Tennis stars like Naomi Osaka, Frances Tiafoe, Alexander Zverev, and Jessica Pegula discuss some of the biggest issues in tennis and business
Every late August into early September, the tennis world pilgrimages to New York City and the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the U.S. Open, the final Grand Slam of the calendar year and the premier stage for the best players in the world to showcase their abilities and personalities both on and off the court.
Over the last week, I was able to chat with some of the sport’s biggest stars, both men and women, about some of the most pressing issues in tennis, from how they would change the game, the best business advice they ever got, the Carlos Alcaraz–Jannik Sinner debate, and even which player they’d trade places with if they got the chance.
The following was edited for length and clarity.
If you ran the ATP or WTA for a day, what’s the first thing you’d change?
Marin Čilić, No. 62 in ATP, 2014 U.S. Open champion: I would bring in world-class chefs for food for every single tournament. My go-to meal would be veal shank baked in the oven with potatoes and vegetables.
Karen Khachanov, No. 9 in ATP, 2020 Olympic silver medalist: Maybe to make a bigger tournament with even bigger prize money and bonuses. Also, maybe more exhibitions at the end of the season, if people want to see these in certain places where now some of them are forbidden, if you play more than 2-3 days in a row. I’d also maybe change the marketing of tennis, with better social media content. And the balls should be made more simple and more similar, rather than every tournament having a different ball, a different core, a different surface. And maybe higher standards in some lower tournaments, where sometimes the facilities aren’t the best.
Jakub Menšík, No. 16 in ATP, 2025 Miami Open champion: All of us are talking about the scheduling of the tournaments. Tennis is one of the most difficult sports scheduling-wise because the season is basically 11 months per year. It’s not that easy, but a month or two off would be nice.
Frances Tiafoe, No. 17 in ATP, 2024 U.S. Open semifinalist: Probably the logo restrictions, but we’d have more players looking like NASCAR drivers. That’s more of a joke, but the biggest thing is pushing the fanfare of the game. Having guys come to more soccer matches, NBA games, or football games just talking about tennis.
Alexander Zverev, No. 3 in ATP, 2020 Olympic gold medalist: I would shorten the season. We’re playing for 11 months a year. It’s tough to physically sustain that, and mentally it’s very difficult. I feel like the schedule is getting more and more busy.
What’s your favorite tournament on tour, and why?
Čilić: My favorite tournament is Queens Club in London. I’ve been playing there for years, and they’ve got a beautiful club in the center of the city. It’s always packed. It’s always a beautiful atmosphere, perfect grass. The environment out there is just so enjoyable. People are so welcoming. The organization is perfect, everything is so put together.
Khachanov: It’s always been the French Open since I was younger. I’ve always loved the atmosphere of Monte Carlo. And I never liked Cincinnati, but this year with the upgrades, it’s really unbelievable. The standards are so high, and they did a really good job. So big respect.
Menšík: U.S. Open. It was my first big tournament being in the main draw [in 2023], and I made the third round against Taylor Fritz. It will always be a special place for me.
Naomi Osaka, No. 24 in WTA, four-time Grand Slam champion: I’d have to say U.S. Open is my favorite. New York City feels like home, and I have great memories winning slams here.
Jessica Pegula, No. 4 in WTA, 2024 U.S. Open finalist: The U.S. Open is probably my favorite. I always love coming back to New York. I feel like there’s so much to do. It’s so much fun. I love feeling the support from all the fans, especially being an American, and I’ve had some really good results here.
Tiafoe: The U.S. Open for sure. There’s nothing like these grounds. I’m so comfortable with everybody here, and I love competing here. I’ve had some of my craziest moments here. There’s no better time than late August, early September, and we’re not competing against any sport. We have everything dialed in on tennis.
Zverev: There’s a few that I really enjoy going to and always get a good feeling when I’m there. Obviously, Hamburg, because that’s my hometown. I really love the tournaments in Germany generally, like Halle and Munich. I love Rome. Rome is my absolute favorite city outside of Germany, so I love being there.
What’s the best piece of business or financial advice you’ve ever received?
Čilić: It’s a risk if you don’t take a risk.
Khachanov: Always think twice.
Menšík: I have a team around me that they are taking care of my financial side, but always just be yourself.
Pegula: Letting people that are smarter than you help you is something that I have learned and probably the best piece of advice I’ve gotten, because I feel like you can take that into so many different avenues of whatever it is that you are trying to do. So trusting people, not micromanaging, and finding people that are smarter than you with certain things is really helpful.
Tiafoe: Save in your 20s and 30s. You can live like a king when you’re in your 40s, 50s, and so on and so forth. Have fun and go live your life, but remember you have a full life after your career. When you’ve had money for a little bit, you can understand it a little better. The toughest thing is starting to say no. And then invest in things you actually believe in and want to be a part of. Don’t just go in thinking about the money and the fees.
Zverev: Educate yourself before investing money. Always know what you’re actually doing instead of just giving money away to something and hoping that the return is going to come out of it.
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If you could trade places with one current player on either tour, who would it be and why?
Čilić: I’d trade places would trade places with Carlos Alcaraz because I love his game. I love his creativity, the focus, and also the potential that he’s got. He’s still 22 and rising and has already had an incredible career, so it would be fun to trade places with him.
Khachanov: I like what I have. I appreciate what I have, and I wouldn’t change it much.
Menšík: No one. I want to build my own name, and I’m good with myself.
Osaka: I’d love to swap places with Novak Djokovic for a day. It would be cool to see how the GOAT goes about his day to maintain the consistency and stay at the top of his game for so long.
Pegula: It would be Coco Gauff because I want to know how it is to get to every single ball on the court.
Tiafoe: Probably Carlos. He wins everything.
Zverev: Whoever’s going to win next Grand Slam.
Who ends up with more career grand slam titles, Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner?
Čilić: Wow, very tough one. I have no idea. They both have 10-plus years of incredible tennis ahead, so it’s going to be a race for the history books. Both of them could possibly challenge Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer with the slams.
Khachanov: Alcaraz. Just my intuition.
Menšík: Jannik.
Osaka: I think it will be a toss-up. I’m not sure! We’re in for another great rivalry, and I’m looking forward to tuning in for many more years of battles.
Pegula: I’m going to say Sinner. Even though Carlos is a little bit more exciting to watch, I feel like he’s a little bit more vulnerable sometimes because of the crazy shots that he goes for. So I think Sinner’s consistency is going to maybe win him maybe a few more titles.
Zverev: That’s a tough one. I’m going to say Carlos because he’s younger.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts about being a professional tennis player?
Čilić: My favorite thing is that every day brings a new challenge, and every day you have the possibility to learn something new, either about yourself, the game, or even about the places you travel to. My least favorite thing is the amount of travel and changing cities, changing conditions. That’s especially difficult. If we would be positioned in one spot more often, the tennis would be on an even higher level.
Khachanov: My favorite thing is traveling, but at the same time traveling is getting a little bit tiring. But I cannot complain. There are so many tougher situations people have around the world. My least favorite thing is wishing I had more time off. The season could be shorter compared to other sports like hockey, the NFL, baseball, basketball, soccer.
Menšík: I love to travel to new places and see new cultures, but I don’t have that much time for my family, my friends, or even myself. And you’re not home that much. Basically, your home is everywhere.
Pegula: My favorite thing is definitely competing. I love competing out there on a stage by myself. It’s something that’s kind of unmatched as a tennis player. My least favorite thing would be how much time you don’t get to spend at home with your family or your friends. That is definitely really hard.
Zverev: My favorite part is I do what I always dreamed of doing, so I’ve fulfilled my childhood dream, which is quite nice and quite unique. I do wish maybe sometimes to travel a bit less, but that’s just part of the job. But generally speaking, I enjoy being a tennis player. I love the sport. I love playing tennis. I love training. I love competing. I love playing in front of the big crowds so I wouldn’t change my job or anything else.
In five years from now, what do you think the biggest change to the sport of tennis will be?
Čilić: I think AI might definitely change the sport for good, because we can see it in everything around us in our everyday lives. It’s going to bring some new insights into the game that everybody’s going to find insightful in terms of what to work on, be focused on, the strategies. Even when I’m putting things into AI sometimes, it gives me some incredible insights on what to train on. So in five years from now, it’s definitely a lot of time for AI to change everything we know.
Menšík: Obviously, a lot of new names will come up on the tour, but there will be more and more things done for the fans and the audience. There will be bigger shows around different tournaments to promote it more, like mixed doubles here.
Pegula: I feel like tennis is going to grow a lot with fans. We’re going to see a lot more fans engaged, especially at the really big tournaments. I feel like it’s starting to grow a lot with younger generation and people who maybe weren’t ever tennis fans. We’re going to see a lot of crossover into the entertainment space, and I think it’s going to just grow a lot. And I feel like the grand slams will be even bigger than they are now.
Tiafoe: I would love to see guys that are coming in here and wearing fits coming to the matches. That’d be fire. I haven’t thought about what I would wear, but it’s five years from now.
Zverev: I think the ATP and WTA will be under one structure. It won’t be two structures anymore. It’s going to be under one government.
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