Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️
Today’s tennis mood: Ready for Monte-Carlo and still celebrating the newcomers.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
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🎾 A new week + ICYMI: This week, we’re moving more firmly to the European clay with the ATP Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo and a WTA Tour 250 in Linz (Billie Jean King Cup kicks off later in the week). And, if you checked out during the holiday weekend, here’s what you may have missed:
In Charleston, Jessica Pegula defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-2, 6-2.
Top seed Marie Bouzkova won the title in Bogota after taking down Panna Udvardy in three sets, 6-7, 6-2, 6-2.
Tommy Paul saved three championship points to defeat Roman Andres Burruchaga and take home the trophy in Houston by a score of 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.
In Marrakech, Rafael Jodar had his way with all the competition and defeated Marco Trungelliti in the final round, 6-3, 6-2, to win his first ATP Tour title.
And in another first, Mariano Navone outlasted an exhausted Daniel Merida, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, to hoist his maiden ATP Tour trophy.
🎾 Calm the farm: There was much outrage across the internet when Stan Wawrinka was snubbed for a wild card not only into Indian Wells, but also the Miami Open. One problem: he never requested one to either. In fact, skipping the Sunshine Double was all part of his strategy.
What he said: “I didn’t want to go that far. Traveling is not easy after more than 20 years on tour,” Wawrinka said during pre-Monte-Carlo press. “I felt that if I wanted to play the full year and still be physically and mentally fit, it was better not to take that trip.”
🎾 Coaching drama: Last week, we got into the uplifting bit of news that Iga Swiatek had scored a new coach in Francisco Roig and some extra help for a bit from her hero, Rafa Nadal. Welp, there’s another side to that story, and it comes from our gentle giant Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who was left jilted by Roig with zero notice and a text via his agent.
What he said: “It was my agent who informed me,” Mpetshi Perricard said in an interview. “He didn’t inform me directly. I thought I could trust his words. To throw all that away so quickly, it’s a shame. It’s a ruthless world. I’d never seen that before.” He added: “It took me a good half-day to process it. Was it because of me? Actually, not at all. I had nothing to do with it, with videos that came out quickly (Roig with Swiatek). But I don’t think that project (with Swiatek) was put together in 24 hours.”
Next: Unclear. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard just pulled out of Monte-Carlo, citing a wrist injury.
And that’s game.
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Matches we’re monitoring today:
Linz - WTA 250 (Clay)
Sloane Stephens vs. Tatjana Maria (1st rd)
Katie Boulter vs. Elena-Gabriela Ruse (1st rd)
Alycia Parks vs. Dalma Galfi (1st rd)
Monte-Carlo - ATP 1000 (Clay)
Sebastian Baez vs. Stan Wawrinka (1st rd)
Francisco Cerundolo vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (1st rd)
Valentin Vacherot vs. Juan Manuel Cerundolo (1st rd)
Arthur Rinderknech vs. Karen Khachanov (1st rd)
Jiri Lehecka vs. Emilio Nava (1st rd)
Joao Fonseca vs. Gabriel Diallo (1st rd)
Cristian Garin vs. Matteo Arnaldi (1st rd)
Denis Shapovalov vs. Alexander Blockx (1st rd)
Zizou Bergs vs. Adrian Mannarino (1st rd)
*Billie Jean King Cup kicks off later in the week.
📺 Learn how to watch today’s action over at Tennis Watchers.
💬 For real-time match commentary and conversation, follow Court Theory on Bluesky.
We here at Court Theory HQ never tire of looking at beautiful courts, and our friends at Racquet never tire of showing them to us.
And then they’ll turn around and give us the hard truth about American college tennis.
Nobody is more excited for the clay season than Carlos Alcaraz.
It’s easy to focus on Jessica Pegula winning Charleston, but runner-up Yuliia Starodubtseva has quite a story to tell.
The Charleston Open sees equal prize money as part of the business model, not a subsidy.
When I wrote that Rafa Jodar would be in the top 50 very soon after watching him up close at the Charleston Challenger in the fall, I didn’t necessarily mean in a few months. Now that he’s won the Marrakech ATP 250 — his first ATP Tour title — he’s up to 57.
Mariano Navone pulled off his maiden ATP Tour title, as well.
And, after winning in Houston, Tommy Paul reflects on his turning point in the Sunshine Double — and what experience has taught him as he fought off three championship points.
Talia Gibson realizes that she should have believed in herself much sooner in her young career.
