Alvin Owusu (00:01.086)
And welcome to another episode of the Best Three Podcast. I'm Alvin and that is Patrick. Patrick, welcome back. I we yeah, we do this. we do this post most Grand Slams. and I I do distinctly remember the last time we spoke, was right after the Australian open, one of those episodes, and there was a lot of Zerov thoughts coming out of both of our both of our collective brains, and it was like, Mr. Inevitability feels like he was gonna be inevitable at some point. lo and behold

Patrick (00:07.45)
Hey

Patrick (00:21.669)
Mm.

Patrick (00:30.203)
Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (00:31.052)
Very next Grand Slam. I may or may not insert the the clip right here. But if I didn't do it then I just didn't do it. Just remember it happened. Pat, how are you doing, man?

Patrick (00:42.683)
Doing well, doing well. I as much as we we seem like prognosticators from the last podcast, I I did I did not expect that at all. at all. I I I think the only thing I expected I felt was Hodar making the quarters. I I thought he would make the quarters. And then I thought he would get just well

Alvin Owusu (00:50.808)
Yeah.

Patrick (01:09.455)
Detonated a bit. Which I I feel like when he played Zverev, Hodar, and that that whole part, that that was a learn that was a learning experience for Hodar. That was just, okay, I got another year. And it reminded me of Nadal. When the the year before everybody thinks when Nadal touched the French Open, he just started winning. But he did have to have a little bit of a

Alvin Owusu (01:11.448)
Right.

Patrick (01:36.003)
improvement. So I I I look at Hodar not the same way as Nadal, but just as somebody who will grow a bit more as we go. I'm sorry, I'm jumping the gun here, but I I kinda I I I do watch him a lot, yeah. Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (01:47.062)
No, you're the you're the hodar guy. You're you are the you are the hodar guy. I'm stake claim now. I mean I'll go back to the Zverev part, like, because we did I I remember this conversation very vividly and I've I've watched a little bit of it, went back and watched a little bit of it last week. But I think our our our points were, at least my point was there's a certain inevitability about the numbers. Right. And remember this was right after right after the train opened. And

Center and K Alcaraz did not meet in the final, right? Center lost to Novak and Carlos ended up playing Novak and beating him. But the point was, okay, if one of these two guys has a slip somewhere in the tournament, or both of them, then what is most likely to happen is what happens the majority of the time anyways, which is Alexander Zverev is he's right there. He's gonna he's gonna catch the

Patrick (02:41.688)
That's right.

Alvin Owusu (02:43.862)
The falling shoe. If if if no one else is gonna jump up and grab it, he will be the one to catch it. and at I mean, we're neither one of us are the biggest Alexander Zvere fans per se, but our fandom of him does not matter. It's like his results speak for themselves, not only now that he is a Grand Slam champion, but leading up to it, like he's made finals of Grand Slams, like a few of them and he's had opportunities and not only the finals has he made, he's made semifinals and he's run into Carlos or Yannick and and we found ourselves in a a

Patrick (02:53.872)
True.

Patrick (03:08.24)
Mm-hmm.

Alvin Owusu (03:13.246)
a no Carlos situation and a a short visit to Paris by Yannick and then and then Novak ends up looking his age, not looking his age, but like, you know, it the the toll got up to him. and then what you thought might happen happened. Like vis a vis Alexander Zerev wins the Friendship.

Patrick (03:28.538)
Yeah.

Patrick (03:33.007)
Hm. That's right. I I feel Zavera

This tournament it was so quintessential for it it so symbol symbolizes his career. because he is in shape more than people know. He's he's ready and he's right there all the time because he keeps himself at this peak physical condition. And I feel the French Open of all tournaments is the most physic I I I feel like it's the most physically challenging for for athletes. I I don't know if you'd agree with that, but for

Alvin Owusu (04:07.009)
Yeah, it's gotta be. I mean, God bless you saw

Patrick (04:08.226)
I well for t f yeah, five hours on that court, the heat I mean a a sinner can't take it sometimes. I mean it's it's it's brutal and Zverv can handle that. I think his biggest weapon is not his forehand or it was Serb is pretty crazy, but I would say his his stamina, his ability to play at eighty to eighty five percent at all times, that's his weapon. So I I fe yeah.

Alvin Owusu (04:33.057)
Yeah. Yeah. That's yeah, that's very well put. And I mean we've seen it a few times too. Like even even the Australian open semifinal against Carlos, like he was there with him. Carlos had his you know, his cramp situation and Zerev didn't hit the wall until like the last five minutes of the match and that was that was enough. go all the way back to twenty twenty four. Twenty four French open final.

Patrick (04:37.006)
Yeah, well yeah. Sorry. Yeah.

Patrick (04:54.255)
That's it.

Patrick (05:02.404)
Mm-hmm.

Alvin Owusu (05:02.721)
Where Carlos beats Verev there as well. And what happened? Verev was was with him right up until the end, until probably midway through that first set. Carlos gets that break and then runs out. but that's what it takes. It takes an Alexander Zvere. I it takes a Carlos Acaraz staying with him and then being Carlos Akeraz or Center's game just bothers like much like everyone else, bothers Alexander. so yeah, I mean, yeah.

Patrick (05:05.253)
Yeah.

Patrick (05:14.181)
Mm.

Patrick (05:19.278)
Yeah.

Patrick (05:30.126)
Yeah, that's right.

Alvin Owusu (05:32.297)
It is it is what it is. It is what it is.

Patrick (05:34.479)
Yeah, and I thought I thought Tory made up made a good point about Zverev's forehand in a previous podcast and about how he was just letting it go at times. And I I hadn't seen that forehand either from Zverev in a long time. I mean, and I thought th this is it. I mean, maybe we're gonna see that more now that he's got this freedom, he this this he's shac unshackled from this

thought of being the best player to never win a slam. He d he has he gets to brush that off and now he can just swing freely, maybe. But

Alvin Owusu (06:12.909)
That's an interesting perspective because I mean we did see it for flashes in that tiebreaker. Is it the tiebreaker or try to get into the tiebreaker in the fourth set? where he was like he was looking like he was a little wobbly and then just started unloading on balls. And it was it was the results were positive. So yeah, maybe I've been number as high as two in the world. I've finally won a grand slam. I've got a

Patrick (06:27.62)
Yeah.

Patrick (06:35.6)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (06:38.833)
A lot of money, a lot of Masters 1000s, a gold medal, let us not forget, World Tour Finals, two-time winner. Like he's I mean, what else does he really have to get done? Like, let a rip.

Patrick (06:42.766)
Yeah, yeah.

That mm but that that this is true. Can can I do a quick comparison here and I ask you this question. I know my answer, but would you r at this moment right now, would you rather have Medis career or would you rather have Zvero's career?

Just off on the tennis on the tennis alone. And so you got Medi who's got that US Open against Djokovic, right? And and a consistency throughout his career, no injuries, and maybe a bit more of a f I fan file. Yeah? Okay.

Alvin Owusu (07:08.384)
What's

Alvin Owusu (07:23.279)
I'm taking I'm taking Medi's I'm taking I'm taking Medi's career. as I do the quick math, now that they both have one Grand Slam title, career high of two for Zverev, career high of one for Medi. Met Zverev made three Grand Slam finals prior to this one that he did not so he was th one and three in finals. Medi also made two others.

Patrick (07:38.597)
Yeah.

Patrick (07:44.367)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (07:51.554)
Let's not forget he was in the Australian Open final against center not like two years ago, and then lost to Nadal in his first US Open final. So yeah, wow that he was up two sets eleven both of those matches, came back for different whatever. But and then Medvi Medis won like twenty five tour titles. Like yeah, I I I I give the edge to Medy because

Patrick (07:52.868)
That's true. Yeah.

Patrick (07:57.52)
That's right.

That was a crazy match. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Patrick (08:09.583)
Yeah.

Patrick (08:13.86)
That's right, yeah.

Alvin Owusu (08:21.261)
I think the h yeah, that's a it's a tough one. The because doesn't really make a lot of sense. But

Patrick (08:24.816)
It does, it does. I I my my because doesn't make sense either. Yeah, that's big to me. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Alvin Owusu (08:29.067)
He got to one in the world, right? he did get to one in the world. That's big. That is a big one. unique game style. I feel like he's a one of one. Zerev is a very Zerev is a stock. He is a stock player, with a a wor otherworldly backhand and a phenomenal serve. travels well on all surfaces. Yeah, you can you can pick your poison on that one. Like you there's no wrong answer there.

Patrick (08:36.452)
Mm. Yeah.

Patrick (08:49.198)
Yeah, yeah. That's right, yeah.

Patrick (08:56.238)
Yeah, I I I agree. And it's funny, I was looking at right, right, right, right, tennis players. And I'm looking also at legacy and also Hall of Fame type things because I know once you win a Grand Slam there there is this sort of okay, are you g especially in this day and age where the big three and then Cinner and Alcras are winning everything, if you sneak in a title, you become

Alvin Owusu (08:59.627)
As tennis players. As tennis players.

Patrick (09:24.804)
you know, considered wow, you you you broke through in some way, but did he break through? I I I don't know. Is Zverev's resume a Hall of Fame resume? I looked at T Tomas Mooster. Poor Mooster man. Mooster's not in. He's not in that Hall of Fame, right? He's got forty-four titles. He he won the French Open and the guy just is still

Alvin Owusu (09:29.644)
Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (09:37.581)
My guy.

Patrick (09:52.421)
He's not in and I thought that's that's bizarre. I don't know if there is some sort of thing we don't know about, but there there is a chance that Zavarov still wouldn't make the Hall of Fame, I'm wondering. And I don't know. Yeah. You think he you think he's in, yeah? Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (10:06.592)
You think so? I don't know about that one. the Mooster ones So Mooster Mooster was kind of a and I was I was a I was a big Mooster guy, being left handed, clay court grinder. Like I tried to there was a time in in in my own journey where I was taught to model myself after Tomas Mooster. But I mean Mooster won what forty four titles. He made role number one, did he win he won the French Open.

Patrick (10:19.266)
I dug them too. I liked them. Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (10:37.016)
I I think because probably the most of most of his titles came on clay. Yeah. Yeah, that's I I n I'm I'm I'm not saying he shouldn't be in. I'm just saying that's maybe that's why he's not in. I don't I have to look at that one side by side. Like why what is the what is the case for Thomas Muster? why is he not in the

Patrick (10:42.608)
So No, I I know I know I know, right, but how how is he not in, yeah.

Patrick (10:53.711)
Mm.

Yeah. I and I'm sorry, it sidetracking the main thing, but it just with Medi I feel he would make the Hall of Fame, but I don't know why I would say he I think it's because of his unique game style. The fact that he plays the game like a rubber band, right? So I I guess in that way, but yeah. You're right.

Alvin Owusu (11:17.612)
Yeah, I mean they're very similar. Like they're the when you look at their kind of head to head, like, you know, five hundred and fifty five career wins for Zverev, four hundred and forty four from Eviden. I that's a considerable amount more, but twenty five titles for Alex and twenty three for Medi. they've both I mean, fifty million dollars in prize money for Medi, sixty five for for Alex. It's it's it's there. It's there. I think it's there for both of them. I think they both

Patrick (11:23.705)
Okay.

Patrick (11:29.016)
Yeah.

Patrick (11:43.141)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (11:46.144)
I think they both get in.

Patrick (11:48.208)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (11:49.696)
But if only one could get in, that'd be an interesting that'd be an interesting that's an interesting thought experiment. Now now that's what I'm thinking about the rest of this week. I appreciate that.

Patrick (11:51.833)
Only one. I'd love to hear wait Yeah, w wait, isn't this when like I I'm not an expert podcaster, but isn't this when I say hey in the comments if you could or something like that. I'm sorry, but I don't know if but I'd love to know what they think. Yeah. Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (12:09.29)
Yeah, no, no, that's good. That's good. I need I need the prompting, so that's good. Yes. If you I what do you think? Alexander Serev or or Medi, do they both belong in the Hall of Fame? drop your comments below is how they do it. That's how they do it, right there. There you go. Like below's a place.

Patrick (12:19.108)
That I don't There we go. But yeah. Okay, I I gotta I gotta do this. I I I apologize in advance. But I I wanna

ask you a few questions about your own experience. Okay? So from knowing you and from this podcast, I do know that you have been in person to each of the Grand Slams. And that's correct, right? Okay.

Alvin Owusu (12:38.806)
Yep. Mm-hmm.

Alvin Owusu (12:47.904)
That is correct. That is correct. They they they call it the fan slam. I don't know if that's a ubiquitous term, but I'm aware of the term, but they call it the fan slam. And I I just recently completed my my fan slam by going to Rolling Garros this past Rolling Garros. Yes, that is true.

Patrick (12:53.796)
I like that. Yeah.

Patrick (13:03.862)
Alright, yeah, I would add the word career, right? I mean fan career slam or something like that. I I don't know, just but maybe Yeah, so so so you've been to the US Open, French Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open. I have only been to the US Open. I do several times. I loved it.

Alvin Owusu (13:10.134)
Career fan slam. I don't know. Yeah, something like something like that.

Patrick (13:25.422)
And I've been to smaller tournaments quite a bit because I ha as you know, I I kinda have this weird fixation with 250s and 500s. So but okay, so maybe you I don't know, maybe we could go back backwards in time for you. Like I know you recently just finished it at the French Open and you went to the women women's semi-finals, right? Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (13:35.336)
We're gonna come back to that 'cause I I yes, we're gonna come back to that.

Alvin Owusu (13:50.518)
Semifinals, yep, yep.

Patrick (13:52.645)
Please, please tell me a little bit about how that felt. I mean, I I'm thinking about the Nadal statue. I'm thinking about how the clay comes off the off that ground when someone pivots or slides or things like that. I mean, do they does the first row get a cloud of dust? Stuff like that. You know, I I've all these natural elements I'm just or just the players in general. if you could just kind of give me a little bit about what you're

Alvin Owusu (14:16.907)
Yeah.

Patrick (14:20.76)
What what how you felt there?

Alvin Owusu (14:21.206)
So what did that day that day was it day was fine. We get there, take the train out, then walk the extra ten minutes to get from the train stop to the to the venue. We we it was my wife and I's ten year anniversary, so and sh we wanted to go to to France to do some wine tasting and whatnot. So we just kind of built it around this trip and it it it made the most sense for us to go like to be in Paris as opposed to being in and we were in Dijon for a couple days.

Patrick (14:40.727)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (14:50.634)
be in Paris on our actual anniversary, which was June fourth. And so the only thing happening at that time was the women's semifinals. So for me, my my thought process was like if I'm gonna if I'm going all the way over then we're gonna watch tennis, I need to make sure that I'm insured that I'm gonna see tennis. So I want a roof, right? Just in case. And they had these the only way you're gonna get these tickets that I was able to get them were through hospitality packages, right? So we we poned up the money for these hospitality packages. It was not cheap.

Patrick (15:10.116)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (15:20.362)
But like I said, ten year anniversary, it was fantastic. so the we get there, we go into this other this this gate where everyone's getting either a wristband or or a a credential of some sorts and they're we get our wristbands and they're telling us, okay, you go down this way and you have access to the to this lounge, this this specific lounge that is attached to Philippe Chatrier and it's it's like there's lunch and there's drinks and snacks all day long.

Patrick (15:20.76)
Yeah. Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (15:50.413)
I say lunch drink snacks, but it's like very French forward. Like there's it's catered by chefs and the champagne and and you like you go into this like you yeah, it's it was quite posh and like you walk in and there's this restaurant, the Brazi Bra Braziere Braziere de Mousquetaire. and then and then our wristbands got us down below. You go down these stairs and you're in this in this in this lounge and it was it was great.

Patrick (15:55.733)
Ooh super Yeah. Mm.

Patrick (16:18.938)
Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (16:19.508)
Like there's there's player there's these really, really nice high res, big blown up pictures of players with the trophy who have won the tournament in the locker room. So like I've got I'll I'll I'll share a few of them on our Instagram. But like that was really cool to see. as recently as like last year they have one of Coco and she has a very similar pose to Serena's pose, which is on the other side of the b other side of the room. Super cool. And then they have these like these shadow boxes of of players who have won the tournament, like their picture

Patrick (16:41.551)
cool. Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (16:48.64)
their shoes and their racket. So like you get to walk around, you see Agassiz's situation and Rancho Sanchez Picario and and it was yeah that was like it was it was really, really cool to be down there. but then like it's time to go up to the match so you kinda go up and out and around and up to the stadium and everyone who has access there had really good seats. but before that, 'cause w the women's singles didn't start till three o'clock and we got there around eleven,

Patrick (16:57.904)
Yeah.

Patrick (17:16.578)
okay.

Alvin Owusu (17:16.82)
I went out and watched some juniors, right? So at that point in the tournament, yeah, at that point in the tournament, like 'cause you're so far into the tournament, right? Like there's other stuff going on. Like there's there's wheelchair was happening, boys and girls juniors was happening, some Legends doubles was happening, like a lot was happening that's not men's and women's singles, right? and so like it's it's

Patrick (17:19.342)
yeah, yeah.

Patrick (17:40.772)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (17:44.458)
You're you're there, you know it's it's like it's the timing is serious because we're at the semifinal stage, but then everywhere else it's still kind of just like another tournament. Which is very, very it's very interesting 'cause I've heard other like podcasters, maybe Andy Roddick mention like, you know, when you get into the locker room for the last two days of the tournament, it's like it's eerily quiet because there's no one else is there. Yeah, it's it's a whole it's a whole different thing. Whole different thing.

Patrick (17:55.012)
Mm, mm.

Patrick (17:59.664)
So

Patrick (18:05.618)
right. It's like a ghost town or yeah. Hmm. See probably the first and second rounds of those tournaments, I mean that that's it's it's chaos, I feel like, in the first and second rounds, because everybody's playing everywhere, practice courts are filled, everyone's trying to get to the person they want to see.

But in your case you went at this during the semifinals, packed house, right? I mean ev it was probably packed by th three o'clock or something or

Alvin Owusu (18:38.819)
Yeah, yeah, 'cause it was Marta Kostic played Mira Andreva first and that was a that was a charged up match. Like everyone was in their seats, quite quite buzzy atmosphere. obviously Marta had been playing Well Coming In and then and Mira was like, you know, it's the the Russian Ukraine of things, always heightened and everyone was so everyone that was the the prime time match, the one that everyone was there effectively there to see and that match

Patrick (18:43.437)
Okay.

Yeah.

Patrick (18:56.922)
Yeah.

Patrick (19:02.583)
Okay.

Alvin Owusu (19:05.759)
didn't necessarily live up to expectations. It kind of fell a little flat. so there was a little bit of break between that match and then Schneider versus Volinska. And and then n people didn't really start getting back into their seats until midway through the first set. But that was that was the treat of the day. That match was so much fun. It was so much fun. And the Polish fans show showed up. It was it was great. It was great.

Patrick (19:07.864)
Mm. If they yeah.

Patrick (19:15.79)
Yeah.

Patrick (19:25.22)
That looked fantastic, yeah. Yeah.

Wa Walin Walinska, sorry, brief note on because she's such a new player and I can barely pronounce her name and I'm gonna probably get crushed for it. But the so she I I think I commented to you that I feel like she is an aggressive moonballer. But I don't mean the moon baller in a insulting way. I mean when she hits a moonball, she actually comes to the net and finishes the point sometimes as a weapon. But I I'm wondering, does she

Alvin Owusu (19:56.956)
Right.

Patrick (20:01.138)
I guess does she come off differently in person than Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (20:05.675)
I'm glad you asked because absolutely. Her ball is it's it's got a heaviness to it that doesn't translate well on television. And I say that because I didn't watch her play at all until that semi. it was just like the the story was happening and I was in France, but I was not in my normal like setup at my house with multiple TVs and watching the whole thing. so when I got to the to watch her play, that was the first time I'd seen her play. And

Patrick (20:21.017)
Right.

Patrick (20:27.247)
Yeah.

Patrick (20:33.551)
Hmm.

Alvin Owusu (20:33.855)
that night when we were back at the hotel and the highlights were on, they re they think they reshowed the match, I realized that on television, her her ball does not come across the same way it does in person. Like it's a heavy, it's got a lot of it's got a lot of net clearance, right? It looks like when you're looking at a linear television view, like from up above and behind the baseline, kind of long, you know, normal television view, you don't get the nuance of like how heavy that ball is being hit.

Patrick (20:49.732)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (21:03.721)
And how clean she's hitting it. some of the back end to back end rallies with her and Schneider were like they're I was like, my god, these women are this is beautiful to watch. And then she she will hit the the heavy, you know, the heavy lefty ball, hits the ground, jumps up, and then yeah, she's coming in behind it, like drop shot, drop volley. Yeah.

Patrick (21:06.02)
Wow. Wow.

Cause

Patrick (21:22.552)
Yeah. wow. Cause I I was listening to a postmatch interview from Kalan Skaya.

Alvin Owusu (21:29.611)
Mm-hmm.

Patrick (21:30.264)
it was salty. She was so she she was so I think I she wasn't saying it, but I f it seemed her heir after playing Walinska was just Wha what the hell just happened? You know she was thinking and then they were asking her questions and then she I saw that she had played a little bit off of hardcore and I love to play her on hardcore grass. She was basically s throwing her under the bus saying

Yeah, she's doing this on clay, but if she meets me anywhere else, I'm gonna blow her away. So she wanted to maybe compartmentalize Walinska's success to Clay. And she didn't say that, but it it was very I think her game pisses people off, Walinska. I I guess. yeah, okay. And

Alvin Owusu (22:18.885)
for sure. For sure. Yeah, I mean it i even in that scenario i it forces you to be I think Schneider had the obviously what Mira did to her in the finals was that that was a I think a combination of a lot of things, like Mira's talent, Mira's game plan, and then also Vlinska seemed a step slow, like it was a long three weeks for her. But Schneider, you could tell like she had the right game plan. She just

Patrick (22:33.04)
Mm-hmm.

Alvin Owusu (22:45.983)
didn't have the fortitude to consistently execute the right game plan over the course of what what it needed to be it would have to been two and a half hours. she just ran out of ran out of gas to to be able to like consistently step up, drive, come in, finish points. and yeah, Callancekaya, yeah, you know, whatever. Whatever. She's got she got she got thoughts.

Patrick (22:55.523)
Right.

I see. Hmm.

Patrick (23:07.158)
I know. So yeah, she does have thoughts. so okay, so the that French Open semi-experience, you're you're in that big crowd. Maybe I don't know if it's possible to compare the crowd that you were with at the French compared the the other Grand Slams. Were were you feeling as if there was a big difference?

Alvin Owusu (23:29.745)
Yeah. It's I mean th there's a there's a lot of differences and I think they they're they're all they all have to be considered at the same time. Like one, being at the semifinals I think is is very unique because as the as the prices go up the obviously the the the crowd ch starts to change a little bit. also that that that stadium is smaller than yeah than it looks on television. It's quite small. Like it's almost like

Patrick (23:34.819)
Okay.

Patrick (23:49.466)
Point.

Patrick (23:59.097)
really?

Alvin Owusu (23:59.371)
It's not as small as center court at Wimbledon, which is very small, like very low roof. once you get up into that second second tier, it's like it's it's very tight up there. but and then our obviously Arthur Ash has like three very expansive it's a it's a monstrosity, right? And Rod Labor is like a small version of of Arthur Ash, but yeah, I'd say those two are actually fairly fairly similar to one another and then

Patrick (24:11.478)
okay.

Patrick (24:18.776)
Yeah.

Patrick (24:24.463)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (24:27.888)
Fleet Choptier and Center Court Wimbledon are are are similar to each other in that they're they're much they're much more intimate. so like if I got kind of look back at like my experiences, right? So Roland Garros, I was there women's semifinal Wimbledon, I was there first round first round. Yeah, first round Wimbledon. First is it first day? I think I mean first day. Yeah, it's first day.

Patrick (24:32.144)
Yeah.

Patrick (24:38.521)
Mm.

Patrick (24:45.635)
Alvin Owusu (24:53.34)
Australian Open I've been for the round of sixteen and the quarterfinals on two different trips. and US Open I went for first, second round both both times I was there. So yeah, and your the what was your original question? Sorry, I just blanked.

Patrick (24:59.832)
Nice.

Patrick (25:09.167)
I see.

Patrick (25:15.78)
No, no, it wa it was it was around that. So I I'm sorry, I when you brought up Arthur Ash I I had a funny story that I could share, but because I remember Arthur Ash very and then I wanna go back to which of those experiences you feel you're gonna remember the longest. But but my my quick story is when I went in five, I think we saw Agassiz play Blake.

Alvin Owusu (25:24.638)
Please do.

Patrick (25:42.737)
and yeah, Zoe five. And I went with a friend and in order to save money we illegally I'm gonna admit this on here, we illegally went up to the you know there's this giant scoreboard the the giant screen at the top of the stadium. There's actually a little under area. There's one bench and then there's an under area and security looks for people who between the day and

Alvin Owusu (26:06.036)
Mm-hmm.

Patrick (26:12.56)
the night session. So we stayed for the day, but you know you gotta pay for the night back then. And my friend and I we we we did we did a we did a horizontal stance and we kinda kinda slept just for for about 45-50 minutes and then we got we came back down and we're like yeah so okay here we go once the crowd had arrived I don't know how they didn't come for us but anyway but that was the Arthur ash

Alvin Owusu (26:22.196)
You hit under.

Alvin Owusu (26:40.318)
That that's that's the the the the the US Open is a grind, man. It's a it's a grind. Like New York in the summer, it's it's loud, it there's a lot of people. in eight when I went, I remember we did like this is back when you for like two hundred dollars you could get five sessions. We did day, night, day, night, day. Three straight days. and so the s a very similar similar ish story. I ended up having to take a nap.

Patrick (26:47.235)
It is.

Yeah.

Patrick (26:54.874)
Yeah.

Patrick (27:02.063)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (27:09.46)
There was like the old Louis Armstrong overhung like one of the other courts. so they created like this little shade in the top the top stands and I went and took a nap up there like in the middle of the second day. I'm like, I'm too tired. I can't I can't watch tennis. I'm gonna I'm gonna sleep here for this doubles match until Nick Kyrgios comes on, which is very apropos. But also saw James Blake at that tournament, so there you go. Yeah, back when

Patrick (27:13.904)
Yeah. Yeah.

Patrick (27:24.366)
Right.

Patrick (27:30.064)
Ha

Okay, okay. Yeah, yeah. I I'm now I'm trying to I'm

feel I'm old now, but I I I think actually I l I'm wrong. It was one. It was two thousand one that whole lying down thing happened. But anyway, so it would have been a different anyway, let's go back to more more off off yours. So out of these four or these four grand slams, you went to the Australian Open twice and then you went to US Open a few times. twice, okay. you favor those over Wimbledon and French Open or are you more

Alvin Owusu (27:45.021)
Okay.

Alvin Owusu (27:54.755)
huh.

Alvin Owusu (27:58.469)
US opened twice. Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (28:06.554)
My favorite tournament, my favorite Grand Slam to go to is the Australian Open. Like, hands down, like I don't need to think about it. Like it's it's it's my favorite and for a lot of different reasons. Like the juxtaposition of like Northern Hemisphere, it's the middle of winter, and then you get on a plane and fifteen hours later it's the middle of summer, it it automatically puts you in a better mood. which is like same thing like watching it, right? Like the the the

Patrick (28:11.61)
Hmm.

Patrick (28:18.798)
Okay.

Patrick (28:30.113)
Mm. Mm.

Alvin Owusu (28:34.014)
The experience of watching the Australian Open on television is, in my mind, it's dark outside. It's light on the tennis court. It is like this beacon of hope that I'm gonna g I'm gonna make it through this winter. the you know, the harsh winters down here in Atlanta, Georgia. But yeah, that juxta that juxtaposition and everyone's smiling and they're wearing shorts and everyone's happy and it it it shows up on the television, but also when you go, like Australians are so nice, one.

Patrick (28:42.128)
True. That's it. That's right. Yeah.

Patrick (29:02.712)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (29:03.486)
Two, the tennis center is in like s damn near downtown Melbourne, right? Like it's imagine if you if you put Arthur Ash in Manhattan as opposed to like up in Queens, it's the same thing. Like you you can you're in center they call it C B D Central Business District, and you just walk over, like you walk, take the bridge over the Yara, and then you're you're right, you're in the stadium. It's it's fantastic. And so like you finish up a you know, a nice little session on a Friday evening.

Patrick (29:29.103)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (29:33.576)
w leave the leave the tennis and go straight to the bar. Like it is it's the best way it gets amazing. It's amazing. It's amazing. I highly and there's lots of space too, because obviously Australia is hard to get to. the the facility's pretty pretty well laid out. I find it to be very easy to get around there, with lots of space. But then there aren't that many people. Like it there aren't many people. The the one time I've ever felt cramped there and I've been twice.

Patrick (29:41.604)
Yeah. Yeah.

Patrick (29:47.056)
True. Hmm.

Patrick (29:56.885)
wow.

Alvin Owusu (30:02.666)
four different sessions two over two different years was trying to watch Keen Nishikori practice in two thousand and eight. Right. But like that's the it's the I think like the way the practice course laid out back then they were like like a row of them but like baseline to baseline, not like a row, like a stack, like end to end to end to end. And like at one point Djokovic was practicing, Nishikori was practicing and and Nadal were practicing and it's like

Patrick (30:02.736)
Mm.

Patrick (30:11.197)
that's impossible.

Patrick (30:22.67)
Yeah. Whoa.

Alvin Owusu (30:30.844)
It was it's so cramped out there. But that was the worst of it. Like the best of it was on both years. I went in two thousand eight and twenty twenty three. I was able to I had tickets for one day, I think in two thousand eight I had tickets for like the round of sixteen and we arrived the day before and it was like five o'clock in the afternoon, so my buddy and I were like, let's just walk over there and see if we can get it like we can get in. Yeah, you buy a Twilight Pass, walked right in, I went right into one of the arenas and watched Monfist play. It was

Patrick (30:33.135)
Mm.

Patrick (30:41.165)
Okay.

Patrick (31:00.801)
Mm, mm.

Alvin Owusu (31:01.204)
Like we just walked up and bought a ticket. Same thing twenty twenty three. I had we went for the round of sixteen and then I think two days later Sabalinka was gonna be playing Donavecich and then Ben Shelton was playing Tommy Paul. And I was like, let's let's let's see if we can get tickets and like the day before I went online, bought tickets, like ninety bucks for for three matches in lower bowl of Rod Labor. It's like yeah, it's great.

Patrick (31:18.275)
that's a good one. Yeah.

Patrick (31:31.598)
So all right, that it sounds far more casual than even the US open, I guess, right? I mean, at this point, right, I i so

Alvin Owusu (31:39.61)
US Open's all is they've jumped a shark, man. Like it's it's it's a whole it's expensive, they're hard to get. and the the you know, from my first slam in two thousand eight to my most recent slam in twenty twenty-six here, the experience of watching tennis as a consumer has changed so much. I I remember like, you know, printing out the order of play and circling who you wanted to go watch.

Patrick (31:42.788)
Yeah, yeah.

Alvin Owusu (32:06.481)
And then trying to get there, you have to get there a little bit early if you want to get a good seat, yada yada yada. But over the course of a day, right, there's only so much tennis you can with your own two eyeballs actually watch because of the the physical hurdles of like moving from this court to that court, whatever court you're going to. like in totality you're only gonna see maybe three matches in a day. It's it's hard to do more than that. but on you're stuck.

Patrick (32:13.818)
Yeah.

Patrick (32:17.976)
That's true.

Patrick (32:31.342)
Yeah, and and you're stuck you're stuck there, right? I mean, for that long ride. So yeah.

Alvin Owusu (32:36.233)
You're you're yeah, you're stuck, especially if it's a smaller court and you have someone you want to see in their second or third match up, you're like you're kinda committed to this. But I always feel like and I used to feel this at the Miami Open as well, like this feeling of FOMO. Like I'm sitting here right now, but there's a match going on over there that is more interesting than this this match, but I cannot go to that match. I have to sit here because the match I really want to see is coming on next. And it's like with Tennis Channel Plus and Tennis T V now, like if

Patrick (33:01.36)
Right.

Alvin Owusu (33:05.991)
The match is boring, you just change it and you get to watch the other match. And it's it's like I I found myself like we were watching girls I think junior quarterfinals and the one of the one of the players took a medical timeout off court and I was like, Well, I just sat down. Like, now I gotta wait. I'm like, Who else is playing? Like I'm like, Well, there's no one to go watch right now. You have to sit here and you just have to sit here and wait till they come back.

Patrick (33:10.532)
That's it. Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (33:35.849)
It w it was like it was a very it felt like a retro experience.

Patrick (33:36.091)
So okay.

That that kind of stuff though, the the weighting I I actually really don't mind because that's like when I was watching Rood play Alcaraz, re at the Japan Open, smaller tournament, all that stuff, but God I just I loved the in-between and the interactions that the players would have with their teams. 'Cause you feel like you're you're getting a sense of what how they really communicate. You know, they communicate to us in two different ways. Their professional ability when they're playing

And then it's that when they're not doing that, they have to sh have to show who they are really. You know, and so I yeah, those those in between gaps when I'm at tournaments, those are those are fan and and then of course the practice courts which you and Tori and w my both of us, we we've talked about ad nauseum, I feel, but I love watching practice courts, but yeah, anyway.

Alvin Owusu (34:17.917)
Yeah. Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (34:37.417)
Well so that's the that's the other part about it, right? Like w there's also the stadium tennis versus the other tennis. And I don't like watching like when I watch tennis, right? I watch I I watch tennis. Like I'm I'm I can go to practice like we talked about it before, I'll give practice courts and as a former coach and I'm still an active player and I guess in this space I'm an analyst. That's what people call me now, an analyst, which is whatever it's I guess, whatever.

Patrick (34:56.24)
Yeah.

Patrick (35:03.074)
Sure, sure. Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (35:07.281)
I analyze so fine. There are things that I'm looking for and I need to be kind of I need to be pretty close to see it. I don't want to be in a stadium. I wanna be next to the court or behind the court. Now granted that's hard to do when we're talking about a Grand Slam or a Masters one thousand, unless you're getting, you know, you know, corporate seats or whatever. that's a different story. But for for me as I've

Patrick (35:09.52)
Yeah.

Patrick (35:15.183)
Yeah.

Patrick (35:18.916)
Yes.

Alvin Owusu (35:32.029)
you know, finish this. I feel like almost like Alexander Zverev. I've I've finished the thing that I wanted to do for so long. I don't know if I'll ever go to another Grand Slam again. They're they're very I say I say that I just I just booked my my flights to New York for the US Open and I'm going during qualifying. I'm going the week before. I

Patrick (35:41.284)
Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Patrick (35:49.112)
Okay. qualifying, that would be that would be interesting. Yeah. Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (35:53.65)
Yeah, well and and that's interesting to me because like during the week before it's qualifying's happening, but all the players are on site practicing. And so like that's that's what I actually want to see. I want to see like I want to see them hit, I want to see them work out, I want to be able to get some footage. I I just like I don't wanna be bothered by the need to be getting somewhere to watch a match or have to sit down and be anywhere for

X amount of games or sets or or whatever. Like I can meander around and see the tennis players, see all the top tennis players without feeling like I need to stay I can stay for five minutes if I want. I can get up and leave. I can sit for an hour if it's a really good if like, you know, if you find I always use like Alejandro Davidovich Pekina. Like if Fakina is hitting with Karen Hatchinoff, like, Yeah, you you got me for forty five minutes. I'm here. I'm here. This will be good.

Patrick (36:21.861)
Mm.

Patrick (36:35.321)
Hmm.

Patrick (36:48.228)
Yeah, yep. Well I yeah, you're bringing up the call yeah, sorry.

Alvin Owusu (36:49.961)
Let's be good. Yeah, so to t to your point though, like I don't like the Grand Slams at this point they're they're good to go to with other people, like maybe not tennis fans, like just people who want to go to the Grand Slam. Like, I'll do that. Yeah, if if a buddy wants to go to the US Open next year, like I'll do that. I'll go. And then I'm not I'm not there to get anything done. I'm just there to hang out.

Patrick (37:04.73)
Mm, mm.

Alvin Owusu (37:15.911)
My next bucket list is I'm gonna try to knock off all the Masters one thousands, right? 'cause they're in they're in cool places. I've got a couple in the bag so far, so we'll we'll tech on that. But from from me, Alvin, the the tennis junkie slash nerd, slash analyst, like I'm I'm in I'm in your world now. Like I wanna go to I wanna go to two fifties, like the one that's in in the Netherlands right now on grass. Like they got men's and women's. It looks get you sit anywhere you want to. This

Patrick (37:21.304)
That's good.

Patrick (37:37.945)
Mm, mm.

Patrick (37:43.482)
That looks awesome. Yeah, that's right. yeah, yeah.

Alvin Owusu (37:45.021)
Looks fantastic. Fantastic. It's an hour and twenty minute train ride from from Amsterdam. Like sign me up. That's easy. That's easy. so yeah, so like go ahead.

Patrick (37:50.933)
Yeah. You I wanted to make yeah. you're b you brought up quallies. I think I wanted I've been wanting to make this point quite a bit though. Just one last thing about Grand Slam so we can pivot to other things, but the quallies need to be televised more. I I I feel it not not it

Alvin Owusu (38:13.298)
They are televised. They are televised. They're on I mean, they're not on like the

Patrick (38:16.76)
Are they well Wimble w Wimbledon puts him up on YouTube, of course, some sometimes, but I I just feel you know, you've got that grinder who took probably a greyhound from Michigan to get to the US Open to save some money on travel, right? 'Cause he's got a team that he's gotta pay for. And then so you've got this guy who's just he's praying, he's just praying he can get to the first round so he can grab that prize money and then pay out his team and so he can keep going.

For six months. And that guy gets no coverage, I feel. And he is work, he's been working his ass off for years just to get into that first qualifying level, which, as you and I know, takes all these tournaments that you are already qualifying for to get to that point. And so I just wish qualities were a bit more respected in a coverage sense. I don't think it would cost much for them to pop a

Camera up somewhere and allow us to just see qualities happen, but that's that's just another point.

Alvin Owusu (39:24.826)
I I all I can't speak for all the Grand Sans, but I know some of them, maybe it's the ones on ESPN. Like if you have ESPN Plus here in the States, right? I think they do show the quality. if they don't, Tennis Channel shows like sometimes we'll show the qualities for I think for the US Open, maybe Australian Open. But I've I I can distinctly remember sitting at my house and I've popped on to watch a qualifying match or two. And then I just go, man, I got a lot of tennis to watch the next two weeks. I I don't I can't I can't watch quallies right now. I can't.

Patrick (39:32.25)
They got him.

Patrick (39:45.957)
Mm.

Patrick (39:52.079)
Yeah, i that's true. Good point, good point. Yeah, yeah, you you do have to pace yourself, so but yeah, that's right. Right.

Alvin Owusu (39:57.523)
Gotta pace yourselves. It it's important. It's important. but yeah, so that's like my my my grand slam experience is like Wimbledon is like Wimbledon's the one I get a lot of pushback on. Like I'll I'll probably never go to Wimbledon again unless I'm like unless I'm handed a ticket. like I did the queue, I did that whole thing. I got there like four o'clock in the morning. You don't get in till ten thirty in the morning, so it's like six hours of of hey people there were there before me.

Patrick (40:15.342)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (40:27.33)
i it it's a very it's a lot of investment for the return was pretty sweet, but I don't need to do it again.

Patrick (40:27.448)
Mm.

Patrick (40:35.332)
fact that y I've always thought Wimbledon would be the most exciting for the first and second rounds. So the fact that you did go at that time and then you still experience that rigidity, that whole protocol overload, but

Alvin Owusu (40:47.27)
Well to just to my point about about Grand Slams in general, like they just they're crowded. It's very crowded. Wimbledon, I mean the All England Club is a country club. It is small. Like it is inherently small, which is part of why they're you know, they're going through all that they're going through right now to buy up more space within the neighborhood. But it's it's you're at a nice country club that is hosting the crown jewel of our sport. It's very the juxtaposition is i is fantastic, but

Patrick (40:55.076)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (41:16.442)
in practice being there, it's like this is not overly comfortable. Like it's you're you're squeezing through kind of nooks and crannies. I don't know if you know the writer, Rembert Brown, but like a few years ago he did a so Remember Rembert's a tennis player too. He's from he's from out here. He's one of the homies. But I don't know him personally that well. We've talked spoken a few times. Let me not let me not make it sound like we are friends, but I know he's aware of the podcast. He is a great writer.

Patrick (41:16.752)
Mm-hmm.

Patrick (41:26.926)
Yeah. Love Rumber.

Patrick (41:34.138)
Hex? Yeah.

Patrick (41:40.954)
Great writer. Great writer. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Alvin Owusu (41:43.887)
but he did a full exposition on like his first time at Wimbledon and he had very similar thoughts. This was almost fifteen years ago. But it's yeah, it's cramped. they do a great job of producing it on tele for television. but being there is it's gorgeous. Like it is gorgeous. All the colors they pop in real life. I think this picture right there I took watching

Patrick (42:00.996)
Mm, mm.

Alvin Owusu (42:11.046)
I don't know, maybe Harriet Dart or something like that. Somebody I was on this court waiting for Felix to come on next. That's what I was doing, right? But it was it's but it it was like this is like the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, like in in tennis. This is this is amazing. But it's still grass court tennis, which is like not my favorite. it's it's cramped. It's there's no lights on the outside, right? So it's a pretty short day once you

Patrick (42:17.698)
I see.

Mm.

Patrick (42:29.05)
Did yeah.

Alvin Owusu (42:35.43)
Once you get into it and the PIMS, like the the the strawberries and cream, it's not not like American whipped cream, it's regular cream. It's not that good. It's just not that good. Yeah, yeah, it's not Yeah, it's not whipped cream. It's just like it's just cream. It's yeah. No. No.

Patrick (42:35.556)
Mm-hmm.

Patrick (42:42.352)
really? that's de that's disappointing.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I I guess i it's it's more about the environmental experience, right? You're there you are, you're like, I'm loving strawberries and cream, you know, and this whole soul That's right. Yeah. well yeah. Wimbledon to me, if went

Alvin Owusu (43:00.538)
Yeah. Have a have a Pim's cup and yeah, it's it's it's whatever. It's great. It's great. But yeah, it's not not not again.

Patrick (43:13.036)
if I ever could go and I'd go with my wife and we'd probably take a seat around the third round now that I'm thinking about it. Now now that you've told me these things. So i the third round Wibbledon seems right because w you might get a British player and then you have Henman Hill, you have that all the that massive crowd. I I would be sur I wouldn't be surprised if we met people who are have been to Wibbledon quite a bit and they're like, it's not it's not great in or

Or in the stadium or in the you know, actual seats, but it's better on Henman Hill. I bet you it's a bit freer in that regard. So that might be a response f to that you know, that societal strangulation. I guess I'll be extreme on that, that maybe occurs within or class stiffness.

Alvin Owusu (43:50.737)
Right.

Alvin Owusu (44:05.832)
I mean, when I went I when I went I did not I did not have tickets on Center Court. I just had a grounds pass. I went to Center Court a few years l before that. So I went to Wimbledon in twenty nineteen. In twenty fi sixteen I was in London. I was on a trip, I think it's my bachelor party actually, with some friends and they offer tours, right? So I went we we went out there for a tour of Wimbledon and that was great. And then part of the tour is they take you in center court. and they still like

Patrick (44:28.442)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (44:35.246)
It was from I guess the the year prior. I think maybe N Novak had played Fed in the final in twenty fifteen. So in twenty sixteen the scoreboard was still on. Like they they leave the scoreboard on. So you could see the final score. They don't apparently don't clear it until the next year until the tournament starts. Like it was but it would have like a few months after that. But but that's how I know I've been in the building, just not for matches, and I could tell you like it's very very tight in there. Like almost like Madison Square Garden feels kind of like shrunken down or

Patrick (44:48.353)
I see.

Patrick (45:00.324)
Right.

Alvin Owusu (45:03.858)
Cameron indoor stadium, like feels kinda like tight up top. It's what it felt like, like kind of flat. but it's hollowed grounds for sure.

Patrick (45:04.044)
It does, it does.

Patrick (45:10.328)
Yeah. you you brought up Madison Square Garden. I for I'm t I am thinking about that right now. so I my apologies in advance to people who listen to this and they're thinking, finally a break from all the basketball coverage. But I yeah. s all right. So this is a hypothetical

Alvin Owusu (45:29.156)
No, we we tiptoe in there every once in a while, here on the best of three podcasts, but go ahead.

Patrick (45:38.799)
Wemby is 7'4, some people say 7'5, right? And Wembanyama, Victor Wembbanyama, okay. He I keep thinking, what if Victor Wembanyama played tennis? That's that's my first thought. of for Wembanyama. Because he has that i if he wasn't just so damn long, he actually does have a tennis build. Right? He ha he

Alvin Owusu (46:01.393)
He's wiry. Yeah.

Patrick (46:02.936)
He's he's like a surf bot who could actually move from side to side and get those drop shots and come I I I feel like he would dominate as well in tennis if he had started the way he started with basketball. But there's a part of you that probably disagrees with that, I'm thinking. But

Alvin Owusu (46:21.815)
I he he moves well relative to his size, relative to the sport he plays. Right. I think I mean the tennis court is so much smaller than like a decent amount of tennis court will fit in the lane of a basketball court. It's like it's just like a it's it feels like it's it's a whole different I would say the the lanes that's a that's a that's I'm being facetious here, but like the the quick, rapid

Patrick (46:26.608)
Yeah.

Patrick (46:37.615)
Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (46:47.461)
change of direction nature of tennis, I think precludes and we've talked about this on this podcast before about like the the optimal the optimal height is like once you start getting over six four, there's only a few players who have been able to do it. But we've talked about Alexander Zverev, who is six five or six six, and his height, same thing with Medi, like they have to take a deeper court position because their limbs are longer and ha take more time to produce their strokes.

Patrick (47:00.772)
Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (47:14.167)
that is I think that's exasperate exacerbated if you are, you know, get much taller, right? The serve is one thing, but then I mean, there's a reason we haven't had a serve bot win a grand slam. Like it's not it it the it's important but it's not the only thing.

Patrick (47:16.986)
Mm.

Yeah. Mm.

Patrick (47:27.984)
But Alvin, the kick s the kick serve. The kick serve, man. The kick serve at 7-4? What what? I mean you're you're gonna hit an overhead back to get the ball back in play. As right I mean I I feel so we're going to a breaker, I think, every set.

Alvin Owusu (47:36.602)
Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (47:44.357)
That's true. That's true.

Patrick (47:51.737)
with somebody like that, right? I mean, it would get laughable. I mean the the ball would hit the service box and then just just go into the stands or something like that. I I almost feel like at seven four you get that cut off that ball. it's over. It's over. I mean and th they could be safe serves even. They could be Ben Shelton kick serves and you know, when Banyama's got a foot on Shelton.

That's that that's another what if you measure that out, I mean that's that's another this much. And I remember seeing Valentine Vacherot hit one of those weird slap shots off of Ben's serve, you know, that just found a way in. But w wemb w I don't know. And he can move.

Alvin Owusu (48:34.927)
I mean the the the facsimile being like Riley Riley six eleven, Evo a six eleven and Isner six ten and none of them have ever even finaled a grand slam, let alone won one. I don't think I think Isner's best Grand Slam was like a quarter final maybe, or maybe he semied one, I don't remember.

Patrick (48:42.872)
I'm sure they're thinking about that too. Yeah.

Patrick (48:51.45)
Well I think

We got yeah. Is Isner's been really close though. I mean hi he and Kevin Anderson had that serve classic serve bot duel, right? So the the South African. So I I think I think w Isner if he had been a bit more mobile side to side the way Wemby is right now, I I think he would have made it. I I don't it yeah.

Alvin Owusu (49:17.255)
Well I think that's the issue though. Like once you get once you get to a certain height you can't actually be mobile. Like it that's it's it's it's the gravity of things.

Patrick (49:22.178)
so you're s okay. So you're saying Wemby okay, okay. If Wemby gets on a court and he starts playing tennis, there would be a very big difference with his coordination as as he shows right now, is kind of okay.

Alvin Owusu (49:37.818)
Yes. I think would would expose his the ability to shuffle side to side quickly. I just it's different movement pattern. I I mean it's it's the I think a different question is like what does the take the height out of it and just like 'cause I think when Minyama obviously he's very tall, but his his the overall package that he provides and the thing that he is very that makes him very interesting as a prospect and maybe the

Patrick (49:51.546)
True.

Patrick (50:00.698)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (50:07.387)
the future face of the NBA is he is tall yet does a lot of other things very well. Like the man shoots mid eighty percent from the free throw line, like and he he can dribble and he's you know, he doesn't move like a typical seven foot four player. That's the difference. So I j I I try to think about it in tennis terms. Like what does that what does that person, what does that wimbinama of tennis look like?

Patrick (50:14.544)
True.

Patrick (50:19.501)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (50:34.147)
Is it a short person who plays an extremely powerful game? Is it a tall person who moves like extremely well? I think I mean center might be the closest thing to it, considering how tall he is and he moves like a we talked about this before, he moves like somebody who's much smaller. so yeah, that's it's it's a that's that's what I'm here for. That's that's what I'm here for.

Patrick (50:34.414)
Mm, mm.

Patrick (50:43.907)
It's true.

Patrick (50:48.804)
He does. He does. Okay. Thank you for that side tige tangent a bit. So all right, we we do have Wimbledon, right? We have Wimbledon coming up.

Alvin Owusu (51:01.393)
We do. It's it's coming up.

Patrick (51:03.06)
And and I'm guessing the the grass is gonna be fast. I think we're gonna have like two three shot rallies for the first couple rounds, which means Shelton's probably gonna go through pretty far, I think, like that. Like he did last year, hopefully. I think.

He's somebody I'm gonna watch. And there's another guy, I think his name's Novak Djokovic. yeah. I I heard that he's he's pretty decent. and he might be look looking to take advantage of somebody missing from the tournament. Yeah, th that's just

Alvin Owusu (51:39.891)
I I've got my eye on and I'm saving this for another podcast, so we're not gonna we're not gonna get too far into it, but I have my eye on Mr. Djokovic and even more keenly than the normal you gotta watch out for Novak, it it took Clay you could you could argue that Clay is his worst surface, right? And I think he's won the first open three times, but Clay is his worst surface. And

Patrick (51:47.202)
Sure, sure.

Patrick (51:52.517)
Yeah.

Patrick (52:04.536)
Mm.

I'd say.

Alvin Owusu (52:09.249)
It 'cause it it's a it's kind of the equalizer. Like everyone everyone kind of can play on clay and the the the longer the points get, the more opportunity there is. and so he he ran into some things I think in the in the opening rounds of the French Open that just for him to make a real run at one of these tournaments, he he needs almost damn near perfect conditions. Like he's gotta get through the first rounds three matches no more than ten sets, quite honestly. And he he took on he took on too much water too early.

Patrick (52:12.825)
Hmm.

Alvin Owusu (52:38.723)
And so by the time he got to Fonseca, he he was in like I think he was depleted. even if he had gotten through that match, I don't think he I don't think he gets much further after that. 'cause he had he had just taken on too many miles at that point. three and a half hour match for a thirty nine year old is that's that's it it hurts a little different than when you're twenty nine. With that being said, two things and I mentioned this in the previous podcast, I'll say it again now and I'll probably bring it up next week when we

Patrick (52:41.903)
Mm.

Patrick (52:51.055)
True.

Patrick (53:00.164)
Yeah, yeah.

Patrick (53:05.166)
Okay.

Alvin Owusu (53:07.726)
when Bob comes back to talk about Novak.

Two things happened coming out of that tournament. One, healthy. Two, practice. He came into the French Open had played like three matches, four matches between Australian Open and and French Open. Played any played a couple matches in New Wells, a couple matches in Rome, and then and then rocked up and and played the French Open, right?

Patrick (53:17.144)
Mm.

Patrick (53:28.768)
Mm. Yeah.

Patrick (53:34.788)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (53:37.297)
But now he's he he got a lot of matches in, a lot of sets in, a lot of time on court, and he didn't he came out unscathed physically. now you fast forward that to grass. That's d Grass court tennis is something that players have to learn to play well on, and only a few have. One of them is out of is not playing in the tournament. The other one is

Hopefully on the other end of the draw, or not something that nobody needs worry about. the rankings actually might shift the one a little bit. The this the seatings could be interesting there. But yeah, but but points are shorter. He's not gonna get like a four-set match in the first round of Wimbledon. It feels a lot different than the four-set match in the first round of French Open, right? You can come back from that.

Patrick (54:05.476)
Yeah.

Patrick (54:09.262)
Yeah, true.

Patrick (54:13.349)
Yeah.

Patrick (54:18.286)
I yeah. I'll I'll go I'll go to other players 'cause I'll be interested in what what Bob will say and what other and what you'll say on longer cat podcasts later, but I I think I do think this is Novak Djokovic's Federers twenty nineteen moment.

Just I want to throw that out there. I I Fed was 38 in in 2019 and Jok Djokovic, same age, this is this is the chance for him. So I I think in that case you have Novak I think understands that this this is an incredible opportunity. but

I'll throw it back over to another player I'm thinking about. So by the way, I hope Kyrios can get back into Wimbledon. I think he he's already showing some good some good comeback bits in the smaller tournament. I don't know, the boss open that's happening right now. Boss open sponsor I I'm not sure, but boss open, I always think that's a interesting name for a tournament because Taylor Fritz has a sponsor of Boss and and he's always done so well.

Alvin Owusu (55:17.584)
Did he win again today?

Patrick (55:30.263)
Just it's too much synchronicity there, brand synchronicity. But anyway, I don't know if he's sponsored anymore. But the the Wimbledon for for Wimbledon, I want to see Mensich do really well. I don't know if he can. I don't know if he is a player who is just more bound to

Hard court and clay, maybe, and that's where his forte is. but I'd love to see that guy make his jump, like maybe make a semi again. And I I I think Mensich has he showed me so much in the French Open, just his tenacity again. I know he's he showed us a lot in the Masters tournaments in the past, in Miami, for example, but that that guy has it and I love his postmatch interviews. I'm probably

only guy who watches all the interviews after after a match but I I love that instant like ten minute burst that you know all these journalists are asking them these questions. Half of the half the questions are good and the other are, my God, has that got been drinking? Yeah. So but

Alvin Owusu (56:38.736)
Yeah, some are bad. God, some are bad.

Patrick (56:45.07)
Mensich has he he's got a spot right now that I th he's gonna elevate soon. And it my guess is is going to be the US Open, but I wouldn't be surprised if he does really well here. I think he matches up really well with center, is kinda where I'm going with the yeah.

Alvin Owusu (57:01.368)
Yeah, yeah yeah. I mean less the matchup but more the you know, as we're talking about this pool of players that are a little younger than Carl a little younger than Carlos, but then also, you know, a few years younger than than Yannick. And we often like in the last few months we've been talking about Hodar, right? And we've been talking about Fonseca, but Mincich Minci Mincich is only

Patrick (57:15.577)
True.

Patrick (57:27.258)
Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (57:28.272)
He's only twenty years old, right? He's the same age as I think he's one year above Fonseca. So that's like he's still young, but he has accomplished, you know, he's won a Masters 1000 last year. It was last year when he was nineteen. big game got himself in shape and and now he's it's like while we're talking about his, you know he is the fairer skinned of all of them. Like

Patrick (57:30.448)
Yeah, he's only twenty.

Patrick (57:45.658)
Mm-hmm.

Patrick (57:49.903)
Mm.

Alvin Owusu (57:58.618)
We're talking about the Fonsecas and the Hodars because that's sexy, but like Jakob also has big, big tour level game. And there's no reason why he shouldn't be not just in that conversation, but leading that conversation. to date he's done the performed the best at Grand Slam. To date he's the only one that's wanna masters one thousand of those of that group of players. So like it would be interesting to see like if he could

Patrick (57:59.033)
True.

Patrick (58:09.624)
Mm-hmm.

Alvin Owusu (58:27.855)
post a quarter final or better at Wimbledon or the US Open and really like stick his neck out as the as the leader of that class, which there's no reason, there's no reason he shouldn't be able to at this point. I mean obviously he he beat Hodar sorry, he beat Fonseca in the quarterfinals, but you know Fonseca was a little I mean he's pretty cooked at that point too. So I mean Minci Mincic was also cooked and then like came back from the dead. So it's like, you know, these

Patrick (58:27.972)
Mm.

Patrick (58:39.236)
Yeah. Well

Patrick (58:50.052)
He was cooked. Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (58:57.249)
I i it's a lot. It's a lot.

Patrick (59:00.076)
I I don't I know I get I would probably get a bit of heat the way I feel about Fonseca right now. I I don't mind him. I I think he seems like a good good kid, but I don't man but

Fonsec I just I'm s I find it so hard to get to get behind his progress. I know he he yes, he beat Djokovic. I got it. Five set, it was an epic match.

Amazing job. Then he beat Rude, who pissed me off as a as you know, Casper had that golden opportunity. And I don't know, maybe there was something wrong with him that he would he didn't show, but or or I I know Fonseca fans are like, no, Fonseca just beat him. But I I don't know, was w Fonseca will always to me seem not always, I hope not, but at this

Alvin Owusu (59:52.453)
It just beat him. He just beat him.

Patrick (01:00:03.382)
point in his career his tools I I just don't see how they c he can elevate himself to another level whereas with Mensic there are points where he just he just owns the other player. So but Fonseca I I can't see it right now. So but then may may this is when the the commenters say can't you see this? Can't you see that? Can't you see this? And

I'm I'm okay with that, but I I

Alvin Owusu (01:00:32.441)
I feel like I've used the phrase clackity clack too much, so I'm not gonna I'm not gonna say it. I'm not gonna I'm not gonna be rude. It's like I've been I've been rude, but I I I I feel like with Fonseca it's it's it's not just like when you see it, you see you know like kind of thing. It's like he has the ability to dictate off both wings, like hits a big ball on both sides, can go through players. that is a skill that it's it's it's hard for someone that young to have.

Patrick (01:00:37.88)
No no no it's fine, yeah. But yeah.

Alvin Owusu (01:01:02.029)
And then also like he will continue to get better at it. I his the way he served out the fifth set against Novak is like I I love it when someone steps up with the balls in their hands at, you know, five foot up a break in the in the final set to close it out. Like and he went like I think he went ace ace service winner or ace service winner, ace ace like it was like I was like that's how you that's how you do it. Like that's how you frickin' do it. similar to Serena yesterday. Serena, twenty twenty six.

Patrick (01:01:27.567)
True.

Alvin Owusu (01:01:31.716)
Oi oi. I I that's a whole nother podcast. That is a that is a whole nother podcast. That that that yesterday was weird. Very weird. It felt like a video it felt like a video game. Like if I'm like you know, what if I got like vintage Michael Jordan and had him play against the, you know, twenty twenty three Golden State Warriors? It's like, yeah, you can do that in a video game, but like you can't just like pull Serena Williams out and I guess you can. I g

Patrick (01:01:31.918)
My god, my god. I I d yeah, well that's a whole that's a whole thing, isn't it? That's a whole thing. Yeah.

Patrick (01:01:44.772)
Weird.

It's

Patrick (01:01:59.249)
right. So I think it's probably not gonna be continued. But Serena in doubles, yeah, that can happen for the next five years, I think. I think she can play doubles until she's fifty with Venus or i maybe. sorry. yeah.

Alvin Owusu (01:02:01.369)
I guess you can.

Alvin Owusu (01:02:18.725)
She's not l let's just go ahead and let's just go ahead and address this. Let's address this first and foremost. Serena Williams is not out here to be playing doubles. She's not. This is this is not how this ends. This is not there I read that there were like there were like twenty seven credentialed people on her team that are media related. Like they're filming a documentary as well. Like it's this is th one does not do all this for doubles. Like this is not a this is not a double unless unless the unless the end game is

Patrick (01:02:27.715)
Okay, okay.

Alvin Owusu (01:02:47.919)
Playing doubles with her sister at Wimbledon, but like I I don't ha all the all the practice footage of her, right? All the practice footage. Has any of it been of doubles? No. My girls out here working. She doesn't she didn't need she doesn't need GLP ones to get out there and play doubles. Like she she's she's she's out of here to play singles. Serena Limb's gonna be playing singles at Wimbledon. Like go y it's put it down. She'll be playing singles at the US Open. Write it down. As long as she doesn't get hurt. I was shocked that of the two of them it was

Patrick (01:02:54.36)
Ha ha ha.

Patrick (01:03:07.536)
That's

Yeah.

Alvin Owusu (01:03:17.269)
in Boko that got hurt and not not the the the woman three times her age. But I'm h you know what? No Carlos this summer? Fine. I'm here for it. Give me give me all the Serena you got and we'll we will we will we'll ride this train too. This'll I it I need I need some time to come to grips with all the whole like the magnitude of all of it. Like the greatest of all time then taking four years off, retired and then comes back like

Patrick (01:03:19.266)
Yeah, yeah.

That's it.

Patrick (01:03:29.155)
Okay.

Patrick (01:03:40.494)
Mm, mm.

Alvin Owusu (01:03:47.567)
Is she gonna just like punk these kids? Like is she can she actually do it?

Patrick (01:03:52.313)
I I guess so. I I I gotta admit I was thinking it was just gonna be doubles, but when you put it that way, I feel I feel like a fool thinking it doubles.

Alvin Owusu (01:04:01.647)
She w doubles. Get out of here. Get out of here. That's a h that my I have I I've been me and doubles, we've been talking about too much doubles this week in my household. I I have really enjoyed seeing the seeing the Serena serve. Like that thing is that thing is put in the loop, man. That serve is perfect. It is a work of art. It is perfect. It's like her and on the men's side, I'm gonna say Samprus or Federer are probably the the other ones that I would like just

Patrick (01:04:11.024)
I see.

Patrick (01:04:20.066)
It is. Yeah. That's the truth.

Alvin Owusu (01:04:30.347)
sear it into my brain. anyways, I I I digress. I feel like we've I feel like we've covered a lot. We've we've covered a lot. I'm glad that I'm glad that I've got number one number one man on Hodar corner. here I I feel like I can't

Patrick (01:04:32.442)
Yeah, yeah.

Patrick (01:04:37.924)
We did. Yeah.

Patrick (01:04:47.757)
yeah, yeah. Whenever you need a hodar critique, I'm I'm your guy.

Alvin Owusu (01:04:51.427)
The I feel like the next fifteen years are gonna be kind to you if you just if you just hunker down on this corner and and own it. You be the Geary Nathan of of Raphael Hodar. That that's

Patrick (01:04:57.136)
Yeah.

Patrick (01:05:01.52)
We'll we'll find we'll find out, yeah. We'll find out. I I I'm a little worried about Wimbledon for Hodar, but it'll be good to learning experience this time around. But yeah.

Alvin Owusu (01:05:06.404)
We'll find out.

Alvin Owusu (01:05:11.331)
You know, you know, everyone was worried about Wimbledon for another Spaniard named Raphael and it worked out just fine for him.

Patrick (01:05:17.934)
That's true. But he he had growing pains. He had growing pains. But yeah. And there it is. Yeah. This is it.

Alvin Owusu (01:05:22.103)
It's it's professional tennis. They all have growing pains. It w it is a little bit a little crazy that he is top thirty in the world right now and he he's six months into his professional tennis career. He he had to qualify in the Australian Open. Like, let us not forget, he qualified to get into the Australian Open. So like what we're what we're seeing here is like this is nuts. This is nuts.

Patrick (01:05:37.199)
Yeah.

Patrick (01:05:41.634)
He's he is ascending, yeah, very quickly. Let's just hope it's not it's let's just hope it's not Icarus, right? I mean, I just I I don't want any sort of I want it I don't need him to th I I don't need anything, but I wouldn't want I wouldn't want him to get this really early Wimbledon result and then have some sort of

Alvin Owusu (01:05:45.145)
Yeah. I mean

Patrick (01:06:07.652)
gap, I guess you could say, where he's where he thinks he's should play this way and it and it suffers in the long term. But I I I don't know. You y perhaps

Alvin Owusu (01:06:16.611)
It's all house money. He's nineteen. It's all house money. Like he's got the he's got the seeing seeing everything for the first time situation going on right now. And then next year he's gonna have the you know, the burden, but the challenge then is then defending these points. And then year three we year three we see and he's twenty one years old and I think we start to we we see what's to come at that point. But I think the next two years or th it's all it's twenty four months of like green space. and then

Patrick (01:06:31.854)
That's true.

Alvin Owusu (01:06:46.51)
And then we see what happens. And then we see what happens. Yeah. But I'm excited. Will Wimbledon's gonna be fun. as it is every year. We'll see what happens. but and we'll and we'll check in again probably right after it. So we we put a we put a pin in it there. I'm Alvin. That's Patrick, best of three, we are out.

Patrick (01:06:49.392)
Well.

Patrick (01:06:53.87)
Yeah, we will.

Sounds good. Sounds good.