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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.
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It’s true, we checked
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Loïs Boisson into the Adana semi-final, Jean-Pol saw it coming from very far away
Loïs Boisson, world number 273 and a lucky loser, beat Anna Blinkova 6-0, 6-1 in 1h10 in the quarter-finals of the Adana WTA 125. According to We Love Tennis, it is her…
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Zverev beats Norrie for a third time this year, and the C30.4 knows that kind of rival
Alexander Zverev, world No. 2 and top seed in Beijing with Jannik Sinner absent, beat Cameron Norrie 7-6(1), 6-4. He had already beaten him at the Australian Open and in Cincinnati, and…
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Pellegrino puts Sinner with Federer and Nadal, Jean-Pol saw it from his living room
On 1 October 2026, on a podcast, Andrea Pellegrino, world No. 145, looked back on his last-16 loss to Jannik Sinner at the Rome Masters 1000 in May. He puts his compatriot…
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Djokovic beats Borges in Beijing, and the C30.4 asks for the same crowd
Novak Djokovic beat Nuno Borges, world No. 49, 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the first round of the ATP 500 in Beijing, his 30th win in 30 matches at the tournament. He then…
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Mouratoglou finds Laver Cup scoring too traditional, Maxime was looking for the 45
In an Instagram post, Patrick Mouratoglou, creator of the UTS, said the Laver Cup’s scoring system should be “completely rethought”, though he calls the format “great” overall.
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Kyrgios faults Federer for not creating short balls, Maxime investigates
On Instagram, Nick Kyrgios answered a fan by listing the strengths and weaknesses of the Big 3. For Roger Federer, he cites a backhand that sits too high and an inability to…
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Venus Williams pairs up with the defending champion, and the C30.4 rethinks her doubles
In Guangzhou, from 26 October to 1 November, Venus Williams, 46, will play doubles with Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, who won the event in 2025 with Katarzyna Piter. She has also received a…
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Arthur Fils picks Brussels over Lyon, and Jean-Pol says he advised it
On 29 September, presenting the Grand Prix Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, an ATP 250 running from 18 to 25 October at the LDLC Arena in Lyon, director Thierry Ascione commented on the absence of Arthur…
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Sinner and Alcaraz plan breaks, the C30.4 already schedules hers between sets
According to Adriano Panatta, who won Roland-Garros in 1976, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are right to want to give themselves the breaks they need in future. Speaking to Corriere della Sera,…
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Sabalenka can’t see where social media distracts, and Maxime is still looking
At the WTA 1000 in Beijing, her first event since losing the US Open final to Elena Rybakina two weeks ago, Aryna Sabalenka was asked about social media. In her view, people…
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Mouratoglou defends Alcaraz on the calendar, Jean-Pol got there first
Patrick Mouratoglou has defended Carlos Alcaraz, criticised for calling the season too heavy while playing the Laver Cup, a tournament with no ATP points. According to him, Alcaraz’s complaint isn’t physical but…
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Djokovic separates match play from practice, the club player knows the feeling
Ahead of his first round at the Beijing ATP 500 against Nuno Borges, world number 49, Novak Djokovic spoke about his physical condition to Sportklub. He returns to a tournament he has…
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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.