Jon Wertheim answers your questions on the world No. 1’s latest stumble, another great’s career coming to a close and the popularity of doubles in this week's tennis mailbag.
1) We had a few questions about Novak Djokovic, who lost another mystifying match in 2024, this one to Alejandro Tabilo, the Canadian-born Chilean. Given that he had a real scare the previous day when he wasby a water bottle, I wouldn’t read too much into this result. That said, it’s another strange loss for a guy who won three of the four majors in 2023 and is without a title in 2024.
Let’s get the Hall of Fame question out of the way. As I see it, he is in. It’s close. You could argue either way. But he’ll get my vote. His match wins are far lower than others not admitted. But a major, four major finals and 17 titles are solid. So is more than $30 million in prize money—a strong correlation with success suggesting, as it does, that he succeeded at majors. A max-out on “them’s good people” points.
He stands for the proposition that the “mental/physical” dialectic is a false one. By his own admission, all of this physical pain, uncertainty and compromise took a toll on his mental health and confidence. Instead of building on the major he won, he became a shard of the player he was. Unable to tee off on his forehand because of the injury, his game became one of defense.
First, the benign interpretation: this image represents the esprit de corps of American tennis. An ocean away from home, American players in an individual sport—male, female, married, single, younger, older and from different racial backgrounds—gather for what is, in effect, a team dinner. But all good.
B) Tennis is often predicated on stars. When Nadal or Djokovic or even Nick Kyrgios play doubles, it is popular. But the sport has gotten so grueling that it’s hard to convince top players—especially male players—that they ought to spendC) The notion that most recreational players play/prefer doubles always struck me as empty and reductive. Most recreational basketball players prefer three-on-three, sometimes shirts-versus-skins.
I also just don’t get the gratuitous nastiness. Disagreements are fine. Factual errors should be pointed out. Objective truth matters. But imagine firing off aD) Contributing anything of value to the discourse.Just for your audience to hear the other side. I love Andy Roddick swearing in his pod. It’s so beautifully woven into the fabric of the story. Don’t bleep it—it’s like asking Netflix to bleep out the swearing in Tom Brady’s roast—it just wouldn’t be the same without colorful language.
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