Lob and Smash podcast: Discussing Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka

You've reached it! I know how happy you must be! Finally, Lob and Smash is producing our own tennis podcast. How good is it? We have no idea because as I am writing this we have not yet even recorded the episode yet.

We do know what we are discussing, however. One of those bits will be about the ankle injury Carlos Alcaraz - ATP No. 2 - suffered this week at the Rio Open. Alcaraz was forced to retire after playing just two games in the first round. There is no current timetable for his return.

We will break down how bad ankle injuries can be for tennis players as well as how Alcaraz's specific injury might affect his ranking moving forward. Due to his loss in Rio, he will have no chance of catching Novak Djokovic any time soon atop the rankings, but the loss might also allow Jannik Sinner to creep closer to moving up to No. 2.

Lob and Smash podcast: Breaking down all the news in tennis

We also discuss Aryna Sabalenka's early exit at the Dubia Championships. Is she a bit too inconsistent to ever be taken seriously as potentially being the long-term WTA No. 1. Or is that spot going to belong to Iga Swiatek for as long as Swiatek can stay healthy and do fairly well consistently in tournaments?

At some point during the episode, we will discuss if or how tennis should be involved with Saudi Arabia. The country is making a concerted effort to be heavily involved in global sports and after affecting golf, the Saudis appear to have their sights set on tennis. Is this a good or bad thing?

We hope you enjoy the podcast and check back for each new one. Plus, if we are really bad, you can just mock us. It's a win-win either way.

Read more from Lob and Smash