2026 WIMBLEDON WOMEN'S FINAL RECAP: Nosková's Wild Comeback, Sinner vs Zverev Preview & More

Summary

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2026 Wimbledon Women’s Final Recap: Nosková’s Wild Comeback, Sinner vs. Zverev Preview & More

Podcast: Served with Andy Roddick (Served Media Network)
Date: July 12, 2026
Panel: Chris McKendry, Mardy Fish, Mina Kimes

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the dramatic women's final at Wimbledon 2026, highlighting Linda Nosková’s roller-coaster victory and what her win means for Czech tennis. The panel reflects on the emotional and mental dynamics of the match, explores the broader context of Czech women’s tennis success, and examines the runner-up Karolína Muchová's resilience. The final segment previews the men’s final between Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, unpacking tactical nuances and psychological factors at play.

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Main Topics & Key Insights

1. Linda Nosková’s Wild Wimbledon Comeback

[00:42]

• Unexpected Drama: What began as a seemingly straightforward final transformed into a test of nerves and resilience.
• Nosková’s Collapse and Resurrection: Nosková was up 5-2 in the second set and held five match points, only to squander them and lose her lead. She went nearly 50 minutes without winning a game ([01:18]), demonstrating a clear struggle with nerves, not technical breakdowns:

  “She went almost 50 minutes without winning a game in the middle of that. ... She had this lapse...this was just flat on nerves.” (Mardy Fish, [01:18])

• Mental Strength: The panel lauds Nosková's ability to pull herself together after a mental low point, referencing her strategy of leaving the court to gather herself and get inspiration from looking at the trophy ([03:14]).

  “The reset that she was able to perform, I thought was so impressive. And she's a Wimbledon champion.” (Mardy Fish, [01:22])

2. Karolína Muchová’s Resilience & The Human Side

[02:38]

• Sympathy for Muchová: All panelists express empathy, fearing a “career-type hangover” given how close she was to victory.
• Blend of Drama & Humanity: This match is credited for its human drama, which will likely be retold as part of Wimbledon lore:

  “It became so human, so on the edge, so dramatic that...now it's gonna be one of those things in Wimbledon lore.” (Chris McKendry, [04:21])

• Player Speeches: Both finalists’ speeches are highlighted for being touching and authentic ([07:08]).

3. Czech Tennis Legacy & Context

[08:10]

• Historical Echoes: The panel draws parallels to Czech tennis legends — particularly Jana Novotná's heartbreak and redemption at Wimbledon and the influence of Martina Navratilova ([07:10], [08:10]).
• Personal Layer: Nosková getting emotional about her late mother in her victory speech adds depth to her triumph ([06:29]).
• Nation’s Feat: The Czech Republic's outsized influence in women’s tennis, now tied for the 5th most women's singles slams (with Belgium), is dissected, especially considering their small population and lack of a home major ([09:27]):

  “They now have 11 women's single slams for the Czech Republic...If you were to add Martina [Navratilova], they would have the fourth most slams of any country ever...” (Mina Kimes, [09:27])

4. Czech v Italian Development Models

[10:30]

• Infrastructure Differences: A comparison between Italian and Czech tennis development strategies highlights the Czech focus on club culture, athleticism, and indoor adaptation due to weather ([11:16]-[12:43]).
• Imitation as Flattery: The Czech model’s effectiveness has prompted other nations, like the French Federation, to study it ([12:08]).

5. The Runner-Up Speech Tradition

[13:04]

• Debate: The panel discusses tennis’s unique tradition of runner-up speeches — questioning whether players should be required or allowed to opt-out ([13:04]–[16:28]).
• Emphasis on Storytelling:

  “I've never turned the channel when someone's giving a runner-up speech. I never have.” (Chris McKendry, [14:19])
  “Tennis is allowed to do things that no other sport does, and that’s okay.” (Mardy Fish, [14:41])

6. 2026 Wimbledon Men’s Final Preview: Sinner vs. Zverev

[16:31]

• Lopsided Head-to-Head: Sinner has dominated Zverev; 14 consecutive sets and hasn't lost to him in nearly three years ([16:40]–[18:03]).

  “Sinner plays the way he did [against] Novak...another four, four and four special.” (Chris McKendry, [17:29])

• Tactical X’s and O’s:
  • Sinner stands notably deeper on Zverev’s first serve, which has worked on slower surfaces but may be problematic on grass ([18:10]–[21:36]).
  • Zverev’s serve holding rate drops dramatically against Sinner — just ~70% vs. ~95% in his other matches ([18:10], [27:15]).

  “If you’re Zverev...this is a different game. This surface, while it’s not your favorite, is actually good for you tomorrow.” (Chris McKendry, [19:11])

• Psychological Angle:
  • Zverev coming in as a first-time major winner could unburden him ([24:12]–[25:18]).
  • If Sinner loses, he may end the year without a major, raising pressure ([26:35]).
• Anticipated Chess Match:

  “The first one and the biggest one...Sinner simply breaks this guy all the time and no one else does all the time. ... How does that kind of translate on this surface?” (Chris McKendry, [27:44])

7. Record Number of Three-Setters

[28:44]

• Stat of the Day: The women’s draw had its 52nd three-set match — an all-time Grand Slam record ([28:44]–[29:17]).

  “There are 127 matches in a draw...40% of the matches are going three sets.” (Mardy Fish, [29:17])

• Grass Parity & Depth: The panel speculates on causes — from field parity to grass quirks ([29:25]–[29:32]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Nosková’s Nerves and Resilience:

  “At one point, she put her fingers in her ears. … For her to come back on the court and give herself a 4-1 lead, I thought that was so impressive.”
  (Mardy Fish, [01:15]–[03:14])

• Empathy for Muchová:

  “You don’t want to see a young player have to battle those demons.”
  (Chris McKendry, [04:21])

• Czech Tennis’s Big Impact:

  “For the population of the Czech Republic and sort of the climate, it’s really an extraordinary tennis story, how over-indexed they are.”
  (Mardy Fish, [12:43])

• Runner-Up Speech Ritual:

  “I’ve like never turned the channel when someone’s giving a runner up speech.”
  (Chris McKendry, [14:19])

• On Sinner vs. Zverev Tactics:

  “If I’m Zverev, I’m going, this is a different game....The surface, while it’s not your favorite, is actually good for you tomorrow.”
  (Chris McKendry, [19:11])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Nosková’s mental collapse and recovery: [01:00]–[03:14]
• Czech tennis context, tributes to legends: [06:29]–[09:27]
• Discussion on runner-up speeches: [13:04]–[16:28]
• Men’s final preview (Sinner vs. Zverev): [16:31]–[27:44]
• Three-setter record & women’s field depth: [28:44]–[29:32]

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Closing Notes

The panel signs off reflecting on the home-away-from-home feeling at Wimbledon and teases a recap episode after the men’s final.

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This summary captures the heart and technical detail of the conversation, making it accessible for listeners and readers who missed the raw episode.

Transcript

[Chris McKendry]

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[Mardy Fish]

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[Chris McKendry]

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[Mina Kimes]

Hey, everyone.

[Chris McKendry]

Welcome to Sir. Brought to you by ServiceNow. We have a champion. JW Lynon Noscoba.

[Mardy Fish]

We have a worthy champion.

[Chris McKendry]

Man, that was.

[Mardy Fish]

That was an interesting match.

[Chris McKendry]

That was a. It was going to be, you know, the conversation was, man, this is another short women's final.

[Mina Kimes]

We're.

[Chris McKendry]

They're going to have to fill some air to.

[Mardy Fish]

Yeah, Someone said, oh, well, great, it's 00. And then two and two. And usually we don't root. We root for good tennis. We root for sportsmanship and stories. I gotta say, there was something inside of me that says, it's your first time playing in a major. You have five match points. You let them go. I don't know if you saw her at the changeovers. At one point, she put her fingers in her ears. It looked like my mom when my brother and I were fighting in the backseat. And. And then she had her head in a towel. She left the court and you said, oh, gosh, this is going to be crushing to this poor woman who is a point away from winning Wimbledon. The reset that she was able to perform, I thought was so impressive. And she's a Wimbledon champion is Linda Noskova. That was a real. I'll give you a few things about this match and then jump in this man. I don't know, Sean, you have the time handy. It was like 220, I'll say, right? Something like that. She went almost 50 minutes without winning a game in the middle of that. So you're up five, two, and you're suddenly like an almost an hour elapses before the numbers change on the scoreboard. But she showed off what we've been talking about all week, right? She's athletic. She can play at the net. I mean, she has a really sort of nifty game, I would say. You said this. She looks like she transitions so smoothly when she comes in. She served Pretty well. And she had this lapse. I don't want to say. No, we're talking about yips. I mean, this was just, she was flat on nerves. This was just flat on nerves.

[Chris McKendry]

It's fine, listen.

[Mardy Fish]

Exactly.

[Chris McKendry]

I've had them all the time. Everyone has them.

[Mina Kimes]

It's just.

[Chris McKendry]

That's fine.

[Mardy Fish]

And I really like Buhava. I was rooting, actively rooting for her, because I just think it could be so devastating to a young career to come within a point. You don't be knowing if you lose love and love you can say, just wasn't my day. Reset. This is much different when the finish line is right there and you double fault or you hit the.

[Chris McKendry]

I mean, it's within a point, but it's also, it's a big point, the lead up to the point.

[Mardy Fish]

Right.

[Chris McKendry]

It's not as if you had a break point on at 5, 6, 30, 40, you know, where it's like someone hits an ace. I mean, this was like 5, 2,

[Mardy Fish]

5, 2, double faulting. You've had a couple, you've had a surf. I mean, the way she was able to, whatever she did, whatever she told herself, I think ESPN said she went when she left the court and actually went and looked at the trophy for inspiration. That's your, your network's reporting, which is a nice bit of, It's a nice detail. But, you know, she was sitting there with her with her head in the towel. And I'm saying, oh, God, this is such a tell. Imagine you're the opponent and you're seeing the person you're playing covering their head at a 65 changeover. For her to come back on the court and give herself a 41 lead, I thought that was so impressive. And, um, we have two checks in the final. We have one check winning. And I think this was really a mental strength clinic today, along with some pretty entertaining grass course tennis.

[Chris McKendry]

Yeah, it was. I think what, like my emotion was because I'm, I'm a massive Mukhova fan. I love watching her play. Like she can do stuff that I, you know, could never do on a court. Like, it's back to front and she's just very pleasing to watch.

[Mina Kimes]

Right.

[Chris McKendry]

I thought she gave a great speech at the end. I thought she was like kind of, she opened with humor and then kind of got serious. I, I liked that. The thing where I was watching in the, you know, end of the second, beginning of the third was, oh, God, this, it, this could be like a career type hangover. And you don't want to see a young player have to like battle those demons and then you never know how it shakes out. Like you really, you really don't. So listen, it went from kind of great final for Naskova, but kind of a meh final for like a viewing audience to oh, this is like, it became so human, so on the edge, so dramatic that, that, that it brought us in where you know, now it's gonna be one of those things in Wimbledon lore where it's like, gosh, remember when no school was up 6252 like championship points, blew it and then won. Like it's going to be part of the story now.

[Mardy Fish]

I thought this was a great day for the tennis scoring system, right. There's no clock to run out, there's no stalling. We were talking about. There's no judge who likes the sequins in your costume. But the flip side is it gives you a chance to reset in the third set. My mind. We were talking about this in Tennis Channel. Someone mentioned Guillermo Coria. We're turning back the clock. But that's a contemporary of yours who not only did he have a match point to win a major, but he really for injuries too. I'm sure there are other circumstances, but never really recovered from that. That sort of became a capstone of his career. Never got close to another major.

[Chris McKendry]

Got the yips on his serve.

[Mardy Fish]

Got the yips on his serve and had trouble sort of winning anything, didn't he?

[Chris McKendry]

I hope I'm right on this.

[Mardy Fish]

Playing a countryman.

[Chris McKendry]

Didn't he like rip a back end line and miss it? By like.

[Mardy Fish]

Yeah, I mean they did like a nothing burger. The epitaph on his career is as far apart as my hands are playing a countryman in a final, which I mean heavy favorite. Heavy favorite. But no, I thought this actually ended up. I thought both players, I was really touched by both speeches and Nice day. You know, it's one of these dead, you know, 10 tennis does things to your soul sometimes. And this, this will not go down as one of the great all time classic matches. But I thought it was actually a very nice day for the sport.

[Chris McKendry]

Backstory. Noskova gives her speech. The part where she breaks is when she's thinking of her mother who had battled. Battled cancer. You know, I guess it was I. And if I get parts of this, give me grace here we're all learning to go but off and on and then passed before Wimbledon two years ago. So layer that in on top of everything, the timing, the place, you know, maybe just association of Your own geography. When a tragic life moment happens and then, you know, these are all humans, these are all people that are dealing with, man, you forget that.

[Mardy Fish]

Right, like athletes too, right?

[Chris McKendry]

Yes. Yeah, absolutely. But, you know, a name that we mentioned, like the. The Czech greats. And it was strange because when NASA was trying to win, it kind of had visions of Novatna. Rest in peace, Jana Nirvana, the great champion who won in 98. But in 94 there was a bit of a lead and then let going of a lead. She cr. She famously cried on the shoulder. I mean, so I'm just going through Czech women at this tournament and it's like, you know, obviously it all starts and ends with. With Martina Navratilova, like right. Trailblazed. Everything is the hero for all people. I was touched at how touched she was when. When Naskova was giving. Was giving her speech. I thought it was. I thought that was a beautiful. And imagine coming off the court Noskova and then one of the first hugs you get is from Martina Navratilova. Like let's. Let's combine Michael Jordan and Messi all into one person from your country. And that's who is greeting you and welcoming you to that. That sisterhood of champions. I thought that was fantastic. But I did want to spend a second on Yana Navatna. She had an outsized impact on. On Babor. Kova was. Her coach, was just an absolute, you know, hero of Wimbledon to kind of had let it slip and get that other chance and then beat to. In the. In the 98 final. I didn't mention her. We mentioned Czech players and I wanted to correct that because she was. I. I loved watching her play. Serving volley like old school.

[Mardy Fish]

Beautiful player to watch.

[Chris McKendry]

Beautiful player to watch. And overcame kind of a tragic moment at. At Wimbledon to. To win and then also not with us. But I know a lot of the Czech players mention her as. As an inspiration. So I was remiss not to mention Yana Novotna obviously then. And then who was there today.

[Mardy Fish]

I mean, that was the other nice thing today.

[Chris McKendry]

Now, I mean, it's. It's quite the list coming. Like it's really amazing for a small country. Yeah.

[Mardy Fish]

In central Europe that had been under communist rule.

[Chris McKendry]

Yeah,

[Mina Kimes]

yeah, yeah. So I just wanted to say something.

[Chris McKendry]

What were you saying?

[Mardy Fish]

Yeah.

[Chris McKendry]

Oh, sorry.

[Mina Kimes]

I just. Just on the, on the Czech players. I looked this up afterwards. Right. And they are now. They now have 11 women's single slams for the Czech Republic. Right. And I think that puts them in. In fifth with tied with Belgium. But if you were to add Martina, who all of her slams are technically under the American banner, if you were to add her, they would have the fourth most slams of any country ever, behind America, Australia and Great Britain. So I think that's pretty cool for a small country.

[Mardy Fish]

That's good. That doesn't host a major.

[Chris McKendry]

That's good research. Look at that. Eat your heart out. ESPN data. Really good. Producer Mike and his Google. Look at that. Google or Yahoo. I don't know what your search engine is, but I know that's probably where.

[Mardy Fish]

Lightgoes.com. no, that's good. That's good, though. I mean, keep in mind, too, when you host a major, it's a completely different equation. There's more money coming in, there's more infrastructure. So good day for the Czech.

[Chris McKendry]

So there's a ton of conversation, and I hope this moment for Czech women turns into this narrative. All we talk about is Italian infrastructure, this thing. And the Italian champions are coming, and they've built out this whole thing. Like you covered it. You did a piece on it. Explain quickly because, you know, let's not assume that everyone's watched everything, but you spent time there. You did it a little bit yesterday. But explain kind of the general infrastructure and strategy and why we're kind of seeing this. This run of. Of champions who, by the way, aren't like number one in the world. They just are clutch and win big

[Mardy Fish]

tournaments, like, I mean, on a variety of surfaces. Yeah, it's much different for me. I mean, Italy has their own strategy, which is basically bottom up.

[Chris McKendry]

We're gonna have a million.

[Mardy Fish]

We have clubs, we're gonna have a whole bunch of little events. You could have a top 50 ranking in Italy without leaving the country. And you don't have to pay for travel and your coaches can come. This is a little bit different. Where it's much more. Seems much more oriented toward the clubs. I think being a small country is a blessing in a lot of ways that you don't have to. You mentioned this somewhere. One of the.

[Chris McKendry]

It was one of our corporate talks.

[Mardy Fish]

Oh, right, right, right, right, right. Where you don't have to move from. You don't have to fly from Seattle to Orlando. And there is a real. I mean, again, I think the players. Players emulate who they see. So Yana Nirvana, you mentioned this is an attacking player who has a serving volley game and comes to the net. Well, Barbara Krajikova, for example, really nice volleys. Martina as the Grand Dom. I also just think that there is an emphasis on athleticism and training and not just hitting ball after ball after ball. And so I think you had a good point that the weather pushes you indoors. What happens in indoors, you learn how to play on faster surfaces. But it's really an extra. I was just reading Ivan Lubacic, who works with the French Federation, now going to the Czech Republic to study how are they doing this? How are they pumping this out? So other people are imitating, which is a source of flattery. But no, it's really for the population of the Czech Republic and sort of the, the climate. It's really an extraordinary tennis story, how over indexed they are.

[Chris McKendry]

I'm hoping that, that, I mean, it has to. You have enough, enough success from one place. People are going, what's, what's going on?

[Mardy Fish]

Yeah. What are they doing?

[Chris McKendry]

Right. Yeah. So anyways, all the credit in the world. Moohova fought against Coco, saved the match point, fought today. So props to her. I know, I know what you're feeling. I know what it's like to be in that position. But you did yourself very proud.

[Mardy Fish]

Like you want to. Can I set you up for a quick hot take? I. And I also thought, Sure. I really thought her impromptu speech after a terribly disappointing day was right. Are you okay with these speeches on the court? There seems to be a lot of chatter about those. And why do we make. No other sport makes the people that don't win the trophy stand up there? And I kind of like, I've been

[Chris McKendry]

against it publicly before. And also like someone made a good point. They're like, well, yeah, but that's what makes tennis unique. And I'm going, okay, that's a great point. Like, I don't know that I have a fully baked opinion of it. My wife is like, why do you make them do this? And then, I don't know. It is unique. Like, I, I guess now I'm, I'm, I'm kind of always looking for ways to tell the story, how tennis is totally differentiated from other sports.

[Mina Kimes]

Right.

[Chris McKendry]

And this is a small thing and it may not be that important and it may not, you know, add enough to the story to kind of put someone out there who, you know, they're. The last thing they want to do on earth is have to talk in front of people at that moment and talk about, you know, their feelings and, you know, all that. But I've like never turned the channel when someone's giving a runner up speech. Like I never have.

[Mardy Fish]

Right.

[Chris McKendry]

You know, move about what. Like, I, I'm more attached to her journey now because she did it, you know, So I don't like that they have to do it. I don't.

[Mina Kimes]

It's.

[Chris McKendry]

Sometimes it's brutal. And when the right note is hit, I think it really lands and kind of. I don't know, it encourages fandom of. Of said person.

[Mardy Fish]

We were watching this in the Tennis Channel studio, and a colleague. I won't name it. Who. You know, someone covers the sport. Yes. I didn't know she was that funny. And they show the coach. Oh, that must be the. The hitting partner. You sort of get a sense of the player. I. I get it. I think you're right, too. Tennis is allowed to do things that no other sport does, and that. That's okay. Just because no one else does, it doesn't mean we need to forbid it. But I actually thought, should there be an option. Oh, that's interesting.

[Chris McKendry]

Like, Muhava probably would have wanted to congratulate Noskova publicly. I don't know that when in my worst moments, that I would have not wanted to say, congratulations, well done. Thank you. My deepest appreciations for these two. Like, I don't know that I would have, but I don't know, should there be an option?

[Mardy Fish]

That's interesting. Yeah. I mean, it's easy to see.

[Chris McKendry]

Oh.

[Mardy Fish]

Whether it was loser. Seven straight runners up spoke, and you were the eighth and did. But. Yeah, that's.

[Mina Kimes]

That's.

[Mardy Fish]

I like that.

[Chris McKendry]

I guess so.

[Mardy Fish]

No, but I like giving the player some autonomy. I don't know. That's a good. All right.

[Chris McKendry]

They could easily go in and say, hey, listen, I just couldn't.

[Mardy Fish]

I just couldn't do it. Right. Exactly. It was so gutting.

[Chris McKendry]

Doesn't mean you're not going to press like every other sport. You still got to go to press.

[Mina Kimes]

You still.

[Chris McKendry]

But you get an hour and you get a shower.

[Mardy Fish]

I just. The words. Yeah. I'm so gutted. Nothing's coming to me. I'll take an hour, cool off and go to the media.

[Chris McKendry]

Yeah. It doesn't mean that you can skip out on the pictures and the whole thing, but it's just, you know, I don't know. I. I don't know. Ongoing. But I. I used to be pretty. Like, there are moments where I've been really, really, really against it. And I don't know. I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way, but I can see how it's valuable for the person, and I can see how it's valuable for the sport. So, you know, and I feel like someone should be able to make that choice for themselves if they don't want to do it. I don't know.

[Mardy Fish]

That's good. Is that crazy? We solved it. Sold. Next.

[Chris McKendry]

Good men. There's a men's final.

[Mardy Fish]

I heard tomorrow.

[Chris McKendry]

Who's playing early? Early thoughts.

[Mardy Fish]

The head to head record and especially the momentum does not favor the second seed. Then that's very. Let's be clear. We're talking about Yannick Sinner playing Zverev, the first seed and the second seed. I think we're up to 14 straight sets that Sinner has won. It's been three years almost since Zverev has defeated the person he's obligated to try and defeat tomorrow. And yet Zverev is three sets away from pulling. We should call it the Eurostar double now used to be the channel double. Zverev's played really well and Zverev did not have much of a track record on grass. And you know what? I think you could make a case he has solved the grass riddle. And I think it's. I haven't seen the odds. I mean I think Sinner is going to be your favorite. If center can serve the way he did against Novak and dial in the ground stroke.

[Chris McKendry]

Center plays the way he did Novak,

[Mardy Fish]

center plays the way he gets Novak. This is, you know, another four, four and four special. But I think it could be interesting and I think that Zverev has really been pretty impressive coming off that and I don't know, does winning. Maybe we're reading too much into this, but maybe finally he's won his major and it is completely unburdened him. And now the spigot is tapped and he's ready to put another one on the board. But yeah, I wouldn't want to go into a major final against a player I hadn't beaten in three years who I've gone 14 set. And some, I mean even some of these sets are a lot of beat

[Chris McKendry]

him 1 and 2. 0 and 1 at the end of last year. Yeah, 0 and 1.

[Mardy Fish]

Yeah.

[Mina Kimes]

All right.

[Chris McKendry]

You ready for some candy?

[Mardy Fish]

Go for it.

[Mina Kimes]

All right.

[Chris McKendry]

Sinner has held like 65 straight times against Zver. Zverev's hold rate against Sinner over the course of these nine matches or somewhere around there is about 70%. The rest, for instance, Wimbledon this year is 95%. That's a massive difference. And if I'm coaching Zverev, you want to know what I'm telling him? Sinner's average return point, right, is way deeper in the court on Zverev's. First serve than where he plays against everyone else. So that is a strategy where he's given himself more time on clay and then is like, I can find my way back to neutral after that ball. I don't think that works on grass. I don't think you can stand 7, 8, 9ft behind the baseline to return Zverev's first serve on grass. Zverev has a big serve, he has a very accurate serve, but it's not like for as big as it is, it's not one that you hit a ton of aces on.

[Mina Kimes]

Right.

[Chris McKendry]

So on a court that doesn't give you love, you know, sliding through the court, I get where Sinner can drop back. I don't know that he's going to be able to drop back on that first serve and have it work as much as it has in the past. So if I'm Zverev, I'm going, this is a different game. This surface, while it, it's not your favorite, is actually good for you tomorrow, like it is good for you. Obviously the patterns that he can find on slower surfaces, clay, Indian Wells, etc, etc aren't great for you.

[Mardy Fish]

Right.

[Chris McKendry]

Those, a lot of those patterns in the sequencing and the volume of those patterns won't be available on grass especially. It's baked out, it is hot, it is brown, it is going through. So I would kind of start there and I would say, listen, you're going to get more love on your returns. It's going to get through the court. You know, if you firm up a return, he's not going to be able to jump on you on that first ball. I don't know if I believe it, but that's what I'd be telling him.

[Mardy Fish]

Right. So where. So I got a little confused who you were talking about. So. So if you're Zverev, you're positioning yourself where.

[Chris McKendry]

Sorry, excuse me, sinners. Return position against Zverev serve.

[Mardy Fish]

Okay. Okay.

[Chris McKendry]

Is significantly further back than against other players. So he has found that when he drops back on Zverev's first serve, he can find.

[Mardy Fish]

Right. Get the bubble, work our way back.

[Chris McKendry]

Yeah, I can. I'm strong enough and long enough to actually fight that off. And then I, once I get to neutral, obviously. Pound forehand, create space. Pound forehand, create space dot pound forehand. It's not dissimilar to what he did to Novak. Zverev has a very good forehand when he has time. He has a very good forehand when he's kind of, you know, when the shot isn't firm and he's kind of gliding right. He can open up the shoulders pinned. So if center goes hard back in cross and he has to hit an inside out forehand, that has to have some loop on it. He does not rip that ball. So I would be telling him the patterns that have not worked for you and have worked against you against Yannick Sinner won't be as available to Yannick Sinner against you on this court on grass. Delete Madrid. We don't give a about Madrid. Delete. Whatever.

[Mardy Fish]

No, you're right. Anything that was slow, anything comparable, you look at their head to heads and they're. They're indoors, they're in altitude. You haven't had anything even removed.

[Chris McKendry]

No. I don't know. I definitely believe in the return thing. I think there's. I don't. I'm so curious. If Janik can back way up and return his first serve on grass, then.

[Mardy Fish]

Right.

[Chris McKendry]

More power to him. I know for a fact it's not as easy to back up and return a first serve on grass.

[Mardy Fish]

Right.

[Chris McKendry]

So that would be the thing that I'm harping on over and over and over again. You know, center, it's weird. You're looking at the serving stats and Zverev is obviously elevated, but Sinner's leading in aces. He's leading in a lot of, like, massive serve categories, and I think he's the favorite. And also I actually, for a given matchup in a given time, I think I can sell effectiveness to Zverev in. Even in the face of losing the last nine and a lot of them being really lopsided to. To center.

[Mardy Fish]

I like that.

[Chris McKendry]

I mean, I like you.

[Mardy Fish]

You go through those nine results. I mean, the score, some of those scores, brutal.

[Mina Kimes]

They're not close.

[Mardy Fish]

Yeah.

[Chris McKendry]

14 sets, 1 and 2, 0 and 1 were two of the match scores. Like that is. Yeah, that's like a 12. And I mean, and Sinner said, like, he's basically said the nicest version and the most appropriate version of I hate this matchup.

[Mardy Fish]

Right. Zverev said that?

[Chris McKendry]

Yeah.

[Mardy Fish]

Yeah. No, and I mean, again, one thing you got to give Zverev is he's a realist. I mean, there's not a lot of self delusion, at least when it comes to tennis. I do think a few things. One is, wasn't it a few nights ago or maybe a week ago that we said head to head favors Taylor Fritz and how do you feel to take the court against a guy you've lost to seven times in a row? You know, he's already proven to himself that these streaks can be broken. I do think.

[Chris McKendry]

I don't.

[Mardy Fish]

Do you remember when your match, like when you played Roger, when did your matches start? I don't think they started at 4 in the afternoon, did they? I mean, it's a little strange that we have a 4 o' clock start which.

[Chris McKendry]

Well, let's think about it. I mean, the Rafa Roger one was

[Mardy Fish]

darkness, but that had rain delays and did it.

[Chris McKendry]

I mean, I don't think it's four.

[Mardy Fish]

So I, So anyway, we're taking.

[Chris McKendry]

I mean, it's bad that my answer to this, when I don't often say this on the show, is I don't remember.

[Mardy Fish]

No, that's all right. Was. No, my point is a late afternoon sort of takes heat and humidity and climate.

[Chris McKendry]

The point. So we did a. We did a. Basically, I had the data heads at espn, I was talking about. They were talking about heat, heat, heat.

[Mardy Fish]

He.

[Chris McKendry]

Heat. And this is before center Djokovic, right. I was like, when is it fully covered? Like, can we go back? And so they went back to the previous day's telecast and we're able to match up like time of day and whatever. Yeah, it's completely covered by like 620. The court's completely. So they have like, by the time, if 4 o' clock is advertised, that means they're not actually hitting first ball till 4:15,420 coin flips. They got an hour and 40 minutes on grass. You run 30% less than you do on extreme surfaces. I don't think the heat is an issue.

[Mardy Fish]

No, that's my point. If you're, unfortunately, if you're in the Zverev camp, you can't say, let's make this a physical match and let's see if he wilts in the conditions. Not with a 4:00 clock start. But yeah, I don't know. I mean, I think some of this is X's and O's. I think some of this is. This is Zverev's first major as a major champ where he comes in swollen, imbued with the knowledge that he can win. He's done it. He knows he can win seven of these matches. He's proven it.

[Chris McKendry]

I mean, he also did say, I believed I could win Roland Garros when Sinner lost.

[Mardy Fish]

That's true. Yeah. I would hope he would say that. But yeah, I don't know. I mean, you again, not ideal to go into a final against a guy you've played a lot and haven't beaten in three years, but we'll see none of those loss. I mean, I was looking at the. It's hard to extrapolate too much onto grass. Those defeats I would choose.

[Chris McKendry]

I obviously, like, I would Sinner's the favorite. I would. If I. If I'm picking. I'm picking sinner. And I think I could look into Sasha's eyes and. And.

[Mardy Fish]

And give him a pep talk, give

[Chris McKendry]

him some nuggets of belief like that I actually, you know, wouldn't. You know, what that I would believe.

[Mardy Fish]

Right.

[Chris McKendry]

If this goes the right way, if you do this, he's not gonna be able to do this pattern. He's gonna have a harder time getting this look, you know, as in the past. So don't go in thinking you have to be perfect. Go in knowing that his go to looks that he's been bruising you on for three years are gonna be tougher to get. He still might get him sometimes. He still might drop back at a big point and, you know, read the return. Right. And be able to go back. But at scale, they're gonna be a lot harder to get consistently, especially with the way you're playing, especially with the way you're hitting the forehand, especially the way that you've been coming in, especially now that you've kind of, you know, deleted slam anxiety or at least gotten rid of it, you know, for a little bit. Can you think of a. Like, someone going into a slam final with less. I want to think about how to phrase this. With less nerves than they would have had like, the two months before. Right. Like, so just level seven. I think he's going in tomorrow. He's like rip city. And I think. I think most people. Most people, like, you know, you. You play with houses, money. No one ever feels that way when you have a Wimbledon title. And zvera feels that way as much as anyone in the last little while in a Wimbledon final, I think. I mean, I don't know.

[Mardy Fish]

Well, and then you could flip that. You could.

[Chris McKendry]

You could keep.

[Mardy Fish]

Keep going with that and say, you know, as dominant as sinner has been, if he does not win tomorrow, he will hold zero majors.

[Chris McKendry]

He could get shut out of the year.

[Mardy Fish]

Yeah, exactly. And I don't. You know, I mean, I don't know if you ask some questions of probe. Probe beforehand. I mean, yeah, it's easy to see this being an intriguing match.

[Chris McKendry]

I mean, I think Sarah's gonna hold. I mean, it's not gonna be a 70% hold rate.

[Mardy Fish]

Right.

[Chris McKendry]

Like, he's gonna hold Serve, you know, and if you can get it like the first thing is like let's get it to three all four, all five all. Let's make it a grind. In a situational situ. Situational matchup as opposed to 70. I mean when he gets. When Sinner's front running and he's not having to deal with heat.

[Mardy Fish]

It's brutal. I mean just 70% just to level set at this tournament he's 95%. Cumulatively the men. Yeah, right. Cumulatively the men are 80%. So 80, 80% is the baseline for 95% here for Zverev.

[Chris McKendry]

So when you put it this way, is Vera held 70 of the time against everyone else?

[Mardy Fish]

Yeah. He wouldn't be right.

[Chris McKendry]

He wouldn't be ranked right. He would, he wouldn't be exactly. He wouldn't be any. I mean he wouldn't be on tour.

[Mardy Fish]

Right.

[Chris McKendry]

So I don't know, I could make an argument. I think Sinner wins but you know, obviously we're going to see center. I'm curious to see what he does in first server turns, how much he adjusts, what's worked based on grass. That's going to be the first chess match I look for in the first three points that he plays on return. We know he's going to, you know, create space, open up the shoulders to Zveras for him over and over and over and over and over again. Is Vera gonna roll that one cross? Is he going to take some more chances line? Is he going to stress test going big off the back end middle and seeing if center tries to pull that one. You know there's a lot of miniature chess matches but the first one and the biggest one, the most obvious one is Sinner simply breaks this guy all the time and no one else does all the time. Where how does that kind of translate on this surface which is completely different than what they, you know, have played on in recent history. What else we got? Oh, the stat of the day is a good one.

[Mardy Fish]

What do we got?

[Chris McKendry]

Yeah, 52. Bueller, 52 weeks in the year.

[Mardy Fish]

What do you got?

[Chris McKendry]

Oh yeah, great job. Now we're just naming random things. 52nd. The women's final was the 52nd three setter in the women's draw.

[Mardy Fish]

That's a lot.

[Chris McKendry]

And Coco only played 32.

[Mardy Fish]

Yeah, I was going to say. Thank you Coco. Guff.

[Chris McKendry]

Yep. 52. All time record any slam.

[Mardy Fish]

Wow.

[Chris McKendry]

It's pretty fun.

[Mina Kimes]

All time record any, any slam. Like that's. Wow, that's crazy.

[Mardy Fish]

So there are 127 matches in a draw. So whatever that is. 40. 40% of the matches are going three sets. Wow. Including the final.

[Chris McKendry]

Pretty fun.

[Mardy Fish]

Is that quirky grass parody of field fight? I don't know. What do you attribute that to?

[Chris McKendry]

Everything.

[Mardy Fish]

Yeah. It doesn't have to be one.

[Chris McKendry]

Yes.

[Mina Kimes]

All right.

[Chris McKendry]

Yes to all of it.

[Mina Kimes]

All right.

[Chris McKendry]

Well, final tomorrow and then. Guys, we're starting to think about. We're starting to think about. Well, I guess Mike's already there. We're starting to think about, you know, but wow. You know, it's. It's nice. I'm really excited to go home. I'm also excited that it's felt like home here, guys.

[Mina Kimes]

I know, I know. I can hear the family in the background. It sounds. Sounds like they're having a great time.

[Chris McKendry]

You can hear. You can hear.

[Mardy Fish]

Well behaved children.

[Chris McKendry]

You can hear the. You can hear the movie going. Because the home that I found on Airbnb. It's felt good. Love, Wimbledon. I know we're have to get it

[Mina Kimes]

done for next year.

[Mardy Fish]

Yeah, we'll.

[Chris McKendry]

We'll figure it out. We. You can make a call. You know someone.

[Mina Kimes]

Yeah.

[Mardy Fish]

Seriously, get in early for next year.

[Chris McKendry]

I would.

[Mina Kimes]

I might just leave the studio, set up.

[Chris McKendry]

I. I would stay. I would stay at this home for a very long time. I'll just tell you that much right now. We hope that you stay with us for a very long time. Thank you for listening us. What are we doing? We have recap show probably tomorrow release. So we'll do it before we leave England.

[Mina Kimes]

Yep. Yeah, we'll do another. We'll do another quick serve and recap.

[Chris McKendry]

Quick served. And then we'll do the recap show. But that'll be out on Tuesday, I'm guess. But we'll do it from here tomorrow night. I don't think the results will change by the time Tuesday comes, right?

[Mardy Fish]

I don't think so. Something we've got profoundly so a little

[Chris McKendry]

bit more to do from our home studio here. Thanks for hanging with us. Over the last two weeks, this has been served. Brought to you by ServiceNow. We'll see you tomorrow. I have my dream job, but even dream jobs have not so dreamy parts. That's where ServiceNow's AI specialists come in. They don't just tell you what to do about your busy work. They actually do it. That way your team can focus on what matters. To learn how to put AI to work for people, visit ServiceNow.com.