Iva Jovic

“I really believe in match count and I really believe in getting confidence and getting better. I feel like I get so much better when I'm playing matches. If it's at a 35K or if it's at a Grand Slam, you're improving so much when you play matches. I'd rather take a semis or final at a lower level event than a second round at a higher event.”

“She's in this number one conversation for the year, folks. I'm just telling you, she is firmly... She's not having a lot of off weeks. This consistency over a four or five month period is not something we've seen from Rybakina before. This feels different than what it's been before with her in as far as I can tell.”

“A photo of him on Instagram at a restaurant circulated him taking a photo with the restaurant owner, we assume, also showing his right wrist in a removable cast of some kind. That's not an image you necessarily want to see a month before Roland Garros, is it? Feliciano Lopez actually has been sort of talking about the extent of the injury.”

“Ben Shelton coming through. First American man since 2002 to win a 500 level event or better. Ben won on slow clay in Munich. I was really impressed. I like what I saw. On tour, this is a different win. This is like, oh, OK. This is a nice win. Like, we say statement too much, but this is at least kind of, may I have your attention for 12 seconds while you're eating lunch?”

“The way that the Saudi Investment Fund has gone about putting money into tennis is the opposite of what they did with live. I feel like this is a correction on strategy based on what they did with live. They are not going against the tours. Everyone's swimming the same direction and they're trying to provide resources to that direction. They are not overpaying for assets like a Masters 1000, it's not by a multiple of 47 like they were for live golfers.”

“Basically, I mean, it sounds like, I don't want to diagnose this, you know, it's not like someone knocked on her door, she had a panic attack, she didn't realize that it was an anti-doping official, she missed the test. The ITIA essentially confirmed in broad strokes what had happened. Now we'll have to see. She's facing potentially a four-year ban, which is a lot for a missed test.”

“The talk here is already, this is going to be the next player, the next French player to win at Roland Garros. He beat Jean-Munar, five sets, drama, agita. And the way he has come back and recovered in one on service, beating Rubelv on Clay, he hits a huge ball, but he also gives himself some margin. If you were going to pick someone other than Sidor Alcaraz were going to win Roland Garros, I'd put him in my top five right now.”

“We are the hardest sport in the world. And do you know when we look soft as baby shit? Is when we complain about getting hit in doubles and when we complain about someone hitting an underhand served, as if they've done something to personally offend us. Get out of here. There is nothing wrong with it. If you get caught not paying attention, that's on you.”

“And suddenly we talk about the men having one and two that have separated themselves from the field. There are two really, really good players on the women's side who seem to be distancing themselves from the pack. This was indoor clay, right? So she's getting it done on a variety of surfaces. And yeah, this Rybakina, Sabalenka, look for it on the second Saturday in June as well. This has really become a two person race.”

“On tour, this is a different win. This is like, oh, OK. This is a nice win. Like, we say statement too much, but this is at least kind of, may I have your attention for 12 seconds while you're eating lunch? Ben won on slow clay in Munich. I was really impressed. I like what I saw. You would think tennis doesn't work this way, but you would think with his game and the way that his serve jumps, forehand jumps, you got to think Madrid would be a nice landing spot.”

“Remember, he had a great match last year at Roland Garros, who got the crowd into it. He beat Jean-Munar, five sets, drama, agita. And then he has that back injury, doesn't play for months and months and months. That is an injury that spooked a lot of people. And the way he has come back and recovered in one on service, beating Rubelv on Clay, he hits a huge ball, but he also gives himself some margin. He's so fun to watch.”

“Iva Jovic interview later in the show. Obviously, Phenom, 16 in the world at 18 years old, quarter finalist in Australia. Recently, semi-finalist in Charleston. She just keeps putting up results. I don't know her at all. I think I like her. I think she's awesome. I like the way she plays. Can't wait to hear more about her and her process and everything. If she's anything like the other young WTA stars that we've had on this show, we're good. They're all full adults, 35-year-old adults stuck in 18 years old.”

“The other thing that is the unknown, Maresmo struggled with it. It's really hard to play at home. We talk about the pressure in New York. We talk about the pressure in London. There's a real pressure in Paris. Like JW is talking about you were five weeks out and they're already talking about it, like with this guy. I mean, it's real, but it can go either way, right? Like I think it rarely stays neutral.”

“I would say the best advice he's given me is about ground stroke patterns and how to how to open the court better, finding the the angles. I play good with my depth, but sometimes finishing shorter in the court or bringing them out and in almost will then make the depth even more penetrating and surprising to them. So that's that's very specific, but that is something he told me that I think is really useful for me.”

“I would definitely say that I know every result in every tournament seems so serious and so the make or break moment, but it definitely isn't. And please, please don't be stubborn and work on the things that you know you need to work on and take some l's if you need to. That's something I could have done better, definitely. I was very stubborn with wanting to win. So do the things that are gonna make you better, and then the winning will come with it.”