Zooming Into The Unknown

Tennis journalism and coverage adapted to the evolving new normal, but at what cost?

- By Nina Pantic

It’s a Thursday evening and Serena Williams just defeated Anastasia Potapova inside Rod Laver Arena. The American’s job for the day was over, but for members of the press, their work was just getting started.

The journalists excuse themselves from living rooms, close the door to an office or bedroom, and beg for a few moments of silence from a child, spouse or pet: Serena is about step off of the TV screen, and slide into their laptops.

When the world was turned upside down last year, no one realized how profoundly different tennis coverage would become. Reporters began asking players questions through their screens, content creators hoped for strong enough internet connections to record video interviews, and television analysts called matches from home.

As synonymous with our daily lives as Zoom is today, it’s remarkable to think that before 2020, the platform was relatively unknown. The video communications company has been around for a full decade, while another popular option, Microsoft Teams, launched in 2017.

“There were times in Delray that I literally had to walk through with someone and say, ‘Here’s how you use Zoom,’” says Pete Holtermann, media coordinator for events in Delray Beach, Houston and Cincinnati. “There’s a lot that has to happen behind the scenes, but I think we’re seeing less and less of that [as everyone gets used to it].”

“I love that it’s a thing now, to be honest, because I think the players are used to it,” says tennis stadium emcee and reporter Blair Henley. “I think it gives us another avenue. It’s about being creative.