Speaker 1: For Marcus, Wimbledon twenty twenty five is over, and we
Speaker 1: said before and during the championships we're going to be
Speaker 1: speaking as much as we possibly can, hopefully bringing a
Speaker 1: daily podcast. And Marcus, I'm kind of gutted for you, right,
Speaker 1: you feel like, how do you feel?
Speaker 2: It's all right? Obviously I've had three matches and sixty
Speaker 2: ours something like that from the first round. I've then
Speaker 2: gone back to back and then it was first time
Speaker 2: for Mixed yesterday, so I haven't really processed too much.
Speaker 2: But you know, obviously disappointed. You know, the second round doubles,
Speaker 2: we were right in there and you know, had some chances,
Speaker 2: particularly in the first set. But again, really happy with
Speaker 2: my performance. Thought I played really really well. A couple
Speaker 2: of points in the second may be a bit loose,
Speaker 2: but these guys are good, they play together all the time.
Speaker 2: Obviously the two slams out the last four. So yeah, positive,
Speaker 2: but didn't really feel that after Obviously you replay the
Speaker 2: points that you know you could have done better, I suppose.
Speaker 2: And then and then Mixed yesterday, we're doing all right.
Speaker 2: Rain Delay, rain Delay, tim Hemmon special against Goam. They
Speaker 2: came out and played a lot better than we did basically,
Speaker 2: but I was struggling a little bit within the legs
Speaker 2: actually to get going. Yeah, but that wasn't the reason
Speaker 2: we lost. Let's be honest here.
Speaker 1: I mean, you had two really tough draws, didn't you.
Speaker 1: Let's first look at that the men's match after a
Speaker 1: great first round win. It's a bit it's a nightmare draw,
Speaker 1: isn't it? To play those two?
Speaker 2: Yeah? It's not not ideal. Yeah, of course. I mean
Speaker 2: there's not any draw that's particularly lovely, but there are
Speaker 2: better draws than others. And you know, so far when
Speaker 2: in the main drawer, I've had some interesting second rounds,
Speaker 2: you know. Yeah, twenty sixteen hairbearer, who's twenty seventeen. We
Speaker 2: managed to win that one. But last year we played
Speaker 2: you know, the finalist first round. It's been difficult. Yeah,
Speaker 2: but yeah, I can't. I can't complain too much.
Speaker 1: Do you become a better player having played that match
Speaker 1: and not got the result? Have you kind of learned
Speaker 1: from that? Not?
Speaker 2: Not yet. That's where that's where I'll look back at
Speaker 2: some of the stats that I've been sent and then
Speaker 2: work on with a coach some particular things maybe positioning,
Speaker 2: footworking and how to get to certain places, and you know,
Speaker 2: I know what I've got to improve. I mean, myself's
Speaker 2: pretty good, but I cannot it can always be better.
Speaker 2: I volleyed well this Championships, but returns I can do more,
Speaker 2: for sure, and just just positioning stuff and sort of
Speaker 2: the way I'm moving. So where where my balances were?
Speaker 2: You know, you look at Pat and Helievara there you
Speaker 2: hit a ball an inch over the net, down the
Speaker 2: middle and it's gone somehow, whereas I'm still you know,
Speaker 2: playing singles volleys. I think a lot of the time
Speaker 2: I've got better at it, but it's something I have
Speaker 2: to work on with the coach. And without that, I'm
Speaker 2: kind of stumped because I've I've I've known that for
Speaker 2: a while. There's certain things I should be doing better.
Speaker 2: There's balls going past me where I'm going. Actually I
Speaker 2: should I should have that one, but not knowing why
Speaker 2: that is the difficult reason. You know, you can overthink
Speaker 2: it with you know, sometimes I'm thinking doing too big
Speaker 2: of a split step, or you know I'm too low
Speaker 2: or I'm too high. But you can't think about your
Speaker 2: body position while you're playing a tennis match, because then
Speaker 2: you forget it. At the shot. Well I do anyway.
Speaker 1: I mean, yeah, And obviously you're doing all of these
Speaker 1: these commands in under a second, aren't you. Then going
Speaker 1: back to what you said there, the margin is so fine,
Speaker 1: isn't it like watching watching your second round? That the
Speaker 1: pattern makes a volley and it's skimming the top of
Speaker 1: the net, it's touching the edge of the lines.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it's they do it well. Just just little things,
Speaker 2: you know, sometimes you need luck to go your way
Speaker 2: with six or five, Love thirty up, I've hit a
Speaker 2: return volley and but he's come in and the guys
Speaker 2: hit the net tape over his racket. There's little things
Speaker 2: like that, not huge chances, but things that if you
Speaker 2: love forty up at six five, you're looking at getting
Speaker 2: the first set and then cracking on with a second.
Speaker 2: It's yeah, it's difficult, but sometimes yeah, it's a matter
Speaker 2: of inches, isn't it? And sometimes it's six inches with
Speaker 2: these electronic line calling.
Speaker 1: Okay, so you brought it up. I was with Monday
Speaker 1: and Tuesdawn Center Court, and several times we saw line
Speaker 1: calls and I started talking to the blow next to me, saying,
Speaker 1: that's out. I can't believe that and then when they
Speaker 1: replay on the show, cause the big screen replaced the
Speaker 1: close call, the ball they're replaying looks nothing like the ball.
Speaker 1: It's a totally different shape, bounced everything. Yeah, emmiroader Carnos
Speaker 1: come out in a press conference after they lost to
Speaker 1: sabal Anka and said that it's a real talk of
Speaker 1: the locker room. So what's your view?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean before she played that match, after you
Speaker 2: know we lost that doubles, Like I hit a second
Speaker 2: serve at Love forty that he missed the return, and
Speaker 2: you know, it said game to them, and I turned around,
Speaker 2: it said fault and I thought I got foot faulted.
Speaker 2: I mean the serve was in the middle of the line.
Speaker 2: I thought, not even close. And people watching online said, well,
Speaker 2: why why were they given that point at Love forty.
Speaker 2: But it wasn't just that one, Like even in the
Speaker 2: first round, there are five or six in a match
Speaker 2: that are clear that just aren't picked up. And yeah,
Speaker 2: I said, before the tournament started, actually what sorry, watching
Speaker 2: center court and court one, it looks sad without the
Speaker 2: line judges down the middle. It just a little bit weird,
Speaker 2: a little bit empty. I personally, as a player liked
Speaker 2: the line judges with the challenges, you know, because a lot,
Speaker 2: a lot of these calls wouldn't be challenged with the
Speaker 2: players if the line judge called them. Yeah, I had
Speaker 2: had the line judge called my servant, for instance, and
Speaker 2: he missed the return. He's not challenging that, Yeah, you know,
Speaker 2: and you get the correct call. But I don't know,
Speaker 2: it's just it's, yeah, I don't I don't think a lot.
Speaker 2: I don't think any players are really happy with it,
Speaker 2: to be honest. Listening around and speaking to people, everyone's
Speaker 2: sort of a little bit confused about how big these
Speaker 2: areas are and how many they are. But also they
Speaker 2: paint the lines on each day. It's not like the
Speaker 2: courts in the same place every day and you're talking inches,
Speaker 2: aren't you.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean definitely. There was a shot you here
Speaker 1: and you could see the chalk y it's called out.
Speaker 1: You spoke to the umpire about it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it's what can you do? Though, It's just
Speaker 2: a shame that you're playing, you know, the best tournament
Speaker 2: in the world and they're the problems you're having. But yeah,
Speaker 2: Emma's not the only one to say. She just, you know,
Speaker 2: very publicly said it after a match, but we're already
Speaker 2: having these discussions before.
Speaker 1: What I find strange around Wimbledon is that it is
Speaker 1: so steeped in tradition, and there's so many things Wimbledon
Speaker 1: do that where there's extra concern about not break in tradition. Yeah,
Speaker 1: this seems like a massive change in modernization, which one
Speaker 1: doesn't really need to happen, but two changes are very
Speaker 1: fabric of these courts. Yeah, really strange thing that they
Speaker 1: wanted to change it.
Speaker 2: Speaking to one of the drivers the other day, she
Speaker 2: just liked seeing them walk around as well. They're very
Speaker 2: smartly dressed. It look good. Yeah, gives them a job
Speaker 2: as well. Uh, you know, people are losing a job.
Speaker 2: I don't know if if the winner needs more prize money,
Speaker 2: particularly if that's the choice they're going to make, But
Speaker 2: I don't know. It's it's difficult. It's difficult because in
Speaker 2: some ways I'm really proud and happy that got to
Speaker 2: play at Winbed and I played well, and then other ways,
Speaker 2: once you're out there, you want to win, you want
Speaker 2: to do what's what's best to you want to get
Speaker 2: the best tennis out there, and I think that's quite
Speaker 2: an avoidable thing too to fix and I hope and
Speaker 2: I think that you know, if players review it, how
Speaker 2: how they you know, honestly review it. I think it
Speaker 2: should go back to the to the way it was.
Speaker 1: Well. My close mate of mine, former doubles partner, Dave
Speaker 1: Ellison is has been a line judge for years and
Speaker 1: now he's there in a supervisor capacity. So yeah, he
Speaker 1: still gets stressed up and he just has to sit
Speaker 1: in with like the camera guys in the trench or
Speaker 1: center for I'm not sure sure what he's supervising and
Speaker 1: what he's doing. I've asked for his view of these
Speaker 1: electronic cause yeah, it's really it's a real shame, isn't it.
Speaker 1: And the Queens as well. We lost them at Queens
Speaker 1: as well, of course.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it's I mean, it's tough. I'm sure. I'm
Speaker 2: sure it would have been tested somewhat. I just think
Speaker 2: there's obviously a problem with something, whether it's the lines
Speaker 2: moving each day slightly, or or the camera's not being
Speaker 2: calibrated quite right. I also thought this as well, like
Speaker 2: the ball's coming from different directions. I'm a lefty, surely
Speaker 2: that makes a difference on where the ball lands or
Speaker 2: which direction the ball's moving. If it clips the line
Speaker 2: on it.
Speaker 1: And I thought about conditions, So they closed the roof
Speaker 1: on Djokovic ye Tuesday night and the light is completely different. Yeah,
Speaker 1: but we and we're trusting cameras to bring accuracy. The
Speaker 1: changing of conditions must change how it records and reads.
Speaker 2: Things I hadn't. I don't know that the science. I'm
Speaker 2: sure it's very very well.
Speaker 1: I'm guessing, but like, yeah, more than more than it
Speaker 1: would affect a human, you.
Speaker 2: Know, but they don't make decisions lightly, and I'm guessing
Speaker 2: they've probably worked out that I had the stats on,
Speaker 2: maybe there would be more miss calls by humans and
Speaker 2: they have been by you know, the computers. As a
Speaker 2: fan watching tennis, I like the challenges, but I also
Speaker 2: like the visual of the court with the line judges on.
Speaker 2: But yeah, that's my opinion. I think quite a few
Speaker 2: share that. I'm sure there'll hear a couple of people
Speaker 2: that don't, and I'm sure they'll let us know, because yeah,
Speaker 2: it's good. It's a healthy discussion, isn't it. Just As
Speaker 2: a player, I like having a line judge and a challenge.
Speaker 2: It's a bit more of a safety banket, you know.
Speaker 2: There's there's there's two chances instead of just the computer
Speaker 2: selling us out. And also you can't really snap at anyone,
Speaker 2: which is annoy Yeah, because I said to the hellvar
Speaker 2: hit a second serve? That was I can't remember, there's
Speaker 2: a good few inches long. And I looked at Helievara
Speaker 2: and he said to them that was a long way out.
Speaker 2: And I said, look, what do we do? And he goes,
Speaker 2: what can we do? What do you want to do
Speaker 2: about it? I was like, well, it's not ideal. We're
Speaker 2: playing it. We're playing at Winwood and and all four
Speaker 2: players are agreeing the balls out and it's called in.
Speaker 2: But yeah, we will get on with it. But it's
Speaker 2: just not great, is it.
Speaker 1: No?
Speaker 2: No, it's not great. I can't believe I'm having these discussions. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I mean, probably right, but it was called in, so
Speaker 2: we'll crack on.
Speaker 1: I find the whole discussion of officiating in football, tennis
Speaker 1: or whatever, it's just bizarre that the officials are basically
Speaker 1: just administrators, right. They're bureaucrats, are there to understand the
Speaker 1: rule book and then to make sure that the games
Speaker 1: happened to those rules. And I can't understand why they're
Speaker 1: even kind of a part of what's going on, like
Speaker 1: they shouldn't really be part of the narrative of matches
Speaker 1: or the drama or anything like that. You're right, people
Speaker 1: watching the lines humans with a challenge system was fine,
Speaker 1: So there we go. We've got it. You don't need
Speaker 1: to go to that. If you're talking about scheduling of
Speaker 1: matches or how late or how early, or television rates
Speaker 1: and stuff like that, that's totally different. But that is
Speaker 1: the sport and that's what we should be concentrating on,
Speaker 1: so we can be thinking about it is ridiculous.
Speaker 2: But also if we don't need line judges, why do
Speaker 2: we need umpass because you know they call the score
Speaker 2: and someone could watch it electronically, right if I were
Speaker 2: going down the AI route and the computer route.
Speaker 1: Yeah I thought that. I said that on Tuesday, then
Speaker 1: they won't be no, because you can't argue with.
Speaker 2: How par do we go with it? We get rid
Speaker 2: of it everyone. I don't think it's a great look.
Speaker 2: I don't know. Yeah, it's difficult. I don't know.
Speaker 1: So what are your plans now? Mate?
Speaker 2: I am taking a couple of days off and then
Speaker 2: I'm heading back to London to hit on the clay
Speaker 2: because I've got an event a week after next. I
Speaker 2: don't know which event yet because we're two out of
Speaker 2: an ATP, so we need the list to drop or
Speaker 2: I'll be going to San Marino. It will definitely be
Speaker 2: on clay, so I need to I'll rest for two days.
Speaker 2: My body is quite sore. Actually, there's been a lot
Speaker 2: of tennis in a short space of time. But yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: so that a guy from America, So I'm playing with
Speaker 2: him for two and then I don't know after that,
Speaker 2: I'm going to have to fish around and make some
Speaker 2: decisions all in the space of a week.
Speaker 1: Your life would be so much Would it be so
Speaker 1: much better if you had a doubles partner?
Speaker 2: It would, yeah, But I mean it's an awkward ranking
Speaker 2: everyone around us, an awkward ranking where you know you're
Speaker 2: on the verge of getting into a TPS and everyone
Speaker 2: wants to play those. Obviously they're better tournaments. You get
Speaker 2: more prize money, bigger points, and you just don't really
Speaker 2: get commitment. There's there's I'm not the only one who's
Speaker 2: switching partners a lot. I just i feel like I've
Speaker 2: done it a little bit more this year than you know,
Speaker 2: maybe other people. But it's a very fickle sport. You know,
Speaker 2: everyone's out for themselves ironically in doubles, and until you
Speaker 2: find that the right partner that you can actually say, right,
Speaker 2: let's give this a good few months with it with
Speaker 2: a coach and work out who's bolls what. Then you
Speaker 2: know it's it's just part of it's part of what
Speaker 2: I have to accept at the moment. If you were
Speaker 2: no other solution, I can't get too down about it.
Speaker 1: Get to if you were to, I mean, at this
Speaker 1: stage in your career, with with your experience, if you
Speaker 1: were to approach you know, one of the lt A
Speaker 1: national coaches or some elite level there and say, is
Speaker 1: there a youngster out there was that Is that an
Speaker 1: option or not? Does that route? Not many exist.
Speaker 2: There's not many youngsters who that young.
Speaker 1: Like a Louis Maxtead someone like that. Like these guys
Speaker 1: are all of them thinking they're going to be top
Speaker 1: one hundred singles.
Speaker 2: No, but they might be playing doubles, But I wouldn't
Speaker 2: be getting in the challenges with them with they're ranking
Speaker 2: at the moment.
Speaker 1: Yeah, of course.
Speaker 2: I went to play a futures and picked up twenty
Speaker 2: five points and were doing nothing for my ranking, sure,
Speaker 2: And it's the same reason a guy top forty in
Speaker 2: the world wuldn't play with me. He's in five hundreds already.
Speaker 2: Why would he drop down to play a one two
Speaker 2: five challenger or ATP two fifty or it's it's it's difficult.
Speaker 2: You know, I could play the odd I could drop
Speaker 2: down for the odd tournament if there's nothing else going on.
Speaker 2: But you know, with the schedule and with the amount
Speaker 2: you have to play, it it's pretty pretty fast paced.
Speaker 2: But you know, it will all work itself out. It
Speaker 2: has before and it will again. So if I manage
Speaker 2: what I could manage and keep improving, then then good
Speaker 2: things will happen. And I've done that well in the
Speaker 2: last year actually so well.
Speaker 1: You know this this is our last podcast of our
Speaker 1: run at Windmore in twenty twenty five. For everyone that's
Speaker 1: listened and the questions we've had in and just thanks
Speaker 1: so much. I want to say that the bearing with
Speaker 1: us through the audio. We said that the most important
Speaker 1: thing that we brought as many podcasts as we could
Speaker 1: while Marcus was out there competing and personally, Mate, I've
Speaker 1: loved speaking to regularly and I love seeing you at
Speaker 1: wind wooden and having big gold cuddles with you. And
Speaker 1: I can't wait to do more.
Speaker 2: Pods, nor can I. Nor can I. Thanks thanks to
Speaker 2: everyone that's been listening. And yeah, we'll be back to
Speaker 2: him with better quality.
Speaker 1: Better quality, and we are. We're making a promise to
Speaker 1: each other. We're doing this regularly, and we're we're kind
Speaker 1: of going to move away from how we've done it
Speaker 1: in the past, asked with interviews and stuff like that.
Speaker 1: We're going to be talking. We're going to be talking
Speaker 1: sometimes about tennis, sometimes about lifestyle and things like that
Speaker 1: and really just two people chatting. But it really works
Speaker 1: if you're listening, subscribe, share, build the audience and get
Speaker 1: involved as well.
Speaker 2: Get involved. And yeah, we will be talking about crisps
Speaker 2: and ice cream too as well. I'm sure at some
Speaker 2: point the.
Speaker 1: Ice cream special coming up. Yeah, Markers, I've loved it, mate,
Speaker 1: and speak again, Chat soon, see it, Lady guys Ka