Wimbledon DAY 2 Recap w/ x2 Grand Slam Winner & Wimbledon Finalist, Erin Routliffe!

Summary

Control the Controllables – Wimbledon Day 2 Recap (June 30, 2026)

Host: Dan Kiernan
Special Guest: Erin Routliffe (Two-time US Open doubles champion, former world no.1, 2024 Wimbledon doubles finalist)
Location: Live from Wimbledon, SW19

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Overview of the Main Theme

This episode brings listeners a lively, on-the-ground recap of Day 2 at Wimbledon 2026. Host Dan Kiernan analyzes major storylines, upsets, and British performances, and then dives into a rich conversation with Erin Routliffe, acclaimed doubles specialist and recent Wimbledon finalist. The episode shines with match insights, backstage stories, tennis psychology, and Routliffe's own journey through adversity and triumph in the world of professional tennis.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Day 2 Wimbledon Talking Points

• Mixed Results for Brits:
  • Reflects on the “day of the Brits”—with British players either withdrawing or suffering tough losses on Day 1.
  • Improvement seen on Day 2: Jacob Fearnley comes back from two sets down, Arthur Fery gets a “great win,” and Toby Samuel loses a nail-biter.
• Major Upsets:
  • Francisco Cerundolo (Queen’s Club winner) loses in the first round in straight sets.
  • Ben Shelton (Stuttgart champion, previously unbeaten in Wimbledon five-setters) falls in a dramatic five-set match [04:18].
  • Commentary on the tension and excitement the “10-point tiebreak” format has injected into Slams.
• “The Two Jacobs” Anecdote:
  • Dan recounts a humorous mix-up involving young fans meeting Jakob Mensik, mistaking him for Jacob Fearnley, and Mensik graciously playing along [06:38].
  • Notable quote: “He was so lovely with those kids, he made their day and inspired, I’m sure.” (Dan, 08:19)

2. Player of the Day – Katie Swan [10:50]

• Dramatic comeback story: Injuries, thoughts of quitting, and coaching in Kansas before finding physical solutions and defeating Begu—the same player she beat at age 19—eight years later.
• Routliffe and Kiernan discuss the resilience needed to return to high-level sport after near-retirement.

3. Live Serena Williams Match Check-In

• Dan updates on the live Serena match (her 22nd Wimbledon), noting the electric crowd and tension as Williams battles Maya Joint.
  • Quote: “Serena’s bringing the heat. It’s going to be interesting how that one goes.” (Dan, 10:20)

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In-Depth Interview with Erin Routliffe

(Starts at 11:32)

A. On Facing Serena Williams (The Comeback Tour)

• Twice Drawn Against Serena (Back to Back):
  • “I was kind of pissed. I can’t understand how this is happening again… But it was nice to have the experience from the week before. Not many people can say that.” (Erin, 14:29)
  • Describes the intimidating center court atmosphere: “It was a little bit overwhelming for me… being on that center court with literally not one single person cheering for us… an interesting atmosphere.” (Erin, 13:53)
• Iconic Moments/Pressure:
  • Talk of the formidable experience, funny anecdotes about being “a bit deer in headlights” in the opening games.
  • “I've never been that way…I’m never aiming to hurt anyone, but yeah… I looked back and was like, damn it, why did I do that?” (Erin, 16:03)

B. Resilience & Relatability: Katie Swan Parallel

• Both Routliffe and Swan faced periods they nearly quit the sport.
  • “Everyone…has our ups and downs. It’s such a crazy career—a week, two weeks can change your life. You have to get really good at losing.” (Erin, 18:07)
  • Explains her “stepping away” for 6–7 months, working outside tennis, and the mental reset it brought: “I promised that when I came back I’d be kinder to myself… just giving myself a little bit of grace, learning each opportunity, each match.” (Erin, 19:08)

C. Wimbledon Finalist Memories (2024)

• The Night Before:
  • “To be honest, I don’t remember much… I think I was just trying to keep it the same as the rest of the last two weeks.” (Erin, 21:52)
• The Walkthrough:
  • Recollects the surreal experience on Center Court—watching the band rehearse, seeing the Royal seats, and the nerves/excitement of finals day rituals [22:23].
• Handling the Big Stage:
  • Emphasizes staying present in the moment, refusing regrets, and intentionally celebrating the final—even after a loss:
    • “We were pretty intentional about having it be a celebration rather than this defeat. So we were like drinking in the gym… followed by Uber Eats McDonald’s!” (Erin, 24:13)
• Behind the Scenes Glimpse:
  • Dan recalls the emotional intersection with the coaches and doubles players backstage, highlighting how emotional investment impacts everyone, not just the players (25:02).

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Facing Down Serena Williams:

  • “It was a little bit overwhelming for me… being on that center court with literally not one single person cheering for us. I think that was a really interesting atmosphere.” – Erin (13:53)

• On Handling Life as a Pro:

  • “A week, two weeks can change your life… You have to get really good at losing.” – Erin (18:07)

• On Tennis, Humanity, & Perspective:

  • “People forget we’re just humans… no one has any idea what happened that morning, that night before, or weeks leading up… but everyone is so quick to give an opinion.” – Erin (19:35)

• On Center Court Experience:

  • “That was cool. That was really, really cool… they showed us where the Royals sit. I freaked out.” – Erin (22:37)

• Post-Final Ritual:

  • “We were pretty intentional about having it be a celebration rather than this defeat. So we were like drinking in the gym area… followed by Uber Eats McDonald’s!” – Erin (24:13)

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Quick Fire Round with Erin Routliffe [27:29–32:15]

1. Best Wimbledon Memory As a Fan:

   • “When Lulu Sun made quarters at Wimbledon and I was her fan, that was sick.” (27:40)

2. Wimbledon Association:

   • “Strawberries and cream.” (27:57)

3. Dream Center Court Opponent:

   • “Andy Murray. Mixed doubles, that’d be cool.” (28:47)

4. Walk-On Song:

   • “Taylor Swift, ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’… Or Shania Twain, ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’” (29:15)

5. Greatest Women’s Grass Court Player:

   • “Is it not Serena?… I guess Martina [Navratilova]. I don’t know.” (29:59)

6. Hardest Shot on Grass:

   • “Maybe a heavy ball… tough to get that on grass.” (30:27)

7. One Wimbledon Rule She’d Change:

   • “I want you to be able to wear bright colors—hot pink, blue, neon—right now, it’s only black, grey.” (30:45)

8. Advice for Young Players:

   • “You know yourself better than anyone else… embrace your strengths.” (31:18)

9. World Cup Winner Prediction:

   • “You probably couldn’t have anyone on your podcast more removed and uncaring about the World Cup… I’ll go with Brazil. Canada’s still in, so let’s go!” (31:49)

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Notable Segment Timestamps

• [04:18] – Major men’s upsets: Cerundolo, Shelton crash out.
• [06:38] – The “two Jacobs” and the funny kids’ story.
• [10:50] – Katie Swan’s comeback highlighted.
• [11:32] – Erin Routliffe joins the show.
• [13:20] – Erin on facing Serena Williams.
• [16:17] – On the emotional and mental challenges of pro tennis.
• [19:08] – Erin’s lessons from stepping away, coming back.
• [21:52] – Recollections of Wimbledon final: buildup, rituals.
• [24:06] – Celebrating a Slam final, Uber Eats McDonald’s.
• [27:29] – Quick fire round: tennis memories, advice, fun.

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Final Q&A with Dan (“Dear Dan” Segment, 32:22–end)

• What’s the best part of Wimbledon?
  • “It’s more than just a tennis tournament—it’s a garden party, the history, the energy. It’s magical.” (32:22)
• Most important physical quality on grass?
  • “Glute strength—being low and strong through the hips… good shoulder stability for all the serving.” (32:55)
• What’s the atmosphere like in the player areas?
  • “Like school—little groups, some teams, integrating. Doubles teams especially close… As the tournament goes on, the mood changes: just like airports, sometimes it’s full of sadness from those leaving, and energy from those still competing.” (33:30)

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Episode Tone and Style

Conversational, humorous, and heartfelt—this episode finds a pitch-perfect balance of tennis geekery, personal storytelling, and behind-the-scenes candor. Dan’s admiration for his guest is genuine, and Erin responds with self-deprecating humor and insight into both the pressures and joys of the professional circuit. The episode flows with energy, giving listeners both a feel for the day’s action and a rare window into the lives of elite competitors.

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Heard It:

This recap serves up the best of Wimbledon in real-time, with sharp analysis, uplifting stories of resilience, and the personality of a Slam-winning guest. The episode is a must for tennis fans seeking both match insight and the human stories that define the sport.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. Welcome to day two of controller Controllables here live at Wimbledon and I'm actually coming from Wimbledon itself today. So if there's any noise you're hearing in the background that is Serena Williams who's still on court. She's still battling away against my joint here at 9pm all on center court. And as ever this episode is brought to you by Novelis, the series where we bring you analysis from inside the grounds at SW19 and our segments the the major moments, the tennis athlete player of the day, our wimbles and stories of our special guest who today is 2024 women's doubles finalist Aaron Routliff. 2024 she was world number one. She is two time US Open doubles champion as well. Won the WTF finals in 2024 with Cabbie Dabrowski. Had an incredible, incredible career to date and someone who I think we're going to enjoy chatting to chatting to today. So look forward to bringing you her as well and with a quick fire round and then as ever we're going to finish with our dear Dan. So if you haven't got your questions in please do get your questions in. You can send them in now via via YouTube chat. You can send them in, send them in via many of the links that we have out there on all of the social media and we'll try and get to your questions if not tonight then at some, at some stage and yeah to start with today I guess if we're, we're looking at our major moments brought to you by Soto Tennis Academy. There's been lots, there's lots that are happening. You know yesterday was the day of the Brits an unfortunate day for, for the British tennis players either withdrawing from the event or the results themselves. And we have had some better results by some of the Brit today but some of the, some of the early exits that and and I guess the curse of doing so well on the grass courts. You know we had Serendulo who won Sero sorry who won Queen's Club and He went out first round pretty comfortably to HY W 616463. You know he then will now play Jacob Fernley who I'll get to in a minute in the second round and then Ben Shelton who won the ATP 500 in St. Gu beat who beat Taylor Fritz in the final. He went out in an epic match and that was incredible. You know the, the whole players lounge was, was locked into that match and he lost 643-667-6276, 119 in the tie break. And what do you all think of that? The, the ten point tie breaks that been playing now at Grand Slams for the last few years. I like it. It brings, it seems to bring a real excitement to towards the end of, of that matches. It's the first time that Ben Shelton's been beaten in a five set match at Wimbledon. He was previously four, four and all on that. And Vertinen's a player I've said for many years, ever since I worked with Harry Heliovara. He is seriously good. He used to show up and have some great results in Davis Cup. Massive game serves big hits big. There's never quite put it together yet at the Grand Slams or the ATP but he is a serious, serious player. He will. Another Brit, Arthur Ferry who had a great win today in the next round. And I do want to. I mentioned Jacob Fernley. We also had Toby Samuel who lost an epic battle. I was watching on the balcony earlier today on court three to, to Jakob Menik 76 in the third. He was a break in the fifth. Sorry, he was a breakup in the fifth set. Just kind of lost his serve at the wrong time. Couldn't find a first serve. Just in those pivotal moments when you, you want to find the first serve, you just, you just didn't. And we know can that can happen. It's, it's not, it's not easy. It's not easy at the, the business end of of these events to to be able to do that. But, but that that absolutely cost and absolutely cost him at the, at the end. And then he found himself a breakup as well in the, in the match tie break. But a little story I want to share with you actually about the two Jacobs because we've had, we've had obviously Jacob firmly and we've had Jakob Menik with, with big stories today and, and that was, that was a Queen's Club. I was, you know, you see a lot of things on the tour and these kids, these cute little kids running up. It was Jakob Mensik and they were running up to him, well, you signed my tennis ball. You signed my tennis ball. And he was really sweet with them, you know and he did and he signed and he had a little chat and then as they walked off they kind of turned around and, and looked and, and said by the way, what's your name? And he said my name is Jacob. And they went no way are you Jacob Fernley and Jakob Mensik who just made semi finals at Roland Garros almost top 10 in the world. One of the brightest prospects in the world. Jacob Fernley's an amazing tennis player, but he's 150, 150 in the world from. From GB. And Jakob just turned around and said, no, unfortunately, that's not. That's not me. And he. And he walked off. He had a bit of a smile on his face and it was a lovely moment tonight. I called the kids over and I just said, hey, kids, do you know who that was? And they went, no, no, who was it? I said, that was Jakob Mensik. And they were like, no, he's the guy that just made semi finals of French Open. I can't believe we didn't know it was him. And there was a lovely little moment. And then I. I bumped into Jakob in the players cafeteria a little bit later on, pulled him to a side and I said, hey, look, that was, that was a lovely thing you did. And it really was, it was. He was so lovely with those kids and he made their day and inspired, I'm sure. And. And I said, I did pull them to the side and let them know who you were. And he said, look, thanks, man. Without. He said, that was great fun. That was a lot. That was lovely. And there was just a nice little moment. So the two Jacobs, he called himself Jacob, even though I know him as Jacob. They had two great wins today. Jacob Fernley winning, winning in five sets. I believe he won today. Coming back in two sets to love Alex Mickelson. A fantastic win. 3 hours 31 minutes. And he said afterwards in the press conference with, with Harry on controller, controllables on the ground. I'm not putting too much pressure on myself. I'm just enjoying my tennis and, you know, I'm expressing myself on the court. That's usually when I play my best tennis. I'm just going to keep working on doing that. And I do think that that is a. A big, big thing for all tennis players. But if we take Jacob Fernley's career to date, came out of college, that for a while just absolutely kind of flew up the rankings. No pressure on him. Every match you're picking up, picking up points and seeing your ranking increase. And then he got into that kind of protective mode, maybe, you know, where you are all of a sudden protecting points. And we've seen he's had a couple of injury problems, his ranking has dropped down, but it's nice to see that he's kind of finding that balance of just. Of just plays, just playing the game and, and certainly kind of finding some form. So well done to, to Jacob Thornley. Before we move on to our tennis athlete player of the day and then we bring on our special guest Aaron Routh. I do want to also mention the match that's still going. You know, Serena Williams, what an icon, right? You know, I've just come off center court. I've been watching a few games. The crowd are going crazy for her. She's in competitive beast mode. She does have probably the dream Dr. Off. Maya Joint is a brilliant tennis player but Maya has only won 2 WTA higher level events matches this year she won, she won, she won an Adelaide earlier this year in January and she's won one match since then in a, in a 125. Every other match she's lost, she's 3 and 15 on the year and for her the intimidation factor playing Serena Williams. But it is, it is a match that absolutely Serena could, could win. Maya was doing a good job. Got a little bit nervous as the match has gone on and now we're actually sitting in the second set tie break. Serena's bringing the heat. It's going to be interesting how that one goes. But her 22nd Wimbledon experience. I was watching it with my wife and we were like, like can you believe it? You know when we met at Wimbledon all of those years ago, she was playing and he, she is going and, and then our, our tennis athlete player of the day. Before Aaron jumps on a great story. Katie Swan back in 2018 won her first ever match at Wimbledon against Begu from Romania. And here she is today. She's been out long term injury big you know, not played so much tennis. Was even thinking about giving up tennis. Started coaching in Kansas. Ranking dropped to outside 1014 months ago. Her last resort got her, got visited, visited a doctor in Arizona who got her going and she's come back and she's won 6 4, 6 4. Show great emotion at the end of that match. A real full circle moment. 19 years old, she beat Begu in 2018. She's now 27 years old. A brilliant tennis player, great athlete and so good to see her her back in the winner's circle here at Wimbledon and playing against the same player that she did it against all of those years ago. So a big, big well done to our player of in Katie Swan. And as I'm just getting ready for, for Aaron to jump on, I, I want to just say a few things. I've been lucky enough to be around Aaron over, over the last few years and yeah, what a great career she's putting together. She hasn't had the strongest 2026 yet. She will. You know, class is permanent. But yeah, world number one just over this. Just over two years ago or just under two years ago in 2020, 2024 and final Wimbledon here in 2024. US Open champion in 2023 and 2025. WTF Finals. WTF Finals. Winner in Riyadh in 2024. And, and, and, and many more. You know, just, you know, one. Many 1,000 events. A brilliant story, Aaron. You know, she, she played at University of Alabama all of those years ago and had had a great college career. Champ two times and, and a really, really cool girl who, who all we all love and everyone on the tour loves love so much. So, so yeah, Aaron, Aaron will be jumping on. We. Yesterday we had Lloyd Glasspool jumping on. These tennis players aren't great. They've been told. Nine, ten, get yourself on. Lloyd arrived too early. He arrived and he hadn't quite read it. Aaron's just text me and said it's connecting her to the studio. Hey, look, speak of the devil. Look who. Look who it is. Is this, is this your wi fi or mine?

[B]

Is it bad?

[A]

No, no, just that it took you a while to connect.

[B]

Oh, I think I, I didn't, I didn't set up the app properly. Anyway, sorry.

[A]

Do you know tennis players? Look, Lloyd was seven minutes early. You're two minutes late. Do you know what I mean?

[B]

Well, fashionably late I would call that.

[A]

We don't want to get Gabby on. I tell you that. Nine, ten will not be. Will not, will not be easy. So a big, A big welcome to control the controllables. How's Wimbledon so far for you?

[B]

Yeah, it's good. It's like I feel like every time I come it's just as magical. Like every time I come here every year, like you have different memories, different. Like your year has always been different. But every time you come here, it's like a different feeling. I love it.

[A]

It absolutely is. And we just. Look, the first thing I want to talk about, Erin is you know, we've got obviously lots of storyline that, that happen at Wimbledon every year, you know, as all the Grand Slams and I guess, I guess the first one to lead you into Serena Williams is still on court. She's currently. My eyesight's not great, but I think she's five all in the second set tie break against Maya Joint. Obviously an icon of the game, someone who I guess is in sports the Michael Jordans of the world, you know, the Muhammad Ali's of The world. You know, Serena Williams is right up there. She's made a comeback. She's two events and she saw your name in the draw in the first round of the two events that she's made on the comeback. So who is, who is better positioned to talk about Serena Williams than Aaron Routliff right now? Tell us about that experience and how she was and how she looks for someone who's been out of the game for so long. 44 years old, this is a 22nd Wimbledon. Give us a little bit about your experience with Serena the last couple of weeks.

[B]

Yeah, the first time, you know, when I drew first round in Queens, I was like, whoa. Because I knew that it was her first event. Obviously, everyone was buzzing about it. There was going to be so many people watching. And yeah, I knew it was going to be exciting, but I think it was. It was a little bit overwhelming for me. I think my partner, I played with Melgar, she'd already played her in mixed event like five or six years ago, I think. So she'd already had that kind of experience where I, as I had it, she. I knew she was a competitor. You know, obviously Serena being one of the greats is. Or the greatest of all time, I would say. I knew she was going to be prepared, so I knew she was going to be good enough and like, very, very good. But yeah, it was tough being on that center court with having literally not one single person cheering for us. I think that was a really interesting atmosphere. I mean, I was grateful to be a part of it for sure. It's such an iconic venue as well. The second time I drew her in the first round, I was like, literally. Are you. Can I swear? Effing kidding me.

[A]

It's past 9pm There's a watershed in the UK after 9pm, it's all. It's game. It's all game. You turn on the tv, you can go for it.

[B]

Okay. Yeah. No, I was, I was kind of pissed. I was like, I can't understand how this is happening again with a different partner. She's playing with a different partner. I'm playing with a different partner. Like, I was just like, okay.

[A]

She didn't have bad partners either. No.

[B]

My gosh. People that are so good. So. But it was nice to have the experience of the week before. I will say, like, not. I don't think a lot of people can say that. They've like, literally had kind of the same similar experience like a week prior. And so I was really. I felt like I was way more Prepared.

[A]

She's just won the second set, by the way. It's six in the tie break.

[B]

Wow, that's crazy.

[A]

A crowd are going crazy. I have to ask you about that. You had an overhead your first service game of the match, which, which we, We. We know in the tennis world that when that. That overhead comes in, you serve from the outside. The ball came over. It was a kind of on your inside forehand smash. The most obvious and easiest way was to go, boom, down the line, exactly where Serena was standing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you avoided her, it seemed.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Lost the point, then lost your serve to sudden death juice.

[B]

I know.

[A]

How would you just. You can't hit the ball, I guess it's Serena Williams. When you got a smash in the first game, what was the.

[B]

I've never been that way. I think that. I think it's all fair game. Like, I'm never one to get. If someone hits me, I'm kind of just like, okay. Like, it's a. It's a good play. And I've never been the one to avoid that. And it's not like it wasn't. I think I. To be honest, the first three games, I think I was a bit of deer in headlight fights.

[A]

Like, I wasn't understandable, clearly.

[B]

So in a normal. If I was to give that again, like, I'd, like, get up for it, you know what I mean, and do it and go at the feet. Like, I'm never aiming to hurt anyone. But, yeah, yeah, I did. I looked back when I, like, watched the match back, and I was like, damn it. Like, why did I do that?

[A]

Yeah, well, it's. It's tough that I kind of figure standing there, but. Yeah, but I do. I want to ask you about it. Just a couple more little things on the day. And I know you look, you've had an incredible career to date, lots more amazing things to happen, and I've already bigged you up before you came on, so you can listen to it on the way back. You know, I know you don't like compliments to your face, so I did it before you came on. But you. You've had your times where you thought about quitting the sport. You know, you took a bit of time out. I know we spoke about. On the podcast before you were working at a suntan studio. Italian studio. One of the. Our player of the day today is Katie Swan, British girl who has openly spoke about how 12 months ago she started coaching. She was pretty much finished with the sport physically. Didn't think she could did physically, didn't think she could do it anymore. And then she saw a doctor who found, found a solution to what she, what the problem that she had. And she then played against Begu today in the first round. Obviously a big deal that she's playing Wimbledon again in 2018. When she won her first match at Wimbledon, it was against the same opponent eight years ago. And eight years later, after thinking that the sport's done, she's then played the same opponent and won again. So a real kind of circle moment, lots of emotion at the end of that first round match. How do you, how do you relate to that? And just the emotions that we see. Tennis players, some people will be gone, it's just a first round Wimbledon. But just what it really means, what really goes into this sport and the ebbs and the floors and the ups and the downs and the challenges. How do you relate to Katie Swan and stories like that?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I actually didn't know that about Katie, so that's really, really cool that she, you know, won today. That's awesome. I think everyone kind of has not a similar story, but we all have our ups and downs. It's such a crazy career. It's such a crazy story sport where, you know, a week or two weeks can change your life. And I think that that's what we're all kind of chasing all the time. So we have these weeks of like downs and lows and where, you know, and I think it also, there's an aspect where like, you have to lose so much and you have to get really good at losing, which I think sometimes we forget because if we've had success, we don't lose as much and then all of a sudden we lose a little bit more and we're like, oh, wait, we kind of have this like panic feeling about it. But yeah, no, I think obviously, yeah, I stepped away from tennis for. It was like probably six months, six to seven months, I think. Obviously got a real, like a real job, I call it. I feel like I really learned the value of a dollar during that time and yep, I really did like my life. Like, I really enjoyed being away from it. But I did feel like I, I didn't give everything, I didn't give myself the best chance to be successful when I was on tour before because I was so hard on myself and I was so critical of myself and I just couldn't see past that, that part. And then so I promised that when I would come, when I came back, I would have a different perspective in the sense of, like, just being kinder to myself and, like, you know, just giving myself a little bit of grace and kind of, like, learning with each opportunity and each match that I played, instead of, like, being so hard about, like, the losses and the wins, like, that being the. The goal. So I'm sure. I mean, that's crazy that Katie did that, like, a year ago, and then to now be winning in, like, Slams is amazing. But, yeah, tennis is so crazy. I mean, no one really understands until you've done it or until you've seen it, been on the road and seeing what players go through. And, like, the other thing is, like, no one. I think a lot of the times people forget that we're just humans. Like, they're watching us on tv, and they're watching us, and they're like, oh, my God, how could that happen? And, like, they have no idea what happened that morning, the night before, weeks leading up to it. Like, they literally have no clue. But everyone is so quick to give an opinion on how to be better and how to win and how to blah, blah, blah. And it's like, I don't know, you gotta be very careful about who you, like, listen to and all this stuff. But, yeah, I mean, I think every tennis player has had this. Not everyone, but a lot of tennis players have had that, like, moment where they're just like. Like, I don't think I can do this anymore. And then when you're on the other side of that and you've, like, been through that, it just is way more. It's like, the sweetest thing in the world to be able to say that you've gotten through it. So, yeah, very good.

[A]

And. And talking about sweetest things in the world, you know, you've had incredible success. 2023, 2025, US Open champion, world number one in 2024. But if we're specifically talking about this tournament, you know, 2024 was a special one. Semi finals, mixed doubles. We won't talk about Mike Venus's forehand return in against, but we definitely won't talk about that, you know, in that semi final. But also specifically the women's doubles final, you know, making the final, there's a 7676 and to Cynak of a Townsend in a great final. I want to. I guess the special moment I'd like to talk to you about is that Wimbledon finals day than maybe the night before, you know.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is it different to other tournaments? Is that. Is that even, you know, from someone coming from outside of the uk. We. We maybe arrogantly think it is because it's Wimbledon, but someone that. This isn't your home slam. How was that experience playing a Wimbledon final? I guess. Talk us through the night before, how you were feeling the day of, when you're doing the walk through on the center court and it all feels a bit more real. How was that experience for you?

[B]

Yeah, to be honest, I don't remember much about the night before. Like, I can't even tell you what I was doing, what I was thinking. I just. Yeah, I. I think I was just trying to keep it the same as the rest of the last two weeks. So I probably, like, ate chicken fingers and fries or something. And you know me, I was like, yeah, maybe if I didn't eat the chicken fingers and fries, we would have won. Like, damn it. But the day of. Yeah. I remember when they said we could do, like, a walk through because we'd never been on center core. I. I remember because we went with you and we. Bruce, it was the four of us, right?

[A]

Yes, it was. Yeah. Which was quite a special moment, I thought. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, that was cool. That was really, really cool.

[A]

The band were playing. I think the band were auditioning or practicing on the.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

On the court at the time.

[B]

Yeah. And then they showed us, like, where the Royals were most of the time. Sit. And I freaked out. I don't know. I thought that was, like, a cool. That was a really cool moment. And then the. Was it the men's doubles before that went like 7, 6, 6, 7, 7, 6. And we were just, like, warm. We warmed up, like, 45 times.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Yeah. So that was. But that was exciting because I. I do like, when matches before me go really long, I like chilling. I like that time before. It's, like, kind of. You're, like, anticipating. And then I do remember us. Us talking about if our match went really long, like, maybe that we were gonna have to stop for the noise. You remember?

[A]

Yeah, there was something. Yes.

[B]

Yeah. So that was, like. There were some niche things that were going on and. Yeah. I mean, playing there, I don't regret anything, honestly. Obviously, in my career, I would love a Wimbledon title. If it comes. If it doesn't, that's okay, too. But I thought we played really well. I thought we really got up for the moment, and I thought that I would. I don't think I have any regrets about that match. I don't. I don't know if Gabby would. But I think that we really stayed together, and we were really good team, and we stayed like, we played well and we made them in big moments, come up with really big shots. We didn't really give them anything for free, which I think if you're gonna, you know, win a slam, then if you have to do that to do it, then that's okay. Like, that's fine. And I think, you know, afterwards we were pretty intentional about having it be a celebration rather than this like, defeat. So we were like drinking in the gym area in the last.

[A]

Celebrating in style, followed by. Followed by Uber eats McDonald's. I mean, it doesn't get better. Do you know what I.

[B]

No, seriously. And we got.

[A]

I do remember you didn't order enough McDonald's. That's one thing.

[B]

Which is so unlike me because if I order McDonald's normally, like, I order way too much.

[A]

I remember thinking, really, is this gonna go around 12 of us? Really?

[B]

Yeah. That was weird. And then we were hanging out with like the. The volunteers, the gym. The gym people or the workers. Oh, that was so fun. No, it was an amazing experience. Honestly. Everything around it, like the match, like, eh, whatever, move on.

[A]

I. I have. I actually have one memory that I. It was quite a. Because I'd obviously I'd worked with Harry Heliovara and then. Yeah, no, no, Henry Patton very well. And you know, like them a lot. And I was watching in the coaches locker room beforehand as we were getting prepared and remember just being in like all of a sudden I was in floods of tears watching that because it was such an emotional match.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And they were so. And then as we then started walking out, I don't know if you remember this, but we got to the top of the stairs and Harry and Henry were there and there was just this little moment and they. They then give hugs. And I remember Harry was like crying on my shoulder and Harry. Yeah. And then you guys walked past and I think you guys gave them a quick hug. And I remember thinking, oh, geez, this maybe isn't good that they've just experienced that emotion.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I was thinking, oh, God, I hope they start well, you know, you think these things as coaches. Oh my God, if we messed up here, that maybe shouldn't have happened. But you guys started great and it was like, oh, they're fine.

[B]

You know, I don't even remember that. No.

[A]

Yeah, right. Okay.

[B]

How, like how. Yeah, I guess we were.

[A]

Yes, exactly. And that was a. But. But that was that sometimes thing. People don't realize that what's going on behind the scenes as well. It's like totally. You are experience. And the ins and outs of maybe a match before and then that kind of coming together of. Of what had happened. So anyway, amazing. And thank you for sharing our last. Our last thing. Aaron, whilst we've got you. It was okay, our quick fire round last night, but it wasn't great. And I don't know if that was Lloyd or if that was the question.

[B]

The question. Okay, so.

[A]

So we've. We've changed a few questions, but we're open to feedback after. So then by like by day 14, our quick fire round is gonna be like, unreal spot on.

[B]

Tomorrow night. Do you have a tomorrow night?

[A]

Tomorrow night? I do. I whip. We're fully booked until next Wednesday. Like, this is like I'm ahead of the game, this.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Unless somebody lets me. Now, tomorrow night is Freddie Nielsen 2012 Wimbledon champion. We're getting ahead of the game here. Johnny o' Mara on Thursday, who had a big run in the mix. Calvin Betton, of course. We've got to have Calv. Cal's coming on this weekend. Danny Sapsford. You might not know Danny, but Danny. Danny had an incredible story that Saturday night. Danny, one year pre qualified, qualified mid third round and played Pete Sampras on center court in the third round. So it was a bit of a Marcus Willis story, but like, yeah, 15 years before. So anyway, that you've. You've. You. I'm letting the cut out the bag. These are all supposed to be secrets. So. So you've got this ability. You should be running the podcast. Right, Here we go. Let's see what we got.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Your best Wimbledon memory as a fan.

[B]

A fan?

[A]

Yeah, as a fan of tennis.

[B]

It's like when I was watching as like a kid or something. Yeah.

[A]

What's your best memory?

[B]

I'm going, when Lulu Son made quarters of Wimbledon and I was like her fan. That's my best Wimbledon memory. Because that was sick.

[A]

That was. That was. Finish this sentence when. When I think of Wimbledon, I think

[B]

of strawberries and cream.

[A]

It's the obvious one, isn't it? How much. How much cream do you put in?

[B]

Just like. Not like overflowing the strawberries, but like halfway. I would say halfway.

[A]

And then when you finish the strawberry, what do you do with the cream?

[B]

Drink it, don't you?

[A]

Well, I wanted you badly today. I was in it. I was. I was eating. My kids got me some strawberries and cream and I was eating them. But I was talking a couple of people from different, I guess, different spot there. People that I. I'm not just that familiar with. And I finished the strawberries and I had the cream right at the bottom and I desperately wanted to drink it, but it wasn't right, so I had to put it in the bin. So I lost that cream. So I'm pleased you do that as well. Who would you most like to play on center court at Wimbledon? Past or present?

[B]

I don't know. Andy Murray?

[A]

Yeah, that'd be cool.

[B]

Okay. Oh, sorry. I swore it's after 9 o'.

[A]

Clock. It's all good after 9:30. You can move to the F word as well.

[B]

Okay. Yeah, I would say mixed or something. That'd be cool. It'd be sick.

[A]

It would be.

[B]

I've played Serena. I would have probably said Serena, but now, like, I've done that. I'm good now.

[A]

That's gone twice. Done it twice. What song would you like to walk out to on center court?

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

We know it's Taylor Swift. So just.

[B]

Yeah, obviously, obviously I would say Taylor Swift. I would say maybe my favorite song of all time is Death by a Thousand Cuts. That doesn't really fit the vibe. Walking on this.

[A]

That sounds dark. That sounds like a dark walker. Maybe walk off after you've lost.

[B]

Yeah, maybe. But like, I went to. I would actually maybe say like a Shanahan. Shania Twain song. Because I went to Harry Styles on Saturday and Shania Twain opened and it was the most iconic duo ever. So, like, maybe I go like Shania Twain. Like, man, I feel like a woman.

[A]

Yeah, Girl power right there. Who's the greatest ever women's grass court player?

[B]

I mean, is it not Serena?

[A]

It's not Martina?

[B]

Oh, yeah, it's your.

[A]

Your call. Your call. I'm not dinner.

[B]

Yeah. Damn. I don't know. I guess Martina. I guess Martin. I don't know.

[A]

And what about men? It's got to be, hasn't it?

[B]

Yeah, it's better.

[A]

Borg could be up there. Chocolate.

[B]

Which is getting closer now that I'm wearing Bjorn Borg. I should say that probably.

[A]

Exactly. What's the hardest shot to execute on a grass court?

[B]

Oh, God. Maybe like the hardest shot to execute on a grass court. Maybe like a heavy ball. Like, I feel like it's tough to do that. That. Yeah.

[A]

What's, what's one. One thing you would change about women? Change?

[B]

You know how, like, they changed a couple years ago. How? You could wear dark shorts under your dresses. I want you to be able to wear bright colors like hot pink, blue, neon green, yellow. You can only wear like gray, black.

[A]

Oh, is that right? So they're still Controlling it so you can go colored, but it's still controlling.

[B]

I think so, yeah. And I think it would be kind of cool if you could wear, like, colors, which I know is not iconic. It like the. Not the history. But anyway.

[A]

No, I like it. I like it. We've got to evolve. What's the best advice young tennis players should remember when playing tennis?

[B]

I would say that, like, as a young tennis player that, like, even when you're young, you know yourself better than anyone else and to really embrace your strengths. I think a lot of the time when young tennis players are playing, growing up, everyone's like, oh, act a certain way, be a certain way, and, you know, don't do this, don't do that, blah, blah, blah. But I think when people in general. But I do think kids, even when they embrace themselves, then that's when, like, the best of them comes out. So I'd say that.

[A]

Love it. Last question. Very important question at this time of year. Who is winning the World Cup?

[B]

Oh, my God. You probably couldn't have anyone on your podcast that has been more removed and uncaring about the World cup, so I will go with the. I know, like, I think Brazil's good, right?

[A]

Is it coming home? Is it coming home? That's what we want to know. It's not coming home.

[B]

No offense to you, but I don't think it is. Anyway. No way. I'll. Should I. I mean, Canada's never been passed around to 16, but they're still in. So let's go.

[A]

Canada's still gone. Aaron Ratliff, you are a superstar. Always. Thank you for. For coming on the show.

[B]

Anytime.

[A]

And I'm gonna let you go now. Whilst we then move on with our Dear Dan segment. We. Which to finish off, people get to ask their questions. If you have anything you want to ask me, it can be anonymous. If you've got advice, Aaron, you can send your questions in over the next couple of days. Thank for having me. Thank you for coming on. Thank you. Good luck. Bye bye. So there we have it. Our. Our second guest. What a brilliant guest she always is. Erin Routliff. How amazing is she? Last segment we. I promised you 30, 35 minutes. I'm nearly going over the that so Dear Dan, we've had from Nathan. What's your. My favorite part of Wimbledon? Strawberries and cream. My favorite part of Wimbledon. Honestly, it's the. It's one of those things for me. Wimbledon people always ask me, what's the best tennis tournament in the world? And. And my mind Tends to go to maybe Australian Open or US Open for that because I just love those as tennis of the sense for me, Wimbledon's bigger than that. That's why I don't say Wimbledon because it's, it's an event. It's not just a tennis tournament. It's a garden party. It's a, the whole event. The history, the, the feeling, the, the energy, you know, just everything about it, you know, like it to be here is a privilege to like everything. I, I do like the tradition. I, I, I'm not necessarily someone who loves traditions all the time, but I do think having certain traditions and history is quite magical. Aaron used that word, magical as well. And it really is, it's a, it's a magical, magical place. There's certain things I think they can do better. I think they, they, it doesn't need to be certain traditions in other ways. It can be a bit stuck up at times in certain ways. But as a fan, as a tennis enthusiast, it just is just one of the most special events that there is out there. And, and to, to have the opportunity to be here is, is really quite, really quite magical. There's a feeling to it, there's a, there's a smell to it, there's a, it's hard to quite put your finger on what it is, but it's, it's special. Beyond, beyond special, you know, and, and long, long live Wimbledon and the opportunity to be here. We got another one here. What physical quality do you feel is most influential to performance on a grass court? This comes from the tennis athlete. Team. Team Physical quality most influential to performance on grass glute strength is, is, is vital. You know, that ability to kind of be in that set position on a grass court, you know, you, you've got to be low. The way that you move, it's very different. The movement, the movement on a grass court is different. You know, it's easy to get wrong footed. You've got to be in a position where you can glide a little bit more. It's not quite as stumpy as you can be maybe on a hard court or slidy, even though they are starting to slide a little bit as slidey as you can be on a clear court. You know. You know, the reality is you are dealing quite often with the court being a little bit slippy and, but, but the ball's obviously staying a bit lower. You can't just get away with flicking the ball. The slazinger ball also gets, can get quite heavy as it gets a little bit old so you, you have to be lower center of gravity. So to have that strength through the head, hips and the glute areas, I would say is the, is the big, big area on the grass courts. And then just making sure that you've also got good stability with your shoulders. And you know you're going to have to serve a lot. Again, the ball can get quite heavy serving. So for tennis players out there, making sure they are doing their shoulder exercises, taking care of all of those parts of the game and their bodies to make sure that they're ready, I think that's a, that's a big area as well. And our last question of the day comes from Nikki from Reading. What is the atmosphere like during Slams in the players area? Do the players talk to each other? Good question, Nikki. Yeah, they do. I think it's, I think it's pretty cool. I think you tend to get, that's what I like about, like the World cup and stuff. Like, I was speaking to some, I know I'm not a player, but speaking to the Mexicans today about a potential England, Mexico, last 16 match, nice chats with all the Brazilians. You know, the, you get, you get little areas. You've obviously got friendships naturally, I guess a bit like school, right? We're all human beings, so a bit like school. People naturally kind of magnetize to each other. So you, you would have lots of, lots of that, you know, a lot of people with their teams, but a lot of teams integrating. And I guess in, in the player area as well, in the slabs, you do get quite big teams. So you've got a lot of people. So then there's obviously introductions happening with, with, you know, to different people. So what you would tend to happen is a lot of the big stars who are doing a lot of media work, you know, those are the ones that are kind of carrying the tours and selling the tours with, with what they're doing. I, I would say that they tend to be a little bit more separated, they're conserving their energy. And as the matches start to happen, the players don't spend as much time around as, as they might earlier on in the Grand Slam before the matches have started. I, I do think the two, as the tournament goes on, the two saddest places in the world are airports and tennis tournaments, because what you then have with the atmosphere is you have. What I mean by airports. For someone like me who travels a lot, I associate an airport with saying goodbye to people. Some people associate an airport with going on holiday. And it's a happy place, whereas I tend to associate it. Say goodbye to family, going off to American University, going off to tournaments, saying goodbye to wife, saying goodbye to kids, you know, not so easy. And it's the same at tennis tournaments. Half the draws are losing every day. So. So you, you have this. It is. It hurts, right? It hurts losing. It's. So you have kind of a. A bit of a sober groups that are on their tables that are maybe, you know, analyzing. I saw Spitalina talking to her coach. She lost today. I saw her talking, you know, and it's just a somber. Not sober. What am I talking about? A bit of a somber mood. You know, talking about the matches. And then you've got the teams that are winning and as they go deep into the event, you can just feel that kind of energy of going deep into the tournaments. But I would say there is, there's a lot of. I think. I think the majority of the tour realize that we're all on the same team ultimately, you know, we all are. Are playing. Playing tennis. Tennis is our industry. It's our love, it's our passion. And there's lots of. There's lots of nice conversations. Certainly the doubles tour has a really special bond. I think the doubles tour is really kind of comes together and I think you see that as well, probably even more so than with the single singles players. So, guys, that's our day two done. We. We have obviously lots of matches to come tomorrow. And we do have Freddie Nielsen, the 2012 Women, Women's. The men's, men's doubles champion. He didn't make. He didn't make some great calls in the, in the preview, if you haven't listened to our preview of Wimbledon yet. So I'll be giving him a bit of a ribbing for that, but he's always a great guest. I'm sure we're gonna have lots more great stories tomorrow. Thank you for joining us. Get your questions in for dear Dan. And we look forward to being back tomorrow night, 9pm hopefully celebrating an England win in the World cup as well. But until next time, I'm Dan Keenan. We are Control. The Control.