A sometimes strange US Open came to a close on Sunday on a weekend when Naomi Osaka confirmed herself to be the next big thing in Women's Tennis and Dominic Thiem winning his first ever Grand Slam.
The two losing Finalists are going to feel they missed a big opportunity as both looked to be playing the superior tennis when seeing the finishing line come over the horizon, but Victoria Azarenka and Alexander Zverev have to find a way to move past the disappointment of the tournament. I do think it will be a harder task for Zverev as the German looked to be much closer to winning the title than Azarenka having served for it, but other players have recovered from a deep disappointment to go on and win Grand Slam titles.
That is what Alexander Zverev will be hoping for, but Naomi Osaka and Dominic Thiem will be enjoying their moment in the sun.
Both players deserve their successes over the last fortnight and I have to credit the tournament for being able to put together the event as they have, even if it was one that didn't completely avoid controversy.
At the end of the day the US Open have shown that the Tour is one that can operate even through the rising Coronavirus cases that we are seeing in Europe, although I am going to be interested to see how the French Open manage the fans they are planning to let into the grounds when that tournament begins later this month.
Talk of the French Open does mean preparation for the third and final Grand Slam of the season will already have begun by many players who played in clay court events arranged for last week. The Tour has the feeling of some normality as we enter a new week with a new tournament being played, but this is far bigger than how the usual schedule would be approached.
A Masters 1000 tournament being set to be played the day after a Grand Slam event has been completed doesn't usually happen as you can imagine, but the limited time between the US Open and the French Open means the Rome Masters had to be placed here.
That will give the top names some clay court matches under their belt and also mean they have a few days to rest before the third Grand Slam of 2020 begins. There is some uncertainty still around at these times, but hopefully there is more quality Tennis to come during a time I usually enjoy the most.
On Monday there are a number of First Round matches scheduled in the ATP and WTA event being played in Rome and I have a few selections from those matches. I should have fuller threads the remainder of the week, but in this thread I will write dow my Picks from the Monday offerings.
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