Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️☀️
Today’s tennis mood: Still in Wawrinka disbelief land and curious about the DC Open.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
🎾 On tap: We’re (mostly) in the second round today across all four tournaments in Guangzhou, Tokyo, Basel, and Vienna, but there are a handful of first-round matches to be completed. And there are some stunners. In action today: Leylah Fernandez, Naomi Osaka, Elena Rybakina, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe, and Learner Tien, among others.
🎾 The year of the Stanimal: Last December, when Stan Wawrinka announced 2026 would be his final year on tour, it seemed so far away. And yet, here we are after nearly a full year to come to terms with his decision, sitting with a degree of disbelief that it’s over. Still, there’s no reason to be too sad. Wawrinka went out in his final match against Jiri Lehecka playing the kind of tennis he wanted, and that’s a win of a kind — one that other recently retired players wish they could say.
What he said: “It’s not up to me. There are different visions of me as a player over the past 20 years,” Wawrinka told ATP Media, when asked about his legacy. “For me, all I wanted in my career was to give everything, to have no regrets, to always fight, to always give 100 per cent in every match — out of respect for myself, for the opponent, for the tournament, for the fans, for everybody.” He added: “That was always the most important thing for more than 20 years, and that’s the only way you can leave the sport: without any regrets.”
There’s more: Not quite ready to let go? Here are five more things you should check out about Stan Wawrinka.
Stan Wawrinka narrates his career.
The ultimate Stan Wawrinka one-hander compilation.
A look back at the match of his life.
The ATP’s feature/career retrospective.
Stan Wawrinka’s best moments in pictures.
🎾 One to watch: Lorenzo Musetti vs. Frances Tiafoe (Round - ATP 500 - Vienna): Watch this one for an unfortunate first-round battle between two players who know each other extremely well.
The record: Frances Tiafoe leads the head-to-head record over Lorenzo Musetti 4-3.
On the line: Musetti has semifinalist ranking points to defend, while Tiafoe has none after packing it in early last year to rebuild, well, everything. But, in terms of the ATP Race to Turin, every match counts for Tiafoe, who is in range of qualifying, while Musetti is ruled out after an erratic 2026.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
(Yesterday’s poll results: 88% of you called for Stan Wawrinka to defeat Jiri Lehecka. Lehecka won 7-5, 7-6.)
And that’s game.
