Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️☀️
Today’s tennis mood: Bracing for a full day and trying to find enough screens for it all.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
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🎾 An embarrassment of riches: It’s Day One, Take Three at the Miami Open after rain washed away yesterday’s order of play. But, hey, that’s Florida. With no precipitation in the forecast for today, tournament organizers have absolutely packed the schedule today on all 10 courts. They’ve reshuffled the deck and even adjusted the time, with play beginning at 10:00 am on the outer courts (11:00 and noon on the stadium courts). So, be sure to check the order of play so you don’t miss out on your faves.
🎾 A teaser: Dominic Thiem is hinting at a return to tennis, of sorts. In his Instagram Stories, the former U.S. Open champ notified his followers that they should be ready for an announcement coming on Monday, March 23rd. He offered no real hints other than it’s tennis-related and it involves passing on his knowledge. Is he going to start coaching a pro player? Is he opening an academy? Or is he launching an online course? Your guess is as good as mine.
What he said: “Hi everyone! I have some news to share with you soon! After an incredible 14 years competing on the ATP Tour, my journey will be continuing in a new and exciting way. Looking forward to passing on my knowledge and experiences in the sport I love the most.”
🎾 One to watch: Jennifer Brady vs. Sloane Stephens (1st round - WTA 1000 - Miami): Yes, there are a ton of matches today, but we here at Court Theory HQ believe this is still the “Don’t Miss” match. Watch this one for the throwback match that never happened. That’s right. Somehow Brady and Stephens, respectively 30 and 32 years old, have never faced off on the pro tour. With both of their comeback stories looming large in this match-up, we here at Court Theory HQ aren’t missing it.
The record: This will be the first time Jennifer Brady and Sloane Stephens face off.
On the line: Forget the ranking points. For both players, this match is all about getting on the board with a WTA main tour win in 2026, with the hope that it can snowball into something bigger.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
And that’s game.
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Matches we’re monitoring today:
Miami - WTA 1000 (Hard)
Alex Eala vs. Laura Siegemund (1st rd)
Mirra Andreeva vs. McCartney Kessler (1st rd)
Alycia Parks vs. Sinja Kraus (1st rd)
Francesca Jones vs. Venus Williams (1st rd)
Jennifer Brady vs. Sloane Stephens (1st rd)
Tereza Valentova vs. Katie Volynets (1st rd)
Hailey Baptiste vs. Tatjana Maria (1st rd)
Lulu Sun vs. Taylor Townsend (1st rd)
Emiliana Arango vs. Oksana Selekhmeteva (1st rd)
Caty McNally vs. Rebeka Masarova (1st rd)
Lilli Tagger vs. Ella Seidel (1st rd)
Emerson Jones vs. Linda Fruhvirtova (1st rd)
Viktorija Golubic vs. Peyton Stearns (1st rd)
Ann Li vs. Kimberly Birrell (1st rd)
Dayana Yastremska vs. Ashlyn Krueger (1st rd)
Janice Tjen vs. Yulia Putintseva (1st rd)
Miami - ATP 1000 (Hard)
Fabian Marozsan vs. Joao Fonseca (1st rd)
Alex Michelsen vs. Mattia Bellucci (1st rd)
Raphael Collignon vs. Grigor Dimitrov (1st rd)
Ethan Quinn vs. Hubert Hurkacz (1st rd)
Alexandre Muller vs. Matteo Berrettini (1st rd)
Zizou Bergs vs. Jenson Brooksby (1st rd)
Marcos Giron vs. Martin Landaluce (1st rd)
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Arthur Fery (1st rd)
Zhizhen Zhang vs. Adrian Mannarino (1st rd)
Denis Shapovalov vs. Botic van de Zandschulp (1st rd)
Nikoloz Basilashvili vs. Mariano Navone (1st rd)
Rafael Jodar vs. Yannik Hanfmann (1st rd)
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs. Camilo Ugo Carabelli (1st rd)
Moise Kouame vs. Zachay Svajda (1st rd)
Darwin Blanch vs. Jan-Lennard Struff (1st rd)
Reilly Opelka vs. Nuno Borges (1st rd)
Martin Damm Jr vs. Jacob Fearnley (1st rd)
📺 Learn how to watch today’s action over at Tennis Watchers.
💬 For real-time match commentary and conversation, follow Court Theory on Bluesky.
Moise Kouame, the 17-year-old phenom from France, is making his Masters 1000 main draw debut today — and he's doing his best to take it all in.
Jennifer Brady discusses a realistic comeback with the WTA Tour.
Today, Alex Eala takes the court where he launch into tennis stardom began, and here’s how she’s handling the moment.
And Jakub Mensik has some perhaps guarded thoughts about what it means to return as the defending champion.
For The Guardian, Tumaini Carayol reports on the changes Jack Draper made to his gear and his serve in his comeback to the tour.
Ben Shelton says he was battling the flu at Indian Wells, but he’s ready to go for Miami.
There’s an update in Wimbledon’s ongoing expansion saga.
And Carlos Alcaraz has commemorated his Australian Open win — on his body.
As if Daniil Medvedev hasn’t had enough travel issues lately.
