you Hi, Gemini. The football transfer window's open. How are my team's stats looking? Well, your team definitely has a lot of star power. Do you think we're going to have a good season? It's going to come down to consistency and a little bit of luck on your side. I'll let you know if we win. I'll be keeping an eye on the score.
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. 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 the Tennis Podcast where it is a little after midnight here at Tennis Podcast Towers Melbourne on day four of the Australian Open and it has been... One of those nights after actually quite a disrupted day with a fair bit of rain and a lot of flatness, the night just somehow ignited. A night where... Donna Vekic was cheered on by absolutely raucous Croatian fans out on court number 14 to victory over...
Britain's Harriet Dart, a night where Alejandro Davidovich Fikina and Felix Auger Eliassime had to move courts mid-match because the noise bleed from the French fans on an adjacent court... supporting Articazzo, who eventually lost to Jacob Fernley. The noise bleed from that was so great that... Davidovich, Fikina and Auger Eliosi moved courts to get away from it. A night when Jack Draper has come back from the jaws of defeat against the Nasi Kokonakis.
cheered on by his own raucous Australian fans with multiple kangaroo inflatables on the John Kane arena. He has come back. to reach the third round of the Australian Open for the first time. It's been a special night. In Melbourne, David. Yeah, I mean, we haven't even mentioned Hadi Habib from Lebanon, who I went and watched losing in straight sets to the loudest crowd of the day, even amongst all of what you've just said there.
because there was such a turnout for him. And it was caused, really, by the rain. It is one of those things at Grand Slam tournaments, I think, particularly the ones where there are floodlights. We have this at the... it's open in Paris as well, where... They don't worry about it. They don't start cancelling loads and loads of matches. They just put them on all at the same time deep into the night. And it was just a wonderful experience to be roaming the grounds in the dark with floodlights.
match is going on everywhere. And one of those is still going on. Félix Auger-Elysime led two sets to love over Alejandro Davidovic-Vikina. At some point in those first two sets, the... The match was moved due to the aforementioned very excited French fans who I believe were cheering... Tout le monde déteste les Anglais, in the direction of Jacob Fernley, who is not an Anglais, but no matter to the raucous French fans. So yeah, Alejandro Davidovich Fikina trailed two sets to love. He's...
He's on the comeback. Well, no, I mean, he's completed the comeback trail. It's just a question now of whether he comes all the way back as we are entering a fifth set between Davidovich Fikina and Auger Eliassime at 24 minutes past midnight. on well honestly I don't know what court they're on now because they originally scheduled on a court then I think they got moved and and then they got moved again mid-match which is something I've not seen before certainly for for reasons of raucous
adjacent crowd. I think that's the court that I was on for Artifiche, you know, court number seven, because they've got these big pillars coming down from the roof there that really do get in the way of what you're watching, but still. Yes, a little later in the show, we'll get into the length that David went to in order to watch...
Artifice with, let's call it an obstructed view. And we will bring you the hopefully live result of Alejandro Davidovich Shakina against Felix Auger-Eliassime. And we'll talk about everything else that I just mentioned. Jack Draper coming back from... the brink to defeat the Nazi Kokonakis and the rest of it. It's been a heck of a day at Melbourne Park. But I think that where we should start is with...
The highest seed going out so far. The biggest shock of the tournament so far. It feels a long time ago now. But Jung Chin Wen, last year's finalist. got Laura Siegmunded. 7-6, 6-3. We have all been there. It was a match that we all watched together here at Tennis Podcast Towers this morning. And it was Laura Siegman doing Laura Siegman things. And actually, I thought throughout the first set, I was thinking, wow, Zheng Chen-wen's doing a pretty good job here of not getting...
roped in to the Laura Siegmund vortex. And Matt, you commented, you know, that's the kind of player she is. She doesn't really take notice of what's going on down the other end of the court. You know, that's what... what I think has earned her a bit of a reputation in the locker room for being totally in her own zone and not worried about making friends. You know, she's self-focused. And I think that's fine. But, you know, she loses that first set on the tie break.
And second set, she really did. She really did get sucked into the Laura Siegmund. And what a web it is. You know, the latter stages of this match, Jung Chin Wen received a second time violation. And she's not the quickest player. You know, she deserved that time violation. But the amount of indignance, indignance, indignancy on her face was extraordinary. She was like... Okay, sure, you're giving these time violations to me, are you? But have you seen what's happening over there?
Literally every single point. And honestly, I would have been feeling the same. Like the dark arts of Laura Siegmund are pretty... pretty unmatched on the WTA Tour, I think, or maybe in all of tennis. And it's not just the dark arts, you know, she has an incredibly disruptive game that she backs 100% and she is an...
Awesome competitor. She was never going to be cowed by the physical presence that Jung Chin Wen is on a tennis court. And she really is an intimidating presence. And yeah, I don't know. I don't know what you thought, Matt. I thought Jung perhaps lacked a bit of grit in the latter stages, which could be down to a lack of preparation and lack of matches ahead of this. You've got to dig deep to get through the Siegmund show, and it didn't look like the... Depth was quite there.
Yeah, there was a big difference, wasn't there, in their preparation for this year's Australian Open. As you know all too well, Catherine Siegmund spent a lot of time on court at the United Cup and she was matched tight. She was ready to go. She was ready to bring it. to a top seed and I think Siegmund presents kind of two different challenges as you've said there's like the challenge of her game which is awkward and different
And, you know, most players, most top players can pass it. You know, that's why Siegmund is ranked where she is. You know, she's not a top player. But she executed it brilliantly today, especially in that first set when... when, as you said, Jung did have more resistance, but she didn't really have an answer to Siegmund's game, you know, with the drop shots, with the slice, with the sort of...
Really good serving that Siegmund was doing. She really did hit that shot well today. So she didn't really pass the sort of game test. And then in the second set, she didn't pass the test of just...
not getting caught up in her web and not getting frustrated by her because she really did. I don't think she was... hugely frustrated with Siegmund, but she was frustrated with the situation of the match generally that Siegmund had created and taking time and then, as you said, her getting punished for...
for taking too much time. She makes herself the main character, Siegmund, even taking on great players. Last year's finalist, it felt like the Siegmund show. And after that time violation, it all went... pretty dramatically wrong I mean the serve that she hit bounced before the net It was very funny. I think there was another double fault in that game as well to lose serve. She was missing into the open court, you know, inexplicable misses. And Siegmund...
Thoroughly deserved to win this match. She was the better player. Celebrated like she won the tournament. Yeah. Collapsed onto her back. Lay on her back for seconds. Yeah. While Xingqiuwen was waiting at the net to shake hands. Wasn't... quite as frosty a handshake as I was hoping for. It was sort of fine. Oh, it was fine, yeah. Yeah. But I don't know, I think...
Jung's got quite an interesting Grand Slam record now because she's obviously got to the final here last year, which is fantastic. And I really try not to be one of those people who's like, oh, but... who did she beat en route to the final you know you you have to beat who's in front of you so you know she was
She's thoroughly deserving of getting to that final. And later in the year, she got a lot of big wins. So she showed that she can beat the best players in the world. But it is curious that she hasn't really had the big wins at the slams. As I said... She had a comfy route through to the final here last year, which she took advantage of brilliantly. Since then, her slam result, she lost to Avanessian at the French, who's tricky, but, you know, she lost to Lulu's son.
And now she's lost to Siegmund. And then obviously the US Open, she did have a good run, beating Vekic and then losing to Sabalenka. But I think she's only had one top 40 win at a slam in like the last year or so.
And largely that's partly her draws, but I don't know, I feel like her slam results still need to just catch up a little bit with the incredible sort of... progress that she's made on the tour and the way she's put herself in the WTA finals final and field and all that kind of stuff but I think we're still waiting for her absolute best tennis to show up at these slams. And this one is obviously caveated with the fact that her preparation was...
was kind of diminished coming in. I didn't have her on going really, really deep watch at this tournament. It was more the other. I sort of had her on upset watch a little bit, although I didn't think it would be deceitful. Although you did, Catherine. You called it. I've spent so much time with Laura Siegmund.
Know what to look for. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So an incredible day for Laura Siegmund. I was really shocked by the stat that she'd never beaten a top 10 player at a slam. She's beaten top 10 players before. She's won the big event. in Stuttgart before her home tournament. Incredible run she had a few years ago. But for somebody whose trademark is being a... disruptor of the top players and asking them questions that nobody else can I was surprised by that record so you know
I quite liked her sort of graceless, I've just won a Grand Slam celebration. And I mean, look, the age she is, I remember commentating on her when BT Sport had the rights and you're going back.
Best part of 10 years. Second oldest woman in the draw, 36. And look, you know, she's punching the clock week in, week out without... results like this you know she'll have some good weeks and she's had a good career but this is such a standout I suppose the one point I would make on Jung is the fact she won Olympic gold I think skews my feeling about how she's performed at the slams. And no, it's not a major, but it feels...
Pretty much on a par with it, really, to me. Bigger, David. Bigger, arguably. But I am surprised, because I do think of her as a big stage player. So some of those losses are... quite jarring really and i think some of them maybe point to a bit of a lack of the technique sometimes breaking down maybe that sort of thing that's it like she has had this year of getting into the top 10 and winning Olympic gold and reaching a Grand Slam final and while going through
quite big technical changes in her game and adjustments still. I think for a lot of people, they wouldn't have been able to have those kind of results while going through so much.
Yeah, I don't feel like she's a problem solver on court yet. And, you know, players with her type of, you know, it's type A tennis, isn't it? You know, they don't... need to be problem solvers very much you know their game is designed to not be required to solve problems but you know that's something that Sabalenka I feel like has really developed in her game over the years being able to
to change things, not just have a plan A that works 90% of the time, but when it doesn't, you're in big trouble. But yeah, I do cut her the slack of just not having had preparation for this at all. So it's a shock. It's a big shock in one light, but not a huge shock in another light. That light being people that have spent as much time as I have with Laura Segment. Over on the Kia Arena.
Naomi Osaka pulled off the comeback victory over Karolina Mukova and will now face Belinda Bencic in the third round. David, you watch the final set of this. In the stadium, he followed the whole story, very closely attended Osaka's press conference. I think you saw the best of the match there by seeing the final set. Yeah, from what I gather, yes, I was... sitting talking to some people in the press box and trying to get a feel for how Karolina Mukhova had gone up five...
Zero, because I was walking into the tennis site when that was happening. And, I mean, look, it sounded like she played well, but that Osaka was way off. And talking to Osaka afterwards, she kind of... said that I I was curious to to know what why why she thought that was and and whether you can prepare yourself for that at all and she said she you know really
you know, was hoping to get off to this great start and finds herself five-loved down. And she said the most important thing was not to panic and to kind of look forward, not look backwards and not... Not be on your own case, really. And in the second set, the total opposite. She reminded everybody in the second set just what a player she is when she really hits a stride.
searing ground strokes hitting lines galore on a roll you know you used to have those runs of form from her when she was at her best and mukova just couldn't cope with that third set It just became a real fight. You know, they were staring each other down. I thought Mukovo actually started to play well again in the second set. They were kind of both playing pretty well at the same time. And I think it tells you a lot about the strides Osaka's take.
over the last, well, couple of months, really, that she's won a match like this. She's fought it out. She's kept on her own side. She's kept positive and believing, and she's come out on the right side of a three-set match against the player who beat her at the US Open.
just a few months ago and beat her handily. And I mean, I think you've got to give credit to the new setup that she's got with Patrick Moritoglu because she... totally believes in it she's upbeat about it there's a there's a real jauntiness to her sort of body language out there. And look, it's a horrible draw, really. If you look at Caroline Garcia, first round, a player who's been in the WTF finals before.
Then Mukova, who we know how good she is. Then Bencic. And it could be Goff. You know, this is such a tough draw. But she's relishing that. She's liking playing the best players, she said. And it's...
It sort of feels like a personal draw to Naomi Osaka because not only are these great players, but these are players who have either beaten Osaka recently on her... comeback trail you know last year her her losses at the hard court slams were against Garcia and Mukova and she's beaten them in the first two rounds here and then Bencic was always a nemesis for Osaka going back to
That year of 2019, when Osaka had won her first two majors, the one player she couldn't beat was Belinda Bencic. And now she is standing in her way. So it kind of feels like the draws.
just been trolling Osaka a little bit. And yet you do get the sense that there's belief building. And I think it's just huge that she's got over the line in a big match against a... a fellow top player because we've because she's already done the thing of like showing up with great tennis going obviously back to that Igor Svante match at Roland Garros last year but she didn't get over the line she needed to show up with great tennis
and finish one of these matches off. And I think she did that today. The way she surged and took over that match. You know, by the end, I agree with you, David. I thought right at the start of that third set, Mukha was playing well again. By the end, I wasn't even noticing Mukova. It was all about what Osaka was doing. Yes, there were some errors, but there were way more winners. She was just totally in charge of the entire contest.
That is what she does at her best. I mentioned yesterday about... the power of both wings that Fonseca has well actually I was thinking that that was what used to strike me about Naomi Osaka as well when she came through that the pace she had off both wings nowhere safe nowhere to go like every ball
She could hit a winner off it. And that was kind of back today. That was a... awesome sight I loved seeing it and yeah I'm so pleased for Osaka that she's getting getting the confirmation of of the progress that she's making Belinda Benchit says of the Osaka match in the next round. It's going to be a fun match. I feel prepared to face her. Hopefully, we'll play on a significant court. Yes, Belinda. Start the lobbying early. She said, I have a good record against her.
And, yeah, it's... I love that... I love how aware of that she is, you know, and it... I can't wait. It's so... It's so normalised already. We said it when she won in the first round that Belinda Bencic is just back. Yeah. A tantalising prospect, that match. Just one other thing. You said how she's in control of her game and in control of matches. Somewhere else she's in control is in the media room. Now, if you think back a few years ago to when...
She didn't want to talk to the media anymore, Naomi Osaka, and she found it anxiety-inducing. And she's so, well, she seems so serene in there now, so comfortable, you know. So in charge of what she wants to say and not looking at the media as anything to worry about. And I think that tells you how healthy her own... mental state is right now and has been for some time. That's how it's come across at least and I'm really happy to see it. It's great to hear.
Amira Andreeva suffered a, or survived rather, a real scare. 6-4-3-6-7-6 for her, two hours and 19 minutes against Moyuka Uchijima. for the match against her in the third set did Uchijima and held an 8-6 lead in the final set tie break I had a
I had a very bad moment of forgetting that it was a 10-point tiebreak, even though the commentator had reminded us at the start of the tiebreak. And I'd gone, oh, I'm glad he's reminded us because I would have forgotten. And then I did still forget. And Matt had to very... gently point out that that was an absolute joke situation for me anyway it was Gutsy from Andreeva and she's got Magdalena Freck next who has won weirdest scoreline of the tournament
That's not a new feature. That's today only. She's won it. It's gone to her. Love six, six love, six two over Anna Blinkover today. I was obsessed with this.
I was it was a very very busy time there were a lot of matches going on and yet this one for a brief period did get position number three on my list of screens because I was just so obsessed I was really hoping it was going to be a third set either six love or seven six i think those are the only two acceptable score lines after splitting two six love sets you turned off once you'd won a game i did yeah i turned off in protest i suddenly lost lost interest blink of a by the way
Because I was following the match, I ended up going down a bit of a blink of a rabbit hole. She lost a match love and love to Vivara Lepchenko about a month ago. It's not ideal preparation for Grand Slam, that, is it? Blinkover, I think, is just doing wild things on a regular basis that we're not paying attention to. How did that happen?
Maybe we should be. Irina Sabalenka, the top seed, defending champion. She survived a very, very mini scare against Jessica Bouthas-Monaro. We should have seen it coming because Bouthas-Monaro... is a sensation. We didn't know. Yes, a guy I think called Paul on the barge informed us that the Rudleva Arena announcer had introduced her as the Spanish sensation.
Incredible. They're claiming others. She had a little moment in the second set, didn't she, Buthas Monero, where she was, I think, 4-1 up. Serve for the set. Did she? 6-3, 7-5 in the end for Sabalenka. She's got Clara Towson next, who continues, David, to debatably win. 6-2. 6-2 against Tatiana Maria. And that is a match I'm going to watch really closely because I am fascinated to see what happens when Clara Towson, who, to my mind, has one of the purest ball strikes in tennis.
faces the Sabalenka power, can she cope with that strike herself and redirect it and start to put some pressure on? Because I think... If she's standing toe-to-toe and the ball's in the hitting zone, she's pretty much an equal to Sabalenka. The issue will become when she starts getting moved because Sabalenka is a far superior mover. But great form.
isn't it, from Towson? This is kind of what I've been waiting for anyway. I'm impressed by Towson. For the Danish contingent to the media, it's a bit like, come for Runa, stay for Towson. I mean, I know Runa's still in, but... I kind of feel like Towson. He's not looking like a banker, is he? Having a better run here. At the moment. Coco Goff won by the same school line as Rina Sabalenka, 6-3, 7-5 against Jodie Barrage.
She did lose four games in a row during the second set. And I was on my way to the second court at this time. And you have to kind of walk around the... around the Rod Laver Arena to get to the second court. And so you sort of get a sense of what the vibe is like on the Rod Laver Arena. And I witnessed a standing ovation for Jodie Burridge. That was my experience of this match.
Yeah, and she served for that second set as well. So very, very similar to Sabalenka. And there has been a striking similarity, I would say, with the way Sabalenka and Goff have started this tournament. Both came in... playing brilliant tennis, you know, in red-hot form, and yet have both been a little bit patchy and ragged in their first two matches. Like nothing...
Nothing to be hugely alarmed by. They've both won in straight sets. I think it shows how high their floor is, really. They've been in control of their matches all the way. not been as convincing as they were pre-Australian Open, which I maybe wasn't expecting. I really thought we might see Goff and Sabalenka just absolutely charged through this draw and barely dropped games in the way that Sabalenka didn't.
last year um but yeah no golf again there was there was a fair few double faults like not as many as the other day when when the sun was an issue but they were about i think seven overall in the match um And it was just a match that was played a bit more on Barrage's terms than I thought it might be. You know, Barrage was trying to take charge of the rallies and... And Gough seemed pretty content to just sort of soak it up and hope that she would miss, which is a great...
You know, it's a great attribute to be able to have, you know, that she can go into that mode golf if her game isn't great. Off the ground, she said she was pretty happy with how she played. But I think both of them will be looking to just clean things up as the tournament gets going because they've both got...
tougher matches here. Towson for Sabalenka and Fernandes for Goff. And look, Goff beat Fernandes pretty convincingly at the United Cup. But she was playing really well. I think if she's not playing as well, that will be... That will be harder, obviously. Yes, I feel a bit conflicted about this Gough-Fernandez match because...
I've hyped up and looked forward to this match already once this season. It was Coco Goff's opening match of the season. I was covering it at the United Cup. And I really was genuinely excited about it. And it had its odd moments.
But basically I found it a really... capsule illustration of how Coco Goff's athleticism wins her matches you know sometimes you know you talk in the abstract about Goff's athleticism but unless you have the kind of a side by side of the same point played with Coco Goff as the opponent versus a normally athletic tennis player as the opponent and to see the balls that she gets that the mystery other...
player wouldn't get and the balls that she's able to hit offensive shots off that anybody else would only be able to hit a defensive shot from unless you have that it's kind of quite difficult to see in concrete terms, how her athleticism wins her. points and games and matches but i felt like i really saw it clearly during this match you know leila fernandez's game is standing up on the baseline and kind of almost half volleying from there using her hand eye
coordination and her timing and her intensity and her refusal to back down. But Koko Goff just got to every ball, every angle that she created. was cut off by Coco Gough because she was just there. So, yeah, on... On one hand, it has promise. But on the other hand, I feel like, well, Coco Goff would have to be kind of a bad version of herself for this to be a decent match. And I don't want to wish for that. So we'll see.
Not your greatest hype job. No. But we're real on this show. I think that's fair to say. And the winner of that match plays the winner of Osaka Benchik. I can hype that if you want. It's a stacked section. I could hope that now. Jessica Pagula cruised today again, 4-2 against Aliza Mertens. And that's impressive. Mertens is her nemesis. Yeah. Had never beaten her. She was 11-3 against Mertens. But she was...
She was really talking up her performance and her game in press. You know, she was doing that Pagula thing of just, you know, everyone else, us included, are talking about the other players, but she's just... making good progress. It is weird how unnoticed she's going considering she was a finalist at the last Grand Slam and, you know, wasn't that far away.
from winning it. It was a competitive final and she reached a final last week. I do sometimes think having your preparation... event your warm-up event be the week directly before the slam you can fly under the radar a lot a lot more even if you're very successful in it as she was and that I think really suits her, doesn't it? She's got Olga Danilovic next, who is on David's fantasy team. Last women's result to pick out Dana Schneider.
took out a sensation today, Ayla Tomljanovic, for a while. This was the only match happening. In round two of Islam, it was raining. There was intentionally blank on the two big courts and all we had was the John Kane Arena. And there was some fun in the second. set as Tom Ljanovic really mounted a fight back but Schneider just had too much for today and she faces Donna Vekic next to one through in the most extraordinary atmosphere out on
Caught 14, I think it was, this evening. We caught the very end of this match and they were chanting... It was so good. And when she... When she wrapped up Victory, she went over to the Croatian fans and was conducting them and getting involved. And it was great fun.
Point out for balance, Harriet Dart doesn't feel the same way about other Croatian fans. No, she did an interview with our colleague Russell Fuller from the BBC and let's just say it was scathing about the atmosphere. She didn't enjoy it at all. Football crowd, she said. Lacking common courtesy were the words that she used. I mean, I understand it's in the heat of battle and everything else, and I'm sure it is a bit disconcerting.
distracting and whatever and sometimes maybe it does go over the line I don't know what the line is but you know it looked OK, to me, from where I was stood, and I kind of think, isn't that what we want, the tennis matches? Bit of atmosphere? It's definitely what I wanted. Screw common courtesy. Yeah, it gave me everything I wanted in that moment. And that's it for part one. Join us for chat about the men's tournament. Had a great bunch of matches in the men's event today. Join us in part two.
you Hi, Gemini. The football transfer window's open. How are my team's stats looking? Well, your team definitely has a lot of star power. Do you think we're going to have a good season? It's going to come down to consistency and a little bit of luck on your side. I'll let you know if we win. I'll be keeping an eye on the score.
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.
Welcome back to part two where we're going to get into it with the men's event in just a moment. But first, a word from our sponsors. Because of course, as you know by now, we are brought to you throughout this Australian Open by... Steve Fogel's International Tennis Tours, your gateway to premium tennis events worldwide.
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VIP hospitality, optional sightseeing, and optional social tennis. Honestly, like... It's hard to find the words for Roland Garros, isn't it? It's an incredibly special experience. And one of my favourite things ever was being there for you going to Roland Garros for the first time, David. It was very, you know, some of the magic really...
rubbed off on me. It was very special. It was one of my favourite things as well. I just love the place. I love going to the city in the spring. I love Roland Garros as a venue. I love the crowd. Oh, honestly, one of the beautiful things about going out to the match today that I watched on court three there was just the atmosphere. And the French crowd, they bring that.
To every French player's match. And I just love it. And, yeah, imagine being able to go and do that in style like that. Yes. If you'd like to hear lots of French... Tennis fans singing, tout le monde déteste les Anglais. Well, actually, Melbourne Park is the place for you, but presumably that sort of hoo-ha will be going on at Roland Garros as well. And we have a promo code especially for pod listeners if you fancy a trip.
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that Steve Fergels have to offer. So, on to the men's matches that we saw today. And Novak Djokovic taking the scenic route once again. On court for three hours again today. He was on court for the same amount of time. in the first round against Nishesh Basavareddy. Today, he was taken to four sets by Jaim. Matt, is that right?
I think so. Jaim or jaima. It's definitely a ja sound. Jaim Farrier. And if we're getting that wrong, then, well, I probably don't need to ask you. You'll probably let us know. Jaim Farrier, 6-1. 676362. A 21-year-old Portuguese qualifier, 125 in the world, was inspired to take up tennis, David, by going to the ATP. Champions Tour event in the Algarve 15 years ago. I'd have been there.
Yeah, Jai Mafaria might not have been a tennis player had it not been for our great PR work on the ATB Champions Tour in the Algarve. I'm going with that. Absolutely. It was a great event, that, wasn't it? Oh, it was fantastic. Anyway, back to Djokovic, who's continuing to get himself in quite a bit of bother in these matches. He said afterwards, I like the way I started the match and I like the way I ended the match. But he definitely wasn't happy with...
A lot of what happened in the middle, and rightly and understandably so, David, it got very messy and a bit weird for a while there. Yeah, I think the whole thing seemed weird because...
The first set was so uneventful, matter-of-fact, efficient, tennis, just as he would have wanted, you would have thought, given... the issues he had a couple of nights ago and the second set was going the same way I mean at least I wasn't exactly watching every point but I was keeping an eye on it and he was I think he might have been setting a breakup or certainly certainly ahead in the second set
Turn around 10 minutes later and he's 5-3 down in that second set. And then he's tried to do all the things that Novak Djokovic does. in putting pressure on and asking questions from a player that was suddenly zoning. He was explosive. He was irresistible, really. But he was being asked those sort of questions with being stretched out wide, made to come up with shots.
And he produced them. He redlined it and he hit his marks. And he deservedly won that set. But I did find that a little curious. Because... It's like Djokovic is going missing a little mentally at the moment in some of these matches. I think maybe because... These are players that he's supposed to beat, and they're not on paper massive challenges. I really think in his next match, well, he's going to have to, but I just feel we're more likely to get a heightened...
the heightened senses of Novak Djokovic that we've become accustomed to. That's an interesting take. And trust me, we will talk about his next match. Matt, you were in his press conference as well. I thought he looked... Tired and drained. He kept talking about young guys, guys with nothing to lose. And obviously he's seen... waves and waves of young guys come but every time they come he's a bit older and they're a bit relatively younger and and this wave
You know, we're going to come on to talk about Yasser Mechamensic and Djokovic made clear in the press conference that he had been watching Gerald Fonseca last night and actually had met him for the first time five minutes before coming into the press conference. He said like... Like, I think the onslaught of constantly fending off these young players, it felt like...
Felt like a lot for him. I don't know. I just was so struck by how drained he seemed. And he has played back-to-back three-hour matches and he's not as young as he used to be.
You know, usually we kind of relish in putting away these young guys, but he just seemed exhausted by it to me. Yeah, I think in like 2023... that was the thing that was like energizing him the most wasn't it you know trying to obviously trying to win grand slam titles but in in doing so kind of having to beat carlos alcares and
How long can I keep them at bay? Exactly. Like, all of that, I think, was a huge part of his motivation back then. And now it does seem that it's... Yes, I think it is still a motivation. But it's also a bit draining to constantly be coming up against these young, hungry guys. And, you know, I do think there's an interesting thing here that five sets used to be...
And a big advantage for Novak Djokovic, a big, big one. He was such a master at navigating them, and he still is, but it almost feels like there's a tipping point where now he's a couple of years on. It's taking more out of him in these matches. And actually, maybe five sets against these young players isn't such a big advantage. There is still the point of these young guys have to win three sets against Novak Djokovic. That's still such a big task.
His first two opponents have played well for a set, a set and a half maybe, but not been able to do that. But there's people coming up in his draw who I think can do that. Okay, I see where you both want to go. So let's go there. Novak Djokovic's next opponent is Thomas Mahatch. Mahatch beat Riley Opelka today in five sets. It was... Tough as nails stuff from Thomas Mahatchi. Broke it for all in the fifth set. Really showed us something today to set up this Djokovic match.
I think one of the best wins of his career. I mean, not on rankings. You know, this is a guy who's beaten Carlos Alcraz. He's beaten Novak Djokovic. He's pushed Yannick Sinner. But here he is at a Grand Slam match where he's trying to set up a clash with Djokovic and maybe a big run in this tournament. You know, his results have not been... the type of results at Grand Slams of a player of his talent.
And here he's playing a guy who just sucks the life out of a match and boils it down to a handful of points over the course of five sets. He's going to keep... banging that big serve down he's going to make it so hard for you to make an impact several sets going to tie breaks and you know the chances are you're going to lose
Tie breaks against Riley Opelka. I mean, the guy is nearly seven foot tall. And I know he's on the comeback trail, but he beat Djokovic the other week. And he's just such a difficult player. And suddenly he'll explode into a couple of ground strokes and you've lost a set. And he was two sets to one down. And he fought his way back. And he hung in there. And he did the mental stuff that is going to be required if Thomas Mahatch is ever going to fulfill this.
enormous potential of his. And I just feel like he really showed something to him today. And, you know, I think he was proud of himself. In the press comments, I attended that. I think he did everything he intended to do. concentrated on his own serve, which is the same as Gael Monfils was talking about yesterday against Sempeshi Perikar. You have to concentrate on your own serve. And he held it together.
And he was writing and reading little notes, wasn't he? It was actually the first time I'd seen him get his notebook out. He said he had some very simple messages of positive reinforcement. He said it was to you, wasn't it, David? He said that he'd done it before in some challenges a couple of years ago. But it just helped him. And he was very level-headed today. Enjoy the moment was one of them.
Yes, he said to you, it's nothing profound. It's all very, you know, sort of boilerplate Instagram post stuff. And yet I kind of even loved that. that he's thinking in those terms. I've seen lots of people reading notes during matches before. I'm not sure I've seen people making notes during matches, but I... I don't mind it. It's very interesting. OK, let's cut to the chase here. Is he going to beat Novak Djokovic? And I don't want to hear he can because we all know he can. Is he going to?
I do have a feeling he might, you know. I mean, before the tournament, I said no. I said Djokovic would get to the meeting with Alcaraz. I don't feel... anywhere near as confident about that right now having seen what I've seen so far you can't write Djokovic off because I still think that there's there's every chance that Djokovic is energized by this
He knows how good this guy is. And at some point, it may click for him. And if it clicks for him, he'll still beat Mahat. You know, as good as Mahat is... The best Djokovic will beat him, I believe, because he's still got that. But I'm not... At some point, Djokovic is going to get old. At some point, Djokovic is going to find out it's not there anymore.
and I don't know when that is, but I definitely think there's a chance it could be in this match against Mahatch. I think there's a chance that it's already happened, and yet... He was able to defy it during the Olympics. And we've still got that in our head of like, oh, he's capable of doing that. But maybe he was only capable of doing that in that moment.
That's my sort of little hunch about Novak Djokovic. But then you do, as David says, you have to keep in the back of the mind that it is Novak Djokovic. And I could be completely wrong. and he might have more in him than I think he's got. At a different level, it's a little bit like Fonseca and Rublev last night. You went into that match thinking, I think there's a chance Fonseca might just...
knock him off the court. And I think there's a chance that Mahatch might come out and just really, really take over quite emphatically. I think he's that good. It's a big test for the Mahatch brain, isn't it? Yeah, but I feel like after today, he's going to be more confident than he's ever been. Now, will he handle the occasion? Rod Laver Arena, probably a night session. He's not had that before. He's not had a Grand Slam night session before. He could be terrible, couldn't he? Yep. Yeah.
We've seen him be terrible in the biggest singles match previously of his career. But I do think that... The matches he's had since that US Open have given him belief. He's constantly referencing Shanghai, isn't he? Yes, he's a big Shanghai guy. I mean, he was so good, the way he played against Alcaraz, the way he played against Sinner. I know he lost him to Sinner, but I remember saying he showed up in that match. He really did. He pushed him. And Sinner was not losing sets to anyone, you know.
And I think he's taken a lot from that. He's backed it up at United Cup where he played well. I know it ended badly, but he was pleased with the way his game was. He's come through this test against Opelka. I'm talking myself into it. It's my hatch. He can do it. He's the best player in the world. Best player in the world. He also said in press today, he pointed out that Katarina Siniarkova is playing mixed doubles with...
Jung Jijen who is his doubles partner and Jung Jijen sought his blessing before asking her to play doubles we assume that's all And he said, yes. I said, it's fine. You know, I support, I might even go out and support them. I thought, she is not supporting you. Not on the basis of her Instagram posts, anyway. Carlos Alcaraz, a winner today in an hour and 21 minutes. 6-love, 6-1, 6-4, served 14 aces in 12 service games.
And wrote, am I a serve bot on the camera? Which was lovely. And I checked in on his service numbers and 14 aces today in 12 service games he served. Six aces in 11 service games in his previous match. So massively up, you know, as a proportion of, you know... ace ace to serves ratio and as fast as serve as 210 kilometers per hour today which is five kilometers faster than monday you know this is look
Two data points is not a trend, but it is all we have for Carlos Alcaraz and it's going in the right direction. And I think it was his career best. points won on first serve percentage for a Grand Slam match, which I think is, to me, that's the most important stat. Like, you're not going to hit aces all the time, but if you're...
backing up your first serve and you're getting your serve in in a way that is allowing you to take over the point, increasing the accuracy on it, the precision. That's what he said he's going for with this new service technique. That's pivotal. That's something that Sinner has done masterfully over the last couple of years. Got that points one behind his first serve percentage so high. You know, we...
We don't think of Yannick Sinner as one of the big servers on tour, but he's one of the best servers on tour by far. And that's where Elkaraz is looking to get, I think. Plus, he is... Taking returns really early. Stepping in. He's trying to be aggressive on it. He's shortening the swing on his backhand and just ripping them. That's really fun. Look, he's not played great servers so far. Shevchenko and Nishioka.
But I've enjoyed that intent. And yeah, he absolutely blew Nishoka away. He won almost double the number of points, which is crazy in a sport of fine margins. That never happens in tennis. And he said he prefers to play day session. You know, I think it was interesting seeing him again on...
on the second court in the day, you know, you kind of think Alcaraz is main court prime time, but it sounds like he's requesting day session. And I do think they really, I mean, look, every slam does to some extent, but I do think here they really try. and fulfill player requests, at least for time. I don't think you can demand where you play necessarily as well as when you play always. It varies according to stature of player. But I think that they just desperately try and...
maintain their position as the player's favourite slam, the one where they feel most taken care of. Djokovic was talking in this press conference today about... on-court coaches, literal on-court coaches. He'd said before the tournament that he liked the concept. He was asked to kind of review it after a couple of matches. He said, look, I still really like it. I'm happy.
that it's happening and he said I'm happy with how it is at the moment without microphones but he said I'm sure the fans would like the audio and that it will change in the future for that reason now I think Basically, the tournament are easing the players into this in order to get their acquiescence and to get them on board with this venture. They've said, oh, we won't put microphones there. And I get that.
you know, softly, softly, but I don't think there's any point with that microphone. It's like, get the flipping microphones on there. I want to hear what they're saying. And he made a point that I hadn't actually thought of before. In terms of, obviously, I know that players have been concerned about audio being picked up in terms of... you know other other coaches maybe hearing it and you revealing some of your secrets that kind of thing but he was talking about that in a very like
in that specific match sense. Like, for example, if Djokovic is playing Farrier today, in theory, if those boxes are mic'd up, Farrier could have someone watching the coverage and then picking up what he's saying and texting.
his his coaches in his box and giving them real-time live information and he said that simply can't happen like and i get that like that shouldn't be able to happen but surely the solution to that is to not allow the coaches to have their phones with them or texting people who are watching the coverage like that that does seem like something you could get around and allow
audio for the fans at home to hear that hasn't been an issue previously really raised with general on-court coaching which is quite often picked up by microphones like that's not an issue specific to them being physically on the court no but I do I do think the hope is that where those boxes are positioned, if you do mic it up, the audio will be much clearer. Yeah.
Good. Exactly. But that's why I think it hasn't been that much of an issue because a lot of the time, let's be honest, we are straining to hear the on-court coaching that's happening. If your job is to report that, you could easily give wrong information if you're not. picking it up properly which I think maybe why it hasn't been such an issue so far but oh I'm all for putting
putting good audio in these coaching boxes. It feels like such a waste right now. Mic it up. Artifice won the French off today. Defeated Conte-Alice in four sets still. Yet to win a Grand Slam match in straight sets, David. Yeah, and that's something he's going to have to put right if he's going to make meaningful progress at Grand Slam tournaments in the long run, I think.
You just don't want to be wasting energy. And he has a bit of a consistency problem. He doesn't tend to just roll through matches anyway. But I saw today... what I fell in love with a year and a half ago when I first sort of saw him play and thought, oh my word, this guy's for me.
It was a bit of a dog's dinner of the first couple of sets, to be honest. And he found himself five, six down. There were multiple rain delays. And he went, honestly, I don't think I've seen a more miserable looking tennis player at the Australian Open.
so far this year than the Art of Feast who left the quarter to settle in 5-6 with a towel over his head. Everybody else had already left. It was raining. And he just looked like, he looked so sorry for himself as though he just, frankly... would rather go home and put his feet up and have a have a cup of tea you know and just sort of come back tomorrow um but of course
You can't do that. And a couple of hours later, the rain abates and out we come and it was cold. It was cold and wet, windy. It was giving 2024 French Open, wasn't it? It was. And suddenly these packed stands... that we'd had for the first part of the match were empty. There were Sebastian Grosjean, Artifice's dad, and three other chaps from his support team, maybe about another 12 people in the entire stadium, and me. And it went to a time break.
Elise wins the first two points of the tiebreak, and then suddenly Art of Feast just exploded with adrenaline. Every single point one was greeted with him, eyeballing these five people in his support team, all of them going, And it was just electric suddenly. And he reels off seven points in a row, including a sliding backhand winner down the line on the full run. And...
I thought well there we are. That's what he's capable of. That's his sort of turbo boost being pressed. And you can't win matches. all the time with that level. But when he needs it, when he finds it, it's electric. And it's a good win. It's a good win in the end. And, you know, the best he's done at the Australian Open so far. Ugo Mbair next for him. So another French off. Mbair beat Hedi Habib, the Lebanese player, in that incredible atmosphere late tonight on court number three.
Art of Feast, yesterday, João Fonseca, and tonight, Jakub Mensic beating six-seed Kasper Ruud. It's a big tournament for the next-gen finals, guys. You know, this current crop. of next gen it did feel today like you know the tennis world had watched Jao Fonseca last night and you know his little cohort had gone I want to get in on this. Let me into the party. That's how it felt watching Jakub Mensik tonight beat Kasparud 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on the second court. Same slot.
Same place that Fonseca had been the night before. Same level of statement win, I think, but felt very, very different. It felt routine. from Mensik, it felt repeatable. It felt totally normal, really, that he was beating the sixth seed. Yeah, I mean, it's not the first time he's beaten someone of...
of Ruth's calibre. He's actually got five top ten wins now, has Mensik. You know, he's done this before, and I think maybe that's why it felt routine and less spectacular. He's also a less spectacular...
That's not to say he's less good. I mean, he might end up being less good. We don't know. They've obviously got their careers ahead of them. But what strikes me is no real weaknesses. He's a... big guy men's sick he he takes up a lot of space on a tennis court and yet he can move you know he can he can cover the court he's got a rock solid backhand he's got a forehand that he can
explode on and you know see see the final shot of this match a big forehand winner inside out he's got a big serve you know there's just there's just real there's nowhere to go you don't look at him and think oh that's going to be really attackable and you know you don't You don't look at him with your jaws wide open like you do Fonseca and Alcaraz. There were moments, weren't there? There are. He's got moments, for sure. But it wasn't relentless explosiveness like it was from...
Fonseca last night. No, no. And yeah, he had a vulnerable top 10 player there and he beat him handily, really. And he, you know, when Matt came... came arrived on on the second court i'd been watching for a while and you know highbrow tennis analysis the first thing i said was well finally a good kit like this is this is an absolutely tragic tennis tournament for kit
but I really liked what Mensik was wearing. It was a zingy, bright, um, Adidas, I think, um, sort of orange fluoro, orangey, orangey coral. colour and matching shoes and it just popped off the court, popped off that night session illuminated blue court. And, you know, you had white shorts, this orangey top and matching colours on the shoes. And I looked down the other end of the court and I was like, oh, it's like Casper Rude's wearing like a faded.
version he was wearing like muddy orange shorts and a muddy white beige top and same on the shoes and And I hadn't intended it to be a sort of poetic bit of tennis analysis as I said it. But then I realized, oh, there's a metaphor in there. And Matt said, that's very GCSE English. And I said, I'm going to write that down in the agenda. So there it is. But it works, doesn't it? I mean, Caspar Rood was...
I mean, what's the opposite of main character energy, cameo energy at best? Like, just powerless. Foil. Yeah, he was just there. Yeah, it was a tough, tough watch for Kasper Ruud. But yeah, Artifice, Jakob Mensik, Joao Fonseca through. Incidentally, Joao Fonseca beat... Jakub Mensik in the Next Gen finals in five tie-break sets. I won't give you the scores of those sets because they bear no resemblance to actual tennis scores because there's lots of fours involved and fives.
because that's the scoring that they do at the Next Gen Finals. But just interesting. It reminds me of the 2021... US Open when Emma Adekanu and Leila Fernandez and Carlos Alcaraz were all coming out of nowhere to have big wins and it felt like I'm going to stay in this party. You know, this is really fun. The youngsters are coming. I want to be part of this. That's what it feels like to me. And I know he's not quite in that cohort. He's a year or two older, isn't he? But Jack Draper...
beating Thanasi Kokonakis, five sets Kokonakis had served for the match. You know, he wants to be part of it too. Yeah, and...
Look, he's having to do it the hard way. I mean, that's two five-set matches in a row. And he's come into the 2025 season, Jack Draper, with a hip injury. Real doubts over whether he could... even play this tournament and certainly be a factor but got to give him huge credit there and i know kokanaka's struggling physically as well particularly at the end of the match and and i'm sure he wasn't 100 fit either but drape has showed
that he's got some real heart and ability to come through a crisis on a tennis court. Two rounds in a row. And look, by the end of the match, and he was joking with... John McEnroe was saying that you look fitter in the fifth set you did at the start. And he kind of did. I mean, who knows how he'll wake up, but I think he's probably sort of playing himself into...
some sort of form because he hasn't got the reps in the offseason and in the leader. So if he's not injured, then he's just more match fit. And for news of who Jack Draper plays in his first Australian Open round three, join us in part three. Welcome back to part three where it's time for, well, the segment that you've all been waiting for. It was a bit of a dud yesterday. Matt decided it was not appropriate to award a sensation of the day.
back with a bang. David, it's over to you to tell us about today's categorical, unanimous sensation of the day. Alexander Vukic. who was absolutely sensational. I mean, look, we say it with... But, I mean, he really was. He came out from two sets to one down against Sebastian Corder, who got to the final last week. And Corder's a...
a leading player, and Vukic, who's been on the tour a long time, he just hasn't had results like this. And you could see how much he meant to. Comes back from two sets to one down, wins it 7-5 in the fifth. incredible atmosphere. You could tell what it meant to Vukic afterwards. And it was great when he did his on-court interview and he was sort of, he was told, you know, this is your first ever win over a guy of this sort of ranking. And he just goes, let's freaking go.
It was just so natural in the moment the way you did it. And I thought, good for you, mate. You just live in this moment. And exactly as you want a player to just lap it up like that. Yeah, he deserves his place in the third round, and he deserves the moniker. of sensation of the day. He knew what he was playing for didn't he? He knew how high the stakes were and he is Jack Draper's round three opponent. What has tomorrow got in store?
Or in fact, before I do that, I should probably give the people the live tennis news that they probably already know, which is that Felix Orgelius has lost from two sets to love up while we've been recording. Tough scene for him, but incredible for Alejandro Davidovich for Kino. I did become a bit distracted as he was serving for the match because I thought he would, you know...
shit himself, to use his words. The last couple of games he played, I don't know whether you kept your eye on it, he'd have beaten anybody in the world with some of that tennis. When he hits the heights of his game, you sort of watch these... points you're like that's unplayable poor old Felix down the other end was hitting good serves good forehands and Davidovic was like oh I don't care what these shots are coming at me have this He's had a rebrand. New year, new Alejandro. Sleeveless.
He's cut off his hair and his sleeves. And, well, it seems to be working. What does tomorrow have in store? Starting at 11.30 on the Rod Laver Arena, Rebecca Shramkova against Iga Svjantek. Yes, please. used to that then it's uh alex de menor against tristan boyer uh and in the night session it's yannick sinner against tristan school kate so double tristan
on Rod Laver Arena tomorrow. Only one of them is a sensation in that school, Kate. Renata Zarazua against Jasmine Paolini is the last matchup. On RLA. Over on the second court, Emma Navarro takes on Wong Ji Yu, the left-hander from China. Then Taylor Fritz against Christian Gareen. Madison Keyes and Elena Gabriela Rusa in the night. followed by Lerna Tien and Daniel Medvedev, Tien, another next-gen finalist who'll be wanting to...
Get in on the party, I would imagine. John Kane Arena starts with Hubert Hercatch against Miriam Ketsmanovic. Then Elena Rabakina against the talented young American Eva Jovic. That is the match that I'll be commentating tomorrow. Then Mateo Bertini. against Kasparud and then some doubles sensations. Kia Arena is where you find Emma Raducanu against Amanda Anisimova. First up at 11am. Matt, would you like to comment on that scheduling?
Well, it's a much better start to my day than I had today, which was getting up early to watch Fulham lose. Tomorrow it's getting up early for Amanda Onissim over against Emma Raducanu. And the traitors. And traitors before that. So that's actually an incredible morning. But I would have preferred it at a slightly more hyped time in the day. But I think those two can still make it a great match. Who do you want to win?
The backhand. Ben Shelton against Pablo Carreña Busta is second on. Then Marijan Tiafo and Aieva Collins. Good place to be. Kia Arena tomorrow. You've got João Fonseca against Lorenzo Sonego last on 1573 Arena. I tell you what, I really want to see this and I think there's a... A big moment coming for Fonseca because now he's got to back up that big arrival.
And everybody now expects, oh, he can just do this anytime he fancies playing like that. And you know that Sonico is going to want to spoil that party and take over himself. So I can't wait for this. Court three, you've got Anstra Berg against Camilla Osorio, Shapovalov, Mazzetti, Mickelson-McCabe, sensation, and Kudomitova-Veronica, the Veronica variety of Kudomitova. There's two of them to worry about now. Polina. She lost, didn't she?
In round one. Veronica Kudomitova takes on Katie Bolter. A few other matches dotted around the place tomorrow, but those are your headlines. It's going to be a good one. It's going to start early. It's going to start... in about nine and a half hours from now. Of course it is. Because it is, of course, 1.30 in the morning and it is time to say hello to today's mascot, Munch. Munch is owned by Michaela McLean.
Great name, all great names. Michaela says, we adopted Munch just before the pandemic thinking he was a senior. The rescue place thought he was seven or eight and it turns out he's probably about that age now. So you've got many more years of... lovely dog than you were bargaining for. Excellent. Munch is a bit of a play on Munchkin because he clocks in at £115. That is...
So much dog to be bargaining for. He's a big boy, says Michaela. People talk about German Shepherds as either show line or working line. But we say Munch is a leisure line. He's a man of leisure. His idea of a good day is sitting on our stoop in the West Village in New York City. God, that sounds good. And watching the world go by. Lots of naps and then stopping by the local lesbian bar, Henrietta Hudson.
We had an incredible experience with Pam. It sounds like we went in. We didn't because Pam thought she couldn't go in. Could she... she'd be mobbed. Yeah. And I hope that she'd be right in that assessment. Pam Driver deserves to be mobbed in Henrietta Hudson. If you see Pam, mob her. Yeah. Stops by the local lesbian bar. Didn't know Henrietta Hudson's was dog friendly.
That's a revelation. He goes there every night for a treat and attention from the women in line. What a life. Munch is living. Wow. And he's a sucker for female attention and would love to make himself available to Catherine. Hello, Catherine, for some pats next time. The podcast is in the West Village. Offer accepted. Munch. And Michaela, that is a done deal. Thank you very much indeed. That's all absolutely fantastic. Hello to Phoebe, my mascot. Big day for us today, Phoebe.
Laura Siegmund, she's my gal. How many points did you end up with? 120. Oh, I hate this game. David's made sweeping changes to the scoring system. Don't hate the play, I hate the game, David. It's only day four. David has Maisie. The points continue to trickle. They keep... rolling in Maisie we keep getting everything right but we've probably got to push the boat out a bit and Matt and Thierry Champion how did you do today
We got points. Yeah, we got some points for Kostiuk in two. Oh, very good. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff. And Matt, we have some shout outs. We have Carolyn Leap. Hello, Carolyn. Hi, Carolyn. And Carolyn would like to give a shout out to her daughter, Katie. Aw, hello Katie. Yay. Carolyn says, watching tennis with her makes it so much more fun. Aw. Isn't that nice?
That is very lovely. Do we know anything else about Carolyn or Katie and or Katie? I believe they're in Maryland. Home of Pan Shriver. Pamela Howard Shriver. Pamela Howard Shriver. Katie like Katie Bolter who won yesterday in a very close match. Yes, watched on by Alex de Menor. They've scheduled them a bit further apart tomorrow, haven't they? I wonder if that was by request.
Maybe we'll ask. That is lovely, Carolyn. And hello to you and hello to Katie. I hope you're enjoying watching the Australian Open together. We've also got Barbara Mann. Hello, Barbara. Hi, Barbara. In Ontario, Canada. Lovely. Like Barbara Potter. The player I used to mistake for Pam Shriver. She's come off a few times. Are we going to get Pam into every shout out? Pam's really not happy about that.
She's having a tough time, Pam. She doesn't need Barbara Potter coming up again. It's happened now. What else do we know about Barbara? That is all we know. Wow. Rock star. That's all we need to know. Thank you, Barbara. Thanks, Barbara. And finally, we have Richard Mill. Hello, Richard. Hi, Richard. Richard originally from Edinburgh. Like cry chick. Yes. But he now lives in Kent. Richard Mill, not Krejcik.
Edinburgh, well, this gives me a chance to do a second Champions Tour reference of the pod. Edinburgh, where I covered an ill-fated Champions Tour event where they had a roof custom made.
as well as sort of canopy roof to create a sort of rain rain cover but maintain an outdoor event lovely idea great big investment into said roof unfortunately rained not fall exactly vertically and it was precisely the size of the tennis court and when it started raining which inevitably it did because it was Scotland well the court just got very wet because The rain was coming in from the side. They couldn't finish the tour. Extremely embarrassing for everyone involved. But a lovely city.
and Richard's got a little anecdote Richard says I play tennis twice a week and with my good friend and fellow Scottish transplant Jerry at our local club. And it was at a party Jerry hosted last year that I met his friend Pedro, who is Matt's uncle. What? Which is correct. Epic. So a shout out to Jerry, please, but not to Uncle Pedro as it became clear during our conversation that he doesn't really listen to the pod.
Can you confirm that? I think that's right. He is big into tennis. I know that his sister is a big listener, so shout out Anna Maria. But Pedro, disappointing. That is an incredible shout out. I suspect he'll be listening to this. He'll be told about it. Hello, Pedro. Hello, Richard. Hello, Barbara. Hello, Carolyn. Hello, Katie. You're all absolutely epic. It's been an epic day. and we'll be back to rerun the fun tomorrow thanks for listening we'll speak to you then
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.