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COURTNEY TENNIS LATELY? · Pod Laver Arena

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Guess who's back. He goes back a friend. He gets no, no, no, back.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: I'm sorry that.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: He's just like, what what am I listening to?
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: We have a very well respected tennis journalist, Courtney Walsh
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: is here.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: He is questioning his choices this morning.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I like that.
• 0:32
  Speaker 3: I'm like one of those clowns at a carnival with
• 0:35
  Speaker 3: my mouth wide open, moving from one side to the other,
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: going what are they going on?
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: People? Okay, they seem quite normal when we were talking before.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well I think we're more clowns at a carnival
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: and your respected journey.
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: Yes, it depends on who you talk Tory for about
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: ten minutes and and there was a couple of inquisitive
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: looks my way, what the hell are you doing here?
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: And who you want to to the site?
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: Is this going to be another banded episode?
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: Have you ruffled any feathers in your career? Can you
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: talk about it or.
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: I'll going back? I mean it's not for a few years.
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: And I think one of the pleasures of my year
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: has always been part of the AO radio team, which
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: you know, it's a great sort of fortnite here and
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: being able to commentate and when you're walking around and
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: listening during the Austrain Open. But no, it's certainly at
• 1:29
  Speaker 3: different stages. I've written some pieces that haven't necessarily gone
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: down as well as what you might expect. But I always,
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: you know, hold firm and I saw one of the
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: one of the people in the in the lift. We
• 1:43
  Speaker 3: always have a little round about it Wimbledon each year
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: where we go over old ground and in the end
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: shake and have a beer. And I think it's a
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: great reason to be able to do this back and forth.
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: That's what you're supposed to do.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: You're meant to have a take an opinion, right Otherwise
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: it's just dry recounting of scores, and you know that's
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: not good.
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: What's my mind is more, you know, you delve into
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: the I suppose some of the inner workings, you know.
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: Opinion wise, I'm not necessarily someone that's going to come
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: and slag a player, because I think it's pretty incredible
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: to even get to a grain slam. I think it's
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: an astonishing thing. So I'm not going to pan a
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: player necessarily unless you want me to.
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: Yes, please, that's what we're all about.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: On most Overrated player of all time and go.
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: Oh, boy where he start. Didn't that guy rafter like
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: number one in the world for like a week? I
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: mean it was a week, Yeah, it was a week.
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: We asked him about it, he laughed, that's.
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: A good story.
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: I've got a bone to pick with the because I
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: played a bit of paddle in my time, nowhere near
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: as good as Pat. But he's stolen my pedal partner.
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: Now Midtlely haven't played for a couple of years, but
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: he's stolen my peddle partner, his double's partner in the
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: pedal Championship around Australia.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: So can you just outrageous? Can you go watch like
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: a paddle cuck?
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Through the glass?
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's rough.
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: Man, it's outrageous. No, he is one of the greater
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: many tennis as we all know. I don't really have
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: And if I was my mate, Rob, you had the
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: choice between a guy who is a radick and inconsistent
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: like myself, or a Jewel Grand Slam champion Davious Cup legend,
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: world number one. I think he's made the right call.
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: And in terms of the talent level as well, it's
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: I'm in a flat line a little bit. Pats, even
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: his fifties his rate of improvement just goes. Ugh. I
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: mean that's still not happy though.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: That's no. I mean I wouldn't be either. That's brutal stuff.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: But I mean this is what you're seeing though. You're
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: seeing people make the pivot into whatever pickleball. Maybe Jack
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: Soarker is doing good things, but a lot of them
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: like go to pad l or something and it's like
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: they're crushing.
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: It's a bit more respectable, I think. Yeah, for sure,
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: it was a little bit more skill involved. Yeah, it's fair.
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: I must put down the cans and walked out when no,
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: I'm joking people. I'm very happy to see people on
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: the pickle court. Anyone with a racket in hand is
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: a is a good thing for mine.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: But that's true.
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: You see some you see some really really good players
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: from tennis players who have made the transition. But it's
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: a different sporting Thailand. It's really hard.
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think what osteo surgeons in America are
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: booming at the moment because of all people playing peckle ball,
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: so good for them.
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 4:44
  Speaker 3: I jumped into Paul Kilderry, who's the head of tennis here,
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: and he said he'd been on the pedal court last
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: week and he said he still felt sore from really
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: hips all the way down to the tip of his
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: big toe.
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: So what else did Paul say?
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: Joking, dude, it's so good to have you in Courtney.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: We're very jealous. You're off to the French Open this week.
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: I mean, it's your favorite favorite slam.
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: I think even wimbled and I think of that too.
• 5:15
  Speaker 3: I mean, look, I love here, but in case, we
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: all know when you're working here, it's it's working there long, long,
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: long days and everything that's brilliant about the Australia Open,
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: the tennis, but also the music in the the and
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: the beer guarden, et cetera. Yeah, don't really get the
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: chance to enjoy that.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: So yeah, we found with the players that come in,
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: if we have them what their favorite slam is. It's
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: like talking about their children. You gotta go. I love
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: them all equally, you know, they all have different aspects
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: that I like. And it's like, just say you hate
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: the US Open. We all know your thinking.
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah, they all said that the Australian Open was their favorite.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah it is. I mean it's fun. It's called the
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: happiest Slam for a reason, and it checks out and
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: it's the most party vibe one I've been to. I
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: haven't been to the French. Yeah, good energy, great grounds.
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: But like going to the French, what do you love
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: about it there? Because it is totally different than the
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: other three.
• 6:09
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it really is. And it goes from I mean,
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: look that the focus is really on the tennis. So
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: qualifying week will be you know, start Monday. There's no
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: one point Slam like there was here. There's no mixed
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: doubles extravaganza like there was in New York last year
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: with all those stars. It is a real focus on
• 6:28
  Speaker 3: the tennis. Tennis and they love the tennis. But you go,
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: you walk into the grounds and and look at the
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: stadiums themselves. The Philip Chetrier, which is the main stadium,
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: I mean it's it's named after the administrator, a famous
• 6:42
  Speaker 3: tennis administrator. You know, it's a that's a different thing
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: to start with, and it's this beautiful art deco sort
• 6:48
  Speaker 3: of design initially tennis administrator.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: So like, who would who's the equivalent for the AO
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: that if they named a stadium.
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: After Craig Craig Tiler, Yeah.
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: Stadium, I guess yeah, it works, it works. Yeah, it's
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: so shatter. It was the same level of tournament director
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: type thing.
• 7:08
  Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, and very influential globally as well. So yeah,
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: well respected. And you know they had like we we've
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: got all their golden generation. They had the Musketeers and
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: there's statues and the Musketees. When you walk in this
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: this is great sort of big statue of raffa large
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: and then life. I still think it's one of the
• 7:25
  Speaker 3: most amazing things. To go to a tournament and Raff
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: is still in the drawer plane and there's this gigantic
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: statue of him swinging this wild whipping forehands.
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: Right, and it's like that kind of silver like shards. Yeah, yeah,
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: it looks fantastic. It's not like the who's the soccer
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: player they made the bust of and it like looks Ronaldo.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: That one is atrocious.
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: Oh this is huge.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: It is it's ten foot.
• 7:55
  Speaker 3: Yeah, which is amazing. And then there's this new court.
• 7:58
  Speaker 3: Well not so now, but it was built for the
• 8:02
  Speaker 3: Olympics initially. Simone Mathews is the court. Susan long long
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: than it's a iconic champion in the twenties and the
• 8:10
  Speaker 3: thirties over there, who was just a magnificent player, Simone Mathew.
• 8:13
  Speaker 3: Is this third stadium court so I especially the equivalent
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: of our John Kaine Arena. But you walk in there
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: and it's got it's basically a glasshouse. There's plants all
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: the way around. It's been designed specifically because it's in
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: a botanical garden that just before you get to the site.
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: So it's this magnificent, beautiful, very different court to what
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: you would normally experience. So those elements and even to
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: the extent of seri chic, the you know, the staff
• 8:40
  Speaker 3: as you know in Australia we have, although in australia's
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: improved a lot. In the US, for example, you might
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: have the plain blue polo and the black pants Paris Wimbledon,
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: pretty stylish. All the staffers, the young staffers are very
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: stylish there. They're wearing there, you know, their hats there,
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: they're they're very stylish trousers. So it's it's there's a
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: lot difference about it, very difine.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: Very cool because everyone in the crowd too is wearing
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: the Panama hat. Is that something you get on arrival?
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: You have to do they just hand them out. What's
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: going on.
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: There's good reason that I in particularly needed very handy
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: for my hairline. You do see them though, And I
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: was just flicking through a magazine yesterday which is soon
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: to be launched a different sort of brand, and they
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: had some of the shots from you know that make
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: rolling gross what rolling Garros is, and the Panama hat
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: is one of them. And it's this great photo and
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: just all around the court of people wearing the Panama hats.
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: Shot from above. You know you've got the bag, like
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: if you've played in Melbourne on Oti car courts well
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: Clay is very you know, it's similarities, but you know,
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: finer surface. But photos of the people bagging you get
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: the dust sort of kicking up. It's and the crowd,
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: you know, it's not so much the Oi oi, which
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: I've got to say, thank god.
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: It's.
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: What's the.
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: Absolutely and if a French player is in action, it
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: is deafening, oh man, insane, Like the crowd goes blistic
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: right into it.
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: Taylor Fritz Render Kanesh match from last year two years
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: ago amazing, like the craziest atmosphere and Taylor's were eventually
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: coming out on top and then just like was he
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: blowing kisses to the crowd and they were puting the
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: hell out of him and it was amazing. Yeah, just
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: like the French crowd goes nuts.
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: It's and and that adds to it, like I love
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: the partisan In fact, you see it all the way
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: through the clay swing. We know there's been some complaints
• 10:50
  Speaker 3: sort of like in Rome where young wolf On Sekah
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: was was sort of up in. The Brazilians were right
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: into him with me Jenivick and Vick you see those
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: sort of things. But in France it really is for
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: the French. One of the things about Rafa who were
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: talking about is that he was booed at different stages
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: in the infancy of his career. It's not until he
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: won fourteen of them, but he really well ten or
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: so he started to really win them over and they
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: loved him after that. But it took him a while
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: because he was Spanish and you know, to win over
• 11:20
  Speaker 3: that crowd. I'm just trying to.
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: Think which French players Rafa would have been playing in
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: the infancy of his career. Who was the big Was.
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: It gas Guay with the magnificent one handed back end
• 11:32
  Speaker 3: and they both you know this, they basically came through
• 11:35
  Speaker 3: at the same stage and gas Gay was the great
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: hope because Yannick Noah was the last french Man to
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: win at rollingdo I saw all the way back at
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: the tournaments. I think he debuted at fifteen and he
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: got to world number seven. He made semi finals, a
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: couple of three Grand Slam semi finals. So he had
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: a really really good career and only retired, you know,
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: last year, the last year. But you know, gas Gay
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: was his came along with him, so did on Fees,
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: you know, another unbelievable talent and he's still going and
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: this is his farewell tour and Joe Joe Wilfrid's song,
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: it was another one that came through and Jill Simon.
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: So Franz had some great players, really good players, Rafa.
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: He just blunted the blunted the hopes every year of
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: them and everyone else.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: Well, when you start dominating like he did, I mean
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: it's hard not to just get behind him. And then
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: obviously he's you know, has the statue there do they
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: have statues of French players the musketees? Okay, going back
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: to back to the nineteen twenties. Yeah, so there's no
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: Gui fourger.
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: Always it always used to trick me, you know, guy
• 12:40
  Speaker 3: Forget when I didn't this guy Forget a great player
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: and tournament director. Yeah, well it could have been the
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: Fourget stadium.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: Wow, yeah they should. The French should have just gone
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: with like French people everyone knows, like the Gerard des
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: bardous Dady, Yeah, the peppy. Well, we should say for
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: our listeners that as of recording, we're at the quarterfinals
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: of the REALM Italian Open, and so that are obviously
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: knowledge of what happens in the tournament will be limited,
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: but as it stands right now, we did the Ego
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: Shavontek song at the start because she looks like she's
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: informed and she looks scary going into the French Like
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: we'll start with the women's side of things. Who do
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: you like, who do you think is going to be
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: a contender? Who do you think is maybe having a
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: rough season? Sebolonca and uh or not? Well? Indian wells
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: in the AO obviously huge, but then she's losing a
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: bunch of matches in the lead up, Like.
• 13:46
  Speaker 3: It's if you could have a small dartboard with a
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: few names on it. Yeah, so I think it's a
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: small group that can win it. Yeah, but I could
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: not pick with any certainty who that is, and that
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: includes I think she's been so inconsistent. I don't think
• 14:02
  Speaker 3: she I know we're saying she might be back. I
• 14:04
  Speaker 3: don't think she's back yet. But she's an infancy of
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: a new coaching sort of partnership. He snapped his achilles
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: tendon last week playing yes, leading in front Roy, which
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: is not a great thing to do, but he so.
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: But whether that affects her on the court, I don't
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: don't necessarily think so. Still, the strategy sort of part
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: of it.
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: She stamped Osa the other absolutely did the vision of
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: her hitting with Rafa at the Academy. I mean, there's things,
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: and she her you know, past forum on clay obviously
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: has to be a huge factor.
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: So you would still have her as I think you
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: would have her as a favorite. But that what troubles
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: me is that she hasn't won a clay court tournament
• 14:45
  Speaker 3: through the through the summer, and so she's winning matches absolutely,
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: but she's not as dominant. She's not the dominant player
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: she was post sash Barti's retirement. Without without I think
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: that's indisputable. She's just not the not the same dominance.
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: Now that's probably because other players have continued to rise,
• 15:01
  Speaker 3: and the sable Anka, you know, finding her consistency extra
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: trying to take that next step on clay for Sablenka
• 15:06
  Speaker 3: is the big things. She was very close last year
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: in that final. I really liked the way Coco Goff
• 15:12
  Speaker 3: is going about it. You know, she won. I mean
• 15:15
  Speaker 3: people were saying that was a bad final last year.
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: I loved it because she played ugly and won. Like
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: she You're up against someone who's powerful as and it's
• 15:24
  Speaker 3: awesome and as formidable as what arounda Sablenka is, and
• 15:27
  Speaker 3: it was really difficult condition. So Coco adjusted. She she
• 15:31
  Speaker 3: played ugly, but she hid enough balls, back, drew enough
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: errors and had the fortitude at the end to win
• 15:38
  Speaker 3: the second Grand Slam. And she had a good win
• 15:39
  Speaker 3: in Rome overnight as well against Dreva, who I think
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: her form. I think it will come for her. You know,
• 15:47
  Speaker 3: last year she left in tears and despair after losing
• 15:51
  Speaker 3: to the local favorite Boisson, who we haven't seen basically
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: since after that amazing run to the semifinals. But I
• 15:58
  Speaker 3: think mirror is certainly right there and Coco, I think
• 16:02
  Speaker 3: Arena mirrors.
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: People forget she's only ninety so she's a.
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: Big emotional swings, but I kind of love that. Yeah,
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: they show the passion.
• 16:11
  Speaker 3: Exactly, like and that's fine, like you're a young players
• 16:15
  Speaker 3: and in the other and with Coco, it's it's amazing.
• 16:18
  Speaker 3: The other day she went up against an American who
• 16:20
  Speaker 3: he saw here, Shoviku was so good and made it
• 16:23
  Speaker 3: through to the I think the quarter finals here in January,
• 16:25
  Speaker 3: Coco was the grand old lady. It's twenty two, yeah, crazy, yeah,
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: and Jo got a match point yeah, and then yeah,
• 16:33
  Speaker 3: just Coco.
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: A lot of comeback wins for Coco, right, and for golf,
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: it all comes down to how she's serving on any
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: given day, right, that's her biggest achilles. Oh no, you don't,
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: you don't. I can't believe.
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: That's just I'm so sorry.
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: And so like if I don't know, I know she's
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: got a new serving coach, is that right there?
• 16:52
  Speaker 3: I think they're working on the biomechanics. It's amazing that
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: she's already got two Grand Slams. I think she sets
• 16:59
  Speaker 3: a record. Nipo been the first for the youngest of
• 17:02
  Speaker 3: fifteen quarterfinals at this at the lastest level. Just as
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: and you're evers at one the other days the youngest
• 17:08
  Speaker 3: to ten sort of quarter finals, so it might be
• 17:11
  Speaker 3: fifteen semi finals at that level. But yeah, they are
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: record breaking plays in some regards. And that's the time
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: when you have got a Spiontic, you have got a Sablenka.
• 17:20
  Speaker 3: Jess Bagoula is playing well. I love just glancing through results.
• 17:24
  Speaker 3: She's playing with Storm Hunter this week and they're through
• 17:27
  Speaker 3: to the quarters in Roman. Really, I love watching like
• 17:30
  Speaker 3: Jess play and Storm and Storms a ripper, such a
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: such a great Aussie talent. So yeah, I love watching
• 17:37
  Speaker 3: the women's tennis, I think, and I think the fact
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: that you can't identify the winner with any certainty makes
• 17:44
  Speaker 3: it really interesting.
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: We haven't even mentioned so I mean another huge contender
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: for the title. I mean I'd love to see we
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: love the mooch here.
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: The move.
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: Just her style of player is awesome to watch. And yeah,
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: I mean Coco obviously moves on the clay. I think better, well,
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: Ego's movement. It's her Coco for like, best movers on
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: the dirt. I think. So Eddie dark horses on the
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: women's side, do you think.
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: Uh, well, let's go to the mook because she did
• 18:16
  Speaker 3: make the what the final two years ago? Yeah, was
• 18:19
  Speaker 3: it two years ago? Three years ago?
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 18:21
  Speaker 3: The semi I mean she's such a sublime player, dark horses.
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: What about that Sertsi Certsy Christia Cristaia. Yeah, like is
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: it Sertsy? I mean it's a tricky yeah.
• 18:42
  Speaker 3: Yeah, she Well, I mean it's an amazing career resurgence
• 18:46
  Speaker 3: and her last year on the tour. She's thirty six,
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: and here she's into a semi final of a of
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: the Italian Open. Her career high, I think is twenty one.
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: I think that if she wins, she gets twenty one
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: no points to defend. Sort of through the grass season,
• 19:04
  Speaker 3: she s announce it's going to be a retiring year,
• 19:06
  Speaker 3: and here she's playing the best tennis of her life.
• 19:09
  Speaker 3: It often makes me wonder, do you go back to
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: the well again? Or is this is that the reason
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: I'm playing well? Because well, I've got nothing to losing.
• 19:16
  Speaker 3: Saying goodbye to each of these big, great cities of
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: the world.
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: I think. So, I mean, hasn't she said if she
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: wins Roalm the Serana Christia, that she's going to stay
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: on tour for another year or two years whatever. So,
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: I mean that would be an awesome storyline, but Rome
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: will be interesting. I mean some huge quarter. They're through
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: to the Semis now in is that right?
• 19:36
  Speaker 3: Or Semis and the women's well, sorry, two semi finalists
• 19:39
  Speaker 3: are through. You know these weird Fortnite Masters where the
• 19:43
  Speaker 3: draw gets all out of wax. I think we've still
• 19:45
  Speaker 3: got the where we're recording at the time where the
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: four men's courters are to be played. There's still a
• 19:50
  Speaker 3: couple of women's quarters to be played, but we're basically
• 19:54
  Speaker 3: from tomorrow will hit the hit the regular sort of
• 19:59
  Speaker 3: where it's a little easy to comprehend what's going on
• 20:02
  Speaker 3: into yeah, to try and take note of who's dount
• 20:05
  Speaker 3: what and where.
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I mean it's fascinating. Like you said, the
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: women's draw, it's like a handful of players that could
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: all take it out, or someone could just have a
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: crazy tournament and you know, all of a sudden, Barbara Chikova,
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: we're all pronouncing it wrong today except for the pro
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: or you said jo Dar before and I've only heard
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: Hoda Hoda. Are you Are you an Alcoraz or an
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: alcareth man?
• 20:33
  Speaker 3: It depends on who I'm talking to him.
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: Well, we we've shown that Lizzie is a serce Hoda.
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: That sounds very game that is, yeah, I guess, and
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: he could.
• 20:48
  Speaker 3: I mean he would be a game of throwing to
• 20:50
  Speaker 3: start character with that forehand.
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, do you think his game is very
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: similar looking to Sinner's game? When I watch him play,
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: it just seems like kind of the just world class
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: obviously ground is and then just putting people in corners
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: and whipping fourhands and cross cord. I just see a
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: lot of center in his style. Would you agree?
• 21:12
  Speaker 3: I want to see him on hard court small before,
• 21:15
  Speaker 3: because I mean the movement for Cinner is what I
• 21:17
  Speaker 3: think he's probably underrated that we know when he's walking,
• 21:20
  Speaker 3: he's got that. So it's quite an ungainly gate old man, or.
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: It's a real old man instead of I just got up.
• 21:29
  Speaker 3: It really does.
• 21:30
  Speaker 2: Look at it.
• 21:31
  Speaker 3: And then you see him in the point and he glides,
• 21:33
  Speaker 3: it's like it's like he's skiing like you watched him
• 21:35
  Speaker 3: on hard court, and just his ability to get forward
• 21:37
  Speaker 3: to to move like he's he's working a slalem run
• 21:41
  Speaker 3: getting back to the basement. So I want to see
• 21:43
  Speaker 3: Da on Yoda. Let's just go with Rafa.
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: That will confused anyone Spanish raffer I like Raffa for
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: the French. Are you are you actually a tennis you
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: know he retired.
• 22:05
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I wouldn't put it past him, but no, I'd
• 22:08
  Speaker 3: like to see him on the rest. But I think
• 22:10
  Speaker 3: what you're saying is, I mean, the forehand is formidable
• 22:12
  Speaker 3: and his results for someone who was in college. You know,
• 22:16
  Speaker 3: we know he walked out of it and is still
• 22:18
  Speaker 3: so young and so powerful. It's a phenomenal transition so
• 22:22
  Speaker 3: swiftly to get to where he is. And I think
• 22:24
  Speaker 3: if he wins another actually we see him in the
• 22:27
  Speaker 3: top twenty four, and he's played, you know, at the
• 22:30
  Speaker 3: top level. I mean, he was really good in canber
• 22:32
  Speaker 3: obviously before the ass Open, winning winning that challenger, and
• 22:36
  Speaker 3: that challenger leading into the austral Open tends to produce
• 22:39
  Speaker 3: some really really good players guys to keep an eye on,
• 22:42
  Speaker 3: and he won there. But I'd like to see him
• 22:45
  Speaker 3: just more on the hard courts. And I'd like to
• 22:47
  Speaker 3: see him over five sets as well, because he's been
• 22:49
  Speaker 3: winning over three sets against all these guys. See whether
• 22:52
  Speaker 3: it's sustainable over five sets. I mean the way he's
• 22:55
  Speaker 3: been winning so quick, so you'd think it's sustainable, But
• 22:58
  Speaker 3: just to see how it goes when he's in a
• 22:59
  Speaker 3: real dog dog fight, let's hope against a French player
• 23:03
  Speaker 3: in a fortnight. Oh, just see how he handles that
• 23:06
  Speaker 3: sort of that sort of Occasion'll he'll learn and he'll
• 23:10
  Speaker 3: get better and better. But that's the sort of challenge
• 23:12
  Speaker 3: at nine am, we think, yeah, because it took in
• 23:15
  Speaker 3: that period to sort of break through. He made it.
• 23:17
  Speaker 3: He made a quarter final imparisons a ninety year old,
• 23:19
  Speaker 3: and then it took him another three years to break through.
• 23:22
  Speaker 3: Alcor al Craze was however, he swings mighty fine. He
• 23:35
  Speaker 3: was nineteen, but it took him another couple of years
• 23:37
  Speaker 3: after that. Novak one here at nineteen and it took
• 23:39
  Speaker 3: him a few years. So you know, it'll be interesting
• 23:42
  Speaker 3: to see what happens with me so jealous.
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: Of him, going yeah, I've been predicting Eager winning the
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: French since January. So I mean, before we get into
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: the men's draw proper, I'm going to pin you down
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: and who are you picking for the French On.
• 23:58
  Speaker 3: The women's I'm going to go the back to back champion. Okay,
• 24:03
  Speaker 3: I'll go with Coco.
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: Nice all right.
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: I was thinking Cocoa too, You're going coco.
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I was thinking, I wonder what was your prediction
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: in January though, let's go back and revisit.
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: Let's go French double anka again.
• 24:18
  Speaker 3: Did you do all full?
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, what did I do?
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: I don't know. It was probably like Sercy or.
• 24:23
  Speaker 3: Something, my best place.
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: Uh No, I probably said.
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: You do love Svidelina and she is Is this her
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: last year? Has she said that?
• 24:37
  Speaker 3: No, It's Gal's last year. Oh yeah, I think he'll
• 24:39
  Speaker 3: do some at home parenting in the next little while.
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: That's right. Well, he's got the wild card as well
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: as Stan Varenka fun so, I mean that's awesome.
• 24:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's fun.
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: Even if they win, just the first round match would
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: just be so exciting and great. Obviously Gale will and
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: I think Stan will get that crowd response as well.
• 24:58
  Speaker 3: It's a fuller champion, I think, so on a finalist
• 25:01
  Speaker 3: and what and what they do really well in Paris
• 25:04
  Speaker 3: is the farewell ceremonies, particularly with the French players, and
• 25:08
  Speaker 3: when they did it with Rafa last year, which was
• 25:10
  Speaker 3: a beautiful touch and they had the little plarque beside
• 25:12
  Speaker 3: the court. But with the French players, they will out
• 25:15
  Speaker 3: the modern day musketeers that have played alongside them. So
• 25:19
  Speaker 3: we'll see gas Gay, we'll see we'll see song and
• 25:22
  Speaker 3: we'll see some on They'll all be standing, you know,
• 25:24
  Speaker 3: they'll always caught side. Emily Maresmo's the tournament director, shall
• 25:28
  Speaker 3: have something and it's just a really really lovely touch
• 25:33
  Speaker 3: in a great way in the crowd because they are
• 25:35
  Speaker 3: real tennis lovers, they they get great applause, so that
• 25:40
  Speaker 3: when those two go out, I think it'll be a
• 25:42
  Speaker 3: really nice moment in tennis. You know, when they depart,
• 25:45
  Speaker 3: rolland Garross, I know, I know they'll keep playing, but
• 25:47
  Speaker 3: I think here in particular is where they'll get the
• 25:51
  Speaker 3: best receptions.
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, the crowd's going to be and it will be
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: emotional and there will be a lot of like great
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: crowds Aboart. It be awesome matches to watch. The one
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: guy I'm going to make sure to set a time
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: aside to watch is going to be Quarantine Moute throughout
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: the French because he revs the crowd up. He's just
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: crafty as hell out there and it's just an awesome player,
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: you know, just from the spectator point of view, and
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: I think he'll be revving up the crowd to mess
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: with his opponent.
• 26:24
  Speaker 3: He's a maestro. Yeah, he's just marvelous to watch. I mean,
• 26:27
  Speaker 3: he saw him here on CNNY court not that long ago,
• 26:30
  Speaker 3: four months ago, when he was you know, he got beaten.
• 26:34
  Speaker 3: But it's a pleasure watching him and get beaten. The
• 26:37
  Speaker 3: way he plays, not not not not that yeah, you know,
• 26:40
  Speaker 3: I mean some players he absolutely riles and rubs people
• 26:43
  Speaker 3: up the wrong way on court, but just watching him
• 26:46
  Speaker 3: just to touch the angles, the flare, the what is
• 26:49
  Speaker 3: this guy going to do next? It's wonderful to watch.
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: It's like exhibition tennis. Half the time he's hitting shots
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: that you're like, that's no coach told you.
• 27:01
  Speaker 3: So.
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: In the men's side, obviously kind of the opposite to
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: the women's where it's just one guy who everyone's like, oh,
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: it's aforegone conclusion. I mean, do you feel that way,
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: Do you feel like there's actual contenders to push center
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: or is it just kind of like, well, just give
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: him the trophy now we know it's going to happen.
• 27:23
  Speaker 3: I'm always really reluctant to say that they've got to
• 27:26
  Speaker 3: get to a fortnight. There's seven matches, five sets, and
• 27:31
  Speaker 3: he was beaten here in January by an old guy
• 27:35
  Speaker 3: middlely an old guy who can play in Djokovic. But
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: he has been remarkable through this clay season and I
• 27:43
  Speaker 3: was very, very lucky to be there last year for
• 27:45
  Speaker 3: that rolling gross final where he played one of the
• 27:48
  Speaker 3: greats of all time and he had he had Alkroth.
• 27:51
  Speaker 3: I'm so jealous you are out that obviously it looks
• 27:54
  Speaker 3: still still final. Yeah, and like one of the all
• 27:57
  Speaker 3: times were.
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: You wearing your big Panama hat again? Back to the
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: Panama hats. It's annoying to give out a big hat
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: to spectators for a crowd. Don't you think someone in
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: front of you wearing a giant hat is the most
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: annoying thing at a tennis.
• 28:14
  Speaker 3: Oh, it's like that the person he's quite toll in
• 28:16
  Speaker 3: front of you. It's like.
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: Yeah, like I don't know. It's like next year for
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: the AO, we give out sobreros for everyone having fun it.
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: That's it shows such a lack of appreciation for fans
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: in the stands.
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: I think the Australian Open version would be like a
• 28:34
  Speaker 2: big Bunnings hat. Have you seen like just big outdoor
• 28:40
  Speaker 2: straw hats?
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: Oh right right, no, no, no, I think yeah, we
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: give out shoes for people to drink beers out of.
• 28:51
  Speaker 3: Good new beer coming on. I can't remember.
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: Oh maybe no, I don't know major announcements.
• 28:57
  Speaker 3: Take binding that back right now, security outside. So you
• 29:03
  Speaker 3: were at the front op and final last year. One
• 29:05
  Speaker 3: of the best ever. I think Grand slams. I don't
• 29:08
  Speaker 3: even think that's recency bias. I think that's right up
• 29:11
  Speaker 3: there with the top five or so of all time,
• 29:13
  Speaker 3: and given given the two combatants, and you know the
• 29:17
  Speaker 3: time in tennis, the transition from the big three into
• 29:20
  Speaker 3: these two are just superstars of the sport. And Sinner
• 29:24
  Speaker 3: was amazing and had those match points and was in
• 29:27
  Speaker 3: control against the guy that I think is well not
• 29:30
  Speaker 3: the greatest clay court player of all time, given but
• 29:34
  Speaker 3: he would be in the top five already. I think
• 29:35
  Speaker 3: in Grand Slam. You know, he's defended Ross. It's an
• 29:38
  Speaker 3: incredible thing to be able to defend the rolling gross title.
• 29:41
  Speaker 3: Bags done it. Obviously Raff has done it, but you
• 29:44
  Speaker 3: know it's exceptionally hard to do. Carlos has done that,
• 29:46
  Speaker 3: but he took him. He was right on the very
• 29:49
  Speaker 3: brink of defeat against Sinner, and then we've seen him
• 29:52
  Speaker 3: through this clay court season touch wood. We don't know
• 29:55
  Speaker 3: what's going to happen in the next couple of days,
• 29:57
  Speaker 3: but he's already said a record in terms of us
• 30:00
  Speaker 3: as wins. Sorry, he's level with Novak as we speaking
• 30:04
  Speaker 3: on thirty one. And if he wins, then this new record.
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: How old was Novak when he sat there?
• 30:12
  Speaker 3: Older like Novak's records are older like some And I mean,
• 30:16
  Speaker 3: you know, I think the masses the five or four
• 30:19
  Speaker 3: in a row was twenty eight or twenty nine. So
• 30:22
  Speaker 3: you know, he's well ahead of you know, in terms
• 30:24
  Speaker 3: of you know, we're in terms of age, ahead of
• 30:27
  Speaker 3: the curve in that regard, as Carlos is in a
• 30:29
  Speaker 3: lot of the things he's doing. So we're seeing two
• 30:30
  Speaker 3: guys who, after an amazing generation at breaking new records,
• 30:35
  Speaker 3: are sitting new ground. Got a long way to go
• 30:37
  Speaker 3: to match the longevity. But I would think, and what
• 30:40
  Speaker 3: we've seen so far given you probably think that Zeverev
• 30:44
  Speaker 3: is the second best clay court player in the world,
• 30:47
  Speaker 3: and he got beaten overnight. But right by Dardario think.
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: He's just got an Italian guy problem because sinners like
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: you know, ruined his brain because he lost to Kabali
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: And now Dardaeri and so he just sees Italian. Yeah,
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: he like drives by a pizza players and has a panic.
• 31:06
  Speaker 3: Attack affording the pastor.
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: So I don't know he's there of to me how
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: he looks lately because he got did he get bageled
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: in the final set against Darderry.
• 31:18
  Speaker 3: He did, but he also made a final yeah, you know,
• 31:21
  Speaker 3: two weeks ago. Like in his form on clay Stax,
• 31:25
  Speaker 3: I mean his form has actually been very impressive aside
• 31:27
  Speaker 3: from the Italians. Like I think he's he's recording last
• 31:31
  Speaker 3: few months, he's lost to the Italians and no one else.
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 31:35
  Speaker 3: So but given that, you think, well, Sinner, who also
• 31:37
  Speaker 3: has an Italian problem. I think he's won over ninety
• 31:40
  Speaker 3: when he's nineteenth straight match against an Italian rival. So
• 31:42
  Speaker 3: he gives no love to his compatriots, no love to
• 31:45
  Speaker 3: many people actually.
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: But yeah, well that's fascinating because during the Australian Open,
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: I think it was Dardari that Cinner was playing, and
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: so there's a lot of Italian fans and they seem
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: to be backing Dardari more in the.
• 32:00
  Speaker 3: It's that curious part of Italy.
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: Well, the part of that, but the geography.
• 32:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah, no north and sort of closer to Austria and Austria.
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah, he looks more Austrian then.
• 32:15
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 32:15
  Speaker 2: Imagine the Italians here are probably more southern.
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and they see Baratini in they're like that it's Italian,
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: you know. Okay, So I mean who do you like
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: that could possibly push center for the French? I mean
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: the names that are touted or Fonseka Fees now hod
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: are I mean outside of Zverev? Are you just backing
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: Djokovic to get deep or are you worried about his forum?
• 32:46
  Speaker 3: What do you think? I don't think we've seen enough
• 32:48
  Speaker 3: of him, but we know that when Novak arrives at
• 32:51
  Speaker 3: Rolling US, it's similar to raffering terms of he tends
• 32:55
  Speaker 3: to perform and he tends to push deep. Yeah, and
• 32:59
  Speaker 3: he's the type of playing the only needs to he
• 33:01
  Speaker 3: can get there and work his way into form in
• 33:04
  Speaker 3: a match. So I would think, yeah, you think he
• 33:09
  Speaker 3: probably He won Paris two years ago as that great
• 33:12
  Speaker 3: Olympic triumph to cap his career. So he's you know,
• 33:14
  Speaker 3: he's got the Rolling Gross title and he's got the
• 33:16
  Speaker 3: careers you know, the career Grand Slam there. You know,
• 33:19
  Speaker 3: he drew the big love hard after he finally broke
• 33:21
  Speaker 3: through and won there, Yeah.
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: But how badly does he want twenty five?
• 33:25
  Speaker 3: He wants that, and with the two of them out,
• 33:30
  Speaker 3: that's sorry. With one of them out, this is a chance.
• 33:33
  Speaker 3: It's like it's like they used to say. He used
• 33:36
  Speaker 3: to say, you go up against Andy Murray and if
• 33:39
  Speaker 3: you beat Andy Murray, then you'd have Jokovic or Nadal
• 33:42
  Speaker 3: or Fetter, And if you manage to beat one of those,
• 33:44
  Speaker 3: then there'd be another one still there waiting. And to
• 33:46
  Speaker 3: try and get through three of them were so hard
• 33:48
  Speaker 3: with these guys. He beats in here, but then he
• 33:51
  Speaker 3: runs into a brick wall, but it took him such
• 33:53
  Speaker 3: an amazing amount of energy to get through. He runs
• 33:56
  Speaker 3: into the brick wall against alcraz in the.
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: Final, he readlined the first one that and then just
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: kind of keep it up.
• 34:03
  Speaker 3: So it's sort of so with one of them one
• 34:05
  Speaker 3: less there, well, then you know he does fancy his chance.
• 34:07
  Speaker 3: But then you think, you know, those young guys are
• 34:10
  Speaker 3: coming and they're really exciting. It's they are great talents.
• 34:14
  Speaker 3: Will they make a step here? Who knows? It's it's
• 34:18
  Speaker 3: you know, it's a real chance without again, because Carlos
• 34:20
  Speaker 3: is not there, there's a there's a chance for someone
• 34:23
  Speaker 3: to push deep or will it be an established as
• 34:25
  Speaker 3: very on the other side of that, or he said
• 34:27
  Speaker 3: he's injured, so I don't think it'll be him. Yeah, Alex,
• 34:31
  Speaker 3: I'd love to demon or I'd love to say but
• 34:32
  Speaker 3: he hasn't been playing great, but I can see him
• 34:34
  Speaker 3: in the second week. Well, whether it's further look, I
• 34:38
  Speaker 3: think on Clay is going to be an issue, but
• 34:41
  Speaker 3: there's there's an opportunity and that makes it exciting.
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: I mean, before we talk about the AUSSI players, who
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: of those names do you think the hope is the
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: most for real? Like Arthur, Yeah, fun Taka Hod are
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: like that. You've watched maybe not enough of Hod to
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: make a proper assessment, but like, who do you think
• 35:03
  Speaker 1: is going to be if there is a big three
• 35:06
  Speaker 1: in the future going forward? Who takes that man?
• 35:10
  Speaker 3: Who takes the third spot? I really like Fees, but
• 35:15
  Speaker 3: he's a couple of years older than them. But his explosiveness,
• 35:18
  Speaker 3: his shot making, his athleticism is extraordinary and when he's
• 35:25
  Speaker 3: up and going, like Alex played him win more than
• 35:28
  Speaker 3: a couple of years ago, the match where he got
• 35:31
  Speaker 3: injured basically on match point. But it was a great
• 35:34
  Speaker 3: match and Alex was playing unbelievably well and I thought
• 35:36
  Speaker 3: he would be a really strong chance against Novak in
• 35:39
  Speaker 3: the next match. So well was he playing, and Fees
• 35:41
  Speaker 3: pushed him really close then, And we're now two years on.
• 35:46
  Speaker 3: He was injured obviously for a lot of last year,
• 35:48
  Speaker 3: but I think what we've seen since he's been back
• 35:49
  Speaker 3: has been really exciting. Touchwood of course that we hope
• 35:52
  Speaker 3: that that most recent setback is not a thing, but
• 35:55
  Speaker 3: I really like what he's got. The other tour have
• 35:59
  Speaker 3: got all the tools and all the weaponry, but they're
• 36:01
  Speaker 3: you know, they're they're still teenagers. Yeah, Visus sort of
• 36:04
  Speaker 3: like twenty one to twenty two. So if they get there,
• 36:06
  Speaker 3: I think he gets there first, and he's he's almost there.
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: I want to see a fan Teka have a deep
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: run and run into some French players because the Brazilian
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: crowd versus the French crowd is going to be dynamical. Yeah,
• 36:18
  Speaker 1: great stuff. Ozzie wise dem and ours kind of had
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: a rough season, like we touched on, but do you
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: see anyone else maybe push into a second week? How
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: do you feel well?
• 36:31
  Speaker 3: You mentioned Alexi off off camera and you know he's
• 36:35
  Speaker 3: credentials on clay are decent. You know you spoke about him.
• 36:38
  Speaker 3: I was there when he won the Junior French Roland
• 36:41
  Speaker 3: Garris and that's always a pointed to being top line
• 36:44
  Speaker 3: of coming through with the old bull ring, this fabulous
• 36:47
  Speaker 3: old court that's no longer there. But he won that.
• 36:50
  Speaker 3: You know you've seen him win. But his form has
• 36:52
  Speaker 3: been really not great for quite a quite a period. Alexi.
• 36:59
  Speaker 3: I'm glad that he won a couple of matches in Rome.
• 37:02
  Speaker 3: I think that's that's important, and you know that gives
• 37:06
  Speaker 3: him a bit of confidence letting in. I think that's important.
• 37:07
  Speaker 3: But he did get his pants pulled down by Yannick Sinner,
• 37:10
  Speaker 3: who's done that between before, and I think that's just
• 37:13
  Speaker 3: a bad matchup for Alexei. In a lot of it's
• 37:16
  Speaker 3: a bad match up for everyone basically apart from maybe
• 37:18
  Speaker 3: al Grath, but it's a bad, bad matchup for Alexi.
• 37:21
  Speaker 3: But he won a couple of matches, so I think
• 37:23
  Speaker 3: ideally you see him sort of arriving. We know he
• 37:26
  Speaker 3: can play on clay if he's confident and it's warm,
• 37:28
  Speaker 3: I think he's a chance to make it sort of
• 37:31
  Speaker 3: through to the last city two, last sixteen, and then
• 37:33
  Speaker 3: you don't know. Again. With Alex it's an interesting one
• 37:36
  Speaker 3: because you look at his recent run of form and
• 37:38
  Speaker 3: you think, oh, what's going on, and you know he
• 37:41
  Speaker 3: has got a lot in his mind. He is, you know,
• 37:42
  Speaker 3: they're getting married. It's it's all about.
• 37:44
  Speaker 2: But then table settings, Yeah, yeah, center piece, centerpieces, flowers,
• 37:51
  Speaker 2: all the things.
• 37:52
  Speaker 3: And I'll be intrigued to see what he actually wears
• 37:54
  Speaker 3: and wears Wilson sponsor, Oh, no doubt, color than that shirt.
• 38:04
  Speaker 3: But but but then you go. He did make an
• 38:06
  Speaker 3: Australian Open quarterfinal. There's only been one Grand Slam this year.
• 38:09
  Speaker 3: He made the quarter finals of it. He won Rotterdam,
• 38:12
  Speaker 3: which is a really hard good five hundred in February.
• 38:15
  Speaker 3: So if you if you make a Grand Slam quarter
• 38:17
  Speaker 3: final and win a win a decent not not a Master's,
• 38:20
  Speaker 3: but but the next year down a title. He's sitting
• 38:22
  Speaker 3: eight in the world, and he's sitting eight in the race.
• 38:24
  Speaker 3: It's it's not bad. He was okay in the first
• 38:27
  Speaker 3: tournament on clay, but as I said, the last couple
• 38:29
  Speaker 3: of mean so so. But Hoder in Madrid, it's it's
• 38:35
  Speaker 3: it's an altitude. So that's one where Alex is not
• 38:37
  Speaker 3: going to play necessarily that well. Given the way he
• 38:41
  Speaker 3: hits the ball, you know, it's flattering, it will fly.
• 38:43
  Speaker 3: It's just I don't think it suits him as well. Rome.
• 38:47
  Speaker 3: He wasn't that far away. He just had a couple
• 38:49
  Speaker 3: of bad games. So I hope, I mean again, if
• 38:51
  Speaker 3: he if he can get through his first couple of rounds,
• 38:54
  Speaker 3: I'd be fine with it. And it's just it's just
• 38:56
  Speaker 3: if he can. But I think if he does, he's
• 38:59
  Speaker 3: I'd be hoping. He'd be wishing too. The quarter finals again, right,
• 39:02
  Speaker 3: all right, Well, just.
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: To wrap up the French open talk, then I guess
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: the prediction on the men's side, who plays center and
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: loses in the final. I'll make my call. I'm gonna
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: say Casper Rude.
• 39:16
  Speaker 3: He was really good. It was a good win.
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I like, and he's always the bridesmaiden of the bride, Casper,
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: so yeah, a little resurgence.
• 39:25
  Speaker 3: Look, I still think that Verriv is probably the the
• 39:29
  Speaker 3: next one, the next clay quarter, the next best clay
• 39:32
  Speaker 3: quarter outside of Novak. If Novak's fit, well then but yeah,
• 39:36
  Speaker 3: I think it's very of on form even given what
• 39:39
  Speaker 3: happened every night?
• 39:40
  Speaker 2: Great Lizzie Novak or Fees Yeah, yeah, that would be
• 39:48
  Speaker 2: really cool.
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah you got your coming back?
• 39:51
  Speaker 2: Where was all right? The segment we all love and enjoy.
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: What's the second time we've done it?
• 40:00
  Speaker 2: It's got Quizzy who yes, yeah, and we've got too
• 40:06
  Speaker 2: sorry dance a demand from thank you for dancing with recording.
• 40:12
  Speaker 2: I appreciate that I've got a lovely prize to give away.
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: So for the listener who answers a question that neither
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: I or Courtney could answer, Yeah.
• 40:21
  Speaker 2: And they have to email Pola Rena pod La, I
• 40:26
  Speaker 2: don't know the podlavor at Tennis dot com dot a
• 40:28
  Speaker 2: U and I will give you my coffee cup with
• 40:33
  Speaker 2: a few drags in it.
• 40:34
  Speaker 3: Wow, was a good coffee.
• 40:36
  Speaker 2: It was a beautiful coffee. And you can sip my dregs.
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: Discussing dregs. But there also might be some kind of
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: nice prize.
• 40:48
  Speaker 2: Back as well, So it's actually a real prize. That's
• 40:51
  Speaker 2: a fake prize something from the merch storm.
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: Maybe all right, we'll hit us with.
• 40:56
  Speaker 2: The okay question one? Who are the last two Australia
• 41:00
  Speaker 2: and OZ Open Men's and women's singles champions, it's.
• 41:06
  Speaker 3: Going to be an old like the last two Australians
• 41:08
  Speaker 3: or the last two Australian Open.
• 41:10
  Speaker 2: No, who are the last two Australian OZ Open Men's
• 41:15
  Speaker 2: and women's singles champions?
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: So Australians is it Margaret Court on the women's I know,
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: oh ash Barti, Ashbarty and then the men's side mark edmonson?
• 41:28
  Speaker 1: What year was that? Wow?
• 41:31
  Speaker 2: Correct? Correct?
• 41:33
  Speaker 3: So I have written that lots and lots and lots
• 41:36
  Speaker 3: because she just had another year. It's been X amount
• 41:38
  Speaker 3: of years of course, so is Mike out now? He?
• 41:48
  Speaker 2: Question two? What year did Nick Kurios and Tanasi Kokanakas
• 41:52
  Speaker 2: win the men's doubles.
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: Title twenty twenty twoies?
• 41:59
  Speaker 3: Yep?
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: Yeah correct? Correct?
• 42:04
  Speaker 3: Attention.
• 42:06
  Speaker 2: Question three? How many different court surfaces has the Australian
• 42:10
  Speaker 2: Open had?
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: Three?
• 42:14
  Speaker 3: I'd say three so grass, rebound, ace and green said.
• 42:20
  Speaker 2: Bump bone.
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: More I'm not saying.
• 42:25
  Speaker 2: Please email pod Labor at Tennis dot com dot au
• 42:29
  Speaker 2: with your answer to how many different court surfaces has
• 42:33
  Speaker 2: the Australian.
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: Hat and name them all and bid Yeah, if.
• 42:37
  Speaker 2: You can name it all, we'll throw in another hat like.
• 42:40
  Speaker 3: Was there an back in the nine.
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: Because the listener that gets Lizzie's dregs.
• 42:48
  Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, I don't want to give anything away, and
• 42:53
  Speaker 2: that was Quizzy who Dance.
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: Corny Courtney Walsh. Thank you so much for coming.
• 43:03
  Speaker 2: Appreciate it.
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: And if you want, if you want company for the
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: French Open and want to pay for all my air
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: for an accommodation, I'd be happy to hang out.
• 43:11
  Speaker 3: More than happy to buy a beginn or a a bail.
• 43:17
  Speaker 1: Bring Lizzie back a Panama hat.
• 43:19
  Speaker 2: Oh, I would love that.
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: It's not an annoying thing.
• 43:22
  Speaker 2: To put me. Bring back this person you met once
• 43:26
  Speaker 2: briefly a gift.
• 43:28
  Speaker 3: Thank you, Thank you so much. It's been an absolute delight.
• 43:31
  Speaker 2: Thanks Gotny, thanks for coming in.
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: We'll get you back in
• 43:34
  Speaker 2: Sip my dregs.