Submissions have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Hey, everyone …

• Here’s the most recent Served podcast. We have the folks from the USTA on to explain the U.S. Open’s expansion (incursion?) into a third week.

• Here’s an ode to resurgent Sports Illustrated.

• Adios, Simona Halep, who announced her retirement last week.

• Congrats, Belinda Bencic, who won her first title as a mother.

• Congrats Denis Shapovalov (whose city of birth has been, perplexingly, erased from his ATP bio) … who beat three top-10 players to take the title in Dallas. 

We had sent this column to bed and went off on non-tennis assignments. Then, late Tuesday came the news—first reported by Charlie Eccleshare and Matthew Futterman in The Athletic—that the WTA had taken action against Elena Rybakina’s coach, Stefano Vukov, turning his provisional suspension into a one-year suspension. The details are here and they are deeply disturbing. Some scattered thoughts:

• Good for the WTA. This is a difficult set of circumstances, made more complicated by the fact that—publicly anyway—the player supported the coach and denied any wrongdoing. The WTA stood on principle, relied on its code, and made a strong statement.

• This, too, represented a real statement by WTA CEO Portia Archer, who has kept a low profile since assuming the position last year.

• The WTA owes a duty of care to its players. If the WTA abandoned a complaint simply because a player resisted—and resented—the investigation, the WTA would have failed.

• One of you asked if Rybakina will ever win another major. I suppose part of what makes this story poignant is that it involves a player notionally in the prime of her career, who will no doubt look back at the chaos of this period and wonder about the price it exacted on a promising career. But let’s leave tennis out of it. This is about a person, more than an athlete. Here is someone who, per the findings, is in a deeply dysfunctional relationship, abusive by any definition. Let’s save a tennis discussion for another day and just hope Rybakina emerges O.K. from this.

• This was (is?) a very hard story to cover. A lot of rumors and innuendos. A lot of second-hand sourcing. There were family members involved. Confirmation was particularly difficult, given the player’s strenuous nothing-to-see-here posture. A nod to Pam Shriver who, with considerable blowback, went all-in on the issue. 

• Again, the WTA acted rightly and righteously here. But I do wonder: How come players don’t have standing to unionize (they’re independent contractors), in which case a policy like a code of conduct would be collectively bargained, not presented as a condition for competing … yet the same players are subject to the Tour taking disciplinary action against the coaches the players (as independent contractors) employ.

• Lots of angles here. We can continue discussing next week … 

Onward …

Jon, 

I know you are not a big golf guy, but did you catch the Waste Management Phoenix Open? Could tennis ever have an event like this?

Don S., Jersey

• Nice one. For the uninitiated, the Phoenix Open (i.e. the People’s Open) is an open-air bacchanalia masquerading as a golf tournament. A quick Google search and the top video is a YouTube compendium 15 Craziest Incidents in Waste Management Open History. (Fifteen is a lot of crazy for a golf event.)

The obvious disclaimer before going further. No one wants to see anyone injured. No one wants to see players feel unsafe. Just the other day in Dallas, an allegedly drunk fan heckled a player and it did not go well for anyone. We need some limits and the bartenders need to be able to cut off the overserved. 

That out of the way … yes! If an event wanted to market itself as the People’s Open—the Open Tap Open, the Alphabet Backwards Open, the Lampshade-on-the-Head Open—I would think there would be an open lane. 

Certain events are less traditional and more booze-soaked than others. The Australian Open has long marketed itself as a beer event, not a Pimms (or Honey Deuce) event. Cincinnati is a populist event, with its chili, tailgates and Kings Island fireworks. But, if a tournament wanted to go full saturnalia, part frat party, part Coachella, all keg stands and mudslides… why not? It would become a destination event. It would splinter tennis’s image as stodgy. The players would respond favorably, I suspect. 

As with any party, the trick, of course, is to thread that needle between energetic fun and out-of-control rager. But I trust tennis fans to find that baseline and avoid foot faulting, as it were.

[Carlos] Alcaraz’s flashy win in Rotterdam: ‘I’m here to entertain the people.’ 

That’s the problem right there.

JB, PDX

• Oh, I don’t know. Let’s start with the word “problem.” Four majors before turning 22? Seventeen career titles—including the aforementioned Rotterdam this past weekend (his first indoor title)? We should all have such problems. And for as often as some fans complain about “rough watches,” servebots and the bloodlessness of Jannik Sinner, ought we not rejoice at an athlete who values flair and entertainment?

A more valid—I don’t want to say “criticism”—but an area where Alcaraz could improve? A fondness for battle. I get Roger Federer vibes from Alcaraz. What do I mean? Alcaraz is a lovely guy, self-possessed, strenuously down-to-earth, ethical, outgoing and empathetic—all these qualities make for well-adjusted human beings. This composition of qualities, though, doesn’t always translate perfectly to individual sports. If he values style points and wants to provide entertainment value, great. The sooner he complements that with I’m willing to chew on wire and crawl through mud and eat bugs sensibilities, so much the better.

More Alcaraz …

Hi Jon;

Can you think of any more compelling intergenerational sports rivalry than Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic? I thought Alcaraz may have put the final nail in the coffin of this drama at Wimbledon. Now, Djokovic has avenged that loss in spades and extended his head-to-head lead to 5–3.

PS—This AO marked Novak’s 50th appearance in a major semifinal. Only five other male players have made it to 25 or more semis. 

Ted Cornwell, Minneapolis

• For the comedy portion of today’s show, Djokovic has played 77 majors. This means he has reached at least the semis (!) at 65% of the majors he’s entered. I also just saw this stat: Djokovic is the only player who has a winning record against every opponent in the top 20. Speaking of …

The Djokovic-Alcaraz rivalry has a lot to recommend. Most obviously, a contrast in age supersedes any contrast in style. Thirty-seven vs. 21 is outrageous. You could sell a one-off fight or match on that. But a rivalry? Yet, they have each beaten the other in majors. They have played, arguably, the best best-of-three match of all time (Cincy final 2023.) They have two different approaches to the sport. The energy of youth pitted against the wisdom of age. Who knows how many more editions we’ll get. But, in terms of rivalries, I would put Alcaraz-Djokovic ahead of Alcaraz-Sinner. And for Djokovic, imagine how exhilarating and revitalizing this challenge must be after the retirements of Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Jon,

Kudos to Aleksandar Kovacevic. I didn’t know who he was (and still not sure I can pronounce his name correctly!)

Bret, Orem, UT

• Right on. Presumably, you are referring to the 26-year-old American, now in the top 75. And presumably, you are referring to him winning six matches—two in qualies (including a defeat of Pablo Carreño Busta) and four in the main draw (including Andrey Rublev) to reach the Montpellier final last week. A reminder: Note the sound file/audio icon in player bios for the correct pronunciation of every player not named Corentin Moutet.

I’m a fan of Aryna Sabalenka, and obviously she’s having a terrific career. But do you think there’s any concern in her camp about her continued struggles in tight matches? She’s now 1–7 in major semis and finals that have gone three sets.

Jason, Austin

We had an adjacent discussion last month on Tennis Channel. How many major titles could (should?) Sabalenka have? A few examples …

I wouldn’t worry so much about the three-set record, per se. Some of the losses came earlier in her career. Some were misleading. (Last year in Paris, she was visibly sick and did well to take the court, before losing a three-set quarterfinal.) 

But your question is valid. Two things can be true at once. Sabalenka is an instant Hall of Famer, a blazing generational talent, a vatful of awesomeness. She is also a player who could easily have twice as many majors as she does.

Hi Jon,

How on earth was Zizou Bergs not defaulted in the Davis Cup qualifier against Chile? I’m not suggesting Bergs running into Cristian Garin was deliberate. However, wasn’t it reckless enough especially considering the contact to the head of Garin?

I don’t blame Chile captain Nicolás Massú and Garin for refusing to continue the rubber. What’s the solution for tennis authorities? Act on the Chile protest and default Bergs making the tie 2–2. Play the fifth rubber at a future date on the same surface at a venue decided by the ITF.

Russell, Melbourne, AUS

• I’m of two minds here. It’s easy to make a strong case that the player should have been defaulted. Though there was nothing intentional or nefarious about his crashing into an opponent in his exuberant excitement, he crashed into an opponent in his exuberant excitement. Slap a ball in frustration and, while you lack intent, it hits a lineswoman. You get disqualified. Shouldn’t debilitating the opponent also result in a disqualification?

Yet, here comes strict constructionist Carlos Ramos, the chair umpire. I give him credit for adhering to the letter of the law. Per the rules, a neutral doctor “cleared Garin of injury” and reported his findings to Ramos. Was this a comprehensive medical exam? No. Did it seem a bit odd for a doctor to, effectively, accuse a player of flopping? Yes. Does Chile have a right to be livid? Yes. But I have some regard for how Ramos handled this. Look, I’m no doctor. I asked the guy who is a doctor. And he deemed the player fit to compete.

Hello, Jon. Thanks for the tip about Jim’s Greek Tavern.  
Awesome! 

Best, Bob

• Great joint, right? Note to selves: We should do a Served podcast event here in the future …