Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️☀️
Today’s tennis mood: Ready for a full day of matches, plus charmed a bit by Iga.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
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🎾 Madrid rundown: We eased into the Madrid Open yesterday with just 10 women’s main draw matches that were, unfortunately, a bit on the lackluster side. Notably, the match of the day wasn’t very competitive as Peyton Stearns smacked 21 winners on her way to victory over Lois Boisson 6-1, 6-3. Venus Williams tried, but just didn’t have the juice against Spanish wild card Kaitlin Quevedo, losing 6-2, 6-4. Robin Montgomery’s return to the main tour was short-lived this week as she lost to Magda Linette 6-4, 6-3. And there were several non-competitive 6-0 and 6-1 sets. But today is a new day! More on that below.
🎾 Wristy business: Yesterday, as The Daily Theory was set to publish, news came out that Amanda Anisimova had pulled out of the Madrid Open, citing a wrist injury. Add that on top of Carlos Alcaraz and Raphael Collignon, and we’ve got a few out this week with similar ailments. It’s not exactly news. Emma Raducanu has dealt with her share of wrist injuries. So has Sebastian Korda. Jenson Brooksby had double wrist surgery not so long ago. What’s the cause? The balls? Extreme grips? All-poly string set-ups? A combination of all the above? It’s hard to say. But isn’t it about time that the governing bodies undertake a serious study of the matter?
🎾 One to watch: Rafael Jodar vs. Jesper de Jong (1st round - ATP 1000): Watch this one to see how Jodar handles the pressure of playing his first 1000-level tournament at home. Jodar is more used to the conditions of Madrid’s red clay, and his explosive game is suited for it. Meanwhile, de Jong is quite good on the dirt, but he struggles in the altitude.
The record: This is the first time Rafa Jodar and Jesper de Jong will face each other.
On the line: Neither player has to worry about defending points from last year’s Madrid Open. This match represents an opportunity to bank some matches going into Roland-Garros. But Jodar has the extra opportunity/pressure to perform well at home.
And that’s game.
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Matches we’re monitoring today:
Madrid - WTA 1000 (Clay)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Alex Eala (1st rd)
Talia Gibson vs. Emiliana Arango (1st rd)
Taylor Townsend vs. Katie Boulter (1st rd)
Dayana Yastremska vs. Solana Sierra (1st rd)
Ashlyn Krueger vs. Sofia Kenin (1st rd)
Caty McNally vs. Katie Volynets (1st rd)
Dalma Goffi vs. Ajla Tomljanovic (1st rd)
Janice Tjen vs. Alina Charaeva (1st rd)
Oleksandra Oliynykova vs. Simona Waltert (1st rd)
Elvina Kalieva vs. Katerina Siniakova (1st rd)
Alycia Parks vs. Elisabetta Cocciaretto (1st rd)
Madrid - ATP 1000 (Clay)
Dino Prizmic vs. Matteo Berrettini (1st rd)
Rafael Jodar vs. Jesper de Jong (1st rd)
Tomas Machac vs. Francisco Comesana (1st rd)
Zizou Bergs vs. Marin Cilic (1st rd)
Zhizhen Zhang vs. Vit Kopriva (1st rd)
Alexandre Muller vs. Jan-Lennard Struff (1st rd)
Nikoloz Basilashvili vs. Sebastian Ofner (1st rd)
Jenson Brooksby vs. Emilio Nava (1st rd)
Lorenzo Sonego vs. Dusan Lajovic (1st rd)
📺 Learn how to watch today’s action over at Tennis Watchers.
💬 For real-time match commentary and conversation, follow Court Theory on Bluesky.
Ons Jabeur announces the birth of her son, Elyan.
Now that she’s had her wisdom teeth taken out, Victoria Mboko is ready for action in Madrid.
Jannik Sinner is empathetic with just about everybody over the absence of so many top players at the Madrid Open.
Jessica Pegula is ready to test her theories about how and why she’s winning on the red clay of Madrid.
Aryna Sabalenka showed up for her bestie Paula Badosa, and Reilly Opelka did the same for Venus Williams — but it didn’t work out in either case. 😬
Nonetheless, Venus is prepping for doubles now.
Meet Wally Grinovero, Tomas Martin Etcheverry’s coach, who helped his player break his personal barrier.
Oksana Selekhmeteva is getting used to transitions.
A flashback to Roger Federer’s first Madrid Open title 20 years later.
