Tennis And Bagels Podcast

Elena Rybakina has beaten Aryna Sabalenka in both the US Open and the Australian Open in tough three sets, leaving Sabalenka without a major title for the first time since 2022. She's certainly the best player in the world right now, at least she has the highset peak level an has been able to find it when it mattered most.

But while Rybakina is a good 1000 points ahead of Sabalenka in the WTA Race, a lot still needs to happen before we call it a season. Two WTA 1000 events are happening in China, a number of 500 events still need to take place, and, of course, the WTA Finals, which can award a maximum of 1500 points to the winner if undefeated.

And Sabalenka herself, who will be looking to end the year on a high note after a disappointing season for her standards, should be looking in the rear mirror: the Top 5 is very strong and not far behind, as Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva are growing in their games and belief that they deserve to be at the top of the game.

As for Iga Swiatek, it doesn't look very good right now, so maybe her sight should be set on just the next tournament ahead, and to having a better 2027 - 2026 was pretty much a year to forget despite a strong showing in the North American swing post Wimbledon.

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While the Top 6 women in the WTA World Rankings made it to the quarterfinals and the Top 4 made the semis for the first time in many years, the ATP was handicapped from the start with Jannik Sinner sitting out due to injury, and later on a freshly back on tour Alcaraz ousted by eventual finalist Ben Shelton.

While Zverev did not face a Top 21 player until the final, Elena Rybakina made it all the way up to World No.1 and the US Open trophy by going through tough three-setters against a resurging Zheng Qinwen, Coco Gauff, and Aryna Sabalenka back to back to back.

Zverev might have had the lucky stars all pointed at him this year, but he did what he had to do and is now Race World No.1. The battle is on against Jannik Sinner, truly against all odds - will he be able to find at least another win over Alcaraz and Sinner in almost two years or will the Top 2 players of this generation get things back on track?

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Alexander Zverev, who was twice accused of domestic violence against two of his former girlfriends, never seemed too likely to win a major title. Three time had he come to a final, three times he was denied, each time getting worse defeats. Now with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz reaching new heights in the game, playing at a level completely different from anything seen before, it would take nothing short of a miracle for Zverev to win a title.

And Zverev got not one, but two such miracles. After winning the most fallen apart draw ever at Roland Garros, Jannik Sinner pulled out of the US Open due to a knee injury and Carlos Alcaraz played his first tournament since coming back from a four-month absence due a wrist injury, and his rust showed against Ben Shelton in an epic 5-setter of a quarterfinal. And so, Zverev once again took advantage of one of the easiest draws in Grand Slam history.

Now No.1 in the race, Zverev has not beaten Alcaraz since 2024, and Sinner since 2023. He has only two Top 10 wins in 2026, less than some 30 players.

What a weird year in the men's tour.

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Hello! After the increasing occurence of rain delays in Montreal that cause me to essentially not watch any real tennis over three different sessions in three different days in two different years, I feel like this can't be a coincidence. Or at least, I want to find out whether is isn't.

That is why I want to check out data for rain delays, particularly in Montreal or at most North America, and see how much rainfall has impacted play during premium tournaments. Is there more rain? Is there just more rain in August? Is it just more infrequent? What are the patterns?

I'll be doing research, but if you are a climate change specialist, meteorologist, researcher, or have any contacts in the field, I'd be very grateful to see some data and research!

In the meantime, I probably will stop buyin tickets in advance, I'm sick of losing money.

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Steve Flink goes in good depth about what he learned from the writing of his newest book, The Immortals of American Tennis, and how the experience of selecting the most impactful legacies in American tennis brought him a new look on the greatest athletes, male and female, of the history of the sport in the United States.

Vansh asks questions that lead to reflection on the legacies of greats such as Serena Williams, Pete Sampras, Billi Jean King, and Jimmy Connors, and how it connects the present to the past for newer generations.

Flink hopes that his new book will make the younger tennis fans connect to the rich history of tennis in America, as well as refresh the older generations' memories of what was once a golden age of tennis for the North American sports giant.

Available now for purchase in the USA!

Get your copy on Amazon (non-affiliate link)

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After talking about Eala and just how great I find she is for tennis early this year, she went to have a pretty disappointing clay season, where I thought she might excel.

I started to doubt whether she would truly maximize her potential, and if her ceiling was really that high.

And she proved herself, passing with flying colours by having a stellar grass season, and now backing it all up with her first tour-level title - and doing so at a packed 500 level, beating Grand Slam champions, Top 10 opposition, and players that have enoyed great success these past couple of years.

Now for the real question: will this title propel Alex Eala to a big run at the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open?

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The Canadian Open used to be a crucial, epic stop in the ATP calendar. Federer reached many finals and won the tournament twice. Rafael Nadal has won five titles there, second only to Ivan Lendl with six. Novak Djokovic played many epics here against the Big 4 members, and won his first Masters title in Montreal in 2007.

Then, why do players well established in the Elite of the Tennis world, Novak Djokovic included, have seemingly collectively decided that it isn't worth their time and effort anymore?

A few reasons explored are: the calendar and the controversial two-week format, the men's Grand Slam format, and the state of the Montreal facilities and site.

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I was nervous when I requested a media credential for the Granby Challenger. This podcast is really small, and I a no one important.

But, when they easily accepted my request, I was still nervous to attend, though super excited. And I wasn't disappointed in the least.

Everyone on site was really nice, including players, organizers, and coaches. I couldn't have asked for a better ground to get my first experience at interviewing players and getting to know more about that area of expertise to get opinions and insights from people inside the industry.

As a fan, I was also mind-blown by the sheer quality of matches. Not that I didn't know it was going to be good, but it exceeded my expectations by far. It's truly amazing how good every single one of these athletes are.

100% recommend to anyone to attend Challenger and ITF events! Bring friends, too!

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Jannik Sinner is the clear front runner for the US Open, and even Cincinnati. Who can even stand against him still?

The question continues to hover around the only other guys to make Grand Slam finals this year: Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Novak Djokovic.

Zverev won Roland Garros, but will this make him any better when it's go-time against his biggest rivals?

Novak Djkovic is a major wild card, at 39 years old he might still pull off a huge upset and plays better than all the top 10 except for Sinner and Alcaraz. Where does his body take him at the US Open?

Carlos Alcaraz is set to come back from injury in his right wrist. How close to his best will he get by the US Open?

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Just some thoughts as we head into the final warm-up events for the 4th Grand Slam of the year: the US Open.

Putting out there some early assessments of the state of the WTA's Top, and the unpredictability of the elite group at the Top 5, due in big part to the poor results shown in since the clay season for Sabalenka and Rybakina, and the overall ups and downs from Andreeva and Gauff.

And Swiatek's fall into underdog position.

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Vansh and Steve Flink get back to Tennis and Bagels for their customary post Grand Slam review!

This episode is broken down into two parts. The women's Wimbledon review is the episode right before this one :)

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Vansh and Steve Flink get back to Tennis and Bagels for their customary post Grand Slam review!

This episode is broken down into two parts. The men's Wimbledon review is the episode right after this one :)

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Wimbledon will have a nineth first-time champion in as many years. In the Semifinal line up, Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova played what was possibly the match tie-break of the tournament, with some insane tension, volleys, defense, and even a choke.

Muchova goes on to reach her second Grand Slam final, again saving match point, after she came back from 2-5 down in the third set vs Sabalenka at Roland Garros in 2023 - But I am sure Gauff will be back and possibly even win the title soon.

Linda Noskova quitely making herself into one of the best grass court players of this generation, winning the Berlin title, and, in terms of consistency and form, is the actual favourite for the final. She was all but too powerful for Marta Kostyuk, who displayed some of the brilliance and fight that is awarding her the best season of her career, but couldn't maintain a balance between aggressive tennis and good shot selection.

The Final promises to be a fantastic one! The first time EVER two Czech players reach the final of ANY Grand Slam tournament!

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Doubles in tennis has a problem, but it's not being boring, neither it's athletes being less good than singles tennis players.

The problem is not even in the actual sport at all: as entertainment, it does just fine, and as a recreational activity, probably the majority of amateurs play in doubles more often than singles.

Well, then, how come the ATP is killing doubles little by little? I'm afraid it's a systemic problem caused by the ATP themselves, and because of the years of neglect, it's not going to be cheap to save it.

If there's an audience for pickleball, you better believe there's an audience for dobles tennis.

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Watching Serena Williams back in her first singles match in almost four years was an amazing experience. She fought like she never left, hit incredbile serves, saved match point, almost went on to win, but ran out of steam in the end against Maya Joint.

Nonetheless, it left the feeling that she really could do it. Will she try again, or was it just a one off for the good ol' days?

Plus, Novak Djokovic made comments about attention spans in younger audiences, and how maybe tennis matches need to be shortend. I really needed to push back on that notion, because people hear these stats out of context and can't place them correctly. So, I am here to explain why shorter matches won't bring new and younger audiences to tennis, and why the attention span statistic is grossly misunderstood.

We are not gold fish.

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It's yet another major, the third of 2026 and arguably the most important one in terms of prestige: Wimbledon starts next week.

We got the draws in front of us and go through each of the 8 sections in both women's and men's singles draws, identifying popcorn matches, and key challenges for key players.

Oh, and, for the time being, Serena Williams playing her first professional singles match in almost four years is still the more important topic. Can she beat Maya Joint? Will we get an explosive match against Filipina star Alex Eala?

To finalize, no, we don't think Djokovic will get too close to that trophy again.

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Marketa Vondrousova has received a four-year suspension for refusing to take a doping test late in 2025.

At first, the ITIA seemed to have it under control, the content they posted and their explanation made sense. But then, Vondrousova came with a response, and pointed out inconsistecies in the process and what seemed to have been a poorly executed visit by the tester.

Whether or not she has a case, the biggest loser in this situation on the long term is certainly the ITIA's brand reputation. If we can't trust the International Tennis Integrity Agency, who CAN we trust? It's time for them to really step up in their transparency and communication strategies.

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Serena Williams will be back at Wimbledon playing singles for the first time since 2022!

At 44 years old, she played some really good tennis with Mboko before the Canadian injured her knee at Queens. This decision to come back and even play singles at the most well-known tennis tournament in the world is intriguing: what does she want to get from this?

While it's practically impossible to see Serena winning Wimbledon, especially after her last win coming seven years ago, plus her age, I still can't complain. She will be back, she will be roaring, involved and full of energy in a way only Serena Williams can be.

I hope for at least one win. It will be EPIC.

I also talk a bit about how so many promising young women are making good progress on the grass this year, notably Berlin champion Linda Noskova, Berlin semi-finalist (l. Noskova) Alex Eala, and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu. All players with very different styles, different career trajectories, but with great potential to make the next 10-15 years at the WTA be really awesome and competitive.

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I was convinced Alexander Zverev would never win a grand slam title. I was proven wrong - but he needed mighty help from the tennis gods to make it happen. I have questions about whether this will translate into more success or if things will remain more or less the same.

(If you want to skip the DV case discussion part, I talk exclusively about tennis from 16:32 until the end.)

But, before the tennis, there's the awkward, sad situation of the DV allegations. He was cleared via settlement, which indicates neither guilt nor innocence, but he's effectively not charged with anything and has no record (as far as I understand.) But that doesn't mean the ATP should just call it a day on that: the lack of policies, or even any sort of acknowledgement of the serious problem of domestic abuse is simply disappointing. It's not about Zverev, but about a sustainable, robust standard in place to protect victims and hold their contractors, stars and moneymakers to a level of integrity that needs to be even higher than for doping cases.

Once that's out of the way, I talk about where my attention will be directed in terms of Zverev's next matches, which I believe will give a definitive answer as to whether Roland Garros was a one-in-a-life-time chance for him, or if this win can unlock a new mentality for the German.

Spoiler alert: I don't think anything will change, and he will continue losing to Alcaraz, Sinner, and whoever else will come up in the future that will become the next big thing.

But, for better or for worse, Alexander Zverev is a Grand Slam champion.

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A discussion on Alexander Zverev’s route to winning the title and analysis of the final with historical implications, Jannik Sinner’s shocking defeat, João Fonseca vs Djokovic, thoughts on Flavio Cobolli and Jakub Mensik plus future projections.

On the Women’s side, we recap Mirra Andreeva’s impressive title run, Maja Chwalinska’s heroics to get to the final, and discuss each of the Core 4 (Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek) and what to make of their campaigns which all ended before the semifinals. We also Look ahead to the grass.

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