I am features writer, covering several of the key storylines - both modern and historical - across tennis. My main focus and interest is on facts & data, and historical contest, producing an array of content for Tennis365 in these areas across the year. I have also attended the Queen's Club Championships on behalf of the site, as well as interviewing former stars such as Gilles Simon, Marion Bartoli, and Mike Bryan. After receiving a gold-standard NCTJ qualification in 2021, I went on to work for Beat Media Group from June 2021 to September 2023. My time at Beat Media saw me attend the Wimbledon Championships in 2023 and also cover events such as the YONEX All England, and write for publications such as The Independent, The i, and England Football. I joined Planet Sport in April 2024 as part of the Tennis365 team and have been working for the site for one year. Having grown up in Hertfordshire, I studied English at the University of Southampton from 2016-19. Entering sports journalism has been my passion since I was a child, and I have been an avid tennis fan for the best part of two decades.
Articles by Oli Dickson Jefford

The 7 men to record 18+ top-10 wins in a season: ft Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Rafael Nadal
Only 6 men have won as many top-10 matches in a season as Sinner has done in 2024.

Novak Djokovic’s major Andy Murray decision sends ‘signal’ to ATP rivals
Djokovic's decision to hire Murray sends a "signal", believes former ATP star Julien Benneteau.

‘Facing Jannik Sinner is like trying to solve a puzzle that not many people have succeeded in’
Sinner has lost just six times in 2024 - and has won all nine career meetings against Alex de Minaur.

Iga Swiatek 2025 schedule: First events of new year confirmed
Swiatek will look to regain her world No 1 ranking when the 2025 season begins.

Rafael Nadal’s ‘eternal’ French Open mark hailed as ‘unique’ by fellow clay icon
Nadal won a record 14 titles at Roland Garros, losing just 4 of 116 matches.

Have Jannik Sinner and Anna Kalinskaya called time on their relationship?
World No 1 Sinner and WTA star Kalinskaya first confirmed their relationship earlier this year.

Rafael Nadal’s greatest season: What was the best year of his career?
We compare four of Nadal's finest seasons to see how they stack up.

Carlos Alcaraz: Roger Federer’s ex-coach reveals where Spaniard ‘lost joy’ in 2024
Alcaraz won the French Open and Wimbledon but then struggled across the rest of the summer.

Iga Swiatek reflects on ‘not being a superhero’ as she assesses 2024 season
Swiatek won a fourth French Open title and five titles overall across 2024 - though lost the world No 1 ranking.

The 9 oldest Grand Slam men’s singles champions to retire – ft. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer
Nadal and Roger Federer are among the oldest Grand Slam champions to retire from tennis.

Nadal, Alcaraz, & more: The 9 greatest Spanish male tennis players of the Open Era – ranked!
Following Nadal's retirement, we look back at Spain's greatest male champions of the Open Era.

Novak Djokovic’s key ‘ability’ hailed by Justine Henin in 2024 season verdict
Djokovic won just one title in 2024 - but it was the one he wanted more than anything else.

Rafael Nadal makes brutal Davis Cup selection admission after opening loss
Nadal was beaten by Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets on Tuesday.

Rafael Nadal’s 6 Davis Cup rubber defeats – as he’s handed second singles loss
Botic van de Zandschulp handed Nadal just his sixth loss across singles and doubles in Davis Cup action.

The 16 men to win multiple ATP titles in 2024: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz top two
Sixteen men won multiple ATP singles titles in 2024.

WATCH: Rafael Nadal tears up ahead of Davis Cup farewell in Malaga
Nadal was brought to tears ahead of the final event of his epic career.

Jannik Sinner’s coach claims ‘work to be done’ in one area of improvement
Sinner won eight titles in 2024 and finishes the year as the world No 1.

Rafael Nadal: Davis Cup opponent’s ‘crazy’ admission about ending Spaniard’s career
Nadal is set to play Botic Van de Zandschulp in Malaga.

Rafael Nadal: Spaniard’s 7 greatest match wins – ranked!
We look back at some of Nadal's greatest ever victories.

2024 ATP Tour Awards – ft. Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic
We hand out our 2024 ATP awards following an enthralling season.

Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic, & co: The 9 best ATP players of 2024 – ranked!
We rank the nine best players of the 2024 ATP season.

The 7 nations with most Billie Jean King Cup titles: USA out in front
Seven nations have won the Billie Jean King at least three times.

Jannik Sinner & Taylor Fritz star, Carlos Alcaraz falters – ATP Finals Winners & Losers
We look at the big winners and losers following action in Turin.

Aryna Sabalenka reveals why she lost ‘focus’ during WTA Finals campaign
Sabalenka was the WTA Finals favourite, but fell in the semi-final to Coco Gauff.

Rafael Nadal farewell: Tennis great ‘will decide if he is ready to play’ at Davis Cup
Former world No 1 Nadal will call time on his career following Davis Cup Finals action.

Billie Jean King at odds with Iga Swiatek, Carlos Alcaraz as she slams scheduling complaints
Scheduling has been one of the key talking points in tennis across 2024.

ATP Finals: The 6 men to reach the most finals – ft. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic
Six men have played in five or more finals at the year-end championships.

Emma Raducanu defended by Billie Jean King with ‘very patient’ message
Raducanu will end her season at the Billie Jean King Cup in Malaga.

Taylor Fritz’s ‘major breakthrough’ hailed by US legend after landmark season
Fritz has reached the ATP Finals semi-finals following the best year of his career.

Nick Kyrgios comeback event confirmed after two-year injury nightmare
Kyrgios will be back in action after not playing an official ATP event since June 2023.

Ranked! The 9 most improved WTA players of 2024 – ft. Paolini, Qinwen, Andreeva
We look at the players who made the biggest improvements across a thrilling WTA season.

5 tennis greats who never won the ATP Finals – ft. Rafael Nadal
The ATP Finals is one of the only titles missing from Nadal's stacked trophy cabinet.

Diego Forlan and Paolo Maldini: When football icons turned to tennis
Forlan played at the Uruguay Open this week - though isn't the first football star to take to court.

WTA Rankings: The 8 active women to be world No 1 – ft. Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka
Eight current WTA players have been the world No 1 at some point in their careers.

Jannik Sinner’s fired coach hired by ATP star despite doping controversy
Umberto Ferrera is set to return to ATP duties just months after leaving Sinner's entourage.

Rafael Nadal farewell ‘going to be helpful’ for Billie Jean King Cup Finals
Nadal is calling time on his career at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.

Iga Swiatek’s tribute to ‘really nice’ Paula Badosa ahead of Billie Jean King Cup clash
Swiatek and Badosa will meet when Poland takes on Spain in Malaga.

‘Very dangerous’ Novak Djokovic backed for Grand Slam resurgence in 2025
2024 proved to be the first season since 2017 that Djokovic did not win a major title.

The 6 men to win ATP Finals title but never win a Grand Slam: ft Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas
Only six previous ATP Finals champions have not won a major.

Coco Gauff’s ‘resilience’ hailed by former No 1 after WTA Finals triumph
Gauff overcame a difficult summer to win one of the biggest titles of her career in Riyadh.

Aryna Sabalenka ‘deserves’ world No 1 over Iga Swiatek, says former No 2
Sabalenka usurped Swiatek to seal the year-end world No 1 ranking for 2024.

Billie Jean King Cup Finals: 5 stars to watch – ft. Emma Raducanu, Iga Swiatek
Some big WTA names will be competing for their country in Malaga.

The 9 best WTA Tour matches of 2024 – ranked! ft. Swiatek, Sabalenka
We look back at some of the best battles in the women's game this year.

The 7 youngest ATP Finals champions: ft Novak Djokovic, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi
We look at the youngest players to lift the ATP Finals title.

ATP Live Rankings Turin: Casper Ruud usurps Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev extends Carlos Alcaraz gap
One round of group action in Turin already means there will be change in the ATP Rankings next week.

2024 WTA Tour Awards – ft Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Zheng Qinwen
We hand out our awards after a thrilling 2024 WTA season.

The 11 women with most WTA titles in 2024: Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka top two
Eleven women won multiple titles across the 2024 season.

The 8 men with most ATP Finals appearances: Roger Federer with 17, Novak Djokovic No 2
Eight men have made 11+ appearances at the year-end championships.

Swiatek, Sabalenka, & co: The 9 best WTA Tour players of 2024 – ranked!
We rank the most impressive stars of the 2024 WTA Tour season.

The 7 American women to win WTA Finals title: Coco Gauff joins all-time greats
Gauff is now the 7th American women to lift the WTA Finals title.