Peak February is over. It came and went with the WTA’s two 1000s on the Arabian peninsula. The month closes on a more modest, less star-studded, but not inconsequential week that features ATP 500s in Acapulco and Dubai, and a women’s 500 in Merida, Mexico. The North American events, both of which are on hard courts, also serve as a ramp-up for next month’s Sunshine Double.
Here’s a look at three storylines to follow, as tennis tentatively makes the turn out of winter and into spring.
Alexander Zverev tries get closer to Sinner, and farther from Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner’s three-month suspension has been criticized because it won’t force him to miss any Grand Slam events. But it still comes in the thick of the season, with many thousands of ranking points on the line. Sinner will be absent at Masters 1000s in Indian Wells, Miami (where he’s the defending champion), and in his Monte Carlo hometown.
That gives the players just below him a little more hope of catching up him at No. 1 in the rankings. No. 2 Alexander Zverev, who is roughly 3,000 points behind Sinner and 700 points ahead of Carlos Alcaraz at No. 3, ha been trying to make the most of that opportunity the month, with limited success so far. He was the top seed in Buenos Aires and Rio the last two weeks, but he only reached the quarters at each tournament
