That Was Not The Plan

MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO 
That Was Not The Plan

Will the showdown even happen? The battle between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka for the throne should be the WTA blockbuster for the end of the season. But I’m starting to wonder if it’ll even become a reality. Why? Because Iga Swiatek is out of the China Open in Beijing due to personal reasons, so it’s already a big opportunity missed to see them face off, but also because Swiatek was the defending champion, so she’s already losing some big points here. She should be back for the next WTA 1000 in Wuhan, though, so let’s see. Things should be settled at the WTA Finals, obviously, but it’d be great to get there after a proper setup. And not with a winner by default or without a real opposition. Sabalenka has a great chance to seize in Beijing in the meantime (here’s the draw).

We could even have had a trio in this race for World No.1 this year had Elena Rybakina’s health not decided to rebel. It’s been worrying to see how often Rybakina has had to withdraw from events because of illness this season. And it’s now also worrying to wonder if her season might already come to an end as she is still unable to play due to a back injury. She announced she was out of the entire Asian swing but was hoping to be back on time for the Finals (November 2-9).

“Due to an ongoing back injury, I regretfully have to withdraw from the upcoming Asian tournaments," she said in a statement. "While I've been working hard on my recovery, my medical team and I have decided it's best to prioritise my health at this time. This has been a challenging year and I am grateful for the support from the tournament organisers and all of my fans. My team and I will work on getting me back on the court before the season finale." With Ons Jabeur and Elina Svitolina ending their seasons, many big names are already on the sidelines. I’ve already said many times how worried I’m starting to be regarding the number of injuries on Tour, and the trend remains strong, unfortunately. Emma Raducanu got injured (foot) in Seoul and is now out of the China Open, by the way. Adding to the list. Every writer will tell you that you need to nail that ending, or you’re at risk of taking down your entire piece. It’d be a pity for that WTA season if the finish would tank.

Timing Is Everything

“They are going to kill us,” said Carlos Alcaraz to the press about what he feels is an insane Tour schedule. The Spaniard said it while being involved in the Laver Cup in Berlin, which isn’t a mandatory event and doesn’t award any points. So it’s not that his point isn’t valid - I’ve been talking about that crazy packed schedule nearly every week - but that it would have landed more efficiently if not presented during what still feels more like a (really well thought and executed) exhibition than an ATP event.

It’s tough to make people understand how rough the schedule has become when complaints come from players choosing to play exhibitions (Alcaraz has already played his fair share of those) instead of getting some rest. There’s a saying in tennis that if the Tour were to take some weeks off its schedule, players would fill them in with lucrative exhibitions. Some will answer that it would at least give them a chance to opt for some rest. But, as I have zero belief in the Tour cutting some of its events, we’re never going to get this answer.

Anyway, so what did Alcaraz exactly say? This: “Probably they are going to kill us in some way. Right now, a lot of good players are going to miss a lot of tournaments because of that [injury]. Sometimes, you don't want to go to a tournament. I'm not going to lie - I have felt this way a few times already. Sometimes, I don't feel motivated at all. But as I've said many, many times, I play my best tennis when I smile and enjoy it on court. That's the best option to keep motivating (myself)."

LAVER CUP 
Team Europe wins a thriller in Berlin

They came back from the brink to lift that trophy. Team Europe didn’t look that good for a while during this 2024 edition of the Laver Cup, down 11-7, but they refused to lose on home soil and found a way to clinch the win against Team World (13-11). They now lead 5-2 in the competition. Carlos Alcaraz sealed the victory by beating Taylor Fritz (6-2, 7-5).

“I was nervous, I'm not going to lie,” said Alcaraz. “It was time for me to do my job. I had to win. After that comeback, I had to win. I had nerves, I was a little bit nervous. I tried not to show Taylor that I was nervous, but I think I played one of my best matches so far. Tried to be as match-calm as I can and hit it as good as I can.” Let’s now see if this Laver Cup weekend will power Alcaraz through the Asian Swing after a tough US summer.

The next edition will be in San Francisco next year (September 19-21). Two new captains will be in charge: Andre Agassi and Yannick Noah, who will replace John McEnroe and Björn Borg. They were both in Berlin to find out what their task would be next year. Yet, Agassi and Noah aren’t the dream duo for Laver Cup chairman Tony Godisck, as he’s dreaming of one day seeing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal take over Team Europe. “My dream is for Roger Federer to be captain and Rafael Nadal as assistant and then the other way around. In this way, they would be in office longer. The rivalry they both had on the court was very special, but I think the friendship of the two outside is even more special. They are clear examples that all competitors can get along.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY 
Top or flop?

You were 77,78% to tell me you wouldn’t watch the Laver Cup.

Why? “Generally have little interest in what I consider a glorified exhibition, but even so in the past I might have tuned in for a match or two, as it can be a bit of fun, depending on which stars they attract. But the involvement of Zverev is enough to make me completely ignore it this year,” said Jo. While Cheryl added, “I do not want to watch Zverev being part of the "brotherhood" each day. That might have been different had Nadal been in it, but he isn't so I will give it a miss.”

BUSINESS / MEDIA 
Wimbledon’s expansion is getting there

Winner: The All England Lawn Tennis Club. Embattled with its neighborhood over its expansion project, including 39 new courts on Wimbledon Park (that could host the qualifications), the AELTC got a decisive win as the Greater London Authority “recommended that the project should be approved.” In a 221-page report, “the officials said the project complied with most relevant planning policies, and there were “no material considerations that are considered to justify the refusal of consent. The report also said the proposal would bring in £336m of annual benefits and “would result in the creation of 40 year-round jobs and 256 Championships jobs.”

The public hearing set for Friday, 27 September, could be tense as people opposing the project said they don’t intend to back down. “The general direction of the report is not what we wanted and the admission of loss of open space and harm to protected MOL is deeply distressing to local residents whose views haven’t been taken into consideration. We will be out in force at the GLA meeting on Friday 27th,” said Jonathan Morrish of Save Wimbledon Park.

ATP and Laver Cup sign for more, but not Nike with its CEO

They’re getting five more years! The ATP and the Laver Cup announced they were extending their partnership, which debuted in 2019, for five more years. "I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built with the Laver Cup,” said Roger Federer in a statement. “Becoming recognized as part of the ATP Tour five years ago was an important milestone. It’s been fantastic to see the way players, partners and fans around the globe have embraced Laver Cup. I’m excited for its future.”

Nike is also excited about its future, especially now that it has axed its CEO. John Donahoe is indeed no longer at the helm of Nike, which had a very bumpy year in the $$$ department, to say the least. So, the brand finally decided to do a hard reset by parting ways with Donahoe. Who is going to be on the hot seat now? Elliott Hill, who’s been at the company since 1988 before leaving in 2020 when Donahoe got the job he wanted. And so now he’s back and got the job in the end. The reaction of the market? Nike stock jumped 9%.

SOME BREAK POINTS… 
Wins, struggles and advice

• I hear you wondering, “Wait, wasn’t it already the case?” Novak Djokovic is obviously King in his Serbian tennis kingdom but he doesn’t rule the federation. Yet, now a Djokovic will be running the Serbian tennis federation as his uncle Goran has been elected to the job. "My tennis experience mainly comes from Novak, but I also spent seven years as director of the Serbia Open and Sofia Open," Goran Djokovic, who was already the vice president, said after the election. "My goal is to keep improving what we've started, with finances being the key. We don't have our own facilities, we don't have a National Training Centre, and I want to resolve that.”
  

• Winners of the week: Beatriz Haddad Maia and Rebecca Sramkova. The Brazilian won the first WTA 500, her fourth singles title, of her career by beating top seed Daria Kasatkina in the final of the Korea Open (1-6, 6-4, 6-1). Kasatkina was up 6-1, 3-1 in this final… In Thailand, the Slovakian clinched the first title of her career, beating Laura Siegemund (6-4, 6-4) in the final in Hua Hin. “The first time is a special one! It’s an amazing feeling and what I’ve been fighting for my whole life,” said Sramkova.
  

• Look who’s back! Marin Cilic. It’s just his third tournament since last February, but Cilic is already in a Tour final. He’ll play for the title in Hangzhou thanks to his win against Brandon Nakashima (6-4, 7-6(6)), and is the second lowest ranked player (#373) to reach an ATP final. It will be Cilic’s 37 final.
  

• Things aren’t improving for Holger Rune, but he’s trying. The Dane got beaten by a qualifier in his first match in Hangzhou, in a pretty rough start for his new collaboration with coach Benjamin Ebrahimzadeh. Another coaching change? No, not really. Rune’s now main coach, Kenneth Carlsen, is on vacation at home, so Rune brought someone else for the Asin swing. Carlsen did six weeks above what was initially scheduled and needed a break, explained the player. Ebrahimzadeh previously worked with Angelique Kerber, Victoria Azarenka, Dominic Thiem, and Stan Wawrinka.
  

• “I think Coco has an amazing head on her shoulders,” said Maria Sharapova in an interview with US Weekly. Asked about Gauff's current situation, Sharapova shared her thoughts about handling coaching changes: “What you need at a certain point in your career is not what you need later in your career. I was very fortunate with the teams that I had. I still remain very close to all of my coaches. They’re such big team members and they carry so much weight. A team is really important. It takes time to build trust and learn from [your team] and accept their advice. But it’s a fun journey.”
  

• Stop playing tennis, lose weight? That’s been a surprise for Andy Murray, who said he has lost 11 or 12 pounds after five weeks without getting in the gym or having these sports drinks. “It's been five weeks I've not been in the gym, longest ever for me probably. I don't know if it's appetite, if I'm not eating as much, but we obviously have  loads of the sport drinks that have got a lot of calories in them, and I only really drink water and coffee now. So I don't know, I think just less calories and probably loss of muscle. I've lost about 11, 12 pounds. It's a lot. I was expecting the opposite to happen. It's about five kilos.”

PLAY HARD, TRAIN HARD, DRESS THE PART 
Sinner, from the court to the runway

Jannik Sinner had a busy time in Milan for Fashion Week last Friday and got to keep partying his US Open title while rubbing elbows with Anna Wintour. The World No.1 was there as the face of Gucci, in a busy weekend that also saw him being announced as the new face of Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games. He wasn’t the only tennis player seen at Fashion Week, as Taylor Fritz and Matteo Berrettini were spotted in Milan. They both walked for Boss.

Unfortunately for Jannik Sinner, he just had time to go home before his aunt passed away. Sinner dedicated his victory in NYC to her, explaining how important she had been in his life.

EDITOR’S PICKS 

You can find other picks here, including my go-to newsletters for anything tech*, anything backstage* or professional sports*, and the one for everything NIL*. If you’re a solopreneur, you might like this one, by the way. I also have a sweet spot for The Creator Spotlight*, which provides examples of other creators’ journeys.

READ: The Athletic sat next to Andre Agassi during the Laver Cup and is sharing the experience. Anyone lucky enough to talk tennis with Agassi will tell you he has all the takes, and it’s very entertaining! Another proof here.

WATCH: Laver Cup Chairman Tony Godsick sat with FOS* Editor In Chief Dan Roberts to discuss the event, “representing Roger Federer as he moved from Nike to Uniqlo and On, and why US Tennis is strongly positioned for sustained success.” 

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