Hey, Tennis Pro! It is Thirstday!

Pablo the Player. Today I watched Pablo Carreño Busta's match against the local Dominic Stricker at the Swiss Indoor Basel and I was reminded how good the Spaniard is. I know that right now it's easy to get distracted by talent from Spain, especially by the golden boy Alcaraz, the eternal Nadal and extras like Roberto Bautista Agut or Davidovich Fokina. However, Pablo is and has been one of the best that has come out of the land of paellas in recent years. In the 2022 season, he stands out with his Montreal Masters title, the final in Barcelona and a series of semi-finals and quarter-finals in ATP 250 and 500. I love the way he has on the court, his reading of the game and consistency in his playing style. Pablo is a great player and I just wanted to say it.

It seems that the best moment of 'Peke' Schwartzman is over and with it the relevance of South American players in the first places of the tour. Those days in which Juan Martín del Potro came to dominate the world of tennis or a little earlier when the Chilean Marcelo Ríos raised his hand at the top of the white sport are still distant.

Now, South America is in a generational transition, where some players start to stand out from time to time, still looking to consolidate their position in the ATP ranking. This year was not a fat-cow-type-of-season for those from the south of the American continent, as they took a total of zero titles back home, and for the most part, a record of wins vs. losses that leaves much to be desired.

South America is undergoing reconstruction and promises begin to shine. Meanwhile, there's nothing else but to endure years like 2022, where tennis was mostly dominated by European actors.

Struggling Zverev

The best German of the moment is still suffering from injuries. Alexander has been out of the tour since June following his ankle injury in the Roland Garros semi-final against none other than the clay GOAT Rafa Nadal. The first diagnosis were outlined for him to return to the courts in September, however, the most recent news of his progress is that he will remain on the bench for the rest of the tennis year.

This is about to give him ranking repercussions, practically ensuring his exit from the ATP Top 10 since July 2017 and ending the year outside the top ten for the first time since 2016. We all continue to await the return of Zverev and his strong character on court. It's a shame to see careers of such a top level affected by health factors.

Speedy recovery Alex!

Yesterday’s Spotlight

🔝 ATP 500 Swiss Indoors Basel

🔝 ATP 500 Erste Bank Open

What’s cooking today…

🔝 ATP 500 Swiss Indoors Basel

🇪🇸 R. Bautista Agut / 🇬🇧 A. Murray

🇨🇦 F. Auger-Aliassime / 🇷🇸 M. Kecmanović

🇺🇸 B. Nakashima / 🇨🇭 S. Wawrinka

🔝 ATP 500 Erste Bank Open

🇷🇺 A. Rublev / 🇧🇬 G. Dimitrov

🇷🇺 D. Medvedev / 🇦🇹 D. Thiem

🇷🇸 B. Ćorić / 🇬🇷 S. Tsitsipas

So long, and thanks for all the tennis!

👉 A tennis-inspired Halloween costumes thread

👉 A hot dog and a miss from Stricker

👉 Iga showing off some mad football skillz

👉 Holger Rune out of the freezing chamber