Indian Wells - Sabalenka, Sinner win…just

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Hello and welcome to the tennis podcast here with you live on Monday the sixteenth of March to talk about the climax to a cracking couple of weeks. in Indian Wales and have a little look ahead to the coming fortnight in Miami as well. It is a packed show today and we have the full A Team present and correct. That includes you, Matt Roberts. How are you doing? Very good, thank you. Nice to be in the A team for something. I was never in the A team at school, so pleased about that.

Show off to a good start. You're always our A Team, Matt. We we don't know how we ever coped without you. Uh David Law, the founder of the A Team, is here, of course. How are you doing, David? Y you say the eighteen to me and I think of B. A. Barackus and Murdoch and Face and Hannibal from the eighties. Does any any of that ring a bell to any of you? Definitely some of our listener and viewership, David, uh will have some bells ringing and perhaps

Perhaps some not. But those who do have bells ringing will have really enjoyed that reference, I'm sure. You're welcome. Uh here to uh potentially hopefully Boost our YouTube follower numbers with the uh tennis podcast visual debut of his moustache. It is the Athletics, Charlie Eccleshare. How are you doing, Charlie? I'm good, thanks. Yeah. My Jordan Thompson tribute continues. Oh man, this tennis podcast might be too woke for you, Charlie. Uh you have just just made your Indian Wells debut.

How did that feel? Yeah, it was good. I've always been really curious to go given how um well marketed, I suppose it is, you know, the whole tennis paradise thing and back in the day like the fifth major. Um and yeah, I really enjoyed it. I mean it's it is a pretty spectacular sight. Um and

uh it was a it was a good vibe, I was well looked after. Um yeah, I mean all it feels pretty luxurious to be in kind of the Californian desert when it's kind of raining and grim back home. Um so yeah, I had a very nice time. And now you've crashed back down to earth by coming home to a kitchen renovation situation which Yeah, a week away from that was

pretty luxe as well, I'll be honest. Not having, you know, a kind of temporary kitchen and washing up in the bar. It'd be great. We have got finals to talk about. We've got some semifinal, quarter final stories to touch upon as well that have happened since our last podcast on

Thursday last week. Let's start with the women's and a title, A Maiden. Indian Wells title for Arina Sabalenka, she be Elena Rabakina in a truly thrilling final three six, six three.

Seven six, saving match point in that deciding set tie break. Rebecca, by the way, goes up to world number two, which is absolutely fitting for where she feels in the tennis ecosystem just at the moment. Matt Roberts Will we be talking about this match as a match of the season contender uh come December and our and our awards our various different awards and review shows uh that we always do at that time of the year.

I would say if we're not, then we're about to embark on like maybe the best season of tennis ever. Because that was so good and I will definitely be remembering it at the end of the year. It just had all the ingredients that you look for in a big match, right? First and foremost.

great drama. You did not know who was going to win this one right to the very end. Incredibly high quality, I think, for the most part, from both players as well. And also, like, the context of them having just played some big finals as well, you know, like the context of their rivalry shapes

this match and how we felt about it as it was unfolding and it felt big, especially for Arena Sabalenka. That feels like a weird thing to say, that the world number one kinda needed this one. But I did feel like she did, you know, like she has in her words, she's sick of losing big finals and she in particular she'd lost four in a row against Elena Robacina in finals. It had been a while since she'd felt like winning one of these against her and she was match point down and

She came up with a backcan that I will definitely, definitely, definitely be remembering at the end of the season. You cannot hit a sweeter backcan than the one that Sabalenka hit. save match point in that tie break and ended up getting the win and yeah, it it really delivered this one in terms of drama and quality. I I absolutely loved it.

David, full disclosure to our listeners and viewers, I watched the first set and a bit of this match and uh was unable to continue watching the rest. My full uh intention was to catch up on the match.

didn't support those aims and ambitions for me this afternoon. So I need you to tell me what on earth happened from the point where Elena Rabakina looked like she was unplayable, unstoppable The point at which Irina Sabalenka and frankly anybody else that would have been standing at the other end of the tennis court looked completely powerless against her. Yeah, I mean...

It was it was really fascinating because i the the similarities to the Australian Open and Final were really there in terms of the way the first set went and the way that Rabakina is able to do things that Sabalenka And she's so quietly on r uh uh refusing to to be dominated.

she just quietly just detonates these these these balls and and they hurt Sabalenka and Sabalenka gets more and more wound up as it's going along. And yet just as at the Australian Open Finals she sort of wrestled it in her direction. um and and leads the the deciding set and he's you know, basically gotta s serve two service games out to win this match.

Once again, Rebecca gets her and I don't I don't think it's a choke. I think it would be completely f unfair to to to call it a choke, the fact that Rebecca ends up back

in on level terms and forcing a tie break. I don't think that's what Sabalenka did. I do think she got tight, but I also think she had it r then wrestled back off her. And then you get into this tiebreak And and Matt pointed out you had this thing this this wonderful feel of of of what Rabakina does to Sabalenka and the fact that Sabalenka struggles to close out big finals.

at times and yet she's in a tiebreak and she has this incredible tiebreak record. So you got all these competing narratives going on and it's back and forth. But the the point That was played with Rabacina serving match point up is That I mean w y talk about match of the year contenders all you like. I think that this will will be a a point that I remember from this year, and probably for many years to come, because Rebecca nails her first set.

To the backhand corner, you get a hard backhand cross court response from Sabalenka. Rabakina unloads on another one, cross court, the sort that have been denting Sabalenka's defence all match, and Sabalenka just said And she just threw every single one. Possibly. Uh she unloaded with all the power she'd got in her body onto her backhand and hit a clean win across court off. A really good shot from her backhand. It was just one of those shots that

made you yelp if you're watching it. And that that turned it. That just turned it in in Sabalenka's direction. And it was it was an awesome sight. Um so She kind of was under the gun and yet she wrestled it back off off Rebecca, which I I found really Great for the rivalry because this is a proper rivalry now and and I I I I was thinking back to when we put in our title of the previous show about are we about to get a s a sinker as and sabotec

couple of finals and we didn't get either. Um and and and then I thought, you know, maybe maybe it's not right to be sa talking about Sviontek in this rivalry now because really it's Rebecca's replacement With this with this match in particular and going to number two in the world, she is the rightful player to be in that conversation if if we complete

Yeah. Charlie you did a a big nod when I said, you know, we're backing her up to world number two and that's absolutely where she feels like in terms of this rivalry it does feel a a bit like, you know, Shantek and Sabalenka is the one that we've all been trying to make happen and actually this was this rivalry was kind of there all along, like with ebbs and flows, but you know, they met in the they met in the final here a couple of years.

years ago uh three years ago, didn't they? And that was following on from their epic Australian Open final. Like, this has been

right under our noses and we haven't been ignoring it, but we have been sort of saying, Okay, that's that's nice, but like, where are the Sabalenka Sviontek matches that we all that we all really want? But actually this rivalry kind of feels like the one, I think.

Definitely at the moment. And I mean they've got the thing that Sviontek and Sabalenko have never had of playing each other regularly in a short space of time. And that's always been the thing that's been so frustrating about Sabalenko and Shviontek and how few how rarely they've met at Grand Slams. that it's just never really been able to catch fire. Obviously that Madrid final couple of years ago notwithstanding. Um so yeah, it w it was fascinating and I mean it did remind me

when when Djokovic and Nadal used to play on hard courts back before Djokovic just completely had his number on hard courts and the way they would sort of raise each other's game I loved it. And I just think Sabalenka

And and and I said this in the voice note, I think it was after the US Open, that she's such a hard person mentally to characterize. And I think players are often, but we kind of we wanna simplify it, because she's both the most clutch player there is. While at the same time, she has this finals problem. And this match was kind of all of that in microcosm because she did fail to serve it out. But then it gets to the tie break.

where we know she's like the ultimate clutch player, but so many of those tie breaks come after she's blown a lead, um, including this match. Like it's such a strange dynamic. Like I f I find her so compelling. And even her overall finals record. is like historically bad for a dominant world number one. I mean, she's basic she basically for her career wins as many finals as she loses, and obviously her slam record

is one four lost four. And actually when that was put to Sabalenka at the Aust at the Australian Open, she was kind of surprised that it was even that good. In her head, you know, this was just another final that she'd lost. Because in her mind she always loses the finals, you know, and it's not that bad, but they do those lobsteres almost stick in our minds more because

I think in our heads and certainly in her head, she should be winning every one. Like she is the favorite for every final she plays. Um, although interesting you know, I think in this one was probably a fifty fifty in most people's minds, as was kind of the Australian Open final. Um but I think for the rivalry for her t if you're being in it just for the neutral kind of development of the rivalry in the story, I think her winning one, um

Is great for it, just just having lost the previous two. But I was I was determined during it to be Cause do you remember like that Madrid final as well, I remember thinking at the time that it kind of felt Whoever wins like it's so it f it almost felt arbitrar who won that final was Sviontek and Sabalenka. They were both just so brilliant and I don't think'cause I don't write this as oh well Sabalenka was bad, Sviontek was good or one's clutch, one's not clutch. It was just a

one or two points and I I think similar yesterday, which is kind of hard to parse in some ways because we want it to be we want it to be this great revelation and and read so much into it. But but I think it was it was just so close. But I but I think Yeah, I'm I'm glad in a way she was able to get over the line so it didn't become this self perpetuated narrative of Sabalenka can't win fine.

W was there any physical Elements of Like I don't think uh fr from what I'm gathering Rabacchina didn't, you know, have a massive fade. But Sabalenka didn't have any fade at all and and it sounds like Rabacina maybe Did have a little bit of a fade. Certainly the serve seemed to drop off a little bit in its effectiveness. I'm getting some hard nods from Charlie and I'm getting a hard nod from Matt. That's wild.

Yeah, I I thought that the conditions had to have an effect, right? It was such a long match. They were in the brutal heat. during the change of ends at the tiebre uh in the tie break I notice well obviously the players are not allowed to sit down.

Sabalenka requested that the ball kid come over to her and put the umbrella above her head while she took a drink, just so she could get like a little moment in some shade because Mae'n ymwneud yn ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r hyn. several hours in the blazing sun. But actually I do think it was there was speculation the um

Was it w the previous day that Yannick Sinna was adopting the extreme return position that he was against Alexander Zverev? Because that meant he got to stand in the shade for a little bit l longer, which I found very relatable.

Sorry, Matt, as you were. But yeah, it was I think Rebecca who who looked like she was feeling it physically a little bit. Like it I don't think it was the determining factor in the match, but like after after Sabalenko had saved that match point, we then saw Robatkin on the next one at six all come to the net and I I felt in the moment watching that like that was the decision of a slightly tired

player. Like maybe she didn't have it in her legs to to sort of hang from the baseline anymore. Felt like she comes to the net and and and she didn't hit a great volley there. Um so yeah, I think it was an element but it it didn't feel like the absolute um absolute defining factor in the match. I also wanted to shout out the very start of the second set after Sabalenko had gone a break

down, I thought was a classic example of how sometimes smashing a racket and just letting your emotion out can really help you. Because Sabalenka was so frustrated as everything David's described in terms of the way Rabatkina can cause her problems. And she went a break down at the start of the second set. And against Rabatkina who'd been serving like that The match is really starting to slip away from Sabalenka there and she just

Smashed her racket, let out a bit of a roar, got all the sort of negative emotion out of her system, and then played a ferociously good game to break straight back. And I just thought That was a defining feature and I think good that it happened sort of early in the Mac, she got it out of the system and then for the rest of it she was a lot more sort of calm and composed and yeah, it's just really impressive. Tennis Podcast advocates racket smashing, Daily Express headline incoming.

Well, I mean I th it no, it can be an incredibly sort of therapeutic thing. But I remember asking um Jason Stacy uh before the French Open final, how do you kind of straddle that line with with arena of You don't want her to kind of get too frazzled and lose a head, but you also know that she can't just bottle it up.

Um I think the line, the sort of mantra they have is don't fight it, don't feed it and it's kind of like, you know, there are times when you need to just accept that this is how you're feeling. Don't pretend you're not. Don't feed it by sort of trying to suppress it. And I think this was quite a good example of that. Um and as Matt says, it did seem to be quite helpful. Yeah, kind of. I mean I I think it's one on the heat point she said like straight away in her Uh

on court interview afterwards that you know she she was so hot that it was sh she was so hot she could like barely think in that moment. And I think she may have mentioned also getting a bit of cramp after the match as well. So clearly even if she was able to manage it it was very challenging conditions for both. Very big week for the the new dog bounce theory. Uh David, I'm always trying to persuade you to get a dog. Um Arena Sabalenka doing good

good PR work in that department. Yeah. Cute dog. I mean I I know. I mean I I think I misgendered him on a on the last podcast. I believe it's a he I sometimes ask you to tell me dog that you don't regard as good'cause I would love that as a revelation. Um but I I also sort of fascinated by Charlie saying that that that a racket smash can be quite therapeutic, as though Charlie does it all the time whenever he's in a bit of a

Oh I used to um I've seen Charlie on the telescope. I used to. I think I think there's a racket. Are you are you Roger Federer, Charlie, the r the reformed racket smasher? Yeah, I think maybe. I mean yeah, Matt's saying that and I am r I am reining it in big time when I'm playing with you guys. You know, I'm like I cannot show you how annoyed I am playing tennis. But when I was a kid, yeah, oh I used to have such bad temperatures with tennis.

Yeah, in my exact I'm chucking the racket across across the court. I am reliably informed, Matt, by the agenda that you wrote.

That there is a backhand list update. Yeah. The time has come. There were a lot of calls for it at the Australian Open. Um I don't like to jump into these things as you know. I don't like to be told what to do with my list. The last time I did jump into I made a rash decision I ended up with my joint on the list. Obviously no regret.

You could not drop her quickly enough. Haven't heard you even mention Maya joint's name in some months. Yeah, obviously no regrets, love the back cam, but yeah, look, she's not on the list anymore. Um but Elena Rabakner. Elena Rabacner is going back on the backhand list. It is it's been on there before, I can't actually remember.

when when she got bumps off. There's been several changes, but anyway, she's going back on. It's such a satisfying shot. It does so much damage. It has to be on the list. And of course That unfortunately means that someone has to lose their place. Um and that is gonna be Emma Radicanu losing her place on the backhand list just now. She's having a great Yeah, don't like to kick someone when they're down. Off the backhand list.

You don't like to give someone while they're down, but you will do it. Well I will do exactly that for the integrity of the backhand. I'd rather not, ideally, but happy to do it. Lots for the Daily Express to get their teeth into today. We're only twenty twenty minutes into the show. Is there can I Matt can I just ask you a backhandest question though? Is is there not there's not a relativity aspect to it? It it it's not a kind of

player whose backhand is way better than everything. Like it's okay that it's Rabakina who's like the second best player in the world and is, you know, kind of really, really good. That doesn't that doesn't affect the your consideration. No, I think you're right. I think you're right to pick up on that. It very much does affect my consideration. I do like it when Uh the backhand is a player's like standout signature shot.

Um I still think I still think it is that for Rebecca, you know, like if again if you watch this watch this final, it was the forehand that went off in the middle of the second set. that really did help Sabalenko get you know get back in as well. The backhand is the reliable shot and it is just It is just undeniably great and it brings me a lot of satisfaction watching her hit it like that. And I think I also

realize just how good it is when she plays someone like Sabalenka, right? Like the the effortless stroke production on it and yet such power. Yeah, it's on the list. Yeah, it's a joke, isn't it? It's a joke how easy she makes it look. Uh Sabelenka might want a word after that match point today. Well, I knew someone was gonna bring that up. And there it is. Anything to say?

Well, the problem with Savalenko is that it it's not the standout, you know, t kinda to Charlie's point there. That was a standout shot, but just like How can you pick one thing with Sabalenka? Like the movement, the power, the forehand, the serve. She's got it. She's got it all. It's definitely my joint standout thing though, I would say. That was why she was once on the left.

Uh before we move on from the women's singles in Indian Wells, I feel like we should row back to the quarterfinals and just have a bit of a chat about Igor Svantec's defeat because as David said in in the last show we were throwing forward to a potential Svanteken and Sabalenka final, not just because, you know, we're guilty of trying to make that rivalry happen and we have been for a long time, but also because

Igor Shontek had been so impressive. We'd been talking about her victory over Carolina Mukova and how it felt like she'd created this. blueprint for the kind of tennis that she and Wim Fassett have been trying to get her playing over the course of the last year or so. It felt like not just a great performance, but it felt like

A huge building block. It felt like something it felt like something significant. And then we see her go into the quarterfinals and face Alina Svitellina, who okay had beaten her before at Wimbledon, but a player against whom, certainly in the form that Schwantech had been in in in Indian Wales and as a former champion, Schontech was heavily favoured to win this match and She lost six two four six four. Matt, what happened to Schoontek in this match?

Well, I think there were several things at play here. You know, like th that was the time in the tournament where suddenly It felt like the conditions suddenly got a lot quicker and the tournament got a lot Hotter. And she was also moved to court two rather than the main court, which everyone was saying was playing quicker. And she was playing a different opponent, you know, someone someone in Svizzalina who who is having a brilliant season.

and can really push her. Um so those those were all factors. None of them felt like big enough factors to quite explain what we ended up seeing from Siontech in that match where she got off to an incredibly slow start, in particular with the serve. Like the serve was just immediately an issue and coughing up double faults and that just seemed to like unsettle everything right from the start.

And basically she was struggling to like control the ball the entire day. It was back to a lot with the industry on tech of overhitting and and missing big um That was certainly what happened in the first set. Sh she she said afterwards that she felt like in the second set she basically played to not miss and simply take pace off the ball, play d play a bit differently to what her strategy was. And that helped her and she did end up getting it back to

to one set all. But then she said afterwards that she what she wanted to do was go was actually play in the way she'd planned to. So she went back to trying to hit the ball with a bit more purpose in the third set, but just had absolutely no control on it and it and it really

ran away from her and then we saw some some tough scenes at the end where she was you know, really frustrated and there was some you know, some quite bad body language back and forth with her with her box, like the vibes were kinda bad there as well. And look, it was unfortunately quite a familiar tale really, where she looks pretty good through the first few rounds of a tournament and then gets to a certain stage against a really good opponent.

gets under a bit of pressure, things start going wrong and it kinda tail spins. And that was happening last year a lot of the semifinal stage. It started to happen a bit more at the quarter final stage this season. And yeah, you you sort of mentioned Rabatina's ranking being number two. Y if you look at the race, Sviontek is ten in the race right now. And look, c clay is still to come and That is her best time of year and I would never judge a Sviontek season fully until

you know, certainly until we've seen her on the clay. But we're used to better starts to the season than this, and for her to lose to Svitilina Svitalina was in that category of player who is very, very good and a top ten player, but she used to have an amazing record against the top ten. She was thirty six and nine against the top ten from the start of twenty twenty two to the Olympics in Paris.

She is eleven and fourteen since then. Like sh I think she has come back to the field, the field have caught up with her and she no longer just has this dominance over the rest of her best players. Like she's still really, really good player, but there are there are players now who are who are pushing her and causing stress and the game is just not quite clicking under those scenarios and the vibes don't look great with the team. Yeah, it was

It was it was a struggle to watch actually because it was a reminder of how quickly things can change.'Cause as you said, things were looking were looking good. I fell into the trap.

It's a strange sort of inertia watching Igor Shantek at the moment because this defeat doesn't change how well she played against Karolina Mookova and other similar performances, she's not She's not in a terrible trough and consistently playing bad matches, but the fact that she can be playing really well against decent opposition for two, three two, three matches and then it

suddenly all looks so frail all of a sudden is almost more disconcerting. It's like form form can cease to mean anything and something else can take over and it must if as viewers it makes us feel sort of as unsettled as it does, like I uh she must feel

v very much like she's on uncertain foundations. It's it's a very weird place to be with Igoshantek at the moment, I think. Yeah, I I th I think I'm still probably trading off memories in days when I watch her because I'm s I still remember the player who had the streak and kinda had streaks like that most years and and I realise a lot of that was

clay court dominance as well, but I didn't used to apart from when she would overhit, those were the only uh moments when I would really lose confidence in her. Now Match to match, she d I don't feel confident as that I know what's coming from her racket. Whereas game wise, so I mean there is certainly question marks over her back in her and and what she was

like a couple of years ago and the matchies she would miss because of sleep deprivation and all the all the issues she was having with with Vukov o off the court and the investigation and all those sort of things. But game wise

You know what her game is. You know what Sabalenka's game is. Once she got rid of the service problems, you knew what the game was. There were there were always those sort of question marks over Goff's game, but it feels like now we've got them over Schwantex and didn't used to have

And and what was interesting this this particular match is Svitalina has has kind of signed her her reinvention with this hyper aggressive play. And yet she wasn't doing it in the third set of this match. She was aware of what was going on down the other end of the court, and she played really conservative tennis, did Svitilina, and just said, Come on, break me down.

And she waited for it to miss and it was happening and and I th I could see Schwantek trying to do the things and some points it would work, s she would put more flight and it was it's actually a lovely th sight to behold when she gets it right.

But I think she's still having to think about it too much. Imai imagine being a player at that level where you're having to think that often about what you're doing next when it's not second nature the way you want it to be. And um and I That I th I do think that the Wimbledon victory makes you s sort of stop in your tracks and think, Yeah, but she won Wimbledon.

It's just that I don't I don't feel that confident that week to week she's gonna be her best self at the moment. And that's that's just unusual. That's an unusual feeling from what we used to have for the first three or four years of her kind of dominant period.

Mm. Yeah, I mean I'm wary of sort of like David says, of writing her off too much because of that Wimbledon and I remember we recorded um I remember doing the show with you guys after she just lost to Sabalenka in Paris last year, got bageled in the third set.

And at that point I I really felt fearful for her. And then she went on Wimbledon. So I was kinda like, Oh well, you know, don't leap to conclusions and maybe this time we'll go too far the other way and there'll be a bit of a lag before we sort of

accept what's happening. Um it's really difficult to say. And I think the th like you were saying, Catherine, about what's worrying, I think for me is that she is on this really bad run of top ten uh players. I can't remember how many it is in a row now that she's lost, but it is quite a few.

And I think that is far worse for a player in a way. Like it's better to be kind of frustratingly inconsistent in that, well, you can beat the world number one in your day, but also you might lose to the fifth w world number fifty or one hundred. At the moment she's kind of just getting beaten when she plays elite players. Like no matter who that is, they're winning. That I think is really worrying and kind of especially when you've been

you know, such a serial winner. And I saw and and I remember like I was trying to make a comparison in my head, like a comparable one. And it's not quite right because he didn't win as many, but David, you'll remember this, but when Leighton Hewitt went from being the guy and then all of a sudden wasn't. And I'm not comparing those two. And I I saw someone make the comparison Uh I think it was on a comment on your last show about um they raised Martina Hinge.

And obviously Hingis was all conquering, won five slams in a row uh between ninety seven and ninety nine and then never won another one. And again I'm not saying that is what's going to happen with Igash Viontek, but there is precedent for players it it's very strange for us to understand, but there is precedent for players to go from being the absolute dominant world number one who we just assume will keep winning forever

to not being and it not being because there's a sudden moment when it all falls apart, but it's a combination of lots of things, of like you say, the feel getting better, the aura slightly going. the the confidence then slightly going and and that just sort of builds up over time where now you're in a place where I think a lot of those players are kind of relishing playing her in a way that they were terrified before. Mm. I think that's definitely true. Um yeah, it does feel like

something needs to change. A lot of people talking about change in the team. Um they're definitely the you know, the vibe the vibes were bad. She was gesturing a lot towards Darya Abramovich, her longtime psychologist in the box. That that didn't look like great energy to me. Um maybe make a change uh for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. If we've learnt anything this week, it's that every every team maybe needs a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Um the doubles, the women's doubles in Indian Wells, won by Taylor Townsend And Katarina Siniakova. Sina Siniakova having retired from her uh singles match against Alina Svitilina with injury came back and won the doubles with Taylor Townsend. They beat Anna, Danalina and Alexandra Krunich, one of the teams of twenty twenty six, seven six. Six four in the final, it's their fourth title together, Townsend.

and Siniakova revenge for the defeats to Kronich and Danalina in the uh quarterfinals of the Australian Open this year and in the quarterfinals of Roland Garrosh last year. Um and Teby Townsend

uh, missed her son's birthday on the day of the final, so she, um she gave him a shout out in the trophy ceremony and that was extremely lovely. So good vibes all around there. It was a great tournament in the end. It was a really Um, I think kind of the the men's event kind of in terms of like consistent entertainment throughout the twelve days, whatever it was, I feel like

The men's event really delivered, but it was a fantastic climax to the uh to the women's event. I really, really enjoyed it. And that is it for part one. We'll be back to talk about the men's event in part two. Det både smaka gott och gör. Den här produkten är inte riskfri. Den används med nikotin som är beroendeframkallande, endast för användningen av vuxna. Är du trätt på lukten av rög?

ICOS lämnar ingen lukt av rök i kläder, händer eller hår, ingen aska och ingen andrahandsrök. Icos finns att köpa på icos.com. Besök icos.com för mer information. Ländå lejfär. Ett äpple kan ju vara gott, men om du samlar ihop en massepplen kan du göra en äppelpaj. Likadant kan man tänka med smålån och krediter, de kan man också samla ihop på ett och samma ställe. Ja, en lånepaj. Samla dina lån till ä. Sveriges största jämförelsetjänst för lån.

Welcome back to part two of today's tennis podcast where we have a title in Indian Wells finally for Yannick Sinner. He beats A resurgent Daniel Medvedev, seven six, seven six in the final came from Love Four Down. in the sec second set tie break, reeling off seven points in a row, won the title for the first time, becoming the youngest man to claim all the big hardcourt titles. That's the Masters one thousand on Hardcourts, the ATP finals,

and the two Grand Slam uh Grand Slams on hard courts. That's the youngest man to do it by six years. Federer did it, but not until he was thirty. Yannick Sinna David is very good on a hard court, and he had to be, because Daniel Medvedev also right now is bloody good on a hardcore.

Sure is. It sure is. I I I really thought after that Medvedev win over Alkraz that I I was thinking Medvedev was gonna win this final. because at the level he was playing was just a joke. I mean he he I was looking back, he'd he'd won his Prior to this final he'd won his previous eighteen sets in a row in Dubai and Indian Wales. He'd won the lot in straight sets. And apart from one seven five set against Jack Draper and one seven six set against Carlos Aukras, he'd won all the sets easily.

And he was doing it with these raking drives, forehand and backhand, hit absolutely as hard as he could, as sweet as a nut, and they were just d they were hurting the best two players in the world in Alcraz and Cinema. I I think it's a great credit to Sinner that he actually managed to win this final, particularly in straight sets in the end. But he was he was hurting in both of the sets. Um a lot of the baseline rallies, frankly.

Medvedev was having the better of. It was really Sinner's first serve that was that was doing the damage. I mean there was a there was one stat that popped up that he'd won thirty one of his ther first thirty two points when he got his first serving. I mean th those are incredible stats. You know, I I remember at um in the Australian Open I I I I did one of those David do when when it when I I think I did it with all three of you at different times.

Um w which is to s I I just suddenly put a questi it's question pops into my head and I say Whose serve would you rather have out of Alcaraz and Sinners? Yes. Charlie I do remember that gave it some proper thought and gave me a a r a r in fact there was quite a delay before I got an annual

Um and and eventually g Charlie gave me a very considered answer as to why he would go sinner. I said I'd go Al Crobody for doing this to me today, David. We went about our day. Um I then I then asked Catherine about this and I think I might have asked it at a bad time.

And Catherine was so I don't wanna I don't wanna I don't wanna have to think about this, basically is w is the gist of what you said. No, I said I hate questions like this and I stand by it. So it's more it was more across the board, right. It was not circumstantial. You would have got a variety of of a version of that answer. Maybe I was a bit snappy about it. And I just don't remember what that said.

I actually can't remember what I said either. Obviously obviously for the purposes of this I definitely said Yannick Sinna. Well, I mean honestly watching this was like watching Pete Sampras, it's unbelievable what Sinna was doing. But eve even then you get into that second set tie break and and Medvedev establishes a four love lead in a tie break that that doesn't seem any way back. And even in the fifth point

Sinner kind of misses the first serve, rolls his second serve in. Medvedev gets to have a go at it and puts a deep return in. But he does he does make an unforced error in in that particular rally. Thereafter he basically didn't have a chance. I mean Siena just took it over and won seven points in a row um to to win that rally. tie break. It was you know it's the definition of sort of clutch play.

Um j just brilliant from from both of them. I th I I'd I'd like to think that they that Medvedev will come out of this tournament th feeling great because he he's bamboozled Al Kraz and made Al Kraz question a few things certainly on the day and and I thought Mevada was sensational. But Cinner got the title and and that's that's in itself. And it's pretty massive, Charlie, to be describing Yannick Sinner as clutch.

in the context of that Australian Open semifinal defeat to Novat Djokovic. I don't think anyone was suggesting that he was suddenly gonna become this this great choker, but like he just had a had a bit of a ship to steady on on that front, and I feel like he really did in this final in particular.

Yeah, on that front and also on the playing in the heat front and also a bit on the serve front because he's had some pretty ropey days. I mean the fact really that David was asking that question and that I took as long to answer as I did. Does speak to both Alcraz's improvement on the serve, but also Sinna's slight regression, because I think that would have been a pretty straightforward answer, you know, this time a year ago, or it would have been for me anyway. So he kind of addressed the

you know, a number of the questions that have been asked of him. I mean it it's it's so rare, I think, where you have a final that both players come out of it with so much credit. I mean, yeah, huge for Sinner. to do it, but I was just blown away by Medvedev. I still can't quite believe how well he played, how aggressively, how consistently

his big shots were going in and doing damage.'Cause I kept thinking, I mean, admittedly I thought of this with Alcrest, so maybe I should have learned my lesson, but I was like, he started really well, but how sustainable is this? Because we've seen players Whether it's against Alkraz or Cinner or Djokovic was the classic example. There's such a high tariff. Okay, you can do this for a few games. You might even do it for a set.

You're not gonna do this all match. Like eventually these huge forehands that he was hitting up the line, they're gonna start going out, but they just didn't. Like he really had s and I thought, you know, after he lost that first set, which You know, he left that volley, had he made, he would have been the mini breakup. He may well have won it. I thought maybe that's gonna cause a lapse. It didn't. Um I mean and I ha I put my hands up. I thought

You know, last year with Medvedev, I just did not see this turnaround coming. I really didn't. And and I guess maybe that's a lesson with Sviontek. It does change very quickly. And obviously Shvontek's in a different bracket even to him. But what a turnaround. The aggression...

that Medvedev is clearly playing with is is obviously very, very striking. He's pulling the trigger down those lines in like an absolutely thrilling, thrilling way. And the precision with which he's doing it is incredible. But like Okay.

i it's perhaps a marker of, you know, the new work of Thomas Johansson, but Medvedev m back when he was having his greatest success, he was quite an aggressive player. Like I think it that is in it doesn't surprise me that now he's found a bit of confidence he feels a lot more able to do that. What really does surprise me, Matt, is that he seems to have got his serve back

Like I I thought the Medvedev serve was was lost forever. I'm I'm not suggesting it's perhaps where it was in in twenty nineteen, but it looks like it looks somewhat back to me. Yeah, I agree. And um if we if we focus on the semifinal against Alcaraz, the the absolutely standout number there was the number of points that Medvedev was winning on his second serve. Like Alcaraz is a

is a generationally good returner of serve, and yet he could kind of get nowhere close to the Medvedev second serve. Like Medvedev was was winning points behind that shot seventy plus percent of the time. And look, a lot of that was because He was backing it up so well with his ground strokes and with his aggressive. But the first serve was effective, the second serve was was far less attackable and far less vulnerable than it has been for a long time. Yeah, like for anyone who's become like

an Al like a tennis fan in the Alcaraz Cinner years. You know, they've got into the sport maybe in the last couple of years and they've they they've seen this Medvedev figure and they're like, How did that guy win a major and was world number one and was like the best hardcourt player in the world. He's he's a bit of a joke, isn't he? Like he's losing to Benjamin Ponzi all the time and crashing out at Grand Slams and ranting and raving all the time.

Well, this is how. Like th this tennis. And like arguably this was even more aggressive than he was in his in his prime. And and he says he as you said, he always thinks of himself as an aggressive player when he's playing well. He took it upper level. The fact that like I felt like during this final that the fact that Cinner had played Fonseca was quite good preparation for him to then play Method. kind of told it all, right? Because it was a similar sort of feel. Cinner

having to revert to the role of okay, I'm not gonna be playing all the points in attack here. I'm gonna have to absorb and I'm gonna have to win some tie breaks and come up clutch in the big moments and it was So impressive that he did do that sinner. But I just love seeing when like an Alcaraz and a Sinna, the best players in the world, are made to come up with the goods and Fonseca forced Sinna to do it and Medvedev forced both Alcaraz and Sinna to do it.

this week and Alcaz couldn't quite do it to beat him. Sinner did. And yeah, that r rumours of Yannick Sinner's demise that may have been discussed or exaggerated or debated very much very much just rumours because that is how this rivalry works. They just keep responding to one another and and and Sinners had a big week there and and was in And rumours of Carlos Alcaraz maybe never losing a tennis match again also Also exaggerated.

Can I can I just ask you guys a question?'Cause like I I mean I fall on the more positive side for the chasing pack here, but do we think this is like a an encouraging week for the field in the sense that Medvedev's shown the you know, you can, if you're fearless, beat one and push one close, or is it a, okay, so even if I'm redlining and playing basically to my absolute maximum, I might beat one but I'm still gonna lose to the other? Like I think the former, I think it is encouraging, but yeah.

C curious to know what you guys think. I hate questions like that, Charlie. David, you'll indulge me. No, it's a good question. You go for it, David. I I actually think the whole year has been quite encouraging because even though Senna and Alcaraz keep end up winning the title

They haven't actually played the two big finals that we all thought they would play. Um and and even and i and yes it's Djokovic and Medvedev who who've ended up disturbing those finals but i mean you know remember that I I thought Medvedev would do this at the Australian Open and and and then he was terrible at the Australian Open, then he'd come out and die But with with Draper and Fees back in the in the mix of things and Tien's clear uh in uh improvement or albeit he was manhandled by

Cinner when they faced each other. That that's a bit of a reality check. Albeit I think Tian was probably a bit wiped out as well after his long match against Davidovich Fikina. And I mean, Zverev at the Australian Open was close against Alcraz, you know. But then he was nowhere near him a sinner in in Indian Wales. By the way, that was hilarious that that he came out saying that he was gonna take the fight to

to m to Cinner and then the moment the guy stands at the backstop and just gives him a different look, he his game completely fell apart. Um but but I actually think generally speaking it it should give them some encouragement. that m they these guys you you can hurt you can beat them if you play well enough and they have a bit of an off day and if you're good enough. But It's still s it's still fairly small. Yeah, quite a lot of it. Quite a lot of circ circumstances need to align.

But certainly for someone like Djokovic you'd think he'd be thinking You know, he he probably no beating them both he's seen is close to impossible, but he's shown he can beat one and then maybe there's a chance that Medvedev or someone might take out the other and I I'm sure he would still back himself to beat I mean obviously this Medvedev is playing unbelievably, but that's still a different proposition to playing either of them back to back.

Yeah, I'm I'm with David and Charlie. I'm I'm definitely leaning on a a a positive overall week and start to the season for the field. You know, d the fact that we haven't had a Cinera Alquas Max yet, as David said. We had so many at the back end of last season. I think there was there was some circumstance to that as well, like because Draper and Feast were out and Cinna had had the three month break.

in uh uh uh in the in the start of the season. He was so fresh towards the end of the season. Alcaraz had just gone up a level. Like they just sort of had the men's tour to themselves really. I just think the reset has has helped the field a little bit in terms of just show more promise. Maybe it's just start of the season vibes and and I'm I'm sort of giving players more of a chance because it's the start of the season and and things are feeling new and fresh. But

I don't know, I really do think people are people are playing well here. Um and Yeah, like if we get a load of Alcaraz Cin a final suddenly, I think that changes. But as long as one of them is losing before the final, that to me is quite a win for the field and um yeah, I'm I'm really encouraged actually by by the start of the season on the ATP side. I think it's been I think it's been really intriguing in lots of ways with the older guys returning to form like like Djokovic and

Is Medvedev in that bracket now? I suppose he probably is. But like also the also the younger guys and returning from injury just feels like the pool of players who I'm sort of really interested in tournament to tournament is is is quite big. And I didn't feel like that for for quite a quite a large period of twenty twenty five.

I'm I'm almost a little bit relieved for Al Kharaz that his streak is over as well,'cause I always I I just feel for players when they get on a when they get on a streak. I always remember that do you remember the sign that was held up for Iga Shontek when she was on her massive, massive streak that ended up um coming to an end at Wimbledon. I think it was at the French Open, it was Will She Ever Lose?

And of course that ends up being the narrative around a streak. Somebody they end up feeling unbeatable and yet the of course they are going to be beaten and that sort of that. frenzy of of pressure. I kind of feel sorry for bla I mean, Al Kraz looked like he was handling it just fine. He was putting on B costumes at the end of

end of his match. He didn't look to be suffering with the pressure of the streak. Um but the the longer it the longer wr the longer it went on, I think, the less the less fun maybe it was gonna be. But then winning's always fun. I dunno. I just wanted to be able to mention Al Craz in the B costume'cause it was one of those like

God, what a gift this guy is, right? Like he could probably have done any sport, like another sport could have Carlos Alcaraz right now, but like He's he's he's a gift to ours and we get to look at you could just that j j joyful face wearing a bee costume, back to fr the the beauty of it being back to front, the wings are on on the front and He he doesn't notice or care. It was it was it was a good time, Matt, wasn't it? Yeah, it was great. And like I am

I am so pleased that the B thing in Indian Wales is continuing. Like I thought maybe two years on I might I might get bored of it. I might think, Oh the B thing is over, but no, like my heart sang when I saw those blokes dressed as the bees. I want in fifteen years time if Alcaraz is still playing and going back to Indian Worlds, I want people to be dressed up as bees. I want

The that moment, the Lance Davis B Swarm of it all, just to always be remembered because I had so much fun with that. How would you feel about the No. I want it just at Indian Wells. Okay. Just at Indian Wells. I f I feel I feel strongly about that. Matt has spoken.

Uh Matt, I'm going to come to you again because it would be rude to go to anybody else for hindrance drama. Yes. Uh I was so pleased when I woke up. It is I'm declaring it now officially on the rise, if not an epidemic. We're certainly on epidemic watch, I would say. And I actually think I actually think the fact that Hindrance drama has been on the rise. I think that was a

a factor i th in in this. It's m yeah, I I'll let Matt explain what happened in the Medvedev Draper match for anybody anybody that wasn't aware, I know that this has gone very viral, but it's like It's like hindrance drama is really reaching fever pitch now. Like we might genuinely have to introduce a an official segment on the show. Matt, take it away. And and I think part of the reason it's on the rise and I hadn't really made this correlation before, but it makes sense.

is video review, right? Like y you now you now have an option as a as a player to to review things that just weren't available to you before, such as hindrance if it hasn't been called already by the umpire and this and this was that. example. So Medvedev Draper. Um Medvedev is, as we thought, winning this match. Draper's yeah, a little bit um

A just a little bit sluggish, I suppose, coming coming back the next day after that incredible effort against Novat Djokovic and Medvedev's playing brilliantly well. And he's he's en route to winning this match and A rally um unfolds and Medvedev hits a ball that lands

you know, pretty close to the bla baseline and Draper gestures mid rally, does one of those like looking down at it, puts his arms out a little bit as though to say, Hang on, wasn't that out? There's definitely definitely a moment where Draper does that mid rally. Um but then the rally continues, both players hit a few more shots in the rally, and Draper wins the rally and then afterwards

Medvedev is the one who asked for the video review and says that what Draper did on that ball that was near the baseline was hindrance and put him off. And the umpire orally taught allowed that to happen, watched the watched it and declared that Medvedev

hindered by that movement that that Draper made. Um and Draper's argument was, yes, he may have seen it, but he wasn't he wasn't put o off enough by it because the rally the rally kept going. Um and I think kind of what you're saying there, and I think I agree, Catherine, is that the fact that Medvedev knows that the option is available to him, he sort of He's seen a route to potentially win this point that he's already lost and he and he takes advantage of that.

uh wording in the rule. I think there was a There was a incident at the Australian Open last year with Schwantek and Navarro, where Navarro actually wasn't able to go back and and question something that had happened earlier on in the rally and it it led to a change and now umpires do allow you to do that. Personally I think too much time passed in this

rally and there should have been more the approach of what we used to have with Hawkeye and line calling where if you want to stop the rally, if you're bothered by something, I think you've got to do it much sooner than Mempedev did here. Certainly Certainly, you know, the point had already finished and he'd lost it.

It seemed a little bit like trying to bend the rules and use that to his advantage and um he was pretty sheepish. A little bit. He was pretty sheepish at the end, Levedev, when he said, I hope I hope you don't hate me to Draper. I think this is a very generous take from you, Matt. Like Daniel Medvedev was kind of less generous about his own behaviour than you have been. Like he pretty much fully acknowledged that it was

Pretty darsedly, didn't he? He was like, I'm here to win tennis matches, I'm gonna try and do everything I can to win them and it's up to the officials to do their job And like, Yeah, he's right, I think This is Our Lee Tort's fault, I'm afraid. I don't wanna I don't wanna come down too hard. It's a difficult job, um umpiring. But I

I do think this was very, very clearly a bad call. I think it was pretty dastardly from Medvedev. We'd probably go go a bit easy on him because he owns it and I'd I there's so few that do that that it is It does take the edge off, but it it was done. I do remember thinking that Navarro was unlucky in that one before and it did to me it did to me feel like there needed to be some kind of

some kind of change to the ruling to allow the kind of Navarro but then it's like opening the can of worms and then you get to a situation where you allow this sort of thing that Medvedev did. So th there's a kind of a grey area. It's a classic case of V v VAR in sport does not necessarily solve all the issues. We've got the we've got the anti VAR guy on the pod. We should probably go to Charlie for this one. For orally taught C. Kevin friend. I know, yeah.

as soon as I stopped covering football and thought, Oh, no more VAR and then that was basically the moment the tennis introduced it's when I started covering it. I just can't escape it. I've got to embrace it. It's part of my life. No, I th th the Navarro one is a really good example'cause that was so unfair on her because it was like she shouldn't be expected to

kind of self officiate. And that's what I thought was always hard about Hawkeye challenging and all of that, was it was great for spectators and created aggro and drama, but bloody big ask on the players who already have enough to worry about and be stressed about to also kind of half self referee their matches.

But this one was different. I mean Draper, I'm sure he will now reflect on it,'cause he did it a few times in the Djokovic match as well, was kind of reacting visibly to shots as if to be like in the moment, be like, What? Like that.

That looked in or that looked out. Like you could see him being surprised. And I think there may have been I think did he criticize the automatic line calling at Wimbledon, I seem to remember last year. So I think he is one of those players who is a bit distrusting of him.

But yeah, I think it was opportunism. And but you're spot on Catherine, because Medvedev, we love him, he's funny, he's quirky, he owns it. There are plenty of players who if they'd done that, I think we'd be coming down a lot harder. Yeah. He he was not expecting our really taught to go with it, I don't think, Dave. He was like, I'll give this a go. Probably probably not gonna work. Oh right, you right, you're with me on this. Cool.

slightly feeling a bit bad even as he was they were going through the process. Um and and I think because Because he th that he thinks Draper's a good bloke as well and that he was sort of telling him That's not enough to put you off. I think he was sort of feeling e worse by the second. But also th then the other little

Uh devil on the shoulders saying, Yeah, but look at all the times you've been screwed, Danil. Don't forget those, all right? Um so I think uh this th there is a bit of an internal battle going on in there. But yeah, I d I didn't I Even though it was also fun.

I'd just be so worried about the karma if I was Medvedev after that. It's like with my non-out call in the one point slam. You know, I was just like, I can't do this. I'm not sure and it's like this is gonna come back to bite me in the arse at some point. I I'm surprised Medvedev, you know, maybe that's why he's an elite athlete. That's the only reason.

Char Charlie um we had some crossing crossing of worlds. Charlie was hanging out with our mate our mate Dave at the weekend and our mate Dave texted us and said, I saw Charlie Eccleshare at the weekend. He said yeah, he was he was Still talking about his defeat in the one point slam? Very understandably, Charlie. It was not a sort of like how are you doing? I'm fine, yeah. But yes.

I do still think about it a lot. I have to say I think I think the biggest shock of the whole um the whole hindrance drama was that Greg Allensworth was not in the chair. Like I I I feel like he he's always at the scene of these events. And yet finally one has happened.

Was it the day before was maybe it was on the same same day. He'd been utterly useless but in a an incredibly pleasing way during the sinner crowd drama. I mean, Sin S Cinner dealt with it himself, didn't he? There was somebody incredibly obnoxious in the front row. Cinner went over and Right, yeah. Sinner went over and just dealt with it himself and it was one of those where it's like oh if if sinner's

If sinner's pointing this out then it must be bad'cause it's y'cause it's Yannick Sinner, you know. Um and and the situation seemed to be very much under control and kind of already in the past at the point at which Greg Allensworth jogged jogged into the picture and appeared looking very officious, like, I'm here to sort things out um yeah. You're okay, Greg? They've already been sorted out and and back he jogged to the chair. It was an incredible cameo. Uh in what was a fantastic

Fantastic men's tournament in Indian Wales. I really did enjoy it and echo echo match. thoughts and feelings about kind of feeling pretty pretty buyed by men's tennis at the moment in um In a way that I haven't th I've been at at moments, but in a kind of big picture way um that I haven't for uh for quite a while. The La Cousinade, that fun, came to an end in the final, Vacherot and Rindoknesh the cousins.

beaten in the final seven six six three by Manuel Guinard and Guido Andreotzi. Um and there was also a mixed doubles exhibition. Unclear how this mixed doubles exhibition fitted in with the Eyes and Cower Cup. The mixed doubles event that had already been won by Taylor Fritz and Elena Raback in a Uh but Flavia Caboli and Belinda Bencic also won a mixed doubles title that doesn't mean anything. Uh I thought my scores app had broken. I was like I was looking at it and I was like

Thank Chic and Kaboli are playing what, against each other? With each other? What is going on here? With each other. Turns out there was this mixed devils exhibition. It happened last year. It passed me by. They won a lot of money. They won a lot, yeah. A long time ago in the singles. Well over a week. I do quite like it as an idea. Like we we talk about these two week Masters one thousand events and there's a lot of dead time and you're putting on a mixed doubles exhibition which

you know, if you put that money in it, you are gonna get players playing and playing hard. There's also the the Phoenix Challenger, isn't there, that that takes place in the second week of Indian Wales which gets a good feel. Like just it felt like There was enough still happening kind of in in in tennis this week, even in the second week of a Masters one thousand that like players had playing opportunities and earning opportunities. Yeah, I quite watch any of it, but I'm I'm glad it happened.

God, you're in a far better boat. Sunnier mood Matt than the than the last pods. The last uh Monday pod we did after Fulham's FA Cup exit. Positive about everything. Apart from my adjoist. Sorry, Charlie, go ahead. No, I do like the idea that they were like Like mixed double pre thing and then the US Open have kind of, you know, one upped us with that. How do we get them back? It's like two mixed doubles tournaments? It's like that's it. That's that's

Sorry, Charlie, go ahead. I was gonna make a silly point about um Flavio Caballi having a incredible Hulk tattoo and being unable to lift up the the mixed couple straight. That was That was a chef's kiss moment. Please do make a serious point.

No, j just one last thing on the the ATP point. I think For for me and for most well, I can't speak for everyone, for me, it's like it's not necessarily that it's Cynor Alcraz playing every final. Like that in itself, obviously there are issues there, but the main thing was this sense that it was just such a cakewalk to get to that point. Whereas now it feels a bit win win because if they do get to another final and play each other

then A, we haven't had loads just recently, but also it'll feel like they've really had to work to get there because now there are these challenges. So I think that really That's the key for me. That sets it up really nicely. That it's like, you know, that it's fine to have like two dominant players, just don't make it feel like the rest of the tournament is kind of a formality until we get this point. Until we get to this point.

Yeah, that's such a good point. Any other reflections from your and your well's debut, Charlie, before we move on to look ahead to to Miami? Well, I mean linked to this point of the re emergence of the kind of challengers in the ATP challenges in the ATP tour, three of the people I really enjoyed speaking to, like got to do one on ones with and watching were Draper, Fonseca and Fees. So it's like

Uh you know that that did feel like quite an in all of them quite interesting stories in their own way. Um all players who it felt like had really positive weeks in in slightly different ways. Von Secker especially almost. I mean Dra Draper and Fees yes because the injuries, but you know, I feel like there were probably less

concerns, but you know, people were pretty high on their games. Whereas Fonseca I feel and I think Matt made a really good point that there was a bit of an overcorrection with, you know, he got so hyped and then it felt like people were really trying to knock him and

It's a bit strange. Um and I just think that cinematch was a reminder of like, yeah, this is why there's the hype. Like his top level is so, so high. And I really enjoyed watching that match. It did feel like one of those matches where you would remember in a few y years you know, people will talk about do you remember the first time Fonseca played one of Cinora or Alcaraz? Like it it felt quite special. Um

And so yeah, I really enjoyed that. Um so yeah, it's I mean it's always great being there'cause you actually get to you know, you get to talk to the players more and kind of see them up close, how they operate, how they seem to be feeling about their game and themselves. So yeah, I really enjoyed that aspect of it.

One final thing for me on on sort of Indian Wales and I know Charlie's done a lot of reporting on, you know, the players who were caught in Dubai and had to then get to Indian Wales, like kind of Again, remarkable that Medvedev had the had the week that he did the tournament that he did at Indian Wells going yeah going from Dubai to Indian Wells. But okay, the form carried on but like

You know, we heard about the kind of crazy trip that he had to make just to get to Indian Wells. Like yeah, just kind of the wider story there I think was like again really impressive from memory. Yeah, absolutely. Okay, someone in the chat is telling us that rapture is imminent. So uh that's it for part two. Uh we'll be back in part three uh to urgently look ahead to Miami. Jag är 100% digital. Kör som 40 000 andra småföretag och väljunar business.

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And uh this is part three of uh today's tennis podcast. We got Miami to look ahead to, Irina Sabalenka and Jakob Menzik are the defending champions. Matt, there was a There was a draw. I didn't even know there had been a draw. Marks out a ten for this draw. Oh.

negative numbers out of ten. This this was so bad. I I I always get annoyed with the Miami draw because they do it They do the women's draw and then they do the men's and they do the dr and they they do the women's draw and it drops during the Indian Wells Final and they're using last week Ranking So you've got a situation in the in the women's draw where like all of the informed players, the top four in the race

are all in the same half, Sabalenka, Rabakkina, Pagula and Svitolina. Whereas the men wait a day and do the draw once the new rankings are fresh and That just seems to make so much more sense to me. Um I think there was meant to be a draw ceremony for the women but it was cancelled because of rain and then the men's draw was meant to come out today at five o'clock UK time and I didn't see it for like another two hours. So just just terrible draw situation from from Miami. Do better. Um but

Charlie mentioned um having just watched the first Fonseca Cinner match. We are we are what we are Fabian Marajan away from the first uh Fonseca Fonseca Alcaraz, so that's Mm. Yeah, the uh women's draw in Miami we have Sabalenka Robatina in in the same half with Pagula Svitolina Keys Uh Jung Chin Wen, uh, Jasmine Paulini all in that top half and then we have Shvantek Goth.

Anisumova Andreva and Boko and Mukova in the bottom half and uh first rounds include Fran Jones against Venus Williams, Jennifer Brady, remember her? David remembers her against uh Sloane Stevens, Hailey Baptiste against Tatiana Maria, Janice Chen, against Yulia Putin Saver. I love seeing the matches that Matt decides to pick out from a from a draw. Zaineb Sonmez against Beatrice Hadaj Meyer. Matt David rather who needs A good tournament in Miami on the women's side.

I I d I do think it would be very helpful if Igor Svientec had a good one, personally. Um I mean I I d the thing is uh the way it ended felt negative and yet it wasn't the worst run in the world in in Indian Wales. But Didn't feel great at the end. Um I I suppose no loss does, but some feel worse than others. I feel like she could do with a really good Mm.

That's that's kind of the way the draw has played out, right? As I said, you've got the top half, Sabalenka, Rabakina, Pogulas, Fitolina, you c you kind of big big seeds there. All had really good starts to the season. I think your big seeds in the bottom half Schviontek, Goff, Anisimova, and Drava, you're kinda looking at all of them and thinking

You know, it's not panic stations by any means, but like could do with a run. It'd be nice if they if if they sort of really got some form together in my action. be reassuring to see Coco Goff look look fully fit as well, given how Indian Wells ended for her. So that's gonna be interesting. Uh Yeah, the uh Bian Krangescu won a round one qualifying match today, something to celebrate. Um, not for Susan Laman's fans but There we go. Comp minimal.

Um the ATP draw in Miami. Uh as we said, biggest headline is that Alcaraz good face von Secke in his first match. Eyes on Fabian Marajan in round one. So we have Alcaraz, Kasparude. Karen Hashinov, Lorenzo Muzzetti, Flavio Caboli, Jack Draper, Taylor Fritz, Alex Demono, Artifies and Alexander Bublick all in the top half. And in the bottom half we have Ben Shelton.

Uh Francisco Suringelo, Daniel Medvedev, Alejandro Davidovich Fikini, uh Lerner Tien, Alexander Zverev, Felix Ojey Sim, defending champion Yakub Menchik, Rublev and Yannick Sin are all in that bottom half. Novak Djokovic has withdrawn. Uh the men's event gets underway on Wednesday, although uh there's been a lot of rain around. The forecast is for there to continue to be a lot of rain around. Um Matt Who on the men's side could do with having a good fortnight in Miami?

It's quite it's quite interesting, isn't it?'Cause we've talked about so many players who've you know did well in Indian Worlds and have had a good start to the season. I also still think there's a lot of players who didn't do so well in Indian Worlds and would now like to make it up in Miami. I'm sort of thinking about Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton. Shelton was obviously ill.

Uh Mazzetti coming back from the injury, he's got a got a couple of more weeks of training under his belt. De Manour went out early in in Indian Wales. Like kind of like the latter end of the top ten, those guys. De Manour, Mazzetti, Fritz, Shelton. I think those ones who weren't really a factor at Indian Wells. yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n

Charlie, what can we um look out for in the Athletic? You're handing the relay button over to Matt Fotterman. He is already in Miami, is he? En route, perhaps? If not there already, I think it will be pretty soon. Um or at least the plan that's the plan. Yeah, I mean it has bit it's been a busy time as well. I mean that's the other thing as well about

great thing about going to these events is you can meet up with contacts and things like that and, you know, it's a great place for that elev you know, for the reporting side of things. And Yeah, last week with the ATP story we did and then all the stuff in the Middle East. I mean it's been a really newsy time even outside of, you know, just the matches that are being played. Um and I think it you know it

It can take a while bef a tournament like this before the actual tennis of it really grabs people. But this one really did actually Um you know some tournaments can Especially these twelve day masters can sort of we've I mean we've spoken about it a million times, they can drag. This one really didn't. Um so I imagine Miami, they'll hope for more of the same. I mean, the weather is a big thing and weather stories always uh seem to seem to do well. Um I guess there's, you know

that has wide appeal, doesn't it? Um so I think that could be a kind of defining storyline for for the early days there. And then on the court, I mean yeah, Coco Goff is absolutely a name that jumps out to me as someone who could really

do with a good week, um or two. Um and Fritz on the men's a bit. I mean I I did find I do find it again quite a tough scene with him at the moment and, you know, it just feels like he's mm doing all he can to keep his head above water, but that you know, the fitness concerns he has Um yeah, I I y you do just worry about him a bit. Spare a thought for Matt Fotterman, his esteemed ymwneud â phobl ymwneud â phobl ymwneud â phobl ymwneud â phobl ymwneud â phobl

Sounds pretty tough. But we'll be r we'll be reading that. It won't uh as will many other people apparently. There's great appetite for articles about the weather. Uh we will be back with our next podcast on Monday the tw twenty third.

Matt I think one of Matt's great skills is he's able to make any topic kind of interesting. Like he has big takes on Absolutely everything. Like the stuff he and I like Uh yeah, I remember mess I can't rem I think I said to him something about my fr I had to be in to do a call because my fridge was being repaired or something like that.

He comes back to me with all these takes about American fridges and things like this and you know, there is no topic about which he doesn't have interesting views and I think w I would imagine weather is one hundred percent in Absolutely. I c I bet he has something to say about the weather in Miami that would really surprise me. Yeah. Yeah. Matt's takes are always surprising. Yeah.

Uh we'll be back with our next pod on Monday. Uh next Monday, the twenty third of March, to talk about the first few days of Miami. Uh also that day we'll be celebrating the second birthday of the bard. Uh and just like we did last year we'll be celebrating by doing an Ask Me Anything But Tennis live at seven PM on the barge. That'll be with me, David, Matt and Hannah and Vicky.

Um we're really excited about it. Hannah joined us uh for this last year. Vicky's j gonna join us as well this year. Um yeah it It was so much fun. Um and we're gonna be doing the same again. So that will be uh seven PM uh next Monday and we'll have our next podcast next Monday as well. We have not one but two mascots.

for this episode. I I scrolled down earlier on, I caught a glimpse of them, I found it very distracting. Uh I've been waiting for this moment on the pod for a while. This is Lola and Frankie. They are owned by Sarah A. And they are Sublime Lola and Frankie are our two gorgeous dogs, says Sarah, from Sydney's Inner West and a completely inseparable bonded pair. We brought Frankie home when Lola was just nine months old and she was promoted to big sister and emotional support mum.

well before she'd finished her own puppy years. Frankie is a four year old Minnie Daxund obsessed with balls and swimming, while five year old Lola is a cheweenie I for those of you. Th for those not on YouTube can't see the enormous grin on my face as I as I said that. Uh a Chaweene uh is part Chihuahua, part minidaxund, uh who pr prefers to stay dry and supervised from a safe distance.

They're classic Covid dogs, love their daily walks and listen to the tennis podcast with us and bring endless joy and a lot of personality to our everyday life. They are astonishing, Sarah. Thank you so much for Lola and Frankie. As a fellow owner of a a COVID dog, it's the best It's the best impulse decision I ever made and I hope you feel the same.

Uh I can't stop looking at them. They are absolutely wonderful. We of course have our mascots Bodie Maisie and Roger. We've received correspondence from Maisie today wearing a St Patrick's Day bandana. Yeah. Just brilliant work. Loving it. Great work, Tom. That's the sort of stuff we like to receive. Thank you, Tom. We have our top folks and executive producers Greg, Chris and Jeff, and we have some shout outs from Matt. And we start with Josephine Mabum from Lausanne, Switzerland.

Hello, Josephine. Hi, Josephine. Josephine says that her favourite players include Lenar, Petrakovitva, and Sam Stozer. So hopefully has also found some current players to to enjoy. It's tough when your faves retire, isn't it? You know, and then you've got to find somebody else. I um I was sat next to Sam Samstozer, uh out on the fifteen seventy three arena in Australia this year, watching Victorian Boko behind the men in the Viking house.

Oh yeah. So Sam Stozer also experienced the men in the Viking Fats who were Arsenal fans, unfortunately, Charlie. No surprise there. Was she as rattled as you were by it, Catholic? No, and that rattled me that she wasn't as rattled. Like I shouldn't be alone in I shouldn't be having to have th this experience alone. We should all be experiencing rage right now. Come with me, Sam. But

She was focused on Emerson Jones, who was getting her clock cleaned. Uh thank you, Josephine. Uh so someone saying in the chat Josephine Crookshank? I'll have to take that because I don't have a Josephine myself. There we go. Thank you Sylvan in the chat for Josephine Crickshak. We also have Francis Wynn from Marlborough. Hello Francis says please can I dedicate this shout out to my husband Gabe, who corro who heroically and uncomplainingly sits through thousands of unsolicited tennis tapes

and match recaps from me despite only having a path passing interest in the sport. He's the best. Thank you guys for the great That is love. Uh you can and you have dedicated your shout out to Gabe Francis and that is absolutely lovely. Uh is it a Francis with an I or an E, Matt? It is an E. Like uh Like tea. Like TFO.

Gabe? Gabe Diallo? I can sort of imagine his mates might call him that. Yes, Charlie, we will take that. Much like Josephine Crukshank, I will take that. I know there is a reason we got Charlie on. And finally we have Nina who says tennis namesake references Nina Stoyanovich and Nina Whitaker. Oh love that. Oh. Um yeah, absolutely no notes. They are the big two on the Nina front. Well with you, Nina. You're the big three. Um Nina. And Nina says I'd like to shout out two friends.

Beatrice, who introduced me to the tennis podcast several years ago, and Corey, with whom I exchange hundreds of messages about all Big factor. Hello Beatrice. Hello, Corey. Hello Nina. Hello Gabe. Hello Francis. Hello, Josephine. Thank you all for your support. of the tennis podcast. This has been such a fun show. Thank you, Charlie, for uh for joining us tonight. I've um

I've really enjoyed it. It's been it's been brilliant. So thank you. Thanks for all your work and uh we love being part of the Athletic Podcast Network. We will be back. on Monday. Thank you all for watching. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed Charlie's moustache, do hit that like and subscribe button on YouTube. Uh we'll speak to you Monday. Denna produkt är inte riskfri. Den används med nikotin som är beroende från kallande. Endast för användning av vuxna. Är du trött på lukten av rög.

Icos lämnar ingen luktavrök i kläder, händer eller hår, ingen naska och ingen andra hans rök. Ios finns att köpa på ios.com. Besök ios.com för mer information. Kära medborgare, varje macka och korv gör skillnad för försörjningsförmågan När du väljer från Sverige. Det blir 7950, tack. Eli ka trep. Handlar för Sverige. Hälsingar från Sverige märkningen.