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NO SPOILERS 🎥

If you don't want to see the results yet, and want to catch up with the highlights first, stop scrolling now. (If these links have been taken down, tap the ‘view in browser’ button at the top of this email and there should be updated links):

Wawrinka 🎥 Monfils (Rotterdam Final 🏆)

Cecchinato 🎥 Schwartzman (Buenos Aires Final 🏆)

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Matches Of The Week:

Fognini 🎥 Munar (Buenos Aires 2nd Rd)

Why watch? Potentially a breakthrough win for Munar, in a match that featured 25 break point chances, and 13 breaks of serve.

Thiem 🎥 Schwartzman (Buenos Aires Semi-Final)

Why watch? Schwartzman comes back from 2-4 down in the 2nd, 1-4 down in the 3rd, and saves a match point, to complete a two and a half hour comeback.

Medvedev 🎥 Monfils (Rotterdam Semi-Final)

Why watch? Monfils showing a red-hot Medvedev who the junk ball king really is, essentially out-Medvedev-ing Medvedev. Some absurdly long rallies and varied, entertaining shotmaking.

Nishikori 🎥 Wawrinka (Rotterdam Semi-Finals)

Why watch? Wawrinka’s backhand was utterly unplayable during the bigger points of this match.

RESULTS 🎾

💥 = Beatdown \\ 🤕 = Injury \\ ‼️ = Upset

Rotterdam Final 🇳🇱

(ATP 500 - Hard)

Monfils d Wawrinka: 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 🏆

Monfils started the match similarly to how he had finished vs Medvedev yesterday. That is, reading his opponent like a book and using all kinds of interesting variation to coax the right kind of ball, or error, out of Wawrinka. On this dead slow, low bouncing court, Stan was having a hard time hitting through the road runner on the other side of the net, going down an early break which he never recovered from. Gael just kept on coming, taking a pretty routine opening set 6-3 without facing even a little bit of pressure on his own serve (0 BP’s). The Frenchman had done an excellent job of keeping Wawrinka pinned in his backhand corner, bleeding 9 backhand unforced errors out of the Swiss, and restricting Stan to just 2 forehand winners in the 1st set. Wawrinka didn’t help himself with just 51% of his 1st serves landing in, but it was the gulf in performance on 2nd serve which made the difference. Monfils won a slightly ridiculous 78% of his 2nd serve points (he’s posted high numbers all week on this metric) vs Wawrinka’s measly 47%.

— Monfils throwing in plenty of junky, high forehands to keep Wawrinka pinned in his backhand corner (and draw the error). Tennis strategy 101 vs single handers, but executing it as well as Gael did in the 1st and 3rd sets is harder than it looks.

Wawrinka responded well at the start of the 2nd set and finally looked like he was starting to figure out some of Monfils’ junkier balls. Stan jumped all over two Monfils forehand slices in a row to grab the early break. Gael was looking a little tired, losing 11 points in a row as the early discipline that had shaped his impressive start, started to slip away. Wawrinka grabbed the double break with a huge inside in forehand and tied up the match at one set all. Monfils first set: 78% 2nd serve points won. Monfils 2nd set: 23% 2nd serve points won.

The Monfils rope-a-dope didn't last long though, with the Frenchman storming back to grab an early break at the start of the decider. Suddenly the physical issues had disappeared and Monfils looked completely fresh, reverting to the same variation-heavy gameplan that had been so successful for the opening set, and getting the the better of Wawrinka in many of the cat and mouse exchanges. Wawrinka started to really struggle to land first serves (42% for the set), and despite winning a couple of glorious, exhibition-style points, surrendered serve once again at 2*-5 to hand Monfils a big win. Monfils in the 1st and 3rd sets: 85% 2nd serve points won. 2nd set: 23%. Wawrinka finished with 20 backhand unforced errors, which was testament to how effectively, and variedly, Monfils peppered that wing.

Monfils’ 8th ATP title and Wawrinka’s first final since the 2017 French Open. Great week for both men.

Buenos Aires Final 🇦🇷

(ATP 250 - Clay)

Cecchinato d Schwartzman: 6-1, 6-2 💥

Impeccable performance from Cecchinato, who looked serenely comfortable throughout the match. The Italian, who keeps his record going of never losing a set in a final, faced 0 break points throughout the match, and put down some abnormally good numbers on serve for a clay court match (winning 22/26 1st serve points and 10/14 2nd serve points). Taking advantage of Schwartaman’s deep return position, Cecchinato did an incredibly effective job of protecting both 1st and 2nd serves with devastating follow-up shots off both wings:

— Cecchinato had a lot of joy today putting away his second shot following up his serve. Schwartzman, one of the best returners on tour (especially on clay), just couldn’t get the returns deep enough, and Cecchinato was ruthless on mid-court balls.

Simply, Cecchinato had too much firepower for an exhausted Schwartzman today, who in stark contrast, faced endless pressure on his own serve (having to save 5/9 break points) and getting thoroughly pummelled on 2nd serve (winning just 5/16 points). A brutal tournament schedule (Diego also made the doubles final and left the tournament at 10pm yesterday) contributed to a very tired looking performance.

A wonderful match, and week, from Cecchinato regardless.

Still to be played:

New York Final

(ATP 250 - Hard)

Opelka vs Schnur

10 BEST SHOTS OF THE WEEK 😮

Crazy cat and mouse point won by Wawrinka (vs Paire).

Unbelievably good half-volley from Tsonga vs Fabbiano.

There is so much to love about this point from both players. The first slice Nishikori (far end) plays is so clever and low, giving Fucsovics a tough volley. But Fucs does very well to bunt it deep, back behind Nishikori, before Kei finishes the point with a perfect lob. Brilliant, clever tennis.

Unreal drop-shot touch reply by Wawrinka in today’s final. And great to see the two players appreciating the shot together afterwards.

Medvedev with a clean slice backhand winner. Nuts.

An incredibly casual single-hander, return ace from Monfils.

Wawrinka manufacturing an amazingly sharp angle off this backhand smash.

Monfils was in full exhibition mode vs Dzumhur. Gael pulls off the elusive drop-shot, return winner… Dzumhur completely dumfounded.

Beautiful no-look, backhand slice from Shapovalov (vs Berdych).

Absolutely ridiculous flick backhand pass from Kohlschreiber. Another angle:

WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK 📅

RIO ATP 500 (Clay)

— PDF 🖨

DELRAY BEACH ATP 250 (Hard)

— PDF 🖨

MARSEILLE ATP 250 (Hard)

— PDF 🖨

EXTRAS 🔍📊🎤

— Absolutely stunning change of direction from Wawrinka today, on a ball that was pacey and low. Stan making something so difficult, look so easy.

Check out the side spin when the ball bounces.

— Nice victory speech by Monfils.

The ITF vs ATP War Rages On:

The ITF have been trying to put out fires left and right in the face of strong criticism of their changes to the Transition Tour. Interestingly they note that it was the ATP that decided to remove ATP ranking points from ITF 15/25k tournaments (ATP points are still available in 25k Finals for this year at least).

It makes me wonder, if the ITF hadn’t messed up other aspects of the Transition Tour overhaul, the ATP may have come under far more scrutiny for what is a pretty ruthless change (removing these points). A change that makes it far harder for players to navigate the, already tricky, path between the lower and upper levels of tennis. The ITF are currently bearing the full brunt of blame for the consequences of their overhaul (and largely rightly so). But the ATP should clearly be sharing some of this blame if the above is accurate.

ATP player council member Stakhovsky then decided to weigh in on Facebook, stating that the ATP may hold a desire to outmuscle the ITF out of tennis altogether (taking over the lower level events the ITF currently runs).

Of course, given some of Stakho’s past remarks, this comment should be taken with a (heavy) grain of salt. And I’m still very confused why the ATP would want to take over these lower rungs of tennis (they already own most of the profitable bits). However recent moves by the ATP do suggest they may have a much larger ambition than they let on publicly:

ATP Cup to rival ITF Davis Cup.

Partnership with Universal Tennis Ranking (UTR) for lower level and college/junior events.

Removal of ATP points from ITF events.

What next?

Practically though, the only notable consequence of the current ITF vs ATP skirmishes is that hard working players are suffering. A whole generation of sportsmen/women could have their young careers irreparably stunted by this developmental purgatory many find themselves in. At this stage I’m struggling to think of a sport with a more disjointed on-ramp to a pro career than tennis.

If you’d like to read the ITF’s response to the criticism, read this.

— Ferrer was given a brilliant Guard of Honour tribute in Buenos Aires. Ferru is retiring in Madrid later this year.

— Not Diego’s finest day on return…

— Fast twitch improv from Monfils today.

— Turns out, Monfils thinks so too (Gael talking about playing Medvedev after beating him):

Source

— A snowboarding injury has derailed Jack Sock’s early season.

NEW BALLS PLEASE 😹

— Osaka and Tsitsipas ‘conversing’ on Twitter. The above is some pretty run of the mill back-and-forth. But Stefanos, after not getting a reply for a few hours, clearly felt the need to launch into a monologue. He started off by leaving caps lock on and waxing lyrical about ‘FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION”, before finishing up this rare display of conversational seppuku by posting some Amazon links to camera gear. Phenomenal stuff:

(Side note: English isn’t even Stef’s first language and we’ve all had awkward conversations with members of the opposite sex.)

Full thread.

Still doesn’t beat this though:

GAME, SET, MATCH 👋

— The Racquet is created, and written, by Matt.

— You can find me on Twitter here.

See you in a few days!

Banner Image Source: ABN AMRO Twitter