Madrid - Can Rafael Jodar fill the Alcaraz void?

wrist injury has withdrawn from the remainder of the Clay Court season, obviously most notably Roland Garros, where he would have been defending the title and um a lot of what we talked about on on Friday was the wording of the statement and the fact that there was a no um definitive detail about what the injury is and also the fact that there was no definitive Pledged to return on grass, the open-endedness of it felt a little bit disconcerting.

A bit of an update from the Spanish journalist Angel Garcia Muniz. He gave a a reasonably positive update, cautious optimism, I think. He says that there is no tear um i that it is just inflammation in the risk and the target at the moment is to return uh for Queens to prepare for Wimbledon. Um I've also heard a lot of other noises about the fact that You know, they're very aware, the Alcaraz team, of the cautionary tales out there about wrists and you don't

you don't mess around with wrists. We all know about Juan Martin Del Potro and and Dominic Thiem and and countless other examples out there. So the noises I'm hearing are that, you know, if you need If he needs to miss the rest of the season in order to protect the rest of his career, he will. But there is reason to believe that that won't be necessary and um there is hope for a return on the grass. So obviously

Obviously we uh we hope that that is the case. I mean, even if he had played Madrid, you'd you'd just know he'd have been first in line for the shrimp tacos, don't you?

So maybe we wouldn't wrist injury or not, we wouldn't have got that much Carlos Alcaraz in Madrid because the tournament has been absolutely blighted. uh, by an apparent outbreak of food poisoning. It was Jim Courier that reported on the tennis channel that the shrimp tacos had been responsible, but the plot thickens because Coco Goff, one of the most notable victims of this outbreak, she denies eating the shrimp tacos. So...

The investigative work continues. Uh Jonathan Ovrend on Sky uh said that the Madrid Tournament have established that it did not come from official catering, but quote They would say that, wouldn't they? They're apparently claiming it's a wider viral spread across Madrid. People of Madrid, let us know. Uh are you also experiencing puking into a bin on a tennis court esque symptoms? Uh we've uh we've had

Uh withdrawals from Madison Keyes, Marion Chilich, Ludmilla Samsonova. We've had a retirement from Igoshfiantek. Um and we have met for the first time, I think, post puke got.

Um she came back to beat Sorana Castella yesterday in three pretty captivating sets. I don't know whether it's okay to say that about a match that featured Coco Goff puking into a bin, but I couldn't take my eyes off off this. And as soon as she she did that I just thought there is nobody

there is nobody I back more to cope with this situation than Coco Goff. I was like, she she's gonna be okay here and true enough she She was okay here, not in the sort of in the wider sense she looked very much not okay, but she toughed it out and she came through that match.

was puking, that was actually kind of the catalyst for turning the match around. Um, I think, you know, there is there's something in you often feel a bit better when you've when you've let it out and also I think Costella just suddenly Suddenly lost her way and lost her game and lost her poise in this one. And I don't know, there was something about Goth who.

Obviously we know she's so resilient anyway, but almost it was almost like all she could do was focus on trying to get through points and feel well enough to play, that almost all of the other potential worries about her game just sort of ebbed away a little bit and she entered a sort of equilibrium state. And that was good enough to end up winning the third set pretty comfortably against against Castella and

Yeah, so I d I don't really know what to make of this one because she was kinda getting outplayed for a set and a half. She did an incredible job to turn it around despite feeling so unwell and I Okay, this is gonna be soon to be out of date tennis news. I have no idea whether she's gonna take to the court today for her next match. You know, it's un it's very unlucky for her that she started feeling unwell right at the part of the tournament where she has to play back to back days.

And she already pulled out of the doubles very understandably. So I just don't know whether her tournament continues after this or not. Um so it's kind of it's tough to sort of do a big cocoa golf analysis on it, but very impressive in the moment to to come through a match like that. And we did see a continuation of this trend now where her double fault percentage has gone way down. You know, it's the ninth match in a row this one.

where her double fault percentage had been less than ten percent, which is a significant mark for Coco Goth. All of her five or six matches before that had been well over the ten percent mark. So she's got a real run of consistency now where she's not hitting the double fault.

The serve is still not particularly effective, Costair was kind of dominating on return for a lot of this and broke a lot of times. But I think it's a good step in the right direction that Mae'n ymwneud ymwneud ymwneud ymwneud ymwneud ymwneud ymwneud ymwneud ymwneud ymwneud ymwneud ymwneud.

Linda Nozgova, winner of that to face the winner of Martha Kostiuk and Katie McNally in the quarterfinals. McNally David having upset uh Victoria Mboko, um she also beat Katarina Siniakov a seven six in the third w w why on earth is Katie McNally suddenly popping up, David and and having a run here? Which wh what's she doing?

A player that we y we used to talk about, up and coming. She played doubles with Coca Golf and and was really really a good doubles player. And she I always I always remember thinking that she was a good watch and I couldn't quite remember why. because it had been so long since since we'd seen her play um on the tour. And uh and so I've I've been looking it up really, um uh this morning just to sort of get a sense of of uh of where she's been. And I mean she's twenty four years old now.

But basically, after breaking on the scene, I mean she was an amazing junior. She w she actually reached the um the final of the French Open juniors and lost to Goff in the in the singles there. She won the doubles that tournament with Iggy Sviontek, so this is tw this is what, eight years ago, and she won the US Open doubles juniors with Coco Goff that year, so she's an amazing player, then breaks on the scene, gets to fifty four in the worlds in you know, about three or four years ago.

reaches two doubles finals at the US Open with Coco Goff and Taylor Townsend and then she injured her her elbow. and she had surgery to it. And basically that was sort of l just before the US Open in twenty twenty three. Pretty much didn't play for eighteen months. Um, and then it's, you know, the gradual comeback, the protected ranking last year. Um I remember seeing a first set she played earlier this year against Sabalenka f few weeks ago, and she was like

competitive in that and it and it was just a great watch. And then I I I only caught the very tail end of the the win over and Boko but it's such a sort of jarring scoreline. I mean it was like three and one. It was just really a a dramatic

She had a match point, and McNally saved it after what must have been a twenty plus stroke rally that she ended with a stone cold drop shot winner from the baseline. I mean the daring to do that on a match point down and pull it off and then just give a little grin afterwards. And and then in the tie break she goes four one ahead, hitting a half volley backhand drop shot clean winner.

With the ball striking that was coming away, the r like the winners on the run, she'd get in charge of a rally pagula occasionally and then Koschuk's movement to her right to smack a forehand at her and she was servin' lights out. She looked brilliant and she's had a you know a good Pretty much without playing after the Australian Open. Um it enabled me to get her in my fantasy team um when um one of my fellow competitors, Mark, uh thought she was still injured or you know, that maybe her best

Months of twenty twenty six were gone, but no they're not. They're ahead and I'm taking advantage, so it's great. Anyway, I'm looking forward to McNally against Costure.

uh against Karolina Plishkova, there's an un unexpected round of sixteen matchup. Winner of that to take on the winner of Elena Robatkina and Anastasia Potopova. Uh Rabatkina last night having beaten Zhung Chin Wen Matt in a match that I just love. I I loved this match. It really it really gripped me. Did you feel the same?

weight of shot. It is different to anybody else on the WTO. I've missed her Court presence how she carries herself. How sh you know, she totally backs herself and she she doesn't mind how she comes across. You know, she's not there to people please and make friends. Like I I've I it was a reminder of for me how much I've I've missed her.

Struggled in her opening match as well against Russa, um coming off the back of the title last week. That's a trend we've seen in Madrid, like last week's

uh champions and finalists, a lot of them had tough matches uh in their opening match in Madrid. I think that turnaround, different conditions in Madrid uh and it looked like Rebecca was sort of struggling to control the ball a little bit in in the altitude and Russo was handling her pace really well and then similarly she was she had some struggles against Zheng and Zhung was playing well.

Um and yeah, I thought I thought this might be the match that propelled Zhung right back into sort of contention. I think in the end it serves as a reminder of what of what she can do, but also a reminder of how far she still has to go to get back to to re to kind of where she really was because

She wasn't ruthless and clinical when she put herself in that winning position and her serve became a massive liability and really fell apart and at some key moments. She served three double faults in a game to lose the second set and it kinda cost her in the third as well. So, you know, I was really encouraged but also thinking, okay, there's still there's still a way to go in the in the Zhung comeback from what has been a long time away and a pretty serious injury. Um but with Rebecca like

She's playing more three set matches on the clay, isn't she, than than she had been on the hard court. She does seem a little bit more vulnerable but d she does have this baked in confidence now, whereas I think last year when she was playing these three set matches I was kind of expecting her to lose a lot of them. I think at the moment I'm expecting her to win them and win the big points and do what she needs to do. to get through and then build confidence and really get herself into these

tournaments. Um so yeah, she's a compelling watch as well. So I agree with you. It was it was a really, really great doubleheader in Madrid last night with those with those two men.

you know, enforced time on the sidelines whether she might, you know, use that time and come back with a completely different serve but it it looks it looks the same to me. I know she made a bit of an adjustment to the toss couple of seasons ago, but it seems like This is the serve she's gonna she's gonna press on with this and live and die by that sword and it

Yeah, it's g it's compelling to watch, that's for sure. Um so Rabkina will play Pot of Pova, that's at the bottom of the drawer, top half of the women's drawer. We have another Arena Sabalenka and Naomiosaka. a decade no eight years or something for them to play again for the first time since their uh first u.s open meeting when would that have been 2018 um

They're playing again. It was Indian Wells, wasn't it, where we uh we got to see them play a few weeks ago and it was a little bit disappointing. Certainly from an Emiosaka perspective, it showed up a little bit the ways in which she has stood still more as a tennis player and Arena that it showed up all the ways that Arena Sabalenka has developed as a tennis player and I

I wouldn't expect that to look any different on clay, certainly in Madrid, although I d I have liked what I've seen, David of Osaka so far, which is kind of just playing her hard court game on a clay court and obviously mudd the conditions in Madrid make that more possible and more effective, but in previous clay court seasons She's really overthought it, hasn't she? In a very like

endearing and relatable way. But I feel like there was that one Clay Court season where she talked about how she'd been watching videos of Raphael and Dal and she was gonna try and channel that and like she's definitely to acutely aware of Clay not suiting her and how can I think and play my way around this. And it feels like this year she's just gone

I'm gonna do my thing and see how that works out on the red stuff. And it you know, I suspect it'll work out less well against Rena Sabalenka, but it's been a fun watch so far.

Which I think is a really good win in the first round, six two seven five. And actually the score lines I didn't watch her win over and Helena Kalinina, but she beat a six one, six three. You know these are score lines.

And look, Sabalanka is brilliant in Madrid. I think we have to remember that. You know, it's it's um but but I kind of feel like you can apply more of a hard court game and a and more of a sort of ball strike that Osaka has, as long as her sights are in, because I think one of the things is she does hit

you know, qu fairly flat ball. Um, there is some spin on it, but but it's but it'll go it'll fly through the air and if her sights are in and she doesn't hit l too l long all the time, which I think is a danger, particularly off the big ball coming her way. I think she could do some damage um in the map.

I would still back Sabalenka to win it but but I wouldn't put it past Sasaka'cause it feels like a bit of a free hit to just go out, swing and enjoy it. And and uh whereas I think when she played her in Indian World She perhaps expected a bit more of herself and that's not quite so easy to to pull off in that freewheeling manner.

career best ranking because they've got a really high floor and they're really consistent and some people get there because they've got a really high ceiling and I feel like Baptiste's a ceiling player. Do you know what I mean? Like I think she still is a little vulnerable sometimes. Her game can go off.

But when she puts it all together, it's such a unique game that she's got with the with a big server and a really heavy forehand. And in Madrid that was just causing Paolini so many problems. Like Baptiste was just dictating and that's kind of what we've seen a little bit with Paulini this year, she's being dictated to. She's she's lost that ability that she had for a couple of years to really step in the court and be kind of the force on the court.

Um she now feels like she's always the passive one in the match and people are able to to sort of do what they want against her and it it just feels a little bit like there's been a bit of a Regression to the mean? I don't know if that I don't know if that's harsh, but I'm I I'm I'm not saying she can't get it back, but it it feels to me like

You know, for so long she was a different player and then she had this incredible surge and peak for a few years, but quite late in her career really. It just feels like sort of bit trying to sustain that for being way longer is just proving a little bit hard for her at the moment. I I hope she can find a spark in Rome. You know, I I sort of I'm I'm still holding out some hope for that. But it also comes with a lot of pressure and a lot of points to defend. So that that could go the other way.

same side of the court. Uh they're both so they're leaving a whole more than fifty percent of the court just totally unoccupied. And they're both...

Yeah. Uh yeah, Jasmine, I hope you're okay. Um so we have uh Sabalenka Asaka winner to face Benchic Baptiste. Uh and then the last little section yet to be discussed. Below that's in the top half. So the bottom of the top half. Uh Anne Lee and Layla Fernandez, Anne Lee benefiting obviously from from the retirement of Igor Schwantek. Although it has to be said, she was blooming good, Anne Lee, in that match. She is a gutsy tennis player, is Anne Lee. She's

fun. She she goes for it. Uh winner of that to take on the winner of Mira Andreva against Anna Bondar. Uh Bondar having beaten Alina Pytolina first real I don't know Matt, I feel like you're um y you've got a more ex encyclopedic Alina Svitilina knowledge than me, but first really shock defeat or certainly surprise defeat for Alina Svitelina this season, I would say.

are at the round of sixteen and the bottom half are at the round of thirty two as we record on Monday morning. Uh let's talk about somebody that we find in that in the top half who is through to the round of sixteen, it is nineteen year old local boy Raphael Hodar. Uh not only is he taken apart, Alex Demonour, six three, six one. Talk about a a statement performance there, but then he came back last night

uh in this much anticipated match against fellow nineteen year old Joel von Secker. And he ended up despite cramping in the third set, taking him apart too, eventually, um, after two incredibly tight fought sets, seven six, four six, six one, this match was absolutely

crackling. I mean there was huge anticipation. I was I was pumped for this, the internet was pumped for this, tennis fans everywhere were pumped for this. And yet still, Matt, when I tuned in to watch the coin toss for this, having got myself some refreshments after the the Rebecca Jung match. I was really taken aback by how crackling the atmosphere in w was inside the Kaha Magicer. It takes quite a lot to get that big metal box pumping.

Um and to get the acoustics feeling right and to get it feeling like a proper night session, the way that Arthur Ashe does or, you know, even the main stadium at Indian Wells does for a crackling night session. this felt like that and and the first two sets of it were absolutely electrifying. Like I always have quite a lot of anxiety about matches

that are so anticipated, especially when they've never played before, and I'm a bit like, yeah, it looks great on paper but we just don't know how these games match up together. It could be a could be a total flop. And it was the opposite of that. It for two sets it exceeded all of my expectations. It was breathless. I could not take my eyes off it. It was, you know it was a sort of tennis that makes you throw out takes like, Who needs Syncharaz anyway?

Some of the some of the weaknesses haven't been sort of ironed out yet. There's still some sort of vulnerability there. But basically they're going after the ball in a really in a really fun way. And I was laughing at the audacity of some of the shot making from from both of them, really, in those in those first two sets.

And Hodah I liked the way he used the crowd. Like he obviously like the crowd wasn't fully with him because Von Secke had an enormous amount of support there. But he used what he had. But in a in quite a composed way. He's he he he's not he's not Alcaraz in in that he's, you know, smiling and sort of telling them to come with him and that sort of thing. But he's he he was definitely getting them involved.

in in a way that I hadn't really seen from him before. He's I think he sensed the occasion last night, Hollow, and kind of rose to it and and stepped up to it while while remaining composed. And then was composed in that third set when he was Cramping. And I think Fonseca played a terrible third set, if I'm being honest. Like a a real Having won the second he had the momentum and he had an opponent who was struggling. And unfortunately,

Yeah, I mean look, I I love this match. Can I c just just to offer a tiny bit of um cool on the on on on the fire Can I offer you some slight scepticism from your friend of mine, Matt Fatterman? Of course he had a slightly different take on this.

He said think of the discipline that an Adal or a Djokovic, even a sinner, even to some extent Alcaraz in terms of knowing what shot to use at the right time, had at that young age. And I think that is That is something that I'm certainly seeing with Fonseca a little bit. I don't feel like I've seen enough of Hodar to necessarily to necessarily say that. But I think we can get very lulled in by shop making. I think is basically is basically the point there. And actually kind of when we've seen

Fonseca player, sort of Zverev as he did recently, for example. You know, he had an injection Fonseca that was amazing. But Zverev's sort of steadiness and understanding of when to lock down his game, kind of as you're saying there, Catherine. It's just that we have seen some real great have that trait at a young age and It it was it was a great watch. I don't wanna be down on it, but I think it was a a good point from Matt.

D do do that while you can. It is not sustainable. It made me think of Emma Adecanu in her press conference at the Australian after she lost you know, a terrible match at the Australian Open earlier this year and the writing was on the wall for her coaching relationship with um Francisco Roig and she said I wanna get back to playing how I did when I was younger and playing the w the way that won me the US Open. I thought

I totally understand why you want that and of of course you want that and that seems logical. But I don't think that's possible because that way of playing was only possible because you were eighteen and and unseeded and and y you know, coming through qualifying and not saying she can't find a version of that again, but I don't think she'll ever find that way of playing again, just going for every single return without a care in the world. You know, if we if we could all capture that

element of youthfulness, then, you know, we'd we'd have figured out all the ills of the world, wouldn't we? We'd we'd have it all sorted. So I do like I don't think there's any problem now with with him playing that way, Hodar, but it doesn't necessarily think oh he's gonna be a grandson champ i champion in the in the future because I don't think this style of tennis is actually gonna be

what wins in Grand Slams if he if he does, if that makes sense. Are we a real downer? Are we a piss on the bonfire?

Now that he's got over the back, let's let's hope. Um, but there's a he he's a he already feels like a f a fully grown man who's who's ready to to to just take on anybody physically. Hodar is so sinewy. He is he's rake thin, uh which is fine, you know, that's his build, but I also think he will grow into that frame a bit more as time goes on. He needs to build stamina. I don't think

I don't think his legs are ready for five sets yet, really. Like I I that's my sense. I've seen it a couple of times. But in terms of

I don't feel as though it's unsustainable. I feel that this is his game and that he is not winging away at the ball and I would draw a direct contrast to his opponent here because Fonseca slashes at the ball and you know when he's going for a four hand because of the sound he makes as he hits it. You know it's a different sound to his rally ball. Hot ass Rally Paul Is knocking lumps out of Peter. This is what gets me it's the sheer weight of shots.

without him going for clean winners. And he sometimes even hits clean winners when he does that. So I I think he is a massive problem for people in terms of his actual game. The fact that he knocked Dimenoar off the court for the loss of four games. I think that that is more illuminating than Beaton Fonseca.

Um I just I just think that there are players and I'd probably put Zverev in this camp. Zverev I think if he plays him will put away this idea of wanting to take people out with his first Strike and he'll say, I'm gonna play thirty straight rallies with you and do what I used to do and eventually I'll take you Um but for a while I could imagine Hodar knocking knocking Winners Galore past him early on. You know, it's just I'm just looking into the future. I think this kid is an extraordinary

hitter just just his his just forehand and backhand strike without trying to pull the trigger. And yet he's pull he Yeah and the it's It's it when you look at him you think well where is it?

And look, I'm not down on Holler. I'm I think I think he's fantastic, but I do think it's an interesting point that like we assume he's going to make those physical developments, right? But it they're not easy to make and I think he does have to make them because you know, he needs the extra power in the legs, he needs the endurance, and I think all of that would help him with

being able to have the rally tolerance and stick in rallies, you know, and add some of that sort of layers to his game. But it's a big development to have to make. It's just not it's not a guarantee that it happens, but I really hope it does because I agree with with both of you. Like that strike on the ball is just something else and it was like a kind of

I f I f I kind of felt like for Fonseca it must have been a like you know, there's always a bigger fish kind of situation, right? Where like they brought up that graphic of the groundstroke speed and I've never seen Fonseca not be top of that.

in terms of like average ground stroke speed through a match. Even when he played Cinner the other week, he was top of that. But Hodar was ahead of him, you know, and it that must have been a bit of a shock I think for Fonsecka in and and maybe that explains some of why he didn't he sort of went away in this match and he's still young as well and we shouldn't we shouldn't sort of totally write him off but

It's a fascinating situation to be in, but I suspect to answer your question, Catherine, I suspect at the moment Siner is is far too well rounded and too good a mover and too good an absorption of a lot of that heat that can come from Hodar's racket as well and and I think he would beat him um probably in straight sets. But I do want to see

Where Hodog. I mean it'll still be fun to see where he comes out in the draw because he'd be a low seed and he'd still be scheduled to play one of the high seeds in in round three. Um but slightly less fun, isn't it? Uh so yeah, Cam Norrie is is coming for Yannixon. I do like his attitude, Cam Norrie. You know, in these matches where he's heavy underdog he says um

I'm coming for you, I'm not gonna be afraid. Uh I might lose, but I'm not gonna be afraid. So Nori Sinner to face the winner of Hodar Kapriva. uh uh w the winner of that section to face the winner of the Echevery Fis Lehecha Muzetti section. Uh so we have a potential Fis Mussetti rematch in the quarterfinals if Mussetti can come through Lahechka and Fees.

etcheveri. Um d good signs for Muzzetti, I would say. David. He was one of those where on our in our emergency pod on Friday we were like he should be an aim that we're looking to, you know, in terms of if he falls in the bottom half of the draw, potentially coming through all the way to the final. accept that he's coming coming back from injury and his form and confidence isn't or hasn't been where he's wanted it to be but strides so far I would say in Madrid.

an experience of a player having all the shots and y and utilising them and when to use them. He is a joy to watch. Um he's an artist on the court. Um and actually I've got this little theory built that the injury might end up helping his ho hopes of doing well at Roland Garros because he can't peek too early. You know, he he he last year he reached the final of of Monte Carlo.

Um and then he got injured uh in the in that final. And we've seen that before from him. And and he's been frankly written off really since the since the Australian Open because he just hasn't been able to play properly and he's not looked right. And nobody's making any Song dance about him at the moment. Suddenly Al Kraz is out, who's one of his biggest problems.

Like th when you think of matchups, Alkraz just is always the guy that I mean I'm sure Siner and we've seen Cinner beat him very handily as well. But look if he does end up in the other half of the draw to Cinner I think he's got a real chance because As as as long as his body holds up, because he's building confidence right.

I don't necessarily expect him to go that far in Madrid. You know, I think if he if he wins through these two next matches I think he'll have done incredibly well. But I bet you when he gets to Rome he's looking better than he is now. Rome's a better suit, it's a it's more closely aligned with Roland Garros. I think he is gonna be significant in the next month. As long as he can just stay fit. I can see the confidence building in

Just he doesn't feel like he's got that much control over the ball. He hi he's hitting long quite a lot. Um but the fact is he he he's a he's a winner. He's a he is a clutch player. Like he wins a lot of tie breaks and a lot of important matches where it looks like he's gonna lose. And I I remember I know I know we had a r a f a recent match with him and Mazzetti in in Barcelona that that's a good reference point, but I still don't think that's the real Mazzetti yet.

But I always remember and it wasn't a match I saw, but I remember Matt Futterman telling us about a match they played in India Wells last year that kinda made him feel glad to be alive. You know, it's one of those sort of final set tie break matches of two young players just playing driving a crowd wild and and so that would be a

a very good little marker, I think, for them both. Um but I just yeah As sad as it is about Al Kraz, I j I just think it makes all the other players a bit more interesting and and there are some some interesting players jockeying and trying to build something in the next few weeks.

Daniel Medvedev still in the draw. It was in... Was it in Madrid where Medvedev had his Illuminati moment? I think it was. Wh he was questioning the Something to I think it was something to do with electronic line calling and the umpire referenced uh they he said they they say it's fine or that you know, he the umpire referenced sort of powers that be.

mewn gwirionedd mewn gwirionedd mewn gwirionedd mewn gwirionedd mewn gwirionedd mewn gwirionedd So Medvedev, he plays Nikolai Budkov-Kyar, who beat Denis Shapovalov, who got booed off the court after that performance.

Uh Flavio Kaboli is still going strong. Bottom of the draw we've got Alexander Zverev who loves Madrid, two term former champion, and he faces Terence Atman later on today. Matt Tell us about Terence Atman's win over countryman and fellow lefty Ugo and Bear in the previous round.

Truly some of the worst tennis you can possibly play against an injured opponent. Like rule number one, right? Make them play, make them move. And he didn't do either of those things. He coughed up errors, he didn't try any drop shots. He totally fell to pieces and yeah, there's a pretty cold handshake between the two of them. I I I you know, obviously they're both French. I get the feeling that Atman is a little Um

you know, he was definitely taking way more than twenty five seconds between points, you know, and the umpire was not enforcing that. I mean he was literally taking about a minute sometimes'cause he was on the floor. I mean he couldn't he couldn't get up, he couldn't move. ac yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n He confronted the umpire uh backstage.

P kinda got it together in like the last couple of points of the tie break. But it should have been over by then. The ship the set should have been won by Umbear and yeah, that was That was a a really a really poor moment from Bear.

I actually think, you know, and I know uh I I think they should be thinking like that. I know a healthy amount of delusion is necessary for tennis players, but I think the level of delusion that has been required for the likes of Casparude Félix Orgelia sef, Stefanos Sitsapas, to really believe that they can beat Yannick Sinna and Carlos Alcaraz, potentially, back-to-back.

Well, it's in the not healthy amount of delusion category, like it's in the ludicrous category. So I I I think one of them being gone looking at it as as that kind of an opportunity.

category I would say with the well certainly for Feast with the with the heavy forehand. Gary Nathan wrote a piece this week about Feast sort of comparing him to team a little bit with that heavy forehand. Um so yeah like Look at us. We're finding we're finding the positives in the Yeah.

Welcome back to part three of today's tennis podcast. Just before we get on to the uh pretty pretty big uh bit of news from the WTA about Portia Archer intending to uh step down uh from her role as CEO of the WTA. An an update on something we were discussing last week, Marketta von Drosheva's um anti doping case which is ongoing at the moment. I said I would make inquiries with the ITIA. uh about their policy on the uh gender of testers and in particular testers that were sent

uh, to players' homes. Um and uh we have received a response from the ITIA. They've been very helpful. Um in fact they listened to the pod and preemptively uh sent a response to my inquiry before I'd even had to reach out to them. So I really appreciate that. They said the gender of the tester always matches the player, whether they are tested at an event

or out of competition at their home, hotel, etcetera. Um in terms of Vondroschev's case, they said it's treated as any other doping case. The player will have every opportunity to put their side of the story and provide any supporting evidence. and the tribunal is independent of the ITIA. Uh four years is the maximum uh term of ban that Von Droscheva could be subject to because

It is a fundamental part of any testing programme in sport, in any sport that you cannot refuse a test. If the consequence of of that was a small sanction then it would be open season for those who choose to dope to take a lesser sanction than if they tested positive. Of course, the panel will look at any mitigations and they will make the ultimate decision on the level of fault and therefore the appropriate sanction. You also mentioned resource.

And this is something we are aware of. We do have some support available for players which we launched launched last year. Um and uh they've provided a a link to uh details about that support. We can pop that in our show notes perhaps. ac mae hynny'n hynny'n hynny'n hynny'n hynny'n hynny'n hynny'n hynny yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n So a helpful response there from the ITIA. And any updates on the Vondroshova case, we will, of course, keep you posted.

On to the WTA and some pretty big news from them this week. This from a WTA statement. Portia Archer has informed us of her decision to step down from her role as CEO effective april twentieth ahead of her contract renewal. We are working through a transition plan for the leadership of the WTA Tour and will share an update on this by mid May. Porsche has made important contributions to our tournaments, our players in the advancement of women's tennis.

Among her achievements, she expanded into new markets, championed player first initiatives, enhanced safeguarding standards, drove technological innovation, and worked tirelessly to strengthen the WTA's role in the broader tennis. I I suspect, David, that this is not unrelated to the situation that we've been talking about.

with Saudi Arabia, you know, they mention in in the statement there among her achievements she expanded into new markets. Well one of those was Saudi Arabia. It's been reported in the last couple of weeks that the WTA would have liked that arrangement, that deal, that contract for Riyadh to host the WTA finals to continue beyond the original uh contract of three years, so to continue beyond this year, but that Saudi Arabia aren't interested

in that that's a lot of chips that the WTA, led by Portia Archer, put on Saudi Arabia. You know, they they sacrificed a lot for the benefits that they were receiving from that arrangement and and the fact that against their will. It's it's been Well, it it it's ending. Um I dunno, I s I suspect that that felt unsurvivable, I don't know. What w what's your reaction to this news?

got a roaring crowd and hasn't got the human rights issues that Saudi Arabia has got, then all good. Um it difficult to it's such a short amount of time, isn't it? Three years. One cycle for a leader of that. level that it it's d d I find it difficult to to Hell how much? has been achieved. Really, yes, there was that move to Saudi Arabia. They also she also led the uh the investigation into um Stefano Vukov, um which was then you know, he he he was suspended and then he was unsuspended. Um

But it's it's it just feels like that's not enough time to follow much through and make really m material change to me. Um, but I don't know her reasons. Um so Uh I guess we'll wait and see if she comes out with anything. But it but these are important positions to fill and I I want I want it to be a position filled by a woman and to sort of to have that leadership. Um, I feel I feel like there's so much good about women's tennis right now, both in terms of the field of players

the fact that Mercedes have come on board. Um, this is a great opportunity now to drive Era, really, um, and I hope they make the right decision.

after the Madrid men's final that is scheduled for eight PM. UK time unless it turns out to be an absolute epic and we we have to delay that. But provisional planning uh and it it should be okay. We should be safe. Uh eight PM UK time, Sunday night. uh for kind of next week's Monday pod, if you like. We will also be recording over the coming weeks our next two editions of Tennis Relived for Friends of the Tennis Podcast, our series where we uh tell stories from tennis's rich history.

Um and uh our Roland Garrett's issue of Tennis Relived is gonna focus on Nicola Pietrangeli. And our Wimbledon uh edition of Tennis Relived for this year is gonna focus on the men's tournament in nineteen ninety six won to to everybody's surprise, most people's surprise, by Richard Krychek.

uh he beat Malawi Washington in uh in a very surprising final, surprising for a number of reasons. Not least and I know that this is what springs to mind for a lot of people when they think of the nineteen ninety six Wimbledon men's finals Um there was a streaker. There was a streaker before that match and We would like to speak to that streaker for this edition of Tennis Relived for important journalistic reasons, David, genuinely. Um

She was called she is called Melissa Johnson. She was twenty three in nineteen ninety six, which would make her fifty three now. Um she did do an interview with the sun a couple of years ago, which makes me think that She's not desperately trying she she's not in a witness protection programme. She's not desperately trying to uh to distance herself from from nineteen ninety six. So this is a come and get me plea, folks, to Melissa Johnson.

Um I'm desperate to track track you down, Melissa. If you know if you are Melissa or if you know Melissa or you know someone who knows Melissa or you know someone who knows Melissa's dog walker, um Please get in touch and let us know. Info at tennis podcast dot net. Um or you can get on the barge. Maybe we'll start a streaker uh thread on the barge.

yw yw yw yw yw yw yw yw yw yw yw yw yw yw yw yw yw yw yw men's final in the aftermath, um because we do important journalism here at the tennis podcast. And we are nothing. Arson Sun. We are nothing if not completest in our approach to tennis relived. Uh so there it is, I'll come and get me plea for Melissa Johnson. Folks we have two mascots for this episode. It is Delilah and Jug.

And they are owned by Caroline Carolyn and Fran. Carolyn writes, My wife Fran and I adopted both Delilah and Jug in twenty nineteen. This is the third year uh for Delilah, who's the Siamese cat, and the second year oh no, sorry, third year for Delilah and first year for Jug, uh who's the American short hair cat. I'm looking at a picture of them both. Um Jug uh prefers watching figure skating. Yes, Jug.

but is supportive of his mum's tennis viewing, Delilah is happy to lounge around and shows tepid interest in television. Uh they are adorable. Unclear from the photo whether they're friends, I'm gonna choose to believe that they are. But you never know with cats. I had two cats growing up and they were not friends. One of them wanted to be, one of them didn't. And for a friendship to bloom, you've both got to be on the same page.

Uh they're lovely. I do like a Siamese cat. Um Jog is lovely too, but Delilah is Delilah's a real beauty. You're both beautiful. I I have no favourites. Uh thank you Carolyn and Fran for bringing Delilah and Jug to today's show. Hello to our mascots, Spodie Maisie and Roger. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff. And Matt, let's have some shout outs.