Aus Open Day 7 - Are Sinner and Djokovic lucky to still be in the tournament?

0:00Take this as your sign to go. Just get out there and go. This summer at Best Western, get 1 ,000 bonus points and a chance to win 250 ,000 bonus points. Life's a trip. Make the most of it at BestWestern.com. No additional purchase necessary for sweeps. See bonus points, TNCs and sweeps rules for details.

0:24Matt Roberts: AI is only as powerful as the platform it's built into. That's why it's no surprise that more than 85 % of the Fortune 500 use the ServiceNow AI platform. While other platforms duct tape tools together, ServiceNow seamlessly unifies people, data, workflows and AI, connecting every corner of your business. And with AI agents working together autonomously, anyone in any department can focus on the work that matters most. Learn how ServiceNow puts AI to work for people at servicenow.com.

1:08Matt Roberts: Hello and welcome to the tennis podcast on what has been a pretty overwhelming day at the Australian Open. The heat has been frankly intolerable. Temperatures have hit 40 degrees Celsius and in fact are still hovering in the low 30s at midnight as we come to you from the air-conditioned Creator Lounge at Melbourne Park. And honestly, the heat has created a cauldron of drama here over the last 12 hours or so. We don't tend to do themes for our shows, but if we did, then today's would be luck. Good luck, bad luck, earned luck and totally random luck. So how did today go down? Well, play started half an hour early at 10.30am in anticipation of the forecast temperatures.

2:00Matt Roberts: Conditions were hot, but very much bearable for the first couple of hours. Matt even managed to make an intrepid journey to the John Kane Arena. Give that man a medal.

2:13Catherine Whitaker: God, that feels like a long time ago that I spent four hours on the John Kane Arena in the company of Lorenzo Mazzetti, Thomas Mahatch and Greg Allensworth, especially for the occasion.

2:25Matt Roberts: Just to make your trip worthwhile. Exactly. They put Greg on that match for you.

2:29Catherine Whitaker: I do stand by my takes. I do not like the John Kane Arena. Why? it's so ugly inside and so clearly not a tennis stadium there's so much of like the inside of that arena is not seating uh i just i just don't like it everyone's far away from the court it can actually have a pretty good atmosphere and it did have a good atmosphere later in the day for stan mowrinka and taylor fritz so it is probably a me problem but

3:00Matt Roberts: do you know what tournament you wouldn't like Miami yeah speaking of not a tennis stadium not a tennis stadium never matters to me yeah no I'm I'm with you I did not go and sit on the John Kane arena John Kane arena for four hours today but it was bearable for the first few hours this was a day where temperatures rose very very steeply over about a two-hour period. And by early afternoon, things were getting very serious. And then at 2.35pm, the heat stress scale that we've heard a lot about today, the HSS, if you will, hit the magic number of 5.0. And that meant the play was suspended on all the outside courts and the roofs, or roofs, depending on your flavour, were brought across the three show courts and that David was the day's pivot point.

4:03David Law: Yes because Yannick Sinner at that point was embroiled in a third set against Elliot Spaziri of the United States. Not a name I imagine many people have heard an awful lot about frankly before this tournament neither had I. He's one of twins. His twin brother plays squash at a very eye level he's come through the college system and he's made a real splash at this tournament he's he's beaten Joao Fonseca he's won a five-set match in the last round and here he was against Yannick Sinner really holding his own anyway I mean he won the first set he went a breakup at the start of the second set and to be honest all the way through to that point Sinner didn't looked quite right to me.

4:50I mean, he looked unstable.

4:52David Law: He was moving okay, but he wasn't the same authority behind his shots. And I mean, the heat we've seen in the past has caused him problems. We saw him cramp and have to leave the courts and retire in, was it Shanghai earlier this year, late last year? A year ago, admittedly, he had a bit of a bug, I think, when he played legs were deserting him he he had to take a time out which really rescued him on that occasion well this time he'd settled the ship a little he'd leveled at one set all but then midway through that third set cramp set in and boy did it set in i mean it was it was dramatic what happened to his body he he started to feel it in his calf he sat down and had a little bit of a manipulation while he was sitting down then as Catherine and I were watching on TV we saw him go to the baseline and just start manipulating his own hand his own palm shaking out the fingers in his palm and it was clear the cramp was starting to spread throughout his body at this point the heat index is hitting or nearing five which is the point at which matches on other courts would be suspended that don't have a roof and those that do would eventually be covered and the conditions be made more temperate but at this stage it's blazing hot and Yannick Sinner is in massive trouble because he's playing rallies he almost looks like a newborn foal whose legs are just not quite developed yet the coordination isn't right he he starts to arm serves over that are going probably about 60 or 70 miles an hour and he goes a break of serve down 3-1 and he's in massive trouble he goes over to his support team where Darren Cahill is and Simone Vignotti and with Cahill he he just says just just try to get to the end of the set because at the end of this set you'll get a break you'll get a heat break and you can have a 10 minute rest well frankly he got saved before then because at the even number of games, 3-1, the indicator went into the five region, which says that it's time to invoke the heat rule, and that meant closing the roof.

7:26David Law: The players got to leave. He told us that he was sent into a little room just off the court where he was able to lie down for eight minutes in cooler temperatures. and when he came back out I mean he was still a little unsteady I thought but basically his recovery had begun and he was able to turn that match around but he was incredibly lucky that he managed to stay in touch enough and I guess the temperature going into the the red zone if you like rather than staying just below it because he was already in big trouble and and unless they had that heat rule which um which was brought in i can't exactly remember how long ago but i remember what caused it 40 degree temperatures for five days in a row in 2014 um unless they'd had that heat rule he would not be in this tournament right now do you feel the same matt i do yeah i think um

8:28Catherine Whitaker: in that moment he was unable to play really i mean he couldn't he could barely grip the racket as davis described his movement was incredibly compromised and there was still such a long way to go in the match in such brutal conditions it it felt to me like he was probably going to end up retiring if if the roof hadn't come over in that moment um let alone be able to actually play well enough to finish the match because the contrast with his opponent, Spassieri down the other end of the court was stark.

9:06Matt Roberts: Quote, I felt fresh. Yeah, that's what he said to me in the press conference afterwards. And he wasn't bragging. He was unbelievably magnanimous with Spassieri. He totally accepted what the rules were, that they were correctly applied. He was very accepting of the fact that that took away the advantage that he was experiencing in that moment, that's obviously gutting for him, but he accepts it. But it did take away a significant advantage. He said, you know, I pride myself on that physical advantage. You know, he said, I think I played an ITF match in China once where the registered on-court temperature was 127 degrees Fahrenheit.

9:50Matt Roberts: He was like, I'm not trying to brag here. or he wasn't suggesting lack of fitness on Yannick Sinner's part. He said, like, I know some of this can be genetic, but he was like, just from my personal perspective, like, this wasn't a big deal to me. Like, I was fine. I felt fresh. I could have gone for several more hours. Whereas Yannick Sinner, I don't think could have gone for several more minutes. I mean, we have the example of Shanghai, right? He was physically helped off the court and that was a best of three set match that he couldn't even find a way to hang in and get through. And look, he knows it.

10:36Matt Roberts: He said it, Yannick Sinner. I was lucky. He said it at Wimbledon. I was lucky against Grigor, but I took it as a sign. Grigor obviously having to retire two sets of love up against Yannick Sinner. He said it last year when he got that huge slice of luck against Tolga Runa in the fourth round. There was the net broke. It did.

11:01Catherine Whitaker: For quite a long time.

11:02Matt Roberts: For quite a long time. He got 20 minutes off court for a broken net at the point when he was tail spinning physically. And he, Yannick Sinner at the time, said, I had big luck today. Like, he totally owns all this and nobody is going to not accept the luck that comes their way. But it does feel like he's riding it a bit. You know, Charlie Eccleshire asked him flat out in press today. Do you worry that your luck will run out at some point? And the pricey of his answer was, like, I don't worry about it, but I assume it will. Like, because that's how that's how luck works. He said, I'm doing everything that feels like it's within my power to try and mitigate this vulnerability that I have.

11:50Matt Roberts: But he knows it is a vulnerability, whether it's genetic or something he's yet to uncover in his training. You asked him, David, in the press conference, like, what are you doing at the moment? What have you done to try and counteract this? And he said, I go to Dubai in the offseason. I try and do specific hot weather training in the off season he said it wasn't quite as hot this time they went as it was last year but he doesn't seem to have made massive strides with this issue that okay might only be exposed a couple of times a year but it's most likely to be exposed at grand slams in five set matches in the most extreme conditions and it's a fascinating wrinkle in the Yannick Sinner tale, isn't it?

12:40David Law: It is. He is a little fortunate that he's playing in an era where there is a heat rule. I was reminded, looking back over the history of my tennis fandom and watching Jim Currier against Stefan Edberg in the final here in 1993 when the temperatures, I mean, some people were saying in the sun, on the direct sun on the court were 150 degrees Fahrenheit. And even Jim Currier was saying it was pretty hot out there. And I've never seen anybody able to withstand heat like he could. And there was no break. There was no rest. There was nothing. I mean, personally, I think about time that it was. I don't want to see people cramping, frankly.

13:25David Law: And yet at the same time, I feel this kind of discord because I also feel like Spaziri has had an advantage taken away from him, that he has a physical advantage over this opponent today and he wasn't able to make it tell. And I don't know where the line is, where the balance should be between safeguarding the health of people that are out there.

13:54Matt Roberts: And not just the players.

13:56David Law: Not just the players. The fans, the ball kids. And also Andy Murray said several years ago, you don't want people collapsing in the stands and ball kids collapsing. It's a terrible look for the sport. And I agree with him. And I agree that Sinner kind of got lucky and Spaziri got unlucky. And I don't quite know where I stand about where the right line is. It's probably about here. but after they came back you started to see the difference in class because Spaziri didn't go away he didn't become terrible at all he was still playing nice tennis and Sinner equally wasn't

14:36Matt Roberts: suddenly fine but he worked his way back in I don't think I'm just another point I've never

14:42David Law: seen a player able to overcome cramp once it comes on the way Sinner is he said in the press that I've learned about my body and that if I do certain things, I can kind of make it go away. He chugged so much pickle juice. Yeah.

14:59Jannik Sinner: Great advert for pickle juice.

15:01Matt Roberts: Very interesting. Buy shares in pickle juice, folks.

15:04David Law: Very interesting that he said to me, I didn't sleep well last night. And he wonders whether that was something to do with it.

15:12Matt Roberts: Well, the question I wanted to ask him but didn't get a chance because there were a lot of questions for him in press today is like how much is anticipation of and anxiety about this issue that he's obviously very conscious of playing into it because stress is a big factor in cramp. Just look at the scenarios in which Carlos Alcaraz is cramped and the most famous one against Novak Djokovic at the French Open which weren't in extreme conditions and was almost entirely down to stress. and I do just wonder you know it's been the talk of the town for the past few days the this upcoming weather forecast is going to be again because the forecast somehow is even worse for Tuesday and you know everybody knew we've talked about it days ago that Djokovic was probably kind of maneuvering his schedule to make sure that he could ask for night session tonight he's a 10 It all would have been building up to today.

16:19Matt Roberts: And I know he's a cool customer, Yannick Sinner, but I can't imagine he wasn't concerned about it at all. And I did just think, you know, the line about the sleep might have been a bit of an insight to that. And it's one of those where that fear, that anticipation is probably going to build every time it happens. It's like an allergic reaction, you know, it'll get a bit worse the next time.

16:46Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, and it is, I think, going to be a very difficult thing for him to solve in his career. Like, I don't think just doing your three or four week off season in Dubai at a time of year when it's not that punishingly hot there, typically, is going to make all the difference. To me, it would probably involve overhauling your entire training program and taking yourself to become someone who trains in Florida. rather than someone who trains in Europe. And I'm not sure that he's, well, I don't think he's going to do that. I'm not sure it necessarily would be worth doing that. You might lose something else that, you know, he's got this incredible stability.

17:26Catherine Whitaker: And so far, as we're talking about, whenever he's had these bits of luck, okay, he's needed them, but they haven't gone on to, like, derail this whole tournament. They have been one-off matches, and then he's gone on to win the titles. You know, here last year, being the sort of prime example, and he may well do that this year as well. Yeah, I think it is a difficult thing for him to really, really improve and I think Spitzeri put it well in terms of how much of it is kind of genetic. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Yannick Sinner is within the realms of his current setup leaving no stone unturned in terms of trying to be in the best possible physical condition.

18:15Catherine Whitaker: It's just these sorts of temperatures and heats affect him differently to other players. And that's just kind of the fact of it. And personally, I agree with David. I'm super glad we have this heat rule. I heard a lot of commentary today that I thought was really troubling. You know, stuff like no one's died on a tennis court due to heat. And oh, let's. Should we wait till they do until we do something? Like, exactly. And also like plenty of people have died from heat not on a tennis court. Like heat is a very serious, very serious thing. And it should be taken seriously. And any.

19:02Matt Roberts: It's a very macho kind of.

19:04Catherine Whitaker: Extremely. And it was lucky for Sinner that it ticked over at right that point. But also, like, you know, there could be an argument that, you know, he could have got the night session today. And he wasn't lucky in that sense. And, you know, he was a bit unlucky that his side of the draw fell on this day. You know, like, that kind of goes both ways as well. And I thought the whole day was, I thought, handled quite well by the tournament, actually. I think you could, again, there'll be some people arguing why were the matches this evening on the show courts played under the roof when play resumed on the outside courts?

19:52Catherine Whitaker: And that heat index did drop below five. But as much as I have a open the roofs policy, I do feel a bit differently about that when it comes to heat. And I would always err on the side of caution. And look, I do absolutely agree with you, Matt, that our roofs agenda that we're very happy to push, like that's a different thing where heat is concerned, which is a matter of health and safety, as opposed to weather and preventative anticipation of inclement rain or whatever. I guess just the fact that they left the roofs on the show courts this evening once play had resumed on the outside courts, it just for me a little bit muddied the very neat clarity of the heat rule, which is we activate it when it reaches 5.0.

20:47and this is what happens when we reach 5.0 and that's exactly what happened at 2.35 and once it dips below 5.0 the rule is disactivated I guess it just sort of slightly muddies that for me and it makes me think oh okay well if we don't if there's some leeway there then kind of why didn't we start the day with the roof closed why did we have to see ball kids running around in when the heat index was 4.8 and 4.9. I guess that's kind of what it comes down. I can get on board with that as well.

21:29David Law: I like clarity. Just on Sinner, there will inevitably be people who think, very convenient, that it happened to just be the exact moment to close the roof when the guy could barely walk.

21:42Matt Roberts: Well, look, he thinks that too. He knows he got lucky.

21:45Catherine Whitaker: And it wasn't only his court that stopped. They applied this rule consistently across the grounds at that moment. It wasn't done for Yannick Sinner. It was done because the Pete Index hit five. And it was circumstantially extremely fortunate, but that's the way it goes.

22:07David Law: And that is the key to it, isn't it? That it is scientifically done and it's on a dial and the dial says, and right now we do. Yeah, absolutely.

22:19Catherine Whitaker: And yeah, and as I said, if you have any sort of feeling that the tournament was really favouring Yannick Sinner today, well... He was in the day session. He was in the day session.

22:29David Law: I'm sure he'd have loved to have played Djokovic's slot tonight. Right. Right. And then on the other hand, you have, well, at least he was on a show court which did have a roof and was able to resume and like, obviously tennis is a sport that is very heavily weighted in favour of top players. You know, they're always more likely to be on the receiving end of good luck if there is some good luck to go around. It's like celebrities receiving free stuff, isn't it? They're the ones that least need it. But they're the ones getting the goodie bags. OK, so that's Sinner through to the next round to face Luciano Darderi.

23:10Darderi taking out Karen Hashanov today in four sets. So that's massive chunk of luck number one dealt with. We move on to massive chunk of luck number two of the day. A very different type of luck, a very different incident. It came in Novak Djokovic's three-set victory over Bertik van der Zanskulp, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6. Sounds pretty straightforward, doesn't it? But this was a dark and stormy Novak Djokovic this evening, David. And there was a big incident in the second set.

23:50David Law: Yeah, he was cruising early on. He was set up. He was breaks up in the second set. And frankly, Bortik van der Zanschel didn't have a good day. He was not playing particularly well. He started to have a problem with his arm as well. lost some power and had some treatment and then came back out after that and suddenly seemed to regain his power and and the shackles came off and he became quite dangerous but in the midst of all this Novak Djokovic's mood was darkening he was getting I think a bit irritated at some of the crowd members who were cheering on the underdog and obviously Van Zandtjorp as a Dutch player has a lot of support with him and they were making themselves heard and you know we've seen this before Djokovic against the crowd and listen he'd got a huge amount of his own support as well Serbian flags flying everywhere but it was quite confrontational in that way and you could see him getting more irritated as it was going along so it's late in the second set and a serve comes down towards Djokovic and it's called out and Djokovic just slashes it cross-court away with the forehand in the direction of the net post where a ball kid is kneeling next to it.

25:04And this ball was hit really, really hard.

25:08David Law: I mean, it was just pinged, perfectly clean connection by Djokovic, like a whipped forehand pass. And it missed the ball kid. I mean, I spoke to the commentator afterwards who showed me with his hands apart and it was backed up by the video evidence from that angle as well. It missed by, I don't know, a foot, if that. Very, very close to hitting that ball kid, maybe in the face. Difficult to tell exactly the height, but that's more or less what I was looking at. And, I mean, first and foremost, that is really, really dangerous. You know, that kid is just kneeling side on to Djokovic. if that ball hits them in the face and that is a distinct possibility that could have happened thankfully it didn't that could cause serious injury or serious damage and this was hit way harder than the ball that Djokovic hit in the US Open in 2020 that hit a line judge in the neck and caused him to be defaulted had that ball hit the line the ball kid I don't think there's any conversation to be had he would have been defaulted again today and that's what commentators as Colin Fleming and Mark Petchy were saying immediately.

26:24David Law: He was very nearly in a default situation here. John Blom was in the umpire, was the umpire in the chair at the time. I think he was considering giving him a code violation for what he did, even though he didn't hit the ball kid. Opted not to, certainly one wasn't given. but that was a pretty shocking moment and one that has kept Novak Djokovic in this tournament I think the fact that he got away with that he got lucky I asked him about it in the press comments I put it to him that this had happened and asked if he felt a little fortunate he interrupted the question to say yes I apologize for doing that for any distress I caused the ball kid and I did get lucky.

27:20And the fact of the situation you described with John Blom, the umpire and sort of his hesitation about whether to give a warning even though there was no nefarious outcome, like that exposes, not that it needs exposing, it's been exposed so many times but exposes how insufficient the rule is on these sorts of incidents i think like should it be an outcome-based rule like why is there no nothing concrete in the rules about punishment for hitting a ball carelessly or recklessly or in a way that is out of control I think we have the technology now with replays and everything to entrust umpires to make judgment calls about when a ball is, when the player is in control of a ball.

28:18And truthfully, I think if you had some strict rules, strict clear rules with severe punishments, regardless of the outcome, I think there would be vanishingly few incidents. It would just stop happening. nobody nobody would be doing it casually in the way that Novak Djokovic did tonight in the way that it was um Alex Mickelson wasn't it in Winston-Salem last year look there are there are tons of examples but this was quite a bad one tonight I think yeah it was um and and we do see

29:02Catherine Whitaker: it still people yeah quite recklessly hitting balls towards the crowd towards officials towards ball kids like it happens and it never feels quite right that they're just allowed to move on simply because they've not they've not ended up hitting someone um personally i think it might also feel a bit wrong if it resulted in a default if you lost someone from a tournament for something like that that might just be a sort of heat of the moment thing that didn't end up hurting anyone like i i'm not sure that's entirely satisfactory either but i would certainly be in favor of some sort of scale of punishment and you know if you do something like djokovic did today it doesn't really feel right that you can just totally get away with it versus someone who might do something not quite as bad but just end up slightly hitting someone and end up being out of the tournament like that there seems to be a yeah weird sort of slightly illogical difference in the in the level of punishment for what is a very similar act it's just the outcome is slightly different um you know could you lose the set or that sort of thing it it does feel like tennis needs to sort of up its game in terms of trying to trying to stamp some of this out because it just shouldn't be happening like you should just these these kids or officials or people in the stands should not be in danger from something like this from from players um and it was it was an odd it was odd the way this match turned because i thought djokovic came out in the same way he'd been all tournament composed serene hitting the ball cleanly looking like he was going to wrap this up quite quickly and then he he did get irritated and his mood really soured he was he was quite chippy with John Blom at the end of the match wanting John Blom to be firmer in the way that he was speaking to the crowd and telling them not to make noise um I must say he came up with an absolutely remarkable passage of play to to save a set point in that third set and stop it going into a fourth which could well be something we look back on later in the tournament if he ends up being more of a threat to Sinu and Alcaraz.

31:22Catherine Whitaker: Because he needs that energy, doesn't he? Because he needs to be getting off the court as quickly as possible in these early rounds. He said that. And he came up with a huge forehand to save a set point and then gave the defiant finger to the lips, telling the crowd to shut up. And we got ear cupping at the end of the match. We got the violin celebration, which I know he says is for his daughter. And I'm sure it partly is to his daughter.

31:49David Law: but I don't think his daughter was there tonight. Well, he also then transitioned into a sort of conducting gesture as if the louder you cheer against me, the more I enjoy it. That's the gist of it. I do, just purely on the tennis situation and Novak Djokovic is a threat in this tournament, you know, he was very keen to point out tonight that's three matches played, no sets dropped. There's only one other time that has happened for Novak Djokovic since his last Grand Slam win in New York in 2023. And that was Roland Garros last year when, OK, look, he ran into Yannick Sinner and Sinner was far too good.

32:33And that was the story of last year. Maybe Roland Garros wasn't that different to Wimbledon or to the US Open. But I think it is probably the one that we would single out as.

32:43Catherine Whitaker: I think it was very different.

32:45David Law: that's the one where he played really well he did he pushed Sinner big time even though it was straight sets putting that out there and he definitely thinks it's significant it might not be decisively significant but it's kind of the only chance he's got isn't it to get through these early rounds cleanly it's Jakub Menchik for him next who's beaten Ethan Quinn late this evening on the Kia Arena in three sets, but three tight sets. So a rerun of the Miami final from last year for Novak Djokovic and a big breakthrough for Menchik to be in the fourth round here. Matt, a little rundown, if you will, on the five sets of Lorenzo Mazzetti beating Thomas Mahatch in four hours and 27 minutes.

33:39Catherine Whitaker: This was a good match, a really good match, especially considering the conditions it was played in you know it wasn't the absolute hottest point of the day given the fact that the roof was open for for four sets of it but it was it was still extremely warm and challenging conditions and the roof did close for the fifth set um Mazzetti came out pretty passive like like he often does actually that on a hard call I think he it takes him a while to impose his game on this surface. And he was also serving badly in that first set. He sort of threw his mum under the bus in his on-court interview and said that he was serving like his mother in the opening set, which was, I'm not sure entirely necessary, but I think, you know, he said it in a jokey way.

34:31Catherine Whitaker: But Mahatsch, by contrast, was excellent in the opening set, really aggressive and deservedly won it, I thought. But then Mazzetti sort of got control of it, started serving better. And honestly, I thought he was going to win it in four sets. He was the one really pressing in that fourth set. And fair play to Mahatch, because we've seen him go away in these sorts of matches and not resist against a good player at a grand slam. and he really did. As much as Mazzetti was pushing for the break, Mahatsch kept finding big serves on break points, kept finding his best tennis at the big moments and ended up pinching that fourth set, sort of stealing it from Mazzetti, who'd kind of been the better player throughout.

35:19Catherine Whitaker: But then Mazzetti played a brilliant game to start the fifth. A couple of absolutely remarkable backhands down the line in that game to grab the break and ended up winning it in five. and it's the kind of match that the highlights package will look phenomenal. Like it will look like peak tennis. Like how can you play more aesthetic, stylish tennis than these two? Like there was some jaw-dropping rallies. There were large periods where it wasn't like that. And you were there for all of them.

35:52Jannik Sinner: Right.

35:52Catherine Whitaker: In 40 degrees. Yeah, and the heat was tough and there were some bad misses and some odd decision-making, I think. But like the highs of this were very high. And for Mazzetti, that's the first time into the second week at the Australian Open. So it really, really backs up this progress that he's made on the hard courts. So, yeah, big for him. He's got Taylor Fritz next, who ended the Australian Open career of Stan Wawrinka. Good match. Like, you know, it was we saw Stan Wawrinka out there. He had his moment a couple of days ago. It was incredibly special. he put on a good show today he he looked like himself um and i think he's happy with with how it all ended four sets to to taylor fritz he got his craig tiley gift bag and he got some beers

36:41David Law: yeah he got a couple of beers out to have with craig straight afterwards but i will remember it for a point in the final game actually where stan was trying to break back and and extend this match even further the crowd going wild and i think he deliberately decided to just hit ripped backhands for the duration of a rally regardless of what ended up happening because most of the time over the course of this tournament and sort of 40 year old stanverinka he doesn't do that anymore he chips he guides and occasionally he pulls the trigger but he doesn't just bludgeon the backhand the way he used to.

37:25David Law: Well, Taylor Fritz has got a pretty nice backhand and he just decided to go toe-to-toe with him. And Stan, I think, hit six one-handed topspin backhands in a row, five of them to rally with, and they were firmly hit. And it was kind of like macho tennis from the two of them, right? Who can hit their backhand harder? And suddenly the old 2015 Wawrinka came out with the final shot of the rally and he absolutely marmalised this backhand. And I just jumped out of my seat and laughed. Oh, it was so funny. That is the last point he will ever win at the Australian Open.

38:07Catherine Whitaker: He didn't win another point in the match. Fritz closed it out, but it could not have been more fitting and in his image, unloading on the backhand. The shot that he will always be known for, It was a real iconic moment, actually. I loved it. We'll be seeking that out. Ben Shelton has set up a fourth-round match with Kasper Rude, who's just beaten Marin Cilic in four sets on the second court. Shelton beat Valentin Vachero 4-4-6. Another straight-sets win for him, David.

38:44David Law: Yeah, I went and asked, because I'm really high on Shelton's form here at the Australian Open, and I went into his press conference. Having just been in Vachero's, I'd never met Vachero before, but I asked him what did he make of the level of Ben Shelton today? Because we were talking about Vachero. Is he actually good? Is this proof that he's good? And what can we expect? I think he was good. I think he played well today and he lost three fairly close sets. I said, what did you think of Ben Shelton's level? He said it was a joke. he said his forehand you know people talk about his serve but right now he said i couldn't believe the power of his forehand and he said he said if he serves like that and if he hits his forehand like that and if his backhand is solid he said he's the third guy now i mean you want to big up the guy who's just beaten you but i then i went into shelton's press conference and i said you've had good progress at a number of grand slams now, reached a couple of semifinals.

39:49David Law: How does this form through three rounds compared to the others? Is this the best you've ever played through three rounds of a grand slam? And he really gave it some thought. And he said, no, I think I was playing even better at the US Open last year through two rounds before I injured myself against Manorino. but then he gave it more thought and I kind of got the sense that he was making the case for that was momentum that was him having a great summer winning the tournament in Canada he's really excited about the fact that he's come out of the blocks like this from the start of the year he's clearly been working on some stuff particularly flattening out the forehand which I think is what's making it shock the opponents back on the heels that's what's got me as a spectator is my word that is a different look to the forehand that i've seen before and i'd be very interested to see if he does manage to get through to play yannick sinner whether whether he's closed the gap because he he's just always got beaten by him in the last couple of years and i just think he looks a little different shilton against rude that's going to be that's going to be a forehand off, isn't it?

41:03Well, Rude's playing well. He is playing very well, yeah.

41:06Catherine Whitaker: I have a hot off-the-press stat now that Rude has won that match against Cilic. It means that for the first time at a Grand Slam in the Open era, there are no unseeded players in the last 16

41:24Matt Roberts: of the men's singles.

41:26Catherine Whitaker: Now, obviously, for a long time, we only had 16 seeds. But But, yeah, so when we've had 32 seeds for, what is it, 20, 24 years, something like that. And this is the first time. So it really feeds into what we've been talking about, complete lack of big upsets in the men's draw. And, yeah, it's all set up with only seeds in the last 16.

41:53David Law: And that's not your stat. That's extremely fun.

41:55Catherine Whitaker: No, that's actually, well, it's actually better than my stat. I tried to lure Matt into, Matt was having a stat crisis and I tried to lure him into doing one that was contingent on Marin Cilic winning. I did see the error of that.

42:11Jannik Sinner: Matt was like, I appreciate your suggestion, but I'm fine. Leave me alone. So in the newsletter, Matt's not quite so good stat.

42:19David Law: It's about Dardari. I can't wait.

42:22Jannik Sinner: Well, we didn't do much, we didn't do anything on him. That's what I thought. If you're angry we didn't do anything on Luciano Darderi, the unexpectedly 20-second seed here. Couldn't believe it when I saw that in the draw. The newsletter will sort you out. Thank you, Matt. That's it for part one. Join us in part two when we'll talk about the drama in the women's draw today.

42:45David Law: Today's show is brought to you by Vanguard. To all the financial advisors listening, let's talk bonds for a minute. Capturing value in fixed income isn't easy. Bond markets are massive, murky, and let's be real, lots of firms throw a couple of flashy funds your way and call it a day, but not Vanguard. Vanguard bonds are institutional quality. Institutional quality isn't a tagline, it's a commitment to your clients. It means top-grade products across the board. Vanguard's been in the game a long time, and their scale gives them a serious edge. They're able to invest across all kinds of sectors, maturities and geographies, which means they can spot and act on opportunities that others might miss.

43:29David Law: So if you're looking to give your clients consistent results year in and year out, go see the record for yourself at vanguard.com forward slash audio. That's vanguard.com forward slash audio. All investing is subject to risk. Vanguard Marketing Corporation Distributor. As a small business owner, you're the CEO, the marketing team, and the customer service rep all at once. I was recently talking to a shop owner who told me their worst nightmare isn't a slow day, it's the vanishing act. It's that moment you're inches away from a deadline and the Wi-Fi just disappears. We've all felt that pit in our stomach when the connection flares up right when it matters most.

44:12Your business is only as strong as your connection. AT &T Business is the reliable provider built for that exact brand of hustle, so you can stay focused on the work that builds your legacy. Powered by AT &T Business. Built to work. Get AT &T Business at business.att.com. Take this as your sign to go. Just get out there and go. This summer at Best Western, get 1 ,000 bonus points and a chance to win 250 ,000 bonus points. Life's a trip. Make the most of it at bestwestern.com. No additional purchase necessary for sweeps. See bonus points, TNCs and sweeps rules for details.

44:55Welcome back to part two of today's tennis podcast, where we turn our attention now to the women's matches from today. Maybe not quite so much drama in the women's matches, but there was a bit. Iga Svjontek, a weird scoreline for her. She beat Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 in the first match on the second court this evening. Kalinskaya had treatment on, it looked like her lower back at the end of the first set. Came out gunslinging at the start of the second set. Immediately broke serve, took that second set very handily. Looking at the stats, I went out for the third set of this. and I'd watched the previous two sets on the screens kind of juggling with other matches.

45:43The Schwiontek performance seemed to track entirely over the course of the match with her first serve percentage, which just dropped off a cliff in that second set, Matt. Yeah, I mean, Kananskaya frankly destroyed the Schwiontek serve

45:59Catherine Whitaker: in that second set. Schwiontek only won 13 % of the points behind her first serve.

46:07Yeah, like, honestly, I felt like I'd seen this sort of match for Migos Fiontech before.

46:14Catherine Whitaker: Like, I thought she played a really clean opening set, absorbing the pace well. Very nice, very nice set, actually. And then it didn't, it just didn't take much for it to turn in the second set. You know, like, Kanskaya did start connecting a bit more and became a lot more dangerous. but just that sheer fact seemed to momentarily throw Svantec off her game in quite a sudden and dramatic way and we've just seen her lose a lot more sets by these dramatic scorelines than she ever used to. Is it a positive then that she did that and yet was still able to pull it back in a way that a lot of times recently she's been in that situation she hasn't?

46:57Catherine Whitaker: I think definitely because that third set was fantastic. She was stunning. Breathtakingly good, especially at the start of it. And there was a really nice moment where she hit a brilliant backhand down the line to break. And just a smile came across her face. Like, she loved it. Like, there was just real joy. And you don't always see that. And it was just really nice to see her appreciating, I think, her own great shot there in that moment. And, yeah, she then played a brilliant, as you say, final set. So I think it is genuinely, I come out of this match feeling quite positive about Shviontek because you're going to have to weather storms.

47:36Catherine Whitaker: There are big hitters in her path like Callan Sky. They're better than Callan Sky. They're able to do it more consistently and keep it together over the course of the match and also continue it when you've got the lead. It's one thing doing in the second set when you've lost the first set, but trying to keep it up in the third is something different, a sort of different mental challenge. and I think there are players who can do that coming up. But yeah, I think it's important that Svantec's faced that kind of game and ended up dealing with it really well. And yeah, I was so impressed with that third set from her.

48:08And let's be honest, from a Svantec perspective, an enormous slice of luck with Naomi Osaka's withdrawal from the tournament ahead of her third round match with Madison Inglis. From a tournament and fan and Osaka point of view, just a massive bummer like really sad about that but I think that's pretty huge for Igor Shontek who may very well have beaten Naomi Osaka she would have been the favourite but bless her Madison Inglis incredible for her in the run for sensation of the day she's reached the second week at the Australian Open she's still the woman that beat Laura Siegmund in three hours and 20 minutes to my mind she has earned a spot in the round of 16 of this tournament.

48:56But that's a very different prospect for Svantec to facing Naomi Osaka, David.

49:04David Law: Yeah, Osaka is a threat to Svantec anywhere. We've seen that because she came very close to beating her when she was in her pompon clay a couple of years ago. And this is a tournament that Osaka has won twice before. Hard court courts are her best surface. And so, yeah, absolutely. If she was fully fit and firing, that is a very tough prospect on paper. I mean, look, at least the locals will have an Australian to cheer for it in round four. But, you know, it could be one of those which doesn't last very long because Svantec does tend to just race through these sorts of matches. I saw what she did to Borne Maia joined a couple of weeks ago.

49:50David Law: But, yeah, I mean, it's a shame for Osaka, isn't it? She was clutching at her abdominal. I think she had some treatment to that in the previous round. She did. And she referenced in the press conference after it that it was a recurrence of a previous injury she'd had. It was this time last year. She pulled out of this tournament with that abdominal injury, retired from the Auckland final. It was Auckland, wasn't it?

50:15Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, that was the one that she debatably lost. Debatably lost, yeah, because of that injury. and it sounds like it went right down to the wire. There's footage circulating of her warming up backstage ahead of the, she was scheduled second on the night session. So warming up backstage early evening and testing out the abdominal. And I've seen a video of her as well talking about the withdrawal and she's clearly just absolutely gutted. So we wish her well. That was such a shame. but a sensation through to round four and a true sensation because we've adjudicated that Alex de Manor isn't one so it's big for sensation of the day quite frankly keeps the bit going more on that later Amanda Anisimova Matt you didn't even go and watch her you were so confident she would win today and you were right she was great yeah my decision to go and watch was mostly due to the fact that I'd finally made it to the John Kane Arena and it felt silly to abandon that expedition after only half an hour.

51:27Catherine Whitaker: And it was so hot that, you know, making the journey from the John Kane Arena to the second court here. Look, I was able to watch it from the John Kane Arena. I had my laptop. I was streaming. I was fine. I was watching. And I was, I mean, I was confident in the matchup generally. I was a bit worried about the day and the conditions and whether Amanda Nisimova would enjoy those. Because this was before the heat. Exactly. So this was outside in the blazing sun. And actually Rick Valesehowers gave a little interview before the match started to the World Feed coverage and said that he sees a tennis player on a day like this like your phone battery in the heat.

52:17Catherine Whitaker: It dies more quickly. And what you're not therefore able to do as a player is waste energy. You have to spend energy only on things that are important. And I thought that sounds like the perfect messaging to give to Amanda Nissamova before this match because, you know, she can still sometimes get a little stressed on the court. We've seen it. We've seen it at this tournament, in fact, in her previous match against Siniarkova. And, you know, the tour is so strong that you are likely going to face those little moments of stress in a match. And if on a really hot day like this you let them get to you, it can be bigger.

52:57Catherine Whitaker: So I thought that was really good advice from him to go into the match with, and I'm sure he'd given that to Anissimova. and she played a brilliant match like i think probably underrated in terms of the physical conditioning and improvements that she's made that she was able to handle these conditions so well but also just the sheer level she came out with backing up her theory from a few rounds ago that it didn't really matter how she was playing in the first round she's confident now in the base level she has she knew she would improve but she just sort of made the conditions a non-factor because it was just like oh well if she keeps this level up she's not going to be out there too long because there's such a big gap uh sterns it has to be said i thought was awful on the return like so bad like missing second serve returns by miles just not making enough returns not making anisim over play enough and she's also got a problem in that matchup sterns in that she really has a kick serve on the second serve and it just goes right into the slot, into the Anisimova backhand and she's therefore just immediately on the back foot and I think she probably could have tried to hit maybe her first serve a little bit more as the second serve or certainly use the slider that she occasionally hits but yeah, she just didn't she didn't play a good match tactically Anisimova had a small wobble at the end going from 5-2 to 5-4, but then served it out to love at the second attempt.

54:30Catherine Whitaker: And a very, very convincing performance. And any small concerns that were there at the start of the tournament about the level, they've gone because it's there, it's back. And possibly a minor slice of luck for Anna Simova that she won't be facing Linda Nozkova in the round of 16. Now, she will be facing tough opposition, I think. I think it would be very easy to underrate Wong Jin-Yu, who beat Nozkova today, 7-5, 6-4, and dealt with a five-hour gap in the middle of this match. Nozkova and Wong were taken off court at 2.35 with the score at 2-all. And there is how that score sat. It was on one of our screens and it was just an image of the Keir Arena with still like a lot of fans in the shade waiting for this match to resume.

55:30Hopeful tennis fans. All while, you know, Broadlaver Arena was sat intentionally blank for a long period. And then there was a Bon Jovi tribute act playing. While poor old Noshka and Wong are backstage. age um but yeah i asked her like how was that like were you annoyed that the match started she said oh when we walked on court we were told that the index was at like 4.7 so we knew what was coming and i was like were you annoyed that like they started the match knowing it was obviously so soon going to be called off and she was like no i it was basically like a good warm up um she was really cool actually i really liked her energy it was one of those where i've never been up close with her before and her press conference was in room two today which is very small the the second press conference room here at the australian open and she walked right i didn't get a seat that's how small it was a quite a lot of chinese media here um so i was standing up at the back and she walked right past me and i was like oh you're a big strong tall athlete like Because they're all mostly big, strong and tall, it's easy to underrate how big, strong and tall they are.

56:44But she was impressive.

56:46Catherine Whitaker: Yeah. And I do probably think it's helpful for Inisimova not to play Noskova just because, you know, I've seen that match a couple of times and I know that Noskova can do damage to the Inisimova game.

57:01Jannik Sinner: When the draw came out, Matt Roberts was worried.

57:04Catherine Whitaker: Yeah. Yeah, like she's got just such a great ball striker like Anisimova. She's got an effective first serve. Like she can return Anisimova second serve really, really strongly. That being said, Wong is in great form. You know, she reached the Auckland final, didn't she? Really pushed Vitalino in that second set there. And that's a good win for her. So, like, as you said, you cannot underestimate her. That is a bit of a tricky trap match, I think. And a good win and good preparation for playing Anissa Mova. Right, exactly. And I asked her about that and she said, yeah, kind of, I've played pretty much all big flat hitters like that so far, so I feel like in the right groove to play someone like Anissa Mova.

57:51She wrote on the camera after the win, my first ever message, didn't she, David? Which is really, really sweet.

57:59David Law: I loved it. Yeah, really nice. Pergoula very comfortable for her in the first match of the day against Oksana Sulekmitova 3-2 she plays Madison Keys next who dispatched Karolina Pliskova 3-3 so we have podcast co-hosts playing a match like you and me David at the Albert Hall 2014 I wonder whether that will end in controversy like ours did it can't

58:26Jannik Sinner: it simply can't be as controversial as ours where you cheated? Yeah, you did, didn't you? Kind of, yeah. I mean, maybe they will. Imagine if they did. I won that tie-break twice. Yeah. We were both terrible, though. I don't feel much glory in that moment.

58:46David Law: I'd have felt more confident giving you the point if there'd been technology on the lines. Like there is here.

58:53Jannik Sinner: There was math there filming, is what there was.

58:56David Law: There is footage. Yeah, but it was close.

58:58Jannik Sinner: Release the tapes. I think we have made those tapes public before, have we?

59:04David Law: I think so, yeah. Yeah. I'm wearing a protest T-shirt. You are, yes. In anticipation of what I was about to do. No, I think I just wanted the crowd to have more entertainment, so I thought, let's extend it.

59:20Jannik Sinner: The crowd was my brother and Dave.

59:27David Law: Was it a double fault That had bounced before the net

59:31Jannik Sinner: That wasn't on match point but that did happen Yeah There were real highlights The highlights in that match would have been just like Mahatma Tennis TV would have been lighting up

59:42Catherine Whitaker: I believe they said they were recording an episode Tomorrow Which is an interesting wrinkle Before a big match like that But they're obviously chill about it. Because I think it's a big deal. It feels like a big deal for us. Oh, my God, they're recording an episode. They're friends. They're used to this. It's like when the wheelchair players are always asked about playing doubles together and then playing against one another. And they're always like, God, we do that all the time.

1:00:09Jannik Sinner: Get over it. That's a big thing for you. And it's really not for us.

1:00:12David Law: We got over it, didn't we, in about a month? Yeah. By the way, just on a serious note, what a last 16 match that is.

1:00:19Catherine Whitaker: Good match, isn't it?

1:00:20David Law: Keys and Pagula.

1:00:21Catherine Whitaker: Blimey. I sort of feel like Pagula's been dominant, really. She's been so good. I watched her second round match, maybe. No, first round match.

1:00:32David Law: And she was just so good. It's quite funny how all these players from Florida just have no problem playing in the seats. There's just no trouble.

1:00:42Catherine Whitaker: Yeah. I don't know, though. I think right now I'd probably be backing Pagula. but Keyes has got the gear shift Keyes has got ultimately I would say a higher level it's just a question of whether she can find it at the right times She hasn't played anyone with anywhere near as big a weapon as Keyes has The other round 16 match set up today is Elisa Mertens against Elena Rabakina Mertens beat Nicola Barton-Cova, ending her run, love and four. And Rabatkinov beat Teresa Valantova, two and three. So both of the young Czechs out, but still fantastic tournaments for them. And we will watch their progress intently.

1:01:38That's it for part two. Join us in part three for another hotly contested sensation of the day, I expect.

1:01:48Matt Roberts: AI is only as powerful as the platform it's built into. That's why it's no surprise that more than 85 % of the Fortune 500 use the ServiceNow AI platform. While other platforms duct tape tools together, ServiceNow seamlessly unifies people, data, workflows and AI connecting every corner of your business. And with AI agents working together autonomously, anyone in any department can focus on the work that matters most. Learn how ServiceNow puts AI to work for people at servicenow.com.

1:02:45Your business is only as strong as your connection. AT &T Business is the reliable provider built for that exact brand of hustle, so you can stay focused on the work that builds your legacy. Powered by AT &T Business. Built to work. Get AT &T Business at business.att.com. Welcome back to part three of today's tennis podcast, where I have two contenders for you for sensation of the day. Okay, we ready?

1:03:17Catherine Whitaker: Go for it. Always. We have, of course, Madison Inglis through to the second week of the Australian Open. Not her fault that her opponent retired. She had no say in that. Yep, I hear you. Definitely a contender. She has to be a contender. The other contenders are Taylor Gibson and Kim Birrell who beat Sarah Irani and Jasmine Paolini the second seeds 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 another match with a five hour break in the middle of it and they hit 55 winners did Gibson and Beryl

1:03:55David Law: I thought you said this was hotly contested I mean it's got to be them

1:04:01Catherine Whitaker: I think it's got to be them as well it's a sensation of the day

1:04:04David Law: English just had her feet up eating sushi probably

1:04:09Catherine Whitaker: for me what really swings it is that I'd love to be able to give Gibson a sensation of the day when she won a match rather than her sensation of the day earlier in the tournament that came as a result of playing well but not winning a valiant defeat this was this was you know getting through against the against the mighty Iranian Paolini withstanding a Iranian underarm serve in the in the match tie break and it was Gibson that served on the match point wasn't obviously she had had three match points against dana schneider a few days ago and failed to take them and there she was standing on on the service line with the with the match point and i was so nervous for her and she gosh she played a gutsy point yeah so okay english can get it when she beats fionte yeah that's fair isn't it and she's had it before we gave it to her and she beats even right that was a slam dunk yeah and she might get it if she's just I was going to say, yeah, like the bar.

1:05:10Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, we might need to set the over and under on the number of games.

1:05:13Jannik Sinner: Yeah, people are really going to have to start buying us beers next week. Big time. Right. Tomorrow's order of play. Day eight of the Australian Open. What have we got for you? We start at 11.30am on the Rod Laver Arena with Irina Sabalenka against Victoria Mboko.

1:05:33Catherine Whitaker: Yes, please. Yes, please. not before 1.30pm on the Rod Laver Arena Carlos Alcaraz against Tommy Paul night session on Laver is Alexander Bublik against Alex de Mino and in the viabless death slot it is Alina Svitolina against Mira and Draver if you've got tickets for Laver tomorrow night please stay for that

1:05:56David Law: yeah it'll be electric won't it I hope so the second court tomorrow starts with back to back doubles Matt's parents are coming back to rerun the fun tomorrow such as the great day they had yesterday will they be coming Matt for Siegmund and Roger Vasselin against Gadecki and Piers

1:06:17Catherine Whitaker: that's at half 11 that's at half 11 I believe they're arriving about half 12 so Siegmund will be about halfway through a service motion yeah they'll get a lot of Laura Siegmund please prepare them accordingly

1:06:30David Law: okay yeah Maybe they should get a bit of lunch before the start. They'll also probably get all of Storm Hunter and Maya Joint against Anna Danielina and Alexandra Kroonich. Some sensations.

1:06:43Catherine Whitaker: Lovely. Some potential contenders for sensation of the day, quite frankly. Maybe they can give us some feedback. They will also, Matt, get Coco Goff against Karolina Mukovo and Daniel Medvedev against Lerner Tien. Oh, it's just great. I hadn't actually realised that this was the day they do that thing, don't they, where there's suddenly not a night session on the second court. So, yeah, four matches and those two singles, I mean, those would be the two that I think they would have chosen above any others because they're people with great taste. It was well worth you fiddling around with Ticketmaster at 2 o 'clock in the morning

1:07:25Jannik Sinner: entering your mum's email address incorrectly.

1:07:27Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, I put.com rather than.com.

1:07:31Jannik Sinner: I wonder who got that.

1:07:36Jannik Sinner: The John Kane Arena tomorrow has two singles matches. It starts with some doubles. Then it's Yulia Putin-Sever against Ivo Jovic. Then some more doubles. And then Alexander Zverev against Francisco Sarundolo. That's the twilight session, not before 5pm. Zverev will be pleased, I think, that that's on John Kane. He's very comfortable there.

1:07:57David Law: Yeah, well, he's played a lot there. And I think that does make a difference. I'm not sure whether Soren Lo has played there at all. Certainly not as much. And it always strikes me as a good Zverev court, that one. But that said, I said yesterday, I think if they both play well, we're looking at five sets for that. I just want to draw your attention very quickly to Jovic and Mboko and a piece that Charlie Eccleshire has written this evening about the young players on the rise, and he's spoken to both of them. And something I didn't know is that they are very good friends. And a little bit like Keys and Pegula, I mean, it's not great for aggro, but I think it's great for sort of humanity and sort of general...

1:08:39David Law: Don't worry, David.

1:08:40Catherine Whitaker: Putin's save has got the aggro covered.

1:08:42David Law: Just general good mental health on the tour, which can be a lonely place, is that they seem really happy to have each other. Mboka and Jovic and don't seem to have a problem with the fact that they're going to be rivals. I know Matt Futterman's done a piece as well on the success of college players at this tournament. That's been very notable. A lot of people have been writing about it. I was in Elliot's bit series press conference earlier and he's a University of Texas guy and just how well adjusted he is and how much perspective he seemed to have on what was an extremely bizarre and chaotic and hard-to-process situation that was all new to him.

1:09:30You know, like, he was a very good advocate for going to college and getting some life experience and, you know, trying to develop some human tools to deal with this bizarre life of being a tennis player. just finally for today we've been talking a lot now increasingly as the tournament goes on about how few upsets we've had do we see any tomorrow and I would count an upset as Mboko winning, Tommy Paul winning Alexander Bublik winning Alina Svitolina winning Lerner Tien winning Karolina Mukova winning either you or Pete and Sabre I guess is the upset there and Francisco Sarundolo winning are we going to continue upset free

1:10:21Catherine Whitaker: I think there will be upsets out of that lot tomorrow I think both in the night session are big contenders I think Bublik over De Menor is possible for sure I think Svitolina also possible I would I'm going to pick TN So I do think the upset there, I think Sarundalo can beat Zverev as much as I agree with David about the court there. I do think the one factor in Sarundalo's favour is try and get some Argentinian fans in. You know, that's a court with unreserved seating. I'm sure they'd have been pleased that it's on there. They can generate a bit of an atmosphere which might help him. It certainly seemed like it did against Rublev.

1:11:09Catherine Whitaker: so big picture yes I think there will be upsets if I had to zoom in on one I'll give you TN over Medvedev

1:11:19David Law: and actually in the newsletter tomorrow I have gone with one of the favourites because I couldn't think of one that I think is the upset so match by match I would choose the favourite in every one even though on a whole just probably there will be one if you're not a man. But I couldn't work out where it would come. What do you think? I agree. If I had to pick one, it would be TN. But there's no upset tomorrow. Other than Tommy Paul and Carlos Alcaraz, there's no upset and sort of a little bit Mboko Sabalenka. There's no upset there that would make my jaw drop. Like, we're in a situation now where so many fantastic players have made it through to this round that there's no shocking upsets available.

1:12:11David Law: That is an all-timer order of play. Yeah, isn't it? Yeah, and your parents are... Talk about luck. Let's end on that. Neil and Pat Roberts, the luckiest of the lot, quite frankly. Hello to Gus. Apparently, Gus was surprised to find out that I didn't know what a wine dog does. Don't worry, Gus. I've been Googling it extensively since I found out the existence of wine dogs. So there are details about wine dogs in the newsletter. You'll have to subscribe to find out. There's also a picture of Gus doing her wine dog thing. Lovely stuff. Hello to Bodie. Hello to Maisie. Hello to Roger, our wonderful mascots.

1:12:57Hello to Greg, Chris and Jeff, our top folks and executive producers. Over to you, Matt, for some shout outs.

1:13:04Catherine Whitaker: We have Luke Burridge Who is in Berlin Hi Luke Hello Luke We know Luke

1:13:10David Law: Like Luke Jensen And like Jodie Burrage There you go Who is Jodie Burridge Yeah I think she's been doing some commentary On the Australian Open Oh

1:13:22Catherine Whitaker: Luke says Thanks to my girlfriend Julianne For the gifted membership for Christmas But also she spelled my email address incorrectly So I think I paid for this shout out myself When it automatically renewed, but the thought was nice. Look, we've all been there with incorrect email addresses, Luke.

1:13:41Jannik Sinner: Did you input it at two o 'clock in the morning after a podcast? That's lovely stuff. Thanks, Luke. And Luke's girlfriend for the nice thought.

1:13:51Catherine Whitaker: We've also got Mike Shelton. Oh.

1:13:55David Law: Right, Mike.

1:13:55Catherine Whitaker: Who says no relation to Ben. What about Brian? He says, but when Brian Shelton played Boris Becker at Wimbledon in 1992, I did tell school friends that he was my American uncle.

1:14:10David Law: That's good, Mike.

1:14:13Jannik Sinner: That's very good.

1:14:14David Law: Yeah.

1:14:16Jannik Sinner: Have you ever done a fun lie like that?

1:14:18David Law: Yeah, I said I'd beaten you.

1:14:21Jannik Sinner: Who? Who did you tell that to?

1:14:24David Law: No, I made you replay the match point is what I meant. Right, yeah, in the moment.

1:14:29Jannik Sinner: Very good.

1:14:33David Law: Probably did say I'd be near some people. Thank you, Mike. Then the evidence came out.

1:14:39Catherine Whitaker: And finally, we have Donna Parker. Hi, Donna. Hello, Donna.

1:14:44Jannik Sinner: Like Scott Parker.

1:14:45Catherine Whitaker: Like Donna Vickage. Yeah, that's better.

1:14:51Catherine Whitaker: Oh, Fulham are playing in an hour. We have a proper manager now. Donna says the only reference I know is Donna Vekic who was once standing behind me to check into a hotel when we attended a tennis tournament she's tall she is tall

1:15:05David Law: what about Donna Kelso? very good WTA supervisor is currently on her way to Manila in the Philippines to play the same ITF event that Joanna Garland told us that she's off to play there's some great players off to Manila content today

1:15:22Catherine Whitaker: yes Ayala is there Lulu's son and yes Garland's got Solana Sierra and we're hoping go on Joanna we're hoping our editor Jib is going to go yeah he's being mysterious about it yeah he said what do I need to do for this Manila event and I was like are you going and he hasn't replied Jib let us know and send content but still be available to edit the pods

1:15:48Jannik Sinner: yeah yeah all of the above Luke Mike and Donna thank you ever so much of being friends of the tennis podcast. As always, if you'd like to become a friend, then the link is in our show notes and do subscribe to the newsletter so you find out what Matt's slightly underwhelming stat is for today and what David's not very exciting prediction is for tomorrow. I'm changing. It's good stuff, folks. There's also a picture of Gus the wine dog.

1:16:15Catherine Whitaker: David's playing such a sensible predictions tournament. I'm not comfortable with it. Normally, normally.

1:16:20Jannik Sinner: I'm here to balance it out.

1:16:21Catherine Whitaker: I'm still getting them wrong.

1:16:25Jannik Sinner: Oh, it's 1.08am. What are we doing? Matt's going to stay up till 4am watching Fulham?

1:16:32Catherine Whitaker: I mean, I'm going to, aren't I?

1:16:34David Law: Yes, let's not even pretend you are.

1:16:36Jannik Sinner: Yeah. Thoughts and prayers for us tomorrow, folks. Thanks for listening. We'll speak to you then.

1:16:47As a small business owner, you're the CEO, the marketing team, and the customer service rep all at once. I was recently talking to a shop owner who told me their worst nightmare isn't a slow day, it's the vanishing act. It's that moment you're inches away from a deadline and the Wi-Fi just disappears. We've all felt that pit in our stomach when the connection flares up right when it matters most. Your business is only as strong as your connection. AT &T Business is the reliable provider built for that exact brand of hustle, so you can stay focused on the work that builds your legacy. Powered by AT &T Business.

1:17:22Built to work. Get AT &T Business at business.att.com. Take this as your sign to go. Just get out there and go. This summer at Best Western get 1 ,000 bonus points and a chance to win 250 ,000 bonus points. Life's a trip. Make the most of it at bestwestern.com. No additional purchase necessary for sweeps. See bonus points, TNCs, and sweeps rules for details.