Tennis storylines to observe: Nadal’s health, WTA Finals in Saudi, and which Tiafoe will flip up?

The Elegant Slam season is over, and the WTA and ATP Finals are hastily coming near.

Those then two months could be a atypical length for tennis — particularly in an Olympic yr — with some gamers retaining their powder sun-baked for refer to season era others desperately effort to complete the yr strongly.

Right here, The Athletic seems to be at one of the primary storylines we think to play games out between now and the tip of 2024.

How is Alcaraz about finishing the yr as international Number 1?

Next profitable the U.S. Not hidden, Jannik Sinner has a large supremacy within the race to be the year-end international Number 1. He’s just below 2,900 issues forward of the Negative 2 Alexander Zverev and later a marginally additional in entrance of the Negative 3 Carlos Alcaraz.

That can appear atypical given Sinner and Alcaraz have shared the yr’s two Elegant Slams, however the endmost has been a long way much less constant right through 2024.

With two Masters 1000 occasions to return, plus the year-end ATP Finals in November (importance a possible 1,500 issues), there may be nonetheless while for Alcaraz or Zverev to reel in Sinner.

However how a lot does Alcaraz need to put together that more or less fee? Within the an identical swing closing yr, he struggled — he didn’t put together a last and used to be thrashed through Novak Djokovic within the ATP Finals semis to finish his yr with a whimper. Alcaraz, regardless of being simplest 21, is doing an excellent task of managing his thoughts and frame to top on the Elegant Slams.

So what’s going to his priorities be for the then few months? Will he need to proper the wrongs of his early exits in Cincinnati and the U.S. Not hidden, of which he spoke once more closing presen about how he let himself i’m sick? Or will he in large part see the tip of this yr as a cooling-off length ahead of in reality going for it once more on the Australian Not hidden in January?

With the probability in Melbourne to turn into the youngest guy to finish the profession Elegant Slam, it could be slight miracle if he opted for the endmost. Closing yr, Alcaraz’s detached method on the stop of the former season bled into the Australian Not hidden, so a fee for the end layout this yr could be a fascinating change-up. For all he’s received, Alcaraz continues to be tweaking issues as he adjusts to the rhythms of excursion month.

How a lot will Saudi Arabia dominate the tennis soil?

For this yr’s WTA Finals in November, this factor is much less about who qualifies and extra in regards to the sideshow across the match.

Closing yr’s an identical in Cancun used to be a shambles, with turbulent climate and substandard amenities using the gamers to distraction. Be expecting negative such logistical problems this while, with Riyadh taking on as hosts and likely to place on a advantageous display.

(Clive Brunskill/Getty Photographs)

The problem is the whole thing that is going round webhosting a girls’s wearing match in Saudi Arabia — a rustic with an “abysmal” file on girls’s rights (in keeping with Amnesty World this yr). The rustic has presented some reforms over the closing few years, and issues to the “personal status” regulation established in 2022 as proof of travel in girls’s rights. However this regulation stipulates {that a} girl has to procure a male mum or dad’s permission to marry, and has to obey her husband in a “reasonable manner”. Ladies have simplest been authorised to pressure within the nation since 2018.

Those are vastly sophisticated problems that may’t be totally tested right here, however the 8 WTA gamers in Riyadh might be requested about them and the appropriateness of webhosting the development in Saudi Arabia. What number of will put their head above the parapet and interact? Now not that they’re those who must essentially need to — it used to be no longer their choice to host the development there.

Saudi Arabia will even host the ‘6 Kings Slam’ exhibition in October, that includes Alcaraz, Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Nadal, and the ATP Nearest Gen Finals in Jeddah in December. In the meantime, discussions rumble on within the background in regards to the family webhosting a Masters 1000 match. It guarantees to be a large few months within the burgeoning courting between Saudi and tennis.

What then for Nadal?

Talking of Nadal, can we see him in aggressive motion once more this yr? The 22-time Elegant Slam champion has already pulled out of this weekend’s Laver Cup, and does no longer have a tour-level match at the horizon. He used to be closing observable in singles motion taking a battering from his used rival Djokovic on the Olympics in past due July, and of his Laver Cup withdrawal he didn’t point out any specifics, announcing vaguely that: “I need to do what’s best for them and there are other players who can help the team deliver the win.”

(Miguel Medina/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)

With accrued accidents and health issues forcing Nadal out of the U.S. Not hidden (he mentioned with matching vagueness that he would no longer “be able to give my 100 per cent”), you surprise what he’s construction as much as. We don’t know if this might be his closing yr on excursion, however the Davis Cup finals in his house nation in November really feel like an acceptable, and most likely real looking, goal to paintings against.

In other places, the extra of the yr will even see tennis say adieu to a couple alternative very usual gamers — together with Dominic Thiem, 31 (on the Vienna Not hidden), and Danielle Collins, 30 (on the Billie Jean King Cup Finals).

Extra of the similar from Swiatek?

International Number 1 Iga Swiatek has already pulled out of the Billie Jean King Cup finals in November (in addition to this presen’s Korea Not hidden) to provide herself a correct off season, however usually the expectancy is that she’ll advance complete throttle between now and the tip of the yr.

Swiatek doesn’t in reality know in a different way. In Cincinnati closing week, she spoke out in regards to the jam-packed agenda, specifically the larger selection of obligatory occasions, and mentioned it risked burning the gamers out. “It’s not going to end well,” she mentioned. “It makes tennis less fun for us. I love playing in all these places, but it’s pretty exhausting and most of the WTA players would tell you that, especially when you’re playing at a high level.”

A couple of weeks nearest, nearest her tired-looking defeat to Jessica Pegula within the U.S. Not hidden quarterfinals, you wouldn’t have blamed Swiatek for taking at some point off. “I don’t think it would make sense,” replied a nearly affronted sounding Swiatek. “If you’re out of tour, then it’s pretty hard to come back… I’m ready for playing till November, I guess, unless I’m going to get injured.”

Swiatek between video games right through her defeat to Pegula in Unused York (Kena Betancur/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)

Swiatek’s way has usually been to simply store going, and her general consistency is why she is greater than 2,000 issues sunny on the height of the scores, regardless of profitable one Elegant Slam to Aryna Sabalenka’s two in 2024. It’s the way that noticed Swiatek pip the Belarusian to the height spot on the stop of closing yr nearest a surge on the WTA Finals.

This while round, will Swiatek’s thoughts begin to wander to then yr?

It’ll even be fascinating to peer whether or not Swiatek begins to play games with somewhat extra independence and diversity with much less at the layout those then few months. She’s retreated increasingly into sticking with Plan A despite the fact that it’s no longer operating, and it’s no longer been operating as neatly since Roland Garros (negative finals in her 4 occasions since).

By the way, a lot of the above is also mentioned of Coco Gauff, who has veered very poor direction because the French Not hidden.

Will Sabalenka cement herself as de facto Number 1?

There used to be some recommendation nearest profitable her 2d main of the yr on the U.S. Not hidden that it used to be Sabalenka instead than Swiatek who used to be now the lady to overcome at the WTA Excursion — regardless of what the scores counsel.

That almost definitely overstates it given Swiatek’s staggering general consistency at the excursion and abundance score issues supremacy — but when Sabalenka could have the higher hand in those terminating couple of months so as to add to her great Elegant Slam efficiency this yr, later she in reality will advance into 2025 with the air of mystery of the participant the others’ maximum worry.

Sabalenka is taking part in a few of her best possible tennis (Timoty A Clary/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)

If that’s no longer the case already.

Will Tiafoe ‘turn the page’ or ‘half-ass it’?

Over the closing couple of years, Frances Tiafoe has necessarily constructed his yr round two tournaments: the U.S. Not hidden and Wimbledon. There are some alternative impressive ones, positive, however none that evaluate to these two.

This yr has been every other instance of this, with Tiafoe taking part in through a long way his best possible fits in Unused York and south-west London. On the endmost, this nonetheless ended up in a defeat — in 5 units to Alcaraz — nevertheless it reignited the flame in Tiafoe and i’m ready him up for that semifinal run on the U.S. Not hidden this week.

Next his match in the end ended with a defeat to compatriot Taylor Fritz within the semis, Tiafoe vowed that he would tweak his way. That he would put within the paintings all yr spherical to provide himself the most efficient imaginable probability of peaking at his two favorite occasions. “I’m gonna turn the page, I’m going to try to end the year strong,” he mentioned in Unused York. “I’m going to go to Asia, do the whole thing, do it the right way and not half-ass it.”

(Jamie Squire/Getty Photographs)

Now the adrenaline has impaired off, will Tiafoe put together excellent on that commitment? It’s thrilling to think about Tiafoe being a better issue at the excursion. Now not simply because it could ruthless we’d get to peer one of the crucial magnetic gamers at the ATP Excursion, but additionally as a result of it could i’m ready him up a lot better for the ones take hold of fits, and doubtlessly put together encounters on the slams with gamers like Alcaraz much more epic.

What number of American citizens will succeed in Turin?

The race to Turin, the place the most efficient 8 gamers from the yr will compete within the ATP Finals, deals a excellent indication of the environment of American males’s tennis. Taylor Fritz is 5th within the race and in the back of him, there’s a take hold of of 4 gamers between Negative 11 and Negative 20 (ie, superb however no longer but elite).

Fritz seems to be a excellent guess to put together the finals in Italy nearest his U.S. Not hidden ultimate run, however will any of Tommy Paul (Negative 11), Tiafoe (14), Sebastian Korda (17) and Ben Shelton (20) might be becoming a member of him?

Doing so would do enough quantity for any of the ones gamers’ self assurance, era additionally departure them in all probability as a top-eight seed for the Australian Not hidden, and making sure themselves a rather more straightforward draw.

Which of the crew occasions will be on one?s feet out?

This category of the yr is when crew occasions are maximum well-known. The Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup are in a continuing fight to stick related, so it’ll be fascinating to peer what number of height gamers prove for the finals in Malaga on the stop of an exhausting season. Swiatek and Gauff have already pulled out of the BJK Cup finals. Alcaraz performed for Spain within the Davis Cup closing presen so, barring an shock, the expectancy is he’ll achieve this once more in November. Perhaps Nadal will connect him.

As for the Laver Cup, this would be the 2d yr in a row with not one of the ‘Big Three’ in motion. Alcaraz being in Berlin will support however for an match that has all the time been so pushed through celebrity energy, it is going to be fascinating to peer the way it evolves over the then few years.

Will any gamers have past due breakthroughs?

With gamers frequently operating out of steam at this while of yr, there is a chance for one of the brisker figures to put together hay within the ultimate two months of the season. That may be anyone extra established, corresponding to Pegula, who seems to be recharged nearest taking while off previous within the yr, pushing for a top-three scores end (most likely even height two), or anyone more youthful, corresponding to Diana Shnaider (twenty years used), who has enough quantity of momentum in the back of her and no longer many miles at the clock, going nearest a observation victory.

At the males’s facet, Britain’s Jack Draper has a sport that appears neatly suited for indoor tennis and has the probability to create on his finest appearing in Unused York and push against the arena’s height 10.

Draper reached the U.S. Not hidden semi-finals (AP Picture/Frank Franklin II)

Within the quick time period, the primary focal point at the girls’s facet this presen is at the Korea Not hidden 500 match in Seoul. For the boys, the Laver Cup, settingup on Friday, guarantees to dominate.

Even without a extra Elegant Slams this yr, there are enough quantity of speaking issues between now and the tip of the season.

(CARL DE SOUZA/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)