# Tennis 2026 General Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** tennis\ **Created:** [January 18, 2026, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788 "2026-01-18T13:02:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2026, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788/101 "2026-09-13T21:47:53Z")
Now Zverev breaks Shelton’s serve and has the chance to serve for the championship Gap between Zverev and the guys under him is maybe bigger than the gap between him at the two guys above him … which is itself pretty big. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2026, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788/102 "2026-09-13T21:58:13Z")
Andy Roddick remains the last American man to win the US Open. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2026, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788/103 "2026-09-13T22:01:51Z")
Very unlucky to run into prime Federer in each of his Wimbledon finals ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788/104 "2026-09-13T22:03:27Z")
Yes, he was very even with him the second time, one of the best matches I saw Roddick play. But…still lost. Roddick has to be one of the best, if not the best, to only have one grand slam. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788/105 "2026-09-14T14:41:52Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Roddick has to be one of the best, if not the best, to only have one grand slam. Who are some of the other contenders? Vytas won one from early Open era, Medvedev probably is not going to win anymore. Del Potro? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788/106 "2026-09-14T15:07:10Z")
> [@Boycott](#): > > Now Zverev breaks Shelton’s serve and has the chance to serve for the championship Interestingly, Zverev was so “in the zone” he didn’t realize he’d won the match with the game. He was preparing to receive the next game. His team’s yelling finally got his attention that it was over. * * * I’ve been off-and-on watching the “Aces” mini series produced by Apple TV. Kind of interesting for those who follow tennis. > **[Aces: The ATP No. 1 Club - Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/aces-the-atp-no-1-club/umc.cmc.1rrfac1gazpkz1s2xg8omkjdv)** > > Only 29 men have reached number one in the ATP rankings. Spanning every era since 1972, discover the defining matches, rivalries and personal costs th… ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788/107 "2026-09-14T17:58:39Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Del Potro? Maybe. I thought he was going to win more once he broke through. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788/108 "2026-09-15T08:21:59Z")
Number 1 has to be Medvedev since he like Roddick has made multiple slam finals but ran into Djokovic in his prime and Nadal before the injuries came in. The fact his one slam win was against Djokovic is pretty impressive. I’d add that the 1990s born generation of men tennis players has been such a massive disappointment of potential which until Zverev this year, Medvedev was on his own for a while carrying that flag. If Alcaraz and Sinner weren’t so absurdly good for their age then Medvedev probably would have swept titles when Djokovic and Nadal both lost a step. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788/109 "2026-09-17T14:13:24Z")
I finally got around to looking at the rankings after the U.S. Open. **Women’s** > **** > > | No. | Player | Points | Move | > | --- | --- | --- | --- | > | 1 | Elena Rybakina (KAZ) | 9,901 | Increase 1 | > | 2 | Aryna Sabalenka | 7,875 | Decrease 1 | > | 3 | Jessica Pegula (USA) | 7,265 | Steady | > | 4 | Coco Gauff (USA) | 7,244 | Steady | > | 5 | Mirra Andreeva | 5,743 | Steady | > | 6 | Linda Nosková (CZE) | 5,328 | Steady | > | 7 | Elina Svitolina (UKR) | 4,809 | Increase 2 | > | 8 | Karolína Muchová (CZE) | 4,683 | Decrease 1 | > | 9 | Iga Świątek (POL) | 4,619 | Decrease 1 | > | 10 | Marta Kostyuk (UKR) | 3,980 | Increase 1 | Elena Rybakina edges out Aryna Sablenka for #1. This was going to happen no matter who won the final, but less embarrassing that the result matches. In the rest of the top ten, there’s an interesting mix of two Americans, two Czechs, and two Ukrainians. **Men’s** > **** > > | No. | Player | Points | Move | > | --- | --- | --- | --- | > | 1 | Jannik Sinner (ITA) | 11,500 | Steady | > | 2 | Alexander Zverev (GER) | 9,690 | Steady | > | 3 | Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) | 5,560 | Steady | > | 4 | Ben Shelton (USA) | 4,680 | Increase 5 | > | 5 | Félix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) | 3,890 | Decrease 1 | > | 6 | Daniil Medvedev | 3,770 | Increase 2 | > | 7 | Flavio Cobolli (ITA) | 3,720 | Decrease 1 | > | 8 | Frances Tiafoe (USA) | 3,380 | Increase 4 | > | 9 | Alex de Minaur (AUS) | 3,300 | Decrease 2 | > | 10 | Taylor Fritz (USA) | 3,175 | Steady | No changes in the top three, but Ben Shelton jumps up to #4. The other notable thing is who is not in the top ten: Novak Djokovic. I don’t know his entire history, but he first entered the top ten in March 2007. We’re at the end of that era. > **[Current tennis rankings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_tennis_rankings)** > > The ATP and WTA rankings are updated weekly on Mondays (UTC) or at the conclusion of a two-week tournament. As of 1 March 2022, the ATP and WTA announced that Russian and Belarusian players continue to be allowed to compete in international tennis events on Tour and at the Grand Slams. However, they will not compete under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. > .mw-parser-output .defaultleft,.mw-parser-output .col1left td:nth-child(1),.mw-parser-output .co... ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788/110 "2026-09-17T14:36:40Z")
> [@Boycott](#): > > Gap between Zverev and the guys under him is maybe bigger than the gap between him at the two guys above him … which is itself pretty big. Alexander Zverev has always been a great player. Unfortunately, he has had the misfortune of playing in the Nadal/Federer/Djokovic era followed by the Sinner/Alcaraz era. Nevertheless, he has been a highly ranked player since age 20, being in the top ten almost every year. Just my feeling from having observed him over the years is that he is more intense now than ever before. At 29, he may be feeling his tennis mortality and is more focused. At any rate, his 2 slam season is the highlight of his career. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788/111 "2026-09-17T15:23:01Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Alexander Zverev has always been a great player. Unfortunately, he has had the misfortune of playing in the Nadal/Federer/Djokovic era followed by the Sinner/Alcaraz era Yeah, that’s kind of his fate, but he battled those demons this year. And don’t forget that he has been a diabetic since he was a child, and I can’t imagine how hard it must be to play pro sports at the top level with that illness. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788/112 "2026-10-18T03:31:09Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Del Potro Oh right that guy. Slowest in-between points sloth, ever, in the game, {sometimes lulled me to sleep), almost as bad as Sharapova with her really, really annoying toe-dragging stutter-step crap. Still can’t believe weird (and at times) underhand server Goran The Odd One taking a major in 2001 at Wimbledon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-2026-general-thread/1026788.md?page=5)