Hi, I'm Matt Svillander and you are listening to the tennis podcast.

Well, hello and welcome to the tennis podcast episode 35 and it is the morning after that epic final between Andy Murray and David Ferrer in the Miami Masters final.

I'm still in Miami. I'm David Laura. I was commentating on the match for almost three hours on BBC Radio 5 Live last night, but I don't think I'm quite as exhausted somehow as Mr David Ferrer and Andy Murray.

I don't think I've ever seen those two individuals. Certainly not since Andy Murray became the physical specimen that he now is. I don't think I've ever seen them look as exhausted as they did last night.

And that was only in a two hour 45 minute match. Goodness knows what would have happened if it was the best of five sets, but it was a thrilling end to the match. It was exhausting conditions in the heat and humidity.

But Andy Murray saves match point and wins the match. Catherine Whitaker is here with me here on the tennis podcast. Catherine, wow, what a match.

Yes, what a match. I've had several texts and messages from my sort of friends and family who are casual tennis of orders saying goodness me. That was, you know, that was quite something I switched on just to see how Murray was getting on and three hours later I was still there watching.

I feel like I've almost got sympathy cramps this morning just from having watched them perform that incredible demonstration of physicality because that's what it was really.

Yeah, full of admiration for them.

Absolutely. I mean, Andy was saying afterwards in the interview we did with the BBC. He was saying I was on the last legs. I mean, you know, it's as simple as that. And the most, the most impactful moment for me was watching David Ferrer cramp, you know, and actually there was one one moment where he lost a point.

And then he fell sideways onto the ground almost like a tree being felt and he just could his legs couldn't no longer hold him up, which, you know, the thought that that would happen to a man like David Ferrer just seemed frankly ridiculous.

And just shows what they'd taken out of each other just an extraordinary occasion. This is the second back to back big masters tournament in a row.

It takes such a lot out of these players. And you can understand now why Andy Murray decided to take that five week break after the Australian Open. This is what it was for.

Yeah. And it's about a while you were there. So perhaps you can shed some light on just how it felt to be in those conditions. But it's a very particular kind of of heat intense kind of heat in Florida. Isn't it?

I mean, I was there just over a month ago now and I don't I don't even back from Australia less than two weeks before I went out to Florida.

And you know, I was in 37 degree heat every day in Australia. And yet I struggled more in Florida where it was slightly less hot.

But the humidity was just there was just something so intense and all consuming about the conditions in in Florida.

The thought of playing three hours of that kind of sport in it was unthinkable really.

Yeah, I mean, you could have done it. Obviously, Catherine. I mean, what with what with your fitness?

I'm just being modest. Yes. Yeah, well, you know, we like to be here on the tennis podcast. Yeah, I mean, when I when I actually and I'll name drop here horrendously, when I got the chance to warm up Laura Robson for her run to the doubles final.

I mean, you know, I was obviously taken into the cleaners and you know, but she understood that and she sort of took the positives as the players like to say.

Now, what actually happened is I did a few tennis balls with her for a Wilson demonstration. And the greatest moment of the lot was when I hit my best forehand and I'm thinking, have have that one, Laura.

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