Davis Cup - Semis set after doubles drama

0:10Hello and welcome to the tennis podcast where it is a quarter past midnight UK time. That is where you find me and David and it is a quarter past 1am Bologna time and that is where you find Matt Roberts. it's an absurd time of night for tennis to have been happening. So, of course, the tennis was brilliant. Those are the rules. We have just all watched Tim Putz and Kevin Kravitz seal victory for Germany on their fifth match point in the decisive doubles rubber over Argentina. It's everything you want from the Davis Cup, except that it's happening at one o 'clock in the morning. Matt Roberts. yeah you couldn't have said it better obviously the first law of post-midnight tennis is that it shouldn't be happening at all and the second law of post-midnight tennis is that when it happens it is i'm gonna just say it fucking amazing normally quality wise and that's what happened today like i got on site at 8 30 a.m this morning it is quarter past one in the morning the next day and i'm still here this was the day that the davis cup decided to have its deciding double rub doubles matches of course when we had two ties to fit in five of the matches today ended in straight sets and yet we still ended at one o 'clock in the morning like what a sport and yet i kind of could have gone back to the hotel to watch the doubles but you two know what it's like it's actually a lot better to be at the venue with the adrenaline you don't want the the crash that get that's waiting for you when you get back to the hotel and everyone gets a bit loopy and delirious and mad at this time and it's just quite a fun energy to be around so as much as i hate it i also love it I'm part of the problem and here we are.

2:18Yeah, you look in way better shape than we do. You're all like hype and adrenalised, whereas I'm in my pyjamas and Billie Jean went to bed two and a half hours ago. That's the vibe that I've been dealing with. Look, we will talk in great detail about that tie, both the brilliant ties that we had today, all four quarterfinals. That's what we're here for and to look ahead to tomorrow and Saturday's semifinals. Not tomorrow, today. Today and Saturday's semifinals. But I do feel like we should start by rowing back a bit because the last time you heard from us, we were producing a podcast that went out of date.

3:03I think, Matt, that is the quickest. David, maybe you can confirm you're the auditor on this. I think it's the quickest a podcast has ever gone out of date for us. I was quite proud of that one, actually. I mean, to produce it and not even manage to quite finish the edit, only for it to suddenly become apparent that the main person we've been talking about for the majority of the show had just pulled out. Yeah, rendering most of it out of date was impressive. It's impressive, and I think I've only managed to sort of, you know, one-up it, or at least back it up, by realising that I think I've got every single one of my punchy predictions wrong.

3:53Every one. Even without Alcaraz in it, I picked Czechia to win, and they still didn't. You picked Czechia to beat Carlos Alcaraz. I know. Czechia couldn't even beat Pablo Carreña Busta. David, David, I am going to throw you a bone. You did predict Italy to beat Austria. Yes. And at one point, two shows ago, I think I briefly said they might win the whole thing. That was before I looked at the draw. And so, you know, if they go and win the whole thing, I'm just going to grasp onto that for grim life. But, I mean, yeah, the Rindiknesh thing didn't happen. God, that feels a long time ago. The Czechia thing.

4:35Oh, goodness. Lots of things have happened and lots of things have not happened. So what's not happened is Carlos Alcaraz playing the Davis Cup. If you don't know that by now, if you just get all your information from us and you merrily listened to the last show and missed the 45-second little add-on I did at the start to try and cover us, then I'm really sorry to have led you astray. Carlos Alcaraz is out of the Spanish team for the Davis Cup. He said on the eve of the tournament, the very, very eve of the tournament, I am very, very sorry. I'm very sorry. I've added an extra there. I'm sure he is very, very sorry.

5:18But he said he's merely very sorry to announce that I will not be able to play with Spain in the Davis Cup in Bologna. I have an edema in the hamstring of my right leg and the medical recommendation is not to compete. I've always said that playing for Spain is the greatest thing there is, and I was very excited to be able to help fight for the salad bowl. I'm going home hurt. And then he posted today a photo of himself watching the Spanish doubles team who went on to seal victory for Spain over Czechia. And, of course, that was lovely that he was supporting Spain, and the caption was Vamos, but all anybody is focusing on is the chaotic arrangement of prized Grand Slam trophies that Carlos Alcaraz has in his extremely unglamorous-looking living room.

6:16I'm obsessed with it. There's like a Wimbledon trophy right shoved in the back with a US Open trophy alongside it, and there's a sort of... Is there a weird Cincinnati ceramic seems to have pride of place? Yeah. Good Carlos Alcaraz stuff in there. So good, so good. Yeah, I mean, I think it's his parents' living room or something by the looks of things. There's a very dodgy tablecloth. He's got his shoes on inexplicably. uh and yeah these trophies these trophies like i've i kind of feel like the real pride of place in that house is probably like his under 10s local murthier trophy or something you know i feel like it's that kind of vibe and it's like they've always been there this wimbledon one's just gotta go to the back right at the top you know it's just so wholesome it's it's wonderful yeah and obviously gutting news.

7:22I believe that he is gutted. He really had every intention of competing and I don't know a lot about Ademus. It's obviously slightly more serious than he had hoped it was. I think it was the risk of what it could become if he played on it. I think there was a big risk that he could have done something a lot more serious, he could have ripped it and that would have really put his Australian Open participation, let alone ability to win it, in doubt. Sorry, I think you mean one-point slam, Matt. I'll stop you there. All eyes on the one-point slam at this point. No, he still could have won that. Yeah.

8:08Very specifically the Australian Open. and yeah look he was keen to play we know that he he got a van all the way from from Turin to Bologna even though he was you know struggling with this injury even at the time he did everything he could it was the doctor's you know call I think in the end for him not to play and you know it is gutting you know absolutely I can't think of an event that you know wouldn't be enhanced with the presence of Carlos Alcaraz but what I will say is that as much as we want the Davis Cup to have the top players and as much as you know the top players participation in Davis Cup potentially being one of the main reasons why this format changed you know it's important we have them oddly it is also the event that's least impacted i think by the absence of the top players you have so much other stuff team nominations captains fans behaving differently interactions on the bench playing for your country all this other stuff brings life to the event and there have been some matches today well in the in the last few days between you know players who would never get that kind of stage or that kind of crowd watching them.

9:29And yet it's accepted as normal in Davis Cup because it's the Davis Cup. So there is this real conundrum. You want them to play, but you don't actually lose the heart and soul of the competition when they're not there in a way that I think ATP Tour events without them have really this year felt like, oh, it's not a waste of time, but everyone knows that we're really, really missing those top players. There's just so much more to the Davis Cup, I think, than these individual top players. Other people might feel differently. That's how I feel, personally. Would love to have them here. But I've not really been thinking about Carlos Alcaraz and Yannick Sinner all that much.

10:11I've been thinking about the players who are here. And I do think that is pretty unique to the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. You've been thinking about Pablo Caronha Buster. you and David Ferrer both I owe him an apology not just for what I said about him on the pod a few days ago but what I was saying about him in our WhatsApp group earlier on today because when Jakub Mancic beat Pablo Kerenja Busta in the opening match of today's first quarterfinal Spain against Czechia the tie that many people thought would decide the outcome of this whole Davis Cup OK, that was before Carlos Alcaraz withdrew and the odds on Spain winning just altered entirely.

10:56But when Jakub Mencik beat Pablo Carreño Busta, I was busy sending you both the screen grab of the Alejandro Davidovich, Fakina, Jakub Mencik, head-to-head. I told you, David. But I was wrong. David Ferrer knew what he had in Jaume Muna and in Marcel Gronoyes and Pedro Martinez, who pulled off an incredible victory in the doubles to beat Thomas Mahatch and Jakub Menchik, a very tennis podcast-coded doubles team, 7-6, 7-6. A match that I missed, David, due to having to seek warmth because on the coldest day of the year, minus one degree. A man came to remove my front door today because it didn't comply with new fire regulations.

11:51So I had to... Oh, my God! I simply had to flee to find warmth. So I need you both to tell me how everything from Muna beating Lehechka onwards went down, please. Yes, well, I mean, I watched the lot. And actually, I thought Pablo Gronibuster put up a decent enough showing. I actually thought early on in that match, he might just tie Jakub Menchik up in knots here. And if you look at Menchik's year, whilst he's had spectacular results, particularly in Miami, of course, he can get sort of undone by certain players. And I actually ended up thinking, once the doubles had completed, you know, there's an example of it.

12:36Karene Buster couldn't quite pull it off, but the danger signs were there. I don't know how much you can trust. and look, this is coming from the guy who picked Cechia to win the whole thing so I haven't got a leg to stand on, I realise that in hindsight but really, the guy I expected to be ultra reliable didn't get a point, and that's Uri Lhechka I thought he was the guy who will put in a performance that you can rely upon and I thought Mensik, well, he's got a very high level but he can also get in trouble and I thought he did a really good job, Mensik He came out, he was clearly pretty apprehensive and nervous, and Karina Buster was hitting a lovely ball, but he just got overpowered in the end, and the serve was working enough, and the winners came, and Mensik goes one up.

13:25And honestly, if you'd have told me then that Czechia would not win that tie from there, I would have been... I'd pretty much just penciled that one in. And out came Jeremy Mouna, and played probably the best tennis of the day. I mean, I think some of the level we saw in this evening's tie was exceptional, particularly with Echeverry in his match against Struff. And then the doubles, obviously, that we've just witnessed was the match of the day. But Munar just came out and took Lehechka apart, really. He made him look stiff and awkward and pretty one-dimensional. And I was surprised. So that's one all.

14:11And then in the doubles, I mean, we'll get Matt's take on it as well. But I mean, it was it was so fascinating because because Mahatch came out so confident and shot making and hitting. He hit one absolute worldy cross court forehand passing shot that had Thomas Burdick shown in a close up on the screen just going, OK, we're we're in that territory. and I've seen this guy do it. He's seen the best tennis player in the world as well on the practice court, just like us. Clearly in his mind, here he is about to show it. But in truth, the other team with a better doubles pair and overall you've got two exceptional players on the Czechia side, but it finished on a Jakub Menchik double fault and that is what I'm getting at.

15:01He smashed this serve in because he clearly didn't have enough confidence to get into another rally. And he tried to go for broke and he hit it long. And I think he's still got work to do in his career. But that is, I think, a massive achievement by Spain. Stomaching the disappointment of Alcaraz having to pull out and coming back and finding a way to win. I didn't give them a hope before this tie, quite honestly based purely on the still images I saw of the Spain pre-tournament press conference after Algraz's withdrawal it looked like a funeral

15:45it looked like they were on a death march they did not look sort of fired up to prove a point about how they were not a one-man team that was certainly the vibe that I was getting from them So I definitely wasn't giving them a prayer when Menchik won the opening match of this tie. Like, what a turnaround. What a performance. What a show of heart from the Spanish team. I defer to our soon-to-be Spaniard to talk about Spanish heart. Well, that is something that they really value and cling to and talk about as part of this team. At the pre-tournament press conference, the one you referenced in the Spanish portion of it, there were an awful lot of questions about the spirit of Mar del Plata, which is a place in Argentina where Spain went in 2008 without Rafael Nadal and won the Davis Cup final against Argentina with David Nalbandian and Juan Martín del Potro.

16:56And it was Vadasco and Lopez who managed to win that tie for Spain. David Ferrer was part of the team. And it was very much the vibe of, can you do that again? You know, there you didn't have Rafael Nadal. Here you don't have Carlos Alcarez. Have you got that spirit in you? You know, that underdog spirit. And David Ferrer was very much like, yes, because we don't need to go back as far as 2008. We can go back to September. and the tie against Denmark in Marbella, where they were 2-0 down. Carlos Alcaraz is not there. Pedro Martinez, I think he had match point against him that would have ended the tie.

17:37And they came back and they won. So they're kind of, they have got that in them, that fight, you know. And I think definitely the Carlos Alcaraz not being there was a big blow. But they did sort of just tap into that today once they went 1-0 down. That was the interesting thing, you know. I thought I was the same as you. I thought, oh, they're in massive trouble here. Like, you know, I've never really thought Kroenio Busta was going to beat Menchik. But when he lost, I thought, wow, they've got to play two great matches now to turn it around. And David's right. Munar was unbelievable. I feel like we've, you know, shouted him out for his year that he's had.

18:16And we've really taken notice of it and yet probably still underrated it. This was a guy who really did not have results off clay before this year and i still think one of the best matches i've seen all year was his match against alcaraz at queens that he lost but he was so good in that match and he's now able to bring this attacking tennis to a you know an indoor hard court like we've got here in bologna and he served lehetschka off the court his serve was just unbelievably good today in a way that he never used to get that out of it so props to munar and then david summed up the doubles really well And David Ferrer really believes in this doubles team.

18:57You know, he called Granos the best doubles player in the world. You know, he probably would say that, you know, because that's his player. But I think he probably believes it. Like he really rates Granos and he combined well with Pedro Martinez. And yeah, it was a hell of a win. Because I think they faced set points in both sets, did the Spanish there. but they managed to just win the big points in the tie breaks. And yeah, another comeback for this sort of underdog Spanish team. Yeah, and one of two today because Spain now face Germany in Saturday's semifinal and a very similar cadence of tie for Germany and Argentina today.

19:46Thomas Martínez Chavere taking the lead for Argentina against somebody who seems to now officially be being called Struffy. We were doing it sort of ironically on the last pod, but commentators are now doing it. Not sure what's happening, re-Yan Leonard Struff's identity. But he lost his singles in two tie-break sets to Thomas Martínez Chavere, who I thought was awesome today. I thought there was a real, like, strut and swagger. And he looked... I'm always a bit surprised by how tall Echeverry is. I'm like, oh, a bit like Sonogo. I don't expect him to be tall. But he looked even taller to me today.

20:30I don't know, he just really sort of puffed his chest out and rose to the occasion. It was all for nothing, though, because Sarundolo followed him out onto court. And bless him, he warmed up as the match went on, didn't he? but he started off extremely flat and nervous and not timing the ball. He ended up losing out to Alexander Zverev, 6-4, 7-6. And then we had the doubles that we've all just watched and are still breathless from. 4-6, 6-4, 7-6, Puts and Kravitz over Molteni and Zabajos. Match point saved. They clinched it on their fifth match point. David, it was absolute scenes Yeah, it was one of the great doubles matches I think we don't care who wins and yet you cared about this match you just were hanging on every single point and Argentina got off to an amazing start in that doubles having suffered the disappointment of having to go out there at all because given Sorendolo's record against Zverev I think they might have been quite hopeful.

21:44And Sorendelo struggled, as you say, and Zverev sort of survived his sticky patch in the middle of the second set there. And then out come Argentina, and there's a bias. He's some doubles player, isn't he? Left-handed. He's a wizard with that left-handed backhand of his. And they break immediately. They win that first set comfortably. Then they get reeled in, and you go into this deciding set and all the way through it, Argentina are kind of the better team in that third set. They're the ones getting into the Germany service games, getting to 30-all, pushing them whilst sort of cruising through their own service games.

22:26Then towards the end of the set, it started to change a little bit and Germany got into it, but it goes into this tie-break. And then Germany just take over. And it's, you know, it's first to seven tie-break, not the first to ten. Six-three up. Six-three up. And they lost four points in a row. And then they suddenly match point down. So they've had three match points. They go match point down. Matt, I was struggling to kind of focus on what was actually happening in the points. Was this choke stuff from Germany? Or was this just incredible tennis from Argentina that got them back into it? I think in that run of four points, I'm pretty sure the Germans missed some volleys that they definitely would have expected to make.

23:13But no, I wouldn't call it choke stuff because like the tension was just so high. And then they kept coming up with the goods to sort of deny the other one on their own match point. Like it was, as you said, everything you could wish for from a doubles match. Like people know I'm not I'm not particularly high often on men's doubles. I don't really like watching it a lot of the time. I was living for this match. Like the rush to get to the net was just awesome to see. Like, you know, both teams so comfortable up there. And then the drama and just not knowing what was going to happen. It was brilliant.

23:54It was such high quality. and, you know, Kravitz and Putz now, I think, you know, genuinely one of the best doubles pairs in Davis Cup history, you know, and this tournament has been around since 1900. They only ever lost one match together. I think Putz has won 20 of his 21 Davis Cup doubles matches and Kravitz has won 19 of his 20. It is absolutely remarkable. and therefore credit Molteni and Zabaios for pushing them that far and very, very nearly beating them. It was just an absolute treat of a match. One of the matches of the year, for sure. Look at me talking about men's doubles as one of the matches of the year.

24:42It's what the Davis Cup does to me. What was the atmosphere like in the stadium? I was excited for the big Argentina return to the Davis Cup. Obviously, Argentina is a long way from Italy. So they went, the numbers that, you know, you would ideally want to get, but they know how to make some noise. Oh, they do. I think if they'd won, I might have even given you a little rendition of their song. I've just had it stuck in my head all day. Soy argentino. Es un sentimiento. No puedo parar.

25:23Soy Argentino Oh, they're just the best. They're just the best. And they like it in every sport. And look, you're right. It wasn't... It's making me really sad that they're out, Matt. Oh, no. Do Germany have a song? What would you have done if they'd won? Do Germany have a song? I only want teams with songs to stay in. There's a lot of flag waving from the Germans, whereas the Argentinians were more scarf around the head you know jumping up and down it's a it's a very different energy um look they provided a great noise i think in both ties the crowds thinned out um which is a shame but also understandable you know there were long ties we went on for like seven or eight hours per tie it is and i cannot stress this enough the most uncomfortable stadium i've ever sat in i think like the seats are not big enough there's no leg room you're squeezed in next to the people next to you and look i think people suck it up right because they want to be there but it is such an uncomfortable experience able to suck it up right that is extremely exclusionary to yeah to have and there's uncomfortable there's not even any handrails walking up the steps you know you know the media seats uh you have to probably walk up 20 steps to get to them and then obviously down as well and I'm quite surprised no one has fallen.

26:45I mean, maybe they have. I mean, it's not great, I have to say. So, yes, both times the crowds thinned out. I think in the day session, that was partly because they'd obviously got a lot of school kids in there to fill seats, which is something the Davis Cup Finals has done over the last few years and I think is a good solution. And unfortunately, though, there's a time limit. They can't be there the whole day. And therefore, for that final doubles of Spain, Czechia, you know, the stadium was a lot emptier than it was for the middle portion when it was pretty full. And then I think it thinned out tonight because, you know, people have lives and can't be watching tennis so late into the night.

27:30But good atmosphere, good noise. And I think it I mean, to me, it sounded like Davis Cup. I don't know if that came through on the telly, but it was it was the right kind of vibe. Maybe you just wish for more of it, I suppose. OK, that's it for part one. Join us in part two. We'll see if we can get Matt to do a rendition of La Marseillaise. Welcome back to part two of the tennis podcast, where we're going to take you back in time now to what feels like another age and the first two quarterfinals of this year's Davis Cup Final Eight. Let's start with Belgium's defeat of France on Tuesday, the opening quarterfinal of these Davis Cup finals.

28:182-0 for Belgium. Raphael Collignon beating Corentin Moutet in three sets, and then Zizou Burgs beating Artur Rindeknes in straight sets. We'll touch upon that, but there is really one story in town here with this tie, and it's what on earth was Corentin Moutet thinking? Talk us through it, David. Yeah. I'm afraid, Corentin, this was not your finest moment, was it? Look, he was amazing in the first set of this match. He came out inspired and he just took it to Collignon. I mean, he was just thrashing the ball all over the place, playing all of his shots. Colin Young looked really nervous, actually, and quite tight, and I felt inhibited.

29:10Big moment for him. Yeah, I think it was 6-2 that first set. It was just so one-sided. And really, I thought the way Quarantan's playing, it's like he's not even conscious here. He's just sort of playing. He's just letting it all flow. He's having the time of his life. You got the sense that his team were into him, you know, and really enjoying his tennis and the tricks and all the flashes and everything that he does. And then Colin Young just got a bit of a foothold in the second set. He just managed to kind of keep the score close. You know, that's what you've got to do, isn't it, in those situations.

29:44And that's what he did. He kept it close and he kept it close. And then he got to, I think it was, was it 5-all? And 15-all, I think. 5-6, I think. 5-6. 5-6, 15-all. So Moutet is serving and taking him to a tie break, a tie break that could win him the tie. And he dominates this point and he opens the court up beautifully to get to the net where a ball is dropping out the sky for him to just pat away or to smash away whatever he wants. He could do whatever he wants with it. Instead, he decides to let it drop, put his racket behind his back and play a through-the-legs, half-volley drop shot. And he got it wrong.

30:38And he mishit it and he shanked it into the net. He's 15-30 down. He got broken. He lost the set 7-5. I mean, his team, by this stage, are not enjoying his tennis anymore. They just blanked him. they weren't happy with him at all and Conignan I mean fair play to him he just kept growing into this match I mean it was still a good deciding set but you know Conignan won that match Moutet I'm afraid let himself down this time I mean maybe it wasn't the deciding moment of the match but come on you can't do that in Davis Cup If you're going to play that shot, you have to make it. But don't play the bloody shot.

31:31But if he'd played that shot and he'd made it, everybody would have gone, oh, that's such a... Like, what a brave thing to do. It's only brave if there's a risk of it not... If you're not making it, right? I'm playing devil's advocate here because you are the Quarantan Mute apologist. Oh, I do love him, yeah. Describing the way he played in that opening set and, like, he's just on instinct and everything's coming off, they're two sides of the same coin, aren't they? You don't get that without... Is there a way of a Korentan Mutay existing in the world that can do all of the stuff we love and not be at risk of doing whatever it is he did at 5 '6".

32:12Kind of the first set was it. But it's one thing to do it when you're relaxed and your body's not feeling tension. and I don't think you can give him too hard a time. I mean, he's been really good in Davis Cup this year. To get them there, he's learning about it and he then had to face Matt Roberts in the press conference. These are new things. He was expecting the question, David, which is the first question. In my defence, I have two defences. One is that I didn't know how many English questions there were going to be. There are not that many journalists here. The press conference are generally pretty quick and those mid-Tai ones especially, you know, they kind of want to get the players in and out and there were French journalists waiting.

33:07Were you panic formulating what the fuck was that quarantine in French in your head? No, I actually wasn't. Just in case you had to ask it in French. Because I knew that... Like in the Emily Maresmo press conference. Yeah. I absolutely knew that if I didn't get it in English, at least Eric Salio or someone in the French proportion of the press conference would get it in French. But, so I wanted to get it in. But I also, my second defence is I did couch the question, first of all, as a bit of a positive. I said, can you talk us through how well you were playing in those first couple of sets? But then I said, but then what were you thinking?

33:50That was how I ended the question. I think he got it. He gave a brilliant answer. He got it. He knew what he'd done and he fronted up to it. It was a classic example of how speaking to the media can actually really, like, enhance your image, I think. Because I went into that press conference thinking, what a clown. Like, that was stupid. I can't really see any kind of justification for it whatsoever. I'd have been like his team, blanking him. And that continued, by the way. when he lost that third set. It was a close third set. He put the underarm serves away. He played it pretty straight, did Moutet.