US Open Preview

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Instead, she's like carrying on like an absolute pickled.

00:00:15
Speaker 2: Hello, Renee, what do you say it like that?

00:00:18
Speaker 1: Like you're I don't know, you're in an echo chamber.

00:00:22
Speaker 2: I'm thinking I head to the beer that I'm going to drink after we are dout recording this.

00:00:26
Speaker 3: I don't know if I have a beer in my fridge, but I have a lot of wine. I have a lot of rose, and I have a lot of prosecco. It's the summer of rose, so I guess I'll take one of those. And I think I may have drunk the last beer last night with my neighbors.

00:00:37
Speaker 2: Let's get our minds around what's about to happen. It is the final Grande summer of the year. We've had incredibly interesting tennis seasons of far, and we have so so many things to discuss, including a number of questions from people who listened to our podcast. So thank you for listening, Thank you for asking questions. Keep it up? Where should we stay it?

00:00:54
Speaker 3: Well, first of all, I just want to say how great it is for the both of us to be in our city for a Grand Slam.

00:01:02
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:01:02
Speaker 3: Of course, you don't even need to sleep on my couch, which is great because god knows you did during Wimbledon, lucky and little because you fit really well. Okay, well yeah, let's get into the last Grand Slam, I mean, of the year. It's pretty amazing actually when you think about it, what's sort of happened and transpired again in women's tennis that we don't have a dominant world number one, We don't have a dominant player. We've had number of different Grand Slam winners. Again, obviously Hallip is a reoccurring Slam champion over the last couple of years, like Kerber, but you know, we had Ash Barty at the French and Naomi Osaka of course back to back US Open Australian Open. How she going to do it this US Open. It's been a tough grind for her since winning the Australian Open.

00:01:42
Speaker 2: Although now she's back at number one and she is back in number one, King degree game for him, which is one of the sort of Twitter fights that I had over the last couple of weeks.

00:01:50
Speaker 1: You know how I like to have Twitter fights.

00:01:52
Speaker 3: But you know, one of the things that I brought up on Twitter was that, you know, everybody losing their mind about Naomi Saka losing a match and then still being number one at the end of the week. Like you guys have to remember, she has points on her ranking of winning this Strain Open and winning the US Open.

00:02:08
Speaker 1: I mean those are enormous amount of points.

00:02:10
Speaker 3: Very hard to catch somebody when they've got two Grand Slam titles in their pocket.

00:02:14
Speaker 2: Well, let miss happy just for a second, because I think what people don't understand, and I don't understand it very well, is how it changes so much week to week. So can you talk a little bit about how the points fall off if you don't defend. If you did well in a certain part of the year one year and you don't do as well in that same part of the year, it's considered you having failed to defend your points. So is that is that what it?

00:02:33
Speaker 3: Yeah, so it's a fifty two week rotation for example, So there might have been a period maybe Naomi I wouldn't I'd have to look at how she did, for example, at the tournaments when she dropped and when she went to one. And you think about ash Barty, for example, who didn't have a ton of points to defend in the middle part or actually at the start of the year to be honest, she had a good year last year at the beginning. She had a really great end of the year. But she had a good, solid year last year, but it wasn't like there was no standout, like you know, victory.

00:03:01
Speaker 1: Then all of a sudden, she.

00:03:02
Speaker 3: Wins Miami, okay, So she adds x amount of points a huge amount of points on a ranking there, and she has a really solid run throughout that, and then she wins the French Open, which is a huge amount of points that she's added on. Now, for example, Hallap who had the French Open points on her ranking, they dropped off, you know, because she didn't win the French again. So she goes from I don't even know, let's take a guest five thousand points and bang loses two thousand points right there. If you don't make at least the semis all the final, you're winning a great huge amount of points that are on the calendar.

00:03:32
Speaker 2: So maybe the best way to think.

00:03:35
Speaker 3: And then Hallup also won Canada. Okay, So she won the French Open last year and she won Canada, which are two huge tournaments on her and she didn't defend those points. But she won Wimbledon, so she put the points on that she lost in the French Okay this year, and someone like ash Barty, who didn't have to defend a lot of the points from last year, has added a huge amount of points.

00:03:54
Speaker 2: Now.

00:03:54
Speaker 1: Naomi, for example, will I don't know what she's going to drop to if she doesn't win the US Open. Certainly if she makes the finals, that'll help her.

00:04:01
Speaker 3: It'll buffer some of the points that she will lose, But then you'll see her drop probably I don't know, five or six ranking spots, got it. But she still has ustrain open points on her on her she.

00:04:14
Speaker 2: Won't drop too far.

00:04:15
Speaker 3: She won't drop too far because she has the defense. She has these strain open points on her.

00:04:18
Speaker 2: So it sounds like not to get too you know particular about this, but it sounds like what it is is essentially like a hovering number or maybe a race, and people can pull ahead or fall behind, but it's not so much so that the rankings take immediate effect for visa viyear results in one particular match or two, which is why I think so many people were so sort.

00:04:37
Speaker 3: Of yeah, because they're like, well, how can she's been playing so terrible all year? I'm like, yeah, but she has two Grand Slam titles on her on her rankings.

00:04:44
Speaker 1: Still and unless somebody does that same thing.

00:04:47
Speaker 3: For example, that's why Ash was able to overhaul her because Ash put on she had the win in Miami and.

00:04:54
Speaker 1: The win at the French Open.

00:04:55
Speaker 3: Those points catapulted her over Naomi because Naomi maybe lost a couple of points that she had made up over the French Open.

00:05:02
Speaker 2: Time right, and Naomi presumably did not do well at last year's French Open either, so that period of the year is probably pretty weak for her, okay, So going into it in terms of the women's side of the draw, it's super fascinating to me. I mean, I am always usually more excited about the women's side, just because we do have such a rotating cast of characters who can go deep. There's a super super interesting contrast in styles. And you know, obviously having had three different women win three different slams Naomi and Australia, we had Wimbledon, and then between the two of them we had Ash Party at the French So you know, any one of those three is your favorite? Is there a favorite? Is that even a relevant question in the women's side of the draw. No, there's no favorite.

00:05:44
Speaker 3: That truly is no favorite going into the You know, Halla was the favorite of the French because she was defending champion, but also she would say that, you know, clay is her favorite, and.

00:05:51
Speaker 2: She had made a final before, two finals before, and look at what she did.

00:05:55
Speaker 3: She won on grass at Wimbledon. You know, so there's just no predictability in women's tennis.

00:06:00
Speaker 1: I mean, ash.

00:06:01
Speaker 3: Barty would have said if if she was going, if you would have said to all right, you're going to win either the French or Wimbledon prior to one of those two and I said to it, no, no, you are going to win one of them. Which one would you think it would be? She would probably say Wimbledon. So you know, it's now just proving.

00:06:16
Speaker 2: To you that, first of all, the surfaces.

00:06:18
Speaker 1: Are all bloody blending into the same as far as speed of cord is concerned. I mean even the grass is slow. But there's just it just shows you the depth of women's senus and if somebody has.

00:06:27
Speaker 3: A little bit of an off day, people are now willing to step up and win those matches.

00:06:32
Speaker 2: So it's huge.

00:06:33
Speaker 1: I mean, one of the most consistent players at slam level, really of the last.

00:06:36
Speaker 3: Two years has been Serena. You know, she's been the finals now back to you know, Wimbledon.

00:06:40
Speaker 2: She's been the finals of US Open.

00:06:42
Speaker 3: Last year she made you know, a deep run in Australia, lost that you know, heartbreaking match with Plishkova, but you know she's there. Yeah, and she's she's probably my favorite to if she can physically handle it to win the US Open, because you have to pick somebody who's done it twenty three times and who's also been in the final a number of times since coming back emotionally, can she handle it and win of twenty fourth this is a big one. US Open has always been the hardest emotionally for her to win because it's so so much of her time is pulled aside doing other things here and obviously she wants to win the United States more than anything, so it would meet to say that her person at age n eighteen. Yeah, and she wants to desperately win one as a mom and obviously equal the record. So there's a lot on the line for Serena, but she's still if I had to pick one person who's my.

00:07:29
Speaker 1: Favorite, it would be her.

00:07:30
Speaker 3: But she has an interesting first round against Maria Sharapova, so all eyewalls will be on that listen. Serena will dominate the match. I feel she's dominated the matches over Maria. Maria has barely played matches this year, So that in itself is if you have to pick a winner, I mean you have to pick Serena.

00:07:48
Speaker 1: By a long way.

00:07:49
Speaker 3: But just the fact that the intrigue of the relationship of those two and you know what they've brought to win Miss Tennis over the last ten fifteen years, which is, you know, an enormous amount of spotlight.

00:08:00
Speaker 1: Just you know, ESPN couldn't be happier.

00:08:02
Speaker 2: Well, I said something insane where a lot of fans were saying, oh, it's rigged, the USTA rigged it. It's not rigged. People trust me.

00:08:10
Speaker 3: They don't want Maria and Serena playing in the first round, the playing in the quarters.

00:08:13
Speaker 2: Porn for each of them to have their own night sessions separately and then meeting, as you say, in the quarters. The same thing with Dyokovic and Federer and we'll get to the man in a minute, but the same thing with them being the same half like, well, how can you believe it? It's like, well, because they're that's their seedings. I don't know it's six.

00:08:27
Speaker 3: So no, it's believe me when I tell you people out there, this is what I say on Twitter. Okay, I go here, we go again.

00:08:33
Speaker 1: Kids.

00:08:34
Speaker 3: Okay, it's not rigged. Okay, So let's just get that straight. All right, all right, good, But it'll be interesting. It'll be great Monday night viewing for us tomorrow night.

00:08:43
Speaker 2: I will be there. I mean, look, elections are rigged, reality shows, fight news Caitlin, Oh yeah, but what we can say with certainty is the US Open draws are not rigged. Now let's get into some coaching news. You yourself have some news.

00:08:57
Speaker 3: Yeah, they got a call a couple of weeks ago for my old buddy, I should say, my old mate Sam Stosa. She's just looking to, you know, get a little bit of vice and a little bit of help through out the rest of this year, see if she can get a singles ranking back. We'll give it a go and see what we can come up with together. And you know, she just wanted to have someone that she trusted and respected to help her out a little bit through the end of the year. So we'll see what we can do. Hopefully, it will result in some good results for Sam over the singles over the next few months, and if not, then she'll re evaluate where she's at. And obviously also she's in i think fourth or fifth in the race in double so I'm handy to have around as far as helping with doubles as well. So yeah, it'll be fun. I'm excited about trying to help her out. And yeah, as I said, she's one of my really good friends.

00:09:45
Speaker 2: So I mean, listen, we had an incredible episode where you talked with Sam behind the scenes. And you know, one thing that I think I've asked you before, and I know a lot of people are very curious about, is how do you join a team mid year and kind of what perspective do you bring anything. Obviously you're not changing any mechanics. You're obviously not you know, doing anything that changing mechanics. Are you really in the middle of the season. Yeah, yeah, of course.

00:10:08
Speaker 3: We worked on our volleys over the last week or week or two, and you know, just sort of pointing out a couple of things just to make things a little bit more clear in her head.

00:10:17
Speaker 1: Working.

00:10:18
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm constantly always, you know, it doesn't matter how old you are and how long you've been out here, you're always tinkering with getting better.

00:10:26
Speaker 1: Look at Roger, I mean his backhand for example.

00:10:28
Speaker 2: Over the last four years short a backswen. I think that's coming from Lubachis.

00:10:32
Speaker 3: I really believe that Luba Chi has made a resounding difference with Roger Feeder's back end because Lubachi's, you know, his backhand was so beautiful and he took it on the rise so well that I think he's influenced Roger in how to hit that shot better.

00:10:44
Speaker 1: There's no doubt in my mind.

00:10:47
Speaker 3: So yeah, we're always tinking around with stuff. And then another interesting coaching situation is, of course Kamale Murray is back with Sloan Stevens. A feeling that was going to happen at some point. I just think that you know, when you've had a really good relationship to say there's going to work again.

00:11:01
Speaker 1: Sometimes it's like you know when you when you.

00:11:03
Speaker 3: Partner cheats on you and you think, oh, I'm gonna make this work and you give it a good old try again, then you realize, now I really didn't cheat on you for a reason, I hate you.

00:11:11
Speaker 2: This is the relationship advised Porson.

00:11:13
Speaker 1: Of Oh yeah, well anyway, but yeah, they're good luck to them. But you know, we'll see what happens.

00:11:18
Speaker 3: Obviously, she's been in and out, you know, a couple of different She had spen Gruenfeld, she was working with her a little bit.

00:11:23
Speaker 1: But sometimes it's just you just take the advice you just take. You just get a better feeling with certain people.

00:11:29
Speaker 3: And I think that her and Comal, obviously, I don't know, they hit a wall there for a little bit. And Camal's really busy with his with his academy in Chicago, and you know, maybe Sloane wadded him on the road more and maybe he couldn't provide. But bottom line is is that, you know, they work really well together. So we'll see if that turns out to be a good move for her. She's got a pretty tough draw at the US.

00:11:48
Speaker 1: Open throughout, but you know, everybody knows when Sloane gets on a roll, Oh boy is she good.

00:11:53
Speaker 3: So obviously for American tennis. I mean I said when she made the finals of Paris, I thought she could win upputs of five Grand Slam, single scrand Slam. She's good enough to win on any surface in particular on hortcourt.

00:12:04
Speaker 1: So and I'm client. I mean, she proted that at the French so I think it's a good move. So we'll see what happened.

00:12:09
Speaker 2: Let me ask you just a coaching question, because I have my own opinions, especially in what I love so much about hearing on coaching during televised matches, is you get some insight into what's going on in players heads. Obviously you're right there with them. And I have to say I was pretty underwhelmed by what Jermaine Jenkins was talking to Naomi Osak about over the summer. You know, he was her hitting partner for he was Serena's hitting partner for a while. He comes from the Jenkins family, many of whom I know and love because they're Atlanta guys. And there's five brothers overall, a couple of all Americans, a couple played you know, lower level on the tour. You know, and after Australia where Naomi decided to stop working with Sasha bai Jin, which you know, having won two Grand Slams in a row was an eyebrow raising a true question and eyebrow raising decisions certainly, you know, I was sort of wondering what exactly, you know, what kind of hands she was in with Jermaine, who's never coached anybody.

00:13:05
Speaker 1: But so I haven't heard any of his uncuote coaching, So what was.

00:13:08
Speaker 2: Your he was She was smiling and kind of trying out a newer, less dour kind of on court demeanor. Huh, I want to this I think was in uh Toronto or perhaps Cincinnati, and want a pretty tight first set tiebreaker seven to five, And he said, I don't know what you're out here smiling about. Do you have nothing to smile about? You know, I need you to take this more seriously. She dumps the second set and kind of shrugs off his advice, regains her sort of giggly kind of like having a good time form, and goes on to sort of dominate in the third and win the match. And I thought to myself, now, why would you say something to derail a winning player's If somebody's winning in a match, seems like a dumb time to sort of offer countervailing advice. It's not the only time I heard him sort of not offer much or in this case, I would say, maybe offer something that I would perceive to be kind of counterintuitive.

00:13:59
Speaker 3: Really well, I think, okay, so I it's just one anct. Obviously I didn't see it, so I don't want to comment on you know, Jermaine and what happened and what didn't happen and.

00:14:08
Speaker 1: If it was right or wrong.

00:14:10
Speaker 3: The one thing that you have to know as a coach is what what does your play?

00:14:16
Speaker 1: How does your player play their best tennis?

00:14:18
Speaker 3: And if it is being relaxed, if it's being gigly, if it's being a certain way, then you have to allow them to be that way and you have to recognize that if it's sometimes a player gets a little bit, you know, with Carolina for example, you know sometimes you know they would lose she would lose a little bit of focus, and with the way she plays, the more focus and more aggressive she was, the better she would play. So there are times that you had to sort of lighten the situation up and make them feel like like.

00:14:47
Speaker 2: The world is not falling.

00:14:48
Speaker 3: But also at the same time, there are times where you've got to refocus them.

00:14:52
Speaker 1: So it just depends on knowing your player.

00:14:54
Speaker 2: You have to know where your where's.

00:14:56
Speaker 1: Your player's best tennis going to come from?

00:14:58
Speaker 2: Is it going to be relaxed. Is it going to be super focused?

00:15:00
Speaker 3: Do they have problems with like taking walkabouts as we say, you know, and like three games go by and they haven't hit three balls in the court, and you're just.

00:15:07
Speaker 2: Like, what the Fuck's very familiar with walkabouts in my own but you know.

00:15:10
Speaker 1: It happens, so you might need to go out and be like, yo, we need to refocus now because we.

00:15:16
Speaker 3: Know that you can only have a thirty minute span of concentration, so let's refocus now on another thirty So that might be the case.

00:15:23
Speaker 1: I don't know. Obviously, that's their dynamic.

00:15:25
Speaker 3: And if he thinks that she needs to refocus and not be Having said that, if you look at the match and you feel like maybe she's better when she's relaxed and she's having a good time and she's enjoying herself, I don't know.

00:15:35
Speaker 1: So well, it's a very individual thing.

00:15:37
Speaker 2: I'm going to have just one more thing, which is after Naomi kind of had this period where she went through a pretty rough stretch right after you know, basically the tour came back to Europe and the States back in early you know, March or so, she really hadn't had many results up until basically the last couple of weeks on the US Open series, where she kind of seemed to put it together and towards the beginning of refinding her game, she posted a lot lengthy note on social media basically saying, Hey, you know, I feel like it's important for me to be honest about this. I have had a really rough time. I haven't been having fun out there. I think it's really showed and I want to be the kind of person who enjoys it. Enjoys it and when I'm having you know, a good time, that's the best space for me to be in mentally, and I've started to enjoy it again, you know, So thanks for bearing with me. And I'm always trying to, you know, work on my game and I'm a work in progress, which I thought was a very vulnerable and cool for you know, especially how young she is, but also sort of an indication that she had been in a headspace that was very sort of negative.

00:16:33
Speaker 3: Well you know, you know, some of it, I mean, look great and fantastic, but on the other hand, I'm like, I wish some you know, she would just like not care about what everyone thinks, you know what I mean, just who cares like she's you know, and what is she twenty? I mean, you know, look, she's got so much a potential and upswing.

00:16:49
Speaker 1: I would just be like, look, you know, let's just keep working hard.

00:16:52
Speaker 2: Let's see it.

00:16:53
Speaker 3: Just keep working hard. The results would come. You're too good to not have another result. I mean, she's won two Grand Slams at twenty. It's phenomenal.

00:17:00
Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, it's phenomenal. And I think, you know, it's probably just the year standard growing pains of somebody who's not only twenty in any context of their lives trying to get it together, but also somebody doing it under a microscope on a very high stage, being the number one player currently in the world. This brings up two kind of related subjects, one of which is on coaching. You know you mentioned to me. ESPN extended their broadcast coverage. As everybody knows who listens to this ESPN, you're a voice and everyone's ear for the duration of the two weeks that the main draw is happening. But this year they're broadcast provide a commentary for the week before.

00:17:34
Speaker 1: It was great. It was great, and we had some great matches.

00:17:37
Speaker 3: You know, even we finished off with Asia Muhammad losing seven to six and the third in her match, but we followed it right till the end, and we were supposed to be off air two and a half to three hours.

00:17:46
Speaker 1: Before that, and we covered it for another three hours.

00:17:48
Speaker 3: So you know, it's a collaboration really with the USCA and making you know, conservati effort with the ESPN to really showcase more.

00:17:55
Speaker 1: Of tennis, and it was great. We got to have access to the players.

00:17:58
Speaker 3: We interviewed so many players the whole week and got access to them on the practice court and off the practice court.

00:18:03
Speaker 1: It was really good.

00:18:05
Speaker 3: And players are a little bit more relaxed because they're in a practice week than not in a matches, so that you know when they're doing.

00:18:10
Speaker 1: When they're playing matches, they're being asked.

00:18:13
Speaker 3: And prodded to do so much and their days are long, so it was really really great for us. The on care coaching was really interesting because you had players like walking over and talking to their coaches and some weren't even taking time outbreaks and sitting down.

00:18:30
Speaker 1: And you know, would prefer to get coaching.

00:18:33
Speaker 3: And then you know, we had the most dramatic match I think I've ever seen in my whole life with Sasha Vickory playing shini.

00:18:39
Speaker 1: Kova went down to the Y seven six.

00:18:42
Speaker 3: And third and an incredibly hot, hot, hot day, probably the hottest day we've had in New York this year, and that went for god knows how long.

00:18:50
Speaker 1: But Susha Vickory through this match was just, honest to god, she.

00:18:54
Speaker 3: Seriously needs to like reevaluate her career because I mean, from two at two to one in the first out, she is smashing rackets. It's two to one, wow, like you know, and like banging rackets and she, you know, eventually finally got a warning, and I mean she's losing her fucking.

00:19:11
Speaker 1: Mind on the court. I mean that's coming from me.

00:19:14
Speaker 3: I mean I used to lose my shit sometimes on the court, but I mean I was watching this going do you cannot cannot act like that on the tennis court from the first, second or third game once and then and then to top it off, it's like five all on the second set and she's at love fifteen, so she's potentially you know, eight, no, not even seven points away from winning the match. The girl has a horrendous drop shot, she runs up, has a whole court, she misses it.

00:19:37
Speaker 1: Long.

00:19:37
Speaker 3: Now, Okay, it's shit. You want to be love thirty I get it, but it's fifteen all. It's not the end of the world, Like, you still can win this game and then hold and the matches over. And she did not let go of missing that forehand for the entire game, I mean yelling out loud.

00:19:52
Speaker 1: Like how caid you miss that?

00:19:54
Speaker 3: And then she was like, you know, she'd lose a point to go thirty all and she'd be like, see.

00:19:58
Speaker 1: You've given her opportunity, and it's just like, oh my god.

00:20:01
Speaker 3: As a coach, I'd be like, I'm done, Like seriously, if you can't let go of that point at five all, and you're all you're doing and ps And by the way, her opponent was losing her shit and you're just let the door open again.

00:20:13
Speaker 1: And then the tie break.

00:20:14
Speaker 3: Started, and then it was six to four and the third and in the tiebreak, and the girl played an unbelievable point and she thought she'd hurt her leg, but a lot of us think it was a cramp. Then they called the physiou and the physiodem that could possibly be a torn muscles, so they treated it, and Vickery's losing her shit, yelling from the other.

00:20:32
Speaker 1: End, it's a cramp. It's a cramp, I mean, but.

00:20:34
Speaker 3: It was, like, honestly, Caitlin, when I tell you, there was three or four players watching the match, text messaging me saying, what the fuck is going on out there? This is a drama like I've never seen in my whole life.

00:20:46
Speaker 1: And I'm telling you. Of course, the trainer came out the treatment.

00:20:50
Speaker 3: They played another really long point and the girl won the point and Sasha vigor Is just beside herself go six and loses eight six in the tie break. Now, to summarize all that line, was it a bullshit move from the player? Ninety percent of people will say yes, maybe she did tear a muscle, like who knows, She said she had torn it before and it felt the same. You got to give her the benefit of the town. But as a player down the other end, it shit happens, and you got to play, and you still have match point and she loses a point, but she didn't lose the match there, Like Sasha, you lost the match at two to one in the first one. You're throwing your racket like there's a reason you ranked one hundred and something in the world. I mean going to be really brutally honest. You cannot act like that.

00:21:30
Speaker 1: And think that you're going to be a good tennis player.

00:21:32
Speaker 2: Well, what's interesting to me is that, you know, obviously it's the last round of qualifying, so everybody has their set totally set on making the main draw. A huge monetary boost that comes just from making a main draw. Yeah, fifty thousand dollars. I mean, it's not a joke, you know, that's some that makes up the bulk of what a lot of players can take home in a year. Right. Yeah, But it is interesting because we started this part of the conversation about on court coaching. Where was her coach at six five?

00:21:57
Speaker 3: She went over to the side and he was like on top of her, tel your stuff, and she's crying her eyes out and like yelling and screaming. I'm like, what you think this is going to help you? Yeah, I mean you still p s by the way, You've still got match point, you know, like.

00:22:12
Speaker 2: It's match point.

00:22:13
Speaker 3: You are at match point, Like okay, let it go sit there and get yourself regroup and say, Okay, she's hurt herself or she's cramping, I'm going to win this match.

00:22:21
Speaker 2: Well on Twitter was all summer. Yeah it's been good, has it? Yeah it's good.

00:22:27
Speaker 3: It's good for your say because listen, one of the things that Serena said at the US Open last year was how she felt men get away with more stuff. Okay, you could argue that for and against all Right, you know, look some of the stuff that she did, you know, she has to own and she has owned it to a certain degree.

00:22:44
Speaker 1: Some people think she hasn't like.

00:22:45
Speaker 3: You, but look, she lost her ship and she paid the price in the end, she lost her ships, the match she lost, she find a lot of money and she lost the match.

00:22:55
Speaker 1: Okay, but she has a point. So I'm sitting in.

00:22:58
Speaker 3: Washington, DC this year, I'm caught at the tournament and I'm sitting watching Nick No So, I'm sitting watching Stephanispas. Sispas breaks a racket right in front of me, literally and goes to the chair and changes his racket out. Okay, crickets from the umpire crickets, no warning, walks back starts another point, no fucking warning.

00:23:20
Speaker 1: I'm like sitting there going, what is going on with my life here?

00:23:22
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:23:23
Speaker 1: Okay, okay, So that's one.

00:23:24
Speaker 3: And then he's playing Nick Kurios in the semi finals. He takes a ball and I mean rifles it like like a dart into the stands, into the stands.

00:23:35
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm like, oh my god, I'm thinking this better get out of the stands or this is this could hit somebody. Okay, some guy catches it in the crowd, catches it with his hand, thank god. Yeah, crickets, crickets from the umpire.

00:23:49
Speaker 3: I look at the ATP supervisor literally that I'm sitting next, and I go, he's going to tell me he's getting a warning for this. He'll get a warning. He'll get it warning crickets, no warning. And you know what the umpire excuse was, the guy caught the ball.

00:24:02
Speaker 2: I'm like, you.

00:24:03
Speaker 3: Fucking kidding in So Serena can take a ball and sling it like that into the crowd. Somebody catches that, you're gonna be like, oh, Ramas is gonna be like, eh, guy caught the ball.

00:24:12
Speaker 1: So that was to another in.

00:24:14
Speaker 3: The same match, Nick Curious is turning around the side, mouth's off something about something and says the word.

00:24:20
Speaker 1: Fucking in the middle of the sentence. Right, Okay, yeah, no big deal. He's looking away from the umpire. Guess what.

00:24:26
Speaker 3: Linesman, who heard it and there's kids mine goes up to the umpire a la Serena Williams right with the line, umpire and it goes and knocks on him. Guess what you know, as a player, as soon as you see that line's walking up, you're.

00:24:38
Speaker 2: Like, fuck, I'm screwed.

00:24:41
Speaker 3: Right, So he goes up, obviously tells the umpire the nick said swore and the umpire looks any nods. Linesman goes back crickets no warning, really, same umpire. So I'm thinking to myself, I have just seen in my week of sitting on court three latent, blatant code violations, not a warning, so my help and I am sitting there and I am fuming. It's bullshit. It's like if you're going to have a blanket statement on if you break a racket, that's automatic. If you hit a ball into the stands like it, it's an automatic warning. How is a code violation not given for those I don't understand it? So you know, when you have these players like Serena going, I've seen worse, you know. Look Roger Federer, yeah, great guy, right, well behaved on ninety nine point nine percent of vacation. But he's but he sat there at the US Open and lot's at an umpire and said, don't fucking something, rather don't fucking something or other, don't fucking something like two or three.

00:25:40
Speaker 1: Times said the word fucking to the umpire. Everybody heard it. In my view, not a far, not a warning. Serena says you're a thief. You stole a.

00:25:48
Speaker 3: Point from me warning the game penalty in the final of the US Open. So I'm just saying, I know how you feel about this, Serena, but think about that.

00:25:58
Speaker 2: For a second. Absolutely, And to be clear, the way about in it is that she the why what she said in by the letter of the law was worse was because there's literally a line that says you cannot question the integrity of.

00:26:10
Speaker 1: An umpire totally.

00:26:11
Speaker 2: So that is why Tondan cursing Stephen to that. Now that nature of Minahiliusa is not even if you drop the f bomb that said, no, I, the point is widely now known, which is that this is totally totally was.

00:26:25
Speaker 3: Yelling out in his match in Cincinnati, which we all know how much he got fined, but he was thirteen thousand he was yelling out, this is literally the worst umpire in the game.

00:26:36
Speaker 1: He's the worst umpire in the game.

00:26:38
Speaker 3: He shouldn't be something or something you're you're you're saying that he is, you know whatever you're saying that's that's the same thing.

00:26:45
Speaker 2: But no warning.

00:26:46
Speaker 1: So it's like, look, guys, if you're going to have if you're going to do this, do it, do it. Do it or don't do it?

00:26:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, one of the two. Like, let's get on the same page here.

00:26:54
Speaker 3: And you know, Rama said, everyone say, you know he did it by the letter of the law, blah blah blah. It's like, yeah, but let's know the circumstance as well. Yeah, and at that point, at a set and four to three in the women's final, it's probably time to bite your tongue.

00:27:06
Speaker 2: Well, I mean, the Cincinnati thing with Nick is interesting because you know, he won the tournament Washington, he committed at least one offence that you saw that should have.

00:27:15
Speaker 1: Been yeah, tasted too, and didn't get caught.

00:27:18
Speaker 2: We so Tinsupast was breaking his shoes left ront and going to the stands getting people to relay it.

00:27:21
Speaker 1: Crazy.

00:27:21
Speaker 2: He's kind of fiasco. Yeah, what do you think about Nicks getting busted, I mean, do you think that that, yeah, it was a lot. One hundred and thirteen thousand dollars is a lot. I mean he was Is that the first time he's gone completely apshare it was a lot? Yeah, it was a lot. I think now he'll realize that maybe when he goes off.

00:27:39
Speaker 3: The court to break a racket, he has to do it in the locker room and not in a place that has cameras listen as well.

00:27:45
Speaker 2: Sure, yeah, I think if we're going to issue rules, which I think we should, which is nothing in the game that can be sort of put in the letter of last should be And also like nothing, it doesn't have to be this arbitrary. Right lines are not arbitrary. The rules should not be arbitrary. This is equal application of the law based on a mutual understanding of what's going on there. But also I have to say, like, and this is concerns juniors in the way that I think players comport themselves, which is I can't think of an instance in where turning the match into a total fiasco is good. Maybe it helps you with a modicum of intensity and help, but like you're getting free rackets from sponsors. If I were a racket sponsor and someone broke my rackets, I'd be peace, I'd be out.

00:28:30
Speaker 3: Well, Yonyx did remember they implemented that you like you're not going to get certain amount of christ Coco was doing a lot at Vandaway and she was on.

00:28:38
Speaker 1: Like basically unnoticed.

00:28:40
Speaker 3: So yeah, I mean some some companies have actually pulled the pulled the plug on that. But anyway, well enough about Nick because we're gonna see how he responds here at the USOVEN because he's gonna have to win a couple of matches to get the money back.

00:28:51
Speaker 2: But as always I am rooting for him.

00:28:53
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean me too. I love Nick. Listen, look listen, I'm rotten for Hissen. And you know what the bottom line is with for Stepan A season. Nick tried his ass off in Washington and he tried to control his and crazy happened and it was hard for him and he managed to do it and he's trying.

00:29:09
Speaker 2: It's just he just completely.

00:29:10
Speaker 3: Lost his mind. He lost his mind in Cincinnati and the thing was that he was up a set in six five.

00:29:15
Speaker 1: He just let it go, man, just let it go. Just with you know, some people.

00:29:19
Speaker 2: I get it, but my biggest, biggest.

00:29:21
Speaker 1: Thing was I might lose it. But my whole goal was I wanted to win so badly?

00:29:24
Speaker 2: Was Nick?

00:29:25
Speaker 3: You know that if he can get to the point where he wants to win so badly as opposed to wanting to be right in an argument, because God knows I like to be right in an argument, that's where he just just don't. You don't have to be right in an argument all the time on court. Do it off court, like go and make your point off court, which is his point was about the starting of the clock before you serve. Anyway, So yeah, Nick got screwed there. Nick got what he deserved, and he'll admit to that, there's no question about that. Speaking of the men, let's hope Nick goes deep in the tournament because we know how funny is to watch, but you just feel like it's just sporing at this point.

00:29:59
Speaker 2: The minister, I mean, look, if the men's tour is incredible, the men's tour in Grand slams where the only narrative that we have either seen or people can talk about the biggest story is where is Roger going to be up the top of down the bottom? Right, that's it, snooze fest. I'm ready for somebody else. I don't care who it is. I don't care if it's you know, Sam Querry. I don't care. If it's Danny Medvedev.

00:30:23
Speaker 1: I don't care if it's I love Dany Medvedev.

00:30:25
Speaker 2: I don't care if it's Sunger who's come back from not going to be sowhere, probably not gonna be.

00:30:29
Speaker 1: But Medvedev can play this guy.

00:30:31
Speaker 3: It's just can these guys, these younger players do it over best of five? I mean, Dominic team has done it number of times. You just can't seem to do it back to back.

00:30:39
Speaker 1: Right, He's beaten Djokovic in big matches.

00:30:41
Speaker 2: He can be one of them. He's beaten.

00:30:42
Speaker 1: Yeah, you can beat one of them.

00:30:44
Speaker 3: It's beating them twice or a Roger and Rapha or Novak and.

00:30:50
Speaker 2: So we'll see. I mean, I liked team.

00:30:52
Speaker 3: I think he'll be the first one to break through, just because he's knocking on the door so many times. Yeah, I think Danil Medvedev loves he loves this, He loves to play. He's such a fun guy. He like he actually enjoys the spotlight. He enjoys the fun of it. He enjoys the the you know, they get down and dirty.

00:31:12
Speaker 1: He doesn't get too carried away. He's kind of got this.

00:31:14
Speaker 3: Like flair about him, and he's a nice guy. So yeah, I'm totally rooting for him to sort of break through and maybe we can see what he can do.

00:31:22
Speaker 1: Best of five, best of three is a whole different.

00:31:24
Speaker 2: Stories of the three. That's why I like nice.

00:31:26
Speaker 1: If we have best of three in men's tennis.

00:31:28
Speaker 2: It would be great because best of three tennis is great and interesting men and women.

00:31:31
Speaker 1: We won't see some different players.

00:31:33
Speaker 2: So let me ask you a question, because you know we have talked. We have talked, I've talked, You've talked at nauseum about generation. Uh, you know, middle of the road. Right, So this is everybody who's younger than the big three, but not the super super young guys. I'm done talking about them.

00:31:47
Speaker 1: The song is the millennials. We want the millennials.

00:31:50
Speaker 2: Greg order me Traves like those guys are done. Like, no offense to those guys. It's just there. It seems unlikely, but this team is very pass Felix like, these guys are these guys are real. How do you say, Alicia.

00:32:08
Speaker 1: Is that how you say? Is that how you're supposed to say?

00:32:10
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:32:10
Speaker 3: I think it's alias Sam Felix.

00:32:16
Speaker 1: I did say it in front of him and he goes, oh good, So I'm okay.

00:32:19
Speaker 2: Fan.

00:32:20
Speaker 1: Speaking of Felix, I love him.

00:32:23
Speaker 2: He Can I just tell you he's my absolute favorite. Can I just tell you if I wasn't a lesbian, what this is going to creep? He's eighteen.

00:32:30
Speaker 3: No, I know, I'm not saying I would go after him, but he would. That that guy, he's kid is He is such a sweetheart. He looks you in the eye when he tells you compelling on the quest. Oh my god, he's getting. The only problem with Felix that I feel is going to stop him is the serf. I don't know what's going on with the serf, but he has this little bit of a yippie thing with the bolt toss and.

00:32:54
Speaker 2: Well he's got a big cack, right, He's.

00:32:55
Speaker 1: Got a great serve when he gets the rhythm.

00:32:57
Speaker 2: He's got to.

00:32:58
Speaker 1: Find his rhythm.

00:32:59
Speaker 3: I don't know what's going on with it, but it's eighteen or nineteen. You cannot have the yips already. Man, You get that when you're twenty eight and roared thirty five.

00:33:07
Speaker 1: And you're like, fuck, is this the last year of my life now?

00:33:11
Speaker 3: So that's a bit of a concern for me. I don't know if it's it's mental or what's.

00:33:14
Speaker 1: Going on, but that he needs to fix that. And I don't know how you fix that.

00:33:18
Speaker 3: Because we all remember Anna Ivanovich who with the Baltas or you know, Demon Tieva, and we've seen him, right, you.

00:33:25
Speaker 2: Get into a tragic serv in particular, it's just so at, so big in men's tennis.

00:33:29
Speaker 1: I mean, so let's hope he gets out under under control becerus.

00:33:32
Speaker 3: If he does, oh my god him and he's so nice and he's the respect anyway, he's exactly having Felix love Fast.

00:33:42
Speaker 1: I love him.

00:33:42
Speaker 2: That's great. I mean, no argument here, good, good good. While we're talking about young Canadians, Bibe Biebe Andrew ask you, yeah, what a crazy story. I mean, look, I did not think it was a fluke when she went to Indian Wells and tore everybody up, only because you kind of watch her for a couple of years and you thought, oh, what an interesting she's got the straightforest alpha.

00:34:03
Speaker 1: Well, I'll tell you what she does really in a really smart way.

00:34:06
Speaker 2: She's a thinker.

00:34:07
Speaker 1: She is very smart on the court. She is not thinking I'm.

00:34:12
Speaker 2: Going to overpower.

00:34:12
Speaker 1: I'm going to overpower.

00:34:13
Speaker 2: I'm going to overpower.

00:34:14
Speaker 3: She goes, no, you know what, I'm going to use my really good forehand, which is heavy with spin, which she don't see often on the women's tour. You get a lot of balls that are hit pretty flat, you know when you think about the top players, Serena pallap Plishkova, I mean Barty has. Barty has variety, which is why she does so well as well, with not huge weapons but really solid BB's the same. She has this heavy forehand, she has a pretty flatish backhand, but then she throws these crazy drop shots and foehand slices, and that's.

00:34:47
Speaker 1: A Romanian coming out in her right.

00:34:48
Speaker 3: That's sort of like nutty Romanian style of tennis, like a little Nicolescus.

00:34:55
Speaker 2: But she also does what she does not She will not allow anyone to call moon balls, but we would call them bols back in my day. She calls it an offensive top spin bob, which it is, but it's a different kind. It's a change up, yeah, exactly.

00:35:07
Speaker 1: She has a change oft.

00:35:08
Speaker 2: And all of a sudden she's getting you out of your head zone. Yeah, it's genius. She's smart.

00:35:12
Speaker 3: She just recognizes, Look, I could go toe to toe, but I'm probably not gonna win that way all the time. So I'm gonna throw in a few of this and a little bit of that, and little pepper, a little cayenne, And then all of a sudden she throws in her drop shot, and then.

00:35:23
Speaker 2: She's got hands and she can react well the net.

00:35:25
Speaker 1: She's quick, she's quite quick, and so she's smart and she's patient. And what a fucking great story.

00:35:29
Speaker 3: I mean, she wins Indian Wells and she bloody goes off with the shoulder and this and that injury and this injury, and then comes back and wins bloody the tournament in Canada, which other than the Grand Slam, is the biggest.

00:35:39
Speaker 2: Win of is going to be the crowd. I mean, it's a manator. It's crazy, it's great nice. Well, she's fun. She's got to find out. I feelix. They both are like very sort of optimistic Smiley, you know.

00:35:50
Speaker 3: Well, she's a little bit of drum queen on the court, and I love her, but it's like she said where.

00:35:53
Speaker 2: She gets it from.

00:35:54
Speaker 1: Well, yeah, have you seen her mom?

00:35:55
Speaker 2: And she's a Romanian. Have you seen her mom in the crowd? Her mom has like a lone parasol of one with that is on twenty four seven minute, that's the remaining coming. She's a little nutty, you know.

00:36:05
Speaker 1: But but then she's a little dramatic.

00:36:07
Speaker 2: But you know what, good for her.

00:36:09
Speaker 1: I mean, she's young, and so the way she's handled this pressure is pretty bloody great. And she's not lost a match against a top ten player.

00:36:16
Speaker 2: That's nuts. Ever, I don't think that's a statu I don't think that's ever happened. Exist, There's no way that's ever happened. That's nuts.

00:36:21
Speaker 3: There's no way anyway. So she's a really exciting young talent as well. She's really look she can really possibly.

00:36:28
Speaker 2: Do some damage. You know what. I think she has bde.

00:36:33
Speaker 1: Big dick energy.

00:36:36
Speaker 2: Did it?

00:36:37
Speaker 1: Wow?

00:36:37
Speaker 2: Wow?

00:36:38
Speaker 1: That's amazing?

00:36:39
Speaker 2: Did it?

00:36:39
Speaker 1: Big dick energy?

00:36:40
Speaker 2: All right?

00:36:41
Speaker 3: Well, as a woman, good for her?

00:36:44
Speaker 1: What else do we do we want to touch upon?

00:36:46
Speaker 3: Just a little sad story was Anissimova's dad passed away just before the US Open, so she had to pull out a tournament. Really great up and coming young American. So you know, we wish her all the best in her family and you know, tennis is will be here for a really long time, but obviously obviously come back. Obviously that's a really sad yeah, and her dad was her coach, so you know, we hope that she can sort of have the time away and realize that, look, there's gonna be a lot more US Opens, but you know, sadly, she only has one dad, So that was a really sad story coming to the US Open.

00:37:18
Speaker 1: So we wish her all the best. You know, when you think about that a little bit, we had a Noah.

00:37:22
Speaker 3: Ruben was talking recently on his podcast about sort of the tough side of tennis, and he brought up the fact that there was a lot of alcohol abuse and maybe, you know, various different things going on. Look, there's no doubt that there were players that go into massive depressions when they're playing. You know, I tend to disagree with him on the alcoholic abuse situation. I mean, you can't be a professional athlete and get on the sauce like every time you lose.

00:37:48
Speaker 2: I mean, that's just you might.

00:37:50
Speaker 3: You might can't jack sack you can't well listen, there are some that do. Yeah. Sure, if you're in the top ten, it's not happening. Yeah, I can tell you that for a fact. There's no top no way.

00:38:00
Speaker 2: But just interrupt you. I mean, I think behind the racket, which is no Rubin who is an American ranked what was he about twenty twenty in the world something like that. He kind of fluctuates between like eighty and a hundred and fifty. You know, he has this digital platform behind the racket where he talks about sort of the down the hidden sides sort of you know, a lot of it focuses on mental health, health and you know, unhealthy and unhealth in this case, but talking a lot about basically what a grind it is for a lot of players, especially outside the top ten. And so yeah, you can't be top ten and be hitting the sauce. But I think more his point is a lot of other people who are sort of down towards you know, where he is in the rankings, are are coping.

00:38:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, because they're dealing with the way or not because they're dealing with like this is should I be doing this anymore? I'm not making any money and this and that and maybe they should stop drinking.

00:38:46
Speaker 1: That would help them. The Actually I thought you.

00:38:48
Speaker 2: Might make that comment.

00:38:49
Speaker 3: Yeah, just say, okay, you know now that I'm a casual drinker on a casual of daily occasions.

00:38:57
Speaker 2: We can't do it.

00:38:58
Speaker 1: It's too hard.

00:38:59
Speaker 3: So I think the more the thing I want to stress more is less about the alcohol abuse and all that sort of stuff. I think it's more about the depressional the depression side of tennis, because how a is a cobon mechanism for something that's so you are going to have some people that are dealing with it. But I think overall, it's more about how difficult the life is. And every week you lose. I mean, you're a loser every week.

00:39:18
Speaker 1: That's how you feel. Even though you win a match, you have that high. I mean I've always said that.

00:39:21
Speaker 2: Only one person whin's a tournament. I mean, just the truth of it is, fifty percent of people lose on the first day. It's just something you have to it's part deal with every single time you go out there.

00:39:30
Speaker 1: It's it's it's legal addiction. Yeah, is what I call being a professional athlete.

00:39:35
Speaker 2: Interesting.

00:39:35
Speaker 1: You know, it's legal addiction, and you.

00:39:37
Speaker 3: You have that high, and then you have that really quick low and it's just brutal and the low loss days and you just depressed, depress, you don't want to leave your room. You think you suck, You're never going to be good enough. I mean, it all goes on in your head and then you just got to pick yourself back up and get on with it.

00:39:51
Speaker 1: It's kind of like getting broken up with every week.

00:39:54
Speaker 3: You just got to get on with it and find a way to find that passion again to get up on the practice court. So yeah, that's you'll be seeing a lot of players dealing with, particularly at the end of the year, this last Grand Slam and means a lot to these players. So overall, look, we're going into the US Open with some great storylines once again with the women's tour. Who's going to win flipp A coin? Will Madison Keys breakthrough and win a Grand Slam? Will Carolina Plishkoba breakthrough and win a Grand Slam?

00:40:20
Speaker 2: I mean, these are the sort of the questions.

00:40:21
Speaker 3: Will Bibi undrescue you have the year of her life? Ken Ashbardy win two slams?

00:40:26
Speaker 2: What about my girl? Saber Linka?

00:40:27
Speaker 3: Maybe Saba Linka is an interesting situation, because she really looked like she was going to be the Naomi Saki last year and break through and win a Slam because she was playing so well, and then all of a sudden, she's had a bit of a rough year. She's played a little better over the last couple of weeks, but Jesus Christ, she has a tough first round. She plays Azarenka in the first round, and poor old Vika can't catch a break with the drawers. So one of them is going to break through, and maybe whoever wins that match can get through to a quarter final.

00:40:51
Speaker 2: There are some insane first round matchups. Obviously, we talked about Maria Srina, which I don't think will be, to your point, a very competitive tennis match, but certainly doesn't lack hell. It's compelling. You got, as you just noted, the two Beller Russians against each other. You got Coco Vandua, who we always like to see well because I love her game. I'll quarter, but she's struggling.

00:41:10
Speaker 1: She plays Cannon first round.

00:41:11
Speaker 2: She plays Kennon first round, which is really tough for young American who went deep in a couple of great talk about a great competitor, just firecracker and then another match I love because I'm a nerd is angelaue Kerber Christina Moladanavs. Yeah, that's going to be going.

00:41:25
Speaker 1: Because Anti struggles sometimes in the first round.

00:41:27
Speaker 3: She gets a little bit nervous and she doubts herself a little bit, and she doesn't have those big weapons, so sometimes she has a bit of a tight day that Meladanovitch can take advantage of that.

00:41:36
Speaker 2: Yeah, Meladanavitch is like an emotional player. She's got a lot of tools.

00:41:39
Speaker 3: She's she hasn't had a great couple of weeks, so lady into the us of for either.

00:41:43
Speaker 1: So it's kind of a battle of who can.

00:41:44
Speaker 3: Muster the confidence to break it down say a lot oft.

00:41:48
Speaker 2: I mean, we've talked a lot about recognizable names, but for me truly and this is something I love so much about having a Slam in our backyard, which is just I cannot get over how fun like the first five days are. For me, nothing is are fun than the beginning a couple of days of a tournament, and especially the beginning couple days of a Slam, because you just turn around and then there's some other insane match going on, or it's to your right, or oh my god, there's a crazy barn Burner third set going on on court seventeen. Let's all get out there. And what's so great is that, you know, if you do have a chance to go to the tournament, don't go to ASH, go to the grounds.

00:42:21
Speaker 3: Oh just definitely don't go to ASH in the first like two or three days because they usually blowout. So you got the top seats playing against people that have don't even know how to walk on to ASH, don't even know where Arthur ash Stadium minutes half the time. So yeah, the best matches are you know, often the best match is like grandstand, Yeah, or maybe Louis Armstrong now totals and Louis Armstrong is like a not a reserve seat a lot of times, so you can get great that's a great I would just sit there the whole time, Yeah, because you often get.

00:42:47
Speaker 2: Really good matchups there.

00:42:48
Speaker 3: Grandstand, of course is always notoriously the grandstand tends to be so for you out there, they're going to the open grandstands. Usually the matchups that really like like an Azaranka Savalanca, a Felix as Ali se is playing.

00:43:03
Speaker 2: Like a fan feverite. Yeah, the Pa. It's the match that everyone does, everyone knows is going to go the distance, whether or not the rankings are exactly blockbuster, but it's one that real tennis fans know.

00:43:15
Speaker 3: Okay, we're going to get to it'll be Coco Vandaway Kennon match, those sort of matchups that it's usually where you'll put a put players on grand Stone.

00:43:22
Speaker 1: So that's a fun insider tip.

00:43:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, we're we're looking forward to it. Kate Win, we can't wait.

00:43:26
Speaker 3: I'm going to be very busy in between my ESPN duties, which you know how much I love working for them, and I just I feel really lucky and blessed that I get to do that job for a living. But I also now am a little responsible for my buddy Sam Stozio. So let's get behind her and we'll see what happens. And in the meantime, let's hope one thing we won't be seeing is mister Ramoss in a chair with Serena Williams playing a match that has been designated.

00:43:55
Speaker 2: A no goes out exactly, thank god.

00:43:58
Speaker 3: And and just a tip I everybody, players are allowed to ask to not have certain umpires in the chair. It doesn't happen very often. Another twitter or I had over the last couple weeks I had I played twenty two years on the professional tour, and I asked for three umpires and not be in my chair over that time, and they were not putting my chair after that, and one was the last one was an umpire told me shit happens on the court and I didn't take too kindly to that, so I requested that umpire never.

00:44:27
Speaker 1: To be in my chair again.

00:44:28
Speaker 3: And often it is because some umpires are a little bit compatitive combative as well, and I kind of had that combative personality.

00:44:36
Speaker 1: I didn't need someone on the court being combatitive with me. Who was the umpire who needed to be calming me down?

00:44:43
Speaker 2: So that's sort of what happened there.

00:44:45
Speaker 3: I had a German guy in the chair one time who was just I felt was just a dick and I just didn't want him in the chair and I had problems with him on the court.

00:44:54
Speaker 2: So yeah, so it happened.

00:44:55
Speaker 3: So you know the fact that Serena may have asked for that then or not, I don't think she asked for it, to be perfectly honest with you. Umpires can also ask to not be in Well.

00:45:05
Speaker 2: If I were Sam, I wouldn't I wouldn't blame them. I'm gonna be on your soap and radio doing the podcast almost every day. And you can buy the latest issue of Racket magazine in the bookstore of the grand Stand. So if you want to get your hands on it, find miss Mary Carilla, who contributed to our piece about Buddhist serial elitist.

00:45:23
Speaker 3: Yeah via jeriltis twenty fifth year this year of his death, one of the true characters and gentlemen and great guys of this sport sadly died in a tragic incident where he was basically killed with carpet monoxide poisoning. So, yeah, go on grab the magazine. It's tits, as we say, it's it's amazing.

00:45:42
Speaker 2: There's some actual tits in it. We got the really drag queens of holding court.

00:45:47
Speaker 1: To those tits or those fake tears.

00:45:48
Speaker 2: It doesn't matter. They're going to be on the ground. So if you see a very tall arena katrinka drag queens walking around, go get them to autograph your issue. Nick Mcarwell wrote a great piece about that. We've got to throw it back to Monica Sellis and Jennifer Capriati. You know, it's a good time and it's just in time for the US Open. It's a beautiful mag Go grab one. Listen out for Renee. I'll be there.

00:46:09
Speaker 1: Come come say hi, Come say hi.

00:46:11
Speaker 3: The ESPN desk out on the Fountain Plaza every single day out there, so come say hi and bring you racket gear and we'll sign it, maybe the magazine, sign the magazine.

00:46:22
Speaker 2: All right, Uh, let's do another one in the of the week.

00:46:26
Speaker 1: See in the middle of the week and they'll see what players I can grab. And yeah, thanks for listening.

00:46:31
Speaker 2: Everybody, keep questions coming.

00:46:33
Speaker 1: We love you.

00:46:34
Speaker 2: Bye, and that's it for this episode of the Racket Magazine Podcast. Thanks for listening. Our host is Renee Stubbs. Our co host and producer is me Caitlin Thompson. Music by internationally renowned DJ Stretch Armstrong. Thanks to Tim or Jerry and then the team at acast. Find us at racketmag dot com, slash podcast and subscribe to us at any of your favorite podcatchers. Think Bat the Bat Bat Compact, th