👋 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, we’ve got: Jakub Mensik’s magical run in Miami, the clay season has officially begun, Learner Tien takes on Alex Michelsen, plus more in today’s tennis news.
Let’s tennis!
Three Points
🎾 Win your first ATP title, but make it a 1000: Jakub Mensik, the 19-year-old from the Czech Republic, did the unthinkable by defeating his hero, Novak Djokovic, in the Miami Open final on Sunday night. — unthinkable for a number of reasons.
Do you believe in fate?: None of this may have happened if it wasn’t for a stroke of luck. Mensik, who was outside the top 50 at the start of the tournament, tried to withdraw from the Miami Open due to inflammation in his right knee. But the referee was out to lunch, and Mensik went to see the physio, instead. “After a few minutes I started to feel a little relief. I took different painkillers, which helped a little bit. I was like: ‘It’s 30 minutes before the match. I can walk. I can run. Let’s see.’ Somehow, I won the first round, and then I had one day off. Day by day, the knee was getting better, and with that also my game.”
Round after round: Mensik went on a tear, taking out several seeds — Jack Draper, Arthur Fils, and Taylor Fritz, before defeating Djokovic in the final.
When it was over: “You’re the one I idolized when I was young,” Mensik said to Djokovic during the trophy presentation. “I started playing tennis because of you.”
Now: Mensik is at a career-high ranking of 24 in the world.
Next: Because of his ranking at the cut-off, Mensik is due to play qualifying at Monte Carlo later this week. All eyes on organizers for a wild card.
🎾 Dirt in my eyes: With the Sunshine Double out of the way, the clay season has officially kicked off. Today, five tournaments on the dirt from Houston to Bucharest are in session. Only three of the world’s current top ten among the WTA or ATP players are in action — and they’re all in Charleston: Jessie Pegula, Madison Keys, and Qinwen Zheng.
🎾 Making history: In the WTA rankings released today, Alexandra Eala made history by becoming the first Filipina player to reach the top 100. But in a tournament filled with so many incredible moments — including this one when she lost in the semifinals — the ranking milestone may be blurred compared to other memories.
Making the most of the moment: In a sign of things changing within the WTA, the organization wasted no time in putting together a video of Eala as part of its rebranding campaign.
And, that’s game.
What They Said
I have seen him play when he was 15 or 16 and invited him, we had some training blocks together. He was training at my club in Belgrade and to see his development and evolution is really great, amazing. I could see back then already that three, four years ago that he’s going to be, you know, one of the top players of the world. I’m super glad that he’s using the potential that he has, because he’s got the complete game. Obviously his serve is incredible, powerful, precise, wins a lot of free points with the first serve. Backhand, as well, you know. Czech school, they always have a great backhand. But forehand, he’s improved a lot. And movement for a tall, big guy like that, he slides and moves well. He still can improve, of course. So I’m sure we’ll be seeing him around.
-Novak Djokovic on Jakub Mensik after losing in the final of the Miami Open.
Watch This!
🔥 Alex Michelsen vs. Learner Tien (1st round ATP 250 - Houston): This is an unfortunate first-round match. Or is it? Two close friends who have known each other forever playing facing off right away on a surface they’d both rather avoid altogether? Maybe it’s a small comfort that they can go through this growing pain together. Their San Diego hard court skills won’t be helpful here, so this will be pure competitiveness all the way — and that’s what will make this one a fun watch.
The record: This will be the first time Alex Michelsen and Learner Tien face each other on the ATP Tour.
On the line: For Learner Tien, this tournament is all about getting some time on the clay before heading to Europe. Since turning pro in 2023, he has played exactly one match on clay. It was a low-level ITF event, and he lost to a player 300 spots below him in the rankings. Michelsen may have more experience, but he’s in a similar boat as Tien: not comfortable. Last year, he kicked off his clay season in Houston and lost in the first round six of the nine tournaments he played on the dirt.
On The Radar
Caroline Dolehide vs. Elisabetta Cocciaretto (1st round WTA 500 - Charleston)
Katie Volynets vs. Katherine Sebov (1st round WTA 500 - Charleston)
Maria Mateas vs. Veronika Kudermetova (1st round WTA 500 - Charleston)
Sofia Kenin vs. Bernarda Pera (1st round WTA 500 - Charleston)
Ann Li vs. Anna Blinkova (1st round WTA 500 - Charleston)
Viktoriya Tomova vs. Robin Montgomery (1st round WTA 500 - Charleston)
Anhelina Kalinina vs. Caty McNally (1st round WTA 500 - Charleston)
Iva Jovic vs. Alycia Parks (1st round WTA 250 - Bogota)
Taro Daniel vs. Jenson Brooksby (1st round ATP 250 - Houston)
Aleksandar Kovacevic vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry (1st round ATP 250 - Houston)
Nishesh Basavareddy vs. Filip Cristian Jianu (1st round ATP 250 - Bucharest)
Botic van de Zandschulp vs. Richard Gasquet (1st round ATP 250 - Bucharest)
📺 Learn how to watch today’s action over at Tennis Watchers.
Read, Watch, Listen
Aryna Sabalenka says she is ready to make a go of it on clay, even against the best clay courter on the WTA Tour.
Andrey Rublev is reportedly moving his relationship with Marat Safin from mentor to coach — at least for the clay season.
Daria Kasatkina may have been busy celebrating her new home in Australia, but that’s not going to slow her down from putting out a new What The Vlog episode!
Speaking of Kasatkina joining the Aussies, Tennis Australia published a nice little primer to make her feel even more at home.
Vika Azarenka reports there is no long-term damage to her shoulder after the freak injury she suffered against Karolina Muchova in Miami.
At 37 years old, Albert Ramos Vinolas says he is retiring this season.
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Which matches are you watching? What news caught your eye today? Hit the comments below!
