Tennis And Bagels Podcast

Elena Rybakina has beaten Aryna Sabalenka in both the US Open and the Australian Open in tough three sets, leaving Sabalenka without a major title for the first time since 2022. She's certainly the best player in the world right now, at least she has the highset peak level an has been able to find it when it mattered most.

But while Rybakina is a good 1000 points ahead of Sabalenka in the WTA Race, a lot still needs to happen before we call it a season. Two WTA 1000 events are happening in China, a number of 500 events still need to take place, and, of course, the WTA Finals, which can award a maximum of 1500 points to the winner if undefeated.

And Sabalenka herself, who will be looking to end the year on a high note after a disappointing season for her standards, should be looking in the rear mirror: the Top 5 is very strong and not far behind, as Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva are growing in their games and belief that they deserve to be at the top of the game.

As for Iga Swiatek, it doesn't look very good right now, so maybe her sight should be set on just the next tournament ahead, and to having a better 2027 - 2026 was pretty much a year to forget despite a strong showing in the North American swing post Wimbledon.

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While the Top 6 women in the WTA World Rankings made it to the quarterfinals and the Top 4 made the semis for the first time in many years, the ATP was handicapped from the start with Jannik Sinner sitting out due to injury, and later on a freshly back on tour Alcaraz ousted by eventual finalist Ben Shelton. 

While Zverev did not face a Top 21 player until the final, Elena Rybakina made it all the way up to World No.1 and the US Open trophy by going through tough three-setters against a resurging Zheng Qinwen, Coco Gauff, and Aryna Sabalenka back to back to back. 

Zverev might have had the lucky stars all pointed at him this year, but he did what he had to do and is now Race World No.1. The battle is on against Jannik Sinner, truly against all odds - will he be able to find at least another win over Alcaraz and Sinner in almost two years or will the Top 2 players of this generation get things back on track?

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Alexander Zverev, who was twice accused of domestic violence against two of his former girlfriends, never seemed too likely to win a major title. Three time had he come to a final, three times he was denied, each time getting worse defeats. Now with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz reaching new heights in the game, playing at a level completely different from anything seen before, it would take nothing short of a miracle for Zverev to win a title.

And Zverev got not one, but two such miracles. After winning the most fallen apart draw ever at Roland Garros, Jannik Sinner pulled out of the US Open due to a knee injury and Carlos Alcaraz played his first tournament since coming back from a four-month absence due a wrist injury, and his rust showed against Ben Shelton in an epic 5-setter of a quarterfinal. And so, Zverev once again took advantage of one of the easiest draws in Grand Slam history.

Now No.1 in the race, Zverev has not beaten Alcaraz since 2024, and Sinner since 2023. He has only two Top 10 wins in 2026, less than some 30 players. 

What a weird year in the men's tour.

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Hello! After the increasing occurence of rain delays in Montreal that cause me to essentially not watch any real tennis over three different sessions in three different days in two different years, I feel like this can't be a coincidence. Or at least, I want to find out whether is isn't.

That is why I want to check out data for rain delays, particularly in Montreal or at most North America, and see how much rainfall has impacted play during premium tournaments. Is there more rain? Is there just more rain in August? Is it just more infrequent? What are the patterns?

I'll be doing research, but if you are a climate change specialist, meteorologist, researcher, or have any contacts in the field, I'd be very grateful to see some data and research!

In the meantime, I probably will stop buyin tickets in advance, I'm sick of losing money.

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Steve Flink goes in good depth about what he learned from the writing of his newest book, The Immortals of American Tennis, and how the experience of selecting the most impactful legacies in American tennis brought him a new look on the greatest athletes, male and female, of the history of the sport in the United States.

Vansh asks questions that lead to reflection on the legacies of greats such as Serena Williams, Pete Sampras, Billi Jean King, and Jimmy Connors, and how it connects the present to the past for newer generations.

Flink hopes that his new book will make the younger tennis fans connect to the rich history of tennis in America, as well as refresh the older generations' memories of what was once a golden age of tennis for the North American sports giant.

Available now for purchase in the USA!

Get your copy on Amazon (non-affiliate link)

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After talking about Eala and just how great I find she is for tennis early this year, she went to have a pretty disappointing clay season, where I thought she might excel. 

I started to doubt whether she would truly maximize her potential, and if her ceiling was really that high.

And she proved herself, passing with flying colours by having a stellar grass season, and now backing it all up with her first tour-level title - and doing so at a packed 500 level, beating Grand Slam champions, Top 10 opposition, and players that have enoyed great success these past couple of years.

Now for the real question: will this title propel Alex Eala to a big run at the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open?

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The Canadian Open used to be a crucial, epic stop in the ATP calendar. Federer reached many finals and won the tournament twice. Rafael Nadal has won five titles there, second only to Ivan Lendl with six. Novak Djokovic played many epics here against the Big 4 members, and won his first Masters title in Montreal in 2007.

Then, why do players well established in the Elite of the Tennis world, Novak Djokovic included, have seemingly collectively decided that it isn't worth their time and effort anymore?

A few reasons explored are: the calendar and the controversial two-week format, the men's Grand Slam format, and the state of the Montreal facilities and site.

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I was nervous when I requested a media credential for the Granby Challenger. This podcast is really small, and I a no one important. 

But, when they easily accepted my request, I was still nervous to attend, though super excited. And I wasn't disappointed in the least.

Everyone on site was really nice, including players, organizers, and coaches. I couldn't have asked for a better ground to get my first experience at interviewing players and getting to know more about that area of expertise to get opinions and insights from people inside the industry.

As a fan, I was also mind-blown by the sheer quality of matches. Not that I didn't know it was going to be good, but it exceeded my expectations by far. It's truly amazing how good every single one of these athletes are.

100% recommend to anyone to attend Challenger and ITF events! Bring friends, too!

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Jannik Sinner is the clear front runner for the US Open, and even Cincinnati. Who can even stand against him still?

The question continues to hover around the only other guys to make Grand Slam finals this year: Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Novak Djokovic.

Zverev won Roland Garros, but will this make him any better when it's go-time against his biggest rivals?

Novak Djkovic is a major wild card, at 39 years old he might still pull off a huge upset and plays better than all the top 10 except for Sinner and Alcaraz. Where does his body take him at the US Open?

Carlos Alcaraz is set to come back from injury in his right wrist. How close to his best will he get by the US Open?

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Just some thoughts as we head into the final warm-up events for the 4th Grand Slam of the year: the US Open.

Putting out there some early assessments of the state of the WTA's Top, and the unpredictability of the elite group at the Top 5, due in big part to the poor results shown in since the clay season for Sabalenka and Rybakina, and the overall ups and downs from Andreeva and Gauff.

And Swiatek's fall into underdog position.

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