BONUS - US Open 2026 Review

34:58I thought about Fonseca Djokovic at Roland Garros, you know, the age disparity where they both were in their careers. That one was kind of the first one that jumped to mind. But yeah, it's so perfect. And I think, obviously, Sholten Alcaraz is there looming. It's kind of an umbrella over all discussion of this US Open. But I do think Jovic-Iala, for me, was the match of the tournament. I loved it so much. Yeah, it was superb. And I think because they're still relatively new and because you've got an American in America against Iala and everything she brings. Yeah, it was perfect, really. I also thought Noschka vs.

35:48Sabalenka was right up there for one of the matches of the tournament. And on the subject of Frozen in Time, that's kind of how I think about Raducanu against Fernandes from the 2021 final. You know, these two newcomers, really, who've never been able to recreate that moment. Maybe they still will. I hope they can. But you never know when you've had your best moment. You only know when you've retired, I suppose, or when you finally admit defeat. So you never know can work both ways. Gosh, the dark side of you never know. You okay, David? Yep. Was the dentist that bad? It was pretty bad.

36:39and um yeah kind of when ava said frozen in time and when she was talking about you know tennis players are never more fun to watch than when they don't have a serve or don't know how to serve well yet it kind of made me think of like very early stage uh djokovic nadal matches as well there's there's one in miami that they played which was just like so explosive but every rally is having, every point is having to be a rally because they haven't got these serves, something that Djokovic would go on to have. I think that's a great rewatch and they're young, kind of like Iala and Jovic are. I think it's from about 2007.

37:22And specifically on the point of the serve, that was something that, again, Math said that kind of the WTA slogan should kind of be no serve bots here. And like, that is one of the great things about women's tennis in that the serve is less dominant and you do you do get more matches like that and matches where the rallies become so important and yet i do think still the serve is key to women's tennis like if you think about the players at the top rebecca has just become world number one what are we always talking about with her her serve is such a separator one of the players who has been dominant but is now struggling, Igor Sviontek if you had to point to the one area of her game that seems to have really declined in that time it is the serve Coco Goff has become a consistent force again over the last few months because her serve has got more consistent Sabalenka sorted out her serve after many years of having the yips and she became a dominant number one after sorting that out And as fun as Iala Injovic was and as brilliant as it was, I do think there is this ceiling on your game if you can't serve better.

38:40So I think that is going to be an interesting development for Iala Injovic. And whether that means their matchup becomes a little bit less compelling in the future if they're getting more free points, I don't know. but I think they can become better players if they improve their serve, particularly Iala, of course. But yeah, it was an amazing, amazing match, that one. It did make me think about what she said in her pre-tournament press conference at Iala about her serve, where she was very, in a very charming way, she was quite defensive about the shot, wasn't she, and the criticism she gets of it.

39:17She was like, I like my serve. Yeah, it was really endearing. But I do hope that behind the scenes, she is like, I need to improve myself because she needs to improve herself. And she's really smart and clearly has a great work ethic and is very ambitious. Like I think she does. It's just, yeah, I do hope she does improve herself because I want her to be successful. and yeah I was thinking about that what math said too about you know the the greatest marketing campaign that the WTA have never done which is you know not a serve bot in sight and that made me think about the WTA and generally how they have always approached marketing and how there's never been anything as edgy and cool as that.

40:17There's something always sort of a bit apologetic about WTA marketing. I don't quite know if that's the best way to put it, but let's hear from Hannah Wilkes, who talks some more about the WTA and a story actually that was broken by Simon Briggs over the course of the tournament about the WTA and its apparently impending bankruptcy unless there's a significant financial change, of course, something that, you know, we were aware of needing and wanting to cover, but they just didn't feel like there was oxygen for over the course of the tournament. So that is something that Hannah touches upon here, amongst other things.

41:01Here's Hannah Wilkes. so there was a piece of news that came out during this u.s open which i found really distressing but kind of also mainly just confusing um which was that the wta tour is apparently projected to lose 23 million dollars in 2026 and if that rate of depletion continues could be bankrupt in 2027 um and look i am a verified idiot when it comes to the business side of tennis and i'm fine with that but i just don't understand how this can be the case when this us open showcased once again the extraordinary strengths of the WTA Tour right now in terms of the product, in terms of the players, in terms of the matches.

42:04From the first round up until the final, there was so much amazing tennis and really compelling entertainment being provided by the women's side of the draw. I mean, Obviously, every single one of Xun Chen Wen's matches was absolute must watch, gripping from first ball to last. You know, that was a fantastic story. But it wasn't just that kind of fairytale factor. It was also the players at the top of the draw performing, not only kind of overwhelmingly like performing to their seedings, but competing so intensely against each other. I thought that Irina Sabalenka against Linda Noskova was one of the best matches I've seen this year.

42:58uh I am so wildly excited about the tennis that Noskova plays and just I mean just imagine if she brings that level to one tournament a year for the next decade that is going to be an extraordinary career right and Sabalenka as always I'm so compelled by her Grand Slam main character energy and Elena Rybakina, I really didn't, I know that every player kind of wants to be world number one. Of course, of course you do. But I didn't really think that given everything that kind of goes with that, I didn't think that she would kind of be the kind of person who would really reach for that with kind of a ferocious appetite.

43:46And she really did. And, you know, that was not a throne that Sabalenka vacated with England. and she's gonna want it back and I am just so compelled so captivated so gripped um and so delighted by women's tennis at the moment and it's not even just this season for the last few years really I think it's been extraordinary and how is it that this brilliant product can can somehow be losing money. I'm just very genuinely sort of confused by this. I mean, I've been following women's tennis seriously since about 2009, I would say. And in that time, I've heard over and over again that the product is the problem.

44:41You know, the problem is that women's tennis doesn't have the stars or it doesn't have the rivalries or, you know, the matches are too one-sided or there's too much parity and there aren't kind of dominant stars and I always thought that that argument was kind of bullshit but now I actually know for a fact that the product is not the problem because the product is so good so I don't know I'm left bewildered by this gap between the the kind of phenomenal entertainment that I'm seeing on the court and the way that it's the way that it's apparently valued by the market I don't know can somebody fix this can somebody sort this out that would be great would be great definitely would be great um I share a lot of Hannah's befuddlement at this story in the I mean sort of I do when I don't like obviously I totally agree with everything she said there about the product but I suppose it doesn't surprise me that the quality of the product doesn't have as much impact on the level of interest as it should because you know we still hear attitudes to women so there's still a lot of attitudes to women's sports out there that have absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the product quite the quite the opposite actually like that doesn't shock me at all and that's not to say that you know poor WTA marketing and management isn't partly to blame as well but I think what I'm most confused by about it is like what happens if the WCA goes bankrupt like there doesn't cease to be women's tennis there doesn't cease to be an arena Sabalenka and a Elena Rabachner like I know what happens if a normal commercial company goes bankrupt they cease to exist and the product they're selling comes off the market, what happens if a not-for-profit governing body goes bankrupt?

47:05Like, genuinely, what happens if the forecast scenario in Simon Briggs' piece comes to pass, David? Well, I mean, it's difficult to know exactly what would happen, but they are responsible for creating the sanctions that tournaments buy and staffing those tournaments with umpires and various other people. So you would lose your standard framework. You would lose a lot of the services that the WTA provide. But in any case, I mean, what's happened... But the WTA also provide the prize money, don't they? Are you saying the tournaments would continue to exist? No idea, Catherine, really. I mean, it's never happened since I've been following the sport, so exactly what would happen in the undoing of all that, I don't know.

48:04But in any case, I mean, since Simon's piece went out, and only yesterday the WTA announced their new WTA finals location in Charlotte, which is going to be a three-year-long commitment and that should help for a start. I mean, that is their flagship tournament. I've been in touch with the WTA about Simon's article, WTA Ventures in particular, who look after the sort of commercial side of the operation. And I was sent some words from Valerie Camillo, the uh the the ceo um at the charlotte announcement making this wta finals announcement um in regard to their finances and uh and they said that the wta is managing an important period of transition and strategic investment while taking the decisions necessary to build a stronger and more sustainable organization for the long term because obviously they've they've had this huge investment taken away from the venture capital firm that kind of came in to sort of prop them up really when they pulled out of China and when the whole China investment was removed following the WTA stand over Peng Shui's disappearance a few years ago.

49:36It goes on to say, our plan is clear, operate efficiently, align our cost base with sustainable revenues, invest where we can generate the greatest long-term value, and continue delivering for our players and tournaments. The 2026 financial position has been impacted by the deliberate decision to move the WTO finals. And just to say, you may remember that they were supposed to stay one more year in Riyadh than they've ended up doing. um it should not be extrapolated as the long-term trajectory of the organization so that's where they're differing with the idea that they're i.e if they carry on this path then yes they'd have a they'd have a problem they're saying that long term that isn't going to be the case um the fundamentals of women's tennis are strong and we have a clear pathway forwards with the move of the wta finals to charlotte a key part to that plan.

50:31And I asked for some confirmation that they remain on course for all of their equal prize money goals that they set out in June of 2023. They announced that by 2027, they wanted all the 1000s to be paying equal prize money. And I think it was 2033 that they wanted lower down tournaments that weren't combined uh to to achieve the same and uh and i was told that they remain on track for the 2027 goals they had to make some confirmation soon um but you know that at least is is something they expect to be happening and i believe my understanding is that that is where the majority of the venture capital investment went into the enterprise money into leveling up prize money um i do i do i mean that's generally encouraging that statement that i guess they're not disagreeing with the premise of the article they're just saying we're not going to stay on the the current course which would which would leave to lead to eventual bankruptcy there are you know material material course changes in the uh in the near future that's that's reassuring i do find the um the list of things that are going to change the the original list that you read out both vague and very wide-ranging like that is basically a list that says we're going to change everything about the way the way the business functions um so does feel like it feels like there's a lot going on there um and I guess we'll talk about the the Charlotte the year-end finals Charlotte deal on Monday's show there are there are positives and negatives to that for sure um and i guess we'll get into that on monday but yeah i mean just i don't know matt what do you think i don't really have much to add i would i would put myself in the idiot pile with hannah when it comes to when it comes to the finances of these things so i i thank david for for getting in touch with the WTA there and yeah like I mean I'm encouraged that they they think they're on a different path it just that always just seems to be another thing you know like over the last five years or you think okay they've they've solved this they've pledged this and then something comes along and suddenly you know alarm bells are ringing again so I definitely have quite a lot of concern um but i hope as hannah said i just hope they can figure it out because the one thing that always delivers is is the wta matches and players and tennis side of things it does baffle me that i mean look i assume and i hope that the the money involved the money being pledged as part of this Charlotte deal and the Indian Wells deal this year is obviously really significant.

53:54It has to be really significant, right? But, I mean, the reason the WTA went to Riyadh was for money. You know, okay, there was all sorts of waft about growing the game, whatever, that, you know, we all know that the reason sport is going to that part of the world is money. so if that if that hasn't helped then I don't know maybe Charlotte has more money going for it than Riyadh does or maybe the structure of the whole thing is different I know that in the wording of the press release about Charlotte there's some stuff about the WTA taking control of the whole thing in a way that it sounds like they didn't have in Riyadh that may all be very significant but it does I am left with the sort of feeling of gosh is this going to be that financially different to Saudi Arabia where they were just printing money?

54:51Yeah it worries me and the product deserves better and hopefully it's going to get better in the future.

55:04let's move on now to our next contributor your friend of mine it is Pamela Howard Shriver who we got to spend some wonderful time with particularly at the in the early stages of our New York and Newport trip Pam had a very different US Open this time her first time in a long time not working for ESPN. She'll explain to you in this voice note what she was doing over the course of this tournament. Here is Pam Shriver. Sitting out on my tennis court in Los Angeles, a court that I've loved for the 23 years that I've lived in this house. Got my golden retriever at my feet and just reflecting on the US Open.

55:53I got there the first day of qualifying playing stayed through Wednesday as we were heading towards the final weekend. I have a lot of really strong memories from this U.S. Open. One of the most impactful experiences was calling a men's three-out-of-five-set quarterfinal match on BBC Radio. It was between two Americans, Francis Tiafoe and Alex Mickelson. And obviously the drama that unfolded in the match as Tiafoe, from my home state of Maryland, came from two sets to Love Down and a breakdown, end up winning the match in that crazy day of where three of the four quarterfinals scheduled that day and night went to a match tiebreak.

56:45But to see Tiafoe be able to win that match, see the heartbreak of Mickelson, see the way they embraced and Mickelson cried on the shoulder of Tiafoe. It was just, I'll remember that match forever. I'm also going to remember it because BBC Radio had three women on the call. My colleagues on that match, Katie Smith, Abigail Johnson. And it was really fun. I was doing the analyzing in between. The work of a radio play-by-play person is quite unbelievable, the skill. total respect. But it served as a bit of a contrast to my workplace of 35 years ESPN, where I really felt such a ceiling and an inability to be able to work men's matches very much at all.

57:44It was something I really missed. I missed not really having any kind of an impactful part of the 20 years of the big three, you know, the Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and, you know, throw in Murray, that whole, just as a female, I was shut out pretty much. So anyway, it's really fun being in a couple of workplaces as I've made a big jump this year and changed a few things up, and I feel very valued and respected in both the workplace of Yonex and the workplace of BBC Radio, and that's a good thing. I also want to reflect on a couple of more accomplishments that occurred during the U.S. Open. Elena Rybakina, wow, to get to number one for the first time with that quarterfinal win.

58:41And to then back it up with such an impressive semifinal win over Coco Gauff and then the way Rybakana performed in the finals against Sabalenka was something else. And, you know, I truly believe the serve is by far the most important shot in tennis. I think it really helps the mindset to know that your serve is firing on all cylinders. And I thought the way Reebok, and after some nervous double faults, right, in that game where she was serving for her first US Open, but the way she emphatically ended it with the ace up the T was something else. I also want to reflect on the men's final. I want to mention someone I competed with on a team tennis team back in the 90s, Brian Shelton.

59:37And to see how he has handled the double job of being a parent and the primary coach of his son, Ben, it's been incredible to watch and to hear his coaching nuggets, to see how he is a parent first and a coach second. Also, shout out to Ben's mom, Lisa, also such a great person. So while he came up one match short of ending the drought, I think much is to be expected. I do know, though, when you get to one singles final and people say, oh, well, bad luck, you didn't win at this time, but you'll be back many more times, you'll win one. From my case, I know it's not always, doesn't always happen.

1:00:28But in the case of Ben, a late blooming, great athlete, as long as he stays healthy and keeps developing his game, I can't wait for his future. And I just want to shout out to Sasha Zverev's mom, because I thought the tribute to her and what a parent goes through when they find out their child has a disorder like type 1 diabetes is it's something else I lived that in March of 2017 when my oldest son George was diagnosed with the same thing it's really hard so is playing the U.S. Open Brilliant stuff from Pam there, as always, of course. Just thinking about the two winners there, obviously, Rabakina and Zverev, and actually some commentary about Elena Rabakina and something that I observed as well, how happy she seemed winning this US Open title, how sort of much she seemed to be really experiencing it.

1:01:47We were recording during her press conference, weren't we? So we weren't in there, but I've seen clips of that. I've obviously seen all the footage of her photo shoot that she's done with the US Open trophy and the world number one trophy. And she just, I don't know, there does seem something a bit different about her. She seems to have a bit more sense of self, a bit more agency, dare I say. I don't know. There's something just slightly more reassuring about her demeanour winning this one than previous successes that she's had. I don't know. I could be projecting or imposing something that's not true, but certainly that's my impression from the outside.

1:02:36yeah i think so i think you know there was there seemed to be genuine joy that she was feeling and experiencing and as you said the press conference but also i saw one or two of the interviews with the broadcasters you know outside and the and the crowd was there and yeah she just seemed to be really relishing that moment which i which i loved for her and I don't know something that I feel like slightly connects Rabatkaner and Zverev is just how at the start of the tournament they felt like such unlikely winners and yet now sitting here it's kind of like yeah it makes sense that Rabatkaner and Zverev have won the US Open like so much can happen in the course of a two week Grand Slam they're really long tournaments And, you know, for Rabatkinner, it was obviously the huge injury concern that she had at the start.

1:03:35And I actually saw a clip of the player's box podcast with Pagula and Keyes. And they were talking about how maybe those injury concerns kind of helped Rabatkinner be a little bit free at the start of the tournament in terms of her mindset. Maybe she did have lower expectations. And we've seen her get tripped up early at slams in the past. but there was none of that this time. And once she got the world number one thing done as well, she then really knuckled down in those last two matches and played great players and stood up to them. And so that was really impressive. But now it feels like, well, yeah, like Rebecca kind of playing her best tennis, she could definitely win the US Open as she did.

1:04:19And then with Zverev, I think the thing is that he came in without much form and he played those two five setters right at the start of the tournament. late into the night and you kind of thought that is going to be so hard to then go on and win the title. He ended up being the first man to win a Grand Slam having two five-setters in his first two matches since Gaston Gaudio in 2004. It's a really hard thing to do. It's just that he's so good at managing his energy levels and tournaments generally and also there was that two or three day period wasn't there where the contenders in his half fell away you know when caballi lost and fritz lost and muzzetti lost like suddenly his door opened up and it was about well can he manage his energy levels and the and the lateness of it all and get through to the final when by then he's probably going to have found some form and and he did that really well so i i just think there's There's a lesson there in that a lot can happen, basically, in a Grand Slam.

1:05:24And what you think is going to happen at the start can suddenly change. And I think Robackina and Zverev are good examples of that, I think. David, how long ago does Zverev's son ago feel? A long, long time ago. That was an exhilarating match. Two points from defeat. i do remember david's a low-key sonico guy that i do like that's what yeah i do i think he's a great early rounds of slam guy to just guarantee you entertainment um and so i i did say i thought that could be good uh i didn't think it'd be as close as it was but the thing that i remember from it now in hindsight more than anything else is very of saying at the end this is what i needed you know and i thought he was saying that to kind of gloss over his lack of form i thought he was trying to protect himself and sort of almost convince himself that that's what he needed and then and then he goes into another fire setter against contan alice and you're thinking well surely this isn't what you needed you know two back-to-back four and a half hour matches finishing at two in the morning but he did play his way into some form in that tournament and i think he's one of the ones who's tough enough and durable enough to still have an energy when it goes later into the tournament after you've had that i think he did get lucky with the number of people that lost in his section of draw um but he can't control that you know he won those really durable exhausting matches and he did end up coming out better for it so you can see you can feel his experience by now and he also kind of managed that jet lag experience of being just on a different time zone to the rest of the tournament for for most of it you know the closest parallel we had to that was Medvedev at the 2024 Australian Open when he did reach the final but it caught up to him in the final and he went those two sets of love up and then it was just just as well not even that slow just kind of death by a thousand cuts watching him fade over the course of that and he said it himself it just all caught up to him um and Zverev was in that very very very similar situation potentially even more extreme um and fought his way out of it it was very impressive um and for more reflections on zverev and on a number of other features of this tournament we turn now to the athletics charlie eccleshare who wasn't in new york we missed him uh we really did miss charlie's company didn't we matt um and yeah we look forward to his uh valiant return in melbourne i'm not sure that's what his wife will be calling it but that's what we'll be calling it Charlie.

1:08:33He was on the same time zone as Vera. Yes, he was. Absolutely. We're going to hear about that now. And he did pop up. He's on paternity leave, but he did pop up and couldn't resist writing a piece about single-handed backhands. Little did he know, Matt, that you could have been included in that piece if it only waited a few more days. That was the rep. Here is The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare. Hello everyone, it's Charlie Eccleshire here. Well this was a very different Grand Slam for me, because I was watching it at home in London, where I'm currently on paternity leave. But if there's a sequence that sums up my experience of this year's US Open, it's the few hours from just before 5am UK time to just after 8.30am last Wednesday morning.

1:09:18My routine at the moment is to be woken up by my wife at around 4 or 5am to have a few hours with my daughter while she sleeps on me. During the US Open, this worked out quite well at various points, and there were definitely days when I was more receptive to my early wake-up call. The previous night, as it became clear there was a decent chance of getting to watch some of the Ben Shelton-Carlos Alcaraz quarterfinal at this sort of time, I made it clear to my wife that she could basically get me up whenever. I was perhaps less effusive with that offer on some of the Alex Verov second-on-Ash nights.

1:09:45Anyway, when I got up, the first set was just finishing, and I then had a couple of hours watching just me and my daughter. Around 7am, my sons woke up and came down to watch with us. And this was one of the elements of the tournament that was very different from normal. It occurred to me that I never get to watch Grand Slam tennis with my family, which was how I got into the sport when I was a child. And so it was nice to share some of this with them. I felt a disproportionate amount of pride when they would pop up with a bit of tennis knowledge. Head of the final, for example, the older one commented that Zverev had won the first set of the Wimbledon final.

1:10:14The younger one, who's about to turn four, asked some pertinent questions. When we watched highlights of the Williams sisters and they were storming back into the match, she asked, why is the good team such a good team? There was a great New Yorker cartoon a few years ago with a woman saying to her friend, as a Father's Day gift, I'm going to let Dad explain a Bruce Springsteen song to me. I'm sure there was an element of that going on here with my kids. The boys indulged me as I talked about America's long wait for a male Grand Slam champion, and they learned the word VAMOS as we watched Alcaraz and Shelton heading towards a fifth set.

1:10:43I don't know how much they'll remember this, but as a parent with young kids, you constantly think about how you can model good behaviours and set a positive example. And so watching Alcaraz, I couldn't help but think, not so much for them, but for me, God, wouldn't it be great to be a bit more like that? I don't mean the talent. I feel that shit may just about have sailed, but the way he deals with setbacks and always tries to stay positive and upbeat. Now, obviously, it's a hell of a lot easier to be humble and gracious when you're incredibly good at something. A sort of virtuous cycle develops when you don't need to self-aggrandize because your gifts are so obvious.

1:11:12And as a result, you become even more likeable. And the same is true the other way. It's where if he may feel he kind of needs to advocate for himself in relation to Sina and Alcaraz, because realistically, no one else is going to. But even so, how tempting it must have been for Alcaraz to rail at how unfair it was that without his injury and absence from the tour, it could have been him in the semis, not Shelton. How tempting it must have been to make the world aware just how much he was being affected by his long layoff. To do none of that and be nothing but generous in defeat was the kind of example most of us try to set, but probably fail most of the time.

1:11:43the boys were too busy wrestling each other by this point to really notice any of this and the baby slept through the whole thing but i thought it was pretty cool and i'm looking forward to being able to see this kind of stuff firsthand again in melbourne and beyond i also had the thought while appreciating the rarity of watching grand slam tennis with family how lucky i am to have such a great crew to share it with when i am away that communal aspect really is such a big part of what makes sports so special and what got many of us into it in the first place i loved being able to listen to Mary commentating on that Shelton Alcaraz match and then dive into the reactions on the pod and on The Athletic and from colleagues elsewhere.

1:12:15I love being able to chat to you all and with family and friends about everything that was going on. The results of these events do really matter but for most of us so much of it comes down to the experience of sharing it with people close to us, whether that's on Ash in the media seats, via social media or on a sofa in Walthamstow with the sun coming up. that was so nice from charlie really really beautifully put in a great little window onto what his what his world's been like for the for the past two and a half weeks and um yeah we did miss charlie but um yeah we're looking forward to having him back yeah yeah we we really did miss charlie he's always he's always great company and we enjoy our chats with him so much he sees the sport I think like like we do and it's it's such a good point about how the people you experience these matches with for me they form some of the memories that last the longest in a way like Shelton Elkraz was absolutely thrilling and yet I can remember about I don't know four points from it but I can also remember Matt Futterman singing along to Sweet Caroline sitting next to me very very vividly and I can remember doing the pod with David at 5am very vividly it's it's it is those communal experiences that that you have that I think make the make the event feel bigger and more special in a way and yeah I think Charlie's put that really beautifully was it was Was it DJ Triz that night?

1:13:54I think it was. I think that's why Futterman was so into it. Matt Futterman is so into one of the DJs that they have in the rotation on Ash, and it is DJ Triz. I still haven't really figured out why he's so different to all the others. I don't think I would notice it without Matt pointing it out, but I do think his song choices are the best. Okay. Yeah, he gets vibe, Triz. Right. He's like Billie Jean. He knows what's required in the moment. And yeah, what Charlie was saying about Alcaraz and parenting and sort of modelling good behaviour, it made me think of that image of Carlos Alcaraz in the corridor coming off court at 3.35 in the morning, just grinning.

1:14:45grinning because he knew he was back and because he'd been a part of something that made him feel alive and what else is there that was such a powerful sporting image for me there were a lot of those in this tournament sort of snapshots there was Mickelson crying on TFO's shoulder that'll really really live with me there was just incandescent Sabalenka sat in her coaching box all of them afraid to talk to her or even to look at her and her shoving the camera away um but I think the single most powerful one for me is Alcaraz grinning his way down that corridor, David? Yeah, I mean, I share Charlie's thoughts on the parenting side of things.

1:15:40And, you know, I'm a lot further along with it. But I'm often using various sporting people that my son admires because of their incredible goals or shots or celebrations to also try to point out the good behavior or at least um admirable behavior of people who are good sports and you know fair and and all those sort of things you know look no further than carlos alcaraz but he's not an alcaraz guy david so what's gone what's gone wrong parenting wise there yeah i have to use somebody else as an example because if i I've pointed out that it's Carlos Alcaraz who's done something good. He'll be like, oh, I hate Alcaraz.

1:16:27He'll come around, David. He is an Art of Feast guy, though, right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, he is. And Cabali? Yeah, he quite likes Cabali, yeah. Yeah. How does he feel about Hodder? Don't think he's into Hodder. Okay. Have you seen the one Carlos Ferraro interview that's doing the rounds? I heard that he wants to coach again. He's back. No, he said that he is coaching again. He said, I'm going to be back. It's all signed and sealed. Watch this space. And now everybody is speculating about who it's going to be with. And surely the most obvious answer is Khodar, right? Is that where your mind went, Matt?

1:17:16I've seen three names. I've seen Hodda, I've seen Fonseca and I've seen Sinner. Yeah, I've seen Sinner a lot too and I just, I can't. I know Ferreiro said he would be up for coaching Sinner, but I just, it would be too much drama and I just don't think Sinner's into drama, you know? But it does follow him around, doesn't it? Like drama. He's had a more dramatic career than him instigating it. I could see Fonseca, but I mean, Hodder just has his dad, right? And he has indicated that he will be looking to expand, but presumably his whole team. He needs an agent. He needs a fitness guy. He needs an everything.

1:18:06And obviously they're both Spanish. It seems like the most obvious one to me, but... as you said david van colos ferrero is a talker that was your best ever take

1:18:26even i've been taken a little bit of back by quite any further thoughts on this us open before we close out with you know who I think the only thing that comes to mind thinking about Alcaraz is what percent of back do we think we had Carlos Alcaraz there? Because there was the Tommy Paul match where I thought, OK, he's 100 % back. And then the Shelton match happened. And I think we saw what David had been forecasting, really, which was that, OK, he's back, but he hasn't felt pressure yet. And I think he felt that pressure from Shelton and there was a dip and he couldn't quite get over the line.

1:19:19And it felt like he had two sets off in that match, basically, and yet still managed to take it to 7-6 in the fifth and almost beat the guy who almost won the US Open. I just think it all bodes really well for Carlos Alcarez going forward. As soon as he experiences more of that pressure, he gets used to the tour again. It feels like we're going to be OK with Carlos Alcarez. And I think we went into this tournament a little bit worried about what the risk would look like and feel like. So I think we come out of it feeling good about Carlos Alcarez's return. Certainly I do. Massively. I mean, it wasn't that long ago that, David, you were, you know, quite rightly kind of the voice of caution and reason about Alcaraz, which was, you know, yes, it's exciting to see him back, but let's see what it is that we're seeing back.

1:20:14Like, he might never be able to play like he did before. Like, we just don't know until we see him. We shouldn't take for granted how positive a picture we're seeing of comeback Alcaraz. And I think the thing is he's more back now than we saw during that Shelton match because that Shelton match will have done in the world of good. There is stuff that you just can't replicate and it's the tension. You can play for five hours in practice and be fit enough to play for five hours but then introduce stress and tension into it and it's a completely different situation for your body and there's just no way of replicating that other than doing it.

1:20:58So I think the fact that he's done it will put him in a better situation now than he was then. There's obviously the question marks around the serve. I think the serve does need to improve. On the basis of how positive everything else is, I do think it will. I think it will come back. but that is that is the one area of unknown I would say yeah I those are the two things for me as well I think you've highlighted them perfectly I think where I come down on it is that I am far more reassured now than I was before this tournament because I didn't see any ill effects really of the injury I saw rust I saw a lack of stamina and uh and yeah maybe the only way I you could tell that maybe the wrist might still be an issue is with the serve maybe that maybe it is or maybe it's just being careful but he did look like Carlos Harker as again and very quickly so um so to me it was really a pretty enormous success as a comeback i know he didn't win the thing but i would have i i mean that's the one prediction in the entire fortnight that i got right it was that he wouldn't win the thing until i started to get carried away and think oh he's too good for everybody um but i do think when we get into next year as long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks I think he can be right back where he was and we're hearing that Anik Sinner's back in training uh returned to training on Monday I believe so nature is healing nature is healing yeah hopefully we're um we're in a good place for for the rest of the season and the potential for it to be I don't want to jinx it here but the only sustained portion of the season when we've had Sinner and Alcaraz playing together makes, I sometimes find this part of the season quite hard because the stakes feel low and because everything's happening in the morning UK time, which is when I'm at my least functional and my appetite for watching sport is the lowest.

1:23:17But yeah, the prospect of, oh, right, we get to see Sinner and Alcaraz playing in the same tournament potentially on a collision course in the final is an added dash of interest for sure yes i saw that alcaraz had qualified for the atp finals and i was thinking wow he's barely played but of course like he won the slam and that and that like protects you and virtually guarantees that you'll get in these days and yeah i agree i think that is a compelling storyline for the end of the season on the ATP side. And the WTA side, like the race for the finals is well and truly on. I think there's a lot to be gripped by.

1:24:01Who will we see? How many players are playing well? Who will we see on a nightmare tour this year? That is the exciting question that will be answered over the course of the next few weeks of tennis podcasts. Could be a few. Could be a few this time, I think. Buckle up, everyone. Okay, folks, that is almost it for this US Open review show, except there is one very important bit of business to come. It is the way we always like to play out these shows. The rule is nobody follows Mary Carrillo. It is as true now as it ever has been. we're not going to put ourselves in a Mirka and Roger Federer situation who both did a very good job I think of having to follow Mary Carrillo but why would we do that to ourselves absolutely Matt well said here is Mary and if you enjoyed a little glimpse into the Charlie Eccleshare family life this is almost kind of part two of the story that Charlie began thank you all for listening thank you all for being friends of the tennis podcast you are tremendously important to us this community is tremendously important to us and we love making these shows for you so without further ado here is the newest member of the international tennis hall of fame mary carillo charlie eccleshare sports writer for the athletic and friend of the pod had to skip this year's u.s open for the best of reasons he and his wife have co-authored another beautiful Eccleshire, baby Nora, to go along with Frankie and Zephy.

1:25:42I miss you, Charlie, and I've missed my three grandchildren by being here in New York. Although the four-year-old Neela said to me, I saw you on television, but I didn't listen to you. Yeah, she is the most unintentionally funny child I've ever known. Once when my daughter told Neela she had to snap out of a long slog of a bad mood that she was in. Neela replied, it's easier to stay mad. Amen, sister girl. She's a little like her grandfather, my former husband, who once explained to me, Mayor, I know you're funny. I just don't think you're funny. That's the funniest thing he ever said. I love Bill, and as always, we texted throughout the tournament.

1:26:23And as always, he knew just what he was looking at. As parents, and again now as grandparents, we've decided there's a lot to learn from the open about character, about stuff Neela is supposed to be learning in kindergarten. Like this, no throwing. Arena, stop breaking shit. All too often, you show such high self-regard and such low behavior. Elena Rabacchino was better than you were. Tennis isn't all about you. Smashing your racket, it's the act of an angry toddler. Next, no cursing. You chuckle fucks have got to stop that. Next, get enough sleep. This is a reminder to players, to fans, and especially the people running the tournament.

1:27:10Guys, take a nap, then figure this out. Stop advertising U.S. Open night matches that too often become morning matches. Enough with this breakfast tennis. We all need sleep. Next, be on time. Mr. Zverev, I'm looking right at you. Respect the clock, respect your opponents and the fans. Enough with the bouncing, enough with the overlong changeovers. Life is too short. Next, share with others, like Francis Tiafoe did, when after five long sets against Alex Mickelson, who really had his chances to win. Francis cut short his own happiness to wrap Alex in a fierce hug at the net. That's the most indelible image I'm going to carry away from the open.

1:28:00Francis knows how to share. Next, try as hard as you can. Time and again, we were shown comebacks come and big leads go. Breathtaking, heartbreaking, but they gave everything they had. And that's what counts. Kids, you should feel good knowing you tried so hard, even if you don't win. That's what Carlos Alcaraz knows better than anyone. There are so many more lessons, and I welcome you to add to this list. I look at these players, and more than ever, I realize it's a very lonely way to grow up, surrounded by so much pressure and so many grown-ups. Frankie and Zephy and baby Nora, you've got good grown-ups.

1:28:44Watch, and unlike Neela, listen to them. You'll be good kids, and you'll be good grown-ups.