NEW YORK (AP) — About 10 minutes into the movie “ Challengers,” Zendaya’s character’s daughter pokes her head into a room and asks about watching something on TV together.
“Of course we can. We’re just talking about tennis right now,” comes the mom’s response. To which the child replies: “But you’re always talking about tennis.”
Sure seems that way in the broader world of pop culture right now as the U.S. Open arrives to wrap up the Grand Slam season. Tennis is having a moment even before play begins at Flushing Meadows on Monday — from the Zendaya vehicle's use of the sport as a backdrop for its three-person love story, to the way Roland Garros serves as a setting in Season 4, Episode 1 of “Emily in Paris,” to recently released docuseries about Serena Williams and Roger Federer and an upcoming show about Carlos Alcaraz, to Williams' turn as host of the ESPYs, to the roles played by Coco Gauff, Rafael Nadal, Amelie Mauresmo and Williams in the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics.
And so on.
“Tennis is very deeply intertwined in the culture and the zeitgeist now. And it’s great to see,” said Jill Smoller, the longtime agent for Williams. “With all the movies and TV, the continued crossover between sports and fashion — in almost every sector, you’re seeing some athlete, somewhere, being represented.”
The sport is emerging from a golden era on the court, with Williams claiming a women's-record 23 Grand Slam singles titles before walking away in 2022, Novak Djokovic up to 24 and still going, Nadal at 22 and Federer, who announced his retirement two years ago, at 20.
Now there is a new group of young stars. There's the No. 1-ranked woman, Iga Swiatek, who already owns five major championships at age 23. Alcaraz has four, including the past two at the French Open and Wimbledon, and he's 21. Gauff, whose first Slam trophy came at Flushing Meadows a year ago, is 20.
It's off the court, though, where the spotlight is brightest these days.
“It’s growing,” said Taylor Fritz, a 26-year-old Californian who is ranked No. 12, the highest spot for a U.S. man. “With all the things going on in the entertainment space with tennis, I can't see how it's not bringing more attention and eyes to the sport. So that’s great. I want more than anything to see tennis be more recognized and popular in the U.S. Because outside the U.S., it seems like it’s always more popular.”
That's why Saudi Arabia's Private Investment Fund is pouring millions into tennis, sponsoring the women's and men's tours' rankings; the kingdom also is now the site of the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh and the ATP's Next Gen Finals for top 21-and-under players in Jeddah. Why the WTA and ATP announced Thursday that they're releasing a new video game called TIEBREAK. Why the for-profit arm of the Professional Tennis Players Association just struck a deal on behalf of more than 200 players to sell Topps trading cards.
The ATP said this week its sponsorship revenues grew by 50% from 2023 to 2024. The WTA's social media channels increased their follower count by nearly 25% to almost 6 million from May 2023 to May 2024, and its social video views more than tripled to 66.5 million over the same period.
“Tennis, or sports in general, is the last, best reality show. People are clamoring for unscripted shows — and even the unscripted shows seem scripted sometimes, whereas tennis doesn’t. It can tug at the heartstrings. There are villains; there are heroes,” said James Blake, a former player who reached No. 4 in the rankings and now is the tournament director of the Miami Open.
“Tennis leaves it all out there. You don’t have a team to console you. You don’t have 10 other guys with you in the huddle," Blake said. "It's you out there, alone, showing all of your emotions. So people are relating to that."
Netflix attempted to capitalize via “ Break Point,” but the series never quite resonated and was canceled after just two seasons.
Still, that streaming service is counting on tennis to generate interest in other ways, whether through live coverage of an exhibition match in Las Vegas between Nadal and Alcaraz in March, or by having its cameras follow Alcaraz around this season for a future series.
“It's cool that tennis is becoming more worldwide," said Marta Kostyuk, a 22-year-old from Ukraine who is ranked in the top 20, "and presented to people, in a way, as a ‘normal’ sport. I think people used to see it as too distant.”
Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
FILE - An emotional Roger Federer, left, of Team Europe, sits alongside his playing partner, Rafael Nadal, after their Laver Cup doubles match against Team World's Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe at the O2 arena in London, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
FILE - Serena Williams arrives at the ESPY awards, July 11, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
FILE - Zendaya, a cast member in "Challengers," poses at the premiere of the film at the Regency Village Theatre, April 16, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — United Nations talks on getting money to curb and adapt to climate change resumed Monday with tempered hope that negotiators and ministers can work through disagreements and hammer out a deal after slow progress last week.
That hope comes from the arrival of the climate and environment ministers from around the world this week in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the COP29 talks. They’ll give their teams instructions on ways forward.
"We are in a difficult place,” said Melanie Robinson, economics and finance program director of global climate at the World Resources Institute. “The discussion has not yet moved to the political level — when it does I think ministers will do what they can to make a deal.”
Talks in Baku are focused on getting more climate cash for developing countries to transition away from fossil fuels, adapt to climate change and pay for damages caused by extreme weather. But countries are far apart on how much money that will require. Several experts put the sum needed at around $1 trillion.
“One trillion is going to look like a bargain five, 10 years from now,” said Rachel Cleetus from the Union of Concerned Scientists, citing a multitude of costly recent extreme weather events from flooding in Spain to hurricanes Helene and Milton in the United States. “We’re going to wonder why we didn’t take that and run with it.”
Also on Monday, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has been mulling a proposal to cut public spending for foreign fossil fuel projects. The OECD — made up of 38 member countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan and Germany — are discussing a deal that could prevent up to $40 billion worth of carbon-polluting projects.
At COP29, activists are protesting the U.S., South Korea, Japan, and Turkey who they say are the key holdouts preventing the agreement in Paris from being finalized.
“It’s of critical importance that President Biden comes out in support. We know it’s really important that he lands a deal that Trump cannot undo. This can be really important for Biden’s legacy," said Lauri van der Burg, Global Public Finance Lead at Oil Change international. “If he comes around, this will help mount pressure on other laggards including Korea, Turkey and Japan.”
Meanwhile, the world’s biggest decision makers are halfway around the world as another major summit convenes. Brazil is hosting the Group of 20 summit, which runs Nov. 18-19, bringing together many of the world's largest economies. Climate change — among other major topics like rising global tensions and poverty — will be on the agenda.
Harjeet Singh, global engagement director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, said G20 nations “cannot turn their backs on the reality of their historical emissions and the responsibility that comes with it.”
"They must commit to trillions in public finance," he said.
In a written statement on Friday, United Nations Climate Change's executive secretary Simon Stiell said “the global climate crisis should be order of business Number One” at the G20 meetings.
Stiell noted that progress on stopping more warming should happen both in and out of climate talks, calling the G20's role “mission-critical.”
Associated Press journalist Ahmed Hatem in Baku contributed to this report.
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Activist Ann Carlotta Oltmanns, center, pretends to resuscitate Earth with others during a demonstration at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Activist Friday Barilule Nbani leads a demonstration for clean energy at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 President, bangs a gavel during a plenary session at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Attendees gather in the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Yalchin Rafiyev, Azerbaijan's COP29 lead negotiator, attends a plenary session at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A demonstrators holds a sign that reads "don't burn our future" at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Attendees arrive at the venue as it rains during the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Activists participate in a demonstration for climate finance at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Arnold Jason Del Rosario leads a demonstration on climate finance at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
People arrive as it rains at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
