Hello everybody, and welcome to the Renee Stubs Tennis podcast. It is that time we get to wrap up roam and we get to talk about the upcoming tournament called the French Open or is it now Roland Garross? What are they calling it? You know who wasn't happy about it?
Shaquille o'niel's calling at the French Open? No, did you know?
It was Charles Barclay who was given it the ship Charles Barker was like, why would you change it from the from French Open to Rolling Girls? Nobody knows who rolling girls?
I'm not calling at that.
I was like, that's not a good way to get off on the T and T foot And.
The other guy was like, uh, we won't be using that as our broadcasting. Just a ting jingle for the upcoming coverage, and which is hilarious. They have so many commentators, but they didn't pick all the good ones.
Oh well, I'm not gonna stay out of that eye.
I mean, it wasn't dying about you. I was just talking about the other guy.
I still out of that argument. Although if anyone is listening to our podcasts, and who does work for Warner HBO, Max who knows, people who know people, let them know. I'd I'd love to do the French open for them.
It just feels like my rule, this is my rule, this is Marinee's rule, but my rule is yes.
I just want to preface this. I had nothing to do with whatever's coming out of her mouth.
I just think it is time for us to assess, especially when a new network gets a new gets a new coverage of a slam. Yeah, it's time for us to assess, like, hey, who are the people who are already in the field doing great? Who are some new voices we can emphasize. I was thrilled to see that they got Chris Eubanks. I was, Yes, that's Salon Stevens will joined their coverage under Agacy whenever he dropped by the booth, which is not often but every time, it's amazing.
He's going to do two or three days. Yeah, I doubt he's saying with Venus. I don't know how much Venus is going to do. I think Venus is apparently from what I'm hearing, I don't know, actually, but from what I've heard, she's doing some features and stuff, not really necess are really commentating. I don't know we'll find out.
I'll watch Venus do literally anything. I just think my rule is, if you haven't played or coached, played or coached at the pro level in this century, maybe.
In this century. That's what I'm saying. This century.
It's pretty wide ranging. I leave a lot of room.
I haven't made it into this century.
You've both played and coached in this century? Yes, I just think there is a there is a benefit to being to staying close to the game, either as a no, it's not where as a coach. I think maybe some of the voices that have not played the century or coach can just you know, they got enough money.
Like what do we do?
I just, you know, let's make some room for some new uh from new voices.
Anyway, again, asterisk next to that, I had nothing to do with even we didn't even talk about this. We have our little thing that we're going to talk about, and that did not come up. So for anyone who listens to our podcast who is working for A T and T wanna, it was not made that brought that up. But then again, I am I'm.
Going to watch all of it, and I am he excited about some voices and not excited about it.
I will say this, and this might be a little controversial, and I might get in trouble for this, but what's fucking new in the world of Rene stops when it comes to the one liners. But I love Jimmy Arius, and I really there's certain people on Tennis channel that I actually when I listen to them, I go, oh, you know, that makes sense or whatever. And some of the content text is really good.
But.
Boy, oh boy, he was talking over the points a lot in Rome and listen again, I am not perfect. There are certain things about my commentary that I watch myself, and I am hard on my soul and my oh geez, I talked too much there. I probably could have pulled out there. YadA, YadA, yadda. But one rule I have is, even if I'm in the middle of a conversation, I will stop before the start of the point. And you know, if anyone says I don't do that, that is crap.
I'm a big believer in not talking over the point.
Now.
I might talk in between first and second serves every now and again, but that's rare as well. But I don't know what was going on him and Mark Petchy would just having a waffle on for a lot of the points that were going on. I'm like, guys, you've got to have more discipline than that. Your context and what you're saying was awesome. Everything that was saying was right, Everything they said was good. Both of them are great, But you got to have better discipline. You can't talk
over the point. It really it really bothered me this time, Like I was like, okay, once I can handle it. Okay, twice we've all done it. Maybe we want to get that point out. It kind of sounds dumb to just stop in the middle of this particular comment, but it happened over and over and over again, and I was like, what is happening? Are they having seizures? It was bothering me. It bothered me a lot this time.
I mean, there's no shortage of critiques and kudos that we can spread and sprinkle around the contrary because Mark.
Petchy's like him. Both him and they were spot on with their analysis. They were great with the analysis, but guys, you got to you can't talk over the points. It was pissing me off. And sometimes it happens when you were calling from a booth in another country, like I've done the Olympics from Connecticut and I'm calling it in Tokyo, I'm calling in Brazil or whatever.
You know.
Last one was in Paris. There are times we have a time lag and the same thing happens to us in Australia. We have a bit of a time lag with it going back to Connecticut and coming back to Australia, and so we have to be really conscious of like getting our words out because the points already started. But in the States the point hasn't finished. It's like it's not easy to do it right. But they were in Rome, they were actually there, so they were watching the match live.
So I'm like, there is no excuses for you guys to be talking over the point.
I feel like with commentary lessu's more. If I noticed the commentary, I want it to be insane film. Then I don't want to think about it again. I wanted to only enhance my viewing.
Yeah, I really, That's why I like Lindsay Davenport so much. I think Lindsay's great.
Yeah, she does a great job. Yeah, and she's commentating. Okay, So friend Jubin has started actually the qualifying matches and.
It was on Max, so if you have Max you can see even callfying.
Which is really cool. I watched Bibi Undrescue when her first round, yes, in a very tidy fashion. I think it was yesterday morning. And uh yeah, I've been watching Strasbourg. Watched Little Out of Canu this morning playing Daria. Kassakina got her first win in four tries over Daria. Just I love tennis. I love that it's on. I love that it's on in the morning, and the French Open is and pon us I'm so excited. Yeah, let's wrap up Rome because most people think about Rome, and we've
talked a lot about the clear seasons so far. We talked about Monto Carlo, we talked about Barcelona, obviously Madrid which had both the men's and women's, but really the precursor and the best indicator is Rome.
Yeah, I've always said it. It's always been for me the best indicator of you know, it's just very similar the conditions to Paris. So for the fact that we saw Carlos and Paulini is really interesting because you think about it, you've got last year's winner in the men's and then you've got the last year's finalists who was probably absolutely out of her mind going into that final last year, going what the air am I doing here?
But this year, look out, little Jazzy, and you know how I feel about Jasmine.
You have been on I'm on the Paulini train since well before last year's French Opens, certainly well before last year's Wimbledon and last year's Olympics. She's got a lot of points to defend, and now it's looking like, hey, totally feasible scrambling around takes.
She just got a thousand points this way.
I gotta say, and we should talk a little bit about EGA in this coming tournament, because now that EGA's ranking puts her out of the top four, she's not going to be seated in the top four, which means she's going to be in somebody dangerous' quarter of the draw, which is in and of itself interesting. But I got to say, like, yeah, to your point, Paulini going into the final of Roland Garros last year against Ego, who's won it so many times, starts to look a little different.
Now that Paulini has gotten this not only single title, but also doubles title at home in front of a home crowd in Rome, just like so so so excited.
Back to back. They won the doubles last year as well, and so they got another win there. It kind of feels like, you know, the French, where she did so well at the French was she won the doubles and then she losing the finals of the doubles of the French. So she won I think she wanted last year, or if she didn't, she was definitely in the final. So
she's gone back to back, you know finals there. Look, she plays great on clay, her variety, her not missing, she has a great serve, a great kickserve, and so and she is teeny tiny, peeny piece.
It's gonna say she moves so well because she anticipates really well, and even though she's little, she moves around the court so well. And she gets around.
Yeah, she gets around. She's a great mover. She slides really well on clay. She utilizes that ability so well. But she pops the ball too. She really clocks the forehand, she hits a big backhand. There are so many things about this particular match that showed you how important it is to have such good technique on every shot. And not only that, she has this joy about her that
is so infectious. Like there was one particular shot where she slid up to a Coco hit a really good little drop shot and she hustled her ass up to this ball and she slid to it. And sometimes you slide so much, you actually slide like out of your not out of your shoe, but you slip and fall. And she fell on the ground. Didn't hurt herself, She just kind of fell on her butt, and she was she was smiling through the slide. She she smiled, smiled. After she fell, she looked at Coco, gave her the
thumbs up, went to the towel, looked over her. People smiled, laughed, and it was actually a massive point in the match. And I thought to myself, Oh my god, if I'd only had that joy, Like everything is a joy for her. Even when she was she'd get a little bit tight or not, she would step up, she was smiling. She's just I have I have loved this kid forever, Like I told you, I saw her play for the first time in Prague at a really small like one twenty five.
It was during COVID times, and I remember her playing collies at this tournament. I was like Who is this kid? She's so good, there's not a weakness. She had. Backhand's great, forehand looks good, serves good. Wow, she hits the ball well, she moves well. Why is why's she in qualifying? That's
what I thought. And then slowly over time she has just chipped away, chipped away a lot of work with her coach, Ronzo Fulan, and now has a new coach in her, which I thought was an interesting move because she had been with Ferland for years and years and years and had stuck with him forever, and then she had a change and is now with Mark Lopez. Of course, of Ruffia and Nadal fame. Who was you know, Ruffia and Nadal's doubles partner when he won the gold medal
doubles at whatever Olympics it was. And then he was with Rafa in his coaching box sort of helping as a hitting partner. Played a lot of doubles with Rafa. I mean, what a great person to have in your player's box now and teaching you and new things and work ethic and all that. And Ronzo Furlan was a
great player himself. But then you sort of get a little bit stale you're hearing the same thing, and so many great coaches, Darren K. Hill will say the maximum that you should work with somebody's probably four or five years, because at some point you're just you're telling them the same thing and you need afresh and she has gotten that from Mark. She was not well at the side of the year and now all of a sudden, bom wins the biggest tournament of her career.
But you know, and didn't have a waltz to get there either. I mean she beat a red hot Peyton Stearns who had taken out tons of everyone. Madison, he's Elenis Videlina.
I think, I don't know. But she made a couple of Grand Slam champions back to.
Back, and uh, you know her she had a Diana Schneider and a tight three setter, like you know, she had a she had a she battled, she battled.
She battled away, and she was playing doubles.
Yeah, she played a ton of ton of tennis and she battled really well. I do want to talk about some of the before we talk about the Coco Final. I do want to talk about two exceptional matches that I thought were probably like contenders of matches of the year, which is Coco taking out Chenuen Jung seven six and the third Oh my god, that was one of my favorite favorite matches ever for ever in the semi and that was just a brutal but incredible showing on the part of Coco.
Yeah, I mean that showed Coco's resilience as well as I've ever seen because you know, and and it also showed Chinwin's vulnerability because she had that match. She should have won that mad at the end and Coco had chances,
she didn't get it done. And then chin Win had her chances and she didn't get it done, and then got into a tie break and I think it was four two in the tiebreak, and all of a sudden, you really saw a chin When really get nervous and she stopped attacking the ball and she got way passive. And that's where Coco was like, because Coco's very observant out there, she saw, she saw an opportunity to jump on that, and she jumped on it and she was aggressive and she got back into that tie break and
then Chinwin just went era eerror. It was crazy.
Yeah, she fell a home.
Yeah, she fell apart. And that that's a little concerning because really Coco's the one with the pressure on her there you you got to step it and finish that match. Yeah, and they play really similar. They do play really so I heavy four hands, flat backhands, and.
They both have no problem going to the high looper, which I thought was interesting, like seeing those guys both max it out and I went not on Clay it's smart and Chinwin had just come through and beaten Sabolenka in the first try. I mean, granted, it's a lot easier on Clay in Rome than it is the other times they've played each other on that courts, but yeah, I thought that was really chin One's match to lose.
In credit to Coco, I think really just getting a hugely confidence inspiring like battle, yeah, to get to get through it. And I think that's something that I think you're right. She's not only very observant, but she's so match tough that even as you were saying, like Paolini's technique,
she's so so good. Pauline's technique is so much better than Coco's, but Coco's just got so much fight in her and I think that that is what makes for a really sort of compelling, you know, matchup in that in that way.
I think that you know, Chinwin and Coco played the most similar to each other on tour. They both have heavy, top spinny fourhands. They can go off at times. Particularly we know Coco's backhand is flat and really good. Cocos is better, her back end is much better, but Genuine's forehand, in my opinion, is much better. And the second the serves are a little bit all over the place as well. They're big when they're going in, they're working, they're awesome.
When they're off, they're off. That both of them can double fault. I mean, we saw it over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again in that match where it was a double faults that kill Coco, I mean, and in the end it was just her resilience and her ability to fight through those difficult moments that were
able to get the win. You know, now going into the final, it's a different situation because you know, Pauolini is going to have the crowd, she's not going to quit, she's not going to give up, and she can match it power for power on both sides with Coco and arguably much better, more reliable forehand that can change directions so easily, and she's not afraid to come into the and her volleys and her volley skill is excellent, clearly playing a lot of doubles, but it's just about the technique.
Coco's pretty good at the net as well, because she likes to move forward, but her technique on Volli's is nowhere near as good as Paulini. So under pressure, she's going to come in and you know she has a basic sort of forehand volly or back and volley, she's going to make that. Whereas Coco, you're not quite sure she's I mean, she pulled off this one point that was incredible against chin Win. It was like a back
and forth at the net, and she won it. Because she plays more doubles, I would argue that Chinwinn should play little doubles. But look at the two of them. You know they both did great and doubles, and they both did great and single, So I would suggest more women play doubles.
Something tells me the chinmen have a hard time getting a partner.
Yeah, I don't think she's overly liked and that I love her. She doesn't know. She doesn't want to be friends with anyone. She's actually said it in public.
She's like, she's really, I'm not here.
You know.
This is flavor of love, no flavor of friendship. Yah.
She's like, I'm not out here to make friends. I'm out here to beat people.
But who's not the friends we've made along the way.
But let's go into the final. The thing that I was worried about immediately for Coco was the very first point. I was like, this is not going to go well for her today, because when you step up to the line, everybody's nervous. So that's where you have to have that three quarter pace first serf to be able to get an in and start the point. Because Coco, arguably, when she gets her serve in the court, can beat anyone. But when you are giving someone free point after free
point after free point, that's a free point. You mustle just walk to the other side. It's like a point penalty's first point. Double faull I was like, oh my god, no, that set the tone for me immediately. If I'm playing against her and I'm Parolini and I'm like, I'm hitting the ball good, I'm seeing the ball like a watermelon. I know how well I can play on this court. I'm going to have the crowd on my side. What
do I need to do to beat Coco? I need to break her foehand down and I need to hope she doesn't serve well, which she did against Eager for example, she served unbelievable in that match. First point, I'm standing now, I'm nervous myself. Double fault. I'm like, oh, okay, well you're way more nervous than me, and you're arguably one
of your weapons. Her first serve isn't going in. I'm gonna I'm going to kick your ass today, Like that would have been my first thought, immediate immediate release of is she going to come out playing like she did against Coco? Or is she going to come out a little bit unsure? And that's what we saw a first point.
And you know, I sort of wrote a few things down as I was watching the match, because you know, I want people to understand how important one or two points is in a match and why having a weakness on a side, and particularly on a second serve is it's so detrimental to her in these big matches. And you know when you double fold that first point. It
just sets the tone. You know. She just made some just some rash decisions as well, like trying to hit one drop shot when she was up in the next game and Paolini ran in, And you got to know, you're playing against someone who slides well, who moves well in clay. You hit drop shots against Danielle Collins, against Saber Lenka, you get the ball below the net, short
in the court. Against someone who can't slide on clay, things are going to be pretty good for you, especially with Coco, because she hits the ball so good when someone comes in. She uses that lob really well on the forehands, really right. She hits that top spin lob down the line over the back end side, Like those are little things that she does well because she knows she can't just flatten out her forehand, so she uses her top spin lob, you know. So there's little things
that she does. But against Paulina, you're screwed. She's gonna slide, she's gonna go whack with the forehand. You're dead. And that's what happened. And then all of a sudden, she gets down so easily in the first set and just sets the tone and again, you know, double faulted a couple of times. In the next service game, she just doesn't. I would say, listen, if you're nervous, like, let's just
hit some kick serves as first service. You're playing against the girl who's five to three on a good day.
Yeah, you're not gonna you don't have to hit her off the court with.
A rally with her.
See how you go that point her teeth into it.
And if you get your nerves out early and you're getting you first servey in, go for it a little bit more.
When you talk about rash decisions, I mean, because you know you said it before. We've seen Coco's serve and forehand both because of technique, they can go astray and you know, so hopefully sometimes they come back because she can fight through some rough patches. Yea. But I do want to sort of talk about like a little bit
of the decision making. To me that that is troublesome, especially when she's playing somebody who is also an excellent counterpuncher, right, Like, it's so clear what she needs to do against Disablanca or somebody like Ego who's also sort of a counterpuncher. But is an aggressor, certainly on clay, whereas you see Coco hanging in the points, making herself a nuisance, making them hit one more ball, and then she's able to turn that defense into offense. I don't know that she's
I don't know that she did that against Paulini. And as much as she may be needed to.
Well, give you an example, like the first game, obviously with a double fault and then just a not a good game at all. Then you know Paulina holds okay, but okay, no big deal, right, let's just get our service going. Let's just hang in there. She can get nervous. Blah blah blah. Coco then at fifteen thirty on her serve had a backhand mid court. Paulini was all the way over on the left side of the court, on
the backhand side of the court. And Coco's best shot is her back end, and arguably your forehand back and down the line or a back and cross court is arguably the best on tour. She has a mid court backhand and shows to hit a sliced drop shot like to go like what you know, you hit the back end down the line, like hit your shot. You know, and then she double faults and then loses that game again. So it's just like all of a sudden, she's down three love and it's like there's panic. There was bad
shot selection. And I have to say, if you if you know what your weaknesses are, and at the beginning of that match, it's not going in you start just your brain just starts kicking over a million miles an hour. Oh my god is this and you're trying to fix it, But it's because you made a really poor decision there. You should have smashed that back and down the line. She runs over and gets it back. Great, but you're
probably coming into the net. Like there are just little decisions like that, And I think it's affected by when she doesn't start a match well like that. Now she's done it so many times. Was she's fought back, but on this occasion she just she was playing a better player.
What do you think about Coco's coaching retinue. We've talked about this before and past.
Yeah, I don't know them well enough. I'll be really honest, like, I don't know her coaching crew at all. You know, I've heard great things about a couple of them and hard workers. And all that sort of stuff. But and look, look she says, made two back to back finals, So I'm not going I can't critique what they're doing. One thing that I know, I know everyone talks about, you know,
the grip and her serve. There is one thing if she would ever to listen to this podcast or anyone that knows her, please get her to not go forward on her serve before she's thrown the ball toss up like she If you look at her service motion, she goes onto the front leg as she's throwing the ball toss up. There's nowhere to go there, right, So unless you're serving and you feel really confident, you better hit it well from that point because you are already coming
forward and down on the ball. Right, So there's no she's got to get the rocking motion, you know, or but the fact that she's on her front left foot quickly, I'm like, good luck getting under the ball, good luck getting kick, good luck being able to have any kind of a three quarter serve. That's one thing. There is a bunch of stuff. The grip is also not a great thing. Her elbow she lunges, you know, falls to the left. There's a lot of things that she does.
But one of the things that I really would change immediately, and I think it's it would not be that hard for her to do is to not get on her front leg as quickly as she does. That really, particularly with the second serve.
What's interesting, I was teaching serve to my kid over the weekend. We've done a family hit every now and and you know, my wife and center now at a place where they can rally pretty decently, and the thing that they cannot do very well is serve because it's really hard. And I was basically just like, look, the basic idea, like you're throwing any kind of a ball, is you go from the back lay to the front leg.
That's it.
It's a way of transfer, right. You just want to start going backwards to your point. You want to rock back, go up, and you want to come forward so that your body weight transfer gets the power. And I think, you.
Know, imagine try try this. Imagine this. If you're at home, Okay, get a tennis ball, go to throw it. Now, would you when you go to throw a ball, do you are you forward? Like, think about think about being on your left leg? Okay, so think about your playing you know, little league, or you're over there and like on the outfield and you get a ball hit to you and you go to throw it, and you're already on your left leg to go and throw it. Where it's it
going to go. It's going to go straight in the ground. So your brain is the thing about tennis players, and this is the thing about technique, is that you randomly know what's not going to work right. But then all of a sudden, she's already forward so to get That's why she falls to the left, because she has she's trying to get, she's trying to get under it. She's actually trying to get under the ball.
It's just like she's falling.
I think coaching stuff with your chicken is before your egg is.
There so many things about her that makes her so good, and then there's like fixable things that you're just like, ah, there's fixable things here. You know. It's not like your brain is scrambled eggs like half the people, certainly me on the you know, on the court, where you're just like, well, I can't help that. Forehands hey, my for you haven't seen my beforehand. I cannot take time.
Christ christ Christy good forehand. So Christian her forend was much better than mine.
Listen to Christie's Christie has but there's my full time coach.
But that's what I'm talking about. There are mechanical methanical things exactly. And for bull at home that darn't know had to serve. You all can throw it a ball, not well, I'm sure some of you can't throw it well, but try and throw a ball and be on your front leg as you're throwing it, like you go back on your right and then as you're hitting you're throwing it, you're then you go onto your front leg.
I want to talk about this is such a perfect opening to talk about the Women's Devils Final Oh God, which features truly, truly, truly one of the most atrocious serves that ever existed in professionals.
Speaking of bad serves.
Holy moly. I mean, listen kudas to jas mcpalini. She got the devil. That's incredible. She won it with Sarah Rani, who you know is not everyone's flavor, but I mean, I'll forever be indebted to her for giving us. You know, the doping fellon to my mama's Tortelloni. The Tortilloni defense when she got.
You know, it was the last time that someone was in the French the Italian Open final as an Italian was Sarahani.
Sarahani was years ago. Sarah and he has been playing tennis on the pro circuit for a long time.
First, yeah, I played her many many times. That's how long she's been out there.
God love her. She's she's like what four to eleven? I mean, she's yeah.
Well, the two of them at height is maybe maybe six foot.
I turned on the devils at one point because our friend Soviet exit us and it was like, ladies, what's going on with this Devil's final? And it was the two of them at the baseline yea, And I was just kind of like, you know what I triggered from juniors, when you got two opponents at the baseline, I won't know how much we want to do.
I mean, for me, listen. The first time that ever happened, I was playing in Australia. I was playing with Lisa Raymond. It was when we were making a comeback together as a team and we played mari An Bartoli and Caroline Garcia. Both have very good serves. By the way, both could bomb the serve down like one ten, one twenty, and Lisa and I we see and I was like first or second round, so it was a really tough first round. And I look over and Bartoli's talking to her dad.
Now he was a mad scientist. Like the shit he would make her do was I could write a book about the things that he used to write. Maybe we'll do a podcast on it one day. I can tell you the stories, deept. Oh my god. The nonsense that he would make her do was just out rayed.
What's an example of one.
One time he had tennis balls taped under her tennis shoe. Okay, so think about putting a tennis shoe under your shoe and then taping it so you're in like high heels essentially, but it's not a heel, it's a ball. And he would make her walk around on that and hit serves. Then he had a fishing line to get her to snap her wrist, like as if she was like throwing out something and be doing.
This at the tournament in front of people.
Yes, one time I saw a running on a treadmill and then he'd make her stop and come off the back of the treadmill and do a split step and then jump back onto the treadmill and do a split step and go off the trip.
I wonder if they're still speaking.
The amount of ship he would make her do that was crazy, was unbelievable. The first time I ever saw her, he was doing a drill with her indoors in Strasbourg and we're like, who's that. We're like, she's a young French girl, and I was like, what is that drill? He would literally just hit a ball over the net that was like a drop shot, and she would have to run in and try and smack it. And we're like, uh, it's like, what is going You want to practice a drill?
Some of the god love her. She won Wimbledon. I meant she was such a good player for considering what she went through. But not not the point of this story. Lisa looks at me and I go, I wonder what those two over there coming up with with the mad scientists about how to beat us? Right, I wonder what the wonder what the game plan is?
Right?
We're kind of laughing about it. Right. We go out in the court. First game, they win the toss, choose to serve we're about about to start. All of a sudden, I see Bartoli go back on the baseline with Garcia, who has one of the best serves in the world.
Two of them at the baseline, nobody's at the.
Net, two of them on the baseline. Lisa looks at me and she goes, what do I do? I'm like, what do you mean? What do you do? This is the perfect situation for us. You get to hit the ball with no pressure with anyone at the net and come in. And now we're both at the net and they're both in the baseline. Who's winning that battle? We are winning that battle every single time. So I said, what do you mean? Just hit it through the middle
and come in. She goes, oh, okay, slices up the middle, comes in, they try and hit We just go short Molly, yeah, Bally right, that's all you have to do. Or I'm like, what I would do if they stood back? So I go pop and hit a drop shot off my return. I do an osterbur drop shot and then bring them forward. We would come in and then smack the ball of it hip and dip. Why, I'm like, dud, you know why people get away with it?
Now?
Like them way because no one can volley, so they are hitting return. These ding dongs are playing against them, going big return. We're gonna stay back here. I go, Okay, do you know how dumb you are because you know what's gonna happen? Because Sarah Rounni can't serve. But I'll tell you what she can do. She can volley, and she's smarter than you. She's an old school doubles player. So then you hit the return to Paolini or to her.
Yeah, both excellents from the ground.
And if you're dumb enough to hit it to Paulini, that's what you are dumb, because then you hit it to Pauline and you know what Aruni does, runs into the net. So now it's a Runi at the net Paulini in the baseline. You two dummies are on the baseline. Net players always going to win that battle doubles. I don't care who you are or what you're doing. The team that are best of the net will always win.
They will always win. And Sarah RUnni knows how to dink you and lob you and get the ball to your feet at the net and take advantage of your lack of ability to play at the net. She was the best player at the US Open Mix S doubbles final last year by a mile, because she was the only one that actually knew how to play doubles. So I'll give her shit for the serve and staying back. But remember, Caitlin, this is a girl five years ago or four or five years ago. Still to this day,
to a certain degree, she's gotten better. Could not hit a serve in the court. And when I say Baltos was going twenty feet away from her, she was hitting underarmed serves. You thought Sablenka had a bad problem. Nobody's had it worse than a run. So the fact that she's getting it in the court is a miracle. And if she hits it under him, she gets the points started. You dummies are stupid enough to hit that next ball
to Paulini. You should lose there you did there. It is Well, I didn't know I was going to get to that's.
Either I'm really glad, I asked Alcarez center.
Well, well, let me just say there's a lot of reasons why Alcarez is always not always. There will be a time that Sinner beats him on clay. But I would say It's kind of like a Roger Ruffer thing to a lesser degree because Roger one handed backhand Nadal clay court special list. Well, he's not a special, but he was the greatest clay court player of all time. Alcoraz is a better natural. He's a better natural athlete, and that's coming from someone like Janikhu's an incredible athlete.
He's a world class skier. He is an for his height. No one moves better. He's unbelievable mover, but he is not as good. He's taller, his center of gravity on clay is not as good. His sliding ability is not as good because he's got a little bit he's got to move differently. He's like a like a he's like that Mexican boat in the Hudson. He's just like flinging around out there, just hitting hitting bridges. I heard the story behind that today. By the way, we're not.
Getting sack anyway, but they've got tragic but boat accident.
It's terrible. There's two people died on that was terrible. But too you know, Alcaraz is lower center gravity. He's a more natural sort of mover on clay, and he has way more variety. Now on hard court, Yannick hits you off the court. He just serves you off the court, and he hits you off the court. He's serving is so accurate. His ball striking, I mean he just smashes the ball. He just hits the ball bigger than everybody.
But Alcarez hits the ball as big. Ken hit the ball as big, but he chooses not to on clay because he didn't have to, so he hits the spin. He has more spin. The ball gets out of Alcarez, out of Yanick's hitting perfect, hitting spot more. He's tall, so he can kind of get away with it a little bit. But it's the drop shot, it's the coming into the net, it's the sliding, it's the slice backhand. It's just the variety. And having said that, Yanick should
have won the first set. He had two set points and the point at thirty forty was a bad decision from sinner. He had a backhand. I don't know why the effing hell he decided to try and hit it down the line. He bailed out of that point. He should have hit now credit He hasn't played a match in like three years three months, must have felt like three years to him, but the fact that he got to the final was incredible. The fact that he beat Rude oh and one, Rude just one Madrid people.
The best part of that was on Instagram, Uh Taylor. Fritz added a comment to Casper Rude's profile, saying, you almost had him. I don't know if he's a man.
Almost, but you know, it's arguably the best match that Youanixen has ever played.
I mean, indistructive of the magic one point. And you know casp Rude, who as you just said, one Madrid just one, a master one thousand. He came in film, but himself he just like got he just got dismantled.
Everyone's like, all the big test is going to be Rude, though you know he's coming in. He's a clay court specialist. He just won Madrid oh and one, and it was excited when he won a game.
He was so excited with the crowd was so excited. I was excited. I was like, Fritz was excited.
And he went in the press conference later and he said, listen, I don't feel like I'm like that bad. You got a little ship from people on Twitter, like, how can you say that? I mean what kind of professional are you. It's like, dude, it happens.
Sometimes you're just playing a zoning opponent. They hit seed to like you said, the bars as big as watermelon. Yeah, you know, they find their groove.
Carolina Plishko but lost oh and o in the finals to a couple of years ago. She was hitting the ball real way. Well, that's the thing.
You don't get finals without getting without having a go Urnamy. You don't give the semis if you're rude having won the last. So one thing I like about this matchup, especially on clay, is the sort of really smooth, like easy power of Cinner gets Negata get gets dealt with in so many creative.
Ways, particularly on the return right. So he's not getting the free points like he does on a hardcore as much the variety that Carlos was trying to do. On the turn of serve, he was trying everything. One time he moved in because Carlos one Carlos told him to move forward, and janikid a serve at the body and he got tubed. And he turned around and looked at one Carlos as me like, well that didn't work. Nope, I'm going way back now.
But I just love that he's willing to throw all of it in there. And I think the to me, the only downside to Center is that he's not as creative, which I think you know again his his dividends on the Australian Open and US Open, and just that's the hard court because it's also the movement right.
So here he runs out to a forehand. He knows if I crush this forehand down the line, it's more than likely not going to come back, and if it comes back, it'll come back with it'll come floating back in the court. Whereas on clay he has that same opportunity to hit that fourhand down the line or whatever it is, and he goes, man, if I don't hit this perfect down the line, I'm going to have to stop prop finish my slide and get back and try and get back into the point again. Whereas on hardcourt
it's so simple. He just pulls a trigger boom, he knows, but on clay you have to be patient, you have to be a little bit more strategic, and like someone like Carlos for example, if he's out of position, he'll hit a little bit more spin or he'll slice the forehand. He plays with a little bit more variety. And that's why on a grass court or on a clay court, because he has that variety, he can get away with it more on on on clay and on the natural surface like grass, and he can on a hard court.
He also has to me, the thing that I love so much about him is and this kind of gets in his way sometimes when he gets too creative or he surprises himself. He's got great powers of deception. YEA. So he's got that great wind up for his forehand, which like is a haymaker forehand. By the way, he's not not hitting the h out of the forehand, but he can hit the floating drop shot where he fakes it. He can hit the looper, he can hit the buggy
whip up the line. Like he's got all of the things, and he never know and sometimes you get the sense he doesn't know until the very end. Like everyone's sort of sharing. After Yannick failed to close that game out when he was at forty thirty, a couple of points later, tiebreak, Carlos Alpaerez, Everyone's of lards that incredibly athletic jumping inside out Becker set point valley to set up the forehand to the open court. Well, that was beautiful set point.
It was gorgeous. But what was amazing about it to me was that he didn't know that that's what was going to happen at all up until the minute.
I'll tell you what he did know when he had the When he had it at six y four on his own serve, he played incredibly passively. Is that word passive? Yeah, passively, that's the word.
It's anighbor.
Yeah, thank you. He was very very passive on that And on that service point he did not go for the ball. He sort of waited for an error or maybe he was just tight and he wasn't trying to get an error. He was just like not willing to pull the trigger. And and and Yarnick hit two or three unbelievable shots at six four like deep, like within a couple of inches of the baseline, and Mark Petchy actually said, oh he was. He was seeing that ball and thing it's going to go out, it's going to
go out, and didn't go out. And Yannick played that point beautifully to get back to six', five and you, thought, oh, okay now it's going to be six, all and this could turn around and you could lose his set now because he got, passive kind of Like Chin ween. Did but the difference Was alcharaz immediately knew IF i get this serve back in the, Court he's, Like i'm not going to be. Passive and he was so aggressive once
he got the serve back in the. Court on that, point if you go and rewatch it, again he coll locked the. Ball it's, like, OKAY i KNOW i wisked out at six. FOUR i totally pushed. IT i got to go for it because IF i, don't you, know as a great, player it's just like. Rash you, Know
rauffa And roger And novak playing against each. Other they sense, it they smell, it and they go for it once they know that someone's got a bit, tight just like when you Know novak won that incredible match Against roger at the olymp at The wimbledon when he had two match points and all of a sudden he gets the juced and you, go, oh last time your brain. Changes it's kind of Like paulini when he's a double. FAULT
i got, you that's. Right and so so there's little things like that that you hope for on the tennis, court and you. Don't you don't go into it, hoping but you see it. Immediately And carlos was, like, OH i was a. Pussy THEN i get to go for, it and he, did and he went for. It and then he ends up coming into, there like you, said hits that beautiful backhand vollie inside out and then he you, know he reads the ball so well and he hits that fourhand volley into the open court to win the first,
set and then it was over. Off that was kind of.
It, YEAH i, mean you, KNOW i think you can tail for.
Once janick was, like, AH i don't know IF i can beat this guy.
Today, ALSO i, think you, know being away for three months obviously he trained herd it.
Sound like he was you, KNOW i heard he had a pretty bad blister on that foot.
Too i'm positive that something movement, wise. Fatigue you, know he made it to the. Final obviously the home crowd would have liked to have seen him win the match at. Home that, said you, know tremendous. Effort another sort of like amazing chapter in their. Match the last time they played it was In beijing last. Fall yea on hardcourt.
So if they play In beijing this, YEAR i can guarantee You sinner.
Wins i'm Sure i'm positive Sin it wins that match because you can see the things that he does that on that Dismantled carlos and make his incredible brilliant improvisation on the natural surfaces look impetuous and stupid on the hard. Court, like it's just really interesting how the same, matchup the same, technique the same, too you, know personnel just get exploited, differently and how you're just sort of which Is that's so. Cool that is the beauty of.
Love this is the greatest thing about our. Sport is that surface. Temperature like if you Played rafa on a in rome or any clay court when it was, hot, yeah you were praying you could win a, game right if you played him on a really, slow muddy, court maybe at a chance if you're a big hitter like a you, know that's the one match that he lost The french you, know.
Hit him off the, court you.
Know, Yeah but like you've got to hope for those. Things whereas WITH i think That yannick would have had more of a chance if it had been really hot in the middle of the day, Maybe BUT i just think that the Way carlos, plays he hits that beautiful kicks of he doesn't Give yannick a chance to rip the return because he hits. IT i, Mean Mark petchi get a great stat where he said. THAT i think the last time they, played he did not hit one
serve to the forehand on the second. Court he hit every second serve as a. Kicker So yannick has to figure out a way to get around, that AND i don't know. How maybe he bum rushes him and rips it and comes in and prushures, him BUT i don't. Know it's a hard one to.
Attack the last thing we talked about him a little bit on the, podcast but the other semi finalists Besides rude and the two we've been talking about for a minute deserves mention Was Jack, draper which you, KNOW i don't think there's a lot of scenarios in which he Beats Carlos alcaraz in the semifinal At, Rome BUT i like the fact that he's in. THERE i like the fact that he's. CONTENDING i like his left the. GAME i like the fact that he's kind of, chippy Like i'm.
Thrilled just the way that the women's game has really filled out in the last couple of, years with all these different casts of. CHARACTERS i feel really excited about the men's game at the. MOMENT i will, Say zverev losing two to the world's sexiest, man but guess what Happened Lorenzo Lorenzo, Messetti.
But guess what happened with the? Balls guess he's not going to be number two in the.
World zverev doesn't.
Deserve REMEMBER i said he doesn't deserve to be number two seed to The. French WELL i was, Right he's not going to Be thank. God, now thank god we're going to Have carlos And sinner on the opposite. Sides that's, right finally at A Grand. Slam but, Yes zverev is JUST i mean complaining about the, balls like what are you? Get come?
On and then he goes on this like bizarre press conference diatribe where despite the fact that he and we said he both hit the same amount of, winners like he was, like, Oh i'm such an. Aggressor you know this.
Your, forehand you're a bigger pusher on that, shot and you hate Playing messeetti because he slices to your forehand and you're seventeen feet, tall you have the worst, grip you can't get underneath, it and you're a pussy when it comes to a big point and you don't go for. It that's why you're never going to be a great. PLAYER i, mean you're a great, player but you're never going to win A Grand slam if you want to complain about the. Balls it was the last Time raphael And,
Nadala Roger, Federer novak djokovits complained about the. Balls it's like what the defense rests, guilty ist, charge giltest. Charge we, need we need sound.
Stuff, actually we just launched a newsletter On, friday a Hilarious australian writer Named Mel we're funny taking etiquette. Questions and she poses the question in her very first column and she's actually taking questions from readers and. Listeners is tennis etiquette? Real and we conclude not, really it's a it's. Wild it's wild at.
There, WELL i, mean, listen there's the whole concept of you, know when you get elect cord and putting your hand up.
And then fist. Pumping, yeah this whole.
THING i got to move my leftover food from my lunch today because your cat is going to eat.
It Jeff. Nutty, okay so we've already talked a little bit about the seedings that are we're looking. At it's going to be.
Excited oh my, god someone in the top four in the world is going to have to play if she makes, it Uh egerontech in the. QUARTERS i MEAN i, hope, like, look, look seating gods, whatever please pull out of the. Draw not playing someone like Sabal aanka in the, quarters, like let her play somebody, else like just, well actually, no you, know a fuck. It if she's gonna win the, tournament she has to beat one of them. Anyway, yeah and at this, point let's she needs to get. There BUT
i would assume she's going to get. There she's arguably the best player in clay we've had in donkeys'? Ages is that in an actual? Freeze donkeys? Years actually donkeys. Years you've never heard.
That, no half the things that you say That AUSTRALIAN i don't even take as Many i've.
Never heard donkeys.
Years that's not a.
Thing, Okay, writers, listeners writers, listeners write to me On twitter and let me know if you know That Donkeys years is a thing because it is A.
Caitlin, now we're going to Activate Australian.
Twitter we're going to activate it so you your takeaway from this clay court. Season obviously there's a tournament going on on both the women's side and the men's. Side Novak djokovic is playing this week trying to Get.
Geneva, yes and.
Isn't Didn't severiev go and play In germany or?
Something he's In. Humberg oh my. God, yeah he.
Only wins In. Germany so the only place that like.
HIM i can't believe he desca gets. ENDORSEMENTS i, mean it's, crazy like the only people that like him Are.
Germans AND i have to, say, LOOK i stuck up for him last week On twitter when he kind of was a bit salty with the question that was asked to him on The World feed and it was a dumb. Question, yeah we talked about.
IT i think you freezed it in a much more elegant.
Way you pat someone on the back before you stab them in the, back right when you ask a, question you make them feel great about themselves and then you, go but what's happening? Here like you don't go in and, go, look you stuck At master's one, thousand so you're. Terrible are you happy you won your first?
Round that's not a good Fel, no You're you're going to get a just fable shitty.
Response, YEAH i Mean Roger federer would have answered it very, diplomatically because that's Just roger and.
This agent would have called behind the scenes and gotten that gafad.
Probably but also at the same, time you know a player a, salty so you don't ask those. Questions i'm not going to ask a player THAT i know is salty and give salty answers the question like, That Like i'm not going to have to say To serena so you know WHAT i, mean BECAUSE i know she's just gonna look at me, like oh, really maybe not me because we're, friends BUT i don't.
KNOW i THINK i don't.
Know she still give me some. Shit for.
Sure she's.
Trying met you under the bus a couple of.
TIMES i saver of.
Man, yeah just get over, yourself, bro just fix your forehand and then you might win a match of. Importance we're talking finals Of, slams we're Talking masters one.
THOUSANDS i think WHAT i like so much about the finalists that we had at this past tournament is they're all committed to humbly working their asses, off, yes to get such a great. Finals blame everybody. Else they're not talking about the, balls they're not screaming at their, box none of none of them congratulating each. Other they're they're
not corporate and. Boring they're they've got personalities that but they're they're, yeah they're just you, know we had a great we had embodiments of what we, had.
Four incredible human beings in the finals Of, rome AND i mean Even sinner was so he said to his, team you, know we're you, know it's been a hard three three months and you Know i've worked my butt off to be, here AND i thank you And alcaraz and he goes and then he thanks his family and everyone there and he goes except my brother who's WATCHING.
Emmla he was at THE f one. Race it was, like, thanks, bro thanks for supporting.
Me totally related supporting him.
It but then Even, coco you, know she Congratulated jasmine and she, said you, know wished to well in the doubles the next, day AND i just just for uh, PEOPLE i really like genuinely with those, four.
AND i think the reason that you, know AND i wouldn't mind.
Seeing them all in the finals of The FRENCH i think definitely would like to See alcrez go out it in five. Sets AND i do think that there is a real chance That coco and A pauolini could be in the. Finals agree the way they play their. Game there is five contenders for me on the women's, Side, Coco, Sable, Anca, Eager paulini and Chin win.
Chin, win who has won a gold medal on those.
That's, right and she's found her, Form, Phelip she's found a. Form she's going to go back to Rolland garos and, go, oh that's, RIGHT i beat all you bitches.
Here that's.
RIGHT i know how to win, here do you know WHAT i? Mean so THAT i would not have put her in that category a week, ago but there is no question she is one of the best players on. Clay the, game the clay suits her game and the way she hits are perfectly SO i would say those five without question are in can win the. Tournament. Definitely Madison, keys maybe because she's done well in the past and maybe she finds reform at The french and The Grand.
Slam you just made a semi. There and, Listen madison on any given day can beat. Anyone you, know Astar, penko you never. Know, look she once stood, guards she's One. French so there are arguably five to seven women that can legitimately win WHERE i wouldn't be like what yeah men? Two?
Okay, so setting Aside carlos And, sinner what do you think about The, Runa, Rude Cambo. Runa up until this, TOURNAMENT i was, like, oh, YEAH i feel like he's In, WELL.
I Think runa is going to have a hard time because he's dealing with this sickness and you, know best of five sets mate that Against you, know we're talking about having to beat A, runa A rude and Al, chirez A sinner And. Zvere you don't have to beat those guys over five. Sets you better be physically. Ready, YEAH i just don't know physically he's going to be ready. Enough could he was at peak? Performance? Yes could he get to the final? Yes DO i think that he could win?
It?
No BUT i think That yannick And alcarez will probably play each other in the. Finals unless you get a Hot, Massetti unless you get a you, know a hot you. Know, Look kesper could come back and play out of his. Mind he plays really well In, paris so we'll, see BUT i don't the women are way more open as per. Usual but, yeah we'll see over five. Sets it's just very different the best of.
Three, YEAH i think you're. It it definitely favors less disruptive.
Outcomes i'm.
EXCITED i Feel i'm so sad peak.
One woman and one man of The. Americans, wait, wait of The, americans This american BECAUSE i just wanted to throw that.
Out who are making? Me oh?
God did he play well in that first set Against? Sinner that's, right he played. Great all of a sudden he just stopped going for it. Though oh, yeah he got he Was.
Redlin did you think he just kind of like went?
Hard AND i don't, know he's won the juniors super. FIT i agree with. You you're going to Say tommy Pauland.
Coco, NO i was going to, Say.
Cooker what you think An american is going to do better Than?
Coco, yeah somebody tells me it's not going to do it this. Here oh BUT i don't know who Would?
Madison Maybe?
Madison, YEAH i don't think it's going to be An. AMERICAN i think it's going to BE i think Actually chine's gonna win.
It oh, okay that's my, car all.
RIGHT i THINK i think SHE'S.
I think she will definitely be. IN i think she can be in the.
SEMIS i Think pauline is going to have a, letdown even THOUGH i think she's playing.
Great, no she's too. Solid that's the greatest thing about. Her she's. SOLID i, mean and she's. Solid she's that, little stucky little. Solid she just love. Her but and she's as you, know everybody knows, this anyone who's listened to the. Pod she's my. FAVORITE i love.
Her so you're Calling, PAULINI i.
AM i don't.
Know now you have to call An american for no?
Reason, no, WELL i THINK i Think coco could win The French. Open, yeah but you, KNOW i honestly don't. Know there's so. There it just depends on the day with the. MEN i Think alcaize is going to win it.
Again, okay but you have to pick An american for no.
REASON i ain't gonna Pick tommy paul to do the, best Not. Klayla, no he's stinking it. Up right. NOW i think he needs a change of coaching. Situation, actually, YEAH i think he's sort Of this is the point That Dan kaye was making about he's been With Mike russell and he's done a fantastic. Job micha will find a job in one second with somebody, else because he's that kind of guy and he's. Professional BUT i think a new, idea is a new, vibe might be a
good thing for. Him And i'm not asking for people to go and Tell Michael RUSSELL i want him to get. FIRED i just think he's done such a good. Job BUT i think he's at his max now AND i think maybe it's time for a new voice for him and then move on to another guy and improve his, game because he's done a great job With. Taylor BUT i.
Can see something. Insane what About, Armstraber.
No no, chance she can't, Physically she's just not mentally there. Anymore. NO i would love to see, Her, NO i just don't think she's going to reach that upper echelance of The Grand slams. Anymore she could do it on, grass because that's her best, surface that's, true BUT i don't THINK i think that's the LAST i Think eager might. SURPRISE i Think eager might come and get To paris and be, Like, OKAY i know how to do this,
here you. Know and unless she gets a really tough drall, early she's going to get deep into the tournament and she's going to find her form a little. Bit AND i think that she'll probably be the one that she's still the favorite odds on, favorite so you can't bet against her. Anyway i'm getting so. Excited i'm getting.
So Excited mattery players from the early qualifying, Right, yeah that's.
What we should. Do we Should AND i want to give a shout out to my lunch dates, Today Carolyn mano And Erica, hill BECAUSE i SAID i was coming to do the pod after, this And erica, said you know, What i've getting into tennis after listening to your. Podcast so that anyone who else is out there who's actually gotten more interested and wants to play more tennis from listening to the, podcast let us, know write us on the socials and, again please like and subscribe.
And subscribe and.
Subscribe come, on be nice to.
Us do we deserve?
It we're good. People, okay all, right, guys thanks for listening to, us drivel on today was a long, one but we were so excited About. Rome we were just so excited about all the awesome tenis and we cannot wait for The French. Open are you going over?
There?
No, no? Okay should we do a live podcast In New? York?
YES i mean we.
We, okay so fans let us, know write us on the socials and let us. Know would you come to a live podcast In New York city in the in the either the middle weekend or the final weekend of The French. Open let's do maybe we can do two we. OKAY i don't know what you. Said THEN i, said why? Not Okay. Onniva, okay, guys we'll see you next. Week thanks for listening to. Us we'll talk to. You oh
Conduct cont