Sinner survives, Fonseca fires and Saudi footprint grows

Catherine, David and Matt round up the latest tour results before Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic joins to discuss the news that Saudi Arabia will be hosting an ATP Masters 1000 tournament from 2028. 

Part one - Results. We cover lots of Jannik Sinner talking points, including his victory over Alexander Zverev in an excellent Vienna final, his repeated cramping issues, and his decision not to play the Davis Cup Finals. There’s also chat about Joao Fonseca’s win in Basel, the ongoing heartbreak for Alejandro Davidovich Fokina as he tries to win his first title, Belinda Bencic’s victory in Tokyo and her remarkable season coming back from giving birth, and Elena Rybakina booking her place at the WTA Finals. 

Part two - Charlie Eccleshare reports on the ATP’s announcement that a 10th Masters 1000 event will be added to the schedule in 2028 and that it will be held in Saudi Arabia (41:50). We don’t yet know all the details, but Charlie explains how this might affect the rest of the tennis calendar, the growing power that Saudi Arabia will hold in the sport, and why we mustn’t ignore the human rights abuses. 

Part three - News and a look ahead (1:08:50). We pay tribute to John Beddington and chat about the Paris Masters. We’ll be back on Friday with a full preview of the WTA Finals. 

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