Turin Thriller: Tennis Insights

(November 12th - November 18th Recap)

AuthorAuthor

Emmanuel Okosun & Courtside Tennis
November 19, 2023

It all comes down to one thing …

New Video Soon‼

We didn’t drop a video last week because we were working on something SPECIAL for our dedicated community. However, you can expect 2 new videos this week, so watch this space.

What Happened Last Week?

ATP Finals

Last week was action-packed in Turin. The Top 4 made it out of the group stage. Carlos Alcaraz managed to come out on top in his group but fell to a resurgent Novak Djokovic in the semis while Jannik Sinner riding the wave of his Italian support got his first wins over Djokovic and Holger Rune, also beating Stefanos Tsitsipas to come out on top in his group. He then beat Daniil Medvedev for the third consecutive time in the semis to set up a mouthwatering clash with Djokovic in the final.

Meanwhile, Tsitsipas stirred up trouble by withdrawing in the early stages of his second match, leaving first alternate, Hubert Hurkacz with no chance of making it past the round robin stage. Alexander Zverev failed to make it to the semis despite winning 2 out of his 3 matches while Andrey Rublev couldn’t keep up with his impressive form, losing all of his 3 matches in the group stage.

Year End No. 1

Novak Djokovic clinched his record-extending eighth ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone after he secured a victory in his opening match at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Two years ago, the Serbian set the record as the oldest ATP Year-End No. 1 in history (since 1973) aged 34. This year, he has broken his own record aged 36.

Ranking Update: The Biggest Movers Of The Week 

There are no changes in the ATP ranking but for what it’s worth, Jannik Sinner continues to close in on the Top 3 while Novak Djokovic is set to hold the top spot for at least another 10 weeks.

Major Tournament Updates 

Davis Cup Finals (21 November - 26 November)

The knockout stages of the Davis Cup will be taking place in Malaga, Spain next week. Serbia takes on Great Britain; Italy faces Netherlands; Czechia are up against Australia and Canada faces Finland. Novak Djokovic says the tournament is a priority for him but do you see Serbia winning the trophy considering the squad depth of other teams?

Next Gen ATP Finals (28 November - 02 December)

The Next Gen ATP finals will then take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Arthur Fils, Dominic Stricker, Luca Van Assche and Flavio Cobolli have all qualified while Lorenzo Musetti and Ben Shelton withdrew due to medical and personal reasons.

HOT TAKES

Last week, I mentioned Jannik Sinner winning the title if Novak Djokovic didn’t and guess what, both players are meeting in the finals. Having seen a lot of drama unfold these past couple of days, here are my hot takes:

  • Jannik Sinner will be a grand slam champion and world number 1

  • 450 weeks at the top is a possibility for Novak

  • Carlos Alcaraz will win many more matches on indoor hardcourts

Do you agree with all of these predictions?

Watch out for this Guy

After bagging 60 wins this season with impressive wins over top 10 players, Jannik Sinner has to be considered a main contender for slams in 2024. He just seems to have come off age. He has everything going for him; the talent, the right team, a strong mentality, and great physical conditioning.

Off the Court

Recently Retired Stars Honored

All good things must come to an end. Former Top 25 stars Jeremy Chardy, Thomaz Bellucci, and other stars like Pablo Andujar, Peter Gojowczyk, Malek Jaziri, and a couple of other recently retired singles and doubles players were all recognised at the Nitto ATP Finals. After ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi welcomed them with a speech in the player lounge, they then participated in an on-court ceremony at the Pala Alpitour.

The players reminisced on how they enjoyed their individual journeys and had no regrets and it got me thinking. Is this the same feeling for every single tennis player out there? Tennis seems to be a HARSH business and this video best explains that fact.

Trivia of the Week

Do you know who won the very first season-ending championship back in 1970? Rod Laver, Stan Smith, Ilie Nastase, or Manuel Orantes?

Ans: Stan Smith, the former world No. 1 American and two-time Grand Slam champion won the event with Laver finishing as runner-up.

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

Highlights of the Week

Until next time, keep swinging!

TennisPlus

It all comes down to one thing …

New Video Soon‼

We didn’t drop a video last week because we were working on something SPECIAL for our dedicated community. However, you can expect 2 new videos this week, so watch this space. But good for you guys you are following us on our newsletter and get uninterrupted content every week!

What Happened Last Week?

ATP Finals

Last week was action-packed in Turin. The Top 4 made it out of the group stage. Carlos Alcaraz managed to come out on top in his group but fell to a resurgent Novak Djokovic in the semis while Jannik Sinner riding the wave of his Italian support got his first wins over Djokovic and Holger Rune, also beating Stefanos Tsitsipas to come out on top in his group. He then beat Daniil Medvedev for the third consecutive time in the semis to set up a mouthwatering clash with Djokovic in the final.

Meanwhile, Tsitsipas stirred up trouble by withdrawing in the early stages of his second match, leaving first alternate, Hubert Hurkacz with no chance of making it past the round robin stage. Alexander Zverev failed to make it to the semis despite winning 2 out of his 3 matches while Andrey Rublev couldn’t keep up with his impressive form, losing all of his 3 matches in the group stage.

Year End No. 1

Novak Djokovic clinched his record-extending eighth ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone after he secured a victory in his opening match at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Two years ago, the Serbian set the record as the oldest ATP Year-End No. 1 in history (since 1973) aged 34. This year, he has broken his own record aged 36.

Ranking Update
The Biggest Movers Of The Week 

There are no changes in the ATP ranking but for what it’s worth, Jannik Sinner continues to close in on the Top 3 while Novak Djokovic is set to hold the top spot for at least another 10 weeks.

Major Tournament Updates 

Davis Cup Finals (21 November - 26 November)

The knockout stages of the Davis Cup will be taking place in Malaga, Spain next week. Serbia takes on Great Britain; Italy faces Netherlands; Czechia are up against Australia and Canada faces Finland. Novak Djokovic says the tournament is a priority for him but do you see Serbia winning the trophy considering the squad depth of other teams?

Next Gen ATP Finals (28 November - 02 December)

The Next Gen ATP finals will then take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Arthur Fils, Dominic Stricker, Luca Van Assche and Flavio Cobolli have all qualified while Lorenzo Musetti and Ben Shelton withdrew due to medical and personal reasons.

HOT TAKES

Last week, I mentioned Jannik Sinner winning the title if Novak Djokovic didn’t and guess what, both players are meeting in the finals. Having seen a lot of drama unfold these past couple of days, here are my hot takes:

  • Jannik Sinner will be a grand slam champion and world number 1

  • 450 weeks at the top is a possibility for Novak

  • Carlos Alcaraz will win many more matches on indoor hardcourts

Do you agree with all of these predictions?

Watch Out For This Guy

After bagging 60 wins this season with impressive wins over top 10 players, Jannik Sinner has to be considered a main contender for slams in 2024. He just seems to have come off age. He has everything going for him; the talent, the right team, a strong mentality, and great physical conditioning.

Off The Court

Recently Retired Stars Honored

All good things must come to an end. Former Top 25 stars Jeremy Chardy, Thomaz Bellucci, and other stars like Pablo Andujar, Peter Gojowczyk, Malek Jaziri, and a couple of other recently retired singles and doubles players were all recognised at the Nitto ATP Finals. After ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi welcomed them with a speech in the player lounge, they then participated in an on-court ceremony at the Pala Alpitour.

The players reminisced on how they enjoyed their individual journeys and had no regrets and it got me thinking. Is this the same feeling for every single tennis player out there? Tennis seems to be a HARSH business and this video best explains that fact.

Trivia Of The Week

Do you know who won the very first season-ending championship back in 1970? Rod Laver, Stan Smith, Ilie Nastase, or Manuel Orantes?

Ans: Stan Smith, the former world No. 1 American and two-time Grand Slam champion won the event with Laver finishing as runner-up.

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

Highlights Of The Week

Until next time, keep swinging!

For The Love Of Tennis