The tennis season is almost at an end, but it was a huge week of action last week. The WTA Finals reached a dramatic conclusion, while over on the ATP Tour, there were plenty of upsets in Metz and Belgrade. Read on for a breakdown of all the week’s action, plus a sneak peak at what’s to come over the next seven days.
Gauff Conquers Riyadh
The WTA Finals came and went, and we have a new champion. Iga Swiatek won last year, but this year it was Coco Gauff who won. The American played a fantastic event, downing some big names along the way, including Swiatek herself.
She bested Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-final to find herself as the worthy finalist. Qinwen Zheng was her opponent, and the American bested her in a tight three-setter. She ran is tight though, coming within two points of losing the match at one stage.
Gauff lost the opening set and was down a break in the second; however, she hung on to win 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2), impressively winning the first six points of the deciding tiebreaker, despite having blown two championship points earlier in the set.
In winning the WTA Finals, Gauff also claims the largest-ever prize money on the WTA Tour – $4.8 million!
Qualifiers Reign on the ATP Tour
It was all action on the ATP Tour this week as well, with two ATP 250 events taking place.
In Belgrade, we had native hopeful Hamad Medjedovic have a superb week to make the final. He stood opposite Denis Shapovalov (image above) in the final, but failed to go all the way as the Canadian simply proved a little bit better, winning 6-4, 6-4. It’s the first trophy Shapovalov has won in a very long time, but it was a deserved one as he played brilliant tennis.
Over in Metz, it was a bit of a comeback event as well. Cameron Norrie played superb tennis all week long to find himself in a final for the first time since early 2023. The Brit had been absent from the courts for much of this season.
In the final, Norrie took on native player Benjamin Bonzi, who in the end proved better than the former No 8. Bonzi has been playing superb tennis for over a month now with some notable appearances on the Challenger Tour.
What’s interesting about this week on the ATP Tour is that both events were won by qualifiers. Both Shapovalov and Bonzi didn’t enter the draw directly but had to win two qualifying matches to enter the event, meaning that both won seven matches to win the trophy.
Krejcikova Calls Out Reporter for Mocking Her Appearance
Off the court this week, world No 13 Barbora Krejcikova took to social media to express her disappointment after a noted tennis journalist, John Wertheim, made remarks about her appearance.
Wertheim is a very prominent tennis journalist and has been for years. Ahead of an appearance on the Tennis Channel, the American made an out-of-line remark, thinking he wasn’t live yet, while in reality, the footage from his webcam was already being broadcast, and he was in a live program
Wertheim said:
“Who do you think I am? Barbora Krejcikova. Look at the forehead!”
That greatly disappointed Krejcikova, who responded to it on social media:
“You might have heard about the recent comments made on Tennis Channel during the WTA Finals coverage that focused on my appearance rather than my performance.
“As an athlete who has dedicated herself to this sport, it was disappointing to see this type of unprofessional commentary. This isn’t the first time something like this is happening in sports world.
“I’ve often chosen not to speak up, but I believe it’s time to address the need for respect and professionalism in sports media.
“These moments distract from the true essence of sport and the dedication all athletes bring to the field. I love tennis deeply, and I want to see it represented in a way that honors the commitment we make to compete at this level.”
You might have heard about the recent comments made on Tennis Channel during the WTA Finals coverage that focused on my appearance rather than my performance. As an athlete who has dedicated herself to this sport, it was disappointing to see this type of unprofessional (cont.)
— Barbora Krejcikova (@BKrejcikova) November 10, 2024
What’s Next in Tennis?
A big week lies ahead in tennis, with the ATP Finals playing out over the next seven days. We’re one day into the action already, as day one in Turin saw Taylor Fritz beating Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner easing past Alex de Minaur.
Will we see one more edition of Sinner vs Alcaraz in 2024?
We also have the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, which start on the 13th and will run to the 20th.
