Ben Rothenberg

Washington, D.C.

Freelance Writer at The New York Times

Podcast Host at No Challenges Remaining

Journalist. Writer at BOUNCES (Subscribe at https://t.co/bgYO8R8uHv). Host @NCR_Tennis podcast. Author of new biography NAOMI OSAKA. [email protected] //

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Articles

Naomi Osaka on When Julie-and Tennis-Keep Quiet

6 days ago | benrothenberg.com | Ben Rothenberg

After a relative dearth in the genre, there’s been a proliferation of movies foregrounding tennis in recent years, with Battle of the Sexes (2017), King Richard (2021), and Challengers (2024) being the obvious standouts. Those buzzy, big-budget movies were joined in recent months by Julie Keeps Quiet (Julie Zwijgt), a Belgian arthouse film movie that debuted at Cannes last year and was later Belgium’s submission to this year’s Oscars.
WTA 500 Stuttgart: Best in Class

1 week ago | benrothenberg.com | Ben Rothenberg

As I was looking at the tennis tours’ offerings this week, I thought back—as one does—to the 1996 Cyranoesque rom-com The Truth About Cats & Dogs. After the jerky boyfriend of Uma Thurman (Noelle) breaks the violin bow of her neighbor Janeane Garofalo (Abby), Noelle explains how she went shopping for a replacement to give Abby. “Did you know violin bows were like cars?” Uma Thurman muses.
Emptying the Charleston Notebook & Quotebook

1 week ago | benrothenberg.com | Ben Rothenberg

As promised, I’m emptying the notebook here for Bounces subscribers from my coverage of WTA 500 Charleston last week, bringing y’all lots of quotes from top WTA players about a whole range of topics.
Monte Carlo is a One-Week Wonder Among ATP 1000 Events

1 week ago | benrothenberg.com | Ben Rothenberg

I’ve been enjoying watching the early rounds from Monte Carlo this week more than I ever have in previous years, and I know why: brevity is the soul of an ATP tournament, and I’m cherishing it where I still can. Befitting its geography and high-priced real estate, the Mediterranean tournament feels both breezy and compact.
Bob Moran's Big World of Tennis

2 weeks ago | benrothenberg.com | Ben Rothenberg

DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. — I’m delighted to bring Bounces subscribers an interview with Bob Moran, the longtime tournament director of the Charleston Open, whose reach across professional tennis has grown rapidly in recent years. At this point, it’s hard to find someone more connected in tennis than Bob Moran. Moran has worked at the Charleston tournament since 1999, back when it was the Family Circle Cup in its final year on Hilton Head.
Djokovic, Sinner, Alcaraz, Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff among players demanding more money from Grand Slams

3 weeks ago | tennis365.com | Ben Rothenberg |Shahida Jacobs |Oli Dickson Jefford |Ewan West

The dust around the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) lawsuit against the ATP and WTA has barely settled and another storm has hit tennis. According to French paper L’Equipe, the top 20 players on the ATP Tour and WTA Tour “have co-signed and sent a letter to the four Grand Slam tournaments, demanding a substantial increase in their prize money”.
Top 20 Demand More Prize Money in Letter to Grand Slam Tournaments

3 weeks ago | benrothenberg.com | Ben Rothenberg

DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. — Today’s biggest tennis news came out of France, where the sports newspaper L’Equipe reported that representatives of the ATP and WTA Top 20 co-signed a letter demanding a pay hike from the four major tennis tournaments.
"Please Welcome, From Australia, Daria Kasatkina"

3 weeks ago | benrothenberg.com | Ben Rothenberg

DANIEL ISLAND S.C. — Daria Kasatkina walked into her pre-tournament media rounds here at WTA 500 Charleston on Monday afternoon ready with an appropriate greeting. “What’s going on…mates?” Kasatkina said. Kasatkina was already talking the talk on her first day as an official Australian, a status marked by an update to her WTA profile as a new week began in the WTA calendar. “Today, the rankings updated, and it's my first official day as an Australian player,” Kasatkina said.
Aryna Sabalenka and Banned Belarusian Flags in Miami

3 weeks ago | benrothenberg.com | Ben Rothenberg

As I was watching the women’s final of the Miami Open on Saturday afternoon, something that normally would have been innocuous caused me to do a double-take. After top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka broke back to level the first set at 3-3 against Jessica Pegula—a break that would prove crucial in Sabalenka’s eventual straight-sets victory—a small group of fans in the front row waved her country’s flag in excitement.
Why Daria Kasatkina IS Switching From Russia to Australia

3 weeks ago | benrothenberg.com | Ben Rothenberg

The crossroads of tennis and nationality had already been on my mind this week when, Friday evening, the Russian tennis player Daria Kasatkina announced that she was switching her allegiance to Australia. The statement Kasatkina posted on social media: “I am delighted to let you all know that my application for permanent residency has been accepted by the Australian Government. Australia is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming, and a place where I feel totally at home.