The French Insider #6: Rematch for Djokovic, pressure on Kvitova and Svitolina, return of UTS
The French Insider will be your unmissable show during the 2020 French Open. In this sixth show, Jenny Drummond hosts coach Patrick Mouratoglou and equipment expert Seb Proisy – and the next episode of Match Points. The agenda: Tsitsipas, Rublev, Kvitova, Svitolina and the comeback of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown.
Throughout this year’s French Open, Tennis Majors will share with you a new look at Roland-Garros with our exclusive show The French Insider – featuring analysis, debates and special guests. Hosted by Jenny Drummond, this programme is essential – go behind the scenes and find out everything you need to know about the final Grand Slam of 2020. In this sixth show, Jenny hosts coach Patrick Mouratoglou and equipment expert Seb Proisy.
Mouratoglou talks exclusively about the return of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown.
“It’s a new kind of UTS – we’re doing it with an ATP tournament at an ATP tournament location,” he told Drummond, explaining that the new instalment will be in association with the European Open in Antwerp.
‘Energy’
He also cast his coach’s eye across the Roland-Garros quarter-finals – looking ahead to tougher tests for Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who will next face Pablo Carreno Busta, the man on the opposite side of the net during that ill-fated US Open match.
And he wondered if Andrey Rublev will be too tired to give his best against Stefanos Tsitsipas after a gruelling fourth-round clash with Martons Fucsovics.
“He has to be physically but also mentally tired – you leave a lot of mental energy in those battles,” he said.
The Frenchman also speculated about the pressure on the three favourites on the women’s side of the draw – Sofia Kenin, Petra Kvitova and Elina Svitolina – but also tipped an outsider.
“Iga Swiatek is the challenger – but she played such unbelievable tennis…we have to think it could be maybe her year,” he said.
The future
Equipment expert Seb Proisy talked about the stunning size of tennis players’ bags – you will not believe how many rackets you can fit in there.
You can also catch up with the new episode of Match Points, with player Noah Rubin and tennis writers Ben Rothenberg and Simon Cambers discussing how tennis might progress in the months and years to come bearing in mind the persistent problem of coronavirus.
Enjoy the show, in podcast version (check them all out on our SoundCloud page) or as a video show!
