Cowabunga

Good morning. If you were busy staring at the giant tennis ball in the sky hide behind the big golf ball and didn’t catch much tennis, we’ve got you covered.

ATP

Like father like son

Rising star Ben Shelton won his second ATP title last weekend in Houston, beating fellow countryman Frances Tiafoe. The match made history as the first men’s final between two black Americans. Shelton also joined his father on the plaque of past tournament winners. Bryan Shelton, who doubles as Ben’s coach, won the Houston Open 32 years ago. With the win, and Taylor Fritz’ early exit in Monte Carlo this week, Ben becomes the top ranked American on the men’s tour at the just-legal age of 21.

Also, while Houston wasn’t on the path of totality, seeing a 21 year old 15 feet in the air seems like a close second.

Trivia

Who was the last player to win the Calendar Slam? That is, win all four grand slams in a calendar year.

1. Steffi Graf

2. Roger Federer

3. Novak Djokovic

4. Serena Williams

Bonus if you can get the year that they did it as well. Find out at the bottom!

WTA

On a role

If I were betting, this would be a good time to double down on Danielle Collins. After winning the biggest tournament of her career in Miami, she added another trophy to her case this week in Charleston. With the second title, the American jumps to No. 15 in the world, a major leap since starting the year ranked 55th. What’s even more impressive is that this second title was on clay. That said, most of the WTA (and ATP) tournaments now head to Europe in the lead up to Roland Garros, where the clay is supposedly super slick. Hopefully Collins continues to make deep runs in tournaments and keep this “best year ever” going across the pond. But don’t be fooled if your bets don’t pan out. Remember, there’s no such thing as the hot hand.

Point of the Week

This is why clay court tennis is so fun to watch. This point between Grigor Dimitrov and Holger Rune has everything: sliding, slicing, crazy defense, and a delicate finish. Chefs kiss 🤌🏼

More News & Media

• Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from Monte Carlo for a second year in a row with an arm injury. He’ll rest up before defending titles in Barcelona and Madrid.

• Coco Gauff picked both March Madness winners. Maybe it’s time to buy a lottery ticket?

• New surface, new coach for Novak

• Sumit Nagal became the first Indian man to win a main draw singles match at Monte Carlo. Fellow countryman and World No. 1 doubles player Rohan Bopanna was in attendance for the win

• The stars were out this week in Monte Carlo. F1 drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris were in attendance, alongside EDM DJ Martin Garrix.

If you turn on Tennis Channel this weekend, you’ll catch the later rounds of Monte Carlo or the qualifying matches of the Billie Jean King Cup.

Thanks for reading!

DP 🤠

Answer: Steffi Graf in 1988

The other three have held all 4 grand slam titles, but not in the same year.