WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:03.319 So if he's got some good hands and feel, this 2 00:00:03.560 --> 00:00:07.360 is too good. It's not just the fact that least one, 3 00:00:07.639 --> 00:00:12.240 it's the way he's played the match. He has a 4 00:00:12.279 --> 00:00:14.240 candy bar and an RC coke. 5 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:18.519 You are kidding me, Mark. 6 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:22.640 And his unbelievable. 7 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:28.199 Mike has caught some unbelievable energy to the court with 8 00:00:28.359 --> 00:00:30.239 the fans and then with his player as well, and 9 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:33.359 with his personality. So it was very, very refreshing to 10 00:00:33.399 --> 00:00:35.960 play against an appoint like this, you know, who draws 11 00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:38.399 in the crowds and come with some great shop making. 12 00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:40.079 I'm not sure he can play on grass. 13 00:00:40.119 --> 00:00:42.799 That's that's good, of course, it's the what you're talking 14 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:45.640 about Willis podcast. You know that you've pressed the right buttons. 15 00:00:46.159 --> 00:00:51.280 I'm Dave ol but with me eighty P seventy nine 16 00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:54.119 career high ranking Marcus Willis. 17 00:00:54.719 --> 00:01:01.560 Yep, that's the real me, isn't it. I know, I 18 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:03.880 know it's nice to get in the seventies. Had I 19 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:05.680 lost that final, I'd have been eighty on the dot 20 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:09.239 career high still, but doesn't sound the same as seventy nine. 21 00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:14.280 You won the Bergamo Challenger Final with Josh Paris. I 22 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:16.400 want to come on to that a few years ago, 23 00:01:17.359 --> 00:01:19.599 you announced your retirement from tennis, You go to a 24 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:24.120 building site, you tried coaching. Whatever. Would you have thought 25 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:28.040 that we'd be talking November twenty twenty five, top eighty 26 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:28.879 in the world. 27 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:32.400 No, I would not, not me anyway, top eighty in 28 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:33.439 the world. Maybe someone else. 29 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:37.560 But do you ever stop to pinch yourself, stop to 30 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:39.280 think about what's happening to you? 31 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:42.879 I don't think I'd do it enough really, because it's 32 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:47.400 I mean, now's a good time, but it's so so 33 00:01:47.560 --> 00:01:51.040 fast paced to tennis world that you kind of just 34 00:01:51.079 --> 00:01:54.280 focus on the next match, the next tournament, and then 35 00:01:54.439 --> 00:01:55.959 you don't really have time to take it all in. 36 00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:58.439 It's the better you get, the more intensitives as well, 37 00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:02.560 I suppose, But I know, I know what's happened is 38 00:02:02.920 --> 00:02:06.560 pretty pretty cool considering you know, where where I was at, 39 00:02:06.599 --> 00:02:09.520 and even my goals at the start of start of 40 00:02:09.520 --> 00:02:11.280 when I came back, was like, maybe I can get 41 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:14.240 to maybe I can get to wimbledande once or you know, 42 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:16.719 beat my career high of two o nine, get top 43 00:02:16.759 --> 00:02:18.840 two fifty, and you know, try and try and make 44 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:23.199 it into wimbledand but it's it's, yeah, it's got more 45 00:02:23.240 --> 00:02:24.879 out of hand than that, I suppose. 46 00:02:25.800 --> 00:02:28.560 And done it not the easy way. 47 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:30.919 No, No, it's not been easy. 48 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:34.479 Well it's different, partners. You've done it at a different 49 00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:38.800 age to quite a lot of the players, and you've 50 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:41.520 done it off the back of actually not competing at 51 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:44.120 a high level for a little while after a gap. 52 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:49.439 Yeah, yeah, no, I didn't do it that. I tend. 53 00:02:49.639 --> 00:02:52.599 I tend not to do things the easy way. But 54 00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:54.879 but no, yeah, I mean when I started, I and 55 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:58.439 hit a professional ball for a good couple of years. Maybe, 56 00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:01.879 but yeah, I mean, and since that first match, I've 57 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:05.759 obviously got a lot better. But yeah, I'm just I 58 00:03:05.759 --> 00:03:08.759 don't know. I can't say I improved overnight at any point. 59 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:13.879 You just I guess I'm more accustomed to this level now. 60 00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:15.400 I've played some of the best players in the world 61 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:19.800 the last year. And yeah, it's pretty cool, isn't it. 62 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:24.120 Well, there we go atp seventy night, breaking news everyone, 63 00:03:24.439 --> 00:03:26.680 it's pretty cool to be in the top eighty in 64 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:33.439 the world in tennis. All right, let's reflect on the 65 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:37.560 Bergamot Challenger, mate, So you went there a bit of 66 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:40.319 an iffy back, maybe not physically where you wanted to be. 67 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:45.319 Third tournament in the same month with Josh Paris and 68 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:45.879 you win it. 69 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:50.159 Yeah. No, I mean I turned up. I was in 70 00:03:50.199 --> 00:03:52.800 no pain again, but I hadn't hit a ball since Helsinki. 71 00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:56.919 So I went a little bit early, got a couple 72 00:03:56.919 --> 00:04:00.240 of days practicing, and by the time we finished our 73 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:02.879 first round it was I woke up the next morning 74 00:04:02.919 --> 00:04:05.599 it was starting to feel sore again. Not as bad 75 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:10.639 as it was, but you're definitely limiting somewhat. So I 76 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:13.639 spent an awful lot of time with the physio last week, 77 00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:16.199 and an awful lot of time in restaurants as well. 78 00:04:17.160 --> 00:04:20.879 Well that's a given, hang on, because there is. I mean, 79 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:26.319 success comes in natural talent and aptitude and resilience and 80 00:04:26.360 --> 00:04:30.560 being robust, but it also comes in the shape of 81 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:34.480 red run for you. Yeah, horse horse, you ate horse? 82 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:37.759 I ate horse? Yeah, sorry for all horse fans out there, 83 00:04:37.800 --> 00:04:40.319 but it's only UK and USA. I did, I did? 84 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:44.120 I did you know? I did have a look after 85 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:49.120 and UK and USA don't eat horse, but basically every 86 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:53.720 other country does. So it was on the menu, shredded 87 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:56.439 horse meeting a salad and I was like, you know what, 88 00:04:56.720 --> 00:04:58.360 it's like a starter. I was like, I'll give it 89 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:01.519 a go. You know, I've tried rabbit, I tried frog's legs, 90 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:05.279 I've tried you know, I'm up for trying things once 91 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:08.000 and I ate that on the Monday and I won 92 00:05:08.040 --> 00:05:10.319 the tournament. But you know, here's the thing. I'm not 93 00:05:10.360 --> 00:05:11.759 going to go around searching for horse now. 94 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:13.920 I was going to say he's superstitious. Now we're going 95 00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:16.800 to see around Newmarket at night or anything like that. 96 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:20.279 Not in the UK us A, certainly not. 97 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:23.199 What did it taste like? 98 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:30.680 It was seasoned pretty well, it was really purple like 99 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:32.839 the actual meat. I think it was marinade and something 100 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:39.759 but chewy, quite sweet in a way. Okay, nice, nice 101 00:05:39.879 --> 00:05:43.000 like it. And funny thing is that I went to 102 00:05:43.079 --> 00:05:46.519 the toilet. Billy Harris was at dinner as well, Billy 103 00:05:46.519 --> 00:05:49.399 Harris and Josh, and he ordered a salad to start, 104 00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:52.600 and it looked like a salad. It looked like cabbage 105 00:05:52.680 --> 00:05:56.160 or beet tree or something shredded. And then he started 106 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:59.079 chewing into it. I was waiting, obviously, I don't know 107 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:04.680 what horse looks like. We'll never had it before he 108 00:06:04.759 --> 00:06:07.519 starts humming into it and after three or four goes, 109 00:06:07.560 --> 00:06:09.560 he goes, cool, this tastes quite meaty, and then I've 110 00:06:09.560 --> 00:06:12.639 clicked that's probably mine, then, isn't it, considering that doesn't 111 00:06:12.680 --> 00:06:18.680 really look like a side salad cabbagead. So he's humming 112 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:19.920 into it and going, oh, it's pretty good. 113 00:06:19.959 --> 00:06:26.920 It's meat either, position mate. Because I have accidentally had 114 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:32.399 horse as well, I realized in Sicily on holiday and 115 00:06:32.680 --> 00:06:36.759 it was pre having Google translate. It's the first holiday 116 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:40.399 I went on with my now wife and we went 117 00:06:40.439 --> 00:06:42.560 to a restaurant. The bloke didn't speak a word of 118 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:46.279 English ignorant. First of all, surely you can understand me 119 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:53.639 speaking English slower and louder, Come on, guys, right Anyway, 120 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:58.120 he just said, you know, we basically got there in 121 00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:00.439 the end of he's just going to deliver a food, 122 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:06.199 ate the steak, and then he made the clip clop sound. 123 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:11.040 To us, Oh golly, yeah, because. 124 00:07:10.920 --> 00:07:13.240 You know what, what was that and he gave it the. 125 00:07:15.439 --> 00:07:16.319 Like that. 126 00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:22.600 Was like a restaurant kind of was it kind of 127 00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:30.240 like a steak looking thing? It was like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, printed. 128 00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:37.639 It was fine. It was fine. I mean, yeah, yeah yeah. 129 00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:41.279 And I'm not bothered either, you know, like, uh, I'm 130 00:07:41.319 --> 00:07:43.240 not bothered about eating a horse, do you know who 131 00:07:43.279 --> 00:07:48.199 do get You know some countries eat dog. Yeah, like 132 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:52.439 in our East, dog is a thing. Now I wouldn't 133 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:54.920 fancy eating dog. You know who get away with that? 134 00:07:55.399 --> 00:08:03.319 The Swiss? The Swiss eat dog, do they? Yeah? This 135 00:08:03.399 --> 00:08:06.600 is purely someone told me this years ago. I'm actually 136 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:10.120 going to search it now. Hang on, this is this is. 137 00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:18.600 Podcast from that Veella. 138 00:08:19.639 --> 00:08:22.160 Okay, look, this is an AI overview. Right, so this 139 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:25.199 is from a very reputable source called Google, who never 140 00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:28.319 get things wrong. Yes, there are reports of limited practice 141 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:32.039 of dog meat consumption in Switzerland, primarily in rural areas, 142 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:35.399 are traditional though rare practice. It's legal to eat your 143 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:39.799 own dog or cat, though selling it is illegal. So 144 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:46.519 Martina hingis federer Favrinka. What's their secret? Lassie dog? 145 00:08:48.279 --> 00:08:50.440 You can't sell it, sell a dog, but you can 146 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:51.679 eat you can kill it and eat it. 147 00:08:52.279 --> 00:08:54.759 You can sell dog met maybe you can buy a 148 00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:58.559 live dog. It's often made into sausages and used to 149 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:06.159 create a fatty remedy for rheumatism. Right, Okay, Well then 150 00:09:07.159 --> 00:09:11.919 horse horse meat was was great. It resulted. I mean, 151 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:14.519 it's purely the reason that you went on a tiebreak 152 00:09:14.559 --> 00:09:18.600 and four in the final and Josh Paris is up 153 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:25.279 to one oh eight in the world as well, top 154 00:09:25.480 --> 00:09:33.039 hundred booth look at that, imagine imagine. 155 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:34.960 Yeah, he tried some to be fair, like everyone had 156 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:37.840 a bit. It's one of those things you try because 157 00:09:37.879 --> 00:09:43.039 it's there and then we'll see, we'll see. But yeah, 158 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:45.759 he's top hundred. I'm playing with him next year. I'm 159 00:09:45.799 --> 00:09:50.320 looking for someone for Australian Open to try and get 160 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:52.440 into that or get close to into that, so he 161 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:55.000 can be alternates. Other than that week, I'll play a 162 00:09:55.960 --> 00:09:58.159 play as much as I can with him, and we're 163 00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:02.000 doing some training together. The end you see in a 164 00:10:02.039 --> 00:10:03.159 couple of weeks. 165 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:06.320 Oh nice, I'd like to pop down and hang out 166 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:07.039 if I could. 167 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:09.879 Yeah, of course you can anytime you've got to get 168 00:10:09.879 --> 00:10:10.919 a bit bored. 169 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:16.559 Yeah, yeah. And so what's the cutoff for the Aussie Open. 170 00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:19.000 I know we've spoken about it before, but you know, 171 00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:21.879 two players inside, one inside the top eighty one inside 172 00:10:21.879 --> 00:10:26.840 to top hundred, what's the how does that work? Well? 173 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:32.360 They the deadline was two weeks before we played Berghemer 174 00:10:32.519 --> 00:10:35.320 So my ranking of eighty three will we used and 175 00:10:35.399 --> 00:10:38.039 Josh was one ten or one o eight or something 176 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:41.399 like that, so we won't get in at that at 177 00:10:41.440 --> 00:10:45.559 two hundred. So I'm looking for someone to get me 178 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:48.039 close to one sixty because that was the cut last year. 179 00:10:48.759 --> 00:10:52.879 Yeah, so this is a combined rank. 180 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:55.639 Mind ranking, but we can't use our ranking as of now. 181 00:10:55.919 --> 00:10:58.240 We have to use it when the cutoff was done. 182 00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:03.399 I don't know why they changed, but I'm sure there's reasons. 183 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:05.759 I just don't really care about them. 184 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:08.399 But you're looking at one of the top seventy seven 185 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:10.759 players in the world, top seventy six players in the. 186 00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:15.000 World, Yes, doubles, and that's quite difficult because guys seventy 187 00:11:15.080 --> 00:11:17.600 six are looking for guys sixty six. Because you know 188 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:19.519 there's a good chance the cut might be one four 189 00:11:19.679 --> 00:11:22.960 five or one fifty this year, Yeah, because more singles 190 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:27.600 guys might play, because you can never predict which singles 191 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:31.279 players are going to play. No, and typically Australia it's 192 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:32.960 the first one of the year, a few might go 193 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:37.639 at it. Last year was a bit different. But you know, 194 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:39.399 if you're one sixty, you've got a good chance of 195 00:11:39.480 --> 00:11:43.720 getting in as an alternate worst case. So that's what 196 00:11:43.720 --> 00:11:48.000 I'm aiming for. Got until the fourteenth of December to 197 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:50.080 find someone. But yeah, I've decided I'm not going down 198 00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:54.200 the singles route as previously discussed. Now, some other players 199 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:56.480 might and then the singles player might turn up and play, 200 00:11:56.519 --> 00:11:59.039 and that's that's very well, but it's a risk I'm 201 00:11:59.039 --> 00:11:59.799 not willing to take it. 202 00:12:02.440 --> 00:12:05.279 Well on this podcast, we'll hear about that first. 203 00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:08.360 Right, absolutely, Yeah, I will keep you updated. 204 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:12.320 So let's talk just before we move on to any 205 00:12:12.519 --> 00:12:18.639 other business with tennis. Financially, Bergamo as the winners, because 206 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:21.360 you know, we've spoken before about how tough it is 207 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:25.960 in professional tennis, even for someone who's in the top 208 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:29.759 eighty in the world. Financially, do you come out of 209 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:34.320 Bergamo and you're sorted now like you've not? How does 210 00:12:34.360 --> 00:12:34.879 that work? 211 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:41.559 No, the winners get seventy two hundred seven two hundred 212 00:12:41.559 --> 00:12:46.679 euros split, so that's yeah, thirty thirty six hundred euros, 213 00:12:46.679 --> 00:12:51.600 but then you lose thirty percent of that through through 214 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:54.039 tax and then minus are stringing, which is about one 215 00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:56.159 hundred euros. I got four rackets done over the week, 216 00:12:57.799 --> 00:13:00.360 so I'm getting about twenty four hundred euros. 217 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:05.320 Yeah, okay, so that's two grand two thousand, two hundred 218 00:13:05.320 --> 00:13:06.120 pounds something like that. 219 00:13:06.600 --> 00:13:11.320 Okay, Yeah, so minus the flights and food and stuff 220 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:14.799 like that. It's still good. You're still in profit for 221 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:17.559 the week, don't get me wrong, but it's not by 222 00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:21.360 the time your tax and everything's come off, and it's 223 00:13:21.399 --> 00:13:23.679 not that's not where you make your money. You make 224 00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:25.840 your money at the LAMB. It's like the US Open 225 00:13:25.879 --> 00:13:29.759 third round and UMAG final and you know, wimbled and 226 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:30.960 queens stuff like that. 227 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:35.840 Yeah, so overall last week, you know, being crass about it, 228 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:39.360 you take him. By the time the flights and little 229 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:41.840 bits suspending here and there have done, you've you've went 230 00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:44.919 on thousand to fifteen hundred. 231 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:50.120 Pounds exactly something like that, which is which is pretty 232 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:55.799 much some people rent. No, it's it's not. It's not pretty. 233 00:13:56.960 --> 00:13:59.039 But this is why, this is why, you know, I'm 234 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:02.639 always looking for sponsors and opportunities. And you know a 235 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:04.519 lot of people understood that, but there was there was 236 00:14:04.559 --> 00:14:08.440 a little bit of you know, people didn't really understand 237 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:10.399 because you're a ranking and people like, well, you must 238 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:12.639 be what you need a sponsor for, you must be 239 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:16.159 kind of well, yeah, if I was, if I was nineteen, 240 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:19.000 I didn't have a family, and and you know, I'd 241 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:21.759 living with parents or something like that. It might be 242 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:25.200 a bit easier, but no, you don't. 243 00:14:25.240 --> 00:14:25.559 You don't. 244 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:28.279 You don't make money until you're regularly playing at the 245 00:14:28.279 --> 00:14:31.840 Slams and winning matches there. So I've had a good 246 00:14:31.879 --> 00:14:35.440 financial year, I think, my best ever, but you know 247 00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:38.039 that's not taking into account tax and the cost. And 248 00:14:38.039 --> 00:14:42.799 then I've had coaches with me some weeks, and but yeah, 249 00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:44.799 I've got I've got you know, a few few gem 250 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:49.320 gem gem people angels. I don't know, angels is probably 251 00:14:49.320 --> 00:14:51.799 the wrong word, but I've got some some really nice 252 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:55.759 people helping me out and we're we're we're taking along. 253 00:14:59.080 --> 00:15:06.320 It's not lovely, not it's not you know, it's not. Yeah, money, 254 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:09.320 money is great, but it's not my first motivator. I 255 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:11.240 want to play all the Slams. I want to do 256 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:14.879 as well as I can, and of course I want 257 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:16.279 to be comfortable, and of course I want to get 258 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:20.360 on the market at some point, but that will all come. 259 00:15:20.919 --> 00:15:23.120 I can't worry about that anymore because I always did 260 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:24.679 and everything's kind of worked out, isn't it. 261 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:29.080 I think the one thing about the you know, why 262 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:30.879 I bring up the money is because it is just 263 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:33.919 so tough, you know, like you're it's It's it's all 264 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:37.720 such on a knife edge of an injury, you know, 265 00:15:37.799 --> 00:15:41.799 a canceled flight, a tiebreak, lost in the second round, 266 00:15:41.799 --> 00:15:43.639 and all of a sudden things aren't so bright. 267 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:44.279 Yeah. 268 00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:47.799 And I feel like atp W t A they're kind 269 00:15:47.799 --> 00:15:50.720 of conning people where they put in the prize money. 270 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:54.039 You know, So looking at the page, your page here 271 00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:58.519 is four hundred thousand dollars of prize money. Somebody looks 272 00:15:58.559 --> 00:16:01.960 at that and they have a little you know, they 273 00:16:02.039 --> 00:16:04.120 just do that fag packet maths on it and they 274 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:06.279 go four hundred thousand. Wow, you must have live in 275 00:16:06.279 --> 00:16:09.080 a nice house for that. You've got no mortgage if 276 00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:11.559 you bought a half of that, And it's just such 277 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:16.200 a myth. Yeah. And you know, you look at other 278 00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:20.360 sporting careers and the prize money so much more evenly split. 279 00:16:20.440 --> 00:16:23.960 There's players in the second division in football, in the 280 00:16:24.039 --> 00:16:27.519 Championship who were on forty sixty eighty thousand a week. 281 00:16:27.559 --> 00:16:29.559 There was a Championship football or a few years ago 282 00:16:29.559 --> 00:16:32.840 on over one hundred grand a week. Really yeah yeah, 283 00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:37.720 Mitro Pitch at Fulham really yeah wow. And you look 284 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:40.080 at you know, and that Newcastle team that went down 285 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:42.759 with Joey Barton and those guys. They none of them 286 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:46.080 had relegation wage clauses, so that's why they all hung 287 00:16:46.120 --> 00:16:49.519 around in the championship for a year. But that, you know, 288 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:54.080 you look at that, and then you look at other sports, 289 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:58.120 you know, especially the American sports or golf, and the 290 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:01.320 prize money splits more even and it makes it easier 291 00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:05.599 to be a pro. And I just think tennis needs 292 00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:07.000 to learn some big lessons. 293 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:10.720 Yeah, I think, you know, I think the PTPA are 294 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:14.319 in a legal case with the ATP at the moment WTA, 295 00:17:14.599 --> 00:17:19.319 and are just highlighting some of the yeah, trying to 296 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:21.480 change it, trying to make it better. Just prize money 297 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:23.480 is just one thing that the schedule is another one, 298 00:17:23.480 --> 00:17:27.000 which I'm kind of I'm kind of, you know, in 299 00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:30.799 two minds about I don't, yeah, the schedule. I don't 300 00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:33.559 like the fact that there's mandatory events because you know, 301 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:36.039 I know one player that's turned up injured and played 302 00:17:36.599 --> 00:17:39.079 and it just makes things worse in order not to 303 00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:43.880 lose money. The prize money is, it's bad. They share. 304 00:17:43.920 --> 00:17:47.319 They share eighteen or nineteen percent of profits with players. Yeah, 305 00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:50.200 we're Premier League are fifty or sixty and all the. 306 00:17:50.119 --> 00:17:52.400 Big sports, i'd say, yeah, maybe eighty. 307 00:17:53.319 --> 00:17:57.640 Yeah, So it's just it's just something that Yeah, and 308 00:17:57.680 --> 00:17:59.839 the Slams are less. You get paid more at the Slams, 309 00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:03.119 but you get less of the share apparently. Yeah, yeah, 310 00:18:03.160 --> 00:18:06.279 but it's a big payday. Look, it's not you know, 311 00:18:06.519 --> 00:18:08.839 you'd think at top hundred in the world, that's something, Yeah, 312 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:12.400 you would own a house or or you know, at 313 00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:16.680 least be a lot more more comfortable. But you know, 314 00:18:16.720 --> 00:18:19.440 you're top ten of the world at doubles and you're 315 00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:23.480 a lot it's a different story. But I feel like 316 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:28.799 the ranking places shouldn't shouldn't jump that much. Yeah, you know, 317 00:18:28.920 --> 00:18:32.920 right terms of ten places that you're owning significantly less, 318 00:18:33.599 --> 00:18:35.880 you know, ten to twenty, twenty to thirty, thirty, forty. 319 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:39.720 It's it's it doesn't seem right. But you know, we 320 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:42.680 know the deal. We turn out, we play, so hopefully 321 00:18:42.720 --> 00:18:44.559 it changes, but not really in my control. 322 00:18:45.559 --> 00:18:48.920 Well, let's let's talk about things that aren't linked with 323 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:53.920 money necessarily. But the Davis Cup. So Italy win the 324 00:18:53.960 --> 00:18:57.720 Davis Cup. Yeah, there's prize money of a couple of million, 325 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:03.400 and let's all share that shed between the team. Do 326 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:05.000 you care about the Davis Cup. 327 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:09.000 Not so much now. Like I watched the British guys 328 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:12.279 because you know, I know them and I want them 329 00:19:12.279 --> 00:19:15.759 to do well. But when they change the format, I 330 00:19:15.839 --> 00:19:18.079 lost a lot of interest. If I'm all in all honesty, 331 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:22.680 it's it's kind of the fact you only need two 332 00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:25.599 tennis players to be crown best in the world seems 333 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:26.759 a bit wrong to me as well. 334 00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:31.119 I mean I used to love it twenty plus years ago. 335 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:33.160 You know, when you when you're a kid and you're 336 00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:36.039 getting into the tennis or whatever. As a young adult, 337 00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:38.839 I used to love the Davis Cup. I thought it 338 00:19:38.920 --> 00:19:42.039 looked different, it sounded different. I used to love Artisa. 339 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:44.400 It was always you know, Tim and Greg. You were 340 00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:46.279 involved in a squad, weren't you with John Lloyd? 341 00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:49.119 Yeah they have two thousand and six or two thousand 342 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:49.480 and seven. 343 00:19:49.880 --> 00:19:50.119 Yeah. 344 00:19:51.400 --> 00:19:54.160 Yeah. It was great home and away tie. So you 345 00:19:54.599 --> 00:19:57.599 get you get drawn away in South America and they 346 00:19:57.680 --> 00:19:59.759 put you an altitude because their players are used to it, 347 00:19:59.799 --> 00:20:03.920 and and it was a very difficult fixture. Yeah, and 348 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:05.720 it's best to five and you have the you know, 349 00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:08.880 the reverse single. So the middle day doubles really mattered, 350 00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:13.519 and you know, you need you needed four players, at 351 00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:17.599 least three players sometimes to to you know, win that rubber. 352 00:20:19.279 --> 00:20:21.839 Now it's kind of you have two good singles players 353 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:23.640 and there's no doubles and it's best of three, and 354 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:27.759 it's it's just more tennis, more of the same players, 355 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:29.480 more of the same tennis. But you do get some 356 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:32.599 like I mean Berg's Chibali had had a fantastic match 357 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:37.920 seventeen fifteen the third tiebreak, and you still get players, 358 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:40.559 you know, playing above and beyond their normal level for 359 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:44.920 their country and vice versa. So it's still you know, 360 00:20:44.920 --> 00:20:49.160 I still follow it, and there's still some some very 361 00:20:49.160 --> 00:20:51.079 good matches. It's just very very quick for me. 362 00:20:51.720 --> 00:20:55.279 Okay, let me, I'm going to make you the star 363 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:58.400 of the Davis Cup for one day or fewer, whichever 364 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:01.799 you prefer. I think Davis Cup this is what I 365 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:06.200 would do. I would copy football. I would make it 366 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:11.039 a qualification process through groups, and I would copy football 367 00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:14.759 and have the leagues of four where they play fast 368 00:21:14.799 --> 00:21:19.200 four singles matches, fast four doubles matches in the group phase. 369 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:23.599 They go five set knockouts from the round after the 370 00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:25.920 group so call the finals on well, last sixty called 371 00:21:25.960 --> 00:21:30.480 the finals onwards and it's all done on a purpose 372 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:35.200 built island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 373 00:21:36.119 --> 00:21:42.599 Uh. I like it. It's better than what's that rather than. 374 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:45.079 And I'd have the women in it as well. Right, 375 00:21:45.160 --> 00:21:48.720 it's not just the men. I think there's fed Cold Billy, 376 00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:52.599 Jean King Cup whatever, there's that as well running concurrently. 377 00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:58.799 Maybe there's some mixed but basically less is more. Go 378 00:21:59.039 --> 00:22:00.359 pick that apart dragon. 379 00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:05.160 Yeah. The only thing I'd be hesitant as a fast four. 380 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:06.920 But if there's a lot of tennis going on, they 381 00:22:07.079 --> 00:22:07.920 need that, I suppose. 382 00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:12.720 Yeah. The other one is, you know in football World Cups, 383 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:17.960 you get the nations there that aren't traditional football nations, 384 00:22:18.759 --> 00:22:20.880 but because of the way football works, they can camp 385 00:22:20.920 --> 00:22:24.160 out in their box and keep score lines quite respectable. 386 00:22:24.759 --> 00:22:26.599 Yeah, you know, like. 387 00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:29.079 They might even nick a break, right, so you get 388 00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:32.000 New Zealand qualifying or something like that. Yea, and they 389 00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:35.200 might nick a one or Senegal had a great World Cup, 390 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:38.559 didn't they. And so the reason for the fast four 391 00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:43.319 is we just don't want to see Italy against Zimbabwe. 392 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:46.960 Love and love got yeah, yeah in the fast four 393 00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:49.759 is some deaf juice you might then, you know, it 394 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:54.640 might might have like before two, four one great and 395 00:22:54.680 --> 00:22:57.240 then But essentially like the Football World Cup, like the 396 00:22:57.319 --> 00:23:00.279 Champions League, it's all geared towards getting the big is, 397 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:03.359 playing the big matches in five sets in the lads 398 00:23:03.359 --> 00:23:05.680 of stages and having a bit of a festival of 399 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:06.559 tennis at the start. 400 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:09.799 What's wrong with home and away in the group stage 401 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:10.599