This Week's Drop Shots: November 11th, 2020
“This Week’s Drop Shots” details the latest results, hot takes, and breaking news from around the tennis world in a quick and easy-to-read format.
With only a handful of tour-level events to go, the roller coaster 2020 season is coming to an end! We’ll be following the remaining ATP and WTA action closely, but with a special interest in those players who look poised for an exceptional 2021. What have been the biggest takeaways from the tennis world in the last couple of weeks? Let’s dive in!
Latest Results
With his impressive title at the Paris Masters event, Daniil Medvedev has once again proven that he is dangerous on the hard courts. He dismantled Schwartzman in the QFs, took care of the big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic in straight sets, and proved too mentally tough for a red-hot Alex Zverev to capture the title. You have to love this quote from Medvedev after the win: “I’m really trying to make my opponent crazy.” He knows how to compete and make matches mental battles; that’s why he won this title, and that’s why he’s a force to be reckoned with as we move toward the Nitto ATP Finals. Speaking of…let’s look ahead to the ATP action in London.
Nitto ATP Finals
The field of 8 men to compete for the year-end finals has been set! As a reminder, here are the players battling for the coveted title: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex Zverev, Andrey Rublev, and Diego Schwartzman.
There are many stories to follow for this upcoming clash: can first-time qualifier Schwartzman make an impact? Can Tsitsipas defend his title? Will Nadal finally secure this elusive title? But for us, the biggest question has to be around Novak Djokovic. If he bounces back from his dismal performance in Vienna and mentally locks in, he is certainly the player to beat. But will he return to peak form, or will the door be opened for another man to steal the title? We’ll have to wait and see what this tournament holds; tune in on November 15th for the first day of play!
Off the Court
We love to talk results and predictions, but sometimes the biggest stories in our sport happen off the court. Recently, allegations of physical and emotional abuse have come down on Alex Zverev from ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova. There is, unfortunately, so much to tell regarding this situation; we recommend that you read the full article that Ben Rothenberg wrote after talking with Olga, who shared her story.
Although we have discussed this on multiple podcast episodes and pieces of YouTube content, it bears repeating that one of the largest question marks around this situation is the lack of involvement from the ATP. The fact that the ATP hasn’t launched an investigation into this conduct from Zverev is puzzling and concerning. Hopefully we’ll see some action from the governing body in the near future.
Winner of the Week
Although you could make the case for several players, this week’s winner has to be Rafael Nadal. Although he lost in Paris and didn’t look his best, he secured his 1,000th tour-level win after taking out Feliciano Lopez. He went on to defeat Jordan Thompson and Pablo Carreño Busta before falling to finalist Alex Zverev. He is just the 4th man in the Open Era to reach this number of wins on tour, and joins an impressive list of Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, and Ivan Lendl.
TopCourt Partnership
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We’ll see you all next week for another recap, but be sure to check out some of our favorite recent articles and episodes:
Interview with Former World No. 4 James Blake - Getting to the Point
College Tennis - 2021 ITA Preview Guide
The Deciding Point: Paris Masters Results, Zverev Controversy, and Best Tennis Commentators
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