🎾 Riyadh Belongs to Coco

Happy Tuesday! Fresh off adding the WTA Finals crown to her growing title collection, Coco Gauff continues to cement her place at the forefront of American tennis. The tennis world’s attention now shifts to Turin for the ATP Finals, where drama and surprises await.

In this week's newsletter:

• 👑 Gauff's WTA Finals Victory Cements Her as the Face of American Tennis

• 🎾 Weekly Roundup: Mastery, Mayhem, and Makeovers

• 🐐 Novak Djokovic's 5 Most Memorable Seasons: Where Does 2024 Rank?

🧠 Tennis Trivia Challenge 🎾

Think you know your tennis? Take a swing at these questions and climb the ranks from Challenger to Professional to Centre Court Legend!

1. Challenger: Who won the WTA Player of the Year award in 2021?
   A) Ashleigh Barty
   B) Naomi Osaka
   C) Aryna Sabalenka
   D) Emma Raducanu

2. Professional: Who was the first male player to win the career Grand Slam in tennis?
   A) Rod Laver
   B) Fred Perry
   C) Andre Agassi
   D) Novak Djokovic

3. Centre Court Legend: Who was the youngest male player to win a Grand Slam singles title?
   A) Pete Sampras
   B) Boris Becker
   C) Michael Chang
   D) Lleyton Hewitt

Keep reading for the answers!

🗽 Gauff's WTA Finals Victory Cements Her as the Face of American Tennis 👑

The Moment: In a grueling three-hour match, Coco Gauff captured the WTA Finals title in Riyadh, adding more hardware to her rapidly expanding collection. The 20-year-old American outlasted China's Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) in a match that saw her battle back from a 5-3 deficit in the decisive third set – at one point just two points from defeat. She became the youngest champion since Maria Sharapova in 2004 – the year Gauff was born!

Forging Her Legacy: The victory, which netted her a career-high $4.8 million payday, marked another defining moment in her ascent to tennis stardom. She continues the legacy of her idol Serena Williams, who in 2014 became the last American to win the event. Her path to the title included statement wins over world #1 Iga Swiatek and #2 Aryna Sabalenka, proving she can consistently compete with and defeat the very best.

Champion’s Arsenal: Gauff's triumph showcased not just her raw athletic talent, but her remarkable composure under pressure. As tennis legend Chris Evert noted, "The forehand was impressive, the serving consistent and powerful, but what stood out most was her mental toughness." This tenacity, coupled with her exceptional speed (widely regarded as the fastest player on tour) and increasingly powerful baseline game, makes her an intimidating opponent on any surface.

Looking Ahead: Gauff's trajectory suggests much more to come. Despite a challenging year following her US Open triumph – marked by unexpected exits at the Grand Slams and Olympics – she's shown remarkable resilience. After parting ways with coach Brad Gilbert, her new team of Jean-Christophe Faurel and Matt Daly has focused on her serve and forehand, suggesting her ceiling still has yet to be reached.

The Last Word: "I just love to say I'm right," Gauff declared after silencing critics who predicted she would lose badly amid her hard-court struggles. "It's honestly just liking the idea of just proving people wrong, and letting your racket do the talking."

A Bright Future: With this victory, Gauff has demonstrated she has the mindset, physical capabilities, and competitive drive to dominate women's tennis for years to come. The future of American tennis couldn't be in more capable hands.

🎾 Weekly Roundup: Mastery, Mayhem, and Makeovers 🎾

Championship Corner: In our featured story this week, Coco Gauff capped off her season by claiming the WTA Finals title in Riyadh. In Belgrade, qualifier Denis Shapovalov's penned a fresh chapter in his comeback story as he secured his second career ATP title, defeating Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4, with Novak Djokovic on hand for the trophy presentation. France's Benjamin Bonzi, also a qualifier, captured his maiden ATP title at age 28, outdueling Cameron Norrie 7-6(8), 6-4 at the Moselle Open in Metz.

Meltdown in Turin: Daniil Medvedev lost his cool during his ATP Finals opener against Taylor Fritz in a match that turned into a tragicomedy. After serving three straight double-faults to drop the first set, the World No. 4 first smashed his racquet against the bench and court, earning a code violation. After receiving a point penalty, the drama escalated in the second set when Medvedev attempted to return serve with his racquet held backward—grip facing Fritz—drawing whistles from the crowd. Fritz went on to win 6-4, 6-3. Post-match, a frustrated Medvedev painted a bleak picture of his state of mind: "I have this every day, day in, day out, since like two, three years. Every practice is a struggle, every match is a struggle. Now I feel zero pleasure of being on the court."

Turin Troubles: Carlos Alcaraz's indoor woes continued at the ATP Finals, falling to Casper Ruud 6-1, 7-5 in his opening round-robin match. It marked Ruud's first victory over the Spaniard in five career meetings, with Alcaraz delivering an erratic display and failing to close out a 5-2 lead in the second set. Post-match, Alcaraz cited multiple challenges: "A few days before coming here, I got sick at home... this morning, I feel uncomfortable in the stomach." With fatigue setting in, Alcaraz admitted: "I'm tired mentally. Obviously a lot of matches, really tight schedule, really demanding year with not too many days off." In other Turin action, Alexander Zverev continued his strong indoor form with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Andrey Rublev, while home favorite Jannik Sinner delighted the Italian crowd by dispatching Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4.

Hair-Raising Headlines: Taylor Fritz's brief venture into blonde territory ended this week, with the American returning to his natural dark hair just weeks after debuting the platinum look at a Kygo concert. The world No. 5 revealed the high-maintenance reality behind the scenes: "Parts of it were turning more like yellow, and the roots were coming in," he explained to Tennis TV. When a Paris salon told him they couldn't fix the uneven coloring, Fritz opted to go back to brown ahead of the ATP Finals. The short-lived transformation sparked quite the reaction online, with Fritz finding the "reactions and overreactions" to his dye job "hilarious." While blondes might have more fun, Fritz's experiment with peroxide proved more trouble than it was worth.

🐐 Novak Djokovic's 5 Most Memorable Seasons: Where Does 2024 Rank? 🐐 

As Novak Djokovic officially closes his 2024 season early, withdrawing from the ATP Finals due to ongoing injuries, it's the perfect time to look back at how his Olympic gold-winning year stacks up against his most legendary seasons. While we won't see the GOAT in Turin, his 2024 campaign - even without a Slam - still earned a spot in his top 5 most memorable years. Here's why:

5. 2024
All right, so Djokovic didn’t win any Grand Slams this year. But he finally snagged the elusive Olympic gold, triumphing over Alcaraz, who had just beaten him at Wimbledon. Hear it from Novak himself, “I was so blessed to win everything pretty much there is to win in my sport, but this is something different... This supersedes everything that I’ve ever felt on the tennis court after winning big trophies. It’s just incredible joy.” Completing his collection of Big Titles, 2024 marks another milestone in his legendary journey.

4. 2023
At 36, Djokovic captured his record-setting 23rd and 24th Majors, adding his 10th Australian Open and 4th US Open to his trophy case. His longevity is inspiring, proving that age is just a number.

3. 2021
Djokovic came oh-so-close to a calendar-year Grand Slam, winning the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon before falling to Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final. At age 34, he was still a formidable force.

2. 2015
Djokovic showcased his best self with 82 wins, 3 Grand Slam titles, and reached the finals of all 4 majors. He was virtually untouchable all season long. His dominance extended beyond the Slams, becoming the first player to win six Masters 1000 titles in a season and setting a still-standing record with 31 wins against Top-10 opponents.

1. 2011
This was the year for Djokovic. He claimed the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open, finishing with a staggering 70-6 record. Plus, he kicked off the year with a 41-match win streak. Pure dominance! The season marked his definitive arrival as a true equal to Federer and Nadal, including six wins over Nadal - all in finals.

So, where does 2024 fit into the narrative? It’s a testament to Djokovic’s relentless pursuit of greatness, proving he’s still adding to his legacy at age 37!

✏️ Tweet of the Week ✏️

Trivia Answers
1. A) Ashleigh Barty—Barty was awarded WTA Player of the Year in 2021.
2. B) Fred Perry—Perry achieved the career Grand Slam in 1935.
3. B) Michael Chang—Chang became the youngest male Grand Slam champion at 17 in 1989.

How’d you fare?
3 Correct: You’re a Centre Court Legend—champion of the biggest stages!
2 Correct: You’re a solid Pro—rising through the ranks!
1 or less: Don’t worry, Challenger—your breakthrough is just ahead!