Boisson’s 'Cinderella story', Djoker dodges Sascha, Tiley’s take on scheduling

Hello, and welcome to the tennis for another week of madness. Here around the oblong table. That's actually an oval. My name is ab Mullbuck. Big week of tennis. It's sweet smell of success for boys. Song's French fairy tale scheduling in the spotlight, a woman getting a fair girl with grand slams and defiant Djokovic. Novak sets up a semi final showdown with Sinner. All that are more coming up

It's John Fitzgerald. Safe, nice jacket, k thank you.

You're not getting this jacket because I've noticed you've tried to knock it off.

I stole it last time he was here.

I'm keeping it on.

Well, we're very happy to have you back.

And Australian Open tournament director and the Big Koodoo himself.

It's Quig Tyler.

Good to be here.

That's very good. Nervous I'm not either, Okay good.

I wanted you to come in a little bit jitter, but I've seen cool palmer collected but joining me as always set when she's over at Roland Garros. It is Brie Stewart, dressed as Vicki Pollard from Little Britain today with your.

They're pretty cool.

I think they're cool. We're playing pop tennis this afternoon. Yeah, yeah, it's great to be back.

Yeah.

I'm wearing jeans and a button up shirt, so we'll see how that goes for me.

Now, we've got a huge show this week.

Obviously, we're in the middle of a one of four Grand Slams over at Roland Garrison. We've got some hot results fresh off the press. Pretty exciting stuff. Quarterfinals, Novak Djokovic taking out Zverev, very convincing. We've got Janick Sinner number one seed, taking out Alexander Publick and the women's side, Coco GoF took out Madison keys Our reigning champion at the moment from the Australian Open, and Luis Bosson the surprise defeat of Mira Andreva.

Pretty exciting stuff.

Yeah, it's pretty big. Yeah, it's been some great matches. The quarterfinals have been really exciting. The semis in our looking really exciting. It's great.

Yeah, definitely, your French is perfect. I understood everything you just said. Then that's great. Well, let's jump straight in with what's caught your eye in tennis this week, Fitz kickus off.

Louis Beausson. Yes, who is she? What she done? Why is she a talk of the town?

Can I use my Australian Actually I'm struggling for her first name.

Yeah, that's fine.

I'm happy to revert to the French accent for the second name. We Yeah, Lois has been a revelation and look, I love this stuff in tennis. You know, there's an argument to say when when the highest ranked guys get through the final, it creates all of this energy and it is great, and it's the matchups you want to see. But when a youngster comes along and does what she's done, it's a different sort of attention. And I'm one of

She's very outside the top, very outside.

And she's shown a lot of resilience the last twelve months, which I love, coming back from that knee injury, big knee injury, A year out of the game, like a full year of rehab really and only to play a couple of times competitively before the French Open, speaks volumes and to come back from breaks down and sets in a previous mates. She's got resilience, she's got fight, and now she might just have belief. You know, who knows it's a big step, though, big step.

Playing at home she's got a lot of French locals screaming her name.

But I'm just reading here.

So she had not recorded a single, only one win sorry, between her rehab and playing RG. That is just diabolical.

Well, it's amazing that you actually that your body would all stand up too, no matter how much training you do, you know leading into this. Once you start playing competitive matches, you know, it's tough to stay fit and keep everything together for five straight matches. Look, I guess she's there. She's got a chance, she likes the clay and she's a young kid with nothing to lose. Now, Yeah, she's achieved a lot of already. Her ranking is going to go to sixty five or so.

Yeah, loses anonymity to well inside, I'm reading.

This morning that she started Roland Garros ranked as the number twenty fourth French woman and she'll end Roland Garris is the number one French woman. It's massive.

One other things she's done. She has previously won at WT event and she's won six ITF events, so she's won tournaments. And when you win tournaments, it's significant. You know you can you can get to the quarters and lose. But she's handled those smaller, bigger moments well in her life in her career. This is by far bigger than any of those tournament wins. But to win tournaments says something about a players character. I think you never know.

First wild card to reach women's semi final at Roland Garros huge.

Yeah, yeah, you were over there, Craig, did you say otherwise?

I got back at the beginning of this week and there was a lot of excitement around her player, but not as much as there is now because you didn't have the last two results that she had bidding Andre of course would be Beatina, so which was which was something we thought potentially could go the other way. But but yeah, I mean, I think she's forced to be reckoned with her As she said, she's a really good

Yeah. I've seen a couple of her media interviews. She's pretty funny too.

Yeah, she's got good for the tennis world.

And she's still very young. She's only twenty two, isn't she.

Yeah, born in Dijon, Ah, right.

Like Dejon Mustard, and she can do a mootard commercial.

Yeah, it's the village next to Hockenglish.

Listen to you. You're practicing that across.

Across the sin from horseradish cram.

Anyways, amazing, great for tennis, great for the French.

Great for the French, great for the tournament, for Grand Slams.

When Grand Slam with players from Grand.

Slam, anything that's great for a Grand Slam, it's all excited.

And then when they stepped up and do well in their home slams, it's really good.

Yeah.

If that buzz keeps going, we might see her here in January.

Oh yeah, it's gonna be Well.

Let's stick with the French for a little bit, keeping with Roland Garros. Now, Brie, you've been keeping your finger on the pulse of tennis news.

We'll call your eye.

Well. I thought it would be remiss of us not to chat about one of the big stories that's come out of Rolling Garros, which is all around the scheduling and the women's matches, and we've seen on Chiburg came out with you quite articulate, really interesting perspective that you put on social media. So I just kind of wanted to open that up because obviously scheduling and for listeners out there, we don't even know half of it, Craig.

But scheduling, the king of.

Scheduling, is not an easy thing to do, and there's lots of things that come into consideration like broadcast and player, all these kind of stuff. So you know, obviously it's a big thing in France right now and around the world in terms of that. That's kind of what caught my eye.

It's a big thing to cash, you arks, everyone's writing about it, and look, there are many factors that go into making a decision and scheduling. I the French will have their factors there and there, and their considerations that they're going to take on board and different circumstances to us. We have twenty six sessions over the course of the fortnight, and a session every night, so there's forty nights of tennis and at least one session every night.

Some nights.

Some nights there's three courts playing with two matches. We generally schedule. We always do schedule two matches, so we share it between the men and the woman.

We start earlier.

We started seven and we and it's even sometimes the men go first, sometimes the women go first, and some years you may have it's more skewed towards the women and more skewed towards the men as far as the number, but generally we try and keep it the same.

As much as we possibly can.

There's an added complication of three sets versus five sets, and that's just the time. That's not really that's not a value because you can get three set matches, it can be a lot more long but also more launt. But it's just on average, the three sets are going to be are going to be shorter and uh and look, I can't go into I haven't spoken to anyone at the at the French janisfederations. I can't go into you know, the basis of their decisions. But our decisions are you know,

Home No one's ever going to be happy. Right, that's exactly right.

There's so much starting.

To lose out.

Yeah, at the end of the day when it.

Comes to the schedule, much like tennis, there will be one winner and someone who wish for a different result one.

Hundred and twenty eight, or there will be one hundred and twenty seven. They'll lose that.

That start always upsets me for players.

Until you say the prize money stats, like, oh, they're all right, yeah.

Right, that's why most of us felt like a loser all the time.

Yeah, I've got many reasons for mine, but I won't all the audience with that. But there's so many stakeholders, Craig, Yes, the players, but you've got broadcasters, local fans, ticket holders, people around the world.

They do start later, like eight twenty was there.

And it's a it's a new initiative it's only been a couple of years that they actually have a night match because they normally just like women and just roll through, roll through the evening. And so it's only in it's a new thing and they've got one match that they've got to take that into consideration. And there's other things too. Is you know where players have come off events. You know, are they're a little bit injured, Oh theyre one hundredstand healthy. You have to consider that as well.

So could there be a default?

Could there be a default?

So and that would derail everything we've had.

That we've had women's final default played five games and then you just got.

To be ready. But what we do is when we when we have.

One match, we make sure we've got something to swing in or or we've got some other activity like the great legends of John waiting in the wings to come and have a bit of a hit.

But it's hard to keep it exactly.

YEA, let's cross to the fan.

But at the end of the day, what you try and do with you with your fans, you know, globally around the world and here on the precinct, you try and provide them with a with two three, four hours of some great content and then sometimes it does go longer, and that's why we have laten finishes, and then you get the complaint all late.

What do you do start?

We can all start at seven o'clock.

The news in Australia is between six and seven, and so starting earther than seven o'clock is not an option because no one's going to be watching the tennis and the sport doesn't want that they're watching the news, and so we start on, you know, bang on seven o'clock and then and then sometimes you can have two long matches, Yeah, definitely, and then you finished the two in the morning and then everyone complains.

But sometimes you say, a lot of the fans who stay in the stadiums to watch matches love the late matches. A lot of my tennis hungry friends are like, love how long that went? It was so amazing. So we again, it's the whole thing with what we do. You never gonna make everyone exactly.

And there's the hardcore, like keen fans in the stadium who love that. But you got to remember ninety nine point something of the people watching the match are at home, whether it's in Melbourne or Sydney or.

Paris or tim bucktoo. Yeah, it's yeah, and you've.

Got to trying to mash it up because if you're sitting in Europe, or if you in a time zone that's forty hours behind, you know, it'd be nice to give them the second matches that's early in the morning, when they were in the morning, when they're getting up.

Yeah, so you got to take those into consideration as well.

Or in the middle of their workday and the boss going, why are you watching the tennants?

That's one of the best things about our jobs.

We get paid to watch tennis.

The tennis is on right now out there, all.

Right, Well, I think well handled, Craig. I think we've got a bit a bit of a better understanding of scheduling. But it will always be backwards and forwards it is, and.

There's variables, and you know, when it comes to the one or the two matches, that's the.

Decision that rolling.

And you don't have to make that decision.

No, we don't, because we have.

We're down here.

Of course, we focus, We focus on what we do and we try and do as best as we possibly can to make it as fair. We all say that we always I always say to the players that will make sure it's fair, not necessarily equal, yeah.

Because it can't be. It can't be otherwise the way you're lying.

Yeah, right, otherwise don't give them a trophy. Everyone's a winner. All right.

Well, I'm going to thank you very much, Craig. That was very insightful. Break well asked, do you think?

Very well answered? But that's why I wanted to ask it, because I find scheduling is so interesting.

It is.

It's one of the biggest We will sometimes spend six to eight hours a day before making a decision on the on the schedule for them.

And you've got golf in there, isn't it to help you think.

That's for a bit of fun.

But in the in the room, and always give mind the room is also secure because if the people are betting on scheduling and betting on when someone's gonna going to be on, and then if you if it gets out of the room before it's actually published, then they can you know, the odds change. But but in the room, you have you have the referee, you have a represent of the international broadcaster, is a represent of the domestic broadcast. You have represent from the men's tour, represent from the

Fourteen There's a lot of tennis to put on.

So amongst all of those important people, there's also a kid from Bray's team in the court waiting to tweet out the schedules, to be first.

To be first, not too I was in there once.

I can't get in there understand once.

My first year was really interesting to sit in there and watchat happens.

Yeah. We average twenty four variables per match.

Wow, So variable is injury, previous mash time finished, previous mash time start? What marks there in? Who this sponsors are? Which broadcast want some internationally? Which ones wants sym domestically? Oh, they're playing singles? Are they're playing double? You can go on averages.

I mean it sounds stressful. I mean Craig's only thirty three.

Look, so would it be fair to say it's really easy to criticize it.

Yeah, that's right.

That's fun too. You're not being criticized. You're not doing anything exactly.

You've got to mix the pipe, all right. Well, thank you very much, Greig.

We'll crack on with some more eye catching moments from tennis.

This one's for me.

I do love a bit of a punt for our international listeners.

That means a bit of a gambler play.

But you can say that, can you?

I do know or do it?

Yeah?

Talk about it, don't do it anyway. I do have a point Public.

He's had a pretty good run, but a bit of a bumpy start to the year, and he's the first cassack Man to reach a Grand Slam quarter final first time matches in twenty twenty five, things went going well. His coach and his team said, you know what, you need a weekend in Vegas and he hit Vegas once, say what he did, but he had some fun and he came back in New Man and frankly that caught my eye because good on your mate.

Any your thoughts on Bublic, I just want to talk about gamb Well.

When I heard the master of the question that I'll ask you in the context of did you take your acts and practice and his smile and he said no, I was in Vegas.

Fun I'm sure there's a tennis court somewhere in different.

Kind of preparation. Yeah, examly, does we skill and work for everyone?

No, wouldn't work for everyone.

I don't think we.

Didn't have any prize money to put in, so maybe you'll head back to something nice.

Yeah, certainly was playing well, wasn't it.

Yeah. Look, he's a bit different, isn't he. He comes from a different space, but very much. But if you can put it together, yep, you know.

Well the pieces he's taken out Towsies in Duckworth on the end of it.

And then Draper, if you can keep focused, he can fire in the next few years.

I think, well, if you can count cards can If I was convinced Draper was going to win that match person in the quarters and of Drapers, is you know, one of the one of the future superstars of the game, both him and fun Seca.

I think of the two absolutely.

And Draper went into r G as the fifth seed, so you know, all eyes were on him.

But then this is he's a really good player.

Now, Craig, Yeah, time for your what caught your eye? I saw you on the telly earlier this week.

I caught my eyes, not specifically what happens is a rolling goes because there's many things every day there actually, but what caught my eyes A bit of a plug as well.

I was going to say, five hundred and sixty five million goa.

In fact, no, I don't have a presentation.

I don't think you're promoted to a million, you know, for the event I am, and for the business aand but but yeah, five hundred and sixty five million dollars of direct economic impact to the state.

It's a massive and it's it's.

And on the last ten years, a little over three and a half billion dollars straight straight to the state, straight to Victoria most of the city's moment straight to Victoria nine.

I've got new hospitals popping up everywhere. This is great.

Or you know, one point two million fans for the gate and around the world a little under two billion.

That actually watched it.

So if you think about it, that's third of the world's population.

Yeah, wow, so big.

What the rest are you doing exactly, but big, big numbers, big numbers for you know, for the Australian Open, the cer and for the business.

We're very proud of it and growing.

Tremendously in Asia and the Asia Pacific region, South American newmarkt we've focused on doing really well. So yeah, so we're excited about you know what the what on the horizon.

Like four hundred and forty two thousand nights in hotels were booked.

It's a lot.

That's crazy.

A century the hotel has always tell us that they need more hotels possessed, specifically for January, but we we kicked out the year for Australia and actually for the world and sporting entertainment. That's what happened during COVID while everyone was you know, had lots of misery at home. You flick on the TV or you look at your device and you can see this beautiful blue sky.

Yeah, rather than having a lot of fun.

Yeah.

I remember working that tournament. That was bizarre, but Jesus was it was very calm on site.

I loved it. Missed our fans, don't get me wrong, but no, it was.

It never happened again. But yes, it sounds calm.

No, it's good. Take that economic impact.

Yeah, we would, we would, We would absolutely take it. But just shows you that, you know again it is. It is the largest annual sporting and entertainment event in the Southern Hemisphere each year, the largest event in the world January and uh, and we're proud of what we do.

For the country.

Well that's all well and good prag.

Yeah, what's next?

How do we go bigger?

How do we keep We got some plans to get announced, maybe even on this over Table round Table podcast. We will have probably the next top of months and innst.

Not right now.

You're not going to be like, hey, we're building our own hotel in the shape of the tennis ball.

It's going to be waiting for someone else to host it.

Maybe maybe something an actual professional in a different different hosts.

That's been noted. Yeah, you keep drinking a drink, crag. It's definitely water.

My Alkarez water bottle. I just grabbed you the way down.

I saw his name on that. Carl's texting me, where's my bloody water bottle?

The water does taste? May have been in this this January does taste.

It's definitely sad, but that's fine.

I grab it. I was first.

So in terms of these figures, what does it mean for the average fan? Does it mean that every fan who comes to this train open is actually assisting us in keeping the Victorian economy going well?

Well to flip it.

The other way around, our goal objective is to provide every fan with a memorable experience, and we want a surprise and delight them like they've never been surprised and delighted before, so they always want to come back. We have a lot of returning fans. We have a large gift that comes from overseas love from inn state. About sixty percent come from Victoria itself, so that's our first objective.

And to make sure they then leave and book instantly to come again. Yeah.

Well even notice this year that, like the sort of premium experiences, they were available pretty much straight after this year's AO for next year's So you can have that moment of like, well that was great, I need to book in now before it goes.

Yeah, that's clearly it's really exciting.

Weld I, Craig and everyone at Team Tennis Australia in the Australia that includes includes you too.

It's a team and I just get to yell at the microphone for a while.

Yeah, it's pretty good, gig.

But Craig, you just got back from Paris. There's some tennis thing happening over there.

That's great.

What I was up to, well, there was a lot going on in the discussion what's happening with with Global Tennis?

Start business has so he always has brought a business.

Talking about Bordeaux or something.

No, I don't straight into Paris and straight out of Paris.

What do you mean Craig's doing well?

Not what I thought I'm working.

I don't. I don't do what you do when you go to these groups.

Junket I mean work trip.

But there's a lot of grandstand board meetings, meetings with players, meetings with partners, meetings with potential partners, entertaining some partners that I wanted to make an investment in in this round open or are currently doing it, and so yeah, it was it was I think it'd be in the ten days, and we went a bit earlier because it was a scheduled play meeting with the top five players around compensation and other slams giving their fair share and

Seem to love the AO the players.

Yeah, I think there's a lot to do.

You know, time of the year January, we're right next to the city, you can walk in and out. But then also what we provide as a service and generally when you come to Australia at the beginning of the year, you know, You've got this welcoming environment, you know, all of our staff and even showing up at the airport and people generally have police to see you.

And want to have you're having a good time.

Wonder what that's like, I wantn't know.

Yeah, not something you personally.

I get off at airport.

It's just like, yeah, why is everyone looking at me like that? Getting dark here? But anyway, take your tournament director hat off for a minute. Your tennis astray Ceo hat On Ossie Tennis Emerson Jones quarterfinals.

Yeah, that's huge playing an American next, I think. And so she's playing great tennis. Yeah, she's one of the number one in the world in the junior's up and coming superstar, works really hard, got a great game. It's got a lot of upsides. So you know, she's stay by day with for her in month by month and year by years.

You can rush into an amazing career. But so far, so far being great.

Yeah. Yeah, I will.

Say that the junior tournament, especially at the Grand Slam level, it is some good tennis. It is like you kind of hound, These aren't kids. These are pros in the.

Making, younger belts for sure.

Absolutely, they're Inca.

Yeah, and we should get more people out watching them. So if you are at Roland Garros, go check out that.

You go early, go to one of the other courts and you'll see some wicked tennis and you can get some great seats.

Yeah, totally.

We've shared a little bit on I mean, I think when it comes I think global sport. You know Alex Stemno's comments after he was just match around around, he's just exhausted, and you can see that when he when he was playing public, he won the first set pretty easy, and then he just ran out of steam and then he just felt to the end that he just didn't have any energy or any steam. And I empathized with that and agreed with him. You know, the schedule, the

Them together and to all look great. Put all agree.

Guarante even if hypothetically we found a nice little three or four week gap from some billionaire had come in and create an exo match for.

Them potentially, But but I think you create a tour that where it's so important via environment that's so valuable, so important and so valuable for the players, but that becomes their focus and whatever they do in between, then it's on them.

Content.

Yeah, schedule.

The analogy I said to Fitzy before is that if you work a double shift at machas, you can't then win about being tired.

It's like, hey, you chose to do two ships in row.

Yeah, But I think in the case of we put yeah, look, I'll come on the plane like the analogy because no, because I'll put it.

On the players side.

Man.

The way it's set up, the double shift, you choose. But in tennis you don't ness to choose, because if you want to keep.

My analogy, you've got to.

You've got to.

You've got you've got to keep playing to chase, and I'll go down there and I'll play that event down next and maybe a bit of trans games in the finals and maybe a two fifty or five hundred, and all of a sudden you got the number five player in the world playing a two fifty.

And then the fan I will say, what does this mean?

Going sweet these cheap so.

Roll and get us finished this weekend. And you said to just you have his tennis fan, So what's on next week? What events on next week?

Like Wimbledon? That's what they'd say. They wouldn't be.

Right, That's that's my point. So you know the four majors.

Yeah, and yeah, there's all the others in between.

Crazy when you really looked at there's a lot of tennis.

It ever stops, but there's an opportunity. I think there's an opportunity to elevate the whole thing for everyone. So just getting your heads around how we get aligned on that all?

Right?

Well, last one on Ozzie Tennis, Nick curiosit just announced that he's not feeling up to the grass swing, so he's playing there.

What's your hope for young n K?

Well, still young, but you know, just to be healthy.

Yeah, And my wish for him is just to be healthy and then dad and it's a good thing.

It is a good thing. And then and then to just do what he wants to do.

And then I think, you know, if he wants to come out and play, it be healthy, come out and play. If he doesn't, that's fine too. But I think there's there's been a lot of pressure on him, you know, pretty much right throughout his career, the highly talented individual.

He's had some big wins.

Big big, big results, and then you know, the public has that expectation, maybe he does to that expectation that'll just roll out every week like that.

It doesn't work like that.

And as a form of player will tell you that that it doesn't work like that. It's a grind. And so yeah, it's for himphsis to be healthy. And then then after that it is what it is.

Yeah, well, I mean was telling you, were saying about your grind when you're a player just wolfing through croissants.

Well, I didn't have a nutrition. He does that now, high grind.

The higher the grind, the less talent.

You've got to have calories to be the less talent.

So the worst you were as a player, the harder you had to work. It was a grind. But if you don't play consistently, it's very hard to get miles in your legs. Yes, and so then to switch the tap on again after you've been out, not played, injured, haven't played, no match condition, it's very difficult to flick the switch. And the longer that goes, the harder it is.

Yeah.

Yeah, that words of wisdom. I'm happy to leave that there because that is bang on.

Yeah all right, well it gets better soon with all these injuries.

Yeah, yeah, he'll be right. He'll probably come back with a cool new haircut and a greener car.

Anyway, time for a quick bake here from the tennis but craiging to stick around.

What's it? What's the bake? Someone's going to bring a cake.

Okay, welcome back, folks.

So the last few weeks for Rollan Garros some while you were actually heading over there, I think you touched on it last week the team on the show, we did a bit of a fantasy draft pick for Roland Garross.

Doing to bring those up.

So, Luke Savill, Viv and Simon Ray, did you not do it? No?

I was like and seeing it hosting, some would say and yeah, basically picking two players that were men two women going into r G who would go the furthest get points. So obviously they did pretty well. All three teams each have one man and one woman remaining. So Luke Savill, Alcraz and Eager and Viv had Sable, Anka and Novak and Simon Coco and Sinner. So who if you had to pick a team. Obviously they're not in the room, they're not listening.

Luke's busy.

Well I heard a rumor that, yeah, our own Teddy Woodbridge. Yeah, I was having a bit of a crack.

He was having a crack and actually Djokovic.

Right, she got right.

Well, yeah, she's got two out of the four. Like everyone else.

It looks like they're given two regular favorites and two they have they've gone potentials.

Yeah, a dark horse and a properly to win.

A little bit more adventure, I would say, in Viv's.

Choices, Yeah, I think so too.

Some would say out of the three of them, she's the smartest of the group, that's the deepest thinker.

Yeah, very analytical, She's got to be brain. He's a data scientist, and yet that's why he needs scientist and he died.

Whereas Viv natural god given tell exactly.

And Luke's the South.

God your sub patriotism. So if you had to pick a team, who would you go with? Would you go with Luke, Viv or Simon?

Well, I can understand Luke absolutely going with defending champion and a four time winner.

That just makes Yeah, that's an easy choice.

Yeah, But I don't blame historical results do not usually can't always be used to predict the future.

I'm just wondering, if it's Sinner's turn, is it too early in after the three months off to actually win a slam, but he hasn't really been tested. He should be fresh. It could well be his time and a soft spot. Oh, he's going to win all for so is chorus by the way, my opinion in their career this year some stage, Craig look and it might be Coco's turn at the French too.

Definitely, she's looking amazing out there.

I'm going to go out in a small limb.

Yeah, and go with Tim Simon.

I'm going to team.

Simon, right, Okay, well thought three probably more thought a venturous and we.

Just love viv you're listening, Craig, Tim team Luke.

Carez.

Fair enough? Is that because you've got a drink bottle? Yes?

And at least I get right?

Yeah, the price tennis, no fair enough? I mean it's it's cut.

I think Coco is going in as a favorite now.

And al Carez it's nice sitting at this point of the event. We've got a bit more information than they had when they were picking.

Yeah, I mean it's a big match in the women's semi final.

At the top though, Yeah, definitely. But to possibly take out Saboka.

Well, because Beyon text game is suited more to Clay that's how Yeah, and she's won four times.

But I think you could, Like they're playing on red bricks, she could run through a brick wall.

Yeah you could, she could.

I'm a big fan, that's all I'm saying.

No, No, of course she can win. She's none want to see. But it's Beyontex's game is suited more to that. I just don't quite know if she's at the peak of her powers at the moment.

But she needs bigger headphones. It's about when she comes on court. She seems to have bigger headphones every time pillows.

Strapped to be careful, you might take off if they keep absolutely right.

Bray, what about you?

I'm torn because I kind of like what Viv has done, but I'm still not sure what the Dokovic can beat Sinner in his next round?

Be good? Yeah, it's a two horse race, so you never know.

Yeah, I know. It's fifty to fifty, isn't it.

It's not so much fun.

But I kind of want to go with Viv because it is risky, and I like to be risky.

Living on the seeing your pants. You obviously like to take gambles and that's good, all right, Well, if you want to give us your opinions, pick a team, or even tells who you were planning to choose yourself.

Jump on YouTube, put in the comments.

Andy and Harper will read it because that's their job and they love it.

Now as you all know, and I'm Craig.

I know you're a Kaane subscribe, But we have another podcast in our Ale Originals network to sit down with Vivin Matt Now. This week they caught up with twenty sixteen French Open champion Gabby Yimbagarutha. On the episode, she actually goes through her predictions for the Rolling Girls Championship, which is pretty good.

Use of stuff. So we've got a little clip here. We'll play that now.

I mean, I gotta put SI link up there. She's like the number one by far, so many different points. And she just won Madrid. Yeah she want to madread cocor good as well, cocko. She's just amazing on clay courts. She just lost two finals. I mean she's going to be up there in the in the quarter semis.

As a clay coread player.

I really like zen Zen is an amazing lay court player. She's you know, I feel like she just has a perfect lay court game and who else? It's already three play an ega. Of course she's won four times French Open.

Can you believe it? Four times?

It's insane that she's so young and she's wanted four times. She's gonna like, if she keeps going like this, she's gonna like, who make a record? I don't know who's the most women's players. I had won more French Opens, but she's probably up there.

So some insightful things there. But you can listen to the full lep. It's out now, actually went out on Monday. It did cool, so jump in your feeds wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to the sit down. Now, speaking of former champions at Roland Garross, it's time for a little bit of musical guess who. The real question is, what is musical guess who? Well, Harpara and the team have been putting together some shenanigans, Yeah, I would say, and why does give you some clues? This person was

Bit of a clue. A bit of a clue, all right, So we'll kick us off with our first one.

So what do we need to do? We need to guess the tune.

Yes, and then guess the player what is the real song? And then what who is the song singing about? So buzzing with your name, Harps will stop the tape and we'll just see how this goes.

You're fun love that this isn't light. Let's see what happens. Harps hit it.

Number four my ranking. I said bye.

Now I'm saying.

You go okay. So you're saying I think I know the player, I just can't get the song.

Okay, well you can still at a point for that, Andy Murray, No, not incorrect, and yours.

Was rougher, but I've got nothing.

Also incorrect is that a player? The player is Sam Stoza. So if you listen careful those lyrics I did.

But yeah, anyway, that's okay.

Anyone got the song, I'll give you a hint, toy story, No, no songs, We're not there.

Okay, let's just see if you can figure it out.

So let's keep playing half. Yeah, but don't want to see when it makes sense. Just seconds of patience, all right, halves killer there.

That's hard.

By the way, if anyone I know, I'm no good of this. So I said, then because I think they said peaked at number four? Is that right?

Yeah?

I think he might be a yeah exactly. He might be texting as well.

Yeah, I apologize.

All right, give us your second one half.

In France named four counter five.

Coach me up to the press.

Big Games.

Last year's on the show.

It is definity pass.

Well done, nice and so I had no clue.

Yeah, that's good.

Alright, team effort exactly. I have to uh, you.

Had to say your name.

I thought you were telling it was yourself.

He was actually remember of that's very good. All right, Okay, this is gonna be a fun one. I reckon, Craig, you're in with this complete guests on that. But we'll see how we go hit it.

I grew up with the weird hair and ten it's gonna be worth.

The world parents.

But guy said Brono, you know, thank God and betraying boy.

I was gonna say, yeah, it's just the same songs last time.

Bree is really focusing on the song, and it's just like I don't care about tennis.

These guys are writing the lyrics, listening intently.

Okay, so it is. Hey, you get a point for that. Well done, bree. Now gentlemen, do you.

Need some morning both?

Here we go.

What do you guys doing? One in now?

Oh?

Rhyme's that? Oh Michael, Lena cra.

Well done?

Yeah, no, that was good.

I mean it's basically up there.

I thought he was singing the same song.

Okay, well done, mate, al right, well done. Point for Craig and a point for Braveer getting the song. So that's good. A right, there's this. This really matters.

He's going to win the songs, all right.

Next one hit it hops.

Second bone soun really brilliant. Sun Sports King.

Again in schools, Chased my tenor drink.

I cracked top two hundred and at the age of fifty hours.

Oh Mary, Sam, we're now we're stilling young man in the world.

Michael, Michael check get that was when it was Lena.

Yeah.

I think you were just reading over my shoulder and you just read the long answer.

I listened to Michael Chang on the sit down.

What's it like watching yourself sing that.

By the way, he loves it. Okay, last one. This one's a little bit trickier because all the but I've got a feeling that this is going to be the last name.

Of the song.

Good question.

No, yeah, yeah, absolutely, someone gets all the peanuts out of this, so right halfs hit it.

Cold play?

Yeah, come on play so fix me.

It is.

I got Alex correct fix you?

Sorry game?

Can I choose another one?

You can go, keep going to your face.

Career, give me a career. It's actually problem guessing. Gadia saman Swedish.

You should get it.

I've got no idea.

I know him well, talking Swedish. Okay, beat rapper to give Roger the chance to win.

Oh my god, Rob Solon, Sorry, Robin, sorry to get all the biscuits, Craig Tiley.

On the balance of it, you buddy won that. I got all the.

Songs, not all the songs.

Rock and Roller.

No, that was broiled Harper, that was weird, exactly. We're very much in Chune. No, that was great. One on halps. We'll probably do whatever again. But Jesus was fun.

It was fun.

Okay, Well, it's time for our favorite time of the week, which is your ace of the week.

So this will take us out, Cray, you can hurry up and get out of here and go back to doing more meaningful things and having fun with us.

But we'll start with you. Do you have an ace of the week.

I actually do have ace of the week?

I think.

And I saw some great images and I sent a text. There was a there was a person who loves the game of tennis, used to play profession played professionally. Has now I've got a big job in Qatar, the CEO, chairman of be and Sports, oh wow, but also the

That's brillant, awesome. I don't know how going to top that.

That was really probably the best one we've had on the show to date, unless it's is like, hey, you know there was one Oto winnow last.

Night it was me.

Look, just very quickly, I think I'd like to mention Raffer again because I wasn't here last week when you talked about celebration. Yes, what a record. Yeah in credit boggles the mind. That to me, so good for him. I hope he stays in the sport. And what a great message with those other great champions there. Yeah, all mates, Now that's what we want our sport to do.

Yeah, that camaraderie.

I got to sit in the stadium to put a shirt on and I was given an extra small we'll put it on, and I stayed there to put it in.

It was a bit of muscle, none of that. But there wasn't even any breathing. I don't know it was. It was.

It was great.

What a great man for Tennessee's yea, yeah, they grows a third on the ladder.

By the way, in Australia, there fl.

Team for at latest in Australia.

Good wine.

Good sorry, adequate one. No you want me to say something amazing word?

Yeah, not very good. No, that's good even a double one that's me very good.

Mine's quite boring, as per usual. Pants it's not my pants. My pants are cool anyway. I'm having a mid life crisis. But I got home from Paris six am on Sunday, and you know what, I had the best time in Paris. But I love my life and it was so nice to come back. I love our team here at Tennis Australia, so nice to see them all. I missed my dog of a cat and I you know, it's really nice to go away with work and then come back not

Be honest, have you ever had a cross song in Melbourne?

Like?

No?

And that's mainly because Bree kept trying to find a ham and cheese?

How good?

How good?

Wouldn't?

Did you have a coo or a chocola punt?

I don't.

I didn't, but I think we're going to have a have a beak.

Maybe Maybe that's my ass of the week, Genesi Australia making me feel like a dick.

No minice the week. It's not really a nice of the week. But it's been fun.

So I went to drop my five year old stn at school today, rolled up there, looked around, where is everybody? Checked the app. It's buddy, it's a pupil freeze day at school. And I'm sitting there looking the back. Said he's there in his little uniform and I'm like, okay, work and.

I'm like, okuess what, buddy, you're coming to the office.

So I've left him with Shannon, one of our senior produ executi producer of original content.

Hopefully not learning horrible things, but yeah, it's fun to bring the kid to work and had a podcast. Yeah.

Well he's he'll do a better job than I he would. He definitely can pronounce his hs in break.

Yeah.

Yeah. Anyway, Well that is it for us from the ten for another week. I've had fun.

Don't know about our guests, but I'm sure being able to tell me that it was excellent.

Thank you, Craig, good to see you. Always a pleasure having it's.

Always thank you. Thanks for having me breed quieter pants next time.

Let's close this up.

Thank you very much for listening.

Don't forget like subscribe, I'm sure Harps and Andy will tell you all about it in a minute.

See you next week for more tennis.

See you next week.

Hey everyone, Harps and Andy here just want to remind you that you can watch every episode of The Tennis on our YouTube channel, Australian Open TV, and we have.

An email as well podcast at tennis dot com dot au. If you thought the show was amazing or you thought it was terrible, we are keen to hear from you. We'll read it, so feedback comments, whatever it is. Get in touch with us at our email and we'll catch you on the next one.

Catch you later.