Aus Open Day 2 - The REAL Day One Delivers - podcast episode cover

Aus Open Day 2 - The REAL Day One Delivers

Jan 13, 20251 hr 11 minEp. 1330
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Episode description

After a slow start on Sunday, the Australian Open really got going on Monday, with big names in action and stories galore. Catherine, David and Matt got stuck into it all.

Part one - Men's results. Basavareddy impresses, how Djokovic and Murray need to get to know each other, Alcaraz and Sinner through in straight sets, Michelsen schools jades Tsitsipas, Post Puke Tiafoe.

Part two (from 45 minutes) - Women's results. Gauff and Swiatek progress, Bencic battles past Ostapenko, Osaka gets revenge on Garcia.

Part three (from 60m45s) - Day 3 Order of Play.


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Transcript

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Hi, this is Billie Jean King. This is Marion Bartoli. This is Bianca Andreescu. I'm Mats Villander. This is Mary Carrillo. This is Pam Shriver. This is Yannick Noah, and you're listening to The Tennis Podcast. Well, hello and welcome to Tennis Podcast Towers Melbourne and day two of the 2025 Australian Open, which, Matt and David, I would like to table a motion to be renamed as day one of the Australian Open. open 2025 I would like to forget that yesterday happened and

Consider today the spiritual starting point of the 2025 Grand Slam season. Are you with me? Passed. Full house. Yeah. With apologies to Keina Shikori and Irina Sabalenka, but look, they're still in the tournament. They'll have their chance in a few days' time. Today is when things kicked off. Yeah. Today felt like a Grand Slam day. The start of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. It was a Monday. Like it used to be. Look, I don't mind a Sunday.

I've sometimes got issues with how it's implemented, but like a Sunday start in principle, I get, but don't do a damp squib Sunday start. I know the weather was rubbish, but like...

That order of play was always going to be shite. Yes, it sure was. And it turned out that way. I mean, it is interesting, isn't it? I mean, I haven't had a chance to... talk to anybody as to how they arrived at what they arrived at but to run the whole thing over three days and have the middle one of the three an absolutely

blockbuster order of play and the other two frankly a little bit roby by comparison to put it mildly it is it is a strange call yeah there were like three hours yesterday where Jaume Munar was was kind of it And maybe, you know, maybe 2025 is the year of Jamamuna or maybe day one of the Australian Open was just a bit ropey. But...

That is all in the past. Today shall be remembered as spiritual day one. And it's been a barnstormer, folks. We're going to get into it in... just a moment it's going to be a punchy one tonight there is lots of stuff to get through but first a word from our sponsor because the tennis podcast is brought to you throughout this Australian Open by Steve Fergal's international tennis tours. They are your gateway to premium tennis events worldwide.

It's because I'm flying solo with this, folks. I need some backup. Come on. Steve Fogle's tennis stores are experts in luxury tennis travel, and we are proud to be partnering with them throughout the year's first Grand Slam event, which started...

Today, Steve Furgles can help organize your dream trip to pretty much any tennis tournament in the world. And that includes the Miami Open, one of the crown jewels in the tennis calendar. Steve Furgles takes... care of everything for you creating a truly faffy experience and that includes premium seats courtside seats they can provide for you in Miami you can have the

Andy Murray experience of watching a tennis match with courtside seats. They provide travel, deluxe hotel accommodation, premium hospitality with, and here's the clincher, folks, air conditioning. Because if you're going to the Miami Open, you're going to want that. Fairly helpful. Shuttles to and from the venue, sightseeing in the local area as well, if that's what you're into. And David can vouch for there being a lot of sights to see.

Yes, I've spent a lot of time in Florida of late and it's really, really good. So I'd go if I were you. Yeah, David's never come into an Australian Open in such a good mood. I think going on a two-week holiday to Florida... two days before coming to the Australian Open is...

Seems like a good way of living. It's turned out all right in the end, hasn't it? I think I might go to the Miami Open by the sounds of that. Head to tours4tennis.com forward slash podcast. That's tours4tennis.com forward slash podcast to check out. everything that Steve Fogles have to offer. Now, let's get into it. Let's start with the men's event, the men's results. We've had Yannick Sinner in action today, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and a...

an assist from courtside Andy Murray. Let's start there with the first night session match tonight on the Rod Laver Arena. Novak Djokovic beating Nishesh Basavaredi 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Dropping the first set. David, you watched, I think, every single ball of this. In the stadium. And we've just been through the Novak Djokovic press conference transcript. I actually want to start.

By mentioning Basav Reddy. Because I don't want him to get lost in all of this. He's 19. He turned pro last month. Having... having had to make the difficult decision about when to turn pro because he was a college player, wasn't he? And I've been hearing a lot about... Basavredi in particular since the next gen finals my brother who watches a lot of challenger tennis is very big on Nishesh Basavredi and picked him for his

Fantasy League team, which is starting to look like quite a big pick, I've got to say. It was the first time I really engaged with watching him. And I loved it, David. And I was only watching on a screen. What was your experience? Yeah, it was my first proper chance to really focus on him. You know, you see highlights. You see the odd match point. You read the results.

You really have to commit and put your attention into somebody if you're going to understand what they're about. Now, I do think... Playing on the Rod Laver Arena can sometimes exaggerate how good you are. It can sometimes exaggerate how bad you are because of the nerves involved. And it's not normal, is it? In a couple of weeks' time, you're not going to have a 15,000... crowd cheering you on or cheering your opponent on so I don't know how how relevant it will end up being but

My word, he looked good to me. He looked complete. He looked, frankly, like Novak Djokovic. And I think increasingly we're starting to see the... the impact that Djokovic has had on the sport, the way players are coming out of juniors and challengers playing a bit like him. And really, I thought Djokovic looked...

flat and edgy early on. And my sense was that maybe it's just all a bit weird still for him with Andy Murray. But Basavaradi is just... player who is composed that that that was something that struck me from the very first ball he was prepared to rally with him and then

When he realized he wasn't getting hurt by Djokovic because Djokovic wasn't confident yet, he pulled the trigger himself and really outplayed him for a set and a half. And then he ran into the wall a bit physically towards the end of that second set. to see Djokovic loosening up a little bit and then he got that second set it was sort of one of those where they're neck and neck all the way through

the second set, and then he gets the break, and then he gets another break at the start of the third. And I really thought, OK, this is going to go quick now. But it didn't, because the young man, 19 years of age, he had a second wind. And I just think...

He makes the game look very simple. Very nice timing. Good mover. Has a real read on the sport as well. He'll suddenly throw in a drop shot when Djokovic wasn't... ready he was on on his heels um and and yeah i mean my sense is that this guy's got a future but i was saying that exactly a year ago about dino prismich and he may well have a future but it hasn't really taken off since then i agree and i think that's an it you know matt made a very pithy

funny comment while we were on the second court watching Carlos Alcaraz and we had screens up with the Djokovic-Basov-Ready match. Matt drew the parallels with Prismic last year. Gosh, when was the last time Novak Djokovic got challenged this much by a youngster in the first round of the Australian Open? Oh, it was last year. But it felt really different to me, like Prismich and...

And I know he's been really injured in the intervening 12 months, so we just don't know how good Dino Prismic is really. But Prismic struck me as an electric player that was totally ignited. by the surroundings and the circumstance, whereas Basav Reddy struck me as a player who wasn't elevating because of the circumstances. He just wasn't cowed or bothered. You know, he has played a lot of challenger tennis where...

There are not 15,000 people. There's barely 15 people a lot of the time. And he's been getting the results on the Challenger Tour. He reached three finals. I think three finals, then won a challenger at the end of last year. I don't think he was intending to turn pro this soon. I think he's turned pro because he's... He's too good not to. And yeah, way ahead of the curve. And he reminded me of Sloane Stephens, peak Sloane Stephens watching tonight. The movement, the...

very economical, smooth-looking movement. It's not electric and fast-twitch. Slow twitch almost, but very, very effective. He was a real revelation. And what was similar between the two actually is the way they both step into their forehand and take it on the half folly. Great timing and with the weight going forwards.

And there were a couple of slow motion replays that I saw on the screen where this guy just cuts the corner. And Stevens does that when she's at her very best. And I just feel there's a lot to work with there. Yeah, I think very like stable and solid grounding and footing and like lower body, but like a loose upper body. That was kind of what...

What struck me and I think being young and composed is a really compelling combination because you don't expect it. You expect a young player to maybe be a little bit overawed by the occasion or maybe have huge ups and downs. I think another big difference to last year's match with Prismic and...

and Novak Djokovic was that that was such a physical match. That was over four hours. That was, I think, maybe the only time Djokovic has played a match that long in the first round of a major. This one wasn't quite like that, but Basavaredi was... Yeah, it was sort of smoothly staying with Novak Djokovic and outplaying him to begin with. And of course, eventually, you know, Novak Djokovic took over. But a really, really impressive sort of...

Big debut match for Bath of Reddy. Kind of a little bit... Similar in vibes, not in style of match, but in vibes, to how impressive Jenson Brooksby was the first time he played Novak Djokovic at the US Open. Again, I think he won a set. And you just realize that he's got something about him, something that's a little bit different, something to stand out. And I think Basavredi is the same. It's a different quality that makes him stand out, but you're just struck by it watching him.

Very, very intrigued to see his progress. Yeah, I will be seeking him out this year to try and follow his progress and watch as many of his matches as I can. On Novak Djokovic. And, of course, Andy Murray, because they come as a pair. Now, he sat on the court in the courtside seats. I found it absolutely maddening that we couldn't hear the exchanges between them. There was a big one.

at the end of the third set, which looked absolutely intriguing, looked like they were having a really in-depth chat about tactics and strategy, and I couldn't hear a single word of it, and that... I'm so wound up by it. What is the point of that position if not to gain extra insight into the exchanges between coach and player? But he was there in the courtside seats. What was your...

Take on it all, David, having seen Andy Murray coaching Novak Djokovic in a professional tennis match for the first time. Well... Given that we can't hear what is being said, and not only was I sitting in the stadium watching it with my own eyes, I had the laptop. out watching the TV coverage with my earphones in because I was hopeful of getting to hear these exchanges which

I couldn't. So it was immensely frustrating. So I can only give you my read on it from afar, where I was. And the first hour and 24 minutes of that match, I did not see Andy Murray and... that Djokovic share two words and in that period Djokovic was behind and I just got the sense looking at his body language that

He doesn't really know Andy Murray very well. They've shared the court together for 20 years. They've... play juniors together and they certainly you know Djokovic has often referred to him as a friend when they were growing up and a rival etc from when they were 11 years of age but they're kind of strangers still and I think that they're both deeply respectful of one another. They're both being polite.

And that is not really what you want when you're out there in the heat of battle, I don't think. You need to be able to lean on your coach. You need to be able to talk to him or her and feel a connection, I think. And more specifically... with Novak Djokovic he needs to be able to unleash and you know like a sitcom episode everything reset to zero at the end of the day that's what he could do with Goran Goran reached his limit with it and I think they both needed

to not be in that anymore. But when he was in it, the deal was Goran takes it all and it's okay afterwards. Yeah, yeah. And I just got the sense that Djokovic was... keeping his thoughts to himself, and therefore he was flat. And he had to sort of find another way to win, really. And that's not to criticize. I think it's just one of those inevitabilities of just... meeting for the first time, almost like a first date. Do you think it's like a couple that needs to have their first fight? Well...

Probably, yes. Certainly need to understand where the boundaries are and where the line is and whether I should say it or should. At the moment, they're thinking about everything. I mean, you can tell. And Andy doesn't want to... mess it up for Novak as well I think he wants to he's trying to think of every right word to say and Djokovic is

Yeah, treading carefully a little bit. He's not going to win the Australian Open treading carefully. He's going to need to unleash on his coach at some point. I thought that as the match evolved, they... both loosened up. Okay. Because you had that conversation at the end of the third set. There was a mini-combat from Basavaredi in the latter stages of the match. He had a bit of a spurt.

And he was pushing Djokovic again. I think maybe whatever cramp or discomfort he was feeling at the end of the second set had worn off. And he started to unleash, and he was starting to really go toe-to-toe. And yet Djokovic found the answers. And on one occasion, he came up with just a vintage Djokovic point to win the point. absolutely unleashed his emotion in that moment. And Murray rose. I was behind him. I saw him rise. Instantly, he knew it was a winner.

He knew it was a winner and he was pumping his fist and there was a connection between the two of them. So I think it's utterly normal that it would be a little bit awkward, but... Yeah, they're kind of working through it together and it's just endlessly intriguing. Yeah, it's so fascinating. It really was. How is this a thing that we're talking about? What is happening? in the world. While

David... Oh, it's good you know about Djokovic there, David. While David was on Djokovic, Murray, Basavredi watch, Matt and I were having a very different time on the second court watching... Carlos Alcaraz against Alexander Shevchenko. He won this in straight sets, did Carlos Alcaraz. And PS, like...

Incredible for people that had tickets for that court to get to see Carlos Alcraz. I'm sure when they got those tickets, they'd have been expecting a good schedule, but they probably weren't expecting to see Carlos Alcraz. What a cool buzz to see him. Probably for the rest of his career, there won't be many opportunities to watch him in a relatively intimate environment like that. Certainly at a Grand Slam, and that's...

that's what it felt like. It was like, you know, the Beatles going back and playing the tavern. Is that what it was called? The tavern? Yeah. Yes. Yeah. So, look, the first... set of this match Alcaraz made Alexander Shevchenko look like a competition winner he looked like one of the amateurs in the one point slam And not Paul Fitzgerald.

Because he's a hero. No, he looked like one of the bad amateurs in the one point slam. And I felt so sorry for him because I got to know Alexander Shevchenko, not personally, but I got to know him a bit. at the United Cup in Perth and he's the loveliest chap honestly when Matt and I sat down to watch I said you need to know before we get into this that Alexander Shevchenko is a delight and I didn't

I didn't want to see him humiliated as much as I wanted to see the Alcaraz show. And Matt, you said he just looks like he's been hit by the Alcaraz hurricane. Like, he really did. He had never faced a tennis ball like... like what was coming at him from Carlos Alcaraz. It was an extraordinary mismatch. And then I said the words Bertik van der Zandtschelp. Literally. The magic words. And Alcaraz lost four games in a row.

That is what happened Matt. It's exactly what happened. It was a bit spooky actually. Yes, we were looking through the order of play, weren't we, for tomorrow, and saw Burtick there and said his name out loud. Alcaraz lost his way, but literally did only lose his way for three or four games. This was a 6-1, 7-5, 6-1 win for Alcaraz. But it, you know...

It was kind of 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, other than a sort of 15-minute period where Shevchenko broke his serve a couple of times in that second set. And look, it's not a criticism of Alcaraz because he was absolutely... Astonishingly good for most of the match today. Some of the shots he was coming up with...

I think one of my favorite things to watch in a tennis player is someone who moves on to the ball, like senses when it's dropping short, moves on to it. Federer did that, I think, better than probably anyone ever has. And Alcaraz is so... good at that on return in a rally he just senses a short ball and attacks it and and does something creative with it and there was just so many great points like that today um

But, you know, there was that little lapse and it's something that might cost him if he was playing someone better than Alexander Shevchenko. But today, like just an absolute, absolute delight to watch our crowds play like that. Yeah. Yoshihito Nishioka next for Carlos Alcaraz. Yannick Sinner won today in straight sets. Not... Three straightforward sets. The first two were tie-break. 7-6, 7-6, 6-1 against Nicholas Jarry. Not loads to say about this other than...

Jarry played well. It was, you know, a bit rusty from Yannick Sinner, but exactly what you'd expect. All I'll tell you is that with Yannick Sinner serving 4-5, 30-all, I googled whether Chemist Warehouse... nasal strips because Matt would have had to What were them for a day? Which was potentially, well, definitely, with hindsight, premature. I mean, there were encouraging signs for Jarry, because he was a lot better today than he had been the back end of last year, for sure. Like, he was...

His speed off the ground was higher than Sinners through that first set, and he kept it going in the second. He just came up against... sinner who can go into like tie break mode and go into world number one mode and you can throw everything at him and yet he pinches those first two sets um The only thing I would say, the only sort of irreverent thing I would say about this match is tough day for Yannick Sinner, who's...

as we know, is really trying to make Fox happen. I think he's got a little fox on his shoe, perhaps. I wish he wouldn't. There was a guy in the crowd clapping with carrots. And that's fine. It's great. Having carrots be your thing is fine and great and he just needs to accept.

that carrots are his thing. He's carrot guy. Stop trying to make Fox happen. Apparently Fox goes back to when he was really, really young. He claims that there's an origin story for Fox. And then this big carrot thing happens and he's a carrot. Somebody brought real carrots. Someone brought carrots and he was banging them together. An absolute hero brought carrots because that's what should be happening. I do like the little fox design. It is cool, but unfortunately it's just...

Not appropriate for Yannick Sinner, who is a carrot. OK, so Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic, all through. The only set dropped there by Novak Djokovic. We'll come on to talk about the next... Kyrgiosho Jack Draper but before that um Probably the biggest upset of the tournament so far. In fact, definitely the biggest upset of the tournament so far. Stefanos Tsitsipas, former finalist, being defeated in four sets by the young American Alex Mickelson. 7-5, 6-3.

David, you watched this match. You went to the press conferences. Tell us the story. Well, I had my debut at the John Kane Arena some 22 years after first coming to the Australian Open when it used to be known as the Vodafone Arena and then the Hisense Arena and then... one year the melbourne arena and then it got called the john kane arena um and i i've never known how to get there because it's quite a walk um anyway i went over there today i decided i'm going to venture over there because

At the time, Mickelson had just won the first set. He was closing in on the second when I arrived. First thing I'd say is what a horrible arena that is. I mean, that is the worst stadium at the Australian Open by some distance. I could not agree more. I think Craig Tiley agrees with you. It's a dump. Yeah. It's terrible. I think you're not alone there and there might be emotion to... To eradicate the John Cain arena. Yeah, I mean, it's a bit like the magic box that isn't magical. Anyway.

It's a big multi-purpose stadium really, isn't it? And you're a long way from the court compared to all the other brilliant intimate settings that they have around the Australian Open. There are so many good courts here. This just isn't one of them. Anyway, I don't... Dave's one and done with John Kane. No, I'm going to go back, absolutely, because I know where to go now. And I mean, look, you get some good matches out there.

So I arrived there, and Mickelson's just wrapped up the second set. I mean, you know, he's...

He's 20 years of age. A year ago, he won a couple of rounds and then really struggled against Verev and lost in straight sets. But he's made some serious strides since then very clearly. And just his body... language from the moment he got out there I looked at these two guys and I looked them up in their bios and they're both listed at six foot four and Mickelson just looks much bigger of the two players and

Really, Tsitsipas' game was not having any effect on him. You will love his backhand, Matt, if you take some time to watch it. I actually went and looked up... what he regards as his favourite shot, and he says he's two-handed backhand. Matt doesn't like suggestions. Well, I'm not suggesting that. I'm not suggesting that. I just think you'll like it. I was actually going to bring it up myself.

He caused Tsitsipas all sorts of problems with his backhand today. Tsitsipas's key play is to hit forehands from his backhand corner into an opponent's backhand.

And yet that was completely ineffective against Mickelson because Mickelson can hit that backhand cross court. He can hit it down the line. Tsitsipas hasn't got variety really to be able to like... cause him any problems like a short slice would have been just lovely for Sitsapast today but he doesn't doesn't really have that shot and yeah I thought Mickelson's backhand was was awesome Yeah. And the...

As the match evolved these two sets to love up, then Sitsipas wins the third, and you can see the nerves coming into play for Mickelson. And it's something I asked him about in the press conference, because in the fourth set... There were four breaks to serve in a row. They were just handing it back to one another. There was some wonderful shot-making from Mickelson to get a break. And then he double-faulted to sort of throw it away. But Sitsipas...

He was a shadow of the man that's been here over the years. I was looking up his results. That year he broke through and beat Federer. 2019. six years ago he was the 20 year old at that time and just what you know if we go back and listen to the podcasts that we did at that time Catherine I was saying about Sitsapass, what I've just said about Mickelson, that he was playing against Roger Federer and he was making Federer look small.

because when they're stood side-by-side against each other, he's two, three inches taller than him, maybe a bit more. He's got his single-handed backhand, and he bullied Federer that day. And right now, his... shots are just not having any effect on opponents um his confidence is shot you know this is a guy who's reached three semifinals and a final here. And he's lost in the first round. You know, his ranking from that 2019 year, he's ended the ranking 6-6-4-4-6.

11 and now he's 12 and now he's going down again and it's it's really it's really jarring to see a guy of 26 years of age just look frankly a little bit washed up and that doesn't mean he can't get it back but then when we talked to him in the press conference I went in there and I and he was talking about how he feels the game has moved on since he came on the scene and and it's a much more physical sport than it used to be and and I'm thinking really in six years

years has it really got like that and I said well what about you Stephanas do you feel different and he said yeah I do You know, he said back then, he kind of said there was a freshness about me. And it was all new. And I was really motivated to show that I could do it at this level. he was basically saying he's jaded. He's gone around the circuit several times now and it's not quite how it was. And so the question was asked, well, what about taking some time off, you know, to...

to kind of regroup. And he said, well, my natural competitiveness means I don't want to take time off. I want to play. And I'm thinking, this isn't going to work, is it? You're just going around and around in circles. And he seems trapped. He seems trapped on the tennis tour. And without a way to... to get out and find some oxygen in which to come again. I'm sure it's there. He's not become a bad player, but he doesn't look anything like the player he was. Gosh.

It's quite upsetting, really. Yeah, I do feel sorry for him. I do. He looks lost at the moment. I've got my issues with Sitsabas, but ultimately I think he's a victim in lots of ways. I know parenting's hard and parenting an athlete is hard. And I know, I'm sure his parents love him and want the best for him. But like, I don't think they've done the best for him despite the best intentions, I think.

Yeah, I think that's been an incredibly toxic situation. And I can't imagine how much of a wrench it's been for him to distance himself from that. And that's pretty incredible that he's done it at all. I fear it's too late. You know, one of the questions we had at the live show the other night that I didn't choose to answer because it was towards the end of the night and thought, we can't end on a downer.

was, you know, who would be a good coach for Stefanos Tsitsipas. And honestly, like, I think he's had the right coach. I truly believe that, well, I can't think of a better name. or candidate to coach him than Mark Philippousis. I think game-wise and ideas-wise, you know, in terms of... what Mark wanted to do with his game. It was the right stuff. It was the right ideas. They had an emotional connection. Mark understood him. But because his dad was around, he just wasn't able to have any impact.

It was doomed to fail. And now his dad's not around, but I don't think the Philippous is, you know, that's done now, that's in the past. And I just... I can't believe, you know, yes, he's still young, and yet it feels potentially too late for him, and that's incredibly sad. Yeah, it is. But...

Mikkelsen a real talent, David. Oh, he's way better than I thought. I didn't know he was this good. And it was the first time I've had a chance to speak to him. We were both in the press comments for him as well. I like him. I mean, he's very... open about how he had to do something about his mental state on the court. And he said, I've lost over the last year 10 matches at least because of my own brain.

And he was asked, have you seen a mental coach? And he said, I'm my mental coach. And he described himself as a loner when I asked him about why he hasn't... gone and asked for somebody else's help and he said i i prefer to meditate in my room on my own i'd rather i'm a loner and um and i just thought wow that's that's different isn't it you know this is this is somebody who who knows who he is

What he's into, I mean, there's a line in his bio that he's a coin collector and he's collected $10,000 worth of special coins and he would desperately like to have the AO. coin as part of his collection as in the one they use for the coin toss yes he says sometimes I see them do the coin toss and I think oh

I wouldn't mind one of those. Which this year has John Newcomb on one side and AO on the other. Yeah. But I'm interested in him. I have to say, it's a bit of a tough scene for John Newcomb. Everyone picks AO with a coin toss. Yeah. Okay, Alex Mickelson. Well, I'm already following Alex Mickelson closely because he's in my fantasy team. But I follow him even more closely. He's got James McCabe next, who's a quintessential sensation. And by that, I mean...

Couldn't pick him out of a line-up. But I understand he's Australian. And won today. So well done, James McCabe. And incidentally, that's the Alex de Menor section of the draw. So, you know, sit to pass a big seed removed from that. that section. And I was just thinking actually about Alex Mickelson and...

You know, because I think he probably is better than I've realized as well. I do think there's something in this matchup that he really likes. He's beaten Tsitsipas before. Like, I'd like to see him come up against more... top players to try and figure out like really how good he is because sometimes you know matchups can be a little bit

You know, they can just favour a player. But he was really, really impressive. And it's funny you mentioned De Menor, because I'm just looking at his record here. And actually, De Menor is one of the other top players who he has beaten. He has got a win over Domeneau. He's lost to him as well. You're absolutely thrashed by him, taken apart in Paris last year at Roland Garros. He only won three games in that match, but he's beaten him too. You know, I actually...

Dimonor's got a bad record against Tsitsipas. So Dimonor will be pleased, I think, that Tsitsipas has gone from that section. Like, really bad. Like, he's lost to him almost... I think it's almost as bad as his record against Sinner. It's terrible. But actually, Mickelson might be a tricky alternative, to be quite honest. I don't know how good this news is for Dominoor. While Alcaraz... I've just forgotten about the existence of Burtick van der Zanskolf again, haven't I?

You have? Because I've written Alex Dimonor through. That's all right, Matt, because I've already done the big up for Baltic and annoyed all the locals. When was that? I've done that a couple of times recently. I've sort of suggested that... It's not a guarantee that Dimonor wins that match. Don't tell Channel 9. So while Alcaraz was on the second court and...

Djokovic was on Rod Laver Arena. What was happening over on David's favourite John Kane Arena? It was the Nick Kyrgios show, except it wasn't. It was the Jacob Fernley Show. 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 for Fernley over Kyrgios, who is so diminished from what he once was. His serve is still... awesome that service motion is so good he he'll he'll probably be able to serve bombs in into his 80s you know the these with which he produces that awesome serve so he still has that but honestly he doesn't have have.

much other than the serve. He did not look like a professional tennis player to me tonight. And by contrast, you had kind of the quintessential professional down the other end of the court, Jacob Fernley, this 23-year-old Scotsman who's cut his teeth. in college tennis in the US, went to Texas Christian University, is now pro, has worked his way into the world's top 100.

The hard way, you know, Challenger events doing it, certainly the very unglamorous way. And now here he is just totally ready. You know, he's got his armour on for... for tour life, I think. And I was so impressed with him tonight. Really dynamic game and, you know, really showed up just how undynamic Nick Kyrgios is. And it was... Well, I would say humbling for Nick Kyrgios, but I don't think there is anything that could humble the ego of Nick Kyrgios. And yeah, he said in press afters that...

He probably won't play singles at an Australian Open again. No, I mean, and listen, it's more than two years since he's played a singles match. I was looking up that Jacob Fernley... played more than 50 singles matches last year. You know, that, you can't... You can't just come out, especially when you've had wrist surgery. I mean, that was 16 months ago, and he's had a flare-up of an abdominal recently. But you can't just come out.

in the shape he was in and play against a guy like that and expect to win. But he did. Well, maybe he did. Because that's who he is. But I mean, it ended up being a bit closer in the third set because I think... Fernie wobbled a bit. I mean, the crowd were doing what they do. What they do, by the way, was raucously applauding double faults. It was revolting out there.

Fernie dealt with that magnificently. He did. He did a great job. And I mean, he was nowhere near Kyrgios. Nowhere near to winning that match. He also dealt magnificently with... John McEnroe's post-match interview. I mean, obviously, McEnroe had been assigned to this post-match interview in the expectation that it would be Nick Kyrgios.

What we actually had was a Jacob Fernley John McEnroe interview and both looked perplexed by the situation. And it was every bit as... as you would hope the last question just go back and find it the last question the last question of this interview was why haven't you got a scottish accent and of course of course jacob fernie he spent several years Is it... TCU. Texas Christian University. And so it's gone. It's still there. It's one of those hybrid accents. Yeah, it is. But I mean...

He's putting together a good career already, isn't he? I mean, really just make sure he punches the clock. You can tell he's not missing a day's training. Articazzo next for Fernley. Jack Draper, also a winner today. Boy, did he do it the hard way. Mariano Navoni played incredibly well against a really up-and-down...

Jack Draper. I mean, great that he's winning matches in five sets now. It was only a year ago that he won his first ever five-set match and puked in a bin afterwards. Managed not to puke in a bin today, but it still feels like the sort of match that he needs to... not be getting into you know like just unable to you watch this big hulking intimidating looking guy step out into court and you expect him to be able to impose his game and he just

Well, he certainly didn't today in the way that you'd hoped. But he's through and he faces Thanasi Kokanakis. Next. I think that could be very interesting indeed. Tommy Paul. I think we might need a live update on Tommy Paul because he was in a situation with a sensation up until a few moments ago. Where are we, Matt? Well, Tommy Paul is dressed as a sensation. Yes. He is in green and gold. Yeah. And he is 6-5 up in the fifth against the sensation.

Christopher O'Connell. Okay. Going with serve. So we could be in for a tie break. I'll come back. I'll come back. Okay. Last gasp of... Part one, I want David to describe the Francis TFO underarm serve point versus Arta Rindeknesh. He won in five, Tiafoe, didn't he, and faces Fabien Marajan next. Yeah, you've got 30 seconds, David, for the Tiafoe underarm serve. Well, it happened in this magical period of the morning when Matt and I were side by side in the...

the press room with about seven TVs going at the same time with different matches on. And Tiafoe's embroiled in this battle with Rinder Kanish. And he hits this underarm serve with vicious sidespeats. been left to right on it that goes down the center of of the court and then veers off hits the sideline the most perfect underarm serve but rindiknes took a couple of steps to his left and hit a backhand around the net posed into the postage stamp for a winner. What a sequence. Arturindeknesh is...

a low-key riot these days in the early stages of Grand Slam. So many of his matches over the last year have been really, really funny and intriguing. And this one, honestly, the underarm serve... became a footnote because the issues that Tiafoe was having, absolutely extraordinary that he ended up winning this match. He was sick. He threw up on court.

So we got post-Pute Tiafoe, who ended up winning, as I say. But he should have won much more easily. He was two sets up. He was then two sets to one up and five, two up. He got really, really tight. He started feeling ill.

He was sort of tanking games, but then still hitting incredible shots, so deciding to get interested in them again. It was an absolute scene. He was cramping. He couldn't sit down at the change of ends, and yet he still managed to win, and he was in press afterwards, and he said it. They've been absolutely horrible post-match. Just absolutely horrible. He had stitches. He couldn't eat because he kept throwing up. Why did he have stitches? No, well...

A stitch, I mean. Oh, God. Like stitches. Yeah, no. Different type of stitch. Like a cramp, a stomach cramp. Right, yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Is it just me or are puking incidents on the rise? Oh, they for sure are. Should we look into that? I remember having this conversation at US Open. We should be concerned about this. Okay, that's that.

I mean, I am struggling for that today. So if there's one about a sick in the newsletter, then that's where we are. Okay, that's it for part one. Join us in part two. Ready for a career change? One way you can truly be yourself, gain valuable training and shine with your customer service skills? Then listen up. Sage is a leader in accountancy tech for busy businesses founded right here in Newcastle. We've got Geordie spirit with global reach.

With opportunities to grow your career, challenge yourself and learn from the best, isn't it time that you were achieving extraordinary outcomes for our customers? Come and unleash your potential as a customer support expert at Sage. There's cars and SUVs. Then there's vans and pickups. Looking for expert advice on your next vehicle? Our Toyota and Lexus business team are here to help.

Whether it's electric, hybrid, petrol, diesel or hydrogen vehicles, our dedicated team offers comprehensive consultancy for large and small fleets. With our award-winning reliability, recognised by the What Car Awards, we keep your vehicles on the road. and your business running smoothly. Search better business to learn more. Lexus awarded Best Reliability in the 2023 What Car Awards.

Welcome back to part two where Tommy Paul, dressed as a sensation, stands at three match points against an actual sensation. We'll let you know momentarily if he gets over the line. The women's matches today. Coco Gauff convincing against Sophia Kennan. 6-3, 6-3 for Coco Gauff. Not loads to say. I think Coco Gauff...

It was an impressive opening round performance. She didn't look as rusty as some players have looked in their opening round performances. I think kind of evidence of the United Cup matches that she got under her belt. I'm concerned about how she's going to use the facilities wearing her outfit. She says you've got to make sacrifices for fashion. And look, don't I know it, but in a sporting situation, I'm worried about it. In my head, she's not a big...

bathroom break person. She's not. But when you've got to go, you've got to go, Matt. And puking incidents are on the rise. Although apparently nobody goes to the loo to puke anymore. You just do it right there on the court. I have to say, this was not the Coco Gauffer of the United Cup.

Absolutely not. She was not playing with anything like the assuredness that she had in her game at the United Cup. She hit... a lot of double faults today there was there was a serious issue down one end of the court you know basically the sun was in her eyes and she was really really struggling to deal with that and she said you've kind of got two options you can you can move your ball toss

and try and get a higher percentage of first serves in, or you can just keep going with what... with what you normally do and she and she opted for the latter she kept going with her normal approach but she was really really struggling and she hit a load of double faults it was a really Pretty shaky start. Kennen was absolutely striking the backhand like she can and, you know, causing her quite a lot of problems. But the thing is, Kennen cannot sustain it.

for any meaningful length of time. You know, like she will string these brilliant points together, but she's just as likely to balloon ground strokes long. Whereas Goff probably won that, you know, what was it, 6-3, 6-3. She probably had her... B minus, C plus game. You know, it was absolutely... Which you won a Grand Slam with. Yeah.

And she's just beaten the Grand Time Champion in the first round. You know, like, she's that good now. And actually, by the end, she was playing a lot better. And, you know, she was doing a lot of her... best things but it wasn't it was a really nervy start i thought right at the start of this match but she did grow into it and yeah it's just it's just nice to get through the first round i think in in slightly tricky circumstances

Interesting. Jodie Burrage next for Coco Goff. Or Jodie Barrage, as Coco Goff called her in the Encore interview. That's a bit of a reveal that you've... You've definitely never heard of Jodie Burridge before. Well, she also thought she'd never played her, and she has. Oh, God. She said, it's nothing personal against Jodie. I just often can't remember who I've played. Oh, dear. Tommy Paul is one, by the way.

The old green and gold coming through. Slight concern about his shoulder, by the way. Yes. That seems to be causing him some problems. Yeah, although he looks quite relaxed in this on-call interview, doesn't he? He's always relaxed. Yeah, he is indeed. A winner today, three and four over Katarina Siniarkova over on the John Kane Arena. Also a bit of rust here. Not wholly convincing, but fine. Yes. Look, I think Cinearchiva, when, you know...

When she hits out of the ball, sometimes it's going to cause even someone like Igor Svantec real problems because she can hit the ball so, so cleanly. I think basically Svantec did a pretty good job of keeping it pretty controlled down her end.

allowing Sini Arcova to make mistakes, really. I am watching Fiontech move out to the right side. I'm a little bit, a little bit thinking that she's... being a bit cautious, you know, like she's sliding off to the left on the sort of backhand defence, but on the forehand defence, when she's going out to that right side, I think she's a little bit more cautious because that was kind of... the area at the United Cup, which was...

which was causing her a few problems. But, you know, I think by the end of the match, again, she was playing a lot better. And, yeah, just she is in that tricky section of the draw. She's got Rebecca Shramkova next. Tricky. She started the season brilliantly considering how well she finished last season. But she came through, I think, from a set down today and, you know, she...

She is tricky if she's on her game. Tough day for Katarina Siniarkova. Straight sets defeat and Thomas Vahatch soft launching a new girlfriend. So thoughts and prayers with Katarina Siniarkova. today in the box yesterday It's actually quite a hard launch, isn't it? Belinda Bencic beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 7-6. Matt was out there watching. Tell us about it. So much to say about this match, which at one stage I really didn't think there was going to be, because for a set and a half...

It was extremely one-sided in Belinda Bengtschik's favour, which, you know, we were looking at the match odds yesterday and... And Belinda Bancic was the favorite for this, considering that, you know, she's only just come back from her maternity leave. It seemed a little surprising. But actually, when you started watching it, you realized, well... Bencic still hits the ball like a dream.

She's not going to lose that. She's got her timing back kind of straight away and she's not having to move all that much in these rallies. And it looked like she was a player in total control of her game and Ostapenko was just completely out of control. I found it quite infuriating. She'd have an open court and she would go for the line and she would miss and she would think that the electronic line calling had cost her the point.

And like, once it's funny, when it's happening over and over again, you're kind of thinking, Yelena, you are your own worst enemy here. You're causing this to happen. And I was getting frustrated. And then, you know, the match just seemed over. Benchik's serving for it. She had five match points. They weren't consecutive, but she had the five match points. And on every single one, Ostopenko hit an incredible winner.

like absolutely incredible and i was loving it and then i was thinking i feel bad now because that's the same approach that i was getting annoyed at earlier Only now it was coming off. And now she was hitting winners. And I was loving it. Whereas before, she was just hitting unforced errors. And it seemed really frustrating. It ended up in a second set tie break. And Ostopenko had a...

had a set point of her own, which was really, really well saved by Bencic. And in the end, Bencic won it in straight sets. And impressive, really, how quickly she's back up to the level to be able to beat. an Ostapenko albeit Ostapenko not at her best but still she was the bookies favourite to win that match I was amazed by that you know the return If Belinda Bencic is so normalised already, which is pretty crazy to me, but great to see. Victoria as a ranker.

lost today. She lost to Lucia Bronzetti, 6-2, 7-6. She found her game a bit in the second set as her anchor, but she was pretty terrible today. She was woeful. in the opening set. It was quite a tough watch, actually. As I say, found it a bit, but the forehand just wasn't happening today for Azarenka. And Bronzetti, by contrast, you know, I... I'm not predicting a Paolini-esque year for Lucia Bronzetti. I don't think she's going to reach two Grand Slam finals, but I do think...

Winning the Billie Jean King Cup as she did at the end of last year, playing a crucial role in that victory and just generally being around Jasmine Paolini and the inspiration of... What she's achieved kind of from nowhere over the last year has transformed her a bit. I do think she's a different player. Her game has limitations. She doesn't have huge weapons. She's got a slightly unorthodox...

technique that sometimes makes you feel a bit nervous but i'm telling you she's got fangs she is gritty a lot of people left the kia arena today that had showed up to to see the upset that was brewing with the two-time former champion looking like she was going to lose and they left like really cheering for Lucia Bronzetti, who they really mightn't have heard of. So, yeah, I enjoyed, you know, it wasn't a high-quality match because Azarenka was kind of dragging the level down.

But I did enjoy Bronzetti today and she faces Jacqueline Christian next. Jessica Begula, very straightforward against Maya Joint. This was a tough scene for... for sensation believers. Like, my joint is a much-hyped young... and is a great talent. She's just extremely young. It's too soon to be expecting her to beat somebody if the consistency and quality of Jessica Bagula, who's just reached a final and is just an excellent player.

So three in love for Pagula. Overjoint, she faces Elisa Mertens next. I think that could be, you know, a bit of a battle. We'd expect Pagula to win, but we'd be surprised if that one was short. On the Kia Arena before that Azarenka-Bronzetti match was Dana Schneider against another Italian, Elisabetta Coccioretto. Now, I didn't watch all of this, but I did speak to the commentators who...

who'd covered the match because I was commentating on the Azarenka match. So there was a bit of crossover and they said this match was awful. Schneider was really down in the opening set. It looked like she was going to lose that opening set. So I was kind of asking about that, like what happened to Diana Schneider? And they were like, she was just bad.

So that's what I have for you on Diana Schneider. And I think the last major women's result to talk about from today is the one that we've just seen come in live as we've been podcasting at Naomi Osaka.

beating Caroline Garcia in three sets. So overturning the results from her opening round here last year, which has got to feel great for Naomi Osaka. It's like a... benchmark of progress literally the same match and the reverse outcome like that's kind of ideal for her of proof and confirmation of of going in the right direction. You could see it in her body language. I don't think I have seen Naomi Osaka look as...

animated as that. I can't ever remember seeing it. She was right up on her tiptoes the whole time, wasn't she? Yeah, and in the third set, she was... pumping a fist every single thing that happened for her but i think that that was caused by something that happened in the first game of the third set and I tell you what, Jelena Ostapenko is going to be using it as evidence for her argument because there was a big forehand struck by...

Caroline Garcia, in the first game of the third set, and I think it gave her a break of serve, where it was called by Hawkeye Live on the back edge of the line, and Osaka went spare about it. It was right... under her feet and she just she went ballistic went crazy towards the umpire now we had the sound off because we were recording the podcast but she she she went charging up to the umpire and she said that ball was out and she showed how far out it was with her hands

They then showed a side-on video shot of the ball, and it is clearly out. I mean, clearly, the space between the line and the ball. And they showed it two or three times. I mean, it's clear as day. So something has not quite gone right there with Hawkeye Live. Well, it's not Hawkeye, though, is it? They use... A rival brand. Bolt 6, they're called. Well, it didn't work on that occasion very well, from what I could see. And anyway, that seemed to make her play better. She was playing with fury.

And feeling wronged. And we heard from her in the press comments the other day how upset she was at not winning that title that she was a set up in because of health. you know, deserted her. And she just took it to Garcia after that. I mean, I'm reacting live here, but that feels like a fairly big issue for electronic line calling. I haven't seen anything like that where it has been exposed in the moment like that. You know, the TV has basically found a shot to prove her point.

Unless I'm seeing things, unless this is one of those double bounce situations that people have got different opinions on, it looked categoric to me. Well, Ostopenko has not yet tweeted about it. But we'll let you know when she does. I was playing tennis on a court the other day with our mate Dave. Shout out our mate Dave. And it had some shot tracking technology. And one of my serves registered as 128 miles per hour.

It must be broken. So Mattson is trusting the technology here. Yeah, so I think the technology is extremely accurate. Right. OK, well, it's Karina Mookova for Osaka next. Can I have a yes, please? Oh, hello. Big, yes, please. And another little... match where Osaka can try and see progress right because they played at the previous Grand Slam and it was two sets but it was it was tight I think the second set was a tie break Mukhova was awesome and I think

I think she goes into that as the favourite movie, to be honest. I look forward to watching that at 2am after a men's match in two days' time. Because I feel like that's where it's going to be scheduled. No! Yeah, I don't know. I'm just preparing myself to be annoyed so that maybe the actual annoyance when it comes, I'll have pre-grieved.

She's just played second on in the night session just now. They can't do that. Yeah. Finished after midnight. And yet I wasn't even going to comment on it because that's, you know. Par for the course. Right, that's it for part two. Join us in part three for a look at tomorrow's order of play and the return of Sensation of the Day. Ready for a career change? One way you can truly be yourself, gain valuable training and shine with your customer service skills? Then listen up.

Sage is a leader in accountancy tech for busy businesses founded right here in Newcastle. We've got Geordie spirit with global reach. With opportunities to grow your career, challenge yourself and learn from the best, isn't it time that you were achieving extraordinary outcomes for our customers? Come and unleash your potential as a customer support expert at Sage.

There's cars and SUVs. Then there's vans and pickups. Looking for expert advice on your next vehicle? Our Toyota and Lexus business team are here to help. Whether it's electric, hybrid, petrol, diesel or hydrogen vehicles, our dedicated team offers comprehensive consultancy for large and small fleets. With our award-winning reliability recognized by the What Car Awards.

We keep your vehicles on the road and your business running smoothly. Search better business to learn more. Lexus awarded Best Reliability in the 2023 What Car Awards. Welcome back to part three where I've teased you with sensation of the day. I haven't run this by David and Matt, but it's back possibly for one night only, but it would be remiss. Not to mention Isla Tomlianovic. I am anointing her sensation of the day.

Got a bit angsty, but it looked like Chris O'Connell might be about to win, to beat Tommy Paul just a few moments ago because I'd already written in Isla Tomlianovic. I'd written her name on the trophy. But no, she takes the trophy. She beat Aisling Kruger, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours, 22 minutes. And she will be Diana Schneider's next opponent. Is Tom Lianovich a sensation? Can a Grand Slam quarter finalist be a sensation? Will you sign this off? Yeah. Yeah? Okay. I think so.

There you go. I think if they're wearing green and gold in Australia. Tommy Paul sensation of the day. It's borderline, but I think so. Okay. Because... Because why? Well, because... There has to be something slightly ironic. Yeah, exactly. Okay. A true sensation is definitely not sensational. And Tomjanovic has been. She was against Serena in that match. She's reached the...

Grand Sam quarterfinal, as you say, she's a very, very good player. She's not in that form at the moment. No, she's had an awful time with injuries, hasn't she? So there you go, Isla. Sensation of the day goes to you. Tomorrow's order of... play folks let's have a look at it David wasn't prepared for sensation of the day

He's still reacting to that. Rod Laver Arena starts at 11.30 with Emma Navarro against Peyton Stearns, presumably. I think we're going to see a lot of Americans first up on Rod Laver, aren't we? Because that's where... ESPN, that's their sweet spot. That was news to Tiafoe. He said in his press conference today that he hates playing at 11am, you know, and because you're playing over lunch and it's hard to fuel and he doesn't really know what to eat beforehand and all of that.

you know you're kind of you sort of playing and it's the heat of the day you know all of that and it was suggested to him I think by Matt Futterman that the reason he's playing at 11am is because ESPN you know that's prime time for them certainly on the east coast of America and he went oh yeah I hadn't thought of that. That's a really good point. And then he went, screw ESPN. Daniel Medvedev is second up on RLA tomorrow. And then it is...

Alex de Menor against Burtick van der Zanskulp. Matt has already put Alex de Menor through to round two. Sorry, Australia. Let's see what happens. Veronica Kudumatova against Olivia Gadecki. She is a true sensation. Sweet spot. She's playing for round two and sensation of the day tomorrow is Olivia Gadecki. The second court tomorrow starts with Holger Rune against Jung Zijen. He's a great talent, Jung Zijen, but he's so unserious.

It's so frustrating. Maybe the same could be said of Holger Runa or maybe Runa's too serious. I don't know. Going to be interesting. Second on the second court is Elena Rabakina against young Aussie wildcard Emerson Jones. reigning junior world number one recent junior world number one somebody that Australia is very excited about and surely is a talent but you know

very, very early for her. Jasmine Paolini is first in the night session and then a real cracker between Andre Rublev and João Fonseca. The John Kane Arena today, can any of these matches, tomorrow rather, can any of these matches She's David to coax you back to the monstrosity that is the John Kane arena. Tomova Kazakina. Fritz Brooksby. Keep talking. Keysley. And Popperin Mutay. That's got to be it, surely. Okay, now we're talking. We saw Korentan Mutay.

we think, returning from a night on the barge yesterday. He was, he was, absolutely. At a fairly reasonable hour, I would say, and with what looked like a lady friend. Certainly a human female. Did I hear right, though, that Mute kind of clashes with Rublev Fonseca? Yes. I mean, it's tennis, David. All the good matches clash and then there'll be three hours of intentionally blank in the afternoon. Well, I mean, I've got to go and see a bit of Mootay, obviously.

Kia Arena, Berrettini, Norrie over there. You've got Kim Birrell also playing for Sensation of the Day against Anna Kalinskaya. Arnaldo Muzetti is on the Kia Arena tomorrow. That could be fun. Ons Jaber plays on the 1570. three arena and Raducanu Alexandre first on court three tomorrow that could be fun and Monfils Pesci Pericard is second So it's not quite the blockbuster of today, but it's a good order of play tomorrow. It is not a...

Sunday the 12th of January, order of play, which I think might go down in history as the worst Grand Slam day of all time. We made the best of it, folks, but we weren't hoping to kick off 2025 with a segment. on Jaume Munar. Catherine preferred the complete watchouts. Genuinely, yeah. So that is tomorrow. Hello to our mascot for this episode. Matt is not in the agenda. Who's our mascot? Our mascot is Mocha.

Oh. Hey. All right, Mocker. And Mocker is owned by Ryan Riley and is a returning pet mascot. I remember Mocker. In fact, this is Mocker's fourth time as a... Mascot. I know Mocha. Mocha is a chocolate Labrador. living in London, who loves tennis balls and is often being walked while Ryan listens to the pod. And she turned four last summer, and we have a lovely photo in our newsletter of Mocha. celebrating that birthday. I'm looking at it now. She's wearing a party hat. And there is bunting.

I'm enjoying it very much. She has a shiny, shiny coat. She's wonderful. Thank you, Ryan. And hello to Mocha. A four, Peter. Love that. More than Savalenka. Even if she wins the Australian Open this year, she can't touch mocha. We have our mascots. Hello to Phoebe. David says hello to Maisie. Hi, Maisie. And Matt says hello to TBC. There's some heroic work being done.

on the barge about tennis players that might have the initials TBC. The people are making inquiries about the middle name of Thierry Champion at the moment. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff. We salute you. And today we have just one very special shout out over to Matt. Yes, we receive this from Miriam Billington in Santa Monica.

And Miriam writes, I would like to dedicate my shout out to two of my tennis friends who've been left homeless because of the fires in Los Angeles. They're both called Kathy with a K. Kathy S is the person who first introduced me to the pod. She's a brilliant player and we've enjoyed many years of Saturday doubles games. On Tuesday, her beloved family home burnt to the ground.

She and her husband are okay and have a loving family and friends to support her, but I was hoping you could send out some virtual hugs to one of your biggest fans. Then there's Cathy C. She and I and a group of friends played live ball Tuesday morning at the Palisades Tennis Centre. Just a few hours later, Cathy and her husband were fleeing the flames.

Her house burned down to the ground. The Palisades Tennis Centre, where all of us play every week, also burned. Cathy and her husband are doing well and have a great sense of humour. I live in a neighbourhood adjacent to an evacuation zone, so my family continues to be on edge and we're all glued to the news coverage all the time. I believe Pam Shriver lives just a few miles from me and I'm worried about her too.

So many have lost so much, it's unfathomable. I'm hoping we can return to the courts soon, but in the meantime, thank you for the distraction. with the Australian Open coverage. Please keep Los Angeles in your thoughts. And that's from Miriam. Miriam, you and Los Angeles are very much in our thoughts. And that's an incredibly powerful way to end today's show. So thank you for that. And we're thinking of you.

your two Cathy's and of course we're thinking of Pam as well very much and everybody in LA just now and look it's not much but if you're into tennis and this is any kind of distraction then Well, that's, you know, it all counts, doesn't it? So we are thinking of you and... We look forward to tomorrow's day of tennis. We'll be back and we'll speak to you then. Thanks for listening.

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.

Yeah, me too. Now we're talking. Transfer to Google Pixel 9 with Gemini Live today. Sequences shortened. Gemini Live available for ages 18+. Internet required. Results are illustrative. Check responses for accuracy. Feature and account compatibility limitations apply.

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