Live from Wimbledon preview and punchy predictions

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Hello and welcome to the Tennis Podcast live from Wimbledon on the eve of the Championships 2025, 16 hours from now. The seats behind us here on court number 18 will be filled. probably with very sweaty people because it's going to be 35 degrees here tomorrow. And Alina Svitolina and Anna Bondar will be stepping out onto court for their first round match. The hill will be brimful of people. Thousands will already be.

Be in the queue for the following day's play. And Matt Roberts will be staring at his multiple screens in wonderment. I am Catherine Mitko. Alongside me are the... endlessly pumped David Law and the officially invigorated Matt Roberts, courtesy of both Wimbledon vibes and Bruce Springsteen vibes. And we are here to preview the tournament ahead, the first day's order of play and take...

your questions on the live chat so if you have a question for us about Wimbledon and you're with us live then do hop in the live chat if you haven't already and ask away and while you're at it you can smash that like and subscribe button

We have lots to talk about still today. We have that order of play. We have the questions. We also have a few media day interviews, the stragglers that don't come in on Saturday for various different... different reasons a lot of them because they were playing in various

tournaments up until yesterday. And that, of course, includes Igor Svantec, who was in the final in Bad Homburg yesterday, lost out to Jessica Pagula. Both those two finalists have been through the press conference room today. I think you were both... in the Irish Fiontech.

press conference is that right that was me um yeah that was the first one of the day at um at 12 o'clock um she came in bright and early and as you say it's a it's a swift turnaround to get into to Wimbledon and straight into the press conference she actually said that she was treating today as a day off tennis and therefore she was getting her media work done

But generally speaking, she was fairly circumspect in what she was saying. I thought she looked ready to go. I was curious as to whether... not being the French Open champion and the kind of, the stuff you have to do afterwards and the big high you get and the photo shoot, whether maybe she might feel fresher coming into Wimbledon this time. She said... very matter-of-factly.

It's probably only about two days difference, really, because it's just a photo shoot, and I've done that lots of times before. So it's maybe a couple of days extra on the court. So she wasn't really buying into that idea. But I do wonder whether...

That might be a factor. Just less chat around her. I mean, it was not a brimful press conference. This was fairly sparsely attended. I do wonder if there's a bit of... deflection in there because I saw a couple of her interviews in Bad Homburg after I think it was after a semi-final victory in Bad Homburg to make it through to that final and she was really bigging up.

having been able to spend a bit more time on the grass this year and been able to get the feel of it a bit more and okay we're talking about the difference between two practice days ahead of a tournament and four practice days ahead of a tournament but in a sport of fine margins I feel like that that could end up being quite a big deal for her Matt yes I think so honestly I think the biggest deal is that

She's got some wins in Bad Homburg, and it's the first time she's beaten a top 10 player on the grass. I think the way she talks about her game on the grass a lot of the time, it's as though she's a bit of a novice on it. She really, like, talks her own game. down on grass but I think

The week in Bad Homburg has made her realise that she can be effective on this surface too. She really did play pretty well there, especially against Alexandreva. That was the win that impressed me the most out of that little run there. But it was interesting hearing her talk about the need for confidence to play well on grass, because you kind of think that coming off Roland Garros, she would always be at her most confident.

And therefore that that would just sort of help her translate. She said grass is a surface where you have to play with confidence because you have to take it to your opponent. But actually I think... often when she gets on the grass, her own natural sort of insecurity about her grass court game sort of takes over the confidence that she's built up through the clay court season. And she doesn't look like a confident player on the grass at all, even though...

She clearly has elements in her game that can work on this surface. So it is very, very interesting, as always, having Igor Shiontek at Wimbledon. The main difference to me is just how much more under the radar she is, as David said. a press conference not that full you know We've been leading discussions with Igor Fiontech's draw at the past here at Wimbledon and all the Grand Slams, frankly. And now she feels like she's come up in our third preview show. It's just really, really...

interesting the different place she finds her in now. There is this weird quirk, isn't there, that Pam Shriver sent us today, that she's actually now number four in the world because of that run in Bad Homburg, but because of the way the seedings are... used and done before the draw from the week before she's eighth seed here you know so that's kind of

tough I suppose, but given the sort of weird nature of the fact that none of the top ten players have won Wimbledon before, the seeding amongst them maybe doesn't feel quite as important as it does at some other slams. I don't think the seeding is necessarily the reason why.

why, you know, we're maybe not that confident in Igor Shianti. I think this is quite a big deal, a big boost for Igor Shianti's chances here that she's flying under the radar. She's got...

She's got Irina Sabalenka and Coco Goff just being a lightning rod at the moment for all the attention in women's tennis and a bit Emma Adekanu here in the UK. It's not just her lack of... relative results recently it's also that story i think just dominating all the headlines and and taking all the oxygen and okay i think You know, her grand plan is she wants to be back at the top. She wants the one to be...

She wants to be the one to be talked about again. But for now, given the signs of stress that she's shown in her game in recent months, I think it's an incredible... boost to her just at the moment that she's able to to fly a little bit under the radar there are there are other issues like her game doesn't suit this surface is as well as others, the big swings, the spinny stuff, the slightly more attackable serve. But I think at least one of her issues...

in the past few years on grass is somewhat solved for the time being. Of course it would only take... one big moment or one big win for everyone to suddenly go, wow, Igor Svantec, and everything to turn on its head. But for what it's worth, I think it's...

quite a big factor for Igor Shontek. We also had Jessica Pergula, of course, who beat her 24 hours ago in Bad Homburg. It suits someone like Jessica Pergula, doesn't it? to play and ideally win the week before. I would hate it. I would want to get to a Grand Slam. You know, I get to the airport three hours early. I want to go to the lounge. I want to eat as much free food as possible. I want to just settle in and take it all in but...

People are different. Yeah, and she came in, and honestly, her mood was so good. We was in the smaller room, whereas Yggis Viantep was in the main media theatre, which is a couple of hundred seats, and, you know, you feel a long... way away from a player in that situation even if you're on the front row in this situation it's three rows of chairs and then

the desk and you're right there together having a quiet little chat and she seemed very comfortable with that in fact she seemed very comfortable with everything she was in no rush and I would say I got a better insight into Iga Svantec from Jessica Bagula than I got from Iga Svantec. She was asked a question about her. She said, look, I thought in our match...

Yesterday, she was serving really well. She aced me loads of times. And she sort of gently, I don't want to say mocked Svantec, but gently sort of teased the fact that Svantec puts herself down on a grass core. because Picota's like, she's great on Crash. There's no issues. This is somebody who won Wimbledon Juniors. She sort of gives herself too hard a time.

is what Jessica Bagula was saying. But she also highlighted in an answer to my question, which was about how...

opened this fields this year. You've got a top seed in Sabalenka, who's never won here before. You've got Koko Goff, who's, I think, not been beyond the quarterfinals here. Iger Svjantek, who's... not won this thing and not come close and they're the players that have been at the top of the game and she went through this in great detail to explain why yes it is the most open Grand Slam but it's not just this year

She says it's been like this for a number of years. And you only have to look a year ago, she said, at the fact that Krzykiewa won, that Von Drusseva won, that even Rabakina won. You know, her view was that this is the... the surface that everybody kind of has to figure out, has to find a solution on. She says she was talking, I can't remember if it was Vondrosova or Krachikova, she says, you know...

suddenly they were in the final and playing well. You know, and I think it was Von Drosever, if you remember, who played that great quarterfinal against her. And Pegula could have won that. And she said, I do like the surface. It's not that I don't. I enjoy playing on it. But it's not second nature, the way a hard chord is. She knows exactly what's going to happen there. And she said, sometimes it can feel like...

There's a little bit of luck involved. What bounce you get. You can suddenly find you're out of the tournament without having done anything wrong. And I found the whole analysis of trying to almost just accept. The circumstances aren't ideal all the time on grass the way maybe they are elsewhere. Very, very interesting. Given that, David, given the eight different champions in eight years and the lack of...

comfort of of the top players on this surface where do you stand on my Pagula in the mix and given you've been to her press conference today I mean it sounds like Pagula might have heard she's in the mix she's talking like I think it's a fair shout. Somebody in the mix. I agree with it. I agree with it. And actually going Catherine to her press comments did kind of seal that for me. She was...

so comfortable in her own skin. She did say, you know, it is a bit like you fly in and you feel like you need another day, really, to kind of get used to your surroundings because you just haven't been here. So that... I think some players, having played the week before, we often get a champion who gets beaten in the first round, like a champion from the previous week. I don't think it'll be her because she's not that kind of player. She doesn't...

She might find it a bit strange, but she figures it out. She finds a solution. But I think some players would. Some players will maybe come in and you think, oh, there's the informed player and suddenly they're out of the tournament.

And she was kind of underlining that as a potential consideration, but I don't sense it's going to be her. Just before we move on to talk about a couple of the men that came through the... press conference room today a couple of the women from yesterday that we we didn't touch upon madison keys came into press conference room too it's been a while since we've seen her at a grand slam in a press conference room

that small so it was just there were no major headlines but it was just nice getting to have a sort of fairly relaxed intimate intimate chat with her um she she was gate crashed by francis tiafo it was and there was a um a throwaway question from her as she was walking out how do you feel about having him as your mixed doubles partner and she just eye rolled which was sensational. And she's flying a bit under the radar, really, for a Grand Slam champion this year. She pointed out that...

OK, she hasn't won a lead-up tournament, which she has sometimes done in the past. She's won grass court tournaments in the past. But she's lost to the eventual champion at both events. And she said that does help mentally when... when the person you lose to goes on to win the tournament. And at the French Open, of course, she lost to Coco Gauffes. There's a little run now where she's ended up losing to the eventual champion.

I really enjoyed this Madison Keyes press conference. I loved her line about could have done better doesn't exist in sport. You know, she was... asked about that and what what really struck me was that she was then asked about she was asked about that in the context of her performances at Wimbledon over the years where you know it has historically actually been her weakest slam, despite the fact that she's won a lot of lead-in grass court tournaments.

I was thinking of my theory that she could have won Wimbledon last year. I'm going to say would. I'm going to stick to would. I almost backed out there. Would have won Wimbledon last year had... had she not got injured against Jasmine Paolini. Matt's in a very punchy mood, this tournament, isn't he? I like it a lot. So I just wondered whether there'd be, like, any sense of sort of something...

You know, sort of unfinished business or maybe even a sense of sort of bitterness if the fact that she's got injured and it's derailed her chances. But not at all. She's got such a healthy attitude to... Her successes and the moments where she hasn't won in her career. And that is...

Kind of what we've been talking about with Madison Keys all year. That's what's unlocked her to be able to win that Grand Sam tournament. I find her so impressive. She continues to be a walking advert for therapy, doesn't she? I hope other players listen to her speak in press conferences and go... Get me her therapist's number because her perspective is...

It was extraordinary, really. In the same room, David, we went to Naomi Osaka's press conference yesterday. Again, we were on the front row for that, and it was an incredibly intimate... setting to be with one of the biggest superstars in the sport still. That is a deliberate choice of words because, of course, her coach doesn't think she's a superstar. Not even a star. Not even a star, no. That was something you asked her about, David.

Yeah, and it was a very sort of sudden decision to ask the question because it is quite awkward, in a way, being in a room full of people like that. asking what is quite a sensitive question about something her coach has said, and she's right there, and I didn't really know how she would react to it. And I wanted to just say, you know, he said that the...

The reason that women weren't scheduled in the night session at the French Open is because there aren't many stars in women's tennis. And we've eye-rolled like you wouldn't believe about this. Well, for a start... You are coaching one of them. I mean, I didn't put that to her because that would have been too awkward. But I did say, you know, what do you think about?

those those comments and and had you heard them and she she said she hadn't heard them um but then she sort of pondered it a minute and she said but you know i i do scroll social media sometimes and see some things he said and i think hmm i'm gonna have to ask him about that um and i said uh i said do you ever debate these things with him and um she sort of

She sort of looks as though she kind of would like to, really. And she also actually said her opinion, which is that basically she thinks that... There should be women playing in the night sessions at the French Open. And there's really no reason why they wouldn't. And she couldn't remember whether her match against Diga Sviantet was night session. She asked us.

And we were able to remind her that, well, no, that was an afternoon match that ended up going late. It was under the roof, wasn't it? So she said, yeah, it was dark. So it felt like it was night. But, no, I mean... The obvious answer is that there is absolutely no reason why they shouldn't be in the night session. But the exchange ended with her saying, I'll speak to him about it and get back to you. And let you know.

Yeah, I look forward to finding out. It is... I love Naomi Osaka. I love her press conferences. It does... The way she talks about Moritoglu and her... her not caring particularly about what he may or may not be saying and thinking about her and women and female athletes, maybe that's really healthy.

She's able to have that boundary and just think, he's my coach. So long as he's delivering as a coach, I don't mind what he says. I certainly couldn't do it like that if I were a professional tennis player. If she were having fantastic results, it might be easier to say, well, you know, it's working for her, who can question it? But I do, that... That line she gave after she lost in Paris is kind of haunting me about feeling like I've let Patrick down. She's... She's...

Playing mixed doubles with Nick Kyrgios at the US Open and her management company represents him. I do worry about her radar for toxic men, quite frankly. I worry for her for that reason. But... Yeah, it's difficult to expect anything from her here, this tournament, isn't it? Other than that there was a throwaway line from her, she was being asked.

about Coco Gauff. In fact, she gave a lovely answer about Coco Gauff and her winning in Roland Garrison, sort of the intertwining of their stories over the years. And she said, I hope to play as well as Coco on clay one day, which...

hinted at a long-term view of the remainder of her career. A lot of people are speculating that she might not continue to play on much longer if the results don't come, and that at least hinted at a... at a long-term mindset yeah i mean i think they've been speculating because she's hinted at that herself really you know in terms of yes she's

and very much stuck to the idea of playing a fuller schedule since she came back. But she did also give some quotes saying that the results need to start happening at some point. They haven't really. But yeah, look, I would love for Naomi Osaka to play for a long time because I think draws and... tournaments are elevated when when she's in them she she's got star power yeah she's a star back to that yeah absolutely um speaking of

stars perhaps stars in the making uh joel fonseca he was originally scheduled in room five then he got upgraded to room two and then at the last minute he got upgraded to the main room It was sort of representative of his career to date, wasn't it? Let's just fast track this guy to the top of the game. Yeah, and look, it wasn't a full room by any means. Again, it was a time of day where I think maybe...

Quite a lot of journalists were not necessarily in. It was also partly to do with Ava Lees being in demand, which was... which was nice. There was a lot of press waiting to speak to her. So she needed to go in room two. So off Fonseca went to the main room. And I don't know about you, David, I was mostly just struck by how much he loves.

Wimbledon and how desperate he is to do well here at some point in his career. Although there was a tricky moment for everyone when he answered your question and cited his main... or first Wimbledon memory as 2019. Did that make you feel old? It did. I'm not going to lie, it did. And he confirmed he was supporting Federer? Yeah, he said Federer-Jokovic final. I was supporting Federer. 2019. But he described being here as like a dream.

It was lovely, really. It was so heartwarming to see somebody prepared to say, yeah, look. I know I'm here on my ranking and I'm playing against the men now. It was quite interesting hearing him compare playing the juniors against playing the men as being the big difference on the tour. But he was not hiding this sort of... childlike wonder at walking around this place and just loving it. And I don't know whether that will help his performances here.

It could overroar him. He doesn't seem that kind of guy. I think the bigger thing that's likely to hold him back is his tennis not being ready, I would have thought. Yeah, I was looking, searching for photos of him for professional purposes on Getty.

the other day and what I searched Joel Fonseca Wimbledon and what came up were pictures from his loss to Henry Searle in the juniors two years ago like this is not a guy with with experience here no No, Henry Searle's still in room five and Fonseca's now in the main room.

Yeah, look, he's got Jacob Fernley, hasn't he, first up? A guy who he's actually beaten twice already this year. Once, I think, a challenger, once at Indian Wells. He was asked about, you know... what he thinks the atmosphere might be you know being thrust into that occasion in his first Wimbledon match will there be a big you know big support for the

you know, for the Brit there. And he said, it's tough to be louder than the Brazilians. Do you think there will be a lot of Brazilians? Because that's something I've wondered. Like, he is used to having a rowdy Brazilian army. Everywhere. It's amazing the corners of the world they show up. It's unlikely. It's going to be different. It's different here, isn't it? How would they get in? Well, they could. They could queue overnight and they have 500...

number one court tickets available for the queue. So I don't doubt that there will be some. I'm sure that some Brazilian fans will have done that. But I don't think it's going to be like what we saw. Well, as you said, kind of every tournament he's played this year. What I would love is if there is a lot of Brazilians, can they still make the noise at Wimbledon? There's something about Wimbledon that just...

It is different. That quiet is expected. And I would love it if some Brazilian fans wrote that. created a serious vibe on number one court. That would be brilliant. You're not allowed flags here, are you? Is that right? You can have face paint though. Hats? Yeah, you can... Yellow tops. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's things you can do. I backed them to manage it. Go on, Brazil. We had Taylor Fritz in the...

press conference room today fresh from his victory in in Eastbourne he was chatty he was in there for a long time said yes to all the one-on-one requests I thought he might be exhausted but He seems fine. Yeah, he was talking about how motivated he was after that early exit at Rhinongarros to really, I think, get his season... really back on track he was keen to point out he doesn't think he's been playing badly

this season. He actually has had a lot of what's happened to Madison Keys over the last few weeks and that he's lost to eventual champions at events. It's happened to him repeatedly. But he said he's not been playing big points well. So, you know, that was a big thing that needed to change. And it sounds like he is really happy with how he played those big points in Stuttgart and in Eastbourne, winning those two titles.

He also spent quite a lot of time talking about the mixed doubles at the US Open. And it was very big, she's never seen my pace energy. That's what I want from Taylor Fritz in mixed doubles. He described himself as a mixed doubles specialist. Go on, Taylor. He cited his United Cup record with Coco Gough, the fact that he's won the, quote...

Indian Wells thing with with Rabakina who is partnering at at the US Open and he said he is going to be extremely competitive at the US Open oh I absolutely believe that I saw him at the United Cup with Coco Goff. He was a nightmare. She was like, calm down. Yeah, he was talking non-stop, wasn't he? Non-stop. Bless her. I'm not sure anybody else could have coped with that situation.

With quite the grace that Coco Gough did. OK, I might be into him and Rebecca more than anybody else. I think she's just going to sit there disassociating while he talks at her. He's hoping not. He said, we're doing 100% competitive. We're going all in. We're there to win. and the prize money's great, and I'm afraid he thinks it counts on the bloody roll of honour. Well, you know, he can...

Think again. Other than that, I'm right behind him. He cited Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend as another strong team that he's... Because they've actually played double. They've met before. They've met and conversed and played doubles together. Which immediately puts them at an advantage over most of the field. They're in a completely different category to everybody else. So yeah, he's ready. How much of that...

stated approach to the tournament do you think Elena Rabachner is aware of? That's a very good question. I think, quite aware because I think it sounded like he even took the Indian Wells thing seriously and she played with him at that. So I think she knows what she's signing up for there. Well, what a laugh that sounds. Yep.

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.

The next time you spot the Blue Owl logo mid-rally or after an upset, remember, they're investing in the players of the future and doing the same in the private markets. Blue Owl. Redefining alternatives. To learn more about Blue Owl, visit blueowl.com slash investing. That's blue like the color and owl like the bird.com slash investing. One last time, blueowl.com slash investing. Now, back to the tennis. Keto dog food. Four-wick candles. Recollect.

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Monday's Order of Play at Wimbledon. Our first Wimbledon 2025 Order of Play. It starts, of course, at 11am on the outside courts and at... It's still staggered, isn't it? Yes, it's 1pm on number one court and 1.30 on centre court.

That's right, so Centre Court 130 starts with the men's defending champion, the second seed, going for the three-peat, Carlos Alcaraz, against Fabio Fanini. Is there anyone that thinks, like, you know... No. I don't think he's won a... Okay. I don't think he's won a main draw match on the tour. I'm just here to ask the questions. And I'm here to answer them. But you know, an inspired by the setting and the moment for Nini? No. No. No.

A flat Alcaraz, a nervous Alcaraz. No. Second on centre court is Katie Bolter against Paola Badosa. That's a good one. This is tasty, isn't it? Yeah, that's a good match. I mean, I'm curious to see what sort of physical shape Beros is in. And, you know, these are two women that have...

They've had serious back problems. They've both missed so much time from the sport as a result of it. It seems Katie Boulter's in a lot better shape these days in that regard. But it's a tough first-round draw. I think it's a real 50-50. Do you? I think it's... I think Pelossa's the favourite. Do you? I think so. Even on the surface? I would say so. And mostly I think it's about Pelossa's fitness. I think that...

That levels it, for sure. That's definitely a worry. There have been several matches where she's clearly been impeded. I don't know. Maybe it's good for Bolter to... be a bit of an underdog. I don't think she loved that last year against Harriet Dart. She did not. Every aspect of that was a bad time for Katie Bolter. But equally there is pressure of being the Brit on centre court. There's things...

that you can make, you know, there's things in both players' favour and going against them, I think, but I probably would expect Velosa to win. But, yeah, it's a good match. Third on centre tomorrow, Alexander Zverev, the third seed, against Artur Rindeknes. He's playing a lot of big matches on big courts, is Artur Rindeknes, isn't he? Yeah, and I think that that will stand him in good stead, I would have thought. You know, this is a guy who plays...

He played Yannick Sinner at Roland Garros, and he had the best five-game run of anybody apart from Carlos Alcaraz. He can be the best player in the world for five games, specifically in front of a French... Yes, and his celebrations are epic. I think the grass suits him. The grass suits him. Will Centre Court get the alley shuffle is the big question. I would love him to have a run in this match and this crowd.

to kind of get into it you know because i think he's capable of doing that i don't think I don't think Zverev's just, unless Rinder Kinesh is terrible, and he is capable of being terrible, but if he's not, you know, he might be able to keep it close because he does have a good serve, and, you know, he's played Alcraz a couple of times at Queen's.

really pushed him on one of the occasions. And so, yeah, I think he could be a factor in the match, I doubt, if he'll win, but not over best of five. But I also, I don't think it's... beyond the realms that he could cause an upset. How do we feel about Zverev on centre, first day? I mean, I suppose he's third seed. I don't think that...

everybody will necessarily be there for it. I think that there'll be a lot of people who go out after the second match. Worth joining the resale queue. I think my take is that in the other half of... draw you've obviously got Sinner, Draper and Novak Djokovic and it feels like they're probably going to want to get two of them on centre quite often and I feel like this was an opportunity to get two women on

on centre, on this half of the draw, because, you know, you've got that, you've got that good Badosa-Bolter match, then you've got world number one, Irina Sabalenka, I, I feel like Irina Sabalenka should be in that slot on centre tomorrow, because I, look, They've got better Wimbledon at doing the, if they do two men's matches one day, doing two the next day. It's going to be tough tomorrow. It's just going to be tough.

with the halves of the draw as they are, this is the side where actually you've got... You've got so many women's matches that you could put on. I guess in a couple of days' time, maybe they're thinking there'll be opportunities on this side of the draw to level things out. It would be Sabalenka Raducanu, wouldn't it?

round two, I think. Is that right? No, round three, I think. Round three. Yeah, but I think it would be Raducanu could play Vondrosheva, right? Someone, yes. Okay. There we go. Yeah. Anyway.

That's how it is on centre for tomorrow. On court number one, Sabalenka and Carson Brandstein is the opener. That's interesting, that scheduling, it being the first match on the first day. I don't know, that kind of enhances the intrigue of this match for me. I am really, really interested in this. I mean, there is a very good chance it's a beat down two and one and we'll...

will wonder what we were ever interested in. But there's a world in which this is interesting, David. Back me up. Yeah, there is. And not only because... Brandstein's quite interesting because she's beaten Bianca Andreescu and Lois Poisson, who's such a big story at the French Open. But because... This is the first Grand Slam match we've seen from Marina Sabalenka since the loss at Roland Garros and since the fallout. And I'm still curious whether she will...

be in any way inhibited in her play, in her demeanour, being at Wimbledon after all that fuss, all that fallout. She didn't like that, and understandably so. You know, it's tough getting abused. And I just, I think Sabalenka at her very best just doesn't care about any noise outside. She's only focused on her own game.

That ball that she's about to hit the living daylights out of it, and that opponent who's going to get taken out. And I just wonder whether she might have something else in her head at all tomorrow. Maybe not. But I think it's a possibility. Second on court number one is Jacob Fernley against Joel Fonseca. David is going to be commentating on this on BBC Radio, and you were pumped to discover this was the match that you were assigned. I was really excited, yeah, because...

I think this has got everything you want for an opening day match to commentate on. It's in Britain and it's got a British player who had a good run here at Wimbledon last year and actually did well against Novak Djokovic. It's him against one of the most exciting young players in the world who's just been telling us it's a dream to get this opportunity to play on number one court. And I'm just...

Very curious to see how his game does adapt to grass. It could be really close. I think it could be long. I think that there's every chance. And the crowd are going to get into it. One way or another, they're going to get into it, I think. Who's winning it? I think... I think Fonseca's going to win it. What do you think? I think Fonseca. Yeah, I think he took some confidence, kind of the theme of this show. He lost the eventual champion.

In Eastport, he pushed him. I think he's got a long way to go still, but I think he's actually quite pleased with the progress he's made during this grass court season. Yeah, I'll go Fonseca Fernley, I think. He had a solid run at Queen's. He made his first quarterfinal, didn't he, of an ATP event. But he also had a real issue with his serve and some...

A lot of double faults in clusters. He was talking about them perhaps being anxiety-induced, and he gets this sort of shooting pain in his arm, and it does bring the double faults. I just would worry about that a little bit for him on that.

court tomorrow against Fonseca. And I just think Fonseca's got more game. So I would probably go for Fonseca. Third on court one tomorrow, Emma Raducanu against Mimi Zhu, a fellow... a very young fellow Brit that Emma Adekarni knows and has a good relationship with, I think this one is...

I think difficult to call just because we don't know how Amrad Khanu is physically. Obviously, if she's physically OK, she's a heavy favourite for that match. But I am worried about her back and I'm worried about that match for her. I just don't want to see anything upsetting. And I'm anxious. I'm anxious about it on her behalf. I understand that. Yeah, I feel similarly. If she's OK physically...

And I don't really know what she has to do to be OK these days. That's the problem. When she talks you through it, it sounds like this is a lot of work to get you out on the court some of the time at the moment. then I think she's shown that she's able to settle in at Wimbledon and actually produce some fantastic tennis. And that's two runs she's had.

the year she won the US Open 2021 and here last year, that was the sort of tennis that has made me think that she could go all the way at this tournament one year. And I still feel like that if she had physically no issues. Like this? Well, I don't expect that. And so if she wins, I think she's done really well. Number two court tomorrow starts at 11am with Benjamin Bonzi against Daniel Medvedev.

Then it's Elena Gabriela Rusa against Madison Keyes. Third on is Jasmine Paolini, who... There was a lot of hoo-ha going on yesterday morning when she was due to come into press. She was delayed. Then Naomi Osaka came in, she was delayed. Long story short, I missed the start of Jasmine Pallini's press conference. So maybe the vibes were there at the start. Maybe she was tired. Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe. She looked to have lost a little bit of her.

vibe that we're used to seeing only by her very high vibe standards but I just thought she seemed a little bit off it vibe wise but we'll see I mean it's Sevastova in the year 2025 is a It's a good draw, isn't it? I can't believe I've said good draw pertaining to Jasmine Paolini. Right. Finally, on number two court tomorrow, Taylor Fritz against Giovanni Mpeshi-Pahiga, which has suspended for bad light written all over it.

I reckon that will be suspended at two sets to one, to someone. I'm not convinced Mpeshi Pericard gets a set. He's not been playing well. this year really but he's also very hard to break still and so sets can go on a long time so definitely a chance that that is the situation but I'm still fascinated by Fritz and his playing all the time, same as I was really talking to Pakula, and she makes me feel like there's no issue. And he, I just wonder whether he's...

You can run out of gas or not, you know, but then he's done well before doing it. So, yeah, I think he'll be all right. Number three court tomorrow opens with Yelena Ostapenko having fun with the British crowd against Sone Cartel. Yes, and Ostapenko, who's lost to Sevastova in the year 2025 this year, just to link up those two courts. Yeah, that could be fun, couldn't it? I think...

Maybe people in the chat or on the barge somewhere could give me suggestions. I'm struggling to know where to start my day tomorrow. I'm leaning towards this match. Cartel Ostopenko. That surprises me because I thought you might start in court 12 with Elmer Moller against Francis Tiafoe. I'm tempted by that. I did consider it. I felt like I got the Elmer Moller experience at Ronan Garros, watching him play Tommy Paul there. You know, I feel like I know what he's about.

But Matt, if you start your day on court number three with Kartal and Ostopenko, you can stay where you are for Nicholas Jarry, second on against Holger Runa. Quite a fun match. It is quite a fun match. Quite a fun match. Although, I mean, Jarry's qualified, but he does seem to be physically all over the place. He deserves a break, does Nicholas Jarry. He's had a...

Bad run of it. Yeah, he's got an eye problem now. That was in an interview with Clay magazine, where also it was put to him that he's going through a... a bad patch which I didn't think was a controversial thing to say but he he rejected that premise he said that actually actually he's been losing to good players and actually he thinks his form is a lot better

Which, you know... Is his name Alexander's face? I didn't necessarily... It seemed like he listed the good players that he'd been losing to, but left out the other ones. Yep. Right, OK. But look, he did qualify without dropping a set, and that's including a best of five in the final round of qualifying, which they're hanging on to at Wimbledon for some reason.

You know, he's got three matches on the grass there. Runa was a disaster the last time we saw him on grass. He was really poor against Bautista Ragu. As somebody's pointing out in the chat, if Runa couldn't get a single break point against Bautista Ragu... Right. It feels like it's going to be tough for him against Nicholas Jarrett. I would expect Runa to win, but I do genuinely think that actually could be a close match. Third on number three court tomorrow is your guy, Matteo Bertini.

David, he's got Kamil Majerszak of Poland. And fourth on is Zhang Chinwen against Katerina Siniarkova. which could be interesting. As I've said, Elmer Moller of everyone's very excited about his backhand fame opens up court 12 against Francis Tiafoe of losing to clowns fame. It's a great court, this one. Yeah, this is fun tomorrow. We have Stefanos Tsitsipas, second on court 12 against Davi Royer. Of France. Valentin. Valentin Royer. He's a new one on me, folks. Me too. I just looked that up.

I appreciate it. Third on Court 12 is Leila Fernandez against the talented young Brit Hannah Klugman. A lot of people very excited about Klugman. And finally on Court 12, this is where I'll be whenever this match... comes on tomorrow. Marketa Vondroshova against the Nottingham champion McCartney Kessler.

Very into that. Yeah, me too. I'm very annoyed that it's scheduled there because it's at the same time. We're coming on to that, Matt. It's at the same time as Anissa Mova, Putin's saver. Can I have my moment now and later? Yeah, go for it. Well, I'm just annoyed about it. It's my two favourite matches on the order of play. But given they're fourth on, they could actually start at very different times. True, yeah, but I just know the way these things go.

Why do the schedulers not specifically bear Matt Roberts in mind? They've let him hold the velvet bag for the draw chips. Now they need to have you in the WhatsApp group, apparently. Court 18. starts at 11am. This court behind our incredible position here at Wimbledon. Elina Svitolina opens it up against Anna Bondar. Cameron Norrie second on against Roberto Batiste-Rogu. That could go on forever.

Then it's Mackenzie McDonald against Karen Hashinov. Hashinov's played some marathons here as well. And finally, Naomi Osaka against Talia Gibson of Australia. They could be in for a long wait. Should bring sleeping bags. Yeah. Court four, Oliver Tarvit, the Brit, against Reedy. Of Switzerland. I've got, like, Leonardo... Leandro. Leandro Reedy. There we go. 506 in the world. Henry Searle, the former British junior... champion here of a couple of years ago. Beat Beat, Joel Fonseca.

along the way. Who else have we got? Lulu Sun, last year's quarter-finalist. She's on court five tomorrow. Court number six opens with Lerna Tien against Nishesh Basavaredi. That is one that I will be keeping an eye on tomorrow. What have we got? Ava Lees opening up court number eight. Peyton Stearns against Laura Siegmund.

That's vibes. That's intensity list. Intensity central. Maybe list to Jason. I'm not sure Siegmund's on your list. In fact, I know she's not. She's on another list. Good luck, Peyton Stearns, is all I can say. Catherine Zotherley. Settle in. Speaking of intensity, Olga Danilovic, second on court number nine against Zhang Shui. It's great having...

You know where you stand with Wimbledon with its Monday starts. And, you know, 50% of round one matches are happening on Monday, 50% on Tuesday. Beatrice Adajemeyer against Rebecca Shramkova is second on court number 10 tomorrow. And actually that was something that we missed at Wimbledon last year, that sort of organisation to it. Because of the rain, everything actually was all over the place in the first week. But as you've already said, it's going to be stiflingly hot tomorrow.

We won't have any of those issues. Opening up court number 15 is last year's semi-finalist Donna Vekic. She faces Kim Birrell. And opening up court number 14 against Victoria Tomova. It's the two-time former finalist here, Ons Jabir, court number 14 for her tomorrow. I mean, she'll get an incredible crowd, but that's tough. Yeah, it is.

slightly bigger than it sounds 14 yeah like it's a better billing than like court five or six but uh yeah absolutely it's not it's not a show 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.

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Now, speaking of Anstra Burd, just before we answer a few of your questions, there are some coming in on the chat. If you have one, pop it in there. But if you are looking for a deeper dive into...

the media weekend that we've just had at Wimbledon, then we have just the show for you. Tennis Podcast Meets is our new series for Friends of the Tennis Podcast, where we do short interviews with... all sorts of different players big names lesser known players players that are new on the scene basically anyone that we're curious about pretty much they're short interviews but we're trying to give a snapshot into that player's world and

And for the latest edition that went up today, we have spoken to Matteo Berrettini, Marketa Vondroshova. by accident, Alexander Bublik, Hayley Baptiste, Beatrice Haddad-Schmeyer, and the two-time former finalist, Anz Jabeur. So here is just a flavour of that show.

I just wonder, Matthieu, have you ever watched your Wimbledon final back or one of your great wins here at Wimbledon? I think I don't have the patience. I'm not patient enough to watch four hours of match, but for sure I watch the highlights, the long highlights. in the good moments and in the bad moments, you know. Was Berlin a surprise to you?

hell yeah i think it was actually for for everybody i feel like nobody expected me to win the tournament not even like me or my coach even though i played like good in the practice you never know like in the matches so I feel like it was a complete surprise for all of us. You seemed almost a little irritated about being asked about hitting underarm serves and things like that. When you do that, is it...

tactical? I think it's just a shot. I don't know why, but everyone's taking it too serious. Imagine like you stand up from your desk when you work and you just walk, you know, to have a coffee. It's the same thing, you know, it's just a move.

So was there a time when you lost love for the game? I wouldn't say that I lost love, but it was definitely... a struggle sometimes to play you know playing lower level tournaments and grinding and losing and not having money and not making money it's not fun It's a tough sport, tennis, isn't it? Because every week you go from tournament to tournament. Unless you win the tournament, you have to lose a match. And that must be quite hard mentally at times.

Yeah, for sure. We talk a lot that it doesn't matter if you can win a Grand Slam. OK, let's see what you're going to do in the next Grand Slam. So there is always like a ghost and thoughts that you need to fight against. You said that the second Wimbledon final defeat destroyed you. I just wondered how healed you feel now.

Not very much, to be honest with you. I mean, when I come here, Wimbledon brings great memories, but at the same time, you know, I feel like there is something missing, you know, an episode that didn't happen. Funny, because lately I have not, like... feeling great but appreciating myself and what I

I have done in the past that definitely helped me give more value to myself. So I don't know, it's been like a difficult moment, but at the same time, giving that to myself, I think it does really help. And that is up now for Friends of the Tennis podcast. If you'd like to become a friend of the pod, then the link is in our show notes.

Yeah, it was an incredible show to get to put together over the weekend. And we hope you enjoy it. If you want to become a friend of the... the pod then you also get ad free listening and tons of bonus episodes as well throughout the year so it is worth checking out now on to a few questions from our lovely lovely listeners hello to everybody that is in the live chat

now we have Jeff Lynch asking about Wong Jin Yu and whether she's a dark horse pick to have a run at this title he says her grass game seems primed and she's somebody that we've kind of failed to mention isn't she over this preview weekend yes she obviously reached the final in Berlin didn't she beat Pagula here last year played great in that match like that was that was not as close it didn't it was close and it

than it actually was that match. I think Pagula pinched the set, but actually Wong really outplayed her, struck her forehand so well. She beat a lot of good players in Berlin. I'm just trying to think off the top of my head. I think she's got quite a fun first-round draw. I want to say it's a check. I think it might be Mukhova. Yes, it is. She's got Mukhova in the first round. Mukhova's press was cancelled today. I don't know if there's...

Any suspicious reasons for that at all, but it's an eyebrow raiser with her history. She's missed so much tennis, hasn't she, even in recent months. Yeah, that is the sort of thing that makes you raise your eyebrow. I mean, I saw that final between her and Vondrosseva. And, you know, all our conversation now is about Vondrosseva because she ended up winning. But the fact is, one should have won that first set. And...

Probably should have won the match, if I'm honest. A great, great credit to von Josefa for managing to turn that around. But no, she is. She's one of those players that we haven't spoken about. And I think it's a really good shout to Flagg as somebody who's just very natural and comfortable on the side.

surface so nobody's going to want to play it. Swarner has asked about the heat which is something that we haven't mentioned. I'm trying not to be that Brit that complains both when it's too cold and when it's too hot and I did spend all of last year's Wimbledon complaining about being too cold so I'm trying to learn and grow this year but I do reserve the right to regress tomorrow when it is 35 degrees and I'm

sweltering in my hand fan um and look i know i know that a lot of players are totally dismissing the heat is not a factor big i live in florida energy um but it could be for some players tomorrow, couldn't it? Yeah, I think for some it absolutely will be.

Yeah, they're not used to it here. That's the other thing. You almost condition yourself for what to expect in New York and Australia. And actually, even players who found the heat difficult there have said... the thing is when it happens here you're just not not expecting it and do you remember that the really hot day we had during queens when

Everybody looked a bit sleepy on the court, including Carlos Alcraz. It affects the crowd a lot, doesn't it? British crowds are not good in heat. Everybody goes, it's very soporific, everybody just goes... I mean, to give an example of the difference, a couple of nights ago, it was a warm day on the day we did the draw show, and then when five o'clock came around...

kind of starting to get a little chilly weren't we and you know thinking about maybe putting the jumper on and then here we are two hours later today and we're short sleeved and it is really warm. I mean, you do not need anything to cover the arms or anything like that. And it's going to be hotter tomorrow. A few people asking about Lorenzo Musetti, whether he's fully fit. He hasn't been talked about.

I feel like you're our Lorenzo Mazzetti guy, Matt. Yeah, I went to his press conference today. He said he didn't touch a racket for two weeks after the French Open. He was doing a lot of... rehab work it wasn't you know it wasn't doing nothing in in that time but yeah for sure I think he's I think he's over the injury I do think he's probably still got some strapping on the on the leg I think it's just

a lack of matches, a lack of, you know, real perfect preparation, really. He also got ill, he said, at the start of the week. So, yeah, I think he's vulnerable. because he just hasn't had good preparation for this tournament. It was also only last year I started to think of him as... really a good grass court player. He didn't win his first matches on this surface until 2023 at tour level. And he won, I think, six that year, and then he won even more last year.

And the game does make sense on the grass with the sliced backhand in particular. He talked about that in his press conference today as well. But... given the preparation he's had and given the fact that he's defending all those points as well, I think he's quite aware of that. It's sort of in his head that, you know...

He's not really had a fair chance at being able to be at his best here, certainly in the early stages. Maybe he can work his way into the tournament, but I think he's definitely one of the... higher seeds who's vulnerable early on just just through sheer lack of matches a lot of people asking how you become a friend of the tennis podcast the link is in the show notes uh leo and others and uh if

If we'll put it on Instagram as well, we'll put it everywhere. We'll make sure you find it very easy to become a friend of the Tennis Podcast. Apologies, I wasn't able to note down with all the multitasking that I'm attempting to do here who asked this question. But somebody asked a few minutes ago, do you think any of the top 10 seeds in either the men's or the women's draws are likely to have a first round exit?

I wouldn't say likely. No one's draw is hugely jumping out to me. I think vulnerable. vulnerable seeds would be a Mazzetti. I mean, Bedos is ninth seed and we've called that a kind of 50-50 tomorrow against Bolter. Medvedev is the ninth seed. Look, I think he's got a pretty good draw. He's got Bonzi, hasn't he? And actually, he's found some... Actually, he's quite a good grasp.

Hi, Medvedev. I just sort of, I'm always just on a bit of alert for Medvedev these days. Runa is being... Against Nicholas Jarry. There's a lot of people saying Runa here, Matt. Yeah, good for them. They could just be big Matt Roberts fans that have boarded the Jarry hype train. But, I mean, I feel like Runa could lose to anybody in the right set of circumstances.

Which is ridiculous, isn't it? I mean, given how good he can be, how good he was in Barcelona a couple of months ago. I don't know how healthy he always is. He plays so often. But, yeah, he should win that. Shelton is the 10th seed, comes in on a three-match losing streak, hasn't done well on the grass this year, and he plays... Well, he plays Alex Bolt, who, look, is...

In the grand scheme of things, you probably think, OK, not bad draw, but Grasse is his favourite surface, and he qualifies kind of regularly. He did so again this year. It'll be giving Shelton a different look to what he's used to, because Bolt likes to come in and come forward, and he's a lefty as well, I think. Again, I wouldn't say likely, but it's one that slightly jumps out to me if we're looking at those top 10 seats. LM asks, who will be Wimbledon's lowest Boisson? Which is...

There won't be. It's impossible to answer LM because nobody knew of the existence of Lois Boisson before Roland Garros. I know... I know that's an exaggeration, but you get the idea. Only because of Harriet. Well, exactly. The whole concept of Lois Boisson is... It would be somebody that right now we're not thinking about or even potentially knowing about. But if you're looking at a home player to have a run, that kind of thing, I mean...

I'll be honest, my concern from a British perspective and a home tournament vibe is that it really might not go very well. There are a lot of players. There's good representation. It's not just wild cards these days. British players are doing pretty well, certainly doing better than they have. But their draws are tough.

I give Katie Bolter a chance against Paolo Bedosa, but she could absolutely lose that. I mean, like you say, probably is the favourite to lose that. OK, there are two Brits playing with Raducanu's match, but... I'm not convinced either one of them is going beyond the second round, put it that way. Fernley's playing Fonseca, that's tough. And Jack Draper, we've talked about how tough his draw is.

The other players, I mean, the interesting thing is there are one or two names that are not well known. And I'm fascinated to see whether somebody can come in. Stephen asks, have the Tennis Pod team discussed mixed doubles at the US Open? Stephen, the answer is yes. At great length and repeatedly. And we will continue to. Is Stephen trolling us? I don't know. It could be irony. He could be new here. Either way, the answer is yes.

Just incidentally, a lot of people mentioning Joint, Maya Joint and Alexandra Ayala. Ayala came to press today and I watched this one on the screen. It wasn't in the room. But my goodness me, she has a...

poise and a self-assurance beyond her years. She's got Barbora Krejcikova. She'll be opening Centre Court on Tuesday. That's cool. And she was asked a question by, I think... sort of not a tennis journalist which was are you hoping for centre court and she was like I'm playing on centre court like I know I'm playing on centre court and get me there as soon as possible and

I want to be excited about that because I'm excited about Ayala, but I don't want to see a sad Barbora critique of a situation because she's...

She's not physically right, is she? We had a sad Marketa Vondrusova situation last year, didn't we? I think it was against Jessica Bothas-Maneiro. Yeah. Do you remember? And a great win for her, and that introduced her to the... to the world but you know one of the things I like about the fact that you got to speak to Vondrosova is we got to see a different

person there because a year ago I remember thinking how sad that was how sort of you know to see the defending champion come out and have this big moment and then it it all go wrong it's a tough scene Abhinav asks, if we get Bublik versus Draper in round three, brackets, yes, please, who are you guys going for? Well, you'll have to tune in to the tennis podcast the night before that match if it happens. I think it will happen.

Yeah. And I'm pumped. So we'll be talking about it right here. So make sure you tune in. What a promo that was. Well done me. Folks, we will be here nightly every single night of Wimbledon 2025. Not before. 9.30pm local time could be a bit later than that won't be too much later than that though because Matt Because we're not before 9.30. No, because Wimbledon has a curfew. Oh, sorry, yes. I forgot my thing.

Is this all because of Bruce? Yes. It's called Wimbledon. I'm now anti-curfews. Who even are you? Folks, what I was trying to... what I was trying to do there was tell you that Wimbledon has an 11pm curfew so we are not before 9.30pm and we can't be much after 11. p.m the best thing to do if you want to make sure you don't miss us is to subscribe to our channel because then you can get alert about when we are going live we are

So excited about Wimbledon 2025. We cannot wait to get going and we hope that you're able to join us either via podcasts or via live YouTubes or via YouTubes. After the fact, we will be available to you everywhere.

everywhere you could possibly want to find us. So we hope you join us. We have a mascot for today's show. We, of course, have our mascots, Phoebe, Maisie and Roger. Hello to you all. The mascot for this show... show though is an in memoriam mascot for ted who is owned by one of our loveliest most long-standing and most supportive listeners mark forbes who gets tickets to see fulham at Southampton every year. He does. Mark is the kit man at Southampton. And actually...

much more than that. He sort of holds Southampton Football Club together, I think. He's an extraordinary man. And yeah, he's been very kind to... to get me down to St Mary's a couple of years, especially because the first time we went for them relegating Southampton, I felt a little bit bad about that.

Yeah, he's just a lovely man. He's a lovely man. And I'm so, so sorry, Mark, to hear of the loss of Ted. He says, this is bittersweet. This is Ted's third time as a mascot. Sadly, he passed away on Christmas. while playing with our granddaughter. He loved chasing tennis balls, burying bones and listening to Catherine on the podcast, waiting for her to say squirrel so he could race into the garden in the belief he would find them there.

He's very much missed by all the family. And as a wise three-year-old granddaughter keeps reminding us he is now in doggy heaven, chasing tennis balls and squirrels. He loved sitting on the sofa, listening to the tennis podcast, as he usually had a cuddle and got a... doggy treats um and we have a picture here of ted helping mark enjoy a pint

It's an excellent picture. And also an incredible portrait of Ted. It really is wonderful. Painted by former UK tennis player and now pet artist, Gabby Taylor. Do you remember Gabby Taylor? I do. Yeah, yeah. And actually... Ted has always been one of her great supporters as well and would often update us on how she'd been getting on. Isn't that lovely?

You know, yeah, we're thinking of you, Mark, and it's a tough thing, but, yeah, he's always been so kind to us. Yeah, an incredibly tough thing. Luckily, Billie Jean is going to live forever. That's what we've decided. That's what's happening. But Mark, thank you for that. That was absolutely beautiful. And Ted was a good one. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff.

We have shout-outs, Matt. Please talk while I deal with this wasp. Oh, God. It's fine. It's gone. It's gone. We have Ian Nishimura from Honolulu, Hawaii. Hello, Ian. Hi, Ian. Ian has been a listener since 2017. So that would mean that Ian heard the incident where I got attacked by a bee live on the pod and David used it for content. I mean, now you'd be proud of me.

Back then, you weren't. Yeah, it was a tough scene. But, you know, fortunately we're still here. We are still here being attacked by insects. David did rush off to get help. I did. Secure the help and then say, can we use it for content? He made sure we were still recording though, didn't he? I made sure we were still recording and then I said, should we keep it in? And you said... Sure. Mary Crillo was on the show. Yes, she was. What on earth is going on here? Tennis Ians. Ian Flanagan.

is all I can think of off the top of my head. That's pretty good. Well, that's excellent, because our next shout-out is Carrie Flanagan. Wow! I did not know! That's amazing. Ian Flanagan, and I hope that is the right... combo of names i believe it is uh was a british tennis player who was

Somebody who once had a run at Queen's and he beat Mark Philippousis, which was, you know, quite a win, you know. I saw Mark Philippousis earlier. Yeah, and he was also mates with Andy Roddick. I think they must have sort of come through the... The Juniors or something. And yes, they knew one another. But it was relatively a short-lived run in terms of...

Actual career longevity. Ian Carey, I hope you enjoyed that edition of Ian Flanagan Relived, especially for you. You just never know which tennis player David's going to know their life story of. That was extraordinary. Yeah. Carrie has been living in Northern Ireland for 30 years, but originally from South Carolina in the US. Lovely stuff. And Carrie has... Wimbledon tickets for round three, court one.

This year. Oh, that's good. Fantastic. You'll have a good time, Carrie. Come and say hello to us here on the roof. Can I just say, somebody also coined around that time the name Flanmania. No, they didn't. They did. I think it might have been the sun. I think there might have been a headline. Flanmania. So there we are, Ian and Carrie. Ian Flanagan. I'm going to think of that next time I'm eating a flan. And finally, we have Nicholas Orrett.

Hello, Nicholas. Hi, Nicholas. What you got, David, for Nicholas? Nicholas Lepenti, the player from Ecuador, who once came with his brother Giovanni to Wimbledon. In fact, I think in 1999, and in the fifth and deciding rubber of the Davis Cup, they beat Great Britain. And it led to all sorts of... Sackings.

And so forth. Yes, I think Arvin Palmer lost the deciding rubber to Giovanni Lepenti. And Nicholas Lepenti might have been beaten by Tim Hemman and or Greg Rozenski earlier on. He's doing it again. I'm having a... Well, yes, David riffing, but incredible. Was it this Nicholas last year that prompted you forgetting Nicholas Jarry?

Yeah, he's written it in his little shout out. Shall I give some more Nicholas's to help? Nicholas, the cause of last year's, oh my God, we forgot Nicholas Jarry and Matt not knowing how to say a word I still don't know how to say. Bendigo? Bendigo? Oh yeah, I think it's Bendigo. And I said Bendigo. Maybe. Bendigo. Which is where? Australia. Yes, I think it's Bendigo. Okay.

They came for me last year. And Nicholas Jarry. There we go. For the love of God, Nicholas Jarry. And Eskode. I was just going to say. Mo. Yeah, we came up with all of these ones last year. And actually, I think it was Friday when we... When we arrived to this spot, the first person I saw practising on court 18 behind us was Nicola Mau. And of course, court 18 is where he played and lost.

The longest tennis match of all time. That's a bit of a troll putting him on that court, isn't it? He's got a plaque. I wonder if he asked for it. Maybe. We will try and find out, folks. That is it for our final preview of Wimbledon 2021. We'll be back tomorrow with our first daily show of 14 throughout the championships. We hope you're as pumped as we are. Thank you for listening. Thank you for watching. We'll see you tomorrow.

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