WEBVTT - French Connection: Andy Roddick 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:01.240 I think it was the only time I ever got 0:00:01.360 --> 0:00:03.880 under Rafa's skin. He's like a human rein delay getting 0:00:03.880 --> 0:00:06.240 ready for a match, and inevitably you're waiting for him 0:00:06.240 --> 0:00:08.239 to come up and kick your as I for it 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:11.160 all this other on MBC kicking Thank okay great. I 0:00:11.240 --> 0:00:14.320 decided one time in Miami was twenty ten that as 0:00:14.320 --> 0:00:17.480 soon as he was ready, I was going to start 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:20.280 reading a book, and so I did it. And that's 0:00:20.320 --> 0:00:24.119 the only time I've ever seen ralphave even a little annoyed. 0:00:24.239 --> 0:00:27.240 I should have started reading at some point before that. 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:30.400 Yes, welcome everyone to the French Connection, brought to you 0:00:30.440 --> 0:00:34.040 by NBC Sports and Racket. We'll be covering the tennis, 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:36.000 as you know, from the French Open right through the 0:00:36.000 --> 0:00:39.760 Olympics back in Paris at Roland Garros, and we'll cover 0:00:39.840 --> 0:00:42.560 everything in between. Today we have a very special guest 0:00:42.600 --> 0:00:45.040 alongside of me, of course, is Sam Query. What way 0:00:45.080 --> 0:00:47.440 that way? I don't never know which way to point anyway, 0:00:47.720 --> 0:00:50.120 Sam Query, of course joining me again, and the one 0:00:50.159 --> 0:00:54.120 and only former world number one US Open champion, the 0:00:54.120 --> 0:00:56.280 one and only Andy Roddick. Hi, Andy, thanks for joining 0:00:56.360 --> 0:00:57.000 us today, buddy. 0:00:57.440 --> 0:00:58.880 How are your friends? 0:00:59.360 --> 0:01:00.720 Well? Yeah, you were here. 0:01:01.720 --> 0:01:03.560 I appreciate this is cool. Thanks for having me on. 0:01:04.160 --> 0:01:07.399 Yeah, all the we're excited to talk to you. Obviously 0:01:07.400 --> 0:01:09.880 it's early days in the French Open, but we've had 0:01:09.880 --> 0:01:13.399 some amazing storylines already, of course, rapha et cetera, et cetera. 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:15.800 But before we get into that, Andy, I want to 0:01:15.840 --> 0:01:19.120 ask you, on a personal level, give us your best 0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:20.240 Sam Query story. 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:24.200 Oh that's easy. It's the easiest thing, well one that 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:27.720 I can tell on air. Anyways, I'll leave one out, 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:30.360 but it was easy. Normally we had like punishments for 0:01:30.400 --> 0:01:32.920 practice partners for Davis Cup, and they were you know, 0:01:33.000 --> 0:01:36.040 pretty benign, like lame stuff, you know, give a speech, 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:39.120 do whatever. So we have this idea with this this 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:44.360 young kid, Sam Quarry that listen. So as everyone's coming 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:46.560 back from dinner, I think we were in Palm Springs, 0:01:47.360 --> 0:01:49.640 as everyone's coming back from dinner, you know, all these 0:01:49.840 --> 0:01:52.160 people volunteer just so they can eat free food and 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:55.080 wearing ties, and you know that that was kind of 0:01:55.360 --> 0:01:57.160 I think quickly figured out that was the only reason 0:01:57.200 --> 0:01:59.680 why David's Cup existed was for the free buffets for 0:01:59.680 --> 0:02:04.040 these But anyways, as they're coming back in from the 0:02:04.040 --> 0:02:06.240 fancy night out. We'd figure we'd have the young buck 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:09.840 singing some songs and karaoke machine in the lobby of 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:13.440 the hotel, and we didn't really account for the fact 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:17.600 that that Sam might really like it, and so it 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:20.560 wasn't it wasn't much of a punishment when he said, 0:02:20.600 --> 0:02:22.640 you know what, that was good? I can do better? 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:24.840 Can I do another song? And so we were defeated. 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:27.760 It just had to lean into it at that moment, 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:30.320 you know, because the practice partners up until that pine 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:32.440 of his point was more just kind of the speeches 0:02:32.480 --> 0:02:34.240 at the team dinner, and you guys tried to kind 0:02:34.240 --> 0:02:36.359 of one up that you know, we're not going to 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:38.239 do that. We're going to make you see karaoke in 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:41.680 the lobby. Yeah, and just you know, put my best 0:02:41.680 --> 0:02:43.560 book forward and did two songs. 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:46.160 Little did we know, Little did we know how much 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:49.040 of a ham Sam really is. I mean, let's face it, 0:02:49.080 --> 0:02:52.640 we've seen some beauty since. But Andy, we spoke about 0:02:52.639 --> 0:02:55.200 an interesting story where you offered him. Was it is 0:02:55.200 --> 0:02:57.360 it true that you offered him five hundred dollars when 0:02:57.360 --> 0:02:59.000 he played Rafa? If you want to set to do 0:02:59.080 --> 0:03:00.919 the bull dance on the way to the changeover. 0:03:01.360 --> 0:03:03.800 I don't remember it specifically, but that definitely sounds like 0:03:03.840 --> 0:03:06.760 something that I would have would have done. 0:03:08.120 --> 0:03:11.760 Yeah, Cincinnati two thousand and five or two and six, 0:03:11.800 --> 0:03:12.239 I believe. 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:15.680 Well, yeah, I mean, let's say it definitely sounds like 0:03:15.720 --> 0:03:17.800 something I would have done. Hopefully, if I did do 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:19.800 it and he did it, that I paid up, that 0:03:19.840 --> 0:03:23.040 would be embarrassing. But one thing I learned very quickly, 0:03:23.440 --> 0:03:26.760 there there is there There are some people who are 0:03:26.840 --> 0:03:30.639 immune to just like you know, you know, average embarrassment. 0:03:30.720 --> 0:03:33.400 And Sam has no time for average embarrassment. He will 0:03:33.400 --> 0:03:35.200 get right to it. Do not bet him to do anything, 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:38.080 because you will, you will, you will come up. You 0:03:38.120 --> 0:03:40.119 will have less money than when you started the conversation. 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:44.240 All right, Sam, So now it's over to you. Give 0:03:44.280 --> 0:03:47.839 me your best Andy rodding story other than the other 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:49.120 than the Rafa one that we all. 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:52.240 Know now, right right? I mean, there were so many 0:03:52.320 --> 0:03:54.280 We spent a decent amount of time together, I think, 0:03:54.320 --> 0:03:57.160 but when I was like seventeen eighteen nineteen, and he 0:03:57.200 --> 0:04:00.200 would have me out to Austin occasionally for like, god 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:03.160 of practice weeks and gosh, I don't even you might 0:04:03.200 --> 0:04:04.600 not even know this. What are the times I was 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:07.000 there was I was dating someone at the time who 0:04:07.160 --> 0:04:10.440 lived kind of outside of Austin, And when you were 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:13.360 asleep one night, I did take your car without you know, 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:20.040 too busy, said girlfriend, and got back, got back. You 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:23.200 never knew we had practiced. The next day, all was good, 0:04:23.440 --> 0:04:26.000 smile on my face, worked hard, But I just I 0:04:26.000 --> 0:04:27.960 remember my heart rate going down the steps of your 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:29.680 how you lived on that house kind of on the 0:04:29.720 --> 0:04:31.520 lake in Austin. Yeah, I bet my heart rate was 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:34.520 at two hundred miles an hour, just oom boom. 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:35.200 Yeah, your keys. 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:37.000 It was a risky move. 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:40.480 Yeah, that's before Sam realized that there were security cameras. Uh, 0:04:40.839 --> 0:04:43.279 you know, but but you know, it really didn't matter. 0:04:43.320 --> 0:04:45.040 It would have bothered me had he not shown up 0:04:45.360 --> 0:04:48.880 properly the next day. But hey, listen, you still get 0:04:48.880 --> 0:04:50.760 your seven or eight hours and you show up and work. 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:53.239 I could I could care less what you did exactly. 0:04:53.600 --> 0:04:55.760 I don't know if you why was your hot ride 0:04:55.760 --> 0:04:57.839 at two hundred Was it more about actually going to 0:04:57.880 --> 0:05:00.280 see this chick? Or was it actually stealing, like. 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:05.960 Essentially stealing Andy's car like God forbid something happens like 0:05:05.720 --> 0:05:07.320 you probably wouldn't have cared. 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:10.039 Though, wait a second, Andy, you actually had no idea 0:05:10.040 --> 0:05:11.200 this was happened. This happened. 0:05:11.880 --> 0:05:13.440 No, I mean I think, I I think. I don't 0:05:13.440 --> 0:05:15.520 think he's as sneaky as he as he as he 0:05:15.560 --> 0:05:18.200 thought he was. But simply like listen, if he's going 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:20.120 out he's trying to as long as he shows up 0:05:20.120 --> 0:05:21.919 the next day, I don't I don't care. You know 0:05:21.920 --> 0:05:26.039 you're not you're not taking anything away from from my day. Uh. 0:05:26.200 --> 0:05:27.960 I probably would have just given him the car. He 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:31.560 didn't need to commit a felony, you know. You know, 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:33.560 it's not as if he was going out to a 0:05:33.600 --> 0:05:36.159 bar and and and show up like, you know whatever, 0:05:36.200 --> 0:05:37.800 and I wasn't gonna get in trouble because I had 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:40.680 a you know, underage drinker in my house or something. Now, 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:42.280 that probably wouldn't have bothered me as long as he 0:05:42.320 --> 0:05:43.039 got his eight hours. 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:46.000 Oh my god. First of all, thanks for both those stories, 0:05:46.040 --> 0:05:48.960 because they're fantastic, and you know we're gonna we're gonna, 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:51.559 you know what with those. But anyway, all right, Andy, 0:05:51.600 --> 0:05:53.480 so we are at the French Open. It is going 0:05:53.480 --> 0:05:56.799 on right now as we speak. Give me your favorite 0:05:56.839 --> 0:05:59.040 French Open story. I mean, I know you have a 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:02.200 parlethor of I'm sure I. 0:06:02.120 --> 0:06:04.680 Don't have that many. I did say the other day 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:08.359 on our podcast, I said, I actually finally realized my 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:11.560 value add to Rafa, and that was I can tell 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:14.120 him what to do with the other thirteen days of 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:17.719 Roland Garros, like I can finally add value on like 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:20.400 what to do for the other two weeks that the 0:06:20.400 --> 0:06:22.960 tournament is going on. Such a such a foreign concept 0:06:23.680 --> 0:06:26.600 for him. I didn't. I obviously didn't have many success 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:29.280 stories at the French Open, but I will tell you 0:06:29.320 --> 0:06:32.039 my best day of the year every single year would 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:35.160 be I would leave Paris after losing to someone depressing 0:06:35.200 --> 0:06:38.280 like Mutus or Acasuso or Mahout or all of this, 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:42.760 all the other giants that I lost to at the 0:06:42.760 --> 0:06:45.440 French Open. But I would leave. I would leave the 0:06:45.520 --> 0:06:47.200 venue and I was like, okay, I don't know. I 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:49.599 was probably like forty in the world on clay, and 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:51.560 then all it took was like a three hour train 0:06:51.640 --> 0:06:53.320 ride and I was like two or three in the world. Again. 0:06:53.360 --> 0:06:55.920 I just pop up in London practice on a grass court. 0:06:56.040 --> 0:06:58.080 That first day on grass, I'm like, okay, no problem. 0:06:58.080 --> 0:06:59.880 I step off the train and I'm good. At tennis again, 0:07:00.560 --> 0:07:01.159 number one. 0:07:01.040 --> 0:07:01.560 In the world. 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:02.159 Come on. 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:06.760 This guy over here, Sam, he probably feels the same way. 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:11.400 Uh yeah, I mean Andy, better than the kind of 0:07:11.400 --> 0:07:14.280 have the same same feeling. Who's really in the French Open? 0:07:14.440 --> 0:07:16.720 Quickly get over to London play Queens and like your 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:19.480 mindset switched. It was just a complete one eighty. Life 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:22.280 was good, your nice house, playing on a nice service, 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:24.400 and your conference was back instantaneously. 0:07:25.000 --> 0:07:27.040 Listen, I'm not gonna lie, guys. You can imagine with 0:07:27.080 --> 0:07:30.200 my game style, the French wasn't exactly you know, a 0:07:30.240 --> 0:07:32.760 little different, a little difficult for me as well. And 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:34.000 all of a sudden I got on grass and I 0:07:34.040 --> 0:07:35.960 was like, oh, I know how to play tennis. See 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:39.320 all right, So Andy, while we're on the subject of 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:42.520 Rafael Nadal, just give me your best story when it 0:07:42.560 --> 0:07:44.880 comes to him. We we, Sam, and I told some 0:07:44.960 --> 0:07:47.400 stories the other day about you know, me leaning on 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:51.280 him drunk at the US Open, essentially you know, him 0:07:51.320 --> 0:07:53.920 telling me that he saw me lose, like all the things. 0:07:54.000 --> 0:07:56.360 Sam told a great story. What about you, what's some 0:07:56.400 --> 0:07:58.600 of your fun stories about Rauffa that you'd like people 0:07:58.640 --> 0:07:58.920 to know. 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:05.120 Yeah, there are a couple you know I remember I 0:08:05.160 --> 0:08:07.560 had played him at the four US Open and he 0:08:07.640 --> 0:08:10.040 was seventeen, and I kind of went through him pretty quick. 0:08:10.480 --> 0:08:13.080 And then we were playing the Davis Cup final in Seville. 0:08:14.200 --> 0:08:17.600 We were over there in the final, uh twenty eight 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:20.800 thousand people or whatever, and we get a message like 0:08:20.920 --> 0:08:25.120 right before the match and it says they're subbing out Ferrero, 0:08:25.880 --> 0:08:27.920 who was at the time maybe three or four in 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:30.680 the world, for this guy that I had beaten two 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:34.480 and three, you know, three months earlier. And I'm going 0:08:35.320 --> 0:08:39.000 out of here away in Spain, they played us on 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:39.880 Clay Renee. 0:08:40.559 --> 0:08:41.360 No I'm saying. 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:48.000 It was at the US Open. So so I'm like pumped. 0:08:48.040 --> 0:08:51.400 I'm like, what idiots. I cannot believe how dumb these 0:08:51.440 --> 0:08:54.400 people are, the like Mooie stupido and Espana. Right now, 0:08:54.440 --> 0:08:57.920 this is just this is an absolute gift. And so 0:08:58.000 --> 0:09:00.480 I walked out there, uh in realize that it was 0:09:00.480 --> 0:09:01.400 not the same human. 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:02.000 Uh. 0:09:02.120 --> 0:09:04.360 When he played on Clay, I lost in four sets. 0:09:04.360 --> 0:09:06.000 It was a miracle that I won one set. And 0:09:06.040 --> 0:09:09.800 then uh, he won his first Frendshi Open like four 0:09:09.800 --> 0:09:12.480 months later. So I'm the big I'm the big dummy. 0:09:13.080 --> 0:09:14.679 A couple of things that I did that. It was that. 0:09:14.760 --> 0:09:15.960 I think it was the only time I ever got 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:19.480 under Rafa's skin. Was h he was infamous for one, 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:22.760 he's the nicest, most respectful person ever. But he's like 0:09:22.760 --> 0:09:25.240 a human rein delay getting ready for a match. Right, 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:27.679 there's like taping the fingers and he does all the things, 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:30.360 and it's like, so you're all you're always inevitably the 0:09:30.360 --> 0:09:33.880 one standing at the door waiting for him, and inevitably 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:35.599 you're waiting for him to come up, and you know, 0:09:35.679 --> 0:09:37.600 kick your as't know for it all, I sail on MBC, 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:42.200 kick your butt. Okay, great, And so I decided one 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:44.839 time in Miami was twenty ten that I, as soon 0:09:44.880 --> 0:09:48.360 as he was ready, I was going to start reading 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:51.840 a book. And so I did it. And that's the 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:55.559 only time I've ever seen Rafa even even a little annoyed. 0:09:56.000 --> 0:09:58.080 And I actually think he ended up kind of breaking 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:00.480 a racket that day. So, uh, point being, I should 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:01.400 have done a lot earlier. 0:10:02.080 --> 0:10:04.280 You should have done a lot of reading. I mean, I. 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:09.280 Should have started reading at some point before that. 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:12.560 Yes, yeah, definitely should have. So with Rafa kind of 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:15.600 toward the end here we've got Novak still playing Roger's done. 0:10:15.679 --> 0:10:18.920 You've said before that Novak at the three resumes is 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:21.200 the best, which I agree with. If you had to 0:10:21.200 --> 0:10:24.440 go with Rafa and Roger, whose resume are you picking 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:25.199 between the two of them? 0:10:25.880 --> 0:10:29.280 Well, it's so service dependent, and I honestly just am 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:33.600 so exhausted by the conversation by by now you can 0:10:33.640 --> 0:10:35.920 blindly look at resime. I don't know. I don't honestly 0:10:35.960 --> 0:10:39.400 know the peripheral status as much the masters one thousand 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:42.640 years at number I know Roger as a million years 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:45.480 at number one, and Rafa has less years at number one. 0:10:45.559 --> 0:10:47.800 I know he has two more slams. The head to 0:10:47.880 --> 0:10:50.640 head is Rafa. It's a little deceiving because Roger would 0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:53.160 kind of inevitably make it far enough in the French 0:10:53.200 --> 0:10:55.960 open to take his beating from Rafa, where that wasn't 0:10:55.960 --> 0:11:00.000 always the case on the faster services. So Sam, Sam, 0:11:00.160 --> 0:11:01.840 don't make me do it. Let's just call Novak and 0:11:01.880 --> 0:11:03.560 be happy with the rest, all. 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:06.560 Right, I answer, yeah, I mean, I agree. I think 0:11:07.000 --> 0:11:09.200 I'm sort of tired about talking about it as well. 0:11:09.200 --> 0:11:11.120 I mean, we do it in the women's game from 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:13.199 time to time. From I mean, we're going to ask 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:15.800 you a question towards the end of this about something 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:17.840 that I was like, oh god, I don't know who 0:11:17.880 --> 0:11:19.840 to pick, and we'll get to it, but you know, 0:11:19.880 --> 0:11:21.600 I think the bottom line is I'm always such a 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:24.040 person that's like, can we just appreciate them all? Because 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:27.120 they're also different personality wise? They all. I mean, imagine 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:29.200 how many Grand Slams they could have won if neither 0:11:29.240 --> 0:11:30.640 of them have had each other. I mean, you would 0:11:30.679 --> 0:11:33.120 have won a couple of Wimbledon's without Roger. I mean, 0:11:33.360 --> 0:11:34.920 we can go back and forth about all of that 0:11:34.960 --> 0:11:38.880 sort of stuff. I want to know from your perspective, Andy, 0:11:39.000 --> 0:11:41.400 going into the French Open and we're seeing the American 0:11:41.440 --> 0:11:44.480 guys doing pretty well, like Taylor, like Tommy Paul, like 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:46.480 they're playing, they're pushing a lot of guys on the 0:11:47.360 --> 0:11:50.240 red clay right now, what did you do? Did you 0:11:50.320 --> 0:11:52.800 do anything different going to the French Open to try 0:11:52.840 --> 0:11:55.680 and get yourself a little bit more adapted to playing 0:11:55.720 --> 0:11:57.480 on clay or was it just like I'm going to 0:11:57.520 --> 0:11:58.160 do the same thing. 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:01.120 Well, it was it was dependent. I mean, as we're 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:03.240 seeing right now, I think the French Open is the 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:08.000 most weather dependent Slam that we have, And so where 0:12:08.040 --> 0:12:12.440 I always struggled in Paris, and I've tried to explain 0:12:12.480 --> 0:12:14.280 this before and hopefully it'll come off the right way. 0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:16.680 But if you take most clay courts and you you 0:12:16.840 --> 0:12:18.360 pinch it and you get it between your fingers, it 0:12:18.400 --> 0:12:20.679 kind of feels like salt. Right, it's a little it's 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:23.080 a little it's a little grittier. You can actually dig 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:27.840 in for big, big bodied you know, artificial movers like myself. 0:12:28.320 --> 0:12:30.280 I'd rather be able to dig into something right and 0:12:30.360 --> 0:12:32.199 kind of you know, not be worried about kind of 0:12:32.200 --> 0:12:35.000 flipping an edge. At the French Open, if you if 0:12:35.040 --> 0:12:36.760 you took that same clay and rubbed it between your fingers, 0:12:36.800 --> 0:12:39.440 you would feel more like baking powder. Yeah, and so 0:12:39.559 --> 0:12:42.160 that first step. Yeah, So I would serve and then 0:12:42.240 --> 0:12:44.760 try to like split or react off of return. And 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:46.720 I felt like my foot was kind of always giving. 0:12:46.720 --> 0:12:50.160 So I just struggled at the French Open, and inevitably 0:12:50.240 --> 0:12:52.760 I kind of got stuck on Langland anytime I played 0:12:52.760 --> 0:12:54.680 a French guy and they'd water the tarbus behind the court, 0:12:54.720 --> 0:12:56.960 and you know, you'd come up with like a little mudball. 0:12:57.320 --> 0:12:59.880 And so I really did struggle so early on in 0:12:59.880 --> 0:13:02.559 my career I did really commit and want to do 0:13:02.640 --> 0:13:06.319 well there. Later on, later on in my career, probably 0:13:06.360 --> 0:13:10.160 midway through, I was hyper focused on all all everything, 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:12.480 Every decision I made was about trying to win Wimbledon, 0:13:12.800 --> 0:13:15.720 and there were no there were no real secondary conversations. 0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:18.960 So I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely 0:13:18.960 --> 0:13:22.720 aware of maybe the French Open being an eight foot 0:13:22.720 --> 0:13:25.560 ceiling where you know there was there was a tournament 0:13:25.559 --> 0:13:27.600 out there that might not have a ceiling, or at 0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:30.240 least it was a lot higher. So I would take 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:32.320 a break after Indian Wells, I would get my body 0:13:32.679 --> 0:13:34.520 right to go over and play a couple of tournaments 0:13:34.520 --> 0:13:37.680 on clay. But the reason I was training those weeks 0:13:37.679 --> 0:13:39.400 after Indian Wells was to try to get my body 0:13:39.480 --> 0:13:41.840 right so I could kind of withstand the tour through 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:43.000 Wimbledon and be ready there. 0:13:43.400 --> 0:13:43.600 Yeah. 0:13:44.440 --> 0:13:46.760 So Round two of the French Open going on right now. 0:13:46.800 --> 0:13:49.400 I'm sure you're watching a bunch of matches like we are. 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:53.079 We've got Osaka Versuiga the other day. Is that the 0:13:53.120 --> 0:13:54.720 match of the tournament so far? What are your thoughts 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:55.280 on that match? 0:13:55.640 --> 0:13:57.240 Yeah, it has to be the match of the tournament 0:13:57.280 --> 0:14:00.080 for so many reasons. Right, because you have this thing 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:03.199 where EGA's developing this like kind of rafa like mystique 0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:06.480 on clay. So anytime that gets interrupted, it's you know, 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:09.480 kind of it sets the whole the whole venue makes 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:12.880 it makes it Still obviously Osaka's comeback, the fact that 0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:14.760 they're you know, they have the highest slam totals of 0:14:14.800 --> 0:14:17.680 anyone active in the tournament. You know, with the four 0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:20.760 and four, can Osaka put herself back into this kind 0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:23.920 of high level conversation. I've loved the way that she's 0:14:23.920 --> 0:14:25.840 building throughout the year and the fact that she's having 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:28.160 a performance like this even being on the wrong side 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:31.880 of it at a slam again. Uh, that that'll that'll 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:34.920 raise a lot of people's antennas antenna's around the tennis world. 0:14:35.120 --> 0:14:38.000 So you have kind of this mixture of, uh, maybe 0:14:38.000 --> 0:14:41.600 our biggest mainstream star with it with Naomi coming up 0:14:41.600 --> 0:14:44.800 against egas Fiantech who has this mystique. So, uh, all 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:46.200 the all the cards were there. It was just a 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:49.000 matter of can Osaka play well enough on this surface 0:14:49.040 --> 0:14:52.280 specifically and at this moment in her career while she's 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:55.200 still kind of in build back mode to challenge Ega, 0:14:55.240 --> 0:14:57.480 And boy did she ever challenge Ega Ega barely got 0:14:57.480 --> 0:14:59.160 out of there. I thought it was the match of 0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:03.560 the tournament, quality of tennis, and I think storylines outside 0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:06.560 of saying goodbye to a player that we all love 0:15:06.600 --> 0:15:09.120 and respect. With raf it's obviously it was obviously going 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:11.760 to be the RAFIS show, but just as quality of 0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:15.280 tennis and champions and storylines, I like the Osaga Osaka 0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:16.200 Ega match for sure. 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:19.520 Oh I like that Osaga. It wasn't Osaga, it was 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:22.360 that was accidental, Like I mean, look at you are. 0:15:22.400 --> 0:15:24.720 You're in TV now, just like come them up with 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:28.360 quips left and right, so you know I if you 0:15:28.400 --> 0:15:31.000 see here. I love this quote from Naomi. This is like, 0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:33.280 first of all, this is like putting a flag in 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:36.960 the sand, baby, this is like, okay, great match, it's 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:39.600 your best surface. I cannot wait to play on hard court. 0:15:39.640 --> 0:15:42.120 I mean that's a dagger. And I actually said after 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:44.560 the match, I think I tweeted it out. I said, 0:15:45.040 --> 0:15:47.800 Naomi Osaka, if she plays like that, to me, is 0:15:47.840 --> 0:15:50.560 the favorite to win the US Open. And a lot 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:52.040 of people are like, well, I come on, she hasn't 0:15:52.080 --> 0:15:54.880 won that many matches just because she plays well. Because 0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:57.960 I felt like she's she looked unbelievably fit. She was 0:15:58.000 --> 0:16:00.640 moving so well on the clay, and you think about 0:16:00.640 --> 0:16:03.000 how well she plays on hard court. If she plays 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:07.040 even remotely that close, there's who beats her on hard court, 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:09.040 I mean, and we know how well she plays on hardcourt, 0:16:09.120 --> 0:16:11.240 arguably one of the best hardcore players over the last 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:13.960 ten years. So I'm putting her as equal favorite at 0:16:13.960 --> 0:16:15.840 the US Open already. I'm putting it in the sand. 0:16:15.920 --> 0:16:16.880 What are your thoughts on that. 0:16:17.440 --> 0:16:20.240 I think you're excited, and I think there's I think 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:23.600 there's maybe a recency bias a little bit. I think 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:26.200 I said when I saw her in Miami, you know, 0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:27.760 she was on the verge where she played two good 0:16:27.800 --> 0:16:30.800 matches and then it was just kind of that mental flow. Right, 0:16:30.840 --> 0:16:33.200 we haven't seen her go this is two matches at 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:36.240 the Front Open, Right, the mental wear and tear over 0:16:36.240 --> 0:16:37.960 the course of two weeks is something that I think 0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:40.320 we have to factor in. We haven't seen that from 0:16:40.360 --> 0:16:43.240 her in four or five years. I do think that matters. 0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:47.240 She had nothing zero to lose in this matchup, so 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:50.280 I think that matters as well. But I kind of 0:16:50.280 --> 0:16:52.480 agree with you as far as things rounding in the 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:56.200 form you know, co favorite, top five favorite, top ten favorite. 0:16:56.240 --> 0:16:57.920 I don't know. I think she's going to win a 0:16:57.960 --> 0:17:01.200 Slam again. I feel comfortable saying that, I don't know 0:17:01.200 --> 0:17:04.080 that I would choose her, you know, over a Sabolenka 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:07.600 or you know, a Shiatech or someone like that. Yet 0:17:07.720 --> 0:17:11.320 just based on kind of day and day out average 0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:15.000 Tuesday consistency, that's still a question mark. But I agree 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:16.879 with you from from a movement, the way that the 0:17:16.920 --> 0:17:19.800 ball is leaving her racket, it looks like Osaka again 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:23.560 for the first time since the comeback. The serve is unparalleled. 0:17:23.560 --> 0:17:26.160 So I'm not mad at your sentiment. I just want 0:17:26.200 --> 0:17:28.120 to see a little bit longer, and I don't want 0:17:28.119 --> 0:17:31.960 to disrespect the women that are playing at an unbelievable 0:17:32.040 --> 0:17:35.159 level right now, Like it's the level is phenomenal. 0:17:35.440 --> 0:17:36.919 I want to ask the two of you, though, have 0:17:37.040 --> 0:17:39.320 you seen I'll start with you, Sam, but like, have 0:17:39.400 --> 0:17:42.240 you seen her this excited on the court, because she 0:17:42.400 --> 0:17:44.760 was pumped up like I've never seen her scream yes, 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:47.280 come on more than that. She's usually pretty laid back. 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:49.560 And I mean, mister Andy Murray, I mean this is 0:17:49.560 --> 0:17:52.880 what he put out, which was, like I said, approved 0:17:53.080 --> 0:17:55.800 wta get your you know what together, because you got 0:17:55.840 --> 0:17:57.720 to do a better job at capitalizing on what we 0:17:57.760 --> 0:17:59.840 saw yesterday. But have you either of you seen her 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:02.840