French Open Day 11 - Sabalenka self-destructs in the wind

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Hello and welcome to the tennis podcast on day eleven of the French Open. A grisly day here in Paris, a day in which the weather has once again made itself a main character at this extraordinary Grand Slam, a major tournament which for the first time Since Roland Garros nineteen seventy seven will feature no Grand Slam champions in either the men's or women's semifinal lineups and that

is because of the shocking defeat earlier this afternoon of world number one Arena Sabalenka beaten from a set and five three up by Russian twenty-fifth seed Diana Schneider. was not a normal defeat. This was a total implosion from Sabalenka. She lost ten games in a row and twelve of the last thirteen. By the end of the match

She looked like she wanted to get off court more than she wanted to stay and fight to the bitter end. It was reminiscent of her combustion against Coco Goth in last year's final with similar windy weather conditions playing a part, but for me, Matt And David, this was another level of crash out altogether from Sabalenka today. Totally. Crash out, flame out, implosion, however you want to describe it.

And I just did not see this coming at all. You know, like the weather conditions were pretty consistent throughout this match, right? It was windy. And we know Sabolenka does not like wind. And even in the portion of the match that she was winning She didn't really look like she was having a lot of fun, like she was enjoying it. It was pretty unconvincing, but she had built that convincing lead. You know, double break up in the second set at four one, five three up, as you said.

For not to win another game after that was

so, so shocking, you know. Like I cannot tell you how little jeopardy they're felt in this one, right? Like the press seats up on Chatrier were more or less empty midway through that second set for the world number one because she was cruising and everyone was getting to know Maya Kvalin. in the press conference room who'd just won through. So that room was packed. Everyone was like, Oh, Sabalenka's got this

And it just unraveled from there. And Schneider applied quite a lot of pressure. Her resistance was great. She really found her forehand. She did a lot of things to Disrupt Sabalenka in this match. Bye. Basically, Sabalenka lost her head and stopped being able to find the core, quite frankly, the number of errors that piled up was extraordinary. And right at the start of the third set

There was a game on Sabalenka's serve at Love One, where she did have some resistance, she saved some break points, she put her arm aloft, there was some fight there. As soon as she lost that game, it all went and Mm. She lost the remaining four games very quickly and I was I was absolutely shocked. We have w we have now lost Cinna in this tournament from six three, six two, five one up.

He won two more games from that position and we've lost Sabalenka from six three, five three up, and she won no more games from that position. I mean, it is absolutely shocking what has happened to Sabalenka and Sina here. Like crazy. I c I I can't get my head around it. I I think what shocked me most about the experience of watching obviously the result

in itself is totally shocking. But the experience of watching it, David and I watched this together at the apartment you were here in the press seats on Chatriet was how little I believed that she was gonna come back from this. Like with Yannick Sin,

I didn't think it was likely that he'd come back from it, but even until quite near the end I was thinking but maybe but maybe I as you said, once she

w w w o other than that tiny bit of resistance at the start of the third set. She was rushing, she she wanted to get out of there. And that that's not lack of I I don't quite know how to put it because there is no doubting how much She wants to win how much she wants to win this title in in particular'cause she hasn't won it before and she wants to do the career slam. you know, how how much she dedicates herself to being the best she can be, incl including in terms of her competitiveness.

But all of that d drained from her body today. She wanted to get off that tennis court, David. It was It was like invasion of the body snatches. W I don't know what happens to her. Well to me it's about the line. With the with the weather conditions, with her inability to to just win,'cause she just expects to win. She expects to win quickly. Now.

Every time she's got the racket, she expects to win the point, really. And she expects to win now. As soon as she takes the ball in her hand for the serve, she expects to serve an ace. When she's returning, she expects to hit a win. And she's always living with that degree of frustration that it's not happening every point, but it's the right side of the line. It's what makes her all the more ravenous for the next point. And if you push her, she gets more down.

until such a point as she boils over and goes over the other side. It's about whether she can then pull it back. I've seen that a number of times where She's been sort of teetering and actually she's she's had it taken away from her and then her sheer fury at it all has made her hit the ball even harder and become even more dangerous. But we've also seen several moments, particularly when the crowd has been against her in the past, it's been the crowd

Often more than conditions, certainly in the US Open, which have just wound her up and the crowd wound her up last year, but also the weather did last year against Coco Goff. And Goff played such a clever match. gritty match to kind of draw her in and and and make it a misery.

This time look, I don't wanna take anything away from Diana Schneider. She talked about how she realized at five three down in that second set she'd got to hit out. She'd got to start being aggressive. She'd tried variety of a spin time. And it just wasn't making any difference. And it is really tough to to discombobulate Sabalenka.

Unless there are conditions like that. And the wind was v sending the ball veering off its trajectory and it wasn't consistent. It wasn't just one way to another. It was all over the place. And she was struggling to control it. The the drop shots that I'd bigged up so much a couple of days ago, she hit one wide.

you know, and sh uh, you never see her do that. She and then she missed a couple more and it's just it's just accumulating. And in the end, when she's in the third set and really behind It's like she's furious at herself for not being the best on the day. She can she can't handle it. Um and I I mean t I find that very relatable. I th I uh as an n not on a personal level, but I've seen it in athletes who just

They can't they just can't handle it. They the the the way it's going and then it gets worse as a result. You've got to be able to pull yourself back from the brink. Um and I found it very interesting that the thing she took away from last year after the loss to Coca Golf was I'm never ever going to talk about my opponent like that again and be the subject of this media storm and social media storm and get myself in trouble. I never want to be that sort of bad loser again.

And she wasn't today. She wasn't a bad loser. She she handled the press conference very, very well. But what she hasn't addressed is the reason you end up in that loss in the first place. And that's the next step. And she she did own that in the press conference. I've got to figure out a way to stop Losing these matches. And again, I know it sounds like she wasn't being on f she was trying to give credit to her opponent as well, but at the same time she knows.

such a winning position, you know, her opponent shouldn't really matter enough. situation. I thought she trod that line exceptionally well in the press conference of claiming responsibility for the defeat, not being disingenuous about how

much she felt it was down to her, but whilst also giving Schneider credit. And that's not easy to do in the context of what happened last year and how, you know, everybody in that room and everybody that'll see it on on social media and on the T V will have been analysing her every word for how generous she was or how fake she might have seemed. I thought she dealt with that. Brilliantly, quite frankly. Exactly as you say.

what she hasn't dealt with brilliantly is what led her to be in that position and on today's evidence the problem has got so much worse. I thought this was drastically worse than twelve months ago. Me too, because She was in such an overwhelmingly favorable position in this match. it wasn't a final, so it didn't come with that added pressure as well. I know obviously every match at a major tournament has pressure, but finals are are different. She wasn't facing Coco Goff.

And sh last year's final, as bad as it got, it never got losing twelve out of thirteen games bad, you know. She she kept losing it and getting it back together. It was the inconsistency of last year's final, how erratic it was. But we said it at the time, I don't think that final was as bad as Sabalenka thought it was, because there was a lot of good tennis in there as well. From both players. This one

Awful, honestly awful from Sabalenko in that deciding set. Like I said, Schneider did do things well. David Picked out that she upped her aggression, the forehand the forehand down the line started absolutely firing in particular. But yeah, it did feel like Sabalenka just just blew it and her footwork was terrible in the wind. She was in the wrong position to hit the ball a lot a lot of the time. And what's so frustrating as a observer and I'm sure for her as well playing, is that

She's added so much to her game over the years. She shouldn't crash out in this way. She does have some options now. Okay. Like she's n it's never gonna be her her plan A to just keep the ball in or use her athleticism. But She could do that. There was one like forehand slice that she hit, which was really effective at the start of of the third, but she hit it in an angry way.

It wasn't like a it wasn't like, Oh, this is now my tactic. It was just slashing at the ball as though sort of almost telling it to go away, you know. But it worked and if she'd tried a bit more of that, she might have figured out a whoop she might have spooked Schneider. Instead, all Schneider was facing was this. Unforced error machine getting pissed off down the other end. And yeah, the way she was talking in that press conference, she knows it.

She doesn't appear to have learnt much at all from last year's final when she started mentioning that She thought the roof should have been on. I just I just eye rolled at that and thought You surprise me. That is not the attitude to have. That's not the one that's gonna get you through these situations in the future. Yeah. The uh she she needs more humility about her game in these moments, right? Look at Coco Got. She doesn't care how pretty it looks she's

Sh I mean she's the ultimate she's the poster girl for winning ugly, isn't she? If sh if she needs to, she can g she can do pretty things too. But she's got no problem winning ugly. She got a trophy at the end of it. And I think Sablenka like

She'd tell you she's all right with that, you know, like anything for a trophy. That we know how much she wants all this, but in the moment it's like it doesn't occur to her or It's a perfectionism, you know, we know athletes struggle with perfectionism, but it is a weird it's a weird mental block. It's like if I can't do it this way, I can't do it at all. And there was a real like

Oh god, it's happening again. It's definitely gonna happen again. There's no point in me trying to resist this because this is what happens to me and it's definitely gonna happen again now. like a pig headedness and we we actually saw an example yesterday that we we commented on when Marta Kostiuk realized fifty nine plan A wasn't working the way she wants to play wasn't working for a bit. So she had to

Dig in. You've got to dig in at these situations. You've got to make the bloody court. You know, and even Sabalenka, I I mean, I think the problem she has sometimes in her mind is

she'll go back to kind of almost the one upmanship of the power game and sometimes that's come off for her. Remember when she beat Rebecca earlier this year and she was kind of L losing the match and then on match point she just slammed this backhand harder than I've seen anybody hit a backhand all year and she hit a line and she turned the match around and won. But that is low percentage stuff. I think when you're in a hole that she was in here, you know, this isn't like

borderline as to to whether you get match point or the other player gets match point in a tie break. This is when you've three love, four love down or whatever. You've got to you've got to stop yourself losing that set six love. You've got to get on the b'cause when she when she was in the f the sixth game in that third set five love down, forty love down, she won two points to forty thirty. And even then I thought, Cracky, if she could just win this game.

She could build something, she's still Arena Sabolanki. Spook Schneider, who's never been anything like this situation before. That's not the mindset she was in. She was in the sort of, yeah, I'm just I just want to thrash the ball around to take it out on the ball. The comments about the wind were very complicated and confusing, weren't they? Let's unpack the wind and the roof stuff. Because there are there are complaints and there are points to be made about

Right. proof usage here. And Matt Roberts is here to make them all, folks. But uh Sirenka's point today was incoherent and Yeah, confusing. I mean s so so she basically said w they should have closed the roof because the conditions were to quote Serena Williams, abhorrent, you know, and she said, Well they close we see them close the roof for th for the men here to ensure not because of rain, but because the conditions, you know, aren't ideal and to kind of ensure the quality of the map.

And and when she made that comment. She said it in a way that made it sound like she was talking about last year's men's final, that they had seen her final in those conditions. and the the conditions were the same the next day and they decided to close the roof, which is just simply not not true.

It's possible, if we give her the benefit of the doubt, that she's just mixing some things up in her mind and there have definitely been examples where It's been windy and grim outside here in Paris, but not actually raining. and the roof has closed. I remember it during the Alcaraz Mozetti m uh semi final last year, for example, which was actually before her women's final obviously. So it's possible that she's Yeah.

Yeah, it was a topic of conversation last year which she might have been aware of and that's sort of come into her mind today.

I mean, I'm not sure. unpalatable conditions for for the players or for the spectator. You know, Sablinka tried to s bring the viewer into it, didn't she? She was like, Well nobody wants to watch tennis in those conditions ever And I was like, I do. I love a hot mess more than anything Um so You know, that is a nonsense. Most of what she said today was a nonsense. However, I do have some sympathy. And look, I don't I I think even if she did have a point, I think it is um

counterproductive for her to be focusing on that regardless. Like that is not gonna solve your problem. Even if that was a factor today, that is not the whole lit of what happened Focusing on that w will inhibit you from solving your very obvious problem rather than than help. help at all. But I d j just to give her a tiny bit of sympathy. This is a tournament that has no benefit of the doubt in the bank in terms of it

It's equal treatment of female players over over male players. Why should anybody give them any benefit of the doubt on that where there are questions? And we have seen a lot of matches, mostly men's matches, where the roof has been closed. Today. The next match on court. before these women's semifinals today. Now I d I don't know what's going into that. I r I really don't. But I do know they care more about men's tennis than they do about women's tennis. Those two things I know.

Yes. Absolutely. So I don't think they're closing the roof just for men's matches. if you were a woman and playing in those conditions and seeing the way that you were being treated generally by the tournament think that and believe that and potentially make a case for that. Um I believe we have asked for a Statement from the tournament on this?

Yeah, I've been to the tournament and and asked them to explain how they administer the roof policy because the fact is I was in the stadium at the start of the the men's match. And the roof started to come across in the in the wall after the first set there. Um and it was just a little bit. Not necessary. I mean it didn't rain all afternoon. Every other court was being played out in sunshine. Didn't understand it.

Mm. And we should say Sabalenka did clarify in press that she hadn't requested she hadn't put in an official request for the roof to be on. It was just sort of Her view really that The match would have been better for Per and the spectators maybe if the roof had been off. I'm not sure she knew how windy it was gonna be. I there b there was significant uptick in the wind between the first and the second

I thought it was windy for the first match. Matt, you were out there, perhaps you can comment on this better. I thought it w looked windy for the first match but Really?

I thought Sabalenko perhaps made it look like there had been an uptick. To me, it it maybe increased a little bit, but we're not we're not talking Interesting. difference. It was windy in that version.

Ca can I just say a a word about something that Dina Schneider said in her postmatch interview on court, which really I mean it was a bit of a it was a totally n unintentional and I'm sure nobody drew Any parallels here maybe except me, but it felt like a bit of a burn really from Schneider that when she was asked how have you done it, she said by keeping calm.

And and by just sort of playing the ball and realising that the the c conditions are tough, I can't do anything about them, so I've just got to try to do my best to play the ball and keep keep it in and keep play well, you know? And really she was analysing exactly why her opponents had not won

I mean two sides to every coin there, but she handled it exactly how Sabalenka needs to learn in her own way. I know that every personality is different and Sabalenka's fire gives us something extra, but she She she needs to be able to be a d Diana Schneider in those situations. Mm. And Diana Schneider in tomorrow's semi final will fade.

Maya Kvalinska, she beat Anna Kalinskaya seven six six three, making it an eight match winning streak. Of course she won three in qualifying. She's won five now in the main draw. Obviously the name Emiraticanu is being uttered around these parts, particularly around our very immediate parts, because we're sitting on the British Row. And what do British journeys love more than anything? An Emma Radicanu's story photo.

There's you know, there's not nothing in that, is there? This is this has echoes of what Emma Radicani did, Matt. I thought I would never see it again and we're two matches away from something very, very similar. Um she she has dropped a set, has Maya Kralinska? Something that M. Radakanu didn't do. But even so, I mean the thing is Radakanu had had A good run at Wimbledon.

a few weeks before that US Open title run. Okay, it was still a total sort of fairy tale what happened to Radicano. I'm not saying anyone could have foreseen it, but while it was happening, there were these little signs that you could point to. Okay, she's had some good form, she's had a grand slam, big stage experience, etcetera, etcetera. That's not the case with with Maya Kvalinska, right? Like This really has come from Nowhere.

Today, when I saw those conditions, grey, windy, I thought that she might seriously be be able to trouble Callinskya, and that is what played out during the match. Fifteen unforced errors to forty seven. You know, like a huge difference in how they handled those conditions. And, you know, she plays with such versatility and dexterity and

different stroke production, all of which can handle the wind. You know, sh she hits high balls. We've talked about that ever since her first round win over Zhung Chin Wen that caused her a lot of trouble. They were a nightmare in these conditions. She hits the the low slice that can s get caught up in the wind and stop in it. That was a nightmare. And she built this five one lead.

But then Ken Skya got it back to five all in the first set and I did think, okay, maybe she's she's figured some stuff out and she's gonna take over with her power and whatever. But a bit like we've just said about Schneider in terms of keeping her head and managing the conditions. I think what Kvalinska did really well was exactly that, right? She she

It's her first time in this situation. We shouldn't take it for granted that she's just gonna play her game and play on her terms. But but she did. And she kept doing it and Drove Kanskaya back. Pretty insane actually with that game style. Like it was a nightmare to play against and she knows it. Yeah. That's what I love about it. She said in the press conference, I know my game is annoying. I loved that line. I did too.

Yeah, it was it was a great little line from her, wasn't it? Um yeah, and I really like her game. I I I love that slice and I love her game. It's very Very pleasing on the eye and a bit of a bit of a breath of fresh air. We had we had a good time watching it. Like it wasn't it wasn't the best match this, was it? Callan Sky, I mean for forty eight unforced errors in two two sets is

That's pretty brutal. But um yeah, I love that about her. Really, really loved that she knows that about her game and is prepared to say it and obviously that that fact in itself of it being an irritating game for opponent for opponents combined with the fact that pretty much nobody has played her before. She's you know, sh she'll She might never be as deadly with that game as she is right now when she's got got the novelty factor. I do feel like if she can continue to keep her head, big it.

And she's doing a tremendous job impressive, keeping a lid on everything and not talking about the big pictures, kind of saying, I'll deal with the big picture next week and process it all then. Right now I'm just in a salad spinner and just trying to be in the moment and and not do too much processing. But if she keeps her head, it is the sort of game that could kind of irritate anybody, I think.

Yeah, I think so. I I mean on paper I would have thought it would have got gobbled up by Sabalankre if she'd ended up playing against her. Of course she won't have to now, so her chances have just gone through the roof in that regard, although Diana Schneider, as we've seen today is an incredible

extremely good player, two lefties against each other will be absolutely fascinating. Um but ev even that, I mean now that we've seen what Sabalenka was like today, she could have caused her nightmares if the weather conditions had been But I think as well mentally Kovalinska is helped by the fact that To her the massive breakthrough was qualified.

That would have b you know, sh if she if she'd have lost first round, I think she'd have been still really pleased with her week's work. Uh m she said in a press conference that my goal really is to get into the world's top hundred.

She's 114 in the world at the moment. So she's smashed through that. No trouble at all. So it's all kind of upside. And that's where I think the comparison to Radhakanu is. You get this freedom I think when you've been at grand some tournaments for years, sort of getting to a certain level, breaking through the next Ceiling.

is really tough mentally, just even one stage, because you've known it sma imagine if Elisa Mertens was in this position, somebody who's who's a really good player, who keeps getting to third rounds, sometimes fourth rounds. Imagine if she then

was trying to get to quarterfinals and then semi-finals. I think she did it once many, many years ago, but these days it's sort of like the same pretty much every time. This is different for this player because she's so new. And She just carries herself as though I'm gonna enjoy this, I'm gonna make the most of this, I'm not gonna beat myself, I'm not gonna

Paralyze myself with with doubt and can with that with opportunity. It's I've already succeeded. And uh and then the whole story about Am I gonna have enough money to get an extra couple of nights in the hotel and all that sort of stuff that she told and said it with some some humour? She does have a hotel. She's not homeless on the streets of Paris. S a uh a Polish company stepped in. That's right.

Right. Yeah, so I mean it's one of those, isn't it? She sort of put it out into the ether and somebody was like, Oh Yes I I think it's oh she oh she I'm not quite sure. Oh yeah. We can sort that out for you. And now they've got a tennis podcast mentioned. There you go. We'll be getting some in the post before you know it. I don't know what they are. Are they postable? I believe actually it's very awesome. I b I believe it's um hydration. Okay. We do consume a lot of that. We do.

Um so, you know, she she's been sorted out there and as we mentioned the other day, you know, they get the money at the end of the tournament and she's gonna be getting minimum seven hundred and fifty thousand euros for reaching the semifinal. It's life changing stuff. She's also there's this little quirk I saw this uh John Wertheim tweeted it out. She's also her live ranking is thirty.

But the cut off for Wimbledon cut you know, the cut off for tournaments for en for entry for tournaments happened several weeks before the tournament. So She will have to qualify for Wimbledon unless she receives a wild card, in which case she'll likely be seeded. I don't think she will get a wild card because Lois Boisson didn't get one last year, did she? And it's at the moment it's a seeded

Well it's the same situation pretty much. Were to sh were she to reach the final, maybe that'd be different, but I suspect Wimbledon are gonna have Some interesting requests for wildcards this year. So She wins. Very interesting. I think she'll be off to Barbados if she wins it. Ha ha ha. Hãy subscribe cho kênh La La School Để không bỏ lỡ những video hấp dẫn

It's interesting Matt, isn't it? Like on one hand we're sort of making the Radicanu comparisons, which is this totally unprecedented thing at the moment. But looked at another way, there is a precedent for What Kfalinska has done at this tournament. Yes, here at this tournament, if you look at the last seven years

unexpected semi finalist in the women's draw has very much been a thing. Let me let me take you on a journey through those last seven years. Back to twenty twenty, when the weather at Roland Garros was much like today in uh In that October edition, cold, wet, windy, Nadia Podoroska. A hundred and thirty one in the world at the time made the semis. Truly the Aslan Karatsev of her time. Wonder what he's up to. Yeah. Then twenty twenty one, tomorrow's you dance.

was eighty five in the world at the time. I wish the listeners could see David's face. She played qualifying this tournament lost in qualies. Well, what about this one, David? Twenty twenty two Martina Trevi San. I saw Martina Trevisan play the other day in Rome. She got a wild card and and they they showed her ranking. I mean it was way down and she'd not won matches in months, you know, and she didn't win that one either.

Well she was a hundred and fifty nine in the world when she got to the semis here in twenty twenty two. Then we had a couple of years without that kind of player, twenty twenty three and twenty twenty four. Then last year Lois Poisson, three hundred and sixty one in the world. And now twenty twenty six, Maya Kvalinska, hundred and fourteen in the world. Like there is a little bit of a trend there and Yeah, it's hard to draw comparisons between them, but I do think there's something in

Certainly for Trevisan, Boisson and Kvalinska, you know two of them are lefties. Boisson was using a lot of off pace balls as well, like this this disruptor game, this this this awkward game. And I think Cannon Sky has kind of given quite a revealing quote in her press conference, very similar

To Sabalenka's quote about the wind, you know, Sabalenka's sort of talking about the wind in terms of I'd rather it wasn't there and it would all just go away. That's kind of what Cannon Sky is talking about in terms of Kralinska's game, right? She's like Well she only plays on clay. Let's see how it's gonna go when she gets on a hard court or a grass court.

I'm gonna take revenge on those surfaces. There was a kind of there was a kind of saltiness to it that oh well it's only happened because it's clay and that kind of thing and Maybe, but it's a perfectly legitimate way of playing and and getting through this tournament. And she's caused so many players problems with it. I think Sakari is probably the only one who actually did

get to grips with the game and got in a winning position. But then her own demons came in, Sachari, and we know how often she struggles from those sorts of positions. She must be kicking herself. Um but yeah, it It's an absolute why. semifinal. Schneider Kvalinska. I mean it was it would have been wild at the start of today. Ha ha. Yeah, one of those two is gonna be a French Open finalist. We'll find out who tomorrow, just before we end part one, I just wanna quickly go back to Sabalenka.

Do each of you think she will solve this problem? She's she's twenty eight years old, she has four major titles. I know if if if doesn't exist, but she would have more without this problem. I don't I I don't know which ones exactly. I don't want to discredit anyone else's grand slams, but this has been a significant problem in in her career at the sharp end of Snap the slams. Do you think it will always to some extent Hold her back a little.

from a a grand slam tally that she could reach without it, or do you think she will find a way to solve this? I I think there might be a m a middle ground to that, in as much as I think she will be accepting of the problem and try and really work and imp and I think she will improve it. Whether it will ever cost her huge matches again, I think is absolutely possible because I think it's difficult to completely

Take out of your game and your personality. But when I think of what she did with a surf when she had those terrible surf problems and she solved And the fact that she did self analyse a year ago when she said the thing she said and she didn't do it today. I think she Sufficiently chastened by what happened on that court today that she's gonna want to go back and watch it eventually. I think it'll be painful viewing for it. But I think she's got enough sort of self awareness and

realism to know that this wasn't just a bad day. This was her doing, really, I'm afraid. And she won't like that. And I think she will be big enough to want to go and improve it and will address I think it's pretty intranquous. I think it's I think it's pretty similar to that discussion about how something can be kind of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness. Like I think I think it comes from the same place.

as her greatest strength, which is the ability to dominate and the ability to play with such power and such ferocity. I it's it's what David talks about, the line. And I think it's always gonna be there. I think maybe she can get better at Having fewer of these, maybe, but I I'd be very surprised if we never saw This kind of thing again. I mean this was exceptional in terms of the extent of it. And just how drastic it was, as we've discussed, but

Sabalenka getting frustrated by conditions or not really being able to just calm down in some big matches. Personally I think we are gonna keep seeing that and That's not to say she can't still achieve everything she wants to achieve, right? In terms of

winning more majors and maybe winning even Roland Garrison Wimbledon. Like I still think she could have this problem and achieve those things. I don't think it's big enough to totally hold her back from all of that. But I would say right now she's won one of the past six majors, which, you know Considering her tour form, considering how many finals she's been in in that run as well, considering this opportunity is clearly the best player left in the draw.

you would have to say that in that period she's underperforming at these at these majors. And sh I think she would say that. You know, we we see how gutted she is. Um I don't know. I'm I'm not I'm not convinced that there's gonna be like a wholesale change to to how she is in these matches'cause I think it's I think it's pretty integral to to her.

It does feel like we're going through a period at the top of the men's and women's games where Achilles' heels are being exposed, doesn't it? Cinner obviously the heat and his body. Alcaraz injury, it looks like at the moment. Sabalenka these these mental meltdowns. Sriontek, this total loss of control in matches. It feels like I dunno, it feels like we're just seeing the kryptonite of these great tennis players and champions. It feels like we're just

seeing it in a very raw way at the moment. I mean it's compelling narrative narrative wise. I mean some sort of more compelling than than others, like injury is That's a bummer. Um and look, I don't you know, I feel for Sabalink with what happened today, but sure as heck makes things interesting, doesn't it? Like these these great dominant champions that have these these weaknesses that can cause them to lose from from a set and five three or two sets to love and five one.

Certainly keeps us on our toes, doesn't it? Okay, that is it for part one. We are gonna be back in part two to talk about Flavio Caboli uh and a shower anecdote. You've decided to quit smoking. That's a big step. But cravings don't always make it easy. Zonic can help.

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Welcome back to part two of today's tennis podcast on day eleven of this Absolutely Bonkers French Open. It is now eleven thirty PM. We're back at Tennis Podcast Towers.

And we've got the highly unusual situation of tennis already being done for the day before the clock has even struck midnight. Unfortunately That's down to the bleakest of reasons, the Berettini curse rearing its head once again and sending Matteo Arnaldi through to the semifinals, where he will meet fellow Italian Flavio Caboli, who came from a set down

to beat Felix Auger Aliassim earlier in the day. David, talk us through this Kaboli Auger Alyassim match, or rather two matches, because everything changed after the first set. Yeah, the first set was really tense. Both players I felt. They were just trying to keep their feet underneath them and establish some ground. And I think Ojaly Hasim did that the better of the two. And I I'm not surprised about that because he's he's a very

controlled player and personality. He's a he's he's very level and balanced and I think he just came out and sort of methodically went about his business and Kabol is the opposite really. He's he he's electrifying when he's really on, but he can be pretty

anxious at times as well. And that's that's sort of what was going on. He was sort of hanging on a bit. And then he he lost that set. The wind was playing havoc too. You know, th it was a a a run on from the match we'd seen with Sabalenka and um Schneider a little earlier, it wasn't long afterwards, so the the the wind is still blowing around. End of the first set.

Matt mentions that the the roof is starting to come across. Now I'm in the stadium and I hadn't even clocked that, to be honest. You'd seen that on the screen. And I looked up and sure enough it's just sort of slowly creeping across as they start in the second set. Um And it wasn't raining. You know, it wasn't raining at all. There was there was nothing in the area, maybe maybe a couple of drops, but it didn't didn't feel like there was a necessity at all. It wasn't going to affect play.

Um they were carrying on playing elsewhere. I assumed therefore a massive one of those massive storms of yesterday's coming over. And it didn't. It didn't come at all. In fact, you know, all the other outside courts carried on playing in what ended up being bright sunshine all afternoon. There was no rain at all. So they put that roof on

I don't know why we've asked for this statement. We haven't had one. Um we were told we would get one to explain the roof policy and and maybe even specifically about why these decisions were made, particularly in light of things that Sabalenker had said about her frustration of it. Oja el Yassim breaks serve early on in the second set and is losing is is winning a set and three one and the roof's on and he's one of the best indoor players in the world. So I'm thinking Kaboli is

in real trouble here. I don't I don't really see how he wins this match. Even though he was the seemed very agitated by the wind, I thought, okay, well that might benefit him, but it might benefit Auger more being indoors. He loves the still conditions. He even talked about it the other day when I asked him about it.

Immediately though, Caboli broke back for three two and just played that sort of turbo boost tennis that we we've kind of hyped up this week of being what we think could be the difference in this match and maybe even might accelerate him all the way to the final and perhaps even the title. He was so fast around the ball. It's almost like he told his feet to move faster and just get around every ball.

get it on the forehand if he possibly could. And when he got it on the forehand, don't give Oji al Yassim really a proper play on the ball. He w he was unplayable for about the next four games. j the crowd going bananas. Cause I think probably a lot of people coming and got a ticket might not know too much about Flavio Caballi and then they're suddenly seeing

kind of one of the best impersonations of Carlos Alcaraz you could get in terms of speed around the court and power off off the forehand side. It really does take your breath away and it jolted Felix. Um and he never really recovered. You know, there were the was the the other sets were were close, but Caboli, I don't know about you, I mean Catherine, you you you arrived after that second set and sat with me to watch.

It never really felt like Kabali was in any danger after that. He was in charge. No, I'm used to including during this tournament sort of fearing the worst from my guy Flavio Flavio Caboli. Like I I have no doubts at all and never have like what he's capable of and what his ceiling is. I just have doubts about whether he will Yeah. Ha Um but I had this strange feeling of calm for him from the second set onwards in this match. I mean look, I've been wrong in this situation many times. Uh

mm, throughout this tournament, including today. I had a sense of calm for Arena Sabalenka uh in the uh in the second match of the day. So I I could have ended up being wrong, but I just felt like He's got this. You know, I feel like he is Growing into himself throughout this tournament he's He's growing into being the favourite to reach.

the final. I don't feel like he's shying away from that or trying to you know, he's doing the old one match of the time and it's only two matches, but it's a long way to go. But he told us in the post match interview af af uh on court after the match, he said that he went to the bathroom after that first set. Can't resist a toilet mention in his in his on court interviews. Went to the bathroom and had a word with himself in the mirror and he said to himself, This is the chance of my life.

And I asked him about this in the post match press conference'cause I thought you're not just talking about the match there. You're talking about what this tournament looks like and represents to every man. Well an and woman, but you know, every man left in it. And you know, he he gave the The prudent answer about how no, I was talking about about the match. But then he then he said I know I'm close.

He said two matches is a lot. It's a long way, I'm not taking anything for granted, but I thought that I know I'm close line was like just the right amount of I believe I can do this. So I I like everything that I've seen and heard from from Flavio Caboli. To even think losing that first set could end up benefiting him, feeling that pressure, turning things around. I I thought it was

You know, ten out of ten for Kaboli today, frankly. Mm. Yeah, there was one moment for me in the third set where I was maybe a a bit more worried than you two, and he was already up a break, so it wasn't like A code red situation. But there was this point where Orjali Hassim hit this incredible little shot up the line and to do so he had to slide on the clay and he got clay all over the front of his shirt. But it it was a shot that sort of seemed to just

stunned Caboli a little bit. And it also then led to Caboli making a load of errors in a row. He missed a forehand, he double faulted, and he faced breakpoint breakback points in that game at four three. And I just thought then that was the moment he needed to get through, and he held with some big forehands, and after that.

I didn't really have any doubts about him at all. We didn't face a break point in the fourth set. I mean talk about growth from just the other day against uh Schweider when he was trying to close that one out. You know, and and th and that thing you say, Catherine, about him growing reminds me again, I know I'm always banging on about it, but I do think it is such a important Kaboly moment in his career. The Davis Cup last year

when at the opening press conference they're all sitting at the table, the Italian team, and they're asked, Who's the leader in this team? And Cabolli laughs and says, Well, not me, I'm the youngest. even though everyone was sort of looking at him as the highest ranked player, at the start of the week he didn't seem that comfortable in a kind of leadership role. By the end of the week

He had grown into it and okay, Berettini was there with him and sort of had a had a leadership role. But Caboli took it on and took the weight on of trying to win that for Italy, almost just sensing his opportunity. And it seems like he's done a similar thing here. Sensing that opportunity, not being afraid to talk about it, as you said, and really flourishing under under these circumstances and it's pretty pretty amazing to see actually.

And the week after that, or shortly after that, he had an incredible Hulk tattoo. This this guy learns and grows quickly. Then you lost to Jack Pennington Jones, but you know, we ride the roller coaster with with Flavio, don't we? And I know I keep doing this, but seeing as you've already done it once in this discussion, David, the Alcaraz comparisons, after that game that Matt's just described where he saved all those break points, the finger to the ear. And you know you talk about it.

on the court afterwards about how he's got a little gang of friends. here with him in Paris, kinda keeping him grounded and keeping some normality, keeping up routine. They do the same things every day. They go to the same they go to the same restaurants. You know, it's all It's all you know, obviously the game as well in how electric and explosive it is. He is not Carlos Alcaraz, but there are similarities there, and he has spent a lot of Time with him, hasn't he?

Yeah, he has. And I think on a young guy like Flavio, I think it rubs off a bit the the the kind of joie de vive about him as well. I think i i all of these things are quite useful for him'cause he's he's been a he's a slow burner compared to Alcras. You know, he's not a phenomenal Phenom like like he was. He he he he was a a a very talented footballer and I think he wasn't entirely sure what he's gonna end up doing and all this sort of thing. And then you could see how he'd got

this kind of kid brother imposter syndrome. We saw it in the match against Nadal and he just couldn't play that time in Barcelona when you know, you can understand it. It makes total sense really. The the other the abnormal one is an Al Correct.

But he's really flourishing and coming into his own now. I do th I do agree with you about that, Davis Cup. That that That was huge and we've seen that many times before. Remember when Djokovic and Serbia won the Davis Cup and then th that's the season that l kind of springboarded his following r run of forty odd match wins in a row.

And I th I think he's starting to believe, yeah, that this is doable for him. I th I think it becomes very interesting now because w whichever Mateo he ended up getting, I think was i w is a different challenge. Arnaldi is somebody who's gonna go side to side, toe to toe with him and and just I think the rallies could be spectacular between those two because of their ability to run. You know, the crowds will be gasping. If it had been Berettini, I think it would have been Aura and

emotional. It's his big brother. I think that that almost could that could have been harder for him if ber if a fit Berrini had been pushing his younger brother around and he's got to try to retaliate. Um,'cause he does view him as a brother in that way. Um, so I think probably this is a better scenario and it can just be a tennis match. I mean, he's mates with Arnaldi, but I don't think you'll have any issues putting that aside. Um

It's I find it really exciting. I mean, I feel for Felix Argel Yassim because He knows what a huge opportunity this would have been, like many of them have done, like Tiafo did the other day. And obviously Felix has been closer. He he I mean, they've both been to semis, but recently he's been close and this was You know, he was supposed to reach this this final rankings wise and kind of reputationally. Um, all credits are Kaboli, but I think this all really s sort of sting for a bit.

Yes, and he was very down in his press conference, you know, like he's usually very measured, isn't he? Or Jalia Sim. And he and he was when he said this, but it was a lot more emotion really to him than you might normally get. And yeah, it sounds like he feels like he's at a bit of a crossroads, really. He said, I'm a in a place right now in my career that's tired

I'm a little bit destroyed today. I usually handle losses pretty well my whole career. I'll go back to training with optimism and positivity, but now I feel like I'm not the player I want to be. Um he says I tried to seize opportunities. I wasn't up to it today. My serve didn't have an impact. The forehand didn't have an impact. He found better solutions than me. I'm twenty-six. I'm becoming less patient with the years. You know, this is pretty Sex essential stuff, isn't it?

Yeah. And I think people, you know, these players probably are feeling it more deeply at this tournament than ever before, you know, like sometimes if they take a hard loss they can explain it away and deep down they think, well Sino and Alcaraz, I would have had to go through both of them, or Djokovic. This one. You can't say that. There's nowhere to hide and We all thought Kabali would win today, right? It's not like it's not like a terrible loss for Felix Orsi Aliceem.

Felix should have thought that he would win today. And I think he did. And I think he did, yeah, based on based on how he's talking there and and they know that Okay, it's possible that this kind of slam will happen again. We talk about how precarious it is if you've just got a two, it only takes one injury and then a shock. You know, it's not it's not out of the

question that it could happen again. But chances are It's not gonna be many times and this this has been a he hell of an opportunity and yeah, I think people are people are feeling. And the young lads are coming. That's the other thing that this tournament has thrown up. Fonseca is getting better. There are others that are getting better. Mm. that slightly older generation of next guys, Rude, Rublev, Orgelia Sim.

Even Medvedev, I know, is a bit older, but they haven't been the ones to capitalise. And it's actually you've got Kaboli and Menshik who are here.

Okay, Zverev's obviously in that older older category and he might be the one to really capitalise and walk away with the trophy. He's also a little bit separate just because of his consistency and how he has been closer to the top guys. But yeah, I think you're right. It does feel like there's a kind of shift happening and these younger guys, Hoddar, Fonseca, Menshiker on the tails of the likes of of Felix. The knots you've tied him tied yourself in to not say next gen.

Right. So Was was incredible. Well done. Yeah. Uh Matt, I promised the people a Flavio Coboli's shower anecdote. I mean definitely not as well as Flavio Cavalli delivered it, uh, in his like charming Italian accented English. He was asked about superstitions, wasn't he? And the fact'cause he'd mentioned it on court and I first of all thought he was not really going to give an answer to to this question'cause he said, Oh no, I don't I don't really have any superstitions or not many.

He said I'm a little I am a little which made me think of might be the second time today I I do some niche comedy quoting and no one goes with me. But there's that line from the from Michael Scott in the US office. He says, I'm not superstitious, I but I am a little stitchious. Thank you both for laughing this time. Yeah. And then he mentions How he does like to Goes to the same shape. In you know, the locker room. And he said it's Rafa's shadow.

And he knows it's Rafa's shower because a few years ago he was in the shower and Nadal Conockid. Ha ha ha. As he said. I love it so much. And told him to hurry up, basically,'cause Nadal wanted to to get in the shower and he was waiting for him.

And he s he he said uh he he said this has been my shower for fourteen years. Can you imagine how much you'd shit on your pants that you're not wearing when Rafael Nadal knocks on and said you're using my sh my shower? Yeah. I'd I'd retire from tennis. It's good superstition to have then, isn't it? Because you know, it works in it out. And do you know, this is gonna be like Joe Conda's baking. If he wins the French Open.

I I just know the shower using Nadal's shower is gonna lead a lot of the reporting. You can imagine the Sun headlines, can't you? Nadal's shower carries Kaboli to Taifa. Yeah. Just saying, everyone prepare yourselves. It was adorable. Mm-hmm. It was if I hadn't been a Kaboli guy before Kinock. Uh I would have been one over in that moment. So Caboli through to a maiden Grand Slam semi final where he will meet Matteo Arnaldi. Not much to talk about here in terms of

tennis and competition because poor old Matteo Berettini started to feel an issue with his left hip midway through the opening set. He had led three love with a double break. Berrini, but it all started to fall apart quite quickly. Lost the first set, lost a marathon first set, seven five, uh, and ended up retiring five to down in the second set, although the match looked Over long before that he was

struggling, l literally limping on Berettini, his his team in the box uh were very animated in telling him to stop. You can absolutely understand why Bertrini was reluctant to do that. Um he said it was worsening as he was playing, it was affecting his serve and his forehand. Says he's he's never had anything like this before. He's discovered a new injury you would have thought he had had.

kind of the full gamut by now, but no, this is something new and doesn't know how bad it is, he said. I'm just hoping the scan is clear and he he must just I mean Well, it's the curse, isn't it? But it's groundhog day for Matteo Berratini. I my heart breaks for him. Yeah, and it's uh obviously we we don't know the reason it's happened and can establish definite cause and effect, but He's a big guy. He's a big guy who when he pounds the these calls

must be putting all sorts of stresses on his body parts, you know, and and and joints and and same for Jack Draper. We've seen we've seen it with him too. And it is it is terribly unlucky for Berettini that he's had it happen so often at the big moments of his career. You know, he has managed some

clear bills of health, got to a wimbler and finally he's had a brilliant career. Um, but it could have been so much more and and and as he said, uh he read it made a real point of this in the press conference. It'd be okay if I lost, you know, i in these matches. You can accept losing, but not being able to get to the finish line because of these things. It's just it's just tough to take.

Yeah, uh it's just absolutely brutal. Hope he's okay on on all fronts. Mateo on Naldi, I mean look i i their mates obviously Arnaldi was not pleased to see what happened to Matteo Beratini. He looked very distressed by it. But The berrettini of it all out of it. A short night at the office was what Matteo Ba Arnaldi needs. Uh he is still, with tonight's retirement, spent nineteen hours and thirty-two minutes on court.

To to reach this semi-final and in the uh encore interview afterwards he said, I was a little bit more tired than usual. But then in his press conference he said, All right, I feel fine. He's a road runner, isn't he? Amazing watching him move about a court. Like I say, I'm really excited about watching him and Caboli because they're such similar physiques.

And they rely on their legs so much. I think the crowds will just be Jaws on the floor with what they're able to do in terms of getting the ball. Rydyn nhw wedi'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i' A win for caby in four sets? Yes.

sets that Kabali won weren't very tight and then a a a a tight set that Arnaudi won. And I you know it It's one of those where I do think Kaboli's got more game. He's got more firepower. He's more explosive. Um, I think he's got a serve that he can do more with. You know, I think that's gonna be interesting for Kaboli over Over the next year.

Well, for his sake, hopefully a couple of rounds, you know, because he's he's now playing people with rock solid whoever he faces, out of Arnaldi who he is playing, and then either Menshik or Zverev, and that that kick serve that he's got going. is gonna look quite different, I think, coming back to him than it did against Orgelia Seam today. You know, he just had a

had an easy plan A to get points started, kicking the serve, which he does so well. I mean there was one point where he literally put Orjali Hassim in the in the flower beds at the side side of the court.

He he stands so wide, doesn't he, to hit hit the serve and And you you sort of think, If you know where it's going, like you should be able to deal with this, but it's it's so good, like it's so well executed that Y you're not far off th watching him do that standing out wide, no it and and him kicking it as well to get even more angle. thinking actually that that m might even need to be an illegal shot because he's because the guy cannot get it back. He can't it it's like

in impossible geometry. You can't get to the ball. I mean obviously I'm I'm exaggerating, but that's how that's how it makes you feel. But I'm that's right, I think particularly I I'm I dare say The other players will have a decent play on that board, but Zverev, for instance, he loves I mean Anne mention. Really. I mean I you know I'm It's very much taller. That advantage on the kick as well, but Menchik's backhand is It's all very different to Felix Auger Lyasim, put it that way. Yeah.

That was a regression today, wasn't it? On his back end. Yeah. I th I thought so. Um particularly given that I think his backhand often looks its at its best indoors. Where it's not just moving on him just before he hits it. He's got he's got a bit of a flawed technique on it really and he he needs it in the slot. And indoors gives him that, but even when it was there today for him, he wasn't really able to make that many that many plays with it. But yeah. So I g I guess what I'm saying is that

Arnaldi is gonna make the rallies look different to what they did against Orgy Aliasim. And I think he he doesn't quite have the back can that Men Shikosverev has. Well, he doesn't he doesn't at all, but he's it's a good shot. It's a solid shot. And able to hit it down the line as well, you know. So it i it's gonna be a test, it really is, for Caboli and he's also going in as the favourite in a grandstand semifinal which he's never been in before and that is pressure. I know we you know

We're trusting him this tournament. We're believing in him. But until I don't know, just until you see someone do something and handle it, there will just be something in the back of my mind thinking Is he actually gonna keep it all together? I think he will, but it's it's by no means a given and Arnaldi's a test. He was very pleased with himself the way he served it out today, wasn't he? And rightfully so. Absolutely. There were no there were no shenanigans, he just Yeah.

R went through that game. Yeah. Statement stuff. Okay, that is it for part two. Join us in part three for a look ahead to tomorrow, women's semifinals day. Composed in any condition, confident on any terrain, envied everywhere. Boasting an unrivaled combination of premium technology, inspired design, and exhilarating performance. The Range Rover Sport redefines what a luxury SUV can be. Build yours today at Ranger.ca. Composed in any condition. Confident on any terrain. Envied everywhere.

Boasting an unrivaled combination of premium technology, inspired design, and exhilarating performance. The Range Rover Sport redefines what a luxury SUV can be. Build yours today at Rangerover.ca.

Welcome back to part three of today's tennis podcast. Looking ahead to tomorrow now. Ooh, hang on. Musketeer of the day. Do we want to bother? I think at this point we're Has anyone had a positive experience with a French person today? No one bought us any beers. No. Anything any anything else to report? I saw Stefan Uday play a match. He looked pretty good. Yes, you commented on how old he is. And no, but he looked happy afterwards.

Trying to make up for for that. Okay, so we got um Alice and Pierre Guerbert, but Stefanoude did win in doubles today, lost in singles to his doubles partner, Martin De la Puente, but he won in doubles so Should we give it to Stefanude? Yes, please. Okay. Es ist 55. Es ist ein guter Effort. I'll say. Yeah. Stefanoude, Musketeur of the day. Tomorrow it is women's semi-final day. It is also mixed doubles final day. Suddenly, one minute.

one minute you're in interminable round one. And the next minute finals are happening. Uh this really is a salad spinner of a uh of a grand slam. Mixed doubles final tomorrow at midday on Chatrier, Sar Sara Irani. And Andrea Vavasori, the conquerors of Edward Roger Vassalin and Laura Siegman today, they take on Gabby Dobrowski and Evan King.

Then it is the women's single semifinals not before three PM. Marta Kostic taking on Mira Andreva. And second up it is Diana Schneider against Mayek Felinska. I know predictions are a hospital pass. I mean always, but particularly this fortnight. But I am going to ask for them anyway. Mixed doubles final included. Ha ha. Oh that's that's tricky. That's Irani versus Debrowski. You know?

I'm in I'm sort of into both of them. Uh but I think I think Irani Vavasori, right? They're trying to defend their title, I believe. It was in this section last night that I said I could see no world where Rina Savalenka loses and then a little bit of wind and suddenly that world is is very much here. So I'm gonna try and be more deliberate and careful with my words tonight. I'm gonna go Kostiuk. Mm-hmm. I mean the other ones. I have absolutely no idea.

I was impressed with how it and I know it was mostly Sabalenka, but I was impressed with with Schneider today. Me too. David. Yeah, I'm going for the same. I I do feel particularly with Andreva Kostic, I think that could be a an incredible match. I think that's like the best match left in the singles tournament men and women. Yeah. And I I just think of all the matches I would have liked to have seen the draw, that would have been right up there. Yeah. Um and and I could make a really

Comfortable case for either one. I think Andreva's playing brilliantly, but I also think Kostuk's playing brilliantly, and I feel that she has. She will step it up when when she needs to and probably just take it. But I think that the the danger is that that goes the other way and she misses.

stuff when she's going for it. But I I'm gonna trust that she will be successful. I do think Schneider and Kvalinska are very similar because they're both left handed. Um Schneider I think has more power and um I think she will probably Roll on from what she found in her game against Sabalenka and and probably dominate. And I think she's got enough margin in her game as well to not start missing.

We'll be interesting to see what roof decisions are made tomorrow because there's kind of a risk of rain all day. It's kind of on my weather app, which albeit is not entirely reliable. Um, but it's it's kind of forty percent risk of Neither are the weather apps that they're using. Right. Exactly. Maybe we're using the same one. Uh it's like forty percent risk of rain, like quite a lot. throughout the day. So it might not rain at all. Could rain all day. It's giving roof to me.

Eyes on roof and decisions and consistency of decision uh decisions also eyes on whether we ever receive a statement a statement from the FFT that we requested how many hours ago? Several. Ha ha ha. We will keep you posted, folks. Uh Bashir, the can. with an expression, a face for every occasion, even has one, for Irina Sabalenka being defeated in a situation which Matt could not conceive of a world for.

That is uh how extraordinary Bashir is. Absolutely unreal. Thank you, Bashir. Uh hello to Bodie Maisie and Roger our mascots. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg. Chris and Jeff, let's have some shout outs, Matt. We have Will Ford in Kent. Hello, Will. Like my nephew. Yeah. I'm trying to think of if we had any other Will tennis players. Will Bum. She's off for Will Bum. Yeah. That's Marcus Willis. Yeah, but we all remember Will Bomb ten year anniversary.

That looks just disgra disgusted with that. Oh not in to shoes off of Will Bond. I loved it. I wasn't into it either, but I knew that the reference would elicit that face from you and I'm very pleased I did it. So pleased when Fedora thrashed. Yeah. Yeah. People will love it. Yeah. He's in the doubles. Yeah. It's not bad, is it? No, okay. Okay. It was the shoes off thing that was. Yeah. It wasn't Marcus Willis had a problem with, to be clear. It was Yeah. That's my favourite beer. Yeah.

Love that as a football fan. What's the matter with you? It was very, you know, men at an oasis concert last summer. Yeah, I wouldn't fit in at one of those. Well, anyway, we've been distracted. Our Will has written something lovely. Will says, I've been listening to the pod since twenty sixteen and immediately realized I'd found my Having less time to watch tennis these days has meant you have become my North Star, guiding me through the drama of the calendar with which I'm so familiar.

Oh. Oh, that's so lovely. I wish we hadn't banged on about shoes off for wheel, Bobby. Well if we're his people then I reckon well actually no we've all got different opinions, haven't we? But maybe he's he was a Started listening in twenty sixteen, maybe Will Bomb is what got him into Yeah, I mean it's very possible. I had to interview Will Bomb on live at Wimbledon. I had to pretend I was into it. I think Catherine secretly Nope. Ha ha ha.

I think part of it for me, God what a w what am I doing? Talking about Will Bomb at midnight doing a grand slam. But I had tickets for Centre court later in that tournament. And I really wanted to see Federer. So I had no interest at all in like an upset. I needed Federal to get through. It's basically I think that's where it came from. And I didn't like the laddishness of it all. I kinda've been very worried about an upset. AHHHHH No, it wasn't.

Yeah. Okay. Will thank you very much for your lovely words and for Getting us to take Matt down this beautiful memory lane.

We also have Kara Cumberland from Washington DC. Hello, Cara, what a great name. Hi Kara. And Kara says looking forward to some day getting to a slam so I can buy you all pre recording beers. Yes, Kara. Oh thank you. You're welcome anytime, Kara. gonna win. Do we have a name for Are muskataire sensation equivalents in New York? We don't, I think, do we? Mm that's up for grabs. We're open to submissions and Kara is

in prime position to to win. But we don't know what what title you'll be winning, Kara. We'll we'll workshop it. And finally, we have Rajesh David from Maryland. Home of Pamela Howard Shriver, or birthplace of Pamela Howard Shriver. And others, but most significantly Pamela Howard Triver. Which says first saw pro tennis played on a Zambian grass court. Wow. Very cool. That would have taken some maintenance. Okay, Roger.

Very cool indeed. Thank you ever so much, all, for being friends of the tennis podcast, Rajesh, Kera, and Will. Uh if you'd like to become a friend of the tennis podcast, the link is in our show notes. We are part of the Athletic Podcast Network. Thank you all for listening. We will be back. You've decided to quit smoking. That's a big step. But cravings don't always make it easy. Zonic can help.

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