Year in Review: The Women

00:00:03
Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, You're about to listen to one of two year end episodes featuring our post Renee Stubbs, as well as cultural attache Andrea Pekovic. The two of them go deep on first the women of twenty twenty three and then the men. Will be posting them in the next couple of days. But I wanted to call your attention to our newsletter because those of you who are living in New York City have an incredible opportunity to come see us live. We're doing a live podcast and holiday market here in New York City.

00:00:30
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00:00:33
Speaker 1: There will be prizes, there will be giveaways, there will be guest appearances, and there will be an incredible holiday mar market where you can grab some racket stuff for the.

00:00:40
Speaker 2: Levels in your life.

00:00:42
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00:00:44
Speaker 3: Don't miss it season.

00:00:48
Speaker 2: I really hope so. I think it would be a great value for Gucci who needs a win like that in their house.

00:01:08
Speaker 3: Ladies and gentlemen. Joining me today in the pod is the one and only Andrea Petkovic. Petco Andy, do you have any other names?

00:01:16
Speaker 2: I don't. And Andrea is good for me, Petko is good for me. Andy is good for me. So whatever whichever one you prefer, I am the Caitlin off Today's show, although I think I will take the guest host role rather than the host role. I don't know. How is it with you guys? Do you separate or.

00:01:34
Speaker 3: Do you just just go?

00:01:36
Speaker 2: You just do co hosts.

00:01:38
Speaker 3: There's no banta and we talk and it just ends up being bullshit, absolutely good pretty much what we do do, just what you and I do on a regular basis.

00:01:47
Speaker 2: Yeah, so now just put it in front of microphones. I am a little jittery from the coffees that we've had, and I'm very proud of us, Renee, because we are not actually just sitting down and bullshitting. We have made a list, we have made talking pines, we have researched, and we are ready to go.

00:02:04
Speaker 3: I know this might be the first time that I've ever done any of that. Really, It's one of the things that Caitlin and I do is usually write down about five things and then we just bullshit. But you know, because of your German heritage now certainly doesn't come from your parents because they are not your German born, but that part of you comes out in being organized, having lists. There's one thing I know about you, Pecko, and for all the listeners out there, if you go to dinner with Petco, I am very much an on time person. I might come a minute or two earlier. I have a propensity to never be late because I hate people that are late. It really pisses me off because I think what your Your time's more important than money. I always know that you, my friend, will be there on time. Yeah, so you're organized, You're on time. And now we have lists. So we're going to get into it, Petco and are going to give a bit of a wrap up of this year. Even though there's still a men's tournament going on right now.

00:03:00
Speaker 2: Can you believe that it's too long? Honestly? Like, I respect the men, I respect that they are playing for so long, but that's too long. They need to rest, they need to refuel, They need a proper off season. If you don't have a proper off season, you know it just as well. Renee, you get injured, and we see that more and more. You see these early injuries. We will maybe get into a few of these today, but you see these early injuries at the Australian Open, Indian Wells Miami, and that didn't used to be the case because normally you have those two months November December where you first wind down and then you slowly prepare your body for that grueling season. Tennis is maybe the only sport where the season lasts from January first way way into this in November. It's a long season. You have to be ready for that. I think it's too long.

00:03:49
Speaker 3: It's crazy. I mean I've been saying this for years. I mean, the one thing that WTA does do right a little bit better than the ATP is finishing earlier in the season. It's crazy to me. I mean, think about what Casper did. I think that really fucked him up last year and when he kept playing, when we play those exos with Nadal, like fine, he's like your idol and you want to go and he probably paid him millions of dollars to go do all of that. But you know, then he didn't play after the Australian Open. It's like he needed a break. I'm like, dude, you got to pick your schedule a little bit better, which is why I think Novak, for example, has been able to dominate the last few years. I mean, listen, the pandemic was not a friend to him. Let's face it, vaccines and all, and not being able to play like three or four Grand Slams that he should have played and probably would have won. But you know what, I think it's given him longevity, even more longevity because he actually was resting his body for a period at that time, so I think it randomly has helped him. I'm sure he'd probably like to have played, but I.

00:04:41
Speaker 2: Do think that that's a really good point you're making, And I think that's why good coaching is so important. When we think of coaches, we think of what they do on court, the technical aspects they bring into a player's game, the tactical aspects. But I think what has forgotten how important the fitness aspect is of it. And how you schedule a season and where do you play, where do you peak, when do you wind down? All these things are just as important. That's why coaches with a lot of experience help not only on the court, but also off the court.

00:05:11
Speaker 3: And I think the agents can put their two cents in as well and maybe make their players not play an event because they're getting paid fifty thousand dollars and they're taking a cut of that. Yeah, but I mean look at Serena. Serena didn't play after the US Open for like what like seven years or something. Later part of her career, she didn't even play the WTA finals. She was like, eh, I'm done after the US Open. She used to literally hang her rackets up for the year, which a lot of people like, oh, you weren't supporting the tour. I'm like, she was supporting the tour for like almost twenty years. Like, give me a break. If she wants to take two months off of competition, she can come back and win the austral And Open. Good for her, you know. And a lot of players are still obviously continue to play after the US Open because they wanted to make the championship, you know, WTA finals, and they wanted the money and helps her ranking. And Serena's like, my priority is to win Grand's so for me to go into the Strain Open being rested and then winning Wimbledon and everything else was my priority. And that's what Novak's doing right now. He didn't play anything after the US Open. He went and played what Shanghai or Beijing or Shanghai. That's it. And then oh no, he didn't play anything.

00:06:17
Speaker 2: He played Paris and then the Fins and Davis Cup.

00:06:21
Speaker 3: Brilliant.

00:06:21
Speaker 2: That's what I want, and that's why that's why he won. I think because many times you see it that the ATP finals and the WTA finals that the player who was the player of the season actually doesn't win the ATP or wt A finals because they are so tired. Because the player is the player of the season has played the most matches, right.

00:06:39
Speaker 3: That is your theory, and that's my theory. It is true in some ways, except the women's because well actually in both because you know, Novak did win the US Open and then he didn't win.

00:06:51
Speaker 2: But he last year he didn't he played more and so he didn't win the he didn't end up winning the ATP finals, and this year he took the big break and then he won on the ATP finals.

00:07:01
Speaker 3: You are correct, yes, but let's.

00:07:03
Speaker 2: Get into it. Let's talk about Novak Djokovic, because he was part of what I considered to be the last competition of the year. But you corrected me with the extra tournament going on exactly. Davis Cup we saw maybe the budding rivalry of twenty twenty four, Janick Center against Novak Djokovic. How did you watch the Davis Cup finals? What were your thoughts on it? What were your feelings? Did you watch anything?

00:07:27
Speaker 3: I watched every single day, almost wake up in the morning. And it was great to have tennis still on, to be quite frank, and obviously these great players playing against each other, and you and I both know playing for your country is like, was the most meaning offul thing for I would say both of us. I mean, I loved my Fed Cup Billy Jean King Cup weeks. They were just so fun. And you know, I remember Darren Khle telling me, oh no, he's going to play Davis Cup. I was like, damn, holy cow. Good for him, and then also Novak, like good for him to go and play. Both of them to go and play is incredible to me because that extra week or so is, as you know, so important.

00:08:01
Speaker 2: Absolutely, I think this we have to stress as much as we can. Yanick Sinna and Novak Djokovic being there for their country this late in the year after having played so much, and I'm sure both of them want to make a splash at winning the Australian Open is absolutely incredible and it just comes to show you how important it is for these players and that they are really sacrificing a piece of their recovery recovery time in order to be there for their country. And you could see it in both their faces how much they wanted to win. Both Novak, who has won literally everything there is to win, and Yanick, both of them just were so determined and the third set to hang in there. That was such a good man, It was really good.

00:08:47
Speaker 3: I mean, it's amazing to me that Yannick Sinner, you know, beat Novak twice in the space of two weeks. That's phenomenal to be able to do, because you know, Novak's the greatest player of all time, but to beat that way in such an incredibly important match to win Davis Cup. Neither of them had won Davis Cup. They both obviously meant the world to them because they went and played.

00:09:10
Speaker 2: Well Serbia one Davis Cup.

00:09:12
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, that's right, he did, so he's already done it, so so for him to and another reason for Novak to not play because he'd already done it. So I just give them so, as you said, so much credit to the both of them to go and do that and play like days after being in an ATP final. So I thought the Davis Cup was incredible. Wow, like the depth of Italian men's tenner so far out, Like how good is that? But also it's kind of a little embarrassing when you think about the US. They've got five players I think inside the top twenty five in the world and they weren't even they weren't even there.

00:09:44
Speaker 2: Yeah, strange. Let's stay with that match just for a while. What did you think of the three match points Novak? Third set five, four jicks and a serving down last forty What did you What did you think of that? How did you watch it? Like were your thoughts?

00:10:00
Speaker 3: Well, I thought the first one was his chance.

00:10:02
Speaker 2: To win the weird slash, Yeah, that was.

00:10:06
Speaker 3: Definitely the first point. He should have won that point if he was going to win it. And then the third one even forty thirty, like I thought he should have passed down the line with the backhand.

00:10:13
Speaker 2: I'm sure he knows how to do that. So well.

00:10:15
Speaker 3: I'm surprised that he chose to go cross court, and you and I both know that usually going cross court is sort of the safer option, and so that surprised me a little bit because he did have the room down the line to hit the back end down the line, but maybe he thought Yannick was going to cover the line, which most people should cover the line on the backhand.

00:10:32
Speaker 2: If they have ever talked to you before, Yes.

00:10:34
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, in particular. But I thought it was very brave as well of Yannick to come in. He made actually a really good volley on that thirty forty point. It was sort of jammed him and he could have missed it. I mean, look, Novak missed a very very very makeable volley on set point in the first set, the cost in the set, so you know, look it happened. I just thought it was incredible that he was able to co My thing about Yanick Sinner is that his composure is credible, like for a young guy. I know he probably is, you know, shitting himself inside like we all do, but his outward demeanor is so chill and so relaxed, and I am so pumped for these guys to play. Obviously, look it's going to all change in the best of five, right, Best of three is a different thing comparative to best of five, because and I've said this over and over again during the ATV finals, for example, when he beat him, It's like, look, if you can put him in a final or you play best of five, to beat Novak is the most difficult thing to do in tennis. He proved that again this year by winning three Grand Slams. No big deal. I'm losing it an unbelievable final at Wimbledon. So I don't know. Janick Sinner. I predicted, you know, a couple of weeks ago that I think he's ripe and ready to win a Grand Slam next year.

00:11:45
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, it's.

00:11:46
Speaker 3: Never made a final, but I still think he can do it.

00:11:49
Speaker 2: I really hope. So I think it would be a great, great value for Gucci. Who needs a win like that in their house after losing Harry Styles to Luieva. Probably we don't know, but we've seen him in louisv a lot. So they need to win, is what I'm saying. You know, Yeah, yeah, they need to win. I just wanted to get back to one more thing in the match and then we can move on to Australia, your country. Renee in the finals against Italy. What is really interesting to me. So in Germany we have football or soccer in the US is the biggest sport, and you have that a lot of times that a team is the better team for eighty minutes and then they get the counter in the back and they lose all one, right, and you're like, but this team was better for eighty five minutes. And it felt like this a bit. In that third set with Novak, he had so many chances he was the better player. You felt like every moment he's going to break, this is it, this is it. And I think that's why he didn't take that much risk, because he felt on those match points because he felt like, I'm just a bit better. I don't need to go for that much. Yes, and that's all credit to Yanik for stepping up. He really played incredible and all the important points. Served a few big serves and we know that Darren, I mean, you know it's better. You're good friends with Darren that he they were experimenting with that serve, with the foot position and trying things, which I respect so much because Renee, you know how hard it is in the middle of a season to take a stroke and just change it completely and around with it. Exactly and just teeter with it, try it out, and it shows how Yannick wants to become better, how much he wants to win a big tournament, and he knows that if he wants to beat the likes of Novak Djokovic and Carlos al Karaz, he needs to have that serve. And so I have tremendous respect of that. But for that, but I just I just love the just the atmosphere was crazy. All the teams like also I loved and the Serbian team, all the ex players were there. You know you saw buz Oh, yeah, it's Tipsadevich Truitzky on the bench and the same and the men's Mattila Baratinis and he doesn't have to be there, and he was there, and all the teams were there standing. I get goosebumps when I think of it. It was one of my favorite competitions to play, the Billy Jing King Cup, and I'm just so glad because it does elevate the Davis Cup when two of the best players in the world they're playing it. Unfortunately that is the case, and so I was just so glad to see that. And I'm going to move on to the finals. Actually, Renee, as an Australian, did you fully root for the AUSSI so did your little weak heart also have a single tier for Janick Cinner and the Italian team.

00:14:37
Speaker 3: I love Yannick, you know how I feel about him. I just think he's the great. He's such a good kid, He's so nice to everybody. He's just such a pleasure to be around on all occasions. As you said, he's tinked around with the fullhand with the serve and getting better and better at everything. But of course I'm pulling for Australia to win the Davis Cup and we have won it for a while and they were in the final again last year where they probably felt that they could win last year against Canada. This year, I know that Alex Popperin will be regretting that match against Analdi. You're a big fan of Analdi and as am I as a young player, and what a terrific effort from him. But you could see at the end Alex Popperin really he didn't play a good couple of last games and he, in my opinion, match point personified the whole match where he had a foehand and he just didn't.

00:15:24
Speaker 2: Go for it think or you think he just hesitated question.

00:15:28
Speaker 3: That he got tight. You know, he's a pretty relaxed guy. But he did talk about how, you know, playing his first match there, it was the most nervous he's ever felt. You and I both know it's very very different feeling playing Davis Cup and Billy Jean King Cup. It's like you're shitting yourself out there because you're playing for more than yourself for the first time, you know, playing for your country, you're playing for your teammates. And he that you could tell on that fourhand approach shot he just didn't hit it and he guided it and were whacked with the backhand down the line. And that was the match. I mean, because you think about Yanick Sinner for a sample, when he was down those match points, he still went for it.

00:16:02
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know what I mean.

00:16:03
Speaker 3: He came in. I was like super proud to see him like come into the net and be aggressive. And Novak didn't hit the passing shot down the line, he went cross court and so yeah, so I was super proud of Alex because he played such a good couple of matches. But it was a bummer that because that was the win because then if it goes down to the doubles, I think our boys pull it out actually because I think, well, they have a good doubles team, you know, And not to say that Yannick Sinner and whoever he was going to play with.

00:16:30
Speaker 2: What did you think after especially the Serbia versus.

00:16:34
Speaker 3: Italians were so much better, but.

00:16:36
Speaker 2: Just because all of the players on the court were singles players playing doubles. So what did you think as a double specialist and expert, like, what how did you watch that one?

00:16:46
Speaker 3: I thought that it was the difference in that match was the fact that the Italians were a lot more doubles oriented in the match, that were poaching, a lot, they were serving and volleying, they were from time to time, they were playing if and may. They were really mixing it up, and in general, what they did much better than the Serbs is they were looking to poach, so they were actually trying to play doubles. So they were trying to cut off the angles, work together, and that's what they want. And anyone out there that wants to teach someone how to play good doubles, you know, It's the one thing that I sort of critique these days, particularly women's doubles is that it's kind of like just four singles players out there just rallying, rowling, rallying, and then they lob and it's just like, oh my god. The way to win doubles still is to be the more present at the net, and it's to be the more aggressive at the net because it's angles, it's you know.

00:17:33
Speaker 2: Especially with the deciding point and the champions taybreak. I feel like the doubles teams that have patterns for those occasions that have a deciding point or a ten point tybreak, it always feels to me that they have the edge on the other teams mostly exactly.

00:17:50
Speaker 3: And if you are able to poach and volley and volley, well, you're going to win most of those matches. It's just a fact because you know, if you've got two players at the net and two on the baseline, the net players are if they're good volleys, which is rare in women's tennus, they're going to win that rally. Like, what are you going to do? You can't hit through me? You know, I'm going to read where you're going with the boy.

00:18:11
Speaker 2: Well, you can hit through me. But it's I am probably the one at the baseline, not the one at the net.

00:18:18
Speaker 3: Yeah, but if you learn to volley simply just do simple volleys, you'll win a lot more. And then what are they going to do lob you. As long as you can read the lab, you're done. Like so, so everyone out there still wanting to do well in doubles get to the net. And that's what the Italians did better. They were a more aggressive team. And actually did talk to Darren about and he said, yeah, but we worked on it. We worked on his volleys and went to poach how to move in doubles just in case, you know, and it worked and you could see that. So I thought, hey, listen, well done to the Italians. That's great.

00:18:45
Speaker 2: Well, time started.

00:18:47
Speaker 3: Catching up to the women. They won like ten and twelve years.

00:18:50
Speaker 2: Well and Renee Yannick center player of the Davis Cup or MVP.

00:18:55
Speaker 3: Oh, MVP for him and for the women, as I gave it to the week before to Leila Fernandez, Yes, clutch and singles.

00:19:04
Speaker 2: Let's move into the WTA. We want to do a year wrap up off the top ten. So we are going to go through the top ten players first on the WTA Tour and then on the ATP Tour and we will talk not very long, hopefully, but we've already are so long. I thought this will take much shorter, but we just like to talk. That's embarrassing for us. Okay, it is a podcast, so in the podcast they'll talk. Yeah, people talk. So let's get into it. WTA year end ranking. I have it in front of me, number one player, eager on Tech. Six titles this year, one Grand Slam, won the WTA finals. What did you make of her season?

00:19:44
Speaker 3: You know, at the start of the year, I know that she was very aware of her winning streak from the year before. I know that she was putting a ton of pressure on herself to have that same year and was a little bit sort of overwhelmed by it in some respects, I think, and you could see that on her face. Of the austral Open, like losing the semi finals.

00:20:05
Speaker 2: You caught us foth round. She didn't have great results in the Slam, I mean great results. I would have signed her results in the other slams right away, right, let's be clear. But for a number one player who won Roland Garros and won six titles this year, she lost in the fourth round that the Australian Open, lost in the fourth round of the US Open, and made the quarters in Wimbledon.

00:20:26
Speaker 3: So she, you know, for her standards as a number one in the world and as the best player in the world, particularly with what she did the year before. It was not a great season at the Slams, but she won the year, won the French Open again, she won the WTA finals, and she finished the year quite well. She think after having sort of a bit of a tough year really, especially after wumbledon through US Open. Swing was not good. And then you know, she lost in Tokyo early, caught super fast and you're like, shit, you know what's going on here? And she looked vulnerable. She looked scared, vulnerable, She looked like anyone who could hit the ball hard could sort of put her under some pressure. And then she turned it around. She won in China in Beijing, and then won the WTA finals in Kankun and looked unbelievable. Didn't look great in the first match, won it down like five to two in the first set, and then just swept everybody after that. So I think she is by far the favorite now going into this Train Open. But I think what she did this year was a learning experience about how to handle the pressure of what you did the year before. And as we know, because she.

00:21:29
Speaker 2: Was the dominating player life year far.

00:21:32
Speaker 3: Yeah, so thirty seven match win street. No one's done that since a year two thousand when Venus did it. I mean, that's think about that. Think about all the great players from two thousand to twenty twenty three that had not done that. So I think she put a lot of pressure on herself and I think she'd learned a really big lesson about don't worry about what you did the year before. Yeah, just go on the court and play tennis, because when you play at your best, you're the best player in the world by far. So I think she probably this year was as hard as it was with the ups and the downs, I think she probably learned more about herself this year than she did last year. I think she realized what she could do, what her capacity was. Last year. I think what she learned this year was oh shit, okay, all right, I don't have to do that. If I don't win everything, I'm not gonna go into oblivion. I'm not going to die. Everything's going to be okay. And then look what she did at the end of the year. So I think she learned a lot about herself this year, and I think she's going to be I think she's going to be even better next year.

00:22:32
Speaker 2: So the one thing I will say which is interesting to me to look at the Grand Slam, except for Roland Garros, fast do play quicker than the rest of the tour. Shannon Open place quite quick, US Open place quite quick. You Wimbledon is on grass, so it's flat. So these are the courts and these are the players that tend to hurt eger And we move on to the number two players.

00:22:59
Speaker 3: In the running before you go on, is it funny that she won the US Open the year before and I thought the courts were faster well.

00:23:03
Speaker 2: And that's why I wanted to move on Toka. No, she can win, she can't win, But that's why I wanted to move on to Arena Sabalenka. The reason being I do think that Arena Sabalenka. And in the beginning of the year, and we will talk about her too, And in the beginning of the year, partly Rebeccna two, they did close the gap a little bit, whereas in the first in twenty twenty two, Ego was that much better that the surfaces didn't matter as much, right, But Sablenka did close the gap. She took over the number one ranking at the US Open. She won three titles this year. What did you make of her season?

00:23:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean listen great, Like I was courtside for that Australian Open final, still one of the best matches I've seen.

00:23:42
Speaker 2: That was insane.

00:23:44
Speaker 3: Ever an ability of both of them the ship out of the ball like they do and hit it in as much as I did. It was incredible when I first saw that. When I knew they were going to play in the final, I was like, Oh, this is going to be terrible.

00:23:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, I thought so too. I also thought it was going it was incredible.

00:23:59
Speaker 3: I wanted I think it was whoever was in the Senate there was. I always like to have big hitters against the counterpuncher because it's just makes for such a better match. And I was like, Oh, this is going to be terrible. It's gonna be no rallies, it's going to be so bad, and it was amazing just because they were both playing so well. So for me, the quality of that match is probably the best match I saw all year on path. Yeah, and I just thought, you know, her ability to be able to control the nerves on the surf. Get that back in organized she played great. You know, she had a great year. When you think about it, and some people consider her Player of the year, you think, I think you could also give an equal player of the year to her and eGain some respects.

00:24:40
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I honestly, I think the one thing that the WTA was lacking in the past few years was that rivalry, right, the defining rivalry, and by the rivalry, I don't necessarily mean between two players, Like if we look at the men's tour, we had Rafa Raja Novac. That's not a rivalry between two players. It's like kind of a few players where you know, yes, well, but you will know they will end up playing each other in the semison and you're excited about who's going to take it. And I think that was lacking. So I was so excited to see it in the beginning of the year, Saballenka and Rebuccina closing that gap and Sablenka just breathing down EGA's neck. Because I agree with you, I think this year was very important for Ega, and I think we will see her next year having taken another step in her in the level of her play because of that, and I think if she had if she had dominate, if she had just continued to dominate, I think there is a danger to stagnate when you don't have somebody pushing you from the back. And I said the reason for me, why Arena Sabalenka is the player of the year or has a small edge of it? Igashiantek? She yes, she could have won all four slams she was up, could have, would have, should have, I know, but she she won, yes, and open had five two in the third set against Smoke.

00:26:00
Speaker 3: Don't you think that that's the match that just killed her?

00:26:03
Speaker 2: It did. Until then she was the leading She couldn't that, yes, well, and she was until then. She was in number one in leading wins on the WTA Tour. She had won by far the most matches until then, and it did kind of break her. But then again, semi finals Wimbledon, she should have won that match against Ons two. She was up a set and had break points, multiple breakpoints to go up a set and a break. The momentum was completely on her side. Lost that match, and the same thing happened in the final at the US Open, where she was up a set and the momentum was completely on her side to beat Coco. I think the audience had something to do with it. We will talk about Coco, but in a different universe, Saballeenka has won the Grand Slam. There was a probable chance for her to do that. So that's why just the Grand Slam performances for me this year from her were absolutely stunning, and I think if she can just stay a bit calmer in those moments, in those big moments, she did it. She did do it. She won the austra and Open. It's not like she can.

00:27:01
Speaker 3: That's what's weird to me is that that's the Australian Open. Because we all do this, we all learn what our breaking point is right and when it's positive and when it's a negative for us. And she saw what a positive was is that she kept her mind, her body, her crazy, all the shit together at the Eustralian Open final. If there was ever a time to lose it, sometimes it was there. I mean even the first game where she double folded like twice in the first game and she started laughing. I was like, all right, SUSI well adjusted human being, but she played unbelievable. After that moment, she kept her shit together and finished that match off. You think she would have learned from that moment, but she didn't, because every big match in defined in the semis or a final of a slam, she lost her mind and so I was shocked by that. So if there's one thing that she can learn is that remember what you did the Australian Open. You kept everything together, you went throw it. I mean remember the USI when she threw a racket up to her player box and it didn't make it. And I'm caught side for the match of the semis, and I was showing I was match no.

00:28:05
Speaker 2: I was after Yes, I was one hundred percent sure she's going to win the US Open because normally, when you win a match like that where you're already out and you've lost your shit and you manage to turn it around on your inside and you win that, you're free, right, You're just feel free. You turned around the last match and I thought she's going to kill whoever is waiting in the finals. She didn't Cocoa one in the end and let's move on to Coco because I think we can talk about each and every player for twenty five minutes, but we do have a time restraint, I guess, so let's do. Let's talk about Coco Goff, and I think what I want to talk with you about her. She has four titles. This year, had an up and down season, but then I think the breaking point was Wimbledon. Yeah, can you talk a little bit about that process of transformation for Coco GoF She lost in the first.

00:28:59
Speaker 3: Round and win into the interview.

00:29:00
Speaker 2: I like this, but I like, I am interested in your thoughts. I'm not like trying to play the interview here. I'm actually interest because we haven't talked about this in that detail. We talk about everything all the time, but not in this much detail. And I just wonder was that maybe the most important loss of her career. In a way it was.

00:29:18
Speaker 3: It's sort of similar to Serena losing first round of the French Open. Yeah too, French player was the name of the class. I think that match turned around to Serena's career, and I think that this match turned around Cocos because she was out of there. She lost kind of earlier in the doubles as well. So she left early, went back to Florida and started training on hardcourt, and you know, got Brad Gilbert to help her out once when them was over and his ESPN duties were done. And I think that what it did to her is that he made her understand. I think that it's yes, your forehand is definitely dodgy, definitely needs to change in some respects. Or we deal with it and we use all of what you've got going for you, which is your legs, quickst player on tour. You know, arguably other than maybe eager, unbelievable backhand serve when it's going in is huge, very difficult to break. Her so good at the net. So everything she has going for her except the forehand. So okay, let's not miss the forehand and let's improve everything else. Do you know me? And that's what happened. I mean, her play it. I remember watching her at Washington because I was their court side as an MC doing some stuff, and I remember thinking, she's not making an errors on the forehand. Where do they go? There's nowhere to go. There's literally no weakness on the court. It's the same as ego. There's no weakness unless you're pounding it to the forehand, and she's a bit late. There's no weakness, speed serve, everything's good. So I just noticed the transformation in her confidence of not missing the forehand, and that's where the confidence comes from. So I think her not missing her forehand. Then we saw what happened. She lost to Bagoula just just loves playing against Coco. I mean, I don't think she's lost to her, and you know, and then she goes and wins Cincinnati again, beats Ega for the first time, and I think Eager learned a lot from that loss because she hasn't lost her ego to Coco since she's beaten her twice quite comfortably. But I think she was prepared. She's like, oh, she's not going to miss the forehand anymore.

00:31:18
Speaker 2: And sorry to interrupt you here, I just have to say, how important unless you're Novakdjokovic, which just is a dominating goat of you know, all time, goat of all time, grace of all time, of all how important it is for you to win a Slam that the stars aligned, because if IgA doesn't play Ostapenko in the fourth round, Ega doesn't lose. Ega plays Coco, and I have to say, I don't think Coco beats her again after the Cincinnati.

00:31:48
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't think so either.

00:32:02
Speaker 2: And then she's not the US Open champion. Then she's out in the quarters. We all say, great hardcore season. When will she win her first slam? Probably at the French Open, right, That's what I would say, probably would if all the pundits would have said after that. And and that's why you can't stress enough how important jaws are and why we look at it so and head to heads, head to head to exactly matchups.

00:32:26
Speaker 3: It's all I take. When I go into commentary, people is like, oh, how do you know all this stuff? I don't know anything. I just go into the comrade booth or sideline, and the only one thing I want to know in the matchup, what's their head to head and on what surface? And that's all I care about. Everything else is based on what I'm viewing, because that's my job as an analyst is to analyze what's happening on the court. I don't go in with lots of you know, notes and things like that. I just go in. My job is to analyze what I'm saying, and I want to know what the head to head is on the surface that they're playing on, because somebody could beat someone on clay five times and loose them on hardcourt. You're like, oh, like, I would never pick over you know, confident Rebarkina on a fast court. Yeah right, I would never pick to lose to Rebarkin on clay court. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? That's just sort of Now that's not to say that they can't beat each other on the yeah, but.

00:33:16
Speaker 2: Just the probability.

00:33:17
Speaker 3: So if someone says, Okay, who's your favorite, then I'll say based on this court. So first I will say next.

00:33:22
Speaker 2: Yeah, let's just one more sentence to Para Riba, because I think Rett Gilbert had his had his moment. I think ESPN was milking how great of a coach he is and all those interactions. It was great. He's a great coach. I'm not saying he's not. He's a great coach obviously. He has thenis mind. He has a very good tennis mind also obviously, and he brought a new energy. But I know Pera Riba, I saw what he did with Quinn wen Jang. I know that his way of working on the forehand worked for Kinwen, and I know it has worked on Cocoa Goths as well, and I think a lot of credit goes to him, and he was forgotten, and for my taste, he was forgotten many times because he's done the training. He's done the training. After Coco lost in Wimbledon, she was on the court with Para Riba. Brett Gilbert came on the first day of Washington d C. And as I said, I'm not taking anything away from Brett, but I am saying Para also had his way and he also had his footprint on it. And I think especially on the forehand, because I know the Spanish exercises they do with the fast hand, the accelerating of the wrist, the turning off the body, the using your legs, I know what they do, and I think it really helped her in making it savor and have more spin on it. So I just wanted to have a few sentences for Para Riba and his work that he done as well.

00:34:43
Speaker 3: He should go back to King to coach.

00:34:45
Speaker 2: Maybe yeah, Okay, let's move on. Elena Rebacchina Renee a weird season. She started incredibly. The first half of the season was insane. Finals of the Austrian and Open one Indian Wells, and I wrote down maybe the toughest Indian Wells anyone has ever had. Can you pull it up? Because we looked at it earlier and we were like, this is these are the players she beat? Yeah, I think Kennon in the first round, Farmer Grand Slam champion.

00:35:10
Speaker 3: What a great start to the year she had and frankly starting to look like could be number one in the world starting I'm trying to pull up the while talking, you know, starting to play some unbelievable tennis in the biggest of moments. And her game is so big, serve is so big, backhand is so good, forehand is very predictable. I think that a lot of people started to pick on that and realize that it, you know, has a tendency to go across court ninety five percent of the time. So people started to read that. But on a slower hard court like Indian Welles, for example, Wow, Like, what an incredible tournament she had there. Why can't I pull it up?

00:35:49
Speaker 1: So weird?

00:35:49
Speaker 2: Well, she won two titles this year, and then it started to right a little bit.

00:35:55
Speaker 3: She lost in the finals of Miami, which was also a great tournament for her, and then in while she beat Sophia Kennon first round, Paula Bodosa, Grihava Mukhovae Sablenka.

00:36:08
Speaker 2: Yeah crazy, that's beat the.

00:36:10
Speaker 3: Number uh, you know, number one and two players in the world semis and finals to win the tournament and you know, just stay.

00:36:16
Speaker 2: Three Grand Slam and three Grand Slam champions.

00:36:19
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's so great year. But you know her year was marred by sickness, injuries, by all kinds of things. So I think for her, she gets herself healthy and not sick, she will be certainly a player to watch. She is one of my favorites of this stray and open again for making the finals and anyone that.

00:36:34
Speaker 2: Goes courgeous suits her right.

00:36:37
Speaker 3: And the ball suits her. So look, yeah, I mean hopefully her coach's not yelling at her too much down in Australia.

00:36:43
Speaker 2: And we know your thoughts on that, But what do you think what is the not what is the reason we obviously can't look into her body, but do you think it's just because sometimes you see that with players who because Rebeccaa hasn't played full that many.

00:36:57
Speaker 3: Full season showed the tape on all the time you and that worries me maybe, and a lot of it has to do with sometimes with the service motion. I don't know. I'm not in her camp. I know her fit in Australia as Zula. He was with Carolina Pushkovo when I was with her, and he's fantastic. Yeah, great guy, great.

00:37:16
Speaker 2: She has improved her footwork tremendously. I think that's what he did so well.

00:37:21
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that he's one of the best trainers. He was with Burdick for a long time, so he's used to really tall yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, stiff the long legs.

00:37:28
Speaker 2: Yeah, so he does.

00:37:29
Speaker 3: A great He used to be in track and field. He was a really good track and field runner himself, so he's gotten these players to move better.

00:37:35
Speaker 2: So she looked more agile because she looked like she wasn't slow, because she when she gets running she can run. She's not slow. But yes, because she's so tall as these long legs, sometimes it looks a little stiff, as you said, and she looks more agile. She definitely in the beginning of the year she looked very smooth actually, how she was moving so great job to him at level when we shout out the little in the well, just in the parts of a team. That because everyone likes to focus on the big star in the team, the star coach or the star agent or whatever. So I like when we pick out those little ones. Renee, Jess Pagoula, the quarter final queen. Yes, the quarter final queen. What do you make of her year? She had also had two titles, just as rebakkena one big title Montreal one thousand title six one six zero in that final against some Sonova so killed her.

00:38:32
Speaker 3: Like, listen, Jess, great year, super consistent, she will get to a semi. We know that the Wimbledon match would have been absolutely heartbreaking, and I think she possibly could have won the tournament.

00:38:43
Speaker 2: That's what I wanted to ask you, Renee. So she was in the quarters for one against Wondershova, who ended up winning four one up with break points or game points to go up five to one. What does it do to you mentally? Like did you fear for her that it could have broken? I mean she won Montreal afterwards, so clearly it hasn't. But at that moment, right we are in that moment, we don't know what's going to happen. Were you worried, like, oh my god, this could break her because I was in a sense.

00:39:11
Speaker 3: No, because I think that she knows that she can do it, she just has to do it right. And Rene, No, No, I think that you know, when you get into that position, you just say, all right, next time, don't fuck it up. You know what I mean, Like, next time you get in that position, put the pedal down.

00:39:31
Speaker 2: So you think it's helping lesson rather than oh my god, this is never going happens.

00:39:38
Speaker 3: Well adjusted human being that I think that she takes those things and don't don't trust me, just like on sher bird, Like that would have hurt There's no quick question about it, and it would have damaged her. But to come back and win Montreal and do it the way she did, be eager in the semis, you know, it's like, look she was. It was great for her to bounce back that quickly. But I think that now it's more about the mental thing of getting over a quarter final. Now it's not the same. I know I did it in doubles like where I think I lost like six quarterfinals in a row. And then finally someone said just look, they said detached from the outcome. Yeah, and I did you know. And once I got through that quarterfinals, it was like, Okay, I'm good now. And so I think she'll be good. I think she'll be tough to beat in Australia. She likes playing down there, so I think she'll break through. When she does, we can all shut up about it, you know. And but look, she had a great year and super consistent and probably the most consistent player this year other than well.

00:40:36
Speaker 2: Talking of breaking through, Ranata six on jaburs that we have to talk about that Wimbledon. We have to talk about it. I was with you during that final while it was happening. We were watching it together. I know your first hand thoughts. Can you you don't have to go into full detail, but can you talk about what you think you watched the warm up? I don't know if you have talked about this on the podcast. I have listened.

00:41:01
Speaker 3: She was a disaster the warm up. She was supposed to go on Centa court and hit. Because it was it was so windy that day, they closed the roof and so they decided to because of the possibility to rain, they were just going to play the final with the roof closed and so Vondrosova. I went warmed up too, because I was supposed to play in the old Farts final that day and then whoever we were supposed to play against default and so I did not playing, but I went and warmed up for like ten minutes. I went and hit balls. It was so windy it was a joke. And then who do I see walking over there to hit balls, Vondro sober So I'm like, oh, she's going over to hit in this wind. It was like yeah, she was going over to Rangy to hit and I was like, okay. And then I saw on shbur hitting and warming up on center court, so I was like, well, that's smart. She's hitting up on the court. They allowed her to hit on that court. But then she comes out and all black. I'm like, what the fuck are you doing. Everybody in the world knows you can't play on Wimbledon courts unless you're wearing all white, even in the warm up, and even as a coach or even as a person on the court picking balls up, you've got to be in all white. She comes out in all black, and.

00:42:00
Speaker 2: This is not the first day, this is the final. She's from there three.

00:42:03
Speaker 3: Weeks so one of the referees comes out and basically tells her you can't warm up. You've got to go and change. There's no like getting around it. So she goes, runs off the court, comes back. She's in the worst mood. She has all wine on, she's warm out, she's missing everything. Her coach is missing shit, he's like, looks stressed. The husband's picking up balls, he looks stressed. I saw them before the match. He looked like he was going to throw up. I'm like, guys, and this is the one thing, and this is nothing because I love her coach, I love her husband, I love ons, but this is where you need someone around. Because if that had been me, if I'd been an advisor or a coach, I would have been like, listen here, you're all good. You don't even need to warm up. Yeah, okay, just go in the gym and hits it. Run on the treadmill for twenty minute. You've played two fucking weeks of tennis. You know how to play on grass. You've got five minutes to warm up on the court. Does it really matter? Does that half an hour make or break you to go on a court? Right? It does? Mentally, if you go out with a bad attitude. You can't win. My old coach used to say, you can't win the match grubs in Walmart, but you can certainly help yourself lose it. And you know what that really? That does. That resonated to me because she tore herself down in that final. She was getting the shits, he was missing balls, she was getting upset. She's had to go and change your clothes, and it transferred onto the court and she was miserable, miserable on the practice court, on the match court, and that hurt her. And so when I see her play those matches and she's subsequently at the US Open, same thing. I'm like, you're the Minister of happiness, isn't that your nickname? But yet on the court you look like the Minister of misery.

00:43:33
Speaker 2: So you, I would say, sometimes, yeah, I would.

00:43:36
Speaker 3: Say to her a lot of the times lately.

00:43:37
Speaker 2: Well, I think I agree with you.

00:43:39
Speaker 3: Think she looks miserable on the court.

00:43:40
Speaker 2: Well sometimes, and this is what I think. I think when she plays her best tennis and when she wins, like in Charston she won. She really she came back from the injury. Everyone was worried she came back to early she did, but she so she had terrible innio wells Miami, she was not fit, and then she kind of pulled it together for in Charleston, and I was there and I watched her, and she had so much joy play. And that's the problem with not the problem. That's great, but when that joy has been taking away from her, then it translates into anxiety, into nervousness, into rushing and then and that's the problem with players who are so so so talented like On, I was very one dimensional, so which is in a but it's in a way it's easier, right because I knew what I had to do to win a match. It was that one thing. And if I couldn't do it, I knew I was probably fucked. But I knew I had to have good depth, I need to move well, and I need to hit the ball. That's it. It's very easy for somebody like On can hit the slice, who can hit a drop shot? Okayty, And but that can block you, right because she and then when she when she's rushing, when she's nervous, when she's anxious, then she starts making wrong decisions and then it hurts you that you have so many options, because all those options come back to bite you. And it's like what they say about humans, their biggest strengths most most often also their biggest weaknesses. And I feel with Ons, you see it like it's so obvious because the joy for tennis and for life that she has is also the thing that hurts her when it's gone, and the creativity that makes it different than all the other players is the one thing that comes back to bite her in the ass because she all of the sudden hits job shots from five feet behind the baseline on it, quick shot.

00:45:20
Speaker 3: But missing, just basic missing, And I see her reaction, it's just like whatever, whatever, I'm like, what the fuck I go? You do realize that when you're at your best and you're egging the crowd on and you're like, you know, fist pumping and you're doing your tweeners, and that's you at your best. So I would have said to her that wimble and I said, listen here, we're not going to hit any more balls. If you're gonna act like this, we're gonna walk off the court. I mean, I said that same thing to Serena before her second round. I walked up because she was hitting balls in the bottom of the net. She was getting the shits and hitting partner wasn't getting the ball in the right place, and she was having just a moment. She was late to practice because of traffic, you know, and in those those moments, you transfer, you go on the court and you get angry because you just stressed. And she was stressed, and so I just walked up and I said, listen, you can't win the match here, but you can certainly help yourself lose it. She was like, I'm just you know, we had a moment. But it helped her because then you could tell that she sort of was like okay, and she did. She practiced much better after that, But that's because Serena's a champion. So Serena knew I probably am getting a little bit stressed and I am getting a little bit too hard on myself and everyone around me. And she was much better after that. In the warm up she played great, though was when she beat contemplated. But that's what I would have said to Ans. I would have called her the nat and said, listen, none of this is important, none of it. What's important is that you're happy going on the court. You've played enough tennis, like you don't even need to warm up. Just hit a couple of serfs, like I'll hit you some serves, rip a couple of returns. We're ready to go. So that that is something that I think that she needed and we'll see how she does need it.

00:46:54
Speaker 2: But that's what I wanted to ask you, because we were talking about breaking through, breaking through for Jesspagoula to the semi fi off the grants of the majors. Will on Sabe breakthrough and win Islam. What do you think a major.

00:47:05
Speaker 3: If she becomes the Minister of Happiness again, Yeah, she can, but she needs that and if she doesn't, her attitude is not going to get it there.

00:47:13
Speaker 2: Speaking of Wimbledon, one title, the only title of the season twenty twenty three, Marquetta, I've wonder shouva. But it was a beautiful one, wasn't it? Because it was the Wimbledon title.

00:47:23
Speaker 3: Listen, It's like if I could win one title in my life and I played twenty years on tour and they go, you only won one title, and I said, yep, you know which one? Wimbledon.

00:47:34
Speaker 2: I mean, I have to say, incredible performance. It was not lucky. She beat incredible players. She played so well and I have to say, yes, as didn't play her best, but Marketta made it so hard on her. She just didn't allow her. Because you know, you can show up to a match and play a bad set and start. You know, your footwork is not working, but you can always find yourself way your way back. But when Marquetta just didn't allow it, it was like every time you opened the door to come in, she just came there and shut the door. She just shut the door, She just shut the door.

00:48:06
Speaker 3: Right.

00:48:06
Speaker 2: It was a great performance. I mean, we have to give it to her.

00:48:09
Speaker 3: I mean, listen, when you look at when you look at the players that she beat, you know as well. I mean she beat Hallap in the Semis and you know, arguably you could say, no, that was last year. I'm idding that was that was on, But listen, I think that was sorry beat Sitelena and she you know, look, I think the bottom line is Vondrosova knows that she probably got away with something with beating Jess Pagola, and I think she took advantage of that.

00:48:36
Speaker 2: And when we were talking about Seblenka, when she turned that match against Madison keys around.

00:48:42
Speaker 3: I was like though, because Saberlenka had the pressure on her and she didn't have the crowd. As Vondros went in going I'm playing against ons, It'll be fun whatever, She's not going to overpower me. It was creativity against creativity, drop shots against drop shots, great movers against great movers. What shot are they going to hit? So it's kind of a lot of fun to watch that match.

00:49:01
Speaker 2: The biggest difference, though, Renee is the emotional control that Marquetta is able to exude both matches semifinals and the final. She was just cool, calm and collected. She beat Sitolina, who had to really exert herself emotionally to get to that semi finals. Played some incredible matches Sitolina did at those wimble at that Wimbledon and beat you on tech there, right, I think, And so Vondroshova really won Wimbledon, not only with her skial of tennis. Obviously you have to have a scale of tennis to win Wimbledon, to win on grass, but with that emotional stability, just cool, calm and collected, fucking respect man. I really was impressed by her.

00:49:50
Speaker 3: Well, let's let's get to Mukhova, who was right behind her, and just just I want to tag them in together because a year earlier they were in some challenger in the middle of nowhere. They're crazy Italy somewhere, and they're like, what the fuck are we doing here? You know, They're like, look at us, You're playing some fifty thousand in the middle of nowhere. And then both of them are in the top ten now after an amazing year.

00:50:09
Speaker 2: So yes, respectively seven and eight Vendorshova seven, Mokhova eight and Mukhova. Now, this is interesting. Renee, would you take a season like her? Zero titles, but final, rolling, Garros, final, Cincinnati, semi finals, US Open.

00:50:23
Speaker 3: I take her, you right, I take you too. It is unbelievable. I wouldn't take hers over and sober just because she won Wombolin, but I certainly listen. Unfortunately injured again, risked at the end of the year, which is a nightmare injury for a tennis player. Just the constant injuries are just killing her career. She is, in my opinion, someone this without question. I told her this five years ago, and you can ask her. I said, you should be in the top ten. What the fuck you're so good, there's not a weakness in your game. You'd come forward. You've got a great fourhand back and moves well.

00:50:54
Speaker 2: Great athletes, a.

00:50:55
Speaker 3: Great athlete, great kid, works hard. These injuries are killing her and again again another fuck injury.

00:51:00
Speaker 2: Well, I will give you my theory. You know how I love theories. I have observed the thing with players, with athletes, with colleagues that I've been next to for the past twenty years, when somebody has an injury very early on in their career, it seems.

00:51:19
Speaker 3: To just keep bothering them.

00:51:22
Speaker 2: Not in the same place, but just I think as when you're still growing. And she had an big injury and she was eighteen, nineteen years old, and you're still growing, You're still growing into your body, you're still changing. I am. I the same with Rafa. Rafa had an injury very early on, and he always had injuries. If you look at somebody like Djokovic, like Raja and Jakaba, for example, she was never injured and Jakaba, well, and I think that I had you were there. I had tore my ACL when I was eighteen years old at the Australian Open, and I always had problems because of it because your body compensates. Right, you're out for nine months very early on, your body is still growing and your body compensates. So I do think that if you're unlucky in the beginning of your career or why you're still growing with a big injury, it tends to come bite you back in the ass. But what a beauty in the game, just like technical perfection. I call her TBT textbook tennis Mukhova. So Mokhova. Let's uh, let's move on to a very bizarre one. Maria Zakari, number nine, Maria Sakari. She has one title, she won Guadalajara A one thousand. She has, however, also three first round losses at Grand Slams.

00:52:36
Speaker 3: I made the sorry, so I have a theory with that.

00:52:39
Speaker 2: Okay, let's hear it.

00:52:40
Speaker 3: So I interviewed her prior to the US Open. Ok we have these great you know, practice week for the US Open, and we get to talk to the players on the practice court, which is great because they have the mic on they talk to us. They're a lot more open, you know how it is week before the slams. You're a little bit more relaxed. Once the Slam starts you like, I don't anybody. So I interviewed her and I said something about, you know, you're coming back to a place you made the semis last year. You know you've got good feelings here. I'm trying to be all positive. You know, what is it about the new balls? And I'm sort of throwing all these questions at her where it's positive. First thing she said to me, she goes, yeah, but you know I've lost the last foo, I've lost two first rounds of Grand Slam. So and I was like, my first thought there was, what do you fucking cares? You don't talk about that. I mean, when you're a great player, sometimes you just make an excuse like I didn't feel well, I didn't play a great match that day.

00:53:31
Speaker 2: But hey, even if you're an average player like me, I had a lot of excuses.

00:53:35
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean we all have excuses. But I would have been like, yeah, I'm coming back to you. It's open. I love these courts, I love the atmosphere. This is the place I'm playing. Well, I've just made the finals of Washington. She must playing like Pagola in the sad. You know all the things. I've finally found my form again. Now she's thinking about.

00:53:50
Speaker 2: The first round exits out of her head.

00:53:53
Speaker 3: As soon as she said that, I went, oh my god, she's gonna lose again because you're already planting that seed. So there's a little thing, for example, that I don't know if it's me, but I'm very in touch with the emotional side of a player where I would be like, Okay, we need to talk. If I was coaching, we need to talk about this. You're thinking about your first round losses. That means you're going into the first round here at the US Open worrying that you're going to lose again. I guess what. She lost the first round of the US Open. I'm not surprised. So the mentality for her is I would have slapped her and said, fucking don't worry about that. You made the Semisier last year. Do you want to stand? You just made the finals of washing. You're playing your best tennis of the year. We're gonna win this tournament, right, not worrying about losing the first round. And she looks scared on the court.

00:54:37
Speaker 2: That's I see that too. Is that the so you would say, is it the mentality?

00:54:42
Speaker 3: Is it?

00:54:42
Speaker 2: The tennis does she needs to involve the game?

00:54:45
Speaker 3: What do I know?

00:54:46
Speaker 2: She's a player that frustrates you sometimes, like in the best possible way, because I think you really like her and you want to do her, you want her to do well. So but I can feel your frustration sometimes with her. So is it Does the frustration come from the her mentality like that one that you just mentioned, or is it her game?

00:55:03
Speaker 3: What is it? It's her combination. It's a lot of the mentality. But for me also, I think she needs to work on her slice right because it is such a weapon.

00:55:12
Speaker 2: And you know this, like you would you say you have never played slices?

00:55:16
Speaker 3: Would you say you had textbook slice?

00:55:17
Speaker 1: No?

00:55:17
Speaker 3: Would you say when you used it it was for reasons.

00:55:20
Speaker 2: One hundred percent? Well I used it. Mine was not pretty, but I used it because I didn't have a similar game to Zachary. But I like to play forehand from the middle. I did not like to play fourhand so much when you hit into my forehand. So slice was a great way to get that forehand from the middle or the backhand side, because it's really hard if you play crosscord for a variety to hit it with their backhands down the line, so it's like a good tactical aspect of the game to get away from that forehand in the forehand side right, which I think Maria also doesn't like so much. So I see what you're saying, is what I'm saying.

00:55:55
Speaker 3: I want to see her get a slice backhand and play a little bit more like Ash Barty. Right, She's never going to be Ash Barty. But because Maria's about two handed backhand is so good, so good, and it's much better than Ashes. But Ash's forehand was ridiculous. But Ash would slice the back end to get fourhands, and she would toy around with people because it's so hard to attack off a slice. I mean, Azabur. All the people that have really good slice backhands are doing great, right, And so because most of the women like the ball like me to, I would say wasiste level to be able to smash it, which is why they all hit the ball so flat. But these girls that can hit with spin and variety do very well. So for me, I would like to see her get better with a slice. She brings her left leg out way too early. There's little technical things that she could do better. And then I think that she can then play so much more freer and be more relaxed because she's playing with creativity rather than with the intensity.

00:56:52
Speaker 2: Well, this is becoming such a nerded podcast.

00:56:55
Speaker 3: Now you know what we're going to do. We're going to internally talk women today and we may oh.

00:57:01
Speaker 2: Make a second part. Man, I think that's a good that's a good cop. Yes, let's let's do that way because I don't want to rush through the men, because I think there are a lot of great narratives on the ATP side too. Is Actually it was a really exciting season overall, and let's do I think that's a really good show. Yeah, we do a second part with the ATP top ten and also with just like what narrative stood out to you. But I don't want to miss on the number ten player who ended up in the top ten in the world, Barbora cree Chikova. She had two titles and Renee. We just talked about the craziest in the OL's draw for We're Backina this year. But Barbora won Dubai and that was a crazy She beat number three, number two, number one player in the world. Is that correct?

00:57:45
Speaker 3: It was crazy?

00:57:47
Speaker 2: What do you you don't I should have given you a sign. I'm just gonna talk. She had a very strange season. So the Grand Slams this year, the Major she did not do well, but she did sneakily well in the end of the year. Specifically, did you did you pull it up?

00:58:02
Speaker 3: Yeah? I did pull it up. In Dubai she beat Begu first round. Not about when Bego Casakina, Kviteva, Sabalenca, Pergola to win the tournament. So she beat the number one, the number three and the number two players. Well I should have said number one, number two, number three, we know you. She beat one in the final, three in the semis, and two in the quarters. But listen and Kavitava who had won a tournament not long after that in Miami. So look, incredible tournament victory there. She's so up and down when she's on, as you know, she's so good.

00:58:37
Speaker 2: Well, well, I think I played her a few times. I never beat her. I think she's one of the In my opinion, she should be up there with Rebeccina Sabalenka, who are just a bit better than everyone else. However, what I will say she relies so much on clean timing because she really almost hits half volleys because she takes the bars so early. If she tenses up a little bit, it tends to go way off. Right because she hits it's so clean and so early. If you miss a bit there, or if you're not one hundred percent fitch. We saw she struggled with injuries, so if you're not standing there exactly precise like a Swiss or German clockwork, then it goes like. She frames a lot of balls. I saw it with Angie Kerber the at fat Kap. It used to be well in billyging Kikup already. I think they played each other. And she had this tremendous season where she won the Roland Garros and it was the first time she had played for her country, and she was tight like we all are. She was anxious, and I've never seen her frame so many balls, and that was the first time I was like, oh, I see why she can be so off because she relies on hitting and taking the ball so early that when she's just a bit tense, it just goes way off, you know, because she doesn't let the balls ever drop. She always wants to take them on their guys, and it's so Harry. Yeah, but that's why she hits so clean when she's on. She's a player that I would really like to see in the mix for the Slams again because I feel like she can trouble anyone. I just need her. I need her. I think she needs herself to just be that, you know, calm, collect itself again and just relax the arm because then she's so dangerous.

01:00:15
Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, you know what, if everyone has I love to watch her play if anyone, if everyone has it easy, that'll be number one.

01:00:20
Speaker 2: You know, that's exactly true.

01:00:21
Speaker 3: Renee.

01:00:22
Speaker 2: We are getting to the end of this podcast as people are sighing in relief because it has been hours, there has been days, that has been years. But is there anybody else you want to talk about, or maybe a tournament or a competition that set out to you in the season that is not in the top ten. Do you have anybody?

01:00:41
Speaker 3: Well, I mean I did say that, I really think what I really got to give a lot of kudos to Leila Fernandez. I think she finished the year really well. She's had talk about a tough couple of years. Yes, you know, when we think about Emma Retacano being out, what they both did you was open. So I love the fact that she was the catalyst for you know, Canada winning Billaging, King Cup, well done singles and doubles, unbelievable. She wanted to like, she's just she came under own the last couple of months. So I give a lot of credit. And so I want to just give a shout out to Laila Fernandez. Look out for her next year. I think she's back, got the confidence, back, serves under control, kin win Chang. We're gonna see what she can do next year. The stuff that happened with Whenfa said, I think is bullshit. You know how I feel about that. So I think she's got a lot to prove next year, and I think she's going to be really good.

01:01:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I do think that she will build because I the way she phrased her complaints about him was in my mind, maybe it's just mew projecting, but in my mind, there was like a slight fuck you, you know in between those lines. And I think, yeah, sorry for these words, but I think that we'll give her a lot of resilience for next Sure, I think she will find a lot of drive in this inner.

01:01:55
Speaker 3: She's got an inner drive and an inner fuck you about her. She's gonna like and she's great for the sport, and I think it's fantastic. And I want to give a little shout out to Sophia Kennon as well, got her ranking back up. She's just somebody that I really believe in. You know, she had that win against Coco first round of Wimbledon after qualifying. Imagine being a Grand Slam champion and going out and qualifying. But yeah, so those three players, two players coming back from sort of like injuries and lack of confidence, both great players in Kenon and Leila Fernandas and kin Win Chang. Who's that next sort of rising star. I look forward to those three nice.

01:02:28
Speaker 2: I love that you pick the young ones and I will show my age and my recent retiree. I will pick two older ones, not old ones obviously, but I want to pick two mamas and maybe take a look ahead at two mamas that are coming back to the Australian Opinomi Osaka and Akva. I'm very excited to see them back. I think this is going to be crazy interesting to see how what kind of form they return into it they played in the first round, that would be crazy, Craig Tyler, can you do something about that now? And just kidd so, I wanted to shout out Elenasviittelina and Caroline was was Nyaki, both with tremendous comebacks after having multiple babies really and just getting their bodies back in shape or never letting them out of shape. I think both are just such hard workers and so hard on themselves. And the way they the way they were able to bounce back, I think it will raise a bit of pressure on Angie and Naomi just because they bounced back so quickly. I feel like they both came out thinking, oh, we have time to return, and now they don't have that much time clus Caro and we know and Elena did it so quickly, and I think we all know how competitive tennis players are. And so yeah, did you have a favorite tournament a competition on the WTA before we take this to a turn end.

01:03:46
Speaker 3: The w Finals in Kenkun was great.

01:03:48
Speaker 2: Oh my god, let's get that.

01:03:51
Speaker 3: We've already done a whole podcast that No, I mean, listen, there were some things this year of the WTA that were just lacking, you know how I feel that try presentation in Madrid still to me this day, it just pisses me off that we still didn't get a statement from them on that. By the way, I just I thought the austrain Open final was incredible. Hopefully we get it. There was Australian Open like that.

01:04:12
Speaker 2: Again, pretty good Grand Slam finals, I have to say, except for that Wimbledon it was like all three said, the Sablenka Rebeccna amazing, the Sriantek Muhova are really good, and also the Sebelenka Cocoa GoF it was yeah. I mean Seballenka went off the rails a bit there in the end, but it was a great final. It was so exciting and so much tension in that final. So so actually really good finals on the grand slam side. Taking out that Wimbledon finalal maybe yeah, we had.

01:04:39
Speaker 3: A great year on the WTA two as far as you know, just new new faces again, people winning Grand slams. Were just can't wait for next year on the well and you.

01:04:48
Speaker 2: Will do with Caitlin, you will have a life recording. Actually, so if you're in NYC in New York City and you want to see Rene steps and Kaitlyn Thompson live in their full beauty. I'm good at cross Romo. Stay out at my.

01:05:01
Speaker 3: Book sadly the fashion nista here. Oh, have you finished your second book? By the way, I have.

01:05:06
Speaker 2: It's coming on next yeah, but it's a you can't pre order it, so I was just just yoking. But on the seventeenth, is it December?

01:05:14
Speaker 3: Yeah, we're gonna yes, I think that's the day.

01:05:16
Speaker 2: But well we will announce it well and they will talk about what twenty twenty four will bring. So that's why we didn't do that so much today.

01:05:24
Speaker 3: Today we wrapped up the women for twenty twenty three, the top ten, and our expectations and what we were happiest with through the year. I just want to thank you Annie on today, and we're going to talk about the men in the next podcast. Yes, you my favorite German.

01:05:41
Speaker 2: Thank you very much. I love being your favorite German. That's my favorite role in life. And second part coming up with the ATP wrap up of the top ten, how the season's went and who will be the next I think Proda model. We need a Proda model. We have Gucci, now we need somebody doing.

01:05:59
Speaker 3: We've got good cheap yes, so now we need Brada. These Italians with their Prada shoes next, don't you Yeah, she's wearing them today. It took her seven hours to figure out she was going to buy them.

01:06:11
Speaker 2: I'm such a tube of your life.

01:06:14
Speaker 3: You are anyway, Andi, Thanks for joining me today. Everyone, thanks for joining us. Hope you enjoyed it. See your next tab by. M h m hm.

01:06:30
Speaker 2: M hm.

01:06:32
Speaker 3: H m hm h