Rome brings drama, but boycott talk dominates

The big news story that broke on the eve of the tournament fueled by some pretty punchy quotes from a number of top players from the the men's and the women's side threatening in a very nonspecific way a boycott if their complaints about grand slam prize money are grumbled at We've been hearing at various different volumes for a while now. If their complaints about prize money and player benefits at the slams are not listened to

and acted upon. So despite an overall year on year prize money increase of nine point five percent for twenty twenty six that Roland Garros announced a couple of weeks ago, that brings the total prize money pot to seventy two. point three million dollars. The top tens of the WTA and the ATP expressed what they called collective disappointment. Rwy'n gweithio'r gweithio'r gweithio'r gweithio'r gweithio'r gweithio'r gweithio'r gweithio'r gweithio'r gweithio'r

is very often compared to US sports leagues, where the players' revenue share is often close to, if not more than, certainly hovering around the 50% mark. Irina Sabalenka was... the punchiest of the lot, she said at some point we will boycott. Um and then lots of other players echoed those sentiments. Quite a lot of them said, Well if th there's a boycott happening I'll definitely join in.

Um Rabatkness said yeah, I mean if there is one then I'm up for it. Um Coco Goff said that, uh Novak Djokovic um echoed those sentiments as well, Charlie. I know that um the Athletic, you and uh Ava Wallace have done a lot of reporting on this over the last week. And look they are anytime the the B word comes up in tennis, even if it is an empty threat, who knows? It's a big deal.

So I guess, yeah, how fair is that comparison? Like are the financial structures of Grand Slams comparable to the financial structures of those US sports leagues that are held up as the benchmark?

fifty percent figure. I mean it is different. Obviously most of those sports have like a league and that sort of thing, whereas an obvious difference is this is four separate entities. And just on a practical level, I do think that does make things really difficult. And that's been something that has come up again and again in conversations with players this week, is that it's so fragmented. So it is very difficult to

the kind of straight answers even that these players want. And and Yannick Sinner said this in his press conference. He was like, if this was any other sport, I feel like the top players would be listened to straight away. Um and you know, I've asked a few players about that as well and I think they do agree with it. And I think one of the reasons is that

there is a sense that it's so hard because all four even all four of the different Sams, you know, it's not like they they're all a kind of homogeneous being. We're at a point where one of them has a has taken a separate point of view in a lawsuit to three of the others. Like it's so it's so divided. I th I mean we would be talking about a monumental increase to get towards like a fifty percent mark and I think the players, like I say, it is more about kinda at this point it's that twenty two

percent figure. I think as well for ATP only events it's around thirty percent. It's a bit higher. Um so obviously you know, the the amount of the s proportion wise for the slams, uh, it is a fair bit often should say as well. And I think sometimes the players, some are good at articulating this, some less so. It is it it isn't about them or at least that

that's given um by the group as a whole. That it's not about making sure that Yannick Sinna and Arina Sabalenka get more money. It's about players further down the pyramid. To be fair to the F F T as well, like most of their increases have been aimed at that level of player and there have been some really big increases at that level, um, you know, over the last few years.

No, the tour yeah, the tournament only started that day, but it was really you know, often those media days could be quite slow, but this was like straight bang into it. I think when you actually then drill into it a bit, having spoken to other players and people involved with this group, there haven't been like formal discussions about a boycott. Like we're quite a a long way off that.

And you know, it's not again, talking about the slams not being homogenous. I've the the sense I've been given is that it's there's a wide there's a a big spectrum of views from different players. But certainly You know, it it it's a it's a big attention grabbing, you know, it's a thing to say, you know, that that boycott word. I still think

there are enough players you know they really don't want to do it as well. That's the thing. They they really don't want to do it. Because Like and I and I'm just sceptical the extent to which You know, they would. Like it would take so much, especially as they they w it would be an essentially selfless act. And how often do elite athletes act selflessly? Like everything about them is geared towards winning?

And if they actually stopped and thought about it, they're like, do I wanna like win fewer Grand Slams for the sake of the number hundred in the world? Be an amazing thing to do if they did. But but I and and then there's this separate thing which Sinna talks about like what it's about is a question of respect, um which I totally get. But again, is Yannick Sinner gonna sacrifice Grand Slams because he feels a bit disrespected? Like

I'd be pr I'd be amazed, quite frankly. And then I mean, yeah, Coca Goff did make that quite funny point. She was like, Yeah, I probably wouldn't do it if I was on my own. I'd be quite annoyed if like I went out and then turned around and I realised no one else was doing it. I mean, it would have to be like a big

bit of collective action and like how long have we been covering tennis? Like, how hard is it to get anything organised collectively, let alone something this significant and on this scale.

It's not an age of activists, is it, in the sport? I mean David could you ever envisage in reality not just

the lower rank and file. And there is absolutely a a fair principle, I think, that The sport is doing incredibly well. How come we're only getting this percentage of it? It's just that that percentage of it is an enormous amount as well. So

It's a pretty difficult one to win in the in in the eyes of the public, I think. Uh y yes, you you'll certainly get fan bases and and people who understand tennis and and and people in the business I think be more sympathetic, but I think if you were to stop the random in the street, that they're not gonna have a huge amount of sympathy for this position compared to say And I won't.

What might have been the case with Nikki Pillich back in the day? I I wasn't around at that time to to know. But, you know, that was an incredible stamp. all those people, all those men prepared to stop. I remember Billie Jean King telling us we were happy we would have been happy to join them in that in that as well. Um but they didn't ask. They didn't care about us. Um so they created their their own association instead at the same time. Um I would be

to to to quote Charlie, uh I I'd be I'd be feeling the same about that. I mean, Andy Roddick did put huge pressure on them many years ago, um, as as he tried to drive some change and and argue this point and

and had some success. I mean, put pressure on, but but trying to actually get the players to come with you is another matter. And then we I actually think that this group because they've made it quite a small group with the most power, it feels like it it is actually one that you could wield something and make something happen. Because you don't have to try and get sixty people to do it. You're trying to get twenty people to do it and they happen to be the biggest names in the sport.

um you can get them in the room and have a conversation say you can put your name to a letter on behalf of all of them. They've had Larry Scott involved who's just the most incredible administrator and understanding of of the business. You know, and he he he was able to help along with Billie Jean King and Venus Williams and and and one or two others drive the equal prize money back in two thousand seven at Wimbledon. You know, these were

This is a this is a guy who knows about this stuff. We've covered him on on Tennis Reelived as well. So I feel like they've already they've already made s significant strides quietly and almost Correct me if I'm wrong, Charlie. Almost namelessly because y they have a name but they're not really doing the the public thing in quite the same way. They're talking about being a group of twenty players, the top m ten men and women, um And a le and letters on behalf of them.

E meanwhile you've got the Professional Tennis Players Association. Well what are they now? I can't quite re you know, y you you're trying to remember what they are and oh, there's also an association of tennis professionals tour. There's a players' union there, a players' council there as well. So Considering all that, I think they've actually done quite well. But

I don't know whether Sabalenka was sent in to try to drop that grenade and get the get Tong's wagon. I suspect she probably just said it. And okay, they're words, but I d I I don't believe that that's going to suddenly happen.

This is based on lots of conversations I've been having with other players and kind of negotiations I've been having. I think it was more this is how I feel. I'm annoyed at this situation and I'm just gonna say that, which does carry a lot of weight.

And then yeah, they did it. The Seng Less went late in July and the few got added, like Jack Draper,'cause he was outside of the top ten in February or whatever it was of twenty twenty five and then was in. So I mean, yeah, that's another thing. Like th there will Or there kind of has to be a fluidity'cause you the rankings don't pause in time.

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Slightly bizarre ones. We had Marta Kostiuk uh withdraw prior to the tournament, following on from her Madrid title. I don't think that was any great shock to anybody, probably quite a cautious Sensible decision. The news took a while to reach Sam Query on the tennis channel, whose social media team have totally thrown him under the bus.

Um we had the very, very bizarre withdrawal, Charlie, of Emma Radicanu. Talk us through what happened there because you were you were in the room, you were present for all of it.

she was gonna pull out. Like honestly, she seemed um yeah, she seemed so much better. And then at seven PM the email went out uh saying she pulled out. And it was just it was so Like'cause I first saw it, there a tweet went out. Uh just saying like Radokani's put from one of those like entry update um the entry update feed. Um and it was like a a genuine like disbelief, like me and the reporters around me

Most of whom had, you know, started writing their piece on kind of Emma Radakanu says she's turned a corner as she, you know, plays her first event in a couple of months. Um And yeah, it was a real like double take moment. And then obviously do your checks. Is this genuine? And then yeah, I was informed at seven PM. So half an hour after talking to us, the email went out. And obviously

That doesn't just happen straight away or and nothing would have happened in that intervening half an hour. Um very strange.

person, uh, Emma Stewart was there. Or sort of like as we walked off, she was kinda there waiting. So I don't know, maybe they had a conversation and at that point like fully decided. But It it was just all yeah, it was all very strange because I I you know, I think it would have been a far more productive to have a conversation with our even to just be like, Look, just to give you a heads up, I am gonna pull out, this is why I'm doing it, I feel a lot better, but I'm just not quite there.

And that just wouldn't have been a story, really. I mean, maybe maybe it would have been well, I'm sure, you know, bad faith people would have said, Oh, you know, she's missing another tournament, etc. etc. But She's g you're missing if you're missing the tournament, you're missing the tournament. At least kind of get in front of it and and explain what's going on. Now I think everyone was just left being like, Well, what's going on here? Because this is such a an odd situation.

it had been a very terse kind of media briefing and there was definitely a sense that something was up. Whereas yeah, this time that it was nothing like that. It was all all really positive and and upbeat seeming.

Other withdrawals. Probably the big one is Amanda Anissimova. She withdrew before her opening match against Elena Ostapenko with an ongoing wrist injury, which sounds a bit of a worry, quite frankly. Um we'd just got the news that she's She's working with the coach Sebastian Sachs on a on a trial basis. So Sebastian Sachs seems to got himself into a Greg Rosetsky type situation.

signed up to coach an injured player. When will they get off the starting line? Who can say? Um Matt has had some input in the agenda here. Matt who is on another golfing holiday. Um is is he a is he a professional golfer, David, or is he a tennis podcaster?

six three, seven five by Savannah Steyer, who is surely having the greatest retirement season of all time. Um she was brilliant. Notable assists from Belinda Bencic, who was bizarrely sitting in Saronica Steyer's box throughout, despite having a match of her own a couple of hours later which she promptly went and lost. And she was sort of contributing to the coaching with she's good friends with Saranica Steyer.

Um not often you see that, particularly when the player has a has a match later that day. She was into it. Um and a a very heavy assist by the looks of things, th certainly in the latter stages. uh from a worrying looking lower back injury for for Rena Sabalenka. She says it's her lower back slash hip and she said it was limiting rotation and David, you sounded pretty worried by what you were seeing in the after stages of that map.

I was really struck by a couple of winners that went by that she just didn't run to and she had she had some some attention to her her back there on the court. She just looked uncomfortable. Um and look, you know, you can you can injure your back or you can you can get a twinge like that and it may be maybe a while a few days of rest and and so forth and and then you back up and at it. But and I suspect that's probably what this will end up being. Um

But equally, this is not the three week spell I was expecting to see from Marina Sabalenka. You know, where I think we we had a podcast a couple of weeks ago and I said I'd be quite surprised if it's not a Sabalanka or a back in a final and then they both lost, you know and

And I t I was saying at that time that I felt maybe Rebecca's overplaying. Well she looks okay at the moment it's Sabalenko who's the one who's had all the time off, who's who looks physically impeded, but I I would have thought that it ac that it really matters for Sabalenka to have

you know, to win one of these two tournaments and to be flying when she goes into Rolling Garros. Not to say she can't do it. I I mean I think you you could end up getting an extra week's rest and end up benefiting it from it at at Rolling Garros. But Given this is not the one she's won before, I don't have as much confidence that she's just gonna come in and be fine.

Um but take the injury out of it, let's say it's nothing, she's over it in a couple of days, it doesn't affect her at Roland Garros. This is still really suboptimal preparation for Roland Garros. Like this is

It's quite unnerving when you see players who are who are so reliable then on the very rare occasion when they don't do it. It i I guess it is quite a hard match to evaluate because we don't know how much was down to how physically impaired she was. I mean she did s she did reference that after. She said it was it it was an issue. Costa played amazingly well and I think is

is quite a good person to kind of exploit um an opponent's weakness and she's not gonna be intimidated, a rollover. An incredible win for her and she did play extremely well. It's a sign as well though of Sabalanka's Unbelievable fighting spirit that even after that uh medical timeout, she still broke back on the first occasion when and she was like wincing in pain, and it was just through sort of force of will and maybe Costello getting a little bit nervous.

But it is really interesting because in the space of She's lost two out of her last three matches now, Sabalenka. And in the space of that time, you know, going into that Baptiste match, and even when she was a set up or when she had those match points, it was y you were still thinking of her as like

Dominant world number one, big favorite for French Open with Rabakana, maybe Shvontek. And now all of a sudden only she had those losses, there's an injury concern. And I don't think there's any certainty around her now.

It was tough. It felt it felt inevitable even though she had those match points somehow. Um and maybe now she's got that Rome title defence out of the way and having this top ten tag around her neck out of the way, I don't know, maybe it'll free her up. Maybe the Problems run deeper than that. Time will tell. Uh it is Mira Andreva next for Elisa Mertens. Um let's talk about Coco Got. She survived her opener against the Sierra.

uh points during this match yesterday, Charlie. And she she c gave some very frank comments after the match saying, um, thing she's had things off the court that she's been trying to get through. She said it's been going on for a few months and She has good days and bad days, but it It's a tough watch for Coho Golf right now, which means she'll probably go on and win the tournament, obviously.

Yeah, it was. I mean, it was like watching Andre Rublev on a bad day, quite frankly. Like there was a lot of smashing her head with her racket, smashing her head with her hand. Like it was really uncomfortable, sort of frequent acts of self yeah, of self flagellation. Um and yeah, we spoke to her afterwards. I mean i because I I found it quite reminiscent of that period towards the end of

Brad Gilbert in twenty twenty four of her working with Brad Gilbert in twenty twenty four. Wha those defeats to Emma Navarro at Wimbledon in the US Open where, you know, she was kind of despairing to her box and it was quite an uncomfortable watch. And then she talked about how she didn't want to play like that anymore.

Um so I I wondered if it was something to do with that. But yeah, she she spoke after about how yeah, it was stuff happening, uh, you know, kind of personal stuff. Um which yeah, I mean, you know, pla players go through things and you know, have days where they just don't really want to be out there. But it's a job like any other and they have to. And she talked about the fact as well that I she didn't say this. She said just that, you know, there are lots of people

in her team and things like that as well. And she wanted to go out for them. And that's I guess different from most of us, because if most people don't show up for work, whatever there aren't you know, people as directly affected maybe. Or may maybe for some people they are, but yeah, that was that was

You know, it can't have been easy having to then talk I'm sure she really didn't want to talk about it. And she said she was like, It's hard because she was like, I always wanna be candid and honest, but that's about my tennis. I can't go into personal stuff, which is obviously completely understandable and as well, you just hope that there isn't, you know, a ton of speculation and that kind of thing which

in start to enjoy it a bit more on the you know, cause sometimes players find it a bit of a sanctuary being on court. Um you know, kind of and they're able to switch off and go into a different mindset. But yeah, she was just hating it. I mean it was the weirdest thing. She won the second set, six last

And she looked like she was hating every minute of it. There was n like if you were watching that and you were asked like what what's the score of this seven? If you were telling that that player had just won the set six level

Not s like e you know, y and we're we all get in those moods that even when you're when you're in such a mood that even like good things you're annoyed they kind of annoy you in some way as well. You're just like, Oh well yeah, of course I've hit this good shot now. Why couldn't I've done that, you know, when it was tight in the first set that I lost and uh Yeah, but um yeah, at least you won. I mean it that's the th overall though, I mean I've written about

It's been a we talk endlessly about how these you know first week of these two week masters are so slow and so boring and nothing happens. I feel like this was a pretty action packed first week. Like lots of upsets, lots of intrigue, lots of off court stuff. Th i there was loads going on. Um and and this this was you know, this felt like this might be kind of the story of that Saturday. And then obviously

Sabelenka goes and loses and there's Fonseca, Majedovic, like there was there was loads happening. And Oje Aliasima, don't think it's you know, he he did an underarm serve because he was cramping so badly down match point and saved it. And then lost the next match point. Like it was a pretty wacky day and a wacky week overall.

In practice?

And I'm sure he's going at you know, he's a competitive person, I'm sure he's like absolutely going at it. Stretches, tears his Achilles. But apparently is like and in front this is like in front of the watching public apparently like really holds it together. It like barely shows any emotion.

hoisting himself around on crutches, he's watching with big bandage on his leg. I mean he looks seriously uncomfortable. And then it's like, well how how is he gonna coach? I mean, obviously, you know, this is like a nine month recovery period and he's gonna be there just sort of on the side, watching and encouraging, I guess.

failed to serve the match out twice. It got very got very tense. Did this match for Igor Schwantek had the had a lot of the hallmarks of one of those matches that we've seen a lot of recently that Shantek seemed in total control of and then suddenly it's slipping away and it Like she's in quicksand button. She got it together um and boy did she get it together in her second match that we've just watched against Elisabetta Cocharetto just absolutely blew her away.

against Cochoretto. Yeah, I I I think McNally is a player who who is just so different, she can ask questions that the vast majority just don't. And she totally believes in her own game. She's I think she gets a kick out of the fact that her game is A different and B affects people.

Um and and I think the biggest thing is she's just so happy to be back'cause she's just had such a a terrible time with injury. Um And it there was quite quite a warmth at the net because uh uh Sriantech knew she knew she'd been pushed and it had been hard work and it had been

stressful and tiring and and and McNally knew that she'd done that to her as well and kind of almost got the win and I think that they both they both enjoyed that match in a in s in some strange sort of way. Um but I don't know, I I think all ultimately This is all part of the building of um as Fiontek back into the player she wants to be on clay.

And it's not guessing, it's like educated guesswork. She kept reading where Shriante was gonna go. There was one point where Shriante was right up at the net, lets the ball bounce, and it's basically just, you know, put away an easy shot. McNally rushes forward herself to meet it on the volley. It was incredible and she got it back. She she lot ended up losing the point. But it was like an extraordinarily kind of vacuum.

kamikaze tactic, but worked. And that was what won her the tie break. She got there she got some shots that somehow landing in, but it did feel like a consequence of the fact that she kept reading where Sviontek was going. Because Shvantek got dragged into that third set because she was putting herself in winning positions but just couldn't quite finish the point. But I think it'll be good practice, you know, th that kind of more patient point construction. It wasn't the Shriontech we've seen

you know, for much of the last year where she's kind of got a bit ragged and gone for too much. Like this was this was more patient and and more sustainable. Hmm.

She's looking pretty good as well.

at the at the opposite extremes of their talent in a way, because they're Baptiste is too good to be losing like that, really, most of the time. But yeah, everything Svicilina hit was coming off. She's she's been really good at this tournament before. Wouldn't be surprised to me like to use the mix analogy, I wouldn't be at all surprised if she ended up winning this tournament. But as a favourite

Yeah, I think I'd still go with one of the two you've mentioned. Um, especially as Goff doesn't look happy at the moment. I mean, you know, she's the reigning French Open champion, so I think you've always gotta put her in in that conversation as well. But Rebecca looks serene and Shanet looks like she's building. So it's a really interesting tournament. Does it doesn't feel categorical?

I don't mean maybe Waterwave is a favourite for that. I d I don't know.

Yeah, a little bit, exactly. Like, absolutely. But w she should be really confident. And like how impressive after that Madrid Open run, as you say, to go and qualify. Like, you know, that's that's a pretty tricky turnaround and pretty you know, it's kind of a rankings quirk that she had to do that.

Um and yeah, that Barton Cova win has aged pretty well. Incidentally, I asked Pot Pova Potpova was asked about Barton Cover and how impressed she was. And she was like, Yeah, I would just she was kinda blown away by how good She was and she's been a really fun story this last week here.

Um, just finally before we move on to the men, uh wanted to touch upon the um Alexandra Olinikova story from this week that um's got quite a lot of coverage. Charlie, I know you've covered it and and talked to her as well. this week. So um Olenikova, um, who's been making herself more and more relevant this year, career high ranking of sixty eight in the world right now. You know, she's getting into these

the main draws consistently. She's making herself uh increasingly a factor. She lost to Linda Noskova in uh in round two in Rome, but She had posted while she was still in the tournament, um to Instagram some criticism of the WTA for what she considers attempts to effectively silence her. She said in the Instagram post that she's been threatened with fines of tens of thousands of dollars and with disqualification by the WTA.

over her criticism of specific Russian and Belarussian tennis players, including uh Belarusian world number one Irina Sabalenko. I mean that's that's quite a story.

Uh her flat back in Kiev has they've been you know, it's shaken because of drone strike. She's been left without water and all of this stuff. She's got like all the

na you know, naming as well,'cause that's the thing as well, that often pla players will kind of talk in generality. She didn't. She talked about Sabalenko and she made some allegations about Sabalenko as well in in respect of Lukashenko, the Belarussian president. Um so this is not a story I don't think that's gonna go away because you know, I asked her about you know, you're are you gonna Keep talking about this. Are you you know

Are you gonna refuse to be silenced because in she alleges that attempts have been made to do that? And she basically says, Uh, yeah, I've decided you know, I can't I can't do anything else. I have to I have to do this.

All such complaints should be forwarded to the Supervisor Player Relations or WTA operation. I mean, isn't that extraordinary? Imagine if that was actually adhered to. Pla players would just would be getting w would be would uh will be breaching that every tournament. I mean, we we're we're here discussing a potential boycott. But I guess, you know, more pertinently or more actually enforceable, there is a bit um

Also in the heart it also in the rule book talking about um yeah, disparaging uh or being you know, things that be harmful or prejudicial to against any person, group or people, tournament sponsor, player official, the WTA, the WTA tour. So I think it y you know, it it's trying to stop people from singling other people out. And b uh because if if done in bad faith, obviously that would be pretty irresponsible if you had like a leading player

calling out a lesser ranked player and inciting a pylon or worse. Um but yes, it i it is I mean th they'cause obviously we put this to the WTA heck because they're such serious allegations. And they didn't address the allegation specifically, but they do talk about how it is like an extremely delicate situation. Which it is. Let's not pretend it's easy when bec you know, no sport is affect is as affected by

the Russia Ukraine war as tennis, I don't think even close. The fact that it's there are so many, especially on the WTA side. There are so many top women's players from Russia and from Ukraine and it's an individual sport and you have this moment at the end of each match where there's a handshake and so there's this kind of ready made crucible for all these tensions.

to be exposed. Um and, you know, this is coming off the back of the Kostchuk Andreva final. So it i it is extremely pertinent. And actually Svitolina was asked about uh Olnikova earlier today and whether she'd had much contact with her. Um and she said she hasn't really been able to fully engage with this story but wants to um and kind of understand more of what's going on.

Yeah. Dropping like flies, apart from Yannick Sinner and Alexander Zverov, who seem on a collision course to meet in a another thoroughly underwhelming final. Um let Start, shall we, David, with um the breaking news that a group chat has been renamed.

He looked like one of Djokovic's first clones, you know, one of the sort of people that has just very clearly admired him growing up and and he he has indeed, he's idolized him. He's actually Croatian as opposed to Serbian, but he He's got a similar build. similar kind of way of moving on the baseline, doing the sort of front on, uh leg splay def defensive

strokes, he's got he he's he's certainly developed a whiplash forehand. We've we've learnt that over the last uh uh few days. Um and and I mean after that incredible result or or performance against Djokovic which he ended up losing, I think I think it was very easy to get carried away and assume that this guy is already here and arrived. He was 18 at the time. He he's not been able to break through into the the the full AT B tour. I mean a lot of that is injury based. He he's been very

Suddenly he's started qualifying for a lot of big tournaments. You know, he's been in that sort of ranking zone and if you look at his results throughout the year, a lot of it is qualified, qualified, qualified, might not have won many matches, but was getting into the draws. Suddenly he's he's made some progress in in draws over the last month, and now he's beaten Djokovic.

Djokovic's first match in a long time and frankly l looked in really i ill health himself. Uh he was actually sick on court, wasn't he? He was in a bad way after a very good first set for him. Um but he just got ground down and then

Prismit's gone and backed it up again today, um w with a with a good win. So you know Who knows what his future holds but it's not Look, I'm I'm a bit biased to the Croatians, having a Croatian wife, um and uh and and been waiting for a uh a a male player to come along who could do something from Croatia and he he certainly looks promising.

was I mean, was not okay in that match, was he telling? I mean there were lots of rumours circulating that he wasn't even gonna gonna take to the court. He had one of those kind of power outages, um the I mean, was was definitely circumstantial. I mean he was clearly suffering with something. But we have also seen these from Novat Djokovic, haven't we? We saw a bit of one in the Australian Open final where he just suddenly

So I said like w like why? Because obviously that worked pretty well last year and he just said like the decision's been made. It's quite strange. I mean, given he's played this year even less Or or no, I guess the same, wasn't it,'cause he lost he just played Madrid and went out in the first round or his first match.

Yeah, he he he he wasn't able to do it. I mean it was it was actually Sabalenko was then quite reminiscent because even though clearly, yes, Prismit was playing an ailing opponent, it's still bloody hard to put away someone who's so bloody minded and so good. um and so used to winning and and Prismit did really well, especially as like the atmosphere on court was it was like Davis Cup style. I mean it was so pro Novak and he talked about that afterwards.

You know, obviously he still he just he really appreciates that kind of love wherever he goes. Um so Prismage still did pretty well to to keep his composure. And as you say, Catherine, backing it up, how many times you've seen a player not doing it, that that was really impressive. Again, he uh you know, he he feels pretty serious. Like he's he's not messing around.

Apparently really good because they all are. Um this was a real worry though for Artifiece. It was instantly, you know, just so instantly looked like a problem. Uh, went off court for a medical timeout, came back on, tried to continue playing, so obviously needed to stop, mercifully did stop. um didn't try and play through it. He uh has uh given a statement afterwards saying uh it was pain in the hip, um needs to do some tests, doesn't want to take any risks.

ahead of Ronald Garros. It is a worry.

You know, um It's it's been too good to be true almost his comeback and

We'll find out then. I guess, you know, that's that and I remember that happening But what what concerns me is that's what happened after he managed to beat Jame Munar at Roland Garros in that incredible match and somehow got through it and

And I just hope against hope. And I would for anybody. Obviously I after Feast is my favourite player. I definitely want him to be able to Sure what he can do at Roningaros, you know, fully fit, but it's scary to think that that he might have another problem of that ilk, so let's just keep the fingers crossed that he hasn't.

the whole time and is clearly worsening physical condition in this feeling that if he doesn't get it done in two, I don't think he's got a third set in him and I I rather worry that he doesn't have a A third match in him against Caspar Rood. I I think he's he's on the mega worry list, I'm afraid.

But yeah, how much longer does that story have to run here? Um and and then you worry for the French. And I mean last year he you know it Easy to forget, he led Alcraz by a set in the semi final. Um and then his body gave out then. Just like it did in Australia where yeah, where he was two sets up against Novak. So yeah, another play you just wish could stay healthy, but you you do worry about the the durability and I mean I do think this the clay court season as it is now.

And Cinner maybe is making a mockery of this, but you j you just can't really play all of go deep in all of the or even have uh uh play more than a few matches in any i i i if you want to play all of the one thousands on the men's side and look em and Mazzetti did last yeah, he went deep in all of them and then his body just gave out. Like it's basically impossible now.

winds and uh the change of surfaces and everything and he said yeah, I was really tired after the Sunshine Double and winning Monte Carlo but I I recovered during Madrid. So

That I think tells you everything you need to know about men's tennis at the moment. Uh let's let's talk about Yannick Sidder, the one match of his we've seen so far. Um three and four against Sebastian Offner, incredibly efficient. He's got Alexei Popper in next who is a totally randomly beating Matteo Barrettini and Jakob Menchik back to back. I don't understand Alexei Poperin.

at all. Um Darth Sinner is my absolute favourite sinner. Why doesn't he wear black always? He should be the Johnny Cash of the tennis world. What are Nike playing at?

very good player to absolute champion and overwhelming favourite all the time. It's just something to to behold. Uh the the only thing is though There is no reason why he might not get injured. I mean I I I don't wish that on him of Listen, obviously I don't wish that on him at all. He is not immune to injury and and what we're seeing.

think of on the men's side more recently, Djokovic, Feder and Adal, they all made really big changes to their game. For Cinnam to have done that already, and the fact that he literally went away after losing that US seven final was like, I need to add more variety. I need to do more of what Carlos is doing. And here we are and he is doing it and he's doing really effectively. He's just done it.

court position, it was a master class and Cinner tried to do something sim similar'cause it's such an obvious play. And he just couldn't he just wasn't very good at it. Like he he was he was okay he wasn't embarrassingly bad at it, but he just obviously wasn't a drop shot guy. He's a drop shot guy now. Like they're really good.

W we we know where this is going. But earlier on in the tournament, yeah, you can get them. But I mean, unbelievable that Miledovic was able to come back and win that after like how cl how narrowly he missed on that match point. And then he goes and wins what's it eleven of the last twelve points of the match after kind of resetting, having been broken, trying to serve it out. Pretty much.

crossing the line. I don't know, I I didn't see every every point of that match last night, but he von Secke said that they're not just hurting my opponent, they hurt me too. That's pretty Pretty bold.

agree necessarily. And and it's a hard thing because you don't want to be like criticizing your own supporters. With her I was saying, you know, does it does it can it sometimes kind of add a pressure and almost there almost be a discomfort when it's so partisan and you know that it Your it's giving your opponent something to rally again.

I wasn't close enough to it to really be able to say. Um and it's always quite a fine line. But I think when it goes into the thing of like really getting at the opponent, um, I think that's when people start to feel a bit uncomfortable.