Welcome to the Monday Tennis Briefing, where The Athletic will explain the story behind the stories from the last week on court. Novak Djokovic exited, struck by a water bottle, Rafael Nadal took the next step in his comeback, and the on-court spectacle was overtaken by some strange umpiring. Friday lunchtime in Rome and the Foro Italico briefly felt like an infirmary, as one medical bulletin followed another. Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber are really good tennis players, and giving birth wasn’t going to change that. GO DEEPER Rublev's default in Dubai is exactly why tennis needs electronic line callingWhy did so many people think someone threw a bottle at Djokovic?

Source: New York Times May 13, 2024 17:56 UTC