Live from Wimbledon Day 7 - Will Naomi Osaka win Wimbledon?

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1:17Hello and welcome to the Tennis Podcast live from Wimbledon and presented by Barclays, the official banking partner of Wimbledon. Day seven has just concluded once again in absolutely thrilling fashion. This time, as I'm sure many of you have just seen, with Coco Goff winning the race against Time and squeaking in her victory 90 seconds before the clock struck curfew here at Wimbledon. Coco, thank you. Lots to discuss tonight. I'll be doing it with David and Charlie Eccleshire of The Athletic. We are learning from past experience and mistakes, David. and last year we very famously made Matt podcast through the Lurgy on Women's Finals Day and he ended up having, for various reasons, one of the most traumatic days of his life.

2:09So Matt is resting up today. Get well soon, Matt. And this could not be a more perfect night to get bonus Charlie Eccleshare on the show because Charlie, and we have the receipts for this, Charlie, since the start of this tournament, has been big on Coco Gough. would it be right to say predicted a Coco Gauff Wimbledon victory? Very much so. How smug are you feeling right now? I'm relieved because I was, well, firstly when I made that prediction I was like at least last a little bit. A bit like with David Zsalk one at the US Open. And now I feel like it's got beyond, it's not silly now. And if I'd come on and she'd just gone out I wouldn't have even had the chance to build it up as a thing.

2:49Whereas now it's got 48 hours or just under. Like my Tiafoe one. Exactly. It's got a little under 48 hours to at least percolate with the listeners and viewers. And, you know, I think it's credible at this point. This is already new ground, isn't it? She's never been to a Wimbledon quarterfinal before. 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 over Belinda Bencic. We were introduced to Deadline Coco tonight. I loved, we did have time for a very quick on-court interview. And she knew she was right up against Deadline. I always wonder sort of how in the zone they are. Are they aware of Denise Parnell loitering in the corner of the court, pretty much tapping her watch?

3:28But she did the tapping her own wrist celebration, did Coco Goff. David, what do you think of Charlie's prediction on the back of what you've seen throughout the tournament and tonight?

3:39David Law: I was quite shocked by that prediction when you first told me about it, Charlie, just because of how sort of uncomfortable she's often seemed on grass over the last few years. And because when you told me about it a couple of two or three days ago, and I realised you'd made it earlier than that, but when you told me about it, there were still some serious grass court players in this draw who were Grand Slam champions. You know, Rybakina was still in at that point. Sviantet was still in at that point. Obviously, Sabalenka, maybe not a grass court specialist, but every single one of those, I think I would have identified as maybe certainly having more grass court pedigree and comfort than Coco Goff does.

4:24David Law: I think if you asked me which is Coco Goff's weakest surface, I would say grass. But when you explained your reasoning to me, And I thought, OK, I get where you're coming from, actually. I mean, look, it's not my pick. It's all yours. And if you get this one right, hats off. You know, as the person who likes to make loud, proud predictions and then have to just walk them back at the end of the tournament. I mean, you get a lot of this stuff right. So I like the fact that you've gone for it and I like your reasoning. You better tell us your reasoning. Yeah, I mean, the logic is in a way that it's illogical.

5:00I mean, if you're trying to pick a Wimbledon winner on the women's side, well, there's always been a different one now for basically a decade. So you're picking a new winner and you're picking someone who's therefore going to surprise you. I mean, I guess the sort of conservative play in that regard would be someone like Sabalenka, who's the world number one. And you could say, well, eventually she's just surely going to win one. I mean, it was partly because of, well, in large part because of Sviantek last year, because I just remember how much that seemed like a ludicrous proposition. You know, Svante was never going to win on the grass.

5:31You know, the forehand wouldn't work. All of that sort of stuff. And exactly the same conversations we've had about Coco Gauff. And the other thing that I felt with her is she's just never even been able to get her teeth into a Wimbledon, really. Like, since that fourth round in 2019 when she was 15, she's had one fourth round where she lost to Emma Navarro. But she was pretty bad throughout and then had that really bad Navarro loss. And I just felt if she could actually get into one of them, she might be a little bit liberated and be like, oh actually maybe I can play on this and this is quite fun she also went out fairly early in Paris so I thought that might be a factor whereas last year I think she just came here and was so knackered after all the kind of post-French Open um you know hullabaloo so that was kind of why and look it's not to say she's looked like hugely convincing so far but I did think tonight was really impressive and I felt that second round against Sierra which I was saying to you at the time was kind of like that is the kind of win you need if often if you're going to go on a run and we've got two players now from this half of the draw through to the quarterfinals that are kind of on the arc of of doing what Shontek did last year in Goff and Osaka right the whole them being brilliant Grand Slam champions not being a surprise but them doing it here now potentially a tremendous surprise um how were you feeling about your prediction Charlie I know you're out on court one for the duration of this when she served five double faults in one game and to be fair to her did win the game yeah i mean in the opening set were you thinking okay well if she can win games serving five double faults we're we're on here it was very it was very cocoa in microcosm wasn't it i mean it was like five double faults and yet somehow gets away with it in the way that she's been able to win matches when serving huge numbers of double faults um i mean I did like her intent right from the start and some of those double faults were at least good in a verticomers double faults like they weren't she was at least going for it she was cracking serves at around 120 miles an hour so I like the intent from the start but obviously yes it was a concern when she hit that many what was what I was more concerned with was how the forehand then broke down I think she was she had points uh two break points to go up five three in the first set and she missed the first one and then at 30 40 she made three forehand errors in a row and then got broken herself and lost the set but I did think you know she is very good at recovering from you know losing the first set um but yes there were concerns then problem solving is such a a key skill though and look she and we're going to talk about Jessica Begula who she faces in the quarterfinals in a minute and that is a skill that sets her apart as well and that is what Goff

8:12David Law: is showing throughout this run isn't it yeah and the interesting thing is I've just looked up at the stats the stats for the match and she she served five double faults in five minutes she only served another four in two hours and 15 you know the nine in total and I think that that's a good sign she sort of whatever it was that was going wrong she corrected because that was early on and I liked and I asked her about this in the press conference after the previous match that she's going after the serve I think it is freeing her mind and it's freeing the rest of her game even even though there were some errors on the forehand there was a lot of her going forward and she really volleys well there's some amazing athleticism at the net and she's just she it seems like she simplifies things as a result of that and now that we're getting into the sharp end of the tournament this is where she takes off she's a different player at this level and the the intent to go forward i think helps her be attacking on on the forehand 100 you could see that with a lot of forehands there were one or two actually where she was a little bit hesitant and got caught in between but that was the intention and i really liked that and i think that that really helped her when things were getting a bit tense as well it focused her she didn't really let up from that approach and i thought that was really impressive especially having lost the first set and she could easy at that point been like well this isn't really working but it what like the the process was good um and it was funny at the end because she said you know the the time pressure contributed to her getting forward so much just really wanting to end points quickly that blows my mind that that the the time pressure like that could you that a player could respond to time pressure in that way and not not totally fall apart in those circumstances but of course it's coco goff uh Goff will play, as I said, Jessica Pergula in the next round.

10:01Sluggish start from her today against Ivi Jovic, 4-6-6-3-6-1. I mean, she said it herself. Sometimes it just takes me a second to get going, she said in her press conference afterwards, where she was wearing England colours, by the way. Don't know if that was an accident, but good for you, Jessica Pergula. Who's the favourite in Pergula Goff? Well, I do worry about that a bit from a Goff perspective. I mean, I'm still backing Goff, obviously, but I think rationally speaking, maybe you would make Pagula the slight favorite. I'd be interested to see actually with, you know, who is with the bookies.

10:38I mean, I guess it would be pretty close. I think Pagula has maybe played at a more sort of steady level throughout. Goff's had more kind of fluctuations. And obviously Pagula has shown some good grass court form already this year in a way that Goff hasn't. but it's a really tight one. I mean, it's a great kind of heavyweight quarterfinal. And I think the way that the draws often have kind of fallen apart at Wimbledon on the women's side, we haven't had too many of them. So this is such an exciting quarterfinal. And it's kind of a great balance. The draw feels like it's in a great balance of like having fallen apart a little bit, like Shontek, Sebelenka, Rabakina all being gone.

11:17Like those are, at the moment with Goff not currently holding a slam, those are the biggest dogs in tennis. And yet it doesn't feel like a draw that's in disarray. It feels like a draw with stars and reliable, bankable players everywhere, even without those three names.

11:37David Law: And exciting possibilities, because I think Alexandra Iala just adds something extra altogether. But Naomi Osaka, who we'll come on to talk about today, is a true superstar that we've been waiting to have her moment again. and she's kind of had that today and yeah there's just lots of stories everywhere you look really I mean the Kalinimukova today I think is a nice story another one that we've been waiting for so yeah it's it's been enough excitement on the day it's not like Australia where we had all these names left that we were waiting to sort of clash and then they still ended up having duds until the last couple of days so we've had upsets but there's actually still enough intrigue and excitement to get your teeth into.

12:24Definitely, yeah. And nor is it one of those times where there are way too many and then you're left with kind of slightly unsatisfying matches in the quarterfinals. It has been a really perfect balance. And those two top half quarters, Mukhavera Sarka, Gough Pagula. I mean, I can't remember a better, you know, we're going to get that pair on Tuesday. Both of those are just proper heavyweight matches. 2026 Australian Open still catching strays six months later. How long can that? It's going to keep...

12:52David Law: That would always be the benchmark, wouldn't it? Absolutely. Just, David, quickly before we move on to talk about Osaka, Pagula Goff, who's the favourite there for you? I would say Pagula is the favourite for that. I mean, she's won five of their eight meetings and I just feel she's still that little bit more natural on this surface. Her flatter strikes, I think, really suit this surface. So it's a great test for Goff. I think she can test for Charlie test of mine and Matt's friendship because that's going to be me and him going head to head isn't it we can't watch it together Matt Roberts he's been a Pagula advocate from the start it's only her second Rimbledon quarterfinal that's quite something good win for her today because a set down to Jovic who took her to three sets in one of their other two meetings she hasn't beaten Pagula but to me she's sort of like mini Pagoula.

13:52David Law: She's going to be that player, that really tough nut to crack and she already is but Pagoula had to weather that first time she's lost the first set against her and she still came back on one. Doesn't panic. I still think of the Cotillareta match last year, how easy it would be to panic. Now she's in that stage of the tournament where she doesn't have to worry about things like that anymore. As you said, heavyweight clash. I think her stability will come through but Coco Goff is a Grand Slam champion and a superstar who gets better when you get into the stage of the tournament so it's pretty much a pick-em-one there Matt's in the chat and accusing you, David of having forgotten about him already Sorry, who?

14:39Not Matt David's a live-in-the-moment kind of a guy you know, he just deals with what's in front of him Love you, Matt. OK, Gough Bencic probably takes the cake as match of the day, but story of the day, result of the day, has to go to Naomi Osaka beating Irina Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6. Matt's going to hate this because I'm about to reel off a load of stats. And, well, he lives for stats. But enjoy watching this, Matt. It is the, well, it's the first Wimbledon quarterfinal for Naomi Osaka. Her first centre court win, unbelievably.

15:13David Law: Wow. She broke today Irina Sabalenka's streak of 21 Grand Slam tie breaks won in a row. She broke her streak of 14 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals in a row, going back to Roland Garros 2022. And she broke Sabalenka's streak of not losing a Grand Slam match in straight sets, going all the way back to the US Open in 2020. Azarenka, wasn't it? Azarenka 2020. I mean combining all those three things to get well no all of the more than that even the fact that you know first grand first Wimbledon quarterfinal for Osaka like that makes all of this result sound so improbable and yet watching what Osaka did today against Sabalenka really looked like the most normal thing in the world you look at that tennis player and like yeah okay of course she's going to win absolutely everything because she's unbelievable and it was a it was a very strange experience seeing Irina Sabalenka look that impotent on a tennis court and by all accounts for her I mean she used the word herself voluntarily in the opening line of her press conference she said I was overpowered today and my question to her was how strange and unsettling a feeling is that to be overpowered and the answer was very like I'm not sure I've ever seen that to that extent maybe the Serena match where the famous you want to see power I'll give you power match of a few years ago but not with this iteration of Sabalenka David no and I think it is twofold I think it is both sides of the net that um this is the first time we've seen Osaka in a big tournament serve like that you know like she used to she just served Sabalenka off the court she wasn't giving a look in she was racing through service games and that puts pressure on she was hitting lines she's got a really big first serve and it was just being struck so confidently very interesting to hear Osaka talk not about working on grass court tennis with Thomas Witkowski but actually working on her own patterns and trying to make her tennis tell i.e if it if it's there it'll work on anything particularly on grass um so I thought she played really really well she was hitting the living daylights out of out of both ground strokes but Irina Sabalenka was off you know she may she she was giving credit as well to her opponent there but she was so far off her game as I saw it.

17:54David Law: There was an 80 mile an hour serve that she had to attack and I saw her just blow the return. It just doesn't happen normally. It's been happening more recently. You know, when I think of that French Open tailspin and there have been others since then as well, she hasn't looked herself for a while now and this was like an imposter to me. And a good amount of that is due to her opponent. But, yeah, I just didn't think she'd got it from ball one tonight. Yeah, I think I'd put it slightly more on the Osaka, emphasize slightly more how good Osaka was. I agree with you. I mean, of course, Sabalenka wasn't her best, but I do think this was just an unbelievable performance.

18:41I mean, I think it was 33 out of 38 first-half points won from Osaka. I mean, Sabalenka just could not get anything. I mean, the only hope I thought she had was, do you remember that semifinal against Bagula last year at the US Open when Sabalenka won four returning points in the deciding set and won the set 6-4? All the other games were left holds. It had that fear. It was like she was getting nothing. And admittedly then, that was probably because she was slightly letting those games go. Here, there was none of that. I mean, I asked Sabalenka as well, like, what's worse or more concerning? Normally, when you lose, you can at least say, well, I've messed up.

19:18it was on my racket and I messed up. Today it wasn't even on her racket. And I wondered if that was, you know, more of a concern. Obviously her answer was basically like, well, both are crap, to be honest, which is fair enough. But it was a little bit, you know, she was just, she was a complete antagonist. Like this was, this was not about her. Osaka dominated from the start. Yeah, Hannah's line that she sent to us in the group was Sabalenka demoted from Grand Slam main characters to supporting player for the first time in five years which i think yeah totally really summed it up i mean my theory here and i did i put this to arena sabalenka and she disagreed we were putting all sorts of theories to her that she wasn't agreeing but she disagreed in a way that i don't know if you're interpreting it in a certain way maybe maybe it could have struck a nerve i don't know but my theory or potential theory is that this emotional control that she's trying to introduce to her game in these stressful highest stakes situations the emotional control that or lack thereof that has cost her big matches of late obviously most recently Dana Schneider at the French Open but the examples have seemed to be mounting up and we know she's been working with the psychologist again we know she's recognized this is a problem I need to work and I need to sort it out.

20:40And there was one or two moments today she hit the ball into the roof, didn't she? But basically, I thought, I was sort of waiting for the outburst that never came today. I thought the emotional control was there, but it made her look shackled and a shadow of herself. Those two things could be unrelated. But my theory is that that emotional wildness is Irina Sabalenka. So to eliminate it, she's feeling like she can't be herself out there at the moment. Maybe she will find a way to do the emotional control and feel like she's being Irina Sabalenka. But whereas you've got Naomi Osaka with all the fashion and this freedom that she's playing with, it's so clear that she's figuring out who she is and how to express that through her tennis and everything else that goes into tennis.

21:37and that's yielding results, I kind of see the opposite with Sabalenka based on a small sample size. Yeah, I think that's a really interesting theory. And as you were saying, it made me think of Novak Djokovic. Do you remember when he kind of neutered himself for a period and the fire went and it actually didn't really work for him. And I think he realized that and was like, sod this, I'm just gonna, I'm gonna let my frustration out when it's there. This is me, this is who I am. As evidenced by today. Yeah, exactly. He's still doing it. And yes, there are times when it probably isn't helpful, but he's found the right balance of, you know, letting out his frustration and his anger.

22:13And maybe this is all part of that process of Sabalenka that she needs to almost go too far the other way before she can find that right balance. But yeah, it was concerning. I mean, it did contribute to that flatness that it felt that she had today, that she just could never really get herself going. until, as you say, she whacked the ball out of the court. Quite impressive.

22:35David Law: I thought she cleared it. I mean, that is a big roof, right? I was watching that and she smacked it up. But the match was over. Yeah, it landed on the retractable roof on top of it and it actually didn't come back down. I know. I'm curious to know what happened. But it was a really impressive strike. But yeah, that was once the match was done. So it was like she clearly had all this pent up frustration. And we've seen that with Novak. Sometimes he does let it all out and then he really goes on a run of games or something. but yeah I guess she does have to figure that out but I can understand from her perspective why she is scarred by some of by how she's unraveled quite often and I I don't know I mean I think maybe and the US Open is now so massive for her because if she doesn't win it's the first time in ages she won't hold any of this any of the slams which again feels crazy to even be talking about that given how long she's been the world number one for and how dominant she's been but if she does win it I think maybe that just is kind of roughly where and who she is like she's not going to be someone who can keep it all together regularly enough to really dominate and be winning multiple majors in a year and but you know that's still obviously a great achievement if she can keep you know winning one a year but yeah it's hard to imagine her really going beyond that and really dominating like she's threatened to quite often because a defeat is always slightly in the offing.

23:57This wasn't really a shock today. We should say as well, just on Nusaka, how impressive all this was given she'd lost to her three times already this year. I mean, she could easily, you know, how often do we talk about match-up problems and that sort of thing and players going in and it getting in their head? There was none of that. Like, you would have had no idea watching this that she'd lost their previous three meetings.

24:16David Law: And yet it did feel as though in those meetings, Sabalenka was her kryptonite. That her weapons don't really work against Sabalenka. And I think what we saw today, I mean, A, the surface, I think, is part of it. I think it's one of those that certain players just suddenly click on a surface. But I think the main thing is the serve. I just think it started everything off so well for Osaka and it put Sabalenka on the back foot. Can Naomi Osaka win Wimbledon? Yeah. Is it fanciful or is it... No. I mean, I don't necessarily think I'd put her as the favourite, but absolutely she can win it. Yeah, I think she really can.

25:00I mean, I think after that performance, she almost has talked herself into a position of being one of the favourites. I mean, I don't know, and so much can change. I'm not saying that just by winning this, she will sustain that form, but her top level, I don't think anyone in the rest of the draw can match that top level, or certainly no one's produced a top level better than what we saw from her today. There was an incredible, very subtle bit of saltiness from Sabalenka in her BBC TV interview. She came straight to press off the court. Always makes me laugh. Which is an alarm bell. Everyone was rubbing their hands with glee, weren't they?

25:37She was still in her dress. She was still sweaty. And everyone was like, oh, OK. We've seen this before. And halfway through, she kind of broke the fourth wall. And she said, if you're expecting me to be salty and a bad loser, you're not going to get that from me today. Because hashtag learning and growing. And, you know, it's a real, I think it's a real battle for her to give the opponent credit, which I think is very genuine and she does feel that. But I also think she just has this inbuilt feeling that if I play my best, I win. Just like Serena had, you know, so to reconcile she played great, all credit to her with, yeah, but I didn't play great.

26:19It was down to me not playing great. I thought she walked that line very well, actually. But then I saw a clip of her BBC TV interview with Russell Fuller and she gave Naomi Ossar all the credit. She said she played great today. There's lots of other girls left in the draw playing great. Let's see if they can keep this level of consistency, shall we? Let's see if they can do it consistently.

26:40David Law: Because I'm going to be back. Exactly. I'm going to be even more motivated and I'm going to be playing at that level. Let's see if they can. but I mean that's a bit like you know how Serena always said players played their best against her going all the way back to Alex Ferguson used to complain how much teams would raise their game against Manchester United and you know that was all part of his mind games and that sort of thing I mean I think for Sabalenka to be fair to her you can understand why she generally thinks if I play my best I'll win because that nine times out of ten or more I mean like we said until today that generally has always been the case but that's what was so striking about today she was just completely outplayed by a player again who's top level here I mean I can't think of many Sabalenka Wimbledon performances that she's ever produced that would have got that close to Osaka today agreed so Osaka against Karolina Mukova for the Wimbledon semi-finals Mukova beating Kraychikova today 7-5 5-7 6-3 this was a bit of an ordeal for Karolina Mukova she served for it to win in straight sets in the second set she served for it at 5-3 she had led 5-2 she lost five games in a row to lose that set Kričikova was out on her feet physically by the end of this and her loss means that we will be getting a 10th new champion here 10th women's champion in 10 years that is guaranteed so yeah I guess they can they win we're probably that any of them can stage at this point.

28:14David Law: It's exciting, isn't it? I like it. And I did find this, as we expected, a connoisseurs match, the way these two played rallies throughout it. I think I joined it at five all in the first set when I really managed to focus on that as the main match. And Mukovo was just almost like a younger version of Krachikova. She looked a little fresher out there. I mean, I think Krachikova's had some tennis, but she looked so organised. And then when she went sprinting off into the distance in the second set, I mean, it really looked like a significant gap between the two, and everything Mukova was doing was working.

29:01David Law: Her big forehand was working. She was covering the net beautifully. She was just generally moving around the core, coming up with some of the most extraordinary shots that Kritikova clearly quite enjoyed watching, even though she was on the end of them at times. But then when the wheels fell off, I mean, I think Mukova did a fantastic job of regrouping there. And at the end of the second set, she went down to the end of the court with Sven Grunewald, her coach, and she just had this really matter-of-fact conversation. There was no visible frustration. there was no kind of looking for somebody to blame or something to blame she just sort of tried to take in the advice and and put her couple of questions to him and then came out and just dominated the third set and got herself into exactly the same position of five three and then when she got a chance to serve it out she was just ruthless um she was very worthy with her and um Krzykov has offered a lot at this tournament.

30:01David Law: But, yeah, there's no reason why Mukhova can't win the tournament either. I love this. I love these possibilities that exist for so many players. Yeah, and there's so many of them are players that it feels overdue, like Mukhova. I mean, obviously we've talked about her poor record here, but I dug into it a bit. And, I mean, I remember, because the previous two, one of them in 2024, she was basically straight back out of wrist surgery. She barely played for a year. So, I mean, I think that was a bit of a write-off. She lost to Bedossa. And then last year, you remember, her wrist was in such bad condition, she couldn't hit a topspin backhand.

30:37She was in that Del Potro space of having to slice everything. And then the previous couple won. She just got to the French Open final, and I think that contributed. Lost to Niemeyer as well, which had been in the quarters the year before. And then in the previous one, she lost to Halep, who was a former winner and all of that. So I think that's partly why it feels like this is so overdue, overdue because in fact she hadn't won a match since getting to the quarters in 2021 we know how much her game should suit grass i mean she's always been one of my absolute favorite players to watch so i'm so pleased she gets to play on a stage a stage that kind of befits her game and will probably introduce her to some people or quite a lot of people who won't necessarily have seen her before and i think they're just going to be like wow this yeah what a player and i mean the match with this kind of improvised lob.

31:26She hit a single-handed backhand pass earlier in the match. Great fun, great contrast of styles against Osaka. Hannah is absolutely losing her mind that you've mentioned Yulia Niemeyer and Juan Martín del Potro in the same sentence. That's like porn for Hannah. Mukova Osaka, who's the favourite? Osaka.

31:49David Law: Yeah, I think she's the favourite. and I remember their US Open match that they played last year that Osaka won but which she kind of had to dig herself out of trouble in that and I think that Mukovo was she'd had lots of long matches she was struggling physically a little she's not struggling physically now but the looks of it, touch wood I think she could carve Osaka up if Osaka doesn't play serve well she could make her feel very uncomfortable I really don't know about that one yet I'm going to give myself 24 hours to pick that David buys himself time as if something's going to change in the next year I know what you mean you get feelings don't you like this goth that was a premonition it just suddenly came to me and sometimes I like to wait until something hits you'll always be the guy that had the Vondroshofer premonition in this very spot in this spot there was a Saka premonition before the Euros final that came true So it's...

32:50David Law: Who's winning tonight in the England-Mexico match? I think England, but I haven't, I must confess, I haven't had a strong premonition, but I do think England will probably win. Okay, like that, Charlie. Only an hour and 15 minutes to go. Goff and Bencic really helped us fill that pre-England gap. We're just going to push on through, aren't we, Catherine? 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.

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34:54David Law: Design changes everything, transforming a basic routine into something extraordinary. With standout aesthetics and intuitive controls, these are functional works of art. Stunning design that never sacrifices performance. Enjoy customizable features for elevated comfort and convenience. It's more than a fixture. It's a cleaner routine and a more refined space. Experience the difference of Kohler Smart Toilets. Find more at Kohler.com. So on to the men's today. I'm going to go in reverse order here, and I'm going to start because he is the main character, of course, with Novak Djokovic, who beat Roman Sifulin today, 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

35:41David, you described this as one to get through for Novak Djokovic.

35:45David Law: Yes, he did not enjoy this one bit. So Fulin played well, I thought, and he started really well. And I think once he got, they'd sort of exchanged breaks at the start, and then he kind of found his feet, Sifulin. And really, Djokovic just, it was bitty. He wasn't flowing. You know, the difference between his game when he's just trying to piece things together and when it starts to flow is so much different to the other big two out of the big three, for instance. Nadal was never like that. Nadal, pretty much, it was always there, you know. Can you beat it? That's the question mark. Federer, I think, was mostly, it was pretty much just like, turn it on, you know, turn on the switch.

36:38David Law: and I think Djokovic has to find it. When he finds it, it's just pretty much unstoppable as we saw this year at the Australian Open in that semi-final. But this was another irritable performance. He looks hot and bothered as though, why am I having to play this guy? Not that he's trying to be disrespectful but he's all about the latter stages playing people that are a massive challenge and having to find a higher level. and I don't think he really has found that yet. Yeah, I think that's bang on. I always think with Novak, he's so much better to watch against top-level opponents because then he has to raise his level to a level to beat them and he can do that.

37:19His top level is obviously ludicrous. It's better than basically everyone but he doesn't always bring it out unless he absolutely has to. I mean, another comparison with Sabalenka, I felt his attitude today and is quite often a little bit, you know how Sabalenka has said that she needs to remind herself that she's not the only player on the court and that her opponent wants to win as well I do think sometimes Novak gives off those vibes in these sorts of matches and there was a point at which he did that thing he does that sort of pasag like finally like one of these doesn't go in you know like at last you haven't fluked in a shot yeah this one went out about effing time and it was kind of like I get that Like, that's a totally relatable way to feel.

37:59But it does just feel, I felt, you know, sometimes that's a little bit condescending to an opponent who in Sifulin, you know, really played an incredible match. And I mean, a guy who's come through qualies, had three consecutive five setters, including the last match of qualies, and has had a lot of injuries. I mean, he had that classic thing where he had a pretty rigorous MTO for this hit problem, this ongoing hit problem, but then came out and played really well. um Novak wasn't happy I mean he hit a ball away at one point which you know looked a little bit sketchy especially for a player who has been defaulted previously for didn't even get a warning didn't get a warning which was weird he'd already had a warning as well for an audible obscenity um yeah it looked sort of in control in that he he picked out where he wanted to direct it and successfully hit it there.

38:50But it also was, it was hit in anger and it was hit hard. That's what I think saved him. I mean, I've not seen a replay. I've only seen it live at the time on court and I was behind him and it did look like he basically picked his spot in between two ball kids. And he is the greatest player to ever play the game. So you'd sort of back him to make that spot. He had a pretty big margin and sure enough, he made it. Good forehand. Yeah, exactly. But still a bit of a risky thing to do. And it just reflected the fact that like David said, he was irritable throughout. I mean, he got broken in his first service game, having broken Sifulin himself.

39:23And it looked like there was sweat in his eyes or something was bothering him. Charlie, you and I both went to this Novak Djokovic press conference afterwards. And it already kind of hinted at the mood that he, well, I mean, look, it was obvious from the match. But in the post-match interview on the court, he talked about feeling inferior from the back of the court and said, I didn't want to stay in too many long rallies today. And then he comes into the press conference. You and I were both there and it was pretty bizarre, really. I found it to be a similar vibe to his second round press conference in Paris, where he had dropped that, in his view, unnecessary set in the sweltering conditions to Valentin Royer.

40:01And though he had won the match, there was a feeling of, I've fucked it for the rest of the tournament. I couldn't afford to expend that canister. I know that it's not there for me and this isn't on anymore. And sure enough, he ended up losing to Jean-François Saka in the next round. I don't think it was a physical thing today. He confirmed that he feels physically OK, but he was totally hung up on the level of tennis that he's playing. And, you know, you lofted up a beautiful putaway for him to talk about his greatest hits here at Wimbledon. because he's broken the record of most Wimbledon wins, broken Roger Federer's record of most Wimbledon wins on the men's side with that victory today.

40:49And he said, satisfaction and enjoyment was not part of today's win. So I don't want to talk about such things. Yeah, I don't know if he misunderstood or just was so in that mood. I think he was so in that mood. That's how I read it anyway. But then we discussed this press conference afterwards and you very politely basically told me I was falling for Novak Djokovic. Well, yeah, a little bit. I do do that. I do fall for things that he says in press and vibes that he gives off. And you rightly reminded me about his press conference after the Mazzetti retirement in Australia where he was basically like, oh, I'm through, but I haven't got a chance.

41:32And then he beats Sinner and I look a mug. well that would be my that's that was I think the counterpoint in my mind was that because after that he he was his mood was pretty wretched wasn't it I mean his performance had been dreadful so the whole vibe was pretty funereal and it was actually like most of us were thinking oh poor guy he's got to play sinner in a few days as if he hasn't been humiliated enough I mean like that was genuinely the vibe and so that's why I just really struggle to ever kind of fully think he's as down as he seems. And I do always wonder with him as well whether, is it a little bit of psychological warfare to his opponents?

42:12Is it sending out a little message to make them, remember like how we did with Alcaraz before they played in that 2023 French Open semi where Alcaraz eventually had those terrible cramps, but Novak was like, oh, well, isn't he the favourite? it isn't surely isn't isn't the guy you're all talking about isn't he the favorite Alex Ferguson exactly so I do wonder if because the fact that he was so keen to get into how bad he was I don't know I just wonder if that's a slightly coded message to someone like Felix you know and Felix might think I'm the number three seed and Novak saying he's playing terribly and then Novak comes and yeah no you're absolutely right look I've I I fall for this time and time again I I take it all at face value too much um the one difference is that he was terrible against Mazzetti yeah in Australia like he was right to be down about how he was playing off the back of that I think it wasn't his best today but I was alarmed at how how alarmed he was by his experience of of today like it just didn't align with what I was expecting his mood to be I was expecting him to be like well not my best day but you if you're going to win seven matches they're not all going to be your best day but he was like catastrophe clearly I can't win this Wimbledon well you know

43:22David Law: He hasn't played that well on grass for a while, really. I know he got to the semis last year. He lost to Sinner. But it was then a very straightforward loss against Sinner. He lost very straightforwardly in the final against Alcaraz a couple of years ago. I mean, listen, he's still getting to the semis in the final. Let's put it into perspective. But we didn't see what he did against Sinner this year in the Australian Open at all in the last two years on grass. And I think it really irritates him. I think he wants to find it. You know, he wants... He knows it's in there still. He believes it's in there.

44:02David Law: And where is it? And I think he's getting frustrated that it takes him longer to find his form. It takes him longer to get his body in condition. He's worried that... I think that's a very fair point you make about the Royer set, you know, from the French Open. I do think that pisses him off that he's gone and wasted a set on Roman Cefiulian with all due respect. Well, not really, but, you know, it's like... I don't mean that to be dismissive, but he needs this energy level. You know, the point when we were debating it before, Catherine, about... Because I do feel like at any moment we could see him click and then watch out everybody.

44:44David Law: But he got lucky in the Australian because he didn't have to play loads of sets because of Mazzetti getting hurt. So it was there. The energy levels were there. I think against Felix, Felix is such a great pro who's going to come out and put his game out there. Djokovic is going to feel Felix's game. I'm sure of it. I don't think he throws in a duffer of a performance. So if Djokovic is not on it, he's probably going to lose. So that's a good moment of reckoning, I think. I actually think just talking about it now that where I think he's at is probably actually somewhere in the middle and I don't think he's necessarily exaggerating to get in anyone else's head necessarily.

45:30What I think where I think the frustration for him comes from is a sense of futility at the fact that this level is just nowhere good enough to beat Yannick Sinner. and so it's a bit like he's like deep down he is probably thinking great Roman Cefiulin I'm in the quarters yeah this level might even get me to a semi but if I keep playing like this there's just no way and I think and there's no way I'm going to beat Sinner and I think that probably does really get him down and bum him out because as David says his previous two Wimbledons he's been thrashed by Cyrano Cres really got nowhere near them like this the score lines were embarrassing for him and they were probably they probably flattered him a little bit sinner's not playing as well though he's not come on to him he's not and that's why i think maybe he doesn't need to be as down as he seems because sinner isn't the sinner of this time a year ago um but i think that's probably where where his head's at a bit because i do feel right now having watched the rindish having covered the rindish neck match and now this one i feel like he could be playing Felix or someone ranked rather than four 104 and I actually think it would probably be a similar outcome I think Djokovic would win in four sets against both of those two players because I think he wouldn't be able to sustain it really even against the world number 104 but I also think he's good enough against Felix and I think he still has so much aura that I would back him to take it but yeah it's kind of like for him is this enough at 39.

46:58In terms of how Felix set up this quarterfinal against Alejandro Davidovich Fikina today 5-7, 7-6, 6-3 6-7 6-1 And I mean they have blood on their hands for why we are here at this ungodly hour It's all Alejandro Davidovich Fikina's fault and a little bit Felix Auger, Eliassime's fault Oh a lot Felix's fault I wasn't in the mood for this nonsense

47:24David Law: I could gather that That was very probably a me issue but my god was there a lot of tomfoolery in this David as a fan generally of tomfoolery could you could you talk us through it I'd love to relive it all and could you tell us how you feel about the the various bits of potentially dastardly tomfoolery that were going on out there yeah I mean I do find Davidovich Fikina very entertaining as a tennis player generally I I mean, I think he's an incredible talent for a start on a grass court. He's got such a dynamic game, and he's an amazing ball striker. I love his diving around. It's a lot of fun.

48:07David Law: And it's a problem for someone like Felix, who's a nice, neat, orderly, destructively powerful, but straightforward tennis player. And he doesn't want to deal with all this shit. and you know he ends up in a tie break and in the first set he loses the first set and you're thinking oh god this this is not what he needs you know he doesn't need a hot mess of a match he needs to just get through this and and have a nice because you know he's a little bit like with Djokovic Felix is probably thinking I could win this title but I'm if I'm going to do it I'm probably going to have to beat Djokovic, Sinner and whoever comes out of that half you know and that isn't that means needs him to be at the absolute peak of his powers and so again here he is against Davidovich Fikina in a match he really doesn't want to have to be dealing with but that's what's in front of him gets his game together comes back sort of takes over there were some physical issues for Davidovich Fikina not that he wasn't turning his ankle but then he was sort of stuttering to stop this happened earlier before we had the really dramatic one it happened earlier and there was quite a lot of sort of extra time being taken and he was being attended to by an umpire and at the backstop and all this sort of thing and um and i did think you know which is it do you need to take a medical time out and like properly deal with this or are you okay because it seems like you're kind of doing neither one nor the other there was an an absolutely extraordinary rally in the fourth set when Felix was up two sets to one which Davidovic Fikina won flying all over the court he ended up on the floor three times and still won the point Felix in losing the point said it is the best point he's ever been part of and I mean he's been a pro for seven or eight years that was when they were getting along they stopped getting along in the latter stages because I mean really Oji Aliassim to make your point Charlie about it being partly his fault that this lasted as long as it did he didn't win that fourth set and he should have done he should have won it and then he goes four left up in the fifth and still seems to have a bit of a hassle to get over the line but there was another medical time there was another sort of pause where David Fikina is quite dramatically hobbling around the baseline and looking like he needs to be carried off.

50:45David Law: And then next thing you know, he says, I'm all right. It's all right. I'm OK. I'll have a bit of a rub during the changeover. And then he's hairing around the court again and winning points. And it really pissed off Ogeli Asim. Now, they had words at the net over this because it wasn't a very warm handshake from Ogeli Asim. And I think David Fikina was thinking, what, is that it? aren't we going to have a big bro hug after five sets you know and I think Oshie Aliasim just wasn't in the mood for it because he thought you're pushing your luck too much here he refused to put him away in the press conference he sort of said basically said I'll let you guess out you know that'll sort of stay between us but he did absolutely hit out at the rule that allows a player to sort of not not be fined points on the spot not sort of run out the clock if you're going to do that stuff he says the clock should be on you and you should not be allowed to do it bit rich from the slowest player in tennis but he should be getting time violations yeah all the time but yes i the point is that he's saying you can just have a rest if you've got this phantom well you didn't use the word phantom but you know you're using the word phantom and i'm not saying that David Svig Hina wasn't injured.

52:04But it was very healed by a little rub. Ankle injuries don't tend to be healed by just little rub. Felix was clearly thinking,

52:13David Law: well, which is it? Are you hurt or are you not hurt? And if you are hurt, then you get your medical time out and whatever, you get your rub downs during the sit downs, but you can't do it in the middle of a game and just have a bit of a break for a while. 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 14500 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.

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53:37David Law: It's very funny. A lot of parallels being drawn between France, Paraguay in the chat. Paraguay being the Davidovich Vakina of this situation and France being the Felix. But Davidovich Vakina was less aggressive in the way that Paraguay were. He was more just like annoying. And I would say funnier with it. But I mean, Felix, yeah, the reason I say he's partly to blame, he hadn't lost his serve all tournament when he served for the match. But I also blame myself because I vocalised that and completely jinxed him. It was just so obvious when he lost that fourth set tie break that he would win the fifth set.

54:18Oh, and that he would win a release. And that's what was annoying. It was a bit like... You called this match man-spreading halfway through. and it was just like, yes, they are manspreading all over this schedule. It was simultaneous manspreading, wasn't it? Because we had Striff Hercatch as well. And I mean, that... Should we talk about Striff Hercatch? Yeah, I mean, that I did just find hilarious because I had no skin in that game. It's totally inconsequential in the scheme of things because whoever was going to win was going to lose to Sinner. There was nothing to follow it. I don't think on court two, certainly no singles match.

54:47So it was just like, let them have... Take as long as you need, lads. Like, just mess around, do your thing. This is hilarious. and then I mean that got weird it got so weird of course because Hubert Hercatch was involved he made it weird guys he really brought the change the lady energy he stopped short of asking to change the lady but you could tell well G wasn't there to him to ask you could tell he was in that kind of mood yeah I mean you know one of the lines of the tournament when you said he's got the change the lady look in his eye and he did it was all it was all unraveling i mean look this ended sadly hubert hercatch had he had led by two sets to love over jan and adstroff he's had his own torrid time with with injury hercatch and uh he gets pegged back two sets all and then he has to retire trailing four two in the fifth with what looked like a lower back injury that is that's a tough scene separate to the injury there's a lot of nonsense and like tennis and non-tennis nonsense an underarm serve volley attempt which is come on you usually like best yeah i like them when they're good this was embarrassing um there was in the fourth set i think it was uh it was about 8pm, not that dark, really not that dark, good hour of light left.

56:10Hubert Hercatch asks to go off the court to change his outfit. He's informed by the umpire he's already done that. You're only allowed to do that once. And he says, I really need to change my outfit. And she said, look, just change your shirt here. That's all that's available to you. And then he heavily implied that he needed to change his underwear. And that was why he needed to go off court. She still insisted, I'm sorry, that's not in the rules. So then he said, it's getting dark though, isn't it? So maybe we should all go off court and just call it a day. Just go and I.

56:44David Law: Struff's just sat there for the first time in about three years. I saw him without his hat on and he got bleach blonde hair. He's a 36-year-old with frosted tips. That 8pm request to call it because of bad luck. But it's clearly still light, Hubie. Nah, I'm done Look, he does lose his mind sometimes doesn't he? He had the match point retirement here a couple of years ago He was definitely in that sort of frame of life That was the same year That was back to back slams who changed the lady Yeah, it was a few weeks after change the lady G Not a great period for Hubert Hercach I mean I do really feel for him with the injury, I guess because it's not like either player have the huge opening in this tournament it feels less of a kind of like absolute heartbreaker but obviously for him he has had a lot of injuries and that is really rough but I mean imagine him having to face Sinner in a couple of days and just a word on Struff he's 36 now oldest man to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time in the open era great achievement that and I like watching him play because he's a proper serve volleyer.

58:04David Law: He'll go at you. He will swing at Sinner. He will come for him. And I like that. He doesn't leave anything on the table and no regrets. And he gets incredibly tight. So he actually did well to kind of come back from Two-Stars Love down and then eventually outlast her catch. I'm sure he'll win a lot of friends out there, Striffy. Could well do. Speaking of which, I know that's one of your favourite like tennis commentator cliches Charlie uh Shintaro Mochizuki yes won a lot of friends out there tonight I mean I said to you early on didn't I was like this guy's the platonic ideal for he won a lot of friends out there I like plays a fun game goes for it but also fundamentally entirely unthreatening and I think that's like a prerequisite for winning a lot of friends out there like he was never actually going to pull off this upset but yeah I mean you know played very well made it you know he won some really long service games to kind of stretch it out did really well to force a tie break in the second um but yeah i mean sinner again not at his best just about doing enough i did better well i mean because that was sort of clash with coco i didn't watch it as closely and i didn't go to his press conference whereas i did the other day to ask him after his third round was that better and he's i think he said it was a small step or something like that so i'd be curious to know how he found his performance tonight yeah he said it's a step there's still gap to another small step and i would say there is still gap to close look this this could be a slam he wins not playing great yeah yeah we've seen it before and alcar you know alcaraz has done those hasn't he i mean i guess with him it's surprised because you you're just so used to being so locked in and kind of reliable and not missing he's i mean a few times i don't know how you guys I found it, but he's looked a little bit underpowered, I think, compared to normal, you know, just shots lacking in a zip.

1:00:01I really don't think he's right. I think he could very well still win this Wimbledon. Absolutely. But I really, I'm not convinced by him at all. I'm not convinced that he's quite in the right headspace. I don't know. I honestly have no idea why, but the vibes are off.

1:00:17David Law: We've seen, I think sometimes it can, a little bit like Djokovic, it can come down to feel, you know, is everything working? Why am I having to try so hard? It normally just happens. And I actually think of all of the current players. I think Sinner's a marvel at the way he's able to just usually navigate the opening few rounds without any incident. So I think that's why this feels really unusual. Since he became post-Puke Yannick Sinner, we just haven't seen this. We haven't really seen a grand slam since he's been him and Alcaraz as the guys, where he's had any trouble whatsoever in the early rounds.

1:00:58David Law: And I know he hasn't been under massive pressure, but he was two sets to one down in the first round. And all the sets that he's played have pretty much looked quite hard work. And so it's, yeah, that's definitely not him at his best yet. Serves looking good, though. I mean, same for Djokovic. I know you wrote a piece about the Djokovic serve, Charlie. Yeah, I mean, I think it's really interesting because that serve is kind of propping him up, Djokovic. It's so interesting because I think for a lot of fans, they think of him as the return guy or the human backboard defensive guy. But actually, latterly in his career, in large part down to necessity, he has become way more aggressive.

1:01:33And his serve numbers these days are staggeringly good. I mean, like, I look at it in the piece, but his serve numbers, relatively speaking to the rest of the tour, have been way better than his return numbers over the last couple of years. Whereas you look back for the vast majority of his career, completely flipped the other way around. But that vulnerability is what makes, I think, Sinner and Djokovic potentially a more interesting matchup here, potentially a closer one than, say, last year or Alcaraz against Djokovic in some of those matches because they haven't been close. Whereas if Sinner is a little bit off, that is an opening potentially for him.

1:02:07OK, let's have a look ahead to tomorrow's order of play. Just before we do, is everyone across the Henry Patton, Riley Opelka beef? Yes. Are we into it?

1:02:16David Law: Yes. Matthew's into it. Any beef is always kind of... I think it's right in the beef sweet spot. I think Henry Patton has nailed it. So what's... Because I saw there was a bit of an exchange last night where Apelka showed empty seats. It was all about doubles. And then he... Patton responded with empty seats for an Apelka match. This is obviously a sort of story, big picture, we haven't yet covered. And will do when there's not a big Grand Slam going on. but it's obviously on our radars. The ATP tour recently announced that they were planning to cut prize money percentage and draw size for men's doubles from 2028 onwards.

1:02:54I don't know if they've announced it. Maybe not. Yeah, it's been widely reported. Yeah. So only 16 teams at ATP 1000 tournaments and reducing prize money from 20 % to 10 % of the total purse, which is 20 % is where it is at the moment, and to redistribute that money to singles players, doubles players are apparently considering legal action on this. You can understand that they are very, very het. 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.

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1:04:13That's why Best Western is such a solid option. This summer, get 1 ,000 bonus points and a chance to win 250 ,000 bonus points. So wherever you're headed, make it count with this limited time offer. Life's a trip. Make the most of it at bestwestern.com. No additional purchase necessary for sweeps. See bonus points, T's and C's and sweeps rules for details and visit bestwestern.com for complete terms and conditions. Riley Opelka, who has made no secret of his feelings about doubles players in the past and just generally likes to have a big click-baity opinion about things. He posted a picture of an empty stadium for a doubles match at Indian Wells with hashtag save doubles.

1:04:57And Henry Patton responded with a picture of an empty stadium watching a Riley Opelka match with hashtag Save Opelka. And I just think he's nailed that.

1:05:06David Law: It's pretty funny, that. And Save Opelka is really taking off as a thing, which good luck to you, Henry. Look, we don't have time to get into the whole who's right, who's wrong, what are the details. We will at some stage, because it's a pretty interesting story. But in terms of just nailing aggro, I really got to hand it to Henry Patton there. I think that's great. I will also say I do find like doubles bashing from singles players. I find that a bit off. It's very punching down. That's why I don't like it. It's like what? Riley loves a punch down. Yeah. Well, yeah. Yeah. Okay. The order of play for tomorrow, folks.

1:05:45The second day of round of 16 action. And we get to see Alexandre Ayala again up against Jasmine Paolini opening center court. I think that's the best slot of the day in terms of the audience in the Philippines. They're eight hours ahead, aren't we? I don't know why I'm saying this as a question. They are eight hours ahead. We are always Googling what time is it in the Philippines.

1:06:05David Law: Trying to work out where the jib is awake. And the answer is always yes. It doesn't matter what time it is in the Philippines. So Eyalo against Paolini, potentially the most watched tennis match ever that could be. It's pretty mind-boggling. I mean, just even in the coverage that we did from the show covering Eyalo's win over Sviantec and putting a clip on Instagram and stuff like that. It's the first time we've ever done that, really. And therefore, the first time we've ever experienced the explosion of interest over and above what we normally have. And it's quite something to behold. And it's actually really uplifting because it's such a positive response to her.

1:06:48David Law: I hope that continues. But yeah, I mean, if she carries on in this draw, this is going to go to another level altogether. Who do you think Charlie is reaching the final from this bottom half of the women's? Yeah, my instinct has been Madison Keyes. It feels like she's in that space. I don't know. I mean, I asked Matt during the French Open where she was... Futterman or Roberts? Well, I meant Roberts, got a response from Futterman. But I asked Matt Roberts on our group, is Keyes the Dormant Volcano? know because she was bubbling away at the french even and i and he said yes because i and you know i very much thought she was was why i asked and i think she's certainly in that potential space now um so yes i think um i would go with her i mean but it is it's very difficult to call that bottom half even paulini ayala that's so tricky i mean i did a little thing on this the other day you know on that backing up and I was talking about this sequence with Nadal in between 2012 and 2017 he suffered I think it was seven um pre-quarter final Grand Slam exits not once did the player who beat him then win the next match which is pretty striking and like that just encapsulates for me how hard that is to do after that big win um so that's a huge test for her but you know she she I did like the way she was talking about you know I've had this big win but straight away onto the next one.

1:08:19But I guess now, yeah, she's got to show that. So Paulina Iala, then Grigor Dimitrov against Arthur Ferry. Are you into the Dimitrov-Ivanovic comparisons as the big 2001 guy? Yeah, having been there, you know, on centre court. I, yeah, I do think, I agree with what you were saying, David. There are some pretty big differences there. I mean, it would be like if Sinner and Djokovic had gone out to a certain, you know, like that draw did open up. Greg was still there. Well, he was there in the fourth round until Ivonezvic beat him. But yeah, he was there. Same stage as Pete. But I mean, I love the idea of it and I love him even getting this far.

1:09:05But not yet. But no, no. I think while Sinner and Djokovic are still there, that still feels a little fanciful. Yui Lahetschka and Alexander Zverev last on centre tomorrow. Number one court is Alex de Minoru against Flavio Caboli. Great match. Yeah, annoyed that that clashes with Paulini. Yeah. Yeah, but anyway, can't over everything. First world problems. Madison Keyes, Linda Nozkova second on and then Taylor Fritz and Alexander Bublik third on one tomorrow. And then number two court opens with Ashlyn Kruger against Marta Kostiuk. Marie Buskova, Elisa Mertens is second on and then third on is women's doubles third round action which also features Marta Kostiuk so she's featuring in two-thirds of the matches on number two court tomorrow actually no half there's another doubles on after the uh the women's there's a mixed doubles Jo Salisbury and Leila Fernandez in action I mean Nojka Verzoi I almost think whoever wins that match I'm making the favorite to reach the final I think she's yeah she's bubbling away and she's always someone who goes so under the radar.

1:10:12That's very Matt Roberts of you because he's a low-key Noshka. Yeah. Yeah. But he also thinks Jessica Bagula is winning the title. But, you know, she could beat Noshka in the final. Absolutely. Or Coco Goff could. Yes, Coco Goff will. So, to confirm, Charlie, you're sticking with it. Goff to win? Yeah. Oh, 100%, yeah. Love it. I learned from, you know, having Rebecca and her all the way and then on the Australian Open, like, recording me did. Yes, you can't back out of it. No, and I mean, I still blame the fact it was 4am for that momentary lapse to suddenly not go with her. But yeah, you can't change your mind.

1:10:48We see that matches are going as late as possible and we book Charlie Eccleshire. That's how we work at Grand Slams. Charlie, you love the pet mascot section. Yes, well, I mean, after it was so revealing last time. We learnt so much about you. Might keep my car side versus my chest this time. Phoebe is our Roland Garros. Oh my gosh, I'm thinking about Jenny. Phoebe is our Wimbledon mascot, and here she is looking for Matt. He'll be back tomorrow, I think, Phoebe. Well, no, actually, I don't want to commit Matt too hard. We hope that Matt will be back tomorrow, but take as much time as you need, Matt.

1:11:25And hello, Phoebe. And Phoebe sends apologies to Charlie. Not quite sure why. Anyway, hello, Phoebe. Hello to our mascots, Bodie, Maisie and Roger. hello to our top folks and executive producers greg chris and jeff no shout out tonight because no matt tonight but charlie thank you ever so much for coming on the show and committing your goth prediction to to the broadcast world delighted nothing is erasable from the internet so i'm just going to get on and then you know it might be a bit like she did getting the job done in the nick of time it could be that you know this was the last real chance i would have to to big this prediction up so but according to the david law predictions rule book you have avoided humiliation yeah yeah house money from here on in unlike me with tfa it's all to play for in week two folks we will be back tomorrow not before 9 p.m at the end of play hopefully before 11 p.m but who on earth knows it's shaping up to be quite a special wimbledon certainly been a brilliant opening week we can't wait for more we are part of the athletic podcast and we will be back tomorrow.