Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️☀️
Today’s tennis mood: Bewildered by U.S. Davis Cup efforts and so very curious about Djokovic’s Moroccan wellness retreat.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
🎾 On tap: And we’re back! This week, the Asian swing is in full effect, with the women in Singapore and Seoul and the men with a pair of 250 tournaments in China — Hangzhou and Chengdu (although the men don’t begin until later in the week). Add to that mix Billie Jean King Cup Finals starting tomorrow and Laver Cup in London on Friday. It’s a full week with action convenient to almost any time zone. For now.
🎾 Repeat: That was Iva Jovic, who successfully defended her title in Guadalajara. That’s no small feat for an 18-year-old. Throughout the tournament, she didn’t drop a set, winning in the final over fellow American Peyton Stearns 6-4, 6-2.
What she said: “I love it here. You guys have given me so much energy. The crowd is my favorite thing about coming here, so thank you so much for being here,” she said after the match. “I’m just happy with the improvements I’ve made throughout the year. I think I’ve shown that I’m a more complete and better player than I was this time around last year.”
🎾 U.S. struggle bus: For the second year in a row, the United States has failed to qualify for the Davis Cup Finals. The advantage of having three players in the top 10 only matters if they play. Only one did: Ben Shelton. And it was clear he was cooked. The result? He lost both of his singles matches. Learner Tien went 1-1. And the doubles team of Christian Harrison and Austin Krajicek pulled off a win in a third-set tiebreak for a total of a 3-2 loss to Czechia.
And that’s game.
