Welcome to the International Tennis Writers’ Association (ITWA)
ITWA was formed in 2000 to represent the select group of tennis journalists who travel the globe regularly, covering tennis for the written media and radio. ITWA includes members from countries all over the world and the coverage they provide brings tennis to millions worldwide. ITWA is committed to working with the sport’s governing bodies, tournaments, agents and players both to improve the working conditions of tennis journalists and to gain recognition for the media’s vital role in the promotion of the sport. In an ever-changing media environment, ITWA’s role is more important than ever in ensuring the quality and depth of tennis coverage is maintained.
Owen Lewis, Catherine Sneddon honoured at ITWA Reception in New York
New York, September 1, 2026 – Owen Lewis and Catherine Sneddon were honoured at the International Tennis Writers’ Association Reception, which took place at Moss NY on Friday evening.
The annual cocktail evening, which was co-sponsored by the ATP, WTA, World Tennis and Open Tennis Magazine, attracted people from across the tennis world, including tournament and Tour officials, broadcasters, journalists and agents.
View photo gallery by Mike Frey.
Lewis, a 24-year-old freelance writer from the United States, received the Tom Perrotta Prize, awarded for excellence in tennis journalism to someone under the age of 35.
Lewis’s entry was chosen from a panel of five leading tennis journalists, who judged the entries blind. The prize, which was inaugurated in 2022, is given in memory of the highly respected American writer Tom Perrotta, who died from a brain tumour at the age of 44 in 2021.
“I’m so appreciative to Tom Perrotta’s family, ITWA and everybody else who helped put on the event, Lewis said. “I’m hugely honoured and had an incredible time talking to so many colleagues.”
Sneddon received the Bud Collins Award, given to someone who works in tennis but who has gone above and beyond her role to help the media do their jobs. Nominees are voted for by the ITWA membership.
“I feel very honoured to receive the esteemed Bud Collins Media Services Award from the members of ITWA this year,” Sneddon said. “To be acknowledged in this way for the years I have spent with the WTA building successful relationships with all the media is special and much appreciated.”
Coco Gauff, Daniil Medvedev named ITWA ambassadors
ITWA also announced two other prizes at the US Open: Coco Gauff and Daniil Medvedev were selected as the 2026 ITWA Player Ambassadors, recognising their willingness to speak to the media openly and honestly, even after defeats.
Gauff won the women’s award for the second year in a row while Medvedev received the men’s prize for the first time. Both players were presented with their prizes at the US Open. “At least I win one trophy,” quipped Medvedev.
Owen Lewis awarded the 2026 Tom Perrotta Prize for Tennis Journalism
The International Tennis Writers’ Association (ITWA) is delighted to announce that Owen Lewis has been awarded the 2026 Tom Perrotta Prize for Tennis Journalism.
The annual prize, which was inaugurated in 2022, is awarded to a writer aged 35 or under who shows excellence in tennis journalism. It includes a cash prize of $2000 and will be presented on the eve of the US Open in New York. A panel of five leading tennis journalists judged the entries blind.
Owen is a 24-year-old freelance writer from the United States, based in Boston, whose work has been published in outlets worldwide, including The Guardian, The Athletic, The Second Serve and Defector.
Each applicant submitted two articles. Owen’s first was a piece about the intense reaction he received on social media at the Australian Open when he asked a number of American players about their reaction to the war with Iran. His second was a piece about Jannik Sinner and his seemingly robotic nature.
The award is in memory of the American writer Tom Perrotta, whose exemplary contributions to tennis were curtailed by his untimely death at the age of 44.
“I’m thrilled and honoured to receive this year’s Tom Perrotta Prize,” Lewis said. “I never had the privilege of meeting Tom, but the care and craft in his stories and the fond remembrances by his colleagues make clear what a positive and hardworking presence he was in both friendship and the press room.
“I’m grateful to his family and the judging panel for creating and giving out the prize — there aren’t many young tennis writers left, or much money left in the business, and the Tom Perrotta prize is such a lovely incentive for us to keep writing about this amazing sport, as well as motivating us to strive for the high standard Tom set.
“I’m also in debt to my editors on the stories I submitted: Tom Ley at Defector, who encouraged me to keep writing when the reporting for one of my articles spiralled out of control, and Alan Dean at n+1, for taking a chance on the long submission I sent him about a sport literary magazines don’t often cover.”
ITWA would like to thank all those who entered and to the members of the judging panel for their time and expertise. The standard of entries was very high.
The Association of Tennis Professionals, The Women’s Tennis Association, The International Tennis Federation and ITWA co-sponsor the prize.
Details of how to enter the competition in 2026 will be announced in due course.
ITWA Co-president Howard Fendrich passes
The International Tennis Writers’ Association is incredibly sad to learn of the passing of its co-president, Howard Fendrich, who died in the early hours of Thursday after a short illness.
An esteemed tennis writer for the Associated Press since 2002 and a long-time ITWA member, Howard was one of the best-known journalists on the circuit, an ever-present on the Tour.
Always respectful but never afraid to ask tough questions, Howard set standards with his meticulous journalism, while his work ethic and drive were unmatched.
His impact on the sport was clear to see in the tributes from many players, led by Roger Federer, who told AP: “He was one of those constant and reassuring presences in the tennis world for many years. He started covering tennis in 2002, right around the time I was starting to have my breakthrough in the sport and over time he truly became part of the fabric of tennis. Tennis lost a wonderful journalist and a great person.”
Rafael Nadal echoed Federer’s words, saying: “Tennis loses one of its great journalists. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”
Howard also covered numerous Olympic Games, most recently in Italy in February of this year.
In addition to his writing work, Howard served on the ITWA Board and for the past three years, was co-president, working hard to improve working conditions for all journalists, both inside and outside of ITWA.
Howard was a good friend to many in tennis, both inside ITWA and beyond, and a great co-president.
ITWA sends its condolences and best wishes to his wife, Rosanna, and his two sons, Stefano and Jordan.
A Tribute to Mark Hodgkinson
By Simon Cambers
It is with enormous sadness and shock that we reflect on the passing of British journalist and author Mark Hodgkinson, who has died at the age of 46.
Mark Hodgkinson was a hugely talented writer and a funny, lovely guy. The Telegraph’s tennis correspondent from 2005 to 2011, he took over from the legendary John Parsons and he filled the role brilliantly with a light touch and a wicked sense of humour.
Mark never took himself too seriously (or tennis for that matter) but did his job diligently and creatively, always looking for a different angle on a story, interview or match report. His time at the Telegraph spanned the careers of some of the all-time greats in tennis history, from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to Serena and Venus Williams, to Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, with the latter’s quest for a first Grand Slam title consuming much of his time.
Generous and always happy to chat, Mark left The Telegraph in 2011. He then set up The Tennis Space, an independent tennis website, securing funding and helping it to become one of the most respected news sources. In 2013, he wrote his first book, a biography of Andy Murray, charting the Scot’s path to grand slam glory.
Over the years that followed, Mark became a prolific and award-winning author. He wrote books on Serena Williams and Roger Federer and penned books about Ivan Lendl, Novak Djokovic and most recently, Carlos Alcaraz, The Man Behind the Smile. His latest book, Three Kings, is due to be published this summer.
I worked with Mark at The Tennis Space and again when we created the first ever Fantasy Wimbledon game together, in 2014. He was smart, hard-working, fun and unfailingly kind, always good company.
In addition to his books, Mark worked at Wimbledon every year, elevating the official website with his wit and wisdom.
Mark is survived by his partner, Amy, and daughters Molly, 15, and Rosie, 12.
He will be tremendously missed.
Guillermo Salatino, a life devoted to tennis
Sebastián Fest
BUENOS AIRES – In one of the countless conversations we shared over more than 30 years, Guillermo Salatino, aka ‘Salata’, told me the following.
‘Last night, Eduardo Puppo and I spent two hours discussing this in bed. Between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. We debated whether (Guillermo) Vilas’ last ‘Great Willy’ (tweener) was against Manolo Orantes in 1974 in Buenos Aires or not.’
Salatino, who died on 17 January 2026 in Buenos Aires at the age of 80, had a love for tennis that was never fanaticism, because he was interested in other things in life. But that love was unconditional, constant, faithful. Puppo, one of Argentina’s great tennis journalists, was capable of debating any topic related to the racket, and ‘Salata’ loved that.
Vilas’ last ‘great willy,’ which is what Argentines call the “tweener”, the shot between the legs, with the back to the net, was in Buenos Aires, Salatino and Puppo concluded after reviewing videos in the middle of the night in New York.
‘It was the last one in an official match. After that, there were others in exhibitions,’ they agreed.
‘Salata’ liked to reminisce about his years as a high-level club player representing the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club (BALTC), as well as recounting endless anecdotes that linked him to the greatest players in history, from Rod Laver to Roger Federer, from Martina Navratlova to the Williams sisters.
He knew and understood tennis as only someone who had played and loved it could know and understand. Those who knew him only from television or radio often believed that his life was that of a kind of Arab tennis sheikh. Nothing could be further from the truth: he was extremely careful with money, always with his family in mind.
“In Rome, I stayed at the Pensione Erdarelli for 15 years. A tiny door, you enter through a corridor, a narrow house, you are greeted by a couple over 70 years old… Rooms with five-metre ceilings, four by four, huge and dirty, falling off the walls because they were so faded. Of course, it was fantastically located 150 metres from the Piazza Spagna, but it was so miserable that when you got to your room, the cockroaches would say “buonasera” to you,” he told me in an interview I did with him at Wimbledon in 2022, which was the last of the 147 Grand Slam tournaments he covered.
In addition to his sense of humour, ‘Salata’ was a magician when it came to finding the right metaphor to explain complex situations in a tennis match with simplicity. This made him approachable and widely known (‘not famous,’ as he insisted on clarifying), allowing him to have an impact far beyond the specific audience of tennis and sports fans.
He loved tennis and journalism with a passion that was only surpassed by his love for his family. And he admired Gabriela Sabatini with luminous transparency and sincerity.
In 2010, a turning point in his life occurred with the death of his son Alejandro. I saw him suffer like never before, I saw him sad to a degree that I never imagined possible for this man of great stature, with his powerful voice and quick, witty repartee at any moment. But he carried on, finding refuge in the tennis he loved so much and in his family.
The death of his wife María Angelica, the love of his life, a few years ago was too much of a blow for him.
It wasn’t always easy to talk to ‘Salata’; he had a big ego and his passion could sometimes make him angrier than necessary. But it was always worth talking to him.
In those endless conversations, something very important always came up, there was a constant reminder: journalism is not glamour, it is not fame, it is not “likes”, it is not showmanship. It is passion, conviction, persistence and many, many hours of work. ‘Salata’ knew a lot about that.
A Tribute to John Roberts
John Roberts retired as tennis correspondent of The Independent in 2006, but for years afterwards he would spend one day every summer back at Wimbledon. However, on those return trips to the All England Club he would not spend much time watching backhands and forehands. Instead, most of his day would be spent talking to the dozens of former colleagues and acquaintances who wanted to catch up with him.
John, who has died at the age of 84, was a hugely popular figure in media centres and press boxes around the world during his 44-year career working for British newspapers, namely the Daily Express, The Guardian, the Daily Mail and The Independent. He was one of the best connected and best informed reporters and was always happy to share his knowledge with colleagues.
Click here for the complete story.
Sebastian Varela, Matt Van Tuinen honoured at ITWA Reception in New York
Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff receive player ambassador awards
New York, August 26, 2025 – Sebastián Varela and Matt Van Tuinen were honoured at the International Tennis Writers’ Association Reception, which took place at the Yale Club of New York on Saturday.
The annual cocktail evening – held for the first time since 2019 – was attended by a wide range of people from the tennis world, including tournament officials, broadcasters, journalists and ATP and WTA Tour communications staff.
Click here for the complete Sebastián Varela and Matt Van Tuinen story.
Click here for the player ambassador awards story. View photo gallery by Fred Mullane.
