Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️☀️
Today’s tennis mood: A little curmudgeonly but also chuckling at how the outside world views tennis news.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
🎾 On tap: Between time zone differences and odd schedules, we find ourselves on this Monday morning in a kind of strange spot. The ATP 250s in Chengdu and Hangzhou are wrapping up, and the main draws of the WTA 1000 and ATP 500s have not yet begun. In action today: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Daniil Medvedev, and Andrey Rublev, among others. More on all of that below.
🎾 ICYMI: While the schedule is a bit off the norm, some things did indeed wrap up over the weekend. Here’s what you may have missed…
🎾 Speaking of Laver Cup: Few events on the calendar are as polarizing as Laver Cup. For every opinion, there’s a contradiction. (“It’s terrible.” “It’s the best event of the year.” “It’s a money grab.” “It’s the best value.” “It’s an exhibition.” “The players really do care.” “It’s not good since Federer and his generation are gone.” “It’s great seeing the new generation play with the ones ahead.”)
Yes, but: What makes it difficult to maintain interest here at Court Theory HQ is how artificially slow the play is kept. Yes, perhaps it’s nice to have some points that last a bit longer. But slowing down the courts to the point of muting what makes these amazing players special is just too painful to watch from beginning to end.
And: That’s before we even get to the point of what players complain about for the remainder of the year: exceptionally slow conditions that produce balls the size of grapefruits are a recipe for wrist, elbow, and shoulder injury.
🎾 Since we’re talking about team events: We here at Court Theory HQ would like to register our disdain for the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup formats in which doubles is only played as a tiebreak. At BJK Cup last week, doubles didn’t enter the equation in the two semifinal matches nor the final. In a team competition, doubles should be integral, compulsory even — not a last resort.
🎾 One to watch: Andrey Rublev vs. Daniil Medvedev (Round - ATP 250 - Hangzhou): Watch this one for two entertaining players who are facing off in conditions they both like — hard court and indoors. That should provide the environment for tennis in the realm of perfection between a pure power player and a counterpuncher. Add on top of that some psycho-drama between two players who have been pulling each other’s strings since they were kids, and we’re in for a treat.
The record: Daniil Medvedev leads the head-to-head record over Andrey Rublev 7-2. However, the two haven’t faced each other since 2023.
On the line: Both players crashed out early in this event last year, so this is a chance to stack some points — a little more important for Rublev, who finds himself outside the top 20.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
And that’s game.
