Alcaraz wins 12 in a row and Fils-Ivanisevic: The Inside Story

19:00David Law:But I'm not sure it was accurate. And that was early, of course, at the time when they were working together, I think. I think what it makes me wonder is maybe in both their cases, actually, the problem is just kind of mental and psychological rather than.

19:17Matt Roberts:But don't you think separating it out like that is misleading? Like, of course, it's mental and psychological. Like, it's it's all of it. Right. Like. Do you know what I mean? like of course when a problem is that big on on that when you've got a technical problem that big on that significant a shot I mean they're all significant aren't they but like of course that's going to become a brain a brain worm and it's going to become self-fulfilling and it's going to become a confidence related related thing you know it's like it's like how Grigor Dimitrov serve when he gets tense, which is a mental thing, he grips the racket tighter and that affects his service motion.

20:06Matt Roberts:That's the case for a lot of players. It's both, right? There has to be both at this point.

20:12David Law:I just wonder whether maybe Sabalenka was just in her mind convinced, oh, this guy's fixed it. I can do it now. And maybe nothing changed. I don't know.

20:24Matt Roberts:but i mental for sabal mental entirely mental for sabalenka well but and and whereas i'm i think

20:30David Law:goth maybe as somebody who's hyper analytical perhaps it isn't able to just think oh i've fixed it and therefore there's this continuous effort to try to change little technical things when actually a lot of people have said in the past well when she gets tight that's when it happens it's not a technical problem i don't know for sure but i i just want given those two different trajectories and time scales that that's something that occurs to me and and i think it's probably a yeah as you say like a classic example of personality dictating whether

21:10Catherine Whitaker:a sort of coach is going to work for you like you know i i'm sure gavin mcmillan is a good coach and is going to be helpful for some people. But just because he helped Irina Sabalenka, that does not 100 % mean that he's going to help Goff and she's going to buy into his methods or be able to accept his methods to quite the same extent, right? But I was encouraged by what we saw from Goff. And actually, the Mertens match to me was the one she desperately needed. That was the winning ugly match. She never really found much of her game in that one, but she got over the line and got through it and got a big win and managed to come back in a match in a way that she hadn't sort of recently.

21:59Catherine Whitaker:I actually thought one of the reasons we'll remember the Svitolina match is because the quality genuinely was really good from both players. She played well for a lot of this golf. And what was notable to me was how much she was moving forward. you know in that second set tie break she saved so many of those match points by coming forward and committing and I do think that helps the forehand when when she sort of is going after it a bit more and following it through and coming in off it I do think it looks a bit of a more stable shot so it just it felt like she found her game in in that in that match even though she ended up losing it.

22:40Matt Roberts:She's such a presence at the net and she's got such a big wingspan and obviously her athleticism is incredible. She's not a bad volleyer at all. She's not Tim Henman, but I don't think she needs to be for that to be a great play for her.

22:57Catherine Whitaker:I agree.

22:58Matt Roberts:I'd love to see more of that or at least to continue doing it as much as she was doing it in that match because I really enjoyed seeing that from her.

23:06Catherine Whitaker:Right, because it's... sort of goes against one of her main strengths which is her athleticism from the back of the court and trying to get the ball past all that sort of thing but when that's not working it's an it's a brilliant thing that i would like to see her try and incorporate a bit more as a as a bit of a plan b get forward put pressure on your opponent that way and as you said her athleticism at the net she covers it it's so well and yeah that was an amazing match and And we've ended up talking more about Goff, kind of inevitably, because Goff is just such an interesting person and player.

23:41Catherine Whitaker:But so is Svitolina. And like you, I had no idea how she won that match after losing that tie break and that incredible hold for all in the final set. Six or seven deuces, like remarkable resilience from Svitolina.

24:04Matt Roberts:Prior to that, on this incredible semifinals day, we had Pagula beating Anisimova for the fifth straight time, 5-0, the head-to-head. She came from 1-6, 1-3 down.

24:21Matt Roberts:Does Amanda Anisimova, Matt, have a big Jessica Pagula problem? And if so, is that a big problem? Because as discussed just a few minutes ago, Jessica Bagula is probably going to be there at the latter end of slams. You don't want to be looking through a Grand Slam draw hoping to be able to avoid Jessica Bagula, I don't think, if you're Amanda Anisimova.

24:48Catherine Whitaker:yeah she sort of dodged her last year but this year has been a real you can't escape jessica begula forever feels to it um look i do think she found something this week and this is over that she was looking for you know halfway through that andreva match she started hitting out a lot more and finding the conviction in her strokes again against Andreeva. And then... God, that was a good match as well, wasn't it? That match was compelling and extraordinary and became a bit of an ordeal for both players. It was one of those with more breaks than holds and Anissimova had a match point, didn't take it.

25:32Catherine Whitaker:Andreeva then served for the match. Anissimova broke back. Andreeva was really tearful at the end of it. But Anissa Mova carried what she'd found in that match, the ball striking, the resilience. She carried that into the Pagula match. And for the first time in that head-to-head, really took charge of that match against Pagula. Now, Pagula had one thing that does still occasionally happen to her, which is a bit of a sluggish start. She was a bit slow out of the blocks in that one Pagula. She didn't really get going until the middle of that second set. But I do think a lot of that was the game that was coming at her and how well Anisimova was playing.

26:17Catherine Whitaker:And for a set and a half, you felt like, OK, Anisimova can beat Pagula. This is not an impossible task for her. But the serve is still an issue, I would say, for Anisimova. She's not getting enough out of that shot. It was a problem against Andreva in particular. It was still a problem against Pagula. And Pagula kind of exposes that because you would look at those two players and think, how does Pagula have a sort of more effective serve than Anissimova? But she does. She gets more out of it and it's more reliable, I would say. And Anissimova doesn't really get the aces. She does still hit quite a lot of double fault.

26:57Catherine Whitaker:And it leads to a lot of stress in her own service games. And that's a bit of a problem for her. but yes so to answer your question directly i would say yes still has a jessica pagula problem like you can't hide that with that head to head but i do think she made a step this week in terms of beating pagula and in terms of generally her form this year and but if they were to meet in a grand slam quarterfinal or semi-final that sort of stage i think you'd probably have to make pagula the favourite because of the head-to-head but I think she can do it, I think she can pull it out there was enough there to me that although the difficulties in the match-up remain, Pagula's ability to rush her, her ability to put the ball short and exploit some of the movement I do believe in Amanda Nisamova to one day get over the line and beat Jessica Pagula

27:58Matt Roberts:Just Jessica Pagula standing between Matt and platinum blonde. What a tantalising situation. It's fair to say that whatever hatchet there was is buried between Anna Samova and Androva, isn't it? I mean, she was very generous and warm. It was a very human moment, wasn't it, between Anna Samova and Androva on the court because Androva was very upset following this defeat. Even though it was Anisimova that had had the match points, it was one of those come-back-from-ahead victories for Anisimova because once she failed to take those match points, it felt like it was Androva's somehow. It felt like it was Anisimova that snatched it from the jaws of defeat.

28:51Matt Roberts:and we've seen a lot of that from Andreva over the last year or so, haven't we? And, you know, on one hand you think, well, she's a teenager, like, of course, this is fine. This is, you know, let's not read too much into this. On the other hand, well, on the other hand, David, like, it does seem to be a bit of a pattern she's stuck in.

29:18David Law:Yeah, she needs to win one of these. I mean, she's winning lots of matches, don't get me wrong, and she's playing really well. She was much better this week than she was last week. And I did think she should have won this match, really. And fair play to Anisimova, who needed it too. You know, it was kind of one of those matches that they both desperately needed to kind of kickstart things for different reasons. And Andreeva had the same issue against Mboko a week ago, serving for the match, looking like she's about to win and then not and then just kind of crumpling in an emotional heap really and then the same in this one and and both opponents were brilliant don't get me wrong but Andreva I only think it will take one of these you know she's had a lot of bad experiences over the last 12 months but I think she's good enough and she's got a good enough coaching dynamic with Martinez to to be able to I would hope just understand that this is going to turn eventually in her favor and I'm and I'm glad as much as I enjoyed the petty pantomime brief aggro between Anisimova and Andreeva after the previous match between them I'm glad that Anisimova showed that human touch and was just really empathetic and sympathetic towards her and and you know I want to see that sometimes too

30:42Matt Roberts:We had more absolutely incredible Alexandra Ayala scenes. I really don't think there's going to be a destination on tour that doesn't become a mini Manila when Alexandra Ayala plays. It feels like the lore around Alexandra Ayala and her crowd support is just growing and it's just such a boost for the WTA. to know, you know, especially somewhere like Dubai, where let's face it, the crowds aren't great, are they? Like, it can be a tough watch sometimes. Like, to just know your guaranteed, like, vibes and scenes and atmos whenever Alexandre Ayala plays, even if it's an absolute dud of a match. Like, it's, yeah, it's this incredible little gift to the WTA at the moment.

31:39Matt Roberts:She beat Jasmine Paolini and Serana Castella. Got a little run today together. Paolini's having a tough season, isn't she? I think she's taken a wild card this week into Merida. That's a situation to keep an eye on. Defani, David. They've done it. Luisa Stefani and Gabby Dabrowski won the doubles. not only that they finally got a win over Alexandra Kroonich and Anna Danilina at the third attempt they then beat Zvonareva and Siegmund 6-1 6-3 in the final big big things are finally happening for Defani David as predicted by you well I mean listen they are

32:29David Law:the two players Matt and I like the most in the doubles game and they've come together into this dream team but it's worth remembering that whilst they did play together several years ago this is a new pairing this year in terms of their them coming back together and i think it is inevitably going to take a little bit of time for them to absolutely hit their peak but well we've seen we've seen what a good pair they are over the course of the first few weeks of the year three match tie breaks in a row to win this title as well um and yeah i reckon we're going to see more

33:04Matt Roberts:this uh right okay that's the that's the tennis um aside from the tennis which was great it really was a great week of tennis in Dubai but the kind of overarching storyline narrative of the week unfortunately were the absentees uh the withdrawals and the retirements like the numbers just kept stacking up 14 withdrawals or retirements in the end. Obviously, we had Sabalenka and Svantec that we talked about last week. We had Karolina Mukova and Victoria Mboko, the finalists from Doha, pulling out Maria Sakary, pulled out Beilich, Kazakina, Krojcikova, Jung-Chin Wen, Elisabetta Kocciareto, retirements.

33:54Matt Roberts:We had Hayley Baptiste, Paola Badossa, Ellis Seidel and Elena Rabakina as well. And then long-term absentees, Naomi Osaka, Madison Keyes, Lois Boisson, they withdrew in advance of the tournament. Obviously, we had the comments last week from the Dubai tournament director specifically surrounding the withdrawals of the top-name players, Shontek and Sabalenka. Well, the WTA have responded and responded quite punctually during the tournament. It was announced that the WTA is launching a tour architecture council to recommend actionable improvements to the tour framework that can be implemented as soon as the 2027 season.

34:48Matt Roberts:Now, this is obviously a good thing. I mean, just the fact of recognising the problem and the extent of the problem, which is what this announcement does, I think is a big thing. Like regardless of what it actually leads to in terms of change, there is so much denial and burying heads in sands and sort of seemingly creating an alternative truth and almost gaslighting in the tennis world from the powers that be. that I think just that in itself needs to be celebrated. We clearly have a problem here. Let's try and address it. I have some caution and some scepticism around the word actionable in this press release.

35:41Matt Roberts:I think that's doing a lot of heavy lifting. What can you actually do when these tournaments have contracts? like what can you do they're not going to be able to or perhaps even want to eliminate tournaments from the calendar downgrade tournaments from 1000s to to 500s to to pick up and move tournaments to other other points in the calendar like I just I don't know what is going to be possible I I and no commitment is being made about what might be possible. But I do really applaud the willingness to look at this and the admission that there is a problem and quite a big one, I would say, given the sort of emergency nature of this announcement.

36:35Matt Roberts:Maybe it's been something that's been in the works for a while, but the timing felt quite significant, Matt.

36:42Catherine Whitaker:It did, yeah. And so often we'll, you know, we'll have a week and you think, is anyone, is anyone noticing the problem here? You know, and then you'll go on to another week and the same thing will happen and just sort of crickets, silence from the powers that be. But actually getting this press release, this statement, this announcement during the week did feel significant. And look, I think it'd be easy to be cynical about, you know, the fact that it's, you know, it's another council. You know, you sort of think, well, what's the player council for if not stuff like this? And the fact that it apparently took 90 days for Valerie Camillo in her new role to notice that the current calendar does not feel sustainable.

37:28Catherine Whitaker:Like surely that's a sort of day one thing. And yet.

37:31Matt Roberts:Not a tennis podcast listener, Valerie, clearly.

37:34Catherine Whitaker:And yet I do want to sort of celebrate this thing. I do think it is a good thing that this has been put together and announced. And I do think Jessica Bergula's involvement in it, she's going to be chairing the council, is also notable. Firstly, just the fact that I think it's great that she consistently is a voice of reason, I think, on the tour. And is someone who is also, I think, respected by a lot of her players and peers and rivals. And I think they will sort of I think she'll be good at getting people's comments and people will people will feel that they can talk to Pergoula about it. I think I think that will work well.

38:14Catherine Whitaker:But in terms of what's actually doable and actionable, to use their word, there's a bit in the press release saying that they're going to focus on areas where the WTA has direct authority to drive change. To me, that's most likely to be something like making tournaments not mandatory anymore. That's the kind of thing that I think the WTA will have some control over. But then there's also a line in there about sort of identifying longer term opportunities that will require broader coordination across the sport. And for me, that is the big thing. This is, I think, great of the WTA to be first and say, look, we're doing this.

38:57Catherine Whitaker:but ultimately this is up I think to the rest of the sport to also recognize it and come together and say we're with you until that happens I think there's only so much that that you can do and so much difference that you can make but I absolutely applaud the move and the desire to make the change but I think they're going to need the help from all of the other governing bodies and parties and And that still feels quite a way off to me, I suppose.

39:28Matt Roberts:Yeah. And ultimately, ultimately,

39:36Matt Roberts:proper change will require entities to be prepared to sacrifice existing revenue, will be having to be prepared to sacrifice short-term revenue and profit for the greater good of the sport and I would say eventually long-term growth revenue and profit and I'm just not sure there's anybody that is going to put their hand up and say we'll do it we'll do it we'll be we'll be the ones to to make that sacrifice make that sacrifice now because that is what's going to be required right there's been a massive 500 inflation on the WTA Tour. I think there's a lot of, I think it was a couple of years ago, a lot of tournaments got upgraded to 500s, and there's a lot of tournaments that, let's be honest, don't feel like 500s in terms of field and calendar position.

40:34Matt Roberts:But they have been upgraded to 500s. I'm presuming the WTA get a far bigger sanction fee for that than they get for 250s. And I think, yeah, I just, I don't know, unless anyone's going to be prepared to take a short-term hit for the greater good of the sport, I am a bit cynical about what actual change will happen. But it's something, David.

41:06David Law:yeah um and one issue with the removing mandatory nature of these events is that would be the complete opposite to of what the dubai tournament director was asking for which is more punishment um and and that may well be what they end up doing but they're gonna have to give something to the tournaments as well that's the thing you have to find a way to um make people feel like they're getting something out of any change and i i just the fact that they've set this thing up must mean they have something in mind, a couple of levers that they think that they can pull to make something, an announcement.

41:43David Law:Because otherwise, they've made it worse. Because it's absolutely great to recognize a problem, but if you've got zero ability to do anything about it whatsoever, what's your next announcement going to be? So they're going to have something short term, And then with the kind of fairytale promise of something down the road, I suppose. And the hope that kills.

42:10Catherine Whitaker:And it's quite interesting, isn't it, as well? When you look at the WTA calendar compared to the ATP calendar, I do think the ATP calendar, you see a big issue at the end of the season, where you get all the big events in Asia, but also the indoor swing in Europe, with a lot of tournaments that are established, and it just feels like so much tennis at the end of the season. The WTA calendar after the US Open, okay, they have these big events in Asia as well, but the top players only really play one or two of those, and actually I do think the WTA end of the season doesn't feel quite as bad. It finishes a little bit earlier than the ATP season, but it's this time of year where it feels like the WTA calendar has got it wrong, and you've got these two 1 ,000 events, back to back now it used to be only one of them was a thousand and one was a 500 now you've got these two back to back in february then going into indian wells miami and you've got this whole portion of the season which isn't leading to a slam or anything it's not like building up to a hard court slam it's just big events that requiring the players to play a lot and they want to play big points big money you know i get it um and it just just feels too much really sort of coming right off the back of the Australian Open.

43:28Catherine Whitaker:And I feel like I'm sure a lot of those withdrawals and retirements, yeah, people were ill or injured. But I do think a lot of it also was a lot of players saying, actually, I'm taking a step back here. I don't need to play. And it's the right thing for them, but it's not good. It's not good for the tour. And yeah, you've got these different issues, I think, on the two calendars, as well as the general big issue of sort of too much tennis, I suppose.

44:02Matt Roberts:Although the ATP are, you know, targeting having an issue at this time of season as well. Absolutely, yeah. With the addition of the Saudi Masters, which is a total inevitability at this point. So that's all great. Excited for the ATP Infrastructure Architecture Council to be announced in due course. OK, that is it for part one. We'll be back in part two to talk about Alcaraz's 12 in a row. Welcome back to part two of today's tennis podcast, where we head to Doha and the ATP 500 won by the sublime Carlos Alcaraz. He beat Artifis in a 50-minute final, a virtuoso performance from Alcaraz 6-2, 6-1.

44:54Matt Roberts:David, he's won 12 in a row, brackets, matches, not slams, but impressive nonetheless.

45:03David Law:So far, you know, he might still do it. Honestly, the way he's bloody playing, you wouldn't put it past him, would you? it's an astonishing level and also different types of win this week he had to kind of guts it out against Karen Hatchinov and Andrei Rublev who were just playing some of the best tennis I've ever seen them play they were both kind of releasing all the shackles of their own limitations in a way and just going for it and I think that that's kind of what playing Alcaraz makes you do and they really put pressure on him and he found ways through those those matches his serve getting him out of trouble and particularly against Hachinov and and then yeah I mean against Artifis who did well to be there he was awesome absolutely sensational so relaxed so early and just gave you an an insight I think in that 50 minute spell of why at his best he is the best it feels like this year his mission even if it's not

46:13Matt Roberts:his stated mission or conscious mission is to kind of dispel all of the the lazy narratives or lazy theories about him too reliant on Juan Carlos Ferreiro he he won't be able to cope without him too inconsistent too susceptible to losses to Bertic van de Zandt's group and the like Like he is just not that guy, Matt. Like he could not be further from that guy at the moment.

46:48Catherine Whitaker:Yeah, and I think back to what he said after the Australian Open final. Like I didn't think Alcaraz was a sticking it to the haters guy and sticking it to the doubters guy. And yet that was kind of the first thing that he talked about. Well, absolutely. I do think he's been motivated by that. And look, I think a lot of the groundwork was late last year, wasn't it? Particularly after Wimbledon, that was when we saw a real elevation in his level. I think even going back before then, I think back to Monte Carlo last year, I think was a big week for Alcraz, winning when he wasn't at his best. And he was sort of off then.

47:28Catherine Whitaker:And he's been just a totally different player since then in terms of consistency. He's just not lost early at all, apart from that Cameron Norrie loss in Paris. But in all the big... God, I'd totally forgotten about that. I mean, that's the only one.

47:45Matt Roberts:He lost to Cameron Norrie in Paris.

47:47Catherine Whitaker:Yeah, he did. But, you know, who's counting? This performance in the final, look, the performance insight metric is definitely to be taken with a pinch of salt. they gave Feast like a 7.5 and I thought he was significantly worse than that.

48:09Matt Roberts:I don't think I've ever seen the performance metric go below 7.

48:13Catherine Whitaker:Right.

48:14Matt Roberts:I think this is like an Anton Dubeck strictly judging situation. Doesn't have a 6 paddle. Doesn't have a 6 paddle.

48:24Catherine Whitaker:Yeah. Yeah, be more Craig Revell Horwood performance metric. but they gave Alcrest the highest of his career right in this in this match against Feast it's only been going for a couple of years but it was an astonishing performance there's three there's three things I wanted to to point out a point in the first set that ended with a half volley drop shot that he got backspin on somehow a point in the second set where he was just frankly toying with Feast throwing in some slices and then just waiting to be able to unleash on the forehand and he pulled the trigger on it cross court which has become one of the best shots that there's ever been I think when Alcraz just unloads on one of those forehands cross court shoots through the court and then the match point which frankly summed everything up because Feast should be doing better on that ball like he should be putting that away and yet Alcaraz's anticipation is a joke and not only has he anticipated a big forehand from Feast he's got there and has the racket control and frankly the audacity to just whack it back at Feast straight past him for a winner itself like it was just an outrageously good performance from Alcaraz and to me again I was thinking about another thing that he said at the Australian Open which was how much he hates losing.

49:53Catherine Whitaker:I've always thought of Alcaraz as this guy who mostly just loves winning. But I kind of thought, what is the motivation for Alcaraz in Doha? You know, obviously he's there because of the massive appearance fee. Like that's going to help. But when he's actually locked in battle against Hachinov and Rublev, who, as David said, playing out of their minds against him and he's just won the career slam. So what's in it for Alcarez? And yet it's that competitive juice that he's got. He can't stand losing and he wants to win and therefore he turns it on and he keeps it going through the whole tournament.

50:35And yeah, he is unreal at the moment.

50:40Catherine Whitaker:And looking at the sort of bigger picture of men's tennis, I think we're early in the season to be drawing too many conclusions. But I remember thinking last year, is 2026 going to be the year of someone joining Al-Khraz and Sinna? Is it going to be the year of them continuing to jostle? Or is it going to be the year of one of them actually elevating above the other? And just in the sample size we've got at the moment, it feels like it's definitely not going to be someone joining them. and if it's going to be anything it's feeling like it's going to be Alcarez just ascending above Sinner like when you look at now his record 30 wins in a row on an outdoor hard he's won 34 of his last 36 on clay he's won 31 of his last 33 on grass like there's no point in the season where you're expecting any kind of dip from Alcarez and he's got the edge over Sinner in their rivalry It is all set up for Alcarez to have an all-timer season.

51:50Matt Roberts:OK, well, let's talk about Yannick Sinner then, David. If you can hang on talking about Artifice and Goranivin Izovic for just a few more minutes. David is a dormant volcano over here. it feels like we should we should do we should do Yannick Sinner while Matt has led us down that particular avenue he lost to Jakub Mensik 7-6 2-6 6-3 in the quarterfinals now Mensik is some player when he's on and he was in this match like that serve when it's firing is a lot to handle he's got a gorgeous backhand the forehand didn't didn't look shonky like it like it sometimes can. In fact, if there was a shonky forehand on the court, David, it was Yannick Sinners.

52:39Matt Roberts:Like, this is another one that can be looked at from so many different angles. He's lost to just a superhuman, summoned from the depths of greatness performance to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. And he's lost in a 500 with incredibly low stakes to a really excellent player, like what's the big deal for Yannick Sinner? On the other hand, it does feel like there are just a couple of amber flags for Yannick Sinner, a guy that we usually think of as totally consistent in his excellence.

53:23David Law:Yeah, and he wasn't hiding from that either. He acknowledged that. You know, I think it is relatively minor because I still think he's playing good tennis. But he's not winning those matches. He's lost two matches that I just think a year ago he wasn't losing. And in fact, over the last two years, he hasn't lost. So, and a lot of that you do have to put down to what you've just described. I mean, Novak Djokovic hasn't played like that against him elsewhere. And Mensik is a pretty unusual opponent because of his sheer artillery. And if it all hits the mark, crikey. I mean, I think he could trouble anybody because he can keep you from hitting returns altogether.

54:14David Law:And then it's like watching Pete Sampras back in the day. and like the final game that Menchik came up with to win the match it was a break of serve and poor old Yannick Senna didn't do anything wrong in that game he just couldn't really play any normal shots because they were just being swiped for clean winners but he did say look I've had dips and downs before and this is another one it's a very small sample size as you say but it is one Can't ignore it Do you think he's

54:51Catherine Whitaker:Targeting the clay Sidney

54:54Matt Roberts:He said the French Open is his Is his big goal for this year Isn't it As you would expect he's aiming to complete The career slam But

55:06Catherine Whitaker:Yeah and he kind of talked about how He's maybe not expecting some of the improvements That he's been working on to come That quickly necessarily and he said, I don't know about Indian Wells and I just sort of think that is going to be a big goal for him, isn't it? Trying to do what Alcaraz has done and complete the career slam and when we think about variety, obviously that's a helpful thing to have in your game generally anyway and it would be important and helpful for him against Alcaraz but it would also be helpful on clay. I think that is something that Federer certainly developed a forehand drop shot in his career to really target, well, I think playing Nadal, but actually ended up being particularly helpful just generally that year he won Roland Garros against like Del Potro and Sutherland, big guys, the forehand drop shot ended up being really helpful for him.

55:58Catherine Whitaker:And I do think that he's been so good on the hard courts, hasn't he, over the last couple of years. I could just imagine if there's just a little drop-off in terms of like what his absolute goal is, maybe that does lead to to these sorts of losses and maybe he is going to come again on the clay and absolutely that's why that's why i'm maybe getting ahead of myself with alcaraz because what we've seen from these two is the ability to respond to each other and and for one to push the other and maybe we're just in that bit now where alcaraz is ahead but sinner's gonna come back at him um but you know that's why i love like all the leading to to a slam right like we're gonna we're gonna see that narrative develop over the next few months like i can't i can't wait for it

56:50Matt Roberts:OK, the time has come, David. Artifis, obviously, you know, in terms of his comeback, take the final aside. That was a chastening experience for Artifis. but still it's a run to the final of a 500 early in his comeback from what's been a debilitating, worrying injury. He got wins over Maershak, Alice, Lehechka and Mensik in the match after Mensik's victory over Yannick Sinner so net massive positive for Artifis this week And it was in the second round match against Conte Alisse, I think, that we all spied unsuspectingly a Goran Ivanovic in the Art of Feast coaching box. Now, I think you had maybe thought you had spied a Goran Ivanovic in the previous match, but it became undeniable in the Alice match.

57:56Matt Roberts:We got a clear enough camera shot that we know a Goran Ivanovic when we see one. And then, of course, he was, everybody else had spied him too. who was asked about it in the post-match interview and, you know, the situation, which is that Goran Ivanovic is now at least part-time coaching Artifees, became clear to the world. Why didn't we have the exclusive on this, David? And what have you got for us now?

58:29David Law:Well, a question I asked him as well. Why haven't I got the exclusive? just how annoyed David was about that I was pretty pissed off to be honest I spent the last six or eight months talking to him about his potential coaching opportunities and the absolute scoop that I was waiting for was just left on the shelf and I spotted the top of his head and I'm like is that that looks like Goran's hair that can't be Goran and then I saw his eyes okay that's Goran and then I sent off a very aggressive text to follow the one that I'd been asking him about the WTA tournament about half an hour earlier but anyway.

59:09Matt Roberts:Ditched is important question about Antonia Ruzic.

59:13David Law:Yeah I mean by the way he raked her as well very pleased that she's doing well and but anyway we eventually got into the story of why he's sitting in Art of East's coaching team without telling me and he's and his response was I'll just relax I'll tell you um so anyway um as as a brief reminder as you say Artifis last time we'd seen him play a match was in the summer he'd tried a very brief comeback from a stress fracture to his back which uh which meant that he had to pull out of his third round match at Rylan Garros having beaten Jamey Mounar in that five-set epic problem that had been building for a while and I mean it was serious he got to 14 in the world suddenly he's got a stress fracture to the back he spent eight to nine months out of the sport really um we had no idea whether whether he'd be able to make any sort of comeback really I didn't have any inside knowledge at all about about his situation Goran meanwhile had obviously coached um Novak Djokovic that had ended he then spent the best part of a year without coaching anybody came back to coach Elena Rabakina we remember how that was very short-lived and and pretty upsetting I think for Goran because he he was excited about that that opportunity um and then Stefano Vukov came back on the scene that all ended another debacle with Stefanos Sitsipas and Apostolos Sitsipas happened and I think Goran was a bit taken aback by how all that ended up I frankly could have told him in fact I think I did but anyway that one didn't work out he was then approached by a number of former champions whose days are probably behind them best days anyway um and uh those didn't lead to anything um and he's finally i think got exactly what he needs and and basically the the the backstory of how they they got together i mean this was an absolute whirlwind this was like two or three days and suddenly he's in the in the coaching team um he'd been asked for a while by uh artifice's current coach um even sinkush who's been with him for a couple of years and who it turned out goran had actually brought onto the circuit probably about 10 years ago to help him coach marin chilech um and he sort of brought him onto the tour and sinkush spent several years with that with marin chilech doing during that time um and that will continue they will share responsibility of looking after Arta's coaching on site at tennis tournaments he'd actually initially gone to to watch him practice a little bit in Zagreb and then I think he was quite taken with how Feast immediately said I want you to coach me I mean this was reported as a trial but I think a lot of that was agents being quite sort of cautious particularly given Coran's coaching record of the last six to eight months you know things haven't always been as they've seen but Feast was very clear immediately that this is what he wanted they wrapped it all up very very quickly and and so off they go and and the way it's going to work is um Goran is going to be with him in Dubai this week although I have to say I'm not convinced that Feast plays this week we'll have to wait and see he's in the draw but but I I think that that was up in the air really to see how he reacted now he felt um Ivan Sinkush will be in uh Indian Wales Miami and then Goran will be on board for the clay and the grass to follow but you know this this looks like a long-term relationship this looks like something that they both want and and and is going to happen for for for the long term, as long as things go well.

1:03:11David Law:And, I mean, look, from my perspective, I think this is a match made in heaven. I really do. Fies is getting somebody that has been a Grand Slam champion, that has coached a man of 25 years of age in Marin Cilic to a Grand Slam title. He's spent several years with the best player in the world, Novak Djokovic. And Goran's getting a 21-year-old who's already been 14 in the world and is from a Grand Slam nation. which hasn't had a male champion in 43 years and I think very much health permitting still has his his best years ahead of him just I mean 21 for goodness sake but I also think that they're a good fit personality wise you know I don't know Art of Feast personally I've been in a couple of press conferences of his but I've I've seen every match he's played over the last three years I've seen every post-match interview I kind of get a feel for what he's like he's he's a fun-loving relaxed character who everybody seems to get along with and that's exactly what Goran needs after spending several years with Novak Djokovic as much as he sort of reveres Djokovic and was glad to be part of helping him reach his successes it was stressful you know and and he was looking for something less stressful and he thought he'd got it with Rabakina and then he ends up in a Rabakina a Vukov triangle um then he ends up in a Stefanos Tsitsipas Apostolos Tsitsipas triangle um which was kind of his own making um and and now here he is with with a young lad whose company I think he is going to enjoy and who who they can work towards together and he's also combining it with a Croatian coach who he gets along with famously.

1:04:56So I can tell you, look, he is really impressed with what he's seen. I mean, I think it's like he's seen a bit of Feast in the past,

1:05:06David Law:but he's never had to sort of sit on the sidelines and really concentrate on him. And I think he was blown away, really, by his potential, at least. You know, he knows he's got a lot to learn, a lot of experience to gain and i think goran feels like he can help him with that and i think from feese's perspective goran is goran is a less is more coach you don't do talking unless it's necessary you know about strategy he will tell them two or three things to go into a match with and that's that and you'd be very blunt and feese will know exactly where he stands um but i just I just think this is going to work because Goran rates the guy he's coaching, knows how to become a champion.

1:05:53David Law:And I think we're going to be looking at a player who's top five in the world in the future. I really do.

1:06:05Matt Roberts:Exciting times.

1:06:06Catherine Whitaker:I'm excited just by the tone of David's voice for the last 10 minutes. That was excellent. um there was quite a there's quite a telling line i thought from feese in the on-court speeches actually when you know he's obviously like i think alcaraz and he are quite close they get on don't they they're quite sort of friendly but he said whoa you've made a big jump and you know i i kind of think of that like referring back to their match at monte carlo last year where obviously Alcaraz was well ahead in terms of their careers but Feast pushed him that day and probably was thinking okay there's a player there that I can get at and and that kind of thing and suddenly okay Feast has barely had any matches in the last few months he's obviously going to have regressed in that time but while he's been on the sidelines Alcaraz has just gone to another level entirely and I think part of the challenge for Feast will be and maybe Goran will be a good person to sort of build that confidence back up and sort of realize that okay no it's going to take hard work but i can sort of get back there if i'm healthy and yeah i just wonder how you want to see feast playing under under gore and david well i actually think that that although that would

1:07:24David Law:have been a bit chastening on the day and i think he was quite embarrassed feast you know 50 minutes he kind of apologized to the crowd but i think the thing is with our crowds he can make a 50 minute match fun i don't think the crowd left feeling shortchanged really i think they enjoyed it um but i think actually that will do feast some good because he's this week was beyond his wildest dreams i mean nobody could have expected an eight month layoff his third tournament back for him to reach the final and beat the guys he beat but our crowds has just laid down there just how far you've got to still go.

1:08:00David Law:So that will take away any complacency. He'll remember that and he'll train with that in mind. I mean, I think, like I said, Goran thinks his game is just, his tools are something else and his athleticism. But, you know, he does just hit the ball incredibly hard sometimes and you're not quite sure what's the plan. What are you trying to do? Why have you suddenly gone off for the last four points and lost your serve from 40-love. I think Goran will be able to just harness his power a little more and direct it into the right areas, make him efficient, make him straightforward. I think he'll want him to go forwards.

1:08:48David Law:And once he's set up an opportunity, he's got perfectly decent volleys. He's got real quickness. He's got great overhead. there's no reason why he shouldn't be going into the net more to finish off points that he sets up because he's got a big baseline game i think that's what gore will want him doing um and i certainly would like to see that um but i don't feel like we've even seen his clay court game properly because you know he got it got stopped at the second round stage uh roan garras um i think his game is perfect for Clay once he gets going. The revolutions he gets on his forehand his backhand's so solid great mover I do think he'll win Roland Garros one day I do

1:09:37Matt Roberts:It's just that time of year where David can't help but make a big Roland Garros

1:09:42David Law:prediction. I'm slightly struggling with yeah but Al Krause is going to win the next 10 because he's already won like 10 so when does Feast win one?

1:09:51Matt Roberts:He's got some waiting to do.

1:09:55David Law:Yeah.

1:09:56Matt Roberts:Okay. Amazing. Let's head to Rio, where I bet your Queen's memory buttons were being pressed watching Rio, David, and the nightmare, the nightmare that the poor tournament organisers had over there with all the rain. they had to play the semi-finals and the final on the same day you must have had a few of those during your time at Queen's I remember watching a few of those on the telly

1:10:28David Law:where we had to flip a coin to see which of the semi-finals went on court one and which was on centre

1:10:35Catherine Whitaker:I love that story

1:10:36Matt Roberts:I really feel for the tournament eventually won by Thomas Martínez Chavere he beat the resurgent Alejandro Tabilo 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 in the final, just a few hours after beating Vick Kapriva, 7-6 in the third in the semis. He played nearly six hours of tennis in a single day. Give that man a medal, David.

1:11:05David Law:It was something to behold, really. And the manner in which he lost the first set of the final and went to breakdown in it in the second set as well, he looked out of gas you know and he just kept standing toe to toe with Tabilo and just exchanging backhands to the Tabilo forehand it was just I was thinking you know who's going to break just who's going to break down who's going to change it who's going to be prepared to change this this rhythm this angle of attack and and it was like Echeverry was not going to lose you were going to have to carry him off you're going to have to knock him off and um and eventually just sort of bent the match to his will um at the end there and you know his first title and great scenes afterwards for him i did feel sorry for tabula because it felt like he kind of deserved the title out of that week um and he did have it in his hand i felt at a set in a breakup but now that was gutsy stuff from from echeverry and and well earned and you're right catherine i mean And gee, they even had, I think, a couple of hours delay in the semi-final itself.

1:12:13David Law:So they had a lot to contend with that tournament. And, you know, good scenes in the singles, great scenes in the doubles as well.

1:12:23Matt Roberts:Salt in the wound from Francisco Sarundolo. He retired from his match. He wasn't happy with the scheduling. What did he say, Matt?

1:12:34Catherine Whitaker:he sort of hinted that there was preferential scheduling given to brazilians and i was kind of like sure i bet i bet you get preferential scheduling in buenos aires that's how it works and i think the tournament actually put out a statement sort of responding to his uh to his complaints um i mean classic stuff really from someone who just had a high of winning a big title and then having to go again the next week and probably not having enough in the tank, really.

1:13:09Matt Roberts:The Brazilians did have some success in the doubles. João Fonseca and Marcelo Melo won the doubles, the 19-year-old and 42-year-old pairing. I was so sure that Marcelo Melo was retired and had some sort of official role in the Alexandre Zverev team, but apparently not. And it was absolute scenes for them winning the doubles, which obviously great for the tournament, great for them, particularly great for Joel Fonseca, who is having a tough time, isn't he? I know that the man that beat him, Ignacio Busse, Matt, is that the correct pronunciation?

1:13:51Catherine Whitaker:Busse.

1:13:51Matt Roberts:He went on to have a really great week. He also beat Matteo Bertini, reached the semifinals. like Fonseca's defeat that you know there were two things going on there but it is another defeat and it is this is a slump from from Fonseca how much it's down to that that chronic back injury that we know he's been managing I don't I don't know I haven't seen enough to really be able to diagnose that yet but I'm pleased he's leaving his home tournament with a positive

1:14:23David Law:winning feeling yeah i i mean it was an incredible scene at nine all in the third set time the tension in the stands was a joke and then when they finally got it you'd have thought they'd won the world cup again um it was just it was wonderful to witness it all and i do i do it's difficult to to know exactly how much of fonseca's problems are physical we know he's had back back issues or whether it's form and expectations such you know and there's idiots like me saying he's going to win the french open last year um but it's i do feel for him trying to work it all out in this spotlight um and yet it's it's it's wonderful and challenging at the same time um i just i i hope this this will help certainly come out with a feel-good vibe but he does need to get his singles game back going again because it's like two years ago that he just looked like he couldn't miss you know and he couldn't lose almost on on on certainly clay courts in south america and right now it's um it's a tough scene

1:15:34Matt Roberts:final line from rio xiao lucas reyes de silva became the first ever openly gate man to play a tour level main draw singles match. He received a wild card in Rio and lost to Yannick Hanfman. And I hope that we see a lot more of him on tour. Obviously a great experience for him. Finally, to wrap up the men's tennis that we've seen this week, the ATP 250 in Delray Beach, one of those events that I think is potentially under threat from the looming Saudi Arabian Masters 1000 event. I think this might be one of the ones that the ATP is targeting buying back the licence for in order to make room for Saudi Arabia.

1:16:26Matt Roberts:We will see. But it was won by Sebastian Corder, an All-American final. He beat Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3. Some great matches this week. Leonard Tien seemingly involved in almost all of them. Like he is, he's just a magnet for dramatic fun tennis at the moment, which is, which is really, really cool. But a big week for Sebastian Corder, who's been, I don't know, he's had a lot of injury, has Corder, but he's also just, I think not quite the tennis player that a lot of people thought he might be when he was first emerging on the scene and he was being tipped to be a future Grand Slam champion. I don't think he is quite that guy, David, but he is a guy that has been maybe a bit of a dormant volcano for a little while because he reminded us this week the assets that he does have in his game when they're all working and when he's fit.

1:17:29David Law:Yeah, and this is a couple of weeks as well because he really should have beaten Taylor Fritz in Dallas. He was 5-4 up with a mini break in the final set, tie break. And again, all credit to Fritz for turning that around. But watching the match, you know, Cordo was having the better of that. He's got Ryan Harrison in his coaching box at the moment, last week and this week. And just, I mean, these are great wins that he racked up to win this title. You know, Alex Mickelson, Kasper Rude, Flavio Caballi, and then Paul there in the final. I mean, that's good going. I do feel like the injuries are the reason, really, that he is not what I thought he would be.

1:18:19David Law:I do feel like, even if he'd been fully fit all the way through, he's not Carlos Sarkoas and he's not Yannick Sinner. But he could have definitely been comfortably a top-ten player, I believe. I think he's still got that potential. if he can just stay healthy. I think his game really does stand up well, particularly on hard courts. But those injuries were so bad and so debilitating and just knocked out such huge chunks of his years that I think then developing, and I mean, that's the one thing as excited as I get about Artifeese, is it's all health permitting. You know, you've got to be able to stay fit and it's tough.

1:19:01David Law:but yeah I mean look I think he has one or two weaknesses a quarter but when he's confident he's a he's a he's a heck of a presence on the court and I really hope his best is still to come it's a beautiful ball doesn't he like that it's a lovely clean ball stroke and and and that was

1:19:20Catherine Whitaker:really important for him I think in the final so windy yesterday in in the final in Dowery Beach He's playing a guy, Tommy Paul, who has a very elaborate swing on the forehand and in those conditions was kind of flailing about trying to hit the forehand and clearly hating it. Whereas Corder, as he said, grew up in Florida. He said he's quite used to the wind and he's got a much more compact stroke there on the forehand. And he seemed far less bothered by the wind and was far the better player in this final, particularly in the second set. it really wasn't that close um yeah but he is a guy who has been burnt by so many injuries he was asked what his sort of hopes are for the year and he said good health he is he's at that stage where like literally that's all he is wishing for now because then he can actually build and put together hopefully a consistent career but he just hasn't just hasn't been able to do that so far um i found And my dad's into Sebastian Corder, which was a surprise to me.

1:20:28Catherine Whitaker:Got an unsolicited text saying how pleased he was for Sebastian Corder to win Delray Beach. And I said, why? And he, you know, that's very nice of you, Dad. Why? And he said, well, because I feel like he does get a bit forgotten about because of all the injuries. So big week for my dad.

1:20:47Matt Roberts:Not by Neil Roberts.

1:20:49Catherine Whitaker:No, absolutely. Absolutely. He'd be happy to see him at Wimbledon, but not Cameron Norrie.

1:20:59Matt Roberts:OK, that's it for part two. We'll be back in part three to talk about the week ahead. Welcome back to part three, today's tennis podcast, where we have five events to look ahead to for this week, starting with the ATP, who have two 500s, one in Acapulco, one in Dubai. Acapulco is mired in a bit of a cartel situation, Matt, a bit of a worry.

1:21:31Catherine Whitaker:Yes, basically a lot of violence has broken out in Mexico in the last 24 hours or so after the killing of El Mencho, who was the most wanted man in Mexico. He was the leader of a big drug cartel and a lot of his supporters have reacted with a lot of violence and there's been a lot of clashes and tension in the country in the last 24 hours or so. And it all happened quite far away from Acapulco, but it has spread through the country. The tournament put out a statement saying that the tournament will go ahead as planned. But if the situation escalates, then that might be something to watch through the week.

1:22:18Catherine Whitaker:It's a pretty serious situation in Mexico.

1:22:23Matt Roberts:OK. Zverev's the top seed. He faces Mute in round one. De Minot, the second seed, he faces a qualifier. You've also got Grigor Dimitrov, Kaspar Rude, Flavio Caboli, Francis Tiafoe Alejandro Davidovich for Kina Guillaume Enfils and still featuring in Agendas for the time being Valentin Vachero the defending champion is Thomas Mahatch but he's chosen to play Dubai and he's also chosen to withdraw so the Thomas Mahatch rollercoaster continues yeah goodbye

1:23:03Catherine Whitaker:to those 500 points

1:23:06Matt Roberts:who's got him in their fantasy team which one of you two me is you okay I've got fish in Dubai Felix Auger Eliasim is the top seed and Bublik is the second seed the big story is Jack Draper making his ATP tour return obviously he played that one Davis Cup match a couple of weeks ago then he withdrew from Doha making his tour comeback this week. He's the fourth seed and he faces Conta Alice later on today with his new haircut or new lack of hair, with his strapping on his knee. I am concerned, but I am hopeful. That is my Jack Draper situation. Artifis, as David said, is in the draw for the time being.

1:24:02Matt Roberts:He's due to face Lachetschka in round one. You've also got Medvedev, Varenka, Rublev and Mensik, who has got Hubert Hercatsch in round one. Stefanos Tsitsipas is the defending champion. Big week for him. I mean, his ranking has already taken an almighty tumble. And if he loses these 500 points, he's, goodness me, he's in a tough situation. and he's got Hugo and Bear in round one, which is tricky. The ATP also has a 250 in Santiago, where Francisco Sarundolo and Luciano Darderi are the top two seeds. It's very similar in the draw to Buenos Aires and Rio, very much sort of part three of this South American swing.

1:24:52Matt Roberts:You've got Berrettini, Tabilo, Echeverri all playing there. In terms of the WTA, you've got the 500 event in Merida, where Jasmine Paolini has taken a wild card in desperate need of wins. She's lost three matches and six sets in a row. She's going to be going to be the top seed in Merida. Emma Navarro is the number two seed. She also needs wins. She's lost five of her last seven matches. You've got Janice Chen, Yulia Putinsaver, Donna Vekic, Katie Bolter and Sloane Stephens all in the draw. And we have a WTA event in Austin where Jessica Bagula is the top seed. She's also the defending champion.

1:25:38Matt Roberts:Do we think Bagula is going to play?

1:25:41Catherine Whitaker:It sounds like yes, but let's see. Well, as she said, her thing is being very good at playing all these tournaments.

1:25:56Matt Roberts:Eva Jovic, the second seed. Venus Williams in the draw. She faces Isla Tomljanovic in round one. And who else is in the draw but Bianca Andreescu. She plays Dalma Galfi in round one. Now, this isn't her return. She's been back for a while. it is her tour level return. She's been playing at an incredibly low level, WTA 35 events, which is, I mean, it's a notch above Solihull. She's played three of them in the past few weeks. She's won two of those three, the most recent one without dropping a set. Look, the highest ranked opponent she's played is number 218 in the world, But she's got her own ranking up to number 155.

1:26:48Matt Roberts:She's got the winning feeling. She's got the being on tour feeling. I'm trying very hard to limit my expectations. But again, same as Jack Draper, cautious but hopeful. Perhaps a bit more cautious and a bit less hopeful, but still some hope. Wishing you well, Bianca. in terms of our week we have a live Q &A show on Wednesday night for Friends of the Pod and we'll be taking questions from the Barge so you've got about 24 hours from now Monday morning UK time to get your questions in on the Barge for consideration for Wednesday night's Q &A show and if you'd like to become a friend of the Tennis Podcast in the meantime and be able to come to that show live on YouTube or just listen to it as a podcast.

1:27:47Matt Roberts:And the link to become a friend is in our show notes. We have a mascot for today's show. That mascot is Rafa. Rafa is owned by Andrea and Troy. Rafa is an 11-year-old Havanese who loves running in the woods off leash, getting many, many, many rubs per day and watching dog TV, which is when we raise the living room shade and he's able to get a clear view of the street below and a chance to vocalise his observations. That is a situation that I am familiar with. He also watches human television, enjoying dog shows and tennis most of all. He has a penetrating gaze and an old soul. He's helped every family member through various hardships, including our daughter's three ankle surgeries.

1:28:37Matt Roberts:He laid by her side day and night for weeks. We would have to carry him to his food and outdoor business. Even though he's a wise gentleman, make no mistake, he can still give his brother a good thrashing. Every evening, we enjoy the dinner show where Rafa instigates a rowdy brawl with brother Benny, A six-year-old Havanese. Chasing, toy stealing, play growls, tackling, right hooks and chest compressions are all standard fare. He is loved beyond measure. And I'm looking at a picture of him here with his brother Benny. And he's such a beautiful boy. Oh, gosh, I bet he requires some grooming. Yeah, gosh, they're lovely, lovely dogs, Havanese.

1:29:24Matt Roberts:Billie Jean likes to have an ease she always stops to say hello to them on walks and that is not always the case with all breeds of dog so thank you Rafa and thank you Andrea and Troy for making Rafa this week's lovely pet mascot we of course have our mascots Bodhi, hello a mediocre week but we're still enjoying the Mook of her points David and Maisie. A big week for David and Maisie. Even though Taylor Fritz didn't bring in the points.

1:30:01David Law:No, but I've got a team full of depth so I can rely on different points sources.

1:30:07Matt Roberts:David's all about the depth. Matt and Roger, how are things?

1:30:12Catherine Whitaker:Okay, I think. We've got some overfinding form, so that's good. What more could you want?

1:30:20Matt Roberts:We have our top folks and executive producers Greg, Chris and Jeff. Hello to you and Matt let's have some shout outs.

1:30:28Catherine Whitaker:We have Natalie Danziger from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Hi Natalie. Hello Natalie. Natalie says I've gotten Tozia and Deshi before so same church different pew but a quick internet search also yielded Natalie Grandin of South Africa, who reached a career high of 22 in doubles in 2012. So good research from Natalie there.

1:30:58Matt Roberts:Natalie doing our work for us. And I've probably said this before for Natalie, but I've been to Cambridge, Massachusetts. I've visited Harvard University and had a lovely wander around that part of the world. And it was gorgeous.

1:31:14Catherine Whitaker:and Natalie has been to our part of the world went to Wimbledon in 2024 reaching half of her fan grand slam along with the US Open joined the queue with friends and had a wonderful time and is hoping to go back this year

1:31:30Matt Roberts:love that for you Natalie we'll see you at Wimbledon

1:31:35Catherine Whitaker:we've also got Cassandra Wagner

1:31:40Matt Roberts:hello Cassandra

1:31:41Catherine Whitaker:hi Cassandra Who is in San Antonio, Texas with husband, three children and our black pug, Bonnie.

1:31:52Matt Roberts:Oh, love the name Bonnie.

1:31:54Catherine Whitaker:And you're like this, especially David. Cassandra says, I'm turning 40 this year. And instead of a party, I'm celebrating the only way that feels right with a pilgrimage to France for the French Open.

1:32:10Matt Roberts:David, you're an influencer.

1:32:12David Law:That's good thinking. I was actually thinking, you know, Natalie, why don't you just not go to Wimbledon? Go to the French Open instead. You know, then you'll be three parts of the way to your slam, you know, your fan slam. Do it like Cassandra.

1:32:27Matt Roberts:Cassandra is going to see... Who's she going to see? Art of Feast? Fulfill your prediction or Carlos Alcaraz? Well, they'll both have good runs.

1:32:36David Law:We'll find out nearer the time.

1:32:38Matt Roberts:Okay.

1:32:41Matt Roberts:Cassandra.

1:32:45Matt Roberts:any Cassies I think Cassandra's tough which is great because it means we're going to get a text from Pam so watch this space Cassandra

1:32:58Catherine Whitaker:yeah someone Pam beat 6 love 6 1

1:33:05Catherine Whitaker:by the way Cassandra says I'll be there with my tennis loving family including my 78 year old dad who first introduced me to the sport as a kid I grew up with tennis always on in the background, the pop of the ball, the squeak of the shoes, the grunts on TV, creating a comforting soundtrack to life, which I thought was a lovely description.

1:33:26David Law:Would you believe, would you believe I've just done a quick search of Cassandra in our WhatsApp group and found that Pam has already done our work for us last April. and she came up with Cassandra Le Corne from France, who's 19 years of age. Wow. Great.

1:33:51Matt Roberts:Junior ranked in 2 ,511.

1:33:55Catherine Whitaker:Yep. Great.

1:33:59Matt Roberts:Thanks, Pam. Thanks, Cassandra.

1:34:01Catherine Whitaker:Maybe Cassandra will see Cassandra at the French Open. No, she's got a way to go, I think, to get into the main draw. but anyway finally we have Aaron Waltz hello Aaron and Aaron says you guys always say Aaron Quickstein but Aaron says as a big WTA fan and with a similar pronunciation why don't we go with Aaron Routliff I see what Aaron's done there

1:34:35Matt Roberts:if you're happy with that Aaron then Yeah Then fine by me Okay yeah Aaron Routliff A rival of Defarney

1:34:49Catherine Whitaker:A former partner One half of Defarney

1:34:54Matt Roberts:Partner turned rival

1:34:55Catherine Whitaker:Aaron says I've been a faithful listener Since April 2017 Oh that's so specific

1:35:03Matt Roberts:That's good work pre-mat that is faithful

1:35:09David Law:mat in his student mat days yeah yeah

1:35:14Matt Roberts:well thank you Aaron for your faithful support of the tennis podcast it is very much appreciated and to everybody in today's shout outs that's done our research for us on the names front we do appreciate that Pam included past Pam

1:35:36Matt Roberts:thank you all for being friends of the tennis podcast we are part of the Athletic Podcast Network thank you for listening we'll speak to you next week