Draper out with injury, looks like Billy Harris will be Great Britain’s top men’s singles player for the United Cup. GB play Japan on 4 Jan and Greece on 5 Jan in Perth.

Holiday tennis listening advice: Earlier this month, podmaster Saqib hosted 80s tennis greats Mark Woodforde, Tim Mayotte and Kevin Curren to discuss the transition of the #AusOpen from Kooyong to Flinders Park (now named RLA). Outstanding insights ⤵️

What on earth ⚠️ ⚠️ Wild last 2 minutes to end the first half 👁👁 #Steelers #Lions

Carol kendisini ikilemde bulurken Manousos'un ona ulaşmasına az kaldı. Kolektif hakkında yeni bilgiler var. #Pluribus 8. bölüm analizimiz çıktı 📺👇🏻📺 open.spotify.com/episode/4pxk...

Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah (#119) and Kyrian Jacquet (#138) get main draw WCs for the Australian Open (WC system between French and Australian federations). Ksenia Efremova (16yo, WTA #736) gets one for the qualifications as this year the FFT says the system has been expanded to quallies.

This is from a commercial for a French grocery store chain. I autotranslated the French subs, and fixed it up as best I could without knowing French, so they probably aren't 100% accurate. Source: youtu.be/Na9VmMNJvsA

Always a pleasure talking to @saqiba.bsky.social 🤙🏻🤙🏻 Don't let the title fool you, we went way beyond just talking about the #ATPFinals 🎾✔️🎾 open.spotify.com/episode/1ENy...

I'll be with Vansh live on Talking Tennis - @talkingtennis.bsky.social - youtube channel, discussing this Sinner-Alcaraz final and the rest of the #ATPFinals at 4 PM US East, 9 PM GMT ⤵️ www.youtube.com/live/1bokNnb...

#Sinner on clutch points was solid, especially his serves (1st set) and & down-the-line accelerations throughout the match. Shame that #Alcaraz was hampered by his leg, even with that, it was the best tennis of #ATPFinals Again: these two guys are in another universe compared to the rest.

That Sinner DS at 30-15 is one indication that Alcaraz isn’t going to push his right leg to the max.

4-3 point in the tiebreaker, Alcaraz's forehand drop shot was hit to a spot within Sinner's running trajectory. Crosscourt drop would have been a winner. Make the player change direction to get to a drop shot ✔️

I'll be with Vansh live on Talking Tennis - @talkingtennis.bsky.social - youtube channel, discussing this Sinner-Alcaraz final and the rest of the #ATPFinals at 4 PM US East, 9 PM GMT ⤵️ www.youtube.com/live/1bokNnb...

Outrageous serves in the last three points by #Sinner to hold at 5-6, because #Alcaraz was pulling off some #spacetennis shots there. Tiebreaker coming.. #ATPFinals

Half-volley strokes that #Alcaraz pulls off on #Sinner's deep returns are something to behold. He does this multiple times, each match they play, completely neutralizing his Jannik's bazooka returns. 6-5 Alcaraz, first set #ATPFinals

And just like that #Alcaraz wins 6-2 6-4 -- quality tennis, several spectacular points, worth the watch although one side was clearly better than the other.. You could say this for both matches today, really. Sinner vs Alcaraz for the title on Sunday. #OnlyFitting #ATPFinals

I can't count how many times we've heard during the Big 3 era people say, "if it weren't for [Big 3 member], [other Big 3 member] would have [xyz] more Majors/titles" So... if Sinner wasn't around how many Majors/titles would Alcaraz have? Or vice-versa? First #GrandSlam since Laver in 1969?

Two holds, 4-3* Alcaraz, still on serve. No BPs yet in set 2. Alcaraz has come down off the mountain top, and he’s merely playing high quality tennis now, which is what his opponent has played throughout this match.

#AugerAliassime essentially playing serve- &-approach points on his service games, with a few serve-&-volley attempts mixed in. 2-2 in the second set. Let's see if he can sustain it. #ATPFinals

Felix is playing so, so well Insane that he has so little to show for it on the scoreboard

The ground covered by #Alcaraz's opponents must be more evenly distributed within the court area than anyone else's for that day. #AugerAliassime probably has foot prints on every spot within the singles court by now. Carlos wins the first set 6-2 #ATPFinals

Dramatik, dein Name ist #BJKCup. Belgien gewinnt gegen die Türkei mit 9-7 im Tiebreak des 3. Satzes im 3. Match nach Abwehr von 2 Matchbällen und damit entscheidet sich morgen alles in der Begegnung zwischen Deutschland und Belgien. DRAMA!

The ol’ one-more-ball strategy works for Alcaraz to consolidate the break. He leads 4-1* with a break. Auger-Aliassime isn’t chopped liver tonight either - he’s hitting the ball really cleanly and is no slouch around the court either.

That was a great set of forehand-backhand-footwork festival with a mix of rare but dazzling shotmaking. Having said that, I don't see how #deMinaur can play better, and yet, he has lost the first set 7-5 to #Sinner #ATPFinals

#AugerAliassime def. #Zverev 6-4 7-6 and quailfies for the final 4 at the #ATPFinals and has a great shot at finishing the year in the top 5. Astonishing, considering he had close to 20 losses in 2025 prior to August ✔️✔️ #ATPFinals

Zverev's post-serve dismal footwork in preparing for some of Félix's serves continues to baffle... #ATPFinals

With all due respect to other players, watching some of these matches *not* involving #Sincaraz - even at the highest level - it's totally understandable why those two are dominating the ATP. Their skill level is, at this point, outside the established parameters of others. #ATPFinals

Both #Zverev and #AugerAliassime pulling out some big serves out of their hats for the most part whenever they are down a break point or 0-30.. the result is 1 for 11 on break-point conversions total between them. 3-3 in the second set. #ATPFinals

That's summer-resort footwork there by #Zverev on that game point at 3-2 👁👁

Unlike the first match of the day, no surprises in this one. #Alcaraz def. #Muaetti 6-4 6-1 and secures the no. 1 ranking for the 2025 season. #ATPFinals

That’s quality. 0-15. Alcaraz made that FH volley winner look ridiculously easy.

Back to this... After a set and a half of watching on my TV, I can comfortably say that the crowd is very much pro-Musetti. There is hardly any cheering for Alcaraz, which is not what I had predicted. #ATPFinals

There is simply a seismic difference between how much #Alcaraz gets done with his forehand vs how much #Musetti gets done with his.. hard to make up for that deficit. 1-1 in the second set. #ATPFinals

There were other fantastic points in that game by both players, but #Alcaraz ultimately takes the firsr set 6-4 #ATPFinals

The 4-5, 40-30 point, #Musetti serving: #Alcaraz must have ran at warp-speed 9 💥 up to the net, to be able to hit that ball in the air, on top of the net!! #ATPFinals

I haven't counted but it feels like, on his service games, #Alcaraz is winning a lot more points on the "2" part of the 1-2 punch than on his serve... #ATPFinals

1-2, 15-15 point: - Musetti with a big 1st serve to the "T," Carlos stretches & gets back a backhand floater to the middle of the court.... - Musetti steps inside the baseline and nails the forehand for... *not* a winner. - Alcaraz, later in the rally, nails a forehand for.. a winner. #Distinction

#Alcaraz and #Musetti on the court. I am wondering how many Italians there in the stands who are Alcaraz fans. #ATPFinals

What is below + if #Alcaraz def. #Musetti, he will be locked in for the year-end no. 1 spot (and will avoid facing #Sinner in the semifinal on Saturday). #ATPFinals

#DeMinaur is looking really sharp in the early going, plenty of variation, scrambling a lot on defense but making #Fritz hit the extra shot every time. Up 3-2 and serving ✔️ #ATPFinals

Wheels are coming off for Taylor Fritz as the Carlos Alcaraz velvet hammer takes over, alternating booming groundstrokes with delicate dropshots and starting to take Fritz's legs.

2nd set, on serve with #Alcaraz leading 3-2. #Fritz using down-the-line accelerations to keep his opponent off balance. Carlos now hitting a bit better from the forehand wing, but still error-prone overall and hardly earning any free points off serves. #ATPFinals

#Alcaraz is looking skinny to me... or maybe it's just me.

Painful hold by #Fritz to start the match vs #Alcaraz #ATPFinals

Something's not right with the lower left leg of #AugerAliassime which had a direct impact on the last game of the first set.. #Sinner takes it 7-5 #ATPFinals

Some of these serves (1st and 2nd) that #AugerAliassime is pulling off under pressure on his service games have been splendid 👌🏼 5-5 in the first set vs #Sinner #ATPFinals

Real contrast with match one this morning: both players are standing on or inside the baseline and clocking the ball. Good stuff.

First-rate shot-making so far in this #Sinner vs #AugerAliassime so far, especially on serves and, as the extension, on 1-2 punches ♨️♨️♨️ 3-3 in the first set. #ATPFinals

Yeah... Oh-kay.. Zero interest in this. Even less interested in reading the hired soldiers, so to speak, who'll jump through hoops to promote this farce.. 🥴 www.bbc.com/sport/tennis...

Solid double-episode starter by "Down Cemetary Road" 🥂 Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson are 👌🏼👌🏼 And then, there is Darren Boyd playing some schmuck in the Ministry of Defence 😁

Add to that 4 match points saved by Birrell at 3-5 in the final set.. Dramatic to say the least. (Garland had trouble breathing at times in the third set)