Can't Stop Won't Stop Don't Spit
Covid be damned, tennis has been around the world in February and March. We saw youngsters Clara Tauson and Juan Manuel Cerúndolo make unlikely title runs, Petra win her 28th, and Andrey Rublev snatch every ATP500 in sight. Come for the tennis, stay for our thoughts on rankings math, wild cards, the Kodak kit, and spitting during a pandemic.
1:45 Petra wins 28th(!) title, beating Garbiñe at Doha
7:55 Rotterdam: Ruby d. Fucsovics to win 4th consecutive 500 title; Kei (Sir Penguin) on the come-up; Meddy oh so close to #2 ranking
14:00 Andy Murray on retirement chatter: “Why would I stop?”
16:00 18-year-old Dane Clara Tauson announces herself at Lyon
21:20 Los hermanos Cerúndolo; Benoit Paire leaves his droplets and tanks
30:55 Odds and ends - starting with Djokovic’s rankings record
33:40 James tries to explain the AP Calculus-level rankings changes (ok, not really that complicated); what effects do these rankings adjustments have on players?
42:05 Wading into the wild card debate again
47:00 Kokkinakis opens up on mental health; Bernardes & Federer are back, Willis is out; Sorana Cirstea says remember the Alamo and forget your mask