Tennis & Bagels Podcast

The biggest favourite since Rafael Nadal in 2009, Jannik Sinner lost in a shocking comeback effort by Juan Manuel Cerundolo only in the second round.The details of this match you already know. But this loss will remain in the history books, and the complete absence of a serious second best player, with Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by a wrist injury, means that whoever wins, we will always note the context of the utterly unexpected Sinner ousting, and that so early in the tournament.It's not an asterisk, though: it's more so a triggering event to one of the most chaotic Grand Slam tournaments of all time, with records being broken on time on court and five-set matches played. The tournament, which started in sleepy fashion and with Jannik Sinner's name half written in the trophy, became a free-for-all bloodbath where anyone suddenly saw themselves as the winner.Great entertainment all around, as Alexander Zverev lurks in the shadows, quietly and effectively making his way to a potential first major title, now without the impenetrable barrier of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinnner. It could be his last chance.

With a pretty disappointing season prior to the clay, Iga Swiatek looked a lot better with a new coach in her camp.After a solid run in Rome losing out to defending champion Elina Svitolina, some even said Swiatek might be a big favourite to win the Roland Garros title a fifth time.She won her first two rounds, avoided a dangerous clash against Ostapenko, and then lost in two sets to Madrid champion Marta Kostyuk in the 4th round in Paris.Now what? Is it the end for Swiatek? Are her best days already behind her? Are the only things left for her now her memories and trophies?I don't think so. It's never clear cut, but Swiatek is only 25 years old, and it happens to basically any great player to have a slump, a bad season or two, or to deal with some difficulties during their careers. The important thing is to keep coming back, keep trying to find solutions, keep playing and fighting.It won't be easy, but with patience and resilience, I really think Swiatek will get back to her best - and maybe lift the Roland Garros trophy again as early as next year.

Gael Monfils and Stan Wawrinka played their final matches at Roland-Garros this year. They went out in the way they wanted, and on their own brand: Monfils almost pulling a miraculous comeback from two sets to love, but ultimately his body couldn't carry him, and Wawrinka blasting backhand winners, but now unable to match the aggression with defensive play.It was amazing.I will miss them so much.There's something weird, really sad, about watching players like these two, plus others who also played their final Roland-Garros, like David Goffin in the qualifying, and Roberto Bautista Agut, also out in the first round, saying good bye to the sport I love. It felt like I knew them, they were companions of mine. On my tv and other screens, and some lucky times live, I could count on having them around. They would do marvelous things. They would challenge the Big 3 with heart and soul. They would lose most often. They would play each other and fight till they couldn't stand.It was awesome. But every player must leave the Tour one day. At least they were able to go out the way they wanted.Also, wtf is up with the Roland-Garros vs French Open thing? That was probably the dumbest debate we've had in a while. Honestly, it was actually kind of fun lol plus I learned a bit about the recent history of the tournament!Some marketing geeking out in this episode too, if that's something you into.And here's the Christopher Clarey article on The New York Times I quoted: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/24/sports/tennis/a-puzzler-in-paris-french-open-or-roland-garros.html?pagewanted=all

Old school Tennis and Bagels is BACK with the brains of the podcast: Vansh Vermani, the living tennis encyclopedia brings all his in-depth analysis and knowledge of players' form, injury, court conditions, past results, and more.We are doing a full draw preview, going section by section of both the Roland Garros men's and women's draws and finally making our picks for semi-finalists, finalists, and champions of the 2026 French Open!On the WTA side, great popcorn matches all around, with some really strong potential for upsets that could turn the draw upside down. But also trust in the seeded players, to find solutions, make it deep in the draw, and conquer their nemeses. Will Aryna Sabalenka win her first major of 2026? Will Coco Gauff defend her title with her grit through highs and lows? Can Elena Rybakina complete the Surface Slam? Is it the time that Iga Swiatek will finally overcome the Ostapenko mission impossible? Or is it someone else's time to win big in Paris?On the ATP, the Jannik Sinner question remains unanswered: who can stop him at all? Seemingly unbeatable, it feels like acts of God are his only great challenge left without Alcaraz in the draw and an aging Novak Djokovic. If injury, terrible weather conditions with a brutally hot sun, and/or a miraculous performance by some anointed player doesn't stop him, it feels like nothing will. Though Djokovic already operated miracles during his career, including the Australian Open earlier this year, and Medvedev coming back from getting double-bageled by Berrettini in Monte Carlo to take a set off Sinner in Rome does sound like a godly act, too.Who will prevail on the red clay?

(I said Svitolina beat four Top 20 players on route to the Rome title - this is wrong. She beat three Top 5 opponents, but the next higher ranking she beat was World no.25 Hailey Baptiste.)Elina Svitolina wins her first WTA 1000 since Rome 2018. Her third crown in the Italian capital, with hard-fought, well-earned wins over Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff. What a tournament by the Ukrainian, who sits now as the WTA Race World No.3, and No.7 in the 52-week rankings.Will that be enough to earn her a first grand slam title at Roland Garros, starting next week??Time will tell - but, I think that would be really difficult. Not so much because Svitolina is not a great player, in fact, she's probably the best version of herself on a tennis court in her career. But the WTA is full of surprises, and the level is insanely high across the board. The Top 5 is playing amazing tennis, with Aryna Sabalenka being as consistent a World No.1 can be, reaching SF and Finals at almost every tournament she plays, only without the major title to show for it in 2026. Which in turn could make her even more dangerous an motivated to win her first Roland Garros trophy.Elena Rybakina the WTA Race World No.1, World No.2 in the 52-week rankings, and Australian Open champion, would be looking to transform her Race ranking into her real ranking, climbing to World No.1 for the first time in her career with a deep run in Paris - a title would all but guarantee it. And then, who knows: a Calendar Grand Slam in the making?Gauff, the defending champion at Roland Garros, lost to Svitolina in the Rome final in a tough three-setter. Doesn't matter how Gauff plays, it seems it's always impossible to beat her without massive effort. There are no true bad days for the American. She's coming for that title again, no matter who stands in her way - even if it's her own self.Finally, Iga Swiatek. The four-time Roland Garros champion started the year without playing well at all. All seemed completely out of control, with her game spiraling and losses stacking up. Until Francisco Roig joined her team as her new coach, and a couple days with Rafa Nadal himself, seemingly changed the course of her year overnight. Now playing a much more confident tennis, with her strengths emphasized and game plans set on more that just hit the ball very hard, Swiatek made us all look at her again as one of the top favourites. But you can't just erase months of struggle like that, and her loss to Svitolina in Rome showed that, despite the great progress over this clay season, Swiatek might still have some internal issues to work out before fully returning to her very best. Will it happen at Roland Garros 2026?We will have to wait and see how all this unfolds.

Since Alcaraz announced he'd miss the remainder of the clay season, it was obvious: Jannik Sinner would be utterly unchallenged to win Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros.It has gone pretty much as expected from him. Only surprise was losing a set to Medvedev. Other than that, it almost seems disingenuous to say there's any doubt Sinner will sweep the Clay Slam, just like Rafael Nadal did in 2010, the only player to do so.As we close the Masters events on clay, there are some interesting stories still to follow, including Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Jodar. But these will all be left as side quests to Sinner's iron fist domination over the ATP Tour.It seems only a miracle will stop him - and that has now extended itself until Wimbledon, now that Alcaraz has shocked the world one more time by announcing his withdrawal.

I love tennis. I love talking about tennis. I love having discussions with other fans about players who are great, players who could be better, things that I love about tennis, and things that annoy me.I love the GOAT debate. How fun is it to compare stats, types of shots and game style, and have the evening extend into the late hours as we let our outrageous opinions on the table, call our friends idiots, then laugh it out and go home in peace?But on social media...Everything has to be different.Fans love to throw insults at the first opportunity. Taking things we say out of context. Insulting our intelligence. Going as far as mocking our physical appearance, incessantly leaving mean comments in our replies.Harassing players has become normal. Fans thinking they know better, that they can give priceless advice from the comfort of their homes thousands of miles away, watching tennis from a set tv angle that simply can't give you all the information you need to properly assess the game, even if you were a real professional tennis expert - which in the vast majority of cases we are not.This podcast is not for players. They can get their information from highly trained personnel with years of experience and their inner circles of people they trust. My analysis and comments do not bring them any benefit.This podcast is for fans. But I would truly love it if we could just be in love with this insane sport, have loads of fun, trash talk at each other respectfully, and keep a cool head over our shoulders knowing that there are millions of people around the world who are just are crazy about tennis as we are.We can't all be friends and love each other. We have moments of anger and frustration. Sports is like that, I know it well. But we don't have to hate each other, or get aggressive online simply because someone has a different opinion than ourselves.It's just a game, y'all. A game we love and are worse of without, but still a game. Let's love it well and respect each other and the players who give us all those great moments.

Zverev once again reaches the later stages of a tournament, and is once again utterly incapable of making a match out it against Sinner.As Jannik Sinner continues to sweep every Masters 1000 of the year virtually unchallenged, the question is beginning to get loud online: is the ATP Tour boring? Some might even start saying that Sinner himself is the problem.Well, is he?Short answer is no. But it's probably more complicated if you're a neutral tennis fan. Sinner just isn't the same type of player or person that Federer was, or that Djokovic is. He is introverted, he is efficient, and all that he does is his job: winning. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.But, combining Sinner's ruthless tennis, his introverted demeanor, and the fact that the entirety of the ATP minus Carlos Alcaraz simply has no idea how to even begin to win sets against him, it turns the tour into something rather uneventful.If you are a Sinner fan, that's awesome. Your fave is winning and you're happy when you turn off the tv. If you aren't, you shouldn't blame Sinner. You should question: why the heck isn't anyone else standing up against him?I love seeing records getting broken. But I love a good tennis match with a lot of tension and high stakes tournaments even more. I hope we get that back soon.SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube channel!Follow TENNIS AND BAGELS!Twitter/X: https://x.com/TennisAndBAGELSAndre:Twitter/X - https://x.com/RolembergAndreBlueSky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/andrerolemberg.bsky.socialVansh: https://x.com/vanshv2kOwen (BlueSky Social): https://bsky.app/profile/owensports.bsky.social