Day 6 Wimbledon Recap w/ Danny Sapsford Talking About Playing Pete Sampras at SW19!

Summary

Podcast Summary: Control the Controllables – "Day 6 Wimbledon Recap w/ Danny Sapsford Talking About Playing Pete Sampras at SW19!"

Host: Dan Kiernan
Guest: Danny Sapsford
Date: July 4, 2026

---

Overview

On day six of Wimbledon 2026, Dan Kiernan presents a vibrant recap of a dramatic Middle Saturday, reflecting on upsets, standout matches, and British achievements. The episode’s centerpiece is a nostalgic, engaging conversation with former British pro Danny Sapsford—most famous for his 1999 Wimbledon run ending against Pete Sampras. Together, they reminisce about British tennis history, the mental and physical demands of Wimbledon, and share stories of perseverance and passion.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Wimbledon Day 6 Highlights (00:00–09:35)

• Atmosphere and Setting:
  Dan broadcasts live from SW19, capturing the buzz and occasional background noises from the venue. It's Middle Saturday—another “glorious day,” albeit with some clouds earlier.
• Men’s Draw:
  • Epic battle between Bublik and Tiafoe, with Bublik prevailing 13-11 in the third set tiebreak.
  • Dimitrov leads Berrettini in a tense match.
• Women’s Upsets:
  • Iga Swiatek, last year's champion, knocked out by Alexandra Eala: "IGA's not quite getting it going right now. There’s something that doesn’t quite seem right there." (03:24)
  • Anisimova (last year’s finalist) falls to Madison Keys; Rybakina suffers a shock defeat to Elise Mertens, putting only 42% of 1st serves in play and serving 6 double faults.
    • "If you have an off day, you don't want to play Elise Mertens. She makes a lot of tennis balls." (04:15)
• British Praise: Arthur Fery’s Heroics
  • Arthur Fery becomes the sixth British male since the 90s to reach a Wimbledon second week, surviving a gritty five-setter:
    "2-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6, 7-6– Gizu Bergs. Four-one double break down in set four… just absolutely incredible. He’s a great young man." (06:12)

Doubles and Emotional Moments (07:50–09:20)

• Doubles Results:
  • Shout-out to Julian Roger, with whom Dan shares personal history, who made headlines at age 45 progressing to the second week.
    • “To see him in the gym with tears rolling down his face… pretty special. Will take some beating.” (27:25)
  • Granollers/Zeballos (French Open champs) are upset by Sander Gillé/Joran Vliegen.
  • Serena Williams pulls out due to a knee injury; lucky losers step in.

---

Interview with Danny Sapsford (09:35–27:45)

Reflecting on Arthur Fery’s Breakthrough (10:25–12:06)

• Danny’s Reaction:
  • "He’s going to be a bit tired… third match in five days, it's pretty draining. But no, he’s going to be feeling pretty happy." (10:56)
  • Reminisces with Andrew Foster — the last British wild card to make the 4th round (1993, lost to Sampras).

Danny’s 1999 Wimbledon Run (12:38–16:05)

• Journey Overview:
  • Entered through pre-qualifying & qualifying stages.
  • Defeated Peter Korda (former Australian Open champion) in qualifying: “He had nine months off due to a nandrolone doping thing… managed to beat him.”
  • Beat Michael Joyce 8-6 in the fifth in the final qualifying round.
  • Wins over Julian Alonso and Galo Blanco in the main draw.
  • “I won eight matches that year at Wimbledon, which was more than Sampras, who actually won the tournament. So that’s my claim to fame.” (15:44)
• Prize Money:
  • "Third round, 26 grand, which in today’s money is probably about 28 and a half. Not much. But we didn’t used to play for the money, Dan. You know that—we played for the pride and for the stories." (15:49)

Facing Pete Sampras in His Final Match (17:04–19:56)

• Preparation and Experience:
  • Rarely warmed up for matches due to being shy—caused media stir!
  • On Sampras’ serve:
    • “I just felt like my split step was out of time… this guy is serving bigger than I’ve experienced before.” (17:23)
  • No break points throughout the match, came close in the third set.
  • “He was very much in autopilot… One break each set, thanks very much, job done, and moved on.” (18:51)
• Comparing to Modern Players:
  • “Back then, 30 was genuinely old… people were retiring mid-20s, late 20s." (16:27)
  • On Sampras: “He didn’t have the groundstrokes of Agassi, the tenacity of Chang. He’d break you once and that was enough… He beat me 6-3, 6-4, 7-5; he beat Agassi the same score in the final.” (19:27)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Wimbledon's Tradition:
  “Every day with my guests, I say, you can’t come to Wimbledon without having strawberries and cream. It’s the quintessential English summer.” – Danny (21:29)
• On the Evolution of Tennis Careers:
  “30 was genuinely old [when I retired], but I think nowadays, with all the improved medical teams and nutrition, everyone’s career is a bit more prolonged.” – Danny (16:27)
• On Pete Sampras:
  “He was very much in autopilot… one break each set, thanks very much, job done and moved on.” – Danny (18:51)
• On British Tennis Memories:
  “When Tim played, everyone stopped… I was in a pub in Edinburgh watching you [Danny]… I don’t know why at age 19, but that probably didn’t end well!” – Dan (13:04)
• On Doubles Dedication:
  “To see him [Julian Roger] in the gym with tears rolling down his face and to give him a big hug and to feel his passion and energy at 45 years old… pretty special.” – Dan (27:25)
• Advice to Young Players:
  “Have fun. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, particularly at a young age. Play lots of different sports. Don’t take it too seriously.” – Danny (26:00)

---

Rapid-Fire Wimbledon Special (20:14–26:39)

• Best Wimbledon Memory (as a fan):
  Queuing in the 70s/80s, racing onto Centre Court for standing room to watch Borg vs. Amritraj. (20:44)
• Quintessential Wimbledon:
  “Strawberries and cream.” (21:29)
• Dream Centre Court Opponent:
  “Federer—I’d get an absolute whipping, but like to play him, iconic.” (22:23)
• Walk-on Song:
  “Maybe ‘Many of Horror’ by Biffy Clyro… get the crowd going.” (22:49)
• Who Would Thrive on All-Grass Seasons?
  Era would be unchanged (“all services were pretty quick back then”), but now, “style of play would be different—a bit more one-dimensional.” (23:45)
• Guilty Pleasure:
  “Chocolate—get it so cold it cracks your teeth.” (24:18)
• Favorite Wimbledon Champion:
  “Borg or Becker… Borg was my idol when I started playing, but hearing of Becker winning at school was exciting.” (24:38)
• What Would You Change at Wimbledon?
  “Nothing really... maybe better Wi-Fi!” (25:18)
• Advice for Juniors:
  “Have fun, don’t specialize too young. Enjoy the sport—don’t burn out.” (26:00)
• World Cup Prediction:
  “Heart says England, but France look the best.” (26:42)

---

Listener Q&A (27:45–End)

• Next First-Time Grand Slam Winners:
  • Women’s: Iva Jovic or perhaps Jessica Pegula
  • Men’s: Joao Fonseca, especially if Alcaraz or Sinner are absent.
• Personal Favorite Week 1 Moment:
  • Having family at Wimbledon and witnessing the emotion from long-time pro Julian Roger’s doubles run.
  • “This is what the sport does... how dedicated these athletes are, whether singles or doubles.” (27:25)

---

Useful Timestamps

• Opening Recap/Results: 00:00–09:35
• Danny Sapsford Joins: 09:35
• Discussion on Arthur Fery & British Tennis History: 10:25–12:06
• Danny’s 1999 Wimbledon Run: 12:38–16:05
• Playing Pete Sampras: 17:04–19:56
• Wimbledon Rapid Fire: 20:14–26:39
• Listener Questions & Reflections: 27:45–End

---

Tone and Final Thoughts

The conversation mingles historic nostalgia, personal passion, and contemporary insight, as Dan and Danny reflect on how much both British tennis and Wimbledon have changed (and what has endured). Danny’s humility and humor, alongside Dan’s energetic, candid questioning, create a warm, welcoming tone. The episode offers both in-depth tennis analysis and charming human stories behind the statistics.

---

For those who haven’t listened:
This episode provides a rich blend of 2026 Wimbledon drama, untold British tennis history, and uplifting anecdotes about the traditional and often-overlooked joys and challenges of life on tour—reminding us that every player, from qualifiers to legends, has a story worth celebrating.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. Welcome to day six of Wimbledon Live Controller Controllables. Brought to you by Novellas. And here I am still at SW19 with a bit of a clicking noise in the background over at the indoor tennis center. And as ever, another exciting day middle Saturday, middle Saturday at Wimbledon. Another glorious day. A little bit of cloud cover earlier in the day, but we've had another stunning day and lots more brilliant tennis brought our way. Just before we get fully going, make sure you know, in the chat if you have any questions at all, you know, send your questions in. We've received lots over the week of a Dear Dan, but you also get the opportunity to do this through this Danny. 910 please. 9 minutes and we'll have you. No guest has got it right yet. I need to work on my communication but we will see you later. And that's a little advert. Danny Sapsford will be with us at 9:10. I don't know what they do. I said I'm gonna, I'm gonna publish the PDF that all of these guests get very, very clearly says 910 and the WhatsApp message. But anyway. Tennis players, bloody tennis players. We our segment, we will have the. The major moments of the day brought to you by Soto Tennis Academy. We will have the tennis athlete and then our Wimbledon stories. We've had these amazing guests that have got all of these special experiences that they've had at Wimbledon over the years. And today's is somebody who had this incredible run back in 1999. I'm really pleased to kind of bring it alive back in the day. You know, someone who's even older than me, Danny Sapsford, someone who I absolutely looked up to. Brilliant tennis player, came through pre qualifying a qualifying made it all the way to the third round where he played Pete Sampras on court number one. Didn't get. He sent a court match against Pete Sampras but caught number one, lost in three tight sets. And I'm excited to hear all about that because I do believe that was his last ever match he played. He then went on to work for the LTA as a coach straight after that. So that's going to be fun. And then the day has been fun. There still is matches going on around the grounds. Well I say on the, on the major courts we've got Tier 4 and Bulik that are still going head to head right now in, in an extremely tight match. I know it was close at the end of that set. It's now 12:11 to public in the tie break in the, in the third set, tie break. And we have two sets to one. Bublek over TF4. He's just won the set. 13:11 the tiebreak. Dimitrov Two sets to one up on Berettini, but down a break in the fourth. Dimitrov Break points back, so we'll keep our eyes on those. But it's been, I guess a day of upsets on the women's side, you know, IGA Sviontek, last year's finalist. Sorry, winner. Last year's Winner went out 7 6, 62 to Alexandra Yala. We've heard lots about her over, over the last few years and then yeah, just IGA's not quite getting it going right now. You know, there's something doesn't quite seem right there. The furthest that Theyala has gone. We've heard, we've heard big things about a big hitter of the tennis ball. She said. I don't know how to describe it. I've never been to the second week of a Grand Slam and it's amazing for me, Eager is a phenomenal player and a really nice person. So I'm grateful to be able to share center court. I do remember, I think it was Eager. She beat a Miami last year when we kind of saw Yala making her kind of grand entrance onto the WTA Tour. You know, some. Some player we then had Anissa Mover who, who was last year's finalist lost to Madison Keys. Keys, yeah, is. Is putting together. Putting together some results again and it's a. Mover just has fallen off, really hasn't had the same 20, 26 as she had last year. And then I think a certainly surprised a lot of people. We ourselves at the podcast, I think myself and Freddie Nielsen picked her for the title Rebakina and she only put 42% of her serves in play today. Six double faults lost at Alicia Mertens. If you have an off day, you don't want to play Elisa Mertens. She makes a lot of tennis ball. She's a tough competitor and yeah, I don't know, something's not right there as well. I always think we're for a back in a. It's her happiness off the court that seems to link. Same with a lot of players. But Rebecca and I obviously has had a fantastic last 12 months. But when things aren't going right off the court, it feels like it falls apart a little bit. And I've kind of sensed that around the last. The last few weeks that something's not quite right. And Team Rebakina Maybe it's just a blip, but yeah, the women's draw has been blown open really. And then we have six. Only the six player since the start of the 90s, British player that's made the second round of second week of, of singles at Wimbledon. And I'll ask Danny if he knows them all, but Jeremy Bates made. I think it was 92 and 94. Then we've had obviously Andy Murray, we've had Tim Henman, we've had Greg Rosetsky, we've had Cab Nori, nobody else. And, and obviously back in the day, Roger Taylor, Mark Cox for a Perry. You know, I'm sure there's someone else I'm missing, but Arthur ferry becomes that six man in, in, in the last kind of 40 years. What a match that was. Oh my goodness, you know. 2, 6, 7, 5 2, 6 7, 67 6. Gizu Bergs. Four one double break down in set four. Two sets to one down, four one double break. Came back, won the set seven six, four one down in set five. Not a double break, but came back absolutely incredible. One of one of my best friends in the world, Nathan Rooney is his agent. Just, we've just had some dinner with him and he's his lovely wife Kath and yeah, and spoke to Arthur and rightly so they're all extremely happy and he's just a great young man. You know, he's been on the podcast before and someone that you want to do well, you know, moves into the top hundred in the world 300,000 pound richer and, and then gets a chance to play. I tell you what, Berettini or Dimitrov in, in the, in the fourth round on Monday and hey, we could, we could have a British male in the, in the quarterfinals. Let's, let's see, let's see how that, how that develops. And then, and then on the double side, lots of, lots of matches on the double side today. Very close matches and I need to give a shout out to John Julian Roger, I played Jewels, me and Johnny Marray played Julian Roger and Raven Clouson in uzbekistan back in 2003. And that wasn't long before I retired after that. It's a long time ago, like 23 years maybe it's 2004. He's a little bit younger than me, only like 12 months. A really good friend of mine, someone who inspires me massively. He hasn't been playing the last few weeks. He's playing with a young kid, Theo Vinegar and who, who, you know, they've kind of put In a proper shift they've been out to China. They've played a lot of challenger events. They've got the ranking into Kenin as alternates. They had a great win in the first round over Venus and Banbury and then today they beat, they beat Nice and Roger Vassel in 7:6 in the third in over three hours. And getting a bit of a special moment afterwards with, with Jules in the, in the gym because it just finished at the same time as Gabby Dabrowski and Louisa Stefani who I'm coaching and they had a great win today as well. And just to spend that little bit of time was, was brilliant. Granola Zabayos, the French Open champions, the U.S. open champions of last year went out to another Sandagil, great guy and seven week and took them out. So we've got a, got a couple of upsets there that have happened on the men's side. On the women's side a little bit more normal service seems to be resumed with a lot of the top seeds. I think everybody was looking to see. Forward to seeing Serena and Venus. That didn't happen today. Serena's had to pull out with a, with a knee injury. They tried to give the tournament, tried to give her enough time to be ready but she wasn't ready and in time to play today. So the lucky losers came in, came into play that instead. So yeah, another brilliant day. And then obviously tomorrow we have day seven, which is traditionally used to be Middle Sunday where the grounds were kind of empty and it was kind of nice. It was kind of quite a special time to be at Wimbledon. But we're living in 2026 and ticket sales and all of those things that I guess make the world go around means that we've got tennis tomorrow and lots of, lots of brilliant matches to look forward to. We will in the next minute or so. If he's read the PD have, have Danny Sapsford coming on to talk about his Wimbledon time. And it's quite apt actually that Danny, I'm sure he'll have something to say about Arthur and what he has experienced, you know, as a British player going far in this event. You know, just kind of what it, what it takes out of you as well. You know, the media kind of scrummage that comes, comes around you. So it is 910 and Danny's not jumped on yet.

[B]

You.

[A]

He came on at 9:01 but he, he should be here any, any second. And as I say that he has appeared just like that. I'm just saying Danny, that's That's day six. Day six and not one guest has got it right yet. So maybe I need to work on my PDF.

[B]

I'm used to going in waiting rooms and getting into. I pressed join and I came straight in.

[A]

Sorry, this.

[B]

Join you, Dan.

[A]

This is live. This is live show. Danny, you know, we're straight to the heart of it, so thank you so much for coming on. A big welcome to Controller Controllables. How are you doing anyway? How's things?

[B]

No good, no, very, really good, actually. Yeah, no, it's. It's been a busy, busy year for me, but overwhelming at times, but I think I'm on top of it now. So, yeah, I'm just enjoying Wimbledon for a couple of weeks, which is nice.

[A]

And bringing you on on a day 27 years on from your miraculous effort to then see a young Brit, Arthur Ferry, have a Middle Saturday win five sets. Seven, six in the fifth set takes him into the top hundred in the world. We've just been talking about the sixth man in the last 40, 45 years to make it to the second week of Wimbledon. How, How. How's he feeling tonight?

[B]

Well, by the looks of things, I think he's going to be a bit tired playing four and a half hours in this heat, third match in five days, it's pretty draining. But. But no, he's going to be feeling pretty happy, I think. And it's funny you mentioned that because he talked about the first, I think, what British wild card to make the fourth round as well. I bumped into Andrew Foster today, who was the last guy to do it in 1993, and I've seen him probably once in the last 30 years and I had a great 15 minutes with him and he's. He was a great friend of mine, a good. He was my doubles partner, so it was lovely to catch up and we were talking as Arthur Ferry was. Was kind of equaling his record, which was brilliant.

[A]

So did he make fourth round or third round?

[B]

He made fourth round. He was the last guy in 1993, Andrew Foster, he lost to Sampras.

[A]

Wow. So this is. I've been given false information. We've been talking about it up in the players restaurant and someone said there's only been five. Arthur was the fifth and we went through it. It was that with Jeremy's made fourth round. Yeah, for sure. In lights have just gone out where I am in 1992 and 94, I believe. Right, then, obviously, Greg, Tim, Andy, Cam, Norrie.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But we've missed Andrew.

[B]

Yeah, Fozzie Fozzie. Was the last guy in 1993, I remember it clearly. Yeah, yeah. He lost a Sampras in, in a tight match. I don't know how much time we got, but funny story, I was, I was riding in a boat and we were just about to get fined for going through a lock in the wrong direction. And the lock keeper was just about to find me as he was reading a paper with a big picture of Andrew Foster on it. And I persuaded the guy that he was my doubles partner and he let us off the fine. So he saved me a boating fine that year.

[A]

The power of networking.

[B]

Exactly, exactly.

[A]

And I know someone else who lost to Pete Sampras in a big match at Wimbledon as well, Danny. And you know, 1999, I remember it well, you know, I would have been 19 years old and I think it was, we were talking about this the other day. It was. It also when a British player played, when Tim played, everyone stopped. When then Wilkes went on his runs, everyone seemed to stop. And then, and then I was, I was actually, I think I was in a pub in Edinburgh watching you. You know why I was in a pub In Edinburgh, age 19. I don't know. That probably didn't end well. That didn't, that didn't end well. But your run was just completely incredible. And you're going to take me through it. If I remember correctly, came through pre qualies.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Into qualys.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Third round, Julian Alonso, first round. I mean, these sound like nice grass court players to play. Julian Alonso and Galo Blanco sound like nice names on a grass.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

However, to then play Pete Sampras, which was then your last ever match, was my work with the lta, with the boys. After, after that.

[B]

Exactly. Yeah. No, it was, it was a long story because I, I, my ranking was dropping. I was getting older. Obviously by the time Wimbledon came around, I was 30. So I knew it was going to be my last year on tour. I wanted to play through to Wimbledon, but I was speaking with the LTA about getting a role, a job within the federation working with kind of up and coming juniors. And Jeremy Bates was the head of men's tennis at that time and he offered me the role. It was all confirmed and I was to start on the middle Saturday of Wimbledon when the junior event started and this, this was all confirmed back in February and I thought to myself, yeah, I'll just, just have a little run at Wimbledon and, and have a few days off before I start my new job. But unbeknownst to me, like you said I went through pre qualifying. Qualifying. I beat Peter Corder in qualifying that year as well, who'd won the Australian Open the year before.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

That was quite a good win. He had a. I think he had nine months off through like a nandrolone doping thing. So he lost his ranking a little bit back in Qualys, but managed to beat him. Beat Michael Joyce. Last round of Quali's eight, six in the fifth, which was a good win and like you say, a good draw. The first round especially was a good draw. I remember walking to the court and Julian Alonso turned to me and said, I've got my flight booked at 6 o' clock tonight. I didn't know whether he was playing mind games with me because the Spaniards quite often turned up just to, like, take their prize money and go home. So I didn't know whether he was just trying to get inside my head or he genuinely had his flight book. But luckily I got through that one. Garlo Blanco was tough. He was a Spaniard. He played all right. Yeah, no, like. Like back in the day when the grass was a little bit softer and a little bit more unpredictable. The Spaniard struggle on the grass nowadays, it's a lot harder and firmer and they can. They can play pretty comfortably on it. But back then it definitely favored the Brits, but he was a. He was a decent player. So that was quite a good win for me, that one. And the one thing I remember about that run as well is I won. I think I won eight matches that year at Wimbledon, which was more than Sampras, who actually won the tournament. So that's my claim to fame, I think.

[A]

And how much money did you make back then? 19.

[B]

That's a good question. I think I made third round, 26 grand, which in today's money is probably about 28 and a half. So not. Not much. But. But we. We didn't used to play for the money, Dan, you know that. Play for the pride and for the stories.

[A]

Was that. And was there. Was there any part of you that thought ranking points. I know you were. I think you were. You were 5, 9, 5 going into Wimbledon, I believe. So I guess that would have bumped you up a fair bit. Did it. Did it. Did your mind at any point go, maybe it's not the time?

[B]

No, definitely not. No. I think, like I said, I was 30 years old, and back then that was old, like.

[A]

Because when you say that, Danny, I'm like, 30, it's like getting started now.

[B]

I know, like. But back then People were retiring like mid-20s, late 20s. And 30 was genuinely old, I think, I think nowadays with, with the kind of improved medical teams and nutrition and hydration and, and all the prehab and the rehab and everyone's kind of career is a bit more kind of prolonged now. Yeah, but back then, 30 was pretty old. I had no, no doubts. I needed to stop. My body was broken. And okay, I was kind of getting a bit fed up with all the traveling. I was looking forward to a, a career change into coaching. So, no, it was definitely the right

[A]

time for me and Pistol Pete Sampras. You know, I think a lot of the youngsters, obviously, they'll know Federer, they'll know Djokovic for being kind of the kings of Wimbledon. But, you know, certainly back in, back in our day, he was the man. Right? Sampras was the man. Talk us through that experience.

[B]

No, it was good. The one thing I do remember, I remember I'd been traveling by myself for a couple of years leading up to that. I didn't really have many traveling companions and I wasn't the kind of most outgoing person, so I didn't really warm up for many matches because I was a little bit shy to ask people for hits. So for, for two years I used to play without warming up. And that was the one match where I thought, oh my goodness, should I go to Orangi and just hit a few balls before, before I step on court? And I was generally like double guessing myself and decided to stick with what I knew best and didn't warm up. And I remember all the British press were, were kind of ringing into me saying, well, when, when are you coming to a rangi to warm up? And I was saying, well, I'm not warming up. And they're all like, flabbergasted, like, why aren't you warming up? You know, so that. I remember that very, very clearly. And I remember the first point when he served and I, I just felt like my split step was out of time. Like I was, I was landing to push off and the ball was hitting the back stop netting. And I was thinking, there's something wrong here. This guy is serving bigger than I've experienced before. And I need to sort this timing out very quickly. But no, he was good. I remember he served very well. Didn't have a break point the whole match. I think I had, I think I had 15, 30 at 5, 4 in the third, but didn't convert or 30 or something like that. But that was as close as I got. And yeah, he Was. He was very much in kind of autopilot. One break each set. Thanks very much. Job done and moved on.

[A]

If only you'd warmed up, Danny.

[B]

Exactly. Yeah, exactly. I might have started better. Exactly. But no, yeah, yeah, it's. Yeah, it's all good fun, isn't it?

[A]

I always used to say. I remember we used to have the conversation, who would you most like or dislike to play? Like, what would your worst nightmare? And I remember saying, like, my nightmare would be playing like a Guillermo Courier or someone like that on the. You know, I don't. He was a bit after your time, but Courier on a clay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I was like, oh, no, keep me away from him now. I always used to say Sampras on a. On a grass coat because you can kind of get a bit. Bit of a kicking. But respectfully.

[B]

Yeah, well, that's the thing. I'd always say that Sampras was the sort of guy. He. He didn't have the ground strokes of. Of like Andre Agassi. He didn't have the tenacity of like a Michael Chang. So he. He literally would break you once and that was enough. So I lost. 6, 3, 6, 4, 7, 5. One break in each set. He beat Agassi in the final. Six, three, six, four, seven, five. You know, so he's. He beat my grandma. Six, three, six, four, seven, five, you know, but Agassi and Chang, they' beat you one on one.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Like. But he was never that type of player. So you always felt like you had a chance and you always felt like you'd hold serve. And I guess the key was to just. If I could get to a couple of tie breaks and where it's a bit more of a flip of a coin and hopefully luck goes your way. But I couldn't. Couldn't quite get there.

[A]

Danny, it's brilliant having you on. We've been bringing different people on each day. Now we. We do have a very quick fire Wimbledon special if you are up for it. Are you.

[B]

Are you ready for it? This trivia, is it?

[A]

No, no, this is actually. This is your. Your, Your opinions, your questions. Okay. You can't be wrong.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

You know, your wife might tell you you're wrong, but you can't be wrong in this field. Your best Wimbledon memory as a fan.

[B]

Oh, I remember back in the day, I remember queuing up outside the gate. This must have been in the early 80s or in the late 70s. And back then you could run on to center court and get standing room on center court. I remember watching Borg I think he was playing vj Amitradge maybe. And I remember being on tv like I was right behind the server and. And yeah, that was a nice memory. Like queuing up and being the first in the ground and legging it to the center court. Getting on there freestanding.

[A]

Amazing. That reminds you of the Ryder Cup. I went to the Ryder cup in Italy. It was like, it was like that in Rome. That's. I think we there. Health and safety wouldn't be allowed. Now maybe finish this sentence. When I think of Wimbledon, I think of.

[B]

I gotta say strawberries and cream. I think I go there every day. I go there every day and every day I have strawberries and cream. And, and every day with my guests, I say, you can't come to Wimbledon without having strawberries and cream. You know, it's the quintessential English summer. Wimbledon and strawberries and cream.

[A]

The second. You're the second person to say that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Now I asked this follow up question. What do you do with the cream at the bottom when you finish the strawberries?

[B]

Well, when you're in the player's restaurant, you can't take it out and have it all over your chin and stuff. So no, I'm. It's the sort of thing where you leave it, you leave it on the table, but you, you secretly want to just dip into it, but you can't. You know.

[A]

Who, who would you most like to play on center call? Past or present?

[B]

Tough one. What? Trying to win or just someone who I want to.

[A]

Your. Your interpretation?

[B]

I, I guess I, I think Federer. I'd like to play Federer. I think I get an absolute whipping. But, but I'd like to play him. I think he's the most iconic, recognizable player that's kind of taken to the court in the last X number of years. So, yeah, I think I'd like to experience what that would be like. I think.

[A]

What song would you like to walk out onto? If you were walking out on Centre Court.

[B]

Crikey, that's a tough one. Walking out on Centre Court. Oh, crikey, that's a really tough one. I do like my music, but I'm a bit kind of old. Well, I say I'm old fashioned. The last concert I went to, I went to take that concert, you know, Biffy Clairo, maybe many of horror or something. Something like that. I don't know. Get the crowd going.

[A]

If the whole calendar. I'm going to ask this about your era. Not, not this era. If the whole calendar, ATP and WTA calendar was played on Grass courts. Would the top five players in the world look different in my era? Yes.

[B]

No, probably not. No. I think all the services were pretty quick back then. So you had a lot of serving volleys. You had like Becker and Ed Berg and Sampras, even Izovic Criche, all those guys were up there. So no, I think it would be pretty much the same. I think.

[A]

What about now nowadays?

[B]

Probably would be different. Yeah, I think the style of play would be different as well slightly, wouldn't it? I think everything's got a, a little bit one dimensional now. It's a little bit frustrating going to Wimbledon. Just seeing everyone serve and hit big forehands and no one really wants to come to the net.

[A]

I much prefer seeing us all shanking around a bit.

[B]

You know what I mean? Exactly. And looking at the court like it's too bumpy and stuff.

[A]

Yeah, it's way too clean. It's way too clean nowadays.

[B]

Exactly, exactly.

[A]

What is your guilty, guilty pleasure?

[B]

My guilty pleasure or crikey, where do I start? The first thing that comes to mind is chocolate. My diet's terrible. I love chocolate. Get it in the fridge so it almost like cracks your teeth when you're biting it, you know, always have some chocolate after, after lunch and your favorite

[A]

ever Wimbledon champion and why.

[B]

Favorite ever Wimbledon champion and why. That's a tough one. It's funny, when I grew up I didn't really have, I didn't really get excited when I was watching Wimbledon, particularly when I was playing. Didn't really have any idols I guess really growing up really young. I suppose Borg was probably my biggest idol I suppose because I started playing in the late 70s, early 80s. So. So yeah, possibly Bo. I remember watching Becker or remember hearing Becker winning Wimbledon in 85 when I was still at school. That was quite exciting because he was the youngest guy. So yeah, I guess it would be the Borg or Becker I think.

[A]

And one thing that you'd change about

[B]

Wimbledon, that's a really tough one. You know what? I think Wimbledon's pretty good. I'd keep it as it is. I can't. I'm a very laid back guy, I'm very easy. But, but whenever I do talk to people about Wimbledon, I do say it's, it's almost perfect. It's a lovely club. They've got everything right. Their attention to detail is spot on. Can't think of anything maybe better. Wi fi, maybe apart from that, it's all good for me.

[A]

What's the best advice that you would give to a young tennis Player about how old? Starting up or young, probably a young player. Just when they're playing, when they're playing junior.

[B]

Have fun, have fun. Like, don't put too much pressure on yourself, particularly at a young age. Play lots of different sports. Don't take it too seriously. I think, I think nowadays, I think quite a lot of parents, coaches just are a little bit too intense, too young. And you look at all the, all the top players, all the players that have made it through, none of them specialize at 10, 11, 12 years old. They're all skiing or playing soccer or doing other sports and they only really take it seriously when they're about 14 or 15. So certainly just have fun, enjoy yourselves. And it's a game for life, so just enjoy it. Don't burn out too soon.

[A]

And last question, who's going to win the World Cup?

[B]

Who's going to win the World Cup? Oh, crikey. Well, my heart, My heart obviously says England. I'd love England to win it, but I kind of don't think they will. I think the team that have been playing the best have been France so far, I'm afraid they, they just seem to be able to score goals at will and they got a fantastic attacking lineup and yeah, I can't see anyone beating France, really.

[A]

Danny Sapsford, you've been, you've been a star. Thank you for coming on. It genuinely is lovely to. I'm not putting you as being too old, but it's been nice, it's just been nice to roll back and to hear your stories from, you know, that tennis did exist before the 2000s. You know, I think sometimes people, people forget that and, you know, it's for me as well, so interested in hearing, even how different we think, like 30. The 30 thing blew me away a bit. You know how that was themed Old then. And you know, they're not warming up for matches and you know, it's, it's. I guess the sports come a long way, but maybe we miss a little bit of that magic as well.

[B]

No, it's been fun for me as well. Thanks, Dan.

[A]

Thanks for coming on, Danny. Thank you. So there we have it. Danny Sapsford, a brilliant guest. A big, big, big, big thank you to Danny. We can put Danny off now if we can get him off. How do we get him off? He's leaving. He's out. And now the last, the last thing. Hey, my producer Harry's going to be happy. I've always kept it to 30 minutes. Dear Dan, questions. We've got a couple. We've got one from Clara here, who will be the next Grand Slam winner in women's and men's tennis that hasn't won a Slam yet. Put me on the spot. Eva Jovic is where I'm gonna go for that. On the women's side, lover thinks she's amazing. Got a head on her shoulders beyond her years. Hits the ball like an absolute dream. Very interesting matchup, I guess, tomorrow with Jess Pagula and maybe Jess as well. I, I love Jess and I'd love to see Jess Pagula win one, but. So I'd say maybe Jessiculo Iva Jovic, and maybe the winner of that has a chance to win this year's Wimbledon as well. How about, how about that, Clara? On the men's side, Jo Fonseca. I, I think, I think the men's side's very interesting because I think at some point Alcaraz is going to be back. And once Alcaraz is back, we have an issue because we've got two gatekeepers, you know, whilst Alcaraz is out, there's only one gatekeeper and Yannick Sinner. And then if something happens to Yannick, then it opens up for others, which, which is, Is more doable. Right? We saw that at Roland Garros. That's more likely that something happens to one of them. But I think if both of them are in the tournament, obviously the odds are much, much more against the players because it's for the two players for something for them to lose or an injury or something to happen at that same event. But I just saw enough from Jo Fona at Roland Garros. He's pretty magic, you know, and I think he's, he's, he's got the X factor. He has. You know, I didn't see his match this week. I know he lost, but I'm not sure grass is quite. He's ready for that. But I think a clear court, maybe an Australian Open after a great preseason. I, I think, I think he's a superstar. And, and I, I, I think, I think I said it on 5Live. BBC 5Live at Roland Garros. That I think by the end of. Did I say that? By the end of 28, I think he will win. He will win a Grand Slam. Last question from Mark. Just, just coming in here. What has been my favorite part of 2026, Wimbledon week one. A bit of a cheesy answer, but it's, it's, it's God honest truth, having my family here. I think I said it a Couple of nights ago to share this incredible experience and event and have my wife and kids here. That's been special from a personal standpoint in terms of, from a tennis standpoint of what we've seen, honestly. Julian, Roger, John. Julian. Roger winning today was really special. I think, you know, we've heard a lot about doubles and people trying to ultimately take the jobs of away away from them. You know, there's a lot of kind of propaganda out there right now. I'm fortunate enough to be at tennis tournaments 35 weeks a year and I see it and I've also been very fortunate the last four or five years to pretty much be there towards the end of every tournament because of, because of the players, the success that the players have had and people just aren't given an accurate interpretation of what's happening in our sport, you know, and, and it's this. I, I love the, the passion. I love, I love the stories, the Danny Sapsford story, you know, pre qualys to qualities to third round to, to playing against Pete Sampras and Julian Roger, Julian, Roger, 45 years old, he's, he's what he's gone through the last 12 or 18 months when he's rankings fully dropped. He's a five time Grand Slam champion, you know, but he's gone through like having to go, he was in China 11 weeks last year away from his family to get his ranking high enough to maybe get into Australia and Open. This is what the sport does. This is like, this is, this is how dedicated these athletes are whether they're playing singles or doubles. And to see him in the, in the gym with tears rolling down his face and to have an opportunity to give him a big hug and to feel his passion and energy at 45 years old all of those years after being on the tour, pretty special. Will take some beating. Obviously we have more of that to come because this is the greatest sport in the world. Let's keep supporting it. Let's get as many, many tennis players as we can having the opportunities to have these experiences. Thank you so much everyone who's joining. Keep your questions coming. I will be back tomorrow night. I have Jonathan Overend with me who's going to be talking us through the time that he got to describe a certain Sir Andy Murray winning Wimbledon for the first time in 77 years. That's going to be special to have him on, on from a different lens of the sport. But until next time, I'm Dan Kiernan. We are controlled, controlable.