Belinda Bencic has added a new incentive to her service practice: every ace now fuels a cause. In March the Swiss announced a partnership with Purina Switzerland to promote the Pro Plan line, and as part of that deal Purina will donate 1,000 meals to animals in need for every ace she hits.

The initiative recently expanded at a Billie Jean King Cup Finals qualifier to include her teammates, and Bencic discussed the collaboration after winning her opening match at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Thursday.

“I’m very motivated to hit aces. I think it’s just a great project together, with a partnership that I really believe in,” Bencic told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj. “I love dogs, I love cats. I would love to have an animal shelter once I stop playing.

“I’m super proud and I’m practicing my serve a lot to do ace! It’s more tough here but in Madrid, I did quite well.”

The No. 12 seed opened her Rome campaign by defeating Bianca Andreescu 6-4, 6-1, a follow-up to a fourth-round showing at the Mutua Madrid Open. Bencic has also balanced tournament life with family responsibilities; her two-year-old daughter Bella is not at this event and is staying with her grandparents.

“I miss her so much, but I’m getting like hundreds of videos per day. I miss her but it’s also nice to go out to restaurants, sleep in, and have a lot of time,” she laughed.

The partnership gives Bencic an added reason to focus on a traditionally high-payoff shot. By tying aces to meals for animals, the agreement with Purina Switzerland has become a tangible motivator on court and an opportunity to involve teammates and supporters off court. Photo: © 2026 Robert Prange

Novak Djokovic returns to competition after two months away, and the timing could matter. The Serb, who turns 39 next week, saw his chances for a 25th major title improve during his layoff. With Carlos Alcaraz absent in Rome and Paris, Djokovic arrives in the Italian Open with fresh optimism. He begins an abbreviated Roland Garros build by facing 20-year-old Croat Prizmic, a rising player who favors a feisty, physical style well suited to clay. The pair met at the Australian Open, a match Djokovic won in four sets. Djokovic will need a fast start to match Prizmic’s energy. Winner: Djokovic. Estimated start time: 8:10 a.m.

Carlos Alcaraz’s absence also shifts attention to other emerging names. When March began, Jodar was an unknown ranked outside the Top 100; two months later he is the 32nd seed in Rome. In that span the 19-year-old Spaniard captured an ATP 250 title, reached a 500 semifinal, produced a strong showing against Jannik Sinner and delivered some jaw-dropping ground-stroke m.p.h.s. Those results helped cement his status as the ATP’s Next Big Thing. He opens against 52nd-ranked Borges, a steady Portuguese veteran who likes clay and creates angles from both wings. They have never met on tour. Winner: Jodar. Start time: Not before 5:00 a.m.

On the women’s side, Karolina Muchova remains a dangerous dark horse when healthy thanks to a varied game. Her opponent, Anastasia Potapova, may be evolving. The rangy Russian always had the ball-striking skills but lacked emotional equilibrium until last week. Potapova’s semifinal run in Madrid included a win over Elena Rybakina and lifted her ranking from 97 to 38. Muchova reached a clay final in Stuttgart last month and held a 4-1 edge in their head-to-head. This match will test whether the recent Potapova can take the next step. Winner: Muchova. Estimated start time: 6:10 a.m.

© 2026 Ciancaphoto Studio

Episode 19 of The Big T features a long conversation with Lorenzo Musetti that ranges from his upbringing to the state of Italian tennis and his approach to shotmaking. Musetti reflects on growing up in football-and-motorsport obsessed Italy, how his father introduced him to tennis, and the difficult transition from junior standout to ATP Tour contender.

“They want to try and copy our method,” Musetti says of Italian tennis—which is experiencing new heights of success. He credits Jannik Sinner’s rise to world No. 1 as a clear inspiration for a new generation of players across both tours.

Petchey makes the case that Musetti has the most attractive game in men’s tennis, leading to a discussion of how Musetti has developed his shot-making and all-court creativity over the years. Sinner defeated Zverev for the ninth consecutive time to win Madrid—the Italian’s fifth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title.

I think there’s a big gap between Sinner and everybody else, and I think there’s a big gap between Alcaraz, myself, maybe Novak and everybody else. Alexander Zverev, after his 6-1, 6-2 loss to Sinner in the Madrid final

The episode also examines rising WTA talent Hailey Baptiste and her recent stretch of results. It took a monumental two-set effort from Mirra Andreeva (6-4, 7-6 (8)) to end Hailey Baptiste’s run in the Madrid semifinals—one that included victories over Jasmine Paolini, Belinda Bencic and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Baptiste was seeded 30th in that WTA 1000 tournament and she is No. 32 this week in Rome. Now ranked 25th on tour, Petchey thinks it might be a year away for Baptiste to be “a genuine contender at Roland Garros,” but he warned that no high seed will want to see her name opposite theirs.

Petchey saw Baptiste up close while coaching Emma Raducanu at this year’s BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. “She’s playing unbelievable tennis,” Petchey told Raducanu, as they walked off the practice court. “At some point, it is gonna click huge for Hailey.”

New episodes drop every Wednesday. Episode 19 of The Big T is available on streaming platforms, with select segments and bonus content accessible via the podcast’s app.