👋 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.

Let’s tennis!

Three Points

🎾 A one-year ban: On Tuesday, The Athletic reported that the WTA’s provisional ban placed on Stefano Vukov, Elena Rybakina’s coach, has been extended to a full year. While both Vukov and Rybakina have denied any wrongdoing, documentation reviewed by The Athletic uncovers a series of disturbing details that highlight mental and physical abuse. “It’s clear to me you have a toxic relationship,” Portia Archer, the chief executive of the WTA Tour, wrote in a letter to Vukov and Rybakina, adding that evidence points to the two being involved in a romantic relationship.

🎾 More mixed up: As a follow-on to yesterday’s point about the U.S. Open turning the mixed doubles event into an exhibition, players have begun to share their displeasure over the decision. Among them are defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who, under the new rules, don’t know if they will be permitted to play in the event. “Making decisions just following the logic of profit is profoundly wrong in some situations,” Errani and Vavassori wrote. “We see it as a profound injustice that disrespects an entire category of players. We don't know at the moment if we'll have the chance to defend our title but we hope this remains an isolated case.”

🎾 El Peque end of the stick: Thanks to a rainy day in Buenos Aires yesterday, Diego Schwartzman’s potential final match has been delayed until today. In a missed opportunity, tournament organizers placed El Peque’s match against Nicolas Jarry in the afternoon instead of the prime time slot it originally occupied. Apparently they believe the Cerundolo brothers playing each other will garner greater ratings.

And, that’s game.

What They Said

You have to be extreme to be exceptional. I couldn’t revel in being No. 1. I had to get to zero...When my fitness was at its peak, I was intimidated. I made guys cave in. They’d be dejected in the locker room after matches and I’d go out for a run, as if it wasn’t enough. I’d rub it in their faces. I meant to do that.

-Jim Courier on how he approached his place at the top of the game.

✉️
Want The Daily Theory to come to you? Become a Court Theory Plus or Court Theory Premium member to get it delivered to your inbox each morning and a whole bunch of other nifty perks!

Watch This!

🔥 Diego Schwartzman vs. Nicolas Jarry (1st round ATP 250 - Buenos Aires): Let’s cut to the chase: this might be Diego Schwartzman’s final match. And while his best tennis left him some time ago, we’ll be sure to ride the final journey with El Peque here at Court Theory HQ. It’s hard to know what kind of tennis we’ll see from Schwartzman in this prime time match because there hasn’t been much of it since the last clay season. But there’s little doubt that it will be a dramatic setting in front of his home crowd, and he deserves our attention for all the joyous moments he’s brought to our sport and for showing us that you can come to our sport with something other than a 6-foot-plus frame and a huge forehand.

  • The record: Schwartzman leads this head-to-head record 4-2. However, it’s Jarry who has won in the last two meetings — both of which were in 2023.
  • On the line: For Jarry, he wants to return to where he was less than a year ago: marching toward the top 10. That means every match counts — including this one, especially since he has points to defend from making the finals of this tournament in 2024. The story is a little different for Schwartzman. If he can’t win this one, he wants to go down battling in the same way he did for his entire career. And he wants to do it front of his people who have cheered him on just as long.

Keeping an Eye on...

  • Linda Noskova vs. Iga Swiatek (3rd round WTA 1000 - Doha)
  • Amanda Anisimova vs. Leylah Fernandez (3rd round WTA 1000 - Doha)
  • Daria Kasatkina vs. Jessica Pegula (3rd round WTA 1000 - Doha)
  • Ethan Quinn vs. Marcos Giron (2nd round ATP 250 - Delray Beach)
  • Michael Mmoh vs. Alex Michelsen (2nd round ATP 250 - Delray Beach)
  • Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. Joao Fonseca (1st round ATP 250 - Buenos Aires)

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

Read, Watch, Listen

💬
Which matches are you watching? What news caught your eye today? Hit the comments below!