We start again in Paris-Bercy, but in the most recent episode of TennisManiabroadcast hosted by Dario Puppo (journalist and commentator for Eurosport) and visible on the OA Sport YouTube channel, here comes what is the good (or bad) of the live broadcast. After an hour of analysis, Jannik Sinner‘s withdrawal from Paris-Bercy arrives, which inevitably shifts numerous issues. In any case, many have been touched upon.
Before the retirement of the world number 1, this was the analysis: “Ljubicic said that Sinner is a huge favorite for the Finals. It is a context that he greatly welcomes. Speaking of Bercy, Auger-Aliassime has retired, Moutet with Shelton will decide his opponent. At the top, I would reverse the reasoning even if Jannik actually caught the number 5 seed 9 times out of 12 and the worst seed 10 times out of 12 in the semifinals even when he wasn’t number 1 in the world“.
He then opens the theme of Jack Draper, in reference to some situations that befell him in Vienna: “I would like to make a comment: as a child, certain things impressed me and I would get a lump in my stomach. I don’t think it’s the same for Draper, but having felt certain things, when these situations happen, it’s something more psychoemotional on Draper’s part. This thing is coming out for him. Psychologically, we will talk about it more and more, I hope that I can resolve this thing, if that is the case. Musetti didn’t throw it, he had the opportunity to win the second set“.
Since other statements have also arrived from Yevgeny Kafelnikovformer world number 1 and Slam winner (Roland Garros 1996), here’s what Puppo thinks: “Hrbaty? A sort of record holder in victories against number ones. Thomas Johansson has nothing to do with Sinner! Some say that if you are number 1 in the world then you can say whatever you want. No. Bullshit is bullshit. Go find out why Kafelnikov stopped playing tennis. This is a statement, we don’t even bring Kyrgios’s into consideration. Connors brings up professional sports… and quotes Maguire as saying that they could do whatever they wanted in baseball back then. “If Sinner is disqualified, tennis won’t hold up as a system.” What changes if he is disqualified for 3 months? If you mention Connors’ 150 titles, 109, out!“.
If anything, there are also statements of a different nature to be seen: “Schwartzman, in recent days, said something similar: he played with Sinner several times. He said he is a beast, he highlighted the quality of his defensive play, which was also highlighted by Fritz himself. About six million: in my opinion Sinner wasn’t expecting that question, and in his normal manner he said something that was enough for him. It’s just that on certain topics you can spark a controversy over nothing. In that tournament there were supposed to be the six best in the world. Four were there. In your opinion, is it more credible who says that the Six Kings Slam is a farce or who says that for him it is not an exhibition? The question was asked in a ‘What’s it like to come back with a bag like this?’ style. He thinks about playing tennis. Alcaraz had already seen what Sinner had said, he is someone who knows how to grasp these things. Sinner is someone who thinks about other things, this doesn’t affect him and he hasn’t calculated what the reaction could be. In my opinion the truth is that there were two things in the Six Kings Slam: Part of it was more to have Nadal there. That part of the matches had a different atmosphere, we knew that Nadal couldn’t be the best and it was nice that he had his space. On Sinner, however, when the first edition of the Laver Cup began, I was the first to say that everyone was playing seriously. Everyone says it’s a ‘fun’. Today everyone is saying that they really play the Laver Cup“.
We then move on to the topic of Jasmine Paolini and the Finals in Riyadh: “We have never had two Slam finals in the same year. This year: with two players, victories at the Australian Open and US Open, finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, number 1 (Sinner) and 4 (Paolini, who is close to Coco Gauff). In fourth place were Panatta, Schiavone and Paolini. If we start from discussions on human rights, we should also say things about countries that cannot be touched. On Paolini, another piece of data: the matches won in the Slams. Sinner has won 23, then there is a large group with Alcaraz at 19-2, then a group at 18. Zverev, Sabalenka (she however lost two), and with these mentioned there is also Paolini who has 18-4 . An insane fact. It’s easier to be attracted by that type of declarations about the victories of Italian tennis“.
However, there is no shortage of analysis of women’s tennis in the current state of affairs: “The problem with women’s tennis is that it’s the topic Sinner poses about the top six. The earnings are those of the men, but as Nadal once said, there is no doubt that people buy tickets to see the men’s match. If Serena Williams sells more tickets than him, no harm done. But women’s tennis is, by dispersion, the sport that allows the protagonists to earn the most. Coco Gauff in terms of marketability, at least according to the rankings made in the USA, is number 1. But the strong ones, for some time, apart from Swiatek, after arriving at the top with what they earn from there for several seasons lose motivation . And this is not Sinner’s problem, and he gave that answer because it really is like that, because he follows a path of a certain type. The fact of not being satisfied, of discovering something more effective in the game, in performance, in preparation. We don’t want to make an apology, but I say the things I see and they are these. In women there is a problem of motivation. They get results and then they don’t move forward because they earn too much. The injuries, given how the WTA is structured, are also due to that, to unlikely logistical movements“.
Puppo then launches into the tournament planning discussion: “When I saw Monday’s playing order without Shelton on the court I asked myself: it’s obvious that the ATP tries to make sense in making game times, but if the world number 1 had asked to play on Tuesday, why certainly the scoreboard was pretty intense, for Sinner it would have made sense to play on Tuesday even if he had left the tournament. I seem to remember that Sinner played Shapovalov after a final in Australia and lost in five sets. Number 1 was supposed to play 5 days in a row. It happens that you play a tournament, you lose, you qualify, you play the next day“. It is true that the situation of Shelton, finalist in Basel on Sunday, did not allow Sinner to be brought onto the field as early as Tuesday; Nonetheless, that Australian problem was caused by an unfortunate combination of the “wrong” scoreboard side and the rains of that January 2021.
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