Aus Open Day 14 - Rybakina’s glory but did Sabalenka blow it?

36:39Do you think she'll win another Grand Slam tournament as we sit here right now? Because I realise I've said so many players are going to win a Grand Slam tournament, I'm sort of running out of tournaments. It seems to be always that we've just seen her win a Grand Slam tournament, so it feels like Elena Rabakina is winning Grand Slam tournaments, but, you know, Emerita Karni has just arrived in Cluj. Tennis comes at you fast. Things change. Look, Fiontech, I think, will most likely be the favourite going into the French. Probably. I think Wimbledon's the one. Wimbledon's the one.

37:23I wouldn't want to have my mortgage on it, no. But of course it feels very, very, very possible. She could very easily be the favourite coming into Wimbledon, I think. Yeah. Yes, I think so. Or she could be really out of form. Yeah. It does feel difficult to say this far out. I think I feel more confident giving longer range predictions about Sviontek and Sabalenka and even Goff because they've just proved over a very long period that they're contenders for majors and they're really consistent. Even, you know, as much as this run of form from Rabatkinner is absolutely making me take notice and think about her differently.

38:18And I still don't think she's quite in the category that the others are in, in terms of year round consistency. But, yeah, like that serve, those ground strokes, the fact that there's no obvious winner of Wimbledon. Like the fact that if you go back through the years, what we've had, we've had Vondrosheva, we've had Krejcikova, we've had Svriantek. You know, like there's no one who's like dominated at Wimbledon. So it just naturally feels quite open to me. But I would say, like, what she's done here will... I feel like I'm going to be putting Rebecca in mixes in a way that I think we did around the time she won Wimbledon and for a little bit after having reached us around Open final.

39:10But I think in the last year or so, I'd stopped putting her in Grand Slam mixes. There have been too many... I agree. Too many just sort of doubts about whether she would actually bring it at a slam. But now it feels like she's back in that conversation again. Obviously, because she's just won one. An Australian Open trophy and back in the mix. Big. Big day for Elena Rabakini. Potentially the backhand list. Absolutely. I'm not sure that's what Matt said. I said potentially. Potentially. Not right now. Let's see how Cluj goes. Just enjoy the trophy for now, Elena. All eyes on Cluj. What a tournament.

39:49What a performance. We've got to have a reason to get into Cluj, haven't I? Right, folks, that's it for part one. We'll be back in part two with Sensation of the Day. But first, folks, a word from our wonderful sponsors of the Tennis Podcast throughout the Australian Open. It is, as you know, Steve Fergals International Tennis Tours, the premium hospitality and experience provider and an official ticket and travel package provider for Roland Garros 2026. and with Steve Fergels you can do Roland Garros the official way and that means you're guaranteed peace of mind and a faff free experience at one of the most beautiful sporting events in the whole world and tennis podcast listeners can save 10 % on Roland Garros ticket packages and that features those official tickets you can also add premium hospitality options onto that as well you can do Roland Garros however you like, whatever suits you, whatever your dream trip is.

40:48Steve Fogles can make it happen all the official way. So just go to toursfortennis.com forward slash podcast. That's toursthenumbertennis.com forward slash podcast and save 10 % with the code PARIS10. We'll see you there. Welcome back to part two of today's tennis podcast, where we have some other fascinating results to bring you unfortunately none of them involve winning australians we we've reached we've reached the end of the road a pretty good run good run this has happened way later than i feared i thought sensation of the day was might fizzle out yeah but the problem is nobody's bought us beers today uh maybe that says something has anybody had a positive experience with some Australians today?

41:38I met some. Met some and they were really nice and they asked for like, you know, a chat and to tell us that they liked the podcast. One of them was called Steve. Okay, we have Steve. We met Lauren, who you met the other day. Yeah. David and I met Lauren. Okay. She's lovely. Okay, we have Steve, we have Lauren. I think Lauren's the clubhouse leader because she's met us separately and she had merch the other day. Okay, we have Steve, we have Lauren. I potentially need to throw into the mix Olivia Gadecki and John Pears because I owe them an apology for taking an Australian Open title away from them yesterday.

42:15I said they'd lost in the final last year and actually they'd won that final. I got my sensations confused because they beat other sensations in last year's final, Kim Birrell and JP Smith. So they have defended that title and they've won back-to-back Australian Open titles, but they did win Sensation of the Day yesterday. I know, but, you know, we've got making up to do. So we've got Steve, we've got Lauren, and we've got an apology sensation of the day for Olivia Gadecki and John Pears. What do we think? Do we have to award sensation of the day? I think we've come this far, Matt, yeah. OK. I was thinking, you know...

42:58Roll it over. I'm not sure we'll have anything... People are going to have to buy us beers big time tomorrow. Maybe there isn't a sensation of the day. Maybe that's OK. I think that's a tough scene now that we've brought up Lauren and Steve. Yeah, I agree. To bring up Lauren and Steve and then say... And then take it away from them. And then say, you're not... You're not worthy. Yeah. Yeah. Gosh, I feel bad now. OK. Lauren, Steve or Olivia and John? I'm going Lauren. I'm going Lauren. It's yours, Lauren. Congratulations. the women's doubles title was won by Zhang Shui and Elisa Mertens over Anna Danilina and Alexandra Krunic 7664 it was a lovely scene Sam Stoza was presenting the trophy obviously she won the women's doubles title a few years ago with Zhang Shui that was a lovely moment and it obviously meant a lot to Zhang they said that the partnership came about really last minute again always fascinated by how all that happens behind the scenes but they have confirmed they're continuing they're going to play Doha and Dubai together Alexandra Krunic is a is a character isn't she her speeches whether they're winner's speeches or runners-up speeches are their appointment viewing yeah I mean you sort of felt for you feel for teams when they've lost or players when they've lost that they have to take the mic.

44:24She wasn't bothered at all by that. She wasn't disappointed. I mean, she was disappointed to lose, of course, but she likes a microphone in her hand. I think I have heard her speak before, and it really is something. So well done to her. And just on Mertens and Jung, I realised they won, so obviously they're going to be happy, but they had a lovely vibe between them. I thought, crikey, when you see this, you understand why singles players want to play doubles. It's not only helping to furnish your bank account and give you success. It just must make them feel so much happier, I think, to be on the circuit.

45:05Heck of a run from Zhang and Mertens. They saved three match points, if you remember, in the second round against Ivo Jovic and Victoria Mboko. A match that Jovic told everybody afterwards that when she and Mboko arrived on court for their first round match, they didn't even know what the format was of the doubles. Such was the last minute-ness of their decision to play. So congratulations, Zhang and Mertens. Also congratulations to Neil Skubski and Christian Harrison, who have won their first Grand Slam title together as a team. and Christian Harrison's first Grand Sam title, full stop. They beat the Sensations in the final, 7-6, 6-4, over Jason Kubler and Mark Polman.

45:53They go back a long way, Skubski and Harrison. They both have links to LSU, Louisiana State University, played their first match together as a pair in 2013. Apparently it went really badly. Goodness. And they stopped playing together very soon after. A lot of tears flowing after this match. Yeah, I think it's obviously a really big deal for Christian Harrison. He talked a lot about what it meant to the family when he saw his brother Ryan win a men's doubles title at the French Open in 2017, I think it was. So to follow in those footsteps is a big deal. And he's had a lot of injuries, Christian Harrison.

46:33And then for Neil Skubsky, he obviously has been playing very successfully with Joe Salisbury and Joe Salisbury is taking a mental health break from the sport, which is obviously tough for him and we wish him well, but also a tricky situation for Neil Skubsky and potentially tricky in how his interim partnership is going so well. But it was a heck of a performance, Davis Cup atmosphere. It was good stuff, this one. Yeah, Ryan Harrison and Ken Skopsky, the brothers, who are so instrumental in the coaching of these players as well. They were there, basically arm in arm and both in floods of tears, hugging their brothers.

47:17And it was a nice scene. And speaking of nice scenes or certainly emotional scenes, a lot of those in the wheelchair events today. We had Niels Vink completing the career Golden Slam on the Keir Arena. We watched this in the flat this morning in a sort of semi-conscious state after getting to bed at 5am. He beat Sam Schroeder 6-3, 7-6. He'd twice lost in the final here, Vink. And Schroeder was the four-time defending champion. And both times that Vink had lost in the final, it was to Schroeder. and he'd also won the doubles with Guy Sassen yesterday had Niels Vink so incredible from him and he said I completed tennis afterwards I'm only 23 and I've completed tennis and he said I'm going to celebrate the hell out of this so somewhere in Melbourne right now Niels Vink is having a good time and that is very well deserved he also dedicated that title to his long-time coach Hans-Jürgen Striek, who passed away not long after the US Open last year.

48:33He had a picture of him, didn't he, on the court that he was holding up just after he won. It was all really, really emotional. He said, we started the journey together and we wanted to finish it to win them all. But sadly, he didn't make it to this one. So a beautiful tribute and very emotional scenes. We had Li Zhaohui beating Dida Dehout in 50 minutes in the women's wheelchair singles final 6-1, 6-2. That's her first major singles title. It's been coming, this one. These Chinese players are really on the rise and it's going to be interesting whether this is, you know, reaching the final here is a big deal for Dehout.

49:16her first singles final since that hip surgery. It's interesting to see if this is, you know, part of an upward trajectory for her in terms of the comeback or whether this is as good as it gets. You know, only time will tell, but 50 minutes, one and two is pretty chastening today. We had a very competitive men's wheelchair singles final. Dramatic one between Tiquito Oda and Martin de la Puente. He played on two different courts, two stoppages for rain, ended up finishing under the roof on the second court, won by Tiquito Oda, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, his eighth major singles title. And he now holds all four at the same time.

50:01He's done the Oda slam and he's still a teenager. It's astonishing. I mean, we started watching that at the flat before the rain began. And there was an immediate break of serve from De La Puente, who's never won a Grand Slam title. You know, here he was in the final. He goes a break up. He's won the first set. I mean, it would have been an enormous upset if he managed to beat Oda, who's, you know, the star, the young star of the sport. and in this match I got a real understanding of why he's that star because when the match resumed under the roof on the second court there Matt and I went over to watch he'd already levelled up at one set all by that time when we got over there for the third set and there was a series of points that I'll just describe to you at 4-1 in the third set Oda, he got caught slightly out of position at the net and he hit a half volley drop shot at the last second um just a reaction shot really wasn't it just sudden soft hands um and and the crowd i mean we were all just gasping at how he'd softened his hands in order to pull that off yeah the ball was still on the rise when he hit it and he made it a drop shot like I I cannot get my head around how how difficult that was and he did it sort of nonchalantly and casually but it was it was outrageous skill he then the next point he hit a sort of Stan Wawrinka type backhand cross court winner in just a normal rally um and then And several times he hit clean winner forehands, just whipping the racket through, the tiny take back, and the racket head speed he's got is nothing like I've seen in the wheelchair game, quite honestly.

52:04He is taking it to new heights. He also charges the net. He finishes balls off. It's amazing. Yeah, it was my first time watching him live, and I already got it, but I really get it now. He's special. He's very special. And I think in particular what I noticed was how much quicker he was after the serve than De La Puente. Like he's able to hit a good serve and then be so ready for the rest of the point. Whereas De La Puente is hitting a serve and he hasn't got time to react to Oda's return so often. Yeah, he was fantastic in that final set. and kind of de la Puente's grunts just turned into strains as he was trying to keep up with Oda.

52:55I was watching this thinking, will you two just try harder, for goodness sake? Put some welly into it, will you? And look, Hannah said it in our chat, it feels like what's happening in Men's Tennis Without Cries and Sinner, what Oda's doing, like separating himself and just showing that there's a different level. and he played well De La Puente, got a set, but by the end, it was just absolutely no match for him. He's got eight major singles titles. He's 19. The outright record holder is Shingo Kaneda, his countryman on 28. Like, obviously, things can happen, but he's tracking to overtake that and then some.

53:44And I get the sense we haven't interviewed him. It's a big part of our plans to get the chance to interview him. But I've spoken to a Japanese journalist about him who has interviewed him. And I get the impression he very much is the type of character that is hungry for the big records. And that's very exciting. Yeah, he is extraordinary. David, we had the inaugural Blind and Low Vision Invitational event at the Australian Open today. It's the first Grand Slam to integrate blind and low vision events into their program, BLV events. It took place yesterday and today and will be concluding tomorrow as well.

54:3116 of the world's top BLV players in a team event, Team Australia versus Team World. And it features the world number one men's player, Naki Rizvi from Great Britain, who you met recently. Yeah, he introduced himself to me at the British Tennis Journalist Association lunch in December. Honestly, it was such a pleasure to speak to him. He loves audio shows where he can follow the sport. He's listened to Five Live commentary for years. And, you know, he wanted to spread the word. He was there speaking to me and to all the journalists about what he does. and what he does is absolutely remarkable.

55:17He's the world number one blind tennis player. He told me that he was coming to Melbourne to compete in this. It was the first time that this has ever happened, so he was really thrilled that the sport was being recognised in this way for the first time. He had with him the tennis ball that he uses for blind tennis, which has a jingling sound inside it so that he knows where the ball is when he wants to go and hit it. There are videos out there of him hitting with Jack Draper. And Draper's been very supportive in trying to help raise awareness of the sport and get it recognised. So that, I mean, the big goal for Naki is to have blind tennis treated as wheelchair tennis is and to be part of the Paralympics, to be part of the Grand Slams one day, as it is here, albeit as an invitational event.

56:07But he wants it to be a competitive, sanctioned event. and that's the goal long term. But he was amazing to chat to, really infectious in the way he spoke about just the sport of tennis and how much he loves it. He runs marathons. He does all sorts of sports, but very clearly tennis is the one that he's in love with. And yeah, I'm really pleased the Australian Open have started this and I hope it continues and grows. And you've got to start somewhere, haven't you? And it feels like they've kind of, you know, blazed a trail here, the Australian Open and hashtag Tennis United. Maybe the other slams all follow suit.

56:53And certainly in our research into wheelchair tennis, the Australian Open was the first slam to also make a wheelchair event part of the same Grand Slam fortnight as the rest of the sport. And that, OK, started small at first, but ended up really growing and it just allowed more people to watch it while everyone's, you know, while the eyes are on the Australian Open. And yeah, this seems like a really good step that's been taken. Tomorrow, our final order of play on the Rod Laver Arena. All the action comes from the Rod Laver Arena tomorrow on day 15 of the Australian Open. It's the junior girls final first.

57:40We have the Russian Ekaterina Tupitsina. If you can't tell, I haven't heard of her before. But we'll try and have a look and let you know if she's one to watch. She's unseeded is Tupitsina. she's taking on the third seed from France Ksenia Efremova who I know the French media here are very excited about so we'll definitely try and have a look at that we'll get Matt to have a look at that he's our resident talent spotter you can't be the guy that boasts about seeing Carlos Alcaraz at 13 and predicting great things and not be our talent spotter for junior events Matt I don't have to boast about it someone came up to me the other day and said you put me on to Carlos Alcaraz it was a listener called Harry wasn't it it was yeah I liked Harry a lot yeah I said didn't Carlos Alcaraz get you into Carlos Alcaraz Harry and he said no it was Matt okay yeah so that's the junior girls final that is followed by the junior boys final where we have the fourth seed Keaton Hans from the US against the seventh seed from Slovenia, Zigo Sesko.

58:54These are good names. So we'll do some scouting tomorrow. We'll let you know if there's anything to look out for. Then there is one more match. From 7.30, the final match of the Australian Open, Carlos Alcaraz against Novak Djokovic. And we'll preview that in part three. Welcome back to part three of today's tennis podcast, where it's 1.25 in the morning. The leaf blowers are going. they really want us to leave, but there is one last important bit of business to discuss. The men's singles final at the Australian Open 2026. Al Karaz or Djokovic David, who will make history tomorrow? This has got to be one of the toughest ones that I have really had to think about in the last however many years.

59:42I think there have been similar difficulties trying to work out between Sinner and Alcaraz in their matches. But because of the stakes, there's so much evidence from the past of how these two players perform when they have these type of stakes that I find it really difficult to know how to decide between them. because my instinct is to say Alcaraz in something like four or five sets. But then I think that's what I said when they played each other in the Olympic final. And Novak Djokovic, when he really needed to, when it was all on the line, found something. And he could hurt Alcaraz. It's what I thought a year ago when Alcaraz was playing Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

1:00:34and again it seemed preposterous that Djokovic with an injury could come back from a set down and win but he did and he definitely has some sort of mental ability to influence what goes on in their matches but it's not just that it's also his tennis level and we saw it again last night we saw it against Yannick Sinner the guy that I thought was probably impenetrable and impervious to what Djokovic can do. Well, he proved that that's not the case. Under the lights, especially if it's indoors, there's no guarantee that it will be. I kind of hope it's outdoors. I'd rather have those elements. But if it was indoors and it was still, and it is actually expected to be windy tomorrow, which is an interesting little wrinkle to everything.

1:01:21But yeah, Djokovic's level can hurt Alcaraz again. I think on balance, with Djokovic going for 25th, grand slam it's the best chance i think he will ever have i think it might might be the last chance because i don't think he'll ever get this good where he'll have had withdrawals from matches like jakub menchik like retirements from two sets down against lorenzo mazzetti um i'm not sure it gets any better than that really to to feel this fresh when you get to the end of a grand slam for it to be a place where you've won 10 titles um to be a night session with the world watching against the guy that you've beaten handily a couple of times now but i'm still going to go alcaraz in the end because he's got a 16 year age gap and it's not about the night itself in isolation it's about which of them recovers better from yesterday and i think whilst jokovic is level is still good enough to beat Alcraz on a given day I'm not sure we can play like he did against Sinner again on a 48-hour turnaround and I may look stupid in in 24 hours time I I.E.

1:02:43Djokovic may do it and prove that wrong he's done it to me several times but that's my view on this one. I think Alcaraz is maturing with every passing Grand Slam, with every experience he's having. He's gaining more and more experience and getting stronger and better. And I think now that he's found a way past what he did yesterday against Ferov, I think he'll take this title and become the youngest career Grand Slam holder in the men's game ever. Matt? Yeah, I've written down similar thoughts to you David I've written down the number one thing to me then the biggest aspect feels like how are they going to hold up physically and that applies to both of them because they both sort of went through the ringer last night and despite Alcaraz suffering more physically I do I do give him the edge there in terms of being able to to bounce back in that way because he's because he's so much younger, obviously.

1:03:51Obviously, going into the cinema, I had question marks over Djokovic's form, quite frankly, and whether he'd have the level. Well, he emphatically showed that he does. I do think, though, the conditions are important here. And if the match is played outdoors and it's cold and windy, is Djokovic able to play in quite the same way that he was able to last night against Sinner? I'm not sure. I do think he needs his night session conditions. If it's windy and he doesn't have to strike on the ball, I think that's going to be a problem for Djokovic. It's like we've got... The scenario is our best-case scenario for Djokovic, which is night session roof closed, or kind of...

1:04:40Well, not worst case, because day session windy is worst case. But I think wind is really bad for Djokovic. Really, really bad. I wonder how much it will be impacting things in that shape of stadium. Will wind get in there? It has to be very windy to really feel windy on Rod Laver, is my experience. But the forecast is tomorrow for it to be really windy. Yeah, but dying down in the evening. Right. I do think most of this match is going to be played between 8 and 10, 11. It should be 7.30, but faff, yeah. Right, that's why I went 8. Yeah. And I think by then it will have calmed down from very high winds during the day.

1:05:25And I should say there's no rain forecast, but if there is a single drop of wind, Team Djokovic... If they've got any sense. Yeah. Yeah, they'll be logging. Close that thing. So, yeah, look, I do think that's important here. But ultimately, I do come out on the same side as David. I am going Alcaraz from a physical standpoint and also ultimately from the level as well. You know, I do think Djokovic played as well as he possibly can at this stage in his career last night against Sinner. and Sina, he still had a lot of chances, you know, like Djokovic had to produce one of the most clutch performances of his career in that final set, saving so many break points and he may well do that again.

1:06:21I suppose I'm just slightly banking on that not happening again and if it does go into a fifth, I think being in a fifth with Carlos Alcaraz is an entirely different proposition to being in a fifth with Yannick Sinner. You know, Alcaraz has got the record in the fifth set that Sinner doesn't have. And also, I do think Alcaraz is a better player now than when he played Djokovic here last year and when he played him at the Olympics. You know, his serve, for one, is better and his consistency in matches is better. I still I still think the time at the US Open last year when he played Djokovic was possibly his worst performance of that entire tournament Alcaraz even though he won in straight sets I do still think there is some degree to which Djokovic rattles Alcaraz a little bit and the only time Alcaraz has beaten him really convincingly was the second Wimbledon final they played and that was an outrageously good serving day from Alcarez.

1:07:29If he can bring that again, that's going to be important for him. It was also Djokovic very quickly off surgery. You know, he wasn't himself in that final, I don't think. That's a lot of rambling to say that I'm going Alcarez for physical reasons and I think he's going to, you know, I do think he's also got the game to live with even Djokovic playing really well. But it's a hell of a prospect with so much history on the line and that feeling, because I agree with David, this does feel like Djokovic's best chance and he will know that, I think, and he will be gunning for it. And Akron is going to have to dig very deep, I think, to get past that.

1:08:18I keep thinking about that Olympics final, but then I keep thinking that was best of three sets. So I agree with everything you've both said. I also always pick Alcaraz. So it would be weird for me to not now. So I am going to pick Alcaraz. And yet that for all of us to be picking Alcaraz makes it seem, I think, far more heavily weighted towards Alcaraz than we actually think it is. it's a mix of two none of us are going to be surprised if we're sitting here tomorrow night talking about Djokovic but I am going to go after this after the Rebecca title when we were waiting for her press conference they showed the fifth set between him and Sinner and honestly I think that is one of the most staggering achievements from a tennis player David was making noises like it was live again oh I can't believe he did that It's so great to watch it back.

1:09:18I mean, being in the stadium and then to watch it on TV. Yeah. Oh, special stuff. And look, it's been a slightly odd sort of day here at Melbourne Park because I think I'm right in saying that neither of the two men's finalists have hit. They've had a day off. It's kind of this weird feeling. Like, it was all about the recovery today for them. And look, for Al Karez... And us. Right. for Alcaraz we've not you know we've seen him cramp before in matches but I can't really remember like seeing him have to come back so soon after that and play another match like I assume he's going to be okay but like what was the physical toll like I think I think that is a question mark here and not just the cramping the puking you know it was a whole it was a whole situation and he was talking about it in terms of the combination of being out in the heat and the stress the heat's not going to be there but the stress is and i do think that was a massive factor in terms of why he cramped and there's nobody who makes him stress like chock right exactly and the grandstand final like it would also not surprise me if we're talking about alcaraz cramping again and like and that to me is a route for Djokovic to win this.

1:10:40So good. I'm going to be watching this on about three hours sleep, I've just realised, because it's 1.37 in the morning and I'm going on Australian TV at 8am, or certainly my call time is 8am, so fun day tomorrow for me. Yeah.

1:11:02I can't wait. I really think it's going to be a great final day. We're very lucky to have this story, to have this scenario where whatever happens, even if it's a dud match, it's history. Right? There's no terrible scenario here. I just hope they both fit throughout. Yeah. Obviously, you don't want a dud. Please, not a dud. But we'll still have talking points. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. We're not going to be having to dig out the one-point slam chat again. Folks, we have lovely Gus, our mascot. I'm looking at a picture of Gus mid-air launching herself into some water, which is apparently something she does quite often.

1:11:48Perfectly. Her true passion is a full commitment launch into the water, proper belly flop style, says Renee. And this is an airborne moment from last summer. that I'm watching. She could not be happier, says Renee, about Gus. We love Gus. We love, well, I love Bodhi. I've rocketed up to seventh, Matt, on the leaderboard. I believe so. And there's, What a comeback. There's exciting things happening in the competition. I believe we've got five potential winners. Wow. Are any of them David Law? No. They're not any of us. None of us can win. I'm just happy to be anywhere, quite frankly. David's had a bit of a disaster.

1:12:39This is what happens when I'm sensible. I'm not doing that again. So apologies to Maisie. Roger, Matt's doing just fine. Mid-table. Mid-table. Lower mid-table. Yeah, do subscribe to the newsletter for full details of how all that's going and of the drama of tomorrow. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff. Let's have some shout outs tonight, Matt. We have two shout outs tonight. The first is for Stephen Malloy. Hello, Stephen Malloy. Hi, Stephen. We know Stephen. Stephen posted on the barge tonight about how he'd got everything right in his predictions with his mate on WhatsApp.

1:13:22We need to see the receipts for that. Oh, he did. He posted a screenshot and there was Rabakina. He's also said Alcaraz. So, you know, he's very, very smug. Which is just our kind. Stephen says, After hearing David waxing lyrical about finally attending Roland Garros, my family and I decided that getting my dad to Paris for his first live tennis experience as a 70th birthday present would be right on the money. Our very first match was Fies-Munar on Longleg. The last time I saw Art of Fies. The most David Law coded match I could imagine. Wow. Safe to say, we peaked early. Did we know Stephen was there for that in our midst?

1:14:08I chatted to Stephen later in the day on Longland. And yes, I knew he was there. Yeah, Stephen's great. He's extremely funny. Yeah, we love you, Stephen. And finally, we have Brian Terry from Queens, New York. Hello, Brian. All right, Brian. And you're going to love this. Brian says, I'm writing this message, sat in front of my TV next to my new friend, Nayan, watching Mboko Towson in the third round of the Australian Open. Nayan and I met at the Tennis Podcast live event in New York City last year and became friends, attending a few matches at the US Open together, meeting up for other tennis-related events and exchanging TTP inside jokes in our WhatsApp chat.

1:14:56I know you'd like to hear about your ever-growing extended podcast family, so I just thought I'd share. And we also agreed that Mboko Towson was a very TTP-coded match to watch together. Brian. I love it. Isn't that great? Yeah. That is so lovely. So cool. Really, really lovely. We met someone last week. Might have given them sensation of the day. It's all a blur now. No, because they were British. Met someone last week who had come here on his own. Kevin. Kevin, and was looking and was like, you know, I'd love to come with a mate, but none of my mates are into tennis. And you said, get on the barge, Kevin.

1:15:35I hope Kevin's done that. I hope so. The barge is where it's happening, folks. If you'd like to get access to the barge, our community platform, all of our bonus episodes, ad-free listening, Hannah's column, all the fun of the fair, then the link to become a friend of the tennis podcast is in our show notes. Folks, there is one more day to come. There is one more tennis podcast to come. We are part of the Athletic Podcast Network, Charlie Eccleshare, probably as many regrets as Irina Sabalenka right now. Yes, he picked Rabakina right up until he didn't. Yeah. one of those kids at school that like got into the band before they were big and then once they get big we're like oh no no i'm on i've found another rinky dink band to support now he's blaming 3am podcasting but that doesn't wash here charlie absolutely not well i mean given how much we get wrong maybe there's something uh thank you all for listening to all of our nonsense it's been a fun two weeks folks it's going to end on a high tomorrow we will be back tomorrow to talk about all of it we'll speak to you then