Live from Wimbledon - Women’s final preview

**Catherine** (0:11)
Hello and welcome to The Tennis Podcast, live from Wimbledon and presented by Barclays, the official banking partner of Wimbledon. This is the first of two shows today, a two pod day, David's absolute favourite. It is your women's final preview show.
And we are here mostly to dissect and debate Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova, and a few other bits and bobs as well. And joining us to do that is the Athletics, Matt Futterman. It's becoming a bit of a tradition, Matt, that you join us for this show. You're not sat next to the sick man of Europe this time.

**Matt** (0:44)
No jelly beans today.

**Catherine** (0:47)
We try not to remember the trauma of last year too vividly.

**Matt Futterman** (0:51)
Yeah, hopefully no jelly beans and no double bagels.

**Catherine** (0:55)
Well, that is kind of where I wanted to start. Before we get into who's going to win, where are the battlegrounds going to be, how confident are we all that this is going to be a good match?
That we aren't going to get, okay, love and love is extreme and unusual. I don't think anybody would predict that, but how confident are we that it's going to be competitive and a good match today?

**Matt Futterman** (1:20)
Well, I sort of take heart in the fact that before the semis, they hit together on center court and they took a picture after, and apparently it was like a good vibe.
So, I'm kind of thinking that maybe even though they're going to be doing that walk and into that like quiet fancy room with all the people around, maybe they'll just sort of feel like we're just going out to have another hit on center court here and that'll chill them out. Also, both of them are first timers. No one's facing a six-time Grand Slam winner who was undefeated in Grand Slam Finals. So, you know, maybe they sort of feel like they're with a real peer there instead of, you know, a David and Goliath situation.

**Catherine** (2:14)
Matt, I'm imagining it already feels quite different to last year for you.

**David** (2:17)
Very different, yeah.

**Catherine** (2:19)
Matt's conscious. He's got some color in his cheeks.

**Matt** (2:23)
And I'm confident it's going to be very different to last year.
I think Matt's absolutely right. There's no big experience gap this time between them in terms of Grand Slam Finals. I know Muchova's got one under her belt, but it doesn't feel like Anissimova-Shyontek did in that sense. Also, like Noskova, who is the more inexperienced one, I'm pretty confident she's going to hold serve a few times, right? That's like her best shot, her biggest weapon on this surface. And that's very different to Anissimova, who struggles with the serve sometimes and certainly did in that final. So I just think Noskova can certainly get holds on the board and keep it close that way, even if she's the more nervous of the two with the slight lack of experience. But I actually am not even sure that will be the case. I think she's got a great temperament to handle this occasion and I think she's going to really show up. And I think Muchova is going to have to handle her game.

**Catherine** (3:24)
David?

**David** (3:26)
Now you may remember last year at this bench I feared a 50-minute final and yes I am quite pleased with myself that I got that right.
But I was very displeased that it ended up being right because it was obviously a shame. I do have on the subject of whether it's going to end up competitive or not, I do have one small concern in the back of my mind. And that relates to Linda Noskova freezing and playing the absolute worst type of player to make you freeze. Somebody who can put slices low and ask questions and be consistent and play a grass court game. We saw Muchova come out and win a 6-2 set against Koko Goff on Centre Court just a couple of days ago. Occasionally, I feel as good as Noskova is. Occasionally, I've seen her not turn up in matches. It's occasional, but I've seen it.
And that would be my concern. I think in the end that that won't happen because of her ability, well, generally her ability, but also that serve. I think she will probably settle and be able to get behind a couple of service games and be okay. But I'm reserving that slight concern in the back of my mind that this could end up very, very quick and one-sided again in the favor of Mooka.

**Catherine** (4:54)
In terms of who's going to win, we've all got the right to change our minds.