Speaker 1: Good evening, and welcome to a podcast that will make
Speaker 1: a blue ass fly look lethargic. I'm Dave El, but
Speaker 1: more importantly, the other side of the mic is Marcus Willis.
Speaker 1: So this is obviously what you're talking about. Willis. Now,
Speaker 1: we did say right at the start of this little
Speaker 1: run of counting down to the windwood and appearance, you'd
Speaker 1: have to bear with some the quality front. But tonight
Speaker 1: we've really thrown this together tonight, haven't we.
Speaker 2: Marcus.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was a bit of a We found a
Speaker 3: moment where we were both free.
Speaker 2: I've been impressive.
Speaker 1: I've just been solid on court coaching all day and
Speaker 1: sticky hot mess and you've been so busy and we
Speaker 1: just got a text together and here we are ten
Speaker 1: minutes later, prepped, prepp like pros.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, of course we're prepped.
Speaker 2: Here. I was actually eating a Mars ice cream good.
Speaker 3: I haven't had one of those for a few years. Actually,
Speaker 3: I don't know they still still did them.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're big and all.
Speaker 3: It's all biscof now, isn't it.
Speaker 2: Everything is bisc off.
Speaker 1: You remember a few years ago everything was pulled or
Speaker 1: meat was pulled, and now everything is yeah, pull poor
Speaker 1: poor Cheecken just pulled, pulled, everyone was pulling.
Speaker 3: Yeah, now it's all bisk Off the hairdressers when I
Speaker 3: got them. But actually bisk Off flavored things, right, okay,
Speaker 3: aren't they?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: But the actual bisc Off biscuit is drier than the
Speaker 1: Gobi desert.
Speaker 2: You don't want that it is?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Yeah, so give me your whereabouts?
Speaker 2: Where are you? What's going on?
Speaker 3: I am at my host families. Just got back now,
Speaker 3: so I'm going to jump in the shower, grab something
Speaker 3: to eat. It's nearly nine o'clock. Well, yeah, been a
Speaker 3: long day.
Speaker 2: Yeah, what if you've been up to today?
Speaker 3: You had a practice, had two practice, did some footwork
Speaker 3: on the endoor, saw the physio. What else did I do?
Speaker 3: I had a bit of food, so whenever I get in,
Speaker 3: I go straight upstairs have a coffee. Didn't actually eat
Speaker 3: till three pm today, so I was quite hungry. I
Speaker 3: was for my first practice. I said of some fitness stretching,
Speaker 3: had in my rackets, and to be strong for tomorrow,
Speaker 3: all the interesting stuff, and then waited for the schedules
Speaker 3: to be released and sorted my tickets out for tomorrow. No,
Speaker 3: I don't have any spare I've got family in the
Speaker 3: queue and play fourth on court five. They're they're the
Speaker 3: FAQ's job done. So if I get asked that again
Speaker 3: by someone who's listened to this and I'm just going
Speaker 3: to ignore you.
Speaker 2: Sorry, I like you FAQ system.
Speaker 3: Oh it's always yeah, some people, I just want to
Speaker 3: know how I am this time of year randomly, never
Speaker 3: in November, December, January, februy, March, April or May. No, no,
Speaker 3: just this time. Yeah, how are you doing that house things?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's lovely, but yeah, no, I will get back
Speaker 4: to people after the championships finished.
Speaker 1: Yeah, like that long time no Speak wondered if I
Speaker 1: had I could get hold of any tickets?
Speaker 2: Yeah, lost to love your Uber driver from.
Speaker 3: To someone who's played Woman for the other day, who's
Speaker 3: at the club. He's now working with a player, and
Speaker 3: I said, do you get a how many messages you have? Fifty? Went?
Speaker 3: You have fifty per day? People just think I've got
Speaker 3: Center call tickets falling out of my pocket. Bearing in
Speaker 3: mind there's what three hundred four hundred players here. You're
Speaker 3: allowed to guests with you one more for the day
Speaker 3: you play. Can you imagine what that players there is?
Speaker 3: Looking like right now. Yeah, chaos, right, yeah, chaos And
Speaker 3: and I did think a few years ago it's not
Speaker 3: very many, but I think it's the right amount. Yeah,
Speaker 3: considering you can't sit down to meet your lunch the
Speaker 3: first few days. But do you know what a place?
Speaker 3: What a place to? Yeah, good problems to have. I suppose.
Speaker 1: Well, it's all confirmed. You're playing tomorrow. After Billy went
Speaker 1: out of the singles today, and it's a shame. He
Speaker 1: looked like he was just in that third set. He
Speaker 1: looked like he was he could have nicked it. Have
Speaker 1: you spoken to him?
Speaker 3: I haven't. I've just spoken to him to organize practice
Speaker 3: and stuff tomorrow, as you Yeah, as you can imagine,
Speaker 3: I've got practice and stuff like that myself as well.
Speaker 3: And I kept a nine score. But as you can imagine,
Speaker 3: he's coming off caught after to probably fifty messages and
Speaker 3: he's got media stretching call down to do. So I'll
Speaker 3: speak to him tomorrow just before we probably about the match,
Speaker 3: and then yeah, we also kind of catch up when
Speaker 3: the event's done properly. Yeah, And there's so many different
Speaker 3: results going on, and then you're looking at the schedule
Speaker 3: and then you get in the queue for tickets, transport
Speaker 3: and stuff like that. Stringing kit. Yeah, I've done all right. Actually,
Speaker 3: I think I think I'm ready to go. I leave
Speaker 3: my rackets and stuff at Wimbled and so I don't
Speaker 3: forget them. Yeah, which is which is good and choose
Speaker 3: and everything. So basically all my kit and rackets are there.
Speaker 1: You anxiety dreams that you've forgotten your rackets or turned
Speaker 1: up naked or something like that.
Speaker 3: I've had random dreams in like March or December where
Speaker 3: I'm playing Wimbledon and I'm like, I'm like four hours
Speaker 3: away and I've got to get there in an hour
Speaker 3: and I don't understand why I've got to make it
Speaker 3: to my match. But what a swansea as well? Playing
Speaker 3: playing like Bob the stringer from around the corner, and
Speaker 3: there's always a good player and a random person there,
Speaker 3: and you're always with someone random as well, aren't you.
Speaker 2: Yeah? Oh yeah for sure, yeah yeah.
Speaker 3: It's never like a reasonable match up that you yeah,
Speaker 3: that could ever be realistic. But yeah, I've had I
Speaker 3: have them Rundom and they're horrible because you wake up
Speaker 3: like and then you realize I'm not a Wimbled and
Speaker 3: then a seventy.
Speaker 1: Five K and brass of do you I mean people
Speaker 1: who talk about their dreams. I asked you that question,
Speaker 1: so this doesn't a six squoze up, but people who
Speaker 1: just tell you about their dreams it's quite boring.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, so you just asked me. Really, I don't
Speaker 3: go downstairs and get what. Yeah, I don't think. Yeah,
Speaker 3: it's very nice, very real, until you wake up and go,
Speaker 3: oh yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1: I think I'm a dull dreamer though, Like I dream,
Speaker 1: I'm just doing basic admin, which kind of annoys me
Speaker 1: because I'm as in a dream I could be on
Speaker 1: the yacht with Jennifer Aniston, but I dream I'm just
Speaker 1: h Yeah, I mean my budget pushes to more of
Speaker 1: like a pedlo in Bogner if she's up for it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's Center Park. That's quite expensive nowadays it is.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Monte Carlo is slightly cheaper than Center Parks. So, yeah,
Speaker 1: you're on Caught five tomorrow.
Speaker 2: Yes, that's the one.
Speaker 1: If you're it's it's in the shadow of Center car
Speaker 1: and it's over like that members balcony area where there's
Speaker 1: like teas and stuff being served all day.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, jam or cream first on the scone was gone.
Speaker 3: Two questions sc off gone jam or cream first?
Speaker 2: Scone jam cream?
Speaker 3: You just scone cream jam.
Speaker 1: Okay, that's fine. I think we can get over these differences.
Speaker 1: I think it's nothing a couple's therapists can't work out.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but that's fine. Well, I'll just turn it upside
Speaker 3: down if you make me one.
Speaker 1: Okay, sure, sure it is. Do you have a favorite?
Speaker 1: I mean you've played on center car, but is it's
Speaker 1: called five? Like you do you look at that and
Speaker 1: think I wish we were on seven or anything like that?
Speaker 3: No, not really, I mean out of the I like
Speaker 3: court three, but yeah, I mean it's so early in
Speaker 3: the tournament you don't get doubles on that just yet. Yeah,
Speaker 3: but I mean they're all good.
Speaker 2: All three has got like a bowl.
Speaker 3: Between four and six for those who are interested.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the cal five is is like kind of in
Speaker 1: the middle of that run, isn't it? So call three
Speaker 1: has got that and then if you related only Yeah,
Speaker 1: and there's one bench for like you guys in another
Speaker 1: bench for the opposition, And that's it, isn't.
Speaker 3: It something like that? You get some people walking their
Speaker 3: dogs through the middle the middle of the match.
Speaker 2: Yeah, how do you deal with that?
Speaker 1: So I know at club level if anyone like seems
Speaker 1: to move within about a miles radius of an accountant
Speaker 1: playing in the second round of their club singles like
Speaker 1: whole play. You guys have got so much going on
Speaker 1: around you, are you very aware of people walking and
Speaker 1: moving and talking.
Speaker 3: If it's consistent noise, it's fine, like you hear shots
Speaker 3: and come ons from other courts and stuff like that.
Speaker 3: It's if there's no one there's a sudden noise, or
Speaker 3: if there's a few people and you see three people
Speaker 3: jumping around. But honestly, I don't really notice mid match,
Speaker 3: to be honest, because there's always noise from somewhere. It's weird.
Speaker 3: It's it's weird when you like when I played singles
Speaker 3: on on Center and the Mixed Doubles last year, like
Speaker 3: during the Rudy, you just hear the ball moving around.
Speaker 3: It's strange. M But I think, yeah, I've never really
Speaker 3: noticed people doing certain things while I've been playing, Like
Speaker 3: there's planes flying around all the time, there's balls flying
Speaker 3: around as noises commands. Yeah, Yeah, It's kind of just
Speaker 3: one of those things, isn't it.
Speaker 2: So what does the next twenty four hours look like
Speaker 2: for you.
Speaker 3: Get a shower, get a bit of food, go to sleep,
Speaker 3: wake up, get in the car, get to site, get
Speaker 3: to the changing rooms, get my practice, kut on, see
Speaker 3: the physio, what kind of time, and I'll probably be
Speaker 3: there ten thirty. Yeah, now, grab a quick coffee or
Speaker 3: whatever i'd like. Bit into the gym, warm up, go
Speaker 3: over to a rangye warm up there, twelve thirty, hit
Speaker 3: to one quick stretch, back over, check the scores if
Speaker 3: it's the label, have another hit again at some point,
Speaker 3: maybe at a range or maybe on the indoor, but
Speaker 3: just yeah, load up on some food, not too much,
Speaker 3: and then I go and sit in the change rooms. Twiness.
Speaker 3: I don't socialize because it's quite draining. As you can imagine,
Speaker 3: the phone goes off, phone goes.
Speaker 2: Off here, and you're sitting in with Billy in a
Speaker 2: change room.
Speaker 3: No, I mean there's people in the change rooms everywhere.
Speaker 3: I don't know where his locker is, but we'll obviously
Speaker 3: speak before the match. But we know each other's games,
Speaker 3: we know what we've got to go out there and do.
Speaker 3: And and yeah, I'll be sat. You get your locker
Speaker 3: in the change room when you first pitch up and
Speaker 3: you're around the same players for.
Speaker 2: That.
Speaker 3: So I guess we'll catch up maybe at the cafe
Speaker 3: slightly close to the match and then go warm up
Speaker 3: and we'll be in the gym together most likely before
Speaker 3: we get called out.
Speaker 2: And you just said, then you know what you've got
Speaker 2: to do, what you've got to.
Speaker 3: Do, play well day. It really is simple for us.
Speaker 3: We've I've got to go and get the balance right
Speaker 3: with how much to use my hands and serve and
Speaker 3: and Billy's got to do what he does, stay locked
Speaker 3: into return, serve well, serve a high percentage, and be
Speaker 3: able to adapt to whatever your opponent's doing. If we're
Speaker 3: losing points doing certain thing, then try and change up.
Speaker 3: Obviously we've got a very difficult match, so it's just
Speaker 3: stay positive and you know, there's there's Unfortunately you're not
Speaker 3: You've got a clear, clear plans. You're not like you know,
Speaker 3: in some CoV League matches as a guy who'd backhand,
Speaker 3: so you just serve there. It's not like that. Yeah,
Speaker 3: So it's one of those things you've got to be
Speaker 3: able to quickly adapt and then play your game, but
Speaker 3: more importantly just try and enjoy it and stay positive.
Speaker 1: I suppose I guess from your side, if Billy's Billy serving, well,
Speaker 1: you're going to get lots of chances up at the net,
Speaker 1: and you're dangerous there. You're a big server and you'll
Speaker 1: give Billy lots of chances at the net.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's it. It's just about keeping consistent in a game.
Speaker 3: You can't have a game where you miss all your
Speaker 3: first serves and hit a couple of doubles, and that's
Speaker 3: when it gets difficult. It's about staying consistent that we're
Speaker 3: not expecting to three fourices a game, but if we can,
Speaker 3: you know, putting off good serves in per game. You
Speaker 3: could serve eighty percent, but the twenty percent all goes
Speaker 3: wrong in one game and you lose four and four.
Speaker 3: So it's just about you know, staying present and you
Speaker 3: know if you if you do miss a couple of serves,
Speaker 3: make sure the next one goes in. But easily said
Speaker 3: and done.
Speaker 1: Are you aware of your playing style and the fact
Speaker 1: that public and Chiboi probably haven't played someone like you.
Speaker 3: You probably not know that they're just going to go
Speaker 3: and do their thing, and if they do it well,
Speaker 3: then they're very dangerous. I don't think they're going to
Speaker 3: think about it too much. You know, Chibali still got
Speaker 3: to play a singles match in the morning, so he'll
Speaker 3: be thinking about that, which makes them dangerous. You know.
Speaker 3: I don't think they're going to worry too much if
Speaker 3: they go break down, yeah or panic per se, so
Speaker 3: they won't be thinking about this match right now. I'll
Speaker 3: tell you that. Really, no chance Chibali is focused on
Speaker 3: getting rest and being in bed soon because he's got
Speaker 3: a singles match. Yeah, eleven o'clock. That's that's public. I
Speaker 3: don't know what he's doing.
Speaker 2: But and he'll finish.
Speaker 1: He'll finish the singles, yeah, I mean, go and get
Speaker 1: rested up.
Speaker 3: Media practice fans are but yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2: So he may not practice before the doubles.
Speaker 3: He won't. He won't hit balls after five set singles
Speaker 3: match now, but I think he's hit enough balls to
Speaker 3: be to not worry too much.
Speaker 2: Yeah, in his life, Yeah of course.
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, no, just I mean that day. I never
Speaker 3: used to warm up for doubles, and I side a
Speaker 3: huge gap. If I played a three hour singles two
Speaker 3: hour singles match, I'd go and get rested and make
Speaker 3: sure the body's are okay, and then you give you
Speaker 3: five minute warm up and off you go. You know,
Speaker 3: you do them. We've got half in our match warm
Speaker 3: up to get all the body warmed up and practice
Speaker 3: all our shots. He's done that for two hours, so
Speaker 3: it's not yeah, yeah, that's what I expect. I mean,
Speaker 3: some people do it, but they love it. They're animals.
Speaker 1: Well, Marcus, the next time we talk will be after
Speaker 1: the match. So we've had we've had a message from
Speaker 1: Martin in Hampshire just wishes you and Billy the best
Speaker 1: of luck.
Speaker 2: You're Tennessee right there. Just need to execute is what
Speaker 2: he says.
Speaker 1: And you know, I just want to wish you, like
Speaker 1: as a mate and all of that, like just the
Speaker 1: best of luck.
Speaker 2: I'm really hoping that my.
Speaker 1: Working day pans out and I can get up and
Speaker 1: be there and I've got a ticket so I don't even.
Speaker 2: Need to bother you for it. Amazing, So fingers crossed,
Speaker 2: I can do that and I can be there, and.
Speaker 3: I've got loads. I've got loads. Spare everyone falling out
Speaker 3: of the pocket.
Speaker 1: And then and then we'll talk tomorrow night. Perfect, okay, mate,
Speaker 1: Best of luck.