No, it’s not Serena Williams, but she did look pretty sharp in her comeback doubles win with Victoria Mboko on Tuesday. Her court sense and serve particularly impressed—hitting 120 mph as a 44-year-old is truly legendary stuff. The only thing that looked super rusty in Serena’s return, ironically, were her returns. It’s a shame that Mboko’s knee injury in singles the next day cut short their London run, but I’m looking forward to catching up with Serena at her next stop in Berlin.

But no, the mother-of-two and longtime resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. who is the topic of this Bounces dispatch—along with her family—is Tatjana Maria, the defending champion at WTA 500 Queen’s Club who wasn’t given a wild card into this year’s main draw despite her reign.

38-year-old Maria is currently the oldest player in the WTA Top 100, but she finds herself on a rankings cliff this week: because her 500 points from winning last year’s title are set to expire—nearly half of her total 1,111 ranking points—with an early loss this week, she could fall outside the WTA Top 120.

Ahead of her tough second-round match at Queen’s Club against Elena Rybakina, get to know Maria through her interviews with Bounces, hear the rumored real reason why she didn’t receive a wild card, and meet her biggest project on tour: the burgeoning tennis career of her 12-year-old daughter, Charlotte.

To read the rest of this feature profile, please subscribe to Bounces! -Ben

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But I have been fascinated by how the dust has settled from the final big match of the clay season, and wanted to discuss the media side of the landscape here at Bounces.

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There’s a tendency to talk about “tennis media” as a monolith, which has always been lazy and simplistic given the diversity of outlets and people in that category.

The disparity between the ethos and ethics of the broadcast and written sides of the aisle has never been clearer to me than in the last three days. Specifically, the ways each side is willing or unwilling to tell the story of the sport have been cast in stark relief by their completely different approaches to the issue of French Open champion Alexander Zverev and the history of domestic violence accusations against him.

Let’s start with the broadcast side, which is quicker to summarize: from what I have heard about the French, British, and American broadcasts of the French Open, there was zero mention or allusion to any of that part of Zverev’s biography on any television broadcast. This is across the many hours of television coverage of him before, during, or after the final—or at any other point in the two-week tournament.

Because references to these stories were completely and conspicuously absent, the millions of television viewers who might not have had prior knowledge of those episodes were left completely in the dark. Grand Slam finals, particularly, have a much greater percentage of casual tennis viewers in the audience; these unfamiliar audiences were presented with nothing about Zverev except for the sympathetic story of a player whose years of futility finally ended in triumph.

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This loud silence is a familiar sound to tennis television audiences, of course. I was listening particularly attentively to ESPN during the 2021 U.S. Open, which began days after my second interview with Olya Sharypova was published. Over the dozens of hours in which Zverev’s matches were on their airwaves, the network never mentioned the fresh accusations once. ESPN’s entire fortnight of tournament coverage acknowledged Sharypova’s accusations only once, in a two-minute pre-recorded segment by ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap that aired during an off-peak women’s doubles match.

The Canadian ATP player Milos Raonic, who was watching that 2021 tournament at home while injured, spoke with frustration about the ATP’s nonreaction—“I’m embarrassed and disappointed in the ATP and the other governing bodies’ response to this situation”—as well as the ESPN coverage of that tournament. Raonic, who had tweeted a facepalm emoji to ESPN’s account after one glowing segment on Zverev, understood the importance of publicly recognizing the issue. “At least it should be acknowledged,” Raonic told Rolling Stone. “I don’t know if it has been.”

It had been, albeit only by one tennis broadcaster who hadn’t been on ESPN for years. Mary Carillo had brought the accusations up on-air during NBC’s broadcast of Zverev’s gold-medal win at the Tokyo Olympics weeks earlier—and during her work on the 2021 U.S. Open’s world feed broadcasts—but her willingness to do so was the exception to the rule. Broadcast personnel—on-air talent and producers alike—clearly were averse to attempting any mention of the issues looming over Zverev.

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Five years later, with Zverev getting his biggest spotlight ever, the reticence remained—albeit on different networks. The only moment of any Zverev-related friction on a 2026 French Open broadcast, to my knowledge, had nothing to do with any of the accusations. As he held his trophy during a post-match interview with TNT, Zverev mocked Sam Querrey for lacking the championly résumé of other pundits at the network’s desk when it was Querrey’s turn to ask a question: “Sam who? Why are you on this channel? Who hired you?”

Querrey smiled and laughed off the dickish slights without bristling too visibly, and Zverev then explained to the audience that the two had a “love-hate” relationship that he enjoyed. (Zverev’s lingering animus toward Querrey, I’ve been told, began last year after Zverev felt slighted by Querrey not including him in his famous ATP “Hottie” bracket.)

I mention the Querrey moment mostly because it struck me as a vivid example of how tennis television presenters are expected to act in a certain amicable, deferential way to athletes in order to maintain the smooth running of the machine that keeps everyone aboard well-paid and happy.

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The News That’s Fit to Print

For writers at independent outlets who are less directly attached to the teat of corporate tennis, there’s no such requirement for congenial complicity when presented with a subject they cannot face with an empty smile.

There have been many English-language examples of critical Zverev coverage in recent days from which to choose, including from some of the biggest outlets.

“This result is uncomfortable for many fans and spectators around the world,” Tumaini Carayol wrote of Zverev’s win at The Guardian.

“Zverev’s ongoing quest for an elusive first Grand Slam title has divided fans and raised questions,” Charlie Eccleshare wrote at The Athletic, adding that “the discontinuation of Zverev’s case two years ago, with a decision that was ‘not a verdict’ and ‘not a decision about guilt or innocence,’ has essentially left tennis in limbo.”

There are also a couple of bits from other Substacks which I wanted to highight.

At Hard Court, Jessica Schiffer wrote a great piece before the final about how uncomfortable Zverev’s story has been for the few brands which have chosen to partner with him, particularly Adidas:

Some [Adidas] employees reportedly cringe whenever the brand has to heavily feature or promote Zverev, not because they question his talent as an athlete, but because they are uncomfortable with the baggage that accompanies him.

“We try not to center him in campaigns for obvious reasons,” one employee told me. “But posting about him is unavoidable.”

On Tennis Unfiltered, James Gray did not hold back about his view of Zverev from inside the press room, suggesting that a pessimist could correctly view Zverev’s win as “the successful completion of a whitewash that began years ago, an attempt to airbrush the image of a man who was too big to fail, and that tennis is now happy to overlook his faults because he is successful.”

Gray also expressed frustrations with having to deal with Zverev personally as a reporter (something which I’ve recused myself from doing for the last five years), including that Zverev showed up an hour late to his press conference.

“It says a lot about his popularity, or lack thereof, in the press room that tournament organisers practically had to force journalists to ask a few more questions in English to make their champion’s press conference look good,” Gray wrote.

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Not a L’Team Player

The most remarkable coverage of Zverev’s win, however, has been in France itself.

William Pereira of France’s 20 Minutes wrote that the applause for Zverev in the stadium on Sunday was sharply contrasted by the reaction among the press, even describing my stated decision not to attend or watch the final as enviable.

“We would also have liked to stay home like our colleague Ben Rothenberg,” Pereira wrote. “The American journalist brought to light the domestic violence allegations against Alexander Zverev made by two different partners, notably by obtaining the testimony of the first, Olga Sharypova… Because he fought this battle alone for so long, even being dragged into court, he openly admits what the press room is thinking privately. Namely, that Zverev was the winner nobody wanted, the worst possible outcome for a Grand Slam tournament…”

I appreciate the endorsement, but I also realize that the much bigger news was how the biggest sports outlet in France has handled Zverev as a champion.

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For the first time since 2005, the men’s Roland Garros champion was not front and center on the front page—à la Une—of L’Équipe, the famous French daily sports newspaper. Instead, L’Équipe highlighted a women’s handball team from Metz which had won a European championship.

Zverev was relegated to a small image in an upper corner, with a headline suggesting he “finally grew up.”

L’Équipe’s reluctance to bathe Zverev in its full glow was matched by the text within.

In a story that ran inside the paper that day, Julien Reboullet of L’Équipe wrote that while he’d “have preferred to tell, without any restraint,” about the “movie script” story of Zverev’s triumph, he could not. Zverev’s victory, Reboullet said, “doesn't overshadow the domestic violence allegations” but rather “coexists” with them.

“Everyone will have to deal with that,” Reboullet said of that tension.

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Barbara Gabel of France 24 spoke with L’Équipe’s deputy editor-in-chief Frédérique Galametz, who defended the paper’s choices both for the women’s handball team and against spotlighting Zverev. Galametz said that past Roland Garros champions who had been featured on the cover had “another dimension” to themselves.

“The aura of those champions isn’t the same as Zverev’s today,” Galametz said. She added that Zverev’s overall image was considered in the decision:

“He has become a divisive figure. We always take athletes’ histories into account. Sport is not separate from society and must address issues of gender-based and sexual violence. It’s part of our mission.”

Gabel of France 24 wrote that “this approach reflects a shift in how sexist and sexual violence in sports is viewed, even if the tendency to downplay the issue remains.” The whole article, which has a lot more examples of the French coverage, is worth running through a translator if the topic of media coverage of such issues is of interest to you.

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But the biggest L’Équipe splash, perhaps, came a day later. On the Monday morning after the final, L’Équipe reporter Quentin Moynet joined Zverev in a car for a ride-along interview on his way to his photoshoot with the trophy near the Eiffel Tower.

“We are neither prosecutors nor judges, but we observed a certain unease after Alexander Zverev's victory on Sunday at Roland Garros, and heard the legitimate questions about how to report on it,” Moynet began his article, before describing an interview that was “initially quite warm and cheerful but quickly turned sour.”

As the interview began, Moynet asked Zverev about a dozen questions without issue, on topics including the sleepless night of celebrations that followed his win, serving as a possible inspiration to kids with diabetes, and his desire to play for another 10 years.

But then Moynet asked about the woman, known on Bounces as Nina, who had shouted “Australia believes Olya and Brenda!” during last year’s Australian Open trophy ceremony.

Did Zverev remember this moment, Moynet asked?

“Yes.”

Did he fear it could happen again in Paris?

“No.”

After asking about the support he’d received from the Parisian crowd, Moynet asked Zverev about the consternation in the press room—well-documented, as you’ve read above—about how to handle his win, “given the domestic violence allegations against you several years ago.”

Zverev, Moynet said, cut him off mid-question this time.

“Hold on,” Zverev said. “First of all, this isn’t that kind of interview. Secondly, you know that the accusations have been proven false?”

(Ed.: Though he has consistently denied them, the accusations have not “been proven false.”)

“The question is not directly related to the accusations,” Moynet suggested.

“This is the second time you’ve asked me about this,” Zverev replied.

“The question is: do you find it unfair that the media continue to talk about it?” Moynet continued.

This time, Zverev’s agent Sergei Bubka Jr. piped up.

“That’s a question about the accusations,” Bubka said.

Moynet then used his own paper’s reticence as proof that the topic was valid.

“L’Équipe, for example, didn’t dedicate its entire front page to you,” Moynet said.

“That wasn’t my decision,” Zverev said. “I did everything I could, and my innocence has been proven.”

(Ed.: Zverev’s innocence has not “been proven.”)

Moynet then tried moving on and changing topics, asking Zverev about his plans for the next few weeks.

Zverev sighed with annoyance and didn’t answer that benign question, either.

“I don’t know,” Zverev said. “I think we should stop. It’s better that way.”

Zverev did not speak again and the car fell silent for the final five minutes or so of the ride.

“Between dark looks and cutting remarks, his entourage, present in the vehicle, clearly disapproved of our approach, and made their displeasure known,” Moynet wrote. “The journey ended in an icy silence.”

This scene was only witnessed live by a handful of people, but it sure seems a lot more compelling and relevant than anything that the television producers cooked up around Zverev for worldwide audiences this weekend.

I’m biased here, I’m sure, but I would chalk this news cycle up as a big win for writers and journalists, and a massive loss for the television side—but one which I hope they can learn from for the future. After all, as Roland Garros himself said: “Victory belongs to the most tenacious.” Gutlessness, meanwhile, gets you nowhere worth going.

Thanks for reading Bounces! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe!

For more on the end of the French Open and Serena Williams’ return today in London, check out the latest episode of No Challenges Remaining below! -Ben

Sure, it started more than three hours behind schedule and only lasted for six minutes, but hey: Serena Williams was finally talking to the media about her comeback to professional tennis.

What did Serena say? How did she say it? Should her answers be taken at face value? All this and more beyond the jump for Bounces subscribers.

There are only a few hours left to subscribe to Bounces while the French Open discount is still in place, so if you haven’t yet, don’t delay! -Ben

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This previously anonymous player who had been seeded No. 8 in qualifying1 had made it all the way to the final: could she go one step further against the player who was seeded No. 8 in the main draw?

I’ll admit that I’d believed it was possible in the lead-up to the match. But as soon as play began, I instantly had doubts from the very first ball of the match.

To read about the mismatch, how Mirra Andreeva weathered stormy ups and downs with coach Conchita Martinez, and the significance of this win for Russia, please subscribe to Bounces! Our 15 percent off sale during the French Open doesn’t last much longer, so please act now! -Ben

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Only with some hindsight did a pattern emerge. It’s taken some time for the tennis cognoscenti to recognize what they’ve been witnessing from Maja Chwalinska, the woman who beat all the aforementioned players and then another three players for good measure. It’s been a wild two weeks for Chwalinska—well, three weeks, perhaps, if you count that her tournament started during qualifying.

But even with hindsight, her star turn is largely baffling. Even for a French Open that has been full of upsets, there’s been nothing anywhere near as shocking as the finalist who has emerged from the top half of the women’s singles draw.

Maja Chwalinska is a Polish 24-year-old ranked 114th, which is just one spot behind her previous career-high ranking of 113th. This tournament is only the eighth tour-level main draw appearance of Chwalinska’s career, and the first time she’s won more than two matches in any of those main draws.

Emma Raducanu, famously, was the only other player to have reached a major final as a qualifier. But Raducanu had considerably more momentum and name recognition when she arrived to that 2021 U.S. Open, having reached the fourth round of Wimbledon a month earlier. Chwalinska was a name on no one’s lips this year, meaningfully.

But at Roland Garros Chwalinska has won with guile and style, over and over again, cementing her spot in the French Open final with a 7-6(4), 6-4 semifinal win over Diana Shnaider on Thursday afternoon. On Saturday, Chwalinska will face teen prodigy Mirra Andreeva for an improbable major title.

The run had me dusting off an old audio file, looking for buried treasure: I interviewed Chwalinska at Wimbledon back in 2022, which was the first of her seven previous tour-level main draw appearances. I was working on my book about Naomi Osaka then, and Chwalinska’s striking openness about speaking about her own struggles with depression made her one of the players most equipped to discuss the topic of mental health in tennis.

That vintage interview, plus more from Chwalinska on and off the court on Thursday at Roland Garros, is available after the jump for Bounces subscribers. There are only a few days left in the 15 percent off sale on Bounces subscriptions, so if you haven’t taken advantage of that deal yet please don’t delay!

Thanks for subscribing to Bounces! -Ben

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“What are your thoughts and emotions after today's match?”

“No thoughts, no emotions,” Sabalenka replied morosely. “Just want to quit tennis right now.”

The bleakness was understandable for anyone who had watched the afternoon unfold. Sabalenka had been in full control of the quarterfinal match, leading 25th-seeded Diana Shnaider by a set and a double break.

What was more of a mystery was how it all went spectacularly and thoroughly wrong from then on, ending with the world’s best player being force-fed a third-set bagel.

What happened to turn the tides so severely that Sabalenka was completely swept away? Subscribe to Bounces to read on and find out—and please take advantage of the 15 percent off sale during this French Open which only lasts for a few more days! -Ben

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PARIS, France — At a certain point, avoiding the topic any longer here felt dishonest.

Alexander Zverev is the clear favorite to win the 2026 French Open men’s singles title. Tennis Abstract has Zverev’s odds of winning the tournament at 69.1 percent. His win is not inevitable—nothing in sports is—but nor does it feel like it will be averted.

Zverev is largely the same player he has been for years, but the terrain around him has changed. The upper echelon of the ATP rankings has rarely been in weaker form than what it was this spring, with nearly all highly-ranked players either injured or performing far below their best.

Jannik Sinner, one of the few in-form top players, had been feasting on the field for months, sweeping the three ATP 1000 events on clay despite never having won any of them before. But once Sinner stumbled in Paris, this absence of formidability at the top was starkly exposed. Only two of the Top 10 and three of the Top 25 even reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros.

Third-ranked Zverev, who has not won any singles tournament in over a year, emerged as the best of what’s left. He reached the quarterfinals by beating players ranked 95th, 43rd, 90th, and 106th. On Tuesday afternoon, he beat the 19-year-old Rafael Jodar in straight sets to book his spot in the semifinals.

Because Sinner went out so early—and Novak Djokovic followed him out a day later—Zverev’s clear path has been visible for days now.

I’ve written before on Bounces about how it feels like there’s a “great exhale” when Zverev exits a major tournament, first using the phrase when he made the final of the 2025 Australian Open (which was the first major I covered for Bounces).

Here’s some of what I wrote then:

It’s rarely discussed openly by most in the sport, but whether be they fans or even the various professionals working around the Australian Open in various roles, there’s a lot of glum, frustrated witnesses to his continued presence and preeminence in tennis.

I don’t think Zverev’s week-in, week-out results necessarily change much about his story or how the tennis powers-that-be failed to meet the moment repeatedly in the past several years. Even if he wins a major here, honestly, what’s done is done.

But even with the dust mostly settled in his cases, I know that his presence and preeminence has a real, painful impact for many people who do not enjoy watching him play, many of whom cannot bring themselves to ever watch his matches because of how strongly they feel about him. With Zverev in the Australian Open final, that means lots of devoted tennis fans will pass on watching a major final, and that’s just a bummer for the sport.

It’s hard to quantify how many people feel this way, of course, but I have heard from lots of them over the past few years. I even reported last year for Slate about a couple who successfully got Ticketmaster to refund their Australian Open tickets when he was scheduled for the night session they’d bought. I think all of those boycotts, feelings, preferences, and choices, whatever form they take, are entirely valid.

Zverev lost in that final to Jannik Sinner, leading to the exhale—and an unprecedented protest against Zverev during the trophy ceremony.

This time, with Zverev showing no signs of departing without a trophy, the sensation feels less like an exhale and more like a series of deep, resigned sighs.

Never before has Zverev been such a clear favorite to win a major, and certainly not holding the favorite status for a full week and counting. This slow march toward his victory has caused considerable discouragement and even despair among those who struggle to see him elevated, venerated, and celebrated in the sport. When discussing the otherwise wide-open field on social media, tennis fans have taken up a refrain of desperation: “Anyone But Zverev.”

Whether or not Zverev ever hoists a major trophy, this weekend or somewhere further down the road, what he did won’t change. But his triumph will still be meaningfully hurtful to so many tennis fans, particularly women. For so many who care about domestic violence, Zverev’s prominence and the way he’s been continually embraced within the sport make tennis appear to be an unwelcoming, and even hostile culture.

Logically, tennis results couldn’t and shouldn’t have ever been the solution to numbing that pain—and it was unfair to put that obligation on his opponents—but his reliable losses in big tournament after big tournament did help for many.

While the issues at the core of Zverev’s presence are known and unchanged, there have been a few developments in recent months which are worth mentioning.

More than four years after announcing their intention to create one, the ATP finally introduced a long-awaited safeguarding program last December. The document, which includes about a dozen references to domestic violence, is available here.

The lengthy court proceedings in Berlin between Zverev and myself (and only myself after Racquet Magazine dropped out of the case in 2024) regarding the first article from November 2020 are winding down, with no strong verdict either way and no further appeals expected. Frustratingly, despite the case essentially ending late last year, there still hasn’t been a complete conclusion provided by the court; once everything is finalized, I will share as many of the details as soon as I can, including the final balance of crowdfunding money which will be donated to House of Ruth.

Some more positive news on related fronts: Mary Carillo, who dropped out of Laver Cup coverage in 2021 because of the event’s handling of the Zverev issue, is getting inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame later this year.

And Olya Sharypova got married a few months ago, to a guy who seems lovely by all accounts.

I haven’t decided how I’ll cover what happens Sunday, if it happens. But as the first week’s heat and sunshine have been replaced by cold and rain here in Paris, I didn’t want to wait any longer to address the cloud overhead.

Thanks for reading Bounces. -Ben

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Once she felt as though she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, it was clear that each loss fell more heavily on Naomi than it would on others. She first abruptly left the podium tearfully in 2019, at Wimbledon. In 2021, she pulled out of the French Open after entering a standoff with the tournament about mandatory post-match press conferences, in which she called post-loss press conferences “kicking a person while they’re down.” A few months later at the 2021 U.S. Open, Osaka again ended a press conference tearfully.

Osaka, who was defending champion at that tournament, dropped out of the top 10 soon after the loss and hasn’t returned to that threshold yet. But she’s also become, recently, much more grounded as a person, and far less fragile in defeat, even if those defeats come earlier and more often than they once did.

Osaka was playing in the fourth round of the French Open for the first time on Monday night, in a high-profile night match against top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka. It’s the sort of match which could’ve meaningfully changed the trajectory of her season—and even her career—if she won it. Osaka played well, but couldn’t sustain an early lead and lost 7-5, 6-3.

Not only was Osaka not tearful at the podium this time, she was downright proud.

“Honestly, I don’t really look at the result too much anymore,” she said when asked if she thought her clay season had been a success. “Like, I feel as long as I wake up every day and hit the ball and think I’m improving, that itself is a win. Obviously sometimes in the season, there’s dips: highs and lows. But I think getting the furthest that I got so far in Roland Garros should hopefully be a positive result for me.”

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Later, Osaka was asked if she came off more “encouraged” or “daunted” after testing herself against the World No. 1.

“Presumably that’s where you want to be again, No. 1,” the reporter suggested.

Osaka laughed, and then apologized for the reaction.

“Sorry for laughing,” she said. “I kind of realize—I don’t know if you knew me before, but I would be very, very disappointed in myself after matches like these. But I kind of realized that it doesn’t matter at all.

“Like, I have played her multiple times, and I have, sadly to say, lost multiple times. But the only thing I can keep doing is keep trying my best. Maybe, hopefully, it will work out in my favor one day, but I can’t let myself be discouraged every time I lose to someone or win against someone. Because honestly, like, hitting a ball doesn’t really matter in, like, on earth, kind of.”

Having followed Osaka so closely for a decade now, and having written a whole dang book about her, I know just how much of her self-esteem and her self-worth she used to wrap up in wins and losses, and how painful that became for her. Given the stark black-and-white binary of tennis results, and their unpredictability, granting herself distance and peace from those harsh assessments can only be healthy. These projects she has off-court—particularly the efforts she’s putting into her increasingly intricate fashion statements—have given her a new leg, almost: she seems more stabilized than ever against the currents and the shifting terrains of a life of fame and competition.

“I feel like I say this every couple of months, but I think I reached an enlightenment, in a healthy way for me,” Osaka later said. “Because obviously I pour so much into tennis; like, if I lost this match when I was younger, I’d shut myself in my room or whatever. But now I feel like: obviously I love tennis, and I’m trying my best to do everything to be the best player I can, but I’m just—I don’t know. Like, it’s kind of like a clock-in, clock-out type of thing. I’m excited to go home and see my daughter. Honestly, that’s kind of the happiest moments of life for me.”

That Osaka could feel so far-from-fraught was particularly powerful on a night when many felt like so much was at stake for women’s tennis, which was granted a night session spot for the first time in three years here. Osaka and Sabalenka are two of the biggest stars in the sport and it would have been easy for the women to feel a responsibility to maximize their showing in a way that could “justify” the decision—even if a big reason they got picked, surely, was just how much the men’s draw has imploded.

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Even I, as I watched the match, found myself willing it to go on longer, as if that would prove some sort of point—hollow though it would be.

But Osaka said she didn’t ratchet up the pressure on herself for that reason, either.

“Not really—I don’t really care,” she said. “I feel like there are so many different things for me to put pressure on myself. Like, that’s the last thing on my mind. Obviously you don’t want to be beaten 6-0, 6-0, but that’s anywhere on any court. If I was on Court 27, I wouldn’t want to be beaten that fast either. Shout-out to the tournament for trusting us. I hope it was entertaining for people.”

Thanks for reading Bounces! -Ben

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The announcement ultimately landed just over 13 hours after my report, with Serena, the WTA, and the WTA 500 Queen’s Club event all simultaneously announcing the 23-time major singles champion’s return to the tour next week, for a doubles wild card.

To read the rest of this report, including all the breaking news, analysis of how the comeback affects Serena’s Hall of Fame eligibility, and the tricky question of her GLP-1 weight loss spokeswoman role in the context of her return, please subscribe to Bounces! It’s still 15 percent off during the French Open! -Ben

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Serena’s first denial came hours after my first report: “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-”

The wildfire, as Serena calls it, has become visible on the near horizon in recent weeks, with folks around Roland Garros smelling the smoke. Now, from everything I’ve heard, the official announcement from Serena herself confirming that she’s coming back is imminent, expected within days—if not hours.

Serena Williams is indeed mapping out a return to tour immediately after the French Open, first on grass and then continuing onto American hard courts.

To read everything I’ve heard about Serena’s plans so far—and comments from lots of players—subscribe and make the jump beyond the Bounces paywall (a good time to do so, especially during this 15 percent off sale!) -Ben

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Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe both ultimately escaped tough tests under the lights, making the total three. But wow, what a story it would have been if the lone American left holding the flag in the second week at Roland Garros had been one of the unlikeliest candidates in the draw.

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Zachary Svajda, a 23-year-old from San Diego, said he’d never even stepped on a red clay court until he was in his 20s. At all professional levels, Svajda had an 8-24 record across both green and red clay coming into this tournament. He’d never won more than one match in a row on clay, and went 1-5 on the surface coming into Roland Garros this year.

Svajda was one of the best juniors in his generation. He won the boys’ 18-and-under national championships in Kalamazoo twice, in 2019 and 2021—and might well have won it a record third time if the 2020 edition hadn’t been cancelled due to the pandemic.

But despite that junior pedigree, Svajda was not quick to find his footing as a tour-level pro. He showed promise with the U.S. Open wild cards he’d earned through his Kalamazoo wins—pushing veteran Paolo Lorenzi to five sets as a 16-year-old, and taking a set off Jannik Sinner in the second round of the 2021 U.S. Open as an 18-year-old.

Those flashes Svajda could show against the game’s best were difficult to sustain into a tour-level career, however. And when Svajda finally started to get some momentum in early 2024, putting himself into the ATP Top 140 for the first time, his attention was inextricably pulled away from the court: his father, Pacific Beach Tennis Club coach Tom Svajda, was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer, requiring intensive treatments and crowdfunding efforts.

Zach Svajda, who had taken a set off Novak Djokovic at the U.S. Open a little over a month earlier, didn’t play for the rest of 2025 after playing one match in China in September. Though Svajda betrays little emotion on court, his mind was spinning and he was determined to return home as quickly as he could.

“It was just so hard for me to focus, and also the doctors came back saying, ‘It could be any day’,” Svajda told the ATP website. “That’s when I was like, ‘I’m done, family comes first and there will always be tournaments’. Right after the match, I spoke to my mom—my dad couldn’t speak anymore because of all the things that were going on with him. I was talking to my mom, ‘I’m coming home and taking care of you guys’.”

After battling the aggressive disease for a year and a half, Tom Svajda passed away in October 2025.

When Zach returned to the tour at the beginning of this 2026 season, with both feet fully back on the tour in a way they couldn’t be while his father was ailing, he quickly found himself able to climb like he never had before.

Though he was no longer considered a “next big thing” in American tennis enough to regularly get wild cards, he instead worked his way through qualifying draws. He made it through four of them, earning spots in the main draws of the Australian Open, ATP 500 Dallas, ATP 250 Delray Beach, and ATP-WTA 1000 Miami. At his hometown San Diego Challenger in February, Svajda won the title, beating Sebastian Korda in the final. These results were enough to put him into the Top 100 for the first time; with his run to the fourth round of the French Open, Svajda could crack the Top 60.

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After wins over Aussies Alexei Popyrin and Adam Walton—the latter of whom had knocked out Daniil Medvedev in the first round—Svajda scored his biggest win in the third round over 25th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo. The elder Cerundolo brother had been a popular pick to make the final out of the top half after his younger brother Juan Manuel knocked out Sinner; instead, he found himself going out against an unheralded but inspired player, drawing with a special source of power.

Svajda, who was cramping in the third and fourth sets, recovered to complete the stunning 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 win, and gushed in his own soft-spoken way in the press conference that followed.

“I know he’s watching from above,” Svajda said Saturday, which would have been his father’s 61st birthday. “It’s my dad’s birthday today. I was thinking about that, too. I was nervous. I know he’s proud of me, and I want to perform well and win. When I got that match, the last point, I just teared up, fell to the ground like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what is happening?’”

Tiafoe, who later joined Svajda in the fourth round, gave Svajda a big hug when he saw him in the locker room.

“I just wanna say a big shout out to Zach Svajda, man,” Tiafoe said after his own win. “That guy’s had a crazy story in his own respect, man. Obviously I thought he was gonna be at this level much sooner, but he had a lot of things going on. It’s great to see him tapping into his potential.

“He went through some emotional stuff, and obviously today, after the unfortunate passing of his dad. Today was his dad’s birthday: got it done, against a great player, great person in Francisco Cerundolo. That’s not easy—and getting it done in five, too. Clay’s not even Zach’s surface. That’s massive, man. I’d seen him emotional; I was like, ‘Bro.’ That lifted the hairs on my arms, honestly.”

In addition to Zach Svajda vs. 10th-seeded Flavio Cobolli, which is up first on Chatrier at 11 a.m. here are four other picks for matches to watch on Monday:

To continue reading this post, with looks at matches to watch on Monday at Roland Garros—including an ultra-rare women’s night match—please subscribe to Bounces! The 15 percent off sale is still going on here for one more week! -Ben

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In what had been Jannik Sinner’s quarter, all four matches went to a fifth set, and three of them went all the way to a fifth-set tiebreak. Matteo Berrettini went all the way to 15-13 in that fifth-set tiebreak to beat Francisco Comesaña. Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who had taken out the ailing Sinner, finished just two minutes shy of six hours in his win over Martin Landaluce.

Fans were generally enraptured by the nailbiters. But at least one WTA player—who had to wait for the preceding men’s match to take more than five hours to conclude—was less impressed.

“I think we’ve seen in the men’s scores today that they’re all really worried about who is going to be in the finals, and not on the match today,” Madison Keys said dryly. “So we’ve seen lots of men’s tennis today.”

Keys can relate: many women’s draws in the past decade have been de-seeded abruptly, and led to unexpected champions and surprise semifinalists of various staying power. (Tamara Zidansek or Martina Trevisan, anyone?)

“You can think back to some women’s draws that kind of—I don’t want to say ‘fell apart,’ because if you are winning these matches you deserve to be in that position—but the unexpected is happening,” Keys said. “There’s definitely been instances where I’ve gotten way too concerned about: this person lost, so now my quarter is open…

“All jokes aside, I do think we’re kind of seeing the men deal with it for the first time in a really long time where it feels completely wide open. Like I said, they should really get their heads around it. I think it will be interesting. It will really just be who can handle the moment, who can figure out how to play their best tennis with way more mounting pressure.”

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Some of the men have admitted this pressure head-on. Particularly blunt and disarmingly honest, as ever, was Frances Tiafoe, who came back from two sets down for just the second time in his career to beat qualifier Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 6-1, 6-2.

“Definitely probably the biggest time I’ll ever do it, considering, right?” he said of the comeback win. “Obvious why I say that. Yeah, couldn’t be happier, man.”

I loved Tiafoe’s honesty in our exchange that followed in the mixed zone, so I thought I’d share it in whole:

Ben Rothenberg, Bounces: All four of the matches in your quarter today went five.

Frances Tiafoe: As they should.

Ben Rothenberg, Bounces: And the other three all went into fifth set tiebreaks, too. So how much do you feel what you’re talking about: this atmosphere, people are feeling it, and the battles are just that much more intense right now?

Frances Tiafoe: 100 percent, 100 percent. I came out tight as hell today. God. And this is the reality, man. It’s fun to be a part of, man. I was telling some of my homies: it’s fun to be part of, man. You’re part of history, however you want to look at it. Whether you get it done or not, you’re part of history, and it’s just fun to be a part of.

But yeah, man, it’s pretty cool to see guys really put it on the line—everybody. Absolutely just give it all you got. And I think that’s the best thing about sports, right? You see two guys go absolutely at it, and see what happens.

Ben Rothenberg, Bounces: And you don’t always see that in the same way.

Frances Tiafoe: You don’t always see that. You see guys not really believing and guys kind of go away. And you saw a little bit of that tonight from the other guy [Faria]. But yeah, man, it’s pretty cool.

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A day earlier, the opposite end of the emotional spectrum could be heard from Alex de Minaur, who was morose after losing to Jakub Mensik after winning the first set 6-0. He admitted, after many answers of self-castigation, that he may have let the exits of Sinner and Novak Djokovic rattle him.

“Look, I’d like to think that it wouldn’t have affected me, but maybe it did,” de Minaur said. “Look, I really don’t know right now. Obviously where I’m sitting right now, I feel like it’s a wasted opportunity. As I said, there’s not many times you get these types of opportunities. Or even in my career, I feel like I haven’t really been handed too many of these opportunities.

“Normally [when] I’m at the tail end of tournaments, I’m playing these top players, and it kind of feels like the door has been kind of shut in front of me. Once in a blue moon you get an opportunity like this, and you have to be able to take it, and I did exactly the opposite today.”

Saturday was an oft-chaotic day of women’s results, too; Keys also blamed the men for that, understandably.

“I feel like their anxiety is slowly seeping into everyone’s lives,” Keys said. “So hopefully they can kind of make it through that, and feel a little bit better. Stop worrying about the final Sunday, and [instead] worry about, you know, today, tomorrow.”

Keys was, in her own way, enjoying it all.

“But I do think that it’s always kind of exciting when crazy things happen,” she said. “As a tennis fan, it’s been fun to watch.”

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It wasn’t fun to watch, at least for American tennis fans, how the top two remaining U.S. women crashed out.

With a forehand shank lashed well wide of the court—closer to the side wall than the doubles alley—Coco Gauff’s French Open title defense ended in a third-round loss Saturday at Roland Garros, falling 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-4 to 30th-ranked Anastasia Potapova.

But that ending was better than what sixth-seeded Amanda Anisimova had delivered in the preceding match on Chatrier. Anisimova, battling an illness that has caused her to miss practices, got herself into a third set tiebreak, but then fell apart spectacularly from 3-3 in that deciding tiebreak, dropping seven points in a row to the delight of the French crowd, who cheered hometown favorite Diane Parry on to an unexpected victory.

To read the rest of this post, with looks ahead to the best matches to watch on Sunday and a dive into the much-debated Rafael Jodar ballgirl incident, please subscribe to Bounces! 15 percent sale remains in effect for just one more week! -Ben

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Of particular interest on Friday was the start of what friend of the show Ricky Dimon called “a massive tournament within a tournament”: the eighth of the draw made up of two full-strength third-round matches: No. 15 Casper Ruud vs. Tommy Paul, and No. 28 João Fonseca vs. No. 3 Novak Djokovic.

Any of the four of these guys would have been considered favorites to make the final if he were in the top half, most likely. Instead, they were clustered together in a tennis “Group of Death” to duke it out for one pivotal quarterfinal spot.

When the dust settled after two thrilling five-setters—captivating both in the stadiums and on side-by-side screens around the grounds—a pair of two-set leads had been lost in parallel. And Djokovic, the only man in the draw with even a single major title to his name, was out.

Djokovic had been one man with 24 major titles to himself. Without him, there are instead 24 men left heading into Saturday, with no major titles between them. It’s the first time in Grand Slam men’s singles history that there won’t be any former major champion in the Round of 16.

Djokovic, of course, was the lone, aging pillar on which this streak stood today, so this post will focus on him, including what’s become a popular recurring feature here: his post-loss remarks from the Serbian section of his, professionally human-translated into English.

For the full Serbian remarks, and more on this pivotal day in Paris—plus looks ahead to the best Saturday matches and more on Oleksandra Oliynykova—please subscribe to Bounces (and while the 15 percent sale is still on!) -Ben

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PARIS, France — Before I claim that the most shocking collapse in tennis history happened on Thursday at Roland Garros—which I will—I will start by reminding folks that Jannik Sinner was considered one of the most prohibitive favorites at any major tennis tournament this century.

To read this post, including lots on Sinner, the remaining field, and Day 6 matches to watch, please subscribe to Bounces! 15 percent off sale is still on! -Ben

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Near the end of the first set of her second round match, Hailey Baptiste suffered a brutal-looking left leg injury. After she attempted to move to adjust the ball coming at her hitting the netcord, she landed badly. When Baptiste crumpled to the ground in agony, she did so right in front of her support box; her father, Quasim, was by his daughter’s side in seconds. Baptiste was ultimately taken off the court in a wheelchair.

It’s an absolute bummer any time a player gets badly injured, but it especially hurts to see it happen to Hailey Baptiste in the midst of her finding the best tennis of her career, having beaten top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid and won a great first round here against 2021 champ Barbora Krejcikova.

Those wins came along with all sorts of other positive indicators for Baptiste’s trajectory—a great coaching set-up and a new Nike deal—so this is an awful time for her season to come crashing down so suddenly.1 It’s too early to know any prognosis, of course, but obviously everyone is wishing Hailey all the best for a smooth and speedy full recovery.

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The main focus of this post for Bounces subscribers is on how Elena Rybakina’s upset loss Wednesday afternoon meant tennis romantics already know, after Day 4 of the French Open, that they again won’t be getting the ultimate tennis feat this year: a true Grand Slam.

A player sweeping all four singles majors in the same calendar year hasn’t happened since Steffi Graf in 1988 on the women’s side and Rod Laver in 1969 on the men’s side. But even by the standards of those decades-long droughts, this was a historically quick end to the hopes of the Australian Open champions making runs for history.

There was also a delightful winner across the net from Rybakina in Yuliia Starodubtseva, and subscribers will get to know her, too.

Thanks to everyone who has continued signing up and upgrading Bounces subscriptions in remarkable numbers this week! After hitting the No. 1 spot for the second time ever on Tuesday, Bounces was back on top for just the third time on Wednesday. Are we in the middle of a French Open dynasty? Time will tell, but this is certainly a good time to sign up as the 15 percent French Open discount is still running for now!

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Thanks for subscribing to Bounces! To read the full story on the quick evaporation of the Grand Slam dream, Starodubtseva beating Rybakina, and a look at matches to watch (early) Thursday—including the wild scheduling of Jannik Sinner—please subscribe to Bounces! -Ben

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The most recent numbers were even bigger than a day before—and definitely the biggest single day Bounces has had, in terms of new paid subscribers, so far this year. Bounces took the top spot on the 24-hour Substack Sports chart for just the second time ever. It’s a treat and delight to be in the gold medal spot, even if only for a day, especially since gold was the theme at Roland Garros on the day.

Really, I could sense it was coming, given how frequently my phone has been buzzing here lately, which it does every time a new subscriber signs up. Even though I’m in my second year of doing Bounces (and at Roland Garros for the ninth time)1, I still do get a genuine thrill every time I see that someone new buys into what I’m doing here enough to show their support and keep me and Bounces going and growing.

A reminder again that a 15 percent discount (which has motivated lots of folks to upgrade so far) will be running through the rest of this French Open, but will end when it ends.

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Today, subscribers get more on Naomi Osaka’s spectacularly scintillating showpiece from her first round match, and the real story of what her opponent Laura Siegemund thought and said about it (since I have seen some misleading versions already circulating).

To read the rest, and the previews of the best matches to watch on Wednesday, please subscribe to Bounces! -Ben

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Since there are a lot of new subscribers here recently (welcome!), a quick refresher:

Oliynykova first spoke to Bounces ahead of her Grand Slam debut in Melbourne this January, discussing the realities of training in Ukraine while bombs continue to fall on the country.

During the Italian Open earlier this month, Oliynykova chatted with Bounces again and described the tension that has developed between herself and WTA officials who have urged her not to speak about players whom she believes are supporting Russia’s invasion by direct or indirect means.

Both of these stories were among the most popular at Bounces so far this year, and so I was curious to follow Oliynykova both on and off the court here at Roland Garros.

It was a big day for her here on Tuesday: she notched her first main draw win at a major by handily beating Russian qualifier Elena Pridankina 6-1, 6-2. After the win, Oliynykova took a Ukrainian flag and ran to her father, Denis, who she said is on leave from the Ukrainian Army. He has been with her both last week in Strasbourg and this week in Paris, and fortuitously could be present during one of the biggest moments of his daughter’s career so far.

“It was very important for me that my father saw my first Grand Slam win in real life,” Oliynykova said near the beginning of her press conference. “When I finished the match, I took the Ukrainian flag and I came to my father and I said, ‘You saw it! You saw my first win in a Slam.’ Yeah, that’s very special; my first match, I’m going to win it only once. I’m very happy.”

But it wasn’t long before the topics shifted toward the area in which Oliynykova has become singularly outspoken: the Russian invasion and bombardment of Ukraine, which continues while the tennis tour goes on in what she sees as oblivious dereliction of a moral duty.

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The first question which set Oliynykova in motion on Tuesday centered on the nationality of her opponent today, and how she processes having to face a Russian.

“Of course I can talk about this element,” Oliynykova began. “For me, when I play, I’m professional and I’m doing my work. One day I can win; the other day I lose. And I mean, this is a part of my job. The thing is, it doesn’t affect me on the court.

“But we need to understand that this match and making a show from this, it’s not fair,” Oliynykova continued. She then pulled out her phone and showed an image of the screen which she described as a tennis center in Ukraine which had been hit by Russian bombs.

Later in the press conference, Oliynykova added that these bombed-out courts were ones she’d trained on in her youth.

“The courts where I spent my childhood,” she said of Lyodovyi (Льодовий) in Kyiv. “I was practicing there for so many years. And yeah, of course, when I saw this…I mean, this is a huge part of my childhood memories. When I see something like this happening, it hurts me so much, and this is something so painful to see.”

According to the tennis club’s Instagram, it was bombed just two days ago, on Sunday, May 24.

“I can show you what the Russians did during the attack [on] the tennis court,” Oliynykova said as she held up her phone. “You can see what’s happening to the tennis courts in Ukraine. Many of our athletes went to war to defend Ukraine—they died. Some [were] killed as a civilian in their own home.

“And the thing is that, these players here, they are a part of propaganda. They are staying silent, and by [doing] this, they are supporting the regime. They’re giving their agreement to the regime. Many players are actively participating in propaganda. By their activity on social media, by participation in the Gazprom tournament: they are active Putin supporters.”

Oliynykova, as she did in our last interview, drew a line connecting tacit support of the Russian regime and normalizing of the war.

“Part of the reason [for the war] are the people who are participating in Russia propaganda,” she said. “They are normalizing aggression against Ukraine. Regular Russians will see that their favorite tennis players—these girls and men here who we see, these famous people with a lot of influence and money which they are earning on these tournaments—they are kind of re-investing this [influence], if you understand me, [in] support of propaganda. And we need to speak about this.

“And this silence here on tour, for me, it’s very triggering,” Oliynykova continued. “So there is a part, when I’m on court with a racquet, it’s different. But this part, [outside of the] court, this is something that we need to speak about more. And the sports organizations need to do something about this. Because here, they are getting a platform—this publicity and money and influence—which they will use for the things I showed, these horrible things. While in Ukraine, people are dying, our courts are being destroyed, our sports facilities are destroyed. Here, we need to stop to pretend like nothing is happening.”

As Oliynykova spoke in the open-sided Interview Room 3, I could see more and more reporters coming to listen at the perimeter of the space, rapt by what she was saying and the force with which she said it. I also want to note that Oliynykova’s press conference was being moderated by a senior WTA communications official, who did nothing at any point to limit questions or Oliynykova’s answers to them. In this week where the lengths of press conferences became a talking point, Oliynykova’s went for 12 minutes in English and another six minutes in Ukrainian.

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After saying that she got support from international players on tour— “sometimes these little things help you to feel better, and of course there are so many people who are supportive to Ukrainians”—Oliynykova was asked about the possibility of Russian and Belarusian players being able to play again with their country’s flags next to their names, rather than as “neutrals”. In some sports this revision has already begun recently; the IOC even recommended reinstating Belarusians with full status. The International Tennis Federation, however, has not shifted its position so far:

“The International Tennis Federation confirms that the IOC’s announcement does not change its existing position regarding the Belarus and Russian Tennis Federations’ suspensions which remain in place.

”The membership status of the Belarus Tennis Federation will be considered at the ITF Annual General Meeting in October by the ITF’s voting member nations in accordance with ITF constitutional process.”

Oliynykova addressed the Russian flag with the language that has become familiar to me over our conversations this year.

“This flag is a symbol of terror,” Oliynykova began. “This flag is something that the Russian soldiers are [flying] after they are destroying the city completely. The cities where they’re coming with only one intention: to destroy, to kill, to rape, to steal. These symbols are horrible. This is something absolutely unacceptable, and for Ukrainians, it is very traumatizing.

“We need to understand what this means right now,” Oliynykova continued. “In the modern context, using something like this [flag], it’s the same thing like using, I don’t know, a swastika. Let’s go on court with a swastika. This is absolutely the same—I see zero difference in this. And the fact that now this is under any discussion, it’s horrible. It would be, for me, very interesting to see the arguments for this, you know? But this is very unfair, and this is absolutely immoral.”

Oliynykova then suggested that, as the war continues, memories of the initial outrage it caused have faded due to time.

“I think the world is forgetting who Russians are in the reality, and that there’s propaganda which they are sharing,” she said, adding that Russian propaganda has also been “aggressive” toward other European countries.

“Like Germany, Estonia, Poland. Latvia, Lithuania—a lot of them, all these countries,” she said. “I want to understand what’s going on with this world when we even have this discussion. This is absolutely unacceptable for me.”

A German reporter then asked Oliynykova how Russian players acted toward her in private on the tour; she asserted that their public behavior (or their lack of repudiation) already showed their characters fully.

“They are not trying to understand, because they don’t care,” Oliynykova said. “They don’t care that Ukrainians are dying. If they would care, these people, they have influence [they could use]. They are famous. They have fans. They have people who are listening to them. [Instead], they are silent.

“And they are not coming, even in private, because they are supporting all these horrible things,” she added. “We need to understand this [clearly]. I will repeat this as many times as I need [to], and I want people to hear me: Of course not. They don’t care. They are supporting Putin and Lukashenko.”

In her final answer in the English portion of her press conference, Oliynykova recommitted, as she did in her last interview, her willingness to choose her truth over her future on the tour, if it came to that.

“I just decided for myself that my motivation to play, to be here, it never was publicity or money or anything,” Oliynykova said. “OK, this is all great. But for what? I want to help my country. I want to use my opportunity to speak. And also the money I earn: I will donate a lot of money after this tournament to the army. It’s also very important: we need to support the Ukrainian army. This message should be clear. Because if we will not support our soldiers, we will need humanitarian support for decades, because the Russians will not stop their aggression.

“But yeah, this is part of my mission. I will speak, and what I’m speaking [are] the facts. I can prove it…and yeah, if I will be fined or banned for the facts, for saying the truth, then, OK. It will be unfortunate; I will be sad. But I will have this feeling that I’m doing the right thing.

“So yeah, I know that it can be uncomfortable. I know that some of these people are huge stars. They have many contracts, they are making a lot of money, and they have a lot of influence. But I still will keep saying these things. It’s just the facts, it’s the reality.

“And yeah, without this, I don’t see any point to be here. I love tennis, but I can play on the small court somewhere near my home. I don’t need the stadium, I don’t need the public. I’m here to help, and I feel that this is my mission.”

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Oleksandra Oliynykova, who has earned a spot in the second round and at least €130,000 (US $151,215) in prize money so far at Roland Garros, will face Australian Kimberly Birrell in the next round on Thursday, after Birrell stunned fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula late Tuesday night.

This story is free to read and share, but to support my work in tennis journalism—and unlock all content here at Bounces during this 2026 French Open and beyond—please consider becoming a subscriber. A reminder, there’s still the 15% off discount going on through the rest of the French Open. Thanks! -Ben

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Bounces went back up to second place today among all sports Substacks in the 24-hour charts (after being in third place in the previous 24-hour cycle), with lots of folks hopping onto the French Open promotion running here.

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Grand Slam events always move the needle at Bounces, but this has been especially remarkable, so I wanted to thank new and old subscribers, and encourage anyone on the fence to jump aboard for lots more from the 2026 French Open and beyond, starting with today’s post.

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On Monday at Roland Garros I got the chance to speak with Emma Navarro, who was one of the players I was most eager to chat with here, even before she went on an unexpected run to the title last week at WTA 500 Strasbourg.

That trophy was the biggest of Navarro’s career so far, both when measured by the strength of the field at the event, and because of the health issues which forced Navarro to step away from the tour for two months this year, missing both ATP-WTA 1000 Miami and her hometown event, WTA 500 Charleston.

Navarro’s absence raised questions within tennis circles, and her return sparked unkind comments on social media about her changed physical appearance.

But for Navarro, who shot to the top echelon of women’s tennis remarkably quickly, stepping off the hamster wheel of the tour was necessary for both her physical and mental health.

To read the full story—as well as previews of six matches to watch on Day 3 of the French Open, please subscribe to Bounces! -Ben

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Since Pete Sampras didn’t captivate the general public like iconic stars before him had, a novel angle was found to make people care about whether he won or lost: his closing in on the record for Grand Slam singles titles won. With Roy Emerson’s pre-Open Era total of 12 as a target, Sampras’ chase to be the “greatest” seemed to give his marches through major draws new purpose, and his winning his 13th at Wimbledon in 2000 was the emotional high point of his career.

Sampras’ 13 to Emerson’s 12 was hardly useful as an apples-to-apples comparison, though. The rhythms of the tour in prior generations looked nothing like they did by the 90s: attendance at the Australian Open and French Open had been sporadic and scant for many of the game’s best until then.

But despite the one-dimensionality, the lens stuck. Past players’ legacies were retconned using this metric, and future players would be judged similarly. Roger Federer’s biggest coronation moments came in the summer of 2009, when he won the French Open—to complete his Career Slam and equal Sampras’s total of 14 majors—and then won his record-breaking 15th weeks later at Wimbledon. As Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic each caught and passed Federer, so too did they each earn claims to being the GOAT: “Greatest Of All Time.”

But for the past few days at Roland Garros, I’ve tried thinking about greatness in an entirely different way. Maybe it’s just something in the water here in France that makes me value style and panache more than cold hard numbers; maybe trying to sleep in sweltering rooms without air conditioning is making me meaningfully delirious.

Or maybe I’m really onto something here, and Gael Monfils, who is playing the French Open for the final time, actually is the Greatest of All Time?

To read the rest of this and hear my case for Gael Monfils as the greatest—and read previews of seven of the best matches on tap for Monday, please subscribe to Bounces!

A reminder, we’re still running the first-ever discount on annual Bounces subscriptions during this French Open, so don’t miss out on your chance to save! -Ben

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This will be for paid subscribers only, but as a reminder: we’re currently running the first-ever (and maybe last-ever?) Bounces discount during this French Open, with 15 percent off annual subscriptions available during the tournament. Thank you to the many of you who have already taken advantage of this promotion, and hopefully more can follow!

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