This past week saw tennis being played in Miami, and as always, we’ve kept our finger on the pulse of everything happening on and off the court. Read on for a breakdown of all you need to know about the last week in tennis.
The Miami Open began
The second part of the Sunshine Double got underway in Miami as the Miami Open started and is still ongoing. Like Indian Wells, it’s a two-week event, so we’re only one week through, but even the opening week saw plenty of action.
We’re going to get to some of that below, but cherish this remaining bit of the hard court season because it’s going to be a long time before we return to this surface. Clay is coming up, and it’s going to come in hot with multiple big events.
Carlos Alcaraz stuns in the wrong way
After missing out on a third consecutive trophy at the Indian Wells Masters, Carlos Alcaraz was expected to bounce back in strong fashion in Miami. Many thought he’d stun the field, and he did—just not in the way most people assumed he would.
In his first match at the event, Alcaraz took on David Goffin, a player who arrived in Miami with a 4-8 record on the year, and was beaten by the Belgian in three sets. Alcaraz won the opening set but then collapsed as the match went on, totaling 42 unforced errors in a very erratic display. See the highlights here.
With Sinner’s absence, Alcaraz was expected to take over and possibly replace the Italian as world number one, but that hasn’t happened because he hasn’t played well enough. Losing in the second round in Miami as a former champion of this event is very poor.
Djokovic plays tennis with RFK. Jr.
Novak Djokovic is no stranger to meeting and interacting with some odd people, as the Serbian does love some pseudoscience. He recently met up with another proponent of pseudoscience, RFK Jr., who is a member of the United States government under President Donald Trump.
The Kennedy family member was assigned to the Department of Health, a move that enraged many, as Kennedy is a notorious supporter of several conspiracy theories, notably one on vaccines.
As you can imagine, the news went viral instantaneously, both on social media and in tennis circles, and the memes will be rather exquisite as well. ‘Novax’ is probably going to be resurrected as a nickname once more.
Francisco Comesana lights it up in Miami
Argentine tennis player Francisco Comesana lit it up in Miami – literally – as he was spotted lighting up a cigarette after winning the first set of his qualifying match against Michael Mmoh, creating yet another viral moment from this year’s Miami Open.
Many tennis fans were shocked to see it because a lot of them didn’t even know that it was allowed. But apparently, it is, and apparently, Comesana is a top 100 player while being a smoker. Interesting stuff indeed.
PTPA lawsuit
By far the biggest news in tennis this week is the PTPA lawsuit, which could shake up the sport so badly that it never looks the same again. The lawsuit was launched by the Professional Tennis Players’ Association on behalf of the entire player population.
They are suing tennis governing bodies in the USA, UK, and the EU, citing several reasons for the lawsuit, including the prize money formula designed by the tours, the “unsustainable” 11-month schedule, and “invasive searches of personal devices”.
Twelve players have put their names on the lawsuit filed in New York, including PTPA co-founder Vasek Pospisil and Nick Kyrgios, who is one of the more recent joiners. Famously, Novak Djokovic’s name is not on the lawsuit, which raised some eyebrows as he’s supposedly the face of it.
The lawsuit alleges, among other things, that there is collusion between events and the governing bodies at the expense of players, though other parts also include the schedule and some other practices.
The ATP and WTA have defended their records, though the resolution of this remains to be seen. There have been plenty of reactions so far, though according to the PTPA Executive Director Ahmad Nassar, the PTPA has no intention to rip apart the sport but rather to come to an understanding and settlement with the governing bodies.
More on this topic shortly on Tennisnerd.
Players reacting to the PTPA lawsuit
There have been plenty of reactions to the lawsuit, with Carlos Alcaraz, for example, disagreeing with the legal action taken by the organization. Djokovic added that he agrees with parts of it, though not with all parts of it.
Kyrgios agrees fully with it as he put his name to it and took aim at Andy Roddick, whom he accused of ‘being under the establishment’s thumb’. Alexander Zverev, who is on the players’ council, also reacted to it, noting that the lawsuit talks about some real issues that persist, hinting at quietly agreeing with parts of it without outright stating it so.
Coco Gauff responded too, though she didn’t really speak for it or against it, noting that she doesn’t know the details. She, alongside fellow pro Sabalenka, agreed that players could earn more, which is one of the things the lawsuit mentions as well.
Djokovic makes more history
To finish off, let’s quickly salute Djokovic for breaking yet another record and making some more history. He’s been doing it a lot over the years, but this one is rather impressive and deserves a mention.
Djokovic bested Camilo Ugo Carabelli in Miami to secure a spot in the fourth round at the event, and with that win, the Serbian is up to 411 wins at Masters events. That’s one more than Rafael Nadal, who has 410, and the most ever by a player since the introduction of the format in 1990.
Coming up in tennis
The final week of hardcourt tennis! It’s round of 16 time and beyond at the Miami Open, as Djokovic chases his 100th title while Iga Swiatek looks to grab some pre-clay momentum.
You have written an engaging piece with good tennis content. However, you should not stray into the vaccine debate and if you do, not in a way that trivialises Novak’s valid point of view. As time goes by, those that criticise people who were sceptical about an untested, one size fits all solution that made certain people very rich are likely to find themselves on the wrong side of history. Stick to the tennis please.