5 SETTER: Ferrero Coaching Rumor, Draper Shuts Down His Season, & More

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Mike (1:36)

What's up, Chuckers? Producer Mike here. We are back from the US Open bringing you the Served Five Setter. Despite what others may be doing, there is no post-US Open break in this office. There is, in fact, a lot of tennis news this week. But before we get to that, as always, please hit subscribe on YouTube. Give us a follow on your favorite podcast platform so you can stay up to date on all things Served. We really appreciate the love and support. That said, today is September 18th, 2026, and here's what we've got for you. Jack Draper's season continues to disappoint. The WTA finds a new home and potentially some money issues. ESPN's US Open ratings are in, and they are pretty great. And the US Open fine list has dropped, and two people surprisingly didn't make the list. But first, for set number one, do we finally have a return date for the world number one? Jannik Sinner has not played a competitive match since beating Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon final back in July. A right knee injury knocked him out of Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open. However, Jannik hasn't just been kicking it back. He wrapped treatment in Turin last week and has been spotted in Monte Carlo practicing and his doctors reportedly consider the knee to be healed for fans as well as for tournament directors running events here in the back quarter of the year. That is good news. Sinner is currently listed on multiple tournament entry lists, including the Beijing 500, which is scheduled to start September 30th, an event which Sinner is the defending champ. Here's why the return timing matters. Current World No. 2 Alexander Zverev won the US Open this past Sunday, adding 2,000 points to his ranking, lifting him to 9,690 points. Sinner, who couldn't defend his 1,300 points from last year's US Open final, dropped down to 11,500. That shrinks the gap between the German two-time slam champion and the reigning World No. 1 Italian to just 1,810 points. So on points earned this year alone, Sasha is already ahead. To put it plainly, Sinner has to be nearly perfect off of an 80-day layoff and probably needs Varev to fall through a little bit if he plans to finish the year ranked World No.

Now this isn't the only Sinner news. We may have buried the lead just a little bit with this one. Check out this clip from Juan Carlos Ferrero. Yeah, that Ferrero, Alcares' former head coach. This is from September 15th on Movistar Plus.

And for those of you who don't speak Spanish like myself, I'll paraphrase. Basically, Juan Carlos Ferrero said that he's been enjoying time with his family in 2026, but he is returning to the tennis circuit in 2027, and he can't confirm with whom. So let the rumors begin, and of course, a name that caught fire quickly, Jannik Sinner. Whispers about a Ferrero-Sinner link have been floating around since Cincinnati, and they picked up steam again this week. Obviously, nothing is yet confirmed, and in fact, there is a competing theory inside tennis circles. In fact, many think JCF wasn't talking about Sinner at all, in that he was talking about fellow Spaniard Rafael Hodar. So all that said, we're still left with questions. Will Sinner be back on court in Beijing? Will he have a new coach in 2027? Will it be his biggest rivals, former head coach? We will keep you updated on these stories as they evolve.