Monte Carlo - Was Sinner’s statement win a game-changer?

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1:17Matt Roberts: Well, hello and welcome to the Tennis Podcast, where it is Monday the 13th of April as we come to you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed pre-9am but crucially post-caffeine. David doesn't need caffeine unlike for me. This is his optimum time of day. How are you doing David? Fine I've been up hours. Yeah the kids went alarm clock after Easter holidays went off at 6.30 which I have to say after the Masters Golf last night was a bit of a challenge but I've regrouped. I've bounced back Catherine. Yeah we are in a constant state of bouncing back. Matt good morning how you doing?

2:01Catherine Whitaker: Good morning very well thank you. Wearing my green for Rory McIlroy's second green jacket in a row. Yeah good stuff last night at the golf and good stuff with the tennis this weekend so very well thank you.

2:15Matt Roberts: Absolutely, yeah. Rory McIlroy inspired by watching the tennis in Monte Carlo before his final two rounds.

2:26Catherine Whitaker: It was his worst round of the tournament when he mentioned that he'd been watching the tennis in the build-up.

2:32Matt Roberts: I'm going to assume he watched the final as well. Right? On Sunday. Yeah, probably. Which is also not a brilliant round but it was enough to win.

2:42Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, he's probably less sort of weird about thinking that it was the tennis that caused his bad rounds than than I would be and that's why he's a professional athlete right okay well let's head to Monte Carlo first

2:57Matt Roberts: of all which has seen the crowning of a new champion and a new world number one or at least a returning world number one in the form of Yannick Sinner since we last potted he polished of Felix Auger Eliassime in the quarterfinals, Alexander Zverev in the semifinals and Carlos Alcaraz in the final. All of it without dropping a set, which is kind of how Yannick Sinner likes to roll these days. It is a first Masters 1000 title on clay. He's clinched it by beating the two players closest to him in the rankings and he's now got the validation of the number one next to his name again. How big a deal, David, was this week for Yannick Sinner?

3:50I think it was sizable. I think the validation comes not from getting the number one back to me. That's a more long-term achievement that you've accomplished over the course of 12 months. What he's done is he's beaten Alcaraz again. And he's not beaten him on indoors. He's beaten him on a natural surface. He's beaten him on clay. And he's done it in the manner that he kind of said he was setting out to do it in September of last year after the US Open final. I want to be less predictable. I want to add variety to my game. And he's done that. There were moments where he was hitting the first drop shot in the rally.

4:42And he's been doing it all the way through this run in recent weeks. But he did it against Alcraz. And I was fascinated to see, well, what happens when you do that against a guy who's this fast and this good with his hands and who likes to play that sort of game? And he was able to kind of pull it off. I mean, it wasn't one-sided by any means. He was a break of serve down in both sets. I think Alcaraz will get better and sharper, absolutely. But I definitely feel like we've seen proper strides from Sinner. And, you know, the high backhand flick over his left shoulder, high backhand smash, you know, just real understanding of the courts.

5:24And I just feel like he's gained confidence and he's added to his repertoire and he trusts it, he's able to use it. Like when Zverev does the things that he said he's setting out to do, it still feels a bit clunky, particularly against those two. You know, it's good against everybody else, but then it gets against those two and he looks clunky. Sinner doesn't look clunky. He looks like he's got it down. And I think it's a fantastic performance for a start in isolation and over the week. I don't think he could look better, really, Sinner, at this stage of the season. and he's already talking about what it will mean for the future.

6:06So, yeah, your move, Carlos.

6:11Matt Roberts: Yeah, in terms of the final and the Sin Caraz of it all, Matt, is this one of those results where the win for Yannick Sinner is more consequential than the loss for Carlos Alcaraz?

6:27Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, I think that's probably quite a good way of putting it, I would say. Look, I think anyone who watched the French Open final last year, and I have to think that is probably everyone listening to this podcast, because frankly...

6:43Matt Roberts: Imagine if you're listening to the tennis podcast and you didn't watch the best tennis match of all time.

6:48Catherine Whitaker: If you missed it, hit pause on this. Go and give yourself a great five hours watching that.

6:53Matt Roberts: It is better than this.

6:55Catherine Whitaker: Yeah. by the way it's okay to have been busy that day and had something you couldn't move but to have not gone back in the last 11 months I'm sorry I don't think you should be allowed to listen to this

7:09Matt Roberts: yeah not in not in the YouTube era come on sorry Matt

7:13Catherine Whitaker: carry on well the thing is anyone who watched that so everyone knows that Yannick Sinner that day was out playing Carlos Alcres on a clay court you know like he I think even back then he did know how to play him and all of that kind of thing. He was in a winning position and we were one point away from the narrative there being so different. And it wasn't because Yannick Sinner didn't know how to play Carlos Alcaraz on a clay court. So from that point of view, I've always thought he sort of had it in him. But to actually get over the line and do it and then set up this clay court season with a win against Alcaraz at the start of it, heading into what we know is the biggest time of his season.

7:58Catherine Whitaker: He has said Roland Garros is his biggest goal and trying to complete that career slam. I think it's massive for the confidence. You know, I just think if he'd taken a loss here, it might have dented that a little bit. But now he's got the world number one back. He's got a win over Carlos Alcaraz. As David's describing, his slight rejigging of his game is working really smoothly. and he's on this incredible streak in these Masters 1000s. He's just ticked every box there and I think that's really big for him. I think for Alcaraz, in a way, in a way it might motivate him even more. Not that his motivation is down, I think, but he has done the thing that he set out to do this year by winning in Australia and now he's going to be desperate to get it back against Yannick Sinner and get back to world number one and get back to winning their head-to-head matches.

9:00Catherine Whitaker: So I think that's the way their rivalry goes. One of them ups the other and then the other one comes back. We've seen that all the time. So it might not also be the worst thing for Carlos Alcaraz to have had this at the start of the clear court season as well. I come out of it thinking, well, they're both in a pretty good place, really.

9:20Matt Roberts: Yeah, he's also kind of got out of the way, Carlos Alcaraz losing the number one. I don't know if you saw, I'm sure you did, much like last year's French Open final, the interview that Alcaraz gave after one of his earlier sort of quarterfinal win maybe, or perhaps the round of 16, when he was asked about this narrative that, you know, the likes of us have been building massively about Yannick Sinner hunting down the world number one. and Alcaraz said, oh, I'm going to lose it. Like, you know, he talked about it like he had accepted he was resigned to it. Didn't seem that bothered. I mean, I think he would like to be number one, but as we've discussed on previous pods, I don't think it quite means what it means to Yannick Sinner.

10:08Matt Roberts: I don't think he quite needs it the way Yannick Sinner does. Put it this way, I think if Sinner had just, if Alcaraz had just taken the number one and the Monte Carlo title from Sinner, I don't think Yannick Sinner would have been standing next to the swimming pool watching Carlos Alcaraz dive into it, as is the tradition for the winner. That was a really cool video, by the way, seeing Alcaraz cheering Sinner on doing that. But I think if the roles were reversed, I don't think Sinner is standing at the bottom of the pool. like yeah I just think those are their characters but sorry to get back to my original point I feel like he wasn't resigned to losing this final like he was you know hungry and competitive and wanted it in the moment but kind of big picture he was pretty resigned to losing the number one and David I think just having that out of the way paves the way for a fresh start.

11:14Matt Roberts: I know he can get it back in Barcelona this week. They could have this tug of war throughout the clay court season. But I think he's pretty resigned to going into Roland Garros as the number two seed, Carlos Alain. Yeah, and I just don't really think it makes any difference, personally. I mean, you get the draw you get for either top seed or second seed. You know, there's not much difference, really. I think at the end of the year is when the ranking matters, certainly to me as an onlooker. That's when I'll figure out, well, right, who's had the better year? I am probably, from that standpoint of Al Kraz, kind of also getting something from this.

11:54To use a Yannick Sinner word, he's getting feedback, which is a very Yannick Sinner thing to say about winning Monte Carlo. But I also get what he means, and I kind of love it. Federer used to talk about getting information from tournaments and where he is. And I like that. It's analytical. It's sensible. But it's also actually downplaying an incredible achievement in a kind of nice way, I think. I think you're absolutely right about how they come out of these results. and they're just ravenous to get you back and to get the level back that will beat the other guy. Because, I mean, look, Alcraz has kind of sailed through the tournament until he meets Yannick Sinner, and this is just what happens.

12:50They're still, when they're on, so much better than everybody else. And the others have had some moments. I mean, this is their first meeting of the year, and yet it's taken Novak Djokovic, the greatness of Novak Djokovic, to stop it in Australia. And I think it's taken a brilliant Daniel Medvedev performance, for instance, to beat Al Kraz. But I also think Al Kraz wasn't quite on it in the non-slam events in the Sunshine Double as he will be. I think that Sinner is just finding the level. I mean, I could still see them meeting in the next three Grand Slam finals. I still think that is my kind of expectation, really.

13:36Matt Roberts: Yeah, I mean, honestly, it feels like something, look, injuries can happen, all of that, but it does feel like something really unexpected has to happen for them not to meet in the final in any tournament that they play. Like, I know we've been talking a lot over the past few weeks about how there have been these wins for the field, these crumbs off the table. There have been good weeks for the field in terms of that this is the first time they've both made it to the final of a tournament. It's a crumb off the table, but that has to be taken as a win in the current climate. I feel like all of those gains have been erased in Monte Carlo.

14:20Matt Roberts: I don't know how you two feel about this, But the gap between those two, it feels almost, and the rest, I mean, it feels almost embarrassing for the rest. I know it reflects more on them being utterly unreal than everybody else. But, you know, looking at the rankings this morning, obviously you've got Yannick Sinner at the top, 13 ,350 points. Alcaraz behind him, 13 ,240. the drop back to Zverev in third is 5 ,555 and like we all saw Sinner against Zverev on Saturday the gap feels that big if not bigger and then you've got Djokovic at four who's doing incredibly to be there but let's face it he's a part-time tennis player and then Felix Auger Eliassime is now the world number five on 4 ,100 points and like incredible achievement from him.

15:18Matt Roberts: Like that's brilliant from him and he's earned it. But how big does the gap from Sinner and Alcaraz to Felix Augerliassime feel? Like what world is there where Felix Augerliassime is anywhere near the mix for the French Open or Wimbledon even or like any Grand Slam, quite frankly? The whole complexion of tennis has to change for the world number five to be anywhere near a Grand Slam mix. They all feel like a mix of three to me because I'd still remove Djokovic from that pack because he is who he is. He's done what he's done and he's done it recently. The fact that he beat Sinner and he hurt Alcaraz back to back in those finals.

16:07Matt Roberts: Sure, but in terms of the tour, David? I don't really think, I know he does rock up at some tour events, he knows he can't just turn it on at the slams, but in terms of the tour, the rest is inconsequential, isn't it? Certainly that's how Monte Carlo has made it feel. Certainly when you think of what Zverev's doing to everybody else. And the moment he's faced Sinner three times now. And I know he had one good set against him in Miami. But I mean, this was... I don't know what this must be doing to Zverev's head about Sinner, specifically Sinner. Well, he said during the match, didn't he? He turned to his team and said, I don't know how to play this guy.

16:51I think he'll be hoping to be in the opposite half.

16:54Matt Roberts: I don't think Misha Zverev has the answer to that for you. And it turns out he didn't.

17:00Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, it feels like Zverev is three because he's the most consistent and reliable out of all the other guys, not because he's actually closer to being able to break through against Sinner and Alcaraz. You know, like he's earned that three spot because of his pretty remarkable week in, week out consistency. And he is a tough guy to beat. You know, he's pretty much always getting to the latter stages of tournaments, whereas some of the others, I think, actually have a bit of a gear change, a bit of a turbo boost, a bit of a sudden injection that actually might be able to cause Sinner and Alcaraz some problems within a match.

17:44Catherine Whitaker: You know, we're kind of talking Medvedev in the right circumstances, as we saw in Indian Wells. You know, Feast and Draper weren't in Monte Carlo this week. And I think that sort of hurt the field a bit because they've been gathering a little bit of momentum through the Sunshine Double. And then Mazzetti is still working his way back.

18:03Matt Roberts: There's a reason they weren't in Monte Carlo. And that's the, you know, trying to challenge, trying to get to the level of Alcaraz and Sinner is fucking up their bodies, right?

18:13Catherine Whitaker: Absolutely. I'm not saying any of these guys are close to Alcaraz and Sinner but I'm saying they're also sort of in my mind within a match not like further away than Zverev just because they're different in the rankings like the rankings to me are not that helpful at the moment really other than Sinner and Alcaraz are clearly number two and then there's just this big pool of other players and Zverev's leading it because of his consistency and he deserves credit for that but in terms of actually being closest to Sinner and Alcaraz it's tough to say who that really is right now. I'd also draw a distinction between Sinner and Alkraz in terms of Zverev because Zverev served for the match against Alkraz at the Australian Open.

18:56He's not getting anywhere near Sinner right now. It's eight in a row. He's 7-6 down against Alkraz. I do feel like it's different. Styles make matches, don't they?

19:09Catherine Whitaker: By the way, just to go back to the match, You know, we haven't talked about the wind.

19:15Matt Roberts: It's because I hate it, Matt. It made me feel really anxious. I find, look, I'm planning to have a rant about indoor tennis later in this podcast. So I can't go in too hard on the wind and the outdoor conditions in the Monte Carlo final. I'm looking forward to seeing how you get around this one. But it just makes me, I think maybe it's projection because of how much I hate playing tennis in the wind um but it just it makes me really anxious and I think it made them anxious it right yeah like it just it all felt so edgy didn't it and I don't mind a bit of edge it kind of upped the stakes but like I was just sort of I was clenched I was clenched for 90 minutes

20:02Catherine Whitaker: yeah I I did really enjoy it um you know like I know they're capable of absolutely brilliant tennis I've seen it so I found it an interesting dynamic on this match an interesting element that

20:14Matt Roberts: like oh throw in the wind so did Andy Murray who couldn't stop tweeting yeah I love it when Murray

20:20Catherine Whitaker: just goes months without without appearing on Twitter suddenly there's a gust of wind with

20:25Matt Roberts: analysis everyone's got to hear his wind takes he was a great wind player Andy Murray wasn't he

20:30Catherine Whitaker: and I think he was he was making that point you know he was like absolutely with his tweet he was like you know when you play in the wind you have to adjust and play with more margin and whoever figures that out first will be the one who wins as if to say i'd have figured it out by now what are these two doing um and thing is it was a scrappy match you know there was there was a lot more errors than we're used to seeing there were absolutely highs in it and i think you know i think other players in the wind it probably would have been an even messier match and and you know Everyone was talking about the errors and Sinner immediately said afterwards, oh, I think it was a really, a really high level.

21:07Catherine Whitaker: He has a way of just sort of disarming you and sort of taking away your narrative about something Yannick Sinner. I really do enjoy that. But I suppose my overall take on the wind was like, if you told me going into it, it's going to be a windy final. I would have thought that that would favor Alcaraz, actually. And I know he's the one who's given the quote before about the windy and not liking it. But I just think his game, his natural game with his movement, with his spins, with his changes of heights and all that sort of thing, to me, is more set up to play in the wind than Yannick Sinner. So I was so impressed it was actually Sinner who got a handle on those conditions, I think, the best.

21:47Catherine Whitaker: You know, he wasn't serving well at the start of the match, Yannick Sinner. And I think Alcarez will regret not taking advantage of that in that first set when Sinner's serve was down. but as soon as he got in the tie break he made all his first serves which was like an impressive like stepping up from Sinner and then that second set the way he pinned Alcaraz in the backhand

22:05Matt Roberts: corner was so notable he got a lot of errors from that backhand a lot he was hitting long on it a

22:12Catherine Whitaker: lot made me think maybe he'd been watching Thomas Martín Echeverry because that because that also happened to Alcaraz against Echeverry um but like yeah I was just impressed with the way Sinner handled those conditions and ended up ended up sort of really racing through the finish having been a breakdown in that second set yeah he he pinned Alcres in the backhand corner either with backhand exchanges or by running around and hitting his forehand to that side like it was it was good stuff from Sinner and I think that was another element where I just thought oh okay he's he's shown me something a little bit different there like being able to to handle those conditions the better of the two of them I would say there was um a stat presented by Nick Lester in commentary that Sinner was hitting more than 60 percent of shots on his forehand side versus normally 49 percent so he's he's upped he'd upped his use of the forehand more than 10 percent in this match and I find that just an interesting adjustment.

23:17Maybe some more of the traffic was going into the forehand but I think that he had decided he was going to pull the trigger more often and use that side.

23:31Matt Roberts: Shall you talk about Valentin Vachero for a moment?

23:35Catherine Whitaker: Just in case McElroy is listening.

23:38Matt Roberts: Yes, absolutely. What a moment that was.

23:44Matt Roberts: I mean, we know Rory McIlroy loves tennis, right? Didn't he fly directly from a golf tournament to the US Open last year? He popped up at the US Open. I mean, he's no stranger to a private jet, is Rory McIlroy. If we've learned anything about him this week, it is that. So it was no huge shock to hear him shouting out the tennis. But then he started reeling off the names of the players that he was going to be watching the following morning ahead of his third round at the Masters with a five-shot lead. And, you know, he says Sinor and Zverev, and then he says Algoraz and Vashiro. And you just imagine a year ago being told that Rory McIlroy, ahead of defending his Masters side, will be shouting out Valentin Vashiro.

24:36Matt Roberts: He's up to 17 in the rankings, is Vashiro. is that a true reflection of how good Valentin Vachero is David like is he going to stay there or maybe even kick on and get and get higher or is this or are there still question marks over him because it was one weird week in Shanghai and it was Monte Carlo's home tournament where he was pretty much more motivated than Carlos Alcaraz going for the career slam. Has he killed off the asterisks or do they remain? No, I don't think he's killed them off because he hasn't actually done a full circuit at this level yet. I mean, I'm quite interested to see what circuit two looks like.

25:23You know, this time next year, I'll be curious to see where he is. Have you got Aslan Karatsev kicking around in the back of your mind? maybe but listen I think he's better than certainly some people do I think he's a good I think he's got game and I think he's got swagger I love the way he carries himself around a court he looks like he's coming out of the tunnel going to a boxing match you know like he's ready to rumble you know he's and I love that about him he he doesn't put limits on himself He goes out thinking he's got a real punch's chance against anybody. And he's got the game to back it up.

26:06He's got true power, true physicality. I do think his forehand is a little vulnerable. I think you can get to it and it can break down. But his backhand is rock solid. And he doesn't sort of throw in duffer weeks. I feel like he wins a couple of matches most weeks. since the Shanghai results. It's not like he went out in the first round of the Australian Open. It took Ben Shelton to knock him out in a few rounds in. And he looks good on hard. He looks good on clay. I do think that Monte Carlo would have jet-propelled him a bit because of the environment and the atmosphere. And he clearly loves it.

26:57I still think back to the press comments you gave. I was one of three people in the room when he'd just lost to Ben Shelton because nobody needed to speak to him anymore, really, for that tournament. And he was really gutted that he wasn't going to get to sample the 43 degrees Celsius day in a couple of days' time that Shelton would get to handle. He's a physical beast, isn't he? Yeah, he loves it.

27:19Matt Roberts: Yeah, his physicality and athleticism is pretty amazing.

27:23Catherine Whitaker: And the thing is, there's different ways to be a top 20 player, right? And like, they're both deserving. Like you can be the week in, week out guy who is constantly showing up and getting to third, fourth rounds, quarter finals and building a really impressive, consistent base. And that's pretty impressive in itself. Or you can do it the way Valentin Vachero has done it, which is popping up occasionally. And as David said, he's not like absolutely crashing out when he's not having his moments, but he's not doing a lot. And then suddenly he's doing something huge, whether it be semifinals here or winning in Shanghai.

28:02Catherine Whitaker: These are massive results. And that can get you into the top 20 as well. And like that's an effective way. That's an effective way to do things as well. You know, have a bit of a sting to you and a bit of a bit of a level raise. And I think he's got that. And I think to your point, Catherine, about his physicality, when the conditions are slow and heavy, I think he's dangerous because he's not getting exhausted and fatigued in those sorts of conditions. It's pretty remarkable. The surge he had against Alex Dimonor was amazing in that third set. And he's got the power to hit through those sorts of conditions, as David's described.

28:38And, you know, that can be a real weapon for him.

28:42Catherine Whitaker: He can use that physicality and that power. So, yeah, how good is he? I don't know, but I do know what my eyes have seen in Shanghai and Monte Carlo. And he's caused good players a lot of problems. And he's done it repeatedly now.

28:59Matt Roberts: Make me a Vachero-French Open prediction. What round will he get to? Fourth? David? Yeah, I think it depends who he faces to some degree, where he is. Of course. I don't, he doesn't seem to run out of gas, you know. He seems a bit of a diesel, to be honest, as though he can just keep going. And like he rides, his... Is there a word on the tip of your tongue? Agricultural. He's, within matches, he is a little like these runs of form, you know. And that's how he beat Dimonor. If you remember in the second set of Dimonor, when Dimonor was coming back and he'd gone flat. I said, you know, the first set has given him a chance to have an adrenaline rush in the third set, and he could still be dangerous.

29:49And that's kind of what happened. And I feel like best of five sets allows him to almost take a set off, you know, and then just go and destroy you in the fourth set. So, yeah, I think that's about right, Matt. I think third or fourth round, I could definitely see him get into that. His game stands up. And I think he will worry opponents because he comes out looking like he wants to have a scrap. And I wouldn't want to play him.

30:16Matt Roberts: Will the Parisians, how do the French feel about monogasques? I think they'll get right into him. If Vachero's on Longlen, will he be supported like one of their own? He won't get the Marseillaise? No, but I think people, I don't exactly know the answer to the question as to how they will view his nationality. I think they will go with it, but I think they will go with him as well because I think he's right up their street. If he plays a French guy, I'd be interested to see what happens. If he plays Rinderknecht in bloody Paris, I'm looking forward to that.

30:58Catherine Whitaker: I'll tell you what, Catherine, he has done enough to keep being included in agendas. Remember at the start of the year, I kept saying, oh and Vachero's in the draw

31:08Matt Roberts: yep

31:09Catherine Whitaker: I'm going to keep doing that

31:10Matt Roberts: and I know that's because you find Vachero a bit funny but he's now also justifying it on the basis of his status not just the fact that you find him a bit funny

31:19Catherine Whitaker: absolutely that's a great combination but you also feel like he's got potential though don't you I feel like is when you see him you think oh bit of a wild card bit of a you know you wouldn't want to be playing him exactly

31:33Matt Roberts: yeah absolutely The doubles in Monte Carlo was won by the German team of Kevin Kravitz and Tim Putz. Seven of the top eight seeded teams made the quarterfinals. It was Kravitz and Putz who beat Matej Pavic and Marcelo Aravalo 10-8 in the deciding set match tiebreak. So an exciting final for the doubles. That is it for part one. We'll be back in part two to talk about the WTA event in Linz. 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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34:15Matt Roberts: Welcome back to part two of today's tennis podcast. And we have to go back to calling the WCA Linz 500 event the Lux Ladies Open or whatever it's officially called rather than the Lily Tagger Open. Because the Tagger fun ended at the hands of Anastasia Potopova. Potapova, she beat her 7-6, 6-6, love. And then Potapova went on to be defeated by Mira Andreva in the final. Andreva winning 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. It was fun while it lasted, the Lily Tagger Open though, wasn't it, David? Yeah, well, yes, it was. I mean, I could watch her anywhere. obviously watching her in Austria is elevated because they really do love her and she just gets them going but as we saw over the remaining days we had the answer to I feel like Matt and I's question as to well will it still feel buzzy after she's gone out or if she's not playing and it did and it was really quite extraordinary to see how well they took to Anastasia Potapova, who only kind of switched nationality allegiance in the last few months.

35:39And they got right behind her. And they, frankly, it was pretty full for virtually all the matches. So great atmosphere in Linz. I think it looked like a really good venue and a good, I liked it. And I know you hate indoor tennis. I really felt like this worked. and was a successful event. But I was also really enthused that Mirandreva managed to navigate it and figure out a way to underline her top seeding, but also win a match that she was getting absolutely smashed off the court in and figure out a way back and not lose at the end, which she's been doing so often.

36:25Matt Roberts: she could easily have lost that final couldn't she, Mira Androva and Anastasia Potapova that is not the same player that I saw playing the most god awful match against Emma Raducanu at the Australian Open, I commentated that match and she was better than Raducanu but that was a low bar and let me tell you, it was quite a windy match in fairness to them but by god the standard was terrible, so this Anastasia Potapova, completely different proposition altogether. I know you two discussed and debated in the show on Thursday about whether the Austrian crowd would treat Potipova as one of their own the way they had Lily Taggart.

37:07Matt Roberts: I was, maybe this is naive of me, I was pretty shocked by the extent to which they did treat her as one of their own. She was playing the Gazprom event less than six months ago. Yeah. Like, let's have some scruples, folks. I think about four people in the arena. No one knows that.

37:30Catherine Whitaker: No one knows that, I think.

37:33Matt Roberts: They just saw the Austrian flag and, yeah, they're still missing Dominic Thiem, so they're desperate. We all are.

37:42Catherine Whitaker: Well, ATP fantasy is for you, Catherine. He's back in a big way.

37:49Matt Roberts: That announcement looked like a hostage video, didn't it? Anyway.

37:54Catherine Whitaker: The thing about Potapova is that she was a different player to that Raducanu match like two days later when she played Sabalenka and really actually pushed her. She is kind of that player who can, I think, just go in and out of form. And even in this match, she was kind of a couple of different players because in the first set, she was honestly so good. Like indoor clay is a really dangerous surface to play a big hitter on because they have a bit more time on the ball and no elements and they can just tee off and they can hit through the court. And that's what she was doing. She was just overwhelming Andreeva, destroying Andreeva's second serve, riding this wave of crowd support that she was receiving.

38:45Catherine Whitaker: and honestly looked like she could win that final easily. Like it could have been a blowout. Credit to Andreva because this was just exactly the sort of scenario that I thought could push all of her buttons, you know, against a player who's taken the racket out of her hand, against a home crowd in a final. Like we've seen these sorts of things. A match she probably thinks she should win. Like we've seen these scenarios cause Andreva to lose her composure. quite a lot recently and she didn't she she kept it together and actually in the third set it was potopova who totally lost her composure and by that point alcaraz sinner had started so i was double screening but i was my eyes kept being drawn to lintz because every time i looked at it potopova was doing some kind of expression of woe and sort of oh why is this happening to me what is going on and like she was the one sort of losing her composure a little bit and there was a moment where she she lost serve potopova with just the most just the most awful double-handed volley shout out to uh jane my friend jane who was at our wrexham live show and we and we asked people in the audience what their tennis bugbears are and she said people hitting double-handed backhand volleys I always remember that and this was a perfect example of that like she just didn't know what she was doing up there and it dumped in the net got broken she did actually get the break back but then that was impressive for Andreva because she then maintained her composure right she was up a break in the third loses it and I thought oh my goodness we could see a real Andreva spiral here but she didn't and that was impressive to me and I think she needed a week like that interesting that Conchita Martinez was not was not in Linz not for any breakup reasons um Andreva was asked about it and said yeah she sort of joked she said oh we've just been getting on each other's nerves so much we needed a break from each other but then she was like no I just told her she needs to have a week off she needs to go home sometimes and this is a good week I'm going to go to Linz anyway and she'll rejoin me and she took up but it I think I don't know I'm I'm not saying that she kept her composure because Conchita Martinez was not there.

41:07Catherine Whitaker: But in a way, I think it was a useful experience for Andreva to not to not have her there and to have to do it herself.

41:16Matt Roberts: We used to talk about this with Alcaraz in Ferrero, didn't we? The sort of the crutch.

41:21Catherine Whitaker: Right. And I think she'll be looking to try and bring that kind of energy that she was directing towards her box when Martinez is there as well. You know, like we've seen we've seen her occasionally just lose it with Conchita Martinez. And there was that match where Martinez briefly left the box before coming back. It's not it's not been a great little period for the sort of encore. Might just help them kind of break that cycle.

41:50Matt Roberts: That's what I'm thinking. Felt like they were in a bit.

41:51Catherine Whitaker: Yeah. Yeah. And so, yeah, good signs, I hope.

41:56Matt Roberts: Yeah. Just just since I mentioned Ferro, by the way, David, your prediction of Ferreiro being a talker and his side of the story, however reliable it might be coming out, one of your best ever predictions because barely a day goes by that I don't read or hear some quotes from Juan Carlos Ferreiro about the Alcaraz break-up. When he was a player, I would never have believed that, because he never said a word as a player. And I mean, now, I always think back to the, you know, was it three years ago when we were in Indian Wells and I launched loitering on the lawn? And he was only too happy to have a chat and tell me that Alcaraz was only at 60 % of what he could be.

42:46Matt Roberts: If he comes back to tennis, he's doing golf, isn't he? I don't know why I'm questioning that. I absolutely know he's doing golf because I know a lot about what is in the mind of Juan Carlos Rero at the moment. If he ever comes back to tennis, like just wander up to him with your iPhone recorder open and he'll tell you anything. Anything else we want to mention from Linz? The doubles is one of the top seeds. So Anika Stea and Zhang Shuai. and just on Castella incident incidentally she is just five places now off her career high ranking in both singles and doubles she's 36 years of age her final year on tour so she's 26 now in singles and and 40 in doubles and it's just just incredible her sort of tenacity still as a tennis player is is really quite a sight.

43:52Matt Roberts: I am worried, David, I'm on alert for this being a fake retirement. I think, you know, I'm worried she's going to have all these big send-offs and then go, you know what, I'm still here. The thing, what makes me think that it isn't, that is that she keeps on saying, this is my last year. So did Danielle Collins. um well it's it is quite interesting i remember her coming on the scene as a 21 year old and i think she's she's she's a way better player than when she was 21 in the world i think she would absolutely take that player to the cleaners um but you know i i also think maybe maybe it's maybe it's tiring the tour and and and if you can if you can know when it's time to leave the party as Dan Evans once told me uh you need to know um I think that that's a good decision for her um but yeah blimey she still looks like she could upset a few top players before the end of

45:01Catherine Whitaker: the season just final word from me on Linz because I feel like David was more was more optimistic about Linz on our on our pod on Thursday and I I was the one saying hang on a minute is it all lily tagger but i i i shifted a bit to to david's side i do think it it looked good like to me it's so important how it comes across on the telly and that that main core is not too big so it was it was it was packed out and it also lets in light you get in in the in the matches earlier in the day you get little sort of shadows being cast on the court but not annoying ones like just little shafts of light that don't make it feel as sort of dark and dingy as some indoor events can and and the crowds were showing up and like the camera angle on that main court I think is perfect that is exactly where I would want the sort of camera angle for for most tennis matches for me to watch not too high not too low like really really good I thought personally um and I I did have a good time watching Lintz this week I do think it's improved as an event for this change to indoor and putting indoor clay I mean and and putting it just before Stuttgart I do think it it worked and if if they keep getting Lily Taggo as well and hopefully she grows into the player we all hope she will like there's a there's someone who's going to constantly give that event energy so yeah I was I was I was really buoyed to see and have such a good time watching Lintz this week.

46:34Matt Roberts: I agree with all of that. I think it was a really successful event. They've done a great job. It all looked really good. I just find it really tough watching indoor clay at this time of year, especially when you've got the direct contrast of the beauty of Monte Carlo and then I can just feel my soul shrivel as we head indoors. I don't like indoor sport really so you know this is very much a me thing it's an entirely subjective take but I just I know you debated on Thursday about Matt I know you said you don't like indoor clay you know it's tough seeing clay indoors but I find it I find it easier to stomach the indoor tennis at the end of the year because it's like, well, unless we're going to play in the Southern Hemisphere, which PS I would support, then it kind of has to be indoor, right?

47:42Matt Roberts: Because the Northern Hemisphere is wet and cold. But at this time of the year, like we could be outside. Being inside when we could be outside. Not in Linz. I find... No, well, then don't... But, you know, I kind of think of the tennis tour as like following the sun around. Like, so let's position our events. Let's design our calendar. I would design a calendar around. I think it would be a shame to lose that atmosphere personally. But each to their own. I liked it. Well, I think there's a way of having it. And there's a way of keeping atmospheres and having things outside, I think. And so much of the women's clay court season is indoor.

48:27Yeah.

48:29Matt Roberts: It's not as good. No. It's not as good. They've done a brilliant job of it, but come on. It is not as good when you switch from Monte Carlo to indoor clay. It's just not as good.

48:43Catherine Whitaker: I do agree with that. And it definitely, I always think the only real sort of women's clay court event that feels like a proper precursor to Roland Garros is Rome. Because you've got Linz and Stuttgart indoors. You've got Madrid, which, OK, the men have as well. But that never feels particularly sort of.

49:04Matt Roberts: Feels indoors. Yeah. And it's at altitude.

49:07Catherine Whitaker: It's just a very particular set of conditions. whereas the men have Monte Carlo, they have Barcelona, which really do feel like those really authentic European outdoor clay court events. I would love the WTA to mirror the men's clay court swing more, but in isolation, I did enjoy Linz this week. Yeah. Yeah.

49:34Matt Roberts: Me too. I enjoyed it. Lily Taggart, incidentally, inside the world's top 100, be good if she could make the French Open main draw,

49:43Catherine Whitaker: wouldn't it? I think the cut-off was this week, so I think she has, you know. So she's done it. I think so, yeah.

49:50Matt Roberts: Well, that's cool.

49:51Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, and her round one this week in Rouen, I cannot wait. She is playing Ola Nikova. Like two of the players I've most enjoyed discovering and watching this year. Give me moon balls and a one-handed backhand. Like, yes, please.

50:11Matt Roberts: Matt's into a one-handed backhand. Check this out. Yes, it's unusual for you, Matt. Very unusual. Not since the Golly Bitch days. And those feel a while ago. You dropped her like a hot potato, didn't you?

50:26Catherine Whitaker: After I sent Owen Slott of the Times to go and watch her at Wimbledon and she won like one game. just quickly is she on the watch list man lily tagger for the backhand list yeah uh yes absolutely how big's the watch list and what's the waiting time he doesn't he doesn't put a limit no the watch list is is pretty pretty big it's all of the wta because he's just watching all of the wta uh let's take a little tour as much as i would like not to because there's some

51:01Matt Roberts: pretty harrowing stuff in here for Bianca and Rescue fans. Let's take a little tour of the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers that took place over this weekend. Let's start down under on the John Kane Arena where extraordinarily Great Britain went away and I was with Anki Othovong pretty much immediately after the draw came out for these Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers and her face when she found out that it was an away tie in Australia. Like, it's just a nightmare, isn't it, for a captain? And a nightmare because you know you're not going to be able to get your strongest team. And she didn't get her strongest team.

51:43Matt Roberts: No Katie Bolter, no Emma Raducanu, no problem for GB. They beat Australia 3-0 to qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup finals. We had the world number 275, Mika Stoisavlyovic, 17 years old, the 2024 US Open junior champion, somebody that's been talked about as a real hope and prospect, but very much for the future of British tennis. She beat Talia Gibson, desperately trying to regain sensation status. Talia Gibson got beaten by a 17 year old. Succeeding, by the way. 7-6, 7-5. Then we had the world number 173, Harriet Dart. Remember her? She beat Kim Birrell, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. And then Dart and Jodie Burridge teamed up to win the doubles, 6-3, 6-4, over Ellen Perez and Storm Hunter.

52:47Matt Roberts: Each one of those individual results is a massive, unexpected upset. the combination of the three of them is pretty unreal for Team GB, David, what they've just pulled off there. That's hijacking. Yes, I agree. It's an amazing achievement. I watched the highlights of all three of those matches last night. I was really taken aback by Stoja Soflovich's power. the number of winners she was hitting against the last player that I was really taken aback by the power of, which was Talia Gibson. You know, 7 '6", 7 '5". He's dropped like a hot potato. It's like when I said I was into Jennifer Brady and then she ran into Clara Towson.

53:37And then suddenly I was like, no, no, Towson now. But I do like a clean ball striker who just is able to just generate this power from not very much, seemingly. And yeah, I haven't seen Harriet Dart play like that in the other day ever. She was fantastic and she was brilliant in the doubles as well. It was just a wonderful team performance. It didn't look the biggest crowd on the first day. It was much better on the second day, I thought. But, wow, to go in there into the John Kane arena like that and just produce three performances. I mean, I dare say if you're from an Australian vantage point, you're perhaps pointing to your own team not producing what you expected they would.

54:35But I think this is a British victory rather than an Australian failure. That's how I would look at it. And I think all credit to that team.

54:49Matt Roberts: Yeah, British victory for the ages, really.

54:52Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, normally sort of waking up to British sporting results overnight in Australia is only doom and gloom. It was like a real like, what has just happened two days in a row? And I think that doubles win is unbelievable. You know, like that is a hell of a pair. like Perez and Hunter really good doubles players and like if they'd won that I think they're favourites in Australia like in the reverse singles like having you know having the momentum like it could have been a sort of really valiant oh we put up a great fight GB you know we took the lead but we ended up losing but to go finish it off the second day I think is amazing a hell of an effort from the whole team from Anne as well to sort of galvanise them like that and yeah it's going to be interesting you know now the team selection for the finals is going to be interesting right because on paper you'd pick a totally different team for the finals if everyone is available but then you know there's probably something to be said for trying to reward some of the players who got you there like that's going to be an interesting balancing act for Anki Othavong the captain come September

56:06Matt Roberts: I certainly think there's a strong argument regardless of what you do with the singles for keeping Dart and Burrage for the sake of that doubles team. Because I know Anne has been desperate to find a strong, reliable doubles team. That's what's been missing. That's what's cost them in Billie Jean King Cup finals past. So, yeah, very, very interesting. Good problem to have for Anne, but quite a problem. I think I would... Some big decisions. I would bring in probably Katie Bolter for Katie Swan, I think. and leave the rest the same. And I think you'd leave Raducanu out, really, even if she doesn't want to play.

56:47Catherine Whitaker: I think I would try and bring Cartel, I think. Yeah. Yeah, probably. But I don't know who you'd drop.

56:56Matt Roberts: What about Hannah Klugman? Why doesn't she... Look at the strength and depth of British tennis. An embarrassment of riches, my God. No USA at the Billie Jean King Cup finals. They were beaten by Belgium. Kind of a tough weekend for Team USA. Tough tie for Eva Jovic. She lost to both the world number 94, Hannah van der Winkle, and the world number 194, Grit Minnen. Both of those losses in straight sets. And then you had McCartney Kessler, who had to retire hurt against Elisa Mertens. So Belgium will be at the finals, but no Team USA. by the way if you'd said

57:38Catherine Whitaker: if you said that Mertens would only get one point for Belgium this weekend to me that would have been almost impossible to see a path to Belgium victory right like for them to have two wins there from people other than Mertens is pretty remarkable and I think that does buy in I think to what we often say where like okay you know that was pretty much Belgium's A team but they were desperate to win. It was a big event for them. They were at home. And yes, on paper, USA had the stronger team but it was their C or D team and there's just less buy-in into the event from that nation compared to Belgium, for example.

58:21Catherine Whitaker: And Belgium end up getting the win. Yeah, pretty remarkable that Mertens didn't do the heavy lifting there.

58:31Matt Roberts: Who needs Mertens when you've got Hannah van der Winkle? Czechia beat Switzerland in a great tie 3-2 they won in the deciding match Belinda Bencic won a three set singles and a doubles to put Switzerland 2-1 up but then Linda Nozkova saved match and tie points to beat Bencic and send it into a decider that decider was between the aforementioned Victoria Golubic and Marie Buskova and it was Buzkova that came out on top. What a little run of four Marie Buzkova is in, by the way, having won a title last week.

59:08Catherine Whitaker: And what an amazing tie this was. Like, so compelling. Interesting that in the doubles, so that middle match, Heinz Gunther, the Swiss captain, used his two singles players. So it was one all after the first day and he used his two singles players and they got the win. but it took a lot out of them. It was a long match. And then they then had to come back and play the two reverse singles, as it turned out. Whereas the Czechs, with their sort of bigger team, didn't use their singles players in the doubles. They used Vondroshova and Valantova. And that left Noskova and Buskova a bit fresher, I think, than Bencic and Goljubic.

59:51Catherine Whitaker: And I think maybe something like that could have ended up sort of making the difference. Because Bencic spent almost eight hours on court over the two days. Like she almost got them the win. As you said, she had those points to win the tie. But Noskova, my goodness, she stepped up on those match points. The first one hit a backhand winner down the line. The second one, she comes in and Bengtrix has a look at a forehand pass, but doesn't make it. And the third match point that Noskova saved was a big serve and a forehand winner. Like Bengtrix said afterwards, when you've got the match points, you want to go for it.

1:00:26Catherine Whitaker: But then if you miss, you think, oh, I should have made them play. and Bengtik took the trying to make her play approach whereas Noskova just took the be bold, be brave, go for it match point down and it paid off and Noskova in those sorts of indoor conditions like that with those flat hits is such a dangerous player and that is a hell of a win because Bengtik, we've always said it throughout her career she's kind of her best self playing in Billie Jean King Cup or playing in Swiss Colours and for Noskova to take her out and then set up the tie for Buskova to win hell of an effort from Czechia.

1:01:00Catherine Whitaker: And yeah, good to see them back at the finals, really.

1:01:05Matt Roberts: Two-time defending champions, Italy beat Japan 3-0. The Ukraine beat Poland 3-0. And Spain beat Slovenia 3-1. So Spain, Ukraine and Italy will all be at the Billie Jean King Cup finals, as will Kazakhstan, who beat Canada 3-1. And that was after Bianca Andreescu spent more than five hours on court over the course of two losses in one day. And you might have seen the clip doing the rounds on social media of what happened on her match point on the match point against her in her singles match against Yulia Putinsaiva, which went to a deciding set tie break. she shanked a second serve to double fault at 4-6 down in the deciding set tie break and I just hope she has good people around her Bianca Andreescu because my goodness me I can't imagine the despair of something like that and she's in a tough patch anyway isn't she so yeah it was a pretty tough watch but incredible for Kazakhstan to do that and to do it without Elena Rabatkin and they will be at the Billie Jean King Cup finals in China later this year.

1:02:35Matt Roberts: Okay that is it for part two, we'll be back in part three to have a little look ahead to the coming week in tennis and maybe we'll do some predictions too 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. Learn how ServiceNow puts AI to work for people at servicenow.com.

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1:04:04Matt Roberts: Welcome back to part three of today's tennis podcast. What do we have ahead this week in tennis? We have two ATP 500s, one in Munich, one in Barcelona. Barcelona has the stronger field, I would say. It has Carlos Alcaraz for starters. It has Jack Draper returning after skipping Monte Carlo. He has Thomas Martín Echeverri in round one. That's not easy. It has Alex de Mino, just briefly, momentarily forgot Andre Rublev's first name there. That's a sign of the times, isn't it? Andre Rublev and Thomas Mahatch, they're all in the top half. We have Lorenzo Mazzetti in the bottom half. He's got Martin Lander-Luthe in round one, which is fun.

1:04:53Matt Roberts: You've got Art of Feast, Cameron Norrie, who's got Stan Marenka in round one. And Rafael Hodar has Jaume Munar in round one. Have you seen Munar's slightly odd content for the Barcelona open social media channels? I did, yeah. I can't get a handle on Munar. I enjoyed it. Yeah, I just don't, I don't know. I can't.

1:05:18Catherine Whitaker: I didn't have him down as like the guy putting his hand up to do the fun social media skit.

1:05:24Matt Roberts: Right. If that had been Flavio Caballi, I'd been like, sure. Yeah. This all checks out. I just wasn't expecting it from Munar. What do we think about Alcaraz playing Barcelona, by the way? I assume this means he's skipping Madrid.

1:05:39Catherine Whitaker: Well, he said in his press conference afterwards that he, you know, he still, it is his plan to play everything. I mean, I guess you would say that at this stage. You would say that. But is he in a tough spot, right?

1:05:52Matt Roberts: When I say Skippy Midrard, that's assuming he doesn't lose unexpectedly. That's assuming he either wins or makes the final of Barcelona.

1:06:00Catherine Whitaker: He's in a tough spot. On the one hand, great to have some events at home. But, like, there's such pressure for him to play these events. I think and if you are going to skip events these are the ones you would skip the 500 in Barcelona it's just not worth as many points and Madrid because of what I just said in terms of it not being as good prep compared to Rome and yet he probably wants to play them in Spain everyone wants him to play Madrid

1:06:33Matt Roberts: they're both IMG events aren't they and he's an IMG client

1:06:39Catherine Whitaker: so I think it does depend on his results as you said if he wins Barcelona it wouldn't shock me if there's a pull out from Madrid you know say something sort of related to kind of along the lines of what Sabalenka did with Stuttgart that wouldn't shock me but equally if he were to even lose a little bit earlier I think he will go to Madrid so I don't know as he said and as Matt Futterman said on the show a couple of weeks ago he has picked up injuries over the clay court swing and I think that's a big thing for him this year trying to manage manage his body in that way and make sure he doesn't pick up an injury I think that's that's sort of number one priority I would have thought right now

1:07:24Matt Roberts: It was Barcelona last year he got that adductor tweak wasn't it in the in the final in Munich the top half has the top seed Alexander Zverev. It has Francisco Sorundolo, Flavio Caboli, Zizou Burgs, Luciano Darderi and Burtic van der Zanschrup. He makes it to the agenda. I appreciate that, Matt. That was for you. Thank you. The bottom half has Ben Shelton, Joel Fonseca, Alexander Bublik, Artur Rindeknesh and Stefanos Sitzapas. He's hanging on in there being agenda worthy is Sitzapas.

1:08:04Catherine Whitaker: I almost wrote unseeded Sitsapas but I think we probably knew that but maybe it goes without saying now

1:08:11Matt Roberts: yeah the WTA has a 500 event in Stuttgart and a 250 event in Rouen in terms of Stuttgart as you said Matt Rina Sabalenka deciding to skip it I know you mentioned this on on Thursday last week she she I thought she wanted the Porsche badly enough that she was prepared to play, even though it might not be the most prudent scheduling. But apparently not. She's bigger than the Porsche now. It turns out she's realised she's got enough money to just buy a Porsche. It's a 32 draw in Stuttgart. But there are buys for the top four seeds. Why? So only 28 players in the field. Rabakina and Shiantek are in the top half and only need to win two matches to meet each other because of those buys, which is unreal, really.

1:09:09Matt Roberts: Rabakna could face Schneider in her first match and Paulini in her second. Shontek could face Laura Siegmund in her first match and the winner of Andreeva Ostapenko in her second. And then in the bottom half of the draw, the highest seeds with buys are Coco Goff and Alina Svitolina. So really strong field here, even without Irina Sabalenka. And then you've got Karolina Mukova and Ekaterina Alexandrova as the other two seeds down there. So our first chance to see the Rafa, the Nadal effect on Igor Svantec. All eyes on that. We will, of course, have to wait several days for it because of absolutely pointless buys.

1:09:56Catherine Whitaker: The schedule in Stuttgart today is a joke. Like, it's a proper day of a tournament. There's two singles matches on. Like, what are we doing?

1:10:06Matt Roberts: It was last year that Sabalenka reached, like, the quarterfinals by winning one match or something, and then they didn't play on the Friday because it was Good Friday, and that's a law in Germany.

1:10:19Catherine Whitaker: Yeah, I think she only played at the weekend, didn't she? Yeah.

1:10:24Matt Roberts: It is weird, Stuttgart.

1:10:26Catherine Whitaker: like it's stacked in so many ways but then with these buys there's only 28 players in the field as you said and then the qualifying isn't strong because you've got players playing Billy Jink in Cup players playing Linz players going to Rouen instead so it's not a strong qualifying field so you've got like amazing players and then just a sprinkling of like real sort of randoms who've managed to qualify but yeah you do end up with the big matchups typically in Stuttgart which is exciting. She's going to take footage of her practicing and new elbow position on the serve. So that's going to be something to watch already tweaking.

1:11:08Matt Roberts: Will she be playing Nadal-style buggy whip forehand? We've seen some footage of him sort of demoing that to her, haven't we? Exciting, but probably have to wait to the weekend to see it. in Rouen the WTA 250 there Marta Kostrick is the top seed and Srona Kastaya is the second seed you've also got Dara Kazakina Hayley Baptiste, Janice Chen and that is where you will find the round one to end all round ones as Matt has put it Lily Taggart against Oleksandra Olinikova when is that going to be Matt?

1:11:46Catherine Whitaker: Maybe tomorrow I don't think it's today so I'm guessing tomorrow

1:11:52Matt Roberts: Is there any tennis today or is it just sort of the two matches in Stuttgart? I think Munich

1:11:58Catherine Whitaker: and Barcelona have got some proper matches today

1:12:03Matt Roberts: That's good of them Thank you. Okay, let's have some predictions for these tournaments Everyone ready? I want winners and finalists please, seeing as there's only four So I hope you're paying attention to who's in what side of which draw, David. Barcelona, who's winning it? Who are they beating in the final? Matt.

1:12:28Catherine Whitaker: OK, I think let's play this one straight. Let's go Alcaraz to win. Let's not overthink Barcelona. Maybe Feast coming out of that bottom half. Good shout. I kind of want to say Mazzetti. I want to see Mazzetti find some form, but I think Landerluthay in round one is a bit of a nightmare for him.

1:12:51Matt Roberts: A bit worried about Mazzetti.

1:12:53Catherine Whitaker: Yeah. Let's go Feast. That'd be a fun week. I would actually... I'm not going to say Feast. I'm going to say Alkraza is going to win it, but I'm going to say it's going to be... The finalists will be the winner of Munar and Hodah. Wow. Big. Am I allowed to do that? So who's that going to be? I was going to say, that is a massive prediction, but also not a prediction. Yeah, it's a great, bold prediction and annoying. I'll go for Munar.

1:13:26Matt Roberts: Okay, Al Graz beating Munar. Like it. Okay, what about Munich? Winner and beaten finalist, please. David. Let me just get the drawer up.

1:13:43well Zverev's at the top of the draw isn't he so he usually he's the defending champion

1:13:50Catherine Whitaker: since his last title isn't it I think he's won a title since yeah it was his only title all year last year but he does have Ketsmanovic in the first round who he lost to in Acapulco the other week and he's a good player but I'd still go for Zverev you know he should get to the final of that tournament really I think the bottom half of the draw I'm going to go for Fonseca so you're going to have a Zverev-Fonseca final and Zverev will win the title Matt let's go let's go Bublik

1:14:27Matt Roberts: but it's right there Matt

1:14:28Catherine Whitaker: let's go Zverev over Bublik in the final ok

1:14:33Matt Roberts: with Zverev to win yeah Zverev over Bublik OK, WTA, Stuttgart. What have we got, David? I think I'm going to have to go Rabakina in the top half of the draw because I just think indoors should suit her down to the ground. I know Igor Svantec is in that section, but indoors I do think favours Rabakina. She's beaten Svantec there before, hasn't she, Rabakina? I feel like in the final she is going to face I'll go Coco Goff and who's going to win and it's going to be Rebecca who wins the title Matt

1:15:31Catherine Whitaker: torn between not wanting to just choose the same and also thinking that makes such logical sense I'm going to go for Svijantek to win, which when I look at her draw is feeling like a silly thing to do. But I'm going with the motivation, the bounce. I'm going Svijantek. Quite like Svitolina in that bottom half. Yeah, I'll go with that. Svijantek over Svitolina.

1:16:03Matt Roberts: Svijantek to beat Svitolina. Okay, what about Rouen? last of all, who's winning it? Who are they beating? It's going to be Marta Kostiuk, who's recently signed up for my team. So she's going to be propelled by that. David, have you just picked all the top seeds? Yes, you have. She's going to face Sarana Kosteja in the final. I see your game, David. Yeah, and I'm going to go Kosteja to win the title. Matt?

1:16:35Catherine Whitaker: yeah I think I would pick Castella there as well not sure who she's going to beat in the final

1:16:43Matt Roberts: making the un-retirement even more likely

1:16:50I don't know

1:16:51Catherine Whitaker: could be someone happy with that could be someone a bit random coming out of that top half

1:16:55Matt Roberts: you're tempted to go for a random you're tempted to go for Lily Tagger are you calling Lily Tagger a random

1:17:04Catherine Whitaker: I might do a Dave and say the winner of Lily Taggart, Ola Nikova. I don't know, maybe like an Anne Lee or something might have a good week in Rouen. Oh, OK. You know what I mean? Like it could be one of those weeks where it's someone a bit like, oh, they're in the final.

1:17:18Matt Roberts: David's picking the top two seats for everything and Matt's picking Anne Lee. That's a deep cut. Elsa Giacomo?

1:17:24Catherine Whitaker: No.

1:17:26Matt Roberts: Do you remember, Matt, mere months ago? Oh. when you said you were going to seek out every Elsa Giacomo match for the rest of time. Have you done that?

1:17:37Catherine Whitaker: I'm not sure I did say that, but I definitely had a good time watching her beat Kostiuk, actually, wasn't it, in Australia? Crazy match.

1:17:48Matt Roberts: I think there was some kind of pledge to... I think I said I would definitely watch her next match

1:17:54Catherine Whitaker: because it was against Pugent Saver. And then I actually didn't watch that. and it was all over in about 45 minutes

1:18:04Matt Roberts: okay in terms of our schedule this week it's another two pod week uh for for most folk some folk the unprivileged folk and it's a three pod week for the privileged folk uh you can be privileged folk if you'd like to be uh because we have another show on thursday to update you on all things happening in those events that we just discussed. And we have our next edition of Tennis Relived recording and going out this week for friends of the tennis podcast. And we are telling the history of the rankings. And let me tell you, that is a it's a it's a roller coaster story. Yeah, I would not have imagined there was as much to the tapestry of the history of for ATP and WTA rankings as there is, but it's really a fascinating tale and we're going to be recording that on Wednesday and that will be available for Friends of the Tennis podcast.

1:19:08Matt Roberts: So lots of good stuff there. If you'd like to become a friend of the pod, get access to that, all of our bonus content and everything else besides, then of course the link is in our show notes. Folks, I've been looking forward to this. We have a double mascot situation for today's show and it is two mascots that have previously mascotted but solo and this time they've combined to mascot as a team. It is Billie Jean and Francis. What kind of rock star would call their dog Billie Jean? Well, the answer to that is Heather and Jodie. Heather and Jodie say you've met them on their own in previous years but now witness their epic cuteness together.

1:19:52Matt Roberts: I'm witnessing Heather and Jodie and I'm enjoying. It's Billie Jean the dog and Francis the cat. Billie Jean is our lovely 11-year-old rescue pup. She loves nothing more than long, slow, sniff-filled walks through our beautiful Minneapolis neighbourhood while we listen to the tennis pod. Though Francis is the youngest member of our family, he is far and away the most confident with absolute boss energy. That is what I look for in a cat, boss energy. As is evidenced by this pic of him invading the dog bed. Look at them in the same bed being friends. Jodie and Heather say the first few months of 2026 have been incredibly difficult in our community.

1:20:35Matt Roberts: But the love of our sweet critters and the joy we feel of listening to our friends, David, Catherine and Matt, have helped us find peace inside the fight. That's an incredibly lovely and quite moving thing to say, Heather and Jodie. And we're very honoured by that. and honoured to have Billy Jean and Francis as our mascot pairing for this week. That's wonderful. I love it. What a way to start the week. Hello to our mascots. Hello, Bodie. David's Maisie. Hello, Maisie. And hello, Roger, with your big paws. Hello to our top folks and executive producers, Greg, Chris and Jeff. And Matt, let's have some shout outs.

1:21:22Catherine Whitaker: We have Dana Froein from California. Hi, Dana.

1:21:30Matt Roberts: Hello, Dana. Billie Jean literally shouted you out there, Dana, right on cue.

1:21:36Catherine Whitaker: Dana says, I love your show and I'm tennis obsessed. My husband and I have one cat and her name is Frankie.

1:21:46Matt Roberts: Aw. Frankie the cat. Love that. Tennis Daners? There was that umpire I always mention from the 1991 US Open run of Jimmy Connors. I can't remember his surname now. It's too early. I think you've done well, David. I think you've done well there. We'll give you that. Wow. Okay. Also an ex-girlfriend of Pete Sampras. Dana. The umpire of 1991? Not the umpire. No, two different people. one man one woman

1:22:25Dana

1:22:26Matt Roberts: thank you very much

1:22:30Catherine Whitaker: we've also got Mindy Pozoff who is a native New Yorker but lives in Philadelphia Hi Mindy

1:22:42Matt Roberts: Matt you have been to both those places yes

1:22:44Catherine Whitaker: and Mindy says I invite you to the Jersey Shore before after the US Open.

1:22:52Matt Roberts: Oh, that's lovely. Matt Futterman's a big Jersey Shore guy and he sometimes sends us photos and it looks delightful.

1:22:59Catherine Whitaker: And Mindy actually...

1:23:01Matt Roberts: Booty, isn't it?

1:23:02Catherine Whitaker: Mindy actually mentions Matt Futterman saying, tell Catherine, while Matt Futterman may be right that a little sweat is sexy in March in Miami, it's definitely not sexy in August in New York.

1:23:18Matt Roberts: thank you Mindy I feel seen and validated I appreciate that

1:23:24Catherine Whitaker: and finally we have Ollie I can definitely do a better job of pronouncing that Ollie there we go

1:23:40Matt Roberts: great

1:23:43Catherine Whitaker: and Ollie is from Maryland

1:23:46Matt Roberts: Great. So is that an American trio this week? Where was Dana from?

1:23:53Catherine Whitaker: Yes, from California.

1:23:54Matt Roberts: Biddy Jean was barking when you said where Dana was from. Yeah. California. Yeah. Isn't Maryland where Pam's from? So we've got mascots and shout outs all from the US. Yeah, Pam's a Baltimore gal like Francis Tiafoe and Hayley Baptiste. it's quite a very tennis rich area.

1:24:19Catherine Whitaker: And Ollie says, my husband and I have been avid listeners since at least 2020. I've finally gotten my mum hooked as well. And we often listen while chasing our one-year-old son, Mark, around the house while he is in turn chasing our Bernese mountain dog, Roger, and cat, Stephanos. And Ollie's written, to be clear, we named the cat in 2020.

1:24:51Matt Roberts: Hang on a second.

1:24:53Catherine Whitaker: I know.

1:24:54Matt Roberts: A Bernese Mountain... So we now know two Bernese Mountain dogs called Roger. Yeah, isn't that great? That's incredible. Yeah. God, I love a Bernese. Ollie, a bit like Olly Nikova. Very good. Can we have that? Oli, Dana, Mindy thank you ever so much for your support of the Tennis Podcast if you'd like to get yourself a shout out you can do that by becoming a friend at shout out level link in the show notes we are part of the Athletic Podcast Network thank you for listening we'll be back on Thursday and we'll speak to you then

1:25:30Oli Tarvert

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