Sinner-Seven-Heaven: Tennis Insights

I told you!

Last month, we made a video on Jannik Sinner saying he was going to win majors and become the best player in the world. Some people doubted us but we saw that happen today and under the most dramatic circumstances. It’s been absolute magic in Melbourne for the last 15 days and we made sure to cover every bit of it for your sake. 

New Videos‼ 

As a sequel to the recap of the first week, we dropped a NEW video yesterday; A recap of the entire second week at the Australian Open. Check it out here.

Meanwhile, we also uploaded another video reminding everyone of the serious consequences of disrespecting tennis legends. So, make sure to check both videos out and give us your feedback. 

What Happened Last Week?

Australian Open

Novak Djokovic breezed past Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinal before getting stopped in 4 sets by Jannik Sinner in the semis. Jannik Sinner, who had earlier dispatched Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinal, didn’t even face a breakpoint against the 24-time grand slam winner. Elsewhere, we saw Alexander Zverev upset Carlos Alcaraz in what was another quarterfinal shocker before bowing out to the resilient Daniil Medvedev in the semis. The final was a match for ages as Jannik sinner on the verge of defeat, recovered from two sets down to snatch the title from Daniil Medvedev in another EPIC five-setter.

On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka breezed through the entire tournament, beating everyone in straight sets as she defended her title from last year. On Saturday, she was up against first-time major finalist Qinwen Zheng who simply had no answers to Sabalenka’s power. Earlier in the semis, Sabalenka had taken down Coco Gauff in their semifinal to get revenge for her US Open final loss last year.

Here's what the rankings will look like when updated on Monday

The Biggest Movers Of The Week 

ATP

Novak Djoković retains his top spot despite a semifinal exit. Although he won the title in Melbourne and added 1820 points to his tally, Jannik Sinner will remain at the 4th spot. Taylor Fritz sees a return to the Top 10.

Elsewhere, we see big moves and new career highs (NCH) from these players:

WTA

On the women’s side, here is what the Top 10 looks like. Australian Open finalist Qinwen Zheng breaks into the top 10 while Aryna Sabalenka still stays in the second spot despite winning the tournament. 

Elsewhere, we see big moves and new career highs (NCH) from the likes of:

But what tournaments do we have coming up?

Major Tournament Updates 

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

We will be seeing big names like Holger Rune (Top seed), Felix Auger Aliassime, Alexander Bublik, Andy Murray, and Borna Coric alongside French stars such as Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet, and Benjamin Bonzi on the indoor hard court.

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

The biggest names won’t be participating in this event. Magda Linette is the top seed while Lin Zhu and Tatjana Maria are some of the other seeds that will be present.

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

Jelena Ostapenko will be the top seed in the tournament. Other big names participating at the event include Ekaterina Alexandrova, Elise Mertens, Angelique Kerber, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Dayana Yastremska

More updates to come.

Watch Out For This Guy

Nuno Borges

The Portuguese took out two seeds and pushed Daniil Medvedev to four sets at the Australian Open. The 26-year-old recently opened up on how his intense hatred for losing has propelled him to this point in his career. Borges is an exciting player who isn’t afraid of high-octane tennis. If he continues with this level of play, he could find himself closing in on the Top 20 in the coming months.

Everyone has their own path. For Borges, it was leaving his native Maia, Portugal behind for the Deep South of the United States and a tennis career at Mississippi State. The collegiate route allowed Borges to mature both in and out of the classroom, to develop his game, and to grow accustomed to hard courts. Now, he has become only the second Portuguese player after Joao Sousa ever to reach the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam. Nuno Borges is well on track for more success in the future.

HOT TAKE

Felix Auger-Aliassime has a major in him. I bet you didn’t see this coming. The truth is that you do not need to be perfect to win a grand slam. There is some element of luck and timing. Coupled with his obvious ball-striking talent and his ability to go toe-to-toe with the big boys, I would say that FAA is a future contender for grand slams. At the moment, he just needs to get his game together. We might be making a video about the Canadian in the coming weeks, so watch this space.

Off The Court

Hewitt Gets Inducted

On Wednesday, Lleyton Hewitt was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame inside Rod Laver Arena. The former World No. 1 spent 80 weeks at the top of the rankings and won 30 ATP singles titles, including two majors; The  2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon. He also won back-to-back ATP finals from 2001-2002 and reached the Australian Open final in 2005. 

Trivia Of The Week

Did you know that the Australian Open was once played on grass? From 1905 to 1987 the tournament was played on grass courts. Since then, two types of hardcourt surfaces have been used: green-colored Rebound Ace up to 2007 and blue Plexicushion since 2008.

But before we go, we’ll leave you with the top 10 points from the 2024 Australian Open.

Highlights of the Tournament

Until next time, keep swinging.

For The Love of Tennis