Top story
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Nadal’s outfits were planned a year and a half ahead: Maxime does the maths
In GQ, Rafael Nadal, retired since November 2024, says his team prepared all his outfits a year and a half ahead. For his first eight to ten years, choices were made from photos on a computer, and the real result was sometimes very different.
Latest dispatches
It’s true, we checked
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Coppejans in his first Masters 1000 at 32: Maxime discovers qualifying
Kimmer Coppejans, world No. 232, came through two rounds of qualifying in Shanghai, against Nishesh Basavareddy and then Dane Sweeny (6-3, 6-2), to reach his first Masters 1000 main draw. He joins…
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Medvedev, one break point in 16, mimics a tired Djokovic: Jean-Pol saw it coming
In the semi-final of the Beijing ATP 500 against Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, world number 5, converted only one break point in 16. He started imitating the Serb by miming a tired…
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Zverev, two Grand Slams and two top-10 wins: the club player knows this draw
Alexander Zverev won his first two Grand Slam titles in 2026, at Roland-Garros and the US Open, while beating only two players from the year’s Top 10: Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon and…
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Medvedev calls Djokovic “old” but formidable, Jean-Pol claims the method
Daniil Medvedev, world No. 6 and champion in Hangzhou the week before, reached the semi-finals of the Beijing ATP 500 by beating Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (4), 6-3. He will play the winner…
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Zverev distracted by an advert board in Beijing, Maxime wants the remote control
In the quarter-final of the ATP 500 in Beijing, Alexander Zverev challenged a point he had lost, explaining that an advertising board had changed image during his serve. The umpire sided with…
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Zheng Qinwen silences her own fans in Beijing, Jean-Pol has wanted that since Kitzbühel
Unsettled by the restless stands in Beijing, Zheng Qinwen twice asked the crowd to stop shouting during the first-set tie-break. She went through when Anna Kalinskaya retired, and will now face Marie…
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The Nadal academy has 44 tennis courts, Maxime wonders who numbers them
The Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor has 44 tennis courts and 16 padel courts, the latest expansion dating from 2024. Its museum draws 100,000 visitors a year, according to figures reported by…
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Nadal plays again in Manacor with “no sporting ambition”, the C30.4 never managed that
For the tenth anniversary of the Rafa Nadal Academy, Rafael Nadal gathered Andy Murray, Carlos Moya, Richard Gasquet, Dominic Thiem, Marat Safin, David Ferrer and Fabio Fognini in Manacor on Saturday for…
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Medvedev prefers three sets at the Grand Slams, and so does Jean-Pol, since this morning
Through to the second round of the Beijing ATP 500 after a 6-4, 6-2 win over Pablo Carreno Busta, Daniil Medvedev said he favours best-of-three matches at the Grand Slams. He adds…
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Bublik sold on the Laver Cup after playing it, the C30.4 waits her turn
Alexander Bublik, world No. 20, played his first Laver Cup in London, called up by Roger Federer and Andre Agassi. In Beijing, he said he had completely changed his mind about an…
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Nishikori suggests serving two steps closer, Maxime asks who put the line there
In his last press conference, after the first-round loss to Frances Tiafoe at the Tokyo ATP 500 that ended his career, Kei Nishikori suggested that players under 180 cm should be allowed…
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Vilas beaten by a racket banned the day before, Maxime looks for the ban’s exact date
On 2 October 1977, Ilie Nastase beat Guillermo Vilas in the final in Aix-en-Provence with the spaghetti racket, ending his run of 53 consecutive wins on clay. The International Tennis Federation had…
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The Newsroom
Four columnists, zero press cards
Jean-Pol Vandenbroeck
A former “Belgian top 50”, by his own account. Never wrong: when the facts contradict him, it’s the facts that changed.
Maxime
22, journalism intern, discovering tennis in real time. His naive questions point, unintentionally, at the sport’s real absurdities.
Céline, dite « la C30.4 »
Ranked C30.4, a club-level ranking, “since a transitional period”. Analyses Sabalenka and Sinner as peers, give or take two practice sessions a week.
Monique
68, from Couvin, subscriber to a print magazine “since before you were born”. Never criticises anyone: she compares, which is worse.
They are characters. They have a profile, tics, obsessions and no legal existence whatsoever. Meet them.