Andy Roddick starts off the show talking with Kim Clijsters about everything Roland Garros Finals; Iga Swiatek’s dominance, Carlos Alcaraz grinding through a tough 5-setter over Alexander Zverev, and what it takes to adapt your game to win majors in this new generation. Andy is then joined by Jon Wertheim, who spent the entire two weeks on the ground at the French Open, and talked to him about the entirety of the two weeks: the lack of technology for important calls, the rollercoaster atmosphere during the men’s final, Chrissie Evert and Martina Navratilova’s beautiful moment, and much more.
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[Music] hey and welcome to another episode of served uh a special recap Edition uh in real time I just finished watching uh the phenomenal final uh with Carlos alcarez beating Sasha verab in five sets I’m going to go out a limb and say that this uh this alcarez kid is going to have uh quite the career uh in in tennis uh coming up right now we have uh my good friend Kim cers then later in the show uh John wortheim is going to drop some knowledge on us uh any any fan who consumes uh media has to check out uh John wor time’s 50 parting thoughts from every grand slam the ins and outs so we’ll get the full twoe macroview uh with John worthin coming up uh always has some interesting points uh but since it’s finals weekend let’s bring in someone who has played in finals and been a champion on many of these weekends uh friend of the show and friend of mine Kim kers is with us how’s it going Kim where are you thanks for having me again um I am in a meeting room in a hotel in antp um was in Paris for a few days and going to visit uh my family and my friends and have a wedding um from my my cousins getting married so good time to to be back I was about to say I already thought I thought you I thought you were already married um long time ago not not your wedding uh apparently um talk to me a little bit let’s get right into into to rol onos and let’s start with uh eish fanch and and kind of what we’re seeing and she is quickly going from um you know wins her first tournament ever uh in the 2020 edition of of r on garos and it’s one of those kind of googa queron moments where someone breaks through on on such a grand stage as going okay is this is is this someone who’s going to be a top 10 player like a like a let’s say let’s say like an AA Peno when she broke through or is she going to be a top five and now the conversation is is she going to be one of the best players of of all time you know you’re looking at where she stands with career slams uh now at five tied with Sher poova passing great Champions like Lindsey Davenport like yourself kind of on the way uh to the history books now with her fourth rle on G title uh tying your countrywoman uh Justine enna but just give me your quick thoughts on on her dominance and what you see I I mean it doesn’t seem like there’s anything that can stop her especially on this surface right now no um I also think her mind is definitely one of um where she wants to be one of the greatest you know players out there and she wants to win every Grand Slam she plays and and she thinks she can I think grass is going to be her toughest surface because of her little bit more of an extreme grip but um just her like a few years ago I think I met her for the first time at Wimbledon and had a like a chance to chat like with her and she has such an open mind to learn like she wants to improve she takes like she talks to everybody right like past players past champions like doesn’t M like Generations like from way before like you know previous from the last one and she is such an observer like she wants to learn and um it’s yeah she’s improving all the time and and so her mindset is that she you know wants to be one of the great ones and and I think everybody kind of penciled her in to win the tournament uh before the draw was even made and um think that little little second round there the big matchup against Osaka was to me one of the best matches of the tournament so um yeah she came close to losing that one which is you know for Osaka a great kind of the first kind of big um moment for her since she came back from having her daughter and and where she could test herself a little bit and and so it was good to see that matchup and um but yeah EA is um very impressive and she reminds me a lot of Justine as well when she’s playing like she has that determination maybe not her playing style or her technique but that there that determination the way she walks out there maybe the hat like that whole kind of vibe it it makes you know it feels like uh like Justin out there well the their their Roland gas uh Records certainly match up together now and let’s get back to uh I want to kind of take a a glimpse forward for Osaka here in a second but I’m glad you kind of mentioned um the the the student side of of IgA because I remember before uh last year so she had already had success already won roling gal a couple times and when she first won Roland garos it was largely uh by virtue of movement uh a big spin mechanism on the forehand side um but it wasn’t like this smothering aggression that that that we’re seeing now right where she steps you know just kind of sets herself up two feet inside the court on second serves and then doesn’t let anyone up for air it just feels like you’re smothered and she is inside the court it’s not a you know traditional clay Court specialist where they need space and they kind of drop back even Carlos alcaraz in the final was four feet further back than he normally is which is you know maybe just in front of where rough has been for the last 20 years uh but you know someone asked her about it and she said oh well I just know to play well more consistently like she wasn’t happy with just being a slam winner to be dominant I have to be aggressive and it’s like man from where I sit I’m going okay that’s a really nice thing to be able to do to just decide that you’re going to be aggressive and have it work pretty quickly but uh kind of explain to everyone as you’re going through the process and as you went through your career you were someone who obviously had a ton of success from a very young age right you you kind of went on the tour and there wasn’t much of an adjustment period you were you know pretty good right away um but what have you seen as far as EA goes with the adjustments how is her game better now than it was three years ago when she was already um you know a two-time uh Grand slame Champion yeah I think you mentioned it all I think just watching her play life even is so impressive the way that she just stands if not on top of the Baseline like inside the court right with the backand too like she hits those those backend returns where she you know likes to go for the down the line surprise the opponent like she takes the balls so early now which is something that I hadn’t maybe not noticed as much um in the past especially here on this surface so definitely definitely put a lot of work in like she she’s always been a good mover but now she’s kind of not giving her opponents the time to kind of work their way into the into the point right to try and be dominant first and she’s the one that’s really trying to take on their opponents early on and that’s a big change I think that she’s made and I’m sure it’s taken some time to kind of get used to that but it’s um I think especially with you know unless you have a game like let’s say a sabalenka or rakina where you can kind of hit like through her with a lot of power no Saga um yeah I think she’s going to you know have a fairly easy she has no weakness like she she her matches are all pretty you know straightforward nobody really troubles her so it’s it’s um unless you can like kind of hit her off the court I think um yeah she’s not going to have any any problems with anybody really yeah I think there are similarities to Rafa in that regard where you didn’t see Rafa lose a lot of matches when someone didn’t have something to kind of take control to make him react to right like I would play him on hard and I knew I could come in on a first server at least it wouldn’t work all the time and you know I was kind of 5050 on hard courts but at least I had something that he couldn’t control right throw their Rhythm off too right like you yeah like that’s such a is that that routine and and trying to stay in charge of the points and it’s it’s it’s it’s such a mental thing too right for her to step in inside of the Baseline for the return it starts with the mindset like it starts with your mind to try and be you know aggressive and and you know attack as soon as you can and um but yeah it’s it’s um yeah you did it I mean of course it’s it’s you know if you can have a big serve you need the big weapons now you know to to beat players like that the other thing that is non-negotiable as I’m watching uh tennis these days and I was someone who was kind of a clunky foot mover like I was I I was physical and I was big and I would kind of hustle my way but I wasn’t like a fluent mover you were obviously a great mover and kind of invented this this split situation that we see every player capable of of doing now but two things that I see as an adjustment and it’s weird and I have so much admiration for it and you mentioned it is that two things that ‘s doing even better and I don’t know if they work in lock step I I suspect they might couple years ago she would kind of drift and try to get those forehand and really kind of try to control it now she’s taking the backand straight on and able to create an angle crosscourt even when she’s pretty much middle right so it’s kind of similar to Andre later in his career where he would set up shop and he would take the ball on whatever side it came and distribute but what it’s done is it’s taken away the ability to expose eego line even more right if she’s not giving up to space and then she hits one a little spinny and then someone takes her line she used to kind of have to recover from that she’s shrinking the court even more by virtue of her backhand getting better and she’s able to create like I I’ve watched her a million times in this tournament where someone would hit it basically straight onto the backand it’s hard to create angles when you’re not presented with an angle generally for for kind of those tennis fans out there she’s taking it maybe a foot left of the hash mark and the next ball that her opponent is hitting is outside of the the the sideline right her her ability to shrink the cord that way and also when she moves moving is she’s not like I don’t think she would win a sprinting contest against everyone on tour but I think the way that she is kind of efficient with her movement she is sliding she is hitting and then at the end of the slide she’s already a foot back towards the center right and it’s all done in this one fluid motion which which makes me want to vomit with jealousy like it just is is it’s just this insane thing and also I’m not going to deal from a place of being hyperbolic I think she has some of the best footwork from the middle of the Court I’ve ever seen in my life her footwork is incredible hearing it on the too like hearing it live was so impressive like you can hear when you’re playing on a heart you can hear the squeaking right of like alcarez at the US Open like it’s super impressive to hear him like run around the forehand and then run to the drop shot and run back and stop and and and slide at times but IGA and Clay it’s like yeah it’s it’s like all the little small steps and then you you hear the power when she pushes off like it’s it’s a it was really really impressive to see and watch and what I also think is is makes it really hard for the opponents against is that her grip and her technique is a little bit more like unconventional and hard to to read but she has you know her backand is harder to read like I I just find it like she’s just able to change directions like without you know with a lot of players you know how you can anticipate kind of yeah like that’s going to go crosscore or this one like with her it’s so hard to read um whether it is the the more extreme grip with the forehand or the backand that’s a little bit closer to her body like it’s a it’s a tough like tough technique to read is that is that especially on Clay just because she has enough time to kind of like I always say the great ones they’re able to like kind of you in position they can almost wait like a quarter of a second longer to where you’re stuck and then all of a sudden they’ve got you to where you’re in a neutral position and then they can kind of distribute either way yeah because our sport like a lot of times like I feel like with me too like there’s a lot of anticipation right and kind of patterns that your opponents kind of that you can read after a while and and um I feel like with her yeah it’s um on Clay it’s it’s the directions that she is able to even last second like hit that backand you know return down the line or like like a short crosscourt one the variety like there’s no yeah there’s so much variety that gives she doesn’t give her opponents any rhythm either so um really impressive like the way that she’s grown and and you know as an as as a as a player um she hasn’t changed much Tech like technique wise but just tactically like she’s really adjusted her her game tremendously yeah and and she I mean I the way that she’s like she’s taken like bits and pieces from it feels like different players right I mentioned I mentioned the Andre comparison the way she kind of sits on second serves now and just I feel like her opponents are just picking that first ball up off their feet from the middle of the Court like she has that Novak thing where Novak’s the master of putting a second serve on your shoe tops right to where you don’t have an angle you have to play back up to him and then all of a sudden he can distribute the way that he wants uh the movement kind of that that that kind of Circle C movement where you’re you’re know kind of moving around that half court from the middle of the Court looks a lot like someone like arafa you mentioned the intensity of Justine and uh it’s just it’s just fun to see when someone has success and they get to kind of the Pinnacle of being a grand slam Champion being number one in the world and then it’s like okay that just means I I need to find other ways to improve right and and I just give her so much credit for that that that mindset we’re we’re seeing the result right of that open mindset of like we’re starting years ago right where she absorbs from everybody when she talks to whoever it is like it’s she yeah male female everybody she talks to everybody and learns from the mental side of the sport the Tactical side of it everything and there’s you know you know it too like there’s so many players are so stuck in their in their normal routines and like changes scare them like they don’t they don’t want to have an open mind to like you know try to take on a new coach who says this or try to like no let’s just stick to the same same kind of practice patterns all the time and same routines and um but with EA it’s you know it’s trial and error and um and you know and you you you always take some good things in your backpack and you you use it on the court and you you yeah I mean that’s you know that’s how you you improve all the time I would imagine those trials are easier to jump into when they normally work out for you like you just decide you’re going to be aggressive and win uh more I tried to have an hour hit on the on the red clay I was kind of inspired I haven’t played on red clay in like forever so I was like okay let’s you know it’s nice out here in Belgium today so we kind of booked a court in like a local Club here in ANW worth and my first tip minutes on Clay they were horrendous I couldn’t move I was sliding everywhere and then it kind of like felt like okay this is getting better and but it was H yeah it’s it’s h very very tough um yeah I love that uh I love that you’re telling that story because inevitably anytime there’s like you you watch a a a great match I remember like watching alcaras jokovic last year and then you’re driving around town like an hour later and every public court is full right like everyone’s like oh I want to go play this is so cool and I just imagine Kim doing the same thing uh we did it before the match but no but it’s I was at the French Open and I saw like the perfect clay cords I like oh man would be nice to play some dingles or something you know on cours I’m telling you I’m waiting I got a dingles game ready for I’m like by the way those do you have Belgian beers like cans sitting behind you or what is h what what is that there I guess oh gosh well you know what I’m glad you asked this is actually an ollipop Kim I don’t know if you’ve I don’t know if you’ve had them before oh yeah prebiotics the the likes those your daughter likes them great does wow you’re like a we get them at Costco I think we buy the the they’re available in most places yeah uh you’re like you’re like a sponsor’s dream right now Kim fantastic way to go with that one little little little bonus coverage for ollipop um okay so all praise to EGA let’s that’s it let’s talk about a couple of other names and I specifically want to get your opinion on um the the golf shateek situation I I I went on about at length in our last show uh just about how I feel like I’m watching it and can relate because I spent um you know the better part of a decade not losing to a lot of people except for Roger um you know and I felt like I was obsessed with that matchup and trying to figure it out and often at the expense of the rest of my game um so I want to kind of ask you about that but let’s just talk quickly uh about uh Pini and draa and anyone else that stood out to you uh this this tournament I I didn’t see uh peini making this final coming in she was kind of she didn’t have great results on Clay which was surprising because she had played so well early in the year winning a Masters 1000 in Dubai getting to a career high ranking uh what impressed you about her and then also uh in draa and what do you see for her going forward I met paulini um a few years ago I think it was about three years ago and to me her energy like she has like she’s like alcarez in a sense where she loves being out there like she plays she’s smiling she’s working working hard she’s in the gym she’s having fun and you know almost feel like that kind of mindset will eventually get you to you know to I don’t know if it’s have a little bit of luck with the draw have you know like like grow as a as an athlete like it’s so I feel like the energy that she brought out there she has gotten more and more confidence obviously you know winning in Dubai was was huge for her but she’s you know very short player like not the you most powerful one but um her her energy is something that was really stood out for me like she she walks around like very like like almost like remember Cil kova back in the day like like you know like on her toes kind of j walking like high energy and a lot of players are yeah they it I don’t know they feel that on the on the other side of the net at times too and it like kind of like pushes their energy down a little bit I feel like or um and so that’s something that I really like noticed and um and even at the French like okay the final wasn’t was it wasn’t a close match but she like was just enjoying every second that she was out there and and smiling and laughing to her like her team and during the games and it’s something alcarez has too like it’s a enjoying their moment that they’re out there and um I mean Andrea is fun to watch to me I’m telling you like the best the best standers that I that I saw was um maybe unexpected but coming from Naomi Osaka’s racket um just being able to you know shows really good tennis on Clay which you know I think she’s been pretty open about that not being her favorite surface but really really good tennis and um she’s playing in Ros M uh this week playing against Elise Burns tomorrow so another kind of tough first round for both so yeah just interesting to see how she’ll be be uh preparing for um for the grass courts it’s interesting because I mean you said it it’s not like we have low expectations for her on Clay because it’s your least favorite service and she’s coming back she wasn’t great on Clay when she was the best player in the world she expressed it too right that she didn’t like like the surface and and the movement I had decent results on on Clay but I was not like I didn’t feel my best like it wasn’t the way that I like to play it wasn’t my natural kind of movement and um so yeah I remember back in the day thinking like oh Maria won the French Open like she’s not a natural clay quarter right she’s not a so so you can learn from those kind of situations and players and osta Peno and U the harder hitters these days like we’ve seen the players complain about um today too like alcarez was complaining about you know the courts feeling like a hard court like it it was um yeah it’s it’s definit the courts are not as heavy as they used to be I think when when we used to play back in the day yeah and it’s it’s I always explain it I I think and I’m curious to hear your take on this and if it’s just me trying to find an excuse for my lack of relevance at Roland garos but I felt like the the the clay there is is is finer it’s kind of softer like when you rub most clay it feels like salt when you rub Roland garos it feels like baking powder a little bit Yeah like like a powder yeah I feel like it exposes not fluent movers more than any other other tournament like you can made the semis a ram a couple times like oh this is it I can play like let’s you know let’s make a run then you get there and I feel like I was just kind of slip sliding everywhere I think it was especially prominent uh during this roll on garos because of the rain and having to water it a certain way when you go indoors and then all of a sudden it got really sunny and there wasn’t really like much back and forth it was like rain rain rain rain rain Sunshine which I think to give at least a little bit of a break to the grounds crew which is the best on Earth it’s not as if they don’t know how to prepare a court at R andos I think that switch along with having to prepare a court for indoor play uh versus all outdoors I think that actually uh makes a massive difference um a as we talk about Osaka moving forward when I saw her in uh Indian Wells Miami and it’s not as if she made final or had some massive run but just the way that the ball was coming off the racket she was making more airs than she did uh in her prime but her winners were again kind of turning people into mannequins right she used to have this ability where when she would kind of get on her front foot and really take control of a rally people wouldn’t move they would get winners hit and it would it was like they were standing still and I saw that and play a little bit in Miami and Indian Welles again and I went on uh TC live and said I think she wins a major again and she hasn’t won three matches in a row but I just with the way that she with the the amount that she’s playing if she gets the Reps in I love how much she’s committing to her schedule she’s playing more than she ever has like it’s it’s it’s it’s crazy but am I nuts for thinking that she could be on the short list of favorites already for when the Hardcore Season comes around no I I agree especially after that last match against EA um I feel like that’s where I was like okay this is the best that I’ve seen her play I was in the stands when um when she uh lost to Elise Mertens from Belgium uh in Indian Wells there was a lot of un first erors they were mostly still kind of on the wider side of the court right the movement being able to come back like there was a little late at times but when she was behind the ball it was so good There Was You know the serve at times was incredible um so yeah and at the French I feel like she was really you know she had okay in a situation she had nothing to to lose EA’s the big favorite so she’s she was um yeah just going going for it and and but I I do think that she even won I think like she can you know with that serve and and with that first kind of you know the first two shots of the rally are going to be so important there and she’s so good at that right the return the serve is is is very good so um yeah I’m interested to see how she will she went to train in myor to you know on the grass cours like to to prepare so she was there already like since she lost and at the French so definitely committed um focused to um yeah to try to uh get that slam and I think why not wiel then you know like I think she can definitely she has the definitely has the weapons and if she’s fit enough which she is like after coming back from from having a baby it takes time to get your body back and to get physically strong enough to recover matches you know to have a few matches in a row and she um yeah she’s definitely um close to to her her best again we still have to one of the things that the only push back I would have is we still haven’t seen her play like five matches in a row right she looked amazing in the second round at Roland garos but she didn’t have that Log Jam of matches and you obviously better than anyone else here knows what it’s like to come back especially uh you know after kind of giving birth and and being a mother so I think that’s something to look out for is we’re talking about winning slams but that’s seven matches we haven’t seen her get through four yet right but I I do feel like the build is in place and if nothing else she showed us that that top level tennis is still in there somewhere right like she still possesses the the Osaka that we remember where she can just be dominant and kind of take take the racket out of someone’s hands do you do you watch soccer what you mean football or soccer soccer uh the real the real football I’m sorry so there American audience there Kim not not not not not uh not to the point of where I feel confident saying yes and then have you asked me something League finals was recently right so friend of mine is the goalie of Real Madrid tibo kind of you know we’ve known each other since we’re little um he had a huge huge knee injury um surgeries like took him a while like came back had to have another surgery and then he ended up like he didn’t play the whole season ended up playing the Champions League final and played incredible right so he like so we were like kind of at times like texting and and he he’s like yeah I’m going to see like how I feel like you know how when I get back out there I’m like you you you’ll be fine like your brain you you’ll remember it like this and I feel like that’s the same with Osaka like yes it’s taken her a little bit of time but it’s also like physically one you have like when you have had to put the time in the habits and the routines like she hasn’t been away from the game long enough to say like oh yeah this is going to take a long time for her to recover like I feel like those habits and the mindset of like um remember when she like came like played incredible against Kiva in the Australian Open final to step it up in those moments like when when you’re down in the third and come back like she that’s there and I I feel like you know it could be one set one match that will just ignite that and and then she will be on that role of like okay let’s go and so I feel like yeah I think at our age you know muscle memory is not maybe it’s more like it’s more like my it is like more like muscle forfeiture um uh one thing I want while I while I have you uh this dynamic between um Coco and EGA where it’s like Coco is two in the world right now first time she’s gotten a two in the world obviously is a grand slam Champion obviously one of the most the best and most consistent performers week in and week out she has so many great things about her game I think she’s in unbel and I say this in the most uh flattering way possible so digest it that way but when she is off I think she is one of the best problems solvers having less than her best uh that that’s out there you know she she can double fault 15 times and still get through matches she can her forehand can be shaky she still gets through matches but this matchup against EGA we’re lying if we say that she’s closer now than she was two years ago um and I I I harp on matchups on this podcast where it’s like someone’s playing well this person’s playing well and they’re like well coko look great for the I’m like the matchup if they’re both playing fine the matchup dictates everything and I say that from uh the Viewpoint of knowing what a terrible matchup looks like I was 3 and 21 against Roger and pretty close to neutral against everyone else um at worst who was there someone uh that you struggled with just purely on balls and Strikes and then it eventually balls and Strikes becomes kind of a mental issue and what would you do uh how do you analyze this this Coco EA matchup um for me it was Justine uh for the longest time I feel like um I think I lost four grand sem Finas before I won my first one and three of those were against Justine and I feel like knowing now that I’m a little bit older and like I already lost those matches before I even started them because I didn’t believe that I or I didn’t fully believe there was always that that if I play great and I knew that I had to play great and that you know had yeah yeah hope that that yeah I would play great and that she her level would maybe drop at times but once you start thinking about those things it’s it’s fin but yeah it’s definitely become um you know there’s nothing more frustrating stepping out you know onto the court against the player that you’ve lost to so many times and after a while there’s you know you you you feel kind of hopeless right like what what what is there that I can do and um so you know Koko has definitely developed a lot like she’s improved um but EA has improved so much as well whereas I think EGA just does not have a weakness and she doesn’t give you any point if she gives you a point it’s like 15 all like she doesn’t give you easy easy mistakes you know it’s it’s it’s yeah mentally she’s just so strong out there and and um keeps her bad moments like really short you know whereas a lot of other players like a sabalenka or re like raki not even even Coco at times like when they’re off like it it can be for a little bit of a longer time whereas EGA keeps that that that amount of time really short and um yeah it’ll be tough I mean you know there’s only so much you can do right to try and change or adjust your game a little bit to try and to try and beat an opponent but um yeah it’s a it’s a tough one and an interesting one that we’ll always keep be watching right like what how can she do it maybe on on on on the grassco is there a different technique maybe more Ser volley or whatever like I mean any any any any surface that is quicker to where Coco’s backend can get through the court and maybe you know she can become first serve dominant I think the the only way around this matchup consistently and I’ve seen with my own eyes in in practice Koko go through a hopper of balls serving 125 consistantly second seres not missing any I think she has the ability to become a a dominant server I think um you know struggled at times and I think it kind of goes in waves right where she can be streaky like in Australia this year even the tournament before and then going into Australia she was hitting 12 Aces a match with two you know she was winning 90% of her first serve points not double faulting and I think the the the thing that she has to solve for is obviously traffic going through her forehand side is a problem people saying she needs to step up and flatten out that forehand that’s just not her shot shape like she doesn’t have she has such a big swing too like it’s it’s a I just I hate I hate the solutions that aren’t based in the reality of someone’s on her game yeah yeah you can say like oh step in and like lean forward that’s not her her heavy forehand is great like it’s you know on on the play it causes a lot of trouble like yeah I I I used to like pull used to go crazy people like step inside the court and dve I’m like do you know how badly I hit the ball like I can’t step on like a foot inside the court and take back hands and dry like I my body doesn’t actually work that way my grip like I’m not going to change a grip at when I’m 26 so the solutions that I hear analysts and people coming up with for this scenario where it’s like she need to step in and flatten out her forehead up the line I’m like that’s I don’t think that that that’s like telling EA to serve and volley like I don’t think that’s a realistic no but from the point of like what could damage EA a little bit more is like if you can attack her forehand like not just like once twice but do it like keep going like three four times like in a row like to really try and put a lot of pressure on that side because I do feel at times on the on the faster surfaces that’s the shot that a lot of times does break down and so yeah like you know if you look at it just from that side like what would be a good tactic for for Coco I do think it’s attacking the forehand and like really like almost like with a lot of stubbornness right like I’m just going to keep going and I’m going to try to break it down and I’m going to try to kind of yeah make it make her her doubt that shot and um because it’s happened I mean surf surfaces matter too like it’s on Clay it’s a different like you’re saying it’s tough to run traffic through EA’s forand side on Clay whereas it’s getable on on grass on a fast hardc Court you see her take kind of more random losses in like around of 16 or quarters you know so it is a little bit different I understand Koko going after it more on something that’s giving her a little bit of help um but I it honestly I just I surf it’s gonna be a it has to I think she can I think she can be a dominant server I think her Topline serving is fantastic it’s just creating the continuity in those feels and the ability to kind of let it go and let it Ser it so what is it in your opinion that like with her serve maybe at times being like it’s definitely improved a lot but like at times still being inconsistent like what is it like like what is it that creates that is it is I think I think it’s I think it’s purely toss based and she we worked you know two days only so there’s no you know how much work how much can you get done in two days but um but it’s it’s toss based right like basically if you have a serve and you’re reaching for it like you’re Reaching Forward for it you can’t create a spin mechanism that gives you consistent margin you just can’t and and I feel like I especially like American Centric coaches they’re like get forward on everything hit forward take it early like you I don’t know that it’s always that way but a serve has to be somewhat above your head because you have to be able to hit the bottom of the ball and create that spin mechanism with Coco her right foot comes over to the side so she’s already tweaked a little bit forward right so you’re already kind of leaning and then on the second serve it’s all just margin the the toss has to come back over almost like directly above your head as AO if you’re Reaching Forward for a second serve it’s GNA be inconsistent right ver of used to do it and he’s he’s fixed it he’s fixed his toss he’s brought it down almost a a foot and a half on average from where it was in 2020 um I I think that matters I and I also think that she is she’s been so good throughout her entire life um with being able to retrieve and play great defense and on her worst days be Scrappy that I think too quickly she gives up on hitting big first serves and goes to like kind of protect the double fault and kind of protect the first serve and I and I think she’s going to have to go through the tough moments of like okay I had a bad serving day but I need to stick with it um similar to EGA deciding she was going to be more aggressive she just did it like she committed to it and was kind of head down but I think especially in that matchup she has to uper risk profile on her serve she has to be able to get through service games without being challenged consistently on that second serve she can go big she maybe take more risks where it’s placed in the Box maybe take more risks on a a higher mph into the body um I’ve seen it with my own eyes to where after 20 minutes of serving there wasn’t a ball in the net you know so she she can do it um getting text before Australia from hitting Partners saying like she’s serving like you know like one of the one of the top guys out here in practice like it’s it’s absurd so it is in there I just think she has to get used to that more aggressive mindset I think her default mindset as it would be for me and everyone else if we could play defense the way that she would is more of like kind of a defense react to what’s coming at you and I’d like her to kind of take the ball and and kind of control control the pitching a little bit more I heard that from my coach back in the day too is like make sure you finish your service motion like hit and already kind of fall back into like oh the the tough return’s coming like I got to be ready for that like yeah it’s a good I’m glad to hear that you can like that you’re on on the team a little bit and help out and no I’m not I’m not like that’s that’s that’s thing it’s like no maybe not like but that you’re that you’re a go-to kind of person yeah yeah I think I think I think I just I think I’m just more of an exhaust mechanism so she doesn’t have to take all of Brad’s opinions he can spare some on me instead but uh okay so let’s get to let’s get to the guys quickly before uh before we let you go um as as we’re talking it’s probably 45 minutes from when um the men’s final uh finish we walk straight into studio um alcaraz so here’s here here’s kind of what I and I’m GNA tell everyone when I’m wrong post big three sitting there in 2021 it kind of looks like Rogers hurt Rafa I think lasted longer than any of us May thought he would when we saw him the way he played at 2021 years old um Novak obviously still looked dominant but there was this Wonder of I’m in Arthur as JDM night session are we gonna have the stars in the vacuum post Serena Post Roger post Rafa so on and so forth post Venus that can fill this stadium with the brand of tennis and with the star power and I I honestly feared and would have bet significant money that there was going to be a little bit of a lull in in in the interest of tennis in the product that was being put out there in the I thought it was going to take more years to kind of have to build and Market Superstars and was I ever completely wrong I mean this kid steps in he’s my favorite player to watch he can hit every shot and it’s like he’s this mix of kind of perfect because he can hit every shot and play certain way and move a certain way but also vulnerable because you don’t feel like he even he three grand slam wins later has full I don’t know how you can harness all of the options that he has at a given moment so it does lead to the sense of vulnerability at times also um what’s your take on Carlos and and I don’t know the way he’s just kind of taken the World by storm and and and kind of post big three yeah and also the way he’s doing it right it’s like with a with an enjoyment that still you see the kid in him like it’s it’s it’s it’s with a lot of excitement and and at at times too like you can see the neres still you know creeping in there and and and the doubt at times but he’s so fun to watch and then um you know at the US Open last year too like you know when when you’re talking to people kind of in the stadium and stuff like I would always say like at times just close your eyes and just listen for a second like like that’s something that I love to do like you know I did it with Rafa back in the day like it’s so interesting to just listen to a player’s movement like and especially when they’re not you know about to hit the ball like what they’re doing in between and how so that’s the same with him and and I love yeah he’s surrounded by good people he has a good team he you know I mean juon Carlos Ferrera what he’s done with this kid from such a young age as you’re saying it so many coaches they they hop from one player to the other and then yeah they have great results well great job but this is like the you know a great story of like a pass player who’s done well and yeah took a young kid under his wing and really developed him to you know a Grandam Champion multiple GL and who knows where it’s going to end so if he can stay healthy and we’ve seen him you know I saw Juan Carlos fer in the semi-final against sinner like a lot of time like he was doing this like calm down like stay keep your don’t get too much adrenaline like up from what what happened last year where he you know was having almost like full body cramps against Novak so I think it’s a lot of that right like learning to deal with adrenaline now it’s it’s yeah keeping his emotions under control like and and cuz he’s so explosive and and and feisty and and like in a positive way so it’s um yeah it’s also like he’s learning so much and he is absorbing things and and he’s getting better all the time so again like I think you know what you mentioned about Rafa you know when he was younger is a little bit not a concern but like I you know there’s so many more um phys physical you know how you say like like there’s so much more focus on recovery than when we were younger right like there’s so much more people like the details are so much more important and um so if he can stay healthy I mean we saw the the elbow injury but if he can stay healthy it’s going to be uh really really impressive to you know I think the most important thing for him is going to be able to kind of schedule his season out really well and tot you know make if yeah if if anything I I’ve the last couple of years I’ve seen him go and play on the heels of massive wins go and play like smaller events and I’m going so I think from just but I was I was someone who had to feel good and and have matches going into slams otherwise I just felt like I was I dealt from a place of insecurity I obviously didn’t have the the skills the skill set of of of alcarez but I think this tournament specifically for the point you’re making is like I was undercooked coming in didn’t play much on clay and now there’s like that that uh and I think Rafa needs matches also I think he operates that same way but fed and Novak specifically and Serena God Serena is probably the the biggest master of this is like I’m undercooked and I can still go in and win a grand slam and until this one I think this is going to do wonders for the ability to schedule confidently like you’re saying and maybe protect the body with scheduling while also not worrying about kind of having those feels uh going in going into a grand slam and I’m I’m I’m really happy that you brought up uh Ferrero because as you were talking I was I I writing here I’m like okay so the coaching part and you mentioned people working with different players most of like the quote unquote celebrity coaches are brought on like I brought on Jimmy Connor’s when I was already an established player that played in multiple Grand Slam finals I think three or four at that point and I needed someone who just understood those moments and you know a lot of the coaches I had I love to death but I could look at them and say I feel this like let’s talk let’s get through it and they’re and it was they don’t understand it was something they had to you something you kind of have to experience to understand sometimes not for everyone that came from you like like like you getting Jimmy on board with like that’s something that came from inside of you or you had people around you that were like oh no I I was I made that well I I say early on it was probably like all of us right we’re 1819 where it’s probably dict it’s more of like a a democracy of opinion whereas you know when you get to 25 26 24 25 26 and you’ve been on tour for six s years I think it becomes a little bit more of a a decision-making dictatorship especially when it comes to to coaches um I asked I had i’ had gone through two two people um Jim Courier turned me down and then I I I was like I wonder what Connor is doing like he he wasn’t even around tennis but I just needed someone I I I think the American thing and the expectation and but all that being said we’ve seen coaches come in where it’s like you know edberg with with with Roger or Luc with Roger or Becker with Novak and I’m going you know yes I get that because they need someone who is you know at least close to their level to like actually feel like they’re having a conversation and also in the prime of those guys career I think my cat could have coached them pretty well like I just you know it just it was already established so Ferrero too often gets lumped into this celebrity coaching thing I right now as I stand I don’t think I could see a 14-year-old on Earth where I would give up my life as it currently stands to go work with a 14-year-old to develop them into a champion that is not the same as someone coming in with a 21 22 year old who’s already kind of established or or one slams or yeah he has developed a grand slam Champion as a as a celebrity coach that is extremely different and there’s stuff I don’t know like there’s the technical part which he’s never not prepared like his technique is phenomenal and he’s developing a slice that looked a little weird to years ago and they you kind of can see that that’s a continuation the Strategic part of it uh how to deliver a strategic message and also how to articulate that message Connors could tell me something that was the exact same as someone else you know who wasn’t Connors but he would say it with an intensity and he would say it in a way that I immediately understood right like I’m like I get I comp I understand what you’re saying what he’s done to kind of develop the technical part at a young age to develop the relationship part of there’s no breakage they don’t yell at each other during matches like there’s no no it could just be like a look right or like a little like yeah so all of these things are not something that I don’t think I I I think I can know what’s happening I can tell you what I think is happening but then to go I’m going I’m having insecurity whenever I talk to anyone I’m like am I giving too much information when do I pull back when do I keep going to have kind of mastered all of those things you know and also teach someone to play completely different than you did I think takes a certain amount of like a lack of ego and I don’t think Ferrero as much credit as he gets for the job he’s done I still don’t think it’s enough no no I agree and what I love today like after the the final like when he ran into the into the stands to see his like his like his team uh Juan Carlos fer his coach his coach that he had on tour was there too and like hugging so there’s you know there’s I’m sure he’s getting mentored by him too right and he’s learning from his coach and it’s it’s it’s Generations that have gone through you know to where he is right now as a coach and um I agree like to be able to to have a coach or that knows what it’s like like my biggest frustrations with my coaches in the past was where I’m explaining to them that I’m really not feeling my for and they’re saying yeah but it looks fine from The Stance like you know like I can’t imagine like I’m like dude like all right whatever like you don’t get it like there’s those like and it’s you know players understand that like that you conversely when I haven’t missed a forand in two weeks don’t talk to me about it yeah exactly just leave just leave it alone leave it be like I had I had a r with my like talk to me about everything don’t talk to me about anything technical ever on a serve because that’s the only shot I actually know inside out and know how to fix uh on a on a pretty consistent it’s unbelievable you know worked with like a little bit with some players here and there like nothing like official but like how many times like I’ve worked with a player that wants to change something about their technique every time they they lose a match and I’m like how can you become a confident player like if that’s your go you know like it’s just so yeah um yeah I I I just can’t wait to see more of this and and also this rivalry with with CER it’s like it’s such a gift like just a quick thought on him obviously getting to number one on come Monday um we do need to talk about he will be number one in the world I think the 28th uh man on the W on the W man on the WT tour uh man on the ATB tour uh to get that ranking what did you feel like the first time that you got that ranking and was it tough to kind of wrestle with the next time you walked out on court I almost felt like not worthy um I feel like my first time because I had never like I hadn’t won a grand slam you know and like in the media too like the press conference that’s all they were asking like do you feel like you’re worthy of like being number one because you know especially Serena at the time like she wasn’t playing much but when she played like the big tournament she would almost win everything right so like I agreed like she was definitely the better player the year that I became number one but okay like I played more and I was more consistent in those tournaments but it is you know so that does you know the some of the comments from the media do get into your head so it became a motivation to really like try to like get it done right like to get that first Grand Slam under my belt and um so I think for sinner like to be able to um you know he’s won a slam like I think as a kid you know winning a grand slam and becoming number one is like what you kind of dream for and and and hope for and um and then what he’s able to kind of check those boxes already is is cool and then you kind of just keep pushing the bar and and keep pushing it forward but um he’s um so fun to watch Grown um I was doing commentary in Paris and it’s funny like how the guys were still talking about how yeah he needs to physically get stronger and he’s too skinny and um but I’m like listen he’s he’s improved and developed so much that yeah he’s so fun to watch and it’s also like just a different body type than it was we all like to kind of project forward from what it was when we first got on tour and make that like the the Baseline now like what’s too skinny is meddev too skinny is ver too skinny is Center to skinny if you can move and create speed I don’t care what you look like like I don’t care I have friends like that come to like the tournaments and they talk about like oh I didn’t know I didn’t know feder was like was like skinny I didn’t know Novak was skinny you know like like I don’t think they like when they watch it on TV and they’re big tennis fans but then when they see them in real life that’s what they talk about they they don’t say that about me but um it’s um um but no but it’s like but it’s there’s a different build you do feel like the physical kind of description of players have definitely changed um and then probably a little more on the men’s side than than on the women’s side yeah and and props is ver of obviously coming in with the whole hype mechanism around around Nadal dealing with a million offc court issues and the ability to compartmentalize and we won’t get on our high horses about that I’m sure John wortheim will have an opinion one way or the other um later on in the show but to come in as a favorite in a grand slam and deliver um being one set away you said you lost uh your first handful of of major finals before you broke through talk about the mental hurdle that zov is kind of feeling going through where he’s basically accomplished kind of everything in tennis as far as outside of Majors one year in championships has won I think six Masters 1000 you know Twitter fingers stay away from me if he’s 1 s i get it um but uh just kind of talk about your process and where is he and is there extra Scar Tissue considering the way he lost in 2020 um where it was on his racket a little bit and having a lead now in this one also uh up two sets uh where where does he stand on on Monday looking back is it pride and what you put out there is it desperation to get over the hump or is it some mixture of of both um I would think desperation is probably the the feeling that is number one at the moment um frustration um is um yeah I mean it’s it’s you know the only thing like I’ve talked to Simona halab in the past like you know I was close to DAR and like in going through moments on stur as well like it’s it’s you feel like you you create a bigger um you put focus on winning that grand slam becomes so much that becomes so much more important than than anything else really like at at times you like don’t even think about like oh you know what should my how can I improve my game like it’s just basically that focus on like I need to win that grand slam and and um so I think for him too like even like in that fifth set like just like his whole his facial expression changed there there was a panic at times or like a yeah like what can I do like this is going to happen again like you can almost read it off his like face and it’s um and it’s unfortunate but you know from me like how I kind of took it like yeah I was probably not a pleasant person to be around for the first two three days after um I would lose those matches and what I hated the most was the fact that I never was able to play my best tennis in those finals that I lost to Justine right like there’s a different feeling if you like feel like okay I like went all out I played great like it was a great final um but I just felt like yeah I was always like just more tense and and tight and More in my head and and um and and so my kind of thought process that I try to really tell myself over and over again was okay like put yourself in that position it’s not something you can train in practice right like sarif can’t say oh let me go and try to relive that moment and practice like like it’s not something you can do like that you can train for so you have to yeah give yourself like be patient and keep putting in the work and give yourself those moments again where you can you know play the quarter semi-finals against these players finals and and really yeah confidence is what you need in those moments and and um you can only create it on you know on at the big stage in those big in those big matches it’s a it’s a tough spot to be in um when it’s win or bust right so it’s like it’s I I got to a point in my career at Wimbledon where you lose a fin it’s basically like it’s either Euphoria and it’s going to happen and it’s going to feel like your tennis heart is complete right or it’s like a complete failure and and I was the opposite of of of you whereas I I would play the slam finals and I didn’t feel like I didn’t play well like I played I never played kind of subpar in in a slam final you’re you’re better than I am but I I didn’t feel like it was the moment that got to me it was the fact that I just couldn’t get over the hump like of of kind of a talent divider ability and it’s just for me I I Have A Little Bit of Sympathy for where he’s going to go because it’s basically going to turn into this conversation where he can make the finals of a slam what an accomplishment that is like to go through two weeks of your life 25 hours on Court and it’s going to get digested the Same by people who don’t know and don’t understand the same as if he lost third round and I hate that for him I think it sucks um credit to him for kind of getting through and keep putting himself uh in that position certainly not easy but I think I also think it only gets tougher um the longer it kind of sits out there there was a camera angle at one point where you could see him look at his box but at the same time like in the president’s box you saw the trophy and it I think it was like 42 in the fifth and it’s like oh like you know like you could see that he was feeling like he felt that it was slipping away and yeah it’s it’s really tough and and like it gets to me like I was sitting here with my friend like watching it on the on the screen and we were both like oh like this is terrible like the but it’s it’s part of the sport and you can only hope that he you know it makes him even more hungry to yeah to work to keep working hard it’s not that he doesn’t work hard to keep that up and give himself another opportunity right to do it to do it again and then try to yeah change some little things here and there and and but it’s um it is definitely a great effort like you know people around me would always say that but there’s so much kind of black and white thinking too like oh I lost like who cares like if you know if it was a f like yeah even the trophy like the runner up trophy I was like oh man there’s no other sport by the way that you have to stay out there like think of like imagine an NBA Finals like you having to stay out there where the other team celebrates we’re the only dumb sport that does that like you can leave like in other sport you can leave and then you know you have to do press and you’re disappointed but you don’t have to stay out there in the worst moments of your in your professional oh my God give give a a spe the biggest achievement of my entire life or my entire career I think is is speaking after Grand Slam when you all you want to do is curl up in a ball and suck your thumb for about a month um but uh anyways I listen I I I think it’s just not that we needed another proof point of of tennis being in an amazing spot um I think from a crossover mainstream pop culture perspective with you know getting everyone has a documentary on some sort of major streaming platform I think interest level ticket sales you can’t get tickets for the US Open right now and it’s however many weeks away I you know you email Wimbledon and it’s just like demand for to consume tennis in person on TV uh in moments where there’s not live content I think is at an all-time high and it’s not something I saw coming I’m thankful to the athleticism the athletes that are out there um our podcast is in great shape because Kim cers comes on every once in a while the winds the winds keep on coming um you have no idea how many people I’m telling you how many people like talk to me about it like random and are like I didn’t know Andy was like this and you guys are great I’m like okay thanks like it’s you know it’s like it’s crazy yeah it’s it’s really cool um so I’m happy you guys are um well well you’re great you do a great job so you were I think you were one of the first people who said yes to coming on and exploring the way we do things here without asking questions you said yes and then I think it it started a little bit of a downhill snowball we are thankful and we’re appreciative every time uh you choose to join us I look forward to the next one and enjoy some home cooking in Belgium enjoy your family enjoy the wedding tell your cousin we said happy marriage uh or condolences depending on how it goes I don’t know I’m actually gonna be a granddaughter like I’m gonna stay with my grandma for a few nights like like my grand yeah like I’ll you know she’s gonna cook for me and all that stuff so I’m really looking forward to that I love it we’ll appreciate it and uh we’ll talk soon uh let us know when you get back stat side I will and uh we’ll talk to you soon thanks kimy all right bye guys thanks always a pleasure uh having friend of the show Kim cler’s on um it’s I find myself going into like fan mode and asking questions to her uh I’ve lived experience but I like hearing the different takes on them and the different takes on the players and the scar tissues and what might be going through and the mental gymnastics it makes me feel uh like I’m a little less crazy sometimes when there’s a similar view uh but fresh still in Paris uh says he talked to Carlos alcaraz like 15 minutes ago uh in in the when he was doing his his Victory lap uh third major uh Roland Goos has won US Open Wimbledon Roland’s youngest player to ever win on three different surfaces in a grand slam uh from that fancy hotel room in Paris John wory how you doing it’s been a long two weeks for you uh good two weeks though uh noes doing well good to uh good to see you yeah I wish uh you know you you wouldn’t know it from my surroundings but uh about 15 off the court from from Ros so uh another another major in the books and uh Carlos reain Supreme that was that was quite a match today talk talk to me we we we have a we’re on a group text um and and John obviously has a day job uh you know kind of calling the shots and doing the desk work and then doing the postmatch interviews which I think are awesome I think you do a great job with that um but you were at the benefit of being in the stadium right so there’s only so much atmosphere that we can Digest while watching on TV you sent a text saying like this match it’s a little weird I think V was up two sets to one at that point there were a lot of es and flows it looked like the wind was a significant factor at least from one side it seemed like uh the the strategies were changing every time they switched ends uh what was it like in the in the arena today uh kind of start middle and then obviously the home stretch yeah it’s this was a weird one um you know these are knowledgeable tennis fans so you’ve got a little bit of the C and BC In Crowd but I think everyone s they came in they remembered what happened to Carlos last year when great great five rounds great first couple hours against Novak and then the Krabs they knew about the controversy we don’t have to get into now but they they know about the context of Zev and the complications with him making the final they were still recovering I think a little bit from from Rafa from Novak it’s it’s been a bit of a weird weird tournament and then you have this final and on the one hand it’s great entertainment there’s some shot makinging it’s very hard to sink your teeth into this match right I mean Carlos there were you know there were something like were 18 breaks overall Carlos won the first set looks good then you know here comes Z takes the second set Carlos is up 5-2 in the third okay it looks like uh we’re we’re gonna have a fouret match and then he disappears Z steals that third set and then Carlos wins the fourth 61 so it was very hard just as the players had a hard time finding Rhythm so did so did the fans it as you say it was a little bit windy it was we had a line call dispute in the end Great Value good entertainment it was box office Carlos wins in five sets we get our story line you know Nadal may have played for the last time but the new Spaniard comes and not only that the guy who beat Nadal in round one is the final opponent on the final Sunday it was a weird four hours though in between and you know some sometimes you get absolute Classics sometimes you have yesterday just two players on different planes today was a weird one but uh I I don’t think anyone’s asking for a refund and I think ultimately tennis has its new Champion tennis has its new steward we’re all going to be fine Carlos uh I’ll tell you about that interview he comes in a Michael Jordan t-shirt his English is got I said as much as his tennis has improved his English has improved just as much and the guy wants to talk about Michael Jordan every question so he sort of went back to Michael Jordan in the words of wisdom and have I seen the last dance and he’s better you never got to see him play but he watches YouTube um little little weird that you win win a major and you walk off the court after a five set win and the uh you know the Bulls of the 1990s are you want to talk about but um no good good uh good way to wrap this tournament bit of a weird tournament bit of a weird day but uh that’s how it goes sometimes and another another major in the books yeah it just feels like start to finish this tournament was dealing with elements right and I say this we talked about I went on a a quick reaction show like basically walk into the studio 5 minutes after it finishes and basically just read my notes from the entire match out loud on air which is either uh annoying to whoever’s listening or hopefully informative on some way share performance it’s kind of getting into the nerd version of tennis but going from basically an indoor tournament for week one to a sunny outdoor tournament and trying to maintain a similar playing condition similar style challenges all around right adjustments in this final uh I went through down the rabbit hole of the way Carlos started the adjustments that were made by Zev uh how the wind plays into it you throw nerves an execution into it and it’s somehow you know masterpieces can start out ugly sometimes and sometime you know Andre Agy told said the smartest thing I maybe I’ve ever heard uh in this simplistic thing is uh you only have to beat one person per day as a tennis player and so it doesn’t have to be a classic but Carlos we we’re questioning his problem solving earlier this year right does he need Ferrero there this was a pretty good example of being spotty first set was one of the best I’ve seen him play it was just start to finish uh a slacking I mean the the ball flight on his backand side uh the variety he was showing zov didn’t know what was coming didn’t know where it was going to be hit didn’t know what ball flight was was coming through figured it out started pounding forehand attacking the strength which is something you never hear junior coaches talk about and then Carlos just kind of stuck it out kind of choked away frankly the the third set and then recovered and here we are talking about center for the last six months Carlos winning a slam third year in a row third different slam um and being a good citizen uh along the way um I admitted uh basically I was pessimistic about where tennis was going to lay post big three Serena Venus at the top of her game and I couldn’t be happier to be wrong about it I think this the the the game’s in great hands totally agree I I think that’s one thing that uh came through and as much as we will will mourn and miss the big three and Serena they’re still going to play these events they’re still going to hand out trophies players still are going to develop um you know we don’t have to get into it now but I would say right now as a group you’ve got a lot of players who are well worth rooting for there are a lot of sort of very very worthy Stars I mean it’s not you know KOCO EA you’ve got sort of different for different personalities you can you can go down the list and it’s it’s young and it’s old and I think you know I think it’s some level and I include yourself in this I think last generation set the tone right I mean I think sort of yourself Roger Rafa Novak I think sort of the Andy Murray the the Sportsman of of the last generation I think there’s some trickle down effect on that um I think the Sport’s going to do just fine and yeah I mean you know it’s it’s fluid this is why we love sports plots change people change you know a year a year ago and you were you were totally honest a year ago Carlos made a bit of a mess of his match against Novak and there was cramping we talked about his hydration his how he was processing he was at one point sort of conceding games and hopes the cramps would go away it was a little sloppy a year later completely buttoned up he didn’t Panic he needed treatment but he knew exactly what he was doing there were no so he said there were nerves but he kept them under wraps you wouldn’t have known it he as you say pretty much gagged away that third set and then he reset and only lost one game of the fourth so I think we’re seeing a uh a maturing player as well uh we’re going to be fine here folks and that was sort of one of my takeaways it’s it’s crazy tennis it’s it’s you said it’s it’s rain delays it’s controversies about crowds we can talk there was a bad call in the fifth set I think stained this match a little bit I don’t know if you want toh take the Baton there but you know I think B bottom line is they’re gonna play these events inside tennis we quibble about little thing the average fan that went there had a great time today they’ll come back next year they’ll give her out a trophy next year we’re going to be okay this this movie continues yeah and and one of the things and you mentioned alcarez learning from last year as as I’m watching it and he’s he knows what he’s asking for now right like his body he can feel it listen you’re you’re never fresher in at our four even if you’re in great shape you’re never fresher at hour four than you are in hour two it just doesn’t work that way even him knowing the Cadence of when to ask for this pickle juice when to ask for treatment what to ask for when he’s getting treatment those are all learned behavior AV haviors that don’t exist in practice I I’ve said it before in this podcast never once in my life did I cramp in practice and I would practice for six hours and early on in my career nerves involved different conditions yada Yad y I would cramp you learn how to fix what you want from a young player is not to make the same mistake again and it seems like with his team and obviously uh we can’t say enough great things about uh Juan Carlos um and the job he’s done taking not just a formed player but a junior 14 15y old and forming him into the champion uh that we’ve seen um just give me and obviously we we want to talk about the alcarez verev match because it’s top of mine and it was dramatic right they were it was interesting watching the commentary alcarez rolls the first set it’s like one all in the second set and mck Andro and cillo go uh well this is the uh this is the amount of time that egoes on court yesterday um and the match was over so let’s give let’s give attention and respect to dominance even though it was straightforward even though it’s not going to be the final that we remember going to a fifth set with all this drama we still need to pay it the same respect if not more talk about EGA this tournament and kind of the progression you’ve seen you know over the last four years since we’ve gotten to no since she burst onto the scene in winning Roland geros in that uh I think uh the October version in 2020 um yeah I mean first of don’t don’t you like this that we have these sort of different expressions of Excellence yes I don’t want these tours to be mirror images of each other I love the fact that you know we can watch and admire Serena as she rolls over the competition and then the next day we can admire the latest chapter in a rivalry I I don’t mind that these tours and these players are at different places and these finals play out differently I mean I think they’re they’re both enjoyable in their way and I think it would be actually really boring if this was just a completely overlapping Vin diagram uh EG is just dominating especially on this surface uh you know she she’s lost one match in the last four you know last five times she’s played this she lost one match this was her fourth title that Naomi aaka match I mean I it sounds sort of it’s a lame twittery thing to say but I do feel like Naomi aaka was a big winner here if she shouldn’t have gotten the runnerup trophy You Know M producer Michael Noti this there those UFC bonuses Naomi Osaka should have gotten some uh cash bonus for what she did to this tournament but yeah exactly fight fight of the night bonus Dana White comes and gives Naomi Osaka a bag of cash and says don’t declare it on your taxes but no I think after that scare you know EGA I think I think we see also what a great player she is mentally so Naomi Osaka she’s down Match Point she figures out a way she gets herself out of trouble these these Powers these ability to escape and then for the next five rounds she absolutely rolls I mean she at one point she won like 20 straight games she had three love sets in a row the final could have gotten complicated you’ve got this Underdog Nothing to Lose the crowd loves her even physically diminutive it sort of has every stupid David and Trope and EA in another sort of expression of mental toughness just said yeah not so much and it’s mental toughness to saave off Match points and beat great Champion iomi Osaka 75 in the third set it’s also mental toughness to come out to a final and say okay we’re gonna make quick business here today and she lost two of the first three games she lost one game the rest of the afternoon and here she is you know you you look at who who has won five majors and she’s into Justin Enon territory two away from Venus Williams at her age and I think we’ve had this pivot from she went from a good player to a great player to a generationally great player and he Chris ever very graciously said look I’ve got the record I’ve won seven of these she she’s gonna win more than me so um yeah I I think we’re looking at some you know whatever she she does not have this particularly exite by choice she’s not someone who’s interested in being a celebrity she’s not someone in having the world know her and that’s fine she she sort of wears the the the cloak of celebrity she wears it awkwardly and uncomfortably and and that’s fine she wants to be a really good tennis player she is and she’s on her path to double digit Majors um Carlos sea completely different vibe completely different kind of final Carlos is a you know I think much more um extroverted and that’s that’s fine too so two two very different Champions so there’s a lot of overlap but there’s a lot of sort of Distinction as well yeah and just proven Champions at this Point like EA breaks through wins her first tournament at Roland G like okay you know what is she is she AAP Peno or is she henan and I got in trouble you other day because I compared I tried to compare the number of slams versus French Open titles hennens won seven uh someone on Twitter beat me up about that um so she’s creeping up uh obviously tied with sharova these days these are these are alltime great she’s already an alltime great now it’s about patting the stats and the resume and I’ll tell you dominance like that doesn’t happen because you find form and it does doesn’t happen uh because you survive a match it happens because you’re committed to random Tuesdays right you’re committed to doing the right things when no one’s watching and then by virtue of a lifetime of discipline a lifetime of grit a lifetime of work a lifetime of X Y and Z all of a sudden you go out and you make the second week of roll on garos look easy it’s not by accident it doesn’t happen by accident but we’ve covered the finals props to the Champions you were there for two weeks the tournament wasn’t played over the last three days only give us some tidbits your your your kind of 50 parting thoughts uh in your mailbag is must read for any tennis fan can you give us a little sneak peek a couple of things that uh you found interesting over the course of the last two weeks um cut cut me off when these get boring or we in uh this was the last year it seems for NBC so we’ve had a a bit you know I’m a little bit conflicted here but the NBA TV negotiations I think had big bearings and NB you know NBC doesn’t necessarily have the spare cash or else the bandwidth now that it has the NBA who didn’t get the NBA well it looks like this discovery Warner Brothers did not get it and they you know you reportedly have Nows $650 million over 10 years into broadcasting this event so this was the last uh Year foreseeably anyway that NBC which was here you know since the 70s last year of of NBC TV coverage uh what else there were 20 players find this tournament uh which actually pretty low for these events um only three of them were women so make of that what you will remember the player who should have been disqualified for this the the French French Wild Card who hit the ball into the stands and actually hit someone and mysteriously was not disqualified yeah see let me interrupt you when it when you leave when you leave judgment calls up to umpires and it’s the same thing with different results that’s when people get pissed when Novak hits someone at the US Open and gets defaulted immediately because it’s an Umpire on the court like if you accidentally hit a ball and it hits an Umpire or the person in the third row it’s the same action it’s an accident you don’t mean to hit someone but it’s the same result this [ __ ] thing where like last year someone gets thrown out of the tournament for the exact same thing and then this year that’s what causes confusion and that’s why players get pissed sometimes sorry rant dun go no you’re totally right and this applies Beyond tennis we want consistency why did Angel Hernandez get fired why do certain legal decisions really stick in our crop all right um we want consistency we didn’t get it very strange that a Japanese doubles player gets dinged for sort of tapping the ball uh inadvertently you last year defaulted Shan last year last year mukatu the doubles player this year tennis player from France rifles the ball hits a spectator and they basically he got a $25,000 fine um interestingly on this fine list 17 men finded and five of the 17 were cot’s brothers and all five infractions were for coaching um that’s a little weird I I wonder if uh the money goes to charity it should probably go to therapy sessions too buy your units in advance because uh something ain’t right there I have a question I don’t understand like if we’re like this is another thing where it’s like great coaching’s allowed but also we’re finding people for coaching like I don’t it just like there’s no continuity in the rules like it’s either a free-for-all or it’s not like it just doesn’t make any sense and also should we develop like a soccer type thing where if you get the same in infraction over and over it should roll over into the next match like if you get coaching violations should you get a fresh start each time even if you haven’t earned the right for a fresh start based on the infractions being the same over and over it’s like hotels and Monopoly it’s like speeding tickets yeah it should accelerate I mean I think that coaching I think you’re you’re allowed to get coached on your side of the court so I think one can safely assume that M sitot the the father was was shouting across the net so if they had been yeah it’s exactly okay so like so wait I’m allowed to talk to someone when they’re next to me but I can’t like shade and put my hand motion out if someone’s across the court like I I I get it like can’t we just make a rule simple you can coach you can’t coach obviously if you’re talking during someone’s serve or if you’re talking during whatever but like it it’s just like us in tennis to make a rule and then have so many little things in the rule to make it confusing and to where nobody knows what they can and can’t do like it’s just dumb and also so like it’s the job of uh father sspas to know the rules and not get in trouble like God I have a question that why why not just let them change boxes then just change boxes oh each you can’t walk across come on can’t like just let the the court but why you’re not because you’re you’re like type of tennis fan that only watches matches on Stadium Court where they have boxes most of them you’re in the stands like everyone else so you don’t get like your why just let him down in the court then a folding chair cuz you’re seed will get taken you a folding chair on the court yeah what we need is what we need is csub’s father to have more proximity to talk more that’s exactly what we need what’s the next one John the uh can I back up I mean c can we not to say Dad Dad I don’t know if you knew the rules but you broke it I got fine could you please not do dad you did it again that’s twice now dad three may maybe uh you know maybe by the fifth time you’re getting an infraction for coaching you could change your ways but anyway uh let’s move on the department of redundancy Department yeah exactly um let’s see what else uh a lot was made of the night sessions 11 of them not a single women’s match I talked to Amal mesmo yesterday and she was very you know I give her credit she took the question and she basically said nothing to do with quality it’s just length people pay a lot of money they come from work we can’t start it until whatever the time 7:30 or 8 whatever it is and basically you know she didn’t say this directly but it was sort of we we can’t risk egoa going out there and winning in 41 minutes when people are spending good money for a night session so you know if if I’m the WTA I said here’s what we’re going to do we’re going to play not best of five we’re going to play four out of seven now give us all 11 night sessions but I think I think you know it’s it’s a fair riddle I think you she basically says look nothing against women’s tennis but I can’t risk charging for an entire session um what else there was a lot made of uh well we can talk about the line poing because one thing that they did not have this tournament strangely enough before we even get to the line they didn’t have Electronics on the net so let here we are the world is going towards electronic everything robots are taking over Nvidia you know has the market cap of 10 Amazon and they’ve gone kind of analog here there was not any Electronics on the net that didn’t end up being controversial but it could have I asked the tournament they said well it was a tournament decision and I’m like yeah no [ __ ] like of course it was a tournament decision what informed that decision I did not get very far on that and then as you saw in the fifth set of today’s match and I thought actually to you know we can whatever you think about zov I thought he really high rooted this it could have been a lot more embarrassing you know he critical call would have given a break and we do not have Electronics um what did you how did you react when you saw this this call being made based on highly fallible human eyesight there’s a couple of things we’re we’re basically choosing to have to rewind cassette tapes by hand like we’re we’re literally choosing to rewind VHS like this like we have streaming we can press back we can start from the and we’re choosing to do it in the most Antiquated fashion available whether it’s Nets whether it’s line calling like we don’t like no one turns butter anymore like we don’t do that because there’s a better alternative and time happens and like players they don’t drink Cokes before they go on court anymore like we know that an all spaghetti diet will make you cramp like there are thing like every progresses but yet like I will never and I go off on tangents on this all the time whenever someone gives you the reasoning because that’s the way it’s always been done when it comes to progress inserting new technologies everything else it’s going to be a failure it’s going to be a failure at it may not show right away but then you’re going to get to the point where in a fifth set in a major where someone’s trying to win their first Grand Slam someone double faults up a break it doesn’t get called they re they run it back there’s no break that is potentially career changing and it’s because we want someone to trot down look around and and also like the the part where umpires come in and explain to Players Ball flight and how it lands as if we haven’t seen it every day for six hours from the time we’re seven years old [ __ ] off like we’re going to go we’re going to we’re going to not use exact line calling we’re not going to get it right because we choose not to and then we’re going to have them explain to a player how a ball travels even though that’s the job it it just it it is just like mind-blowing but then we’re going to innovate because we’re going to put some stupid little camera that looks like a horn on an Umpire so that we can look at players are so that we can catch the reaction of players reacting to our shittiness like what the [ __ ] are we doing like we’re gonna bait them we’re gonna bait them into bitching about what we’re doing and then we’re gonna videotape them like really up close and in their face like I don’t know like they I I and it’s like it’s like a shitty GoPro too it’s like not even oh my God it’s like it’s like you see like someone arguing and it’s like they’re moving like out of the screen and they’re moving I mean it’s just like what are we doing I don’t I just can’t get over it it’s like this was a choice putting this up to translating marks was a choice that I’m sure a lot of people spent a lot of time on and I haven’t heard a good defense of it yet saying it was a tournament decision just means it was a bad tournament decision that’s what I’m hearing oh wait back up what you said that’s like I didn’t even think of that it’s absolutely right we we are just so to be clear about this the chair umpires here were with this ridiculous camera it was like like they miners in you know the coal mine yeah it was like if my headphone was out here and then it was turned on John right now and they’re like like they’re taking orders at like Starbucks but but your point is absolutely right they use that camera to watch the the umpires bend over and look down at a mark with their own naked eye um it’s like taking a cab to get to an Uber I mean it’s just uh yeah I even thought that but also like okay so we have this dumb little and we spent too much time on this cuz you know whatever it shows what it is but we have this dumb little camera and for those listening on pod like I’m just holding my hand up like it’s a dumb little camera to the side of my face and then we get to the point where it’s a crucial moment in a fifth set of a major on The Telecast we have access to that camera zov is next to you talking about it like saying hold on hold on hold on look at this and that’s the moment we don’t use it what is it for if you’re not going to use it in that moment what is the dumb little camera for I’m thinking every single person watching knew the correct call except the three people that had impacted the most the two competitors in the chair umpire you don’t feel free like cut me up there um lovely moment on Saturday Martina Nava is supposed to hand out the trophy to the winner um and Chris ever who was once her Fierce rival and now is as close friend as you can have uh Martino woke up and said you know what it’s been 50 years since Chrissy won here for the first time yeah she gave the way the Trophy last year but this is a nice gesture and we’re both here she’s had a bit of a rough year why don’t we both do it and you know Saturday morning these two friends made a decision and EA vonk wins this title and who goes and gives her the trophy but both Chris ever and Martina because Martina just thought that was the right thing to do we need more of that um that that I mean I don’t know that yeah I so my take on that is like one the the the the part of the story that we kind of undersold there was Martina has gone to hell and back with with with cancer the last you know however long and Chrissy the same over the last couple of years so there’s a shared friendship there’s a shared experience shared history and now all of those things but with a different opponent right and so for her to extend this handout to Chrissy in this moment and also like if you’re igos fatek and all of a sudden you’re accepting this this Trophy and you see two faces of tennis’s Mount Rushmore up there and you know the the weight of those two being together the significance of tennis history the significance of uh the fighting spirit in more ways than one um it means more to EA it makes her moment more special which is kind of the point right like we want to celebrate the special moments uh in tennis um I know that you have worked closely with Martina and Chrissy um this year on on a project and I don’t know how much you can talk about it if you can’t talk about it at all great um but you have had an inside view of that friendship you I think you’re closer to it uh than most of us and they just continue to be kind of the standard bearers for we can be enemies on the court and a relationship can start with respect then it can get to you know shared experience then it can get to friendship and then it can become what essentially is a Sisterhood uh at this point this many years later and I just think it’s beautiful and they continue to drive home the most important points that can be made time after time without missing a note that’s very well said I’ve got to be a little cautious here but yeah I mean I I have no uh I have no objectivity here I’m completely compromised it’s a lovely relationship but I think you know I mean I think we we see this a little with with ra and Roger as well I think there’s an acknowledgement of not only are we sort of bracketed together for history not only did we have this rivalry but you know not a lot of people know what it’s like to win 18 Majors they have the shared experience and I think you know one time I said to Martina like what how do you perceive it and she says look everybody says oh if Chrissy wasn’t there you would have won so much more and she says not so fast he pushed me in a way that no one else did and I am blessed for her presence it uh all right maybe I would have had a couple more Majors if she hadn’t been in the draw but then again maybe I never would have gotten this point because as trit as it sounds rivalry brings out the best in both parties and it’s really crazy that here you know this was always sort of set up as the ultimate contrast and it’s sort of you know Chrissy and soft versus hard and gay and straight and east and west and the baseliner versus the attacker and Lefty righty and here they are in their 60s and they are fast friends and it’s not even sort of one of these mutual respect there as you said that’s a great word I mean there’s a real Sisterhood here and it’s really um it’s really I mean it’s really been a pleasure and an honor to see it up close and in person well I don’t know that we’re going to get any better than than that uh as a parting thought uh John get some rest uh back after the break uh hash get served by Andy rodic we’ll see who this week’s lucky selection or unlucky selection is back after the break thanks John welcome back to served on T2 uh what a show um I’m humbled weekly by the uh content uh brought To Us by the likes of Kim kers uh the student of the game uh John wor time uh I always appreciate uh their time never take it for granted uh I always learn something uh talking to both of them um you know I just think as tennis fans right now we are spoiled in such a great way we just witnessed the greatest Generations right we witnessed Serena Williams March through history we witnessed Federer Rafa Nadal Rafa and Nadal uh Novak uh you know Venus Murray the list goes on and on and on kers Anna Sharapova and now we get IGA already marching through the record books with five slams Carlos alarz the youngest player of all time to win a slam on three different surfaces and we become victim of the moments and look forward can yanic CER overcome a hip injury can is can he get his legs uh back underneath him I know the W WTA tour is salivating over the possibility of playing EA on anything except clay uh I don’t think they want any more of uh of that problem uh to solve so you you got to think Koko is looking forward to the G the the grass sabinka rabaka uh they have to be excited to get off the Clay and have to you know they get to solve for EGA on a different service which is simultaneously uh her worst Service uh can noac somehow pull off a miracle and do Novak type things and get back somehow for Wimbledon and if not Wimbledon the Olympics and if not the Olympics uh the US Open uh we all as tennis fans uh as I said the other day um we want to see like the longest passing of the torch possible from Novak down to Center alcarez uh and to a lesser extent Mev uh Etc um we are just so spoiled with the amount of tennis content out there the way it’s been able to cross over uh it has earned its seat at the global uh mainstream Sports table and uh I think we’re all better for for having watched these great Champions uh and also I I think we get to see one more great Champion here Mike what do we got uh hash get served by rodic brought to you by swing Vision this is the part where you hackers send in your videos you Brave hackers and we get to break it down courtesy of of the technology of Swing Vision who do we have today what are we looking at uh we have friend of the show Ivan loose who sent us a video with the caption which I guess we’re going to see where this is leading making King curios proud T Sean hit it with it well off to a rocky start okay oh uh you know who that was that was actually making Murphy Jensen proud because as I do the hot shot on TC live every time unnecessary showboating 15 you if you’re a coach you take Ivan out on the next play even though he was able to pull it off uh somehow completely unnecessary looks over like they didn’t choreograph the whole thing Ivan thank you for watching and listening to serve thank you for participating in swing vision and unnecessary show boating 15 yards uh listen this this is such a fun segment I love uh seeing the submissions that you guys put in and thanks for putting yourself out there it’s not easy to get critiqued it’s certainly not easy to get critiqued publicly Ivan thanks for uh for being a friend of the served podcast Mike you got any other thoughts before we get the hell out of here no I mean I think send us some other videos that maybe aren’t tweeners we’re getting lots of tweeners you know let’s let’s get we only have one more week left you know what I feel like I didn’t see it coming I feel like we’re getting a lot of choreographed sequences that’s what I feel like I feel like people are literally taking the video and creating their own highlight reel Maybe I’m Wrong maybe I’m G to owe Ivan loose a written apology but that was pretty nicely inst stried by your friend best supporting actor situation I don’t know but fun nonetheless great racket skills from Ivan uh thank you for watching on T2 in order to get your submission in for hashtag get served by rodic Producer Mike has some more info thanks for watching all right guys here’s a reminder scan the QR code here on screen if you’re watching or go to swingvision served the link is also in the bio sign up for swing Vision submit your best serve or rally to X or Instagram using the hashtag get served by rodic and Tag swingvision app we look forward to seeing what you got all you Chuckers out there as Andy likes to call you see you next week [Applause]
44 Comments
On Coco’s Serve: I understand that Roddick was and is an amazing server, but if it were me, I’d be watching endless Serena tape and or paying top dollar to have her meet Rick Maci I think his name is – who coached Serena and Alycia Parks.
On Coco’s mental – I do think she’s sweet and would never say it and the commentary isn’t diverse enough to consider it – but now that Serena is gone and Venus is basically on her way out – all of “Black” women’s tennis is kind of on her shoulders. And she really wants to avoid the Sloan Stephen’s / Madison Keys route (respectfully). As a black tennis player myself, I don’t think people realize the pressure of being a sort of this token hope for us who love but don’t root for the “Ova’s” as Serena famously called them.
I think she could do herself well to get a mental coach and watch more Serena tape than Andy tape.
47:55
Spat out my coffee, thanks Kim
I love Kim
The worst Roland Garros Men's Final in a very long time. Both were horrid. The screaming Cyborg won.
4 out of 7 set women's tennis? Great point, simp, lol.
Great podcast! Love Kim. She's great and honest. You're doing a great job Andy.
I am totally fangirling over this duo – both of them I loved as players, and seeing them being awesome podcasters and personalities… it is just great. 😇
Greate show again guys, love Kim Clijsters, she’s very articulate on the way she describes the game and the athletes. Keep the good work Andy 👏👏👏🏆
There is a gaulf between Iga and other women on clay but not other surfaces. On hard court Osaka, Rybkina, Sabalenka can handle her as Iga doesnt have the time to set up her shots. Big hitters, are the ones that really cause Iga problems e.g. Ostapenko on othee surfaces because the play big and fast. You have to be able to take time away from Iga to beat her and the majority of players can't do it.
real good stuff. one point – anointing I.S. 'great ' hold on a bit. maybe She'll pull an ' A. Barty ' B. Borg deal, think I've got enough $$$ and hate airports etc, I'm outta here. who knows ? and geese J. Polini was great. She had trouble finding a way to win a point. ( and She did NOT choke, was paying very well ) – I'm sure most of us know players that would have broken racquets etc – She's smiling, almost laughing. just having fun playing tennis. and Yep I think Clisters said Alcarez is kinda the same way.
I feel so crazy lucky to hear you and Kim talk…The tennis fan geek in me can’t comprehend the knowledge you two freely give…Thank you all again.
Thank you Andy for such a respect to Iga Swiatek.
I wish other commentators are showing a little more class.
Martina & Chrissie just gave me watery eyes and goosebumps. And I have to be honest: I just wish players would acknowledge more the greatness of the champions delivering trophies in their acceptance speeches.
Andy is so honest and humble and a real expert ❤
I posted this on IG too but I went to a fundraiser clinic with Kim last fall – she made sure to play with EVERYONE, complimented my slice (what?!!) and was the last person to leave. She made sure to hit 1:1 with anyone who wanted to. The kindest woman – Kim is the real deal!
Thank you, Andy, for explaining to the masses the location of the ball toss. If anyone knows, it’s you.
Andy Roddick tries something new from a restaurant: “I think ill ramp up my risk profile tonight.”
People already hailing Swiatek as the Queen of Clay… remember- Chris Evert has 7 French- and she skipped the event 1976-78 to play World Team Tennis- that was a bigger deal for the tour in late 70s than the French was. People forget that the US Open was played on clay 1975- 77 and Chris won all 3 of them- giving her 10 majors on clay. Plus a streak on clay 1973-1979- 125 matches in a row. Iga's great on clay- but she needs about A LOT more to even approach Chris.
I am hooked! What an incredible analysis from tennis experts. Kim is awesome and Jon is one of the best tennis journalists out there. I learn so much from your SERVED podcasts and I NEVER played tennis competitively . I am just a big tennis fan since Borg/McEnroe era.
Loved Andy and Kim talking about Zverev. Getting in that mindset of the runner up. The torture of having to stand there, holding the stupid plate, smile, make a speech—all while quietly dying inside. Great insight. Hey Amelie—how bout at next year’s RG you insist on electronic line calling for the tournament!!!
Thank you both for your fascinating insights. Re match ups and facing players who always beat you, would you agree that Novak early on understood that to get past Roger and Rafa, he had to learn how to beat them, to specifically work out what they were doing, and find a way to neutralise and overcome it, and that's what he did?
God I miss women’s tennis when we had Serena, Clijsters, and Henin in their prime.
💚💚💚
Kim is a great person, but so not professional in these analysis. She talks like I would talk. 😅
Great Iga game analysis. 2 feet inside the court to take balls early! 31:49 great pointers on the serve toss from the maestro, Andy!
1:03:13 in reality tennis players (historically) have never been very likeable. The real change came with Roger and Rafa. Atp is doing great through social media to promote likeable personalities. The generation of players who grew up watching the big three is qcting accordingly. The way was paved for them…. I think
😂so funny about the 📷.
Love andy + Jon = interesting, focused, insightful
Love listening to both Andy and Kim,Two great Champions.
Kim is a natural on this podcast. I will always listen when she is on. Lindsay Davenport is another excellent guest.
Great review, thanks Andy and Kim you guys are such legends. 🙂❤ Credits to Iga for winning this year's RG though that second match, Osaka could've grabbed that match. Osaka is regaining her game and confidence back. For Coco, it could be this nostalgia of that RG 2022 finals match that she needed to shake off. Coco can definitely win RG. Again, congrats to Iga, she deserves winning after all her hard work. 💪🏻🎾
Any thoughts on NBC cutting off the Men's award ceremony in their broadcast? They cut to some commercial about Track and Field in the Olympics and other regular commercials and didn't show the speeches at all. Ridiculous. Not sure if it was shown on Peacock or whatevertheF streaming nonsense.
so much sympathy for the tr#sh zverev. disgusting.
Genuinely bought an OlliPop today thanks to this podcast. Influencer marketing works.
I loved the headcam because when male players whined like toddlers, it was very telling. Funny and embarrassing. Keep Toddler Cam.
It would be much better if u could title the parts of the video, because it's too long for some ppl to watch all of it
Andy, I thank you for including the WTA players (not just IS) in your commentary. I don't see to much. WTA commentary other than IS and inpassing at that. So thanks so much for the coverage.
Now I've often heard how much fun doubles are when at an event. Also that club players often play doubles. Given that it seems that dubs are an after thought for broadcasting what needs to done to elevate dubs (both men's and women's) for viewing audiences? Thanks again for the great show
Have womens play best of 5 😂
I remember Kim Clysters as Leyton Hewitt’s girlfriend. I recall one final she played . One of the gripping WTA games I ever watched. If I recall It was against Jennifer Caprioti French Open Final in early 2000s. She could easily have won that match but was young and nervous IMO. She has not changed in looks not one bit.
@48:10
The men are skinny….
The woman are as big as the average man….
John kept saying things were "weird". I don't understand and agree with that at all. This was a good tournament and great final. Why is it "weird"?
I love the dynamic between Andy and Kim…..
Iga/Coco looks like it's shaping up like Fed/Nadal. Early on Fed played Nadal a lot on clay and built up that mental block and started losing to him on other surfaces as well. I think the solution is the same as well, they are both players that need to be stopped early with pattern breaking power or direction. Fed was helped out with a racket change, don't know what Coco may do.
JCF should be in the HOF- #1 in the world, world class coach and slam champ. He got passed over for Leander Paes this year.