Live from Wimbledon Day 8 - Fery fires into the quarters

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1:08Matt Roberts: Hello and welcome to the Tennis Podcast live from Wimbledon and presented by Barclays, He's the official banking partner of Wimbledon. It is day eight of the tournament. Matt is back. Yay! And it's just in time to see his beloved curfew in action. It can be done. It works. Well, there's a will, there's a way, folks. Yesterday, our concussion protocol was in action. Matt, are you okay to reveal to your eager fans your absence, what happened yesterday, and to reassure them that you are now fine. Yeah, we always say that I metaphorically hit a wall. Oh my God. What a comeback. Around 15 minutes. Please make your way to the exit gates and make sure you take all your belongings with you.

2:00We hope you've enjoyed your day here at Wimbledon and wish you a pleasant and safe journey home. Thank you.

2:09Matt Roberts: What a comeback. so where was i proving he's no longer concussed there yes we always say i metaphorically hit a wall and i took that a little bit too literally a couple of nights ago and well just smashed my head into the car boot door that we were getting in and woke up feeling quite dizzy and headachy the next day so minor concussion protocol in play day in the dark on the sofa with an ice pack with some drugs and echo sharing yeah cleared to return to work by a medical professional exactly we are back folks as is alexander zverev and yurila hetchka tomorrow much do well yurila hetchka probably thrilled about it alexander zverev less thrilled about it he was hoping to get the job done tonight but a Yuri Lehechka bathroom break at the end of the second set probably put paid to those plans so three all in the thirds, Verev leading by two sets to love they will be back tomorrow they'll be shifting around the order of play as we speak but as is another protocol they will be second on the order of play after the scheduled first match so that's what's going on with the match that you've probably just been watching on centre court we're going to go back to the match before that on centre court and we're going to talk about arthur ferry and grigel dimitrov who led by two sets to one and a break uh did grigel dimitrov and ended up losing seven five three six four six six four seven six to the british wild card it's quite a it's quite a whirlwind for the brits david to go from writing all of their british tennis is in the most desperate place for two decades pieces a week ago to Ferry fever is sweeping the nation is tennis coming home pieces which trust me are being written over here and he's a heck of a

4:15David Law: player Arthur Ferry yeah he is I mean I did think he was in probably going out when he was in that position two sets to one down a breakdown I came into the stadium I thought I want to try to to get the last few games of this um or whatever's left of it and also to sort of feel the love for Grigor a little bit I got out there he was not getting much love mainly because everybody was supporting Ferry um but when I came into the press seats Matt Futterman of the Athletic was departing and we just sort of I said do you not think this has got much more in it then and he said no and I said no Neither do I really.

4:53David Law: But anyway, I'll sit down and watch it. And immediately, Ferri breaks back. And I think Federer, he was watching. He was watching and he's just walked over there. He's just walked over there as Roger Federer on his way out. Anyway, Ferri and Dimitrov, you can see why I got mixed up. Federer watching in the front row of the roll box. Dimitrov, I think, tightened, really. But Ferri also helped him tighten. and to go back to what you said at the start of this conversation Catherine he showed just how talented he is an incredible timer of a tennis ball both on forehand and backhand he has a wonderful service motion I feel just very rhythmical and free-flowing and and once the ball hits the strings the opponent knows about it if it's in his slot I mean he doesn't hit loads of topspin it's a very flat hit and I think he really shocked Dimitrov a few times and there were several balls when we were watching that we were like well that's out isn't it and then it you looked on the screen it wasn't out it was he was just painting lines hitting corners and um and he put loads of pressure on Dimitrov um and and was a really worthy winner I thought he was absolutely brilliant yeah he doesn't know when he's beaten does he I mean that was the the thing that Matthew picked up on watching him for four and a half hours the other day against Bergs.

6:21Every time he was down in the match, he was, you know, just kept believing and showed good body language. And he did the same today. And yeah, that, that comeback in the fourth set was similar to the one he had against Bergs. And actually I felt like as the kind of score got tighter and the points got bigger, he got a bit bolder with his tennis

6:42Catherine Whitaker: and better there was a brilliant a dry volley that he hit serving four all down 15 30 in the fifth and in the tie break his serve came up very strong he had a couple of aces he hadn't hit many aces all match and he found a couple in the tie break he had that ability to to rush Dimitrov he was also comfortable with Dimitrov's game you know the grass court game that causes so many to malfunction Ferry had the hands I think to be able to deal with it and pick up the low balls yeah he played really really well in this one and I do think the fact that the Brits had had such a poor tournament and you know the particularly bad news of Draper and Raducanu having to withdraw I do think that that made this one feel extra big in a way and everyone was all in on this and okay it had a little bit of a slow start because the match before had gone quite long and but by the time the match had ended well you two are out there and the atmosphere sounded absolutely

7:40Matt Roberts: brilliant and very very special in there and on the hill as well tough moment for tim henman because look over the past 20 25 years since tim henman retired other proposals have been put forward and i don't think any of them have been up to much no reflection on the players but murray's mound rubbish. Mound is just a bit weird isn't it? Never going to happen. Ruzetski's Ridge. Even worse. It's all been crap. I do think Arthur's Seat is very good. It's really good. Do you? Yeah. I don't. Do you not? No. I don't like it. Why don't you like it? It's in Menil. Well yeah but if there's going to be a rival it's better than the others.

8:29it's the best one there's been. There's no rivals for me at all. Sorry.

8:34Matt Roberts: Well, Tim's with you. He gets a bit touchy about it. I approve of him. Anyway, is it time to wonder whether Roger Federer is the problem here for Grigor Dimitrov? When I realised that Federer was here again for Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round of Wimbledon, I did feel like poor old Grigor was being dragged through a haunted house.

8:55Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, they finally scheduled him at a time where the roof wasn't going to come into play. He'd got through that trauma from last year, but, oh, look, there's Roger Federer again on the front row of the Royal Box, just as he was last year.

9:08Matt Roberts: And we were really watching Federer closely. I mean, the press seats were on the opposite side of centre court to the Royal Box, so it's hard to get a close-up on what's going on. But every time Griggle was down his end, Federer, who was obviously very keen to appear neutral and didn't want to be booed by the British fans for supporting the non-British guy, but he was leaning in extra close when Grigel was down his end. I did find it... It's great for the tournament to have a home player in, and the atmosphere was irresistible, and I'm looking forward to seeing that again. I'm looking forward to seeing Arthur Ferry play again.

9:52Matt Roberts: I love his tennis. It was tough seeing Grigel Dimitrov, this year of all years cast in the role of villain today he didn't deserve that I think he was very accepting of it he knew what was going on but he needed a 12th man today and he had the opposite of that and it was just it was just a bit tough yeah I felt the same really a lot of conflicting

10:20Catherine Whitaker: emotions at the end of this one and it was a shame that those narratives had to intersect here you know like you kind of wanted both of those runs to to go on and both of them to get the center court energy and crowd behind them again and yeah I thought it was a nice moment when he left the court Dimitrov he did he did get the reception there at the end and you know he wasn't he wasn't taking it personally as you say he knew he knew why they were going for ferry it was it It was just a shame.

10:49Matt Roberts: Yeah, it wasn't hostile. It was just... No, just of silence. Unbelievably one-sided, like nothing for Dimitrov and his errors being cheered. And that's what partisan crowds are like. I just naively maybe thought the sentimentality of the Dimitrov story this year might override some of that. It's been slim pickings for British fans this year. Underestimating, yeah. Making the most of it. Yeah. And look, David, you pointed out that even if Grigor had found a way through that today, the tank might have been a bit empty for it to go much beyond this. And he did reference that in press, didn't he, Dimitrov?

11:28Matt Roberts: He said, I wish I'd had more in the tank today to do something different.

11:32David Law: And if you think about it, there's a couple of, you know, we've heard a lot from Djokovic about winning efficiently. And we've been talking about the Royer set that he had in Paris, and he had one again yesterday. with Dimitrov, he led Matteo Berrettini two sets to love. He led this match two sets to one and a break in the fourth. He could have been arriving to Caballi a lot fresher. That's Grand Slam tennis. That's part of it, isn't it? It's trying to not get embroiled in these matches, not just win them. And yet, if you think too keenly about that, you could stress yourself out. it's such a mental gymnastics you have to perform and yes he was saying in his press comments that he really feels like he's got to take stock now as to where he is and when he's coming up to these things how do I get in the best possible physical and mental shape so that I can last because I think he's in that slight nether zone of not knowing where he is in his career there's so many events that he's not been able to play the last year or two because of injury but equally he's been ageing while that's been going on.

12:42I forget that he's mid-30s now. I think of him as like 32. I'm kind of in denial about it I think. What is he? 35 I think? 6 I think.

12:51Matt Roberts: I think he is too because as upset as he was in that press conference it did sound like he might have been crying. Bless him. He still was positive wasn't he? And it had a real you never know. It had the feel of it of Guillermo Fis saying I only need one he said my aim is still to win a Grand Slam and I intend to come back here and keep trying to do that and I love that he's saying and thinking that but

13:24Matt Roberts: he's not Novak Djokovic is he it is super human that Novak Djokovic is making that feel remotely possible at the age that he is

13:32David Law: it requires a 24 four-time Grand Slam champion to be that good, to be able to do it at that age. You know, I thought he had a look here. And I said the other day, Ferry on paper, Ferry or Berg's great draw. Ferry made that look nonsense on the day because of how well he played. But whereas Monfils said, I only need one, well, he never really got close again. He had a nice run at the Australian Open last year, but that's probably where you are now, really, is mostly you're going to be having nice runs.

14:11Matt Roberts: Is your opinion any different if I tell you I was wrong and he's actually only 35? Does that change anything? Not much. No. No. On Arthur Ferry, there was actually a great answer about him in Taylor Fritz's press conference. Taylor Fritz was asked about him, do you know anything about Arthur Ferry? And he said, yep. I'm the Arthur Ferry guy. Thank you for asking. He's always got the answers. He was like, I've been storing up Arthur Ferry takes for two years. Why has no one asked me until now? He did a training week with Arthur Ferry at the end of 2024 in London before the ATP finals in Turin. And he said he was beating me every day.

14:51Matt Roberts: He said it's not surprising to me at all that he's having these results and he's taking advantage of a draw that's opening up a bit.

14:57David Law: Yeah, he said he was cooking me pretty good. but then you know I feel like it's classic Taylor Fritz that I reckon there's a lot of people in practice who beat him I really do not that he doesn't train hard and not that he's trying not trying hard I remember Thomas Mahatch when that's when that set against him didn't he and and like felt that game wise that he was right there I think people beat Taylor Fritz in practice and think oh you know i'm going places but they don't realize how much tougher he is in a match and how much less tough they are you know when when the pressure's on he can produce practice level tennis in matches i mean in fact i think he gets way better um so that's oh i'd love to know more

15:44Matt Roberts: about that like the players that never lose i remember an ex-player that i used to work with in tv saying they'd never lost a match in practice that that was their thing that they never lost in practice i don't know it's not a great thing is it and i don't yeah so it's like in snooker much

16:03David Law: of a flex in snooker willie thorne used to be able to just do more 147 breaks than anybody else in the whole world but he couldn't do them in real life like in match tables um so really you're complimenting Taylor Fritz there yes I am um and and but also complimenting Arthur Ferrier because I think it just does show he has a very high level I mean his natural ball striking talent is supreme I saw it for the first time on court one against Daniel Medvedev about three years ago in this tournament and he pushed him to a tie break in the first set I think he had a breakup in the first set and he was awesome you know you're just like well that game that game could fit in this arena

16:46Catherine Whitaker: and I think that is going to be interesting after this Wimbledon he's going to be up into the top 70 now, he's going to be getting into a lot more tournaments and coming up against that level more often and he's been a very very good college player

16:59Matt Roberts: and that has translated

17:02Catherine Whitaker: onto the tour recently with a lot of good college players I'm kind of trying to make the David Goffin comparisons happen, no one seems to really be going with me on that but I do see it like great ball striker small and compact flat backhand nice technique on the serve I think there's quite a lot of Goffin in his game and he always like punched above his weight I don't think he quite actually had the weight of shot that that Ferry has but I do see a lot of similarities and that took Goffin to a very very good career if Ferry if Ferry could get anywhere close to that I think I think he'd be pretty happy really how's Matthew

17:41Matt Roberts: you feeling about the Goffin comparisons?

17:44Catherine Whitaker: He told me he doesn't look at technique that much.

17:47Matt Roberts: I can't tell if that face he's doing is because of your ferry Goffin comparison or because he's being attacked by flies at the moment. Matthew's having a bad time tonight. Matt said it looks like he's doing a bush tucker trial. Spare a thought for Matthew. His life is very tough and he's got to get up at 7.30 to do a shoot with Roger Federer. For 12 minutes. For 12 minutes. Actually no, that's the time of the shoot that's not the wake-up call right that's time of the shoot he's not staying up for the usa would you get up at 5 a.m for 12 minutes with roger federer i think for most people actually the answer is yes uh okay so ferry winning today means that we get watery shits relived because arthur ferry against flavio caballi was of course the first round match at the Australian Open this year.

18:40The first match of the tournament on John Kane Arena.

18:44Matt Roberts: New Flavio Caboli after the Davis Cup last year. What's he going to be able to do at a slam? He's going to look a shadow of himself and leave the court with the watery shits halfway through the first set. It was our first sign of the dud slam. Right there and then. It was the first time we don't just sort of randomly come out with, let's call it watery shit. This was put in our vernacular by a conversation that was it Flavio Gabali had? Yeah, with the physio. Are they watery? Yes. It's now a part of our vernacular. Very much. This was very much today, David, not watery shits Gabali. Oh my word, he was awesome.

19:27Matt Roberts: This was mega Gabali. 7-5, 7-6, 6-3 against Alex de Menor. You saw every point of this.

19:34David Law: I've never seen Flavio Caballi look this focused in my life. Ever. In the first few rounds of this tournament, he's basically been having a laugh. He's basically been going to the court, running all over the place, falling down, diving, laughing, losing the first seven games of matches, and then finding a way to win. And look, playing some electric tennis along the way, but he's basically been silly for the most part of the tournament. He was not silly Flavio today at all. He was focused Flavio. And I know this because the way I sit for BBC Radio on number one court is in the corner of the court, right shoulder to shoulder with the ball kids.

20:20David Law: That's how close we are. And he was walking towards the box, and the look of focus in his eyes was there from the first ball. He did have a bit of a letdown in the second set when he was leading by a set and a break against Dimonor and he went 5-2 down. But all the way through, he was the one with the explosive power. He was the one taking risks and sort of just trying to take the match on, not just let it happen to him. And that frustrated Dimonor so much in the post-match press conference. He couldn't handle that he had not taken the initiative during the match. but Kabbali I think he I think after he got to this stage it's suddenly that oh okay I'm in the

21:07Matt Roberts: last 16 now this is serious now and that that's different isn't it from Kabbali having finding that gear in Grand Slams and being able to to lock in I wouldn't necessarily have been certain that he would ever have that mode sort of 12 or 18 months ago this is this is impressive from Kabbali I think I mean he was so thrilled with his performance today like as glowing as you've been about about it David he was he was more glowing about his own performance he said one of one of the best one of my best matches ever he said I had an amazing feeling with the ball he said today I think I played an amazing level and an amazing tactic match he he said apart from my serve which he said just sort of generally i'm trying to improve my serve like that i know that that's the one area of my game which could get better he said apart from that i wouldn't have changed a thing about how i played today how rare is it to hear a tennis player talk like that and and you know it feels totally appropriate he also told us so he had his on-court interview where he revealed that he didn't have a house an house an house for the second year running his dad his dad who is his coach has been convinced that they wouldn't need accommodation for the second week of Wimbledon so he revealed in his on-court interview with Lee McKenzie that they he was really keen to get back to the house to watch the football but that the house he was referring to was metaphorical because they didn't actually have one at that time.

22:52Matt Roberts: He then revealed in the press conference that an Italian family has given us all the house here in Wimbledon. Are you that Italian family that has invited all the Caballis to stay? Desperate to know more about that set up. Are the Italian family remaining in the house with the Caballis? Is there room for all of them? Keen to know more. maybe after his next round press conference. I love silly Flavio Caboli but I love serious Flavio Caboli and if we get the sort of serious Flavio Caboli playing the tennis and then the guy that tells us about his accommodation in the post-match press conference then that's the perfect balance.

23:40Matt Roberts: Couldn't have been more of a contrast, David, and Matt, I know you were across this, to the Alex de Manor press conference, which was honestly absolutely harrowing.

23:51David Law: Yeah, I was in there and I suspected we would get... He's so honest, you know, he doesn't hide anything, how he's feeling, Alex de Manor. You ask him a straight question, he gives you a straight answer. And he was just... He said it's breaking me, this inability to kind of take advantage of the windows he's getting in draws. Particularly, he knows that Carlos Alcárez isn't here and that this is when he needs to be playing his absolute best. And he's beaten Caballi in their two previous matches and it's on grass. It's where he wants to be. It's the service he loves. He's desperate. He's trying everything.

24:32David Law: He's working so hard. And he says, but the thing is, I feel like I'm getting further away. And he says, if you went back two years, I think I was closer to achieving what I want to achieve than I am now. And it's breaking me.

24:46Matt Roberts: He said, I can feel my dreams fading.

24:48David Law: Yeah. It was so, I felt so sorry for him. It was sad to listen to him. And I know it's fresh. And he did say, you know, I said, you've done that, you've had this before. You know, how long does it take you? He says, it's getting harder. it's getting harder for me to kind of believe that it's ahead that that these things i want to achieve in my career are ahead of me um i just feel so sorry for him i mean you know look he knows he's got a good life he's got he's he's had an amazing career already he's earned loads of money he's he's a basically a happy person but he's unfulfilled with where he's going and he said And right now, it's better that I'm not on my own for the next few days because I will just dwell on it.

25:42David Law: I will just not be able to think about anything else. So I've got to try and get my mind away from it.

25:47Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, it was a tough scene. It was, as you say, a similar flavour of press conference to ones we've seen from him before, but worse this time because of the point David makes that he said, I don't mind this matchup against Caballi on this surface. He said, I know I have ways to hurt him. And he doesn't say that when he's lost to Sinner. You know, he knows that this was different. But he is his own harshest critic, Dimonor, because I don't think anyone really, sort of sound of mind from the outside, analysing the sport, would say that Dimonor is not maximising. You know, like, I feel like he has smashed through ceilings that other players of his stature and talent could only really dream of reaching.

26:40Catherine Whitaker: You know, he has got more out of his career than I ever thought he would, than I think a lot of people ever thought he would in terms of his game. And it saddens me that he kind of feels like he's underachieving in these moments, you know, because I really just don't think he is. Yes, there's been these little chances, but we've talked about how good Caballi was today and the level he played at today and the acceleration in his game that he has. Dimonor has worked so hard, but he doesn't really have that. Yeah, I feel for him. I hope that in the fullness of time, he looks back on his career much more positively than just through this lens.

27:28Catherine Whitaker: But I do get it how in the moment it will definitely feel like an opportunity lost.

27:34Matt Roberts: I think he knows he's not himself out there, right? However it might look from the outside. He said one of us went out there to win the match and the other one went out not to lose. And I think it's pretty self-explanatory who it was. Like the scoreline could have been the same, but that not been the case.

27:52David Law: It's a really powerful statement, that, isn't it? And I think he didn't really look right in this match. He looked passive by his standards. The fact that Caballi played very well and he took the initiative, but I just don't necessarily think he would have been allowed to in quite the amount he was. I think we should have been having a classic. If Dimonor played well, I was expecting this to be four or five sets, not straight sets.

28:20Matt Roberts: Yeah, Reggie has shot to second in our predictions leaderboard off the back of predicting that this would be straight sets. That's how unlikely the bookies thought a straight sets win for Caballi was. And it wasn't the Caballi of it all. Like, just a Caballi win was not very many points, but a Caballi straight sets win was a lot of Reggie points. So, yeah, it's tough seeing someone like anybody, but somebody like Alex de Menor, who's just such a trier and such a clearly nice guy. Really, really tough scenes in his press conference and we wish him well, absolutely. Taylor Fritz, David, speaking of straight sets wins, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 over Bublik.

29:06Matt Roberts: Just a better player, just a better professional. This was not jazzy, it was not sexy, it was business-like, Like it was, you know, his statements, his celebrations kind of said it all, didn't it? It was a bit of a shrug, like, yeah, of course I'm in the Wimbledon semifinals. I expect to be here and I'm in business. Did I say semis? You did. We all know that head to head.

29:37David Law: He was granite-jawed about it on that match point. He looked, and we haven't seen that look for a while because he's had so much to think about with the body, the knee problems. And he just isn't going through that. I mean, finally, this team of his has just stood up to him and stopped him playing all these events. And I realise that's maybe a bit unfair of me because I don't know the medical guidance they're getting and he's getting and so forth. But it just seems common sense to me that you rest up ahead of the biggest events and produce your very best then. And if it hurts at the end of the tournament, that's all right.

30:16David Law: You don't want it hurting in the third round because of working on it, you know, sort of usage. I don't really think from what I heard from Alexander Bublik and his press conference that he really came in believing that he would beat Taylor Fritz. He'd never beaten him on grass before. He said, I hate how low he keeps the ball. It really, really makes it difficult for him as a tall man to deal with it. And yeah, it did feel a bit foregone conclusion-y, this match.

30:44Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, I think the biggest compliment I would pay Taylor Fritz is that Bublik had a little bit of a look in his eye that he has when he plays Sinner. Yeah. I can't beat this guy.

30:53Matt Roberts: This felt over early doors.

30:55Catherine Whitaker: And I have to say, I do think the energy that he put into the Tiafoe match the other day took more out of him than I maybe had realised. had realised and he did seem flat today and when he didn't get that first set you know which did go to a tie break when he didn't get that I really did then think that Fritz would win in straights and yeah that's what happened and yeah really good really good performance from Fritz.

31:17Matt Roberts: He said the last time I felt good this good about my body or the last time I felt good full stop about my body was Tokyo last year he said that was the last time he wasn't thinking about knee pain and it's wild that it was only Paris that he was saying, I hope my knee feels better on grass, but I don't know. He said it could feel worse on grass because of the sort of lateral movement and the having to keep low. He really didn't know which way it was going to go coming into this grass court season. And he just seems so, he seems lighter, doesn't he? Yeah.

31:53David Law: Yeah, he's right where he needs to be. When you've got that aching feeling of tendinitis and your knee you've also got this nagging doubt in your mind all the time I think as a when you see these players that when they're thinking about something that hurts and I realize they get niggles but that particularly he was always fighting with himself to to get through rounds now he looks like he's enjoying being out there again um and I enjoyed his analysis of how he

32:23Catherine Whitaker: feels much more comfortable returning serve on a on a grass court you know most people feel the opposite but actually he thinks that the way he returns it benefits the grass with his short backswing on the forehand in particular and the chip there he can't really do that on other surfaces but he's he's got that in his locker and yeah I think that could be helpful for if he if he faces Zverev as well which we expect him to and yeah like the body of work that Fritz has put together on this surface in the last couple of years I would I'd feel pretty confident that I feel like he's the fourth best grass court player in the world right now on the men's side you know behind sitting around Krasnjokovic.

32:58Catherine Whitaker: There's no one who's been more consistent. No, I would say maybe on his day, Mazzetti could beat him, but Fritz has got the consistency that I don't think Mazzetti quite has yet on this surface. And yeah, I think he's really, really good on graphs. I think it might actually be his best surface. It's where he can kind of slightly separate from the rest of the chasing pack.

33:22Matt Roberts: There's few other people that are as comfortable.

33:25Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, maybe that's it.

33:27Matt Roberts: Yeah, and as you say, the return of serve, Zverev's not there yet, but it looks like this is going to be a straight sets victory over Yirula Hedgiel, although on serve in the third set, two sets to love the lead for Zverev, and the serve has been a problem for everybody so far, so if Fritz can get a handle on that, that's the kryptonite.

33:52David Law: yeah going to be interesting to see whether being held over Sverev I mean that's a disadvantage isn't it because now he has to play tomorrow and it may not be very long but you've got to go through the whole process and then you'd have to come back the next day whereas Fritz can do whatever he needs to do and wants to do tomorrow

34:09Matt Roberts: which could be anything we know his interests are varied will he find a sort of battle reenactment to go to who can say if you're in the Wimbledon area look out for Taylor Fritz he could be doing anything tomorrow On to the women's draw now and the wins that we've had today and the matches that have been set up today. So we have wins for Marta Kostyuk, Jasmine Paolini, Linda Nozkova and Elisa Mertens, which means we have quarterfinals between Kostyuk and Paolini and Nozkova and Mertens. Should we start with Kostyuk where the day started over on court number two? she apparently did a little mistake and had problems with her stomach in the in the first set did Marta Kostiuk wow I thought that was a cabali quote that found its way to the wrong part of the agenda I did too a rival for the face of IBS in tennis she wasn't any more specific and nobody needed her to be sort of Flavio does that unsolicited she said she didn't love the heat out there today.

35:12Matt Roberts: There's no shade and no shelter on court number two. And it was also very windy on court two, which it obviously wasn't on the show courts today because they're so sheltered. But this was just... Today's show is brought to you by Vanguard. To all the financial advisors listening, let's talk bonds for a minute. Capturing value in fixed income isn't easy. Bond markets are massive, murky, and let's be real, lots of firms throw a couple of flashy funds your way and call it a day, but not Vanguard. Vanguard bonds are institutional quality. Institutional quality isn't a tagline. It's a commitment to your clients.

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37:41Matt Roberts: Kind of more of the same from Kostiuk. Like the kind of match that she might have lost had she not been brimming with this new confidence that she's got.

37:50David Law: And isn't her trajectory quite similar to Flavio Caballi? I know she didn't reach the final of the French Open. She reached the semi. She won Madrid. and you've gone from sort of thinking, well, here's a player with potential and electric ceiling level but who doesn't really feel that serious as a player. Not that she's not trying hard, but she used to, she freely admits, you know, she would kind of beat herself because of how emotional she would get and now she's just channeling all of this and she's become this great pro who just turns up a lot, you know. And because her level is so high and her movement is pretty much peerless, it's her and Goff, really.

38:35David Law: I think Jessica Bagula is also a great mover in a slightly different way, more of an anticipator. But in terms of covering the court, she's so good at it that she's dangerous on any surface, and I think she's just figured out grass. And to play against Kruger, that is a dangerous play because she's so different as a physical sight. you know she's so tall and um it's a different sort of challenge and to come through that now to be able to get on the show courts it's again it's kind of house's money her and cabali are in a similar position now they become really dangerous i think yeah i think that's a great comparison

39:14Catherine Whitaker: actually yeah i hadn't really thought of it but i like it and i didn't think it was her cleanest performance today i don't think she was at her absolute best but But it was windy.

39:25Matt Roberts: She would have lost that match, though, in the pass, wouldn't she?

39:28Catherine Whitaker: To your point, or certainly been in a three-set scrap.

39:31Matt Roberts: Yeah, it would have got... It would have got messy. Yeah, definitely.

39:34Catherine Whitaker: And she stopped it getting there. You know, she was a breakdown in the second set and had a... She was getting pretty frustrated, actually, but then just locked in, broke back. And I think even when Kruger was serving with new balls, she managed to break. And, yeah, she did really well to get over the line in two, even without necessarily her best stuff. So, yeah. I was impressed.

39:56Matt Roberts: And in that quarterfinal in two days' time, she will face Jasmine Paolini back, just like Matt, into a Grand Slam quarterfinal. She got the better of Alexandra Ayala today. Best match of the day on the women's side, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Such a tussle on the centre court. Kind of a textbook cliche. You don't want either of them to lose. and every time you sort of thought of one of them winning you thought, oh, that'd be such a great story and then instantly felt guilty about it, meaning the other one not continuing their story. But how hard of heart does one have to be not to be thrilled to see Jasmine Paolini experiencing good times on a tennis court again?

40:43Matt Roberts: Because now that she is experiencing good times, she's sort of piece by piece revealing how bad and how rough it has been and how much she's doubted herself. And I think maybe had sort of some imposter syndrome about, you know, people perceiving that, oh, maybe that was an aberration, those couple of successful years you had. Maybe this is a reversion to the mean. And I feel like she's really sticking it to those people with this run. And it strikes me from what she had to say afterwards that the best thing that happened to her in this tournament was losing the first set of it, Six Love, to Robin Montgomery.

41:26Matt Roberts: It was like she hit rock bottom. Yeah, she said it can't get worse than that. What an extraordinary story. To think that that's how it started and here she is. This is where I can do a newsletter teaser. That's what tomorrow's stat is all about as David gets dive-bombed. Do you want to zoom in on Matt while he's doing the newsletter teaser so David can deal with the bug situation that's developing over there. Tight zoom on Matthew, as quick as you like. The stat is players to have got to this stage of a Grand Slam after losing the first set of it, Six Love. Ooh. Yeah. It's a bit like that's in the same genre as the players that win a slam saving match point sort of in the first round or along the way.

42:14Catherine Whitaker: and yeah look she was forced to find her game in that match against montgomery she knew it was a tough draw montgomery having just won a title on the grass and she's got better and better this as this tournament has gone on and you know i kind of expected this match to be a bit vibes here because they're such there's two such vibes players but as you said it was almost a bit like they cancelled each other out and the crowd didn't really know who to go with fully but in that first set it was like 2024 paolini was back the forehand i forgot how much i'd missed that forehand you know it's such a good shot when she lines it up and because you know because she's pretty diminutive she hits it at kind of net height and it stays at that height and just goes at an arrow through the court and yeah matt fuderman was sat next to me and was like oh i saw I saw that forehand 150 times in 2024, and I've not seen it like once this year.

43:13Catherine Whitaker: Like it was it was different the way she was hitting the ball, such conviction and took over the match, really. But then kind of as the match went on, I did feel like 2026, Paolini entered the building a little bit and got pretty tight and had her own struggles with the Iala serve. There was a lot of times when Iala was serving with that slow second serve and Paolini would miss it in the net and get pretty down on herself. For someone who presumably faces Saru Rani's serve on quite a regular occasion in practice, I kind of expected Paolini to be a little bit better at dealing with the Iala serve.

43:51I don't want Favassori to serve to me in practice. I want you because you're the one who's got the similar serve.

43:58Matt Roberts: She does need to improve that serve, Eala, doesn't she?

44:01Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, and look, this match did become a bit of a struggle for them both, I felt, but it was still compelling. You didn't know which way it was going to go, and just Paolini had a little bit more. I did think there was a bit of a hangover for Eala. She had extra strapping on her arm today that wasn't there the other day. She was a little bit slow out to the corners at times and did feel like everything had maybe caught up with her a little bit. She wasn't in the zone like she was against Fionté. She was having to work for it and did really well to make a match of this. But in the end, Paolini just had enough.

44:34Catherine Whitaker: And yeah, what an exciting quarterfinal that is. Kostiuk-Paolini, like two of the players who've had breakouts in the last couple of years, now meeting at this stage of a slam.

44:47Matt Roberts: David, I know you had picked Iala, not confidently, and I did put you very much on the spot, but from the players in this half of the draw, you would pick Iala to be the one to go to the final. This isn't recriminations, don't worry. Do you think she'll do that in the future?

45:03David Law: Yeah, I do. I do. Listen, I kind of feel like you. I know she had the big strapping on her leg the other day and the strap in here, and she didn't look as comfortable out there. I thought she actually did really well to make a good match of this against a player who was playing well for the most part. there was a euphoria about her the other day against Fionnick. I felt like I don't think anybody's going to stop her that day. I think we'll get a lot of that in the future. As long as she's fit, as long as she can stay fit. I realise that the serve might need some work and maybe some people are going to start figuring out some ways to play her.

45:40David Law: But I still feel like this game works on grass really well. Future Wimbledon champion?

45:48David Law: Yeah.

45:50Matt Roberts: Why not? look if if Eula Niemeyer can have the tag I definitely I think I think Alexi Arla can win Wimbledon one day I think she will win Wimbledon one day what do you think I don't want to annoy all our lovely new Filipino fans I'm far less confident about that But what I would say is that... Because of the serve? Yes, because of the serve. But then on the flip side, you could say, well, she's this good and she's got an area of her game with massive gains to be made.

46:31Catherine Whitaker: Sure, but I don't think she's ever going to be a great server. I could be wrong, but I always think that's going to be a limitation to some degree. The thing is, though, the grass court season on the women's side, no one has grabbed it. No one has gone out there and dominated this tournament. No one has even really made it their own in terms of reaching finals regularly. Jabir did for a little bit. She felt like a real contender coming in a few years in a row. Sabalenka's reached semis here consistently. But, you know, 10 different winners in the last 10 years, and you wouldn't have thought Vondrosheva.

47:06Catherine Whitaker: you wouldn't have thought paulini would reach a final you know like this surface is there to be got at a little bit on the women's side unless something dramatic changes and i don't see that over the next few years so i think there will be opportunities for players to have runs it's just that you know she's in that conversation but i think so many people are in that conversation she doesn't like fully stand out to me above above some others but it's been it's been an amazing run here and there was sort of no one i would love to see women more than they are that'd be amazing i'm just i can't i can't predict it at this stage okay david's face was saying it's really boring having a voice of reason bring back charlie it's a good job we've got one uh okay let's talk about linda nojkova it does feel like a year where there's going to be a future win-winning champion

48:05Matt Roberts: it does feel like this has got not random but slightly unexpected Czech champion written all over it

48:12Catherine Whitaker: the Czech energy yeah

48:13Matt Roberts: every other year no Vondrosha and Krojcikova were back to back yeah is she who you think is going to win it now Noskeva

48:24Catherine Whitaker: I think she'll get to the final I actually think the winner is going to come out of the other half

48:31Matt Roberts: that's a tough scene for your gal elise mertens pagula's been my gal the whole way tough for your mertens agenda pushing which we'll come on to in a moment uh let's cover nozkova uh so 6476 over madison keys today into her second major quarterfinal nozkova her first was australia 2024 so it's been it's been two and a half years that of course was the one where she beat she on take it was the real whoa who's the who's this nozkova gal um but yeah it's been of a bit of a weight since then and yet she's still very young uh and

49:07Catherine Whitaker: very good yeah well i think madison keys did a great breakdown in her press conference she said she's really good she got a great serve she comes forward well she's good at the net she has good hands it's one of those combinations where she's constantly dictating and trying to take time away from you she also has the variety a little bit of everything especially on this surface you know and like for madison keys to be saying that and she felt the force of that game today this was one of those matches with not much between them i think it was often going to be the way two big hitters on a grass court and keys kind of let the first set go she was 41 up on serve and got got broken to lose the opening set and then she also double faulted a couple of times in the second set tie break and didn't play those big moments well but noshkova she said last year was when it really clicked for her on the grass.

50:00Catherine Whitaker: And I was watching that match against Anissimova last year and Noskova very nearly won it last year against Anissimova who obviously went on to the final. She was not far off level-wise last year. And I think she's improved with the title in Berlin. She comes here with a lot of confidence. And frankly, her game works on other surfaces too. She's had a nice season and made progress. But on this one, with her first serve, which is one of the most potent on the women's tour, two flat ground strokes, forehand and backhand, and hands. She's got similar hands, I always think, to Pagula. She can hold the baseline and hit a slice.

50:39Matt Roberts: That dexterity.

50:40Catherine Whitaker: Dexterity, pick the ball up low. She's good at that. And yeah, she's a handful. I think now we come into the territory of like, she's the highest seed left in this half, and suddenly there's a big opportunity, and she's playing at a stage of a slam. she's only played out once before and if she does that she's in a semi-final and that's definitely on centre court and all of that pressure I don't know yet whether whether she's going to handle all of that but I do think game-wise she's she's ready she's never played Elisa Mertens before

51:11Matt Roberts: that's who the quarterfinal opponent will be for Mertens it's her fourth this was her fourth fourth round match here at Wimbledon it's her first time breaking through to the quarterfinal and she said that she was thinking maybe this is my last chance which you know she's she's over 30 isn't she but she's you know she's not she's not in Dimitrov territory but she has been around a while we did she is a player that we kind of think we know Elise Mertens we rate her we know she's good but we also know exactly what her ceiling is so for somebody like that to say hang on a second I'm going to break through that ceiling obviously Matt you never doubted that her fourth Grand Slam quarterfinal overall but six years since her last one this is your Elise Mertens moment off you go she's good Elise Mertens I know and like I think she won this today off the back of both of these players

52:13Catherine Whitaker: previous rounds you know because Buzkova had beaten Sam Sonovan an absolute epic a great match but she needed three and a bit hours to do it. Mertens had a tougher draw, Rabakina, and got over the line more quickly and had more in the tank today. And, you know, the way she held on against Rabakina in that second set the other day, I think ended up helping her today. She didn't let that one drag out. She got it done in straight sets and Buskova looked pretty, pretty gassed, I thought, today quite early and didn't have that much in the tank. But Mertens took advantage and, yeah, Look, she has a lot of the things I like about WCA players.

52:54Catherine Whitaker: A great backhand. She gets involved in a lot of good matches. She's the person who saves a load of match points and still comes back to win. She plays cat and mouse points as well. And I'm not saying she's, you know, like my number one watch, but I just like Elise Mertens and don't want her catching strays. That's all I'm saying. when she caught strays on the tennis podcast live from Wimbledon maybe not from live from Wimbledon but I would say on uh there's there's definitely some strays been caught in podcast pass and whatsapp chats what's what is what is said in the whatsapp chat stays in the whatsapp chat I wouldn't I would never I would never I would never air those takes.

53:43I'd say that's a Rubicon we don't want to cross. Absolutely. Okay, the women's draw.

53:48Matt Roberts: I'm not going to do this with the men's because it's so much less fun because I know what everyone's going to say. The women's draw. Naomi Osaka, Karolina Mukova, Jessica Pagula, Coco Goff, Marta Kostiuk, Jasmine Paolini, Linda Nozkova, Elise Mertens. Who are your two finalists and who's going to win?

54:09Catherine Whitaker: I'm going to stick with Pagula. as the finalist and champion. And then I'll go Noskova.

54:23Matt Roberts: Pergula and Noskova with Pergula to win?

54:25Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, a reverse of what happened in Berlin. David?

54:31David Law: I think the winner of the top half, the finalist from the top half, is going to come from the Osaka-Mukova match. Too vague, I need a name. I'm just getting there. Workshop is dramatic effect. Showing his workings. It's acres. It's just I'm not quite sure. I have been back and forth over Osaka and Mukava a lot in my head. That's the problem. Because I really can see the scenario of both of them doing it.

55:01Catherine Whitaker: It was interesting what you said last night about how there's a world where Mukava carves her up. Yeah. And that was happening in the final they played last week. I know Osaka had the foot injury, but those first three games, before the injury became clear, Mukova has an ability to keep the ball low and get it out of the Osaka strike zone.

55:20David Law: I sort of feel like if she played her best tennis at the rest of this tournament, she would win it. Mukova? Yeah, because I don't even think we've seen the best, just on grass at least. Do we have a bit of a fang, question mark, over Mukova? Yes, I do. I do a little bit. Well, the way she didn't serve it out against Krzykhova yesterday was a concern, I felt. And then she did serve it out. So she kind of needed two goes at it. Don't know whether you get two goes every time. I'm going to go Mukova. Against? Against. It's either Paolini or Noshkova.

55:58Matt Roberts: David, you have listed 50 % of the players left in the draw. I know, but I'm getting there, aren't I? Yeah, but you're covering bases. So not Kostiuk. I thought you might go Kostiuk

56:08David Law: no I don't think so I think Paulini's compact game is going to win that one and in the end I'm going to go for Paulini against Mukova and Mukova to win the title fun these are great imaginary tournaments in our heads I've come up with so many like this none of them have been right but that doesn't matter. There's a lot of good scenarios from here. We're in a great place.

56:40Catherine Whitaker: It's the first time since 2007 that the quarterfinal line-up at Wimbledon for the women has all been seeds. There's a lot of the big names missing there but I think that just shows the strength in depth. We've still got a lot of interesting players. I don't know. My one thing about Mukava is that I feel like sometimes in really big matches I don't know what her like go-to play is her one weapon you know when the pressure's on I think it's a little bit harder to construct all those points that she does so brilliantly like maybe she can do it but that would be kind of my question I think what we saw from Osaka like the clear weapon of the big serve and being able to play front foot tennis I just feel like Mukava's hands can can get some of those returns back.

57:31Yes. And actually, I do feel like she's been developing more of a forehand, Mukovo. Right. Personally. Yeah. Oh, it's great. Who are your picks, Catherine?

57:44Matt Roberts: I'm just distracted by someone that's saying in the chat, it's only fair that every Czech WTA player gets to win the title at least once. It's like jury service. Marie Buskovo, 2029. I've picked Osaka to beat Mukovi tomorrow so and I do as much as you've both been very persuasive Eccleshire doesn't miss very much

58:09Catherine Whitaker: that's true we didn't factor that in

58:12Matt Roberts: he was right about England last night we will we have got receipts for his takes on Goth so we're going to bring them to the table if he doesn't get it right I mean there's absolutely no reason not to be sticking with my original pick at the start of the tournament which was Jessica Pagula because she's played every bit as well as I thought she was going to based on that pick so I really should stick with Pagula to win the title but you are allowed to yes you know use the use the tennis you've seen yeah but it's not the tennis I've seen it's it's the fact that Eccleshire didn't miss isn't it fun though to have this many players where you really could feel like you could make a strong case for I love that there's a lot of players in the mix is every player in the mix elise mertens isn't she's not yeah tell him he's wrong no he's not wrong i mean i think she's great and she's playing really well but i'd be really surprised if she won the bloody title is she the only player not in the mix is that what the elise mertens guy is saying yeah 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.

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1:00:29and we still have the best part of the show to come folks because before we look ahead to tomorrow's order of play we have to talk about an event that happened today that i so wanted to lead the show with uh but i couldn't i couldn't editorially contort ourselves to make it valid to lead the show with this but we're going to end the show with this well we'll end with the the order of play and saying hello to phoebe but in terms of the editorial meat of the show I give you Laura Siegmund against Yelena Ostapenko on the mixed doubles court. And when I say there was aggro here, I mean, we need a new word for what this was.

1:01:12I don't think we currently have it in our vernacular. Because what happened was, I mean, so we've got Yelena Ostapenko partnered with Marcelo Arevalo. So we've got Laura Siegmund partner with Edouard Roger Vasselin. Siegmund has already lost once today in the women's doubles. So she's aiming to not lose twice in two days. So Osterpenko and Arevalo have won the first set 6-4. And it is a tie break in the second set. Laura Siegmund is serving. It's 7-all. She gets given a time violation. Which I wasn't there. But I'm going to assume... But you know it was legitimate. I'm going to assume that was absolutely legitimate.

1:01:54She should be in a time violation on every point, obviously. But she gets one at seven all in the second set tie break. She's doctor first serve. So she must have already got one at some point. Again, let's assume that that was entirely legitimate. She then double faulted and then they went on to lose the match. She immediately marched to the umpire's chair and started complaining that Ostopenko, who she referred to as this one,

1:02:26hasn't got any time violations for all of her aborted bull tosses. She said, and the one time I go over the time and this one you give nothing. I'm sure it was just the one time, Laura, I'm sure. And then there is, so there's no handshake, and not one of those sort of deft, sort of balletic no handshakes where you just sort of don't do it, but let's not make a big thing of it. This is a very demonstrative, performative, absolutely no handshake happening here situation. Ostopenko is obviously just doing great faces at all of this. She ends up then having it out with Edouard Roger Vasselin on the court at length.

1:03:15Court in the middle. Well, Marcelo Arovaro is in the background just blowing his nose, saying absolutely nothing. Ostopenko and Roger Vasselin going at it. Don't know where Laura Siegmund is while this is happening. But Ostopenko is saying that Siegmund is always taking too long in singles and everybody knows it. Facts. Now, this is tough because I'm sure Ostopenko was being so annoying. But she is right. she does take too long in singles and everybody does know it truth and as much as I would love the rule to be checked I think aborted bald horses should be included in the time absolutely currently they're not and that isn't a violation of the rules so I stand with Yelena on this big that is what Laura Siegman does to me does anybody feel different?

1:04:13Nope. I think she was right. I stand with Yelena Ostopenko and her new sponsors, TK Maxx.

1:04:25From Tesco to TK Maxx. Yeah, very opportunist. Do you think the TK Maxx people were watching our show the other night, breaking the news that Tesco had dropped her and spied an opportunity? We'll get in there. I hope so. Tomorrow's order of play, folks. Stay nine of Wimbledon, starting on centre court with women's quarterfinals, excuse me, between Jessica Begula and Coco Gough. That is followed by the resumption of Yurila Hetschka and Alexander Zverev. They are at three all in the third set. Zverev leading by two sets to love. Then it is Felix Auger-Aliassime against Novak Djokovic. David, you've gone for Auger-Aliassime in the predictions.

1:05:07Is that because you actually think that's what's going to happen? Or because of the value that you might get if that comes off?

1:05:15David Law: No, I don't really do the value thing. You actually think Felix is beating Djokovic tomorrow? I could see it, yeah. I could see it. I sort of feel like he's reliable, Felix. He's going to come out and play tough, play well. It just comes down to has Djokovic got it or not? And he hasn't had it on grass that much. Not Australian Open levels. I think if Djokovic plays really quite well, he will win. But I just feel like Félix Ogi Aliasim is just... There were a couple of question marks the other day, amidst the nonsense of Davidovic Fikina. But until he started to get a bit wound up by him, I thought he'd turned the match in his favour.

1:06:07David Law: he should have won it more straightforwardly than he did. And generally, I think his game is in really good nick at the moment. Number one court tomorrow is where you find Yannick Sinner, the world number one on number one court for his quarterfinal against Jan-Leonard Struffy to you and I. Had that rebrand a couple of years ago, didn't he? And now, much like Matthew, they're trying to gaslight us into believing he's always been Struffy. Matthew's gone, by the way. Matthew has gone assume we're still on it is going to be hot tomorrow it is hot it's not going to be sunny apparently according to my quite unreliable weather app but it is going to be hot and stuffy it was today it's not quite where we were in Paris and I do think the sun is a factor it doesn't look according to the forecast to be bad enough to be a potential Surundalo situation, but I certainly think it's bad enough that he's not going to enjoy it.

1:07:10Catherine Whitaker: And he is in the first on no escape slot. Yeah, exactly. So if it does get to him, he's going to have to find a way through it in a way that he couldn't. I mean, to me, that is the most interesting element of that match. Yeah. You know, Strouf, he's obviously done incredibly well to get here, but he's played a lot of tennis as well. I think the only match that wasn't straight sets was the Medford F1.

1:07:38Catherine Whitaker: He's not known as a great closer of sets and that kind of stuff. I think Sin is fine in that matchup, even with the way he's been playing. Stylistically, I think it helps him because he's going to have a target at the net a lot of the time and he's going to pass him a lot of the time. If it's just a tennis match, I think we all know what we think of that. but it does make it interesting. And the stress element as well, the fact that you know Yannick Sinner knows and I think part of it is the anticipation of the conditions that he knows are tough and feeling so exposed out there, knowing that everybody knows his biggest vulnerability and that everybody is waiting to see, will it happen again?

1:08:23Will it happen again? Yeah, fascinating. That is followed on number one court by Naomi Osaka against Carolina. Mukova and I think we've established what you two think is happening there both going Mukova there I think I'm actually

1:08:40Catherine Whitaker: going Osaka okay I think well I have gone Osaka so there we go just scrolling to see if I can find Elaine Rosterpenko on the schedule she did they did win that match today so I presume they're here somewhere but no Laura Siegman she is out of both the singles the mixed and the women's doubles so So have a safe flight home, Laura. Okay, hello to Phoebe. Priyanka's been in the chat tonight. Hello, Priyanka. Hello, Phoebe. The picture I'm looking at of Phoebe is her on the back of the sofa, which is exactly the position that Billie Jean likes to be in. She likes, particularly when humans are on the sofa, she likes to sort of be a scarf around the back of your neck.

1:09:24So it's very lovely to see Phoebe in that sun-soaked position. Hello, Priyanka. thank you for your Phoebe content. It brings a great smile to my face and I know Vicky's face as well when she's, well, dishing out Phoebe content like sweets every day. Hello to our mascots, Bodie, Maisie and Roger. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff. Matt's back, so shout outs are back. Two shout outs tonight. The first for Brittany from Southern California. Hi, Brittany. Hello, Brittany.

1:09:59Catherine Whitaker: and Brittany says sorry Vicky says that she's picked this shout out for today to cheer Brittany up because all she said in her little information was living for Serena's return oh so let's try and cheer Brittany up Matthew's back and we know that because he's chuckling she did return and she did play quite well Brittany I thought and there could be more to come I think so Yes, there could be more to come. Brittany.

1:10:37I don't have any. Matex, no, that's Bethany. It's a nice try. It was a good try. I feel like there is one.

1:10:50Do you? Maybe the live chow have one. Yeah, talk amongst yourselves. I'm just looking at the live chow. I don't think there is one, you know. OK, Brittany, we failed you. But fingers crossed for you for more Serena Williams comeback material on home soil in the US this summer. And finally, we have Katie Davis, who would also like to shout out her mum, Susie. Oh, hello, Katie. Hi, Katie. And hello, Susie. Hi, Susie.

1:11:22Catherine Whitaker: Katie says, my mum, Susie, is a huge tennis fan, tennis podcast fan and all around excellent person oh how lovely oh we've we're both incredibly excited to be going to wimbledon together on our favorite day the second monday so they were here today today oh and katie said i can't wait to spend the day with her watching our favorite sport that's wonderful that's really really lovely you had a great day katie like katie swan and suzy like Suzanne Longlin lovely and I do need to read out another contribution from actually the same person DVD Smith 2002 who I read out earlier who says Brittany like how Ali Ashbedonay felt for a few years absolutely superb contribution to the live chat

1:12:24we're done we can't we can't top that yeah britney katie susie uh thank you very much for being friends of the tennis podcast katie and susie i hope you had a wonderful day today at wimbledon we will be back tomorrow we are part of the athletic podcast network thank you for joining us tonight however you joined us thank you and particularly to to dvd smith for those incredible contributions do check us out on YouTube live from Wimbledon if you haven't already and you too can join in the live chat with Pamela Howard-Driver who was in there tonight hello Pam champion of the last eight night club quiz yes tonight Pamela Howard-Driver the first Wimbledon trophy has been dished out and I'm on the radio with Pam tomorrow yes BBC Radio David and Pam Gough Pagula yeah dream combo join us

1:13:17Catherine Whitaker: when I said that's my dream mixed doubles team Pam quipped yeah no lobs over our heads incredible okay thank you all for being with us tonight for listening for viewing we are part of the Athletic Podcast Network and we will be back tomorrow

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