👋 Welcome back to The Daily Theory, our morning rundown to help you stay on top of your favorite sport. I’m Allen McDuffee, your guide to all things tennis.

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On tap today: Pope Leo is firmly on tennis’s side, Dinara Safina has already departed Diana Shnaider’s camp, Fabio Fognini’s Rome run is done, Coco Gauff takes on Victoria Mboko, plus more tennis news today.

Let’s tennis!

Four Points

🎾 We always knew God was on tennis’s side: On Thursday, as the world’s best tennis players fought on the dirt of Rome, just two miles from the Foro Italico, Pope Leo XIV was unveiled to the world. On screens around the grounds, an image of Pope Leo appeared with warm cheers from spectators. But it’s not just timing and proximity that matter here. Pope Leo XIV is a tennis fan and player. In a recent interview, he said, “I consider myself quite the amateur tennis player. Since leaving Peru I have had few occasions to practice, so I am looking forward to getting back on the court. Not that this new job has left me much free time for it so far.” We here at Court Theory HQ fear that his newest job might leave even less.

🎾 A.C. (After Cahill): Jannik Sinner’s appearance in Rome marks his return to tennis. But it also restarts the clock to the end of his partnership with Darren Cahill, who said he is retiring at the end of this year. Sinner’s other coach, Simone Vagnozzi, said he would spend the next months trying to convince Cahill to stay, but also continue to look for a new partner in coaching the number one player in the world.

  • What he said: “I would be able to do it on my own,” Vagnozzi said. “But with players of this level it’s important to have another viewpoint. And it’s important to sometimes split up the weeks you spend with the player. Otherwise it’s a 365-day/year job and that’s a bit much.” He added: “But I’m hoping that Darren stays on for another five years, because we have such a great relationship. He might be the best coach ever in terms of results and other factors...But most of all, he’s a special person.”

🎾 In other coaching news: Just last month, former world number one Dinara Safina joined Diana Shnaider’s team. But that partnership has already come to an end without explanation.

  • What she said: “She returned back home to Barcelona. She needed that,” Shnaider said. “The experience, of course, was great...She’s a former world No. 1, so she gave me a lot of those tips on how to stay focused in a match and not to let those negative emotions ruin your game and mental skills. For sure, those are things I learned and I’ll try to use them as much as I can so I can get better each day.”

🎾 Coming to an end: Fabio Fognini has played his final match in Rome after losing to Jacob Fearnley on Thursday. The 38-year-old Italian is winding down his career that began more than 20 years ago.

  • What he said: “I love them,” Fognini said of the Italian fans. “I would like to be remembered for [being] a guy who showed passion, sometimes too much passion, on the court. That’s the way I was, I was feeling my work, feeling the tennis, feeling it in my veins.”