Tag: lobandsmash.com

<!–qv q:id=6p q:key=vcaa: Don't look now, ATP tennis fans, but Arthur Fils appears to be beginning a climb that could keep the 21-year-old Frenchman in the top 10 for quite some time. He's nowhere near ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner yet, but he's inching closer. Both players won their respective matches in the 2026 Madrid…

<!–qv q:id=6p q:key=vcaa: Alexander Zverev is a very good tennis player, but is he truly great? What does it take to define one as great? Should they win a Grand Slam to be so, or possibly being the best player to never win a major allow one to be called that moniker, ranking along the…

<!–qv q:id=6p q:key=vcaa: Aryna Sabalenka is the clear No. 1 on the WTA tour currently, but once Naomi Osaka was in the same position, of course. Both are multi-time Grand Slam winners, and it is easy to forget that the Japanese player is still only 28 years old, just a year older than the Belarusian.…

<!–qv q:id=6p q:key=vcaa: Tennis fans all know that Zheng Qinwen is far better than her current ranking. That she was a 32-seed at the Madrid Masters is logical, sure, but misleading. She is arguably the best 32-seed ever at the event. The only reason she is seeded so low is due to an elbow injury…

<!–qv q:id=6p q:key=vcaa: The ATP fully belongs to Jannik Sinner currently. Not only did he regain No. 1 when Carlos Alcaraz was still playing tournaments, but now that the Spaniard has a wrist injury and is out for the foreseeable future, Sinner's lead is going to widen the difference between the top ranking and No.…

<!–qv q:id=6p q:key=vcaa: The chances that Carlos Alcaraz ever plays the Barcelona Open again are remote. Participating in the ATP event has cost him dearly in each of the past two years. In 2025, he was injured and had to miss the Madrid Masters. In 2026, he hurt his wrist and will miss much more.…

<!–qv q:id=6p q:key=vcaa: Jannik Sinner wasn't in top form in his second-round match at the Madrid Masters. Playing 29-year-old, and ATP No. 104, Benjamin Bonzi, the ATP No. 1 had lots of break chances throughout much of the first round, and he couldn't convert in a way the Italian normally does. –> Jannik Sinner wasn’t…

<!–qv q:id=6p q:key=vcaa: No one can ever claim that Gael Monfils didn't have fun playing tennis, and he wanted those watching to enjoy their time watching his matches. He might not have won a Grand Slam, but he will long be remembered by fans. –> No one can ever claim that Gael Monfils didn’t have…

<!–qv q:id=6p q:key=vcaa: One of the reasons Aryna Sabalenka has been able to sustain her rise to WTA No. 1, other than her metronomic trend of making deep runs in every tournament she enters is that she never gives up. She might be beaten from time to time by a player in top form, but…

<!–qv q:id=6p q:key=vcaa: The tennis world could have been Matteo Berrettini's several years ago. He had a huge forehand and good serve, and almost as importantly, a lot of charisma. With long-term success on the court, he could have been one of the better-known players in tennis for years. –> The tennis world could have…