Rennae Stubbs: All right, one two one two?
Andrea Petkovic: One two one two.
Rennae Stubbs: What a two weeks we've had.
Andrea Petkovic: Hi.
Rennae Stubbs: Everyone, Welcome to there Rennee Stubbs tennis podcast with the one and only Andrea Petkovic. I think we should just call it the Pettubsy Podcast.
Andrea Petkovic: Is my microphone working? Yes?
Rennae Stubbs: Your a microphone is working? Don't you worry? Doll. You want me to check.
Andrea Petkovic: It for you?
Rennae Stubbs: No? If you talk right now?
Andrea Petkovic: Hi? Yeah, okay, okay.
Rennae Stubbs: So we have our little tiny mics because they're great and we can travel with them. All right, let's just get stuck into the last two weeks.
Andrea Petkovic: Yea.
Rennae Stubbs: So the last time we spoke was during the Alcaraz Novak match.
Andrea Petkovic: And Novak got the better of him. Incredible in the end, I. Will say, I, So I always bring this up. It's the study I always bring up because it was shocked. When I wrote my book about retiring, I dove into some studies about aging bodies for athletes.
Rennae Stubbs: Particularly on this. You've been banging on this forever.
Andrea Petkovic: I know, forever, and so this one study got stuck in my brain because it was so shocking to me. So the explosiveness of muscles starts to decay at twenty three years old? Really? Yes, and the thing is about that Biologically, other factors like endurance, they peak in the mid thirties, and because tennis is a complex sport, it doesn't mean at twenty. But the study, because the study was conducted in baseball, where explosiveness is basically all you need, you know, So that's how they found out. They were measuring the reaction of the eye to the to the muscle reacting and how fast it goes and so that's yeah, and so that's how they figured it out. And ever since I've had I've read this study, it's like so embedded in it's stamped onto my brain. And I honestly will say I didn't believe Nova can still play this great of tennis, and he freaking did. I said it. I think he played better than ever before because he had a combination of his usual percentage tennis, making the right decisions at all time, returning incredibly. But he hit the ball harder because he knows he's a bit older and he has to go for more and he's got the injury.
Rennae Stubbs: He came out and went way more aggressive with the ball. He's so smart.
Andrea Petkovic: Yeah, And that's the one thing that age in the end does is that he will probably have more injuries and for him, but after this performancy at the Australanaoman, because it wasn't only against Carlos that was the most impressive, but already against Machac and Lehecka, I thought he played brilliantly the Novak that I know when he was twenty six, twenty seven, And if his body can hold up for a fortnight, I very much believe. Maybe not French Open, but I believe he can win Wimbledon because I honestly I doubt I and I should never say that about somebody like Novak, but I doubted that he could bring this kind of tennis. You doubt it, you've.
Rennae Stubbs: Been banging on about at certain age. It just it's it just your body just can't take it. So the only thing, and I said this on our coverage at ESPN, I just feel like father time is catching up with him.
Andrea Petkovic: And it doesn't because of the injuries.
Rennae Stubbs: Yeah, because you cannot.
Rennae Stubbs: I mean, look how many injuries he's had over the last few years, and it just it just is what it is. And it's such a physical game. I mean, look at the physicality of that match that was the best men's match by.
Andrea Petkovic: It was so freaking and I think it was the first time I saw Carlos Alcaraz being outplayed. I think because he is when he plays the bed. We talked about this all the time. When he's playing his best tennis, he's usually the best player because he has so much variety as all the shots in the book. He's the only player that beat Jannik Sinner three times, who is by far the best player of the last sixteen months. So clearly he has.
Rennae Stubbs: Some sixteen months, like not eighteen, not twelve, sixteen.
Andrea Petkovic: Well, I feel like after the US Opened something click, Well that just yeah, I like that's what That's how I count the Jannik decade, the Jannik decade after the US Open 2023. And so obviously Alcaraz, Carlitos, when he's good for me, he has all he's the most complete player. But he was like he played well. I thought he played well. Yes, of course he can play better, but Novak didn't really let him. He was changing directions so early in the point. It was unbelievable. He was so good, so good.
Rennae Stubbs: Good, and I love that Novak actually said he wished to have been the final, because it was just the quality of a final animal considering the final we watched last night was poop on a stick.
Andrea Petkovic: Yeah. Well, and how also Carlos That's what I love about watching him. First of all, he's being beaten, but he still oozes joy and it makes me think of why we all started playing in the first place, is because we love the game, and sometimes we forget when we're in the day to day grind, and Carlos always reminds me of it. So that's why I love, love, love watching him play and just love love him as a as a great human being. But also what I particularly liked is in that fourth set he started other things. You know, Novak was just too good, but he's gone five.
Rennae Stubbs: Yes, Carlos would have won probably, I think, Well, and now we know the severity of the injury that if it had gone five, I just don't know physically if Novak would have been able to handle it. And I also feel like when it gets to five sets now with Alcaraz against Novak, Novak fields that he can't go the distance against him as well, because now it's happened, It's happened a few times where he's gone the distance and he has one. But anyway, that was the men's match of the term of the tournament. Sure, there was some incredible five set matches, you know, the learner, the Learner Tien against Medvedez that was unbelievable. You know, there was a lot of really epic but as far as and that was, the quality of that match was actually outstanding as well.
Andrea Petkovic: It was just it was so different because Novak and Carlos were hitting the living daylight out of the ball, whereas Tien and Medvedev it was greaht in a different way because they were both so smart and they were playing like chess the entire time and placing the bass everywhere. It was different.
Rennae Stubbs: Great, but and it was also shocking, great because it was two sets of love up and then two sets all and you're like, okay, Medvedem is gonna win now, And the fact that Lerner Tien got that done was unreal in the end. And so that was probably the most surprisingly shocking match of the tournament just because of that result. In because it was two sets of love up, you're like, okay, there's no chance he's gonna win now, and he did so, so that was a really nice surprise to see the young Americans like Michelsen and Tien like really step up to play.
Rennae Stubbs: Those guys are good. They're gonna really be good. I expect them to have big US Opens.
Andrea Petkovic: So I mean honestly, in general, the next generation is here. Ralphonseca played the incredible match against Andre Rublev and he lost to Lorenzo Sonego, who played a great tournament. He didn't lose to a dud. He played. He beat Caspar Ruud in the in the second round. He was super impressive. He actually held match points in the third round to go into the fourth round. That would have been he lost to Davidovich Fokina.
Rennae Stubbs: I think, yeah, it was like the Marathon Man.
Andrea Petkovic: It was two sets to love match points. But the new generation is here and they they are very good and they will just become better because they are all teenagers there.
Rennae Stubbs: And they want it, which is really nice to see.
Andrea Petkovic: Yeah, that was like really what I loved about because I watched the Fonseca, the Machak and Tien match back to back. It was all on Margaret Courts day to day to day, and what I loved seeing with them is they are hungry. They are so hungry they wanted they like they would freaking rip their arm out to win this match. And it was just super fun.
Rennae Stubbs: Yeah, that was fun.
Andrea Petkovic: So the men's that was a while we're on it before we get to the excitement of the women's the final last night.
Rennae Stubbs: Well, first of all, Novak pulling out after one said that was just crazy, and you know, we wish him well and hopefully you know that one if it is he showed the scan the tear in his hamstring, that's minimally six weeks minimally.
Andrea Petkovic: Yeah, I mean, honestly, it looks because I had unfortunately a lot of MRIs pictures to look at and when you can see it that obviously that much liquid and the thing like I'm not a and you can see it off the bomb medical person at all. But if you I know, well, I've seen enough of them, exactly, I've seen enough of them that when you have a big white blot that is this big, you are fucked. Yeah, basically I would.
Rennae Stubbs: Say two months minimally, I don't think he'll even if he comes back, well, then again, he'll get in his hyperbaric chamber, and maybe.
Andrea Petkovic: That's the thing Novak has. He's like, he is an incredible He is getting older, but he is different in terms of recovery because he has been. And I always say that, and this is really important. Just if you start to do all these things that Novak starts tomorrow, you're not going to get the same effects. But since he's seventeen years old with the same age, since he's seventeen years old, he's been drinking green juice and doing yoga and doing his breathing exercise and meditation. And we wer kids and we were laughing at him because we just wanted to have fun. But he has been doing this for twenty years. That's why his body is in this shape that he can even play like that.
Rennae Stubbs: No wonder I feel like the way I did exactly.
Andrea Petkovic: I feel like I was eating freaking pizza and I was between sixty and twenty years old, because I was embarrassed to sit in a restaurant that's not going to cup me to forty years old to play professional tennis eating pizza for four years in my hotel room, I wonder while crying myself to sleep, although I did play it a lot. I was eating pizza and crying.
Rennae Stubbs: With a beer. Okay, so that just a little thing on the booing that when he left the court was so unacceptable. I put it out on Twitter. I'm like, listen, if I get it. You paid a lot of money to go to see that match. But this is called sports.
Andrea Petkovic: Especially individuals.
Rennae Stubbs: It's the same as if you want to see your favorite runner run the one hundred meters finals and they false start.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's just sports. Shit happens like that. And the fact that you actually think the Novak Djokovic is going to walk off the court because he might be injured.
Andrea Petkovic: In a semi five, in a semi final at thirty seven years old, when he doesn't know how many more he will get.
Rennae Stubbs: And having won the tournament ten times and several times with an injury, like come on, people like you're better than that, and some people are like, well, I don't know if it was all Australians might, it mightve been tourists. I don't care who it was. Whoever you were that bood, look yourself in this in the in the mirror and say what the fuck.
Andrea Petkovic: And boo yourself and boo yourself.
Rennae Stubbs: That's right, boot yourself and make sure you put clip that into a into a headline. Okay, so that was amazing. But the final last night, Okay, we have varying opinions about this. I thought that Zverev was average, and I'll give you my opinions, and then you're going to give yours. His serving quality, he got eighty three percent of first serves in correct in the first set, in the first set, but then throughout the match.
Andrea Petkovic: It dropped a little, but he was still between seventy and eighty.
Rennae Stubbs: Okay, but he got eighty three percent of first serves in in the first serve, for example, and he lost a set with one break. Here's the thing that I find it and that I also we also diagnosed through the tournament, through the match, was that his accuracy on his serve doesn't lend itself to getting three points and getting the serf plus one the way that Jannik does. Jannik might have been seventy percent or maybe even lower.
Andrea Petkovic: Yeah, but he was actually and that's why it got dicy and the second said he was at a fifty three percent and a second.
Rennae Stubbs: But every time a big point comes around Jannik hit an accurate serve and got either a free point off of unreturned serve or off an easy ball plus one. And so his anxiety level when he's like love thirty down, he goes bang bang bang bang right, whereas Zverev might have got eighty three percent in and serving great high. percentage, but he's not as accurate. He was not as accurate last night. So if you look at the if you look at the statistics for example, of where he's served bounced, he is like within about a three foot range of the sideline, whereas Jannik is like one foot. The difference in that in the speed of the way they serve. If he's hitting that serve that accurately, he's really under no pressure on his serve, and so the anxiety level is less because you're like, I can serve my way out of trouble, you know, kind of like Madi Keys the other night, she was able to serve a way out of trouble.
Rennae Stubbs: But it's like if you can't wait to talk about Madi Keys.
Rennae Stubbs: To me, builds anxiety, builds pressure, and then when you get to the big moments in tie breaks, he knows that he can serve his way through that tie break, and he did not play a great tie break center. He made errors, but again Zverev didn't didn't grab the opportunity when he had it, and he had zero break points in the match. Zero in a five set match, you don't have one fucking break point and you're the second best player in the world. That just shows me that Jannik's serving is so superior to Zverev's that in that way, even though I know you're going to say his serving percentage was high, but he's getting no free points and he can't. He could not serve his weight out of trouble yesterday and Yanick was returning where Rafa was returning last night. Yeah, because he was like, mate, you cannot ace me. He can't. He wasn't using the wide one out wide because he's not accurate enough right to serve it out wide and the first court and in the second court he doesn't hit the kick serve well enough to get Yanick off the court to give him an easy plus one. So the accuracy of serve to me, was such a difference made in that match, and you saw it. And that's and Jannik is just better at every single thing and his forehand is so superior to Zverev's, and he made so many unforced errors. nd I know why, you're gonna tell me why, Yes, but I still think you have got if you want to win that match, you've got to hit the ball big and you cannot miss. And that's what Novak does, and that's what Sinner does, and arguably you could say Carlos as well. Those three guys go for it and they're not missing.
Andrea Petkovic: Yeah, in big moments, I agree Zverev was the opposite of all I agree to in that's regard but what the case that I'm making for Zverev and why I'm making it is everything that we have reproached him with we as an expert, as in Roger's talked about it, as in Boris Becker talked about it, every single person. The thing that they have said about Sasha Zverev is in big matches, he's too passive. He goes back behind the base sign, he pushes the ball and he tries to outlast the guys and it never works because from quarter final, semifinals on they are two good. So this is my case that I'm making for him and why I was impressed with him in a way. Yesterday he hit the ball ten k's an hour faster in the first set, and up to fifteen k's and hour faster and the second and third set. And he was closer to the baseline by a meter, which is like, I don't know what said.
Rennae Stubbs: That's uh it's like, uh, I don't know, god'd three foot Yeah, no, it's more met is like maybe six feet or something.
Andrea Petkovic: I know that's two six foot six is two meters, I think.
Rennae Stubbs: Okay, so there you got.
Andrea Petkovic: So they half like three point three or something whatever, It doesn't matter, but he was closer to the baseline.
Rennae Stubbs: We apologize to everyone.
Andrea Petkovic: We really dumb. That's why we work in tennis.
Rennae Stubbs: Well, we also work in We also grew up with the metric system.
Andrea Petkovic: Yeah that's true. But so so this is my case for him. He has taken those critiques from players that have won Grand Slams. I'm not talking about me, but from the Boris Beckers and Roger Federers. He tried to be more aggressive. He knows that against Jannik and it probably won't be enough to be behind the baseline and retrieve. He and everybody said he needs to have a great serving day in terms of he needs to be between seventy and eighty percent. He was eighty three percent. And my argument is he was just out played. There was just a better player on the other side. He tried the right things, and I agree with you that when he does go for more, he misses, but because it's not his game yet, he might get there. He was in the tiebreak. He came into the every single two times. But that's what I mean. But before, we can't we can't do this. We can't do this. We can't fucking critique him for being passive and then when he does the opposite, critique him for being the opposite. We can't do that. So that's why I say I'm impressed with him. He's trying the right things and maybe it will come, maybe it won't, but he's taking the critiques to heart and he's trying to work on it. And that's what I really have to say. I liked about it, and I'm surprised that I'm saying it myself.
Rennae Stubbs: Pulling for the Germans.
Andrea Petkovic: The thing that I don't like. Like if you critique somebody for something you can't like. If I said multiple times that I think Carlos needs to work on his consistency. Juan Carlos said it, Ferrero, to me, and so it's not like I'm making stuff up. That's what they need to work on. Now. If he comes up in the next tournament and he becomes like a grinder for two tournaments because he's working on that, I will be the last person to be like, oh, now he's pushing. What is he doing?
Rennae Stubbs: Yeah?
Andrea Petkovic: Yeah, you have to take stepping stones in order to become a better player, and maybe this final yesterday was a stepping stone for him. And I honestly, I know he lost in Straits and it was the furthest away from the other two finals, But strangely I thought he was the closest in terms of how he needs to play if he actually does want to win one. Except on the French Open. There it's a little bit different. I think there he can get away with his incredible.
Rennae Stubbs: I think that's his best bet to win a Grand Slam because he can be a little bit passive and he can sort of get away with it a little bit more and be a bit of a grinder and someone like Yanni can't hear him off the court. And and I'll bring it back again to the serving. Serving quality doesn't have to be as good, and even on grass it doesn't have to be I mean, look at Janick Sinner, sorry, look at Carlos. You know he doesn't get a lot of free points on his serve. But then you get on grass and you serve just becomes better and he gets more accurate.
Andrea Petkovic: But in one word on Carlos, I honestly think after this he could have the best season of his life because I love the changes he made to his game. I saw so many like the serve. I think it will be it was he said it. I still feel weird. It's not fully ingrained in myself. It's going to take time before I fully feel. I thought it looked better. I thought his returning looked better. He tried to take the second serves earlier. I thought he did look more consistent. There were a few matches in the first few rounds when usually when he's so much better than the other person, he kind of wanders off. The wandering off was a lot shorter. It was one or two games maximum, and then he dialed it back in. I think he will have a fantastic season this year.
Rennae Stubbs: Well, I think he's going to win the French and Wimbledon again.
Andrea Petkovic: Yeah, but maybe even what I think? Maybe, no, you don't think so.
Rennae Stubbs: Jannik is so good on hard court.
Rennae Stubbs: He's so much superior to all these guys in hardcourt because he has the accuracy and the speed on serve and he's plus one, and his shot making and his ability to go down the line when he needs to win a point is unbelievable, and his volleying has improved so much when the ball does come back. So anyway, I just thought Jannik is just so good right now, and he's like a robot. Can I just say I know what his game plan was yesterday and he stuck to it like his like his parents' life was on the line, like someone was holding a rope and they were going to let go of the rope and let them go off the cliff. And he was like, okay, I got to stick to the game plan or they going to let go of the rope. It's like he broke down, break the forehand down. He just kept going there and even at one point when he had a shot that almost cost him breaking serve in the second said he was love thirty ons of very servant. He had an easy forehand and he tried to go inside in to the forehand and stay disciplined of breaking down the forehand. And it was the one time he probably should have pulled the trigger and gone inside out into the backhand, but he still stuck with the game plan and he lost the game, and he wasn't pissed about it because he was just like, just keep going to the forehand, Just keep going to the forehand, break it down. And that's whereas car I think I think Carlos would have tried to still go back to the backhand because. He's like, but I want to go there, you know, because why not? And I think the discipline Jannik has such amazing discipline. He gets four or five things, there's the game plan, and he sticks to it. They were going to use the drop shot. He did like when he decided to vary things up, he hit the drop shot and he won a couple of really big points, including one in the tie break that was massive. So he's just so fucking disciplined.
Andrea Petkovic: I once more Italian in him. Yeah, no, no, it is, I will see I will say I know I'm strangely making a huge case for Zverev here. But I will say two things one thing, one about Jannik and one about the tiebreak. Zverev was unlucky. Key.
Rennae Stubbs: Yeah, he had five all the net cord or four all?
Andrea Petkovic: Was it five all or four all?
Rennae Stubbs: I think it was four all when he got the net cord on his serve.
Andrea Petkovic: Yes, So yeah, he would have probably because it was like a tight fourhand from down.
Rennae Stubbs: There and Jannik was playing tight. Say I said, because we differ here again, I don't think Sasha was hitting the ball that well he was making so many errors.
Andrea Petkovic: Yeah, he was because he was trying to be more aggressive. I agree that he was hitting errors, but I think the reasoning behind it is But of course, I think because Jannik knows that if he goes head like power power with him, Jannik knows he's going to win.
Rennae Stubbs: So I think Jannik was a little passive in. The second set because he was like, I'm gonna I'm going to win if I just hit the ball in the court, because after the seventh ball, he's going to miss, do you know what I mean? Whereas in thinking knows shit against Carlos or against Novak, I got to be a little more aggressive where I think he was tight in that second set, Jannik.
Andrea Petkovic: And he was, yeah, and that forehand was tight and then like hit the net cord and the thing why I bring it to five all. I'm not saying one point sides the whole match, but you could just see in this moment where of psychology he was crushed because it felt like everything is against me again. Yeah, I'm here. I gave myself the chance to win one, but the whole universe has because I know how I thought sometimes when this thing's happened, and you know afterwards, when you're rational, you know that this was not the difference that you probably should have started the match better or whatever.
Rennae Stubbs: It was, the bad line call in the French Yeah, exactly, just harped on that forever. Yeah, but that five to aer point in the tiebreak, that was an indication of Jannik knew he was still going to win that point even though it was incredible point, and that was the in my opinion, the only really great point of the match.
Andrea Petkovic: Well but just one. Because Jannik came to our desk for an interview and I asked him about how like where it comes from that he plays the big moments so well, because we talked about it so many times, how good he is in tiebreaks and tied moments. Simone Vagnozzi, his coach next to Darren Cahill, said they had a press conference. They were trying to really include the coaches more. He had the Austrian Open, which I really liked. I thought it was as yeah. And so they were in the press conference and Simona said, I actually feel a lot more at ease when Yannick is under pressure because I know he will raise his game. Sometimes when he goes up early, he like starts to, you know, basically fuck around, and I'm more on edge. I'm more on edge when he's up in early break because he starts to wander in his thoughts, Whereas when he's down early or he loses the set, he just kind of dials in and he feels less pressure when there's more pressure on Jannik. And so I asked him about this and he said that, you know, for exam, he took an example, and I love that he's like, well, for example, on the set point six y four, I was not playing well in the tiebreak, I felt nerves. I was like little. He didn't say tied but I think he said, I felt the nerves and I served while I saw the short ball and I just looked at down the line. I was like, I'm going to go full. I was going to hit the ball as hard as I can.
Rennae Stubbs: Is that off the forehand?
Andrea Petkovic: Yes. And he hit the and he hit the winner on the because he was what we just mentioned, he was tight on the forehands. That's where he gets tired. He was tight on the forehand side throughout the entire tie break. He gets to the set point and when Zverev serfs, that's tough to make a point six four, so he kind of has to win the point and he sees the opening and he goes bomb smack, and he said it in the interview, said, I saw the opening and I just went go as hard as you can and bomb and he hit the line. And then he said and it was lucky. I'm like, bro, it's not lucky.
Rennae Stubbs: But that's exactly my point in the discipline to go to the forehand, to go to the forehand, and the one that he should have gone to the backhand on was that love thirty point to go up love forty on vera surf. But you can see he's like, no, stick with the game plan, go to the forehand, go to the forehand, and on that one is in my perfect it's a perfect example, and including in the last game when he.
Andrea Petkovic: Got a little tight.
Rennae Stubbs: In that last game serving it was fifteen all, and the same thing, he got an he got an easy forehand instead of going back to the forehand, which he done discipline wise through the whole match. He went nah on going big down the line. So that's recognizing also that yes, you got to stick to the game plan, but when it's time to pull the trigger, the belief in his shots are always there, right.
Andrea Petkovic: Yeah. Well, and the one just I know we are dissecting, but it's yeah, but it's the recency bias. It's the last match we watched, so I think that's why. But I want to say one more thing about Zverev, because you were critiquing a serf and I think it's not his serf. I think it's That's what I mean by.
Rennae Stubbs: It's his accuracy.
Andrea Petkovic: No, no, no, I disagree, And this is why I disagree. The difference is that he played the best player in the world and Jannik Sinner is sometimes being viewed that there's this robotic monotone player. People don't see how freaking smart he is. He was making no inroads on Zverev's serve because as we mentioned, he was serving eighty three percent first serves in the first set, and he was hitting his spots and he was serving two hundred twenty k is an hour. What did Jannik Sinner do, one of the best returners, who stands on the line for most serves, when he went.
Rennae Stubbs: Back behind the Melbourne stone ten.
Andrea Petkovic: Freaking feet he was served returning where Medvedev and Rafa returns.
Rennae Stubbs: I have to say his coaches told him to do that.
Andrea Petkovic: It doesn't matter, that doesn't matter.
Rennae Stubbs: He asked him in the third set, what should I do? And they said, you do what makes you comfortable.
Andrea Petkovic: And that's where he neutralizes very of serves. So it's not only what you do, it's also what the opposing side does. And Jannik did and I agree he didn't play maybe his best match, but he did exactly what he needed to do tactically to dismantle Zverev and that's why he won the match yesterday.
Rennae Stubbs: Yeah, he's he's unbelievable.
Rennae Stubbs: Anyway, Congratulations Jannik Congratulations to your whole team just a class bunch of guys. And this WADA situation is such a joke in my I mean, it's a joke. How can you let how can the IATA just We're not going to get into the tangent here, but I just want to make the statement, how can the IATA say no fault for you whatever?Dummies? Wait? How can they say no fault and then WADA decides months later? Months later? You know what, that's not quite satisfactory for us. We want him to pay for his team doing something stupid. But we're gonna We're gonna wait till April. Are you fucking kidding me. He's played two Grand Slams and won them. Yeah, and you think this is a good look, Wider, You really think this is a good look. It's anyway, that's what we're gonna go on. And I guarantee you look out. I think they're gonna ban him. It's gonna be a terrible look for tennis anyway. Okay, so let's get to the women's. Oh my god, before we get to the final, can we fucking talk about the Madison Keys Iga Swiantek match, which to me, arguably may be the best match I've. Ever watched courtside from miss straight if you watched much more, I've seen dramatic matches there. I've seen the Wozniaki Halep match. I saw the Kerber Halep match, which to me to this day is a match I fell off my chair like eighteen times I saw Kerber stop and Halep stop in the middle of a point to get their breaths. I mean, but this, the quality of that match was the best match I've seen court side quality wise for two women. I thought Rybakina Sabalenka was as good as I've seen, but that one I've not seen. Iga Swiatek play a better hard court match quality wise. A couple of shots here and there, forehand on match point, forehand and the tie break. But we nitpick, right, this is what. We could have nitpicked at Madison hitting the fence a couple of times in the tie break as well, but we don't because she won the match, So we're nitpicking at Iga. But I honestly think that is the best match I've seen Iga play on hard court ever. And she won the US Open. She was hitting the ball so well, everything was going. She arguably should have ended up winning the match. She had a match point on her serve, did not hit a bad serve, hit the right serve, went to the backhand, went to the weak as side of Madison. Madison crushes back a return Madison hit I think a winner on that match point, Like there was nothing that you could seriously critique, and it makes me think eager she on tech is not gonna lose a match on clay this year. If she plays like that on hard court, good luck on clay. Everyone but Madi Keys to have the strength of mind, because we know the biggest issue for Madison has not been the way she hits the ball. It's been her choice of shots. The change of racket is made the world of difference to her game. The serving, the step up and not the platform serve has made the world a difference injury rise and to her serving she's serving nine miles an hour harder, but the mental fortitude to win that match in the end when she got down in that tiebreak, she was down like seven five, like six ' four. You know, look she never went away and the way she won that match, oh my god, Like what a fucking match that was. Before we even get to the final y Madi Keys.
Andrea Petkovic: No, absolutely, I agree. It was definitely you saw many more matches court said than I had it. But I was court set for it too, and it was definitely by far the best match I saw court sideWe were all sitting there and we kept saying like, what is this? Yeah, this is not tennis. Unbelievable, this is like from a different planet, Like are these aliens? Have aliens invaded these tennis players? Or is it like artificial? I didn't, I don't ever know it was out of this work because the thing saying, shot.
Rennae Stubbs: That hit Madi hit it so hard that Iga hit the forehand and fell backwards, yes, and used her left hand to hold herself up. The balls hit so hard. But Iga was like, oh not giving up the baseline. It was fucking insane.
Andrea Petkovic: I think that's what really like. I've watched a lot of tennis from the booth, but when your court sided so different, you cannot see the pace from the booth because it's mostly and then and you can see it better in the booth then you can see it on TV. So that's what I mean. It's like a three step. There is court side where you see the actual pace. There is the booth where you see some of the pace, and then there's the TV where you see none of the pace. And this was the fastest match with very little unforced errors, with incredible pace like placement. It wasn't like they were just hitting through the center of the court. They were like making each other run. I think they each had twenty five sprints in the third set a lot. It was absolutely insane, and I felt as happy as I felt for Madison as sad I felt for Iga, just because she has made so many adjustments, adjustment, so many right adjustments, and she wasn't rewarded this time. But I'm yeah, well, not only on clay, Yeah, not only on clay. I think now she's found the game because and this is what I've been saying about Iga from the beginning of the tournament and why I thought she will do well here. She is playing a bit closer to a DNA on hard courts. I thought last year, in the last months, she would play hardcore tennis, trying to bang it out with the big hitters. Right, she would go faster and flatter instead of relying on her strength, which is the change of rhythm that she has naturally in her game with the flat backhand and the spin.
Rennae Stubbs: She needs to get back her drop shot. Remember when she was younger, she used to hit a drop shot a lot off her backhand. I think she needs to develop that. And obviously on clay that's going to be even more important. But on a hard court, wind at your face, she needs to develop that because you know, that's where Madi's not super comfortable, is like running forward and hitting something. She was great at the net. She's been great at the net the whole tournament. But it's a difference between creating a shot at the net as opposed to hitting the shot coming in on your term. So I think Iga needs to work on that one. Not easy to do off the power of Madison Keys. Fuck, okay, let's get to the final.
Rennae Stubbs: Yeah, I mean, honest to god, one of the things that I've always talked about when I do Madison Keys's matches as I watch her anxiety level, and I talked about it quite a bit on the pod and on television, and I've always and I've said over and over the last two weeks, I've said it on this pod. The player that was going to benefit from having her coach and now her husband close to the court was going to be Madison Keys. Everyone benefits from it. There's no question. Jannik probably benefit from it last night. YadA YadA, YadA, can go on and on and on, but there's no doubt Madison Keys is the one that was going to benefit from the most. Because the one thing I look for in Madison is her anxiety level and her breathing. And I've set it in matches at the US Open oh oh no, her breathing she just got. I can see her chest rising, I can see your eyes getting bigger. I can see the confusion, and then. All of a sudden she thinks, Okay, go bigger, and it's like, okay, yes, but no, let's find a good game plan with the bigger and the rackets. Sure it helps, no question, but haven't beyond there talk to her in a calm way or in a snappy way to get her snapped out of it, because he's talked about that was enormous. And her fact that she admitted after the match about she wants this, but she doesn't need it Grand Slam, and then she added to it in the postmatch interview where she said, I've been going to therapy, not sports psychology, to a therapist to deal with me as a person. Why is it that I need this? Why is it that I feel like I've got to answer these questions forever? You know, everyone was saying she's the best player, never win a Grand Slam like you hear that as a player that builds anxiety through matches. And the obvious one was against Sabalenka last year at the US Open, when she orders it two years ago.
Andrea Petkovic: Two years ago, six six five three.
Rennae Stubbs: She should have won that match, but all of a sudden, I saw her anxiety go. I was caught side for that match. Breathing got fast. She looked like she was a deer in headlights. And also I interviewed it that you was open man, It might have been in the quarters. It's on YouTube And I said, how much does it help that you go over there and you get some advice from Bjorn because you were allowed to coach, And she said, honestly, Stubs, you, I can't hear shit down here. Yeah, and we've all played on center court at Arthur Ashe. You can't hear when people are yelling to you.
Andrea Petkovic: No, that's what I always say, Like when people ask me, like, what do you think about Juan Carlos Ferrero constantly coaching Carlos? Can you not say? I was always saying to them like you can hear like zero point one percent of what Juan Carlo and most of the coaches, as you know, having coached, you just talk through your stress. Whether the player hears it or not is on a completely different planet. And most of it the player doesn't hear. But it's you talking through your stress because you are stressed too, and you are pretending like they can hear you, and they're looking at you, and mostly they give you the confuse that the headlights. They're like what, like I can't How many times have I showed to my coach like I tapped on my ear like I can't hear you?
Rennae Stubbs: Sam Stosur said to me at the US Opene and I said, oh my god, did you hear me when I said go whatever line? And she goes, no, I couldn't hear you at all, And I was like what I was fucking screaming at it.
Andrea Petkovic: The courts are huge, and the audience is loud, and the distances are long.
Rennae Stubbs: And it's also the ambient noise of the US Open is woeful. But the thing about the here is she had him in her ear the whole match, calming her down, keeping her focused on the game plan, making her realize she could do it all the things. And I was like, it is so obvious that she was going to benefit from that, and look at it. And he and I saw him in the last game when she won that last game. What a fucking last game she played. He shook his shoulders. He shook his shoulders like I said, loosen up and go for it. But from the beginning, her calmness and I have this mantra in coaching composure, clarity, commitment. If you're composed, then you're clear about your game plan, and then you have to commit. And she was the epitome of that through the entire match. A little bit wobbly in the second set, a little bit wobbly closing out the first set, but towards the end, and that's where Bjorn helped. He gave her composure, then he gave her a clear game plan, and then, my god, did she commit to it. It was unbelievable to watch that last night. Two nights ago. Knowing what she does usually under pressure, and the therapy and him being on the court, and the change of racket and the change of service stance has made the world of difference. And I'll tell you what. She is good enough to win every Grand Slam. She can play on every surface. She plays well on grass, she's won Eastbourne a couple of times she's played well at Wimbledon in the past. We know what she can do at the French. She's made the semis there. We know what she can do at the US Open. I'm telling you that girl can we not any freaking surface.
Andrea Petkovic: No, she can. But the one thing that I like your analysis. The one thing I don't like. It sounds like everyone else had something to do with it, but she didn't. And this is really to do that. Well, this is the most important part about that. Is not that what Bjorn said. It's not the racket change, it's not the therapy. It's her deciding that she wants to do some more about her life, that she is willing to take agency over her decisions and over what she wants and put everything in it and then see what the outcome is. As she said, she didn't need it, but she wanted to put everything into place in case she came in the situation that she could do it. And it's her decision to listen to your to listen to Bjorn, It's her decision to change the record. It's her decision to call a therapist and be like, hey, can we work on this. It's all her and there was an internal change. She has become a woman and adult woman. She's emotionally matured, and she has always been the player that she has showed now. But it's the emotional maturity and the character that she has built through the adversity that she's had in the last ten years that helped her win this title. And I have goosebumps now just thinking about it. Because the thing is because I think we all, all of us who haven't won Grand Slams singles, who got close, maybe closer, maybe not so close. I was in the semis, not as close as Madi was before, but I feel like we were all crying and we all lived vicariously through somebody actually managing to turn it around, because I never managed to turn it around for myself because I wasn't willing to change a racquet or make a huge change because I was afraid it's going to be worse. I always bring up this example Martin Kaymer in golf. He played well, he was the number one in the world, won the US Open, but he always played badly in Augusta. Could I have no clue about golf, But apparently it's a left turning course instead of a right turning or something. And his swing was always right turning instead of left turning. So he went out there, got a coach and changed his swing so he could play in Augusta, and he fucked his career. No, that's the example. I mean, that's what I mean. We see Madison Keys now having made those changes and are going like, look how brave she is and how amazing. But it could have gone what if she hasn't gotten the power with a Yonex racquet anymore? Ye? But if she can't get through the court anymore, what.
Rennae Stubbs: If she double faults because she's changed her service motion?
Andrea Petkovic: Exactly? There could have been so many bad outcomes, but we only see the good outcomes, and we're like, of course, it's a natural, natural thing that that all paths led to this way, and there are multiple examples. We never hear about that.
Rennae Stubbs: Radwanska she changed her racquet, Well, what the fuck are you doing? She went to a dumblop and couldn't win three matches anymore exactly because of the money.
Andrea Petkovic: And that's courage and that's and that's character, and that's something she's built through adversity, and that's why I think we all were so emotionally touched. And I said, yesterday on the desk when we were wrapping, they asked me what was the moment for you of the tournament? And I said two moments. One when Ben Shelton fell and then went into push ups. I really thought that was I tell you what.
Rennae Stubbs: We didn't even talk about him. We were not going to because we want to keep on this Madi thing. But Ben, Wow, like he's getting closer and yeah, yeah, but.
Andrea Petkovic: That was for me the moment of the tournament, in a funny way, but in a really deep, emotional, profound way, was Madison Keys winning this Grand Slam and being rewarded for everything she's put in and being rewarded for her character. Really because we all know what a great person she was, and she on her is sorry it sounded like she's you've got this so that she is and the character, because she was always a great person, but now she's built character, and yesterday or two days ago, character won her this Grand Slam. And this is the biggest compliment I could ever give to anything.
Rennae Stubbs: I agree with you one hundred percent. The five all, she decided not to go with the kickserve, which is obviously her go to serve under pressure. She went to the forehand and I said it on coverage, she has to change that serve under pressure at some point because Sabalenka was looking for it, particularly down that end with a little bit of win behind her downhill, she went out wide on the second serve and Saba said a good shot, and Madison hit and Mary Joe said it on the coverage, the shot of the tournament with that foehand down the line, and it was almost like I went, oh my god, she's going to win this match, because that was and then she hit another week the.
Andrea Petkovic: Last age points. If you have not watch the match, points.
Rennae Stubbs: Yeah, five or thirty or winners with winners, yeah.
Andrea Petkovic: If you have not watched the match or the semifinal for that matter, please do yourself a favor and look up the tiebreak of the last set against Iga Swiatek and watch it from first point to last and just check out the last eight points that Madison Keys played to win this match, because that's what she did. She won the match. Nobody gave her anything. She went out there and she took it by the by the short and curly took it by the neck, and she shook it and she hit it on the head and then it was in her hands.
Rennae Stubbs: And that's what I love because she's always been this player that's gone for winners and all this sudden. You're like, oh god, what was that? Why did you try and hit that? Nana first point, bang bang bang, four unbelievable shots, love fifteen, then takes a good first serve. Sabalenka didn't miss the first serve. She didn't go for it. She was a little because her serf was definitely not on during the tournament. She was definitely off. What the fuck with the ball toss being nine inches higher, Like what are we talking about here? Thirty three centimeters? What? So that's a problem for her going forward. She needs to clean that up. But so she just she just rolled her first serve in and Madi. Goes you know what, fuck you, I'm going to make you pay, and goes bang down the line with the backhand for a clean winner. Then plays another unbelievab point to go fifteen for little tight No, actually a good serve, Sabalenka, good serve, And then you're kidding me the return that hit the back of the line, and I want to say, and then she hits the fourhand winner to win the tournament. Like talk about winning the match, Like you said, she grabbed it by the neck and took it. But I think the reason why, and I just want to add this, Sabalenka lost her mind, which was not a good look after the match. She thought the return was out. And if you see her reaction at her box when she's like getting all pissed, she basically says she thought the return was out, which is why she lost her mind. But that was not a good look for her, and breaking the racquet was really not a good look for and she's such a good loser normally, she's like, she's always so gracious, and she was gracious in the speech. And I don't want to harp on it too much, but if there's one moment that she would like to take back. Even though she thought the ball was out on match point, you know it's not out because the electronic line calls are calling it. It's like you can't take that moment away from Madison.
Andrea Petkovic: I understand, but this is my argument for Sabalenka. That's for sure, that's my motto, and I live and die by it. But that's the same with her. You live and you die by the sword that you swing. And if we love Sabelenka for the emotions she displays, we have to take the bad emotions with it. We can't have all the funny dances and warrior in her without having the one the other part of it as well. And that's why there's the same argument I think I make with Zverev If we can't shit on the players for everything. If we shit on them for one thing, we have to take it and then run with it if they try to change it. And that's my argument. If we love Sabalenka for her emotions, we have to live with that her emotions and can get the better of her. And two, I've been perpetually obsessed with losses because they taught me so much about my ego when I thought I don't have an ego, but then I would lose and I would realize I do have an ego, and it hurts it when I lose and somebody is better than me. I will say the way Sabalenka handled losing that first set against an incredibly well playing Madison was so champion-esque and I was so proud of her, which is so stupid to say, because you know, it's like, oh, but just like I was proud of her in a sense like that she's a woman in sports and she was such a warrior, and I was part of the drop short. I was just so grateful. Yeah, And she fought and competed so hard that she almost turned it around, even though she was not playing her best tennis arguably the entire tournament compared to how she played last year. But she was in the final and she was so close to winning it because of how she competes. And that's why I will give her some slack, because I feel like that's the that's the other part of the emotions that she uses to fuel her and turn these type of matches around. They can also get the better of it.
Rennae Stubbs: I think For me, it was just for her sake. I wish she hadn't done it, because because of the fact that she's such a gracious loser normally, and we love her personality on the court. I just think in you know, I think the next day she would have regretted it. That's all I'm saying. Because for me, when you're carrying on like that before you shaw breaking in the racquet. Okay, it didn't look great, but listen, I wasn't great on the court either when I lost, I fucking was the worst loser. But it was the yelling at her box about the ball being out and stuff. I just wish she'd give it because Madi put her head down and walking to that because she could see she was like getting all mad, and it was like kind of embarrassing for Madison. She's like, oh God, what the hell am I gonna get punched?
Andrea Petkovic: She gave a great hands, she gave a hug.
Rennae Stubbs: No, I mean once she got to Madison, it was all good. I just I think for her sake, she probably would have regretted doing that, and I think she would probably like to take that back if there was anything, But my god, what a great final. The women's finals have been so superior to the men's here at Australian Open over the last few years. Last year wasn't great, Sabalenka easily, but you know, it just it was a it was a wow. It was such a great tournament. It was so really well played. Madison was incredible. And I'll give Jessica Pegula now that I'm sitting here watching the Buffalo Bills play the Kansas City Cheaps, Maddie Keys was Jessica Pegula told me at the start of the tournament. If she plays anything like she played that third set against me in Adelaide, she's winning the tournament.
Andrea Petkovic: Oh amazing, Jess with the prophecy.
Rennae Stubbs: I said to jess Oh, hey, Jess, bad luck in Adelaide, you know, but great start to the year, well done finals, especially after the knee injury and stuff at the end of the year. And she's like, yeah, she goes, Stubbsy. If Madison plays half as good as that third set, it was unbelievable. She goes, She'll win the tournament. Casey Dellaqua called it as well because she saw her play in Adelaide.
Andrea Petkovic: Well, actually it was also Josh Eagle was calling her final ad it done our broadcast because he's with us in the world feed, and he also said it.
Rennae Stubbs: But this is a thing we all know. Madi's capable, but winning a tournament, she's always done that, But stepping up to win a Grand Slam is next level. It's like it's like killing, you know, climbing your local hill and climbing Mount Everest. It's like the difference is fucking so big mentally, and the fact that she held it together to win a Grand Slam, Madi Keys, we are so unbelievably proud of you. We all cried after the match because we were so happy. As you said, we all know what it feels like to push yourself in a different direction to be better.
Andrea Petkovic: Yeah. Well, and it strangely felt like she did it for all of us, you know, for those who haven't been able to like.
Rennae Stubbs: She has about not wanting it but not needing it, and it also going to therapy, and we all agree that Sasha's Zverev needs to go to therapy.
Andrea Petkovic: Well, I think the I think that. I it's like people now use it for everything like that was inspirational, But that was fucking inspirational.
Rennae Stubbs: It was inspirational, so we're going to leave it on that note. You're about to run back to your hotel and check out, and I'm about to check out of my hotel. It's been an amazing couple of weeks. You're about to head back to Germany. I'm going back to Sydney. You spend some time with friends and family before I head back to New York as well. Everyone, thanks for joining us on the podcast. It was just it's amazing. Two really great people won the Australian Open titles and we are really fucking happy for Madison Keys. Well done, Madi, Yeah, okay.
Andrea Petkovic: Anything else, well we next time we will maybe talk a little bit more about Paula Badosa and yeah we Ben Shelton we got to the Semis.
Rennae Stubbs: Yeah, and well and well done to them. Paula coming back from that terrible back injury which he thought maybe she would never come back from.
Andrea Petkovic: And we can talk about it next week. Will Well, yeah, we wanted to really celebrate the winners. Yeah, but we have time. We can talk about them next time.
Rennae Stubbs: Okay, Well till next.
Andrea Petkovic: Time, because now everyone will be depressed and have nothing to watch.
Rennae Stubbs: Well, I'm depressed. I mean, I'm I will always the day after a Grand Slam, I'm like so tired. Yeah, but I'm also so depressed because I just..
Andrea Petkovic: Already, I. ave to say, already, the last four days of a Grand we started getting depressed. It's so depressing to be there. There's nobody there, it's so empty.
Rennae Stubbs: And we love it at the Australian Open because we often a court side and we get all get to sit next to each other.
Andrea Petkovic: It's so fun. But then it's like no matches. You turn the TV on, there's football instead of tennis.
Rennae Stubbs: Anyway, all right, guys, well thanks so much. We really appreciate your support. Hey, don't forget like and subscribe please because that's really what's important as well to subscribe to the podcast. Petko, thank you're freaking best.
Andrea Petkovic: We love you. We the Royal We.
Rennae Stubbs: Yeah yeah, anyway, all right by everyone! Chuus!
