Are the Grand Slams safe?

GRAND SLAMS - ATP - WTA
Is the Tour coming for the Grand Slam aura? If yes, is that a good idea?

Throughout the many talks about this new 2-week format regarding the ATP and WTA 1000 tournaments, there’s one point that keeps coming back into my mind. So I thought I’d share: Is tennis taking a risk of lowering Grand Slams value by upping these 2-week ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000? Because, if Grand Slams now end looking like another tournament, how long will the tradition set them apart, and what good does it do to the sport to take a swing at them?

I mean, Grand Slams (and their federations) are the deep pockets of the game. They’re the ones motivating broadcasters and sponsors to pay a lot of money for the rights, the ones bringing the most money to most of the players right now. They’re the ones whose money also helps grow the game from the grassroots. If you make them look less shiny, less desirable, and less mattering in the long run, how is tennis exactly winning? Genuine question here.

Of course, as Roland-Garros is starting, it’s easy to see that the Grand Slam aura is still at the top. Players dream of winning these events. They’re the pinnacle of the sport. Why? Not because of the format but because of their tradition… and because of the storytelling. Many other athletes only have the Olympics every four years, but tennis has four Olympics per season. And the whole sport’s storytelling revolves mainly around them.

It’s obviously a leverage battle

This, understandably, has always irked the Tour because go tell Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, or Rome that they’re just warm-up events… With the money they’re investing and the fact that players keep demanding more and more prize money, it’s logical that these events also grow their ambitions. The amount of people seen attending the Madrid and Rome tournaments is a very good sign about the popularity of these events and the adoption of the 2-week format. You give them more days, you give them more money, exposure and influence so for them it’s a no brainer.

The power gained by the Grand Slams has indeed skyrocketed so much that it’s like nothing else matters as much as they do. Not even the ATP and WTA Finals. So, in this perspective and in today’s context of that Premium tour proposal and the Saudi offer to the ATP, it’s easy to see the battle for leverage entering a new era. And, coincidence or not, the ATP and the WTA now have these 2-weeks super masters whose format is basically the same as a Grand Slam. 2 weeks, a day off between each match. Yes, now a Grand Slam is considered a three-week event but it’s because they’re doing a great job at rebranding their qualification week. The Tour could do the same. Australian Open is, by the way, basically a month-long if you think about the very smart marketing of their summer of tennis with the United Cup and the other events before Melbourne.

If the format no longer sets the Grand Slams in another dimension, only their history and aura remain. Surely, you cannot go after that. Well… let’s play the devil’s advocate here. If one takes an honest look at it, only Wimbledon would seem safe. Wimbledon is not only this sport’s Olympics, it’s also its Met Gala, its Cannes festival, and its fashion week. Wimbledon is the myth. Can the three others say they have reached myth level? I mean, not so long ago, Miami found a way to be called the fifth Slam… What could happen now as the Tour is getting serious about getting into the Grand Slams’s faces?

Most importantly, is tennis sure to win in the end? Because if you decide to go for the Grand Slams’s jugular, you’d better be sure you can do without their overwhelming power and aura. Devaluating the Grand Slam brand or just even taking the risk of it… You know what they say: with great power comes great responsibilities.

Is there a path where everybody wins? Maybe

That’s also why I don’t think that the Tour is really trying to get the Grand Slams down. Maybe down a notch, but not down for good. By showing some teeth, the ATP and the WTA might actually contribute to raising the overall sport’s profile. Imagine that, despite many players finding these 2-week Masters 1000 way too long and the recent injuries streak, this new format takes off. Suddenly, it’s not four Olympics a year, but double that at least. Suddenly, from December to November, you have multiplied the narratives, the amount of viewers, and the amount of money put into the game. If the Tour’s events reach an even bigger status, then logically, the Grand Slams should also see their profile rising, no? I mean, you’re the Olympics of the Olympics right now. I kinda think it’d have been easier to do through the Big 4 & Serena/Venus and Sharapova era…

That’s the ideal world where the power of the Grand Slams is not running solo, where the rest of the Tour sees its brand skyrocketing, and so where the prize money for the players reaches new status, too. Everybody wins. The first major if? It demands full cooperation and commitment to work together from the many different interests that govern this sport. The other major if? It’s more of a question: how much can the body take? For this to succeed you need the best players to be battling out there for the titles every time. So if now every big tournament is two or three weeks, how do they cope? The day off during the revamped Masters 1000 isn’t a day off: nobody’s resting, either physically or mentally. How long can it last before they all break down? Well, I guess we’ll see because I don’t believe the ATP and the WTA will back down. It’s the showdown that’s been brewing for years, and they’ve come prepared. It’s also a wake-up for the Grand Slams. Tennis at so many crossroads lately…

ROLAND-GARROS 
Swiatek owns it all

As Roland-Garros starts this Monday with the qualifications, there are way more questions than certainties, especially on the men’s side. But one thing remains for sure: Iga Swiatek is the only favorite for the title. She has reached that stage where the only player who seems to be able to deny her the title is…herself. Unless it's a bad day, or unless it's a crazy good day from Elena Rybakina, who remains the only player you can see who can rattle Swiatek’s confidence on any surface. Yes, Aryna Sabalenka came close in Madrid, but she then got humbled real quick in Rome, whose surface is way more similar to Roland-Garros. Who else? Coco Gauff could be on the list despite also losing to Swiatek in Rome. But that list seems to get shorter by the year.

What keeps impressing me the most about Iga Swiatek’s domination is how she handles it all. Yes, last year, we saw for the first time the weight of expectations on her shoulders, but it lasted a few months, and she still finished the year on the throne. She learns so fast, this one. You can already see this year that the mindset has totally shifted and she’s back to enjoying being the boss. Discrete, Swiatek is no less ruthless. She loves being the leader of that sport, and that changes everything. In Rome, among many records, she became the second player in the Open Era to win three titles there before turning 23 since Gabriel Sabatini. Also, the youngest player to win 10 WTA-1000 titles since the format was introduced in 2009.

“I would say that this year I'm less focused on rankings and points compared to last year”, she told the press after clinching the title in Rome. “I felt like last year I needed to -- I didn't play Miami, so I felt like I needed always to chase. Even though I was first, I felt like I had somebody behind my back. But this year, I just feel like I can focus on myself and not really think about that because, honestly, focusing on rankings is never helpful, I would say. There are plenty of things to focus on that we need to spend our energy for, that is just a waste of energy to focus on points and rankings.”

And when one asks her if she’s the favorite for Roland-Garros, the answer is quick: “Well, I'm No. 1, so I'm the favorite everywhere if you look at rankings. But rankings don't play, so...” Her level of confidence? High. “Obviously, I am confident. I feel like I'm playing great tennis. But it doesn't change the fact that I really want to stay humble and really focused on getting everything step by step. Grand Slams are different. There is different pressure on the court and off the court. These are hard seven matches that you need to win, so I don't take anything for granted. I'll just work hard as I did in Madrid and Rome, and we'll see.” Swiatek doesn’t shy away from the obvious, overall saying again and again that yes, she’s the boss, yes, she’s the one to beat, yes, she’s the overwhelming favorite, but no, she won’t take it for granted and so will come for everyone that lands across the net. Tennis domination, made easy to accept.

Roland-Garros helps Geneva hit the jackpot

For the first time in the tournament’s history, a current World n°1 is going to take the court in Geneva. It was basically a done deal the moment Novak Djokovic lost in Rome and was then given the all-clear by the doctors regarding that now-infamous bottle incident. Djokovic is not lacking training but competition: for the first time in ages, he looks rusty and unable to start the engine. Not sure how much the Serbian loves the idea of playing the week before a Grand Slam at this stage of his career (it remains a gamble physically, and he only did it twice: Eastbourne 2017 and Belgrade 2021), but the move shows his motivation to go deep again in Paris. He’s well aware that, as of now, he’s not ready to win Roland-Garros, so here comes Geneva with the mission to bring him back on the only path that matters to him now: the title-winning one.

What a week for the event and the people who had bought tickets! They already had quite the cast for an ATP 250 with Casper Ruud, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Andy Murray, and Denis Shapovalov. You add Djokovic, and suddenly, it’s a blockbuster. “It’s an honor for the tournament and for the city”, said the tournament director Thierry Grin. RTS reports that Djokovic didn’t come blindly to the Geneva Open but inquired about all the details to know about the event, including how many spectators it could welcome and how the locker room was. So overall, setting up a tournament the week before a Grand Slam used to be a very bad spot, but more and more often, you see these events getting better and better draws. Either because some top players have discovered that staying away for one more week from the Grand Slam pressure was good for them or because suddenly a top player has seen his preparation messed up. And that’s how you land here and there a huge name for surely a fraction of the price they would usually require. Jackpot, that’s the only word.

Raducanu says no to the French dress

In a surprising move, Emma Raducanu declined to set foot on the French clay. The British player, who didn’t get a wild card for the main draw but with a protected ranking of 103 was the third alternate, withdrew from the qualifications a day before they were due to start, and the BBC reports that she has decided to forget all about the clay. “It’s important for me to keep laying on the foundations, and I will use the time to do a healthy block before the grass and subsequent hard-court seasons to give myself a chance to keep fit for the rest of the year", she said. Raducanu, after an impressing performance on clay against France in the BJK Cup, didn’t play anymore after losing in the first round in Madrid, explaining she felt exhausted. She’s now back to training but on hard court.

QUESTION OF THE DAY 
Masters 1000: 2-week or not 2-week

You were 60% to answer that no, Grand Slams should forget about their wild cards system but that they should limit them.

BUSINESS / MEDIA 
“Last year, I was home and trying to call people: ‘Hey, you want to work with me?’ - Monfils, not done

In an interview with The Guardian, Gaël Monfils spoke about still having things to accomplish in the sport despite feeling that people might not believe it. “Sometimes, I won’t lie, I was doubting a little bit. I’m getting a little bit old. I hurt myself. You need to do all this [work]. It’s not easy to come back here. Last year, I was home and trying to call people: ‘Hey, you want to work with me?’ People forget that I still have it and you try to convince the people you still have it. ‘Yeah, but you’re 37 …’”

Back in the Top 40, the French player remains a huge fan favorite around the world and has found his way back enough to dream of the Olympic Games. “[People say] ‘Ah, Monfils is not disciplined’. Guys, don’t think this because I’m enjoying myself on the court. The work I do outside is big.” Monfils also praises once more his wife, Elina Svitolina, throughout the interview: “Behind this girl, there is this strong woman, and as I say, she’s just amazing.” They both will be on the courts of Roland-Garros, trying to write one more page of what is already quite the career book!

Talking about a couple with an outstanding tennis storybook, you can’t do much better than Steffi Grad and Andre Agassi! No wonder their love story inspires someone to turn their story into a movie. Yes, another tennis movie: when I keep telling you that only Netflix failed at sticking to the tennis trend. The movie, called Perfect Match, will premiere on Amazon Prime on June 28. Who plays the tennis icons? German actress Lena Klenke and British actor Toby Sebastian.

Naomi Osaka’s new movie was screened at Cannes on May 18. The Belgian movie Julie Keep Quiet, filmed by Leonardo Van Dijl, had the critics convinced during the festival. It also attracted interest because Naomi Osaka serves as executive producer via her company Hana Kuma. “Leonardo is an incredible talent, and supporting this story is more than an honor; it’s a chance to amplify voices and continue important conversations that drive meaningful change both on and off the court”, Osaka said in a statement.

They have a name! The suspense was obviously unbearable by now… Or was it? Anyway, the sports streaming platform that will combine Disney’s ESPN, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox will be called: Venu Sports. It should launch in the fall via a subscription-based app. And for those who love a bundle, it should be possible to tie this new service to Disney+, Hulu, or Max.

PLAY HARD, TRAIN HARD, DRESS THE PART 
Fedal’s brand still going strong

Back in 2008, it would have been impossible to predict that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would team up so often during and after their careers. But still, they did, and still, they keep doing it, for Louis Vuitton this time, shot by Annie Leibovitz as they climb the Dolomites. Do I need to repeat that luxury brands are really all coming for tennis lately, or are you believing me now? Vuitton’s campaign playing on “core values” is also perfectly built for Fedal whose entire brand revolves around values. It’s the perfect gentlemen's club, the “you see, you can be rivals and buddies” club. The “they’re millionaires and rock stars but so humble, and that’s why we love them” club. You like it, or you prefer the Michael Jordan “don’t make it personal with me” vibe, but whatever you feel, both sell. Like, seriously, don’t you want to buy those (really cute) LV backpacks now?!

Some might wonder why two champions like that would decide to team instead of going solo. Why would Federer need Nadal? Why would Nadal want to stick around Federer? Still, it seems that the reasons would be that they found more common ground than differences through the years - as who is better at listening to a GOAT and understanding a GOAT than another one? - and also that they’ve been smart enough to get that their brands, when tied together, were working even better and would give them even more opportunities to keep the leverage in tennis and elsewhere. Federer, who knows better than anyone else how to manage one’s personal brand, also really grew a soft spot for Nadal which seemed at some point as possible as him going for a drink with Novak Djokovic. Growth is a thing.

As for Rafa: Federer is so mainstream and ingrained in the sports business right now, especially in the US, that it would be stupid not to accept sharing that light if the Swiss is willing to leave him a spot. And as Rafa always said about wanting to face the toughest rivals or having an easier draw: “I’m not stupid.” He has also always shared how much he respects Federer and he might find some sort of anchor with the Swiss that makes it easier for him to navigate his post-career life.

It’s also like they - or the optics that it creates - are playing two against one with the third GOAT, Novak Djokovic. It’s indeed easy to notice that the exposure given to Fedal comes as an opposing force to the fact that it’s the Djoker who now has nearly all the numbers. Should Novak team with Andy Murray then? It’s always been a Big 4 and nobody should leave Muzz in the corner.

I’ve said it so many times, and I’ll keep saying it so many times: this legendary rivalry will not die when their careers are over. Those three Avengers have long-term plans. It’s not a Disney movie, it’s a professional sports business. Generation “get the popcorn out”. So whatever their reasons are to team or not to team, it was fun to see Nadal and Federer share this moment and their respective thoughts about each other. And it’s so unusual that it becomes refreshing to see such huge names putting their ego on the side to make it work together. A genuinely smart move again overall. Next reunion? The Laver Cup in Berlin (Sept 20-22).

Is Beckham coming to tennis now?

Let’s not have our hopes up too fast, people. But we’re one step closer to seeing more of David out on the tennis scene. Some will say it’s still a long shot, but we won’t be listening to them. So why are we hopeful? Because David Beckham just signed with Hugo Boss, whose logo is all over Matteo Berrettini, and now Taylor Fritz. The brand also owns the grass tournament of Stuttgart (10-16 June). And we all know Beckham loves his Wimbledon. “The collaboration includes collections designed and curated by David Beckham for both formal and casual menswear, the company said, with the first collection to launch in Spring/Summer 2025.”

50 years later, women are back at the Queen’s

It’s now official: the Ladies are back in. The LTA announced that 50 years later, a women's tournament will be held at the Queen’s next season, the week after Roland-Garros. It’s back to business as usual, as the tournament was for men and women for around 100 years until 1973. The move is part of a revamp of the grass season from the WTA. The ATP, worried about the state of the grass for the players as the women’s event will be held first, has still for now agreed to share that land, but it remains to be seen if all will stay quiet after 2025. If both Tours share the club’s grass, they won’t share the same prize money, though. For now.

If the weather turns to sh.t at Roland-Garros or Wimbledon, Nike has its athletes covered. Literally. Outfits - a multi-use jacket - that can turn into a tent, who else had it? Who wants it? Honestly, I might, just for the laugh and the pictures. The Nike Metamorph Poncho, amazing. $600 though.

MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO 
Sinner tempted to risk it

Jannik Sinner strikes us as a pretty reasonable man, so let’s see how his apparent gamble for Roland-Garros will pan out. But we don’t like the words “hip injury” in tennis, so forgive the anxiety.

It’s been tough to know exactly what to think about his hip injury: the Italian didn’t think too much of it in Madrid, and then the pain got so much worse that he couldn’t finish the tournament and had to withdraw from Rome’s Masters 1000. Not playing at home only meant that the situation was wow serious. So reports starting to fly that the MRI done after Madrid revealed something very very wrong that could have presented a danger for Sinner’s career. Honestly, by this time, it seemed curtain on Roland-Garros, and let’s cross our fingers for Wimbledon.

But 1) youth recovers fast and 2) science. Sinner went to heal in the facilities of Juventus in Torino, and it seemed it worked, as the Australian Open champion has posted pictures of him back on a clay court. His second coach, Darren Cahill, also posted a picture of a clay court. There is no announcement yet, as it seems Sinner is still working his way to see if he can play in Paris, but the hopes are way higher than just a few days ago.

“One thing is sure: if I've not 100 percent recovered, I will take more time out as I do not want to lose three years of my career”, the player said in a press conference in Rome. Still, he left a door open for Roland-Garros at the time: "My preparation for Paris won't be optimal because I won't have much time, but what is sure is that I will give everything in order to be in a position to play." Well, he’s keeping true to his word.

EDITOR’S PICKS 

• READ: Tell me it ain’s so! It’s been 30 years - 30 - since the release of the instant cult classic Four Weddings and a Funeral. The Sunday Times is honoring the anniversary by having the cast and crew reveal how that hit came to life.

• WATCH: In honor of the start Roland-Garros, go back in time and enjoy The French on Amazon Prime that follows the 1981 edition backstage.

• LISTEN TO: My next podcast guilty pleasure: Light The Fuse, the official Mission:Impossible podcast.

• TAKE A FEW “SELFISHES”:
  - It’s May, soon to be June, and yet most days in France are still the “fleece blanket” type so if you’re coming to tennis, maybe somehow put that extra soft blanket in your bag.
  - It’s allergies season, so treat your air, people.
  - I’ve been absolutely influenced by this, but at some point, I gotta try this Vital Proteins thing.
  - And finally, as rain is announced for the start of Roland-Garros, come prepared to stay busy during the delays. Gosh, I played that game for hours back in the day and had no idea it was still a thing!

  
  
  
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