Is Novak Djokovic In Decline?

On the Mailbag, Gill Gross unpacks Dominic Thiem's legacy and why the reaction to his retirement should be celebration, not regret. Then, we get to your comments: is Thiem quitting too soon, would Thiem have returned to peak form if the wrist injury never happened, are the injuries on tour a result of a poor calendar, who would be the Roland Garros Frankenstein, thoughts on Diego Schwartzman and Camilla Giorgi retirement developments, should excessive grunting be outlawed, what explains the decline in Daniil Medvedev's serve, why were top players so inconsistent at Roland Garros in the late 90s early 2000s? At the end of this podcast, we review the Challengers Movie. 00:00 Intro 00:55 Thiem's Legacy 16:30 Thiem's Decision 19:05 Imagine No Wrist Injury 26:14 Calendar and Injuries 34:20 RG Frankenstein 37:40 Schwartzman & Giorgi Retirements 42:10 Excessive Grunting 48:16 Medvedev Serve Decline 54:36 Early 2000s Inconsistency 1:03:35 Challengers Review Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross previews the 2024 Italian Open in Rome with dark horses, upset alerts, popcorn matchups and predictions. 6-time champion Novak Djokovic is the top-seed, followed by defending champion Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and Madrid champion Andrey Rublev. 00:00 Intro 03:20 Djokovic Q 9:00 Zverev Q 18:50 Rublev Q 26:10 Medvedev Q 36:27 Final Weekend Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross breaks down Andrey Rublev's triumphant comeback win over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the 2024 Mutua Madrid Masters final. We'll talk about why Rublev called it the "most proud" title he's ever won. We'll discuss the key dynamic in the match: FAA's serve against Rublev's return. We'll cover the chances that Felix is primed to make another push towards the top-10. Lastly, we'll do the 2nd edition of the French Open Power Rankings which spoiler alert includes Rafael Nadal. 00:00 Intro 01:03 Proud Rublev 04:35 Felix Wins 1st 10:25 Rublev Returning 22:35 Felix Physical 25:45 Rublev's Baseline Edge 29:08 Felix Back? 32:20 Foot Faults 36:18 FO Power Rankings Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On the Mailbag, Gill Gross overviews Madrid men's singles storylines such as the avalanche of injuries, Rafael Nadal's best run since 2022, Jiri Lehecka's breakthrough and an Andrey Rublev vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime final. Then, he answers your comments, including: has Andrey Rublev peaked, how do players qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, how do I rank the top teenagers such as Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik, is play quality down in Madrid, how should Nadal increase his fitness, what are the new expectations for Casper Ruud, is Jannik Sinner ready to break through on clay and is Corentin Moutet entitled to coffee? 00:00 Intro 03:35 Madrid Overview 14:37 Rublev Peak 20:43 Olympic Qualification 25:55 Youngster Rankings 30:55 Showing Injuries 34:22 Madrid Play Quality 35:50 Rafa Fitness Plan 37:15 Ruud's Goals 44:50 Sinner Clay 46:25 Etcheverry Progress 48:43 Country Stereotypes 51:42 Moutet Denied Coffee Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

37-year old Rafael Nadal drew 16-year old Darwin Blanch in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open. Gill Gross breakdown and analysis... Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross previews the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open ATP 1000. The top-seed is Jannik Sinner looking for his first big clay title, Carlos Alcaraz is the back-to-back defending champion opposite the draw, Daniil Medvedev and two-time Madrid champion Alexander Zverev round off the top seeds. Rafael Nadal opens against Darwin Blanch. Novak Djokovic withdrew from the event. Gill gives his quarter-by-quarter preview with dark horses, upset alerts, popcorn matchups and predictions. 00:00 Intro 03:21 Sinner's Quarter 08:45 Medvedev's Quarter 16:20 Zverev's Quarter 21:30 Alcaraz's Quarter 29:20 Final Weekend Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On Monday Match Analysis, Gill covers Casper Ruud's breakthrough victory at the ATP 500 in Barcelona, where he reversed his previous result against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. We'll then move to Munich, where Jan-Lennard Struff beat Taylor Fritz for his first career title. Then, we'll take on Rafael Nadal's comeback effort in Barcelona, where he lost in the 2nd round to Alex De Minaur. Finally, Gill delivers the first intsallment of the 2024 French Open Power Rankings. 00:00 Intro 00:55 Ruud d. Tsitsipas 03:40 Ruud Aggression 12:10 Ruud Passing 16:13 Ruud Returning 18:26 Tsitsipas Performance 21:06 Struff d. Fritz Munich 27:30 Nadal in Barcelona 31:18 French Open Power Rankings Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

On the Coach' Mailbag, Thread of Order author Hugh Clark joins Gill Gross to answer your questions about professional technique and various tennis topics. We'll start by discussing Stefanos Tsitsipas's one-handed backhand in response to the recent video by Intuitive Tennis claiming it's "not bad." Comments include: an argument that Casper Ruud's big match struggles are technical not mental, is it true peaking Carlos Alcaraz better than peaking Jannik Sinner while average Sinner is better than average Alcaraz, should coaches and players focus on strengths instead of fixing weaknesses, why do Americans serve bigger on average, what are the changes Alcaraz is making to his serve technique, what we would do if we were tasked with coaching Novak Djokovic, and much much more. 00:00 Intro 03:56 Tsitsipas Backhand 10:40 Ruud Mental vs. Skill 18:28 Peak Alcaraz & Sinner 21:45 Sinner Easy Power 24:30 Focusing on Strengths 30:25 American Serves 33:05 Alcaraz Serve Technique 37:10 Weird ATP Forehands 40:09 Stop Double Faulting 43:38 Footwork Importance 46:41 Coaching Djokovic

On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross dissects Stefanos Tsitsipas’s commanding win over Casper Ruud in the 2024 Monte Carlo final. We’ll talk about how the event has shaped the narrative of Tsitsipas’s career, why Ruud should be upset with his performance, who’s forehand is better between the two, what to make of the Norwegian’s finals record and why, although it’s uncomfortable to acknowledge, a poor lines call possibly cost Jannik Sinner a spot in this championship match. 00:00 Intro 00:30 Tsitsipas Monte Carlo 04:22 2nd Serve Domination 13:10 8/8 Break Points 20:25 Tsitsipas Backhand 21:38 Forehand Comparison 24:18 Tsitsipas Patterns 26:16 Ruud Finals Record 30:45 Sinner Controversy Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

Gill Gross breaks down two high-billing quarterfinals from Friday's action at the Monte Carlo country club. Jannik Sinner faced Holger Rune in a rematch from last year's semifinal at the event. Plus, Novak Djokovic took on Alex De Minaur looking to reverse the result from this year's United Cup. At the end, we'll preview the semifinal lineup of Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic vs. Casper Ruud.