Getting roasted on Reddit -- My Tennis Highlight of the Year -- Crashing the Sincaraz Party

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My First Mail Bag!

Hey gang — stoked about this edition since it’s my first mail bag! There’s a range of topics, so I hope you find at least one of them interesting.

Is there any take you’ve published that you’ve since changed your mind on?

Actually yes. And it was really recent!

Many of you will remember, I wrote an edition answering the question, Do Lefties Have an Advantage? a few weeks ago. For those who might have missed it, my conclusion was no — it was just Nadal abusing Federer’s one-hander for two decades. Case closed. I felt great about the piece and my position.

Then I posted it on Reddit, and quickly got a tidal wave of replies arguing the complete opposite.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Apparently I was wrong not just in tennis, but in hockey, boxing, baseball, fencing, and probably medieval sword fighting. A few people didn’t just disagree — they wrote dissertations.

But you know what? They convinced me.

Not because I was outnumbered, but because the argument is compelling: being different in sports is often an advantage. And being a lefty in tennis is one of the biggest differences you can have, that is largely disruptive to the way right handers play 99% of the time.

Consider me convinced.

What’s one thing you’d change about professional tennis?

Something Andy Murray said recently stuck with me: he never watches full five-set matches. Too busy playing golf. Honestly though, I get it.

Confession: even though I write about tennis every week, I almost never watch full five setters until the finals. They just take way too much time, and my 401k needs some more digits before I sit down on a Wednesday at noon to strap in for a second round five set thriller.

So here’s my pitch for the slams:
First three rounds = Best of 3
Second week = Best of 5

Shorter early matches mean:

• Fewer four-hour marathons at noon on a Wednesday that few people watch

• More upsets

• More energy for the matches that are actually supposed to be epic

Let me clarify: I love five-set tennis. I just don’t think it needs to be every Men’s match at the slams, in an era where people struggle to finish a 90-second video.

At the very least, I’d love to see one slam try it. Tennis could survive the experiment.

Can anyone crash the Sincaraz party next year?

If anyone’s crashing it, it’s going to be Joao Fonseca.

2026 might be a bit fast, but the 19 year old is on an unbelievable trajectory. He started this year ranked 145, and is ending in the Top 30. But more importantly, he’s got the firepower to go toe-to-toe with Jannik and Carlos.

To be clear: I’m not saying he’s winning Slams next year. But I think he’s got the most upside out of any young pro right now.

What was your tennis highlight of the year?

I met Mohamad Lahyani at the Miami Open!

Not just a quick selfie. I actually got to tell him that I’ve grown up with his voice in my living room.

And then he thanked me.

He said it’s fans and moments like that which remind him why he still does it.

Yes, it was sappy and a little corny.
But I absolutely floated for the next few hours.

There’s something surreal about thanking someone who has unknowingly been a background character in your life for twenty years — and having them thank you back.

So cool!

Thank you for sending me questions, I really enjoyed answering them! If you ever have any, feel free to reply to this email.

Trivia

Each of the WTA players below won a Grand Slam this year. But which one earned the most prize money from the entire 2025 season?

A. Coco Gauff

B. Aryna Sabalenka

C. Madison Keys

D. Iga Swiatek

Find out at the bottom!

Quote of the Week

Meet the Player

Nishesh Basavareddy

From: United States 🇺🇸 

Best Slam Result: 1st Round

Career High Ranking: 99

Fun Fact: Just hired Medvedev’s long time coach, Gilles Cervara

Game Analysis: Basavareddy’s game is modeled after his idol, Novak Djokovic, and the resemblance is spot on. Nishesh has great ball control, moving his opponents side to side, redirecting pace, and using his big Stanford brain to win points.

Career Prediction: The 20 year old had a strong 2025, making a tour level semi, taking a set off of Novak in Australia, and reaching the Top 100. If the youngster’s body can hold up, I think he’ll crack the Top 50 in the next couple of years.

Around the Net

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

🎅 See which players Ben Shelton, FAA, and Taylor Fritz categorize into the naughty or nice list

💊 Pro player and YouTuber Karue Sell on Adderall use in the pros and if he thinks tennis is a clean sport

🧐 The biggest serve technique myths and misconceptions

Answer

B. Aryna Sabalenka

It could only be Sabalenka. The World No. 1 finaled two majors, won one, and won three other huge tournaments this year. In the word’s of a tiger mom, “not bad, but I bet she can do better”