Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️☀️
Today’s tennis mood: Contemplative but also ready for some Davis Cup-like chaos.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
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🎾 ICYMI: There are some seriously intriguing matches on the red clay of Monte-Carlo and Linz today (more on that below). But here’s what you may have missed yesterday:
In Linz, Karolina Pliskova continued her comeback by defeating Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-4, 6-4.
Alex Eala kicked off her clay campaign with a win over Julia Grabher, 6-4, 6-3.
Austrian teen Lilli Tagger staved off a comeback attempt from Paula Badosa, taking her in straight sets 6-4, 7-6.
Hubert Hurkacz pulled off an upset by defeating Luciano Darderi 7-6, 5-7, 6-1.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry needed three sets to take down Grigor Dimitrov, who will now find himself outside the top 100.
Alexander Bublik retired Gael Monfils from Monte-Carlo in two highly entertaining sets, 6-4, 6-4.
🎾 A very Meddy crashout: Early on Wednesday, Matteo Berrettini delivered a devastating result to Daniil Medvedev in Monte-Carlo: a 6-0, 6-0 loss in less than 50 minutes. He somehow won only 17 points in the entire match — a quarter of them in the first game. And, yes, it involved obliterating his racket.
What he said: “I think it was one of the best performances of my life,” Berrettini said after the match. “I think I missed three shots in the entire match, and it is not easy against a tricky player like Daniil. I think the game plan was perfect, and my weapons were working.” He added: “I faced two break points in the first game, and then after that it felt I was playing better than him. I was not expecting to win zero, zero like that. But I kept my focus as I know one break or two breaks is not enough sometimes, so I kept pushing.”
🎾 The flipside: In yesterday’s edition of The Daily Theory, I went hard on Stefanos Tsitsipas over his inability to stop the chaos in his camp, wondering if he’ll be able to climb out of the hole that will soon see him at his lowest ranking since 2018. But there’s another side to this equation: It’s hard to fathom the kind of pressure Stefanos Tsitsipas must feel. The whole Tsitsipas family operation is on his shoulders. Two parents/coaches. Two brothers on tour. And a younger sister in the juniors. There’s evidence of only one source of income, though.
🎾 One to watch: Lorenzo Musetti vs. Valentin Vacherot (2nd round - ATP 1000 - Monte-Carlo): Watch this match for what might be the most Davis Cup-like environment of the tournament. Vacherot, the hometown hero, takes on neighboring Italian Musetti. Both have much at stake in this early-round match. Expect Vacherot to serve big and hit even bigger groundies, while Musetti uses his finesse until he can go for his own winners.
The record: This will be the first time Lorenzo Musetti and Valentin Vacherot face each other.
On the line: Musetti has finalist points to defend from last year’s tournament — the first pillar in a string of highly successful clay events that catapulted him solidly into the top 10. After dealing with injuries this season, meeting those expectations is a big ask. Meanwhile, Vacherot is on a mission to prove that the last six months haven’t been a fluke, and he wants to give the people of Monaco something to cheer about at home.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
And that’s game.
