Aus Open Day 11 - Djokovic dream still alive, or is it?

24:45Catherine Whitaker:Yeah, they're able to not play warm-up events or play fewer warm-up events later in the year leading into the slams because they're so good they can use the opening few rounds to settle into the tournament. and by doing that it increases the advantage they have over the rest of the field like it's it's it's an absolute dream scenario for both of them and a and a nightmare really for everyone else and i think is a big part of the reason why we're looking on track for a fourth consecutive slam final between them.

25:25Matt Roberts:Certainly feels like it, doesn't it? Only time will tell. OK, that's it for part one. Join us in part two when we'll talk about the women's damp squibs on day 11. But first, of course, a word from our sponsors of the Tennis Podcast throughout the Australian Open, Steve Fergal's International Tennis Tours, the premium hospitality and experience provider. and you're running out of chances to do this with me, folks.

25:54David Law:An official ticket provider of travel packages for the 2026 Roland Garros.

26:05Matt Roberts:Yeah, something like that, folks. The long and short of it is that if you would like to go to Roland Garros 2026, the best way to do it is with Steve Fergal's International Tennis Tours. And that is for a number of reasons. Number one, it means you're doing it the official way, which means you're getting a trusted experience and you're getting all the peace of mind that comes with that. The number two reason is that tennis podcast listeners are saving 10 % on Roland Garros ticket packages. So you can also add on premium hospitality options if you like. They can put together whatever kind of trip that you would like to have to Roland Garros and they can do it with a 10 % discount.

26:48Matt Roberts:Now, to secure your tickets with that 10 % discount, just go to toursfortennis.com forward slash podcast. That's tours, the number for tennis.com forward slash podcast and use the code PARIS10 to save 10%. And if you'd really like to go to town on your trip, then two spots are still available for Steve Fergal's add-on riverboat cruise down the Danube River. this is a special package as part of Steve Fergal's 50th anniversary celebration if a cruise is good enough for Yannick Sinner it's good enough for anyone have you seen his cruise adverts?

27:27David Law:I have

27:27Matt Roberts:he does have a slight look in his eye of a man who's never actually stepped on foot a cruise ship but he's prepared to put his name to cruises and that's what's important it is your big chance to be on the boat for seven nights departing pre-Royal-en-Garros and arriving just in time for the opening rounds. It starts in Budapest in Hungary and ends up in Romania. So you get to do some real exploring and have a very, very chic time, all with Steve Fergal. So just go to toursfortennis.com forward slash podcast and check out everything they have to offer for Roland Garros. And if you're interested in the riverboat cruise, just like Yannick Sinner, then we'll pop a link to that in our show notes and also in our newsletter.

28:10Matt Roberts:And if you're not subscribed to the newsletter, subscribe to the newsletter. Welcome back to part two of today's Day 11 Australian Open podcast, where we turn our attention now to the two women's quarterfinals that we had today. Two quarterfinals, one in straight sets by Jessica Bagula over Amanda Anisimova and Elena Rabakina over Igor Sviontek. And those two results mean that for the first time in Matt Roberts' young-ish lifetime, all four of the women's semi-finalists have got to those semi-finals without dropping a set.

28:48Catherine Whitaker:Should I be concerned that I've gone from young to young-ish?

28:52Matt Roberts:Well, in the words of my dad on a FaceTime call the other night, you two are really ticking off the decades, aren't you?

29:06Catherine Whitaker:it comes for us all Matt yeah here I am um yeah look it's a it's a pretty remarkable stat um I believe it was the 1995 French Open the last time that happened and it's kind of goes to what David said earlier right like you're you're absolutely desperate to praise these incredible feats you know like Sabalenka in the last couple of rounds has clicked into gear and played brilliant tennis Pagula has been brilliant all tournament quite frankly we're back in a so impressive today in particular I would say and then Alina Svitolina hasn't lost a match all season having won the title in Auckland before the Australian Open started.

29:56Catherine Whitaker:So, like, these four women have been amazing and deserve all the praise. It's just that, what does that say about, like, the bigger picture of the tournament? And I think we're so used to, on the women's side, having so many good matches. And I think we've probably been a bit spoiled by that over the last few slams. And this one has just been extremely notable for as good as those four players have been. They've been head and shoulders above everyone else, really. And we've not had the close matches, the jeopardy that we're looking for and hoping for and expecting up until the semifinals. And hopefully that'll change.

30:41Catherine Whitaker:That's the thing about this tournament. There were so few upsets that there were so many good players still left in that every day you've been able to tell yourself, OK, well, tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow will be better because look at that line up. And day after day, it just hasn't really got better. But women's semifinal night is so often one of the best nights in tennis. And I don't know if my hopes are high, but I'm going to try and get them high before tomorrow night.

31:10Matt Roberts:The most competitive and intriguing and high-quality set I think played today was probably the second set between Jessica Bagula and Amanda Anisimova. The crowd were really into this. This was the second match of the day on the Rod Laver Arena and the first set had been a mismatch. Anisimova was a bit of a no-show in that opening set. It was very windy conditions and Jessica Bagula just dealt with them so much better than Anisimova. But credit to Anna Samova for getting something together in that second set because she was having a bit of a nightmare and it turned into a match that really felt like it was going three for a while there.

31:54Matt Roberts:And Anna Samova ended up, well, absolutely distraught, quite frankly, in the press conference. It's just been so eclipsed by Lorenzo Mazzetti's level of distraught that, oh, what a day. but yeah, she came into the press conference with a traitor-style hood up. Yeah, it was sad scenes, Matt. You did well to swerve it.

32:17Catherine Whitaker:It was sad. I think there's been stress and tension in her matches right from the start here, quite honestly, that wasn't really there in quite a lot of her grandstand matches in the second half of last year. I would say the only real match this tournament where she sailed through without any distress was the Peyton Stearns one on the really hot day when I just think she just did such a good job of just focusing on on the match and she played really well. but in all of her other matches there have been little alarm bells in terms of her on-court demeanour and how she was letting stuff get to her.

33:02Catherine Whitaker:And so early in this match you could see on her face that she was pretty stressed out. I do want to give full credit to Pagula for the match generally, but especially that first set. I thought it was some of the smartest tennis you can possibly play. She exploited all of Anissimova's little weaknesses, you know, hitting with such depth to constrict Anissimova and kind of force her to overhit and make some errors. She was using the short slice to really target the movement forward. She was going into the forehand. You know, we've seen those videos of Pagula being asked who she thinks has the best backhand on tour and instantly saying Amanda Anissimova.

33:47Catherine Whitaker:Like, she's aware of the game down the other end and she just absolutely executed her game to nullify Anissimov in that first set. It was such a clean set from Pagula. She won basically double the amount of points as Anissimov, 31 to 16. It was an absolute beatdown, really, in that first set. And Anissimov held in the opening game of the second set from breakpoint down and that made it a match. And then in the second set, you had this pattern developing where Nisimova was getting through her service games okay to begin with but couldn't really break through couldn't really do some damage her return game just wasn't really there for the start of it but she did eventually get the break but then the opposite happened and her serve fell to pieces and she ended up hitting numerous double faults in that second set including three in one game and And that handed the break back to Jessica Pagula.

34:46Catherine Whitaker:It went into a tie break after Pagula had failed to serve it out. But Pagula absolutely ran through that tie break 7-1, playing it very, very solidly and consistently. And it did feel like Pagula came back down to earth after that extraordinary first set level. And maybe the chances were there for Nisimova. but Paguda was still playing really really well and hitting with such authority but without much risk you never thought she was going to miss in a way that Anisimova didn't really have her her A game today there was a lot of a lot of miscued shots off both wings forehand and backhand and she was getting she was getting pretty sort of worked up by it all and I think she knows that that is sort of the last remaining thing really that she does need to still improve you know like the shots have improved the resilience has improved the movement has improved but getting getting stressed by either by her own level or her opponent's own level that maybe she can't do anything about is still something that you do feel like is affecting her in in some matches and I think we've seen that in a lot of her big matches over the last nine months or so but But, you know, I think the perspective of 12 months, the fact that she's pretty disappointed to have gone out to Pagula in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, tells you everything.

36:13Catherine Whitaker:Because she'd have bitten your hand off for that this time last year.

36:17Matt Roberts:It was actually a great line from Pagula in her press conference. She's so often a breath of fresh air, isn't she, in a grown-up in the room, Pagula. and she was asked about the things that she's worked on and whether she's been working particularly hard on anything. She said, I actually don't think I've worked harder. She said, if anything, maybe I've worked less hard, but I've worked smarter and I've really honed in on the specific things that can make me better. And that's so unusual to hear, isn't it? Usually it's a boasting competition about who's working the hardest and I think a lot of players and probably us as well think just because players aren't posting videos of themselves in the gym doesn't mean they're not in the gym.

37:05Matt Roberts:You know, like they're all, they're mostly all working about as hard as you can work. But I thought that was a great line from Paguda. And I thought there was an incredible contrast today because Rabakina and Anisimova are quite similar players in lots of ways. It's a similar kind of ball that comes at you. and Sviantek with the Rabakina flat power into her forehand, she couldn't handle it. It was totally exposing with that big swing on the forehand, whereas the way Pagula handles pace into her forehand and pings it back, she does an even better job of it somehow when she's on the move, on the stretch on the forehand side.

37:49Matt Roberts:It's an incredible skill and a really underrated one.

37:52David Law:Yeah, she can both retaliate with flat power off that stroke, deflect it back, or she can caress it back and soften the power and blunt it. So many times Anissa Mova was having to play four big shots to finish a rally that she would normally finish in one, maybe two. And that's a great testament. I've always thought Pagula is one of the great anticipators on the tour. And she retrieves more balls than the vast majority of players. She just doesn't waste points. And I think you're looking at a matchup problem now. That's 4-0 she's got against Anissa Mova. And I don't think that that is something to overlook.

38:41David Law:I know that the other three were when Anisimova wasn't this version of herself. But that was a... I know Anisimova came back into it, but she had to play lights out to get to a break up in that second set before letting Pagula or Pagula forcing her way back in and winning it on a tie break. For instance, I'm not exactly sure what the play is for Inisimova to get wins against Pagula right now. I'm sure there is one. I'm sure she's capable. She's that good. But she looked stressed when she first came out because of the way Pagula moves and plays and asks questions of her. And just on the subject of Pagula being a grown-up in the way she talks about her own game, same things stood out to me.

39:32David Law:But also the way her coaching teams talk to her, the back and forth they have, at the end of the first set Pegula went over to them whilst Anisimova was off the court having a bit of a going to the bathroom, having a reset, whatever and Mark Merkline said to her look, she's going to come back at you you know that this second set's going to be back and forth he said it's going to go back and forth and you've just got to be okay with that and kind of ride it out and it happened exactly as he said it would but there was just sort of an appreciation of of it not all being up to you and you've got to just play the long game in the in the set really um i think she's playing some of the best tennis i've ever seen her play right now me too and it'll be elena rebachner in tomorrow's

40:29Matt Roberts:semi-final, Rabakina taking care of Shontek, 7-5-6-1. This was one-sided for Rabakina. Was that how you read it?

40:43David Law:When she got past the first few games, yeah. Shontek started well. She got an immediate break of serve. And in fact, there were several breaks of serve around there. But once Rabakina had got settled, she was hitting so smoothly and powerfully. and I know that they've got a very different demeanor generally and they've got a different approach to the sport of tennis but Schwantek looked stressed rattled um hurried she was trying to she was still trying to finish things and then missing by the width of a tram line the tram lines you know it was there was there were a couple of really good opportunities that she had where she just blew a shot that you normally expect her to put away and I think that that's because she knew well if I don't put it away that gives her a shot and she's going to put it away um yeah and then the second set was a non-event because Rebecca once she'd put the foot down and got comfortable I mean yeah there was no contest at all then

41:48Catherine Whitaker:and once again a big difference maker between the two was the serve you know like the most devastating shot on the court was Elena Rabatkin as first serve she didn't she didn't land it a huge percentage of the time but when she did get it in she was winning almost all of the points behind it whereas Igor Sviontek we've talked a lot about how her serve has gone up and down in the in the last year or so and she's had really good serving tournaments like Cincinnati or like Wimbledon which really does help her and she's had far less good serving tournaments and less good serving days when she can't rely on it and she can be in trouble and I just think the constant pressure of not having a reliable serve and knowing that you could get broken and also wow she's serving so well that's putting even extra pressure on my service game eventually kind of comes out in the wash and I think ends up with the kind of second set that we had today because I actually thought for the first set Chyviontech did quite a good job off the ground I actually thought like she was trying to give herself some time and trying to not rush all the time but that went away as the match progressed and you know Rabatkinner was also absolutely incredible in that second set so clean sweeping winners off both wings and yeah it was pretty one sided to kind of finish the match and look I thought Svantec would probably win this one just because of the general trend in her head to ahead against Rabakina over the last year or so and the fact that maybe it's changed a bit today but I haven't up until now fully trusted Rabakina at slams just considering her record over the last couple of years compared to on tour but for Svantec now she is losing most of her matches now against her biggest rivals she lost her last two against Rabakina her last two against Pagula her Her last two against Anisimova.

44:09Catherine Whitaker:Her last two against Andreeva. Her last two against Sabalenka. You know, like her last four against Goff. Like these are her biggest rivals. And they've got the edge now in the head-to-head. And Svantec still has remarkable consistency on the tour. But when she comes up against these players, they're getting the better of her. and they're exploiting weaknesses in her game, which have developed. And I think she has lost a bit of aura, Fiontek. I think players used to go onto the court against Fiontek fearing a bit of a thrashing, you know. The bakery. Right. And now I think they're actually sensing that if you can keep it close, actually you might be able to impose a heavy score on her.

44:58Catherine Whitaker:It's a very, very different dynamic to her matches. but then I was quite encouraged by the way she spoke in the press conference afterwards, Fiontech.

45:08Matt Roberts:There did seem to be a shift, David, from the way Fiontech was speaking in press.

45:13David Law:Yeah, she was much more matter-of-fact and upbeat generally, more energetic. I don't think that's any great surprise. I mean, the last press conference we had at a grand slam was the end of the year and she just had such a lot of tennis over several weeks. I think she's more aware of changes she can now make. I mean, I think the attempt has been, the intention has been to make changes along the way. And she said a year ago, I had sort of a eureka moment with Wim Forsett and the things I was working on happened. This time, they haven't quite. I'm still trying to get there. She didn't completely elaborate on everything, but it's still about balance, I think, between this all-out attacking game and not, and trying to find that, and the serve and all of these things.

46:05David Law:But she's really keen to get that right, and it was put to her, well, the problem is, how do you do that in this crowded schedule that you have in professional tennis? And she's talked in the past about how impossible it is with the way the lengthened 1 ,000 events are. How can you do it? You've got to play them, she would say, because they're mandatory. well she's had a shift of approach with regard to that now and she said no no I'm you're not allowed to do it in terms of the rules but I'm going to do it because that's what I need to do so I will be missing some 1000 events she didn't say which ones but I think that that's quite important really both for sort of freshness and coming to events feeling up for it like she did this fortnight, but also to give her that chance to work on things.

46:56Matt Roberts:Yeah, and I do wonder, you know, whether hearing things like that will make any impact on the tours and this 1 ,000 situation. I mean, probably not, but it ought to.

47:11David Law:Well, the thing is, though, Catherine, at some point, they're going to have so much of the field just not there because this isn't going to go back.

47:18Matt Roberts:And blowback from the tournaments that are paying, the price tag that they're paying for the sanction fees to be the top-tier, tour-level events and what they're guaranteeing their sponsors that are paying all that money to be associated with top-tier, tour-level events. There's all the trickle-down. It is going to start.

47:39David Law:Yeah. I mean, Jack Draper warned us about what would happen and it had already started to happen. But I think players like Svantec, who kind of, you know, she was doing it anyway, even though she didn't agree with the schedule, she was still playing them. I just think more and more they're going to look at their peers and they're going to say, well, he's not playing, she's not playing. I don't have to play then.

48:05Matt Roberts:she she also was one of the many players that was asked today and was prepared to talk about the issue of player surveillance for content purposes that was obviously shown up by Coco Goff's moment yesterday smashing her racket in the corridor area car park area I think it actually is just outside of the Rod Laver arena which she didn't realize was filmed was filmed she thought she was having a private moment to let off some steam after her defeat it was filmed it was shown live I've seen it being run on the channel 9 news today over and over and over which I know I guess they've got the content is out there they're thinking you know there's nothing to lose by showing it on the other hand you could think maybe just keep your head down a bit but all the players are speaking out on this about how you know as giante described it as feeling like animals in a zoo um pugula described it as really invasive and she pointed out that there have been incidents even before this blow up with um with the coco goff moment there was somebody they were able to zoom in on carlos alcaraz's phone weren't they and it look it was harmless what was on there he was looking at yannick's in his instagram story whatever but like in principle that we should all be uncomfortable with that i think and i as as as we discussed last night i really see it from both sides like content is king that is the world that we live in and given what players are putting on given what players are putting on their own content channels to justify the amount of money that broadcasters are paying for rights and it is that money that in quite large part pays prize money so this is part of what pays the players wages in effect in order to give them value they do need this kind of stuff right the old you know the old fashioned stuff that they used to get doesn't cut it anymore and they need stuff that's clippable to go on social media and get attention that is just how the world works now but equally I do a lot of this is making me uncomfortable and I don't want players to feel like their privacy is being invaded and there has to be a middle ground I think and it's a strange it's a strange tension here because I always think of this slam as the one that prioritizes players above all else.

50:47And it feels like this is a real collision of two very powerful forces,

50:55Matt Roberts:you know, TV and TV money and player power. And it's interesting. I share what you said last night, David. I don't think these sorts of genies go back in bottles. But then equally, the players have been pretty forthright and they do have a lot of power, particularly here.

51:16David Law:Yeah, and the more I've thought about it, the more I think there is a middle ground here, that they can find a solution to this because I don't think that they need to stop cameras being cameras and having them everywhere. But I think that they could provide a second space for them. I think that they need to provide somewhere else that players can meet entourages and go that the cameras don't go. I don't know how big I don't know where but I think that that is necessary somewhere that they can smash a racket in private somewhere that they can go and have a conversation in a way that they don't want to be filmed that should be achievable they have player lounges they should have something that is not too far away from wherever they've got to go with regard to the locker room or the courts just provide somewhere else I think yeah and I could definitely imagine them them doing that given what you said about how they do typically cater to the players so well here

52:16Catherine Whitaker:and I think the fact that so many players have spoken up about this it would be it'd be a tough look to completely ignore it even if they're not going to go back on it altogether it does just strike me that the Australian Open might have slightly reached the point on a lot of things of just going a little bit too far. Like, it's remarkable, the event that gets put on here. But things like this, in terms of turning everything into content, like great idea that you had and it's just gone a little bit too far and there's now no privacy in terms of getting more and more people through the gates and turning it into a festival again absolutely wonderful but given the issues with the crowds that we've had and people not being able to get on courts and all that kind of thing a lot of personal experiences we've heard from people about what it's like has that just gone a little bit too far you know and that's just the sense i've got from the australian open this year um and i don't know whether as you said whether they go back on these things like they're so pleased with their record numbers like they're going to want to keep breaking those records but there comes a point where you've got to value quality over quantity tweaks can be made i think so and i trust them to make them as much respect as i have for

53:52David Law:craig tyler i do believe he loves a record and by the sounds of it he may not be here in a year so yeah who knows i don't know but um but then equally that almost makes it you know someone

54:04Matt Roberts:else is going to come in and to take the attendance records thing the absolute last thing they're going to want is new regime crowds are down but they're going to be even more motivated than but their win could be we've decided we want to make the experience a little better for those that are coming through the gates i hope so but that is qualitative rather than quantitative and And I fear that, you know, it's harder to boast about qualitative wins.

54:35David Law:Yeah, I tell you, but the truth is, I think following Craig Tiley as somebody who's a visionary and an entrepreneur, I think is a pretty impossible task in terms of bettering what he's done, because he is an incredible mind, an operator. But I think there are other things that maybe I don't agree with him so much on. I think those qualitative things, and a lot of them I think he has got right, you know, in terms of the way he's treated players and the way they felt welcomed and looked after.

55:07Catherine Whitaker:And we're incredibly well looked after. Absolutely. You know, as the media.

55:10David Law:It's not binary, but at the same time, I do think there are some things I don't, I would have done differently, and we're talking about a couple of them here, and I actually think you could feed off those if you are following him by saying, this is the feedback we had from the players, we're listening. This is the feedback we had from the crowd. We're listening.

55:31Matt Roberts:OK, that is it for part two. But don't go anywhere because Sensation of the Day today is a special one. Welcome back to part three of today's tennis podcast, where Sensation of the Day is here to bring the vibes. Now, there are some contenders. In fact, there are some contenders still on court. Kim Birrell and Talia Gibson, former winners, of course, of 2026 Sensations of the Day. They're still on the Rod Laver Arena in women's doubles quarterfinal action. So look, if they win, they would certainly get honourable mentions. Just like Olivia Gadecki and John Pears, honourable mention for them. They beat Taylor Townsend and Nikola Mekic today, 13-11 in the match tiebreak to reach the mixed doubles final.

56:19Matt Roberts:Incredible performance from them. That's back-to-back finals for Gadecki and Piers here. And just incidentally on Taylor Townsend, that really tough day for her because she and Katerina Siniarkova, the top seeds and defending champions, lost in the women's doubles quarterfinals today to Danilina and Kroonich. Six love final set. That's a real shock. But back to sensation of the day. Gadecki and Piers, strong contenders. Potential Kim Birrell and Talia Gibson, strong contenders. But unfortunately, the race was run when I arrived at my desk this morning and found a package waiting on it that had been delivered via post to the Tennis Australian media reception and then delivered to my desk.

57:08Matt Roberts:And it was a beautiful, like beautifully bound book called Wine Dogs of Australia. I kid you not. it's literally just a book full of pictures of dogs making wine i can't believe it's real it's just beautiful it's bound like a children's fairy tale book and it sort of is for me it's the adult katherine mitica version of children's fairy tales um and it was sent to me by the wonderful Meg with a beautiful card as well and just the most gorgeous, thoughtful, lovely thing to do and it could not have arrived on a more perfect day, Meg. Matt trudged back from the Mazzetti retirement, sat at his desk, heaved a big sigh and just leaned over and grabbed the book and started flicking through it.

58:09Matt Roberts:It's an absolute joy and just the loveliest thing and Meg is our sensation of the day are we all happy with that absolutely we needed that book yeah we needed that book thank you meg so lovely so nice um just while we're on the doubles quickly gabby dobrowski and louisa stefani david uh they beat shane ostepenko 6176 you were out there watching oh it's amazing

58:37David Law:I mean, listen, we should remind that Dabrowski and Stefani have kind of become the team of the Tennis Podcast this year because of suddenly my fandom of Luisa Stefani and Mats of Dabrowski. And they've teamed up this year. And I mean, what a team they look as well. I mean, they were leading this match. I was watching the whole thing on my laptop whilst in the Rod Laver Arena watching. I can't remember which one I was on at the time.

59:10Catherine Whitaker:It was the Anisimova one, wasn't it?

59:12David Law:Yes, that's right.

59:13Catherine Whitaker:I should probably say the Pagula one.

59:15David Law:That's right. And Dabrowski and Stefani were 6-1, three love up against last year's runners-up, Ostopenko and Shea. And I mean, look, they are a more classical, athletic doubles team. from yesteryear, because they're all over the net. They're attacking the net on nothing balls. There's no attempt to play the perfect approach shot. It's get in, trust your volleys, knock them off. We're at the net, you're not. Whereas Ostopenko and Shea would serve and stay back, both of them, right on the baseline and kind of trust their ability from the baseline. And the thing is, at 6-1-3, love, that wasn't working at all.

1:00:02David Law:The Brazilian-Canadian duo just... It was like they had got sixth sense already. And they were just knocking off the volleys. I thought this was going to be over in 10 minutes. To be honest, I didn't speak to them afterwards, but I got the sense. Maybe Stefani and Dabrowski were just relaxing a little bit. And then suddenly Shea and Ostapenko just exploded into action. Ostapenko was hitting the most ferocious ground strokes at the volleyers of the net and Shea lifted two perfect topspin lobs over their heads. They're a very unusual looking combination in terms of style but it makes them quite formidable and they fought all the way back, got it to the tie break and eventually Debrowski and Stefani won the tie break.

1:00:51David Law:But the nice thing is that was the best set of tennis I think I've seen in the tournament in terms of just the crowd being really into it. I mean, maybe Lernatian against Zverev was a really good second set. That one went to a tie break. But I don't know, the women's doubles particularly, I find the men's doubles more difficult to get into because it tends to be a lot more serve-dominated. But this was special, and now they're into the semifinals, and they face the conquerors of the top seeds and defending champions. So that's going to be very interesting to follow.

1:01:27Matt Roberts:In the wheelchair events today, it was first round action in the wheelchair events and all of the big names and top seeds have regressed through pretty comfortably. Alfie Hewitt, Kito Oda, Sam Schroeder, Niels Vink in the quad events, Yui Kamiji, Anik van Koot and Dieder de Root, the unseeded Dieder de Root. And that means that she now faces the second seed, Anique Van Cout, in the second round, which is a real test of where De Rout is at because she hasn't quite been the same since that hip surgery she had after the Paris Olympics. didn't play the Australian Open last year and hasn't been past a Grand Slam singles quarterfinal since the surgery.

1:02:18Matt Roberts:She's had an off-season and this is her big comeback, it feels like. But, you know, we'll find out a lot when she takes on Van Coutts. So the wheelchair events is a big part of tomorrow's order of play. Of course, in terms of the singles action, it is all-night session tomorrow, as the Rod Laver Arena kicks off in the day session with some legends. Then you've got men's doubles semifinal action. You've got Jason Kubler and Mark Polmans taking on Luke Johnson. Is it L. Johnson? Yep. Luke Johnson took a big swing there, paid off. I think that was a flat-out guess from me. I needn't have confessed to that, but there we go.

1:03:02Matt Roberts:Luke Johnson and Jan Zielinski. That's men's doubles semifinal. Then we have a women's doubles semifinal between Danilina and Kroonich and Dabrowski and Stefani. And then night session not before or from 7.30, Sabalenka-Svitolina is first. And then it's Jessica Bergula against Elena Rabatkinner. The second court tomorrow starts with Alfie Hewitt against Gordon Reid, top seed Hewitt against his doubles partner, his longtime doubles partner, Gordon Reid. of course then it's some legends doubles Mollick and Stozer against Kerber and Petkovic then it's men's doubles semi-finals Granoja Zabajos against Neil Skubski and Christian Harrison and then in the night session or other the kind of twilight session on the second court women's doubles semi-finals action Mertens and Zhang against the winners of the match currently on court Sheba Haarans and Von Areva are a set up on Kim Birrell and Talia Gibson Kia Arena tomorrow is wheelchair event central.

1:04:08Matt Roberts:Sam Schroeder in action first. Then it's that match between De Gote and Van Cout. And then you've got Takedo Oda third on. And then you've got some quad wheelchair doubles and some men's wheelchair doubles. And that final match of the day, the men's wheelchair doubles, is Hewitt and Reid against Fernandes and Oda. So that's good. And then you've got lots of juniors, lots going on around the grounds tomorrow. you've got wheelchair action over on court number five as well so do check that out if you are coming tomorrow and on court seven in fact so lots going on including at 11am the media one point slam unfortunately not open to the public that was a question that matt asked at the same

1:04:55David Law:time as asking about the m &m competition are we included in public katherine are we allowed to go I'm hoping our accreditations will allow us to be there in a support capacity

1:05:08Matt Roberts:I'm hoping so I've bought permanent markers for this David I've planned a sign there's very sophisticated in jokes on there

1:05:19Catherine Whitaker:it's a great sign

1:05:20Matt Roberts:it's going to be great how are you feeling Matt?

1:05:24Catherine Whitaker:terrible I've got a real dilemma in the morning because the Team Athletic have arranged a 9am hit, which they've invited me to.

1:05:39David Law:9am?

1:05:40Catherine Whitaker:But that means less sleep. So do I need the practice more or the sleep more is the question. You know what I'm going to say. And I think I need the sleep more. You know, I've played a couple of times this week. I've got to trust my game.

1:05:57Matt Roberts:Yeah.

1:05:58Catherine Whitaker:I've been playing on the wrong surface I've been playing on Astro We'll be playing on a hard court tomorrow But I think I need to prioritise to sleep

1:06:07Matt Roberts:I think the game's there Matt

1:06:08Catherine Whitaker:And look I'm very close to doing Alejandro Vidovich for Kino And putting out a statement About an 11am start Given we always work the night session I'm feeling at a disadvantage Sounds like you just put one out We're going to do our best I've bought my shorts.

1:06:29Matt Roberts:Yeah. He's got shorts. He's got the paraphernalia. The whole thing is making me anxious.

1:06:35Catherine Whitaker:I like to know, I like to have the information about what's coming. Yeah, we don't have nearly enough details about this event. I've only just learnt where it is. I don't know how many are in it. We don't know what the draw is. We don't know who's going to be there. We can't do a workflow. I haven't got a workflow. It's really putting me on edge.

1:06:52David Law:It's more my kind of thing.

1:06:53Matt Roberts:And I've been ramping up the pressure.

1:06:54Catherine Whitaker:Catherine's bought wristbands. I'm going to re-grip my racket I've bought shorts it's going to be a sign

1:07:00Matt Roberts:I bought him Matt needed a knee what a nightmare

1:07:02Catherine Whitaker:I'm basically going to play probably going to play one point shank a forehand and we're all going to go home Matt if I'm coming you get a pep talk

1:07:12David Law:that's true

1:07:13Matt Roberts:and we get to see David Heckle the opposition

1:07:15David Law:that's the bit I'm most excited about we don't know how allowed that is yet but

1:07:21Matt Roberts:I don't care if it's allowed or not

1:07:23Catherine Whitaker:we will deal with the consequences of the heckling.

1:07:26David Law:Imagine if you got disqualified from the one-point slam for your mate on the sidelines.

1:07:31Matt Roberts:The other thing is we can kind of, Team Athletic are all playing, aren't they? So we can believe so.

1:07:36Catherine Whitaker:We've just seen them go off into the night. They're going to be tucked up in bed soon.

1:07:40David Law:They've gone for an early night.

1:07:42Matt Roberts:I think your game is there, Matt. What's most important is that you're mentally fresh.

1:07:46David Law:Right, yeah, agreed.

1:07:48Matt Roberts:Because I think, I'm sensing that your main issue here is the mental side of things.

1:07:55David Law:Your biggest opponent is yourself. Yeah, I agree.

1:07:58Matt Roberts:Yeah.

1:07:58David Law:I agree. And potentially Blair Henley. Hopefully you're on the opposite side and somebody else takes her out. She's so good. Maybe she'll do a double false.

1:08:09Matt Roberts:You're good.

1:08:13Catherine Whitaker:It's going to be great. I'm looking forward to it.

1:08:15David Law:Imagine if he won it.

1:08:16Matt Roberts:Oh, I have been imagining it. We don't even know what the prize is. We need this, David. We haven't won the MNM competition. We don't know what the prize is. Well, until... I suspect nothing. Until told otherwise, I'm assuming it's a million dollars.

1:08:28David Law:I mean, we would have assumed so, wouldn't you? Yeah. Why would it not be?

1:08:33Matt Roberts:Exactly. Do head to our Instagram for One Point Slam updates, because that's why I'm going. And to support you, Matt. As I've said in this pod, content is king. So please give us a follow and make it all worthwhile. It's quite funny, isn't it?

1:08:50David Law:They've found somewhere they can close off to the public.

1:08:56Catherine Whitaker:Oh, God, yeah. Am I going to be on camera? Am I going to be streamed on AO Blue Zone? Your racket smash. Oh, my God.

1:09:06Matt Roberts:I cannot wait. I really cannot wait. It's going to be great. Folks, lovely Gus is looking at me with her tongue out, with her paw propped open. I've seen so many beautiful wine dogs today. They're my new absolute favourite. and Gus is right up there. Thank you, Gus, and thank you, Renee, for continuing to send the wonderful content. Thank you and hello to Bodie, Maisie and Roger. I remain on zero points.

1:09:36Catherine Whitaker:In fact, you now...

1:09:37Matt Roberts:That's Bodie's debut in the predictions.

1:09:40Catherine Whitaker:And you're now starting to curse people.

1:09:43Matt Roberts:Yeah, that's starting to be considered as a factor because I had Mazzetti today. We ride again, Bodie, we ride again. Hello to Chris, Greg and Jeff, our top folks and executive producers. Matt, let's have some shout outs.

1:10:00Catherine Whitaker:We have Eliza Nyset from Atlanta, Georgia. Hi, Eliza. Eliza says, I've loved tennis my whole life, but I didn't start watching it regularly until I graduated college. I went to the US Open last year and got to see Vondrosheva Rybakkena, which was amazing.

1:10:22Matt Roberts:Do you remember what amazing tennis matches were like?

1:10:26David Law:Can't say I do, really.

1:10:28Catherine Whitaker:Eliza says, I'm really glad I have this podcast and the barge, because otherwise my friends would have to hear me talk about tennis even more than they already do.

1:10:37Matt Roberts:She's on the barge, I love it. I've put Eliza into the WTA website, and they've given me Eliza Panda from the US, they've given me Eliza Rocha from Brazil, and they've given me Eliza Rustandar from Indonesia. Cool. So there we go. Thank you, Eliza.

1:11:01Catherine Whitaker:We also have Brendan Raymond Yakubian. Hello, Brendan. Hi, Brendan. Who's from Alaska. Wow. And this is a surprise shout out from his wife, Julie. Oh, I love a surprise shout out. Well done, Julie. Julie says Brendan loves to listen to the pod on long drives into Anchorage with about a million pauses for discussion and debate or around the fire pit in the backyard or while camping.

1:11:33Matt Roberts:I can't hear fire pit without thinking about the traitors.

1:11:38Catherine Whitaker:Or Love Island. Or Love Island.

1:11:40David Law:Brendan Evans, the American tennis player who was a big next big thing type and didn't really happen. But he got loads of sponsorship deals for a while.

1:11:52Matt Roberts:Was he a new balls please guy?

1:11:54David Law:No, he didn't get on that. He wasn't that good.

1:12:00Matt Roberts:Brendan and Julie, because that's a lovely thing for Julie to do. Thank you ever so much. That's really great. I hope you feel surprised.

1:12:06Catherine Whitaker:And finally we have Seagal Shaharabani

1:12:12Matt Roberts:Hello Seagal

1:12:13Catherine Whitaker:Hi Seagal Who is in Israel And Seagal says Ilanit Fridman Who played wheelchair tennis In the Beijing Paralympics Was my neighbour when we were growing up Oh that's so cool That is incredibly cool

1:12:29Matt Roberts:They have Guy Sasson As well don't they Israeli wheelchair tennis player Playing here I think Seagal thank you very much indeed thank you to Seagal, Brendan Julie and Eliza thank you all for being friends of the Tennis Podcast if you'd like to become a friend then the link is in our show notes we are part of the Athletic Podcast Network we're not going to promise great tennis we've been burned one too many times but we'll promise that we'll be back to hopefully bring you great entertainment no matter what the quality of the tennis. Thank you for listening. We'll speak to you tomorrow.