Confetti on the Clay

Good evening. Memorial Day is fast approaching, so make sure to ask for either the Friday before or Tuesday after off because seriously, you deserve it. Now let’s dive in.

— Daniel

ATP

The fuzz is coming off

Days after getting hit in the head by a water bottle while signing autographs, Novak Djokovic took yet another surprising early exit from a tournament this year. He was knocked out of Rome in the Round of 32 by young Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, adding another tally to the World No. 1’s loss column. For Djokovic, this season has been forgettable so far. Year-to-date Novak is 11-4, hasn’t made it past a semi-final yet, and has gutted his team faster than a presidential turnover in DC. His poor results have also opened the door for Jannick Sinner to dethrone him as World No. 1. If Novak doesn’t at least make it to the finals of Roland Garros, Sinner will become the top dog regardless of if he even plays the tournament. Will Djokovic return to top form, or are we seeing his age start to catch up with him?

Trivia

A player on the ATP started their own clothing line that dons the logo below. Which player is it?

Hint: they were formally a Nike-sponsored athlete

Find out at the bottom!

WTA

Big hot tennis ball

The big, fuzzy tennis ball we call earth is getting hotter, and we need to do more about it. That’s what the two folks in orange vests above were protesting about this week when they sat down in front of the net during a doubles match in Rome. During a match between Madison Keys and Sorana Cirstea, another protestor walked onto the court and threw confetti on the clay, before being escorted out. The people were representing The Last Generation, a climate change activism group which has organized protests in Italy since 2022. This isn’t the first time protestors have showed up to tennis events. At the 2023 US Open, a climate protestor glued his feet to the ground inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Talk about taking a stand.

College Tennis

May Madness

With your Geography of Wine (see syllabus) final behind you, all you have to worry about is sleeping well, eating Chipotle everyday, and playing your best tennis. You guessed it, the NCAA tennis team and individual championships are happening over the next two weeks across all divisions. To all the seniors competing in their last team matches, leave it all out there and brings lots of Advil. You have the rest of your life to ice your shoulder. Follow the results on the NCAA website.

And of course, go CMS!

More News & Media

• Coco Gauff weighed in on the Kendrick vs. Drake beef. See which side she’s on + how Serena is a big part of her answer

• I spy with my little eye a new racket for Andy Murray? A long-time Head user, the brit was seen trying the new stick in practice, and plans to use it in Bordeaux this week. Even at the tail end of his career, he’s looking for an edge, respect.

• Check out what Sharapova, Serena and Venus wore at the Met Gala last week

• After battling multiple injuries over the last few years, US Open champion Dominic Thiem announced that this will be his last season on tour, and plans to retire in Vienna later this year. Check out Thiem’s insane highlight reel

• Before the tournament in Rome started, Coco Gauff and Chris Eubanks were asked to hit some balls with pizza peels. Hopefully there’s no fuzz on the peels left, otherwise I’ll go for pasta

Thanks for reading!

DP 🤠

Answer: Andrey Rublev. His brand, Rublo, was created to drive awareness around equality and kindness