License and Registration Please

Good morning. Spring has sprung, which means constant vigilance on the weather to see if outdoor tennis is viable. Oh, and if someone knows how to bulk order Claritin, let me know. Asking for a friend. — Daniel

ATP

My turn, Stefanos

If you were doubting Casper Ruud’s Norwegian roots, his headband tan will restore your confidence. The 25 year old, who has been tanning training at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain since 2018, avenged his loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo by winning the Barcelona Open this past weekend. The win snapped Ruud’s 0-7 record in ATP finals above the 250 level, and maintained his place as No. 6 in the world.

Zooming out, success during the clay court season is vital for Ruud to cement his top 10 ranking for the rest of the year. Why does that matter? Because he typically struggles during the grass and hard-court seasons, so having a high ranking, and therefore a high seed at future tournaments improves his chances of doing well.

Tldr, more dirt tennis for Ruud. He heads inland to Madrid, where he faces Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round.

Trivia

Which ATP player is married to WTA pro Elena Svitolina?

A. Gael Monfils

B. Alexander Bublik

C. Lorenzo Musetti

D. Karen Khachanov

Find out at the bottom!

WTA

License and registration, please

Last Sunday, world No. 4 Elena Rybakina won the WTA 500 Stuttgart Open, which included a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo as part of the prize. While the $140k car likely has a beautiful interior, a roaring engine, and above average leg-room, there is one glaring issue. Rybakina doesn’t have a driver’s license. While most teenagers can’t wait for the freedom that a license often provides, Rybakina (now 24) turned pro and started traveling the world at the age of 15. So it makes sense that she wouldn’t have time to schedule practice drive #4 (the dreaded highways) back then. That said, after beating Iga Swiatek in the semis, she said she’s always wanted to get her license, and that gave her extra motivation to win the tournament.

Good luck with the written test Elena, and remember, you can’t park within 7.5 feet of railroad or light rail tracks when it interferes with the train, in Oregon.

Juniors

Is this for real?

Picture this. You’re a 16 year old American hopeful that just played your first ever professional match just a month ago. Earning some points at lower tournaments, you’ve reached a career high ranking of 1028 in the world. And after you’ve turned in your Algebra II homework, you find out that you’re playing the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, in the first round of the Barcelona Open this week. Queue shaky legs for 2007 Boca Raton-born Darwin Blanch, who sent the above snap to his friends after getting the news.

You might see Darwin a lot in the coming years, so let’s get to know him a bit better:

• Speaks four languages: English, Spanish, Chinese and Thai.

• At one week old, moved with family to Thailand for his father’s work

• Currently trains at Juan Carlos Ferrero’s academy in Spain

Now let’s all feel old together and put the age gap into perspective:

• Nadal (age 37) made his Madrid Open debut 21 years ago, four years before Blanch was born

• By the time Blanch arrived on planet earth, Nadal had already won his third French Open in a row

• In 2007, the first iPhone was released, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows was published, and the Sopranos ended

Unsurprisingly, Nadal vs. Blanch will set the record for the largest age gap between players in a Master’s 1000 event. Does Blanch stand a chance against the King? We’ll find out soon.

More News & Media

• Coco Gauff is on the cover of Time Magazine this week. Check out some of the fierce photos from her shoot

• 17 year old generational talent João Fonseca got his first Masters 1000 level win this week. Check out match point against fellow youngster Alex Michelson

• Imagine it’s 5-5 in the third set tiebreak, you’ve been on court for more than 4 hours, your racket goes flying out of your hand when you serve and you lose the point. That’s just one of many insane moments in this match between Corentin Moutet and JC Shang. A must watch if you have 5 minutes.

• Watch Giannis Antetokounmpo imitate Nick Kygrios’ famous racket smash in the hallway in Cincinnati.

• Naomi Osaka sat down with Kyrgios on his podcast, Good Trouble, to chat about life on the tour, mental health, Kobe Bryant’s impact and more. Check it out!

Thanks for reading!

DP 🤠

Answer: A. Gael Monfils