July 28, 2023

Here’s your roundup of the five most interesting things I’m enjoying or thinking about this week in tennis.

1.) Nishikori’s Comeback

Competing in his first ATP match since 2021, 33-year-old Kei Nishikori defeated Jordan Thompson 7-6(5), 7-6(5) at the Atlanta Open. The win follows a hard-fought comeback after hip surgery in early 2022, followed by an unexpected ankle sprain right as he was pushing to return to tour at the start of 2023. Having sorted the latter, Kei is now back on the court and playing each match one by one, without any significant goals.

2.) Career 1st Titles

At 28, Argentine Pedro Cachin logged his first ATP title playing at the Swiss Open, boosting his ranking from No. 90 to 49. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Zheng Qinwen of China captured her first WTA title at the Palermo Ladies Open, bumping her rank from No. 26 to 24. For both champs, the wins came in three sets.

3.) Yonex Percept

This week, Yonex unveiled the Percept, a replacement line for the VCORE Pro, which the brand hopes will help further differentiate it from the VCORE. Like the VCORE Pro, the model continues to emphasize control, stability, and feel with noteworthy upgrades to emphasize these characteristics, including Servo Filter, their FlexCon system, and a Stiffer Racquet Face Design. They’ve also added a new model to the lineup, all available for pre-sale on August 5th.

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4.) Ultimate Tennis Hack

Showman Mansour Bahrami always has a few tricks up his sleeve, and a recent video from the Australian Open reminds us of one hack to force a missed serve.

5.) Hall of Fame Inductees

Making up the class of 2023, Esther Vergeer and Rick Draney became the sixth and seventh wheelchair athletes to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame late last week, bringing the total inductees to 264.

View the Weekend’s Recap

If you have a moment, I’d love to hear your feedback. Which topic is your favorite? What would you like to see more or less of each week?

Share your thoughts in the comments below, and have a great weekend.