👋 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: Novak Djokovic gets revenge on his birthday, Roland-Garros is wrapping up qualifying, Caroline Garcia announces her retirement, Andrey Rublev takes on Felix Auger-Aliassime, plus more in today’s tennis news.
Let’s tennis!
Three Points
🎾 The Djokovic report: In Geneva on Thursday, for his 38th birthday, Novak Djokovic took revenge on Matteo Arnaldi — the young Italian who defeated the former number one just a month ago in Madrid. Djokovic took the first set 6-4 before finding himself down 1-4 in the second. He then reeled off five straight games to close out the match.
- Notable: After stretching for a forehand in the fifth game of the second set, Djokovic paused a moment and held his right knee, for which he underwent surgery last year. He seemed unhampered by it for the rest of the match, but it is something to keep an eye on in the upcoming days and weeks.
- What he said: “It’s great to be in the semi-finals again,” said Djokovic, who was defeated by Tomas Machac in the same round last year in Geneva. “Hopefully, this year I can go at least a step further — that’s the goal. I think I’m playing really good tennis. A straight-sets win, but it was much closer than the score indicates.” He added: “I found the optimal state and balance, mentally and emotionally, to be able to play my best tennis when it was most needed. Hopefully, I can carry that into tomorrow.”
- Next: Djokovic faces Cameron Norrie in the semifinals on Friday.
🎾 Final round: Today is the final round of qualifying at Roland-Garros. Here are some particularly interesting match-ups worth tracking:
- Taylor Townsend vs. Daria Saville
- Marin Cilic vs. Lloyd Harris
- Juan Manuel Cerundolo vs. Daniel Elahi Galan
- Giulio Zeppieri vs. Federico Agustin Gomez
- Victoria Mboko vs. Kaja Juvan
- Henrique Rocha vs. Luca van Assche
🎾 Last call: Former world number four Caroline Garcia announced her impending retirement on social media on Friday, marking the end of a 15-year professional career.
- What she said: “It’s time to say goodbye...My tennis journey hasn’t always been easy. Since my early days, tennis has been much more than just winning or losing. It’s been love or hate. Happiness or anger. Still, I’m deeply grateful for this journey – for everything tennis has given me, and for how much it’s helped me become a strong, passionate, hard-working woman. But now, it’s time for something else. My body and my personal goals need it...In the coming days, there will be more time to share what’s next for me. But for now, I just want to focus on living these last weeks as a tennis pro to the fullest.”
🎾 Notification: The Court Theory Roland-Garros preview is coming a little later today. Watch your inbox for the guide that takes on the big questions and provides the fine details so you can sit back and enjoy this year’s French Open.
