Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️☀️
Today’s tennis mood: Cringing at the Svitolina-Monfils news but pleased for the WTA and its good news.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
🎾 On tap: We’re working our way through the early rounds in Ningbo and Osaka for the women and Almaty, Lyon, and Brussels for the men. In action: Leylah Fernandez, Ashlyn Krueger, Zizou Bergs, Karen Khachanov, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, among others. More on this below.
🎾 It got worse: As if Elina Svitolina’s Instagram post yesterday announcing her split from Gael Monfils wasn’t bad enough, she’s gone on today, in another social media post, to “clarify” some misunderstandings. I don’t know if things are much clearer, but she did confirm that Monfils abruptly retired from tennis, pulling out of his final two events before home crowds in Lyon and Paris, after she decided to end their marriage. I’m sure none of this is easy. I’m also sure it’s as complicated as she says in her second post. And that’s precisely why this shouldn’t be playing out in an Instagram carousel.
🎾 Iga out: Iga Swiatek has pulled out of the WTA 500 event this week in Ningbo, citing a leg injury. Swiatek, who was seeded second in Ningbo, was treated during the final in Wuhan last week for an apparent thigh issue. During that on-court treatment, Swiatek was in tears.
What she said: “After careful consideration, I’ve decided to withdraw from the tournament,” Swiatek said in a statement posted on social media Tuesday by the Ningbo tournament. “I’ve been experiencing an ongoing problem with my left thigh over the past weeks and I feel that giving myself the time to rest and recover is the right decision.”
Why it matters: Aside from wanting to be a healthy competitor, this absence could mean she won’t qualify for the WTA Tour Finals in Indian Wells. In a Ningbo tournament preview, the WTA said if Swiatek didn’t reach the quarterfinals and Kostyuk doesn’t reach the final, Muchova will snag the remaining spot.
🎾 Voting starts now: The International Tennis Hall of Fame announced the nominees for induction into the 2027 class. Ash Barty, Juan Martin del Potro, and Svetlana Kuznetsova have all been nominated for the player category. And, Shingo Kunieda, the winningest wheelchair player in history, has been nominated for the wheelchair category. Although many had initially expected Serena Williams to be nominated for next year’s class, her reentry to pro tennis this year has delayed her nomination.
And that’s game.
