Indian Wells - Sincaraz, Sabatek finals incoming?

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Well hello and welcome to the Tennis Podcast, our midweek tennis podcast updating you on all things Indian Wells and a lot of things Indian Wells have happened. in the last uh three days. I feel like I've got memes to last a lifetime just from the last few days of Indian Wells action. Matt Roberts Are you over Fulham's FA Cup defeat to Southampton? Is that something that's happened in the last three days?

Time has helped. Uh Southampton drawing Arsenal in the next round has has helped a little bit as well. Uh and Indian Wales has helped. It's taken my mind off it. so much tennis over the past three or four days, like really racking up the hours, just six till late kind of thing here in the UK. And that has been

Actually. Some of them actually haven't lived up to expectations, but some of them have exceeded expectations and there's just so many interesting names and stories in this drawer. I've had a great time. Yes, is the short answer to your question. I am feeling a lot better. Uh we don't talk about football with David anymore, but still good news about those Seahawks, David, you'll always have the Seahawks. Yeah, but but but I I I I have a few shoots of optimism.

that are sprouting and I s I feel like West Bromwich Albion are going to be okay. And it's all gonna start on Saturday with a win against Hull.'Cause we deserved to win last night against Southampton and I feel it's coming. David Law in Optimism Shocker. All is right with the world. Um and all is right with our agenda because Matt has done the Lord's work here uh after my multiple catastrophes in Monday's show. Matt has laid out what days All of the remaining matches are happening.

Thank you so much for match for saving my professionalism. So today is Thursday. It is Thursday morning UK time as we record all the quarterfinals on both the men's and the women's side take place today. Then we have the women's semifinals on Friday, the men's semifinals on Saturday, and both finals on Sunday. Matt Roberts, thank you for your service. So

Uh, we're gonna start with the men and that is because we're gonna start with the reason that I'm a little bit sleep deprived on today's show for for the best of reasons, because I woke up at about two AM. Went to the loo, thought I'll just I'll just have a look at just I'll just check in on the tennis. I'll just see what's happening in Indian Wells, see whether

See where the Draper against Djokovic is living up to expectations. And of course, several hours later, uh I had had the time of my life. watching Jack Draper beat Novak Djokovic in a deciding set. tie break. I didn't see every point of it. There were there were definitely moments where I snoozed and then was

awoken by a commentator shrieking at something absolutely thrilling that was happening. Um I know you two have both caught up this morning, David, this was this is gonna be a contender I think at the end of the season for for tour match of the year. Yeah, it was it was really, really good and it was really interesting as well because we haven't really seen this iteration of Jack Draper against this

Well, against Novat Djokovic. You know, we've seen very young Jack Draper against Djokovic, and also we have the added element of Draper coming back from this incredibly long layoff which is It's hard to believe really now when we think of of the time we spent with Jack Draper, a lot of time in in November and and he was so bereft and so sort of frustrated and and trying to be patient and then he comes in.

out into a match like this, this sort of cauldron and you I I'm I'm blinking at the at what I'm watching that he's able to play this sort of level of tennis. And I think he was blinking in the s in the floodlights out there Almost pinch me. Is this really happening? Am I on a stadium court where I won this title a year ago? Playing the great Novak Djokovic, who he is.

Often saying is is the is his idol, c the guy he respects the most, the guy he thinks is the best, and he's playing him and he's toe to toe. And this was proper Novakovic.

Okay, maybe this isn't Grand Slam Novak Djokovic because one of the one of the great balancing acts that Djokovic is having to pull off these days Is he doesn't want to play very often, and that means that when he comes to tournaments like this, there's a freshness and a sheen and excitement about but he's also not got match toughness and and kind of that sort of energy level that you can lack.

And that's what Draper was putting him under to d in in this match. He he b he beat him in a kind of way that Al Kraz beat Djokovic in the Australian Open final Djokovic was the better player in the first set, he was hitting so cleanly and you you can tell with Djokovic and his body language which version you're getting. And he came out and went

ready and excited and and and determined to to hit cleanly and hurt early. And and Draper just kept him out there long enough and eventually took his legs. I think that that's what won him the match and I d I d I don't think either of them really leave this tournament no matter what now. As long as Jack Draper doesn't get injured again, I think both of them will leave this tournament feeling that it was quite a good experience. It was a great match.

Yep, we met post Puke Djokovic in that deciding set or I met him at about three o'clock in the morning. Um it was a very it was a very surreal time. He was he was clutching at his sternum Djokovic. He was yeah, I I agree with you. I think he he took his legs in the end. But there were there were a number of moments in this match where I didn't think that Jack Draper's competitive teeth would be sharp enough.

at this stage of his comeback. I think he was th serving three four juice in the second set, having lost the first. And I thought, hm bit early for him to to withstand the the storm of pressure moments like this against the the greatest male player of all time down the other end.

a deciding set tie break, you know, losing losing the break that he had in in the deciding set, getting pegged back and ending up in that deciding set tie break. You know, those the the sharpness the sharpness in the pressure moments is what what usually takes longest to come back and what you can't kinda can't cheat on a comeback is it's what you can't

replicate on the practice court. You can't replicate it at the National Tennis Centre down the road in Rahampton. I was pretty blown away, Matt, by how Jack Draper handled those moments in particular. Yeah, and therefore you feel like this match is just gonna do him the world of good as well, because you know, even even watching him the round before against Sarundalo, I think we all watched that first set and we're like, wow, Jack Draper is looking good here, he's looking dangerous.

And then he won it in two sets, but he said afterwards that he wasn't happy with the way that he'd played in the in the second set. And I was kinda thinking that is the struggle of coming back from injury, right? Because You can tell yourself all the time you've got to keep your expectations in check and you've got to take the little wins along the way and yet

He's got these competitive juices and he knows where he was a year ago and he's a little bit disappointed in his level that he's not quite there again. And that balancing act I think is really difficult for players on on their comeback from a long injury. And yet to get this moment to fight through so many tight moments against Novat Djokovic on that stage

I as I said, I just think that is gonna do wonders for his confidence. It might be difficult today, coming back the next day against Medvedev. Um he hasn't done that before, like recently, having to come back a after a very long match and play again the next day and Medvedev's looking good. But you can still leave this tournament with a big win even if he loses to Medvedev today.

How is that a thing? It's a flipping two week long event and you still got players coming back from a marathon three setter less than twenty four hours later having to play again. Like there is enough time in this event that

That shouldn't have to happen. Mm. But there we go. Um yeah, le at least Medvedev's in the same boat, but obviously having played a very different type of match. Mm. And I just wanted to shout out the rally, you know, the one that is that is going viral on on the internet because As David said, I think that was a perfect encapsulation of the way Jack Draper played this match to try and

Sap the energy out of Novat Djokovic. He hit he hit I think three drop shots in that one rally, just made Djokovic come forward and back, forward and back. And it was also an encapsulation of why I think this tournament will also end up as kind of a win for Novat Djokovic because people will remember that rally and they'll be like

Remember the tennis that Nomad Yokovic was playing when he was pushing thirty nine years old and the movement that he was displaying? It's one of those things that you know, he said it as well, didn't he? He sort of he won that battle, but it sapped his energy, it gave him a lull for the next day. a few moments and he ended up losing serve a bit later in the set. He thinks it sort of cost him in the match that rallied Djokovic.

but it will be the sort of rally that will be added on to his highlights package at the end of his career and sort of add to his legend in that way. And, you know, I think for him that's part of why he's still going at Indian Wells and showing that he can do that against these young guys and yeah, it was it it was a match where Djokovic showed

slightly he was slightly lacking in clutchness actually in that final set tie break. You know, he let he let it slip, but he still displayed a lot of his his qualities and and and and what he can still do. I I was I was super impressed. It was

Medverev next for Draper who's he's in some form, David. Oh Daniel Meverev. He's fancy. Beverdo. It's Gino, this is a real surprise to me when I think back to what we saw in Australia. How stodgy he looked in Australia. I mean he was good in Brisbane, wasn't he? Won the title. But what we saw in Australia I was like okay well this And I just the the real guy is is gone. He and I don't know whether we can see this as this may just be a a good period. But he was brilliant.

last week when he won the title in in Dubai and I think that obviously got overtaken by world events and the fact that the final didn't happen but they had the presentation on court when the war was But he's come out here and he's just dismissing people with so little trouble. And and this is a win against Alex Mickelson who he has beaten every time. But I saw Mickelson beat Taylor Fritz the other day.

And I realise Fritz is not going through the best of times, but Fritz could just couldn't hit winners. He just couldn't get the ball by him. Mevodev's hitting winners easily at the moment. And I mean the the I think the thing is I tend to think of Medvedev as a guy who's got a certain game and that's that and that it doesn't have great punch to it as such. He's either metronomic and he wins or he doesn't. And it a lot depends on the serve then.

He re he was reminding us with the performance of the And with the way he went about it, that actually if he's if he's confident, he's an aggressive player. And that's what he was here. He was super aggressive and he's li he's like losing handfuls of games in matches at the moment. Um I I d I I do suspect this might be a step too far for Draper tonight to rebound

twenty four hours later and he's gonna I think he's gonna have to hit big and he's probably gonna have to hit a load of drop shots just to stop himself from from getting in Medvedev type rallies. But uh this version of Medvedev is Is a problem. Feels like we've come a long way with Medvedeva Indian Wells. You know, it wasn't that long ago he was he was talking about, Oh no, this isn't a hard court, I'm a hard court specialist, I know what a hard court is and now he's like

Oh, it's really fast call and I'm enjoying it and it's suiting me. And then he w and then his face absolutely lit up when he got asked to talk about the balls in the press conference. Well, I would like to say I think he's bang right about the bulls. They played totally differently after after two uh after yeah, two games, I'd say. And they you can see they they they do look different. I I really think he's bang right about the ball.

But what I enjoyed most was his comment when he was when he said, Well I explained very well the other week about about the head balls and how they're not round He said, I don't love these balls either, but they are better than the other ones

It's just that's what you want from Medvedev. It's it's kinda like yeah it's kinda like you can tell like David's saying, you can tell early like what form Djokovic is in, by the way, like the ball's pinging off his forehand. You can kinda tell with Medvedev by his comments and his demeanour and his mood generally, kind of what tennis you're gonna get and whether he's gonna spiral and and melt down. But he's he's really looking sharp this week and it's it it's it's good to see.

Just to round out the Novak Djokovic twenty twenty six Indian Wells story. Some hindrance drama, Matt. I'm telling you, it's on the rise. Potentially a steep rise. Uh he was playing doubles this week with Stefano Sitzapass and they ended up playing the um L La Cousinard, uh Rindiknesh and Vachereau.

um tell us all about the hindrance drama matt we should have a new just official segment matt's matt's hindrance drama Yeah, it was this uh rally that unfolded and I think it was Sitsipas who was about to hit a smash and Rindnikesh down the other end was was waving his racket around as though to try and distract him and put him off, you know, like like fans behind a goal when when someone's taking a penalty. And Dyokovic spotted that.

and immediately called it out and said that he wanted the video review. I don't think the umpire had seen it. And the umpire gave a slightly sort of sassy announcement to the crowd. He said, I'm gonna have a look at the video and see if Rindakanesh has somehow distracted Soc and Djokovic. And the little look on Rindokanesh's face, like he knew he'd been caught in the act by Djokovic. It was hilarious. And I think the umpire was right. I think that was hindrance. I think

You know I think he was definitely trying to describe it was really embarrassing from Rinder Knesh. He has I think he's got a bit of a rep, Rinder Knesh. I don't I can believe it. I don't think he's someone that gets the benefit of the doubt necessarily.

Yeah, I thought it was pretty dastardly. Yeah, he really yeah, he really got found out. But then they did end up winning. But they did end up winning the cousins and then they beat Yes I think they beat Rublev and Hakshanov maybe, and uh now into the semi. Yeah. Yeah, it's a good story, isn't it? And um thank you, Novak Djokovic, for all that you've brought to Indian Wells twenty twenty six, Hindrance Drama included. Um let's talk about

Carlos Alcaraz. Um which one of you which one of you wants to try and put into words the tennis that we saw from Carlos Alcaraz against poor old Caspar Rude yesterday, six one Seven six. Setting up a a quarter final against Cameron Norrie. Uh good luck, Cam, is is what I have to say about that, David.

I thought you were going to say good luck David trying to put into words. Good luck to you both. Well, I I mean actually I I I think the first thing to say is well done, Casparude, for getting that second set to seven six. Because what we saw for the first set

What was a joke from Alcaraz. Um I mean he we're we've got to the point where we're I'm talking about Medvedev's confidence that I don't think I've ever seen Al Kraz look as in control of a tennis ball as he is at the It's not just the power, it's not just the speed around the court, it's not just the athleticism, the crazy gets and the touch and the soft hands and and all the things that we

rightly get very excited about with Carlos Alcras, along with the fact that he's he's also a serial champion. He's doing it all at the same time and he's doing it seemingly on requirement, you know, it's it's i it's tur turn the tap on and it's there. And and he just looks he looks awesome. I mean I don't think I've ever look seen him look more at ease with his game and and certain of what's gonna come off his racket and and I mean he does make these Emphatic straight sets winning.

Fun, you know, um and and and like Rude is just sometimes just just laughing at what he's what he's up. And like I say, bloody good effort to to to not just disintegrate. I mean, if you remember that match he played against Cinner last year when it was a similarly kind of one sided match, but the score line was was was much tougher on on uh rude that day. Well this time he managed to make a a scrap of that second and yet it never fell

Remotely in doubt. Um I mean y you're quite right, of course, good luck Cam Norrie, because I think if Alcroist plays his best tennis, it's it's it's good night. But he has beaten him a couple of times, has not. um in i including last year in Paris. So he's c he is playing some seriously good ball himself, Norrie, but If you're talking about the two players playing well at the same time, then one of'em's gonna win in straight sets and that blokes Carl's house.

Yeah. Can I shout out the shot that Alcaraz hit in this match which was it hit a drop Rude chased it down and Alcaraz had stayed back on the baseline and Rude chased it down and hit it quite deep. And what Alcaraz did in that moment I've watched it

over ten times, I think, and I just cannot believe it every time. It hits a hits a dry volley lob from the baseline. I've never seen anyone do that before. Like the The cross court drive volley, you know, conventional drive volley was on, and yet he came up with a shot Without any hesitation, it just seemed natural to him to do something that I've never seen anyone else do.

It was staggeringly good and he's got the control on the ball that David's describing that he he hit it so high, the lob went so high, and yet just landed and arped perfectly, dipping so Rude had no chance. It was a joke. what he was doing, particularly in the first set. Injections of pace, lobs, drop shots, angled volleys, stop volleys. It was like he could do whatever he wanted with the tennis.

And then he he turned it on again in the second set tie break, just to the same extreme. Oh it was He um he played a thriller against Otto Rundekinesh in the previous round. Incredible week for Rundikinesh. David i into the uh the double semi final with his cousin and compared to Roger Federer by Carlos Alcaraz. Incredible. Credible Arthur Indic Nesh. Not incredible. Um he he was he was fantastic uh in that match. I mean yeah, basically

Al Krauz pulling out the old Serena Williams line. They always do this against me. Um and they kind of have been doing it against him though. Yeah, I mean I d I do think players are aware that they're up against somebody who can just do things that nobody else can and the crowd go with it and I think players get

a little bit excited themselves and realise, well, my normal game's not gonna cut it, let's just go for broke. Um and they get it they get a little bit influenced by what's going on down the other end. I mean Riniknesh has played Alcraz hard before. He's taken him to multiple sets before. He's got a game that Can cause Al Kras problems because the serve is big, the touch is good, he goes for his shots, gets him a bit off balance.

Um and and he you know, he was a a set up, he was a break up here. This this was tense for a bit for for our craz. I I did wonder whether he you know, it might be just one of those matches that he it doesn't pull out pull the rabbit out of the hat in. Increasingly he's not needed to do that, but at the same time the moment he was back on level terms in the second set it was over. And and that's that's one of the big differences I don't feel like there are multiple chapters still to come in.

It's once once the tide has turned, that's it, it's turned. I I think it's also something to do with I don't know, like the style Alcarez plays, I think I think opponents feel like they've got a chance against him because he doesn't he doesn't sort of strangle you in a way that like a Djokovic at his peak would do, or a Nadal at his peak. Even even sinner, you know, like the sort of relentless hitting deep and

putting you side to side. He he ends up in a lot of fun rallies and shop making rallies and the opponents feel like they're pulling off great things. It's just Alchaz with his foot speed and his hand skills is gonna get there and do something that

No one else can do to it. So I don't know, it's I it's there's something in that I think that Alcaz is is right there in terms of people are sort of peaking against them, but I don't know, I think it's I think it's to his benefit because I think that that match against Rindakanesh really sharpened him up.

You know, and by the by the third set he was playing kind of how he started the rude match, like it was so good and and now he's just he's just in that form and he can he can keep it going better than he used to be able to do in

So Alcaraz or Nori to face the winner of uh Draper and Medvedev, that's the top half of the men's draw, bottom half of the men's draw. We've got uh Artifice against Alexander Zverev, the winner of that, to face the winner, Ivannik Sinna against Lerner Tien, a match that I am very excited about. We should probably talk about Sinners victory over Joel von Secker, seven six

seven six, an absolutely electrifying match. Uh I know you you both watched lots of this. Unfortunately it was happening in the middle of the night, our time. Um I saw I kept seeing the um the the stat going round and look I I take all of these um player rating things with a little bit of a pinch of salt. Uh but apparently Joel Fonseca scored the highest

player rating for a player that ended up losing the match that the that the player rating system has ever seen. Now make of that what you will. Take all the salt you you would like to take with that. But That stat is also reflective of what we saw in that match, David, which was an awesome Joel Fonseca that had to bring out the best in Yannick Sinna in order for Sinner to win it.

Yeah, it was really good this. Um I I I don't know how much we will end up reading into it down the line in terms of progression for for Fonseca, but It's the first time I've watched a full match of his for a while, especially against a big a top player. And and he struck me at the start of it, a little bit like how Yannick Sinner struck me when we were in Indian Wells three years ago in person, when which is when I started just referencing Sinner's height every ten minutes.

And and here Fonseca stood at the net for the photo with Cinner and I and I looked at him and thought, Wow, he's grown a bit. You know, he's he look doesn't look like he did a year ago. He he look He looks like a man. He looks like he's kind of just grown into his body, he's filled out a bit, he's taller, he's got coatanger shoulders, he just looks like he's ready physically a bit more he

to to to take on a guy who's suddenly not not taller than him. Not much anywhere. Three centimetres between them. And and the way he played We we we touched on it the other day. It's he he's got the combinations right now, the balance right between the all out power.

But he d but it but there's th there's this there's a point behind it. It's not just thrashing at the ball, which I do think he got into doing a little bit. When he was getting on the back foot in matches, he would suddenly just be hitting out And and I and I thought, well, this isn't really going anywhere for you'cause you're missing too many. Well he got himself to mini break up in both tie break sets in b uh they get into the tie break. He's he's leading the first set tie break six three.

And he didn't win the set. You know, that was a that there's there are some lessons in there for Fonseca, I think, about what guys like Cinner are able to do to just keep you Keep you close, and then take over the And then he led the second set tie break as well and and that was good going I thought from from Fonseca because Cinner did actually hold serve for the match and Fonseca broke back to take it into that tie break and I thought But real strides been shown by Fonsec.

And yet Cinner with the answers. It it it felt like the balance of where these two are in their career and what the potential is for the future. That score line, seven, six, seven, six, just kind of told Uh and and I think that this is a this is another good news match for both players. Is he playing with a bit more shape on the forehand, Matt Yannick Sinner, to your eye? In a kind of you know, preparing for the clay court season kind of a way?

Yeah, possibly. I I think I think that would be fair to say. I th I I think what struck me in this match was that You could see that Sinna is capable of being the absorbed. You know, like so much of the time I think of Cinner is likely gonna be the biggest hitter on the court off both wings because, you know, he's so good at that. But actually Fonseca's got a ball speed that

is higher than sinners. I mean there was an extraordinary stat that that flashed up on the coverage that Fonseca's average average on the forehand is eleven miles per hour higher than the rest of the top fifty on the ATP tour. Well certainly it was in that first set he was averaging ninety miles an hour, which is eleven miles an hour more than the rest of the top fifty. Like that's absurd. That is absolutely freaking

And yet what Cinner was able to do was absorb that pace, I felt, really well. And that's that's where I think Cinna is still quite a bit ahead of Fonsecka with his movement and his legacy. strength and the the ability to move side to side. And I think some of that probably does come out a little bit as more shape on the ball rather than just like slashing at it. Um he also had his I'm gonna use the word again. He was clutch again sinner, you know like

That was the defining feature of his match against Djokovic at the Australian Open, how that had gone. And I know the pressure's different. playing in a Grand Sam semi final against Djokovic, but in this one, even before he fell the three set points down in the tie break, he played a lovely half volley to to not fall four set points down. And he

he brought his level up when Fonseca had those set points. So that was all really, really good signs from Cinner. And yet I did feel like it was a kind of Proof of concept match for Fonseca, right? Like he does have the weapons and hitting the ball that hard with that control and adding in a bit of variety is going to hurt top players and Sinna had to be

somewhere close to his best to be able to live with it. And I always take Indian whales a little bit of a pinch of salt anyway,'cause of the conditions. And I think particularly at night I think it was when it's deader and slower, I think it was easier for Fonseca to control the ball, you know, like

I I I've heard Andy Roddick talk about Indian wells in the day and it's like a bouncy ball and the ball is just bouncing all over the place and I think at night it it just allowed von Secret to control it a little bit more. Um but I was again, as David said, impressed with both, like coming out of that match and just super fun to see them meet for the first time and now and now we have an image of what that matchup looks like.

Can TN can Tien Sinna be fun? Tien Alejandro Davidovich Fakina was fun. Let me tell you, that was another one I stuck on in the middle of the night and cost me a bit of sleep. Um yeah, but th it was

Yeah. Fun. Fun is the best possible word to describe the certainly the latter stages of that match and went to a deciding set tiebreak which Which obviously should feel like absolute peak jeopardy in tennis, and yet it felt like the opposite of that because by that point Alejandro Davidovich Fakina had had match points.

And Alejandro Davidovich Vikina unfortunately is becoming the losing from Ratch Point up guy. I just I just had this very strong feeling in the pit of my stomach that this is gonna be another one and lo and behold Lo and behold it was. Um so TN Cinner, can that be fun? I I remember them playing towards the end of last year and uh it was quite one sided for Cinner, but I I did feel like a big difference was

the serve, right? It's n it's not it's not a new point. But I do think TN's got a different approach on the serve this year. He's trying to get more out of it. Okay. He's making some more double fault. But he's trying to up is win percentage on first serve, up is ace percentage. And I do think that's the right play. It's high risk. It might not come off. But I think it's the right play. And I do remember thinking from the baseline

Tien Tien can hang with pretty much everyone. He's so good at redirecting the ball. And What is interesting to me now, I feel like the ATP is having a real moment. Like I feel like we really were a bit down on the state of the ATP last year, but actually Fees and Draper coming back, we're gonna talk more about Feast, but them coming back in the fold and being at this level so quickly has invigorated everything.

You've got Tien, you've got Fonseca doing showing what he did. Mensick beat Siner a couple of weeks ago and now Tien gets a shot at him. Like it just feels like there's a little bit of momentum behind the pack, you know? Like three is still very much up for grab. But i it it's finally feeling like there's guys gunning for it rather than, Oh, it's just gonna be Novad Djokovic. Do you know what I mean? Like I I just feel like in this last month or so there's been there's been a nice

shift from some of the other guys on the ATP tour. And we might still end up with a Cine Alcaz final and that will be absolutely fine by me because we've had fun along the way. And that's kind of that's kind of what I'm looking for in these tournaments. Sustained fun. And I just just feel like there's a group now who are bringing it and they're young and they're hungry and they've got interesting games. I've really been quite high on ATP in the last few...

And they're players that haven't accumulated sort of soul destroying baggage against Alchariz and sinner yet in the way that, you know, your sitzer passes have and your zvero. have. Like they they could they they very well could do over the course of the next couple of years. But at the moment it feels like they do step onto the court to face those guys feeling like

Oh yeah, back myself here, I could I could have a go at this. Um yeah, I agree, it's amazing how quickly things can change, can't it? And I think we were We didn't we wanted to sort of be cautious about how hyped we were for these feasts and draper comebacks because, you know, to

To protect ourselves from hurt and disappointment. Um, but that means that we've been really pleasantly surprised by it. It's yeah, i i invigorated or reinvigorated is uh is a great way of putting it. It feels like we're in a good spot.

just now. So Sinner and Tien the winner of that David to face the winner of Artifice against Alexander Zverev. He he is so back, is Artofis. Yeah, honestly I I I'm not usually the the one to hold myself back about getting excited for fear of getting hurt. I'm not usually that guy. But with I Artifice and Jack Draper I I am in shock that they are at this level this quick. It is it is as though they have not had a a a seven, eight, nine months layer. which both have had for very serious injuries.

They don't seem to think about those injuries when you're watching them. They don't seem at least so far, and I really am touching wood saying this, they don't appear to be having any ill effects after these matches that they're winning. And if anything, certainly fees, I think. He looks a better player than when he landed.

because he's made a couple of little technical tweaks. He certainly seems to have shortened his forehand take back. Uh there's a there's a an interview with him by Charlie Eckleshare in the Athletic that I encourage you to go and have a read of. In which Arthur is talking about that change. and just how generally his comeback is going. But, you know, he got to the final

a couple of weeks ago got smoked by Al Kras in the final in Doha, no no great surprise there at all. But to come out here and and win comfortably in his first couple of matches and then play Ojiali Hassim in the manner that I sort of When I think of those two players, this is what that match looks like.

Ojali are seen with a big serve and a big forehand and great movement, and a backhand that is just asking to be picked on. And and Fis's backhand cross court is so superior to the And his inside out forehand now is so reliable that he was just finding that backhand of of Oj Ali Yassim, like how Paola Barossa was was finding the forehand of Coco Got.

It was it was almost cruel the way he was just picking on it and knowing that he was gonna get errors from And yet you end up in a situation where he's a setting a breakup, he's serving at four three fees, the match is won in terms of patterns and strategy and Oji Aliasim really having no answer.

And yet he breaks back, takes it into a tie break, and leads the tie break five love. Now some of the credit uh for that needs to go to Oji Aliasim. He did come up with a couple of good shots to to take the play away, but most of it is just the thing I've been watching Feast do for the last three years, which is just loses concentration, loses focus.

start blaming other people uh or other circumstances around the court and and really being in danger of actually losing the set and then maybe losing the match. Um But but uh Love Five Down he gave this fantastic interview to t to Tennis T V afterwards where he said, you know, I went over to my my coaching team

Um Goran Ivanizovic's not there by the way in America. He's he's kinda come back for the uh for the clay court season but he's been in regular sort of text contact with the team and with with Arterafter matches. But goes over to Ivan, his his coach this week and he's complaining and he's moaning and and they just said, Just stop complaining. Just focus on one point at a time and he was like he was like he he didn't want to hear it initially and then he s he said, I thought to myself

Oh, maybe I will. Maybe I am compliant. She took takes one point at a time, comes back from love five down to win the time. By just going back to what he was doing before. Um and that's really is is what I see between these two players. I think Fees has a higher ceiling than Oji Ali Hassim does. I e even though he's only ever been ranked fourteen in the world so far and and uh and Oji Al Yasim has been ranked f very highly in the top ten. I think that's where he's going.

The the interesting thing is I'm s I'm still waiting and I was feeling this about Draper last night. Is this too early? You you mentioned it earlier on, mate. Is this too early to sort of be able to to dig out a win against a top player at this stage in your comeback. And I and I wonder whether although I think Feast matches up very well against Verev in a way that Tiafo really didn't and Tiafo's got the one nine record against Zverev because you can't hang with him from the baseline.

Beast can. And he's won beaten him twice. And I I I think him at his best will be beating Zverev, but I'm not sure that he's quite there yet. You know, it's it's so early. Was that a prediction? I I think Zverev will win this match because I think that it's just a little too early for for Fees. But then I probably would have said that about Djokovic and Draper. So you know, I certainly think that Fees is capable of beating Zverev and he his b if he plays to his

best level today, I think he will beat him. But I just think he'll probably have one or two many mental lapses at this stage. But Gorin will get his teeth into him and that'll change. Okay. far down the predictions road because a lot of people will be listening to this already knowing the outcome of at least some of these matches because all these quarterfinals to be played today, including the women's quarterfinals, and we'll talk about those after the break.

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Welcome back to part two of today's tennis podcast where once again we have a women's draw. where it feels like we're on a collision course to a final between Igor Shantek and Arena Sabalenko and every time, seemingly, it feels like we're on that collision course. something historically gets in the way. Is that gonna happen this time, Dave?

I always get stung with this. Because and I always end up either writing off Jessica Pagula or Elena Rabacina and then I I've set you up to do exactly that. Yeah, because Look, I I I do I do believe in Sviontek's game as being overall the second best just behind Sabalenka. Now Rebecca and her fans would very understandably Question that give them some of the some reason to I do think in these conditions, on this sort of surface,

gritty and it's high bouncing and I I do think it suits Shuntek down to the ground. It really takes her ball and does stuff with it that some of the other players can't really match. Um so look I I think we are going to end up getting that that fine. But I've se certainly said that before. I I would say though, on on Svantech generally, I d I think this has been one of the better tournaments so far.

for the balance that she's trying to find and the and the the the not just trying to blast away through opponents but have a plan B or at least have different kind of uh tones to her game. And the the the flight she's got on the forehand, it feels like uh I talked about the the control that Alkras seems to have of off his strings at the moment. That's what's been there for

For Schwontek as well. She has a bit more time, I think, maybe because of the of the surface in Indian Wales as opposed to say Miami next week. But um yeah, I'd be very encouraged on her behalf and and well Sabalang. just looks like Sabalenka and is another great, I think, um endorsement for the break she's had uh of of missing some tournaments. Everybody everybody this is the best of the the two week tournaments that aren't the greatest. Because everybody is looking fresh and ready and up.

And it it seems to just sort of ebb away as the as the fatigue comes in and as the boredom sets in of too many long ad events like this. But this one just works because everybody's new Is it an endorsement of the break or is it an endorsement of getting a cute new part?

Who can say? Um Igor Schwantek I thought looked fantastic against Carolina Mukova yesterday, Matt. I mean the the score line speaks for itself, six two, six love. you know, quite disappointing in terms of a a competitive match. I really didn't think Mukav looked

She looked sluggish and a bit out of it and you know, undoubtedly way, way off her peak, but equally she does have an eager Shrontec problem, does does Karanina Mukover. But yeah, from a Shrontec perspective, this match, I don't know what you thought it felt like to me a bit of a like a a blueprint for for what the Wim Facet project has been trying to achieve.

Um now that doesn't mean the project is complete and she's she's doing it and she's gonna do it every match and it's gonna be successful because Frankly she was never under any pressure against Carolina Mukova. Th I I want to see her do it when she's under extreme pressure, but For sure this felt like very encouraging signs for for that Wimferset project, which she's which she's really stuck with and and through through quite a lot of questioning of whether that relationship ought to continue.

Definitely. Yeah. And What I liked about it was how patient she was, but also aggressive, you know, like as as David talked about, hitting with the margin, with the with the spin on the forehand and And those forehands that you know, you think are maybe gonna go long and then they just dip at the last minute and she's got so much clearance over the net, so much safety built into them. And yet the opponent can't do that much off them because she's whipping them and they're they're bouncing up at

Um so that was really impressive. She was also I think attacking the mook of a second serve really, really nicely, redirecting the ball off her backhand particularly well. It was a really nice performance from Siontech. How much of an acid test is it, right? Because the conditions favour her and the opponent favours her, I think come up against a different opponent in trickier conditions and that's where we'd kind of

seen her have the most issues. But she's also sometimes just sort of inexplicably gone off in in matches, as as I talked about the other day. And that didn't happen at all. She was just ruthless in this one. And that was the Egos Fiontech we all know and love. and have have seen dominate this sport. So that was really impressive. I also thought it was interesting that she said afterwards that Mukova's pretty much the only player, the only WTA player that she watches.

And she said, So therefore I know her game. And I was kinda thinking Why don't you watch some other players then? And i she was really talking about it as though she feels really comfortable in the matchup because she knows her. And she is famously someone who does give the tactics away to her team. Yeah, she outsources all of it, doesn't she? And maybe that has worked for her, but I I do sometimes think that

there should be a slightly higher level of tactical acumen there to her because she is a smart person, she's a smart tennis player, and we don't always see that. But we did against Mukova. She knows how to play her. Um yeah. I d maybe I'm reading too much into that, but it was it was it was something that did strike me. I I feel like watch more WTA tennis should be your should be your sort of homework here, Eagle Sheon Tech.

She's got Svitolina next, which is a... A matchup that it would be very easy to dismiss on the basis of what we saw yesterday from From Eagle Shuntek, but to quote Matt Roberts in our WhatsApp chat, I'm gonna quote you to you, Matt. Twenty twenty six Fitolina is no joke. I stand by it. I mean she's b she's been so good this year and I think probably the only match that sort of

stands out in a in a way where you would talk about her limitations would be the Australian Open against Sabalenka. But To focus on that I think would be to detract from the seasons she's had generally, where she's been winning so many matches battling hard, beating top players, playing this more aggressive style than she used to play. She's a problem for pretty much everyone and you know

Schwiontek has dominated their head to head, but they've often had tight sets and I I do think Svitolina will ask some of those questions that that you're talking about there, Catherine. She'll she'll put Svientech under pressure and then it'll be a question of whether Svantek can respond to it. Uh I think she probably will, but you you cannot just brush Svitalina aside, especially this year. She's she's playing so

Svitelina uh won via retirement over Katarina Siniarkova in the previous round and on the subject of Siniarkova in her previous round before that Uh, she was caught in the crossfire, quite frankly. Well, no, headline. She scored one of the biggest single wins of her career. Well done Katarina Siniakova. Uh sec secondary to that, she got Caught in the crossfire of Mira Andreva's latest meltdown, quite possibly her most dramatic yet match.

Uh I I mean really quite extraordinary scenes um at the end of at the end of this in Indian World. Yeah, it was bubbling away the whole match, you know, she's got an awkward game. Cinearch of a lot of slice forehands, sudden flat backhands and you know, she's a she's sort of crafty player. She sort of has her own battles, I think, with with sort of keeping everything in check on court. Um but She was causing Andreva problems, Andreva was not at her best, and she was also in the

Siniarkova. You know, the fact that she retired against Fitolina sort of tells you that she was not moving well, particularly in the second set, which she ended up stealing on a tie break. And that I think just was too much for Andreva to be able to cope with. I think she thought she should be winning this match.

comfortably and yet she wasn't. She was in a tussle and she kind of dismissed her team. They came back, but there was a there was a moment where Shita Martinez and the team left and they weren't there at the start of the third set. They were there by the end of the match. Um and then the end was just like You talked about memes, Catherine, I mean a I mean cinematic scenes at the end with the with the racket slam from uh Andreva when she lost, then a handshake, booing from the crowd because

Andreva has has slammed her racket away. Siniakova slumping in her chair, exhausted, pretty much in tears, I think probably knowing that okay, she scored this huge win but how much of herself has she had to give there and then and Draver leaving the court, mouthing off at the crowd, and then The the the camera person and the director, chef's kiss to them for for capturing this scene where you get Andreva mouthing off and leaving the court and then zooming in on this woman in the crowd.

Gasping at Andreva and clutching her pearls. Scandalized The the fact that Andreva had dared to be rude, she was yeah, she just could not cope with this. It was hilarious, absolutely hilarious scenes. But sort of Unfortunately, underneath all of that there is there is the more serious and more troubling, I think, aspect of This being a continued pattern for Andreva. I've I've barely seen her lose a match.

over the last nine months or so where this hasn't defined it in some way where there's been some sort of spiral, whether it be with the way she's playing, whether it be with her box, whether it be with the crowd, whatever it is, it feels like she's really struggling mindset wise, mental wise on on court right now. And

It's kinda like the Marcos Silva question at Fulham. Like there's been there's been so much good done by Marcos Silva and yet people are starting to question it. And I feel like there's been so much good done by Conchita Martinez, but I do think you've reached a point now where you have to question that relationship and

I don't want the answer in either situation, by the way, Marco Silva or Conchita Martinez, to be let's just get rid of them. I think they've done too much good work, there's too much positive there, but I do think there needs to be some kind of reckoning and some kind of okay, what we're doing isn't quite working in terms of taking us to that next level and something needs to change, I think, in this. Because for a long time you could sort of put it down to

Her age. And you still can to a certain extent. She is still young and for a long time. But it's the trend, isn't it? It's it's the fact that it's not a good thing. It's not getting better than it's a good thing. And I think end of last season I put a lot of it down to fatigue. You know, it just felt but now, start of the season when she's fresh, it's still there. And I don't really have the answers, but I just know watching that that something something does need to change, I think, soon.

Big big big week. So Shrontec to face Svitolina, the winner of that, to face the winner of uh Pagula against Robatkiner, both of whom David is is writing off in in typical style. No warning myself not to who are you writing off less?

Well the thing is I I I still think either one of them could win this match and then go and end up beating Sriontek because that does seem to be something that happens and it's my i but I do fall into that trap and I'm really trying hard not to and yes I could still be doing it.

because I think overall I would still put Sfiantech through. I I don't think that either one of these players necessarily plays as well in Indian Wales or at least feels as convincing in Indian Wales as maybe they do um on the the surfaces that that are a little more lower bouncing and Hang on a second, Rebatkin is a former champion. Yes, that's very true. I mean look, she can win on anything, can't she? She they they they they Ye if she's on, she can win stuff, doesn't it?

I'm not as convinced by it, um as as I am on lower bouncing courts generally. Um but she's also starting to play her way into this tournament. You know, she had that rough one against Teddy Baptiste, then she beat Marta Kostic, she's now beaten Sonny Kartel in

In it you know, in a match that was ended in a retirement but she she was getting the hang uh getting on top of that. Cartel, by the way, very good tournament for her. She'd beaten Madison Keys from a set down in the previous round, the British player. I mean that that was an upset in its own right.

and she's been battling a back injury all tournament apparently and and then it was finally a little too much for her in in this one. But It's it's a f a fascinating little bit of the draw because the last couple Rebecca has beaten Pagula, Pagula has had wins against Rebecca as well. She's the one that I think.

that Pagula struggles to diffuse. You know, when she d she's able to just sort of defuse the game of of Anisimova and just drive her crazy. It doesn't seem to stop Rebecca, no? She just hits you hits another one. It's like, okay, you got that one back, we'll have this one. And that's that's what ke and she and her it never feels like her temperature rises in her head and she ends up getting down on herself or em exploding in the moment. Um

I I would make Rebecca the favourite for it because I think she ultimately is the better player of the two. Um but Like I say, I'll be watching because I don't know. It's I I don't I don't feel that confident. I don't feel Igish Fiontek watching Karolina Mukova confident of what what's going on. I thought Pagula was fantastic. Yesterday. I hadn't quite realised the one sided nature of that head to head. Bangchic had never l lost a set against Pagula in in four meetings and

Pagula, even in the World Feed interview, she gave it. She literally said, Nobody beats me five times in a row. And she said And she was right. I'm a better player now than the last time we played. You know, a lot of those meetings were you know, I think it was a couple in twenty twenty one. And she said, I've got more tools now, Pagula, I use my slice better. And I've I don't know, I've just had a little mindset change with Pagula. I always felt like I was focusing on her limitations.

And that was probably a me problem, but I always felt like I was thinking, Oh, but she'll she'll reach her ceiling in a tournament. I'm starting to think about like the possibilities of her game more and Seeing the Seeing the weapons she's got, you know, like this one got tight, she served for the match.

in t to win it easily in straight sets, got pegged back, went to a tiebreak, and she just upped it a little bit and she gave a big reaction when she won it, like she knew that that was that was a big moment finally beating Bengsik. I'm so impressed. Um and yet I I I always underestimate Rabcina as well. Um so that's a r yeah, really and really intriguing match.

Uh that's the bottom half of the draw. Shrontex Vitalina winner to face Pagula or Rebakina. Top half of the draw we've got Sabalenka uh against Mboko, uh Sabalenka handily beating Nomiasaka in the previous round, a match that we were really excited about, disappointed that it got put in the the vibers death slot first on uh first on Stadium one. I mean I I thought this was just kind of An expose of the limitations of Naomi Osaka that Sabalenka once had herself and has worked

so hard to not have anymore. And I don't uh that probably sounds harsh on Omius Arca. The thing that she does She does brilliantly still. She's still uh one of the best ball strikers on tour. But a and I y you know, I I understand why she hasn't been able to

to develop her game and add add tools to it in the way that Sabalenka has. You know, the the period of time when Sabalenka was doing that with her game, Naomi Sarka was on maternity leave. Um and before that she was h she was having a mental health break from the sport. And there does come a There does come a point in your career where it does make you more sense to work on the things you've already got rather than to to

to try and add to your game. Like I don't th where where exactly that point in your career is, it varies for everyone, etcetera, etcetera. Um so I d I don't mean for it to sound harsh on Asaka, I I more mean that Yeah. just underlined how extraordinary it is the way Sabalenka is added to her toolkit. She is so far from a ball basher is Sabalenka. Like she's she looked like Carolina Mukava out there, but a Carolina Mukava that can also bash the ball.

Better than anybody. It was so good from Sabalan. Yeah, it was. I was having having similar thoughts because of course the last time they'd met was in twenty eighteen and back then you you would have described Sabalenka as a ball basher, you know, a very good one, but No refinement whatsoever to her game. She was she was such an all or nothing player. And you think about it now, and I was thinking, wow, the sport's moved on since 2018. And then I was thinking, no, Sabalenka's moved on.

You know, like she has she's made it so that you are now to be winning the biggest tournaments, you She's kinda the bar. You've got you've got to clear her, you know, like people we've seen win Grand Slams have often had to had to go through Savalenka, whether it be Goth or Keys or, you know, Rabatkinna herself. And

Sabalenka now is, as you said, an all court all court player. The number of times she was coming to the net in this match was was impressive and the slices she'll throw in in defence is just a shot that Osaka does not have. Um yeah, she was very impressive.

the dimension that Osaka has still very dangerous and did cause problems in that second set, but then Sabalenka met all those moments really well and responded to the pressure, be it breakpoints or just a bit of pressure on Serve and Served to weigh out of them. What Sabalenka's looking for is that kind of composure and that responding to pressure in some of these grand sound finals that she's lost. Because I I think game wise she's got more

everyone else right now. Um, and she probably feels like she doesn't quite have the Grand Sam tally to to sort of reflect that, but if she can get that that meeting the pressure moments right in the fin in the Grand Sam finals that she had here, she's pretty much unstoppable. Uh she's also got an excellent new dog.

I I would like to I mean I think Ash is already a Hall of Fame tennis dog. She's a she's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I'm biased because Billie Jean is half Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, but my God she's adorable. She's Yeah. I mean she looks like a teddy bear. I I don't think I've seen her with her paws on the ground yet. Unclear if she does walk or if she just gets carried around.

Uh but she's yeah, she looks like she's on some sort of sedative all the time, just sort of flopping in people's arms. She's uh she's absolutely adorable. Uh so we get another look at Savalenka and Boko in the next round. And Boko

Demolishing our prediction, Matt, from the last podcast. Thank you very much, Victoria and Boko handily dismissed Uh Amanda Anism over six four six one this match. uh took place on stadium two in the night session and we mentioned in the previous podcast that Stadium two was getting extremely sparse crowds because of the change in ticketing policy for twenty twenty six um and particularly in the night session matches and

it was so stark during Umboko Anisomova. Okay, not in terms of a competitive match, it didn't quite live up to what we'd hoped, but that is a all star hot ticket match and it was It felt like pursued the story um and they got the following quote. from the tournament on that change to the ticketing policy to to make Stadium two uh unavailable to grounds pass holders as it has been in previous years.

Uh the tournament said as the tournament continues to grow, we are always evaluating opportunities to improve our programming and operations, including ticketing offerings and the fan experience. In advance of this year's tournament we decided to evolve ticket offerings in the stadium two to change the upper bowl seat sales from general admission to reserve ticketing.

Rydym ni'n gwneud, rydym ni'n gwneud, rydym ni'n gwneud, rydym ni'n gwneud hynny'n gwneud hynny'n gwneud hynny'n gwneud hynny'n gwneud. Yeah. I interpreted that, David, maybe this is overly optimistic, as a quiet admission that they won't be doing this again in the future. Is that how you interpreted it too? Yeah, it's been a disaster. It's been embarrassment. You've ended up with an empty stadium for huge tennis matches. I don't think that was...

Mm. And that's what's happened. So, well done. Change your back. Great. Yeah. No notes. Yes. It's not gonna take much careful evaluation to uh No to realise what a what a mess.

Um I I did want to just say how well Lumbo played and you know, I I was I was feeling really positive about Anisimova. I felt like she'd found a sort of equilibrium that she'd been missing at the start of the season. There was reading her press conference transcript and she was talking about Alyssa Liu and the inspiration she's taken from her and watching her and realizing that

She felt like at the start of the season she's been putting too much pressure on herself and that was a shift from last year and she needed to get back to kind of enjoying what she was doing. And I thought, well, that really marries up with This form that I've just suddenly seen against Blinkovo and Radicanu and It just felt like she was moving in the right direction. But I suppose this match was

kind of a reminder that things are not always entirely, you know, a straight line with progress. You're gonna have steps backwards and I think we did see a bit of a sort of second set crash out again from Anisimova and

Unfortunately for Anissa Mova she's extremely funny when she's angry and she sort of creates great memes as well. There was that one the other day where she was trying to stuff her racket in her racquag after she'd lost and this time there was the one where she was telling her team to sort of zip it and sort of she sort of becomes a meme but

You know, it's sort of relatable stuff, but you know, it is the thing that I think she needs to work on the most. But I I just wanna say how well Limboko played and a bit of a shape-shifter on Boko. She can be the aggressor if she needs to. She's got real punch on her shots. Like in this match she can really like say, Okay, you wanna you you wanna go movement? I'll

I'll expose your movement. And the number of times she was exposing that element of Anisamova's game and getting her on the run and absorbing the pace and then packing a punch herself as sort of a line line hitting winner. she was great in this match and boco and real real control about her and composure about her which was which was kind of lacking for Manissa Mova. Yeah. A a lesson for me. Stop picking Amandanism over for everything.

absolutely dunking on one of your faves to sort of realise how good they are and I probably have been a little bit sleepy on just how good Umboko is and I I hope she comes out against Sabalenka. She she's feels like she's getting better every week. She does. And that's what makes the Sabalenka match interesting, right?'Cause we saw it a few weeks ago and there was a gap.

But and Boko did cause some problems at the end of that match and if she can if she can start how she finished in Melbourne, it could be a great one. But then you know Tabalenka can also just raise it. So yeah, I can't

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to to hear Amanda Annasomova talk about Alyssa Liu. Um I look, I think every human being on the planet can learn something from Alyssa Liu, but there is so much in her Story and essence that tennis players in particular I feel like could could learn or take something. Um so yeah, it really really made my heart sing to uh to see those quotes.

Uh just finally on the women's side, uh Sabalenka against Umboko, the winner of that to take on Lyndon Nozkova or Tyler Gibbson. I mean, Nozkova seems on a sort of quite underrated, inevitable march towards the top ten, doesn't she? I mean she she kind of feels like a top ten top ten player to me in terms of her top top level, six two, six love against uh Alexandra Ayala in the previous round. Talia Gibson

has qualified and now won three matches to make it through to the quarterfinals. Her previous win, uh previous round win against Jasmine Paolini and and look, again, headline here is Tyler Gibson, what a week, what a story. keeping sensation of the year alive, it sensation of the day alive through until March. We thank you, Talia Gibson. Very well done.

Um and again if this were a if this were a kind of isolated result for Jasmine Paolini, the story would absolutely be Talia Gibson. But the fact is that this defeat is part of a a really quite worrying trend for Jasmine Paolini. Yeah, it is. Um, you know, we talked the other day about how she'd battled through some some three three set matches earlier in the tournament, I think against Potter Pova and Tom Yanovic.

The truth was the game wasn't really there, but she was at least coming through tight matches and sometimes you feel like that's a way to build some confidence. In this one she didn't look bad to me. She just looked ineffective.

You know, and in the in the two year spell twenty twenty four and twenty twenty five where she was reaching slam finals, winning Rome, qualify qualifying for the for the WTA finals, you wouldn't have described her game as ineffective, you know, she was uh so many times we were caught by how much of a power player she seemed and stepping in and taking the ball early and changing changing the direction and all of that's just sort of gone. Yeah, the confidence has been sapped away.

I I don't know what it is. Um, you know, she had a lot of coaching changes, hasn't she? Renzo Furlan out, Mark Lopez in for a bit, now this guy Danilo Pizzorno's in, Irani's in a more official capacity. who is in danger of sort of unsensationing herself. She you know, she needs to be she needs to be careful. She's she sh she might be too good to be a sensation. She's she's playing so well. As when Paulini's gone back to being a good drawer and Talia Gibson is

Is unsensationing herself. What a world. Honestly, she is a big hitter off both wings. She really does clock the ball. It's quite impressive. Um and yeah, she just she just dominated, especially that final set. Return winners, power off both wings. Really like what I saw from her, but um yeah, it it it it is

Okay, that is it for part two and I'll look ahead to the women's quarterfinals and the the rest of the women's tournament. We'll be back in part three with a bit of calendar news from the ATP. Ving firar 70 år av resor, och det gör vi med massor av erbjudanden som är omöjliga att motstå. de nästa jubileumserbjudanden på wing.se. De bästa resorna försvinner först.

Ja, det är ju så starkt svensk lag. Här finns ju alla ingredienser. Som en god kycklingrita, mustig, krämig, smakrig. Härligt tar vi lunch. Tänker du också på krämig kycklingrita eller någon annan av Felix lunchrätter.

Welcome back to part three of today's tennis podcast where we just wanted to touch upon a story broken in the athletic today centering. around uh the tenth ATP Masters one thousand event, the addition to the ATP Masters one one thousand calendar, which we know is gonna be held in Saudi Arabia. That is the extent of what has been announced.

so far. Uh it is much rumoured to be an event that will take place in February after the Australian Open, but that hasn't been formally announced. Now the story that's uh been broken today by the athletics is about the ATP and about uh the Saudi Arabian authorities and the ways in which they intend to make space for that tenth Masters one thousand event, David, in the ATP calendar.

Yeah, this is some some seriously good reporting from Charlie Eccleshair and Matt Futterman and starts with the the the h the sentence a shopping spree designed to reshape the calendar of the men's tennis tour is intended. Um, because as well as trying to make space for that Saudi Arabian tournament that you referenced, they're also trying to sell it to the the players as a calendar reshuffle to make the the off season long.

And and obviously they they and they they want they want more money and uh to be able to put into players' pockets as well and and all the rest of it that comes with it. So they're trying to to do it in a manner that is acceptable. to everybody. Now one of the ways they're doing it is is by using the vast riches of Saudi Arabia and the the PIF fund, um the the sort of sports arm of that. by buying back sanctions of tournaments. Um they

Charlie and Matt are reporting that they've already had offers accepted from the Chengdu Open, the Kong Kong Open later in the year. Um it's been recently announced that Brussels is gonna be move into the The reporting is at least it's gonna move to the middle of the year and beyond grass.

Um and and then I think the bit the big headline elements of this story and I I do encourage you to go and read the whole thing'cause it gives you the full background detail and all the all the various permutations. But Buenos Aires and Acapulco in February, which we've just had, of course, as part of the s South American and Central American swing of tournaments that is so so popular with players and so well attended. Their also being offered vast sums in

to basically disappear or at least relocate. Um exactly what will end up happening we don't know, but it it the idea is to create that extra space. It is gonna cost a fortune. I mean in in the athletics article it says hundreds of millions of dollars are gonna be spent. Because not everybody wants to sell. Apparently the the tournaments in the Middle East, Dubai, Doha they didn't want to

move. They don't want to move, they don't want to disappear. So they're just th they're saying no thanks. Um so this is what's what we're left with most likely. Um and I I mean It's where do you fall? D do you think well, I I want the the circuit to have this longer off season and to be fewer events and less Uh cluttered Okay, well you can, but you're gonna have to accept Saudi Arabia's money to do so and they get a place

the table and we gotta make room for them and they get you get masses of money but then you also don't get to have this amazing atmosphere in South America at one or two tournaments or or or in Acapulca. It's You can't have everything is the bottom line, but you but they they are saying that they can get stuff done and it's gonna cost.

It leaves me with the same feeling I had uh when they when the WT announce uh WTA announced the maternity fund. Uh the the the funds for which uh were being provided by the Saudi public investment fund. The sinister Faustian deal with the devil, quite frankly, to you can you can have this brilliant thing that nobody could possibly argue with

being a good thing. Uh but hey, here's where the money's coming from. Um and you can't have everything, so do you want the money or not? Like nobody's gonna argue that the Yeah, it's very, very canny from them.'Cause nobody can argue that shortening the calendar is uh is a bad thing and the players aren't certainly aren't going to argue that. Um but

Yeah. It it comes at a it comes at both a a very real cost in terms of, you know, the decimation of the the South American swing is potentially tragic really for for men's tennis. And then obviously the sort of the moral cost of further intertwining yourself with with a state with the human rights record that that Saudi Arabia has, um w of which our views are are extremely clear. Um

But yeah, it's um it's fantastic reporting, as you say, David, from uh from Matt and Charlie in the athletic. And uh We will keep you updated as um as things progress. And obviously there's the other element at the moment of, you know, further entrenching yourself with the Middle East. Feels like just not a brilliant thing to be to be doing on a practical level right now for uh for any sport. But obviously that that deal is is is already done for the ATP.

Okay, that is that is it for today's show. Uh it feels like Feels like there's been a lot. I feel like I need a big Bit of a lie down. A lot of good stuff. A lot of really meaty stuff to get our teeth into. Um but yeah, I need well, either a lie down or I need to stare at a dog for a while. Uh and luckily there is a a dog available for me to stare at and it's goldy. Um

I really love Goldie. Goldie is an apricot miniature poodle owned by Tracy. Um so if you put Goldie together with Ash, Irina Sabalenka's new dog, you get Billie Jean. Oh, what a joy. Um Goldie just turned thirteen and she's big sister to our epileptic, Bach loving, Arya singing, labradoodle Gary. absolutely obsessed with a labradoodle called Gary. Um, Goldie is a vocalist too, but not interested in classic classical music. Her insistent vocalizations start about an hour before each meal time.

a high pitched warbling to let us know that she wouldn't mind an early bird seating. Uh, she has a friend called Ziggy who, twelve years her junior, gives Gogo the run a which I assume is the nickname for Gol Goldie. Love that. Um, Ziggy gives Gogo the runaround, which she mostly grudgingly tolerates. She joined our family at eight weeks old and has licked away tears, celebrated dozens of birthdays, myriad graduations, endured the horrible pain of people going away to college

She still tries to get inside suitcases when anyone is leaving, and pretty much continuously scavenged every trash bin for used tissues which she tears to bits. We love her so, says Tracy. Um, and she's absolutely gorgeous. I'm biased'cause she's got a bit of the Billie Jean about her, but she's

She's wonderful. Thank you, Tracy, and thank you, Goldie. Uh hello to our mascots, Bodie, Maisie, and Roger. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff. Let's have some shout outs, Matt. We have Ada Pesh in Zurich. Hello Adda. We We know Adda, and Adda says I have a tortoiseshell rescue cat called Fang. and says, I haven't met Roger Federer yet, but his parents have come to the opera house where I'm the concertmaster and I've met them.

Yes, we know Ad as the Zurich concertmaster, of course. I love the I haven't met Roger Federer yet. I love the confidence of that. Yeah. Haven't met Bruce Springsteen yet, Matt? Absolutely. Absolutely. Thank you, Adda. We've also got uh Barry Bobro. Hello Barry. Hello Barry. Who is from Charlotte, North Carolina. And Barry's

Barry says my wife Karen and I are huge fans of the pod. We go to the US Open every year and we keep walking by the press area underneath Ash looking for a sighting of you all. Oh, Barry. Keep doing it, you'll see us eventually. That is that is the right place to find. Yeah. Yeah, if Matt can meet Bruce Springsteen one day, you can meet us. No truth. Ad is gonna meet Roger Federer, you're gonna meet us, and Matt's gonna meet Bruce Springsteen. These things are gonna happen.

Yeah, just just walk by the media garden between sessions, day and night, and chances are will be recorded in the pod. Barry Cowan. Yep. Who's been commentating this week? I said that as if there we might have more Barries, but I think I think we're one and done with Barry Cowan there, aren't we? Probably. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you, Barry. And finally, we have a shout out from Karen Wooster for her new daughter in law, Mary Claire Fischer.

Who's from Ann Arbor, Michigan? And Karen writes Matt delivered a surprise birthday shout out for my son Ryan at the twenty twenty four live show in New York. I remember that. Ryan and Mary Clare were married in December. They spent their honeymoon in New Zealand, Tasmania and Australia and capped off their trip at the Australian Open where Mary Clare completed the fan. So cool.

Wow. And well Ryan's chosen well, hasn't he? Yeah, well and Karen agrees. Karen says Mary Claire is a journalist hiker and has a cat named Charlie. I couldn't be happier. She's a wonderful addition to our Lovely, generous and kind thing to do. Karen's just gifting shout outs left, right and centre. What a woman. Uh I I love it so much, Karen. Thank you. And um welcome to the shout out family, Mary Claire, already having completed your fan slam. What whatever next?

Um, that's absolutely lovely. So thank you, Karen, and hello Mary Claire. Uh so Mary Claire, Karen, Barry and Ada, thank you very much indeed for being friends of the tennis podcast. Of course, if you'd like to become a friend of the pod, get yourself a shout out, an intro. Um, all sorts of things and access to all of our bonus content, ad free listening, all that jazz. The link is in our show notes. We are part of the Athletic Podcast Network and we'll be back on Monday.

with our Indian Wells review show and that show is live on YouTube. Uh. Hej, det här är Nadja och det här är Elsa från Deta. Nu när vi har samarbet med Salando måste vi tipsa om Salando-appen. Hur man kan. Skrolla i feen för att hitta inspiration, nya varumärker. Man kan göra mod. Du älskar en mod. Du har någonsin satt ihop en outfit, en stil utan en modboard. Det som är så bra med Salando är att allt finns samlat på ett och samma ställe.

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