you Hi, Gemini. The football transfer window's open. How are my team's stats looking? Well, your team definitely has a lot of star power. Do you think we're going to have a good season? It's going to come down to consistency and a little bit of luck on your side. I'll let you know if we win. I'll be keeping an eye on the score.
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Hi, this is Billie Jean King. This is Marion Bartotti. This is Bianca Andrescu. I'm Mats Willander. This is Mary Carrillo. This is Pam Schreiber. This is Yannick Noah. Hi, this is Vikram in Washington, D.C., and you're listening to The Tennis Podcast. Thank you. Well, hello and welcome to the tennis podcast on day 13 of the Australian Open, introduced beautifully there by Vikram in Washington, D.C. What a week Washington, D.C. has had. Hope you're OK, Vikram. We come to you at four.
minutes past five in the afternoon. Myself, David and Matt, we are in our media lobby area and we're recording this part one an awful lot earlier than we expected to be because we have just watched Novak Djokovic. retiring after losing the first set a one hour 21 minute first set to alexander zverev on a tie break he was booed off court zverev then chastised the crowd for doing that
We've just seen Novak Djokovic in press and heard everything that he has to say. Look, even though we all knew this was one possible scenario after the physical state that he was in after his victory over Carlos Alcaraz the other night. night because it's Novak Djokovic and because we've seen him fight through so much adversity physical and mental and TJ related and otherwise it's still really shocking
David, to have seen that this afternoon and to be reeling from it. Yeah, you can't know when you come into a match like this how physically impeded he's going to be. We only have... what we've seen a couple of nights ago against Carlos Alcraft and what he said to us afterwards and he he did say I'm kind of loaded up on painkillers here I'm only going to know over the next couple of days how bad this is we haven't seen him since then he didn't practice literally
until one o'clock before a 2.30 start today, which we did reference last night. You know, maybe not ideal. That doesn't sound ideal anyway. And he's gone out there. He's actually played, I think, a pretty good first set. You know, very clever.
first set with lots of different spins and shapes and variety. The sort of thing that he's done against Verev in the past maybe amped up, I would have thought. I thought... put it down to some degree to the fact that he's coached by Andy Murray and that it might be a plan they'd concocted together.
But, you know, in hindsight, maybe it was to protect his body. Maybe it was the fact that I know I can't go side to side running with this guy for goodness knows how long. But at the same time, when he ended up losing it, it still... came as a surprise to me to see him walking towards the net because I hadn't noticed him looking...
really impeded in terms of the rallies. He looked more or less OK. Obviously, he got heavy strapping there, and because we knew something had gone on a couple of days ago, there's a clear explanation for it. You know, he said it started to hurt more as the set went on. I did put it to him that a couple of years ago he'd had a similar kind of injury, at least a similar part of the body, and he'd had a scan which Goran Ivanovic had said at the time, 99%.
percent of the players on the tour pull out of with that scan so did he have a scan this time he didn't reveal whether he did or didn't but he did say you know he's done everything he could and he just It wasn't there beyond the first set. And I was particularly taken by him sort of saying, I looked at the way the match was going to need to go, three or four hours, playing against Zverev like this.
Basically, that's not an option is kind of what he was saying. So, yeah, it's a bummer, really, to see the match end like that. And it does leave you reeling. Alexander Zverev will be in the main interview room at 6.15. Taking a sweet time, Alexander Zverev, as usual. Don't worry, we'll cover that and the Zverev of it all and look ahead to his final once we know who he'll play in that final. Obviously, Yannick Sinner and Ben Shelton yet to face off.
to you in part one we'll cover that in part two matt you were in the stadium for all well pretty much all one hour and 28 minutes of that first set What was the experience like and what was your reaction when Djokovic started approaching the umpire on the net and it became clear that he was throwing in the towel? I was extremely shocked. I think like everyone in the stadium, I don't think anyone saw that coming. There were no really obvious signs, you know, in the moment, obviously.
Once you then logically think it through, as David has talked about, we know he's injured, we know he's been out there already for an hour and 20 minutes and not got a reward of the first set. We know that... The heat of the day is beating down on the Rod Laver arena and suddenly you think, well, Novak Djokovic is not going to retire lightly from a Grand Slam. semi-final so clearly he must be in pain and and all these factors just mean that there's
There's no route back into the match and the tournament as he sees it. But, yeah, it was extremely shocking in the moment. Look, I'm sure that explains a lot of the crowd reaction. You know, it was by no means overwhelming booing in the stadium, but you could hear it. There were definitely boos. And look, I think it's a... consequence of this split session men's semi-finals I've never really liked them you know when you've only got the one match there's so much
so much riding on that one match, and the crowd is going to be disappointed. Do I think it's a classy thing to do and boo Novatovich? No, I absolutely don't in that moment. Yeah, just as David said, an absolute bummer, really. And I think it's just interesting now to think about Novak Djokovic, you know, like... The positive for him in this tournament is that he displayed a level over best of five sets against Carlos Alcraz and in a couple of matches beforehand, which he...
hadn't really displayed in a while. In his words, he said that's the best tennis. He feels like he's played at a slam in the last year. But there's also the... The thing of he has had some injuries now, and look, he's had them before, and he's won Grand Slam tournaments with them, but this is now the last couple of...
two slams in the last year where injury has forced him out. And that is something that he is going to have to wrestle with now going forward. Can his body hold up to... to the demands that he's placing on it and also like that that ranking he's got now means that he kind of might have to go through three of these guys to try and win the slams. And that's going to be a struggle for him, I think, at this age as well now. Like, if this, you know...
I'm not saying that he could have necessarily won this match like whoever he was playing. I think the injury was bad and it was painful for him. But, you know, the fact that it was Zverev and it was just such a grind out there. may also have contributed slightly. So Djokovic is in a very, very different position to what he's been in for a while. On the one hand, a little bit more positive because the level was so good. But on the other, big picture...
You know, it's over a year now since he won a slam and it feels like it's just going to keep getting harder. I keep thinking about how insistent he was the other night about wishing that had been a final. against Carlos Alcaraz and obviously part of that was just how electric a match it was and an occasion it was of course like to all of us it felt like it would have been really cool if that was a final But I think Novak Djokovic needs those matches to be...
finals now you know he was able to produce it against Carlos Alcaraz in the Olympic gold medal match but he didn't need to produce something like that before the Olympic gold medal match he could save it all he needed to play good tennis to get there but he didn't need to produce that until the final and I think this is a pack hunter it's reverse pack hunter on Djokovic isn't it he might get lucky
but he's less likely to get lucky with the draw now that he's falling down the rankings. The overwhelming likelihood is he will need to produce performances like against Carlos Alcaraz more than once in a slam, possibly more than twice. won today he probably would have needed to do the same against likely Yannick Sinner in the final we won't go too far down that road because we've we've been burned before And that feels increasingly unlikely given his age and given...
The statistics in his recent slams, you know, he said in answer to the last question from Charlie Eccleshire in the press conference, statistics I know are against me in the last couple of years. Two retirements or withdrawals out of the last... lost four grand slams one slam compromised by injury that was Wimbledon yes he still managed to reach the final but he wasn't able to be particularly competitive that final and then one loss in
in round three at the US Open and of course he was trying to find positives in this press conference and there are positives you know that performance against Alcaraz you know just go back and listen to our podcast afterwards there was a smorgasbord of positives there and you know he said I liked my form and my chances here if I was physically fit he said I'm striking the ball really well well like
Every tennis player that's ever aged and has got frequently injured and has come up against the realities of mortality has felt like that, right? If I could only be physically fit, I would continue winning slams. Andy Murray felt like that until seven months ago. Yeah, he was deluded. But if his body would have let him, he...
would have had the ball striking. Like, he's always going to have the ball striking. Yeah, and I think that had he not been injured, I think even though... maybe a little flatter than he was a couple of nights ago and it being day session and hot and a grind. there was still every chance that even losing the first set that at some point he flicks the switch not that he can do it consciously but subconsciously suddenly he goes into that that zone where Alexander Zverev cannot live with because...
Djokovic's top level is way in excess of Alexander Zverev's. And he showed that against Al Kras, who is a much better player than Zverev. And Djokovic managed to win that. So it's extraordinary what he's achieved there. The big issue now is the frequent breaking down. And he's... He's realistic enough to know that there are no guarantees. He said, I want to keep playing and I'll keep wanting to win Grand Slams. Very clear about that. But he doesn't know how long his body...
will take to recover. He doesn't know how well it will recover and whether it will keep breaking down. He just does not have that evidence and none of these players do. Nadal kept plugging away for months and months and months and was... Sadly, a shadow of who he used to be. And it doesn't diminish his legacy in my mind whatsoever. It won't diminish... Now that Djokovic is, if this is...
kind of as good as it gets. He's still done something I never thought he would be able to do this tournament. But I think we do have to face the potential reality that he's never as good as he was. over the piece. Like, he can do it in isolation, but can he ever win a Grand Slam tournament again? He might need it all to go his way and not get injured and not have to face these...
all of the guys, maybe just one or two, and there's no guarantee that that's going to happen. And would he stick around and keep plugging away the way Nadal and Andy Murray obviously... less high level Andy Murray for the latter stages of his career but the way they did sort of knowing deep down in his gut potentially that he
He doesn't have it over the fortnight. I don't know. He was asked directly in the press conference today, could this be a last Australian Open? And he said, who knows? He said, but if I'm fit, healthy and motivated, I don't see a reason I wouldn't come. But he said he could be, didn't he?
He said it could be. And again, if John McEnroe was fit, healthy and motivated, he'd be playing the Australian Open next year. Do you know what I mean? These are the things that cause tennis players to retire and not have it anymore. That's the whole it for Novak Djokovic. Yeah, yeah. Look, I think he'll be keeping a close eye on the... on the WADA decision for Sinner. Like, you know, we talk about the Pack Hunter thing. If Sinner gets a ban, that's one out of the way. I think he...
I think he backs himself against Alcaraz these days. We've got evidence that he can cause Alcaraz problems. I think he backs himself against Zverev as well, despite what happened today. So he's always going to... back himself but as you said the big big if is probably health now and fitness and recovering from this injury he didn't he obviously didn't have a time frame on it quite yet definitely bad news for Denmark who were hoping to see him in the in the Davis Cup he did
did rather caveat that before the tournament even started he gave himself an out early doors didn't he and now he's he's walking through that yeah didn't even mention he's running through that out his next tournament is Doha he said So look, we'll see, but once you start to get the injuries, it feels difficult to escape them. Yeah, interesting, just on the Sinner thing, I know not of any particular beef with Yannick Sinner, and I don't have any reason to think there is any.
revealed on the court that he and Djokovic are quite close and that Djokovic had been a real support to him when he was experiencing some tough times a couple of years ago he said emphatically impressed just Just now. Zverev deserves his first slam. I'll be cheering for him. Yeah, they're very bro-y, aren't they? So they clearly hang out a lot and get along. And, yeah, I...
I sense that there is. I think he's got absolute respect for Yannick Sinner, and I think he... I mean, he said he's a nice fella, but I don't sense a closeness with him at all, and I sense as well, and this is only my reading, but I do think he's a bit cynical about Sinner.
generally so yeah maybe that factors in and of course if it is Ben Shelton we know you know we know their history yeah that's right it was the eyeballing at the net wasn't it I mean I'm still waiting for that rematch Yeah, and in fact, I didn't intend to do this, but that coming up has given me the opportunity to mention the fact that Cruz Hewitt did the hanging up the phone celebration after a first round victory and the juniors lost in the next round.
It was hanging up the phone into the Hewitt... I don't know what you call that Hewitt trademark celebration. Well, it was originally the Swedish Wichst. which was coined by Mats Valander and various other players from Sweden. But it was then taken on by Leighton Hewitt. who called it the come on, and he actually trademarked it as that. And there was a little bit of an argument between Hewitt and the Swedish players back in the day. I think, you know...
I think the Swedes left it. But certainly they were like, no, no, that's kind of our thing. We've had that for years. Hang on a second. Are you saying if I posted a picture, say, of myself doing that celebration on Instagram? You're saying I would have to pay royalties to Leighton Hewitt? I don't know what would happen if you did it, but I certainly remember the news story that surrounded it. Folks, I'm going to do it. Wow. He called it the come on. Google it.
I'm going to dice with danger and post a picture of all of us doing that celebration on our Instagram and let's see Let's see who comes for us legally. Folks, head to our Instagram to check that out. Also, just before we leave you and come back in part two, miraculously knowing who is into the men's final to face Alexander Zverev.
A word from our sponsors, because the tennis podcast throughout this Australian Open is brought to you by Steve Fergal's International Tennis Tours, your gateway to premium tennis events worldwide. Missed it. Sorry. I was distracted by the tally. Okay. Steve Fergal's Tennis Tours are world-leading experts in luxury tennis travel. They take care of everything for your tennis holiday of a lifetime to pretty much any tournament in the world. Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Wimbledon.
the US Open and the Labour Cup, which this year is in San Francisco. I think it's fair to say that we've had a... Splendid time here in Melbourne. Some dates more than others. 3.5am finishes. Matt was not having a splendid time at 3.30am last night when I started playing a... A children's nursery rhyme. We had a sing song, didn't we? Yeah. Matt wasn't into it. That was...
Please, you two were into it. That was starting to work on his CV. But, yeah, we've loved it, folks. But inevitably, just like Novak Djokovic, we are already thinking about the next Grand Slam in Paris. And you could... be too if you book a trip there with steve fergles they take care of everything creating a luxury faff free experience with zero anxiety about slightly creepy french airbnb hosts yes david i've left that in the script
We have a special discount available for pod listeners for Roland Garros. Just use the code LEGACY, L-E-G-A-C-Y, and that will unlock 5% off your Roland Garros packages. Those codes are valid. Until the end of February, just head to tours4tennis.com forward slash podcast. That's tours4tennis.com forward slash podcast to check it all out. And hopefully we will see some of you in Paris. Folks, that's it for part one. We'll be back in part two to talk about the second men's semi-final.
Hi, Gemini. The football transfer window's open. How are my team's stats looking? Well, your team definitely has a lot of star power. Do you think we're going to have a good season? It's going to come down to consistency and a little bit of luck on your side. I'll let you know if we win. I'll be keeping an eye on the score.
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Welcome back to the Tennis Podcast, where you find us in exactly the same spot that we were in in Part 1, except it is now 20 past 11 in the evening, and we do now know that it will be Yannick Sinner, the top seed, to take on the second seed. Alexander Zverev in Sunday's men's singles final. That courtesy of Sinners. Straight sets victory over Ben Shelton, 7-6, 6-2.
6-2. David, you commentated on this match. Was there jeopardy? How close did Ben Shelton get to making this competitive in your view? Well, I think he should have won the first set. I still don't regard that as jeopardy, really, because I still think Yannick Sinner would have come back and won the other sets. The only other jeopardy I've just thought of is because...
Sinner was cramping in the third set. I suppose if Shelton had won that first set, we're going into longer territory. So maybe there's some jeopardy there. But in terms of the way the match unfolded, it seemed to me that Shelton was having to really redline it.
in order to hurt Sinner. He was able to do it. He was able to hurt him in a way that Diminor wasn't. In the previous round, for instance, he led first set to love. Sinner started slowly, just as he did against Diminor, in terms of just being a bit ragged. And then right at the end of that... That first set one, Sinner had broken back. I thought there was the X factor of Shelton's game for all to see. He really took it to him, hurt him a number of times.
and had two set points on his own serve. You've got to be winning the set if you're in that position and you're Ben Shelton. That's what his debrief, I would have thought, will end up being. But I still didn't think, even if he'd done that, he would have ended up winning. And certainly that's what...
That's what he's frustrated about, having just watched his press conference. Of course, it's those two set points he had in the first set. My take on this is that I almost think those... those set points were a bit of a red herring in terms of the potential jeopardy in this match because I agree with you like I would still have backed Yannick Sinner to come through in four I think if Yannick Sinner had lost the third set here he might have been in some trouble. I think Ben Shelton let him off.
the hook by not taking his chances in that third set. The second set was lights out, I thought, from Yannick's in the same school line as the third set. They were both 6-2 sets, but the third set had a really different feel about it, I thought, and Shelton actually... had had Sinner rocking and and Yannick Sinner for a couple of games that he was down in front of our position in the media seats and close to you as well David in your commentary position he was getting
pretty rattled and was speaking to his team a lot and he was having treatment for cramp. He was guzzling down the pickle juice, wasn't he? I think, look, I'm not predicting that he would have lost that match in five had he lost the third set, but I... Given the record that Yannick Sinner has in matches that go over four hours, he's never won one, has he, Matt? I think he could have been in some trouble, but Ben Shelton wasn't able to ask that question of him.
Yeah, I think that's fair. I think perhaps a slight thing we should say is that I'm not sure Ben Shelton was at his best physically either in that third set. I know he was absolutely bringing it right at the start, but he'd also had...
had some leg rubs at the start of the third set. He said it was just standard stuff that you're dealing with in a Grand Slam when you've played a lot of sets, and he didn't seem too concerned about it. It was definitely more concerning for Sinner, but Sinner himself said... I knew that he was also struggling a bit down the other end. And, yeah, like, Sinner has this thing of, sometimes when you watch him, you can really, really think he's in trouble.
Like, you know, he does clutch at body parts. He does sort of hunch over after long rallies. And I think because he has, you know, looking at the contrast of body types, as you say, they were both struggling a bit, but somehow it just... It all looks more frail on Yannick Sinner because of the body type that he is, whereas...
Shelton somehow looks more robust. He always looks as though he's slightly unsteady on his feet when he's just walking about. And then he's flying around in the points. Yeah, and that was... Certainly the unsteady on his feet was happening. He was clutching his hand. He was clutching his hip flex a little bit. He was getting the...
Massage at the change of ends. And in the points, he suddenly decided to go big. I think what he'd been doing all match was actually playing quite within himself, Yannick. He still strikes a big ball because he's just such a great ball striker, but he didn't actually... clock up a huge number of winners today he was playing pretty within himself he was pretty
content I think to allow Shelton to sometimes go big and Shelton's forehand really really broke down at the end of that first set start of the second when he did try to go for it you know he just coughed up so many errors but Once he was struggling Sinner in that third set, he just turned it on and managed that period well from his side. But I do agree, Shelton was loose at a time when he needed to get Sinner moving.
just push him and just let him know that he's there, Shelton kind of disappeared from the match himself and Sinner got through it, even though, as I said, Sinner did well in that period, but he wasn't really, really tested in a way that, for example, I think he will be.
in the final like that that I think is you know throwing it forward that's the only sort of slight concern or asterisk I would have about this Yannick Sinner performance because generally I thought he was really good tonight But if he gets in that situation again in the final and he's struggling physically...
Zverev will be a much harder test than Shelton. He won't let him off the hook. And that's the thing. How worried are we about this? Because cramping after two and a half sets in cool conditions is... It's not great, is it? That's not a great place to be going into a final that will be during the day. Look, it's only supposed to be mid-20s on Sunday, but...
In the heat of the sun, that will feel a lot hotter, and he'll probably face far more gruelling, lengthy Death by a Thousand Cuts style rallies. with an opponent in Alexander Zverev. Yeah, I think it is a concern for him. I mean, I was shocked really by the fact that he cramped like that after not much more than two hours at night.
when it's not that hot. Now, cramp is caused by a lot of different things. We don't know what triggered this cramp, whether it's, you know, we've had nerves with Carlos Alcaraz, we've had... Profuse sweating with, say, Pat Rafter years and years ago. Heat and all the rest of it. Tiredness. Don't know what this was caused by, but... He's obviously susceptible to it because we've seen it many times with him now before, including against Verev in that incredibly brutal match in the US Open.
You know, you only have to look at their records over five sets. 6-1, nine lost for Sinner. 23-1, 13 lost for Zverev. Zverev lives in that area. That's where he wants to be a lot of the time. I mean, I actually went to his press comments and asked him... about the final thing he said after losing to Carlos Alcraz and his press comments there. And he said, I've got to figure out why I'm not as strong as he is when it went deep.
And I said, what did you do about it? He said, I hired Jez Green because I never used to feel tired when he was my fitness trainer. He's hired him and he said, I feel like that again now. So what happens if it goes deep? I mean, I think there's a big question mark for Yannick Sinner there. I've just put it to Darren Cahill, actually, at that record. And he said, well, he won one here last year, didn't he?
um from two sets to love down was i mean he wasn't as chippy as i've made it sound he gave a very detailed answer about how he doesn't think it's going to be a factor but i i have my doubts yeah look i mean who am i to to argue with Darren Cahill but you know I think all of us watching that match would see that he was playing a player who was on the decline physically in that match you know who'd had a lot of tennis in his legs a lot of late nights in his body
and Medvedev played an incredible first two sets in that final, but he did slow down as it went on, and that allowed Yannick Sinner, as well as Sinner, playing really, really well, but the combination of those two things sort of converging. allowed Sinner to take over. It also didn't cross the really long threshold, you know, like Sinner's record. From three hours and 50 minutes is zero wins and six losses in his career. And the Medvedev final last year didn't reach that point. So...
Yes, I can understand why Team Sinner will be encouraged by the fact that he won a five-set final here last year, but it doesn't feel quite the same if he ends up in the... four-hour range against Verev who has got
He's got his legs this time in a way that he didn't have in that French Open final because he'd played a lot of tennis to get there. He's had a retirement today. He's not played that many long matches. He's going to back himself physically against Sinner, I think, for sure. I think Sinner... Sinner is hoping to outplay Alexander Zverev and Zverev is hoping to outlast Sinner would be my sort of quite basic take on the final. And whether it comes on Sunday or not, Sinner needs to break this duck.
doesn't he? The long match duck. I think that's quite important for him because even if he believes he can do it, and I'm sure he does, he works as hard as anybody in the gym, all the rest of it, until he's done it. He won't absolutely, thoroughly feel that he can do it. I think that'll shift something in him and that there must be a seed of... seed of doubt or at least worry and anxiety in him about matches going long and I think that is going to be an important milestone for him.
to tick off soon. I think it needs to come soon where he has a moment of coming through a really... marathon match a gruelling marathon match and it could very well be on Sunday who knows that's certainly the kind of match I agree with Matt that Alexander Zverev wants it to be The head-to-head is 4-2 in Zverev's favour. Sinna won their first meeting and their most recent meeting. And that most recent meeting was their only match post-puke.
That was in Cincinnati last year, but it was incredibly close, 7-6 in the third, if you remember. So, yeah, this is really on a knife edge. I think, on Sunday. Sin is the defending champion. He's the best player in the world on a hard court. He's the top seed. He has to be the favourite, I think. But it's closer than that makes it sound. I do think... Based on the last couple of matches, Sinner is in far better form than Zverev. I think Zverev was fantastic for that.
set or two against Hugo Embert but I think he was really quite fortunate to come through against Tommy Paul and he's obviously been fortunate today because Novak Djokovic has retired after his set That doesn't mean he can't turn it on. I remember feeling like this a year ago, and he went and beat Carlos Alcroft pretty handily. But Sin is playing...
Sinner's striking the ball so well. Once you get past those first couple of games, he does look pretty good to me. But it feels like Sinner's leaning on Darren Cahill and his team. for positive reinforcement about his physicality because I think he's doubting it. And, you know, I think you're right. I think he's kind of got to win one of those.
to show himself that he can, but he'd be bloody well rather not. He'd rather do the outplaying bit. It was his team that told him to get the train run for a leg rub and to bosh down the pickle juice, wasn't it? Yes. I mean, I guess maybe he was... He was thinking it anyway, but they were certainly encouraging him to do it after that game where he... I think it was the 2-all game. Once he got through that one, yeah, that was really...
they were instructing him to do it. He needs a lot of sleep, Sinner, doesn't he? Maybe he's not getting all the sleep. He likes to get ten hours. Imagine. Which is good for the movement, I think. Because recent years, I feel like there's been a real, you know, wake up at 5am and go to the gym and that's the way to become a high achiever movement. Federal was another one, wasn't it? You used to like a lot of sleep. Yeah.
Yeah, Carlos Alcaraz had a nap in the on-site sleep pods in the player lounge before the Djokovic match. That's a blow for the movement, I would say. He set the nap movement back. Yeah. Yeah. That's almost got Stefanositsa had a melatonin before I played vibes. Yeah. So, yeah. Sinner needs a sleep. Likes a sleep. We love to see it. OK, well, we'll have more opportunity to look ahead to that final.
tomorrow on tomorrow's show just one last thing on the Djokovic story that we covered in part one Andy Murray has spoken briefly to the media and Djokovic also addressed his coaching situation with Andy Murray in press they've basically
said that they don't know what the future holds. They both need to, quote, cool off from this defeat because they're obviously, you know... very frustrated and disappointed right now um so they need to cool off before having kind of big picture discussions but On the subject of cooling off, it sounds to me, and this could just be because, you know, the circumstances of today, it sounds to me like there's been a slight cooling off in enthusiasm from both sides.
about the situation there was no chat about oh it's been so so amazing to learn so much from andy and get closer to him every day and that that had somewhat gone it was all incredibly respectful from both sides, but cooler. I am expecting that to be one and done for those two, with a possible Wimbledon return, I suppose. I mean, look, I'm not surprised that if it sounded tonally different that it would, given he's just lost, to when he's won and everything's rosy. But at the same time, I do...
I do question, really, whether this is an ongoing concern, just because I don't think Andy Murray had any plans to be a coach whatsoever. I think he got the call. It sounded fun and interesting and too good to resist, and he came and did it. They've beaten Carlos Alcaraz, and now it's all over. And I think that the...
Yeah, I mean, they clearly don't want to commit either way. I get that. And I think it's possible, like you said, I think Wimbledon, maybe in the French Open or something like that, somewhere around that middle bit of the year.
But I think Andy Murray will probably want to go back to doing what he's been doing for a while, which is having a rest and playing golf and all the rest of it. There's no all the rest of it, David. It's just playing golf all the time. Yeah, it's just the language sounded... slightly more corporate today than it did pre-event. There was talk of a performance review. Yeah.
I don't know watch this space we'll bring you news as and when we get it that's it for part two join us for more in part three Welcome back to part three where we're going to have a look ahead to tomorrow and in particular a chat about the upcoming women's singles final in just a moment. But first, making a big return for one day only.
sensation of the day or rather sensations of the day because olivia gadecki and john piers have won the mixed doubles title the first aussies to do that since 2013 Wow. Good for them. Good for them indeed. Australian Open champions and sensations of the day. Nay, sensations of the week, quite frankly. Yeah.
Slim pickings. Till now. Slightly slim picking. So well done, Gideki and Piers. And it was all rather unfortunate because there was an extreme lack of crowd in the Rod Laver Arena. Did you see this? They were, I think, maybe... hoping to get like just general grounds pass holders into the Rod Laver arena but there was some sort of
mix-up or problem with that and they were only allowing in ticket holders who were there for the Djokovic-Sverev semi-final but this was taking place hours before that so this match was played with very little crowd on the Rod Laver arena Aussies involved. Yeah, it was bad. That's a missed opportunity. Yeah. The women's doubles final will be between Katarina Siniarkova and Taylor Townsend.
And Shaisu Wei and Yelena Ostapenko, they both won in deciding sets today over Miran Draven, Diana Schneider and Gabby Dabrowski and Erin Routliff, respectively. Seeing as she lost today, it won't be... be taking any further part in the tournament just worth touching upon gabby dobrowski and the her story as we now know it over the past year she received a breast cancer diagnosis in april of last year she Subsequently, he had two surgeries before coming
back to tennis and reaching the Wimbledon doubles final in July. We had no idea about any of this at the time. Then she competed in the Olympics in Paris. That and Wimbledon was something she'd delayed further treatment. She subsequently had that treatment, some radiation treatment. That was shortly before the US Open. And she had hormone therapy as well at the end of last year, very shortly before winning the WTA finals in... It's an absolutely extraordinary story. She...
Did an Instagram post about it at the end of last year. And she also spoke about it in her pre-tournament press conference here. And she does so incredibly powerfully. So well done to Dabrowski and Routeliff. She is some... player Matt told you Andy Lapthorne and Sam Schroeder won the men's quad wheelchair doubles title today that is Andy Lapthorne's 8th
doubles title in Melbourne. And we also had Alfie Hewitt and Gordon Reid winning their sixth consecutive men's wheelchair doubles title and their 22nd together as a pair. Ridiculous numbers. And on the wheelchair front, we had China winning their first ever Grand Slam wheelchair title today with victory for Zhiying Wang and Xiaohui Li in the women's wheelchair doubles. So congratulations to everybody involved there.
In terms of tomorrow's schedule, I will whip you around things that are going on outside the Rod Laver arena first. On Kia, we have the quad wheelchair singles final between the top two seeds, Sam Schroeder and Nils Vink. We have the women's wheelchair. singles final between Anik Van Coot and Yui Kamiji. That's also the top two seeds facing off. And it's the same. Seeds one and two in the men's wheelchair singles final to Kito Oda against Alfie Hewitt.
We have the boys' singles final starting things off on the Rod Laver Arena. Henri Bernay, who is a young Swiss. boy with a single-handed backhand that's been signed up by On who Roger Federer has a stake in. I think Switzerland might be quite excited about this young man. He is taking on Benjamin Wilworth, a 17-year-old American.
And the girls' singles final is Wakana Sonobe, the 17-year-old Japanese player that today beat great Australian hope Emerson Jones. And she is taking on Christina Penichkova, who is... One of the Penichkova twins. I know not which one. But she's one of them. And that's the fourth seed against the sixth seed. The second match in the night session is the men's doubles final. That's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavasori. Yeah, Andrea Vavasori, the third seeds, taking on the fourth.
The Wimbledon champions, Harry Heliovara and Henry Patton. And before that, of course, it's the women's singles final. Arena Sabalenka against Madison Keys. Does anyone have any more advanced thoughts than we had yesterday? Look, ultimately, I think I have to say that I think Marina Sabalenka will win and win in straight sets. But I also...
think that that might not happen. That is my expectation but it wouldn't be a massive shock to me. It's not like a year ago when Zheng Chen-wen was the opponent and I was... trying to contort myself into all sorts of shapes in order to find a way that she might win. And none of them seemed realistic in my mind.
I don't feel like that here because if Madison Keys comes out and plays like she did either against Svantec or against Sabalenka in the US Open semifinals, then she's right in there with a chance. Just don't think that... Sabalenka will be playing like she did that night in New York. I think she'll be better than that. And I think it's a lot to ask Keyes to hit this sort of form she did the other night. But it's possible.
She's got that sort of power, right? She does. And interestingly, Anton Dubrov and Jason Stacey, the team Sabalenka, did a press conference today and they were asked about... the keys power and they didn't seem that bothered by it you know they said like The main thing for Sabalenka is that she has to worry about her own game and she's got to just have a sense of control and clarity about that. And I think they feel like she'll be better now.
maybe using some of the Key's power in a way, you know, with her movement, with her general better defensive skills. You know, she's got more options now of what to do with Key's power. You know, she can incorporate a slice.
if she needs to. So I think they really do feel like Sabalenka's ready for this, and why wouldn't they? I mean, she's got such a... imperious record in these hardcourt majors and it's one of those finals where to me everything logical is suggesting Sabalenka in probably two maybe three sets you know her records
The head-to-heads, you know, she does lead that head-to-head. The slam final experience. The fact that Keyes has got to go from that emotional high of beating Igor Fiontek and come back and try and do it again. All of those reasons point to Aruna Sabalenka winning this. And yet it's also one of those finals where you've just got a little feeling that maybe Madison Keyes...
can do it because it's just been such an incredible run and her tennis has been so good. So I'm going to go Sabalenka but not as emphatically as I felt. this time last year and maybe also not as emphatically as I felt at the US Open final and look Pagula really showed up in that one and pushed Sabalenka it was ultimately a straight sets win for Sabalenka but
It was tight and maybe we might get something similar-ish to that. Look, I think there's a chance that this is really one-sided just because Madison Keyes has to go for it. And when you go for it, you're gambling, right? She talked yesterday about how she's had to kind of relearn how to be fearless with her game after that US Open semi-final and to keep going for it even when you have knockbacks.
That's a brave thing to do because it's risky and sometimes risks don't pay off. I do think there's a scenario where she plays a brave match tomorrow but it's just not her day and the scoreline ends up looking slightly... ugly and I think that will still have been the right way for Madison Keys to play it but there's a chance she plays that way and everything comes off and
And she can win it with her absolute top level. I do believe that. But there's just so much more safety in the Sabalenka game. She's able to go for it. with bigger margins and that was something keys herself was talking about in press yesterday wasn't it how
the control she is able to have with that power is unmatched, I think, in women's tennis. So, yeah, I think he can do it with her top level. It's just... a question of whether she can produce that top level obviously it's far more likely that Sabalenka does it for sure but yeah I am looking forward to it in a way that I wasn't in my heart of hearts to last year's final and I also don't think it's going to but I don't think we risk it being like the 2017 US Open final which
was uncomfortable to watch it was 61 minutes wasn't it destruction by by sloane stevens of madison keys who just did not show up that's the main thing i don't want yeah for everybody but particularly for her look i think
I think the school line could, as I say, could look one-sided, but I don't think that will be because Madison Keyes freezes or doesn't show up. I back her to show up tomorrow, and I feel really, really good about that because, goodness me, that was a... traumatic experience for that's a personal trauma for me that um us open 2017 final because i was
really ill. I don't know if you remember this, David. I do, yeah. You had the flu or something like that. I was sort of delirious. But I was working for Eurosport and it was kind of a one-man band. I had to get us on air. The producers I was working with at the time, they were lovely. They would just like, just get us on air, throw to the match, and then you can lie down and have a nap.
Which I did somehow and I thought, I remember lying down and just saying, okay, just come and get me at the last possible moment. I'm going to try and sort myself out and have a bit of a nap. Like half an hour later. There was a knock on the door. I couldn't believe it. I thought it was a joke. What are you talking about? So yeah, Madison Key's trauma is also my trauma. I don't think, hopefully on lots of fronts, we're going to be in that situation tomorrow. I have a Sabalenka stat.
that I'm going to air now because I don't know when else I will air it. She's not lost in straight sets at a slam since the COVID US Open. Wow. It's an incredibly long streak she's on of matches of at least winning a set. Do you remember there was that bizarre Sabalenka stat from the US Open a couple of years ago of losing... Yes, all of her losses in the slams that year were from a set-up. Yeah, which can be viewed both ways. Obviously, great that you're not...
suffering blowouts but also not ideal that you're losing from winning positions but she's just not losing at all anymore so not a problem. But I think it's just the stat which goes to show how tough she is to beat and how... how generally in control of her game she is now become like she will have moments maybe where the game goes off but she gets it back and once she gets it back she's the best player in the world
certainly on this surface. So, you know, like, it's kind of what you were saying the other day about the kind of all the Djokovic-Alkaraz scenarios. With that stat, it feels like... Keys' chance would be over three sets. And yet, just in my head, instinctively, I would think if it did go to a third set, I'd probably be backing Sabalenka. So that makes me think, well, how does Keys win this? And yeah, I do just have that little feeling that...
that she might really, really bring it and it be the most sort of magical run to a slam. But obviously, obviously Sabalenka is the favourite. She definitely rattled Sabalenka in that US Open match. I'll never forget the look.
The body language of Sabalenka, she just wasn't used to that. And then she was trying to sort of, it was almost like when she played Serena here, there was a bit of a, come on then, you know, let's go for it. And actually she wasn't, I don't think she was playing well enough to do that. but it was a kind of almost a macho thing. She wanted to take her on at her own game. I think she's probably a...
There's a maturity about her now. There's a confidence in her own game to actually play a bit differently if she needs to and slice, you know, which is a really fascinating development. Is Jason Stacey... just going back to their press conference, is he the one whose head gets patted or kissed? Something happens to his head, ritually. Last year, Sablenk was signing his head. Signing it. There we go.
That is the guy. His head is a feature of Team Sabalenka banter. His bald head. That's him. One of the things on that US Open semi-final night is it was a... crazy night, you know, that was the goth Mook of people gluing themselves to the stadium night, and it meant that that semi-final started really late, that there was just an odd feeling about
Kind of the whole match and the whole night. The thing that always gets me, I always say it, is the stillness before a Grand Slam final. You know, like everyone is in the stadium. half seven in their seats expecting it there's the big entrance the big warm-up and then suddenly it just goes quiet and it goes still
I'm a nervous wreck just hearing you say this. And I get nervous in the stands. I really do. Like, I don't know how the players deal with it. And it just puts me on edge right from the beginning. And Keyes needs to, I think... get through that period. Look, Sabalenka hasn't actually been starting matches all that well, necessarily. That might be a period where Sabalenka's vulnerable, but can keys settle in time? It's always tantalising, a grand slam final.
I'm going to be sitting next to you knowing you're absolutely bricking it tomorrow. Great. Right. We'll be back, of course, with the podcast to talk about it. Afterwards, we have a mascot for today's show. I've been itching. to tell you about this mascot. Today's mascot is called Regina George. Do you understand that reference David? No.
He doesn't watch Traitors. He's never seen Mean Girls. You're missing out on so much, David. I have seen Mean Girls. Well, then you know who Regina George is, then. Well, it was a long time ago I watched it. I suggest a re-watch. Never gets old. It's the one where she said, stop trying to make fetch happen. Yes, which I think is very apt because, you know, we've got a Yannick stop trying to make fox happen situation. Regina George, excellent name.
by the way if that's not clear is a 10 year old english bulldog owned by eliza regina loves walking her parents to the neighborhood pet store catching some rays in the park taking long naps and watching tennis with her parents and her Favourite player is Daria Kasachina and she's adorable. She's got those little fold-over envelope ears and an absolutely hilariously gorgeous underbite. She's great. And I love that name so much. That's brilliant. Thank you, Eliza. And thank you, Regina George.
Excellent stuff. And a reminder that if you'd like your pet to be a mascot this year, then entries close at the end of this month. And if you'd like to introduce a show just like Vikram did today, then you can sign up for that or a shout out at any time. Just follow the... Link to become a friend of the pod in our show notes. Speaking of shout outs, hello to Phoebe. Hello to Maisie. Right, Maisie. And, well, we can't...
We can't say hello to yours yet, Matt, but the time is coming. It sure is. The time is coming. I anxiously await puppy photos. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff, and we have some shout-outs. And we start with Sam, who is originally from Newcastle, but now studying in Edinburgh. Hello, Sam. Right, Sam, like Sam Stosa. And Sam Groth. Yes.
Who we were talking about earlier. We were, because he's a political figure these days, as well as having allegedly the fastest serve in the world. Yes, emphasis on allegedly. Yeah, I looked up that serve. Quite questionable in the extreme. Wikipedia is a bit vague on it. But, yeah, we've got our doubts. Tennis balls don't go at 160 miles an hour. Yeah. But he is confirmed definitely a politician now. Unexpected. So Sam's from Newcastle but in Edinburgh or the other way around.
Exactly that way around. From Newcastle in Edinburgh. And Slams has managed to get to one of the Slams so far, and that was Wimbledon. The highlight being a five-set thriller between Carlos Alcaraz and Jan Lennard-Struf. Wow. Oh, that's cool. Fun. Very fun. OK, so three more to go, Sam, for your calendar slam. Good luck. Career slam. Sorry, career slam. Career slam. Good luck, Sam.
We've also got Eleanor Hawkins in Toronto. Hi, Eleanor. Hello, Eleanor. You're supposed to say Toronto. I say that every time. Has she said that in a blurb? She hasn't, actually. You had that look in your eye of Catherine, you've walked right into my trap. And this is going to be a blow for Eleanor because last time she was shouted out by Pam Shriver.
On a Pam pod. So this is a come down for Eleanor. Here it is, rather. There's nothing we can do about that, is there? No. Hello, Pam. Maybe if you shout out Pam at the same time as Eleanor, that's a... That's as close as we can get. And Eleanor has given us Eleanor Tennant, the first female to turn pro. Yes, Eleanor. Good work, Eleanor. Who I have on our very, very long tennis relived.
That sounds very interesting. Also coached Alice Marble, Bobby Riggs, Maureen Connolly. That's good stuff. It is good stuff. Eleanor, Matt. Great work. Thank you very much. And finally, we have Flo in Munich. Hello, Flo. Hi, Flo. Flo says, I love the tennis podcast and I've been listening for more than seven years. I played tennis actively for almost 40 years and made it into the ITF seniors rankings a couple of years ago. Wow. After starting to play tournaments again after 20 years.
years. That is amazing. Well done, Flo. I bet there's a show in the ITF seniors tour as well. Would like to know more about that. Not necessarily a Grand Slam daily show, but at some point down the road, we'll pop it on the long list of ideas. I'm trying to remember the name of the iconic ITF seniors player.
She's in her 70s and she does badly every tournament but keeps it going. Like Falkenberg or something like that. I'm sure it isn't that. We're going to get emails about it. Someone will know. We're going to pop her, him. We're going to pop her on the relived idea list. Tennis flows. I don't know how much material they'll be. What are we reliving? We're just living. I don't know. Flows. Tennis flows. Flows. Do we think Flory and Maya will accept?
I think that's a pretty good going. In the circumstances, we'll accept. Flo, I hope you will accept that too. I think Matt's done great work for you there. Thank you ever so much for that shout out. I'm not sure. That doesn't work, does it? Thank you ever so much, Flo, Eleanor and Sam.
And as I say, if you'd like to get yourself a shout out, then become a friend of the pod at shout out level. The link to do that is in our show notes. Folks, two more days to go. We'll be back tomorrow. Thanks for listening. We'll speak to you then. Thank you.