Middle Weekend

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Let's call this the Power twenty instead of the Power Hour. Renee, thank you for giving me the keys to your show this week.

00:00:17
Speaker 2: I had a really fun time.

00:00:18
Speaker 3: You're welcome, Keglin. I'm glad you didn't so I crushed it into the wall and I viewed some of it and it was very good, and you did a fantastic job.

00:00:27
Speaker 1: I nearly crashed the car on Monday.

00:00:29
Speaker 2: My mic shit out.

00:00:30
Speaker 1: Five seconds as they before we started, and then my earpiece fell out on the first episode. So I figured I can either fake my own death after this first episode, or I can lick my wounds and get back in there. But I have to say, not only do I appreciate you even more because that is not easy, but also I feel like I sort of have some insight into your brain now, just like the way you think, the way you're like on your toes, the way you're ready to jump in you have to be your brain is hard wired. After doing that for twenty years, it was really interesting.

00:01:00
Speaker 3: It's called being a maniac.

00:01:04
Speaker 2: You are a maniac.

00:01:04
Speaker 1: Okay, So instead of spending four hours talking about the Australian Open and everything that's going on, why don't we keep it real snappy, so that people can get this in their ears heading into week two, because it's going to be released tomorrow, the beginning of the second week of the Australian Open, which has been absolute carnage. I have so many things that I want to ask you about, but first of all, the question on my mind is everybody's favorite on the men's side. No, bak Djokovic still in it, looking good despite maybe carrying.

00:01:37
Speaker 2: A small injury.

00:01:38
Speaker 1: There is there a favorite on the women's side, and if so, I'm not sure it's IGIs Sriantech And even if it was, she's out.

00:01:44
Speaker 3: Yeah, she's out, so we don't have to worry about her. Listen. I have to say, after watching rab Bakina really take out IgA yesterday, it was fantastically It's amazing how well she finishes. You know, she's just served out the match like it was no big deal. So she has that really good demeanor about her when she's ahead and when she's feeling good about her tennis, and this court is perfect for her. It's really fast. It's you know, similar to grass in a lot of ways, because very difficult to defend if you if you're hitting the ball big and she's doing that. So look, there's not many Grand Slam champions in the draw, and she's one of them, one of a couple. As a ranker, I can't even think about who and who else is in the draw that's one of Grand Slam and I believe she is the only one other than as a ranker. So so when you've won a Grand Slam before, it really helps you believe that you can do it right. And she's done it very well at Wimbledon, and then of course you know, IgA was the next Grand Slam champion at the US Open, so she's out. So look, I think Pagoula is playing really really well, So she's playing super tough as well, and the court is suited to her too because it's quick. So for me, you know, if you see someone like a Rebarkina going against the Pagoula, you know then it's going to come down to serving and then you have to edge that to Rebarkina. So you know, the really good servers are going to do well. And you think about a Caroline, you know, Garcia, who can obviously serve really big two. So there's some really big hitters still in the drawer. Eager was a surprise in some way, but also just the speed of the court and the fact that she wasn't really super comfortable out there from really the time she's been in Australia. It wasn't a shock that she went down yesterday. You know, I watched this the Osta Penco goth match yesterday courtside, and Osta Penko is another one. I mean, I mean the chances of Ostapenko and Rebarkina, who have to play each other now having more than a four ball rally, I will fall out of my chair if they can get over five balls. I mean, both of them just hit the absolute shit out of the ball with zero spin, and so you know that's why she took out Cocoa Golf. Another one that needs a little bit more time on the forehand, like IgA. But Osta Panko when she's on, she's oh, she's she's the other person left in the draw that I knew there was one more. You know, you can't you can't that that added ability to know that you can win a Slam is something that is just puts you a little bit above everybody else.

00:04:23
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I think for me what's amazing is just how many big ball hitters there are left in the tournament. You mentioned a couple set the link obviously Garcia as a ranker I was really impressed with. I don't know that I give her much of a chance against Poogoula, just given how good Paula is playing, especially on sort of the runway up until this tournament. But I have to give a special shout out to Vika. She had a tough match in her hands for a set and a half against Madison Keys before Madison started to fall off, and she had a really tough fight against ju Lynn, who really got her teeth into the match. Vika dug deep to think her way through it, and it's really fun to watch a Grand Slam chat being against the ropes have to kind of like come up with some magic, and she did up until like literally the last point, in which case she had a running backhand passing shot that was exquisite and then like fell to the ground. So it was really like a fun, fun match. Ju Lynn took out you know, Maria Sakari the round before, so like some really explosive matches on the women's side, men's said, we just got past what I think pretty much delivered for the popcorn for the men, which is Titsy Pass center. I picked center, but he kind of faded in that fifth set. I don't know what your read on that match is, but you gotta like, I guess titty Pass's champions sort of chances here. He's been to a couple of drand slam finals.

00:05:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, I listen. I he really surprised me in the fifth set yesterday. I think he figured out on his own that he needed a bit bit more aggressive with the forehand, in particular in the fifth set, because the first two sets he played so well. He actually was so much more aggressive than Yannick and better in every department. Was like he was a man possessing the first two sets. There was nothing that Yanick Sinner could do. And then he just dropped off slightly with the pace of the forehand and the back ends always been a little bit the same, and Yannick just jumped all over it. And you know, he was the more aggressive player for the for the two sets, and then all of a sudden, you know, there was one point. The first point of the fifth set was an incredible point from Sinner. He made an unbelievable get managed to run up to a drop shot, lobbed sits apass, it got over his head, sits a pass. I don't know how he got it, but he did get it. But it was, you know, just an average shot, and he had an absolute sitter on the net, sinner with an overhead, and he missed it. And that changed the whole momentum of the match, the whole momentum. And you know, some people out there might think one point, it's on sitz A pass the serve, like it's not the end of the world. I said, no, trust me. When you win two sets in a row and you are owning your opponent at that point, and then you play a great defensive point and you have a sitter and you miss it, you know, to potentially go love fifteen on Sitzipas's stir. It keeps the momentum. Even if Sitzipaus wins the game, it's like you're forcing him again to work really hard. And he missed that overhead, and I just felt the entire match change right there. And I think as an opponent, I think Sitzipas realized that too. He's like, well, that was a total break, and let's go, let's really go and play bigger tennis, better tennis, and he did, and I give him unbelievable credit. And he has incredible support down here in Australia because the second largest population of Greeks in a city outside of Athens is here in Melbourne, so they were all there in full spirit last night. So he has the support of the crowd here, so it's going to be tough to beat. His forehand is just monstrous when he plays it well.

00:07:46
Speaker 1: I think a lot of us thought maybe we would be seeing him in more finals.

00:07:50
Speaker 2: That was up two sets to love on Jokui.

00:07:52
Speaker 1: But he's got this younger, this young head kid jury Lechke next to According to our friend Tako got to play with him on some sort of mixed team I guess a summer or two ago, and he said he's a monster in the making, like he's really really good. I haven't seen I haven't watched a single match of his play, but I think my all expectation that'll be exciting.

00:08:11
Speaker 3: Very very good player, I mean, very much in the Czech spirit. I guess just little mini sort of verdict where he just hits everything flat and hard and big, and he's athletic and he's kind of got a bit of a swagger to him. And you know, let's face it, the check men have been underachieving comparative to the women over the years.

00:08:34
Speaker 2: So that's two decades certainly.

00:08:36
Speaker 3: Yeah, it feels like in the last two hundred years. No, come on, okay, give Landell. I'll give landa all bake. But but you know, when you think about the great women tennis players that come out of the Czech Republic, the men have been lacking big time. So it'd be nice to see them have this moment. You know, have another really great check player in the top ten and he's yeah, he's a monster. I mean, he's shoot as a fiddle young and he wants it. And so to back it up the way he did by winning another match yesterday was pretty impressive.

00:09:06
Speaker 2: Can't believe you're putting on makeup right now? What are you going to do? Are you going to some cool thing?

00:09:09
Speaker 3: Dude? I've got so many things to do here in Melbourny.

00:09:12
Speaker 2: You have no idea tell me what some of them are.

00:09:15
Speaker 3: I'm actually going to have breakfast with my former player who's now retired, Sam Stosa, and her partner Liz and Evie, and we're going to have breakfast and that's what I do, and then I've got to go to work. I got to go. I'm not playing today. I don't know if you saw me, but I played yesterday. I may not hurt myself. I had hit one time from the US Open and that was with you. So I managed to get through the match without hurting myself, which is a miracle. Although I did ice bath after, and I recommend that everybody to do an ice bath when they don't feel great. So yeah, so Caitlin, you know I've got television, I got visiting, right, I've got a lot to do.

00:09:55
Speaker 2: Okay, good good, I mean this is what we like. We like you busy.

00:09:58
Speaker 1: Are you gonna be hosting your show from Australia next week?

00:10:01
Speaker 3: I Am going to be hosting my show from Australia next week, so stay tuned on that front. Hopefully the connections are all good and we don't have any problems with the wires. Let's put it that way.

00:10:13
Speaker 2: What are you doing?

00:10:14
Speaker 1: Are you going to get in there and run the tournament and stop putting matches on at four am?

00:10:18
Speaker 2: I mean, I don't want you to put you in.

00:10:19
Speaker 1: A weird position to some of the choices there, But what should we do about this? The fact these players are getting on not before midnight in some cases, it's just brutal.

00:10:29
Speaker 3: Now, well, I mean to watch, you know, as a ranker go on the court again last night at like you know what was it, perform midnight just before midnight and started eleven, it's yeah, it's tough. I mean, for the women to play after the men best of five is just bullshit. In my opinion, I think the women should be first than the man only because you know, everyone's like, well, the men have played into the early hours. Said yeah, but they start at a reasonable hour. It's not there. You know, if you go into the one o'clock in the morning because you're playing seven five in the fifth, well, that's on you guys, you.

00:11:02
Speaker 2: Know what I mean kind of thing.

00:11:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, well, but but to make the women have to sit around for four hours before they go on the court, that's just us. I mean, they're never gonna have a four hour women's match. I mean, if you do, it's like a once in a lifetime. So I just think it's tough for the women to sit around and play second on. But look, they started early yesterday started at twelve thirty on Center Court, which I thought was interesting. I don't think that was in their schedule. So they managed to get the matches on on time on Rod labor Renier last night with that with the five set incredible Sabbat Seb quarter, Oh my god, ye over her couch. I mean that match was drama that I'm American tennis is looking really good on the men's side, and then, let's face it.

00:11:46
Speaker 1: Really pumped about said quarter. He to me looks like the realist. But we also have you know Ben Shelton, the young kid out of Florida whose dad was a pro Brian Shelton and GJ. Welf who looks like he came straight from a monster truck rally.

00:12:00
Speaker 3: Well, I'm glad he's got rid of his mullet, I'll be honest, because that would mean that he definitely has come from a from a from a truck rally. But lovely kid. I interviewed him, interviewed him after his match a couple of days ago, and you know, he just said, you know, his whole team and his thought process is just to get better every day and try and improve on the things that they're working on and you know, he's he's got his head down, he doesn't get too excited. He's very entertaining to watch, just because his game is so electric and exciting. So he's a little bit the opposite of Sab Quarter. Seb's very quiet, very reserved, you know, claims he's the worst athlete in his team, in his family, considering his dad. One of the he's train open. His mum was top forty, and his two sisters have been world number one and golf. So he's kind of right in some respects. But he's now under the quarter finals and tell you it's going to be tough to be He plays Karen Hutchanov, who of course beat Francis Tiafo the other day. It's a shame that Tiaffa didn't win, just because it would have been nice to see Quarter and Tiaffo going out in the quarter. You know.

00:13:01
Speaker 1: Plus like a total contrast in style, two young Americans, one the most flamboyant you can imagine, especially in his big faux ramper and then in Seb Quarter like sort of a smooth, stoic.

00:13:12
Speaker 2: Iceman kind of tape. Yeah, it is too bad.

00:13:15
Speaker 1: Actually, do you give Seb and good chance against catch Enough.

00:13:19
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean, listen, hutch Enough is playing great and but but I just I don't know, here's more experience. So I give the slight edge to hutch Enough because of that. And he's as I said, he's playing really well. It's the best I've seen him playing in a long long time, and we know how good he can be. So I, you know, obviously, my head and my heart says said because I just adore the kid. He's just such a nice guy. But you know, my head probably says a little bit of hutch Enough just because of the experience, and maybe it's his time. You know, he's been around long time, he's been knocking on the door. Obvious, he did so well at the Olympics, and so we'll see physically, can Seb keep backing up these five sets? I mean, to beat Medvedev and then to take you know out her catch lest Yesterday's incredible back to back matches. But he's got a lot of great people around him, with now working with a consistent basis with Radek Stepanek, who's big match himself.

00:14:15
Speaker 1: That was another check player. Actually is he friends with the dad? Is that how that worked out?

00:14:20
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, he's friends with the dad and he's also friends with Andre Agacy and Andre still in Seb's corner and as an advisor, so so yeah, they work together as a good little team, and he's made a big difference because he's quite fiery Stepanek it's not exactly a wilting flower, and so Sebs really i think, enjoying sort of the energy from Ruddick and obviously still talking to Andre on a consistent basis. So so he's got a great team around him. His dad's not here. I'm sure his dad's probably sad that he's not here witnessing this, considering a one these strain open on the same court. But yeah, it's some really really great stories all around, to be honest.

00:15:00
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, it's been just absolute like mayhem in the best possible way. And I feel like if you look at both draws, like there's really nobody who doesn't deserve to be there. Those the right mix of legendary status but also exciting new faces, you know what I mean, Like both draws have a little bit of everything in that way that we really like. How was it just on a note? A former multiple time guests, a former host how was how has Sam send Off been? Somebody jokingly said, you know, she technically retired from singles, and she technically retired from doubles, but she hasn't technically retired from mixed doubles.

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00:16:39
Speaker 3: I did say to her, you could become a specialist mixed doubles player because she plays so well in mixed like she played. I was really unlucky the other night, like she actually played very very well in her last match. The last serve she ever hit, which I told her, which I'm really happy about, was an amazing kick second serve kickout down the tee under arrests, and she went for it and she hit it great, and so I said, I feel good that that's the last serve you ever hit under under pressure, and you hit it, you hit it really well. So she played really well. Her partner kind of let her down a little bit. And I don't like to blame partners in doubles. We all fuck up at some point, but he did kind of mess it up at the beginning of the tiebreak. He missed a really easy overhead on the very first point of the match tiebreak, and he missed a you know, a makeable forehand early and then he also missed backand on top of the net. So it didn't really help things. And I think he felt a lot of pressure actually to make sure that you know, Sam did well here, so I'm sure he was feeling a lot of pressure to do the right thing by her. And so anyway, they they lost to a good team, and as I said, she played well and I'm happy for her. So we'll find out how she's doing today, how it's how the second day of retirement has set in. But look, she's she's gonna be she's gonna be very busy in her life.

00:17:59
Speaker 1: Do you remember the last shot you hit as a professional tennis player?

00:18:03
Speaker 3: I know, I have no idea. I think the last match I ever played as a pro was World Team Tennis, and I think I won my set five. Oh, so I feel really good about that. I did not lose a game and contributed well to my team doing the whole thing. I think that was the last competitive match I ever played. So I don't remember it because I never announced my retirement. I just kind of went away.

00:18:24
Speaker 2: You just kind of escaped.

00:18:26
Speaker 1: Did you do you want to leave it open for, you know, maybe a return.

00:18:30
Speaker 3: I come back, absolutely not. After yesterday's display of not being able to like jump one inch above my head to get an overhead No way.

00:18:37
Speaker 1: I'm onn to be your co producer at Power Hour and I were watching in a texting we were like, oh Man, stubbsy Stills got it. The legends don't sleep on me.

00:18:46
Speaker 3: I still have it in certain regards, but there's a lot of things that I don't have any more, like leg strength. I leave it at that.

00:18:57
Speaker 1: I want to talk to you speaking of mixed doubles. I'm sorry speaking of double about something that was so atrocious to me the other day, which was did you happen to catch this call? Eggs to ends up being a very very close match, a three set women's match. Ali Risk is playing with Linda Furtova, another young, really good check and they are playing. They're still in the tournament, right they Ali hits Hanova, who hits it, hits her body and it bounces over the net, which is the points immediately over, Ali apologizes the ump somehow didn't see that it hit her body and calls Ali for a hindrance call, which means you've said something out loud and that means it's distracted your opponent and gives the point to Pavlova and her partner and Allie Risk, who you know to be as do I a pretty chill, mild mannered, like you know, America's sweetheart, kind of like Pittsburgh midwestern type, goes ape shit. The internet is a hush with her, like that's not the rule. Carolyn yelling at the supervisor she does a mockery of the chair rump saying, oh, I'm sure that's how you said. I'm sure, just like Allie Rusk was like the most mild manner that all of a sudden she takes up her mask and she turns into.

00:20:24
Speaker 2: The Hulk like.

00:20:25
Speaker 1: It was incredible to watch and also infuriating.

00:20:30
Speaker 3: I was thinking the whole time, I was like, is she a germini? You know? She she just she just turned this like incident into an absolute Internet sensation classic. But she's right, like the same thing happened to me one time, Caitlin at the French Open where I was playing Elena Dockage, and I hit a volley that I knew as soon as it came off my racket it was going to hit her, And so as it did hit her, it hit she turned back and it went off her back and went out and I said sorry immediately, and oh sorry Elena, you know, straight away, and then the umpire says love fifteen. I'm like, no, no, it's fifteen love. The ball hit her, and he goes, I didn't see it. What I got, Elaine, Elaine, the ball hit you, and anyway, she kept walking away from me, and then turned around and waggled her finger at me and said, don't talk to me. Talk to him, meaning the umpire, knowing full well that he didn't see the ball, he didn't see the hitter, and so I was like, what have you forgiven god? No, No, actually I haven't. And I didn't talk to her after that for about fifteen years, honestly, And then the only time I've talked to her was because she wanted to talk to me about her book, and the incident in her book, if anyone's ever read it, is me basically going and standing up to her dad at one point, blah blah blah. But she wanted to talk about that situation so she could put it in a book. But no, I haven't. I haven't spoken to her really before or after that, because I just lost so much respect for her in that moment.

00:22:00
Speaker 2: And honestly, that was my read.

00:22:01
Speaker 1: The internet was roasting the umpire for being on top of it literally physically and missing it somehow, and then the supervisor being there and also missing it, which also kind of seems to often be the case with supervisors where they're like, well, I was right here, but I missed it, and you're like, well, then what are you doing right there.

00:22:16
Speaker 2: Picking your nose? Yeah, let's go.

00:22:18
Speaker 1: But to me, and I'm glad because after I responded this way, I feel like some momentum got sort of on the right side, which is as an athlete, you call that on yourself one hundred percent of the time. These are your coworkers. You have to look at them in the locker room. And just like you were describing with the alien of dockage, Pavlova gets hit with the ball, she knows she was hit, she walks away, she doesn't interrupt the umpire. She lets Ali risk go into this big, long thing, and she could have stopped it at any point by being like, you know what, did hit me? Just take the point because that's the right and sporting thing to do. And that is exactly what she should have done in this case in my opinion, Like that is absolutely It's like when you have a double bounce or you see, you know, a blatant call that goes in your favorite when maybe it shouldn't. And I want to say, like on the rare occasions when this happens and somebody like Novak Djokovic gives the point correctly to his opponent, because the umpires missed it like nothing warms my heart. And you know, I have plenty of criticism for that guy in other ways, but in that way, he's always been a very good sport and it always stood out to me because I think that that's like absolutely atrocious. It reminds me of junior tennis when that happens, and it made me so infuriated, and I was very happy to see Ali risk on the match. But also I want to make a special call out to that athlete for not calling it on herself, which is what she should.

00:23:31
Speaker 3: Have done one hundred percent, Like there's no way a ball would hit my body and go over the net and make you go, yeah, yeah, I hit that. That's definitely me. Definitely did that. Because there are fifty thousand cameras around the court, everybody in the locker room knows that hit you, like, so for me, locker room reputation is the most important thing. And if you become a cheat, you are a cheat forever, like you are a cheat forever. So that girl is never going to leave that down. So she's always going to be known as somebody who will adamantly take a point right in front of you. I mean, and I've told you this before, Liesel Hubert did the same thing on I might have been not the same court, but the same thing on a double bounce on match point against Mercer and Vesnina. You can look it up on YouTube. Everybody claim that she picked up the ball and everybody knew in the locker room we were all watching it, and everybody knew the ball bounce twice. Now, everybody knows that Liesel will cheat her way through anything because she's done it before. So but that's the thing everybody in the locker room knows, well, it's Liesel. Of course she's going to do that. So if you want that reputation for the rest of your career, how about it. I don't want that. That is not something that I want to live with, and so that girl's never going to live that down horrific to me. She shouldn't.

00:24:43
Speaker 1: I mean, look, I'm here has missed some stuff sometimes, but it's on us as clearers, and that goes recreational to anything to like just get it done.

00:24:51
Speaker 2: So for me, that's it, all right.

00:24:52
Speaker 1: You have an extremely busy week ahead of you, so I want to make sure that we get any other talking points you want in, You're going to be on the court, You're going to celebrating Sam, You're going to be seeing from the family.

00:25:03
Speaker 2: Any big like big.

00:25:05
Speaker 1: Picture takeaways from the from the Australian Open so far that we haven't really talked about.

00:25:11
Speaker 3: I think tennis fans have been just dying for live tennis for the last couple of years. We saw the atmosphere and the crowds at the US Open this year, how boisterous they were. Whether it be Serena, whether it be you know, Tiafo the finals, doesn't matter. They were just they were just so pent up with this emotion to want to watch live tennis, and we are seeing it on full brand here at this Train Open. It has been unbelievable the crowds. They have been so boisterous, so into it on every court, every court, and it is so packed at this Train Open. Tennis is well alive. It is hugely popular and they're getting a show this year by the men. Are the men are outshining the women on this occasion. Sometimes it's the women have incredible match and we have these great three set matches. The men are just they're just playing some amazing tennis and it gives me a lot of hope. And you and I talk about this quite often, but it's given me a lot of hope to know that without the Rajah and the Rafa, because he's not here anymore. You know, tennis, Guess what tennis survives. It's amazing. If you have great tennis, you have great matches. People love the sport, and that's the takeaway I have that. The crowds have just been incredible here at this Train Open, and then the second week, which is about to start today, I'm very much looking forward to it. There's a bunch of Americans still in the tournament doing really really well. Alex demon Or from Australia still in the tournament. He goes up against Novak. Now we'll see how that goes. But yeah, of course Novak just hanging around every single match. He's the wonderbeat.

00:26:49
Speaker 2: Still last starts.

00:26:51
Speaker 1: Just because we have not talked about it on this show, even though we talked about it a little bit this past week.

00:26:55
Speaker 2: On your show.

00:26:57
Speaker 1: By now, everybody should have watched at least five of the first episodes of break Point on Netflix, and if they haven't, then turned this off because there might be some spoilers I honestly, my overall take on it is I'm happy that it happened. I'm happy that we have new sort of ways for fans to get into the sport. I didn't think it was particularly interested to hit them done, No, it was.

00:27:20
Speaker 2: It left a lot to be desired.

00:27:21
Speaker 1: And I am a fan, as are you of drive to survive.

00:27:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think the thing that and I've heard that the drama, more of the drama is going to happen in the second part of the series, and I'm happy to hear that, but I would like to see more. I know from the fact, from a fact of talking to a bunch of people in the show, that there was a lot of things that they left out that they were surprised at. There was psychology sessions that they got to hear that were massive fights between a player and a coach that didn't air. There's a lot of stuff that did not go on the actual show that I'm hearing from the actual participants in the movie in the series saying that I'm surprised they didn't put that up. I'm surprised they didn't put that up. So there's a lot of stuff that I think that hopefully in the second series, they put more drama, and I did mention it to someone who's part of the series. I was like, I hope we see more drama and the behind the scenes, because nobody when I talk to people about certain things in my life for tennis, and they love the behind the scenes, they love the stories. Oh well, you're never going to believe this happened actually before the match, you know what I mean that you oh, tell me about it or during the match. So that's the stuff I want to see more. So hopefully from the word that I'm getting, it's going to be more dramatic. We didn't even know with that eilight, Tom Lanovitch and Bertini broke up in that time, you know, so there was a lot of things that were left off the table. So hopefully that doesn't happen in the second part. But I am enjoying it.

00:28:40
Speaker 1: Yeah, No, I mean, I'm not sad about watching a show about tennis and my favorite subject in the world by a wide margin. I guess for me, I am one of the things that I'm most worried about because I don't necessarily care how good this show is. I don't need it to be good. I don't need it to be, you know, I think it's at the very least something.

00:28:59
Speaker 2: Additive to sport.

00:29:00
Speaker 1: I am worried about the fact that tennis is so hard to find, especially in the US, once we get all these new fans, and the kind of some of the commentary that's waiting for them, some of the labyrinthine ways that they have to pay extra to watch tennis because it's not aired on any broadcast channel, or the Tennis channel gets it during the non Slam times and doesn't do a very good job of it.

00:29:27
Speaker 3: You know.

00:29:28
Speaker 1: To me, it's just it's it's there's a lot of hoops to go through, and frankly, I wish ESPN would do a better job of promoting it on the main broadcast. You know, they've had free diving and other things on the second channel. I don't want to put you in the spot by talking about this, but like, there's many things I could say about it, But the most disappointing thing is there's no dialogue between ESPN Plus and ESPN, and that to me is crazy, Like you paid for this big thing and then you're just going to ignore it.

00:29:51
Speaker 3: You know.

00:29:52
Speaker 1: I see free diving on ESPN. It's great how is this happening?

00:29:55
Speaker 3: Yeah, listen, I mean it's well above my pay grade, as you know. And I know that there are a bunch of I know that there are a lot of people at ESPN, particularly us at ESPN Tennis, that want it on the linear channel, that want to have it on ESPN, ESPN Two, ESPN News whenever it needs to be on cable. But it goes well above us, even all the people at Tennis. It goes way above us trying to drive stuff through ESPN Plus and apparently from the numbers, they're quite big and they're doing really well. So that's important for ESPN, for ABC Disney to get things on digital. People watch stuff, now, you know, die hards maybe not, but people watch stuff on their phones, on their iPads, on their computers a lot. I think the difference with this one is that it's two in the morning, so not many people are going to be watching on their computer. They're going to want to watch it lying in bed on their TV. So look, it's it. I will tell you that us at Tennis, at ESPN, please don't yell at us. It's not us that are making these calls right right right to the people that are way above us and get them to understand it. But you know, currently there's nothing we can do about it other than do our jobs.

00:31:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, I appreciate that. I think you're right. It's an ESPN Disney ABC kind of question.

00:31:10
Speaker 3: Trust me, everybody in that Bristol unit right now hates being there and wants to be here in Melbourne. They do not want to be sitting in a cubicle in Bristol, Connecticut.

00:31:21
Speaker 2: This week on ESPN. Are you going to do commentary this week?

00:31:25
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I'll be. I'm working the whole time while I'm here for ESPN, so we'll continue our coverage down here courtside and all that sort of stuff.

00:31:33
Speaker 1: Right, good, I should thank you. You have so much to do, Renee. Maybe a promise. I know you're coming in hot, like the last minute of the tournament and then you're like off to the airport and get a plane, but let's make a point to check in because we will have so many results to talk about and maybe some new champions to discuss.

00:31:53
Speaker 3: Very possible, are were going to have new champions? Although I still think no, that's looking pretty good even with a hamstring injury.

00:32:00
Speaker 2: Yeah, same s right, all right, enjoy, he enjoy everybody.

00:32:04
Speaker 3: Hey, thanks for joining us, guys, and now stay tuned for the second week of the Shrine Open count Wait a.

00:32:08
Speaker 1: Brand if you want to catch more Renee Stubbs. It is on the Power Hour Amazon Sports Prime every day five to six Eastern time.

00:32:15
Speaker 2: It's live. Sometimes I get to be on it. It's great, all right, Subsy, be well talk soon.

00:32:19
Speaker 3: Bye my bye everyone,