The French Connection: Mary Carillo

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Speaker 1: Is there a part of you as a player on the ATP Tour going into the French Open, going, you know what, this might be the year that I don't mind playing him because can you imagine.

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Speaker 2: That you're the person that puts him into retirement.

00:00:13
Speaker 3: At I don't want to be that guy.

00:00:14
Speaker 4: I remember the one time I overlapped with Andrea Agassi in the tournament was the two thousand and six US Open, his last tournament, my first tournament, and I just remember thinking, I don't want to play him.

00:00:24
Speaker 3: I don't want to be the jerk that sends him off to the retirement. Maybe that's a that's a.

00:00:28
Speaker 4: Bad mindset, but I just I never wanted to be that guy. So other people might have a different thought process and want to be the guy that, Hey, I finally beat rombay on the doll on clay, But for me, it was like I just didn't want that field. I felt like everyone was gonna hate.

00:00:41
Speaker 3: Me, like, oh, that's the guy that beat him in his last match, that's jerk.

00:00:45
Speaker 1: Welcome everyone to the first episode of The French Connection, brought to you by NBC Sports and Racket. We are going to be covering everything from the French Open right through to the Olympics back at the same side at Rolling.

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Speaker 2: Garowskin Paris weekend. Wait, we're going to be there throughout the whole thing.

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Speaker 1: And I am joined, of course by the one and only Sam Query. Before we get to you, Sam, I am an a stub six times Grand Slam champion, and I am alongside the wonderful I got to go this way Sam Query, of course, former world number eleven in singles on the ATP Tour, winner of ten singles titles on the ATP. We were just bantering back and forth that apparently one ATP title is worth ten doubles titles, so technically you have one hundred and five titles and I have sixty, so we're doing pretty well.

00:01:32
Speaker 2: Sam. Welcome Sam, thanks for having me.

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Speaker 3: And I got that.

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Speaker 4: I got that reference from the Brian brother maybe the greatest doubles team of all time, so it feels valid.

00:01:42
Speaker 3: You know, one singles title, we're ten doubles pats.

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Speaker 1: I did want to go into the fact that you're also a professional pickle ball player now, Sam, and so you know you are that, but you were a former tennis player, so I'm going to you know, still think that you are an expert in the in the field of the sport. Where are going to talk about through of course the French Open right to the Olympics.

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Speaker 2: I just you know we're going.

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Speaker 1: To have later on the show, we're going to talk to the one and only Mary Carillo, who of course has been to more Olympics than you and I can bind by tenfold. But Sam, just real quick, let's get to the burning questions of the French Open and what's coming up, et cetera. Rafael Nadal, We've got to talk about Raffah fourteen time champion at Roland Garross. It's insanity to even say those numbers. But just you know, your thoughts on him going.

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Speaker 2: To the tournament, playing the tournament.

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Speaker 1: The decisions are possibly not all to play the French Just give me thoughts on him.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, that is the storyline at the French Open this year. You know, will Rafa play? Will if he plays, will it be his last event? And we're just kind of waiting. You know, the tournament starts in about a week and six days next Sunday, and everyone wants Raffa to play. I think you know, everyone wants to see him play at Roland Garrels one last time.

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Speaker 3: We hope that he goes out there and plays well. We know he's gonna fight.

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Speaker 4: He's the he's got great he's got what it takes to go out there. He's going to fight for every point. But you know, myself, along with the rest of the world, wants him to go out there one more time. So I hope he does.

00:03:10
Speaker 1: You played him, you know, you've actually had, you know, an unbelievable singles career in your own right. But just give me your thoughts on Rafa in general, just for the people at home that didn't get to experience having to play him. And did you play him on clay, because that's torture if you did.

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Speaker 3: I did.

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Speaker 4: I played him twice on clay shockingly lost both of those. But you know, right from the get go, you've seen it. When you're flipping the coin and you're up at the net with the referee, he's bouncing up and down, he's looking at you. You're intimidated right off the bat. You know that when you're up forty love, he's going to make you earn that next point to win the game, and you're going to go out there and you're going to battle for three four five hours and that's what made him win fourteen French Open titles. And even though this is his last event most likely and he's not playing great as an opponent, you don't want to play him with the French Open.

00:03:59
Speaker 3: I don't know you feel.

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Speaker 4: But if I'm one of the other one hundred and twenty seven guys in the draw, the one person I don't want to see is Rothay on.

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Speaker 2: The doll am I except for this year? Maybe? I mean?

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Speaker 1: Is there is there if you were still playing on tour and you saw that he look, he's not playing great going into the French That's why the doubt is is he going to play? But is there a part of you as a player on the ATP Tour going into the French.

00:04:22
Speaker 2: Show Open going you know what? This might be the year that I don't mind playing him because can you imagine that you're the person that puts him into retirement at the French I don't want to.

00:04:32
Speaker 3: Be that guy.

00:04:33
Speaker 4: I remember the one time I overlapped with Andrea Agassi in the tournament was the two thousand and six US Open, his last tournament, my first tournament, and I just remember thinking, I don't want to play him. I don't want to be the jerk that sends him off to the retirement. Maybe that's a that's a bad mindset, but I just I never wanted to be that guy. So other people might have a different thought process and want to be the guy that, Hey, I finally beat Rothay on the doll on clay. But for me, it was like I just didn't want.

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Speaker 5: That, you know.

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Speaker 4: I felt like everyone was going to like, Oh, that's the guy that beat him in his last match, that jerk.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's interesting.

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Speaker 1: That just proves that you're actually an empathetic, nice guy, because I think there are some guys in the locker room they'd be like, yeah, there would be nothing better than to say I beat him in Paris at the French Open on his best surface, and I'm the one that put him into retirement there.

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Speaker 2: I don't know.

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Speaker 1: I think there's some I think there's some psychotic players out there that wouldn't mind doing that.

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Speaker 4: Now, you're absolutely right, most of the players actually probably have that mindset. Give me, Rafa, this is the time. I haven't been able to beat him for the last fifteen sixteen years. This is my one opportunity. Let me get it.

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Speaker 1: You don't think, you know, these guys in twenty thirty years time are going to be like, yeah, I.

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Speaker 2: Beat Raffa in Paris, what's the big deal?

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Speaker 1: Right?

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Speaker 4: So he was honest with people have done it. You're going to be a group of four that has beat Rafa in Paris.

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Speaker 1: I mean that number is absolute insanity. One hundred and twelve and three losses in the French Open. I mean, can you just explain to people at home how absolutely bonkers that is. I mean, Chris Ebbott had an incredible, incredible career. Her numbers, arguably as far as win percentage, are actually better than Raffers, but she also didn't play as many as he did. In the end, this is insanity what he has done here.

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Speaker 3: Oh. I mean, you know how hard it is to win one match on the need to tour.

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Speaker 4: I mean he's won one hundred and twelve matches at the French Open alone. There's a lot of very good players that haven't won one hundred and twelve matches on the tour of their career, and he's done it at one tournament.

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Speaker 3: It's just incredible. It's one of the greatest feats in sports.

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Speaker 4: And you know, I don't think we'll ever see that again in our lifetime. The dominance that one player has had, not only at one tennis tournament, but possibly in all of sports. It's it's truly impress like just one of the most impressive things I've ever seen.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, for me, it's arguably the greatest feat in sports.

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Speaker 1: I don't think anyone's ever going to do what he has done because not only are you having to beat the best players in the world over five sets, but also let's not forget about the fact that it's really hard to go injury free for that amount of time and be able to get away with like being healthy every year and was seeing Sadly, for him, that's the thing that's more than likely going to stop him from winning fifteen.

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Speaker 2: Would you have given him a seed.

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Speaker 1: At the French Open, because that's been a little bit of a controversial or topic, I guess would you have given him a seed?

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Speaker 4: I would not have given him a seed even if he was ranked you know, they see the top thirty two at the French Open. Even if he was ranked thirty three right now, which he's not, he's ranked in the hundreds. I still wouldn't have given him a seed. I think if you're top thirty two in the world, you've done the work, you deserve a seed.

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Speaker 3: Now, having said that, I am a fan of.

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Speaker 4: What Wimbledon used to do, where they would take the top thirty two seeds and then they would shuffle him around based on a formula on their.

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Speaker 3: Grass court results and seed based on that.

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Speaker 4: But no, right now, in Rotha's current situation and the way he's playing, I don't think he deserves a seed. And the guys in the top thirty two have put in the work and they're there for a reason, and I would about that.

00:07:54
Speaker 1: I would arguably say that Rafa wouldn't have wanted a seat either, because I think he's very aware of the fact that he's going into this tournament that he's dominated, not playing good tennis, and not being one hundred percent.

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Speaker 2: So I think you would probably agree with you.

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Speaker 1: Part of him would want to because we could potentially have him playing Novak in.

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Speaker 2: The first round.

00:08:11
Speaker 1: That's what people don't understand about the importance of having a seed in general, is that you don't play someone like Novak or sits a Pass or Zev or Sinner in the first round. So let's just hope he doesn't play somebody like that in the first round. We'll wait and see for the draw to come out. But speaking of the draw, what about the fact that Novak Djokovic, who was the most dominant player on the A Top Tour last year, has not won a tournament this year. I mean that, I don't know what's more out well, not outstanding weird is the fact that he's not won a tournament or rough as one fourteen. I mean, that's crazy going into the French Open.

00:08:49
Speaker 4: Exactly, they're both crazy and Rafa or sorry Novak not winning the VET and not even playing great all year. It's not like he's losing in semis and finals. He's going out early in event after event. So he's coming to the French Open with probably the least amount of confidence he's had in his entire career. The I guess silver lining that he has going for him is Rafa's not playing great, he doesn't have Roger Betder to deal with. Alcaraz and Center seem to have some injuries. We've got a different winner every week on the men's side for every clay court tournament, so there's really not one favorite that's going in there. Kind of with all the momentum behind him, Rafa or Novak has just as much of a chance to win the French Open as as ten to fifteen other guys, and so that's what's probably still giving him a little bit of a belief of saying, all right, I haven't had a great year, but no one else has and I can still go win this tournament.

00:09:39
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, obviously we'll get into it a little bit more when the draw comes out, etc. Who we think is going to probably be the favorite, But right now there is no favorite. I mean, Alcaraz is the odds on favorite, but you know his injury issues and Janick Sinner has had an amazing year, but also he has a bit of a question mark. But as we said, once a draw comes out, we'll have a slightly better idea. But also Sam, as you know, best of five sets, you can work your way into a tournament, and if Novak's in the second week, then he goes in as favorite to win the French Open in my opinion. Now, flip it around because the women's is a whole different story, because we have someone going into the French Open that is by far the overwhelming favorite.

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Speaker 2: She's so good on the red clay.

00:10:20
Speaker 1: Clearly, she's already proven that by winning the two biggest lead up tournaments in Madrid and Rome, beating you know, obviously her biggest rival and Sabrilanca, but Eager she untagged. Wow, she has just been so dominating on this red surface. Just your thoughts on her and the women's side.

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Speaker 3: Oh, Siontec's incredible right now.

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Speaker 4: I mean, winning Madrid and that incredible final over sabrill Anca and then winning Rome relatively easy kind.

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Speaker 3: Of along the way.

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Speaker 4: She's won the French Open before. She's going into it as the heavy favorite. Like you said, her movement not only the clay, she moves well all the time, but her movement is incredible. I mean she's and she's not someone who's five foot five, she's you know, more of me, she's maybe five to ten five. Yeah, I mean she's an incredible mover. She's in perfect position for every ball that she hits, and that's what I think is the key to her success on the clay. And you know, if I was a betting person, which I'm not, it's it's tech versus the field right now, and I would take her going to the French.

00:11:18
Speaker 1: Open even though she's dominating, is in your opinion, the women's sort of.

00:11:23
Speaker 2: Game right now a little bit more interesting through the.

00:11:25
Speaker 1: Last six months than the men, just because we've gotten these great rivals playing against each other more like Sabalanca and Eager Chiante going into the French they've now played each other a bunch of Rebakina. Look, she's also played really well to this year, but this match in Madrid was just arguably the best match of the year. And then in the finals of Rome, Eager dominated. And there's a little difference because there's no altitude in Rome, and I think the condition suited Sheiontech a little more, which is why we had the blowout. But just this match in Madrid and just over all the women, do you think that they're a little bit more interesting this year going into the French Open.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 4: As a as a sports fan, I like when there's dominance in sports by one or two individuals or one or two teams. I think that is an interesting kind of outlook on what's going on. When the Patriots were dominating football, you either love the Patriots or you hated them, but you were going to watch and see what was going to happen. So I like that IgA and Sabalanca are creating and and Rabakina as well. The three of them are kind of separating themselves from the field and it's making it's making for great rivalries. It's making for some mu must watch matches and finals in these events, which is great.

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Speaker 3: Where the men's side, you're going into these tournaments and it's a little.

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Speaker 4: Bit of a free thro all. I have no idea who's going to be in the semis and the finals. Sometimes it's exciting, sometimes it's not. But the women, I feel like you're going into these tournaments now knowing you're going to get a really good semi final or final at the end of the event, which makes for kind of an exciting kind of culmination of the week.

00:12:52
Speaker 1: Gee, you know, outside of Rebakina, because we know how well she can play in any tournament, I think when she's at her very very best, I think there's I would put her equally to Eager, equally to saball Aanca just because she has it. But unfortunately for her, she just gets these random illnesses and injuries.

00:13:09
Speaker 2: I mean, it's part of the game.

00:13:10
Speaker 1: It's why the dominance of someone like Nadal at the French Open, or just even Novak and Rafa in general.

00:13:16
Speaker 2: Their ability to be able to the longevity of not getting you know, sick and injuries and things.

00:13:21
Speaker 1: I mean, but Rebakina, you have to put her in that category. But what about is there any other contenders out there in the women's that also sort of you know, we have to talk about Coco, like, throw throw a few more people out there that you think are interesting to watch going into the French.

00:13:35
Speaker 4: Right interesting to watch it could and could win it, or could make a run to the final if weird things happened. But yes, Coco obviously has won the US Open. She's a Grand Slam champion. She's got a big game. She can make a run. Danielle Collins right now, winning Miami, winning Charleston, semi finally in Rome last week. She's a fighter, she's exciting to watch. Those two particular girls I think are the the two to keep your eyes. But what about I mean, you have a better understanding of one game than I do. Who else is on that list?

00:14:06
Speaker 3: With that?

00:14:06
Speaker 2: I agree? I agree.

00:14:07
Speaker 1: I think Maria Sakari certainly has had a little bit of a better year. I mean, we've got former champions in the draw as well, so you know, the women's game for me, as you said, because of the rivalries and the interest, and we've had so many Grand Slam winners over.

00:14:21
Speaker 2: The last couple of years. There's some big names in the draw.

00:14:24
Speaker 1: That we haven't even spoken about, so we cannot wait. Of course, then they're going to all flip around and play the Olympics not soon long after that at the same place, so.

00:14:33
Speaker 2: It's going to be really interesting. It's very different when you represent your country.

00:14:36
Speaker 1: The nerves are different, but individually they're all going to be there in Paris and we cannot wait to continue to bring them all to you. Of course, the French Open is going to be on. It's starting on Sunday on Peacock. The coverage is going to be amazing opening night action from Rolling Garos beginning noon Eastern. Then one continues in full swing Monday the twenty seventh on NBC and Peacock eleven easton. I cannot wait. The French Open is literally my favorite. I love getting up early in the morning and watching it. And we have someone that's going to talk about how important it is to cover the French Open, and of course the Olympics with the one and only, of course NBC's own Mary Carillo.

00:15:16
Speaker 2: After we take a little short break.

00:15:20
Speaker 1: As promised, the one the only Mary Carillo. Of course, thank you for coming on the French Connection. Mary, of course joining me and of course Sam nineteen seventy seven French Open mixed doubles champion with John McEnroe. Let's just put that out there. First of all, Mary, thank you so much for joining us today. We're going to talk all things French Open leading into the Olympics. But my friend, thank you for joining us today.

00:15:43
Speaker 6: It's nice for your and Sam.

00:15:45
Speaker 5: You may not know this, but the seventy seven French Open mixed levels was John McEnroe's first major title. It was my last. But let's not go into that. Yeah, how do you like that, my friend?

00:15:57
Speaker 4: That's impesome. That's an amazing little forever there. He kind of took Off's career. Without that win, there's no John McEnroe.

00:16:05
Speaker 6: That's that's what I'm saying. All right, what do you want to talk about?

00:16:09
Speaker 2: I want to know first of all, Mary, I just put this in the background. I don't know if you can see that. This is my mixed.

00:16:14
Speaker 1: Doubles runner up at the French Open. So you have that over me, my friend. I was a loser there and you were a winner. But let's get tell me. Tell me your favorite memories on and off the court, basically in Paris.

00:16:29
Speaker 6: I mean on the court.

00:16:30
Speaker 5: Obviously, the only thing I've ever done was standing next to John McEnroe when he won the French Roup mixles and I just, you know, tried not to gag all over the court.

00:16:41
Speaker 6: But i mean off the court.

00:16:43
Speaker 5: I've been in the booth and I tend to stay a lot longer at the French Open when I'm not playing, when I'm just talking about it. So I've gotten to see you Rafa's entire run, I've seen Serena and Sheriff, I've seen I've been doing this for a long long time. I've I've gotten to call a dozen of French Opens. It happened to be my favorite. I love clay. I love I loved watching people figure out how to play on clay. So I've been in Paris. I mean, come on, there's a couple of things you can do there, a couple of things to see.

00:17:13
Speaker 4: Absolutely, is there one match over the years You've called matches for decades now, is there a real match that stands out in your head as kind of the best match you've ever watched.

00:17:24
Speaker 5: Well, obviously, the Nadal Federer matches weren't always great. Actually, the one time that Roger Federer won in two thousand and nine, it wasn't a good match. I was in the booth with Ted Robinson and John McEnroe. But towards the end of the match, he was winning so easily, Roger, and he's finally going to win this one major that he wasn't ever sure he could win.

00:17:43
Speaker 6: And he starts jamming up, he starts crying, you know, like you could see that he's.

00:17:48
Speaker 5: So I I talked to my producer, you know, the bat the cough button, and I said, you know, John, I'm I'm gonna stop talking. You know, let's just you know, let's just show Raj, you know, going through all this. And then Ted got quiet, and then even John got quiet. And that was the best part of the whole match, was that Roger finally came good. On that surface, it wasn't a great match, but it was a great moment. If you have eat Robin Soderling in the final that year, exactly right, exactly right.

00:18:22
Speaker 1: That's right, and Robin was never to be seen again. So Mary, you know, when you sit up in the booth, like explain the importance of seeing tennis also on red clay.

00:18:34
Speaker 2: We don't get to see that very much.

00:18:36
Speaker 1: But the beauty of the French Open, you know, and and the beauty of playing on clay, and just explain to people why it's so different than playing on any other Grand Slam surface.

00:18:47
Speaker 5: I mean, to my mind, clay is the game's classroom. It's why so many Europeans have dominated tennis for so long.

00:18:56
Speaker 3: Now.

00:18:57
Speaker 5: You learn how to to, you learn how to attack, you learn how to move, you learn how to go from offense to defense back to offense again. Points are complicated, you manage the court differently. It's for that reason I think clay court tennis and clay court tennis players are really special.

00:19:17
Speaker 1: What about you, Yeah, well, I mean I wanted to ask you on that. You know, you obviously very good friends with Chris Evertt. So you're talking about Chris Evertt and you're talking about Rafa, you know, so just compare those two because you have seen them both through the years compete and when the way that they have done so well on you know, the clay in Paris, So just you know your connection with both of those two great players at the French Open.

00:19:42
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean Rafa is a beast, you know he Yeah, you see how physical he is, how mentally strong he is. Chrissy was much later on the court, but she managed the court again so well. She had so much concer tration and focus and drive, and clay allowed her to beat players who are bigger and stronger, right, who could hit harder. She would keep a rally going and she'd move, she'd move the ball around, manage the middle of the court, and then all of a sudden she might hit her forehand that that was just a little higher than the last one, you know, or dip her back hand just a little lower, and all of a sudden her opponent was slightly off balanced, perhaps without even knowing it, and that's when Chrissy would make her move. I mean, she was, she was something else. Rafa won twice as many French Opens as Chris. Wait a minute, remember when.

00:20:38
Speaker 6: We used to say Bjorn Borg was the greatest clay court player on the men's side. You know, he won six oer.

00:20:44
Speaker 5: And Rafa is just he is as remarkable. I don't know that that you can ever beat that feat.

00:20:52
Speaker 2: Never, It'll never be broken.

00:20:55
Speaker 4: The greatest feat in sports, in all of sports, with that record and that dominance. I think think of anything I'll tell of my head that's more impressive.

00:21:02
Speaker 6: No, I can't either say.

00:21:05
Speaker 1: So take me into the mindset of Rafa. Do you think that you know, Sam and I talked about this yesterday, what do you think that the French Open should be Raffa's last event?

00:21:16
Speaker 5: A friend of mine is actually working on an adal documentary and they've spent a lot of time, uh, talking to Rafa and his coaches and his family, his wife.

00:21:26
Speaker 3: Ah.

00:21:28
Speaker 5: It sure seems like his team of family and coaches want the French Open to be his final, his final appearance. But Rafa is fighting that. You know, he's not ready to say yeah, I'm gonna this is the end for me. So that will It will be interesting to see if that changes in the coming in the coming weeks. We know that he's talking about playing doubles at the Olympics with Carlos Alcarez and that would be something to see. He's already said he's going to play the Labor Cup, which I still consider to be an exhibition. Uh after this it is because because it is, everyone seems to now want to retire at Labor Cup, you know, after Roger did. Now it sounds like Rafa wants to do that, you know when it's Uh, it would.

00:22:25
Speaker 6: Be something glorious.

00:22:26
Speaker 5: I think if he were to decide to put down his rackets in Paris, but who knows? What where are you guys landing on that?

00:22:34
Speaker 4: That's what I want as a tennis man. I touched on this the other day with Renee. I wanted to be at the Open, even if he doesn't go out and win or play Gray. That's where his legacy has built. Fetters was more at Wimbledon, in the Labor Cup. The world wants Rafa to end at the French Open, That's what That's what everyone wants. He wants that's where the goodbye should be. That's where his story needs to end. So I'm hoping for that to his last event.

00:23:01
Speaker 6: So it sounds like you guys don't think he's going to win the French Hope. Uh No, No.

00:23:06
Speaker 3: I guess yes.

00:23:07
Speaker 4: If I had to place a bet down, I wouldn't be on him unfortunately.

00:23:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, But no matter what happens this year.

00:23:14
Speaker 4: He's going down as the as the greatest clay quarter ever and that will probably be forever.

00:23:20
Speaker 5: Right and and and just so, just to go back to how Roger feder I mean, he he wanted Wimbledon was his was his great event. But the last time he played Wimbleman, he lost in straight says oh in the third.

00:23:34
Speaker 6: Remember that that's not how we wanted to go out.

00:23:36
Speaker 2: So yeah, I mean I don't want I don't.

00:23:39
Speaker 6: Want to see the Rafa go down like that.

00:23:41
Speaker 5: But h god, damn it, he was great.

00:23:47
Speaker 2: Poor old, poor old Herbie.

00:23:48
Speaker 1: Hercuts has put you know, he put basically Roger into uh into retirement. And then the other day I think he might have mentally put Rafa in retirement in Rome.

00:23:57
Speaker 2: So and he's the nicest guy on to us. So you know, that's it.

00:24:00
Speaker 1: But may you know, through the years, Roland Garros has certainly changed. I mean, Chatrier got an upgrade, The.

00:24:06
Speaker 2: Bull Ring is no more.

00:24:07
Speaker 1: We love the bull Ring court back in the day, even though I hated it because I always lost on that court. And now you know, Simone, but Matthieure now is like maybe one of the best courts in tenna. So es your thoughts also on the changing atmosphere at Roland Garrison and sort of through the years, you've seen the upgrades, You've seen what they've tried to do, because it's very small if you can't just expand it like the austral And Open. We get to expand it a little bit easier because we have the help of the government.

00:24:31
Speaker 2: But what about that from your.

00:24:33
Speaker 5: Perspective, continent of Australia gets to do whatever the hellp unlimited lay there. But the French Open has the smallest footprint of the four majors, so to make great advances is tricky and you got to get all kinds of Yeah, you have to go through the neighbors and there we don't want it.

00:24:50
Speaker 6: All that kind of stuff.

00:24:52
Speaker 5: But I'm so excited that the Olympics will be played will be played there because experiencing Roland Garros the years already know how special it is. And it's going to be a tricky maneuver for them to go from clay this clay court season to a couple of weeks of grass including Wimbledon, and then go back to clay because normally after Wimby it's all hard courts. So who who are the players who can pull that off the best? I mean we know Novak can do it. I mean we know that. Uh uh, sabal Anka is great at that. You know, it'll be interesting to see who that favors. You know how well everyone has paid themselves the heart. The tricky thing about this year's French Open. Uh, it's like it feels wide open, not because everyone's playing well, but because everyone seems injured exactly, and Shulde surfaces is a tricky deal.

00:25:47
Speaker 6: As you two know so well, it'll be.

00:25:50
Speaker 5: An interesting Uh, we got an interesting summer ahead, kids.

00:25:53
Speaker 4: I think for me, you see this Sheek or you know, in the current kind of play, especially on the men's side, we don't have these court specific players like.

00:26:03
Speaker 3: Rafa is a player Roger W. Warren grass.

00:26:06
Speaker 4: Even going prior to that with Sampras and Clareton on clay, it seems like all the guys kind of play a similar style and they do equally as well on clay courts and grass courts and hard courts, and that opens to I think even more players that can do well at the French Open and the Olympics.

00:26:24
Speaker 5: Absolutely true, Sam and I used to always be so pleased that the.

00:26:28
Speaker 6: Women, the great women champions could win on anything.

00:26:32
Speaker 5: You know, yeah, when you go back to and Chrissy and Martina and Serena and they could win on anything. And now it seems that the men can do the same thing again. Fitness seems to be such a big deal these days.

00:26:47
Speaker 6: It's hard to figure out.

00:26:48
Speaker 5: Do you guys already know in your heads who's going to win the French on both sides?

00:26:52
Speaker 1: Well, I mean you have to be not paying attention to anything in women's tennis if you don't think Euston Tech is by far the favorite, not only in Paris but of course coming back to Paris for the Olympics. She must be so pumped for the opportunity. I mean, Rafa sadly for him to not have had the opportunity to be at his very best to win a gold medal at the Olympics in Roland Garros is like so sad in a way, but also give somebody else an opportunity to win a gold medal. But you know, hey, listen to Novak on one Novak hasn't won one and a best of three though, I think it's for people out there not to understand and Sam and I have talked about this.

00:27:29
Speaker 2: He knows so well.

00:27:30
Speaker 1: Men's best of three is very different to best of five, which is why we've had some interesting people win the gold medal at the Olympics in the men's side as opposed to on the women's side. But I mean, look Eagerson, tek by father favorite, and I would say that Novak mentally has sort of made I think, I don't know about you, Sam, the Olympics his priority this year.

00:27:51
Speaker 4: Yeah, It's the one thing that Mary just said that's not on his resume. He has everything else but that gold medal at the Olympics. So even though he hasn't played great this year, I think at the beginning of the year, he brought up a calendar, he highlighted the Olympics and said like, let's let's peak right here.

00:28:07
Speaker 3: And so I think that is the main goal for him in twenty twenty four.

00:28:10
Speaker 5: But also, guys, Novak has once again after the Australian Open, he got rid of Gorani Venissovitch, who had helped him win a whole bunch of majors. He seemed it seems like there's a bit of chaos internally, you know, right, I mean I'm not sure where I'm Usually you know exactly how good Novak Djokovic is going to be, exactly how tough he's going to be, and what his goals are and how he plans to meet them.

00:28:35
Speaker 6: I'm not sure where he is right now.

00:28:37
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree, Mary, I think him it's been a bit tumultuous. He got rid of his management team at the end of last year, He's changed his coaching crew, so it's been a very tumultuous start to the year.

00:28:46
Speaker 2: But you know, as Sam and Yet Stubbs, it's unheard of.

00:28:51
Speaker 1: And at the end of last year I actually thought he was going to have his best year ever and then sort of like be like.

00:28:56
Speaker 2: All right, I'm done.

00:28:57
Speaker 1: But age age does, in my opinion, and eventually take its toll, even on the greats.

00:29:02
Speaker 2: But let's flip Mary to the Olympics. Is we want to get to that.

00:29:05
Speaker 1: What are some of your favorite memories at the Olympic Games. I mean, you've had so many great ones. If you haven't seen her Rant in Badman, just go on to YouTube. It's one of the greatest live segments of TV. And when we say vamp vamp vamp, it means just keep talking, Mary, Well, you did a great job on the bad minute.

00:29:24
Speaker 5: But my badminton rant that was in Greece. That was the Athens Olympics. Yes, that is truly ridiculous and I'm very proud of that. Look, I'm elderly, this is this will be my sixteenth Olympic Games.

00:29:41
Speaker 6: But it makes me feel young to be at the Olympics.

00:29:44
Speaker 5: I've gotten to see Michael Phelps and you've seen balls and some mobiles. I mean, I've it's been I've been blessed and I've gotten to do features that have some of the favorite things I've ever done are the Olympics features. But I have to tell you my favorite thing about the Olympics, and it's happened the last couple is when the NBA players come to watch the w NBA players the women's basketball play. And obviously they've been ruling the games as have the men for many Olympics now, But to see those guys want to be there watching the women basketball players, it makes my heart sing.

00:30:28
Speaker 6: Yeah.

00:30:29
Speaker 3: I love that.

00:30:29
Speaker 6: I love that.

00:30:30
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:30:31
Speaker 4: Now, you could call a tennis match in your sleep. At the Olympics, We've got all sports. How do you prep for calling swimming, gymnastics, these other sports that maybe you're not as well versed in. Do you have to do extra homework or What's I mean?

00:30:44
Speaker 5: I tried to, you know, one hundred days out we usually start getting all kinds of research and stuff.

00:30:49
Speaker 6: I do the open Water Marathon, which is one.

00:30:53
Speaker 5: Of the most untelevisable events you can.

00:30:59
Speaker 6: And I've done the last three hope.

00:31:02
Speaker 5: The good news is I do it with Rowdy Gaines, and even Rowdy thinks it's a confusing thing.

00:31:07
Speaker 6: There's no number these guys.

00:31:09
Speaker 5: These guys are jumping the water, the women the next they there's like a hundred of them, and there's you. You don't know who the hell they are. There's no numbers on their backs. And they for a couple of hours they swim around, booize and stuff and and basically I try to do research on that. But I find myself for those couple of hours saying to Rowdy, now, what's going on?

00:31:32
Speaker 3: Now?

00:31:32
Speaker 6: Now, what's happening?

00:31:33
Speaker 2: Now?

00:31:34
Speaker 6: Now who's winning?

00:31:35
Speaker 5: And then and then in the final forty seconds of it, Rowdy starts going crazy and he's jumping up and down. There's all kinds of things happening under the and then that's over, and then I think I cannot believe I.

00:31:48
Speaker 6: Just got asked to call that event.

00:31:51
Speaker 2: I want to ask you, is it Sam? Is it difficult?

00:31:55
Speaker 1: Was it more difficult to call that knowing that you're basically picking a cap and trying to fire out who the person is, or or working on the dog.

00:32:04
Speaker 2: Shows where you're like, I don't know what's happening here.

00:32:06
Speaker 5: No, no, now, dogs, I have an affinity. I actually feel much better prepared calling the National dog show that airs every Thanksgiving. I've done that for a lot of years. I love dogs. I researched dogs. They you know, they are the friendliest athletes I've ever known. They let you scratch them, you know, they kiss you. I mean that's different. But open Water Marathon. I love the event.

00:32:30
Speaker 6: Because it's just the most delirious thing you can imagine. Trying to understand going into the Olympics.

00:32:37
Speaker 3: Do you ever get to hey, hey, you know what, this is a new Olympics for me. I'd like to call sport this.

00:32:47
Speaker 5: I feel fairly fluent in tennis. Okay, like that's that's my lane right there. You know, in any other sport I would do, I would be play by play or i'd be a reporter, and I've done plenty of that, and I feel very good. I love I care about it so much. I mean, if I can, if I can keep doing Olympics. It's just one of the great moments. You know, you grow up watching the Olympic Games. You grow up, you know, caring so much for a couple of weeks about sports that you've never cared about before. You think, I watched swimming, you know, for the for the four years leading up to the Olympics.

00:33:25
Speaker 6: No, do I watch mnastics?

00:33:26
Speaker 1: No?

00:33:27
Speaker 6: When when do I watch figure skating? No?

00:33:30
Speaker 5: And all of a sudden, the Olympics comes around, and I'm I'm absolutely enthralled.

00:33:35
Speaker 6: You know.

00:33:35
Speaker 4: You always want to watch the sports that anta's mainstream, you know, Yeah, well those aside sometimes for these other sports you're talking about, because you get them onths every four years.

00:33:46
Speaker 6: Yes, that's right.

00:33:47
Speaker 5: And and I especially love the Winter Games because they take you to places that tennis never.

00:33:52
Speaker 6: Takes you to.

00:33:53
Speaker 5: All of a sudden, you're up in the Italian Alps or you're there like you're in places, and the athletes winter athletes are different, you know. They they walk outside, you know, and look around and see what the wind is like with that, Like you're so much more aware of their.

00:34:08
Speaker 6: Environments than than tennis players. Everything about it. Can you tell me like covering the Olympics, I.

00:34:16
Speaker 1: Mean, I don't know, I'm feeling sensing that. I mean, I've had the joy Mary of calling the last three Olympics in tennis. And we had a special moment obviously being able to call the Olympics in London at Wimbledon, So you know, this moment is arguably the same where the Olympic tennis is going to be played at a Grand Slam, you know, uh stadium in venue in Roland, Garross, you know. And Sam and I sort of go back and forth about the importance of tennis in the Olympics. I want to know your thoughts. I know mine, but you know, what are your thoughts about having tennis in the Olympics and the importance of that.

00:34:53
Speaker 6: I'm delighted it, Sarah.

00:34:54
Speaker 5: I mean, can you imagine being a tennis player and you know, all your dreams are about winning Wimbledon or winning the U and all of a sudden, tennis becomes an Olympic event. Like I just remember when I happened to be with John McEnroe when that, you know, when it was announced and he said, oh, who the hell wouldn't want that? You know, it had been an exhibition sport. But now all of a sudden you get a medal. You know, you're playing for your country as well as for yourself. You know, you get to put a number up on the medals count. I don't I don't see the downside.

00:35:31
Speaker 6: I really don't. Of course, it clogs up. You have to be very fit. Obviously, you have to be very fit.

00:35:37
Speaker 2: Mary, that's this guy, us, this guy, that's this guy.

00:35:39
Speaker 4: I have a bit of a take ilypics. I had to play in the Beijing Olympics in two thousand and eight. It was incredible.

00:35:46
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:35:47
Speaker 4: I do feel like though, as a tennis player, as a golfer, as an NBA player, you would rather win Wimbledon, the French Open, the PG Championship, the Masters, an NBA title over an Olympic goal.

00:35:59
Speaker 6: All right?

00:35:59
Speaker 4: Actually, as an American I think that's the kind of I would think most of the players would feel that way. What do you think when it comes to those kind of few examples I gave, would you rather win the French Open or an Olympic gold.

00:36:13
Speaker 6: I'll tell you. I'll tell you what means more to most people.

00:36:17
Speaker 5: I remember this story Sam Xena Garrison won a gold medal in doubles, and she would always talk to kids and stuff, you know, go into classrooms and try to get kids.

00:36:28
Speaker 6: And she she would.

00:36:30
Speaker 5: Bring her gold Olympic gold medal in a baggie and show them, you know, she'd put it out there for kids. She'd take it out and they all were They couldn't believe that they were holding an Olympic gold medal. Xena understood the power of that. I think a lot of any athlete understands the power of an older And it doesn't even have to be gold, but that's obviously everyone's favorite color, right I think people understand that. So yes, in the world of ten, maybe those are at your goals. But I mean, I know that Novak sure wants to win an Olympic goal for Serbia. He has stated it, he means it. You know, there aren't that many things he hasn't done. I think, you know, he played at the Tokyo Games and it was damn hot.

00:37:17
Speaker 6: I was there.

00:37:18
Speaker 5: It was really really hot in Tokyo. A couple of years ago when he was trying to win. He wanted to win all four majors and Olympic gold, yep, and that that ruined his chances.

00:37:28
Speaker 3: Everyone knows what the Olympics.

00:37:29
Speaker 4: I go to my next neighbor and they might not know what the Australian Open is or the is.

00:37:35
Speaker 3: You know what the Olympics is.

00:37:36
Speaker 4: And I'll give you that is a valid point, like the world knows what an Olympic gold medal is.

00:37:42
Speaker 2: Thank you, Sam.

00:37:43
Speaker 1: Finally, finally we're bringing this guy around. I mean, listen, I know, for me personally, I played in four Olympics and I never came away with any.

00:37:53
Speaker 2: Medal at all, and it still irks me to this day.

00:37:56
Speaker 1: And I won a few tennis tournaments and a few Grand Slams and that's still bothers me to this day.

00:38:01
Speaker 2: I think the difference is just like you know.

00:38:04
Speaker 1: You know the World Cup in football, you know a lot of players or soccer players would say that means more to them, but also arguably the Olympic gold is as important in some respects for me. I think in tennis Grand slams at the level you want to get to, but if you win a gold that certainly means a lot to you as a tennis player. So I love that the tennis at tennis is in the Olympics. And like you said, it possibly ruined Novak Djokovic's attempt to win a calendar Grand Slam when he lost in the finals of the US Open because he was exhausted for that year.

00:38:33
Speaker 2: But it also shows you.

00:38:34
Speaker 1: How important it is to him. I mean, we've seen that guy cry leaving the court. We've seen del Potro cry and be hugged by Rafael Nadal at the Olympics.

00:38:42
Speaker 2: I mean, these guys, it means a lot to them.

00:38:44
Speaker 1: So Mary, I mean, just to wrap it up with you just going back to Paris for the French Open and the Olympics. Just overall, how lucky do you feel to be able to do this job?

00:38:57
Speaker 2: I mean, really to explain to people at home how joyful it is for you.

00:39:01
Speaker 5: Look, I know it's a scam, Okay, I know how lucky I am. I mean it is, It's what I love to do. I'm very very passionate about it. I'm very committed to it.

00:39:17
Speaker 6: Ah.

00:39:19
Speaker 5: I love watching excellence in all forms, but when you see athletes at the height of their powers and and and in some of these events it's decided by a hundredth of it of a second whether they get on the podium or not, whether.

00:39:37
Speaker 6: It is just it is. I just feel gratitude.

00:39:42
Speaker 5: I just feel absolutely blessed that I can go from the French Open back to Paris for the Olympic Games. I uh, I'm very very grateful.

00:39:53
Speaker 1: Basically, it's gonna be there's gonna be a lot of croissants consumed by the one and only Mary Carilla through this summer, maybe in Paris for the French Open, of course for the umpteenth time as the nineteen seventy seven mixed doubles champion, and of course our gold medal champion in Paris again for the Olympics.

00:40:15
Speaker 2: All right, Mary, it's time for serve and volley, which I know you do so well. Okay, it's a quick, rapid question and I need you to answer as quickly as possible. So here we go.

00:40:24
Speaker 1: We're gonna start with the first one, I say, Rafael Nadal. First thing that comes to your mind is.

00:40:30
Speaker 6: How much he cares? How much he cares?

00:40:34
Speaker 3: Short and sweet? Yeah, Andy Murray's will be remembered for what.

00:40:40
Speaker 6: How much he cares this is easy.

00:40:46
Speaker 2: You're usually more creative than this.

00:40:48
Speaker 5: Come on, no, I'm saying that's my favorite part of both of those guys is how much it means to them. And again, we're gonna have a lot of these people going away soon, so you better I care as much about them as that he seemed to care about about their place in tennis history. So I don't think it's as those are two lousy answers.

00:41:10
Speaker 6: I think they're real.

00:41:11
Speaker 2: I Sam, I don't know about you, but I'm going to go back to the.

00:41:14
Speaker 1: First thing when I when Raphael and Nadal comes to mind, is just grit. I've never seen anyone dig so deep like Raphael and Nadal, and he does it.

00:41:25
Speaker 2: He shows the grit.

00:41:26
Speaker 1: I think that's why I'm going to remember it more so than anyone. And if I had to say about Andy Murray as well, his emotions and his vulnerability when he's won and lost, that is.

00:41:39
Speaker 2: What I'll remember about him.

00:41:40
Speaker 1: And I think that does come Marry to the same point, how much he cares?

00:41:43
Speaker 2: What about you, Sam?

00:41:44
Speaker 4: Yeah, same thing when he comes to Rafa and the grit. I think he's maybe the grittiest those fears competitor in all sports. I think there's an argument that he is the greatest competitor in all sports of since I've been watching sports at least. And Andy Murray just a fighter, I think. I mean, it's all kind of using the same words, but he just makes you earn every point. He's going to throw up sky lobs, He's going to do whatever he can to win. You see, he's still out there right now, playing playing challenges, trying to fight his way back.

00:42:14
Speaker 3: You don't get a lot of thirty seven year olds doing with.

00:42:16
Speaker 2: A metal hit.

00:42:17
Speaker 1: Let's not forget all right, So so what then, therefore, Mary said the same thing, we all said the same thing. I'm going to skip the next question because we've kind of answered it about what would Andy Murray be remembered for?

00:42:28
Speaker 2: Because I think we've already talked about that. But what about should Dominic team have received a walk card at the French Open?

00:42:35
Speaker 6: Yes?

00:42:37
Speaker 2: And why?

00:42:38
Speaker 6: Because Dominic Team?

00:42:40
Speaker 5: I mean that I think so many of us thought that if team were to win any major, it was going to be the French maybe after Nadals stopped, you know, being in charge of that particular. Yeah, Dominic Team deserves it. He's a great, great talking competitor, and he's aging and he's had a rough couple of years. The fact that he's my attitude about wildcards and I'm not crazy about them, but you give them to young kids, you know, give them a chance to or you give it to the older guys who really need it. You know, nobody needs a wildcard more than Dominic team into the French Open, and no one, to my mind, deserves it more.

00:43:20
Speaker 6: How about you?

00:43:21
Speaker 2: I agree?

00:43:24
Speaker 6: Wildcard?

00:43:24
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, I think everyone outside the French Tennis Federation wants dominiqu team to get a wildcard.

00:43:31
Speaker 6: Exactly right, exactly right. You should actually run him a wildcard exactly well.

00:43:36
Speaker 1: Thanks Mary for joining us on the quickest, longest two minute drop shot. You know that we could have done with you with rapid fire Servant Volley and we appreciate it, as always your thoughts on these players, and we can't wait, as we said, for the French Open to start. Okay, guys, so every single episode, we are going to post a new question on NBC's X account or Twitter, whatever you want to call it, and we want you to share your response during the following show.

00:44:02
Speaker 2: Here's the question Sam has it for.

00:44:04
Speaker 4: You should Rafa play his last doubles match with Novak at the Labor Cup to recreate Feederer's last match, Tweet your response to at NBC Sports and we'll share it with you guys on Thursday.

00:44:17
Speaker 2: We are going to definitely have answers to that. I have my own opinion. I'm sure Sam you have yours.

00:44:22
Speaker 1: But anyway, guys, thanks so much for joining us on the French Connection.

00:44:26
Speaker 2: Thanks for joining us for our first one. We love you. We hope you stick around and join us for more of this. It's brought to you by NBC Sports and.

00:44:34
Speaker 1: Brackett And as Sam already pointed out, this coming Thursday, the twenty third, right before the French Open, we're going to talk all things French Open through to the amazing Paris NBC Olympics.

00:44:46
Speaker 2: We can't wait. Thanks for joining us today