Elena Rybakina to announce new coach following Stefano Vukov saga, Rafael Nadal to win Six Kings Slam? 3 predictions for tennis this week
All eyes will be on Rafael Nadal this week, who will compete in the penultimate tournament of his career. He is in Saudi Arabia for the Six Kings Slam, an exhibition event, which will be held from October 16-19.
Nadal recently announced his retirement, and he will bid farewell at the Davis Cup Finals in Spain next month. Other tour events continue as usual this week, with a total of five tournaments across the ATP and WTA Tours.
While the men are still fighting for the remaining spots at the ATP Finals, the field for the WTA Finals is set. The battle for the last spot came down to Zheng Qinwen and Emma Navarro but the latter withdrew from the Ningbo Open, which sealed the deal for the former.
With the dawn of another week of tennis, here are a few predictions on what could possibly unfold over the next few days:
#1 - Elena Rybakina teams up with a new coach ahead of the WTA Finals
Rybakina's split with long-time coach Stefano Vukov raised quite a few eyebrows, mainly due to the information that came to light after the incident. The Kazakh's ill-health and injuries caused her to miss quite a few tournaments this year.
Rybakina parted ways with Vukov ahead of the US Open and later withdrew from the season's last Major after winning her first-round match. She then announced her decision to skip the entire Asian swing to recuperate from a back injury.
The former Wimbledon champion's absence was also attributed to Vukov, who allegedly put her under immense pressure behind the scenes. This led to a decline in her physical health as well.
Despite missing some big tournaments this year, Rybakina has qualified for the WTA Finals for the second year in a row. She does intend to compete there for now, and she certainly won't make an appearance there without a coach given the quality of the field. With that in mind, she's likely to find Vukov's replacement as soon as possible.
Rafael Nadal triumphs at the Six Kings Slam
Nadal will face some stiff competition at the Six Kings Slam given the tournament has also roped in five of the best players in the world. Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune will also partake in the exhibition event alongside the Spaniard.
Nadal has received a bye into the semifinals, where he will meet the winner of the match between Alcaraz and Rune. A win over either of the youngsters will pit him against Djokovic, Sinner, or Medvedev in the final.
Walking away with the title, even if it is an exhibition event, would be quite the sendoff for Nadal. However, given the loaded draw here, a trophy here would definitely mean a lot. He came quite close to winning one a few months ago but lost to Nuno Borges in the final of the Swedish Open.
Given his form and how the rest of the field is playing at the moment, a win for Nadal does seem like a long shot. However, a legend like him does deserve a fairytale ending, and an individual title would be quite fitting.
#3 - Frances Tiafoe wins his first title of the season
Tiafoe had an uneventful first half of the season, with a runner-up finish to Ben Shelton in Houston being the sole highlight. There was an uptick in his form during the North American hardcourt swing.
Tiafoe advanced to the biggest final of his career at the Cincinnati Open and lost to Sinner in straight sets. He then reached the semifinals of the US Open for the second time and went down to compatriot Taylor Fritz in five sets.
The Asian swing has been rather disappointing for him, with only one win across two tournaments so far. Tiafoe is now competing at the Almaty Open, where he is the top seed. He received a bye into the second round, where he will face Dan Evans.
Tiafoe's path to the title includes a potential date with Adrian Mannarino in the quarterfinals, Karen Khachanov or Tomas Machac in the semifinals, and Alejandro Tabilo in the final.
The American's form has been quite inconsistent but he has shown the potential to challenge the top guns when he's on fire. If he's able to summon his very best once again, then he could certainly claim his first title of the season here.