Tennis & Bagels Podcast

Elena Rybakina could have lost in the quarterfinals in Stuttgart. She didn't. And maybe that was the confidence boost she needed to know she could be one of the big favourites for Roland Garros and the World No.1 mantle, both for the first time.Losing to Fernandez could have thrown Rybakina's No.1 quest off course, and given Sabalenka almost free rein over Madrid and Rome, making only herself her biggest enemy. But now that Rybakina is playing amazing on clay, Madrid and Rome suddenly became the battle grounds for favouritism ahead of the clay-court major in Paris. The results from both, and possibly two mouth-watering clashes in the final of both tournaments, could be decisive factors for who will finish the clay season on top of the World.But the battle doesn't end on just the Top 2 players, unlike what we are seeing on the ATP. The entire WTA Top 10 is very strong, and upwards to the Top 30, every player can be extremely dangerous. Gauff, the Roland Garros defending champion, is a bit of a tough prediction, since she plays at her best infrequently, but always finds ways to win matches no matter against whom she plays. Pegula is not just going to sit there and hope for the best either, letting Sabalenka and Rybakina have all the fun.I am particularly curious about Karolina Muchova and Iga Swiatek. Muchova, former French Open finalist, is having a great season so far, and injury-free, too, which is a relief for her. Although she lost to Rybakina in the Stuttgart final convincignly, she got her first wins over Gauff (1-6) and Svitolina (1-3), both in three tough sets. Perhaps after that emotionally tiring run, she'll come out firing in the next WTA 1000 events.Swiatek is a huge question mark. She showed positive things in Stuttgart, but remains unconvincing as a favourite to any of the next tournaments, despite her impressive clay resume. Will she find her level in time for Roland Garros, where she is a four-time champion? Who knows.All rests on the results from Madrid and Rome.Favourite this podcast if you like our work :)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

This is a really important step for the Pod. I really believe in it, and I think we can do even better work and be dedicated to having a place where fans can talk about their wild tennis ideas, predictions, criticisms, and just geek about the sport in general.With the Patreon, we open up an avenue that could allow us to focus a lot more on this project.Join here: patreon.com/TennisBagelsPodcastCurrent benefits:Ads Free Episodes, video and audioThe Bagel Book Club (name wip lmao): a tennis book a month with a video review at the end of each month! Discussion encouraged in the Patreon comments :)We have a lot of cool ideas to put in place, but we need help to grow the pod to allow us to give more content and benefits!Your support is HIGHLY appreciated :DThank you!

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.Favourite this podcast if you like our work :)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

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.Favourite this podcast if you like our work :)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

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. Favourite this podcast if you like our work :)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

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.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

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.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

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.Tell me what you think!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

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.Tell me what you think!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