Halep Suspension & Post-US Open Mega-Mailbag

[@ivanmilatovic4023]

Another factor about Margaret Court was that she won 11 Australian Opens. This was not only when there were 32 players in the draw, but when 30 or 31 in some of them were Aussies. So it was very much as if it was a national championship - not comparable with the male or female moderns.

[@naysayer1238]

And Serena would not be ranked in the top 1,000 of men at her prime, and there is always a much tinier pool of competition amongst women. Ridiculous, this comparing crap.

[@jimmyjoe1591]

Yeah I cannot wait for him to win the 25th so Margaret court can stop being compared to him.

[@rebecalinares5393]

Not national championship. Not enough good players from elsewhere would be different. Margaret won fair and square. Dont get her merit on her 24 majors. Female GOAT

[@seaneckhart9914]

And she was playing against housewives

[@rebecalinares5393]

@@seaneckhart9914 they were better players, they had to deal playing with wood sticks the get the ball over the net. The game was also played 100% on grass. A lot of skill was needed. The level was higher.

[@xagon2012]

Following your channel really enhances the experience of following tennis for me. Thank you for the great coverage and analysis.

[@ranrabi9381]

Gill, I must say, your familiarity with so many different sports, in the US and outside of it, is really makes you and your commentary a lot more comprehensive and insightful. Pleasure listening to you, well done👏🏾

[@got2bjosh]

The sports Gill mentioned have a WAY bigger profile & business than tennis. Most Americans have a passing awareness of them due to the crossover, mainstream appeal of their biggest stars, billionaire owners, & execs. The biggest sports have Americans at the top bringing home Olympic gold. If you follow even one sport, then you’re more likely to be aware of sports news in general. If Gill, wasn’t aware, that would be more surprising. Since it’s his job, of course he is smart to maintain a working knowledge of the broader sports landscape & compare & contrast accordingly. To name just a few recent US stars who brought visibility to their sports: Football had Brady, Manning bros, etc. Basketball had so many: Jordan, Kobe, Shaq, LeBron, etc. Baseball had many stars: Jeter & A-Rod, to name just a couple. Golf had Tiger & Nicklaus, etc. Cycling had Armstrong. Skateboarding had Hawk. Snowboarding had White. Gymnastics has Biles, Douglas, etc. Speed skating had Ohno. Swimming had Phelps, etc. Tennis had Serena, Evert, King, Venus, Sampras, Agassi, McRoe, Roddick. The list truly goes on!

[@ranrabi9381]

@@got2bjosh You have chosen to refer to the obvious ones from an American perspective. You haven’t mentioned, for example, his knowledge of the UFC , or the world’s most popular sport and most popular league, football (soccer) and the English Premier League, respectively. When I say I’m impressed with his familiarity of other sports, I’m referring to ones that even the most well-known sport journalist and media personnel (Steven A Smith for example) can’t offer much insight on. Probably should have included that specification in my comment

[@got2bjosh]

@@ranrabi9381 You say obvious, but they're referenced for a reason, because the NFL, NBA, & MLB are much bigger business than tennis. Steven Smith... puleeze. He's there to entertain viewers with pithy one-liners and bombastic reactions. Let the world have soccer. It's a sport largely for short people of the international variety looking to climb out of poverty. America has options. Other countries don't. As for the UK, after WW2 and subsequent political errors in the late 40s spelled the end of its reign, it's been a soft power nation reduced to exporting cultural nostalgia. Economically, Brexit continues to throttle them. Sports fanaticism is for townies.

[@ranrabi9381]

@@got2bjosh well that’s just….not true. Football (what you call soccer) is by far the most popular sport in the world, in Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. America has 2 sports that are barley played elsewhere (American Football and Baseball , though the later is getting more popular by the day). Basketball is popular globally as well. And I wasn’t talking about how UK is doing as a Nation, but how the EPL is doing, which is really, really well.

[@got2bjosh]

@@ranrabi9381 Not true? Tell that to the socio-cultural and economic data! Everything I said was on point, even if it made you uncomfortable. Now, did I say soccer wasn't the most popular sport? No. My point is, I don't care. Soccer is for countries that need the socio-economic boost.

[@earlyates2350]

Gill you are absolutely in the perfect state of mind and belief when you say the biggest problem in professional tennis is the lack of power that is given to the players as a whole. This is why you have to commend and really applaud Novak Djokovic for starting the PTPA. It's ironic that the guy who has earned more prize money than anyone else in the history of the sport, sees what You see and is willing to stand up for even the lowest ranked players.

[@pot123123pot]

Superlative analysis. Original, insightful and informative. Made me think about the doping issue in a broader more constructive manner.

[@sandranastia]

Thank you Gill for taking the time to answer my question. Much appreciated. ☺️

[@DaggerMan11]

Gill Gross and Kasatkina are my tennis icons

[@rajeshsmusical]

Youngsters should take Novak as an example how he has ignored the hate media & have focused on his tennis

[@XDF745]

I'm a little jealous of this guy's really impressive eyebrows.

[@lsb9073]

I already pointed out the last time Gill said this about Stefanos; that Philippoussos's wife refuted on IG that Mark was fired. The plan was always Apo takes over after after US Swing. Tbh, its been confusing w Stef & he has failed to refute the headlines effectively, first that Mark was now his Head Coach - I did read that he said Apo is still his coach, just taking a back seat for the timebeing and will reappear, as 2 voices is too confusing. Also read Mark is for ATP tour, Apo for the Slams. Then I read the Head Coach headline & there was Mark at USO. So who knows what their discussions were then & now. Wait & see I guess. But Mark is a family friend so getting 'fired' the day after the loss sounds off to me.

[@bibhukar6770]

I've long pondered a potential weakness in Djokovic's game: when opponents manage to stretch him on the forehand side, it sometimes allows them to take control of rallies. This observation has been shaped by years of watching Nadal and Djokovic face off. I've noticed that Nadal seemed to perform better in these matches when he employed a specific strategy - serving wide to Djokovic's deuce court ( while mixing it with targeting to the T as well) and well-placed inside-out forehand up the line. It's puzzling to me why Nadal didn't consistently use this tactic in their matches.

[@jacksonvillejohn9462]

Well maybe Djokovic did not allow him.. both have tactics against each other, that hinder the other

[@SJ-di5zu]

Nadal always used the wide serve and inside-out forehand, but to really stretch Djokovic on the forehand side in a neutral rally, he needed to employ more forehands down the line. It’s always a risky shot, but it’s well-known that if he was hitting that shot well, he was damn near unstoppable. Was he too conservative with it at times? Yeah probably. But it requires a lot of confidence for Nadal to be able to switch the forehand down the line frequently during rallies.

[@bibhukar6770]

@@SJ-di5zu Yes I agree, Nadal requires a lot of confidence to execute this strategy...

[@cvkp1987]

@bibhukar6770 Nadal hits inside out forehand/ forehand down the line only when he is at his best...his goto shot is forehand cross court with too many RPMs which Bounces high after hitting the court ( this shot troubled most players except Djoker); Same for his back hand..he directs it towards righty backhands (with spin and higher net clearance )...Djoker attacks this by taking the ball early and hitting with greater depth... Nadal had to flatten his cross court back hand and hit his down the line forehand( both are high risk shots)

[@matangox]

That's like saying a boxer has a great left hook, why didn't he used it more often? If you use it more often you become predictable.

[@theprogressivemichigander6588]

If they can genuinely prove it was intentional, I don't have a problem with a 4 year ban. If it could be accidental, I'd say 1 year is more appropriate. It's enough to force someone to climb all the way back up the rankings. Hopefully, the PTPA grows stronger and addresses the negotiating power problem that you identified.

[@sudhirbisht5577]

There is nothing accidental in tennis. This you will never see happening to top stars like Roger/Rafa/Novak/Coco/Saba and what not. This is deliberate for sure. They know, authorities can wake you up at 4am to get a sample.

[@miacat1727]

​@@sudhirbisht5577By knowing a sample could be taken at random, proves to me this was not intentional. We have not been given any medical information about this drug, therefore have no real understanding of its effects or if it's an enhancing substance.

[@ranrabi9381]

The Gill-Bublik relationship is one of my all time favorite😂😂

[@jondavwal13]

In the Alcaraz-Medvedev question you are forgetting the mental aspect. Medvedev needed to know he could win. Now he knows. Alcaraz also knows this. Alcaraz is an interesting dichotomy. Incredibly big fighter who won't yield. He is also prone to mentally and physically falling apart when things don't go as planned. See cramping and "I lost my mind" in the Medvedev match. I think you are missing the fact that Medvedev starting running forward after hitting the return to get to a potential drop shot. He is no longer unprepared for that.

[@blackkitty9054]

Yes, Alcaraz lost much more than a match there, Medvedev found the way to defeat him and will do so always from now on, especially in the coming indoors even, where Carlitos is weak.

[@jacobschmidt2709]

@blackkitty9054 Perhaps on fast hardcourts, but I can't see Medvedev beating Carlos on clay, grass, and slow hardcourts.

[@rasikhalabbee]

​@@jacobschmidt2709Slow hardcourts means indian wells,meddy can beat carlos in both hard court gs,and entire indoor hc,also cincy,toronto,,shanghai

[@SJ-di5zu]

@@blackkitty9054Massive overreaction imo. Medvedev played arguably the best match of his career. He even said himself it was a “12/10” performance. Alcaraz had a bit of an average day, yet it was still fairly competitive. Alcaraz has the edge on a slower hard court, clay, and grass already, and on fast hard courts I’d call it about 50/50, maybe slight edge Alcaraz. I still think he should dominate this H2H, but US Open, AO, Paris, Turin and Shanghai are all areas where Medvedev could match him. Also we have not seen enough of Alcaraz indoors to definitively say he’s bad on indoor hard; a lot of people thought he wouldn’t be good on grass but we saw how that went.

[@SJ-di5zu]

I don’t think Alcaraz is more prone to mentally or physically falling apart compared to most players. Look at how clutch he was at USO 2022, Wimbledon final this year, among other close matches like in Cincinnati until the final. Did Alcaraz cramp against Djokovic at RG? Yes. But before that he was putting up a phenomenal effort, and he’s a young player going up against Djokovic at a GS SF. He learned from it and beat Djokovic at Wimbledon just a month later. Alcaraz also cramped at Miami against Sinner and in the Djokovic Cincinnati match right at the end, but both of those were extremely hot and difficult conditions where his opponent struggled too, especially Djokovic. As for mental strength, I think Alcaraz is up there with the best right now. In the Medvedev match he was outplayed and couldn’t find the solutions, plus got frustrated at times. That’s very normal. It’s happened many times to Medvede, Tsitsipas, Zverev, Rublev, basically the whole top 10, and even the big 4 themselves have had it happen. Sometimes you’re playing against an opponent playing out of his mind and just can’t find the solutions. If you want some examples, look at Federer’s body language against Nadal in some of those RG losses. This is a long-winded way to say that Alcaraz’s losses have not been anything out of the ordinary at all. It would be unrealistic to expect him to put up a Federer 2006 season at age 20.

[@georgfritzsche6399]

"I can't believe I'm making a pickleball analogy" - my favorite quote here. I have an idea for an off-season video: you google yourself and find the 10 funniest or most absurd claims on what you said or did and comment on it. Love your content!

[@niklasvonschantz7912]

Thank you Gill for another great mailbag! 👍 And yes, you are most definitely in the other 5 % what comes to the tennis experts question! (top 1 % if you ask me) 😊

[@rbarreira2]

The report on Halep is quite damning, for example see this part: "(1) Ms Halep’s blood doping was repetitive and sophisticated. (2) The Expert Panel was clear that the stimulation was effective from at least March 2022 to September 2022. She must therefore have been using more than one Prohibited Substance and/or method on multiple occasions."

[@ZetaCheese]

Alcaraz grass forehand has technical differences to his clay/hard court forehands. These differences reflect a shift of mentality from carlitos when he’s on grass vs any other surface. On grass, he is much more controlled and precise with his power, movement, serve and return. As a side note, this is why i think grass will be carlitos’s best surface.

[@colethomas903]

@ZeraCheese it will definitely be interesting man I wouldn’t be shock if that’s the case but I still believe Carlos to be so versatile it’s so hard to pick HC/Clay/grass I say indoor HC his the worst surface but I do believe it’s not as bad as people want to make it out to be

[@sudhirbisht5577]

So true. Even Djokovic in one of his interview mentioned that Carlito has gone into leaps and bounds in grass in a short time. So, he does seems to have some special skills in grass.

[@got2bjosh]

Some discursive counterpoints since the original comment thread was no longer needed & thus deleted. 9:59 Tennis is an individual sport unlike the team sports Gill referenced. Sports where individual performance is front and center should have four year, Olympic cycle bans as a stronger deterrent against doping. 11:45 The way to preserve the integrity of individual sports is by maintaining rigorous standards around doping using an independent review board with punishments that penalize according to drug use, duration, frequency of red flags, and subsequent bans synced with Olympic cycles. 12:23 The players are arguably too close to the matter. They either want punishments that are too relaxed (

[@stef_v]

I ain't reading all that. I'm happy for u tho. Or sorry that happened.

[@got2bjosh]

@@stef_v Ahh yes, the shared, pithy, referential language of the internet. Well, if you get bored & find yourself waiting for an unskippable ad to finish playing, the microwave to finish cooking your food, or water to reach a rolling boil, this food for thought is available.

[@rachelw3478]

Not had chance to watch yet but 90 minutes.. I’m excited 🥳

[@gretchenlittle6817]

I think Boris Becker called the serve "the most important shot." His argument seemed to be that it's the only shot you have complete control over.

[@CW-rx2js]

Good point on Toni! Thank you for this mailbag!

[@snare731]

Very insightful commentary on Cocos reaction to social media and the reality of a digital world. Coping with this is now a part of a players management of themselves and they need the right people around them to not get sucked in to the nonsense of our world. You Go Gil!

[@l.rongardner2150]

My theory: The supplement (which didn't list the drug, but which Halep probably knew contained it) was taken on purpose in case Halep got caught. Then she could blame it, and receive minimal punishment. But her blood tests revealed much larger amounts than in the supplement, all but proving she intentionally took the drug itself. Catching players for this drug is not likely, since it clears the system in 14-16 hours, so my guess is that this fact plus the supplement as an excuse if she did, by chance, get caught, made it, in her estimation,, worth the risk for her to take it. Finally, the fact that Halep had her big, beautiful boobs surgically removed years ago to improve her tennis tells us that she is a player who will go to extremes to achieve success; hence, her resorting to the drug as she was aging (and declining) as a player is not at all surprising.

[@got2bjosh]

It's that Old World crafty, deceitful, ruthless desperation that still got Halep screwed up.

[@minnchi5125]

Her big, beautiful WHAT?? You almost had an interesting point until you got pervy 🤣

[@got2bjosh]

@@minnchi5125 Glad someone said it!

[@minnchi5125]

@@got2bjosh 😆👍

[@sauronthegreat5799]

Serena has big beautiful boobs and they didnt seem to affect her tennis.

[@Profesah_411]

Love all your stuff Gil! That question about Djokovic’s weaknesses seemed like a strange question. Yes, no one is perfect but given his records and where he sits historically, it almost feels like there was effort to find a weakness? Obviously, overheads aren’t good. But, if you were to coach someone playing him, would the plan really be to put the ball at different heights to his backhand? I am positive you know what I’m talking about. You were simply answering a mailbag question but I wonder if we’re in agreement that it’s maybe a stretch to find any exploitable weakness of Noles? Again, I’m a huge fan and I listen to your stuff almost everyday to and from work! 👍

[@ollygough9865]

Gill, great comment about 10 positive comments to the 1 negative point- internet brain. Really good stuff, helpful to everyone and its relation to tennis players. Great insights into young players and the endorsements they receiving relating to their social media accounts.

[@amirsadikov7603]

The serve is the most important shot in tennis and is key to becoming a top 100 pro, but has diminishing returns as it gets better. No one in the top 100 has a terrible serve but plenty have terrible returns. I think that once you can comfortably hold serve against most players, the returns become that much more important and become the real difference maker.

[@justusbeweel1109]

The nadal Djokovic h2h would be completely different if Rafa had a slightly better serve. Djokovic had the better serve and return which are the two most important shots. Rafa lost so many tight matches because of his serves. Especially WO2018 , AO 2012 come to my mind . I don’t think the serve has diminishing returns. The bigger the better. If Rafa or Novak spike increase their average serve speed by 10 km/h they would have been almost unbeatable in their primes. Just look at how bad rafas serve was in his prime. Novak’s serve wasn’t great before 2018 either, goran really took him to the next level. But you’re right that many players are terrible at returning even in the top 10 some aren’t all that good.

[@VARMOT123]

​@@justusbeweel1109it would also be so much different ,if rafa didn't hide outside of clay for the past decade that is since he was 26/27

[@malekat8539]

​@varunreddymothe9322 All you did was add nothing but irrelevance in this thread, my friend. Take your comment to another thread

[@MBB9394]

Just want to see if my membership button shows up. Just joined. I haven't heard anyone mention how many breakpoints Novak had in second set with Meddy converting. Had Novak lost the tiebreaker no one would have mentioned that he really did play a better set. Thats's all. Love ya Gil ! Would have joined sonner but there is no button on the Ipad, nor the Iphone.

[@harkvitrina3232]

1.5 hours let's goooo!

[@VARMOT123]

Djokovic hates windy conditions . Anything over 20 kph . His footing and game falls apart. That is his weak point lol 😂

[@buitho439]

His drop shot is also not good at all. It is normally too short or too high and the opponent still has chance to hit back that shot.

[@SJ-di5zu]

@@buitho439He hits it down the line most of the time too, so I find it’s really only useful when his opponent is in the back corner of the court, in which case almost any shot would finish them off anyways. When Djokovic is hitting the drop shot a lot, I think every fan knows he’s probably struggling to finish points.

[@buitho439]

@@SJ-di5zu totally agree with your thought.

[@blackkitty9054]

But he still wins, that's what matters.

[@Peace123-sp1ej]

His 1st serve (percentage wide)?

[@ivanmilatovic4023]

I would add Novak's smash as a weakness.

[@got2bjosh]

The overhead was mentioned.

[@yussepig6629]

He’s not a good volleyer generally. Medvedev was too dumb to exploit that.

[@got2bjosh]

@@yussepig6629 You have to go in with an A, B, & C game strategy to win. What’s the plan if your opponent comes out swinging? If you’re playing from behind? Feeling rushed, tired, injured, etc. Not sure if Meddie did that.

[@pyotrrossetti]

Thanks for responding to my comment!

[@drtash21]

42:42 I mean there is ONE weakness that has become apparent recently - his ability to close out sets in matches. His concentration does seem to dip slightly there not sure why. Maybe it's old age or nerves not sure but it seems to be a recurring problem.

[@jacksonvillejohn9462]

Even when he was younger he used o give up leads... matches that should be straight sets he would choke and the opponent would win sets, they had no business winning

[@roflmatol]

Gill, have you read the 126 page report on Halep's situation? It is incredibly damning and IMO justifies the 4 year ban

[@aldonamartin5092]

But is the report genuinely independent ?

[@rublo1]

Lmao I read it and it’s not “incredibly damning”. Those who find it have confused the allegations with what the tribunal ultimately ruled

[@roflmatol]

@@rublo1 The evidence is overwhelming, and Halep's defense doesn't make any sense in face of the evidence. She got an obvious crook, this Alvarez guy, to lie for her and falsify his results

[@veezyv8097]

Best tennis channel. Could watch these all day. Keep it up, Gill!

[@Mr7Poz]

3-strike (misses) Doping offense was not talked about. This is huge, it’s what Ymer is going through. Huge topic.

[@micillo07]

We love your analysis, don't dwell on critiques and disregard mean comments. ❤

[@Matheusfk3]

Hey, Gill! Great mailbag as always! About “internet brain”, there is no such thing, it’s just human nature. There was a study conducted (can’t remember by which university) that found that people are more impacted by the negative information, even when the data itself is the same. For exemple, saying some had 80% of chance of surviving in a surgery had less impact on people’s brains than saying that they had a 20% of chance of dying. Maybe that’s an evolutionary trait so that we pay more attention to thing that can harm us, idk. Keep up the good work! You are extremely insightful and entertaining 🤝🏼

[@headandshoulders4450]

the serve is the most important shot comes at least from the 90´s and people like Nick Bollettieri. Putting real servebots aside, you could develop your game around a huge serve like Sampras, Becker, Stich and many others did (whereas Edberg and McEnroe had this serve and volley game but lacking a really huge serve). Novak did such a great job over the years with neutralizing every serve but I still can´t see how it is now to say the return is the most important shot, mostly because it depends on how good the serve is.

[@paulacostescu1041]

Thanks. ❤

[@vladimircurkoski1455]

When Novak wins his 25 GS they will bring Roy Emerson 28 from which more than half are from doubles

[@Nat-le4um]

Agree, that long match with Sinner ruined it for Zverev to have a chance at beating Alcaraz. I understand that Alcaraz beat Zverev pretty easily last time, but i think fresh Zverev would have been more competitive . Nobody gave Medvedev a chance to beat Alcaraz but he did. So Zverev might have too. Sascha played 4 setters before Sinner's match as well, so he was spent, unfortunately

[@gretchenlittle6817]

Great analysis of the Halep issue! Personally, I'm a little conflicted about the entire "doping" discussion as applied to non-contact sports. In tennis, for example, the stars can afford psychologists, bariatric chambers, professional physios, private jets, etc. Isn't their competition against newcomers without such advantages unjustly affected by these inequities? Might these permissible advantages actually give the wealthy players a greater advantage than a substance could provide?

[@christianlaw8234]

Gill Gross rules.

[@j.a.696]

gill tsitsipas said he and mark agreed to end the partnership even before the US Open defeat

[@andrewnguyen4028]

Hi Gill, How do you think Medvedev will be remembered when his career is done, especially if he never gets another major title? I like Daniil and hope he gets the respect he deserves as an elite hard court player and a perennial top 3 player

[@jokelot5221]

As a boring pusher 😂. The guy that defeated tired Djokovic and spoiled his CYGS, which made Fedal fangirls happy. And finally, the loser that let 2:0 lead slip by and gifted Weakdal the fake AO title, somehing Weakdal would have, never, ever, won had Djokovic was in the draw. I think that about sums it up 🤣🤙

[@saxonchess3293]

​@@jokelot5221So basically all titles are illegitimate unless Djokovic wins them? Right...

[@malekat8539]

​@jokelot5221 Your pfp and your name perfectly describes you to a T. You aren't even worth getting disappointed at. Just pity.

[@deluxedoorman]

@@jokelot5221 I know you’re trolling but as a Djoker fan as you obviously are, I dunno how you can be so dismissive of his biggest rival, Nadal. They both pushed each other to greatness

[@deluxedoorman]

@@jokelot5221also in a game of baseliners Djoker is the ultimate baseliner lol. Dunno how you can simultaneously be a Djoker fan and also criticize another player for being a baseliner lolol

[@Squar0]

For the top ten of 10s what about Wawrinka ? At peak level top 5 for me. 3 GS beat Novak and (injured) Nadal

[@naomihayden5749]

After that ban with Sharpova, she came back to tennis and was never the same. So, I don't see how Simona Halep can back after a ban of 4 yrs... Appeal or no appeal, it is over for Halep. She will never be the same. The emotional and physical tirade that she been through for doping is going to defeat her before she starts 😢😢😢❤❤❤

[@nathan2497]

Gill, Have you touched on John Isner he just retired at US open. He had a very good career. 16 Titles including that Miami Masters reached the top 10, SF's at wimbledon and nearly 500 tour level match wins.

[@ashfaq8711]

Hi Gill, been a long time subscriber and still loving the then content. Thiem and I guess Alcaraz aside, would any players from the past 5 years make your top 10 for the 2010s based off peak performance? Also where would you rank the current Novak in that list?

[@alexobed4252]

Gill... mushrooms are amazing. Life changing. One day, bro, one day...

[@miljann98]

Margaret Court 24 slams, Ken Rosewall 23 slams (both of them get to those numbers by combining pre open era and open era slams), it's a very ugly thing by the western media for doing this. But let them have their moment, 25 is more likely than not, let's see what they dig up then

[@got2bjosh]

It's all about narrative. Bringing up Court as 24 is forced given the Open Era. It mainly gets pushed by those not interested in having Serena firmly at the top.

[@rebecalinares5393]

@@got2bjosh Serena is not a the top, will never be. Only when she got stucked at 23 they bring this nonssense Pre Open Era. Tennis DIDNT EXIST between 1880 - 1968? Are you stupid?

[@angelatanurdzic7508]

We'll miss him.❤

[@Mr7Poz]

I browsed through the 126 page report. At the end, it was like Spielberg's Minority Report. "Sometimes, they disagree."

[@miketomlin6040]

It is unlikely that a tennis player of this calibre would knowingly risk suspension taking a substance that is not going to help much. I don't know enough about the case to comment about the veracity of a suspension but where motive is dubious a finding of guilt needs forensic examination.

[@MA-rq6ie]

Hey Gill, just 1 point about Nadal return. Spin rate on Nadals backhand is very good but its still not too spiny to cause that much issue considering his court position. To serve and voley on Nadals forehand is a suicide mission but on backhand (which is deuce slice serve) seems to be a good tactic. Ofc I think Rafa would adapt after 3-5 serves and do something different, unlike stubborn Meddy...but still, Nadals backhand is not nearly as spinny as Wawrinkas for example to hurt that much on return. Just a tought, feel free to counter.

[@SJ-di5zu]

Nadal’s backhand can get a lot of spin and is actually extremely precise. I’d argue it might be worse to serve and volley to his backhand because he redirects the ball better than on his forehand, which tends to have a bigger wind-up on the return. Either way, Nadal is not the guy to rush the net against. Watch Roddick try it at US Open 2011; it doesn’t go very well.

[@issimi]

I really do hate cheaters. And i do this from my own experience. I used to be a professional poker player and since i constantly in top physical and mental shape which gave me an edge when playing very long hours. This edge was eclipsed when i faced players on cocaine. Of course there was nothing i could have done against it but of course i did neither like nor appreciate this. Doping seemed highly unfair back then and it seems highly unfair now.

[@mireafelder8194]

1:05:32 Maybe Alcaraz' forehand can still improve as he is literally just 20 years old? Same argument as you defended Rune at 1:03:36

[@ElmoterGuy]

the question was about how good his forehand is at this moment? Gill never said that his forehand wouldnt improve.

[@GlennSyndallius]

Gill - when you were ranking the 2010s players, I had a bit of a laugh at your hesitation about Ferrer vs Cilic - I saw you thinking and I was like "oh, he's thinking about Ferrer!" They probably played a few times, I'm sure it was a close battle, although David is a few years older than Marin isn't he? Also re: Chris Guccione (pronounced GOOCH-io-nee, you had it right) - yeah, Aussie player, massive serve. Really tall, similar to Wayne Arthurs or a skinnier version of Sam Groth. I actually met Chris one time, seemed like a really nice guy.

[@GuineaPig-ix2tr]

I don’t think that Medvedev vs Alcaraz at the US Open was a close match, Medvedev breadsticked him in the second set(Medvedev was the better player throughout the majority of the match

[@tijgertjekonijnwordopgegeten]

But Alcaraz was the better player in the first and third set, so it's pretty much even. The outcome of this match was in big part determined in the first set.

[@ZetaCheese]

Alcaraz generated 6 break points in the 4th set. All it took was 1 break of serve and the match would be a 5 setter with a much different discussion

[@marekwichniarek268]

It was very close. Alcaraz could have come back when Medvedev was serving for the match - and win this match. 1 breadstick (or even bagel) doesn't change the fact it was a very close match. More important in that 2nd set was simply the fact that Daniil won it rather than the score itself. Daniil could have won that set in a tie-break - he'd still have had a 2:0 lead and made it very difficult for Carlos to come back.

[@aminb]

Victims are also all fans that supported her financially

[@SJ-di5zu]

End of the US Open is always a bit of a sad time. After getting so much high quality tennis from April-September, this is where the calendar starts to stall just a bit. No grand slams coming up, a lot of the top players resting from really physical summers, the level dips. Hopefully young players like Alcaraz and Sinner along with guys who never seem to tire out like Medvedev can keep the season going strong. Hoping for a fun ATP Finals lineup this year too after a kinda lackluster 2022 finals.

[@blackkitty9054]

Don't expect anything new. Novak will only play the Paris Masters and ATP finals, as usual, will dominate the field. Alcaraz will be forced to play several hard indoor tournaments, but this is his weakest surface, plus he is mentally exhausted. Medvedev will be chasing him like a shadow and might overtake him in the ranking.

[@SJ-di5zu]

@@blackkitty9054Djokovic historically has not dominated the indoor season for the past 7 years or so. He did win the ATP Finals last year but otherwise he was being beaten consistently from 2016-2021. As for Alcaraz, we don’t have enough of a sample size at all to say he’s weak on indoor hard yet. He’ll probably be just fine. I agree on Medvedev; he should play well for the rest of the season. Hopefully doesn’t have another slump like he kinda did leading into the US Open.

[@jacksonvillejohn9462]

@@SJ-di5zuwell he has been winning the Paris masters etc... Djokovic schedule is now not the busiest. He is wanting to peak for the slams

[@SJ-di5zu]

@@jacksonvillejohn9462Well you’re right actually he won it in 2019 and 2021. I’m sure Djokovic will have a good indoor season, but it’s not some guarantee that he’ll dominate the field or anything imo. And I suspect Alcaraz will surprise a lot of y’all during indoor season just like he did at Wimbledon and Queens this year (where I said he was the second best grass player in the world before he even won Queens). Also Alcaraz isn’t in the position he was last year where he probably didn’t feel super motivated to play a lot after winning his first grand slam, plus he’s not as fatigued as he was when he played 23 hours to win his US Open title. I think we’ll see what healthy Alcaraz can do this year indoors. I hope Tsitsipas steps it up. We could have an interesting dynamic with Medvedev, Zverev and Tsitsipas all in-form along with Alcaraz and Djokovic.

[@simonsimonovic4478]

I dont get why people are counting last decade from 1.1.2010. to 31.12.2019, when in reality second decade of the 21st century is from 1.1.2011. to 31.12.2020.

[@michaelalbertislinger119]

Referring to the last question and answer: Boris Becker said it repeatedly, because it is the only shot you can execute without influence of your opponent. And you start the point with your serve. You have great servers amongst legendary players like Sampras, Federer, Becker, Edberg. But serve alone is no enough and the best players in history excel in most if not all shots.

[@basil0terr]

I seem to remember Federer saying that the serve is the most important shot in tennis while answering a question about serve bots. But I could be wrong.

[@quest9133]

One stat that always stands out for me: Steffi Graf won 22 Grand Slams by the age of 30. She did retire before the Venus-Serena domination and was plagued with injuries but I always wonder how many more she could have won.

[@SJ-di5zu]

If we’re talking peak level, Tsonga definitely tops Berdych. Berdych had an amazing Wimbledon 2010 and a classic match against Nadal at AO2012, but Tsonga’s Canada 2014 run was incredible, his AO2008 final run was awesome, and 2008 Paris? I’m taking Tsonga for sure. Also Thiem at ATP Finals 2020 and AO2020 is my favorite version of him. US Open run was good except the crapshoot of a final that he managed to clutch out, but at AO and ATP Finals he was playing at a ludicrous level, in the latter case his level did drop in that final against Daniil though. I hope he gets back to that level. Definitely deserved an ATP Finals title.

[@eisregen72]

All the young tennis players should ask Novak Djokovic how he handled the hate all these years. Not only from the internet trolls, but also so called jounalists like Ben Rothenberg. I live in Germany and they hate him since 2011.

[@jacobschmidt2709]

The video is not working for me.

[@naumanakhtar7958]

Me too

[@upfulsoul826]

I thought my phone was acting up lol.

[@sylvanocergnulli7229]

Yeah mine not working either

[@GillGross]

Try again now?

[@GillGross]

@@naumanakhtar7958 How about now?

[@Psyaii]

Omg Gil not knowing Chris Guccione was hilarious to me as an Aussie

[@miketomlin6040]

Del Potro had a superior record to Wawrinka despite !!!! his injury nightmares! 73 v 71% slam record, 28 v 16% big 3 record. Far superior overall W/L. As well as a better H to H v Stan. It's possible his record could be nearer Murray's had he not been so unlucky.

[@Victrola66]

Don't feel sorry for Simona, she was so vocal and hateful about Maria, even though Maria did admit to her mistakes and served out her sentence, which was strict. Karma.

[@elaela2754]

Simona is not guilty the other took the drug in purpose

[@angrydriver2023]

Totally agree that Roger was late to adapt to the competition. Which was expected since he was the most naturally talented among the Big 3. Just call a spade a spade. Roger was complacent.

[@tijgertjekonijnwordopgegeten]

But he was also the first who had to adapt to age since he is 5 years older than the other two. Before he did it he didn't believe whether it was possible but as soon as he did it the other two also knew it was possible.

[@Psyaii]

​@@tijgertjekonijnwordopgegetenYeah and that's why they became better. Like how Federer took Sampras' template etc etc

[@angrydriver2023]

Not really. Novak and Rafa, being greats, would have adapted anyway. Roger was late to adjust his backhand to handle high bouncing shots and late to increase the head size of his racquet. Cost him a few slams IMO.

[@Kordass126]

I think there is one issue that hasn't been addressed that very much limits what ATP and WTA can do in terms of leaving the anti-doping code up to the players. As it stands right now, ATP and WTA (as opposed to all other organizations you mentioned like NHL, NBA, UFC or Premier League) are a main pathway to Olympic qualification. Qualifying for Olympic Games in tennis is based mainly on WTA and ATP rankings. This is why they must follow the WADA Anti-Doping Code. If they didn't, ATP/WTA rankings would not be allowed as basis for Olympic qualification.

[@thegreatlazydazz]

Seems like Uncle Tony agrees with your 2010 power rankings, besides Cilic Ferrer ..

[@M.L.official]

i would put Berdych above Cilic and Ferrer personally, but good list nonetheless!

[@cristimilitaur]

Seems like they punished Simona Halep so harshly because she spoke out against their process…😢

[@got2bjosh]

They punished Halep accordingly because of the severity of her doping. Digging her heels in instead of owning up to it didn't help her case. They were more lenient with Sharapova because she wasn't as obstinate. Five years total suspension means Halep is over. Patrick will move on. Should've thought about the doping before she won Wimbledon & poached Serena's coach.

[@NaturallyLluvme]

@@got2bjoshHer adding Patrick was probably also part of her master plan. I believe she knew they were on to her... I'm no fan of his, but a lot of people are putting the blame on Patrick claiming he was getting revenge for Serena. The man disparaged Serena in the media, why would he care? Overall, she knew what she was doing and finally got caught. I have no sympathy for her. Speaking out was also part of her plan--"Look they're coming down on me because I'm call them out!" She cheated her way to millions, and should just walk away.

[@got2bjosh]

@@NaturallyLluvme Patrick chose to work with Halep. They were strategic partners. Why would he take revenge on Serena's behalf? Serena was the one who started giving up on tennis after her USO 2015 loss to Vinci. Eventually, they parted ways because he wanted Serena to be more focused on tennis & she was more interested in business & her personal life. Halep destroyed herself. She was likely doping before getting caught, but beating Serena at Wimbledon & then poaching her coach brought increased scrutiny which ultimately led to her downfall.

[@XDF745]

Four years is the default ban for someone who fails to show they took the substance unintentionally. You should go an read the full report because it's very damning.

[@got2bjosh]

@@XDF745 Patrick M. is the Dr. Oz of tennis which is to say, well known to those who don’t know better, but not held in high regard by those who do. Players who hire him do so to get easy access to drugs, allegedly. It’s become an inside joke/dirty secret in tennis. No surprise Halep & Patrick were desperate to show off their partnership as immediately successful. They ended up damaging their careers as a result. Hers moreso than his, but people know Halep got it through Patrick, allegedly. She wanted to win & he wanted to burnish his brand by hopping from one GS winner to the next. Together, they tried to manufacture success, so naturally it was a recipe for disaster.

[@SJ-di5zu]

Gill beating the “chronic tennis warehouse troll” allegations 🙏

[@starlight0002]

Lots of questions about the Halep thing. Isn’t it double jeopardy like you said, and why did it take them so many months to add the second charge - especially if the bio passport is analyzed by computer algorithms? And there are huge gaps in the blood samples for the bio passport. And if I read the report correctly, one of the incriminating samples came from after the US Open. Why would she be doping after a Slam and she had already ended her season? Anyway, looks bad for her.

[@katjamachcinski2381]

I've been trying for an hour & the video will not play....waah! Everything else is working on You Tube -- huh😢

[@naumanakhtar7958]

Mine too

[@GillGross]

It should work now

[@BOZ_11]

“As long as we don’t have proof that game is not clean, then it is clean,” Djokovic told the Telegraph. Why talk of the whole sport?? How would he know what the guy ranked #83 is doing? If her career is over, then Halep ended it. Why would the player have power? it's like asking for criminals to determine their own sentence. you're so off

[@whisper2441]

The 1st match I ever saw from Djokovic was winning Adelaide final v Guccione in 2007.

[@benjaminpedersen9548]

About anticipation: Fake-outs can also play a role, as it may have done in that point. Murray, Djokovic and Nadal are good at that when returning smashes.

[@rafailbaldal6062]

Gill, what about the fans? We tune in for the matches round the year and visit stadiums expecting clean competitions in tennis. I think most tennis fans will agree with the 4 year ban if doping is confirmed like in the case of Halep.

[@yoladee]

Sounds like discrepancies in more than 1 sample for Halep.

[@Gnayazad]

Thiem should be higher on that top players of the 2010s list imo…

[@jennychi2406]

Funny there was fucking nothing from you regarding professionalism when Sinner fire his entire team when he lost in AO QF 2022. 😅

[@jennychi2406]

The arrangement between Tsitsipas and Mark P has been arranged long before USO. He did NOT fire Mark，get your fact straight.

[@jennychi2406]

It was already clarified by Mark's wife, be a better journalist, please

[@smurfette1509]

Thanks for analysis of Halep. This is such a huge issue because cheating damages the whole game of tennis. I feel we the fans are hurt the most. When I take an interest and watch tennis I expect the matches to be fair. If I question that they are cheating it's hard to be inspired by their performances which is why I watch tennis. If the testing system is reliable enough I want to see lifetime bans. It's that serious.

[@jayantsingh658]

Loved the way you shut down toni nadal's stupid comment lmao

[@creativestudio101]

Alcaraz needs to fix his first serve, and he will be more dominant. And if he (he and his team) stops being so stubborn by being overly aggressive, sticking so up close, on second serve returns he would be untouchable.

[@danmalic6688]

untouchable........🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@creativestudio101]

@@danmalic6688 that's right Bro!! 😂😂😂

[@miketomlin6040]

I remember laughing when Football players were banned for hashish or cocaine, not substances that are going to help you run round a field for 90 minutes. More likely to fall over the ball then start laughing. The clubs view seemed to be players had broken the law, as opposed to enhancing performance!

[@jayantsingh658]

2010s top ten, Thiem should be above Cilic and Ferrer at #6

[@Futhi.Johnson]

As an advise to Coco...stay away from social media. When it comes to players anticipation where the ball will go...most players sre disrupted by this strong on court coaching

[@BuffyNoir140]

Agree, stay away from social media. Raducanu says it’s been getting to her also. Don’t believe the hype. The media loves to hype up youngsters, then tear them down. Be careful of the “celebrities “ who want to be your “bestie”, thrush are hungry for attention too. Stop commenting on every subject matter, your opinion is that important.

[@NaturallyLluvme]

@@BuffyNoir140 I agree. I said the same thing about Osaka. Now, look at her.

[@DuchDoby]

Long time I am thinking about who is best server in his hight. Offcourse Isner who is 2 metrs high has better servis than Ferrer, Rochus, somebody short. Federer has 185 cm and his serve was one on the best and others best serves (not Sampras) are very high.

[@Psyaii]

Could you not say that the return is so important because it nullifies the serve? If the serve wasn't so important then the return probably wouldnt be so important either. Many greats have amazing serves (Federer, Sampras) just not ace counts

[@nikisrb]

Gill it is very unlike you and your precision to consider thiem's 2020 in the 2010s decade argument lmao Great video regardless

[@rajeshsmusical]

2010-2019 so Theim does fit the bill

[@p.r.866]

What about not having a comment about Djokovic's achievement from Nadal and Federer? I feel like tennis legends have nothing to say about this legendery event! I feel dissapointed, like really sad about this silence in general, in media also...😐😐😐

[@katjamachcinski2381]

Hey....hours later & presto ! It's working 🎉