BONUS - US Open 2026 - Happy Hour

0:00But in terms of the earlier rounds, Elena Rabakina is the... Oh, that's a cracker thunder. Wow.

0:18Hello and welcome to the tennis podcast coming to you for the first time in 2026 from New York City. David has been up for 25 hours and counting. I am incandescent with the fact that I've just watched a stage be built before my very eyes at midnight for a ceremony with absolutely nobody in the stands. A victory for Menchik and Mukova and for matching kits. He had approached her quite early on in the season about wanting to play together. And she said, well, you have to get your ranking up. because it's on a combined ranking and I'm doing my bit. You're going to have to do better. Yeah, she's really good.

1:17And look, Kabali is aware he's not Federer. He said, in this life and the next one, I am not Roger. And Belinda is having to now play with Flavio.

1:28It's very, like, revealing of character, the mixed doubles, isn't it? Like everybody's just sort of, it's like everyone's career in microcosm. When you were describing Caballi there and sort of being a doofus and then spending the rest of the match making up for it, swinging from one extreme to the other, that's... That's our Flavio. That's our Flavio. He was definitely terrified of her. Yeah. He was definitely like, what am I going to say to her? What are we going to talk about? There was a great moment where he was shown laughing and kind of fooling around. And then she sort of ran up to him and it looked like she was saying, is there any chance you could just sort of concentrate?

2:13By the way, what a weird year for Erin Rowley. She has played Serena Williams three times. She's played in, she's been involved in most of the matches that Serena Williams has played. It's wild. she and I'm not sure if she and Lloyd Glasspool are going to be teaming up again or talking but they didn't talk during the match during this and that freed up a wild card that has been awarded to Stan Wawrinka after he liked our reel with David calling the decision crap no But he hasn't minded a sassy tweet in the past. And I think that's why he might have a slightly complicated relationship with Craig Tiley.

3:06Because he hasn't minded a sassy tweet in the past. Yeah, you're right. When we saw our colleague Matt Futterman the other day, he said, have you seen the size of that stage that you're going to be on? You are going to feel like Bruce Springsteen. and I said, well, I've seen the weather forecast, Matt, and I once saw Bruce Springsteen have to cut short a show because of a storm in San Sebastian. We got 20 minutes into our draw breakdown and then the lightning came, the thunder came, the rain came and it was a big evacuation situation. The big seed down there is Elena Rabakina and I think she might very well end up playing because I think she plays injured quite a lot, Rabatkinner, but I would be shocked if she was anywhere close to fit.

4:03Have you seen her Instagram content, Naomi Osaka? Sure have. Even I saw it, Catherine, and what I didn't expect to see was Naomi Osaka in one of her really fancy, very cool outfits, draped over our press desks. Anastasia Potapova, who's been doing chaotic things on Instagram. Very different chaotic things to what Naomi Osaka's been doing. What's she been doing? She has called out a United Airlines employee. Mary. And posted her picture. Oh, my goodness. This is Mary. And what's Mary done? Unspecified rudeness. A very unspecific, yeah. But Potapova basically wants Mary fired. Yeah.

4:55I think she comes through that half the drop. That's music to Matt's ears, a man that has a lot of reputation riding on a big Pagula prediction. Like, why would you make a US Open prediction in March? Why did I do that? Why did no one stop me from doing that? Because it's a long time off and then you could just not have to worry about it for a while. like the the thing i don't want to do is predict it in march gets the tournament back out and then she wins because then i'm in an awkward situation of like well i did call this but i didn't i just don't want to be in that situation and that's just to get to the quarter finals where he may be up against carlos alcaraz you know so on paper i think this is a horrific draw really for for Ben Shelton to get through to the final knowing that maybe a Djokovic or a Tiafoe might be in the semi-finals up against him and yet I still feel the same I think Shelton I think it's his time I think he's ready I think his game's never been in better shape I think he plays his best tennis under the lights in front of packed stadium crowds on the Arthrash stadium at the US Open.

6:07And I think he's going to come through that half the draw to the final.

6:15Carlos Alcres was supposed to practice today. He disappeared from the practice schedule. He went indoors. Right. I was going to say it could very well have been because he was smarter than us, saw the weather forecast and decided to pivot. Well done, Carlos. I mean, at this point, if Memfedev achieves his seeding, I will be absolutely shocked. He was threatening to become a pickleball player 48 hours ago. Nobody needs a good draw like a 39-year-old, right? It feels like the draw is huge for Novak Djokovic. How has it fallen for him? Yeah, I don't think it's the worst draw that he could have had, but I also think there's potential for elongated drama that he could do without early on.

7:08Shout out Mavis, who at the mere mention of Brandon Nakashima became just... she was just fizzing. Fizzing at the mention of his name. Because tennis is about match-ups and rivalries and these things matter. Yeah, I agree. There's a lot of... apocalypse. The gods do not like my prediction. If you're hearing this right now, it does mean we survived whatever we're about to encounter when we leave the Arthur Ashe Stadium. My goodness me. First thing I would say is one thing he's been doing over the last few months is practicing his English. My goodness, he's speaking so fluently now. And when he said the words intrusive thoughts, I think he was pleased with himself for getting that expression right in English.

7:59It was fantastic. stick um and he said that he spent five months doing duolingo

8:07whatever's coming i'm i'm so excited for it oh he has given this tournament and men's tennis and tennis generally just the most enormous adrenaline shot the frisson you know he bring he makes you just the nerve-ending stand-up my theory is that koko goff is going to get a lot more happy birthday messages this year because her benchmark for whether or not you're you're in the mix to receive tickets is whether you wished a happy birthday she said that mentioned that a few times several times these people that didn't even wish me happy birthday asking for tickets you can jog on and to be fair fritz did own it throwing himself under the bus he was like i can't i can't be getting myself broken twice in mixed doubles but he did also reiterate i am still a mixed double specialist and he was like three tie breaks tens titles speak for themselves

9:04he was he is a very important player i think in the sport's recent history i think it's hard for us to comprehend just how big of a deal kane is in japan and when he came through it was all about project 45 and getting ranked higher than the previous japanese men's player who'd been 45 and he has pushed that boundary so far. Hello and welcome to the Tennis Podcast, coming to you tonight the eve of the 2026 US Open from Newport, Rhode Island, which is, of course, home to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, where this evening we watched Mary Carrillo and Roger Federer be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

9:52To be honest with you, I think all tennis podcasts from now on might end up coming from Rhode Island because we like it here so much we might not leave. While I was brushing my teeth just now, I was trying to remember the last time I would have not necessarily cried that much in public because I definitely think that's happened a fair few times, but cried that much in public in front of strangers, and I think it might have been when I saw Titanic at the cinema. That's going back a bit. Yeah. Or, to be clear, one of the three times I saw Titanic at the cinema.

10:38Stan Werenker came to press today. What rollercoaster of a week he's had. Yeah, he's done more travel than we have. He'd been in New York. I think was expecting a wild card, certainly hoping for one. Obviously didn't get it. Outrage, off he goes, back to Switzerland, and then he gets one and he comes back. I can't resist open water when it's there to be sampled. So I went for a little paddle, but then I hadn't thought through the logistics of the fact that I was wearing trainers and socks and had to raw dog it back to the house. And that had gone fine. I think I'd done that pretty elegantly until we arrived at the gravel driveway.

11:28And I thought, oh, God, I've come this far. But someone's always got a phone out, haven't they? Yep, these bloody phones. Still wanted you to put Annie Lennox walking on broken glass over the top of that. Just would have been perfect. I've had so much content to manage today, Matt. I couldn't post it quickly enough. Wait till you get to the next one on the official day session schedule on Ash. Intentionally blank. There we go. Our favourite. Well, it's saying Jay Wolf on the official order of play. Now, I assume this is the same man that I know to be JJ Wolf. They're trying to make Jay happen.

12:12He's rebranded. it's either a mistake or a rebrand we'll find out for you tomorrow when we're nodding off during these matches it is half past midnight as we record this show on day one of the Open and we have all just shared the very unfamiliar experience of watching 39 year old Novak Djokovic lose in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament for only the third time in his more than two-decade career, and the first time since January 2006. Yeah, it felt like the moment. It felt like the moment we're all going to look back on as the time Djokovic couldn't do it anymore, to be honest. No, that wasn't elongated drama.

13:08That was elongated suffering. He was being a bit gross, Medvedev? Yes, he was being very gross. I say clean. His tennis was clean. I mean, I thought it was gross. He was chewing gum virtually the whole time in the match. Which is new for him, I think. When the camera panned to his court chair, and after each stick of gum that he chewed, he took it out and he stuck it down on his chair and he sort of lined them all up. and I did look at that and think, that is a bit gross, Daniil. Stick them in the bin. Yeah, that is absolutely rank. That plus the Djokovic puke slow-mo. Tonight has been rancid.

14:00Obviously, she'd love to win a major. Which would you choose if you could only have one? Major. Yeah, same. Yeah, I'd be the same. For instance, I would rather be Marin Cilic in just about every way than Marcella Ria.

14:18And then it's an all-American clash between Martin Dam, who... Is this a rebrand? He was Martin Dam Jr., son of... Well, I'll shock you here, Martin Dam Sr. Or the original Martin Dam that David knew from his ATP days. Well, I assume this isn't a Martin Dam comeback and this is the artist formerly known as Martin Dam Jr. He wants to be his own guy now. They didn't close the roof quickly enough. They malfunctioned, apparently. Oh, really? So the court got rained on massively and there was a huge delay while that rain had to be mopped up by children with towels, which is the very sophisticated method that tennis has of dealing with water on the court.

15:09What, Matt, was the experience like of watching Karloff again after five months? Yes, he was introduced onto court as the two-time defending champion. No. Karloff? No. Alcaraz? Yes. We got there eventually. What was the experience like? Well, it included a lot more nipple than I was expecting. I will say that up front.

15:42Yes, his fit for the day. Maybe not enough material. Yeah. Every time he went to hit his shot, oh, there's his nipple. Standing room only it was. Did he get a look at the shirt, probably? Yes, he was wearing a fully buttoned, from top to bottom shirt, almost like one of those sort of Hawaiian shirts you might care. Like a darts player? Yes. It was giving already retired.

16:15And the first thing Jung did in her encore interview was credit Lutova. She wasn't even asked about her and she said, I just have to say how well she played. and there was a lovely moment of respect and handshake and hug at the net after Jung hugged her. And this was a huge moment for Jung. She might be an Olympic gold medalist, but she saw a clip of her match point and celebration after she won through her final round of qualifying the other day and it was a bigger, more emotional celebration than when she won the Olympic gold. So this was a huge moment for her and for her to still recognise and have the empathy for what was going on with Lutova I thought was lovely.

16:55really special. What are we doing? One o 'clock in the morning, I can't even remember what time it was last night. What is this sport? Is it going to be one o 'clock in the morning every night? I mean, things are getting out of hand. They've been out of hand for a while, I would suggest. I sort of realised that tennis is the only sport that thanks its fans for staying.

17:28What a concept They all tried their absolute hearts out And made it compelling And yeah, I've enjoyed it I mean, I would probably have preferred to have enjoyed it About three hours earlier, but there we are No one tried their heart out more than Martin Dahm No Whose name we've been mispronouncing for the entirety of his career And you've been mispronouncing his dad's name for several decades, it turns out. Yes, that's not an exaggeration. It is nearly 30 years that I've been pronouncing Martin Dahm Senior's name incorrectly. He not only puts his finger to his ear, but he does it in a sort of stooped position towards the crowd.

18:16And he says, I can't hear you. I loved it so much. Just, I was in. I'm in now. I'm a Martin Dahm guy. He can't make a second serve return, but he's picking up Federer-esque half-vollies off his tippy toes. It's very Catherine, really, isn't it? Can conducts live TV with no script and massive pressure, but then drop a coffee down her shirt. Yes. Thank you, yeah. It was very on brand for me to become a Martin Darm guy and then for him to proceed to lose. You know, Wimbledon is the example that there is another way to do this. It doesn't have to be 2am. And there's many reasons, many, many reasons why I find it so irritating.

19:15but the one I'm going to choose today is Lorenzo Sonnego has just played some of the most dazzling, electric, stunning tennis of this tournament and of his career. We were high-fiving on the sofa as he was coming up with these incredible shots. There's no one in the stadium. There's no one there. There's no one seeing it. Like, how do you make Lorenzo Sonnego a star of the sport if there's no-one in the stadium to watch his best moments? But Monfils put on a show tonight on Armstrong, a 100-mile-per-hour forehand, a jumping forehand cross-court winner, no less, which is doing the rounds on social media, and quite rightly so, a total gasp inducer, followed by a bow to all four corners of Armstrong Stadium.

20:13It was wonderful. Yeah, if they'd filled the three hours and 20 minutes of intentionally blank, we might all be in bed by now. Who knows? Good old Flavio as well. He gave the global tennis-watching public something to enjoy. And they saw all the Flavios. You know, like awful cabali to begin with, like half asleep still. So much so that Matt Futterman used the first question of the press conference to ask, do you like mornings? Including in the On Court interview where they got the full Flavio Caballi experience where he mentioned the toilet, which is, I mean... It's one of his favourite things.

20:57It's Caballi bingo. Yeah, it's Caballi bingo, and he mentioned changing all his clothes in the toilet. He said, I went to the toilet and I changed everything because maybe it's unlucky. and turned out he might have been right.

21:12Matt described himself as the Pied Piper of the media room earlier, going around telling everybody, drawing everyone's attention to this match that was going on. Public service, Matt Roberts offered.

21:28Just at the corner of my eye, I saw her, after she'd lost that break in the second set, hit the ball away into the crowd, Benchik, petulantly, recklessly. And Benchik knew immediately what she'd done. Of course, Putin's saver was pointing, being like, well, that's a default. The umpire said, yeah, she hit someone, but it wasn't intentional. And Putin's saver said, but she hit someone. And the umpire said, the person was fine. and Putin's saber said, but the person Djokovic hit was also fine. Coming up with the receipts from the 2020 US Open.

22:13Because Benchik hadn't been defaulted, the rest of the match had to be played out and there was just this incredible simmering anger to it. In the end, Putin's saber ended up coming back to win it and there was this this kind of troll moment at the end where Benchik's lost her serve in the in the third set hitting three double faults in the game. Putin Saver who is not one of the sport's biggest servers as a kind of direct reaction to those double faults then hit three aces in the game to hold immediately after that and end up winning the match and the crowd was so into it someone at the end chatted finish her you know it was absolute seams out on court 17.

23:04And he's fresh he's loving it he's savouring I mean look Kolo Sakuraz always looks like he's loving it that bit more than anybody else in tennis even when he's at his most jaded I suppose but he's at his least jaded right now this all feels like a bonus to him he didn't know whether he would be here he's missed it desperately it's all total joy to him

23:33he said the thing I think tennis has missed and that is that I play with joy it does seem like if he is going to do the impossible and lift the US Open trophy in 10 days time, he is going to do it with his right nipple on show. He doubled down. I think he's aware of it. There's definitely some adjusting going on and people have caught him kind of looking down to see if he's decent or not. But the answer is invariably no, you're not because your outfit doesn't cover your nipples, Carlos. It can only cover one at a time. It is what it is. she's very good in those situations there's something there is something amusing to me about Ostopenko kind of being trapped in a Tatiana Maria match for 24 hours because this one carried over from yesterday just like thinking about slices coming at her and you know like presumably there was some kind of strategy meeting last night or maybe this morning after you know got some data of the match and being like okay what can I do differently and the answer is nothing I'm probably I'd be relieved to be out of it.

24:48You think she's having strategy meetings? I'd hope so.

24:56I think that's a reasonable upset watch there. Yeah, so do I. But the US Open, second round, lives for it. It was a vibe, particularly after the match, actually, when everyone was high on the Coco Gauff win and then there was a Pride Night light show, which I did find myself thinking, God, this is good, this is a vibe. They're playing some absolute bangers. But then I caught myself and was like, oh, it is all so fat. Do it at 7pm. There was three hours of intentionally blank. There's time for the fun light show and the bangers. And the time is not 10pm.

25:42Look, she gives you everything. She gives you everything. but Jung Shin-wen collapsed onto her back in victory at the end of this match, like she'd just won the title. You can tell that this isn't the same as when she used to win rounds before that injury. This just feels like it means everything to her right now. An hour and 38 minutes over Thomas Bellucci. He's feeling it. He is feeling it. You've done it again, by the way. you've mixed up your Baluches. At least I didn't say Monica. Can I have some credit for that? He said, today I loved to be Flavio Caballi, and when asked about his policy on what and when to get a new tattoo, he said, just tell me and I do.

26:36He said, if I wake up tomorrow and want to make a tattoo, I do it.

26:44I've just seen this too Ben Rothenberg's Hang on a second Let's do a quiz here David What do you think Gail Monfils' next career move Is going to be? Well that's not fair Because I've also just seen it Would that have been your guess? No Drop the bomb Matt Yeah Ben Rothenberg saying Here's an unexpected answer I asked Gail Monfils What his post-retirement plans are if he plans to stay in tennis as a coach or commentator, perhaps? No, he said. He's already signed on to work an office job next year for a Swiss wealth management company. I find that deeply depressing.