👋 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.

On tap today: Serena Williams tells it like it is, the WTA faces another player lawsuit, Roland-Garros makes some announcements, Emma Navarro faces Jelena Ostapenko, plus more in tennis news today.

Let’s tennis!

Four Points

🎾 See you in court: Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko has filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, naming the WTA Tour and chairman Steve Simon as defendants. The lawsuit stems from previously publicly disclosed complaints by Tsurenko alleging that the WTA Tour and its executives reneged on doing more to protect Ukrainian athletes from Russian and Belarusian athletes who outwardly supported the war. According to Tsurenko, the WTA Tour’s negligence has led to panic attacks, insomnia, and crying episodes, and that she has “developed excessive stress, loss of concentration affecting her performance at tennis games, mortification, and injury to her feelings.”

🎾 ICYMI: Serena Williams made the Time 100 list, and there are some fascinating insights into where she is right now — and where she’s heading.

🎾 A few more details: The previously announced Roland-Garros ceremony to honor Rafael Nadal’s career has a date. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said on Thursday that the commemoration will take place on opening day — Sunday, May 25 — on Court Philippe Chatrier at the end of play that day. No word on what is planned for the celebration.

🎾 Speaking of Roland-Garros: During that press conference, organizers disclosed more information about this year’s tournament:

  • Line judges remain in play
  • The tournament will also honor Richard Gasquet, who is retiring, and 2000 champ Mary Pierce.
  • The second men’s semifinal will be a night match. No word on the controversial issue of women’s matches being largely left out of prime time coverage.

And, that’s game.

What They Said

I love the guy, love this game. He’s great for the sport. I’ve been put down so much, I don’t want to bring anyone down. Men’s tennis needs him. [But] if I did that, I would have gotten 20 years. Let’s be honest. I would have gotten Grand Slams taken away from me.

-Serena Williams on Jannik Sinner’s doping case.

Watch This!

🔥 Emma Navarro vs. Jelena Ostapenko (2nd round WTA 500 - Stuttgart): This should not be a second-round match. But, since it is, let’s give it full attention. Since both players have already exceeded the points they earned at the Porsche Grand Prix last year (meaning zero points), expect both of them to come out loose. The action on Navarro’s ball is an advantage on the clay, but the indoor element favors Ostapenko. Who wins this one? It largely depends on whether Ostapenko is a good kind of loose or a bad kind of loose.

  • The record: This will be the first time Emma Navarro and Jelena Ostapenko face each other.
  • On the line: Navarro has never played Stuttgart — a sign she’s trying to get more matches ahead of Roland-Garros this year. A second-round exit won’t help with that preparation. Meanwhile, Ostapenko is 1-4 since winning the title in Doha. She’d like to turn that around.
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On The Radar

More tennis matches we’re monitoring today:

Stuttgart - WTA 500 (Clay)

  • Coco Gauff vs. Ella Seidel (2nd round)
  • Jessica Pegula vs. Magdalena Frech (2nd round)

Rouen - WTA 250 (Clay)

  • Elina Svitolina vs. Anhelina Kalinina (2nd round)
  • Moyuka Uchijima vs. Lois Boisson (2nd round)

Munich - ATP 500 (Clay)

  • David Goffin vs. Mariano Navone (2nd round)
  • Zizou Bergs vs. Diego Dedura-Palomero (2nd round)

Barcelona - ATP 500 (Clay)

  • Jaume Munar vs. Karen Khachanov (2nd round)
  • Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Andrey Rublev (2nd round)
  • Carlos Alcaraz vs. Laslo Djere (2nd round)
  • Jacob Fearnley vs. Alex de Minaur (2nd round)

📺 Learn how to watch today’s action over at Tennis Watchers.

Read, Watch, Listen

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For real-time match commentary and conversation, follow Court Theory on Bluesky. Have feedback? Hit reply and drop me a line!