👋 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!

Four Points

🎾 Rybakina responds: Elena Rybakina responded to questions about reporting from The Athletic that detailed the degree of abuse her coach Stefano Vukov deployed against Rybakina. Among her comments, she expressed her disappointment that she didn’t receive more support from players on the tour when Vukov was suspended.

  • What she said: “No one offered any support. Honestly don’t need. There is couple players I’m in touch more. But to say that I have very, very close friends on tour, it’s I think not true just because we competing against each other. Everybody’s surrounded by their teams.”
  • What it says: Rybakina’s comments do highlight the solitary nature of the tour. But they may underscore two other things: a) players were relieved when the WTA removed Vukov from the tour, and b) abusers intentionally isolate their victim from others. Rybakina may not be recognizing either of these points.

🎾 Anisimova and Fonseca: Two of last week’s title winners — Amanda Anisimova and Joao Fonseca — had rude awakenings this week with first-round exits. It shows exactly how hard it is physically to have just one day to wrap up in the previous city, travel, and get ready in the next location. As Anisimova put it, “Definitely a little scary to go and play after such a quick turnaround...Not testing out the conditions and putting your body through that, it’s like very vulnerable.” This is an unfortunate reality on the tour, a lesson you only learn with success.

🎾 This has to stop: A rattled and teary Emma Raducanu paused play and approached the chair umpire just two games into her match against Karolina Muchova on Tuesday. Now we know why. A stalker who approached her at her hotel showed up in the crowd at the match. And it’s not the first time the Brit has faced this problem in her young career.

  • The WTA statement: “On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behavior. This same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and subsequently ejected. He will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment.

    Player safety is our top priority, and tournaments are advised on security best practices for international sporting events. The WTA is actively working with Emma and her team to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support. We remain committed to collaborating with tournaments and their security teams worldwide to maintain a safe environment for all players.”

🎾 Coco’s struggling: For the number three player in the world, there’s no other way to say it: Coco is struggling in 2025. That’s no prediction for how the rest of the year (or even spring!) will go. But it may be time to realize that one of the most beloved players on tour is a streaky one. Counterpoint: The current streakiness is a direct result of her working on her game. There will be a period of erratic results while she and her coach Matt Daly hammer out the serve and forehand issues that have plagued her game in the past. Which one of these assessments is correct? We’ll have to wait and see.