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Silver Jubilee in Shanghai!
September 1st - October 7th Tennis Recap
Emmanuel Okosun
October 08, 2023
For The Love Of Tennis Insights
Silver Jubilee in Shanghai!
We can save tennis!
New Videos
So, we just dropped a video on the DARK business of tennis you probably didn’t know about. Check it out and let’s know what you think because honestly, something needs to be done to save the sport and its professionals.
Ranking Update: The Biggest Movers Of The Week
We finally have a worthy number 4! Following his title win in Beijing, Jannik Sinner moved two spots up to a career high world number 4.
Only 250 points separate the last 3 players in the top 10; Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, and Taylor Fritz. With Zverev already out of Shanghai, it’ll be interesting to see who closes the gap on the top 7.
Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner has just earned his first qualification for the Nitto ATP finals in Turin to join Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev. 4 spots are still up for grabs, so we might just have a race on our hands.
On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek’s Beijing title win, saw her close the gap between her and Aryna Sabalenka to less than 500 points while Ludmilla Samsonova moved 6 spots up into the top 20 after making the final in Beijing.
Major Tournament Updates
Earlier in the week Adrian Mannarino defeated Seb Korda in 3 sets to steal the title in Astana while Janniik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev back-to-back to win the China Open. It was Sinner’s first win against Medvedev in his seventh attempt.
Moving on…
Shanghai Masters 1000
The Rolex Shanghai Masters celebrated 25 years of professional tennis. It has operated as an ATP Masters 1000 since 2009, and was awarded the Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year for 5 consecutive years.
The event is underway and there’s been plenty of action already; Roman Safiullin upset Zverev while Seb Korda defeated Medvedev. When the tournament ends next week, we’ll have 3 ATP 500s back-to-back at the Japan Open, Erste Bank Open in Vienna, and the Swiss Indoors Basel, before we entertain the last Masters 1000 event of the year at the Rolex Paris Masters. Plenty of ranking points to fight for certainly.
Watch Out For These Guys
Jannik Sinner: Sinner became just the third player to reach 20 Masters 1000 wins this year after Alcaraz and Medvedev. Seeing his recent fine form, he probably has one more title in him this year.
Arthur Fils: The 19-year-old Frenchman won back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 matches for the first time in his career and continues to underline his credentials as one of the biggest emerging talents on Tour.
Roman Safiullin: He is probably one of the most improved players this year and his impressive form is certainly a guarantee that there’s plenty to look forward to in the coming months.
Off The Court
Fan voting opens for the International Tennis Hall Of Fame Class Of 2024 and we have some big names here; 1998 Roland Garros and former World No. 1 Carlos Moyá, former World No. 1 and 2008 Roland Garros champion Ana Ivanović, and Flavia Pennetta, former doubles World No. 1 and 2015 US Open singles champion. Voting ends on the 9th of October.
Trivia Of The Week
The Big 4
Which of the ‘Big 4’ has never won a Masters 1000 title in Shanghai? Novak Djokovic holds the record for the most titles with 4 to his name, while Andy Murray comes behind at 3. Roger Federer won the title twice, so we are left with just one man - Rafael Nadal.
They Lied to Us
I particularly found this Reddit thread interesting. You see, after Tsitsipas, Zverev, and Berrettini dumped Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, and Roger Federer in the quarterfinals at Shanghai, and with Daniil Medvedev winning the title, we thought the new gen was about to take over but it was a false dawn. Except for Medvedev because we have another new gen taking over with Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner running the show at the moment.
But before we go, we’ll leave you with some of the best highlights of the week.
Highlights Of The Week
Korda Magic
Sinner Special
Ball Boy Special
Until next time, keep hitting those winners!
For The Love Of Tennis