Missed something? Read it again? Find First Ball Forehand posts below. Enjoy!
-
Aryna Sabalenka tells about key moment in her career that changed everything
Aryna Sabalenka credited learning how to handle her emotions better as one of the things that helped her land her maiden Miami Open title. Playing in her first Miami final in her seventh appearance at the tournament, the Belarusian struggled with her serve throughout the first set and got broken by Jessica Pegula three times.…
-
Paula Badosa confesses her Maria Sharapova regret
Paula Badosa maybe didn’t like the next Maria Sharapova label but that doesn’t mean that she didn’t want to face the Russian tennis icon on the court. Shortly after winning the 2015 French Open junior title, the Spaniard started being compared to the former five-time Grand Slam champion. And there was a good reason for…
-
Watch: Jessica Pegula steals Aryna Sabalenka’s drink – takes sip and runs away
Jessica Pegula interrupted Aryna Sabalenka’s Tennis Channel interview in a very creative and hilarious way as the American tennis snuck up behind the Belarusian and stole the 26-year-old’s margarita. After losing in back-to-back Miami semifinals in 2023 and 2024, Pegula went a step further this year and made the final. But the top-seeded Belarusian didn’t…
-
AlexanderZverev’s brutal honesty: ‘I keep losing matches I should have won’
Alexander Zverev is 6-6 after Novak Djokovic retired against him in the Australian Open semi-final. The German lost his third Major final to Jannik Sinner and experienced another blow, winning only six matches at the next five tournaments. Thus, the 27-year-old ruined his chances to dethrone the Italian and become the 30th world no. 1…
-
Jakub Mensik follows Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz on a special Miami list
Jakub Mensik is through to his first Masters 1000 final in Miami! The young Czech ousted five rivals (he received one withdrawal) to book a place in his first title clash at this level, earning a couple of notable achievements. At 19 years and six months, Mensik is the third-youngest player in the Miami Open…
-
Taylor Fritz on painful Miami Open exit: ‘It sucks!’
Taylor Fritz gave everything in the Miami Open semi-final against Jakub Mensik. World no. 4 did not lose his serve for almost two and a half hours, providing 17 holds! However, he still experienced a tight 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 defeat that left him mighty disappointed! Taylor reflected on the match and acknowledged that he needed…
-
Aryna Sabalenka to celebrate Miami triumph with tequila after ‘depressive period’
Aryna Sabalenka revealed plans to celebrate her Miami Open victory in style as the Belarusian funnily shared that her team was in a depressive state for some time but now that is a thing of the past and they will be drinking some tequila. On Saturday, the world No. 1 routed Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2…
-
Novak Djokovic on the brink of 100 titles: ‘I’m thrilled to chase it in Miami’
Novak Djokovic will chase his 100th ATP title in Sunday’s Miami Open final against the young gun Jakub Mensik. The 24-time Major winner is competing in Miami for the first time since 2019. The six-time champion is happy with his level after dropping no sets in five matches. If he tops Mensik, Djokovic will become…
-
Roger Federer’s ex-coach makes one thing clear about ‘great’ Novak Djokovic
Paul Annacone says there is one very simple reason why Novak Djokovic drew so much criticism for his losses in early 2025 as Roger Federer’s former coach highlights that a great one usually “makes more news after a loss.” Entering the Miami Masters, the current world No. 5 had been just 7-4 this season and…
-
Slam legend has sage advice for Emma Raducanu after big Miami run
Former 18-time Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova thinks a healthy Emma Raducanu can do more notable things in the near future but also advises the 22-year-old to “sort out” her coaching situation and find a long-term solution because that’s one of the keys to elevating her game to a new level. After losing coach Nick…
-
Grigor Dimitrov makes big comment about Novak Djokovic after Miami loss, Serb reacts
Grigor Dimitrov paid tribute to Novak Djokovic following their Miami Masters match and the Serb didn’t hide his happiness after hearing about the comment made by the world No. 15. On Friday, the Bulgarian tennis star didn’t stand much of a chance in the Miami semifinal and he ended up losing 2-6 3-6. Speaking to…
-
No. 3 seed Zheng Qinwen projected to face big name in Charleston after 1R bye
No. 3 seed Zheng Qinwen has a first-round bye at the WTA 500 tournament in Charleston and then could possibly face former world No. 3 and two-time Grand Slam semifinalist Maria Sakkari in her clay season opener. After taking part in the Sunshine Double and reaching back-to-back quarterfinals in Indian Wells and Miami, the Chinese…
-
Miami: Aryna Sabalenka sees off Jessica Pegula to snap losing streak in finals
Aryna Sabalenka has just landed her first Miami Open title after ousting home favorite Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 in just less than an hour and a half of play. After losing back-to-back finals at the Australian Open and Indian Wells, the Belarusian didn’t hide before the Miami title match that she didn’t want to pick…
-
Do you remember Daria Kasatkina’s comments about Russia before switching nationality?
Daria Kasatkina criticized the Russian government publicly before switching her nationality as the 27-year-old said two years ago that it was “unsafe” for her to return to Russia due to her sexual orientation but also her views on the war. Only a couple of months after the Russia and Ukraine war started, the world No.…
-
Jakub Mensik joins Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz on a notable list
World no. 54 Jakub Mensik is enjoying his career-best tournament at the Miami Open! The 19-year-old Czech has beaten five rivals (Tomas Machac gave him a walkover) to find himself in his first Masters 1000 final. Thus, Mensik secured a notable feat, becoming the first player born in 2005 in the title of the premium…
-
Watch: Annoyed Grigor Dimitrov gets into it with spectator, gets him thrown out
Grigor Dimitrov became annoyed with a spectator very early in his Miami Masters semifinal match against Novak Djokovic and it all resulted in the crowd member getting thrown out of the stadium. In the third game of the first set, the 14th-seeded Bulgarian seemingly took exception with the behavior of one spectator and decided to…
-
Daria Kasatkina makes one thing clear after deciding not to represent Russia anymore
Daria Kasatkina has made a huge career and life move as she will no longer represent Russia after switching her nationality to Australia. In the summer of 2022, the Moscow-born tennis player publicly came out as gay. At the time, she also spoke out against Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Since then, she hasn’t made any…
-
Andrey Rublev adds former world no. 1 to his coaching staff!
World no. 9 Andrey Rublev will work with the former world no. 1 Marat Safin during the clay swing! While Fernando Vicente remains Andrey’s coach, the Russian will seek new improvements in his game with the former Major champion. Rublev and Safin have been talking a lot recently. The retired player has been helping the…
-
Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov pass Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
Six years ago, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal met in the Indian Wells semi-final. The two great rivals forged the first Masters 1000 semi-final with a combined age of 70 years! On Friday, Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov smashed their record! The 37-year-old Djokovic and 33-year-old Grigor Dimitrov embraced a combined age of 71,73 years, forging…
-
Russian Daria Kasatkina now represents Australia at tennis tournaments!
Russian tennis player Daria Kasatkina has announced a major change in her career, revealing that she will no longer represent her home country on the Hologic WTA Tour. The world No. 12 has been granted permanent residency by the Australian Government and will now compete under the Australian flag in upcoming tournaments. Daria Kasatkina in…