👋 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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Today’s tennis mood: Foreignly patriotic with a heavy dose of anticipation.

Let’s tennis!

Four Points

🎾 Day One: Today marks the start of the Davis Cup Finals, with France facing Belgium in the first quarterfinal set to begin at 10:00 am ET. Other quarterfinals will be played on Wednesday and Thursday. The tournament — held in Bologna, Italy — is an eight-team draw that is essentially Argentina vs. Europe.

  • Team France: Arthur Rinderknech, Corentin Moutet, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Benjamin Bonzi, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Paul-Henri Mathieu (captain)
  • Team Belgium: Zizou Bergs, Raphael Collignon, Alexander Blockx, Sander Gille, Joran Vliegen, Steve Darcis (captain)

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

🎾 Alcaraz is out: Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Davis Cup Finals, citing his ongoing hamstring injury.

  • What he said: “I’m absolutely gutted to announce that I’m not going to be able to play with Spain in the Davis Cup in Bologna...😢 I have an edema in the hamstring of my right leg, and the medical recommendation is to not compete. I’ve always said that playing for Spain is he greatest thing there is...I’m heading home heartbroken.”
  • And another thing: The world number one made his feelings known about the state of Davis Cup in its current formulation. “They got to do something (with) this event, because I think playing every year, I mean — it is not as good as it might be if you’re playing every two or three years,” Alcaraz said before his withdrawal. “I think if the tournament is played, like, every two years or every three years, the players, the commitment of the players, it’s going to be even more because it’s unique, it’s different. You’re not able to play every year.”
  • Next: Spain is set to face Czechia on Thursday. Captain David Ferrer, who previously snubbed 14th-ranked Alejandro Davidovich Fokina by not including him on the roster, has added Pablo Carreno Busto to the mix as a replacement for Alcaraz, making Jaume Munar their top-ranked singles player at 38.

🎾 New U.S. Open tournament director: Eric Butorac was named as the new U.S. Open tournament director on Monday, following Stacey Allaster stepping down from the role. If Butorac’s name sounds familiar but you can’t quite place it, it might be because he was a top 20 doubles player who reached the final of the 2014 Australian Open and the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open the same year. But it’s more likely because he is the brains behind the reimagining of the mixed doubles event at this year’s U.S. Open. If you were hoping the event would return to its regularly scheduled programming, there’s a slim chance of that. In fact, Butorac told The Athletic yesterday that maybe they’ll try to find a way to add a few more teams to this year’s format by expanding the draw a bit or introducing qualifying. To an exhibition.

🎾 The end for Eubanks?: Chris Eubanks, a crowd favorite on the court and in the commentator’s booth, suggested he may be done with his pro playing career. Still, the 29-year-old from Atlanta left open the possibility that he may return when he posted o n social media on Monday.

  • What he said: “If you had told this little boy from the Southside of Atlanta that he would’ve accomplished all that he did, he wouldn’t believe you. 2 Time ACC Player of the Year? Yeah right. Wimbledon Quarter-finalist? No chance. An Olympian? Unfathomable,” Eubanks posted on Instagram. “I was given [the] opportunity to travel around the world and form incredible relationships all while fulfilling a lifelong dream of playing professional tennis. I can’t put into words how blessed I have been. Is this absolutely the end?! Tough to say for certain but if it is, WHOOPTY DOO!!! It’s been an incredible ride.”
  • Hit deeper: Shortly after Eubanks made his announcement on social media, Andy Roddick posted an interview with Eubanks that goes into more depth.