Back from the Brink: Tennis Insights

(January 14th- January 20th Recap)

You can’t make this up.

Last week was filled with all sorts of magic on and off the courts. We made sure to cover all the drama so that you don’t miss out on anything. 

New Videos‼ 

We dropped a NEW video yesterday; the first of its kind showing a recap of the entire first week at the Australian Open, so if you haven't seen it, you know what to do. Meanwhile, we also wrote a love letter to Rafael Nadal; a tribute to his god-like level in his prime. So, make sure to check both videos out and let us know your thoughts. 

What Happened Last Week?

Australian Open

Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, and Jannik Sinner are all through to the quarterfinals. Quite frankly, we couldn’t have asked for a  more competitive quarterfinal. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and Hubert Hurkacz will be looking to overcome their fourth-round opponents at the bottom half of the draw to join the other top seeds. 

We saw a lot of upsets and narrow escapes on the ATP tour throughout the week. Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Richard Gasquet, Marin Cilic, Milos Raonic, Gael Monfils, and Dominic Thiem all saw first-round exits. Thursday was the highlight of the week with Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, Hubert Hurkacz, and Miomir Kecmanović all going the distance while Holger Rune saw a shocking second-round exit. Meanwhile, Arthur Cazaux and Nuno Borges continue to impress, with both players making it to the 4th round against all odds. 

On the women’s side, the biggest news has to be seeing top seed Iga Świątek lose her 3rd round match to Linda Nosková. Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and 8 out of the top 10 players have all seen early-round exits. As it stands, only a relentless Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff. Earlier in the week, Naomi Osaka had a bittersweet return as she lost in the first round to Caroline Garcia. Elsewhere, 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva saw her dramatic run come to an end in the 4th round against a nuanced Barbora Krejčíková.

Meanwhile, here’s what the live rankings look like at the moment

Live Ranking Update: The Biggest Movers Of The Week 

ATP

The battle for the top spot is still on between Novak Djoković and Carlos Alcaraz. The Serbian will need to defend his title to prevent Carlitos from overtaking him. After his win against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Taylor Fritz will see a return to the Top 10. Arthur Cazaux breaks into the Top 100 while Nuno Borges sees a big jump into the Top 50.

WTA

On the women’s side, we have Elena Rybakina dropping 2 spots down to 5th after failing to defend her points from last year. Qinwen Zheng continues to close in on the Top 10. Along with Zheng, Jasmine Paolini, Marta Kostyuk, Mirra Andreeva, and Linda Nosková are all but assured of new career highs when the rankings get updated after the tournament. 

But what tournaments do we have coming up?

Major Tournament Updates 

We are into the second week of the Australian Open and the stakes are higher than ever. After the AO ends on the 28th of January, a couple of tournaments will follow:

• ATP Open Sud de France – Montpellier (29 January - 4 February, 2024)

• WTA Thailand Open (29 January - 4 February, 2024)

• WTA Upper Austria Ladies Linz (29 January - 4 February 2024)

More updates to come.

Watch Out For This Guy

Arthur Cazaux

Cazaux was a promising junior player and was ranked number 4 in the world and even had a 5-1 record against Holger Rune as a junior but injuries limited his growth early on. Now 21, Cazaux seems to have popped out of nowhere and is taking everyone by surprise. After defeating Laslo Djere, Holger Rune, and Tallon Griekspoor, the Frenchman is through to the 4th round where he’ll face the big-serving Hubert Hurkacz. Thanks to a wildcard, us fans are lucky to see the talented Frenchman’s game. Great serve, solid groundstrokes, good feel on the ball, great mental composure, what else? I’m pretty sure we will keep hearing of him for a while.

HOT TAKE

Arthur Cazaux will be a Top 20 player or better within the next two years if he stays healthy. He has all the tools - The technique, physicality, and mental strength to become a top player in the near future. Do you agree with this line of thought or are we stretching it?

Off The Court

Zverev Faces DV Allegations

The German is facing accusations of physical abuse from Brenda Patea, a former girlfriend and mother of his child. Last year, Zverev was given a penalty order by the court and fined 450,000 euros but his lawyers refuted the penalty order. The German will now stand trial in May although he doesn’t have to attend the hearing in person. You can find the full gist here.

Rafa’s Saudi Deal

On Tuesday, Rafael Nadal became an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation. Despite facing criticisms, Nadal went ahead to sign the multi-million-pound deal which will involve him "spending time in Saudi Arabia every year to support 'the development of boys and girls in the sport as well as grow further interest in tennis.”

Tennis mourns Mike Dickson, 

Daily Mail's legendary tennis correspondent tragically passed away in Melbourne at the age of 59. Dickson started working for The Daily Mail in 1990 and covered 30 different sports for the newspaper. He is survived by his wife, Lucy, and their three children, Sam, Ruby and Joe.

Trivia Of The Week

Which of the four major tournaments has Novak Djokovic reached the fewest semifinals? Interestingly, it’s the Australian Open. Although Djokovic’s most major trophies have come at Melbourne, he has made the least semifinal appearances at the tournament. Nole is a combined 20-0 in semifinals and finals in Melbourne, which means that he has never been eliminated at the semifinal stage. 

Meanwhile, Djokovic has reached the semifinals at least a dozen times at each of the other majors: the U.S. Open (13 semifinals, four titles), Wimbledon (12 semifinals, seven titles) and French Open (12 semifinals, three titles).

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

Highlights Of The Week

1. Khachanov’s crazy tweener Lob

2. De Minaur plays a perfect point

3. Amazing anticipation from Andreeva

4. Blinkova relentless

Until next time, keep swinging.

For the Love of Tennis