French Open 2026 Review

Episode 286: French Open 2026 Review

 

DISCLAIMER: Please note we use a transcription service, so there may be some errors in the following transcript for the episode. If you can, refer to the audio for the exact quotations.

Dan Kiernan (00:07)

So a big welcome to our French Open Review panelists, Freddie Nielsen and Calvin Betton. How are you doing?

 

Freddie Nielsen  (00:14)

Great thanks.

 

Calvin Betton (00:15)

Okay.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (00:17)

How are you?

 

Dan Kiernan (00:19)

I'm good. I'm I'm good. I'm ⁓ yeah, in in London. ⁓ Paris to Malaga to London in in twenty four hours. And ⁓ Calver a a big congrats, a couple of congrats ⁓ from all of us the Control the Controllables. Another Grand Slam final, I believe a first Roland Garros final for for the boys and then moving to to world number one tomorrow. 

 

So Henry Henry Patten and Harri Heliövaara, big, big well done from us all.

 

Calvin Betton (00:50)

Yeah. Cheers, mate. Cheers. Yeah. The lads have done well. Like, you know, a little bit bittersweet with not winning the final yesterday, but I think once a couple of days have gone, it'll settle in and officially they become world number one tomorrow. Harri said that after the semi, only way they couldn't have done it was with a default. A little bit of a shaky moment when Harri threw his racket at his bench halfway through the second set yesterday.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (00:50)

Yeah, good stuff.

 

Dan Kiernan (01:18)

I saw that.

 

Calvin Betton (01:18)

Where that was gonna bounce was a little bit a little bit hot in mouth.  But yeah, now they've done the lads have done great I mean it feels like that they they had a chance to be world number one they had a match to be world number one exactly 12 months ago in the quarterfinals at the French and and lost that match.

 

And they haven't had another match to do that since even though they've being pretty much the dominant team on tour for the last nine months, I'd say since post US Open, they've been the dominant team on tour, haven't actually ever come close to being world number one in that period, which was strange. But I mean, like I said to them the other day, it kind of, kind of fits in cause I feel like if we'd have done it a year ago, it would kind that opportunity kind of came out of the blue.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (01:49)

Okay.

 

Calvin Betton (02:09)

I think we were among the best teams in the world, but I don't think at that time we were the best team in the world. Arevalo, Pavic were on a phenomenal runner form at that period. And by sort of freak of ranking points, we could have become world number one, but I feel like this time they actually are the best team in the world. And I think it's kind of fitting that they've done it now. I mean, they've kind of got, they're in a great spot now, Henry and Harry, cause they don't have a whole lot to defend between now and the Asian swing. So—

 

Freddie Nielsen  (02:18)

you you

 

Okay.

 

Calvin Betton (02:43)

—anything that they get is just opening up a gap really, whereas the teams around them have got quite a bit to defend in that period. Like Lloyd and Jules obviously got a load to defend over the grass and going into the hards. Neil Skupski has got Wimbledon semi, US Open final, Toronto final to defend. Granollers and Zeballos got Wimbledon semi, US Open win to defend. So, you know, they've They've kind of, Henry and Harry don't have any of that. They have a couple of quarterfinals, I think. That's it.

 

Dan Kiernan (03:17)

Yeah. And just while whilst we've got ya, you know, we ⁓ on the doubles actually side of things, I know we're gonna jump into the singles and we predominantly talk about the singles in these in these reviews. But the the top seeds in every doubles event, the the the men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles was won by by top seeds, which is which is maybe the opposite to the singles, which we'll get into in a bit. But how how

 

Do you prepare for a for a Grand Slam final like that? And and tell us a little bit about the final as well. I mean, I I I did watch it pretty much most most of the match, and it just it always just felt it was going the way of Granolllers, Zeballos. It felt that they just kind of had their claws in the match and it was going to be a tough match to turn around. Sometimes hard to put your finger on it, but just as a as a tennis fan, you sometimes feel that as well. But tell us about the preparation first and then a little bit about the final.

 

Calvin Betton (04:12)

Yeah, we had a day off the day before and we had a hit on Châtrier then and knowing that we were going to be 11 o'clock in the morning, which I was a pretty crap organization. Playing a Grand Slam finally 11 o'clock in the morning, don't think is, you know, no one should be doing that really at any standard. What kind of concerned me the day before was that we got there for the practice to practice. I think our practice the day before was 10.45 to 11.45.

 

And, um, the court was damp. It was really wet. And I was told that we'd already practiced on Châtrier a couple of days before that early morning. And we're told that they drench the court every morning at 8 a.m. But they normally don't start matches until midday on Châtrier. And I was a little bit concerned if they're drenching this court like this at 8 a.m. And this is what the court's like at 10 45. It's got to be extremely slow.

 

when we play the next day, because I knew that the roof was going to be closed, the weather forecast wasn't great. So it wasn't going to get any sun on it. And it actually transpired that that was the case. They still drenched the court at 8 a.m. And by the time we had our pre-match on it at 9.30, it was still very, very damp and very wet. And then by the time the match started, it was extremely wet and damp and slow. 

 

And when they shut the roof, it just kind of makes everything a little bit more humid. And it just slows the conditions down. And that was never going to work in our favor. Really. ⁓ the way that we play on top of that, like Harriet. I read sort of struggled a little bit with his first surf percentage during the week, but what he had done exceptionally well is his kicker, which is an extremely good and aggressive kicker. And it was almost as effective.

 

And not say almost, it was as effective as a first serve in the first week when it was hot and it was dry and the ball was just bouncing and the conditions were lively and his first serve, his second serve, his kick serve in the first two or three rounds was just like, like say was he was, he was barely losing points on it. think he was, think he won 85 % of second serve points in the first two rounds. When we get to those conditions that we had yesterday, when the court's wet and it's damp, it just doesn't take a kick at all. 

 

And so the ball was kind of coming in just at a nice height for Granollers, Zeballos. ⁓ And it kind of, know, Harri struggled on his service games, then Henry struggled on his in the second set. And I knew kind of early on in the match, ⁓ in the first game of the match, Zebios took a full swing at Henry's first serve, which no one does. ⁓ And you could see then how slow the court was. ⁓

 

And yeah, we just struggled. mean, you we actually broke, we broke twice and we had 15, 14 another game and we had a couple of 30 alls as well, but we just struggled to hold our own serve. And that was, you know, they're a very, very good slow court team. And then Zeb, I also coach who I've come to know pretty well afterwards. He said to me that if that match had been played in the first week, the scoreline would have been reversed. And I think he's probably right in that, but you know, it wasn't, it was played.

 

in those conditions and that's what you get.

 

Dan Kiernan (07:34)

And

 

how do you make that shift? Because on Chatrier as well, you're so far away from the players, it's very difficult to get messages to them and is there any what

 

Calvin Betton (07:42)

impossible and again it's how things

 

work out, how situations work out. Harry was struggling a bit with his serve but he was serving at the far end as well away from us and you're so far away that we just felt like we couldn't influence anything from where we're sat. I I know you were sat there I think a couple of days before maybe in the mixed final and you know I just don't know how

 

some of these tournaments, I just don't know how they managed to get it so far wrong. They've all seen what Australia does and that's the ultimate. It's excellent what Australia does. They have the coaching pod on the court. You're literally at the side of the court. They can get the TV cameras on. They can hear what you're saying and it just feels everything feels more involved. Those coaching boxes in Châtrier are miles away. can't, I don't even know why they're there because there's

 

Dan Kiernan (08:36)

No, no, miles away.

 

Calvin Betton (08:39)

There's, counted it, there's eight rows of seats before the coaching box. Well, I don't know what, is the coaching box, you know, they're still quite far away, but if you're on the front row, but at least you're on the front row, what, why do they need to be eight rows back for the coaching boxes? But like most things at Roland Garros, there's no explanation to it. And you just get a shrug of the shoulders when you ask why. So, ⁓ but yeah, it was, you know, it was difficult. We've, we felt like we just couldn't really.

 

grasp anything and get anything back. then they got, Grinaldo and Zeballos, that moment when we did kind of get it back, they got a little bit lucky on a couple of points and, you know, it just felt like we, just did it. We couldn't find anything on the day, really.

 

Dan Kiernan (09:27)

Well done. well done and and also ⁓ a big well done to Sara Errani , Andrea Vavassori as well, mix mixed doubles champions and Katarina.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (09:37)

Is that a way into

 

⁓ getting attention up to you now? No, you got to give yourself a second of credit. You had a good tournament too with your players.

 

Dan Kiernan (09:41)

No, no, I'm I'm flashing well over that and coming to singles, Freddie. Don't worry about that. But I I d

 

Calvin Betton (09:51)

Completely, yeah.

 

Dan Kiernan (09:52)

Yeah, no, fantastic. Yeah. I mean the the players look at at the end of the day, I think I think as you guys well know, the the deeper you get into those tournaments, sometimes the the the harder the fall feels in those in the in those big matches, you know, when you you you you feel so close. But I think exactly what Calvin says, you you you have a little bit of time to reflect and and you actually look at it as as the the the result.

 

means means more a little bit later. And I know for for Gaby Dobrowski that's her first semi-final of that's her first semi-final of women's doubles at Roland Garros. And she's obviously had a great career but never made the semis. same same with Luisa Stefani as well. It is her third French Open Mix doubles final loss, which I made the error of telling her how nice the trophy was, two minutes after the match in the gym, to which she told me 

 

It's just the same as the other final losses that I've had. so that was maybe a bit of a learning  bit of a learning for me coaching wise. And and and and then also I think a a good tournament as well. I as many people know, I recently started working with André Göransson who's playing with Evan King.

 

 I think they had a I think they had a strong tournament as well. I've they've had a pretty good clear court season from the ranking that they're at and, you know, had a couple of good wins and came across the best team in the world in the third round. You know, didn't went head to head with Calvin and got got our asses whooped. But ⁓ fair play to it was a it was also a pleasure to actually watch. I mean, obviously I know Harry very well, but to see Henry up close in that match, it was like, wow.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (11:31)

So

 

Dan Kiernan (11:31)

He was he was super, super, super impressive. It was like this guy like, where do you serve to him? What what do you do against them? Like really, it felt any any ball he touched. So so yeah, I think overall a fantastic tournament and and nice to be a part of that. And a big shout and and fair play at Siniakova and Townsend. They've won their third major. They they played an incredible semi-finals against against my girls and then went on to win the final. And like I said, the top seeds in all of the all of the sink, all of the doubles events got the job done. Which wasn't the case on the singles, Freddie. And I I we I…

Freddie Nielsen  (12:06)

Can I just say one point that you both said about the toughness of the losses? Don't you also feel that sometimes when you go deep in a big tournament like that, feels like because it's so much hard work and you know how much goes into going deep and you don't take it for granted that once you're there and you lose, you're kind of like, we were this close and now we have to do it all over again.

 

Whereas if you lose in the first few rounds, you don't have that feeling as strongly.

 

Dan Kiernan (12:33)

I I think and Carl, if you jump in in a second, I think I think for me on that, I I I as a coach will never take for granted that the players that I'm working with are in that situation. You know, so so it might be the last time, right? It it is is the reality, and it might be the last time for the players, you know. So you I think naturally you feel that. You I think you naturally are already very tired. 

 

So I think there's like I think there's there's a there's a stronger emotion that goes with it. And again, I'm not speaking for you, Carl, but I think you're you know, I certainly felt it. I mean even a another player where it was Cleeve Harper got into the event, actually as fifth alternate. So it it there was quite there was there was a lot going on throughout the whole of Roland Garros. And it and it did feel, I must admit, my last two or three days there, I felt absolutely, Absolutely exhausted, you know.

 

So and then you're like and and for us on the women's side, playing a Cyniac of a Townsend, you you feel you know every shot they're gonna hit 'cause I've watched them so much and you've scouted so much and you you kind of have this you're just completely engrossed in it, right? So I so I think all of those things, and you're obviously so connected to your players, you know what it means to them.

 

You know, that what they're not just what they've done those two weeks, but their their their whole careers. You've you you tend to then have that rightly so, the junior coaches that are involved in some ways, or, you know, you know like the the family or you know everything that's gone on the twenty twenty five years to get there as well. You know, and it feels it all comes to this head  and this period, but you then trying to just keep the player in that moment and and you you you you're talking your game plans and you're trying to stay absolutely in that present moment.

 

And I so I think it's a whole kind of host of of different emotions. ⁓ it's a and and maybe I don't know if this makes sense for any, but it's like if I said to I sometimes do with kids at the start of a session in an academy, I'll say, right, first one to get a rally of fi not first one, you've got to get a rally of fifty before you do anything else. And if they get to forty-eight and miss.

 

It's like, and and it's then very hard to start the rally again because it's like you you're dealing with that. Whereas if they miss the first couple of shots, it's like I've got another goal, you know. And I I suppose there's probably a little element of of that as well. but yeah, it it it does. It feels everything's feels bigger, everything feels but that's also ver it's a big privilege to be to be a part of those experiences as well, Calv.

 

Calvin Betton (15:17)

Yeah I think, I mean it was a different experience for me yesterday because it's the first time we lost a Grand Slam final obviously and it was a bit strange because like you know the lads won't mind me saying this we didn't really perform ⁓ and didn't play very well and I think it was like I remember like the Wimbledon final and the Australian Open finals that we won a couple of years ago.

 

I don't know whether it would have felt worse or better if we'd have those matches we actually play very well, both matches were very close and we could have lost either, either of them. could have gone the other way. And I don't know whether it would have felt how that would have felt, but yesterday just felt a bit like it was more of frustration rather than a disappointment. I disappointed without a doubt, but it was a frustration that, you know, I don't know that, you know, we didn't really make them do much either. I didn't think that.

 

It's not any criticism of Granollers, Zeballos. I don't think they played particularly well. ⁓ It wasn't like, they were just too good. Like, they were too good for us because we didn't play well. And they might have had another couple of levels to go up. But that's where the disappointment came for me, I suppose, felt like we didn't really leave it all out there, to be honest.

 

Dan Kiernan (16:34)

Freddie, let me move on.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (16:35)

I hear what you're saying.

 

Was just wondering because sometimes when I was there as a player, felt once you get in there, you know how much it takes to come back. It's hard work like you guys have been through. Obviously sometimes you guys have so much more to do outside the court than the players. I've not been going that deep into a tournament as a coach. So I haven't experienced that from a coaching point of view.

 

Obviously you guys had, it's been a pretty extravagant two weeks from you guys and it must be tough, you said physically then of course, maybe also because when you get that deep you also feel like this was a good chance to maybe get something out of it.

 

Calvin Betton (17:08)

And yet, we are the priests.

 

I mean, it's also like it was different for us this run as well in that, you know, we had quite a nice draw admittedly, know, in that the, Keynote's team, Evan and Andre were the only set doubles pair that we played against before the final. Like we played, we played first round, we played two singles players, second round we played two singles players. Then we played Evan and Andre. 

 

Then we played a doubles pair who just repaired to get in the tournament in Demoliner  and Balagi. And then we played another couple of singles players. So, you know, we've never really had that both our slam wins. We've actually had pretty tough draws in them and we played almost, I think we've played in both slams that we won. only played one singles pair in, those 10, in those 12 matches. And this time we played, we played three right there. then, so it was kind of like a bit.

 

It did it, know, when you go to the slams, feel like you've got to, in order to win it, you've got to beat the best players. And it was a bit of a strange one getting to the final. mean, admittedly, like Halys, Herbert  are in particular a very good singles doubles pair. Like Herbert’s won five slam titles and Halys was going, yeah. But still, you know, it's still like—

 

Freddie Nielsen  (18:42)

He's got all four rides.

 

Calvin Betton (18:49)

—they haven't won anything as a pair. So it was kind of like, it was a strange way to get to the final, but it was a strange tournament all around the men's doubles with pairs losing.

 

Dan Kiernan (19:00)

Yeah.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (19:00)

Yeah, but you gotta put in the home side thing as well to have them in the semi-final, they're playing well, they're at home. That's not easy.

 

Calvin Betton (19:08)

It's not no, but again, like the, you know, the French, like it was a strange atmosphere out there. There was a lot of kids and it felt like a bit of a circus more than anything. don't think anything by any stress. They've got that chant, you know, that channel they do the bullfighting chan, the ba ba ba… 

 

Anyone who's played in France, like you guys have both played there and coached there and that kind of thing. You get that chant five or six times a set, usually. Like during this match, it was relentless. was, because there was so many kids in there, was seven or eight times a point, seven or eight times a game. You know, and it was, it got to the stage then where it kind of like, it was noisy, but it wasn't particularly intimidating.

 

Like I was on the court next to, we played our first match on the court next to Suzanne Long-Long when Kwame played the lad from Paraguay. And that place was bouncing. ⁓ Long-Long was bouncing that day. And all I could see

 

Dan Kiernan (20:03)

Yeah. Four, yeah. And long llong, long microphones around the hole, especially if you're around that court eight, six, eight, nine, like area.

 

Calvin Betton (20:25)

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. and there were people, I reckon there were 5,000 people around long long as well watching the big screens on that, on that day. And I remember thinking that this lad, like, I mean, he didn't cover himself in glory afterwards, to be fair, but I remember thinking like this lad who's playing Kwame to have that coming in on you. think he was only like 19 to have that coming in on you. Like it must've been a hell of a lot of whereas the day we were there, when we played, it just felt a bit silly as opposed to anything else.

 

Dan Kiernan (21:07)

I think the big one for I think the big one for me, Freddie, and I'm determined to move this, move this on, sorry guys, as as much as I I I I love this. No no but but I think it's great, it's it's important conversation and to get Calves insight, you know, what after what he's just experienced. But I I think the big one for me, which to reference Sabalenka and Sinner in this, the one that I see at at major championships is

 

Calvin Betton (21:08)

Yeah.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (21:08)

Okay. It was me who threw in a curveball there. I just figured it was interesting.

 

Dan Kiernan (21:38)

That feeling of like I'm gotta put myself back into the fire again. I've gotta I've gotta go again and I've gotta be that performer again and I've gotta step onto that court and I've gotta step up again and I've gotta, you know, do that in front of not not just the crowd that are there, but the crowd on the TV, the country that are that are watching behind, you know, a lot of these players.

 

You know, let's take Luisa Stefani and br the whole of Brazil watches, you know, it's it's a big deal. It's shown on ESPN in Brazil and everyone's coming and and you're you know, I think any of us have that situation. I think it's like it's one of my biggest challenges running an academy is like and I and I go back to the academy, it's like, right, I've got to be the director of the academy again today and I've got to come in with that, you know, enthusiasm and I've got to speak to parents and I've got to that's hard. That's a hard thing to do.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (22:03)

you you

 

Dan Kiernan (22:31)

And and and and it's something I have so much respect for tennis players that are able to do it, you know, and and and I think sometimes we watch and we think they're almost robots, right? You know, and that being having that look firsthand and being involved in these these elite athletes, because it is the ones that are that are achieving that and sustainably achieving that, they're elite. They're elite in mindset, you know, whereas we we we do see certain players kind of nip in and have—

 

Freddie Nielsen  (22:34)

Yeah.

 

Dan Kiernan (23:01)

—A good run, but

 

then we don't see them for a while. You know, we've seen it a lot on the women's side. And and and and that was actually one of my feelings going into this event was with Jannik Sinner of how he was gonna do that again, right? How was he gonna you know, we all we almost take it for granted, or he's just gonna win? That's just what he does. But it's like it's not easier to just keep keep putting yourself into that fire in in into that mixer.

 

But but Freddie, what what what it did achieve, I I and we talked about it kind of mid tournament. For me, it produced a a quite incredible Roland Garros this year. You know, I think there was there were so many storylines, there were so many things going on. Granted, I think on the men's single side, everyone almost ran out of steam and we kind of limped over maybe the last the the the kind of quarterfinals on became a little bit of a limp and even the final today, I know we had a five setter, but—

 

Freddie Nielsen  (23:31)

So Okay.

 

Dan Kiernan (23:57)

—It was it was a little bit of a limp from from both players really in terms of you know it created a lot of drama certainly at the end of the fourth set there. but it it maybe didn't quite produce the the highest, highest level of of tennis. But what was your take? I know you were there for the qualifying event, but watching on from from afar, was was the event as special as it felt being involved? Like there was a certain middle period there that like it felt like it was just every match was five sets.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (23:59)

Okay.

 

Dan Kiernan (24:27)

Every match was doing this, the crowd were going crazy. You then like it s threw in PSG beating Arsenal in the middle of it while all of it was kicking off and it and it felt like the real epicenter of the world was was happening in Paris for a for a moment there.

 

Freddie Nielsen (24:41)

Honestly, I felt like it was something that I didn't know tennis needed before it happened, but I felt like it kind of I felt like it was a bear coming out of hibernation, whereas for so many years.

 

The Grand Slams have kind of been given until the later stages and you kind of knew who was there. And it got a little bit predictable, particularly on the men's side. And even though it had been less predictable the last few years, the constants of Sinner, Alcaraz 

kind of prolonged that feeling that came from the Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Murray times of tennis.

 

And now I kind of felt like it was back to the days where Martin Verkerk would make a final. I think we spoke about that on the podcast as well. And I was sitting today with the feeling that this was kind of a gaudio against the Korea final. This one, I had the same kind of feeling that these kind of finals are now possible. And I thought it was wildly entertaining.

 

Dan Kiernan (25:37)

Two thousand and three. Korea. huh. Yeah.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (25:54)

Pumped to follow it, whereas I hadn't had the same enthusiasm because it was kind of given. for example, we spoke on that live stream and I kept saying Felix, Felix, Felix, and then last minute I go, nah, let's go for Cerundalo, and then the next day he loses to Zvajda. It's like there's no logic to this. But this kind of wild west, I kind of feel like people need it.

 

There's been so much talk about the tournament. Everybody has been following it. I know some of my acquaintances in various threads are saying like, okay, it's where we want it, but it almost didn't feel like a Grand Slam. But this is what it was. I mean, this is how it used to be. Sometimes there were some wild tournaments, you know. I think back to was it in 96 when Crye Jake played Washington in the final of Wimbledon. I feel like we're back to the times where this could happen or

 

Calvin Betton (26:35)

Thank

 

Freddie Nielsen  (26:50)

Gustavo Kierden can make a run. So I think it was, I thought it was really entertaining and I feel like every player in the draw will be thinking, okay, this could happen. know, there are variables, know, Carlos is out, Musetti is out, Holger is out or whoever is out. Like you said, you called it before the tournament that Sinner was probably going to have a bad day, which on the live stream I also said I thought was a little bit becoming an old story, but it proved to be true. I think he was the biggest bookmakers favorite and basically a long time. I think he was a bigger favorite than Rapha ever was. And still this could happen. So I'm all for it. Give me more.

 

Dan Kiernan (27:36)

Was it was it the biggest upset in Roland Garros' history, Calv? Sinner going out in the second round?

 

Calvin Betton (27:43)

Yeah, I mean, yeah, but I also, no, but I was saying to somebody, I think we also have to analyze it in a different way than that. It's been a bit disingenuous to say that he was for all intents and purposes, it was an injury. Like he could have just retired at that point for all that he was, for all that he offered after that point, if he'd have pulled his hamstring at that point and withdrawn, we wouldn't be sat talking about it like.

 

Dan Kiernan (27:45)

Six two six two five three six two six three five one up.

 

Calvin Betton (28:10)

it's a massive upset and that kind of thing. Something happened now, we can talk about why it happened, like his preparation, that kind of thing, but he was not there at all from that point. He could have, like I say, he could have just retired at that point and we wouldn't be talking about it like a massive upset. And that's what...

 

Freddie Nielsen  (28:27)

But didn't he say that he felt like that all day long?

 

Calvin Betton (28:31)

He said on the morning he woke up feeling that way, but then he said he was fine. And then at that point it felt, he, got a lot worse. But I mean, I actually went on the.

 

Dan Kiernan (28:42)

You can't keep doing it. You can't keep doing it. Human beings can't keep doing it.

 

Calvin Betton (28:46)

I went and watched the match on the court and he just, he couldn't perform, know, and fair play to him that he stayed out there, you know, and think he was staying out there just hoping something would change. But like I say, if that's an injury and it was a type of injury, what he had, was an illness that I don't think we can put it in as like he just, it was just a loss. You know, something happened in the match and he, you know, like, if I, if like, if he rolled…

 

Dan Kiernan (29:13)

Was it an illness? Was it an illness or was it was it just just too many matches?

 

Calvin Betton (29:17)

No, well, he said it was at the time.

 

No, at the time we thought it was a at the time we thought it was ⁓ we thought it was just a heat exhaustion thing. But he said afterwards that he'd been ill in the morning and then it had gone and then he came back during the match and he couldn't he couldn't perform or anything. I'm sure there was a certain level of of heat exhaustion in there. It was brutally hot. But I think like I say, I think we have to we have to take it in some context. And in that regard.

 

That's why I don't think we can count it as the biggest upset that we've ever seen. You can only count that if the match gets finished on normal terms. it just didn't. More than half the match, Sinner just wasn't there as an entity that we expect. think Soderling beating Rafa, whatever year that was, was a much bigger upset because Rafa was fully fit and he just couldn't find it that day.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (30:12)

But your line of questioning then, does that mean that you think it was something, a mental exhaustion that manifested itself physically?

 

Dan Kiernan (30:20)

Yeah, I do. I think I I one thing and I don't I don't think I said it that strongly on the on the preview, but it's something I felt strongly for a while, is I could not believe that he played…

 

Freddie Nielsen  (30:35)

And a Carlo.

 

Dan Kiernan (30:35)

Indian

 

Wells, Miami, then he went Monte Carlo, then he went Madrid, then he went Rome. I could not believe he did that. Like, like for me, that was absolutely if if we're talking the Roland Garros is the big one, and if we take Novak Djokovic right now, right, at his stage of his career, he basically only cares about Grand Slams. That's that's ultimately what is going to define someone's career. Now obviously Jannik Sinner could win all of the Masters one thousands this year, and that would be an incredible.

 

Incredible achievement. And that's gonna watch that, watch this space for that, because I would imagine that that's something that's in his mind right now, especially with Carlos Alcaraz out. You know, so there's there's a bit of an argument there that that's that's gonna be a historical year to do that, right? But it you you you ultimately are defined by by Grand Slams, by major titles, and and for me, Jannik Sinner and his team have got this one wrong. I I I really believe that, you know, like.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (31:17)

Okay. So

 

Dan Kiernan (31:32)

This was a Roland Garros that he could have pretty much strolled through. But I but I think he overplayed. I I think playing five those back to back, basically back to back five Masters one thousands was too much. It was too much tennis. And and and and to to to to refer to my point that I've made earlier, do not underestimate. Yes, we're watching Jannik Sinner win two and two and two and three and three and four and these sort of results, but he's having to get into that space, the nervous system being fully switched on, the preparation fully switched on to jump into that fire and be Jannik Sinner, the world's best male tennis player. 

 

That's not an easy space to go into, time and time and time and time and time again. And and I think he already showed signs in Rome. People were talking about panic attacks. They were talking about I think he does have he does have some anxieties linked to how his body—

 

Freddie Nielsen  (32:13)

Okay.

 

Dan Kiernan (32:29)

—handles the heat and handles long matches. And, you know, one and eight one and eight record in best of five sets. It's something crazy like he up until Australian Auburn, he'd never won a match over three hours, fifteen minutes. You know, the he yeah, I think he does have some serious issues mentally with how he is able to handle that. And that on top of all of the all of the matches, I think it was gonna it was gonna catch him out at some point.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (32:43)

you

 

Dan Kiernan (32:58)

And and and I and I and I'm absolutely convinced that that that's played a big role in in what probably would have been his easiest major title to date to to pick up and tick off the list.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (33:13)

Maybe his team will say the same now and say, was a mistake and maybe he won't do it anymore. But he's also young and maybe Darren Cahill could have advised some more. But it's still young team and they live as they learn. We've also seen some of the other players throughout time also have some questionable scheduling. So maybe this is just part of the process.

 

Dan Kiernan (33:28)

Yes.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (33:38)

Maybe they thought, let's keep it rolling, you know.

 

Dan Kiernan (33:42)

When he finishes on twenty four, like Novak Djokovic is gonna, maybe he's he'll look back at this as his twenty fifth, just like Novak will look back at the time that he hit the hit the ball or hit the racket into the into the lines judge at US Open, you know, when he was well on his way to to winning that one, you know. So it's gonna happen but I the one thing I do wanna pick up on the back of that, Freddie, is obviously Italian tennis has been talked about a lot, but it's—

 

Freddie Nielsen  (33:57)

possibly.

 

Dan Kiernan (34:08)

—i they've kind of lived in the shadow of Jannik Sinner a little bit, right? The the men. And then all of a sudden it was like Jannik’s gone. We're here. Look at us. You know, we're we're we're we're all here as well.  It  was that that top half of the draw where they all kind of came about, you know, Arnaldi against Berrettini to play to play Cobolli in in in this in the semifinals. We have talked about the Italians before, but they're doing something right. You know, it feels, t feels like a team. It feels like they're all on each other's side. Even playing, I know, the the mixed doubles final, it felt like you were playing against a bigger thing than just two players on the court. You know, they they seem to be doing something that really not many of any other nations are doing right now.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (34:47)

Yeah.

 

It seems like they're doing some very good investments that are paying off and have been doing for a while. They have a lot of tournaments, they have a lot of momentum.  From what I can understand, I'm quite interested in how they support from a federation. They've changed the way they support. Instead of centralizing the national center, they let people do their own thing and then support that financially. And they have a very good system from the juniors and up. 

 

And it really seems like they're, they're doing something really right in creating a long-term sustainable funding system. You mentioned Jannik Sinner, but they've also, haven't they won Davis Cup like three times in a row or something like that? And Cobolli and Arnaldi are some players that I was gonna expect more of based on what I've seen. And Arnaldi particularly when he...

 

Dan Kiernan (35:38)

Billie Jean King as well.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (35:49)

I think he clinched the Davis Cup for Italy three years ago or two years ago and I thought he was a fantastic player in Cobbolli as well. So for me, it's not fantastically surprising, but it is interesting to see that it's going so well and it kind of looks like it's going to keep producing well because they're doing something structurally and fundamentally right by the looks of it to make success sustainable. then from what I hear, they've a lot of the finances they get is based on the success of Sinner, so it certainly doesn't help hurt them that they have a guy like that leading the way.

 

Dan Kiernan (36:24)

But also culturally, that's the one for me. We can talk about investment, we can talk about finance, we can talk about tournaments, but like they walk off the court, they're waiting for each other. There's a they they they seem to have this team, they seem to have this team, Calv. Like what like that's you know, like I I always go I always talk about this. Not that anyone needs to be congratulating me at the World Tour fine the the the WTA finals, but I saw I I saw

 

all of the different British people the week that Gaby and Erin won in in Riyadh. And I saw them every day. And not one of them ever said, well done. There was no there's never a collective, there's never this collective community and and and I don't know if you would have got it this this week, Carl, for you know you'll be seeing lots of different British different British people, whether they're working in the media, whether they're working for the Federation.

 

 But it it it's always something to me, I think the British tennis culture, which I can talk about there's almost been a jealousy over the years. I always thought the Australians had it pretty good a few years ago. I felt I'd go to certain tournaments and the Australians would be watching each other and there was quite a collective. I don't feel that as much anymore. But on it, the Italians just seem to just all be supporting each other. There seems to be this incredible culture. And I I it actually was one of our strap lines at the Academy, which was team environment, individual pathway.

 

Someone I really believe in. Like I know it's an individual sport, but create a team environment and then you have individual pathways within that. And I and I feel like the Italians have nailed that.

 

Calvin Betton (38:00)

I think

 

Freddie Nielsen  (38:01)

It's basically what we try to do in Denmark. That's exactly the thing we try to do with our thing.

 

Calvin Betton (38:07)

I mean,it's yes and no,  in that you're right. They are very close, but it's a lot more natural, I think, than sort of putting a pathway and putting any sort of, you know, this is how we want to do it. What I know, because I know quite a few of the Italians relatively well through Vava and Bolelli, and also know, come to know, Cobolli quite well over the years, because Henry actually played against him a couple of times in challenges, in doubles, and they're kind of quite friendly with each other.

 

 But it's sort of, don't think you can create what they've done because the thing that stands out, they're actually mates. They're actually best friends. Like, Cobolli’s best friend is Berettini. Like, they grew up together playing Berrettini's, I think he's three or four years older, but there's a great clip that went round last year of them, like they're both trained at the same academy and sort of Cobolli following Berrettini around when he's about, about four years younger than him, think. he's about, Berrettini is about 16 and he's 12. 

 

And then kind of just, just hanging around with each other and he's quite a cool video. And when they won the Davis Cup last year, I think it was, it was an amazing video when Kabali wins it. But Berettini and Kabali were the two singles players. Berrettini's won his match, then Cobolli wins it. And Berrettini runs on, he's the first person on to go and hug him. And it was like, really touching that like, not only you've won it, but you've also won it with your best mate in the world.

 

Dan Kiernan (39:09)

It's a great clip, yeah.

 

Calvin Betton (39:34)

Like that must be quite something. I think that's different, I think, from creating a culture of people who know each other and get along with each other and can sort of, you you can tell them this is how we operate. This is what we want to do. I know that you can force people into being actual mates outside of tennis and they all are. So like I say, like Cobolli and Berrettini are best, each other's best mates. And Vava is very close with Berrettini as well.

 

And Vava is also very close with Errani, obviously, who is close with Paolini. And then you have all these other sort of around them. I Bolelli is a little bit older than the rest of them. He kind of keeps himself to himself, but he's still friends with them. But I don't, I think it's very natural in that this group of players, male and female, grew up with each other. And it's kind of like, they're just very, very close outside of tennis. They go like, when it's the United Cup.

 

Like you see videos of them, they're all on the beach together. They socialize with each other. And I think that that's, they socialize with each other out of choice in that they're each other's best mates. And I think that's where you get that closeness as opposed to having a philosophy on it. I don't think the Italian have their own philosophy. think they've just happened to have got a group of people who are each other's best friends in the world.

 

Dan Kiernan (40:36)

Yeah.

 

It's powerful though.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (40:58)

But also, there's a little bit of chicken and egg to it because it also has to be an environment where that kind of relationships can thrive. I've played a lot in Italy and played some Liga matches and it just seems like everybody knows everybody across every level. You have a guy who's ranked 1,000 and he'll know a guy ranked 50 pretty well and they all know each other. It's incredible.

 

Calvin Betton (41:00)

There's no doubt. There's no doubt. No, no, it's true.

 

I think what I'm getting to with this lot is you've got quite a unique situation in where, you've got a group of people who are all around about the same age. mean, they all get along with Sinner, but I don't think Sinner's as close with the rest of them as this group are. Like you've got that group of kind of Cobolli, Berettini, Vavassori, Pellegrino's in there who's kind of just breaking the top 100, Arnaldi, a couple more whose names pass me by, Nardi, I think, is mates with them all. And then you've got the two, then you've got Paolini and Errani as well. 

 

And I think what you've got is this group of people who all happen to be around about the same age and who also are really, really good at tennis. And I think it's those things combined that you don't often get a group of sort of 10 people who are around the same age, who are all mates and they're all really good and they're all coming through at the same time. And I think that that's where they've been.

 

There's a, you know, it's kind of more natural, I think, than what we have in Britain. Like, know, like Britain, have, you know, I know through Henry and Luke, they are friends who they're people who they're really friendly with in tennis and, you know, they're friends in tennis. Like, Luke and Henry are kind of mates outside of tennis, but they have other people who they're friends with in tennis, but they don't really, you know, like Luke had said when we were on about.

 

I think Louis asked Luke, are your best friends in tennis? And he was like, well, Henry's my mate outside of tennis, but then there are other people who Louis mentioned. And he was like, I'm friends with them, but I don't really message them about anything other than tennis. And I think that's a kind of a thing in Britain. I don't think anyone dislikes it in Britain, whereas this Italian group, I think they socialize with each other. They're each other's best friends.

 

Dan Kiernan (43:16)

Okay, I'm gonna throw something else out there then. So is it is it an emotional thing? So like Italians are highly emotional. You know, if anyone's watching this on YouTube, you'll see what I've done there with my fingers. But there is that kind of strong emotion that they maybe don't mind. Like like Italians, like they don't mind hugging each other. They don't mind probably kissing each other, you know. There there's this there's this closeness. Sorry guys. But but now but

 

Calvin Betton (43:46)

Maybe, I'm just thinking there though. be fair to this group—

 

Freddie Nielsen  (43:47)

God Bless You.

 

Calvin Betton (43:49)

—of Italians, we're giving them load of credit. Three of them have failed to finish the tournament for all intents and purposes.

 

Dan Kiernan (43:54)

Yeah, but I'm moving it away from the Italians. I w I actually want to move it to Brazilian culture as well. So because for me, the Brazilian culture's it's it's that similar thing. It's this there's this closeness, they're they're a bit more open with their emotions. There's like and I had the absolute fortune of sitting with all of the Brazilians when Fonseca played Djokovic, which for me was match of the tournament. It was fifth set of the tournament.

 

Incredible and and and I want to throw this to you in a minute, Freddie, because I think we saw we saw  two things that day. We saw the the the one of the next biggest stars in the game was born on the big stage. I know we've been talking about him for a while, but I think he finally showed he finally showed it in the biggest of moments. And I thought and I I think we also probably saw the last the last match at at that level, maybe at Roland Garros of of arguably our our greatest male male tennis player, Novak Djokovic, and he and he performed incredibly well as well.

 

However, when I looked around, you've got you've got the you've got the Brazilian the Brazilian, sorry, Fonseca's players box. And you had his parents who were highly emotional and involved, you know, which kind of wouldn't be deemed right, probably in in in our culture.

 

You then I looked around. Th I don't think there was a Brazilian tennis player I didn't see in that stadium that night. And it was nine PM at night. And and quite a lot of them were still in the tournament.

 

Now that shows also an incredible closeness of of what they're doing. Why why it's like that, I don't know. I guess we can speculate till the cows come home, you know. But that wouldn't be the case. If Jack Draper is playing a match, a night match at the French Open against Novak Djokovic, you will not have all other British tennis players. I don't know about Denmark. I don't know, I would but I would imagine there's very few countries as well. So I think that there is that there is that feeling as well with the Brazilians. That's my long winded way of saying, Freddie, how impressive was Joao Fonseca, this French open, and did we finally, finally see what everyone's been talking about.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (46:12)

To that point, just want to add, think there was a little bit of a momentum going for the Brits after the COVID break where the Brits had all those, those tournaments at home and it seemed like at the first few tournaments back that they actually did come out to support each other a little bit more than they'd used to. But so maybe it's also because that the Brazilians for being such a big country there, they haven't relatively got that many players. So they're quite supportive of each other. 

 

But yeah, to get to your point, it was pretty impressive. I mean, that last game, serving it out against Novak was, I think, I don't uh, insult him by saying that was pretty tight game to go down 30, 40, and then just came up with ace, ace. So, I mean, he's, he's definitely not scared against the match against Casper as well. He just let it all fly. And maybe there's still a little bit to go because it didn't quite go, go his way against Men's SIG, but he's definitely getting closer and closer. And you, you kind of fancy him against anybody in a given match, especially on clay court, right?

 

I don't think if he was playing Carlos or Sinner you would kind of keep an eye out for him and expect it to be tight. So it seems like he's finding his way. He's got some pretty solid people around him and he's fun to watch. And he seems maybe the most supportive guy in the world. It feels like it. I mean, he creates a certain hype and buzz around the crowd as you witnessed.

 

Dan Kiernan (47:48)

And I think and I think that can go for him and against him because I think it's also pissing off some of the other players actually. I think the Brazilian crowd goes a bit over the top and we've now seen numerous players that have like got in his face when they've beaten him actually. And I think he's a lovely young man, but I think that's gonna he's gonna carry the the benefits of that, but also maybe ⁓ a little bit of the the downside as well.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (48:15)

Yeah, maybe. I mean, you don't want to give the opponents an extra chance to an extra motivation to beat you. But on the other hand, I think if you're a frontseger, you'll take the support. he certainly, I don't know if you guys were there, if you saw it, but when he played doubles in Rio, for example, the support was insane. And he was playing for them a legend with Melo and he was letting it rip and getting so excited. I think he tries, I think he's going to be better for it.

 

Dan Kiernan (48:51)

I think his forehand is the most exciting shot in tennis right now.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (48:59)

I hadn't thought about that. What could be?

 

Dan Kiernan (49:02)

It's like almost what I the feeling I had, and it's the first time maybe where he's he's he's managed his forehand. Well, I don't think he managed it so well against Mensik. He went back to his old old old he was playing too flat and too low. But almost like you could almost feel the gasp of the stadium when the ball went to his forehand. Almost like a bit like and and I don't like talking about Man United, but a bit like probably Ryan Giggs in his prime.

 

You when Ryan Giggs got the ball and you were like the whole stadium would be like, Whoa, what's he about to do? He's about to go down the left wing. He's about to take on the players. You know, it's it's it for me it's had that sort of feeling, that sort of anticipation of like it's it's fuck he he's about to let loose here. You know, for for me, I I think there's something incredibly exciting about that.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (49:47)

I think I told you about this, right?

 

The first time I saw him, was coaching a junior at French Open when he was there as a junior walking in the first morning and I was just watching people practice and I heard the sound from the court and I had to stop and turn around and see what the hell is going on here. And he was a junior and then he came as a junior to be a sparring partner or a sixth guy or whatever he was for the Brazilian Davis Cup team. And I was almost thinking, I'm happy he's not in the team.

 

Because it looked like he was tearing everybody up in practice and the way he was hitting the ball back then was head turning, literally.

 

Dan Kiernan (50:25)

It is. And  Calv, I know you love him and we've got this farm, we've not mentioned him, but first time Grand Slam champion, Alexander Zverev. 

 

Calvin Betton (50:37)

Yeah, I was texting in our other podcast group earlier on and James who hosts said like, this is not a great match in terms of level. I said that, yeah, but fortunately for Zverev, he's the best in the world, maybe the best, best in the world currently, maybe the best ever at winning crap tennis matches.

 

And he just has a way of like,just as a way of winning him. He's a really strange phenomenon, Zverev, like even if we take apart that, you know, I don't think he's the most pleasant individual out there and I don't think I get much disagreement on that, but just look at him as a tennis player. He's just such an odd tennis player in that, how many times, like think through the years now and he's been around now for eight or nine years. How many times you ever seen him and thought, I'll tell you what, Zverev's playing well.

 

He just doesn't ever seem to... No, but that's the thing. So James said that earlier and I said, yeah, but then that would be okay if his like identity was a serve bot and he can serve exceptionally well. mean, what he's, what he does exceptionally well is he serves at like 75 % all the time for serves. And that when you've got that serve and you can get in three out of four in, you're going to be tough to beat. But he's not really a serve bot. You know, I feel like he's, he's more than a serve bot.

 

Dan Kiernan (51:39)

Only when he's serving really well, maybe.

 

Yeah, he does, yeah.

 

Calvin Betton (52:07)

So you take that out and you know, he's in a lot of long rallies, but he never ever seems to be playing that well, but does have a way of winning. Like he's kind of got this sort of.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (52:19)

But he also never seems to be playing really terrible either, I think, to your point.

 

Calvin Betton (52:24)

No, watch him, no he doesn't, given, but I mean he's forehand, he shanks two out of every five forehands that he hits.

 

Dan Kiernan (52:34)

Until he cramps, until he cramps, and then he hits his phone bloody well. That that was his saving grace today.

 

Calvin Betton (52:37)

But.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (52:38)

But I think he actually hit his forehand better than he has been in this tournament in general.

 

Calvin Betton (52:45)

No, he has. He's on, but then again, today in the final, didn't think he did. until like saying.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (52:50)

He hit one,

 

Dan Kiernan (52:50)

T until until four or five.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (52:51)

He hit one forehand return on the break point in the third set. think that was head that that was shocking stuff.

 

Calvin Betton (52:58)

Yeah, but I think like, I think then he's, he kind of knows he's got to, but I just find him a really strange,  really strange, but I mean, even today he's he's very much he's, here. I reckon three of the worst volleys I've ever seen in a Grand Slam final today. this. Yeah. I think there was, there was two in that game. I think.

Dan Kiernan (53:18)

Is that in the game where he got broken at three all?

 

No, yeah. Although Cabolli hit a couple of shockers and and overheads as well. So he was he was up there.

 

Calvin Betton (53:29)

Cobolli at the one on set point that was a really bad one. Initially I thought it was a drop in concentration. think then when I saw the replay, I think he just choked. I think it was one of those you could see that the arm just collapsed. The arm just turned to jelly on it, but then he a great shot at the point after. 

 

Dan Kiernan (53:38)

It w got a bit high, maybe.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (53:39)

Hmm.

 

Dan Kiernan (53:49)

Gaby said we need to invite him to some doubles practices. She we were watching it together. She was like, I think we need to get these guys into some of our doubles practices, dad. Flipping, It was never seen so many overheads and volleys, volleys missed. That was that was his 120.

 

Calvin Betton (53:59)

Yeah.The thing is though as well is that I feel and I do feel this about I don't think you know I don't want to sound like negative about this I actually and I hope you know there's certain things that to believe that it could change especially with Fonseca coming in and I Kouame is coming as well. 

 

I actually don't think men's tennis is in a great spot at the minute and for a few reasons that

I mean, my friend messaged me and my friend's a writer for The Guardian and he does The Guardian blog on the tennis. And he messaged me a bit asking sort of, you know, what's going on here with the tactics and that kind of thing. And he said, what's Cobolli’s like game plan today? And I said that this is where tennis is in such a strange spot at minute in that all the players basically play exactly the same way. 

 

Like they're all ball striking baseliners. And I don't really know how much tactics is discussed, anymore. Like it feels like every match is just they play from the baseline and one of them just hits the ball better. And like today I was watching the match today I was baffled that Cobolli  hit, I reckon he hit probably 65, 70 percent of his balls to Zverev’s backhand. And they can't have...

 

Freddie Nielsen  (55:20)

I couldn't agree more.

 

Dan Kiernan (55:20)

Yeah, we did.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (55:21)

I couldn't agree more in general with everything you said.

 

Calvin Betton (55:24)

And I find that that worries me is that the players are just the same. There's not a real load of variation in it. And there isn't even many left-handers. There's only Shelton who's a left-hander. So basically what we've got is all these right-handed, relatively complete, they're all pretty solid, clean ball strikers from the back of the court. None of them can really volley.

 

Who is the good volleyers in the men's game now? I Alcaraz quite good at volleying.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (55:59)

Hot guy's pretty good.

 

Calvin Betton (56:03)

Yeah, how'd that? Pretty good.I'd say.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (56:09)

I meant, said, I'm sorry, didn't say right, Holger, my guy, the Danish player. I think he's got pretty good hands around the net.

 

Calvin Betton (56:16)

I kind of forgot how he plays. But when I say this Fred, think like, know, around shoulder height when they've hit a great four and I think, you know, they're all pretty competent on that other than Zverev who can't volley.  But the rest of them, I feel like it's like they kind of all play the same and they all play the same and then you know, is there anything interesting going on tactically in any of the matches with it? 

 

It just feels like, you know, they just go out there and play their game and see if it's enough. And I think that's a little bit of a concern. I also don't think we're just not getting enough matches. You know, an interesting thing I read earlier on that these two on their way to the final of play, they played one top 10 player combined between them. Cobolli beat Felix.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (57:09)

Heh.

 

Calvin Betton (57:13)

And that you'd think you would hope that in slams in particular, we're just not getting enough of those, those matches. mean, there's various reasons for that in the Alcaraz, Sinner just chop everyone up. But even in this one now, we're just not getting those, those big matches. You know, would like to have seen like a Rublev versus Zverev in a quarterfinal or something like that, or, you know, Shelton against Cobolli in a semi or something. 

 

Freddie Nielsen  (57:13)

Yeah.

 

Calvin Betton (57:42)

But we're not even, we're just not getting enough of that. There feels like, it feels like nobody between the ranking of four and 20 has any level of consistency at the minute to be able to.

 

Dan Kiernan (57:56)

But we've got but what I think we've got it which I think is exciting, I think we Fonseca, I think we Mentic, I think we got Kouame, I think we got these players that are that are that are also and I think you said it Calv on on on a podcast. Maybe it was our live podcast, but you you said you said you hope one of the next gen Jodar, you know, win wins it because it's almost like if someone like Zverev wins, it's almost just like well yeah, well he's won, but he once once Alcaraz and Sinner are back, he's just gonna lose to them again because he

 

doesn't believe he can beat them. 

 

Yeah, ⁓ No, I don't, but I but I do think we are seeing I think some of those young guns have got a bit of something about them actually. And I think, I think tennis is potentially in a in an exciting place with them actually. I think I think that's where…

 

Calvin Betton (58:33)

I don't think this moves the needle at all.

 

Freddie Nielsen (58:51)

Thank you.

 

Calvin Betton (58:51)

Actually, yeah, I'm hoping that is the case, but we're still probably a couple of years from that though.

 

Dan Kiernan (58:58)

Yeah.

 

I'm convinced on Fonseca now. Convinced.

 

Calvin Betton (59:02)

I still didn't necessarily.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (59:02)

In what sense?

 

Dan Kiernan (59:05)

I'm convinced that he he is gonna he's gonna push Alcaraz, Sinner over the next couple of years.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (59:13)

But what does that mean?

 

Calvin Betton (59:14)

I'm still not, I think he's gonna be a very, very good player. I think he's gonna be a top five player. I'm not certain he's gonna be a top one or two.

 

Dan Kiernan (59:26)

I think he's gonna win at least four Grand Slam.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (59:31)

Tough call, but then again, at one point the generation is going to fall and then he's going to be mid-20s. It's tough to predict what's going to happen.

 

Dan Kiernan (59:38)

I know, but I

 

just saw sometimes and look, look, we can all be wrong. I remember I was once. When was it that again? It was like any. But but it but but it's like, there was a moment. There was there was I felt I experienced a moment that night. Yeah, there was like and I remember Andy Murray twenty twelve being, you know, lucky enough to sit in his box that night when he played Novak Djokovic and he won the third set seven six. And for me there was this moment of belief of like, shit, I can do it.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (59:46)

Hahaha

 

Dan Kiernan (1:00:08)

And he didn't win that match, but then he went on and he won the Olympics and he won US Open that year. And and I and I really felt there was the moment there. That set, that von second-fifth set against Novak Djokovic, for me, there was a moment of like, yes, yes, he's got it. He's got it. The belief system is got it now. He he he believes in it. Physically, he's got to maybe get a little bit, little bit stronger to be able to get himself through through the slams, but he for me, he took it up two or three levels, this Roland Garros. 

 

I really believe that. I think he went from there up two or two or three levels in in terms of what he did, you know, in terms of how he he he served, in terms of how he defended the backhand corner and was able to counterattack. Felt his movement was better. And his forehand is just an incredible shot. And I and I just think I think I'm really excited for what he's got and bringing I don't really particularly get that excited over Mensik in terms of his hat type of tennis, but he's bloody good. I think Mensik is really good.

 

Freddie Nielsen (1:01:05)

Yeah, but he was just so disappointing in his attitude and the semis I thought. Did you guys have any belief that he believed he could win?

 

Dan Kiernan (1:01:10)

Yeah, hardest.

 

No, I think he but I also think he played too much tennis. I think it was a miracle that he did. Did you see him earlier on in the tournament? I mean he was twenty he had twenty minutes on the floor, couldn't get up. That was first round, second round.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:01:24)

Yeah, but then he routines,for sure.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:01:30)

Yeah, well he stepped. There was a great it was a great end to the third set. I think these guys played too much tennis. I think what the tournament brought was just there was almost too much tennis happened for for so many of and they weren't quite ready. They weren't they weren't quite ready for for the for the amount of tennis that that's needed to win a grand slam or to go to go deeper. But I Mensik, I think Mensik the real deal as well.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:01:57)

I'm yet to be convinced. What's the real deal? Top 10? Give me top 10 for sure. I think that's definitely going to happen. But what is the real deal? I mean, it's a high ceiling, right? Top 10 is pretty much a deal. If you make top 10, then you win. Miami. How old was he when he won? Miami 13 or something.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:02:00)

Yeah, it it's it's, I think Mensik and Fonseca are Grand Slam winners.

 

Calvin Betton (1:02:19)

Do you think Kido,you think Fonseca wins one of the next eight Grand Slams?

 

Dan Kiernan (1:02:31)

I think he has a shot.

 

Calvin Betton (1:02:33)

I don't know. Anyway, roll the card.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:02:34)

Are you in the running to be a politician? It was a pretty unambiguous question. As I understood it, was a multiple choice of yes and no.

 

Calvin Betton (1:02:46)

I'll let you think a bit because I'm going to tell you why I ask. I have a thinking on this that when those players break through, those guys who are going to be at the very top in the same way that Djokovic did, Murray was a little bit different. Nadal wasn't. Federer wasn't. But they start beating those top players early. Like I think, for example, think Murray won his first match against Federer.

 

Nadal either won his first or second match against Federer. Djokovic had won a slam. He won the 2007 Australian Open. It's all right having these matches where you're beating 40-year-old Novak Djokovic and that kind of thing. But if that was one of those guys, they'd started already beating or soon they'd be beating Federer and Nadal, Djokovic, that kind of thing. 

 

And I worry that if these guys don't win one of the next eight, because that's another two years away, that's another two years, if they don't do it then, then the scart issue starts to come.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:03:58)

Yeah, I think that's I think it's a fair point. I think Fonseca will win a grand slam by the end of twenty twenty eight.

 

Calvin Betton (1:04:08)

So yeah, so one of the next eight to 10, you're saying.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:04:13)

Yeah. And I and and and I think he has to I agree with you by the way, Calv. I think he has to if we're if we're talking about him being if he's unless or he's gonna be a Zverev or a Medvedev, right? We're if we're talking about him being someone who is that multiple Grand Slam champion who's then I think I I agree. I think he has to. If he's someone that's gonna be pushing

 

Calvin Betton (1:04:15)

I know.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:04:15)

I think too.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:04:41)

Sinner and Alcaraz over the next few years, I would agree that in the next in the next two to three years he has to.

 

Calvin Betton (1:04:45)

It's like, it's like if I mean, how old is he now? Is he 19 for a second?

 

Dan Kiernan (1:04:49)

I think he's probably turned twenty, has he? I mean he's let's let let me you guys keep talking and I'll fact check that.

 

Calvin Betton (1:04:54)

What I'm saying is you can't get to, I don't think it's possible, and this is where the last generation of players struggle here, know, Tsitsipas and Rublev and Zverev to a degree and that kind of thing. You can't be getting to kind of 22, although 22 still young, you can't be getting to 22 having not won a slam and having like a 0-9 record against Sinner and Alcaraz, because I don't think you recover from that. I think then you're in the spiral of like, don't know if you turn it round at that point.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:05:25)

Yeah, he's he's twenty in August.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:05:35)

And I think to add to your point about the lack of tactics and stuff, I think also that the modern way, because they hit so hard and it's so much about emotional energy, mean the interaction between the box and the players now, it does my head in a little bit. It's too much in my opinion. I think these young players should, not should, could help.

 

by getting their floor up a little bit so that they can cruise through the matches a little bit more. It seems like it's battles and it's world-class tennis and it's screamers in the corner and it's fist pumps to the box and whatnot. of, give me some boring three, five and twos or something where they're cruising. You don't see the good tennis and then bring out the good tennis when they're really forced to bring it out because I think it drains them. 

 

And I think maybe all that emotional energy he spent kind of and lack of tactical awareness made him kind of run out of steam against Mensik. And I think the ceiling is not the problem. We've all seen that. But if you, think if you want to win multiple slams, the wins got to become a little bit more automatic and you got to be able to win a little bit easier when you don't bring your best stuff. 

 

And I think that's the issue with a lot of the young guys. And I think that's why Zverev is so consistent. Why I think he was the overwhelming favorite to win this tournament after besides the Sinner and usually also Carlos because he just has that high of a floor and that is more important in many ways to compete at the slams than the high ceiling because these guys all have high ceilings but it's about controlling that I think that's gonna be the key for the youngsters.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:07:26)

Freddie, great point. Nineteen years old Fonseca turns turns twenty in in August. The women's champion is also nineteen years old. No.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:07:37)

Can I just say one more thing also to that? remember, think it was Australia, Australia last year we talked about who was going to have a better career, Fonseca or Perricard. Look how quickly that got away from Perricard and it seems like he's got a mountain to climb to get back to where he was supposed to be.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:07:57)

Nowhere near right now.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:08:00)

Exactly, so it can go quick. I he looked very promising and we were kind of, I remember I was asked, who's going to have the better career? Kind of thinking with the Serb blah blah blah. I think I ended up on Frans Seger, but still he was in, there was a legitimate talk about it and now it looks like it's going to be tough. there's so many things that could happen on the way.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:08:00)

Novena.

 

Well, Perricard, not 19, so you're making my smooth transition into Miran Driva much more difficult,  but Fonseca is nineteen. And guess who else is nineteen, Calvin? Also the women's champion who I picked. Did I pick her? I've I'm sure I saw on Instagram that I'd picked her. Anyway, Mirra Andreeva  and and to be honest, she kind of cruised, right? It was kind of…

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:08:41)

You see your own Instagrams? Wild.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:08:51)

I know the draw opened. It it almost you know, you're talking about like the dramas. I always I always felt with Mirra Andreeva  and and I've I've commentated a few of her matches and it's such a drama. It's like what is she she's like crying, she's shouting, she's it's all happening, it's you know, she wins a set easy, then she goes down five love and whereas it just felt like she was pretty mature this whole this whole event and just kind of just cruise cruise through Calve.

 

Calvin Betton (1:09:18)

Yeah, she did. I think she was helped by a lot of stuff as well. mean, the match I was, I was looking forward to was, was Kosciuk and Andreeva, but Kosciuk, you know, she couldn't really handle the day. don't think she really struggled. And then she was given a bit of a lifeline. Um, she got back into it and then crazily then just, I think she, she was a set and she lost the first set easy. And then she was break down in the second set.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:09:43)

So.

 

Calvin Betton (1:09:46)

got the break backwards really hard to get the break back and then just handed it straight back to Andreva just absolutely leathering four balls as hard as she could. That all went out and you know, think that was, I thought Kostya was going to win it ⁓ at that point. Well, before she played Andreva, but yeah, it didn't, it didn't happen. And Andreva kind of, had a pretty easy run of it.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:09:50)

Okay.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:10:13)

She she went

 

Calvin Betton (1:10:13)

She didn't really, it wasn't really challenged in terms of level.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:10:15)

She went

 

first round three and three, second round three six, six one, six one, third round six four, six two, last sixteen, six three, six two, quarter final six love six three, semifinal six one, six three, final six three, six two.

 

Calvin Betton (1:10:35)

Yeah.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:10:36)

Convincing.

 

Calvin Betton (1:10:39)

No, she was the best player. There's no doubt she's the best player. I think it's good for, it's good for her for the game that she's, she's one. think she's a, you know, she's a very good player and she's a star. She's compelling.  She's interesting. And you know, when she speaks, I think she gives really, really good interviews. seems like a funny girl.  Yeah. Thanks herself. We've got this kind of, there's. 

 

Dan Kiernan (1:11:00)

She thanked herself.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:11:03)

She did.

 

Calvin Betton (1:11:07)

I think what has been interesting is for the first time in a while in tennis and we've had a kind of like a little bit of a there's been a little bit of a political debate going on, especially on the women's side with the Russian things and that kind of thing. It's a little bit of strange seeing, seeing how that's playing out, I think, in the Kostyuk was very aggressive Kostyuk and I'll let you pronounce the other girl's name Kino the other. 

 

Ukrainian girl.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:11:38)

Svitolina

 

Calvin Betton (1:11:40)

Now, Oliynykova , is it? Or?

 

Dan Kiernan (1:11:43)

Okay, yeah, I'll let you have that.

 

Calvin Betton (1:11:44)

she sort of made some comments. I thought she made us a really good comment when, she lost to Shnaider, I think in the fourth round, maybe. and she sort of said that, you know, Billie Jean King fought for like people to have spokespeople and role models. She said like, role models and speaking up is not just about we should be earning more money. 

 

It's actually about other things. are bigger things in in this world and just earning more money and you know I think she was right in saying that. It was a bit, I found it a little bit concerning both when Andreeva and Shnaider were questioned on this stuff about Russia and the war in Ukraine. They both pretty much had the same answers, well almost exactly the same answers and it looked like they'd been fed this is what you're going to say and I found that a little bit worrying in that regard.

 

And then Kostyuk raised it again. don't think Kostyuk went the right way of doing it. She went mega aggressive and didn't really get anywhere. But, you know, I do think it's interesting that the women's game, there is some debate on that.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:12:57)

More so than in the men's game, huh?

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:12:59)

But that's because the men still don't have any high profile Ukrainian players.

 

Calvin Betton (1:12:59)

Yeah, break this, bro. Yeah.

 

No high profile Ukrainians and there's no Russians really that are getting, mean, Khachanov, I've never seen him interviewed. Rublev, same, like he's not winning enough big matches to be getting interviewed. But yeah, I think it's more,  I think it's more the Ukrainian women who are up there. What I find strange, and I'm interested to know why like their sort of PR people are not saying this, because I know that Kostyuk came in with all the Ukrainian girls came in with that. 

 

I don't know how those girls sleep at night when they're not willing to speak up, when people are dying, people are getting bombed, children are dying and they don't seem bothered. I don't know how they manage to get through days. I don't know how they sleep and all that kind of thing. And I think it would be more, what I don't get is why Kostyuk didn't say something like, look, I know why they're not speaking because they're scared. They're scared of what might happen.

 

Calvin Betton (1:14:03)

In their home country to their own families if they speak too much about it. But I don't hold them responsible. I know that I would be scared as well. And I empathize for them. I think she'd get more by saying that than just going on the full aggression of sort of name calling them those players.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:14:14)

Okay.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:14:32)

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's look, it's it's very it's it's a challenging thing for for us as as grown men to talk on these things and we don't have a high profile. We don't have a a platform to do that. You you put a nineteen year old girl there that, let's be honest, probably doesn't know much other than the tennis world, you know, out there. And and and absolutely I'm sure she is completely afraid of of saying anything, probably isn't massively informed in her world that she lives. You know, she's she's she's traveling the world with like like the rest of us in this kind of traveling circus, you know, she—

 

Calvin Betton (1:15:02)

Yeah, yeah.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:15:10)

—probably doesn't know a whole lot what's going on, but also like you say, what can she say? You know, what what what can what can Mirra Andreeva say that isn't gonna have a potentially a negative effect on her family and and and her family's world.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:15:11)

you you

 

Calvin Betton (1:15:26)

I

 

have more sympathy with, I have more sympathy with, with Andreeva and Shnaider . Or I'm, more empathy with them than I did with, I was quite critical of a lot of the American players in the, in the Australian Open and still am where I thought that they just weren't interested in standing up for anything. Like they were questioned on, I think that was when the war in Iran maybe started and they were just like,  I'm not here to talk, I'm just focusing on my game.

 

And I was thinking, you know, they're not, there's no reason for them to be scared in America. They're just basically thinking, I don't want to lose any sponsors here. Whereas I think that in the Russian situation is quite a bit different. And I do empathize and I'm surprised. And I think that they would, what I don't is I think that those Ukrainian players would get more traction if they said that. And they kind of then throwing it back on. They kind of throwing it back on.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:16:17)

Yeah, yeah.

 

Calvin Betton (1:16:21)

those, the, the Russian girls. I think that they would look at a lot more human as well. I was really hoping that, I get, listen, I'm not going to criticize Kostyuk whatsoever because it's a horrible situation that, she's in as well. Her family still live in Kiev, but when I thought for, there was a split second, I thought at the end of the match, well, I, Andreeva looked up and, sort of was hoping that Kostyuk I think was going to shake her hand.

 

 And there was kind of like, maybe it's just me imagining it, but they looked to be like, she looked up and there was a disappointment and a I think it would just be more powerful if she went, look, I'm not holding against these girls. These are 19 year old girls. I know why they're not talking. They're scared because that's the way that that country operates. And I think that would be a more powerful message, to be honest.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:17:11)

Yeah,I mean the the the message of love is is a is a more powerful message than the message of hate, right? You know, and that's y you know, if th maybe that c maybe the platform could be used for that, but it…

 

Calvin Betton (1:17:19)

Yeah.

 

Because apart from anything else, what's happening at the minute isn't working. It doesn't seem to be affecting the, you know, I think what they hoped was that this would look bad on Russia and then that that would somehow stop what's happening. But they haven't been having their flags on for now for four years. The player, the other, the...

 

Dan Kiernan (1:17:44)

No,everyone everyone's numb it all now. It's just whatever. It's in in it's yeah.

 

Calvin Betton (1:17:47)

Yeah, and I think that that's sad in itself as well. You know, I think that's

 

not ideal that we know we just don't talk about anymore when it's still going on. But at the same time, I think maybe a different

 

Dan Kiernan (1:17:54)

Yeah. No, I'm talking about with the with what with what the sport's doing and with the flags and with the way that it's Yeah.

 

Calvin Betton (1:18:00)

Yeah, I think maybe a different, a different tact would, would come in, like I said, I don't know why it can't be like cost-checks. People can't be talking to her and say, look, maybe try this. This might be a better way of, of doing it.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:18:15)

Also don't underestimate the message that it brings back in Ukraine. internally, sometimes it's also to speak to them and to show that it's not only outwards but also to send the message back home.

 

Calvin Betton (1:18:34)

Yeah, yeah, you know, yeah, I think a little bit more nuance would help everyone, I think. But again, like I say, I found it a bit dodgy that Shnaider and Andreeva both had the exact same lines. And that just reeked of, you know, the word coming from the Russian government. This is what you're going to say if you're asked about it.

 

And was both when I'm out there playing, I'm only playing the ball. I'm not playing an opponent. I'm just trying to do what's good for my tennis and that kind of thing.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:19:17)

We have to mention the finalist, Chwalinksa . I mean, what a what a what a what a d what a story. I mean, obviously Emma Radacanu that was that was a serious, serious dark horse, you know, coming through through qualifying. She got into qualifying as well. Sometimes we pick dark horses that don't even get into qualifying. But she actually got into she she actually got into the event. 

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:19:30)

What a dark horse that would have been.

 

Yeah.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:19:47)

Yeah, in incredible, really. And and never previously beaten the top fifty player. She beat four on the way to the final. She's only the second qualifier in the Open era to reach a Grand Slam singles final after Emirata Khan in the twenty twenty-one US Open. The Roland Garros final was her first top ten battle in professional tennis. I mean, it just you go on and on. She ended twenty twenty-three, ranked three hundred and forty-ninth the world.

 

And she climbs up to world number twenty-one on Monday, but will be in Wimbledon qualifying the following week, unless All England Club give her a wild card.  these are the stories we like in tennis, Freddie, and I and I think these are the stories that just show how close the level really is, you know, and I think we know it. You know, we know that a player ranked 130 in the world is absolutely capable of beating a player ranked 20 in the world. ⁓ you know, sometimes they're kind of—

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:20:19)

Okay.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:20:43)

—pushed as second class citizens. ⁓ she can seriously play. She played with Iga Swiatek in in the juniors. There's some nice videos come out of them them playing at Ozzy Open and and and kind of growing up together. Very, very skillful lefty. ⁓ maybe didn't quite show up in the final, but yeah, you didn't see that one coming.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:21:03)

Definitely did not see that one coming. Very good effort. I say she looked pretty composed in the semi-finals though. Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch much of the final, but the semi-finals she looked pretty composed as if she belonged there and she played well.

 

I think it's a great story for everyone to show that everybody has their own individual paths and there's no right or wrong way to do it. if you keep plugging away, who knows what's going to fall your way. And I also like that she played a little bit unconventional and shows that there's also a different way to do it. Kind of like what Kal just said, that a lot of it is big hitting. I think that's also a lot of the case on the women's side, but it was nice to see somebody who played very differently. Yeah, a lot of time for that story, so well done to her.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:21:57)

I think the slowest average forehand speed in the whole of the whole of the women's draw I read.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:22:04)

Yeah, there you go. it was also very, I think I saw a stat that she was winning a lot of her points from defense. So she was obviously a good runner. And I mean, let's be honest, it doesn't seem like that game style is going to have longevity on the tour at that level. I would be surprised that after French Open next year, she's going to have a ranking similar to where she is now, but I will be happy to be surprised.

 

if that's different, but nevertheless it's a great story and she's basically earned herself now a year of being at the best tournaments after having played mainly on the Challenger circuit so far. And she seems like a lovely girl, very composed, calm. So maybe she can keep it up, I just feel like that game style is going to be tough on the grass and the North American hard chords and the Asian hard chords. So, well, we'll see. Maybe she's adaptable.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:23:06)

And and her fellow countrywoman Calv, Iga Swiatek she's changed coaches, she's tried different things, but she looks in a bad place. You know, for me watching Kos that match with Kostuk, it was like who's the multiple Grand Slam champion in this match? You know, we Kostuk's got this kind of different mindset. I know, fell apart a little bit in the semis, but she's got this mindset of like—

 

Calvin Betton (1:23:30)

So, we'll you later.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:23:32)

—it doesn't matter how I do, I can handle it. She doesn't seem as attached to the results ⁓ as she once was and used to get highly emotional on the court. Whereas Iga looks miserable. She doesn't look right. She she looks in a in in quite a quite a dark place really out there.

 

Calvin Betton (1:23:48)

Yeah, I mean, she's, she has no capacity at the minute to be able to withstand any pressure on her. know, it's like the, nobody who's as good as she is should be losing as many sets as she does by six one and six love. It's incomprehensible to me that she keeps losing sets so comfortably. It's when she goes behind, she just can't settle herself at all. She can't rescue herself and.

 

 I think there's certain factors in that that I have opinions as to why that might be, but it's probably like we can't go into that now. I think it's, yeah, it's not a good place to be. And I'm not sure. I think she'll find her way back, but I'm not certain she will.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:24:43)

It's the and we can't fully go into that probably, but it's independence versus dependency it doesn't it doesn't it doesn't feel that she that she has any independence in terms of who she wants to be like even like Mirra Andreeva and she talked about her sports psychologist and you know making a choice on who she wants to be who does she want to be on the court you know and I I always think that that's that is the player's choice like that identity of who you want to be how you want to act

 

Calvin Betton (1:24:51)

Yeah.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:25:18)

You know, what type of it doesn't look to me that Iga's really making any decisions of that regard. It doesn't she's not in that headspace in any way. You know, and even the way you can see that she looks at the box con constantly, there's this there is this dependency there and and she feels like she needs to break free and be Iga Swiatek who she who she wants to be on the tennis court.

 

Calvin Betton (1:25:42)

Yeah, yeah, I'd agree, 100%. ⁓ But with the situation and the people around her, I'm not sure that I see a pathway to that directly.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:25:59)

Yeah. And then and then the last one we have to mention, Aryna Sabalenka. she's never struggled with independence on the tennis court. has our arena, you know, and I actually commentated the match against the Sarka and I thought, poor, she looks good, serving beautifully, you know, looked like she meant business. Woke up a couple of days later, the wind the wind was winding pretty heavily. 

 

Chatrier has as Calvin alluded to in the in the men's doubles, you know, on those days where where those I think the the the court does get extremely wet and those conditions get very heavy. There's a lot of clay on Chatrier in the wind. And she I was watching that match and what setting five setting four one up and then she was four three, setting four three up and she was going crazy at her box.

 

And I was like, you know, it's easy to look from the outside, but it was like, look, you're setting four, three up, you're doing all right here. And then she went five, three up, and you thought, well, okay, now rein yourself back in. But she didn't. She just kept on that train, whatever, you know, she obviously felt uncomfortable, you know, she obviously, you know, in in those conditions. I know she doesn't she's quite outwardly and been open about not like it, liking to play in in windy conditions.

 

And then she lost ten games in a row and we saw a meltdown that wouldn't look out of place at a junior tournament, Freddie.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:27:35)

No, and I think that will help the legacy of the last few generations of consistent winners a little bit by seeing how difficult it is to sustain this kind of quality day in and day out and keep going deep in these slams because it takes a toll. think a little bit of what you talked about with Sinner might come into play here. And yeah, it might be windy, but it was windy up until a 7-4-1 as well.

 

 So if you can get that far, you probably get it over the goal line as well. If there's a little bit of stress, doesn't take much to kind of trigger that and then anything can be the reason why you lose the plot a little bit. That's why the sport is difficult. I think, like I said, for many years, players have made it look easy and it's not. It's very difficult. I think also nowadays it might even even more difficult with all the the stuff that goes on outside the court. 

 

There's a lot of scrutiny.  People know everything that's going on. And these guys, these players are human, but it's pretty clear that there was some, that there was lack, that she lacked a little bit of calmness in her  competition frame of mind there. And that's what it's all about. That's why we laid them up. That's why we played the matches.

 

 And that's why like, yeah, that's why sports is difficult.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:29:11)

 last last little debate.  nothing to do with tennis players per se, other than Roland Garros is now the only Grand Slam in the world not using electronic line calling, in Strasbourg the week before WTA it's not not a French thing because Strasbourg had electronic line calling. The French Tennis Federation defended its decision by saying we it will continue to show off the excellence of French umpiring, which is recognized across the world. 

 

I certainly first hand as a coach had quite a few and and  incidents that happened in one of the matches. Evan King hit a volley. I swear down he was three feet from the net. and he hit the volley and the the the ball then hit the net and then went over. It was seven six. This at the time it was seven six four all in a in a pretty pretty tense match and then fifteen all and he was called for touch. They said he touched the net. There was now nothing he could do about that. I mean he was nowhere near the net. 

 

There was another big point where Gaby hit a great return, landed on the baseline, the the opponent hit the ball back and a a partner was about to knock the ball away. They called that ball out. Obviously it wasn't out. They came back and saw it. That seems to happen a lot. We saw on the final today there was a serve that they showed on TV that even my eye it was a was a set point. So it was a it was a…

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:30:36)

It was a set point. Right? It was set point. I think it was the third set set point. We've from 40 love to 40, 30, and then that happened.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:30:46)

Okay.

 

Yeah, so so it it i i we it seemed to be happening a lot. are we trusting that the French are just great at their jobs and they don't need it, or is it is it time, Freddie, for for for Roland Garros to to get on in line with with the rest of the world?

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:30:59)

Is it?  I've always been of the belief that there's a little bit of an anomaly with the clay and the surface change that it creates an anomaly that might be that the caul guy isn't as credible on clay as it is on the other surfaces. However, there's also the human element that makes it that there's an element of error as well. 

 

And what it just does is that it takes it takes subjectivity out of the equation. I think it helps every player to move on from that. But I think, I don't know about it, but I think this all just comes down to a clothing contract for the line-up piers to wear for people to see, right? I think that's basically what it is. And whenever that contract's up, then I think we're going to see the technology come into play.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:31:58)

Love.

 

Calvin Betton (1:32:00)

I mean, I think from what I'm told, there's a little bit more to it than that. mean, the French have a very, very strong competition structure and not all the clubs can have electronic line calling. So they need umpires and in order to have umpires for those tournaments, you need to offer them something else, which is the payday at Roland Garros. ⁓ however, it is archaic. 

 

It's just silly now, there's a lot. don't think the French won't be pressured into it. There's a lot of stuff at this tournament that is, is crazy. And every time you raise anything, they don't care. They don't care about anyone's outside opinions at all. I, I spoke with a tournament director of another tournament, big tournament, I ran into him on the street. Um, and I had a chat with him for about 20 minutes. Don't want to say it is don't want to get anyone into any trouble. Um,

 

But Niles says he's a tournament director of a very big tournament. And he told me, he said in his words, I can't believe it's a major tournament this one. There's so much stuff that is so far away from how any other major tournament deals with things. And he said the root of it all is they do not take any feedback at all. They don't care for any feedback, whoever it comes

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:33:26)

When they just moved the tournament during COVID without telling anybody?

 

Calvin Betton (1:33:30)

Yeah, similar to that. know, the stuff about earlier on in the week with those advertising boards that a couple of players got injured on. you know, that stuff came in and their response was, we'll look at it, but we don't think there's any need to change anything. And nothing really changed. Then there's the court covers at the back of the court, which two players slipped on. know Mate Pavić got a bad injury on it. He was told about it. Didn't care.

 

I know on a John Boon, which for any listeners who don't know, it's the main practice site, which is just across the street from Roland Garros.  Lovely facility, really nice club. Really enjoy being there. But on each of the courts, they have floodlights strangely positioned on the courts where they're kind of like, they're not in the corner, they're at the side of the courts and you can run into them.

 

And I know that it's been suggested by various people over the years, three people told me this year, they've said to them, you can't move the floodlights, but you have to put some padding on those floodlights because they're dangerous. People are going to run into them. And they said they've been saying this for seven years and every time they just get a response of, don't think there's a problem.

 

And that sums the tournament up. You know, every year, every year the food is notoriously by far the worst of any major tournament. Every year the...

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:34:57)

But it must be any tournament. I can't believe it. literally can't believe Every time I go, I'm thinking, am I being too harsh? I'm not.

 

Calvin Betton (1:35:05)

No,yeah, and every year it's the exact same food. Nothing changes. The same menu. Every year.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:35:12)

I had a had

 

a c I had a classic where so I had three three different teams in in the event. So you you as you guys know, but you go and you speak to the ATP, WTA and and also the the referee's office and you fill out a form to let them know that, you know, I'm coaching these teams. And if you could if you could consider that when you're doing the schedule and, the first round, the first round of the doubles runs across three days.

 

And and all of my pairs are playing other doubles teams, so there's no singles players involved. So there's no you know, so obviously that can sometimes be a little bit of jeopardy in terms of the schedule. And  the schedule comes out on the Wednesday and all three of my pairs are playing eleven AM on Wednesday morning. 

 

So so anyway, I don't say anything, you know, I've got that's whatever, it's just the it the players will all work out that they don't even they don't need me, which is probably my bigger concern, you know. At least I can pretend that they need me if I'm there. And  so I go and speak to them afterwards and they just went,  we try. But the computer, we can't do anything about the computer. I said, What do you mean the computer? They said, we put the information in the computer and the computer does the schedule. We try.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:36:31)

Thank you.

 

Calvin Betton (1:36:38)

Yeah, they don't. That's the response all the time. We don't, you know, you don't care. We don't care.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:36:40)

The end. It was like it it was too it was too good. It was too okay.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:36:46)

And just to add to the food thing, just because it's not like real first world problems here, they charge a lot of money for that food. It's not just that it's low quality and it is for players who have to compete at the slams. They charge a lot of money for it.

 

Calvin Betton (1:36:54)

It's crazy. It's crazy.

 

Yeah, yeah, it's wild. It's absolutely wild. And also like little things like they won't open the restaurant before 11 a.m. You know, Henry and Harry are playing a Grand Slam final yesterday at 11 a.m. and they need some food. And you really have to argue with them on it. And you have to get basically the ATP supervisor to come down and go, need to produce, you need to cook them some rice.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:37:10)

Yeah.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:37:12)

Yeah.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:37:28)

That's absolutely next level, the thing with the restaurant that starts at 11 and matches start at 11. It's insane.

 

Calvin Betton (1:37:34)

Yeah, wild.It's absolutely wild and it's not like, you know, the other slams, have breakfast on, on a morning. You get, you can go into, I can go into Australia. They've got a full breakfast menu on Wimbledon the same. French open. No, there's no food whatsoever. We open, we start serving food at 11.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:37:51)

You got some candy.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:37:54)

Yeah.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:37:54)

The candy, the c the candy shop was open. It's really dangerous that candy shop.  guys, you've you've been amazing as always with your time. We we're in the grass court season. ⁓ very quickly, give me one story for us to look forward to as we move. Well, we're already in the grass court season, which seems a bit wild. ⁓ but what what's one storyline for us to look out for?

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:38:16)

Love you people.

 

Calvin Betton (1:38:16)

I mean, I guess, it's gonna be for me who's gonna play in the final at Wimbledon.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:38:23)

I think that putting on the spot, can't think of anything else than Serena's comeback.

 

Calvin Betton (1:38:30)

I'm not getting involved in that nonsense.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:38:32)

I don't disagree, but it's going to be a big story, however way you want to put it.

 

Calvin Betton (1:38:40)

I find it a remarkable situation that no one is like commenting that she's what, 46 now or 45, hasn't played for four years and is just coming back. And I'm told, I'm told with good authority that she's basically being paid by the, what is it, Ozempic company that she gets sponsored by.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:38:40)

I don't dis.

 

Calvin Betton (1:39:08)

they have paid her to come back a phenomenal amount of money to basically come back and promote their product. So, yeah.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:39:15)

What?

 

Dan Kiernan (1:39:18)

Does that mean we're all gonna be skinny soon?

 

Calvin Betton (1:39:22)

I think.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:39:23)

Not with not with the sweet shop at Paris, I tell ya.

 

Calvin Betton (1:39:26)

I mean, what cracks me up with Serena is the amount of lying she does and no one comments on anything. So she comes, she came back on the doping register. When you come back on the doping register, she's coming back at that point because there's no point in going back on the doping register unless you're gonna play tennis again. She goes back to the doping register and then she gets asked, you coming back? Don't be silly, I'm not coming back, guys. Stop asking silly questions, I'm not coming back. And then she's back.

 

And then everybody knows her intention is to play singles. And today in her press conference, which apparently she turned up for a press conference three hours late today, on her first press conference back, and people are asking about, they're asking about singles, and she goes, it's not on my radar at the minute, I have no intention of playing singles. Everybody around her knows she's planning on playing singles. So, the lying all the time.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:40:02)

Hehe.Yeah.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:40:23)

Thought you weren't gonna get involved.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:40:26)

Hmm.

 

Calvin Betton (1:40:26)

That's my watch for a little bit. Alright. Guys, I'm gonna go.

 

Dan Kiernan (1:40:31)

Boys, thank you. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:40:35)

Sleep well.

Dan Kiernan (1:40:37)

See you later. We'll be in touch. I'm sure we'll have more to talk about in a couple of weeks when we get some more sleep, Calv.

 

Freddie Nielsen  (1:40:42)

Yeah.