Tennis Faces Scrutiny as Content Chokehold Risks Wasting Stars Like Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz
While tennis stars like Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz dominate headlines with their performances, you might have noticed something missing from their social feeds—actual match footage.
Instead of sharing highlight reels or epic points, players are often stuck reposting from official tournament accounts. The reason? Strict content control by tournament organizers and broadcasters, who guard exclusive rights to match footage like precious gold. Even a quick clip could land players in hot water over copyright or contract violations.
Former US Open champ Andy Roddick finds the whole thing baffling.
“Why Can’t I Post My Own Shot?”
On this week’s episode of Served, Roddick and tennis journalist Jon Wertheim tackled the issue. Wertheim referenced Daria Kasatkina, who voiced her frustration through her YouTube series What The Vlog:
“I’m the one sweating out there. How come I can’t post one clip of me hitting a tennis ball?”
Roddick agreed:
“What’s the downside to Kasatkina posting her own highlights? She’s driving more attention to the game—and ultimately, more revenue to rights holders.”
Wertheim took it further, pointing out how players like Alcaraz (6.3M Instagram followers) and Gauff (1.8M) could be tennis’ most powerful marketing tools—if only they were allowed to use their own content.
“Imagine Alcaraz saying, ‘Did you see that tweener I hit? Here it is.’ That’s the kind of engagement the sport should be begging for.”
The Legal Catch
Here’s the crux: While players may star in the matches, the broadcast footage is owned by the tournament organizers or networks that invest millions into capturing and distributing it. Copyright law protects that investment.
Player contracts often include detailed clauses around image use, preventing athletes from sharing clips freely—even of themselves. That’s where groups like the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) are stepping in.
PTPA’s Legal Swing for Player Rights
Led by Novak Djokovic, the PTPA filed a major antitrust lawsuit on March 18, 2025, accusing tennis’ governing bodies (ATP, WTA, ITF, ITIA) of monopolizing content and exploiting players.
The suit claims athletes are forced to sign over their name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights without fair compensation, limiting sponsorship opportunities and financial freedom. The PTPA also highlights grueling schedules, stagnant prize money, and a lack of control over personal branding.
Djokovic has remained committed:
“I’ve always fought for better positioning of players in our sport.”
While some, like Carlos Alcaraz, have stayed neutral, others—Nick Kyrgios, Reilly Opelka, and 20+ players—are backing the push for reform.
The Bigger Picture: Tennis Is Growing… But Is It Evolving?
In 2024, tennis hit impressive milestones:
- 2 billion+ viewers across Grand Slams
- 3.36 million fans attending live events
- 6.3 billion video views and 12 billion social media impressions, a 30% rise from 2023
But players still can’t share more than a still photo or low-res snippet from their own performances.
So here’s the question: In an era where digital visibility is currency, why is tennis leaving millions of fan engagements on the table?
Will the ongoing legal challenge and rising player voices finally tip the scales? Or will tennis keep missing its moment to evolve?
What do you think? Should players be allowed to post their own match clips? Could this unlock the next generation of tennis fandom?
Join the debate and share your take below.
