where you are now. If someone had told you last year you’d be sitting here top 50 in the world, two top-20 wins this year, what would you have said? Does it feel like a full-circle moment?
SONAY KARTAL: Yeah, it’s something I thought would happen. Maybe not necessarily so soon. I think it’s come pretty fast.
But I think, you know, I have been doing so many good things off the court and kind of in the practice sessions. So I did believe that it would finally transfer.
So, yeah, I’m proud. I think I’m handling the occasions better. I’m getting used to it. You know, it’s something that the last few months, well, this year, I made sure I played the bigger events so I can get used to the feeling. Yeah, it’s starting to feel more the normal now for me.
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| By: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer |
| Tuesdays: Tennis |
| By: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer |
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| By: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The Next |
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