Monfils' bizarre bow-out; a career that deserved a French farewell. Preview of Ningbo, Osaka, Almaty, Brussels and Lyon; busy show, lots to discuss. Can Rybakina get back to winning ways in Ningbo?

In the episode I look ahead to the men coming back west, with tournaments in Lyon and Brussels plus another in Almaty, Kazakhstan, while for the women, they stay in Asia with a 500 in Ningbo and a 250 in Osaka. Can Rybakina get back on track, is she healthy? What about Alex Eala? Separately, why has Gael Monfils gone into dark mode and retired himself without a bye or a leave for his legion of French fans? I talk about Aryna Sabalenka, Rafa Jodar (who plays for a podcast winner at 40/1 overnight in the Shanghai final!), along with plenty more! 00:00 intro 02:35 Six Kings canned03:43 Jodar’s behavioral challenges 05:20 Sabalenka woes continue 06:29 Djokovic pulling out all the stops for Turin 09:35 Three legends bow out, but in differing circumstances 15:00 Hat tip to Sonay Kartal 17:42 WTA Ningbo25:17 WTA Osaka 30:13 ATP European Open 35:18 ATP Rhone-Alpes 40:30 ATP Almaty Thank you for listening, I’d be very obliged if you could share with a friend and interact with the pod or any of the content on social media, and as always, give a follow and a good rating if you enjoyed it, cheers.