Andrea Petkovic has tipped both Iva Jovic and Alex Eala to go on to win a Grand Slam, while saying she expects the Filipina to get there first.

The two young players met in one of the standout matches of the US Open, where Jovic edged a tense third-round contest 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 after three hours on court. The American then won only five games in the following round against eventual semi-finalist Coco Gauff, but it still marked her deepest run yet at Flushing Meadows.

Jovic is ranked 16th in the WTA Tour standings, with Eala two places behind her. Even so, Petkovic, who is 39, believes the left-hander will reach a major title before Jovic does, despite the American being the higher-ranked and younger of the two.

When asked which player would win a Slam in the next three or four years, the German said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, “I think both will win one. I think that’s important for me to state. I think Eala will win one before just because she has that two years [extra in age].

“I’m not picking her because I believe in her tennis more or less. I just think the two years of maturity, even though Iva Jovic is maybe the most mature person I’ve ever spoken to, it’s almost shocking when she opens her mouth. How this 55-year-old woman comes out of her that’s gone through so much life experience.

“I think it’s difficult to account for these two years that Eala has on her. The extra bit of experience, the extra bit of having been in certain moments, the extra bit of life experience, not only experience in tournaments.”

Although Eala has been on tour slightly longer, Jovic has played nine Grand Slams to Eala’s seven. Eala has reached the fourth round of a major once, while Jovic has done so three times this year.

Petkovic still sees the bigger picture as more important, saying women’s tennis is in a strong place and pointing to rivalries and emerging names across the tour. She added, “But honestly, who cares? Because both of them are the future and present of women’s tennis and both of them are so amazing to watch. Right now, women’s tennis is really in such a great place. It’s incredible. I’ve been waiting for this my whole life.”

Juan Carlos Ferrero has sparked interest by saying he expects to come back to the tennis circuit in 2027, though he would not reveal the player involved.

Ferrero, who worked with Alcaraz for years before their split at the end of the 2026 season, has been away from tennis since then. Speaking to Movistar+, he said: “This year I’m very calm, enjoying my family and preparing for what’s coming next year. I think I’m going to return to the tennis circuit, but I can’t say with whom.”

The remark has prompted speculation about possible destinations, and one name that has repeatedly surfaced is Rafael Jodar. The young Spaniard has been one of the breakout players on the ATP Tour this season, climbing as high as world No 11. He is still coached only by his father, although he has indicated that he may begin assembling a wider coaching team ahead of the 2027 season.

Just hours after Ferrero’s comments, Jodar again discussed the arrangement he has with his father over the 2025 season. In an interview with Eurosport Spain, Jodar said: “The fact that my father is alone in the pit box is unusual on the circuit, as most players have many people in their pit boxes.

“It’s true that it’s the first year, and we’re trying to learn from every mistake we make and from what works, so we can do the same thing next year or learn from our errors. This year it’s working; things are going very well. We get along very well.

“He’s with me practically every week and travels with me. I know it’s not easy living with someone every week, but we get along very well. We’ve had a very good relationship since I was very little, and he’s always helped me a lot and always wants the best for me. That’s the most important thing.”

Ferrero’s coaching resume also includes Alexander Zverev between 2017 and 2018, a partnership that produced one Masters title. His best-known work remains with Carlos Alcaraz, which brought six Grand Slam titles.

Jodar now turns to Spain’s Davis Cup tie against Chile, where he is set to make his debut between September 19th and 20th. The winner will advance to the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, Italy at the end of the year, adding significance to his first appearance.

The 2026 US Open has drawn criticism on several fronts, but the schedule has become one of the loudest complaints. With night sessions regularly stretching beyond midnight at Flushing Meadows, questions over player welfare have intensified after Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz played a quarter-final that ended several hours later than expected.

Shelton did not secure his place in the semi-finals until 03:33, a finish that many viewed as impossible to defend from a health perspective. The late hour has renewed frustration around how the tournament structures its marquee matches and whether the current system can realistically be sustained.

John Lloyd, long outspoken about the demands of the tennis calendar, offered a sharp rebuke of the event’s handling of the issue. Speaking on the Inside-In Tennis podcast, he argued that repeatedly finishing after midnight is incompatible with a workable product.

“It’s total utter nonsense. They keep saying, ‘Well, what are we going to do about it?’ There’s only one thing. You can’t have a product that finishes past midnight regularly. You cannot, it cannot work that way,” said Lloyd on the Inside-In Tennis podcast.

He added that moving the start time earlier is not a simple fix, given the unpredictability of afternoon matches and the demands of best-of-five-set contests.

“And you can’t start the matches any earlier because you don’t know what the afternoon matches are going to be like. When you’ve got best of five set matches, it’s unpredictable.

“And today’s best of five, it’s only going to get more and more because the physicality of these players, the match is going to go longer and longer and the everyone keeps saying, well, is there a way we can do something?

“Yes, you have a men’s best of three and a women’s best of three case. You can’t put two women’s on because the matches will you won’t have enough matches to go through the second week if you do that. And so, you know, a best of three set men’s and a best of three set women’s.”

Lloyd also said fans would accept a shorter format and dismissed the idea that longer matches are what make the sport compelling.

“That’s three hours minimum of tennis. That’s plenty. Why does tennis have to have five or six hours to make people happy? It’s nonsense. It’s total nonsense,” he said.

“And then the other argument is saying that it separates the men from the boys. Again, that’s nonsense. If that was the case, then the top players wouldn’t be winning the Masters Series.

“And the vast majority of the time when they’re focused, they do win it because the best players will win no matter what. They will come through.”

The issue was underlined by the numbers as well, with 25 matches in the men’s draw going the full five sets this year.