👋 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.

On tap today: the Madrid Open gets underway (sort of), Jelena Ostapenko wins in Stuttgart, the ITIA raises eyebrows...again, Naomi Osaka explains why Patrick Mouratoglou is in her camp, Emiliana Arango takes on Camila Osorio, and more tennis news.

Let’s tennis!

Three Points

🎾 A light start: The Madrid Open main draw kicks off today with two courts of women’s action while the rest of the men’s and women’s qualifying play out. Like almost all the combined 1000-level events, day one is a little light on action. Still, there are a few headlining names, such as Naomi Osaka and Alexandra Eala, as well as three Americans: Hailey Baptiste, Caroline Dolehide, and Peyton Stearns. More on all of that below.

🎾 New ride, who dis: Jelena Ostapenko drove out of Stuttgart in a brand new Porsche on Monday after taking out Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. It was a blistering 6-4, 6-1 performance in which she smacked away 27 winners and logged only 8 unforced errors, marking her first win over Sabalenka. Earlier in the week, Ostapenko kept her perfect record against Iga Swiatek intact, which added to a week of perfection by defeating the top two players in the world in the same week.

  • What she said: “Honestly, I didn’t tell to anyone, I was keeping it to myself, but I felt very confident since the first day,” Ostapenko said, noting that she had something of a premonition. “I had, like, strange — not strange but in a good way, strange feeling. When I came here, I felt like something is going to happen this week. I pretty much felt that I can win this tournament. Because I think I’m improving day by day and I’m playing better and better. Yeah, I think I deserve it.”

🎾 Not exactly showered with praise: The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) is raising eyebrows after issuing a reminder about anti-doping rules that say players who have been selected for post-match urine samples must remain in full view of chaperones if they insist on hitting the shower immediately after the match. In other words, if a player is required to give a urine sample after their match and that player wants to shower first, the chaperone may observe them in the shower to make sure they aren’t passing urine that is meant to be collected.

  • What they said: “Player welfare is a priority and so we will continue to advocate for their right to do this,” the ITIA said of post-match cool downs, showering, and ice baths. “However it is important any activity does not impact the integrity of the sample. We regularly remind players of specific rules, and we are happy to answer any questions they may have.”
  • The reaction: Although the policy is far from new, there seems to be some renewed aversion to it. Some are pointing to the fact that with so many teens on the tour, there is something particularly grotesque about the shower policy.

And, that’s game.

What They Said

I think he brings me a lot of confidence. I’m someone who can be very shy and insecure, even if this one is a very tough word. It’s just that sometimes I downplay myself a lot. He’s a person who I would say builds me up and also makes me feel very certain about the things that he’s telling me, so there’s no doubt. I think for me it’s very necessary.

-Naomi Osaka on what Patrick Mouratoglou has brought to the table since joining her camp.

Watch This!

🔥 Emiliana Arango vs. Camila Osorio (1st round WTA 1000 - Madrid): Seeing two Colombian women in the main draw of a 1000 event is a point of pride. Having to face each other in the first round? That’s a bit of a gut punch. Watch this one for a classic clay court match between two young women who know each other’s games very well.

  • The record: Osorio leads the head-to-head record over Emiliana Arango 1-0. However, that match was six years ago during an ITF event in which Arango retired.
  • On the line: Osorio is looking to build on winning the WTA 250 event in Bogota earlier this month. Meanwhile, Arango is looking to jumpstart her clay season after a very successful early spring on the hard courts. For both of them, this match is about pride.
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For real-time match commentary and conversation, follow Court Theory on Bluesky.

On The Radar

More tennis matches we’re monitoring today:

Madrid - WTA 1000 (Clay)

  • Viktoriya Tomova vs. Alexandra Eala (1st round)
  • Naomi Osaka vs. Lucia Bronzetti (1st round)
  • Katie Boulter vs. Katerina Siniakova (1st round)
  • Elina Avanesyan vs. Caroline Dolehide (1st round)
  • Sorana Cirstea vs. Hailey Baptiste (1st round)
  • Lulu Sun vs. Varvara Gracheva (1st round)
  • Peyton Stearns vs. Kimberly Birrell (1st round)

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

Read, Watch, Listen

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For real-time match commentary and conversation, follow Court Theory on Bluesky.