👋 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 rating: exhilaration with exhaustion overtones.

Let’s tennis!

Three Points

🎾 And the nominees are... The International Tennis Hall of Fame announced the nominees for the Class of 2026 on Wednesday.

  • Player category nominees: Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro, and Svetlana Kuznetsova
  • Contributor category nominees: Mary Carillo and Marshall Happer

🎾 One more year: That’s how much more time we get with Gael Monfils. On Wednesday, Le Monf announced he will retire at the end of the 2026 season.

  • What he said: “I held a racket in my hands for the first time at two and a half, and began playing professionally at 18,” Monfils posted on Instagram. “The opportunity to turn my passion into a profession is a privilege I have cherished during every match and moment of my 21-year career. Though this game means the world to me, I am tremendously at peace with my decision.”
  • A dose of reality: “While I came close, I never did win a Grand Slam during my career. I won’t pretend that I expect to do so during the next year,” Monfils wrote. “What I do have is the feeling that I have been lucky: insanely, stupidly lucky. I’ve had the chance to play during a golden age of tennis, alongside some of the greatest names in the history of our sport: Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray.”
  • Noteworthy: In January, at 38 years and 132 days, Monfils became the oldest player to win an ATP Tour title by claiming the title in Auckland — a record previously held by Roger Federer.

🎾 Pulling the plug on 2025: Paula Badosa has put an end to her 2025 season after suffering yet another setback with her left hip that caused her to retire from her match against Karolina Muchova on Sunday.

  • What she said: “There are times when I ask myself how I manage to keep going through the toughest moments. And the truth is, it’s in those exact moments that I discover the deepest strength inside me,” Badosa posted on social media. “Every setback hurts, but it also reminds me how badly I want to fight, how much I want to come back stronger.” She added: “No matter how many obstacles come my way, I promise you this: I will keep fighting, I will keep pushing, and I will keep finding my way back.”