NADAL WINS AGAIN, HALEP DEFENDS IN MADRID

This Week In Tennis
​Season 2, Vol 16

​#ThisWeekInTennis recaps the tennis happenings of the last week via news reports, social media, featured articles, rankings, and podcasts.

Photo credit: Reuters

RUNDOWN

• Rafael Nadal continued his domination of the European clay season with his third successive title, this time in Madrid. He beat Fognini, Kyrgios, and Djokovic before taking out Dominic Thiem in a rematch of the Barcelona final. Nadal jumps to #4 in the world rankings and leads the pack in the Race to London standings.
• Simona Halep  defended her Madrid title, beating Kiki Mladenovic 7-5, 6-7, 6-2. Halep also vaults into the top 8 of the Road to Singapore standings.
• Dominic Thiem scored back-to-back finals appearances, in Barcelona and Madrid. Unfortunately for the world #7, he lost both matches in straight sets to Rafael Nadal. 
• Kristina Mladenovic reached her fourth final of 2017, losing in three sets to Simona Halep in Madrid. Mladenovic continues to grab headlines off the court too, once more opining on the Sharapova wild card situation.
• Roger Federer announced his withdrawal from Roland Garros. The current Australian Open champion said he intended to focus on his grass and hard-court preparation.
• Juan Monaco has retired from pro tennis. The 33-year-old Argentinian -- who had been troubled by injuries over the past few years -- retires with 9 titles and a career high ranking of number 10.
• Nick Kyrgios will be working part-time with former pro Sebastien Grosjean.
• Novak Djokovic lost in the Madrid semifinals to Rafael Nadal, 6-2, 6-4, against whom he had not lost since 2014. Djokovic recently overhauled his team, splitting with mentor Marian Vajda but retaining amor y paz "guru" Pepe Imaz.
• Maria Sharapova will not receive a wild card to play the French Open.
• Ilie Nastase, embattled since his disastrous display as Fed Cup captain last month, was invited to present the winner's trophy to Simona Halep in Madrid.  
• Francesca Schiavone took the high road in letting her fans know why she didn't enter Rome pre-qualifying. 

Celebrando con el equipo!! / Celebrating with the team!! #MadridOpen

A post shared by Rafa Nadal (@rafaelnadal) on May 14, 2017 at 1:45pm PDT

Still an amazing week & insane battle out there with @simonahalep congrats □□! Muchísimas gracias @mutuamadridopen! Thanks for all the ❤️ dear tennis fans! Merci pour tous vos messages □□

A post shared by Kristina Mladenovic (@kristinamladenovic93) on May 13, 2017 at 5:08pm PDT

Unfortunately, I won't be playing @rolandgarros this year. I'll miss my fans in France, but appreciate your support https://t.co/vRcb4SvQga

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) May 15, 2017

This video is for all you gambling Trolls out there. We have a good laugh at you guys. Thx for the entertainment :) https://t.co/45bTIAbNWC pic.twitter.com/qIZk2hePLu

— Vasek Pospisil (@VasekPospisil) May 11, 2017

Guys don't over think my quote.I just said what I said, different locker rooms and not much talk.That's it,don't create any hate around.pls https://t.co/6eIIxnktZs

— Svetlana Kuznetsova (@SvetlanaK27) May 10, 2017

Thanks to my TEAM for being by my side always. We did a great job together this week □ thanks D □□ @darren_cahill pic.twitter.com/kvOaI0ot3x

— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) May 14, 2017

pic.twitter.com/Rtpywk8iKt

— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) May 17, 2017

Guys, I know Roger pulled out of RG but don't worry. I'm gonna be there. Thanks for the support.

— Bruno Soares (@BrunoSoares82) May 15, 2017

Dear friends and fans, I have an announcement for you pic.twitter.com/ZIfi8AY45z

— Juan Monaco (@picomonaco) May 15, 2017

Happy 24th, to the sneakiest and most annoying dropshoter out there□ oh and my best friend too❤ #proudofyou #onfire□ @KikiMladenovic pic.twitter.com/TpnPq6YYSQ

— Belinda Bencic (@BelindaBencic) May 14, 2017

​​
RANKINGS WATCH

• ATP:  Nadal (+1 to #4), Thiem (+2 to #7), Dimitrov (+1 to #11),  A. Zverev (+2 to #17), Kyrgios (+2 to #18), Cuevas (+4 to #23), Coric (+18 to #41), Harrison (+5 to #42), Paire (+8 to #44), Khachanov (-12 to #54), Baghdatis (+7 to #57), Tiafoe (+14 to #65), Donaldson (+7 to #71), Herbert (+8 to #80)

​

• ​WTA​​: Kerber (+1 to #1), Halep (+4 to #4), Muguruza (-3 to #7), Radwanska (-2 to #9), Mladenovic (+3 to #14), Sevastova (+4 to #18), L. Davis (+6 to #27), Siegemund (+3 to #32), Bacsinszky (-6 to #34), Bouchard (+8 to #52), Cirstea (+16 to #67), Sharapova (+47 to #211)

​ON THE WEB
​
Respecting, but Disagreeing with, the Maria Sharapova Decision
The Look Ahead: Rome to Reveal WTA's Short List of Paris Contenders
Rafa Nadal and Simona Halep Surfed the Waves of Self-Belief in Madrid
Limbo of Sharapova and Djokovic adds intrigue to grand slam summer
What's Happened to Novak Djokovic?
​Sporting Life: Maria Sharapova deserves a second chance but must use it well
​Federer to skip French Open, focus on grass, hard courts
Police Officer Who Manhandled Tennis Star James Blake Avoids Trial
Eugenie Bouchard, a Critic of Maria Sharapova's, Defeats Her in Madrid
Grigor Dimitrov And Dominic Thiem Played The Best Tennis Of The Week And It Was Infuriating
​Shutting Sharapova out of the French Open could create future headaches
​“There’s almost no journalism in tennis,” but the print quarterly Racquet is trying to change that

PODCASTS

​The Body Serve - ​The Good, The Bad & The Ugly 
The Main Draw - Maria, Maria
​Beyond The Baseline - ​Catching up with former ATP player Brian Vahaly
Realz Tenis Fanz - It's a DjokoLife
​Realz Tenis Fanz - ​Rafael Nadal - The Return of the King of Clay​
​The Tennis Podcast - Agassi, Sampras, Wilander? Who Does Novak Djokovic Need As His Next Coach?
​WTA Insider - 2017 Mutua Madrid Open
Lucky Loser Tennis Podcast - Muguruza, Are You Sure?
Tennis With An Accent - Guest Speaker Johan Kriek on Federer's Withdrawal....
Thirty Love - Nick Lester
Tennis Connected - ​Previewing the 2017 Italian Open