July 1, 2025 • 5 mins
Plenty of intriguing narratives to start the year's third tennis grand slam.
Tennis commentator Craig Gabriel wraps the action from the hottest opening day on record at Wimbledon.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk zb lepping.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Over to Wimbledon, and we're underway in well, my personal
favorite Grand Slam of the a Craig Gabriel there for
us at news Talk ZIB being Craig Day one underway
and boy it was a sweltering one, record breaking temperatures
and the action hot on court, but also offered how
did the players react to that? He's on day one?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Yeah, it was the hottest day for a Wimbledon start
in the history of the championships. The championship has begun
in eighteen seventy seven, so you know, some of the
old fuddy do es you were around now are probably
there at that time too to record such a thing.
But it was also, from what I understand, the hottest
June day on record here in London. But the players
(00:57):
handled it okay. Obviously they were feeling it there were times.
But what happens is it's not even though the temperatures
are high, not as bad as if it's at the
Australian Open or the US Open. The grass tends to
absorb a lot of that heat where it was affecting
people were the fans, and there were occasions were matches
(01:18):
to be interrupted because some fan had fainted or was
feeling unwell. In those conditions, but it certainly livened things
up on the court and made things move a lot
faster as far as serves and returns were concerned.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
It certainly did. Calis Okarez one of those players that
was out on court, so come five seats to go through.
How big of a surprise that he couldn't quite deal
to Fabio Fognini as Mini expected him to.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Well, yeah, look, I thought it might have been a
bit faster than that, but it was six to one
in the final set, and it was a wonderful match,
and he's a great curtain raiser. As traditional or suggests
over here, the men's defending champion will open, we'll play
the first match the following year on the center court.
So he's the one person who knows exactly what time
(02:04):
he'd be starting the next year. Fernini at thirty eight
was his swan song. He's retiring, and the players got
a standing ovation for their performance and just shows the
class of Carlos al Choras. He stood in the middle
of the court and applauded Fabio Fanini, and it was
(02:24):
a wonderful moment. It really was Fanini's wife, Flavia Panetta,
who won the US Open a decade ago, was also
in the stands. So it really was pretty good and
very enjoyable.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Not so good though for Lulusun outs. And unfortunately those
heroics that you reported on last year of Lulusun from
a New Zealand perspective won't be repeated this year.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
No, and this was always going to be a big
ask for her. When you produce goods like she did
last year eating Emmero Dedicano, reaching the court of finals,
see her ranking shoot up. To come back and redo
that when you don't have the experience on something like
that is a bit thing. And she lost to Mary Buskova.
(03:11):
That's a tought round for most players. It was six four,
six four. She gave it a good shake. But you
see her ranking drop like a stone straight away. She's
down at eighty four now drop thirty seven places, and
she could go even lower depending on what players around
(03:31):
her do.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Craig, I want to ask you as well, this is
the fuse first year that electronic line calling has been
in place at Wimbored and it's been a couple of
slams or it's been in force the US and Australian
for a couple of years now. But Wimboredon was a holdout.
What was that like on day one?
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Well, the French are actually the holdout. The French haven't
got it, so they've still got lines people. There were
no incidents as far as I can recall from yesterday,
so it seemed to go off okay. The players, some
of them are a little bit mixed. You know. I've
always said that you put five players in a room
and ask for an opinion on something, you'll get seven opinions.
(04:11):
So that's just the way they are. But I think
they they've accepted it and and just getting on with it.
It's nothing they can do. They can't specifically change it.
It's done, so they've just got to live with it.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
And on day two, what are we looking forward to
later tonight Craig ezection gets underway? Letter's not u zeal
in time?
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Yeah, unfortunately no Kiwi's in action today, Lulu was it?
Just like Carlos al KaAZ has that tradition of playing
the first match on day one on center court. The
women have the tradition of the defending women's Ladies not
Women's Ladies champion will play the first match on Tuesday,
the second day, and that's Barbara Barbaric Credicular, who is
(04:54):
up against Alexandra Iala, who came to prominence in Miami
this year and she just reached the final Eastbourne after
having match points lost to Australian player Maya joined, so
that's going to be first. Then Novak Djokovic against Alexandra
Mueller of France, and the third match on Center Toko
(05:15):
Golf against Diana Estremska. But there's also a match to
be completed and that's Alexander Zverev against sorry Arthur Rindenesh
of France. That was interrupted because they have a curfew
of here at eleven o'clock play has to stop and
that wasn't completed. Also on Petro Kridiver retiring at the
(05:36):
US Open. She's won two Wimbledon's Janick Simmer on Court
one and Jack Draper, so that court will be crowded
with the Brits.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Well, I think it's getting to thirty three again today, Craig,
so stay cool and we look forward to touching base
again throughout the tournament. Thank you very much for your time.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Thanks Elle.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
For more from sports talk, listen live to news talks.
It'd be from seven pm weekdays. We'll follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk zb lepping.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Over to Wimbledon, and we're underway in well, my personal
favorite Grand Slam of the a Craig Gabriel there for
us at news Talk ZIB being Craig Day one underway
and boy it was a sweltering one, record breaking temperatures
and the action hot on court, but also offered how
did the players react to that? He's on day one?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Yeah, it was the hottest day for a Wimbledon start
in the history of the championships. The championship has begun
in eighteen seventy seven, so you know, some of the
old fuddy do es you were around now are probably
there at that time too to record such a thing.
But it was also, from what I understand, the hottest
June day on record here in London. But the players
(00:57):
handled it okay. Obviously they were feeling it there were times.
But what happens is it's not even though the temperatures
are high, not as bad as if it's at the
Australian Open or the US Open. The grass tends to
absorb a lot of that heat where it was affecting
people were the fans, and there were occasions were matches
(01:18):
to be interrupted because some fan had fainted or was
feeling unwell. In those conditions, but it certainly livened things
up on the court and made things move a lot
faster as far as serves and returns were concerned.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
It certainly did. Calis Okarez one of those players that
was out on court, so come five seats to go through.
How big of a surprise that he couldn't quite deal
to Fabio Fognini as Mini expected him to.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Well, yeah, look, I thought it might have been a
bit faster than that, but it was six to one
in the final set, and it was a wonderful match,
and he's a great curtain raiser. As traditional or suggests
over here, the men's defending champion will open, we'll play
the first match the following year on the center court.
So he's the one person who knows exactly what time
(02:04):
he'd be starting the next year. Fernini at thirty eight
was his swan song. He's retiring, and the players got
a standing ovation for their performance and just shows the
class of Carlos al Choras. He stood in the middle
of the court and applauded Fabio Fanini, and it was
(02:24):
a wonderful moment. It really was Fanini's wife, Flavia Panetta,
who won the US Open a decade ago, was also
in the stands. So it really was pretty good and
very enjoyable.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Not so good though for Lulusun outs. And unfortunately those
heroics that you reported on last year of Lulusun from
a New Zealand perspective won't be repeated this year.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
No, and this was always going to be a big
ask for her. When you produce goods like she did
last year eating Emmero Dedicano, reaching the court of finals,
see her ranking shoot up. To come back and redo
that when you don't have the experience on something like
that is a bit thing. And she lost to Mary Buskova.
(03:11):
That's a tought round for most players. It was six four,
six four. She gave it a good shake. But you
see her ranking drop like a stone straight away. She's
down at eighty four now drop thirty seven places, and
she could go even lower depending on what players around
(03:31):
her do.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Craig, I want to ask you as well, this is
the fuse first year that electronic line calling has been
in place at Wimbored and it's been a couple of
slams or it's been in force the US and Australian
for a couple of years now. But Wimboredon was a holdout.
What was that like on day one?
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Well, the French are actually the holdout. The French haven't
got it, so they've still got lines people. There were
no incidents as far as I can recall from yesterday,
so it seemed to go off okay. The players, some
of them are a little bit mixed. You know. I've
always said that you put five players in a room
and ask for an opinion on something, you'll get seven opinions.
(04:11):
So that's just the way they are. But I think
they they've accepted it and and just getting on with it.
It's nothing they can do. They can't specifically change it.
It's done, so they've just got to live with it.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
And on day two, what are we looking forward to
later tonight Craig ezection gets underway? Letter's not u zeal
in time?
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Yeah, unfortunately no Kiwi's in action today, Lulu was it?
Just like Carlos al KaAZ has that tradition of playing
the first match on day one on center court. The
women have the tradition of the defending women's Ladies not
Women's Ladies champion will play the first match on Tuesday,
the second day, and that's Barbara Barbaric Credicular, who is
(04:54):
up against Alexandra Iala, who came to prominence in Miami
this year and she just reached the final Eastbourne after
having match points lost to Australian player Maya joined, so
that's going to be first. Then Novak Djokovic against Alexandra
Mueller of France, and the third match on Center Toko
(05:15):
Golf against Diana Estremska. But there's also a match to
be completed and that's Alexander Zverev against sorry Arthur Rindenesh
of France. That was interrupted because they have a curfew
of here at eleven o'clock play has to stop and
that wasn't completed. Also on Petro Kridiver retiring at the
(05:36):
US Open. She's won two Wimbledon's Janick Simmer on Court
one and Jack Draper, so that court will be crowded
with the Brits.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Well, I think it's getting to thirty three again today, Craig,
so stay cool and we look forward to touching base
again throughout the tournament. Thank you very much for your time.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Thanks Elle.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
For more from sports talk, listen live to news talks.
It'd be from seven pm weekdays. We'll follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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