THE FRENCH OPEN DRAW BREAKDOWN with Jon Wertheim

Andy Roddick and Jon Wertheim bring you a full breakdown of the Roland Garros draw. Feel the anticipation as they analyze the electric terrain of the French Open, from Rafael Nadal's path to glory to a potential clash between the top women on tour. Who will end up as Champion? Andy and Jon pick all the winners.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

All right, welcome to Served the Roland Garros preview special. We got our guy John Wertheim with us, so this will be a little bit different. Our normal Tuesday release. Everyone's kind of expecting a Roland Garros preview and I said very quickly in that one that anyone who does a preview and has an opinion about who's going to make semis or win before a draw comes out especially on the men's side this year, is grandstanding or completely full of shit because we don't know. And, by the way, just for context, I have not seen the draw yet. It has been out for a couple of hours. I have been kind of dodging my own phone. Social Sophie and Sean were getting a little overzealous with a group text. I had to dodge that out of my eyesight so I wouldn't see it. I have not seen it. So you are going to view and listen.

Speaker 1: 0:59

My first look at the Roland Garros draw. I suspect I was playing my morning dingles game and at the end the guys I'm playing with I told them I do not say anything out loud, I can't know what the draws are and I saw a lot of them looking at their phones and they go like okay, so I know something fucking happened. I know something happened, and also producer Mike. All I want to do and I'm going to close my eyes as I show this to you I have this. I don't know if you can see that. This is the men's draw that I have not looked. It's laying face down in front of me and then I have the women's draw. All I want to do is turn this men's draw over and look at it because, like everyone on earth, I want to know where Rafa is in the draw, and Mike won't. Fucking let me look at the men's draw first. He says we have to do the women's first. For what reason?

Speaker 2: 1:56

Uh, you know, audience retention audience retention.

Speaker 1: 1:59

So the audience knows. I don't know Bearing the lead guys.

Speaker 2: 2:03

Yeah, yeah, you're, you're, you're the drama of you revealing.

Speaker 1: 2:07

it is what the angst of me not knowing is going to drive people away, I think I. I just so we'll do a vote and I'll I'll. I'll defer to whatever the vote is. We'll do a, we'll do the there's chapter markers in the episodes.

Speaker 2: 2:22

They can just skip it. So.

Speaker 1: 2:25

John, mike and me are going to vote on this. Actually, fuck it, we'll do. Sophie and Sean get a vote. We have five votes. Majority rules. I want to look at the men's draw right now. That's what I want, because I am a tennis fan. John, what's your vote?

Speaker 3: 2:44

I'm with you. I think we got to we can't bury the lead guys, we only need one more, sophie.

Speaker 2: 2:52

I can save it. Save it from social. All right, sean, we need a new social director, sean.

Speaker 1: 2:57

Remember who you work for, sean, but remember who he works for.

Speaker 2: 3:01

Just so we're clear. This can go one of two ways.

Speaker 1: 3:04

I will hire you back, sean, all right, all right.

Speaker 2: 3:08

Sean, go Speak up. We're saving it Saving it.

Speaker 1: 3:12

You guys are all fucked.

Speaker 2: 3:15

They're all about the drama.

Speaker 1: 3:15

You guys are fucking losers Social.

Speaker 2: 3:17

Sophie knows what's up.

Speaker 1: 3:18

Social. Sophie needs to get on LinkedIn.

Speaker 2: 3:22

T2's going to be very happy about this.

Speaker 1: 3:25

All right. So I'm flipping. Listen, I'm excited. I think women's tennis has carried the last month of tennis earth. The Sabalenka Svantec. Now I say you can't look at the men's draw and decide a winner, but you have to look at it to decide a winner and I don't know who I think is going to win the men's draw. We're going to find out in real time just based on the matchups that I fill out the women's draw. I feel like I can work backwards from Shvantec, no matter. It could be the worst draw for her in the history of draws and I still like her, but let's see if I'm right. So I'm flipping Sh. Second round potentially. Oh, coming out hot. Oh, how good is that? All right. So I like Sviatek. I hope I like Osaka. That is popcorn. That is about as good as it gets for a second round matchup on that side of the draw. All right, so I'm going Buzos Manera. We don't know the qualifiers, the lucky losers yet, but I'm going to go qualifier there just based on momentum.

Speaker 3: 4:31

Wait wait back up. Wait back up a sec. You, you think you think Osaka, you're penciling her through, you think that's you think that's a done deal.

Speaker 1: 4:39

No, I don think it's a done deal. I'm willing it through. Okay, I'm willing it through, it has to happen I think.

Speaker 3: 4:45

Tell me if I'm wrong. These are the two players in the women's draw with the most majors. These are two four-time major winners and they're playing in round two. Oh, I'm not, yeah yeah, it's absurd.

Speaker 1: 4:55

I mean this is like the uber, like you can't pick a better name. Candy draw. It's like when saffin's ranking had dropped, but he was was still Safin. He always played someone second round and it was always exciting. So down I'm going. Qualifier over Buzas Manero. First upset special Buzkova over Kutamatova. Kutamatova has not won a lot of matches. Krachikova has not won a lot of matches, but I'm putting her through. I'm going to go. Potapova, ooh, daniel Collinsins, that's a rough neighborhood, huh that is a rough neighborhood.

Speaker 1: 5:29

So that means oh, that's that's called that. Collins loves this section. The most out of form player in the top eight is von drozova, so collins uh, apologies to dollahide, but collins is going through. Uh, trevis on at rolandos plays well. Former semifinalist Vekic Cerenko. I don't Neither's been lighting the world on fire, right? I guess I'll go. I'll go Vekic Kostiak, okay, and then we go. Siniakova, schneider, paquette. I'm going to go Schneider. What do you think so far?

Speaker 3: 6:07

Yeah, nc State, I think you're on to something. Yeah, she plays good how much of this are you doing from hard versus. Give us a little bit of context here. I mean, you see a UKR, is that hard? Or head? What are we?

Speaker 1: 6:19

No that, yeah, you seem to value recent form what's, what's the?

Speaker 3: 6:22

what's the?

Speaker 1: 6:22

process, I think recent form moment um, match up, um. You know that that those things will all factor in, you know. So it's kind of a mixture, but I'm not going to pick with my heart if I I really don't believe it. If it's a popcorn, then I'll probably go hard. Uh, crunage, qualifier, protected ranking I, someone coming off of a protected I'll. I'll pretty much always go with the person who's won three matches. So qualifier or lucky loser Von Drozova. Gosh Been a rough year. I don't know enough about Massarova, but I'll give Von the benefit of the doubt. I think I like her to the third round. I mean, I have this Schneider. Okay, first, first upset special.

Speaker 3: 7:07

I'm going schneider to the fourth round you're a sucker for a bandana, admit it, I do like.

Speaker 1: 7:13

I do like a bandana, but then this is, this is, this is all collins. All the time collins is gonna make the quarters, um, and I would have said that even if she hadn't come on the podcast. All right. So, collins, I like in the fourth round I'll do the top section again Shviatek over Osaka. I like Buzkova over unknown qualifier. I like Kruchikova to get to the fourth round to play Shviatek up top. All right, does that all make sense? Jw.

Speaker 3: 7:47

Yeah, I don't necessarily agree with all of it, but I think that makes sense.

Speaker 1: 7:51

Tell me what I'm missing.

Speaker 3: 7:52

No, you're right. You're right. I think that's good. I mean, I'm not sure Osaka wins that first match. I think sort of the fundamental foundational question of this whole draw is Iga versus the field.

Speaker 1: 8:02

We can get to that later, but yeah, I think I take Iga versus Well, maybe not the field, but I take her in any given matchup head-to-head. She might lose along the way, but so far I have Iga Krachikova, fourth round. Collins Schneider, first round. I have her getting through to the round of 16, which I'm guessing you won't find a lot of agreement on that. You won't find a lot of agreement on that, but here we are. It doesn't matter because, yeah, I think Iga's rolling. It's going to be a what is it? Iga Collins quarterfinal, which is the worst possible quarterfinal that Iga could have had in the draw, I think.

Speaker 3: 8:37

Except Dostapenko, whom she's never beaten. But no, I mean, look at this, the first eight lines of this event are the last four champions. We don't often have that, do we?

Speaker 1: 8:45

Oh, that's interesting, I didn't even know that. Look at this, this is, this is. Look at this value add, this guy, this, this, this fucking Wertheim guy. Keep, keep going with the picks. All right, we got it.

Speaker 1: 8:56

Coco unknown qualifier. I like Coco. Protected ranking versus qualifier. Again, I'm going to put credit to three matches won this week.

Speaker 1: 9:09

Used to the surroundings, someone coming off, a lot of people will use their protecteds to come back, obviously because they want to play in the most prestigious events and the most prestigious events happen to pay the most money. So if you're going to burn a protected ranking, get 80 grand for it, even if you're not prepared. It's worth more than winning a small tour event a lot of the time. So those protecteds are a little bit of a bluff sometimes, not saying they always are, but that's kind of where my head's at. We'll go Wang Yastremska Yastremska Tomjanovic Tomjanovic has not been playing, so I'm going to go Yastremska. All right, I like Coco and Jastrzemska.

Speaker 1: 9:52

Through to the third round Samsonova Lynette Ooh, that's close to an upset. Special Samsonova hasn't been streaky. I'll go with Samsonova just because it's on her racket, but I don't feel great about it. I'll go Inosimova Simsonova third round. It's amazing how. I'm not sure if she's going to get through the first round and now I have her in the third round. It's a bonus. Hadadmaya, help me with qualifier versus Buksa. I'm going to go with whatever John Wertheim says here. Yeah, but Spaniard. Spaniard that only has one last name is not as good as Spaniard who had three last names Sanchez, Vicario, what a taken Haddad.

Speaker 3: 10:44

Brazilian Multiple name. Brazilian semifinalist last year.

Speaker 1: 10:47

Yeah, she's going, like her I do, and it's gonna be. That's gonna be a tough one for coco, I'm telling you, but I'm not gonna pick against her, but we'll get there when we can coco, okay. Ostapenko, next section. What are we looking at? Ostapenko? Caroline garcia, leila fernandez, on your board. This is opportunity knocking for someone that's that's uh.

Speaker 3: 11:07

It looks like former champion too, this. This looks like ostapenko country to me, yeah um tauson maria let's go on sub 500 for the year and yeah kenan, kenan's going caro versus qualifier.

Speaker 1: 11:23

There's a weird thing about like playing in your home Big event on your worst surface is like this weird pressure set. I really, really, really want to know who Garcia is playing first round. We will not know that until qualifying is done. Um, I will put her in now. Uh, which is weird, because I think she beats Kennan if she wins her first round, but I don't know if she's. I want to see who that qualifier is that plays Garcia first round. If she gets past that, I like her third round. I like Penko. Asta Penko, fourth round. Leila Fernandez I'll go her first round. She would have been in the upset special situation. Ji Wang I'm going with Wang in the third round. Ooh, kalina.

Speaker 3: 12:11

Is this it? That's a good first round match right there.

Speaker 1: 12:14

That is, I'm going to go Kalina, I'm going to go Ons, kalina and Ons. What's your call there?

Speaker 3: 12:26

I'm not sure it's been a rough outing for Anz so far in 2024. Maybe she gets to the third round, that's a tough one. Yeah, on respect for someone who's made three major finals in the last two years, put her in the third round, but I don't put her much beyond that. I'm putting her in the fourth round.

Speaker 1: 12:44

Okay, I'm going to put her in the third round, but I don't put her much beyond that. I'm putting her in the fourth round Okay.

Speaker 1: 12:46

I'm going to put her in the fourth round. All right, to beat Ostapenko. I'm putting her in the fourth round to play Ostapenko, okay, good. And weirdly, if she gets that far, a lot can change over a week. That's one of the things also that we're looking for in this draw is someone playing their way, like you play these masters. One thousands ons is playing someone who's, you know, most likely top 40 in the world, right, straight, straight away. Whereas I love, I love Sasha Vickery, uh, well-deserved wildcard there, but she's going to be able to hit balls, it's. She's not going to be under. You know, pressure of pressure from weight of shot, from the word go. That is a big thing with majors. It sounds counterintuitive, but it is easier to play your way in if you're searching for form at a major than it is, especially on the women's side, because it's not an extended format, it's the same format.

Speaker 3: 13:43

John, that's a great point. No, that's a great point. No, that's a great stuff.

Speaker 1: 13:46

That's a great point because you're not necessarily getting a top 50 opponent and you get a day off, all right, so I'm on the first line of the bottom half. Otherwise, what do you call it, mike? The fifth section.

Speaker 2: 14:00

Section five, even though we literally call it, even though we literally call it, even though you literally call it Okay, zhang Corneille.

Speaker 1: 14:11

That's a Corneille's last tournament. She can get a little fiery, she can get the crowd into it. If Zhang had not played well in Rome which I think she played very well, lost to Coco If she was still kind of searching for four, because I think post-Australia she was four and four until Rome had she not played well in Rome, I would have said this is going to be a weird one, like Cornet can. She hasn't shied away from like big moments. She's beaten Serena in majors. She's like she likes these weird things. I'm going to go Zhang for the send-off. She's going to end Cornet Oof.

Speaker 3: 14:45

That's a tough one, though I'm going to go Corpash 69 straight majors. Can we pause to appreciate that? Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 14:56

It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday. John Hashtag boys to men.

Speaker 3: 15:18

I'm grinding on this Blinkova-Kristaya match. Oh, remember Blinkova in Australia. I know Kristaya, the 28th seed, yeahea the 28th seed, she played.

Speaker 1: 15:26

Yeah, she's the 28th seed. She played well last week. She got blown out by someone but she won like two or three matches. I'm going upset special. I'm going Blink of a, blink of a to the third round. Blink of a Zhang, I'm going Zhang. Fourth round. Colin Skaia Burrell. Ooh, colin Skaia's played well just not recently, andreescu. Okay so, andreescu, she's not beating Cerebus.

Speaker 3: 15:55

Tormo.

Speaker 1: 15:58

Look at that match though. I'm shocked she's playing already. This is her first match. I mean Cerebus Tormo is beating Andreescu. I think I'm going to go Burrell in upset special. I'm going Cerebe's third round and then we're going Dodang. I mean this is like a heart. I'm going to go American Day. I don't know that. I believe that, but Paolini protected ranking Paolini. So this is a good example of what I'm saying about playing your way into a tournament. So we have this Paolini-Cerebus-Tormo match, whereas if they played first round, I'm taking Cerebus-Tormo, because Paolini actually hasn't played that great on clay, going in. A lot of her momentum kind of stopped when the hard court stopped outside of doubles, which she's played well, but the match will be on her racket. She can create speed. I'm going to go Cerebis anyways.

Speaker 3: 16:53

Really All right yeah. I am Good upset pick, all right.

Speaker 1: 16:56

Yeah, I don't know if it's you got me thinking about that. I'm going to put a question mark. Ooh, look at that one. This is put a question mark. Um, oh, look at that one. This is, uh, two former top five players. Look at this. Svitolina plushkova uh, svitolina, um, I'm there. Is like a. There's a recency form bias, like you know. Unfortunately, what you do in 2019 doesn't really matter when it's 2024. Plushkov has had a rough go this year. I'm going. Perry, do you know anything about Jacques Wommel, the wild card?

Speaker 3: 17:32

I don't know. This is not her first wild card. Bogdan's sort of a nice serviceable player who I don't think has ever made it past the third round of a major. What about the wild card? I feel like we're short-changing the French fans here. Don't you a toss-up match? Don't you give it to the locals that has no bearing on my picks.

Speaker 1: 17:50

The French fans and what they think of us, john. Well, fun one, no one's listening. Two, what they think of me just doesn't. That doesn't do anything to me. Okay, I'm going Pav to the third round. Former finalist Svitolina's going to the fourth round. Okay, elise Mertens, just pro, take her. Mladenovic is no, that's Mardic. She hasn't played in a minute, that's Okay.

Speaker 1: 18:23

Roos Kerber, kerber Rabakina that that's gonna be a tough one, this, the kerber rabakina match. Kerber played well in rome and it's gonna be like this weird nervy thing and we forget that rabakina hasn't played for three weeks because she didn't play rome. Um, I'm not gonna, I'm obviously not gonna pick against her. Um, rabakina's got a tough little draw, though I'm just telling you, like Kerber's second round. I guess Merton's is like there's enough trickiness to, you know, give her a little bit of a problem, I'm going to go. So I have Rabakina Svitolina. Fourth round. Sakari Sheva Pera. I'm going to go. Sakari, sheva Pera. I'm going to go Sakari. I'm going to go American. Just because I'm going to put Sakari in against either one, sakari in the third round, begu versus Qualifier. That's like impossible. Begu, I know, has at least been playing the last couple weeks. I'm going Qualifier early Qualifier call. Neskova can crank, she's the one who beat. I'm going. I'm going to qualify her early qualifier call. Uh, neskova can crank, she's the one who beat um yeah, who beat?

Speaker 3: 19:29

who beat EG at the last major?

Speaker 1: 19:31

Yeah, ozzy open. And who who's taking? Who played her tough again? Um, yeah, she's played her three times this year already. Seated this time Uh yeah, azarenka, az.

Speaker 3: 19:43

Uh, andrew, azarenka and Drava second yeah, mira, and Drava Mira, she's 38 in the world. That's a good one. Do you do you? Are there three dozen better players right now than Mira and Drava. That ranking seems.

Speaker 1: 19:57

No, because we're like the. The entire landscape of women's tennis change shifts after Wimbledon. A lot of players who played well there last year have not played well. No-transcript, it's a 52-week ranking. So right now it's 52 weeks, from last year, just before the French Open, to this year, just before the French Open, and that's what dictates your ranking. I think if someone was to put a heat map out and you put a lot of value like a separate metric going in, if people wanted to predict matches, it would be like a heat map of the last three months in momentum and you could almost like weight it based on form. But that's going to shift. A lot of these rankings are almost bluff rankings based on this year and they've kind of stockpiled points from last year. I'm going, it's Azarenkaka, azarenka. I'm going, azarenka. I'm going. Peyton stearns oh okay, I'm going peyton stearns, not to the third round. Second round uh, kazakina, I don't, I don't. Kazakina is so tough. Um, god, dude, azarenka has got a rough draw.

Speaker 3: 21:03

By the way, yeah, can we uh, can we stop on kazakina for a second?

Speaker 1: 21:06

Oh God, dude Azarenka's got a rough draw by the way, yep, she had a rough one. Can we stop on Kazakina for a second? Yes, yes, yeah, you just did a.

Speaker 3: 21:11

CBS Sunday Morning. Check it out. Kazakina is the most courageous player in tennis, I would submit, and we should all be rooting for her, and she's a top 10 seed. So both a contender and someone, uh, who's really heroic in the way she's living her life these days. Yeah, that's a plug.

Speaker 1: 21:30

Yeah, I, I and please, um, you, you should be plugging that. Um, it's easy to say and do the right thing when it's convenient for you. Um, I think courage uh is living, doing, saying things that make your life more difficult because you believe uh in the premise of it. Um, and I think Kazatkin uh walks the walk uh as well as as as talking the talk, and so Bravo, I can't wait to watch uh that John, when, when, when can we see it again?

Speaker 3: 21:59

Please plug it again it should be Sunday morning on CBS Sunday morning and uh, yeah, this was one of those. Sometimes you do pieces because you sort of have to and somebody's winning, and sometimes you do them because you want to, and this is a story. Uh, tennis fans in particular ought to know I appreciate after that build up.

Speaker 1: 22:19

Um, I was torn on the kazakhina azarenka match. I'm going kazakhina, uh, sakari, I'm going kazakh. We won Sakuri. I'm going Kazakina. We won't get to. I'm going to break down the fourth round but I'm going to do, I think, kazakina to the quarter, sakuri, kazakina in the fourth round, all right.

Speaker 1: 22:32

Madison Keys I like Madison Keys a lot right now. I think, outside of maybe the big four plus Collins, I think those are like a group plus Collins. I think those are like a group. Um, ega is our own group and then, but I think keys is that first one outside of those five. Um, coming into the tournament. Now, I haven't seen her draw yet. Uh, sharif played well last week. I'll go Sharif, keys Sharif, I'm going to go keys. Uh, she went low.

Speaker 1: 22:59

We don't know who the cute qualifiers are, so we'll just do. Uh, I'm going Navarro. Even though she hasn't played well on clay, I'm going her to the third round. Um, I don't know who the qualifiers are, these two qualifiers in this section, in navarro section? Um, they should be excited. Uh, I think there's a lack of form with the rest of that, that, uh, that part of the draw. So curious to see who those qualifiers are. Um, I love emma navarro. Davenport will be pissed at me if I don't put her in the third round. So there's that. So she's automatically walking, but now Lindsay can't actually get mad at you.

Speaker 3: 23:34

She's rhyming, rhyming and stealing into the third round. Emma Navarro yeah, she's going to wrap her way to the third round, 22nd seed Damn.

Speaker 1: 23:39

All right, she's great. I mean she's been winning Clay also put a speed bump a little bit into her year. But now I would love to call Lindsay right now and be like, put her on the spot. Madison Keyes and Emma Navarro who do you like? Lindsay Keyes is going through to the fourth round. Katie Bolter, paula Bedosa.

Speaker 3: 24:04

Upset, special, upset, special yep Screams it Off of.

Speaker 1: 24:07

Rome Screams it. Bedosa won three matches in a row. She played well, took Coco to a third set. Ooh, ooh.

Speaker 3: 24:16

You got to say what the matches are when you do these sound effects. Sorry, sorry, I know, I know, I know, I know.

Speaker 1: 24:21

Sorry, so I put Bedosa through U. I know, I know, I know Sorry, so I put Bedosa through. Upset special over Katie Bolter. Putin save us. Sloan Stevens, putin save us. That was one of my sleepers to where, like, if the draw opens, I think she could be just yell at people all the way to the quarters. She in a room full of people that have meltdowns. She might not lose to anyone In the Meltdown Olympics. She's a finalist against uh putin's. I hate this because I love sloan so much. Uh putin, seva, putin, save over buddhosa.

Speaker 3: 24:57

Wow wait wait, wait, sloan, uh, sloan comes to play on the clay I know all right, um, the other wrong.

Speaker 1: 25:05

other wrong thing is that I'm short-forming people's names that are long. For Azarenka I'm just putting AZ and for Putinsava I didn't even realize it. So I have Putin in the third round, so I should probably just write her full name to avoid any controversy.

Speaker 2: 25:19

It could be dangerous.

Speaker 1: 25:20

Putinsava. Putinsava is in the third round.

Speaker 2: 25:23

We'll clarify it on the graphic, don't worry thanks.

Speaker 1: 25:25

Alright, so like Sabalenka, let's just I don't even look at the draw let's just put her in the third round. Let's put her in the fourth round. Sabalenka keys match. It's gonna be a nice one, okay. So we're through. I am through to the round of 16. I have Iga Krishikova Collins, my upset round of 16er Schneider. I know that's why you do it one by one, because all of a sudden you realize what you've done. Coco Haddad, now I have a question for you. I have a question for you. So is it more fun to continue out from these matches and, like, get all the way through? Yes, it's more fun.

Speaker 3: 26:11

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 26:12

You don't want, like a redraft, to see where we're at in like a week. No, no, keep going.

Speaker 3: 26:14

No, no, redraft, Keep going.

Speaker 1: 26:16

Okay, well, fuck me then. Okay, zhang Cerebez and then Svitolina Rabakina. Okay, iga one quarterfinalist. Collins, iga Collins. Quarterfinal Coco Panko Ons. God, this is going to be a tough one for Coco. I'm not going to pick against her. Coco, coco Panko Ostapanko. Quarter Zhang no, sorry, zhang. Cerebus Tormo. Did I forget one? What am I missing? Oh, we're blocking it. Sorry. Okay, we're good. Okay, so I have, uh, coco Austin Panko. Quarter Zhang Robacana. Is that right?

Speaker 3: 27:20

Robacana is bottom half.

Speaker 1: 27:22

So Robacana Zhang sorry, rabakina Zhang, quarter Kokopenko, quarter Iga Collins.

Speaker 3: 27:29

Which section am I missing the bottom? And then Sabalenka against two.

Speaker 1: 27:33

I have Iga Collins in a quarter, kokopenko in a quarter. Iga Coco, semi Iga. Final, zhang Rabakina. I Zhang Rabakina, I have Rabakina. And then who plays Sabalenka? Kazakina? Oh, you're taking it. So who plays Sabalenka? So we're not going to discuss Sabalenka keys. Oh, that's a it's worth a discussion.

Speaker 2: 27:59

Yeah, it's a good coil yeah.

Speaker 1: 28:01

We're probably going to end up on the same side of it, and had it had had keys not been in this section of Sabalenka and ego, I think it would have been tough not to put her in the semis. Maybe Collins in that conversation, Um cause it?

Speaker 3: 28:19

Kina, sabalenka? I think Sabalenka hits through.

Speaker 1: 28:21

or no, sabalenka is in the in the semis, rabakka's in the semis, rabakina's in the semis. I'm going chalk, I'm going top four seeds.

Speaker 3: 28:30

I was going to say you're really going out. It's like a separate piece. You're really going out on a limb here with one, two, three, four, all right, you'll save your crazy picks for the men's we got one, two, three, four for the men's we got no, there was some, but you got one, two, three, four in the semis.

Speaker 1: 28:48

That's fine. Okay, tell me what you would change, or do we just want credit points if something crazy happens?

Speaker 3: 28:55

Egan, never beating Ostapenko is a wrinkle, but I don't. You know, it's the first time for everything. Yeah, I like that.

Speaker 1: 29:06

One, two, three time for everything. Yeah, I like that one, two, three, four.

Speaker 3: 29:09

That's cool. So you, you think ostapenko takes out coco, then I I'm not sure coco's there on the semi-final day, okay, so you would put ostapenko in against ego, and then and then ego, you can put ostapenko in the final.

Speaker 1: 29:19

No problem, go ahead, say it.

Speaker 3: 29:20

I think I think ego beats panko for the first time, but I I worry about coco a little bit okay.

Speaker 1: 29:26

So we differ. The only thing we differ on uh, john has ostapenko in the semis. I have in the semis. We agree that it doesn't matter, he goes in the final. Uh, jang rabakuna, rabakuna Sabalenka. That's a tough one. That's a tough one. Rabakina Sabalenka, rabakina, sabalenka. See, my mind's going to like right now, my mind's going to okay. So if you don't get the semis right, who is more likely to make the final? If you get one of the picks wrong? And I remember that Keyes. That's where I'm going. So if I lose Sabalenka to Keyes in that matchup, I still like Rabakina to go. Rabakina Iga Sviantek final. Ooh, there's your fucking upset. There's your upset. Go ahead, just say Sabalenka and then make fun of me for picking the top four seeds, do it.

Speaker 3: 30:24

You want to hear crazy? Remember when Sabalenka was. Remember Sabalenka used to be this crazy up-and-down player. You never knew what you got.

Speaker 1: 30:30

Yeah, I know.

Speaker 3: 30:31

It has been three years since she did not get to the fourth round of, she did not get to the final four of a major Semis finals or winning Every major she's entered over the last three years. Um, cool stat, bro, are you taking? I like sabalenka? I think we. You know this is a great rivalry. Iga's been dominating, there have been close matches, there have been blowouts. I think it's hard to imagine a world in which iga does not win her fourth title in five years. But I think we get one versus two. The women's tennis uh, women's tennis sector is full of chalk these days. That's great. It's about time we had reliable champions and I think it would only be fitting if we get one versus two winner of the defending champion against winner of the previous major, and this rivalry can add another chapter. How's that?

Speaker 1: 31:19

So there was a lot of words. He took Sabalenka, I took Rabakina. Rabakina career head-to-head record against IGA is four and two. Rabakina has won the last two meetings against IGA on clay. If you go Stuttgart this year and if you go Rome last year.

Speaker 3: 31:39

Stuttgart's that funky clay.

Speaker 1: 31:40

We can't count that, yeah it is indoors, but I mean, we're not going to take the victory away from her, so we have to count it.

Speaker 3: 31:46

That's true, no, I mean honestly the thing about Robachan is such a smooth player. I said she's like the J Cole of the big three, she's like the. She's sort of the. She liked that one.

Speaker 2: 31:58

Who's Kendrick and who's Drake? Yeah, so.

Speaker 1: 32:00

Ego wins in euphoria for everyone. That's great. Drop and give me 50. We got it.

Speaker 3: 32:06

Robacca has got the health issues, though. I mean last year, middle of the tournament she withdrew with sickness and that's sort of the big, big excitement.

Speaker 1: 32:14

And then same with Roland Garros, same with Rome. This year she pulls out with sickness a lot. Listen, I don't feel good about it, but I just think it's more intriguing than you know I. I just don't want to pick chalk all the way. John, exactly, all right is where we're at.

Speaker 3: 32:29

You know I want someone wants judge me for that yeah, we, like five minutes ago we got, uh, we got one, two, three, four in the semis.

Speaker 1: 32:35

But god damn it, we're not going to go one, two in the final, all right, I mean you can because you're a little lame, but I'll go crazy and put Rabakina in the final.

Speaker 3: 32:46

We'll save our crazy for the men's draw. We both like Iga.

Speaker 2: 32:50

Yeah, so clean pick Iga by both you guys.

Speaker 1: 32:54

Iga by both of us. Yeah, it would be a tough call for me, iga versus the field. I think it's about the bet. I think that's about the bet and I don't think she's a favorite there. I just think that's the conversation. Frankly, I would have taken Eager without seeing a draw, because I sure as hell don't want to bet against her at this tournament.

Speaker 1: 33:14

Hey, everyone, check out the new and improved Tennis Channel Plus. It is the place to watch the French Open Live stream, every court from Roland Garros on any screen. Subscribe to Tennis Channel Plus now using promo code SERVE20 to get 20% off your annual subscription. All right, I have the men's draw. Can I flip it? This is what I'm looking at. I haven't looked at it yet. See, men, men, men, men, men, men, men, men, men, men, men, men, men, men, men, men, men, men. Where did he go? You all know. You all know where Rafa is and I don't know where Rafa is. Put it in my veins let's go. All right, novak Air Bear, all right, I'll do it Upset, not doing it. That's definitely not true. That was a. That was a thank you for your career wildcard, which which happens and it's it's their right to do.

Speaker 3: 34:13

I mean there's a. There's a personal story there People ought to read about. You know, air Bear is one of these people we ought to be rooting for for reasons having nothing to do with tennis, but he's not beating Novak. Uh, agreed.

Speaker 1: 34:25

Uh, by Anna. This is a nice. This is a nice start for for Novak. I know he's in Geneva getting some matches this week. Uh, as we're doing this, he is currently in his second round match, so we don't have a lot of data, but he won a match as at least going to play a couple matches. He's going to be there. Bayen is a great matchup for him. I think I like Bayen over Lestian in an extended format. That's a great second round for Novak. He's going to be able to hit a lot of balls, dictate, play nothing super weird. Ooh, monfils, it's going to be a one Nothing super weird.

Speaker 3: 35:03

Ooh, Monfils, Seba Vuj, it's going to be a Vuj one.

Speaker 1: 35:07

Who are you taking in this one? Jw Monfils Seba.

Speaker 3: 35:10

Vuj, this is hard overhead, monfils, french crowd.

Speaker 1: 35:16

Olympics looming, I think you got to go style over substance here. Disagree I am going to get roasted for this pick. People are going to be pissed. I'm taking.

Speaker 3: 35:33

Shibachi Vooch, that's a Voochly unkind of you All right.

Speaker 1: 35:38

I know, but Shibachi much, which uh gets a little heated, the the french crowd like guys. This is like this, as if you're listening and you're now just realizing we don't know fucking anything. We're just uh say much voodoo. Right, fuck it, I'm going all the way. Uh say botch Vuj beats mom fees. Say botch Vuj beats Musetti second round. Oh, come on. All right, all right, who do you have? All right, keep coming.

Speaker 3: 36:10

Do you like mom fees, musetti, second round, I like uh, I like Musetti at this event two years ago, three years ago, he's been shockingly absent this Clay Court season. Yeah, he's had a rough go of it so far.

Speaker 1: 36:25

For someone who played well in the indoors last year, I'm like, oh okay, this is like a complete player now. He has fairly been put in the Clay Court specialist camp his entire career, where he is, like you know, 40 in the world everywhere else and then like top 10 when we get to the Clay Court season. He has been absent. I, I, I take.

Speaker 3: 36:44

I take current form as as big big picture, though I mean, there's a defending champion. He has, as we speak right now. He has not won a single tournament this year. He's won 24 majors for his career. Boy Novak's got to be pretty pleased with his draw, doesn't he?

Speaker 1: 36:59

Yeah, I think this is good. There's not like a. He's not. I mean, erber serves big but he has to like come in on clay. He'd rather be on like a fast court. He'll miss shots. He's going to play like kind of quick, try to come in off second serves and do kind of the confuse and conquer method. But there's going to be peaks and valleys and Novak's just going to kind of cruise right through those. Uh, say about like not a huge server. Novak's going to be in every single return game. Uh, novak's in the fourth round. Uh, sarundalo, this is where it's going to get. This is going to be a weird one. O'connell qualifier. O'connell has been absent. Like I just want to see that. I'm going to put Sarundalo to third round, regardless of who the qualifier in O'Connell is Fognini, van de Zandt, schlupp. This is like hard overhead. I'm going Van Dezy.

Speaker 3: 37:51

Really, this guy's barely in the top 100 these days. All right, keep going. Well, where's Fognini?

Speaker 1: 37:57

Yeah exactly.

Speaker 3: 38:01

Then I was going to say all right, so let's one of that's two, two. One of these guys is going to get 80 grand and one of them will get 150 and uh yeah, and neither one's going to be in the third round.

Speaker 1: 38:08

Exactly, exactly, tommy Paul, can you? Can you Google real quick? Producer Mike, tommy Paul's record against Sarandolo is surprisingly bad, if I remember correctly. This is a weird one. This is like a weird kind of matchup where I think he has a losing record against, uh, and make against Sarandolo. We'll get to that in a second, um, however, it shakes out.

Speaker 3: 38:31

Novak's going through this quarter, you know. Can I tell you something about Tommy Paul, though it looked like, uh, the early year T Paul train is back on track after it was interrupted by the ankle, but now it's looking good. Tp roll.

Speaker 1: 38:45

This is Tom. I love Tommy. Paul, I think his transition game is the best in the world outside of Alcaraz. You have that matchup the head to head.

Speaker 2: 38:51

Yeah, tommy's two and three against the run. He's a losing record against one on clay, oh, and one on clay.

Speaker 1: 38:56

Did he just lose to him recently on clay? Was it like Madrid, maybe? I think it was Madrid, um, correct? So Rundalo beat Paul in Madrid, um, okay. So here's here's. Here's like another heart overhead. Like I knew the matchup. I know it's a tough one for surrender low for whatever reason. I think I watched him beat him in Toronto one of these years, um, and he'd beat him in Madrid, um. But to John's point TP. I mean he's made two out of the last five semis in a master 1000. He's been in the last four of a grand slam. I'll take Paul there, but that's, that's a tougher one. Like people will look at that matchup and think it's Tommy Paul. That one's, that one's one to watch. I like Novak over Tommy Paul right now, but that you know it's going to get his attention. I like this draw for Novak.

Speaker 3: 39:41

Overall, though, I was quoting Matthew McConaughey for the record, but keep carry on.

Speaker 1: 39:49

For which one? Now, which one? What did I miss, Matthew McConaughey?

Speaker 3: 39:52

had a very encouraging tweet about Tommy Paul, which was a bit of a out of nowhere. But yes, I think you're right. No Nov beats paul to make it into uh, make it into the quarters. I think that's.

Speaker 1: 40:05

That's about right hold on real quick. My wife's calling must be an emergency hello, yeah, all right. Bye. She wants tacos, um, all right uh, right there lie of it, she says she likes to run to low over Paul. That's why she was calling All right, fritz third round.

Speaker 3: 40:32

If they could grill the fish and not fry it.

Speaker 1: 40:34

That'd be great too. What do we got? Poprin Kokonaka says Poprin Manorino. Manorino is sneaky like not another one of those French uh players who is their home slam, but this is their worst surface. Uh, by a long shot. I'll go. Popperin Fritz. Fritz is in the. Fritz is in the fourth room, even though gosh, he took a. He took a tough loss out of nowhere, first round of Geneva.

Speaker 3: 40:58

Exactly that's shocking, you know. You know he lost to. He lost to, uh, mickelson Alex, mickelson Gosh it's crazy.

Speaker 1: 41:04

At least you know it's, but you know you. You play one match, you still get your appearance fee, but Annie gets his rest. One way to put it yeah. It might be a disguised blessing out. Well, uh, echeverry, echeverry in the third round he was a week two player last year.

Speaker 3: 41:26

Hasn't done a whole lot since, but uh, big big boy hits a big ball.

Speaker 1: 41:31

Keep an eye on it, take focchino over qualifier, even though focchino has been another guy that's been absent. This mensic guy, I, I can't, I, I can't pick against casper. I'm just to say this guy is quickly becoming a pain in the ass for a lot of people. I'm not going to choose, I can't. But it's not a 95-5 matchup, it's closer than that. It's not like a shoe-in. Rude's got a tough draw, casper, rude has a tough draw. Mensik's going to be hard If Fokina finds anything we know he's capable on clay. Men 6 is going to be hard. If Fokina finds anything we know he's capable on clay, I think he's going to get through his first round Winning one match makes all the difference. Echeverry can play, he can play. He has a tough draw.

Speaker 3: 42:19

Ruud Fritz, there we go, I found it, I found it, I found it.

Speaker 1: 42:23

Holy shit.

Speaker 3: 42:25

Oh, oh fuck me First round.

Speaker 2: 42:30

Holy shit oh welcome to the everybody in the world.

Speaker 1: 42:36

Oh, no guys Did you hear we landed on the moon.

Speaker 3: 42:38

Yeah, that's what we were waiting for.

Speaker 2: 42:43

So the audience knows. This is why everyone is being so weird.

Speaker 1: 42:47

This is why Sophie all of a sudden became a tennis fan this morning. This is Can you believe that? Oh, fucking, zverev and Nadal. Oh my God, sophie, you're clipping a social one. Your social clip is going to be very easy. Sophie, you're clipping a social one. Your social clip is going to be very easy. Oh, this is the entire reason we decided to do a live looking. This is the entire.

Speaker 1: 43:09

Oh my God, oh, I hate what I'm about to say. I hate what I'm about to say. This has so many layers. Obviously, maybe a handful of favorites coming in last time they played at this tournament is very, breaks his ankle and is out for a year plus. Oh, and Rafa, our dear Rafa, our, our, our friend, his last Roland Garros. Rafa, I can't, you know what I'm. I'm not going to say it, mike, can you say it, Rafa? I can't. You know what? I'm not going to say it, mike, can you say it for me? I can't. I'm not going to say it out loud. What my pick for this one? I can't, I can't say it, just say it. I'm not saying it. You just picked against a wait.

Speaker 3: 43:58

Should we? Should we spend 30 seconds with a pro forma discussion about whether a 14-time champion should be unseated?

Speaker 1: 44:07

Oh yeah, they have to be unseated, catnip? No, you can't.

Speaker 2: 44:12

There's no legacy seeding you are.

Speaker 1: 44:15

We are. I thought they were, you are, I don't know.

Speaker 2: 44:17

Denny.

Speaker 1: 44:18

Green yeah, you can't be seeded. The beauty of tennis is that everything is earned. Nothing is given outside of dumb wild cards. We actually had this discussion on air on TC Live in the last two weeks and we got to this whole discussion where we're calling balls and strikes of why we think this and why we think that he hasn't been one of the top 32 players in the world, uh, in the last however long. So you can't. You can't put him there, like that's the reason why tennis is differentiated, like you can't just put someone in the masters when they're 70 years old, even though they have no chance we are, we are giving, do you?

Speaker 3: 44:59

think wild cards to players we've never heard of. We're giving regular wild cards to players who happen to have the good fortune of being born in the country holding the event. If we were strict meritocracy, it would be one thing, but we have these nibbles around the edges in other ways.

Speaker 1: 45:15

Yeah, but you're taking one dumb rule and trying to put another one on top of it.

Speaker 3: 45:19

No, I'm just. If the rationale here is like tennis is such a meritocracy, fine, but sometimes it's not. And I, just I, you know, I.

Speaker 3: 45:28

Yeah, I think 14 to the body of work there. I mean, who does this match, who does this benefit? I mean, it's Ruffer Zverev, and I do feel like we should have a bit of a pause to reference the fact that midway through the tournament there will be a penalty order hearing stemming from an ugly allegation. Um, he has to play rafa off the bat. This rafa plays a guy who not only is a top five seed, but just I can't, I can't, I can't, I still I can't.

Speaker 1: 45:51

Uh, I think it's very I think it's very wins just because there's there's just a lot that's more predictable. Rafa's had a hard time holding serve Like he's gotten through matches in Madrid. He's getting broken a lot and Zverev can break and he can. I mean, let's rewind two years ago he was pushing Rafa to the limit when Rafa was Rafa and won. Zverev's arguably playing better right now off of Rome. Now we never know how. But I will say this If we're going to spin it positively for Rafa, I think his best chance of making a deep run is getting through a match like this first.

Speaker 3: 46:31

And then the draw, sure opens.

Speaker 1: 46:33

Well, it opens. But there's also this weird pressure set where you're going in and you know you have to play great. Like Rafa's what he has to do. Well, it's going to be very clear. He's not going to have to do that Like okay, maybe I struggle with form Like he has to play aggressively. He can't just loop balls in the middle of the court. If there's a chance for him to play great this, this tournament, I think the best chance of that is by playing. So I cannot believe he's Right. Oh my gosh, can I go tinfoil hat on?

Speaker 3: 47:07

you? Yes, same court, same opponent, in which Zverev had this gruesome injury that nearly ended his career. Zverev has shown himself to be very good at compartmentalizing in other ways, but I do wonder what the? I don't think Zverev cares that it's going to be 95-5 fan support, but I do wonder what it's like If Joe Theismann had to go back and play Lawrence Taylor. I mean, I just wonder if there isn't a bit of a psychological factor not having to play the great Rafa Nadal, 14-time time champion, but having to play the guy who's on the other side of the net when you had this horrific injury. I wonder, on the very same court. I wonder if that might be at least a tiny dimension to this. What do you think?

Speaker 1: 47:53

tiny, we're reaching um. You're, you're, you're based. I feel like you're on the verge of qualifying a pick for rafa in this match, I think this is hard overhead in a big way I do feel like tennis gives us these moments every now and then. He's going to call it.

Speaker 3: 48:11

The crowd is going to get into this. Maybe there'll be a rain delay. They'll have to come back.

Speaker 1: 48:15

You're predicting rain. You're predicting rain. What are you fucking?

Speaker 3: 48:19

Nostradamus. What are you?

Speaker 1: 48:21

predicting rain. Tennis has a way of giving us it'll be a slight shower moving in in the afternoon about 2 2, 30.

Speaker 2: 48:27

Bring your umbrellas everyone if it rains during this match I'm done every great.

Speaker 3: 48:31

How many times have we seen a great champion? Andre serena, you have a. You know, serena beat the number two seed at the us open when she retired. I you know, uh, rafa is going to win.

Speaker 1: 48:44

I'll say it. Okay, I'll say this. I hope you are right. I would love to eat shit on this pick. I would love it. I would love to be wrong, maybe more than I've ever loved to be wrong. Uh, on a match, cause I I just it opens up Like, if Rafa wins that match, yeah, look at the draw, rafa is going to the quarterfinals if he wins this match. I'm just telling you that now.

Speaker 3: 49:12

The tennis gods will not let Rafa. I mean, you know, this is all based strictly on emotion, and I'm looking at the and I just took a glance at the bottom for the first part time, rafa's going to the semifinals. If he wins this match, the tennis gods are not going to let Rafa lose 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.

Speaker 1: 49:32

In the last match. So basically, John Wertheim, amongst his reasons for Rafa winning this match are injury, scar tissue, weather and religion.

Speaker 3: 49:46

Tennis gods work in strange ways. You can read all the data you want. We could all look at our stat sheets. We could all look at momentum Rafa's winning this match.

Speaker 1: 49:56

Okay, I like Greek Spore in the third round against, against Hatchinoff always fun. Hatchinoff Runa, third round down. I'd like I can't yeah, even.

Speaker 3: 50:16

I mean, you take a nap, god bless Jan Linkenard Struff, but after you've done Rafa Zverev, I'm not sure we've do you guys know what I like after learning that zverev plays nadal?

Speaker 1: 50:29

first round of roland garros. Might it be an lollipop? It is an lollipop and it was the right decision. Uh, who do you like hatching off runa, if you agree with me that those are going to be in the third round?

Speaker 3: 50:43

John, I think Runa's had a bit of a rough patch. I don't know. I mean, you know, the great cut and paste for this whole draw is are they healthy? But I think in a vacuum. I think Runa I like hatching off, all right.

Speaker 1: 51:00

I like hatching off getting through Runa, has, for all of his talent, has had an okay clay court season, has also fought his body in extended formats and hot weather. He is prone to cramping at this point in his career. Maybe someone figures it out. Hatchinov is not allergic to this longer format. He is definitely not. I like Hatchinov is not, uh, allergic to this longer format. He is definitely not. Uh, I like Hatchinov to play Um. Hopefully I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong. I have. I have Zverev in the um in the quarters. God, I hope I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong.

Speaker 3: 51:39

Can you believe that, though Of all the you know you're, you're unseated. So we see this all the time. You know anything could happen, but we see a lot of uh, lucky losers, slash qualifiers. We see a lot of players that maybe we haven't seen play much. Rafa nadal, for you know the first time, is unseated. And who does he get? The guy who just won the just one of his top four seed.

Speaker 1: 51:59

Yeah, tennis man also, zverev had to win that final to become a top four seed. Yeah Ugh, tennis man Also Zverev had to win that final to become a top. There's so many layers to this. There's so many like the what-if game will never end.

Speaker 3: 52:09

Well, and again, I don't want to dwell on this, but midway through the tournament there is a court hearing for a penalty order involving a domestic first allegation.

Speaker 1: 52:38

For Alex Vera. It has been upcoming. It was upcoming when he played his final last week in Rome. There is a lot to compartmentalize. He seems to do a good job doing it. I will withhold the full brunt of my opinion until that legal process plays out, but I am certainly watching um demon over mickelson. Uh, batista agumunar. Um, we'll go. Rba demon, demon. Third round there's just strufa yeah, struffy boob danger.

Speaker 3: 53:15

Right struff can play on clay, veteran.

Speaker 1: 53:18

Weirdly struff like for some, for someone whose skill set is largely coming forward and serving big, it translates to clay the best, for some reason. Uh, I like strewf uh into the third round. I like him over bublek um, carino boost uh this.

Speaker 3: 53:37

This nivone is like emma navarro.

Speaker 2: 53:39

He's just been racking up points at smaller events out of the public eye Suddenly.

Speaker 3: 53:45

Mariano Navone of Argentina, who I don't believe was top 100 to start the year, is seated.

Speaker 1: 53:52

Yeah, I'm going. Navone, third round, that's a tough one. Borges Mahach, that's not an easy first round with unseated players. That is legit. Ketch, ketchmanovic, medvedev, kopfer, first round. Kopfer can actually like open up his shoulders a little bit. I'm going Med. I just can't choose against him. Oh my gosh, what? Okay, med to the fourth round, even though he could lose any of those matches. Demon, demon, Med, demon Med. Yeah, do you like Demon over Struff?

Speaker 3: 54:30

I think I do yeah that's a tough one.

Speaker 1: 54:32

That's a popcorn.

Speaker 3: 54:33

I like Demon's wheels. I mean, I feel like the cheat code of clay court tennis is movement, which is why I probably like Demon to beat Medvedev too. But this is a weird. I mean again, all the thunder here has been completely stolen by the first match in this quarter. But boy, this is an interesting little pocket, isn't it.

Speaker 1: 54:52

Very. I don't know how I feel about Struff and Demon. I'd want the time to look up their head-to-head. I don't know what it is and I don't remember them. If it's there. I don't know what it is and I don't remember them. If it's there, I don't know. Medvedev could literally lose any match along the way. Do you know who he?

Speaker 3: 55:07

lost to first round last year John, it was two years ago, right he lost to your favorite Brazilian, right?

Speaker 1: 55:11

No, that was last year and they made the quarters two years ago. He was coming off of Rome. He was coming off of Rome and he lost.

Speaker 3: 55:19

Like the first day of the tournament.

Speaker 2: 55:21

Demon Med Demons 3-2 against.

Speaker 1: 55:23

Struff. Struff could win that and I weirdly like the matchup for Medvedev against Struff better than I do against Demon. He likes a target. He can keep the ball down. It's tough to get in when the ball's down. This guy's Demon I'm going to come back. Demon Medvedev, I just I got to go mad, Like I don't, like I don't like this part. I have no confidence in this part of the draw, Anything I just said. If you deleted the last three minutes of my predictions from this section, you'd probably be better off. Hey, did you guys hear that Zverev?

Speaker 2: 55:55

Did you?

Speaker 3: 55:57

guys? Did you guys hear that? Any thoughts on that? Any layers, Any dimensions to that?

Speaker 1: 56:01

I can't believe you didn't know that. Losers Rubles Charles Daniel. That's a great first round for him. No disrespect, he's going to get a lot of balls to hit Martinez Delante. Do you have a strong opinion there? I don't.

Speaker 3: 56:14

Pedro Martinez playing. Well, pedro Martinez, keep an eye on him. Pedro Martinez got to the final of that event where he lost a feast in Bordeaux, but he's playing and winning, so I'll take Martinez.

Speaker 1: 56:27

That's good enough for me. Vote for Pedro Muller played great in Rome. I'm going to go hot hand there over Nardi of Indian Wells. I beat Novak fame. Ooh, arnaldi fills. That's a good one. I, I'm going.

Speaker 3: 56:45

I'm going, arnoldi oh, I'll, uh, I'll take the other side of that bet arthur's coming alive.

Speaker 1: 56:53

Yeah, he's I.

Speaker 3: 56:55

I pre-season I had him like jumping up the rankings and uh, a la costal spoiled him, but no, he just won that event in Bordeaux playing home major. I think you got to go with the.

Speaker 1: 57:10

Frenchman and nobody over Rubles, rubles to the fourth round. Rublev, yep, yep, umber, sonago, sonago oh, donnego oh.

Speaker 3: 57:25

Don't like it. I hate all my picks. This is the highest French player and you have him going out in round one. Carry on.

Speaker 1: 57:33

He played well in Monte Carlo, but he hasn't played. I don't think he's won a match since then. Okay, vukic Sonnego Danielson, third round. Um, jerry Altmeier. I don't really have much of a, I guess, altmeier, but I don't have like a big Dude. Does it seem like Vukic plays someone like massive first round of every Grand Slam?

Speaker 3: 57:57

Every tournament, yeah, and he always takes one set. He always loses in four. He'll take one set.

Speaker 1: 58:01

He'll win the first set.

Speaker 3: 58:04

Yeah, he'll change his shirt, he'll get applause from the crowd and then he'll see the win.

Speaker 1: 58:11

He's a beautiful-looking man, sophie. You've got to check this guy out, yeah.

Speaker 3: 58:16

Plug in, fucovic. The opponent ain't breaking mirrors either, fuchevich shirtless, you're welcome.

Speaker 1: 58:22

I'm going Sitsipas. I'm going Sitsipas to the quarters. I'm taking him over.

Speaker 3: 58:28

You know what they say Single and ready to reach the quarters of a major.

Speaker 1: 58:35

Yeah, something like that. Is that what they say?

Speaker 2: 58:37

Put that on a t-shirt.

Speaker 1: 58:38

Is that?

Speaker 3: 58:38

what they say. You know what I hear. I hear the potential upset train whistle. What do you got next?

Speaker 1: 58:46

Ooh, are you talking about Shelton?

Speaker 3: 58:49

Yeah. I mean love the kid, but it's been a rough go on the clay for Shelton. Annoying pesky French opponent, little guy who'll make him hit a lot of balls. You're going guest. I'm not doing that. Okay, look who made an appearance, kei.

Speaker 1: 59:09

Nishikori, you have no idea. He was in Miami. That old protected ranking even the guy who makes $40 million a year, comes for that $80 grand payday, doesn't he, doesn't he?

Speaker 3: 59:20

He might be a lucky loser or a qualifier, you could double it yeah.

Speaker 1: 59:25

Look at that Shelton I don't know the qualifier Is this? Every chance I take the qualifier over Nishikori. So if I almost hmm, prime Nishikori would have liked the Shelton matchup, he's one of the few that could have returned it and then beaten him up a little bit. I have Shelton in the third round. I don't gosh man, I don't like any of this. That's an opportunity knocking, literally. That's the section right there. You can almost put through six different guys into the fourth round from that section. That's Shelton, faa. So FAA Nishioka, that's going to be a little. That could be a weird one, like Nishioka tends to just all right. I have FAA Shelton in the third round. I don't know, I'm going to leave that for a second.

Speaker 3: 1:00:17

Are you old enough to remember the time FAA coached by Tony Nadal?

Speaker 1: 1:00:22

Up two sets against.

Speaker 3: 1:00:23

I'll leave that for a second Are you old enough to remember the time FAA, coached by Tony Nadal, actually took multiple sets off Rafa at the front. Actually, nice little mini resurgence by FAA on the clay, but 21st seed is not where he wants to be.

Speaker 1: 1:00:37

Well, 21st seed, and that's with a nice assist of three defaults in Madrid to get to the finals and then, weirdly, it was indoors. It had been cold the whole week and he cramped in the final against Rublev, who had been sick the whole week.

Speaker 3: 1:00:52

Against.

Speaker 2: 1:00:53

Rublev who was eating baby food.

Speaker 3: 1:00:56

Yeah, eating Gerber mashed potatoes. All right, alcaraz is in the quarters eating Gerber mashed potatoes, all right, alcaraz is in the quarters.

Speaker 1: 1:01:03

This is like a beautiful little section here for Alcaraz, and I'll tell you why. Qualifier, so it's going to be a big stage. You don't know if anyone's ever played on a big court. You don't know if the qualifier has a track record of playing three out of five sets. Qualifiers come in. They do not play three out of five in qualies. They come in. They do not play three out of five in qualities. They come in all of a sudden. Five sets, alcaraz for five sets. The longer it goes, uh, the less kind of outlier. Contributing factors uh, play a part. Um, it's like if you do anything at scale, at scale versus a screenshot, um, the bigger runway, the results are normally truer. Korda Alcaraz Rusevori has the kind of game that could be. Where's he?

Speaker 3: 1:01:51

been. He's a good player. He's not even a top 50.

Speaker 1: 1:01:54

He plays really aggressive hit or miss. He weirdly gets into service games where he's down left 30, but he's flashy, he's powerful, Alcaraz. But he's flashy, Um, he's powerful, Uh, Alcarez. People are going to look at Alcarez Draper and say, man, that's a really fun. You know, is that an upset special Draper has not proven that he can play extended format.

Speaker 3: 1:02:14

He fights his body, no less.

Speaker 1: 1:02:15

Yep, he still fights his body deep into a third set, fights his body deep into a third set. You're gonna see him. He has not figured out and and, to be fair, I had neither. At 18 years old, I cramped my ass off in my first uh, roland garros and I had cramping issues for the next two years before I kind of figured out some combination of diet, fitness, breathing, the way you breathe when you hit the ball, if you're taking three hours of half breast versus three hours of, like, full timed, decent breathing, um yeah go, no, I mean the.

Speaker 3: 1:02:47

the irony here is uh, the, the player we're thinking he's going to face in the second round. Alcaraz looked like he could have won this event last year, and what happened? Well, alcaraz cramped.

Speaker 1: 1:02:58

Well, so here's the thing that there there's, there's two types of crampers right, and maybe they overlap. There's a nervous cramper, which I tended to be. I'd never I could practice 18,000 hours in the Texas heat and my body wouldn't cramp until I was dehydrated like two hours later and then I'd be on the couch and get like a hamstring cramp or something, but like was never an issue. Um, I was a nervous cramper.

Speaker 1: 1:03:22

Uh, right, alcaraz, every single time he has cramped has been extreme heat conditions. He is a, he is. His cramping is is uh brought on by extreme conditions, specifically heat. Right, miami did it one year, like you, jim Currier. Uh, have to give him credit. He kind of went back. Uh, it was like a year ago or maybe it was after that, the the french open deal last year. Um, he went back and like went through all the times that alcaraz had cramped. He did not cramp at the us open when he won. He was playing at night. Every single night. There was no direct sunlight. He was playing five setters getting through it. So, yes, but only if it's. It was like an outlier day at Roland Garros, where it was like 92 degrees, which is it's a day that you see once every five years there and and Novak on the other side of the net and pressure and opportunity, but uh combination nerves and yeah, um, and I will say I was watching that one.

Speaker 1: 1:04:19

I'll tell you all the times I get it wrong. I'm sure I'll be wrong, I'll have to pay the bill for this show. I saw that happening in real time. Like Alcaraz, I tweeted five minutes before I went down. I go, you see his hand and the bottom of his hand started like just twisting, like his pinky was all of a sudden touching his palm and I'm like that's it, it's over. And you're like what do you mean? It's over. He just won the second set. I'm like I'm just telling you he's taking pot shots. And once your hand starts going like that and you have three sets to play, nope over KO Alcaraz going through.

Speaker 1: 1:04:54

I think it's a nice section for Alcaraz. Korda. Alcaraz could be really fun to watch. Every time I watch Sebi, I'm like this guy's a top 10 player. And then you scroll through and check the results and he's just not yet. Um, but I love his upside, I love the way he plays. He can move on clay. His breakout was qualifying, winning a couple of rounds, losing to Rafa. Uh, it was like two or three years ago. Um, I like Alcaraz in that section. All right. Last section Hubie. What do you think Hubie's going through to the fourth round?

Speaker 3: 1:05:26

Just quick look. Look at that 24th seed in his pocket.

Speaker 1: 1:05:31

I know that's going to be interesting. But also like extended format. Okay, hubie's going through underrated on clay. Just because it's not his best service Doesn't mean he's capable on the surface. People often confuse that. Well, he's a fast court player, he's great on hard courts. He's great indoor. Well, yeah, but okay, so let's say he's top 10 on those services. I think he's top 20 on clay. Still, I like Hubie in the fourth round.

Speaker 1: 1:06:05

You see some flashy names Shapovalov, francis. If there's a rough qualifier coming in, he's not on, he's not playing great, he needs to turn it around. If there's like a solid qualifier and you're looking for an upset special, I'm going to put him through. But I want to know who that qualifier is. And it's more just because I cheer for Francis and I like Francis. That's heart over mind. But if that qualifier is a rough one and you get it and it's like a sneaky, like if Schwartzman had qualified or like if team had found some form and wasn't intimidated by the situation or the crowd or whatever else, and I promise you, if it's a French player that qualifies, they're going to put him on the slowest, grossest court in the entire site. That's spoken from experience. Tabillo, martyr Thompson I don't know that that matters.

Speaker 3: 1:06:53

Star that Tabillo. No, yeah, he's in the third. I have him in the third round, but he beat Novak. But even not. I mean this is a top 25 seed all of a sudden. Well, he beat novak, but even not. I mean this is a top 25 seat all of a sudden. Well, he beat no born chilean, yeah, and beat novak, so I'm hatching off.

Speaker 1: 1:07:07

I think it was her coach. Like he didn't, like he beat novak in rome. But then I predicted I'm like the hangover and I call myself a dummy. Uh, after the fact, like he played great and he was drilling zverev in the first set. That was one of those ones where zverev flipped it in a breaker, kind of got a little. You know you've been losing. 90% of the match gets to fall on a breaker and you flip it and then all of a sudden you're off the court in 30 minutes. That's like the tennis. Scoring is phenomenal. You know you could lose the quarter in basketball by 27 points and it actually affects the rest of the game. Tennis's like we play. We play four quarters and we get a point per quarter. You know whether you win it by one point or whether you win it by 25 points. So to be low is playing great. Uh, to be low, dimitrov, are you ready to take to be low over dimitrov?

Speaker 3: 1:07:49

and I am yep, you are, do you have?

Speaker 1: 1:07:53

to be low in the quarters.

Speaker 3: 1:07:54

I do, I, I have, uh, I think it's a big, big event for Chile.

Speaker 1: 1:08:02

This is big, big All right, that means Jari's coming out here. I haven't gotten there yet.

Speaker 3: 1:08:07

I'm really agonized over this.

Speaker 1: 1:08:12

I know, but I want to be right. But I also want to bet against you. I'm going to Hubie. I don't like it. All right, Hubie quarter, I don't like it. Hubie quarter, I don't like it. Jari Moutet, Moutet. It's going to be dramatic. It'll be fun.

Speaker 1: 1:08:27

Yeah, someone's going to do something and he will bitch about it, and I expect a tweet for saying that he's going to bitch about something because he's very hawkish about things said about him. So look forward to seeing you on Twitter. Mute, you're going to lose to Jari Karatsev, Savchenko Karatsev. I'm going to save that one. I'm going to save that one because I know where you're going. Baez, get off. Nurmi Baez. So you like Jari, you like Jari. What Fourth round quarters? Keep going. Okay, I'm going to save that one. That Jari-Karatev match I'm saving that. Ooh, Nori Kodov. Kodov, I'll get his name wrong. He's played well. He played center in Madrid, played pretty well in Rome. Lost to Shelton. They were kind of getting chippy. He looks like a third base coach. He looks like a third base coach. I don't know that. He can play five sets.

Speaker 3: 1:09:34

Coaching's legal now. He can get signals.

Speaker 2: 1:09:38

He gets signals.

Speaker 3: 1:09:38

Keep going down the draw. What do we see here?

Speaker 1: 1:09:41

all right, what do you like here? Uh, oh shit, while rinka murray, oh shit, fucking hell, oh god. Can you imagine zverev nadal and like the two, like champion floaters who I don't think are going to be a factor in this event? What has Varinka been doing? He's been playing. He never stops playing, but he hasn't been playing well 80 grand.

Speaker 3: 1:10:11

I like the guy that won three majors and we admire but never quite made much headway against the big three.

Speaker 1: 1:10:17

Yeah, Stan, he made a lot of headway in finals against them. Grand slam finals. I like Nori. To the third round Gaské Chorich I like Chorich, just based on fitness. Jari Karatsev you like Jari there.

Speaker 3: 1:10:38

I like Jari to get to the semis. I don't trust Sinner. I mean we talked about this before. Hip is tough business and this is a guy who's had some durability issues. Anyway, it's Clay. I think Jari's got.

Speaker 1: 1:10:53

Has he had durability issues really before the last couple weeks?

Speaker 3: 1:10:57

Yeah, I mean he At scale, I think at majors. I remember being courtside for a match where he just didn't have it physically against. I think it was vera at the french, I just it's probably like 19 I mean I I'm totally team center.

Speaker 3: 1:11:10

I mean I think this guy's in a lot of ways the future of the sport, but a a hip injury, his constitution clay, I I don't like this and I hope I'm wrong and I hope he's fully healthy. This is based solely on health and nothing else. But I think I think Nicholas Jari is going to be around for many, many rounds.

Speaker 1: 1:11:32

I weirdly like I just circled that Karatsev one. I can't, I'm not going to choose against him, but like if any of you are looking for a pun, karatsev's like a 10 to 1 dog against Jari, which he very well could be Not saying. I'm just saying I like Sinner All right.

Speaker 3: 1:11:51

So who's your sweet 16 now?

Speaker 1: 1:11:54

I have Novak, tommy Paul. Novak is going to play Fritz and Rude going to play Fritz and Rude. Here's why I'm going to take Fritz in the quarters. It's not necessarily that I like him against Rude in that matchup. It's that Rude has a tougher road to actually get to that matchup right. So it's basically who do you think is getting to the quarters versus who do you think would win a hypothetical matchup in the round of 16? I think it's more likely that Fritz is in the quarters, based on Rouge draw. If they both get to the fourth round, I probably would take rude. But overall I'm going to take Novak, fritz. Ok, in the quarters. What about you? You're going rude.

Speaker 3: 1:12:35

I got to go rude who not only played Novak in the final last year but beat him earlier this season on this surface.

Speaker 1: 1:12:45

First time he had ever won a set and also won the match you like. You have Rafa catching on. You have Rafa hatching off. Are you going Rafa? You going Rafa to the quarters?

Speaker 3: 1:12:56

Leaving open the possibility. He loses 2-2-2 in 90 minutes and thanks the crowd.

Speaker 1: 1:13:01

That's not what you said.

Speaker 3: 1:13:02

Stick it, but yeah, I've kept the tennis. Gods working strange you have rafa in the quarters. I have rafa in the quarters who do you have demon medvedev? You said demon, I think demon, I think movement. Uh, oh my god, movement is the cheat card of play he's gonna have rafa in the semis against Novak.

Speaker 1: 1:13:20

This is fucking amazing. Okay, this is fucking amazing. He's like he's literally willing this as a fan of the sport. Novak, Rafa in the semis of Roland Garros. Do you have a Sitsipas or Rublev?

Speaker 3: 1:13:36

That's a good one. I kind of you know, we all know Rublev, no semials. I like Rublev, though you like Rublev yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:13:47

Ooh, so you have. Very up and down year, fritz Rafa Demon, you took Rublev, I took Sitsipas. So you have Rublev, jw, I have Sitsipas. And then the cross of that is Alcaraz. You have Alcaraz, you wanted to talk about his arm.

Speaker 3: 1:14:11

No, we ought to acknowledge it. I think Alcaraz is yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:14:16

Yeah, I mean we did most of our show on Tuesday when we just released. It was basically, and we'll reiterate the point here is like look at the betting favorites, let's go through the top five. Alcaraz and I'm not sure how these have shifted in the last three or four days so I'll get it slightly wrong, but he was just above a two to one favorite, which I think is high. I think it's giving him too much credit. Coming in has favorite, which I think is high. I think it's. I think it's giving you too much credit.

Speaker 1: 1:14:42

Coming in um has played one tournament on clay this year. Um pulled out of everything with a forearm injury. Uh, we thought he was back in Madrid and then he pulled out of Rome. There are a lot of question marks, a lot of question, but he, he will win this tournament multiple times. I don't know if it starts this year. He's the betting favorite. Number two favorite Novak Djokovic had to enter Geneva to get some match play because he was so out of sorts. Kind of makes that decision. Number three favorite has a hip issue which he saw, something on an MRI three weeks ago that he didn't like. John is very concerned. He thinks he's. You think you have him not making out of the round of 16. The fourth betting favorite, zverev, has a domestic assault trial starting this Friday in Germany. He does not have to be present for it, otherwise we probably wouldn't pick him to go very far in the tournament. And the fifth favorite is like outside of the top 300 in the world.

Speaker 3: 1:15:30

That's where we're at, and two of those five play each other in round one.

Speaker 1: 1:15:35

Two of those five play each other in round one.

Speaker 3: 1:15:40

You have to be low.

Speaker 1: 1:15:44

To be low or not to be low. That's nice. See what you did there. I have her coach, I don't. I have her coach, I have her coach. Okay, all right. Oh god, no one's gonna run to the, no one's gonna run to the, run to the betting shop with me. I don't think here, novak Fritz.

Speaker 3: 1:16:05

JW. I mean, it's crazy. As we record this, Novak has not won a tournament, he's had a concussion and he's lost to three guys who haven't been in the top 50. And yet I think Novak's yeah, Novak.

Speaker 2: 1:16:20

Claylor.

Speaker 1: 1:16:21

You like Fritz.

Speaker 2: 1:16:23

I mean he's feeling confident about clay right now. He's feeling good.

Speaker 1: 1:16:26

Feels good about section one. No, I have Novak Zverev. Uh, jw has Novak and fucking Rafa Nadal. Do you know how wrong I want to be? I want to be so wrong. I don't even want to be right a little bit. I want to be a moron is what I want to be. I cannot believe a fucking Rafa was playing his first round. Don't fuck with the tennis gods. Oh God, that's right. Sorry, religion has a big part in this tournament. Yeah, like the old, the old Michael Chang. God was on my side today. You think he cares about tennis?

Speaker 3: 1:17:03

All right, we won't go down the rabbit hole, all right.

Speaker 1: 1:17:06

Oh, really they need like, but for all the children we should probably move on. Who sits a pass? Alcaraz, or you have Rublev, rublev, alcaraz. You have Rublev in the semis. You think he's breaking it? No, you like Alcaraz in the semis. I like Alcaraz. Yeah, this is a hard one for me. This is a really hard one for me.

Speaker 3: 1:17:31

Really yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:17:35

Alright, the matchup has been so good for Alcaraz.

Speaker 3: 1:17:38

Yeah, I was going to say Alcaraz, picking on that backhand.

Speaker 1: 1:17:41

I know, I know, I know, I know I'll get there. I just, he doesn't mind the extended format, he's playing it, Alcaraz, alcaraz, tabilo and Jari is for you, like you have. Who are you? You have Jari in the semis.

Speaker 3: 1:18:00

Chile, chile, some Chile on Chile action. I have Jari in the semis. They're both from.

Speaker 1: 1:18:05

Chile Jari's in the semis. So you have Alcaraz Jari in the semis, yep, and I have Alcaraz in center. Oh, so I have top four seeds on the men's side too. They got out on a limb today, listen. Is the goal to get out on a limb today, listen? Is the goal to get out of the limb or is the goal to tell you who I think has the best? Chance of being in the last four, all right, so let's keep, keep going uh I'll take zverev in the final.

Speaker 1: 1:18:35

Uh, are you? Is rafa gonna win the tournament? John, I think, I think rafa's and rafa's run.

Speaker 3: 1:18:41

I mean again, let's just acknowledge I'm fully open to the possibility he loses 2-2-2 in his first day of the tournament, but I think Rafa's Tennis gods, I think. Novak beats Rafa.

Speaker 1: 1:18:54

So you keep referencing it like it's a good friend. Tennis god is. Is there like?

Speaker 2: 1:19:00

a he's throwing an S on there.

Speaker 3: 1:19:02

There's multiple, there's a lot of them, I'm going to ask producer Mike in his last major. Do you remember who beat Pete Sampras?

Speaker 2: 1:19:09

Nobody did, nobody did.

Speaker 3: 1:19:10

Pete Sampras went out on top.

Speaker 1: 1:19:13

You'll know this answer. Who is Pete Sampras' last loss in a major?

Speaker 3: 1:19:19

Was it George Bastl? It was George Bastl. Here's a great trivia question who coached George Bastl at that match? Do you know?

Speaker 1: 1:19:28

that he's Swiss, so I'm guessing it's Severin Lufty Craig Tiley oh fuck, that's next level All right.

Speaker 2: 1:19:39

Anyway.

Speaker 3: 1:19:39

That was on court two.

Speaker 1: 1:19:40

They didn't put Pete. They put Pete on court two and he was pissed.

Speaker 3: 1:19:44

So point being, you watch enough tennis. And the fates author some pretty crazy scripts.

Speaker 1: 1:19:51

I kind of feel like Novak beats Rafa, so John has a Rafa-Jari final. No, no, novak-jari. No, no, no, no. You have Jari in the final. No, no, novak. Is that right? Novak Jari. No, no, no, no. Jari in the final Wait wait, wait, no, no.

Speaker 3: 1:20:02

Alcaraz Alcaraz beats Jari, alcaraz beats Novak to win the title, avenging last year's cramped defeat.

Speaker 1: 1:20:11

Okay, I like it. I think I like yours better than mine. I like that narrative. I like Zverev, I mean. But if Novak makes the semis, if he gets that far, then he's found it and he's back to being Novak.

Speaker 3: 1:20:24

He will have won 12, exactly, he will have won 15 sets by then.

Speaker 1: 1:20:29

Yeah, you're right, I'm going, novak, what do you got? Sinner beats Alcaraz.

Speaker 3: 1:20:43

Sinner wins the french open oh, man, you know this is going to be like one of those gaston gaudio years and adrian manorino is going to beat like emile rusevory we're just going to like completely burn the final yeah, yeah, yeah, good fun take it down, take it down.

Speaker 1: 1:21:02

I hate every pick that I made, almost every pick that I made. I hate that I had to make the.

Speaker 2: 1:21:07

Uh, it's fair, evan, bravo I mean, the best part is that we're gonna put it up on the internet, so it'll live forever. The link will be in the bio just need andy's sound effects listen.

Speaker 1: 1:21:18

I I can't believe has there ever been more of a letdown when we've gotten to actually choosing the winner of the listen. I I can't believe has there ever been more of a letdown when we've gotten to actually choosing the winner of the event. I know there's so much agony.

Speaker 3: 1:21:27

We're crowning champions here and you'd think we were just doing a oral surgery.

Speaker 1: 1:21:31

I took center after I saw him play two matches in Monte Carlo on clay and how fluent his movement looked, how different he looked. He's been off for one event. He said I'm just going to take him at his word that he's only playing if he's ready to play. The matchup is tougher. I hate this. I hate this.

Speaker 2: 1:21:59

Well, to wrap it up, why don't we just reset the finals for both men's and women, and who our winners are? Keep it simple for everyone.

Speaker 1: 1:22:09

All right, I have Sviatik over Rabakina in the final. John has Sviatik over Sabalenka, which I probably like better than my pick, and John has Rafa over Jari.

Speaker 2: 1:22:25

No, wait, wait, wait wait, all right.

Speaker 1: 1:22:29

All right, you have Alcaraz over Novak in the final and I have center over Novak in the final.

Speaker 3: 1:22:38

All right. I like both of you, we both have Novak winning an awful lot of matches for a guy who's at a pretty brutal 2024, but that's what a body of work does to you.

Speaker 1: 1:22:48

I want everything in me wants to say Zverev beats Novak. But then it's like, okay, at that point, zverev, I think Zverev is more likely to get to the final. But you go section by section and if, section by section, and if Novak is in the semis, then he's found it right, like he's a different human than on day one of the tournament. I think from now on I don't want to do this. This is exhausting.

Speaker 3: 1:23:07

Yeah, let's just but your reaction your reaction to seeing Zverev and Rafa against each other in round one makes this whole exercise worthwhile. I just want to say that I've never been more.

Speaker 1: 1:23:20

I'm sweating my ass off right now, which, for those of you who ever watched, a match.

Speaker 3: 1:23:23

It's surprising.

Speaker 1: 1:23:25

Yeah we have an Oli pop. Uh, I'm gonna have an Oli pop. Uh, we do have. Uh, our first swing vision submission. Uh, one of you Chukar listeners sent in a swing that I'm going to break down. Uh, after the break. I hope you've enjoyed this format, kind of chaotic live. Look in If you like it. We'll kind of make this a thing where I will not look at draws until we're actually on air. It is I hate it, but hopefully you all will like it and I will value that more than the stress of it for me. Jw, what else should we be looking at? At Rolling Girls?

Speaker 3: 1:24:02

Well beyond Rafa. Bear in mind, this will be the venue for Paris 2024, for the Olympics. Bear in mind, if Iga wins her fourth Roland Garros, she will have a way higher winning percentage on clay at the French Open than even Rafa. But no, I mean, I think honestly, the sort of the subtext of this whole show. These are great fun. We've got an awful lot of computations and combinations, permutations, upsets. This is good fun and we'll see what the draw gods yield.

Speaker 1: 1:24:34

I can't wait to get back on here and change my picks based on the eye test in 14 days later and have everyone be super pissed at me. Thanks for watching Serve. Right back with Swing Vision. Welcome back to Serve. This is going to be a cool segment. Has the potential to be fun. Maybe piss some people off Shocking, I know, but all in good fun, hopefully in the right vein.

Speaker 1: 1:24:59

But we're doing this with Swing Vision, a partner that you've heard us talk about many, many times. So my friend Swapnil basically had this idea where it's like they get videos submitted, they go through them and they send us a video or two every week and basically I critique the point. The swing your dingles game. Who knows what we're going to get, but we do have our first submission for judgment. Sean hit the clip. All right, this is Drew Manning, okay. So Drew can obviously play Like he can move a little bit. Okay, unnecessary. Rafa swing over the head Makes his way forward Moving a little. Okay, so that one he could have put away. Oh, tweener, okay, okay.

Speaker 1: 1:25:51

So what we need to tell you about this video is that, even though Drew oh, look at that hops, you could have gotten at least a credit card under there. The hero of this is not actually Drew, who's the closest to us, who submitted the video, but he learned tennis from his father, who is the other player on the court and, on top of that just being a great story his father unfortunately lost an eye to eye cancer but still plays this game we love with one eye. I love that they play this game together. The hero of this video for many reasons past just eye cancer and basically the attitude of keep going and playing the game and doing everything is his dad is putting the ball in the perfect spots because he is making Drew look like a hero.

Speaker 1: 1:26:42

It's like a true lesson of a father. It's like I'll put it right there so you can hit a between the legs shot. Then I'm going to bring you back in. You hit it to me, I'm going to put it. I mean that is on a dime in motion for the jumping overhead. Like this was choreographed. I couldn't put the ball where his father is putting the ball If I had one.

Speaker 2: 1:27:03

He's the John Stockton of dad.

Speaker 1: 1:27:04

He is the John Stockton of dads and doing it all admirably with one eye. I love that they're doing this together. Props drew a prop Drew's dad as we see the tweener one more time uh, if you want to get your video uh submitted, uh, producer Mike is going to give you the details on how to get that done. That was a great opening. So thank you, drew, for sending that in. Please give our love to your father. Love the story, love that it's something you guys do together. Thanks for listening to serve. Producer Mike's going to give the details to submit your videos for the swing vision. Can I call it the judgment zone? It's called get served by Indy, get served swing vision style. Producer Mike.

Speaker 2: 1:27:44

All right guys. Here's a reminder. Scan the QR code here on screen If you're watching, or go to swingvision slash served. The link is also in the bio. Sign up for swing vision, submit your best serve or rally to X or Instagram using the hashtag get served by Roddick and tag at swing vision app. We'll be picking a video each week for the next four weeks for Andy to give his constructive thoughts. We look forward to seeing what you got. All you chuckers out there, as Andy likes to call you. See you next week.