Iga Swiatek doens't present the same aura as she did a couple years ago. She's lost her edge, and not only on rivalries she used to dominate. It feels like every player is now feeling more and more confident when they step on court against her.

For her biggest rivals, this means that the sense of danger is no longer there. Gauff hasn't lost in their last five matches despite losing 11 straight, and Sabalenka probably feels like she can beat her no matter where they play, at every stage.

The new coach, plus a time at the Rafa Nadal Academy, could prove to be a pivotal moment in her career to bring her back to winning ways. Stuttgart will be the first tournament where we will see the early works of this partnership, and if the results will follow ahead of Swiatek's favourite and most successful major, Roland Garros.

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It wasn't the best match of their rivalry, but it might as well be one of the most important. Jannik Sinner was yet to win a big title on clay. He lost several really important finals to Alcaraz, including that mystical Roland Garros final in 2025 (last year).

Now he unlocked new potential.

What will happen next? Will Alcaraz play Barcelona and Madrid, maybe skip one or the other? Will Sinner play Madrid?

We are bound to see the full meaning of this victory as the rest of the clay season unfolds - and this victory could be pivotal not only for Roland Garros, but also for the rest of the entire year. Perhaps even their whole careers.

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Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have won all the big titles of 2026, but have yet to play a match this season. The first time they do, it could be for the World No.1 ranking.

Since Alcaraz is defending his title at Monte Carlo and Sinner has not played there last year, Alcaraz needs to win the tournament to make sure he'll keep his title for at least another couple of weeks. If not, a Sinner title brings the top position back to the Italian.

But also, we just NEED them to play each other. It's been just waaaay too long! They can't be trading the No.1 ranking by simply not playing tournaments or losing early to someone else. It's got to be decided on the court, as they trade blows in front of a massive crowd cheering for every point.

On other news, João Fonseca is not in collision route against the Top 2 players this time, but he will have other challenges ahead. Maybe he can play Medvedev this time. If he makes it to the SF, he could face Zverev - who has reached the last four stage at every big tournament this season, and really only loses to Alcaraz and Sinner, though not particularly close to beating any one of them. But he's there, waiting. Anyway, Fonseca will need to get used to playing and beating any player in front of him, not just Sinner and Alcaraz, if he wants to realize the hype that's been following him for a couple years now.

Over to the WTA side, where there are 10 1000 events and only two of these are on clay, I ask: why not a third one? And I think the perfect candidate for that is a tournament now far away from its glory days where players of the caliber of Graf, Hingis, Venus Williams, Nadal, and Federer competed for its trophy.

Down to an ATP 500 tournament and a 250 event in the WTA calendar, this major city in Germany checks all the boxes to holding a 1000 event on its clay courts. And the calendar spot seems wide open, concurrent with Monte Carlo.

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Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka win the Sunshine Double, a feat harder than winning a Grand Slam title!

Recency bias would have us believe Sinner is now the front-runner for the Year End No.1 battle. Not so fast: Alcaraz is still the champion of three of the last four majors, and clay is his best surface (maybe?)

Sabalenka on the other hand, is the dominant factor in the WTA Tour. Rybakina has come close to three big final wins in a row, with a match point at Indian Wells, but Sabalenka took that win, and saw her off in straight sets in Miami. If the current World No.1 continues to win as consistently as she does, it will be hard for Rybakina, or anyone, to dethrone her - but it might get really interesting soon.

Other players left their marks, either in a good or bad way: Fonseca, Zverev, Swiatek, Eala are all interesting players to follow during the clay court swing. And, of course, what will Novak Djokovic produce, now at almost 39 years old? Seems like we can't ever count him out - he was the World No.3 until recently, after all.

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Like Djokovic in 2016, Carlos Alcaraz accomplished something massive this year in Australia.

And this might have taken a bigger toll on him that maybe he would have liked to admit - and it might be time to admit it.

Mentally, Alcaraz had to go through a very tough battle to achieve the Career Grand Slam. What if his performances at Indian Wells and, most importantly, Miami, mean that he's just lacking some motivation and energy to compete at the highest level? That, and the fact that it really does seem like he plays "Roger Federer" at every round, might be too much pressure, and he needs some time off to decompress.

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Scrambled to get this up as soon as I realized that the João Fonseca vs Carlos Alcaraz #1 match would be TODAY (Friday) not Saturday.

Anyway, this match will likely be AMAZING. Incredible hot shots, cat-and-mouse points, Alcaraz testing Fonseca's forehand and movement, Fonseca drawing all the energy he can from the crowd.

Wait and see, will also see if I'll make a video after all is said and done for this crazy instalment.

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Hear me out: Elena Rybakina could end the year as World No.1.

Why? She has been playing the best tennis of her life in the past few months, has probably the best serve and forehand of the tour, can play well on all surfaces, and is capable of winning against Aryna Sabalanka anywhere, any day. And that's exactly what she's done lately.

Up to World No. 2 from down to No.12 at the Canadian Open 2025, Rybakina's level has soared, and even Sabalenka has been struggling against her. The Indian Wells final may have turned against her favour, but she had a match point, and Sabalenka needed to produce some of the most clutch tennis shots she can to win that match.

That being said, it's still an uphill battle. Sabalenka is so good so often that, to have a chance, Rybakina needs to match the intensity and win matches constantly. No first or second-round losses. Only quarter-finals and up.

And she still needs to truly prove herself on clay.

Can Elena Rybakina become the new WTA World No.1? I believe so.

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Beating a dead horse? Maybe. But, personally, seeing Daniil Medvedev come through an extreme rough last two seasons, than come out in 2026 winning a title, beating Carlos Alcaraz (who was on a 16-0 winning streak to start the year) and pushing Jannik Sinner to play some of his best, most clutch tennis at the Indian Wells final, really made something clear to me:

Alexander Zverev just doesn't possess a crucial trait of a Grand Slam champion - or, a trait that turns a good player into a history making player.

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