Best Of Three

What does it take to beat Carlos Alcaraz when he's playing his best tennis?

Following his Vienna title, Alvin and Torrey examine three very different matchups to understand why Alcaraz is so difficult to disrupt. Tommy Paul possesses elite movement but struggles to generate sufficient offensive pressure. Daniil Medvedev demands exceptional baseline discipline, forcing Carlos to earn his opportunities. Alex de Minaur's early-ball game presents another challenge, but Alcaraz's heavy topspin and depth make it difficult for the Australian to dictate on his preferred terms.

The discussion goes beyond identifying weaknesses. Alvin and Torrey debate what these players can realistically change, how tactical adjustments affect their natural strengths, and why the same weapons can succeed against one opponent but fail against another.

The episode also examines the reported addition of Juan Carlos Ferrero to Ben Shelton's coaching team, the developmental priorities that could elevate Shelton into Grand Slam contention, and the approaching ATP Finals.

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What makes left-handed players so difficult to face, and how far can that advantage take them?

Alvin and Torrey begin with Elena Rybakina's late-season form before examining the tactical patterns that define left-handed tennis. From the forehand-to-backhand diagonal to serve placement and return positioning, they explain why lefties create uncomfortable matchups and how right-handed players can respond.

The conversation turns to Diana Shnaider, Alex Eala, and Leylah Fernandez, each of whom uses left-handedness differently. Torrey introduces the relationship between ball speed and foot speed, explaining why hitting harder can sometimes leave a player more vulnerable. The episode closes with Ben Shelton and Learner Tien, exploring how their contrasting styles influence their potential to reach the highest levels of the ATP Tour.

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Rafael Jódar's rapid ascent has put him in rare company, but his results may be less remarkable than the technical foundation behind them. Alvin and Torrey examine his footwork, balance, court positioning, and ability to redirect pace, exploring why his game appears unusually mature and what physical development could mean for his long-term ceiling.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina offers a different story of player evolution. After years of competing with the ATP's best, his breakthrough provides an opportunity to examine how tactical flexibility, persistence, and changing direction can overcome an opponent with superior baseline consistency. The hosts also explore how modern players attack sliced backhands, with Torrey offering practical coaching insights on positioning and balance.

The episode closes with a look at the tactical sophistication of women's tennis, including how a left-handed player can manipulate time, trajectory, and court geometry to make more powerful opponents uncomfortable. Plus, news about Best of Three's upcoming WTA Finals coverage and an invitation for listeners to help shape a future episode.

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Qinwen Zheng has returned to the top of women's tennis, but her resurgence raises a bigger question: How good can she actually become?

Alvin and Torrey examine Zheng's career trajectory, from her breakthrough Australian Open final and Olympic gold medal in 2024 to her emergence as a top-five player, injury interruption and return to prominence in 2026. At just 24, Zheng may be entering the years when her extraordinary physical tools begin translating into more consistent championship-level tennis.

The conversation takes a technical turn as the hosts evaluate Zheng's serve, return, groundstrokes and exceptional movement. They identify a specific vulnerability in her forehand when rushed by powerful opponents and examine why Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have been particularly difficult matchups.

Finally, the discussion expands to Zheng's generation. How does her game compare with Marta Kostyuk and Amanda Anisimova? Why do powerful players sometimes take longer to develop? And which of these players is best positioned to win a Grand Slam?

Following the recent BO3 WTA tiers discussion, this episode explores whether Zheng belongs among the game's true championship contenders.

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Jannik Sinner's season-ending injury gives us a reason to step back and evaluate what he's actually become. Is Sinner now the best pure tennis player of his generation? Torrey argues that, stroke for stroke, his court positioning, serve, return and baseline game may already give him the edge over Carlos Alcaraz. Alvin agrees that Sinner has the cleaner toolkit—but Alcaraz still possesses something harder to quantify: the ability to find another level when a match becomes unpredictable.

From there, the conversation expands into the ATP hierarchy. We discuss what Sinner's absence means for Alexander Zverev, why Novak Djokovic's current limitation isn't really his tennis, and why having Novak around still matters for the players trying to replace him.

An unexpected conversation about Felix Auger-Aliassime and Ivan Ljubičić then turns into one of our deeper coaching discussions: great players don't simply collect skills—they eventually have to decide what their tennis is designed to do. We finish with Carlos Alcaraz's return to form and why the remarkable run of men's tennis in 2025 may look even better with time.

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Patrick joins Alvin from Japan after spending time at the Japan Open, where Kei Nishikori’s farewell becomes the starting point for a larger discussion about greatness, legacy and how the Big Three altered the careers of the players who came behind them. They debate Nishikori’s Hall of Fame case, the importance of his career across Asia, and why his compact, aggressive baseline game allowed him to compete against much larger players.

The conversation moves across the Asian swing: Daniil Medvedev’s resurgence and unusual tactical discipline, Alexander Zverev’s opportunity to reach No. 1, Ben Shelton’s increasingly distinctive game, and Valentin Vacherot as an example of the depth that exists outside the very top of the rankings.

Patrick also shares what he saw around the Japan Open practice courts—from Jiří Lehečka and Matteo Berrettini’s serve mechanics to Lorenzo Musetti quietly doing shuttle runs away from the crowd. The episode closes with Alex Eala and the unusual competitive dynamic created by her traveling support, which increasingly turns neutral tournaments into home matches.

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What separates a genuine Grand Slam favorite from an elite player who can beat anyone on the right day?

We build a three-tier framework for the current WTA around Slam self-sufficiency, world-class weapons and the ability to impose a game without needing favorable matchups. Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina establish the standard, while Coco Gauff and Linda Noskova show there is more than one way to reach it.

The real argument begins with the final Tier 1 spot. Has Iga Świątek actually declined, or have Sabalenka, Rybakina and the evolving WTA simply raised the physical and tactical requirements around her? From Marta Kostyuk and Zheng Qinwen to Mirra Andreeva, Iva Jovic and Alex Eala, we examine who has enough weapons for today's game—and who may be waiting for tomorrow's version of it.

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Alvin Owusu is joined by Craig Shapiro to discuss the changing identity of the US Open and the larger tennis ecosystem that casual viewers rarely see. Craig argues that the issue is not tennis becoming bigger or more visible, but whether spectacle, ticket prices, drinking culture, sponsor activations, and crowd behavior are beginning to pull attention away from the players and matches themselves.

The strongest thread of the conversation is Craig’s belief that tennis becomes more meaningful when someone can fill in the blanks around the match. Using Frances Tiafoe as an example, he explains how family background, playing style, relationships, sponsorship, representation, and the player box can turn a casual viewer into an invested fan.

The episode also explores Alexander Zverev through a broader professional lens, connecting his career arc to coaching instability, agent changes, legal distractions, and strained relationships inside the sport. The conversation closes with Craig’s Golden Ticket business, which creates curated tennis travel experiences built around playing, dining, and attending major tournaments.

The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast: https://shaptennispod.com/

Welcome to the US Broken: https://shaptennispod.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-us-broken?r=6mv597&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

The Golden Ticket (Paris): https://www.goldentickettennis.com/academy-paris-2026

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Alexander Zverev’s US Open title over Ben Shelton is the kind of result that clarifies the ATP hierarchy. Zverev may not carry the same explosive ceiling as Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner, but his professional discipline, serve, return, and baseline tolerance make him the most reliable separator beneath that tier.

We break down why Shelton’s loss should not be treated as a failure. His run to the final confirmed real progress in his return, backhand, and week-to-week credibility, but the final also showed the next stage of his development: more tactical variety, cleaner footwork under pace, and better pattern discipline against elite baseline metronomes.

The episode closes with Elena Rybakina’s win over Aryna Sabalenka and why that matchup may now be the clearest rivalry in the WTA. Rybakina’s ability to absorb pace, redirect cleanly, and pressure Sabalenka’s serve-plus-one patterns creates a problem that feels both tactical and psychological.

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Ben Shelton’s win over Frances Tiafoe was not just a power-player breakthrough. It was a match that showed a more complete version of Shelton: still dominant on serve, but now more disciplined on the backhand, more flexible on return, and more comfortable managing the tactical demands of a Grand Slam semifinal.

Alvin and Torrey break down why Tiafoe was such a meaningful test. His court sense, timing, variety, and ability to redirect pace usually expose incomplete players. Against Shelton, the expected targets were harder to find. The backhand slice bought time, the heavy lefty shape created awkward contact heights, and the surprise backhand line prevented Tiafoe from sitting on one pattern.

The episode closes with a sober look at the US Open final against Alexander Zverev. Zverev remains the favorite because of his serve, backhand, experience, and consistency, but Shelton now enters the matchup with more than just explosiveness. His title chance depends on whether this return-game leap is real under one more level of pressure.

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