The journal Volume 2026

Every examination we've published.

Newest first. Browse by topic from the navigation, or by category from the footer. Older pieces stay reachable forever — we don't archive away from URLs.

Page 1 of 8

001
Tennis History ·6 min · June 2026

How Australian Tennis Players Were Built: The Pipeline Behind the Legends

Between 1960 and 1971, the men's singles title at the Australian Championships went to a home player every single year. Eleven straight.

002
Racquets ·6 min · June 2026

The Spin Racquet Upgrade Cycle: A Racquet Review Desk Looks at What Actually Improved

Every two or three years a flagship spin frame arrives with a number attached. A new groove pattern, a reshaped beam, a softer layup, and somewhere in the launch deck a figure that suggests this…

003
Shoes ·10 min · June 2026

Tennis Shoe Review: Why Does a Shoe That Fits in the Store Wreck Your Feet by the Third Set?

You try a shoe on in the store. You walk a few laps of the carpet, do a couple of awkward little hops by the bench, and it feels right — snug at the heel, no pinch across the toes.

004
Babolat ·6 min · June 2026

Vibration Dampener Review: What the 35 Hz Question Tells You — and What It Doesn't

There is a number that should govern every vibration dampener review, and it is close to zero. Across the peer-reviewed work that has actually instrumented this question — most directly Stroede, Noble…

005
Racquets ·5 min · June 2026

How to Read a Racquet Variant Guide: A Tennis Racquet Review of What "New" Actually Means

There is a belief that shows up in nearly every forum thread about a new frame: that the latest generation, or the "plus" or "tour" variant sitting next to the standard model on the wall, is a…

006
Coaching ·6 min · June 2026

The Free Tennis Community Is Better Than Paid Coaching — Until It Isn't

The advice gets repeated in every corner of the internet where rackets are discussed: you do not need to pay for coaching.

007
Grand Slam ·5 min · June 2026

American Tennis Players With Grand Slam Titles: A Reference Guide to the Greats and the Gap

The week before the 2025 US Open, we printed the men's singles draw and did something that took ninety seconds and felt slightly grim: we counted the Americans. Eleven in the 128.

008
Babolat ·6 min · June 2026

Babolat Custom Damp: A Vibration Dampener Review for Players Who Tune Their Own Racquets

Babolat's Custom Damp ships with Rafael Nadal's name attached and a small bag of rubber inserts, which is exactly the kind of pairing that makes us suspicious.

009
Entertainment ·9 min · June 2026

Tweener Shots Ranked: Which Era Gave Us the Best Between-the-Legs Magic?

There is a sound a crowd makes when a player turns their back to the net, spreads their legs, and flicks the ball over their own head toward an opponent they cannot see.

010
Reference ·5 min · June 2026

American Tennis Players in the Hall of Fame: A Reference Guide That Argues Against Its Own Nostalgia

The story everyone tells about American tennis is a story about men, and it ends in 2003. That is the year Andy Roddick won the US Open and became, to date, the last American man to win a Grand Slam…