The vibe is weird

ATP FINALS 
Entertaining but also weird

How is the vibe for you in Turin? Well, it fits the vibe out there since Jannik Sinner’s positive tests have been revealed. It also gets another layer of it all with the recent struggles of Carlos Alcaraz and the complaining about the balls or the schedule. What saves it is that these ATP Finals are held in Turin, which makes sure to bring the passion of the host country for Sinner. Still, it’s like there’s a neon pink elephant in the room or even several, and we’re all trying to still play business as usual in some pretty impressive display of our collective denial skills. It’s the ATP Finals, the meeting of The Masters, rejoice everyone! Well... trying… It could also be that there’s been SO much tennis this year that it’s just tough to care about that last stretch as much as we should.

We’ve logically been impressed by Sinner since the US Open. He’s being logically celebrated in Turin as year-end World No.1. His game is as lethal as one can be. A whole nation is pushing for him. And he’s being his usual very polite and quiet self (there’s no coming for that guy’s character: he’s a doll). But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s still being investigated for doping and that he might get suspended in a few months. How is tennis supposed to reconcile with that? By doing what this sport does best, really: avoidance. It’ll be dealt with when there will be no other choice. Unless the sport (and Sinner) is lucky, and he escapes a suspension. So that’s weird for everybody involved, and there’s nothing to do about it.

Are we really into it right now? I RSVP as pending

What wasn’t planned was Carlos Alcaraz struggling to finish the year. If you take his title in Beijing out of the way, he’s been on the struggle bus since losing that final at the Olympics. I’d say his mind is way more tired than his body right now, even if he caught some bug before Turin. If you ask me the name of a player who’d be well inspired to give a hard look at his schedule (exhibitions included)… Tennis cannot afford Alcaraz-In-The-Struggle-bus. He’s as much the electricity that completes Sinner’s cold blood as the Italian is the always-on-the-rise bar to elevate his own game. Post Big 4, the Tour cannot turn into a one-man show because, sorry, none of the current cast has what it takes to carry the sport on his own. He still has a shot in Turin, so let’s see.

In the “the vibe is off” feeling, I’ll add Daniil Medvedev’s endless complaints about the balls (whether he’s right or wrong), Alcaraz complaining about his lack of days off while he’s been adding all the exhibitions he could to his calendar, and having to wonder before every Andrey Rublev match if he’s going to snap or not. Also, Alexander Zverev. Overall, are we really into it right now? I will “RSVP as pending for now” (yes, Schitt’s Creek forever, thank you very much).

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QUESTION OF THE DAY 
Having a good time?

You were 60% not believing Coco Gauff would dominate the next season.
“I don't know about "take over" because players like Sabalenka and Swiatek will provide strong opposition. But I think Gauff will have a very successful season, perhaps winning another Slam,” said Shirley.

ATP 
Zizou Bergs: “Luckily, this year, it clicked”

Out of the Top 400 in 2021 and still out of the Top 100 in 2023, Belgian player Zizou Bergs was turning into quite a mystery. The potential was obvious, and the skills were all there (power, pace, great hands). As a bonus, he also had charisma and a good brain. And yet, he wasn’t landing in that Top 100 or that Top 50. There were shots of brilliance, but there were too few. There were also too many injuries. And at 25, you might start doubting on that Tour. But Bergs did not, kept working instead, and so it all came together finally in 2024.

Every player’s path is different, and the Belgian is another good proof of it. Zizou Bergs will end his 2024 season at a career-high (61), with a third round at Roland-Garros, coming all the way from the qualifications. The puzzle is taking shape. I chatted with him in Paris for the last 1000 of the year, where he got into the main draw as a lucky loser and beat Richard Gasquet on the center court before losing in the next round (he will go on to play the quarter-finals in Metz). “It was a good average level, which is something I’ve always been trying to achieve: being more consistent. Of course, I still have things to improve,” he told me in Paris (in French).

Has he been relieved that the work was finally paying off this year?
“I felt it was coming for a while, and luckily, this year, it clicked. Physically, I’m doing much better; I don’t cramp anymore, and I don’t get injured so often, even if it was a pity in Antwerp to pick up that abdominal issue. It’s everything coming together that explains why it clicked. I’m still at the start of my career, so I can really improve and get better. It’s all about being smart about the daily work and being serious about reaching another step each day, each week, and at each tournament. That’s how I’m going to get better. The goal for next year will be much higher in terms of ranking and I believe I can do it if I keep showing up every day at training and in matches.”

How would he explain that it clicked this year and not earlier?
“It’s surely tied to experience. When you play at the Challengers level, you need to keep a certain level, but then you have to do a bit more when you get to the Tour, so I needed to go after it step by step. The goal was to be physically ready because I knew that if I got there, I’d go through that Challengers stage, and then while playing on Tour, I felt I wasn’t aggressive enough, not dangerous enough. After the US Open, we really took the right decision and worked very hard to become more aggressive. I also feel we did a great job regarding the mental side of it this year, so yeah, I really reached a higher level there, also in my tennis and physically, so it all explains my results this year.”

What are the keys for 2025?
“Being even more aggressive. I know I can get much better. We’re going to work hard this winter for the preseason. It’s also very important at this stage of my career to understand that I also need to play matches to improve and not only to get the wins.”

Side note: there might be a new coach with Bergs next season, replacing former (lefty paw) player Ruben Bemelmans. Bergs is indeed said to have started a coaching trial with another former Belgian player, Kristof Vliegen. Vliegen, who was the successful coach of Tallon Griekspoor until now, has confirmed he was in talks with Bergs about collaborating.

BUSINESS / MEDIA 
Federer’s ON keeps thriving

It’s the brand on the rise, and it keeps going. ON’s results for Q3 are surely making lots of luxury brands jealous right now as the Roger Federer-backed brand sees net sales rising 32,3%. The growth is particularly impressive in Asia-Pacific (+79,3%), and so, logically, ON is planning to open flagship stores in China. And I’m still here waiting for that first collaboration between Iga Swiatek and Zendaya for On.

MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO 
Can you guess it right?

Can you guess the future? Well, athletes kind of can. And athletes should actually implement that in their training? No, I haven’t totally lost it, and I’m not advising you to hire a medium as long as your next coach. But what is anticipation if not guessing the future? Wasn’t it a funnier entry into the topic than talking to you about the fascinating realm of “the brain’s predictive processes in anticipating outcomes in sports?” I think it was!

Sure, you need to work on your tennis skills and fitness, but don’t forget to work on that brain, too! Tennis is so much about anticipation and deciphering patterns that I have to share this piece by The Conversation, inspired by this study named “An Active Inference Account of Skilled Anticipation in Sport: Using Computational Models to Formalise Theory and Generate New Hypotheses.” Download the study here if:

“Athletes continuously make and refine predictions about what is likely to occur. They do this by integrating what they see, hear, and feel with their knowledge about the sporting environment and how they operate within it. (…) While anticipation in sports is often seen as an attribute only some athletes possess, research suggests almost all athletes have the skill and use it every day. So attaining a greater grasp of the predictive processes of the brain provides unique opportunities to support athletes in becoming skilled anticipators,” reports The Conversation, among other very interesting things.

Raducanu made it to Malaga

Emma Raducanu will play again this season. It was a close call, but the British player found a way to heal that foot injury in time to join the team at the BJK Cup Finals in Malaga, where they’ll face Germany to start their campaign. Raducanu hasn’t played since September, when she retired in the quarter-finals of the Korean Open.

Side note: Are you here for the pink nasal band? I remember Maria Sharapova wearing a beige one back in her day, but Carlos Alcaraz went all pink in Turin. It seems it worked.

SOME BREAK POINTS… 
The BJK Cup Finals, Delayed

• Tennis can wait. As Spain keeps battling heavy rainfall, the start of the BJK Cup Finals was delayed on Wednesday due to the city being placed on high alert. The tie between Spain and Poland was then postponed to Friday, starting at 10 am. On Thursday, the competition should resume as an inspection deemed the setup fit to purpose. A reminder that 1) professional sports ain’t a priority when lives are at stake (you’d think it’d be obvious, but we’ve been around long enough…) and 2) climate change is real and will keep impacting every area of your daily life. The ITF announced before the start of the event that they were joining the efforts to support Spain during these rough times.
  

• Andy Murray is never where you expect him. And we love that journey for him. Sir Andrew retired from tennis to go golfing like a pro, and now? Now, he’s taking on the stage. The Stage. In, like, who are you watching at the theatre today? Andy Murray. No, he’s not gunning for their acting jobs yet but he will be having his own (era) tour next year. Here’s what he posted on LinkedIn: “Pleased to announce my first venture since retirement - Centre Stage. A four-date theatre tour of the UK starting in Glasgow on 18 June and finishing at the New Wimbledon Theatre on Sunday 29 June. I’ll, thankfully, be joined on stage by the brilliant Andrew Cotter and some special guests. Looking forward to a big challenge, learning some new skills and appearing in a different setting next Summer.” What will he talk about? “The interactive live shows, which will feature Murray on stage with a screen with video footage behind, will see Murray look back over his tennis career, sharing new anecdotes and details of his life on tour.” Come on, Andy: Share That Tea.

  

  (@Andy Murray on Facebook)

  
  

• The jury is still out on this one. A VIP club for World No.1s? The ATP is saying yes to the launch. The idea is to reward and celebrate the players who have reached the top of the game, and I fully agree with the celebrating side of it, but I’m wondering about the reward… Like, do these already privileged players need more privileges? How is it helping the game? And do they need help with access as, nowadays, they all have agents and managers that do just that 24/7? Surely, I’m missing something.
  
  “In 2025, the Club will debut a dedicated brand identity, with each No.1 player receiving exclusive benefits, including invitations to signature events, promotional opportunities, and more. As a landmark celebration of the new No. 1 Club, all 29 players will be officially honoured at a showpiece event at the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. To mark the occasion, each player will be presented with a bespoke gift to commemorate their membership,” said the ATP. And again, I’m like: aren’t you already celebrating these World No.1s all the time? I would have been more impressed, I guess, if it had included some kind of mentoring, some kind of feeling they’re saying “formation!” to help the sport. Yet, I kinda like the dedicated brand identity thing because that’s the side that seems a good marketing idea for the sport as a whole.
  
  I also feel that it enters the chat that I’ve named “they’re never leaving that game” because you know who fits the criteria for that club? The entire Big 4. I’m just saying… Maybe the ATP is planning for a way to keep them around forever, as there’s no doubt the sport needs to keep their aura and bankability in the tennis news somehow. So let’s wait and see. Maybe that’s just the only way they found to have a shot at reuniting the Big 4 in the same room regularly!
  

• The (Australian) nominations are out! Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, Matt Ebden, John Peers, Max Purcell, and Olivia Gadecki are nominated for the Newcombe Medal, announced Tennis Australia. The medal rewards the “most outstanding elite player for 2024.” The winner will be presented in Melbourne on December 9. Who you got?

EDITOR’S PICKS 

READ: The Athletic gives some space to the game’s favorite Norwegian, Casper Ruud, in a feature called “Casper Ruud interview: Tennis, golf and a quiet man with a lot to say.” That’s also where I’ve learned about Ruud’s getting some heat back home for coming after these taxes.

READ More: The ATP has this feature about how Daniil Medvedev’s team is using wearables. “You’re able to say, ‘Okay, this practice we made this amount of shots, this amount of serves. We made this intensity or this number of sprints or this distance every day’,” coach Gilles Cervara said. “It just gave me a clear vision of what we do every day, a clear vision of what Daniil can experience on court during matches. It gives you a clear vision, is more objective and it helps a lot. That’s the main thing. It helps a lot to create good practices to prepare the player for the reality of matches.”

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. If you are a collector of anything sports-related, look at Above the Mantel.