Live and Direct from Indian Wells

00:00:17
Speaker 1: High steaks out here, Rene steaks out here, Ki steaks on the ground here. We are at the B and P Parri. But open renee while you whispering, I'm not Oh. I have headphones in so I can actually hear how loud I am?

00:00:28
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, Okay.

00:00:30
Speaker 1: Do you want meat a screen louder? No.

00:00:32
Speaker 2: I would just really like if you didn't act like a waido.

00:00:38
Speaker 1: I'm not acting like a weirdo. We're in person, we're being observed, We're in the mix. We are at the racket, kiosk at the B and P Parri, BA Open BNP has been so kind as to let us take over their space. Yes, we've been giving magazine issues away. You've been taking a lot of photos with fans. We've been recording live podcasts. It's been a pretty dreamy scenario. I have to say, I wish we didn't have to leave. Although our flight is delayed, it is till when one am.

00:01:06
Speaker 2: Are you kidding me?

00:01:07
Speaker 1: Nope? Okay, So they're working hard on the delay to reduce it. But we should and we should still get to the airport at the normal time.

00:01:15
Speaker 2: Definitely not being canceled. Is it because I have a show to get back.

00:01:18
Speaker 1: For Yeah, I have a kid who needs to stay home sick tomorrow that I was told I needed to stay home with tomorrow.

00:01:25
Speaker 2: Okay, well let's talk about that after, because now I'm freaking out. Yeah okay, so Kitlyn, let's get into it. First of all, thanks for joining us everybody for our podcast here from out in the desert. This place just makes me happy. Doesn't it make you happy?

00:01:39
Speaker 1: It's just immediately it's tennis paratransporting. It transports you to a different, utopian place. It's incredible.

00:01:48
Speaker 2: You know, I was sitting watching the senecort match yesterday with angebur Pac Stadium and then Alcaraz walks out play Cock and Arcus, and I mean, obviously, Carlos al Karaz, certainly on the men's side, is going to save this game for another ten to fifteen years. And I don't want to be saying I shouldn't say save. He's gonna he's going to make this sport as popular as has been over the last twenty years with you know the likes of Roger and Rafa and Novak and obviously Serena and you know the big names in women's tennis. But he's just he's he's on another level right now. Every time you know he walks around these grounds, there's people screaming and yelling. He's gotten to that point of being an absolute, absolute superstar already.

00:02:28
Speaker 1: Watching him walk out of that line. Because this tournament does such a great job of making practice courts available, the practice line where they're stretching and kicking soccer bars, warming up seeing a bag check on TV. In the past twenty years, it's been filmed at the Indian Worlds line when he's sting mine, including years. Oh, I have to ask you about that. I've never seen your bagjack.

00:02:47
Speaker 2: Well, because it's a long long time ago, and I hope they've finally gotten rid of mine and put it in they got you out. I would like them to get rid of everyone's, but I'm glad they've gotten rid of mine. They' probably gotten rid of mine because I keep telling everyone how bad they are.

00:03:02
Speaker 1: The screams that happen whenever Carlitos Alcaaz runs out under the practice line, even he nipped out yesterday to like get his rackets from the racket stringer, and people are just like, ah, I haven't heard them kind of screaming since I saw Roger here, yeah, a couple of years ago.

00:03:18
Speaker 2: Jan Rauffa. Yeah, this place is like a Mecca of tennis. It's a Maca of food. You know. We've got the set up here with racket tent, the BNP parry By. People are awesome, from Jean Eve obviously to you know Rob, the real Rob Madden. The real Rob Madden does so much. We want to give some shout out to all of our people. Of course Liz Cully the influence of the influencers. But I just love it here because everyone's here just to have a good time, you know. And talking about Tommy Hass, you know Tom and director him making sure that they start the matches, for example on the big courts at six pm, which I think is.

00:03:52
Speaker 1: So great amazing.

00:03:53
Speaker 2: Can every other freaking Grand Slam do this?

00:03:56
Speaker 1: Yep?

00:03:56
Speaker 2: Like obviously Wimbledon is a different story. They don't have night matches, but everywhere else they have nightmare. It's like no player wants to play to one in the morning.

00:04:02
Speaker 1: And frankly, nobody wants to see an empty stadium that they're watching or they missed because they're asleep. It's just cruel to do the players. It's a money grab if nothing else, And the US Open is particularly bad about this. Tournament matches scheduled at seven often don't start until well forty five.

00:04:19
Speaker 2: I start them at seven. And I don't know this for a fact, when I'm fairly certain of it, particularly in Australia, I know. I think in the US as well, they want to have the news. They want the news to be over for their When we used to leave news, yeah, I sweaty. In Australia we would have to go away from live tennis to go to the news.

00:04:37
Speaker 1: Listen. If we had a more news literate populace who was actually watching the news, I would be excited. For me. I think the US Open does it so that all the ibankers can get from their you know, Wall Street offices to the Queens because the tournament is so far away from where everyone lives. So for me, it's I think it's a cynical cash grab. And as opposed to leaving the tennis rolling, just keep playing rolling.

00:05:01
Speaker 2: And no, I'm okay with the night session, day session thing. Okay, they're making more money that way. I'm okay with that, you know, from a bottom line standpoint, and small prize money for the players if they're getting more money in but but start the matches at like six thirty at least, you know, let's get them on the court earlier, so we're not finishing at two in the morning. It's like crazy. Well, actually, when you're playing a men's best of five at seven o'clock, they're getting off the court at ten thirty, eleven o'clock at nine. Poor women have to go out there sometimes after midnight.

00:05:27
Speaker 1: It's just ridiculous, and no fans are left a week. Yeah, I love Diehards place. Diehards. I love this place actually because it's full of day heards. You go out on any practice court, you go out on any match. You know, I just walked over Kalinskaya practice session. People are They know her record, they know her background, they know her story. You know the players who are kind of more of your deep cut players. This is a place that really appreciates tennis in all of its forums, and I think you're right. It's both entertainment doubles. The court courts are packed.

00:05:57
Speaker 2: It's for the doubles matches.

00:05:59
Speaker 1: People just love getting they're tennis and they have such an incredible job in terms of how they tell the stories. Of the tournament. So if you've never been out to Indian Welles, this is sort of a must on the on the calendar tour, especially if you live on the East Coast where it is still gross and called and gray and stead body.

00:06:17
Speaker 2: We're heading back to that. One of the reasons we're late is because probably because of the weather's crap. Let's talk about some of the matches though.

00:06:23
Speaker 1: Let's talk about some of the matches.

00:06:24
Speaker 2: Let's talk about some of the upsets. Obviously made a couple early on in the tournament. Caroline sorry, Donna Vickage lost in the first round.

00:06:33
Speaker 1: Who else we did he pass last in the first to pass.

00:06:35
Speaker 2: Lost in the first round. Casparud just lost to Garin, which that's.

00:06:40
Speaker 1: A great win for great great win for him.

00:06:43
Speaker 2: And currently on the court, Jessica Bagoula is down a set, up three love in the second set, Carolina pushover's upper set and down five to four but on serve in the second against Koda Matova. But what are your takeaways any matches that you've watched that you've just loved.

00:06:58
Speaker 1: Here, I really like what the battles, especially for players who are not you're up close and personal with pull up Badosa. Yesterday, I was up close and personal with Paula Medosa. She is so dynamic to watch. She's got such a fun, easy pace and she just kind of has such a swagger around the court. That's really fun. I watched with my friends Colin and his daughter Evie Arena Seblinka's insane practice and watching it with a friend who hadn't spent that much time with tennis players was hilarious because he was like, she's like a wild animal. She just got out there. She tore through one practice guy, sat on the bench, did her phone, came over, signs motographs, smiled, giggle, took some selfies, waited for other practice boy to show up, tore him to shreds, and came back and signed some more And I was like, that sounds pretty fun, and she was like, my daughter's day will never get better than what just happened. She's never gonna wash our phone because Arena held it. And they have the picture where Evie, their daughter is grinning the biggest grin I've ever seen, And you can just get a sense that Arena Sabalaka enjoyed that, the fans enjoyed that. Obviously, my friends enjoyed it. I am so thrilled to see her backing up her swagger of the Australian Open, playing a little bit more patient, which she has to play to win out here when it's so slow on these courts. And the matches that I've seen that I was really impressed by were yesterday's matches. I watched Bianca and Dresscoo battle back against a very tough collegiate champion in Peyton Stern.

00:08:21
Speaker 2: She was a good little jock, not bad player.

00:08:24
Speaker 1: Good hands, good real athlete, came from the University of Texas, I think Ohio native. She had a lot of crowd support. Bianca and Dresscu battled back one and the third and uh for me, you know, sort of seeing On's battle back after I watched match from start, What was your takeaway from OS's match last?

00:08:41
Speaker 2: Absolutely horrific shot selection throughout the match, particularly in the first and second sets, all due to the fact and what happens is everyone you have to understand when you haven't played a long time. I mean, she hasn't played obviously since well she played one match in Australia anyway, she she obviously hasn't played very much since last year. So it's not. And you probably say, well, what do you mean you forget? You forget how to play points, You forget how to play matches and construct the Yeah, you can practice all you want, you can play practice sets all you want, but until you get out on the match, you know, you kind of forget how to structure a point. And to me, it looked like, and she's always been this player, that structure is not exactly her structure.

00:09:20
Speaker 1: I was gonna say, it's always.

00:09:21
Speaker 2: Structure in her realm of positives.

00:09:33
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00:10:46
Speaker 2: Yes, and you do play a lot of matches. You do sense a structured point even from her, where you know when the drop shot may come, or she plies the drop shot at the right time, or she doesn'tpply it against somebody who particularly moves forward. Really well, she's smart like that, Like she's not going to drop shot someone who is someone likes to come into the net. She will drop shot someone who's not comfortable in it. But yesterday it was like she was hidden shots where I was like, what the hell why, Like easy backhand s bottom of the net, struggling to sort of get it together. But the key was that she didn't panic and she stayed positive. She managed to get herself through the second set, and then it was a very much better player in the third set, and it can take a three set match like that. I did see her today and ask how physically she felt. She said she felt pretty good. So that's key, right after having the injury to the knee.

00:11:33
Speaker 1: Yeah, you got to like an early battle for somebody like Arms who you feel like benefits from momentum and having gotten one or two battles under her belt into the tournament, just because I think she's such a confidence player in a way. That's like, oh, those drop shots start getting smarter if she's feeling confident as opposed to bailing out and desperate if she's feeling a little.

00:11:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, but even the drop shots went good, you know, so she wasn't even get hitting good job shots, right, But you know, I'm giving her crap, but you know, she's a good friend and.

00:12:00
Speaker 1: An I feel like a.

00:12:01
Speaker 2: Former part alumni, but she's such a great chick and she was really positive about getting through the match and so well, hopefully she can get through a couple more matches. But Sony going to get harder eager. Sheiontach, on the other hand, just looks like she's just carrying on with the breadsticks and the bagels. So she almost got a double bagel yesterday. But it is going to be interesting to see this matchup with Undresscue because I feel like Andreski now has nothing to lose. She played her pretty tight the last time they played, if that's possible to even say, but I do believe she had a pretty competitive first set, so we'll see. Obviously, Bianca and Rescue is a former champion here, so she knows how.

00:12:34
Speaker 1: To win Hereessica's also an interesting matchup for Eager because they kind of do similar things. Well, you know, you get that Eager really peace and counterpunching and defending turning defense into offense, which nobody really at the turn at the moment does better than her. But Bianca is also a really good defender and really tricky.

00:12:51
Speaker 2: She's a thoughtful yeah player in terms of they both moved really well, they both got the slide someone a busting far Sean. He had a great tweet yesterday who said it's kind of not fair when you're playing against eger shontech because she's on a hover board. Because she's like sliding out to one ball then just running back and sliding out to the other. She just makes it look so easy, you know, the movement. It's just hilarious. Anyway, I'm I'm actually really looking forward to that. We'll see how it goes. I'm super excited for Emma Radikan matches.

00:13:20
Speaker 1: Got it out a few you know tests, and I've always really liked her games so much, and people really give her a lot of things. And I know that everybody's contending with the same schedule, everyone's contending with the same you know, amount of work that they need to put in to be in the top echeline of the sport. But also she's kind of terribly unlucky with injuries sicknesses. I mean, am I right, Like she's had a little bit difficult.

00:13:45
Speaker 2: Some people give me a shit for this, but you know, I think some of the injuries too, are sort of like a little psychosomatic sometimes, like just if she does have a problem. So like the only reason why I say that is because I think she has so much pressure on her shoulders that I think it's like easier for her to be like, yeah, I'm a little bit hurt right now and rather fight through it, just be like get me out of here. But I thought it was interesting that she's decided to get rid of Instagram off of her phone, you know, basically that her people are doing that now. So if you haven't say, oh, she's still posting stuff, well and that's not her. And I think that's a healthy thing for her to like get away from all of that because she's such a nice kid. She works her ass off, and I think the the vitriol that goes her way for for why why like I leave her alone?

00:14:28
Speaker 1: I think there's a lot of I think, and again I look at the agents for this, which is they want the benefits of some of their celebrity and do every deal and have every campaign and look her avy On campaign will do alepa, we ten out of ten.

00:14:42
Speaker 2: I just see. I went to an event the other night because of Stretch Armstrong who does the music to the start of our show, and behind me okay, and the table behind me because you know I was front.

00:14:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, we get it.

00:14:54
Speaker 2: At nine Orchard in New York was do a leaper almost died. I think I texted you straight away we saw.

00:14:59
Speaker 1: You talked me about it and I said, what is wrong with you that you didn't send me?

00:15:02
Speaker 2: You should have got on her trainer.

00:15:03
Speaker 1: I would have.

00:15:04
Speaker 2: She was delightful too. I told her how great her concert was that we saw at Madison Square Garden. Thanks my friend Tom Corson at Warner Anyway, we digress.

00:15:13
Speaker 1: People are waving at us.

00:15:15
Speaker 2: So I also Paula Badoza, speaking of who won, who now goes up against Rebarkina, A bit of a shout out for Sophia Kennon who played a really tough match against Rebeccina, lost two tie break sets back to back. That was a windy on the verge, Sophia Kennon. But I only believe with Michael Joyce now in her coaching camp, she she will she will be back. She will be back, and there's no question in my mind she can be back into the top twenty as long as she stays healthy.

00:15:41
Speaker 1: Positive living daylights at a Son Stevens in the first round. She did.

00:15:44
Speaker 2: But Slone's been getting smacked by a lot of people. And it's shocking to me because I actually said at the start of this year that I thought she was going to have a good year, but every still time color.

00:15:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's just the first phase of the maybe she's waiting for the clay to really maybe to really come alive.

00:15:57
Speaker 2: But the Rybakina Budoza match.

00:16:00
Speaker 1: That's a good that's a good match.

00:16:01
Speaker 2: Sure, I'm just looking through this section. You know, Maria Sakari just had a really tough victory in her match against Kalinina, who's a terrific player from Ukraine, so she's throw in that section. And then you know Caroline Cara Garcia playing against Leila Fernandez. That'll be a fun match, yep.

00:16:17
Speaker 1: I mean, obviously we talked about there are a lot of Canadians out here and judging by the Banbrasco crowd, so I'm happy to have a lot of noise at that Laila Fernandez match because they bring it. The Canadians are actually unhinged, which is a fellow Canadian. I'm like, actually impressed that they brought.

00:16:32
Speaker 2: Them gone from the colt to the pomp Springs and their love and life. You know, they're drinking, they're having a good time. So she the North. But yes, super happy about that. Sakari through who she gonna have to go up against this match is still going on right now. And who else? Who else are we going to talk about Caitlin?

00:16:50
Speaker 1: I mean we can talk about Felix o Jelias.

00:16:52
Speaker 2: Let's get to the guys.

00:16:52
Speaker 1: He played a I think, very tactical match. He was down a set yesterday, had a sort of I think are against this favor, fought through, found a way. He really is more comfortable on I think a slower surface. So it was nice to kind of see him take it.

00:17:08
Speaker 2: Which is funny because he did handle a couple of tournaments back to back, back to back indoors. Yeah, so he likes I think he likes the he likes the I don't know that just no win, no whatever. He perfect condition, right, but it's a work in progress him right. Getting through and winning a tournament like this would be huge if he could win this tournament.

00:17:29
Speaker 1: Let me ask you a question about Ben Shelton. I've been getting a lot of jawing to me about Ben Shelton. Ben Shelton went down yesterday and three sets against the reigning champion, Taylor Fritz, and it was an all American affair. Ben Shelton has a very dynamic game. He's a lefty, He's got a huge serve. I was sort of dismissing him because in his earlier very exciting run in Australia, it was exciting and great and I don't mind a young buck coming up out of nowhere, but it kind of seemed like he didn't really play anybody, to be honest, and till he lasted Timmy Paul. He put up a good fight against other friends. Maybe I might have to reapprise my thoughts about bench.

00:18:08
Speaker 2: He's a lot of matches, he think, so, oh yeah, God, he's got one of the best serves in the world, very very very difficult to break, so that in and of itself is going to win him a lot of matches. His forehand is big, yep, it's very very tricky. Obviously also being a lefty that wins you more matches just because now you know the right that that is so helpful. But also you know he has a slice backhand. He's back end definitely needs a lot of work. I think he sort of like could get into the x'es and knows why and technically.

00:18:37
Speaker 1: But I feel like, if nothing else, you need to just for your own satisfaction teach the entire professional playing. But he had a slice back end. Well, yeah, I hear you talk about it all the time. The amount of players it seems like you feel like need better slice back ends. That could be the number of players who slice back ends who seem to like Is that fair?

00:18:55
Speaker 2: Yes?

00:18:56
Speaker 1: Okay, but no tomorrow morning if we get delayed on inflate slice back anyone got a PJ in the area, Yeah, let's get home. No.

00:19:07
Speaker 2: Ben's gonna win a lot of matches and it's going to be very hard to beat on grass. He's going to play well.

00:19:12
Speaker 1: At the Good Raider. He closes the nad.

00:19:14
Speaker 2: I liked his volleys in And you know what he is. He's a lover of the game.

00:19:17
Speaker 1: He just loves it.

00:19:18
Speaker 2: He's a student of the game because his dad's his coach.

00:19:20
Speaker 1: But you can tell when there's a player who really likes you having all the tools and using all the tools, and I like that.

00:19:24
Speaker 2: It's Fun's fun.

00:19:25
Speaker 1: He loves it. Let's talk about many.

00:19:27
Speaker 2: Medvedev is playing so well.

00:19:29
Speaker 1: We watched him practice yesterday. That was hilarious.

00:19:31
Speaker 2: I would say that he is the favorite doing this tournament. Alcarez, I'm sure is right there. I would like to see them play against each other because that's a matchup that you love, right, sort of a defender in Medvedev and it's absolute like Dynamo on the court with Alcarez. So that contrast is so fun to watch, but you know, it's all of tennis still to go. I enjoyed watching Jordan Thompson beat sits Pass, not because I don't like sits Pass, just Tom was happy, happy for the porn stash Jordan Thompson with that awful, awful mustache.

00:20:07
Speaker 1: Between him and JJ Wolf, there's a significant dirt bag stale contingency on the on the course. Right now, there's some man who's in one of their camps who's walking around with one of the most insane mullets I've ever seen. It is a full, short, spaky mullet in the front and down the middle of his back.

00:20:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just awful.

00:20:25
Speaker 1: I don't know who that guy is, but if anybody who's close, I don't want to know, I do, I want to know who it is.

00:20:31
Speaker 2: I want to shout out to cam Nora, who was down a set and a break today and he came back in his match, which was pretty phenomenal because I thought he was done Dune Sky of course a former champion here too, so it must be nice for him to get through that match.

00:20:42
Speaker 1: It was.

00:20:42
Speaker 2: It was a bloody tough match. I'm trying to find he literally was. I thought he was out of it. So he managed to come through that match. So former champions find a way here. It's always nice, but I'm loving it. If you're not watching it on Tennis Channel, you got to get your ass out here to Indian Worlds. Yeah. Sure, it's such a fun place to do.

00:21:01
Speaker 1: I mean, my hope is next year we'll just have to come back and do something bigger and better. Always my friend always did shikes desert, late warmth, direct flights from war you are now, it is quite cool at the start of the tournament, yeah, but coming from the thirties in New York, it still felt pretty warm to me.

00:21:18
Speaker 2: But we hopefully the people that are listening that will listen to this podcast. A lot of you are maybe walking around this the stadiums right now and around the courts here, and I had a bunch of people come up and say they love the podcast. So to give you people that come up, we do appreciate it. Yeah, it's amazing and uh yeah, so enjoy the rest of the tournament. We'll check in after the tournament and let you know who's one and who who should have won and uh and who sliced back and who slice back and it's improving.

00:21:45
Speaker 1: Heed's improving, all right. Thank you guys so much for listening. Love and direct from Indian Worlds. It's Renee and Caitlind being p porry about open. Thanks for listening, Babe, Babe,