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.

On Monday Match analysis, Gill Gross talks Ben Shelton’s title in Houston, Matteo Berrettini’s win in Marrakech and previews the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters quarter-by-quarter. First, we’ll discuss how Berrettini breaks the conventional wisdom of needing matches to play well, and we’ll analyze why he has three titles on grass and clay, but none on hard court. Then, we’ll cover how Shelton is the closest thing there currently is to Rafael Nadal (forehand!) and talk about the improvements he is quickly making. We’ll get a quick word in on Estoril and Hubert Hurkacz before going to the Monte Carlo preview. Novak Djokovic is the top seed, followed by Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. 00:00 Intro 01:00 Berrettini Marrakech 08:56 Shelton Houston 24:15 Hurkacz Estoril 26:25 Monte Carlo 27:23 Djokovic Q 34:47 Alcaraz Q 40:03 Medvedev Q 43:45 Sinner Q 48:50 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 the Mailbag, Gill Gross unpacks Novak Djokovic’s split with Goran Ivanisevic, including the media coverage, the reasons for the breakup, who might be next and what value that person should bring to the 24-time major champion. We’ll answer your comments, including: how do we rank events in order of court speed, why Nuno Borges got robbed in Estoril, why Iga Swiatek can struggle against relentless power aggression, how Jannik Sinner will fare on clay, will Medvedev overcome his limitations, has Stefanos Tsitsipas’s forehand declined, what are the ideal surface speeds, can stats help explain errors, what to make of Dominic Thiem’s admission that his wrist still limits his power? 00:00 Intro 00:30 Djokovic x Ivanisevic 10:30 Novak’s Next Coach 18:09 Court Speed Tiers 22:33 Borges Robbery 28:50 Swiatek vs. Power 43:37 Sinner on Clay 38:40 Medvedev’s Limitations 45:08 Sinner vs. Alcaraz Movement 48:35 Tsitsipas Struggles 51:50 Ideal Surfaces 55:58 Explaining Errors 1:00:13 Thiem’s Quote Things I forgot to say… Regarding punishment for umpire mistakes; their performance is constantly being evaluated, so the punishment generally comes in the form of doing smaller matches. Regarding Tsitsipas’s first serve percentage; I am still perplexed by his desire to experiment with the pinpoint footwork given the effectiveness of his serve relative to other areas of his game. Subscribe to The Draw: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

Note to audio listeners: 6:25 to 19:29 is pretty heavy on visuals; I try to describe what I'm showing as much as possible, but if you wish to skip that part my analysis shifts away from film study thereafter. On Monday Match Analysis, Gill breaks down Jannik Sinner's dominant 2024 Miami Open performance. The Italian took over the #2 ranking with a 6-3 6-1 win over Grigor Dimitrov in the final. We'll cover why Sinner is on a path to number one, how his defense left Dimitrov without answers and what his strategy was in baseline rallies and on serve. We'll also both finalists performance as a whole. 00:00 Intro 03:05 The Draw 04:05 Dimitrov's Chance 6:25 Sinner's Defense = Breaks 19:29 Finding Dimitrov's Backhand 21:35 Sinner Serve Strategy 24:40 Performance Conclusions Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe

Top-seed Carlos Alcaraz looked to keep his Sunshine Double chances alive facing Grigor Dimitrov in the 2024 Miami Open quarterfinals. Gill Gross breaks down that result, and previews the semifinals featuring Alexander Zverev and a AO Final rematch of Daniil Medvedev vs. Jannik Sinner. 00:00 Intro 00:25 Alcaraz vs. Dimitrov 17:40 ? vs. Zverev 22:50 Sinner vs. Medvedev

On The Mailbag, Gill Gross answers your comments, including: rating the WTA's one-slam winners of the last decade, my favorite matchups on tour, what could separate Carlos Alcaraz from Jannik Sinner long-term, why is Serena Williams considered the GOAT when Steffi Graf has statistical advantages, what improvements has Daniil Medvedev made this year, how do Alcaraz and Sinner stack up on clay, what is the potential of TopSpin SK25 the video game, how players manage themselves during rain delays, why my old videos are deleted, why is Dominic Thiem still struggling, how will the proposed Super Tour effect lower ranked players, should catching tosses be legal, why am I wearing a hat? 00:00 Intro 1:15 WTA 1-Slam Winners 8:15 Favorite Matchups 13:35 Alcaraz Advantages vs. Sinner 21:00 Serena vs. Steffi 25:25 Medvedev Adjustments 29:05 Alcaraz vs. Sinner Clay 33:35 TopSpin SK25 38:17 Rain Delay Management 41:40 Old Videos 43:45 Dominic Thiem 49:31 SuperTour Effects 54:45 Catching Tosses 57:15 The Hat

With Novak Djokovic’s uncharacteristically sloppy performances against Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open and Luca Nardi at Indian Wells, it is time to take stock of his future. He is, after all, 36 years old. Is Djokovic in decline? While it won’t take long to get an answer, Gill Gross argues it’s still far too soon to know for sure.

On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross gives his quarter-by-quarter predictions for the 2024 Miami Open, featuring upset alerts, dark horses and popcorn matchups. Defending champion Daniil Medvedev, Indian Wells champion Carlos Alcaraz and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner are deserved top-3 seeds. Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud are among the many looking to break the mold. 00:00 Intro 01:30 Alcaraz Q 08:52 Zverev Q 15:05 Medvedev Q 21:12 Sinner Q 28:00 Final Weekend

On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross discusses Carlos Alcaraz's massive week at Indian Wells. How he found found his best tennis to snap Jannik Sinner's 19-match win streak and then beat Daniil Medvedev in the final for his first title since Wimbledon. We'll also cover takeaways from the Phoenix Challenger and Gill will share his personal experience in commentating it. 00:00 Intro 01:15 Alcaraz Improvements 05:52 Alcaraz d. Sinner 15:45 Alcaraz-Medvedev Serving 18:50 1st Set Tiebreak 22:00 2nd Set 24:18 Alcaraz FH Stats 28:56 Phoenix Takeaways 40:08 Commentary

On this week's Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross goes over some high-profile Sunday matches at Indian Wells. Carlos Alcaraz had no trouble defeating former #6 Felix Auger-Aliassime. Jannik Sinner blitzed past Jan-Lennard Struff. Andrey Rublev was overpowered by a redlining Jiri Lehecka. Gill explains his tweet about Coco Gauff's deciding set impressiveness. 00:00 Intro 03:30 Alcaraz d. FAA 22:40 Sinner d. Struff 27:33 Lehecka d. Rublev 33:05 Deciding Set Stats

On this week's Mailbag, Gill Gross reacts to the cancellation of Netflix's tennis docuseries Break Point and dissects the Simona Halep ruling that paves the way for her return to tennis, before answering your comments: should Rafael Nadal have withdrawn from Indian Wells earlier, are the courts in Palm Springs faster this year, why do Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev have very different feeling towards clay despite their similar styles, did the ATP admit that Andrey Rublev shouldn't have been defaulted, why are Holger Rune's indoor HC results so much better than outdoor, what would Gill do as commissioner of tennis, how has Alex de Minaur improved and what would it take for Gill to cover more doubles. 00:00 Intro 01:22 Break Point 04:50 Halep Ruling 16:10 Nadal Withdrawal 25:48 Indian Wells Courtspeed 29:27 Medvedev vs. Zverev Clay 32:00 Matteo Arnaldi 35:42 Rublev's Appeal 42:10 Rune Outdoor HC 45:15 Commissioner of Tennis 49:50 Alex De Minaur 52:58 Doubles Analysis

On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross previews Indian Wells with quarter-by-quarter predictions, dark horses, upset alerts and popcorn matchups. Top-seed Novak Djokovic returns to the California desert for the first time since 2019, two-seed Carlos Alcaraz defends his title, three-seed Jannik Sinner looks to stay perfect this season and four-seed Daniil Medvedev is the reigning finalist. Rafael Nadal returns from injury against longtime adversary Milos Raonic. After the final weekend prediction, we’ll chat with Tennis Channel analyst Nico Pereira to debrief on the Golden Swing of South America. We discuss the Cinderella runs, Sebastian Baez’s growing collection of titles and the calendar trends that could affect tennis in South America. Lastly, Nico explains how the Players Council works. CORRECTION: Baez has won six titles, not five as stated. 00:00 Intro 02:30 Djokovic Quarter 12:03 Medvedev Quarter 22:12 Sinner Quarter 30:40 Alcaraz Quarter 36:27 Final Weekend 39:18 Nico on Golden Swing 42:52 Calendar Changes 49:27 Sebastian Baez 54:37 Players Council

On this week's Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross recaps his experience going to Las Vegas for the first ever Netflix Slam with Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. We'll start by going over the match itself and why just the two taking the court was a victory. Then we'll get into the roadtrip to Vegas, the city itself, hotels, gambling and all the sort. As we transition to Sunday, Gill talks about his experience inside the arena. Lastly, we'll cover the long-term viability of this event as an annual exhibition. 00:00 Intro 01:40 Match Analysis 17:55 Vegas & Day Before 26:18 Match Experience 30:25 Netflix Slam Future

Gill Gross answers your comments, including: is Frances Tiafoe correct that tennis is the hardest sport in the world, can Daniil Medvedev repeat last year's Sunshine Double success, why do Czech Republic and Russia produce so many stars, should there be a January Masters 1000, has Medvedev's career already been a success, what can Gilles Simon add to Medvedev's team, how can lower ranked players earn a better living in tennis, are sparse crowds in Middle East tournaments a problem, why have Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka's nerve management gotten worse with age, why has Lorenzo Musetti struggled recently, should Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu be taking wildcards and who is most likely to win the Sunshine Double?

On this week's Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross breaks down Jordan Thompson's Los Cabos win over Casper Ruud to win his first career title and Karen Khachanov's takedown of 18-year old Jakub Mensik. First we'll open with some quick takes on Sebastian Baez winning his first 500 in Rio. We'll try to unpack Thompson's late career improvements before going to the film to analyze the tactic that he used to beat Ruud on so many big points. We'll also address the positive elements to Ruud's baseline game, including his backhand. Then we'll get into Khachanov's performance against Mensik, plus deep dive into the crucial 1st set tiebreak. Finally, Gill explains why Mensik is his new favorite prospect on tour. 00:00 Intro 00:45 Baez Wins Rio 03:25 Thompson Overview 07:24 Thompson-Ruud Analysis 25:55 Khachanov d. Mensik 34:50 Mensik Monologue

On this week's Mailbag, Gill Gross is joined by Abigail Johnson to answer your comments. First, we'll discuss the breakout weeks for teenagers Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca. We'll react to Holger Rune reuniting with Patrick Mouratoglou as head coach. Then it's to the comment section: how can Jannik Sinner be defeated, why is Andy Murray slumping, are tennis players becoming robotic, can serve and volley make a comeback, why is Lorenzo Musetti struggling, should something be done about Andrey Rublev's self-harm habit, Botic Van de Zandschulp's code violation, singles players ruining doubles draws and Emma Raducanu discourse. 00:00 Intro 04:40 NewGen 23:45 Rune & Mouratoglou 26:55 Jannik Sinner 37:50 Andy Murray 46:20 Robotic Tennis 51:15 Serve & Volley 55:40 Lorenzo Musetti 59:20 Rublev Self-Harm 1:07:40 Botic Code Violation 1:09:50 Doubles Withdrawals 1:14:30 Emma Raducanu

On this week's Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross reacts to next week's historic ATP Rankings revelation. Stefanos Tsitsipas's drop to #11 means there will be no one-handed backhands in the top-10. Is this just a moment in history, or is it the start of a non-reversing trend? Then, we'll cover Jannik Sinner's straight set win over Alex De Minaur in Rotterdam, which preserves the Italian's undefeated 2024 record. Finally we'll go to Rotterdam, where Facundo Diaz Acosta became a first-time champion and Carlos Alcaraz took a loss to Nicolas Jarry, extending his title drought. 00:00 Intro 00:55 One-Handed BHs 07:25 Sinner d. De Minaur 16:19 Facundo Diaz Acosta 17:55 Jarry d. Alcaraz

On this week's Mailbag, Gill is joined by Coach Jonathan Stokke, a former Duke player and host of the Baseline Intelligence Podcast. We answer your comments including: is there a place for the one-handed backhand in the modern game, can a player who hits two forehands like Teodor Davidov have success in the pros, why are you losing matches even though you hit the ball better than your opponent, should players be taught to slide on hardcourt, what are the pros and cons of training with a ball machine, is Daniil Medvedev's technique as unorthodox as everyone says, where does a player get power from, how do elite pros still have weak parts of their game, should more players hit slice for their 2nd serve? 00:00 Intro 03:00 One-Handed BHs 8:30 Two Forehands 12:40 Winning Matches 19:55 Sliding on Hard 23:43 Ball Machine Training 29:07 Medvedev's Technique 35:08 The Source of Power 41:20 Elite Player Weaknesses 46:25 Slice 2nd Serves

On this week’s Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross dives into the championship Sunday action in Marseille, where Ugo Humbert beat Grigor Dimitrov, and Dallas, where Tommy Paul took out Marcos Giron. We’ll talk about what it means that Humbert is top-10 in ELO and how he bothered Dimitrov tactically. We’ll discuss Paul’s elite court coverage and how he’s trying to close the gap to the top-10. Finally, we’ll cover a surprising title run for Cordoba qualifier Luciano Darderi. 00:00 Intro 00:45 Humbert Marseille 18:00 Paul Dallas 29:33 Darderi Cordoba

On this week's Mailbag, Gill gets you caught up on his time off, including an experience at PGA Golf's Waste Management Open, before answering your comments: what to make of Holger Rune splitting with coaches Boris Becker and Sevrin Luthi, how tennis should handle Saudi Arabian involvement as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune agree to an exhibition in Riyadh, takeaways from Alexander Bublik's Montpellier title, explaining variance in hard court speed, Jessica Pegula's breakup with Coach David Witt, the ATP Reality Show, Andy Roddick's "served" podcast and much more. 00:00 Intro 00:58 Gill’s Vacation 05:40 Rune Coaching 20:17 Saudi Exhibition 37:48 Bublik Montpellier 42:33 Court Speed Explainer 43:50 Top 10 Hardcourt Prefs 45:37 Pegula Splits w Witt 47:50 Sinner Rest of Year 49:28 Talent Maximizing 54:00 ATP Reality Show 57:15 Roddick on Alcaraz 59:50 Cerundolo Struggles 1:00:44 Roddick Pod 1:02:58 Active Tennis Viewing