The Mini-Break [Tennis Podcast]

October ATP Top 10 + Many Shanghai thoughts

Wed, 08 Oct 2025

Cracked Racquets Editor-in-Chief Alex Gruskin shares his personal ATP Top 10 rankings entering the month of October. He also offers his tiers of contenders, recaps the week one madness of Shanghai, plus SO much more!!

Don’t forget to give a 5 star review on your favorite podcast app! In addition, add your twitter/instagram handle to the review for a chance to win some FREE CR gear!!

Episode Bookmarks:

ATP Shanghai - 6:02

ATP Top 10 - 26:10

Tier 1 - 27:22

Carlos Alcaraz - 28:40

Jannik Sinner - 31:38

Tier 2 - 33:52

3. Novak Djokovic - 34:45

Tier 3 - 37:38

4. Taylor Fritz - 38:10

5. Alex De Minaur - 41:04

6. Alex Zverev - 43:14

Upside Picks - 45:05

7. Ben Shelton

8. Jack Draper

9. Lorenzo Musetti

Also considered - 47:23

10. Felix Auger-Aliassime + Honorable Mentions

ATP Challengers - 50:30

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

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/crackedracquets

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/crackedracquets

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Evaluating the American Women in 2025 ft. Ben Rothenberg

Tue, 07 Oct 2025

Author of the "Bounces" Substack Ben Rothenberg joins Editor-in-Chief Alex Gruskin to evaluate the performance of the American Women during the 2025 WTA season. They compare the successes of the 2024 vs. 2025 WTA seasons for the Americans. They then make the case for why Anisimova, Gauff, Keys, and Pegula can each be considered the best American of 2025, share their specific choices for the #1 spot, and SO much more!!

Don’t forget to give a 5 star review on your favorite podcast app! In addition, add your twitter/instagram handle to the review for a chance to win some FREE CR gear!!

Episode Bookmarks:

Quick overview of the American Women in 2025 - 7:32

Who's had the best 2025 season: The Cases - 19:47

Amanda Anisimova - 20:20

Madison Keys - 31:45

Coco Gauff - 43:45

Jessica Pegula - 55:30

Honorable Mention + Final Selections - 1:40:45

_____

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October WTA Top 10 + Beijing/Wuhan talk

Mon, 06 Oct 2025

Cracked Racquets Editor-in-Chief Alex Gruskin shares his personal WTA Top 10 rankings entering the month of October. He also recaps last weekends Championship action (Shanghai, WTA 125Ks, more), previews another busy week ahead, plus SO much more!!

Don’t forget to give a 5 star review on your favorite podcast app! In addition, add your twitter/instagram handle to the review for a chance to win some FREE CR gear!!

Episode Bookmarks:

WTA Beijing - 7:05

WTA 125Ks + ITF Events (recap) - 31:48

WTA Top 10 - 37:28

Tier 1 - 39:56

Aryna Sabalenka - 41:06

Iga Swiatek - 43:20

Tier 2 - 45:00

3. Amanda Anisimova - 45:43

4. Coco Gauff - 47:44

Tier 3 - 51:24

5. Mirra Andreeva - 51:44

6. Madison Keys - 54:20

7. Jasmine Paolini - 55:45

8. Elena Rybakina - 58:32

9. Jessica Pegula - 57:21

Also considered - 1:00:22

10. Ekaterina Alexandrova

11. Linda Noskova

12. Elina Svitolina

13. Clara Tauson

Rankings breakthroughs - 1:07:35

WTA Wuhan Preview - 1:09:19

WTA 125Ks + ITF Events (preview) - 1:15:32

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.

A reason to stay up late

Thu, 02 Oct 2025

Cracked Racquets Editor-in-Chief Alex Gruskin breaks down a fun Thursday in the Pro Tennis World. He offers his thoughts on an All-American SF in Beijing, looks at the most intriguing R2 matchups in Shanghai, plus SO much more!!

Don’t forget to give a 5 star review on your favorite podcast app! In addition, add your twitter/instagram handle to the review for a chance to win some FREE CR gear!!

Episode Bookmarks:

WTA Beijing - 5:00

ATP Shanghai - 19:22

Most Intriguing Shanghai R2 matches - 21:22

Who needs a big Shanghai most? - 33:25

WTA 125Ks + ITF Events - 38:15

ATP Challengers - 43:10

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A Wednesday Title!!

Wed, 01 Oct 2025

Cracked Racquets Editor-in-Chief Alex Gruskin breaks down Wednesday's action across the Pro Tennis World. He offers his take on Sinner's run to the Beijing title, analyzes a dramatic day of Women's upsets in Beijing, plus SO much more!!

Don’t forget to give a 5 star review on your favorite podcast app! In addition, add your twitter/instagram handle to the review for a chance to win some FREE CR gear!!

Episode Bookmarks:

ATP Beijing - 6:25

WTA Beijing - 21:50

ATP Shanghai - 38:43

WTA 125Ks + ITF Events - 40:28

ATP Challengers - 44:13

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