Elliott Smith: Sportstalk host on Lulu Sun getting knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round

Lulu Sun’s return to Wimbledon after a remarkable run 12 months ago has been brief, knocked out this morning in the opening round.

The Kiwi world number 47 fell in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, Sun’s fourth straight first-round exit at a grand slam.

Sportstalk host Elliott Smith explains further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Elliott Smith hosting sports talk from seven o'clock this evening

(00:03):
on Newstalk's AIRBN with us Now, Hey Elliott, Hey Heather.
Wimbledon A is going to be hot, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
It's stinking hot, absolutely, And you know, one day in
and already we've had millions of storylines. It's the best
Slam of the year. It's the best two weeks of
tennis of the year. We had yuligaputin Savor asking for
a spectator to be ejected over security fears, the world
number thirty three in the women's draw, with Carlos Alcarez
almost losing to a thirty eight year old battling basically

(00:30):
on one league, Fabio Fognini. And then we just had
the general color of Wimbledon where Lulu Sun being knocked
out as well, and then the other thing hither as well.
It was the first day that Wimbledon used electronic line calling.
Now Wimbledon, of course all the other slams that got
rid of it years ago, and they had the you know,
the well dressed line judges that were very prim and proper.

(00:52):
They've been replaced by AI, so they've joined the real
world now. Wimbledon and the line judges have gone so
and in some way I quite like that traditional aspect
of the game that you had real humans calling the
line calls. And now AI's gone and taken their jobs.
So it's not quite the same but Wimbledon, but it's
underway for another year and that heat has been rather
oppressive on day one. We know about the heat wave

(01:14):
going right across Europe and stinking hot for a lot
of those players.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Are they going to use that? You have you read
anything about this heat rule? No, They've got a heat
rule where if it gets too hot, they have special
breaks and stuff like that, which I imagine they're going
to have to use because this is going to be
the hottest Wimbledon on record.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yeah it is. And look that, you know, you look
at the Australian Open. Of course they's played in the
two weeks of January, you know, right at the heat
of summer in Melbourne, and often they close the roof
because it's so hot over the air and the conditions
are so oppressive there that they have to take these breaks.
And to be honest, you know, Wimbledon in the UK
not really built for it compared to an Australia and

(01:52):
when you've got the heat and it's turned up a
little bit. Not only that, you know, the players are
probably more built for it than you know, your regulars.
In the standaroj and Carlos olkrass match this morning, he
went over with a bot of cold water when one
of these spectators, I think it collapsed in the stands.
So you know, perhaps the players are built for it
a little bit better than the spectators or the officials

(02:12):
maybe aren't used to having a tennis tournament run in
that sort of heat, ye too.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Right now, listen is Charm's definitely out for a month.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Charms is definitely out for a month, so that's not good.
Luke Metcalf has gone for the season, which we kind
of suspected, but just having it in writing, written down
by the Warriors and released today makes it a little
bit more real. And you look at the context of
their season. Now we're right at the business end of
the season. Your origin finishes next weekend and this is

(02:38):
when things really ramp up in terms of the race
of the plaffs. The Warriors, to their credit, they've got
themselves in a really good position, but they've now lost
their first choice half back, their first choice fullback for
periods of time. I think they're obviously going to make
the eight. They will still make the eight, but it
just feels like that was a bit of a turning
point in the weekend, losing a couple of players and
now they're going to have to rebuild around it. A

(03:00):
Boyd potentially coming in as a replacement. He hasn't played
NROL season. He's been waiting in the wings and reserve
grade for the Warriors. They're going to have to move
the pieces around at a time of the season, Heather,
whether you really don't want to be moving too many
pieces around. You want those pieces on the chessboard in
the right places. Now the Warriors having to try and
change things around not ideal that by this week to

(03:20):
try and figure it out, and then next week they're
going to have to roll out without their first choice
half back, first choice fallback. Jays.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Okay, well, thanks alert, I appreciate it, Elliott Smith. He'll
be on Sports Talk from seven o'clock this evening.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to
News Talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio,