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You're about to hear my conversation with Albano Olivetti.
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Albano is a French doubles player who is up to a career high of number 22 in the world.
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He just won a grass court tournament in Halle with his partner, Theo Arabaj, who together are number seven in the race to the ATP finals.
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In this conversation, I talked to Albano about the serve.
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He is six foot eight, so he has one of the biggest serves on tour, uh regardless of singles or doubles, and he actually has the second fastest recorded serve ever at 160 miles an hour.
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So I asked him about that.
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He shared some serve advice for people who are not close to seven feet tall.
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I also asked him who's had the biggest influence on him as a doubles player.
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And he mentioned uh one of the better French doubles players of all time and how he's helped him with his return, actually, uh, which Albano mentioned as a little bit of a weakness for him.
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I also asked him about his steady improvement uh since he committed to doubles a little bit after COVID.
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We talked about uh the differences between clay and grass and what he thinks he and Theo's best surface is.
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We also talked a lot about team chemistry.
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Um he and Theo have been able to stick together this year, whereas in years past, Albano has had to switch partners and he talked a little bit about the benefits of being able to stay with a partner.
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I also discussed with him goals for the rest of the year and how to make doubles more popular.
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So this is a pretty short conversation, but one with a new guest.
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I have not had Albano on before, and you may not know a ton about him, but he is a fun player to watch with obviously a massive serve and definitely is making some noise on the ATP tour this year with four titles so far.
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So without further delay, enjoy this conversation with world number 22, Albano Olivetti.
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Hey everyone, welcome to the show.
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Today we have Albano Olivetti on.
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Albano, welcome.
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Thanks for having me.
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Thanks for coming on.
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I appreciate you doing this.
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I know um players are so busy during tournaments, and it's hard for y'all to kind of squeeze things like this that are optional into uh your day.
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And you're coming off a title in Halle, which is um awesome.
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Congratulations on that.
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And then you're in Mallorca now, um, getting ready for this tournament.
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So talk about last week um on the grass uh with Theo winning that title.
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What worked so well for you last week?
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Uh we we came um on the grass with expectations.
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Um, in our mind, we we believe that we could do well on grass.
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Uh we had the the first the first tournament in Erstogen Bosch, which was okay.
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Uh we we saw some point where we we could do a little bit better.
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So we have uh a talk with Theo.
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And uh since the beginning in Halle, we we we felt very well on the court.
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Um uh Teo served uh better than the week before.
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He was really good on surf.
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Uh I I have a good feeling on my surf too.
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So this was the strongest thing we we fixed probably we were really good on our surfs.
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We didn't even lose so much points on surf to be honest.
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And uh we also found a way to be dangerous in return, which is not easy on grass.
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Uh never easy to to have a lot of breaks on grass, but um we were doing well.
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I think we we have a good quality and um we play well during the the whole week, even during the the practice, we had always the good feeling, and uh yeah, it was a really good week, I have to say.
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As you transitioned from clay to grass, you you said you had that first tournament.
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Uh I think you won one match and lost the second match.
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And you said you you kind of learned from that and maybe made some adjustments.
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Talk a little bit about what you can get into specifics on like what those adjustments were, or like how you kind of transition from one surface to another.
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Um, and and why did you have expectations going into the grass season?
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Yeah, for coming from clay to go on grass is totally different because on clay, like the bones is much higher.
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Um, and you come on grass, it's very, very low, especially for for someone like me with my size.
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So I had to to work a little bit on that thing, trying to be good when the the ball is low and uh the slice is getting yeah much efficient on grass.
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So yeah, you have to to change you you come from returning some kick serve to the to the slice, so it's very different.
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So always like the the the first practice I have to say is a little bit like weird.
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You have to to find your written, the sensation, the feeling, and uh and then to adjust to serve in return is even more important on grass, especially for the dabbers.
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And if you can be good on the net, like surf partner and all those things, it's very, very important.
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And um, yeah, I mean we had a good first win in Erto Gambosch, and then the the second one we we could do maybe better a few things.
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So it was good to have this tournament to to try to use it and to do to do better.
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And um, and then yeah, we have uh we have a good week in Halle, you know, we have a good expectation because we have an aggressive game with Theo.
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We will like to go on the net.
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Uh I like to use my my serve because it's my big weapon, and uh and we are good when we are both on the net.
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So we say, okay, if we if we can have most of the time this position, then it's not easy to to beat us.
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I want to talk a little bit more about the serve.
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So you've got one of the biggest serves on tour.
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Um, I was looking at your uh Wikipedia page earlier, and it it talks about your second fastest serve ever, um, 160 miles an hour back in I think it said 2014.
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Um how did you do that?
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And then uh why is it it on Wikipedia it said it's not recognized by the ATP?
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Why is that?
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Was it uh because of the tournament or something, something else?
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Yeah, yeah, because it happens during a challenger, and all the records in a challenger are not um are not good.
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You know, they uh if you do it on ATP, then it's okay.
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They they count it.
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Uh, I had like the the fastest uh French serve uh because I did it on during an ATP uh in Marseille.
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So this one was okay, but in Challenger it's like the the surf on growth.
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Uh it didn't count, so you have to to do it on tour on the first stages.
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Oh, that's funny.
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160 miles an hour, though.
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That is super, super fast.
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Um, what what serve advice do you have for people who are not uh six foot eight or close to seven feet tall?
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So maybe people who are of average height.
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Yeah, of course, when you are tall, it's easier to have a big serve.
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Uh but it depends, it depends on the level you have, what you you want to do.
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Um but
when I when I see people serving sometimes, I will say it's not so complicated, but if you can care about your toast for the for the uh for the serve is important because if you don't do it well, then it's not easy to to serve.
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And then to to use the the legs, you have a good push over the legs.
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Is not so much for the part, but for the percentage of first serve.
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It could it could be a very good help.
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This is the two things I will say, but every d every serve is so different.
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So if I see the serve, I can I can say something more.
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But uh this is maybe the two points I can I can give as an advice.
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Yeah, yeah, you kind of have to customize it for each kind of serving style, I guess.
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Yeah.
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Um another thing I saw is on uh your ATP profile, which probably needs to be updated because it said you have a goal to reach the top hundred, um, which is you've done now.
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Um I think it was in single when that's why, yeah, because I did 15 years ago or 10 years for sure.
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So yeah, it wasn't single the top 100, I think.
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Okay, well you've done it in doubles um for a few years now.
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So uh it also said you're a Miami Heat basketball fan.
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Why is that?
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I was I was following much more the NBA before, I have to say, like uh when I was younger.
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No, I still I still uh I'm still following the results, and uh this time I really like uh Miami, but now I'm not following so so much, so it's not so much the case anymore, but still looking at the results.
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That's so funny.
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Um, about what time did you kind of decide to transition away from singles and and focus on doubles?
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And then uh also who's had the biggest influence on you as a doubles player?
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I start to focus on the doubles right after the COVID.
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I was thinking about it even a little bit before, and when the restart, it was so complicated to try to play singles uh that I say, okay, uh maybe it's my time to try the doubles, because even when I was playing singles full uh on tour, I always had like some good results in the doubles.
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I always like to play it.
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So I always had it somewhere in my mind that maybe one day uh I can try to play full double, and that was the right time to do it, I think.
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And I think I did a good choice.
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And um as the influence, I will say Nicolas Mahu for from French, uh from French, because he has some similarities with me.
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He has uh one 100 on the deuce side, uh seven volets.
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So I always like I was taking a look when he was playing, and today he's even helping a little bit the the French double spayers.
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So he has uh really good advisors for me for my game.
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Yeah, that's somebody great to uh great to learn from.
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He's had a fantastic career.
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Yeah.
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Um, what what is one piece of advice that he's given you that's kind of stuck with you that you can share with the listeners?
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Uh he's he helped me a lot about the return.
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Um because this is always the part that I was trying to be better, because it was my my weakness, I would say, return, even when I was playing singles.
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So since the beginning, I really working hard on the on the return part.
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And uh I feel today much better than in the past.
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And um he's giving me some advice with the the grip, because I'm as I'm one one-handed, then it's more difficult sometimes to have the the good grip on your hand.
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Uh because it's totally the opposite between the the back end and the forehand, and in as though like saying, Okay, on this one, on this kind of stuff, you can make maybe the lob line, or you can make the chip cross to make the guy play.
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Um so yeah, I'm really listening on what he's saying because it's it works for me.
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So I'm still trying to involve on that part of the game, but I'm happy with what I'm doing right now.
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So since you transitioned to focus on doubles, um in 2022 uh you reached top 100, 2023, top 50.
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Uh 2024, you had two ATP titles, and then this year you have um four ATP titles and have reached the top 25.
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What do you attribute that steady progress to?
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Uh yeah, last year was a little bit tough because I was injured at the beginning of the year for 10 months, and then I had to my partner decided to split with me.
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So then he it was complicated because I switched a lot.
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Um and when I was playing well with it was with Yuki in the past two years ago, so Yuki Bombering.
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Um I was trying to to have a good good partner and a fixed partner in the past.
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So Yuki was the maybe the the first person because we play for something like eight months and we were doing doing good together, even maybe 10th.
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And we start with Teo last year, at the end of the year, and uh we
we keep pushing together.
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So this is already something really important for a double player to have the same partner and to work together.
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Because sometime in the past I had the thing that when I was playing, for example, with one single player, there was switching the week after with someone, switching again.
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So even if you if you do something good or if you if you want to work on something, if your partner is playing different ways or something, it's it's so complicated to to you know to to keep the things going on on the right way.
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But uh as a team, it's much more easier to to work together and to adapt and to adjust and to be to be better as a team.
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So I think this is one point, and then you just try to be better everywhere.
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Yeah, yeah, I want to talk more about that.
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So you and Theo have obviously had had a great year, stuck together.
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Um how important is that team chemistry?
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You you just touched on it a little bit, but I imagine you know, with different partners, you're practicing with different people every week, and you're working on kind of more personal stuff.
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But you and Theo this year, I imagine, are practicing together all of the time, and you're able to work on things as a team.
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So, how how valuable do you think that is?
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And what's clicked so well for the two of you in terms of team chemistry and then uh leading to results?
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Yeah, it's very valuable to to be together, to work together, of course.
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Um, and I think we have different strings.
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Uh Tier is very good with the tactical part because it's he's in love with double, he's watching a lot of matches, a lot of videos, he can he can spend so much time about it.
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So I have to say, on the tactical part, he's uh he's very good.
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So he comes usually with a plan for every match.
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So we can we can talk about it and then we can have some a good discussion about the match, which is I think which is important for the for the pre-match and for for doubles.
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Uh in in the other part, um I can help him a bit more about the technical party, like for the for the for his surf.
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When I when I saw him, we I'm talking a lot about the surf for him.
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I'm trying to to help him on that part of the game.
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Uh, because in in doubles, of course, if you have a big surf, it's really important, he's helping you a lot.
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So I think um he's taking from me, I'm taking from him, which is important.
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And uh and then I was for sure really good on serve, he's really, really good on the net, uh putting a lot of of return in the courts, and and then so yeah, we we try to adapt.
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I mean, we try to make him better on serve, I try to be better on return, and then the the the team is getting better.
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So this is this is how we we do it, and this is how it's working for us, I think.
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Yeah, yeah, it's working really well, obviously.
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Um, do you feel like uh grass is your best surface with your because you mentioned earlier, obviously on clay the ball's bouncing higher, which is probably good for you if you do ever hit any ground strokes or maybe for your return um since you're so tall.
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But then on grass, your serve is virtually unreturnable.
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So do you feel like grass is maybe your best surface or hard, or what how do you feel?
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Yeah, I think it's maybe too early to say something because we we played we played five matches right now.
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So we I think we we need more of we will see in Maioka, we will see next week in Wimbledon as well.
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Uh but of course I think it's probably one of our best chance to do something big.
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But I have to say on clay, uh we had some good results too.
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We we lost with with match points three times in a row, which is a little bit unlucky there.
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So and we we were close to to beat some really good teams.
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I mean, we had match points to to Eliovara Paten when they won Madrid.
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Madrid is on is in altitude, so maybe it's a little bit different, but uh but still we were not, I mean the the level was still still good on clay.
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We just need a few more points somewhere to have better results there.
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Uh uh, but on the on the grass, I mean last week was as I told you, like the match was really good quality, the the training too.
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So let's let's see if we we can push it like this this week and next week, and then we will we will have uh a clear answer about that.
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But hopefully we can we can do something something good in Wimbledon would be would be amazing for us.
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Yeah, yeah.
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I mean it could be a thing where it's like you know, y'all y'all are dangerous on all the surfaces, right?
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On grass, it's it's the serve that makes you so dangerous.
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On clay, it's a little bit easier to return.
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Yeah, um, and then
obviously you had some really good results this year on hard, including um in Dallas, which is uh not too far from where I live.
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So I want to let you go and respect your time here.
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Um, two more questions for you.
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Any goals that you have personally or you and Theo have as a team for the rest of the year?
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But right now we have the the the Turin, the the masters at the end.
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Yeah, I mean that's uh that's the target.
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Uh honestly we are we are seven now in the at the race as a as a team.
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So now we can we can say that we we try to to go there.
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Of course, uh Theo talked to me about he was thinking about it like very very early in the season.
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I say, okay, let's let's let's wait a little bit, like because you know it's it's a long way.
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The full year is a long way.
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So but yeah, if if I have to mention one thing right now, I would say the the masters at the end of the year will would be really good.
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Yeah, you're certainly on a good pace for it being seventh and having some good momentum here on the grass.
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Um so last question for you how do you think we can make pro doubles more popular?
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This is a good question.
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I mean, all the players we are trying to figure it out.
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Uh what is the possibility to do something.
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Uh because when I'm talking with people in general, usually they say they like dabbles, they like to play it.
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Uh but the consideration about the dabbles on on the tour is not so high.
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Uh even the I know the directors of the tournament, they don't like so much because they say like they are uh losing money with us or something, but which I don't really get because uh I think we are still doing some some matches.
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We are we are still like actors of the of the show of the of the tournament.
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And um yeah, sometimes um like in Hala, for example, we played before the the singles final, it was full, we had a good crowd, we had uh good atmosphere, and uh so uh it's a good question.
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I I don't have the answer right now because we are still like trying to to think about it, uh how we we could do something.
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Because I mean doubles player, we are really open to to do something to to help us, like to to promote more the the doubles or something, but uh we I think we will need the the support and the and the help from ATP, which is not the feeling we have right now, sometimes.
00:20:52.740 --> 00:20:58.659
So yeah, yeah, I think adding the finals before the singles finals is a really good move.
00:20:58.740 --> 00:21:10.099
It it seems to typically have a better crowd when they do that, and it acts kind of like as a like as an appetizer for the uh for the singles matches.
00:21:10.180 --> 00:21:18.740
Um and the the crowds the crowds can find out about doubles in that way and like really kind of learn some of the players and enjoy some of the net play.
00:21:18.899 --> 00:21:23.700
Um yeah, I think you're you're spot on there with the support from the tour as well.
00:21:23.779 --> 00:21:25.059
That's definitely required.
00:21:29.779 --> 00:21:35.859
He has all the support from everywhere, so yeah, so it was really good to do it like like this.
00:21:36.259 --> 00:21:36.980
Yeah, absolutely.
00:21:37.139 --> 00:21:49.539
Yeah, it can help when you get some of the more popular players who happen to be singles players um in there, and then maybe people find out about you or Theo and start to follow you as well.
00:21:49.700 --> 00:21:50.500
So yeah.
00:21:50.579 --> 00:21:53.619
Um, anyways, Albano, uh, thank you so much for coming on.
00:21:53.779 --> 00:21:55.940
Best of luck this week in Majorca.
00:21:56.259 --> 00:21:56.899
Thank you very much.
00:21:56.980 --> 00:21:58.180
It was a pleasure.