Weekend Tennis Roundup

Novak Djokovic cleaned up in Paris, while the women battled the rain in Cancun. (Final later today.) Full report plus all the ATP beef that's fit to pub BELOW.

For another look at Juan Betancourt, keep scrolling down.

After a trio of three-set battles to reach the final at the Paris Masters, Novak Djokovic carved a more straightforward path to victory Sunday when he eased past Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 to claim a record-extending seventh title at the ATP Masters 1000 event. 

With the win, the Serbian became the first player to win 40 Masters 1000 crowns. 

The lineup for the year-end championships in Turin is now official, and is notable because out from last year are Nadal, Ruud, Felix and Fritz. In this year but not last are Sinner, Rune, Zverev and Alcaraz, who missed last year because of injury. 

The thrill of victory

Santiago González and Édouard Roger-Vasselin defeated Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden in the final, 6–2, 5–7, [10–7] to win the doubles crown.

 

The agony of defeat 

Dole voguing with the ball kids 

Iga Swiatek will reclaim the No. 1 ranking with a win in Cancun, where all the WTA players' grievances came to a head. Read HERE.

UPDATE: 

Chris Evert presents the Billie Jean King Trophy to Iga, who is also the Chris Evert World No. 1 trophy winner for 2023.

Swiatek pummeled the American heiress, 1 and 0, and will again finish the year No. 1, having won Roland Garros, Poland, China, Stuttgart and Qatar to Sabalenka's Aussie Open, Adelaide and Madrid, as well as being runner-up at the U.S. Open.

The WTA wrote at the beginning of the week:

Little did we know, at the 1975 #WTAFinals in Los Angeles, just quite how legendary @billiejeanking, @chrissieevert and @martinanavratilova would become.

This week in Cancun, the singles champion will receive the Billie Jean King Trophy, the doubles winners will collect the Martina Navratilova Doubles Trophy, and bragging rights for the Chris Evert World No.1 Trophy are also on the line.

#WTA50 #JustStarting

The men are in Metz (France) this week, where Stan Wawrinka reported for media duty

You're going to be hearing a lot more about Miles Bugby now that I've DISCOVERED HIM

No flukes this year, which is a win for men's tennis

J.J. Wolf reminds me that Cincinnati really is basically Kentucky. Yikes.

A lot of nice tributes pouring in for Peter Gojowczyk, who retired over the weekend. The good-looking German reached a career high of No. 39 in 2018. 

Read HERE.

Thanasi Kokkinakis knows how to tease the camera

Casper Ruud is all legs

Jack Draper decided to skip Paris in favor of a Challenger, and came up a winner against David Goffin in Bergamo, his first title of any kind this injury-plagued year

Team Draper 

Ryan Harrison in Seville

MAGA pinup 

Kathy Rinaldi can't keep her hands off -- and who could blame her?

Federico Coria never misses a photo-op with a hunk

Antoine Bellier edged Maximilian Marterer in the Ismaning Challenger in Germany

Hendrik Jebens reached the final in Ismaning with fellow German Constantin Frantzen

Robert Cardenas likes movies about gladiators 

Backpacking with Adam Jones 

Wake Forest tennis seems to be where it's at

Has Andy Seppi's retirement taken a dark turn? lol

Vasek Pospisil and one lucky man

Tim van Rijthoven can drive my car, baby 

Beginning to wonder if Denis Shapovalov is heading into Raonic-land

How do I get in a hot tub with Liam Broady & Co.?

On the road with Albano Olivetti 

Pretty boy Zlatan Dzumhur

Certainly looks optimal to me

Why didn't Max Neuchrist and Lenny Hampel ever offer to babysit me

Drivin' on 9? Christian Harrison and Cesar Ramirez 

What does Fabien Reboul have in store for 2024? 

Is Alexander Blockx the next big thing? 

Great year for Hubert Hurkacz

Gun show: Roberto Carballés Baena 

Cristian Garin

Juan Betancourt takes his wife beater out for spin -- what was Paula Badosa thinking????

Karen Khachanov was looking great in Paris, where he achieved his greatest win back in 2018 over Djokovic 

Look sharp: Andrey Rublev has surpassed $20 million in career prize money after his semifinal showing in Paris, making him the 30th man in ATP history to reach that career prize money milestone.

And last but not least: What did we think of Tommy Paul's full-on beard?