Monday Match Analysis

It is being called the most wide open Roland Garros men's singles events in two decades, and it surely is. Enter, the power rankings! This system is meant to rank title contenders based on past performance only: I look at 2024 clay results, the season as a whole, past attempts on the Paris clay, best-of-five resume and more. These rankings are more objective than predictions: my personal opinion of what could happen in the future is left out of it, although I will share those opinions at the end. Once the draw comes out, strength of opponent and stylistic matchups will influence predictions, in addition to subjective observation; this is why there is often a discrepancy in Power Rankings and Predictions. This edition of the Power Rankings come with plenty of intrigue: where will Alexander Zverev land after winning Rome? What is to be made of a struggling Novak Djokovic or an injured duo of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner? How about Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and back-to-back RG finalist Casper Ruud? 00:00 Intro 02:37 Honorable Mentions 05:33 Next Out 13:10 No. 10 15:00 No. 9 16:45 No. 8 19:08 No. 7 22:19 No. 6 25:18 No. 5 28:03 No. 4 32:00 No. 3 34:48 No. 2 37:35 No. 1 43:50 Conclusions Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross delves into the Rome final between Alexander Zverev and Nicolas Jarry. We'll talk about why the match wasn't as close as the scoreline, why it was a bad matchup for Jarry and how Zverev serves a higher 1st serve percentage than anyone else. We'll also evaluate Zverev's Roland Garros title chances and take stock of Jarry as a player. Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On the Mailbag, Gill Gross is joined by Jimmy Arias to discuss Danielle Collins' incredible surge, the ATP landscape shifting and Novak Djokovic's comments on motivation, before delving into viewer questions, including: is Rafael Nadal actually going to retire in 2024, should Roland Garros have given Dominic Thiem a wildcard, which Roland Garros title contender can take advantage of uncertainty within the top-4 (Tsitsipas? Zverev? Ruud?), is there too much Jack Draper hype, what is the future of technique, is there more complaining on tour these days, how can Taylor Fritz level up his game, Andy Murray has switched to a Yonex EZONE 100 and why might Alexander Zverev have such a poor record against Stefanos Tsitsipas? Jimmy Arias is a former world #5, the director of player development at the IMG Academy, and an analysts for Tennis Channel and other outlets. 00:00 Intro 02:26 Danielle Collins 16:37 ATP Generation Shift 21:16 Djokovic Motivation 25:33 Will Nadal Retire 30:19 Thiem Wildcard Snub 35:14 RG Title Contenders 41:54 Jack Draper Hype 46:06 Future of Technique 51:40 Complaining on Tour 52:25 Fritz-Rublev Comp 54:14 Murray to Yonex 56:08 Tsitsipas vs. Zverev H2H Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On Monday Match Analysis, Gill breaks down blowout wins over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal by Alejandro Tabilo and Hubert Hurkacz respectively, at the 2024 Rome Masters. We'll analyze both matches, plus address the water bottle incident and Roland Garros prospects. Lastly, we'll take a fresh look at the Rome draw with the Round of 16 stage ahead. 00:00 Intro 02:53 Water Bottle Incident 05:20 Djokovic Concern Meter 08:40 Tabilo Match Analysis 18:40 Nadal-Hurkacz Analysis 25:55 Nadal Shortcomings 34:15 Rome Draw Notes Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On the Mailbag, Gill Gross unpacks Dominic Thiem's legacy and why the reaction to his retirement should be celebration, not regret. Then, we get to your comments: is Thiem quitting too soon, would Thiem have returned to peak form if the wrist injury never happened, are the injuries on tour a result of a poor calendar, who would be the Roland Garros Frankenstein, thoughts on Diego Schwartzman and Camilla Giorgi retirement developments, should excessive grunting be outlawed, what explains the decline in Daniil Medvedev's serve, why were top players so inconsistent at Roland Garros in the late 90s early 2000s? At the end of this podcast, we review the Challengers Movie. 00:00 Intro 00:55 Thiem's Legacy 16:30 Thiem's Decision 19:05 Imagine No Wrist Injury 26:14 Calendar and Injuries 34:20 RG Frankenstein 37:40 Schwartzman & Giorgi Retirements 42:10 Excessive Grunting 48:16 Medvedev Serve Decline 54:36 Early 2000s Inconsistency 1:03:35 Challengers Review Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross previews the 2024 Italian Open in Rome with dark horses, upset alerts, popcorn matchups and predictions. 6-time champion Novak Djokovic is the top-seed, followed by defending champion Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and Madrid champion Andrey Rublev. 00:00 Intro 03:20 Djokovic Q 9:00 Zverev Q 18:50 Rublev Q 26:10 Medvedev Q 36:27 Final Weekend Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross breaks down Andrey Rublev's triumphant comeback win over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the 2024 Mutua Madrid Masters final. We'll talk about why Rublev called it the "most proud" title he's ever won. We'll discuss the key dynamic in the match: FAA's serve against Rublev's return. We'll cover the chances that Felix is primed to make another push towards the top-10. Lastly, we'll do the 2nd edition of the French Open Power Rankings which spoiler alert includes Rafael Nadal. 00:00 Intro 01:03 Proud Rublev 04:35 Felix Wins 1st 10:25 Rublev Returning 22:35 Felix Physical 25:45 Rublev's Baseline Edge 29:08 Felix Back? 32:20 Foot Faults 36:18 FO Power Rankings Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On the Mailbag, Gill Gross overviews Madrid men's singles storylines such as the avalanche of injuries, Rafael Nadal's best run since 2022, Jiri Lehecka's breakthrough and an Andrey Rublev vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime final. Then, he answers your comments, including: has Andrey Rublev peaked, how do players qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, how do I rank the top teenagers such as Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik, is play quality down in Madrid, how should Nadal increase his fitness, what are the new expectations for Casper Ruud, is Jannik Sinner ready to break through on clay and is Corentin Moutet entitled to coffee? 00:00 Intro 03:35 Madrid Overview 14:37 Rublev Peak 20:43 Olympic Qualification 25:55 Youngster Rankings 30:55 Showing Injuries 34:22 Madrid Play Quality 35:50 Rafa Fitness Plan 37:15 Ruud's Goals 44:50 Sinner Clay 46:25 Etcheverry Progress 48:43 Country Stereotypes 51:42 Moutet Denied Coffee Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

37-year old Rafael Nadal drew 16-year old Darwin Blanch in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open. Gill Gross breakdown and analysis... Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross previews the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open ATP 1000. The top-seed is Jannik Sinner looking for his first big clay title, Carlos Alcaraz is the back-to-back defending champion opposite the draw, Daniil Medvedev and two-time Madrid champion Alexander Zverev round off the top seeds. Rafael Nadal opens against Darwin Blanch. Novak Djokovic withdrew from the event. Gill gives his quarter-by-quarter preview with dark horses, upset alerts, popcorn matchups and predictions. 00:00 Intro 03:21 Sinner's Quarter 08:45 Medvedev's Quarter 16:20 Zverev's Quarter 21:30 Alcaraz's Quarter 29:20 Final Weekend Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe