Painting Lines Podcast

Aidan and Erik discuss the Next Gen Finals for 2023, discussing the known and unknown about each of the top 8 players under 21. Well, not really the top 8 under 21. With so much talent the top 4 guys were able to sit out the event and still the level of player was crazy in this event. With guys like Arthur Fils, Luca Van Assche, Alex Michelson and Hamad Medjedovic, the level in this event was off the charts. If you were unfamiliar with some of the guys in the event and want to learn more as well as hear our thoughts, make sure to tune in, and check back next week for another episode!

Aidan and Erik discuss the final eight in the davis cup. Starting things off in the quarterfinals they talk about the reigning champ Canada's early elimination and how big of an impact the lack of Felix Auger Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov was for the team. Another notable absence was Andy Murray for Great Britain's team. In the semifinals there was a heavyweight matchup between Italy and Serbia, with a shocking result coming out of the match between Djokovic and Sinner, possibly forecasting the future for these two players. As per the title, Italy won the final tie to become the Davis Cup Champions for 2023. A brief but fun episode this week, and be sure to check back next week for another episode!

Aidan and Erik discuss the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals, giving their overall perspective on the tournament and its result. They break down each day of the tournament in detail, remarking on the upsets and expected victories, and what these results could mean not only for this tournament, but for the 2024 ATP season. This tournament featured exciting twists and turns, such as Zverev upsetting Alcaraz, and drama, with Tsitsipas withdrawing during the Round Robin stage. If you are looking for an in depth analysis of each of these events, tune in and be sure to check back next week for another video.

Aidan and Erik discuss the ATP finals, first going through each of the players that has qualified and detailing what got them to this point and how they qualified. Then they make some bold predictions about what they expect to see in the tournament and who they think will come out on top. After detailing their thoughts, they hop into segments for some crazy bets to round it out. Be sure to check back next week for another episode!

Aidan and Erik discuss the 2023 Paris Masters tournament, going round by round and match by match breaking down the upsets, shcok runs and surprises of the tournament. They reflect on the crazy predictions given last week by Quinn and Parth and how they turned out. Topics include the return to form of Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas, as well as the deep run that was made by Dimitrov to his first Masters 1000 final since 2017. After the seemingly inevitable victory from Djokovic, what does this mean for the ATP Finals in Turin? Listen and find out their thoughts, and be sure to check back next week for another episode!

Aidan and Erik are pumped to be joined this week by Quinn Hirsohn and Parth Desai, two former college tennis players who played for Pomona-Pitzer in Los Angeles. Kicking things off they give some background about their experience growing up playing tennis, progressing through the Junior levels and eventually reaching college. They tell stories about what their best times were and give advice on how to get recruited to college yourself. Then the discussion delves into the current situation of tennis: The rapid rise of Ben Shelton, FAA and Rune rebounding, as well as some bold predictions for the Paris Masters and the 2024 season. Check out this super fun episode and be sure to check back next week!

Aidan and Erik discuss last week's three ATP tournaments in Tokyo, Antwerp, and Stockholm, and the surprising winners that came out of each tournament. In Tokyo, Ben Shelton continued his breakout year by taking the first title of his career. In Stockholm, veteran Monfils was able to navigate a tournament full of upsets to take the title and perhaps push retirement a little bit further away. In Antwerp, Bublik seized his chance to take the final with a win of young powerhouse Arthur Fils. This week showed how seizing the opportunities you are presented with can be critical for finding success at the highest stage as a tennis player.

Aidan and Erik discuss last week's Shanghai Rolex Masters tournament, an ATP Masters 1000 event, which was won in shocking fashion by world number 17 Hubert Hurkacz, who defeated Andrey Rublev in the final. They discuss Hurkacz tough run through the tournament, as well as the number of shocking upsets in the earlier rounds, with Fabian Maroszan taking out a couple of big players as well as Sebastian Korda making a deep run. Alcaraz was shown to be human by Grigor Dimitrov in that shocking upset and more as the two delve deeply and analyze what happened in the tournament overall, and whether these underdog victories made it more or less enjoyable to watch.

Aidan and Erik discuss the rise of current world #6 Stefanos Tsitsipas, a player who has been ranked as highly as number 3 in the world and has been only a set away from being a grand slam champion. Known for a beautiful one handed backhand, Stefanos is often a source of drama on the tour, not afraid to express his opinions to other players and the media. With a recent tough streak of losses and inconsistency, Aidan and Erik decided to delve into the background of Tsitsipas' career and give their projections on what is to come for him in the future.

Aidan and Erik discuss how the career of a great champion like the big 3, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, comes to a close. They focus on how and when a player's career begins to decline, and how the great champions separate themselves from average players even in the final stages of their career. They debate on which type of decline would be the best, a slow decline in which a player sees their ability slowly slip away or a rapid decline that leaves the player wondering if they might have had a little bit more to give. Comments are made on the spectacular return that Federer made in 2017 and whether the pressure from the media leads to improvement or faster degradation of play.