Rybakina’s revival — Would Elina Rybakina have beaten Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final had in-match coaching—a rule change I have always opposed—not been legalized? We’ll never know the answer to this counterfactual.

There is much to like, even love, so much about Victoria Moboko—her solid strokes, competitiveness, athleticism, physique, and powerful serves and groundstrokes. I’ve predicted the 19-year-old Canadian will win a Grand Slam singles title this year, but it won’t happen at the Australian Open.

“It doesn’t get any better than this” was a phrase of praise tennis broadcasters often used when the legendary Big Three enthralled us with their greatest matches in Grand Slam finals. We rightly thought that for 15 years, when their lengthy primes overlapped, and their rivalries peaked.

No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz — Even more spectacular as an athlete and shot-maker than the legendary Roger Federer, the Spanish superstar can improve his backhand even more, his shot selection to decrease errors, and his concentration to reduce mid-match lapses. A key stat: Alcaraz won only 61.5% of his tiebreakers, far below Jannik Sinner's Tour-leading 84.2%.