2025 US Open SEMI-FINALS PREVIEW | Live from IBM AI Sports Club

Summary

Served with Andy Roddick: 2025 US Open Semi-Finals Preview – Live from IBM AI Sports Club

Episode Date: September 4, 2025
Host: Andy Roddick
Co-Host/Guests: Jon Wertheim and team
Location: Madison Square Park, IBM AI Sports Club

---

Episode Overview

Andy Roddick and his panel brought their trademark wit and deep tennis expertise to a live preview of the 2025 US Open semi-finals. Broadcasting from the IBM AI Sports Club in Madison Square Park, the crew dissected the men’s and women’s draws, delved into AI-powered match predictions, reflected on the state of tennis journalism, and fielded fan questions. The episode captured the excitement, tension, and evolving narratives at this late stage of the Grand Slam, with special attention to the rise of new stars, the endurance of the old guard, and technological innovations changing both analysis and fan engagement.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tournament Vibes & IBM AI Sports Club Experience

• Early banter set a playful tone, with the crew touting the pop-up club’s features: ping pong data analysis, trivia, and watch parties (00:38–01:21).
• Quote: “Our kids would love this. Hank would be all over the trivia, the ping pong, the whole, the whole deal.” – Andy Roddick (01:21)

---

2. Men’s Semifinals: Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic, and FAA

Novak Djokovic: Still Dominating

• Djokovic’s continued brilliance at age 38 shocks the panel:

  • “Novak in his 53rd Grand Slam semifinal.” – Andy Roddick (02:15)
  • “Thirty-eight years old, semifinals of all four majors. We thought we'd run out of factoids and adjectives to describe this guy.” – Jon Wertheim (02:36)

• Discussion on how Djokovic, after slow starts, inevitably finds elite form:

  • “At some point over the two weeks, he goes into the phone booth…puts on his cape and comes out.” – Andy Roddick (03:26)

Sinner’s Unstoppable Form & FAA’s Underdog Status

• Sinner’s clinical destruction of Musetti and Bublek wowed the crew.

  • “These are the scorelines of when you play like junior tennis and someone’s phenomenal.” – Andy Roddick (03:56)
  • “Vesuvius versus Pompeii…no resistance.” – Jon Wertheim (04:10)

• FAA (Felix Auger-Aliassime) is acknowledged for his resurgence:

  • “Even if he loses, this is a much-needed turnaround event for Felix, who has a great reputation on tour.” – Andy Roddick (05:58)
  • “He just turned 25… you got 10 years of runway ahead.” – Jon Wertheim (06:34)
  • “We penalize people who do well young.” – Andy Roddick (06:39)

• Keys for FAA to upset Sinner:

  • Serve outstandingly well, take big risks
  • “If Sinner knows what's coming, it's not going to end well for the opponent.” – Andy Roddick (08:06)
  • “He has to be able to live with some irresponsible errors… It's because if he leaves that ball hanging in the wrong part of the court, Darth Sinner comes in and finishes him off.” – Andy Roddick (08:33)

Alcaraz vs. Novak: Match-up Analysis & Emotional Factors

• IBM WatsonX gives a 60% favorite edge to Alcaraz over Djokovic (10:46)
• “Sinner's just unflappable—you don’t get under his skin… Novak said, ‘I'm used to this position and I sort of relish it.’” – Jon Wertheim (11:04)
• Crowd dynamics discussed; Djokovic thrives “if he gets in and is chippy, I think that's better for Novak. He wants to make this about emotion, about angst. He is the best we’ve ever seen in those types of situations.” – Andy Roddick (12:45)
• “Carlos [Alcaraz], I don’t know that I’ve seen a global fandom gravitate to a player like they have with Carlos. Even Roger had to work for it.” – Andy Roddick (12:45)

---

3. Women’s Semifinals: Sabalenka, Pegula, Anisimova, and Osaka

Sabalenka vs. Pegula Preview

• “67% says IBM WatsonX with Sabalenka over Pegula. Does that feel about right?” – Andy Roddick (15:29)
• “All credit to [Pegula] but she is yet to play a top 50 opponent and now she gets number one.” – Jon Wertheim (15:43)
• “If you ask Jess in a moment of honesty, she would probably tell you this is the toughest matchup for her on tour.” – Andy Roddick (16:02)
  • Key: Pegula must serve over 60% first serves to withstand Sabalenka’s aggression.

Anisimova’s Redemption & Osaka’s Resurgence

• Amanda Anisimova’s bounce-back after devastating Wimbledon loss is highlighted as a feat of mental fortitude.
  • “She was an adult in the room when she had to speak after that loss… She is absolutely tough.” – Andy Roddick (17:07)
  • “You lose love and love in a Wimbledon final…You play the very same opponent at the next major, you get broken, you win a game, and then you say, 'That’s out of my system. Now we’re going for the W.’ What a great turnaround.” – Jon Wertheim (19:10)
• Osaka’s return to form post-maternity leave, with a puncher’s chance at the title:
  • “Seven total titles in her career. Four of them have been majors. She is attracted to the bright lights.” – Andy Roddick (20:14)
  • “I think Naomi Osaka is really in…a mind position. She matches up well against Anisimova.” – Jon Wertheim (23:12)

AI’s Role in Prediction

• Surprised at the 71% favorite rating for Anisimova over Osaka by IBM WatsonX.
  • “That one feels…AI’s got a pretty good winning percentage.” – Andy Roddick (24:04)
  • Discussion about the evolving role of AI and recency bias in match forecasting.
• “IBM WatsonX picked the last three [Wimbledon] upsets.” – Andy Roddick (23:52)

---

4. Audience Q&A Highlights

State of Tennis Journalism – Podcasting Era

• “I think in a way, these are really exciting times for media…You don't need an intermediary (to put out content). That’s an advantage for shows like us…there’s a lot of seats at the table, and we’re happy to take one.” – Andy Roddick (27:13)

Andy’s New Pick for Women’s Champion (with Iga out)

• “Honestly…I think it’s as likely that any one of them can win as any tournament I can remember in recent history. If I had to say something, it’s Sabalenka, but don’t listen to me. Predictions are just guesses.” – Andy Roddick (28:33)

Mixed Doubles Format Success & Star Power

• Praise for US Open’s mixed doubles event injecting “a jolt of energy.” (30:10–32:27)
• “You can't argue with the jolt of energy that this created. If you make the longer format, you risk losing the things that made this unique, buzzworthy, special.” – Andy Roddick (33:05)
• “I think IGA [Swiatek] made the mixed doubles event.” – Andy Roddick (33:05)

The Fate of the One-Handed Backhand

• “There’s some fawning…It’s the prettiest shot. Is it the most effective version of tennis these days? Our eyeballs and data and everything else is telling us no.” – Andy Roddick (35:02)
• “Wheelchair tennis is the place to be…If we all love the one-handed backhand, it all touches our soul.” – Jon Wertheim (36:15)

Most Surprising Tournament Storyline

• “Venus Williams lasting through Labor Day, playing at a high level…Not just playing but also the sheer joy that she exuded.” – Jon Wertheim (37:47)
• “I didn’t have it on my bingo card that she’d come back at 45… and be better than she was when we last saw her.” – Andy Roddick (38:21)

---

5. IBM AI in Tennis & Fun Demo

• AI’s integration at every match: “Every single point of the US Open is 156 data points…IBM WatsonX translates that into all of the fun insights and facts that you’re going to see in the app.” – IBM Rep (39:57)

• In-episode, Andy and the team play ping pong while an AI system generates a mock match commentary in real-time — a lighthearted demonstration of AI’s storytelling potential.

  • AI-generated summary example:
    “In a match that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. That’s generous. Andy, our whirlwind server, whipped the ball around… John Wertheim, our gallant returner, slicing through like a lone knight against a dragon’s fiery breath.” (43:44)

• Final playful moment:
  “My producer is now Watson X and my co-host is now Watson X.” – Andy Roddick (44:45)

---

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Novak in his 53rd Grand Slam semifinal.” – Andy Roddick (02:15)
• “If Sinner knows what's coming, it's not going to end well for the opponent.” – Andy Roddick (08:06)
• “Vesuvius versus Pompeii… no resistance.” – Jon Wertheim (04:10)
• “Seven total titles in her career. Four of them have been majors. She is attracted to the bright lights.” – Andy Roddick (20:14)
• “My producer is now Watson X and my co-host is now Watson X.” – Andy Roddick (44:45)
• “I think there’s a lot of seats at the table, and we’re happy to take one.” – Andy Roddick (27:13)
• “Venus Williams… Not just playing at a high level, but also the sheer joy that she exuded.” – Jon Wertheim (37:47)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 00:38–01:21| IBM AI Sports Club experience/setting | | 02:01–03:26| Djokovic’s run and longevity | | 03:26–04:58| Sinner’s dominance, men's semi preview | | 05:32–07:53| FAA’s journey and keys to an upset | | 09:02–10:46| Alcaraz vs. Djokovic match-up, role of belief | | 12:13–12:45| Crowd dynamics, Novak’s greatest weapon | | 14:50–17:07| Women’s semis: Sabalenka vs. Pegula, Anisimova’s story | | 18:20–24:09| Osaka’s resurgence, AI’s predictive insights | | 25:34–28:19| State/future of tennis journalism | | 30:00–33:05| Mixed doubles format and star turnout | | 35:02–36:57| The future of the one-handed backhand | | 37:35–39:38| Most surprising stories: Venus Williams | | 39:57–44:45| AI demos, ping pong match, closing banter |

---

Conclusion

This episode of "Served with Andy Roddick" delivered thorough, funny, and insightful semi-final previews, skillfully blending statistical analysis (with an AI twist), human stories, and the unique quirks of tennis culture. From Novak’s longevity to Sinner's machine-like dominance, the emotional returns of both Anisimova and Osaka, and Venus Williams’ surprise run, the hosts celebrated tennis’s old and new while emphasizing data's expanding role in shaping the fan experience.

For more, follow “Served with Andy Roddick” wherever you get your podcasts and check out the IBM AI Sports Club in Madison Square Park if you’re in New York during finals weekend.

---

Transcript

[A]

Support for this show comes from Pure Leaf iced tea. When you find yourself in the afternoon slump, you need the right thing to make you bounce back. You need pure leaf iced tea. It's real brewed tea made in a variety of bold flavors with just the right amount of naturally occurring caffeine. You're left feeling refreshed and revitalized so you can be ready to take on what's next. The next time you need to hit the reset button, grab a pure leaf iced tea. Time for a tea break. Time for a pure leaf.

[B]

We are. We are served. We're a dumb little tennis podcast. We appreciate you getting up early with us this morning. We're here at Madison Square Park. IBM AI Sports Club. This is pretty cool. We have ping pong, some trivia, some watch parties open now through Sunday. Final Sunday. Mike. What else are we looking at?

[C]

You just, you just named all of it.

[B]

Well, just do your thing. What are you here for then? I mean, what are we doing?

[C]

IBM, AI Sports Club. We have some ping pong where they'll do some match analysis which we're going to do later. Later on. Hopefully they'll make fun of Andy and John. I will not be stepping in and playing. There's some AI trivia. And then every night they're going to be doing the semifinals for both the men's and women's and then they'll be doing the finals. So come on down to the park, check it out. It's going to, it's going to be awesome.

[B]

I'm just telling you, just looking around here and all of the stuff that there is to do, all the experiences. Our kids would love this. Yeah, right. Hank would be all over the trivia, the ping pong, the whole, the whole deal. JW, how you feeling? You're, you're like. How are those 27 hour days that you're doing out at the, the Open.

[D]

In the what they say there's a business end. Good tournament so far. This is. God, this is a. I mean, I live right around here. This is a great setup.

[B]

Tell us your exact address, like the number. Tell us your phone number.

[D]

Well, yes. My, my. Oh, this building right here, Very top floor. No, this is a great setup though.

[B]

Let's. Let's get into some tennis because there is a little tennis tournament going on across the river in Queens. Anyone have Yannick Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz progressing to the semifinals?

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Brave pick, that guy Novak. How's this for a stat? Novak in his 53rd Grand Slam semifinal.

[C]

That's absurd.

[B]

Like think about, there's four years. I'm not great at math, I didn't go to college. There's four year. Yeah, I mean, he has like 15 years of semifinals almost.

[D]

It's absurd. No, it's. And how about this? 38 years old semifinals of all four majors. I mean, we thought we'd run out of factoids and adjectives to describe this guy and he keeps providing us with more.

[B]

Well, here's the thing, like the last three tournaments that, that Novak Djokovic has played. The French Open, Wimbledon, the French Open in May, Wimbledon, July, and then the US Open in some. He's like a part time tennis player who all he does is make semifinals. Like it's, it's phenomenal.

[C]

Yeah, he started the tournament. Everybody's like, oh, he looks run down.

[B]

He did.

[C]

Pulling his chest apart.

[B]

He was.

[C]

Now he's just smoking dudes.

[B]

Smoking dudes?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Unbelievable.

[D]

How do we do that? Did you, did anyone see his first round match? I mean, he looked like a 38 year old part time tennis player. And then he goes and beats Taylor, Fritz and Forsets.

[B]

At some point over the two weeks, he goes into the phone booth, right. Puts on his cape and comes out. Let's get to the matchup. Sinner last night against Musetti, like these two. One, you watch FAA and you watch Demon before them. And then Sinner takes the court. It just looks different at this point. Right. I thought we were entering the age of parody post. You know those annoying guys. Roger, Rafa, Serena and Sinner and Carlos just, just flipped the entire thing. Beating Bublek 1, 1 and 1 and then beating Musetti who is such a good player. 1, 4 and 2. I mean, these are the scorelines of when you play like junior tennis and someone's, someone's phenomenal.

[D]

I love how we all sort of grope for. For storylines. I mean, basically the guy is just really, really good, veering towards unbeatable. Last night against Musetti, it was like, you know, this was Vesuvius versus Pompeii. I mean, this was, this was not much of a matchup. And every. We all grope for the. How will Sinner do against a lefty? How will he do against Bublek, who did beat him the last time they played? How will he do against a countryman? And he'll do well. Yeah, exactly. It's no. No resistance. No resistance. No resistance. I did just have a jannik Sinner ice tiramisu at Italy across the way. So he's. No, but I mean, I think we all before the tournament said, is anyone going to interrupt the Sinner Alcaraz final for the third straight major? And here we are heading into the semis and we all ask. Anyone can interrupt.

[B]

I think the only person who actually believes that they can is Novak. Right. He's like, I've been there before, I've done it. But let's go through center. Next plays faa. Let's talk a little bit about his journey while we're here. Let's not. Let's not. You know, the great thing about sports is that we can have our thoughts, but you actually have to go do it right. There's no script. So Sinner still has to play FAA, IBM, Watsonx has sinner at as an 80% favorite. Does that somehow still feel low with how good he's playing?

[D]

Well, they played last month, same time zone, same surface, similar conditions, and FAA was broken six of seven times and won two games. Not a lot of great recent history for FAA. No 80, 20 sounds. Yeah. I mean, in tennis terms that's quite high. And yet you're right, those almost seem modest given the way Sinner has been playing.

[B]

Let's give some props to FAA that comes in 28 in the world, is a former Wimbledon semifinalist. This is the second time he's made the SEM at the US Open. I want to say his career high was around 6 somewhere. Beats Verev, beats Demon. So even if he loses to center, this is a much needed turnaround event for. For Felix, who has a great reputation on tour. You never hear a bad word spoken about him. Apparently has a great work ethic as well. So it's nice to see when someone is struggling by their own standards over the course of a year, you break out. And what better place to do it than New York City?

[D]

And he just turned 25. I mean, I know people that like.

[B]

We penalize people who do well young.

[D]

I can't remember I heard a great quote, but I'm going to botch this. But it was basically the people the gods want to mock. They give the word promising to. So here comes Felix and he's this. I mean, there's nothing you can't not like about this guy. I mean, he's a lovely person. He plays piano, he practices hard. I mean, every. But he just. You know, four years ago, this guy was taking Nadal to five sets at Roland Garros and we all thought this was a future star and he stagnated a little bit and we all sort of moved on. And you forget 25 especially these days. 25, you got 10 years of Runway ahead. So nice to see him. Nice to see him back.

[B]

What we do, and I think we're all guilty of it as analysts, is okay. The standard is set of peak performance and excellence. It's now been set by Sinner and Alcaraz. So everything is judged kind of in, in the fallout of that. But that doesn't mean Felix hasn't been a great player, you know, because he's 19 and has promise. It doesn't mean at 25, the guys in the last four players on earth, right. Of a grand slam tournament. So then that's not, that's not easy. We, we can't be dismissive about accomplishment.

[C]

So let's assume he busts the algorithm. What does he need to do to beat a guy like Sinner?

[B]

Listen, he's, he has to serve great. He has to take a lot of risk on, on his second serve, right? When Sinner gets a second serve and he knows where it's going, I always make the parallel between, you know, not too far away from here. We've had some pretty good baseball players, right? If Babe Ruth knew what was coming, it wasn't going to end well for the pitcher. If Aaron Judge knows what's coming, it's not going to end well for the pitcher. If Sinner knows what's coming, it's not going to end well for the opponent. That's why Carlos has a decent head to head, is because Carlos has so much variety, right. He can hit the chip, he can come in. He's so well versed in so many different parts of the court. You know, FAA can't be predictable. If he's neutral in a rally, he's behind. Right? That needs to be the mentality if I'm his coach. And that's going to manifest in some irresponsible errors. He has to be able to live with those. Right? And then you're going to get the people going. Well, he shouldn't have missed that ball. I promise you he's good enough not to miss that ball. It's because if he leaves that ball hanging in the wrong part of the court, Darth Sinner comes in and finishes and finishes him off. I like Sinner in this match. There's no reason to. You want to change your pick for our bracket showdown or. No, I, I'll let you do it.

[C]

You want me to need some help with his bracket?

[D]

I was going to say you need some help with your brackets. Is that the.

[B]

Shut up. So what they're Wait, wait.

[D]

Say what you said before though. Because people. It's so boring. How could you have picked Sin. Or really go out on a limb there?

[B]

Yeah, it's like we. So we do our live draw shows and I pick every. I haven't seen the draw yet. We go live and it's 128 names and I'm trying to navigate my way through. And we do it and someone's.

[C]

You're so boring.

[B]

You pick Cinnaron Alcaraz. Like, sorry, am I supposed to tell you who I don't think is going to win the tournament? Like, I don't. I don't understand the point of this practice. We'll take enough shots. IBM Watson X has Sinner rolling. I don't know that many people would. Would disagree with it. What do you think the percentages would be? Yell out a number. Carlos and Novak. What's the percentage for IBM, Watson, X, Carlos and Novak, who's the favorite? No respect. No respect, but you're right. Carlos, what's that percentage? Way to 60. You were way off. It's 59. Good guess. I like that there's no one else in the building. I think that. I think a lot of players enter these matchups with Carlos and Jannik now with hope. I think the only person who can is probably tethered to belief is probably Novak. And something else that this tournament has shown us a little bit is that we have very short memories. Right. We're really worried about Coco. Right. She won a Grand Slam tournament 90 days ago. Wouldn't that be a great problem to have so much concern from so many after you won the French Open. Right. Carlos Alcaraz, way back in January, beat Novak Djokovic on a hard court in a Grand Slam. Do you like.

[D]

Wait, what?

[B]

Oh, sorry. Novak Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz. Sorry.

[D]

It's like Fritz's headband.

[B]

Sorry. Way back when Novak beat Carlos in the quarters. Good. I didn't know what you were doing. I thought you were like doing sign language.

[D]

Serve wide.

[B]

Do you, do you like 60 or do you feel like that's low for Carlos?

[D]

I mean, one thing that's fun about this match, aren't there factors? I mean, one thing about Sinner, he's just, he's unflappable. I mean, you don't get under his skin. He doesn't smash a rack. He doesn't yell at his. I mean, it's just there are ways to beat him, but it's all X's and O's emotions. Could be really interesting here. And I like what Andy said. I'm not if you guys have heard Novak, but he sort of said, listen, I started my career as sort of the third leg and the guy who tried to break up this sort of two man monopoly. I'm used to this position and I sort of relish it. And who leads the head to head? Carlos and Novak. Anyone? Novak? Yeah, exactly. I don't. I mean, Novak beat him at the last major, which was played on the same surface. I think 60, 40 is probably about right again. Carlos has played a lot of tennis, he's done a lot of winning. Eventually, you think maybe if they were mortal, 38 years old and very little match play coming in is going to get to Novak. But I think this could really be interesting and I think there are a lot of factors, no doubt what Nexus had counted for, but this has a lot more of sort of a sentiment, emotional factor than the other semifinal.

[C]

Can I ask you about those factors? Because I was out at the match against Fritz and they went into some long rallies and Novak leaned into the crowd, right? He would win these long rallies. He's turning around, fist pumping, he's telling everybody. He's doing the thing with his ear, he's winning and doing the soda pop, K pop dance, Demon hunters dance.

[B]

Is that what that was?

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

For his daughter.

[C]

But like one of, one of the factors for Watson X is it takes in crowd noise, it takes in all the analysts and what they're saying in public opinion, you know, so maybe that is making up some of that 60, 40 is that he can get the crowd on his side.

[B]

It's going to be, it's going to be interesting. I'll tell you this. I suspect, like Carlos, I don't know that I've seen a global fandom gravitate to a player like they have with Carlos. Even Roger had to work for it until he, you know, owned everyone's hearts. I don't know. I think it's going to be, I think it's going to be chippy, right? I think if, you know, they come out in the crowds for Carlos. But there is no one who craves that situation more on earth than Novak Djokovic. He'll pick a fight to win a fight. Yeah, right. Like, I think this is the great. I think it's going to be amazing theater. I've said this before in the show. One of the craziest things I've ever seen is in 2021 when Novak was in the final against Daniil Medvedev, he was going for the year Slam, right, where you went all four Slams in the same year. Everyone wanted to be in the building when that happened for the first time since 1969 with Rod Laver on the men's side. The support for Novak was so overwhelming that day, and it was almost as if he didn't know what to do with it, honestly. Like, if he gets in and is chippy, I think that's better for Novak. I think he wants to make this about emotion, about angst. He is the best we've ever seen in those types of situations. I think this is about right with the 60%. Novak's only gotten better as his tournament's gone along. Carlos is in full flight, right? He is. Once he gets that thing where he has win Cincy, he's won. I think he's been in the finals, like, eight tournaments in a row or something crazy like that. We talk about how he's more inconsistent than Jannik sometimes. And I read a good article yesterday. It was actually in the Athletic. It was like, okay, is he inconsistent? Like, he's made eight straight finals. Like, the guy hasn't lost in a semi since, like, the spring in Miami. I don't think he's that inconsistent. It's just that, like, Sinner's an algorithm at this point. We're going to do some Q and A here in a second. Get your questions ready. Raise your hand if you have one. Let's go to the women's side. A rematch of last year's final with Sabalenka. Jess Pegula from up the road in Buffalo. Sabalenka wins. I think it was three and five last year. Jess didn't have a lot of form coming into this. She said that they practiced the Wednesday before the event and that she was feeling so bad in practice with arena that she walked off the court and.

[D]

Then went drink and then played Escape Room and went drinking.

[B]

Is that true?

[D]

Seriously? I asked her. I asked her about it and she said, oh, leaving the court was only the half of it.

[B]

It worked.

[D]

It worked, though. Notice how he said buffalo's up the road, by the way?

[B]

Yeah, it's not that. How far is it?

[C]

500 miles.

[B]

It's 500. Well, I mean, technically I'm right. It is up the road.

[D]

It's a paved road.

[B]

And make a left. Sorry. Yeah, there is a left involved. So not up the road, but, you know, somewhere 67% says IBM WAP's next with Sabalenko over Pula. Does that feel about right?

[D]

Yeah, I mean Pula all, all credit to her but she is yet to play a top 50 opponent and now she gets number one. They, they played a lot of. I think it's their 10th match. They played a lot of matches against each other.

[C]

Sabalit 7 and 2.

[D]

Yeah. Sabalenka 7260 40. That's about right, don't you think?

[B]

67% I think it's right. I, I think or 60%. I think if you ask Jess in a moment of honesty she would probably tell you that this is the toughest matchup for her on tour. Right. She's going to have to defend her second serve. Right. Sabalenka injects pace into second serves, attacks from the first ball. Jess has to have a first serve percentage over 60 I think to be in this match. I don't think she can create the habit of being stuck into defending second serves for the better part of two hours and expect to come out on top of this. But like also we have short memories. Jess was having a hard time finding the racket face apparently in practice and then she's rolled through matches. I don't care who she's played. You hear that? She hasn't played. You can only play who's across the court from you. Right. I like Sabalenka moving on in this. I feel like IBM Watson X is about right. This next one, this next one. IBM Watson X& be careful here. Anna Samova, Osaka. Can we give some props to Amanda Anisimova for what she did Yesterday?

[C]

That's correct.

[B]

Losing.00 in a Wimbledon final. I've lost a lot of Wimbledon finals. They're painful. It's painful on, on on their own to do that. 001 no other sport makes you talk on quarter on field immediately after some soul destroying loss. Right. And Manda Anisimovo was an adult in the room when she had to speak after that loss to Igisviatek at Wimbledon. You saw the fist pump after she got a game yesterday. She went on to win 646 3. Kind of exercising some, some mental demons. I thought that was just phenomenal. It has not been an easy five or six years personally for Amanda and a Samoa for many reasons took a mental health break, lost her father. She is tough. Like we just need the narrative to change. She is absolutely tough. Gets the win over IGA Swiatek. I will say that ruined my bracket. JW is going to. Have you heard of a place called Lake Placid just up the road right by Buffalo. Yeah. JW beats me. In our our bracket challenge on the women's side, little, little love for. For JW coming through.

[D]

All right. Love. A lot of love for a mandan.

[B]

No one cares that you did that apparently.

[D]

That's great.

[B]

That's good news for me.

[D]

Talking about, don't you think, going back to what you said before playing armchair psychologist, don't you think there's some correlation between sort of a macro life comeback.

[B]

And the ability to know, you know.

[D]

What, what's in the past is in the past. It's not. Do you know. Did you guys see this? She actually watched the Wimbledon final before the other night before she played iga just to kind of. Yeah, as painful as this is going to be, I want to see what I did wrong. And then she said she had to sort of counteract it and leaven it with watching one of her victories. But I mean that's. You lose love. I don't know if. Do you ever lose love and love at any level where there was a scoreboard, like not your brother in the backyard, but like I don't. I mean that's tennis's ultimate kind of humiliation.

[B]

I don't think so.

[D]

Wimbledon final, so what a strange emotion. This is one of the great achievements of your career. And yet you don't just lose, but you don't win a game. You play the very same opponent at the next major, you get broken. You know, you lose that first game, you sort of win a game and then you say, all right, that's out of my system. Now we're going for the W. What a great, great turnaround.

[B]

Fantastic effort.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Someone else. Welcome back Naomi Osaka to the top level.

[D]

Right?

[B]

Oh my goodness, this is great. She comes out looking like a disco ball just ripping people. Yeah, I know. I now know what a lab Bobu is. Amazing. Roughly 18 months post maternity leave. Might have taken her a second to get back to this top level. She is there Crazy. A couple of crazy stats about Naomi Osaka. She's made it past. Before this tournament, she had made it past the round of 16 of A major exactly four times. How many of those resulted in Grand Slam wins?

[D]

4.

[C]

All 4.

[B]

Nuts. If history is any predictor of the of the future. IBM, Watson X&A Simova, they have Andisimova 71 favorite to win this match. You nailed the other one. How do you feel about that? Give Osaka a bit more credit on that one. I didn't say to IBM he did. It's our serve fandom. But listen Osaka, the other thing is like she loves this stage of tournaments. She's won seven total titles in her career. Seven. Four of them have been majors. She is attracted to the bright lights for someone who doesn't want to, is shy, doesn't want to talk much about herself after matches. She can get to work when the lights are on, I'll tell you that much right now. It's great to see Osaka playing. I mean what she did to Coco the other day and a lot of the narrative is around Coco serve and rightfully so. It's something that needs to be remedied, fixed, worked on. Give her credit for never shying away from any of the conversation, by the way. But three and two ran through. Coco gets through much of a who had made the semis here the last two years and is a former French Open finalist. She's looking great. I mean, I don't, I would have guessed that this was kind of like a pick a match, not a 71% or what do you, how do you feel about that?

[D]

I don't know. I mean head to head is Anisimova, but that's not really.

[B]

Can we also like the head to head FAA is leading center.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean center in 2019. How much does that matter? Not a lot of head shaking. I agree. Exactly what the hell do I know?

[D]

But I'm trying to figure out what that could be based on because Naomi's been terrific. She, you know, she reached, she probably should have won but reached the final in Canada. So it's not as though this is, I mean unlike Felix, it's not as though she's coming in.

[B]

I, I, I think I, I suspect that there is a, with IBM, Watson, from what I understand. And we'll have someone, we'll have Cameron on from IBM to explain stuff to me that I'm too dumb to understand here in a little bit. But there is a, when someone's made a final at Wimbledon and there is a recency bias that factors in, that should matter. It does matter. I think what we all know is that, you know, we know what the prime version of Naomi Osaka looks like. We know what she's looked like at this very tournament before. We saw with our eyeballs what, what happened with, with, with Coco at this tournament. So do you like Osaka or Anisimova straight up here before we get to the 71%.

[D]

I, I think I might like Osaka straight up. You just have a big, big, big props for the co. See. All right, I got one person agreeing with me.

[B]

Is that your cousin?

[D]

Good poke. Thanks, thanks. Yeah, seriously. We'll see you at Thanksgiving. I, I think, I mean, I just watched that. Maybe this is recency bias, but. Anyone? Yeah, that's as high quality ball striking. I mean, just the I, It's a great match. And it's both, both players are sort of sneaky powerful in their way.

[B]

I don't think there's anything sneaky about their power.

[D]

Their, their pop is not. You watch it and then you sort of see it courtside. I, I, I think Naomi Osaka is really in a, some of this is a sort of a mind position. And I think she matches up pretty well against Anisimova.

[B]

I'll tell you this. I was wrong. I was pretty, I felt as confident as one can betting against, not betting against saying that sinner is going to lose at the Wimbledon final. Right. Or, sorry, saying that Alcara is going to lose the Wimbledon final. I had Alcaraz winning that Wimbledon final. You know who, you know who had center winning? IBM. Watson X had center winning.

[D]

Really?

[B]

Yeah. And Johnny Mack went off, he's like, I don't know anything. And I was like, oh, they might know something. I don't.

[C]

I think Watson X picks the last three.

[B]

Wimbledon, they picked the first, the first upset with Alcaraz over Novak, which no one had. And then. Yeah, so what do we know, right? I don't know. That one feels 71 feels AI's got.

[D]

A pretty good winning percentage.

[E]

Let's be honest. Are you happy with your job? Like really happy? The unfortunate fact is that a huge number of people can't say yes to that. Far too many of us are stuck in a job we've outgrown or one we never wanted in the first place. But still we stick it out and we give reasons, like, what if the next move is even worse? I've already put years into this place and maybe the most common one. Isn't everyone kind of miserable at work? But there's a difference between reasons for staying and excuses for not leaving. It's time to get unstuck. It's time for Strawberry Me. They match you with a certified career coach who helps you go from where you are to where you actually want to be. Your coach helps you get clear on your goals, create a plan, build your confidence, and keeps you accountable along the way. So don't leave your career to chance. Take action and own your future with a professional coach in your corner. Go to Strawberry Me Unstuck to claim a special offer. That's Strawberry Me Unstuck.

[B]

Do we have any questions from the Audience fan, Q and A.

[C]

We have a. Techie Sean's coming around.

[B]

It's Techie Sean here. If you just wave down Techie Sean for microphone. If you want to ask a question, let's get to it. Yeah. Good morning. Good morning. Thank you for coming here to New York.

[F]

Home sweet home. It's actually a journalism question. With the passing of the torch now with Cliff Drysdale retiring, and then, remember Bud Collins stepping away, where do you see journalism going as it's breaking up into all these different little podcasts for us to watch?

[D]

No, that's.

[B]

If only. If only we had a 60 Minutes journalist on the panel.

[D]

No, I think you. You answered the question. I mean, I think in a way, you know, these are strange times for media. I think in a way, these are really exciting times for media. And I think something like this, which would have been. I always say podcasts were named after a device that doesn't even exist anymore. So podcasts have done better than the ipod. But no, I mean, I think, yeah, the Boston Globe does not have a tennis correspondent at the U.S. open, but there are a lot of journalists who are passionate and like to tell stories and like to use data and inform and it's just a difference in platform. Glad you brought up Cliff Drysdale. That's one of the great. Yeah, exactly. This is.

[B]

Yeah, one of the great gentlemen Cliffy was in. I'm glad ESPN gave him his flowers yesterday. I thought that was a beautiful gesture. For those of you don't know, Cliff Drysdale is. Has been basically the voice of ESPN Tennis for decades now. I grew up personally with listening to him and the fiery one, Fred Stolle. They were the guides for my tennis fandom when I was a kid. So thank you for mentioning Cliffy. We all love Cliffy. Everyone loves Cliffy. But as far as a question from where I see it, and John is certainly more well versed in the space, I think Earth pays really close attention to tennis. For eight weeks, we thought that we could tell a story for. There's a lot of football field left from those eight weeks. With YouTube, Apple, Spotify, you don't need permission to put content out. You don't need an intermediary. And I think that's an advantage for shows like us. I think it creates space very quickly. Live rights are live rights. We have to watch the matches in order to. There's no one who's not watching the matches who's listening to our shows. Right. They all can exist together. It's not one versus the other. They don't really need us. We definitely need, need people to be able to watch the, the matches that we, we comment on. That being said, we just don't need permission to do it anymore. And so we can, we can stroll up in Madison Square park at 8:30 during the week and talk to you all about tennis without needing much permission. Right. So I think it's a, it's a, it's a nice thing, especially for tennis where we don't have a machine year round, like, like an NFL or like, like something like that. So I think it's, I think it's great. I think there's, there's a lot of seats at the table and we're happy to take one.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Any other questions? Okay.

[G]

Question for you, Andy.

[B]

There we go.

[G]

My question for you, Andy.

[B]

So you had IGA on the women's.

[G]

Side as your pick.

[B]

With her now out of the draw, do you, do you now have a favorite out of those semifinalists? I did have IGA as the favorite. I thought she was the fair. I thought she was playing the best. Going in, a lot can change in a short amount of time. Honestly, I'm not trying to duck the question. Looking at the four semifinalists here, I think it's as likely that any one of them can win as any tournament I can remember in recent history. I think Anisimova is playing great. I think Osaka has found it. I think Anisimova having played in a Grand Slam final already is beneficial. Same with Jess last year. I think if you have to, you give credit to. Sabalenka's always there. Right. But then there's a little bit of scar tissue with maybe not playing her best in a couple of Grand Slam finals this year. If I had to say something, it's Sabalenka, but don't listen to me. You know, people forget that predictions are actually just guesses. Techie. Sean, right here.

[F]

Hi. Thanks for being here today. We all agree that the mixed doubles was a huge hit. And I'm wondering, would you have played that and who would you play with? And it can't be Venus and Serena because they're going to play with Mike and Bob. They're going to play with you. So who. Or maybe they would. Well, we all heard about your cup volley the other day, so it's pretty bad. Yeah. So who would you play with? Kim's injured. You can't pick your buddy Kim.

[B]

Why are you picking all my favorite people?

[F]

Okay, you can have fun. Would your strategy have been to go with a great Doubles player or would you have picked one of your friends to have fun?

[B]

I don't know that that would be an either or. You took out like probably the three names that I would have approached immediately. I think there was a lesson learned. I think your question's a great one and I'll certainly answer it. I think I'm gonna reserve the right to choose Kim Love. Kim Kleischer. She was number one in the world in singles and doubles. So the premise of the question is both, right, great singles player who's also a great doubles player, I think. And I was a huge fan of the mixed doubles. I think, you know, kids going to see Louis Armstrong and seeing, you know, Ben Sheldon, IGA Witek and all their favorites for free, like we can disagree with formatting. You can be a traditionalist and like mixed doubles, you can't argue with the jolt of energy that this created. Now, can we adjust off of the mixed doubles? Can we include the four major winners from the other tournaments? Right. And give more than deserve with Iranian Vavasori more seats at the table for the doubles players? No doubt. It's hard to adjust off of something that's not working. It's easier to adjust off of something that is proven concept. That's where I'm at with the mixed doubles. I think I would have been curious about it. This week for top players is tough because especially as an American like you saw Coco not playing it, there are a lot of responsibilities. This is that Tuesday, Wednesday is when you actually do work for your sponsors and then those sponsor visits cannot get in the way of your prep for the singles tournament. Right. So it would have been a tougher conversation, I think for me, just because this week was such a priority with life and the US Open sprinkle on top of it. I love the idea of it. I think I would have done it at some point. I probably would have stayed back the first year and see how it all, how it all worked out. But I thought it was a massive success. I'll always choose more US Open as opposed to the less US Open. The third week I thought was phenomenal. They have to keep fan week, fan week, in my opinion. They have to keep Louis Armstrong as someplace that you can go and take an eight year old, expose them to the US Open for free. I thought that was a home run. They did an event on Thursday night which benefited the USTA Foundation. Home run. As long as we're tethered to fan week being fan week, I think it's a 10 out of 10 JW. What I get wrong?

[D]

No, I mean, the one thing about the mixed doubles is it's great that it's attracted so many star singles players, but they're here to win a big title. So we can't have a three day tournament, we can't have regular formatting, we can't have a 64 draw. We need to keep it condensed. But no, I think this was, I mean, Eric Buterack crushed it. Crushed it.

[B]

Took a big risk.

[D]

Exactly. And this could have. I mean, this could have. We all loved it, it was fun. It got us interested for three weeks of tennis. You said that tennis is eight weeks a year. Now it's nine at least here. The downside though, this could have been an abject embarrassment and they absolutely nailed it.

[B]

Yeah. To John's point. I've heard in the two weeks of fallout since, I've heard, well, I don't like this short format. It has to be a longer format. I go, okay, what made this event what it was? It was the star power, it was the Alcaraz. It was who got paired up with who. I think IGA made the event, by the way. Showed up from, from Monday in Cincinnati. Showed up at 11am to play mixed doubles, which she's never played. Made it to the final. Spent three hours out there the Wednesday night before. I think IGA made the mixed doubles event. I hope she gets all the credit in the world for that. If you make the longer format, you risk losing the things that made this unique, buzzworthy, special. It's not as easy as making the assumption that Alcaraz stays in the draw next year. Sinner wanted to participate, got sick. If you make the longer format, you risk losing those names, which was the entire premise of trying this version of the mixed doubles. It's not as easy as just assuming that they'll show up again. So arguments about the format, what's the offset with, with who actually plays, that's the risk. I'm happy we have something to build off of. I think mixed doubles was slowly kind of bleeding out. As far as interest. You see pictures from the, the final last year. Not with any one of you, but tennis at large, kids, new interest. We constantly have to renegotiate the, the relationship with fans. And I think this did this. Mixed doubles did it in a big way. Can there be adjustments? Sure. Is it imperfect? Sure. Was it an overwhelming success? I think so. Let's do two more questions.

[C]

Two more.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Yep.

[G]

Hey, thanks y' all for being here. So last night we saw Musetti Give it his best. Got absolutely buzz sawed by, by sinner. He's also like the highest ranking one handed backhand left. So I was actually wondering about like, what do you all think about the future of the one handed backhand or are we just kind of fawning over the legacy of Federer and Wadwinka and all the great one handed backhands?

[B]

Yeah, there's an, there's some fawning. Yeah. I think it's easier to return with, with, with two hands on the racket. It's easier to control pace from the middle of the court with, with two hands on the racket. As the game gets faster. I think you have to be an otherworldly talent to navigate it with one hand like a Roger right where the, where the racket looks like an extension of his hand. And simply if you're a coach, right, and you look at the top 100 and you see I'll get the exact stat wrong. But you see four one handed backhands in the top 100. Are you motivated to be the counterculture and say, you know what, I'm going to force this one handed backhand through and hope that it's still surviving in 15 years by the time my 8 year old has a chance to play in the US Open? I don't think so. Right? I don't think so. I hope I'm wrong. I love it. It's the prettiest shot. Is it the most effective version of tennis these days? Our eyeballs and data and everything else is telling us no. As someone who is a tennis fan, someone who's covered it for a long time, make the case for why the one handed backhand is going to make a comeback. I don't see it.

[D]

I was going to give you a hack that someone gave me recently. It's very hard and it's. No, I mean the one handed backhand just with strings and with high bouncing. It's really tough. We all love the one handed backhand, right? This is art in motion. Here's a good tip that someone gave me a few years ago. Go to watch wheelchair matches. For obvious reasons, they cannot hit two handed backhands. And if you want to see some really nifty slicing and some really beautiful cuts, these are tremendous athletes. But the one handed backhand is the only backhand in the wheelchair events. If we all, you know, we all love the one handed backhand. It all touches our soul. Wheelchair tennis is the place to be.

[B]

I'm just going to literally repeat what John just said. If you want to go out and experience the U.S. open and you're not going to get inside of Arthur S. Stadium. The wheelchair tournament is going on. These athletes are unbelievable with what they do. If you have not seen wheelchair tennis, you have to go. Give it a chance, watch it again. Support these athletes. They are absolutely phenomenal. Thank you for saying that. And the one handed back in it, that's going to be your fix. Phenomenal. Some of the best ones you've ever seen. Let's do one more question and then Cam from IBM Sports Entertainment is going to come up while we attempt. Are you good at ping pong?

[D]

No. Great. Hi.

[H]

Watching the tournament so far, what do you think has been the most surprising part of it? Like what have you been most surprised with?

[B]

Go ahead, jw.

[D]

Oh, man. I did not. At least maybe six weeks ago, I did not think Venus Williams lasting through Labor Day, playing at a high level was going to be one of the storylines.

[B]

Okay, we can clap for Venus.

[D]

William. Yeah, clap it up for Venus. Not just playing at a high level, but also the sheer joy that she exuded. But I don't. I mean, it's been a very smooth tournament. There's been no crazy. You know, a guy stealing a hat from a kid is probably like a big controversy. Sometimes these tournaments do well when there isn't a crazy, crazy surprise.

[B]

Yeah. I think it would be surprised at the fact that we maybe think Sinner and Alcaraz are even better than they were going in. But I'm going to copycat John for being on three years ago. When we saw Venus Williams when she was playing regularly last, it looked hard. Her body didn't seem like it was physically ready. You felt like the motivation was still there, but it looked like, frankly, it looked like the end was near. I didn't have it on my bingo card that she'd come back at 45 three years later and be better than she was when we last saw her. The Layla Fernandez, Venus Williams team. Yes for Venus, yes for doubles. Venus had a smile on her face. She deserved some happiness on the tennis court. I don't know if and when we'll see her again. Nobody knows. Venus keeps it extremely close to the vest. But that matchup, the old and the young and also the lesson learned. Layla called Venus Williams to ask if she would play with her in doubles, not knowing the answer. And Venus Williams said yes. Shoot your shot.

[D]

Shoot your shot. Yep.

[B]

Yeah, right. Shoot your shot. And also props to, to Taylor Townsend and Siniakova who beat Venus. Taylor Townsend has had an Amazing tournament. The next bad answer she gives to a sensitive question will be the first. Props to Taylor Townsend. She's been a big part of the narrative of this US Open as well.

[H]

For the US Open, we collect an incredible amount of data where AI and WatsonX translates this into the fun insights you see at the app. So every single point of the US Open is 156 data points throughout the course of the tournament. That's 7 million data points. So IBM WatsonX translates that into all of the fun insights and facts that you're going to see in the app. So as we take this to table tennis, we're going to have this computer vision system up here is going to be analyzing your game.

[B]

Wait, wait. This is going to analyze us as we play right now?

[H]

Yes. So as you play, we're going to have this analyze your game.

[B]

Is it meant.

[H]

Oh, it's a little spicy. So it'll collect 150,000 data points through the. Right now, the two minute session, which you guys play. Right.

[B]

So we normally just base our opinions on feelings.

[H]

Well, that helps sometimes.

[B]

All right, let's go.

[H]

So as you guys play, it'll analyze and then you'll get an AI generated commentary the same way that we would in the US Open app. So it's a little sample, gamified sample of AI and what we're doing in the app. So Shelly is going to get you started, but before, do we have any wagers on who's going to win?

[D]

What is Watson X?

[C]

I'm going to take John. I'm going to take John.

[D]

What does Watson X for?

[H]

How much?

[D]

Not a lot.

[H]

All right, Andy, let's see if you've still got it. She's going to kick us off. She'll tell you when to go.

[C]

All right, John, I got a lot riding on you.

[D]

All right.

[B]

No, that was. That, that, that, that I was. That was 7 million data points of a terrible back end.

[D]

And where's the kitchen?

[B]

Where's the kitchen?

[H]

Yeah, do two minutes. All right. Okay.

[D]

Ready?

[B]

Yes.

[D]

Oh, man.

[H]

Match start.

[B]

You're fun.

[D]

I need, I need Novak. I need to bounce. Seven, one, zero.

[B]

Wartime.

[D]

All right.

[B]

They got my name up there. Horrible.

[D]

Oh, I'm waiting for Watson's X's spicy remarks.

[B]

Oh, no.

[H]

Okay, you guys are not off to a good start.

[D]

We have a little.

[H]

I expected more.

[B]

Is that you or is that Watson X?

[H]

Maybe both.

[D]

Okay. Give an audible obscenity.

[H]

Okay, so as they're playing, we're going to be here at the AI Sports club all weekend. We also have AI generated trivia over here to test your sports knowledge of the US Open. So come and hang out with us. You'll be able to play these games, interact with our technology, and also get some ice cream as well. We'll have ice cream served, so come and hang out with us all week.

[D]

Why do I have a broken one?

[B]

Oh, that was nice.

[C]

John.

[D]

Got it. Profile a little bit. Waiting for spicy. Wata next. Ah. What is it?

[C]

What does he say? Bet against the greats at your own peril.

[B]

Yeah. Bet against the greats at your dignity.

[D]

Leaving with.

[B]

Oh, no. Six, two.

[D]

Oh, man.

[B]

This is just.

[D]

Oh, wow.

[B]

This is just. I mean, we're. Are we. We're gonna have to stop the fight soon. Are we?

[D]

This guy. This guy spent a lot of time in the basement. Oh. Oh, no, no. We're in. No. Let. Universe pretty soon.

[C]

So, Cameron, tell us about the different playing styles. You can play for like two minutes.

[H]

And then it's one minute or two minutes, and then we'll be collecting all of the data, analyzing it, doing next.

[B]

You always play the journalist movement?

[C]

I didn't get my summary each time.

[D]

I didn't wear my ping pong shoes. Oh, all right.

[B]

You know what I like?

[H]

All right, 20 seconds.

[B]

You know what I like about this is I can just run up the clock.

[D]

You can? Yeah.

[C]

You know what, Andy? You should do a couple tosses.

[B]

Tell me about your childhood.

[D]

Ah, all right.

[B]

Should I do what all the other players do and just fake the toss to stop the shot clock?

[H]

Three, two, one. All right.

[C]

Smooch you right at the end.

[D]

All right.

[H]

Okay. So we're gonna have you read the summary aloud. You see all of your player performance right here.

[B]

This just happened.

[H]

This just happened.

[B]

Where's the commentary?

[C]

I want to hear the processing in natural language.

[B]

This is great. I might not be the only one ripping on John.

[H]

Okay.

[B]

In a match that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. That's generous. Andy, our whirlwind server, whipped the ball around with such fervor, it's a miracle it didn't develop a permanent case of motion sickness with nary a faulty serve. That's. I missed one. He kept John Wertheim, our gallant returner, perpetually chasing shadows, bless his heart, tried valiantly as returned, slicing through the air like a lone knight against a dragon's fiery breath, yet a lost nest as a pentral castle swallowing more. But Andy was on a winning streak, his pace as steady as a metronome. Don't know what that means. I didn't go to college.

[D]

Flourish.

[B]

It was too little, too late. With the flourish sealed the deal, leaving John to ponder elusive ace, a concept as. As well, Rare in this match is a quiet night in a kindergarten classroom.

[C]

That's very cool. That's crazy.

[D]

Wow. Who asked about the future of tennis media?

[B]

Yeah. And with stand over here.

[D]

Yeah, exactly.

[B]

Well, I. Welcome to the last show for producer Mike and John Wertheim. My producer is now Watson X and my co host is now Watson X. Thank you for watching. Served. We're going to go do some trivia. Come say hi. Do all the pictures. Thank you for supporting our little show. Appreciate you. Thank you. Thank you. Kim.

[D]

It.