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Mike
So good. So good.
Co-host
So good.
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Mike
AI is only as powerful as the platform it's built into. That's why it's no surprise that more than 85% of the Fortune 500 use the ServiceNow AI platform, while other platforms duct tape tools together. ServiceNow seamlessly unifies people, data workflows and AI connecting every corner of your business. And with AI agents working together autonomously, anyone in any department can focus on the work that matters Most. Learn how ServiceNow puts AI to work for people@servicenow.com. Hey everyone. Welcome to serve. Brought to you by ServiceNow Day 3 recap from Roland Garros Was that bad?
Co-host
That was bad. Sorry.
Mike
Roland Garros Try again. Cinna rolls Clement Tabor, 26 years old, first time playing main draw at the French Open. Had to be a pretty cool experience. I saw a stat on the the TNT coverage. He made $100,000 for losing to center today. The previous high for like any day. So that means any tournament is 90 for Tibor.
Co-host
Really?
Mike
Yeah. So he made more today than he had ever made for like a given tournament.
Co-host
You mean like a whole tournament? Not just like a single match you
Mike
get paid on one day of tournament. Like, it's not as if they they don't pay you in installments as you go. It's not like you win your first round, they give you a bag.
Co-host
I know. You're saying he had never made more than 90 grand playing into a tournament period?
Mike
No, no. So I think, oh, playing a full tournament, the way that I understood the stat was his high for any tournament ever was 90 grand. And he made it. He made a hundred grand for, for today. So listen, 26 years old props. Hope it was a fun experience. He had to hit a lot of really good shots to try to even make a dent in center. Like we won't spend much time on center because I know he's going to eat up a lot of our coverage over the next two weeks, but has to be depressing. And like I was actively counting the amount of quality shots that he was hitting per rally when he was losing rallies and it was five, six balls. I actually thought he played pretty well. Upset of the day on the men's side. FAA still battling as we're. As we're talking here. But Medi goes down to Walton from Australia. You hear that sound? It sounds like silence. But you know what that actually was?
Co-host
What was it?
Mike
My bracket just crashing, annihilating. MEDI loses 64 in the fifth. Like there's some stuff that is. Listen, we. What we're doing with predictions of brag. We're guessing. Like I know that we know a lot and predictions are. It's basically a synonym for guessing. Right. Walton didn't even play on clay after Houston. No, he made challenge. He made a final on challenge in a court of a challenger in Asia and lead up to Roland Garros. Like he wasn't even trying to play on clay. Which obviously means you're going to be the former world number one and Grand Slam champion in five sets. First round of the French Open on a hot day.
Co-host
Yeah, he played. He did play Madrid.
Mike
Oh, he played Madrid.
Co-host
Yeah. He beat Lando Luthe in the first round.
Mike
I mean that's a big win.
Co-host
And lost Karen Hatching off in the second round.
Mike
Not a lot of prep time, but
Co-host
it was a lot of hardcore after that.
Mike
When you start your clay court season and then six weeks pass or four weeks pass or five weeks pass before your next match on clay.
Co-host
Yeah, he's play. He's played like four matches on clay since the start of the year. Yeah.
Mike
So anyways, not one that I looked at. You know, I didn't feel great about Medi. I mean you can listen to our sir. Our draw show. You gotta. You had to pick someone in that section. I didn't feel great about it, but I don't know that I saw him going out first round to someone who also might dislike clay a little bit. So maybe some soul searching for Medi. If you take out the Rome result, you could have the narrative that Mehdi lost O and O and Monte Carlo and then lost to Walton first round of the Aussie Open. But there is a semifinal in a Row where obviously he almost beats sinner in the middle.
Co-host
Yeah.
Mike
I don't know. So many, many being Mehdi.
Co-host
So Medi.
Mike
So Mehdi. You know what's, you know what? I'm watching Medi today, and I feel like Roland Garros, the way that the clay is like, shines a light on not native clay movers.
Co-host
Okay?
Mike
Right. Like, I always played, I played, I always play. I played fine in Rome. I was not good on clay. I was dumpster fire on clay. Not my favorite service. I won five on clay on tour, and I wasn't great on it. Right. It was a very big equalizer on a hot day at Roland Garros. The clay, it, it, it almost feels like baking powder. Right. Whereas like Rome, it feels like salt. Right. So you can dig in and Rome, you can be a heavier mover on clay. It's like you have to be like a native, like, slider. Right. Like to, to kind of flow into it. Medi's not that. Right. I, I, I think that's worth, worth mentioning. And I should have thought about, I mean, I knew it. I've talked about it before on air. I just can't quit.
Co-host
Medi, can I ask you about the weather real quick today? I think it says that the high was around, like, 88, you know, afternoon high, around 88 degrees Fahrenheit, but the low overnight's 64. How, how much of like a, does that temperature change affect the moisture of the clay? Like in the morning, you know, for the earlier matches versus then in the evening?
Mike
Way slower. I mean, it gets, the hotter it gets, the dustier it gets, which means the more slippery it is. Right. That's just basically hotter it is, the more slippery it's going to be on a clay court. Even with water and everything else, it just takes the water. It's like anything, Go, go pour water in your backyard on a day that's 95 degrees outside. And it's going to soak it up quicker. Right? That's just, that's just that it's the same. You know, it's hot, but it's hot for Paris.
Co-host
Okay.
Mike
Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, if you got, if you got a, if you're in Cincinnati in the middle of summer and someone's like, it's going to be 62 overnight and 88 during the day. It's like, oh, this is air conditioning. Right. So it does matter, but I think it's just an outlier for Paris. I mean, we're talking to JW last Week when we were doing shows and it was 52 degrees and rainy. Right. So the variance does, does matter. 88 degrees is it's warm, it's hot. Like it definitely is. But compared to the rest of like, you know, there are 12 events that are going to be way hotter than that this year. So it is a factor. I'm surprised that it's as much of a talking point. I think the biggest thing isn't so much the toll that the heat will take on the players at Roland Garros. It's the way it makes the ball travel like that up and away where the ball starts flying all of a sudden you can play different ways. You can serve and volley and come in, you can. You know, Rafa, everyone's like he loves a slow clay court. He loves a fast, high bouncing clay court where it's like it gets warm out and his ball's zipping all around and going even further out of the zone. And it changes the what's available to you on a clay court. I think maybe more than, than any other surface. So I think that's kind of the big one. It's always fun when you, when, when you're in a slam and you feel like you're kind of seeing the potential of like, I don't know, changing the guard a little bit. Like Marin Silic is an, is an uber professional. I played against him. The guy's so good from the baseline. Is. He was one of the early ones who was tall but it, you know, didn't sacrifice ball striking for wins the US Open in 2014. Said been hurt still comes back. He's 46 in the world right now. Like is is still coming back and still playing well. Beats Draper at Wimbledon last year. Kwame, this, this, this French kid. It's going to be very good when you see a 17 year old take away, take out someone as savvy as, as Chilich in pretty straightforward fashion at your home. Grand Slam hype is one thing. Delivering like that one to watch.
Co-host
So Megan dropped in something in here. It's Kwame is the youngest player in the Open era to defeat a Slam champion in men's singles at Roland Garros, surpassing Michael Chang who did it in 89.
Mike
Little different.
Co-host
Yeah.
Mike
Because Michael Chang did it in the quarters before he won the tournament. So a long way to go.
Co-host
So that's.
Mike
It still happens. That is a true stat. And Chang's victory was over lend the quarters when he was cramping and hit it under a handserve. It was the first match I ever watched start to finish in my life. That's a very special place for me.
Co-host
Me beat Edberg in the final.
Mike
You beat Edberg in the final? He did. Vashero beats Farrell 76 in the fourth set. This is another thing I want people to think about. 76 in the fourth set, 86 in the breaker. You know, the difference between winning and losing that fourth set on a hot day, when we just talked about everything. You feel real good about getting through
Co-host
that one, like, game.
Mike
An closing that out versus adding an hour of pain to your life. Good. One big upset on the men's side also. Strof beats Bublek. Similar games, actually. They both like to come forward. They both. Struf made the finals in Madrid, lost to Alcaraz maybe three years ago. Bubla giving up quarterfinal points from last year. Curious to see how far he drops. Is it outside of the top 16 when he's going into grass court season? We'll probably be right on the bubble. You know, we haven't talked about enough on Clay Lerner Tien, because watching him and how good he's been on hard courts and other surfaces, I think the toughest matchup for him, surface wise, is probably clay. I'm glad you mentioned Michael Chang, because he's guiding Lerner. Tien now wins in Geneva last week, wins today. Pretty straightforward. Like, I know it was four sets, but the sets were pretty. Lerner Tien just knows how to play tennis already. Like, he knows how to get through matches. He doesn't blow anyone off the court. He just dismantles you, which is. Which is different. He is so much fun to watch. Cam Nori had to retire. Apparent rib injury. That's been lingering. Techie Sean dropped the stat on me before we started. This is the first time that Cam Nori has ever retired in a. In a. In an ATP or professional match.
Co-host
That's like a cr. That's crazy.
Mike
It's wild. He's not. This. This is not some guy who's soft and pulling out. Like, if he's hurt, he, like, my mind automatically goes to, I hope he's okay for Wimbledon. Because if he's pulling out of an event, that's no joke. Quickly, can you name me someone who's a very prominent name in tennis? And I know the listeners are going to be screaming at you guys as they're listening to you struggle with this answer, per usual, who never retired from an ATP match. Played thousands of them.
Co-host
Played thousands of them.
Mike
Oh, yeah, this is a big name. He's the Cal Ripken of our sport. And it's the most undersold stat, I think, in all of tennis.
Co-host
It can't be Novak.
Mike
It is not Novak. Novak's. I. Novak's retired against me before, so that's not Novak.
Co-host
Thousands of them.
Mike
What? What era? My era. Murray. No, I was gonna say Sampras. No,
Co-host
I don't got.
Mike
Federer never retired from an ATP match. What?
Co-host
Wow.
Mike
Yeah, check it.
Co-host
I was gonna say that, but that just seemed absurd.
Mike
It's gonna be so pissed. You guys are gonna get crushed. How do you guys work at tennis studio? We're here to learn.
Co-host
That's why we're here. I was here because I knew everything. I wouldn't need this guy.
Mike
Osaka, to be fair, if I had to turn the studio on or point the cameras or do any of the audio, we also would not have a show.
Co-host
So he's writing everything down on a piece of paper.
Mike
So here we are. Yeah, this is my. This is my research department. Look right there. But you did drop the Nori stat on me, Sean. But yeah.
Co-host
Yeah, there you go.
Mike
You might have been. Actually before I just told you what I told you, you might have been in the only person on earth that knew that sad about Nori and didn't know the one about Federer. Just so we're clear, Osaka rolls. Kalinskaya takes out the Cinderella story of last year. Boisson started at 300 and something last year. Full year to make up ground. Has dealt with some injuries. Watched it today. The magic that was there last year was not there today. And you could feel her just wanting to find something. Two and two, pretty straightforward. Maddie Keys rolls three and oh, if she. I need her to win a couple of those easy matches, right? May not have played great this year. I think that all kind of goes by the wayside if she wins a couple more matches, right? She's good enough to where if she re. Establishes form, you go, oh, contender, right? Or at least contender for the final weekend bureau. Birol Beerle, Bueller.
Co-host
Burrell.
Mike
Burrell. Burrell beats Jess Pagula. That was a crazy big upset. Big upset. Career high 60 in the world. Currently ranked. I think if I'm right, 83, maybe 95 in doubles if I'm not correct. But beats Pegula. And it's. I think it's such a shocking result. Like, if you're gonna say a result shocking, let's talk about why, you know, without just being critical. I think it's shocking because Jess doesn't lose matches like this. Like, she doesn't lose early rounds to lower ranked players. She just hasn't been that person for five or six years. This is, you know, if you were like, who's least likely to get upset? Jess is on that short list of people. Maybe even more so than like a Coco or, you know, other kind of high ranked players. Shocking bureau. Played smart, coached by veteran Nicole Pratt, who was a good player in her own right. But that was a tough one. That was a tough one to watch. You know, all eyes go to the grass for Jess Pagula. Now, I've said this a ton of years. I think her best service could be grass. It hasn't beared fruit yet. I've been wrong, but I still think Jessicula is going to be in that conversation at Wimbledon. Jovic avenging a loss to Alex Yala in a recent tournament. Straightforward four and two. Um, Boko is rolling. You hear that silence? It sounds like silence. But you know what it is Your bracket. It's my other bracket. Blowing up. Medi took carnage to my men's bracket. Maria Sakuri, 9 and 10 on the year. Not exactly in the best form. Lost in Straussberg last week to Peyton Stearns. I think one in three or three and one, if memory serves, takes out no Scaba, who had just played, has been playing well on the clay. I did not see that one going. I think I had no scab out of the quarters and I think JW said something like what? Big result. Coco rolls, Sabalenka rolls. The advantage of these tournaments is that you can play a couple of rounds to get into it where you're not playing a Baptiste early in Madrid. Right. Or someone you can find your form a little bit. I'm hereby not worried about Sabalenka anymore. She needed to get a couple of these match wins in Emma Navarro roles. You have a stat of the day, Mike.
Co-host
Well, right now I think we're waiting on this. It's six. Six. FAA is leading the tyrant seven five right now.
Mike
No go. Well, tell me the Saturday and we'll come back to it.
Co-host
We'll come back to it. Stat of the day is seven. Seven slam champions have lost in the first round so far this year. Okay, we have Emma Radicano, Sloan, Steven. Oh, do you want.
Mike
I mean, okay. I mean, I did this before and I forgot about Radicanu.
Co-host
Yeah.
Mike
Krichikova, Chilich, Sloan, Stevens qualified, lost first round and then slid right over that TNT seat that was just waiting there
Co-host
for cocoa on the desk.
Mike
Sophia Kennan won a slam and I Think she lost to Peyton Stearns if memory. Maybe I'm right about that. I hope I'm right about that. And Stan Walrinka said goodbye to Roland Garros and Medi.
Co-host
Medi.
Mike
I. I did not have Medi losing to. To Walton. Gotta be honest, that one was gonna haunt you. That one hurt a little bit. That was. That was not the one. Alex blocks talking about Noria retiring. That's tough, man. That. That stinks. And you know what else I want to. I want to talk about before while we're waiting on this FAA result. Mumfis.
Co-host
Oh, yes. Yeah. You wanted to spend some time on that.
Mike
I do want to spend some time on that. Because I gotta say, like, I think when I was playing, I don't think with certain people, I could see the forest of the trees. Right. Mumfis, if I'm being honest, used to frustrate me to no end. Like, it was a tough matchup. I didn't like playing him. But also I'm like, man, you have all of this ability. And like, we want everyone to be as serious all the time as like, Rafa or. I was very serious, but I was also miserable on court. Like, I was a thief of joy to the experience of Gail Momfis. And I think I was wrong. I think I was totally wrong. Like, the emotion that people have about it being his last thing and wanting to say goodbye, it's not the same as like a walrinko, where it's full of like, fuck, man, you went and took the big three out. Like you were. You're. You're an. You're a stanimal. I was gonna say animal, but then I remembered his nickname. And it's not like the Rafa where we're saying goodbye to a generation or. But like, it's simply the reaction. People are. Feel like they're losing a big slice of joy in. In tennis. Right. And in like, listen, we might be. Do. I think Monfis was potentially one of the. Maybe the best, like, just raw athlete. If you're putting him into like a decathlon that's Ever played tennis. Yeah. I think it's a conversation, you know, does it matter that he didn't win a slam? Yeah, fine. And that's not the point with Gail.
Co-host
Yeah, he.
Mike
He is so watchable.
Co-host
So watchable.
Mike
Everyone loves him in the locker room. Everyone. Like, I got into words with him and I'm a idiot because, like, I'm the only person ever that might. May have had that experience. That's on me. I got in arguments with lots of people. So, yeah.
Co-host
Tracks.
Mike
If you get. Yeah. If you get in arguments with lots of people and half the tour doesn't like you, and then you have a person who you've gotten in an argument with that everyone loves, guess whose fault it is, most likely.
Co-host
Yeah.
Mike
I'm serious.
Co-host
Yeah, I know.
Mike
I just sat back and I was watching that match yesterday. I'm like, I wish I would have appreciated him in real time more when I was next to him, as opposed to kind of it taking the moment where he's saying goodbye for me to go. You know what? I've been holding this thing where I wanted him to be a top three player.
Co-host
Yeah.
Mike
I wanted him to be in the finals of Grand Slams more often, and I wanted. But also part of that want is because of the emotions that he stirs up. Like, it's, It's. You can't turn him off. You never could. You know, and it. Was it a step too far, you know, playing five sets at a slam at, you know, 39 years old or whatever? And I thought what he said about Svitolina was, Was beautiful. Was beautiful. No notes on, On Gail mom feast. I, I, I don't, I don't want to say, like, I shouldn't have felt what I felt about him. I just look back, and with time, I'm going, he wasn't. He wasn't put here to be that person, like, to be that, like, Rafa person. He wasn't. Like, he was here to fill a different role.
Co-host
Yeah.
Mike
Like, he was fantastic. Everyone loves watching him. Everyone loves being around him. He's like, he's like the steward of fun in tennis for so long. Oh, and by the way, he was six, seven in the world. Made a six.
Co-host
Yeah.
Mike
Made a bunch of Grand Slam semifinals, won 13 titles. Yeah, totally. Like, had an unbelievable career. Right. And it's just, I feel bad because I missed it. I was too consumed with what I wanted him to be too often, and it got in the way of me enjoying what he is and was.
Co-host
Yeah, well, I mean, it's. There's been a lot of highlights of him on, on social media. And Rose was watching the match that. My wife was watching the match with me yesterday, and we were, like, looking up at a bunch of them, and she was like. She's like, this guy's so much fun to watch. She's like, I'm kind of. And she said exactly what she said. She's like, I'm kind of annoyed he's retiring.
Mike
Yeah.
Co-host
She's like, Because I wish more people were fun to watch like this. And I was like. I was like, he's probably one of the best athletes that's ever played the game.
Mike
No, I don't. I mean, I hate to be, like, hyperbolic and say he's the best athlete. And someone goes, what about so and so? You're like, oh, yeah, so and so. I'm just saying, like, it's a conversation.
Co-host
I think he's one.
Mike
Like, if you. Like, if you. If you have 20 analysts in a room and you're like, who's the best athlete? His name is going to come up multiple times. Yeah, like, there and there's. And then you can just. It gets to, like, you discuss athleticism in different ways, and everyone. You either want to make it into an NFL draft combine, or you want to make it about, like, coordination and the rack, you know, Federer's racket melting in or Rafa's physicality or whatever it is. Then that's a side tangent. But, like, I don't know, man. Like, I just watched him, and I just appreciate now what he meant to the game. I appreciate the role that he filled. We had enough monsters. Like, we had enough Avengers. We had all of them.
Co-host
Yeah.
Mike
For too long, you know? Like, he was so. So. And is still and will be. Because he's not going to be forgotten because he's that guy. Like, he just has that aura. He's going to be the guy who has so much swag that he walks into a players lounge in five years and people like, oh, look at dude monkeys.
Co-host
I know.
Mike
It's gonna be cool.
Co-host
Like, Yannick Noah, like, it's not fair. The French guy, he has, like, Andy Ronick.
Mike
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Right? He has, like, that Noah Sapphin, you know, that kind of vibe. Yeah, he's. He's all vibes. And I. I was. I. I was more annoyed than I should have been for a long time. And I think he's fantastic. And I think Svitolina is fantastic. I loved what he said. Nail on the head. I love that his guys came out to support him. That whole generation of French players, which was my generation, they were so important. I. I just think he's. He's fantastic. And I needed to get it on record that I think I had it wrong for a long time.
Co-host
Yeah.
Mike
And I think he's. I think he's. I think he's been a real service to the game.
Co-host
That's cool. It's good to know that.
Mike
What's FAA doing?
Co-host
He just closed it out.
Mike
All right. We were waiting for Upset Special to see we were here before we started the show. We were watching.
Co-host
He's all smiles.
Mike
He's all smiles. As you would be if you won a million games into the fifth set against Altmeyer. Altmeyer, not an easy draw, has been dangerous at the French Open before. Anyways, we got anything else, Mike?
Co-host
That's it. That's what we got.
Mike
That's it. All right. We will see you tomorrow. Thank you for watching. Quick Serve Brought to you by ServiceNow. It's your day. 3 recap. 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 every corner of your business. To see how you can put AI to work for people, visit servicenow.com AI agents.
Episode: 2026 French Open Day 3: Medvedev Upset, Sinner & Sabalenka Roll + Roddick talks Monfils
Date: May 26, 2026
Host: Andy Roddick with Co-host (Mike), guest chat
Day 3 at Roland Garros saw significant drama and upsets, including Daniil Medvedev’s shocking first-round exit, Jannik Sinner's dominance, and Aryna Sabalenka comfortably advancing. Andy Roddick provides sharp insights into the day’s matches, reflects on the unique challenges of clay, and offers a heartfelt tribute to Gaël Monfils. The episode navigates the evolving landscape of men’s and women’s tennis, the psychological and physical toll of Grand Slams, and the underappreciated impact of beloved figures in the sport.
[01:39–02:18]
[02:18–04:36]
[05:37–06:19]
[07:11–08:36]
[08:49–10:30]
[10:30–11:32]
[12:01–15:05]
[14:10–14:59]
[15:16–16:09]
[16:32–22:22]
One of the most memorable segments comes in Roddick’s appreciation of Gaël Monfils as he nears retirement:
[22:24–22:47]
Day 3 at the 2026 French Open delivered a microcosm of Grand Slam unpredictability—from a massive Medvedev upset and emerging French talents to women’s seeds tumbling and beloved veterans like Monfils saying goodbye. Roddick’s firsthand experience—infused with humility and humor—anchors the episode, which moves effectively between analysis, trivia, and deep respect for tennis as both competition and entertainment.
For tennis fans, this episode delivers equal parts insight, nostalgia, and candid reflection—capturing why Roland Garros prevails as a crucible for the sport’s defining moments.