← Served with Andy Roddick
Served with Andy Roddick
2026 ROME RECAP & Marta Kostyuk talks Madrid Title, Playing at Roland Garros & More
01:03:33
Loading summary
Transcript257 lines
- [00:01]
A
Have you ever rearranged your furniture and discovered the carpet underneath looks brand new, while the rest of it looks, well, not so new? It's time for a carpet upgrade. At the Home Depot, we have stylish choices at simple prices from all the top brands. Best of all, we can install it for you, starting at only 49 cents per square foot. So all you have to do is pick your perfect floor. Start your carpet project today at the Home Depot. How doers get more done Exclusions apply for licenses seehomedepot.com licensenumbers ready to soundtrack
- [00:33]
B
your summer with Red Bull Summer All Day Play? You choose a playlist that fits your summer vibe the best. Are you a festival fanatic, a deep end dj, a road dog, or a trail mixer? Just add a song to your chosen playlist and put your summer on track.
- [00:48]
A
Red Bull Summer All Day Play.
- [00:50]
B
Red Bull gives you wings. Visit red bull.com brightsummer ahead to learn more. See you this summer.
- [00:58]
A
This episode is brought to you by ServiceNow. Look, I have my dream job. I watch tennis, I think about tennis, I talk about tennis. But even dream jobs have not so dreamy parts. The stuff that gets in the way of the actual work, that's where ServiceNow's AI specialists come in. They don't just tell you what you should do about your busy work, they actually do it. Start to finish, cases closed, requests handled, no extra work for you. That way you and your team can focus on the work that matters. Which for me is explaining at length why tennis players are the best, best athletes on earth. Sorry, everyone else on earth. To learn how to put AI to work for people, visit servicenow.com.
- [01:43]
C
Hey everyone.
- [01:43]
A
Welcome to Served. Happy almost Roland Garros, as always. We're brought to you by ServiceNow. We'd love you if you just subscribed just a little.
- [01:53]
B
Just a little. Just. I think you only. It's either full subscriber. No subscribe. It's not even just like a little.
- [01:59]
A
Yeah, but if they do just like
- [02:01]
B
a little at a time. Just like one thing at a time.
- [02:03]
A
Yeah, but don't negotiate against us.
- [02:04]
B
Sorry.
- [02:05]
A
Just a little.
- [02:06]
C
Like a little pregnant.
- [02:06]
A
Yeah, just like a little. Jesus. All right, that note. And you just heard JW is here. Techie Sean in Europe too long. Producer Mike in the house. I guess we could go back and. Is this the part, techie Sean, where you just clip what we said last week about sinner after Madrid? You can just play it from right now.
- [02:28]
B
Easy lift.
- [02:29]
A
So we'll see everyone in like 15 minutes.
- [02:30]
B
Yeah.
- [02:31]
A
Okay. In all, in all seriousness, I guess no surprises center roles. I think we'll. Let's get to that because there's some statistical stuff that I think is very interesting just to show how impressive this run has been that he's been on Svitolina. Now, jw, I'm going to, I'm going to ask you something here. How good of a story is it like the difference between our beloved Kim Kleisters, you know, host of Love, all part of the serve media family. She won a major before becoming a mother and then came back and won three more. Right. But there was precedent for her winning before. Svitolina was one of the best players in the world. I think she got up to three once, a bunch of 1000s was kind of that next player, like maybe the best not to have won a slam, obviously goes away, has baby sky with one. Gail Mumfis comes back. Is this the best version of Svitolina that we've ever seen?
- [03:33]
C
Oh, I thought you were going. I think the answer is yeah. I mean, not according to ranking, but look at her results this year. Look at who she has beaten and when she has beaten it. I thought you were going to. So, yes, I mean, it's just, it's a great story. And she's playing at such a high level. I mean, go through the. I think she's beaten every single player ranked above her this year as well. Oh, I thought, I thought you were going. Could there be a better story on the women's side than the wife of the retiring French legend?
- [04:02]
A
Thanks for going.
- [04:03]
C
Who is trying to win her first?
- [04:04]
A
Flowing right through my follow up. Jw.
- [04:06]
C
All right, forget it then. Yeah, but let's stick qualitatively. No, I know, but you sort of, you know, you threw off the scent there with that. Yeah. I think some of this is just eye test tennis. And what did we always used to say about her? Like, great athlete, but she gets into these defensive patterns and she can get to the quarters of semis of a major, but then she gets hit through. That's not happening anymore. And she's bringing, interestingly enough, same coach that she had pre maternity leave in, Andrew Bettles. But she looks like a. I don't know. Have you ever seen this where a player comes back as a manifestly different player? I mean, she doesn't look like the same player on court that she was, you know, in 20, 17, 18, 19. And she's playing great.
- [04:48]
A
I mean, not to this extreme because I had to remind myself and I'm Glad you brought it up, because I think I was going down that same exact route. What I remember from Svitolina, let's call it what her prime was before becoming a mother, was very solid, wasn't going to beat herself, was there all the time, great returns, didn't miss a lot. Tactically sound. And like you said, there was always someone, whether it be a Serena, a Barty, a shv, whoever it was that was going to play bigger batter and kind of bully her potentially. Right. I remember her losing to Layla Fernandez in, like, the quarters of the year that Radicanu won. I'm going, oh, man, that was like a really good opportunity. She is completely changed to your point. She's never. I'll say this because, you know, the game of if she's the best version of herself that she's ever been as far as a tennis player, is a fun conversation. What I do know for sure, I don't know that she's ever been more physically fit. One, two, like the movement and the. The explosiveness and the. In the power. And she's stepping in against iga, she was avoiding long rallies like a plague. I mean, she was stepping in first ball, taking it to her. She. She has completely changed her game. The only comp. I mean, this is a weird comp. It's just when you asked that question, I hadn't thought about it with someone coming back. Roger adjusted big time. When he came back and won the Aussie Open after six months off, he was playing first strike tennis, wasn't playing that chip D switched to a bigger racket, was taking full cuts on backhand returns. That felt like more of an adjustment as a. As opposed to a complete overhaul. Like, we had seen all those things in the ability for Roger to make those. Those changes, he just started implementing them way more often.
- [06:41]
C
Right.
- [06:41]
A
It's like a. It's like a pitcher who all of a sudden uses the split, the splitter 30% of the time, up from 6% of the time. Like, you know, it was there. But I agree with you. I think she's completely changed. I mean, she wasn't on her back foot four times, you know, against iga, who by the way, is a threat. Again, just so we're clear, like, I know svitolina won, but IGA's right there. And I'm going to ask you in a little bit who your. Your favorites are on the women's side, because I think that's a tricky question right now. And against Coco, also, the ability to stay in the middle of the Court and dictate and get that first strike was never something that we accused Fidolina of, you know, before her comeback, before she had their baby.
- [07:26]
C
I would love to ask her about this and see how much of this is just practical. This is what I need to do if I want to get to where I want to be in terms of tennis. And you're right. I mean, this is. Go back and watch. I remember her. I think it was in the quarter. She beat Coco in Australia, and she was the aggressor. She was the player imposing herself on the match more than Coco. We saw it on clay here. I wonder how much of this is. Look, she had some time off and she reassessed. This is what I need to do if I want to win a major. I need to change this, this and this. I don't know. I mean, I like this avenue. This is the. You know, this is the writer cheating for stories. But does being a mother and going. What she's going through with her country, the victim of this. This barbarous invasion, does that not change your entire worldview? And I wonder what. I mean, maybe I'm. This is. I mean, I'm just. This is fanciful. Like, it's up for her to answer that, but I do wonder if everything going on in her life has informed this pretty dramatic change. I mean, it's. Not often you see someone in their. I mean, she's 31 now. I mean, not often you see someone in their late 20s, early 30s just completely changing their approach to the sport. This isn't going down into the basement and tinkering and looking under the hood and getting grease on your. I mean, this is a total retool of her approach to the sport. I wonder how much of this is about X's and O's on the court. How much of this is about bigger. Bigger issues she's confronting.
- [08:42]
A
Well, I was going for a different version of that point, but I think it's sound. When you're 23 or 24 and people are going, why aren't you winning a major? You're automatically in kind of like a defensive position, right? Like, maybe it's. You think you're good enough with that game style. She comes back and, you know, you're seeing the Sabalenkas and the Rabbakinas and the athleticism of Coco. Is she going, fuck it, I gotta. I gotta start ripping. Like, I don't know that. You know, if that game wasn't working when I had the wheels when I was 24, why on earth would it work now? You know, so I, I actually think there's something to what you're talking about. Another thing I want to mention, I should have mentioned it off the top. I mean, what a win for, I mean, Ukrainian tennis over the last month. We have Marta Kostiak, who's going to be on here after the break, after we get through kind of a Rome recap, which I'm incredibly excited about. And then Svitolina, I mean, they've dominated. It's been like center in Ukrainian women's tennis for the last five weeks and that's about it. I mean, it's been, it's. But what a story.
- [09:52]
C
It's a great story. And I feel like, I mean, living here for the last few months in Western Europe, I don't know if people in the US quite appreciate just how dramatically this country has changed, just how dire the situation is still four years into this invasion, and that's what it was. This is not a war. This was just a complete invasion of sovereign territory. I think they're, I don't know, check me on this. I think there are like eight Ukrainian women in the top 100, which is just extraordinary. You don't see a lot of Ukrainian men. Why not? A lot of them have been conscripted. I mean, this is a full out society changing war. And for Svitolina to achieve what she is achieving with everything going on in her country as a wife, as a mother, as a player north of 30, this is just an extraordinary story in tennis unfolding in front of it. I mean, you mentioned her conditioning and I think you're absolutely right. Where does she find the time? I mean, just strictly as a matter of time management, this is impressive. But I think she's seven now, so she'll presumably go in as a seventh seed. And winning Rome often is a pretty good predictor of success in Paris. This would be a great, great story.
- [11:06]
A
She's also winning on all surfaces. You mentioned the run in Australia earlier this year. She's made the semis at Wimbledon at least a couple of times. Just off the top of my head, winning in Rome Masters 1000. Now I'm going to get to the question that apparently I should have asked the 60 Minutes journalist off the top, is there a better story potentially in women's tennis than Svitolina winning after or post motherhood? And being from Ukraine, I don't know that there's a better story available, jw but you're the serious journalist, I would
- [11:36]
C
add, married to the beloved French player Who's playing this tournament for the final time. Other than that, not much going on in her life. You know, not a lot of. Not a lot of pressure, external distractions. It would be a great story, and I think she will be the fan favorite, or certainly a fan favorite no matter what. I mean, again, you know, she has been very outspoken about the plight of Ukraine, generally Ukrainian sports and athletes and tennis players in particular. There is so much to like here, but Lois Placard becomes the first. I mean, you can, we can fancifully figure other storylines, but realistically among players who are real contenders, and she certainly is on that list, this would just be an extraordinary story. And I think. I mean, I think she's put her. I don't know, I don't think we'll put her as a favorite. I'd say this. Don't you think she's at the point in her career where anything short of a title would be a disappointment? I mean, she's put herself in that level now.
- [12:33]
A
Yeah, I think she's good enough for that. But no, I think this story on its merits. I mean, we were losing our minds when she came back and made the semis of Wimbledon. And to take a kind of fun, great story type run and make it an expectation a couple years later is. That's work. That's not like a. That's not like a fluky, fun story. This is that. That, that's real. That's kind of proven reality at this point. I don't know that. That she feels the pressure set of, like, if I don't win. I don't think she carries that pressure that she did from eight or nine years ago in her career. I certainly hope she doesn't because she is far superseded anything that anyone could have possibly expected, given what's going on in her life, what's going on in her country. So props. Amazing, amazing job, and all the best for Paris. That would be just such a fun story. We would be remiss if we didn't mention Coco looked great. She seemed more confident in her serve, obviously, defending champion. I feel like we kind of forget about that too often with Coco, we point out the problems with the game as opposed to the results. Uh, I thought she looked great. I think making the final in Rome was, was. Was really big for her. I'm telling you right now, everyone's going to be down on, on iga. She's. She's on the short list to win this tournament. I'm just telling you, she's on the short list. She switches her thing. She makes the semis. She played great. Svitolina played a great match to beat her. Now is she ego where it's her versus the field? No. Is she ego where she's clear cut, you know, one or two in the world? No. Can she win this tournament? Absolutely. And you're, you know, just tread carefully if you, if you're, if you're giving up on, on her. I, I think this run to the semis and getting those matches in as important to her as maybe any player in the field. I don't think Sabalenka or Rabakina or Pula had to make semis to feel real good about the way that they're playing. And Drava included in that list. I think that was really important for iga and she's, she's in this thing.
- [14:25]
C
Did you, did you see the score lines too? I mean this was, this was back to IGA spending 62 minutes on court or dishing out bagels and breadsticks. I would also say just rule of thumb here, just a heuristic. If you have won a major more times than you have lost at the major, you're a contender.
- [14:45]
A
That's funny. That obviously is a real stat, one that I did not know, but that makes sense. You carry the two. Yeah, that's real. That makes sense. Iga's back. I'm just telling you, like she as good as she's ever been? Not right now. Can she win this tournament? Absolutely. Guys, it's almost here. This year's Roland Garros. Not my best surface, but one of my favorite cities. Paris or Paris for you, producer Mike.
- [15:11]
B
Oh, thanks, Andy. You know, I actually am going to Paris this summer, but not for the French Open. My boss wouldn't let me off.
- [15:17]
A
Your boss sounds lame.
- [15:19]
B
You're my boss.
- [15:21]
A
You're not wrong. But what isn't lame is this. When a tournament like Roland Garros hits, thousands of fans are suddenly trying to figure out where they're staying.
- [15:28]
B
So basically the whole city turns into a scramble for where to stay 100%.
- [15:33]
A
And it's not just Paris, any city on the tennis calendar.
- [15:36]
C
Think about it.
- [15:37]
A
Fans are making last minute decisions right now based on where their favorite players land in the draw. And if you're like me, I usually look for a place to stay before I even book my flights. And personally, a home near the tournament beats a hotel room every time. I know because I was the guy staying in those places for 15 years.
- [15:54]
B
15 years. How old are you?
- [15:55]
A
So don't be the reason someone didn't book that plane ticket. Be the reason they do. If you're planning to be away, list your space on Airbnb. When fans are flooding into town, you're not just giving someone a place to stay, you're putting them right in the middle of the tournament experience, where your home becomes part of their memories, too. And yeah, you'll pick up some extra cash while you're at it. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much and at Airbnb.com host no one goes to Hank's for spreadsheets. They go for a darn good pizza. Lately, though, the shop's been quiet, so Hank decides to bring back the $1 slice. He asks Copilot in Microsoft Excel to look at his sales and costs. Help him see if he can afford it. Copilot shows Hank where the money's going and which little extras make the dollar slice work.
- [16:41]
C
Now, Hank says a line out the door.
- [16:43]
A
Hank makes the pizza.
- [16:44]
C
Copilot handles the spreadsheets.
- [16:46]
A
Learn more at m365copilot.com work expedia and visit Scotland Invite you to come experience
- [16:55]
C
the beauty that awaits in Scotland.
- [16:59]
D
The sweep of wild coastlines, quiet lochs and untamed landscapes.
- [17:05]
A
Fresh cuisine that feels rooted in the land. Come experience the kind of style stillness that stays with you long after you leave. Plan your Scottish escape today@expedia.com visitscotland
- [17:21]
D
some
- [17:21]
A
follow the noise Bloomberg follows the money because behind every headline is a bottom line. Whether it's the funds fueling AI or Crypto's trillion dollar swings, there's a money side to every story. And when you see the money side, you understand what others miss. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now@bloomberg.com Exciting times on the on the on the women's side. One thing before we kind of go over to Sinner Just dominating Earth. If I give you these names and apologies, if I leave someone out, you have Coco Rbakina, Sabalenka, iga, Svitolina, Mira Andreva. Like who's, who's, who's your favorite? Like give me, give me your top three favorites going into it's it's as open as it's been in a long time. It's kind of fun.
- [18:12]
C
This is we're preempting the draw show here.
- [18:15]
A
Everything changes when a draw is put. No one watches this show.
- [18:19]
C
How about hike? I mean, I still am inclined to go with Sabalenka. I would say my three favorites right now. Would Be defending champion gets her credit. Sabalenka and I think IGA ahead of Rubakina in Svitolina. I just, I just. It's. Remember, we had the same.
- [18:45]
A
She's.
- [18:45]
C
She's new coach. She's back on clay. She look good in rome. I'm thinking IGA's a top three contender. I don't. What. I'm curious what the. I mean, there are, there are odds. Markets probably have say in this as well. What do you say? Good question, though.
- [19:00]
B
What do you say?
- [19:00]
A
No, no, I'm. I'm gonna. I'm gonna move on. I just wanted to make you awkward and then I was gonna move on.
- [19:04]
B
We got the draw show on Thursday.
- [19:05]
A
We need to get to center because I know we have Kostiak on the other side of the break, which I can't wait for, but just give us some of the stat candy from, from, from this center when obviously Rude four and four has won six straight master. I mean, just like it's a joke.
- [19:20]
B
I mean, youngest career Golden Master ever at Novak did it. And he did it at age 31. It has been 33 months since Sinner won his first 1000. I believe it took Novak about 10 plus years to achieve it.
- [19:36]
C
Oh, that's crazy. Oh, that's right.
- [19:38]
B
Yeah. He won Toronto in 2023. And then here we are, 33 months ish later, six straight Masters 1000s titles. Paris, Indian Wells, Miami.
- [19:47]
A
Money.
- [19:47]
B
Carla Madrid, Rome. Prior, the record was four in a row. 34 consecutive Masters 1000 match wins, which broke Jovic Djokovic's 31. First Italian man to win Rome in 50 years.
- [20:00]
A
Panara.
- [20:01]
B
Yeah. And then second man to sweep all three Clay Masters in one season. Of course, the other one was one Rafa Nadal. Rafa in 2010.
- [20:11]
A
Excited for that.
- [20:12]
B
Pretty good.
- [20:13]
A
He's side note. I'm excited for the Rafa doc. I know we'll probably cover that when it comes out. And yeah, obviously, I'm just glad the
- [20:18]
B
center guy's finally proven it.
- [20:20]
A
You know, what's in. Okay, so here I got a question for you. It was. We're going through our notes and we're reading these stats and obviously they're all insane, right? Like, it's just you to like 24 years old to complete. By the way. You know, someone's great when you have to invent new terms. I've never ever heard of Golden Masters slam, whatever the fuck that is. And I've heard about it. I've heard. I've heard it six times in the last 24 hours. We're just. When, when people have to make up new things to define what you're doing, it becomes pretty bananas. But breaks Novak's all Time Masters 1000 win streak, completes winning all of the Masters. Completing that task seven years ahead of when Novak did it. And in a three year span, essentially. I mean this is, this, this is banana. Like it's weird, you know that it's crazy. And then the further you dig, the crazier it gets.
- [21:15]
C
Well, you want more stats?
- [21:17]
A
Yep.
- [21:17]
C
You know, this is what we do. Right. When, when you've got great storyline, the numbers are just all this, this hard science. Let's stick to art. And when we've exhausted the superlatives, I mean we just do a Claude cut and paste week after week. Right. But here's. I, you know, I want to give attribution to the ATP website on this, but since Indian Wells sinner is winning 95.5% of his service games, so you look at like the peak Ivo Karlovich Isner, dare I say the gentleman in the blue hat. I mean he's, he's winning more than 19 out of the 20 service games and he's breaking like a third of the time. So it's just unpleasant. It's not. We're past unbeatable. This is just unplayable. I don't know how the rest of the field kind of takes much encouragement from any of this, but he's, he's. Sir. I mean the point, point being he's serving at a rate of like peak Evo Karlovich and returning at a rate of like Rafa and Andre. It's been a pretty awesome few months of tennis for him and I, you know, we, we joked about it last week about is he a bigger favorite, you know, until we won. What are we calling this thing? I, you're right.
- [22:29]
B
The, the Super Duper career gold, the golden master.
- [22:33]
A
He's got to make up stuff apparently. I hope that it catches when you Google it.
- [22:37]
B
It's like a Njango character and then it's.
- [22:40]
A
Yeah, I mean, listen, that. I'm. I'm sure the Lego character. I, I'm sure the odds makers are busy. I'm just saying, I'm not saying he's as good on clay as Rafa. I will never utter that sentence probably for anyone.
- [22:52]
B
Yeah.
- [22:53]
A
For, for like a long time. And I think he's as big of a favorite going into this tournament based on the form, the health of, of the field as, as Rafa was in a given year. Right. I And I don't know, I. I think I can defend that without, you know, people thinking I'm taking crazy pills.
- [23:11]
B
It's like cramps. Cramps, the only thing that can stop.
- [23:14]
A
Yeah, I mean, that's. It's like we're talking about it and it almost happened in Rome. Again. I know you have some. Some. Some opinions from my. One of my favorite opinion makers, Mehdi, who played great, by the way, against Sinner. He. He's one. I got to give him credit. He's one of the only guys that no matter who he's playing, he doesn't walk on the court and you don't. He doesn't feel like defeated ahead of time. Like, he'll go in against Alcaraz and maybe he gets, you know, his head knocked off that day, but he goes in knowing, hey, listen, shit goes a little bit sideways for them, I can win this match. And he took it to center. Props to him. I still don't think clay is especially, like. He kind of, like, moves a little like I did on clay. Like, it's not. It's. I would. I would venture to say it's not native. And he's won a Masters 1000 on clay, so props to him. Obviously, the controversy late in the third set, Sinner looked like he was breathing heavily, sat on a switch over late in the second set, and you're going, oh, like, is this. This is. The only way that you can get to him is to take his legs away and then maybe have that affect the way that compromises decision making a little bit. Get some work done. For what look like cramps, you have to tell the trainer it's not cramps. Similar to what we saw Alcaraz and Zverev in Australia. Mehdi had thoughts.
- [24:28]
B
Yeah, Mehdi, in his post match, obviously was asked about it, and, you know, he pushed back, you know, kind of that. The ATP rule, tweak on medical timeouts, especially for cramps. He said, I actually have a solution. Allow physical. Allow medical treatments for help. And then later on, he want to elaborate a little bit more, saying, sorry, allow medical, meaning physio, three minutes when you have cramps, then there's no problem. Because then the player could say, I have cramps, I need physio. For the moment, it's not allowed. I completely understand. Meaning he understands that he's over there, my leg hurts, but then he's chugging pickle juice.
- [25:00]
A
Yeah.
- [25:01]
B
You know, I think what Mehdi's saying is, like, just allow people to say, I have cramps. And then you get three minutes, and if it's not better, tough shit.
- [25:08]
A
Yeah, I have. He's right. He's right. I. Listen, I don't know if we want to implement the rule. What I'm saying is there's the most obvious workaround of all time. Like, you have this rule where. Because on merit. I agree with it. Physical fitness is part of tennis. And should the person who's really fit not be rewarded, you know, because the other person is cramping, probably, you know, that.
- [25:32]
D
That.
- [25:33]
A
That kind of sucks in a way, and there's just no chance that it's ever going to stop if someone has cramps, right? If I had cramps in a match tomorrow, and I knew that all I had to say to the trainer was, my legs are hurting and they get in there. I haven't lied to the trainer. Like, we. Like, I haven't lied to the trainer and the trainer. Literally, you're putting it on the trainer to go, no, you don't. There is no fucking chance that's ever going to happen. Like, it's a. It's. I understand the reason for the rule, and I generally agree with the reason for the rule. And I also kind. I totally get where Mehdi's coming from, because you can just lie, be like, oh, yeah, my.
- [26:13]
C
I.
- [26:13]
A
Like, I have a leg injury. What. What is it? It's both quads from my knee to my hips, and I would like you to use a wide massage to.
- [26:23]
B
To something wrong with my hand. It's.
- [26:25]
A
Yeah, clawing. And also. Also, this claw on my hand is. Is taking. Is taking over. I have a caveat to. To Mehdi's proposed rule change. Okay, I agree with it. Also, you should not be able to call a trainer if. Let's assume that, you know, magic wand goes and it's changed. You should not be able to call for the trainer for cramps before someone else's serve. People are going to abuse this rule. They're going to ice the kicker. You're going to come out not having hit a serve for six minutes and. Or played a point for six minutes because you call the trainer, they come out. All in all, it takes more than three minutes, right? Maybe it's five. You should not be able to use it against the player that is physically fit and has to serve. Right. And maybe that means it's not on a switch over. Maybe that means. I don't know what. But it would really piss me off if I was playing someone and you could say you had cramps in the second set and you could ice someone who's trying to serve a set out or something like that. There is a way to abuse it. So I would have the caveat in place that, that it should, you should not be able to kind of, for lack of a better term, ice the kicker in tennis.
- [27:34]
B
We're going to put a poll question out to the audience. See, see what they have to say. And we have a last week's results. A poll question later in the show after Marta.
- [27:42]
A
Geez, I can't wait for that. It's going to be great. You love a poll question, dude.
- [27:46]
B
I love the fans, love getting in the, getting in the comments.
- [27:49]
A
You love it. You love it.
- [27:50]
B
We had some people get in the comments this week.
- [27:52]
A
Listen, jw, I asked you about the favorite on the, the women's side. On the men's side, you have three, the next three people that could potentially make a final at Roland Garros. And obviously this all changes when the draw comes out based on matchups. But like, has it ever been harder to answer who are, who are favorites two through four?
- [28:11]
C
Thought you were going to say what three things I'm going to say. Bad sushi, a really hot day. Except it's, I got to say, just as an Aside, it's like 51 degrees. I mean it has been so cold here. So the idea that, I mean, you know, the weather can change, but right now the idea that we're going to be playing in blistering conditions seems a little fanciful.
- [28:32]
B
You're in Paris. Paris, right? We said that, right? Yeah. So you're saying it's chilly there right
- [28:36]
C
now I'm here in Paris. It's like it was like 46 degrees yesterday. I mean it is like raining and biting cold. All right, three, three. If sitter were, I think sinner's a favorite. I've come down with a, I've come down with a touch of the euphemisms, but I think, all right, three players that are going to beat him. How about not even beat him?
- [28:57]
A
Just who's, who's likely to. It could be Zverev because maybe the matchup isn't great, but like I would take Zverev second just because he's more likely to go farther. I don't know. It's tough.
- [29:04]
C
I think a, a one match battle royale against a 39 year old with a crowd completely in Davis cup atmosphere and a charged up Novak Zing. This is what I'm still playing for. Well, we saw that two years ago, same court at the Olympics. Obviously not best of five. But I think, honestly, that would be like the one match. I mean, Arthur Feast, the talented player who'll get the crowd behind him, and I mean, just go down the list, and it's really. I mean, all credit to Casper Rude. He's made more Roland Garros finals than center has. But I don't. I don't think Casper Rood's taken three sets off this guy. It's. It's really hard to conceive of scenarios not involving acts of God in which sinner doesn't win this tournament.
- [29:51]
A
No, it's so boring. You had a. You had a couple of stats, just quickly. And then we're gonna go. We're gonna go to break and come back with Marty Kostiak on the other side.
- [29:58]
B
But speaking of poor Casper, Casper is amazing.
- [30:00]
C
He.
- [30:01]
B
He's been. He's been on the other side of history of some pretty amazing things. In 2022 Roland Garros final, he lost to Nadal. It was Rafa's 14th Roland Garros win, 22nd slam. 2022 US Open file lost to Alcaraz. Alcaraz becomes the youngest number one in history. 2023 Roland Garros Final, lost to Novak Novak records 23rd Grand Slam, 2026 Rome Final. Loses to center. Center completes career Golden Masters.
- [30:26]
A
Sinner completes tennis.
- [30:28]
B
So Casper, hopefully one of these will go the other way for Casper.
- [30:31]
A
Hey, by the way, like, dropping out of the top 20 for the first time in a long time and saying, yeah, you know, I don't really like that this week hasn't been fun from there. Going back, making a Rome final straight away. He. Listen, he's. We don't talk about him enough. Considering he's been in a couple Roland Garros finals, he would be a very popular run in Paris, too. So great week.
- [30:53]
B
He said he's playing better than he feels like he did when he was world number two.
- [30:56]
A
I don't disagree with that. Because he's struggled to find that backhand line. He's been working on it for two years and is really committed to it. It's finally bearing fruit. So nice adjustment for Kasparud. Back with Madrid Champion 2026, one of the favorites on the short list at Roland Garros. That has to sound nice to her. Marta Kostiek. On the other side, 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.
- [31:34]
C
You thought this was your run club era. Turns out it was more of a thinking about run club era. The good news? Someone's marathon training is about to start. Sell your workout gear on Depop. Just snap a few photos and we'll take care of the rest. They get their race day fit and you get a payout for trying.
- [31:55]
A
Someone on Depop wants what you've got. Start selling now.
- [31:59]
C
Depop.
- [32:00]
A
Where taste recognizes taste. The road to the NBA Finals ends here, with star guard setting the tone. The Cavs eye another upset while the Knicks carry the dreams of all of New York. The Eastern Conference Finals Cavaliers Knicks game one tonight on espn. This episode is brought to you by State Farm.
- [32:37]
D
You know those friends who support your
- [32:39]
A
preference for podcasts over music on road trips. That's the energy State Farm brings to insurance. With over 19,000 local agents, they help you find the coverage that fits your needs so you can spend less time worrying about insurance and more time enjoying the ride. Download the State Farm app or go online@statefarm.com like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. All right, everyone, welcome back to Served. And as promised, sitting at a nice and shiny career high ranking of number 15 off of a great win and a backflip in Madrid. Marta Kostiak. Thanks for coming on Served. How are you doing?
- [33:17]
D
Thanks for having me. Yeah, it's great. I just got to Paris. Excited to be here. Sometimes thinking about Madrid but not too much. Yeah, happy to be in Paris.
- [33:29]
A
I would be thinking about it too if I had played as well as you did there. So that was such a great run. Listen, this year you've, you've only lost four times. Two of them to someone named Rbakina and another one to someone named Sabalenka. What's, what's different this year because you've, you've, obviously we've seen you play great in the past, but it feels like it's more consistent week to week this year.
- [33:53]
D
Yeah, I think we, we've done a lot of work with my team. Good days, bad days, you know how it goes. I think it was just a matter of time. Obviously, I always felt like I'm a good player, I can be there. But yeah, things were not aligning and I think in tennis you need a lot of things to align to make it to win big tournaments. And yeah, I'm very happy that I'm in this position now, but it took many years for sure to come here.
- [34:26]
A
How are you feeling after Madrid? Obviously pulling out of Rome, Was that more just, hey, listen, I have the confidence, I know the game is there. I'm not worried about it, you know, all eyes on, on, on Roland Garros? Or was it, you know, something nagging as far as like a health issue?
- [34:42]
D
Honestly, before Madrid started, my coach, Sandra, she said, well, you're only pulling out from Madrid if you, if you're, you're only pulling out from Rome if you win Madrid. And I was like, haha, yeah, whatever. And, and then when I won Madrid, we were like getting tickets to, to go to Rome and, and I was like, Sandra, remember what you said before the tournament? And then, honestly, I would love to play, but I think the issue was that my hip was not good at all. It was not good for the past three matches, for the last three matches. And after I woke up, yeah, after the finals, when I woke up, I couldn't walk. Like it wasn't good at all. And I was really scared that something happened. But obviously I didn't have any pain during the match or after the match that was like something sharp or, you know, that I got really scared. So nothing like that. And then I just woke up in the morning and I was like, wow, this is a problem. And then, yeah, I did MRI and it wasn't, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as we wanted it to be. And then it just made no sense to push for Rome because I knew that maybe I'm going to be able to go on court, play one match, but then I don't know what would happen. And I'm happy I made that decision. It took me also a lot of years to come to peace with this kind of decisions because I was always the type of player who would always push and play when not feeling good and stuff like this. So I'm very proud of myself with the decision. Wasn't easy, obviously, but I had to be ready for Paris.
- [36:21]
A
And I'm assuming there's no issue heading into Roland Garros, you're fit and healthy.
- [36:26]
D
Yes, always good. Always good.
- [36:28]
A
Good. Talk about the sense of arrival to Paris this year and how kind of does, does the momentum that you've created make a happier arrival when, when you get to Paris?
- [36:41]
D
Well, my record in Paris is really not one to be proud of for sure. And especially last year was, was not great. But this year when I came, we got the cord on Philippe Chateauria right away. And when I hit on this court, I was like, wow, I feel really good. You know, I feel like on this Big court. I felt like I'm back to Madrid because I played, you know, this big, big stadium the past couple of matches, and I was like, wow, it's. It's good to be back, you know, and, yeah, I mean, definitely different feeling, and I try to enjoy it, no matter what's the outcome, no matter how I keep on playing this season. Because, you know, the reason why I think I am playing like I'm playing right now and I'm being consistent is because I'm not trying to focus on. On the result, on winning. You know, I really just try to enjoy the good days, the bad days, especially the challenges. I get them every day. And, you know, I'm just excited to. To go out on court, and, you know, I'm happy in Paris, even if I lose her. Strand,
- [37:48]
C
if your hip is a little sore, we loved it, but no backflips, not with a sore hip. I want to ask you a serious question. You referenced your coach, Sandra Sinevska, and who, by the way, a great substacker for tennis fans.
- [38:03]
D
Yes.
- [38:03]
C
You know, you read it, right?
- [38:06]
D
I read it before she publishes everything. I'm the first one to read. Yes.
- [38:11]
C
Oh, wow.
- [38:11]
D
Yes.
- [38:12]
A
We need you.
- [38:13]
C
It served. No, I mean, I think a lot of people say it's great that there is this woman that's succeeding, that doing so well, and she has a female coach, but can you go a little deeper than that? I mean, what is the connection? What is she telling you or bringing that maybe others haven't? Just talk a little bit more about having. You're one of the few players with a female coach. What is Sandra bringing?
- [38:34]
D
I think she brings something that I am able to be myself, and I'm not afraid to be myself. I am very emotional, very explosive, very honest person, and was not. I think it was not easy for other coaches to coach me, to be around me. You know, I think we always have a lot of things to talk about. We go into, like, depth of pretty much any topic you can pick in life, in tennis, whatever it is. And I think. I think we are both emotionally mature, so we are handling difficult situations very well, and we never cross certain lines, which we agreed on. And I think that respect and also this. This experience that we have, going through difficult moments definitely helps us, like, on a daily basis and understanding each other. And. And I. I don't know if I should connect it to her being a female or, you know, I. I don't know if there is, like, a connection like this because I was coached by my mom, my Majority of my life. And then I had some male coaches and it wasn't good in sense of this connection on like emotional level. Like I didn't, I didn't have the. I'm sure there are coaches like this, but it was not in my experience. And for someone like me, I think it was very important because I like to talk about things. I like to make sure I understand everything that's going on emotionally, you know, on court, physically. And she's, I think, also similar in that sense. So I think that's why it's working.
- [40:24]
A
Well, you mentioned your mom, Talina. She had a ranking, she was top 400 in the world. So was it something that you had a racket in your hand as soon as you remembered? Do you remember Earth without tennis?
- [40:41]
D
I don't. I think my mom was on court the day she gave birth.
- [40:48]
A
Real or is that just a good story?
- [40:50]
D
No, no, it's true, it's true. It was for sure like this with my younger sister. I remember she dropped me off at my sister's place and she went to like a hospital to give birth the, the after practice. So it was the same. I think it was the same with me. And yeah, I was born on the court, basically. And I don't remember the first moment I picked up a record. I just have a one memory that, like the earliest one when I played tennis. But maybe I picked up the record before that. But for sure I don't remember my life without tennis or tennis courts.
- [41:23]
A
So it's interesting to me because producer Mike and I were talking, we kind of write the shows before we go on. And I said, how old is Marta now? And we're typing away and I'm trying to get my notes right and I say, she's 23. And I go, oh, that's interesting because like you've, you've been around as a prospect for, for, for so long and I think people have realized what your upside looks like. And then you go through, I mean, you won a junior Grand Slam when you were 14 and played main draw in a Grand Slam when you were 15. So not all 23 year olds are the same as far as tour experience. I mean, do you feel like you, I mean, you've been out on tour almost a decade now.
- [42:05]
D
Yeah, I feel old sometimes.
- [42:08]
A
Well, I, I'm just saying I got it wrong because if, maybe I'm not describing this question well. If someone would, let's say, come out of college and they're 22, we would call them young on tour. Right? But you're winning Madrid and we're going, oh, here it is. Like, she's, she's, she's figured it out, she's consistent. But is that unfair just because you started earlier than most people?
- [42:29]
D
Well, I think for sure it's more difficult in one way, but on the other hand, I think I'm very happy that I didn't have big, big success when I was really young. I, I wasn't handling well the success that I had back then. I think if I had more of it, I wouldn't be sitting here right now. I'm sure I would be in some psychiatric hospital probably. I don't know. Like, it's, it's true. And it's like, I just don't think people understand how much it takes to, to be on this level, to be consistent, to, you know, for your body to be ready and for everything to, again, to align. So I'm happy that I matured enough to, you know, to understand as much as I could, you know, to understand how much is needed out of me and how much I can give and how much I can handle. And of course, I feel like I'm not here for the first year, even if it's like the best year of my career. I definitely, in some matches, I feel really good that I have all this experience because especially when I play against younger players or even someone less experienced, I'm like, yeah, I know I can do it, or I know just have more experience behind my back and this type of things. But for sure, I don't think I will play till I'm 35, for sure.
- [43:58]
A
I would venture to say that every player who's 23, I've listened to many of them and none of them think they're going to play till 35. And yet we have a lot of, we got a lot of 35 year olds on tour, you know, I'm just saying, listen, for the last five weeks of tennis, it's pretty much been Yannick Sinner and Ukrainian women that have, that have, that have, that have carried the day. Eight Ukrainian women in the top 100 right now. Obviously, I think everything you do has a special significance considering the invasion and everything that has been going on there. How proud are you that you and Alina are stepping up and playing some of the best tennis ever? Obviously, tennis is trivial compared to what goes on in, in real life. And does it fill you with pride that people are opening their newspapers and saying, you know what? We have, we have champions that are representing us well?
- [44:59]
D
Well, I think it's incredible. And I, I think the, the fact that every single week the Ukrainian player was winning a title and last week it was even two because Yastremska won challenger in Parma. It's, it was unbelievable. But on the other hand, I mean, I still think, I try to, you know, I try not to focus on the winning again. I try to like, enjoy this, the whole process and being able to share these emotions and these titles with Ukrainian players during this time, for sure, there is not much more I can ask for. And you know, obviously seeing Elina succeed so much and play unbelievable tennis has always been inspiring, but even now she's stepping up and, you know, beating all these unbelievable players, top five players and, and everyone. And I think, I think it's very important to, you know, to just to show the world that, you know, the Ukrainian people are super resilient and strong and you know, we can, we can go through difficult days and obviously not just players, like, it's all the people that are in Ukraine as well. And I'm very happy that, you know, we get to share this celebration with all the Ukrainian people right now. I think this is the most important thing for me that they are happy and they are celebrating with us.
- [46:30]
C
It's really remarkable under the circumstances. And I think one thing maybe tennis fans don't get is, you know, we talk about how routine is so important in tennis. Can you just talk about what the last four years have been like in terms of your, of your training base, in terms of where you're traveling? I mean, I think people, people don't understand quite how disruptive this has been for athletes like you.
- [46:50]
D
Yeah, I mean, I, I moved out of Ukraine before the full scale war started, but I was always coming back to Ukraine a lot because it's, I stayed in Europe, so it's like two hour flight. And then obviously it changed because I didn't see my father for almost a year because he was in Ukraine and I couldn't really go there. First couple of months I'm, I'm practicing in Monaco and I live there, but obviously, you know, it's not easy for like my parents to come somewhere or I go back home. It's, it's a, it's a difficult process because it takes over 24 hours to get wherever. Even like in Europe, if you go further, it's even longer. You know, I think I'm, I'm very happy. I have the possibility to go and fight, find the time and go when I can. Other players are even practicing in Ukraine which for me is incredible, because with all the. You know, with all the instability that's there, like, whenever I go. I go to sleep and I'm like, okay, I don't know if I will wake up tomorrow, but I need to sleep because I have to practice tomorrow. So it's really weird feelings. And obviously, I just go there two times a year, and people live there all the time, which I don't understand how they do it. I think it's the same for everyone. It's not easy. My whole family is there. I try to take the most out of it, you know, while I can. But again, it's not. It's not normal life, for sure.
- [48:23]
A
Listen, tennis is tiny when. When putting the perspective of.
- [48:30]
C
Of. Of.
- [48:31]
A
Of what you just said, I'm pretty sure I have tiny little kids, right? I can't imagine how proud your country is of you and what you're doing, as well as Alina and all the Ukrainian players. You know, out of this invasion comes kind of the golden era for. For your country as far as tennis. So I hope you're filled with pride. I hope you're filled with confidence going into Roland Garros, because you've certainly earned it on. On the heels of Madrid, certainly, you know, one of the favorites as far as. As far as form. Please come back on served anytime you have a friend in us, and we'll be cheering for your continued success at the French Open. Marta, thank you so much for. For coming on.
- [49:15]
D
Thank you, guys. Thank you.
- [49:18]
A
All right, welcome back to sir. Brought to you by ServiceNow. Marta Kostiak was cool.
- [49:23]
B
Awesome.
- [49:24]
A
Like, really cool. You know what I. You know what I like about doing this show is that you can watch Kostiak, and she mentioned it herself. She's like, I'm emotional. She basically had, like, a roundabout way of saying, like, I get really pissed sometimes, right? Like on. On court. It's fun seeing what you might think of someone just by watching their matches and then interviewing them and realizing that kind of the Tuesday version of someone not during the middle of a tournament is completely different. I thought she was fantastic.
- [49:53]
C
Jw, Fantastic. Know thyself. That sounds like someone who really is familiar with who they are. I also, I gotta say, tell me I'm crazy here. That. That backflip, right? Great viral moment. Everyone loved it. People that didn't follow tennis saw it on their feed. I think that says a lot about her athleticism. Like, I'm sort of thinking, like, that is not lost on me, how athletic a move that is. Spontaneously, after Playing a final. That, to me was a real tell about just what a great athlete she is. But, yeah, we wish her well. And if Mike's going to do a backflip along with Marta, I will. Venmo, the money for the trampoline.
- [50:33]
A
I don't think I've ever been personally invested in a match just because I wanted to see someone fail at a backflip before. I think this is covering new territory.
- [50:42]
B
I found a way to wedge that into the postscript. After we were done recording, I made a promise. If she wins, Roland Garros.
- [50:50]
A
Oh, that's right. It wasn't on the interview. It was afterwards. Sorry.
- [50:52]
B
We'll put it in right here.
- [50:54]
A
Yeah, right.
- [50:55]
B
Right here.
- [50:56]
A
It's funny. Producer Mike says he's going to do a backflip when he wins a Grand Slam, too.
- [51:00]
B
Yeah, if you win. If you win Roland Garros, I'll do. I'll do a backflip.
- [51:03]
A
Say it on air. Say it right now, Sean. You got that?
- [51:05]
D
All right.
- [51:06]
A
If Kostiak wins Roland Garros, Mike's doing a backflip right here.
- [51:09]
B
Pool or on a trampoline, but I'll try it.
- [51:10]
A
Yeah, I'm down for whatever disaster is coming for that. Marta, all the best.
- [51:16]
D
I'm motivated.
- [51:20]
A
All right, what else you got, Mike?
- [51:21]
B
So, just to follow up on the poll question from last week, it was on the heels of the Project Red Eye, the players kind of talking about. Sorry, what Project Red Eye, Red Eye, the players, you know, kind of floating, boycotting and, you know, having different opinions of that.
- [51:34]
A
And.
- [51:34]
B
And we had kind of raised the question in the surf newsroom, like, isn't this the point of the tours? And so we had asked the poll question, should the ATP and WTA Tours back the players in their fight for more prize money from the Slams?
- [51:46]
A
And.
- [51:46]
B
And we put it out on socials. You know, we had a good response. Over 4,500 people responded. And we had. 88% said, yes, they exist to help the players. 12% said, no, focus on your own tournaments. Obviously, the comments section was. Was pretty lit, including one Riley Opalca.
- [52:05]
A
He likes to jump into the comments.
- [52:06]
B
He's jumped into a few of our comments. Yeah. And he said, we're now two steps into Larry Scott master plan. Write a letter, nobody respond to, then threaten something everyone knows won't happen. What's he got next? No press conference during rg. That will for sure work. We have obviously. I then obviously invited Riley on to talk about it because I agree, like, what is the. There's two steps to this.
- [52:29]
A
There's a, there's a couple things here. One, so I like Riley. Like when I'm with Riley, I like Riley what I want because he's like, whenever we come ATP or like he's complaining about two steps into the Larry Scott process. But he's signed on to things that have done nothing for five years before. Right. Like, you know, so there's. I want Riley to come on. I think he's a really interesting voice in tennis. I told you to respond to him. And then he just, he just, he kind of comments and then ghosts you.
- [53:00]
C
Right.
- [53:01]
B
Well, I mean, this morning I wrote back because this was all in the past couple of days. I just wrote back. Would be great to have you on.
- [53:06]
A
Yeah.
- [53:07]
B
For a conversation. Open invite to the show DME and we can schedule. I haven't heard back from him yet, but he's responded to other people in that thread, but not me.
- [53:16]
A
He just didn't see it.
- [53:17]
B
He hasn't seen it.
- [53:18]
A
I like Riley. He's big opinions. He normally has a great reason for his opinions. I just would like it if we didn't just do the comment and ghost.
- [53:28]
B
Yeah.
- [53:29]
A
Is all the poll question, but go ahead, jw.
- [53:33]
C
No, no, keep, keep going because I think we're going to the same place.
- [53:36]
A
Well, the, the poll question is like, okay, so do you think the ATP and WT Tour should back the players? Okay, I got a couple of questions. One, what is backing the players mean in that scenario? And two, isn't that like saying, do you. We think that we would be healthier if we ate more vegetables? Like. Well, yeah. I mean, they should do what they, what they can. They also have to run their own thing. So what does that look like? Are you, are we saying that the ATP and WTA should create a player administration? They represent the tournament side and the player side. That's the problem with the entire basis. In order for them to represent the players, they would have to flip the entire script on how they were built as a contract.
- [54:16]
B
It was just about the Slams. Right. Independently run.
- [54:19]
A
Like a vague question though, like, should they back them? Yeah. What does that mean? Fuck if I know. Like, I don't know. Well, I know.
- [54:27]
B
I think it's fine. It's helping them find solutions. Right. Like if you have a larger body that's going to go out and, and do something, but maybe, maybe it's making it so the Slams aren't worth any points or you can create other, other tournaments that are worth more points.
- [54:40]
A
You can't simultaneously Represent everyone in tennis and do, and do your job. I think that they, you know, if their supports. Listen, here's my thing. Can the ATP go, yeah, we're going to represent the players. And also, we've never shortened the season.
- [54:55]
B
Yeah, they have started.
- [54:56]
A
Like, I'd rather, I'd rather, I'd rather have the players do whatever they're doing. I'd rather have the players forming their own thing and creating their own conversations and actually like unifying organically as opposed to someone just saying, like, we represent you. Like, I think unifying organically is, is, is great. And also I'd rather have the ATP fix the backyard and fix some of the issues, which, by the way, like, they're the catch all for people who are just pissed about anything, right? There's like, well, the tours. I'm like, yeah, but what does that mean? Like, how does that actually, how does that actually work? So, yeah, they should back the players. And what does that mean?
- [55:32]
C
Wow. And let's not. Also, the, the majors pay like 4x. Like if you're, if you're a major, aren't you saying like, all right, you, you guys, you, you guys pay these guys more money. All right, Indian Wells, you, ATP, you take. So let me, let me, let me twist this like 10 degrees. So first of all, just, just as a sidebar.
- [55:49]
A
Again, they, again, just, just before we get on with that, your point? You guys pay them more. More and a percentage of revenue. So the Slams will always pay more on a volume basis because they make way more money. The ATP pays a higher share of, of percentage of revenue. Sorry, go.
- [56:09]
C
Right. Because the advance. No, that's a good point. Okay, so this kind of dovetails to my question, which is we all seem to be, of. Two of, you know, we all seem to be agree on two points, right? One of them is the players need more money. The players need a bigger slice of gross revenue. The players need more empowerment. Great. I mean, do bear in mind, just as a quick sidebar, the latest Larry Scott boycott that we're referring to has nothing to do with the ptpa, which is the group that has this, this gazillion dollar cartel suit in federal court. So let's just be clear, this is not a PTPA endeavor. But anyway, we all agree that the player should get more money. Most of us, anyway, we all agree the player should have a louder voice. We also all agree that a boycott is pretty fanciful and for all sorts of reasons. It's probably never going to happen. It just, the incentives aren't There, what can be done short of a boycott, but also short of kicking the can down the road, as the Slams have all done? How do we get the players more money? Is there no creative solution here where players get more money, but we get this boycott off the table? Because we all know that's never going to happen.
- [57:12]
A
Okay, so it's a case by case basis, depending on the tournament, right? So Roland Paris added a 15th day. They just fucking did it, however long ago. So I don't know, let's cut off that day. If we're players, we won't boycott the whole tournament. But you're going to lose one day of revenue on a weekend. How's that for a start, Right? Let's go back to 14 days or we're not doing it. Let's just kind of take a Look. You took 0.7% off of our total revenue, which, by the way, was idiocy from, from that tournament, by the way. It's like, okay, we're going to announce a prize money raise, but your, your, your total percentage of prize money, that was just a fuck you to the players, by the way. Just, just free and clear. You could have just kept it the same and you wouldn't have had, I think this entire. I think you put gas. I, I think you put gasoline on a fire by dropping the total percentage of revenue with this latest announcement. I don't understand the strategy there, beyond arrogance. Listen, if the Open. The Open's fantastic. They're doing a billion dollar renovation. A lot of it is for corporate sponsorships.
- [58:21]
B
The U.S. open.
- [58:21]
A
Yes. And I have great relationships there. And it's going okay. We're going to do, you know, a billion dollar makeover of which a lot of it brings the corporate side closer to the event and the players services area for further away. I don't think that's coincidental. Right? So, like, I don't know. I, Maybe the US Open is a leader. I would love it if they were. Let's just start with something, right? What the, what they're asking for is to match the ATP revenue take on a percentage basis by 2030 or 2030.
- [58:51]
B
Not even overnight.
- [58:52]
A
It's like, yeah, no, it's graduated. It's not graduated. What they're asking for isn't, isn't insane. The part with the boycott is like, listen, we've been having the same conversation for 25 years. I said in 2007, the only way it's ever going to change is a boycott. Am I wrong?
- [59:08]
C
Well, what I, what I'm asking You. Are there not, are there not levers the players have. I'm just making something.
- [59:14]
A
If I'm going into Match Interview. How much, how, how much did, how much did they make us open on the new initiative with mixed doubles last year?
- [59:21]
C
A lot.
- [59:22]
A
Two days of revenue.
- [59:23]
C
Big great.
- [59:23]
A
We're not, we're not doing that. We don't have to boycott the US Open. We're not doing that. We're not doing, we're not doing Sunday before Paris. We're not doing that. All these things that you've wanted us to lean into to support your revenue, we need a guaranteed promise of sharing in that. When we're, when we're adding time. Simple.
- [59:42]
C
Keep going. Because there are other levers here, right? Those are two good ones.
- [59:45]
A
Give me more.
- [59:46]
C
I'm not going to pose for the photo shoot that gets me on the bus in every subway in New York City. I'm not going to do. I'm not going to the desk. This is. ESPN's paying you, whatever it is, $120 million. That's revenue. That's going to you. I'm not going to sit there and do a post match. I mean, my point is boycott talk. It's great if you could get everyone aligned. It's never going to happen. The majors know it. The flip side is the players should get more revenue. I wish there were a more constructive discussion about what creatively the players can lean on to get what they want without throwing around this boycott that we all know is never gonna happen.
- [60:20]
A
I'll tell you this. The Slam that leads with something first is gonna get a lot of love for the player from the players. Right? It's not going to be Paris. They've made that clear. They dropped the total percentage revenue. Wimbledon is its own thing. It's a club. It's a completely separate, you know, I don't know. It's an institution at this point. I hope it's the US Open. I hope it can happen. I hope it can happen. And I think just take like, what's the end goal? I go, I don't know. Let's go. Let's make the next right decision and then let's go from there. Instead of boiling the ocean and instead of getting this all negotiated, let's take the next step, even if it's a little. And then let's, let's, then let's act in good faith, right? We showed up. We're going to show up for mixed doubles. Great. Let's do something. And I think they're the. I Mean, and I have belief in the leadership there. So we'll see what happens. What else? What do we got this week? It's friend. I mean, we're coming out of French.
- [61:22]
B
I think what's going on? Didn't mean to get you guys so fired up. It's the end of the show.
- [61:26]
A
What else do we have? What are we doing?
- [61:30]
B
We have a draw.
- [61:30]
A
Show.
- [61:31]
C
Draw.
- [61:32]
A
Let's go.
- [61:33]
B
Let's go. This Thursday, we got the draw coming out. We'll. We'll get in the chairs. We will do our draw show.
- [61:38]
A
I got to Ric Flair, you.
- [61:40]
C
Woo.
- [61:40]
B
And. And the nice part is, Andy, you get to look at the brackets now.
- [61:43]
A
I can.
- [61:44]
B
You get to look at the brackets now before we go on. Because we have our scoring system. I know that rewards upsets. It rewards early matches, you know, And. And that's what we want to do.
- [61:53]
C
We.
- [61:54]
B
We're here. We're here for every round being important. That's what we're here for.
- [61:57]
A
By we, you mean I. Yeah.
- [61:59]
B
Yes.
- [61:59]
A
Okay. I was just saying, like, I felt like you were speaking for me there.
- [62:03]
C
Go to Serv Podcast center with an
- [62:04]
B
sir podcast.com click on bracket. You can sign up there. You can play against Andy, JW Kim Blair. You can play against the serve team. You can play against thousands of other people across the globe.
- [62:16]
A
Yeah.
- [62:16]
B
For the ultimate prize, a served hat. And you'll sign it.
- [62:24]
A
What a great prize, Mike.
- [62:26]
B
Yeah. That's fantastic. Great.
- [62:28]
C
To the Marta Kostiak backflip. Mike Hayden. Got to figure into this at some level, clearly. Tell me where to Venmo. Where. Where do I Venmo? The money for the trampoline. Just give me the address right now.
- [62:39]
A
That would be a whole. I could do 45 minutes. On what? How do we actually structure the bike?
- [62:42]
B
We have one at the house already. We don't have to worry about it.
- [62:44]
A
That is true.
- [62:45]
B
We're ready to go. I'm going to start training now.
- [62:46]
A
All right, Thursday it is. Q and Andy. What do we. What do we got? What do we do? We have something this week. Renner Kanish is confirmed.
- [62:55]
B
We got the French.
- [62:56]
A
Yeah. Like one of the best players at his family reunion. Yeah. You know, with Vash.
- [63:02]
B
That's absurd.
- [63:03]
A
That's exciting. You know, it's a. It's a different. That's a different thing, him being ranked as high as he is kind of going into Paris this year. That'll be fun. And I think he's going to give us some tips on how to navigate Paris. Is that correct?
- [63:14]
B
Yeah. Insider's view of Paris.
- [63:18]
A
I could listen to that for days.
- [63:19]
B
Oh my gosh.
- [63:21]
A
Thank you all for watching served. We appreciate you. We're going to see a lot of you over the next couple weeks. We hope you see a lot of us. We'll see you. 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. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone. Paying Big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month.
- [64:07]
C
Of course, if you enjoy overpaying.
- [64:09]
A
No judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment anyway. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full terms@mintmobile.com.