Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️
Today’s tennis mood: Affirming plus bewilderment.
Aryna Sabalenka says she’s taking the tour’s “insane” scheduling matters into her own hands. ESPN has kicked some commentator staples to the curb. And Elena Rybakina and Karolina Muchova are set for a tasty quarterfinal battle.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
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Four Points
🎾 Sabalenka chooses self-care: World number one Aryna Sabalenka said she plans to skip some tournaments this year to maintain her health, labeling the tour schedule and the punishment for bowing out of tournaments as “insane.” At press following her win over Sorana Cirstea in Brisbane, she was asked if she would consider playing a lighter schedule like Serena Williams did during her career.
What she said: “The season is definitely insane, and that’s not good for all of us, as you see so many players getting injured and also the balls are quite heavy. It’s a lot of struggle for all of us,” Sabalenka said on Thursday. “What Serena did, the rules were different. Right now, like last season, by the end of the season, because I didn’t play enough of 500 [level] events, they fine us with points.” She added: “This season we will try to manage it a little bit better, even though they are going to fine me by the end of the season…You cannot skip a 1000 event. It’s really tricky, and I think that’s insane what they do. I think they just follow their interests, but they’re not focusing on protecting all of us.”
Previously: Iga Swiatek, who has been an outspoken critic of the schedule for a few years, hinted at skipping mandatory events in September. But there have been no definitive statements from her since.
Noteworthy: The WTA Tour has offered no response.
🎾 ESPN shake-up: Ahead of Australian Open coverage, ESPN announced some changes that have left staples in the standard team in the cold. Pam Shriver and Brad Gilbert, who have been with the network for decades, are out — and seemingly against their wishes.
What she said: “Thanks for the 35+ amazing years,” Shriver posted on X. “I recall AO 1990, after an early round loss, working for ESPN for the first time. I was prepared for more, but was told it was time to streamline.”
And what he said: “Had a great 23 year run,” Gilbert posted on X with a thumbs up and running man emoji.
Other changes: Chris McKendry, who has been the host helming the desk, will move to a play-by-play announcer — a role she reportedly requested. Katie George and NBA Today host Malika Andrews will split hosting duties.
Intriguing: Darren Cahill is in “TBD” status, per an ESPN spokesperson.
Noteworthy: The shake-up comes half a year after a highly successful TNT takeover of Roland-Garros. Let’s hope there’s more to this facelift than just shuffling the deck chairs.
🎾 One to watch: Elena Rybakina vs. Karolina Muchova (Quarterfinals - WTA 500 - Brisbane): Watch this one for the contrast in styles of play. Be entertained by Rybakina’s ability to crank balls from all spots on the court. And be impressed with how Muchova picks that apart with angles, off-pace balls, slice backhands, coming to the net, and, yes, cranking back when the moment is right. Who wins it? Your guess is as good as mine, and we have no recent face-offs to measure.
The record: The head-to-head record between Rybakina and Muchova is tied 1-1. But the two haven’t played in nearly three years, when Rybakina defeated Muchova at Indian Wells in a highly entertaining match, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
On the line: Points-wise, both players have minimal points to defend. This match is about establishing levels heading into the Australian Open.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
(Yesterday’s poll results: 88.89% of you voted for Amanda Anisimova to defeat Marta Kostyuk. Kostyuk won the match, 6-4, 6-3.)
And, that’s game.
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On Tour
Matches we’re monitoring today:
Brisbane - WTA 500 (Hard)
Aryna Sabalenka vs. Madison Keys (Quarterfinals)
Mirra Andreeva vs. Marta Kostyuk (Quarterfinals)
Liudmila Samsonova vs. Jessica Pegula (Quarterfinals)
Auckland - WTA 250 (Hard)
Magda Linette vs. Alexandra Eala (Quarterfinals)
Xinyu Wang vs. Francesca Jones (Quarterfinals)
Iva Jovic vs. Sofia Costoulas (Quarterfinals)
Elina Svitolina vs. Sonay Kartal (Quarterfinals)
Brisbane - ATP 250 (Hard)
Raphael Collignon vs. Brandon Nakashima (Quarterfinals)
Daniil Medvedev vs. Kamil Majchrzak (Quarterfinals)
Aleksandar Kovacevic vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (Quarterfinals)
Sebastian Korda vs. Alex Michelsen (Quarterfinals)
Hong Kong - ATP 250 (Hard)
Lorenzo Musetti vs. Coleman Wong (Quarterfinals)
Andrey Rublev vs. Nuno Borges (Quarterfinals)
Juncheng Shang vs. Alexander Bublik (Quarterfinals)
Marcos Giron vs. Michael Mmoh (Quarterfinals)
Perth - United Cup (Hard)
Australia vs. Poland (Quarterfinals)
📺 Learn how to watch today’s action over at Tennis Watchers.
Around The Net
Nicolas Massu shares insight on how his charge, Hubert Hurkacz, has gone from being out of competition for seven months to taking down the world’s top players.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Patrick Mouratoglou are having the most unnecessary back-and-forth to insult each other.
Cover girls: Aryna Sabalenka and Emerson Jones are on the January covers of Tatler Asia and Vogue Australia, respectively.
Qinwen Zheng, who hasn’t been seen since she retired mid-match in Beijing in September, has pulled out of the Australian Open.
After going through two rounds of qualifying and taking down two main draw opponents (including fourth seed Karen Khachanov), it’s fair to say Michael Mmoh is back in business.
Who’s world? Belinda’s world.
Does a supplement called Gorillalpha Yeti Juice not contain an inherent warning?
