Speaker 1: Friday twenty second, evening barbecue at mine? You about.
Speaker 2: I am not?
Speaker 1: No? Oh all right, no, that's all right, because I
Speaker 1: just think it would be good good to Right Saturday
Speaker 1: twenty third, there's a country fair at mine. Morris dancing
Speaker 1: still awakend.
Speaker 2: I'll be tempted to come back for that, but no, no,
Speaker 2: I think so.
Speaker 1: Just wife and kids are out. On Sunday the twenty fourth.
Speaker 1: I've got some blankets and popcorn. Do you want to
Speaker 1: just sit under there with me and watch Colombo on repeat?
Speaker 2: I'd love to, but I'm not available on my friend?
Speaker 1: What are you up to? Then?
Speaker 3: I am slipping over the channel and playing round and Garross.
Speaker 1: There you go on the screen playing the French Open
Speaker 1: twenty twenty six, Marcus Willis. I mean, you're just so
Speaker 1: cool man. So look, I've got loads of big dumb questions.
Speaker 1: The quick one is this is just a quick chat.
Speaker 1: We're going to get proper in depth and all that.
Speaker 1: And obviously we've reviewed the singles competition at the French
Speaker 1: Open this year already, so we know exactly what's going
Speaker 1: to happen. You're playing the French Open quick WhatsApp. We
Speaker 1: had ten days ago. You said, you don't think you're
Speaker 1: getting in.
Speaker 2: I thought we'd just mess out.
Speaker 3: Yeah, there was there a few, a couple of surprises,
Speaker 3: and at night before the entry, I had myself at
Speaker 3: fifty seven.
Speaker 2: Well we don't all but a few of us make
Speaker 2: this and try.
Speaker 3: And work out, well we're going to come basically yeah, okay,
Speaker 3: that sounds dodgy.
Speaker 1: So it's fifth. You know, I like I like this
Speaker 1: as nice as the next amount, but clearly not as
Speaker 1: much as you. So you've got Yeah, you talk about
Speaker 1: the fifty seven that is I mean you are. There's
Speaker 1: a bit if you look at the drawer online, there's
Speaker 1: a big black line with Tanasi Kokhanak is kind of
Speaker 1: just sneaking in above it, Rejieve Ram and then you
Speaker 1: and Yaka Paul are third from bottom of there. That
Speaker 1: means you are in the main drawer. It means you're
Speaker 1: going to be playing your fourth Grand Slam in a row.
Speaker 1: How do you find out that you're going to play
Speaker 1: the French Open.
Speaker 2: It's all done.
Speaker 3: I mean it was Wednesday at noon is when it closed.
Speaker 3: So yeah, everyone that's going to definitely get in. Everyone
Speaker 3: top one thirty will enter early, pretty early, and then
Speaker 3: anything from up until whatever the cut is, you don't
Speaker 3: really know. So you know, from the morning, from ten
Speaker 3: to eleven am there are a couple of teams entered,
Speaker 3: and then you know, from eleven thirty eleven forty.
Speaker 2: Five, that's when traffic starts happening because people don't want
Speaker 2: to enter too early, and then.
Speaker 3: Other players have enough time to work out what they
Speaker 3: need to beat and then kind of swap around with
Speaker 3: whoever it takes to get in. So if you do
Speaker 3: it with two minutes to go, that's not really enough
Speaker 3: time for people to completely scrap their plans.
Speaker 2: You know, technically they could, but you know we did.
Speaker 3: I mean, Yakov did ossily open with thirty seconds to spare,
Speaker 3: So I think we were four minutes before this time
Speaker 3: because it looked like the guys we thought we're going
Speaker 3: to sign didn't, and a couple of guys that we
Speaker 3: thought were going to be above signed behind.
Speaker 2: Like Regieve Ram, for instance, is ranked.
Speaker 3: Fifty in the world, so I thought for sure he'd
Speaker 3: find someone higher to guarantee himself in. I mean, he
Speaker 3: did get in the end, but he played with someone
Speaker 3: outside the top hundred, so Ben Kittay. But yeah, no, no, no,
Speaker 3: one else that ranking has taken a risk, so I
Speaker 3: didn't see that coming. I thought Ram would be enter
Speaker 3: with someone ranked higher. There was a singles team that
Speaker 3: didn't sign that Will rumoured to be signing, So that's
Speaker 3: why I put myself at fifty seven on the nose.
Speaker 3: And then you know Dar Dairy often, you know, I
Speaker 3: don't think he's missed slam in the last two three years.
Speaker 2: He didn't sign, So.
Speaker 3: Yeah, with about you know, ten seconds to go, I
Speaker 3: had to look and we were fifty five and I thought, right,
Speaker 3: you know, we should be okay unless you know someone
Speaker 3: to sign. The last ten seconds three pairs I thought
Speaker 3: would be good. And then you know, the list came out, surprised,
Speaker 3: surprisingly quick. It was done by so six seven pm
Speaker 3: the same day, whereas Australia was twenty four hours or so.
Speaker 2: So you've got to wait for confirmation.
Speaker 3: So the list disappears, and then you find me on
Speaker 3: the acceptance list any time up to twenty four.
Speaker 2: Sometimes more historically it's been more before, but.
Speaker 3: So yeah, it's it's it's quite a weird way. You
Speaker 3: don't know for a while, like factually, but well I don't.
Speaker 1: If you're top fifty, you do okay, So that, as
Speaker 1: I said, this is just a quick touch in because
Speaker 1: there's a lot of people invested in the Marcus with
Speaker 1: this journey. If I'm being honest, what does it mean
Speaker 1: to you emotionally to be in this Grand Slam?
Speaker 2: Oh golly, I mean.
Speaker 3: I haven't really I've just been kind of letting close
Speaker 3: people know and looking at flights and airbnbs and trying
Speaker 3: to get stuff sorted. I hasn't really sunk in yet
Speaker 3: because you know, I am in the middle of a tournament,
Speaker 3: so you know, I'm focusing on you know, what time
Speaker 3: we're getting trans spot tomorrow, what time I'm practicing, and
Speaker 3: what time I'm handling my rackets and and stuff like that.
Speaker 2: But yeah, it's it's it's just been really crazy. I suppose.
Speaker 3: It's been really crazy, but you know, I've worked really hard.
Speaker 3: It's it's it's really nice. I mean I didn't think
Speaker 3: this time last year, you know, when I was about to,
Speaker 3: you know, go and play the grass season, I didn't
Speaker 3: think you're going to play you know, four slams in
Speaker 3: a right. So yeah, it's it's it's really nice. I
Speaker 3: mean I've Yeah, it's it's not been easy. It really
Speaker 3: hasn't been easy, So I'm happy.
Speaker 2: I'm happy for people that have kind of supported me
Speaker 2: and stuck by me as well. It's nice for them.
Speaker 2: They're really excited.
Speaker 3: So but for me, at the moment, it's it's head down,
Speaker 3: sort this tournament out. Yeah, it's It's one of those
Speaker 3: I might feel more excited when I'm there or after
Speaker 3: it's done, or I look back on it, but at the.
Speaker 2: Moment, it's like, Okay, I've got a match tomorrow.
Speaker 3: I really want to go to Paris and perform well
Speaker 3: and you know, win as many match as I can.
Speaker 3: But yeah, no, it's a bit weird, isn't it. It's
Speaker 3: crazy if you think about it that way, where I
Speaker 3: was and where I am in quite a short space
Speaker 3: of time.
Speaker 1: You know, for me as well, I mean, what do
Speaker 1: I know, never played to anywhere near your level. The
Speaker 1: what I can say is that if I watch Crystal
Speaker 1: Palace win an FA Cup, if something happens monumental, even
Speaker 1: at my level of sport, I actually find it quite emotional,
Speaker 1: like kind of teary, like a frog in my throat
Speaker 1: kind of thing. When you're I mean, it's not unexpected
Speaker 1: that you'd be at the French. But when you work
Speaker 1: out your list of fifty five, you might be kind
Speaker 1: of confident that that's going to happen. And then when
Speaker 1: you get the nudge saying you're in. Is it? Is
Speaker 1: it a teary moment? Is it a punch in the
Speaker 1: air moment? Is it a I'm not sure what spinning
Speaker 1: around on, like how Homer Simpson used to spin round
Speaker 1: on his head on the floor. Is it that kind
Speaker 1: of thing? What is it?
Speaker 2: Yesterday?
Speaker 3: Yesterday, we're on the practice cort because we were warming
Speaker 3: up for my match, so Yak about to do the
Speaker 3: entry and I quickly checked at you know, fifty eight
Speaker 3: and fifty nine. But you know, I was hitting balls
Speaker 3: at that stage. It was quite weird.
Speaker 2: But no, I mean from there, I mean I was.
Speaker 3: I started warming up and eating balls and I was
Speaker 3: just really happy, you know, just just really happy. And
Speaker 3: when I'm played a pretty good match, like stress free,
Speaker 3: just yeah, it's a nice feeling. It's a nice feeling.
Speaker 3: It's it's strange. It's it's a nice feeling. It's strange.
Speaker 3: It's you know, you told me years ago i'd be
Speaker 3: playing for all four flam That's.
Speaker 2: I didn't.
Speaker 3: I didn't honestly didn't think it was possible. I didn't
Speaker 3: know how how good I was because I've never been
Speaker 3: this ranking. I've never I was never topped two o nine.
Speaker 3: I've never really persevered so much in my life with
Speaker 3: any But it's easier now than it was, you know,
Speaker 3: when I was playing all those futures and ye sleeping
Speaker 3: on hammocks and stuff like that.
Speaker 2: It's nicer, but I guess more intense.
Speaker 3: You're playing you first round, you're playing Jebbins and hoh
Speaker 3: a good pert.
Speaker 2: You don't get to ease your way into anything anymore.
Speaker 3: I'm playing the best players in the world a lot
Speaker 3: of the time, which is cool in itself, but you
Speaker 3: don't really have time to enjoy thinking about things that
Speaker 3: I want to improve as well. So it's very quick.
Speaker 3: It's very it seems seems like it's going very fast.
Speaker 3: I want it to slow down a bit so I
Speaker 3: can appreciate a little more.
Speaker 1: One of the things that we talk about quite a
Speaker 1: bit is the sacrifice that you make, and people from
Speaker 1: the outside think it's all private jets and you know,
Speaker 1: financial advice of someone at Coots and stuff. But hopefully
Speaker 1: this podcast kind of opened the door on it and
Speaker 1: peeked him behind a curtain of what a real liferofessional
Speaker 1: tennis player is. Does this make it worthwhile? And I
Speaker 1: mean weeks away from the family and the sacrifice of
Speaker 1: losing your bloody baggage and going to Arizona and losing
Speaker 1: in the first round missing a volley, there's loads of
Speaker 1: it's not bad with good, but there's loads of a
Speaker 1: little bumps in the road when you get into a
Speaker 1: slam and when you're going to make your French Open
Speaker 1: debut in your mid thirties. Is all of that justified
Speaker 1: for you?
Speaker 2: Yeah? There is.
Speaker 3: I kind of felt that, you know, although it's been difficult,
Speaker 3: and yeah, it's been a bit hectic, and yeah it's
Speaker 3: it's you.
Speaker 2: Know, for me it is, and I hope for my
Speaker 2: family is as well, you know, it's it's it's their
Speaker 2: sacrifice as well.
Speaker 3: It's Yeah, it's been Look, it's.
Speaker 2: Been really hard.
Speaker 3: And playing at the biggest four thrunts in the world
Speaker 3: back to back is incredible.
Speaker 2: I can't ask as much more. I just want to
Speaker 2: go and go and play well.
Speaker 3: But again, I'm much better at you're doing my best
Speaker 3: and if I don't play well, just kind of getting
Speaker 3: on with it now and keeping my head down, not
Speaker 3: dwelling on stuff too much, which is good and bad.
Speaker 3: You know, I kind of like bounce off stuff, and
Speaker 3: if I do really well, I'm not as happy as
Speaker 3: I used to be.
Speaker 2: But you know the downside, I.
Speaker 3: Don't get too down on myself anymore, and it's I
Speaker 3: guess it's a better place to be.
Speaker 2: But yeah, it's it's crazy when you say it like that.
Speaker 3: You know, thirty five years old and I've only now
Speaker 3: but you know, I retired, I was done. I was
Speaker 3: never going to hit play another professional shot again at
Speaker 3: one stage. So it's just all a bit bonkers when
Speaker 3: I when I go back enough in time, But it's happening, Dave.
Speaker 2: I'm here, I'm gonna.
Speaker 3: Turn up as prepared as I can and and there
Speaker 3: we go.
Speaker 2: But yeah, it's it's it's happening.
Speaker 1: I don't know, like I'm invested in in this with you, right,
Speaker 1: and you know it's a chance meeting at a tennis club.
Speaker 1: That's how we've met each other. And I felt along
Speaker 1: the way like I remember ten years ago when you
Speaker 1: the match the Wimbledon, and I remember saying to you,
Speaker 1: like I know someone who can sort you out something
Speaker 1: in Belgium? Was it you went and played a tiebreak
Speaker 1: thing there?
Speaker 2: And I right turns, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1: In Vienna, yeah yeah, And I remember that, oh Vienna,
Speaker 1: that was it? Yeah, And I remember like saying that,
Speaker 1: you know this guy for media and whatever. And since
Speaker 1: then I've been heavily invested in you just as a person, right,
Speaker 1: I think you race, I think you're a great bloke.
Speaker 1: And when we start this podcast and we're talking and
Speaker 1: hopefully it gives people an insight into what you're actually
Speaker 1: I can you know that you see it just me
Speaker 1: asking that question to you then and you answering it.
Speaker 1: I actually felt quite emotional then, man.
Speaker 2: Yeah me too. It's it's strange, isn't it. We go
Speaker 2: back quite well.
Speaker 1: Even just talking there, right, I got I got something
Speaker 1: in my eye a little bit, you know.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's just me weird because it's been hard as well,
Speaker 3: you know, like it's been.
Speaker 2: There's been some really really.
Speaker 3: Tough moments between and it's like, I don't know, I
Speaker 3: never want to get too carried away or I always
Speaker 3: want to try and be humble and grateful, and it's
Speaker 3: it's difficult because yeah, my part.
Speaker 2: Of me wants to scream and shout and be really pumped.
Speaker 3: And then.
Speaker 2: Another part of me is.
Speaker 3: Like, well, you've been given this as well. You know,
Speaker 3: I've worked hard, but you know I've had luck on
Speaker 3: my side. We were last into Assie Open, I got
Speaker 3: to play on Rod Labor.
Speaker 2: It's I mean, I Drew feder a second round at you.
Speaker 2: I've had some really high luck as well. And yeah,
Speaker 2: really weird moments, really weird.
Speaker 3: But cool moments. And yeah, yeah, it's it's tough. I've
Speaker 3: not really thought about it recently. I kind of let
Speaker 3: that Jenny Now.
Speaker 2: I got in and then we just get on with
Speaker 2: our day because it's busy. And then yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3: It's it's it's tough because I want to, you know,
Speaker 3: let people know, but I don't want to. You know,
Speaker 3: I've still got to get on my today and my
Speaker 3: tomorrow and it's hard sometimes, right.
Speaker 1: It's really hard. But you're the coolest person I know, man.
Speaker 1: When when the when you I text you and said
Speaker 1: what's happening and you said you're in And we've got
Speaker 1: a little WhatsApp group for the guys in on this
Speaker 1: pod and uh and G yeah, and I told I
Speaker 1: told some people as well at my tennis club. So
Speaker 1: you're not telling some people, well I tell some people
Speaker 1: at the and this club because you know they all
Speaker 1: know you. And yeah, it's it's unreal and this is
Speaker 1: just a little you know, your in tournament now. So
Speaker 1: this is a quick chat about it. Next week when
Speaker 1: we release the podcast, and obviously there'll be podcasting during
Speaker 1: it like we did for the Aussie Open, we can
Speaker 1: talk more about the draw, the logistics where you're stay
Speaker 1: in your practice, hopefully speak to Yakub as well, and
Speaker 1: the finances like what does it mean for you financially
Speaker 1: and everything else. So me and speaking for the listeners
Speaker 1: and the viewers, we're stoked, bro.
Speaker 2: Thank you very much.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 2: It's yeah, it's rather cool. I'm trying to play it
Speaker 2: cool right now. This is my is my cool face?
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah more than I did, all right? AU what.
Speaker 3: Victor baronco on trombone, Sergeant Major Craig Frederick on.
Speaker 2: The trumpets and the composition the Army Blues worked up
Speaker 2: down