Courtside Digest
Posts
Humbert Hammers Home: Tennis Insights

Humbert Hammers Home: Tennis Insights

( February 4th - February 10th Recap)

Courtside Tennis & Emmanuel Okosun
February 11, 2024

Too good to be true!

It’s 5 titles in 5 ATP finals for Ugo Humbert and we saw him play some of his best tennis last week but that is only a fraction of what happened last week.

Before we get into it, we are making a video based on some of your hot takes for the 2024 tennis season and we are asking you to be a part of it. Let’s have your response (anonymous if you prefer) in the form below.

https://bit.ly/3HLYexS

New Videos‼

If you thought Novak Djokovic’s tennis career was too good to be true, well, you might have been right all along. ‘The Tour: A Reality Show’ showed some of the best acting we've seen and we just made a brand new video about it mixing things up with everything that happened last week.

Earlier in the week, we took a deep-dive into Felix Auger Aliassime’s career struggles and everything that is going on with him at the moment. The audience absolutely loved it but if you missed out on our new uploads, be sure to check out both videos here.

What Happened Last Week

Open 13 Provence (5 February - 11 February, 2024)

We saw some of the biggest names in Marseille. Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger Aliassime, Andy Murray, Seb Korda, and Lorenzo Musetti all saw early-round exits. Karen Khachanov reached the semis. Meanwhile, Ugo Humbert took out the first and second seeds; Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinal and Grigor Dimitrov in the final en route to a sensational title run.

Dallas Open (5 February - 11 February, 2024)

We saw many Americans and Aussies at the tournament. Christopher Eubanks and Max Purcell saw early round exits. Frances Tiafoe got the better of his compatriot Alex Michelsen in the round of 16 before losing to Marcos Giron in the quarterfinal. Top seed Tommy Paul would then stifle Ben Shelton’s serve in the semis before stopping Marcos Giron in the final to win only his second ATP title.

Cordoba Open (5 February - 11 February, 2024)

We saw a lot of upsets with top seed Francisco Cerundolo beaten by Jaume Munar in the round of 16. Defending champion Sebastian Baez was then upset by Luciano Darderi in the semifinal to set up a clash with Facundo Bagnis. It would end up being an easy win for Darderi for his first ATP tour title.

Transylvania Open (5 February - 11 February, 2024)

Karolina Pliskova beat Ana Bogdan in Cluj-Napoca, Romania to win her first title after 1497 days.

Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open (5 February - 11 February, 2024)

Elena Rybakina beat Daria Kasatkina to win her 7th career title and second title of 2024 in Abu Dhabi. Rybakina remains undefeated against Top 20 players this year.

The Biggest Movers Of The Week

ATP

On the Men's side, Ugo Humbert hits a new career high following his title win while other players hit new career highs.

WTA

On the women’s side, Rybakina moves one spot up to number 4 following her title win in Abu Dhabi while Ana Bogdan, Karolina Pliskova, and Danielle Collins all see big jumps in the ranking.

Major Tournament Updates

For the second straight week on the ATP Tour, a trio of events spanning three continents will host some of the top players in men's tennis.

Rotterdam Open | ATP 500 (12 February - 18 February)

Jannik Sinner is the top seed in Rotterdam. Daniil Medvedev still recovering from fatigue will not be able to defend his title. Sinner will have Hubert Hurkacz as a potential semi final opponent. Second seed and 2021 champion Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Alex de Minaur all find themselves in the bottom half of the draw.

Delray Beach Open | ATP 250 (12 February - 18 February)

Defending champion Taylor Fritz will be looking to hold on to his crown while Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe, Adrian Mannarino, and almost half a dozen Aussies all add to the star power at the tournament in the United States.

IEB+ Argentina Open | ATP 250 (12 February - 18 February)

World no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will be playing alongside a strong field that includes Nicholas Jarry, Cam Norrie, Arthur Fils, and Stan Wawrinka. Carlitos will be looking to defend his title while Norrie and Jarry will be looking for more success on clay.

Qatar Open WTA 1000 (11 February - 17 February)

Two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek returns to Doha looking to take the title for a third consecutive year and her first title of 2024. 18 of the Top 20 are in the Doha draw. The lone holdouts are Australian Open champion and World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka (change of schedule) and No. 5 Pegula (neck injury). Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka, with a special ranking at No.46, is also a direct entry.

Watch Out For This Player

Ugo Humbert

We all know that the Frenchman could be dangerous. Seeing his Level of play in his recent title win, it is easy to see him becoming a top 10 player if he continues that way. He already strikes the ball excellently but his take on both wings now looks more compact and harder to read, which will only make him a more difficult opponent going forward.

Off The Court

Federer Finally Skis with Vonn

Former Olympic gold medal ski racer Lindsey Vonn and Roger Federer skied together for the first time. Federer famously stayed away from the slopes during the bulk of his career to avoid risking injury. But the former world no. 1 showed good form in a video Vonn posted.