The Mini-Break [Tennis Podcast]

Cracked Racquets Editor-in-Chief Alex Gruskin previews week two of the 2026 Clay Court season. He breaks down each quarter of the draw at this week's ATP 1000 level event in Monte Carlo. He also offers his thoughts on the WTA action in Linz and Madrid, peaks in on the week's six (!!) ATP Challenger events, plus SO much more!!

Episode Notes

Monte Carlo Preview - 4:40

Alcaraz Quarter - 17:10

Musetti Quarter - 19:40

Zverev Quarter - 24:15

Sinner Quarter - 30:40

WTA Linz Preview - 34:40

WTA Madrid 125K - 41:30

ATP Challengers - 43:05

Laurel Springs

Ranked among the best online private schools in the United States, Laurel Springs stands out when it comes to support, personalization, community, and college prep. They give their K-12 students the resources, guidance, and learning opportunities they need at each grade level to reach their full potential.

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Cracked Racquets Editor-in-Chief Alex Gruskin recaps the first week of the 2026 Clay Court season. He marvels at a maiden Tour-Level title run for Rafa Jodar. He also offers his thoughts on Pegula's defense of her title in Charleston, a dramatic Houston Final, the biggest winners of the week, plus SO much more!!

Episode Notes

ATP Marrakech - 5:45

WTA Charleston - 23:00

ATP Houston - 36:50

ATP Bucharest - 46:25

WTA Bogota - 55:06

Laurel Springs

Ranked among the best online private schools in the United States, Laurel Springs stands out when it comes to support, personalization, community, and college prep. They give their K-12 students the resources, guidance, and learning opportunities they need at each grade level to reach their full potential.

Find Cracked Racquets

Website: https://www.crackedracquets.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/crackedracquets

Twitter: https://twitter.com/crackedracquets

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/crackedracquets

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Penn Men's Tennis Head Coach Rich Bonfiglio joins the show to breakdown his team's success in the 2026 season. He breaks down the team's performance in a dramatic 4-3 victory over Princeton, discusses what has clicked so well for his program in Year 4 on the job, offers his thoughts on what makes Ivy League Tennis special, plus SO much more!!

You can watch the full episode on YouTube by clicking here.

Laurel Springs

Ranked among the best online private schools in the United States, Laurel Springs stands out when it comes to support, personalization, community, and college prep. They give their K-12 students the resources, guidance, and learning opportunities they need at each grade level to reach their full potential.

Find Cracked Racquets

Website: https://www.crackedracquets.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/crackedracquets

Twitter: https://twitter.com/crackedracquets

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/crackedracquets

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Cracked Racquets Editor-in-Chief Alex Gruskin offers his ATP Top 10 rankings after the first three months of the 2026 season. He breaks down the Top 10 into tiers of contenders, shares his expectations for each player heading into the clay court season, plus SO much more!!

Episode Notes

Reflecting on the first three months - 5:50

Tier 1 - 17:35

1. Carlos Alcaraz


2. Jannik Sinner

Tier 2 - 26:25

3. Novak Djokovic

4. Alex Zverev

Tier 3 + Honorable Mention - 35:00

5. Daniil Medvedev

6. Alex De Minaur

7. Felix Auger Aliassime

8. Arthur Fils

9. Lorenzo Musetti

10. The Best American or Jack Draper

ATP Houston - 1:00:20

ATP Marrakech - 1:02:45

ATP Bucharest - 1:04:20

Laurel Springs

Ranked among the best online private schools in the United States, Laurel Springs stands out when it comes to support, personalization, community, and college prep. They give their K-12 students the resources, guidance, and learning opportunities they need at each grade level to reach their full potential.

Find Cracked Racquets

Website: https://www.crackedracquets.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/crackedracquets

Twitter: https://twitter.com/crackedracquets

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/crackedracquets

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/crackedracquets

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cracked Racquets Editor-in-Chief Alex Gruskin offers his WTA Top 10 rankings after the first three months of the 2026 season. He breaks down the Top 10 into tiers of contenders, shares his expectations for each player heading into the clay court season, plus SO much more!!

Episode Notes

Reflecting on 2026's first-third - 7:30

Tier 1 - 20:40

1. Aryna Sabalenka - 21:26


2. Elena Rybakina - 26:30

Tier 2 - 35:15

3. Jessica Pegula - 39:20

4. Iga Swiatek - 43:50

5. Coco Gauff - 49:35

Tier 3 + Honarble - 54:05

6. Victoria Mboko - 59:35

7. Elina Svitolina - 1:06:45

8. Amanda Anisimova - 1:03:25

9. Karolina Muchova - 1:10:05

10. Mirra Andreeva - 1:12:55

WTA Charleston - 1:16:50

WTA Bogota - 1:19:30

Laurel Springs

Ranked among the best online private schools in the United States, Laurel Springs stands out when it comes to support, personalization, community, and college prep. They give their K-12 students the resources, guidance, and learning opportunities they need at each grade level to reach their full potential.

Find Cracked Racquets

Website: https://www.crackedracquets.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/crackedracquets

Twitter: https://twitter.com/crackedracquets

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/crackedracquets

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/crackedracquets

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