Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️☀️
Today’s tennis mood: Uneasy and contemplating what comes next.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
🎾 On tap: With the final major of the year in the rearview mirror, it’s almost time to turn our attention to the Asian swing. But not just yet. This week, we have a WTA 500-level event in Guadalajara and a WTA 250 in Sao Paolo. Just one top 10 player (Marta Kostyuk) is in action, but plenty of fan favorites will take the court. As for the men, there are no tour-level tournaments because Davis Cup kicks off around the globe later in the week.
Programming note: With the lull in action, The Daily Theory will be on semi-hiatus this week. But expect some other things we’ve been working on here at Court Theory HQ!
🎾 A lot: It was a lot to ask of Ben Shelton — perhaps too much — to step up in his first major final and win it. The truth is, the level just wasn’t there to do it. That’s partially because he’s seen so little of it. Coming into the U.S. Open, Shelton had faced only one Top 5 player, and that was Jannik Sinner all the way back at the Australian Open (he lost in straight sets). Facing Top 10 opponents wasn’t much better. He only played Taylor Fritz a few times. It’s the result of a year of significant highs, but also baffling lows where early exits meant he didn’t face the top players when the opportunities were there.
What he said: “I haven’t always been successful the very first time that I’ve been in finals, whether it was from when I was really young all the way up to the Challenger level and now the ATP, Grand Slam level. I think that it’s an ongoing process for me. That’s the way I see it,” Shelton said. “I don’t think I’m anywhere near the player that I want to be.”
🎾 Rybakina dethrones: Elena Rybakina didn’t just take the number one ranking away from Aryna Sabalenka before they even played their final, she then won that final over the two-time defending champion. For Sabalenka, it was too much. The overwhelming negativity completely took over. To be sure, Sabalenka has always been an emotional player. There’s nothing new there. But her inability to turn any the negativity to any other emotion since Miami has yielded the results we’ve seen — even when she’s up in a match.
What she said: “I was just out there competing, trying to do my best with what I had there today,” Sabalenka said after the match. “Not good enough.”
And what she said: “I honestly was coming here for the last 10 years, and it was never successful — nothing close to that,” Rybakina said. “It’s just incredible. I’m falling in love with New York more and more.”
And that’s game.
