2025 Australian Open: Semifinals Recap & Final Predictions | Something Major | EP 32

[@K4R3N]

This has been enjoyable, please repeat this format for all Slams

[@peters8699]

I gotta say - Stevie J really shined in this episode. My theory is that once it’s just him and Sam, it’s just 1 v 1 when it comes to trash talk, and not 1 v 3. SJ can go to a man defense rather than zone, and he can relax a bit. Great chemistry with Sam, and didn’t even notice the fact that 1/2 of the Pod was missing, honestly.

[@HeidiBerger-b7t]

Loved the story about accidentally face-timing Madison Keys. Way to go Sam -and then thinking -'hey I can get an exclusive "Nothing Major" interview.' Hopefully -Maddie is only in the "Nothing Major" club for another couple hours -I will be cheering for her first grand slam title tonight! Go Maddie!!

[@MrSeebass89]

My fav 2 podcasters! The whole crew is great, but Sam and Stevie are who got me to buy in 🎉🎉 great stuff

[@stephaniehenschel2497]

I have truly enjoyed Something Major. Please continue doing this for the other majors. This is my favorite podcast, love the tennis talk. Now I need to find a podcast that focuses on the women( although I was so happy you included them at the end of the Aussie tournament. Go Madison! ❤️🇺🇸🎾)

[@petertran4774]

Love the Something major format. I look forward to more content !

[@kensan73]

We need some classic pro interviews, sampras, AA, safin

[@Alia-to6gs]

Really enjoyed your insights on both women and men’s semi’s. You two were on it today. Great podcast!

[@edddzw7430]

lets go! Pickleball showdown 😂🎉

[@margaretwyatt2740]

Love you guys, very fun! Your format is great btwn technical and insight. Keep it going.

[@Hacker-rx1vn]

Let’s bring Djokovic to an interview.

[@muskistutter]

Naaaah

[@elainepotgieter9403]

Thanks for your great coverage of the WTA as well. Loved the positive comments about the female players. Thank you.

[@joelxart]

OMG, your pickelball trash talk is so funny. Cannot wait to see the video. 😅

[@ginapablo6673]

Thank you so much for defending Novak. You make me emotional. I feel bad for Novak. Thank you for standing up for Novak ❤

[@amycole5093]

Excellent pod, guys! Please do this for all the slams. Hope Zverev and Keys can both play freely and make the finals memorable

[@gustavoiglesias4935]

Just started following you guys and already loving the episodes, cheers from Brazil

[@madmaxx2310lac]

Sasha beat a young inexperienced jan. Sinner is a whole different beast now.

[@tmclean22]

This is a fun podcast!

[@bennyma7514]

Nice job! Keep it up!!!

[@constantinmessinger8126]

Love the pod

[@artemioarrua5467]

Hey guys, I have an assignment for you! Your task is to create the best possible tennis player for each Grand Slam by choosing one skill for each: serve, return, forehand, backhand, and volley. Once you pick a skill for one Grand Slam, you can’t reuse it for another. For example, for Wimbledon, I’d choose Isner’s serve, Sam’s return (?), Steve’s forehand, and Jack’s backhand and volley.

[@jackiereid4222]

Loved this recap of the AO tournament........well be expecting this now for all GRAND SLAMS

[@nathanmiller6051]

👏👏👏💯 thanks guys!

[@jimmypipes]

Question: I’ve been attending the Aussie Open for decades and the crowd this year (and potentially host broadcaster) has been the worst behaved I have ever seen. Do you agree, and why do you think that is?

[@DTennis95]

How many hats do you all have?

[@whatever3041]

I want to know this too 😂

[@whatever3041]

I love Steve’s room, the painting, the lamp, the contrast pillows. Everything looks good ❤

[@mikkellarsson1713]

Hey guys. I love your stuff. I use to love you guys play. Remember Steve wining an epic 5 setter vs a young French player in a first round match at the French. Steve coming back the next day and begging his comeback and giving his coach a shoutout for mental strength. Sam beating Novak at Wimbledon, also over two days, I watched every single point of that match. John beating Novak at Indien Wells in 2012 absolutely serving him out of the court, so cool. But my favorite, Jack wining Paris and qualifying for London, that forhand is something only I can dream of. My question to you guys, what are the most legendary matches you guys remember from the AO? My picks are probably Nadal vs Verdasco in 2009, final in 2012, final of 2017 or Nadals outstanding comeback in 2022. Ps, I got to hit with Steve in Paris in 2014 before one of his matches. Such a nice guy

[@charlessvoboda3591]

Nice show Sam & Stevie!

[@pien-chengwei8093]

Question: Why do players usually prefer the older version or discontinued models tennis sneakers instead of the latest ones? And how often do players change their shoes? Do they wear a pair of new shoes every match?

[@johnnyblackrants7625]

Yips happen when you have no idea what you're doing. The amazing thing about Sabalenka is she was actually willing to work on her mechanics despite being top 10 already. Very rare for players that good to make meaningful mechancial improvements.

[@snookerstones]

Q and Johnson carrying the show 🙏 4:20 spot on. If low rank player in final he may of pushed body more in semi

[@startobe07]

At this level, after loosing the first set, Ben should have been pumped up. Its not like he got bagled. He should go with huge confidence into the 2nd set and say "if you want to beat me today, you need to dig deep". He just gave the match to Sinner. He needs to improve the mental part of the game.

[@ThetennisDr]

I cant believe sam querry beat novack djokovic in winbledon wow. I saw it on youtube. Thata a great win. Congrats.

[@jbhatts610]

Ok we want to see this pickle match! Please don’t hold it for weeks 😂

[@ThetennisDr]

Cant wait to get there

[@whatever3041]

Zverev came back to win a game where he was 0-40 behind, that was great. That 7-6 set was a great set, very entertaining!

[@laurietseytlin2031]

So, so glad i found this podcast!! I’ll admit, I’ve had a crush on most of the members of this podcast at some point of my childhood (before i discovered Marat Safin and never looked back haha) 😂 now it’s super interesting to listen to you guys talk about the tour and the players and the intricacies of being a professional athlete, not to mention the awesome interviews you conduct! Cheers! Anyway, my question for you is about the transition between the Junior and the adult ATP tour. How does that work? Why do some players opt to play Junior slams while others try for the GS main draw - is that option not available to all? Or only available provided certain rankings? Do Junior players have their own ranking system? I’ve watched Barnet win Junior Boys’ AO today, and i just wondered - he’s the same age as Fonseca, so why was he not playing qualies for AO? I used to be a ranked junior among girls in my country almost twenty years ago, but i was never at a point of playing international tournaments, and in the early 2000-s the ranking points system was absolutely corrupt in my city anyway… but now i realise that i have no idea how the transition between those tours work. I’ve seen an interesting statistic today that claimed that successful Junior players (Jun Slam champs for example) are much more likely to spend more time outside the top-100 after they start the main ATP tour. Is this true? Can you just explain the logic behind choosing to play Juniors vs main draw qualifiers, either way? Again, thanks for the podcast, lads! Great job, always looking forward to the next video! ❤

[@Tom-f8r8o]

Safin though?

[@laurietseytlin2031]

@ he was extremely charming and handsome, come on!

[@scottfarmer2864]

Love the pod! In light of the double bounce controversy this year (Swiatek) and last year (Draper), what obligation, if any, is a player under to call it on him/herself?

[@aldrinhewakopara1605]

Question for the pod on the Aussie Open: What are some of the things y’all looked forward to in Australia as repeat visitors every year? Like favorite restaurants or activities you always looked forward to over the years Love this pod btw! It feels like we get to see your personalities more and it's a fun time. Thank you!! Also. When can we expect merch to drop??

[@Tom-f8r8o]

Poor form by the Aussie crowd but the customer is always right, yeah?

[@fastbusiness3195]

Question for the pod: Do you think that the level of tennis in Australian Open is the highest across all the slams because everyone is fresh off from off season? I definitely think this is the case usually at least for the top players.

[@miaoFoodNow]

I think John & Jack need to get their Priorities straight. I'm backing Sam to win the pickle ball throw-down with Stevie. Would like to see Stevie doing the cold calls, so that's why I'm backing Sam.

[@noteeth1740]

1:11 Not an Aus open question, but 2009 us open Querrey against Yani (friend and I may have snuck into front row seats as young lads in Louis Armstrong) debuted new nickname for Sam, “Samuari Sam” that was a first and last time we heard it. Anyone have nicknames that they try to have or given that didn’t catch on?

[@Gabmenini]

Can you guys give us your top 5 best Australian open matches ever? Mine was nadal vs verdasco 2009- probably Rafa’s peak on HC for me. Thanks!

[@mikkelborge2036]

Question for next episode.: Is there any beef in the wardrobes? Do the players shower with each other? Do you eat with other players in the bufeet? What's going on back there

[@SaatvikGuruprasad]

Q. Sascha talked about shortening his toss on the serve to maximize power and that has produced amazing results from him as acknowledged by Courier. Can the big servers (John, Sam) on the pod share some advice on how to serve better for the amateurs out there?

[@pwachte1]

You have to record or livestream the pickleball match!

[@lmlovinglt]

no cop outs. pickleball needs to be same as ppa - best 2/3 sets to 11

[@BrankoBG]

Why you say Djokovic is maybe the best ever? - 428 weeks on as number one, 8 years he finish as number 1 - 24 GS titles, all of them at least 3 times - 40 masters 1000, all of them at list 2 times - 7 final tournaments - 1 Olympic gold - 1 Davis cup highest ever winning %

[@tactical1224]

Don't forget Marcelo Rios, when mentioning the best players to never have won a Grand Slam. He had the talent and was a former #1 in the world. It was his mentality that held him back...

[@shevaole]

What is your personal favorite spot at the AO? Can be a court, warm-up area, lockers, snack stand or whatever AND why? Cheers

[@JohnGrendal]

Just the two of you together is pretty good too. Bring the camera to the pickleball match. I'm taking Stevie. You don't need a backhand for pickleball.

[@elainepotgieter9403]

Swiatek is pronounced with the 'n' as that is how the Polish people say it.

[@nealyates693]

Question about the AO - Since switching to hard court, the tournament has has three different hard court surfaces. From 1987 to 2007 it was played on the green Rebound Ace; from 2007 to 2019 it was blue Plexicushion; and from 2020 to now it's blue GreenSet. Is there a difference at all between them? Does it matter? I think Sam is the only member of the pod to have played on all three. Thanks guys and keep up the great content! Love tuning in always

[@geoairtravel]

Question: why large number of ATP players make Dubai their 2nd residence? Favorable 🌞🎾 weather? Financial? Or something else. Thanks George

[@benbiswas1766]

Question for you guys: who’s in your top 5 list of journeymen? Think of guys who have been grinding most of their career in the 40-80 range in the rankings. Examples: Taro Daniel, Somdev Devarman, Malek Jaziri, Dustin Brown, Florian Mayer. Curious what you guys think and hoping you all can talk about it on the pod

[@kensan73]

This is awesome but wheres the wawrinka ep?!?!!! LOVE YOU GUYS

[@Antoniobitta19]

Am I wrong or Jack actually predicted in a former episode Zverev winning his first Slam in Australia?

[@Markkk-j4d]

How does lodging work at the slams? Do you have to book a place for the full two weeks? If so, what happens if you lose first round?

[@DATennis]

Guys. I love the podcast. Try to get in touch with Gavin MacMillan, Sabalenka's coach. U can look him up, he did podcast interviews with On the Line, Performance Plus, many more. Expert in biomechanics. Athletic components. Body recovery. An excellent addition to the show. Very well spoken. Good luck. This podcast is very good.

[@OneLemmaAtATime]

awesome

[@stefan4854]

Question: How did you guys get along with Novak/Rafa? Get a feeling that maybe Isner could have a decent realationship with Novak, but not so much the other 3. Do american players mostly stick to american guys?

[@liambergin5732]

Sam, big local match for me next weekend in Münster Germany. Any chance of a 2am FaceTime call? !!😂Thanks Liam

[@hstorey]

Good work lads, holding the fort! Question: Imagine you’re each coaching one of the losing finalists for the rest of the year. Who would you pick, and which major title would you target as their best shot for redemption? What’s the key area you’d focus on to give them the best chance to lift that trophy?

[@hstorey]

Also, side note: Sabalenka’s power is unreal, no doubt. But it’s worth noting that the Alcaraz, Sinner, and Djokovic’s of this world have defensive games that are just soo good (they often force opponents to ‘win’ points multiple times -- and the opponents still lose the point! We saw that a bit in that first set of Shelton vs Sinner). The slower, deep defensive forehands of these guys at the top bring down their average speed considerably. Sabalenka’s overall aggressive style keeps her numbers consistently high. Still, her ability to dominate with raw power is incredible.

[@patozarazuaruckstuhl]

Also who of the 4 will be the first one to go back on tour as a coach?

[@mansonsmom]

Guys - let us SoCal people know where the pickle ball match is going to be so we can come and cheer you on. 🙏🏽

[@Lecia-lithium]

Sabalenka does not hit harder than sinner. Misconception as the stats include slower forehand recovery slices which wta rarely do.

[@trashbintennis5550]

AO Question What was all of y’all’s favorite AO outfit? Was it due to sheer fashion or because you had a particularly good run in it?

[@kevinctb9243]

If you had to describe each slam (from a players perspective) in 1 word what would it be ?

[@LiamHastie]

For each one of you, who was your best win against at the Aussie open?

[@galo2099]

The n is in the little curve below the A: Świątek

[@whatever3041]

Pavlyuchenkova completely choked against Sabalenka, I was shocked how her level completely dropped, she was playing so well but then choked!

[@dianat9804]

Enjoyable but you guys have to churn out your pods faster to be timely.

[@sirsuppy]

Next time you guys should do a March madness style bracket where the first round picks are worth 1 pt and the finals worth 64 type thing. Loser gets a punishment

[@vad.im.]

Aryna in 2 sets🎉

[@mrnumber4996]

Sam's winning the pickelball without a doubt...

[@Zarlock0]

Did you really have to blur *crap* 😂

[@trevologyone]

Question: if you all were starting your career in this era of tennis, what would be each persons career high?

[@jennjones256]

Sam wins !

[@poisenopinionator]

Respect is earned. There's a reason folks get boo'd consistently. He's the greatest of all time, but that bad look plume follows him everywhere he goes.

[@The4.0Guy]

The aussie's didn't dig his attempt to skip the shot yet play their slam, he'll never shake that completely down unda regardless of how much time passes

[@nchlsjohn]

Sam we will blame you!

[@ThetennisDr]

My bad thought it was fhe bryan bros

[@RodrigoSantos-ff8bh]

did sam felt dethroned with the opelka win over djoko? hahaha i was cheering so bad for sam to be the last american player to beat djokovic 😢😢

[@lalitharavindran]

Novak was a smart guy not to have a poorly tested vaccine. He knows what he wants to do with his body. It took Sasha for you guys to say something in favor of Novak.

[@miguelmorales4360]

Which is the most spicy match that you 4 played in Aussie Open?

[@Maitland5]

Serena forgot to deposit her cheque

[@patozarazuaruckstuhl]

You should do trivia questions on each others own career 😂

[@Jokara-r9y]

Question: How many tennis players after retrirement can live from their prize money and is there a chance for players to put pressure on ATP to give some sort of pension or income for players outside of Top 100 so when they quit they dont need to work some other jobs to survive. Regards from Serbia Nole will win Wimbledon 2025 and sail into sunset.

[@franciscoalos1723]

Question for the pod: Shelton mentioned at the AO if someone beats you 3 times in a row, he's your daddy. Who was whose daddy between you guys in the pod ? What was the secret??

[@danielschoeman5427]

The Swiatek match was just filled with unforced errors and double faults. Frustrating to watch

[@DanTuber]

Sinner in 4. Sascha can't hack the pressure.

[@numitumi8806]

Sampras doesn’t do interviews.

[@xarilaos888]

Do a tennis match instead of pickleball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@amorco]

I think Sam will edge out on your Pickleball match, but it will be close!!

[@willedwards8080]

Do you guys pick fan questions based on how difficult it'll be for Sam to pronounce the username?

[@RajivDinakaran-hi5nz]

Why don’t top singles guys who can’t physically play singles play doubles to stay on tour? Ie Andy Murray

[@alanahk]

Do we think Novak will bring Goran back for the rest of 2025? Its unlikely Murray will stay on if Novak is not at 100% physically. I feel the arrangement is that Novak if motivated can still win ( which he could) but it seems now that Novak will be in the same boat as Andy.. Motivated but the body isnt cooperating.. That would be depressing for Andy

[@geoairtravel]

🇦🇺🇦🇺 Media & spectators 👎👎🤮🤮 Go Sacha for the 🏆🎾

[@michelleparker2801]

Back to your observations on running your fingers through your sweaty hair before shaking hands….didn’t anyone think it was disgusting to shake Nadal’s hand after he picked his sweaty butt before each serve all match?

[@jpg6113]

I have Sam winning i bet $100 with my brother