Day 4 - THE BIG T AT RG: DROPSHOT EDITION - Baptiste Heartbreak, Djokovic Scare & The Legend of '89 Is Back at Roland Garros
5/27/202635 min
Day Four at Roland Garros brings the heat — and the upsets. BG sits down with tennis legend Michael Chang for a deep, wide-ranging conversation recorded right here at the venue where history was made 37 years ago. Then BG and Petko reunite in the booth to break down the day's biggest moments and set the table for what's coming tomorrow. Iga Swiatek survives. Novak grinds through. And in the day's biggest shock, Elena Rybakina falls to Yulia Starodubtseva — while Hailey Baptiste's tournament ends in heartbreak with a serious injury on court. But the centerpiece of Day Four is Michael Chang — the 17-year-old who stunned the sports world at this very address in 1989, becoming the youngest Grand Slam champion in history. A record that has stood for 37 years. Rafa couldn't break it. Alcaraz couldn't break it. Nobody has. BG takes Chang all the way back — the clay, the cramps, the underhand serve against the No. 1 player in the world, and the question nobody had an answer to: why didn't you quit? They go deep on the three Grand Slam finals Chang couldn't close, the six straight years inside the Top 10, and the long road back to the game he loved. And then there's the future: Learner Tien — the 20-year-old Chang is now coaching, and one of the most exciting young players in the game today. What does Chang see in him? How much of a young Michael Chang does he recognize? And the big one — are we ever going to see an American win Roland Garros again? Plus — don't miss tomorrow's American showdown: Iva Jovic vs. Emma Navarro, first on Tennis Channel. 🎾 The legend of '89 — back at the scene of the miracle 🎾 The youngest Grand Slam champion in history. 37 years and counting. 🎾 The cramps, the underhand serve, and why he never quit 🎾 Three Grand Slam finals. All losses. How do you carry that? 🎾 Six straight years in the Top 10 — what kept the engine running? 🎾 Rybakina out. The biggest upset of the tournament so far. 🎾 Hailey Baptiste — a heartbreaking end to her Roland Garros 🎾 Learner Tien — the next American hope, coached by a legend 🎾 The future of American tennis at Roland Garros 🎾 Tomorrow: Iva Jovic vs. Emma Navarro — American showdown on Tennis Channel 🎙️ Hosted by BG & Petko | Guest: Michael Chang Watch on the TC App. Listen on all major podcast platforms.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAndrea Petkovic· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hello, and welcome to the Big T, the drop shot edition on day four of Roland-Garros, the French Open. And next to me is BG, the expert of experts, the man amongst the coaches. BG, how are you feeling today?
Brad Gilbert· Host0:20
I'm doing okay. I'm getting used to the weather.
Andrea Petkovic· Host0:23
Okay. I was about to say, are you getting used to me?
Brad Gilbert· Host0:26
[laughs] No, I, I enjoy your company, but you would think the players are getting used to this weather.
Andrea Petkovic· Host0:33
Mm-hmm.
Brad Gilbert· Host0:33
But I really think it's an equalizer, and we're seeing a lot of players drop.
Andrea Petkovic· Host0:38
Well, you said that yesterday, and you have, as always, been right because we saw Jess Pegula go out. We saw Elena Rybakina, the second seed in the women's draw, go out earlier. And on the men's side too, we talked about Daniil Medvedev yesterday.
Brad Gilbert· Host0:52
Upsets are contagious.
Andrea Petkovic· Host0:54
Mm-hmm.
Brad Gilbert· Host0:54
And once you, you get a couple, players in the locker room start to feel like, "You know what? It's an opportunity for me." And Pegula was up a set and a break in that one.
Andrea Petkovic· Host1:04
Yeah, it's crazy.
Brad Gilbert· Host1:05
And Rybakina, you'd actually think in these hot conditions, the way she plays, but I really believe that in the locker room, lower ranked players start to believe something is happening- Mm ... magical for us.
Andrea Petkovic· Host1:20
Yeah. Well, and, um, we called that match against Rybakina. I wasn't 100% surprised. I know that sounds crazy, but I called the Charleston tournament, and Starodubtseva