WTA Finals Recap, ATP Finals Drama, Djokovic 101st Title & More

Summary

Podcast Summary: Served with Andy Roddick – "WTA Finals Recap, ATP Finals Drama, Djokovic 101st Title & More"

Date: November 11, 2025
Host: Andy Roddick
Guests: Jon Wertheim (JW), Mike

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Andy Roddick and his co-hosts Jon Wertheim and Mike recap the major headlines in tennis from the past week, focusing on the WTA Finals, ATP Finals qualification chaos, Novak Djokovic’s 101st title, schedule changes, and emerging young players. The tone is candid and playful, with expert analysis, personal anecdotes, and a strong sense of camaraderie. The episode also includes a call to support the Andy Roddick Foundation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Andy Roddick Foundation & Personal Story

[01:05 - 04:15]

• Andy opens by sharing the story of the Andy Roddick Foundation, inspired by advice from Andre Agassi at age 17 to start giving back early.
  • “I said, what is your biggest regret? And he said, not starting my foundation early enough. And that's something that stuck with me in my soul…” – Andy Roddick [02:16]
• Foundation now serves over 45,000 kids in Austin with after-school and summer programs.
• Andy pledges to personally match donations up to $150,000 from podcast listeners.
  • “I will personally match out of my own pocket anything we can raise through this donation link on Served up to $150,000…” [03:45]

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2. Kim Clijsters’ Injury Update and Humor

[04:16 - 05:59]

• Kim Clijsters, who was meant to join the show, sustained a repeated Achilles rupture. Update provided by Mike.
  • “She left me a voice message, said her right leg, the leg that she injured is just about three times smaller than it was before.” – Mike [05:24]
• Lighthearted banter comparing Kim’s toughness to Mike’s much-discussed vasectomy recovery.
  • “I think scientifically it proves women are tougher than men.” – Mike [05:53]
  • “Well, I mean, science does prove that.” – Andy Roddick [05:57]

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3. WTA Finals Recap: Rybakina’s Dominance & Controversies

[08:18 - 15:56]

Elena Rybakina’s Performance

• Roddick and Wertheim praise Rybakina for sweeping the field at the WTA Finals, defeating top names like Pegula and Sabalenka.
  • “Watch her serve her way out of trouble, watch her authoritative tennis... She has put herself right back squarely in the conversation of who's going to win majors next year. That was thoroughly, thoroughly impressive.” – JW [09:18]

Off-Court Drama & WTA Disputes

• Discussion on Rybakina not taking a winner’s photo with WTA CEO, reflecting tension over her coach’s suspension.
  • “That gesture with the CEO, that actually was a glimpse into her character that she doesn't often provide.” – JW [11:34]

Future Slam Prospects: Rybakina vs. Anisimova

• Roddick and JW debate which of the two will win a major next year, leaning Rybakina due to her serve and clay viability.
  • “I think I say Rybakina just because she's better on clay. So it's like one more opportunity.” – Andy Roddick [12:45]
  • “When Anisimova or Rybakina are playing one of the top players, you don't really worry about them.” – Andy Roddick [15:48]
• Noting the shift from total unpredictability to a strong, consistent top tier on the WTA.

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4. ATP Finals Qualification Chaos & Novak Djokovic’s 101st Title

[17:45 - 24:24]

The Athens 250, Musetti, and Tournament Drama

• Confusion and criticism over how final ATP spots were determined; Novak’s participation impacted whether Musetti or FAA qualified.
  • “It's not great for the credibility of your...event when you've got this much churn at the end.” – JW [17:45]
  • “He owns the license for the tournament in Athens that he is participating in. I don't know that he can pull out of the tournament the next week and play the last three matches in the tournament that he owns in Athens.” – Andy Roddick [19:35]

Scheduling Solutions: Wraparound Season

• Andy proposes counting late-year events toward the next season’s race, citing precedent set by the Challenger Tour.
  • “Why are we not okay with 250s contributing to the race in 2026?...I hope it's a preview of things to come.” – Andy Roddick [22:25]
• Benefits: top players could rest and extend careers; others could chase ranking points.

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5. Next Gen Finals Leaves Saudi Arabia & Scheduling Implications

[24:24 - 26:48]

• The Next Gen ATP Finals will exit Saudi Arabia early. Potential calendar flexibility discussed.
  • “It’s a little strange that event didn’t fulfill its contract in the same country that just got a Masters 1000...If we went by the Roddick model, NextGen is one of these events that actually would really benefit.” – JW [24:58]
• Wraparound schedule would boost exposure for youth events rather than having them “compete with Christmas.”

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6. Longevity, Tournament Licenses, and Player Experience

[26:48 - 29:40]

• Andy advocates for player-owned tournaments, referencing the Djokovic family, and the business sense of licensing.
  • “I'm not saying we need like the Sinner or Chucky Alcaraz Cup, but I'm not, not saying it.” – Andy Roddick [27:59]
• Reiterates tennis needs to protect its biggest stars; the sport’s appeal is tied closely to them: "We sell based on the stars of our game and based on the product they put out. We want to maximize that product..." [28:38]

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7. Djokovic’s Future & The 2028 LA Olympics

[29:40 - 31:26]

• Quick round: Will Djokovic play LA Olympics 2028? Both doubt it but commend his deft answer linking his retirement to Serbian identity.
  • “I got to give him props...‘I still want to retire at the LA Olympics with a Serbian flag in my hand’ was a perfect way to address many, many issues…” – Andy Roddick [29:55]
  • “That was a great political answer. That was like two birds and one stone...Everyone hopes he makes it; that would be amazing.” – JW [30:54]

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8. Young Americans Rising: Learner Tien’s Breakthrough

[32:56 - 38:10]

• Lerner Tien becomes the first American teen ATP champion since Andy Roddick.
  • “28 in the world started the year at 122. That’s some work, man.” – Andy Roddick [33:48]
• Andy analyzes Tien’s game: not about overpowering, but high tennis IQ, timing, and tactical variety.
  • “Doesn’t have a shot that’s going to knock you off the court...I love young players who already have a very high tennis IQ.” – Andy Roddick [33:56]
• Optimism about how new American talent like Tien, Mickelson, and Brooksby can push established players.
• Scheduling changes would not hurt players like Tien, who could choose late-season events and pocket valuable points.

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9. Call to Action & Closing Notes

[38:10 - 38:33]

• Andy encourages donations to his foundation, reiterates intent to match up to $150k, and thanks listeners.
  • “Would appreciate your support. I will personally match up to 150k if we can get there from listeners of the show. Would be awesome. I will celebrate you forever.” – Andy Roddick [38:10]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “I will personally match...up to $150,000 and we'll do that over the next week. So hopefully that is something that I do have to match. I would love nothing more.”
  – Andy Roddick [03:45]

• “Watch her play, watch her serve her way out of trouble, watch her authoritative tennis, watch her get it done in November…”
  – JW on Rybakina [09:18]

• “That serve bailed her out of so many potentially problematic situations. I'm going to say Rybakina because of the serve.”
  – JW [12:20]

• “We do not have a home team in tennis. We don’t have Yankees fans that show up regardless...We sell based on the stars of our game.”
  – Andy Roddick [28:38]

• “He is going to have to always be fit… I think he understands what he does well. I think he has full control of the concepts of the game and how to apply them.”
  – Andy on Lerner Tien [35:27]

• “I like it, I enjoy it. Oh, and I'm getting paid $100 million a year. This is still a good thing for me.”
  – Andy (on Djokovic’s logical lack of urgency to retire) [29:55]

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• 01:05 – Andy on the Foundation’s Origin and Mission
• 05:10 – Kim Clijsters injury update and humorous banter
• 08:18 – JW joins to discuss WTA Finals
• 09:18 – Rybakina’s performance analyzed
• 11:30 – WTA coach drama and Rybakina’s protest
• 12:45 – Rybakina vs. Anisimova future Slam debate
• 17:45 – ATP Finals qualification confusion dissected
• 22:25 – Scheduling solution: wraparound season discussion
• 24:47 – Next Gen Finals moves, scheduling impacts
• 27:59 – Player-owned tournament licenses idea
• 29:40 – Will Djokovic play LA 2028 Olympics?
• 33:48 – Learner Tien’s rapid rise analyzed
• 38:10 – Final donation call and wrap-up

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Tone & Style

The episode is fast-paced, opinionated, and includes plenty of playful jabs between the hosts. Andy Roddick’s style is direct, self-deprecating, and often humorous, creating an inviting atmosphere for deep tennis analysis and behind-the-scenes industry talk.

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Useful For

• Listeners wanting to catch up on the WTA/ATP tour finales, especially the off-court drama and scheduling politics.
• Fans interested in tennis’ next generation (WTA/ATP) and inside-the-industry scheduling ideas.
• Tennis enthusiasts curious about the intersection between player welfare, the tour calendar, and the business of tennis.

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For more on the episode, donation links are available in the show notes and at arfoundation.org.

Transcript

[Andy Roddick]

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[JW]

Hey, everyone.

[Andy Roddick]

Welcome to Served. We are coming to you this week from the Lauren Hotel in Austin, Texas. We are here for the Andy Roddick foundation annual gala. We have Wyclef tonight. Sick little. Gone till November.

[Mike]

I'm pumped.

[Andy Roddick]

Which is just like now. So I don't. Is that gone till like now?

[Mike]

Yeah, gone till this month.

[Andy Roddick]

I don't know. But the Lauren Hotel hooked us up with some rooms. We appreciate this space. We are not in the normal studio. I'm going to tell you a little bit about what I do with the Andy Roddick foundation real quick. I want to take this opportunity and thank you for giving me the time and listening to this. It's obviously something near and dear to my heart. I've been doing it 25 years. I'll tell you how it started. I was on an airplane with one Andre agassi. I was 17 years old, and I got to ask him some questions. He said, okay, all right, kid, 25 minutes left in this flight. What do you got? And so I was like, oh, man. What was it like? Was Brooke Shields a good kisser? No, I didn't ask that. I said, is there not really knowing fully his history from his book? I said, what is your biggest regret? And he said, not starting my foundation early enough. And that's something that stuck with me in my soul because Andre is one of the most generous philanthropists that earth has ever seen. And what he's done for entire areas of Las Vegas is unprecedented. And so for him to have done all that and still think that, hey, you know what? I wish I could have done more. We started off foundation, then we'll skip to the end. We did our first event, it was a tennis clinic in a parking lot in my high school across the street. And we raised like $500 and we thought that was great. Fast forward. We've raised over $30 million to this point in time. Hopefully more after tonight. We have one Wyclef Jean playing our event tonight in Austin. Thanks to all of you who are coming in person. If you're not, I have a favor to ask subscribers. We are going to put a donation link in the show notes. So to tell you a little bit about what we do, we run after school and summer programming. We've been ranked the best in the country. Our staff is amazing. They are amazing at executing a plan to give kids a chance. Right? So after school summer programs, it's where we can make our impact. The goal is for parents, kids K through 5th grader in our schools and then we run another 40 programs across the city of Austin, Texas in out of school and summer programming. We serve over 45,000 kids in the Austin area. So it's a big, big operation. We have done great work. Please, if you're so obliged, donate to our cause. It really is a great one. Our staff does an amazing job. I will personally match out of my own pocket anything we can raise through this donation. Link on served up to $150,000 and we'll do that over the next week. So hopefully that is something that I do have to match. I would love nothing more. Thank you for taking the time. Go to arfoundation.org if you want more information. I don't know. We have certain amount of subscribers. It's more than 150,000. You know, we could do less than a dollar per subscriber and we'd get there. Mike.

[Mike]

Yeah, I love that.

[Andy Roddick]

Yeah, Sean already said he's in for 10 bucks. We're all set. Or he has to be. I'm not sure we're one of the two put in the expense report. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me off the top of the show. Obviously on the other side of the break, we are going to get to Elena Rybakina and her dominance in Saudi Arabia. We are going to get to the Novak Djokovic of things in Athens and is he playing? Is he not playing? Is Musetti in? Is he out how that whole thing unfolded? We were going to be joined by our good friend Kim Kleisters on this show. But we got a text today. She tore her Achilles about three weeks ago. Yeah, I don't think I'm oversharing. But then a week after she had surgery, got out of bed, fell on it again and ruptured it again. She is having a hell of a time with her legs. So she was going to go to the doctor's appointment and then come here to do or come on and join to do the show for the WT recap. Not possible. Mike, what happened?

[Mike]

She just went to the doctor, she got good news. She got her boot off or her splint off, and then now she's in a boot. But they wanted to go get the X ray, go see PT for the first time. She left me a voice message, said her right leg, the leg that she injured is just about three times smaller than it was before. It happens quick, so shout out. She's a badass and she always does it with a smile. And she's so happy. I'm like, I wouldn't want anybody talking to me right now. I wouldn't want to think about it.

[Andy Roddick]

So, I mean, I remember you talking about how big your nuts were after your vasectomy, and you couldn't even get through that with a straight face. That was brutal. Yeah, you were. I know, because you talked about it all the time, how brutal it was.

[Mike]

God forbid I rupture my Achilles.

[Andy Roddick]

God. That's what I'm saying. Like, Kim can't put weight on her leg for another four weeks and you were complaining about boo boo on your nuts.

[Mike]

Yeah. I think scientifically it proves women are tougher than men.

[Andy Roddick]

Oh, we didn't.

[Mike]

100%.

[Andy Roddick]

Yeah. Well, I mean, science does prove that.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Andy Roddick]

Yeah. Has proven that. So we're another one from the weaker sex. JW is going to come and join us. Hot. He's in an apartment in Paris somewhere. I don't know where he is, but he's going to save the day and weigh in on the goings on of the tours right after the break. Thank you for potentially donating. Kim, we love you. We hope you feel better soon. Mike was able to make a full recovery with his nuts, so we should be fine. And we'll get to more after the break. Support for the show comes from Nutrafol. Nothing beats the ego boost that comes with a good hair day. So if you want a whole body approach to tackling hair issues like shedding or thinning, give Nutrafol a try. Nutrafol is the number one dermatologist recommended Hair growth supplement brand trusted by over one and a half million people, including me. I've tried Nutrafol before myself and it's been great. In just three to six months, you can go from a hat guy to a hair guy with visibly thicker, fuller hair and improve scalp coverage. Neutropol Men is clinically tested to improve hair growth and quality. So hats off to great hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping. When you go to nutrafol.com men and enter the promo code served. Find out why Neutropol is the leading hair growth supplement brand on the market at nutrifol.com spelled n u t r a f o l.com promo code served that's nutrafol.com men promo code served.

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[Andy Roddick]

All right, welcome back. And we're going to bring in jw hot off the bench. We were supposed to have a little Kim Kleisters. We reached out to our friend Blair Henley and just schedules are a mess today. Jw, the old faithful coming in from. Are you in a bunker somewhere? Where are you right now?

[JW]

I'm going to blink twice and then you're going to send gruel. I'm in an Airbnb. I'm not wearing this scarf because I'm a big fan of Espana, of La Liga. I'm wearing it because it's really cold in this Airbnb, but no complaints. I do think trading Kim Kleister's for me is pretty lopsided. You need a new general manager. But good to be with you here.

[Andy Roddick]

Well, Kim, listen, it's out of our hands. Kim's Achilles and legs are giving her fits right now on the doctor's orders. So we had to, we had to replace jw. Thanks for being a good sport and jumping on. We know that you don't have much time. I think the story of last week, obviously Rybakina's dominance at the WTA finals in Saudi Arabia, going through Anna Samova, pretty straightforward. Iga Alexandrova, Pegula Sabalenka, 50 on the trot. We were crazy enough two weeks ago on the show to say that we think she's going to have a massive 2026. This didn't do much to dispel that prediction, did it?

[JW]

No, I couldn't remember if it was you or Currier who I was arguing. It must have been. Must have been Currier because I think we were pretty good on Rybakina and. Yeah. But we talked last week about how there's not always a ton of predictive value in these year end events. But watch her play, watch her serve her way out of trouble, watch her authoritative tennis, watch her get it done in November and you cannot help think she has put herself right back squarely in the conversation of who's going to win majors next year. That was thoroughly, thoroughly impressive.

[Andy Roddick]

Yeah. And I think one of the things is there's been, I don't know that anyone's ever been worried about the on the court product with Rybakana when all is well.

[JW]

Right.

[Andy Roddick]

There has been some turmoil and obviously there's still some lingering effects. Effects from Vukov and you know, what did you make of her not taking a picture with the WTA CEO at the end? It seems like there are still some feelings about how everything went down and the fact that they just suspended her coach and I don't know how else to define it, I won't go there, but there still seems to be some, some issue.

[JW]

Yeah. This is a player who doesn't give up much. I don't know if you saw her reaction before she spurned WTA CEO Portia Archer at the trophy presentation ceremony and if you saw her reaction on Match Point, not exactly cartwheels. This is not a player who's particularly expressive. So that gesture, basically not acknowledging the WTA was actually a rare glimpse into her personality. I mean, I don't think the WTA has any apologizing to do. You get a complaint about a situation, you're almost obligated to look into it. There's a code of conduct. They determined the coach violated that term of conduct. WTA did nothing wrong in my opinion. But I think it said something that she's still defiant about that. And also this situation frightened a lot of people. Really close to the center of it. The fact that here we are and we're talking about her as a future major champion. She won $5 million and from outside looking in seems comfortable and happy with the coach. They've had some nice results. In a way we could say this situation could have gone a lot darker. We should Be happy for everyone involved. But, yeah, I mean, I thought this was not a player who gives up much. You know, she's got that Red Bull sponsorship. We sort of kid about the very curious pairing of player and product. She doesn't give off a lot of Red Bull energy. But that gesture with the CEO, that actually was a glimpse into her character that she doesn't often provide.

[Andy Roddick]

I got one for you. As you look into your crystal ball for next year, if I gave you these two players and you were to tell me this one is going to win a major next year, and I gave you Anisimova and Rybakina, what say you?

[JW]

Oh, that's a good one. Oh, man. Yeah, I'm going to make you answer the same question. One of them, of course, has reached the finals of two majors on the trot, and the other is former Wimbledon champion who very nearly won Australia as well. I think I might recency effect. I might go Rebak and I mean, that's.

[Andy Roddick]

That serve is.

[JW]

That's one of the great weapons in modern tennis, that serve of hers. People see that scoreline, that 7 6, and they'll say, oh, she beat Sabalenka. A tiebreaker. That doesn't happen very often. What happened in the 20 or so minutes before that is worth going back and watching if you have a chance. That serve bailed her out of so many potentially problematic situations. I'm going to say Rybakina because of the serve. What do you say?

[Andy Roddick]

I think I say Rybakina just because she's better on clay. So it's like one more opportunity. Right. I think she's. She's won Rome before. It's not her best service by any means. I think they have the same limitations on the surface, but it's more. Is. Does she have three and a half chances at the Slams versus three? You know, I don't know. Ana Samoa's been to the semis there before as well in her breakout. So I asked the question because I don't have a confident response either way. I do think Rabakina is the best serve in women's tennis. It seems like when you say, you know, golf and IGA and Sabalenka and you slot Rybakina into that conversation and none of them want to play her, right? Sabalenka, she's one of the only ones that can go toe to toe with the consistency of a Sabalenka. Well, Sabalenka is not getting easy looks to knock off second serve returns. I guess I think Rybakina. But let's, let's also be sober here, right? We're talking about Anisimova against someone who has been at the top of the game. One Wimbledon, and we're saying in either or and we don't know the answer. And if we rewind 18 months with Anisimova, she wasn't in the main draw of Wimbledon. Hell of a year for Anisimova. Great job for Bakana going through world tour finals. How much stock do you put into this? Because normally I'm like, I think we overvalue year end finals, but then it's like Rebakina and I put a little bit more stock into it. Why do I do that? Does it. Do you, do you have that kind of same leaning?

[JW]

I think some. I'm taking off this ridiculous. God bless Espanya. I can't sit here and do a podcast in a ridiculous soccer scarf. I'm sorry, you have to cut that out. Where were we? No, I think, you know, I think the women probably have a little bit more sort of, again, predictive value. I think some of this is just eye test. I mean, you look up, look at the way she served in that final, for example. Look at the way she stared down Sabalenka in a tie break. You just know it when you see it. This is also, again, this is a player who, we know how good she is. This is someone who very nearly has two majors and she does have one. I also think you sort of look at the women's tennis field. We talk about, it's center and Alcaraz and a long staircase down women's tennis field is not any given Sunday anymore. I mean, there's a certain level of parity at the top. We had four major winners, of course, but that core group, they were there in 2024. They were there right now. I think we know how good they are when they're beating each other. And I also think that surface, that field, I, I think you just look at how Rbakana played and it, it passes the eye test of this is a player who's back, as you say. And you know, it's interesting, she and Anderson Momoa have both had this sort of, it's been a bit of sort of mercurial careers for two very different reasons. But it's, it's off court and not entry related. I just think you sort of, you, you know it when you see it. And yeah, I, I think those are two players that will be contending for Slams Next year no matter what.

[Andy Roddick]

Yeah. Very simply, when Anisimova or Robocona are playing one of the top players, you, you don't really worry about them.

[JW]

Right.

[Andy Roddick]

It's just the only thing I, the only place that I think Coco Iga Saba separate are the random second rounds and third rounds and you know, round of 16 potential losses. Right. It feels like they're always able to get into position to face, you know, one of the other top two or three. Whereas Anisa Moba. Well, not, this is not accounting for the last, you know, five months of the season but just for look forward before that in Rubakina it's just a little bit more of a heart rate monitor to get to those quarter semifinals. But it does feel like they're both in the latter half of this year making a habit of it. Listen, I'm here for the parody. Four different winners of four different majors this year. I think that's a lot of fun. While also I don't know that we see someone where we had like Vondrozova when she wins Wimbledon for example. Even Rebakkina when she won Wimbledon wasn't a top five player at that time. I don't know that we're going to see someone who's 30 in the world go through and win a slam next year. So it's parody but it feels like it has a ceiling a little bit for, for the outlier results, you know. So congrats again to Elena Rybakina. Just a hell of a run. 5o sweep world tour Finals. Those names props, well done. Serve was in full flight. Hopefully a sign of things to come for her moving into 2026. I certainly think she's going to have an absolute monster of 2026. I think you slot her into the top three in the world year end rankings next year. Clip it. We'll see if it, if it makes good but then oh, we're having a hard time keeping up with who was qualified, who wasn't. This 250 match FAA camping out and see if he's in. Novak wins, Musetti's out. Until the handshake, then Musetti's in and what, what the hell's going on?

[JW]

JW yeah, it's not great for the, the credibility of your, for your great tentpole event when you've got this much churn at the end. I think there are a lot, a lot of questions about Novak. It was awesome that he won his 101st title. It was awesome that he did. We talked last week about his self imposed exile from Serbia. What we didn't talk about was that's a Djokovic family owned event that like him, decided things were no longer comfortable in Serbia. The event moved to Greece as well. And then to have Novak win it. But it all had this sort of strange shroud of what does this mean for Turin? When you and I last week, I just want to be clear because we got a little bit of shit for it when we said looks like Novak is playing. This was an interview that the head of the Italian federation gave. So this wasn't just clickbait and it wasn't just believing tennis. Sentel, we all fell for the head of the Italian federation, by the way, interview in which he said, yeah, exactly. It's a lot of. Anyway, so is Novak playing? Is he not playing? When did Musetti find out? We talked about Felix. We were joking. Should he have just camped out and had a fun week in Amsterdam or gone to Monte Carlo? It turned out he had nothing to worry about at all. No matter what.

[Andy Roddick]

Amsterdam. Amsterdam is a tough one. You can, I think you can test positive for Amsterdam. Yeah, I don't know that I would have been the place for.

[JW]

It's second, secondhand, secondhand brownies. What?

[Mike]

John. John, I do, I do want to give Andy a shout out because Andy and I were texting on Thursday at like 6 o' clock and before all these matches happened and Andy said that Novak is, quote, he's going to beat Musetti and take him out and then he's going to tell him he's not playing when they shake hands. And guess what? Andy was right. Musetti came out and said that he didn't know until they were smiling at the net with each other.

[Andy Roddick]

Feel free to post that screenshot, Mikey Hayden, because you were, you were a little skeptical. I just said he's going to win his home tournament. And also it's like for all the yahoos who are kind of, you know, saying, well, Novak should have let this person know. That person know. Okay, paint the picture here that JW is just referencing. He owns the license for the tournament in Athens that he is participating in. I don't know that he can pull out of the tournament the next week and play the last three matches in the tournament that he owns in Athens. What are his choices? My guess, and this is pure speculation if I'm in his position is okay, we're going to wait and see. Maybe if I cruise through Athens, maybe I go. But I also don't see a world where. Why when you're 38. You'd want to go run through the ringer one last time, you know, to end the year. I don't. You're feeling good, you're in your new hometown. But, like, what are his options? He's not going to say publicly that I'm pulling out a Turin and then play Athens because people are going to go, well, that's bullshit. Now if he wins Athens, which we want him to try to win every tournament he plays and then tells Musetti, they're like, oh, well, they move the schedule for you. I don't know. That sounds like a them problem. That sounds like they shouldn't be starting a day after, you know, the ATV finals. And my guess was that if I'm him and I know FAA is like in or out, I know if I'm pulling out, FAA is definitely in. You don't know about Musetti? I'm guessing, and this is pure speculation that FAA might have had a hint that he was good to go. If Novak knew anywhere along the. Along the lines, they'll never admit it. This is complete conspiracy. But I did call that one. I just. I'll tell you when I mess it up. And if you've listened, if you've listened to our draw shows, I'll be the first to say I don't know anything. And if I'm Novak, I'm gonna tell the guy when I shake hands with him that I know you're disappointed. It doesn't matter, you're still in. It's no big deal. That's kind of funny. But listen, here's the thing, and I know I'm beating a dead horse here with schedule and everything else. Just read an article that there are 14 challenger events played in December that will count towards the 2026 race, meaning the race to Turin for next year, or the ATP race, the live rankings. They won't count for the end of this year. They're not going to tack them on. They're going to be counted towards next year. Anyone? Bueller? Anyone want to tell me what that sets precedent for?

[JW]

Bueller? You're on a roll here with keep, keep. You take the ball, don't give it up. Keep the ball.

[Andy Roddick]

So if we're fine, if we're fine, generally with challengers being in a wraparound.

[JW]

Season.

[Andy Roddick]

Why are we not okay with 250s contributing to the race in 2026? Why are we in the position where Athens can't be played the week after the World Tour finals if it wants to be and count towards 2026. So we're not extending the season. The ATP has just set precedent with a challenger tour. I hope it's a preview of things to come. The most obvious solution is to buy back tournaments, scoot everything up two or three weeks, 250s at the end of the year. As we've seen they don't often dictate who has actually in and out. And when they do it means pull outs are going to happen. Right. Wraparound season, you should be playing three or four 250s right now, maybe three. And then those should count towards the 2027 race. So if you want to count those results towards World Tour finals, which it hardly ever matters, right. This might have been the year where it mattered a little bit and it ended up being even more chaotic because of the possibility of qualification in this last week. So hopefully a sign of things to come. Just play three weeks, have them count towards the 2027 race. It's not that hard. 250s are largely local businesses. Right after the year you might actually have the attention of the tennis world because it's the only show in town. I still haven't heard what a negative is beyond it just being a mess financially with putting the toothpaste back in. As far as scheduling, let's take some of that newfound money, whether it's from selling off made up licenses for 1,000 that we just decide that we can sell off now, betting contracts. We have some disposable income right now, right? Let's buy back some tournaments. Let's do the right thing. Let's move the schedule up. Let's shut up all the talking heads like me and all the players who have been complaining. Don't force anyone to unionize or take drastic steps. Just fix the wraparound season and that fixes a lot of the issues.

[Mike]

Mike, where does the next gen leaving Saudi Arabia early. So for context, the next gen tournament was supposed to be in Saudi Arabia and Jeddah through 2027. They announced this past week they'd be cutting that short. So the next gen finals would be leaving. Where does that is an indicator to what you're laying out? Like maybe they're going to move that in the calendar.

[Andy Roddick]

I don't know. Next gen is a different. It's a little bit of a different thing because when you're 18, 19 you don't, you don't feel the length of a season. It's not as if you've been doing it for five or six years. I'm. Go ahead jw.

[JW]

Yeah, I mean to your point Though, I mean, you're right. I mean, we could. It's a little strange that that event didn't fulfill its contract in the same country that just got a Masters 1000. But to your point, if the season ended earlier, something like, the next gen gets a nice little shot of energy. Hey, if you're really a tennis fan or you really want to watch Fonseca and learner Tien, this now has more oxygen. So, ironically enough, the Next gen is one. If we went by the Roddick model, NextGen is one of these events that actually would really benefit.

[Andy Roddick]

Totally. I mean, the next gen right now is competing with, like, Christmas. Like, what are we doing? Like, that's a tough one. Not. Not a lot of people can take market share from Santa. Like, I don't know that that's. I don't know that that's the one. I. I hope that we're getting smarter. And as we. I understand if you don't have the budgets and if you're struggling year to year and obviously coming out of COVID and, you know, level setting and, you know, liquid capital wasn't the easiest thing, and you do have to buy back tournaments. There is an expense to fixing. The people need to understand that. It's not as easy as just moving around weeks on a calendar, I'm sure. And this is over my pay grade. The buyback process has to be a pain in the ass. There are TV contracts, I'm sure in some local markets, you got to unwind a bunch of stuff. Now, only if there was a way to create a bunch of capital to do that. I think we're at that moment. I hope we're at that moment. And I promise you, I swear, right, Because I've had a. I've had a burr at my ass about the schedule for who knows how long. I promise you, I will lay on the sword of my own opinion if this happens and say props. Way to go. Progress made. We didn't have to blow up the sport. We didn't have to unionize. We didn't have to do all of this crazy shit to get to a result. That should just be common sense and is common sense. You won't find anyone from the ATP or from any faction so sl.

[JW]

That.

[Andy Roddick]

That's like, oh, you know what? The tour, the length of the tour schedule is just right. No one thinks that even if they're getting paid by the ATP, they're trying to work it out. Go ahead, jw.

[JW]

Yeah. One way or the other, right? For. For all the players that say the season is too long. I'm playing on fumes, which is totally understandable. There are also other players saying we need more playing opportunities. Well, this solves it. If you're top, if you're. If you're an Alcazon center and Taylor Fritz, you say, you know what? I'm home for Halloween. Enough. If you're another player who's chasing points or who's having a hot streak and wants to keep going, play these events after Turin, these 250s you're talking about, and everybody goes home happy. The players are there because they want to be there. You may have, I don't know, that the Djokovic family. Let's be clear. I think the family owns the sanction, not Novak. But if the Djokovic family owns an event and Novak wants to play, great, you're getting a star. Some players who want to boost their rankings, maybe there's even a ranking bonus from their sponsor that they need to hit. Some guy ranked 22 is going to enter these events, you'll get a pretty good field. But the top four or five guys who are saying they're exhausted, they're going to be on a beach somewhere, everybody wins here.

[Andy Roddick]

If I put on my full tinfoil hat and I was part of the ATP and I had already sold a license to the family member of one of our big players and that was a way to get some of our biggest stars to play at the end of the year, I don't know, I might be in the business of selling off some more fucking licenses to guarantee some play. At least there's something. We're getting some out of it. Now, I'm not saying we need like the center or Chucky Alcaraz cup, but I'm not, not saying it.

[JW]

I mean, I think you're out of something.

[Andy Roddick]

I don't know. Arnold Palmer has an event, Tiger as an event.

[Mike]

I don't know. I don't know.

[Andy Roddick]

Maybe we get a little. I don't know. Is that too sensical?

[Mike]

That just sounds like too good of an idea.

[Andy Roddick]

I don't know. I generally hope that this becomes. Listen, maybe my idea is not the idea, but some formation of shorter length of schedule for the people that need it most so we don't burn out our superstars. We do not have a home team in tennis. We don't have Yankees fans that will show up regardless of the product because we've loved this team for 50 years. We sell based on the stars of our game and based on the product that they put out. We want to maximize that product that is done through rest, preparation and not losing someone at some point for three months, six months to an Achilles tear. If we can help support these players bodies has a spillover into mental, maybe we get another two years out of one of our superstars. Right When Marat Safin was 60 in the world and he was the second round matchup for a superstar early in a slam, there were no losers. Let's keep our name players around. Jw, you got something?

[JW]

All right, real quick, speed round. Speaking of longevity, la 2028, is Djokovic in the field?

[Andy Roddick]

I don't think so. I hope I'm wrong.

[JW]

I don't know if you caught that. He referenced that. Yeah.

[Andy Roddick]

And I also, I got to give him props because he, he, this, him saying I still want to retire at the LA Olympics with a Serbian flag in my hand was a perfect way to address many, many issues that are going on for him right now. The never ending question of when are you going to retire? I don't fucking know when I want to. I like it, I enjoy it. Oh, and I'm getting paid $100 million a year. This is still a good thing for me. And by the way, I made the semis of four slams this year. Okay, so one, two. I know, I live in Greece. I know there's a lot of chatter. We talked about it. And then there was another article in one of the English publications about him moving to Greece largely because of political reasons and his views on it in Serbia. Great way of saying, my heart is with Serbia. I want to retire with the best of relationships with the Serbian flag in my hand. I thought this was a really smart way to kind of address a lot of things. Jw, am I reading too much into that?

[JW]

No, that's exactly. I thought, that's brilliant. That's a great. And I mean this, I don't mean this pejoratively, I don't mean this negatively. That was a great political answer. That was like two birds and one stone. And you sort of keep this annoying retirement question at bay. Hey, it's two and a half years from now. You mentioned Serbia and move on everyone. I thought, I mean, who knows? We all hope he makes it. That would be amazing. He's got a gold medal to defend. Even if not, that was a brilliant bit of political strategy and we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens.

[Andy Roddick]

He said a lot in one short sentence. I don't know, maybe it's retire with a Serbian flag in my hand. Plus that tour event in Athens to say goodbye. I don't know. For no reason. For no reason at all. Jw, thanks for checking in. Thanks for saving the day. Enjoy Paris. That scarf looks great on you.

[JW]

Pleasure. See you guys.

[Andy Roddick]

See ya. We'll be back right after the tournament. Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint, finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro. You just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates and read reviews all on the app. Download today. Oh, hey. Welcome to gift wrapping.

[JW]

Whoa.

[Andy Roddick]

Zoe Saldana.

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[JW]

Wow.

[Andy Roddick]

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[Andy Roddick]

I'm the worst. I only got my mom a robe.

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[Andy Roddick]

So I have to trade in my old phone, right?

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[Andy Roddick]

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[JW]

Forget that.

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[Andy Roddick]

Sounds like my family drama.

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[Andy Roddick]

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To T Mobile. Thanks, Zoey.

[Andy Roddick]

The holidays are better AT t mobile. Get four iPhone 17s on up plus no trade in needed when you switch. Plus four lines for just 25 bucks a line with 24 monthly bill credits and four eligible board ins on essentials for well qualified customers. Auto pay + taxes, fees and $35 device connection charge credits and imbalance due if you pay off earlier. Cancel contact us Finance a group of 256 gigabytes. $830 required. Visit t mobile.com welcome back. And the point I wanted to get to and I know JW had to go and thanks to him for even even coming on at all is top players play less people who want to hunt points like Cam Nori going into next year or Lerner TN who just won in Mets. Want to give him a massive shout out. 28 in the world started the year at 122. That's some work, man. Yeah, and big deal. 10 spots this week. You know what that does. Bueller, anyone? Anyone?

[Mike]

38.

[Andy Roddick]

28 seated at the Aussie open. That's Crazy is not going to have. So that Medi rematch ain't happening in the second round. Guys gone to work. You know what? I like watching young players who like Lerner, Tien, and I don't mean this in a bad way, I mean this most complimentary way possible. Doesn't have a serve that's going to blow you away, doesn't have a shot that's going to like knock you off the court at any given moment. I love young players who already have a very high tennis iq, Knows when to chip, knows when to take cuts, has that kind of short pop forehand, almost like a Grosjean, where there's not a huge take back and he can kind of work it out of the center. Beat you with spacing and timing, not necessarily taking massive cuts. But what a great way to end the year. And if there was a wrapper on schedule, wouldn't have affected his success at the end of the year. Right.

[Mike]

Kind of what you were talking about, right?

[Andy Roddick]

Yeah. He can still do what he wants. Nori can try to make up some ground and get seated. You know, there's nothing stopping anyone from playing more. It just becomes a choice for the top players who are creating the revenue, who are selling most of the tickets. I think they should have the option and I think we should have a wraparound season. People can play all the 250s. Laurentian's still going to be able to get that win.

[Mike]

Mets, can I ask you a question on that? He's the first American to win a, first American male to win an ATP title as a teenager. Since you. What is his mentality then after getting that first win, what is, what is he thinking? All right, he's 19 years old. He's not a very big guy. He's 5 11, like 160 pounds, according to like, his bio. Like, what is he doing through the end of the year and what's he doing Getting ready for being seated at the Australian Open.

[Andy Roddick]

Yeah, something that's always going to end. You don't often see a young player go into the Australian Open like he did this year. Play someone like Medvedev, who it's just going to be a absolute brawl of long rallies. I think Lerner already understands this because I, I have yet to see him, like, super tired. He is going to have to always be fit. He is going to have to always have the option. Like, listen, I might knock, knock your head off with my game, but he goes, I can pick you apart, right? I can have body shots. I can all of a sudden Stun you with a jab across the, the, the chin. I think it's something he already understands. For him it's just like, okay, am I, am I better than when I started a year ago? Yes. Am I getting results week in and week out? Am I beating top 10 players? Yeah. His record against top 10 players is shockingly good. For someone who's young and who started the year outside of the top hundred, it doesn't seem like when he gets beat, I don't think it's ever because he's in awe of a situation or because he's punched himself out of a match. It might just mean that someone can go bigger, stronger, faster on that day. I don't know that I would try to recreate anything as far as a mentality with this kid. I think he understands it. I think he understands what he does well. I think he has full control of the concepts of the game and how to apply them. So I'm just excited, you know, getting up to 28. He will be seated in Australia. Let's say you can keep that position. You're looking at third rounds, maybe some fourth rounds of slams. Those points in the availability of them will work his way up and we're going to be looking at him in the top 20, top 15 if he has an average first six months. Right. Can we defend the result in Australia? We'll see. It's pretty clean Runway. After that, his game should translate to grass really well. Right? I don't know about Clay. Hits a little flat and through the court. Not going to get a lot of freebies. But like on a faster court where he can, I mean technically he's very sound. Doesn't need a lot of time to put some pace on the ball and to inject pace into the thing. Can slice to get himself in positions, can play offense inside the court, take your time away, can play some defense. We saw it against Mehdi. He was going to the chip a lot. I think it's just really fun to watch this guy and him with along with Alex Mickelson and Brooksby and be curious to see how that group starts pushing the other group of. You know, he finished ahead of Francis this year in the rankings. Francis is going to finish year and 30. You know, learner Tien's 28. So can this new group kind of push, you know, the Tommy Paul's and you know, all them a little bit more. It'd be fun to watch, but props to them. Thank you for watching. Served Reminder did a whole thing about donating to the Andy Roddick foundation at the beginning of the show. Click on that thing. If you have any interest, check out what we [e-mail] or where is it in the description guys? I don't know.

[Mike]

It'll be in the show descriptions. We'll put it up in the link tree. It'll be anywhere you can find any information on the show. We'll give it a shot.

[Andy Roddick]

Awesome. Would appreciate your support. I will personally match up to 150k if we can get there from listeners of the show. Would be awesome. I will celebrate you forever. I don't know, I might even be drunk next week when we do it if we get there. Thanks for listening to the.

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[Andy Roddick]

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