Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️🌱
Today’s tennis mood: A bit melancholy and looking to turn things around.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
🎾 Mboko’s out: In her second-round match against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday, Victoria Mboko appeared to be on the comeback trail after dropping the first set when she slid on the grass, injuring her left knee. The injury, which left her in tears on the court, forced her to retire from the singles match. However, it wasn’t until Thursday morning that the other shoe dropped: She would be forced to retire from doubles with Serena Williams, too. There’s no word from the Mboko camp on the severity of the situation, so let’s hope for a quick return to the grass.
🎾 Evo-lution: Dan Evans announced on Thursday that he would retire at the end of Wimbledon this year. The 36-year-old Brit who rose to 21 in the world might be remembered for any number of things. But Andy Murray fans will remember the sacrifice he made to play doubles with Andy Murray at the 2024 Olympic Games instead of defending his title in DC — a decision that meant his ranking would plummet from 58 to nearly 200. He’s never really climbed out of that ever since.
What he said: “This sport has given me everything. The friendships, the experiences, the battles and even the hard days were special in hindsight. I have loved every single minute of being a professional tennis player,” Evans posted on Instagram. “Representing Great Britain in both Davis Cup and the Olympics remains the greatest honor of my career and something I will cherish the rest of my life.
🎾 One to watch: Martin Landaluce vs. Taylor Fritz (2nd round - ATP 250 - Stuttgart): Watch this one to see where Taylor Fritz stands at the moment. His abbreviated clay season wasn’t fruitful, not that he exactly enjoys the surface to begin with. But grass is a different story for the 2025 Wimbledon semifinalist. Landaluce, whose game translates nicely on grass, will be a good first test.
The record: This will be the first time Taylor Fritz and Martin Landaluce face off.
On the line: For both players, this match is about getting reps on grass heading into Wimbledon. An early exit isn’t in the cards for either one.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
(Yesterday’s poll results: 83% of you called for Victoria Mboko to defeat Karolina Pliskova. Pliskova won by retirement.)
And that’s game.
