👋 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.
Today’s issue of The Daily Theory will be slightly abbreviated while the tours recalibrate following the Australian Open. With Davis Cup action later in the week and qualifying rounds still accounting for much of today’s action, there’s a moment to catch our collective tennis breaths. Still, we have a few things to chew on.
Let’s tennis!
Three Points
🎾 Defense, completed: Defending a major is difficult for any player (save for Rafa at Roland-Garros), but especially the first one. Jannik Sinner checked that achievement off his list, taking Alexander Zverev in straight sets at this year’s Australian Open. “Defending the title is always different. You have this extra pressure, but I always enjoy it. Every match has been very tough,” Sinner said after the match.
🎾 Only the heat had a chance of winning: Jannik Sinner dropped only two sets on his way to taking the Australian Open title — both of them during the day when heat was a factor. This data point highlights two things: exactly how dominant Sinner is in the field and that the fitness issues he’s faced in the past aren’t totally resolved.
🎾 Winning, making history: Top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend won the women’s doubles title, defeating number three seeds Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko in a two-and-a-half-hour thriller, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3. Sinakova has now become one of the most dominant doubles players in decades, winning 10 majors — the first to do it since Martina Hingis captured her tenth at Wimbledon in 2015.
And, that’s game.
Watch This!
🔥 Stan Wawrinka vs. Arthur Cazaux (1st round ATP 250 - Montpellier): This is a vibe match all the way. Wawrinka is nearly 40 years old and still putting out great (and entertaining) tennis. Don’t miss a match, or that beautiful one-hander will gone sooner than you think. Cazaux is playing before a home crowd, which (almost) always creates a special atmosphere.
- The record: This will be the first time Stan Wawrinka and Arthur Cazaux face each other.
- On the line: Cazaux may feel a bit of pressure from playing in the city where he was born — a place he’s never made it past the second round. For Wawrinka, he needs matches; his last handful of tournaments have been early exits.
Read, Watch, Listen
- Jannik Sinner won the Australian Open while the WADA appeal continues to hang over his head.
- Taylor Townsend hits deep at why Madison Keys taking the title means so much to so many people.
- And, after winning the doubles title with Katerina Siniakova, Townsend recalls how the last time she played on Rod Laver Arena was as a 15-year-old, winning the girl’s title.
- Jannik Sinner kicks off Darren Cahill’s farewell tour with a nice tribute.
