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Speaker 1: Is there a part of you as a player on

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Speaker 1: the ATP Tour going into the French Open, going, you

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Speaker 1: know what, this might be the year that I don't

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Speaker 1: mind playing him because can you imagine.

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Speaker 2: That you're the person that puts him into retirement.

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Speaker 3: At I don't want to be that guy.

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Speaker 4: I remember the one time I overlapped with Andrea Agassi

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Speaker 4: in the tournament was the two thousand and six US Open,

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Speaker 4: his last tournament, my first tournament, and I just remember thinking,

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Speaker 4: I don't want to play him.

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Speaker 3: I don't want to be the jerk that sends him

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Speaker 3: off to the retirement. Maybe that's a that's a.

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Speaker 4: Bad mindset, but I just I never wanted to be

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Speaker 4: that guy. So other people might have a different thought

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Speaker 4: process and want to be the guy that, Hey, I

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Speaker 4: finally beat rombay on the doll on clay, But for me,

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Speaker 4: it was like I just didn't want that field. I

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Speaker 4: felt like everyone was gonna hate.

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Speaker 3: Me, like, oh, that's the guy that beat him in

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Speaker 3: his last match, that's jerk.

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Speaker 1: Welcome everyone to the first episode of The French Connection,

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Speaker 1: brought to you by NBC Sports and Racket. We are

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Speaker 1: going to be covering everything from the French Open right

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Speaker 1: through to the Olympics back at the same side at Rolling.

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Speaker 2: Garowskin Paris weekend. Wait, we're going to be there throughout

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Speaker 2: the whole thing.

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Speaker 1: And I am joined, of course by the one and

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Speaker 1: only Sam Query. Before we get to you, Sam, I

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Speaker 1: am an a stub six times Grand Slam champion, and

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Speaker 1: I am alongside the wonderful I got to go this

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Speaker 1: way Sam Query, of course, former world number eleven in

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Speaker 1: singles on the ATP Tour, winner of ten singles titles

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Speaker 1: on the ATP. We were just bantering back and forth

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Speaker 1: that apparently one ATP title is worth ten doubles titles,

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Speaker 1: so technically you have one hundred and five titles and

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Speaker 1: I have sixty, so we're doing pretty well.

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Speaker 2: Sam. Welcome Sam, thanks for having me.

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Speaker 3: And I got that.

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Speaker 4: I got that reference from the Brian brother maybe the

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Speaker 4: greatest doubles team of all time, so it feels valid.

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Speaker 3: You know, one singles title, we're ten doubles pats.

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Speaker 1: I did want to go into the fact that you're

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Speaker 1: also a professional pickle ball player now, Sam, and so

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Speaker 1: you know you are that, but you were a former

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Speaker 1: tennis player, so I'm going to you know, still think

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Speaker 1: that you are an expert in the in the field

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Speaker 1: of the sport. Where are going to talk about through

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Speaker 1: of course the French Open right to the Olympics.

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Speaker 2: I just you know we're going.

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Speaker 1: To have later on the show, we're going to talk

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Speaker 1: to the one and only Mary Carillo, who of course

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Speaker 1: has been to more Olympics than you and I can

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Speaker 1: bind by tenfold. But Sam, just real quick, let's get

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Speaker 1: to the burning questions of the French Open and what's

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Speaker 1: coming up, et cetera. Rafael Nadal, We've got to talk

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Speaker 1: about Raffah fourteen time champion at Roland Garross. It's insanity

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Speaker 1: to even say those numbers. But just you know, your

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Speaker 1: thoughts on him going.

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Speaker 2: To the tournament, playing the tournament.

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Speaker 1: The decisions are possibly not all to play the French

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Speaker 1: Just give me thoughts on him.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, that is the storyline at the French Open this year.

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Speaker 4: You know, will Rafa play? Will if he plays, will

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Speaker 4: it be his last event? And we're just kind of waiting.

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Speaker 4: You know, the tournament starts in about a week and

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Speaker 4: six days next Sunday, and everyone wants Raffa to play.

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Speaker 4: I think you know, everyone wants to see him play

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Speaker 4: at Roland Garrels one last time.

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Speaker 3: We hope that he goes out there and plays well.

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Speaker 3: We know he's gonna fight.

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Speaker 4: He's the he's got great he's got what it takes

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Speaker 4: to go out there. He's going to fight for every point.

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Speaker 4: But you know, myself, along with the rest of the world,

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Speaker 4: wants him to go out there one more time. So

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Speaker 4: I hope he does.

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Speaker 1: You played him, you know, you've actually had, you know,

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Speaker 1: an unbelievable singles career in your own right. But just

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Speaker 1: give me your thoughts on Rafa in general, just for

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Speaker 1: the people at home that didn't get to experience having

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Speaker 1: to play him. And did you play him on clay,

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Speaker 1: because that's torture if you did.

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Speaker 3: I did.

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Speaker 4: I played him twice on clay shockingly lost both of those.

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Speaker 4: But you know, right from the get go, you've seen it.

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Speaker 4: When you're flipping the coin and you're up at the

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Speaker 4: net with the referee, he's bouncing up and down, he's

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Speaker 4: looking at you. You're intimidated right off the bat. You

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Speaker 4: know that when you're up forty love, he's going to

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Speaker 4: make you earn that next point to win the game,

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Speaker 4: and you're going to go out there and you're going

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Speaker 4: to battle for three four five hours and that's what

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Speaker 4: made him win fourteen French Open titles. And even though

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Speaker 4: this is his last event most likely and he's not

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Speaker 4: playing great as an opponent, you don't want to play

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Speaker 4: him with the French Open.

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Speaker 3: I don't know you feel.

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Speaker 4: But if I'm one of the other one hundred and

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Speaker 4: twenty seven guys in the draw, the one person I

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Speaker 4: don't want to see is Rothay on.

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Speaker 2: The doll am I except for this year? Maybe? I mean?

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Speaker 1: Is there is there if you were still playing on

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Speaker 1: tour and you saw that he look, he's not playing

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Speaker 1: great going into the French That's why the doubt is

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Speaker 1: is he going to play? But is there a part

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Speaker 1: of you as a player on the ATP Tour going

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Speaker 1: into the French.

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Speaker 2: Show Open going you know what? This might be the

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Speaker 2: year that I don't mind playing him because can you

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Speaker 2: imagine that you're the person that puts him into retirement

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Speaker 2: at the French I don't want to.

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Speaker 3: Be that guy.

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Speaker 4: I remember the one time I overlapped with Andrea Agassi

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Speaker 4: in the tournament was the two thousand and six US Open,

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Speaker 4: his last tournament, my first tournament, and I just remember thinking,

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Speaker 4: I don't want to play him. I don't want to

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Speaker 4: be the jerk that sends him off to the retirement.

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Speaker 4: Maybe that's a that's a bad mindset, but I just

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Speaker 4: I never wanted to be that guy. So other people

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Speaker 4: might have a different thought process and want to be

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Speaker 4: the guy that, Hey, I finally beat Rothay on the

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Speaker 4: doll on clay. But for me, it was like I

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Speaker 4: just didn't want.

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Speaker 5: That, you know.

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Speaker 4: I felt like everyone was going to like, Oh, that's

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Speaker 4: the guy that beat him in his last match, that jerk.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's interesting.

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Speaker 1: That just proves that you're actually an empathetic, nice guy,

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Speaker 1: because I think there are some guys in the locker

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Speaker 1: room they'd be like, yeah, there would be nothing better

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Speaker 1: than to say I beat him in Paris at the

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Speaker 1: French Open on his best surface, and I'm the one

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Speaker 1: that put him into retirement there.

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Speaker 2: I don't know.

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Speaker 1: I think there's some I think there's some psychotic players

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Speaker 1: out there that wouldn't mind doing that.

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Speaker 4: Now, you're absolutely right, most of the players actually probably

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Speaker 4: have that mindset. Give me, Rafa, this is the time.

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Speaker 4: I haven't been able to beat him for the last

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Speaker 4: fifteen sixteen years. This is my one opportunity. Let me

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Speaker 4: get it.

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Speaker 1: You don't think, you know, these guys in twenty thirty

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Speaker 1: years time are going to be like, yeah, I.

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Speaker 2: Beat Raffa in Paris, what's the big deal?

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Speaker 1: Right?

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Speaker 4: So he was honest with people have done it. You're

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Speaker 4: going to be a group of four that has beat

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Speaker 4: Rafa in Paris.

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Speaker 1: I mean that number is absolute insanity. One hundred and

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Speaker 1: twelve and three losses in the French Open. I mean,

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Speaker 1: can you just explain to people at home how absolutely

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Speaker 1: bonkers that is. I mean, Chris Ebbott had an incredible,

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Speaker 1: incredible career. Her numbers, arguably as far as win percentage,

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Speaker 1: are actually better than Raffers, but she also didn't play

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Speaker 1: as many as he did. In the end, this is

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Speaker 1: insanity what he has done here.

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Speaker 3: Oh. I mean, you know how hard it is to

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Speaker 3: win one match on the need to tour.

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Speaker 4: I mean he's won one hundred and twelve matches at

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Speaker 4: the French Open alone. There's a lot of very good

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Speaker 4: players that haven't won one hundred and twelve matches on

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Speaker 4: the tour of their career, and he's done it at

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Speaker 4: one tournament.

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Speaker 3: It's just incredible. It's one of the greatest feats in sports.

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Speaker 4: And you know, I don't think we'll ever see that

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Speaker 4: again in our lifetime. The dominance that one player has had,

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Speaker 4: not only at one tennis tournament, but possibly in all

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Speaker 4: of sports. It's it's truly impress like just one of

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Speaker 4: the most impressive things I've ever seen.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, for me, it's arguably the greatest feat in sports.

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Speaker 1: I don't think anyone's ever going to do what he

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Speaker 1: has done because not only are you having to beat

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Speaker 1: the best players in the world over five sets, but

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Speaker 1: also let's not forget about the fact that it's really

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Speaker 1: hard to go injury free for that amount of time

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Speaker 1: and be able to get away with like being healthy

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Speaker 1: every year and was seeing Sadly, for him, that's the

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Speaker 1: thing that's more than likely going to stop him from

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Speaker 1: winning fifteen.

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Speaker 2: Would you have given him a seed.

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Speaker 1: At the French Open, because that's been a little bit

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Speaker 1: of a controversial or topic, I guess would you have

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Speaker 1: given him a seed?

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Speaker 4: I would not have given him a seed even if

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Speaker 4: he was ranked you know, they see the top thirty

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Speaker 4: two at the French Open. Even if he was ranked

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Speaker 4: thirty three right now, which he's not, he's ranked in

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Speaker 4: the hundreds. I still wouldn't have given him a seed.

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Speaker 4: I think if you're top thirty two in the world,

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Speaker 4: you've done the work, you deserve a seed.

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Speaker 3: Now, having said that, I am a fan of.

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Speaker 4: What Wimbledon used to do, where they would take the

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Speaker 4: top thirty two seeds and then they would shuffle him

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Speaker 4: around based on a formula on their.

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Speaker 3: Grass court results and seed based on that.

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Speaker 4: But no, right now, in Rotha's current situation and the

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Speaker 4: way he's playing, I don't think he deserves a seed.

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Speaker 4: And the guys in the top thirty two have put

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Speaker 4: in the work and they're there for a reason, and

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Speaker 4: I would about that.

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Speaker 1: I would arguably say that Rafa wouldn't have wanted a

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Speaker 1: seat either, because I think he's very aware of the

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Speaker 1: fact that he's going into this tournament that he's dominated,

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Speaker 1: not playing good tennis, and not being one hundred percent.

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Speaker 2: So I think you would probably agree with you.

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Speaker 1: Part of him would want to because we could potentially

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Speaker 1: have him playing Novak in.

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Speaker 2: The first round.

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Speaker 1: That's what people don't understand about the importance of having

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Speaker 1: a seed in general, is that you don't play someone

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Speaker 1: like Novak or sits a Pass or Zev or Sinner

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Speaker 1: in the first round. So let's just hope he doesn't

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Speaker 1: play somebody like that in the first round. We'll wait

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Speaker 1: and see for the draw to come out. But speaking

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Speaker 1: of the draw, what about the fact that Novak Djokovic,

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Speaker 1: who was the most dominant player on the A Top

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Speaker 1: Tour last year, has not won a tournament this year.

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Speaker 1: I mean that, I don't know what's more out well,

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Speaker 1: not outstanding weird is the fact that he's not won

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Speaker 1: a tournament or rough as one fourteen. I mean, that's

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Speaker 1: crazy going into the French Open.

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Speaker 4: Exactly, they're both crazy and Rafa or sorry Novak not

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Speaker 4: winning the VET and not even playing great all year.

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Speaker 4: It's not like he's losing in semis and finals. He's

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Speaker 4: going out early in event after event. So he's coming

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Speaker 4: to the French Open with probably the least amount of

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Speaker 4: confidence he's had in his entire career. The I guess

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Speaker 4: silver lining that he has going for him is Rafa's

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Speaker 4: not playing great, he doesn't have Roger Betder to deal with.

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Speaker 4: Alcaraz and Center seem to have some injuries. We've got

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Speaker 4: a different winner every week on the men's side for

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Speaker 4: every clay court tournament, so there's really not one favorite

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Speaker 4: that's going in there. Kind of with all the momentum

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Speaker 4: behind him, Rafa or Novak has just as much of

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Speaker 4: a chance to win the French Open as as ten

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Speaker 4: to fifteen other guys, and so that's what's probably still

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Speaker 4: giving him a little bit of a belief of saying,

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Speaker 4: all right, I haven't had a great year, but no

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Speaker 4: one else has and I can still go win this tournament.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, obviously we'll get into it a little

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Speaker 1: bit more when the draw comes out, etc. Who we

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Speaker 1: think is going to probably be the favorite, But right

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Speaker 1: now there is no favorite. I mean, Alcaraz is the

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Speaker 1: odds on favorite, but you know his injury issues and

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Speaker 1: Janick Sinner has had an amazing year, but also he

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Speaker 1: has a bit of a question mark. But as we said,

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Speaker 1: once a draw comes out, we'll have a slightly better idea.

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Speaker 1: But also Sam, as you know, best of five sets,

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Speaker 1: you can work your way into a tournament, and if

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Speaker 1: Novak's in the second week, then he goes in as

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Speaker 1: favorite to win the French Open in my opinion. Now,

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Speaker 1: flip it around because the women's is a whole different story,

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Speaker 1: because we have someone going into the French Open that

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Speaker 1: is by far the overwhelming favorite.

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Speaker 2: She's so good on the red clay.

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Speaker 1: Clearly, she's already proven that by winning the two biggest

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Speaker 1: lead up tournaments in Madrid and Rome, beating you know,

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Speaker 1: obviously her biggest rival and Sabrilanca, but Eager she untagged. Wow,

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Speaker 1: she has just been so dominating on this red surface.

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Speaker 1: Just your thoughts on her and the women's side.

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Speaker 3: Oh, Siontec's incredible right now.

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Speaker 4: I mean, winning Madrid and that incredible final over sabrill

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Speaker 4: Anca and then winning Rome relatively easy kind.

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Speaker 3: Of along the way.

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Speaker 4: She's won the French Open before. She's going into it

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Speaker 4: as the heavy favorite. Like you said, her movement not

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Speaker 4: only the clay, she moves well all the time, but

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Speaker 4: her movement is incredible. I mean she's and she's not

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Speaker 4: someone who's five foot five, she's you know, more of me,

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Speaker 4: she's maybe five to ten five. Yeah, I mean she's

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Speaker 4: an incredible mover. She's in perfect position for every ball

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Speaker 4: that she hits, and that's what I think is the

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Speaker 4: key to her success on the clay. And you know,

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Speaker 4: if I was a betting person, which I'm not, it's

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Speaker 4: it's tech versus the field right now, and I would

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Speaker 4: take her going to the French.

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Speaker 1: Open even though she's dominating, is in your opinion, the

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Speaker 1: women's sort of.

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Speaker 2: Game right now a little bit more interesting through the.

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Speaker 1: Last six months than the men, just because we've gotten

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Speaker 1: these great rivals playing against each other more like Sabalanca

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Speaker 1: and Eager Chiante going into the French they've now played

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Speaker 1: each other a bunch of Rebakina. Look, she's also played

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Speaker 1: really well to this year, but this match in Madrid

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Speaker 1: was just arguably the best match of the year. And

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Speaker 1: then in the finals of Rome, Eager dominated. And there's

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Speaker 1: a little difference because there's no altitude in Rome, and

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Speaker 1: I think the condition suited Sheiontech a little more, which

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Speaker 1: is why we had the blowout. But just this match

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Speaker 1: in Madrid and just over all the women, do you

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Speaker 1: think that they're a little bit more interesting this year

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Speaker 1: going into the French Open.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 4: As a as a sports fan, I like when there's

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Speaker 4: dominance in sports by one or two individuals or one

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Speaker 4: or two teams. I think that is an interesting kind

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Speaker 4: of outlook on what's going on. When the Patriots were

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Speaker 4: dominating football, you either love the Patriots or you hated them,

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Speaker 4: but you were going to watch and see what was

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Speaker 4: going to happen. So I like that IgA and Sabalanca

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Speaker 4: are creating and and Rabakina as well. The three of

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Speaker 4: them are kind of separating themselves from the field and

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Speaker 4: it's making it's making for great rivalries. It's making for

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Speaker 4: some mu must watch matches and finals in these events,

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Speaker 4: which is great.

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Speaker 3: Where the men's side, you're going into these tournaments and

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Speaker 3: it's a little.

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Speaker 4: Bit of a free thro all. I have no idea

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Speaker 4: who's going to be in the semis and the finals.

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Speaker 4: Sometimes it's exciting, sometimes it's not. But the women, I

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Speaker 4: feel like you're going into these tournaments now knowing you're

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Speaker 4: going to get a really good semi final or final

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Speaker 4: at the end of the event, which makes for kind

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Speaker 4: of an exciting kind of culmination of the week.

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Speaker 1: Gee, you know, outside of Rebakina, because we know how

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Speaker 1: well she can play in any tournament, I think when

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Speaker 1: she's at her very very best, I think there's I

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Speaker 1: would put her equally to Eager, equally to saball Aanca

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Speaker 1: just because she has it. But unfortunately for her, she

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Speaker 1: just gets these random illnesses and injuries.

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Speaker 2: I mean, it's part of the game.

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Speaker 1: It's why the dominance of someone like Nadal at the

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Speaker 1: French Open, or just even Novak and Rafa in general.

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Speaker 2: Their ability to be able to the longevity of not

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Speaker 2: getting you know, sick and injuries and things.

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Speaker 1: I mean, but Rebakina, you have to put her in

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Speaker 1: that category. But what about is there any other contenders

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Speaker 1: out there in the women's that also sort of you know,

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Speaker 1: we have to talk about Coco, like, throw throw a

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Speaker 1: few more people out there that you think are interesting

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Speaker 1: to watch going into the French.

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Speaker 4: Right interesting to watch it could and could win it,

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Speaker 4: or could make a run to the final if weird

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Speaker 4: things happened. But yes, Coco obviously has won the US Open.

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Speaker 4: She's a Grand Slam champion. She's got a big game.

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Speaker 4: She can make a run. Danielle Collins right now, winning Miami,

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Speaker 4: winning Charleston, semi finally in Rome last week. She's a fighter,

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Speaker 4: she's exciting to watch. Those two particular girls I think

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Speaker 4: are the the two to keep your eyes. But what

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Speaker 4: about I mean, you have a better understanding of one

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Speaker 4: game than I do. Who else is on that list?

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Speaker 3: With that?

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Speaker 2: I agree? I agree.

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Speaker 1: I think Maria Sakari certainly has had a little bit

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Speaker 1: of a better year. I mean, we've got former champions

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Speaker 1: in the draw as well, so you know, the women's

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Speaker 1: game for me, as you said, because of the rivalries

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Speaker 1: and the interest, and we've had so many Grand Slam

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Speaker 1: winners over.

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Speaker 2: The last couple of years. There's some big names in

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Speaker 2: the draw.

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Speaker 1: That we haven't even spoken about, so we cannot wait.

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Speaker 1: Of course, then they're going to all flip around and

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Speaker 1: play the Olympics not soon long after that at the

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Speaker 1: same place, so.

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Speaker 2: It's going to be really interesting. It's very different when

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Speaker 2: you represent your country.

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Speaker 1: The nerves are different, but individually they're all going to

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Speaker 1: be there in Paris and we cannot wait to continue

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Speaker 1: to bring them all to you. Of course, the French

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Speaker 1: Open is going to be on. It's starting on Sunday

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Speaker 1: on Peacock. The coverage is going to be amazing opening

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Speaker 1: night action from Rolling Garos beginning noon Eastern. Then one

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Speaker 1: continues in full swing Monday the twenty seventh on NBC

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Speaker 1: and Peacock eleven easton. I cannot wait. The French Open

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Speaker 1: is literally my favorite. I love getting up early in

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Speaker 1: the morning and watching it. And we have someone that's

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Speaker 1: going to talk about how important it is to cover

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Speaker 1: the French Open, and of course the Olympics with the

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Speaker 1: one and only, of course NBC's own Mary Carillo.

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Speaker 2: After we take a little short break.

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Speaker 1: As promised, the one the only Mary Carillo. Of course,

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Speaker 1: thank you for coming on the French Connection. Mary, of

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Speaker 1: course joining me and of course Sam nineteen seventy seven

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Speaker 1: French Open mixed doubles champion with John McEnroe. Let's just

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Speaker 1: put that out there. First of all, Mary, thank you

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Speaker 1: so much for joining us today. We're going to talk

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Speaker 1: all things French Open leading into the Olympics. But my friend,

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Speaker 1: thank you for joining us today.

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Speaker 6: It's nice for your and Sam.

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Speaker 5: You may not know this, but the seventy seven French

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Speaker 5: Open mixed levels was John McEnroe's first major title. It

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Speaker 5: was my last. But let's not go into that. Yeah,

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Speaker 5: how do you like that, my friend?

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Speaker 4: That's impesome. That's an amazing little forever there. He kind

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Speaker 4: of took Off's career. Without that win, there's no John McEnroe.

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Speaker 6: That's that's what I'm saying. All right, what do you

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Speaker 6: want to talk about?

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Speaker 2: I want to know first of all, Mary, I just

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Speaker 2: put this in the background. I don't know if you

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Speaker 2: can see that. This is my mixed.

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Speaker 1: Doubles runner up at the French Open. So you have

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Speaker 1: that over me, my friend. I was a loser there

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Speaker 1: and you were a winner. But let's get tell me.

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Speaker 1: Tell me your favorite memories on and off the court,

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Speaker 1: basically in Paris.

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Speaker 6: I mean on the court.

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Speaker 5: Obviously, the only thing I've ever done was standing next

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Speaker 5: to John McEnroe when he won the French Roup mixles

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Speaker 5: and I just, you know, tried not to gag all

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Speaker 5: over the court.

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Speaker 6: But i mean off the court.

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Speaker 5: I've been in the booth and I tend to stay

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Speaker 5: a lot longer at the French Open when I'm not playing,

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Speaker 5: when I'm just talking about it. So I've gotten to

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Speaker 5: see you Rafa's entire run, I've seen Serena and Sheriff,

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Speaker 5: I've seen I've been doing this for a long long time.

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Speaker 5: I've I've gotten to call a dozen of French Opens.

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Speaker 5: It happened to be my favorite. I love clay. I

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Speaker 5: love I loved watching people figure out how to play

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Speaker 5: on clay. So I've been in Paris. I mean, come on,

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Speaker 5: there's a couple of things you can do there, a

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Speaker 5: couple of things to see.

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Speaker 4: Absolutely, is there one match over the years You've called

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Speaker 4: matches for decades now, is there a real match that

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Speaker 4: stands out in your head as kind of the best

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Speaker 4: match you've ever watched.

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Speaker 5: Well, obviously, the Nadal Federer matches weren't always great. Actually,

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Speaker 5: the one time that Roger Federer won in two thousand

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Speaker 5: and nine, it wasn't a good match. I was in

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Speaker 5: the booth with Ted Robinson and John McEnroe. But towards

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Speaker 5: the end of the match, he was winning so easily, Roger,

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Speaker 5: and he's finally going to win this one major that

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Speaker 5: he wasn't ever sure he could win.

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Speaker 6: And he starts jamming up, he starts crying, you know,

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Speaker 6: like you could see that he's.

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Speaker 5: So I I talked to my producer, you know, the

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Speaker 5: bat the cough button, and I said, you know, John,

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Speaker 5: I'm I'm gonna stop talking. You know, let's just you know,

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Speaker 5: let's just show Raj, you know, going through all this.

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Speaker 5: And then Ted got quiet, and then even John got quiet.

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Speaker 5: And that was the best part of the whole match,

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Speaker 5: was that Roger finally came good. On that surface, it

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Speaker 5: wasn't a great match, but it was a great moment.

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Speaker 5: If you have eat Robin Soderling in the final that year,

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Speaker 5: exactly right, exactly right.

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Speaker 1: That's right, and Robin was never to be seen again.

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Speaker 1: So Mary, you know, when you sit up in the booth,

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Speaker 1: like explain the importance of seeing tennis also on red clay.

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Speaker 2: We don't get to see that very much.

440
00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:40,520
Speaker 1: But the beauty of the French Open, you know, and

441
00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:43,399
Speaker 1: and the beauty of playing on clay, and just explain

442
00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:46,160
Speaker 1: to people why it's so different than playing on any

443
00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:47,359
Speaker 1: other Grand Slam surface.

444
00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:51,919
Speaker 5: I mean, to my mind, clay is the game's classroom.

445
00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:56,920
Speaker 5: It's why so many Europeans have dominated tennis for so long.

446
00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:57,120
Speaker 3: Now.

447
00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:01,280
Speaker 5: You learn how to to, you learn how to attack,

448
00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:03,000
Speaker 5: you learn how to move, you learn how to go

449
00:19:03,080 --> 00:19:07,600
Speaker 5: from offense to defense back to offense again. Points are complicated,

450
00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:13,800
Speaker 5: you manage the court differently. It's for that reason I

451
00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:16,760
Speaker 5: think clay court tennis and clay court tennis players are

452
00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:17,720
Speaker 5: really special.

453
00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:20,760
Speaker 1: What about you, Yeah, well, I mean I wanted to

454
00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:23,400
Speaker 1: ask you on that. You know, you obviously very good

455
00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:26,720
Speaker 1: friends with Chris Evertt. So you're talking about Chris Evertt

456
00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,720
Speaker 1: and you're talking about Rafa, you know, so just compare

457
00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:32,119
Speaker 1: those two because you have seen them both through the

458
00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:34,640
Speaker 1: years compete and when the way that they have done

459
00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:38,480
Speaker 1: so well on you know, the clay in Paris, So

460
00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:40,760
Speaker 1: just you know your connection with both of those two

461
00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:42,160
Speaker 1: great players at the French Open.

462
00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:47,960
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean Rafa is a beast, you know he Yeah,

463
00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:51,879
Speaker 5: you see how physical he is, how mentally strong he is.

464
00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:55,439
Speaker 5: Chrissy was much later on the court, but she managed

465
00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:59,920
Speaker 5: the court again so well. She had so much concer

466
00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,320
Speaker 5: tration and focus and drive, and clay allowed her to

467
00:20:03,359 --> 00:20:06,000
Speaker 5: beat players who are bigger and stronger, right, who could

468
00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:09,480
Speaker 5: hit harder. She would keep a rally going and she'd move,

469
00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:12,040
Speaker 5: she'd move the ball around, manage the middle of the court,

470
00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:14,160
Speaker 5: and then all of a sudden she might hit her

471
00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:17,159
Speaker 5: forehand that that was just a little higher than the

472
00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:20,119
Speaker 5: last one, you know, or dip her back hand just

473
00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:22,880
Speaker 5: a little lower, and all of a sudden her opponent

474
00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:25,760
Speaker 5: was slightly off balanced, perhaps without even knowing it, and

475
00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,159
Speaker 5: that's when Chrissy would make her move. I mean, she was,

476
00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:31,879
Speaker 5: she was something else. Rafa won twice as many French

477
00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:38,240
Speaker 5: Opens as Chris. Wait a minute, remember when.

478
00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:40,359
Speaker 6: We used to say Bjorn Borg was the greatest clay

479
00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,400
Speaker 6: court player on the men's side. You know, he won

480
00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:44,000
Speaker 6: six oer.

481
00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:48,920
Speaker 5: And Rafa is just he is as remarkable. I don't

482
00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:51,560
Speaker 5: know that that you can ever beat that feat.

483
00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:54,400
Speaker 2: Never, It'll never be broken.

484
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:57,800
Speaker 4: The greatest feat in sports, in all of sports, with

485
00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:00,600
Speaker 4: that record and that dominance. I think think of anything

486
00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:02,399
Speaker 4: I'll tell of my head that's more impressive.

487
00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:04,320
Speaker 6: No, I can't either say.

488
00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:07,440
Speaker 1: So take me into the mindset of Rafa. Do you

489
00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:11,360
Speaker 1: think that you know, Sam and I talked about this yesterday,

490
00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:13,480
Speaker 1: what do you think that the French Open should be

491
00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:15,320
Speaker 1: Raffa's last event?

492
00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:19,000
Speaker 5: A friend of mine is actually working on an adal

493
00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:23,480
Speaker 5: documentary and they've spent a lot of time, uh, talking

494
00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:26,000
Speaker 5: to Rafa and his coaches and his family, his wife.

495
00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:26,760
Speaker 3: Ah.

496
00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:32,240
Speaker 5: It sure seems like his team of family and coaches

497
00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:37,560
Speaker 5: want the French Open to be his final, his final appearance.

498
00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:43,240
Speaker 5: But Rafa is fighting that. You know, he's not ready

499
00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:45,720
Speaker 5: to say yeah, I'm gonna this is the end for me.

500
00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:50,320
Speaker 5: So that will It will be interesting to see if

501
00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:54,040
Speaker 5: that changes in the coming in the coming weeks. We

502
00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:58,080
Speaker 5: know that he's talking about playing doubles at the Olympics

503
00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:01,200
Speaker 5: with Carlos Alcarez and that would be something to see.

504
00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:03,520
Speaker 5: He's already said he's going to play the Labor Cup,

505
00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:07,240
Speaker 5: which I still consider to be an exhibition. Uh after

506
00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:12,159
Speaker 5: this it is because because it is, everyone seems to

507
00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:15,480
Speaker 5: now want to retire at Labor Cup, you know, after

508
00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:19,560
Speaker 5: Roger did. Now it sounds like Rafa wants to do that,

509
00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:25,880
Speaker 5: you know when it's Uh, it would.

510
00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:26,800
Speaker 6: Be something glorious.

511
00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:28,920
Speaker 5: I think if he were to decide to put down

512
00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:32,520
Speaker 5: his rackets in Paris, but who knows? What where are

513
00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:34,120
Speaker 5: you guys landing on that?

514
00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:36,760
Speaker 4: That's what I want as a tennis man. I touched

515
00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:38,480
Speaker 4: on this the other day with Renee. I wanted to

516
00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:40,680
Speaker 4: be at the Open, even if he doesn't go out

517
00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:45,159
Speaker 4: and win or play Gray. That's where his legacy has built.

518
00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:48,719
Speaker 4: Fetters was more at Wimbledon, in the Labor Cup. The

519
00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:52,080
Speaker 4: world wants Rafa to end at the French Open, That's

520
00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:54,320
Speaker 4: what That's what everyone wants. He wants that's where the

521
00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:57,520
Speaker 4: goodbye should be. That's where his story needs to end.

522
00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:00,800
Speaker 4: So I'm hoping for that to his last event.

523
00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:03,480
Speaker 6: So it sounds like you guys don't think he's going

524
00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:06,800
Speaker 6: to win the French Hope. Uh No, No.

525
00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:07,239
Speaker 3: I guess yes.

526
00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:09,280
Speaker 4: If I had to place a bet down, I wouldn't

527
00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:10,480
Speaker 4: be on him unfortunately.

528
00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:14,080
Speaker 3: Yeah, But no matter what happens this year.

529
00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:16,920
Speaker 4: He's going down as the as the greatest clay quarter

530
00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:20,240
Speaker 4: ever and that will probably be forever.

531
00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:23,200
Speaker 5: Right and and and just so, just to go back

532
00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:26,760
Speaker 5: to how Roger feder I mean, he he wanted Wimbledon

533
00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:31,080
Speaker 5: was his was his great event. But the last time

534
00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:33,680
Speaker 5: he played Wimbleman, he lost in straight says oh in

535
00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:34,200
Speaker 5: the third.

536
00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:36,560
Speaker 6: Remember that that's not how we wanted to go out.

537
00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:39,600
Speaker 2: So yeah, I mean I don't want I don't.

538
00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:41,359
Speaker 6: Want to see the Rafa go down like that.

539
00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:46,560
Speaker 5: But h god, damn it, he was great.

540
00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:48,399
Speaker 2: Poor old, poor old Herbie.

541
00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,160
Speaker 1: Hercuts has put you know, he put basically Roger into

542
00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:54,000
Speaker 1: uh into retirement. And then the other day I think

543
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:57,600
Speaker 1: he might have mentally put Rafa in retirement in Rome.

544
00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:00,040
Speaker 2: So and he's the nicest guy on to us. So

545
00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:00,760
Speaker 2: you know, that's it.

546
00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,159
Speaker 1: But may you know, through the years, Roland Garros has

547
00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:06,120
Speaker 1: certainly changed. I mean, Chatrier got an upgrade, The.

548
00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:07,280
Speaker 2: Bull Ring is no more.

549
00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:09,400
Speaker 1: We love the bull Ring court back in the day,

550
00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:11,359
Speaker 1: even though I hated it because I always lost on

551
00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:14,880
Speaker 1: that court. And now you know, Simone, but Matthieure now

552
00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:17,000
Speaker 1: is like maybe one of the best courts in tenna.

553
00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:20,720
Speaker 1: So es your thoughts also on the changing atmosphere at

554
00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:23,160
Speaker 1: Roland Garrison and sort of through the years, you've seen

555
00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:25,080
Speaker 1: the upgrades, You've seen what they've tried to do, because

556
00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:27,879
Speaker 1: it's very small if you can't just expand it like

557
00:24:27,920 --> 00:24:29,399
Speaker 1: the austral And Open. We get to expand it a

558
00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:31,400
Speaker 1: little bit easier because we have the help of the government.

559
00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:33,200
Speaker 2: But what about that from your.

560
00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:36,000
Speaker 5: Perspective, continent of Australia gets to do whatever the hellp

561
00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:41,760
Speaker 5: unlimited lay there. But the French Open has the smallest

562
00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:45,119
Speaker 5: footprint of the four majors, so to make great advances

563
00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:47,560
Speaker 5: is tricky and you got to get all kinds of Yeah,

564
00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:49,840
Speaker 5: you have to go through the neighbors and there we

565
00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:50,560
Speaker 5: don't want it.

566
00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:51,560
Speaker 6: All that kind of stuff.

567
00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:55,080
Speaker 5: But I'm so excited that the Olympics will be played

568
00:24:55,520 --> 00:25:00,280
Speaker 5: will be played there because experiencing Roland Garros the years

569
00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:02,399
Speaker 5: already know how special it is. And it's going to

570
00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:05,520
Speaker 5: be a tricky maneuver for them to go from clay

571
00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:08,159
Speaker 5: this clay court season to a couple of weeks of

572
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,520
Speaker 5: grass including Wimbledon, and then go back to clay because

573
00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:15,920
Speaker 5: normally after Wimby it's all hard courts. So who who

574
00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:18,440
Speaker 5: are the players who can pull that off the best?

575
00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:20,320
Speaker 5: I mean we know Novak can do it. I mean

576
00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:24,679
Speaker 5: we know that. Uh uh, sabal Anka is great at that.

577
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:29,160
Speaker 5: You know, it'll be interesting to see who that favors.

578
00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:32,680
Speaker 5: You know how well everyone has paid themselves the heart.

579
00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:37,800
Speaker 5: The tricky thing about this year's French Open. Uh, it's

580
00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:40,400
Speaker 5: like it feels wide open, not because everyone's playing well,

581
00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:45,840
Speaker 5: but because everyone seems injured exactly, and Shulde surfaces is

582
00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:46,960
Speaker 5: a tricky deal.

583
00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,160
Speaker 6: As you two know so well, it'll be.

584
00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:53,040
Speaker 5: An interesting Uh, we got an interesting summer ahead, kids.

585
00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:56,640
Speaker 4: I think for me, you see this Sheek or you know,

586
00:25:56,960 --> 00:25:59,959
Speaker 4: in the current kind of play, especially on the men's side,

587
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:03,600
Speaker 4: we don't have these court specific players like.

588
00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,679
Speaker 3: Rafa is a player Roger W. Warren grass.

589
00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:11,760
Speaker 4: Even going prior to that with Sampras and Clareton on clay,

590
00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:13,439
Speaker 4: it seems like all the guys kind of play a

591
00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:17,040
Speaker 4: similar style and they do equally as well on clay

592
00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:19,440
Speaker 4: courts and grass courts and hard courts, and that opens

593
00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:21,960
Speaker 4: to I think even more players that can do well

594
00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:23,480
Speaker 4: at the French Open and the Olympics.

595
00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:27,000
Speaker 5: Absolutely true, Sam and I used to always be so

596
00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:29,040
Speaker 5: pleased that the.

597
00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:31,840
Speaker 6: Women, the great women champions could win on anything.

598
00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:34,920
Speaker 5: You know, yeah, when you go back to and Chrissy

599
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:39,680
Speaker 5: and Martina and Serena and they could win on anything.

600
00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:42,240
Speaker 5: And now it seems that the men can do the

601
00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:45,120
Speaker 5: same thing again. Fitness seems to be such a big

602
00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:46,000
Speaker 5: deal these days.

603
00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:48,080
Speaker 6: It's hard to figure out.

604
00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:50,600
Speaker 5: Do you guys already know in your heads who's going

605
00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:52,160
Speaker 5: to win the French on both sides?

606
00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:55,880
Speaker 1: Well, I mean you have to be not paying attention

607
00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:59,320
Speaker 1: to anything in women's tennis if you don't think Euston

608
00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:01,960
Speaker 1: Tech is by far the favorite, not only in Paris

609
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,240
Speaker 1: but of course coming back to Paris for the Olympics.

610
00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:07,199
Speaker 1: She must be so pumped for the opportunity. I mean,

611
00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:10,680
Speaker 1: Rafa sadly for him to not have had the opportunity

612
00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:12,520
Speaker 1: to be at his very best to win a gold

613
00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:15,960
Speaker 1: medal at the Olympics in Roland Garros is like so

614
00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:18,679
Speaker 1: sad in a way, but also give somebody else an

615
00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:20,560
Speaker 1: opportunity to win a gold medal. But you know, hey,

616
00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,600
Speaker 1: listen to Novak on one Novak hasn't won one and

617
00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:26,480
Speaker 1: a best of three though, I think it's for people

618
00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:28,439
Speaker 1: out there not to understand and Sam and I have

619
00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:29,000
Speaker 1: talked about this.

620
00:27:29,119 --> 00:27:29,960
Speaker 2: He knows so well.

621
00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:32,920
Speaker 1: Men's best of three is very different to best of five,

622
00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:35,359
Speaker 1: which is why we've had some interesting people win the

623
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:38,240
Speaker 1: gold medal at the Olympics in the men's side as

624
00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:41,440
Speaker 1: opposed to on the women's side. But I mean, look Eagerson,

625
00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:44,000
Speaker 1: tek by father favorite, and I would say that Novak

626
00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:47,840
Speaker 1: mentally has sort of made I think, I don't know

627
00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:51,160
Speaker 1: about you, Sam, the Olympics his priority this year.

628
00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:54,120
Speaker 4: Yeah, It's the one thing that Mary just said that's

629
00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:56,840
Speaker 4: not on his resume. He has everything else but that

630
00:27:56,920 --> 00:27:59,480
Speaker 4: gold medal at the Olympics. So even though he hasn't

631
00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:01,480
Speaker 4: played great this year, I think at the beginning of

632
00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:04,240
Speaker 4: the year, he brought up a calendar, he highlighted the

633
00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:07,000
Speaker 4: Olympics and said like, let's let's peak right here.

634
00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:09,159
Speaker 3: And so I think that is the main goal for

635
00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:10,120
Speaker 3: him in twenty twenty four.

636
00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:14,680
Speaker 5: But also, guys, Novak has once again after the Australian Open,

637
00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:17,360
Speaker 5: he got rid of Gorani Venissovitch, who had helped him

638
00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:20,679
Speaker 5: win a whole bunch of majors. He seemed it seems

639
00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:25,040
Speaker 5: like there's a bit of chaos internally, you know, right,

640
00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:28,159
Speaker 5: I mean I'm not sure where I'm Usually you know

641
00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:31,520
Speaker 5: exactly how good Novak Djokovic is going to be, exactly

642
00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:33,520
Speaker 5: how tough he's going to be, and what his goals

643
00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:35,520
Speaker 5: are and how he plans to meet them.

644
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:37,440
Speaker 6: I'm not sure where he is right now.

645
00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:39,880
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree, Mary, I think him it's been a

646
00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:41,960
Speaker 1: bit tumultuous. He got rid of his management team at

647
00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:44,280
Speaker 1: the end of last year, He's changed his coaching crew,

648
00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:46,640
Speaker 1: so it's been a very tumultuous start to the year.

649
00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:51,400
Speaker 2: But you know, as Sam and Yet Stubbs, it's unheard of.

650
00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:53,160
Speaker 1: And at the end of last year I actually thought

651
00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:55,520
Speaker 1: he was going to have his best year ever and

652
00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:56,680
Speaker 1: then sort of like be like.

653
00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:57,360
Speaker 2: All right, I'm done.

654
00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:01,040
Speaker 1: But age age does, in my opinion, and eventually take

655
00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:02,280
Speaker 1: its toll, even on the greats.

656
00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:04,920
Speaker 2: But let's flip Mary to the Olympics. Is we want

657
00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:05,400
Speaker 2: to get to that.

658
00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:08,720
Speaker 1: What are some of your favorite memories at the Olympic Games.

659
00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:10,760
Speaker 1: I mean, you've had so many great ones. If you

660
00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:15,120
Speaker 1: haven't seen her Rant in Badman, just go on to YouTube.

661
00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:18,720
Speaker 1: It's one of the greatest live segments of TV. And

662
00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:23,280
Speaker 1: when we say vamp vamp vamp, it means just keep talking, Mary, Well,

663
00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:24,880
Speaker 1: you did a great job on the bad minute.

664
00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:30,360
Speaker 5: But my badminton rant that was in Greece. That was

665
00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:34,800
Speaker 5: the Athens Olympics. Yes, that is truly ridiculous and I'm

666
00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:39,000
Speaker 5: very proud of that. Look, I'm elderly, this is this

667
00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:41,200
Speaker 5: will be my sixteenth Olympic Games.

668
00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:43,960
Speaker 6: But it makes me feel young to be at the Olympics.

669
00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:47,720
Speaker 5: I've gotten to see Michael Phelps and you've seen balls

670
00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:51,640
Speaker 5: and some mobiles. I mean, I've it's been I've been

671
00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:55,920
Speaker 5: blessed and I've gotten to do features that have some

672
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:59,000
Speaker 5: of the favorite things I've ever done are the Olympics features.

673
00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:02,719
Speaker 5: But I have to tell you my favorite thing about

674
00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:06,480
Speaker 5: the Olympics, and it's happened the last couple is when

675
00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:11,680
Speaker 5: the NBA players come to watch the w NBA players

676
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:15,560
Speaker 5: the women's basketball play. And obviously they've been ruling the

677
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:19,640
Speaker 5: games as have the men for many Olympics now, But

678
00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:23,840
Speaker 5: to see those guys want to be there watching the

679
00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:28,320
Speaker 5: women basketball players, it makes my heart sing.

680
00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:28,920
Speaker 6: Yeah.

681
00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:29,560
Speaker 3: I love that.

682
00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:30,400
Speaker 6: I love that.

683
00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:31,160
Speaker 3: Yeah.

684
00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:33,960
Speaker 4: Now, you could call a tennis match in your sleep.

685
00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:36,640
Speaker 4: At the Olympics, We've got all sports. How do you

686
00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:40,600
Speaker 4: prep for calling swimming, gymnastics, these other sports that maybe

687
00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:42,200
Speaker 4: you're not as well versed in. Do you have to

688
00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:44,160
Speaker 4: do extra homework or What's I mean?

689
00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:46,640
Speaker 5: I tried to, you know, one hundred days out we

690
00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:49,480
Speaker 5: usually start getting all kinds of research and stuff.

691
00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:53,840
Speaker 6: I do the open Water Marathon, which is one.

692
00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:57,040
Speaker 5: Of the most untelevisable events you can.

693
00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:01,920
Speaker 6: And I've done the last three hope.

694
00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:05,200
Speaker 5: The good news is I do it with Rowdy Gaines,

695
00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:07,600
Speaker 5: and even Rowdy thinks it's a confusing thing.

696
00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:09,000
Speaker 6: There's no number these guys.

697
00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:11,120
Speaker 5: These guys are jumping the water, the women the next

698
00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:13,960
Speaker 5: they there's like a hundred of them, and there's you.

699
00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:16,120
Speaker 5: You don't know who the hell they are. There's no

700
00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:18,800
Speaker 5: numbers on their backs. And they for a couple of

701
00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:22,760
Speaker 5: hours they swim around, booize and stuff and and basically

702
00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:26,200
Speaker 5: I try to do research on that. But I find

703
00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:30,080
Speaker 5: myself for those couple of hours saying to Rowdy, now,

704
00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:30,640
Speaker 5: what's going on?

705
00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:32,400
Speaker 3: Now?

706
00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:33,440
Speaker 6: Now, what's happening?

707
00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:33,800
Speaker 2: Now?

708
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:34,800
Speaker 6: Now who's winning?

709
00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:39,480
Speaker 5: And then and then in the final forty seconds of it,

710
00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,200
Speaker 5: Rowdy starts going crazy and he's jumping up and down.

711
00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:46,080
Speaker 5: There's all kinds of things happening under the and then

712
00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:48,600
Speaker 5: that's over, and then I think I cannot believe I.

713
00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:50,200
Speaker 6: Just got asked to call that event.

714
00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:55,000
Speaker 2: I want to ask you, is it Sam? Is it difficult?

715
00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:57,480
Speaker 1: Was it more difficult to call that knowing that you're

716
00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:00,480
Speaker 1: basically picking a cap and trying to fire out who

717
00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:04,400
Speaker 1: the person is, or or working on the dog.

718
00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:06,320
Speaker 2: Shows where you're like, I don't know what's happening here.

719
00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:10,360
Speaker 5: No, no, now, dogs, I have an affinity. I actually

720
00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:13,959
Speaker 5: feel much better prepared calling the National dog show that

721
00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:16,360
Speaker 5: airs every Thanksgiving. I've done that for a lot of years.

722
00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:20,320
Speaker 5: I love dogs. I researched dogs. They you know, they

723
00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:22,840
Speaker 5: are the friendliest athletes I've ever known. They let you

724
00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:27,360
Speaker 5: scratch them, you know, they kiss you. I mean that's different.

725
00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:30,320
Speaker 5: But open Water Marathon. I love the event.

726
00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:34,040
Speaker 6: Because it's just the most delirious thing you can imagine.

727
00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:37,800
Speaker 6: Trying to understand going into the Olympics.

728
00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:40,239
Speaker 3: Do you ever get to hey, hey, you know what,

729
00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:41,800
Speaker 3: this is a new Olympics for me. I'd like to

730
00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:42,880
Speaker 3: call sport this.

731
00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:52,240
Speaker 5: I feel fairly fluent in tennis. Okay, like that's that's

732
00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:55,240
Speaker 5: my lane right there. You know, in any other sport

733
00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:57,160
Speaker 5: I would do, I would be play by play or

734
00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,840
Speaker 5: i'd be a reporter, and I've done plenty of that,

735
00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:03,600
Speaker 5: and I feel very good. I love I care about

736
00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:06,400
Speaker 5: it so much. I mean, if I can, if I

737
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:10,400
Speaker 5: can keep doing Olympics. It's just one of the great moments.

738
00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:13,200
Speaker 5: You know, you grow up watching the Olympic Games. You

739
00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:15,960
Speaker 5: grow up, you know, caring so much for a couple

740
00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,400
Speaker 5: of weeks about sports that you've never cared about before.

741
00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:21,800
Speaker 5: You think, I watched swimming, you know, for the for

742
00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,600
Speaker 5: the four years leading up to the Olympics.

743
00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:26,760
Speaker 6: No, do I watch mnastics?

744
00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:26,920
Speaker 1: No?

745
00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:29,880
Speaker 6: When when do I watch figure skating? No?

746
00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:32,760
Speaker 5: And all of a sudden, the Olympics comes around, and

747
00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:35,200
Speaker 5: I'm I'm absolutely enthralled.

748
00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:35,800
Speaker 6: You know.

749
00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:38,480
Speaker 4: You always want to watch the sports that anta's mainstream,

750
00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:43,640
Speaker 4: you know, Yeah, well those aside sometimes for these other

751
00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:45,520
Speaker 4: sports you're talking about, because you get them onths every

752
00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:46,040
Speaker 4: four years.

753
00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:47,040
Speaker 6: Yes, that's right.

754
00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:50,480
Speaker 5: And and I especially love the Winter Games because they

755
00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:52,240
Speaker 5: take you to places that tennis never.

756
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:52,600
Speaker 6: Takes you to.

757
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:55,200
Speaker 5: All of a sudden, you're up in the Italian Alps

758
00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:58,360
Speaker 5: or you're there like you're in places, and the athletes

759
00:33:58,560 --> 00:34:02,320
Speaker 5: winter athletes are different, you know. They they walk outside,

760
00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:05,240
Speaker 5: you know, and look around and see what the wind

761
00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:07,719
Speaker 5: is like with that, Like you're so much more aware

762
00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:08,680
Speaker 5: of their.

763
00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:14,200
Speaker 6: Environments than than tennis players. Everything about it. Can you

764
00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:16,399
Speaker 6: tell me like covering the Olympics, I.

765
00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:18,879
Speaker 1: Mean, I don't know, I'm feeling sensing that. I mean,

766
00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:22,279
Speaker 1: I've had the joy Mary of calling the last three

767
00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:26,320
Speaker 1: Olympics in tennis. And we had a special moment obviously

768
00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:29,160
Speaker 1: being able to call the Olympics in London at Wimbledon,

769
00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:33,720
Speaker 1: So you know, this moment is arguably the same where

770
00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:35,799
Speaker 1: the Olympic tennis is going to be played at a

771
00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:40,280
Speaker 1: Grand Slam, you know, uh stadium in venue in Roland, Garross,

772
00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:42,359
Speaker 1: you know. And Sam and I sort of go back

773
00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:44,800
Speaker 1: and forth about the importance of tennis in the Olympics.

774
00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:47,160
Speaker 1: I want to know your thoughts. I know mine, but

775
00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:50,120
Speaker 1: you know, what are your thoughts about having tennis in

776
00:34:50,160 --> 00:34:51,799
Speaker 1: the Olympics and the importance of that.

777
00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:54,400
Speaker 6: I'm delighted it, Sarah.

778
00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:57,080
Speaker 5: I mean, can you imagine being a tennis player and

779
00:34:57,160 --> 00:34:59,360
Speaker 5: you know, all your dreams are about winning Wimbledon or

780
00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:03,200
Speaker 5: winning the U and all of a sudden, tennis becomes

781
00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:08,120
Speaker 5: an Olympic event. Like I just remember when I happened

782
00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:11,799
Speaker 5: to be with John McEnroe when that, you know, when

783
00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:15,640
Speaker 5: it was announced and he said, oh, who the hell

784
00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:19,200
Speaker 5: wouldn't want that? You know, it had been an exhibition sport.

785
00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:21,080
Speaker 5: But now all of a sudden you get a medal.

786
00:35:21,680 --> 00:35:24,960
Speaker 5: You know, you're playing for your country as well as

787
00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:27,040
Speaker 5: for yourself. You know, you get to put a number

788
00:35:27,120 --> 00:35:30,879
Speaker 5: up on the medals count. I don't I don't see

789
00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:31,560
Speaker 5: the downside.

790
00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:33,880
Speaker 6: I really don't. Of course, it clogs up. You have

791
00:35:33,960 --> 00:35:36,560
Speaker 6: to be very fit. Obviously, you have to be very fit.

792
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:39,319
Speaker 2: Mary, that's this guy, us, this guy, that's this guy.

793
00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:43,120
Speaker 4: I have a bit of a take ilypics. I had

794
00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:45,480
Speaker 4: to play in the Beijing Olympics in two thousand and eight.

795
00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:46,320
Speaker 4: It was incredible.

796
00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:46,960
Speaker 2: Yeah.

797
00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:49,480
Speaker 4: I do feel like though, as a tennis player, as

798
00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:53,520
Speaker 4: a golfer, as an NBA player, you would rather win Wimbledon,

799
00:35:53,719 --> 00:35:56,839
Speaker 4: the French Open, the PG Championship, the Masters, an NBA

800
00:35:56,920 --> 00:35:58,560
Speaker 4: title over an Olympic goal.

801
00:35:59,000 --> 00:35:59,359
Speaker 6: All right?

802
00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:03,080
Speaker 4: Actually, as an American I think that's the kind of

803
00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:06,120
Speaker 4: I would think most of the players would feel that way.

804
00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:08,520
Speaker 4: What do you think when it comes to those kind

805
00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:11,239
Speaker 4: of few examples I gave, would you rather win the

806
00:36:11,239 --> 00:36:12,759
Speaker 4: French Open or an Olympic gold.

807
00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:16,080
Speaker 6: I'll tell you. I'll tell you what means more to

808
00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:17,000
Speaker 6: most people.

809
00:36:17,239 --> 00:36:20,600
Speaker 5: I remember this story Sam Xena Garrison won a gold

810
00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:24,880
Speaker 5: medal in doubles, and she would always talk to kids

811
00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:27,759
Speaker 5: and stuff, you know, go into classrooms and try to

812
00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:28,280
Speaker 5: get kids.

813
00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:30,480
Speaker 6: And she she would.

814
00:36:30,239 --> 00:36:34,120
Speaker 5: Bring her gold Olympic gold medal in a baggie and

815
00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:37,080
Speaker 5: show them, you know, she'd put it out there for kids.

816
00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:40,800
Speaker 5: She'd take it out and they all were They couldn't

817
00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:44,800
Speaker 5: believe that they were holding an Olympic gold medal. Xena

818
00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:48,279
Speaker 5: understood the power of that. I think a lot of

819
00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:52,200
Speaker 5: any athlete understands the power of an older And it

820
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:54,840
Speaker 5: doesn't even have to be gold, but that's obviously everyone's

821
00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:59,080
Speaker 5: favorite color, right I think people understand that. So yes,

822
00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:01,920
Speaker 5: in the world of ten, maybe those are at your goals.

823
00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:04,920
Speaker 5: But I mean, I know that Novak sure wants to

824
00:37:04,920 --> 00:37:08,359
Speaker 5: win an Olympic goal for Serbia. He has stated it,

825
00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:12,360
Speaker 5: he means it. You know, there aren't that many things

826
00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:15,759
Speaker 5: he hasn't done. I think, you know, he played at

827
00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:17,760
Speaker 5: the Tokyo Games and it was damn hot.

828
00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:18,319
Speaker 6: I was there.

829
00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:21,120
Speaker 5: It was really really hot in Tokyo. A couple of

830
00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:22,960
Speaker 5: years ago when he was trying to win. He wanted

831
00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:26,719
Speaker 5: to win all four majors and Olympic gold, yep, and

832
00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:28,320
Speaker 5: that that ruined his chances.

833
00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:29,600
Speaker 3: Everyone knows what the Olympics.

834
00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:31,960
Speaker 4: I go to my next neighbor and they might not

835
00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:34,719
Speaker 4: know what the Australian Open is or the is.

836
00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:36,919
Speaker 3: You know what the Olympics is.

837
00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:39,640
Speaker 4: And I'll give you that is a valid point, like

838
00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:42,120
Speaker 4: the world knows what an Olympic gold medal is.

839
00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:43,279
Speaker 2: Thank you, Sam.

840
00:37:43,320 --> 00:37:48,240
Speaker 1: Finally, finally we're bringing this guy around. I mean, listen,

841
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,880
Speaker 1: I know, for me personally, I played in four Olympics

842
00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:53,560
Speaker 1: and I never came away with any.

843
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:56,439
Speaker 2: Medal at all, and it still irks me to this day.

844
00:37:56,520 --> 00:37:58,759
Speaker 1: And I won a few tennis tournaments and a few

845
00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:00,919
Speaker 1: Grand Slams and that's still bothers me to this day.

846
00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:03,759
Speaker 2: I think the difference is just like you know.

847
00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:06,920
Speaker 1: You know the World Cup in football, you know a

848
00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:10,200
Speaker 1: lot of players or soccer players would say that means

849
00:38:10,239 --> 00:38:12,640
Speaker 1: more to them, but also arguably the Olympic gold is

850
00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:15,239
Speaker 1: as important in some respects for me. I think in

851
00:38:15,280 --> 00:38:17,200
Speaker 1: tennis Grand slams at the level you want to get to,

852
00:38:17,239 --> 00:38:19,640
Speaker 1: but if you win a gold that certainly means a

853
00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:22,359
Speaker 1: lot to you as a tennis player. So I love

854
00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:24,640
Speaker 1: that the tennis at tennis is in the Olympics. And

855
00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:28,400
Speaker 1: like you said, it possibly ruined Novak Djokovic's attempt to

856
00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:30,000
Speaker 1: win a calendar Grand Slam when he lost in the

857
00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:32,680
Speaker 1: finals of the US Open because he was exhausted for

858
00:38:32,760 --> 00:38:33,200
Speaker 1: that year.

859
00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:34,279
Speaker 2: But it also shows you.

860
00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:36,839
Speaker 1: How important it is to him. I mean, we've seen

861
00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:39,360
Speaker 1: that guy cry leaving the court. We've seen del Potro

862
00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:42,640
Speaker 1: cry and be hugged by Rafael Nadal at the Olympics.

863
00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:44,359
Speaker 2: I mean, these guys, it means a lot to them.

864
00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:47,640
Speaker 1: So Mary, I mean, just to wrap it up with

865
00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:52,000
Speaker 1: you just going back to Paris for the French Open

866
00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:55,720
Speaker 1: and the Olympics. Just overall, how lucky do you feel

867
00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:57,399
Speaker 1: to be able to do this job?

868
00:38:57,480 --> 00:38:59,400
Speaker 2: I mean, really to explain to people at home how

869
00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:00,320
Speaker 2: joyful it is for you.

870
00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:07,480
Speaker 5: Look, I know it's a scam, Okay, I know how

871
00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:11,880
Speaker 5: lucky I am. I mean it is, It's what I

872
00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:16,040
Speaker 5: love to do. I'm very very passionate about it. I'm

873
00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:17,399
Speaker 5: very committed to it.

874
00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:19,520
Speaker 6: Ah.

875
00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:23,080
Speaker 5: I love watching excellence in all forms, but when you

876
00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:29,160
Speaker 5: see athletes at the height of their powers and and

877
00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:32,040
Speaker 5: and in some of these events it's decided by a

878
00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:35,440
Speaker 5: hundredth of it of a second whether they get on

879
00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:37,640
Speaker 5: the podium or not, whether.

880
00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:42,120
Speaker 6: It is just it is. I just feel gratitude.

881
00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:44,880
Speaker 5: I just feel absolutely blessed that I can go from

882
00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:50,360
Speaker 5: the French Open back to Paris for the Olympic Games.

883
00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:53,719
Speaker 5: I uh, I'm very very grateful.

884
00:39:53,920 --> 00:39:56,560
Speaker 1: Basically, it's gonna be there's gonna be a lot of

885
00:39:56,600 --> 00:40:00,600
Speaker 1: croissants consumed by the one and only Mary Carilla through

886
00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:04,160
Speaker 1: this summer, maybe in Paris for the French Open, of

887
00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:07,720
Speaker 1: course for the umpteenth time as the nineteen seventy seven

888
00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:11,240
Speaker 1: mixed doubles champion, and of course our gold medal champion

889
00:40:11,680 --> 00:40:13,480
Speaker 1: in Paris again for the Olympics.

890
00:40:15,360 --> 00:40:17,680
Speaker 2: All right, Mary, it's time for serve and volley, which

891
00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:20,600
Speaker 2: I know you do so well. Okay, it's a quick,

892
00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:23,160
Speaker 2: rapid question and I need you to answer as quickly

893
00:40:23,200 --> 00:40:24,480
Speaker 2: as possible. So here we go.

894
00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:27,880
Speaker 1: We're gonna start with the first one, I say, Rafael Nadal.

895
00:40:28,120 --> 00:40:30,239
Speaker 1: First thing that comes to your mind is.

896
00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:34,480
Speaker 6: How much he cares? How much he cares?

897
00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:39,120
Speaker 3: Short and sweet? Yeah, Andy Murray's will be remembered for what.

898
00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:45,560
Speaker 6: How much he cares this is easy.

899
00:40:46,320 --> 00:40:47,880
Speaker 2: You're usually more creative than this.

900
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:51,080
Speaker 5: Come on, no, I'm saying that's my favorite part of

901
00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:55,160
Speaker 5: both of those guys is how much it means to them.

902
00:40:56,160 --> 00:40:57,760
Speaker 5: And again, we're gonna have a lot of these people

903
00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:00,919
Speaker 5: going away soon, so you better I care as much

904
00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:04,960
Speaker 5: about them as that he seemed to care about about

905
00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:07,279
Speaker 5: their place in tennis history. So I don't think it's

906
00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:10,520
Speaker 5: as those are two lousy answers.

907
00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:11,319
Speaker 6: I think they're real.

908
00:41:11,840 --> 00:41:13,960
Speaker 2: I Sam, I don't know about you, but I'm going

909
00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:14,719
Speaker 2: to go back to the.

910
00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:17,680
Speaker 1: First thing when I when Raphael and Nadal comes to mind,

911
00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:22,640
Speaker 1: is just grit. I've never seen anyone dig so deep

912
00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:25,480
Speaker 1: like Raphael and Nadal, and he does it.

913
00:41:25,560 --> 00:41:26,640
Speaker 2: He shows the grit.

914
00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:28,640
Speaker 1: I think that's why I'm going to remember it more

915
00:41:28,680 --> 00:41:31,600
Speaker 1: so than anyone. And if I had to say about

916
00:41:31,640 --> 00:41:37,200
Speaker 1: Andy Murray as well, his emotions and his vulnerability when

917
00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:39,399
Speaker 1: he's won and lost, that is.

918
00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:40,440
Speaker 2: What I'll remember about him.

919
00:41:40,440 --> 00:41:42,640
Speaker 1: And I think that does come Marry to the same point,

920
00:41:42,719 --> 00:41:43,439
Speaker 1: how much he cares?

921
00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:44,280
Speaker 2: What about you, Sam?

922
00:41:44,719 --> 00:41:46,960
Speaker 4: Yeah, same thing when he comes to Rafa and the grit.

923
00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:50,520
Speaker 4: I think he's maybe the grittiest those fears competitor in

924
00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:52,680
Speaker 4: all sports. I think there's an argument that he is

925
00:41:52,719 --> 00:41:56,200
Speaker 4: the greatest competitor in all sports of since I've been

926
00:41:56,200 --> 00:42:00,680
Speaker 4: watching sports at least. And Andy Murray just a fighter,

927
00:42:01,080 --> 00:42:03,160
Speaker 4: I think. I mean, it's all kind of using the

928
00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:06,200
Speaker 4: same words, but he just makes you earn every point.

929
00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:08,560
Speaker 4: He's going to throw up sky lobs, He's going to

930
00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:11,200
Speaker 4: do whatever he can to win. You see, he's still

931
00:42:11,239 --> 00:42:13,439
Speaker 4: out there right now, playing playing challenges, trying to fight

932
00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:14,000
Speaker 4: his way back.

933
00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:15,759
Speaker 3: You don't get a lot of thirty seven year olds

934
00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:16,759
Speaker 3: doing with.

935
00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:17,359
Speaker 2: A metal hit.

936
00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:21,000
Speaker 1: Let's not forget all right, So so what then, therefore,

937
00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:23,960
Speaker 1: Mary said the same thing, we all said the same thing.

938
00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:25,960
Speaker 1: I'm going to skip the next question because we've kind

939
00:42:25,960 --> 00:42:28,359
Speaker 1: of answered it about what would Andy Murray be remembered for?

940
00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:30,080
Speaker 2: Because I think we've already talked about that. But what

941
00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:34,879
Speaker 2: about should Dominic team have received a walk card at

942
00:42:34,880 --> 00:42:35,560
Speaker 2: the French Open?

943
00:42:35,840 --> 00:42:36,120
Speaker 6: Yes?

944
00:42:37,719 --> 00:42:38,720
Speaker 2: And why?

945
00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:40,120
Speaker 6: Because Dominic Team?

946
00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:43,479
Speaker 5: I mean that I think so many of us thought

947
00:42:43,520 --> 00:42:45,840
Speaker 5: that if team were to win any major, it was

948
00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:49,319
Speaker 5: going to be the French maybe after Nadals stopped, you know,

949
00:42:50,680 --> 00:42:58,160
Speaker 5: being in charge of that particular. Yeah, Dominic Team deserves it.

950
00:42:58,320 --> 00:43:02,319
Speaker 5: He's a great, great talking competitor, and he's aging and

951
00:43:02,360 --> 00:43:04,560
Speaker 5: he's had a rough couple of years. The fact that

952
00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:07,719
Speaker 5: he's my attitude about wildcards and I'm not crazy about them,

953
00:43:07,719 --> 00:43:10,120
Speaker 5: but you give them to young kids, you know, give

954
00:43:10,160 --> 00:43:12,040
Speaker 5: them a chance to or you give it to the

955
00:43:12,080 --> 00:43:16,120
Speaker 5: older guys who really need it. You know, nobody needs

956
00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:18,640
Speaker 5: a wildcard more than Dominic team into the French Open,

957
00:43:18,680 --> 00:43:20,359
Speaker 5: and no one, to my mind, deserves it more.

958
00:43:20,440 --> 00:43:20,920
Speaker 6: How about you?

959
00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:21,800
Speaker 2: I agree?

960
00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:24,600
Speaker 6: Wildcard?

961
00:43:24,920 --> 00:43:28,560
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, I think everyone outside the French Tennis Federation

962
00:43:28,640 --> 00:43:30,160
Speaker 4: wants dominiqu team to get a wildcard.

963
00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:34,200
Speaker 6: Exactly right, exactly right. You should actually run him a

964
00:43:34,200 --> 00:43:36,600
Speaker 6: wildcard exactly well.

965
00:43:36,640 --> 00:43:40,719
Speaker 1: Thanks Mary for joining us on the quickest, longest two

966
00:43:40,800 --> 00:43:42,879
Speaker 1: minute drop shot. You know that we could have done

967
00:43:42,920 --> 00:43:45,719
Speaker 1: with you with rapid fire Servant Volley and we appreciate it,

968
00:43:45,760 --> 00:43:48,560
Speaker 1: as always your thoughts on these players, and we can't wait,

969
00:43:48,600 --> 00:43:51,439
Speaker 1: as we said, for the French Open to start. Okay, guys,

970
00:43:51,480 --> 00:43:53,920
Speaker 1: so every single episode, we are going to post a

971
00:43:53,960 --> 00:43:57,440
Speaker 1: new question on NBC's X account or Twitter, whatever you

972
00:43:57,440 --> 00:43:59,399
Speaker 1: want to call it, and we want you to share

973
00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:01,640
Speaker 1: your response during the following show.

974
00:44:02,120 --> 00:44:04,160
Speaker 2: Here's the question Sam has it for.

975
00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:09,120
Speaker 4: You should Rafa play his last doubles match with Novak

976
00:44:09,239 --> 00:44:13,720
Speaker 4: at the Labor Cup to recreate Feederer's last match, Tweet

977
00:44:13,760 --> 00:44:15,960
Speaker 4: your response to at NBC Sports and we'll share it

978
00:44:16,040 --> 00:44:17,040
Speaker 4: with you guys on Thursday.

979
00:44:17,600 --> 00:44:19,799
Speaker 2: We are going to definitely have answers to that. I

980
00:44:19,880 --> 00:44:22,320
Speaker 2: have my own opinion. I'm sure Sam you have yours.

981
00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:24,600
Speaker 1: But anyway, guys, thanks so much for joining us on

982
00:44:24,680 --> 00:44:25,560
Speaker 1: the French Connection.

983
00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:28,560
Speaker 2: Thanks for joining us for our first one. We love you.

984
00:44:28,640 --> 00:44:30,919
Speaker 2: We hope you stick around and join us for more

985
00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:33,640
Speaker 2: of this. It's brought to you by NBC Sports and.

986
00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:37,600
Speaker 1: Brackett And as Sam already pointed out, this coming Thursday,

987
00:44:37,680 --> 00:44:40,319
Speaker 1: the twenty third, right before the French Open, we're going

988
00:44:40,360 --> 00:44:44,560
Speaker 1: to talk all things French Open through to the amazing

989
00:44:44,800 --> 00:44:46,759
Speaker 1: Paris NBC Olympics.

990
00:44:46,840 --> 00:44:52,480
Speaker 2: We can't wait. Thanks for joining us today