👋 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: the WTA’s maternity leave announcement, Nick Kyrgios’s retirement, Paula Badosa’s withdrawal takes on a new meaning, today’s Tallon Griespoor vs. Alexander Zverev match, plus more in today’s tennis news.

Let’s tennis!

Four Points

🎾 An incredible schedule: Today’s line-up is nothing short of spectacular. You’ll see below how big of a struggle it was to narrow down which matches to keep an eye on. So, what’s the beef aside from having to choose? Many of the choices have been taken away from us because only half of the courts are streamed. For what is often considered the best Masters event on the planet, we deserve better coverage than what many of the Challenger-level events offer. It doesn’t have to be the same production quality as the main courts. Tape a GoPro to a pole. Do something. Because it is absolutely criminal that half of the matches at Indian Wells — including many seeds — are going unwatched. </rant>

🎾 A big step forward (with caveats): Yesterday, the WTA announced a maternity leave program for women playing on the tour, which would provide up to 12 months of paid leave for players, as well as fertility treatment, IVF, and egg freezing. Under the current iteration, at least 320 players meet eligibility requirements. The new policy is something of a feat for a sport composed of independent contractors, who have few collective bargaining rights.

  • What she said: “The feedback from players has actually been incredible. And it is incredibly motivating that we can make the difference. It’s also important to point out this was a player-led program and we really pushed very hard to make it happen,” said Victoria Azarenka, one of the driving forces behind the initiative. She added: “I absolutely believed this day would come. It took a lot of work, even if I thought in the beginning it wouldn’t take this long. I was getting quite impatient, so I am very proud that we are here. I strongly feel this is just the beginning.”
  • The message: From a messaging standpoint, this new program shows women’s tennis, as a truly global sport, is still at the forefront of some of the most important conversations in the public sphere.
  • The reality: It remains unclear how many women will take advantage of this benefit. As it stands, very few players on the WTA Tour take a break to have children.
  • The optics: Not optimal. The entire program is underwritten by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Critics have been quick to point out that the WTA is a bit too eager to help the country with gross human rights violations rehabilitate its reputation with sportswashing.

🎾 Release the ringer: Paula Badosa withdrew from Indian Wells on Thursday, citing her ongoing back injury. That puts a lucky loser in her second-round slot, thanks to a first-round bye. That lucky loser? None other than Eva Lys, who found herself to be the luckiest major loser in some time when she slid into the main draw at the Australian Open and won three rounds before succumbing to Iga Swiatek in the round of 16. Today, she faces American Caroline Dolehide.

🎾 An emotional moment: When, after two-and-a-half hours, Jenson Brooksby won his match yesterday against a very in-form Benjamin Bonzi, he struggled to hold back his tears as an entire crowd cheered him on for the first time in a long time. It was a gutsy performance from the 24-year-old American, who dropped the first set 6-1 before taking the next two 7-5, 7-5. Life has been a lot for Brooksby these last few years, who was suspended for missing doping tests and then underwent double wrist surgery. But perhaps it was revealing his autism spectrum disorder that was the most taxing journey. To be sure, Brooksby isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But hopefully he’s earned some forgiveness for behavior that has been misunderstood. And hopefully he’s earned some respect for talking about something there’s no way he would have wanted to.