After a tennis racket was crushed in Indian Wells, one was thrown out of a stadium in Arizona

Welcome to the Monday tennis briefing, where Athletics will explain the stories behind last week’s stories on the ground.

This week, the BNP Paribas opens its doors in Indian Wells took center stage. Aryna Sabalenka began her mission to win more grand finals in 2026 by beating Elena Rybakina to win the women’s singles title, while Jannik Sinner put the brakes on Daniil Medvedev’s tennis renaissance to win the men’s singles title.

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But there were also many other things happening in the world of tennis.

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Why can racket smashing quickly become a dangerous pursuit?

Last Monday at BNP Paribas Open, Alexander Bublik, Taylor Fritz And Mirra Andreeva demonstrated the infinite potential of tennis racket smash.

Another player reached another, more dangerous level a few days later, when Corentin Moutet, the French combustible, did not smash his racket, but threw it.

Moutet was playing in the semi-final of the Arizona Tennis Classic Challenger against American Marcos Giron when he became so frustrated that he threw his racket into the sky and out of the stadium, after losing the match. Moutet had already expressed his frustration with the spectators and was furious with the referee on the penultimate point for not calling what he considered a let. After scoring a match point in return, Moutet then turned away from his opponent and threw his racket into the air.

The ATP has not yet announced what sanctions Moutet will face for his actions, but according to ATP 2026 regulations: “Players must not violently, dangerously or angrily hit, kick or throw a racket or other equipment within the grounds of the tournament venue.”

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“For the purposes of this rule, racket or equipment abuse is defined as the intentional, dangerous and violent destruction or damage of rackets or equipment or the intentional and violent striking of the net, court, referee chair or other item during a match out of anger or frustration.

“Violation of this section will subject the player to a fine of up to $500 for each violation.”

If Moutet had done it earlier, he could have been found guilty. Racquet strikes rarely result in such severe punishment, as players usually hold on to them when throwing them against the court, but some choose different, more unpredictable approaches.

Moutet threw his out of the stadium, but Jakub Menšík, Nick Kyrgios and Andreeva had already accidentally bounced their rackets into the stands. It’s riskier because players don’t control where the racket ends up, and the risk of a fan or official being hit is greater.

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Moutet, world number 33, will return to action at the Miami Open this week. This last year’s event ended in another collapse, when he lost the second set to Alejandro Tabilo due to a penalty. Moutet had refused to play until the referee removed a fan which, according to Moutet, had made an insulting gesture towards him. He then lost the match in three sets, just as he lost his racket in the Arizona night sky.

— Charlie Eccleshare

The complex challenge of tracking an escape?

12 months ago this time, women’s tennis arrived at Open from Miami without realizing that the tournament would propel a promising talent towards a strong rise in the rankings.

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Alexandra Eala had a mixed record in WTA 125 events (the tier below the main tour) and in World Tennis Tour events (another tier lower) when she received a wild card into the WTA 1000 event and made it all the way to the semifinals, beating three Grand Slam champions in the process and earning enough ranking points to go from world No. 140 to world No. 72.

Since then, Eala has enjoyed the freedom that comes with such a propulsive run: the ability to compete in higher-level tournaments like Grand Slams and some WTA 1000s (one level below) without having to qualify or compare one’s performance to ranking points accumulated over the previous year.

Each season, tennis players face a myriad of rivals, but they also face last year’s version of themselves. Eala went a season without having to do that, but she now faces the pressure as she returns to Florida, defending her points as the top seed. The 20-year-old has also had to deal with the joy and responsibility of being a new sporting avatar for the Philippines, with fans coming in droves to almost every tournament she participates in.

Eala is the first of several players in similar circumstances – Victoria Mboko and Valentin Vacherot’s victories at the 2025 Canadian Open and Shanghai Masters had similar impacts – to go from hunter to hunted, and in a sport with complex pressure dynamics, another will arrive as Eala begins her campaign against Laura Siegemund or Petra Marčinko in the second round.

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If she wins, she could meet Iga Świątek in the third round, whom she beat during her memorable run 12 months ago.

— James Hansen

What does Novak Djokovic’s latest withdrawal mean?

For Novak Djokovic, the delicate dance of his end of career continues.

Djokovic, who will turn 39 in May, has made no secret of his only goal for the next two years: to beat Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the Grand Slam.

But what happens the rest of the year? This weekend, Djokovic withdrew from the Miami Open, citing a shoulder injury sustained at Indian Wells, where he lost to Jack Draper in the round of 16. Last year he reached the final in Florida, losing to Menšík. His withdrawal will therefore lose him 650 points in the rankings, but Djokovic is also in a position where optimizing his body for the events he enjoys most requires taking these kinds of hits.

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Djokovic knows he can’t just play Grand Slams, as that would risk showing up unmatched, as well as seeing his ranking suffer as other players play more tournaments.

This would lead to tougher draws at the Grand Slam tournaments themselves, making it more difficult to face Sinner or Alcaraz in the latter stages.

This year, Djokovic will benefit from a lot of rest time in training before beginning his clay court season at the beginning of April at the Monte-Carlo Masters, an event he knows well having lived most of his professional career in the principality.

Djokovic has not won an ATP Masters 1000 event, the tier below the Grand Slam that includes events such as Indian Wells, the Miami Open and the Monte Carlo Masters, since the start of 2024. That reflects his change in priorities since Sinner and Alcaraz began to dominate, as well as the time limits that are taking a toll on his ability to win.

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Before the start of 2024, Djokovic was prolific at the ATP Masters 1000 level, winning 40 such titles between 2007 and 2023. Over the past two years, he has enjoyed the most success at ATP 250 events, using the lowest rung of the ATP main tour as match practice ahead of the sport’s biggest tournaments. Two titles at this level took him past 100 for his career, leaving Jimmy Connors’ record of 109 within reach, as well as Roger Federer’s of 103.

Taking no risks with the Miami Open still makes sense given his priorities, although, as Djokovic himself said last year, he would have a better chance of beating the top two in the shortest best-of-three format – and a better chance of meeting them late in the majors with the deep ranking points in a tournament like Miami’s.

— Charlie Eccleshare

🏆 Winners of the week

🎾 ATP:

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🏆 Jannik Sinner (2) def. Daniel Medvedev (11) 7-6(6), 7-6(4) to win the BNP Paribas Open (1,000) in Indian Wells, California. It’s his first title there.

🎾 WTA:

🏆 Aryna Sabalenka (1) def. Elena Rybakina (3) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) to win the BNP Paribas Open (1,000) in Indian Wells, California. It’s also his first title there.

📈📉 Rising / Declining

📈 Elena Rybakina moves from No. 3 to No. 2 after his participation in the final of the BNP Paribas Open, a new career best.

📈 Hijikata Rinky returns to the top 100, moving up 19 places from No. 117 to No. 98 after reaching the fourth round at Indian Wells.

📈 Talia Gibson climbed 44 places from 112th to 68th after reaching the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open, also a new career high.

📈 The Learner Tien moves up six places from No. 27 to No. 21 – another new career high.

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📉Danielle Collins drop of 21 places from No. 78 to No. 99.