2025 Predictions, Part 1: The Women

00:00:04
Speaker 1: Hi everyone, and welcome to the Rene Snubs Tennis podcast.

00:00:18
Speaker 2: It is time Petco. I am joined by Andrea Pekovich, of course, the great, the one, the only Caitlin. She has other things to do today, doing cookies. Yeah, she's eating cookies today. But we are going to discuss the upcoming Australian pan favorites. What our thoughts are, et cetera, et cetera. Let's let's start. First of all, give a give a little bit of a synopsis for someone who's European or American who has to go down to Australia and how difficult that transition is to go from really cold weather like it is in New York right now, and Europe and and and head down to a Brisbane or Auckland not so much, but certainly Brisbane where it's so freaking hot, so freaking humid. Like, how difficult is that transition?

00:01:06
Speaker 3: Definitely not easy. Doesn't become easier the older you are. I think most players, I think most players will have a pit stop in Dubai, which a lot of them do now, where they practice for a week or two in Dubai get adjusted. But I do have to say Dubai at this time is beautiful in a sense of perfect. Weather's kind of like la. Yeah, yeah, it's not. It's dry, it's warm, but it gets cool in the night, it gets cool in the mornings. It's not really ideal when you go to Brisbane and it just knocks you off your feet because it's humid and hot, or it can be humid and hot.

00:01:42
Speaker 2: No, albert is not can be always is. Brisbane is like Florida in summer.

00:01:46
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's just Melbourne is different. Melbourne.

00:01:49
Speaker 2: Yes, dry heat, yeah, fucking dry heat. It can be like you know, one hundred.

00:01:54
Speaker 3: And we see it sometimes with players like I don't know if you remember Garbinia Muguruzo had to retire in her first round match. I think it was against Putin Sieva one time in Brisbane with cramps and everyone's like, she's coming from the off season. Why is she cramping and these.

00:02:08
Speaker 2: Sweating out like a yes, a bucket of water every five minutes.

00:02:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, this is the reason. Because she practiced in Marbea, which is in Spain where you can practice during the during the winter outside it's like fifteen sixteen degrees European, so it's cool, like you can sixty five degrees, Yeah, exactly, but you can practice outside and it's windy. And so she came to Brisbane and came to Brisbane. Sorry, Brisbane came a bit late. And then even though she was in the best shape possible because she played I think quarters at the Australian opened just a few weeks later and she lost with match points against Naomi Osaka, who then ended up winning your show. So she was clearly in great shape, but that will knock you out. So that's definitely part of why, and a lot of the top players it has to be set, especially the men, because for them the season starts even or ends even later. A lot of the men take the first two weeks in Australia as part of the preparation.

00:03:07
Speaker 2: As part of the Novak's playing Brisbane this year, I believe coming up, so I want it so so yeah, so the adjustment listen, it's the one. And I joked about this with Jessica Bagoula during the Garden Cup in New York and I was like, when are you guys leaving. She's like, oh, in a week or so, and I was like, God, damn, I forgot how quickly this strain open is coming around this year because of the calendar, the way it's happening with the you know the dates this year that they're starting January twelfth. Do you remember playing in Australian Open it January twelfth or thirteenth?

00:03:37
Speaker 3: I don't think I'm that list flying out on the twenty fifth of December, so it's.

00:03:42
Speaker 2: Jessica, Gula and Ammanavarro. I was flying out on Christmas.

00:03:44
Speaker 3: Day, but I said they are doing that because I'm so bad luck.

00:03:49
Speaker 2: I go us Ozzies have to bloody be on the road nine months of the year and it's about time you guys had to suffer.

00:03:54
Speaker 3: Well, that's true, and I agree with that. All of Asia Pacific players, like Chinese players, Astam players. I don't know how you do it, and more power to you about that. But what I don't understand are they play in United Cup.

00:04:07
Speaker 2: So are playing United Cup? Coco's playing the United Cup, Jessica's playing Brisbane, emmon of Ours playing Brisbane.

00:04:12
Speaker 3: I know that, okay, because the United Cup. Because I fly out on the twenty fifth, I land on the twenty seventh in the morning and I have to work two hours later and I'm on broadcasting. I don't need to adjust to no time zone. I don't need to be there a week earlier. So I'm flying in the last possible moment possible, just so I can still make it and give myself a three four hour period in case something gets awry. But these girls, they need to adjust to the time zone, and they are trying, off, of course, also to have Christmas at home possibly, So this is going to cut it very close.

00:04:44
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's not it's not easy for the Americans and for the Europeans.

00:04:48
Speaker 3: But the rest of the years now, yes, the rest of the years.

00:04:52
Speaker 2: Because then you know, all in Europe you're like, oh, let me just jump in my car and drive something flying off, Like Australians have to fly twenty four hours to get anyway any so we're very excited about that. So that's sort of like how do you adjust? You suffer. If you see a European come to Brisbane and you see them go out to practice for the first time they come back in, they literally look like a beatroot.

00:05:14
Speaker 3: They are also so paleless when I see myself, when I see myself on photos in Brisbane.

00:05:20
Speaker 2: Like, oh my god, how am I? So I look like that?

00:05:22
Speaker 3: Also the first two days. So the first day you usually would just hit very easily, not exert yourself too much. But then on the second day you have to already play points and work out a little bit tougher. And I never, for even after sixteen years on tour, I would still have this moment of desperation. I didn't do my job in my off season because on the first day in Brisbane, after twenty hours of a flight and in this new, new climate and new time zone, you're like, I am dying after ten minutes of hitting the ball. What is wrong with me? I did everything wrong? And then after three days you're there and everything is fine.

00:06:00
Speaker 2: That's how I feel when I play tennis now every single time. Oh my god, I'm going to die. We always do this for a living. I'm always jet likeged I'm always adjusting to the time zone and the heat. So let's talk about our favorites. What we expect. I have to say, looking at the training schedule right now of Coco Goff on Instagram, she is putting in the work and I think after her finishing the way she did, it's going to be real interesting to see. And I do believe that she has absolutely put her hand up to be one of the favorites of the U Strain Open. So let's talk about the ladies first. Okay, who do you think is the favorite? Clearly there's a lot of stuff that can happen prior to the Austrain Open, injuries, all of that stuff happens, we know going into it. What are your thoughts, Sabalanca eager? You know we're talking about Coco obviously, Rebarkina, Like, what's going to be her deal? Like, what are your thoughts behind what you're looking forward to and who you think is the favorite going to the Strain Open.

00:06:57
Speaker 3: So my thoughts from the lady's perspective, I'm trying to keep it very concise. I think Sablenka is the overwhelming favorite, just because I know how serious she takes the off season. I know she will put in all the work, and I think she's the best hardcore player we have. I think she's proved that over the course of not only this year twenty twenty four, but also the past few years. But she's really come into herself on hard courts this year, and I think she will be the favorite. I do think I.

00:07:27
Speaker 2: Was just stretching my arms oh, okay, I thought you were showing me stop. I actually I didn't. I needed my other hand to pull my hand back, having a cramp in my left arm.

00:07:36
Speaker 3: Okay, I thought you were showing, like put your microphone closer. I'm always yelling. Yeah. And I think that Cocoa gov will be one of the favorites. I think the way she played the rest of the season after the US Open was so impressive, changing the grip on the which she needs serve she needed to do, but in the middle of the season, so much respect for that, and I think she will be one of the favorites. The one thing I will say last year at the Austrian and we talked about it, she came out so jagged from the off season that I almost felt she was two three kilos too heavy on the upper part of her body, and that's why I thought she was having trouble with her serf. Of course, through the course of the season it turned out it was also a technical issue. Not only that, because generally.

00:08:20
Speaker 2: It's all technical and then therefore it's also mental.

00:08:23
Speaker 3: So yeah, yeah, But in the beginning I was like, oh, I think she because she was so strong abroad and the thing what comes with strength is lack of agility. And I just thought she can't get into the rotation that she was able to get, So she can't get that kick and she can't.

00:08:37
Speaker 2: Get she doesn't have the boltos in the right spot.

00:08:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, and the thing, well, well right, that was then part of it. But the thing is that usually and that's why you see the players come out of the off season Jack, what happens throughout the season. You lose weight because you're competing all the time, you can't do as much weightlifting, your eating schedule is different, and so I think all of these things play part. So I just think that she has to be careful on that side in a sense. But I'm so impressed with it. I don't blocked her on Instagram because when I look at her off season, that just brings back PTSD from my off season.

00:09:12
Speaker 2: I'll let me tell you. I can tell you it would give you PTSD because it's like serious, it's so serious actually just before we get there, because I didn't even think about this person. But it'll be interesting to see a play that we have not talked about a lot very much, because she has not done very well in the last twelve months, but some of it was on the precipice of maybe breaking through is Maria Zachary, I asked you does a lot of work in the off season and works probably harder than anyone court. I mean, that girl is like a beast. What do you expect from someone like her this year? And what's her coaching situation? Because I haven't heard anything me neither.

00:09:48
Speaker 3: That's funny because last year, last week, remember I was like, do you know what Zucker is doing right now? And I don't know either.

00:09:54
Speaker 2: I do think while we do that, I'm going to look at her instagram.

00:09:56
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, yeah, Well I did look at her results after we talk, and she hasn't played since the US Opened, so she was and she retired also at the US Open, and I know that at the Olympic Games she was struggling with her shoulders. So I'm not sure if it was still the same injury at the US Open or if it was something else. But if there is any time of the year where Maria Zakari can do the most difference to work come to the other players, it's the off season. She has a god given body. She's an athlete. She would be good at any sports. If it wasn't tennis, if it was check and field, she would be good. She just has the body gifted by God that will absorb any athletic work and will just transform into this incredible athlete. And so I think this is always her time to shine. Well that part of the season.

00:10:49
Speaker 2: Speaking of you just talking about her on her Instagram, and I haven't seen her Instagram for a while. I mean, look, October fifteen, she was like doing her crazy jumping jack stuff, her intense out sessions. But then on November first, she said, feels amazing to be back on court, one step at a time. So November first, that's so she's going to have two months. That's enough. That's enough. That's enough. Two months is like we've talked about in previous podcasts, since it takes ninety days to change it, you know, a technique or maybe a thought process. I don't see who she's hitting with, so we'll see who, you know, ends up on her on her coaching bag for next year, because she's had a couple in the last year. But but yeah, it'll be interesting to see again just everything is her working out, so so we'll see. But I'll be interesting to see how she translates her tennis next year, because she certainly dropped off a lot last year. But interesting anyway, I just threw that name out.

00:11:43
Speaker 3: And I don't know why it's interesting. We hadn't really talked about it, so and just just the other people that I think we should keep an eye on, as Jess Pagoula. I think she really broke through a barrier with the final let the US Open, And I do think because I've played her many times, the Australian Open should be the best possible surface for her.

00:12:01
Speaker 2: I think Australian. I think New York too.

00:12:03
Speaker 3: I think the New York too, But Australia is even quicker, is even flatter. It's just a little especially the last few years, they made it more. How do you say, what's the opposite ladder?

00:12:14
Speaker 2: Flat?

00:12:14
Speaker 3: Yeah, just like smoother, smoother, smoother. So in her ball, I mean you've seen her head from court side her ball, it goes almost backwards bullet, Yeah, but backwards bullet. I don't know how to explain, Like if you know how spinball jumps, her ball jumps almost like a slice shot, but the quickst shot.

00:12:30
Speaker 2: Ever, She's the closest one to like playing when Lindsay Davenport played just the purity of her ball striking and mand A Nissa Mova similar, that's true, true, but Amanda hits her from a higher place because she's taller.

00:12:40
Speaker 3: Yeah, so actually similar ball, but much less pace on it. Angie Kerber because she had this weird technique and quite small, so her ball would also go so flat and down. So I think that she should feel very comfortable at the Austrian Open, especially if she has an injury free off season and is ready.

00:12:59
Speaker 2: And also you know, she practices, she spends most of her time in Florida. It's very hot. This conditions should not affect her, even though she's coming out of winter. It's still going to be a bit of a shock for her as well. But yeah, I think Jess, it will be interesting to see how she responds to coming so close at the US Open. So she knows she can make a final. She knows, you know, even in that US Open final how close she was, And I think it does make a difference when you get there, you know you can get there, So that's that part of her mentality is changed. We have to talk also about gin Win, because jin Win made the finals at this strain open last year, it was kind of like this wow moment, right, well, wow, like is this the next you know, big thing? And you know she struggled after that for a while, but then winning the Olympics and then having a great fall season as well. What do you think about her next year? Because talk about somebody, this is what I'd love about the girls at the top. Now, the women at the top, some people get so mad, I say, dan't call them girls. I'm like, I get over they're girls. But it's like, what do you mean.

00:13:56
Speaker 3: They're mostly are girls? Yeah, like seventeen year.

00:13:59
Speaker 2: Olds, Yeah, exactly of that, exactly when they're half my age or more to me, they're girls. But when you think about the women at the top, the sable Ancas, the Eggers, the chin Wins, Paulini, I guess sort of Cocoa goth, they really want it.

00:14:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:14:18
Speaker 2: Like they really want to really, Like you would say, there's been players in the top five that you're like, do they really want it or they just really good? They're really good, But do they really want to suffer? Do they really want to feel the pain of losing? Like do they hate losing more than they like winning, and I would say argue that most of them do. I think Rebekina as the type of player that doesn't really I don't know how much she hurts when she loses, but she believes that she can be and she's put it out there. She wants to be number one in the world.

00:14:49
Speaker 3: Well and with Rebecca and I think she's just in general and emotionally. She says always, I have a big emotional in her life, but I think she in general just goes through her emotions in a less flashy manner than others. And I think we know these people, but.

00:15:03
Speaker 2: It Amanavara, she don't like she cares, Yeah exactly, we know she.

00:15:06
Speaker 3: Cares, Yeah exactly. That's it. But that's a good point. I think with Chin when what my prediction is she will have a phenomenal year twenty twenty five, I don't think she will be able to repeat Yeshane Open because it's the first time she has to defend a huge result and I think she will struggle with that. I think she's much better than most of the of the main jaw so she will definitely make the second week, but I don't think she will get as far as last year. And then she will have a phenomenal season. I think it's just an experience you have to go through one time, and I think she will and she will do well fourth round or quarters, but I don't think she will repeat it, that's my prediction. And then after that, I think she will end this season in the top five, top five. She's five now.

00:15:48
Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, she's five now what a great prediction.

00:15:50
Speaker 3: Yes, but I think she will like be a perennial top five, as steady top five with possibilities to be even it's tough because everyone is so good. I don't think she it's going to be to be tough to be.

00:16:04
Speaker 2: As I think that she absolutely with Para Riba as well. The thought process has to be for her to do well at the strainer open do well, but my god, like you know, whenever one's like, I mean, Ega is such a lock at the French But I gotta tell you chin Win can play on clay.

00:16:21
Speaker 3: Yeah, she just has to figure out her movement because sometimes and that's not always, and she trains in Barcelona. She will figure this out in like a hot second. Probably Sometimes she hits the ball and then slides and it costs you two three meters, right. You see that with Americans a lot, and she does it right most of the time, but she still sometimes has it once she gets that perfected. From now, let's say seventy five percent correct to ninety percent correct. She will be the biggest rival for Ega. She beat her at the Olympic Games. Yeah, on the Philip shatriecord. She will be the biggest rival in the French Open because theforehand is so fucking heavy. And it's a similar thing with IgA. You can't rush her on clay as well as you can on hard courts, right, because you can rush Hea on hard courts. We talked about it after the final against Arena Sabalenka. Arena kept serving that slice.

00:17:10
Speaker 2: Wife, she really wants it, like you can see it in her face. She ain't messing around, she ain't making friends, She's not shaking hands nicely. She's like, I want to beat you bitches, Like I don't care, I don't want to make friends with you. She said it, you can't press. I think the thing with her is that she has gained so much confidence about how good she is and can be. Like it's one thing when you think you have the capacity to maybe win a slam, or get to a final, or beat these top players and all that sort of. But it's another when you start actually having the result and you start beating, Like beating Ega in Paris on that court has to give her so much confidence thinking why not? Why not me win the French Open next year? But before we get to the French obviously she's gonna have to defend her finals to these straight open points, but she has to have a ton of confidence going in there. I think she's gonna make quarters at least, and then why not?

00:18:21
Speaker 1: Why not?

00:18:22
Speaker 3: Well, I agree with you. I think that she has now as have maybe all of the top five, or at least the Sablenkas, Fiontec's, the Goths and the chin wen Jangs Paulini. I'm not sure how it's going to be for her next one. Maybe we can talk about it. Just because of her physicality, it's not even the game to me. I think her game and the exuberance she has, the energy, I think it will take her long ways. It already has. I just don't know if she can keep making up for her physical or lack of physicality compared to the other big players that are pushing more and more. You know, that's the only thing. But we can talk about it just to fin on chin Wuan Jang. I do think that she has separated herself, as have the others of the top five from the rest of the pack. So even with a bad performance, I think she will win most of her matches. Whereas after the Australian Open. If you remember, she lost to oh my god, what's her name? She beat Zachary at the Australian Open in the first round last year, a small Armenian girl. She switched her citizenship.

00:19:27
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, she went, oh god, I can't remember.

00:19:29
Speaker 3: Anyway, she beat Chin Wen at the French Open, Like, how is that possible?

00:19:34
Speaker 2: We need to produce it and look that up for us.

00:19:36
Speaker 3: Yes, I will look at a sorrier. No.

00:19:43
Speaker 2: I love that Jesse is telling us this. We're supposed to be the bloody tennis But although you are kind of obsessed, Okay, we're going to.

00:19:51
Speaker 3: Talk about Avanian.

00:19:54
Speaker 2: There we go. We figured out it's like it's like two words, one word, one syllable.

00:19:59
Speaker 3: Anyway, and I think those kind of losses will happen less and less to her because she lost to Son. I think at Wimbledon yes, who had a great run, so it wasn't that bad of a lost looking back Newcomer of the Year WT exactly. But she lost her son at Wimbledon, and she lost to Avenisia and at the French Open. And I think those type of losses, I think she's improved too much to have those as frequently as she had last year. Because last year, if you look at it, four slams too good, too kind of for a top five player, not so good, right, And I think those things will in the past for junk Genuay.

00:20:32
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that she is going to have a good year next year. I think that, you know, above everything, and I really believe this. You gotta want it. You gotta want it every week. You've got to want to win every match, and if you have that capability and that sort of mental fortitude, you will win a lot of matches that you might have lost prior. Because now she's going to really want to refuse to lose. You've got to refuse to lose if you want to be great, you want to be you can't be like well, I doesn't feel like it today, you know, you know what it's like. But yeah, so I think she's going to have a great So.

00:21:03
Speaker 3: What do you think about Paulini? Do you think she can repeat even repeat, because.

00:21:09
Speaker 2: A repeat like two Grand Slam finals.

00:21:11
Speaker 3: But repeat a top eight season. She's in the top yes, five, But can she be in the top I did? I think there would be an incredible success if she did, think I do.

00:21:20
Speaker 2: I think that she understands that she's probably got a window of about three or four years to really capitalize on her age, on her experience, and on how well she plays. You know, as you know, it gets harder when she get to the mid thirties. I mean, she's in an age what twenty eight now, and she's kind of for me, twenty eight is really starting to be the prime. Not to say that players can't be great at twenty clearly eager. Yeah, And when I mean all these players, Sabalanca, they're all done really well in their twenties early twenties. But I just think she asn't. She's a true all court player. You know, she can come to the net, she has good volleys, she's looking to move forward like all those things. And she doesn't have a weakness, Like there's not a weakness in her game. She really can hit every shot for.

00:22:01
Speaker 3: Her, scept that she doesn't get free points on her search.

00:22:03
Speaker 2: She doesn't get free points in her serve. But for someone who's so small, her serve is.

00:22:09
Speaker 3: Great, no, incredible, It is late, no, no, she is incredible for what physicality she has.

00:22:17
Speaker 2: It's just pretty good free points. I would like to look up actually the stats that she has on first serve percentages for the year. That would be an interesting look for her. And her second serve is not overly attackable. I mean she it's a really nice kick serve. I think she just doesn't have a lot of weaknesses. So I think the only thing that's going to stop her is she plays against a player that maybe overpowers her slightly. But I see her doing great on clay. There's no surface that she can't play on. I think she's going to have I think she'll be in the top ten for sure throughout the entire year next year, even with the points that she.

00:22:48
Speaker 3: Has, Yeah, how will that go? What do you think?

00:22:51
Speaker 2: I think she's going to do very very well. I think she's a player that's going to be a perennial quarter finalist at Grand Slams all the time. And I think, you know, and pushing through the semis and finals, and I think she can be anyone on any given day. You know, it's just how much do you hate to lose? And that's what's going to come down to how well she can played through the years.

00:23:18
Speaker 3: So here are the stats. And I think there will be a problem next year because I do think she went on energy and exuberants this year and if she just likes one percent of this, this will become a problem. She has eighty nine aces in the whole of season twenty twenty four hundred five double faults, so fifteen more double faults than aces. Okay, first serf in the court is sixty seven percent. Out of those sixty seven percent that she makes on average, she only wins sixty two percent of those first serves.

00:23:49
Speaker 2: And while we're.

00:23:50
Speaker 3: A top five player, I always obviously always, I know we always wants.

00:23:54
Speaker 2: To return return is did they have what she is ranked on serve and say, don't happen?

00:24:00
Speaker 3: That makes me so angry. You know, we have such great return points one she has forty five, so she's very good on second return. Like when the opponents second serve, she's really good. She wins fifty five percent of those points. So she is an incredible And again, when we talk about just me and Paulini, I'm comparing her to IgA, Saballenka, Rebeckena, Goth and Hinwin. These are the players I'm comparing her to her. That she is an incredible player and is maybe the most fun to watch without.

00:24:32
Speaker 2: Sorry, she's my favorite.

00:24:33
Speaker 3: Yeah comes without a saying, and I think again, I always have to say it every time, but it is something that I think is worth repeating. When we criticize players, we criticize them on the highest level possible. I'm not comparing just mean even to.

00:24:48
Speaker 2: Me what you're saying, Italy, please don't attack.

00:24:52
Speaker 3: No, they can attack me. I love just me and I've always talked right. I just think that there's nothing to be a problem for her. She's just fantastic, exactly. There is nothing to say. And if I could sign a paper that gives me just me and Paulini in the top five at the end of twenty twenty five, I would sign it in this moment and give half of my sol away for this. This is how much I care about it.

00:25:12
Speaker 2: I think she's going to be top ten throughout the whole year. As I said, even with the two finals of the Slams, because I think she's going to be incredibly consistent all year. Because think about it, this year was her real first, real big year. The year before a little better right.

00:25:26
Speaker 3: Doing well finally and the end of the year she really came.

00:25:29
Speaker 2: In, really came on. But this year she really played well. Right, So think about how much confidence she would have gained from this whole experience of this year and winning Grand Slams in doubles and having the results that she's.

00:25:42
Speaker 3: Had and gold medal at the Olympius.

00:25:44
Speaker 2: She knows she can play against all these players on any given day, and she hits the crap out of the ball for someone so little, so like Dominique Sibelkova, I mean just crack crash.

00:25:53
Speaker 3: And it always makes me angry. With Jess and with Paulini. Some people who comment on their games they see their size and not like, oh, they are solid players, they are pushers. I'm like, have you ever seen them play?

00:26:05
Speaker 2: God?

00:26:07
Speaker 3: Exactly?

00:26:07
Speaker 2: Collini and Pogola play.

00:26:09
Speaker 3: What is wrong with people? It makes me always angry. But this just comes to tell you that how the appearance comes, it often just sways people in their opinion. But one thing that was really interesting that you said. You said, twenty eight has become the prime of tennis players. And there is a really interesting study in baseball which says that the actual biological peak performance is in explosive things like baseball, hitting the thing, pitching, hitting the thing the thing. I clearly don't know much about baseball is twenty three. So this is the peak performance a twenty people.

00:26:42
Speaker 2: But are the Mets for paying that much money for fe Well?

00:26:45
Speaker 3: Wait, the actual peak performance is around twenty eight because the experience gained in the five years prior not only makes up for the loss of explosiveness, but overpowers the loss of explosiveness after twenty eight. Sorry to say, things go backwards strongly, but interestingly, in tennis it has gotten to the same level whereas it used to be twenty five twenty four. Right, my peak was, I would say between twenty.

00:27:13
Speaker 2: Twenty nine where I started really feeling it.

00:27:15
Speaker 3: Also, it depends a little bit on your injuries, Right, I had a very bad injury in the beginning of so I think my I peaked a bit earlier and my body aged a bit earlier because of the compensation. I started having chronic pain in my knees when I was twenty eight because I had an ACL with nineteen. But I think generally, as Angie, she played the best tennis between teny seven and thirty thirty one. So and you have many players that just mean Paulini.

00:27:40
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I think judsmine as well as is just a really true all core player, and I think it takes longer to develop that game all bashers.

00:27:48
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:27:49
Speaker 2: So yeah, so I think she's gonna have a good year. What about Coco? What do we think the chances are? Listen, I would not have said this four months ago. I certainly wouldn't have said it the US Open. But I think she's absolutely equal footing as the favorite of the Train Open.

00:28:04
Speaker 3: We've talked about it briefly when before your computer went to shite. To me the second favorite for the Austrian Open, and just slightly behind Arena Sabalenka. I still view Arena Sabalanka as the best hardcore player, and I think she should be the favorite. I think with Rebecca now we don't know yet. Having a new coach sometimes takes a while before everything works out that you worked on. But for me, Arena Sabalenka is the favorite and just right behind her to me as Cocoa gov especially with what she showed in the last two months of the season and that grip change. To me, this is the most impressive thing to in the middle of the season, not only with the.

00:28:42
Speaker 2: Grip change, but also the serve, particularly the second serve. I want to see what she's developed on the second surf because for me, if she can get the second serve to a point where it's just very good, there's not a lot of losses. I mean, you think about it. You know, she lost a match to Sabolenka this year hitting twenty one double faults. Twenty one double faults and still almost won the match, So you know, this is a person that we know. Once she gets those little flaws under control, everything else is so good competitively, athletically, the backhand, she can get better with her volleys. There's a lot of things that she can prove on. So we're going to take a pause now, but yes, we'll be back.