👋 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: Daniil Medvedev scrapes through against Karen Khachanov, Gael Monfils is sad about the clay season these days, Matteo Berrettini takes on Alexander Zverev, plus more in today’s tennis news.

Let’s tennis!

Three Points

🎾 Yesterday’s Watch This!: Did we call it or what?!? When we said Daniil Medvedev vs. Karen Khachanov would be a battle, we didn’t quite predict the see-saw match that ensued. But that’s what we got with a match that included 17 breaks of serve. Medvedev prevailed 7-5 4-6 6-4, but not without a cost. The grueling match that lasted just under three hours ended with Medvedev hobbling to the net from cramps to shake Khachanov’s hand and requesting treatment before leaving the court.

  • What he said: “It’s the first match on clay — it’s not my favorite surface,” said Medvedev. “I don’t think Karen hit one ace and he’s a big server. So, it was pretty slow, but I’m happy with my level in general and looking forward.”

🎾 Back in his day: People have made much of Gael Monfils’s age lately. But one advantage of longevity on the tour is institutional history, even if that turns up some negative comparisons. For one, the clay season is nowhere near as enjoyable as it used to be, according to Le Monf thanks to climate change.

  • What he said: “The weather is worse and worse. Well, this is what I’m saying, because maybe summer arrives a lot later now. But honestly, it’s not only here. The whole period on clay has changed,” he said on Monday. “I remember when the weather was really hot during those tournaments, and now we arrive here, the weather is bad. And the French Open, it’s been a long time we didn’t have two beautiful weeks. Every time, now I have the feeling it’s cold in the French Open. I remember in Monte Carlo, so it was cold, it’s been a long time. I haven’t played here in Monte Carlo in the old way, with the beautiful weather.”

🎾 A reminder: Former number 12 player in the world Borna Coric has been regaining his mojo on the ATP Challenger Tour. And one thing he’s noticed is the ferocity of competition at that level.

  • What he said: “I really think sometimes it’s actually tougher to play the Challengers than the ATP Tour because the guys are more hungry. Most of the guys are much younger and they are very hungry. They’ve never been on the tour. They need to earn the money,” he said. “It’s not easy, but I was honestly enjoying my time as well. It brought me back to when I was 17 and playing Challengers. Back to the roots. I just had that mindset that obviously I need to win matches, I need to play more matches, and that’s what’s going to get me back in the form. That’s what I did.”

And, that’s game.

What They Said

First, this incredible place to bring a tennis court to, this I saw. It was the first time we did something like this so that was amazing to me. And yes, the involvement of the crowd. The crowd was so loud, and from the first point of the first match of the first day. They were here full. They came for that. Of course, I think the team did an incredible job explaining that it was not what we expected of going to a tennis event, that it was completely different, but we found a way to make them [fans] feel free to be themselves, to enjoy, and to be loud when they felt like it.

-Patrick Mourtoglou on what makes UTS so successful after an eventful edition in Nîmes last week.

Watch This!

🔥 Alexander Zverev vs. Matteo Berrettini (2nd round ATP 1000 - Monte Carlo): Don’t be surprised by an upset here. Berrettini has logged some good wins in the post-Aussie summer period, including over Novak Djokovic and Alex de Minaur. At the complete opposite end of the spectrum is Zverev, who since getting walloped in the Australian Open final by Jannik Sinner, has lost in the quarterfinals or earlier in every tournament he has played, giving him a 6-5 post-AO record. Expect big power from Berrettini and counterpunching from Zverev. But what Berrettini might need to pull this off is some patience to let Zverev generate his own pace at critical moments and see if he gets tight as he has been in recent months.

Why watch this one? You know exactly why.

  • The record: Alexander Zverev leads the head-to-head record over Matteo Berrettini 4-2. Berrettini won their most recent meeting, but that was almost two years ago on grass at Wimbledon. And the last time they played on clay was four years ago. In other words, their record isn’t anywhere near as important as their current form.
  • On the line: All the pressure is on Zverev. A first-match exit on clay would be devastating. For Berrettini, his pressure comes from wanting to get back to the top of the game when he was in contention for majors. Another win at Monte Carlo under his belt would go a long way.
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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:

Monte Carlo - ATP 1000

  • Nicolas Jarry vs. Grigor Dimitrov (1st round)
  • Holger Rune vs. Nuno Borges (1st round)
  • Jordan Thompson vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (2nd round)
  • Tallon Griekspoor vs. Arthur Fils (1st round)
  • Jack Draper vs. Marcos Giron (2nd round)
  • Frances Tiafoe vs. Miomir Kecmanovic (1st round)

🌎 Looking for women’s action? Billie Jean King Cup is happening intermittently throughout the week.

📺 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. Have feedback? Hit reply and drop me a line!