Top Moments in Tennis in 2023 from A to Z

In 2023, we got to see not just one but two new tennis shoes from Asics. Both the Gel Resolution and Court FF series got an update, and both quickly gathered high praise. Depending on which playtester you asked, you might hear Gel Resolution 9 or Court FF 3 as shoe of the year. The Gel Resolution 9 delivers lots of stability and durability, while the Court FF 3 is designed to feel a bit speedier while still offering plenty of stability.

Babolat introduced the Pure Aero 98 at the start of the year, and it quickly won the hearts of many of the TW playtesters. This version has a slightly smaller head size, denser string pattern and a thinner beam for added control. There's still plenty of power to be found, though, to make this racquet a great fit for today's face-paced game. Read up on all the details in our review.

Carlos Alcaraz had a break out year in 2022, and he followed that up with an outstanding 2023. He picked up his second slam title at Wimbledon, which also denied Novak Djokovic his calendar year Grand Slam. Alcaraz also took over the No. 1 spot on the ATP rankings for a bit, although he finished the year second to Djokovic.

The world No. 1 continues to add to his trophy case and legacy. Djokovic won three of the four slams in 2023 (which ups his total to a record 24), was the World Tour Finals champion for a record seventh time and again ended the year at No. 1. The Australian Open is just around the corner. Will Novak lift the trophy to make it 25 slam titles?

Luxilon introduces two strings made from recycled polyester, ECO Power and ECO Rough. The packaging is more minimal and is also made from recycled materials. The strings are both made from a combination of recycled PET bottles and other recycled plastic packing materials. ECO Power is a six-sided co-poly with a medium-firm feel, while ECO Rough is a textured co-poly with a softer feel. When Talk Tennis podcast host Michelle talked with Jo Ann Thomas Kemp, the global line groduct manager at Wilson Racquet Sports, and Thierry Beyltiens, the product innovation director at Luxilon, we learned just how sustainable the string manufacturer is trying to be.

In 1973, Billie Jean King pushed for equal opportunity and launched the Women's Tennis Association. That year the US Open offered equal prize money for the men's and women's champions. It was also in 1973 that Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes.

Rising American star Coco Gauff wins her first US Open in spectacular fashion, overcoming a shaky first set to defeat Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. Coco is sponsored by New Balance, and although they were released later in 2022, her signature Coco CG1 Shoes were popular with our playtesters in our review.

With roots extending back to the 1980s, the Prestige Classic 2.0 is an impressive adaptation of what many consider the Holy Grail of midsize player's racquets, the Head Prestige Pro 600. It not only has the iconic maroon color, but the Prestige Classic 2.0 also delivers the buttery feedback and mindless precision of a bygone era. Our playtesters swooned over the silky, plush feel in their review and found this racquet does justice to the Prestige name.

Iga stands atop the WTA year-end rankings for second year in a row, although she did give up her No. 1 spot to Sabalenka for a couple of months in the fall. Iga proved she is tough to beat on clay, claiming her third Roland Garros title in June.

Sinner reached a career high of No. 4 in 2023 and won four titles, including the ATP Masters 1000 Canada. His defeat of Djokovic (he was one of only seven players to beat Novak in 2023) during Davis Cup saved Italy from elimination. He then paired with Lorenzo Sonego in doubles, beating Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic to secure Italy a Davis Cup final berth. For the first time in 47 years, Italy claimed the Davis Cup with a 2-0 victory over Australia. His stellar 2023 earned him the Most Improved Player of the Year for the ATP award and a Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award nomination.

After finishing 2022 ranked No. 235, the lowest year-end ranking she held since 2015, American Sofia Kenin regained her health and form in 2023, finishing the year at No. 33.

Designed for the aggressive movements of pros like Daniil Medvedev (some of the men's version sport his name and signature logo), the AG-LT23 Ultras quickly won over the TW playtesters. The shoes blend support, stability and comfort and we thought they looked great as well, making them an all-around option for the court.

Marketa Vondrousova had been in one slam final (French Open 2019) before hoisting the trophy this year. Before 2023, her best showing on the grass slam was the round of 64 in 2021. She finished the year with a career high year-end ranking of No. 6 in the world.

Introduced to the market later in 2023, the CT Rally quickly picked up fans on the TW playtest squad. The shoes are replacements for the Lav line and deliver a blend of support, stability and durability. Featuring Fresh FoamX cushioning, these shoes also impressed our playtesters with their cushioned comfort. New Balance does offer these shoes in standard and wide widths as well as offer a durability guarantee.

We may not have had the opportunity to watch Rafa play much tennis in 2023, but this year Babolat gave us mere mortals a chance to try a racquet close to his customized racquet. The Babolat Pure Aero Rafa Origin is not an easy racquet to play with. It has a monster swingweight over 365 on the RDC, but it's fun to use and feel what a pro-level racquet can feel like.

The Prince T22 is well known and loved, but it had been several years since the brand had offered new shoe models. In 2023, Prince offered up two new shoes, a mid-cut model called the Phantom 1 and the Venom. The Phantom 1 sports a retro look and offers plush cushioning, while the Venom is a lighter model that is a good performer all-around.

The match featuring Americans 25-year-old Frances Tiafoe and 21-year-old Ben Shelton thrilled the New York audience with four sets of electric tennis. Shelton defeated Tiafoe 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, hitting 14 aces and 50 winners in the process.

American John Isner retired after this year's US Open. He turned pro in 2007 and reached a career high of No. 8. He is known for his big serve (serving up 14,470 aces over the course of his career, according to the ATP) and perhaps most famously for his record-setting first round match against Nicolas Mahut at the 2010 Wimbledon. That match spanned more than 11 hours, ending 70-68 in the fifth set with Isner as the victor. Wimbledon has since changed the fifth set rules and 10-point tie breaks are played at 6-6 in the final set.

After playing her last pro match at the 2020 Australian Open, Caroline Wozniacki returned to professional tennis for the US hard court swing. She was awarded a wild card into the main draw of the US Open, making it to the fourth round where she lost to eventual champion Coco Gauff. Wozniacki also drew attention for her unitard style from adidas when she opted not to wear the coordinating skirt that came with the set. Check out our article on Pro Looks of 2023 for more memorable outfits of the year.

Elina Svitolina gave birth to her first child in October 2022 and took a break from professional tennis, returning to competition in April 2023. Starting the year off ranked out of the top 200, she earned a spot the top 25 by the end of 2023. Along the way, she won a WTA 500 in France, made the quarterfinals at Roland Garros (losing to Sabalenka) and got to the semifinals of Wimbledon (losing to eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova).

Before 2023, Aryna Sabalenka had made the semis of three previous slams (once at Wimbledon and twice at the US Open) but never the final. She defeated Elena Rybakina in three sets to win her first slam title, kicking off a stellar year. In 2023, she also made the semifinals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, plus was a finalist at the US Open. In September, she reached the No. 1 singles ranking, although she finished the year ranked second behind Iga Swiatek.

• Marcos Giron ends 2023 ranked 60th on the ATP Tour. He had a great tournament at the Japan Open in October, earning a win over Felix Auger-Aliassime before falling to Ben Shelton in the semis.
• Erin Routliffe ends the year at No. 11 in doubles. She won the US Open doubles title with Gaby Dabrowski. At the WTA finals in Cancun, the duo defeated top seeded Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula but lost in the finals.
• Desirae Krawcyzk ended 2023 in the top 20 for doubles.
• Luisa Stefani also finished top 20 for doubles, and she won the mixed doubles title in Australia with fellow Brazilian Rafael Matos.
• Gugu Olmos was top 25 in doubles.
• Asia Muhammad finished in the top 50 rankings for doubles and won the warm up to the Australian Open with Taylor Townsend at Adelaide.
• Kayla Day finished the year at a career high of 87 in singles.
• Danielle Lao is taking a break from the pro circuit and is finding a new passion for coaching.

Americans are gaining momentum on both the men's and women's pro tours. The US has three women (Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys) in the top 20. Emma Navarro (No. 32) and Sofia Kenin (No. 33) are closing in on the top 30 as well. On the men's side, the US has four players in the top 20 (Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton). Sebastian Korda is knocking on the door of the top 20 at No. 24, and Chris Eubanks is not too far off at 34.

Nike brought two new shoes to the market in 2023. We saw the release of the Nike Zoom Vapor 11, the more built-up option of the two new models. After a short break-in, the Zoom Vapor 11 offered good support, stability and durability, according to the TW playtesters in their review. The speedier Vapor Pro 2 was also released and was a hit with our playtesters, who praised the comfort, light feel and overall look of the shoes in their review.

The latest creation of the Wilson Labs, the Shift was developed with extensive feedback from top coaches and elite players. The Shift racquets combine raw speed with spin-friendly precision and great feel. First released as a prototype in February, the official Shift was released in July after a few tweaks to address customer feedback. The Shift's graphite fibers have been meticulously engineered to help the racquet bend in ways that complement the vertical mechanics of the modern game, helping to add spin and improve ball pocketing. We reviewed both the Shift 99 and Shift 99 Pro, with our playtesters finding plenty of power and spin.

The newest addition to the Pro Staff line, the Pro Staff X v14 blends classic Pro Staff attributes with a more user-friendly 100-square-inch head size. This racquet was an instant hit with our playtesters, with one noting she was switching to it after our review. The team found plenty of access to spin, more power than a traditional Pro Staff and a comfortable feel.

This year Yonex introduced a new line of control racquets called Percept to replace the VCORE PRO series. The Percept range comes in five versions of differing head sizes, weights and string patterns, but all of them focus on feel and control. Intermediate players will appreciate the speed and spin-friendly precision of the Percept 97 and 100, while more advanced players will love the plow through of the 97H or the laser-like precision of the 97D (18x20). Yonex also adds a completely new model, the 100D, which combines a forgiving 100-square-inch head with a surgical 18x19 string pattern.

After missing the second half of the 2022 season following his ankle injury at Roland Garros, Alexander Zverev returned to competition in early 2023 ranked out of the top 100. By season's end, Zverev had played his way back into the top 10 and earned a spot in the World Tour Finals in Turin.

That wraps up our look back at 2023 in tennis. We're eagerly awaiting the kick off to the 2024 tennis season. We're looking forward to new racquets from Babolat, Head, Yonex and Dunlop in January. Volkl just released its new Vostra racquets, and adidas has already launched 2024 shoes models, including the Barricade 13 and Avacourt 2, and Nike's new 2024 GP Challenge 1 and GP Challenge Pro are also out in December. Also be sure to look for the new Asics Solution Speed FF 3 in January. As for pro tennis, the season will kick off soon enough with the United Cup in Brisbane at the end of December.

TW Playtesters' Favorite Reviews of 2023
Most Memorable Looks in Pro Tennis in 2023