2025 WTA TOP 20 RECAP & 2026 Predictions | Served with Andy Roddick

Summary

SERVED WITH ANDY RODDICK — EPISODE SUMMARY
2025 WTA Top 20 Recap & 2026 Predictions | December 30, 2025
Participants: Host Mike, Co-hosts Jon Wertheim ("JW"), Sean
Tone: Knowledgeable, playful, and deeply invested in women’s tennis with a constant thread of insider humor.

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Episode Overview

This special year-end episode delivers a comprehensive recap of the 2025 WTA Top 20, complete with analysis, personal anecdotes, and projections for 2026. Roddick and crew go sequentially through the top 20 players, highlighting their seasons, discussing pivotal matches and moments, and offering candid thoughts on standouts, surprises, and underlying trends in women’s tennis. They wrap with predictions, reflections on the remarkable depth on tour, and some fun banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Solid Pros: Elise Mertens and Samsonova (01:53-04:58, 11:51-13:41)

• Elise Mertens (#20) is heralded as the "human ATM machine," a model of consistency in singles and doubles (“She’s cashing a check every week and has been for a long time… a master at the basics of the game.” —Mike, 01:53).
• Stat: Mertens close to $20 million career earnings and out-earning some all-time greats thanks to her doubles prowess and week-in, week-out professionalism.
• Samsonova (#17): Recognized for her athleticism and solid results (notably at Wimbledon), though not seen as a future major winner.
• Sparked “Samsonova Rules” — a tongue-in-cheek segment inventing fun “facts” about players (13:02–13:41).

The “Could Be Higher” Crowd: Muchova, Imbuko, Samsonova (05:15-11:28)

• Karolina Muchova (#19): Frequently looks like a top-5 player, but inconsistent health curbs her rise.
• Imbuko [assumed to be Canadian, likely Marina Stakusic]: Praised as 2025’s breakout (rookie of the year), winning her home tournament and enduring a heavy travel load before a wrist injury (08:17–09:51). “She played 43 sets this year before she lost a set” (JW, 08:17).
• Consistency and health are repeated themes: promising players derailed by injuries or sophomore slumps.

Returning Stars: Naomi Osaka’s Comeback (15:01–19:34)

• Naomi Osaka (#16): Unorthodox career trajectory noted — “She’s won seven titles, but more than half of them are majors. … Strange year and strange career” (JW, 15:01).
• Her deep runs in Canada and at the US Open (beating Coco in the semis) rekindled hopes—but the stat that impresses: “The US Open semi was the first time she had ever lost in a major if she’d made it past the round of 16.” (Mike, 17:44).
• Both praise and caution: “She needs to play front foot, first-strike tennis. When she does, she’s as good as anyone… when she’s pushed back, she’s completely different” (JW, 19:34).
• Memorable personal aside: Osaka's influence extends to a “Labubu” obsession for Mike’s daughter (20:00).

The 15–11 Range: Sophomore Slumps & Comebacks (21:46–28:30)

• Emma Navarro (#15): Regression after a strong ’24. Discussed is the “second time through the lineup” effect and shifting from “hunted to hunter.”
• Svitolina (14), Noskova (13), Towson (12), and Bencic (11):
  • Noskova named most likely to crack the Top 10 next year due to age and momentum (25:53).
  • Bencic: Her comeback from maternity leave—up to #11 and a Wimbledon semifinal—called “one of the stories of the year” (26:46–28:15). “Returning in any workplace on maternity leave is an adjustment; doing so in a physical profession [and thriving]—all credit to her” (JW).

The Top 10 & Standouts (29:15–41:27)

• Ekaterina Alexandrova (#10): Breakthrough into Top 10 over age 30—applauded for career consistency.

• Mira Andreva (#9): Early 2025 surge, then injuries stall her charge. Still, “stock to invest in,” with marketable personality and game variety (29:53–33:46).

  • Memorable moment: Her arts-and-crafts sign for coach Conchita Martinez at Wimbledon (31:12) — “Just this relationship, a healthy relationship with a player and her coach.”

• Jasmine Paolini (#8): A cult favorite for her joy, intensity, and underdog fighting spirit. “Tiny package of… I have so much time to watch Jasmine Paolini… she’s just joy” (Mike, 34:58).

• Madison Keys (#7): Australian Open champion, called the best three days of women’s tennis this year (37:27–41:27).

  • “The quality of tennis she brought to the biggest 10 minutes of her career will really define her” (JW, 39:27).
  • The aftermath saw a “life tail” — emotional achievement leading to a quiet second half.

• Jessica Pegula (#6): “Stud at tennis” and a steady Top 10 performer. Compared to Taylor Fritz for professionalism and consistency. “Good hang…ripping beers after she loses and taking pictures… she’s just cool” (Mike, 43:58).

The Elite: Rybakina, Anisimova, Gauff, Swiatek, Sabalenka

Elena Rybakina (#5)

• “She presents as someone who was a number one draft pick in the NBA...just feels different” (Mike, 44:39).
• Expected to win more majors, praised for athleticism, powerful serve, and late-season surge. “She's in that upper tier as far as ability, easily” (46:26).

Amanda Anisimova (#4)

• From near-retirement and qualifying losses to finals at Wimbledon and US Open—“one of the real stories of the year.” (47:26–49:12)
• Her “love and love” loss at Wimbledon is reframed by her resilience in making the next final and gaining revenge.
• Time off discussed positively: “She gave herself a mental and physical rest. She’ll get that six-month block of time back in her career” (JW, 48:22).

Coco Gauff (#3)

• The crew intentionally focuses on her strengths: athleticism, ability to generate errors and stress with defense, exceptional backhand, and championship mentality.
• “If the losses are ugly, I don’t care. She is the best in the world at being uncomfortable on a given day and getting a W. … She is just a winner.” (Mike, 54:10; 56:09).
• Noted is her top-level fame, public scrutiny (“Starbucks famous”), and the outsized focus on her serve troubles.
• Memorable quote: “I still believe...she’ll be a dominant server at some point in her career. … She’s number three in the world winning majors with like a daily, weekly struggle.” (55:33)
• Financial comparison: “Highest earning female athlete in the world” (JW, 58:33).

Iga Swiatek (#2)

• Legends’ ability to reset and break through: From late ‘24 adversity (including an overblown medication suspension) to dominance at Wimbledon—“Zero in a major final and two and o in a semi, like, on a surface that you don’t like...that’s what legends do.” (Mike, 61:29–62:14)
• Her “human side” showcased in a personal, revealing podcast interview.
• Now “favorite to win any tournament” (Mike, 64:07).

Aryna Sabalenka (#1)

• Wire-to-wire year-end No. 1, despite falling short in first three majors before clinching the US Open (64:35–68:15).
• “What Sabalenka does well...she’s instantly impressive to the eye test. … The reason why she’s consistent now is because she’s gotten a little bit faster. … All those things aren’t going to capture people’s attention, but they don’t happen without work and discipline.” (Mike, 66:26)
• Her resilience and personality — “She emotes so much...because she makes mistakes...we don’t give credit to the work it takes to become consistent. It’s not an accident.” (66:56)
• “We’re dealing with greatness… we pretty much pencil them in for a major a year.” (68:15)

Final Predictions and Depth of the Tour (69:40–72:24)

• Who finishes #1 next year? JW: “I gotta go the woman from Belarus” [Sabalenka]. Mike: “I think IGA’s going to get back into that conversation…it’s a coin flip.”
• Notable depth: The rankings from #20–30 are stacked with established stars and former major winners (Fernandez, Ostapenko, Qinwen, Badosa, Kenin, Raducanu).
• JW: “There are more major winners in 20 to 30 than 10 to 20.”
• Depth and injury issues are a serious talking point—“Everybody at full health, these rankings look a lot different.” (JW, 72:24)

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• Elise Mertens:

  “She’s kind of a master at the basics of the game.” – Mike (03:04)

• Stat about Imbuko:

  “She played 43 sets this year before she lost a set.” – JW (08:17)

• On Naomi Osaka's odd resume:

  “She’s won seven titles. More than half of them have been majors. … What a strange year. And what a strange career.” – JW (15:01)

• Labubu obsession:

  “Naomi Osaka had a larger impact on our family this year than she’ll ever realize.” – Mike (20:29)

• On Bencic’s return:

  “Returning in any workplace from maternity leave is an adjustment. Doing so in a physical profession… all credit to her.” – JW (27:15)

• Andreva’s sign for Conchita:

  “Just this relationship, a healthy relationship with a player and her coach… we forget these are teenagers.” – JW (31:12)

• Coco Gauff focus:

  “She is the best in the world at being uncomfortable on a given day and getting a W. … She is just a winner.” – Mike (54:10, 56:09)

• Swiatek’s resurgence:

  “Zero in a major final and two and o in a semis… that’s what legends do.” – Mike (61:29)

• Sabalenka’s consistency and growth:

  “What Sabalenka does well… she’s instantly impressive to the eye test. … The reason why she’s consistent now is because she’s gotten a little bit faster.” – Mike (66:26)

• Depth of the tour:

  “There are more major winners in 20 to 30 than 10 to 20.” – JW (71:46)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:53] – Elise Mertens analysis
• [05:15] – Muchova’s “higher than 19” argument
• [08:17] – Imbuko unbeaten sets stat and rookie of the year discussion
• [11:51] – Sam Sonova, “Samsonova Rules”
• [15:01] – Naomi Osaka and the paradox of her career
• [20:00] – Labubu/Osaka cultural impact
• [21:46] – 15–11 discussion: Navarro, Svitolina, Noskova, Towson, Bencic
• [26:46] – Bencic’s maternity comeback
• [29:15] – Alexandrova and Andreva (and Conchita's sign, [31:12])
• [34:58] – Jasmine Paolini as fan-favorite
• [37:27] – Madison Keys’ Australian Open run breakdown
• [43:00] – Pegula praise
• [44:39] – Rybakina as “No. 1 draft pick”
• [47:26] – Amanda Anisimova’s mental health break and season
• [54:10] – Coco Gauff focus, mental fortitude
• [61:29] – Swiatek’s legendary Wimbledon and personal interview
• [64:35] – Aryna Sabalenka’s year, resilience, and transformation
• [69:40] – Depth in WTA and predictions for next year

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Closing Thoughts

• The podcast underscores the impressive depth and unpredictability of the WTA, where many former champions and bright prospects linger outside the Top 20.
• Injuries, comebacks, and “legend moments” shaped the season. The top cohort (Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Rybakina) show outsized consistency, but, as Roddick emphasizes, breakthrough and comeback stories are everywhere.
• Roddick, JW, and Sean offer a blend of irreverence and reverence for women’s tennis, celebrating both the steady professionals and the superstars.
• 2026 is forecast as wide open: “It’s a coin flip between IGA and Sabalenka [for #1].”

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“The WTA is in a very nice place, I think. … Recognize greatness while it’s in front of us.” – Jon Wertheim / Andy Roddick (70:24, 64:08)

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Transcript

[Host Mike]

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[Co-host JW]

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[Host Mike]

Hey everyone. Welcome to Served that screech a little bit.

[Co-host Sean]

That was good.

[Host Mike]

I'm trying. Sorry.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah, it's end of the year.

[Host Mike]

It's December.

[Co-host Sean]

A little rusty.

[Host Mike]

It's a little rusty.

[Co-host JW]

This is where the theme music kicks in.

[Host Mike]

Yeah. Gosh, that's a. We can't afford that.

[Co-host Sean]

Good thing we have a really long break.

[Host Mike]

We're gonna do WTA top 20. Was it Countdown.

[Co-host Sean]

It's something recapping reactions, predictions, all the, all the good stuff. We want a little look back, a little look forward.

[Host Mike]

Great. So we're basically just going to go top 20. We'll have some honorable mentions at the end and that's that. Jw. Blink twice if you're okay.

[Co-host JW]

My captors have treated me well. My captors have been good to me. Do this.

[Host Mike]

Let's start it off. Number 20, Elise Mertens. Someone who, and I say this in the most respectful way possible, is like a human ATM machine. This is the fifth time she's finished in the top 20 in singles. She's been number one in the world in doubles. She won year end championships in doubles. She's currently ranked 5 in doubles. She's one of those ones. Maybe it's in singles, maybe it's in doubles, but she's cashing a check every week and has been for a long time. Just a really, really good and smart player.

[Co-host JW]

Rose pro. I remember, you know, we had her at Wimbledon, won The doubles. And I remember, you know, her, her sister is a pilot for klm, and her. I think her father makes furniture. And you're, like, kind of a fascinating person. This is a veteran. This is a player who gets it done in singles and doubles. The WTA needs to put players like that front and center because they really are a tribute to the sport. Is Elise Mertens a candidate to win a major in singles? Who knows? But just one of these steady, solid cast members that we ought to acknowledge and applaud.

[Host Mike]

Yeah, I don't know that she has. It's not as though she's lining up her forehand and you're going, oh, my gosh, heaven and earth is going to collide. This is going to be the biggest shot I've ever seen in my life. But then, you know, for the next three points, she knows when to come in. She'll put a volley away, she'll stick three returns. Like, this is the type of player that junior coaches need to be watching, teaching. You know, she's kind of a master at the basics of the game.

[Co-host JW]

Right.

[Host Mike]

She's very good, very solid. Doesn't mail it in as a good competitor, and has made a hell of a living on tour. Just a. Just a really solid citizen. This is someone who you look at, you know, it's easy to look at Sabalenka and say, yeah, we should all be the, like, the biggest and strongest, and, you know, that's what we should do. And it's phenomenal every time you watch, and every ball has the ability to be put away. Okay. That's not reality for most of us chuckers. Right. Like, you look at Elise Mertens and you talk about maximizing every single week, singles, doubles, she does it. And our friend Kim Kleister likes her, which means she's.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah, she's probably great.

[Host Mike]

All good in my book.

[Co-host JW]

I'm looking here. Elise Mertens took up tennis because she watched Kim Clijsters.

[Co-host Sean]

That's cool.

[Co-host JW]

There's a real kinship here. But, no, that's a really good point. I mean, she's closing in on the janky. We can talk about the WTA website later, which is not worthy of these terrific athletes. But after a couple of tabs, I finally figured this out. Just closing in on $20 million. I think that's a really good point. It'd be great to have Coco's movement and Sabalenka's power. But you know What? If you're 13, 14 years old and you're trying to fashion your career, here's a Player who plays week in, week out. She plays. I think she has a higher doubles ranking than she has a singles ranking. And she's going to leave the sport with a decade of really solid results and $20 million in the bank. All these emergence, that's off.

[Host Mike]

I'll tell you guys something. I retired and I was top. I don't know.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

Six, seven, eight. All time. And prize money, okay. In prize money, guess who's going to have more prize money than me at the end of her career? One.

[Co-host Sean]

Elise Mertens.

[Host Mike]

Elise Mertens, yeah. Human ATM machine.

[Co-host Sean]

Crazy.

[Host Mike]

Yep. Props to her. Well done. Next one. Listen, I missed on this one this year. Just going to tell it, going to say it because I'll tell you when I get it right. I had much of a sneaky like maybe going deep winning a major this year and it was kind of 19 and it's just JW, she's one of those ones where every time I watch her, I'm convinced she's going to rule the world. It's like full like pinky in the brain, right? Like, I just feel like she's going to dominate everything. And then similar, we were having the conversation about hatching off and I think Muhaba has more upside than Hatchinov, but it's like every time I watch him, it's when he's made a round of 16, quarter, semi at a major. And I think that's when I consume most of my move matches too. And I'm like, she's, she's unbelievable. And then there are these long stretches. I mean, she was generally healthier this year than she has been for, you know, the last three or four and the results were good. She's 19 in the world. But I think it's a compliment to her that I'm kind of thinking, man, she looks like she's five or six in the world, not 19.

[Co-host JW]

What do Muhava, Bridgikova and Vondrosova have in common? They're all Czech. They've all played deep into majors. In two of those cases they've won majors and they also have some injury problems. And I think we just didn't quite get full health Moohovah for a lot of this year. She's not yet 30. She's still so athletic. Shot maker. She's so fun to watch. I get the feeling she was not 100% physically and I think that's probably why she, I think given expectation, had a disappointing year. She's also a, you know, the other thing about these Czech Players, they're really big game players. I mean, look, go, go back. They all, they don't just rack up wins and do well in the rankings. They play deep into these majors. I mean, Moohova's, you know, we have a French Open final and took a set off of IgA. We have multiple US Open semis. But I think in 2025, that the health wasn't 100%. I think that's probably what accounts for 19.

[Host Mike]

Vicki Boko I.1 of my favorite weeks of the year was her winning in Canada. Like, awesome. It was, it wasn't out of nowhere. She had won a million matches in the minor leagues. Like when you see someone, you're watching from the tour and you're seeing someone win three weeks in a row, I don't care what the designation is. If you're at a minor league professional event and you're winning three times and then you lose once and then you win two more times, which was generally her progression for the first six months of this year. The last four months of last year, you go, oh, she's coming. And then all of a sudden we get to Canada and she lights up the country in her home country. I mean, it was phenomenal. There was drama. I mean, it might have taken a mental toll for the rest of the year with how much you put out, but that was one of my favorite weeks of the year as far as a story being presented and then kind of excellence layered in on top. As far as playing jw, you want.

[Co-host JW]

A crazy one, Here's a stat for you. She played 43 sets this year before she lost a set.

[Host Mike]

Is that true?

[Co-host JW]

Isn't that insane?

[Host Mike]

Yeah, I don't care if we're playing.

[Co-host JW]

I was going to say. Exactly, exactly. I mean, this is, you know, she's credited with 60 wins on the WTA website that we've referenced for its defects. She did not win 60 tour level matches, but at a lower level. And you're right, it does. Winning is winning at some level. Right? I mean, your, your confidence is swelling, you're feeling good about yourself. 43 sets before she dropped a set. That's pretty good. Started the year outside the top 300. And I, I also think what she did after Canada is really interesting. I mean, she had this magical week. She wins her home tournament, beats Naomi in that crazy final. Bit of an injury we, we had her on. She was delightful. There was sort of this, this rush and then she, she had a bit of a wrist injury. Clearly wasn't 100% at the Open. And then she recovered and got better and got back to the business of winning matches, which I think is, is, that's winning Canada was the peak of her year. But the fact that she shook off this injury and got back to the business of winning I think is relevant too. And yeah, man, what a, what a revelation. What a, what a, if we do rookie of the year awards, she's our runaway winner, isn't she?

[Host Mike]

Yeah. And also I remember like a lot of the coverage post Canada into the US Open was like, oh, you know, she played one big week and now we're like a little hurt. I'm like she's played nonstop all year.

[Co-host JW]

Yeah, right.

[Host Mike]

Like, I mean we covered in, I think the episode she came on before she actually came on, we covered her map of travel in the first seven, eight months of the year. So no, this wasn't a welcome to the big show, your body can't handle it. This was eight months got to the big show delivered and then my body gave out a little and then she was able to kind of recover to John's point, which I think isn't going to be the highlight of any conversation about her year, but it does tell you something, right? It's like she kind of went down, had a know rough six weeks health wise and then kind of got back. I, I don't, I can't think of a reason why she's not going to be a consistent presence in the top 15 and top 10 in the world on the WTA Tour. Is there something I'm missing? J.W.

[Co-host JW]

No. I mean unfortunately whenever we have this conversation, injury is kind of the one unknowable. That's the variable. But, but no, she's, she's 19 years old, she wins big matches. I think she's got, she's, she's very level headed. We'll save this rift for another time. But I think the fact that she, not unlike a certain someone in my zoom screen, had older siblings that sort of had some measure of tennis success I think is relevant. There's just sort of you stack this all up and this is a stock to invest heavily in.

[Host Mike]

Yeah, I totally agree. And when she came on, I think back to what an idiot. Well, I am an idiot and I was a bigger idiot when I was 18 years old. And to have her come on, I felt like I was talking to a 28 year old.

[Co-host JW]

Right.

[Host Mike]

Just measured poise, not overwhelmed. I mean just as pleasant as someone could be. I was really impressed by her game, really impressed by having the chance to talk to her and how not 18 she seemed when she was just rapping with us. It was phenomenal. I thought she was great. 17 Sam Sonova. What do you got for me, JW?

[Co-host JW]

Not. Not a ton, to be honest. Just a solid, athletic player. Nice. Wimbledon. If I'm correct here, not fact check, I believe she's one of two players born north of the Arctic Circle. How's that for a little trivia?

[Host Mike]

How do you know this stuff?

[Co-host JW]

This is what we do here. That's not. That's not a hard. We'll. We'll fact check that. I believe she and Mira Andreva both.

[Host Mike]

No, I mean, that's taking it. I saw it on the Internet. It's true.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah, exactly.

[Co-host JW]

She was involved in a bank heist as well. Joking.

[Co-host Sean]

That is not true.

[Co-host JW]

Now we're just making that. No, she's a very solid athletic player. A little bit in the Mertens mold, just sort of a solid veteran. Again, not sure we're talking about a future major winner, but just one of these. Good for the cast. I think a lot of her results. I'm trying to figure out where she got those results. Oh, you know, Wimbledon quarterfinals certainly didn't hurt. I do remember she was the player at Wimbledon who was happy to speak to the media on one condition. Which is you did not tell her her next opponent.

[Host Mike]

Oh, that's right.

[Co-host JW]

I thought was. Which I thought was interesting, but no, she trains. Trains. That's.

[Host Mike]

Yeah, exactly. Let's. Let's play a game real quick, guys. Off the cuff. You guys ready?

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

Okay, we'll call it. We'll have a new segment called the Samsonova Rules. Ready? Okay, so this is basically. I'll go first because I had the time to write one down. Let's think of something that maybe could be. Might be true about Simsonova. And then we can somehow apply these to other people too, called Simsonova rules. You ready? Did you know that she also holds the record for the longest walking handstand of all time? Did you hear that? No, I did not hear that. And she did it. North of the Arctic Circle, I think was also.

[Co-host Sean]

That's a 50. 50 chance because she was born up there.

[Host Mike]

So that's it. So that's him. Son of a. Rules. Mike, are you ready? Sean, are you ready?

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah, yeah, I'm ready. She idolized one Maria Sharapova growing up.

[Host Mike]

That's true for sure.

[Co-host JW]

Yeah, I was gonna say.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

I was expecting a little more creativity, but okay. Sean, do you have something could be true? Yeah. Oh, I don't know.

[Co-host Sean]

Come on.

[Host Mike]

Good stuff, Sean. Jw, do you have any others?

[Co-host JW]

During her junior year abroad, she came in third in the Marietta, Georgia peach pie eating contest.

[Host Mike]

Yeah.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

She's also. She's also won three spelling bees. Sean, you ready yet?

[Co-host JW]

She's the only tennis player with an egot.

[Host Mike]

Oh.

[Co-host Sean]

Oh, that's good.

[Host Mike]

That's not true. But that's not true.

[Co-host JW]

First try.

[Host Mike]

Some son of a rules.

[Co-host Sean]

Not true.

[Host Mike]

Quarterfinals of Wimbledon, lost to Wiatek. 5 and 2, which could seem lopsided until you saw the semis in the finals. Right. So maybe the stiffest competition for ego once she kind of got into goddess mode at Wimbledon. Number 16, a name that we know, that we are happy to see back in the mix. Kind of turned back the clock and reminded us what we had been waiting for in Canada, in the US Open. Naomi Osaka back in the mix. 16 in the world. Thoughts, J Dub.

[Co-host JW]

What a strange year. And what a strange career. I mean, this is one of my favorite sets. She's won how many majors? Four majors. Right. And it was sandwiched into a period of, I don't know, 27 months. Right. I mean, it was in that sort of two year plus window. She's won seven titles for her career. And there's an Indian Wells in there too. So she's won seven titles. More than half of them have been majors. And one of the other three was Indian Wells. Did not, you know, she won a 125. So again, just indulge me on this rant on the website. We love the WTA. We love women's tennis. This website is not worthy of the athletes. So Imboko wins 60 matches because we're counting everything. But Naomi Osaka wins a 125 title, but it counts as zero titles. I'm just.

[Host Mike]

Yeah. So what JW is basically saying, just a level set, like your tour record, at least in my entire career, didn't count challenger wins. Which mean it'd be like getting Major League baseball credit for homers that you hit in the minor leagues.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah. Like if you're going up and down.

[Host Mike]

Which is absurd, like you get called up, it's like, oh, he has 27 home runs. No, you have zero. When you get called up to the major leagues, but then also to JW's point. So they count the match wins, but then don't count the title that she won in. In. In the minor leagues. So it's just very confusing. So you'll look at someone like, I'll get this wrong, but we just finished Sam son of a 17 in the world. And they'll show her because she basically only played tour events, didn't play any minors. There was no, you know, big ebb and flow with ranking. So she. They have her. So she'll be somewhere around 30 wins. If I'm right, like, somewhere around there, then you have umboka, who's showing 60. It's just confusing to someone that's trying to consume the game and like, actually understand it.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

Anyways, go ahead. As you were. Jw.

[Co-host JW]

I don't. I don't know what to make. I mean, Naomi Osaka, the. She's whatever the kids say. I mean, she's done the deal. I mean, she's won four majors. She's won as many majors as Sabalenka.

[Co-host Sean]

That's crazy.

[Co-host JW]

But the results just haven't quite. And on the plus side, you know, she made a coaching change that seemed to help matters. She did really well in Canada. Probably should have won that event. She did well at the Open, got to the semis, beat Coco. But she still is looking for that sort of next step. So I think. I think a lot of positive takeaways. But you know who. Naomi Osaka, now in her late 20s, and I think we're all sort of wondering, is it going to get better than this? You could.

[Host Mike]

I'll tell you, like, this conversation looks way different without Canada in the US Open. Yeah, I'll tell you that. Like, she was. I mean, going into this. Well, the other stat that I love. So the US Open semi was the first time she had ever lost in a major. If she had made it past the round of 16.

[Co-host JW]

That's a crazy stat.

[Host Mike]

So she had made it past round of 16 four times and won four majors. So she had like, never. She'd never. She hadn't. She'd won four majors and made four major quarterfinals before this US Open, first time she'd ever like. So she. She steps up when she gets there. But also, it's for someone who's won four majors. You normally see the counting stats. It's like 20 titles, you know, X amount of times in the top 10. Um, I hope we get back to that. But I mean, she gave us a very, very, very big reminder of why she demands attention. Right. She played great in Canada. She played great at the US Open. There was no one going into the semis that was like, osaka can't win this tournament. Not a single human on the grounds of the U.S. open. So it is in there. It'll be interesting to see. See how she Starts next year. I do think she needs a great start to kind of enter into that conversation of, am I top five? Am I top eight again? I will say that I think she's going to have to make her gains on hard. She moves better than I think she did, but not going to win decathlon. Right. I think she needs to be in the center of the court taking massive cuts, taking the racket out of the opponent's hands. I think her serve is largely underrated still. Like, I think she has an absolute bomb of a serve. So if those serving percentages can stay up and she can kind of get on that front foot and find the momentum, there's just no way. John, if she's being inconsistent from the baseline, where does the plan B happen? Where does she win a match? Six, four in the third. That doesn't look great. Right? It's not. It's not on defense. Right. So it's kind of, you know, high risk, high reward type situation, which can lead to some inconsistency.

[Co-host JW]

Yeah, I mean, she needs to play front foot first. Strike tennis. And when she does, she's as good as anyone in the world. And when she's pushed back or also, I mean, they're also. We saw that, that third set of the final in Canada. When her confidence goes, she's a completely different player. And she doesn't, for better or worse, she doesn't disguise it. So she's intriguing. Glad to have her back. I think the question is just, is that next level still there?

[Host Mike]

Yeah. She's cost me, I gotta be honest, with that backpack at the US Open, she's cost me about $1,000 in Labubus with my daughter. Are you in Labubu Nation right now, Bro?

[Co-host Sean]

We have a Labubu Christmas tree, no joke. We have like eight Labubus hanging in some random fake plant in our house.

[Host Mike]

Dude, it's like there's a 1000% chance the word Labubu is said when I go. Hey, Stevie, how was your. How was school?

[Co-host JW]

Jesus.

[Co-host Sean]

Response, Labu Boo.

[Host Mike]

I mean, Naomi Osaka had a larger impact on our family this year than she will ever realize. Yeah, just nuts.

[Co-host Sean]

Well, on that note, let's take a break.

[Host Mike]

Fine. This episode is presented by State Farm. Having insurance isn't the same as having State Farm. It's like needing the protection of an offensive guard on the football field, but getting an elementary school crossing guard. Sure, they're both guards, but you can only trust one to keep your quarterback safe when the game is on the line. So don't Settle for just any insurance when there's State Farm, like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. This message may be shocking to many millennials. If you are one, you might want to sit down right now. Loads of people are searching the following on low rise jeans, halter top, velour, tracksuit, hookah shell necklace, disc belt. You likely place these in the dark of your closet in 2004, never to be seen again. But if you can find it in yourself to dust them off, there are.

[Co-host JW]

A lot of people who will give.

[Host Mike]

You money for them.

[Co-host Sean]

Sell on depop where taste recognizes taste.

[Host Mike]

All right everyone, welcome back to Served. We are at number 15.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

Emma Navarro.

[Co-host Sean]

I, I think we should take a look at these players 15 through say 11, which is Navarro, Svitolina, Muskova, Tossen and Benich. And my question to you guys is, of these five players, who has the best chance of being in the top 10 oh by the end of next year?

[Host Mike]

I see we're doing. I'm gonna take benches out.

[Co-host JW]

That's good because. Right.

[Host Mike]

I think we have to have a bigger conversation about what she actually did this year, which I've said before, but it's just insane so quickly. Emma Navarro, you know, finished last year, was it seven or eight in the world, made a couple of semis in slams. So not the year that she had the year before. I think second time through the lineup is a big thing. I think expectation matters. Right. When she walks into a tournament it's like oh, you're the favorite or you're definitely going to make semis. That's. That takes some getting used to. That's a different jacket than she was wearing as the disruptor the year before. But game wise I think she's going to be fine. She's a really smart tennis player. Actually got better at injecting pace into the ball this year. So I think she'll be fine. Svitolina win loss. By the way, like you see a lot of like barely above five hundreds making like top 33. I think she was 37 and 15 this year and it's just there every week maybe playing a little bit more of a pared down schedule than, than most which is, which is understandable but never really punches herself out of anything like hyper intelligent player, completely self aware, dangerous on. On faster services. I think she needs those faster services or prefers them at least at this point in her career. Nova 21 of the world. Beaten IGA in a couple of in a big match. Did some work post US Open finals of Tokyo finals of China, I'd say that's where kind of the bulk of her. Her points came. And Towson is like crazy to watch. It's like she'll go from like just inflicting violence on the ball and then you remember how Cedric peeling used to walk in between points? JW, yeah, yeah. That's like it could be 10 in the first set. And in between points, he's just like acted exhausted. Like, Towson is not in a hurry between points. And then she steps up the line and just beats people. Can create a lot of power off of both sides. So, jw, I will project Mike's question onto you. Navarro, Svitolina, Noskava, Towson, which one of these is the most likely to be in the top 10 next year?

[Co-host JW]

This is momentum investing. Not, I guess, wouldn't you say Noskova? Just on. I mean, I think Svitolina is a fascinating. We can save this for another time. But you know, her country is ravaged by, I will call it invasion and not war. She's married to another player who's retiring. And oh yes, she's a mother and she's still winning 35, 40 matches. All credit to her. Discussion for another time as well. Is this whole sophomore slump. Do we think it's the opponent now knows Emma Navarro's game and she's going from hunted to hunter, or do we think some of this is just. It's exhausting. You need to pace yourself. The first year is fun. Yeah, exactly.

[Host Mike]

Why are we choosing?

[Co-host JW]

She is hardly the first player to sort of not completely fall apart, but have a sophomore season that doesn't measure up to the freshman season. I think that's sort of an interesting discussion for another time. Naskova, another Czech player. They keep coming. Resistance is futile. I mean, again, just reminder this, this country has like 10 million people. That's like, you know, Ohio, it's not warm for training.

[Host Mike]

I'll tell you that much too.

[Co-host JW]

Yeah, exactly.

[Host Mike]

They named Bradenton.

[Co-host JW]

Yeah, good point too. Not exactly a climate conducive to minting tennis star after tennis star. I guess I'll go Naskova. Just because she's young and getting a lot of winning under her belt. And Tossen. Yeah, Tossen beat. She beat Rabakina at Wimbledon. I mean, she's had some really nice wins. And is she going to win the WTA 100 meter dash race? Probably not. But her movement's gotten better and she hits a big, big ball. And she's also a young player on the rise. But I'll to your question, Naskova Is my answer.

[Host Mike]

She was on Towson was on the ris side of one of the best early round matches which I feel are kind of lacking this year against Yella Yala and the Open. Yeah, the Open. That was fun. That was a really fun match to watch kind of. I think there was a vacancy of like normally you look back and it's like, oh, these, these seven matches were like barn burners in the first three days of a major. I think that was lacking a little bit. If I have one complaint about 2025. But I'll go no, too strong body is not scared to go against the top players. So with a young player you kind of, you kind of think that they're going to find that consistency also momentum, finishing the year strong. Maybe sometimes that leads to starting the year strong. I think I like that. Also Belinda Benchic at 11 is, is. It has to be one of the stories of the year.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

913, you know, a year ago or a year and a couple months ago, semis of of Wimbledon. Coming back from, you know, becoming a mother and giving. I mean just, I mean you tell me she's 11 and not like, oh, she's going to come back and have some good results and be 30 and that would have been worthy of effusive praise. 11, almost the top 10. JW. I mean are you as impressed with this story this year as I am?

[Co-host JW]

I am and I think that we talk about it and probably don't talk about it enough. Returning in any workplace on a maternity leave is an adjustment doing so in a physical profession. Wimbledon semifinalist, zero drama. There was a great. Do you remember that she had a little beef and it was sort of. I'm sure they're fine. I don't want to dramatize it, but she had a little beef with Coco and her response was basically like, I'm too old for this shit. And it's kind of a perfect. This is an adult, this is a mother. This is someone who's been doing this for a long. I mean she beat Venus as a teenager at a major. Like this is someone who's been doing this for 12 years or so now. And just one of these pros. Pros. And to come back from the ranking, she. Even with protected ranking, even with automatic ins, it's still really impressive to get back to this level. And final four at Wimbledon where she was a junior champion like 12 years ago. Really impressive.

[Host Mike]

Well, you, Mike, you brought up when we were talking about Muhova this show. Luck of the draw. You Know what's, you know when it's harder to go through a draw is when you're not seated in your 913 actualized ranking and you're just, they're just letting you into the event.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah. So sharing a bed with a one year old.

[Host Mike]

But Linda's not helping that argument for you. Right? Like it's, it's, it's. She just kind of went through whatever draw was in front of her. Alexandrova at 10 has been a really good player for a long time. This, this win loss record 47 and 25 and she's not playing challenges a win in Lynn's, I mean just consistent every single week. And I'm happy that, that she made the top 10. You're talking about someone not winning the 100 meter dash. Alexandrova is a really good athlete. She would, she, she, she might win that race like flat off both sides is always there. I was looking through the results before he went on and it's like, okay, well how'd she do? I'm like, well, she had a lot of deep runs and then just lost iga.

[Co-host JW]

It's pretty good.

[Host Mike]

I mean I think this is a well deserved top 10. I don't know that there was a final or a semi of a major on the books, but lot of quarterfinals, semifinals, like doing work every week.

[Co-host JW]

She got into the top 10 for the first time north of age 30. That's grounds for applause in itself, but no, I mean it's sort of the Mertens model that we've talked about. Just week in, week out, she's getting it done and you know, not everyone's a major winner and a major contender. That the cast is really enriched for players who just come to work and are solid professionals and I think that's, that's the case here.

[Host Mike]

Mira Andreva, number nine. Now in April when she's five, I think we're all going, oh, she, she's going to make a run to like 2, 3 here. You know, I think obviously played great in the Middle east, played great wins at Indian Wells, beats Sabalenka. I think we're going okay. The doors are coming off because the eye test worked too. Serves bigger than I think people give her credit for. Moves amazingly well, has some variety. But I don't think when she was 5 that we thought she was going to have a 9 next to her name. And that has more to do with the fact that we think she looks like a future major winner potentially. But I thought this was the year where it Was like, oh, I'm going to be, you know, top four in the world for the next 10 years now.

[Co-host JW]

Yeah, I think this was a case of getting dinged up. I don't think there's a crisis here. But she definitely. This was a tale of a first half of the year and a second half of the year when she went Indian Wells again. Again. I wish that. I don't want to harp on the WTA website, but she did. She did what Maddie did. Right. Did she not beat IGA in Sabalanka in succession to win. To win Indian Wells? One of my favorite. Just sidebar. One of my favorite moments of the year. Do you remember the arts and crafts project she made for Conchita Martinez?

[Co-host Sean]

Yes.

[Host Mike]

At Wimbledon when Conchita played in the Legends.

[Co-host JW]

Oh, it's fantastic. It was a real glimpse into a. Just this relationship, a healthy relationship with a player and her coach, but also just. We forget these are teenagers. So Conchita Martinez plays the Legends event at Wimbledon, and Andrea's sitting there with a homemade.

[Co-host Sean]

Isn't that awesome? I'm showing Andy right now a sign that she has. She's wearing, like, a goofy hat, and it says, let's go, senorita. Top spin.

[Host Mike]

That's golden.

[Co-host JW]

Exactly.

[Co-host Sean]

It's just like she's just in the stands like a normal teenage fan.

[Host Mike]

That's funny. Yeah, that's really cool. Props to Kachita Martinez. Also, by the way, like, we talk about all these super coaches. Wins Wimbledon, 1994. On what was probably her least favorite service, beating one is Martina Navratilova. Any good on grass?

[Co-host JW]

On grass. Pretty. Pretty good player. Right.

[Host Mike]

Steps in is like, okay, I'll coach Mugaruta a little bit. A couple Grand Slams and guiding Andreva through. Like, props to Conchita Martinez as well. That sign is hilarious. In Andreva, it's like I find myself really wanting her to do well because of these moments. Like, if she's number one in the world and doing this shit. This is a dream for marketing for the WTA Tour. Like, always has a big personality, always has something to say, does not subscribe to the. Okay, let's just, you know, you remember the movie Hitch when Will Smith was trying to teach Kevin James how to dance? Yeah. He's like, 12 and 2. This is where you live. 12 and 2, no arms. 12 and 2. She does not subscribe to that when she is doing press and pr. I think she's a shining light in the game. And also, like, does if she doesn't play well in the Middle east and she doesn't play well in Indian Wells. We're looking at, like, her being 20 in the world. Right. This is going to be her first kind of real life test of having to defend points.

[Co-host JW]

Right.

[Host Mike]

And we, we say, like, all, all rankings aren't equal. We, we've talked about some people that have, you know, FAA has six months of Runway where he didn't win hardly any matches. Right. So his number five in the world going into next year is different than Andrea's number nine where it's all kind of front loaded. So she's going to have to start. She's got to play well from the, the word go next year. Jw.

[Co-host JW]

Yeah. I mean, this is, this is one of the beauties of tennis, but one of the frustrations, too, which is these, these points don't come equally spaced out. So, you know, when, when Andreva goes to Indian Wells, there will be an element of pressure there. But I think just sort of big picture, you look at her game. You, you mentioned her serve, which I think is one of the more under. Underrated shots in, in women's tennis. She's. She's 18 years old.

[Host Mike]

Like, it's only getting better.

[Co-host JW]

Yeah, it's only getting better. Exactly.

[Host Mike]

I'll tell you one of my favorite players on earth to watch. Like, I find myself if I'm clicking through channels and just come across one of her matches. You have that. Do you ever have that movie that, like, whenever it's on, you watch it till the end? Yeah, like Shawshank Redemption, you know? You know, sneaky one is. League of Their Own is one of the greatest movies.

[Co-host Sean]

I was gonna say Joe Dirt joke.

[Co-host JW]

Dirt.

[Host Mike]

All right. You want to lay down a guy on the street. Geez. Okay. Anyways, so producer Mike's terrible answer notwithstanding, do you really watch Joe Dirt every time?

[Co-host Sean]

No.

[Host Mike]

Oh, David Spade.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah. It's a great movie.

[Host Mike]

I didn't know.

[Co-host JW]

Jeez.

[Co-host Sean]

American icon.

[Host Mike]

Eddie Murphy, that we're sidetracked.

[Co-host Sean]

Sorry.

[Host Mike]

But do you know who's like that equivalent to me of a tennis player is Jasmine Paolini.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

Like, if I come across Joe Dirt.

[Co-host JW]

Jasmine Paolini, segue, the old.

[Host Mike]

I mean, what. How are people still listening to ours? Like, there's. We've enjoyed this run of like, the last two years because we know it's coming to an end. Yeah. The end of the year, it's over.

[Co-host Sean]

The end of the year. Start fresh next week.

[Host Mike]

I watch her. I don't care if it's doubles. I don't care if it's. I have so much time to watch Jasmine Paolini because it's like she's happy, she's pissed, she's figuring out a way to win. She's like this tiny package of like, she's, I don't know, I'm happy that she has become a consistently top 10 player. I don't know that. You know, before two years ago, I would have spent that amount of time getting to know her game ins and outs, who she can beat. I mean, she's just joy. Like, I just love watching her play. I never change the channel when she's on, ever.

[Co-host JW]

You know, it's funny, she, she made that run at Roland Garros and it was sort of like, oh, we've got this fluky winner, this Italian journeyman, has a magical. And then, you know what? She made the final at Wimbledon and I think that sort of writ small is what's happened here to her career. I think everybody sort of said, oh boy, what's her, what's her going to ranking going to be in 2025? And the, whatever the cliche is, the stagecoach turns into a pumpkin. And you know what? She's still getting it done. She's still winning a lot of matches and she's doing it in singles and doubles. She's, she's fun to watch. She's a good athlete. She's a really fun shot maker. She's just an absolute joy.

[Host Mike]

Do we think there's any coincidence with partnering up with Irani and then all of a sudden becoming like a very intelligent tennis player, like actually playing week in and week? I think Iran is one of the smartest tennis minds on earth. I think she's a genius. I mean, if you got to watch her during the US Open, mix just chopping the best players in the world, just with positioning and shot selection and everything else. I mean, she is, she is incredibly fun to watch. There is, I'd imagine only good things can come from that partnership for Paolini. Even when she's solo on the court, not standing next to Irani. Is that, is that a leap?

[Co-host JW]

Yeah. And I think, you know, sometimes we have these coach player pairings and you say, like Brad Gilbert's, you know what Brad Gilbert teaching Andy Roddick, they play totally differently. What's Juan Carlos Ferrero know about, you know, this level of Alcaraz Main? Sarah? Ronnie's sort of a talent maximizer, someone who is undersized physically but has figured out how to work with positioning and spins and hands at the net. It's a good sort of if you're looking for a comp and you know there's probably close to 10 years of age difference. But I think Sarah Ronnie has a lot of wisdom she can pass off to a similarly undersized but talented player.

[Host Mike]

The way that like a tennis player's mind works is not always rational. Like Matty Keys wins in Australia and to everyone else it's like oh, for the rest of her life it's going to be this, like it doesn't work that way. Like Maddie. Probably my favorite three days of the entire year were Maddie coming through and winning a slam, but also beating IGA and Sabalenka. Those were probably the two best matches of the year as well. And it was back to back like 20, 25 shot out of a cannon because of Maddy Keys. Now after she wins Australia she's saying I'm going to be ranked 7 or I'm going to be ranked 3. I say who cares? But I don't think that's the way that she views it. Right. I think if you were to ask her, it's like, oh, I could have played better in the second half. I was with, I got smoked in dingles by Bjorn Fertangelo, whose husband slash coach and we're, you know, we're just rapping about tennis and he sends me like the, the six month splits on, on her serve and pace and second serve percentage points one like they're, they're not just satisfied is what I'm saying. With, with her winning this one, it's not just free and clear and easy even though outside looking in, that's the way the rest of us want her to feel. But it just doesn't work that way. But I thought that those were the best three days in women's tennis this year. Obviously I have a bias because I'm a huge fan of Maddie and Bjorn personally. But also I think it was the highest level of tennis, the most dramatic, the most at stake can she get over this kind of hump and this mental block and then how open she was afterwards and be like, no, this didn't just happen. This took a lot of mental work. This took a lot of therapy for me to get to this point. So I was happy to see the payoff. In a very human story JW kindness wins.

[Co-host JW]

No, and I think, I think that's a good point too. It wasn't just the result and unfortunately it happened in the US at three in the morning. But go back and watch the latter 10% of those matches and it's like we were talking about the other day with the men's Roland Garros final, the quality of tennis that she brought to the biggest 10 minute interval of her career is something that will really define her. I mean, she. Tell me if I'm. I don't think she won a match after Cincinnati. I mean, her, her second half of the year was just a non entity and she still finished in the top 10. I don't know if Bjorn sort of talked about her health. That's always kind of been something that's bugged her, her career, but she clearly physically didn't have it. And again, I think she won her last match of the season in August. Right?

[Host Mike]

Yeah. I do think when you have these kind of like life moments where you're defining the last 12 years of work in three days, I do think that has a tail now. The people that are consistently 1, 2, 3 in the world and never leave, I don't think it is. I don't think it's a criticism of Matty to say that that's what separates the Federers, the Nadal's, the Novaks, the Sabalenkas, the Swiateks, who are just like these crazy humans who can like reset and dive back. And Coco is unbelievable at this. Like, takes all, the criticism, takes all, you know, but it's, it's not easy. Like, imagine your career being in your, basically your entire tennis life from the time you're six years old, being defined on if you get through these three days in their three hour knockdown, drag out matches. Yeah, I, I'm not shocked. There's a tail to that. Right. Like, I'm not sure that you, there's mental scar tissue as well. And I know right now she's like, I could have finished the year better. And also, I promise you, in five years you're gonna be like, oh, yeah, I would have taken that for the next two years of losses.

[Co-host JW]

Where do I sign?

[Host Mike]

It's hard to be rational in a, you know, in a real time sport that's, that's extremely emotional. It was, I was, it was everything that I wanted for Maddie and Bjorn and Max and her entire team. It was just, you know, my favorite run of the year for, for many, many, many reasons. So congrats to Matty. Massive, massive, massive win down there. Hopefully more to come in 2026. And if not, fuck it. You did it. Yeah, you did it. I know it doesn't feel that way all the time, but you did it. Amazing. You know how good you have to be consistently to be 6 in the world and go, oh, that was a.

[Co-host JW]

Regression and win 53 matches.

[Host Mike]

53 matches. Jess Pagul is just a stud at tennis. Every week. Every week. Her ball flight I hit with her coming up on two years ago now when she missed Australia and we. Her ball comes in so like deep and flat and it just eats up the baseline. It's, it's. And it doesn't like that bird's eye view doesn't do it any favors. You don't get the sense of how heavy she hits the ball. Like, and I don't think people talk about it enough. Like this flat depth that kind of just floats through the court and then just eats up the baseline. Just tough. She's just really good. Like, she's just good all the time. Is there certain, you know, is she, is she going to be defined by having to defend second serve points against Sabalenka and Swiatek? Yes. And also when it gets neutral, she's as good as anyone in the world, in my opinion.

[Co-host JW]

We went back and looked at some of her results from the first like five years of her career. And for. She's such a steady presence. She's such a regular. She's winning titles, she's winning 50 plus matches as a matter of ritual. Go back and look at the first five years of her career and her trajectory ought to be an inspiration for so many players. And now she's more, you know, who's number six? I was just thinking this. It's not a perfect comparison, but the number six player on the men's side is Taylor Fritz. And there's some real similarities. It just. Pros, pros win lots of matches, do what they need to do. Every incremental advantage, they become this sort of like we're talking about, Taylor Fritz has become this sort of rational, moral voice of the tour. And that's kind of become Jess's role and you know, is, is a major there for the taking maybe. But what a career, What a career turnaround and what a, what a consummate pro.

[Host Mike]

Yeah, she's, she's a stud and she's just cool. She's just cool. Like she, she, she has this unbelievable ability with like you look at her life and what you think it. She should act like and she's just a person. Like she's the best, you know, good hang. She's good hang. She's, she's just ripping, ripping beers after she loses and taking pictures. Like. Yeah, she's just fun, right. Even when she's a little salty. It's fun.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

Like she's clever. Like it's. I don't know. I, I got a lot of time for Jessica Ghoul. I think she's awesome. Elena Rebakina is, is like she presents as someone who was like a number one draft pick in the NBA. You know how like, you know how like just feels different.

[Co-host JW]

Say more. Right.

[Host Mike]

Well, it's like there are good draft picks who are, you know, All Stars and there are people who are like drafted number one. Like you feel like a, like a, like a, like a Wemby or. And I'm not saying like she's going to have the career of these people, but they just look and feel different with what they're bringing. She's six foot two or serve is huge. You know, the problems that we talk about are rarely ever about her game. Right. Like she lost and it doesn't. Maybe she was banged up, maybe it was off the court, maybe it would. But she just. Am I explaining this well? She feels like a number one draft pick.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah. Right.

[Host Mike]

It's like, okay, out of this draft class, Rybakina is being drafted one. Who's, who's the rest?

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah, who's the rest?

[Host Mike]

That's what it feels like.

[Co-host Sean]

The no brainer.

[Host Mike]

Yeah. Like you, you look at Sabalenka, you look at, you look at golf. Rybakina is that person, in my opinion. You know, finished the year strong. Seems settled. Like I think she can win a major next year, no doubt.

[Co-host JW]

Oh, for sure. Oh, for sure. And I'm starting, starting in Australia where she came within a few games of having won that title already. Obviously what she did at the end of the year in Riyadh was the capstone. But yeah, I mean, she's strenuously opaque. Right. She gives you nothing. She gives you nothing when she plays. She gives you very little when she wins. I think that's probably her personality, but also by design. And what's easy to fall asleep on is this is a player who's already won a major who's only 26 years old. We've talked about some of the off court disruption. Happily that seems to have settled down. She won, I think she won more money this year than Coco, just based on, largely on what she did in Riyadh. And yeah, I mean you, you talk about the last 90 days of her season and you say this is a player who is not done winning majors.

[Host Mike]

She's, she's in that upper tier as far as ability pretty easily. I think I couldn't Think more of, of her game. So we'll see what 2026 brings. But, you know, she has a five next to her name, barring missing, like months and months and months. And I feel like that's the caveat we do with, with everything. She's going to be higher than that. And someone else who we would have said that about probably going into this year, you were just with Amanda Anisimova. We've spent a lot of time talking about Amanda the last couple episodes, and rightfully so, but just where she's come from. Lost in qualys at Wimbledon in 2024 to finals, Wimbledon finals, US Open, four in the world. And when she says, I'm not satisfied and I want to win a major, you go, yeah, you can. That makes sense. You have the firepower to do that. But just a couple of thoughts on Anisa Moba Jehovah.

[Co-host JW]

I'll give you one that we talked about a little when we spent some time together about a week ago. And she loses that Wimbledon final, gets to the final, first major final, great story. And then she loses by the most, you know, humiliating, ignominious scoreline you can have in this sport. There's nothing she can do about that result. Except there is. You're not going to change the scoreline. You're not going to go back in the records and see that you won a game. But you know what you can do? You can get back on your horse. You can beat the same player that beat you at the very next major. You can get back to a major final. And you know what? We're not talking about a love and love Wimbledon final. And she is one of these kind of, you know, she's a realist. She, she knows she was. There's no sugarcoating a love and love defeat in the major final. But she basically said, what do I have to do to make this go away? Well, here's one thing that can chip away at it. Go out, beat the player in a rematch and get back to the last match of a major. So I, I just think there's. There, there's so much here, there's so much game. Those ground strokes we talked about, Lindsey, we talked about who, who hits a cleaner ball. I mean, those, those ground strokes, good as anyone's 24 years old. I also, something we talked about is, you know, we talk a lot about the, the little sort of sabbatical and the, the time she took off. She'll get that time back. She said it's a, it's the Best decision I've ever made. Because she gave herself a physical rest, she gave herself a mental rest and she'll get that six month block of time on the back end of her career. So she's 24, but she's really not, she's really younger. There's just so much to like here. This was one of the, this was one of the, you know, she did not win a major unlike four other players, but this was one of the real stories of the year for the WTA.

[Host Mike]

Yeah. And her saying your point about her getting that time back, people are gonna go, well, 24, 24. The difference is, is when you're heading mentally towards a burnout, you hope it's not a blow up. Right. You hope it's not like I can't actually put the pieces back together. So she's basically insured. Okay. I'm going to have a career that is of some amount of time versus I'm risking my career blowing up and it being too broken to fix. Right. For many reasons. And some off court, some on court, this crazy mixture of life, meeting what you have to do. I think that's what we're kind of saying. And I fully agree with you, jw. I think that's a great point. The other thing is, I think it's dumb that tennis players always have to like, we don't interview the losing super bowl team like seconds after they lose. And some will go, they have to talk in press. That's what I always get.

[Co-host Sean]

I hate it.

[Host Mike]

I had someone like mansplain a press conference to me on a text after you tell me the point that I'm like, are you fucking really? Please tell me more about sports. So I don't think people should have to like talk or it's, it's cruel or it's hard or it's like it doesn't exist in any other sport where you have to just like talk about it immediately afterwards and come up with your own speech.

[Co-host Sean]

It also doesn't feel authentic, to be honest with you, because they're just like saying bs, Right?

[Co-host JW]

Let's just be clear. You're talking about the on court interview.

[Host Mike]

Not the press conference.

[Co-host Sean]

Everyone holding the dish, tears in the eyes, trying to be. They're so wonderful. You, you are so great.

[Host Mike]

So there's, well, one time there's. It, it like I've been in those where it's like my only goal was to get through without like having a breakdown, like without losing it. Because you can't really, you can't put the toothpaste back in once the tears start going like it's. It's a really hard thing to do. So two things I don't like that people have to do it. And also you can win a lot of fans by doing it the right way, which is what I think Amanda did this year.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah, right.

[Host Mike]

I think if you take that moment, which is inherently dumb and unnecessary and then actually outperform expectation and what any rational person would be able to come up with and do, I think you can get a lot of credit for that. So I think she actually, you know, made lemonade in the post match of that and showed a real maturity. It wasn't as if all gratitude was out the door because it was a weirdly uncomfortable result and scoreline. So it sucks. And I think when you do outperform or shitty situation, you get a lot of credit and well deserved for Amanda Anisimova. Not just for that moment, but for the year. So good, so good, so good.

[Co-host JW]

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[Host Mike]

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[Co-host JW]

That's why you wreck.

[Host Mike]

This episode is brought to you by Jack Daniels. Jack Daniels and music are made for each other. They share a rhythm and the craft of making something timeless while being a part of legendary nights. From backyard jams to sold out arenas. There's a song in every toast. Please drink responsibly. Responsibility.org Jack Daniels and old number seven are registered trademarks. Tennessee whiskey, 40% alcohol by volume. Jack Daniel Distillery, Lynchburg, Tennessee. So what we're going to do with Coco right now at number three is, and I think this is what we're going to start doing when we cover her moving forward because I think it's only fair. We're not going to start from a negative place.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

We're going to talk about how she's able to settle in, how she's able to apply her game to create errors, to create stress for her opponent, to rely on her legs. One of the biggest, hardest backhands in the world that people don't talk about enough is able to, you know, work the forehand to drive traffic. She sets up her defense with patterns. Right. It's not an accident. Right. To go through things that are physically and mentally not working and to get through it. And win consistently in that is a superpower. Like over and over again. Like, there's no world where anyone else on earth can be dealing with 20 or 25 or whatever it is, double faults. And we're looking up and at scale, not for a tournament, not for like one tournament. At scale every year. Two in the world, three in the world. She doesn't leave those positions. It doesn't matter how much we see her struggle. It is like we have to give credit where credit's due for Coco at some point. If the, if the losses are ugly, I don't care. She is the best in the world at being uncomfortable on a given day and getting a W. Simply, it's gonna.

[Co-host JW]

Be a really long windup. But did you guys see J. Kelly that? I would say meh. B minus Clooney film on Netflix. There's a scene in there in which Adam Sandler is talking to his tennis playing daughter and saying, like, don't you think Coco calls her dad? Don't you think Coco has days like this? And I want to say, whoever wrote that script, Noah Baumbach, you picked the wrong player. Because Coco also is completely autonomous. And I think a lot of this is my point. I think a lot of players would say, you know what, There are these flaws in my game. It is what it is. I'll fight through the fact that she, in the middle of her season, a season in which she won almost 50 matches and won a major, by the way, making these changes.

[Host Mike]

Won another major.

[Co-host JW]

Yeah, right. A second major.

[Host Mike]

Exactly.

[Co-host JW]

The fact that in the middle of her season, she would be addressing these defects head on, I think sends such a message to the rest of the field. It tells you that she's aware of the issues and she's not going to just say, you know what it is, what it is, and I'll win on my defense and my fighting. I find her so admirable. And I think it's easy to get caught up on the double fall tally. The other tally, as you say. How about another year in the top three, winning eight plus million dollars, almost 50 matches in a major. I like where you're going with this. Yeah. How about a discussion of Coco that focuses on what she's achieved and not what's lacking.

[Host Mike]

But also think about this. I still believe I'm a broken record. I think she'll be a dominant server at some point in her career. I really, really, really do. Now imagine when that starts going right.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

She starts controlling three in the world winning majors with like a daily weekly Struggle, you know, that's exposed. Like, you can't hide from us. It's something you have to do every point. Right. Like obviously on service games, but, like, just. She's just a winner, like, simply. And it gets overused and oversimplified. But she is just a winner.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

Like, at scale, people will beat her. You know, she takes some losses and then you look at the end of the year and they're 18 and she's three.

[Co-host JW]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

Every year.

[Co-host Sean]

I mean, she put, she put together like spring into summer, you know, she won in. She got to the finals in Spain, beating Benchic and Drava IGA on the way.

[Host Mike]

One and one.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah, one and one. Clay Rome, she gets to the final again, beating Andreva Queen Wen and then losing to Paolini and then she goes on to win Roland Garris. Like, that's three straight. It's just crushing it on clay.

[Host Mike]

She's a great clay. I think clay is her best surface, by the way.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah.

[Host Mike]

Like, you know, there's another thing. Like, we talk about Americans and red clay and it's like, oh, okay, well, I'll just be dominant on that.

[Co-host Sean]

Would you have said that before this.

[Host Mike]

Year she made a final of Roland Garros? Yeah, I, I don't know that I wouldn't have said it. I, I think it's maybe proven a little bit more, but I don't think that was a crazy take. I wouldn't have argued real hard against anyone who had that opinion. Yeah, for sure. But she's just a winner. Like, and I don't want. It's also funny when, like, when you get to a certain level of fame, which obviously she's, you know, I mean, she's known everywhere. No one doesn't know who Coco is. Like, I say, like, she's Starbucks famous. Like, she'll walk in to get a coffee and 12 people will know that's Coco.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah. She's the face of Mercedes.

[Host Mike]

Whereas someone, someone, someone 8, 8, 9 in the world, you know, walks in and no one is like, Starbucks famous is a different thing.

[Co-host JW]

Right.

[Host Mike]

And so what else comes with that is we need something to talk about. And it's, it's ratings with Coco and it's irrelevant.

[Co-host JW]

She.

[Host Mike]

Her matches are getting analyzed on first take and no one else's are. Right. So they define, oh, she loses big matches. Like, well, a big match for her. When she loses, it's a third or fourth round and when she wins, it has to be a final. So, like all of these miniature discussions around her get skewed through no fault of her own. Like what is she doing? She's taking advantage of life. Right. And it never once gets in the way of getting in her work. Her reputation for working and professionalism is pristine. But like she's so famous that all the criticisms become outsized at all times through no fault of her own. Is that, is that, is that a leap? J.W.

[Co-host JW]

Yeah, she's the highest, Isn't she the highest earning female athlete in the world, is she not?

[Host Mike]

Yeah. Because she's a fucking adult all the time.

[Co-host JW]

Exactly.

[Host Mike]

Right.

[Co-host JW]

Who's being referenced in George Clooney movies and who's making, you know, 4x off court as she is on court? That's all there for a reason, I think. By the way, just a quick digression, I don't know if you're following these WNBA, I keep thinking there are 65 players in women's tennis that are going to make a seven figure income. Why don't women tennis get enough credit for the economic gains that have been made? I mean you're hearing all these stories about the WNBA and these starting salary of Kane Clark made $78,000 as a rookie. $78,000 is first round prize money at the US Open. I think sometimes we don't realize women's 10.

[Host Mike]

Why isn't the WNBA using that as an.

[Co-host JW]

Yeah, exactly. But no, women's Coco Gauff is doing very well for herself and there's a reason why brands are tripping over themselves to align with her. And I would say we should acknowledge women's tennis is really driving the bus in this women's sports boom. And I'm not sure that's a story that gets told enough.

[Co-host Sean]

Can we also say she's 21 years old?

[Co-host JW]

She's 21 years old and she's 21.

[Host Mike]

I, I just. And let's also level set here and make this very real. I don't want to talk about like I, I'm, I'm in the hall of Fame and I wish my third best year ever on tour was her worst year. Just very, very simply. Right. Like we need to level set the conversation with, with Coco sometimes and lead with, with what she does at an elite level, which is, which is many, many things. One of the weirdest things that happened this year in that like legend's ability to reset the deck out of nowhere is something that, you know, normies don't really understand. Like I couldn't just out of nowhere have a result that's like career defining. Iga Swiatek did that struggle at the end of last year, obviously with suspension for, you know, she got thrown under the bus in my opinion, completely thrown under the bus. And not, you know, for something that, you know, you could go by at Target right now and that everyone uses for sleep like all the time. I, I personally believe through no fault of, of her own. Please go back if you have to watch one episode this year on served like a long form interview. Well, I don't want to say, but of it was probably my favorite episode to do this year and that includes Rafa. Andre's fun for a different reason because he's like my idol. But like, I feel like before iga, after iga, it's like, oh my gosh, there's such a human in there. Like there is such a to make things and her describe the day she found out about the positive test and stuff to make those stories human. I think it changes the narrative a little bit. And that was one of my most fun ones because like, oh, I came out of this. I normally go in Andre was he's the best interview ever. And I also knew that he was going to be the best interview ever. Right. Going into the Maria episode, I go in the first few minutes, she's going to start taking haymakers at me and like it's great and it's great theater. Iga, I didn't know what was going to happen. And getting off, you know, you call him like that was a 12 out of 10 because she was open and honest and felt comfortable and could explain. And also like when you're, you've made your career on mostly on one service that doesn't go right and you come and win a major in dominant fashion. Zero in a major final and two and oh, in a semi like on a surface that you don't like that, that that's what legend, that that's what legends do. That's what legends do.

[Co-host JW]

Jw, going back to that interview, give yourself some credit. She's done a lot of press conferences and you don't get much. You for whatever reason and whether it was game respects game or you phrased the questions in a way she felt comfortable. You pulled that out of her. It's a great interview. I, I wholeheartedly agree. Go back and listen to that. I, I think people are lost in this story. She came to Wimbledon, she's been thwarted at Roland Garros, which is what she used to own. And there are murmurs and what's going on. She could even fall out of the top 10. I mean this is not as though she came in with skipping into town and then going and winning her another major on a different surface that came out of nowhere. And. And I don't know if we talked about this or. It just seemed like midway through the tournament, she just got locked in and said, you know what? This surface that has bedeviled me for my entire pro career, I think she did win the juniors at Wimbledon, but this surface that has bedeviled me, I've got it. I've cracked this code. And those last two rounds were an absolute joke. And it's what you were talking about Coco as well. Right. There were some disappointing results. Obviously, Roland Garros wasn't what we were used to.

[Host Mike]

She.

[Co-host JW]

She was.

[Host Mike]

She was showing me the semis.

[Co-host JW]

Yeah, yeah. But she'll look back at this year and say, you know what, where do. Where do I sign? Great, great year. Great result.

[Co-host Sean]

You think. You think she's one of the favorites to win Australia?

[Host Mike]

She's always one of the favorites.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah, she was.

[Host Mike]

She played great in Australia this year, by the way.

[Co-host Sean]

She reached the semis.

[Host Mike]

She played great, and she had match. Like, she played great in Australia this year. It's not as if she, like, started the year badly. I mean, she played great. She was. She was dropping, like, ones and twos on people the entire draw before she played Maddie. And Maddie just is one of the few people on earth who can take the racket out of your hand with serving for him. But she played great. Yeah.

[Co-host JW]

So, yeah, she's going for. Going for the career major.

[Host Mike]

And I'll take it one. I'll take it one further. Mike, is she one of the favorites? Insert any tournament.

[Co-host Sean]

Any tournament, period.

[Host Mike]

Now especially when does she not. The fact, like, all of a sudden we've found how to play on fast services. So, yeah, for the next five years, insert her name and then say any tournament you want to talk about. And my answer is probably going to be yes. That's how good Igis Wiatek is. Simply, let's. Let's, like, recognize greatness while it's in front of us. Sabalenka, you talked about her the other day. Jw, give some context to her year and kind of what she was up against going into the USA Open, she.

[Co-host JW]

Was the wire to wire number one. And she had. I mean, it's just. It's silly talk. And you look at her results, though, and she's always there. It's funny because we used to always say that there's no plan B and it's Sahara or arctic. You never know what you're going to get. You, you get now you get a player who reliably plays deep into every major. But for the first three she didn't win them and she came really close. And she gets to the final in Australia and falls a little short against Maddie and she gets, wins the first set in Roland Garros and then falls apart a little bit and Coco steals that title and there's some fallout afterwards. And at Wimbledon she gets to the semis and can't close. So she's number one in the world. She's won, you know, already into eight figures and winnings and yet she has no majors. That's a different kind of pressure. And she goes to the US Open and essentially salvages her season. And you look back and you say, you know what, when we sum up this career, she's going to have X majors and it could be, it could be double that if she just won a couple of points here and there. But her ability to bounce back, her resilience in a much different kind of way than what we often talk about. There's a resilience to losing in the latter rounds of three majors and saying, you know what, I'm going to steal this fourth and she finishes number one. She never loses her position. She's won, you know, she won north of $15 million, which is a big number, but also tells you that she's winning the right kinds of matches. And yet in a weird way, this was sort of a bounce back season. And what she did at the US Open to salvage her year is sort of a nice kind of small, small picture of what she's done her whole career. But, but I think this is one of the, you, you talk about iga, you talk about never the hall of Fame, we, we took care of that years ago. What Sabalenka is putting together here, she's going to go down as one of the all time greats.

[Host Mike]

Yeah. And it's, I mean to your point, she went from being this person who you could, I mean what she. And there are players who, what they do well has to be explained to a, you know, viewer. It's, it's, it's nuance, it's what Sabalenka does well, like she's instantly impressive to the eye test. It's like, oh, that much power, that much speed, that much intensity. It, like it draws you in. You're like, oh shit, like she about to rip someone's face off.

[Co-host JW]

Right.

[Host Mike]

But the reason why she's consistent now is because she's gotten a little bit faster. She can take a hand off the racket on the backhand side now she can hit a drop shot. All of those things aren't going to ever be the things that capture most people's attention, but they don't happen without work and discipline. Because she emotes so much and because she smiles, because she has a sense of humor, because she makes mistakes, because she throws shit sometimes. Like, we don't give credit to the work it takes to become consistent. It's not an accident. It's not just because she's talented. Right. And we have all these other distractions, the power, the off court stuff, the, you know, the bad moment with Coco followed by, you know, her being the first, you know, raising her hand three days later and say, like, there's no explanation. That was just a miss. Calling Coco like, listen, mistake how people making mistakes versus people handling mistakes a certain way. I kind of appreciate the handling of mistakes and I give that credit too. She certainly made them. But yeah, I mean, we have two. You know, we talk about Alcaraz and Sinner all the time. And you know, I don't know that we're at the point where we can just pencil in IGA or Sabalenka into every final. Like we can Carlos and Sinner right now, we had pretty much pencil them in for a major a year.

[Co-host JW]

Like that was reliable winners, huh?

[Host Mike]

Yeah, like way back when that was like the deal, you know, that was the old Pete Sampra special and he overdid it sometimes. But like it's. We're dealing with greatness. That's just it. She's. She's phenomenal. She's going to be good next year. She's going to be the favorite in every match. She play like that. She's just great.

[Co-host Sean]

I mean, I'm looking at her whole year, 2025, and she made at least the quarterfinals of every single tournament except for two. And that was like Dubai. And those are Middle east, right?

[Host Mike]

Those are back to back weeks.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah. Those are after Australia Open.

[Host Mike]

Those are like in 10 days.

[Co-host Sean]

Yeah. And after that it was like, final, final, Final, final. Quarterfinal. Final, Semifinal. Yeah, semi, final.

[Host Mike]

You're just like, oh, my God, it's every week.

[Co-host Sean]

Consistency is insane.

[Host Mike]

It'll be fun come May, like if we need something to watch, because I think sabbling is probably going to hold the number one ranking for a little bit further. But then it becomes interesting because IGA didn't put a lot of points on the board in the clay Court season. I mean, compared to iga.

[Co-host JW]

Right, right.

[Host Mike]

Compared to most chuckers, he still put, you know, semis of Roland Garros.

[Co-host Sean]

And compared to shadows. Semi.

[Host Mike]

Yes. Yeah, compared to shadows. Exactly. Semis of Madrid. So, like, maybe that's where we see a shift and at least, you know. But wire to wire is a joke. I'm glad JW said it. Like, come in number one, I leave number one, and we're all going. Yeah, okay, that's fine. No, no, no. That's not fine. That's extraordinary.

[Co-host JW]

Right?

[Host Mike]

Like, that's crazy. And I think the WTA Tour was extraordinary. This whole year, you know, four different winners. We talked about it in one of the other shows, but, like, it's hard to have number one, two, three in the world all in majors. And you could argue that they're almost redemption stories. That's a, that's it.

[Co-host JW]

All four of them, right?

[Host Mike]

Yeah. And Matty, obviously was definitely one. That one's a little more obvious than the context around the other three. But, like, you throw Anisimova into that group, you throw Rybakina into that group, you know, Jess Pakula's capable keys. I mean, it's just Andreva's going to get in there at some point. Just a win all around. I thought it was, I thought the drama was high. I thought it was fantastic. It was a great year for women's tennis.

[Co-host JW]

Good quality, too.

[Host Mike]

Totally.

[Co-host JW]

I mean, good. I test. Just good matches, tight matches, well struck balls, athletes. Yeah. I think, you know, I sound like Mercedes here, but WTA is in a very nice place, I think.

[Host Mike]

Who finishes number one next year to jw?

[Co-host JW]

I think. I think I got to go the, the woman from Belarus.

[Host Mike]

I don't know.

[Co-host JW]

What do you think?

[Host Mike]

I just don't know. I think she's going to put together a run on clay again. That's what I think. Yeah, that's a lot of points. I think she's going to get back into that conversation.

[Co-host Sean]

I mean, if she, if she makes a run in Australia and then goes back to what she's doing and.

[Host Mike]

Yeah.

[Co-host JW]

Back on clay.

[Host Mike]

Yeah, I, I don't know. I, I, I, I. Obviously, there's no wrong answer. Like, you say Sabala is gonna be number one. I'm like, no, like, obviously she's crazy. She's probably the favorite. I do think IGA is gonna get back into that conversation. I mean, she's two right now, so she's in it. But I think it's, I think it's a coin flip before we wrap this Up.

[Co-host Sean]

There's one player I want to ask you guys about because she. She kind of had a stunted season due to injury, but Quinn Wen, she's currently ranked 24.

[Host Mike]

So the other thing, real quick, like I was just going to say, like, we did a top 20, but 20 to 30. How's this for name value? 20 to 30 this year. Layla Fernandez Ostapenko, Queen Wen, Paula Badosa, Kostia Yastremska, Kenan radicanu and vondrozova. 34. You think dangerous.

[Co-host JW]

I mean, yeah, man.

[Host Mike]

I mean, that's some. That's some. That's like some name value.

[Co-host JW]

Tell me if I'm wrong. I think there are more major winners in 20 to 30 than there are in 10 to 20.

[Host Mike]

Oh, for sure. There's. There's no doubt. And then if you get to, like, finalists and everything else but Queen win is. It's not as if she got hurt. And she's not. She's not a top five or six player, so she's going to be in that conversation as well. You hope she comes back healthy. From all reports, she. She will be. But, yeah, I mean, I think there's more depth in women's tennis than maybe at any point that I can remember. You know, number 34 in the world, Vondrose. But you could go, oh, yeah, she. I mean, she. Okay, she could be in a Grand Slam final again, no problem.

[Co-host JW]

Right. Wimbledon. Wimbledon winner. Roland Garros finalist. Yeah. I mean, did. We Can. Let's say this for another time, but there's. There's probably discussion about injuries. You know, Patrick Mahome goes down with an. You know, injuries are part of sports. But I. It's a little disconcerting that so many careers are interrupted. I don't know if that's something just. It's physical. Shit happens. Sports. There's no guarantee of full health or if we should be talking more about why players are getting hurt. Yeah, I mean, I think everybody at full health, these rankings look a lot different. But yeah, I think there's a real, you know, we have this stalwart. We have this group at the top, and they win majors and, you know, again, Coco at number three sells. But there's also real depth here, and there's some really good players who are not going to be seeded in Australia, and there's some really good players who are going to be seeded 17 to 32. And, and again, I think big, big picture, women's tennis, you're doing great. Now make a website worthy of the players.

[Host Mike]

Make a website where we count agreed if we count titles that we count matches in yeah make the story easier to tell and consume for for everyone. Huge fan of of tennis. I thought it was a great year. I think you guys are great this year. Yeah you were great.

[Co-host JW]

Great job.

[Host Mike]

You guys were you guys are fantastic.

[Co-host JW]

You didn't suck either.

[Host Mike]

That was great techie Sean you got to work on some son of a rules we're going to get there it.

[Co-host Sean]

I mean mine was horrible.

[Host Mike]

Did you know her favorite dish is chicken piccata and I she won a bake she won a she won a contest with best I mean yeah she she doesn't eat turkey only chicken. Anyways thanks for watching served we'll see you next year. AI is only as powerful as the platform it's built on. With the ServiceNow AI platform your AI data and workflows all work together connecting corner of your business. To see how you can put AI to work for people visit servicenow.com AI agents.