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Hello and welcome to the tennis podcast in Malaga. That is where you find myself, Catherine Whitaker, Anne Matt Roberts and in Solly Hole, which is where you find David Law. It is 138 in the morning after what has been really quite a day and night in Malaga.
Three pretty huge things have happened. We have had Slovakia beating GB to reach the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. We have had the Netherlands beating Spain to reach the Davis Cup Finals and we have had the end of the career of Raffa El Nadal. It is in that reverse order that I think we will deal with those three events. Matt, they do feel like three quite distinct events, even though the last two of them were intertwined in so many ways.
The retirement of Raffa El Nadal is a news story. It is a sports story. It is very notable that a lot of the people that appeared in his retirement video were not tennis players. Raffa El Nadal is someone who has had an enormous impact on sports and on this country as well. I think that really came through today and in his retirement video.
There are many more niche tennis stories. We are absolutely going to dig into it. It is a different order of magnitude. Raffa El Nadal's career ending. He has been an ever present in our lives for 20 years. He is an absolute force. He has passed into a different realm today. He is no longer a professional tennis player. We will no longer see Raffa El Nadal play at full force ever again.
He will never play a tennis match that means everything to him. It was his last one today. That is a huge, huge thing to come to terms with. We saw the Dahl himself in terms of terms with it and all the people on his team and in that stadium. It is a pretty colossal thing. There is only one left now. We have seen Fedorigo, Serena and Andy Murray. There is one left of that cohort, that dynasty. That is no joke of it.
The last word, incidentally in that incredible montage video that was put together and played out in the stadium and on the broadcast. It featured a lot of non-tennis players sporting celebrities. David Beckham popped up speaking Spanish. That was a little moment of reveal. It was no joke of it that had the last word. I felt like that should be Roger Federer. He was the one who got the huge cheer when he popped up on the video in the stadium.
Maybe it was a nod to your next, you will be the last one to go. David, how are you feeling after this evening's momentous events? That video in particular did feel like Federer and Murray and Serena were welcoming him into retirement. We have done it. We know what it is like. It is OK, Rafa. It is OK. You come over here now. This is your new life.
The truth is, he was already there. He has been there for some time. He stopped fighting on a macro scale quite some time ago. I think he has been at peace with this decision for quite a while. He still fought his heart out on the actual tennis court. We will discuss whether he should have been out there in the manner in which he was as we go along. The truth is that he isn't what he was anywhere close now.
I am glad that this is where it ends because I don't want to see that. I don't want to see him looking so short of who he was because when he was at his best and we are talking best part of 20 years of being at his best, it was so all-consuming in him. I don't think I have ever seen anybody have the degree of focus and intensity all the time that he had to be in the moment. I think he is the sort of person that coaches and academy should be just showing.
This is what you have to give. This is what it takes. This is how you stay in the moment. It doesn't mean that you can learn it necessarily from scratch. Certainly not to the level that he did because I think it was in eight with him. I think he was taught great things by his uncle and his family generally.
I don't think we have ever seen anybody like him. I doubt if we will ever see anybody quite like him again. There have been achievements that are comparable and in fact in Novak Djokovic, he has stripped some of them. Just as a competitor with what he has never seen anything like him. There was a fascinating moment in Nadal's press conference today when he touched on what you are saying there David in terms of 20 years of striving to be better and better.
He was asked to analyse the match today. He said, I don't need to be self-critical on this one. This was the last one. He said in the Spanish press conference that he has always looked for negatives even in victory. He has always looked at things that even when he is one, what could he do better? I thought that was such a defining Rafa and Nadal line. He wasn't really prepared to do a big match analysis because he was that portion of my life is over.
He is moving on as you say David. I thought that was really interesting. We have become connoisseurs, haven't we, of retirement ceremonies, retirement moments. We have learned a lot about the desperation to achieve the perfect retirement and how impossible I think that is basically. What we learned via the journey of Andy Murray's retirement or drawing towards retirement is that they are actually searching for something that feels fitting to the sports person or competitor that you were.
Something that feels like the person rather than a perfect retirement. A perfect retirement simply is not possible. It's not compatible with sport and what competition is. If you want to rinse everything out of your career, that means going beyond the point where it's possible to have the perfect retirement. You don't have your cake and eat it with this stuff. Again, it's all the obvious mortality comparisons. You don't get to choose when the end is and you don't get to choose how the end is.
It's desperately difficult and sad as that is. All of this process is about trying to wrestle some degree of control over the inevitable, isn't it? Did what we saw tonight feel fitting for Raffa on the dot? David? I think the ceremony was very good. I just got it horribly wrong in that same selection which rendered it unsatisfactory as a night in terms of what they could have had. I think that that could have gone differently.
I think that they could have done what they could have done. That's a separate point. That's a team selection. I can't know that either. I may be wrong. I don't know. But in terms of what they did off the back of it, it's very difficult, I think, when you've just lost and when the team's lost. That's not the laver cup when it doesn't really matter.
Yes, I know he was disappointed, but it was a doubles match. It still felt more ceremonial. This was meant to be properly competitive. Serena Williams played several matches. She got some wins. It was a bit awkward in that way. But I also thought the video was excellent. The interviews were nice. Those that I could understand you'd be better placed. Matt told me what he was saying. A lot of thank yous. Like I said, I just think he's been ready for a while. Yes, it's a lot.
You can see that it's quite draining and wearing on somebody to just go through it all. Even if it is special. And you just some some ways just trying to get through it. But I don't think they got it right tonight as a competitive force. I think the occasion was very fitting. Davis Carp in Spain and a competitive match. That's what Nadal wanted.
I agree with David. There was an awkwardness to it because I think when Marker had the news this morning, around 11, 30, 12 are time in Spain, they were reporting that he was going to play singles. And that was such a shock to me. David Freire had apparently told the team last night. And so then we were sort of... honestly, I was quite anxious then throughout the day. He was building up to this match that I knew Nadal wasn't ready for. Like I knew he wasn't in a place to win that, to be honest.
Like he gave all of himself. He did all the things that he would typically do in a match. She said I played with the right attitude. I fought with everything that I had. And he absolutely did. And in that respect, yes, it was a fitting final match. It was, you know, there was that Nadal flavour to it. But, you know, it wasn't all about... or maybe it shouldn't have all been about Rafa and Nadal's retirement.
It was also a Davis Cup for Spain to win. And putting Nadal into that number one... or that number two singles position just clashed with that other thing that we know Nadal wanted out of this. Which was for Spain to win the Davis Cup. And he knew that he wasn't the best person to do that. He wanted to be part of the team and help in any way that he could. But that didn't necessarily mean playing the singles. And yeah, I think David, for a... got that wrong.
Yeah, I mean, maybe the better, more personal question is... is and was the retirement of an individual great ever going to... who is... sorry, if this is putting too fine a point on it, but way, way past his best and way off the mark, that is... those are the facts. That is why he's retiring. If he weren't, then he would be carrying on. Is that compatible with a team competition?
Because tonight to me it felt like it wasn't. Or at the very least it felt like David Fira had become captain of the Rafael Nadal retirement event rather than captain of the Spanish Davis Cup team. Because honestly, I think David Fira as captain of the Spanish Davis Cup team mocked up big time. Like I think, take the Nadal show out of it. It would be, you know, sacked in the morning stuff.
We had Nadal coming into press after that defeat to Bertic Van der Zahn's group. And I promise we will talk about the Dutch because, of course, I love any opportunity to say Bertic Van der Zahn's group's name as much as possible.
But Nadal came into that press conference after the 6464 defeat and, you know, he was very, very delicate about it and very respectful of David Fira and the whole team and didn't divulge all the conversations and all the various machinations that had been going on behind the scenes in the lead up to that decision. But he did tell us that he had tried to push David Fira in the direction of Roberto Patista Rugu.
He said, look, I didn't tell him not to pick me. I told him, I'm fit. I'm available. I'm on the team. You can see how I'm practicing. I didn't proactively steer him away, but he did say, didn't he, Matt? I'm not really in too much interest. He said, I basically tried to sell him Roberto Patista Rugu. This guy that's just won a title on an indoor hard court. And he said, but it was not my pick. This is a team competition. I'm here for the team.
The team captain felt I was the best pick, but you could tell that Rafael Nadal in his heart of hearts didn't believe that. Everybody's talking about this practice they had yesterday. And that was what the decision hinged on. Nadal pretty much confirmed that today, didn't he? He said there was a practice yesterday and that seemed to make up David Fira's mind. How bad was Roberto Patista Rugu in practice yesterday is what I want to know.
David Fira has committed the cardinal sin of reading too much into tennis player hitting the ball well in practice. We have heard reports that practice, although Nadal was hitting the ball well, there wasn't a lot of movement going on. They're hitting full pelt and my take is that tennis players will be able to hit the ball well where there's not much movement required in their 90s. As long as Rafael Nadal's breathing, he's hitting the ball well.
So I just look, Burtik van der Zanschelp is a marvel. And he might have beaten Roberto Patista Rugu. We don't have the counterfactual. We don't have the sliding doors. That is important to acknowledge he would have had a far better chance than Rafael Nadal today. It was not the best pick for somebody whose main aim is to help Spain win the Davis Cup. That is the bottom line. Maybe that was conscious. Maybe he decided this isn't about Spain winning the Davis Cup.
This is about Rafael Nadal. Maybe there were pressures we don't know about from behind the scenes. All these people that had bought tickets and they want to see Rafael Nadal in singles. I think they'd have been satisfied with Nadal in doubles. To be honest, he was such a good vibe on the bench. I think they would have been satisfied with Nadal, the co-captain from the bench. You see, he was such an active and huge presence on the bench during Alcras' match and during the doubles.
Your eye kept on being drawn to it. But as a Spanish David, Davis Cup captain to quote my dad, he ballsed it up. Maybe that's not the point. Maybe nobody cares. Maybe it wasn't about that. It sure is the point. It is certainly a pretty important point anyway. In the end, it doesn't solely in Rafael Nadal's career in any way. But I mean, I agree with you. He wanted to win tonight. He always wants to win and he wanted Spain to win. Frankly, on the court, he looked like he's looked all year long.
He was one little spark in Australia at the start of the year. When let's not forget, he was playing Dominic Team, who we've since discovered is nothing like the Dominic Team that we remember. David. Yeah, but it's true, isn't it? And I'm afraid at every stage, I've tried to convince... He didn't even make my list of sad retirements, did he? I've tried to convince myself that I can see things in Rafael Nadal that would give me hope.
And when I haven't seen them, I've said yes, but this isn't Roland Garros. And then he gets to Roland Garros and he loses in straight sets in the first round. And then he plays the Olympics and he loses so uncomfortably to know that Chokovic in the first round. On the very court that he's dominated for a decade and a half. And I'm afraid... If anybody thought that he was going to be suddenly much, much better in singles at the moment, I think that they're in Cloud Cookie Land. I really do.
And when I saw the pick, I was absolutely gobsmacked because the conversation we all had the other night was will he played doubles or not? It wasn't even an idea that he would play singles because that seemed preposterous given all the evidence that we have. And the only hope I had was that we might get some sort of Novak Chokovic.
This is the all that matters in my life at the Olympics moment and him pull out a performance like... I mean, look, Chokovic hasn't been poor like Nadal has at this year at all. I mean, he's reached, we want to find out. But he found a level from nowhere. He found a level that was just extraordinary. And I hoped against hope for Nadal's sake, for Spain's sake, that he could just get inspired. And I'm sorry, he just looked quite old and quite gone. Oh. Pick up from that.
I think it was hard, that's a hard thing for David Freire to do. There's a lot of pressure on him and I think he got it wrong, but I do think we can acknowledge that that was quite a hard job to try and juggle those two things. We're having fun at As for Time and the Davis Cup. But I think there was a way to navigate it better. And you've got to look at the makeup of the team that you're playing. Because Burtip and his Ansikop has just beaten Carlos Alcarez at the US Open.
Like we know he's capable of rising to an occasion and beating a big name. And we know also that the Netherlands have a very, very strong doubles pair. Like I actually thought it might be Geeksport and Coolhoff, but Rander Zanzelpon and Coolhoff are still very, very strong because Coolhoff is so good. And we must talk more about him because he was absolutely phenomenal than that doubles. Why is he retiring? Right, yes. Too good to retire.
But like if you're David Freire and you're doing this again, you say, look, I've got to pick the team with the absolute best chance of beating the Dutch. And obviously that's not Raffanadar in the singles.
But maybe in the next round, if you face Canada, for example, who don't have quite a stronger doubles team, and who also don't have a stronger number two player, maybe that's the tie where you try and play Raffanadar and try and balance out these two things of giving Raffanadar the moment, but also trying to win the Davis Cup. I think he went too early with Raffanadar. I just think you've got to play him doubles only.
Right, I think you could have played in doubles against a Canadian team, for example, that don't have a Wesley Coolhoff. Like if it got there, you know? I mean, I'd have played him doubles tonight. I wouldn't have feared for him in doubles because the movement isn't an issue. I don't think he can use his hands. I don't think he was a given in doubles. I think it's very easy to say in hindsight because I think Marcel Benoya's had a bit of a tough night. It's not terrible, but certainly not.
He fell off, don't you think? Not his best. He really fell off that midway through the second set. It started to fall apart a bit for Benoya. So easy to say with hindsight, but maybe giving the Dalkar as another goal would have been the right choice. But I fall somewhere between the two of you. I definitely don't think he was a clear cut pick for the doubles just because movement isn't such an issue. Because there was more going on than just poor movement.
The forehand just doesn't have anything on it anymore. Without that pop, it just sits up. It's just so nicely hitter balls like a gift to the opponent. And, you know, Vandex Anticle is such a quality ball striker. He just lapt it up, didn't he? I mean, we say slow heart rate, David. Has anybody actually checked that Burtic Vandex Anticle has a pulse? Honestly. He is... Superb. Truly a marvel. And what... I mean, his hands. They are Sara Irani Esk.
Yeah, they really always got such cushion soft touch. Once again, just like Alcras in New York, he was the man for this party pooping moment. He was the perfect guy for that role. I also heard in commentary that Paul Harhouse was planning Finna Dow all along. He thought it was going to be in a Dow. Which I find very interesting. That was Colin Fleming in commentary who said that he'd had a chat with Harhouse this morning, actually. And they weren't surprised at all.
And we were talking about Harhouse's ability to kind of spore a party and plan that out. And he would have loved every minute of it. And in fact, they all liked it. And the Dutch crowd were amazing. They rose to the challenge, didn't they? Against the Spanish home crowd. In the years to come, we weren't even think about this when we talk about Raffa on the Dow. But yeah, tonight it was a cock up. I lost my first match in the Davis Cup and I lost my last. So it closes the circle.
Yes. I was reading Matt Futterman's article all about his first ever Davis Cup match against Dury Novak, who I also remember beating a very young Roger Federer in Gostard. I think the year Federer won Wimbledon for the first time. And he was a player who almost looked like he hadn't got a pulse as well. He just ride out these storms, you know. And I think the Dull's Davis Cup record is actually one of his underrated stats.
Like we don't talk about it that much, but like to go as long as he did underfeated in this tournament. I think it might have been, was it 29 singles wins in a row? And some doubles in there as well. Like absolutely extraordinary. Like we always talk about his role on Garos record obviously. And that is the defining Raffa on the Dow staff. But his record in this competition, amazing.
And you know, Novak said in that piece that David's mentioned that he beat Raffa on the Dow when he was a ball kid. And he thought it was Anders Holtz beaten him when he can't really move or play anymore. Like basically when he's been Raffa on the Dow, you know, he's basically been underfeated in this tournament, which is astonishing.
And that press conference where that line came out, you know, completing the circle, that took place after Nadal's singles loss when the second singles rubber, the Alcora's Greek scoreboard match was just getting underway. You know, Nadal came to press very quickly so that he could get out there and take up his role as a support staff, which you know, he looked like he was born to. Basically took over from David for being captain of the team and hype man.
And it was, yeah, it was a really cool site. But he came to that press conference and he looked ten years younger than he did yesterday at that preview press conference in that enormous ballroom at that hotel that we all took buses out to yesterday morning. I can't believe that was only yesterday morning. But honestly, ten years younger and the jokes were back. The irony was back that... It was just like laughing at himself a little bit.
Absolutely. It was all there and it made you realise, you know, we commented on it on yesterday's show that it wasn't the greatest hits of Raffa and Nadal on that press conference, but it really highlighted how much he wasn't quite himself yesterday and the weight of everything we've just discussed and potentially knowing that he was likely to be picked even though deep down he knew he didn't have it. That was all on his shoulders.
I hope he was able to enjoy the experience, get out of it, what he needed. He got to watch an incredible Alcoraz performance in the end. I was so worried for Alcoraz in the early stages of that Greek sport match. I thought he was going to be emotionally all over the place because he popped out, didn't he, for the last few games of Nadal's match knowing it was probably going to be the end of Nadal and just wanting to be there for it.
Nadal gave him a pat on the back on his way out of the stadium and I thought, oh my goodness this is too much for Alcoraz. He's going to be an overload and I think he was in the early stages, got broken to love, didn't he? But then once you got on track and it felt like that coincided pretty closely with Nadal arriving court side.
Alcoraz suddenly looked like he was having the time of his life, didn't he? Just settled into it and rose the occasion and then I thought, okay they're going into the doubles on a high here but Wessie Coolhoff does not care what kind of high you are riding because he is here to ruin it. He got his own retirement to enjoy it. Yeah, he was unreal tonight, wasn't he?
So good. And so good in so many different aspects as well. He came up with some incredible returns, like at really important points in general, like his net coverage was just unbelievable. Either you couldn't find the way past him or he was proactively making things happen up there.
I mean I thought Alcoraz was very good as well. I must say I really did think Alcoraz was good in that doubles. There's a lot of worry about him as a doubles player coming into this and back in the summer as well but he looked much more comfortable on the doubles court than he had during the Olympics I would say.
But Coolhoff was the star, absolutely. He was the one who was kind of making things happen and propelling the Netherlands to win that and yeah he was absolutely awesome and David pointed out earlier the huge orange wall that there was of Dutch support was really impactful. And I think really the fact that they're right there by the side of the call really did make an impact on them in this doubles. They were energized.
It was like a classic home and away Davis cup tie where they were there to go to someone else's territory and put their flag down and say no we own this place. And they absolutely did that and Coolhoff was the leader of that charge really. Honestly as we said with this draw being as it is that half of the draw has lost the big name that it did have Spain with Carlos Alcoraz.
There's a big big chance for the Dutch here to really keep this going. I really think that with Coolhoff playing as well as they are they're so strong in the doubles and Germany and Canada don't have a number one like Alcoraz so maybe Greek sport could get a win and you wouldn't back against Baltic Randersaniske or maybe getting another one.
Like I know last time he tried to back up his big win he was absolutely awful in the next round wasn't he against Jack Draper so work to be done there for him. But like it's a big big moment for the Dutch that we're like we're obviously we're mostly viewing this through a through a Spain lens but that's a huge win for the Netherlands. Absolutely massive and full credit to them because they deserved it.
Is Bertic Vendor Zanzogl, exceeding Marquette of Androsia in the most inexplicable tennis player stakes. I think he might be you know. Oh because he has the gap he has choked some matches away like like you would not believe and that was why like I wasn't worried about Bertic Vendor Zanzogl beating Carlos Alcoraz at the US open. I wasn't on my radar at all going into that match. I thought maybe that's what David Ferrer was thinking. Don't worry Raffa you can come out for this.
That's it's Bertic that is what David Ferrer said in the locker room and yet we talk about him as a guy made for that kind of occasion and yet often he isn't. And yet on two of the biggest nights this this year he has delivered. And do you know what just just witnessing them matched up in the doubles this evening. I don't think that Alcoraz win in New York was a fluke for Bertic Vendor Zanzogl.
I think he likes the Alcoraz ball. He's got some kind of Alcoraz cheek code and I would I would worry if they would would drawn to face one another again particularly on a big stage. I would worry for Alcoraz because as much as Alcoraz was bad that night and that was a factor. I'm not saying the same thing would happen again but I could see Alcoraz having problems again with Bertic Vendor Zanzogl.
Yeah I think so. I mean if it's one of those isn't it Vendor Zanzogl's perfectly capable of not really turning up in which case he probably gets hammered in that situation. But if he does I agree he's I remember it was one of the first three games of that match where Alcoraz is drawing gasps from the crowd. But he's actually not winning that many points. Because Rana Zanzogl just got the answers. He is a fascinating player and inexplicable. I mean it is a good word for him.
Is it that he loves the big occasion or is it that he doesn't notice that there's a big occasion happening? Are you asking me to read things in to Bertic Vendor Zanzogl's body language? Somebody needs to help me understand. He'll pull off a magnificent shot or rally or point or whatever. And this Dutch orange wall of fans, a coffeiny are going absolutely bananas and he looks like he's disassociated and possibly unconscious. He's just the justice cap.
Given his own teammates apparently have demonstrated a bit of dissatisfaction with some of his attitude over the years and his negativity. I don't think any of them really know what's coming next from him but they know he's bloody talented. And that on his day he's a nightmare. And frankly he's probably all they've got really behind talent Greek sports so he's the best bet. Yes but a young, he played a good match against Alkaraz this year. He looked like he was having the time. He did.
He was having a bench. The Dutch bench was definitely more of a vibe than the Spanish bench. The Spanish bench in Prieve Johnson and Dahl was on it big time. He was the vibe centre of that bench. It was quite funereal. They're all bulls eyes. They're all anxious because they wanted it for him. And they really had that much confidence because they could see he's just not what he was. Just last thing to mention on the Dahl and on that tie-in on the evening.
When Dahl announced that he would be retiring and that the Davis Cup finals in Maliga would be his final event. One of the first social media posts was from Novak Djokovic pledging that he would be there. Where was Novak Djokovic? Yeah no idea. I didn't see him on the screen anywhere apart from in that very nice montage at the end. He definitely wasn't there. He made sense when he made that post that he might be there because he has a house basically.
When server at the Davis Cup finals last year he was staying at his house rather than at the player hotel. So it kind of checked out that he might be available to come. But yeah, no show. It's a weird thing to put out and then not carry through on. I suppose he's hoping that no one noticed or something. I suppose it's possible that something might have, you know, maybe his kids are on well or something like that. Come down with a virus. You never know it might be something like that.
I think that he put that out of well meaning. But he hadn't checked what the vibe was. I think it would have been personally, I think it would have been weird if Djokovic had been here and Federer not. I think it was on these things where he forgot to check with Federer in the group chat where he was going. He got overexcited, pledged his attendance and then thought, Yeah, he was thinking, we were all at Federer's so let's all be at Nadal's.
Yeah, honestly I think that's what might have happened. He was on the video, wasn't he? And we should mention Federer's letter that dropped this morning to Raffa and Nadal. It was a lot to wake up too often. It was. There's something about those, like I do, like I thought at the time, I thought Djokovic's tribute kind of on the day that Nadal announced his retirement was quite moving as well.
Something about those great rivals paying tribute to one another that does get me a bit because we only know that Raffa and Nadal is so great because he was pushed to such greatness by those players. They are intertwined, their history is completely wrapped up with one another. And they know something that no one else can know. So I do find that kind of tribute from their very greatest rivals to be really impactful. And I think Federer's was this morning.
Yeah. Yeah, it was on the money, wasn't it? He gets those things right, doesn't he? What's your Federer? It was an incredible moment in the video when he came up because all of these Spanish legends had popped up and all sorts. And it was Federer that drew the oos and the huge applause. Yeah, an incredible moment. Well, that's it. The career of Raffa and Nadal. Are we okay? Good, wasn't it? Good career. We were okay. Yeah. We were okay.
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at xtrackers.com. Read it carefully before investing, distributed by ALPS Distributors Inc. Welcome back to part two where it's time to turn our attention to the Billie Jean King Cup, where we know our final lineup. It will be Minos Slovakia to take on Italy in the final tomorrow, not a lot of turnaround time for Slovakia. After this two robbers to one, come back victory over Team GB this afternoon in a tie that ended up going late. It overlapped with Rafael Nadal's match.
It was really a shame actually that that ended up happening because inevitably the deciding rubbers and the deciding doubles rubber in this tie just got lost in the melee of Rafael Nadal because it was an all-consuming event that match. But the tie was one, two robbers to one, by Slovakia in the doubles to raise a Mejali Kova and Victoria Runchikovar, formerly known, of course, as Kuzmova. She is a Billie Jean King Cup finalist.
Emma Radikana would put Team GB in front at the start of the tie, six, four, six, we're in over Runchikovar. Katie Bolta looked to be on route to sealing it. She was 60 up on the stromkova, but then it turned. Bolta served fellow way. Shramkova showed all of her fangs, and my goodness me, is that a set of gnashes that she's got on her.
And it was a tough way for Katie Bolta to lose, to lose a match of that import from what I'm sure felt like a winning position to her, and she did seem utterly crestfallen. But frankly, Rebecca Shramkova is a force. When she gets her teeth into a match, you know, you said it earlier, David, she's not only a heck of a tennis player. She is tough, tough as old boots. And I think pretty complete as well. I actually think Katie Bolta did really well to win that first set as handling she did.
And I kind of was watching and thinking, maybe a player like Bolta who's got a one-two combination. It's kind of served, and forehand, and you're going to have it, and a complete player like Shramkova, who's good, but maybe can't quite handle that couple of big shots, might be too much for her. And also the sort of wave, I mean, Britain or on this wave of having won the first rubber, Randakana has put them on the board. Bolta's got a six-two set.
You know, that is a heck of a mental achievement, I think, from Slovakia to win from that position. Obviously, with Shramkova being the focal point of that, because she's got to rescue that rubber, or it's all over. But, you know, it's very difficult to keep the believe, I think, when you're taking a bit of a pasting like that, that didn't mean in any other sets, really. Turned it around, and I mean, both the second two sets were closely contested.
But then once they went into the doubles, I mean, you know, Randakana, she was awesome. That is a really good Billie Jean can cut doubles partnership. And, I mean, I did wonder afterwards. I mean, again, it's very easy to say in hindsight, and we didn't predict doubles pairings for Britain, and they went with Watson and Nichols. I just feel as though Randakana playing the sort of tennis she was playing in singles might have been a better bet with somebody.
But I'm actually given the way this established doubles partnership who had already won rubbers in this competition this year was playing. I'm not sure anything would have stopped this LeVac appear. Yeah, that was it. Like, Britain had won their first 11 sets in this Billie Jean can cut finals with Randakana and Boltzell. They didn't need their doubles pair. They looked again tonight like they wouldn't need them.
And then suddenly the momentum just changed so quickly and ended up losing their last four sets. And with that doubles, when you saw the two pairs coming out and you had one pair in Olivia Nichols and Heather Watson who don't play together regularly. In fact, these sort of subplot there is that Nichols plays with Mihalakova regularly on the tour. So they're normally partners. But what's in the Nichols? They don't have much pedigree really.
They're kind of walking onto call and you do kind of look at that and think, oh, is that all you've got? Whereas, with the Vakia, you've got a team who've won matches this week. Inform. And it just showed there was just such a big gap. And then that doesn't ever to be lead you to question, could they have done something else with the doubles pairing, Britain?
And I tend to think if you've not got an established doubles pairing, which Britain don't, you need to have at least one of your best players on the call. You know, kind of like what Italy did with Sinner and Sonner Gold last year. They said, right, let's get Sinner out there because he's our best player trying to make this work with Sonner Gold.
I think I fall down on the same side that they probably would have lost anyway because I don't think Rennie Karnu would be as good a doubles player as Sinner was at the Davis Cup last year. But either, or maybe possibly Harriet Dart, you know, she's played a bit more doubles. She's a higher caliber of player than Watson and Nichols.
I just felt they needed someone on there to just try and make up that gap that they clearly was to the Sturacian team and try and wrestle back some of the momentum that they'd lost. And yeah, it just was pretty neat, really. Yeah, it was. I had a watching Watson and Nichols walk out onto the court. I had just a bit of a sinking feeling in my stomach about that doubles tight. It just didn't feel to me like they really believed they had it in them to win that rubber.
And I know that this is with the tremendous benefit of hindsight. You know, it was a very one-sided match in the end, six to six to two. But I find it hard to believe that there wouldn't have been a combination of players that would have performed better than that would have just been able to give it a bit more. A bit more energy. It felt really flat from the bridge. You know, Heather Watson, she's always been so committed to this competition.
And I love that about her and she's got great energy on the bench. But she isn't the player that she once was. And Olivia Nichols has no pedigree whatsoever, really. And they're not an established doubles team. And they hadn't had the chance to play any competitive match this week. You know, with the benefit of hindsight, this just felt like a hiding to nothing for them, really. And I do tend to agree with you both. You just throw caution to the wind and just throw your best players out there.
Or Harriet Dart, who's a better overall player than those two. But has a real tenacity about her. I think she would have brought energy in that moment. And I think she had a desperation to prove herself. I think she found it tough being on that bench this week. I think she got in the spirit of it. But I think she was somebody with a real point to prove. And I think that could have counted for something. But ultimately, those are probably all moot points.
And the Syvacchians would have won it on the doubles anyway. It's tough from a team GB perspective this one. Because on one hand, they've reached the semi-finals. They've had a heck of a competition, just qualifying for it. What they achieved in France, on clay, incredible. They deserve tremendous applaud it for that. But also, Plank Slavakia for a place in the Billie Jean King Cup final against Italy, who are a great team.
But without a really strong number two, they would have had a chance in that final. Chances like that don't come along all the time. It's harsh, but it is an opportunity missed for GB. Yeah, it is. There's no getting around that. Their single players were ranked higher, quite a lot higher than Syvacchians. And certainly in the number two position. And obviously, they won that. And Katie Bolster and Schramkover, well, it's not that dissimilar as Schramkover.
I think he's just a way better player, even than her ranking in the 40s right now. But still, it's going to hurt, isn't it? It's going to hurt Katie Bolter. I don't think she should have too many regrets. She got herself a lead. She played well, I thought. It was just a few here and there. I did find it a bit alarming how her serve deserted her in that second set and deserted her in the biggest point. Every time she got into a tough spot, I just didn't back it to make that first serve.
And I don't know when that's something to do with the technique, not with standing tension in the arm, as well as some other techniques. And maybe that's something that can be worked on, or maybe it's just a tough day from that perspective. Yeah, ultimately, I think she's got so much to be proud of. And I think, yes, there's Bolter was favored in the rankings today. But I think Schramkover is going places in the rankings.
I really do. She can stay fit and healthy and Pauline will be the favourite in that final. But Schramkover's got a chance, I would say. They've played a few times before in ITFs and Gansam qualifying, that kind of level. And their head-to-head was put to Schramkover in the press conference with the question being, Pauline has got a lot better. And Schramkover said, I've got better too, which I really enjoyed. She really does have a confidence about her, which I really, really like.
And I kind of caught another Schramkover moment behind the scenes today as well, which was the room that I was working in is right next to the press conference room. And the Stavakian team were waiting to go in. And they spotted that Paul Zimmer, long-time photographer, and was editing his photos of their win. And Schramkover came in and started having a look at them and was like, oh, that one's better than that one. That's my favourite. Go with that one.
You know, she was kind of like just really, just really fun. And I loved that. I think she's got real personality, which does come out on the court as well. And I think she needed that down a set, not quite playing her best. She needed a force of personality as well to get her back in that match. And she seems made for this event. And I do obviously, not going to underestimate Jasmine Pauline. You definitely won't find me doing that. But I do think Schramkover's got a chance against it.
There's a big ranking gap, obviously. And there's a big gap in terms of their achievements this year, generally. But, you know, I think Pauline is pretty tired. She's hanging on. She's finding energy. And I think she can get through one more time. But I do think there's a little vulnerability there. And you're not going to want to face Schramkover bringing it. And yeah, I'm really, really excited for it. And I do have a couple of other interesting little Slovakia lines.
They've never lost a Billie Jean King Cup match in Spain. Ever. They won the final when they won this tournament in 2002. Obviously, headlined by Daniela Handtukova. That was in Spain. And that was a Spain team that had now tournament director, Kansita Martinez, in it. So there's a kind of like full circle moment there. Jeanette Hussarova, who was a member of that Slovakia squad that won the Billie Jean King Cup in 2002, is now a coach on this team. So there's another connection there.
And they've now beaten three Grand Slam nations in the US, Australia, and Great Britain. The two other teams who beat three Grand Slam nations went on... Sorry, the two other non-Slam nations that beat three other slam nations went on to win the Billie Jean King Cup. That was Spain in 1993 and South Africa in 1972. So there were some omens for Slovakia. There were some stats on their side. I mean, obviously none of that is really that relevant.
But just quite interesting, I think, that it's just... I think we've probably overlooked Slovakia most of their ties. And it's probably easier to do the same again in the final, because of how good it is on it. I do think it's the favourites. But we probably shouldn't be shocked if Slovakia do pull it out the bag. That's kind of count for the wonder of Sari Rani, though, can they? Do you think Matt, that Runture Cove will play again in the singles?
What's your hunch on the second singles picked for Slovakia in this final? That's a good question. I think probably yes. I think the fact that... Played a lot of tennis. Yeah, but the captain trusts it. She has played well for him repeatedly. Okay. He eats it. And also, Italy's number two singles is their weak spot. I think they'd be favourites in it against Slovakia, whoever's Slovakia play. But that is their weak position.
You're coming up against someone who hasn't got a lot of wins on an occasion like that. And I think you go with the person that has given you some wins in this competition in the past, rather than the 17-year-old, who is probably the other option, Jan Riková. I mean, Schmidler, though, is he a... Obviously, had that amazing run at the Olympics. It hasn't hit a ball this week. I'm assuming there's an injury there. Unless they're waiting to unleash her in the final or something.
But I think probably... You're right. She has played a lot of tennis, but I think she's probably got another match in her. And would you expect Italy to stick with Bronzetti at two? Yeah. It'd be tougher to be dropped after... I think so. I think that would be weird to drop her after she got the win and Kokcierto didn't.
But again, that's interesting, because I don't think Bronzetti was their plan A. I do think there are some doubts that they have about Bronzetti, otherwise they probably would have played her from the start. So there is a vulnerability there for Sevacchi to maybe get out. I just don't know whether they can breach that gap. But I do think Schmidler has got a chance against Paulini, as I said.
And if it goes to the doubles, again, you would probably favor Italy with Paulini and Arani, but Sevacchi were good in doubles, too. There's something for them to grasp on. Grasp, too, in every single match. None of them feel like a total right off, which is what you want going into a final, I think. Is anyone going to pick Slovakia having done all of that beating them up? David? I'm a fattic shag of the head from that, after all that. No, I just don't feel the same.
Is Italy so convincing to me? Yes, I do think that number two is an unusually weak number two relatively speaking for a team that I expect to win the thing. But I do think that they're stronger in all the rubbers, to be honest. And it may well not get to the doubles this one, but yeah, they feel pretty inevitable. But I also think that the matches could be close. I just hope one of the Slovakians gives us all the chance to watch Sari Arani play doubles again. That's what I want from tomorrow.
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Read it carefully before investing, distributed by ALPS Distributors Inc. Welcome back to part 3, where we just have a few minutes now to look ahead to tomorrow's Davis Cup quarter final between Germany and Canada. Somebody tell Dennis Schapp of all of somebody remind him who he's playing tomorrow because he didn't know a couple of days ago. Is that right? Yes, he seems to think they were playing Australia.
It was a very odd moment in the press conference transcripts where it was put to him that the Germans have cravit and puts as their very strong doubles line up. He said, we're playing Australia. No, he was playing Germany. I can confirm, Dennis, you are playing Germany. Schapp of all of Diallo, Milos Räunic, Vashik Pospissot and Alexis Galano. Germany is strife, Altmier, Hamffmann and Kevin Cravitz and Tim Putz in the doubles.
We Schapp of all of we'll play at one for Canada. We expect Diallo to play at two. David wants to, in maths words, roll Räunic out though. Well, I mean, I have seen Diallo, I think he beat Arthur Fees actually at the US Open, I think it was. He's good, I mean, he's a heck of a presence. I mean, the guy is enormous. He's a vibes guy too. He'll light the crowd and I rate him. It's an interesting one.
I think Canada are a real unknown quantity here because Dennis Schapp of all of us is always an unknown quantity, isn't he, on the day? Because you can play so incredibly well and he can be terrible. Do you know what, David? I actually think he's become quite a known quantity in the last couple of years and that's good, not great. I actually don't think that highs are that high and the lows are that low. I think he's just, you know, good, not great.
Yeah, I mean, I think he's within the last couple of years, I think right now he's, he's had a slightly better point, you know, because not only the title that he just won, which he won from qualifying in Belgrade. He actually comes in on, I think, a seven match winning streak here. He's a lot of matches that he's won to win that title. But he was also very good at the Davis Cup group stage just after the US Open. He was very good against, well, I think he won all his matches.
He certainly beat Dan Evans, didn't he? On that day when Britain were really hoping to create something and he just, he just went out there and delivered. I think his form in the last few months has been slightly better than it has been for a couple of years. This is actually a repeat of the Davis Cup quarterfinal two years ago when, when Canada won the thing. They played Germany in the first match at the finals in the quarterfinals.
And Chapovalov lost to Struf, as he often does. I think he's six to three down in that head to head. They've played a lot. Struf likes, I think, playing Chapovalov. And obviously then they had Oceania Sime, who won his singles, but then it went to the doubles. And Chapovalov and Pospissil beat Kravitz and puts in, I think, possibly in a deciding set tie break, certainly in a long, close match. So, like, they can take some confidence from that. What do I think is going to happen?
I think maybe Germany win in the doubles. I could see Diallo getting Canada off to a good start. Like Altmeier and Hamthman think I'd back Diallo against them. He's an interesting player. He's very tall, as you say. He's a big presence. His serve is not that impressive, considering. Relatable for David. He played that match against Tommy Paul at the US Open. He got broken so many times.
I'm not saying you deserve his objectively bad, David. I'm saying when you're a big guy, there are certain expectations. And maybe those expectations are unfair. I also remember you describing it as a big wind up and then nothing much seems to happen. You're a heck of a thrower. Yeah. So, the potential is there. I think the problem is that I think Germany need to get it to the doubles, at least, because I think that they should be back in themselves.
Big time. I accept that the Canadians have beaten that pairing in doubles before. But I mean, they've never been playing better than now. How's that? I mean, won the ATP Finals. So, I'd go Germany. And everyone's going Diallo for Canada in the number two. Nobody's taking a punt on Rownitch, not even David. Oh, I haven't said that. I think there's every chance they go Rownitch, but... I mean, they did last year. And he almost lost a Patrick Calcavalta. No, he didn't. He didn't almost lose.
Yeah, he hit 18 Aces and Calcavalta. Absolutely no idea how to get his serve back. I've seen Neil Ossarownitch not on a tennis court, well, any time recently. But I've seen him in Corridor's several times this week. And I wouldn't say he's moving great. On the basis of that. Even that, a Corridor. Yeah, on the basis of that hot intel, I wouldn't be picking me in Los Rownitch. But I haven't seen Gabrielle Diallo in any Corridors. So, I haven't got the point of comparison.
So, we'll be back to talk about that tie tomorrow. And we'll be back to talk about the Billy Jean King Cup Final. Hopefully, it won't be 242 in the morning when we're doing either of those things. But, you know, highly possible. Tennis be tennising. We know that was Matt saying hello to our friend, the cleaning lady. That's how frequently we're podcasting in the middle of the night in this lounge area. We almost weren't friends when she got the Hoover out about 10 minutes ago.
That would have been problematic for the pod. But thankfully, that took place far enough away. I think we got away with it. She's lovely though. She's absolutely lovely. She better be. Yeah. Yeah. We've loved spending time with her, but we very much hope not to be tomorrow. But we didn't even mention the fact that Raffa and her dad's retirement certainly happened. Gone midnight, of course. I know. We're becoming part of the problem. We're so immune to it.
And that was always raised that. And that was having got out of jail free a bit. Because Spain were a break up in the second set of that doubles. In fact, Matt went for a Lou break, assuming there was going to be a third set. And, you know, I was working out the timings and thinking this is going to finish gone 1am. We could have been in a Wesley Coolhoff retirement ceremony. Because there was going to be one for Coolhoff had the Dutch lost.
We could have been at 1am in a Wesley Coolhoff retirement ceremony. I mean, and the rest, all the matches were straight sets. Right. Yeah, that wasn't an unusually long tie. We can expect most ties to be that long or more. So, yeah. See you tomorrow, lovely cleaning lady. No, we're, um, look, the late finishes are tough, but we are loving the competitions. It's been quite a day. It's, um, yeah. It's been a lot to process. I'm sure the same is the case for Phoebe.
Phoebe's human pre-anchor pre-anchor. Hope you're okay. Hope Phoebe is, is dishing out. Lots of, uh, lots of emotional support dog cuddles. Um, hello to our mascots, of course, as well. The dearly departed Darwin, Francis, Hider and Soma. Hello to Billie Jean, who's sponsored by Billie Jean King and Alana Klos. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg Chris Jamie and Jeff. And we have some 245 AM shout outs, Matt. We have Chris Chiu. Hello, Chris Chiu.
Like Chris, like Chris Lewis, the 1983 one will then run her out. Yes, from what we designated one of the worst grand slam finals ever, during, during COVID, didn't we? Correct. What do we, there's starting to turn the lights off around us now. It's like the end of a disco and that knows the opposite at the end of a disco. They put the lights on, don't they, at the end of a disco. It's been a while since I've been to a disco. Thank you. Carry on, Matt. Chris Chiu is in New Haven, Connecticut.
And... I think we've driven through there. And by coincidence, our second shout out, Dawn Sire, we know Dawn. We know Dawn. Also. Right, Dawn. From New Haven, Connecticut. Now, he's Dawn from New Haven, or currently in New Haven, because Dawn has lived in a lot of places. You don't know the answer to that, you hear? I don't know the answer to that, no. We're not Dawn and Chris Friends. How big is New Haven? Things that Matt just should automatically know.
But I can tell you, is obviously Dawn is Mocker's mum, or... Yeah, Dawn is an absolute delight. We... Well, we've met Dawn several times, but most recently we met her at a barge meet-up session at the US Open, ahead of play. And it was absolutely lovely. And Dawn says that she worked for the ATP years ago, and wrote an article for the International Tenis Weekly on a One-to-Watch Andre Agassi.
And she says, thanks to listening to Matt talking about the Wimbleen Library, I was able to go and reread what I wrote. Oh, that's... She did her self-reliven. Mm. Love that so much. That's... that's really, really cool. Yeah. Dawn, tell us how to do takes the age well. We need some help. And Chris, let us know if you're friends with Dawn. And if not, you should be. Yeah, you absolutely should be. Yeah, hello to Chris. Hello to Dawn. And our final shout out today is for Lars Graff. Yes!
Hello, Lars. Right, Lars. I'm with the legends. Like Lars Graff, the umpire. Yeah, just like Lars Graff, the umpire. Lars, thank you so much for supporting the pod. That is tickled me at nearly three o'clock in the morning. Thank you for that. And Lars says that he loves all sports and dogs. So he's... he's... he's comes to the right pod. Yeah. Good choices, Lars. Get yourself a pet mascot next year. And then we're going to be off to know what kind of dog Lars Graff has got. Great shout.
That's a hard sell, isn't it? Lars. And just going to drop Graff, somebody on the show. Lars, Chris. And Dawn, thank you very much. Thank you all for listening. Ne doll fans out there. Hope you're okay. Feel your feelings. It's been a lot. See you tomorrow. It's on a hydropropper that's h-y-d-r-o-w-w-dot-com code-row. A cast powers the world's best podcast. Here's a show that we recommend.
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