Sinner out. Alcaraz injured. Djokovic old and out. Is this March Madness?

Because I've never seen a Grand Slam draw this wide open in my entire Gen Z life. And I'm so here for it. What's left is a group of players who've never held a major trophy — all of them staring down the biggest opportunity of their careers.

And you know what gets me extra excited?

Free guac

That we're going to witness two people reach for their dreams for the very first time.

Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic — they come out to Grand Slam finals with a certain sense of calm. Of course they’re nervous, but they’re confident. “I’ve been here before, I know what this feels like, I know I can do this” type of energy. We just make popcorn and watch the gods duke it out for 4-5 hours.

But watching someone reach for the stars? That’s different. We’re not just watching the ball go back and forth. We’re watching a two person drama, with humanity’s ever-present cast of characters: anxiety, passion, fear, desire, and bravery. Think the movie Inside Out, but tennis.

Now that you know why I’m so stoked about the back half of the tournament, let’s shift gears.

He's the heavy favorite. But his whole tournament (and entire career honestly) comes down to one thing: whether he can trust his forehand in the big moments.

You see, Zverev has a straight-arm forehand — meaning at contact, his right arm is fully extended. It's rare. Maybe 5% of tour players do it. But ironically some of the best forehands ever made: Federer, Nadal, and Alcaraz, all swing straight-arm.

So why doesn't everyone do it? This deserves it’s own entire post. But basically, because it's insanely hard to control. Mis-time the ball at all and it’s in the parking lot. Also, ever heard of tennis elbow?

Despite it being Federer, Nadal and Alcaraz’s best shot, it’s Zverev’s biggest weakness.

He loops it in. Down the line, with a ton of net clearance. Like a Boys 12s pusher. It buys him time to recover back to the middle and resets the point into a backhand-to-backhand pattern — where he can play offense.

It's honestly smart. But not brave. It’s playing not to lose, instead of playing to win.

This works against 99.99% of planet earth, but not against the very top guys. Cough cough, 0-9 vs Sinner since 2023.

With Jannik and Carlos out, he’ll likely make the finals in Paris.

If he doesn't win this one — this draw — the label gets stickier. And he knows it. Best player to never to win a slam. I don’t like the guy, but damn that would be a rough way to be remembered.

The forehand is the key. The question is whether Zverev is willing to trust it when it matters most, instead of playing it safe.

I'll be honest: I want Jodar or Fonseca to win this thing.

But whoever ends up lifting that trophy on Sunday is going to have to go get it. No waiting around. No playing not to lose.

They're gonna have to be brave.

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus once said this to a former ATP player:

"We played nine holes and he drove the ball on every single hole in the middle of the fairway, further than I have seen anybody hit it who is not a professional,” Nicklaus said. “He shot 31 for nine holes. I said, ‘____, what are you doing? You have got a talent and you are young enough to take advantage of it. You need to go play golf.’

Which ATP player was Nicklaus encouraging to play pro golf?

A. Andy Murray

B. Patrick McEnroe

C. Mardy Fish

D. Jack Sock

Find out at the bottom!

5 set matches played so far on the Men’s side of the draw through four rounds. The record for most 5-setters stands at 36 (Wimbledon 2024).

To me, this has been an absolute body breaker of a slam. It seems like every match is going five — and I LOVE it.

I wrote this section before Serena officially announced that she’s coming back yesterday. But I like the 8-ball, so she stays! Here’s what I originally wrote:

My secret sources, Mrs. Magic 8 Ball and Twitter, say that the 39-time Grand Slam champion will announce her comeback imminently (big boy word). At 44 years young, Serena will prove to us that tennis is truly a Life Long Sport.

And that it’s just like riding a bike, right?

Some of the best tennis content I found on the internet this week…

🦙 Remember the Taylor Swift goat remix? Well here’s the tennis version

🏀 Now this is the basketball x tennis crossover we needed. Why Charles Barkley likes tennis so much

🔧 I’m surprised more righties don’t have this serve in their toolkit

C. Mardy Fish

The former Top 10 American plays to a plus-2.8 handicap. I don’t know what that means, but uncle Nicklaus thinks its pretty good for a tennis player. Back handed compliment if you ask me.