Live from Wimbledon Day 7 - Alcaraz accelerates into quarters, can anyone stop him?

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Hello and welcome to the tennis podcast live from Wimbledon on day seven of the championships as the sun sets over SW19, but not... on all of our hopes and dreams because folks we are now officially Three wins away from Matt Roberts dying his hair blonde. We're over halfway. It is on. It is so on. It's so on. Look, things were looking...

Things were looking tough there for a little while in that third set. But Amanda Onisimova came back, beat Linda Noskova. I've hot-footed it from court one. And let me tell you, the vibes of this podcast would have been very different had things not turned around. But here we are. I feel alive. Yeah, there was a moment there when Amanda Renesimov was a breakdown in the third set. I was quite concerned about this podcast. Matt wasn't here. He was having an existential crisis about

200 metres away. You'd gone very quiet. Yeah. Yeah, content was not being sent. Imagine if I'd just been a no-show for the live show. If I'd just gone home. Would have been quite fitting in a way, wouldn't it? But David told me he believed. Three all in the third set. I said, Matt's not here. You don't need to save his mental health. I was definitely trying to do the pep talk. Do you actually think she's going to win?

Yeah, well, I did think so, because fundamentally I think she's a more complete player. It's a little bit like when Carlos Alcres gets in trouble against players who he's better than, but he's not playing better than at that moment. I always... back the player who's got the potential and listen Linda Noskova is a good and dangerous player but I feel like she is pretty much a one hit player She was really good today, actually. I thought she showed maybe more than that.

But I think Amanda Nisimova is one of the more complete players on the tour. The big weakness is, relatively speaking, the movement compared to some other players. You know, Okoko Goff. I mean, whose isn't? But I think that that does stand out for him. But the fact that she's got such artillery on both forehand and backhand, and she can volley, and she's got to serve. Now she's fighting. I just thought, who do I think is the better player here at 3-all?

Well, Anisimova. And this was not the Dalma-Galfi match. This was a high-quality match. I thought the first set, Anisimova was absolutely... breathtaking really like she was having to fight through some service games she had to save some break points she was love 30 down a few times but she was doing that and on the return she was just

putting the ball deep, rushing Noskova, hitting winners. It was just a really, really good performance. She seemed pretty serene. And I put on the barge. Seven more sets like that and... You know, we're going blonde. And then credit to Noskova because she really upped her serve in...

in the rest of this match, really, particularly in the second set, much higher first serve percentage. It was tougher then for Nisimova to get into those games. And Nisimova just had a couple of little dips. She did get the break back eventually, but then...

immediately gave it away again right at the end of the second set. And Noskova won it. And Noskova carried that through and went up a break in the third. And at that point, you could just see how desperately Anissimo over-wanted it. You know, she was... Again, we kind of went back to the stress, which we've seen all tournament. And she was sort of...

Sometimes I was thinking, wow, she's channeling this really well. You can see the fight. You can see the desire. But there were a couple of occasions where it kind of spilled over. She got a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct for smashing her... racket into the ground she yelled shut up at i think i think someone in her team but you know i don't think it was at me um but equally you know she was she i think she probably needed to let

let those feelings out but she was on the edge she really was but then she had a surge she won 11 points in a row through the middle portion of the final set and kind of took over again and I agree with David. When they're both playing their best games, I do think Anissimova's got even more. As sweet a ball striker as Nuskva is, as dangerous as she is off both wings, I just... I just believe in Amanda Nissimova's level being better than that. And what a finish.

The huge backhand and then the gentle wrong-footing backhand winner was... From a ball that just sort of seemed to hang in the air forever, you must have thought time had stood still. And so many players would have run around that and taken it on the forehand or tried to hit a smash or something. She let it come down and... and just gently rolled the backhand into the space. It was nice. In my search for content last night after the big blonde pledge...

I was trying to pinpoint when exactly it was Anisimova went from blonde to brunette. Anyway, ended up down in Anisimova YouTube rabbit hole. I'm sure you've been there. Just a few times. And I ended up just watching a few points of her matches from last year and from sort of six months ago and before, trying to pinpoint exactly when it was that she took the big brunette plunge. And I couldn't...

When something's incremental, it's sometimes hard to notice the difference and how big the change is. Her movement is so much improved. It's never going to be the... the foundation block of her game but it needs to not be the massive exposable weakness that it used to be and I feel like she's

She's there. It's extraordinary, the change she's made in that department. It's a heck of a change. And it's only a year ago that we were at qualifying when she lost in the final round of qualifying there against Avalice, was it? No disgrace. that she's a good player but

It was really quite jarring to see Amanda Inisimova in qualifying and unable to get out of it. And to see her a year on in the top 15 in the world and now in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and, well... Looking like a contender for the title, quite honestly. My guy. You know, she might not win the thing, but she's a contender. She's absolutely capable. Yeah, she is. To me, she is. I think...

If she won it from here, I wouldn't be surprised. She's beaten Sabalenka several times. She's hidden the sweet ball. She's about third favourite to me. I would put Sabalenka, Anishviontek ahead of her. Maybe Andreva, actually, as well. But maybe they would be about equal. But, you know, there's a little pack behind Sabalenka. But at the same time, the ceiling of Anissimova is so compelling. I don't even think we've seen it yet.

I don't think we've seen how good she can be. I think she could just destroy somebody if she gets it all right. I thought Noskova did very well to stop that happening today. And I think the point is, as you say, just...

Every area of her game, small improvements, leading to quite a big overall... difference you know like the forehand has got a lot better as well she used to she used to sometimes struggle with the strike on that side but she's a lot more confident on that wing now the movement as you say the general physicality i think she's i think she's lasting up

standing up to the kind of rigors of the tour better. There was a little moment today where she sort of stretched out her back a little bit, but she seemed fine. The serve, I still think... She can get more out of that. The return...

She actually did it well in the first set today, just like shipping some returns back just to get herself in rallies. And I think that is something that can still improve. She can do more of that. She doesn't need to necessarily hit a winner straight away. As long as she makes the ball, get in a rally.

she's going to be good because she's got so much strength off both wings. And yeah, I think we have to, we have to give a lot of credit as well to the, to the team that she's had now for a year, you know, working with Rick Vlieshowers for about a year now. And I think. Having that stability has been really important. Having people around her that she's comfortable travelling with on the tour to make tour life easier. Everything seems to have come together.

I think this is absolutely, as David said, qualifying last year. Now in the quarterfinals, this is... This is big. This is back where she belongs. And it's off the back of a season of real consistency and obviously that tremendous high with the title in Doha. It's not out of the blue, this. And she's taken advantage of the draw, which I did think was good right from the start. And here she is in the quarterfinals with a chance. Look, I agree.

She has a chance. She's not in my mix. I would be surprised if she won it from here. The world number one is her scheduled semifinal opponent. I know Laura Siegmund is saying hi to me right now somewhere. Always. The world number one is playing really well and is her semi-final opponent. So, yeah, that for me prevents her from being in the mix. I would be surprised if she beat Sabalenka. Not to pour. anything on the on the funfire but she certainly has a chance

Certainly, and I'm very, very excited for that chance. In fact, a friend of mine, Julia, who did our hair and makeup for the photo shoot we had recently, she's a professional hair and makeup artist, she contacted me to say... today that she is available next Saturday to professionally dye Matt's hair. It's great that no one's getting ahead of themselves. We love Julia. It's all just extremely excellent. Let's talk. Let's try and not get ahead of ourselves here.

and talk about Amanda Anasimova's quarterfinal opponent, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and about how Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reached this...

Wimbledon quarterfinal her second Wimbledon quarterfinal and first since 2016 she beat Sone Cartel today the first match on centre court 7-6 6-4 and look first and foremost I thought she was mostly awesome there were a couple of moments where she fell apart and you realize what the gap is between her ceiling and her floor she is one of those players where when it's bad it looks very bad but It's good at the moment, and her good is very, very good. Yeah, she...

I can only imagine how sweet the ball striking is going to be between her and Ananissimova because Pavlochenkova strikes a beautifully sounding ball. When it comes off the racket, it makes a lovely thunder. clap sound um and it was it was hurting cartel and yet cartel's ability to sort of retaliate with her very different ball shape and arc, the way she spins it and whips over it and around it, that was causing her trouble too. It was a really good contest, this, and I think...

It was one of those where they both leave the court. should be feeling good about themselves because Cartel played a good match and gives herself something to build on. And Pavlyuchenkova has just rolled back the years there because, and I mean, she gives a great press conference. She's very sarcastic and it's quite funny at her own expense. talking about how she always used to think she was rubbish on grass. And so this is all a very nice surprise. But yeah, she was excellent.

Excellent today. I've thought a couple of times over her career that maybe she'll just one day call it a day out of the blue, really. if it doesn't go well for her. And then she'll occasionally just throw in a reminder like this of how capable she is. Really good performance. Yeah, I was reading a piece about her.

on the WTA website this week and she said it feels almost yesterday that I was the youngest on tour and I remember I remember speaking to her agent at the time who was really bigging her up to me and saying she's the top-ranked teenager in the world that was like her her brand for a while though when she was breaking through she's she's the best for her age group um and she said i was taking

Everything for granted at that stage of my career. Every match I was winning, I was like, just another match won. Third round of a slam. This is spelt P-Triple-F-T. I'm not editorialising there. She said, I was not appreciating anything because it was coming too easy, but I've started to appreciate every match and every moment. A few months ago, I couldn't even practice, she said, and then you think maybe you'll never have this.

moment again and she's talking there about the fact that she was diagnosed with Lyme disease just after the Australian Open this year where she reached the quarterfinal. And she's had these periods of huge fatigue. She said it's made her feel neurotic and irritated. She said, I constantly had headaches, especially in my right temple. It was pressing on my head all the time. Brain fog. She said, I'd start to practice.

couldn't even see clearly sometimes heart rate was going up and it would just hit me like a train I never thought it would be such a nasty She thinks she contracted it last year, but there can be an incubation period. There's some detail in the article about ticks that I don't think anybody particularly needs me to go into.

But it's been incredibly tough for her since Australia. And I think I looked at her in the drawer and I thought, well, I haven't seen Pavlyuchenkov's name pop up much recently. She can't be in... much form and it's so easy to do that isn't it when there's 128 players in the draw there just isn't bandwidth

There isn't enough bandwidth for all of them and their stories and the depth of the sport and how good all these players are. But once you start getting to the business end like this, you can narrow in a bit. Gosh, there's stories like this everywhere and it's incredible the turnaround she's had. She said she had to take a week off before Eastbourne.

That's two weeks ago because she was that tired and she was like finding the balance between when it's a tired where it's still okay to push and you should push through it or whether it's a sort of tired where you just need to be in bed. How are you supposed to know that? Sounds incredibly similar. It's a long COVID. Yeah. Really. what you're describing there and i can i don't have to do i i i have that and i don't have to perform international sport um extraordinary yeah

Incredible story, really, for Pavlyuchenkova. Do you want to know who the other quarter-finalists were? Or do you want to guess who they were last time she was in The Last Eight here in 2016? This really kind of sets the scene for how long it's been. Serena. Safe guess. Yeah, that's one. Kerber. Two. Venus. Oh, now Matthew trips in.

Yes, Matthew, Venus Williams is what... I thought he didn't like quizzes. Quote, I don't like the pressure. Right, Serena, Kerber, Venus. And you keep losing. So, Azarenka? No. We've got Ruther, did she back up? Nope. You're going to have to tell us. Okay, we've got Halep, we've got Sibulkova, we've got Vesnina, and we've got Yaroslava Shredova. I was not expecting those last three. Goodness. So there you go. Incredible achievement from Pavlyuchenkova. Right. And I feel like...

She's had this incredible sort of career in terms of longevity and consistency. Wasn't she ranked in the top 50, I think, for about 14 straight years? Never fell out of it. And those quarterfinals that she reached, she's now reached 10. Grand Slam quarterfinals never been ranked in the top 10 and yet has this enormous period of consistency but like As you said, it's not like they would necessarily, three would come at once. It was like she's suddenly in form. Like, they're really spread out.

And at all the majors, I think she's reached quarterfinals, particularly in Australia, where she's been really successful. And yeah, the start of the year, she played great against Sabalenko in Australia. She really pushed her there. For her to then have this Lyme disease after that and still get back to another Grand Slam quarter final this year, I'm just full of admiration for her. And that Eastbourne run, I think, was important.

for her finding some form she got to the semis there because she played Jung didn't she in the first round of Roland Garros and I remember thinking well that that might be that might be a tough match for Jung Chin Wen but you know she clearly Wasn't quite ready for that tournament, but found form on the grass and has carried it on. She is a hell of a ball striker. I haven't watched her live that often, to be honest.

seeing it today. There was an early on against Cartel I thought she might just completely hit her off the court when she went up a break. Her ability to time the ball is remarkable, really. I thought Cartel did well. even get a footing in the match and start yanking her around and giving her different looks. And it became a really, really fun contest. But Pavlyuchenkova just had these moments of overwhelming her with her game.

We should talk about the controversy. For all in the first set, Pavly Trenkova is serving. It's been a tight service game. She's at advantage. The grounds will be closing in around 15 minutes. please make your way to the exit gates and make sure you take all your belongings with you we hope you've enjoyed your day here at Wimbledon I think we have wish you a pleasant and safe journey home thank you

I saw Johnny Perkins leaving earlier and I thought, don't you have an announcement today? Which makes you wonder whether it is live, doesn't it? Given how similar he makes it every time. This is like those people that think the Strictly Results show is live. It's not? It's not. David was doing a dad joke there, but I think Matthew is genuinely finding this out live on the pod. We'll chat afterwards, Matthew. We've got a controversy to talk about.

I didn't have Matthew down as a strictly watcher, to be honest. I'm trying to concentrate here. He's never piped up this much before. He claims to be... Claims to be camera shy. Right. Electric line calling drama. Four all in the first set. Pavlyuchenkova serving its advantage. Sane Cartel hits a backhand that is very clearly long.

for all to see and the replay proved that that is the case and the umpire immediately this is nico hellworth stops play that no call comes i should say He stops play and announces that they need to check that the electric line calling system was working.

for that call several minutes pass by it's all very you know you think you've scored a goal at the football and then there's a period of sort of suspended animation where you're checking A few minutes go by and then eventually it's announced by Nico Hellworth that the electric line calling system hadn't been working and that they will replay the point, not give the point to...

Pavlyuchenkova but replay the point. Pavlyuchenkova loses that point and not immediately but after a few further points she ends up losing that game. And at the sit-down, she's obviously not happy, and she accuses the umpire of stealing the game and favouring Cartel because she's a local. Her words, not mine. She softened on that a little bit in her press conference, but didn't...

Didn't Moon walk away from that sentiment entirely, I would say. She made it clear that basically she's delighted to have won the match and therefore she's not as pissed off as she would have been had she lost. But she still said... She thinks there was favouritism towards the local. And that, to me, is maybe an understandable reaction in the moment. Like, you know, the heat of the moment. It was a... She really got screwed over there. It was a really bad moment for electronic line calling.

I think she should have massively rode back on those comments in the press conference afterwards. It sort of misses the point, really, because there is a debate about electronic line calling, and this has exposed something about electronic line calling that sort of... I agree with you. I think claiming any kind of favouritism doesn't stand up. It's nonsense and it's not helpful. It's all a bit Benedict Tarango, isn't it?

We have a statement, an interesting statement from the All England Club on this. Following the Pavlyuchenkova versus Cartel match, we've had the opportunity to undertake further investigation, including speaking to the players, the chair umpire. Hawkeye operators and review official. They say it is now clear that the live electronic line calling system, which was working optimally, was deactivated in error on part of the servers. side of the court for one game by those operating the system.

In that time, there were three calls not picked up by live ELC on the affected part of the court. Two of these were called by the chair umpire who was not made aware that the system had been deactivated. Following the third, the chair umpire stopped the match and consulted with the review.

official who I guess is like the VAR and it was determined that the point should be replayed the chair umpire followed the established process we've apologized to the players involved they say we continue to have full confidence in the accuracy the ball tracking technology the live elc system relies on the hawkeye operators the review official and the technology to work in harmony

This didn't happen. In this instance, there was a human error and as a consequence, we have fully reviewed our processes and made the appropriate changes. So I guess it comes down on I mean, I think how you feel about this will largely be divided down the lines of whether you agree with electronic line calling. And that does divide opinion.

Big time. I mean, the fact is it's very similar to football, isn't it? Like, there is... The technology isn't perfect. You're accepting kind of consistent, unbiased... technological margin for error over human error. And that's the deal. And some people like that deal and some people don't, I think. Yeah, and look, there was...

human error involved here. I think my issue with it would be that there was a very similar... instance a few months ago in a match between fritz and nakashima where the exact same thing happened the system failed and and you heard that stop stop which people thought the time was the umpire wasn't it's it's the system when it's kind of

not been set it's quite dystopian isn't it it is it's not the umpire saying that and look the protocol there is at the points replayed so absolutely everything was followed i think what the frustration was here was that

Everyone can so clearly see so quickly that the ball was out. It was not ambiguous at all. It was very easy on the replay. You feel like if there needs to be some sort of... like backup technology used and in that case it would just be a simple replay that might not always solve everything because it could be incredibly tight but on this occasion it would have solved it instantly and the umpire needs to have the authority to

you know, be able to intervene there. And obviously the umpire cannot overrule a Hawkeye call, but there was no Hawkeye call made. So I think the umpire should have the authority to intervene, be... you know be guided by someone who's seen the replay and told that is very clearly out it just seemed like there was a there's a step in the protocol that's missing like there's a there's an element where you could

review it another way if the common sense totally they have said that they will continue to review continually review the processes so I do wonder if that will be added I mean

It's probably unfair to use VAR as a comparison because that's got its issues. But they have... been through a process of whereas at first it was we've got var now the computers are in charge there has been a slight rowing back in re-empowering of human officials, hasn't there, in football in response to issues and criticism.

I'm not saying football should necessarily be the template to follow, but I do wonder if... And that's the thing. I think we've got to be OK with that. If you're going to bring a system in like this, it is not going to be perfect from day one. either in terms of its administration or...

It's protocols. And I think that this is where they just have to hold their hands up and say, you know what, there is a missing link there. We need to complete it. I mean, I think they'll probably figure it out so that... This hardly ever happens, where there's this error in the first place. But, you know, there has to be the capacity to just make a common sense decision.

I mean, Sonny Cartel's been catching strays from some quarters, hasn't she, for not intervening and saying, hang on a second, you should have the point. My backhand was very clearly out. She says she couldn't see. where the ball landed because the net sort of, the angle that she was looking at it from. Because she's too short, she said. Because she's too short, yeah. That's what she said. And therefore the net tape was in the view of where the ball was landing.

And, I mean, I believe that to be the case. Look, personally, I'm prepared to take her word on that and I've kind of got no reason... to give her the benefit of the doubt. It's also one of those things where you're wedded to the split-second decision that you make. Let's say she could see that it was out. She might, ten seconds later, have thought, yeah, I probably should have given her the point.

You can't go back on it. You have to stick with what you choose in the moment. She said it felt good off my racket. And I don't know where it landed, but it felt good. And that made me think, OK, fine. Yeah, a heck of a run from Sonny Cartel at Wimbledon, and I kind of back her to not necessarily reach fourth round at every slam or anything, but...

use this as a building block. There's a game there? Yeah. And it was an amazing atmosphere in Centre Court when she was... you know, playing really well in that first set, you know, when she went from two love down to three to up. There was an incredible forehand pass that she hit at one stage. And, you know, it was kind of spine-tingling reaction. It was different to the Emerita Canu vibe, you know, because you're so aware when you're watching Emerita Canu on centre court that...

Everyone knows who Emma Raducanu is. And I think everyone is thinking about how good she can be with Emma Raducanu and getting excited about it. Sonny Cartel... You know, I think a lot of people on Centre Court wouldn't have known who she was, but were cheering for the Brit. And there was this, there was probably, you know, there's this sort of thing with British...

sporting fans where you're kind of maybe always kind of expecting the worst and hoping for the best. And that is kind of the atmosphere that there was. It was like a lovely surprise whenever she came up with something brilliant while also recognising that she's a bloody good player now.

think is going to be just a just a solid tall player um I think she says that she has difficulty playing these sorts of players like Pavlyuchenko are big hitters and there are a lot of them on the tour there's a lot of players who just strike a clean ball and I think we'll be able to just sort of overpower her and overhit her but

You know, we've seen that she's figured out ways to cause them trouble as well. And it's just going to be interesting to see whether she can keep doing that or whether the tour sort of learns her game a little bit as well. But no, she's been a great, great... like addition to this fun opening week at Wimbledon having a a homegrown player go on a run like that impressed with her with her style and her game and yeah she's been great So Pavlyuchenkova against Anisimova, the winner.

to face the winner of Irina Sabalenka against Laura Siegman. Let's talk about Sabalenka. 6-4, 7-6 for her over Elisa Mertens in a ridiculously high-quality match. Unreal, this was.

This was so good. I think this is the best match in terms of quality that I've seen this tournament from start to finish. I thought Mertens was... brilliant like and Mertens who is a you know a very very good player someone who's reached the semi-final of a slam I thought she played well and yet she lost in straight sets which tells you how well Sabalenka played. Mertens was doing things you would expect, which was...

using a slice, occasionally taking pace off, trying to put the ball in awkward spots, really fighting, getting her teeth into the match. All things you expect from Elise Mertens. But also doing some things that... Frankly, I hadn't seen her do before, or certainly to this level. injecting pace suddenly, taking the ball up the line really early in rallies and just causing Sabalenka to have to give all that she had in order to win it.

That is all you can really do as a player, isn't it? Like, give your absolute best. And Mertens unequivocally did that today. Sabalenka... sort of started well got pegged back managed to win the first set and then was down in down in the second set and then came back really really strong but still needed a tie break and i think we need to start

talking a lot more about Irina Savalenka's tie-break record. If this was Novak Djokovic, we'd be talking about how he's... sort of reinvented tennis in terms of like you get him to a tie break and he's won the thing well Sapolenka has now won 14 tie breaks in a row It was Alexandra back in the Middle East swing that managed to win a tiebreak against her. 14? 14 in a row. When the stakes are the highest, she's doing it. And I think maybe the reason...

Maybe the reason it hasn't caught our attention so much is that when Djokovic kind of does it, there's a very specific mode that he went into when he had that streak of winning tyre breaks, that kind of lockdown mode. There was a look in his eye. I'm not sensing that necessarily from Sabalenka. It's not like she suddenly changes her game style or anything, but she's just stepping up in these big moments.

It's a hell of a record she's got right now. It's been a big part of why she's been able to dominate on the tour this season.

And now she faces the oh-so-unique challenge of Laura Siegmund because Siegmund beat Solana Sierra 6-3, 6-2 despite not showing up for the match. Made her wait five minutes, did she? Something like that. Yeah. She's probably like, I've got plenty of time. It's 15, you're allowed. Did she get in trouble for that? Nope. No. Look, she was awesome today. She was carving her up. It was old school grass court tennis, but with a real edge, you know, and a real injection and aggression.

as well it was such smart tennis she's such a canny brilliant player so intense and as she pointed out in her press conference afterwards this is the first match where she hasn't been the heavy underdog

This was a very different psychological look for her, but she's got a psychology degree. Psychology is where she... thrives she's never been passed around to here before and I wonder if she's 37 years old the oldest woman left in in the women's drawer she She was asked today about the fact that she's never been passed around to here before and she said, look, I really like clay and usually by the time the grass court season comes around, I've played a lot.

Because I put a lot into the clay court season. I've never really invested the time on grass. By the time I feel I'm finding my feet, it's over. And I do wonder if now she's discovering, age 37, that she really can play on grass.

Oh, what could have been? But I don't get the impression she's actually the sort of person that thinks that way at all. She's just glad it's happening now. Charlie Eccleshare, I know, is working on a piece that might already... be up but a piece on you know the psychological warfare and games that players like Laura Siegmund engage in within the confines of the rules and he asked her about it in

impressed today and she insisted that she's not doing anything explicitly aimed at pissing off the opponent or disrupting them she said i do the things that work for me and that I've always done. And what it is, is I don't care how the opponent feels about them rather than specifically wanting to annoy them. I just don't care. I don't care who's on the other side of the net. I don't care how they feel about what I do.

I'm doing, I'm doing me. And that is the case whether I'm facing Irina Sabalenka or the world number 101 Solana Sierra. And I do think that...

is going to be critical for her against Sabalenka, and is always critical when she causes problems for top players, in that she's not deferential at all. She doesn't... pay them extra respect because of who she is she's not thinking about them at all Laura Siegmund is thinking about Laura Siegmund and what is going to best help her win and look I don't think she's going to Beat Sabalenka, but I think she's going to make her have a horrible time. A really horrible time. I mean, I...

I don't know whether I believe her or not. It doesn't matter, does it? And there's no way of me proving one way or another. I tell you what, I remember for many, many years, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic making their opponents wait forever. as they went through their routines and the ball bouncing for Djokovic and all this nonsense from Nadal. Look, it's what he needed to do to be ready, right? Some players didn't like it, who he was up against, and he didn't care.

It's in the rules. He needs to get himself ready. And actually, I think maybe we should approach Laura Siegman the same way. It's just that Laura Siegman does do other stuff too.

oh yeah she does not just that she does i mean she does the she does disrupt her opponent's service rhythm a lot and sometimes she gets warnings for it and or um she'll she'll get point penalties for it and that is not within the rules you're supposed to play at the service pace um well she would say you know but i i get punished that you know i i served i did the crime i served the time but she does do that and that is not not within the rules. She also, I think...

I know you think I should be a Siegmund person. I do. And I get that. There is so much that I do really like about her and I respect her endlessly. It's the time that she takes. It's the pace at which she plays the sport. That is a big thing for me. I'm really... drawn to players that play quickly. Watching Fonseca live the other day, I suddenly realised he's like that between points. I'm not getting distracted because there's no faff.

There's an awful lot of faff with Laura Siegmund. There's the ball bouncing and you think, OK, that's done. We've got that out the way. We're ready to serve. And then she holds this position for about 40 seconds. It's like a wind-up, isn't it? Get on with it. Yeah. It's... I find it... I find it really... We've got lives to lead, Laura. And it was particularly when you were commentating on her, right? Yeah. That was the... That was...

I mean, I know you don't like faff anyway, but like that was a real, it seemed like that was a real turning point at the start of the year. I'd not heard you. Mation Siegmund all that much before this year, before she sort of did it personally to you, commentating. Yeah, when I'm on my deathbed, I will be ruining the hours that Laura Siegmund took from me. Definitely. But I do have such respect for her. I really do. And there's definitely parts of her game which can disrupt.

for example an Arena Sabalenka you know the slice forehands and the drop shots and all that kind of thing I just I just kind of always think that a player like that might also just get Absolutely taken apart by Savalenka. I think there's a chance that that match is not close at all. Oh, it could be one and two very easily. Yeah. I do think she's got a chance. There's a bigger chance that it's one and two. Yeah, I think I'd agree with that. Yeah. I am pumped for it, though.

I really am. She's a great addition to the lineup, isn't she? It's because of the potential. You don't know what's going to happen. And most of Wimbledon's never seen her before. And the fact, you know, she's not going to freeze. She might get taken apart. She might get obliterated by the power, but she's not going to...

free she's going to walk out onto centre court and bring the intensity and the energy and you yeah that's what you want that's what you want there'll be a sense of occasion to this match you won't be thinking oh god is this sort of delicate play are going to get in a freeze yeah she's just going to stomp around she is she's going to stomp and she's going to hold that service position for as long as she damn well likes and then when she wins a point she's going to be like right in your face

and walk off like that that's our Laura if you've been watching the Grand Slams lately you might have noticed the Blue Owl logo on the shirts of some of today's most exciting up and coming players Blue Owl Capital is the global asset manager redefining alternatives and now supporting tennis players redefining the game. Whether it's on the court or in alternative investing, they partner with those who are disciplined, focused and have a commitment to excellence.

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Keep your eye on the ball. It's as important in investing as it is in tennis. For Blue Owl, that means keeping our eye on the private markets. A laser focus that helps us redefine alternatives. and inspires us to support the players who are redefining the game. So keep an eye out for Blue Owl at the Grand Slams and learn more about us at blueowl.com slash investing. Blue Owl.

Redefining alternatives. Has the side hustle gone all laid back? Your plan's gone way off track. Or are the orders flowing, but it's hard to keep going? It's time to bring the fire back instead of getting sidetracked. It's time to crack a Costa. Side hustle without the struggle. Try a can or bottle of silky smooth Costa Coffee Latte today. Crack a Costa. Right.

The men's matches that we've seen today. Let's start with Alcaraz. Tell me about Alcaraz. Didn't see a ball. That's got to be the first time ever. Yeah, literally.

dropped the first set to Andre Rublev. 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. I thought Al Kraz was awesome today and I thought his reaction to dropping that first set was very interesting because Rublev... He played excellent tennis in that opening set. For Rublev, Reid Mertens. Yeah. It looked like a Sinner-Alkaraz match. He was playing like Yannick Sinner. That kind of tennis. Pinpoint accuracy. Blistering.

blistering, darting balls from the baseline, coping with Alcoraz's pace. It was a great set of tennis. This was all coming through in the chat. There was a lot of messages back and forth from everyone. I felt like I was missing...

the sort of all-time great Rublev performance. I think you were. For a set, you were. He was brilliant. I haven't seen him play that well. And he'd led by a break in that set, got pegged back, and he was a mini-breakdown in the tyre break and still... held it together to win the set and you didn't think this was a mentally frail Andre Rublev out there.

But Alcraz's reaction after losing that first set was really interesting because he didn't look worried at all. And I think that's because he knew he was playing well. And he knows if he's playing well, he's going to win. In a best of five set match, he's going to win if he's playing well. He wasn't worried about how he was playing and he knows it doesn't matter really how well world number 14, I think.

Andre Rublev is playing fundamentally because he really was playing well today, I thought, David. Yeah, once he'd got himself going, I agree. I mean, it was a slightly slow start, but it was also a lightning-fast Rublev start. He was... connecting from the first ball. And there were some points that really took my breath away because Alcaraz would... And I'm thinking of the third set as well because they've levelled. And then suddenly...

Alcaraz is starting to really nail the ball. And you're waiting for that to just overwhelm Rublev. And there were a couple of points where Rublev actually managed to turn it around in the rally. counter-attack and i've not really seen that before usually it's he's first strike tennis and

He either pushes you back and dominates or he loses the point. So this was a new level. He kept his composure well, I thought, really well. He did properly go, as Catherine was saying. It was toe-to-toe, sinner-like tennis, really, from Rublev. And then there was... My family were in the crowd today. They've never been to Wimbledon, my kids. And this was their exposure to Carlos Alcaraz. And the final point they saw was...

when he got the decisive break in the third set. And it was the most astonishing point. I mean, even seasoned-out crowds watched us like us and people around us. You know, we're not supposed to show emotion in the press box. You don't applaud. That's one of the things you don't do. And we didn't applaud, but you literally jumped out your seat because you couldn't believe what you'd seen.

He's going side to side. He's getting pushed all over the place by Rublev. He comes up with an incredible backhand cross court, which Rublev manages to meet and match and go down the line with his own backhand. It's a clean winner until this blur comes out of nowhere. wear and slaps this forehand winner cross court and the place just erupted and honestly i i just thought okay well the match is over the match is over and

There's no coming back from that. It's what he does when he suddenly finds whatever it is that he's got, when he's pushed to find it. I think Ryblev played him into form.

And it is that kind of ping-pong tennis which can do that. It gives you a lot of rhythm, Andre Riblaff. He also occasionally just injects bludgeoning power, a bit like Carlos Alcaraz can, and obviously that... puts a dead hole in the rally a lot of the time but he also does give you rhythm and I feel like that was exactly the match that Alcaraz wanted he also served well today 22 aces 67% first serves in

He's exactly where he wants to be. Best serving performance I've ever seen from Rublev. 77% first serves in versus 64% the rest of the tournament. Still didn't win. And Alcres only faced four great points in the whole match. I mean, he faced like four great points in the first game or something against Fanini and Tarvin had looks as well. Oh, it was different gravy tonight. Big time. But he might need to up at another level in the next round when he faces Britain's last hope.

Cameron Norrie who took down Nicholas Jarry 6-3 7-6 6-7 6-7 6-7 6-3 he came back Matt Dear Jerry, but not all the way back. And the Breathe Right nasal strips are in the bin. Literally in the bin. No, actually, it was just for content. I'm not going to throw away... you know 30 perfectly good breathe right nasal strips there'll be another run talk us through the match a little bit and the jerry the jerry comeback and the aggro

Yeah, the aggro, it was a very odd aggro, wasn't it? I thought it was quite lame aggro. I thought it was, yeah. Nicholas Jarry went down two sets to love. against Norrie here, having lost the second set on a tie break. And then he just started having a word with the umpire. It was one of those where kind of they were doing their...

like change of end stuff that they do on the TV and they were showing the stats and all that kind of thing. Noria had gone off court and then they sort of picked up the argument halfway through it. So it was quite hard to tell exactly what the issue was. And also because I'm not sure there actually was an issue. He seemed to be annoyed at the ball bouncing that Cameron Norrie was doing and the time that he was taking in between his first and second serve and the fact that he was...

taking longer and changing the rhythm before big points and important points. And Jarry was kind of saying, like, is there anything you can do as an umpire or do I just have to, he used the phrase, suck it up? you know is it is what he's doing against against the rules against the code or not and the umpire was just kind of like

nothing I can do. Like, kind of a bit like all of us. Like, what are you talking about? And it was just strange, but I think it was indicative of the fact that he was frustrated, you know, because he was two sets of love down. He then actually... Came back and won the next two sets. He saved a match point in the third set in the tie break. And he just entered that mode that he got in against Runa, that he got in against Fonseca, where suddenly he starts timing the ball so sweetly.

going after the ball and he becomes an absolute nightmare to have to face when he's got that serve going as well. I think he hit... Close to 50 aces today. He was up over 100 winners for the match. He was hitting a massive ball. And there were moments in the... fourth set where each had break points and he was saving them and it was good. It got exciting in that fourth set and Jarry took it and we're headed to a fifth.

And then absolutely credit Cameron Norrie for playing a great fifth set. Like the very first point he played wasn't a sort of remarkable one, but he won it and he just showed great body language.

He does a bit of the Andy Murray thing in terms of picking people out in the crowd. Cameron Norrie, very specific to try and get them on side. He is so comfortable on that court, on court one. I know we joke about Cameron Norrie being... a vibe there but he is I mean he genuinely is the way the crowd go with him I'm sure a lot of people don't like watching Cameron Norrie's tennis it's not my

favourite style of tennis either and yet on court one, in those conditions, in a good fight, I can get swept up by it. He's a really, really good watch for the way he competes there and, you know, he's served. really well today Jarry did not break him which says probably something about Nicholas Jarry as well but four and a half hours he didn't lose serve did Cameron Norrie and he was mentally strong he played really really well

And yeah, he's through to the quarterfinals in a season where he's really had to battle his form and his confidence. But he's got it back now for this grass court season.

The kind of aggro continued a little bit at the end, but I'm not sure if it did, really. I think it was one of those where Norrie won and fell on his back. And instead of, like, waiting for him at the net, Jarry started packing up his bag. nori then got up and went over and went over to jerry and jerry just i don't know what he said but he clearly said something to him i assume it was maybe

Maybe trying to put his point across about what the point was he was trying to make. I'm not even sure Nuri had been that aware of what Jerry had been saying to the umpires. He was off court for most of it. And in the Encore interview afterwards, Annabelle Croft did a great job, I think, asking the question, saying to Nari, what happened there? And Nari said, you know what?

I just liked the way he competed. We had some words. Two guys competing. I liked all the Chilean fans. Yeah, he didn't bite, did he? He didn't bite. And I'm not sure... I'm not sure Norrie was annoyed. with jerry i think jerry was annoyed in the moment with nori um but i'm not sure it was i'm not sure it was quite the aggro that that we maybe thought it was. I think the aggro died when Jarry tried to...

imitate what he was doing to make a point and he hit a double fault. Yeah, that was funny. It's pretty embarrassing, isn't it? That is not the way to do aggro. And he got booed off call one, which is a tough way for that run to end. The boos were like typical of... Is this aggro? Is this not aggro? Yeah, pantomime. Like, they started the booze, like, when he was clearly having a word, but then they shook hands and, like...

sort of dabbed each other up. Very Wimbledon booing. And it was kind of like, oh, well, maybe we don't need to boo. Maybe they are fine. Jerry kept on trying to shake hands. Yeah, it was all... Repeatedly. It was very, very weird. A lot of the time, players misunderstand each other in those moments. A lot of the time they can't hear what each other's saying. There's loads of other noise. Basically, crap aggro. Yeah, really lame. Yeah, I agree.

Norrie against Salkoraz. There is just no way they can't beat this on centre court. I'm sorry for it, Tashanov. But Norrie, you're going on centre court. Yeah, quite right. Do you think that's a genuine problem in terms of, like, would you rate his chances differently against Alcaraz if this were on court one versus centre? A little bit. I mean...

5% more chance, something like that. I still think Alcaraz is an overwhelming favourite, especially given the way you've described him coming into form. And kind of what we've seen is when he hits form, you know, like certainly at Queen's, once he found the form and he found the serve, he kept it going. But Norrie is the best version of himself on court one. And that...

He's going to need to be at his absolute best and hope Alcaraz has an off day to have a chance. I do find it interesting that, look, I don't think it'll go to five sets to test this because I think Alcaraz is too good. But... Norrie always backs himself physically, no matter how long the match. He's got these horse lungs, hasn't he? These scuba divers' lungs. We all know so much about Cameron Norrie's lungs. That was another question in the encore interview. Yeah, I didn't know...

I knew where it was going because I know the story about the Cameron Norrie lungs, but I'm sure there were some people in that crowd thinking, where is this sentence going? The doctor told you you had a very big pair of... lungs. That's how it was phrased, yeah. I was like, we're going to be fine here. She's going to say lungs. She's going to say lungs. She did say lungs. She said lungs. But there were definitely people who were like, huh?

Oh, Matt, I've got to carry on broadcasting now. We're live, for goodness sake. So Norrie and his horse lungs. Yep. His big pair of lungs. I do... I'm just going to, I might just abandon my serious point. I was going to say, I just think that, you know, obviously Al Karaz is so fortified by that five set record and it helps him.

in all matches not just ones that go to five sets i think it helps him when he's playing badly for a set in the middle and he goes he's like because he knows okay fine i have to go to five like I'll still definitely win well exactly and I just wonder if that will be blunted ever so slightly against Norrie who always really backs himself

In the distance. I think we're now at the stage of the tournament where Carlos Alcraz's senses are heightened and he is out there to destroy. He ain't there to faff about now. Yeah, I agree. I mean, I do take your point. I mean, Norrie's the sort of fellow that, yeah, you don't rest on your laurels with that sort of...

athlete and competitor against you, it's about outplaying him now. I mean, look, I think Alcruz would still back himself if he went to the fifth set, because why wouldn't you if you were him? I think we're at a different stage now. I could definitely see it being a scenario where it's like, I've just said, Norrie didn't drop serve in four and a half hours against Nicholas Jarry.

Like, he might drop his opening service against Carlos Alcazar or, like, his second, and it'd be like, OK, this is... It's different. This is different now. Yeah. Yeah, your big pair of lungs can't help you now, Cam.

Let's talk about Taylor Fritz and Karen Hashanov. Difficult to say too much about Fritz's match today. His opponent, Jordan Thompson, clearly unfit, retired, trailing 6-1-3, love. He'd won just 12 points in total. Gosh, really? Yeah, he's got a disc problem, David. It sounds... It sounds like he probably shouldn't be playing and this could damage him long-term, to be honest. It's astonishing that he got to the stage because he might have relapsed there, but...

This was a problem coming into this tournament. I saw Todd Woodbridge just ahead of the match and asked him what he was doing today, and he said he was covering that. And he said, you know, but really it's amazing that Thompson's got to this stage of the tournament because he's... He's not fully fit and he might need to take some time off. And that was before the match. So then he's retired.

setting a half in winning a few points you know he's a good player Jordan Thompson you know but yeah it's I know Taylor Fritz will say he wouldn't want to win like that and of course he wouldn't but At least it helps freshen him up after all he's had the last few days. Yeah, not like that, but a quick match definitely was what he needed. And he might...

Needs something in the tank to beat Karin Hashanov in the next round. He was awesome today. Look, I know Camille Marchak for a place in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. It's a good draw. But he was so, so good. It was like he knew when the rain was coming and he was playing to that deadline. 4-2-3, 44 winners to 21 unforced errors and 74% first serves in. He was so good, Hashinov. The backhand, he was just hitting backhands down the line at will.

And he probably got played in by that Nuno Borges match, you know. Absolutely. He's had two five-setters to get to this stage. He needed a quick one as well, probably. Yeah, exactly. And I think I had the same thought. You know, often when you watch Karen Hekshnov... there doesn't seem to be a great deal of urgency to him. Matches can go on for a long time, long, drawn-out rallies. He's a big guy. I always thought he should be imposing himself more. He's got power to burn.

And yet he does seem to get involved in a lot of grinding matches. But I did think today it was like he knew that he had two hours, maybe two and a half hours to try and get this done. Yeah, that urgency, that desire to just take charge, I think helped him. And I think he'd be wise to play like that a bit more, to be honest. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Just because you can win.

Playing the longer way. It's a bit like Jack Draper, isn't it? It doesn't mean he should. Yeah, I think Fritz is going to have to be good to beat Khashanov. He's another one that just shows up in slams. You don't think about him. the rest of the time and then he just pops up. It's very Karen Hactionov to, you know, being able to survive.

the seed carnage you know he is he is reliable he's he's reached quarterfinals and a semi-final and he's done it on all the surfaces um they haven't actually played since 2020 These two, they last played in a competition which no longer exists at the ATP Cup. And actually, Hatchnov owns a 2-0 head-to-head. But I think it will be interesting because, again, this might be unfair, but...

I kind of think of Karen Hachinov as being so steady over the last five years, but not getting loads better. I think Hachinov in 2020, not that different from Hachinov in 2025. Fritz in 2020 versus Fritz in 2025. It's a great point. A big difference. He moves a lot better. He serves a lot better. He goes off his forehand more. He's got a more top player mentality.

I have to think we're going to see that difference there. I think Hatchenov is always tough to beat, but I do back Fritz to do it here. It's as important in investing as it is in tennis for blue owl. That means keeping our eye on the private markets, a laser focus that helps us redefine alternatives. and inspires us to support the players who are redefining the game. So keep an eye out for Blue Owl at the Grand Slams and learn more about us at blueowl.com slash investing. Blue Owl.

Redefining alternatives. Has the side hustle gone all laid back? Your plan's gone way off track. Or are the orders flowing, but it's hard to keep going? It's time to bring the fire back instead of getting sidetracked. It's time to crack a Costa. Side hustle without the struggle. Try a can or bottle of silky smooth Costa Coffee Latte today. Crack a Costa.

OK, the order of play for tomorrow. We enter... It's Sunday today, right? We enter week two tomorrow. It's happening. Did I say today was Manic Monday yesterday? No, you said that it had a feel of... I think you said that the fourth round starts. Used to all be played on... Used to all be played on Manic Monday, yeah. Right, okay, good. We're all straight on days of the week. Good place to be. Tomorrow, Monday.

Start at 1.30 on Centre Court with Alex de Manor against Novak Djokovic. David, you're going to be commentating on this. What percentage chance do you give Alex de Manor? 20. Yeah, that seems fair. Now that Djokovic practising with a knee sleeve on today. 23. Second on Centre Court, Mira Andreva against Emma Navarro. It's a good match to that, I think. Stylish match. Andre the favourite, but 60-40? I could give her 65. Okay.

OK. What percentages are we giving Grig or Dimitrov against Yannick Sinner tomorrow? Ten. That's higher than I thought. Hannah said, and I quote, he's going to turn Grigor Dimitrov into paste. You lot. Honestly. Well, I think Sinner wins in straight sets. Yeah, me too. I don't. I think he wins in four sets. And he's not paste. He's a... He's a chunky puree. Correct. Yeah. OK, I'd sign for that. Right now, if I were Gregor. Court number one starts at 1pm. Like a guacamole. A chunky guacamole.

Yeah. A big chutney. Yeah. Court number one starts 1pm with Alexandrova against Bencic. Who's the favourite for that? Good question. Maybe there isn't one. OK. 50-50, we'll call that. Second on, Ben Shelton against Lorenzo Sorrigo. Matt's got a stat in the works for this. Yes. When it came to my attention, just as I was watching them set up that match yesterday, I just thought, well, they've played a lot. Actually, they've played at every slam this year. That must be rare.

and I've put the ITF stats team to work, Tom and Joe, who... who are excellent, and they've delivered for me using their database. I'd love to have a database. That's your database. And they've come up with... with the answer so that'll be in the newsletter about sort of how uncommon it is for players to meet at the first three slams of the year and also you know

I'm going to hype up the US Open draw. Like, will they meet in New York and get the Canada stand? And I hate the US Open draw. We'll find out via PDF. Yeah, I hate the US Open draw, and yet I'm finding a reason to be excited weeks out from it. The reveal. We'll put the link to subscribe to the newsletter in our show notes, as always. Third on court number one tomorrow, Igor Shiontek against Clara Towson.

Clara Towson doesn't think she's going to win. Do either of you? No. No. No, but I would give her much more chance than I would give Dimonor or Dimitrov. Yeah. 25.30? Around about there. Yeah. Court number two, Marin Cilic against Flavio Caballi, who we just strolled past earlier, David, outside the media centre. Which one? Caballi. Right.

Which one of those two do you think was more likely to be standing around chatting, not looking like he had a grand slam fourth round to play the next day? I did not clock him at all. I walked straight past him. Catherine said, Flavio Caballi. I'm like... Where was he? I didn't see him at all. Anyway. Well, he looked relaxed. I think this could be one of the matches of the day. He absolutely took Chilich apart at the French Open. I mean, I was the, like...

different surface here and that absolutely favours Cilic for them to be playing on grass rather than clay, I think. Yeah, I'm looking forward to this one. Looking forward to this. Me too. I'm back in Cilic. I think I am too. Finally, well, finally in the singles, on court two tomorrow, Ludmilla Samsonova against Jessica Bouthas-Monero. I don't make Samsonova predictions. No, OK. That's just a rule that I have in life.

I respect it just don't do it I won't ruin your excellent day by making you break your rule Although I do reserve the right to do so in future rounds if she keeps winning. No. Because we will reach the point. No. She reaches the final. You refuse to preview that final. I'll preview it, but I'm not making a prediction. Even if she plays in Anissa Merva, can she do that?

Yep. Yep. Oh, she'd be in this moment like one and one the other week. Wasn't that the tank? It was. Yeah. It would be a blow if in this moment tanked the Wimbledon final. Is anybody... Imagine! Has anybody ever won Wimbledon after tanking in their warm-up tournament, their tournament prior? Oh, I think probably. Actually, Nadal did, didn't he, I think. Really? Did he? We definitely tanked it.

Queen's ones, didn't he? He definitely levelled up at once at all and his shoulder was hurting a bit more than was worth pushing through, I think. Right, yeah. Yeah, that was not what Anissimovic did. Ha ha ha.

Right, folks, that is your lot for today, except to tell you about our very important mascot for today. Oh, my goodness. Look at Rocky. Good name. Rocky owned by Hinner. Rocky is returning for his three-peat as a mascot. I know this face. He's a seven-year-old collie cross. Not sure what he's crossed with, says Hino.

who Hina adopted from the Dogs Trust. Excellent charity. Excellent, excellent charity. He enjoys food, laying in the sun and attempting to chase squirrels and cats when still attached to his lead. Although he is a nervous boy, he's... very affectionate and has all the grace of a sack of potatoes regularly trips over his own legs walks into things because he's not paying attention you're describing me and has not mastered how to plant his 20 kilos of body weight on

your lap slowly so it doesn't feel like your legs have been crushed what a good boy he is he's another one of those dogs that is like definition of dog Man's best friend right there is Rocky. I confessed to David the other day that I've never seen the Rocky movies. And we have scheduled in, at some point in the future, a team watch along. Yep. Yep.

I'm very excited about that. Before or after the watch along of Challengers with Pam. That's a priority. I'm not watching that. I talked about OnlyFans with Pam the other day. Yeah, discovered that Simon Briggs has an account. Yeah. Not, hang on. Not as a content creator. No, he was doing research. Doing research. Into a professional article. Yeah.

Lots of athletes... About what? Lots of athletes are on OnlyFans. It's a thing. It's a very legit... I'm going to dig you and Briggs out of this hole now, Matt. It's a very legitimate line of research. He is not a content creator, to our knowledge. OK, thank you, Rocky. Hello to our mascots, Phoebe, Maisie and Roger. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff. Greg texted us on.

Like a split second after Amanda Ronisimova hit that backhand for match point. He knows. He knows. We have some shout outs, Matt. We have Alex Rylance. Hello, Alex. Alex is from Bracknell. Parkshire. My neck of the woods. Like Alex O'Brien, the former American player who once played doubles alongside Todd Martin against Great Britain in the Birmingham-Davis Cup tie of 1999.

That was incredible. I was going to say Alex Mickelson of In My Fantasy Team Letting Me Down Relentlessly Since Australia fame. Yeah, him. Bracknell, where I used to go five days a week to the ice rink there, which now doesn't exist, which is very sad. Thanks, Alex. But a very significant place in my life. Bracknell. So thank you Alex. We've also got Catherine Higgins. Hello Catherine. Hi Catherine. Different pew. Catherine with a K. Catherine with a K. But in N-E-R-I-N-E.

No, an A-R-I-N-E. Ooh. Yeah. Sorry, I just... That took me longer to process than it should have done. Different side of the aisle. They're very much the same excellent church. Yeah. Catherine is a returning shout-out. We know Catherine, I think. And Vicky has found for us William Higgins, who twice reached the third round at the US Open. Wow. Do you know him, David? No.

Billy, it says. I love it when they do our research for us. That is excellent. Thank you, Catherine. You obviously have an excellent name. Like Katie McNally, who's a Catherine, isn't she? But not a Catherine with a K. No, C. Well, you're unique, Catherine. You're still awesome. You're a friend of the Tennis Podcast, and for that we say thanks. And we also say thanks to Roz van der Zwet. All right, Roz. All right, Roz, like my mum. Yes, absolutely.

And Ros is trying to get a fan slam of shout outs while at Grand Slams. Oh, that's cool, Ros. So that's just epic. Is she at Wimbledon right now? Probably not right now because it's dark. You announced the gates were closing about 45 minutes ago. But I think probably at Wimbledon this tournament. Has been at Wimbledon this tournament.

Vicky's done some great work scheduling the shout out for this tournament. And Ros says that her earliest memory of watching tennis was staying up late with her mum to watch the 1980 Wimbledon final. between Yvonne Goulon-Chorley and Chris Evert. My mum passed away last year and I think of her and our shared love of tennis often. I got so excited when Yvonne won and I've followed tennis ever since.

so nice Ros that's beautiful thank you very much thanks for being a friend of the pod it's obviously a wonderful name that is my mum's name so

Thank you. Thank you to Wimbledon for letting us sit here and talk about tennis every night in this incredible position, which apparently you can get to within about 90 seconds from the press seats on court one. That's good to know, isn't it? If you run.

If you're exuberant and euphoric. It would have been a longer walk. It would have been a trudge of about eight minutes otherwise. And thank you to The Athletic. We are, of course, proudly part of The Athletic Podcast Network. And you should definitely check out... Charlie's piece about...

Laura Siegmund being a master of the dark arts no matter what she said in her press conference today I will certainly be reading that with great interest folks if you'd like to become a friend of the pod get yourself a shout out an intro anything else get yourself access to all

of our bonus episodes ad free listening as well access to the barge our safe community space to talk about tennis then the link is in our show notes as is the link to subscribe to the excellent newsletter that features daily mat stats during grand

slams we'll be back tomorrow not before 9 30 uh if you subscribe to our youtube channel then you can get an alert when we are going live or you can check us out on instagram we always post on there when we know what time we're live but it is guaranteed not to be before nine 30 tomorrow we can't wait thank you for listening or watching however you've enjoyed this show we hope you've enjoyed it bye for now

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