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

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.

WTA Finals Winners & Losers: Coco Gauff & Zheng Qinwen star, Iga Swiatek exits early
We look at the big winners and losers from action in Riyadh.

Ons Jabeur sends ‘motivated’ warning as she targets ‘amazing’ 2025
Jabeur missed the final three months of the 2024 season due to a shoulder injury.

The 6 men to win ATP Finals title on home soil: ft Andy Murray, John McEnroe, Boris Becker
Six men have previously lifted the ATP Finals title in front of their home crowd.

‘Big favourite’ Jannik Sinner backed to use home advantage in ATP Finals tilt
Sinner will be a firm crowd favourite on home soil in Turin.

Zheng Qinwen’s coach sends ‘60% potential’ warning after 2024 surge
Qinwen has cracked the top five following a breakout season for the Chinese star.

Iga Swiatek’s ‘room for improvement’ highlighted by former world No 2
Swiatek's 2024 WTA Tour season is over, with just the Billie Jean King Cup Finals to play.

The 4 women to win WTA Finals in singles & doubles: ft Martina Navratilova, Martina Hingis
Three of the four women to win both titles did so at the same tournament.

‘Passionate’ Emma Raducanu backed for starring role in final event of 2024
Raducanu is set to feature for Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals

The 9 women with most year-end world No 1 finishes: Steffi Graf with 8, Serena Williams joint third
Nine women finished as the year-end No 1 at least three times.

ATP Finals Draw Winners & Losers: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner avoid clash
The ATP Finals draw has been made - but who will be happy with their opponents?

The 10 men with most ATP Finals titles: Novak Djokovic with 7, Roger Federer 2nd
Ten men have won multiple ATP Finals titles since the event launched in 1970.

Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Barbora Krejcikova: WTA Finals qualification scenarios
Gauff is looking to seal first place, while Swiatek and Krejcikova are chasing qualification.

The 5 WTA Finals champions to never win a Grand Slam: ft. Elina Svitolina, Agnieszka Radwanska
In the event's 52-year history, only five non-Slam champions have lifted the title.

Jannik Sinner & Alexander Zverev ahead of Carlos Alcaraz – our ATP Finals Power Rankings
The field for Turin is set - but who are the strongest contenders in the field?

The 16 WTA year-end world No 1s: ft Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Serena Williams
Sabalenka is the 16th woman to claim the year-end No 1 ranking.

Coco Gauff emulates WTA legends after stunning Iga Swiatek at WTA Finals
Gauff beat Swiatek in straight sets for just her second win in 13 matches against the world No 2.

Former world No 1 at odds with Iga Swiatek with no ‘reason to complain’ schedule verdict
Swiatek has been among the most outspoken critics of the tennis calendar.

The last time Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, & Roger Federer did not play the ATP Finals
You have to go back over two decades to find the last ATP Finals with no 'Big Three' representation.

The 7 youngest WTA Finals champions – ft. Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, Steffi Graf
Seven women have lifted the WTA Finals title aged 18 or under.

Novak Djokovic’s ex-coach delivers ‘best in the world’ verdict despite difficult 2024
Djokovic has called time on his season after withdrawing from the ATP Finals.

Jannik Sinner is ‘better’ than Carlos Alcaraz, claims former world No 2
Sinner and Alcaraz has won two Slams each in 2024, though the Italian has a big rankings cushion.

Goran Ivanisevic reveals reasons behind Elena Rybakina coaching decision
Ivanisevic will begin coaching world No 5 Rybakina from the beginning of 2025.

‘There has not been an athlete in Spain comparable to Rafael Nadal’, says former world No 12
22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal is weeks away from retiring from the sport.

Aryna Sabalenka closes in on major rankings milestone at WTA Finals
Sabalenka has won her opening two matches at the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

The last 8 WTA Finals champions: Will Iga Swiatek be first repeat champion since 2014?
The last eight editions of the WTA Finals have produced eight different champions.

Stefanos Tsitsipas makes ‘difficult’ admission regarding split with dad Apostolos
Tsitsipas announced his dad was no longer his coach during the hard-court summer.

ATP Finals Race to Turin: Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev in final battle
Four players are in ATP Finals qualification contention - though only three spots remain.

Alexander Zverev asked to pick between world No 1 or Grand Slam triumph
Zverev is back at his career high of world No 2 and has two Grand Slam finals to his name.

Iga Swiatek responds to criticism of ‘extremely disappointing’ WTA Finals crowds
It is thought that as few as 400 people were courtside during Day 2 of the year-end championships.

Paris Masters Winners & Losers: Alexander Zverev benefits from Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner disappointment
We look at who will be proud of their Paris efforts - and who fell short.

Carlos Alcaraz takes bold ATP Finals step after ‘crazy’ Paris conditions
Alcaraz will look to bounce back from a surprise Paris Masters exit with a strong ATP Finals campaign.

Zheng Qinwen takes Maria Sharapova approach in WTA ‘friends’ admission
Qinwen has risen up the rankings in 2024 - but has been described as 'cut-throat' by rivals.

The 10 women with most WTA Finals titles: Martina Navratilova with 8, Serena Williams joint second
We look at those that sealed more WTA Finals triumphs than anyone else.