CTC Short: All the latest from the Asian swing and Goffin retires!

Episode 307: CTC Short: All the latest from the Asian swing and Goffin retires!

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Dan Kiernan (00:10.062)

Hi guys, welcome to Control the Controllables. I come back with just another little update in the tennis world. As you'll see, I am back at the amazing SotoTennis Academy, our academy of the last almost 17 years now. And if you haven't been to visit us, you're watching this on YouTube. This is us, this is end of October, beautiful blue skies, and this is where you should be.

So anybody wants to come and visit us then do get in touch as well I'm back. I apologize for the tired eyes It's been yeah, poor. It was a brutal trip brutal trip back, know my girls They had an incredible, I guess that's the starting point for me Gaby Dabrowski, Luisa Stefani two time WTA 1000 victors in China winning Beijing final and also winning, Wuhan…

and moving to world number one team on the year was a really quite incredible trip. You know, a couple of big wins over Siniakova and Zhang and Siniakova and Hunter in the finals, but lots of great teams that they played against. But as the tennis world, as it happens, I literally ran off that court, you know, saw the girls, gave them a quick hug. And then before you knew it, I'm in a taxi on the way to Wuhan airport. That was about an hour. Then Wuhan to Beijing…

on a flight and then I'm going another 90 minute taxi to a different airport in Beijing to sleep for three or four hours, before then flying Beijing- Amsterdam. Amsterdam- Malaga. Then another hour taxi back about 37 hours in total and I don't quite think these eyes have recovered yet. So apologies for anyone that's having to look at that on on YouTube. If you're listening in as a podcast then you are spared of that but yeah but a brilliant trip…

amazing and obviously back in Asia as well. We still have that going right now, you know the the female the women's tour has moved to to Japan where we have Osaka happening this week and then we've also got the the 500 event in China as well that's happening and we have our WTA finalists on the single side, you know all eight and Iga Swiatek withdrew…

Dan Kiernan (02:33.742)

unfortunately, so she can now not make it anymore. And also Marta Kostyuk withdrew as well. So it looks like we have our final eight on the double side. It's still exciting. Actually, there's still lots going on. So kind of watch this space on that. The final spot is absolutely up for grabs. Errani and Paolini have it as it currently stands, but there's other teams in the wings. So it's going to be an exciting last week in Tokyo next week, where I'm sure there's going to be all of those teams gunning for that final…

coveted spot at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells. And then over in Shanghai we had the, I guess, Spanish domination really. We had Davidovich Fokina winning the final against Rafael Jodar in a tight three set match. And the first 1000 event that Davidovich has won, he certainly wanted some champagne afterwards. Anyone that's seen the Instagram posts, he was kind of searching for that champagne.

Give me the champagne, he kept on saying. Champagne. Very funny. Davidovich is someone actually we've known here on the courts just behind me. know, he's from Malaga or close to Malaga. And when he was young, he actually came and used to play practice sets here against the guys at the academy. Kind of 15 years old, they actually stopped him playing tournaments actually for a while because he just couldn't handle his emotions on the court.

They've obviously done a great job of him. He's still very fiery. You know, we know that he had some big problems getting over the line in finals, but then this year he's turned that around. I think he's won his last three finals. This is his first Masters 1000 event and a big, big well done to him and his team. Then Rafael Jodar, we've talked lots about him on the podcast, you know, someone we expect to be seeing at the business end of Grand Slams coming up in 2027, but he needs to sort out what's going on, know, hitting the, you know…

shouting at the ball kid, pass me the f'n towel in Spanish. Not a good look and I think it's an area there that Rafael Jodar needs to grab a hold of because we're seeing that happen a little bit too frequently that he's kind of letting out a little bit of that side of him and not winning too many fans by doing that. So gonna be interesting, I fully expect he's gonna have Juan Carlos Ferrero in his team going into 2027. Watch out for those announcements.

Dan Kiernan (04:55.49)

He's going to be with someone. know that, we know that for error, sorry, the flies are getting me here in the south of Spain. It's too hot still in October. So the flies are still here, but yeah, but watch out for, for that. What we're going to see the changes going into 2027 and then obviously back to Wuhan as well. Had Sonay Kartal who she's been on the podcast. You'll be able to listen to that. I'm sure we'll put that in the show notes. If you want to listen to when Sonay Kartal came on, and 170 in the world being out injured.

And she, the lowest ever ranked player, I believe, on the WTA to make a final 170 in the world. But that's catapulted her right up to the top of the British women's rankings. She did lose the final, but she had some great wins on the way. I think certainly none better than the Ostapenko semi-final match where you thought Ostapenko was going to get the better of her. She hit 50 plus winners, but she also must have made 50 plus unforced errors as well.

And Kartal then was up in the final against Chwalinska who we saw kind of come to our screens right at Roland Garros and everyone was like she can only play on clay but she showed that she can do it she's the only the fourth ever player to be to win a master to win a 1000 WTA 1000 event as her first first WTA title we've also had Naomi Osaka do that we've had Bianca Andreescu who..

shout out to her winning the 125 last week and making a little bit of a comeback, we hope. We want to see her back on our screens as well. And then also Vicky Mboko who did that in Canada last year. And beating her compatriot and friend. There were some lovely videos going around of her and Iga Swiatek. And Iga said, I hope you better, this better not be the match that puts me out of WTA finals. Well, it was, it was the match.

You know, Iga was struggling, she was struggling physically, you could see it, and then she's gone and she's pulled out the rest of the year. So that is her year done. But Walenska and her team, a big, big congrats on what she has achieved this year. And yeah, I guess she's someone who's here to stay, right? Sometimes we have those kind of one tournament wonders, but it feels like that kind of establishes her as a top 20 player. And then my last couple of points I just want to make today.

Dan Kiernan (07:16.108)

We've got a retirement in David Goffin. You know, he did, also Kukushkin  as well, both playing in their home countries in the 250 events this week. Goffin, number seven in the world at his highest, but arguably even more impressive for seven years, he was in the top 25 in the world. Famously lost Andy Murray as GB won the Davis Cup back in, was it 2016? But what a great career he's had.

And he lost to Michelsen in the second round. But a little fun fact there that, that match was fun. His last ever service game on the ATP tour he served four aces. It wasn't a full game of aces because he lost a point, but it was four aces. He's not known for his serve, but for him to do that he was a 7-5-3 down, served those aces and then Michelsen then held to win three and four. But hats off to David Goffin on a quite incredible career.

And my last, last one, a bit of a fun one for here at the Control the Controllables. The team were very excited because it came up and we'll maybe have to share these just to make sure that you know that we, are talking the truth. We had a certain Roger Federer engage in one of our posts. There's that Roger saying he wants to come on the podcast. I don't know, but maybe it is. Roger, you are more than welcome. Get it out far and wide. Let's get Roger Federer on.

He engaged in the post. had a poll on voting for who the goat is in men's tennis from an Andy Murray clip from when he was on the podcast. Now, we can't actually see who he voted for, but surely he voted for himself, did he? So Roger, thank you. And we will share that picture so you can see. And then we had a Nick Kyrgios also getting involved on our social media this week. And he got involved because it was about Jannik Sinner. Does Jannik Sinner…

sell tickets. I questioned that whether he was a big ticket seller and Nick Kyrigios responded by saying I can't relate. So there we go CTC is getting out there. We will be coming back to you with more guests. I'm going to be speaking next week to Tom Gutteridge who's the coach of Iva Jovic. We've got Donna Kelso coming out in the next couple of days so look out for that.

Dan Kiernan (09:38.4)

And yeah, tennis is hotting up. We still got plenty of tennis to play wherever you are in the world. Keep enjoying it. But until next time, I'm Dan Kiernan and we are Control the Controllables.