Full Transcript for US Open Wildcard Jack Kennedy Joins! Alcaraz Favourite? Eala Mania Hits NYC | EP 208

early age to play the pros, kind of see where the level's at, see what we need to, you know, gain and what to, you know. 00:05:15 Speaker 5: Work on. 00:05:16 Speaker 3: And I think, you know, kind of just having that kind of experience and exposure at a younger age, it kind of helps you be more ready and just, you know, kind of work on things at an earlier age. You know, a couple years ago when I played my first couple pro events, we knew that I had to get stronger and I had to develop a better serve. 00:05:37 Speaker 5: You know, that was just the reality of everything. 00:05:38 Speaker 3: And, you know, I think, you know, doing that has helped me now to kind of be where I'm at and has helped me kind of, you know, gain. experience and ultimately has helped me get some good results in. But yeah, it's been a pretty good year, has had some good results, but, you know, looking to keep pushing. 00:05:57 Speaker 4: Yeah. You know, kind of just dating back for like, so for one year ago, I mean, you did play the US Open last year in doubles. What's Jack Kennedy do better this year than he did last year as you progress? 00:06:07 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's a lot of mix of things. You know, obviously everyone, once they get older, they mature more. And, you know, I think the the professionalism really takes over. You know, I'm really kind of really checking all the boxes, doing all my uncontrollables really well. You know, doing everything I possibly can to get at least 1% better every day. You know, if that's, you know, just getting an extra hour of sleep or an extra 20 minutes in the gym doing, you know, maybe it's a cool down, maybe extra mobility, whatever it is. Or if it's just taking extra serves at the end of practice, I think that is the main thing. And I think as I get older, I just get, you know, just more hungrier every time. Uh, I just, I'm a very competitive guy. Um, you know, whatever I do, if it's tennis or playing cards with my family, I'm always trying to win. Um, that's just kind of who I am. So, you know, I just think that competitiveness, competitiveness can just take over maybe even too much at sometimes. Um, but you know, I think the main thing is just Always trying to get better every day. 00:07:13 Speaker 2: I got to say, Jack, these are some of the wisest answers I've ever heard. 00:07:17 Speaker 4: For a guy that's born in like 2017. 00:07:18 Speaker 2: And hearing it from an 18-year-old is very, very impressive. You are from Huntington in Long Island, just about 45 minutes away from Flushing Meadows. Just how special is your first Grand Slam going to be knowing it's the U.S. Open, it's the tournament you grew up going to? 00:07:39 Speaker 5: It's really special. 00:07:40 Speaker 3: I mean... I don't even think words can describe kind of what it feels like. You know, I've been coming to this tournament since I was five years old and going to watch practices of the pros, watching matches. I mean, the earliest tennis memory I have is going to a Rafa Nadal practice, my idol, and watching him, you know, like on the side and like the corner. And I was watching a practice and a ball rolled over to me and my dad. We were right in the corner and the ball comes to us. I get it and I give it back to Rafa. And he says, like, thank you, whatever it was. And I just felt like the king of the world at that time. And just felt like I could do whatever I want in that moment. And then now to be in it playing on the same courts as them is, I think, just a dream come true. 00:08:27 Speaker 5: You know, it's my backyard tournament. 00:08:29 Speaker 3: And, you know, I'm super excited to play in front of friends, family, and whoever decides to come out and support. But the past two years in the qualies have been, you know, unbelievable, a dream and an experience that is, you know, once in a lifetime. 00:08:44 Speaker 5: So, um, super excited to what, uh, this year holds. 00:08:47 Speaker 3: Awesome. Yeah. 00:08:48 Speaker 2: You talked about how you played it as a qualifier. Of course you played it as a junior. How different does it feel this year? I mean, you're on site right now knowing, you know, you walking through the gates, knowing that you're in the main draw, you're in the big dance right now. Just how different does it feel this year as, uh, compared to, uh, previous years? 00:09:08 Speaker 5: Yeah. 00:09:08 Speaker 3: Um, I mean, every year I think it gets better and better, to be honest. And every year you get just a little bit more of experience. So I think, you know, going into this year, we really know what to expect. You know, the first year going into it, we were kind of like eyes open, like, wow, like, you know, this is all incredible. 00:09:28 Speaker 5: Like, you know, we're taking it all in. 00:09:30 Speaker 3: Um, and then, you know, last year we got a little bit better with it, but we can, you know, still improve with, you know, not getting carried away with some stuff. But, um, I think this year we're really, you know, just taking advantage with everything that we have, like all the support and, you know, all the, you know, things behind the scenes that we can, can get, um, and really just taking advantage of, you know, this, this court time and being able to practice on these courts. Um, you know, going to the qualities, you don't have that much time, you know, practicing on the courts. you have like three days but you know being able to be out here a week in advance and really feeling out the courts and the conditions i think it really just helps um you know in a way to to get more used to it and uh be more uh ready for it when when match time comes um but i think you know this year is You know, we're ready to do some damage. I feel we're ready to, you know, hit the ground running and, you know, hopefully, you know, we'll see what happens with, you know, draws and everything, but excited to get to playing. 00:10:29 Speaker 2: So in my mind, you have one of the

most American names I've ever heard in my life, Jack Kennedy. It's a classic. It's an absolute classic. Okay, so playing at home in New York in front of literally your home crowd, do you think that's going to be an advantage or more of an advantage? Or does some pressure come with it knowing that most people are going to be rooting for you? 00:10:52 Speaker 5: Yeah, I'm not trying to see on the pressure side, to be honest. 00:10:56 Speaker 3: I think it's just really a great opportunity and kind of privilege to kind of be in this spot you know playing in the biggest courts in the world and the most prestigious courts that are in our sport you know just getting the opportunity to play with you know the big guys and you know kind of getting that experience is really just great alone and then just to compete out here is really special so I think it's just going to be an advantage and you know the way I see it you know going to have the people behind me um, you know, my friends and family in the stands that, you know, don't get to watch too much live, they'll be able to get the chance to, you know, be their front row and, uh, really get to be able to support. Um, so I'm just really looking forward to it. You know, I just can't wait to get to match day at this point. I'm, I'm already getting the, the adrenaline pumping already. So I'm excited. Yeah. 00:11:48 Speaker 4: So, I mean, you know, for you, dude, like what's it like for you? I mean, You've been to the US Open a million times, right? You've gone there, you've played qualifying. What's it feel like for you when you go there, you get that credential, it says A5 on it, you know, you're a player, you're walking in the locker room, like how special is that knowing that, you know, you can watch the grounds as, you know, a New Yorker, as a fan, but now you are in it, you're in the locker room, you're seeing the Alcaraz as the Novaks of the world. Like what's that feeling like? And has it kind of sunk in yet? 00:12:17 Speaker 5: Yeah, it's really cool. 00:12:20 Speaker 3: You know, it's, it's kind of tough to not be like, kind of like a, like a fangirl in a way to like, kind of be like, Oh my God, like they're right in front of me. I'm so used to seeing them on TV, but, um, you know, you kind of trying to act like you'd be there, uh, you belong there. Um, you know, so you're not trying to like big time them, but you're kind of just be like, you know, like, uh, you know, I'm here too, you know, I'm ready to kind of put my name on the map, trying to, you know, uh, be one of the next Carlos's and Yannick's. Um, But, you know, I think it's just a great thing. And I think USTA also helps with us, you know, being that, you know, a couple of years ago, they put me my first practice on Arthur Ashe. And I think, you know, they just want to kind of, you know, throw you into the water and just, you know, you kind of, you know, get used to it on your own, you know. But I think it's just great that, you know, we can have these moments and, you know, have these, you know, just kind of stories to, you know, tell. and just the experience alone, just to, you know, be around these guys, kind of see how they go day to day with their things, with, you know, how they, you know, go with their warmups, you know, seeing them in the gym and, you know, kind of, you know, what they just do kind of behind the scenes where a lot of people don't really get to see what, what really goes on. So kind of just, you know, taking some notes and, you know, kind of just seeing if we can incorporate anything from them into our stuff. 00:13:45 Speaker 4: Yeah, and for you walking around, is there one player that kind of maybe you would get starstruck by? Like you're walking around and like, oh, like Novak's right here, or Carlos, or maybe somebody random that you're like, I've modeled my game after, or kind of whatever that you kind of get stuck with? 00:14:01 Speaker 5: I mean, I would probably go with Rafa. He's my idol. 00:14:08 Speaker 3: Um, I've watched him growing up and I just think I haven't got to see him like in person, like up close. And I think I would just like be jaw dropped, like absolute, like fangirl with him and just being like, can I get a picture? Can I get a wrist? Like anything, um, kind of like the, the one where he played Navone in Madrid when he asked for the shirt, like I would do something along those lines. Um, and just be an absolute fan. But, um, I think he would be really cool to meet and kind of, I would love to like pick his brain about like how it was for him to go from juniors to pros and kind of that transition. And just really, I would like to sit with him for hours and hours just talking. Um, I would probably make him want to wish he wasn't part of tennis after we were done talking. 00:14:54 Speaker 5: So, uh, he probably doesn't want to meet me. 00:14:57 Speaker 4: Um, yeah, I mean, we've talked about it, like, you know, the, the draw hasn't come out yet. It should come out in the next day or so. 00:15:03 Speaker 3: Right. 00:15:04 Speaker 4: Um, is there a feeling, do you, you know, not that you want to pick a draw, but would you, is there, do you have one way or the other? You want to play like maybe Carlos or somebody like night session Ash or somebody kind of random, maybe like on court five where it's a little bit smaller. 00:15:19 Speaker 5: That's a good question. 00:15:20 Speaker 3: Um, I've asked my team and everyone that I know, kind of like who their prediction is going to be of who I get. I've, you know, I've got some Carlos's, I got some Novaks and, you know, I've got some guys like middle of the pack, like, you know, maybe like a Caboli or like, you know, maybe like a Medvedev or someone, you know, on the, you know, maybe, uh, on the more like the lower half, but, um, I think it's just going to be really cool. Um, personally, I would want like a Carlos or those guys second round, if I got there, um, maybe like someone that maybe

I can have. 00:15:54 Speaker 5: A decent chance against. 00:15:56 Speaker 3: Um, but, um, I think, you know, whoever it is, uh, is, you know, I'm just gonna give 120% and, you know, really just give it everything that I have. 00:16:08 Speaker 5: Um, I would love to be able to play a night session on Ash. 00:16:12 Speaker 3: I mean, that's kind of everybody's dream in this sport to play, night session on ash and in the biggest stadium and especially as a new yorker um to play on those kind of in that stage would be um kind of i mean that would be the ultimate dream come true and for me i just love playing in those atmospheres that the rowdiness the getting the crowd going and you know just being in that kind of environment would i think only make my tennis better so um we'll see how how it pans out but um you know whoever it is uh we'll be ready. 00:16:42 Speaker 4: Sam's not here, but I would be remiss to ask. First round prize money has been announced, the whole prize money. Jack Kennedy is going to get $ 140K minimum sent to his B of A as well as Fargo, you name it, in a few weeks' time at least. Is that exciting? Are you going to be refreshing? Are you going to check that? Do you even have a bank account at this point in your life yet? And what do we do with it? 00:17:04 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's such a big number. I don't think I know yet what I'm going to do with all of it. 00:17:10 Speaker 2: Yeah. 00:17:11 Speaker 3: Definitely going to put some aside, you know, save it. Don't be a lunatic and spend it all in one place. But at the same time, you know, also, you know, treat myself with some nice stuff. You know, I'm a big time golfer, so might put some money into that. And, you know, we'll kind of see where where it all goes. But, you know, I think it's going to be hard for me not trying to spend, you know, everything. Um, but you know, I think I got a, I got, you know, my parents next to me and, you know, people besides me that are gonna tell me not to do it. 00:17:47 Speaker 5: So I think we'll be in good hands. 00:17:48 Speaker 3: Yeah. 00:17:49 Speaker 4: Well, the good news is, you know, college is not even college anymore. You know, you can probably take the entire five and a half million if you want and still go play college. So win the whole thing and go back and go to Virginia. It doesn't really matter. 00:18:00 Speaker 3: Yeah. 00:18:00 Speaker 5: I think that's our plan. I think that's the plan. 00:18:03 Speaker 3: Yeah. 00:18:03 Speaker 2: I would, uh, my advice would be to, uh, listen to your parents. They're a lot smarter than you. Okay, so don't go spin it all in one place. But you lean back. You lean back about 10 minutes ago, and I couldn't help but notice the V on your shirt. You are committed to the University of Virginia to go, of course, play college tennis there. They're the defending national champions. Why was UVA the right choice for you? And what about Andres Pedroso and the culture that he's created there in Charlottesville? What about what he's done has made it feel right for you? 00:18:35 Speaker 3: No, I'm super excited to get to Virginia and work with those guys. I mean, I think they have the three best coaches in college tennis, Andres, Trent, and Brian. And I think everyone on the team, the guys are really awesome. They really push you to make you better. And, you know, they're great guys. I just think the one thing that stood out most about them is that their culture and their bond. with each other is really special. Um, and I think that's what makes them so good when it comes to the spring. Um, and I think that's what pushes them over the hump a little bit more than other teams is that their bond with each other is really special. Um, obviously they're have great players and, you know, great coaching, but the, the culture that they, build upon is really special. 00:19:34 Speaker 2: So Jack, you're inside of the ATP top 400 right now. Stevie talked about the challenger success you had a few months ago in Savannah. You took out Kanisha Corey. So how are you thinking about balancing the college path and your pro ambitions? I'm sure you have a lot of pro events on your calendar while you're in Charlottesville. 00:19:54 Speaker 5: Yeah. 00:19:55 Speaker 3: So I actually recently just decided to kind of postpone my arrival to Virginia. I'll be ending up going in January to Charlottesville so I can get the opportunity to play more pro stuff Um, and kind of really push the whole year just to finish it out with, um, you know, pro stuff, trying to just do best we can for, you know, pro rankings and kind of just, you know, kind of develop my game the best way I can to kind of end the year. Um, you know, it was really tough decision, but, you know, ultimately we thought me and my team thought that this was the best decision for us. Um, and you know, a big goal of mine is ATP gen, uh, next gen finals. um, at the end of the year. Um, so, you know, we're really going to push for it. Um, you know, we have a great team with me now. Um, and, you know, just really excited for what the future holds. 00:20:50 Speaker 5: Um, and it's exciting. 00:20:51 Speaker 3: I'm really looking forward to it getting to, you know, the next gen accelerator program, you know, with their, um, you know, help with wild cards and I have, uh, you know, some to use, uh, in the next couple of months. Um, so I'm, you know, excited that to get this opportunity just to, you know, kind of finished the year playing pros and kind of, uh, fulfilling the dream of mine just to, you know, really push hard for it. 00:21:16 Speaker 5: Um, so excited for it. 00:21:17 Speaker 2: I got one more college question for you. Obviously going to Virginia, amazing school, amazing choice. Where else did you look at? What other schools did you look at? And did you consider Georgia and USC at all, or are they never on your radar? 00:21:30 Speaker 5: They were on my radar, to be honest. 00:21:33 Speaker 3: Um,

they, you know, I kind of kept my list pretty small, uh, relatively. Um, I was looking, I would say Georgia, USC, I was talking to a bit, um, UVA of course. Um, and then TCU, Texas and Michigan were like the ones I was kind of mainly talking to. Um, and then, you know, we got deeper, deeper into the recruitment process and I had to cut down a couple, uh, sorry for the Georgia and USC ones. Uh, we cut those guys out, no hard feelings, hopefully. 00:22:07 Speaker 5: Um, but, um, And then. 00:22:10 Speaker 3: I visited UVA, TCU, Texas. Didn't get to visit Michigan. Would have loved to visit there, but, you know, I honestly had my mind set on UVA. And, you know, when I visited there, I just knew this was the spot for me. And I'll actually say a story about Andres. And so I was out in the Junior Davis Cup, 16 and unders, in Turkey. And this I wasn't committed yet. I was still talking to the three coaches. And I was playing my match. And I was like, probably around 12 o'clock in Turkey, and it's a 10 hour difference, time difference. And so it's 2am back home. And yeah, I win my match, get off, you know, do my cool down, stretch, whatever. And then I get on my phone. And the first thing I see is a text from Andres Pedroso. And it's a stream recording of me hitting a drop shot. And I do the francis tiafoe uh like salt after i do a drop shot with some good touch um and he recorded that video and and sent it to me saying okay fine i'll let you salt the steaks that i cook down in seville and from that point i knew andres andres was the one for me um staying up at 2 a.m and i wasn't even committed there and i was like wow this guy is really special so That's when I knew. 00:23:38 Speaker 2: He knows what he's doing there for sure. What an incredible program. You're in incredible place. You're going to, it's just steeped in history. You've made, you've made a good choice. 00:23:45 Speaker 4: There for sure. 00:23:46 Speaker 5: Thank you. I appreciate it. I'm excited. 00:23:47 Speaker 4: You know, really kind of just wrapping up here. We're, we're fired up, man. It's, it's, it's amazing to see the success that you've had at such a young age from, you know, the juniors to beating Canish Corey, something I wish I could have done in my career to now playing in the U S open, man, like just, Hopefully, you can enjoy this next week at the US Open from a kid going there with his family. Hopefully, the ticket requests aren't too cumbersome. Those can get stressful from time to time. So pass that duty off onto somebody else. But dude, we appreciate you taking the time. 00:24:19 Speaker 2: Yeah. 00:24:20 Speaker 5: I'll let my dad handle with that one. 00:24:22 Speaker 1: Yeah. 00:24:22 Speaker 2: There you go. 00:24:23 Speaker 4: Let somebody else. But we appreciate you taking the time. 00:24:24 Speaker 1: I got one more. 00:24:25 Speaker 2: I got one more. 00:24:26 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah. 00:24:27 Speaker 2: Last one, okay? I'm going to put you on the spot. You talked

about how you're a big fan of Rafa. Now, if you had to be a fan of the three of us, obviously Sam's not on this call, myself, Stevie, and Sam, when you were growing up watching tennis, if one of us was on the TV, who are you most likely not to change the channel for? Who did you like the most of the three of us? 00:24:50 Speaker 3: Wow, really on the spot there, John. 00:24:52 Speaker 5: Wow. 00:24:54 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah. 00:24:55 Speaker 4: Good question, good question. 00:24:56 Speaker 2: We, we, we can't be offended here. Trust me. 00:24:59 Speaker 3: I mean, I love when John was playing Noah Rubin and Noah ripped his shoe. 00:25:05 Speaker 5: That was a good one. 00:25:06 Speaker 2: Oh, that was good. 00:25:07 Speaker 4: That was good. 00:25:08 Speaker 5: That's a good, he's a New York kid. 00:25:10 Speaker 4: You weren't watching that for John though. 00:25:12 Speaker 3: So I mean, here and there I was watching for John, I would say, uh, I still give Noah, I guess Noah, some, some crap for that stuff still with, uh, the guy who, who broke his shoe during a match. 00:25:25 Speaker 5: Um, But I would probably, I would go Sam, honestly, guys. No offense. I would go Sam. 00:25:34 Speaker 4: Offense not taken. 00:25:35 Speaker 2: Actually, well, because it's Sam, offense is taken. 00:25:38 Speaker 4: He got hurt playing soccer last week. 00:25:40 Speaker 2: He got hurt playing soccer. No, we get it. Sam was big, big serve, big forehand. We get it. 00:25:45 Speaker 4: We get it. 00:25:45 Speaker 5: Sorry, guys. 00:25:46 Speaker 3: No, dude. 00:25:47 Speaker 2: No, but Jack, no, I appreciate your time. Enjoy it. And best of luck. We're going to be up there. So maybe we'll run into you and. Man, enjoy this next week of preparation and we'll see you on the courts there. 00:25:58 Speaker 5: Thank you guys. Thank you guys for having me. Been a pleasure. 00:26:01 Speaker 4: Jack, thanks, bud. 00:26:01 Speaker 5: Appreciate it. 00:26:03 Speaker 1: Thanks to Jack Kennedy. That was an awesome interview. 00:26:06 Speaker 2: Nice kid. Wish him luck at the. 00:26:07 Speaker 1: Open and hopefully he's going to University of Virginia in the fall and then possibly a pro career after that. 00:26:13 Speaker 2: So we'll see. Thanks, Jack. Speaking of Jack Kennedy, Tennis Warehouse. 00:26:19 Speaker 4: Yeah, he's playing tennis. Everyone's playing more tennis. It's the summer. You've got to spend more time outside. You're trying to win some more matches. You've got to go use our partners at Tennis Warehouse. 00:26:27 Speaker 1: If you're spending your summers on the tennis court, which we all did, Tennis Warehouse has you covered with everything you need. 00:26:32 Speaker 2: They have all the gear you could possibly need. From rackets, shoes, strings, apparel, and just about anything else. Vibration dampeners, you name it. Tennis Warehouse has it. They have you covered. 00:26:41 Speaker 4: Yeah, and I've got my eyes on some new rackets. You know, I've got new shoes. I've got new rackets. It's fun to try new things, and Tennis Warehouse has it all. 00:26:47 Speaker 1: And their customer service team is awesome. They're a joy to talk to. You can talk to them about more than just tennis, too. You just want to chat and say hi. They're there for you. They are so knowledgeable, so reputable. They will help you find anything you need. 00:26:58 Speaker 2: And plus, you'll get fast, free shipping on any order over 50 bucks. Easy returns and always the lowest prices guaranteed. 00:27:06 Speaker 4: So before your next match, league night or tournament, head over to tenniswarehouse.com and get ready to make the most of your summer swing. 00:27:12 Speaker 2: Thanks to Tennis Warehouse. All right, we've got exciting news. 00:27:15 Speaker 1: IBM is partnering with the US Open, which they've been a partner with of theirs for a long, long time. And they've got new technology that they're implementing every year into the app, into the app. And one of them this year is serve quality, which I think is really cool. I feel like for all... You know, the past 20 years, we can always see serve percentage or if they serve wide, you know, they're winning this percentage of points. But you never really did like a deep dive. You never pulled the layers back. So now IBM has this pretty cool thing. And John, you'll really love this. They're taking like 21 joint movements. It's like, all right, why is the person serving well? And IBM is now going to be able to track and see, oh, their knee movement is good. Their wrist flexibility, their hitting point. They're like tracking all these things to really show you why serve quality is at whatever number. This is pretty cool. When you say, John, compared to maybe what we used to look at, honestly, just five years ago. 00:28:10 Speaker 2: Oh, yeah. I mean, talk about like a deep dive. This is like they're like limb tracking data. Knee flexion. It's so cool. You know, there's a lot of candidates out there where this data is going to be very interesting. I think the first one that comes to mind has been Shelton, like kind of how explosive and athletic his motion is on the serve. So when IBM breaks that down, I think that'll be very, very cool. But yes. Well, you'll be able to see if there's a direct correlation to the players with the most whip, the most knee bend, the most flexion, the most pronation in their shoulder with how well they're serving in the tournament. So it's very, very cool. They continue to push the envelope. IBM does. 00:28:51 Speaker 1: That's for sure. So we want to do a little predictions with serve quality. John, you kind of just brought up Shelton. I want to go to Stevie now. I want you to give me one player at the open that you think will have a really strong serve quality score throughout the event. 00:29:07 Speaker 4: Yeah, for me, it's going to be Arthur Feast. Sorry, Artur Feast. I don't know if there's an H in there. But for me, his motion is fluid. He gets

through it. Everything seems to be in sync every time he steps up the line. And the power he possesses, I mean, that's just one of the tools that IBM is going to bring to the table. But I think all in all, every time he steps on the serve, it's so incredibly repeatable. It's efficient. It's effective. So I can see his serve quality being above the average and close to the top, if not at the top, by the end of the U.S. 00:29:37 Speaker 3: Open. 00:29:38 Speaker 1: He packs a punch. Mine is, we talked about his serve on Monday, Brandon Nakashima. You don't look at him and watch the serve and necessarily think, wow, this guy has a huge serve. But his accuracy, he hits the ball great. Two feet from the service box lines, I think more than anyone on tour and his repeatable motion time and time again, which we're going to see with IBM, you're going to see the knee bend the, you know, the posture moving up where he makes contact with the ball. It's the same spot every single time. And so for me, Brandon Nakashima is the one to watch. John, you teased Shelton. Do you have another one for us to watch? 00:30:14 Speaker 2: Yeah, I teased Shelton, but I'm going to go with Zverev. We know how well he can serve. He did it at Roland Garros. He did it at Wimbledon. He serves a lot of times, a lot of matches in a 3-5 setting, over 70% first serve. So his IBM serve quality should be through the roof if he has a couple good serving days in Flushing Meadows. So I'm going to go with Zverev. Number two seed should be pretty good and in pretty good shape up there in New York. Is he the one seed? 00:30:47 Speaker 4: Is he the one seed? Carlos is two. 00:30:49 Speaker 5: Yeah. 00:30:49 Speaker 2: Never mind. Never mind. But it doesn't matter. 00:30:52 Speaker 3: One seed. 00:30:53 Speaker 2: The one seed. 00:30:54 Speaker 4: Sorry. 00:30:54 Speaker 1: You said Wimbledon, his serve stats were like through the roof. It's like some of the best serving we've ever seen in the history of the sport. So that is an exciting one to watch. This is going to appear. The live updates of the serve will appear exclusively on the U.S. Open app, which you can look at before and during matches. 00:31:10 Speaker 3: What? 00:31:11 Speaker 2: Alcaraz is number two in the world right now. 00:31:13 Speaker 5: Yeah. 00:31:13 Speaker 3: No. 00:31:13 Speaker 2: Is he going to be three? Currently number two in the world. I'm just saying. I thought so. Yeah. Are you right? 00:31:20 Speaker 1: Someone told me Zverev was the one seed. And he's going to be like the first ever one seed at a major who hasn't been ranked number one. 00:31:28 Speaker 3: Stevie? Yeah. 00:31:29 Speaker 5: No. 00:31:29 Speaker 4: I'm with you on that. I was reading that today. I thought he was the number one seed. It makes– US Open I thought put out. US Open itself I thought put out. 00:31:35 Speaker 2: I hate the internet. John, you're right. I hate the internet. I mean, I'm just looking at the rankings. No, you're right. 00:31:41 Speaker 4: I look at the rankings as well. I blame the US Open. 00:31:44 Speaker 1: Literally, on our rundown, we have the suits Zverev as the one seed. 00:31:50 Speaker 2: It's just interesting. This is weird. 00:31:52 Speaker 1: Idiots that we can't figure out how to, that we don't know who the one seed is at the US Open. 00:31:57 Speaker 4: It's pretty simple. It's Carlos. He's number two in the world. I'm looking at the right now. 00:32:01 Speaker 2: But yeah, you're right. Man, the suits are going to get ripped when we do suits pet peeves. Louie typed in, he goes, Carlos is third in the live race. 00:32:11 Speaker 4: God, the suits. 00:32:12 Speaker 2: That's their point. 00:32:13 Speaker 4: Live means nothing. 00:32:14 Speaker 2: It means nothing. It means nothing. Anyway, back to IBM. 00:32:17 Speaker 1: The players' overall tournament serve quality will be on their individual bio page. So you're going to be able to track it the full two weeks. It's going to be really cool. 00:32:26 Speaker 2: Check it out. 00:32:27 Speaker 1: IBM, again, like John said, pushing the envelope, pushing the limit on the why and what can be seen throughout strokes more than just percentages made. 00:32:37 Speaker 4: What a time to be a tennis fan, you know? 00:32:38 Speaker 1: All right, guys, let's hit a little US Open preview. We honestly can't figure out who the one seed is. We have in our notes that it's Zverev. We think it's Carlos online thinks it's Zverev. We go back to Carlos. Is the ATP app, have they not updated the rankings? 00:32:54 Speaker 4: I'm with you. 00:32:55 Speaker 2: I feel so stupid. 00:32:56 Speaker 1: That we can't figure this out, but this is unbelievable. But it doesn't really matter if the one and two seeds are the top half, the bottom half, if they keep landing. 00:33:03 Speaker 2: It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. 00:33:06 Speaker 1: But as of right now, Alcaraz is the favorite, then Zverev, then Djokovic, then Shelton. We touched on this briefly earlier, On Monday, John, I want to go to you with Djokovic. Lost to Tirante in Cincinnati. Kind of said like, hey, if it's hot and humid, my body's got an issue. I don't know what I'm dealing with. Weather in New York actually looks pretty good. Although, can't look at the weather forecast that far out. Is Djokovic, is the same narrow? This is his last best chance to win a major. We've said that now for the last like nine majors. Where's Djokovic stand in this US Open? 00:33:40 Speaker 2: It is. This is officially the last best chance? 00:33:43 Speaker 3: No, no. 00:33:44 Speaker 2: I really do feel like it is. 00:33:46 Speaker 4: We can be right on that, though. Every time, because it's not like in a year's time it's going to be his best chance. Everyone is his best chance. 00:33:52 Speaker 1: No, in a year's time, what if there's no Carlos, no Yannick Shelton pulls out? 00:33:57 Speaker 4: It'll still be his best chance. 00:33:58 Speaker 2: It'll still be his best chance.

00:33:59 Speaker 4: It'll still be his best chance. Every time he steps up to a slam, it's his best chance. I think we've got to just agree to that. 00:34:06 Speaker 2: I think he's locked in for this one. He's going to have to. 00:34:11 Speaker 2: It's hard for me not to worry about what we saw in Cincy. Yeah, exactly. I wouldn't worry about Cincinnati. I know he looked, he looked horrible there for his standards. I mean, it was like, it was, it was, but he's practicing and he's getting ready. Obviously he knows how to perform at grand slam. So I think we'll, I think we will see him in the second week. And at that point, it's just all about how his, how his body behaves. 00:34:32 Speaker 3: Yeah. 00:34:33 Speaker 2: And Stevie outcries in the draw. 00:34:37 Speaker 1: You can honestly feel the tournament go from like here to, to hear when Alcaraz is there. We've even seen the images of him around the grounds, like walking into the practice court. He's got that smile on his face. The crowd is going nuts. He single-handedly moves the needle so much more, especially in New York, than any other player, even more than Novak right now or even like a Coco. 00:34:58 Speaker 2: Alcaraz is the star of the show. In my opinion, you kind of agree with that? He is the needle. 00:35:05 Speaker 4: He is the needle. He is the needle. He's the gas pedal. He's the needle. He's everything. He's the whole engine. 00:35:10 Speaker 1: He has fed Nadal aura, and he only has six slams, but just has six slams. 00:35:15 Speaker 2: That's fine. Same thing. 00:35:17 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's very similar. But look, if you want to see somebody who's larger than life at the moment, I mean, this summer we had in New York, you had the biggest sporting event across the globe. And who was the first athlete out there at the start of the game? It's Carlos Alcaraz. He moves the needle. It's incredible. Not that New York needs a bigger jump and buzz, but they got it with him. Everybody in the tennis world was fired up when he posted, see you in New York, right? It's amazing. He's back. I hope he's healthy because I would love to see a deep run out of him, obviously, for not only himself, but it's the tournament, his overall health, all things considered. But he is amazing. by far and away, the biggest star in men's tennis. Like not even a close second. 00:36:02 Speaker 3: Yep. 00:36:02 Speaker 2: No, you're right. 00:36:04 Speaker 1: Also, players getting a little boost in prize money. Winner gets five and a half million. First round losers get 140,000. First round losers, by the way, sometimes I hate the narrative. Oh, they get 140 grand for just playing one match. They've earned their right in there. They've won a bunch of matches to earn that. They're still underpaid, by the way. But it was a nice big boost in prize money for the players. John, on the women's side, I'm a little worried about Rabakina. I feel like in Cincy, I thought I saw it like it was Achilles. Maybe it's a little sore, but who's your favorite on the women's side right now? Is it Coco after the magnificent Cincinnati performance? 00:36:44 Speaker 2: Yeah, it is. I really think it is. To me, it's her. I think Sabalinka is the– Stevie. 00:36:49 Speaker 3: You're laughing. 00:36:50 Speaker 2: I'm coming to you next. I think Sabalinka is the betting favorite, but last year Coco went in– to the US Open with not a lot of confidence and a lot of serve issues. That stuff has seemingly been put to rest right now. Her first and second round matches last year in New York were the most tension-filled matches you could possibly imagine. So she's coming into this one with a lot more confidence. So yeah, for me, Coco Gauff is the favorite. Stevie, you were laughing. First of all, I'm kind of surprised that Sabalenka is still the favorite. 00:37:25 Speaker 4: She's still number one in the world. 00:37:27 Speaker 1: I know, but she's like the only one that hasn't won a tournament in the last four months. 00:37:32 Speaker 4: Yeah, but it's not like one person has gobbled them all up. 00:37:34 Speaker 2: They've been spread around. Who do you have winning the women's side then? 00:37:38 Speaker 4: No, you can't pick, dude. You cannot pick right now. 00:37:41 Speaker 2: You have to pick. You want to just end the segment? 00:37:42 Speaker 4: There's 10 to 12 women that could win it. And like, it just depends on the day. I mean, it's crazy to think, is Rabak gonna hurt? Can Coco serve hold up? I mean, John mentioned it last year. I remember being in New York. Those were uncomfortable matches. to watch like her first couple of matches. Cause you're like, this could go sideways. Like, you know, it just like was uncomfortable watching it. I mean, you were right, but yeah, I think Coco has got to be towards the top. If not, you know, the favorite, just the way she's playing, because if the tennis is there, everything else falls in line. 00:38:11 Speaker 3: Right. 00:38:12 Speaker 4: You know what you're going to have with her every time she steps on the court. But, um, my, but my question is, Like, you know, we've seen Iala Mania all summer. Does she get to be put on Ash over, like... Do you know what I mean? Because, like, the other tournaments, you have to put her on center. I get it. But, like, does she get put on Ash over... You know, because there's two matches out there. There's two matches on center. Two women's matches a day. Like, if she's on the side with Coco Gauff, Sabalenka, Rabakina, like, who's on center? 00:38:39 Speaker 2: I think Iyala is always on center. No, no, no, no, no. 00:38:42 Speaker 4: I don't think Iyala's on center, dude. I just think she's like an Armstrong or Grandstand. 00:38:45 Speaker 2: I think. It's like, this is American TV. That's who goes on. That's who goes on. 00:38:51 Speaker 1: And I think Iyala, even in American TV, is the second biggest star behind Coco. 00:38:55 Speaker 4: I don't think so, man. 00:38:57 Speaker 2: Guys, I'm in the

biz. 00:38:59 Speaker 4: Yeah, you don't know anything about anything. 00:39:01 Speaker 2: I don't even know who the one seed is on the men's side. Yes, correct. I'm excited for Iolomania. 00:39:06 Speaker 1: I've never been at a tournament that she's kind of had one of these magical runs. 00:39:13 Speaker 2: I want to feel what it's like. We shall see. 00:39:16 Speaker 4: It's fair, but I don't know if she's on center, man. I just don't think so. 00:39:19 Speaker 1: We could get also on the women's side, Pagula and Coco Gauff. If either of them win the tournament and Rabakina doesn't make the finals, they become number one in the world. oh we all know that's kind of fun because you don't always get out of majors are always fun but when you get the extra little wrinkle of oh winner could possibly go to number one in the world just adds a little more spice to the event so we might have that on the women's side can you imagine a coco pagula final winner wins us open and becomes number one in the world that would be pretty cool just think about it just think about it um Bracket draw. We're going to do a bracket draw. Guys, stay tuned for that. This could be our last bracket draw. Did we discuss that? 00:39:53 Speaker 3: No. 00:39:54 Speaker 2: Okay, never mind. 00:39:55 Speaker 4: This could be our last women's bracket draw. 00:39:58 Speaker 2: We discussed maybe just doing the men. The men. 00:40:01 Speaker 1: We don't get as many entrants for the women's bracket draw. That's why we said that. 00:40:04 Speaker 4: Yeah, exactly. 00:40:05 Speaker 2: But we'll see. 00:40:06 Speaker 1: But for the US Open, we're doing men and women. We've got a little life advice. Can someone give me a recap of the Singapore one? 00:40:17 Speaker 4: This is maybe a few months ago. We had that guy. 00:40:19 Speaker 2: No, no. 00:40:19 Speaker 4: We had the guy who was like going to take the job in Singapore. He didn't want to leave his fiance, I believe, or girlfriend at the time. They were very serious. I think they were in Dublin. And boy, like that's when it got too serious for me on the life advice. You know, I prefer more trivial things. So I had to take a break from life advice after this one for a while. He has written in, James has written in. Sam doesn't know how to read, but he's. 00:40:43 Speaker 2: Going to try and give us a synopsis of it. It's just a little long. I'll read it. 00:40:46 Speaker 3: Yeah. 00:40:46 Speaker 1: So stevie good set up he basically goes so i took the advice i sat oif i don't know what his girlfriend's name is down alfie there's no hell anyway did the whole pros and cons thing like isner said really tried to sell her on singapore and to my absolute shock she came around to it said she'd been thinking about it and she didn't want to be the reason i resented her for the next 40 years i couldn't believe it we were buzzing handed in my notice Threw a going away session in the local pub, I'm guessing, the whole lot. Even played her the episode where y'all backed me. Wow, this is very serious. She loves Sam, by the way. Thought John was a lot better. Here's where it goes sideways. 00:41:26 Speaker 2: Three weeks before we were due to fly, the company in Singapore gets acquired. 00:41:29 Speaker 1: My dream role, gone. Restructured, out of existence before I even started. The recruiter who headhunted me stopped answering my emails entirely. So now I've got no job in Dublin, no job in Singapore, and a girlfriend who quit her own job to make the move. 00:41:42 Speaker 2: But it gets better. And here's the kicker, lads. 00:41:45 Speaker 1: Her whole reason for not wanting to go in the first place was that her career was in Dublin. Turns out the second she actually looked into it, the Singapore market was gobbling up people. 00:41:53 Speaker 2: In her field. 00:41:54 Speaker 1: So the one thing keeping her here, gone. She'd already lined up a role out there and that role is still standing. So now she has the dream job in Singapore. Mine's evaporated and I'm the one being told my family and career are back in Dublin. The exact question I asked you completely flipped, except now I'm the girlfriend of the story. You couldn't write it. So I've got two options, lads. Follow her out to Singapore as the unemployed boyfriend living off her salary or stay in Dublin and and watch the whole thing fall apart the way you predicted it would stevie you said something would end up resenting someone would end up resenting the other you just had the wrong someone any advice for round two and john before you say it no i'm not going to a professional you guys got me into this you can get me out of there james whoa i think he stays i think he stays in dublin let the girlfriend go and figure. 00:42:41 Speaker 2: Out her own oh my god i'm joking you. 00:42:43 Speaker 4: Gotta go with her at this point right this is can we just have some more trivial life advices. 00:42:49 Speaker 1: No like this is real we're in this with we're in this with him she quit her job and was willing to go with him even though the thing flew like fell apart he needs to now make the same sacrifice and go to singapore and find another job she has her dream job there he needs to go there man up and find another job in singapore she was about to do that for. 00:43:07 Speaker 4: Him right i've got i've got an option what he can go to singapore Work for us as an unpaid intern and work his way up the SIFT food chain. 00:43:17 Speaker 2: I like that. 00:43:18 Speaker 4: If he wants to have a job, an unpaying internship, he can come work for us. 00:43:21 Speaker 2: Yeah. 00:43:21 Speaker 4: We got him into this. We can at least get him somewhat employed without pay. 00:43:25 Speaker 2: John, your thoughts? 00:43:26 Speaker 4: No benefits. 00:43:29 Speaker 2: I'm with you, Sam. I think you got to go. I think you got to go. I mean, who knows, right? Who knows? Maybe he can still find his dream job in Singapore. You got to go. 00:43:39 Speaker 4: This is uncomfortable. 00:43:40 Speaker 5: Yeah. 00:43:41 Speaker 3: Wow. 00:43:41 Speaker 4: I need a two-week break from life advice during something major. All right, guys. 00:43:44 Speaker 2: I have to go. I'm going to let you guys finish the episode. I have to go. First day of school. I got to drop the kids. All right. All right. I feel like I'm taking a lot of heat on this one. I can't even remember what I said. 00:43:54 Speaker 4: I can't remember either, but this is uncomfortable. Finally, it's uncomfortable. I want more happy life advice, more silly life advice if that's possible going forward. 00:44:03 Speaker 2: Yeah. 00:44:04 Speaker 3: Yeah. 00:44:05 Speaker 2: Yeah. 00:44:05 Speaker 4: Well, this is all Sam's idea. This is all Sam's idea. He and he leaves every time it gets hard. Every time he throws in like a controversial topic in our group chat, everyone, he's not here to defend himself. He'll be like, I really want to talk about X or I want to talk about this. And then he gets there and then he asks me or John. He never answered himself. 00:44:22 Speaker 5: Yeah. 00:44:22 Speaker 2: It's ridiculous. 00:44:23 Speaker 4: He gets hot chocolates on Monday's episode, pancakes, lattes. Protein. 00:44:28 Speaker 2: I'm sure they were protein pancakes. 00:44:29 Speaker 4: Yeah, a lot of protein in there. But we're just going to rip on Sam for the next five minutes. So turn off the pod if you guys want. The U.S. Open's starting. But, John, good week. We'll see you in New York. 00:44:40 Speaker 2: Good week. 00:44:41 Speaker 4: You'll be there in a couple days. And something major, Tuesday. 00:44:45 Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe late Tuesday. I don't know. We're figuring it out. 00:44:48 Speaker 4: We've got to figure it out. A lot of TV, a lot of schedules. 00:44:50 Speaker 2: We will be recapping round by round. 00:44:51 Speaker 4: We're fired up for New York. Our home slam, baby. Come on. 00:44:54 Speaker 5: All right. 00:44:55 Speaker 2: See you, everyone. in Flushing Meadows. 00:44:59 Speaker 4: Nothing, nothing made you Nothing, nothing made you 00:45:29 Speaker 2: Nothing mentioned.