Chwalinska proves Paris was no fluke

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0:56Matt Roberts: Well, hello and welcome to the Tennis Podcast. It is Sunday afternoon as we come to you here in the UK, recording a Monday pod on a Sunday because tennis has had the good grace to have its finals on a Sunday. We are so back. And because tomorrow Matt and I will be on the M40 on our way to Wrexham. How are you feeling, Matt? Are you Wrexham ready?

1:25Catherine Whitaker: as ready as i'll ever be so let's go with yes it's readier than me i haven't made the sign

1:34Matt Roberts: yet i've brought i've bought all the raw materials for the sign i got very excited about buying crafts but the actual doing the crafts uh i'm stalling well i'm not stalling i'm here making a podcast but um yeah i'm realizing i'm not very artistic and i'm in a very sort of all the gear

1:55Catherine Whitaker: and no idea situation it's well i'm like that with my tennis so we're we're very much together

2:01Matt Roberts: on that i think it might be the most felt tip pens that any child free adult has ever owned come on you're pumped let's be honest i am pumped i'm pumped to own all those felt tip pens David, how are you doing?

2:19David Law: Very well, very well thank you Slightly husky voice yesterday After shouting at 16, 14 year olds yesterday On a football field And we lost in the last minute And then shouting at 11 plus 5 substitutes In an adults match When my beloved football team won in the last minute So, you know, swing some roundabouts

2:44Matt Roberts: you're calling West Bromwich Albium Albium Adult and your local kids the kids version right yes correct Matt's done very well to not mention Fulham hasn't he

2:58David Law: yeah and I mean you'd think he'd be taking any chance he could get at the moment

3:02Matt Roberts: I saw him on Friday so we had lunch on Friday with our mate Dave and he said could you make a two sided sign one sign saying you know go Matt and the other side saying Arbeloa out, you know, given it's going to be on iPlayer. Let's pump this message far and wide. 24 hours later, a scraped 1-0 win against Hull with 10 men. And the Arbeloa out sign plan is out.

3:32Catherine Whitaker: No, no, it wasn't a scraped 1-0 win. It was a dominant, free-flowing 1-0 win. and you can't sack your manager after that. We finally looked good for 90 minutes. So ask me next weekend when we've lost to Coventry and the Arboloha out sign might be back in. But for now, got to stick with it.

3:54Matt Roberts: Well, look, Matt, I'm still going to have felt-tip pens next weekend. Yeah. Probably going to have enough felt-tip pen for the rest of my life. Let's get into the tennis, shall we? Let's start in Wuhan and a 1000 title for French Open finalist, a woman that we had barely heard of six months ago, Maya Kvelinska. She beat Sonnet Cartel in a, well, a surprise final. Let's be honest, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. Her first WTA title. It moves her to world number 11 and the final run moves Sonnet Cartel back into the top 50. and this is in just her third tournament back after a six-month layoff with a back injury.

4:41Matt Roberts: David, you were monitoring the charge of Maja Walenska right from the start of Wuhan. If anybody saw this coming, it's you.

4:52David Law: Yeah, I mean, I did say that Sama Leng could win the tournament. She lost in the first round, but still, thank you for that, Catherine. I mean, look, I think I certainly I saw her play the week before and just thought, OK, my Falinska is through this slump post French Open. Which, I mean, look, it's not like she was setting the world on fire in terms of her results before the French Open. But I think once we'd seen what she was capable of and when she'd seen it, I thought that we would get more results since then. and she was quite candid about having struggled with with the aftermath of that Roland Garros and all the things that you then have to do and all these eyes on you she's clearly not somebody who absolutely adores being maybe she likes being the center of attention on the court the way she sort of crafts her her game and and and the the response she gets to it but I don't get the sense that she absolutely loves the kind of milling around that you get when you're famous um of just coming out your door you know um and and she's had injuries as well she obviously had that unfortunate injury at Wimbledon but but seeing her a couple of weeks ago I thought and the manner of her scoreline she was absolutely destroying players and and I thought wow here's the player who's arrived in Asia and is fresh and ready to go again you know and is is not hanging on and is going to make the most of this.

6:24David Law: And her run, really, this tournament has been fantastic. I mean, she benefited to some degree in that semifinal, playing Ike Svantec, who was clearly short of full fitness. But honestly, what a joy she is to watch play the sport. You know, she's one of a few players this year on the WTA Tour that have just added even more life to it. You know, I think of her and Bartunkova, Ola Nikova at the start of the year, Lily Tagger is a sort of stylish single-handed backhand. But Valinska has been the best of the lot because she's just combining these loopy ground strokes with darting drives. And then my favorite of the lot, her drop shot followed by a lob.

7:12David Law: I mean, she caught out Kartal, who's a clever player herself. She caught her out four times, I think, in that match, in that final, which was tough today. I mean, she went a set behind, lost the first set 6-2, was really not playing very well, and then just found it. And I loved this final. If, you know, if somebody had told me a couple of days ago when we were chatting about it and we'd got this potential Ostopenko against Walinska match, sorry, against Svantec match that we're always talking about as a final, that that wasn't going to happen, I would have been a bit gutted like all of us. But this was what a brilliant consolation.

7:53David Law: And it wasn't, that's not, that's doing it down. That's not, it was just a joyous match between two really cool women. I really think that they're cool characters, different types of games. And I just loved the match.

8:10Matt Roberts: They're both very faff free, aren't they, Kottal and Kulinska? Yeah, I'm a big fan of them both. Yeah, the drop shot lob combos, David. I don't know whether it makes me like a very basic tennis fan, but I'm such a sucker for a drop shot lob. I mean, I'm a sucker for a lob kind of all the time, but a drop shot lob combo really, really hits me in the heart.

8:33David Law: Feels like you should get more than the one point for it.

8:35Matt Roberts: Yes, it does. Absolutely, David. Yes, I agree. It looks, Matt, completely exhausting playing Maja Kvalinska. And I think we saw that from Kartel in that third set.

8:49Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, that did feel like the big difference between them. You know, the gas in the tank that Maja Walinska had in this one was more, I think, than Sonny Kartel. She started struggling midway through the second set, I think, Kartel. Her energy levels dipped. And, you know, I think there's a lot that goes into that. You know, as you said, I think it was only her 10th match back from injury. She's not built up the tournament and match fitness yet, very understandably. Also, she's playing in a very big match for the first time. That's going to be, I think, a bit exhausting mentally to kind of deal with that occasion.

9:30Catherine Whitaker: And then throw in the game style you've got down the other end of the cork. Walinska gives so little away. She hits so few errors in a match. You really have to win points and earn points against her. there was a stat from Je Cet Imate who I'm always shouting out one of my favourite accounts on Twitter that this was the first time since the early 1980s that a final of a major WTA event had been between two players shorter than 1m65 Love that What that means is that you're going to get rallies like that they are not blessed with huge power, they're not blessed with massive serves they have to win their rallies in quite creative different ways and they were both doing it and cartel was doing it better in the first set getting on top being aggressive using her forehand but she got caught in kvalinska's web as the match went on and on and you know it was so hard then for cartel to really push through it because when kvalinska's playing like that she's she's so good on the defense such a good counter puncture but also so good at coming up with creative ways to win points herself like the drop shot lob combinations and yeah it was just a lot for cartel to deal with and yeah from a set and a breakup the match really really did flip and started going in in the favor of klawinska and yeah it was a joy i i agree with david i had a i had a great time watching this match between these two i just love that definitively now

11:06Matt Roberts: that French Open run was not a flash in the pan, was not an aberration, was not a one-hit wonder. Forever now, it will not be that. And I'm really, I'm just so pleased for her that that is now true forever, you know?

11:23David Law: Yeah, and I feel as though she's proved now, because she's done it on a hard court, she, you now look at...

11:29Matt Roberts: Paging Anna Kalinskaya.

11:32David Law: Yeah, you look at next year now, and obviously it depends how she plays and whether people can find certain keys to working her out and that sort of thing. But it makes me think, well, that's a heck of a lot of the tennis calendar covered off that you've shown you can win on and be successful on because I kind of wondered whether hard court would blunt her weapons, you know, because of the drop shots and that sort of thing. And she was looking really comfortable on grass.

12:01Matt Roberts: It was a great watch seeing her on grass before she got that injury. And it was a terrible end to that match at Wimbledon.

12:10Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, that slice was nasty on the grass. She's almost taking it from almost above net height and slicing down on it. And it's constantly going down and staying so low.

12:24Matt Roberts: That's my least favourite type of tennis opponent. If you draw somebody like that tomorrow, Matt, just, well, actually, I'm sure you'll cope with it far better than I would.

12:36Catherine Whitaker: I wouldn't be so sure about that.

12:39David Law: The other thing is, today, because it wasn't going very well, and Cartel's got such a lot of topspin on her forehand in particular. It's a heavy shot, isn't it? You can't really get involved in those sort of rallies, which actually Walenska quite likes to get involved in those as well and sort of hang back, but she was getting dominated. So when she kind of tried various parts of the repertoire in the second set, she just suddenly started going for shots, real power, taking them early, darting them, and that then opened up the rest of her game. And players don't like playing her. it's very clear that she is trouble for a lot of top players because they don't see this very often.

13:27Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, in the Sky commentary, Colin Fleming was imploring Cartel to try and get forward and take some balls out of the air and come in and shorten the points, which I'm absolutely sure was the right thing to be doing. But it is so out of almost every player's comfort zone to be doing that and to be having to do that in a big match where you're tired. It's just a really hard thing to do. And Kartel never really managed to find that game style. And I don't think many players will. I still think there will be days and tournaments where the very best players in the world maybe have a bit too much power and are seeing the ball too well and don't allow Kvalinska to get all of her variety into play.

14:13Catherine Whitaker: I think we still will see some weeks where she just kind of gets a little bit blown away. But I think she's shown enough that there's going to be enough weeks as well where she can impose her game and make the others adjust to her. And that's when she's going to be really dangerous.

14:30Matt Roberts: It's not quite a career high ranking yet for Sane Cartel, but it's not far off. And that's three tournaments into a comeback after six months. She is going to reach a career high ranking and push that ceiling upwards. what does the ceiling feel like it is to you two david i wonder whether she can get to top 20

14:54David Law: um you know i i just there's not there aren't weaknesses in the game um it's it's very because it's so top spin heavy it's just a bit different to what you get from most players so i feel like maybe people can rush her and knock her off the court with just you know there's so many good power players in women's tennis and I kind of feel like some of these backhands that we see so many of these really hard struck flat piercing backhands could hurt her and and I think there are there are reasons why she hasn't got higher than where she is now before or only a little bit and obviously six months of injury doesn't help but she's not the tallest so there's a limit to how big the serve is um but i still think that it's a game style that can work on different services and if she can now that she's done this i think she her confidence must be embedded and grained and i think mentally she's she's got it yeah she has she has we saw some great contrasts of of personality like her playing against osteopenko in the semi-finals what you know cartel is so kind of placid and and cool and she doesn't make you feel like she's thinking about anything or she's getting worked i'm sure she's getting worked up inside but she makes you think that she's just really phlegmatic about it all and then you've got obviously the utter contrast in ostapenko down the other end and i think it is a weapon i think it is a weapon for cartel that match was wild by

16:30Matt Roberts: the way two tie breaks that that semi-final particularly the first set and the the first

16:36Catherine Whitaker: set die break yeah i feel like oster penko is the only person on tour who could have lost the match like that right like she was four one up in both sets she had set points in both sets she probably feels like she could have won it in straight should have won it in straights but imagine matt if she'd won it and and then shontech didn't win her semi-final imagine how

17:03Matt Roberts: annoyed she'd have been probably more annoyed than at losing her own match especially playing felinska oh my goodness yeah i think she'd have had fun there but but i but i do think that was

17:17Catherine Whitaker: a great demonstration of how cartel can cause some problems for those big hitters as well because she was making so many balls you know like and ostapanko was not compensating at all of course She was just playing her way, no matter the scoreline. I think if she just pulled in the margins a little bit, she might have won that match, but she didn't. That's not a concept she's familiar with. So Kartel really exploited that and kept putting the ball back deep on the baseline, asking her to make one more shot and drawing those errors. And then in the first set today against Kvalinsky, you saw how Kartel can play so good on offense as well.

17:56Catherine Whitaker: So she's got nice layers to her game. And yeah, I agree with David about around about top 20 feels like a, like a really good target for cartel. Like I think she'll like this week she'd be, you know, she beats Vidalina. She's capable of beating players in that, in that ranking bracket and higher. It's just, you know, being top 20 means doing it very consistently. And I, I don't know whether she's, she's quite there compared to some who are already in that, in that ranking. Totally. Totally. There's so many players who I would say have top 20 potential, like way more than 20.

18:33David Law: It's cool. I mean, it's great as a viewer, but if you're trying to string consistency together, good luck. But of course, she's going to have the situation where she's going to have six months from spring of next year where everything is gained,

18:50Matt Roberts: provided she doesn't get injured again. And that's going to be a similar situation to Walenska, who's now 11 in the world. And she wasn't injured a year ago, but she was thrashing around in the little leagues, wasn't she? Like she's almost certainly going to become a top 10 player because everything is upside now, which is really cool. I really hope she can hold her own, not necessarily in the top 10 consistently, but like being a factor, being seeded at slams, being a factor in these biggest tournaments because she's such a great addition to the tour, I think. And she's just... There's something really cool about her.

19:34Matt Roberts: I think she's super cool.

19:37Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, agreed. And, yeah, like, players need a bit of time, don't they, once they've made a leap like she did at Roland Garros. Like your whole world changes in two weeks.

19:53Matt Roberts: She's got a clothing sponsor now.

19:55Catherine Whitaker: Right. And so many more other sponsors as well. And like everything changes. And to have that happen in the middle of the season when you're also trying to get results is really hard. And it does feel like she's settled a bit now. And, you know, we're going to hopefully see more and more of her.

20:16Matt Roberts: I see sort of personality similarities between her and Linda Nozkova, who's obviously had a not not as out of nowhere, but had a similar kind of, oh, right. I'm like my life is different now type situation. I saw a tweet from Ben Rothenberg pointing out that this makes it all of the 1 ,000 events that have had none of the Grand Slam champions this year have also been 1 ,000 champions and vice versa in the WTA, which is quirky and weird and maybe reflective of the slightly strange year that we've had on the WTA. Not crazy, not like Emma Adekanu winning a slam, strange, but certainly Sabalenka, Goff, Shontek not winning a slam, strange, and two-time Grand Slam champion and world number one Rabatkin and not winning a thousand.

21:17Those things are quirky, I think.

21:22Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, for sure. But there hasn't been like one really dominant player through the season, you know, like which I think has been fun, really. And I think that's why like the mix for slams has felt so big, you know, like not because you're scrambling to find people that can win it because but almost the opposite. it you're thinking well there's so many people that could win this because we've seen it at 1000 level why can't they then go and do it at a slam and similarly you know the the players that we expect to win the slams have have not been winning the slams maybe apart from Rabacchino I would say as you say with Sabalenka, Svontek and Goff not winning them it there's such a strong pool of players and I think we've got used to Svontek winning slams and thousands Sabalenka winning slams and thousands and golf as well and you know like it's just been a bit different this year but i i think it's been maybe a little harder to grasp like what's what's really going on but but no less exciting i would say like every week has has been really compelling

22:33Matt Roberts: wta finals slash nightmare tour update uh alina svitolina's place at the wta finals is confirmed and that means that there's just one spot left and there are three contenders for that spot there is karolina mukova who as it stands is holding firm and is not entered in any of the remaining tour events she's backing herself she's doing it she's doing an anti-flavio caballi apparently flavio caballi who is sort of mathematically you know like he's all but in but apparently he's absolutely shitting himself that he's somehow...

23:12David Law: Do surprise me. Shitting on his pants, you say.

23:16Matt Roberts: Somehow not going to make it. Yeah, Mukherjeev is doing the Antique Bali and is like, no, I'm backing what I've done so far this year, which is kind of putting the ball in the court of Igor Shontek and Marta Kostyuk. Shontek, the more likely of the two on paper, mathematically, although we last saw her in the semifinals yesterday, in Wuhan in tears and with her thigh heavily strapped and clearly significantly struggling physically. But on she goes to Ningbo. There are 500 points available there. If she wins the title, that would leave her about 50 points behind Mukova. So even if she wins the title in Ningbo, she has to go to Tokyo the week after.

24:05Matt Roberts: So I guess if she doesn't win the title in Ningbo, she can call off the nightmare tour. It's over. But, yeah, if she completes the mission in Ningbo, she has to carry on, and it looks tough given the physical state she was in yesterday. It was a very tough scene, and I do find it... I love the nightmare tour narrative. We're going to talk about Djokovic later in the show. I love that plot. but seeing injured players limp on in desperation, I do find a little bit tough.

24:48David Law: I wouldn't mind her just... She said, you know, I'd like to qualify, but if I don't qualify, I get a longer vacation. And I think that's probably a good way to look at it, but longer vacation sounds like quite an appealing thing for her just at the moment, but there we are.

25:06Matt Roberts: Yeah, I think actions speak louder than words though, don't they? Like entering, being in Ningbo 24 hours after leaving the court in tears with your thigh heavily strapped doesn't say, I'm chill with it, let's have a vacation.

25:24Catherine Whitaker: And I think were it not for the Nightmare Tour and were it not for the fact that she was playing her friend yesterday, I think she likely would have retired from that match. like the bits I saw, like she really...

25:37Matt Roberts: It was bad.

25:38Catherine Whitaker: She wasn't capable of playing properly in those final stages. Yeah, it was a tough scene.

25:46Matt Roberts: Kostiuk is also in Ningbo, by the way, and in the same half of the draw as Fjontek, Elena Obakna and Ivi Jovic are also in that half of the draw. This is a tough tournament, Ningbo. It is absolutely not a gimme for Iga Fjontek, especially as Jelena Ostopenko is in the draw. She's drawn Belinda Bencic in round one. We've also got Alexandra Iala there. She's got Deanne Parry in round one and Elisa Mertens and Leila Fernandez. There's also a 250 in Osaka, which is where you'll find Anne Lee and Peyton Stearns. They're the top two seeds. You've also got Sonmez, Teresa Valantova, Lily Tagga, Katie McNally.

26:28Matt Roberts: She played a great match against Karolina Mukova this week in Wuhan, didn't she? Janice Chen, Paola Bedossa, and Oleksandra Olinikova.

26:37David Law: Kind of feels like we might never get Ostopenko against Fyontek again, you know, the way things are going.

26:42Matt Roberts: They're saying it for Roland Garros, David. I will not rest until we get that at Roland Garros. They can both be in their 40s.

26:50David Law: Catherine's going to set up exhibitions.

26:54Matt Roberts: Eager and friends. I'll be there.

26:58David Law: Friends?

27:01Catherine Whitaker: Can I make one very niche point while we're on the WTA? That's what you're here for, Matt. I got quite frustrated during this final today between Kartel and Kvalinska with the camera angles that they would suddenly cut to. That side-on one from the moon. It was on above the court and it was on break point in the second set. And it turned out to be like one of the most important points in the match, like a really good rally. And I was like, I've got a massive telly. And I was like squinting trying to figure out like where the ball is. It was like, what are we doing? Like, I think it's fine as a replay, but like don't show the sport like that.

27:49Matt Roberts: Can you remember this from either of the 1000s or from Wuhan previously? I wonder if there was a different director.

27:59David Law: Oh, yeah, there's definitely a different director. I mean, it was actually...

28:02Matt Roberts: But like a different director, like, you know, a supply teacher.

28:06David Law: Yeah, well, or somebody who's a bit arty, you know, because two or three rounds earlier... Do you know what, David?

28:13Matt Roberts: I bet it's somebody French. French telly, I'm telling you. I know Cameron, when I used to do Eurosport work back in the day, not that long ago but back in the day when Eurosport was you know you'd have Eurosport International and then there'd be Eurosport Germany, Eurosport France, maybe some other Eurosport countries, GB I was obviously there doing GB and there'd be a pool of cameramen and that they were so many of them were great blokes and I think I mean it was universally blokes shouldn't have to be but it was blokes anyway um and only some of them could could do france and germany because of the crazy camera angles involved and the amount of crouching and the amount of holding cameras like on like because of the the physically weird positions they had to get themselves into in order to fulfill the brief of the direct the game shit and mats brief that was that was on international that was that was for a universal audience anyway

29:25David Law: they love that stuff yeah well i mean there was a moment where the actual world field feed commentators said something like we don't have any control over the cameras folks just so you know i didn't hear that wow that's a couple of days ago i think it was kevin skinner who's uh

29:43Matt Roberts: That's interesting. See, that implies getting lost in the technical weeds here, but that implies that it was locally produced.

29:53David Law: I got the sense.

29:55Matt Roberts: Rather than, okay, so maybe I've unnecessarily slandered French and German TV.

30:00David Law: Yeah, but it enabled us to get a good tale out of it, Catherine, so I've enjoyed it.

30:07Catherine Whitaker: Well, France, Germany, local people in Wuhan, stop it.

30:15David Law: Matt's put the hammer down

30:18Matt Roberts: Okay on that note that is it for part one we'll be back in part two to talk about the men and Shanghai

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33:19Matt Roberts: Welcome back to part two of today's tennis podcast where we head to Shanghai now and the ATP Masters 1000 event won by Alejandro Davidovic Fikina. Checkmate for Davidovic Fikina against David Ferrer in the game of chess that they are apparently playing. Not sure Ferrer knows that he's playing chess, but Davidovic Fikina definitely does. The biggest title of his career coming from a set down to beat countryman Rafael Hodder in the final, coming from a set down to beat Alexander Zverev, the world number one in the semis. Matt, tell us about this run to the title for Alejandro Davidovic Fikina. I mean, he's just a different person.

34:12Catherine Whitaker: Post-first title, Davidovic Fakina is a different player. I mean, honestly, he used to mess it up all the time, get himself in great positions and fall to pieces, quite frankly. And it was tough to watch. I think everyone has always enjoyed his brand of tennis. He's fun to watch. he's explosive, he's athletic and all of that remains which is brilliant and now you have a bit more faith in him in the big moments I think he has a lot more faith in himself and it's great to see we talked about how he saved a match point against Tiafoe in a deciding set tie break earlier this tournament he won a deciding set tie break against Hercatch he came from a set down as you say against Zverev and outlasted him and in this one today against Hodder he is getting taken apart, quite frankly, in that first set.

35:07Catherine Whitaker: Total mismatch. Hodder was timing the ball sweetly. He was hitting the ball with such great depth. Davidovic Fikina was a bit unsettled, a bit agitated, I felt, like he couldn't get into the match. He went to break down in the second set, Davidovic Fikina. And yet, you know, I genuinely think him of a few months ago might have just lost in straight sets or might have worked his way back in and then let it go. But there was just not that today. He got back into the match. He held on and squeezed through a second set tie break and then was physically the stronger player in the third set. And it's just fantastic to see for a guy who, yeah, lost his first five ATP finals, had match points in a couple of those.

35:58Catherine Whitaker: His coach dumps him during the middle of the French Open. And since then, it's been such a turning point. He's won three titles now. You know, since the French Open, it's absolutely fantastic. He's been one of the best players this second half of the season. And I'm so pleased for him. And as you say, it's one of the good guys, isn't he? it's an interesting move in in in the whole spanish davis cup team dynamics now as well so that's that's going to be an interesting narrative through to the end of the season

36:32Matt Roberts: yeah i'll come back to you for actually no no just just just where are we with that i mean i know we've heard nothing from ferrer as far as as far as i know he did do an interview on uh on the

36:48Catherine Whitaker: Spanish radio, I believe it was. But he didn't say a lot. You surprised me.

36:55Matt Roberts: How difficult, extremely potted summary. Ferrer has named four of his team. Technically, there is one more spot available, but he has not been a Davidovich Vekina guy, Ferrer. All signs point to him not wanting to pick Alejandro Davidovich-Vikina and Davidovich-Vikina has basically made no secret of the fact that this week in the Shanghai was his come and get me plea. And he did that pretty well, I would say, by going and winning the title. I think he might be a point to prove guy, Davidovich-Vikina. You know, the being dumped by Mariano Puerta mid-French Open and, you know, now this. I love those guys.

37:46Matt Roberts: Those are some of my favourite guys, the point-to-prove players. And he wrote something cryptic about chess after the semi-finals. He's now gone and blooming won the title, beating Rafael Hodder, who is one of the four names that has been put on the team sheet. We don't know if David Ferrer is moved at all by this. but David can you see a world where he doesn't pick Alejandro Davidovich Fikina for his Davis Cup team now and if he doesn't how does he possibly defend that I mean I think it'd be

38:27David Law: pretty churlish really to to not pick him now I mean I realize Davidovich Fikina is I mean yes you say he's a nice bloke and I don't doubt that but he's pretty high maintenance isn't what makes you say that he gives money to animal shelters david yeah he's one of his sponsors is a dog rescue charity no i i as i say lovely but i mean i think he's quite capable of being a pain

38:54Matt Roberts: in the ass right um but in what's it hang on in what sense oh my god because this is a team with rafael hodar in it who last pod we were talking about him you know calling a ball kid a fucking something. You know, like there's high maintenance, like what, what do we mean by high maintenance here? Matt,

39:14David Law: why wasn't he in the team in the past? I mean, there's a reason, right?

39:19Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, I, I don't know what's gone on between Ferrer and Davidovic for Kina, but I sort of think that all the stuff that he's been writing on the, on the camera. We just assume that Matt

39:35Matt Roberts: knows everything about things happening in Spain. you know basically it yeah i get the sense that all the stuff that he's been writing on the camera

39:45Catherine Whitaker: did another one today apertura española which is apparently another chess move and it means spanish opening i mean it's like it's like perfect to describe what is happening in the davis cup but as much as we love that and as much as that has turned turned i think as you say i've been playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder seems to be the best version I don't get the sense that that is really what David Ferrer is looking for. That sort of slightly disruptive character, which I think...

40:16Matt Roberts: Hasn't he been painted into the corner of being the disruptive character? Like that's all he has the option to be at this point.

40:24Catherine Whitaker: At this point, yes, but I think he has done some stuff in the past that David Ferrer hasn't liked.

40:31Matt Roberts: Such as? Is it just that he hasn't kissed the ring? Like I said, I don't know.

40:36David Law: well it's it it has come across in the past that that he has been banging on about how he should have been in the team in previous years well maybe he's okay well yeah maybe he hasn't been winning anything but but it's the it's the captain's decision and how about respecting it but i do think david ferrers made some bad decisions sure but i can understand why there's friction if you like as a result yeah it's um but but look i still the bottom line is the the guy is playing out of his mind and he deserves to be in that team if there's a space in that team he should be in it um so i i think i'm quite sure they're capable of figuring it out but look just little things that i've seen and heard davidovich vikina say and do over the course of time he is quite an abrasive um character he's lovable i think he's absolutely adorable sometimes and i think he's probably a nightmare at other times i mean just watching him in a match he you you i wasn't i know it's hodda who's who's done the the the f words at a ball kids but the eye is drawn the ear is drawn to what davidovich fakina is doing at all times he always seems to be playing outrageous shots terrible errors there was one moment where a stat popped up that he'd hit two forehand winners and 23 unforced errors on his forehand and and there's noise coming out and he's ranting at his support team and he's he always seems to be having a bit of an existential crisis on a on a tennis court and what i loved about him is that he managed to sort of swallow that um when he was break points down and it looked like it was about to just tail away in in the in i think in the second set and and he's down break points on his serve and he saved them one at a time diligent uh methodical tennis and i and i mean he's a brilliant watch isn't he i mean he's shot making he's outrageously good sometimes he's the the clean ball strike he's got i mean it takes some doing to beat that that guy although and he did sort of break him down physically at the end i By the way, I don't know how Hodder is still doing this.

42:56David Law: You know, six or eight months into his season when he's just 20 and he keeps having run-ins with everybody. What a resilient character to have all that fallout the other day, issue an apology about it eventually. When asked.

43:10Matt Roberts: We'll come on to that.

43:12David Law: Yeah. It's not quite issuing. It's quite a lot for a 20-year-old to deal with all this stuff, isn't it? And he's still the bloke in the final. He beats Daniel Medvedev. I mean, I do find it very impressive. And therefore, I find it even more impressive that Davidovic Fikina's beaten him after losing the first set to 6-1. I thought he was going to get thrashed. Me too.

43:34Matt Roberts: Me too. And look, I'm not arguing that Davidovic Fikina isn't a chaotic tennis player. I just don't think that necessarily translates to being like a difficult character on a Davis Cup team. Not sure we've necessarily seen evidence of that.

43:52David Law: I haven't seen him on many Davis Cup teams but he keeps on talking out doesn't he and I just think Ferrer isn't the talking out guy no yeah I think that's true

44:02Matt Roberts: and I think we're in a position now where it would require an ego climb down for David Ferrer to pick Davido at Shakina and I don't know not many men in tennis seem capable of ego climb downs

44:20Catherine Whitaker: to me and also

44:22Matt Roberts: to be proven wrong.

44:23Catherine Whitaker: You know, for his last ever go at it as Davis Cup captain, you know, Ferreira's stepping down. He would have to bring in a guy who he's never really liked and, okay, he's going to want to go out on a high and win it, but I think he thinks he can do that anyway without Davidovic Fikina as long as Alcaraz and Hodder are there. You know, he probably thinks he can win it without Davidovic Fikina.

44:45Matt Roberts: He now probably thinks he's in a point-to-prove situation of, okay, I'll prove the point that I can do it without you, Alejandro.

44:52Catherine Whitaker: Which is why I think that as much as I enjoyed the Davidovich Fikina writing on the camera trying to make his point, I think it might have helped him more if he'd just sort of quite quietly gone about it and won Shanghai, not made it all personal again. Like, I don't think that is really what Ferrer is looking for as much as I get why he's doing it. And I think he's got the right to sort of have the hump. because...

45:21David Law: I still think it would be churlish, though, from Ferrer to actually deny him a place. I think that would be... And also, I think it would be counterproductive to the goal of trying to win the thing. Me too. Because you might not need him as your first choice, but if there's an injury, that's the guy I want coming in. Absolutely.

45:37Matt Roberts: What is Alcaraz's relationship with Davidovic-Shakina like? Because I'm sure a word... If Alcaraz said, I'd like him there... Because, you know, that was helping... That was giving Karenja Busta an assist onto the team for a while there, wasn't it?

45:51Catherine Whitaker: Doesn't he just get on with everyone? It's definitely nothing like that relationship.

45:55Matt Roberts: No. But is it... I have no idea. No, okay, sorry. I'm assuming too much Spanish knowledge from that. Come on, Matt. Up you go. Hodah beat Daniel Medvedev in straight sets in the semifinals, was asked about the ball kid incident that we discussed in our last episode in a press conference and he did express regret about it. He was asked whether he had spoken to the ball kid and he said he hadn't but he did intend to. I do think that is something that should probably be followed up on because I don't think that's difficult to seek out that ball kid and actions speak louder than words. I was pleased to hear that he did think that was the right thing to do.

46:48But I hope he does it.

46:51Matt Roberts: And I hope that's asked about in the future. Anything either of you want to add about that?

47:02David Law: Not really. I mean, like I said, I think he behaved like an arse. And he deserved the criticism. but I also think it's absolutely mind-blowing that he managed to just, and he's done this several times now. Like he's had things happen, and I think he, I do still cut him some slack because he's never done a year on the tour before. But I just, he reminds me a little bit of early Djokovic as somebody who came on the scene, put a few noses at joint now and again, threatened the established order, wasn't necessarily accepted. Everybody's used to Al Krasncener and how you behave and all the rest of it.

47:47David Law: And he comes along and he just keeps winning. When you think he's out on his feet, he ends up in the final of a Masters 1000. I think it's bloody impressive. And he's thrown in a couple of awful performances along the way. That really weird US Open one and then the press conference where he was really clipped in the way he was answering. He just didn't want to be there, and he just tried to keep everything as short as possible. Again, he's 20. I'm trying to give benefit of the doubt a little bit there, but I just find him a really interesting character and really impressive that I'm waiting for this massive fall-off the way most young players have when they get into this little spiral, and he just comes again.

48:32Matt Roberts: I guess the counter to the impressive thing, I agree, like on a tennis level, it is really impressive. And the kind of compartmentalisation ability probably will serve him well from a tennis perspective. But like, should it not have affected him more like what he did? and would it not be slightly more reassuring if he had a bit of an existential crisis about that once he had once the red mist had dissipated and he sort of realised what he had done I don't know and just the comments about I'll never do that again I really hope he means that but this isn't the first time And we've seen him do it.

49:26Matt Roberts: You know, this is the worst offence. But it's not like, oh, my gosh, it was a one-off. I'm totally ashamed of myself. I don't know. The proof will be in the pudding, I think.

49:40Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, yeah. But I think it's the first time he's been properly called out for this. And therefore, I am definitely looking, you know, to see whether he does it again or not. I think I didn't want to sort of get into it the other day because it felt like cutting him slack. And I didn't I really didn't want to cut him any slack because I feel like he should know better. But but I do think that linguistically, just not to sort of get too far into it, like that is what he said. and the way he said it is a very familiar, colloquial way of speaking in Spain, that all of his peers probably talk like that all the time.

50:23Catherine Whitaker: Now, I'm not saying, I'm not trying to cut him slack there, because I think he should know, even at his age, that you don't speak like that to someone if you're trying to be nice and polite to them. It's colloquial and familiar, but it's still a bit rude. And I think he absolutely should have known better and definitely should know better for the future. But I do think sometimes translating it into English does make it seem a lot more aggressive and sort of nasty than I think it actually was. It's the only sort of slight caveat I want to give him because I don't think it was aggressive. I think it was rude, as we talked about, and I think he needs to not talk like that to ball kids on tour.

51:12Catherine Whitaker: But it does require a sort of just cultural adjustment for him to make that, you know, as a young person, he is going to encounter that more and more. And he needs to he needs to get better at doing it. And he was absolutely wrong. And it was right that the warning was given. I think it's good that you've got like a native speaker to pick up on that sort of thing in the umpire's chair. but I would have liked him to have issued an apology without being asked about it. I think he could have done it on social media. He could have done it earlier. He could have opened his press conference by doing it.

51:45Catherine Whitaker: I still think he could have handled all of it better but mostly I will be judging him more now going forward. Do not do that again. You've probably had more chances to be honest than some others.

52:03Matt Roberts: Just before we move on to your men's nightmare tour update, doubles results from the week, both here and in Wuhan. In Shanghai, Lucas Meadler and Neil Oberleitner became the first all Austrian pair to win an ATP Masters 1000 title, didn't drop a settled tournament, only their second event playing together as a pair. So that's pretty wild. Congratulations to them. and in Wuhan, Defani did it again. Gabby Dabrowski and Luisa Stafani won the title, also not dropping a set all tournament. They beat Katarina Siniarkova and Storm Hunter in the final. Did you see the closing stages of Siniarkova and Hunter's semi-final against Irani and Paolini?

52:52David Law: Yes, I did. I saw the underarm serve from Irani when she had match point and then I saw the wild double faults that followed.

53:01Matt Roberts: Yes, I think there were two back-to-back underarm serves and one was on a second serve and Paolini and Irani were both standing on the same side of the court, which they do do sometimes, but it looks mad. And if it doesn't work, it is pretty embarrassing. The whole thing was chaos.

53:21Catherine Whitaker: It is crazy, I think, to do a... Look, Irani doesn't have a big serve anyway, So if you're both standing on the same side of the court, whatever serve Irani does, you're leaving yourself very exposed to the return up the line. But particularly if you're doing an underarm serve, like Paolini seemed a bit annoyed about it, I thought.

53:43Matt Roberts: Yeah, I thought so. That was, yeah. Yeah, for Paolini, I thought that was. Yeah. If that was Ostapenko, I wouldn't remark at all on the level of annoyance. but for Jasmine Paolini, I thought she was like, come on.

53:58David Law: The one serve that Arani did that went long at the end there. I mean, that looked like a paper aeroplane flying through the sky. It was just swishing around the place. Yeah.

54:14Matt Roberts: Congratulations to Dabrowski-Stefani. Got to be the in-form team, maybe the favourites for the finals. Of course. Certainly on four. I mean, the conditions in Indian Wells are pretty specific, aren't they? I'd have to look up their Indian Wells record. Well, they've only played together ones.

54:31Catherine Whitaker: But anyway, it feels like there could be a,

54:35Matt Roberts: might not go on form the finals because of those conditions. But we'll see.

54:40Catherine Whitaker: I think it's a little hard to judge because Siniakhov has just been playing with other partners in the last couple of weeks, still making it to finals and playing well and getting there. But we haven't seen her with Townsend in these last few weeks. So Sineacova's still in form and, you know, put Towns in next to her. And, you know, that's obviously a very strong team.

55:02Matt Roberts: So your ATP Nightmare Tour finals qualification update. Here we are. So we have 700 points separating Flavio Caballi in fifth. The top four have already qualified. Obviously, we know the Annex Sinner won't be there. So we have 700 points separating Flavio Caballi in fifth and Novak Djokovic in 11th. So Caballi is on 3 ,540. Just over 100 points behind him is Daniel Medvedev, who collected semi-final points in Shanghai. Then we have Francis Tiafoe in seventh. He is only 40 points behind Medvedev. Then we have Artifis in eighth. He is 60 points, 55 points behind Tiafoe. Then we have Hodar in ninth, who is, oh my gosh, on the spot maths.

56:00Matt Roberts: He's 65, 66 points behind Fies. Then we have De Mino in tenth, who is a couple of hundred points behind Hodar. And then Novak Djokovic, who is 40 points behind De Mino. So it is unbelievably tight. and there are still five places up for grabs, given that ninth place will qualify for the finals as a result of Yannick Sinner confirming that he won't play. And the plot twist here, folks, is that Novak Djokovic has taken a wild card into Basel. I love this. I love that Novak Djokovic is the one, at 39 years old to go on a nightmare tour. I'm so into it.

56:51David Law: Yeah, and I bet you he won't regard it as a nightmare tour. I bet he'll have a big smile on his face because he's got nothing to lose anymore and it's not like Mazzetti who's trying to make his dreams happen.

57:03Matt Roberts: But I think he wants it, David.

57:05David Law: Yeah, no, he does.

57:07Matt Roberts: I think he really wants it.

57:07David Law: I don't think he'd be bothering otherwise. I mean, it was a bit of a surprise to me when he played Shanghai, But then when I saw his TV interview after winning Beijing, the way he was saying, you know, it's great. I'm in form now, so I might qualify. And I thought, oh, well, that's done the world of good for the ATP finals, hasn't it?

57:29Matt Roberts: Look, it would be a boost for the tournament, wouldn't it, if Djokovic does qualify. I suspect everyone at the ATP is cheering him on in Basel. It's interesting that he's gone for Basel and not Vienna. I mean, I'm sure he's got a hefty appearance fee. Vienna had obviously signed up Carlos Alcaraz. We assume with the appearance fee that they were going to be paying Yannick Sinas and maybe they couldn't afford Djokovic or maybe Djokovic had offers from both and thought Basel was more winnable given that Alcaraz isn't going there. And he's played in the years that he has played an event this week.

58:08Matt Roberts: He's tended to play Vienna rather than Basel. It is an interesting decision that it's Basel.

58:12David Law: Maybe they'd used all their wild cards up. Imagine that. You know, just sort of, hi, can I get a wild card? Actually, you probably can get whatever you want, can't you, with his record? I think there is that rule for somebody who's been on the tour as long as he has. Yeah, where you can get a super wild card or something like that. I remember that from my Queen's days.

58:36Matt Roberts: Yeah. Yeah. Is he going to do it, Matt?

58:40Catherine Whitaker: Well, I think for me, as much as, you know, he might gather some points in Basel, I'm sort of thinking maybe if he plays Basel, he's more likely to then play well in Paris. You know, like come back on tour, play indoors, get himself into a bit of form. And Paris is the one where he's, you know, he's had a really good record there in the past. There's more points on offer. like perhaps it could be a bit of a play to really make sure he's peaking in in Paris he'd obviously been assuming he was going to be playing a few matches indoors at the six kings slam that isn't happening so it's opened this up for him to be able to play in in Basel it's also perhaps a bit of a play for title number 103 which would equal Federer do it in Basel where Federer won title 103.

59:31Catherine Whitaker: Like you wouldn't put that past Novak Djokovic as something that he would like to do and be capable of doing. And yeah, look, I am really into this race to the ATP finals. There's a fresher feeling to this field to me than we've had in previous years. Like given that you've got, okay, it's obviously a massive blow not to have Sinner and that Italian representation, but can Caballi make sure there's Italian representation? Then you've got guys like Tiafoe, Fies, Hodder, all trying to be there for the first time. And then you've got Djokovic on this nightmare tour trying to rack up the points. It's a nice narrative to have at the end of a long slog of a season.

1:00:15Matt Roberts: Yeah, it's brilliant. I'm into it. We'll keep you posted on it. That is it for part two. We'll be back in part three to tell you about the news that's dropped from Andrea Gaudenzi and the ATP this week, their vision for the future.

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1:01:45Matt Roberts: Welcome back to part three of today's tennis podcast. Now, you might have seen that the head of the ATP, Andrea Gaudenzi, made a big announcement this week. He released a Q &A. He has set out his series of proposals for the next stage of his ATP One Vision strategy. Now, these proposals are all subject to further consultation. These are not set in stone and they require board approval. But they would, if voted through, come into effect in 2028. There are four main areas of concern here, financial, scheduling, ranking points and competition formats. And there are kind of six proposals. This was a long press release.

1:02:32Matt Roberts: I'm going to try and keep it as pithy as possible for you. Proposal number one, the bonus pool will increase from$21.5 million to$50 million. dollars. Caspar Rood's ears are pricking up at the sound of this. So that's more than doubling the bonus pool. The proposed payments be linked more closely to performance at the Masters 1000 events rather than simply a player's final ranking. They're introducing$25 million in additional support for the top 250 players, support towards players career costs for lower ranked players essentially meeting expenses such as coaching travel and accommodation precise distribution of those funds is yet to be finalized as a proposed 30 million dollars a year additional towards pension contributions something that the players have been talking about a lot recently there's a proposed change to the ranking points system so results at the biggest tournaments would carry greater weight.

1:03:45Matt Roberts: The ATP also proposes removing the rule allowing players to replace three weaker Masters 1000 results with better results from ATP 500 or 250 tournaments. The aim there is to reduce the incentive to enter extra events after an early defeat simply to protect or improve ranking. there's a proposal aimed at restructuring the calendar so they want dedicated weeks for different tournament categories making a more predictable season and easier for players to plan their schedule this all incorporates the planned masters in Saudi Arabia which would become the tour's 10th event of that level the proposals also point towards fewer ATP 250 tournaments and probably the most controversial proposal is a review of doubles formats and prize money now obviously this was leaked earlier in the season during Wimbledon I think it was and there there is already been a lot of outcry about this and confirmation here in the proposals that the ATP is considering changes to doubles draw sizes and the financial model for doubles any prize money reallocated from doubles would remain within player compensation, but is expected to go towards singles qualifying and early round prize money.

1:05:18Matt Roberts: No mention of two week long masters. It does. These proposals, maybe the doubles, doubles ones aside, none of it seems egregious to me, David. it does just feel slightly, well, not slightly, it feels a lot like the ATP executives are just sort of existing in a parallel universe to the one that the rest of us are kind of from the outside looking in at the sport. It feels like none of these proposals really address what are the heart of the issues with the sport on the ATP side. it's it's more kind of like well if you have if we give you a bit more money will you will you

1:06:06David Law: shut up about that stuff and we definitely play all the masters 1000s which is you know what they want them to do um and the problem is pretty much every top player is saying the masters 1000s are a bit of a nightmare to play now because they're so exhausting and everybody's getting injured and all these sort of things. Now, obviously, the injuries aren't necessarily cause and effect, but there are lots of injuries. There's a lot of dissatisfaction with what they're like, you know, and fans generally don't seem to like these two-week Masters 1000 events anywhere near as much as they used to like the other format.

1:06:46David Law: But there's not that much news about them in this set of announcements at all. I mean, in fact, there's none. I mean, other than we're giving you lots more money and we expect you to play them and they think that they're making it easier or at least more difficult not to play them. By putting other tournaments instead of those ranking points. It's just not the point. You're sort of, you're kind of not solving the problem. that everybody says that there is, in my opinion. And, yeah, I'm a bit frustrated with that. I mean, I'm not surprised, though. Not surprised in the least. But, you know, until they realize that actually their big plan of making these tournaments longer in order to create more money is actually for the vast majority of us.

1:07:47Now, maybe there's this way deeper pool of players

1:07:51David Law: up to 250 of them, great, everybody getting more money. But most people who actually care about tennis think that this system is a bit crap compared to what it used to be. And unfortunately, the crapness is going to carry on because they've decided that this is their way to create more money. Yeah.

1:08:13Matt Roberts: Again, though, recycle my previous point about men with big egos.

1:08:22Matt Roberts: not being prepared to admit having got, if something requires them to admit, if their ego depends on admitting they've got something wrong, I just, yeah.

1:08:36David Law: The proof is in the title, One Vision. That feels like what Gaudenzi's One Vision was. It's just that it's a bit crap. And unfortunately, when you've made such a song and dance about how great it all is, it's quite hard to walk that back, isn't it?

1:08:55Matt Roberts: Yeah, it's cognitive dissonance. You've got to create a universe where you weren't wrong. You've got to create a reality where, no, I wasn't wrong, didn't get it wrong. Let's just keep going down this road. It is frustrating. Any reaction from you, Matt?

1:09:15Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, similar really. It feels like a big doubling down on the 1 ,000s being the focus. And we want all of our top players to be playing the 1 ,000s. And we're not actually that worried about whether they play that many 500s or 250s. And we're going to try and create a world where they're not playing that many of them. And look, I would point to Yannick Sinner's clay court season as an example of how even just playing the 1000s, if you're going deeper, all of them now that they're two weeks, too much. You know, Yannick Sinner talked about that. Like he is not going to be playing that schedule again, I think, no matter the money incentive coming at him.

1:10:02Catherine Whitaker: So, yeah, as David said, doesn't really feel like it's solving the problem that they've created by making them all two weeks. And I did think there was an interesting contrast with the WTA proposals for next year or plans, actually, for next year that have come into place as a result of the Tour Architecture Council, which was very much a collaboration, I think, between the WTA Tour and the players. and something that is happening on the WTA next year is that players can replace a 1 ,000 result with a stronger 500 or a 250, which is something that the players wanted. That was very much what Pagula was talking about in that video that they put together, greater flexibility there in terms of your schedule.

1:10:49Catherine Whitaker: It seems like the ATP are trying to get rid of flexibility and more this is what you should be playing and will be playing and yeah I'm just interested to see whether whether that's going to go down well with the players because I can't imagine that the ACP players would have very different feelings to the to the WTA players on that um so yeah that was something that jumped out to me the bonus pool thing will I mean it will probably be affected effective for a

1:11:22Matt Roberts: up to a certain level of player. Like they will kind of be bought off by that. There's no need for Kasper Ruud to catch Strays again, but we all know that I'm thinking Kasper Ruud. But it's not going to work on Carlos Alcaraz and Yannick Sinner, especially not when there's a parallel market of exhibition events. Yannick Sinner won$6 million for the Six Kings Slam last year, plus an appearance fee, presumably. Now I know that that is likely not to happen this year because of the part of the world it's in. But like, and that's probably more than other, well, is more than other exhibitions are offering.

1:12:02Matt Roberts: But like, that's the ballpark of sums of money that they can get for exhibition type events. Like increasing the bonus pool isn't going to touch the sides with Sinner and Alcaraz and certainly Djokovic. although I understand why Djokovic wouldn't be a part of the thinking for like long-term future plans. But, and let's be real, like Kasparud, he's caught astray again. Like, you know, the tour isn't thriving of Kasparud. It needs Sinner and Alcaraz to be in to this, to want to play on the tour rather than playing exhibitions. I don't want them to be playing exhibitions rather than playing on the tour, but I do understand why they are with the state of affairs as they currently stand.

1:12:54Matt Roberts: So I just, yeah, I just don't think this is going to have the effect that they want it to. I think it, yeah, anyway, proof will be in the pudding again. Folks, that is it for, well, mostly it for today's show. let's just update you on what our plans are for the coming week. As you might have heard us mention, we're going to Wrexham tomorrow. Matt and I are off to Wrexham. Matt is playing in the one-point slam Wrexham. There's still no entry list, Matt. When do we get an entry list? When do we know what we're dealing with?

1:13:33Catherine Whitaker: I've got one more name, which is Alina Charieva, who beat Elena Rabakina a few weeks ago. Good luck then.

1:13:43Matt Roberts: and she's on my fantasy team oh we've got an hour and 13 minutes into this show and I haven't mentioned the fact after you know confessing my big ZZ Berg's boo-boo a week ago I signed Sonne Cartel a week ago can I have some credit for that?

1:14:04David Law: sure absolutely

1:14:06Matt Roberts: thank you very much yeah there is I think the draw for the one-point slam is going to be at 5pm tomorrow and I think I'm involved in it. I was going to say, you should know that, Catherine,

1:14:16Catherine Whitaker: because I think you're doing the draw.

1:14:18Matt Roberts: I think me and Billie Jean are doing the draw.

1:14:22Catherine Whitaker: Amazing what you can get dragged into, isn't it? It's not going to be fixed. I don't want any accusations of bias.

1:14:29Matt Roberts: Billie Jean would fix it for you if she could, Matt. I know. I have too much of an innate sense of fairness, of course, for that. the One Point Slam is at 7pm UK time tomorrow Monday night and is available on the BBC iPlayer and on YouTube for international audiences we're going to put the link to the stream to the live stream in the show notes we will also put it on our Instagram the whole day tomorrow will be on Instagram gotta make this road trip worth our while Matt and we will email out the link to our subscribers as well. So, yeah, keep across our channels and keep across Matt's progress in the One Point Slam Wrexham.

1:15:23Matt Roberts: We are back with a show for Friends of the Pod on Tuesday. That show is about the Hall of Fame and controversial entrants and controversial players that were denied entry to the Hall of Fame that were put on the ballot and not voted in. And I think there's going to be some hot debate to be had on Tuesday. I'm really looking forward to this show. That is live at 8pm on YouTube for Friends of the Tennis Podcast. We will put the link to become a friend in our show notes as always. Then David is heading on holiday. Holly David.

1:15:59David Law: I think I'll need it after this week.

1:16:02Matt Roberts: You're not the one driving to Wrexham.

1:16:04David Law: I know, but I've got to hear about it. I'm tense.

1:16:11Matt Roberts: We're still back with a pod.

1:16:12David Law: I'll be hanging on every word and what goes on.

1:16:17Matt Roberts: We're still back with a pod on Monday, folks, so don't worry. And we will have for company Charlie Eccleshare. Don't call it a comeback. We've missed Charlie. He's been off on paternity leave. but he was very quick to accept the invitation to come on the tennis podcast. So Charlie has got months worth of tennis takes bottled up and I hope he's going to have some this week on, you know, El Matty and such. So Charlie, Matt and I will be back with the pod on Monday. We have a mascot for this episode. It's Charlie. Charlie is owned by Rachel, who is already responsible for shouting out her brother's dog earlier in the year.

1:17:01Rachel, what a hero.

1:17:04Matt Roberts: What a pet mascot hero. Charlie is the senior dog of our pack, says Rachel. Last year, we shouted out the whole farm here in Idaho. Eleven total. I remember that. It was so many animals. but Charlie will be 13 on September the 15th and is truly the very best dog I've ever had this is his second solo mascot run the very best dog I've ever had that's so lovely look at him what a handsome elder statesman and you've reminded me Rachel that of the big news that Elena Rabakina has a new puppy tiny puppy teeny tiny yeah i think that's a that's the size that billy jean was when we when we got her she hasn't said the breed and she hasn't said the name it could be a billy jean but it's hard to tell it's hard to tell at this stage but i i will i will update you as i get news.

1:18:08Matt Roberts: But for now, we have Charlie. Here he is in the snow, blending in, looking very handsome. So thank you, Rachel, for bringing Charlie back to be a mascot once again. Hello to our mascots, Bodhi Mazie and Roger. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff. Let's have some shout outs, Matt.

1:18:30Catherine Whitaker: We have Sardna Athreya. Oh, hello, Sardna. Hey, Sardna. Sardana is from Delhi in India, but has lived in Boston, LA, London, and now Connecticut over the last 16 years. Wow.

1:18:48Matt Roberts: Giving us an opportunity to say, we drove through Connecticut a few weeks ago. Thank you, Sardana. I wonder what part of Connecticut, potentially Milford. Is that where we stopped off? Milford?

1:19:01David Law: Yes, it is. Yeah, we had that very substandard burger that you ate that I didn't. We'll probably be having another something like that tomorrow.

1:19:14Catherine Whitaker: No, we've got to feel well.

1:19:16Matt Roberts: Well, on the way back, I was thinking.

1:19:18Catherine Whitaker: Oh, on the way back, yeah.

1:19:20Matt Roberts: I think things could get dark on the way back.

1:19:24David Law: Need a pickup.

1:19:26Matt Roberts: No, we just mean in terms of, you know, desperation, middle of the night. You know, got to take what you can get.

1:19:34Catherine Whitaker: do we know anything else about Sardner? Sardner has been listening to the pod since the good old Putney Exchange days what days they were

1:19:48Matt Roberts: love that gosh that was a long time ago now

1:19:52David Law: sure was we should go and do a show there just for old time's sake not sure how we get it on video

1:19:59Matt Roberts: yeah wow Would you think Costa would be up for that? Us getting Matthew in, setting up a camera. I'm not sure how up for us recording they were at the time.

1:20:14David Law: No.

1:20:14Matt Roberts: I think they found it a bit curious.

1:20:16David Law: No, we got a few funny looks, didn't we? We didn't have any alternatives back then. The technology wasn't available to do what we're doing right now.

1:20:26Matt Roberts: Thank you, Sadhana. and finally we have justin from new york hello justin justin says i can pinpoint the day i fell

1:20:38Catherine Whitaker: in love with live in-person tennis it was the third round of the 2021 u.s open justin says i'm a local and i've been to some night sessions before but never a day session after seeing Azarenka and Muguruza slug it out in the 12pm slot on Ash. I was settled in to see definite future slam winner Stefanos Tsitsipas crush some teenage upstart I had heard little about, Carlos Alcaraz. And within the first few points, I was shocked and awed by Alcaraz's speed, power and daring charges to the net. He instantly became my favourite male player on tour and I am forever chasing the high of being at ground zero of the arrival of a phenom.

1:21:25Catherine Whitaker: That is cool.

1:21:27Matt Roberts: I remember that day. What a day that was. Are you wanting to say, Matt, that actually wasn't ground zero? Ground zero was when you saw him in Barcelona when he was 13?

1:21:37Catherine Whitaker: You know, I wasn't going to bring it up, but absolutely. Come on, Justin, get with it.

1:21:44Matt Roberts: Justin was a late adopter. Four years late. Come on. yeah god that really was a day yeah really remember that Sitsabass had had that ordeal with Andy Murray in the previous round hadn't he

1:22:01Catherine Whitaker: yeah in the bathroom toilet break

1:22:04Matt Roberts: yeah wow what a time we are part of the Athletic Podcast Network folks we are back on Tuesday for Friends of the Pod we are back next Monday for everybody else We'll be in Wrexham tomorrow. Do follow along with the journey on Instagram. Make that journey worth our while. Matt's going to do his very best and that's going to be enough. That's what my son is going to say. I can't wait. Thank you all for listening. We will speak to you soon.

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