Speaker 1: We're counting down to Wimbledon twenty twenty five and with
Speaker 1: only days to go now, British Tennis Overlord Marcus Willis
Speaker 1: on the other side of the microphone to me, is
Speaker 1: preparing for more battles at s W nineteen. I'm dave
Speaker 1: El and when we started this, both Marcus and I said,
Speaker 1: we are so busy. We're going to be trying to
Speaker 1: speak every day and the audio quality might not be
Speaker 1: the best and we will resume proper content afterwards, but
Speaker 1: we didn't want to miss a day. So apologies if
Speaker 1: it doesn't sound like you're listening to the BBC Marcus,
Speaker 1: how are you mate? Where are you?
Speaker 2: I am very good. I am at Stoke Park Boodles
Speaker 2: for the last warm up match before Wimbledom.
Speaker 1: And who are your victims today?
Speaker 2: My Aravella and Bapartner Again. I'm sure they'll be wanting
Speaker 2: they'll be wanting revenge for the other day.
Speaker 1: It's a shame, isn't it that you like? Is there
Speaker 1: not a can you mix up the club session style?
Speaker 1: Spin the rackets?
Speaker 2: I would, yeah, but it's fine. It's it's good for me,
Speaker 2: so you don't really get tougher opponents than that, so.
Speaker 1: Not for sure.
Speaker 2: So it's good, it's good preparation. It's a good, good
Speaker 2: bit of fun as well.
Speaker 1: What since the last time we spoke, the drawer is
Speaker 1: now out for Wimbledon. So would you like to just
Speaker 1: remind us who you've got.
Speaker 2: And we have got slash a slash A Public and
Speaker 2: Flavio Chibali. Yeah, difficult obviously, Bublic's playing pretty good tennis
Speaker 2: right now and Chibblis are very very good tennis purer
Speaker 2: as well.
Speaker 1: So yeah, we're talking to fifty singles, aren't we. You know.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think Public's seeded and seeded in the singles
Speaker 2: this year and and Chibi's year around about thirty. So
Speaker 2: yeah that they're good players. They're good players, and it'll
Speaker 2: be tough.
Speaker 1: Yeah, would you prefer so I would see them primarily
Speaker 1: as singles players who are then boosting their ATP points
Speaker 1: by playing the doubles.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a bit more money for them, They don't
Speaker 2: really they can get in on their singles ranking, which
Speaker 2: they have, and they're kind of they're not carefree, but
Speaker 2: if they lose, it's not the end of the world.
Speaker 2: So they can be very dangerous, you know, they'll go
Speaker 2: for things that you won't wouldn't expect. They've obviously public's
Speaker 2: very very talented, probably going to underarm tur of me
Speaker 2: and make me look like a mug. But there we go.
Speaker 2: It's just you get different challenges, different challenges with different pairs.
Speaker 1: Don't let anyone make you look like you will make
Speaker 1: yourself look like a mug. Don't anybody influence that that's true.
Speaker 2: Yeah, what.
Speaker 1: When you would you prefer to play double specialists over
Speaker 1: single specialists.
Speaker 2: Though depends which double specialist you're talking about. You know,
Speaker 2: if we get through, if we get through that one,
Speaker 2: we're playing Hilliovara and Pattern who won last year and
Speaker 2: one Aussie this year, so that's not really ideal either.
Speaker 2: But you know, again, different challenges. If you play play
Speaker 2: and established doubles pair at Winded and who went on
Speaker 2: their own ranking that they're very good at what they
Speaker 2: do as well. So it's just it's just going to
Speaker 2: look different and you have to react more against singles.
Speaker 2: Pare doubles skuis are a bit more predictable, but you know,
Speaker 2: very solid around the net, so there's not as many gaps.
Speaker 2: But you know, singles guys tend to serve bigger hit
Speaker 2: the ball in different places, you know, not cover the
Speaker 2: net as well down the middle, but hang further back,
Speaker 2: so the lob might not work as well. So yeah,
Speaker 2: it's it's really tough to have to. I find it
Speaker 2: tough playing you know, a pair one day and then
Speaker 2: a different pair of the necks. You have to really
Speaker 2: adapt and be on it tactically without going into also pilot.
Speaker 1: Really yeah. I mean I was watching US Open doubles
Speaker 1: last year and there's quite a lot of singles players
Speaker 1: around that Coulter Finals stage and watching them, the singles players,
Speaker 1: they're they're both back a lot.
Speaker 2: Yeah, as I said, it's different. They hit the ball
Speaker 2: bigger from the back. They're probably a bit more accurate, consistent,
Speaker 2: life less awkward, but more power. I mean, it's much
Speaker 2: tougher to get into that. Their service games just differently.
Speaker 2: Absolutely welly the born and yeah, it's going to have
Speaker 2: its challenges for sure.
Speaker 1: When when we were preparing for today, I was looking
Speaker 1: online for statistics because as part of my day to
Speaker 1: day coaching, I use these statistics from WTA or ATP
Speaker 1: to give a perspective to the players that I'm coaching
Speaker 1: about what is success and expectations in our sport, et cetera.
Speaker 1: Because I don't think it's until you realize that Alcaraz
Speaker 1: is the best returner in the world, but he only
Speaker 1: wins thirty percent of his first serve returns. Point yeah yeah, So,
Speaker 1: like I mean, if somebody is losing seven out of
Speaker 1: ten times, it's rare that they're so brilliant in others small.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but thirty percent to me sounds really good. I'd
Speaker 2: kild for yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1: Double. So I was looking and I thought, oh, do
Speaker 1: you know what I'll do. I'll nerd up on a
Speaker 1: few double stats about your opponents, because then we can
Speaker 1: talk about in integrity of the match and possible patterns
Speaker 1: of playing stuff. There's nothing on there.
Speaker 2: No, that's a that's a you can't really scout. And
Speaker 2: the problem with singles guys is that they don't have
Speaker 2: set plays because they don't really play together much. But
Speaker 2: with doubles guys you can see on big points where
Speaker 2: they like to serve, where they like to move, but
Speaker 2: singles guys can obviously everyone can serve everywhere, but there's
Speaker 2: just you have to be more reactive. As I said,
Speaker 2: like it's you know, you have to be quite thick
Speaker 2: skinned about how many balls fly past you or at
Speaker 2: your chest or in your nuts or stuff like that.
Speaker 2: It's it's a completely different game. You have to be
Speaker 2: reactive and and yeah, they'll probably mess up some volleys
Speaker 2: and stuff like that, but you know, you get into
Speaker 2: long rallies with them and they're they're good at that.
Speaker 2: You know, you have to try and be punchy, but
Speaker 2: deal with a faster ball on average, I'd say.
Speaker 1: I mean, one thing I've noticed, and I'm sure lots
Speaker 1: of people out there have watched the Labor Cup, and
Speaker 1: when Nadal is playing doubles, he's just covering the tram
Speaker 1: lines far more than a doubles player would.
Speaker 2: Yeah, doubles as well. It was it was difficult because
Speaker 2: when you when you serve volley and singles, you tend
Speaker 2: to come towards the middle ish of the court. And
Speaker 2: I found myself doing that recently. You know, a coach
Speaker 2: had highlighted a few things. I'm still even after playing
Speaker 2: doubles for two years, I'm still coming to the middle
Speaker 2: of the court sometimes, right, And for a guy that
Speaker 2: never plays doubles, you're going to be yeah, you're going
Speaker 2: to be covering, you know, if someone serves out wide
Speaker 2: on the jews, you're gonna be still in the tram
Speaker 2: lines because that's where the ball might come, yeah, rather
Speaker 2: than squeezing the middle like the good doubles first too.
Speaker 1: So I mean, are you going in with some rough ideas?
Speaker 1: Do you get to do you speak to anyone else
Speaker 1: as well and just say what we expecting of them
Speaker 1: or anything like that? Is there like a little rumor
Speaker 1: mel when within the changes?
Speaker 2: Not really, not not with singles, guys. I mean, do
Speaker 2: you know where public likes to serve? I mean, I
Speaker 2: think he can serve anywhere. That's the thing he doesn't
Speaker 2: really have from from what I know and understand, I
Speaker 2: don't think you know they do. They do set plays
Speaker 2: and singles. You know, it's it's it's a difficult one.
Speaker 2: And you don't know also how their singles is going,
Speaker 2: how serious they're going to be as well, which also
Speaker 2: can be dangerous if they're if they're out there having
Speaker 2: a laugh for nothing to lose, and you know, hitting
Speaker 2: shots that they don't really care about, that can be
Speaker 2: quite frustrating. So there isn't really anything we can we
Speaker 2: can look at too much.
Speaker 1: Well, I've got a little reflection on that. Many years ago,
Speaker 1: I spoke to a top American player. It was in
Speaker 1: a previous career and I interviewed a top American player
Speaker 1: and he entered the doubles and a mixed because he
Speaker 1: said that he is paid for his accommodation for three weeks,
Speaker 1: and if he goes out second round of the singles,
Speaker 1: the doubles justifies him spending out for the accommodation mm hm.
Speaker 1: And he did lose early and then he went all
Speaker 1: in on the doubles.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's the danger you have as well, and
Speaker 2: especially up first round. They're gonna they're going to be there,
Speaker 2: they're going to be playing. What you tend to see
Speaker 2: with singles players is if they're doing well in singles,
Speaker 2: in the second or third round doubles, they just pull
Speaker 2: out and rest, you know. So it's good sometimes if
Speaker 2: you get to second, third round and you're playing singles
Speaker 2: guys and they're still in or invested, and that they
Speaker 2: they're not as interested. You know, you get some animals
Speaker 2: who play play both and just give it one hundred
Speaker 2: and ten. Yeah, but yeah, no, it is worth doing
Speaker 2: for I mean, it's it's ten grand to turn up.
Speaker 2: It's not many players will scoff at that. You know,
Speaker 2: the top the top twenty don't tend to do it
Speaker 2: because you know they're making enough cash and ten around
Speaker 2: to them. You know, not a lot. But I just
Speaker 2: I mean, even when I was playing singles, I just
Speaker 2: enjoyed doubles as well. I enjoyed playing tennis. That was
Speaker 2: That was me. But a lot of players, yeah, players
Speaker 2: are different. But you get a lot of guys between
Speaker 2: thirty and fifty in the world who will turn up,
Speaker 2: you know, and if they do lose some singles, they
Speaker 2: give it a go in the doubles. It's wimbleding as well.
Speaker 2: Players players love wimbleding.
Speaker 1: So is it what kind of draw is it? From
Speaker 1: like one to four? If four was the dream draw,
Speaker 1: then one is a nightmare. Where does it rank?
Speaker 2: I'd say two probably. Yeah. Last year we got Passell
Speaker 2: Thompson who went on to lose in the final, yeah,
Speaker 2: and win the US I think they won. That was
Speaker 2: first up. But obviously we got a very difficult match
Speaker 2: to them play last year's champions. So it's not it's
Speaker 2: not ideal, but you know, at least we're not playing
Speaker 2: you know, them first round, and you know, if we
Speaker 2: can get through, we'll obviously be playing well and have
Speaker 2: a bit of rhythm, and they're the matches you want
Speaker 2: to play. I can't really, I can't really complain, you know,
Speaker 2: I'm playing it. I don't think there's any There's a
Speaker 2: couple of draws in there. You get a couple of
Speaker 2: South Americans who are not that investor. That's a really
Speaker 2: good draw. There's a couple of there's a couple of
Speaker 2: draws in there that you back yourself to win. But
Speaker 2: but there's you know, a lot of difficult matches. You
Speaker 2: can imagine it's the best players in the world.
Speaker 1: Yeah, of course, of course. Well, talking about the draws
Speaker 1: in general, let's let's have a little general chat about Wimbledon.
Speaker 1: So Alcarez, Djokovic and Sinner one of three favorites on
Speaker 1: the men's side. Can you see anyone past them?
Speaker 2: No, I can't not not Logically. It depends on what
Speaker 2: mood drapers. And he's obviously very dangerous, but it's a
Speaker 2: different ketler fish at women. And I mean I read
Speaker 2: the press the other day and the people are talking
Speaker 2: about him winning it like and saying, oh, it's great.
Speaker 2: He won't play alcohaz Center until the Semis, like that's
Speaker 2: a given, you know, yeah, sure, and he's playing you know,
Speaker 2: if he wins his first two round, he's playing public
Speaker 2: third round. You beat him in the French. It's not
Speaker 2: It's very I can imagine it's very difficult being a
Speaker 2: good brit at win because everyone just expects you to
Speaker 2: who expects you to make semis straight away because he's
Speaker 2: a number one name. Yeah, but yeah, obviously I'll be
Speaker 2: teering on all the Brits and I hope Jack does
Speaker 2: well and gives it a good go, but I'll be
Speaker 2: It would be very rogue of me to say one
Speaker 2: of those three is not going to win it. I'm not.
Speaker 2: I'm not. I'm not here for a headline, to be honest.
Speaker 1: I think I think Yeah, I mean, there's that chasing pack,
Speaker 1: isn't there? Taylor. Fritz is great on grass, he is.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I think he's in the final eastbourn He
Speaker 2: lost first fan of Queens. He's he's got the game
Speaker 2: for it, isn't he.
Speaker 1: He had that five set semi final against farev or
Speaker 1: caught final against frev last year.
Speaker 2: He can play so like Fritz can play.
Speaker 1: And Draper and like kind of the second packs and yeah,
Speaker 1: but then I've got a feeling this Novak, do you. Yeah.
Speaker 1: So these great players, these great champions, not just not
Speaker 1: just tennis but Tiger Woods and golf, but great boxers
Speaker 1: or whoever you want. When you think that normal human
Speaker 1: laws apply to them, they have one more. Yeah, a
Speaker 1: bit feeder and adult Aussie Open twenty nineteen. And you
Speaker 1: look at Federer and you think, well, obviously, as a
Speaker 1: human that's not as possible these days. And then he
Speaker 1: does something and it's you realize that he's not following
Speaker 1: the same code as the rest of us. Yeah, And
Speaker 1: I've got a feeling it's that record eighth title last
Speaker 1: year he's finalist with one leg. Yeah, amazing at the
Speaker 1: Aussie and then pulled out. I think, I think, yeah,
Speaker 1: same as And I've just got a feeling he might
Speaker 1: do it. And then it's and then that's the end. Right,
Speaker 1: But there's a rabbit where you're like, a, yeah, not
Speaker 1: a normal human.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it's certainly not a normal human. He's and
Speaker 2: he's well rested. He hasn't played any tournaments.
Speaker 1: And breaking records, right, he likes breaking records. That's his goal.
Speaker 2: Now, you can't write him off I mean just can't
Speaker 2: just yeah, he's very good on grass. I think if
Speaker 2: he played center on grass. I don't know what the
Speaker 2: drawer looks like in the semis again, I'm doing it now.
Speaker 2: But our cras if he can be our crass on
Speaker 2: the grass and flip me.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I mean and he can.
Speaker 2: We know he can. He was injured last year going
Speaker 2: for a lot more than he normally would, so.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and then he the Olympics.
Speaker 2: Many people in my head, Yeah, there's not many people
Speaker 2: in my head that I can see beating Jocovic apart
Speaker 2: from Alcoorism maybe Sinner. Yeah, I can't see anyone else
Speaker 2: doing it. So, yeah, he is one of the favorites
Speaker 2: for sure. Alcaz has got a match in him That
Speaker 2: best of five helps him, but he can go through
Speaker 2: matches sitting forty unfour.
Speaker 1: Serrus, Yeah, sure, because he's.
Speaker 2: Because he's very adventurous with with his players. You know,
Speaker 2: it's just what we love about him.
Speaker 1: I think it's a you know, it really is next
Speaker 1: gen stuff, isn't it now? The next gen is definitely here.
Speaker 1: What about on the women's side, that's.
Speaker 2: A million dollar question.
Speaker 1: Anyone can win sable Ankor and Coco with the two
Speaker 1: that I put down as Coco Coco.
Speaker 2: Yes, I don't know if it's the craft the best thing.
Speaker 1: It's just it's so wide open, isn't it.
Speaker 2: It's a great mover. She's and create you know, you
Speaker 2: know how good she is Sabalanca Off. Her games are amazing,
Speaker 2: sweet texts. Never really got involved in wimbled them before,
Speaker 2: but I think she's doing quite well in the lead
Speaker 2: up tournaments.
Speaker 1: Tell you what I'd say about her though, is when
Speaker 1: she from winning the French Open in twenty twenty four,
Speaker 1: She's not even reached a final of another tournament since then.
Speaker 2: No. Yeah, she's very she's very, very hot and cold.
Speaker 1: Something's happened there, isn't it. I mean yeah, and I
Speaker 1: mean Saberlenka three three slams, two women semi finals behind her.
Speaker 1: I think she's she's obviously world number one and the
Speaker 1: on form player recent Grand Slam final as well. But
Speaker 1: I was at Queen's for the women's tournament when it returned,
Speaker 1: and it's hard to read the form of a woman.
Speaker 2: It's impossible. Yeah, but that's what makes it so thrilling
Speaker 2: for me.
Speaker 1: Yeah, oh no, definitely is exciting and it's very even. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean the match I was, I was at the
Speaker 1: day where Radakane was like five love up and then
Speaker 1: it comes back to five four in about twelve minutes.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it.
Speaker 1: Seems like these are not uncommon patterns, really are they.
Speaker 2: There's a lot of momentum swings. Yeah, and the same
Speaker 2: same players could play other ten times and could be five.
Speaker 2: Like it's not it's it's unpredictable. I mean, Sabca has
Speaker 2: been more consistent as of late. River Ken is very dangerous. Yeah,
Speaker 2: can't write her off. Paline he made final before. There's
Speaker 2: a lot of players that but you know, if you
Speaker 2: told me they're in the final, Okay, Yeah, Maria one Queens.
Speaker 1: Madison Keys winning the Aussie and like that, you know,
Speaker 1: with that ball strike in.
Speaker 2: Very hard to do anything.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, So you play today, we catch up
Speaker 1: again tomorrow. Tomorrow. I've got a question from one of
Speaker 1: the army of listeners who wants to talk to you
Speaker 1: about the mixed doubles. Okay, And I do put in
Speaker 1: the podcast description if anyone does want to send a
Speaker 1: voice note what I don't want to send any messages.
Speaker 1: The number to text is actually in the description of
Speaker 1: the podcast. Yeah, they can go for that. Otherwise, why
Speaker 1: don't we catch up tomorrow.
Speaker 2: I'll see you tomorrow, Big day later, as late as
Speaker 2: five