French Open Stuff Including My Tennis Ramblings
Edition #84
HEADLINES:
TIMBERWOLVES BEAT NUGGETS
PACERS BEAT KNICKS
(FYI, the headlines section is never made by me.)
Running back David Johnson hangs up his cleats after eight seasons.
Texans' Tank Dell recovers well from a recent shooting.
Steelers' Cameron Heyward reportedly skips workouts over contract talks.
Falcons' Kyle Pitts aims for a "super rookie" year.
Jets' Najee Harris sheds weight for a big contract year.
Chiefs' offensive tackles arrested on marijuana charges.
Jaguars are close to a massive extension for Trevor Lawrence.
Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa misses practices amid contract discussions.
Could the NFL see a Los Angeles Super Bowl showdown?
Lions benefit from most games being indoors? Debate rages on.
Experts say Jets are all hype, while Seahawks get overlooked.
Cowboys with Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons: best team in the league?
Bills' Josh Allen anticipates a tough battle against Aaron Rodgers and the Jets.
Chiefs can't decide who they missed more: Kelce or Jones?
Jets' acquisition of Dalvin Cook: Super Bowl contenders or not?
Tom Brady attends a UFL game and meets the Patriots' new QB.
Rumor: Tom Brady gets to pick any game for broadcasting.
Strange scheduling quirks emerge in the 2024 NFL season.
Kicker Butker faces criticism after a speech, but jersey sales soar.
Shohei Ohtani delivers! The superstar hits a walk-off single in the 10th inning to secure a win for the Dodgers against the Reds.
Mets shake things up: Edwin Díaz is demoted from closer duties after struggling recently.
Milestone achieved! Kevin Pillar notches his 1,000th career hit for the Angels, with his parents in attendance for the special moment.
Comeback kids: The Arizona Diamondbacks manage to scrape out two late runs to beat the Tigers and avoid a sweep.
Giants sweep the Rockies: A strong pitching performance from Alex Cobb and a home run by Mike Yastrzemski lead San Francisco to victory.
Trading talk: Will a talented A's rookie be on the move by the deadline?
Injury update: Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan undergoes Tommy John surgery, ending his season.
Canucks and Oilers face off in winner-take-all Game 7! The Western Conference Final series goes the distance after Edmonton forced a deciding game with a thrilling win.
The NHL announces the schedule for the Eastern Conference Final between the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes.
Coaching news: Rod Brind'Amour signs a new deal to remain head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Playoff buzz: Blake Wheeler of the Winnipeg Jets declares himself "ready in any capacity" for the upcoming season, while the Boston Bruins grapple with a goaltending decision between Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark.
INTRO:
The French Open is set to start in a few days which means that I gotta talk about tennis.
There isn’t really one topic to cover and while I want to devote this whole newsletter to Rafa, I’m not going to.
Last time, the world #1’s won the French Open. Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek. Against Casper Ruud and an unranked Karolina Muchova (she’s ranked now). Can we see a repeat of that this year? Or will Djokovic be immensely affected by his little head injury?
French Open
Jannik Sinner will be world #1 if he plays the open or not, all because of point rankings.
1. Novak Djokovic 9,860
2. Jannik Sinner 8,770
3. Carlos Alcaraz 7,300
If per see, Djokovic does not make the final, for the first time, he will surpass Djokovic.
Djokovic is coming off a bad loss. 6-2, 6-3 to the World #32! He lost after being hit by a water bottle while signing autographs. A metal water bottle. He went through an hour of nausea, dizziness, blood, and a lot of other stuff.
During the game, he said that he felt like a different player with no tempo, rhythm, or balance; without any of that, there is no tennis.
For Djokovic, it hasn’t been a good season. And, although no one may be thinking from this aspect, what if his play is going down?
He’s aging after all. At 36 years old, he’s one of the oldest tennis players still active. You can argue that Nadal is still playing, but why don’t you tell me exactly how Nadal’s playing?
He’s bad.
Djokovic has accepted to play in the Geneva Open. It started on May 18th and will end on the 25th. The real French Open stages start on May 27th. Djokovic does not want to lose his ranking. He’s using the Geneva Open to prepare for the clay-court Grand Slam.
Carlos Alcaraz is a go. He’s staying. On the other hand, Sinner may miss the French Open. But, just like I said at the start, if Djokovic doesn’t make the finals (definitely going to happen), Sinner gets #1.
Jannik Sinner is a damn stud.
He’s 22 years old and he’s world #2! Like, what are you on? While some of us would’ve known him before the Australian Open this year, the moment he beat Novak Djokovic in the semi-final of the Grand Slam, and then came back 0-2 versus Medvedev.
The whole wide world knew him.
He’s the highest Italian tennis-ranked player in history and could be the first #1 in history too.
He did drop a big hint about him playing or not in the French Open.
“If a longer period of rest is needed, I will observe it.
“I will only go to Paris if I am one hundred per cent physically because I don’t want to shorten my career just to do one more tournament.” said Sinner
We’ll come back to Men’s in a moment.
Iga Swiatek… Are you on steroids?
Because every single damn time I turn on a women’s tennis final… Swiatek is always there.
Yeah, there’s Coco Guaff and others, but the two people that I always see in the final are Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka.
3 days ago, you had both of them go at it, and Swiatek won. It was most definitely not a close one.
Swiatek has won this Grand Slam the last two years and is trying to three-peat. Possible? For her skill, most definitely. There isn’t any question about how good she is on clay or just how good she is in general.
Also, got a few snubs here. Simona Halep, Emma Raducanu, and Caroline Wozniacki were denied Wild Cards! Emma withdrew from the French Open altogether!
Let’s head back to Men’s here.
I specifically want to talk about Nadal, my favorite tennis player. He has to be the best of all time. (Sorry… I just hate Djokovic.)
How marvelous would it be if Nadal won the French Open, a place he’s always dominated, in what looks to be his last year? He’s a 14-time champion… He’s been preparing as he played in Barcelona 681 days after his last clay-court match. While he suffered early exits in Madrid and Rome, Nadal fans still know he can win the French Open.
It’s possible. It is…
Djokovic isn’t at his best form. He’s probably losing. Looking like we won’t see Sinner, so that’s another threat demolished. While there may be good players like Zverev, Medvedev, and Alcaraz, you must remember that they can lose. Alcaraz is coming off an injury. Zverev is coming off an Italian Open win. Medvedev has had some groin problems and his last final was the Indian Wells.
We did talk about Swiatek’s success at the French Open. I love to compare her clay-court skills to Nadal. Both of these people are just so good.
Predictions
Men’s
I don’t have Sinner playing, and I do have Djokovic getting out in the Quarter-Final. Nadal… In real life, I have him out in the Round of 16, but my wish is…
WISH PICK:
Nadal wins French Open or at least beats Djokovic
REAL PICK:
Zverev wins the Grand Slam beating Novak Djokovic in the Quarters, beating Alcaraz in the Semis, and beating Tsitsipas in the Finals.
I believe that Tsitsipas is very underrated. Yes, he hasn’t won a Grand Slam. But, he has a chance. He lost last year because of the sleeping pills and naps and this year he has a shot to win with Sinner not playing and Nadal’s poor play.
Women’s
Please. Anyone other than Iga Swiatek win the Women’s tournament… It’s seriously crazy what she’s doing… I mean, I still can’t believe it.
WISH PICK:
Aryna Sabalenka. I want her to beat Iga Swiatek in the final. Only because I believe revenge must be taken.
REAL PICK:
Iga Swiatek… Again. sigh
Iga is just too good for the rest of the tennis world. She’s only 22 years old too. I mean, look at this stat…
And this.
And this..
And this…
Like… What!
Conclusion
Whether it’s men’s or women’s tennis, right now, I think Iga is the best player in the world. In men’s and women’s. What she’s doing is at another level. While many may argue that Djokovic is the G.O.A.T., with the season he’s having… All those people are wrong.
And, thanks for reading this edition. If you liked it, drop a like below. I know most of you have watched tennis before, so if you have, tell me a story down below. Who has been influential for you?
Before we go…