14 DAY TRIAL // 
Stefanos Tsitsibas had a good run at the Australian Open, winning all his matches in just three sets on his way to a semi-final meeting with Roger Feberer, a danger despite his increasing age. Unfortunately, my player also picked up a minor but niggling injury, which affected his ability to play a high tempo attacking game.
The first two sets of the semifinal were balanced, with one lost on tie-break and another won by Roger with just one break. I tried to boost Stefanos’ performance by asking him to defend more and play closer to his tactical plan. In the end, Feberer’s experience proved too much and Tsitsibas and my academy exited the competition before the final. Let’s hope we deal with the injury quickly and get the playing time needed to perform well in the next Grand Slam, in Paris.
Tennis Manager 2022 is developed and published by Rebound CG. I played the game on the PC via Steam. As the name implies, the title offers a virtual take on the real-world sport of tennis, with no direct control over players but plenty of ways to affect their performance.
Gamers can choose to take over an already existing tennis academy or to build their own from scratch (pick the first option for an introductory campaign). They will then enter a world centered on amazing professional athletes, spectacular competitions, prestigious rankings, tough negotiations, careful planning, and incredible match results.
There’s no developer-created story but the game does a good job of allowing fans of the sport to create their own. Mechanically, Tennis Manager 2022 is too conservative but solid. Once players lead an academy they will have to deal with both athlete and business development. Winning a major tournament is good, but running a sustainable organization is better.
Each tennis player needs specialized staff to make progress, keep form up, deal with injuries, and improve tactics. Gamers will decide on training programs, register them for tournaments, handle negotiations, and talk about goals and performance. There’s an option to watch a match and coach the athlete during it, tweaking tactics, intensity, and trying to boost morale when necessary. The match engine is decent, and the speed-up option is a great idea when victory seems assured. It does feel like the game makes it too easy for top ten players to reach the semifinals of Grand Slams, having only to worry if they play against another of this set.
Outside of tournaments, it is very important to evaluate player characteristics and stats and find the best match plan for their strengths. Going up against the superstars of the moment is really hard, even with a fully fit player who hides his weaknesses well.
Gamers are also in charge of managing the academy, dealing with budgets, contracts, and upgrades. Make sure to keep the number of athletes under contract manageable and try to find solid young prospects. Tennis Manager 2022 does not have the right to use the image or name of real-world stars. This will make it easier for fans of the genre to approach the game as a pure management experience. It will also mean that fans of the actual sport might have a tough time engaging with it (unless they use the mods offered in the Steam Workshop).
The biggest issue with the game is that it is too familiar for anyone who has spent time with Football Manager. It needs to innovate to distinguish itself from the leader in the sports management space. If it does that, I will be happy to spend ten hours trying to take a young hope to the top of the rankings.
Tennis Manager 2022 is decent if not spectacular in the presentation department. The game does a good job of conveying information, offering players the stats and details that they need to make decisions to push their favorite players to greater success. The actual tennis matches are less impressive, with some weird movements, but they convey the essence of the game. The biggest issue in the presentation department is the soundtrack, which is both repetitive and unsuited to the portrayed sport.
The Good
- Solid management mechanics
- Decent 3D match engine
- Focus on athlete development
The Bad
- Some match engine issues
- No real names out of the box
- Very limited soundtrack
Conclusion
The title needs more work in the presentation department. There are also rough spots when it comes to interactions and the match engine. The good news is that it’s easy to find and add a mod to get real names, which contributes a lot to the immersion. Tennis Manager 2022 can serve as a good foundation on which Rebound CG can add more varied mechanics and experiment with innovative ideas.
Review code provided by the publisher.
