We're halfway through the Italian Open in Rome, and there’s been no shortage of drama in the final clay Masters event in the build up to the French Open in Paris. Joel and Chris are on hand at Tennis Weekly HQ to talk all about the return of the World Number 1 Jannik Sinner from suspension including the player and fan reaction. Carlos Alcaraz is also back, if a little under the radar after missing Madrid, but has got the pair pondering could we be in for another Sinner-Alcaraz ding dong? And if not, when?

On the WTA side, It’s been another bumpy ride though on the clay for Iga Swiatek who suffered a early loss to Danielle Collins which put the chance of defending her Roland Garros title further into doubt whilst Coco Gauff proved why she could be the biggest threat to Aryna Sabalenka in Paris with a classy win over Emma Raducanu to make the quarterfinals.

Outside of Rome, Novak Djokovic grabbed headlines with a wildcard entry into Geneva whilst his PTPA player union scored a legal win over the ATP. Plus, the Billie Jean King Cup Finals draw in Shenzhen is out as Great Britain were handed Japan - but who will be the British Number 1 leading the charge when September rolls around? We also break down what we’re looking forward as Week 2 in Rome gets underway and Joel is in the hot seat with nowhere to run in a solo edition of Par for The Courts.

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So, SO close… this week at Tennis Weekly HQ, we unpack all the drama from a thrilling Week 2 at the Madrid Open! Jack Draper came agonizingly close to a second Masters title, but it was Casper Ruud who claimed the biggest win of his career in a gripping three-set final. On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominance with a statement victory over Coco Gauff—could this be her year in Paris at the French Open? We also dive into Iga Swiatek’s struggles after a tough loss to Gauff, who now has won their last 3 encounters without dropping a set. With whispers of Swiatek potentially skipping Wimbledon and the grass court season entirely, we ask: what’s going on with the world No. 1, and is it time for a team shake-up?

Elsewhere, Naomi Osaka picked up her first title in four years at a WTA 125 event which got the gang thinking in the Mailbag—which other big names should consider dropping down to rebuild confidence? Plus, we react to the latest doping-related suspension, this time involving Australia’s Max Purcell. Looking ahead, we preview the Italian Open in Rome, with Jannik Sinner after his suspension and Carlos Alcaraz returning to action while Novak Djokovic opts to sit this one out. The draws are in, the predictions are bold (and occasionally unhinged), and fan-favourite quiz segment Par for the Courts is back!

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A dramatic Monday in Madrid as a power outage across Spain and Portugal cancelled play for the day at the Madrid Open. Join Joel, Kim and Chris at Tennis Weekly HQ as they look back on all the events of the first week where Novak Djokovic lost for the third time in a row leaving us to question (for the umpteenth time) whether he is a serious prospect for another Grand Slam title with the French Open looming. It was also a similar story for defending champion Andrey Rublev who left Madrid with a 1-4 Masters record this year, falling out of the Top 15 for the first time since 2020.

It was not all doom and gloom though as Maria Sakkari returned to form of old with a demolition job over Jasmine Paolini whilst Coco Gauff put Sunshine Swing disappointment behind her to set up a tantalising quarterfinal against teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva. The Brits also enjoyed a solid first week with Draper, Fearnley, Norrie all into R3 and Katie Boulter winning her first clay match on the WTA Tour. Emma Raducanu also revealed there is an 'informal agreement' in place with Mark Petchey on her team.

And though Carlos Alcaraz wasn't in Madrid due to injury, his new docuseries Carlos Alcaraz: My Way launched on Netflix with the gang discussing what they learned about Carlitos (other than his mum being a really good cook). Joel's Game also makes a return and we question what should be done about Electronic Line Calling in this week's Mailbag as Alexander Zverev follows Aryna Sabalenka and take a photo of a dubious mark on the tennis court during his match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

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REVIEWS

***Please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. It really means a lot to us at HQ and helps make it easier for new listeners to discover us. Thanks!***

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