Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️🍓
Today’s tennis mood: Optimistically prepared for a well-curated day of tennis.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
presented by
🎾 On tap: It’s Quarterfinals Day Part Two at Wimbledon today. Will the Ferytale continue, or will Cobolli end the Brit’s run? Can Taylor Fritz end Alexander Zverev’s 11-match winning streak at majors? (The American’s 7-match winning streak against him suggests so.) Is Marta Kostyuk destined for another major final? She’ll have to get through Jasmine Paolini first. And is Linda Noskova really as unstoppable as all the commentators suggest? After taking out Elena Rybakina, Elise Mertens might have something to say about that.
🎾 The marathon: Narrowly escaping curfew on Tuesday, Novak Djokovic defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in a 5-hour and 15-minute match that had three tiebreak sets, including the final one. It was, without question, one of the best competitive dramas of the tournament.
What he said: “I wish it was the final so I didn’t have to worry about how the body will feel tomorrow, but I am happy,” Djokovic said after the match. “I was telling the kids to go to sleep after the fourth set, but I am glad they didn’t listen. Because honestly it was one of the best matches I have been involved in on this court in my career.”
And what he said: “You just feel like in tiebreaks or tight moments, either he serves well, or he makes you play the extra shot. Just keeps you in a position where you can’t attack him, but he neutralizes you until he waits for a mistake,” Auger-Aliassime said. “So yeah, his game style, it’s not my natural game style. I’m more trying to play forward. But I’ll have to learn how to manage that, when to go forward, when to be a bit more solid in a way.”
Next: Djokovic will play Jannik Sinner on Friday.
🎾 Join The Club! Have you become a Court Theory Plus member yet? Upgrade your Court Theory experience and support independent journalism at the same time for as little as the cost of a can of tennis balls each month! Plus, if you sign up now, you’ll be automatically entered into a special drawing with our partners at Babolat! Yearly members are entered to win a Pure Drive Wimbledon — and monthly members a Babolat Wimbledon bag. Join now!
🎾 One to watch: Taylor Fritz vs. Alexander Zverev (Quarterfinals - Wimbledon): Watch this one because it’s always a show.
The record: Taylor Fritz leads the head-to-head record over Alexander Zverev 10-5. Fritz has won the last seven meetings, including a three-setter on grass right before Wimbledon.
On the line: Fritz has made it clear that he never wants to lose to Zverev. And he’s been making good on that for the last few years. But there’s more to it than that. He sees a clear path to the final: defeat Zverev, per usual, and then take on the winner of Cobolli vs. Fery. Meanwhile, Zverev is playing with the relief of a man who finally won a major, and it’s showing with some seriously relaxed tennis. Fritz needs to be prepared for a different opponent than he’s accustomed to.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
(Yesterday’s poll results: Voters were split yesterday 50-50 on Novak Djokovic vs. Felix Auger Aliassime. Djokovic won 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6.)
And that’s game.
