Brandon
Walkin

I'm Brandon Walkin, a former professional tennis player, now a coach, researcher and writer based in Melbourne.

As a player, I competed for Great Britain and reached a career-high world ranking of 204. After time away from the tour, I came back in 2026 and reached three finals and two semi-finals in a six-tournament run. I retired from professional tennis in October 2026.

Coaching ran alongside my playing career. I was head coach at Ipswich Grammar School from 2020 to 2022, then head coach to ATP player Thanasi Kokkinakis from 2024 to 2026. I now coach private players in Melbourne.

Off court, I study the game from the outside in. My Honours research at the University of Southern Queensland looks at what happens to journalistic standards when athletes become their own publishers. I'm developing that work into doctoral research on how audiences read athlete-authored media.

I also write about tennis from the inside: the travel, the pressure, and the parts of the job that never make the highlights.

I've coached at every level, from school programs to the ATP Tour. Every session is built around your game: what's working, what's holding you back, and the next step.

The study compares 131 texts across three tiers: journalist-authored pieces, editorially assisted athlete-authored pieces, and raw athlete social media. Each is coded on 24 variables against four journalistic standards. It draws on Bruns's theories of produsage and gatewatching, and Hall's encoding/decoding model.

Recognition: Award for academic excellence, University of Southern Queensland.