Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️
Today’s tennis mood: A bit concerned, righteously motivated, and also popcorned up!
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
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🎾 Coco’s right: There was so much controversy at the Australian Open about political questions being asked of the American players. And while we here at Court Theory weren’t exactly fans of the questions, it wasn’t because of the right to ask them — it was because of the weakness of the questions. We can get into that later, but it’s come up again in Dubai. And Coco Gauff was prepared.
What she said: “For me, I’m someone that likes to stay informed. Once I see something happen, I like to do the research on it,” Gauff said. “Yeah, everything going on in the U.S., obviously, I’m not really for it. I don’t think people should be dying in the streets just for existing. I don’t like what’s going on.”
And another thing: “I think for me, it is tough to wake up and see something because I do care a lot about our country. I think people think I don’t for some reason, but I do. I’m very proud to be American,” Gauff said, adding, “But I think when you’re from any country, you don’t have to represent the entire values of what’s going on in the leadership. I think there’s a lot of people around that believe in the things I believe in, believe in diversity and equality.”
🎾 Serena in Austin?: Last week, we called out how Serena Williams has met all the eligibility requirements to return to pro tennis. Will she? It seems strange to jump through all the hoops if she didn’t intend to. But now with those eligibility requirements out of the way, there’s a whole other layer to the drama. A significant core of tennis fans are insisting she will be accepting a wild card into the ATX Open next week. And, if that’s not enough, they are absolutely convinced she will be playing doubles with her sister, Venus, who has already accepted a wild card. To add to the intrigue, it appears there are as many as two wild cards still available. So, is she playing in Austin? Magic 8 Ball says: Better not tell you now.
🎾 You in trouble, girl: That’s Emma Navarro. She got absolutely routined in the second round by Elise Mertens on Tuesday, 6-2, 6-2. That puts her at 4-6 on the year so far, a continuation of a mediocre 2025.
Zoom in: Next week, she is set to defend her title in Merida. That’s 500 points on the line. An early exit could mean dropping out of the seeding range at Roland-Garros.
🎾 One to watch: Alexandra Eala vs. Jasmine Paolini (2nd round - WTA 1000 - Dubai): Watch this one for the competitive drama. Paolini is one of the most beloved players on tour. But that will be severely tested by playing the Filipina phenom in the Emirates. Unless Paolini is having one of those matches, expect every point to be a battle.
The record: This will be the first time Alex Eala and Jasmine Paolini face each other.
On the line: For Paolini, this match represents a course correction on 2026, which has been a string of early-round exits thus far. On the other side of the net, Eala has a chance to rack up more ranking points since she didn’t play Dubai last year. That’ll prove helpful in taking the pressure off when she goes to defend her breakout semifinal points in Miami next month.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
And that’s game.
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Matches we’re monitoring today:
Dubai - WTA 1000 (Hard)
Iva Jovic vs. Diana Shnaider (2nd rd)
Coco Gauff vs. Anna Kalinskaya (2nd rd)
Elise Mertens vs. Emma Navarro (2nd rd)
Peyton Stearns vs. Clara Tauson (2nd rd)
Dubai - ATP 500 (Hard)
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Arthur Rinderknech (1st rd)
Jiri Lehecka vs. Jenson Brooksby (1st rd)
Zizou Bergs vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (1st rd)
Rio - ATP 500 (Clay)
Joao Fonseca vs. Thiago Monteiro (1st rd)
Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. Francisco Comesana (1st rd)
Francisco Cerundolo vs. Mariano Navone (1st rd)
Juan Manuel Cerundolo vs. Luciano Darderi (1st rd)
Damir Dzumhur vs. Pedro Martinez (1st rd)
Delray Beach - ATP 250 (Hard)
Sebastian Korda vs. Mackenzie McDonald (1st rd)
Brandon Nakashima vs. Marin Cilic (1st rd)
Corentin Moutet vs. Tommy Paul (1st rd)
Aleksandar Kovacevic vs. Zachary Svajda (1st rd)
Ethan Quinn vs. Rafael Jodar (1st rd)
Adam Walton vs. Gabriel Diallo (1st rd)
📺 Learn how to watch today’s action over at Tennis Watchers.
💬 For real-time match commentary and conversation, follow Court Theory on Bluesky.
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