OverDrive - Gilbert on the level of Canadian tennis, Mboko's masterful stretch and the men's rankings

Episode Date: August 6, 2025

ESPN Tennis Analyst Brad Gilbert joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines from the National Bank Open, Victoria Mboko's remarkable run at the tournament, the level of Canadian tennis, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's showdown, the lead up to the US Open and more.

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I made it to my tournament and lost in the first round. But you got there on time. Intact Insurance. Your auto service ace. Certain conditions apply. from tariffs to trade deals the markets are changing is your portfolio ready for what comes next for all your questions you need a money guy calvin the money guy will help you develop a financial plan that includes the right levels of diversity the best way to navigate uncertain times with strategic advice from kelvin you can not only protect your investments you can grow them don't wait call 416 457 plan or visit ask kelvin dot From ESPN, it is Brad Gilbert joining us here in our three of the show. Brad, good evening.

How are you? How are you doing, buddy? You were close. It's Rabakana. Rabakana. We knew he was going to mess it up today. I work at ESPN and there'll be like nine different pronunciations. They'll say, Rybikina, you know, she's changed it a couple times.

But I think Rabakana is the easiest. Yes. Well, we're hoping we don't need to see Rabakana in action again. and we want Mboko to go all the way. And we were having a conversation before the show about you, Brad, and how you call tennis matches and the way you analyze the sport. And our understanding is that you have a nickname for almost everybody in the sport. You try to come up with something.

Do you have anything for Mboko in particular? I will get something, you know. It's funny. Some on Twitter love it. Some on TV love it. Now I've been getting some hate lately. God, I mean, like, they think, I'm too old, stop with the nicknames, and they're just, they go ballistic over it.

It's like, I tell you, sometimes as you get older, you're glad you got older, but the internet and especially social media can be a cesspool. And did you see last night the girl that lost Fittalina, the abuse that she got about losing? Yeah. Well, I mean, it's just, that's a really sad, you know, part now of sports is, you know, you know, that. But I will come up with a nickname for her. She's got an exciting future, a big game.

I think Canada's got, you know, a good player up north that's got a real good chance to be top 10, top five, and competing for slams. Well, some of the, I guess some of the people we work with were saying it's just Vicky. It might just be as simple as she's Vicky, and she's having a lot of success. And I guess that's where, you know, like, if you look at Canada's tennis, this was supposed to be, we were talking about this earlier in the show, the golden era of Canada's tennis, right? Like, we thought maybe Bianca would have been healthier and winning,

and on the men's side, we had all these prospects. And, you know, now Vicky kind of represents that next wave of Canadian tennis players. Where do you see, you know, Canada's tennis, the state of Canada's tennis at right now? Well, don't forget Diallo, too. I think, you know, he's got a chance to be a top 20 player. I think at the moment he might be your best male player. I thought FAA and Scha Pvalov would have done a lot better. You know, a couple years ago, FAA has had a great year.

You know, who knows if they can turn it around. Bianca, you know, it's another one you thought would have done, you know, way more. But unfortunately in sports, the best availability is availability, and she hasn't had a lot of it, you know, which makes it tough. Lela Fernandez after her run. I mean, listen, you just hope for healthiness and consistency. And if you can get that, then, you know, things are often running. And you've had some good players, but that one word of consistency is a tough thing to have it year in and year out.

Brad, to go back to Mboko here, is there anything that impressed you a better game in particular? like she went pretty deep into a tournament a couple of weeks ago and has done it again here this week at the National Open had a very impressive victory over number one seat at Cocoa Gough. Like what do you like about her game? Well, so far, obviously she's got easy power. I can't quite tell how big she is. Is she about 5'10 and about the same size as Coco,

maybe a little bigger? Composure. Really good composure. and the other night against Coco in that game where she saved the five break points and then all of a sudden held that game and then broke to win the match. She showed really good composure

and looked like she's enjoying, you know, the moment. And those are all good signs. And I think that, you know, there's parts of her game at 18, you look at and you go, wow, that there can be growth in some areas of her game and she can get a lot better. our guest is Brad Gilbert from ESPN does a fantastic job covering the sport of tennis and you have coached several top players in the sport Brad

Agassi and Roddick and Murray amongst many in the men's side I'm curious to know where you think the game is at at this point in time because of course it's a little bit of a transition period from the dominant forces of the Djokovic's and the Dows and the Federer where do you think the game is at the moment Brad we're not in any transition we're in the in the movement of Sinner and Alcaraz. And if I would have never thought after Agassian's Ampers,

we would have got the big three, big four. I thought after that, towards the end of Djokovic's, you know, run, maybe we would have five years where it would be a tussle, where it would be a lot of guys winning majors before it shakes out. But right now, Sinor and Alcaraz have won seven straight. And if you told me over the next ten, What do you think the over-under would be of them winning the next 10? I might even say nine.

That's how dominant they are right now. At Wimeland, the odds of the big two, if you just got those two guys, Sinra Alcras. You know what the odds were of them winning Wimeland? They were very buried. I mean, it was insanely, you had to pay a lot of money to get either of those two. Minus 400. If you took the other 126, you got plus $3.50, and it'll probably be much higher than that at the U.S. Open.

And I promise you, if Sinner was in Canada this week, there's zero chance he wouldn't be in the semis right now, and I think they'd all be playing for second. So it's a great opportunity for the four guys that were there to make a deep run to win the tournament because Cinder and Alcaraz are not there. And that's how dominant they are at the moment. It's been a good week for a couple Americans in Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton. What can you say about their games and where they're at and the weeks they're having? Well, great opportunity for Fritz, obviously, you know, with the U.S. open points coming off last year.

And until a couple of months ago, until the last season, he hadn't had a good year. So he's totally turned around his season with a couple of, wins of two-fifties, and then semis in Wimelin, now semis here, and playing solid. He's like one of those guys that, like, you kind of forget, oh, wow, he's in the semis. He's become a very solid, consistent player, and you're sitting there looking, if you look at the odds, he's probably a favorite now to win the tournament. But Ben Shelton at 22, I tell you, he's got a live arm, he's got an exploit. have served. I mean, he played great

ball beating D. Menor last night. So I think it's a big opportunity. I think who wins that match. I think we'll win the tournament. Brad, thank you so much for your time. We're so fired up about the state of Canadian tennis and you put it in such great perspective every time you join us on the station.

Really appreciate it. Have yourself a great night. Have a great night. And hopefully you guys get a win and you'll be all jacked up for progress through the U.S. Open. We want it. Amen. Amen. Let's hope it happens. That is Brad Gilbert from ESPN. A Tate Night to remember.

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