The party is over in Canada Masters with two tall champions in each of its paintings. First was Simona Halep the one who lifted the trophy in Toronto thanks to her determination at key moments before Haddad Maia, the best Latin American tennis player on the circuit. Then it would be the turn of Pablo Carreno and a comeback against Hurkacz that would give him the biggest title of his professional career, the one for which he had been fighting all his life. Exciting Sunday of competition to put an end to an event that never disappoints. Here we go with the highlights of these last ten days.
1. Halep was not lying. First by saying that he had thought about retirement on numerous occasions and, months later, by confirming that Patrick Mouratoglou had managed to rescue his competitive instinct on the track. This is how, little by little, he has been sharpening his nails throughout the season, until finally reaching a large square where he confirms that he still has plenty of sneakers left to fall in love with. His return to the top10 is more than deserved.
2. Time proves Carreño right. And it is that the Asturian is a hard worker on the circuit, someone who at 31 years old was still wearing his work overalls, waiting for his moment to make history. He already did it last year by hanging himself a medal at the Olympic Games, a medal that he can now put very close to his first Masters 1000 title. How good life rewards those who never give up.
3. The depth of the WTA locker room. It is not new, but it never hurts to highlight how much fun the women’s circuit is in any category of its pyramid. In a whole WTA 1000 like Toronto we have been able to confirm the quality that the left-handed Haddad Maia has, getting into the kitchen and staying one set away from victory. But Jessica Pegula has also convinced us and Qinwen Zheng has impressed us again, diverse names that come to the fore every week underlining that the average level is higher than ever.
4. There is life beyond Nadal. If we look at the Masters 1000 titles that Spanish tennis has conquered in the Open Era, the comparison leaves no room for doubt: Rafa is in another dimension. But how important it is that, when the Balearic is not in the game, other rackets appear that make us excited. It already happened with Alcaraz in Miami, with Davidovich in Monte Carlo and now with Carreño in Montreal. Spanish tennis does not stop growing and obtaining great results, let’s not fall into the mistake of thinking that only one player sustains our structure.
5. Swiatek, part two. After a very good start to the year, accompanied by a spectacular 37-0 run, it seems that the new reality of the Pole goes through suffering, doubts and, hardest of all, defeats. It is the second part of her 2022, the one that points to a new reality for the No. 1 in the world, that she will have to deal with the most human version of her and regain her confidence if she does not want to see how the difference in points of she slowly fades away. It will be difficult to lower her from the top, although it is useless to stay on the track if she is not able to show off the best version of herself.
6. Without the Big3, nothing will be the same. Not that we want to be pessimistic, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the Big3 era was closer to fantasy than reality. This is something that little by little we are understanding thanks to weeks like this one, where the absence of Federer, Djokovic and Nadal show the stark distance that exists between the three of them and the rest of the players. Without them, the ATP board is a carbon copy of the WTA board, where anything can happen thanks to the average level that exists. This week, the No. 23 in the world became champion of a Masters 1000, someone who had never stepped foot in a final.
7. Bad time for the women’s Navy. Where we do have bad news for Spanish tennis is in its female side, where we haven’t been happy for months. She started the course very strong with the title of Paula Badosa in Sydney, but since Roland Garros we have not seen her smile again. Much less to Garbiñe Muguruza, who has not yet found the feeling in any event of the course. Regarding Nuria Párrizas and Sara Sorribes, who have a diesel engine, we hope that they can also afford to celebrate a title at some point.
8. Kyrgios is not invincible. I say this in a humorous tone, but there were people who thought that the Australian was going to win it all this summer. Don’t worry, it’s true that since the grass court tour we are seeing a committed player who wants to play tournaments, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t lose any match. It is enough to find an inspired rival and that the accumulation of encounters make him disconnect from the competition. This is what happened to him with Hurkacz, a reality check that will make him come to Cincinnati more prepared.
9. Gauff wants it all. While she continues to add experiences and slowly approach the top 10 of the individual ranking, the American wastes no time and, as of Monday, becomes the world No. 1 in the doubles ranking. Quite a feat that she, at 18 years old, confirms her desire to learn and what a great tennis player she already is. We’ll see how far she scales between now and the end of the season, setting up a launch pad for 2023 where she can end up taking the final leap.
10. What’s left of Serena. With almost 41 years, after being a mother, immersed in different businesses and with a physique that no longer allows her to compete as before, the reality of Serena Williams is that of a tennis player who has returned to say goodbye. She will do it with her honor, as she is, clinging to the track as much as her strength allows, but it will be unforgettable to accompany her until the end of her race. Cincinnati and the US Open will be her last stops, hopefully she never ends this journey.
