NEW YORK — For an elite tennis player, life on tour can mean airports, hotel rooms and tournament venues across the world, often with long stretches away from family and familiar surroundings.
Now, an increasing number of players are bringing a different kind of support team with them: their dogs.
The trend has become increasingly visible at major tournaments, where pets are moving beyond social-media cameos and becoming genuine companions for players dealing with the emotional and practical pressures of life on the professional circuit.
World No. 3 Jessica Pegula has spoken openly about the comfort her dogs provide. She said animals can offer a grounding presence and a form of unconditional affection that can be particularly valuable during the difficult stretches of life on the road.
For players constantly moving from one country to another, that stability can be surprisingly important.
Why dogs are becoming part of the tennis lifestyle
Professional tennis can look glamorous from the outside, but the schedule can be relentless.
Players spend much of the year traveling between tournaments, practicing in unfamiliar environments and adapting to different hotels, time zones and routines.
That is where pets can provide something completely separate from competition.
Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, who travels with her dogs Mander and Chich, has described the animals as a source of grounding and routine.
Taking care of them means maintaining everyday responsibilities such as feeding and walking them — activities that can provide a sense of normality even when everything around a player revolves around rankings and results.
For an athlete facing the pressure of a major tournament, that routine can be a welcome reminder that life exists beyond the scoreboard.
The French Open has embraced the trend
The clearest example of tennis’ changing relationship with players’ pets came at Roland Garros this year.
The French Open introduced a dedicated “dog concierge” service and official accreditation for 10 dogs, reflecting how increasingly common pets have become within the player environment.
The initiative went well beyond simply allowing dogs onto the grounds.
The concierge service helped look after players’ pets, while the dogs were able to become part of the tournament experience in designated settings.
Some even appeared alongside players during celebrations.
Mirra Andreeva posed for trophy photographs with Luna, the puppy of her coach Conchita Martinez, while Alexander Zverev celebrated with his dachshund Mishka after his success.
Those images quickly became a softer side of an otherwise intensely competitive Grand Slam.
The U.S. Open has its own puppy attraction
The U.S. Open has also embraced dogs in a different way.
During Fan Week, rescue puppies from New York-based Muddy Paws Animal Rescue became a major attraction in the player garden.
Among those who visited were top players including Coco Gauff and Leylah Fernandez.
The initiative gives fans an opportunity to interact with animals while creating a more relaxed environment around a tournament that otherwise revolves around intense competition.
It also reinforces the growing connection between professional athletes and animal companionship.
But not every Grand Slam allows pets
The growing popularity of dogs on tour has also exposed a major difference between the Grand Slam tournaments.
At Wimbledon, ordinary pet dogs are not allowed on the grounds. The All England Club permits service dogs and certified assistance dogs, meaning players who travel with pets have to make other arrangements during the tournament.
That restriction became a personal issue for world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who travels with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Ash.
During Wimbledon, Sabalenka publicly appealed to tournament organizers to reconsider the policy.
Her plea highlighted the emotional attachment players can develop with their pets — particularly when those animals accompany them throughout much of the season.
Australia presents another challenge
The Australian Open presents a different obstacle: Australia’s strict biosecurity requirements.
While guide dogs and service animals are permitted under Australian Open accessibility policies, bringing ordinary pets into Australia involves much more complicated biosecurity considerations.
That makes the tournament considerably less straightforward for players accustomed to traveling internationally with their animals.
For professional athletes whose careers already require extensive international travel, the logistical challenge can be significant.
Pegula’s dogs have become part of her tennis memories
For Pegula, the connection goes beyond companionship during stressful tournaments.
She travels with three rescue dogs — Maddie, Des and Mabel — although their size can make international travel more difficult.
Still, she values having them around during important moments in her career.
Pegula has said that being able to look back on tournament victories and remember that her dogs were there makes those achievements even more meaningful.
That perspective reveals why the trend is resonating with so many players.
A trophy might mark a professional achievement, but a pet can become part of the personal memory surrounding it.
More than a social-media trend
The rise of dogs in professional tennis could easily be dismissed as another example of athletes sharing their private lives with fans.
But the players’ comments suggest something deeper.
Tennis is an unusually individual sport. Players compete largely on their own, travel independently and spend long periods away from home.
A dog cannot change the score, improve a serve or win a match.
But it can provide routine, familiarity and companionship when everything else around an athlete is constantly changing.
That may explain why players increasingly see pets as part of their support system rather than simply as animals traveling with them.
Tennis’ relationship with pets is changing
The contrast between the Grand Slams is particularly revealing.
The French Open has actively accommodated players’ dogs. The U.S. Open has used rescue puppies as part of its fan experience. Wimbledon maintains strict restrictions, while Australia’s biosecurity framework creates another layer of difficulty.
The result is an unusual debate within professional tennis:
Should tournaments make more room for the animals that help players cope with life on tour?
There is no universal answer yet.
But as more athletes openly discuss the emotional benefits of having their pets nearby, dogs are becoming an increasingly visible part of the tennis world.
And the next time a player walks onto a Grand Slam stage, the biggest story may not always be the racket in their hand.
It could be the four-legged companion waiting for them when the match is over.
WWC ONE MEDIA M.J.E
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