Holger Rune Handshake Drama, Iva Jović Victory, BJK Preview, & more

Summary

Served with Andy Roddick – Episode Summary

Episode: Holger Rune Handshake Drama, Iva Jović Victory, BJK Preview, & more
Date: September 16, 2025
Host: Andy Roddick
Guest/Producer: Mike (Producer Mike)
Podcast: Served with Andy Roddick

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Overview

In this episode, Andy Roddick and Producer Mike dive into the week’s tennis headlines with their signature mix of sharp insight and playful banter. They preview the upcoming Laver Cup, discuss the drama surrounding Holger Rune’s viral handshake snub, celebrate Iva Jović’s breakthrough, and analyze the outlook for the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) and the changing landscape of team tennis formats. The conversation spotlights both on-court antics and behind-the-scenes issues, including the ongoing evolution/identity crisis of the Davis Cup.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Laver Cup Preview & On-site Plans

Time: 02:05–07:25

• Live Shows Announcement:
  • The team will broadcast live each morning from the Laver Cup fan zone, outside the Chase Center in San Francisco, starting Thursday, September 18th at 10:30 a.m., running through to the finals on Sunday, September 21st.
  • Teases about special guests, with playful rhyming games ("Fondre", "Fodger Rederer").
  • Andy expresses enthusiasm for doing on-site, live content and gauges the potential for similar live coverage at Grand Slams.
• Fan Engagement:
  • Discusses the “Served Challenge,” where fans can register for three chances to serve and win daily prize packs or a trip to the Laver Cup London 2026.
  • Prizes include a Wilson racket, Uniqlo jacket, Roger Federer shoes, Oliver Peoples sunglasses, and a signed Andy Roddick tennis ball.

Quote:
"If this works, Producer Mike, if this works, Techie Sean, there’s nothing stopping us from doing lead-in shows streaming live at Grand Slams."
— Andy Roddick (06:11)

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2. Davis Cup Format Critique and USA Woes

Time: 09:47–15:35

• Final 8 Nations Named:
  • Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Argentina, Belgium (with commentary on unexpected qualifiers, surprise upsets).
• Format Frustration:
  • Andy laments the loss of home & away format, calling the current neutral-site system "a desert of emotion" and "a brand now—the tournament doesn't really matter."
  • He reminisces about the importance of atmosphere in classic ties (e.g., USA vs Spain in Seville with 29,000 fans).
  • Discussion about the turmoil around the ITF’s outside investor ("they promised all this money, left…what are we doing now?"), and the knock-on effects of this instability.
• USA Struggles:
  • Points out Team USA hasn’t advanced past the quarterfinals since the format change.
  • Notes on player health and selection, with concern for Taylor Fritz (“maybe you just don’t say that [you’re sick]”), and props to Tommy Paul for supporting the team despite injury.

Quote:
"Now you go to Malaga and there’s like a desert of emotion. Like you don’t get home and away, you don’t get the people. … It just feels like it’s a brand now and kind of the tournament doesn’t really matter."
— Andy Roddick (11:21)

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3. Holger Rune Handshake Drama

Time: 15:35–18:49

• Viral Incident:
  • Recaps Holger Rune’s controversial handshake “psych-out” with an umpire after missed double-bounce calls, turning a potential snub into a meme-worthy prank.
  • Andy reacts: “I was ready to go Bitter Betty... but the actual, like, the umpire reach and that—that was kind of funny. That was a good one.” (17:03)
• Rune’s Justification:
  • Direct quote:
    "He doesn't deserve that. It's pretty clear with so many mistakes, I don't think it was very good work. So I don't think he deserved it."
    — Holger Rune (17:17, quoted by Producer Mike)
• Name Pronunciation Banter:
  • Humorous back-and-forth where Andy teases Mike for struggling to say Rune’s name correctly (“Why does your mouth do that?”).

Memorable Moment:
"My 9-year-old son will be like Rune’s psych-out handshake was maybe the biggest victory that’s ever been had in sports. We haven’t seen a performance like that since Lake Placid. That was legit."
— Andy Roddick (18:49)

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4. Billie Jean King Cup Preview & Team Matchups

Time: 22:52–27:48

• Upcoming Ties:
  • Italy vs China
  • Spain vs Ukraine
  • Kazakhstan vs USA
  • Great Britain vs Japan
• Captaincy & Matchup Strategy:
  • Insights into how captains like Lindsay Davenport weigh rankings, matchup histories, court surface, player form, and data analytics (enabled by Microsoft Copilot/Match Insights App).
  • Roddick underscores the importance of "matchups and recency bias" at the highest levels—sometimes a higher-ranked player is a worse matchup.
  • Applause for Italian veterans Errani and Paolini, and speculation about team strengths (e.g., Svitolina and Kostyuk for Ukraine; Rybakina for Kazakhstan).

Quote:
"It’s all matchups, right? ... At the highest level of tennis, matchups matter more. You know, matchups and recency bias, I think, are the two biggest factors."
— Andy Roddick (25:57)

• Team USA Outlook:
  • Players include Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, Taylor Townsend, McCartney Kessler, Haley Baptiste.
  • Pegula and Townsend likely to anchor singles and doubles, but captaincy decisions are key due to a deep and talented squad.

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5. Stan Wawrinka Plays Challengers & Reflection on Career Arcs

Time: 28:39–30:11

• Stan Wawrinka’s Presence in Challenger Events:
  • Admiration for Wawrinka, age 40, still competing and drawing crowds at smaller events.
  • Discussion of the value for up-and-comers getting to play a 3-time major winner.
  • Parallels with Venus Williams and Andy Murray extending their careers and providing special opportunities for fans and emerging pros.

Quote:
"Imagine having an 8-year-old and you can go—'You know what we’re gonna do today? We’re going to go see a three-time major winner up the road in our city.' This is great. This is the Venus thing. This is Murray last year. ... Shut up, you can go see Murray or Wawrinka in a... This is great."
— Andy Roddick (29:36)

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6. Young American Breakthrough: Iva Jović

Time: 31:05–31:34

• Iva Jović’s Victory:
  • Age 17, wins a WTA 500—youngest American woman to win a tour title since Coco Gauff in 2021.
  • Roddick celebrates the depth of American women’s tennis:
    "Ranked 36 at 17. And it’s like we don’t even talk about it. Amazing." (31:34)
  • Notes Jović’s power, movement, and high ceiling.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• [06:11] Andy Roddick:
  "If this works ... there’s nothing stopping us from doing lead-in shows streaming live on a YouTube channel at Grand Slams."
• [11:21] Andy Roddick:
  "Now you go to Malaga and there’s like a desert of emotion. Like you don’t get home and away, you don’t get the people. ... It just feels like it’s a brand now and kind of the tournament doesn’t really matter."
• [17:03] Andy Roddick:
  "I was ready to go Bitter Betty... but the actual, like, the umpire reach and that—that was kind of funny. That was a good one."
• [17:17] Holger Rune (quoted):
  "He doesn't deserve that. It's pretty clear with so many mistakes, ... I don't think he deserved it."
• [25:57] Andy Roddick:
  "It’s all matchups, right? ... At the highest level of tennis, matchups matter more. ... Matchups and recency bias, I think, are the two biggest factors."
• [29:36] Andy Roddick:
  "Imagine having an 8-year-old and you can go ... see a three-time major winner up the road in our city. This is great ... Shut up, you can go see Murray or Wawrinka in a ... This is great."
• [31:34] Andy Roddick:
  "Ranked 36 at 17. And it’s like we don’t even talk about it. Amazing."

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Laver Cup Live Show Plans & Served Challenge: 02:05–07:25
• Davis Cup Final Eight / Format Rant: 09:47–15:35
• Holger Rune Handshake Drama: 15:35–18:49
• Team USA’s Davis Cup Challenges: 18:49–20:41
• Billie Jean King Cup Preview and Matchup Deep Dive: 22:52–27:48
• Stan Wawrinka in Challengers: 28:39–30:11
• Iva Jović’s Breakthrough: 31:05–31:34

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Tone & Takeaways

True to Andy Roddick’s style, the episode is a blend of irreverent humor, technical analysis, and candid opinions—equal parts locker room rant, tennis nerd-out, and fan celebration. Key moments range from poking fun at mispronunciations to fierce critiques of tennis governance, all tied together by genuine appreciation for the sport’s past, present, and future. Roddick’s perspective as a former World No. 1 provides weight to his takes, yet the episode remains accessible and entertaining, packed with engaging asides, running jokes, and endearing humility.

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For fans and new listeners alike, this episode offers a snapshot of tennis’ top storylines, a primer on the game’s evolving formats, and a dose of classic Roddick wit.

Transcript

[A]

Support for this episode comes from the Match Insights app powered by Microsoft Copilot. The best tennis happens when athletes play at the highest level physically and mentally. That's why world class competitors at the Billie Jean King cup by Gainbridge are using real time data and AI analysis for Match Insights to enhance strategy and take their game to a whole new level. Stick around to hear more about how the Match Insights app powered by Microsoft CoPilot is leveraging AI to change the game and this tournament. Check out unlock.Microsoft.com Billy-Gene King-Cup to learn more. Hey everyone. Welcome to Served. We've missed you. We got into a cadence where we became pretty needy. We had to do something every day. It was great for a while. It was great. And we have entered a different part of the year. It's all about the teams Mike. It's all about the teams. Techie Sean Producer Mike in the house Producer Mike you and to see Messi.

[B]

I did.

[A]

How was that?

[B]

He was awesome. Except for the fact that our beloved Charlotte FC was too much for him winning 30 dude they've won 9 straight tying an MLS record. I think that's pretty special.

[A]

Great. I'm. At least we have no listeners left. Thank you for. For talking about that in depth.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Tell them more about team soccer teams they don't care about.

[B]

What it's not big in the UK I tried to.

[A]

Steer UK weren't tracking Charlotte FC like what a producer. I tried to steer it towards like the most famous athlete in the and he starts. Just takes the right I'm a homer man. He takes the right turn into stats that no one gives a shit about.

[B]

I got to see Messi completely miss a penalty kick which was shocking. I was like this is. He's going to bury this thing and he didn't.

[A]

Can I be honest?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I was expecting something better.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Out of that. Yeah. Cue the comments which are you mean.

[B]

To produce your Proud of you Charlotte fc. Keep going. Great.

[A]

Great transition. We have a. Let's not let that define our week. We're going to. We're going to Labor Cup.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We are doing. We're doing all the things. We can't really announce who's coming on the show. Right. No we shouldn't. We.

[B]

We have a guest list. We just not. Not what days. We're not confirmed which days.

[A]

Okay so but like we can't say who but maybe we do like a rhymes with game and people at home can just guess.

[B]

Yeah. So like starting Thursday and then each.

[A]

Morning I guess saying like Maybe if I said we had a guy named Fondre.

[B]

Oh, that'd be fun. That might. That might sound good.

[A]

Fennec Foa.

[B]

Fennec Foa would be really, really good.

[A]

Yeah. Fodger Hat.

[B]

Fafferty.

[A]

Fodger Rederer.

[B]

O what? Fodger Rederer What? The logos wouldn't make sense if that was it.

[A]

Well, it would. You just. They might still. Well, yeah.

[B]

I mean, inverted.

[A]

I love a joke for. I love a joke for one. You know, I love a joke for one. Don't you dare do that to me. You know, I love a joke for one. I can focus on anything except a joke for one. You don't have to say it, though. That is not a joke for one. Like, you need to just. Like we were inverted talking. No, we get. Let it. Let it sit. Let it melt into the joke for one.

[B]

Can we tell them the days when we're there?

[A]

Did we already tell them who was on?

[B]

We did.

[A]

Okay. Yeah.

[B]

Starting Thursday, this Thursday morning, September 18th, we'll start at 10:30 each morning leading into coverage in play. And we'll be going each day through and up until the finals on Sunday, September 21, from the labor cup fan zone outside the Chase Center. Super pumped.

[A]

And that's running how. Where are we? Are we.

[B]

We just said it are.

[A]

We're out of practice. We're out of practice.

[B]

We'll be going for like an hour, hour and a half each day.

[A]

That's cool. Streaming. What is that?

[B]

We'll be streaming. We'll be live on our YouTube channel.

[A]

We're doing live stuff.

[B]

Sean is freaking out.

[A]

Goodness. Sean, how do you feel? Nervous. How do you feel? I'm so nervous. Don't. Don't mess it up. I'm gonna try not cussing this episode. You ready? And put it in this disclaimer.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

All right.

[B]

All right.

[A]

Sean, how do you feel? I'm so nervous. Oh, I would say screw it, you can do it.

[B]

No, we have a great team supporting us. Sean. Sean is leading a great team. So we're pumped.

[A]

We're doing live stuff.

[B]

We're doing live stuff.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

But you know what else is going to be there? Can I tell you about something that's awesome?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

The fans can participate in.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

Right next to our stage in the fan zone, fans can take part in the Served Challenge, presented by our friends at ServiceNow.

[A]

How's that work?

[B]

Oh, you can register. You can register and you have three shots or three serves, and you'll be in the running for daily, daily prize packs. And even a shot at a trip to Labor Cup London 2026, which will include a hotel.

[A]

Man, we've come far since you mispronounce lover. Yeah. Other God, we've come a long way.

[B]

Other prizes would include a Wilson RF or fr. Depends on who it is. Racket, fodder, rhetoric or backpack.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Uniqlo jacket, Roger shoes, Oliver people's sunglasses, even a signed tennis ball by one Andy Roddick.

[A]

Okay, you can't lead with, like, far r stuff and then be, like, assigned tennis ball by Andy.

[B]

Just to make it clear, though, this. This is not a challenge run by us. It's. It's run by the labor cup team. And so we will be there as observers and fans just the same as way as they will.

[A]

So if anything goes wrong, director email to Fodger [e-mail] I think is where you. You send.

[B]

No, we're super excited. The labor cup serve Challenge, sponsored by ServiceNow. It'll be running all week along with our show and winner will be announced on Sunday, the 21st.

[A]

I'm really excited to do. I mean, we've done. We. We do live shows, but it's our show live. I'm. I'm excited to kind of get the lay of the land, get previews for the day, get the captains. Come on, tell us what they're thinking. Like, I'm really looking forward to this.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Gosh, if this works. If this works. Producer Mike. If this works. Techie Sean. There's nothing stopping us from doing lead in shows streaming live on a YouTube channel at grand slams.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. Look at all these opportunities for us.

[B]

Just hopefully I don't follow up some steps.

[A]

This is good.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

For those who. For those who haven't watched the. Try again. For those who haven't watched the. The show. We did, the big Amazon show that we did during New York. We had Tracy Austin and Brad Gilbert on. If you have not watched that, go and watch. If for nothing else than to watch Mike fall up the stairs and completely eat poop the step. Was this the first 10 seconds of the episode? That's all you need. All you need is the first. Give it 20. Yeah.

[B]

20.

[A]

Give it 20. It's a little aftermath. There's a little shake of the camera as we're following them up. I'm trying not to cry, laughing. Anyways, I'm excited for Labor Cup. That's going to be a blast. We're set up outside. So you say fan zone. We're outside the Chase Center Kind of like a game day type situation.

[B]

Thrive City, I think is what it is. Yeah. Yeah, we're going to thrive. We're going to.

[A]

I hope we do. That's a lot of. That's a lot of. A lot of assumptions with this group coming down.

[B]

It's going to be great.

[A]

Oh, techie Sean, that's a big week for you. Yeah, big time. This is it. This is it. This is how to do it. Do you think?

[B]

So what do you think you do on the radar gun right now if you were to serve?

[A]

I've been a little hurt.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

My, my arm is not great. I can hit 130 plus.

[B]

You still think so?

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, I might not because I'll be sitting at a desk all day, but.

[B]

No, we're going to. We're going to take you out there on Thursday.

[A]

The other thing.

[B]

Do it.

[A]

Listen, I'm glad we got to the Labor Cup. The other thing that I wanted to announce today is that I'm coming back.

[B]

Oh, okay.

[A]

Yeah. Coming back to what? Coming back to tennis. Oh, yeah. I mean, I've just.

[B]

Like what? Tennis?

[A]

Like tennis?

[B]

Like professional tennis.

[A]

Yeah. I'm just telling you, my Dingles game is. Is real good right now. Yeah, real good. Andre gave me a tip of my backhand six weeks ago. I might never hit a forehand again.

[B]

Where was he, like your whole career?

[A]

That's what I said. I almost just cussed there, but I'm trying not to. I said, what? Can we bleep? Yeah, we can BLEEP live. Should we try that? No, we can't BLEEP live. Yeah, yeah, I can. I can keep it between. I can keep it between the end zones when we're live. Yeah, but I'm just telling you I'm coming back.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because I'm playing great.

[B]

Team USA could use you at the Davis cup probably.

[A]

I'm. That's. That's a low blow, Mike.

[B]

Sorry. We'll get to that in a little bit.

[A]

Support for this episode comes from the Match Insights app powered by Microsoft Copilot. I'm going to take a break from talking about the Billie Jean King cup and instead talk directly to the players. Keep on killing it. I know what it takes to get to a world stage like this. I also know that tennis isn't about how strong your backhand is, thankfully, or how reliable your serve is. It's a mind game. It's about studying your opponent's quirks and bad habits. It's about anticipating their trick moves and Knowing when to spring on their weaknesses. But you don't need to listen to me. You've already made it to the Billie Jean King Cup. Now you can make the most of it with game changing, real time data and AI analysis from Microsoft Copilot. View all stats on your opponent's returns, their serve speeds, ace placements, rally lengths so you can strengthen your own game. If you want to see how the Match Insights app powered by Microsoft Copilot is leveraging AI to change the game and this tournament, go to unlock.Microsoft.com billy-gene-king-cup now let's get back to the tournament. Was some good stuff in Davis Cup.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

This week it wasn't. Wasn't Team usa.

[B]

Yeah, they set the final eight right.

[A]

This weekend and they are Italy, Spain, France, Germany. Check. Austria, Argentina. Belgium.

[B]

Belgium had a shocker. We haven't said Australia.

[A]

That was rough.

[B]

Yeah, it was pretty cool though. World number 91, Raphael Colonyo had a emotional finish. I think that was right.

[A]

Try again.

[B]

Raphael. I'm not that cool. I can't say it like that.

[A]

You can.

[B]

World number 91, but he had a cool emotional win. Sean, why don't you show Andy, Rafael, Colin. Like that's the best part of. About the Davis cup, right?

[A]

Yeah, that's what's largely lost now. And we'll get to the, the US of things because I can't dodge it even though I want to because they're all my, my buddies, you know, Bob, Mike and co. But the best part about it was the home and away thing where it's like you get a dog pile if you win and it's, you know, it's just, it's just really fun. You're playing for your teammates. There's a process to it now after that scene that we just saw where it's like a guy ranked 91 is the hero for his team. By the way, Colignon made the third round of the US Open. This, this, this wasn't someone who didn't have any form. And it was kind of like he played well in New York.

[B]

He beat Demon on Saturday.

[A]

Yeah, I mean beating Demon and Davis.

[B]

Cup chips down in Sydney.

[A]

It lost a hedge guy, I think. Third round of the US Open, but that guy can play. But like now you go to Malaga and there's like a desert of emotion. Like you don't get home and away, you don't get the people. I mean, it's just like, then you go play like a normal kind of tournament over a weekend. You know, I don't I just. I. It. I hate what the format is now. Like, even Del rey with Team USA was like, 3,000 people there. And it's like, how. But how do you market it? Oh, yeah, this is the tie before we get to the ties. Like, I don't know. It's just like.

[B]

Like, how do you set the stakes where there's enough investment for the fans?

[A]

It doesn't make any sense to. Whereas, like, it's very simple. In Del Rey, we're in the semis. We win this one, we're onto the finals. It's like, we're onto the finals. How many people in the final? 8. Oh, so it's like kind of. So. So it's quarter. We're onto the quarterfinals.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

No, but it's the final. What? Not great at math in.

[B]

This format's different than it was for you, right? Because 2019, they changed the format.

[A]

USA hasn't been to the semis since they changed the format. They haven't been past a quarter, which is the final. Whatever. This sucks.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It used to be the best. It was like, you would. It was a pain in the ass because you had to play four times a year, and if you caught the wrong side of the. It was literally, if you played away one time against the country, the next time you played home. So it was luck of, like, if you caught some home ties, like, we would always get to the final and then have to play Spain on clay in Seville, which was the worst, obviously. Yeah. But at least you got the atmosphere. Like, we lost to Rafa in 04. Rafa and co. And Moya. That was a silly team, but there were 29,000 fans in a football stadium. It was amazing. It was a great atmosphere. And now it's like. You see this. This, like, the culling. That felt like Davis Cup. That felt like what I remember from Davis Cup. And now it's gonna. They're gonna go and Belgium's gonna be playing in Spain, and I don't know. I don't know if they travel well. I'm guessing they. You know, no one travels well because it's like eight weeks after anything relevant happens in tennis.

[B]

By the way, I think they're playing in Italy.

[A]

What do you mean?

[B]

I think it's in. I think it's not insane.

[A]

They're playing World Tour finals and Davis Cup Final both in Italy.

[B]

Yeah, they're playing in Bologna.

[A]

You're playing in Bologna.

[B]

But that's. I think this speaks to the point.

[A]

That's it. Like, it's like, oh, it's going to be in Spain from now on until we. It's not like. I don't. I mean, it should be in Italy. Italy's earned the right. They've. They've created the infrastructure, you know, for minor league events and all this other stuff. But it's just like. It's hard to. It's just really hard to follow. It's like you play one tie and then you play. I mean, it's just. It's just rough. I don't know. It just feels like it's a brand now and kind of the tournament is. Doesn't really matter.

[B]

Well, they. They brought in an outside investor in 2019. The ITF did. And then that. That investor left. And now they've kept the format, though that investor came up with and sounds like it might not be the right format.

[A]

Are we just bleeding cash? And I mean, it's just.

[B]

I mean, they. They had promised, I think it was something like 3 billion over 25 years. 120 million a year. I mean, they left. So, I mean, clearly it wasn't going great.

[A]

So now we.

[B]

Now it's just. The ITF is obviously.

[A]

This feels like a separate, like, conversation for. Not this thing, but like we need to. We need to maybe dive into this dumpster fire. Like they promised all this money they left. So what are we doing now? Moving it. So that group, the investor group, which was a Spanish group, left. Then we go from Alago. That's why we're in Bologna now.

[B]

Yeah. And It'll be the 25, 2025 through 2027. It'll be in Italy. It'll be.

[A]

Unless this year.

[B]

And then maybe rotate to other two cities like Milan and Turin.

[A]

Unless something happens and we move it because. Because of Bleepy Magoo. It's really hard for me not to say. I know it's not as fun.

[B]

No cussing. What is this no cussing for?

[A]

I don't know. It's just.

[B]

I just.

[A]

We'll just try it and see if it saps the energy at all. It saps my energy. It's not. It's not the rest. Like, it doesn't have the. Like. I like. The F word's great. It has. It's like. It's a noun, adjective, verb, adverb. Like it's so many things.

[B]

Can I. Can I show you something that probably had a lot of F words associated with it?

[A]

Sure. I'd like to. I'd like to do that.

[B]

Holgerune.

[A]

Try again.

[B]

I said it right.

[A]

No, Holger, runa No, he said, God, everyone, Butch, Rune.

[B]

That's how he says it.

[A]

Why do you. Why do you, like, have a seizure when you try to pronounce names?

[B]

Because I freak out about it. Our friend Holger R snuffed an empire after umpire after their match. Once you play this form, Sean, apparently the chair umpire missed two double bounce calls, which obviously lost the match.

[A]

Is it a bad. So they don't have. They don't have instant replay? I guess so, because they. Because there's takes money to insert instant replay. That was okay. So I was about to be like, oh, bitter Betty. You know, that's like. Holgers had a bad week. First the DMS and now the umpire. Sorry, that was probably too far. You're probably gonna leave that in, though. Sorry. Sorry. But for those who didn't see what I just saw, he extended the hand like. Like to the umpire and then gave him the old psych.

[B]

He literally, like, got so close. He's like, jk.

[A]

That was funnier than if he had just, like, snubbed the umpire.

[B]

That's why I wanted to show it to you, because I was like, you're.

[A]

Gonna ignore an umpire? Like, whatever. We're all petulant. We're all little babies. I've done it. But the actual, like, the umpire reach and that. That was kind of funny. I was ready to be like. I was ready to kind of go Bitter Betty. And Lat was going to be the lane, like, you know, and then we've all done it. That was a good one.

[B]

Yeah. Holger said afterwards, quote, he doesn't deserve that. It's pretty clear with so many mistakes, I don't think it was very good work. So I don't think he deserved it.

[A]

I mean, I'll tell you what was good work, was that psych out from Runa. That was legit. That was funny. That's a meme.

[B]

Holger R for the win.

[A]

Try again. Just Holger R. Just say Runa Rune.

[B]

That's how.

[A]

Why is your mouth.

[B]

Dude do that? Listen to this.

[A]

Runa.

[B]

It's him saying it.

[A]

Is he? Is it? I don't. I don't know.

[B]

I don't should have him call in.

[A]

We should have him call in and then be like, psych. If he called it and then hung up, I would die laughing. That would be the best, Holger.

[B]

And just stop there and hang up.

[A]

That would be amazing. All right, so Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Czech, Austria, Argentina, Belgium going to the finals, which is actually the quarterfinals. Correct. In Bologna, not Malaga because Malaga doesn't have any money and no investors. And we don't even know how this is getting paid for the itf. Like I said, we don't know how this is getting paid for. But how do you and also like that was on clay ruin his match. There are marks. How bad could it have been?

[B]

The double bounce. Multiple double bounces.

[A]

It's a rough multiple double. That's a rough one.

[B]

Those are.

[A]

That's hard. That's not it. But I'm telling you like if I my 9 year old son will be like Runa's psych out handshake was maybe the biggest victory that's ever been had in sports. Like we haven't seen. We haven't seen a performance like that since Lake Placid. That was. That was legit. It's been tough sledding for, for the USA team. Bob Mike on the, on the bag. Taylor wasn't feeling well. He told us after the first match that he wasn't feeling well. Maybe you just don't say that. Maybe because you're going in and you're playing Fritz on day two. Maybe you know that he's not feeling well. I don't know. That can only help I guess. Francis still looking for some form. You know the what if game never ends when you're a captain. Should they have played Nagashima or Mickelson? Obviously hurts that Shelton is down. Tommy Paul's down. But props Tommy Paul because he's been beat up from the feet up since Roland Garros and he was still there watching and supporting his teammates. Tommy has had a bunch of injuries rumor. I don't know if there's a surgical. If he, if he has to get healthy I would just rip the band aid off and do it sooner rather than later. I hope he doesn't play through average health through through the finish line of this year. That's when it kind of bleeds into the next year. If there's anything to be done, any procedures to be done. I hope he doesn't now and just kind of gets out of the way. Tough for Francis. And the second guessing never, never ends with, with Davis cup, you know, obviously with Chaya Hechka is a really good player. Like he's going to be his borderline top 10 guy. Minshik hasn't played great but they got through. That's not an easy. That's not an easy like match to play. That's two top 20 guys to get to Malaga. Bologna, right? Bologna. We confident in that or Is it gonna switch again?

[B]

They make graphics.

[A]

All right. On the other side of what feels like a break, I feel like we've gotten it. I feel like I need to put away my shovel. All right, let's go to break. On the other side of this, we'll, we'll, we'll touch on Billie Jean King Cup. We'll preview what the final slash quarterfinals look like. That'll be brought to you by Microsoft Copilot. On the other side, Fox Creative. This is advertiser content from Microsoft. If you want to see excellence at the highest level, look no further than the Billie Jean King cup by Gainbridge. This is a world championship caliber event for women's tennis. And this year the competition is stronger than ever. On and off the court. Players are using the Match Insights app powered by Microsoft Copilot. The same technology that high power professionals use in the boardroom now lets elite athletes analyze their games with real time insights on their opponents, all to help them find new ways to win. Now, when I was coming up, we didn't have anything like this, right? I kind of knew someone served here. I kind of knew their forehand was better than their backhand. Let's be honest, I could have used this when I was playing. No matter how good you are or how sharp your eye is, at some point you're going to miss something. And at this level of competition, every move and decision can alter the course of the game. But Microsoft Copilot leverages AI to see everything. It displays court coverage and shot placement so you can predict opponents strategies. It uses AI to synthesize stats like rally length, momentum shift and serve effectiveness for you and your fellow competitors. Like it can tell you that your opponent keeps acing you on the tee, so you may just want to adjust your return position. There's nothing I love more than a good game of tennis. And now Microsoft is helping players gain a competitive edge and perform at their absolute best. To see how the Match Insights app, powered by Microsoft CoPilot, is leveraging AI to change the game and this tournament, visit unlock.Microsoft.com Billy Gene King cup to learn more. And we're back. That was a good announcer.

[B]

It was really good.

[A]

I'm excited. Building King Cup. Our coverage will be brought to you by Microsoft Copilot. We are going to be doing some dedicated quick serves this week. Italy plays China. Spain plays Ukraine, Kazakhstan, usa. Not easy. Robakina is going to have something to say in that tie. Great Britain, Japan. Italy's rough Palini. Iranian is. She's going to be Killing fool.

[B]

She's dialed.

[A]

She's so smart. She's like, mixed out. She's so. Her tennis IQ is through the roof. Imagine serving at 67 miles an hour and making finals of majors and singles and winning doubles all the time. She's like half coach for Paolini now. She's. She's phenomenal. I love watching her. Anyways, that'll be a great matchup. Hometown team of China, rough draw against Italy, but they got given their spot, so I don't know. That seems to make sense. Bedosa coming back for Spain. Ukraine's team is sneaky good. Like, really good. Svitolina Costi at the kitchen Ox who play good doubles. It'd be fun if they made a run. Yeah, that would be. That would be great. They would deserve that. Kazakhstan USA that's a rough one. Jess Pagula going in there. I don't know that. That's super easy. Emma Navarro, you have Taylor Townsend playing well. Like, all those captaincy decisions are not easy. Obviously, Taylor, the one thing. The two things we know for sure, just. Pagula is playing singles. Taylor Townsend is playing doubles with whoever. Emma Navarro found a little bit of form at the U.S. open. You have to assume she's still going to slot in that second. Second singles. McCartney Kessler on the team, Haley Baptiste on the team. So they have options. I think the best doubles team is probably Pula and Townsend still. But all of that is kind of this ebb and flow. You go into a day with a plan. It was Mike Tyson say you go into a fight and you have a plan, and then you get punched in the mouth.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. That's kind of what it's like. But Rabbakina obviously is Putin save of their number two. Like, that's not an easy tie to get through. Great Britain, Japan. Great Britain without Emma Radicanu Santal, star of Wimbledon jumping in there, which would be great. Uji Chima for Japan got up to 47 in May, which was a career high. You expect GB to be the favorites. Italy seems like a rough one there. I'm just saying they. They might do a little defending. Spain won five times in the 90s. We had a little. We have. We had some. The Barcelona Bumblebee or anchor Sanchez Vicario. So cool.

[B]

She's so cool, man.

[A]

So cool. We spent some time. I hadn't really hung out with her at all. I mean, like, high by. You know. But we hung out with her a bunch at the hall of Fame the. The induction ceremony, and she was. She was Awesome.

[B]

I want to talk about in these international matchups.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

How much do actual matchups matter? Right. You talk about. You talk about matchups in general in regular draws and how they matter and how far you can go.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What is Lindsey Davenport or the other team captains looking at in terms of when she's planning these, who she's putting in?

[A]

It's all matchups, right. Is Rebakka Emma, Is that a good matchup for us? Right. Can Pula get out of. It's all matchups, right? Because, I mean, you might have someone who is ranked way higher but has a less likely chance of actually beating someone. Like a Rabbakina. Right. So it's all matchups, Right. This is where, like, the captaincy actually matters a ton. It's not like golf where you're playing a course and you're basically trying to make sure that people get along. Matchups matter. You get to. I say it all the time. Highest level of tennis. Matchups matter more. You know, matchups and recency bias, I think are the two biggest factors. But yeah, I mean, Lindsey, geez, she's second most wins all time in Billie Jean King cup for. For the States.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

With Chrissy at 26 wins, I think that's not nothing.

[B]

How much of it is like data driven and sometimes just feel.

[A]

I think. I don't. I think that's where the differential is. Right. Or if someone has experience versus your first time. I mean, there's just a million factors, you know, with the team, it's. It's pretty set. Like Emma's ranked way higher than whoever the. And you don't even know who the third person would be. Like McCartney, Kessler is ranked higher than Townsend, but Townsend has obviously been playing great. So there's your. I don't think it'll matter. I'm guessing it'll be Emma and Jess. But all those things matter. Court surface, you know, you start someone on clay and very different than a hard court. So, yeah, all those things matter. I mean, these captains earn their. Earn their keep. It's different than labor cup too, because, you know, situationally, it's a little bit different. So I don't know. You know what? That would be a good question to ask Yannick Noah. I'm sorry if he was coming on Phonic Foa, because he was. He captained France to Davis cup titles. He's been a. What used to be Fed Cup. He's been a Fed cup captain and now labor cup captain. So he's done it all. And he's like A best selling artist. Like he's cool.

[B]

Kind of a big deal.

[A]

He's cool. He's a cool. That's cool. Yeah, I don't know him and I'm going be a little nervous. That's cool.

[B]

Okay. Him and Egasy.

[A]

Try it again.

[B]

Am I not saying Egasy?

[A]

Egasy? Why you say Egassy?

[B]

This guy's killing me.

[A]

Why you call Egassi Andre Agassi? Because his head's bald and it looks like an egg? Is that what it is?

[B]

You have to get Andy's hearing checked, guys.

[A]

I mean you weigh in in the comments right now. If you're hearing Agassi and Rune, maybe it's just me. I am looking. I. I will say to your. To be fair. Yeah, I am absolutely looking for it. Every time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Some little.

[B]

I'm just not going to say people's names. I'm going to say, you know that.

[A]

Guy, you know that smuggler from Denmark.

[B]

You know the player from Denmark, ranked ninth Techie.

[A]

Sean, you were sending out a lot of like you were into, you were pretty big into Stanwell Rinka this week. You're sending out like clips and you, you were into him playing challengers. Yeah, I mean he's. Everyone was talking about this, this match that he had where he had this crazy tweener. I mean he just felt like he was like ripping on dudes. But he's had a challenger. It's great. Yeah, it's sweet. It's. I mean imagine. I mean there was a tiny, it was a small town of France. Right. I, I won't. Can't even say Bologna instead of Malaga. So I'm definitely not going to get this right. But Renez sure can't even correct you. But imagine being, imagine having like an 8 year old and you're in the small and you can go. You know what we're gonna do today? We're going to go see a three time major winner up the road in our city. This is great. This is the Venus thing. This is Venus of the US Open. This is fantastic. This is Murray last year when people like retire. Shut up. You can go see Murray or Waringa in a. This is great.

[B]

He's 40 years old.

[A]

Amazing.

[B]

Still out there.

[A]

Fantastic. And he can rip city. I don't think he moves like he did. Obviously no one at 40 moves like they did at 30. That backhand. I don't know. Especially kind of the death of the one hander is happening right in front of us. You can go see Stan Walrinka Three time major winner in a challenger. You do that.

[B]

I mean, he's made the, he's made two finals and two semifinals of the challengers this year.

[A]

I mean, it's great. I have a question. Yeah. So if you're not Stanley Rinka at that challenger and you have to play. Yeah. Like, are you excited to play him or is it kind of like I, I can't believe I got. No. Like I'm. Well, no, because, I mean, he's not ranked inside the top 100. Yeah. That's where guys. His ranking. That's where they play. Like it's, it's only a novelty. I mean, he's playing exactly where his ranking says he should be playing. Yeah, yeah, right. He gets wild cards in tour events because he adds value to tour events because he's a three time major winner. He's a great player. Hall of fame, like, forget about it. But I would guess if you're 160 in the world, you don't often get a chance to play someone who's won three singles majors. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's cool. It's cool to go. Hell yeah, dude. If I was 18, I'd be like, yes, I want to play Walrinka. That'd be sick. I want to see that backhand up close before we go. Eva Jovic, 17, one of 500 last week. I know. It's a slower week. Post US Open entry lists are a little bit watered down. She plays big. She hits the ball really, really big. 17. Youngest American woman to win, which means youngest American to win a tour title since Coco in 2021.

[B]

Yeah. Correct.

[A]

Bam. She can play ball now.

[B]

Ranked 36.

[A]

36. We have so many American women that are ranked so high. 36 at 17. And it's like, it's like we don't even talk about it.

[B]

No.

[A]

Amazing. She is. She's legit. She's only going to get better. Movement's gonna get better. She has power that you can't teach. She's been really fun to watch. Go watch Stan Wawrinka in a challenger if he's near you. Otherwise you're stupid. Thanks for watching, sir. Thanks to the Match Insights app powered by Microsoft Copilot for supporting this episode. Any day when I get to play, watch or talk tennis is a good day. And I've had a lot of good days. And now Match Insights is letting pro players see the game from all new angles, changing the way they analyze and prepare for their next match. Their AI powered analytics can synthesize vast data sets on serve rally and court coverage to give actionable feedback to coaches and players so they can play the best game possible. Now that's a good day of tennis. See how the Match Insights app, powered by Microsoft CoPilot, is leveraging AI to change the game and this tournament at unlock.Microsoft.com Billy-Gene King Cup.