👋 Welcome back to The Daily Theory, our morning rundown to help you stay on top of your favorite sport. I’m Allen McDuffee, your guide to all things tennis.

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On tap today: Coco Gauff responds to Aryna Sabalenka, grass season kicks off, Andy Murray is present for Andy Murray Arena day, Alex Michelsen takes on Gael Monfils, plus more in today’s tennis news.

Let’s tennis!

Three Points

🎾 An ace down the tee: Monday, on Good Morning America, Coco Gauff appeared for an interview to celebrate her Roland-Garros title, discussing how she approached the match and how much the win meant to her. She also offered her response to Aryna Sabalenka’s displays of poor sportsmanship in the form of negative comments following their match. It was, as you might expect from Gauff by now, a lesson in taking the high road.

  • What she said: “I know she was probably a bit emotional after that match and it was a tough loss,” Gauff said. “I was a little bit surprised about the comments and everything, but I’m gonna give her the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure it was an emotional day, emotional match.”

🎾 Opening day: Monday kicked off grass season, that tiny stretch on the calendar when the game seems to change dramatically overnight. We here at Court Theory HQ intend to enjoy every moment of pristine lawns, skiddy bounces, and people intentionally coming to the net. Who is going to win the big one at the end of it all, you ask? I say: Who cares? Just enjoy a diminishing aspect of our collective history while it’s still here.

🎾 Andy Murray is open: At Queen’s Club, Muzza was treated to a ballgirl guard of honor as play opened on Andy Murray Arena on Monday. To celebrate the renaming of the court, he hit a few balls with Laura Robson and a couple of local schoolchildren, warning the crowd he might not be quite up to snuff.

  • What he said: “I obviously miss being out here,” said Murray. “This is the first time not being involved in a grass-court season for a while. But I’ve got a new life now and am enjoying being away from the sport a little bit. My tennis is diabolical nowadays, so apologies for what you’re about to witness, but I’ll give it a go.”
  • The moment: Monday marked the return of women’s pro tennis at Queen’s Club for the first time since 1973. The winner that year? Olga Morozova, one of Andy Murray’s junior coaches.
  • A missed opportunity: If tournament organizers really wanted to honor Andy Murray, they would have heeded his ongoing call for equal prize money. Instead, there’s a future promise for 2029.

And, that’s game.

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Watch This!

🔥 Alex Michelsen vs. Gael Monfils (1st round ATP 250 - Stuttgart): This is the problem-solver versus the problem-maker, which should provide some immensely entertaining tennis — especially on grass. Expect both to serve big, slide groundstrokes around the court, and attempt to beat the other one to the net.

  • The record: This will be the first time Alex Michelsen and Gael Monfils face each other.
  • On the line: Neither player has points to defend from Stuttgart last year. However, Michelsen is looking to break his four-match losing streak in main tour events, moving into a more favorable grass court season. And there’s little doubt that Monfils is looking for something a little quicker himself to get more than the first-round wins he’s been limited to lately.

On The Radar

More tennis matches we’re monitoring today:

London - WTA 500 (Grass)

  • Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Katie Boulter (1st round)
  • Emma Raducanu vs. Cristina Bucsa (1st round)
  • Rebecca Sramkova vs. Barbora Krejcikova (1st round)
  • Karolina Muchova vs. Maddison Inglis (1st round)
  • Francesca Jones vs. McCartney Kessler (1st round)
  • Diana Shnaider vs. Magdalena Frech (1st round)

’s-Hertogenbosch - WTA 250 (Grass)

  • Danielle Collins vs. Greet Minnen (1st round)
  • Ann Li vs. Anastasia Potapova (1st round)
  • Liudmila Samsonova vs. Carson Branstine (1st round)

’s-Hertogenbosch - ATP 250 (Grass)

  • Zizou Bergs vs. Alexander Blockx (1st round)
  • Reilly Opelka vs. Jesper de Jong (1st round)
  • Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Hubert Hurkacz (1st round)
  • Rinky Hijikata vs. Dan Evans (1st round)

Stuttgart - ATP 250 (Grass)

  • Denis Shapovalov vs. Arthur Rinderknech (1st round)
  • Fabio Fognini vs. Corentin Moutet (1st round)
  • Damir Dzumhur vs. Pierre-Hugues Herbert (1st round)
  • Yannick Hanfmann vs. Marton Fucsovic (1st round)
  • Learner Tien vs. Yoshihito Nishioka (1st round)

📺 Learn how to watch today’s action over at Tennis Watchers.

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