A New Beginning: Tennis Insights

HAPPY NEW YEARS!🥳🍾🎆🎉🎊

Holiday season? Probably not because literally half of the tour is already in Australia working their socks off.

New Videos‼ 

It’s the last day of 2023 and while reflecting on an unforgettable season we decided to do a NEW video summarizing the 2023 Tennis season and reliving the best moments of the season. Check it out here.

Of course, the biggest Rivalry of the 2023 season was between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, so we also did a video covering the weird nature of their rivalry, records, and what makes it so special.  Check it out here.

What Happened Last Week?

Riyadh Exhibition (December 27th)

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz both faced each other at the exhibition match staged in Saudi Arabia but Carlitos claimed the bragging rights in the latest chapter of their budding rivalry. The Spaniard defeated the Serbian 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 at the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup. Although the intensity was a little bit lower as both players were very much in warm-up mode in preparation for the Australian Open, the contest remained intriguing by all standards.

Brisbane Draw

After almost a year out of the tour, Rafael Nadal made his comeback in Brisbane. As a wild card at this week’s ATP 250 tournament, this is the first time since Auckland in January 2005. That Nadal will be unseeded at a tour-level event. Yesterday, the Brisbane draw was announced, and right away, we knew that we were in for a blockbuster with Rafael Nadal and former world No.3 and 2020 US Open Champion Dominic Thiem set to face each other. Many players have been impressed with Nadal’s hit-outs at the Queensland Tennis Center and the signs are auspicious for the Spaniard. Meanwhile, we have Holger Rune, Seb Korda, and Ben Shelton in the top half of the draw. Who do you fancy winning this tournament?

Major Tournament Updates 

United Cup (29 December - 7 January)

The second edition of the United Cup is taking place in Perth and Sydney. World number one Novak Djokovic is looking to lead Serbia to glory as he makes his debut in the tournament. Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula aim to clinch back-to-back United Cup crowns for the United States. Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari carry Greece's hopes, while Germany is led by Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber.

BRISBANE (31 December - 7 January)

Rafael Nadal will have to wait a little longer for his first comeback victory after Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson defeated Marc Lopez and Nadal 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday at the Brisbane International. On the women’s side, it’s Naomi Osaka who would be looking to make her comeback as well. Brisbane International will be the four-time Grand Slam champion's first tournament since the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September 2022.

HONG KONG (1-7 January)

Hong Kong is hosting ATP Tour action for the first time since 2002. Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov lead the field at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open. Meanwhile, Frances Tiafoe and Arthur Fils are also among those looking to join a list of Hong Kong champions that features Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Rod Laver, and Jimmy Connors.

HOT TAKE

Will Naomi Osaka win any titles this year? Believe it or not, this is a tough question considering how strong the playing field is currently but with Naomi’s ball-striking ability, I reckon she will win a few titles this year if she remains healthy.

Off The Court

Petra Kvitova Announces Pregnancy 

The Czech international who finished 2023 ranked world No. 14 took to Instagram to announce her pregnancy a couple of hours ago. No doubt, the 33-year-old will take some time away from the sport.

WTA Rankings Change 

Although it was announced last year, it has come into effect today. The WTA rankings will now be counting the best 18 tournaments in contrast to the best 16 that was previously used. This puts the tour in line with the ATP. However, a few eyebrows will be raised considering the fact that there have been a lot of complaints about the length and lack of rest throughout the tennis season. Everyone's rankings have been recalculated to include 18 tournaments. Top 10 changes include Iga Świątek gaining 210 points in her lead over Aryna Sabalenka, and Sakkari overtaking Muchova as we can see here.

Novak Djokovic Wins European Sportsperson of the Year Award

It’s the Serbian’s fifth time winning the award after doing so in 2011, 2015, 2018, 2021. Voted by 27 different international news agencies, this award has been won by many distinguished athletes across different sports.

Trivia Of The Week

So let’s see how much you know about Brisbane. 

Did you know that the tournament was established in 2009 but was dropped from the ATP Tour in 2019? This happened due to the creation of the ATP Cup (played at the same venue). However, the tournament continued as a WTA-sanctioned event for female tennis players. Fortunately for fans, the event is back on the ATP tour. Past winners of the event include Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray, Grigor Dimitrov, Lleyton Hewitt, Milos Raonic, Nick Kyrgios, and Kei Nishikori.

Highlights Of The Week

Incase you missed it, here are the highlights of the Djokovic vs Carlitos Exhibition match.

Until next time, Keep Swinging!

For the Love of Tennis