Making The Ban

Thank you all for your patience while we’ve been away! We’re back to recap all the tournaments we’ve missed – almost three weeks of them. Iga Swiatek wins her 23rd straight match by beating repeat runner-up Sabalenka in Stuttgart, while Carlos Alcaraz wins his 23rd match of the year, taking the Barcelona title from PCB. The biggest off-court story has been Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players, and the fallout from players, the WTA and ATP, and the larger political stakeholders.     2:55 Wimbledon acts unilaterally (shocking, I know!) and bans players from Russia and Belarus  22:20 Pam Shriver opens up about problematic and abusive relationships on tour  25:50 Not another wild card drama. I don't have it in me 33:00 Alcaraz falls into the lap of the ATP 40:30 Putting the comparisons between Carlos & Iga into context 46:55 All she does is win: 1ga still soaring  57:10 The core of Stefanos’ problem 61:25 Results carousel: Marrakech, Houston, Charleston, Bogota 65:30 Etceteras: WTA Finals, Gail Falkenberg; Kim & Tommy retire 68:40 Serena unfollows Patrick on IG & a word on Willow Pill