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.
Hi, this is Billie Jean King. This is Marion Bartotti. This is Bianca Andreescu. I'm Mats Villander. This is Mary Carrillo. This is Pam Schreiber. This is Yannick Noah, and you're listening to The Tennis Podcast. Well, hello and welcome to the Tennis Podcast on day three of the Australian Open. It's 11.39pm. We are back at Tennis Podcast Towers Melbourne. We've had an absolutely glorious day.
and evening of tennis which we can't wait to talk about and it's all finished at a fairly reasonable hour. Matt, what is this utopian vision of the future that we're experiencing in the present? I know. Recording the day three podcast on day three. Like, it just feels so weird. I'm sure Craig Tiley will say it's because of the Sunday start. we all know it's not but yeah i've had a great day day one was well it was rubbish wasn't it day two was great like brilliant
But I did feel a little bit overstimulated at times. There was a lot going on today. Sweet spot. We've achieved the perfect level of Matt Roberts stimulation. How much of that, Matt, speaking of utopian visions of the future, is down to Joao Fonseca? Oh, a lot. A lot. He has played his first Grand Slam match, his first match against a top 10 player, his first best of five set match, and...
It was an utterly astonishing performance to blow away the ninth seed, Andre Rublev, in straight sets. Like, I don't want to go with... too much hype in the first two minutes of the podcast, but you felt like you were watching a player who's... changing the sport who is doing things that you've not quite seen before you know hitting the ball at such speed so easily so relentlessly is not something that
I've seen. It's absolutely remarkable what he's just produced today. Is that how you feel too, David? I would probably put it on a par with how I feel when I watch Alcaraz. I wouldn't say it is unique to Fonseca because it does feel Alcaraz-like to me.
tennis that makes me laugh. When he hits shots, I just laugh out loud. I suppose the thing he does that I haven't... seen too often is he does it with a really loose looking arm it doesn't look like he's muscling the ball at all i mean when i think back to the first time i ever saw him play was against artifice at the
started this year and I turned on that tournament in South America to watch Art of East and ended up watching Joao Fonseca just knock him off the court it was extraordinary but I'd not seen it on a hard court I hadn't seen it at a Grand Slam tournament and it truly was breathtaking tonight. I mean, Andre Rublev tried his hardest but he was like a ball machine for him just to knock away winners into targets and he can do it both sides.
It's not often you see a player that seems to be as destructive with both shots. Were you deliberately, Matt, setting him apart from Carlos Alcaraz in terms of comparing like for like, like the first time you... you saw them play a Grand Slam match and how they made you feel. You said there, something I've not seen before. I was very specifically talking about...
the speed of shot off both wings. Like Alcarez, I think, has changed the sport in terms of like how complete he was when he was so young and that combination of power and touch that he has. the off-the-charts athleticism and explosive movement that he has. I'm not saying that Joao Fonseca is necessarily better than Carlos Alcarez, but in that one specific thing of just... huge pace as david said off both wings that is what personally i've not seen before it's
And the ease with which he produces it as well. It's absolutely crazy. Andrei Rublev is a guy that players in the ATP locker room cite as having... a great forehand and a fast ball, you know, game recognizes game. I feel like players always talk up Andre Rublev, you know, they, they know like.
The speed of his shots and the power of his shots is really, really impressive. It looked like nothing compared to Fonseca. Fonseca was just rushing him. He almost knocked Rublev off his feet at one stage with one of his... It was absolutely outrageous. And I think the biggest improvements that I feel like Fonseca has made in the last 12 months or so...
since I first saw him, which was the same time as David, is that he's lost none of that explosive power and yet it is more contained. You know, back then... There were an awful lot of unforced errors as well, but that's not happening at the moment. And also his serve. I hadn't realized how good his serve was.
extremely high percentage of first serves, but also a very big second serve. Like he just was really in control of that shot, which really... you know took my breath away actually how good that was and Yeah, it's just an astonishing run of form that he's on at the moment. 19 sets in a row he's won. If you go from his Canberra Challenger title, qualifying here at the Australian Open, and now the first round beating Rublev in straight sets. Like, some role.
Sounds Raducanu-esque. You said it. Lorenzo Sonego next for him, who... amazingly, given he's 18, barely played any tour-level matches. He's beaten before. I mean... Fonseca is one of those sort of players that you would watch against anybody and you would be entertained. If he's on, it's going to be fun. Because he's...
He also shares in common with Alcaraz a wish to entertain. He likes the sound of the crowd when he does something extraordinary, and he milks it, and he does the finger to the ear, and he wants to hear people, which is just great to have another player like that. around that is just a one-man show, really. But Sonico loves a bit of this too, doesn't he? We've seen him have some matches against Alcaraz, and frankly, to be...
to be entertaining in his own right. It's patchy with Sonigal a lot of the time. He beat Stan Wawrinka today. I went out there and saw a little bit of that, and the crowd absolutely lapping it up on that. courtside bar court where you've just got people knocking back beers in a big stand and looking down on the court and there was a huge queue to get in. But no, Sonego lives for these kind of matches as well. It's just...
It really does depend, though, on which Fonseca you get. Because I think if he plays like that, Sonnego ain't winning. I mean, if he plays like that, who is winning? Honestly, like... Let's just fast forward to Fonseca Alcaraz, please. Yeah, I mean, I do think the point David made about, you know, Rublev, we've said it for years, like he is... one-dimensional he's very very good at what he does but he didn't change the
feeling of this match at any stage. It's a great ball for Fonseca, wasn't it? Great ball. He's not got variety to throw in. He also doesn't hit with relentless depth like someone like Djokovic. Quite a lot of the time, the ball was just sitting there for Fonseca. to absolutely smack away. And he did do that, you know, so well. But I do think there are players in this draw besides Alcrez.
a lot of other players, actually, who could make life a lot more uncomfortable for Fonseca than Rublev did tonight. Yeah, he wasn't handcuffed at all, really, at any point. He didn't feel... Like he was suffocated the way that, you know, Yannick Sinner does to people and Novak Djokovic. But I don't think Sonego is going to do that to him.
Sonico's not that guy. No, he's not good enough. I mean, he's going to be looking to be explosive himself. And I suspect he'll have his moments. But if on second place like that, he won't have enough of them. I just... can't wait to watch him play again. You know, we were all looking forward to this match all day. It was one of those that came up in casual conversations in the coffee queue, wasn't it? Oh, what are you covering today? Oh, you know, looking forward to...
Fonseca Rublev later, and an anxiousness about how much pressure to put onto it being good. Could be great, couldn't it? And pressure to put on him, Fonseca. It's a heck of a lot of hype. Exactly. Exactly. He's won the next-gen finals. Everybody knows how much potential he has now. But, yeah, I thought I knew how... good Fonseca could be and is already and I was mouth agape tonight. I found that utterly astonishing.
what we just watched. I'd love to know kind of the sliding door scenario of if he'd lost the third set. He was a breakdown, wasn't he? broke back in stunning fashion. And even that itself shows, I think, incredible fortitude. But what would have happened if it had become a more physical match? and a more draining match mentally, and if the momentum had been broken and interrupted. Still looks like a boy, doesn't he, at the moment?
He's a young-looking teenager. He's not like Alcaraz was at the same age. No, physically, as Matt said, it's a different kind of power, isn't it? It's less muscly power. And yes, he's got an incredibly boyish face. But I honestly just don't know the answer to that. But yeah, I did, you know, I... I don't think he even needs to play his best to beat Lorenzo Sonego, really, on the basis of tonight. It makes sense to me that that would be a good matchup for him. And I...
Cannot wait to see it. Where do they schedule that match now? You can't just go and stick him on court eight after doing that. But you also can't bump him off the second court. You know, where a sensation could be playing. What would you do with him? Kier Arena? Well, that's where Asaka Mukava is tomorrow. So...
Trying to guess the minds of people that have put that on Kira, you know, feels like a tough thing to do. Yeah, but probably something like that. Maybe, you know, maybe what they call the twilight session on... on John Kane, if you wanted to elevate it. But personally, I prefer Kira Arena to John Kane. David got some very good feedback for his John Kane Arena takes on yesterday's show. Yeah, I mean...
The good thing about that arena is that it is grounds pass holders. And so I think those two could really put on a show out there. But then so is Kia Arena and so is... Several of them, really. I would personally love to be on that court three that I spent time on today. But, you know, the thing is... The more and more Fonseca plays and people see him, you're just going to keep needing a bigger boat. I mean, more people need to see him, you need more seats then.
Please don't put it on John Kane Arena. It's so far away. It's just a faff, isn't it? The problem with John Kane Arena is once you're there, you're committed. There's no bouncing around. It's a trip. It's an expedition. It took me 22 years to get there. OK, that'll be in two days' time, won't it, Jael Fonseca against Lorenzo Sonego. Folks, if you have the time and you didn't get to watch Fonseca Rublev, just...
Check out some highlights somewhere because you're seeing something special and I think it's always fun to be able to see it right at the ground level, you know, because I know there are no sure things. There are no bankers, et cetera, et cetera. But it feels like a pretty sure thing that he's injury permitting. He's going to be a big deal. OK, let's stick with the menstrual singers. That's where we started. Just before we get into the rest, let's have a word from...
our sponsors. The Tennis Podcast is, of course, brought to you throughout this Australian Open by Steve Fergal's International Tennis Tours. They are your gateway to premium tennis events worldwide. I'm on my own with it aren't I?
Steve Fergal's tennis tours are experts in luxury tennis travel, and we're proud to be partnering with them throughout this year's first Grand Slam event. Steve Fergal's can help organize your dream trip to pretty much any... tennis tournament in the world and that includes the Madrid
open they take care of everything creating a truly faff free experience and that includes if you want to go to madrid tickets to the tennis deluxe hotel accommodation with breakfast oh yeah I can't guarantee a tennis player, but I reckon there's a high chance they'll be... some level of tennis players at that breakfast uh vip hospitality sightseeing and a madrid city tour and the event is is fantastic you get top
Guaranteed top players, men's and women's playing on clay in the lead up to the French Open. It's a brilliant event. I've covered it a number of times for Amazon Prime Video and the city of Madrid. is just a wonderful place to be for any period of time. It is... Well, I'm speaking your language here, aren't I, Matt? Quite almost literally. It is...
One of the special cities in the world, I think. I love Madrid. I lived there for three months and it's stunningly beautiful, but it's also like really... Livable. Although, not that these people will be going to live in Madrid that we're going to the tennis, but it is livable. Go for the tennis. Just live there. Just stay. And we're going to learn how to say the catch line, me and Matt, tomorrow, aren't we? Okay. Are we? Yeah. Yeah. We're going to be ready. Big. Okay.
Just go to toursfortennis.com forward slash podcast. That's tours, the number four, tennis.com forward slash podcast to check out everything that Steve Fergels have to offer. They are, of course, your gateway to... Premium tennis events worldwide. Tomorrow. Okay. Let's head back to the men's draw, seeing as that's where we started. I'd intended to start with the women's today, but then Jao Fonseca happened and he was...
He was... impossible to to undeniable yes he was undeniable so uh let's talk about daniel medvedev and the extremely weird tennis match back down to earth that he played today a five setter against Kasidit Samraj, the Thai wildcard who won... The Asia-Pacific wildcard playoff that they have for men and women every year in the lead up to the Australian Open. 16 players.
I think there's a qualifying competition and there are wild cards into the wild card playoff. Incidentally, one of those this year is Hyeongchung, who's outranked outside the world's top 1,000. former semi-finalist here, he has had the most hideous time with injury. He got nowhere in the wildcard playoff, but it was unexpectedly won. by this guy, Kasidit Samraj, the world number 418. 418. He was only the sixth highest ranked player in the wildcard playoff. And the highest was 267.
in the world and there he is two sets to one up on daniel medvedev provoking him to assault the net and the camera that they now have on the net, five vicious swipes of the Medvedev racket into the net after we're actually in the process of losing that third set to Kasidit Samrej. I mean, look, he did incredibly, Sam Roche. He came in with a game plan. That game plan was... drop shot, the guy.
Drop shot the guy to high heaven. He's standing 17 metres behind the baseline. He's not comfortable volleying. Sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? And it was a really good idea. By the time I arrived, obviously this match kind of... got my attention when I saw that Medvedev had got the second set and was on his way to losing a third. By the time I got there, we were definitely in the...
okay, it's time to put the drop shot away now phase of the match. I've got that phase in my game. And of course Medvedev, well, not of course, you know, I do think there was... genuine jeopardy in this match for a short period like it was so weird you did kind of feel like anything can happen and
I don't know, Medvedev's a weird one because when he's losing, obviously particularly when he's losing to the world number 418, you look at his game and you think, well, how do you ever win matches? Like, it's so weird and he is so relatively underpowered. These days compared to his rivals at the top of the game, he does look pretty impotent. And yet he also looks like that. When he's winning matches and sometimes beating his closest rivals, OK, more often than not, they beat him now.
I don't know, he seemed completely unfazed by the fact that he ended up going five sets with the world number 418. He was like, yeah, that guy played really well and said some slightly... problematic things in his on-court interview about how, well, he commodified women in a way that wasn't ideal. It was just a... It was just a throwaway jokey comment intended to big up old Kasidit Sam Reg. So, yeah, but it was...
He was a wild old time. I suppose he had a five-set match last year, didn't he, when he was two sets of love done against Emile Roussevori. Do you remember the early hours match? Was that the one that led to your rant, Matt?
I think it was, you know. Yeah. There's so many to choose from. I've forgotten now. The one that sent Matt over the edge. And the moment he'd sort of... won the third set you know it was just it was how long it took him to to win in five and he won in five in next to no time i remember that night
And, you know, he wasn't playing very well. And he ended up reaching the final and being two sets to love up against Yannick Sinner. He's that kind of guy, isn't he? Right. Just don't know what to make of it at all. And especially given, you know, Medvedev, who's... I mean, generally pretty honest, I think, in post-match press. He was just like, well, the guy played really well. Like, move on. So...
I didn't think he played that well. It wasn't like, wow, who's this guy? That wasn't my impression of the match. But I did arrive, I think... to watch courtside once he'd already had his best moments and was starting to struggle physically a bit. It's tough to know, but it was a greatest hits of Daniel Medvedev. At one point in the fourth set, there was a very highbrow bit of heckling from a...
Man to my left who shouted, move forward when receiving. I hope he did it in that accent. He did. He was a plummy Brit. Excellent. Yeah, and then, you know, when Medvedev did start turning the ship around in the fourth set, I think it was after he broke the Samraj serve, he started... encouraging the crowd to make all the noise that they were making, a lot of it kind of booing and jeering. There were cheers in there as well.
But he was like, yeah, give it to me. It's all energy. It's all vibe. I'll take it. It was, yeah, it was classic, classic Medvedev, really. He's not... He's not claiming to be a new man in 2025 like he was at the start of 2024 when he was all about calmness, apparently. He's a bit of an eras guy, isn't he? He has an era every year. Yeah.
Look at you with the Swifty references, David. I don't know where that came from. I think this is bad news for Medvedev. He should not be two sets to one down against the world number 418.
Yeah, when you put it like that, it definitely doesn't sound like good news, does it? And I know that he took time last year to find his best tennis, but I just feel like we've had another year worth now of Medvedev's game being a... being a shadow of what it was his game's in a bit of a state really and i think he's he's more vulnerable to to having
matches like this. He's way less likely to actually beat the top guys at the moment than he used to be. I don't know. I just sort of... I feel like something's got to change, like something's got to click in his game or, you know, like I'm not saying he's definitely going to lose in the next round because he's still, I think, good enough to win some rounds here. It's just tough to see him having a really, really big impact on this tournament in the way that he has consistently in the past.
He's got Lerner Thien next, the US qualifier, who, of course, was the man beaten by Jao Fonseca in the Next Gen Finals final. He did go five sets today, though, against... Ugo Carabelli so you know for a young guy that's not played a lot of long matches that could certainly be a factor but again
I will be showing up for Medvedev's next match to take part in the circus. We had a win for Alex Demenor, the great Australian hope. Or the most... The most... non-nonsense Australian hope obviously Channel 9 is making out that you know anybody with an Australian flag next to their name could potentially win this title we've got route to the final graphics for you know
Certainly for Dimonor today. Certainly for Dimonor. We saw Route to the Final Graphics for Thanasi Kokonakis last year, didn't we? We haven't seen one this year, but wouldn't rule out one existing. But anyway... Derminal somehow managed to prevent Bertic van der Zanskel from ruining lives, to quote Chanda Rubin. Yes, I really enjoyed Chanda. She was surrounded by people who were talking up Alex de Menor. And she said, just watch out for Bordzik van der Zansholp at the Davis Cup.
Against Nadal, he ruined people's lives. Which is a real service she provided there, because there is a world in which Botek van der Zanschel did a... Did abort it tonight. And the Australian public would have been so confused by it because this random bloke that... mostly or a lot of the time does absolutely nothing is beating somebody that we've been told is definitely going to win the Australian Open title. What's going on? So it's a real act of service from Chandra to just...
Give Alex de Menor that bit of cover. Like anybody can get bought-ticked. But Alex de Menor didn't tonight. He's through to round number two. And he faces Tristan Boyer. Who... But I don't know anything about him. He doesn't have a kit sponsor. But I do now know what he looks like. Yes. Kept a little eye on him as he overcame Federico Correa in the fifth set, despite being on the brink of defeat. But Dimonor, actually, the first set and a half, I thought he was excellent.
He was really aggressive. He was really going after shots, taking them on the rise and sort of following them in. You know, there was a lot of down the line shots. I got the sense that... He wanted to take it to van der Zandstorp earlier on and also just show everybody what he's been working on. I mean, Leighton Hewitt spoke a lot on the TV in the morning show today about how bad that injury was last year, how bad that hit was.
problem at Wimbledon was and what he was dealing with and that he really wasn't fit again all year and only now does he feel like the real Alex Dimenor and the man that was playing the sort of tennis and in the sort of shape that he was just before he did that injury. So there was real optimism, I think.
As Botic starts coming back in that second set, you did wonder whether this is just going to go all horribly wrong. But fair play. Demenor delivered. A word on the Botic van de Zansgroep tweener, Matt. Unreal. That guy. He's a marvel. Yeah, because he hits it because he sort of rushes in and gets caught out by a slightly...
sort of unexpected Alex de Manor lob. So he suddenly has to rush back and he's in the corner of the court, literally sprinting back. You know, this is not a Roger Federer 2005. match point against Marit Saffin. Did he have to hit a tweener? Did he not? He had to hit a tweener. It was his only option. He's running at full pelt and he hits it cross-court past Alex de Manor at the net.
And it flew past him. Like he absolutely middled it onto the sideline and then just went to get his ball for the next point. That was his reaction. Barely moved his face. David, it was... That's pretty cool. Extraordinary, it was very cool. I like that. Very cool. Matteo Berrettini became Norrie in four sets. He plays Holger Runa. who needed five sets to beat Zhong Zhijian. You know, well done for winning in five sets. Very entertaining match, but...
No signs of progress for Holger Rune. Progress would be not needing five sets to beat Jung Zhezhen, who's a very flaky player himself. It was extremely up and down from Holger Rune. And there was a lot of, you know... teenage-esque body language and emoting on the court. So I'll need to see more before I'm in any way convinced that... that Runa is kind of on the right path. But I'm into Runa Berrettini as a match-up. That sounds really fun. Karen Hashanov is there. I just wanted to mention that.
To cover us for when Karen Hashinov reaches the semifinals and we haven't mentioned him all tournament, just letting you know, Karen Hashinov is around. He beat Adrian Manorino today and he's playing Gabriel Diallo. Next. We're covered. You're welcome. Lorenzo Mazzetti won the Italy off. against Matteo Arnaldi and plays Denis Shapovalov next. This was not straightforward for Lorenzo Mazzetti, Matt. No, it wasn't. And I think it was one of those that was awkward.
Because, you know, to friends, to... There was just like neither of them were quite sort of able to be themselves in this match. I went out for the first set and it was very pedestrian, which I wasn't expecting. I was expecting it to be flashy and full of great shot making. And I think it became that. I think there was some great, great shot making, certainly in the latter half of this match. But it was also nervy. They would break and then immediately hand the break back.
things like that. There wasn't much sort of security to either of them. It was worth going out for the first set purely for the set point alone. The shot Mazzetti hit on set point was absolutely phenomenal. A forehand passing shot. sort of behind him and he whipped it up the line at such pace it was it was incredible
But yeah, just one of those for Mazzetti to get through. His game, we know, isn't as effective on hard courts. He has to work so hard to make it more effective. In the on-court interview afterwards, the on-court interviewer was like, like you're playing the best tennis of your career and he said not today i wasn't and it was it was that kind of match really but i think i think a good one to get through and he said he's got his
His ambition's set on the second week, you know, and I think if he can get to the fourth round here, Mazzetti, that... That probably would be quite a good showing considering his game and his seeding. I think he's got Denis Shapovalov next, hasn't he? He does, yeah. He's dreaming step by step. Is Mazzetti in his new A6 kit. New kit, new hair, new serve.
It's definitely some of those are a downgrade. I won't go into which ones. Ben Shelton won the America off against Brandon Nakashima. I thought this was impressive that he got this done. in straight sets. That's a bit of a horrible draw for Ben Shelton. Yeah, he knew it was when I spoke to him on the eve of the tournament. He did say, I like to have a tough match to start with. It really gets me in the groove. And these were three very close sets.
most players lose one of those sets in his position. So I do think that that shows great mental strength, sort of an understanding of the moment. I think that that's one of his biggest... Obviously, he's got huge power with the serve and the forehand, and he's very athletic. But he understands when he's got to turn it on, when he's got to... And I think... More so these days. He saves the 140 serves. He saves the big come-ons. And said he really needs them. And then he injects. And I thought...
I thought that was a really good performance because Nakashima on a hard court in particular is a tough customer. Yeah, he came on very strong at the end of all three sets, kind of what you're saying there, David. played his best tennis when it mattered. He was 5-2 down in the first set. He had to save five set points in that first set and he did really, really impressively. And then just never let Nakashima really get back.
into it it was it was impressive and some very very uh impressive chanting from from the fans on the 1573 arena i really really enjoyed it to the tune of benny and the jets Benny. Benny wins the set. Oh, it's very good. Very good. Wow. I wonder if that was the same guy that was heckling Medvedev. Seems like... Same sort of brain. Or maybe not. Alexi Popperin is out, David.
To Korentamute, turns out the barge is the best preparation for a Grand Slam tennis match. Yes, so maybe all the people on our barge are suddenly going to win their tennis matches at the local club. But I didn't necessarily think it would be Mute who beat Popperin. From what I could see, Popperin was having some treatment. I'm not sure whether he was in a really bad way, but that's not a great sign.
But I did say at the start of this tournament that I did not see Popering going very far. And I didn't have hard evidence for that. It was just a feeling based on how he was looking. and what the results were looking like. Even if I didn't see the match, you just get a sense sometimes by the sort of people they're losing to and the fact he didn't get picked for the Davis Cup last year and all these things and the weight's suddenly on his shoulders.
Mute, in what I was watching, was keeping himself to himself more, which is a very unusual... New year, new movie. State of affairs. And yeah, good win for him. But that's a real disappointment for Popperin and the locals. I mean, yeah, because he is one of the ones with a real game who's shown he's beaten Novak Djokovic.
in strides as a bit of a star here and yeah like i said he didn't look in the best physical shape more on a tough day for the locals a little bit later uh taylor fritz incredibly comfortable today. 6-2, 6-love, 6-3 against Jenson Brooksby. Obviously, Brooksby very much on the comeback trail and rust to be expected, but this was ruthless from Fritz. Real statement tennis. He's got Christian
Green next to qualified here and there's one through a round. Last men's match I wanted to touch upon, David, one that you watched, of course, because you are our tall person correspondent. You didn't, I think, watch every single minute of that because, you know. We've all got lives to lead. But you did watch quite a bit of it. I saw two full sets. I saw the third set and the fifth set. And actually, I watched the whole of the first set on the TV as well in the media room.
Multi-screening, you know. And it was such a fun match. And two guys who are totally opposite ends of their careers. One who's been around for 20 years. I mean, Monvisa even touched on it. He said, I was playing. when he was born. That's how long his career's been. You know, there's clearly affection between them. I don't necessarily think they know each other that well, but great mutual respect. But there were so many fluctuations in this match. In the first set tiebreak...
Mpeji Perikar has a point to win the tie-break. Comes forward mid-court, ball floating towards him for him to smash away, and he top-edged it into the crowd. Lost the set. Extraordinary. And I mean, that could have been the match really right there. He may look back and think, if I win that point, I win the match. But Monfils... was just serving really well. He made the point that when you play, everybody talks about the strength of these guys' serves, isn't there?
Karlovic and Opelka and now Pescipercard. Monfils says it's not about that when you're the opponent. It's not about the return. It's about how will you serve. And he didn't actually... face a break point in the whole match and I think that that tells you something really how well Monfils were serving I believe it's the first time that a player playing a five-set match at a Grand Slam. So a match that's gone to five sets has not created a break point. Wow. Like, that's...
That's quite worrying, I would say, from an Mpeshi-Pakar perspective. He's got work to do on his game outside of the seat. Yeah, and you can see that. I mean, the press seats are in the most wonderful position on court three. You can be front row at the back of the court. I mean, it's a bit... Blummin' hairy when Ampeshi Perikas is coming towards you, I can tell you that. But he's an all-or-nothing player, and he's...
His stroke seems slightly divorced from his body. He's just arming the ball with the backhand from almost from his midriff. He sort of parries it out. And on the forehand side, he's got such power and swats with his... sort of shoulder-high forehand and he hits a lot of explosive winners, but it doesn't feel particularly reliable relative to what it needs to be.
But he got let out of jail, really, in the third set. I mean, he's two sets up, is Monfils. It's a tie-break. He's 6'4". And I've got to tell you, he choked. He hit a double fault. He missed a backhand into the net. He then went behind set point in that set tie break, and he double-footed again. And, you know, 38 years of age.
It doesn't matter how old you are, how experienced you are, you get nervous. But he still found a way. He deserved that win. And oh, my word, did that crowd love him. It was an immense atmosphere out there. It's such a privilege to be there.
in the press conference afterwards and uh i decided to put the uh i only need one quote to him i said you you said a couple of years ago you know i don't need 20 grand slams i only need one and i said to him you know obviously another couple of years have passed but and i know it's only one match and you've got to take one at a time but do you allow yourself to dream and he said and he said you know here's how i'm going to answer that he says I like to dream I have a lot of dreams
I bet he has great dreams. He also analysed the server from Pesci Pericard. I mean, it was in line with what we've heard from other people. He just said, it's similar to the other big servers, but the second serve is new ground. You know, to have a serve that's basically the same as the first and be reliable. He said, I've not come across that before. And shout out David. David called this. He did.
Big time. No pun intended. That's it for part one. We'll be back in part two with The Women's Draw. Ready for a career change? One where 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 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. Come on now, John, let's really feel the win on this one. Give me five more.
Okay, four, three, slow it down, two. Unlike your new fitness regime, Moneypenny does all the heavy lifting for you. We're experts in looking after calls, chats and more for businesses just like yours. Right, same time tomorrow. Yeah. Keep your business fighting fit with happier customers and more time to focus on growth. Go on. We'll spot you. Visit moneypenny.co.uk today. Welcome back to part two of the tennis podcast where I can tell you that Emma Raducanu against Amanda Anisimova is...
What will Matt Roberts do with himself two days from now when that match begins? The winner, P.S., is likely to play Igor Svantec. But I get ahead of myself. Let's talk about how Raducani... got to that second round she beat Ekaterina Alexander for 7-6 7-6 I watched bits and bobs of this match and every time I looked up it looked like Raducanu was playing really well
But I get the impression from people that were at this match in the trenches and watched the whole thing, which includes you, Matt, that is not an accurate impression of the match in its entirety. I think you described it as a mess. And I stand by that. Yeah, look, it was a mess, to be quite honest, because...
They were both having big problems with their serve. I think Raducanu in particular because of just the sheer number of double faults that she was hitting. She actually started the match serving really well. She hit five aces in...
in her first couple of service games. It was really, really good. But, you know, it was similar to what we saw in Malaga, actually, back in the last year, where she was going for more on that serve, and it was paying off initially, but then it really... started to be a problem for her and the aces dried up and the double faults came um and just a just a general sense of
kind of every time she has to hit a second serve. You know, it's a bit like a goalkeeper that can't play out the back. You know, it just creates panic. And when Raducanu can't hit a second serve reliably, you're just worried about it every single time. and I think also people will be able to say better than me, but I slightly got the feeling that her natural serves, Raducanu, are sort of sliders. But she really didn't want to be serving into the Alexander beforehand.
Whenever she did, Alexandra was just striping winners off it or really, really deep returns. So she was kind of having to mix up her usual patterns. And I think that was maybe throwing her off a little bit as well. So all that is to say there was this match, which, you know, it was two tie breaks. You sort of glance at that score and you think, wow, that was probably really, really close all the way and not much in it. And then just decided in the tie breaks.
It was close, but not because they were holding serve a lot. There were 12 breaks of serve in this match, almost 50%. I think in the first set, Raducanu was only winning about 15% of points on her second serve.
real real problem for her however that's that's focusing on the bad stuff there was there was some really really good stuff in here as well that fighting spirit that she has is undeniable you know the way she digs in in these matches and you know she gave up her serve twice in the first set in really, really sort of limp fashion, one of them with a double fault. And you thought, oh, that's the set over because Alexander was going to serve for it now.
And both times she broke back and then she raised her game in the tie break. And then she did the same at the end of the second set, having missed the chance to serve it out. She then gets herself in the tiebreak and stepped it up, and she played a really, really good second set tiebreak. Really impressive, authoritative, and just took charge of the match.
But it was messy. And maybe that's to be expected. She hasn't played in a while. She had an off-season that we heard was interrupted by a little back niggle. So it was unlikely that she was going to come out and play her best tennis. But crucially, she had a great mentality and mindset. And it was a pretty lengthy match in the heat. And she held up.
physically i think pretty well as well not that there were that many grueling rallies you know it wasn't one of those um so patchy but you know impressive sort of composure and fight I thought from Raducanu so big backhand list encounter coming up I know Raducanu's not currently on but that doesn't mean she can't you know Someone else will have a baby at some point. You can bump them off and Raducanu can make a big return.
A bit of confusion about the extent to which Amanda Anasimova and Emma Radakani were friends. Anasimova was asked about Radakani. She said, yeah, we're good friends. You know, we've hung out a bit. and she talked... She talked openly about understanding the position that Radhikani's been in for the last few years, having prodigious success very, very early, and she talked about the perks and challenges of that. It was a really nice press conference, and I thought a real contrast.
to... an Anna Samova press conference we went to Matt last year after she'd won I think but it was a real downer like it still felt like she didn't really know if she could handle being on tour and I'm not saying all All of those worries have disappeared from over, but she seemed far more comfortable, I thought, today. Yeah, and she said the words, I'm excited to play a lot this year.
Which is great news. And Matt's excited about her being excited to play a lot. So, yeah, Radhikani. She didn't say they're not friends, Radhikani. She just didn't quite engage with that line of questioning in the same way. is definitely clear is that they're both friends with Priscilla Hon. I think the entire WTA tour might be friends with Priscilla Hon. Yeah, I think Priscilla Hon is genuinely just... Well, she must be the sort of...
Social butterfly. Yeah. So they have a mutual friend in Priscilla Hon. There you go. And I obviously cannot wait for that match. You know, Raducanu against Anissimova. I do think it will be a similar battleground to the one that...
Raducanu had with Aleksandr today because Anissimova didn't serve brilliantly today that was an area in her press conference that she picked out and generally that's a vulnerable shot for Anissimova she can get broken quite a lot but she's phenomenal on return stepping in and crunching second serves if they're there to be hit so i could see it following maybe a similar pattern to the
I think Anissimova is a level of ball striking above even Alexandrova, who hits a big ball and has a bigger weight of shot than Raducanu. Raducanu had to use her... dexterity at times today to sort of handle that. But I could see it being similar, hopefully less messy. um elena back in her today got her australian open underway she beat A child, 6'1", 6'1", a literal child, 16-year-old Emerson Jones, the junior world number one, Australia's first ever year-end junior number one.
Weren't they letting us know about that? Yeah. Look, she is a... great talent but she is she's that you know she's she's a talent this this was a bit awkward to be honest you know just a huge gulf between between juniors and seniors clearly um and this was her first ever grand slam match she did She did play in Adelaide last week and she got a win over a top 50 player. So not totally ludicrous that she would get a wild card in here, but...
you know, facing somebody of Rebecca and his quality, it just looked unfair. You know, Emerson Jones is five foot three. And from what I understand, I was in the commentary booth for this today with a coach until... Very recently, David Taylor, who coached Sam Stoser, amongst other... very good players and she said no she he said she's definitely done growing you know this is this is what she's got to work with um and he said she's got the best power to height
power to size or power to weight ratio he's ever seen, men's or women's. And I could see that she does, she's got that incredible hand-eye coordination that enables her to kind of...
half-volley off the baseline and really stand her ground. But even so, Rabakna was just... manhandling her today and particularly on serve it was it was very awkward and ended up being 53 minutes shortest match of the tournament Rabakina hit four aces in a row at one point and Goran allowed himself to smile, which he very much wasn't able to do when he was in the...
Djokovic coaching box, was he? No, not very often. And interestingly, it's another teenager next for Rabakina, a 17-year-old, Eva Jovic. American who won today. Yeah, the teenage thing is interesting because it feels like there's a lot of them.
We've certainly been talking about a lot of them just at the moment. There's Jam Rakova, isn't there, who beat Emerson Jones in the girls' Australian Open final last year. But I think that's that... that impression can be a bit misleading because there is, as Matt pointed out the other day, only one teenager in the world's top 100 and that is Miran Draver.
It's not common for these phenoms to just transition into junior tennis. Certainly not these days. Sweep all before them. No, the days of Martina Hingis are very much over. But Rabakina was really impressive, but I've no idea what to make of that. If Rabakina went and played in the junior tournament, she would look really impressive.
Who knows? While that match was happening, the latter stages of Peyton Stearns against Emma Navarro were happening. And honestly, when I saw this scheduled on Rod Laver Arena, I was a bit like, oh, really? Rod Laver Arena? My God, was this awesome. You went all one point slam, didn't you? I did. I went... totally 0-100 on this except I had 3 hours and 20 minutes to do it because that's how long this match lasted and it was so intense Matt
Yeah, that's the word. Intense, physical, as you say, three hours, 20 minutes. I think it was the longest match of Navarro's career. And it was longer than Runa. against Zhang Zijian, which was happening at the same time. And that took five sets. You know, it was such a long match, this one. And Peyton Stern should have won it. She absolutely should have won this match.
Honestly, that is becoming a bit of a theme. She is taking on some of the best players in the world, pushing them, putting herself in a winning position and not getting over the line. I think I was... I was first alerted to that last year at Indian Wells, where she had all those match points against Sabalenka and showed what game she has, but got pretty tight in those closing stages.
Yeah, it all just seems to fall apart a little bit at the finish line. You know, the serve breaks down, her forehand, which is an absolute weapon. It must be one of the best forehands on the WTA Tour. She can... She can create such angle with it. She's got huge power on that shot. It's a phenomenal shot, but it sprays a bit in the closing stages. Her footwork isn't clean.
when she's tight. I think she was feeling it physically out there as well. I think she was sort of slamming down the pickle juice in the very latter stages and seemed to be struggling physically. But... It's a slightly concerning trend because the game is really, really good. It's causing players big problems. But she's lost now three matches this year. She's lost them all 7-5 in the third. And they've been against...
You know, they've been against good players, Casacchina, Navarro and Paola Badosa. You know, so top 12 players there that she's pushing, but losing it in those closing stages. And the problem was when she went to serve it out. As soon as she kind of lost the first point, you kind of thought that it had turned. The momentum was back in Navarro's favour. And look... She's coached by Tom Hill, isn't she? And look, I don't know Tom Hill, but what I will say is that these are...
These are similar traits to what we talked about with his former player, Maria Zachary. You know, someone who is very physically strong, who can take over matches with sort of physicality and a big forehand. gets tight in big moments and I don't know but there's something that strikes me that maybe that sort of on-court coaching dynamic is just not quite working. It's almost like it gets more stressful rather than less stressful. But, you know...
There is, I think, positives to take for Stearns because she's pushing these top players. I was going to say, where would you stand on that? You lose three matches, seven, five in the third against top 12 players. You encourage that you've pushed them that close. Or when her head hits the pillow, is she like, oh, it's never going to happen. Well, I think...
Look, she's still early in her career, but I do think there becomes a tipping point with that kind of baggage. Like, Zachary's the perfect example for a number of reasons, and sharing a coach could be a coincidence, but... Could not be a coincidence. Incidentally, Maria Zachary lost 6-4 in the third an hour or so ago to Camilla Osorio.
which is, you know, just a tough scene from Rina Zachary at the moment, isn't it? And I do, you know, she was at the United Cup in Perth and she came into this season looking as fit and raring to go as ever. You know, really talking up a good game. She's got a... new coach. She's got Raymond Sloyser with her, who's a great coach. That seems like a great appointment, but I think she's too far gone with the scar tissue. I know that's brutal, but...
That is my sense. Brutal sport, isn't it? At the moment, I think it's okay for Peyton Stearns, but there comes a point where that has to turn. You have to figure it out. And, you know, you're young until you're not. So, yeah, we'll see. She needs to ask David Law, why do I lose all the close matches? And you will say... I don't know. But just keep going and it'll come. That's what I said to Roger Federer. Making that lift in 1999. And now look.
Wong Zhiyu next for Emma Navarre. That's the left-handed Wong, isn't it? Because Matt came up with a really excellent way of knowing which of the Wongs is a lefty and which is a righty. Honestly, I think it's your greatest work. She's really provided a service for me there. Incidentally, Camilla Osorio, who beat Maria Zachary a short while ago, faces Onsja Burr next to Loki, has had quite a good start. to the season. So we'll keep an eye on her while trying to limit our expectations.
for the time being, at least. Who else should we talk about? Jasmine Paolini was awesome in the first match on the second court this evening. And, you know, we expected her to be because we are not people that underestimate Jasmine Paolini. No, when have we ever? She faces Renata Zarizua next. I do find that impressive, though. So far, I know it's very early stages in the season, but, I mean, no flicker of come down from the level, really, is that she's lost that one match against Mugovic.
She just comes out today, you know, ponytail bouncing, smiling away, just smashes her opponent off the court and crowd lover, just the same as last year. Yeah, that's Jasmine Paolini now. Incredible. That's it, I think, for your wrap-up of the day. I've got an awkward situation with sensation of the day, folks.
Because it's only day two of Sensation of the Day. You know, introduced with a bang yesterday, very excited about it. It was a tough day for Sensations today. The only Australian that won. was Alex de Manor, and he doesn't fit the description. So I don't know what to do with my exciting new segment. Was there a sensation who... You know, performed credibly. Yeah, went down bravely. Fought valiantly. Rinky Hijikata. Did all right. Didn't he lose in straight sets to Mitchell Kruger.
Okay, I will present you with some options and you can choose, okay? Alexey Poprin lost in four sets to Korentan Mutay. Olivia Gidecki lost 1-1 to Veronica Kuromatova. Emerson Jones lost 1-1 to Elena Rabatkinner. Kim Birrell lost 2-2 to Ava Lees, a lucky loser. Oh, I wanted to talk about her.
Rinky Hijikata lost straight sets to Mitchell Kruger. And I think that is... it for sensations today other than of course the obvious Alex de Menor so which of those stunning stunning performances would you would you like to pick I think we have to respect the segment and not award it tonight. Because Alex de Menor, it's not appropriate. He's not a sensation. OK, you've got 30 seconds to talk about Ava Lees, Matt. Off you go. Well, she had a...
Flight booked home to Europe for tomorrow, and now she's into the second round of the Australian Open. And she's in a section of a draw which is wide open. She's in with Griceva, Christiane and Bronzetti. One of those will reach the fourth round. And she was absolutely awesome today against Kim Birrell. Look, it's, you know, she replaced Kalinskaya.
as the lucky loser. And, you know, of all the players she could have played, obviously Kim Birrell is a pretty good draw, really. But she just absolutely... stamped her authority on this match and she said the beauty was i had no time at all to get nervous she had she found out she was playing 20 minutes before the match
started so it was a question of right where are my clothes where's my racket how do i do a you know how do i fuel myself how do i warm up for this she didn't do any of her normal prep she said i just went out there and i had a loose arm And she did. She just completely took control of this match. The Adrian Manorino approach. Yes. Just sort of, I'll figure it out when I get out there. See what's what. He did lose today to Karen Hashanov.
Still. Very good, Matt. Very good use of 30-ish seconds to talk about Ava Lee's. That's it for part two. Join us in part three when we'll look ahead to tomorrow. 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 a 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 of the Day 3 Australian Open Tennis Podcast. This is what Day 4 has in store for you. Irina Sabalenka kicks off on Leiva against Jessica Boutas-Manero. Then Novak... Djokovic against a Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria 21 years old does not have a picture in his bio doesn't feel hugely promising that but
We'll see. Going to be a hot one tomorrow. Djokovic playing in the heat of the day. Yeah. Anything's possible. Looking forward to seeing how he handles that. Obviously... A degree of that will be how much his opponent can push him. I've heard of him, but I've not seen him play yet. But, yeah.
Djokovic is going to want to play as much as he can at night. And if it is hot tomorrow, that's not going to be overly comfortable. Night session is Coco Goff against the Brit Jodie Burridge, or Jodie Barrage, as some are calling her. I quite like. And second night session match on Labour is Pedro Martinez against Alexander Zverev. Second court is Elisa Mertens against Jessica Begula, followed by Carlos Alcaraz against Yoshihita Nishio.
So Alcaraz playing the cavern again. I woke up to so many messages saying it's the cavern, not the tavern. And I'd like to shift the blame here onto you, David, because I knew it wasn't quite right as I said it. That's why I checked with you. Yes. Amazing what I can get blamed for. But I mean...
It was pointed out to me that as the oldest member of the tennis podcast team, I really should be the one who knows the answer to that. So apologies to everybody. I should have known too. But anyway, there we go. I've corrected it. Alcaraz playing the cavern again tomorrow afternoon. I think the tavern's where they used to play the darts. Also a good time. Night session on the second court is Kasper Ruud against Jakob Mensik. And then sensation time, Tara Gibson. Is that her name? Taylor Gibson?
She's a world card. Talia Gibson. It's a hard time like that. 20 years of age that is a... picture of her in the bio. She takes on Paola Bedossa. John Kane Arena is where Jung Chin Wen gets the Laura Siegman treatment. Good luck, Jung Chin Wen. Jordan Thompson against New York. Bruno Borges is second on on John Kane. And then the twilight session from 5pm. Dana Schneider against Isla Tomljanovic playing for a place in the third round and sensation of the day.
Also playing for that crown, the Nasi Kokonakis up against Jack Draper. Kia Arena is where you'll find Ludmilla Samsonova against Olga Danilovic and followed there by... Karolina Mukova and Naomi Osaka, second on the Kia Arena. And I mean, that is what, the fourth biggest court? It's a lovely court. The queues are going to be out of hand there tomorrow. Vukic against Korda is third on.
And Davidovic, Fikina, Auger, Aliassime is the final match. Apelka and Mahatch opens 1573. It's a really good order of play tomorrow, isn't it? Nishikori Paul is also on 1573. And Donna Vekic against Harriet Dart. The lucky loser who won her first round match is last on court three. And that's the match I'm going to be commentating tomorrow.
And that's... There's other fun stuff. There's Conte Alice against Artafis. That is third on court seven. David, that's a bit of a trek. I can make it. I'm not sure they even have... Press seats on quarter seven. I'll find my way. Follow the blokes from Le Keep.
Yes. They'll show you to the right place. I will. I tell you what, when you're reading those matches out, the one that stood out to me that I just want to keep a little eye on, because I hope it gets close, is Zhang Chinwen against Lara Siegmund. Imagine the body language going across the neck between those two. And the stomping, I think is going to be excellent. Yeah, that could get...
Really eggy. You're absolutely right. I'm so glad I'm not commentating on it. So that's tomorrow, folks. We'll be back with another tennis podcast. Of course, our mascot for today's episode is Lyra. Lyra is owned by Emma and she is a four-year-old Torby, which is apparently a tortoiseshell and tabby mix. Cat. Tortoiseshell? Mmm. You know what a tortoiseshell cat is. Oh, yes. I'll show you a picture.
Torby is an absolute dote and extremely affectionate. If she's not receiving prompt attention, you will find yourself head-butted for scratches. That is a behaviour I'm familiar with, Emma. She also likes to sit on your... if you're trying to use a laptop which makes working from home fun. She's still very timorous and shy but she has slowly come out of her shell.
With the promise of treats. She sounds just like Billie Jean. She's absolutely beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen a Torby. But I love that. Thank you. Emma, love to discover new animal varieties. And thank you, Lyra. You will be featured in our newsletter and on our Instagram. What a treat for Lyra. The bar has been set quite high for cat mascots because the last one we had a couple of days ago sent us a video.
Heumann sent us a video of her playing Fetch. And that was really great. Which Simon Briggs reckons his cat can do, but no evidence yet. Simon, we're waiting. But no, look, if Lyra does play fetch, please send us content. If you don't, Lyra, that's fine. Hello to our mascots. Hello to Phoebe, my lovely mascot. I'm getting points, Phoebe, just not many of them.
Got some issues with the new system, but we're... We're more of a trickle, aren't we? We're working through it. I'd love to be a trickle. You're not doing well for TBC. Matt? No, if I was harsh on Peyton Stearns. Ah, okay. Then my prediction is why. Skin in the game. David and Maisie trickling along. Maisie.
You come back on my team and I win three out of three. You just don't get any points for the wins anymore. I got one point today. Reggie got 100 and something points for Danka Kovnick today. And I got two points. For Katie Bolter? For Katie Bolter. There is no justice. And I got one for Boyer beating Correa. I mean, it was quite predictable. No justice. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff. We salute you. And Matt, we have shout outs.
We have Pat McGrath in New York. Hi, Pat. Hello, Pat. Like, like Pat McGrath. Yes. But not. Or spelt the same. I think spelt the same. Wow. Yeah. What do we know about Pat? Club player with a massive tennis addiction. Oh, well. You've come to the right place then, Pat. Could enter the one-point slam next year. I've lobbied for an international qualification. There's talk of competitions, tournaments, for qualifications.
as a qualification to take part in the one point slam. And I've suggested there could be international satellite qualification competitions. I like it. It's got legs, isn't it? Catherine takes the one-point slam very seriously now. I really want David to enter. Me too. That's what I want. Like Pat Rafter. Yeah, and Pat Cash. Unlike my mum. It's an epic name. Great name. Very well done. We've also got Sapna Shah.
In New York. Hello, Supna. I think we have had Supna before. Supna is big on the barge. Yeah. That's where we know Supna from. Anybody who's big on the barge is all right with us. Big on the barge. And Supna says... My family loves tennis. We go to the US Open every year and we've been to the French Open and to Wimbledon. We only have the Australian Open left on our...
to get our Shah Family Grand Slam. You can do it! You can do it, Supner. God, that's going to be a family career slam. That's incredible. It's good getting there, isn't it? Yeah, keep us posted, Supner, about. When that happens. And thank you. And finally, we've got Ken in New Jersey. Ken! Good work, Ken. He says, long live the boss.
Oh, Ken, you're like Matt at the Australia live show, winning the audience round with a popper in prediction that really hasn't aged well. You know your audience, Ken. And actually, we say this. This is a shout out for Ken, but it's actually from Claire. Oh. Who is Ken's partner. Oh. And Claire says that Ken introduced her to the tennis podcast a few years ago. Claire says, I grew up playing tennis and watching the sport, but I hadn't followed the tour closely.
in recent years apart from watching the slams ken had never been much of a sports fan but as we watched the 2021 u.s open finals together and celebrated emir adekanu's stunning victory he had what can only be described as a religious experience. Since that fateful day in September, Kate has become an extremely devout convert to tennis fandom. He watches historic matches on YouTube, read tennis books.
blogs and revels in the kind of details like the names of players dogs that bring David, Matt and Catherine unbridled joy. So it's no wonder he became a super fan. of the Tennis Podcast, and I'm so grateful to him for bringing me on board. I feel like a born-again tennis fan, thanks to the Tennis Podcast, and especially to Ken. Aww. Well, that's wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. I would say that some of our joy in learning about tennis player dogs is more bridal than others.
You know how your favourite thing is when pets are friends? Yes. My favourite thing is when tennis podcast listeners introduce other tennis fans to the tennis podcast. It might be a little bit self-serving. But, well, entirely self-serving. But I love it. So thank you. Ken and Claire, that is glorious. And a wonderfully joyful note to end today's show on. It's been another great day.
of sunday is slowly fading into obscurity and another couple of belters i'm here for that yeah just another couple of belters please australia and uh and then we'll forgive you no it's been it's been great we can't wait to do it all again tomorrow. Thanks for listening. We'll speak to you then.
Running a business means there's always more work than time or people to do it. But what if your workforce had no limits? That's where Salesforce's AI solution, AgentForce, comes in. AgentForce combines human intelligence and AI-powered agents to handle tasks, Support your team and deliver exceptional customer service 24-7. It's like having an extra set of hands helping businesses expand their workforce and focus on what really matters. Search Salesforce AgentForce to learn more. AgentForce.
What AI was meant to be. Come on now, John. Let's really feel the burn on this one. Give me five more. Okay, four. Three. Slow it down. Two. Unlike your new fitness regime, Moneypenny does all the heavy lifting for you. We're experts in looking after calls, chats and more for businesses just like yours. Right, same time tomorrow. Yeah. Keep your business fighting fit with happier customers and more time to focus on growth. Go on, we'll spot you. Visit moneypenny.co.uk today.