US Open Tennis Live: Iga Świątek - Ena Shibahara | Mirra Andreeva - Krueger | Bouzková - Samsonova

e ready [Applause] play my name is clar talson and I'm a friend of the show boom I am Francisco jores and I'm a friend of the show perfect hi my name is Susan Layman and I'm a friend of the show my name is zanab suas and I'm a friend of the show boom hey guys my name is Sasha vicory and I'm a friend of the show boom hi my name is lloy Harris and I'm a friend of the show perfect hi my name is Jasmine Pini and I'm a friend of the show wow Jasmine you got it in one time [Music] [Music] ready play [Applause] hello from a vibrant sports bar in uh PTO I hope you can hear me amidst the music Jack I can hear you John yeah how are you I'm okay as long as you can hear me all right that's fine adds a little bit of color I've got a a beer in hand uh first one of the day I hasten to add love it I've got a water but I need H so yeah exactly I'm excited to drink my water how have we been yeah good good um I see that I just played a little clip with Jasmine Pini and of course she is through I don't know if you know that she got a walkover against blisa I did not know that no it's only the last 20 minutes or so that's emerged but Kisa it does seem to be a recurring theme unfortunately with her that it was quite late I think there was they would du to take the court and late on um bis Drew which is a bit of a Pity former finalist of of course it's a bit of a shame um right yeah yeah but then obviously you know not many people were counting around in this tournament and Pini is large and in charge at the moment so she probably would have won anyway so maybe it's a Jasmine Pini world and we're just living in it it is I I I honestly I think at the start of this year when she won Dubai I remember being like just flabbergasted and in like state of the WT and I absolutely e my words she's played so well she she definitely you know what makes up for the lack serve with some phenomenal play from the back of the court so very much so I'll eat my words I'm sharing her section of the draw right now on the screen Osaka Muka pover three well actually no even Putin sa as well it's a fairly even section of the draw but I've got osaku in my semi-final Jack that's fair although obviously this um this this is probably the biggest test I would have said out of that quarter I think even where I mean a year ago with you but now I'm not so sure again you know I've just I've given the respect to P I guess we'll continue there but um I think Muka honor day respectfully to Pini is is probably still a better player for me on a on a hard court just the variety maybe the kind of thing that finds a way past a saaka where maybe Pini does get overpowered on return by saaka and it's maybe just not the greatest match up for him so I would say maybe M was a little bit more of a threat than I agree but there was the most important expression in what you just said was on her day and I I liked what Matt from the tennis podcast said a few days ago about hul garuna is you know we can see this about a lot of players hogga definitely falls into that category on his day you know shaav valo probably falls into that category and so on and so forth but it's all about your base game right jack yeah and I I do think um In fairness there's there's a predictability about these players yes we see on their day but I think mukat and Runa are definitely we key players they're they're the kind of players that you know will win a lot of matches and then maybe there's a few tournaments in a row where they kind of go downhill for a while so and when we're talking about Muka and looking at our recent results obviously you know the injuries as always just kind of stunting things and actually this is the case with Muka I don't think it's necessarily that she's a player that's prone to unforced errors but it's maybe just been a lack of momentum that has caused the issues for her because of all this stopping and starting and not being able to play um where is obviously a completely different kle of fish but maybe that's a story for another day where we talk about the women's job but yeah M absolutely do you know if she built if she kind of capitalizes on the momentum she built in palmo if we can even talk about that being momentum it's already you know a month and a half away I guess um then maybe she's got a chance against aaka but yeah I I definitely rate a saaka is the favorite here particularly after that first round dispatch I think it's fair yes for me for me like a lot of these tournaments sort of pan out it's often about the first round you know and it well it depends on who you're playing in that first round but if you've got a tricky opponent in in the form of ostapenko although I say in the form of I mean in the shape of rather than the form because actually ostap peno's form in terms of tennis the last six months has been uh more hit I was going to say hit and miss but actually more Miss than hit unfortunately so she's in a bit of a doldrums as well and that probably got forgotten about a little bit amidst the joy of Osaka winning yeah and I think there's a lot of hate that match where obviously AA Peno is completely her own player and then she can turn up and and not put on the greatest performance in her own words as well you know I mean I think she has been quoted as saying if I was playing 50% on my best game then I would have beaten X and L and so yeah that about Osaka or just no not about Osaka of course not about Asaka it was definitely a different player but it wasn't Asaka I'd have to the hist similar to the TFO you know the TFO quote few weeks ago quite similar and and holar Runa didn't go quite that far but in his tweet he said something the lines of you know I play terribly that's not good enough for me regarding the loss to Nakashima and and he did put in there somewhere about look you know hats off to to Brandon who played really well but um I think there's there is a line I don't know where it is even even at the amateur level as well Jack when you're you're so annoyed at how you're missing left right and Center or you're not playing what you think is your best and there is a line about yeah but don't don't forget that person on the other side of the net is you know causing you trouble if you like there there has been a recurring theme over the past few days with players responding to internet backlash I don't know if you've noticed that and it's it's interesting to see the personalities coming out from different players and and well do you mean internet backlash like uh people biting back to to these comments or do you mean what Garcia highlighted in terms of anger and you know Garcia highlighted getting some vitriol from probable gamblers that are not happy yeah exactly that kind of stuff catov mentioned it vona mentioned the the hate for her hair and all these players kind of speaking out ruin it obviously being the most obvious one because he absolutely ripped himself to shreds when maybe there could have been a bit more of a respectful way to to talk about it but I I think it's interesting a lot of the players are kind of like taking a stance and they're kind of just tired of of people online but then the other side of that is a lot of these players have just always ignored it and and to be honest I think that's the way to do it I think the more a time you give these guys the is I mean it's it's easy for you and I to probably say although I have had a fit um more not tennis related I had a bit of hate a year or so ago about an article I wrote but I just looked at it as going these are just people in dark caves in in India and I mentioned India because that was where the vitory all of abuse was coming from about an article I wrote about um about India um but it's just sort of it's easy maybe for for it's it's it's Case by case and it's individual by individual but for me it's just water off a duck's back because it's just some troll in a in a cave somewhere you know oh absolutely and I think for For You and I John it's you know we we can certainly stomach it but we we in a probably a position to I guess be more heart than a player like catov or Runa who have accomplished insane things in their lives and you know I think catching off fair enough five five and a half hour battle and he's getting some hate online I think it makes sense to kind of send a message of Love out to everybody um but Rua just needs to chill a little bit I mean he's he's still 15 in the world he's one of the best players ever I can just keep the head down keep working and that he's young I'm obviously it's all good that he's letting his personality flourish a bit and I totally let him off with it because I would do the same thing when I was 21 but I think yeah he'll grow and he realize that he doesn't need to give these guys any a time at all I'm sharing scores from time to time on the screen matches that are currently going on of winning the first set against Sam sonova that's interesting yeah it's funny I think my my two kind of um I don't know what to call them the two players that I put a lot of stock in a while ago must have been Keen way and um k j and Sam Sona and Sam sona's Sam sonova truly truly has been hit or miss right and it just seems like it's it's not a horse I want to back anymore where k j is obviously you know that's that's turned out pretty nicely looks like she's going to get deeper pretty much every turn which she playes yeah again another one of these players that gets a tricky first round but if you can get through that first round things look a bit better and and she got through that one against Anova and she was in in a bit of trouble she lost the first set she got broken left right and Center I'm just watching uh eager on my screen right now I don't know if you've got a match on and if so which one it is yeah eager um at the moment I didn't know much about her opponent until Shara I've done a little bit of yeah just looking her up and stuff I don't know do you know anything about John off the bat oh you're muted John you're muted no I don't know I was when you said you've done a bit of research I was like brilliant minimal minimal research to be fair I just I know she's 100% a double specialist and um obviously got to like number four in the world H but I mean she she's not really had any slam success in in singles in fact I'm looking at her Wikipedia agent doesn't even have it there H that's the the UNR remarkability of our this is a a sort of a not quite old sage comment but uh I probably wouldn't ever put myself in that category but the first thing I wanted to do is find out how old she was if that's a if there's a player if you're watching by the way and you've never seen this particular player play the first thing I think of okay how old is she or how old is he and if they're sort of 19 2021 and I haven't heard of them that's okay you know that's fine they could still have a stellar career if that 26 in the case of shib case you know it's like okay this is a moment if that makes sense more from than not you know if you're you know like R albot I'd never played jovic until the other day and I'm like how is that possible why because R albot is 34 years old and jovic is 37 I think and that's kind of funny whereas you know so back to but back to this particular point it's like if she if this player is like 18 19 20 and I've never heard of that's okay they may end up you know making quarterfinals or Slams on a reg basis yet you know but when they're sort of in their mid to late 20s it's like oh okay this is obviously a a nice moment and she's got the second round of course but well we'll see I think San will have it a bit easier today than she did in the first round but to be honest with you the first round kind of surprised me that she struggled as much she did either I mean she had to save three set points in the second set she she does sometimes come out quite nervy and I get it when she's on a bit of a faster court and the the other player can kind of make her feel a bit rushed and and a little bit out of Tim ra M did seem like not somebody that could beat her but certainly somebody that could give her a little bit of bother um so probably quite a good test for her actually I think maybe last year she was a little bit prone to the fact that she hadn't been tested and then she comes out against osta pen who probably most people put as the favorite you know eager had to be fir in all cylinders she wasn't and then she got blown off the court and so maybe it's a little bit of a blessing in disguise I hardly think the second room is going to test offense to Shahara we'll see but um it seems unlikely just given the skill set of Shara and shant's obviously pretty comfortable here when she's having a decent isy John I'm looking into my crystal wall right now Jack and it tells me uh it's I could see WTA I can see Jack's predictions for the US Open in the crystal ball and I think the winner I think I have Arena sa Leno is that right for you yeah it's the same F right that's the same bit I think probably the last like six hardcourt slams i' probably picked Arena saena um I think is just that isn't isn't just that Jack I think I know on occasion that has been the case and me too and sometimes I've got it right sometimes got it wrong but um I I I distinctly remember Wimbledon last year when I went Rebecca and and you went sabalenka and of course both of them fell to onur but this year you know 80% of of the people I think uh in tennis that I've heard from anyway regarding this of G savena and it it m for me at least it's just because the last couple of weeks I I.E winning in Cincinnati and the shoulders okay that was the other I mean actually I had her to win wimon and then the shoulder flares up in in Berlin and as it turns out she was the last minute of the draw and I was like oh well let's mess that up and I think she had an excellent chance this year she's got a pretty tough draw at the same time you know this kid ends up being alexandraa Keys Jen back to back that's rough is pretty difficult um yeah so it gets tough now yeah so so third round alexandera fourth round Keys did you say yeah and then quarterfinal J J yeah yeah I mean yeah it's quite tough Jack but you're when you get to the third round and if alexandera makes it as she obviously has done yeah I mean ke be tough that's I actually I was going to say John I don't really feel any upset ability from alexandraa sabinka does hit the ball harder more consistently it's not really a matchup that should worry her that much keys keys is just like you know kind of ostop pinkle levels of peak and if she is feeling it and obviously they had that match last year oh my God can't forget about that that you know that was so a year ago so I mean if they have anything like that again who knows and and then Jen is really kind of Dark Horse and know in a kind of obviously not dark the darkest of horses but and she could sneak past SAA I do think that could happen um if she does get that far so it's it's it's a bit of a scary draw and I don't feel like super confident about anyone really um but yeah if I had to pick somebody it would be savena probably quick pause yeah also yeah sorry I was just adding something to to the to the YouTube channel um yeah yeah I I still think I mean that final in Australia that Jen had against savena was quite predictable as well um and on a hard court yeah I fancy savena you know if she's playing well enough I do you genuinely think Shen has gotten better since then yeah yeah fair enough I mean she's obviously got some pretty good results since then none more so than than at the Olympics um yeah the serve I don't know if that's an area of the game you think Jang has improved but that was an area that that I was looking at at the beginning of the year and last year as well as being something that was a bit hit and miss mainly because I'm getting caught up in the in the style of it as well it's a bit what's the word unorthodox looking if there sort of feels a bit disjointed you know there's a sort of a I don't know if I'm explaining it very well but you know what I mean when you well literally it's just not it's not lorded we talks about it's quite flat it's kind of going to travel a lot and yes it's effective when it goes in but um I I had talked a lot about that in the past and the percentages are going up to me for John in terms of first Ser win percentage in terms of first Ser in percentage she is making more of them and so she's obviously made a few tweaks here and there and to the naked ey I'm not 100% sure what those are but she is making more serves so um she's she's clearly doing something right and maybe feeling a bit more confident for it jum Fon has got the early break uh and she's also at 15 love if um if it been the other way around have been shouting from the rooftops but eager eager breaking at the beginning of this match is not quite as noteworthy enough to interrupt you talk about K Jang serve uh M Anda was in oh she's in big trouble I was gonna say she was in a bit of trouble but it I saw her two all was the last I saw but obviously Krueger has won three games in a row and M Anda going out is in my opinion despite Kruger's level is good news for E fante Yeah we' have been a many Challenge and she obviously gave her a pretty good she gave her a good run for her money in in Cincinnati so yeah it could have been pretty difficult obviously Mir impr proving every day as well so I think shant will be pretty relieved to see her going out um Krueger really GNA baller e got I would said no this is probably the moment Daman interrupts me and he's like are you kidding there's no way ker be and yeah that's fair enough I don't think she would it reminds me of pretty much a year ago to the day when Dan Evans won a or maybe even one a set it was a set I think and that's when Dam come out with the classic line of it doesn't matter and it kind of did it was a four set win but it was a great match and Dan Evans by the way wow we talk about hat earlier but but just wow yeah I forgot to mention the actual match itself of course um yeah phenomenal and almost a little bit Andes um in that well obviously the marathon match itself was pretty Andes but I Dan's just had the the worst year and he kind of comes out and he wins this huge match anyway and I feel that I feel like that's so handy you know just to like go for it anyway and who cares about any of the other results just give it your all anyway and it was quite inspiring like it he's had an horrible 12 months because um it was the injury in Vienna I think I get some of these indoor tournaments confused so it might have been bsel or it might have been somewhere else but one of those I'm pretty sure it was Vienna anyway last year and that injury put out the Davis Cup meaning his comeback was Australia and as you say this calendar year has been yeah been pretty rough for him and of course now he's dropped all those points from Washington because he went to the Olympics I think Jack and he played alongside someone there but I don't remember who it was blur I can't really remember didn't defend his title most as a result yeah yeah yeah but because of that that added something a bit more to me when I'm watching that fifth set against hatchin off the other day you know I I'm not I like Dan Evans I I know he upsets people sometimes and rubs people the wrong way for one reason or another and most of the time I'm on his side but sometimes not at that that match of the day I was very much on his side in the fifth set nothing against kin and of course what happened subsequently and draver has a break point by the way on Krueger um but yeah it was it was such a fall up down as well in that fit set yeah and 1540 I believe it was for a triple break in the end it was mad yeah yeah I actually tuned funny enough I said I watched the fifth set that's not entirely true I tuned in at four all the fifth set not knowing what had gone on in the previous four games I just saw something um somewhere that says oh wow Dan Evans and and uh Karen hatoff into a you know fifth set blah blah blah and it was four all so I thought okay better tune in right now and I did and uh so I actually watched the last three or four games think not knowing what had happened even before that yeah honestly it blew me away it was absolutely mad um I I'm seeing ghosty's comments in the the chat there andyes laughing face I mean five and a half hour match give the guy some credit ghost it's absolutely phenomenal and yes he's right I do have two criteria for assessing a tennis player like Andy G likes Evans though he likes Evans so much so he calls him Evo and looking at a few of the other results as well by the way John Katy Bolter went out to boas the person who knocked V of course out of Wimbleton when she was trying to defend her title um okay oh yeah and sahani I didn't realize was a set up to get to the third round of the US Open against car doah I mean credit where credits true right she's she's done some pretty great stuff recently she has sahana yeah mini Revival I would have had dollah high to win that and of course by the way they are only on serve there but yeah I don't know what's happening with the in the last few weeks but you're right she's pulled up um a few good results I'd say since the back end of the clay season um but dollah Hy I I thought dollahyde would cause Collins some trouble I didn't predict a dollah Hy win but seeing how the first couple of sets went there against Collins I was like yeah three sets makes sense I expected Collins to Prevail but she didn't in the end of course but um yeah well good for Sani but of course there a long way to go yet yeah still a while Sani by was just two points from Victory second go 4 five so I see I see okay it was a teing there just for a second I also see see pton ster beat cako maybe not the biggest surprise of course St fully capable of out hitting the Russian on our day so maybe not too surprising spit Alina as well with a little closet result col K of course maybe not the player she was last year but still fit got to be a dark horse right she just so consistent she can beat anybody I think when she's playing well enough so um has to be counted then for sure yeah uh so just to remind people or to let people know if you're just tuning in Pini is through after a walkover over Kisa and yeah ktie Bolter out um I don't really know where to stand with ktie Bolter um I think decent serve quick surfaces you know maybe a Wimbledon run one day maybe I'm a bit more optimistic on her than you are at least from memory from about six to 12 months ago we had a chat about her I can't remember if it was on the record or off the Record but um but yeah you're not 100% convinced about Katie's game right not really no um she's big big hitter big server but you know there's loads of players that can out rally her and um if you're G I mean how many top 10 players has she beaten maybe she's beaten a couple just off the top of my head on grass but I just don't you know on other surfaces I don't see it happening and she wasn't top 10 at the time but she did win San Diego beating CL Cho in the f I think it was cl CH in the final though it might not have been actually no it wasn't CL CH she won the San Diego TT year before but uh oh she beat Jessica Kula I think maybe in the yes that that that was on grass though I think right no no San Diego San Diego apologies then okay don't forget San Diego otherwise van will be mad that's fair yeah V has been pretty big on Nakashima recently which which is fair by the way but he he he has three or four favorites and there's a San Diego link or there's a I've played tennis with them before link and that's the gron Nakashima thing Bor Clay is another one of his but I I don't know if it's just because she won San Diego but there's a few there's a few little like strands him cam noi he's he likes cam noi but I think it's just because of some of the grief that cam gets and he just sort of rils in that enjoys the um the banter if if you like um yeah so that's that Krueger is by the way been broken by andera but she's obviously still got one break in the pocket and that's where she's going to try and serve it out for a second time that'll be a hell of a comeback for Mid and she pulls it off she her comeback against who who was it she came back against earlier she did come back from a double break against somebody recently I think I can't can't quite remember who it was that's annoying me and I'll have to look it up next it's bothering me but this could be a very similar thing she's ly very very hacky when she needs to be you know absolutely digs everything out and I don't know John maybe maybe let's just call the upset I think I'm I'm going to back it now because I'm I'm feeling it you're backing her to make a comeback yes I think so um uh eag is Up For Love by the way so the longer you don't hear me talk about the eager match the longer it means the inevitable is is going to happen um uh she's SP love up as well on her serve uh dohy is serving uh to stay in it and bro is up a set in a break now on Sam soniv so uh yeah and Rea came back there you go just said it at the same time against Parry at the Australian Open earlier this year ah okay D Parry uh what other memories or thoughts have you got uh from the US Open this year so far any any moments that you've tuned in for and thought ah that was pretty cool nothing so far I don't think anything's been particularly remarkable cool in fact I've been quite taken back by the maybe lack of upsets so far um so nothing sticking out so far and also dur the few moments I have seen have been highlights I haven't been able to catch any matches that's why I sort of mention it in that in that way but there were sort of three matches that that I I've dipped into or they were all pretty late at night as well I say late like they could be later but around about midnight 1:00 in the morning uh Sloan Stevens is uh can I say collaps in in a nice way I don't know if I can against um against CLA Burell uh when she was up a set and 4-1 um and then managed to lose from there that also happened I think the same night although I get my nights confused now is there were two thre set matches going on at the same time Ruku against Kenan and um andco against palini uh four names who have all I think been in Grand Slam finals yes I think three of them Grand Slam winners in Kenan and theer and R's case so yeah um actually that might have been a different night but but yeah those sort of three three matches in my head from the from the women's side but um all going three sets and and and very different ways a lot of talk about Ruku recently I don't know if you've been picking up on any of that the narratives there and not playing a warm-up tournament and listen if if a Saka by the way does make that semi-final that I predicted that's a very good comparison for Emma to look at if you like and go oh this was a lady that was in qualifying at Cincinnati and went out to krugger by the way uh just a couple of weeks ago krger WS by the way krg's won actually well there you go um but um yeah you know I'm a like a four-time grand slam winner thinking I need matches to play a grand slam as we all I mean I've never played a grand slam Jack you'll be surprised to hear but even I know that reps is a thing and uh but seemingly Emma ranu and her team whoever that is didn't realize that yeah I mean I think regardless of what rad canu does if she's not winning matches she's gonna get flag which is a bit of a shame yeah yeah you know it's not it's not fair I guess but yeah she's not she's not living up to the expectations she said I just think maybe she you know people need to lay off her and I think it's the fact expectations were set for St I I I just never ever really belied that that would happen ever again you know that John I've said that I said it I do know that yeah I do know that if if you were saying that in October or September 2021 I would be would be would have been surprised to hear that um but and maybe you were I don't I didn't know you then of course but I know you were saying it in 2023 and and I'm sure throughout 2024 as well um yeah maybe she just isn't as good as As I and many other school she was yeah I I I remember seeing it pretty I thought I said it straight afterwards in fact I think I have it in writing John um okay I just I just thought it was a flash in the pan was just like super Peak and it might never happen again is basically what I said probably won't happen again and it does seem as though mid anda's comeback is over because she is out uh bu remains a set and a breakup uh so M Andre is out so just to know that not all of Jack's predictions come true including one from about 30 seconds ago would we consider this loss for Mid a massive upset ozan's asking on Twitter it's not huge it's kind of it's you know M's young I just think people need to realize when players are young there's a lot of ups and downs and this this will just happen not everybody is youant and you know or anything like that you know EX s just um yeah it's not it's not mental obviously still would I said Mir was maybe like the 70 30 favorite but yeah there's going to be upsets like that for her until she kind of finds her her true game I would say yeah uh any uh predictions for the men's side yeah who have we not had yet um is this overall sorry j just to be yeah overall thoughts just in general I mean I went for Carlos to win the title but to be honest with you it wasn't like it wasn't like sabalenka on the women's side where it's like I know that's my pick I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure about that uh whereas on the on the men's side I had some doubts about everyone you know people like meddev for example is is in such a funny place right now compared to where he was say a year ago and I'm not saying that you know he going to win the US Open a year ago but you always felt that meev on a hard court was a solid pick to to get to the semis or the final whereas now it feels like meev having not won a title since Roma last year and losing back-to-back matches in Canada and Cincinnati that even on a hard court you don't really quite know what to say I mean five sets I think works in his favor a little bit Carlos had a couple of issues recently in terms of Fitness but also obviously losing that gold medal match to to Novak which may have surprised one or two people Novak I I I know you know he's had a great year because he won the Olympic gold medal and he he could never win another match for the rest of the year and he's had a great year in a way because of what his targets were um so but really if we look at the rest of the year Novak is not winning the US Open if we look at that as a body of work and then Yanik we've got this huge Cloud over him and and and from the doping you know Scandal but more specifically with Yanik even if we think he can handle that pretty well he may well do you know there's the five set thing with him I don't think he has put that to bed despite winning in Australia um in the final funny enough in five sets I think that was a a funny thing just because medev had played like 100 hours of tennis that week so or that fortnite so um yeah the three the three obvious picks there's there's a reason not to pick them but I went for Carlos in the end yes sonon Center that I actually I don't even want to say it too I I I do think that Cent is probably in the clear I mean all these all these guys like take stuff to get their body recovered right and it's just whether or not it's on the dopping list or not basically at the time and um and it's it you know it doesn't sound like it's a huge amount of whatever it is in the system etc etc I I just doesn't really sound right to me that he is guilty especially being the world number one almost certainly not almost certainly not guilty Jack I'm fine with that um I'm also fine with people saying I don't know you know that's that's an okay answer um but I don't think you can say it with any great conviction um that's for sure uh I'm okay with with going you know what yeah fine probably innocently you know taken on board whatever it was he did what I will say is though that um it's been about 20 years now well we've had drug cases in sports since the 70s since there was like East German uh systemic situations going on in the 70s and and possibly even before but this is since the 70s it's become a thing in sport you know 1988 probably the most high-profile example of of doping in sport history history with with Ben Johnson when he won the 100 meters with his with his eyeballs pumping out and his muscles just going and and he breaks the world record 979 but does ultimately fail a drugs test but by the 80s you know the case of M and by the 90s there were some cases in the '90s and 2000s were like I didn't know that that toothpaste had something in it or or all sorts of weird and wonderful reasons if you like and at the time it was like oh that's that's part possible and that's desperately unfortunate by the sort of 2010s onwards it was like that is no longer an excuse that you you now need to check you know you don't even take a super b in a bar as I'm doing right now with being 110% sure that nothing has has contaminated that when you're at the absolute Elite Sport so for 2024 for somebody who's the world number one and won a grand slam and and of course I'm pointing the finger at the people treating him you know for them and and by the way this steroid is super well known in Italy it's been a it's been there's been quite a few Pro high-profile cases for this accidentally seeping into various people's systems because it's readily available in Italy unlike other countries so so you'll pick up an ointment to to help yourself you know fix a wound or whatever and and you'll e you know you know Joe Smith on the street although there aren't many Joe smiths in Italy I imagine are are accidentally taking this on board but if you're not a professional sports person it doesn't matter I I'm just shocked that um that that level of carelessness which as I say is pretty much not an excuse anymore it's it's not an excuse um because you just you just got to and and if you're if you're getting a a tiny tiny Advantage even if it's inadvertent you know unfortunately it's it's just just how it is but um that's as I say I'm I'm fine with it and I'm not fine with some of the the way the things that pan out in terms of Casper gets s I'm looking at Casper on the screen right now I'm half a beer that is um with with thex getting treated differently to to other players across that's also something that does invest easy with me yeah I think all of that's fair enough John um you are right you're you're definitely right so it does leave a little bit of a bad taste in the offense um it's quite difficult to just you know be completely dismissive of but you know I totally trust the intentions of yaner um if that maybe maybe that's unfair to say maybe the guys deceive me maybe you know he comes across as this lovely guy and it's all false but you know I I all we've got really is to kind of Judge the player in front of us and make a call and that's that's what I'm doing with yanuk and there's other players in the past where I've not been so sure but um with Yanik it just doesn't seem likely that obviously this is it's not on purpose I think we know that for a f jump but and so it kind of falls to the team in away and it's it's a bit of a shame you know that then it falls on Yanik H as a fault right absolutely yeah um as I I'm fine with with the procedure and I'm okay with Y continue to play tennis but maybe other players uh didn't quite get that Grace um uh funny question here which is L aimed at me from nuran um do I ever Mumble of Rhymes and shake my head uh no I don't think I do especially rap songs I'm not familiar with lyrics to a lot of rap songs but thank you neran for that question do let us know nerland if youve got any tennis questions too but you're fine that's fine if you want to ask non-tennis questions cluster ball is the name of course of the steroid in question here um back to the tennis eager won the first set six love and is already leading One Love in the second so that could turn nasty bu up a set in a break still up a set a break but getting closer to the Finish Line on Sam son some jack Draper comments uh from oan in the live chat um jingy on Twitter is he playing F of Costa maybe it seems like he is on court five what about Jack Draper and his [Music] ceiling I I I suppose top 10 top by the way no no I think top 10 John I I I think top 10 definitely I think he can get there his game's huge it's like it's absolutely massive and there's times maybe just hasn't trusted it and kind of stopped going going for it and then sits back a we bit and it almost like if he found a way to just harness that size of the game all the time you'd be beaten player big big players consistently he really would because it's it's it's a really huge game and I just remember being absolutely Blown Away by it when I saw live at queens and I suppose part of part of the obviously part of it is that he has to be on a fast court and he has to take advantage of conditions that are going to maybe suit his game a little and let that serve kind of zip through a bit and I suppose that's probably to his disadvantage given the the courts are are generally medium to to slow nowadays I guess maybe not slow but certainly medium not fast so um I guess John it depends how many strings he adds to his bow can he maybe play a little better on Clay can he find a way to get a little bit more grindy um obviously that's a huge percentage of the tour and then can he take advantage of maybe slower conditions on hard courts just just having a huge game isn't enough to be top 10 I would say so maybe there's some holes he needs to fill in before he gets there but the potential is so there John it's just too big to ignore the the there is a factor that you that I think is is is important right now that probably still needs to be fixed which is physicality five sets I think he had Xiang xang in the first round and I thought wow that's got five sets written all over it it didn't turn out that way because Jang retired and in the third or be it two sets to love down at the time I just um I just uh not quite sure I mean you you by the way you can have you know you can win five titles on over three sets over the course of the year and manag to prepare set for the top 10 but um I still think that that with Jack a little bit like like Yanik maybe a year or so ago and and and Paul garuna as well that that sometimes I I worry about him when it goes four or five sets especially like back to back over over the case you know say on Monday Wednesday or Tuesday Thursday scenario yeah um I still think I still think that's maybe an asterisk in an otherwise top 10 potential player you know what I mean like that's that's a big problem for top 10 players as well do I mean we're not talking top five here we're not talking H you know basically rubbing heads with Yanik and Carlos we're just talking a guy that could beat easily could beat you know Steph Andre all these guys on his day quite easily for me you know he's got a bigger game than them most of the time I would see but harnessing it there's a comment here also from oan about Draper being you know and I pretty much I think we both kind of agree with this he has the tools to become a slam Contender um but that but that is that's very carefully worded or maybe casually worded for moan as in like he has the tools well that means something to be a slam contender you know that just means that one day he makes a slam semi-final I guess and and I think yeah probably one day in his career there will be a slam where you go this could be the day whether that's this year or next I don't know uh ghosty I'm familiar with Edmund werson since you highlighted him to me the other day I read I think the article that you put my way I thought it's very interesting and he's been on a podcast this week with Yanik Schneider uh who's somebody who dels into the world of of doping both of both those individuals by the way are far more advanced than I am in that world which is why I don't dip my toes much further than I have just done on on the yanic cner case uh Nuno bour is winning the first set over kakis yeah um I'm in B land right now so that's not that's not Mega surprising I see bores is a great season he's doing great and and and I I like n a lot um especially as a person but I would have coak is the favorite to win that and of course he's still might but yeah I I I I think konakis probably still comes out on top there but honestly bores is good enough like he's playing pretty well when he wants to on every surface so he can totally win is it is it unfair of me to say though that luno is just going to be maybe like um like Xiao Susa and he may well somebody was saying earlier I think that Nuno is close to being the the highest ever ranked Portuguese player on the men side at least because I think Susa reached 28 something like that and Nuno is knocking at the door of the top 30 so another winterday and it may even P push him past that limit I don't know um but is it fair to say that Nuno is is just going to be a another Xiao souu in that you know solid great maybe not quite pull up trees yeah I think that's totally fair to say um he's not got anything that startles you that makes you think oh my God this guy's huge but uh yeah he's just you know top top 20 is probably about his Peak and even then that's maybe maybe a Touch Too Far possibly so but he is a player that you know absolutely could beat somebody like konakis who you know konakis is obviously again a huge hitter but he's just not one of those guys that can keep up with the five set format that can really like grind the other player down boures could totally win that just by one of attrition from maybe yeah I I I I just I think kakas is just phenomenally talented that's the that's the thing and and and in a away a little different from from Nuno and maybe that's an exciting match as a result but kochak is beting Stephan oit match of the day I didn't see it I don't know what shape I know Stephanos and I know I know why you're sort of shaking your head and pulling those faces because the Stephanos in New York Stephanos with all the chaos to some extent in the background Stephanos being Stephanos that um it's probably not quite as surprising a defeat as it would have been say in Australia a couple years ago but um uh yeah I don't know konakis though I think is is you know a potential you know fourth round quarterfinalist here in New York maybe if things go his way uh I know Nuno B has reached the fourth round in Australia this year but that was like oh well done well done Nuno you know and then of course he comes up against meev and meev just has too much for I mean it's a nice portion of the draw of course it is so yeah I mean anybody could get through but you you want again almost like Andria we were talking about earlier menek is a very young player he could totally get beaten by anybody at the moment but once menk finds his his for much like Draper he looks like he's got a game that is just too big to ignore like this guy should be top 20 if not top 10 we kind of need to wait and see where where his uh game kind of settles and how big does it really get um injuries that's have been the thing yeah um and it's it's quite hard to ignore that as well this is what I mean by five set format does coakers really have the the body for it you know he just he gets [ __ ] actually part of the reason coak is I'm sure John you're aware of this but for the viewer at home H the the injury stemmed from vanity H it was a lot of like should do you not know this so basically a lot of um exercises basically to make him look very strong and bulky didn't no it ended up having a very very big impact on shoulders and the arms and took him out of the game for ages just because basically he wanted to look I mean he's a good-looking guy anyway he's been blessed he doesn't need to do much more work he can just and by the way I don't know if you can see this comment on the SP the good news is that as soon as he start talking about cockin akis all the puns start coming out ESP ghosty in particular so uh that is always something to look forward to something that I don't think I was looking forward to was Goan against manarino I don't know if I'm being harsh there but um I like manarino for for a variety of reasons um but I forget who manarino played in the first round and it was those when those two were playing each other was like oh someone's going to have to win this tennis match there's there's an expression in football where if you lose a Match 6 nil and then then they go but they were lucky to get nil like they were luy get lucky to get zero goals um and I I just felt with that with that Gan chich match it's like okay sorry um manarino chich someone's gonna have to win this tennis match because you can't two losers and I'm talking about their form in particular uh because I think both have had moments in the last couple years but yeah being in the second round didn't um didn't Mari be Goan this year in Indian Wells or am I getting confused with another he beat a Belgian did he yeah because was it last year I just remember the commentary from um from uh oh what's the South African commentator's name um and he goes putting another nail in the gothan was his like uh I think on Match Point um was was and that wasn't didn't M be Goan this year in Indian Wells or was it last year I think maybe Miami rings the bell did he maybe Miami he did really well it wasn't this year though was it no way might have been last year might have been last year always had always had goans number loved it it was Indian Wales this year sorry you're right it was Indian it was fairly comfortable yeah me and two um yeah sorry also I kind of want to speak about that Thompson beating her catch her catch in the US Open honestly oh my God and harport slams in general obviously had a pretty good run at the Australian Open at the start of the year but you just can't seem to get over the hump in terms of uh actually being a contender at any of these events I know one one grand slam semi-final at wimon and that's about it really um uh wimbledon's always wimbledon's always going to be a different kle of the fish but the other two the two hardcore slams and obviously the French he's just got seems to have no chance and he's now got a losing record at the open the hard Sam he should be making a far bigger impression that's for sure yeah he's got a losing record is he at the US now yeah six six to seven wow yeah wow oh Jack has got the early break according to ozan so that's uh cool uh enjoy your flight ghost D um regarding that loss today Thompson is maybe an underrated player um and her catch not over uh maybe not not performing at the slams as you'd expect but there is another asterisk huge asterisk with her catch at the moment until he got injured at Wimbledon this year you know this could have been his year and then I don't know if he's rush back or or or what but I didn't have a bit like with deor deor coming back from an injury at this tournament wherever deor eventually goes out at I'm assuming he's not going to win the tournament it's going to be like well you know this is his this is part of the comeback Trail and and her catch of course only being away for a couple of months is is is kind of surprising that he's back so soon I mean I heard people saying he's going to be done for the year so then when he rocked up in Canada recently it's like wow that's um yeah the injury at at least like some you know just you know I don't mean Bob Smith tweeting I mean like you know people saying well this injury normally means this amount of length of time and we might not see him until Australia or it might be good to be prudent for him to then suddenly Rock up in in Canada was was a surprise to to many and me included nevertheless probably would have thought he would beat Thomson today but there we go at least been a bit I don't know want to say it comp yeah but flat that's all um so I thought it was worth a mention but yes that is a very good point I know you've got to leave I don't know how many more minutes or if we got any more minutes at all left yeah I could do five minutes or so I think that's great yeah yeah I know um I've got Tom joining as well and we have no time limit on this I've got three matches in the in the description but uh the way e going um they may you had it on the board John yeah I just I've just looked up I've looked up at the screen for the first time in about 15 minutes and I can see that she's G The Bard which is nice uh and and I'm sure she got a huge Round of Applause Just Like claraa Bell did the other day when she was three love down so six love three love and there was one point at six love three love I think it was which maybe six love two love when this happened it clipped off it was one of those ones where bell comes into the net to put away an easy volley but unfortunately it Clips over the and she can't quite react to the net cord and she just looked down and looked up and looked around and it's like oh just give this girl a break you know give her a point give her a game she then does get the game although ends up being 41 down and an hour later she's smiling incredulously that she's won the match so tennis he six love free love that scoreline does ring a bell Mugu did the same with double three love with a double break sorry really even more important yeah yeah mugara did the same thing right do you remember this mugara up six three Lev or down up up six I can't remember it was maybe Vol I think maybe yeah was did tend to have a few sort of jittery moments let's say um where you thought she'd win matches or or or whatever um I vaguely remember her losing a set six love as well but ultimately winning the match in the first round at the French but but I could have that wrong as 12 but um yeah mugalu now that's someone who I did enjoy playing tennis a lot very game style it was a lot of fun [ __ ] is by the way serving for the second set okay there we go he's back on although bulles has a break back point I had to know it was Alison RK John Alison r l uh Sam soliva has broken back against brova so she might yet force a third set we'll see we'll see I I I'm so I'm so flat in Sam noway I know we talked about it earlier but I just find it so hard to get pumped up at the idea of her winning or losing she just she'll it's a coin toss every time even more so than oeno for me um because I think proba she has more misses than hits nowadays so it's very difficult to back her shall we make this stream a little bit more glaswegian go for that yeah hello hi Tom hi Tom hey guys can you hear me okay yeah just about yeah yeah fine probably better than me because I've got like blaring music in the background but how you doing Tom all right I'm good you're not in another bar are you somewhere in the world joint I am in a bar yeah in Porto yeah have you ever about I'm mean a I'm at a challenge well not right now but I'm going to a challenger this week uh in Porto and then off to another Challenger in Seville on Saturday so or not actually be there Sunday actually but um yeah challenge challenge is all about although couple of disappointing results here for the two Portuguese players Rosia and Faria today uh both going out pretty early here and also both going out I think in the first round of qualifying as well in New York so it's one of those sort of qualifying scenarios where you fly all the way out there play a match and come back again because there's a real dir of challenges I think in the buildup to the US Open so uh it's a bit of an issue in my opinion that there aren't more that that these some of these qualifiers can use to to warm up for the tournament but how you doing in general Tommy you enjoying the US Open yeah the bits that I can that I managed to watch it um yeah it's been decent I mean I was actually reading somewhere that it's been underwhelming um at the first the first three days I just wondered if you guys agreed with that but yeah I've watched bits and boss I managed to somehow the One tennis match I did watch was uh Dan Evans in hatching off um so I stayed for that and I just got lucky cuz it was it was the the match of the tournament so far yeah but no Jack you were sort of suggesting that maybe a little bit of an underwe in terms of shots and and and and and and crazy matches maybe it's early days you know I'm sure a lot more could happen and you know there's always two half to every slam isn't there you know you get the kind of upsets and the craziness and Chaos at the start and then you get the real kind of memorable Clash of the Titans at the end so maybe this will be one for the kind of bigger players to to take H the most excitement to to the viewers we'll see who knows what's been happening so far tonight then um I've I've literally just come in from work John said you're not getting time to eat so um I've just jumped on and uh and yeah so what have a m so far today on day four um I'm just trying to think of any drama that you would have missed I mean we just mentioned her catch going out in straight sets to Thompson uh CA uh was they were exchanging breaks C and melson throughout the first set but eventually he got over the line in the first set and then it was he was home and dry so Yanik is through the third round uh I've got e on my screen up um up a set although they're on on serving the second uh Mira and D going out maybe the story the day so far off the top of my head blis pulling out through injury um but yeah nothing crazy thus far Jack regarding your point um I think there's this this for me as as an observer there's two ways that a slam can go or any tournament but Slam in particular we get all the seeds going through and we have an unbelievable quarterfinal lineup which is fine or we just have chaos and everyone goes out and that's fine as well what I don't want to see is uh novat jovic um kakis Dan Evans um Barry Kon uh um I don't know um uh Nuno bz whatever Tim Henman in in the quarterfinals that I sort of don't want that either especially if you got one still standing so if it's I remember the you the french open this year Jack when that match between Osaka and eager took place it was like wow this is incredible and it was fantastic but I thought okay eager's come through that now who is in her way oh no one especially on the other side of the draw you had savena re backo and few others fall and it was like but I I think I know you're seeing the other play but it's almost like if E's still on the draw at the French you are underwhelmed I think just by her presence um where it's like that a snacka match came out of nowhere I was like oh my God like SAA is so bad on Clay how's she ever gonna live with EA and then it just was like oh my God this is like probably that was the match of the tournament um so you little like surprise it's not obviously I'm saying surprises a saaka as a sack and we shouldn't be too surprised but little surprises like that in a way can be probably the story of the tournament sometimes we've not had that yet obviously we'll see what happens oh you're muted John again you're muted well that's good because I'll jump in quickly um so I again I'm conscious I sometimes bring this back to football but I think it's sometimes a good way to describe it actually Calvin beton actually spoke about this in a podcast not not too long ago about um if you're talking about the FA Cup the fa Cup's great when like you know if you've got a a small team knocking out one of the big dogs like man united which you know can happen quite often um but um when you get to like the semi-final and the final if that small team who is like all the St everybody loves the fact that the small team knocked out the the Giant when they get to the final it it makes the it devalues the final because they're obviously going to be playing another Premier League team who are who are going to go nine times out of 10 and actually win that final and and it actually ruins the tournament and I thought that was quite an interesting take because you're talking about you know you don't want all the seeds to go through you you don't want jovic just to be playing you know people from 30 downwards but um when was the last time I me when was the last grand slam you had where the quarterfinals was was the one to eight seeds and the men's or the woms I mean I can't oh almost never but it doesn't have to be just one doesn't have to be just one to8 though Tom it can also be you know you might have one to8 season at the frch open but Daniel m is amongst those those eight if you like you don't sort of you you sort of want Cy pass to sort of be there so isn't going to be the you know even the top four as well maybe on a hardcore it's a bit more even that that you know you the top seated players probably are the the sort of top ones on the on the the hardcore but you know we can think of we can think of finals before the final I mean Koko go this year against EIG F Arena saena sorry the final before the final in maybe in Australia at the semi-final stage um the final before the final if if s is playing alcaras for example another tournament and then there's a you know Kevin Anderson RAF and AAL Final in in in in New York perhaps or or perhaps the the final who remembers the 2018 wimon final who was it I know who it was I know who it was yeah who was it that's annoying Novak and Kevin again Novak and K all about the semifinal with RAF and no of course oh not the uh like what was it epic between that one in it in its in individual entity yeah but in terms of winning the tournament um 1540 Raa has a gets passed by Novak the net and uh yeah there we go I mean with every slam that that Novak adds that probably doesn't it becomes less relevant but there we go um Jack I know You' got a slide off anyway so I appreciate your time today and we'll speak to each other soon yeah good to see you John and Tom sorry I didn't get to stay to talk to you sorry I want a tennis lesson off you sometime soon because I've taken up the sport again and really yeah I play it Bears then play be do yeah yeah yeah so do you live near be's then 10 minutes away do you well if you if you can make your way over to new's park I'm happy to give you a lesson yes I'll keep you to that promise Jack F right Tom bye lers take see you lat guys uh okay I'm I can stay for about half an hour Tom if you're still here in half an hour and you and you can keep going for say another 20 minutes or so uh that's great and then I'll go until about 9:00 I'm that's great exactly yeah 9:00ish there'll probably be a match that's about to end and then and then that can sort of be a nice one that may even be this bus of Sam son of match on my screen I have stonch against shibahara I'm at the mercy of the bar that I mean unsurprisingly showing Ash well let me ask you let me ask you is that I mean you don't often find bars and you know European cities where they're showing the tennis so let me ask you is that because you know the challengers is in town no it's because uh for a couple of things first of all it's a sports bar but you're right not always guaranteed secondly it's a Thursday night and it's not quite Europa League time thirdly I was here yesterday and I asked if I could have like the tennis on one of the screens and they were obliging so I thought okay well that's good so that meant I knew I'd be safe for today if you like um so yeah just again I've been I've doing a bit of listening and you know they're talking about Cincinnati just been and you know talking about it being a proper tennis place like you know a proper tennis City or and U and person who was listening to was saying like you know they were in bars after the the event and they were going to the hotel bars and the whole hotel bar was full of people watching the tennis and I just thought that was interesting because you know sometimes you think about you know why is tennis like like secondary to like you know football in this country or in the UK and it's just you like you can't you couldn't imagine going down to the pub with your p and say let's go down and watch the tennis do you know what I mean so yeah I do Tom but do you not also think it's not quite got the yeah like a wion final sh and by the way if you're in and around Wimbledon that the bars will have plenty of tennis on but it doesn't quite have the same them versus US team tribalism football match have and therefore doesn't quite attract H going much let me ask you and I know this has been discussed with you actually on on this channel before but tennis with commentary or without commentary what do you stand I quite like it without or I'm certainly okay with it without because this is I know a lot of tennis commentators get criticized and sometimes rightfully so I actually think sometimes unfairly so that that sometimes people just don't like individuals who commentate on tennis and they just got that got their beef with them okay fine um but I actually go for without just because actually they don't probably offer me a lot and in fact if I have them down and I can hear the coach talking now more than ever and I can hear the conversations with the umpires and I quite just like the the vibe of a tennis match and it gives you know you you're hearing the crowd and and all the rest of it um I and and I don't I don't find that many commentators tennis is we often think about tennis in terms of clowds and you can get a guy who's been watching dundy United his entire life and he will know a million times more than uh than your casual Observer or there is no casual Observer of dundy United if that makes sense but but um uh when it comes to big matches in football we expect everybody to know everything whereas in tennis that that that person by the way will will and and if you go to a Dunder United match this is what I want to come to you go to a Dunder United match I have no idea what their capacity to their Stadium but 20 30,000 people they will all know what's going on they'll know dundy United's last result they'll know their next 10 fixtures they'll know the problems with the right back they'll know the injury situation they'll know the pressure on the manager they'll know everything about everything that needs to be known about that particular match on that particular day and they'll probably know plenty about the opponents too in tennis 90% of the stadium probably don't even know how to spell the names of the two players that are playing and um it's kind of how it is it's just how it is would you say like let's just say we're talking about an ATP match or a challenger match I mean I know the Challenger tour does a lot of work on telling people well it could probably do more about telling the player stories and I think crowds and audience we buy into people's story like you know you watch the Olympics and you know you've never heard of some of these athletes you don't know what the story is but once you hear the commentator telling you you know this person was you know Fighting For Life five years ago they just come back from a cancer recovery you're immediately into going oh I hope get through this heat oh and and you look out for them in the next Heat and I wonder if tennis is missing a trick in that sense like you know looking at telling these players stories you know the Billy is it Billy Harris who you know drives about the the country in a van you know or used to anyway before he you know he started you know getting some money in from tennis he would go to every event every future event every Challenger and he would just be in the back of a van that's a story so the next time I was seing him at Wimbledon I'm thinking oh that's the guy who drives about the van do you know what I mean and I think that's it's up to tennis media and the ATP and the challenge Tour on the WTA to tell these players stories and where they've came from when when it's a top 20 player uh for example you know a regular top player in the top 20 they're not someone who's just suddenly appeared in the top 20 for the first time in their career but someone who's um you know a Cy pass or a meev or rublev or rude you know we sort of we sort of know their tennis story and that's enough that's enough and and and you know rude could have been smoking 30 cigarettes a day until a year ago or something and we that would be pretty Sensational actually but that bit aside that bit aside you know that the tennis does the talking and that's enough the challenges when you when you meet a smoker for example that's kind of like oh well that's pretty cool this is not me endorsing do you get many tennis smokers and on the CH yeah the guy who beat jovic at the Australian Open oh oh God who was it who beat him s yeah he's a smoker right okay yeah yeah so um ex was like proeski the football used to smoke what 40 a day right yeah proeski yeah angelotti by the way I think still does smoke I think um so yeah so yeah these are these stories at the when you come to the low these are the ones whether he wins loses or well obviously not draws but you know it's it's almost like I would love to speak to that guy especially by the way isin who I've not interviewed yet but I would love to interview for two reasons one because of smoker but two because that was up against jovic so that's the other thing when when a little bit lower down the rankings if you get to to come the Chanel have they had like a moment in their career you know even if it's just playing on on Center Court against jovic and they got smashed it's still it's still okay at least then if you do a one to one and it's a sit down interview for 15 minutes than a quick two-minute postmatch you can go oh you got smashed by Novak but how was it you know that's something but again if there's a story like I had with um french guy recently uh who had a serious car crash and then again you've got something so again there's a backstory that that kind of story works because then for me I'd be like I can't believe that guy was in a car crash three years ago and he's back on playing competitive tennis you know what I mean like and I'd be like looking out for his scores I mean I'll give you an example it might not just be a great backstory about you know redemption or recovery um and I forget the name of the guy he does that gladiator tribes YouTube channel um and he's a he's a he's a he's a tennis player who plays I think he plays in the Futures in the ITF tour and I just for whatever reason came in my uh my timeline on YouTube the other day and it was T professional tennis player pretends he's he's a beginner and it was a 30 minute video and this guy obiously does like um quite a lot of these things and basically he's in Barcelona actually and that's where he lives I think his name's kin or kin or something like that and basically the video is him basically he's trying to book a tennis lesson he eventually gets one most places in Barcelona tell him that he has to be a member of the club he eventually finds a club who'll let him do it without being a member so then he gets all the tennis gear and stuff and he basically says oh I can't wear my tennis shoes because they they'll look worn and you know this I meant to be never stepped in a tennis court before so he goes and gets new tennis shoes he gets the brand new Rafa racket because he's like I'm I'm trying to come across as like a rich guy who's got all this money who just wants to take up the sport of tennis anyway I'm immediately like there's the hook I'm engrossed I want to see how this guy who the the coach who thinks he's an noice and he's never picked up a tennis racket and when he starts hitting forehand and back hands I mean there's a funny part where the guys trying to teach him how to serve and he's teaching him and then he does this kick serve and the guy's like I've never seen anyone who's never played tennis play this what is going on kind of thing it's got you cuz it's like it's different so immediately I'm now looking I know I'm saying this and I can't even remember the guy's name because I didn't know I was going to be talking about this but I I only watched it today and I'm thinking I'm going to probably follow that guy's Channel I'm going to look out for his scores whenever I'm I'm browsing tennis scores and it just it gives it another Dynamic you know what I mean to to go oh that guy's put me in M he's put himself in my Consciousness by doing something a bit different do you get what I mean there's uh there's a couple of things that's bring to mind right now there's one where there's Dimitar batov uh who is like in Disguise and um I think he's on the subs bench during like a six aside match or something like that and um you know it's obviously all set up by this super big YouTube channel um guy with like over a million subscribers and stuff and it's like it's obviously all part of the gig that they then send on dero and I think the idea is for him to like mess up his first like five minutes so he he gets past the ball and misc contr controls it and of course he's wearing a mustache and a wig and all sorts of things and he's just playing dreadfully for five minutes and then eventually no one's passing him the ball and then he turns into Dimitar bov but he still keeps on the the wig and stuff and then he's doing unbelievable things and it's like wow who's this guy and then of course eventually takes the wig off and there's another one with Cristiano Ronaldo in the middle of Madrid where he's dressed up to look like a a homeless guy and and he's trying to get attention and and then eventually finally I think this is a Nik thing it might be a Nik thing I'm not sure but anyway eventually starts doing incredible tricks with a ball uh just like the best player of all time you know that Cristiano is Tom GNA say Bruno Fernandez and um yeah and anyway and then of course eventually then I think there's kids as well eventually takes his wig off and signs a load of balls and stuff and and off he goes but yeah those two things SP to mind and of course in the tennis equivalent is kind of what you just said especially regarding the berbert one is yeah this guy's first he's kick if you're looking at if you're wanting to look out for it it's called gladiators tribe um so if you're ever bored just have a quick a quick Swatch of that um onto the ENC court tennis I was just going to ask you no no boures I know that you've followed him in in places like and stuff like that I mean certainly 2024 he seems to be he's in a lot more his name's coming up a lot more in in the in you know the latter stages of tournaments I mean what's your thoughts on unes what's he changed what's he doing differently is he just matured as a player what's going on with no boures I've got a lot to say about boures in about two seconds I've got seon here with two match points uh basically as I said to the audience about half an hour ago if I'm not talking about eager it's because nothing is happening in other words she's just steamrolling her opponent and that's what she's about to do six love 51 two match points she serves out wide she's going to get a forehand which she probably put away no good defense there to be fair from her opponent but that lands out and she wins with cons e six love 61 so she is through to the third round mirid Anda is out and the reason why I mentioned that in the same moment is because that would have been a potential fourth land I believe for eaga so her path to the quarter finals looks not bad let's say that Nuno boures um no I don't think that there's been a a massive I think he's always been decent and decent sounds a bit harsh but it is kind of how I feel about Nuno in that he's not a guy with a phenomenal weapon or it's not a guy who's made a phenomenal step forward this year he had a great run in Australia where he got to the fourth round loses in four sets I think it was to Daniel Mev that was the match by the way when meev gives that great oncore interview with Jim cuier afterwards talking about his return position so by the way not all Tenn tennis commentators a lane lots are good but I still like to have the sound down maybe the sound down and then if Jim Cur is doing the on court interview afterward I like Jim cier I think Jim CER is good I I know Rob Rob kig he splits opinion sometimes but yeah he does but I don't mind him a commentator but of course he's the principal commentator if you like and then he'll lean on a an expert opinion from somewhere else but um but of course tennis comment I tell you what also I tell you what does annoy me about tennis commentators is on in Germany at least it happens from time to time that sometimes they'll talk during the point and I'm like not they don't talk Jour they'll continue Becca and whoever else is there it's still talking as the point is beginning right and that's when you got to be gotta be quiet but is that a traditional thing or is that because they're in the stadium and they think they're going to put the player off or is it just to let the viewer basically conc the point off because the players can't hear them because they booth soers just to let the viewer concentrate on the point absolutely because radio commentators talk constantly and of course they in their Booth as well but it's a lot harder as well if you're a radio compor because you just can't stop if you like um but yeah back to boures I think he's he's really really really really really good tennis player doesn't have a phenomenal weapon but he's good enough to make fourth rounds and potentially maybe even quarterfinals of slams is he going to win a grand slam I would be amazed and stunned uh is he going to take huge leaps forward without having a you know a weapon that he's can improve on or or just you know lean on probably not are we going to see him in third yeah yeah he's he's just a you know is he gonna win this year of course stands out because he wins his first title uh he gets to the fourth l in Australia and probably will at some point either this year or next reach and it may even be this week by the way reach the highest I think of Portuguese player has ever been I think um xia SAA has 28 in the world and that's the highest ranked Portuguese player ever so yeah that's why this year stands out for him uh Draper is very close to winning the first set over I'll have you okay you're interesting um so definitely keep us updated on that one and let us know your thoughts uh I see deor is struggling against vatan but maybe I should be saying that vatan is is doing phenomenally against Deon or vatan has a now that's a ceiling and a half when when vatan is on then he's on and and he's got a top 20 game but as many tennis commentators far wiser than me have said suggested it's not about your ceiling it's about your base yeah yeah good point um let me just quickly to to E I didn't know the score until you read it out at the end there six was it six love 61 six six love 61 yeah yeah okay I noticed Nick good friend Nick um who you know mentioned about players you know he didn't want to watch players burn thems out because theyve playing too many tournaments okay um and I just wondered you know first of all I don't think as far as I'm aware the tennis players have playing any more tournaments or any more events than they did in the in the '90s and the 0s like and in terms of time on Court yes maybe they spend a little bit more time in court but Thea Shon who has been the the most high profile recently to say you know or tennis players are playing too much tennis but she's just proved there she's just won a grand slam match and probably if I'm not right probably about 40 minutes so it doesn't really kind of ring through that these tennis players I think let's let's hear your opinion Tom because it sounds like you don't have I don't I don't think the tennis players are there's too much tennis for them I don't I don't think I don't think that it's fair for for eish to say the tennis players are getting burnt out there's the same amount of events there's the same amount of tces there's always been I think there's a bit more but but even putting that aside well I think I mean eish fontic does she play the 250s did she play the 500s probably not she's usually only really playing Grand Slam Tennis and Masters 1,000 so there there there was a manatory amount of events that you do have to play which I also think is kind of wrong I don't I don't quite understand why you can say you have to play this tennis event because all you do is you have players turning up and pulling out or turning what's what's the what's what happens to them if they don't play it really did they get fined I mean what's the what's the I'm not sure but or they just invent an excuse an injury or whatever but why do that why what is going on in a in a sport where you say you have to play I mean no one would do that in any other sport surely of course it's to sell tickets and all the rest of it I get that but um but what what you're going to do is you're going to get injured players turning up and and pulling out or injur players turning up and not putting in 100% it just to me it's nonsensical in any you can't have a sport that says you have to play well what about I've got this problem or or so obviously Tom you can see that I'm I'm on a slightly different side of the fence to yourself yeah I I I want to see the best players in their best form and their best health at as many tournament or as often as I can and this is not me having a you know making 250s because I love 250s I love challenges I love 17 I think there's a whole lot wrong uh in terms of on the ATP side with the challenges they've made it a lot more difficult this year to get points in challenges or made it a lot more lower lower incentive in terms of points but I think that's that's unfortunate because it means the 100 in the world are more cocooned than ever before that's why we're always talking about certain players how are they losing every week but they're still in the top 100 or still in the top 10 or whatever because the the the ATP side at least is a lot more in my opinion bias to those that have already established themselves and I think that they should off a lot more anyway so I mean if you get to the Top If you get to the top 32 in the world um you you're you're pretty much you know if you pick your if you pick your events right um you could stay there for a while do you know what I mean by points and and automatic qualifications into the into the bigger events I mean what my point is I think is tennis players tennis players I think in 2024 2023 let's say you know getting to Grand Slam finals winning events you're probably what going to be playing about what 80 tennis matches a year something like that would you say maybe a bit well if you Eon maybe 80 but but a lot of other players would be closer to 60 okay I think if you went back to the 90s though you're you're you're probably you're probably talking that the the same the players who are are getting to the the end of events I'm sure they'll have still been playing on average between 75 and 90 matches so our tennis players really playing more tennis than than the than they ever were before I just don't I don't think it rings true I think it's an easy thing to say because you hear footballers say oh we play too many games and that is true because there's so many events now but tennis I don't know if if it's just a tagline that these players are seeing I think yeah I mean as far as eish Von's concerned they've got 500s I don't think she ever plays a 250 I might be wrong in that she get 500s and in the the ATB Masters and then the four grand slams I like her to play some 250s there's a reason why she doesn't play the 250s because she's playing because I'm there's too much tennis is this is this is how I see I'm a fan I mean there's by the way there's Damian by the way that can't get enough tennis all right but we have to remember that he's a tennis brain in a jar that guy um there's a tennis match that breaks out in the street and he's out there checking out to see he's criticizing their back Hands by the way but um that that's Dam but the rest of the the the the 's the mes the Jacks everyone else that's sort of Dipping we're dipping in and dipping out and there's a reason we're dipping in and dipping out because there's so much you know I can talk to you after canon in Cincinnati and by the way you're in the probably top 10% or even top 5% of people who watching tennis throughout the rest of the year 95% of tennis fans are watching less tennis than you so but you even you are probably going I know there's time zones to consider but whatever you're still dipping in dipping out you know even if even if it's in the UK the tennis you're still dipping in dipping out so I just and and I want to see Fon plays in 250s and and she's and and Daniel me these two players I think meev is one of them I forget who the other one is on the ATP side but they haven't played a 250 for like 15 months or 18 months and the only time you see these guys I mean I know Nadal played one recently of course in in in Sweden and I know jovic after the the covid situation played one or two in the buildup towards thep finals in 20122 but there's a reason why because those are very unusual situations with those two players but I would um I want to see them play 250s and that's because in my opinion that you know having in one week two two 500s and a 250 in the same week you know having 10 1000s now I think on the on the women's side it devalues the 1 a 1,000 used to be huge it was you know you have your Indian wells in Miami and so I actually want to see a couple of 1000s less so we have four grand slams 81,000 for example I want to see 250s become elevated in importance so that you don't have eager not playing them and I want to see I don't want to turn up a tournament and a player is just playing for the appearance or for the even though they're going through an injury or or whatever I don't want to there should not be any mandatory tournament no tournament should be mandatory you you're a human being okay and you shouldn't be no matter how much your salary is or whatever you should be at Liberty to say sorry I don't want to play this event even if it's just because I don't want to that's fine you don't want to play there no problem we move on that's that's how I see it anyway no you make some you make some good points I just I just sometimes with these guys you know when they're saying oh we play too much tennis I'd be interested I mean I'll look in the WTA website after this I'd be interested to know how many matches eish actually played this year and I just I don't know if I fully agree that it's 60 odard already um it's 60 OD already right so how much more tennis has she really got in between now and the end of the year another 10 or 20 matches yeah yeah so I mean yeah I mean yeah but I'd also like you know we some of these players not not so much e but even other players it' be great if they could you know work on their game a bit and by the way I think regarding football on the same time I I think I think football there dting the product is it because it's just don't know like the World Cup I mean I know ason Wenger wants to make that every year but like the World Cup is great because it's once every four years and and it builds up to exactly um and you know I I I again I've said this before football I'm getting disillusioned by it because it's just on all the time and there's nothing to exactly and it's the same tennis yeah in my op yeah no I get it I get it I mean would you then be looking at I always get confused if it was the Saudi the Saudi deal or if it was the the tennis Australia deal but the one that had just the four grand slams and these well maybe I think and then they were going to add another 1,000 then that was going to be the only tournaments that the top 100 play was that the deal yeah I don't but I don't it's it's possible and sometimes we can forget about this when when we look at a binary situation or we presented with a binary situ I it's possible to not like either deal I I I think sa thing sucks for a million reasons and I I I certainly think the Australia one that you mentioned sucks too because I don't want to see uh you know I don't want to see uh just the top eight players all the time playing just because they're cocooned in this situation or I want it to be a nice fluid situation that if you're playing great tennis then you're in the top 40 in the world whatever and if you're playing great tennis for a week so be it and then you you come out I was talk I was actually talking to a professional player uh about this a couple of weeks ago off at least it wasn't on the record put it that way but you know he was frustrated that that his performances weren't being justified you know he's winning titles the Challenger level he's playing great he's getting to semi and finals but he's finding it oh with we backa has withdraw yeah I don't want to interrupt you but that's what netherland's telling us yeah so wow oh me J me I mean I've said my P on what I just said anyway but we're back and to withdraw my goodness okay I just say that thank you nland for for alerting us to that well good for good for Pon she's the third round but the reason why I'm going well you probably guess why I'm going de with me time right because you had her you picked her for the win no no no up end of the show I don't know no neither no no we don't we got we got P Nei there but I think if we get someone like the back and that would lose the coolness of the of the of the no just because it it just happens all the time with her back in it yeah well no I mean I uh I watched her who who did she beat in the last round again um because I watched the end of that match yeah she had say some set points on that and when she was walking the commentator on the sky um stream that I was watching said you know she's looking good so far if only she can stay healthy and I just thought that time was that isn't that such a kind of statement to make for a player that like you know you've got no reason going into this tournament why she wouldn't be able to stay stay absolutely injury free and you know less than 48 hours she's gone she's out I wonder if it's injury or if it's going to be you know this illness that that she's always carrying about um I feel sorry for the girl but you know yeah it's a tough world it's I think what is um what what is happening with with Elena and and we don't know all the the ins and outs and nor do we have a right to know but what um what is is is striking about it compared to other people that have an injury issue and miles is saying I'll be shocked no we're not and that's I hopefully I I express that in my response like oh um is is what what's happening is that she's entering tournaments and 24 hours 12 hours 35 minutes before her matches due to take place we're then getting the information that that she's withdrawn and and and and that happened I think the 35 minute example maybe in a grand slam Reon I'm not sure but um you know I remember her turning up in Indian worlds for example this year giving her pre-match press conference the next day she's obviously going to play or whatever or pre toour press conference the next day she's going to play and then just before she's about to play and then she stays in Indian Wales and practices is and then plays in Miami and gets to the finals it turns out so I I think there's that's the it's it's you know with RAF adal for example we kept waiting for the videos of all our thought us hello to everyone you know and and then you know he wants to come back and play tennis tournament but he's just you know trying and he's still injured and it's not working out with Rebecca the mystery is that that she's appearing at the tennis tournaments and then on the verge of playing a match and and and she plays like she has done this week she plays a match and then and then out and and there could be a huge backstory that none of us know about and and and and hopefully she's healthy and let me ask you that I was going to ask that John um because it was going to lead me on to my next point I was going to ask you do we have any understanding of what this this this kind of illness this fatigue do we have this sickness bug because I wonder if we're finding out the whole truth and I don't want I look I would never wish an injury or illness on anyone no friend for athlete but do we think that there's a chance and I'm just I'm just Whispering there's a chance that this illness could be hampering her career so much that there could be you know in the next 12 months 18 months a retirement here like and I don't want to be like dramatic but I just I don't know how she I mean there's no longer a big three in women's teners there was for about six months you know the the three of them but I don't think that's that's apt anymore and I just wonder can you see in the future that that you know a a an announcement on Twitter one day saying Elena Rach has has decided to retire for tenis because I I can see that being a a possibility yeah I mean I have no idea if this is you know mental at all uh and and again I think the thing is the reason why you and I are talking about it in this way is because it's not like oh the persistent shoulder injury is back again you know and you know with with with Nadal although there was some mystery we sort of had some ideas of of where it was a hit wasn't it with with ra and perhaps still is and other players that have had persistent injuries and we've got all you know I think about some young footballers for example with shins spins for example and they keeps happening you know or or other people that older players with with joints Etc um we just don't know so and and and that's fine that's ative but yeah regarding your point just yeah nothing would surprise me nothing her with in terms of the immediate future her withdrawing as as miles says are we shocked no her winning the US open you know is is also a distinct possibility yeah but you know and it's normally one or the other um but yeah I don't know what else to add and if she retires then that happens so be I I hadn't thought about the retirement thing but but again maybe maybe there's a there's some chronic injury that we just don't know about and she doesn't want to reveal yeah I suppose my question was would you be shocked if in the next 18 months you were to see that announcement that uh Elena the backing out was to retire when you put it like that no it doesn't it doesn't doesn't it doesn't make me fall off my chair in the same way that um that Ash B's retirement did if you're like that's sh enough um but yeah and Miles makes a point you know the watching public would you rush to see a a backa match no probably not if if you had any idea about tennis which most the watching public don't uh then yeah if you you probably wouldn't be buying a ticket for the back in a match anytime soon because the likelihood is it won't won't take place now if you want to be harsh you could say she may have known that her likelihood of finishing the tournament was was quite high and therefore maybe you know somebody else of course could have taken that place and enjo I don't know there was I mean there was reports that it was very very warm now again I don't know what this illness was but there's reports that you know it was very very warm and and was it yesterday her she finished up her her match was that Tuesday um but yeah so I don't know if there's anything linked to that that you know the heat um you know dehydration something like that we just we're just guessing I think I think temperates today much much cooler Simon campas on Twitter earlier I saw him saying that it's a lot more tennis friendly today that's for sure uh by the way Pula has had three set well she's on the second of three set points against uh Sophia Kennan in what looks like a pretty tight match my big screen did just dip into that briefly but it dipped away again and uh showing highlights it looks like of um uh Nicholson against C but uh we'll see the scoreboard take over potentially in favor of Jessica bagula winning that first set I don't know if you've got boua going did you do a bracket Tom I didn't no I was say I was actually I've never done one of the the brackets um but listen I gave up gambling because I was just so bad I would put 20 quid on every week and I would just come nowhere near winning it and I just feeled that um that that would be my my I'm not a lucky man Jo I never win I've never won a raffle lottery Lotto anything so I just thought um I'm going to put this on and uh I'm going to crash and burn so um rather than rather than lose the my pride I I tried to save a bit of face but I do you know what I'll build myself up and I'll do one in Australia for you there you go do one in Australia and then doesn't have to be any any money but yeah a lot of people saying sad to see we're back in the draw with draw Sam son who I think was down a set and a break I know she was is mounting a comeback against B in fact she's forced a third set there Pula has got over line in that first set with K Jacker he was a he was 1540 down when he was serving for that first set um managed to as you can see come through it but um I think the is a Costa I like him I know that you know he's kind of predominantly linked with the clay court because of the Argentina open win but um I still fancy I still quite like a player so I think don't quote me on it but and this is what I'm talking about my predictions but I think this one will go go a little little bit further than you know a straight set wi for for Jack well as I said earlier actually more with Jack Jack as in Jack the other Jack the real Jack yeah the real Jack um I was saying to him that the Jack Draper could do with some straight sets wins I think at slams just because I I worry about him when he has a five Setter especially back to back uh in the match that someone has to win gothan is uh up 43 in the tie break but they are on serve against man the reason I'm describing it as that is is manarino had born a chich in the first round and it was two guys as well that were ranked sort of between sort of 35 and and 100 in the world but neither of them are are really doing much in the last 12 to 24 months or maybe a bit less so in in mano's case um and and a Goan as well is is someone that yeah is just hanging around in that bubble but as I say I think that the the the points because I think they did something at the end of the last season where it basically tried to encourage players playing at the Challenger tour to come onto the main tour and and they I think they reduced the number of points on offering challenges and then yeah what you just find is that that players like Goan manarino and chich are not winning any matches but they still stay in the top 100 and even gas as well I think he's just dropped out but it took a while the age of that bracket must the average age of that bracket must be about 35 or something there you go is that you I'm talking about lots of players by the way manarino fully deserved you know his late uh Autumn of his career run but yeah I mean I always see this both in the chat but also in comments Maria sakur just stays in the top 10 somehow and yeah and uh probably I she must be about to fall out having gone out she's 12 now or something I think she's 12 is she in the live ranking okay but she was until the US Open in the top 10 but yeah him on face as well you know like yeah but he's winning matches at least yeah fair enough yeah yeah did he win was he playing Casper r or my he lost to Casper yesterday there was a oh there was a between your man Andy muray and Casper Roode there was a bit of a a lovein on Twitter today good my two favorites two handsome men because Casper said um he tweeted like there was a there was a one of these rallies posted from the US Open um Twitter account and it's an incredible rally where Casper is on the defensive and ultimately ends up winning the point and he he uh tags Andy Mari in the in his tweet by saying look I've taken the leaf out of Andy's book and whatever and then Andy then comments by saying well done congratulations thanks for taking a leaf out my book but if you keep doing that you'll have no hips at the end of the day so yeah I don't know if Cas yet to respond to that but yeah there we go yeah so Cas thr in four sets over mon e Cas chances um going quarterfinals at least yeah but that's about it yeah has is is one of the four main contenders and has you know you could put but I think it's C in the quarterfinal isn't it I think okay is that is that the okay if that ends up happening then then Z wins that um you know Casper on a clay caught and they did play of course in the semi-finals the frch open this year and last all bit with two different results um yeah but no the hard courts and the way where is right now s wins that in fact when it comes to the men side there's four players that um are Head and Shoulders above everyone else right now and they that should be the semi-final lineup we know how MV in New York you know he's got history he L Hees meev hasn't won a title in in 16 months he loves he loves he loves this us I know but he lost back-to-back matches in Canada and Cincinnati Hey listen yeah he might make the semis but he might make the semis but he's not winning the title he's just he's just not but we all said that we said after the Cincinnati final last year at 2023 we said jovic and alarz are so far ahead of all the rest of the field this is a done deal won the US and who won the US Open yes I know but my point is this okay so I sort of revised it as a mid-sentence just now okay Mev could make the semi-finals um but he's not winning the title and so alcaraz and and jovic they were still far ahead of the pack even though you know that happened between meev and um alos that was an outlier for that for that you know rivalry between meev and alos they'll play each other 30 times come the end of their careers 25 um so yeah the Hedgehog by the way thanks to for joining us do hit the like button and subscribe if you haven't already talking about allergies I guess that's in reference to re um to reak and not in reference to meev and winning this title or or beating alcaraz um in the match that someone has to win Gan and manarin are just exchanging points right now and 67 in the tie break Jack Draper by the way yeah I know I soon as I said that I looked this is what I'm talking about Jo whenever I say straight set stri straight set strier incoming yeah this will be good in fact is he not it's alarz next is it or fourth now would it be oh really yeah I'm sure I'm sure they're in the same the same bracket um I've got the the women's bracket up just I'm sharing on the screen right now because I think this is a really interesting section of the draw I'm sh I'm gonna get the men's braet up before I have to leave you open you you and I if we both have to leave at 9:00 then we can probably uh bring this stream to an end at 9: okay okay that sounds good to me yeah it does yeah US own website that's a good way of looking at a bracket uh on the draw Sin sizzles in Easy win over Mickelson is what it says on the on the US open web page if I was mikkelson and I saw that c sizzles yeah fine easy win over me if that said c sizzles and easy win over silk I don't know if I'd like to see easy win no matter what the score line was if that said easy win over me and I had the same result I'll go hang on a second I vote yanx s twice in the first set and I forced him it was a 6'4 but it was a close first set so drop the easy uh is what I would say do you know I found interesting Jo and you know you're you're a far more experienced tennis follow than I um Yan Cent now I know he's not a defending champion at the US Open but he's world number one and I just find it interesting that they introduce him to a half empty court on the first day and I wondered if this was you know purposely done to you know in case there was going be some sort of backlash from you know tennis fans in terms of the the drug I don't know I just find it interesting you know world number one comes out to play in the US Open and it's like 11 o'clock in the afternoon New York time literally looked around the stadium and there was like 10 people in it and I'm just wondering that's nothing to do with um as far as I'm it's nothing to do with uh you know any backlash with the Y and that that may or may not occur but um I just thought it was interesting he's one of number one he's playing an American you have watched hundreds of tennis matches at Ron gas in particular but but Wimbledon too definitely I remember being at Wimbledon quarter final uh Taylor Fritz Rafa adal 2022 incredible five match and all sorts of drama going on Rafa adal you know one of if not the most famous tennis player of all time for many reasons uh and yet even in the fifth set there was probably half the stadium empty I remember seeing this bunch of seats in front of me and and and a bunch of people arrived and they left again and I even asked them as they were leaving I was like what are you leaving oh we're from Evan you know the water and spons and stuff and you know they're just there to whatever and and when it comes to these Grand Slam matches and and none more so than the first one of the day or or one of the early ones in fact of course today was the first one with with yanic the stadiums are often 10 20% full uh maybe it was slightly less today with Yanik but if you said to me by the way John did you see the yanex in match earlier and I said no or yes and I said no and you said oh by the way the stadium was almost empty like yeah welcome to Grand I suppose I suppose you're right it's just like I just wondered maybe I'm getting or $300 for a ticket you know and sure C alarz quarterfinal but by the way they bring those prices down at the last minute but by which most of the average New York public are going you know what I'm I'm looking and but they bring the prices down and that's something that I 120 you $ 1220 Australian dollars for the week pass the week ground pass at the Australian Open 120 but but I can also tell you this I paid about $50 for women's quar this is New York women's quarterfinals about $50 for two women's quarterfinals I had um uh Pisa I think saena and I can't remember what the second quarterfinal was by the day ticket $50 two you know quarterfinals on the women's side I was like wow this is not no it wasn't women it was it was it was s um sorry it was sabalenka um P followed by TFO against Ruff and I had those two matches for $50 and the reason why I bought it on the day of the match I bought on the day of the match so you just you do your your chance you just take your chance whatever's going to be in well to be honest with you if you're traveling halfway across the world or even a bit less but you know a five or six hour flight as it would be from Europe sure you you probably want the guarantee and and if you're buying a ticket for the final you definitely want to do it Advanced I was there for four or five days and I already had a couple of tickets anyway uh maybe had my semi Farms or whatever but I also had the experience of having been before knowing I could get tickets quite reasonably and I thought I'll just buy them I bought the women's final ticket also on the day with um Jaber against um Sante $100 I think it was it wasn't it might be it was either 100 or 200 but it wasn't nuts but a lot of people are traveling further away or even if they're not they're going on there two days before going I'm not paying $300 and I goes into the into the memory yeah um but yeah di is just double faulted to and he's a double breakdown uh on on Draper so it looks like Draper's wrapped up that second set um and uh I've got a bit of egg on my face in terms of me liking Diaz a Costa so we'll see what happens we see what happens to me a Costa is all about the CL I know I think he can hit a ball he can hit a ball I know that's that's very can you hit can you hit a ball do you know I was hitting the ball decent on Friday night yeah but was it Landing in yeah it was just about some of them um but yeah no um I'm enjoying it I'm enjoying playing the getting getting out there um it's good it's good nothing against cabal but I'm enjoying seeing zuu Berg's up a set or beit he's down a break in the second uh what was the section of the draw that oh was Jack Draper's section wasn't it I think it's Al oh yeah yeah yeah I'm bringing up right now yes so um Dre prop is setting a break there and and and and by the way whoever wins that match I he's playing Carlos alaras there is not I don't know what could possibly be a bigger shock than and this is another one love I love b v anel he's not maybe the biggest character on tour blah blah blah but I've come across him a couple of times he's super nice super giving with his time nice guy btic blah blah blah but one you're not beating Carlos Al and two again it comes back to this point that you can lose 100 matches and still stay in the top 100 somehow yeah yeah and uh and I don't like this cocoon thing that was as I say so something something needs to change I'll tell you what fair by the way who this this guy was at the Challenger level who was who was just having lunch recently and and said you he even said you might have a challenger player I nearly gave a bit more of a clue away but I'm not going to say anymore but he he he comes up to me me and says um do you mind if I sit and have lunch down here you yeah sure sure you've just won a tennis match you're more than welcome to to the fans you must have been like that you must have been rubbing your hands going here we go well yeah but I but I I also wanted to make sure that it was a sort of a relaxed you know I don't want to make him think that he's in the press conference but we were just in as well I I I wanted him to just just enjoy the and that's you didn't go the microphone no no no but I you know I was like yeah tell us what you think and and uh and he said yeah it's annoying that you can can do that well and still this top 100 are as safe guard as they are but yeah anyway back to this section draw and there's Goan and manarino in there uh and so Mah hat is probably there lying in weight for me I can't I think mahat beats manarino or golf fan yeah and then it's uh ala ala has his draw I mean drap drap is a a challenge Draper's a challenge I think on a quicker call on a quicker Court Draper would pose a bigger challenge if it was Wimbledon or or or fast hard like Miami or something like that I mean I know New York is apparently quicker than it's ever been but it's still it's still not as fast as Cincinnati I think I don't know I think I've just I've got to I mean listen it wouldn't be the biggest shock in the world should dra I know there's a lot of w should have could to get there but um of now there's a question um I was actually playing the other day thinking I was like I need to be good by the time I play John John Sil some somewhere because I'll never hear the end of it if I if I if I get SC it six love six love never hear the end of it is basically what happens when England or Manchester United lose Tom you listen death taxes and Manchester United losing consequently Tom posting in the live chat or in our sorry in our WhatsApp group those are those are pretty much guarantee well listen you'll be getting it in Sunday if if Liverpool oh god oh yeah suay yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah um well before we wrap up and on that bomshell um I was going to ask you about we were just talking about Med but what did I get your thoughts on mishan do you think he's got a good chance against Dani M again he's another one that you could probably say he's a clay player but on Clay maran's the fite in that match for sure um we are daman's going to be covering that on the channel and when when Damien said wasn't because I said to Daman I said oh um maybe you want to be up for some of the early matches because he has a task to do uh in terms of media notes around about this time when the when the next day's play comes out um and so I said oh probably therefore like it was yesterday he did some of the earlier matches and he said the early matches suck uh I want to do uh the 1: a match or or midnight matches as they are in the UK I want to do the 1 a. matches because it's m against osaku I think yeah and at the same time is Maran against meev and uh yeah that's that's got Damian all over especially from the mishan side yeah he loves mishan doesn't he yeah yeah yeah well well you say that got love he's got a love hate relationship with him he but he would deny he denies it when you say it about anyone even though for for about three weeks he was just all over bartini earlier on that he had this year a couple of weeks he's as like oh what's going on between you and Mato so anyway but um he has his phases so but yeah um on a hard cour no maybe four sets you've just been seeing you've just literally been seeing I know I know and I knew as soon as I said that as soon as I said on a hard cour no I thought here we go Tom's gonna come back about in the match that someone's got a win man Arena won the first set 108 on a tie break I can see this being five tie breaks and the fifth one being like 40 38 just cuz yeah because they can't win a tennis match yeah well listen let's finish it there I've thoroughly enjoyed that hour John um and uh I'll definitely do it again soon over the weekend or something um I'm pretty cam for the next couple of weeks so yeah just just drop us a message but anyone who's listened or watching again thanks for for giving me your team miles miles is loving that match someone has to win yeah it does he loov it I I'll end the stream Tom but thanks very much cool guys thanks very much see you later bye if you enjoyed this video make sure you hit that like button don't forget to subscribe and click that notification Bell so you don't miss out on all things tennis [Music] m a [Music] [Music] [Music] n [Music] I [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] he he [Music] [Music] do [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] n [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] n [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] n [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Applause] n [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] n [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] n [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] it [Music] [Music] n [Music] [Music] [Music] 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