¶ Intro / Opening
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🎵 Music
¶ French Open Day 10 Start
Hello and welcome to the tennis podcast on day ten of the French Open, the first day of quarter final action and the first day of rain here at Roland Garros. The heavens have been intermittently and very dramatically opening here in Paris, which may or may not be a pathetic fallacy, because Matt Roberts' current mood is low. Send hugs. Through the ether to Matt Roberts.
Yeah, the news I've been dreading arrived about half an hour ago.
What news was that?
One of the most important men in my life has has left me. Marco Silva for the manager. We've had five great years.
Gone to sunnier climb.
He couldn't unmute the um Marco Silver farewell video that the uh Fulham official count account put out'cause he didn't feel emotionally prepared for the the sad music that they might have put with it.
I'll watch that in a few days.
One is stronger.
Mm. Uh we are coming to you here in part one, folks. It's around about six PM, six fifteen. Night session is Still to calm. Laura Siegmund is actually doing her best to delay the night session. She and Edouard Roger Vasselin have been drafted in to fill intentionally blank.
Uh or else we would be recording this on uh in our usual lovely spot on Chatray. But no. Uh we are coming to you in part one from the area, the place where David loiters with his microphone on Media Day, which Feels quite a long time ago now, doesn't it?
Remember the boy?
We've lived a lot of lives since then and Media Day was a time when some of us I don't think there's any need to name names, didn't have Martha Kostiuk in our mix for this time.
¶ Marta Kostyuk's Remarkable Journey
That is how long ago it feels because I'm not sure anybody is more in my mix for this title right now, than Marta Kostriuk.
Yeah, she is delivering on all the promise really th of the last few months because So interesting, isn't it, that she came on the scene as a fifteen year old, which always makes me anxious when somebody's that young playing professional sports. And I and I I mean, I haven't talked to her in depth about it, but I'm not sure that was the best thing for her really. Um her development and it's taken a while, it's taken ups and downs.
And the last couple of years we've seen clear strides but then this year I w I go back all the way to that tournament in Brisbane where she was just beating top players like Jessica Bagula and just knocking them. Um she had the injury problem at uh at the Australian Open and then came back out after a a pi a period of time out and won that Madrid title. And it was just always gonna be so fascinating to see whether she could bring that in here.
Um and it it has taken a while for her to reach her her peak form, I think, and get comfortable on the court and she seems to have got into a really good mindset of
Of sort of not getting involved in the conversation and really doing that compartmentalization of next match at a time, next point at a time. But today against her compatriot, the favourite for the match, you would think even even despite Kuschuk's form against Sviontek in the previous round, Svitolina is just so bankable these days that I think a m m a lot of people would have had Svitolina as the favourite for the match.
But Koschuk showed a gear today that she has that is right at the top of the game. I think it's up there with Sabalenka, Rebackina Schwontek when she was at her best, you know, it's get in there. If it's not there, it's get in there. Uh sp particularly Catherine, the that that finish, the last few games.
¶ Kostyuk's Surge Against Svitolina
Right.
A search.
Cost you.
It was a surge, TM, those last few games from Kostiok. Uh at three o'clock in the morning last night when we just got back to the flat and we were waiting for our pizza to be delivered. It's that time of the f tournament folks. Does what he always does, last order of the day, uh he requests a prediction for us for the newsletter for the following day, and I was wrestling between Kostuk in two and Svitolina in three. I just thought I I thought Kostuk had the level to win this match.
But I thought once Svitolina gets her teeth into something, you know, we talked about her slow starts, her relatively slow starts a couple of days ago, but I just thought once she got her teeth into this match be a dog with a bone and be impossible to tear away from it. But I I didn't know that Kostiuk had a surge T M like this. I mean it was breathtaking tennis when she most needed it to leave like Cym-pe-t-i-t-i-f-i-f-i-f-i-f-i-f-i-f-i-f-i-f-i-f-i-f-i-f.
For dust like that was a sight to behold.
It really was. The match was playing out, I think, as I had expected, really. started the better. We've talked about some Svitalina slow starts, but then Svitilina did get her teeth into the match and did manage to find the aggression and and the zone that she's got in over these past few weeks and started taking over the rallies and playing on her terms in the second set and it was one set all and right there and then I probably would have thought Svitolina in three, the way this is going.
And the start of the third set was like tension overtook the entire occasion and match, you know, it's a very emotional match for both of them. I think playing playing a fellow Ukrainian on that stage, they both knew the importance of it. And we had four breaks of serve at the start of the third set and it was like no one could really just break through. And I thought we were gonna be in for a tussle right to the very finish line.
So it was two all and about ten minutes later it was six two to cost you. She just found a level that I didn't know she had, even from everything we've seen this year. I think this was the best passage of play I've ever seen from her. She she started it with a reflex volley off the neck cord. winner. Like Svitalina's passing shot hit the net cord and Costiot had to make a in the split second adjustment and hit it for a winner. And it was like that just broke it open.
¶ A Champion's Mindset Revealed
She barely lost another point. She held serve twice after that, very convincingly. She broke another time as well. And what I found fascinating was her quote afterwards. on court where she said she was asked about, you know, kind of what happened at two all, how did you go on to then win it so convincingly? And she said, what I was thinking was, how do I want to play if I want to win the tournament? I got chills when she said that'cause I was like, wow, you weren't even thinking about
Winning this match, you were thinking about winning the tournament? Like And she just found this yeah, whatever you want to call it, surge, flow state, zone and it was remarkable to just wrench the match from Svitolina's control. and take it. I was in awe. I was a bit lost for words actually, sitting on Chatrier in the in the moments that passed. It just happened so quickly with so much to take in. It was amazing.
She's riding she she's walking that incredibly fine line of limiting pressure and expectations and not getting ahead of ourselves herself while also clearly feeling herself and being prepared to make statements like that, revealing that she is thinking of herself in terms of a A potential winner of of this title, which I certainly am, David, even with a potential Sabalenka matchup in the final. During the latter stages of this, I was thinking, you know, look, I I'd
I wouldn't write Svitolina off against Sabalenka, but I I fear for her in that matchup, even peaking Svitolina at that matchup is really tough. This Kostuk against Sabalenka, not to get way ahead of ourselves. Uh but I would give Kostuk a decent chance. A really decent chance.
Yeah, I mean something Pam said to us just after the match was that what Kostiukes managed to do is get her head out of the way and let her athleticism rule for her game. Very cocoa goth, isn't it, in terms of being able to fall back on incredible athleticism. In fact not even fall back on it, use it as a weapon.
And Kostiuk's got plenty of puncture firepower herself. We see that with her return position. I think her forehand has improved a lot. That used to be a bit of a weakness for her, but it's got a lot better. And yeah, if she were to play Sabalenka, she's pushed her in the past. They've had some tight sets, I remember.
But this new costure you feel like would have a genuine shot of also being able to not only absorb what Sabalenka's got but also her her look, I would still make Sabalenka the favourite. I think the tennis we saw last night From Sambalenka, I remember c coming out of that match and saying to David, Well, that tennis is winning the tournament if she keeps it up. And I would stand by that.
My goodness Costic would have a chance if she if she can find anything close to this level that that she had in the last period of the match today.
She's got so many different ways to to win points. There was a period uh in the towards what was it mid first set or was it early second set, can't quite remember, but the wheels weren't coming off for Kostuk, but she was hitting some rapids. errors she which she'd she'd had a a lot of returns from being sh a lot of Positive results from being very aggressive early on, and then she started to miss those very aggressive shots. And David and I kind of both said she needs to just.
Rain it in a bit here, put some margin on the ball, hang in some rallies, just give herself time to find the feel again. And she did that. She did did that'cause she can as you said, fall back on a her athleticism and that heavily top spun forehand which really reared up on on Svitolina and I think was was very effective.
today and you know, once she'd steadied the ship then she went into foot on the pedal mode again and you know, making ridiculous reflex volleys mode again and all of the other various modes that are a available to her when she's Feeling it and and confident.
Mm. The great unknown is how she handles the moment from here because she's just never experienced it before. Um and there's no telling until it happens. Uh and that's the thing if she does I mean look, she's still got a uh quite an obstacle and we'll come on to talk about who it is uh to get through in the semifinals, but if she if it was her and Sambalenka in the final
such an aura that is in your way and such an occasion. It's such a grand thing, isn't it? I mean Koschuk hasn't even had a night session where she's been separated from the rest of the tournament and had a big build up. So those things are are down the track. You know, she's got to get there first. But I think today was also a big
She's playing kind of one of her idols in a way, or somebody she respects and reveres in Alina Svetilina. I think all the all the Ukrainian athletes, I mean not o not only tennis players I think generally really respect. Alina Spitzalina, but younger Ukrainian player. Can't say enough good things about Svitolina and they know how good she is. So to s sort of stare her down, take her on and beat her, I think that's already a big test passed.
¶ Kostyuk Dedicates Emotional Victory
It was an incredibly emotional moment in the stadium after the match when Costio. She got asked the question by Marion Bartley and she just wanted to take a moment to say that they've been a very difficult night again in in key And with lots of people had lost their lives and she said, I give this match to the Ukrainian people and their resilience and she thanked Svitolina for her impact on the Ukrainian people and Ukrainian tennis and there was a very long
Standing ovation, round of applause for that. It was it was very emotional in the stadium and yeah, for them to to play a match of that quality, you know, with such with such weight on it like that, you know, really in awe really of of of both women.
¶ Andreeva's Dominant Quarterfinal Win
Absolutely. Yeah. What a match. Loved it. Kostjuk to face Andreva, Mira Andreva. in the semifinals in a couple of days time and Drava playing a very different match, six loves, six three over Saronica Steyer in fifty six minutes. This was a A player that woke up this morning and admitted in press afterwards that she had flashbacks to her quarter final match here last year, which was
an absolute nightmare for her. I imagine she has genuinely had nightmares about it since that day a year ago under the roof. I think that was the real sort of trigger point for her. The fact that the the roof has been closed today when she faced that Cacophony of
negativity directed towards her from the uh the baying French crowd supporting Lois Boisson. So she told us that she woke up having flashbacks to that day when she realised the roof was going to be on. And this is somebody that is suffered a lot over the last twelve months with recurring Moments and matches where she has seemed in control and something has derailed her and she's lost her head.
completely. That could have been the scenario today, I think, very easily. Caste is a a limited player. Those limitations were exposed brutally by Andreva today, but she's a bloody good player. And Andreva carved her up and didn't blink.
¶ Analyzing Andreeva's Peak Performance
Yeah. I I thought this was an extraordinary performance from Andrava from the the start. It's the first time I've seen a play like that. In a long time. We've seen her win matches, we've seen her play well, but I've often felt over the last You know, she's often often had to resort to a sliced forehand and she's she's good at doing it. She's a good enough player. But today, certainly in that first set, I thought we saw what Peak Andreva looks like.
And I'm not sure I've ever seen that before. Not quite like that. I've seen very, very good performances from her but She made it look easy. She when she's at her best, she she floats around the court. And the fact that she's wearing this particular Nike dress that has this sort of floating material like a figure skater you might imagine, just just enhances that feeling that
Oh, this is easy, you know, and she's just but when she's getting to the ball and she was getting to the ball most of the time with ease, if it was an attacking shot from Castair she was just absorbing it, getting back into the rally and then just taking it over.
And when she had the ball to be hit on the forehand, she was stinging with it. She wasn't trying to just get it back in court and float it deep. She was attacking with it. There was such confidence and conviction about the way she played. There was there was some lovely moments of Frankly, been a fraught exchange, even as close as they are. It's been it has been a difficult year. I mean, it's it's now a two-year anniversary.
from when I interviewed Kinsheeta just after she'd taken over that job. So it's two years, which is pretty long running in in coaching circles these days. But I think they're they've got somewhere. We still don't know what it looks like when when Andreva gets put under pressure and she may well get put under severe pressure against Kostiuk and or in the final if she gets there. God, it was a joy to win.
Absolute true.
I've just remembered a few weeks ago I did a big uh Marco Silva Conquita Martinez comparison, didn't I, on on one of the pods. That hasn't aged well. Conchita going strong still with Andreva. Um I I loved that moment as well. There was There was a it was a half volley that Andrava hit on the backhand side with two hands. She kept two hands on the racket, but she had one foot off the floor. And she hit it for a winner.
It was very Medvedev, wasn't it?
Totally.
Improvised.
completely the wrong position and yet still hit a winner. And Conchisa Martinez just stood up and had this beaming smile like a proud mum. I just absolutely
Expression was Did you see what I did then?
So great.
Which is my favourite tennis player reaction.
And you know, all the time we've spent watching Andrea for you know a few years now, I've been I suppose I have been waiting for it all to come together because you see all the options she has in her game. And today in this one map For sure everything came together. It was a dissection. Twenty five points to nine in the first set. In the match total, eighteen winners to four.
Andreva converted all six of her break points and and Costa only won thirteen percent of her second serve points. She was taken apart, and it was actually um Daisy on the barge wrote about how She thinks her favorite Andrava is an Andrava who is just carving someone up.
And I really related to that. I really enjoy watching her tennis when it's in that full flow. We've seen her involved in a lot of tense matches and we've seen a lot of stress, we've seen a lot of negative emotion directed at herself and that can be an uncomfortable watch. But an a a performance like this where Nothing phased her, even when Castair got a break back in the in the second set.
She wasn't phased by that at all. She just moved on and re broke. It was just a joy to watch and it you know, it was I was thinking that's what being in the zone is like.
¶ Semi-Final: Kostyuk vs. Andreeva
And then I saw Kostiuk finish the match the way she did and I was like, Oh, that's also what being in the zone can be like. We we saw it in back to back matches and for them to then meet in the semi finals, it is it's tantalising, isn't it?
Yeah, w excellent tennis dog to tennis player ratio in that semi final. Turns out Marticostwick has two Billy Jean esque dogs. I knew about Manda, was very familiar with Manda's work. A second dog popped up in the box today. Don't know who it is. I've got I've got serious questions to ask. I'm going to do some important journalism about it. Hannah has already dug into some...
some social media activity and discovered that the dogs are friends. Uh very into those those dogs. They've got a real Billy Jean quality about them. And of course, uh Mirandrova has Razzie. Think he's called Razzie, uh the burner doodle, who isn't here. P points deducted for Razzie not being present in the player's box, but I think Razzie might be a s significantly larger, sort of a logistically different kettle of fish.
to Kostuk's dogs. So I understand why you don't want to be dealing with those sorts of logistics while while trying to win a slam but Anyway, I I will look forward to seeing Marta Kostrick's dogs make a make a return. Um also two female coaches in that semi-final guaranteed a female coach.
I mean they all are just the fact of female coaches is is a good thing, but they are such positive representations of female coaches and dynamics between a female player and a female coach, aren't they? They are they're the sort of platonic ideal of it, seemingly.
Yes, and there was a great answer from Kostiuk in her press conference today when asked about the origins of of that coaching relationship with Sandra Zanivsko and she talked about how they had a practice week together and Kostiat was talking about how she kept she kept losing her head. She kept sort of really struggling in that practice week and previous coaches that she'd had might have responded to that by getting annoyed with her or asking her to
stop being emotional on court kind of thing. And she said one of the things she really liked about Zaniefska was that she just let her be who she is and didn't take issue with it during the practice week and then they talked about it at the end and she was like
Okay, she gets me, she understands me. We c this can be a really good coaching relationship going forward and I was out on court fourteen earlier in the tournament watching Kostiuk in a bit of a battle against Katie Volynets, you know, earlier in the tournament when the weather was so hot. and all the seeds were falling and Kostiak was coming in here as a favourite. She was struggling and Pam was out there and was observing the coaching box and was just so taken by Zanichka's energy in that box.
But she's never panicking. She's reinforcing messages that that clearly she knows work for Kostiuka. So I think the dynamic seems to work really well off court with everything that they do in terms of preparation and what we talked about the other day with helping Kostiuk to to hold this level. But then also within Max's as well, I think she's getting good messages across. So it it just seems like such a brilliant relationship that they have.
A replay of the Madrid final. Will it look the same? Conditions very different here, likely to maybe be under a roof. Forecast isn't great for the next few day for the remainder of the tournament, really, the forecast isn't great. The roof is likely to be a factor.
My expectation would be a very, very close match.
And Madrid was Pretty close? Do you think it might even be closer than that? Might go to a deciding set.
I think so. I I I think Andreva is looking as settled as I've seen her and as confident and as A short. I I I do I do reserve the kind of opportunity to to see how she looks on the day because I still feel you don't necessarily know what she's gonna be like on a day and if something goes against her how she handles that. But Her game just looks in such great niche.
And I would expect the crowd to be with Kostriak. This Ukrainian element I think is is big and it it's something that the crowd seem to be very aware of and responding to and I don't think there will be specific negativity towards Andreva. She's incredibly young. She's still a teenager. But she is Russian.
um and for that reason I I would expect the crowd to be with Kosczyk and obviously there there there won't be a handshake here. It was very awkward in the Madrid final, exacerbated by the fact that it was a final and therefore there was a in this match now and Revis dealt with that a lot on tour, playing Ukrainian opponents.
But she has lost to Kostuk twice this year and that was something a stat that Kostuk had at the ready in her in her press conference, which was uh which was interesting. But uh
Just just on Andreva in terms of the environment and the crowd. If she's able to not outwardly show frustration. in front of this crowd, that would benefit her because I they do get a bit judgmental around here, don't they? If somebody Gets upset, they boo them, they whistle them.
I wouldn't last five minutes. I would have one little heart. And they'd be against me.
On your case.
And then you'd get it. It would be a tail spin.
And I'd have to come out. If I was your coach, you could come into the corner.
And then and then some podcasts will have a lot of fun talking about it and the scene set on top of it.
Funny it was.
Yeah.
Speaking of which, Laura Siegmund really is doing her best to mess up. Whatever plan the F F T uh had when they they moved her match to uh Chatrier. I think they'll just be done in time for Fonseca and uh Menshik to get on court on time but We shall see. We'll be back in part two to talk about that match and about Alexander Zvarov's win over Rafael Hodan. And of course part three will look ahead to tomorrow.
Say, friend.
🎵 Music
Routine. Those other name brand scents are as phony as a
Yeah.
I just want to send the kids to the grandparents.
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¶ Indoor Conditions and Men's Matches
Welcome back to part two of today's tennis podcast. We are now up in the media seats on Chatrier once again watching the court have its nightly watering before it's put to sleep. And boy do they water it. I mean this is not a sprinkle. This is this is a a dousing. Yeah.
Yeah, they kind of drown it. They create these huge puddles. This guy's been standing there with the hose. Well, for fifteen or twenty minutes already and he's only done about half of the call. It's amazing.
I would love to know what that guide does for the rest of the 50 weeks of the year.
My mind goes back to when I was on court with Simon Mathieu during the the heat wave element and a guy came out to do this and the crowd were going, spray us, please, it's so
Yeah, that was me, David. Thanks for exposing this.
And he did.
In uh in terms of the men's tennis that this court has seen today, for once at the French Open twenty twenty six. It was two straight set matches. Matches that were kind of mirror images of one another. Zverov's defeat of Hodar started out exciting and competitive and ended up a total damp squib, while Menschik's win over Fonseca that we've all just watched was
Frankly a bit of a disappointment in terms of a contest for two sets, but then finally caught fire in the end. Menshik beating Fonseca six four, six three, seven six, Verev beating Hodar six seven.
six one six three. I think I know which one you two want to start with. And maybe it's recency bias and the fact that the best of Menschik Fonseca came at the end, which was you know only half an hour or so ago and for half an hour that mat Kind of gave us a whole matches worth of excitement condensed into that short period of time, didn't it?
¶ Menshik's Electrifying Win Over Fonseca
Yeah, it suddenly became electrifying at the end and you had that feeling of possibility still. which I think Fonseca does give you. I think this tournament this year has given us because the number of times Two Sets to Love Down has ended up in five and a half hours. Um look, there's part of me that was thinking, please don't go five and a half hours tonight. There's another part of me that thinks Bring it on because this is fun.
And Von Second was doing his level best to to extend this match, saved multiple match points, some audacious shot making, but he was also playing a guy who was matching him shot for shot in terms of the excitement and the So incredibly well. His serving, the n number of times he was coming to the net, he really did come forward a lot.
And and it was interesting to see how the conditions affected things tonight. Rufon Fonseca's forehand that was so explosive in the last two matches, it just couldn't get through the court. He was having to hit four forehands at full blast to get winners. Um Menschik seemed to find it easier to do that tonight. It was it was it was a really impressive performance from him.
Just before we get into your your tennis takes Matt, do you have anything to say about the fact that the roof was on this evening?
Disgraceful. I mean I really liked their roof policy the other day. I can't remember when it was, but we praised it, didn't we, that they had left the roofs off, there was a bit of rain and then you know, they just carried on with play. It was rain earlier in the day, it was definitely raining, you know. I even when the roof's on, people in this stadium still get wet.
Ha ha.
And that definitely happened.
Yes.
Uh but tonight, like honestly. It was a lovely sunny evening in Paris and maybe there was some rain in the forecast, but I don't think it came and uh yeah, we could have got that much in outside. you know, I guess they'll say we want them actually in the same conditions the whole time and to that I would say, Well, you've got to be very sure it's gonna rain,'cause otherwise you're putting it in the non conditions of the tournament and Yeah, it does annoy me.
And we'll never know how much it affected the match but I definitely think it favoured Yakub Menshik, just like it favoured Alexander Zverov in the earlier match, during which it it did rain quite heavily, certainly not throughout the match, but it did rain throughout throughout that match. You know, Menshik and Zverov are your textbook players. for whom being under a roof is going to be beneficial, right?
Yes, I think so, especially with the big serve as David's talked about. And honestly, like I just realised that I had totally overlooked men shit coming into this one. That I was was so caught up in the Fun secca of it all, as as Hannah is saying on the barge.
She's always trying to make something happen, isn't she? I do love that about something. She wanted uh s what was the sneeze pun she was trying to get off the ground the other day.
Yeah.
Ha ha ha ha.
It deserved a run out. There you go, Hannah. It's had it it's had its moment.
You will genuinely appreciate that. So yeah, I I had definitely was thinking about this match from a Fonseca perspective mainly and I I got up here in in the media seats at the start of the match and very quickly it became a kind of oh. I have misread this totally and yeah, in those conditions that we ended up having. Fonseca's game wasn't really able to make the impact that it had done in previous rounds, and Menschik was businesslike and clinical.
and I think spooked von Secur a little bit early on with his movement. he defended really well a couple of points and it's I sensed after that that Fonseca tried to go for the lines a bit too much and didn't quite know how to balance out his attack as he had done in previous matches, whereas Menzik was making big serves, he was
Hitting his forehand well. He's been doing that this tournament. It's generally his worst shot, but I think the clay gives him a bit more time on the ball and he connects with it well. His backhand is rock solid and Fonsecka was probably going into that wing too much. And Menchik was making so many returns as well, putting constant pressure on and then he was coming forward and he just had he just had the full package really, Menschick in those first two sets, whereas Fonseca was
Pretty was a bit flat, you know, and couldn't really get things going. It felt like the match that maybe suddenly he he was thinking about of himself as the favourite compared to the previous two against Rude and Djokovic. There was just a different dynamic to it, and Menchik played on that and executed his game brilliantly and kind of smothered Fonseca for those first two sets. But
¶ Menshik's Resilience and Toughness
Then things did start to change at the start of the third when there's Menchik was clutching his leg and looked to be in trouble physically and I thought the match was gonna turn and I thought we were gonna see it develop into a four, five setup potentially, but it but it didn't.
Yeah, the atmosphere. the the temperature in here changed completely in the space of a couple of points, didn't it? It doesn't doesn't take much to to get them going. You know, the The Brazilians was were dormant volcanoes for for two and a bit sets and you know, give them a tiny spark and they they caught fire but honestly mansion was too good, wasn't it? I know this is very easy for me to say. Now and I wasn't picking menchic tonight and I have no I didn't say this to anybody.
No, you did, you said it to me. Yes.
I do think I had been thinking we'd been sleeping a bit on how good Menshik is now.
Yeah. You mentioned that you thought mencics tough and like would be a A tough out for Fonsec.
And he is tough as nails and I think the hesitation we've had had over him before is a very chonky forehand. I don't think look it's uh the backhand is is the money shot for sure. I don't think the forehand is particularly shonky anymore.
It looked better tonight than when incidentally I saw him play a long match, long three cent match against Alexander Zverev in Madrid. Now obviously we're gonna get a repeat of that over the best of five. It definitely looks a weak wing, relatively speaking, that night. You know, you could y you'd got two players very similar against each other.
But yeah, he his determination to go forwards, I often think this about Coco Goff, helps the forehand. It kind of puts him in the court rather than just trying to trade. You know, he's moving his body weight forwards and y he seems that much more confident. I think the other doubt I have ab uh about him is his physicality and and the fact that he's faded in these long matches in the past.
He has the powers to revive himself from the dead.
Well, yeah, he is the undertaker.
Peter physicality do you want from this man? He was in a wheelchair six days ago.
Pretty awesome.
And and yet that is also exactly why I was worried about him. Crowd of medics around him when he was writhing around on the floor in pain and he left the court in a wheelchair. This was this tournament. And then he then after that He played a four setter and then he played a five setter in which he had a physical fade in the third and fourth.
Totally dead against Rublev for a couple of sets.
So coming into this I'm thinking, well it's quite likely that he's gonna run out of gas or have some physical issues. So I'm I'm trying to reason with with past self of why I was overlooking mennonship, but I do think that was part of it. But what I've never doubted about men's shit, ever since I saw him beat Djokovic in two tiebreaks to win the Miami final. He doesn't shit himself. He doesn't shit on his pants. And even the way he closed out Yannick Sinner earlier this year in Doha.
cold. He he has that ability and we saw that at the end tonight because even as these match points kept coming and going and Okay, he probably could have done better on the first two. He missed a forehand on the first one. He missed quite a difficult smash on the second one, but it would have been if you hadn't won this match, it would have been the sort of shot that you would have thought about.
But Von Secke was coming up with brilliance. He so volleyed von Secker on to save one of the match points. It was bold, it was brilliant, and yet Menzik was unfazed by it. He kept just doing the right things, creating more match points. And when he got into a tie break, Part of me was wondering how is he gonna play this tie break, but I think part of me also knew that he'd be fine, and he was. He got that serve going, built a lead, and then closed it out. And that's a quality I knew he had.
¶ Zverev vs. Menshik Semi-Final Preview
But he really displayed something with the way he worked through those physical issues and yeah, his his his powers of endurance have have impressed him.
And i if he is to have a shot against Zverev in the semifinals in in two days time well three days time, they get two days off now this side of the draw and that could be critical given what
Matt's mentioned about how uh Menshik was clutching at his hamstring kind of early stages of the third set. If he is to challenge Zverev, that ability not to shit himself I know this is damning by faint praise, but winning a tennis match is winning a tennis match, and Alexander Zverev has a remarkable ability to make opponents shit themselves.
Yes.
Ha ha ha.
Sorry Mum.
Yeah.
I love it when I'm not the one to break burst the dam.
Um no. Look it's um It it's been the feature of Alexander Zverev's tournament that he's played people who he's just been able to use as experience against. And he's played v some really good stuff as well. I mean, not all the way through matches, but he's built into them and and he's sort of got to a certain stage where he's asked questions that the players he's up against can't answer. And the interesting thing will be
when he's playing a completely different type of player, somebody who on his game will look after his own serve in exactly the same way that Zverev will. And it almost be like this staring context. where they're trying to make the other one look away and and just flinch a little bit. Um and I just hope Menchik is able to to do his do himself justice. Uh regardless of who wins the match, you know, it'd be a shame if he were to play him and
either be physically impeded or freeze a little bit. Um I and tr I I can't I did watch all of their three set match in in Madrid And he got into a state on his serve where games were flying by for s for Menschik. He was winning one after another love service games. But I think he might have got broken early to lose the first set.
You know, it's that and that sort of thing has happened quite a lot with Sverev this week. In other matches, he's gone behind. We'll come on to talk about the Hod one today. He's gone behind and he's had to sort of soak up the punishment a little bit from these exuberant young players. And then he just takes over. So It does make it all tantalizing. I mean, uh regardless of uh of of the sort of disappointment uh Alcras being out and Djokovic not being here and Sinners situation, we're in this.
This just mousewatering position of having people trying to do it for the first time and we don't know what's gonna happen with them yet.
¶ Hodar's Challenge Against Zverev
Did Hodar shit himself today or did he not have it in the tank?
I don't think he did. I think. But look he did He did what he hasn't been able to really do for most of the tournament is come out and find the Barcelona and Madrid for to five two, he was he was deadly. Really. He went ahead. He could at one stage I thought he was going to close the set out six two, you know, or or or even more widely, um, because he was having the better of the baseline rallies.
he was s returning the serve and he was just if the ball was there to be hit, he'd just put it away. Um but yeah, he serves for it he serves for it at five three. He doesn't take the chance, frankly. I mean and part of that is because Verv puts a lot of returns in, puts them deep, asks questions, and if if there is a sort of did he shit himself moment, yes, he didn't manage to
hang in there th when it when he's when he's on his own serve. And and we have seen quite a few runs of games from Hoddar this week where it's suddenly gone away quickly. That I suspect is partly fatigue. Um, it's partly in inexperience. I do think there are some Some issues with his game, some quirks that the better players like I think Zverev realised a couple of things. If he puts him in certain positions he d he doesn't like it.
Um so the but he's he's nineteen. You know, it's un unbelievable really what he's managed to do. Um but Zverev just got incrementally better and by the end of the first set and early in the second set he was sort of slow arming the ball over the court. Looking like he's not trying to hit the ball hard on his forehand and it was flying off the strings. It was a little bit like Djokovic when he finds his timing. So I think Zverev's now playing serious ball. Um and he's gonna take some stops.
Yeah, I agree with that. I had a I had a similar read on this one. form has improved quite quickly when he's like got the crucial break back. He's just got a bit got a lot more confidence, started hitting the forehand better, and which is such a barometer for the Zverev game.'Cause the backhand pretty much is always always there. Um yeah. And look I do have Still the endurance physical concerns about men shit going into that one. Like and I know
you know, he like he used to have a really poor five set record, he kinda still does in his in his grand sam career generally in terms of how he plays in a fifth set. And maybe there have been times where that has been nerves, you know, I've talked there about how convincing he looks in big moments.
There probably have been fifth sets in his career mentioned where he has got nervous and tight, but I've always thought it was also tied to physicality. And as he's physically fading, I think that's when he loses the clarity of thought and the focus. If he's physically fine, I would back him in those big moments against Zverev to at least bring in. But I do have then the physical concerns. So I d I don't know if that leg's getting better in the like you might be able to manage it even
Yeah.
He has, but is that enough to if he's got a little niggle there or something? Could have been a bit of cramp, but like I'll go back to it. He was in a wheelchair not that long ago. It's just I I have this feeling that everything might just catch up with it.
And if anybody's gonna ask him a heck of a lot of questions physically.
Totally.
It's fair if he's so solid.
One thing's for sure he needed it done in straight sets tonight. Yeah. If he is gonna have a chance, that was that was big.
¶ Zverev's Strategic Path to Victory
That was big, I think so. Um yeah. So again we're in a situation where Zverev, I think, can You know, h he could come out and play more aggressively. and try and win that way, but I think there is also a route for him to go back into the mode that he likes the best and try and extend it and prey on that. potential physical vulnerability. He's just he's in a good place here, as a very of,'cause he's got, I think, different ways that he can win these matches. Whereas when he faces
Sinner or Djokovic or Alcaraz, we know that he needs to step it up and that that pressure on him to play more aggressively he's not responded well to in the past. But in this situation, even though he's the favourite and there's pressure on him I just have the feeling that he can he can manage these these matches kind of within himself.
He's very used to dealing with this kind of pressure and handling it very well from these types of players. the players that are better a than him, that he struggles with. Like it th there's been a very clear problem for Alexander Zverev. I know he's had some, you know, losing to Ar Arturindaknesh moments, but basically When it's mattered m most when he's been in peak form, he's run into the best.
And I still think they are better than him. But he has no he's never really had issues dealing with the pressure of players that aren't as good as him. And that is That is where we are really, isn't it? And I do think there are players left with a higher top level. Maybe just one. Fluffy, hey.
Well
But he has a tendency to shit on his pants. So I think Zero is sitting pretty pretty.
think the thing with Flavio Caboli is he's electrifying. So It's exciting to watch it. You you've got to remember the s the importance of the serve though.
And both Menschik and Zverev have a serve that Flavio can only dream of. You know, and they'll just r race through service games and it might not look fun and exciting and impressive qu in quite the same way, but it's so effective. Um I th I think the interesting thing with the with Menshik is that he's just so similar to him and he could he could force a bunch of tie breaks.
I mean there's other things that Zverev has on him.
I don't know. I I I do think it's very easy to underestimate how good Running forward. He so often dinks it cross court effectively. He m I don't he's got a brilliant drop shot by any means. Some of them look terrible in fact. Some of them are some of them are okay. He's trying to do But I mean, part of touch to me is what happens when somebody hits a big off forehand to him and takes him a mile out of court and he's able to put it on a dime on the baseline. Um
You you you you kind of either have to uh take him out of his comfort zone, and I actually think Caballi could do that if he was absolutely on his game. I think that's a good thing. Maybe Oj al Yassim could with his forehand game, we saw it at the US open, and maybe Menshik can just by The relentlessness of his game. And you are right. I mean he does I think he showed me tonight touch that I didn't know.
Certainly in the full court, yeah. From the back of the court, there's you know, there's different types of touch, but from the fore court I was so impressed with Manchick tonight.
Yeah.
It stood up the touch when he was nervous as well. So often that's the thing that goes, or one of the most obvious tells at at being nervous, but it was always there.
Look at the match point. He he played this drop shot from second sort of counter drop shop to him and then he just sort of flicked it cross court, didn't he? I didn't I didn't really know he had that in him. I w really wasn't the shot I was expecting him to play, and it caught Fonsec a little bit flat footed. It was a lovely way to finish the match.
He doesn't look like a player that's gonna have any subtlety to him, does he?
Nah, I...
to his benefit, he's got a real kind of imposing presence around the court. He steps out there and he looks like someone that's gonna bully you and he can bully you with his tennis. So It's then a quite a surprise when that touch comes.
Way quicker than I thought across the course too. I think the one maybe the the one biggest difference between him and Zverev is he wants to go forwards a lot, Menschy. He's not like a s an out and out serve in Rollier, but he did do it quite a few times today. And if he hits a decent serve, he's often coming in on the next shot. Um i I think he'd hit twenty he'd gone to the net twenty times in the first two sets.
Okay, well that semifinal will be in a few days time. The second semi final will be decided tomorrow and in part three we will look ahead to tomorrow's order of play.
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¶ Tomorrow's Quarterfinal Schedule
Welcome back to part three of today's tennis podcast, Musquetera of the Day, making a triumphant return because filling the intentionally blank slots on Chatrier tonight, uh as we mentioned in part one, Edouard Roger Vasselin and Laura Siegmund, they get Musketeer of the Day not only for winning their mixed doubles quarter final, uh seven six seven five over Desiree Kravczyk and Niels Kubsky but also for successfully uh holding up the night session only by a few minutes.
But I just know that that will have brought Laura Siegman satisfaction.
Absolutely.
She inserted herself into the nighttime proceedings. You go, Laura. Assisted ably by Edouard Roger Vasselin, who wins. Yeah. Eighty years of age combined.
Ha ha.
David guessed seventy two, which was very kind.
I did not know that Laura Sigmund was thirty eight. Had no clue about that.
Uh tomorrow's order of play, folks. What have we got? More quarterfinal action is what we've got. You will be surprised to hear that it is the two women's matches up first on Chatroe tomorrow. I know. Try and uh stick with us while you process your disbelief at that, the first match of the day on Chatri starting at eleven AM. Anna Kalinskay, the twenty second seed against the unseeded qualifier, Mayak Falinska. From Poland.
between Arena Sabalenka and Diana Schneider, first seed against twenty fifth seed. Then it's the men's matches starting with Felix Auger Eliasim against Flavio Caboli, fourth seed against tenth seed, And finally, in the night session two, unseeded Italian Mateos Berrettini against Arnaldi. And I suspect. that all other things being equal, they might have preferred Auger Le Sim Kaboli in the night session, but I I rather think that Arnaldi's finish time last night left them left them no choice.
¶ Men's Quarterfinal Match Predictions
Yes, I agree. I think I think they've made the right choice there in terms of fairness. Arnaldi, did you see this stat has spent the most time on court ever in a slam by someone g to get to the quarterfinal stage? Wow. And he's he's beaten the previous record. By almost two hours.
Oh my god.
Absolutely wild. You know, like all of his matches, I think his shortest match has been about three hours twenty. You know, he's had a tough draw, you know, he played Greek spa, sitzipat, Polignon Tiafo, you know, like these are all guys that he can't beat easily, clearly. Uh but he's beaten them all and yeah, he's spent I think it's over over seventeen hours or
Ha ha ha.
I still think he might win tomorrow.
Well I mean Berrettini's spent quite a lot of time on the
Beratini's a bit like dog years. He sort of makes his sort of six hours feel like seventeen hours.
Yeah.
Yeah, we said at the end of his match against Surundalo yesterday he looks absolutely dead, but he also looks like he could probably carry on in this state for another three hours. That's that's Berettini's vibe. Uh do we see any upsets tomorrow? An upset would be Kalinska, Schneider, technically Kaboli, although the bookies do have him as the favourite.
in that match. So m maybe maybe Ugelia seems the upset. I don't know. Who who who do you think is the objective favourite for that, if you were the odds compiler?
I I think Argelia Sim logically should be the favourite against
Yeah, me too, actually. Well, partly because he's
Been there and done it.
And done it in a Grand Slam quarter final. I don't think there's much between them game wise. Really I agree with David's word about Kaboli being more explosive. But Orgel Yassim, I think, knows how to package his game perhaps better than Kabali does, you know, like he's
Fewer options but knows what to do with them.
Yeah, I would say so. I think that's very tight. I think it's hard to call uh go caboli because Well, I said caboli a few days ago and I'm not I'm not gonna back down now. Uh but very tight that one.
¶ Women's Quarterfinal Upset Potential
Who's a favourite in Berottini on Aldi?
That's a real
Take it.
Berrettini's been there and done it.
difficult to know what Analdi will bounce back like. I mean I wish I assume it'll be okay because he kept being okay somehow. Um Yeah, I think he will probably win on LD. I mean I've I've got a huge soft spot for Berettini. I also think his game I think I think Big occasion in here might help him if it i i his power may come to the fore. Oh I really could go either way with this one. And he might he might because he's the elder statesman, he may have a bit of a
a psychological advantage against an aldi. I'm t I'm talking myself back into veritables.
Actually.
By the way, it would be very special if Caboli and Berratini met in the semifinal, considering their
The Davis Cup.
Relationship.
And the the photo. Yeah. I would like to see that photo doing the rounds again. I do like
There's a there's a very nice big big brotherly vibe mm from Berettini to Caboli. So, you know, that that would be Lovely if they met in the semifinal.
But I also hang on, just just gaming that out, I would worry for Caboli shitting his pants in that scenario.
Then there's a high chance of that.
Just shitting on his pants, sorry. Uh
But in the women's I definitely think that Maya Kralinska could upset Kalinskaya.
Because she's been doing so much upsetting.
Yeah. Uh you know, I think Cannon Skyer likes uh likes rhythm, you know, like good, clean ball striking. She's not gonna get that. So I definitely think that's possible. She was also struggling physically in her last match, Callinskya and the one before. So that's an element So I think if there's gonna be an upset In the women's tomorrow it's that one because I just see no way that
Tough, isn't it? Tough to predict tomorrow. I need a banker. 'Cause I'm on a terrible run and there's only one available and that's Sabalenka and there's probably about four points for that. So
¶ Listener Shout-Outs and Mascots
I've got some big decisions to make, folks. Uh let's say hello to Bashir. Uh Bash, we have a Goodness me, that's an intense gaze. Uh Bashir says we're getting to the serious end of the tournament. Or actually Vicky says we're getting to the serious end of the tournament. So here is Bashir being appropriately serious. This has a this cat has a face. For every moment.
Thank you.
Truly. Yeah, I'm feeling a bit intimidated by this range of facial expression. Uh incredible. This this cat should be a cat actor. Elise, sign him up. That's a thing. There are agencies. Might or might not have Googled it during the pandemic.
Ha ha ha.
Pet agents are a thing. Oh yeah. It's a it's a David, it's a big industry.
Blimey.
Yeah.
Hello, John.
I just don't know about it'cause Catherine handles all of Billie Jean's affairs herself.
Yeah, that's right.
Oh she was ill today. Yeah, it may may or may not have just been a a very uh elaborate ruse to get high quality chicken out of my brother. It always works. That's why she keeps drawing it. Uh hello to our mascots. Hello Bodie. Hello, Maisie, and hello Roger. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff. Matt, let's have some shout-outs.
We have nens.
Hello Nens.
Who is from North Hearts, which Vicky says is near me. Yes. And then says, Can I shout out my beloved wife Jill, a tricksy lefty South African who gives strong pliskova vibes.
A lefty pliscavat.
This is in Christina Bishop.
Yeah.
System.
Wow.
of Carolina and left handed and once once a sort of OG shooting star Prediction from me.
It's one of my favorites.
Folks, you think David's Pronseca prediction was bold?
I one said I reckon the the Plishkova sisters could both reach a grand sum final. Christina then retire. She o she had one mention of that and she retired.
Yeah.
The great what if had she not retired.
Yeah, I could've been right.
Yeah.
Uh Nens. That is that is lovely. Jill like Jill Craybass?
Yeah.
Don't think I'm gonna be able to do a Nens but I hope Nens that you will accept Jill like Jill Craybass and supplementary David's incredible pr blisk of a prediction. Thank you.
And then says we love your pod almost as much as our lurcher loves chasing tennis.
Oh lovely. And they do love a chase.
We also have Matt Rilo from California, but originally from Helsinki, Finland.
Right man. Like Mat Futterman.
Matt Robert.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
放我
I feel like my life is just f filled with Matt's and David.
Yeah.
It is.
I mean, yes, that's on film.
That's why you feel like
Yeah.
And I would suggest that it's all the better for
And Matt says I'd like to shout out my good friends and huge tennis fans, Jim and Diane. We go together to Indian Wells every year. And now that Jim is about to retire, we're definitely going to do the fan slam together as well.
Well, Diane like Diane Parry.
Musketeer the day.
Last musketer standing.
Yeah.
Jim Courier.
And Jim Parsons.
career twice a champion here.
Parsons in our predictions composition.
Potential champion in our predictions competition.
He's gonna have to go somewhere.
Also a half decent actor.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Uh hello to Jim and Diane and also
And finally we have Neil and Pat Roberts.
Oh marvelous
My parents.
Did you know they were coming?
They're always saying, When's our shout out? And I'm like, Vicky will have sent you a form. So they've clearly filled it in. Well they've written South Coast of England. That's where they are.
They're trying to re remain a bit anonymous there, aren't they? They don't want the Matt Roberts fan club
Yeah.
Uh yeah, they've been watching the tennis. Dad's been sending me lots of hot tape.
We always enjoy that.
Never misses.
always like them to be forwarded on to us, don't we?
Yeah. I think he knows that I like to forward them on. I feel like he's making them ever so slightly hotter as they as they go.
For technically.
Potentially.
He's gonna want his own segment like on the boat soon.
Yeah.
Um I last saw Neil and Pat in Melbourne. And my god they were a vibe.
They were, weren't they? Yeah. Looked really good on Mum and Dad.
Neil and Pat, thank you for Matt and thank you for being a friend of the Tennis Podcast.
And full of good takes.
Yeah, absolutely. Neil, Pat, Jim, Diane. Jill Nen. Thank you all for listening.
Thank you.
Welcome to the tennis podcast. We are part of the Athletic Podcast Network. Thank you for listening. We will speak.
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