Bagel Bites: I'm a punk rocker

Internet ephemera from the tennis world and beyond. Have something you want to include? Join the Discord or hmu on Bluesky.

My one week with the nieces was the best, but they're en route back to Tokyo now and it's time to get back to "work". So let's catch up on the big top-line post-Wimbledon news:

• Zheng Qinwen is out of the North American hard-court swing after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her troubled right elbow. If you haven't noticed, she's been wearing a compression sleeve on that arm for the entire season and it was finally time to get it addressed. So no Q in Montreal, Cincy or the US Open. The timing here isn't too surprising. She tried to grind it out through the natural surfaces – which makes sense since that's two nearly back-to-back Slams – and now it's a race against time to be right for the Asian swing. She's been announced as part of China's Billie Jean King Cup squad at the Finalsin Shenzhen – which takes place right after the US Open. Then there's the China Open, where she was a semifinalist last year, and the Wuhan Open, where she was a finalist. And then she won Tokyo and took Coco to a third set in the finals at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. In all, including her QF run at the US Open, she won 19 of her last 24 matches last season. If she can't get up and running soon, she'll face a big rankings tumble. She's currently No.6 in the rankings but No.16 in the Race. (AP via Yahoo)
• Speaking of rankings, I highly recommend you make the WTA website's Rankings Watch post a part of your regular Monday reading. It's incredibly thorough and 100 percent written by a human who is very good at their job. It's a really good recap of the week that was. (WTA)
• I have a big heart for the Canadian Open. Both events in Montreal and Toronto are always great. I really like both facilities and the people operating and working those events are precisely what you'd think they'd be: Canadian (complimentary). So I always feel for them when this time of the year comes around and the top-line withdrawals inevitably come. It's just one of the toughest – if not THE toughest – ATP Masters/WTA 1000 slot in the calendar. They were obviously hit last year by the Olympics and now they're losing some marquee names again, including both World No.1s. The boys are in Toronto this year and the event will be without Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper, Novak Djokovic, Hubie Hurkacz, Seb Korda to name a few. The ladies are in Montreal and will be without Aryna Sabalenka (fatigue), though the entry list has held up relatively well. So far. Fingers crossed! (AP via Yahoo)

• Much to the delight of Montreal's stadium sponsor, it looks like Iga Swiatek is set to play. She's already back on the practice courts preparing, which makes sense. After winning Wimbledon, you have to think Iga is going to make a charge to grab points to set up an eventual battle for No.1, which probably won't happen this season, but could heat up early next year. And with Sabalenka skipping Canada, it's an opportunity for the Wimby champ to begin to chip away at the point gap. Keep an eye on Coco, too. Big chance for the top players to make gains next week.
• Two Canadian stalwarts are set to retire: Genie Bouchard (CNN) and Vasek Pospisil (Yahoo)
• On the topic of Two Canadian Stalwarts and having a heart for Canada, The Body Serve boys posted the second half of our chat. Subscribe to their pod! (Podbean)
• Congrats to Wimbledon. We'll try and keep it down. (The Independent via Yahoo)

• Ons Jabeur, who was the first player to text me when news got out that I was out at the WTA, is taking a break. And I'm happy she's doing that. There's been a lot on her mind for the last year. (The National)
• Holger Rune x Andre Agassi. We shall see! (ATP)
• So they CAN say no. (Yahoo)

• Welcome back, Venus! She teamed up with Hailey Baptiste to win their first-round doubles, beating Genie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue. She'll play her singles on Tuesday against Peyton Stearns. (AP via Yahoo)

• Mark Ein is one of the best in the business, and you will always learn something about how the tennis sausage is made when you read an interview with him. Interesting to hear how they've changed their strategy on player recruitment from focusing on one big fish to getting a broader field. And if you want to know which player sound super mad about that change (lol), click the link. (Bounces)
• The week after Wimbledon is a big opportunity for players to pick up points or a title at the various 250s, which will typically see weaker fields as players take a mid-season break. So props to the champs: Roland Garros all-star Lois Boisson picked up her first WTA title at Hamburg and Irina Camelia Begu on home soil in Iasi. Dennis Shapovolov took home title No. 4 in Los Cabos, Luciano Dardieri in Bastad, and Sasha Bublik further cemented his career-best year by winning his second title of 2025 in Gstaad. And yes, there was even a team event last week. Felix Auger Aliassime and Bianca Andreescu took the Hopman Cup for Canada by besting Italy. Could this be the spark for the good Bibi?

• Yes, I've seen the US Open mixed doubles preliminary entry list – emphasis on PRELIMINARY NO MATTER HOW IT'S BEING MARKETED AS ANYTHING OTHER THAN THAT – and I am organizing my thoughts and will get back to you soon.
• Congrats to Caroline Garcia! HOWEVER, after spending over a decade being constantly told it's CAROLEEEEEEN, I feel incredibly gaslit at the extensive use of "Sweet Caroline" at her wedding.

• I saw SUPERMAN and I will see it again ASAP and that is all to say, I absolutely loved it. It washed away all my anger from the absolute trash dump that was MAN OF STEEL. There, Superman did, like, 14 9/11s without flinching. Here, he went out of his way to save a squirrel from being crushed in battle. A great message about autonomy, destiny, and why Superman's superpower isn't strength, but heart. It's the message we need always, but especially now: Be Punk. Be Kind. Do good. Stop wars.

• After spending the last week trying to teach my precocious niece how to play volleyball, I loved this so much:

• Thanks to Discord Jonathan for this important reminder: GET THAT PUMPKIN SPICE OUTTA MY FACE IT IS JULY. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

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