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¶ Podcast Milestone and Svitolina's Rome Win
Hello and welcome to the tennis podcast. Not just any tennis podcast, but episode fifteen hundred of the tennis podcast. Yannick Sinner might think he's the one. setting records today, but he has got nothing on us. Uh that is what we're here to talk about though. Yannick sinner, not ourselves, maybe a bit of ourselves, but you know.
We'll party later. Uh Sinners Vicilina and a side helping of why on earth did Luciano Dardiri think that walk on was a good idea? David Law is here. How you doing, David?
I'm all right, I'm trying to work out what's more surprising. Yannick Sinna winning all of these titles in a row, us reaching fifteen hundred episodes. Or us remembering that we would reach fifteen hundred episodes and us not having to do it next time when it's fifteen oh one, like normal.
I can't speak for how surprising it is that we've made it to fifteen hundred. Uh but I definitely think Yannick Sinna doing anything successful is uh less surprising than me remembering Any kind of significant milestone at the time of said milestone. So, well done, us. Matt Roberts is here. Hello, Matt.
Hello. Yes. Here for here for most of those fifteen hundred. There's there's there's plenty in the in the archive without me, but I'm gonna celebrate fifteen hundred as well.
Yeah, absolutely. As you should. Uh speaking of celebrating, Alina Svitolina has won her third Rome title, her first uh, since twenty eighteen won an absolutely thrilling final against Coco Golf six four Six seven, six two, potentially the match of the year since the last match they played in Dubai. Um there are some other contenders for that. We've we've been really treated on the WCA side of things so far this year, I think. But Svitolina Goff, David
Come the end of the year, I'd be surprised if we're not talking about that final as a contender for the match of the year. I loved it. I absolutely loved it.
Yeah, a as we were getting towards the end of the second set, uh, which obviously culminated in such dramatic style with a tie break, I did find myself thinking I don't think I've enjoyed two sets of tennis more than this all year. Um, you know, I'm very aware of recency bias. I'm I'm a particularly uh I'm particularly uh able to get in involved in that kind of thing. Um prone to it, but
You know, it had everything because y I I thought Coca Goth was playing really well in that match. I thought she I thought
I realised after about fifteen minutes I wasn't thinking about her forehand, you know, I wasn't thinking about the stuff that usually goes wrong. I was just sort of watching her and and enjoying her tactics, you know, and h enjoying her watching her loop the forehand a lot and and go toe to toe and actually seem to be really causing Svitolina quite a lot of problems in that in the early parts of the match wi with her tactics and with just the level of her play and I felt like
Svitolini was trying very hard to break down the forehand, like this is how you play Coco Gh. And Goff just well, she didn't have a weakness on the forehand y yesterday, really.
And then...
you saw the best of Svitolina to take over that set. And I just loved the way they were just going back and forth and the rallies were lasting forever. I j I just think I think on paper this is a really good match. This is these are two extremely athletic players, great competitors. Uh they can win matches in different ways. Um and they were reacting to one another. Plan A wasn't working, so here comes plan B from Svizzilina.
Goff has to dig in and somehow finds a way, and the way she so often does. But then for Svizzellina to take it over and win the whole thing. Wow, I mean that's i coming off the back of Rebecca Wynn and Schwantek win on clay. I I mean y you could say Sabalenka, if you s slotted Sabalenka in there as well, then uh you've got one of the all time great runs to a title. And I'd say this was pretty much pretty much that. Fantastic.
¶ Svitolina's Evolving Game and Resilience
Yeah, it still is one of the great title runs, I think. Just that that photo that Vicky flashed up just a few moments ago with Svitilina stretching on the backhand, an amazing shot of her athleticism with Just a huge hunk of empty seats behind her in the distance kind of sums up a lot of the the things I felt about that final Where on earth is everyone? Um I know it was cold, I know it'd been raining but Mae'n rhaid, mae'n rhaid, mae'n rhaid, mae'n rhaid, mae'n rhaid, mae'n rhaid, mae'n rhaid.
if the two of them reacting to one another. I th I think that's such a a great point about this final. It felt like a dance. It felt like the two of them were were in conversation with one another. It felt like they were both in on this beautiful m slightly messy work of art together and the the tennis was an interaction on both sides of the net and and that's that's what I loved about it.
Yeah, me too. I I thought Svitolina started a little bit passively in this match, just in those opening stages, whereas I thought golf was absolutely sublime and you know, could well have been five two up rather than only four, three up. It was an absolutely m huge pivotal hold of serve from From Svitolina there. And I think that game sort of changed everything in that in in the match really because I thought Goff was the better player to start.
Um and actually I was thinking that tennis, how do you beat that tennis on a clay call? It was such a lovely blend that golf had going on, you know, like Obviously impossible to pierce through in those opening stages, she moves so well, but also aggressive herself, but really controlled with it. The ground strokes were were really under control. It was it was superb. But
Svitalina realised she needed to change it. She needed to respond to what Goff was doing and she did up the aggression, I thought. And then sort of through the end of the first set, start of the second set, I really thought Svitilina was on top and she was the one pushing, and it was then Goff having to save all the breakpoints in her service games at the start of that second set. But
You know, Gough then served for the second set, didn't she? And then Svitolina broke back and we took it into a tie break. So exactly as you're describing, that push and pull kept happening throughout. But I think what has impressed me about Svitolina is the way that she's been able to like resist the usual momentum of tennis matches. You know, when you know, in that in the in the match against Sviontek, when Sviontek won that second
set, you're thinking, okay, Sviontek might take over, but Svitalina finds a second wind and she did it here against Goth as well. There were there were a number of times when I was thinking, Okay, surely now Svitolina is fatigued or tired with all this tennis and her legs against the great players, but she would just respond to the moment and go again at the start of that third set, just as she did in the Dubai
s uh semi final against Coco Goff as well. It it took on a very similar arc this match to that one, with Goff winning that second set in a tie break and you're thinking, okay, she's got the momentum now. But Svitilina able to resist it and just up the aggression, I thought, even more, you know, in some crucial moments in those final stages saw her come into the net off of her ground strokes. She wouldn't just
you know, she wouldn't just hit it and watch it. She would hit it and come in and hit a dry volley away or something like that. It was absolutely
¶ Svitolina 2.0 and Aggressive Play
sublime really and um yeah I was I was so impressed. And I think when we're when we're thinking about what makes this such a great title run, I think for me it You know, it's not just the ranking of those players that she's beaten, it's the fact that they're all reigning Grand Slam champions as well, you know. They're the they're the players who've won the biggest titles over the last twelve months or so and and she's taken them out one after another. I think this is the
think this is the best run of Alina Svitilina's career. I would say I would put it even above the W T A finals win. I think, you know, the calibre of opponent she had to be, I think this was it. And the tennis she did to do it, I think I don't know whether it's the crowning moment, because I'm sure we're gonna have an in the mix Redon Garosk chat in a moment, but up to now I think it's the crowning moment of of her career.
And that's important, isn't it? Because you were... you were talking on the last show, Matt, about all the th and look, we we we've been guilty of this as well. The the the chatter now around Svitilina and for since her comeback really is this Svitilina two point oh is a better tennis player than than Svitolina one point oh with her aggression and the weightier forehand and yeah that's very, very easy to say'cause it it looks better, you know, and it looks
more engaging and more explosive, but actually I think that's pretty unfair to the career that she put together pre maternity leave and the results that she she had at that time. But now she's done something yn ymwneud â'r CV yn ymwneud yn ymwneud â'r hynny, ac mae'n ymwneud â'r hynny'n ymwneud â'r hynny'n ymwneud â'r hynny'n ymwneud â'r hynny'n ymwneud â'r hyn.
potentially exceeds what she achieved before. Like this is something that really backs up the case for Alina Svitolina two point oh being the better play.
Yeah, I think so because I th I think you know, I was probably on board with with the people saying that she's a better player and and and and certainly in terms of like a more a more well rounded player, I think she had she think she's able to win differently now compared to to before. She's able to win with her defence but also her attack and she didn't have that before. But I think
you know, it maybe wasn't quite as effective, you know, she just hadn't quite matched the results. And maybe that's just because the era has got tougher as well and the opponents she's been playing are are better, you know, Savalenko and Sviontek and Rubakina is is maybe like a higher level than what Spitinian was going up against because Serena wasn't around like really super consistently.
in in that period where where Svitolina was doing a lot of her winning. I think the tour was maybe not quite as strong, even though Serena was was still around at the mage Um but now she's matched the matched the result as well and I think you would have to say this is both the most enjoyable tennis and the most effective tennis that she's played.
She's got um she's not just kinda got the the game of a of a big hit and out look she's not an Irena Sabalenka but she's added so much weight of shot, particularly on the forehand side. It's she's She's got the mentality of of a big hitter, hasn't she? And she's got that The crucial thing, David, of that acceptance of mistakes, of like this is how I'm playing, the the errors are priced in here. So I like they're almost they're they're the cost of the winner.
And that's the the acceptance that you have to have. I always cite Petrakovitur as like the master. of that. She would just she'd have a moment to be like, I'm really annoyed I missed that and just be like, But that is me. That is how I do things. Let's move on. And I feel like she's she's nailing that outlook on her game, which is
¶ Mary Jo Fernandez and Forehand Impact
I yeah, and I think it is one of the more dramatic departures from your natural DNA of a tennis player that I can remember. I I think I I think it was Was it a year ago I went and sought out Mary Jo Fernandez in the Roland Garros Media Cafe?
We don't talk about that enough.
Because she was another player who I remembered had done it. She was a player who was a good player, a v look a very good player, top ten player, but she wasn't about to go and beat Monica Selash or Steffi Graf with the game she'd got. And suddenly she came out one And I think it was when Svitolina was having a good run at Roland Garros and I and we were trying to understand this this shift and I I w I sp I had chance to speak to a uh briefly Andrew Bettles, uh her coach and
And he said, Look, you know, it's not that she wasn't trying to do it before, but it's just I think I mean I think the the gist was she was relaxing more into it now. She was Using your words, she was more accepting of missing. She didn't used to l you didn't used to wanna do that at all. And th the risk the r the
The risk wasn't worth it in her in her in her sort of muscle memory almost. And Mary Joe Fernandez said I I I I strictly went out and trained for that game, but it wasn't until I accepted that it's okay to mix.
that I could
really just let that game fly. And it was quite it was interesting doorstepping her in the in the media cafe'cause I I really didn't know what she was gonna say. Like
A new segment coming your way soon.
It is a bit out of is a bit out of nowhere, you know, sort of she's standing there with her tray. You know, uh just about she's just had her dinner, she's about to put it down, you know, and and I and I don't even know of her I've kno I uh she sort of knows me by sight, but she doesn't really know who I am. And um and fair play to her, she she engaged and I mean it was only five minutes but
It was that's the only other player I can think of, and it still is to this day. I mean I think Andy Murray did it to some degree when when he started with Ivan Lendell, you know, the just the the realisation I've got to hurt people with my forehand. And that's the th and that's the similarity for Svetilina because to me her backhand was always the the money shot for her.
Still rock solid, um, still moves brilliantly, but she's now going out to hurt people with the forehand. She kn didn't do that at all before. this transformation. Um but but even even so I feel like she was she's been trying to do that for two or three years now, you know, and she's done it successfully, but she's always run into sabbat.
Now mm there's still that big question mark, what happens if she ends up playing Sabalink that you mentioned earlier to us today? She could probably do with been in the other half of the draw. Um that shot doesn't seem to have quite the same impact on her but Bloody hell it worked against three of the best players in the world like me.
¶ Svitolina's Grand Slam Contention
Imagine imagine where Svetilina's confidence must be right now. I mean it must be through the roof.
And the French treat her like one of their own, of course, because of because of who her husband is, who's gonna be out there trying to steal steal the limelight. That that is is a joke. I love Gail Morphice. Imagine if they did the double Um
Catherine's turned into me, Matt. This is great. Imagine if.
Well I was try I was with my brother earlier and we were discussing kind of what would be like the most popular Grand slam victories. at a at Roland Garros, say? Because I I think Alina Svitellina would have to be one of the most popular Grand Slam winners there's ever been. And okay, that that's plausible in a way that Guermont Fils winning Roland Garros isn't
But if he were to, that would also be up there with one of the most popular Grand Sand Victories anyway. Um we're obviously gonna come on to the Now oh no, seven in the live rankings, actually higher higher in the race. Um but seven in the live rankings. Do you think she will qualify for the tour finals? Like how sort of, yeah? That was very good
Yeah, I th I th I I think this has been such a strong start to the season. I think she's in a great position already, really, um, in terms of the race. I think And I see I see no reason why okay. win huge titles, but I think she's always been consistent. You know, consistency's always been her calling card and I think that she will continue to be that through the season and I think she's already racked up a good number of points. Yeah, I I I feel pretty
If she gets injured and the season gets disrupted, if we're saying that she plays a full schedule between now and the end of the season, I think she definitely makes the WTA finals. I feel really sure.
David?
Yeah, she seems a lock for me for that. No because she's just done everything in the game. except win a grand sum title. Uh and and actually reach she hasn't reached a final either.
I was thinking that. Like is she the best player not to have reached a major final, maybe? Like I mean there's obviously a lot of players who you can put in the conversation for not to have won a major title. I think she could well be the answer to that question. Um I I also just wanted to I I've I forgot to mention this when when talking about the Mac.
I think what impressed me the most was the tennis she played breakpoint down through the tournament. There was this absolutely crazy stat that she faced seventy six breakpoints in this tournament and saved fifty eight.
You know, like the the number of times she was having to step to the line, and against Schviontek I think she faced breakpoint in almost all of her service games. You know, it wasn't like she was absolutely cruising through. She was having to fight in so many moments and to your point about her identity as a tennis player, what what really impresses me is
the way that she is now someone who plays that way in in those important moments as well. You know, it's not like it's not like she's trying to redefine herself as a player and doing it when it's easy at the start of a set.
You know, like she's doing it on the biggest points in the biggest moments and accepting that she might make mistakes, but knowing that it's the the best way for her to win those points. Like so often I think we see players like maybe talk a big game about oh I'm gonna be more aggressive or whatever and they'll do it up to a point.
But can you do it in the biggest moments against the best players? And Svitelino is emphatically answering that question, you know, at the moment. And I think that is what that's what im is impressing me the most. Like You know, and m maybe taking that forward to Ron Garros maybe we think okay that
That is a lot of breakpoints to have to face, you know, like the margins were small in these matches and they probably all could have gone the other way. You know, Rebecca was a set and a break up, I think, wasn't she? Like and kind of cruising in that match and maybe maybe at Roland Garros Robatkinna closes that. I don't I don't know. But I'm I'm just impr I'm just impressed with the way Svetlina is sort of meeting the moment here and yeah, it's it's it's so great to watch.
¶ Top Roland Garros Women Contenders
In terms of the main Look, I know she's in the mix, right? Like that's not a that's that's not a discussion. She's in the Roland Garros mix and and you know, in in terms of the women's draw, like saying you're in the Roland Garrison mix is
it's not the same as saying it in the men's, right? Like th there's a lot of players in the mix, so I I want to try and drill down into ha how much of a contender we really think Alina Svisilina is at this Roland Garrett'cause'cause she has w won Rome twice before, and she didn't go and win Roland Garrett either time then, and we have just said potentially the competition is stiffer now than it was then.
So, you know, I don't want to be a party pooper, as I've said. I think it should be pretty much the most popular ch champion imaginable. Like, I'm all aboard this train but I I'm trying to get a real sense of how How likely we think it is that three weeks from now we'll be talking about Alina Svitalina Roland Garrett's champion because she does play well in Roy.
Bye. And she did I I'm trying to remember what what did she do at she didn't have bad Roland Garrett's the two years and in fact twenty eighteen, the last time that she won Rome, she beat Hallep in the final and obviously Hallep went on to to win Ronald Garrett. that year. So I don't know, make of that what you will.
I think in recent years at Roland Garros I think I'm right in saying she's lost to Schviontech. uh Sabalenka I think maybe Rabakina as well. Like it has she's been you know, she's been upset proof at that tournament. She's not she's not lost to anyone you wouldn't have expected her to lose to, but she's reached that ceiling. And I think what we're saying now is she
To me she's pushed through that ceiling a against everyone apart from Sabalenka, you know? Like I think I think it would probably be a surprise to me if she'd beat Sabalenka. But I don't think it would be a surprise to me if she beat anyone else. I suppose that's kind of It's kind of where I am. But I don't think it's like a huge shock if she beats Sabalenka. I mean Sabalenka we don't quite know her
level of fitness, do we? And she's just taken a couple of unexpected losses. But she is upset proof at the slams, Sabalenka. You know, she's she has been brilliant at getting to the latter stage. And you feel like she will be there if she's fit. So that is a barrier but
you know, maybe someone else can take out Savalenka for her, I suppose. And and that I I think that's possible. So I she's absolutely in my mix, but I don't think she's You know, if we've got tears to the mix, I don't I don't I don't think she's quite at the top.
Ha ha.
Who's your favourite right now for Roland Garrett?
It's uh t to me it's still Savalenka. Uh and and then I'd put the other three, and then I'd put Svatilina, even though she's just beaten the other.
So the other three being Rabakina Goth and uh Swantek?
Yeah. I'd still put them ahead of Svetilina in a row
Because they've been there and done.
Yeah. I'd pro I'd probably I mean and and and they c they could all be number two to me. I I could have them equal.
Would you take Svitelina and Kostiuk together over?
Yeah, probably would. Probably would. I wouldn't take them over Sabalenka, but I would Dunno. Maybe maybe yes, maybe yes. Yeah, I think we would. There I imagine there's a question mark also about Kostchuk's fit fitness, I think. You know, she's just pulled out of the week before tournament and she didn't play Rome and she was wonderful in Madrid, but how how is she? We don't know.
Same goes to Sabalanka though. Yeah. But then she's Arena Sabalenka. Matt, I'm offering you Ukraine. What will you give me for Ukraine? I'll I'll throw an all in a cover in there for for value.
I don't think I'm taking Ukraine over Savalenka, Sviontek, or Goth. To me, I think those three are a l a a little bit ahead e maybe even if we're back, you know, just on just on the clay, I think. Uh I think those three at the top of my mix and then I would probably put Rebecca in Ukraine pretty pretty level. But but I mean honestly, it's funny, isn't it, what what like two weeks can do. Like Gostiuk has dropped in my in my
Well, yeah. No. I mean without doing anything.
I know, but I'm thinking, okay, well that was Madrid and Madrid is is the outlier one and I know and I know she's been good I know she's been good all season and to pin it down to just Madrid is unfair but just trying to take it forward to Roland Garros. I'm not I'm not as convinced by the Kostiak run as I am by the Svitolina run, if that makes sense. I s I think also Svitolina played a callow of opponent that was Higher than what kost Jörg.
Is it i i i i is Kostuk hang on, has Kostuk dropped out of the mix? Ah she might have without playing any tennis.
Okay.
Is that the mix? Are we going Are we going deeper than that? Mukova, Anisimova, throwing names out here.
No, no.
Big injury big injury query over Annoy.
play.
Yeah. And Boko working with Wimfissette?
I'd still have Andrava in there. Personally.
She's done a lot of winning, Mirandrova, hasn't she?
She has. And Drava's a tough one.
¶ Coco Gauff's Roland Garros Chances
Yeah. Should we just have a very quick w s sort of focus on Coco Gol? W I mean look she she's she's obviously in all our mixes, she's gonna be defending the title. She's kind of in the same situation she was. Twelve months ago, you know, she she won that title off the back of a final run in Rome. Is she playing better tennis? than she was twelve months ago going into Roland Garrett's like, do you feel better about the Coco Golf game than you did twelve months ago?
Quite similar, I think.
Yeah, I think I feel quite similar. I I I just just a word on her in Rome. I know we talked about her the other day, but I just my res my admiration for
Throw the roof.
I just don't know how she can do it the way she does it. Just keep on coming back for she's obviously having a bit of a tough time of things. She I hate hated seeing her in the in this final hitting herself on the head with a racket. But she just regroups and she comes back and she's sh she is playing well. You know, I think it it's easy to maybe think because she's lost us for Selena who
isn't one of the the big three if you like, that it's it would be very easy to dismiss that as oh, Koko Goff's loss to somebody. But she she was She was playing somebody in absolutely peak condition in form and in her favourite place. I think golf would have beaten so many players in that final. Uh I think I'd have I'd a I'd have fancied her chances against the other players she could have faced that Svetilina beat. Um
And
She's right there. She's right I wouldn't you really wouldn't be surprised if she if she sort of came through at Roland Garros like and peeked there. The other thing is I'm very interested to see see people peeking. You know, and uh um because that's the one thing that we don't know. Has Fitolina peaked now? Has she is she gonna be a bit a bit fatigued, you know, when she gets out there.
We talked about that with Paulini last year, didn't didn't we off the back of Ramin in particular with her because it was yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw. is is extremely tough. I think she's so experienced and so level headed, Spitalino. I do back her to enjoy this win take a beat and get right back in the game. Um
Und fit, ich meine, sie ist so fit.
I mean the circus around the Morfise Svitolina sort of household Bye. Yeah. I mean I I assume someone's making a documentary about that. Like Everyone's making a documentary about everything now, aren't they? If they're not making a fly on the wall documentary about that, then you know, producers everywhere they've missed an opportunity would watch.
Just to take it back to golf. The thing to me is that a Ronald Garrett She's been quite tethered to Egis Fiona. over the last few years. There was a number of years there where it was Svantec who beat Coco Gauff at the French Open. Svantec was the problem. That wasn't really a huge issue for Coco Goff because kind of everyone everyone was losing Twigas Fiontech.
putting together this sort of all time great career at the French Open. It didn't really tell you that Schiontek wa uh that Goff was struggling at Roland Garros, you know. And then everyone last year thought that Sabalenka would be the biggest beneficiary of Igos Fiontek's drop in form. And I think she was. She managed to beat Igos Fiontek in the semifinals, but it was actually Coco Goff who ended up coming through and winning it, not having to face
Igos Fiontek. And I just think that the other thing is that Gough has turned that match up a little bit against Igos Fiontek. Actually quite a lot in in in the last few years. You know, even if they were to meet at Rodon Garros this year.
I would feel very differently, I think, about that matchup now than I have than I had done in previous Roland Garros meetings between the So I guess what I'm saying is that for a long time it felt like Svantec was a problem for Coco Gaeth in terms of being able to win Roland Garros because of that match-up on that surface. Goff actually has turned that matchup around, and Igos Fiontek is not the sure thing that she was for a number of years.
And no one else has beaten Coco Goff at the French Open in a blooming long time, you know? Like she's so hard to put away on on Clay and in a major, you know? So I I do think that Goff is right there. I I I even though she's lost this final. I think she's, well, she said herself, didn't she, there's a lot I can take from this. She thought she was a little bit too passive in the big moments, but generally I thought she was trying to really take the positives out of this week.
You know, the serve became a little bit of an issue again, didn't it, at the end of that first set, we saw some quite dramatic double faults which which we hadn't seen in the in the past few matches. It wasn't perfect by any means, but I think it was
It was it was pretty impressive and there was a lot of good tennis there from Gough and I think she can work her way in and yeah, I I absolutely have her among the favourites for Roland Garros, even though you know even though there are still some concerns.
Yeah, I agree. She's she's right there for me. It's so so tough, isn't it? Because It feels ludicrous to look past Sabalanka and yet she's
She doesn't have the Roland Garris record that that Coco Goff has and she hasn't had the clay court season that any of the other these other players that are in the mix have had and she has an injury concern. I mean it's just a mark of what a bankable, brilliant, consistent, multidimensional player that she's become that in spite of all of those things, she still if you had to pick a single player to be the favourite, it would
Probably for most people, not everybody, but for most people be her. But there are a lot of question marks around Irina Sabalenka, particularly at this point. Grand Slam. So it feels like as perfectly poised for narrative as it possibly could be, the women's tournament. And thank goodness for that, because on the other side of the coin
Ha ha ha.
We've got the men. Just before uh we come on to talk about the men, uh Mira Andrever I mentioned she's been doing a lot of winning, not just on the singles court, doubles court as well. She and Deanna Schneider won the doubles title over uh Christina Bookshire and Nicole Melikar Martinez in the final. That is it for part one. We'll be back in part two to talk about the men.
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¶ Sinner's Golden Masters and Medvedev Battle
Welcome back to part two of today's tennis podcast. Time to talk about the men now. Yannick. My goodness me, Yannick Sinner. He beat Caspar Rude in the final six four six four, becoming the second man and crucially the youngest man by seven years. To complete what people call the Golden Masters, but we don't like that. The full set of Masters one thousand titles.
Why is it called the Golden Masters? I've never I've never understood that. There's never nothing golden about it.
No, I know. Golden means Olympic. But I think it's because it's not a good thing. You can't say slam because it's not it's specifically not about the slams. I don't I I'm open to proposals, Matt, for a rival for a rival name for it. I don't like Golden Masters is i either, but I've never heard any other proposals, so
I im I invite proposals in the group chat. Master of Masters Summit is saying that's the best so far. Anyway, I was in I was in the midst of giving Yannick Sinna his flowers. He's won them all. in shorts, Djokovic the only other man to have done it. He has also won six Masters one thousand titles in a row now. He has won thirty four straight matches at Masters one thousand level. He is on a tour win streak overall of twenty nine consecutive victories.
Andy has swept the three Clay Court Masters one thousand events going into Roland Garros, Monte Carlo Madrid and Rums Rome, something that only Rafael Nadal did before him back in twenty ten. And quite Honestly, David, I thought even with how Brilliant and beyond the pack. Yannick Sinner and When Fit Carlos Alcroz is, I thought with two week masters, the days of anybody doing the treble, no matter how great they are, I thought those days were gone. Yannick. Yeah.
I mean I suppose I feel like if they're both there the chances reduce of of you doing that. But even so that's not Fair to him is it really? He can only beat people in front of him. The point you're making is how the hell do you do this physically? How do you go and win? Especially when it's Madrid and Rome over the two week period each.
And he was clearly feeling it, you know, he's fatigued, he's tired and it's and he's only got what, a week until he's got to be in Paris trying to win the one grand slam title that he's never won before. I mean it's such a huge air. And he delivers yet again and he and he delivers on a number of levels. One is he is ju he is incredibly mentally tough and composed. He's just got the most perfect temperament, really, I think, for an athlete. And then you add that to to just somebody whose game.
unpicks everybody else's unless it's Alcaraz. Now and sometimes it picks unpicks his as well. But if you take him away, like he makes the others just look He really all of'em. Now I've not s nobody's nobody's even challenging him. Yeah, Medvedev did. Medvedev did really well. He kind of took it into a a bit of a
messy m tussle. He he he played on Sinners fatigue. And he played bloody well, Medvedev as well. Like when he's really, really on He gets he can get close if if sin is even just a bit tired or a bit off. But the way like Cinner rebounded in that third set against Medvedeau, I thought I mean I know i he ended up ended up with a rain delay as well, but I thought that was extraordinary.
Like feeling it the way he was, and he just sort of waited it out until he got a burst of adrenaline and the crowd got involved and it and he had to sort of force that with a with some of his own shop making. And then once the adrenaline hit It's like must have wondered what the hell is this? You know, I've I thought I'd weathered you you know, your first set, your
extraordinary, I would say perfect first set that Sinna played against Medvedev. And Medvedev must it would have been very easy for Medvedev to have lost another Like one and love or love and love. There. And he fought his way back, he did all the things he needed to do to make it a good match, and to actually give himself a chance of winning. But for Cinata like saying, All right, second wind coming now. You know, I'm ready I I I I'm not feeling good.
Just kept on going until he until he could find the form. Today he lo he went to a break of served down, you know, immediately he's too loved down. And it's and y and I thought Rude's playing a very clever match here. He's playing within himself, he's hitting a few drop shots. If he can make this physical Maybe we've got a real final in our hands. And I thought Root played pretty well. Um, and Zinner wasn't at his best, and yet he won four and four.
I mean I'm I I'm the one who made the case for the field, didn't I, last week? And and I still feel like when you get to Ronan Garros and you have the best of five sets and you and it looks like it's going to be pretty warm. can do th things to make things interesting. But if if other things are equal, this guy is head and shoulders above everybody else in terms of level.
¶ Sinner's Mental Strength and Tactics
It was almost like the tennis god sent us that Medvedev man. guard against the the glib easy sort of dismissal of how easy it is for an excellent'cause he'cause he is so much better than everybody else and the way he goes about it and as you say David that temperament that is Tailor made for s for sport. it is very, very easy and, you know, he's always telling us. He told you in answer to a question in press I think at the US Open a couple of years ago, like
people think this is easy and it's it's really not. Like it's almost like the Medvedev match was there to show this isn't easy, I'm doing it, but it you know, I I'm I'm not Superman here, I'm just I'm just a human being that happens to be brilliant at tennis and, you know, somehow gritting it out. But um He sometimes does make it look easy. That I mean that is the truth.
And and the Medvedev match is kinda one of those where you you might read it as oh, there was some vulnerability there. Someone someone made it close. Or you might look at it and think, well, he was feeling like that and he's got all this tennis in his legs and he still came up with what he came up with as David described at the start of that third set. I thought that little sequence was the most compelling tennis I saw on the men's side this this tournament. Sinners
from that second set at the start of the third was unbelievable. Like the and like we saw a different sinner in terms of the way he roared as he got the break. You know, I've not really seen him do that. Like a a huge roar. for a break of serve and then the
The shot that he hit to confirm the break and go three one up, chasing down a Medvedev drop shot. You could hear him breathing on his run to the ball, the heavy breathing he was doing. You could hear him put his racket down on the ground as he sort of used it to sort of help him run towards it and then he hit this little gorgeous little d uh forehand drop shot cross court and the shout out the camera director'cause they cut to sinner.
and he was arms aloft into the f Rome floodlights with the with the crowd behind him giving him a standing ovation. It was it was like cinematic and the way he had flipped that match from heaving and he was having his he was struggling physically and he flipped it to being able to just bring this incredible tennis. It was remarkable. And you're sort of thinking, well, he was on the ropes there and he produced that and I think
anyone in that field but without Alcaraz to to push him to that extreme. Fair play Medvedev because he really did and when Medvedev gets a look in his eye and locks in like that, it's a real treat. But but Sinna responded to it and Yeah, I don't know. I think the heat as it is at the moment sort of mid mid to mid twenty degrees, I think is good for Yannick Sinner. I think uh I think Roland Garros in that sort of heat is gonna play quite quick
and Sinner's ball strike is just gonna be too much for anyone. I think the reason Medvedev was able to turn that match around is because it came like sludge. It was slow and Medvedev was able to like take him into the trenches and not even Sinna could hit winners on it. And that kind of favoured Medvedev. I think
At th uh if if if Paris is lively, I think that's only good news for Yannick Sinna. And the final thing I want to shout out is the four all game in the final today in the first set against Caspar Rude. What shot did Yannick Sinner go to? Three drop shots in a row. Two of them h he won the point on his own with them and one of them Ruse m sort of miscontrolled the shot. But
It was the drop shot. A key moment, four all in that first set. It was pretty you know, everyone's thinking Annick Sinner's gonna win, obviously, but it's pretty close this match. He needs to make the breakthrough and it was the drop shot that did it and Yeah. Like if you'd said to all these guys last year, What's your worst nightmare? they'd have probably all said, Oh, Sinner developing a drop shot and variety because he's because he's beating us in all the other ways.
Becoming a serve bot. Right. And a developing variety.
Yeah. Totally. And now Kaz's serve was you know, like that the US Open and he breezes through that tournament and Cinners got this drop shot. Like it It's it's scary how he's how he's been able to just seamlessly improve that.
¶ Sinner's Physicality and Roland Garros Outlook
It it's quite difficult for us to talk about whatever was going on physically with the Annex Center on Friday night because we just don't know. Like we really just don't know. All we've got to go on is what we could see with our eyes. But what what we could see with our eyes was something that looked more than just a bloke that was tired. um you know, like the the full body shaking, the you know, the the face of The the deep deep. Grimacing the Darth Sinner look up to his uh to his
to his box, you know, I don't know whether there's I don't know whether he starts cramping and that causes anxiety. I don't know whether anxiety is part of it at all. There's an awful lot of, you know, pressure going on for him You know, with all of this sort of It's not even expectation at this point, it's just sort of assumption that he's
gonna win. Like it's it's sort of beyond expectation, you know, being in Rome, all of that. I don't know if it's anxiety, but it certainly looks like more than just I'm quite tired, I'd like a leg rub, please. And yes, I do think he He got treatment for cramps. Everyone gets treatment for cramp. All you've got to do is not say it's cramp, right? Just say, Oh, my leg hurts a bit, could I have could I see the physio? We should uh like the rules should allow that, right? Come on.
I I like I know Medvedev complained about it.'Cause it was like Right.
The way it is right now I do think they should
Yeah.
I mean I think every everybody does it.
It's like the courtside coaching. You know, we we've got to a point where everybody's doing it and you either enforce it like properly and that's really difficult to do or you just just just let it happen. Just just put it in the rule book that you're allowed to do.
Yeah. So difficult because we don't know
Looked like stress to me. Yeah. I I I I felt I felt I mean look, he's very tired, right? And he's not been pushed very often and Medvedev was really pushing him. And he was having to extend the limits in order to keep him off, you know, or to stay with him, you know, and and Most natural thing in the world if it is, I think.
Absolutely, but it is... for a for a r roll and garrels that looks like it's on lockdown and a field that is looking for chinks of light anywhere they can find it, it's a it's a chink, right? It's a tiny, tiny chink. If you are I dunno, not I don't wanna I don't wanna minimise the task of trying to make a match physical over best of five sets against a guy as good as Yannick Sinner. But if you you know, if you are an Elliot Spit series
You know, I remember that press conference with him after that match and he was like I I d I just back myself physically against anyone. I don't care how good they are, like if it comes down to physicality, I'm backing myself. And there are a few out there like that. Cameron Norrian is horse lungs, you know. Like
It's just not getting that hot in Paris though.
Do you think it's the heat? It w
I think in Ost I think the Spitzeri one was the heat.
It wo it was. But then but then we've got the sample of Friday which had nothing to do with it. So, it can obviously happen...
Yes, but I just I just don't think anyone's got the level to to to push in at that. And also like everyone's tired. You know, like everyone's fatigued. They're all on the same level there. Like I don't think anyone's got to be a little bit more than
No nobody's done what he's done the last
four weeks. And or without physical concerns?
Who's a contender that's not Yannick Sidder?
I mean if he hasn't hurt his back, Artifice has just had two nice weeks off.
Is he I mean I look I love Artifice, but I'm just not I'm not thinking about him in terms of like necessarily getting to the final Possibly, ja. Comes down to the drawer. But I don't know, I just think like Cinner Sinner is likely to cruise through his opening through ma his his opening few matches in a way that I other you know and like Fees has never won a match in straight sets at a grand slab. Like by the time he gets to Cinner, he may well have
I don't know, several sets of tennis in his legs already. You know, like it's things like that. But that's where Sinner's edge increases even more. Um Yeah, it's it's it's just hard to make a case for for for anyone else.
And and thirty nine year old Novak Djokovic. Can't make that play, right? He he can't go into a match against Yannix inner going, Okay, the play here is to make it as long and as It might happen.
Yeah.
He might be able to do it level wise. Yeah.
Like you did in Australia. But it's it's probably harder to do it.
In Paris, and he was helped by the circumstances of his tournament. You know, he'd he'd had a match off and a retirement and he was fresher than he would likely gonna be in in Paris by the time he gets to Sinner. Like All of that matters, I think.
¶ Sinner's Dominance and Future Strategy
Heaviest favourite for a Grand Slam title since when
Well, since one of Nadal.
Nadal at a French, I would say.
Which one?
Nadal Nadal's all of'em. When when did when did your last thing any when Nadal was winning them rootes?
I think it's a good idea.
There's plenty to choose from.
I would say I would say Nadal in twenty seventeen would be my starting point. There might have been one more recently than that, but twenty seventeen like he was unbelievable. Federal wasn't playing the cloud.
Quite a lot that's quite a lot of grand slams ago.
Yeah it is yeah.
And this is you know, he's won a lot of Roland Garrises by then. Cinner has never won this title and yet he's
The fact the oh the fact that we're we're putting him in the conversation in terms of being that level of favourite and the only other person we can think of is probably Nadal. Maybe there's a Djokovic here
Yeah, or even like Wimbledon in that period, just after COVID, maybe, you know, where he played like a... the final Berrettini in the final. Was there anyone in that draw that we were really thinking is definitely gonna beat Djokovic?
Well if it if it's other Grand Sams, I think there's several Djokovices. I I was thinking about Roland Garros alone. Um Okay now, I think you could I think you could probably come up with ten talks.
I just feel like there's no one. I d I just
That's all I saw.
I know won't you know?
Bye.
I know it's sport and unexpected things happen, that's why we love it. Of course I know that. I am I'm the foregone conclusion person. I'm not you know, we learn from our mistakes.
What does it go?
In terms you know, those things that happen in sport are unexpected. In terms of how like unexpected it would be personally for Yannick Sinner to not this win this title. It's right. Not because Yannick Sinner is better than Nadal with his zombie foot or, you know, any of those Nadals, but because it's it's all relative, right? It's relative to the field. Like w the picture of men's tennis at the moment. You know, with Mazzetti out, um, Djokovic being thirty nine.
Zverev posting chippy bullshit on Instagram. Like There's no one. There is no one.
Hoddar, fees. These are the these are my grasping at straws guys.
If we're talking about legs. 好的
You'll do it early. Draw him into a shootout. The game in round three.
Uh David, I know you're not as um you're not as pessimistic about the sort of competitiveness of the men's tournament as I am, but are you I'm sensing that you are maybe a bit more Mix of one now than you were.
Yeah.
A couple of meek weeks.
Sure. I d I d I thought it was gonna be a real ask for Cinner to do what he's just done after having won all the others. I th you know, I thought God, I mean, it's we're asking a lot here, you know. And he can't pull out. I think it's amazing. It's a ma i what you what you actually said, I mean, both in terms of his level and the sort of it's the efficiency with which he beats people. He just and he and you use that word professional, you know.
I mean what a player this guy is, you know, he's just He's he's got everything. He has got and now b like the fact that that he's added a drop shot and he and it was the drop shot that broke Casparoo. Mm. I am gonna do this now and he went and bloody did it. And he's won. Five master series in a row at the st like we've only had five.
And he won the one at the end of last year. And he won the HP Finals.
Just I mean this is getting way ahead of ourselves. But do you think potentially winning all of them in a year. You know, the n the next Masters now is is Canada, which is the one that nobody plays anymore. Do you think that will... You've got to get your kicks. Let's assume he completes the career slam in three weeks' time. You know, they've got to find gold.
I mean somewhere he's gotta have a rest. Hasn't it?
Do you think he'll play nothing on the grass leading up to Wimbledon?
The yeah.
You might do a Djokovic there.
that that's the plan, or or Cahill has said, his team have said that that's the plan, yeah. Well,
He needs to be careful. He is he is asking so much of himself physically, um mentally as well. Um and he he paid tribute to his physio, uh Trainer and osteopaths. You know, uh uh i I mean so you know, he's doing all the due diligence to try to keep that body in as best possible condition that it can be. But you know
The and and look, he's not playing massively gruelling matches so far. But I just you just wonder in like is there a point at which your body hits the wall? Doesn't look like it. Um because he does win some Some point in the
Skipping skipping Canada makes you know, I feel really sorry for Canada because it doesn't make a lot of sense for many of the top top players. But You gotta think, as brilliant as he is, How often are you gonna find yourself in a position where you've won the first five? Like you're not Chance to go for the the the co the the year. I I don't even know what to call if we don't know what to call the career What do we call the
The the calendar master. Um
I'm gonna go for this it's now.
¶ Next Gen: Masters vs. Grand Slams
I don't think he's gonna couldn't.
You give a shit. I mean no offen and they're good tournaments, they're great tournaments. Um you know, he's it's great what he's doing but I don't think you retire and think oh I won all f I won all that all of'em in a year. I don't think you do that.
But I don't think you think I want all of you know we talked about this of when we were previewing Rome, didn't we? Like it is an unreal achievement, but it's not like the thing you dream of or the thing you It's not going to go near the top of his C V, is it? Winning all winning all the one thousands. I think maybe
I think being the youngest I think being the youngest by seven years to do that is pretty
Субтитры сделал DimaTorzok
This list of things.
I I think what it says about you is big. I think the statement that makes about how incredible is huge. But I think as a like
It's not your dream, is it?
slams and it's numbers.
It keeps you warm at night. And that you tell your grandchildren about, I don't think it
I think it might I think that record might last for a long time. Yeah. Twenty doing that at twenty four. Like that is just it's unbelievably quick to do that because you know It it as you said, it it asks so much of you, it asks you to play well on all the surfaces indoors, outdoors, start of the season, middle of the season, end of the season. Mae'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n
I think this could last for a really long time, this record. And like the way that The way that it's come into view is crazy. He needed he was missing four. This year. He he he I no one was thinking he would do that this year. He'd never won any of the clay court ones and he's just swept them all in one go. Beating Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo final, I think we should definitely remember that that you know
right at the start of this clay court season he got that win over Alcaraz. He won Indian Wells for the first time when Alcaraz was in the field. Like it's not like he's totally dodged Alcaraz on this on this sweep. But he has felt a bit like a football team managing fixture congestion and being in all the cups and trying to win the league and and like therefore he's not he's therefore not gonna play his best stuff all the time. Like sometimes
Sometimes you just have to just I think I thought it was a bit subdued in the final today. He didn't have the sort of energy. He didn't have the the sort of crisis that he had during the Medvedev match, but he was just slightly subdued and he timed his sort of
He's he timed his ass sanction really well. Um but I think he's I think even even through winning Rome, I think he's still prioritising Roland Garros, if you know what I mean. I think like Cynthia's gonna be better at Roland Garros than he was in Rome.
Put it this way, he w he would have traded in all five of these Masters one thousand titles this year to have had that Australian Open.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Yes. But if he wins but if he wins Roland Garros, he would take his season over Alcarazis.
It is wild, isn't it, that we've had this like, you know, golden generation of, you know, the big three slash four. The big four. Um but, you know, whichever. And Maybe Alcaraz and Orciner will will break those records in terms of absolute numbers. Who who knows? Only time will tell. Um you know, but they ha they're a long way from doing that yet. But it's like all time great generation, we'll do it all loads younger. Like, you know, Alcaraz this year doing the
the career slam, becoming the youngest man to the career slam and Yannix in a youngest man by some distance to do this. Like, you know, it's it's it's tracking ahead of the golden generation curve, isn't it? In the early stage. A long way to go. And obviously Art of Feast, as David is going to... muscle into the party and steal some slams off them. Hopefully s somebody'll muscle into the party at some point, but
Can't see it. Can't see it for the foreseeable. Um quick quick word for Luciano Dardari. Um
¶ Dardari's Controversial Walk-On Incident
I thought you were gonna say Caspar Ruth then.
Ha ha ha. Okay, right. Let's okay. Gaspar Reed. What do you want to say?
Uh well Like good to see him back playing this sort of tennis again and I think he's I think his consistency on the clay is really notable. Like he's he'll he's reached a big final on the clay, hasn't he? Several seasons in a row now and he's done it again in in Rome here. It was Madrid which he won last year. Um I l I I loved his speech. Like the the um
mentioning football in Italy, risking his I felt like he was sort of risking his life by cracking a joke about how bad Italy are at football at the moment. But he did it he did it so well, he like bigged up their tennis. He was like, I wanna shout out Italian tennis at the moment. You guys are producing so many players, not just Yannick.
And then he was like, It's not going quite so well on the football, is it? You guys lost to Norway. Uh and we should be able to crack jokes about that. I thought that was I th I thought that was great from from Rude. Um and
Yeah, like...
Look, we've said it, but he just wants to be in the in the other on the other side of the drawer. Like that's it. Like and if he is, he's right there.
Yeah. Right there for the final.
Totally.
Like that.
Barude four grand same finals? That'd be that'd be wild. Like and he's and I feel like he's got back his identity a little bit on the clay. I felt like he was He was really as da David said was making the point that he was using playing intelligently losing using the drop shot, but I felt like through a lot of the tournament it was a little bit more bread and butter
In terms of really going after the forehand again and using that as a real weapon and that that's his game and I felt like he l maybe strayed away from it a little bit, but it it it looked really good this week. Okay, don't dare.
Well, Caparoid's victim in the semifinals, six one, six one. Uh, if you haven't seen it, Luciano Dardari obviously had the week of his life reaching the semifinal, the the style in which he did it, you know, that victory over Alexander Zverov got a bit of swagger about him, you know, took the crowd with him. He was one of the the best shows in town this week in Rome. And he decided to lean into that uh for this
semifinal and they do you know, they've they've really ramped up Rome, the the staging, the theatre and opera of of what they do. They now play a little jingle, little sort of violin jingle w when it's break point or game point.
Not sure that works, but I applaud you know, I applaud them trying to make things theatrical. Um and they do the same with the walk ons and they've got the you know, the big theatrical the trophies being walked out onto the court and the camera in the corridor tracking the trophies being walked out. Anyway. So Luciano Dodai thought, Yeah I can I can go with this. Um and uh as he's announced onto court he emerges from the tunnel with the adorable
Um and Casparude has already come out, taken the mascot's hand, walked out onto the court and the mascots are um kids from the Make a Wish Foundation, I think. So it's a really big deal for them. Aliciano Dardari swaggers out onto the centre court in Rome wearing these Statement sunglasses, shall we call them, the mascot is there waiting, Dar Dari swaggers past him.
uh failing to notice his outstretched hand onto the court, takes the applause of the crowd, loses six one six one. Um I really what a photo that is. Well done, Vicky. Um I have pendulum swung on this so much from One end of it. Big. Um you know, well we want personalities in tennis and we don't want people to just be totally identiquate, sanitized, uber professional, media trained bores. And sometimes that means doing things that
We shouldn't make that worse and be outraged about it in the way that people on the internet like to be. I keep hearing about how Gen Z don't want to go to pubs anymore because they're afraid of being... being filmed, being drunk and having a good time and ending up on the internet, you know, like
Poor old Luciano Dardari was just trying to have a good time and now he's on the internet ignoring a child from the Make a Wish Foundation. Um you know, like it's gone really badly for him. But on the other hand He did look like an absolute tit and I could have told him he was going to look like an absolute tit. You know?
As as I found in my life and as I'm sure my son is finding in his life, you kind of have to make your own mistakes. And learn from them.
Yeah. It w it was a mistake though, wasn't it?
Yes probably was. I mean I I just I don't I don't wanna remember Luciano Daleris. I don't want to be a good thing.
But I fear
I won't. Honestly I won't. I mean
I think I will.
I mean I feel I feel bad for the kid. I feel bad for the kid. Right. I hope they I hope they can make that up. I don't care that he wore sunglasses. I I I you know, I think he was when I think of what he did against Hodar. You know, you ta ta take aside what he did against Verev. That match against Hodar when when he lost the second set and it's what, one in the morning, one thirty in the morning and we've had a blum in smoke delay was that the smoke delay now?
Um you know, all the stuff that that happened um and that you still won that. went further than he's ever been before at a at a big at his own tournament, you know, his own Masters One Thousand tournament. I think he was fantastic. It's a
It was.
There was a moment it was there was a m a moment towards the end of the match where somebody heckled him in the crowd, you know, and basically said, We've paid money for this. You know, and he was like one and four six one four one down or whatever and he offered his racket to them as if to say, Come on, you show me how it's done, mate. Um I don't know. I just I don't I don't think I I like I say, I feel sorry for the kid and that's an
It's not a big deal. I think I think um the kid was um Yannick Sin's mascot today.
Okay, well that's that's a good move.
I believe so.
🔇 Silence
If he came to you and said Matt I value your opinion. You're a stylish guy. You've got good judgment. I'm thinking of doing this.
I I feel like it it it it was slightly giving not taking it seriously. Yeah. And it was like it was like the big biggest match of his life. Maybe he was trying to like it was a it was a way to try and make himself feel relaxed because he knew he was he knew he was stressed out probably'cause it was a b
Well that didn't work, did it?
He played very he was nervous, wasn't he? He could tell he was nervous during the match. He never never really got the feel on the ball even after the reindeer. Yeah, it was it was a terrible shame that he missed the missed the mascot. He looked awful for that but it was a Genuine innocent mistake, I think.
Yeah.
And we shouldn't we shouldn't judge his his his character.
Right.
I think I've become a bit of a Dardai guy. For this for the overall week. So I may not be a reliable week. I'm gonna be looking out for him and
David David Law supports shunning of make a wish children. That's that's the Daily Express headline you'll be seeing tomorrow.
Oh yeah.
Zero shit given by law.
Ha ha ha.
¶ Dardari's Future and Men's Doubles
I I mean I am a bit worried about how much she's got left in the tank, I must say. You know, there's there's some players that I think could be feeling the effects.
Exactly.
اشتركوا في القناة
It's giving peak too soon, isn't it? Or not too soon, because you know, for where he's at in his career I think it's okay for Rome to be the peak and I'm not necessarily predicting a big Roland Garros for Luciano Darderi. As ever, it is all about the draw. We'll find out at the orangerie. Uh absolute scenes in the men's doubles final as uh Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori won the title. In a match tie break they beat Marcel Grnoyas and Horatio Zabayos.
Um Grinoze and Zabios are just evergreen, aren't they? I feel like they're gonna be playing forever.
Ha ha ha.
Well yeah, that's true.
Ha ha ha.
Yeah, Vavasori's really bringing the average age of that that set of fine lists down.
Yn yw'r yw'r yw'r yw'r yw'r yw'r yw'r yw'r yw'r yw'r yw'r yw And you have to go back to you have to go back to nineteen sixty for the last time when it Italian men's pair won won Rome and that was uh Pietrangeli and Sirola and they they shared the title in nineteen sixty. The final was the final was abandoned. So I think they're the first all Italian men's pair to win the title. Outright in the in the in the tournament's history.
The lady's got nearly as much grey hair as me. 40 years.
Ha ha ha.
And uh thank you Matt for that little segue into promo. If you'd like to know more about Nicola Pietrangeli, Uh, he is the focus of our next episode of Tennis Relived for Friends of the Tennis Podcast. We're recording it on Tuesday. It'll be up on Tuesday. No no reason to hang around with that. Yeah.
Okay.
Um
We'll get editing that straight away.
I didn't want to commit you to that live.
Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate that.
Just wanted to check your uh social schedule before I committed you to that. But yeah, Matt will edit it immediately and that will be available uh on th on Tuesday afternoon for friends of the tennis podcast. So if you'd like to become a friend and get access to that and all of our bonus content ad-free listening.
The Barge, if you're enjoying Hannah's work in the chat tonight, The Barge is where to find more Hannah. And let me tell you, more Hannah Wilkes in your life is a life-enhancing thing. So the link to become a friend of the Tennis Podcast. as always is in our show notes. Uh that is it for part two. We'll be back in part three to have a look ahead to the coming week in the tennis calendar.
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¶ Week Ahead: Raducanu's Coaching Reunion
Welcome back to part three of the tennis podcast. What do we have this week? We have a WTA 500 in Strasbourg and they have a a good field there. We've got Victoria Mboko who, uh as I mentioned earlier, has confirmed that she's now working with Wimphiset. We have the returning Lois Boisson.
Uh Leila Fernandez, Clara Towson, Madison Keyes, although she is uh a big injury question mark at the moment, Madison Keyes. Eva Jovich, Alexandra Ayala and uh Katarina Alexandrova, they're all in the draw in Strasbourg as is. Emma Raducanu who has confirmed that she is formally working. is a formal one and she's back being coached by the guy that coached her to the twenty twenty one US Open title and that she controversially split with
very soon after that. Um this is another one that I have very, very complicated. feelings about. Like I I have very good feelings about him as a coach, his energy, um her her turning to that. Um I feel feel good about that. But I also I feel a little bit sad about it. I feel like
You can't go home again, you know? You can't be eighteen again. You can't bottle what you had in twenty eighteen and it's the most human and related uh in twenty twenty one rather and it's the most human and relatable thing in the world for her to want to try and recapture that, but I I fear it's impossible. Um Um Yeah, I don't know. Makes me feel a lot of things.
I'm optimistic about it. Um because I don't think she is trying to bottle or go back to what she what was twenty twenty one, but I do think she's realizing that he He's got the goods, uh like he's a good character to t to to to help her, uh, where where she is is now. Mm and I think it's I think I think it's the best possible choice you could have made.
Yeah. I really hope so. Yeah, I I I I I think I agree on a on a coaching level. Um Yes Hannah in the chat who says it's like Rory going back to Dean in her second year at Yale. Only the real ones would understand that reference, but it is an excellent one.
People.
Gilmore Girls, David. Gotcha. What are the chances that David ever will
I'll check in with my daughter, she's seen it.
Has she? Is she a girl girls gal?
¶ Upcoming Tournaments & RG Qualifying
Uh we have a Doutier two fifty in Rabat as well. Janice Chen, Jessica Buthas Monero are the top two seeds. We have an ATP five hundred this week. ymwneud ymwneud ymwneud ymwneud ymwneud A lot of quite decent names looking for a bit of form ahead of Roland Garros in the field there. Maybe some slightly bigger names than would ordinarily uh play the week before a slam. I don't know. Maybe, possibly.
Uh Domino faces uh Francisco Surundalo in round one. That's about as as tough as a as a round one draw gets on clay, I'd say. Uh Fonseca withdrew ahead of this with a a wrist injury, says it's minor, but I hear wrist and I worry and Uh so yeah, we'll keep an eye on that. You've got uh Alejandro Davidovich Fakina, Jakob Menschik, Zizou Bergs and Terence Atman all in the draw there. And we also have an ATP two fifty in Geneva this week where Taylor Fritz returns.
As the top seed, you've got Giovanni Pescu-Perikon versus Stefano Sittapas in round one. You've got Stan Rorinka, Cam Nori, Lenarty and Kasper Rood. I wonder if he will stick to the pan and play that. Uh and Alexander Bublick all in the draw in Geneva. Friendship and qualifying starts tomorrow. I'll be watching Jo Joanna Garland. First on the schedule Magal Magal Joe Um You've also got Sloane Stevens in qualifying, David Goffin, Grigor Dimitrov, who is unseeded.
in French Open Qualifying. Dan Evans, uh, Coleman Wong and Lulu Sun, all ones to look out for. And I know people will be going to French Open Qualifying this week. It is a it's a great ticket to have, so Do have fun if you are going and go and cheer for Dan Evans if you're a Brit'cause I don't know how that's gonna go for him, but we uh we wish him well.
¶ Podcast Plans and Listener Engagement
Uh, as I said, in terms of our plans, uh we have Nicola Petrangeli uh for Tennis Relived on Tuesday and our daily shows for Roland Garros start on Thursday after The draw at the orangerie. We're travelling out to Paris on Wednesday, uh and the first show is on Thursday. Levels of excitement, Matt, about the orangerie. Has an outfit been picked?
Uh no it hasn't actually. It's been s it's been a hectic week, but you know, I will I I I will I will get that sorted. Uh ten out of ten. Like love the orangery. Two PM I learnt today that the drawer is on on Thursday, local time.
prioritizing London.
We appreciate that. Absolutely. I'm gonna try and make sure we get there a little bit earlier this year so we're a little bit nearer the front. I feel like last couple of years we've been a little bit far back, haven't we? Um gonna be near the front, we're gonna I'm gonna be near lots of French people so we get the ooh laws. That's that's the experience we want.
a real close up view of whatever non tennis athletes is there that I can't identify. Can't wait. Uh we have a mascot for this episode. Oh, it's Prince Herbie. Um owned by Kelly Grayson. Uh Herbie is a two year old cream coloured golden retriever. He is a lover of the highest order, says Kelly. Uh he prefers to have constant skin to fur contact with whatever human is available, which is quite nice since his coat is like silk. I can see that from this photo.
He happily chases bulls but refuses to surrender them. All of his many toys his stuff but of all of his many toys his stuffed up. is by far his favourite. He adores his litter mate who lives nearby. Oh and the two of them still wrestle the same way they did as pu They inevitably get so tired they have to continue to play from prone positions.
He is super gentle with my three year old granddaughter, and she is learning to boss him around, which seems to come quite naturally to her. Honestly, I've had dogs my whole life and thought I'd never get over the loss of my greatest Swiss mountain dog. But Herbie has won my heart for sure. That is absolutely beautiful, Ellie. And um I'm sure that is something that a lot of our our listeners can relate to as well. What a beautiful, regal, lovely boy.
Um so thank you, Kelly, and thank you, Prince Herbie, for being our mascot for today's episode. Hello to our mascots, hello Bodie, hello Maisie and hello Roger. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff. Yes, let's have some shouting.
We have Donna Shepherd. Uh Donna says I'm I'm a born Canadian, however I've lived my adult life in several African countries working in the field of wildlife conservation. I'm writing to you now from Kenya.
Wow. Did she list any further African countries?
No, but lots of animals.
Oh yeah.
Which will probably interest you. I have three dogs and ten chickens, Donna says.
Wow. Mega. Yeah, fantastic. What a what a life Donna is leading in Kenya. Um brilliant. Love that. Thank you, Donna. We don't get many Donna. Potentially our first honor.
🔇 Silence
We also have Nigel and Sue Jennings who are sending a shout out for their son Neil Jennings.
Aww Hello Nigel Sue and most importantly Neil. No Barry related cock ups this time. You you were very clear with your wording there, Matt.
Nigel and Sue say that Neil Fraser, same church, different pew, or Neil... Uh but Neil is actually named after uh Neil Armstrong and Neil Diamond. Um and Neil was originally from Northampton but now lives in Wimbledon, his dream address, and he took Nigel and Sue to the US Open last year to complete the fan slash.
So all three of them have completed the fan slam.
Uh I I think definitely nicer than Sue. Not sure about me.
Congratulations Nigel and Sue. Like Niels Fink. Neil Skabsky? Nigel Sears, Zoo Barker. Very good. My mum's a big Neil Diamond. I remember my mum and dad going to a Neil Diamond concert. it not going great. There was some lateness involved. Things were tense afterwards. Anyway, it wasn't Neil Diamond's fault.
Ha ha.
And speaking of your dad, we have David Whittaker.
I think he's here live. He was certainly in the chat earlier. I saw him voting with gusto.
Ha ha ha.
Oh Dad, I've just dragged you for your f Neil Diamond experience. Um Well, I love my dad. I'm biased.
Yeah.
Yes, please.
He says my middle name is Ashley, which ought to prompt some tennis associations.
Yeah, my dad.
Hall of Fame member.
Is his middle name is Ashley because my gran's favourite book was Gone with the Wind. And I think a a a a war was lost with my grandpa about wanting to name my dad sort of Rhett or similar. Hang on, no, is David a character no, Ashley Ashley's a character in Gone with the Wind. Yeah. You were gone with the wind guy, David.
Yeah, Clark Gable and all that.
Uh yes.
Ashley Barty.
Ashley Barty, there we go. My dad hasn't popped up with uh in the chat. I'm worried that he's gone to bed. Are you still with us, Dad? Uh potentially not, but if he if he's missed this I'll encourage him to get it on catch up. Uh, love you dad. Thank you for being a friend of the tennis podcast. If you'd like to become a friend. As I said, the link is in our show notes. We'll be back. Oh my dad's popped up. Hello Dad. He just says yes. Man a few words. Uh we will be back on
Thursday. We'll be back on Tuesday for friends, we'll be back on Thursday for everyone everyone else. Um, and I encourage you to check. out our instagram content because i will document our travels to paris i will document everything that matt and david will allow me to document Um if you want behind the scenes at the Tennis Podcast Does Paris, then our Instagram at the Tennis Podcast is the place to find.
Thank you all for listening.
We are part of the Athletic Podcast Network. We will speak to you on Thursday.
🎵 Music
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