Week 20, 2024

Zverev gets in on RG contender talk. Swiatek compounds favorite status. Here’s what we found interesting this week:

• Injury Watch

  With Roland Garros next week, we have an eye on some key health storylines:

  Jannik Sinner: We know he’s been hitting in Monaco. There are reports that a doctor recommended skipping Roland Garros. Sinner said he’ll “only play if he’s 100%”, given the risk of further injury.

  Carlos Alcaraz: The latest report from Marca is positive. Carlitos has been hitting for over a week and plans on traveling to Paris tomorrow. He has also picked up a new skill during his recovery: using his feet for the service toss.

  Novak Djokovic: Doctors cleared Djokovic amidst concussion concerns stemming from the Rome water bottle incident. Novak will play Geneva this week. He won Roland Garros in 2021 after playing the week before.

  Jiri Lehecka: After making his breakthrough run to the Madrid semifinal, Lehecka has sadly withdrawn from Roland Garros due to a back injury.

• Jon Wertheim Traveled to Romania to Interview Simona Halep

  Why It’s Interesting: She defends Patrick Mourataglou, describes her time away from the sport and critiques the anti-doping program. Hat tip to Jon and Tennis Channel for this.

• Federer & Nadal Sit Shoulder to Shoulder Again

  Why It’s Interesting: As part of a LOUIS VUITTON ad campaign, the greats were taken to Italy’s snowy Dolomite Alps to bundle up in the puffiest winter jackets possible, sit atop an expensive chest, and answer some big questions about their careers. There was a surprising amount of substance here, and also some silly moments that reminded us of this classic Fedal video.

• WTA 500 To Kick Off Grass Season

  Why It’s Interesting: This means Queens will have consecutive events with the WTA 500 followed by the ATP 500. The move also means that the three most significant annual British tennis tournaments will all take place in London.

• Alejandro Tabilo’s Rise

  Why It’s Interesting: Tabilo credits a psychologist for his recent success.

• Another Tennis Movie to Watch Soon

• Monfils Gives It Straight

  Why It’s Interesting: At 37, Monfils is ready to reflect on his career. While beloved for his entertainment value, he has also picked up more negative characterizations along the way. Poor work ethic? Underachiever? Gael wants you to know that’s all BS.

• PIF Gets Into The WTA Business, And Now Sponsors Both Rankings

• Roger’s Documentary Coming June 20th

@atptour

One final serve. FEDERER: Twelve Final Days, June 20.   #FedererDoc | #TwelveFinalDays | @Prime Video

On this week’s Monday Match Analysis, Gill delves into the Rome final between Alexander Zverev and Nicolas Jarry. He talks about why the match wasn't as close as the scoreline, why it was a bad matchup for Jarry and how Zverev serves a higher 1st serve percentage than anyone else. He also evaluates Zverev's Roland Garros title chances and takes stock of Jarry as a player.

Hey everyone, Gill Gross here. While I’m grateful for any amount of success I’ve had talking tennis on the internet for the past half decade, I believe we should all be doing better in this sport as creators and as fans. The tennis content economy is far behind other sports by metrics of engagement and popularity. This newsletter is our effort to DRAW the great things we find in tennis every week- we search for content that teaches us, makes us think, makes us laugh and ultimately makes loving this sport the best possible experience. Our vision is to speed up the growth of a robust content economy in tennis, for the benefit of fans, players and creators alike.

Want to sponsor this newsletter? Reach out to [email protected].

Want to send us content? Send an email to [email protected].