Daria Saville

00:00:16
Speaker 1: What is going on with you, Kaitelan? What's his head way?

00:00:18
Speaker 2: We're wearing?

00:00:19
Speaker 3: I am. I am wearing a Tupac style a c l U bandana in my Jammi's.

00:00:27
Speaker 4: As it happens.

00:00:28
Speaker 1: That's what is going out with me.

00:00:30
Speaker 4: I am.

00:00:31
Speaker 3: The change in weather has brought out a horrific scalped condition which everyone in our podcast listenership has now just become aware of. And so I have put I have to sleep with stuff on my head and you're seeing me, Yeah, you're seeing me.

00:00:48
Speaker 4: With it on.

00:00:48
Speaker 3: We're doing this via video. You look nice and tan and in front of a Roland Garros beautifully architected wall eating a baguette. Doesn't get much more friend than that.

00:01:01
Speaker 5: No, I'm fully established into my Presianism.

00:01:05
Speaker 1: I don't think that's a word, but I just made it up.

00:01:08
Speaker 3: After the shit you say. I feel like it's been up anyway.

00:01:12
Speaker 5: Well, I mean, you know, the education stopped at a certain point in my life, Caitlin.

00:01:16
Speaker 1: But let me just say I actually.

00:01:18
Speaker 3: Usually blame Australia for all the sayings that I think are not actually real.

00:01:22
Speaker 5: But you guys, I mean I don't care what I sound like and what verbiage I'm.

00:01:27
Speaker 1: Using today because you look like herbage is not even a word you exactly. You look like a total ding dong.

00:01:35
Speaker 3: I totally look like a dingo.

00:01:37
Speaker 1: I look and seeing wearing a large sock.

00:01:41
Speaker 3: I think maybe we should capture this. I'll tell you what. I'll capture this screenschat. You hear me just screenshotting it, and so anybody who we should do a contest, I'll figure out what it is and you can get a screenshot of us ducking into each other for a special price. Maybe are one hundred thousand listener subscriber. I don't know something like that. Anyway, I am talking to you today the first day of the friend Shop open. It is Sunday. This podcast will go out tomorrow Monday, the second day of roun on Gros twenty twenty two. I have to say it's my favorite tournament despite a lot of it doesn't really deserve my love, but it gets my love. Anyway, you're there. What's the scene on the ground day one? What's been going on behind the scenes.

00:02:28
Speaker 5: Well, it's pretty great. I do not like the fact that we start on Sunday. I'm just going to put that out there, but you know clearly they'd like to get a little bit more money up their sleeves. So I'm not a big lover of the Sunday start. But having said that, we've already had a major upset here in on Shubbert going out in the first round. Had a tough draw against Magda Lannette from Poland, who's also quite a good player, can be very dangerous against anyone, and we saw that today. So you know, when people come into Grand Slams and everyone thinks, oh, they're just going to rip right through like they've been doing all season, it's not so hard, especially when a lot of pressure would have been on Gibburg first time really that people would have been talking about her being one of the favorites to win the tournament.

00:03:07
Speaker 1: But overall, look, it's just great to be here, Caitlin.

00:03:09
Speaker 5: I haven't been a rolling Garrison a number of years, to be honest, So it's just great to see the new surroundings and new building, the new stadiums.

00:03:18
Speaker 1: It's just great.

00:03:19
Speaker 5: I mean, you you know what it's like here. It's just a vibe going on, especially on a Sunday.

00:03:23
Speaker 1: It's great.

00:03:24
Speaker 3: It's a great vibe, and I think the last time I was there, they hadn't yet. They were they were building, but hadn't get completed court Simone Matthieu, which is a greenhouse, which is like an architectural marvel, like I profiled an architectural that just so. I had some friends going this year and they were asking me what to watch, and I usually say, you know, get a grounds pass, try to find the outer courts as are oh where the battles are especially early. But I was also keen to get some pictures from them from that New Quork because I've heard it scoregeous.

00:03:53
Speaker 1: And because it's a podcast, you don't see us.

00:03:55
Speaker 5: But what I'm holding up is a water bottle. And the French Federation tennis federation have gone as green as.

00:04:02
Speaker 1: They can possibly go. They're using green cars only so battery card.

00:04:07
Speaker 5: They are not giving out water bottles, which is fantastic because tennis players go through so many water bottles, clearly because they need a lot of water when they're playing and when they're practicing. And instead they've given about four water bottles every player, and they're asking you to fill up the water bottles with you know, from the water fountains, and all the players are doing it, and I think it's a great thing that we're doing that because tennis really really needs to improve on the amount of carbon footprint we put into this world. So that's a really great thing. So it's just pumped. I forgot to mention also Garbini move. Garutha lost today against the giant killer Kaya Kinneppi, who you never want to see the Grand.

00:04:42
Speaker 3: Slam, especially not in the first round. I was watching that match this morning and even one Garbina won the first set six too. I was like, Garbini, even danger girl kai Kanepi is going to do what Kaya Knepi does, and she did.

00:04:54
Speaker 5: Kai Kaya did another Canepi on somebody, and that's the bottom line. So webbam, we've got some upsets in the women's already, and yeah, it's just great.

00:05:03
Speaker 1: To be here.

00:05:05
Speaker 3: Let's very quickly touch on our guest this week. It is someone you know very well, Daria Gavrilova, better known as Dasha, now known as Daria Dasha Sabo. She's newly married and she is a delay. What a delight it was to listen to the show. Maybe it was just Asie on Azzie Well, Azzie on Ozzie Russian. But she's so such a delightful person. What an upbeat kid, despite having a litany of injuries. I mean, I think you said it, how many years does this girl last to injuries after a career?

00:05:35
Speaker 5: I would say four, four years off her career. She's twenty eight years of age. She's coming back again from another massive, you know injury to her achilles and her you know, plan of fashion, all kinds of things. So it's just she's just such a fun person. She's definitely one of the best TikTokers on the tour. She's hilarious. She's such a good person. And you know, I did actually win the doubles yesterday in Strasburg, so you don't hear that in the pod because she's talking about being in the final.

00:06:03
Speaker 1: So she did win. She's a legend doubles player in Strasburg.

00:06:07
Speaker 5: I think she's won it like two or three times, and she's probably only won like three events, so so it was.

00:06:12
Speaker 1: Really nice to see her finishing winning that.

00:06:14
Speaker 5: And yeah, she's just a delight Hopefully she does well here in Paris because she needs those points. Considering wim, well, they're not giving me any, but we won't get into that.

00:06:22
Speaker 1: Yet, Caitlin, let's at.

00:06:24
Speaker 3: Some point, well, while we were on the topic of Strasbourg, and then I'll let this interview speak for itself, because it really was a nice lesson. When you were in Strasbourg. You were with Sam Stosser, who got a wild card into singles, which everyone on Twitter was losing their minds about because everyone who pays very close attention to the tour and the career of Sam Stoser, which I assume is every single listener of this podcast. Sam Schuster retired from singles at the Australian event, but yet in Strasbourg last week she had a shining moment on the singles court.

00:06:56
Speaker 5: What happened, Well, she's won the Strasburg and singles a couple of times, so they absolutely went after her when they knew she was coming here to play doubles, and they said, Sam, do you want to walk out in singles?

00:07:10
Speaker 1: We'd love to give it to you. They didn't have a French.

00:07:12
Speaker 5: Player really to give it to you, because they were playing other tournaments. And Sam's like really, He's like, yeah, we really like to give it to you because she's also very popular there, and so she said okay, why not? And I said, she, you know, oscillated between whether or not to do it, and I said, look, you didn't have an opportunity to play on clay last year because she hurt her foot and it's really her best surface, even though she won the US Open.

00:07:34
Speaker 1: And I said, hey, listen, it's just an.

00:07:36
Speaker 5: Opportunity for you to play one more match on clay, so why not And she said, yeah, why not?

00:07:40
Speaker 1: And she did and it was really cute.

00:07:42
Speaker 5: The girl that beat her, young French girl, good player, Harmony's hand when they shook hands, told Sam how much she admired her, and she saw her play the final in Paris and went on and I was super cute. So it was just a really nice moment for Sam to have one more match on the red dirt in in France.

00:08:01
Speaker 3: Well, it sounds like Strasburg was a smash hit for you and the Aussies and hopefully some of those good vibes continue into Rolandgaras. So with that said, we better rush to get this show out so these results don't sound super old by the time everyone's listening to them, because anything can happen at the French Open, as we know. And here is your fantastic interview with Dasha Seville.

00:08:38
Speaker 5: Hi, everybody, ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special guest here this particular evening. I'm in Strasburg, friends, and I'm with my buddy, Daria Gavrilova, now Daria Sevil. So Dasha, first of all, I'm not gonna call you Daria, because the last time I think I called you that, I was mad at you. So I just want to thank Dasha. We're here in Strasbourg where she is in the finals of the doubles except correct. So Dasha, thanks for joining me, my friend.

00:09:09
Speaker 6: Thanks for having me I mean, we've had a few dinners here together. I was saying, maybe I've exhausted my what is it being social? But we're good to go.

00:09:21
Speaker 5: I think, yeah, you are definitely somebody who can talk more than me, which is saying something. So Dash, let's get into it. The first thing I always ask all of my people that I have on the podcast is how why tennis? How did you get into tennis?

00:09:35
Speaker 7: It was my dad.

00:09:37
Speaker 6: My dad always thought that tennis was one of the best sports for a little girl. And in Russia where I grew up, I used to live close to a tennis club spar Target's pretty famous, so that's yeah, that's how I started.

00:09:57
Speaker 5: Who were some of the people around you at that time that you know, because it is a very famous tennis club in Moscow? Correct, Who are some of the people who are around about the same time. Well, actually that we're a little bit older than you at the time that you were sort of watching at the time.

00:10:12
Speaker 6: I think Dinara Safina and her brother, they were a Miskina, Anastasia Meschina, they were I think, I'm pretty sure from that club. And also, I don't know if many people know, but Andre's Rublev's mom was actually my first coach.

00:10:33
Speaker 7: So that's pretty cool.

00:10:36
Speaker 5: Getting into you know, understanding. I love this opportunity to talk to you because you grew up obviously in a Russian mentality, Russian upbringing, Russian junior coaches, and now of course you're living in Australia, so and you spend a lot of time in Australia and I always say that you as a Russian, you are so Australian just because of your personality. But tell us the difference in the mentality of sort of what you think now knowing the Australian mentality a lot. What the difference was with the Russian mentality, particularly as a young kid getting coached.

00:11:10
Speaker 6: I mean, not gonna lie our coach. Well, our playing group was so competitive. We actually had really good juniors and yeah, we just were very competitive. And what was actually really interesting for me when I came to Australia, all the girls were so so nice to me, and I was like, are they joking? Like why are they being so nice to me? Like I came from Russia, Like I just got my residency. Why are these girls treating me so nice? I was actually like surprised because in Russia, like the mentality was always like you kind of you want to be the best, and you compete even with your best friends, like you if you lose, you kind of like you're you want everyone to lose straight away. You're like, oh, but that's one thing. And I guess, yeah, coaches were tough on us there.

00:12:12
Speaker 7: I was.

00:12:15
Speaker 6: I think all of the kids were kind of terrified by coaches, and we just did whatever we were told to really, I mean I probably tried to be sneaky every now and then, but yeah, they worked us hard and we spent so many hours at the tennis club, just especially in summers, from probably a morning session till we would be there till eight pm, nine pm.

00:12:48
Speaker 7: Well, like we.

00:12:49
Speaker 5: Would just from what time though, what time you start?

00:12:52
Speaker 7: Maybe eleven ten, I don't know.

00:12:54
Speaker 6: Yeah, like I mean, we're not just playing tennis the whole time. We were I mean playing hide and seek and whatever.

00:13:02
Speaker 5: Like what about school?

00:13:04
Speaker 6: That was talking like summers and holidays. So we would have a proper like session a squad and then we would go and have lunch and play games like no non tennis games, and then we would just play doubles. We played so much doubles and.

00:13:30
Speaker 5: And it was actually, why do you think you why do you think the mentality was to do that? Because that's something that I don't think I've ever heard.

00:13:39
Speaker 6: Well, the thing like there was not enough course for so many kids, so we played doubles and you stay on only if you win.

00:13:50
Speaker 7: So we played. Yeah, we loved it. We just played doubles all the time.

00:13:57
Speaker 5: And do you think that that's also good? And what age was that about?

00:14:03
Speaker 7: Probably like ten?

00:14:06
Speaker 5: Yeah, And do you think that it's funny because in Australia, my upbringing was to play a lot of doubles. As well, also similar reasons because there wasn't a lot of courts and we just would play on the same court together. But do you think that that's important As competitive as you were, do you think it's important to also have that fun factor of sort of competing but being in a bit of a team environment.

00:14:28
Speaker 6: Yeah, even though we were kind of itch to their own, like fighting for to stay on the court, we had a lot of fun and we like the coach was there, but not really they they that because the coaches were kind of having like their they were socializing with the parents because that wasn't there hours to culture. So we kind of just did your own thing, did our own thing, and just played and had fun.

00:15:00
Speaker 5: Yeah, so you start going juniors, had a very successful junior career as well. What what was the reasoning really for the Australia move and how did that come about?

00:15:13
Speaker 6: Honestly, I guess since I was a kid, I've always wanted to leave elsewhere. And I played a few junior tournaments in Australia and I loved it, and I was like, I think this is like the country. If I'm gonna move and leave, this is where I want to end to be, Like end up being And I didn't think I would make that move when I was eighteen, but I kind of did.

00:15:44
Speaker 4: I I mean I.

00:15:47
Speaker 6: Started dating Loop when we were we were we started dating dating, I mean Facebook messaging when we were pretty young. And I was ranked maybe like two hundred, two hundred and thirty and I was trying to make enough points to play austraight and open qualifying, and.

00:16:12
Speaker 7: I convinced my dad.

00:16:14
Speaker 6: That I had to go to Australia because the twenty five's there were a lot weaker.

00:16:19
Speaker 7: They were, and they were and they were. I made it worked out for me.

00:16:25
Speaker 5: And was that because you had the grand plan.

00:16:27
Speaker 6: To I actually wanted to see Luke And my dad's like, you guys are not that serious, like why are you going there?

00:16:35
Speaker 7: And I'm like, well, it's just.

00:16:38
Speaker 6: Weak tournaments, like I'm going to get and it's expensive, right, It's an expensive trip. So I was going by myself. I was maybe eighteen nineteen, I can't remember. And so I went and I made back to back sammis. So I actually didn't play great tennis there, but somehow.

00:16:57
Speaker 7: I got enough points and.

00:17:02
Speaker 6: But yeah, my dad was like, don't forget to come back with Australian fastward and actually when I came to Australia, everyone knew me and Luke were dating. So they were all like, oh, when you guys, when it's becoming Australian to Luke joking and I'm like in my head, I'm like, well, let's you guys kind of have to stop joking because I'm gonna just want to do I really want to do this.

00:17:28
Speaker 7: So I approached.

00:17:29
Speaker 6: So Nicole was head of Nicole Pratt was head of women's tennis back twenty thirteen, and I was staying there for a few more weeks to train before going to Japan. I can't remember exactly, anyway, I was there just training for a week and I joined the squads that she was running with Aussie girls and my in was not like great, And I just talked to Nicole and I was like, can please send your email? I need to send you an important email. And it's like I still have this email. I need to I should find it and read it out to you because it's like there was maybe five sentences a lot maybe less, but basically that, yeah, I want to become Australian, like I want to have the opportunity to represent Australia and yeah, she just gave me a contact immigration of the immigration guy and then I emailed him and it kind of just started.

00:18:45
Speaker 5: Like now, now during this process, is Luke aware that you are trying.

00:18:50
Speaker 4: To move there?

00:18:50
Speaker 6: Yeah, I'm pretty sure. And okay, the finniest thing was.

00:18:54
Speaker 5: Because there was a period of time where you actually broke up.

00:18:57
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, that was before that.

00:19:00
Speaker 5: Before that, that.

00:19:01
Speaker 6: Was during like when we're playing junior Grandslams. But so I was practicing with Nicole in Melbourne and I wanted to see Luke. But Luke was at Australian Institute of Sports Sport in Canberra.

00:19:21
Speaker 7: That was where they had their base back in those days.

00:19:26
Speaker 6: But so he was there and he couldn't come to Melbourne, like he couldn't come, and I was in Melbourne staying with my friends. But then he's like, hey, you should come to Canberra because no one's going to know that you're going to come because all the coaches are actually leaving to Melbourne for some friends, I don't know whatever.

00:19:49
Speaker 7: And I was like.

00:19:50
Speaker 6: Oh, yeah, okay, I should do that. And I had to message Nicole that I was sick. So I flew to Canberra to see Luke for a few days and then flew back. Well, I haven't told her this story until our wedding day and she was like cracking out.

00:20:15
Speaker 5: Oh that's hilarious. It's a good story though obviously you know, we know the rest is history. You got your passport, You've represented Australia's so many times now, Fed Cup and Olympics and all kinds of things. What does that feel like for you? Obviously parents are Russian, your dad still and parents both live in Russia and you're representing Australia. How does your heart And of course you and Luke just recently got married, so I mean you're real legit now, what does that feel like for you?

00:20:45
Speaker 6: It's funny I always, I mean I get this question all the time, like during fed Cup weeks, our Billaging King Cup weeks, like how does it feel to represent your country? And I always like joke that, hey, I can't really say that as a little girl, I grew up wanting to represent Australia, Like no, because I was in Russia when I was a little girl. And that's like kind of what everyone says, you know, they say as a little girl, and I'm like well, really were you actually thinking.

00:21:18
Speaker 7: That so now?

00:21:21
Speaker 6: But I do feel like very ausy and like I'm proud, and I feel yeah, like I get kind of like goose bumps, and I just think we're such a great like we all get along so well, the Aussies, and I feel like we're one of the best like teams, like in terms of like our group, we all want to help out each other, which is really really nice. Like I don't just like, yeah, I represent Australia, but I feel like I represent like, oh, my mates and my you know.

00:22:04
Speaker 5: Are you're giving me a tear?

00:22:06
Speaker 4: Oh it's good.

00:22:07
Speaker 7: Yeah, Like I love it.

00:22:09
Speaker 6: Like I like, I don't just play, you know, for myself, like especially when Sam is there, and I'm like, I'm not just doing it for like me, I'm like, I want to make like Sam prout like with like a teammate proud, Like that's cool.

00:22:25
Speaker 5: So take me back Dash, because you know you're twenty eight now correct, still a young soul, very young in tennis terms. You know everyone really so many players are peaking in their mid thirties now, you know, winning Grand Slams, and it's been a hard, tough professional life for you. Give the people who don't know you that well or may not know the history of you, the injuries that you've had, major injuries over the last Like a lot of players would have retired going through what you've gone through in your career. Just give us a quick snapshot of some of the major ones and what you've lost. Sam Stozia and I were actually talking about you yesterday the day before, how proud we are of you and where you've come to just in the last five months, even because a lot of players would have retired with going through what you've been through, and you've lost about four years of your career with injuries. So give me some of them.

00:23:22
Speaker 7: I mean the main one is my achilles.

00:23:25
Speaker 5: Well, prior to that, you tore your aco.

00:23:28
Speaker 7: Oh wow, I forgot about that.

00:23:29
Speaker 6: Yeah, I kind of forget though, Like I don't find it like a struggle. I'm like, well, I like tennis, Like, well, I don't have a choice, like I'm going to come back. So every time someone asked me this question, like you know what, it's not that high, Like, don't make it like it's not easy.

00:23:48
Speaker 1: No.

00:23:49
Speaker 7: Yeah.

00:23:51
Speaker 6: So yeah, So since that chat I had with Pratty with Nicole, I literally told him my ac ACL maybe a few months later and I came to Australia with the busted knee and basically I have an Australian knee. So I had surgery there and yeah, like it was my parents were terrified that I was eighteen moving to another country having surgery like going down and they wouldn't be there for me.

00:24:26
Speaker 4: But I was staying with.

00:24:30
Speaker 6: One of well, they're like family to me, Kate she and and I stayed with her and Stormy and they like took really good care of me. And yeah, like the I mean the first few weeks, I was just in bed because I just had the surgery and I kind of was like, oh my god, this is hard. And they were the girls were training and I was like, oh, just sitting on the couch.

00:25:00
Speaker 7: And but then I had from that very well.

00:25:04
Speaker 1: Got to.

00:25:06
Speaker 7: The thing I remember when I was working with.

00:25:13
Speaker 6: Well, I had so many people helping me out, Like Tennis Australia has been in my corner for many, many years, Like I'm very grateful for that.

00:25:23
Speaker 7: And I remember.

00:25:29
Speaker 6: Aaron, who was the strength and conditioning coach back then, was saying that you're going to come back fitter than ever and I was like, uh, okay, because I was Yeah, I was. Oh, I can't remember how old I was anymore. Maybe I was older than eighteen, maybe probably not, I think yeah, and he he was right. I came back so fit. I was lifting really heavy, like then Stephano, you know Stephano, the Italian. I mean, I had Stephanie and Nicole with me traveling, and I just had like a proper team for the first time, and I just kind of took off. I had this crazy run and roam from qualifying where well I before that, I beat Maria Sharapova in Miami.

00:26:22
Speaker 5: And that that let you know that you could play.

00:26:25
Speaker 6: And I really I just remember I just wanted to say that, like's if anyone young is listening to it, it's crazy, Like I really believed that I could beat her. I've never played the top ten. Oh maybe I can't remember, but I really was. I remember I was trying.

00:26:43
Speaker 5: My why do you think that?

00:26:45
Speaker 4: I don't know.

00:26:45
Speaker 6: But I bought this little Lemon outfit myself finally, like I was sponsored by them now, and I remember like I loved it, and I was like watching myself in the mirror and I was like practicing celebrations like and does that how do you even think you're going to be a number two in the world?

00:27:04
Speaker 7: And I really did, and.

00:27:06
Speaker 5: They manifested that way.

00:27:08
Speaker 7: Yet, like I mean, I maybe should do that again.

00:27:13
Speaker 6: Sometimes I'm Gowell on Garrison's That Faraway.

00:27:33
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00:28:03
Speaker 5: Yeah, well, you know, I also was on it a little bit as well before.

00:28:06
Speaker 1: I went to Europe, so it was nice for me to also get it.

00:28:09
Speaker 5: And you're right, I didn't feel bladed.

00:28:11
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00:28:14
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00:29:18
Speaker 4: So that was crazy. And then I just, yeah, I kind of took off. I was. I'm not saying I took off.

00:29:27
Speaker 6: It's not like, no, you are very so semifinals, but I was top fifty, top thirty.

00:29:32
Speaker 4: I remember Dave Taylor was like, I don't.

00:29:36
Speaker 6: Know why, but he's an interesting guy. He was kind of asking me all those questions and he's like, when do you think, what ranking do you think?

00:29:49
Speaker 4: What do you what can you do?

00:29:50
Speaker 6: What your year end ranking? Is going to be and I was like, I just threw like I threw a number. I was like twenty five, and I literally it was like around there, like it was crazy.

00:30:03
Speaker 5: And so that's the importance of manifesting stuff and really believing in yourself, you know, and then shooting for oh I want to be top hundred, you know.

00:30:11
Speaker 4: Yeah. I so then.

00:30:15
Speaker 6: Yeah, I was playing well, I I won you haven, but I remember I got my the Achilles problem in twenty sixteen. So that's when me Nick Yrris and I won on the Copman Cup. That was actually my first time representing Australia ever. Like this is in December twenty fifteen. I just got my passport so I could represent Australia and like that's pretty cool and you want you want it?

00:30:49
Speaker 4: It was amazing.

00:30:50
Speaker 5: So you were having issues with your achilles starting around twenty sixteen.

00:30:54
Speaker 6: So January, Yeah, I remember I looked at my heel and I was like, what is that, Like would see like a phone yep. And I was in the second week of oz ob and so my phsio Melanie she was never going to freak me out.

00:31:11
Speaker 4: So she's like she taped, I.

00:31:13
Speaker 5: Mean, she she did what she could do.

00:31:15
Speaker 6: Yeah, and then I just I think I was young, and I was like I had the ACL and like it was major, but I never had like niggles like I've never.

00:31:28
Speaker 5: Been Yeah, you never had You've never been a player that's had, you know, an injury every couple.

00:31:33
Speaker 6: Of Yeah, I would never go see get treatment that washash.

00:31:38
Speaker 5: This is you to a t. You either do things really big or not at all. Go big or go home, including injuries. So the achilles was an issue ongoing for a couple of years really just until you finally said I've got to have major surgery on.

00:31:54
Speaker 4: That, and that was twenty twenty.

00:31:58
Speaker 5: Yeah, and so how when you had the surgery, then you had to rehab for approximately what eight months? And then when you came back again again a similar back now basically yeah, oh no you didn't no.

00:32:11
Speaker 6: No, no, I didn't have surgery back then. So we just I had two injuries. I had my achilles and my plant fasciatis, and so I was rehabbing it and then the pandemic hit and I was only meant to be out for five six months. Then the pandemic hit and then I came back. I played twenty twenty Roland Garros and I was I was in a I did a really good training block just before OZ opened, and you were playing and I was playing really really good. Everyone couldn't believe that I had surgery literally a week later. No one could believe this, But I just it was crazy because I remember I played ash and it just went. My achilles just was not like I felt it. It was really sore and I could barely walk off the court, like I literally had to throw my shoes off because it was rubbing on that spot and I had to play doubles.

00:33:27
Speaker 4: So which I did.

00:33:29
Speaker 5: You know you have that difficulty, then you have to have the surgery. I want to know when you because I have to say, like a lot of us were like, oh my god, Like how many more difficult moments can you go through physically and come back?

00:33:44
Speaker 1: You know.

00:33:45
Speaker 5: I want to know from your perspective when that happened, you know, and you had the surgery, and you I.

00:33:50
Speaker 4: Really wanted that surgery. That's the funny thing.

00:33:52
Speaker 5: So when you get the surgery, you're positive about it. Is that what you're telling us?

00:33:58
Speaker 4: Yeah? I mean I so.

00:34:02
Speaker 6: After the match I was doing, I was like cooling down and I was there and I was like, my pain is eleven out of ten and they're like, nah, you're exaggerating.

00:34:15
Speaker 4: You just lost Like calm down.

00:34:18
Speaker 5: I'm like, you are. You are sometimes a little you do.

00:34:21
Speaker 6: I know, I know, but this time I was like, I was like, guys, I'm having surgery.

00:34:28
Speaker 4: I don't even know what on.

00:34:31
Speaker 6: Because this was the worst part. It's like there wasn't enough damage to go have surgery, like we tried to avoid it as much as possible.

00:34:44
Speaker 4: Yep. So I played doubles.

00:34:49
Speaker 6: The tournaments finished, and I was seeing doctors at the Strain Open and I had scans and I was like, please, can something just show up because it would have been worse if it was just like the same.

00:35:08
Speaker 4: But I have so much pain.

00:35:10
Speaker 5: I would have I can understand that.

00:35:11
Speaker 6: So I was like, please, can there be something really bad? Yeah, so at least you know, yeah, and so I have.

00:35:21
Speaker 4: I had Haglin's bump, just for people to understand what it is. It's like bunyance but on.

00:35:30
Speaker 6: The back of your heel, and it was pressing on my tendon, which is has been irritated for years. So I still, I mean, my tendon is still irritated. Because it's like sensitized, like I just my brain just always aware of it, and I always tell my feces now it's bullshit, like unsensitized. Like, but I was like ready and I had the full and it was really hard to find someone who would operate it on without being too invasive. And there were a few surgeons that would do that surgery.

00:36:15
Speaker 4: And one of the surgeons was.

00:36:19
Speaker 6: Who did my a cl and I was like, oh my god, David Young, are you kidding, I'm going like I'm going there, like I want to see him, like let's go, let's do it.

00:36:33
Speaker 5: So that was successful, and.

00:36:36
Speaker 4: Yeah, I didn't.

00:36:40
Speaker 6: I was like I literally messaged him straight away like I was being naughty, like I shouldn't have done this. I was like, I'm gonna come see you because I had like I kept in touch with him, and I yeah, like he he loves his job, like he was gonna operate on me that day if I wanted to. He loves it, like he spent crazy hours there and obviously I went and saw David with Melanie, my physio, and yeah, I just I was ready, like and I knew let's do this, that it would take a while.

00:37:24
Speaker 5: I mean it was seven months approximately.

00:37:28
Speaker 6: More, and there was a point where it was not like I thought. I honestly thought that my expectations. I had expectations that it would just go away completely, like it would be like my left achilles.

00:37:45
Speaker 4: But it's wasn't and it's not.

00:37:48
Speaker 6: And now I've accepted it, I'm like whatever, Like it's it lets me function the way I want to function. I can obviously play three hour match and back it up like I'm fine.

00:38:03
Speaker 4: But I.

00:38:07
Speaker 6: The first few months of the after the surgery were pretty No, they were easy because I was actually improving quickly with so many things, like well, first two weeks I was just making my dashlets bracelets, and I couldn't move. But after like you started walking, it's slow, but there are like the improvements are.

00:38:36
Speaker 5: Pretty big so after you.

00:38:38
Speaker 6: But it took a while once three months, but then I still had pain, like and that was tough for you, and it just I was.

00:38:46
Speaker 4: Like, oh my god, are you joking.

00:38:48
Speaker 5: Like it's never going to get better.

00:38:49
Speaker 4: It's not going to give a period of time.

00:38:51
Speaker 5: Where you thought your career might might be over. Yeah, how is that to deal with a little bit emotionally?

00:39:00
Speaker 6: Well, I think because I had such good people around.

00:39:07
Speaker 4: Me that they never let you get They never let me get to down. Yeah they are. Well they would be like, well.

00:39:17
Speaker 6: You've got nothing, like you still have to give it a shot, like why did you even have surgery?

00:39:23
Speaker 4: So I was like yeah, yeah.

00:39:25
Speaker 6: True and yeah, I mean I wouldn't be playing if I didn't.

00:39:31
Speaker 5: So you come back again.

00:39:32
Speaker 6: The worst part was that we were in lockdown during like during both but the book, Yeah, like tell.

00:39:40
Speaker 5: People at home how difficult it was in Melbourne.

00:39:43
Speaker 6: They were just so all I did was going to the tennis, get do my rehab, which was not very exciting, and go home and go home and just chill. I mean, thank god I had tofu and my mom was there and my brother while Luke was playing, so I didn't see him. We didn't see each other for like eight months before we got married. So I had all this plans that at least I'll have like I'll socialize with everyone, yeah after surgery, like I'll have normal life, but that.

00:40:21
Speaker 5: Didn't happen because of lockdown.

00:40:23
Speaker 4: Because of lockdown, So.

00:40:25
Speaker 5: When you had a good run, it had, you know, a nice little time in Australia, but then you come over this year to Palm Springs and Indie Whlles and Miami and have a great couple of weeks. How much did that make you feel like you have gone through all of this stuff and you feel like, oh my god, it was all worth it, and it's all worth it with the results that you've had over the last few months, and do you feel like, all right, I feel like I can really get back to a really solid place in my career now.

00:40:55
Speaker 6: So after so I came back during Bellaging King Cup.

00:41:02
Speaker 5: So I had this like that was the last minute call up for.

00:41:04
Speaker 4: You, That was the last minute call out for me. It was.

00:41:08
Speaker 6: It's a long story, but basically we had a few injured players in the team and they had to pick that week between Priscilla Horn and myself, and I was we were both playing unbelievable because I think we really wanted to be in the team. And I kind of was underdone, Like I was underdone, not kind I was underdone. I haven't even played two sets and I win that match and I'm like, oh my god, this is like what like this is crazy? And then I come back and I mean I was then just too I was distracted, like with wedding and like not gonna lie, Like my preseason was probably like I didn't take all the boxes because of it's red wedding, and I was distracted and I knew and it's the worst, like when you know that you haven't done everything. I know, some people can just not think about it, but for me, it's important and for some reason, like I wasn't as motivated, like like the ausiest summer was right around the corner, playing at home, I like got the wild cards, and.

00:42:36
Speaker 4: I just I wasn't playing well.

00:42:40
Speaker 5: And why do you think you weren't as motivated?

00:42:44
Speaker 4: I wasn't.

00:42:46
Speaker 6: I don't know, and I felt bad, like I felt guilty. I'm like what, like you just you.

00:42:52
Speaker 5: Went through all of this and now you went.

00:42:54
Speaker 4: All of yeah, and I just I don't know.

00:42:57
Speaker 6: I was like not as excited, like and I was not overly happy, like I wasn't sad, but I just was like like just I didn't didn't want it, Like I was like, as we like do I even want.

00:43:13
Speaker 4: To play tennis?

00:43:14
Speaker 6: Like and I was surprised, like I was like what is going on? And then like I got killed? Yeah, I mean I didn't get killed, but I wasn't winning practice sets, and I was like, I don't think I'm like I've got the level, Like I'm way off, But the reality was, that's what's That's what was in my head. Like the reality was I was a lot closer yeah to being like at not at that level, but a good level. Yeah, But I just didn't think and didn't trust and.

00:43:55
Speaker 5: And so what changed? What changed going to Indian Wells and having that obviously the experience.

00:44:00
Speaker 6: I had this I'm having this, I'm having a practice with Nicole Pratt and Storm and I'm just being like all crazy on cord, like making stupid decisions and we're playing points and Storm is just like killing me, and I'm like feeling.

00:44:19
Speaker 4: Oh poor me, Oh my god, I'm not playing well.

00:44:22
Speaker 6: Why am I even going overseas? Like what's the point, Like I'd rather be with my dog? And they they sat me down and they're like you need to stop like feeling sorry for yourself, Like you need to literally Nicole said, the best thing that you can do is actually get out of Australia because.

00:44:47
Speaker 2: You're getting comfortable exactly, You're way too comfortable here. And I was like, that's probably why I wasn't motivated, like I I.

00:44:59
Speaker 5: Mean because it had been probably almost two years where you've really been home. Yeah, and you probably had never felt that feeling in your entire life.

00:45:07
Speaker 6: Yeah, Like I stayed at home first chair and open.

00:45:11
Speaker 4: I was like, yeah, it was like.

00:45:13
Speaker 5: It's one of the things that I feel like, you know when otherone's like, you know why is in Australia have more dominant players and of course we just recently had another one in the world, so it's possible and ashes as laid back as they come. But I think it is one of the things about being from Australia and even from the United States sometimes is that it's pretty easy. You know, it's a pretty easy life. It's a good life. You're not really stressed about stuff. And that's the one thing about maybe the Russian mentality and you know, growing up and that sort of different coaching style. They're very tough on you. They're not overly nice, you know, the girls aren't overly nice to each other. And that's some things you know that you have to really deal with as an Australian or as an American or coming from a very wealthy or well well to do country, is that you've got to really push yourself hard.

00:45:59
Speaker 4: So Grand Slam country.

00:46:01
Speaker 5: Yeah, especially well you're getting funding and it's a little bit easier, so you started clearly feeling a little bit less sorry for yourself. You get on the plane, you go play in your wells. What was it like for you to win that.

00:46:12
Speaker 6: I went to Lahara and I was there. I was traveling with Storm and I was strength and conditioning coach who was doing the whole rehab process, and he was so excited to like just go on the road and we were like and like, I didn't work on anything mentally. It's not like I went and started journaling or doing meditation. I just literally got on the plane and I changed my attitude like straight away, like I got there, I'm there with my coach Jay, and I am straight away in like I'm here, like let's go.

00:46:58
Speaker 4: Let's do this.

00:46:59
Speaker 6: And I beat Emma right account route account on like it was well. It still is one of the longest matches and we didn't even finish the match. And then I backed it up and I was like, oh my god, I played the longest match of the year and I.

00:47:18
Speaker 4: Was able to come back to come back and play again.

00:47:21
Speaker 6: And I was because I was didn't know how my achilles would feel, and it felt good.

00:47:29
Speaker 4: So actually, what I was focusing.

00:47:32
Speaker 6: On was small wins, like I aimed really low to then reach that goal because I didn't want to disappoint myself.

00:47:43
Speaker 5: So I think part of it is also because you've been through so much physically, you sort of for the first time maybe in your own life, you gave yourself a bit of a break to not have those hugely high expectations because you're very tough on yourself. So do you think maybe for the first time, you're like, you know what, let's just go and play and enjoy it because you're healthy and you gave yourself maybe a little bit of a break.

00:48:07
Speaker 4: Yeah, I had low expectations just because you always have.

00:48:14
Speaker 6: Yeah, everything was a win for me. Like playing a discipline point that's a win. Like being able to concentrate for five more minutes than the day before, that's a win.

00:48:29
Speaker 5: And physically being healthy that's.

00:48:33
Speaker 6: That's like just everything, like not freaking double faulting ten times because I'm freaking out, like seriously like that, Like that's why my serve got so much better because.

00:48:47
Speaker 5: You worked on it.

00:48:48
Speaker 6: Well, first of all, I worked on it, but I just like was happy to be playing to freaking make it rather than hit the biggest second serve of my life and not make it, you know, like the little thing, Like.

00:49:02
Speaker 4: I would rather.

00:49:04
Speaker 6: Make it and then hit a winner then, because I was getting angry when they would hit a winner. But that's just how woman senus works, Like, that's just how it is. But so I was accepting things.

00:49:19
Speaker 4: For what they are.

00:49:20
Speaker 6: And yeah, I had low expectations. But it's funny like now that like people say, oh, you had a couple of like great tournaments months and like it was on there really like two or three weeks. But now I kind of have expectations that, well, I've been an on and I made quarters of Miami or second week of Indian wells that like I should back it up.

00:49:48
Speaker 5: And so how do you how so be your best be like your own doubles partner? What would you tell yourself now then? Because you've had a couple of tough losses over the last weeks seven six and the third, and you're going to a Grand Slam first time, you know, since the Austrain Open, you have an opportunity to do well at a Grand Slam. So what do you what do you tell and this is for other people at home or people that are listening, what would you as you as a doubles partner or as a coach to yourself? What would you what's the best thing that you could tell yourself?

00:50:17
Speaker 6: Now, Well, I actually was writing things down like in my like at dual journal, so I kind of like set goals and I think and then I have like I've made a diary that like I have a section like from each month, like a goal, and then what I've learned. And then I kind of went back on what I've learned from March from when I did well in Guadalajara and Indos Miami that trip, and it said that I was enjoying the small wins and I was having lower expectations like smaller goals, but then.

00:51:05
Speaker 4: They were more achievable.

00:51:08
Speaker 9: So I was like, hmm, that's that's right, Like why all of a sudden I have like high expectations, like I'm not I'm not saying like I'm just here as a tourist role garretson.

00:51:23
Speaker 5: Although we haven enjoyed ourselves. But and nobody has a TikTok like you. Nobody has a TikTok account like you.

00:51:31
Speaker 4: But I literally wrut down, okay, like.

00:51:35
Speaker 6: I haven't played a click court season and I haven't had the singles with and I literally just wrote, let's have one singles win, like I'll be happy with that and then it can take me anywhere, like I don't know, I mean.

00:51:50
Speaker 3: And.

00:51:53
Speaker 6: Just just that like and I'm just gonna enjoy the small whens along the way for like preparing, like I'm excited we're in doubles finals, like play on Saturday. It's been fun and it's funny, like playing with Nicole, I'm I think it's like I'm so much more positive on a double score, Like I'm pretty positive when I'm playing well, but I can get angry with myself. And I was just like thinking, imagine if I was like getting angry at Nicole, like if she would miss.

00:52:37
Speaker 5: Yeah, you treat yourself worse than you treat your partner.

00:52:39
Speaker 6: Like if she would miss like a smash or an easy shot, Like I wouldn't just be like, oh my god, you're an idiot, but that's something I would say to myself and then yeah, like I'm like, okay, I need to be more. I need to talk to myself the way I talk to pretend that like there's someone playing with me like a partner.

00:53:04
Speaker 5: So other than that, which I think is a great thing, what would you go back and tell your eighteen year old self, the person the kid that moved from Russia to Australia. What would you tell them now if you could whisper in their.

00:53:20
Speaker 6: Good move, the you move to Australia. Yeah, I mean I'll literally be like, yeah, go Justlian move. I don't know, that's a hard one because I still feel like an eighteen year old sometimes sometimes I think I would be I would say, don't be so hard on yourself. Enjoy and enjoy every little moment because there's so many things you can like, there's so many Seriously, there's so many little things that make me happy. And like now that I recognize now, I just like I'm a lot more positive. Like even like I get happy at the if I'm staying at the hotel that has like a really strong hot shower, Like that makes me really like small things you don't understand. Yeah, and yeah, like because I think when I was eighteen, I was not aware of.

00:54:27
Speaker 4: Things that were like kind of making me happy. I don't know if it makes.

00:54:31
Speaker 5: Sense yeah, that makes sense. Well, now you're a married woman, you're a mother of a child of ducks, and so you know, yeah, life has definitely changed over the last ten years. But it's been great to sort of see it all happen and all the ups and downs and the physicality that you know, physical problems you've had and the injuries, and as your friend, I have to say, it's been really remarkable and it's been really nice to see you continually always fight back with exactly the same attitude, which is always just that joyful person to be around. And it's great to see you back, Dasha, And so thanks for joining me today. Thanks, good luck in Paris.

00:55:09
Speaker 4: Let's go just one win, guys.

00:55:13
Speaker 5: Just one win, because you get one, I'll bet.

00:55:15
Speaker 4: You get right.

00:55:19
Speaker 5: Thanks Gush.