French Open Day 13 - Surely now for Zverev?

21:30Catherine Whitaker:Yeah, I thought that too. And I do think it's hard to get free points against Zverev. He stands far back, he gives himself room, he's got such long reach. He gets a lot of balls back into play and I think Mensik maybe needed to do more off his next ball. but didn't quite have the timing or the feel on it. And that was all compounded by when he went behind by a set. Yeah, it was a very good performance from Zverev for anyone who was thinking, oh, well, the biggest chance is him not performing in a match where he's the favourite because he absolutely did today. So credit to him for that. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

22:15He is...

22:16Matt Roberts:It does feel like you've got to get him in the first set, Zverev, doesn't it? That is the pattern, not just here, but particularly here. There's not been much vulnerability in Zverev. That's what nobody's done so far. But he was not hitting that forehand. I mean, the forehand for forehand connoisseurs was a tough scene. Both of them were not connecting well with that forehand for most of the first set. Zverev found it towards the end, and that made quite a significant difference. and as Matt described, the third break point that Mensik had was a massive forehand error and I never felt confident in the Mensik forehand at any stage today.

22:54Matt Roberts:All those Gremlins returned, very understandable in all the various different circumstances but did feel like... I don't want to make it sound easier than it is but I feel like you've got to get him in the first set.

23:10David Law:Yeah, because he is such a great competitor. You know, he is prepared to be carried off that court. And he is mentally very solid in terms of you're going to have to beat me. I mean, I do think that we've seen in the past he's struggled, well, obviously in a grandstand final that we saw all those years ago. But he said afterwards in the press conference, look, that is maybe the shot that I've improved the most because that's the one that I didn't know when it was going to break down. in that final. I knew it could come at any time, he said, and he's just not worried about it now. I mean, you do occasionally see a double thought from him, but it's really not like it used to be.

23:53David Law:You used to be a bit like with Coca-Goff. You'd be sort of waiting for it to come as one of the features of his game. That just doesn't happen now. I do agree with you that it would be interesting as a spectacle, if nothing else, just as a competitive spectacle to see what would happen if Caballi could get that first set. See how that changes the dynamic. I actually think if somebody's going to beat him, that's what needs to happen. Minsk needed that first set today.

24:20Matt Roberts:Look, we'll have more opportunity to preview the men's final tomorrow, but I do feel like with Zverev, it's partly because he's played really well and dealt with the pressure so well, of course, that he hasn't been in a position of being under pressure. But the whole, like, can he stand up to the pressure of this finally so obviously being his chance. I want to see that really tested. Like, we haven't seen that under maximum strain and he may well be up to it. We just don't know and I would like to know. I would like to see that in the final. I have my doubts about Caballi.

24:59David Law:Yeah, we haven't seen that all the way through. And this is the most sort of solid and consistent slam he's played. But look, the opposition has been nothing like what he might have played in many of the other Grand Slams. And look, he can't do anything about that. He plays whoever's in front of him and he's dealt with them. But these things can't be ignored.

25:21Matt Roberts:Do you think Menchik will reach Grand Slam finals one day or a final?

25:29Possibly. I mean, if he's already got to a semi-final at this stage, I do think there's... You know, it's weird, right? Because on the one hand, it feels a bit out of the blue, this semifinal, you know? Yes. But then taking his career as a whole, he has won a Masters 1000 and he has beaten Yannick Sinner on tour.

25:51Catherine Whitaker:So he was definitely in the pool of players who could reach a Grand Sam semifinal. I just didn't think it would be this one. A bit like when Jack Draper reached the US Open semifinal a couple of years ago.

26:06Matt Roberts:I think we all thought that was his potential, but like, oh, OK, we're doing it now, are we?

26:09Catherine Whitaker:Yeah, I suppose I don't see him as a really sustained third guy, you know, but I do think he can have tournaments like this where it can come together and he can be a really tough player to beat and dangerous because he's got weapons, he's got the big serve, he's pretty powerful, you know, and I think his game translates across the surfaces. I think he's improving his five-set record as well. So, yes, if I had to say, I definitely think he'd be back in Grand Sam's semi-finals. And then I think it really depends, I think, what side of the draw you're on and who you're playing. I'm not expecting many slams to be as open as this one again, but they may well be open halves of draws and Menchik could absolutely take advantage of that.

27:08Catherine Whitaker:He's a very well-rounded, good player.

27:12Matt Roberts:Yeah, generally speaking, as a default in men's tennis, if everyone's fit, then if you're in a semi-final, we're expecting that you're playing either Sinner or Alcaraz and you're losing.

27:23David Law:Yeah, that's right. I agree with you. I think he'll get to semis and we'll see how he develops, really. I mean, he's only 20. The one thing that I really did see from the commentary box being a sort of bird's eye view is just how difficult that swinging serve out wide is to the juice court. Dragging Zverev out there, it felt like he got a tap for points that he could just turn on any time he needed a point because Zverev couldn't deal with that serve at all. I actually think he could have played it even more. And that with the serve and volley was very, very effective. Drop shots did well for periods.

28:03David Law:But if you're relying on drop shots for points, I don't think that's going to get it done. You need that as a bit of a change-up. I think his forehand wasn't getting through the clay and neither was the backhand the way that Zverev's was.

28:22Matt Roberts:Absolutely. OK, more preview of the men's singles final tomorrow when we come back in part three. We'll preview the women's singles final, run you through some of the other big results from today and of course, award Musketeer of the day. Welcome back to part three of tonight's tennis podcast where Matt and David, you don't know this, but I am about to award back to back Musketeer of the days. To the same person. Same person, 20-year-old Ksenia Shastou, who yesterday reached her first Grand Slam singles semifinal. Today, she's kept the run going, and she's now into her first Grand Slam singles final with a 6-3, 6-1 win over the second seed Li Zhaohui.

29:07And in that final, she will face Dida Dukut, and I'm really into this final because you've got a 20-year-old who has emerged while Didier de Rout has been out and recovering and trying to come back from the hip surgery that she had after the 2024 Paris Olympics, taking on returning resurgent Didier de Rout. And it is her first major final since that hip surgery in 2024. And there really were huge doubts about whether she would ever get back to this position. She's reached a couple of quarterfinals since that comeback, but it's been tough for her. This is a really fun final, and obviously there'll, I think, be a lot of French support.

29:50There was a lot of support out there for the men's wheelchair doubles final today, which had Stéphane Houdet in it. More of that in a moment, lots of Allé Le Bleu. Not sure they realised that Martin de la Puente is, in fact, Spanish. And it was Le Bleu, not Les Bleu. But anyway, it was a good vibe, and I think that'll be the same for the women's wheelchair singles final. The men's wheelchair singles final will be a repeat of last year's between, you guessed it, Taquito Oda and Alfie Hewitt. Oda beat Martin de la Puente and Hewitt beat Gustav Fernandez, both of them in straight sets today.

30:29Matt Roberts:God, what Alfie Hewitt would give for a win over Taquito Oda. Yeah. Yeah. It was here last year, wasn't it? Before that final, David, that you interviewed Alfie Hewitt, I think. I think it was before the Australian Open final. I remember previewing that final here with you, David, last year, and you were talking about the interview that you'd done with Alfie before the Australian Open final, and it told you all about how he had hired a lefty hitting partner purely with the intent of trying to overcome Takedo Oda. And here we are again. So all eyes on that men's wheelchair singles final as well.

31:09in terms of the doubles, the top seeds Yui Kimiji and Zhu Zhenzhen won the women's wheelchair doubles title today. And the men's wheelchair doubles title, which we watched some of earlier before being interrupted by the very surreal news that Kabbali and Arnaldi were on the way to the press conference room together, that was won by Alfie Hewitt and Gordon Reid in straight sets over Martin de la Puente and Stefan Uday. And that makes it, wait for this, a seventh title in a row for Hewitt and Reid. That's amazing, isn't it? It is quite something watching them. And because the opponents started well and got a break back and got a two-all, and the crowd was singing their names.

31:54David Law:And you thought, oh, I wonder whether this might end up being a really tight contest. And then suddenly went to this press conference, come back, and sort of 6-2-4-1.

32:06Matt Roberts:It's a good vibe out there, wasn't it? I think Court 14, I mean, I know, you know, I'd like to see just as a matter of principle, these matches go on the biggest stages, but it was a really cool vibe out there on Court 14, which does have...

32:18David Law:Great court. Yeah, it's got a decent amount of seating and pretty much always creates a great vibe. The quad wheelchair doubles title was also, or final rather, was played today. And the title went to the top seeds, Guy Sasson and Niels Vink over Sam Schroeder and Gin Woodman. In terms of the doubles, we've had three of the four women's and men's doubles semifinals today. Both sets of top seeds made it through to the finals with straight sets wins. Tough scene for David and Matt here, the Defani superfans, because Gabby Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani won just one game against Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniarkova.

33:01We all have off days. We do indeed. Townsend and Sinniakov are great, aren't they? Yeah, I do feel like they could do that to anyone. I think we can forgive that.

33:11Matt Roberts:They will be facing Danilina and Kroonich in the final, who, of course, lost the first major final of the year in Australia. So back-to-back finals for them. I'm sure they'd like a different result in this one. I'm sure Kroonich's speech will be good, regardless of which trophy she's holding. She always delivers. And in the men's doubles, we had Henry Patton and Helio Vara win through to the final yesterday and we now know that they will face the top seeds Marcel Grenoilles and Horatio Zabaios in that final. They beat Simone Bilelli and Andrea Vavasori. Vavasori must have been bringing down the average age on that court quite considerably.

33:50How old is Simone Bilelli? He's in his late 30s. I think he's 40. I think he might be in his 40s. Yeah, I think he might. His age might start with a four. Is he, David, older or younger than Edouard Roger Vasselin? I'm going to go younger. Because Roger Vasselin is 42, folks. Well, Ellie is 40. A mere 40. So I was wrong and then I was right. Nothing compared to Stéphane Uday, the wheelchair men's doubles finalist. 55? Correct. Unreal. OK, that's it for other results today. We'll let you know who wins the junior titles finals for the juniors taking place over the weekend. Of course, what have we got tomorrow?

34:36You know what we've got tomorrow. We have got the women's singles final. Who saw this coming two weeks ago, folks? Well, we start, of course, as I just said, with the men's doubles final, Grenoja Zabaios against Helio Vara Patton. That is at 11 a.m. local time. And then 3pm, it is Maja Walinska against Mira Andreeva. Oh, I'm so looking forward to it. What do we think, David? I think Andreeva's going to win.

35:08David Law:I think she's perhaps a little immune to what Walinska is able to do and has been doing to everybody because Andreeva is just so good at changing the pace herself and responding to things. And she's got hands and she's got lobs. And I just think she's the better player. I mean, certainly her pedigree is that much better. There's a reason she's ranked inside the top 10 and Velinska's not, you know. I hope they both play well. I would love it to be a great match because I think it could look wonderful. You know, the rallies that these two would be capable of constructing are rallies I want to see.

35:55David Law:I just don't want to see it totally one-sided. I mean, look, if Andreeva pulls that off and dominates, all credit to her. But I'd love to see a close one.

36:04Matt Roberts:Matt? Sorry to be boring, but I do agree with David.

36:12Catherine Whitaker:but then with the caveat that I've thought a few times that Havlinska might lose here surely the spell's going to be broken someone's going to figure it out and that rankings gap is going to tell but I do think Andreeva is well set up with her game to cope with what will be coming at her in terms of the looped ball, the short ball, the variety. She's got great hands herself. I think the biggest question mark for me is in terms of whether Andreva can handle the moment and the occasion. Because I think if you'd said a few months ago that Andreva would play a Grand Slam final where she's the heavy favourite against an opponent who has an awkward game against a crowd that's probably going to be going for the opponent, I would have thought that that sounded like a bit of a nightmare.

37:14Catherine Whitaker:Because even this year, we've seen Andreeva struggle in some tight moments. But I suppose I'm banking on the improvements that she's made and the mindset that she's got now and the ability to handle that. And that's what I think will get her over the line. I'm not saying it's going to be totally plain sailing. I think there could be awkward moments for her. But I do think it's Andreeva's time.

37:44Matt Roberts:I have a little feeling for Linska, you know. Not because I disagree with anything you've said. I think, you know, obviously Mir Andreeva is objectively the better player. I also think her game specifically, as you've both broken down, matches up well with Linska. I think she has the neutralisers and I think she has... I don't think she's as susceptible as what, for example, she was doing to Diana Schneider yesterday. And she's got a bigger toolkit than Schneider. But I still can imagine her being very annoyed and frustrated by it nonetheless. And she is 19 and it wasn't that long ago that we had big question marks.

38:32It was this clay court season that we had serious question marks about her temperament still. Very good point. And I think the crowd are going to be French player-esque. I really think it could be quite an atmos in there tomorrow. And I think this is, if Androva does this, being the heavy favourite in all of those circumstances, then wow. Wow. That's quite compelling, isn't it? What Catherine just said then. That Boisson match was... Do you think it's going to be that level, though? Because I don't.

39:06Matt Roberts:I mean, I think that... No, it's not quite going to be Boisson. That was crazy. I don't think they'll be, like, out of order. Well, I mean, they were trying to putter off, weren't they? Yeah, they were. I don't think they'll cross that line. And the roof was closed in that match, and I think that sort of hot-housed the atmos. And finals generally have a... Yeah, it's more corporate, isn't it? It's generally less rowdy than the rest of the tournament.

39:31David Law:I could imagine, though, if Vellinska gets off to a good start and plays the brand of tennis that she plays, even if it was two games all or something, if she's playing the sort of tennis she does... She takes them with her. It's so beguiling, isn't it? Yes. You end up being... She's going to have the crowd, I'm sure. That is a good point about finals at Moss. No, and really, even in that semi, I mean, I know Kostya didn't get off to a good start, but Andreeva just handled everything. I mean, it does seem like something has happened, like she has learned something over the last couple of months that has clicked.

40:08Matt Roberts:And I have always had faith in Andreeva to iron out that element of her game. I didn't think it would likely plague her forever. I've always been very conscious that she's a teenager still and she has the right people around her. She has time and the right influences, and I think those two things are enough. And she seems, you know, like a smart cookie. I didn't expect it to happen within weeks. Like, to go from some scenes that we've seen in, what, April? I feel like maybe was the last time we saw, like, a pretty bad Andreva meltdown. What might I have been thinking of there? I feel like I have a not-too-distant memory.

40:52Well, there was the one where she was saying, I'm going to choke. Yes, but she did win that match anyway. And I'm not a champion and things like that.

40:58David Law:The Linz final? Just getting very upset, really, with things. To go from that to winning this Grand Slam in the conditions that she'll have to do it tomorrow with being totally expected to win and the awkwardness of the Filinski game, well, I will be doffing my cap to her. I think the main other thing to just put, it's a bit like Zverev, really. They can only beat who's in front of them, but she should beat her. And that's not to take anything away from Ferdelinska, but it's more just the pressure is less likely to come because you're not having to play Svantec, Rebacchina, Sabalenka, Goff.

41:41Matt Roberts:If this was the first round of Stuttgart next year, I wouldn't hesitate to pick Androva to win it. but it's the Roland Garros final. Yeah, and there's also the scenario where Hovinska plays really well, maybe takes the lead,

41:58Catherine Whitaker:and all along she's talked about being in this bubble and not feeling the moment and all that kind of thing. But I just think she'll feel the moment if she gets there and suddenly a Grand Slam title is within reach. How does she respond to that as well? as much as how does Andreeva respond, which I think is the bigger question going in because she's the favourite and everything we've just talked about. But I think that could potentially turn during the match if Havlinska is close to winning. Suddenly she's going to feel the moment.

42:34David Law:Personally, I'm more worried about her at the start of the match. Based on what I saw yesterday of the way she just... I mean, that second set was a massive test of her. She's a set-up. She's a set-away from a Grand Slam final. And she didn't dip for a second. Are we at all worried about her physically? I'm worried about the fact that she definitely had a cold yesterday. You know, that could have worsened how much has she been hanging out with Matteo Arnaldo.

43:00They at least haven't been seen in the press conference room together, which is not the case for all of the Roland Garros finalists. And she did have the physio out. Yeah. Oh, no. You know, she's played nine matches. I know most of them have been straight sets, you know,

43:18Catherine Whitaker:but that's on my mind. And I agree about the start as well. The stillness of a Grandstand final. I always talk about it. It's not quite as still as the Wimbledon final, but it's pretty still. And things are just different, aren't they? So different. Someone carries your bag. Everyone's in at the start in a way that they're not always for every other match. I don't know whether they still do it,

43:37David Law:but they certainly at Wimbledon, I think they used to give them a bouquet of flowers flowers to walk onto the court with.

43:43Matt Roberts:I think they do. And I think they do it for the men now. Right. Because hashtag equality, a bit like the way Madrid's response to being accused of sexism for having model ball girls was to have model ball boys as well. We'll give the men some flowers. OK. By the way, I've just seen on the screens here that the documentary In the Shadow of Giants, looking back on the Alcaraz-Sinna final last year is going to be shown on the screens on Longlen and in the area by Court Simone Mathieu. Do you think that's their... Do you think they're going to do it during the men's singles final this year as like an alternative?

44:26I think that's their alternative entertainment for tonight, given the lack of men's semi-final. They still get a refund. Potentially also an alternative on Sunday, depending on how things are going. Or tomorrow, if Vrilensk is in June. Well, yeah. It's going well, isn't it? Just roll it out. Look, it's good to have a backup, isn't it? Okay. David said last night that he watched some Alcaraz Sinner. I did. I watched last year's tiebreak, the final set tiebreak at two in the morning. It was great. It was great, wasn't it? Oh. Okay, folks. It is the Bashir portion of the show, which apparently now is a portion of the show where we make, you know, startling revelations about our childhood pets.

45:08Have we got any to make? Any confessions, David? My first childhood pet was called Simon, and he was a little blue and white budgery car. You had a bird? Yes. You were a bird guy. Yeah, I was, yeah. And then we had one called Georgie, who was absolutely vicious. Was it you and your sister that wanted a budgie? Or was it a parent thing? Were they into birds?

45:32David Law:I think it was all of us, mainly because my dad was allergic to sort of dog hair and stuff. that's a shame at least that's the excuse I was given for not having a dog when I was desperate for one and then we had and then after Georgie sort of tried to bite my finger off several like if you went near the cage it'd be like jaws coming towards you and then we had and then we had another two called Starsky and Hutch named after the old TV show I think that might have been it they lived very long I mean they don't live that long I think the best you can get out of them is about eight years, something like that.

46:11I mean, parrots can live for decades, can't they?

46:13David Law:Yeah, these ones didn't. I don't know what we were doing wrong. So you were asking for a dog, and your parents just persistently kept buying you budgery girls. Apparently, my mum says that you were either going to be called David or Simon, but we'd already called the budger Simon. Simon. So Simon was there before you. Wasted their favourite name on the bird. It turns out. You were never going to be a Simon. That doesn't feel right to me. I know. I mean, apparently I only associate with Davids and Matts, so where would I be now if you had been called Simon? Your dad and your brother. Yeah. Amazing.

46:58Bashir, thank you so much for providing a jumping off point for these enlightening pet stories. Bashir is reflecting the mood of today by looking a little bit glum. Bashir has a face for everything. Hello to our mascots. Hello, Bodhi, Maisie and Roger. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Geoff. Matt, let's have some shout-outs. We have Chris Wilkes from Tucson, Arizona. Hello, Chris. All right, Chris. A lot like Chris Wilkinson. Yeah, very similar. And like Chris, our executive producer in Top Folk. Yeah, absolutely. Wilkes, a bit like Hannah Wilkes, but with an E. Ah.

47:42So, different pew. Chris says, I don't have a television anymore, so the podcast is my only avenue for tennis now, but your discussions are so informative and passionate that I barely miss watching it. Lies. These are lies. I miss it terribly. But the rest is true. I was a lifelong Rafa fan and have transferred my affections to Carlitos. Do you think he knows what Carlitos looks like? Or has he only heard us describe him? After we describe him, yeah. Who can say? He doesn't say when he no longer had a television.

48:18Matt Roberts:I don't know if that means... Lots of people don't have TVs these days because they watch TV on their devices. I don't know if that means I don't watch any TV either on a physical TV or on a device. I've got lots of questions, Chris. Well, not watching tennis anyway. Yeah. Anyway, we're absolutely delighted to have you as a friend of the tennis podcast. What a compliment. Thank you, Chris. I feel like I need to up my description game. I don't. Yeah, David's got that covered. we also have a shout out for Isaac Lowe from London hello Isaac who says hey tennis podcast love the show and thank you for keeping me entertained during my marathon training runs you may remember a shout out for Ada Taggo just over a year ago that was sponsored by me Isaac because I lost our Grand Slam Predictions tournament in 2024 happy to report I managed to come out on top this year My secret was to stop predicting one-handed backhand players to go deep, despite my love for them.

49:21Thanks for the great show, and hopefully you'll hear from me next year, as Ada and I are doing the same bet again this year. I love that vibe between Isaac and Ada. Oh, it's marvellous. They're dividing their head-to-head evenly, like Alcaraz and Sinner. Yeah. Isaac like Isaac Price, the West Bromwich Albion footballer. I know that's not relevant to many tennis podcast listeners, but anyway. That's the second time you've brought him up today. Jez will be delighted.

49:49David Law:He works for Albion and he's a listener. And Lowe, which is what the French sometimes call me, Mr Lowe. Happens all the time. Has it happened this tournament? Happens all the time. So your alter ego is Simon Lowe. Yes. Sounds quite good, that. OK, Isaac, thank you for allowing us to learn yet more about David Law. And finally, we have Reggie. Reggie! Go on, Reggie. Reggie's actually been getting predictions. Well, on that note, Reggie says, I crunched some numbers. And it turns out at the time of writing, which was a week ago, I'm on a 12 % accuracy with my predictions, with 15 out of 123 correct.

50:47Reggie says, surprisingly good. I think given how bold Reggie goes with his picks, and we're talking as bold as it gets, I think that's pretty good. And considering he got the first about 20 wrong. Bold's generous. He has a very specific tactic, doesn't he? He always goes for the one that's worth the most or almost the most points. He never goes for a banker. Manuel Sorundolo in five. The one that got away. That prediction had Reggie's name all over it and he fumbled. Yeah, he was annoyed about that. He says, I can't come to Wimbledon so much now that I'm a teacher, but I will be finding any excuse to put the tennis on in class for the children.

51:32Good lad. That's education. Yeah. That's a true education. Teach him about tennis, that's what it's all about. Being taught about tennis by the spirit of Wimbledon himself. Reggie Bodle. Those kids don't know how lucky they are.

51:42David Law:Well, he's always got his selfie with Roger Federer to show them from last year. Thank you, Reggie. You are a shining light in all our lives, and we hope to see you at Wimbledon this year. Thank you to all of our friends of the Tennis Podcast, and shout out once again to Reggie, Chris, and Isaac. If you'd like to become a friend of the pod, then the link, as always, is in our show notes. We are part of the Athletic Podcast Network. Thank you for listening. We will speak to you tomorrow. We'll be right back.