Matthew Futterman

Senior Writer in Paris

Matthew Futterman is an award-winning veteran sports journalist and the author of two books, “Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed” and “Players: How Sports Became a Business.”Before coming to The Athletic in 2023, he worked for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Star-Ledger of New Jersey and The Philadelphia Inquirer. He is currently writing a book about tennis, "The Cruelest Game: Agony, Ecstasy and Near Death Experiences on the Pro Tennis Tour," to be published by Doubleday in 2026.

Rafael Nadal's Olympics defeat was so close to the tennis swansong he craves — but so far

All the ingredients were there for a big moment at Roland Garros. Just the tennis eluded one of the greats of the sport.

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What happens if the Seine isn't clean enough in time for the Olympic triathlon?

Matthew Futterman26

Olympics tennis analysis: Novak Djokovic shows Rafael Nadal no mercy at Paris Games

Matthew Futterman and Charlie Eccleshare63

Tennis Briefing: Olympic singles rules, Czech stars and late nights in Atlanta

Matthew Futterman and Charlie Eccleshare6

Rafael Nadal sets up Olympic tennis clash with old rival Novak Djokovic in Paris

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Steven van de Velde brings yet another moral hazard to the Olympics

PARIS — There is no way to sugarcoat this. On Sunday morning in Paris, a convicted child rapist named Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands played beach volleyball underneath the Eiffel Tower. He and his teammate, Matthew Immers, lost in three sets to Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula Raurich of Italy amid a few scattered jeers but little else that might have hinted that, a decade ago, when he was 19, Van de Velde raped a 12-year-old girl in England. He had befriended her online, then boarded a flight from the Netherlands to meet her for a series of sexual encounters in the summer of...

Matthew Futterman

The great America-Australia relay rivalry gets another worthy chapter in Paris

Saturday night, Australia and the U.S. each won one of the two 4x100-meter freestyle relays. And that feels right.

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A walk along the Seine for the Olympic opening ceremony, where the joy was back

Friday in Paris, the Olympics brought spectators and athletes together again in a way the spectacle sorely needed.

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Rohan Bopanna's path to the Olympics, via a Grand Slam and doubles world No 1

Rohan Bopanna's path to world No 1 in doubles and a Grand Slam title with Matt Ebden is built on yoga in southern India

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Can Paris as Olympic host renew enthusiasm for the Games?

Paris hopes to restore to the Games that mythical quality that for so long allowed it to exist as something so much more than sport.

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Elena Rybakina withdraws from Paris Olympics tennis competition

Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the women’s tennis competition at the Paris Olympics. The world number four was set to be the third seed for the event following Aryna Sabalenka’s own withdrawal. France’s Caroline Garcia now moves into her seeded slot in the draw. Alternate Daria Saville of Australia moves into the main draw and will play China’s Qinwen Zheng in the first round. Rybakina has reached the quarter-finals twice on the clay at Roland Garros, where the Olympic competition will be held, in 2021 and earlier this year. She would have met Naomi Osaka or...

Ben Burrows and Matthew Futterman26

AI comes to the Olympics: In Paris, new tech will change your view of the Games

A series of innovations will allow viewers on NBC and other telecasts to experience the ebbs and flows of the Olympics as never before.

Matthew Futterman4

Salt Lake City gets 2034 Winter Olympics, 2030 to French Alps: Why now, and what it means

As options for Winter Olympics hosts dwindle, the IOC on Wednesday awarded the 2030 and 2034 Games to familiar places.

Zack Pierce and Matthew Futterman121

At the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, tennis is as odd a fit as ever

Squeeze in a clay-court event, or go get ready for the hard-court swing? The Olympics create a complicated situation for many tennis stars.

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Wimbledon 2024 review: Best match, favourite player and most Wimbledon moment

The Athletic's tennis team reflect on Wimbledon 2024, picking the players, matches, and moments of the tournament

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Tennis Briefing: Wimbledon highlights, Murray's farewell, and Swiatek's grass

Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krejcikova are your Wimbledon champions - but what are the takeaways from the All England Club this year?

Matthew Futterman and Charlie Eccleshare11

Barbora Krejcikova and Jasmine Paolini's Wimbledon final met Jana Novotna's legacy

Barbora Krejcikova and Jasmine Paolini's Wimbledon final may not be part of a grand tennis narrative. It doesn't need to be – it was enough

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Carlos Alcaraz's rout of Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon is a watershed moment for tennis

Carlos Alcaraz dispatched Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, in less of a transfer of power than a takeover

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Wimbledon final analysis: Carlos Alcaraz beats Novak Djokovic for second Wimbledon title

How Carlos Alcaraz used his serve and ruthlessness to beat Novak Djokovic and win his second Wimbledon title

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Wimbledon final analysis: Barbora Krejcikova beats Jasmine Paolini at All England Club

How Barbora Krejcikova won the Wimbledon women's final against Jasmine Paolini

Matthew Futterman and Charlie Eccleshare21

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon final is a duel of extraordinary quests

One seeks the toughest Grand Slam double. The other, what seemed impossible five weeks ago. Something has to give

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Wimbledon recap: Townsend and Siniakova end Hsieh Wimbledon doubles streak

On men's semifinal day, there were more calls for VAR in tennis, and a women's doubles streak got snapped

Charlie Eccleshare and Matthew Futterman11

Novak Djokovic beats Lorenzo Musetti for Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz

WIMBLEDON — Novak Djokovic set up a Wimbledon rematch with Carlos Alcaraz by beating Lorenzo Musetti, 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 on Centre Court on Friday, concluding his run to the final at the All England Club that started just 25 days after surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee. Just over five weeks after that procedure, he is in his tenth Wimbledon final. Despite some stunning shots and quality point construction from Musetti, Djokovic effectively countered the Italian’s variation in speed and spin from his backhand slice. When Musetti went cross court into Djokovic’s backhand, he...

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Wimbledon women's semifinals recap: Three-set matches and a Royal Box dog

On day 11 of Wimbledon, the women's semifinals made history, and the pressure of having a match "on your racket" came to the fore

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Jasmine Paolini: How she became a French Open and Wimbledon finalist

The 28-year-old Italian has gone from a good tour pro to a two-time Grand Slam finalist in just a few months. What's her secret?

Matthew Futterman24

Matthew Futterman

Rafael Nadal's Olympics defeat was so close to the tennis swansong he craves — but so far

More Stories

Steven van de Velde brings yet another moral hazard to the Olympics

The great America-Australia relay rivalry gets another worthy chapter in Paris

A walk along the Seine for the Olympic opening ceremony, where the joy was back

Rohan Bopanna's path to the Olympics, via a Grand Slam and doubles world No 1

Can Paris as Olympic host renew enthusiasm for the Games?

Elena Rybakina withdraws from Paris Olympics tennis competition

AI comes to the Olympics: In Paris, new tech will change your view of the Games

Salt Lake City gets 2034 Winter Olympics, 2030 to French Alps: Why now, and what it means

At the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, tennis is as odd a fit as ever

Wimbledon 2024 review: Best match, favourite player and most Wimbledon moment

Tennis Briefing: Wimbledon highlights, Murray's farewell, and Swiatek's grass

Barbora Krejcikova and Jasmine Paolini's Wimbledon final met Jana Novotna's legacy

Carlos Alcaraz's rout of Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon is a watershed moment for tennis

Wimbledon final analysis: Carlos Alcaraz beats Novak Djokovic for second Wimbledon title

Wimbledon final analysis: Barbora Krejcikova beats Jasmine Paolini at All England Club

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon final is a duel of extraordinary quests

Wimbledon recap: Townsend and Siniakova end Hsieh Wimbledon doubles streak

Novak Djokovic beats Lorenzo Musetti for Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz

Wimbledon women's semifinals recap: Three-set matches and a Royal Box dog

Jasmine Paolini: How she became a French Open and Wimbledon finalist