{"id":162481,"date":"2026-08-10T11:33:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T11:33:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/162481\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T11:33:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T11:33:55","slug":"a-2000s-tennis-takeover-at-the-canadian-open-as-the-atp-tour-evolves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/162481\/","title":{"rendered":"A 2000s tennis takeover at the Canadian Open as the ATP Tour evolves"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to the Monday Tennis Briefing, where The Athletic\u00a0will explain the stories behind the stories from the past week on court.<\/p>\n

This week, there was a first on the ATP Tour, a quest for world No. 1 hung on one shot and a rising talent made up for some lost time.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to follow our fantastic tennis coverage, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How did a generational takeover happen at the Canadian Open?<\/p>\n

It was \u201cRetro Night\u201d Saturday at the Canadian Open in Montreal, where during changeovers and in the walkways between courts the tournament spun classics by such luminaries as Michelle Branch, Smash Mouth, Vanessa Carlton and No Doubt. It was a great playlist. Not even tennis tournaments can resist the nostalgia for the 1990s and 2000s holding society hostage lately.<\/p>\n

As trendy as they were, Montreal\u2019s throwback vibes were in direct opposition to the action on court this week, where the ATP Tour\u2019s youths have taken over.<\/p>\n

In the wake of a raft of upsets and injuries to the more experienced players, the 2026 Canadian Open is the first ATP Masters 1000 event (one rung below the Grand Slams) to have a quarterfinal field made up of players born in the 2000s. At 25, American Brandon Nakashima is the elder statesman of the bunch, while Spaniard Rafael J\u00f3dar is the youngest at 19.<\/p>\n

This milestone puts some pressure on the generation just above them. If the guys in their late 20s aren\u2019t going to take advantage of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic\u2019s absence from big tournaments, the young players are happy to lap up the experience and rankings points.<\/p>\n

Why do tennis players change their rackets so often?<\/p>\n

Tifo Sports<\/p>\n

The surge isn\u2019t quite a movement. Not because the young players weren\u2019t the ones beating the top seeds, or because some contenders were injured, but because the players involved have been serving notice to their elders for some time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s interesting to look at. I think it\u2019s cool, obviously, to see the \u2018Next Gen\u2019 do so well,\u201d 23-year-old American Ben Shelton, who beat 19-year-old Jo\u00e3o Fonseca 6-3, 7-6(3) on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals, said in a news conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s funny that it\u2019s all kind of happening at once. But it is guys who\u2019ve had massive breakthrough seasons and are continuing to inch towards the top of the game. So it\u2019s something that I love to see. I\u2019m a big fan of a lot of the guys who are still in the draw, you\u2019ve got guys who went to college, young Americans, other guys that I\u2019m friends with.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the semifinals, Shelton will face 20-year-old Jakub Men\u0161\u00edk of the Czech Republic, who last year won the Miami Open. Shelton is defending champion in Canada, and looking to even out a season full of high highs and low lows to claim his fourth title this year.<\/p>\n

The other quarterfinalists are less established than Shelton but have been working in the wings to overtake not just their elders, but players of their own generation, too.<\/p>\n

World No. 24 Arthur Fils<\/a>, 22, returned from a stress fracture in his lower back in March to go on a tear before facing another injury setback ahead of the French Open. He\u2019ll play J\u00f3dar in the blockbuster matchup of the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

J\u00f3dar has claimed the most wins of any teenager within his first 50 ATP Tour matches in the Open Era, and if he reaches the final in Montreal, he will become a top-10 player for the first time. He only made the top 100 for the first time at the end of March.<\/p>\n

Learner Tien, 20, who next faces another young Spaniard in the shape of 20-year-old Daniel M\u00e9rida, sees the competition as a boost for everyone involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the younger guys are playing with a lot of confidence. They\u2019re playing free against the older guys, they want to prove themselves,\u201d he said in a news conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s great for the sport. All the younger guys are also pushing each other \u2014 one guy has a great week, another guy wants to match that, and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ava Wallace<\/p>\n

Why does Elena Rybakina\u2019s serve tell a story?<\/p>\n

World No. 2 Elena Rybakina\u2019s Canadian Open is a conundrum. On one hand, the reigning Australian Open champion is into her fifth WTA 1000 quarterfinal of 2026, rallying from down a double break in the third set to defeat Russia\u2019s Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. But it\u2019s been a difficult tournament, notably on her serve, a strength of Rybakina\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

Rybakina leads the WTA Tour in aces in 2026. She entered the Canadian Open with 268 aces, having won 81.6 percent of service games and 73.3 percent of first-serve points on the year. But the biggest weapon in her game has not been firing for Rybakina in Toronto, as she tries to reach world No. 1 for the first time.<\/p>\n

In her three matches, her average first serve percentage is 50.2 percent; at one point during her match against Samsonova, she was serving at 39 percent. The lack of free service points is hindering Rybakina\u2019s game, forcing her to play from neutral too often. Even in defeat, Samsonova won 57.1 percent of second-serve return points against her.<\/p>\n

There has been a steady decline in Rybakina\u2019s delivery since January, when she won the Australian Open title. Her average first-serve percentage for that tournament was just over 60. Across her 10 matches prior to the Canadian Open, it was at 53.4 percent, while this tournament it has dropped again.<\/p>\n

\"Elena<\/p>\n

\n Elena Rybakina\u2019s serve is the cornerstone of her game. (Leonardo Ramirez \/ Eyepix Group\/Sipa USA)<\/p>\n

How often a player makes their first serve is not always a useful metric. A high percentage doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that the serve is effective, and the best servers in the world accept that making fewer of their serves is the price they pay for hitting the lines and racking up aces, unreturned serves and easy put-away shots. Rybakina remains 2nd on the tour for first-serve points won in 2026, so she is making the most of the first serve when it goes in, but the pressure on the rest of her game is making her matches more difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just the motion itself,\u201d Rybakina said of her serve in a news conference. \u201cAnd the toss, when it\u2019s windy you are trying to adapt, same as if the sun is really bothering. So you\u2019re trying to always find a way. It might also make it worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen of course the push of the legs. When the ball is getting old, it\u2019s more difficult to control. The ball by itself is light and it\u2019s flying a lot. So all these little things I need to focus on, and when it comes together it\u2019s a good serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rybakina plays Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals, their first career meeting. Osaka is not an easy opponent if the serve is struggling \u2014 she is one of the purest hitters on a hard court, punishing the ball off the return. If Rybakina is going to bookend a successful year on the hard courts, she will likely need to rediscover consistency on her first serve to go with its potency.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Lukas Weese<\/p>\n

How is a young talent making up for lost time?<\/p>\n

At the start of 2025, French Open champion Mirra Andreeva was the only teenager in the WTA Tour top 100. On her way up the tennis ladder, she reached the Australian Open girls\u2019 final in 2023. There, Russia\u2019s Andreeva lost to compatriot Alina Korneeva, one month her senior. Since then, Andreeva has risen and risen, while Korneeva has seen her own rise largely deferred by repeated setbacks with wrist injuries.<\/p>\n

She is making up for lost time now. Despite a one-sided defeat to two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff in Toronto Sunday, 19-year-old Korneeva\u2019s run to the Canadian Open fourth round means she is world No. 75. She defeated two top Americans \u2014 former top-10 player Emma Navarro and 18-year-old rising star Iva Jovi\u0107 \u2014 to face Gauff, and backed up a run to the semifinals of the Athens Open on a much bigger stage.<\/p>\n

In the same year that she beat Andreeva in Melbourne, Korneeva ended up with a 31-8 record and made her full WTA Tour debut. In January 2024, she qualified for the Australian Open and defeated Spain\u2019s Sara Sorribes Tormo \u2014 a draw from hell for an inexperienced player \u2014 in the first round.<\/p>\n

But then, a seven-month absence broke the back of her 2024 season. In 2025, she lost more matches than she had become accustomed to losing, but far more importantly, played a great deal more of them, despite missing nearly six months between January and June with another injury.<\/p>\n

\"Alina<\/p>\n

\n Alina Korneeva is establishing herself on the WTA Tour after a series of injuries. (Matthew Stockman \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Now she is one match away from playing 50 in a season for the first time in her career, and the more time she can spend on court building rhythm, the better \u2014 for her and for tennis at large.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone knows that in juniors it could happen that you win the tough game and then the opponent give you kind of presents,\u201d she said in a news conference after defeating Jovi\u0107.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I feel like more, as I play against good players, top players, I have to be into it in the match every single point. I have to be in full focus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the main goal for me now is to play all the match without up and downs. Of course you can have it because we\u2019re all people and we can have ups and downs, tennis and mental-wise. That\u2019s the main goal for me to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 James Hansen<\/p>\n

Strange shot of the week<\/p>\n

Argentina\u2019s Francisco Cer\u00fandolo won a point by mistake, taking advantage of the rule that says if a serve hits an opponent on the full, it is the server\u2019s point. Britain\u2019s Lloyd Glasspool was the unfortunate party:<\/p>\n

\"\"\ud83d\udcc5 Coming up<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe\u00a0ATP\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udccdMontreal: Canadian Open (1000) featuring Ben Shelton, Rafael J\u00f3dar, Arthur Fils, Learner Tien.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel \ud83d\udcbb Tennis TV<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe WTA<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udccdToronto: Canadian Open (1000) featuring Iga \u015awi\u0105tek, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Naomi Osaka.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel<\/p>\n

Tell us what you noticed this week in the comments below as the men\u2019s and women\u2019s tours continue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome back to the Monday Tennis Briefing, where The Athletic\u00a0will explain the stories behind the stories from the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":162482,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[17,289,1265,25586],"class_list":["post-162481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-canada","tag-olympics","tag-sports-business","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}