👋 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, we’ve got: Alexander Zverev’s lack of fortitude, the LTA needs a history lesson, a blackout in Santiago, Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Karen Khachanov, plus more in tennis news.

Let’s tennis!

Four Points

🎾 Fading away: Ever since Alexander Zverev uttered the self-pity words “I’m just not good enough,” in his speech after losing to Jannik Sinner in straight sets of the Australian Open final, that’s exactly how he’s been acting. In the following two tournaments, as the number two player in the world and the top seed, Zverev lost in the quarterfinals against players ranked much lower than him.

  • Squandering an opportunity: When the Sinner-WADA deal was announced that would take Sinner out of contention of points and titles, it became clear that Zverev had the greatest opportunity in men’s tennis. He could show what he’s made of and become number one in the absence of the best player on tour. Some may say he is showing what he’s made of and he won’t challenge Sinner for the top spot in the rankings.
  • What’s next: After barely eking out a win last night against world number 33 Matteo Arnaldi in a three-hour three-set match, Zverev will face tonight a young Learner Tien — a player who will let Zverev defeat himself. We’ll see if he does.

🎾 The wrong takeaway: Tennis fans love a cross-cultural moment. That’s, in part, why everyone went nuts when Serena Williams appeared in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. The problem is that not everybody understands the cultural and historical references in his “Not Like Us.” That’s where the Lawn Tennis Association — the UK’s equivalent of the USTA — unfortunately comes in.

  • What they did: In an Instagram Reel meant to celebrate the impressive shot-making by Jack Draper, they used the Kendrick Lamar track as background music and flashed the lyrics that include “40 acres and mule” in large, bold type. It’s a baffling mistake for such a large organization. On Wednesday, the LTA finally removed the reel but offered no apology or explanation. It’s as though it didn’t happen.

🎾 Here’s a first: Tournament organizers in Santiago suspended play on Tuesday night because of a major blackout across Chile, forcing a government-imposed curfew. “By instruction of the authorities, we suspend the match and evacuate the venue,” organizers wrote in a statement on Tuesday evening. The curfew, scheduled from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m., has forced tennis to resume at 2 p.m. local time. (h/t: Tick Tock Tennis)

🎾 Not again (still): Barbora Krejcikova has pulled out of Indian Wells and Miami with a continued back issue. Last year’s Wimbledon champ hasn’t played a tournament yet this year. It’s an ongoing theme for the Czech player who surprises people every time she does well (like winning a major). If that’s not a data point in favor of experience, I don’t know what is.

And, that’s game.

What They Said

She’s an absolute champion, I knew I was going to have to fight out here...Got off to a pretty shaky start but she came out like she hadn’t been away for 17 months. She was slapping everything and it was going in, so I knew then who I was up against. There was no doubt in my mind that she’s the same player that she was when she was on tour 17 months ago. Very happy with how I composed myself, got myself back in that match, and fought until the end.

-Jodie Burrage on what it was like facing Petra Kvitova in her first match in 17 months.

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Watch This!

🔥 Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Karen Khachanov (2nd round ATP 500 - Dubai): Given that Khachanov has only won against Tsitsipas once in their nine matches (yes, you read that correctly), this might seem like an odd pick for today. But! They are almost always entertaining battles, and this will be a real temperature check for both players. Expect massive hitting side-to-side from both sides of the court and waiting to see who blinks first. Khachanov will likely attempt to break down the Tsitsipas backhand, with the Greek attempting to take as many forehands from that corner as possible.

  • The record: Tsitsipas absolutely dominates the head-to-head record against Khachanov 8-1, including the last meeting in the quarterfinals of Monte Carlo last year.
  • On the line: Tsitsipas has already dropped outside the top ten after several early exits this year so far. He needs to get some confidence going into the part of the year where he has many points to defend. If he can’t take down an opponent he has an 8-1 record against, that’s bad news. For Khachanov, he’s made a point about how he confident he is and would have done damage at the ATP Tour Finals if he had qualified. Here’s his chance to prove it against a weakened foe.

On The Radar

  • Donna Vekic vs. Maya Joint (2nd round WTA 500 - Merida)
  • Jodie Burrage vs. Ajla Tomljanovic (2nd round WTA 250 - Austin)
  • Tallon Griekspoor vs. Ugo Humbert (2nd round ATP 500 - Dubai)
  • Daniil Medvedev vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (2nd round ATP 500 - Dubai)
  • Alexei Popyrin vs. Marin Cilic (2nd round ATP 500 - Dubai)
  • Alexander Zverev vs. Learner Tien (2nd round ATP 500 - Acapulco)
  • Holger Rune vs. Brandon Nakashima (2nd round ATP 500 - Acapulco)
  • Frances Tiafoe vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (2nd round ATP 500 - Acapulco)
  • Denis Shapovalov vs. Alex Michelsen (2nd round ATP 500 - Acapulco)
  • Daniel Altmaier vs. Tomas Machac (2nd round ATP 500 - Acapulco)
  • Marcos Giron vs. Tommy Paul (2nd round ATP 500 - Acapulco)
  • Francisco Cerundolo vs. Yannick Hanfmann (2nd round ATP 250 - Santiago)
  • Cristian Garin vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry (2nd round ATP 250 - Santiago)

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

Read, Watch, Listen

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