How a Tennis Star Barred From Playing Won Without Stepping on the Court

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Welcome backmost to the Monday Tennis Briefing, wherever The Athletic will explicate the stories down the stories from the past week connected court.

This week, the Miami Open crowned its champions, with Aryna Sabalenka and Jakub Menšík taking the singles titles. Elsewhere, men’s satellite No. 1 Jannik Sinner had a large hard-court plaything portion playing conscionable 1 tournament, the prima did not radiance connected location players and Mirra Andreeva utilized doubles to support her feet connected the ground.

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How did Sinner’s lack permission him untroubled arsenic satellite No. 1?

Adding up the ranking points earned by men’s players astatine this year’s Australian Open, BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open, the highest tally belongs to idiosyncratic who participated successful lone 1 of those events. The large ATP victor from the archetypal Grand Slam of 2025 and past the post-Melbourne ‘Sunshine Double’ successful California and Florida is Sinner, who played neither of the second 2 tournaments due to the fact that of his three-month anti-doping ban.

While the back-to-back Australian Open champion was getting immoderate grooming reps successful earlier his instrumentality to the circuit successful May, his rivals each failed to capitalize connected his absence. It’s astir guaranteed present that Sinner volition inactive beryllium No. 1 erstwhile helium begins his comeback successful 5 weeks connected location clay astatine the Italian Open successful Rome.

The nominal satellite No. 2 Alexander Zverev was besides past seen playing due tennis successful Melbourne — the quality betwixt him and Sinner is that helium has played successful 5 events since. But the German has looked similar a shadiness of himself from the infinitesimal Sinner bushed him successful that Australian Open final, and aft losing his archetypal lucifer successful Indian Wells, helium went retired to Arthur Fils successful the Miami Open circular of 16, contempt having been a interruption up successful the last set.

Sinner’s main rival, Carlos Alcaraz, was beaten successful his archetypal lucifer successful Miami. In Indian Wells, helium had failed to retrieve from a first-set fearfulness amusement successful the semifinals, losing to eventual champion Jack Draper. Alcaraz occasionally looked mislaid during some matches — arsenic helium did erstwhile losing successful the Australian Open quarterfinals to an injured Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic looked refreshed successful Miami aft his ain aboriginal exit successful Indian Wells, but didn’t person to bushed a top-14 subordinate to get to the final. When helium got there, helium mislaid precisely the benignant of lucifer he’s made a vocation of winning. His hostile successful that final, Menšík, was superb successful a 7-6(4), 7-6(4) win, but neutralizing large servers and winning tiebreaks person agelong been 2 of Djokovic’s calling cards.

Menšík, 19, had a breakthrough tournament, arsenic did Draper successful Indian Wells, but among Sinner’s established rivals, it’s mostly been a beauteous challenging month.

Sometimes successful sport, players’ astir adjuvant results travel erstwhile they are not adjacent present.

March 2025 undoubtedly strengthened Sinner’s presumption astatine the pinnacle of men’s tennis, without him playing a azygous point.

Charlie Eccleshare

How is Andreeva utilizing doubles to support her grounded?

It was a sunshine treble of sorts for Andreeva too, who followed up her Indian Wells singles rubric by winning the Miami Open doubles, with her adjacent person and compatriot Diana Shnaider.

Andreeva, the 17-year-old Russian, is antithetic among the world’s apical 10 successful continuing to play regular doubles, and agelong whitethorn it proceed — due to the fact that the benefits spell beyond conscionable her tennis.

She and 20-year-old Shnaider play unneurotic with the benignant of levity that is mostly non-existent successful the one-on-one combat of singles, and tin lone beryllium beneficial to 2 youngsters getting to grips with the grind of nonrecreational tennis. The timeline of the WTA Tour is littered with prodigies burning retired due to the fact that of the sport’s suffocating pressure.

The pair’s consciousness of humour came successful useful Sunday, during the lengthy rainfall hold that interrupted their 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-2 last triumph implicit Spain’s Cristina Bucsa and Miyu Kato of Japan.

It is Andreeva and Shnaider’s 2nd rubric arsenic partners, having archetypal joined forces erstwhile they laughed their mode to Olympic metallic medals successful August. Since then, some person spoken astir however overmuch they bask playing unneurotic and the mode it benefits them.

Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva with the Miami Open doubles trophy. (Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)

“When we play doubles, we some don’t similar erstwhile it’s precise tense,” Andreeva said successful an interrogation astatine Melbourne Park successful January. “So, for example, erstwhile the people is 5-4 and we person to service for the match, we’re some astatine the aforesaid clip trying to accidental immoderate jokes oregon conscionable chill a bit.

“We ever marque amusive of ourselves, truthful if she hits an astonishing shot. I’m like, ‘Have you seen that? Are you Roger Federer? I mean, travel on, halt it.’ And past aft that, I consciousness similar she’s fired up and she makes adjacent amended shots. And erstwhile I play a bully shot, she’s ever like, ‘My God, what are you doing? I mean, if you play similar this, we’re going to triumph a slam.’”

Shnaider, who is having a tricky singles play aft a breakthrough 2024, besides feels the benefits and said successful an interrogation successful New York earlier past year’s U.S. Open: “I request immoderate jokes connected court. I request immoderate smiles. I request to person immoderate talks with a spouse enjoying doubles. Because for me, I’m conscionable getting released from the accent and immoderate tightness.

“And I knew that she’s a precise unfastened person. She’s precise emotional. She loves to talk, loves jokes and loves smiling. So I was like, ‘This is the close fit’.”

Before their doubles triumph successful Miami, Andreeva had endured a stressful singles decision to Amanda Anisimova successful the 3rd round, portion Shnaider mislaid to Anna Blinkova successful the second.

They could person some packed up and near Miami past for immoderate remainder oregon practice. Instead, some recovered thing much invaluable connected the doubles court.

Charlie Eccleshare

Not the ‘Sunshine Double’ the American men were hoping for

A mates of months ago, this looked similar it could beryllium a beauteous peculiar Indian Wells and Miami plaything for American men.

With satellite No. 1 Sinner sidelined and the sport’s best-ever Djokovic thing of a question people and astir to crook 38, it seemed similar determination could beryllium an opening for a radical of rivals who are often astatine their champion connected location soil. The apical Americans are hard-court players who purpose to marque hay during the North American hard-court swings — particularly this one, which precedes a three-month travel to Europe and its integrated surfaces.

Ben Shelton was coming disconnected a tally to the Australian Open semifinals. Taylor Fritz wasn’t acold removed from being a finalist astatine past year’s U.S. Open, being runner-up astatine November’s ATP Tour Finals and winning the United Cup with his state successful January. Tommy Paul was a top-10 player. Frances Tiafoe ever gets fired up for the location fans.

When it was over, Fritz, inactive battling a close abdominal injury, had the champion showing crossed the 2 events, falling to Menšík successful the Miami semifinals successful a third-set tiebreak. He managed to suffer portion not having his service breached each night. A mates of atrocious decisions successful the archetypal and third-set tiebreaks kept him retired of the final.

Shelton fell successful the quarters of Indian Wells to eventual champion Draper. Not bad, and helium seemed to person recovered his groove connected the gritty, high-kicking hard courts successful California. But then, successful Miami, helium mislaid his opening lucifer to a chaotic card, Coleman Wong of Hong Kong.

Paul disappeared during his circular of 16 lucifer successful Indian Wells against Daniil Medvedev. In Miami, helium mislaid his 2nd lucifer to Francisco Cerundolo. He’s 7-4 since entering the apical 10. Tiafoe? He went 2-2 successful the Sunshine Double, with losses to Fils and Yosuke Watanuki.

And connected it went.

Learner Tien didn’t triumph a match. Alex Michelsen won conscionable one.

Not bully upwind for the location players successful March.

Matt Futterman

Danielle Collins gets a win

Danielle Collins couldn’t clasp her rubric successful Miami, but ended up coming distant with a antithetic benignant of trophy.

Collins came upon a canine that had been deed by a car during her clip successful the city. She pulled over, took the carnal to a section veterinary infirmary and saw to it that it got the attraction it needed, done country and 5 days connected oxygen.

With the pup pulling through, Collins announced that she had adopted it and named it “Crash.”

“His breathing is backmost to normal, his wounds are healing, and helium is decidedly enjoying each the emotion helium is receiving,” Collins shared connected Instagram, showing the newest summation to her household snuggling with her successful bed. Crash joins Quincy, who has accompanied Collins connected the circuit for immoderate clip now.

“He is curious, affectionate, and grateful for a 2nd accidental astatine life. It was truthful incredibly achy to witnesser a canine successful truthful overmuch symptom aft being deed by a car, and near successful the mediate of the roadworthy with truthful galore radical driving by his curled-up body. I’m conscionable grateful I was capable to beryllium determination and get him the attraction helium needed.”

Perhaps not different trophy. But possibly thing better. And a bully happening for Crash that Collins decided not to discontinue astatine the commencement of this season.

Now she has different rubric to support this week successful Charleston, S.C., wherever she’ll beryllium looking to enactment wrong the satellite apical 32 and get a seeding for the adjacent Grand Slam successful Paris adjacent month.

Matt Futterman

🏆 The winners of the week

🎾 ATP:

🏆 Menšík def. Djokovic (4) 7-6(4), 7-6(4) to triumph the Miami Open (1,000) successful Miami. It is his archetypal ATP 1,000 title.

🎾 WTA:

🏆 Sabalenka (1) def. Pegula (4) 7-5, 6-2 to triumph the Miami Open (1,000) successful Miami. It is the Belarusian’s 19th WTA Tour title.

📈📉 On the emergence / Down the line

📈 Eala moves up 65 places from No. 140 to a vocation precocious of No. 75 aft her tally to the Miami Open semifinals.
📈 Menšík ascends 30 spots from No. 54 to No. 24 aft winning the Miami Open.
📈 Tereza Valentová moves up 41 places from No. 211 to a vocation precocious of No. 170 aft winning the ITF W75 lawsuit successful Murska Sobota, Slovenia.

📉 Medvedev falls 3 places from No. 8 to No. 11, leaving the ATP apical 10 for the archetypal clip since 2019.
📉 Caroline Garcia drops 27 places from No. 74 to No. 101, leaving the WTA apical 100 for the archetypal clip since 2013.
📉 Thiago Seyboth Wild tumbles 15 spots from No. 96 to No. 111, leaving the ATP apical 100.

📅 Coming up

🎾 ATP

📍Houston: U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship (250) featuring Paul, Tiafoe, Michelsen, Tien.
📍Marrakech, Morroco: Grand Prix Hassan II (250) featuring Tallon Griekspoor, Lorenzo Sonego, Otto Virtanen, Pavel Kotov.
📍Bucharest, Romania: Tiriac Open (250) featuring Sebastian Baez, Gabriel Diallo, Botic van de Zandschulp, Nishesh Basavareddy.

📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel 💻 Tennis TV

🎾 WTA

📍Charleston, S.C.: Charleston Open (500) featuring Pegula, Madison Keys, Zheng Qinwen, Belinda Bencic.
📍Bogotá, Colombia: Copa Colsanitas Zurich (250) featuring Marie Bouzkova, Camila Osorio, Iva Jovic, Alycia Parks.

📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel

Tell america what you noticed this week successful the comments beneath arsenic the men’s and women’s tours continue.

(Top photo: Patrick Hamilton / AFP via Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)

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