When the oldest and youngest ranked men’s tennis players met in the sport’s minor leagues

Why have the past two big tournaments been so chaotic? Tennis’ two-week ATP M

Welcome back to the Monday Tennis Briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories from the past week on court. This week, the Italian Open wouldn’t be outdone by the Madrid Open in terms of chaos, the top players putting pressure on the Grand Slams got an ally, and tennis and politics once again showed that they are indivisible. If you’d like to follow our fantastic tennis coverage, click here .

Why have the past two big tournaments been so chaotic? Tennis’ two-week ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 events have justifiably developed a reputation for taking an age to get going. The tournaments one rung below the Grand Slams give byes to seeded players, while their staggered starts mean it can be hard to keep track of what’s a qualifying match and what’s a main-draw one.

Not so at the Italian Open last week, nor at the Madrid Open a fortnight ago. In the Spanish capital, a sickness bug and a high pollen count wreaked havoc early; in Rome, the strangeness started in one of the city’s storied piazzas. At a promotional activity on the Saturday before the event, I ga Świątek and her coach Francisco Roig were having a hit on a temporary clay court in Piazza Popolo.