It took 60 years, but Ruia Morrison has finally been recognised as a tennis legend

In a classic case of better late than never, pioneering Māori tennis player Ruia Morrison was honoured at the 2020 ASB Classic in Auckland. She looked so small, standing on a tennis court with Kiingi Tūheitia on one side and Serena Williams on the other. In her slightly-too-large blazer she looked too small to have … Read more

Scratched: Ruia Morrison was New Zealand’s own Serena Williams

From tennis champions to dance craze inventors, Scratched celebrates New Zealand sporting heroes who never got their due – but whose legacies deserve to be in lights. This month, Ruia Morrison meets Serena Williams. Watch the original Ruia Morrison episode of Scratched here. At the ASB Classic winner’s ceremony, Serena Williams, having just won her first title … Read more

Watch all of The Spinoff’s new shows right here

This weekend, lend your eyeballs to our three new shows: Two Sketches with Toby Morris, Scratched: Aotearoa’s Lost Sporting Legends and On the Rag. Look, it’s the weekend and you’ve already watched all the things. You’ve watched Game of Thrones. You’ve watched Dancing With the Stars NZ. You’ve watched the video of the goat in … Read more

From Rotorua to Wimbledon: the unlikely tale of lost tennis legend Ruia Morrison

One of New Zealand’s most successful tennis players has fallen through the cracks of sporting history. Madeleine Chapman tells the story of Ruia Morrison, Wimbledon quarter finalist. Ruia Morrison is standing on her back porch, whacking her neighbour’s overgrown hedge with a tennis racquet. She’s employing a forehand overhead volley technique and it’s working. Satisfied, … Read more

Watch: Ruia Morrison, the Māori tennis star who made it to Wimbledon

Introducing Scratched, an original web series that finds and celebrates the lost sporting legends of Aotearoa.  There are many sportspeople whose names are uttered regularly by New Zealanders, and whose stories have been told over and over again. But what about the athletes whose lives and careers have faded from the national memory? New … Read more