We are tennis fans and players who see the court as hallowed ground. We’ve stayed up after every reasonable person has gone to bed and gotten up before the sun even thought about rising — sometimes in the same day — to watch our dearest players do battle. We pull for thrilling underdogs and celebrate our prized champions. We’ve spent countless hours on the court chasing perfection. Through it all, we’ve sacrificed social outings, our bodies, and sometimes our sanity.

That’s because, for us, tennis isn’t just another form of entertainment or exercise. Tennis has given us a boost in confidence. A sense of direction. It’s earned us wins and given us life-long friends. It has trained us to believe in ourselves — and others. And it has taught us to never give up. Never, ever give up.

We honor our history — our ridiculously brilliant history of Ashe, King, Gibson, Laver, Williams — and, yet, we know there’s still more work to be done for future generations, and for ourselves.

We just want everyone to love tennis as much as we do, as if that’s too much to ask.

And that’s why you’re here — at Court Theory.

What is Court Theory?

Court Theory is a boutique journalism venture with daily writing, a weekly newsletter, and a podcast (coming fall 2024) — all dedicated to tennis life from the pro tour to the public courts. We focus less on the crowded corridors of breaking news and more on our own sweet spot of powerful stories and critical analysis.

We marvel at the elements that make our sport beautiful, and we confront the outsized powers shaping it. We keep an eye on trends and entertain big ideas. We dig into our history and celebrate our culture. And we face some hard truths, too. All because we know how great our sport is — and should be.

About Allen McDuffee

Allen McDuffee is a writer, podcaster, and editor, and the creator of Court Theory — a boutique journalism venture dedicated to powerful stories and critical analysis celebrating all things tennis. Allen has been a reporter for The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Wired, and has bylines in Racquet, NPR, The New Republic, The Nation, The American Prospect, and the New York Observer, among others. He’s interviewed top pro players, Silicon Valley CEOs, and presidential candidates and senators.

Allen grew up playing competitive tennis in the Chicago area, where he developed a game suited to indoor tennis — a power game meant to end points within five shots (and hopefully at the net). He roots for the players who can do it all, with extra cheers for the serve-and-volleyers (here’s to you, Taylor Townsend and Maxime Cressy). 

Today, Allen lives in Philadelphia, where he plays four to five times a week. He competes on a few USTA teams and carries national rankings in multiple divisions. On the court, Allen is still chasing the perfect running forehand winner, and he’s most certainly decked out in his favorite heritage clothing brands.