Aus Open Day 6 - Things are about to get serious

0:10Well, hello and welcome to the Tennis Podcast coming to you on day six of the Australian Open from, of course, the Creator Lounge in the Media Centre at Melbourne Park on a day that has seen comebacks thrashings and yulia putin saver uh more on that later folks round three action got underway today the weather was absolutely perfect and matt's parents were here they were here and they had a lovely day yeah every time i turned around to look at them in their seats they were beaming they had four hats two each yep my mum came with her pos hat my dad with his flat cap and they were both given free hats which they accepted gladly the roberts is a hat people they're one step away from a koala baseball cap i reckon there's a lot of those around this year i tell you they've they've realized oh they work now we're gonna have every colour under the sun.

1:12You've hashtag influenced David. In fact I'm going to put mine on. Yes David. Shall we start while David puts his koala ears hat on. Shall we start by talking about one of the two thrilling comebacks that your parents witnessed on the second court today. Coco Gough beating Hayley Baptiste 3-6 6-love 6-3. Now I think a lot of the time we're I'm guilty of, or certainly I am guilty of, you know, looking at, oh, Coco Goff losing a set, being in trouble. She must be playing badly. Her serve must be a disaster. That forehand must be falling apart. And look, I don't think that first set was the cleanest, best set she's ever played.

1:59But I don't think any of those things are the reason she lost it. I think Hailey Baptiste is the reason she lost it. And the reasons she didn't end up winning the match are that it was she had to produce a level to win that set that she was unable to maintain for the rest of the match. And Coco Goff knew that it was one of those where she was like, OK, well, first set was close. I can keep doing this all day. What have you got? Yeah, that was my read on this match, too. I thought Baptiste was outstanding in that first set, particularly the latter half of it. And the stats flashed up at the end that she'd hit 12 winners in the set and Coco Gauff hadn't hit one.

2:45You know, like it was totally Baptiste bossing the rallies, taking charge, getting her forehand into play. And yeah, like really impressing. I think everyone, my parents included, on the second court. like a fun game and taking it to a top seed that's that's kind of what you want to see from Hayley Baptiste but at her best she is often playing a bit of a high wire act anyway because she does take risks in a way that some players don't and if you're Coco Goff you know I think you are okay with someone like Baptiste having to take those risks against you because you know that sustaining it is blooming difficult and frankly baptiste couldn't sustain it and goff improved her own game found a better percentage of serves to sort of help help there and then really put the pressure on on the returns as she still often does and it was absolutely crucial uh lengthy fourth game of that second set which was real back and forth and when goff won it got the double break that really felt like the moment to me that she was okay still a set down but now really in charge of this match and asking Baptiste to come up with just great shots time and time again to be able to live with her.

4:04And she couldn't do that. And Goff ended up, I thought, really being in control of those second and third sets. And yes, she's lost the opener here, but it didn't feel to me like a huge scare today for Coco Goff. She faced an opponent playing brilliantly in that first set but then got it under control pretty quickly after that and I was impressed by by how she played in those second and third sets and she now plays Karolina Mukovovich can I have a big yes please for that everyone yes please um it's quite interesting that I wasn't quite aware that that was her next opponent when I was watching this match against Hayley Baptiste because the thought flashed through my head that Baptiste has not a dissimilar game to Mukova and you can cause a player like Goff some issues with an all-court game but it all has to be functioning perfectly because actually in the past when I've seen her play Mukova she's kind of handled her movement and her responses her counter-attacking is too much and it's a huge credit I think to Baptiste that she managed to impose herself the way she did but I think that the players really that unless Goff is having a really bad day with a serve or with a forehand the players that end up beating her are more like last year's Paola Badasa type player somebody with an absolutely stone-cold forehand that just ends rallies without you having much say in the matter and whilst Baptiste has a good forehand and Mukova has a good forehand.

5:45They don't have that concussive forehand that just, no matter where you are on the court, it can hit a winner from with reliability. And I think Goff's in a good place. I do think Mukova's playing well, though, as well. She's moving very nicely into form. Well, that was one of the thrashings today, one and one against Magda Lynette. Yeah, I mean, I'm not that surprised by that. I think that that is a bad match-up for Lynette. And I don't think she's in Mukova's class if Mukova's fit and playing well. It's so rare, even now. All these years on, it's still so rare to not really be thinking of Carolyn and Mukova's fitness when you watch her play tennis matches.

6:26And at the moment, I'm not. Please knock on wood as you say that, David. There you go. but I just feel as though she is probably looking as as healthy and as happy on a court as I've seen her Karolina Mukherjee I realise I'm tempting fate and I apologise for it but when I think back to her at the US Open when she had a run and she ended up bowing out to Naomi Osaka in the end every match was a saga every match was dramatic and she was hanging on and fighting great credit to her but this is the player that may have legs in her in a grand slam to go really deep. Problem is she's got to find a way past Coco Goff.

7:12Yeah, who, as you said, she has often, well, always struggled against. And I do think for Mukovo, it's probably an advantage that this match is coming now in the fourth round rather than later in the tournament where there's potential for her to have accumulated more matches in her legs or picked up a little niggle kind of along the way as she often does and she's also not really a closer of tournaments mukova you know like she doesn't have that many titles she tends to play her best stuff going through the rounds like this so i do think it's a very dangerous match for golf um but given the head-to-heads i would i would have to back off to win it and yeah being able to use the movement and the physicality to to negate Mukova without the one big strength uh the kind of the all-rounded game I think generally generally Goff can kind of cope with that you look at her record against Andreeva as well like you need you do need a bit of a weapon to be able to get through Goff and Mukova can can hurt you in lots of ways but doesn't just have that one singular reliable way that she can lean on and I think over over the course of a match Goff figures that out um but I can't wait for it Like it's really popping off the page that for a fourth round between Goff and Mukovo.

8:31As is Irina Sabalenka against Victoria Mboko, which is a fourth round that was set up today. Not in style by Sabalenka, it has to be said. Like this might be her duffer match that she's managed to navigate without dropping a set, which is incredible. You know, winning ugly is an important skill. But this was pretty ugly from Sabalenka. The 7-6, 7-6 over Anastasia Potopova, who had four set points in the second set to take this into a decider. This was an off day for Irina Sabalenka. Yeah, I think some credit needs to go to Potopova as well, not only for fighting, but also for showing some power and being able to move side to side with Sabalenka.

9:18That's the best I've ever seen her play. But even so, Sabalenka has to be off, I think, in that match-up in order to not win it comfortably. And one of the interesting numbers that jumped out at me was that she was four love up in the second set. Four love up Irina Sabalenka and then ends up in a tie break. I mean, that is a pretty unheard of collapse by her standards. Yeah, lost serve three times from four love up to end up in a second set tie break. And of course, the one thing this match has done is continue to show that she has this incredible tiebreak record and even bolster it. I know she lost a couple of tiebreaks at the end of last season.

10:03Her streak is over, but it's still going in the slams. It's now 19 tiebreaks in a row that she's won in Grand Slams, which equals Novak Djokovic's record for the most ever at slams. She hasn't lost one since 2023 at a slam. It's pretty remarkable. And that second set tie break was a classic, how do you read this match? Because there were some shots in there that were, frankly, by Sabalenka's standards, ragged and pretty bad, really. But then when she absolutely needed to, she got it together and played a great point to save a set point with some really big hitting. So then you end up thinking, oh, well, was she actually kind of clutch in this match to end up coming through the tie breaks as she so often does.

10:54But, like, I don't know. She's not in the form so far this tournament that I thought she was going to be in, having seen her in Brisbane and having seen her here before. Like, I know, like, you know, maybe I'm reading way too much into it. You know, she's, by most people's standards, cruised through in straight sets without, you know, without dropping one into the second week. But her game has looked a little inconsistent at times. but she's upset proof isn't she Sabalenka like she does not lose early in majors she just doesn't and here we are again with her making it through to the second week but she's got her hands full now because Mboko is is there it was her press conference after the match Sabalenka have you seen the transcript for this there's a lot of Gucci chat it was it was an advertorial for Gucci oh no she put some Gucci sunglasses on midway through yeah okay one of those yeah one of those she's got a gucci deal she's very pleased you didn't know yeah and good for her great would be yeah and it's good for tennis yeah have that exposure yeah sure cool lovely uh mboko beat towson 75 5763 this was a banger it really was yeah i mean that two of my faves really and and the different kinds of players you've got the stand and deliver tennis of of towson who was really teeing off and you've you know it's sort of bone rattling power that she's got and then you've got mboko who just has a bit of everything she has the athleticism she she can really strike a a big ball herself but it's not quite the same sort of one punch power and you had the drama of her having two match points in the second set and not taking them you know setting them up with her sort of trademark backhand and movement and Towson having the answers and then taking it into a third and it getting really very twitchy I actually think that's a big win for from Boken I mean I went in her press comments afterwards and kind of asked her about the rhythms of Grand Slam tennis and and which is still so new to her you know and she just takes it all in a stride and I get the feeling that I mean obviously she's thrilled to have won this match but she's also learned something from this match too every time she's going out there she's she's banking information and seems to be a pretty extraordinary student as she's going along doesn't seem overawed by the fact she's about to play Sabalenka she just sounds excited by it I mean she's got huge respect for her but she's she's buzzing and she's buzzing that she's gonna probably play on the biggest court you know she loved that she was playing out there today it's um it's she's a good news story for for the sport of tennis and uh i feel a bit for tausen because she's yet to have that big grand slam win and this could have been her chance um but umboko has it has more has more than she does does she have enough for sabalenka i think sabalenka needs to be on i don't think sabalenka gets away with playing like she did today i'd agree with that i mean i think i would expect expect Sabalenka to step up.

14:24But if she doesn't, I agree that Mboko's got the confidence and the weapons to really trouble her. Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see if Sabalenka can raise it. So Gough, Mukova, Sabalenka and Mboko both set up as round of 16 matches that will be played on Sunday. We have also had Ivo Jovic against Yulia Putin-Seva set up. One of those two will be an Australian Open quarter finalist. Yulia Putin Saver booked her place in the round of 16 via a 6-3 6-7 6-3 victory on the Kia Arena versus Zeynep Sonmez and all of Turkey. And she celebrated like she had defeated all of Turkey. Matt? I was living for this.

15:19What I enjoyed was the different stages of celebration that Putin's favor went through here. First of all, it was like the defiance. It was the giving it to the Turkish fans, finger to the ear, let's hear you now then, that kind of thing. Blowing kisses. And she did the real sort of, in fact, Thomas Hatch did it yesterday to the Greek fans, didn't he? Cupping the hand to the ear and then sort of bending over and leaning into the crowd. Sorry, I can't quite hear you, but once again, please. Yeah, so that's stage one. Yeah, yeah. Like, for most people, that would be enough. It was enough for Mahatch, I enjoyed it.

16:04You know, like, that's enough. I think there were three more stages to come for Putin to save. And next we had Look At Me, which was the bow. Like, just brilliant. then we had shouting out the Kazakh fans she was pointing at them and really thanking them for their support and there was like two distinct sections of Kazakh fans amidst the the huge swathes of Turkish fans it really was a brilliant atmosphere out there so that's that's stage three and then stage four pure vibes just dancing back to her racket bag and the bench even the dance I think had multiple stages it evolved as it went a lot it started off like a swaggery walk like a dancey walk and it became sort of almost a twerk yeah oh it was sensational like it goes on for about a minute from match point to her being finished and in the what was stage three how did you phrase it uh stage three shouting out the kazakh fans now as part of that in her on-court interview she how did she put it she said something like um it's it's better to have smaller support but better support i mean the sun was like the most incredible support like and she said that while being booed yeah with a huge grin on her face yeah she got booed off the court with an enormous grin on her face it was right in her sweet spot right in her sweet spot yeah and i mean also like this was a great match as well you know i didn't i didn't sort of lock into to it in quite the same way i did some of the others today but you know i mean the the sort of tactical mastery of putin's saber you know a lot of a lot of loopy shots you know some as we've seen And, you know, she kind of liked playing Alexandra, didn't he?

18:11Like, didn't she? With the flat hit, she takes the ball early, Sommez. She looks to hit the ball flat off the forehand. Putin-Sever just wasn't really giving her that. And even after Sommez had come back in the second set, Putin-Sever rallied again and managed to win the third. And, yeah, I just feel like Sommez has brought a lot to this opening few days of the tournament. She's had some really great matches, interviews, crowd moments. um but yeah it was just a kind of step too far today for for her against against Putin's saber who's so experienced in these sorts of environments and it lives for them and and her great quotes continued into the press conference because she said i'm very happy that i kept my calm because yulia last year would probably throw something at them yep she said she kept calm by singing a song to herself in Russian about rabbits which was from a movie that she hadn't seen since she was 14 and she has no idea why it came into her head because usually she's singing Taylor Swift but on this particular day she sang about rabbits to just calm herself down She's a one-off isn't she Yulia?

19:23I think that's fair I'll say And in the next round she faces 18 year old Eva Jovich the talented young American that we've heard about for a while and is now happening. She's here. I commentated on her 12 months ago, taking on Elena Rabatkin in the second round here, I think, and she won three games. It was a demolition job. I'd commentated on Rabatkin beating Emerson Jones in round one and then in round two did her match against Jovic and it was it looked unfair both those matches it looked like putting a child up against a grown woman and if you told me that only 12 months later I could see the talent of Jovic but 12 months later for her to be in the fourth round not having grown six inches you know she's the same stature but She's so much stronger.

20:25I would have been really shocked. And, you know, this has been a very conscious, concerted effort to grow as strong as possible. You know, I just remember last year her being just instantly pushed six feet behind the baseline and scampering around the whole time. And she's got incredible wheels. But there's only so much that scampering can do against the big flat hits of so many of the top WTA players. And yeah, look, she hasn't faced in Elena Rabakina yet, but she's faced some bloody good players and she's beaten them. Today, 6-2, 7-6 against Jasmine Paolini, albeit a slightly ill Jasmine Paolini.

21:11We'll touch upon that in a moment, a bit mystified about what exactly was going on. But Evie Jovic is the story here, David. Yeah, and Paolini pretty early on in the first set had the doctor come out and give her some sort of painkiller or a pill anyway. And she didn't look happy. She made it competitive in the second set. But what was immediately noticeable, I mean, Paolini hits a pretty big ball. She may not be Ravakina-sized, but she hits a top WTA ball and Jovic just stood up to it and actually got the better of her. She was winning the arm wrestle in that regard. I mean, I agree with you, Catherine.

21:53I remember seeing that match and it's astonishing the progress she's made. And she's played Paulina a couple of times over the last 12 months and lost them both. And then this year she's come out, she's reached a semi-final, a final, and now here she is in the fourth round. And she also had her nerve tested. You know, I was talking earlier on about the way Mboko's having to kind of get these new experiences. And here's Jovic doing the same thing. Twice served for this match. Twice got a serve broken. And it would be so easy to collapse, wouldn't it, and tailspin after that when you go into a tiebreak.

22:32Yet she won the tiebreak. And Paolini was not giving it to her. She was fighting tooth and nail for that. And Jovic, yeah, great win. great win a really cool story actually and with a bit of coaching from Novak Djokovic her hero her father is Serbian her mother is Croatian she's born and raised in California but goes to Belgrade a lot has a lot of family there and in other parts of Serbia as well and she said Djokovic spoke to her yesterday and gave her a tip and she she was there was a follow-up question in the press conference, what was the tip? And she said, she told us, she said, to open up the court more and find more width.

23:15And she said, I tried to do that today and it really worked. That's cool. Really cool. On Paulini, what she said about what was going on today was, I lay down on the sofa after lunch and that was a mistake. I couldn't move my best today. It's a bit amateur act, isn't it? It's a bit... From Paulini. She sits past taking melatonin at the wrong times, isn't it? Look, maybe that was... She clearly wanted to give a lot of credit to her opponent and didn't want to talk too much about whatever was going on physically. But what she did say was bizarre. That might be where I'm going wrong in life. I quite often lie down on the sofa after lunch.

23:57I think lie down on the sofa after lunch. If you can, great. And then can't move my best. Yeah. Yeah, so it seems to be sort of indigestion issues she was having. I guess so. Yeah. Wish you well, Jasmine. We've all been there. She was sad, though. She was asked a question about playing in the doubles with Saru Arani and, you know, pick yourself up and play for that. And she really tried to force herself to have a bit of pep about that, but it wasn't really happening. I'm sure she was like, you know, I'll get there, but just not right now. And Irani's going to need a pick-me-up because she got Siegmunded today in the mixed doubles.

24:38Her and Vavasori. DM me, Sarah. I'm available to form a support group.

24:48Elina Svitolina, the other winner that we've seen in the women's draw today, but she beat Diana Schneider 7-6, 6-3. She will face the winner of the match still on court in the vibeless death slot on Rod Laver Arena. Amira Andreeva currently beating Elena Gabriela Rusa. So looking like it's going to be back-to-back Russians for Svitolina. And it was, you know, it was a no-handshake match. It was a totally locked-in Elena Svitolina. I mean, she pretty much always is. She's a heck of a competitor. But she just, you just feel it. There was no way she was not going to win this tennis match. Just no way.

25:27She was a break-up in the second set and she lost the break. She was furious at herself for the sit-down, just at the score being even, just at it being on serve. There's just a look in her eye in these matches. She's not letting them go. So, yeah, most likely Andreeva in the next round. We'll keep you posted. It's 5-2 at the moment in that one. That's it for part one. join us in part two when we'll talk about the first comeback from two sets to love down of the 2026 Australian Open. But first, a word from our lovely sponsors of this episode and every episode of the Tennis Podcast throughout the Australian Open.

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27:01Whatever package you want to put together for Roland Garros 2026. Far free, always. Steve Fergels has you covered. So just go to tours4tennis.com forward slash podcast. That's tours4tennis.com forward slash podcast. And use the code PARIS10 to save 10%. We'll see you there. Welcome back to part two of today's tennis podcast, where there really is only one place to start. It is Daniel Medvedev, the man that has suffered so much Australian Open heartbreak. Well, not today, folks. Today, he became the first player to come from two sets to love down to win at the Australian Open 2026. 1926, watched on by Neil and Pat Roberts, who were not impressed for the first two sets with what they were seeing from Daniel Medvedev.

27:52But back he came. 6-7, 4-6, 7-5, 6-love, 6-3 against poor old Fabian Marajan. Yeah, and I should probably take this opportunity to give a little plug to the newsletter stat, which is about Medvedev coming back from two sets of love, down for the fourth time at the australian open that he's done it and i wanted to know whether that was an australian open record and a grand slam record for a particular slam most comebacks from two sets to love down and i have the answer in the newsletter so sign up yes uh okay promo out the way now let's do analysis of the match um well i kind of want to know from david how how worried he was about Medvedev in this one because I was I was quite concerned for him like after two sets I mean Marijan should have won this yeah I think it was there for him to win um but I'm curious what you think he needed to win it in three I think like as soon as Medvedev won the third it started to feel a bit over but should Marijan have won it it's interesting marijana's had never lost a five-set match he'd won four and lost none at all i mean obviously playing against medvedev is different obviously playing against um medvedev is not like playing everybody else um but really he he was in charge i think i think he he he definitely could have won it today and he could have won it quickly but that takes away a little bit from one of medvedev superpowers which is finding a way out of these sort of matches he is incredibly good at that but when you if you're asking me how worried i was i mean the question that's more pertinent is how worried i am because the thing is you're looking at somebody who said he will reach the final here and that was prefaced not only on carlos alcaraz and and one carlos ferreira no longer being an alliance but also the form that that i thought medvedev was in well this was like watching 2025 Medvedev.

30:04Fair play to him. He found a way out of the hole. But how did he get in the hole? And part of that is because his opponent is dangerous. I mean, he's a flat hitter. He's very explosive on both sides. He actually has a greater way to shot than Medvedev does. But Medvedev wasn't imposing himself enough. The same happened in the previous round that he got through against Conte Anelis. But then in the second set, Medvedev just fell apart. He was putting ground stroke after ground stroke into the net or wide or long he was double faulting I thought he was gone to be honest in that second set I thought that was him just out and and he was really agitated with his box he was mocking them and all the things that make you think okay this feels Benjamin Bonzi-esque um but then you have to also think well he he he dug in and he actually got himself out of it and turn this around and that's what he wasn't doing a year ago at any point really so it's better than it was then but you know the fact that he's now got to face Lerner Tien a guy he's gone five sets with here and lost last year and played two other three set epics and kind of jokes about their marathon matches you don't want to be playing three and a half hours and five sets and then play Lerner Tien do you?

31:25No absolutely not and I think if if he plays like he did for much of today, I think TN will take him. I think he's got too much game for what Medvedev's showing at the moment. Medvedev is going to have to find the kind of form that he had in Brisbane. Where I do think slightly the speed of that court was helping him there, like get these shots through a bit more. He's doing it at times, but he's sort of struggling to sustain it in these matches so far at the Australian Open. You know, I was pleased today that Marajan rallied a bit in the fifth because it did feel like it might be one of those comebacks that, you know, on paper looked exciting, but actually wasn't all that exciting in the moment.

32:13But actually the fact that Marajan, who totally went off himself in the way that Medvedev had in the second set, Marajan kind of did in the fourth set, obviously lost it six love. But he got it back in that fifth set and made it really competitive. And there was an absolutely crucial long game. And, yeah, I really enjoyed that fifth set. I felt like Marjan tried to get to the net a lot more, which I think was a good play because he'd lost the confidence that he had in his ground strokes early on. But Medvedev did dig in well and resist and end up coming up with the goods. a couple of really nice shots to help him over the line towards the end but yeah TN's a problem for him even when Medvedev's been playing better I would feel like TN would be an issue so I can't wait for it I hope it's not happening at 3 o 'clock in the morning this time, that would be an improvement but just from the back of the court at the moment TN's been the more sort of convincing this tournament, I would say.

33:24Oh, it's convincing today. I mean, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 over Borges, have we all seen his round-the-net post shot. And it was the most pleasing type of round-the-net post shot, which is the ones on the umpire's chair side because they have to thread it through the gap between the chair and the post. And it reminded me of the social media content that I think it was Shanghai produced last year on their official channels, which was the players trying to hit through the very, very small target. It was great content because it was fun and throwaway and watchable. But you actually learned something about the players while watching it.

34:10and TN was one of those that made the target and lots didn't. Like, Kabali was miles away. Catherine, no longer a Kabali guy. No, no, that was before I was a Kabali guy. Yeah, but now you're using it as an example. No, a past example. There were others who missed. You're definitely distancing yourself. There were others who missed. No, I'm not, I'm not. I can't kick a guy when he's down. and he's got the watery shits. I hope he still hasn't.

34:48Very uncomfortable flight home. Anyway, Lernertien was one of those that made it and he made it on like, I don't, maybe there was a, maybe he got a great edit, but he made it on like the first try. Yeah, there was like a big hole, a medium hole and then like a hole that was not that much bigger than a tennis ball and yeah, as you said, very few of them got it through the really small one and he did. He's got so much game and look, he's not serving like Riley Opelka, but he does seem to have made improvements. I think Tien might be the favourite for that match. I wouldn't have thought he's the favourite just because of the history that Evadev has, the reputation, the pedigree.

35:30But at the same time, he did beat him a year ago, Tien. And he is getting better, you're right. I mean, I asked him in the press conference to compare and contrast himself from a year ago. I mean, he's not that comfortable in press conferences yet. And he said, look, I just couldn't give hard examples. But he said, I feel like I've improved in every way since then. So if he has, and if Medvedev is like he was then, then he will win, Tien. But I'm waiting for Medvedev to step up and just hit out, especially on the serve. you know he's got to get back to winning I don't know if he can on the serve well that's what he's been telling us isn't it he hasn't been the same since that hernia operation he's never been quite specific about why but I don't think he can whether that's because he can't put the time in on the practice court on the serve or whether there's some kind of physical block or impediment to sort of talk or throw his body into it with full force the way he used to.

36:35I don't know. But it's not like he doesn't know it's a problem. He's known it's a problem for a long time. I can't believe he wouldn't be doing it if he could do it. I just think he's got a hit out, whether it's on the serve or whether it's in the ground strokes. He was a pusher for at least a set and a half today. If you think back to that finally played against Sinner, which I think he was forced into hitting out in the first two sets because he played all these five-set matches, you know. I just think that that is a player he's got to get back to. And there were points in this match where he hit out.

37:13And he looks a better player there. Yeah, except it was a curious match because actually against Marijan, he ended up dominating the long rallies. You know, like his... There were times when Marijan was engaging in backhand-to-backhand exchanges and you knew that Medvedev would end up winning those. But it's the type of long rally. He's got to get the depth on the ball and be hitting with intent rather than just pushing and letting someone dictate him around and push him around. He's got to be able to pin them in the corner and constrict them. That's when long rallies are good for Medvedev. If he's not really doing anything with the ball, Marajan's good enough to be able to dictate him and run him around.

37:59That's what he was kind of doing at the start. I think he got that balance better as the match went on. And then he was starting to hit out as well. I think against Tien, it's just so hard to shorten the rallies. Like, this guy's so good with his hands and can slice the ball back. And he's got the leftiness that can just give Medvedev different angles. And I just see this match being long rallies. and I probably agree he needs to try and shorten some of it but that's the challenge, can he do it? Yeah, it was one of the low-key best rivalries of last year like every time they played something dramatic happened you know, Medvedev got the cramps a lot when they played and today he took a preventative swig of the pickle juice just as he was about to serve for the match said I wasn't cramping but I thought I'd better have some pickle juice in case I might start.

38:58Which I have to say, I'm... Smart. Very smart. Why don't players do that more? Because once you start cramping, you've lost the battle. Preventative pickle juice is my new agenda. The wildcard agenda needs to go on the back burner for a while. It's suffered quite a bad blow. So I wonder whether Medvedev's going to have learnt from that in terms of how to stop the cramping and the physical issues when he's played TN in the past. And also, I think he's admitted that last year he kind of underrated TN because he didn't know that much about him. He knows now, you know, his senses are going to be sharpened, I think, in a couple of days time.