Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️🌱
Today’s tennis mood: Moving on to the serenity of the lawns.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
🎾 The flip of a switch: After months of some of the most grueling tennis on the red clay of Europe, we’re all of a sudden on the calmer (even if less predictable) lawns of…well…still Europe. This week, we’ve got action in England, Germany, and the Netherlands, with plenty of top 10 players trying to get a jump on the grass season in those draws.
Pro tip: Be sure to look at the doubles schedules. Many of your faves are playing doubles this week as they try to get acclimated to the grass. And there are some supremely fun teams taking court.
🎾 ICYMI: Maybe you spent the weekend at the beach. Or maybe you skipped finals weekend for…ahem…another reason. Here’s what you may have missed during finals weekend in Paris. (And if you missed the whole thing, Roland-Garros has you covered, too.)
Women’s singles: Mirra Andreeva def. Maja Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2
Men’s singles: Alexander Zverev def. Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1
Women’s doubles: Siniakova/Townsend def. Danilina/Krunic 6-2, 7-5
Men’s doubles: Granollers/Zeballos def. Heliovaara/Patten 6-4, 6-2
Mixed doubles: Errani/Vavassori def. Dabrowski/King 4-6, 6-3, 10-4
🎾 It happened: For a number of reasons (domestic abuse allegations, abusing a chair umpire, repeatedly mistreating ball kids, refusing to take personal responsibility, and general whininess among them), we here at Court Theory HQ aren’t fans of Alexander Zverev. Irrespective of that, he won Roland-Garros on Sunday. He’s not the first lamentable major champion in tennis, and he won’t be the last. But we must not let that moment tarnish our sport. So, let’s find something else to celebrate from Roland-Garros — Cobolli’s run, two Black Americans in finals, another title for Siniakova-Townsend, or even the top two seeds making the finals in men’s doubles. Onward and upward!
🎾 One to watch: Tommy Paul vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (1st round - ATP 250 - Stuttgart): Watch this one for what should be some classic grass court tennis (at least on one side of the court), but also a match-up that allows both players to do what they’re best at.
The record: Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard leads the head-to-head record over Tommy Paul 1-0 after an entertaining three-setter in Brisbane earlier this year.
On the line: Last year, Tommy Paul won only one match across two tournaments during the grass season. An early start in 2026 suggests an effort to remedy that. Worse, Mpetshi Perricard won one match across three tournaments. That means this match isn’t about money or points. For both players, this match is about getting off to a solid start this grass season.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
And that’s game.
