The Art of Winning: Tennis Insights

We regret not doing this earlier.

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Yesterday, we dropped a NEW video on what tennis legends are really thinking about Novak Djokovic. Not only did the comments section blow up, but we had super fans from Novak and Nadal’s sides having a go at each other. Knowing that our community had a lot of interesting takes made us feel like we should have touched on the subject earlier. If you have not checked out the video, here you go!

What Happened Last Week?

There were no tournaments because we are already in the off-season but last week was all about the ATP and WTA awards.

WTA Awards Winners

• Iga Swiatek - 2023 WTA Best Player

• Zheng Qinwen - Most Improved Player

• Mirra Andreeva - Newcomer of the Year

• Elina Svitolina - Comeback player (World no. 240 to no. 25)

• Ons Jabeur - Fairplay

• Tomasz Wiktorowski - Best coach

ATP Awards Winners

• Jannik Sinner - Most Improved Player

• Jan Lennard Struff - Comeback player of the year (World no. 150 to no. 25)

• Carlos Alcaraz - Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award

• Simone Vagnozzi & Darren Cahill - Coach of the Year

• Felix Auger Aliassime: Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award

• Arthur Fils - Newcomer of the Year

• Jannik Sinner - Fans’ Favorite of the Year

• Karen Khachanov & Andrey Rublev - Fans’ Favorite (Doubles)

ITF Award Winners

• Aryna Sabalenka: First-time champion

• Novak Djokovic - 8th time ITF champion 

Tournaments

• Indian Wells - Masters 1000 of the year

• Queens - ATP 500 of the year

• Swedish Open - ATP 250 of the year

You can check out the full list of Winners and past winners here.

Major Tournament Updates 

Hong Kong 2024

Andrey Rublev leads the field for the 2024 season at the ATP 250 in Hong Kong, with the first edition of the tournament since 2002 to begin main-draw play on 1 January. Other notable names on the entry list include Frances Tiafoe, Marin Cilic, Mackenzie McDonald, and Karen Khachanov.

HOT TAKES

Our first take is that the ATP Awards is a joke. But if you disagree, then you might have to explain how Indian Wells was the best Masters 1000 this year or how Carlos Alcaraz’s Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award win was justified. We could also talk about the fact that Jannik Sinner’s coaches were chosen over Goran Ivanisevic who guided Novak to a historic year.

Our next take is that the Ultimate Tennis Showdown has a horrible format. Many fans have found it difficult to relate to all the rules and schedules of the game. Even Holger Rune has called the format weird. Here’s what he said. 

Do you agree with these takes or do you have other ideas?

Watch Out For These Players

Marketa Vondrousova 

Marketa Vondrousova might be the reigning Wimbledon champion, but she did not have the best results before her remarkable triumph at the All-England Club. A series of injuries had prevented the Czech from following up her 2019 French Open final run with better results but 2023 was a comeback year in many ways for her.

The southpaw who was barely inside the top 100 twelve months ago reached a career-high world no. 6 in September this year. She became the first unseeded ladies' singles Wimbledon champion in the Open Era, winning the title as world no. 42 at the time. She then had her best performance at the US Open reaching the quarterfinal. Think she can up the ante in 2024?

Mirra Andreeva

We also have 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva who went from World No. 405 to No. 46 this year. She started out the year still playing in the Juniors, but had her big breakthrough at the Madrid Open by becoming the third-youngest player — at 15 — to win a WTA 1000 main-draw match ever. She then impressed with her run to the second week at Wimbledon. Andreeva might not have all the raw power and big shotmaking at the moment but her nimble footedness and never-say-die attitude means that we can expect more from her in 2024 as she continues to develop. 

Off The Court

Alcaraz and Nadal Set to Face Off

Netflix will stream its next live sports event, The Netflix Slam, on March 3, 2024, in Las Vegas. The showdown, hosted by MGM Resorts International, is Netflix’s latest attempt to explore the sports market after conquering TV and film. The idea was originally floated last year but Nadal’s injury delayed the process. 22-time Grand Slam men’s singles title champion Rafael Nadal and World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will face each other in the exhibition match. Additional players and matchups will be announced at a later date. Netflix already immersed themselves in tennis with the series 'Break Point' and they will be looking to scale up from there.

Recovering Kyrgios Tired of Playing Tennis

Nick Kyrgios says that he is "tired" and does not want to play tennis anymore. The 28-year-old Australian who will miss next year’s AO due to injury told the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast that if it were up to him, he wouldn’t play anymore. He however believes that he still has a lot to give. Kyrgios added that he just wants one or two good years at the top and retire on his terms. Kyrgios suffered from wrist, knee, and foot injuries in 2023 and said that he just wanted to have a family and not be in pain.

Organizers Confirm 2024 Mexican ATP 500 Venue

In October, Hurricane Otis caused a lot of damage in Acapulco, including to the venue of the city’s ATP 500 event. But tournament organizers confirmed Thursday that the 2024 edition of the tournament will proceed in Acapulco from February 24 to March 2, 2024, as a significant part of the reconstruction of the city.

Trivia Of The Week

Did You Know?

Roger Federer won the ATP Fan Favorite Award for 19 years in a row between 2003 and 2021. Rafa won the award last year. Interestingly, Novak Djokovic has never won the award. Is he ever going to?

Before we go, we’ll leave you with some of the best highlights of the week.

Highlights Of The Year

Let’s take you back to every champion from the 2023 season.

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Until next time, keep swinging!
For the Love of Tennis