Previewing The 2024 WTA Season

 

We are on the eve of another season in the WTA (in fact already begun). 

It is a bit strange the season starts before the turn of the year but tennis chooses to be concertinaed so they shouldn’t turn and complain of too much tennis.. 

Having said that, 2023 was a very interesting year with the top players showing up and claiming the majority of the big tournaments. Women’s tennis is in a good place despite the obvious disquiet off the court with how the WTA Tour is run administratively. Can the players deliver again in 2024? I think so, let’s look at the players who can make the biggest waves.

Iga Swiatek:

Swiatek had a very strong finish to 2023 and will be looking to start 2024 in the same fashion. Despite the many criticisms beforehand, Swiatek dominated the WTA championships in Cancun in Mexico, winning every match in straight sets and thrashing Pegula in the final.  However, it’s a new year and a clean slate, and Swiatek will have to start all over again.

Starting with the Australian Open in January. Swiatek is yet to make a final there and has not been a factor so far in her career, thus will want to correct that.  This will not be easy as the old saying used to be that hardcourt is a leveller. Meaning, clay court specialists and grass court specialists had an opportunity to win on the surface. Those days are more or less over but there are still players who favour one surface over others, and in the main Swiatek is at her best on clay.   At the Australian Open it is more difficult because a lot more players fancy their chances of success. At the same time, Swiatek showed she can play on hardcourts with her win at the US Open in 2022.  This will be a great opportunity to show she can go far at the event in January.

Likewise Wimbledon, as Swiatek has yet to make a semifinal there either.  Swiatek is definitely struggling to adapt to grass. My opinion is the lack of a transition game is hurting her. She is not consistently able to take advantage of the short ball and come to the net to finish points.  This is something she needs to address. Also, her forehand grip seems to be a hindrance but I do not see any reason why she cannot overcome these two problems to really progress. To win at Wimbledon, she will have to overcome these two issues sufficiently.

As for the rest of 2023, Swiatek will want to consolidate her number 1 position. Win at least one 1000 level tournament, win a major away from clay and stay ahead of the pack. Those will be three of her main goals.  During 2023 I thought Swiatek’s confidence went down a bit, she was not playing diagonal tennis as much, but playing a more central (neutral) position. In my eyes her forehand is not as effective there, as her stance subconsciously switches from semi open which gives her more options, to hitting more off the backfoot which makes her forehand far less effective overall. It will be interesting to see how her confidence affects her strategy and style of play in 2024. 

Aryna Sabalenka

Sabalenka had the breakthrough season she had been dreaming of since she became a professional tennis player. Winning her first major tournament and spending weeks as number 1 in the world. Sabalenka achieved both in 2024 by winning the Australian Open in January and becoming world number 1 in September.

Two great achievements; although ironically, it could have been so much better. Sabalenka had a few opportunities to become Number 1 sooner. Particularly in July if she made the Wimbledon final. Sabalenka finally became number 1 in September in spite of losing the US Open final against Coco Gauff. Sabalenka then had a great chance to end the year as number 1 but blew her semifinal against Swiatek in Cancun. So, Sabalenka will be looking to be even stronger in 2024.

This will not be easy, as she will have to come out of the traps fast and defend her Australian Open title.  A semifinal appearance will be seen as an honourable effort, winning again will be a big bonus.  Sabalenka won 3 titles in 2023 including Madrid on clay. She can win more titles in 2024, she must aim for 5 titles at least including a major. 

Sabalenka possesses all of the attributes to be a great player. She is potentially a great grass court player, with two Wimbledon semifinal appearances in a row. Sabalenka is also very good on hardcourts.  And with her big game and serve should be a threat at the French Open.  Sabalenka has a great serve, great groundstrokes and a good transition game when she uses it, no doubt helped by being a very good doubles player. Sabalenka also has good athleticism and can defend when needed.

These attributes suggest she should be a Number 1 player consistently. But then the X factor comes into play. That X factor is nerves. Sabalenka showed in the US Open final that when nerves get to her, she could hit the ball all over the place. Some of her forehands were nearly hitting the backboard!  Intriguing how a top pro could lose control like that. Looking at it logically, those shots suggest the racquet is strung way too loose, to lose control so dramatically. But if I apply common sense, I don’t expect that from a top pro. 

Therefore, it has to be down to Sabalenka to control her shots much more often. Maybe as the coaches would say, put more “shape” on her shots. Meaning, more topspin for control, the balls need to dip in deep in the court and not sail way long. In Sabalenka’s case, maybe technical adjustments are required so when she is nervous, she doesn’t miss so sensationally badly.

That could be the difference between Sabalenka becoming a truly great player over the next five years; controlling her nerves better.

Coco Gauff

In many ways, Gauff is the big story of 2023.  Winning her first major title at the US Open when it looked like she was not ready to win such a big event. But Gauff was ready, which is the main thing.

Gauff has followed a recent trend of teenagers winning the US Open.  Matching Bianca Andreescu in 2019 and Emma Raducanu in 2021.  Before that, Maria Sharapova won as a teenager in 2006 and Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2004. It does not happen often but three times in five years is impressive.

In fact, up until the summer hardcourt season, Gauff was not having a great year. She lost early in the Australian Open, lost badly to Swiatek in the French Open quarterfinal, then lost in the 1^st round of Wimbledon.  Thus Gauff decided to invite legendary coach Brad Gilbert to her coaching team, to provide strategic advice and motivation. Well, it worked!  She won Washington, then Cincinnati and the US Open; an incredible summer.   

What prompted such a turnaround?  During the US Open, Sky Sports US Open coverage invited Brad Gilbert for a chat and he made some interesting comments.  Gilbert said he took no notice of statistics and approached things in a much more old school fashion, what he sees with his eyes and feeling for the situation.  In an age of statistics, damn statistics, it must be refreshing for a 19-year-old to hear such a different approach. 

There were occasions when Gauff ignored Gilbert during matches and did her own thing, which is also interesting.  The US Open final was a combination of complete and utter determination by Gauff to come back from a set down, and bizarre errors from Sabalenka who at times looked more like a pub player.

This is now a great platform for Gauff to launch her career and at some point attack the number 1 ranking over the next 18 months. Gauff has already made a French Open final which shows she can play on clay.  Grass is a bit more difficult for her but doable. Overall Gauff won four tournaments in 2023 so a good return. In 2024, Gauff will no doubt have many goals. One would be to do well on clay and grass. The other would be to beat Swiatek in a grand slam tournament, which would be a huge confidence boost, should they draw each other. 2024 is also Olympic year, I am sure all top players will be targeting Olympic gold.

As for her game, Gauff has many attributes. Gauff has a strong first serve, very good backhand and is probably the best athlete on tour.  Her forehand is an issue and it is amazing she was able to win the US Open despite this.  Gauff tends to hit her forehand pivoting off the backfoot, which makes it erratic and does not get much penetration. At times she is forced too far behind the baseline as a result, making her vulnerable to attack. It is interesting how many players play this way, and are often genuine counterpunchers; relying on their speed to get them out of trouble.

Hitting off the backfoot too often is a recipe for a career of long-term injuries, especially to hip, back and wrist. I am quite frankly amazed players are coming through playing this way and it is still endorsed by coaches and analysts. The info from past decades is all there: Sergei Bruguera, Gustavo Kuerten, Guillermo Coria, Andy Murray, Amelie Mauresmo and many others suffered terrible injuries.  In the men’s game Alexander Zverev hits off the backfoot well behind the baseline and it makes no sense.

I would like to see Gauff work on her forehand technique and stance.  Gauff has stated her dream is to be a dominant number 1. However, there has never been a dominant number 1 in the history of tennis who hits their forehand off the back foot.  Can Gauff be number 1 in future? Yes. To dominate everyone and be number 1 for hundreds of weeks? Unlikely unless she modifies her techniqe and way of playing.

Regarding 2024, Gauff has the opportunity to build on her success, and win another major title. That would be good progress.

Elena Rybakina

Rybakina rounded out the Top 4 during the 2023 WTA season. Statistically, Rybakina was the least successful. Why? Well she did not win a grand slam title. However, Rybakina did make the Australian Open final, losing to Sabalenka after being a set up. Her other results in the majors were not so good. 3^rd round at the French Open, quarterfinal at Wimbledon and 3^rd round of the US Open. Rybakina did win two big titles at Indian Wells and the Foro Italico in Rome.

In many ways Rybakina flattered to deceive during 2023.  She suffered injuries at the wrong time and when her fans would have expected her to kick on and be more of a threat, she went the other way. At the same time, when I watch Rybakina play I would like her to do more on the tennis court more often. I get the impression she is playing within herself and may be holding something back; or perhaps not aware she can be an even better player than she currently is.  

There are restrictions, Rybakina stands at 1 metre 84 so movement wise not the fastest.  Hence Rybakina is not able to play defence as well as some of her opponents which can be a hindrance to winning many titles. 

Rybakina does have a great serve and can transition to net very well.  2024 should be an interesting season; if she can keep injuries to a minimum and play a lot of matches to keep sharp, there is no reason she cannot challenge to win Wimbledon.  Not sure at this stage of her credentials to win the US Open. However, as she made the Australian Open final last year, she does have it in her to win on hardcourts.  Rybakina has the added bonus of having a good head to head record against Swiatek, who clearly does not enjoy playing her.

I think Rybakina can get an extra 10% out of her game to become a real great player. It is up to her and her coaching staff to take that extra step.

Other players to watch:

Jessica Pegula

Pegula finished 2023 strongly, reaching the final of WTA championships in Cancun before getting unceremoniously thrashed 6-1 6-0 by Swiatek.  Pegula did win the Canadian Open (Rogers Cup) in August but made no impression at the four grand slam events, her best being the quarterfinal in Wimbledon. Pegula’s game, height and demeanour reminds me of Jennifer Capriati but despite being a Top 5 player, I struggle to see her as a serious contender to win a major tournament in 2024.

Ons Jabeur

We could have been talking about Jabeur in much better terms and gravitas. After taking out both Rybakina and Sabalenka in the quarterfinals and semifinals of Wimbledon, destiny seemed in her hands. Jabeur was set to be the first player from Africa to win a major tournament. Unfortunately the final against Vondrousova turned out to be a video nasty.  As someone who followed tennis closely since the 1990s, it was the first time I have seen such a poor final by a clear favourite. 

In the past the favoured player has lost finals, it happens. Marat Safin at the 2002 Australian Open against Thomas Johansson. Maria Sharapova against Serena Williams in 2004 Wimbledon.  What we haven’t seen until now was a complete capitulation due to nerves where talent had zero to do with the equation. It was a painful experience watching it.

Whether Jabeur can create another opportunity to win a major final remains to be seen.

Ludmila Samsanova

A Top 20 player who seems to have the talent to be Top 10 material and possible grand slam contender, but yet to show it at the highest level.

Karolina Muchova

Finalist at the French Open and semifinalist at the US Open.  Will be tough to repeat that in 2024.

Marketa Vondrousova

Wimbledon champion in 2023! Not sure what to make of Vondrousova as a Top 10 player.  Does she have the consistency or game to stay there for a long period of time? To do that she will need to either win a few tournaments, or get to the semis and finals consistently. She doesn’t appear to be that kind of player but happy to be proved wrong.

Special mentions for the comeback queens Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber, both returning after maternity leave / forced absence from the tour.

 

 

 

 

Iga Swiatek - Back to Business

  

It has proved to be a very interesting year for Iga Swiatek.

Swiatek started the year as clear number 1 but suffered a shock straight sets defeat to Elena Rybakina in the 4^th round of the Australian Open.  This immediately got fans and media talking that she would struggle to retain her number 1 position.  Both Ayrna Sabalenka and Rybakina took advantage with each getting to the final; Sabalenka coming from a set down to take her first major title.

Fast forward to the clay court season in the spring, Sabalenka defeated Swiatek in the final of Madrid and was now hunting the number 1 ranking.  In Rome, Swiatek succumbed to Rybakina yet again; a player who is becoming a nemesis for her. Swiatek retired in the 3^rd set after losing the 2^nd set on a tiebreak.

At the French Open, Swiatek retained her title with a strong run to the final taking out Coco Gauff in the quarterfinal and Beatrice Haddad Maia in the semifinal. However, Swiatek had an almighty tussle in the final against Czech player Karolina Muchova, where it looked for a while that Muchova would prevail. However, Swiatek dug deep in the 3^rd set, and came back from a break down to take her 3^rd French Open title.  I assume this is her most satisfying win, due to been under media and fan pressure for the first time as world number 1.

Her joy was relatively short lived though, the grass court season proving her Achilles heel for the second year in a row. This time, Swiatek managed to get to the quarterfinals after a tight 4^th round match with Belinda Bencic.  Swiatek would not escape the quarterfinals, Elena Svitolina taking the match 7-5, 6-7, 6-2. It seems clear as of now Swiatek’s style of play is not conducive to grass, which is a little surprising as she is a junior Wimbledon champion. 

Swiatek was in danger of losing her number 1 ranking but Sabalenka was unable to capitalise, losing in the semifinal to Ons Jabeur.

The hardcourt season cannot be described as a success in any way. In fact, it was relatively poor.  Swiatek lost in the semifinal in Canada to Jessica Pegula in three sets. Incredibly her serve was broken a whopping eleven times throughout the course of the match :-0 

Coco Gauff was able to record her first ever win against Swiatek in the semifinal of Cincinnati, prevailing 7-6, 3-6, 6-4.  Things got worse for Swiatek, as she reached the fourth round of the US Open, then lost to the mercurial Jelena Ostapenko, Even more remarkable is Swiatek has never beaten Ostapenko in an official match, losing for the fourth time in a row. This is extremely unusual for a number 1 player in any era, to have such a poor record against essentially a Top 20 player.

This meant Sabalenka was finally able to claim the world number 1 ranking by making the final of the US Open. She couldn’t celebrate too hard after losing the US Open final to Coco Gauff despite being a set up.

By this stage the knives were firmly out for Swiatek, predicting her imminent demise.  Comparisons were made to former World Number 1s who lost the position and never recovered; from Lleyton to Hewitt to Jim Courier.  Those with cool heads attempted to explain that it is quite normal for a player to lose the number 1 ranking after a while, then through hard work and perseverance, regain the number 1 position at a future date.  For whatever reason, a sizeable faction did not want to hear this and were openly questioning Swiatek’s mental state after a couple of press conferences and statements which perhaps did not hit the mark. Swiatek also stopped wearing the Ukraine ribbon in her cap, which also attracted a lot of “comments”.

Swiatek did recover some confidence before the WTA Championships in the autumn by winning the China Open. In that run, Swiatek beat Caroline Garcia, Coco Gauff and Luidmilla Samsanova. But it is the WTA Championships where Swiatek showed the world what she is all about. Winning every match in straight sets, including against Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova and US Open champion Coco Gauff.  With the year end number 1 ranking on the line, Swiatek took down Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinal and thrashed Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-0 to reclaim the number 1 ranking in spectacular fashion. Swiatek regained the number 1 ranking from Sabalenka in the very last match of the season!

The 2023 season was remarkable for Swiatek in a number of ways.  The first is Swiatek won a major title by retaining the French Open.  Despite appearing to struggle mightily in many big tournaments, Swiatek compiled a 67-to-11-win loss record which is mightily impressive and shows she was often in contention. Plus it is not possible to get a bigger confidence boost than winning the WTA finals in style and regaining the number 1 position.

Swiatek has a few hurdles to climb in 2024.  She is yet to make an Australian Open final and as things stand is not a favourite to win the Wimbledon title. Slightly surprising because as mentioned earlier, she is a junior Wimbledon champion but due to her style of play, it is proving difficult. Amelie Mauresmo won Wimbledon with an extreme western forehand grip but her strengths were her beautiful volleys, topspin backhand, slice backhand, strong serve and athletic ability. Swiatek possesses the athletic ability but is lacking a transition game and strong net play. Swiatek also does not use the slice backhand on the low ball. Swiatek needs more variety in her game.

I also noticed Swiatek slightly amended her tactics in the 2023 season.  She seems not play the diagonal game as much as throughout 2022. This could be due to a slight dip in confidence, where she is playing the middle of the court. I am not sure this suits as her forehand is not quite as effective from that position.  Swiatek needs to make space to hit the ball effectively with an extreme grip, improvising is not as easy for her and hence starts hitting off the backfoot a bit too much.

Swiatek’s resurgence makes the 2024 season a very interesting one. How will her rivals respond? We’ll soon find out.

 

Previewing The 2023 WTA Season

 

With the 2023 WTA season fast approaching, let’s take a look at the contenders for the big titles.

https://lastwordonsports.com/tennis/2023/01/02/previewing-the-2023-wta-season/

Previewing the 2023 ATP Season

 

The 2022 season was a bizarre one in many ways. Starting off with the controversy swirling around Novak Djokovic, and ending with a teenager as world #1 in the shape of Carlos Alcaraz. This is something no one would have predicted. All the same, the established old men of Djokovic and Nadal won three of the four majors on offer. So, what will the 2023 ATP season hold?

https://lastwordonsports.com/tennis/2023/01/03/preview-2023-atp-season/

Five Crazy Tennis Moments in 2022

2022 was an incredibly volatile year for professional tennis. Here are five crazy moments that stand out.

https://lastwordonsports.com/tennis/2023/01/01/five-crazy-tennis-moments-in-2022/ 

Stefanos Tsitsipas – Delusions of Grandeur?

The 2022 tennis season proved a rather strange one.

A season which started in January with Novak Djokovic getting sensationally expelled from the Australian Open. Women’s #1 Ash Barty retired completely out of the blue. Alexander Zverev was disqualified for cursing out an umpire and repeatedly smashing his chair with his racquet in the Mexican Open. And Russian and Belarussian players were banned from Wimbledon for the war in Ukraine, with the ATP and WTA tour awarding no points for the competition in retaliation. 

 https://lastwordonsports.com/tennis/2022/12/03/stefanos-tsitsipas-delusions-of-grandeur/

My Visit to Paris Bercy Masters, 2022 Edition

The Paris Bercy Masters 1000 is one of the top events on the tennis calendar. The last big event before the World Tour finals in Turin, the big boys tend to turn up and give a show.

This was my first visit to Paris Bercy since 2003. Back then I saw the likes of Jonas Bjorkman, Tim Henman, Gustavo Kuerten, Roger Federer and the talented but forgotten Martin Verkerk. Great names indeed but from a totally different era in every sense. That particular event was held on fast indoor carpet. Today, indoor tournaments are primarily played on indoor hardcourt (plexicushion). Having watched live tennis for over 20 years, the big difference between carpet and plexicushion is the speed and the bounce. No doubt plexicushion is relatively slower and higher bouncing; players have to hit harder to penetrate defences.  This in turn has allowed counterpunchers to flourish, particularly counterpunchers with fast twitch fibres.

This was my first visit to Bercy since 2003 but not live tennis in Paris. I attended the French Open on six occasions and the WTA Paris Indoors three years in a row. That was an excellent tournament, sadly now defunct, part of the recent flux and uncertainty of the WTA tour.

Back to Paris Bercy, I attended the day session of the quarterfinals, with four of the Next Gen / Gen Z on show. Francis Tiafoe took on Felix Auger-Aliassime whilst Holger Rune entertained Carlos Alcaraz. Not sure if these guys are Next Gen or Gen Z, there are now so many labels I can’t keep up! Tiafoe v Aliassime was first up, USA vs Canada. The first thing that grabbed my attention was how tentative Tiafoe appeared in the warm up. I would hasten to say casual, not moving his feet at all and patting the ball back and forth. Auger-Aliassime was the opposite, hitting the ball as hard as possible, as if the match already begun!

Play did commence and before he knew it Tiafoe was 4-1 down, still looking lethargic. At one stage Tiafoe played a rally which summed up his lack of mental application. He played a series of drop shots, allowing Aliassime to get to each one with time to spare. Not the way to play drop shots! Tiafoe lost the first set 6-1 and didn’t fare too much better in the second set. Even so, Tiafoe tried to get himself going, engaging the crowd and hugging a ball boy but none of it worked. Tiafoe also won a point with a serve and high forehand volley with what can only be described as a frying pan grip. Amateurs who play tennis will know exactly what I mean by a frying pan grip, not something I thought a professional would utilise.

But then I noticed something else, my notes hardly mentioned Auger-Aliassime. It seemed a lot about Tiafoe’s failings. So what about Auger-Aliassime? His performance was solid if unspectacular, slightly uninspiring.  Could he lift his game if he was properly challenged? On this occasion it didn’t matter as he strolled to a 6-1 6-4 victory. Having seen Auger-Aliassime up close, I still think he needs to do a lot more if he wants to win a grand slam tournament. He plays within himself too often; he needs to display more of his talent, and more energy.

The second match involved two 19 year olds. World number 1 Carlos Alcaraz from Spain took on Denmark’s Holger Rune.  I was looking forward to this match, my first opportunity to see US Open champ Alcaraz. Alcaraz unsurprisingly (to me at least) has struggled for form and fitness since his breakthrough in September. We have seen this before; he is not ready to dominate. Fans will need to understand this and coach Juan Carlos Ferrero will not be panicking. The media is another animal altogether and they will pile the pressure on if results do not go his way.

Both players came out to “I Love Rock and Roll” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Interesting choice! Anyone reading this under the age of 40 will have to google Joan Jett. With the coin toss done, Alcaraz sprinted to the baseline, a la Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz won the coin toss and chose to receive. This left me slightly surprised, a decision counterpunchers usually make to receive serve first. 

I don’t consider Alcaraz a consistent counterpuncher but it might reveal his current state of mind. This fuelled Rune who came out strong, serving well and displaying a big forehand which he was not afraid to use. Alcaraz was immediately on the back foot, initially saving break points early but got broken soon enough. In fact by the seventh game Alcaraz already lost all of his challenges with silly decision making on balls that were clearly out. Rune in the meantime was looking sharp, coming into net off short balls and putting away volleys with aplomb, taking the first set 6-3.

Alcaraz came out for the second set looking far better, coming to net and unleashing huge shots from the baseline. One thing about live tennis is watching big shots been produced by great players. The acoustics of live tennis tend to be different. When watching on television, or internet stream, microphones are put close to the court, amplified shots can sound like gun shots, making it more dramatic.

As the second set went on, Rune was starting to make more mistakes, coinciding with Alcaraz employing more drop shots. However, Rune held off Alcaraz’s surge impressively, and we were set for a major battle in the second set tiebreak. Sadly, Alcaraz twisted his abdomen just when things were getting interesting, after lengthy treatment and a couple more points, retired hurt. However, it was a great battle between two future top players who will be vying for the major tournaments.

I arrived for the final on Sunday knowing Rune would play Novak Djokovic. In the semifinals, Rune beat Auger-Aliassime 6-4 6-2 and Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in a third set tiebreak. Having seen both young guys on Friday, the result was not a surprise. Rune seems eager to get to the top, whilst Aliassime does not appear determined enough, missing the X factor. Determination and not just skill is a huge factor in how far players can go in their career.

Djokovic beating Tsitsipas was also not a surprise. Since the ill-fated French Open final of 2021 where Djokovic came from two sets down to beat Tsitsipas, Tsitsipas has not beaten a top player in an important match. He is mentally struggling, and only he and his team can pull himself out of this. The belief is not there when it matters.

On the other hand, Djokovic at age 35 is almost twice the age of his final opponent, that is something. It was all about Rune in the final; could he hold it together mentally? At age 19 he could run all day but his tactics would be interesting. The match started with Rune unsurprisingly nervous but still going for his shots. In typical Djokovic fashion, he stayed steady and eventually broke twice in the first set to take it 6-3.

Despite the setback, Rune was still going for shots, and his 2^nd serve. Remarkably, at one stage he hit a 2^nd serve at 200kph (125 mph). Not sure if that was exuberance of youth or lack of experience in not playing steady. One thing became clear; Rune was not interested in playing longer rallies with Djokovic, ultimately a wise decision. Rune wanted to attack short balls and close the net; stay aggressive often. A commendable game plan against the supreme counterpuncher in tennis history. The aggressive mind-set worked because Rune broke right at the start of the second set, and was able to hold serve throughout to take it 6-3.

Djokovic thought he gained control of the match in the third set, breaking Rune but Rune broke back, showing his resilience. Rune broke again at 6-5 to serve for the match, taking the already raucous Paris Bercy crowd into an absolute frenzy. The final game seemed to take twenty minutes, I lost count of the break points but there were two match points at least. On the first match point, Rune missed the 1st serve and double faulted, attempting a 2^nd serve on the line at near 200kph. Maybe he got caught up in the atmosphere because that was crazy stuff! Rune eventually won it, getting the error of an attempted Djokovic half volley.

Rune won by staying aggressive and not being overawed by the occasion, this bodes well for the future. Djokovic was gracious in defeat but demonstrated just how hard it is to put him away! The first of many Masters Shields for Rune if he continues to progress.

What I like about Rune and Alcaraz is they play quick. No messing between 1^st and 2^nd serves, no timewasting or bouncing the ball excessively before serving. Plus, their first instinct is to go for their shots.

The future of tennis is in good hands if Next Gen players continue to shun the counterpuncher style. All top players from every era need to know how to defend, but we want players coming through who want to attack first and foremost, whilst having the ability to defend when required. Former number 1 Daniil Medvedev needs to take note, he has retreated into a defensive shell, and his ranking and confidence is taking a hit.

All in all, another great Masters event at Paris Bercy.