Indian Wells - Sabalenka, Sinner win…just

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Hello and welcome to the tennis podcast here with you live on Monday,

the 16th of March to talk about the climax to a cracking couple of weeks

in India Miles and have a little look ahead to the coming fortnight in Miami.

As well, it is a packed show today and we have the full eight team present

and correct.

That includes you, Matt Roberts.

How are you doing?

Very good. Thank you.

Nice to be in the eight team for something.

I was never in the eight team at school.

So please don't doubt that.

Show off through a good start.

You're always our eight team, Matt.

We don't know how we ever cope without you.

David Law, the founder of the eight team is here.

Of course, how you doing, David?

You say the eight team to me and I think of BA Baraka's

and Murdoch and face and Hannibal from the eighties.

Does any of that ring a bell to any of you?

Definitely some of our listener and viewership, David,

will have some bells ringing and perhaps, perhaps some not.

But those who do have bells ringing will have really enjoyed that reference.

I'm sure.

You're welcome.

Here to potentially hopefully boost our YouTube following

numbers with the tennis podcast visual debut of his moustache.

It is the athletics Charlie Eccleshire.

How are you doing, Charlie?

I'm good thanks.

Yeah.

My Jordan Thompson tribute continues.

Oh, man.

This tennis podcast might be too woke for you, Charlie.

You have just just made your Indian Wells debut.

How did that feel?

Yeah, it was good.

I've always been really curious to go given how sort of well marketed,

I suppose it is, you know, the whole tennis paradise thing

and back in the day, like the fifth major.

And yeah, I really enjoyed it.

I mean, it is a pretty spectacular sight and it was a good vibe.

I was well looked after.

Yeah, I mean, it feels pretty luxurious to be in kind of the California desert

when it's kind of raining and grim back home.

So yeah, at a very nice time.

And now you've crashed back down to earth by coming home to a kitchen renovation situation.

Yeah, a week away from that was pretty lucky as well, I'll be honest.

Not having, you know, kind of temporary kitchen and washing up in the bath.

We have got finals to talk about.

We've got some semi-final, quarter-final stories to touch upon as well

that have happened since our last podcast on Thursday last week.

Let's start with the women's and a title, a maiden Indian Wells title

for Arena, Saba Lenka.

She'd be Elena Rabackena in a truly thrilling final.

36, 6, 3, 7, 6, saving match point in that deciding set tie break.

Rabackena, by the way, goes up to world number two,

which is absolutely fitting for where she feels in the tennis ecosystem

just at the moment.

Matt Roberts, will we be talking about this match as a match of the season contender?

Come December and our awards, our various different awards and review shows

that we always do at that time of the year.

I would say if we're not, then we're about to embark on maybe the best season of tennis ever

because that was so good and I will definitely be remembering it at the end of the year.

It just had all the ingredients that you look for in a big match, right?

First and foremost, great drama.

You did not know who's going to win this one right to the very end.

Incredibly high quality, I think, for the most part from both players as well.

And also the context of them having just played some big finals as well.

Like the context of their rivalry shaped this match and how we felt about it as it was unfolding.

And it felt big, especially for Arena Savileanka.

That feels like a weird thing to say, that the world number one kind of needed this one.

But I did feel like she did, you know, like she has in her words, she's sick of losing big finals.

And she, in particular, she'd lost four in a row against Elena Rabackiner in finals.

It had been a while since she'd felt like winning one of these against her.

And she was match point down and she came up with a backhand that I will definitely, definitely, definitely be remembering at the end of the season.

You cannot hit a sweeter backhand and the one that Savileanka hit to save match point in that tie break and ended up getting the win.

And yeah, it really delivered this one in terms of drama and quality. I absolutely loved it.

David, full disclosure to our listeners and viewers, I watched the first set in a bit of this match and was unable to continue watching the rest.

My full intention was to catch up on the match today.

But Avanti West Coast trains Wi-Fi didn't support those aims and ambitions for me this afternoon.

So I need you to tell me what on earth happened from the point where Elena Rabackiner looked like she was unplayable, unstoppable.

The point at which Arena Savileanka and frankly anybody else that would have been standing at the other end of the tennis court looked completely powerless against her.

Yeah, I mean it was really fascinating because the similarities to the Australian Open and Final were really there in terms of the way the first set went and the way that Rabackiner is able to do things that Savileanka just doesn't face against anybody else.

It really freaks her out actually, I think, the fact that she's uncowed by her and she's so quietly refusing to be dominated.

She just quietly just detonates these balls and they hurt Savileanka and Savileanka gets more and more wound up as it's going along.

And yet just as at the Australian Open Final she sort of wrestled it in her direction and leads the deciding set and he's basically got to serve two service games out to win this match.

And once again, Rabackiner gets her and I don't think it's a choke, I think it would be completely unfair to call it a choke, the fact that Rabackiner ends up back on level terms and forcing a tie break.

I don't think that's what Savileanka did, I do think she got tight but I also think she had it then wrestled back off her.

And then you get into this tie break and Matt pointed out you had this wonderful feel of what Rabackiner does to Savileanka and the fact that Savileanka struggles to close out big finals at times and yet she's in a tie break and she has this incredible tie break record.

So you got all these competing narratives going on and it's back and forth but the point that was played with Rabackiner serving match point up is that I mean talk about match of the year contenders or you like I think that this will will be a point that I remember from this year and probably for many years to come because Rabackiner nails her first serve into the back end corner.

Hard back end cross court response from Savileanka, Rabackiner unloads on another one cross court, the sort that have been denting Savileanka's defense all match and Savileanka just said if it and she just threw every single.

Is your mind watching David?

Possibly.

She unloaded with all the power she got in her body onto a back end and hit a clean win across court off a really good shot from Rabackiner.

It was just one of those shots that made you help if you're watching it and that that turned it that just turned it in in Savileanka's direction and it was it was an awesome site.

So she kind of was under the gun and yet she wrestled it back off of Rabackiner which I found really great for the rivalry because this is a proper rivalry now and I was thinking back to when we put in our title of the previous show about are we about to get a sinker as and sabotec couple of finals and we didn't get either.

And and and and then I thought you know maybe maybe it's not right to be saying talking about shavitek in this rivalry now because really it's Rabackiner's replaced her with this with this match in particular and going to number two in the world she is the rightful player to be in that conversation if we're completely honest.

Yeah, Charlie you did a big nod when I said you know Rabackiner up to world number two and that's absolutely where she feels like in terms of this rivalry it does feel a bit like you know Chantek and Savileanka is the one that we've all been trying to make happen and actually this was this rivalry was kind of there all along like with ebbs and flows but you know they met in the in the final here a couple of years ago or three years ago didn't they and that was following on from their epic Australian open final.

Like this has been right under our noses and we haven't been ignoring it but we have been sort of saying okay that's that's nice but like where are the saboteca shavitek matches that we all that we all really want but actually this rivalry kind of feels like the one I think.

Definitely at the moment and I mean they've got the thing that shavitek and saboteca have never had of playing each other regularly in this short space of time and that's always been the things been so frustrating about saboteca and shavitek and how few how rarely they've met at grand slams.

That it's just never really been able to catch fire obviously that Madrid final couple of years ago notwithstanding.

So yeah it was fascinating and I mean it did remind me when when jokovic and the Dow used to play on hard courts back before jokovic just completely had his number on hard courts and the way they would sort of raise each other's game I loved it and I just think saboteca and I said this in the voice now I think it was after the US open that she's such a hard person mentally to characterise.

And I think players are often but we kind of we want to simplify it because she's both the most clutch player there is while at the same time she has this finals problem and this match was kind of all of that in microcosm because she did fail to serve it out.

But then it gets to the tie break where we know she's like the ultimate clutch player but so many of those tie rates come after she's blown a lead including this match I get such a strange dynamic like I find her so compelling and even her overall finals record is like historically bad for a dominant world number one I mean she's basically she basically for her career wins as many finals as she loses and obviously her slam record is one for loss for.

And actually when that was put to saboteca at the Australian open she was kind of surprised that it was even that good in her head you know this was just another final that she'd lost because in her mind she always loses the finals you know and it's not that bad but they do those losses almost stick in our minds more because I think in our heads and certainly in her head she should be winning every one like she is the favourite for every final she plays.

Although interesting you know I think in this one was probably 50 50 and most people's minds as was kind of the Australian open final but I think for the rivalry the hurt if you're being in just for the neutral kind of development of the rivalry in the story I think her winning one is great for it just just having lost the previous two but I was I was determined during it because you remember like that Madrid final as well I remember thinking at the time that it kind of felt

whoever wins like it's so if it almost felt arbitrary who won that final was fiance can saboteca they were both just so brilliant and I don't think it's like don't write this is all saboteca was bad fiance was good or once clutch once not clutch it was just one or two points and I think similarly yesterday which is kind of hard to pass in some ways because we want it to be we want it to be this great revelation and read so much into it but I think it was it was just so close but I think.

Yeah I'm glad in a way she was able to get over the line so it didn't become this self perpetuating narrative of saboteca comment finals.

Was there any physical element like I don't think from what I'm gathering Rebecca and it didn't you know have a massive fade but saboteca didn't have any fade at all and it sounds like Rebecca maybe did have a little bit of a fade certainly the serve seemed to drop off a little bit in its effectiveness I'm getting some hard nods from Charlie

and I'm getting a hard nod from Matt as well. Yeah I I thought that the conditions had to have an effect right it was such a long match they were in the brutal heat during the change of ends at the tie break in the

break I noticed obviously the players are not allowed to sit down saboteca requested that the ball kid come over to her and put the umbrella above her head while she took a drink just so she could get like a little

moment in some shade because there's no shade really on that on that court because it's so exposed and so open it's not even like they can just go to the back of the

court and get a moment's respite like it's just several hours in the blazing sun but actually I do think it was there was speculation the

previous day that Yannick Sinner was adopting the extreme return position that he was against Alexander's

Varra because that meant he got to stand in the shade for a little bit longer which I found very relatable sorry Matt as you were

but yeah it was I think Rebecca who who looked like she was feeling it physically a little bit like I don't think it was the

determining factor in the match but like after after saboteca had saved that match point we then saw Rebecca on the next one at 6

all come to the net and I I felt in the moment watching that like that was the decision of a slightly tired

player like maybe she didn't have it in her legs to sort of hang from the baseline anymore felt like she comes to the net and she didn't

hit a great volley there so yeah I think it was an element but it didn't feel like the absolute absolute defining factor in the match

I also wanted to shout out the very start of the second set after saboteca gone a break down I thought it was a classic example of how

sometimes smashing a racket and just letting your emotion out can really help you because saboteca was so frustrated as

everything David's described in terms of the way Rebecca can cause her problems and she went a break down at the start

of the second set and against Rebecca who'd been serving like that the matches really started to slip away from

saboteca there and she just smashed her racket let out a bit of a roar got all the sort of negative emotion out of her

system and then played a ferociously good game to break straight back and I just thought that was a

defining feature and I think good that it happens of early in the match she got it out the system and then for the

rest of it she was a lot more sort of calm and composed and yeah it's just really impressive

tennis podcast advocates racket smashing daily express headline

coming well I mean I think it it it no it can be an incredibly sort of therapeutic thing but I remember

asking Jason Stacey before the French Open Final how do you kind of straddle that line with with

arena of you don't want her to kind of get too frazzled and lose ahead but you also know that she can't

just bottle it up I think the line that sort of mantra they have is don't fight it don't feed it

and it's kind of like you know there are times when you need to just accept that this is how you're

feeling don't pretend you're not don't feed it by sort of trying to suppress it and I think this was quite a

good example of that and as Matt says it seems to be quite helpful yeah kind of I mean I think it's one on

the heat point she said like straight away in her on court interview afterwards that you know she

she was so hot that it was she was so hot she could like barely think in that moment I think she may

have mentioned also getting a bit of cramp after the match as well so clearly even if she was able to

manage it it was very challenging conditions for both very big week for the the new dog bounce

theory David I'm always trying to persuade you to get a dog arena sabbelenco doing good good

PR work in that department yeah it's a cute cute dog I mean I know good dog isn't it yeah I

thought I misgendered him on on the last podcast I believe it's a he I sometimes ask you to tell

me dog that you don't regard as good because I would love that as a revelation but I also sort of

fascinated by Charlie saying that the that a racket smash can be quite therapeutic as though

Charlie does it all the time I've seen Charlie on the tennis court I used to I think I think

there's a racket you you were to federal Charlie the reformed racket smash yeah I think maybe I

mean yeah Matt saying that and I am I am raining in big time when I'm playing with you guys you

know I'm like I cannot show you how annoyed I am playing tennis but when I was a kid oh I

dropped such bad drive attention and it's yeah in my head I'm chucking the racket across across

the court I am reliably informed Matt by the agenda that you wrote that there is a backhand

list update yeah the time has come there were a lot of calls for it at the Australian open I don't

like to jump into these things as you know I don't like to be told what to do with my list

the last time I did jump into I made a rash decision ended up with my joint on the list

obviously no regrets could not drop perfectly enough haven't heard you even mention my

joint's name in some months yeah obviously no regrets love the backhand but yeah look she's

not on the list anymore but Elena Rebecca the watch list Elena Rebecca is going back

on the backhand list it is it's been on there before I can't actually remember when when

she got bumps off there's been several changes but anyway she's going back on it's such a

satisfying shot it is so much damage it has to be on the list and of course that unfortunately

means that someone has to lose their place and that is going to be Emma Randa Karn who

is losing her place on the backhand list just now she's having a great week yeah don't

like to kick someone when they're down off the backhand list you don't like to get someone

while they're down but you will do it well I will do exactly that for the integrity of the

hell not ideally but I have to do lots of the daily express to get their teeth into today

we're only 20 minutes into the show you're going to another angle to the red car

is that can I just ask you a backhand this question though is there not there's not a

relativity aspect to it it's not a kind of player whose backhand is way better than

everything like it's okay that it's your back and who's like the second best player in

the world and is you know kind of really really good that doesn't that doesn't affect

the your consideration no I think you're right I think you're right to pick up on

that it very much does affect my consideration I do like it when the backhand is a

player's like stand hell signature shot I still think I still think it is that for

a Rebecca you know like if again if you watch this watch this final it was the

forehand that went off in the middle of the second set that really did help

Sambalenko get you know get in as well the backhand is the reliable shot and it

is just it is just undeniably great and it brings me a lot of satisfaction watching

her hit it like that and I think I also realize just how good it is when she plays

someone like Sambalenko right like the effortless stroke production on it yet

such power yeah it's on the list yeah it's a joke isn't it a joke how easy she

makes it look Sambalenko might want to work after that match points

well I knew someone was going to bring that up and there it is anything to say

well the problem with Sambalenko is that it's not the standout you know kind of

took Charlie's point that was a standout shot but just like how can you pick

one thing with Sambalenko like the movement the power the forehand the serve

it's got it it's got it all it's definitely my joint standout thing though I

would say that's why she was one of Sambalenko's criteria

before we move on from the women singles and india miles I feel like we should

row back to the quarterfinals and just have a bit of a chat about eager

shiontex defeat because as David said in in the last show we were throwing

forward to a potential shiontecan and Sambalenko final not just because

you know we're guilty of trying to make that rivalry happen and we have been

for a long time but also because eager shiontex had been so impressive

we'd been talking about her victory over Karenina Mukover and how it felt

like she'd created this blueprint for the kind of tennis that she and

Winfersett have been trying to get her playing over the course of the last

year or so it felt like not just a great performance but it felt like

a huge building block it felt like something if felt like something significant

and then we see her go into the quarterfinals and face Alina's fit Adina who

okay had beaten her before at Wimbledon but a player against two certainly in

the form that shiontex had been in in india miles and as a former champion

Mukover was heavily favored to win this match and she lost six two four six

six four Matt what happened to shiontex in this match?

Well I think there were several things at play here you know like that was the

time in the tournament where suddenly it felt like the condition suddenly got

a lot quicker and the tournament got a lot hotter and she was also moved to

rather than the main court which everyone was saying was playing quicker and

she was playing a different opponent you know someone someone in

Spitalina who who is having a brilliant season and can really push her so

those those were all factors none of them felt like big enough factors to

quite explain what we ended up seeing from shiontex in that match where she got

often incredibly slow start in particular with the serve like the serve was

just immediately an issue and coughing up double faults and that just seemed

to like unsettle everything right from the start and basically she was

struggling to like control the ball the entire day it was back to a lot with the

shiontex of over hitting and missing big that was certainly what happened in

the first set she she said afterwards that she felt like in the second set she

basically played to not miss and simply take pace of the ball played play a

bit differently to what her strategy was and that helped her and she did end

up getting it back to to once at all then she said afterwards that she what

she wanted to do was go was actually play in the way she planned to so she went

back to trying to hit the ball with a bit more purpose in the third set but

just had absolutely no control on it and it really ran away from her and then we

saw some some tough scenes at the end where she was you know really frustrated

and there was some you know some quite bad body language back and forth with her

with her box like the vibes were kind of bad there as well and look it was

unfortunately quite a familiar tale really where she looks pretty good through

the first few rounds of a tournament and then gets to a certain stage

gets to really good opponent gets under a bit of pressure things start going

wrong and it kind of tail spins and that was happening last year a lot of

the semifinal stage it started to happen a bit more at the quarter final stage this

season and yeah you sort of mentioned Rebecca knows ranking being number two if

you look at the race she won't take his ten in the race right now and look

the clay is still to come and that is her best time of year and I would never

judge us beyond text season fully until you know certainly until we've seen her

on the clay but we're used to better starts this season than this and for her

to lose to sphittalina sphittalina was in that category of player who is very

very good and a top ten player but she used to have an amazing record against

the top ten she was thirty six and nine against the top ten from the start of

2022 to the Olympics in Paris she is eleven and fourteen since then like I

think she has come back to the field the field of quarter with her and she no

longer just has this dominance over the rest of her best players like she's

still really really good player but there are there are players now who are

who are pushing her and causing stress and the game is just not quite clicking

under those scenarios and the vibes don't look great with the team yeah it was

they don't it was it was a struggle to watch actually because it was a

reminder of how quickly things can change because as you said things were

looking were looking good I fell into the trap well that's it isn't it

David in it it's a strange sort of inertia watching you shone take at the

moment because this defeat doesn't change how well she played against

Carolina Mukover and other similar performances she's not she's not in a

terrible trough and consistently playing bad matches but the fact that she

can be playing really well against decent opposition for two three two three

matches and then it suddenly all looks so frail all of a sudden is almost

more disconcerting it's like form form can cease to mean anything and

something else can take over and it must if his view is it makes us feel

sort of as unsettled as it does like she must feel very much like

she's on uncertain foundations it's it's a very weird place to be with

eager shone take at the moment I think yeah I think I'm still probably

trading off memories in many ways when I watch her because I'm I still

remember the player who had the streak and kind of had streaks like that most

years and and I know I realize a lot of that was a clay court dominance as

well but I didn't use to apart from when she would overheat those were the

only moments when I would really lose confidence in her now match to

match I don't feel confident as that I know what's coming from her racket

whereas game wise certainly there is certainly question marks over a

back in her and and what she was like a couple of years ago in the match

she she would miss because of sleep deprivation and all the all the issues

she was having with with vukov off the court and the investigation and all those

of things but game wise you know what her game is you know what sub linkers

game is once you got rid of the service problems you know what the game was

there were there was always those sort of question marks over Goth's game but

it feels like now we've got them over Shviontex and didn't use to have that

and and what was interesting this this particular match is Svitalina has

has kind of signed her her reinvention with this hyper aggressive play and

yet she wasn't doing it in the third set of this match she was aware of

what was going on down the other end of the court and she played really conservative

tennis did Svitalina and just said come on break me down

and she waited for it to miss and it was happening and I could see Shviontex

trying to do the things and some points it would work she would put more

flight and it's actually a lovely site to behold when she gets it right

but I think she's still having to think about it too much imagine being a

player at that level we haven't to think that often about what you're doing

next when it's not second nature the way you want it to be and

and I that I think I do think that the Wimbledon victory makes you sort of

stopping your tracks of the year but she won Wimbledon it's just that I

don't I don't feel that confident that week to week she's going to be her

best self at the moment and that's that's just unusual that's an unusual

feeling from what we used to have for the first three four years of her

kind of dominant period yeah I mean I'm wary of sort of like David

says a writing off too much because of that Wimbledon and I remember

we recorded I remember doing the show with you guys after she just lost

a saboteca in Paris last year got bagled in the third set and at that

point I I really felt fearful for her and then she went on Wimbledon

so I was going like oh well you know don't leave to conclusions and maybe

this time we'll go too far the other way and there'll be a bit of a lag

before we sort of accept what's happening it's really difficult to say

and I think the like you're saying Katherine about what's worrying I think

for me is that she is on this really bad run of top-tech players I can't

remember how many is in a row now that she's lost but it is quite a few

and I think that is far worse for a player in a way like it's better to

be kind of frustratingly inconsistent and that well you can beat the

number one in your day but also you might lose to the fifth one number

50 or 100 at the moment she's kind of just getting beaten when she plays

elite players like no matter who that is they're winning that I think is

really worrying and kind of especially when you've been you know such a

serial winner and I saw and I remember like I was trying to make a

comparison in my head like a comparable one and it's not quite right

because he didn't win as many but David you remember this but when

he knew it went from being the guy and then all of a sudden wasn't and

I'm not comparing those two and I saw someone make the comparison

I think it was on a comment on your last show they raised Martina

Hinges and obviously Hinges was all conquering one five slams in a row

between 97 and 99 and then never one another one and again I'm not

saying that is what's going to happen with the English fiontech but

there is precedent for players it's very strange for us to understand

but there is precedent for players to go from being the absolute

dominant world number one who we just assume will keep winning forever

to not being and it not being because there's a sudden moment

when it all falls apart but it's a combination of lots of things

of like you say the feel getting better the aura slightly going

the confidence then slightly going and that just sort of builds up

over time where now you're in a place where I think a lot of those

players are kind of relishing playing her in a way that they were

terrified before I think that's definitely true yeah it does

feel like something needs to change a lot of people talking about

change in the team they're definitely you know the vibes the vibes

were bad she was gesturing a lot towards Daria Bramovich her

longtime psychologist in the box that that didn't look like great

energy to me maybe make a change for a Cavalier King Charles

Spaniel if we've learned anything this week every team maybe

needs a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel the doubles the women's

doubles in Indian Wells one by Taylor Townsend and Katharina

Siniak of a Siniak of a having retired from her singles match

against Salinas Fitalina with injury came back among the doubles

with Taylor Townsend they'd be Anna Danellina and Alexandra

Krunich one of the teams of 2026 7664 in the final

it's their fourth title together Townsend and Siniak of a

revenge for the defeats to Krunich and Danellina in the

quarterfinals of the Australian open this year and in the

quarterfinals of Roland Garros last year and Taylor Townsend

missed her son's birthday on the day of the final so she gave

him a shout out in the trophy ceremony and that was extremely

lovely so good vibes all around there it was a great tournament

in the end it was a really I think kind of the the men's event

kind of in terms of like consistent entertainment throughout the

12 days whatever it was I feel like the men's event really delivered

but it was a fantastic climax to the to the women's event I

really really enjoyed it and that is it for part one we'll be

back to talk about the men's event in part two.

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seafood welcome back to part two of today's tennis

podcast where we have a title in Indian Wells finally for

Yannick sinner he beat a resurgent Daniel Mevadev seven

six seven six in the final came from love for down in the

second second set tie break reeling of seven points in a row

one the title for the first time becoming the youngest

man to claim all the big hard court titles that's the

masters one thousand on hard courts the 80 p finals and

the two grand slam a grand slam on hard courts that's the

youngest man to do it by six years federated it but not

until he was thirty Yannick sinner David is very good on

a hard court and he had to be because Daniel Mevadev also

right now is bloody good on a hard court sure is sure is

I I really thought after that Mevadev win over our

crowds that I I was thinking Mevadev was going to win

because the level he was playing was just a joke I mean he

he I was looking back he'd won his prior to this

finally won his previous 18 sets in a row in Dubai and

Indian Wells he'd won the lot in straight sets and apart

from one seven five set against Jack Draper and one seven

six set against Carlos Alcras he'd won all the sets easily

and he was doing it with these raking drives four

and back and hit absolutely as hard as he could a sweet as

a nut and there were just there were hurting the best

two players in the world in Alcras and sinner and I really was

I think it's a great credit to sinner that he actually managed

to win this final particularly in straight sets in the end

but he was he was hurting in both of the sets

a lot of the baseline rallies frankly Mevadev was having

the better of it was really sinners first serve that was

that was doing the damage I mean there was there was one

stat that popped up that he won 31 of his first 32 points

when he got his first serve in I mean that those are

incredible stats you know I remember a time in the Australian

open I I did one of those I think I did it with all three of

you at different times which is to see I just

question it's question pops into my head and I say

who said would you rather have out of Alcras and sinners

yes yeah I do remember that yeah gave it some proper

thought and gave me an event was quite a delay before I got an

answer and and eventually Charlie gave me a very

considered answer as to why he would go sinner I said I'd go

Alcras even doing this to me today David we went about our

day I don't I don't ask Catherine about this and I think

I might ask it is a bad time Catherine was I don't want

I don't want to I don't want to have to think about this

basically is the gist of what you know I said I hate

questions like this and I stand by it so it's more across

the board right it was not circumstantial you would have

got a variety of a version of that answer maybe it's a

bit snappy about it and I just don't know what I said I

actually can't remember what I said either obviously obviously

the purposes of this I definitely said Yannick sinner

well I mean honestly watching this was like watching

Pete Samper as it's unbelievable what Senna was doing but

even then you get into that second set tie break and I'm

ever to establishes a fall of lead in a tie break they

there doesn't seem any way back and even in the fifth

point Senna kind of misses the first serve rolls his

second serve in mever they've gets to have a go at it

and puts a deep return in but he does he does make an

unforced error in in that particular rally thereafter he

basically didn't have a chance I mean Senna just

took it over and won seven points in a row to win that

tie break it was you know it's the definition of sort of

clutch play and just brilliant from from both of them I

said I'd I'd like to think that they that Medvedev will

come out of this tournament feeling great because he's

bamboozles our crowds and made our crowds question a few

things certainly on the day and and I thought Medvedev

was sensational but Senna got the title and that's that's

in itself incredible and it's pretty massive Charlie to

be describing Yannick sinner as clutch in the context

of that Australian open semi final defeat to know about

Djokovic I don't think anyone was suggesting that he was

suddenly going to become this this great choker but

like he just had his had a bit of a ship to steady on on

that front and I feel like he really did in this final

in particular. Yeah on that front and also on the

playing in the heat front and also a bit on the serve front

because he's had some pretty ropey days I mean the fact

really that David was asking that question and that I took

as long to answer as I did does speak to both Alkraz

is improving on the serve but also Senna's slight

regression because I think that would have been a

pretty straightforward answer you know this time a year

ago or would have been for me anyway so he kind of

addressed you know a number of the questions that have been

asked of him I mean it's it's so rare I think we have a

final that both players come out of it with so much credit

I mean yeah huge for sinner to do it but I was just

blown away by Medvedev I still can't quite believe

how well he played how aggressively how consistently

his big shots were going in and doing damage because I

kept thinking I mean admittedly I thought this with Alkraz

so maybe I should have learnt my lesson but I was like

he started really well but how sustainable is this

because we've seen players whether it's against Alkraz

or Senna or Jockovich was the classic example they're

such a high tariff okay you can do this for a few

games you might even do it for a set you're not going to

do this all match like eventually these huge

forehands that he was hitting up the line they're going

to start going out but they just didn't like he really

had and I thought you know after he lost that first

set which you know he left that volley had he made

he would have been the mini break up he may

would have won it I thought maybe that's going to cause

a lapse it didn't I mean and I had I put my hands up I

thought you know last year with Medvedev I just

didn't not see the turn around coming I really didn't

and I guess maybe that's a lesson with Fiontech it does

change very quickly and obviously Fiontech's in a different

bracket even to him but what a turn around the

the the aggression that Medvedev is clearly playing

with is is obviously very very striking he's pulling

the trigger down those lines in like an absolutely

thrilling thrilling way in the precision with which

he's doing it is incredible but like okay it's it's

perhaps a marker if you know the new work with Thomas

and but Medvedev back when he was having his

greatest success he was quite an aggressive player

like I think it that is in it doesn't surprise

me that now he's found a bit of confidence he feels

a lot more able to do that well really does

surprise me Matt is that he seems to have got his

serve back like I I thought the Medvedev serve was

was lost forever I'm not suggesting it's perhaps

where it was in in 2019 but it looks it looks

somewhat back to me yeah I agree and if we if

we focus on the semi-fine against Alcoraz that

the absolutely stand out number there was the

number of points that Medvedev was winning on his

second serve like Alcoraz is that is a

generationally good returner of serve and yet he

could kind of get nowhere close to the Medvedev

second serve like Medvedev was was winning points

behind that shot 70 plus percent of the time

and look a lot of that was because he was

backing it up so well with his ground strokes

and with his aggression but the first serve was

effective the second serve was was far less

attackable and far less vulnerable than it has been

for a long time yeah like for anyone who's

become like an out like a tennis fan in the Alcoraz

sinner years you know they've got into the

sport maybe in the last couple of years and

they've they've seen this Medvedev figure and

they're like how did that guy win a major

and was world number one and was like the

best Alcor player in the world he's he's a bit

of a joke isn't he like he's losing to

Benjamin Bonzi all the time and crashing out

a grand slams and ranting and raving all the

time well this is how like this tennis

and like arguably this was even more aggressive

than he was in his in his prime and he says

he as you said he always thinks of himself as

an aggressive player when he's playing well he

took it up at level the fact that like I felt

like to in this final that the fact that

sinner had played Fonseca was quite good

preparation for him to then play Medvedev

to kind of told it all right because it was

a similar sort of feel sinner having to

revert to the role of okay I'm not going to

be playing all the points in attack here I'm

going to have to absorb and I'm going to

have to win some tie breaks and come up

clutch in the big moments and it was so

impressive that he did do that sinner but

I just love seeing when like an Alcarazan

sinner the best person in the world and

made to come up with the goods and Fonseca

forced sinner to do it and Medvedev

forced both Alcaraz and sinner to do it

this week and Alcaraz couldn't quite do it

to beat him sinned it and yeah that rumours

of Yannick sinners demise that may have

been discussed or exaggerated or debated

very much very much just rumours because

that is how this rivalry works they just

keep responding to one another and and

sinners had a big week there and was

impressive and rumours of Carlos Alcaraz

maybe never losing a tennis match again

also also exaggerated can I just ask you

guys a question because like I I mean I

fall on the more positive side for the

chasing pack here but do we think this is

like an encouraging week for the field

in the sense that Medvedevs shown that

you know you can if you're fearless beat

one and push one close or is it a okay

so even if I'm redlining and playing

basically with my absolute maximum I might

beat one but I'm still going to lose to

the other like I think the former I think

it is encouraging but yeah curious to know

what you guys think I hate questions like

that Charlie

David you're in. No it's a good question

you go for it David I actually think

the whole year has been quite encouraging

because even though sinner in Alcaraz

keep end up winning the titles they haven't

actually played the two big finals that

we all thought they would play and and

even and yes it's Jacović and

Medvedev who who've ended up disturbing

those finals but I mean I you know

Medvedevs I thought Medvedev would do

this at the Australian Open and and

and then he was terrible at the Australian

Open then he'd come out and done this

but we would draper and feast back in the

in the mix of things and Tien's clear

improvement or he was manhandled by

sinner when they faced each other

that's a bit of a reality check

albeit I think Tien was probably a bit

wiped out as well after his long match

against Davidovic Fakina and I mean

there's very of it the Australian Open

was close against Alcaraz you know

but then he was nowhere near him

a sinner in Indian Wells by the way

that was hilarious that he came out

saying that he was going to take the

fight to to sinner and then

the moment the guy stands at the back

stop and just gives him a different

game completely fall apart

but actually think generally speaking

it it should give them some

encouragement that they these guys

you you can hurt you can beat them

if you play well enough and they have

a bit of an off day and if you're good

enough but it's still it's still

fairly small yeah quite a lot of

like I guess those well if you

yeah there are quite a lot of

circumstances need to align

but certainly for someone like

Djokovic you think he'd be thinking

you know he probably know beating

them both he's seen as close to impossible

but he's shown he can beat one and

then maybe there's a chance that a

Medvedev or someone might take out

the other and I I'm sure he was still

back himself to beat I mean obviously

this Medvedev is playing unbelievably

but that's still a different

proposition to playing either of them

back to back.

Matt?

Yeah I'm I'm with David and Charlie

I'm definitely leaning on a

positive overall week and start

to the season for the field you know

the fact that we haven't had a

Sinner Alcraz match yet as David said

like we had so many at the back end

the last season I think there was

there was some circumstance to that

as well like because Draper and

Feast were out and Sinner had had

the three month break in the start

of the season he was so fresh

towards the end of the season Alcraz

had just gone up a level like

they just sort of had the men's

tour to themselves really I just

think the reset has has helped the

field a little bit in terms of just

showed more promise maybe it's just

start of the season vibes and and

I'm I'm sort of giving players more

of a chance because it's the start

of the season and things are feeling

new and fresh but I don't know I

really do think people are people

are playing well here and yeah

like if we get a load of Alcraz

Sinner final suddenly I think that

changes but as long as one of them

is losing before the final that to

me is quite a win for the field

and yeah I'm I'm really encouraged

actually by by the start of the season

on the ATP site I think it's been

I think it's been really intriguing

in lots of ways with the older guys

returning to form like like

Djokovic and his method ever in

that bracket now I suppose he

probably is but like also the

also the younger guys and returning

from injury just feels like the pool

of players who I'm sort of really

interested in tournament to tournament

is it's quite big at the moment

and I didn't feel like that for quite

quite a large period of 2025.

I'm almost a little bit relieved

around Craz that his streak is

over as well because I always I just

feel for players when they get on a

when they get on a when they get on a

streak. I always remember that.

Do you remember the sign that was

held up for eager shone tech when she was

on her massive massive streak that

ended up coming to an end at Wimbledon?

I think it was at the French open

it was will she ever lose

and of course that ends up being

a narrative around a streak.

Somebody they end up feeling

unbeatable and yet

of course they are going to be beaten

and that's that

frenzy of of pressure.

I kind of feel sorry for that.

I mean Alcwaz let it like he was

handling it just fine.

He was putting on bee costumes at the end

of end of his match.

He didn't look to be suffering

with the pressure of the streak.

But the longer it the longer it

went on I think the less the less fun

maybe it was going to be but then

winnings always fun.

I don't know. I just wanted to be able

to mention Alcwaz and the bee costume

God what a gift this guy is.

He could probably have done any sport

another sport could have

Carlos Alcwaz right now.

But he's a gift to us

and we get to look at

a joyful face wearing a bee costume

back to the beauty of it being

back to front.

The wings are on the front

and he doesn't notice or care.

It was a good time that wasn't it?

Yeah it was great and like I am

so pleased that the bee thing

in Indian Wells is continuing.

Like I thought maybe two years

I might get bored of it.

I might think oh the bee thing

is over but no like my heart

sang when I saw those bloke

dressed as the bees.

I won in 15 years time if Alcwaz

is still playing and going back to

Indian Wells I want people to be

dressed up as bees.

I want that moment

the Lance Davis bee swarm

of it all just to always be

remembered because that's so much fun.

How would you feel about the

bee becoming an Alcwaz

thing outside of Indian Wells?

No I want it just in Indian Wells.

Just in Indian Wells.

I feel strongly about that.

Matt has spoken.

Matt I'm going to come to you again

and I would be rude to go to

anybody else for

hindrance drama.

Yes.

I was so pleased when I woke up.

Officially.

It is I'm declaring it now

officially on the rise

if not an epidemic.

We're certainly on

epidemic watch.

I would say and I actually think

the fact that

hindrance drama has been on the rise

a factor

in this.

I'll let Matt explain

what happened in the

Mevvedev Draper match for anybody

that wasn't aware and I know that

this has gone very viral.

But it's like

hindrance drama is

really reaching fever

pitch now.

We might genuinely have to introduce

an official segment on the show.

Matt take it away.

We're still on the rise.

I hadn't really made this correlation

before, but it makes sense.

It's video review.

You now have an option

as a player to

review things that just weren't

available to you before.

Such as hindrance

if it hasn't been called already by the umpire.

This was that example.

So Mevvedev Draper

as we thought

winning this match draper's

game.

Just a little bit sluggish

I suppose coming back the next day

off that incredible effort against

Novaciocavic and Mevvedev is playing

brilliantly well.

He's on route to winning this match

and a rally unfolds

and Mevvedev hits a ball

that lands pretty close to the

baseline and draper

gestures mid-rally

does one of those looking down at it

puts his arms out a little bit as

a moment where draper

does that mid-rally.

But then the rally continues both

players hit a few more shots

in the rally and draper

wins the rally and then afterwards

Mevvedev is the one

who asked for the video

review and says that

what draper did on that ball

that was near the baseline

was hindrance and put him off

and the umpire

or really taught

allowed that to happen.

Watched it and declared that

Mevvedev had been

hindered by that movement

that draper made

and draper's argument was

yes, he may have seen it

but he wasn't put off

enough by it because the rally

kept going

and I think kind of what you're

saying there and I think I agree

Catherine is that the fact that Mevvedev

knows that the option

is available to him

and he's seen a route to

potentially win this point

that he's already lost

and he takes advantage

of that wording in the rule.

I think there was a

incident in the Australian

Open last year which

fell on second Navarro

when Navarro actually wasn't able

to go back and question

something that happened

early on in the rally and it

led to a change and now

the rally and there should have

been more the approach

of what we used to have with Hawkeye

and Lion Calling where if you want to stop the rally

if you're bothered by something

I think you've got to do it

much sooner than Mevvedev did here

certainly certainly

you know the point had already finished

and he'd lost it.

It seemed a little bit like trying to

bend the rules and use that to his advantage

and he was pretty cheap

and pretty cheap

when he said I hope

I hope you don't hate me to drape

I think this is a very

generous take

from you Matt like

Daniel Mevvedev was kind of

less generous about his own

behaviour than you have been

like he pretty much

fully acknowledged that he was

pretty darsetly didn't he?

He was like I'm here to win tennis matches

I'm going to try and do everything I can to win them

and it's up to the officials to do their job

I think

this is really

tautsful I'm afraid

I don't want to come down too hard

it's a difficult job

I'm piring

but I do think this was

very very clearly a bad call

I think it was pretty darsetly

from Mevvedev

we'd probably go

a bit easy on him because he owns it

and there's so few that

do that that it is

darsetly

I do remember

I do remember thinking that

Navarro was unlucky in that

one before and it did to me

it did to me feel like

there needed to be some kind of

some kind of change to the

ruling to allow the kind of

Navarro but then it's like opening the

can of worms and then you get to a situation

where you allow this sort of

thing that Mevvedev did

so there's a kind of a grey area

in sport

does not necessarily solve all the issues

we've got the we've got the anti-VAR

guy on the pod

we should probably go to childhood

for orally tauts see Kevin

friend

I know yeah literally

like as soon as I stop covering

football I thought of no more VAR

and then I was basically the moment

the tennis introduced it

I just can't escape it

I've got to embrace it

it's part of my life

I was so unfair on her

because it was like

she shouldn't be expected to

kind of self-efficient

and that's what I thought was always

hard about Hawkeye,

challenging and all of that was

it was great for spectators

and created aggro and drama

but bloody big ask on the players

who already have enough to worry

about and be stressed about

to also kind of half-self-referee

their matches

was kind of reacting visibly

to shots as if to be like

in the moment be like what like that's

that looked in or that looked out

like you could see him being

surprised and I think there may have been

I think that he criticised the

automatic line calling Wimbledon

I seem to remember last year

so I think he is one of those players

who is a bit distrusting of it

but yeah I think it was opportunism

and it would be your spot on Catherine

because Medvedev

owns it there are plenty of players

with they done that I think we'd be coming down

a lot harder on

yeah he was not expecting

I really taught to go with it

I don't think David

he was like I'll give this a go

probably not going to work

oh right you're with me on this

I think he was

slightly feeling a bit bad

even as he was

going through the process

and I think because

he thinks drape has a good

bloke as well

and that he was sort of telling him

nah that's not enough

to put you off

I think he was sort of feeling

worse by the second

but also then the other little

devil on the shoulder saying

yeah but look at all the times you've

been screwed Daniel

don't forget those

so I think there's

a bit of an internal battle going on

but yeah I didn't

I didn't love it really

even though it was

also fun

I'd just be so worried about the karma

if I was Medvedev after that

it's like with my non-outcourt

in the one point slam

I was just like I can't do this

I'm not sure and it's like

this is going to come back to bite me in the ass at some point

I'm surprised Medvedev

maybe that's why he's an elite athlete

that's the only reason

when he was in the world

Charlie was hanging out

with Armate Dave

at the weekend and Armate Dave

texted us and said

I saw Charlie Echo show at the weekend

he said yeah he was

still talking about his defeat

in the one point slam

this it yeah

very understandably Charlie

yeah it was not

sort of like how are you doing

I'm fine yeah and can I

do something about it

I have to say I think

the biggest shock of the whole

the whole hindrance drama was that Greg

Alan's worth was not in the chair

I feel like he's always

at the scene of these events

and yet finally one has happened

he had done his work in the

sinner

maybe it was on the same

same day he'd been utterly useless

but in an incredibly pleasing way

during the sinner

crowd drama

sinner dealt with it

himself didn't he

there was somebody incredibly

obnoxious

in the front row

yeah sinner went over and

just dealt with it himself

and it was one of those where it was like

oh if sinners

point in this out then it must be

bad because it's because it's

Yannick sinner you know

and and the situation

it must at the point

at which Greg Alan's worth

jogged jogged into the picture

and appeared

looking very efficacious

like I'm here to sort of things out

yeah you're okay Greg

they've already been sorted out

and and back he jogged

to the chair it was an incredible

cameo in what was a fantastic

fantastic men's tournament

in India I was

I really didn't enjoy it

I was really happy

to see you Matt

thoughts and feelings about

kind of feeling pretty

pretty buoyed by

men's tennis at the moment

in in a way that I haven't

I've been at moments

but in a kind of big picture

way that I haven't for

quite a while

the La Kuzinad

that fun came to an end

in the final Vashiro

Andre Otsi

and there was also a mixed

doubles exhibition

unclear how this mixed

doubles exhibition fitted

in with the Eisenkauer Cup

the mixed doubles event

that had already been won by Taylor

Fritz and Elaina Rabakina

but Flavio Caballi and

Belinda Benchich

also won a mixed doubles

title that doesn't mean anything

in Indian Wars

Benchich and Caballi

are playing what against

each other with each other what is

going on here with each other

turns out those mixed doubles

exhibition happened last year

it passed me by

they won a lot

a lot of money

Flavio Caballi lost

a long time ago in the singles

he must have hung around

for well over a week

I mean I do quite like it

as an idea that we talk about

these two week Masters

1000 events and there's a lot

of dead time and you

putting on a mixed doubles

exhibition which you know

if you put that money in it

you are going to get players

playing and playing hard

there's also the Phoenix

challenger isn't there

that takes place in the second

week of Indian Wars

which gets a good feel

to us

I mean I didn't watch any of it

but I'm glad it happened

You're in a far better

sunnier mood out

than the last pod

the last Monday pod

after furlums FA Cup exit

Positiva

apart from my joys

sorry Charlie go ahead

I do like the idea

that they were like, oh, like mixed up, we did a mixed doubles pre-thing and then the

US open of kind of, you know, one-up just with that. How do we get them back? It's like,

two mixed doubles tournaments? That's the special sauce.

I also just, sorry Charlie, go ahead. I was going to make a silly point about

Flavio Caboli having an incredible Hulk tattoo being unable to lift up the mixed doubles

pre-thing. That was a chef's kiss moment. Please do make a serious point.

No, just one last thing on the ATP point. I think for me and for most, well, I can't

speak for everyone, for me, it's like, it's not necessarily that it's Cinnar Alcras playing

every final. That in itself, obviously, there are issues there, but the main thing was this

sense that it was just such a cakewalk to get to that point, whereas now it feels a bit win-win

because if they do get to another final and play each other, then A, we haven't had loads

just recently, but also it will feel like they really have to work to get there because now there

are these challenges. So I think that really, that's the key for me. That sets it up really nicely

that it's like, you know, it's fine to have like two dominant players just don't make it feel like

the rest of the tournament is kind of a formality until we get this point, until we get to this point.

Yeah, that's such a good point. Any other reflections from your India Males debut, Charlie,

before we move on to look ahead to Miami? Well, I mean, linked to this point of the

re-emergence of the kind of challenges in the ATP tour, three of the people I really enjoyed

speaking to, like, got to do one of ones with and watching Woodrape, Fonseca and Fees. So it's like,

you know, that did feel like quite, in all of them, quite interesting stories in their own way,

all players who it felt like had really positive weeks in slightly different ways. Fonseca

especially almost, I mean, Draper and Fees, yes, because the injuries, but, you know,

I feel like there were probably less concerns, but, you know, people were pretty high on their games,

whereas Fonseca, I feel, and I think Matt made a really good point that there was a bit of an

over-correction with, you know, he got so hyped, and then it felt like people were really trying

to knock him, and it's a bit strange. And I just think that Cinematch was a reminder of like,

yeah, this is why there's the hype, like, his top level is so, so high. And I really enjoyed

watching that match. It did feel like one of those matches where you would remember in a few,

you know, people will talk about, do you remember the first time Fonseca played one of Sinner or

Alcarez? Like, it felt quite special. And so, yeah, I really enjoyed that. So, yeah, it's always

great being there, because you actually get to, you know, you get to talk to the players more and

kind of see them up close, how they operate, how they seem to be feeling about their game and

themselves. So, yeah, I really enjoyed that aspect of it. And just one final thing for me on

sort of Indian Wells, and I know Charlie's done a lot of reporting on, you know, the players

who were caught in Dubai and had to then get to Indian Wells, like, kind of, again, remarkable,

that Medvedev had the, had the week that he did in the tournament that he did at Indian Wells,

going, going from Dubai to Indian Wells. Okay, the form carried on, but like, you know, we heard

about the kind of crazy trip that he had to make just to get to Indian Wells, like, yeah, just kind

of the wider story there, I think, was like, again, really impressive from Medvedev.

Yeah, absolutely. Okay, someone in the chat is telling us that rapture is imminent, so that's

it for part two. I will be back in part three to urgently look ahead to Miami.

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And this is part three of today's tennis podcast. We got Miami to look ahead to

Irina Sabalenko and Jakob Mensik are the defending champions. Matt, there was a draw. I didn't even

know there had been a draw. Mark's had a 10 for this draw. Oh, negative numbers out of 10.

This was so bad. I always get annoyed with the Miami draw because they do it.

They do the women's draw and then they do the men's and they do the women's draw and it drops

during the Indian Wells final and they're using last week's rankings. So you've got a situation

in the women's draw where like all of the informed players, the top four in the race are all in

the same half. Sabalenko, Rebecca, Pagula and Svitalina. Where's the men? Wait a day and do the draw

once the new rankings are fresh and it just seems to make so much more sense to me.

I think there was meant to be a draw ceremony for the women but it was cancelled because of rain

and then the men's draw was meant to come out today at five o'clock UK time and I didn't see it for

like another two hours. So just just terrible draw situation from from Miami do better

but Charlie mentioned having just watched the first Konsekka sinner match. We are we are we are

Fabian Marajan away from the first Konsekka Alkaraz so that's that's pretty fun.

Yeah, the women's draw in Miami. We have Sabalenko, Rebecca in the same half with Pagula, Svitalina,

Keys, Junqin, Wen, Anemi, Salkin, Jasmine, Paulini all in that top half and then we have Shriantek,

Goff, Anisum over and Draver and Boko and Mukover in the bottom half and first rounds include

Fran Jones against Venus Williams, Jennifer Brady, remember her? David remembers her against

Slone Stevens, Haley Baptiste against Tatiana Maria Janice Chen against Yulia Putin's saver.

I love seeing the matches that Matt decides to pick out from a draw. Zaynips on me is against

Beatriz Haddad Maya, Matt David rather who needs a good tournament in Miami on the women's side.

I do think it would be very helpful if E.G. Svantek had a good one personally.

The thing is the way it ended felt negative and yet it wasn't the worst run in the world in

any miles but it just didn't feel great at the end. I suppose no loss does but some feel worse

than others. I feel like she could do with a really good week but I'm not that confident.

That's kind of the way the draws played out. As I said, you've got the top half,

Sabalenko, Rebecca, Pagula, Svitilina, you kind of big seeds there. All had really good starts

to the season. I think you're big seeds in the bottom half. Shriantek, Goff, Anisum over and

Draver, you're kind of looking at all of them and thinking it's not panic stations but any means

but could do with a run. It'd be nice if they really got some forms together in Miami, I think.

Be reassuring to see Coco Gough look fully fit as well given how Indian Wales ended for her,

so that's going to be interesting. The Bianchran Dreski won a round-one qualifying match today,

something to celebrate. Not for Susan Lamman's fans but there we go,

come on minimal. The ATP draw in Miami, as we said, Biggest Headline is that Alkara's good

face on second in his first match. Eyes on Fabian Marajan in round one. So we have Alkara's,

Kasper Rude, Karen Hashanov, Lorenzo Musetti, Philavirka Bolly, Jet Draper, Taylor Fritz,

Alex Demenore, Artifice and Alexander Bublick all in the top half and in the bottom half we have

Ben Shelton, Francisco Surange, Lodanyl Mevvedev, Alejandro Davidavitch Vakini, Lernityn,

Alexander Zvarov, Felix Ojeleus, Seam, Defending Champion, Yakub Menshik, Rubelev,

and Yannick Sinner all in that bottom half, no joke of itch, has withdrawn. The men's event gets

underway on Wednesday, although there's been a lot of rain around. The forecast is for there to

continue to be a lot of rain around. Matt, who on the men's side could do with having a good fortnight

in Miami? It's quite interesting, isn't it, because we've talked about so many players who

did well in Indian Worlds and have had a good start to season. I also still think there's a lot of

players who didn't do so well in Indian Worlds and would now like to make it up in Miami. I'm

thinking about Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton. Shelton was obviously ill. Mazzetti coming back from

the injuries, got a couple more weeks of training under his belt. Dominor went out early in Indian

Worlds. That kind of like the latter end of the top 10, those guys, Dominor, Mazzetti, Fritz,

Shelton. I think those ones who weren't really a factor in Indian Worlds are going to want to be

factors in the last big hardcore event before we turn to the clay. Those are

sort of some of the guys that I'm looking at as well as obviously the obvious ones.

Charlie, what can we look out for in the athletic? You're handing the relay button over to

Matt Fotteman. He is already in Miami, is he? On Root, perhaps?

If not, they're already, I think it will be pretty soon. Or at least the plan. That's the plan.

Yeah, I mean, it has been a busy time. That's the other thing as well about the great thing

about going to these events as you can meet up with contacts and things like that. It's a great

place for the reporting side of things. Last week with the ATP story we did and then all the

stuff in the Middle East. It's been a really Newsy time, even outside of just the matches that

are being played. I think it can take a while at a tournament like this before the actual tennis

of it really grabs people, but this one really did actually. Some tournaments can, especially

these 12-day masters can sort of, I mean, spoken about a million times, they can drag. This one

really didn't. I imagine Miami, they'll hope for more of the same. The weather is a big thing

and weather stories always seem to do well. I guess there's, you know, that has wide appeal,

doesn't it? So I think that could be a kind of defining storyline for the early days there.

And then on the court, I mean, yeah, Coco Gough is absolutely named. It jumps out to me as someone

who could really do with a good week or two. And Fritz on the men's a bit. I mean, I did find,

I did find it again, quite a tough scene with him at the moment and, you know, it just feels like

he's doing all he can to keep his head above water, but that, you know, the fitness concerns he has.

Yeah, I do just worry about him a bit.

Spare of thought for Matt Futterman is steamed sports writer with decades of experience going

all the way to Miami to write about the weather. Sounds, sounds pretty tough, but we'll be,

we'll be reading Matt. It won't, as will many other people apparently, there's great appetite

for articles about the weather. We will be back with our next podcast Monday the 23rd.

Matt, I think one of Matt's great skills is he's able to make any topic kind of interesting.

Like he has big takes on absolutely everything. Like the stuff he and I like, yeah,

I remember mesh, I can't, I think I said to him something about my, I had to be in to do a

call because my fridge was being repaired or something like that. He comes back to me with all

these takes about American fridges and things like this. You know, there is no topic about which he

doesn't have interesting views. And I think what I would imagine weather is 100% in that.

Absolutely. I bet he has something to say about the weather in Miami that would really surprise me.

Yeah. Yeah. Matt's takes are always surprising. Yeah. We'll be back with our next

part on Monday. Next Monday the 23rd of March to talk about the first few days of Miami.

Also that day we'll be celebrating the second birthday of the barge. And just like we did last year

we'll be celebrating by doing an ask me anything but tennis live at 7pm on the barge. That'll be

with me David Matt and Hannah and Vicki. We're really excited about it. Hannah joined us

for this last year. Vicki's going to join us as well this year. Yeah, it's, it was so much fun.

And we're going to be doing the same again. So that will be 7pm next Monday and we'll have our

next podcast next Monday as well. We have not one but two mascots for this episode. I

I scrolled down earlier on. I caught a glimpse of them. I found it very distracting.

I've been waiting for this moment on the pod for a while. This is Lola and Frankie. They are

owned by Sarah H and they are sublime. Lola and Frankie are our two gorgeous dogs. Says Sarah

from Sydney's inner west and a completely inseparable bonded pair. We bought Frankie home

when Lola was just nine months old and she was promoted to big sister and emotional support mom

well before she'd finished her own puppy years. Frankie is a four-year-old mini-daxoned obsessed with

balls and swimming while five-year-old Lola is a chewy knee. For those, for those not on YouTube

can't see the enormous grin on my face as I as I said that. Tawini is part you are a part mini-daxoned

who prefers to stay dry and supervise from a safe distance. Their classic COVID dogs love their

daily walks and listen to the tennis podcast with us and bring endless joy and a lot of

personality to our everyday life. They are astonishing Sarah. Thank you so much for Lola and Frankie.

As a fellow owner of a COVID dog, it's the best. It's the best impulse decision I ever made and

I hope you feel the same. I caught up looking at them. They are absolutely wonderful. We of course

have our mascots, Bodie Maisie and Roger. We've received correspondence from Maisie today

wearing a St Patrick's Day bandana. Just brilliant work. Love it. Great work. That's the sort of

stuff we like to receive. Thank you Tom. We have our top folks and executive producers Greg, Chris

and Jeff and we have some shout outs from Matt. And we start with Josephine Maibham from

Lausanne Switzerland. Hello Josephine. Hi Josephine. Josephine says that her favourite players include

Lena, Patrick Avitiver and Sam Stoza. So hopefully he has also. Oh there's a connoisseur.

I've hopefully also found some current players to enjoy.

Top of your faves retire, isn't it? You know, you've got to find somebody else.

I was sat next to Sam Stoza out on the 1573 arena in Australia this year

watching Victorian Boko behind the men in the Viking hats. Oh yeah. So Sam Stoza also experienced

the men in the Viking Fats who were Arsenal fans unfortunately Charlie. Was she as rattle

as you were by Catherine? No and that rattled me that she wasn't as rattle. I shouldn't be alone

in I shouldn't be having to have this experience alone. We should all be experiencing rage right

now come with me Sam. But she was focused on Emerson Jones who was getting a clock cleaned.

Thank you Josephine. Someone saying in the chat Josephine Crookshank?

I'll have to take that because I don't have a Josephine myself.

There we go. Thank you Sylvan in the chat for Josephine Crookshank. Could just be a friend

of Sylvan's who knows but we've got a Josephine. We also have Francis Wynn from Marlborough.

Hello Francis. Francis says please can I dedicate this shout out to my husband Gabe who

heroically and uncomplaningly sits through thousands of unsolicited tennis takes and match

recaps from me despite only having a path passing interest in the sport. He's the best. Thank

you guys for the great pods. That is love. You can and you have dedicated your shout out to Gabe

Francis and that is absolutely lovely. Is it a Francis with an eye or an E? It is an E like

like TFO. Like TFO. Gabe? Gabe Diallo. I can sort of imagine his mates might call him. Yes Charlie.

We will take that much like Josephine Crookshank. I will take that. I know there's a really good

Charlie. And finally we have Nina who says tennis namesake references Nina Stoyanovich and Nina

Whitaker. Love that. Get absolutely no notes. They are the big two on the Nina. Well with you,

Nina. The other big three. Nina. What do we know about Nina? It is from the Netherlands but lives in

California and Nina says I'd like to shout out two friends. Beatrice who introduced me to the tennis

podcast several years ago and Corey with who might exchange hundreds of messages about all things

tennis. Perfection. Hello Beatrice. Hello Corey. Hello Nina. Hello Gabe. Hello Francis. Hello

Josephine. Thank you all for your support of the tennis podcast. This has been such a fun show.

Thank you Charlie for joining us tonight. I've really enjoyed it. It's been brilliant. Thank you.

Thanks for all your work and we love being part of the Athletic Podcast Network. We will be back

on Monday. Thank you all for watching. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed Charlie's

moustache, do hit that like and subscribe button. We'll speak to you Monday. Goodbye.

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