November 10, 2023

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

1.) Tie-Break, Lace Break, Heartbreak

During the deciding tie-break against Alexander Shevchenko at Swiss Indoors Basel, Taylor Fritz lost more than just the point – he managed to leave his shoe behind. He went on to lose the extremely close, three-tie-break match (7-6 (7), 6-7 (6), 6-7 (5)) despite winning 10 more points than his opponent.

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A post shared by Jalena Meyer (@jalenameyer)

2.) Swiatek Back on Top

After beating Jessica Pegula to clinch the WTA Finals in Cancun, Iga Swiatek became the first player to win a WTA 250, 500, 1,000, Grand Slam and WTA Finals in the same season since Serena Williams in 2013. She also regained her No. 1 ranking, replacing Aryna Sabalenka at the top spot.

3.) Courtside Compassion

Novak Djokovic interrupted his post-match interview to console an emotional Dimitrov after beating him in the finals of the Paris Masters, and earning his 40th Masters title. With only 41 Masters titles among the top 50 players combined, this is a monumental feat.

4.) WTA Weather Woes in Cancun

Torrential rain and strong winds wreaked havoc at the WTA Finals in Cancun last week, causing significant delays and rescheduling of matches. Despite players’ concern about the weather conditions and the impact on their games, they managed to find some moments of levity in the situation.

#WTAFinals part 2 https://t.co/gpnmKScQfF pic.twitter.com/VHYH4S4C20

— ‎‏n (@hsangelus) November 5, 2023

5.) Acing It!

Hubert Hurkacz has joined the elite list of players who have surpassed 1,000 aces in a single ATP tour season. As the 9th player to make the list, he ranks 88th overall for all-time total career aces. Can you guess who else is on the list?

Over 1000 aces in an ATP Tour season (since 1991):

Sampras – 1993
Ivanisevic – 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998
Roddick – 2004
Karlovic – 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016
Isner – 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Raonic – 2012, 2014
Anderson – 2015, 2018
Opelka – 2019
HURKACZ – 2023

— Damian Kust (@damiankust) November 1, 2023

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.