Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️☀️
Today’s tennis mood: Satisfied but also curiosity piqued.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
🎾 Wednesday: It’s quarterfinals day in Rome. Sort of. We’re at that part of the tournament when we have split — two men’s and two women’s — quarterfinals. The good news is that they are all fascinating in their own way. More on that below.
🎾 The cover we deserve: That belongs to Carlos Alcaraz and Vanity Fair. The photography, the styling, the story. They could all make you forget about how we’ve been robbed of Alcaraz this clay season.
🎾 Coaching carousel: Jack Draper has split with coach Jamie Delgado, Andy Murray’s former coach, after just six months of working together. Instead, the 24-year-old Brit has added Murray himself to his team.
What he said: “I am very grateful for everything Jamie Delgado has done for me over these past six months,” Draper said in a statement. “He is a world-class coach and a great man.” He added: “In the interim, I will continue to be supported by the excellent team at the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association), with the addition of Andy Murray, who will be supporting me throughout the grass court season.”
Yes, but: This seems like a strange move for Draper, given that he and Delgado have had so little time to work together due to his ongoing injuries. They have kept him out of the clay season, which means that once Roland-Garros is over, he’ll drop outside the top 100.
Meanwhile: It’s been only one year since Murray and Novak Djokovic ended their coaching partnership — an arrangement that many observers say was too soon after Murray’s retirement. Is a year enough distance? We’ll see.
🎾 One to watch: Rafael Jodar vs. Luciano Darderi (Quarterfinals - ATP 1000 - Rome): Watch this one to catch the hottest young player taking on one of the very best clay-courters in the world for a spot in the semifinals in Rome. Let’s see how Jodar handles a different kind of clay test: a heavy ball that jumps out of the strike zone over and over and over.
The record: This will be the first time Rafael Jodar and Luciano Darderi face each other.
On the line: There are no points to defend. No history between the two. This match is all about opportunity for both players.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
(Yesterday’s poll results: 70% of you called for Coco Gauff to defeat Mirra Andreeva. Gauff won 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.)
And that’s game.
