FONSECA BEATS DJOKOVIC | 2026 Roland Garros Day 6 Recap

Summary

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Served with Andy Roddick — “FONSECA BEATS DJOKOVIC | 2026 Roland Garros Day 6 Recap”

Date: May 29, 2026
Host: Andy Roddick, with Jon Wertheim and others
Network: Served Media Network

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Overview

This episode offers a dynamic, insightful breakdown of Day 6 at Roland Garros 2026, centering on the seismic upset as rising star João Fonseca overcame Novak Djokovic in a pulsating five-set battle. Andy Roddick and company dissect the context, level, and significance of this match, reflect on generational moments in men’s tennis, and run through other key men's and women's matches. The episode captures the shifting landscape of the men’s game, emotional breakthroughs, strategic evolutions, and memorable moments from a day that will be remembered as a turning point at Roland Garros.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fonseca Defeats Djokovic — Generational Moment

• Historical Context:

  • Fonseca became the first teenager ever to beat Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam ([13:30]).
  • Djokovic’s Grand Slam record when leading by two sets: 289–2 after this match (previous loss: Jurgen Melzer, 2010 Roland Garros).

• Match Statistics:

  • Novak Djokovic: 71% first serves in, 70 winners vs. 39 unforced errors—yet, “he lost.” ([03:40]).
  • “Novak did zero to beat himself... Fonseca beat him in the moment. It’s the best I've ever seen him play on the biggest stage he's probably been on.” — Andy Roddick ([03:47]).

• Narrative Vs. Reality:

  • The hosts push back on the “aging legend upset by youth” trope, stressing Djokovic’s level:
    • “I know the laziest of narratives is going to be young guy beats the guy who's fading. You have to fade; time's undefeated. But this match didn't feel like it.” — Andy ([03:53])
    • Djokovic “played well... Fonseca beat him in the moment.” ([04:00])

2. Fonseca’s Performance and Maturity

• On-Court Poise:

  • Fonseca “walked the fine line of engaging the crowd without being disrespectful or showing up someone as great as Novak... He handled it—the moment—perfectly.” ([04:48])

• Game Breakdown:

  • Forehand power: “him regularly hitting forehands 111, 113. He was lighting Novak up in the flow of the rally, and Novak was just still.” ([06:41])
  • Comparisons made to Del Potro’s forehand and Alcaraz’s drop-shot disguise.

• Mental Fortitude:

  • “This was one of the first times where Fonseca wasn’t trying to hit winners... they were happening. There’s a difference.” ([07:31])
  • Emotional moments highlight what a breakthrough this is:
    • “He melted in the locker room with his team... That’s expectation coming out, emotion falling out of a body after you’ve done something you’re proud of.” ([16:29])

3. Djokovic’s Performance and Future

• No Regrets Performance:

  • “He probably feels better about Wimbledon after this tournament... Less question marks.” ([15:16])
  • “At 39 years old, to put that performance together against a kid that’s playing as the upside of a Grand Slam champion…” ([22:13])
  • “Thank you for letting us watch that.” — Jon Wertheim ([22:11])

• Speculation about Retirement:

  • “They were speculating, maybe this is the last time we see him walk off. I think every time is that time; he’s an injury away.” ([10:12])

4. Technical Insights & Shot Analysis

• Fonseca and the Drop Shot:

  • Fonseca’s success is likened to Alcaraz’s, due in part to their huge forehands forcing defenders deep, creating space for the drop ([11:11]).
  • “Their drop shots don’t have to be as good as someone who can’t create. If you’re freezing Novak with drop shots, it’s because there’s a massive threat somewhere else on the court.” ([12:48])

• Clutch Serving:

  • Closing game: After missing errors under pressure, Fonseca “gets down break point and then goes 137, 138, 132 [mph]—three aces against the best returner of all time.” ([18:49])
  • “To step up, hit your shots after almost five hours on court... One of the most entertaining first-week matches I’ve seen.” ([19:48])

5. The Tournament’s Chaos and New Era

• An Open Men’s Draw:
  • With Novak out, “not a single person left in the draw’s ever won a Grand Slam on the men’s side—not one... and we’re not to the round of 16.” ([23:15])
• Discussion of Next Generation:
  • Praise for the preparedness of young players: “Fonseca, Hodar, Tien—these guys are prepared. I’m so impressed.” ([23:49])

6. Other Important Men’s Matches

• Hodar vs. Mickelson:
  • “Hodar’s legit... He gets better when the conditions calm down a little bit too. He can create more speed off a dead ball than most guys left.” ([24:24])
• Men Sheik vs. De Minaur:
  • “Men Sheikh... got airlifted off the court the other day... Credit to him, turned it around.” ([24:52])
• Zverev, Rublev, and The Bracket:
  • Zverev handling pressure: “Pressure is a privilege. Expectation is a privilege.” ([27:19])
  • Bracket banter: Lucky losers, unexpected runs (De Jong), and group chat camaraderie ([25:56]–[26:52]).

7. Women’s Draw: IGA and More

• IGA Swiatek:

  • “Rolling, rolling... She requests first time at 12:00, like when the Parisians haven’t even arrived.” ([27:59])
  • Joins Chrissy Evert, Monica Seles, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams in making Round of 16 in her first eight main Roland Garros draws ([28:13]).

• Notable Results:

  • “Andreeva’s drilling people, Svitolina rolling, Kostyuk sets up a meeting with IGA. Kirstea not retiring, gets a double bagel.” ([28:37]–[29:37])
  • “She’s the oldest player in the Open era to win a Grand Slam main draw match by double bagel—she went oh and oh.” ([29:21])

8. Tournament Identity & What’s Next

• “Every Slam develops its own personality. 2026 French Open—chaos ensued, no one’s won a major. Someone’s life and legacy will change completely in the next 8–9 days.” ([30:00])
• “We haven’t started second week yet, and we don’t have a single person who’s won a major left in the draw. It’s wild. Looney Tunes.” ([30:40])

9. Player Safety Issue

• On-Court Hazard:
  • Discussion about players (Sonmez, Boulter, Blocks) injured by courtside advertising boxes:
    • “The boxes serve no purpose... The question becomes, does that take precedence over player health? We’ve had two women get hurt by it.” ([31:36])
    • “Not to put them on the brand—this is on the organizers. What are we doing?” ([32:51])
    • “The tarps make sense. These little boxes—just a hazard, really.” ([32:51])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “70 winners, 39 unforced errors, and lost." — Andy ([03:40])
• "Novak did zero to beat himself... Fonseca beat him in the moment.” — Andy ([03:47])
• “This was a semi or final of a Grand Slam today. Like a good one.” — Andy ([19:48])
• "Every single Slam develops its own personality. The 2026 French Open: Chaos ensued. Someone's life is going to completely change in the next eight, nine days." — Andy ([30:00])
• "Thank you for letting us watch that." — Jon Wertheim ([22:11])
• "Not a single person left in the draw’s ever won a Grand Slam on the men's side. Not one." — Andy ([23:15])
• On Fonseca’s closure: “Gets down break point 1, 37, 138, 132 [mph], three aces against the best returner of all time… Never mind the physical ability to do it after almost five hours.” — Andy ([18:49])
• On the hazard: “The boxes serve no purpose... The question becomes, does that take precedence over player health?” — Andy ([31:36])
• "She's the oldest player in the Open era to win a Grand Slam main draw match by double bagel." — Jon ([29:21])

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Key Timestamps

• 01:31 — Show proper begins, banter and instant reactions
• 02:02 — Introduction to Fonseca’s upset and significance
• 03:40 — Djokovic’s stunning stats in defeat
• 04:48 — Fonseca’s crowd engagement and maturity praise
• 07:31 — Insight into Fonseca’s evolution and grit
• 10:12 — Djokovic’s future and retirement speculation
• 13:30 — Historic statistic: First teen to beat Novak in a Slam
• 15:16 — What’s next for Djokovic, confidence headed to Wimbledon
• 16:29 — Fonseca’s post-match emotion and weight of expectation
• 18:48 — Fonseca’s ice-cold serving to close it out
• 23:15 — Men’s draw wide open, no Slam winners left
• 24:24-26:52 — Other men’s results, “lucky loser” bracket talk
• 27:59-29:37 — Women’s draw highlights: IGA, Andreeva, Svitolina, Kirstea
• 31:36 — Court advertising hazard, player safety issue

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Closing Thoughts

Andy Roddick and company deliver a detailed, energetic recap that captures the magnitude of Fonseca's triumph, Djokovic's unwavering brilliance, and the unfolding generational shift at Roland Garros 2026. The panel places special emphasis on technical analysis, emotional narratives, and the tournament’s explosive unpredictability, providing a comprehensive round-up for listeners, tennis fans, and newcomers alike.

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Transcript

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[B]

Everyone.

[A]

Welcome to serve. Brought to you by ServiceNow Some people say wow. And some people say anyone? Anyone? Jo wow. That's right.

[B]

Get out of here. Did not plan that and I'm glad we didn't.

[A]

Techy Shaw Gabi, we're about 12 seconds from going on. I started laughing to myself, just, oh no, I'm going to include that in the show. Of course you are. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. It's the opening of the show, Sean. Of course you're going to include it.

[A]

No, the moment right before he starts. Oh, right before he starts. That's funny. I was like, of course you're going to include that in the show. Joao man. And cue everyone going, it's not jow or beats Novak. One of the best. I was trying to think of like a better first week match in the last tens of years. I mean, and I don't know that it's there as far as the level. There's. There's two parts to this, obviously, the Fonseca part and that story. It's also funny how sports works where 48 hours ago was down two sets to a guy as young as him and everyone's like, oh, well, is. Is Hodar going to take the. It's just how quickly things can change from 48 hours ago, down two sets against Prismitch. First round, comes back, wins. We talk about, hey, listen, this is. He got his socks dirty this time, right? Like this. This was gritty. This was. And he was emotional afterwards. And now to come back on Philip Chatrier against the Goat who was informed. I. This is going to be. This is going to be clicky. Is. It's as well as I've seen Novak play, and he's played a lot of good stuff, but in the last couple years, like the stats for Novak before, we get. He served 71% first serves in. And by the way, he's one of the best in the world at defending his second serve. So think about that. 70 winners, 39 unforced errors. And lost.

[B]

And he lost.

[A]

70 winners, 39 unforced Errors.

[B]

It's just a great. It's a great match.

[A]

It's un. He did not. Novak did zero to beat himself. And I know that the laziest of narratives is going to be young guy beats the guy who's fading. And listen, we. You have to fade. Time's undefeated. But this match didn't feel like it. I know Novak was, you know, a little tired, but. 70 winners, 39 unforced errors, 71% first serves. Novak played well. Fonseca beat him in the moment. Like, it's the best I've ever seen him play on the biggest stage that he's probably been on. Right. Like, I don't know that we've had this. This moment and someone kind of rise to that moment. You know, you, you, you hope this is the first of many for Fonseca, because, one, it's a fine line for a young player to engage the crowd without being disrespectful or showing up. Someone as great as Novak, he hit it perfectly.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

No notes. Anything. Anything he did to the crowd. Notice he was pretty much always facing away from Novak. And it was a hand. Not a bit. It was. It was. He handled it the moment perfectly. He engaged the crowd. He used him when he needed to. But there was nothing that was even close to friction between these two. Yeah, like zero. There was no one upping. I don't care who this guy is, I'm going to go out. There was none of that. It was like, as hard as you can see two guys compete different moments of their careers, one grinding for that first big signature win after a couple years of hype where we're surprised to see a 28 next to his name here, like, we thought that was going to be an 8 or a 3 or a 5, right? And then against the guy who's trying to hang on sin or loses. Can I squeak out just one more? Opposite ends of the spectrum. But you know, what is the unifier in sports is. Is common ground of struggle. Right? The struggle for fun Sega trying to break through is different than the struggle for Novak against his body at this point. And to see those things overlay and the greatness of Novak shine through and then like that first glimpse into like Matt, like big greatness for Fonseca was on display today. He was great today.

[B]

Yeah, he had a couple ridiculous shots. I think the one where he was running and hit a forehand, you know, and it just left Novak smiling. But also, you know, he kind of waved to the crowd like this. And like you said, it was understated, but it was, the energy was unbelievable. I. It felt like a big time final and. And both guys showed up with ridiculous shots. But we were talking about before we came on a shot that Novak had where he dug out.

[A]

No, no, of.

[B]

Of Ollie. But it just, just to acknowledge, like, just both players just kept looking and smiling and kind of laughing at the moments of like they were pulling out all stops and they. And it was. Greatness was on display at both ends of the spectrum.

[A]

But it's. It like Fonseca's forehand, it. It almost kind of like reminds me. It's almost a quicker release, but it like Del Procha would. Del Pocha would make you into a mannequin. Like you think you'd be shading one way and then you would just get stood up like, boom. Like. And he would gain on like 1, 2. And the third one, we would be bigger than the first. You kind of have that, that thing with Fonseca, but this is looney tunes. Like him regularly hitting forehands. 111, 113. I mean, he was, he was like Novak is, I mean, like everything. He's the best at all time at certain skill sets, but especially with shading and putting himself in the court to D up to anticipate where the ball's going to know based on his ball flight, where the most likely place that they can put it safely is. And he got stood up 20 or 25 times in this match where it was in the flow of the rally and Fonseca just lit one up and. And Novak was just still. And it wasn't because he wasn't trying to run for balls or manage his energy. It was just like, I mean Mary, Mary Jo and Jim. By the way, Jim is like a genius. Like he's so good.

[B]

Yeah, he's.

[A]

And Mary Joe's amazing. But when it looks different enough for Mary Joe Fernandez to be sitting courtside, she's not watching on the tv. She's just hearing and seeing in real time. And he hit one and it was 111. She goes, what was that Jim like to know for. For someone who's seen as much to instantly know that one was absolutely sent. I mean I can only imagine what the sound was like. Yeah, there. I mean he, he just has in. This was one of the, the first times where I felt like Fonseca wasn't trying to hit winners. They were happening and there's a difference, right. You'll see him on some of the matches that he struggled in, forced back in trying to hit winners, trying to hit forehands from the wrong spots. He was hitting some lobs off of returns. He was digging, grinding. The level of grittiness I've seen from. From Fonseca the first week of this tournament, first couple rounds is. Is just been. Has just been fantastic. This feels like. Like he's leveled up. This feels like what we've been hoping for. I don't even want to say waiting for because that implies that we. Everyone should just be on the same trajectory all the time as like an Alcaraz or in a doll and that's dumb. But hoping for. He's so good for the game. Also, I think an under understated part of our under told part of Novak or maybe under acknowledged when he is playing a young player, I think he understands what he means to those young players. Like he'll get into some shit sometimes, but a lot of times, like with a contemporary or like with the younger players, he's like very. I don't know. I think he knows how important he is to the younger players. I don't think he ever uses the lever of like I'm going to talk shit to this guy just because I know it'll rattle him. You know, it's normally meant for peers or people that he's been on tour with or people that deserve it or you know, or it's to his box,

[B]

but I have camera guy today.

[A]

Yeah, but he was. That's. Yeah, but fine. You should, but it's not. I mean, I don't know, should have, shouldn't like listen, he's done stuff that he would probably say I regret on court, right? But it's not really ever to these 19 year olds. Right. The way he was with Fon at the net, it was awesome where he took him. But that's kind of normal for him. Yeah, you know, he's, he was the same with Carlos when Carlos came up. He's the same. I mean, he's, he's, he's good like that. But I don't know where this leaves us with Novak.

[B]

I know they were speculating, right. Like maybe this is the last time we see him walk off.

[A]

You know, I think every, every time. I think every time is that time he's an injury away. I mean, I've said, I mean. Right. But I mean, it has to be a little bit better for Novak leaving where you're like, I'm not worried about my form. Like to not really play tennis since Australia has played two matches and to show up and to be able to play two tough four setters in a brutal five set. I mean, that was brutal. The points they were playing and when someone's hitting that big like Fonseca, the amount of energy it takes to play defense against that, it's. Everything is like that first 10% of movement, that first move is, is max to keep up with, with, with that amount of pace.

[B]

Can you talk about the depth that's required? You know, because you think a lot about lateral movement in tennis, but when somebody has a big forehand like that. Yeah, well, I mean, how, how much does that increase the potential movement around the court for somebody like.

[A]

No, Takishan, tell. Tell a. Say what you said, the question you asked. Well, we, when we were watching or before about the drop shots and, and, and Fonseca. Yeah, I mean, we just. You're watching Fonseca hit these drop shots and they, to me, they started to feel a little bit like Alcarez level drop shots. And I was just curious, like, why? Because you watched some other people hit drop shots and they don't look as effective. Why did Fonas look similar to Alcaraz level drop shots? Well, because they both create. They probably have the two hardest forehands in the game. So to set up a drop shot, you're doing two things. You're, you're hitting a good drop shot that's oftentimes almost secondary to setting up the drop shot. Right. So if you look at Alcaraz, he's the one who can create the speed that Fonseca can create off of the forehand side. So if you're like a Novak or any other player, that's like mortal. You have to dig in two or three feet. As soon as Fonseca knows that he has him dug in and has set the table by hitting one. So you have to simultaneously guard one 12 forehand that'll knock your face off. To do that, you have to dig in back two, three feet and dig in and be ready to explode to either side on a moment's notice. And then with that forehand, you have to back up so it creates more space for the drop shot. The drop shot doesn't have to be as good, they just have to catch you against your dig. Right. So it was actually, you know, on top of choosing Zverev to win the title and choosing Basava Reddy and I think, I think Techie Sean's our. Well, he did edit out a segment of the show.

[B]

He's earned it. He's earned the right to find 11,

[A]

I guess, if you have the power of the edit.

[B]

Yeah. When he googleizes something and doesn't do

[A]

it really well, really fucked it up. But you're right. I mean, the reason why I think it looks similar. Alcaraz's hands are a different animal altogether. But the ability for them to freeze their opponent into a defensive position opens up the drop shot. And I don't think their drop shots have to be as good as someone who can't create. I mean, if you're creating 90 off the forehand or 95, like your four year drop shot has to be a little bit better. All of those margins matter, you know, and if you're, if you're freezing Novak with drop shots, it's because there's a massive threat somewhere else on the court, which, which there was with, with Fonseca.

[B]

But it's very cool. I mean, he's the first teenager ever to beat Novak in a Grand Slam. And also now the service now stat of the day that I'm going to give you is 200, 289 and 2. That is the Grand Slam record by Novak Djokovic went up two sets to love. Today was only the second time he ever.

[A]

The other one was Jurgen Melzer at the French Open. I, I don't remember what round it was. Third, fourth quarter, something like that. But I think it was, it was Jurgen Melzer.

[B]

Yeah, it was 2010.

[A]

Yeah. Okay. I would have said 2009. I would have been wrong, maybe.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, listen, I don't know how to define Novak. I don't know how to. I mean, it's no different. I mean, he, him losing that match, it's weird when you see someone as accomplished as him lose a match like that and me walk in and shake my head and go, I don't understand how he does it. Like, managing his way through that match, obviously, ad nauseam. Everyone's been talking about the conditions. He hasn't played tennis. Like, his body hasn't been stressed like this since January. That's an eternity, especially when you're almost 40 years old. So the body surviving, playing the level that he played, I thought he played great. I'm curious to see what other analysts think, and I hope it doesn't fall into the narrative of, you know, well, he's just, you know, he's not as good as I thought he played great. I thought Novak played amazingly well. Like, weirdly, he probably feels better about Wimbledon after this tournament than maybe going into it. I think there's less question marks. And if Carlos isn't in at Wimbledon. Short list.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Still starts with Jannik, but he's. He's. He's on the short list for sure. Another part that I thought was. Was interesting, then we'll get to the. We'll. We'll kind of race through the other matchups. I know that we've. We've had a couple of. Of matches or circumstances that have kind of dominated the shows the last couple of days. Normally we kind of fire through a little bit quicker on the quick serves. Obviously, with Yannick losing, that is crazy town. And the match that we saw today is. Is crazy town. But Fonseca, after his. His. His first match, or, sorry, the. His first comeback where he was down two sets and one against Prismich. I guess it was second round. The emotion he showed after that match. Right. And then kept it together today. And then they sh. They had a locker room camera. And he goes and hugs his team and he melts, like, emotional to me. And I've only been around Fonseca small, small doses where it's hi, how are you? And cordial and fun and whatever. But I feel like that's expectation coming out. Right. Like, if we're saying you should be higher, there's no chance that he's not going. I know everyone thinks I should be higher.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I think that's emotion, expectation kind of falling out of a body after you've done something you're proud of, especially being

[B]

one of the biggest athletes in your countries.

[A]

Oh, I mean, existence right now, but also, like, for the. For context of people. Maybe they. Maybe you've gotten into. I mean, like, you guys. I mean, maybe you got like, super hardcore into tennis. The reason why there's an appetite that's so large in Brazil is because they've had that guy. They've had Guga Courtney won in Roland Garros three times. He won from like 60 in the world one year and then followed it up and was beloved. Like, nicest guy on tour. Literally never saw. The only time you ever saw him, like, outside with. Without a flip flop on was when he was playing. Cool hair, like swag. Nicest guy would draw the big heart in the middle of the court. When he won on the clay lay. I mean, it was just. He was charisma personified with zero arrogance. Like, they know what that feels like. That's a country that knows what it feels like and has missed it and wants it again.

[B]

Right.

[A]

That's why that's a huge part of. On top of his, you know, obvious talents and the. The ceiling. It's. It's this thirst that. Where they know what the thirst being quenched feels like.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And they've wanted it. And it's been a minute now. Right. But I thought, I thought, I thought Fonseca handled himself beautifully. I thought he played unbelievable.

[B]

What was your take? We can close out this beat, but, I mean, the way he finished it

[A]

with those three, it was a joke. Okay. So I'm glad you brought that up. So I sent our. Like, we, we kind of group chat and JW's on it, and as the matches are going, we kind of get in and out of our. It's like any of you with your tennis folks having a group chat. And he broke. I'm like, I mean, this is unreal tennis. And then I'm going, this is where nerves come in and people are going to get caught up in those three serves, like, ice cold. You know, there's going to be all those things. He duffed two forehands that game, everyone. Like, he got tight the first time he hit a forehand. He'd missed some, but they missed like by an inch. He. He missed a couple of forehands by two feet wide and then put one a foot beneath the net strap, like, to where I'm going. Oh, this is tight. Gets down. Break. Point 1, 37, 138, 132.

[B]

Was it wide?

[A]

And then TT wide, which is the hardest serve in tennis to hit. Wide outside, flat T. T again, three aces against the best return. Best returner of all time, but also the rangiest returner of all time. Like, Andre was a great returner, but you could ace him because he Would sell out to one side. He didn't have Go Go Gadget arms. Like, like Novak. Right? Yeah. So getting tight, missing those four hands and then coming back with those three serves. Nevermind, like the physical ability to do it after almost five hours on court, but like to step up, hit your shot. It was, it was one of the. I mean, it has to be the most entertaining first week match that I've seen. One of the best matches I've seen in a while, but definitely one of the best first week matches I've seen. Not just from drama, but from a level that was. That was a semi or final of a Grand Slam today. Like a. Like a good one.

[B]

Like a good one.

[A]

Like a good one. Yeah, that was. It was fantastic. We'll see now that it's weird because he wins that match and it's the beginning of the second week.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Like reset the. Reset the expectation.

[A]

We don't know. We haven't seen.

[B]

Got to have the energy.

[A]

Well, I mean, his fitness is a joke by the way. Like just so we're clear. The other thing that we need to get to. And then I'll. I'll close the Novak Fonseca match. I could talk about this match for another hour, but. But I'll close it. Right. So Even he was 10 to N on the year coming into this event. Right. Disappointing by his standards. Not what everyone expects from him. Okay. To not let that affect your ability to be prepared if and when that moment comes. Right. To be physically ready at a young age when you have to get through those two. Five setters to survive week one and to be the greatest of all time. Props to him. Props to his team. Right. He looked pretty good physically the whole time. Wasn't wincing, didn't show pain. And that's. He played a five setter last match. Everyone like to put those two together. Now, can he do it again? We're shooting this as the Casper Rude, Tommy Paul matches. And if I'm not mistaken, I think he plays the winner of that. If not just do that little edit thing you did to yourself yesterday. He does. Yeah, he does. Can he come and do it again? I mean, I don't know. We'll see what the rest of it is. But for today, that was a glimpse at potential greatness in the future. It was great today. If he can do that when he's expected to win consistently. Right. Do that against someone who's trying to take his lunch as opposed to trying to take Novak's lunch, then we have a future grand Slam champion in our hands, in my opinion. It's been said before, but today was the first time where I think it wasn't, it wasn't like you were looking at him and saying he has the shots and the speed of shot to be a Grand Slam champion. He actually looked the part fully today, mentally, physically, everything well deserved. And I couldn't, I mean, I don't know what you say about Novak at this point. That's not like, I, I, I don't know.

[B]

I mean, thank you for letting us watch that.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, seriously, I walk in and I don't, I don't, I, I said it yesterday. I don't know what to say anymore. Yeah, like, like 39 years old. To put that performance together against a kid that's playing has the upside of, of, of a Grand Slam champion who probably played the best match they've ever played and to make them work as hard as they've ever worked before. Still, he was up a break in the. I mean, it was just beyond impressive. It was Novak esque and there's no other way to play it. But there were other matches?

[B]

Yes, other five setters, other great ones.

[A]

A lot of five setters right now. Yeah, we were looking at that, like, based on the comps, it's been pretty intense. Rublev goes through like my only good pick, Redraw show. Oh, that reminds me. Thank goodness we have a Redraw show tomorrow. But also, like, I don't know what to do with this because the other, the other thing, Novak goes out. Not a single person left in the draws ever won a Grand Slam on the men's side. Not one.

[B]

Not one.

[A]

Not one. And we're not to the round of 16.

[B]

I don't even know how many of them have even made a final. Like, you got rude, you got Zverev. I mean, I'm trying to think.

[A]

I mean, yeah, I mean, I'm, I need to take a second, but I

[B]

need to look at that.

[A]

That's a good. Yeah, we'll look at that. There's not, not many sits upas is out. So he's. No, I mean, that's, Yeah, I don't know. I mean, it's a great, great question, but Redraw show is going to be a little bit more difficult. You can't just pencil in Alcaraz and Sinner again.

[B]

No, I mean, another, another young guy that really impressed was Hodar. Hodar Mickelson.

[A]

That was a battle has also, by the way, you don't see like there's always A question mark around the young guys. How are they going to deal? Best of five. Fonseca, Hodar. Tn. Like, these guys are prepared. Like, I'm so impressed with the level of preparedness with. With these young players. Hodar beats Alex Mickelson, who played great clay, I don't think is his favorite service. Great run and gave Hodar hell today. Hodar's legit. Like, we'll see when. When he has time on the ball. I actually think he gets better when the. When the conditions calm down a little bit, too.

[B]

When. When it cools off a little bit.

[A]

Because I think he can create more speed off of a dead ball than. Than most of the guys left in the tournament.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I think he actually got through. Like, I don't think he struggles with Duckworth second round if it's not like, 95 degrees dusty and the ball flying everywhere. Like, I think time on the ball is a friend of Hodar, but he's got boosted next. But he's gone through some five setters. Bust a move.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Men Sheik gets through. Demon. I thought Men Sheikh. I mean, he got, like, airlifted out of the court the other day. Like, only slight exaggeration, but he struggled at the end of his match. Wheelchair out. You do not want to see the Demon when your tank is on empty. And it did not look good. Dropped the first. It was a 6, 060. Yeah. Bageled and then credit to him turned it around. Another young guy doing work 2, 2 and 3 or something like that afterwards. Demon and tough. Tough out. Koreno Boost is a nice little throwback here.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The guy who. He's a guy who's been like an uber professional his entire career. Was a top 10 player, made the semis of the US Open. I think the year that Novak hit the lines person he was against Karen Busta, but a guy that's never had the biggest shot on a court and knows how to win and play tennis matches. Great run. Maybe a surprise run later on in his career. Mike, you picked. You picked De Jong. You know, you're a lucky loser. You picked him through to the round of 16. Yeah, you know what?

[B]

I just. I looked in there. I clicked on his profile. I said, 5, 11, 154 pounds, 25 years old. This is his time.

[A]

This is it.

[B]

This is it.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, I. I mean, the serve team. You're making me look like amateur hour you took. You know, it's just.

[B]

Yeah, I did it. So good at it. It's just because I had Feast through and I forgot to hit save when I redid my bracket. But. But it's worked out great.

[A]

So you had Feast.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then Feast dropped out and you just forgot to correct your bracket.

[B]

I became the lucky loser of my own bracket.

[A]

So then De Jong took Feast's place and in the way our bracket is set up, it just, it kept him through, whoever Feast's replacement was. So you've picked up a decent amount of points. Yes, but you, I mean, you would have taken him anyway. You would have taken him anyways to beat Hatch 100%, right?

[B]

Yeah, I took him to get all the way through, apparently.

[A]

To Zera, you and Sean just need to like get together for that. Look at us. Look at us.

[B]

Jesper. Thanks.

[A]

Jasper Casper, TP Update Dealer.

[B]

We are sitting at 33 in the 5th right now and Mr. Casper is about to serve.

[A]

Yeah, and we would, we would have waited, but we waited all day yesterday till all the matches finished and everyone was pissed at us. And now what we're going to do is we're going to go during the middle of Casper and TP's fifth set and guess what's going to happen?

[B]

Well, I mean, we still got to get through the women, so maybe, maybe it goes quick. I doubt it, though.

[A]

Probably not Zverev handling Halas. I mean, I don't know if anyone's feeling more pressure than Zverev from this point forward in this tournament, but he's earned it. You know, what's the old Billie Jean King saying that is right when you walk out of the US Open. Pressure is a privilege. Expectation is a privilege. So we'll see how that goes. But another five setter. Casper down two sets. Even it up three all in the fifth set. IGA versus a countrywoman. Lynette. Four and four iga. Rolling, Rolling. You know what I love about IGA too is I think there's a little more vanity with a lot of players about like when they play and what court and the whole thing she requests first time at 12 o', clock, like when the Parisians haven't even arrived on set.

[B]

Yeah, she's like, let's get this over.

[A]

She's like, I'm going to get my work in. My feet are going to be up. Like for sure. She has more normal hour dinners than any other player in the world. Like, she's like getting ready for dinner at like 5:45pm she's the sixth woman

[B]

in the Open era to reach the Rolling Garros Round of 16 in each of her first eight main draw appearances joining Chrissy Everett, Monica Seles, Stephie Grapha and one Serena Williams. Yeah, pretty good players.

[A]

That's pretty good company. But she's there. I mean, you know, however many six slams, I mean, 15 years from now, it's going, oh, someone else is going to be, oh, there she's up there with iga Sviatek. That's crazy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Andreas look great be boost. She's been drilling people, too. Like, the scorelines have been pretty straightforward. 2 and 4, 2 and twos. Tykeman over Mukova. Not sure that that on the bingo car, but Tykman lefty, like, tough fun to see here. Svitolina rolling. Kostia accepts, sets up a meeting with iga. Svantek Kostiak rolled today. Kirstea not retiring.

[B]

Dude, I mean, what the heck?

[A]

Bagels, I don't know. Like, you know, what I should have done is said I was going to retire and then just been like, free and easy and see if I, I, I just played great. Like the Danielle Collins Chris model, you

[B]

know, this is like the least shocking stat of all time. She's 36 years old. She's the oldest player in the Open era to win a Grand Slam main draw match by a double bagel. You're like, yeah.

[A]

She went, oh. And, oh. I mean, that's a little mean. It's a little mean, right?

[B]

She's lost only seven games across the three rounds in Paris and has won 23 consecutive games.

[A]

Well, listen, I didn't feel good during the draw show. Might feel worse during the redraw show. I don't know what to do with any of this, but it's super interesting. Like, I, One of the things I love and we'll, we'll get on with it after this, but one of the things, every single Slam kind of develops its own personality. Like, we're going to remember the 2026 French Opens. Like, chaos ensued. No one's won a major. Who's going to. And we're going to be able to tell a story like, someone's life is going to change completely. Their legacy is going to change completely in the next, you know, eight, nine days, someone's life on the men's side is going to completely change. Does it change iga's life if she wins another one? Probably not. Not much. It will change someone's life on the men's side, potentially on the women's side, too, but definitely on the men's side. No one's won. Like, we're, it's insane. We haven't started the second week yet, and we don't have a single person who's won a major before in the draw. It's wild Looney Tunes. Most open it's been since I said 2003. There were four different Slam winners. You know, it'll be. Be interesting. Not out of, like, not. What if they would have told you after the first two. Two different slam winners and center hadn't won one yet. Interesting. What else you got, Mike?

[B]

Nothing. They got. You know, we'll see if we want to include this stuff, Sean, So maybe we'll do a little news update. You had Samez get injured while playing a doubles match. She tripped over a raised lacrosse Lacoste advertising Bolter did, too. Yeah. And so she. So Samez left the match with two stitches and a bruised knee. In her post, she wrote, do we really have to wait until a player is seriously injured before these courtside boards are removed? Katie Bolter tripped over the same boards the day before. So it just seems to be an issue.

[A]

To be clear.

[B]

This is.

[A]

Yeah, this is worth. This is worth keeping in the show, for sure. Like, the boxes serve no purpose. Like, I, I. Someone who was pissed the other day about the tarps in the back. Someone was pissed about the tarps in the back.

[B]

It was. Who was it? Who got hurt? The male player.

[A]

Oh, it was blocks.

[B]

Blocks.

[A]

Okay. Blocks Got hurt. That's unfortunate. But also, the. The tarps serve a purpose. Right. As soon as it starts raining, if it starts pouring, you don't want mud. You have to have the tarps ready to put them over the court. They actually serve a purpose for court conditions. If it pours and you have to go get tarps from inside of a stadium and bring them out like, you lose an hour or two of court, that w. The moisture is trapped. These boxes that the umpires put their little feet in, they don't do anything. It's purely for advertising. Purely. No other. No other. So the question becomes, does that take precedent over player health? We've had two women. Bolter almost got hurt, and Sonmaz apparently has gotten hurt by it also. They serve no purpose. Can't make an argument for it. Like at Block, say, I heard it in. You know, some people are like, why do they even have those there? Well, I can. I can tell you very simply, you might not agree with it, but there's a. There's a very functional reason why they exist. Yeah, right. These little boxes, just a hazard, really.

[B]

No, not to put them on the brand. Right. This is on the organizers. Like, what are we doing?

[A]

Ooh, what if, what if? The what if? Shit, I'm going to get myself in trouble. Here we go. What if, what if? What if? They had to renegotiate the boxes, and they had to give the players 22% of the revenue from the boxes. Thank you for watching. Served. Brought to you by ServiceNow. See at the redraw show, we need it. 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.

[B]

Foreign.

[A]

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