Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️🌱
Today’s tennis mood: Still buzzing from a big tennis weekend, but also mildly (temporarily?) annoyed with Wimbledon streaming.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
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🎾 One more week: We’re into our last week before Wimbledon begins, with final preparations being made before action kicks off at the All England Club. That puts players in Bad Homburg, Mallorca, and Eastbourne…or Roehampton for Wimbledon qualifying. And some big matches and exciting players are taking the court (hi, Venus!). More on all of that below. But ICYMI, here’s how last week’s action shook out:
In Berlin, Linda Noskova took out Jessica Pegula 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
In Nottingham, Marie Bouzkova won over Emma Navarro, who was previously undefeated in finals, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2.
Frances Tiafoe won the title in Halle by defeating Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4, making him the most in-form American on grass at the moment.
At Queen’s Club, Francisco Cerundolo bounced back from a disappointing clay season to win the tournament over Tommy Paul 6-7, 6-4, 6-3. It’s his second title on the grass, but he’s only managed to win a single main draw match at Wimbledon in his career.
🎾 The inevitable: We all knew it was coming. Serena Williams is back in singles action, starting with Wimbledon. That last part might be a little bit of a surprise, given her lack of preparation set against the gravity of the tournament — not only in the tennis world but also in her personal history (even Wimbledon lost its chill in the announcement, as you’ll see below). It’s not a matter of whether or not she deserves the wild card, as others seem bent on questioning. The only question in my mind is whether or not she can live up to her own expectations without testing the waters first at a smaller tournament. Because even though she’s trying to play it breezy, we all know Serena better than that. Whatever may come of it, we here at Court Theory HQ will not miss a point.
🎾 Qualies kickoff: Speaking of Wimbledon, it’s the first day of qualifying on the grounds of Roehampton. And, although the programming and the commentators are quite pleasant, matches from just one court are being streamed. In 2026. 😐
🎾 One to watch: Alex Eala vs. Elise Mertens (1st round WTA 500 - Bad Homburg): Watch this one to see if Alex Eala can keep her grass court winning ways up after a highly successful tournament in Berlin last week.
The record: Elise Mertens leads the head-to-head record over Alex Eala 2-0. Their most recent meeting was in Madrid this year, which Mertens won 6-2, 6-1.
On the line: After her semifinal run in Berli, in which she defeated Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina, Eala is looking to keep that winning feeling going. An early exit isn’t part of the plan. Meanwhile, Mertens, who will be seeded at Wimbledon, is currently 2-2 in the grass season. A win over Eala would be a confidence booster.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
And that’s game.
