Petubbsy

00:00:01
Speaker 1: I feel like there's going to be a three hour podcast.

00:00:14
Speaker 2: Welcome everybody to the Record Magazine podcast here in China.

00:00:19
Speaker 1: I have been joined by a special co host at this time.

00:00:23
Speaker 2: Sorry to say, Caitlin, but you've been replaced while in China, even though you speak Chinese.

00:00:28
Speaker 1: Bye.

00:00:29
Speaker 3: Yes, really, but I can't speak before I say sorry, I'm just kidding if you can by the our fashion correspondent who's now filling in for Caitlin Thompson, the one and only Andrea Pekovic.

00:00:41
Speaker 2: Hi, guys, hid gold cap standing ovations in the in the room in the Bristen. Just so you know, I was in my robe, you know what.

00:00:52
Speaker 1: I wanted to make an Instagram story knocking on your door, and in the last moment I was like, fuck, what if she's nude? I can't do that. Why the answer my door nude? I mean I know, I mean listen, I've seen worse in my lifetime. So oh that's really thanks a lot.

00:01:09
Speaker 2: And first of all, we have seen each other nudless, Just get that out in the open. We have been in the locker room together, but from a distance. But second of all, I don't go normally even though I know you to the door nude, all right, I might have been nude under my robe, but then I thought, at the last second, nah, I'll get more comfortable because I like to sit with my legs brown, and I thought you'd be a little bit uncomfortable.

00:01:29
Speaker 1: And Australians are weird. They are weird people. I like them, I love them, but they are weird and I'd rather not risk it. So I turned my phone off and I just looked like a regular ass person. Oh good, I'm glad. I'm good.

00:01:42
Speaker 2: First of all, you have to do at one point an Australian fashion will do that when you're Australia.

00:01:47
Speaker 1: Because I'm because I have opinions on that.

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Speaker 2: Really, I think, I'm not sure. I'm not surprised about it. The beach is not a good fashion thing. So wherever there is beach to fashion has to be terrible.

00:02:01
Speaker 1: Because nobody wants to dress at the beach. They want to wear, Yeah, they just want to cause like old cloths and quilts, there's nobody wearing a quilt.

00:02:11
Speaker 2: We wear a swimsuit or a cozy or a bay there's depending on where you are from Australia anyway.

00:02:17
Speaker 1: All right, So let's get into this. Let's get into posts.

00:02:19
Speaker 2: We are in Asia, We're in China, we are in Guangzhou. We are You took a not direct flight from New York like I did, like a normal person. You decided to fly byer Germany to go and see moms and dads.

00:02:34
Speaker 1: Yeah, I didn't see my mom and solon. You know, I am a mama's mama's and papas.

00:02:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, but you can't blame this on your dad because your dad.

00:02:41
Speaker 1: Was in New York. Yeah, he was there. My mom was the way was playing. My mom was supposed to come to and then she couldn't. She had an important appointment. So that's why I had to fly back and see her for twelve hours. And then you're out of your mind.

00:02:54
Speaker 2: But anyway, good for you. You're a good daughter, Bounce, But it is.

00:02:58
Speaker 1: We are in China.

00:02:58
Speaker 2: But we want to talk and get into a little bit of the questions that people send us on Twitter, and also get into just a little sort of update after the US Open. Yeah, and what we both thought of what happened at the US Open. So let's get into a little bit. I want to talk a little bit about sort of the story of cocoa golf and what happened with her coming out after Wimbledon, and you know the sensation of her sort of story.

00:03:24
Speaker 4: How do you think that that sort of went.

00:03:27
Speaker 2: I mean, I know how it went when it comes to ESPN and the ratings that they got from her matches.

00:03:31
Speaker 4: But what do you think about like everything that happened with her.

00:03:34
Speaker 1: Well, I don't like it at all. I might be the only person thinking that. And because I practiced with her before all of that happened for two hours in Miami. She was working with Phil Simmons, a friend of mine at that time. So this is when this was in Miami before this year, before in December, yes, preseason. Well no, no, no, it was during the tournament. I March March time exactly. I was there very early. I think she had a wild card for the qualities, and we practiced a bunch of times, and like you know, when you're there early, we did a lot of crosscourt drills, just drills in general, played points and I talked to her dad and he told me, oh, she's still playing the juniors, but I want her to play more with older or not older, but more experienced players because I think they will raise her game because now she's physically so strong and she is Oh my god, I've never seen and failed anything like this. And I've played both Williams, I've played cloisters in her peak, I've played them all. But physically, this girl is an absolute beast as is incredible. And I told him, I remember telling him like, oh, she should definitely go right away to the seniors and play w T eight tournaments because you could tell that she's the type of player that plays better when she plays against better players because she needs ridom. And in juniors, you know it is somebody hits a winner and they hit three into the fence and her I can see no discipline at all, and I can see her being somebody who adapts to other players game or to the levels. Maybe not to the games, but to the levels. And I didn't know. I knew she was going to be a huge champion right away. I just felt it. I felt it in her, how heavy her ball was, her attitude, her physicality with she was fourteen when I practiced with her, I think it was I couldn't believe it, and I didn't know that it would be this fast. And that's why my concern is that it was too fast. I think she has a good head on her shoulders, and I think she's still gonna be an amazing champion. I just fear that this was a little too early and that she might lose a little discipline, lose a little focus, too much attention. I would have rather she develops her game with time. On her hand, there are still aspects, I mean, can you believe how good she is, And there are still so many aspects that that can be worked on. And I wonder, if you're in the spotlight this much, if you can work on these things, Yeah, especially technique. I think you have your opinions on that too. I would work with her on her forehand a little bit. And if you're that much in the spotlight, I don't know if you can take the time to do that. Well, yeah, because it's like, well, the good thing is that, you know, we get this.

00:06:14
Speaker 2: Conversation going on about the age eligibility, and I think, thank God for the age eligibility because because look, every single tournament wants her, particularly in America, but I mean every tournament wants her because she draws I mean huge amount of fans. I mean, Washington was unbelievable she was playing on outside court and it was just packed, and her doubles with Katie McNally was packed.

00:06:34
Speaker 4: I mean, look at the US so the crowds that she was drawing.

00:06:36
Speaker 2: So with the amount of pressure and like eyes on her and the expectation, that.

00:06:41
Speaker 1: Was very unprofessional. I left my text.

00:06:45
Speaker 2: So well, it actually wasn't unprofessional because I am here in China coaching Sam Stoves and she just let me know who her.

00:06:51
Speaker 1: Opponent is going to be. Oh, okay, good, So.

00:06:53
Speaker 2: She plays Martin Kova, So thoughts on her will get that later.

00:06:57
Speaker 1: I don't know her that well, okay, but you know, I think that the thing is that you know.

00:07:03
Speaker 2: To have that many eyes on you and the expectation is like she's going to win everything, and it's like she's fifteen.

00:07:10
Speaker 1: And great players she has, She's been good players. Yes, I mean, no doubt it. She is amazing. This is no doubt about it. She's amazing. Her charisma, her demeano on court. She shows emotions, which is very important. That's why she draws the crowds. She just looks amazing. She looks like an athlete on court. I love to look at you know, it doesn't matter if it's women or men. But when you look at athletes, you want to be inspired, right, you want to look at them and you want to feel like they are the superheroes of real life. And she looks like that. So she is amazing. But still she has beaten very good players, but not great players, and the great players like Osaka, and how they both owned her in both matches. I think she understandable, absolutely, absolutely, I think she will beat them all, but she needs some time. And that's why I really but America tends to do that. They tend to overhype their player as well.

00:08:05
Speaker 2: They want who doesn't want another champion? I mean, she's you've been hanging out to. You know what Serena has done for Venus have done for fifteen years. But you know, in the context of everything on the big story, it's fantastic.

00:08:18
Speaker 1: It's amazing.

00:08:19
Speaker 2: She has so much to look you know, fans have so much to look forward to this kid.

00:08:24
Speaker 1: Hopefully.

00:08:24
Speaker 2: Yes, I think the age eligibility rule is great for her because, as you said, she'll be able to develop her game away from the spotlight of tournaments and cameras being on her.

00:08:34
Speaker 1: She can work.

00:08:35
Speaker 2: On the forehand, she can work on the serf more, she can work on her volleys.

00:08:38
Speaker 4: There's so many things that she can get better at.

00:08:40
Speaker 1: And what a great upswing and.

00:08:44
Speaker 2: So good and I think, above all, I want to stress it, not only is she a great player, but she's a great kid. She looks you in the eye, she talks to you. You know you've spent time around her.

00:08:54
Speaker 1: Definitely, she's incredibly respectful.

00:08:56
Speaker 2: So I just, you know, hopefully she stays on that track because she's going to be super stuff. I think what happened on that Arthur Ash court with Naomi was unbelievable in so many ways because that could that was that could be very detrimental to her to have gone through that because those they can leave scars and things like that. So let's hope that, you know, the next match out in the next big court, she's able to sort of learn from it and grow from it and not have it affected too much.

00:09:27
Speaker 1: Because my god, it was a lot. It was a lot. I mean, bloody hell, there was a lot going on. I mean it was like the.

00:09:33
Speaker 2: Final of like the greatest match of all time. It was like, you know, third round of the Ears Open. It was like, oh my god, the Ears the building.

00:09:40
Speaker 1: Maybe you can talk about a little bit on because I'm looking at it from a solely players perspective, Right, I've been through much much less than that, but I've been through it a little bit, and Germany're also looking for the next star after Stephanie Graff, which it never will have again, but still I've been through a little bit, like let's say zero point five percent. It affected me and I'm a well grounded person. I have great parents. So maybe you you can maybe talk about how it is from an ESPN from the broadcasters point of view, what what is it about her that jars and the crowds and that that's just ESPN is just I mean, they just milked the heck out of this.

00:10:21
Speaker 4: Whole because the ratings were huge when she was playing.

00:10:25
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was.

00:10:26
Speaker 2: You could not have scripted it any better, you know, And so from their perspective, she's a great story.

00:10:32
Speaker 1: It's a great.

00:10:33
Speaker 4: Story, and the American story.

00:10:36
Speaker 2: It's again, you know, a superstar that it's all over every single newspaper, every single TV show. I mean, it was huge, what happened at Wimbledon huge and.

00:10:47
Speaker 1: Then to bring it then straight straight to the US Open, essentially the next.

00:10:51
Speaker 2: It was unbelievable, So you know, from a television standpoint, it was massive, and for women's tennis, it's huge. So as I said, I think we'll put a button on this conversation with Cocos to say.

00:11:03
Speaker 4: Develop the game, keep working hard.

00:11:05
Speaker 2: Yes, you know, that was a learning, huge learning experience on the biggest court in the world against you know, a two time Grand Slam champion who, FYI about four years earlier, went through a bit of a breakdown herself when she lost to Madison Keys. Do you remember that match when she was at five to one in the third I do, and like that she cried off the court and you're like, oh my god. She was I believe maybe sixteen or seventeen at the time, and we thought, well, this kid's so good, but whoa that might be devastating from her.

00:11:34
Speaker 1: Well guess what, three or four years later she won the tournament.

00:11:36
Speaker 2: So you know, keep working, Coco, keep building on what you've done, because it's it was, it's unbelievable and like I said, nicest kid in the world and the parents are so sweet.

00:11:47
Speaker 4: So it's a great, great story for tennis.

00:11:49
Speaker 1: Hopefully she can keep building on that.

00:11:52
Speaker 2: On top of Katie McNally, What a great tournament she had, Like we kind of saw the resurgence of seven.

00:11:57
Speaker 1: Volleyers, Yeah, we had. Tyler Townsend is not a great is a great story. I love the Taylor Townsend. But speaking of Taylor Townsend, I mean I watched Halip and this was to me really strange with the type of player she is, somebody who is a counterpuncher, who relies on not missing many balls, who relies on her footwork, and she in wimbled. She couldn't lose a point. I've watched all her After the second round, I said to my coach, Harleip's gonna win this tournament. He was laughing at me, and I was like, I saw her play. She cannot miss the ball and players don't know how to and grasses become slower, so she retrieved so many balls. I didn't know how anybody except for Serena blasting fifty aces through her could beat her. And she did win in the end. And then I see her at the US Open and she's so erratic, and that is so strange.

00:12:49
Speaker 2: Erratic or erotic, I mean, she made a lot of unforced era.

00:12:55
Speaker 1: Sorry for my German exents.

00:12:58
Speaker 2: And no, we're not sorry. I was like she was know that she was erotic. Maybe that's the problem that the US No, it's true.

00:13:05
Speaker 1: I don't know.

00:13:05
Speaker 2: It's something about the US Open. I don't know if it's the balls or the conditions. But she struggles there. I mean, look, she's had pretty crappy drawers too. I mean, can that be she doesn't have a great record against She lost to you last year.

00:13:17
Speaker 1: The year before she lost to Shearypae the first rounds.

00:13:20
Speaker 2: So she's had some pretty crappy draws against people who hit the ball big and flat and hard. So people that don't give her a lot of rhythm, people like you that like don't like playing her because you give her great ring because you don't miss whereas three players in three consecutive years big servers, not a lot of rhythm. And if she's not hitting the ball, well, they're going to hit her off the court.

00:13:43
Speaker 1: So you know that's what happened.

00:13:45
Speaker 2: And you know Taylor was just chipping and coming in and hitting returns and coming in. Well, it's a second serve that you can It's actually an approach shop if you have the balls to come in. Guess what, not many players have the balls to hit and come in because they don't bolly well, Taylor, She's going to hit and come in and you know she's gonna that's what she wants to do. And then on top of it, she's serving.

00:14:05
Speaker 1: And voling with a lefty serve. Hallop's great because.

00:14:08
Speaker 4: She hits most returns through deep into.

00:14:11
Speaker 2: The baseline, starts the point of against the certain volley that's like, that's heaven. We saw that with Katie McNally serving and vollying against Serena. I mean, Serena is normally returning that ball within a foot of the baseline and that's a bitch for people.

00:14:24
Speaker 1: That are staying back.

00:14:25
Speaker 4: But guess what for a sermon vollier like I played serven volley, that's the return you want to see.

00:14:30
Speaker 2: That the.

00:14:33
Speaker 1: Court or through the middle of the court.

00:14:34
Speaker 2: But for a baseliner that's like, oh Jesus, I got to start the point now on my back foot through the middle of the court.

00:14:39
Speaker 1: This is a nightmare. So I think the mistake.

00:14:42
Speaker 2: That Halp made in that match, and probably the only mistake that she ended up making, was that she just forgot that she could actually hit a lob in tennis. And you know what, as a certain valeer like I was, if you're not going to love me, I'm going to close on the net ye every time, and until you lob me at least twice, I'm going to keep coming. And Taylor, good, good for her, kept going. And I talked to Taylor after the match. She's like, I wasn't getting lobed so one, not close. So I think that tactically she I don't understand how why she didn't adjust to that or see that.

00:15:13
Speaker 1: I think she's got such.

00:15:14
Speaker 2: An unbelievable backhand and she felt that she could hit through anyone. But as I said, as a certain voluer, the harder you hit it, the better it is for us. So unless you're putting shape on the ball and getting it below the net or lobbing, we're going to chop people like that.

00:15:28
Speaker 1: So I mean, I was.

00:15:29
Speaker 2: Just really happy for Taylor in the end to actually get that win because she had chances and match point against Burton's No.

00:15:36
Speaker 1: I saw that match and she had an easy drop shot she did.

00:15:42
Speaker 4: She should have ripped and come in drop shot and grass what the fuck?

00:15:46
Speaker 1: And I was just like, oh my god, So I know I was so happy for Taylor too. But I think it also speaks for Taylor's game style that she put Harlep in such a mind fuck, really, that she couldn't just step back and go to clear emotions out of the equation who's and she's one of the best players and not one, probably one, certainly three players in the world right now, and she couldn't put the emotions society to go like, Okay, she's coming and what am I going to do? She was so panicked and so nervous, And that speaks a lot for a tale, and I think that's what players who play serve and Bolly you could see it with Serena a little bit too against McNally. That's what they do to you. They make you feel hectic and stressed and rushed and you can't think for yourself anymore, and you're like, what am I going to do? And that's the worst. Once you get into this one of my face, we're like what am I looking at your coach and you're like, what am I going to you? Exactly? That's I think that's I would have got a warning as a coach.

00:16:44
Speaker 4: If I'd been her coach, you would have yelled why would.

00:16:47
Speaker 1: You just yelled out?

00:16:47
Speaker 2: But then probably that would raise my eye brows, like, hello, we know the coaching techniques.

00:16:54
Speaker 4: It's like long, I know the old eyron.

00:16:58
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I would have I wouldn't have cared.

00:17:00
Speaker 1: I would have got a warning, but there probably would have been a good four and a half grand span because if she wins the match, and probably if she plays two exactly, she's probably gonna win the match. That's exactly the four and a half grand you want to have, right, I said, oh, yeah, don't worry. I pay the fine. I've got the hob. But anyway, I.

00:17:20
Speaker 2: Think what it also shows, you know, when people say, oh, you can't come into the net anymore, the game has changed, full shit. You have to learn how to come into the net and what to come into the net on, and you have to learn basic, basic technique on volleys, and if you can do that, you can win a lot of points. And I don't care what anybody says, you can still come into the net and win tennis matches. I mean the men's final was a perfect example. Excuse me, Rafael fucking Nadal was serving and volling on second service because Medvedev was sending twenty five feet behind the baseline.

00:17:56
Speaker 1: So that's called a justing. Okay.

00:17:58
Speaker 2: So for anybody out there it's teaching kids how to play tennis, please teach volleys.

00:18:03
Speaker 1: One of the reasons why Raffia and Nadal could serve in volley is because the guy can volley. He actually has good technique on it. Is a great doubles player when he plays. He plays the volley jump shot like nobody else I know from the ATP from the okay, Roger okay.

00:18:18
Speaker 2: But I put him up against Roger with volleys. I think he technically is very good volleyer. And this is the thing that I want to stress to everybody. Everybody teaching kids, teach them to hit basic volleys, because when you have to adjust to a player, a certain player, like a Hallop, like a ruff and Nada, like a Medvedev, like whoever it is, it's standing twenty five feet behind the baseline, and you know, when you can't.

00:18:44
Speaker 1: Hit a ball through them, how are you going to win the point? You've got to come into the net.

00:18:47
Speaker 4: The next great tennis player will be somebody who can play.

00:18:50
Speaker 2: Everywhere in the court, and that's the sort of area that someone like a cocoa goth. I mean, if she can give your volleys and things like that, when you're eating the ball at one hundred, you know, nine emails an hour off the baseline, and you can then come in and just hit a short.

00:19:03
Speaker 1: Volley in the court, and you know what the funny thing is, Even me as a baseliner, the volley and net points tend to be the most important in the match. You have a five all break point and all of a sudden you're at the net because the other one is choking and it's giving you a short ball and you have no choice, and those are the most so even for a baseliner, the most important point happened to be for some reason, a stupid smash, a stupid volley. You've only played five of those in the in the lunig points, and they're all on big points. And if you have a good technique, you're gonna make it. And if you practice it, you're gonna make it because you have done it in practice. And what you do in practice you're gonna do in matches. And if you don't, if you just hit like two volleys and then smash and then go back, we also do that I know so many. That's why I'm mentioning it. Then you're probably not gonna make it.

00:19:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, how do you expect to get better as a volleyer or moving transitionally forward if you don't practice transitional movement into the net and volleys and basic technique on volleys.

00:20:00
Speaker 1: I see these these.

00:20:02
Speaker 4: Women on the tour that literally cannot volley at all.

00:20:05
Speaker 1: But also the man, the new men, except for citypas Verev cannot play a volley to save his life. But I'll give he's working on it. But still in the beginning when he was coming up, he couldn't. You just had to play a short slice and get him into the net and the point was over. And the younger even on the guys, it's not a strictly girls thing on the guys. To the young guys who are coming up, and those guys like c like ali A, sim like Ze, they have huge serfs. We have to get into zverev serf. What is happening?

00:20:37
Speaker 2: He has the yips, So as much as I love him, I think one of his issues is going to be the same.

00:20:43
Speaker 1: That's a problem. That's if you're not winning. The guys need their serfs, definitely. I mean, yeah, more than us because we can still somehow manage and we're good returners. The girls and.

00:20:55
Speaker 2: Well, no, because if you don't serve well as a guy, you're playing guys that do so well, so you're gonna get up to and two. If you lose your serf like twice a set, you're fucked. Like you have no chance. I mean you're playing against guys like Roger or you know, Redford and these guys and sits past they're holding. So you have zero chance in men's tennis if you don't serve well, unless you're the greatest retriever of all time. Even Schwartzman has a decent surve for a guy who, Yeah, it's too tiny, that's crazy.

00:21:21
Speaker 1: We're getting way off track. I feel like there's going to be a three hour I think.

00:21:26
Speaker 2: He would understand, like, you know, all the little nuances that went on at the US Open. I mean, what happened with Gregor, guy that's been struggling.

00:21:33
Speaker 1: Nice to see him through and I so glad. Yeah, I mean it was really happy.

00:21:37
Speaker 2: I mean, you know, one of the classiest things I did see was Roger finished that match, and there's no question that he was he was bothered in the fifth set, and he finished that match out like he was, you know, hitting balls.

00:21:50
Speaker 1: And coming and running to the net and like im crazy shit.

00:21:52
Speaker 2: And I think it was that just showed a lot of class of him to finish that match out and let.

00:21:57
Speaker 4: And actually give Grigor the feeling of that match.

00:22:00
Speaker 1: And I think it Roger is unique in that and that part not maybe unique, but he's very special when it comes to I think he follows the stories around. I think he was aware that Grigo has had a really tough time and he he felt obliged to finish that match. And that's what I like about Roger. He seems to be following the stories that happened. He knows everything, and he takes it into the equation. He thinks about this and he and he acts on it. Then that's what is really beautiful. I think that he's really going to struggle.

00:22:31
Speaker 2: I think I said that he still has a hangover from wimbled I think that him not winning that Wimbledon match against.

00:22:37
Speaker 1: Novak, I think that I think that's going to.

00:22:40
Speaker 4: Be really hard for him to recover from.

00:22:42
Speaker 2: I think he showed that in the first few rounds when he lost his first set a couple of times.

00:22:47
Speaker 1: I don't think he was.

00:22:48
Speaker 4: I don't think he's recovered from that match.

00:22:50
Speaker 2: I don't know if he'll ever recover from that match, because I think that that if he can't win Wimbledon with two match points on his own zone, I just don't. I don't know how is someone as great as he is, how hard it would be to win in five sets against these players anymore. That's going to be.

00:23:03
Speaker 1: Difficult to get out of the butt hope, because we love this. We have to talk about Bianca. We have to talk about and her mom.

00:23:16
Speaker 4: We have to talk about and her mom.

00:23:18
Speaker 2: We want to touch on the fact that Serena made another Grandstone final.

00:23:22
Speaker 1: Which is just unbelievable.

00:23:24
Speaker 2: Yes, I don't think we give the credit enough to realize how consistent she's been over the last two years, since she's.

00:23:32
Speaker 1: Been the most consistent grand player on the women's side.

00:23:35
Speaker 2: She just can't close the deal. This is four Grandson finals now.

00:23:41
Speaker 1: I think she's traumatized. That's my I think we talked, We briefly touched on it yesterday. I think she lost. I think in the first match she wasn't ready to be back yet. She had a very favorable draw when she got into the finals, and then she got at Wimbledon, and then she's got smoked by and she didn't play. She didn't play well exactly, but she still she just came back. She just came back. No reproaches me. It was unbelievable that she made it in the Then she was at the US Open, she was already playing a much better, but she was still not as physically fit, I think as she is now.

00:24:15
Speaker 2: And I think she was outplayed in the final, certainly at the beginning. I mean, she had not really experienced She lost to Naomi earlier in the year, but Naomi was playing unbelieving.

00:24:24
Speaker 1: She was serving huge, and if to.

00:24:26
Speaker 2: Beat Serena, you have to be able to serve really and you've got to stay with her on serve and you've got to put pressure on her service games. And every match that she's lost, you know, has been against somebody liked that other than Vinci. But I think that was just overwhelming. Going for the calendar grads, yea, and Vince was coming in and not getting a lot of rhythm, like we said, serving and volleying and all the stuff that you don't see very often.

00:24:51
Speaker 4: Look, she played unbelievable.

00:24:53
Speaker 2: After the McNally match, which I think woke her up a little bit, she played unbelievable.

00:24:58
Speaker 1: She played unbelievable against her Apova, I mean joke, and Elena was playing well. Yeah, Wang was unbelievable.

00:25:07
Speaker 2: But in the final, the first game told the story when she double folded that game away, when.

00:25:13
Speaker 1: I literally looked to my girlfriend and literally said this is not good. But back to Bianca. Yes, won.

00:25:23
Speaker 2: Her first round at the US Open, and I walked past her and I said, hey, well done. I said one down. We both said six to go. I mean, that's unbelievable. And she had the balls to say finish this time.

00:25:40
Speaker 1: And that's I think what defines Obviously she has the game. That's I mean, that's a prerequisite if you want to win slams. She has the game. She plays also differently than other girls. She has a slash, she has the drop shot. She has a heavy forehand. She doesn't always go for the big shot. She sometimes lifts it, then she goes for it. She's a great mover her legs as she so deep all the time. She's quick into the cord. She sees the short balls. She's able to retrieve when she doesn't play with what I really like. When she doesn't play well, she finds a way to win. She adjusts her game, she tries something new, she finds her way into matches. That's what I really like. But what defines her right now at this age what Angil called her a drama queen in the best possible way. She loves the big stage. She loves going out there, she loves she doesn't it doesn't matter if the audience is on her side like in Toronto, or against her. I mean you've said, there was the loudest You've ever heard a crowd, never heard a crowd.

00:26:36
Speaker 2: I was caught side for the match. I have never heard a crowd that loud in and I've been in some pretty big matches. She sat down at five four, and I swear to you on my life, she turned around and looked at the crowd like as if something was happening in the crowd behind her, Like that's the moment where you sit down here, all right, come.

00:26:52
Speaker 1: On, I'm back in this match. Focus. No. She was like looking around, like, what the hell, what's going on?

00:26:57
Speaker 2: It's like, no, Serena, they're yelling for you, Like she thought something was happening in the crowd. It was the most surreal, unbelievable situation. I literally sitting there, going, this is unfucking believable. This sound and the noise in it, it was crazy in the middle of the points that were screaming out if the ball was close to the line. I mean, when Bianca lost the game at five to four, she put both fingers to her ears.

00:27:21
Speaker 1: Wow.

00:27:21
Speaker 2: Yeah, literally, just like to silence the crowd in her head.

00:27:25
Speaker 1: It was unbelievable.

00:27:26
Speaker 2: And at five all Serena just stopped hitting the ball again and got tired.

00:27:30
Speaker 1: She got tired. Bianca just made her play. She made her play. She's smart, this girl. I like how smart she is. I like her court intelligence, her how she plays. And I love. I have to say I love. I am tired, not tired, that's maybe the wrong word. But I don't want to see those and it's for every athlete because social media scrutiny has become so hard. Media scrutiny has become so hard. I don't want to see those humble champions anymore. They are all there because I'm just to be here. I just want to play my BA. We all say I do the same thing, because I know if I say I want to win this match against Serena and then I get smoked one, and oh everyone will laugh at me, and rightfully so. But Bianca doesn't have that. She goes out there, she gets big mans, big speech, big words, and she backs it up and she's out there and she owns it. And I love that and I love to see different faces, different things, and that's great, and that's probably the thing that impresses me the most and that I love most to see that she's out there and she's like whatever, yes, let's go bring it up. But I mean she looks.

00:28:31
Speaker 2: She's talked openly about the fact that she's meditated since she was young, which was huge, and.

00:28:36
Speaker 1: When you see her put the towel over her head, that's what she's doing. She's doing many meditations in that ninety second. So she gets in the.

00:28:41
Speaker 2: Changeovers and I think that really helps her because it brings you back to the now, stop thinking about what happened, because if you honest to God, the fact that she could recover from a set in five one up to win a slam, serving for the match at nineteen years old, and then all of a sudden, it goes to the crowd is the most ridiculously loud crowd, crazy, out of control, amazing, but wow, and you're able to actually at five all go okay, let's reset and let's get back onto This was unbelievable that most people would have fallen apart. Even though Serena made a bunch of errors in that game, she still made Serena play.

00:29:15
Speaker 1: Some people might not have even been able to hit the ball in the court. Oh, absolutely know.

00:29:19
Speaker 2: So you've got to have some seriously, you know, great ability to be able to handle adversity.

00:29:24
Speaker 1: And she did that, and she.

00:29:26
Speaker 4: On match point, she did And let's just talk about Mama.

00:29:29
Speaker 1: I think she inherited from her mom because you can see mom is there to represent. She has got the outfits. Fashion correspondent Petko is very happy, she has got the style. She doesn't care no emotion. Hers dollar just won the first set and the biggest.

00:29:46
Speaker 2: Not even a golf plat like I mean, you can see where she gets her chill from.

00:29:50
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, absolutely, I mean that was that was so great to see. Coco the dog. Coco the dog, she loves the big stage. She's there to represent and she's bringing the outfits. As I said, she bring the outfits. She's bringing the sun glasses, she's bringing the hair. Everything is on point. Not everything has to be a style, but she's there and she's representing in the box and I'm here for it. Yes, we have to talk about Clisco. I know you want to stay neutral because you coached her, and I appreciate that. But she has what Suitolina had every tournament. Every pre tournament talk that I hear is Plisco is gonna win it. Plisco is one of the favorites. She's playing in the tour. She's dominating the tour. Every tournament she plays, she plays at least finals, wins it and dominating fashion. She comes to the Slams and she can't quite back it up. What is going on there? Yeah, I mean I don't know. We'll not couching you anymore. So yeah, I mean she made the Australian well, and you.

00:30:49
Speaker 2: Know, to be honest with you, she was so close to winning that tournament, Like you know, what are you saying she lost in the semi as well, because she.

00:30:56
Speaker 1: You know, breakpoint.

00:30:57
Speaker 2: I think at two or one all on the third she breaks against Osaka. I think she wins that match, you know, because Naomi really should have put it away in two and didn't, and I think Carolina hadn't lost her Naomi at that point. I think Naomi was a little mentally didn't think she could beat Carolina.

00:31:12
Speaker 4: So you know, it would have been a.

00:31:15
Speaker 2: You know, a really tough final to play COVID of her in the final, two checks playing each other fun, especially those two being so dominant in their countries over the last few years, So it would have been an interesting match emotionally, I think for her in the final. But you know, she came so close and obviously came within two holes of serve against Kerba what three years ago that you were break in the third.

00:31:34
Speaker 1: That was her first That's where she was closest one Cincinnati.

00:31:39
Speaker 2: She beat Venison, Serena Ba back there in unbelievable matches. So I don't know, it's just, you know, it sometimes with a player like that, it just clicks at the right time.

00:31:48
Speaker 1: So maybe it's just going to click.

00:31:49
Speaker 2: For her at the right time like it did for you know, players at one late like Elena or someone like that.

00:31:55
Speaker 4: I think she's got She's had tough draws.

00:31:57
Speaker 2: At times, but yeah, I think, you know, the US Open, I think that was from her standpoint to lose the content was pretty disappointing, even though Joe's can be so dangerous.

00:32:06
Speaker 1: So yeah, but I don't know it's But do you do you think that? I mean, you've been in yeah, and you've been around her for a while, so you haven't been around her through tons of slams, but you've been around does she because she seems like a very stress free player that doesn't let stress get to her too much. Maybe like others, does she feel the stress during slams though, and that just gives her a little edge on her on her game because she is a very flowy player, right. All her strokes flow beautifully, her surf flows beautifully. And I saw against Contain in the most important moments she couldn't put the first survey and she was trying to muscle it, which is not her game. So maybe she's just so relaxed, and then in the slams she just feels the extra amount of stress. Do you think it's more of a two week thing or.

00:32:51
Speaker 2: I think it could be a combination of both, to be honest, And I think that you know, you come up against players later on in Grand Slams out of one, three or four matches and everybody's good.

00:32:59
Speaker 1: Everyone is playing, So you've got.

00:33:00
Speaker 4: To bring your best tennis, and sometimes you have to dig out of holes. You know, look at how many players look at Bianca.

00:33:05
Speaker 1: I mean she she could have lost. Yeah, I mean she's.

00:33:10
Speaker 2: Down setting a break against mart She's down. You know, she had a tough match. She was in three sets against Taylor Townsend. I mean, bloody house. Liane Stevens won the US Open two years ago, three years ago or whatever it was.

00:33:21
Speaker 1: Two or three years ago. She won every match in like three sets. It felt like aging Kerber. The match point was down, match point against in the first round. You just got to dig out of a hole. I don't think this is over. I think Kaya will still win a Slam. I hope so. But it's been to me it's been interesting to see that, especially this and last year. Well yes, and also this in last year especially, I feel like she has made a step forward, and she has been winning those big, big titles. Right.

00:33:49
Speaker 2: She smoked everyone dig holes in tournaments. She had to dig out of the holes in slams. So so we'll see. Yeah, of course, I mean, I would love to see her win a Slam. I think her to Lena and maybe Madison Keyes is in his third on that list of players that have won big tournaments, that have won tournaments, that have gotten close in slams.

00:34:09
Speaker 1: That have the game. I mean, Carolina and Maddie have huge games.

00:34:13
Speaker 2: They can put it together, then they can win a Slam and Switzelina has a game where she can frustrate you and when she plays great and she's gonna you have to play great to beat her.

00:34:21
Speaker 1: So hopefully the three of them.

00:34:22
Speaker 2: But isn't it unbelievable we still have those three that have won a Slam.

00:34:25
Speaker 1: Yes, that have won numbers of tip they must be smoking. But they can also add pressure. I can assume if you see those little nineteen twenty year olds playing the semis and winning slams, and then you're out there and you're like, I've been around for years, why haven't I won a Slam? Yeah?

00:34:41
Speaker 2: Well, sometimes it takes people a little bit longer. Speaking of longer, can we just add to this little tidbit of the US Open we're going to finish with the women and say it was an unbelievable tournament.

00:34:51
Speaker 1: Can I just say it.

00:34:51
Speaker 2: Also from ESPN standpoint, the ratings for the women's final were through the roof. Through the roof, our peak was three point nine, which is unbelievable. I think that I believe that the men topped off at three point one. Obviously a lot longer match, so it's sustainable. But peaking is where you peak. Women's peaked at three point nine, which is unbelievable. Numbers that just shows you the power of Serena Williams, but unbelievable.

00:35:18
Speaker 1: But the announcement of Kim Kaist is coming back, Oh thank god? What about that?

00:35:24
Speaker 2: Okay, let me just say I've played with her many times against and with the in the we call them the Invitational Legends matches at the Strain Open at Wimbledon, and I can tell you that Kim still hits the ball exactly the same. It's unbelievable how pure her ball is. I mean, you played her in an exhibition, in a tournament, finally, and she's still in the ball. Unbelievable without even practicing, I mean, she's still She's as athletic as ever.

00:35:51
Speaker 1: She needs to.

00:35:51
Speaker 2: Lose weight, she knows that she needs to get in better shape.

00:35:54
Speaker 1: She knows that it's going to take.

00:35:56
Speaker 2: Two or three months, which is exactly what she's planning on doing. She's even even, and she'll tell you. She doesn't mind me to I'm sure. In the locker room at the US Open, she said to me, oh my god. One of the ladies who's been in the locker room for forever said.

00:36:11
Speaker 1: Oh, girl, you're looking juicy.

00:36:16
Speaker 2: She said yeah, it was crazy.

00:36:19
Speaker 1: I said, yeah, thanks. You know, but you know, she knows she's got to get in better shape.

00:36:23
Speaker 2: But even looking juicy, she still moves on believably.

00:36:28
Speaker 1: Well this I do. I mean, we talked about it a little bit before. I'm a little bit more. First of all, can we please, gentleman, because you're pragmatic. I'm very pragmatic. I'm like, why would that was my first thought? Why would she threaten her legacy? But what is threatening her legacy? Mab Well? In my opinion, I don't know. Maybe it's probably in twenty years of well matter. But I feel like, what if she comes back and she gets injured and it's harder and the girls are playing better, everyone is fit. Back when she played, there were twenty players. I know I played ten years ago and I won the first three rounds and slams always no matter how bad I was playing. Now it's not possible anymore because I was much fitter, so I would always grind it out, and then once I was there, I was playing well. But I now if I don't play well, I lose in the first two rounds bomb out because everyone is fit now, everyone is playing well, and the only thing that I have I love the story, and I hope she does well because she's amazing to watch and she's always been a great idol of mine. I just hope that if she doesn't make a great comeback, people will not remember her for that. That's what I mean by threatening her legacy. But we'll still remember for all the amazing things she's done, because I do think it's harder now than it was five years ago when she came back. I don't disagree.

00:37:40
Speaker 2: I still think that she if she's fit and when she gets fit, because she will get fit, and she can if she can stay healthy.

00:37:48
Speaker 1: That's the thing she said. Three kids. Yes, there's a lot of stuff because had three kids.

00:37:52
Speaker 2: I was going to get into too many details, but there was some couple of funny things that happened whomen were playing in the Legends at Wimbledon. You know, anyone who said kids will probably know exactly what I'm talking about.

00:38:03
Speaker 4: But you know, so she's gonna have to work on that constability.

00:38:05
Speaker 2: I mean Serno's, you know, had one child, and it's I think taken her a good year to even get to that point of being able to move again with the knee. Now it's better, she's moving better. It's great that she's trying.

00:38:16
Speaker 1: I agree to some extent. The only thing I have an issue with what was this video from the WTA. I thought somebody died. I thought Kim died. She announced that she has cancer. I was like, oh my god, what is happening. And when she said I'm coming out, I was like, oh my god, thank god, thank god. I like went to church, lit a candle. I was like this music, like sad violin music, and there's like fade away shot something like yeah, like check your audience. WTA people are pumped for this, not sitting in the corner and crying. I was like, oh my god, that everyone died. Belgium is not on the map anymore. If what has Germany done again? So many things that were going through my mind and when she said I'm coming back, ten loads of stones fell off me. I was like, oh my God, wouldn't have been appropriate to have like I the Tiger or something. Jesus Christ. Social media team of w t A, I need you to check your audience. All right. I will work on that for you, will work in it. Okay.

00:39:21
Speaker 2: So all right, so we're happy that Kim's coming back on God love you, Kimmy.

00:39:26
Speaker 1: Let's talk, you know, play Petko in the first round because there'll be some serious pressure on her.

00:39:31
Speaker 2: There will be a lot of pressure on somebody to play against her in the first round.

00:39:35
Speaker 1: Everyone. I mean, I would ship pants, I would my pants. Can you imagine?

00:39:40
Speaker 4: And you know how many people are like idolized to her?

00:39:42
Speaker 1: Will be like that. Okay, So Kimmi, good luck.

00:39:45
Speaker 2: My friend who was also if you haven't heard her on our podcast, she's awesome, so listen to her because she tells some great stories. Let's touch on the men a little bit at the US Open, the fact that Roger lost to Grigor but the Medvedev ship hit the fan early on and he was a complete you know, and he'll even talked about it. Complete wanker, you know, flipping off the crowd and you know, bringing it on, bringing it on.

00:40:11
Speaker 1: But you know what, love this my favorite Russians James Bond, villain in the world.

00:40:17
Speaker 4: He reminded me of a musketeer, though with his it looks like a friend.

00:40:21
Speaker 1: And his face is a little crooked. It's always like his chin. And this guy he did the best of him.

00:40:27
Speaker 4: He did the best loser speech at the Washington Tournament.

00:40:30
Speaker 2: Oh really, I knew what he was capable of doing.

00:40:34
Speaker 1: And then of course the speech with Chris.

00:40:36
Speaker 2: Mckendrey in the final of the Years Open was legendary about what were they going to play if one but this guy he's I mean, personality wise, you'd be like, oh am I.

00:40:47
Speaker 1: Going to root for this guy?

00:40:48
Speaker 4: He's so boring, right, the place is kind of weird and whatever.

00:40:51
Speaker 1: He's very typical.

00:40:52
Speaker 2: But you got to root for this guy now because he's like, this guy is so interesting and fun and what's going to happen?

00:40:58
Speaker 1: And already he did a few things that I thought were hilarious, but people jumped on him.

00:41:04
Speaker 2: And he's also had a bit of a spotty past where he said some things that are not appropriate and been good, and I hope that he's learned from those experiences, because you know, this is going to be a long career for him and he needs to have the support of the crowds behind him.

00:41:17
Speaker 1: So hopefully he gets that.

00:41:18
Speaker 4: But oh my god, two sets to Love down a.

00:41:21
Speaker 1: Break in the third to Ruffa. I went to dinner.

00:41:24
Speaker 4: I went to dinner, and I came back and watched the fifth set.

00:41:27
Speaker 2: It was one of the most amazing matches, and I give credits so much to Roger. To Ruffa, we already touched upon him serving him bowling, and like, I'm thinking, this guy is unbelievable.

00:41:38
Speaker 1: He wants to win this match.

00:41:39
Speaker 2: Talk about being clear on knowing what you had to do to win that matter, and he looked absolutely tapped. In the fifth he was gone. You remember the point that he broke. He hit that cross court back ended break. I thought he was going to fall into the net after the shot.

00:41:56
Speaker 1: I've never seen Raffa not celebrate a point, because he didn't, and he didn't. He was just on his knees and I thought, that's it. That's he just died right now. Rest in peace, Rafa. It was nice to have you, but he just died on core, probably the best way to go, but he was up a break, so he's like, I might as well rise from the death right now.

00:42:14
Speaker 2: It was truly one of the most amazing, great matches that I've ever seen, and there's no question Ralfa relied on the crowd to getting through that.

00:42:24
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, it was done. And you know what the best part was about this match. I was in Boston because they got into this Harvard program for professionally. Sorry, I had to just humble Bright. But what I wanted to say is, so the we had the dinner and when it was over, I checked the score and I see it's in the fifth set, and the same thing it was up, Rafa was up. We thought it was going to be so quick, and so I made all that I me and Caroline basically and David Lee. Caroline was lucky and David Lee. We all basically made all the athletes go to a bar with us to watch this match, and it was nobody was drinking. Nobody was drinking. Yeah awkward pause, But they were NBA players, NFL players, hockey players, skiers. It was all kinds of athletes. And what I loved most everyone got so into it and a bunch of guys and girls said to me like, oh my god, this is the best sport ever, Like, why am I playing basketball? This is the best thing. Granted not every match goes like this, but it was a good feeling to be one of the tennis players where all the athletes looked like, this is what you do every day, eleven months a year. True, that is so amazing. And I got fluebumps now when I think of it, because we felt so validated in that moment and it was just a great And that's what Raffa and guys like Ruffa and Roger and everyone else, Bianca Serena also our favorite Russian James Bond villain. That's what they provide and that's what they give us. And what is the greatest reality TV? Yeah? I mean, you know, I can say that about other sports.

00:43:52
Speaker 2: When you go and watch other sports, I'm like, oh my god, Like ice hockey and I'm like.

00:43:55
Speaker 1: Oh my god, the sport's the best. You take your eyes off of it. It's unbelievable.

00:43:58
Speaker 2: No wonder you play, you know, just yeah, So kudos to sports being the best reality TV and the US Open this year was phenomenal.

00:44:06
Speaker 4: It was phenomenal.

00:44:07
Speaker 2: This most amazing some matches can I touch upon just for a second, because it was also caught sight the mole Feast and my favorite guy in the whole world, Berretini, Okay, the cutiest of Qutie Parks.

00:44:19
Speaker 1: That match was a joke.

00:44:21
Speaker 2: The crowd that was the second or third loudest crowd other than the two finals. Really it was insane. And you know, everyone's behind Malfice because he just has this great story. He's so fun to watch and he gets the crowd going. But Berrettini, every now and again he did the same thing, and he was like, I'm here too.

00:44:39
Speaker 1: I'm here and I'm cute, and I love this.

00:44:42
Speaker 2: I'm cute and I am like this guy who's like, I'm gonna keep digging and I'm going to keep trying, and I'm just smile through it all.

00:44:50
Speaker 1: I mean, I love this guy.

00:44:51
Speaker 2: He's gonna win a Grand Slam, There's no doubt in my mind, no doubt.

00:44:55
Speaker 1: I did say that he will be the first of.

00:44:56
Speaker 2: That young generation to win a Slam, But after seeing Medvedev what he's done, I think it might be a battle between the two of them.

00:45:01
Speaker 1: Okay, because so you think he's better than Cypus, And yes, I.

00:45:05
Speaker 2: Think Citypas has some serious emotional problems on the court.

00:45:09
Speaker 1: But I think is the best. But it doesn't matter. Yeah, it doesn't matter. And that's the thing. And that's the thing in tennis. It's not about in tennis. It's not about your skills. It's about in tennis. It's probably the only sports where it has a human backboard too. He doesn't miss, Yeah, guy doesn't, but he doesn't play. You would never teach a kid to play like this. He's the only one who can play this kind of game. It's the same thing I always say about Delpaco's forehand. It's the best forehand in the world. But you would never teach this kind of forehand. Everyone would be late. He has the biggest swing, but he's never laid so technically in tennis, you could make three clips, the same thing, but technically intense, you can make three back flips before a forehand. If you still hit it in front of you, good for you do the fucking backflips. Go ahead. But that's the thing. In tennis. Talent is not only technical skill. It's not only coordination skill that's the base of it, but then it comes how do you deal with emotions? How do you deal with the spotlight? How do you deal with how strong are you mentally? All these things? Everything, it's you've.

00:46:11
Speaker 2: Got to tick every box to be great, you know, and above it all, you've got to have a heart of a champion. And what I saw between, especially with Berrettini, is that man he dealt with some adversity because the crowd would definitely form on fees, not that they were fully against him, but you couldn't be against him because he smiled through the whole thing.

00:46:28
Speaker 4: That's why I like this guy so much. He actually has such a.

00:46:31
Speaker 2: Great perspective on tennis, you know, kind of like you just got to love that about him. He actually loves the He's.

00:46:41
Speaker 4: Italian lad like you mom, Bring it on, bring on the noise.

00:46:45
Speaker 2: I love the way he reacted because the guy double folded on match point, and it was the ugliest double.

00:46:50
Speaker 3: Fault you know he did.

00:46:51
Speaker 1: He turned around and laughed like he.

00:46:53
Speaker 2: Turned around him, laughed like terrible, But you know what, he kept going and he kept going and he kept going, and you know what, he is the one that played the better tiebreak in the fiss And I love this guy, he will definitely in my opinion, he's talking about a big forehand. Holy shit, his forehand is huge. He's got a huge serve. He will develop. I think he will be even better playing two or three years time. But there's no doubt in my mind he'd win a Slam.

00:47:17
Speaker 1: I hope so, because honestly, the Italian, the Italian tennis audience is one of the best. I love playing in Rome so much, and they deserve an Italian champion that they deserve, you know, a man, yeah, especially, but also you know, we had such great female Italian champions and then the man I mean five is incredibly talented, but they are so whiny, like get it together, guys. You know you always see him crying and complaining and well, this guy, and that's what I like, because I saw his match and I didn't see him here, but I saw him in Wimbledon where he got smoked by Federer smoke, and not once did he like look out to the box and like complain and like what am I doing? And he's playing so well, Like why am I here? He was just like trying to do his best and it didn't happen that day. But now he comes back and he makes the samis was it Sami's right or no? Yeah? So and he comes back and he bounces back from that, and it's just but he's the type of guy that goes, oh, I'm going to learn from that. I'm going to learn from it exactly.

00:48:21
Speaker 4: So watch out for him at the Austrain Open.

00:48:24
Speaker 2: But I want to get into just the last couple because we've got we've only got a couple of minutes left because we've.

00:48:29
Speaker 1: Talked too long, talked at nauseum as wit is there. I thought podcast can go on for seventeen hours.

00:48:34
Speaker 2: They can if they want to. We can do part one and two if we want. That's going to be up to our executive producer, Kate On Thompson.

00:48:40
Speaker 1: She's even, she's even has control over us and we're like three worlds away.

00:48:44
Speaker 2: The reason she has control over us is that I have no freaking idea how to put this online.

00:48:48
Speaker 1: I send her the thing, the thing.

00:48:51
Speaker 2: And she puts it upload and she edits, which is why shits away.

00:48:55
Speaker 1: Co host and editor or what does she call it? Editor? Producer? Maybe I love by the way Caitlin. I love the way when she's like, this has been the Record Magazine podcast of this week, Your host Rene Stubs, Your hosts, she does this weird voice that she never speaks in. It's like way deeper because like.

00:49:16
Speaker 2: Her talk like that does she do when she's dronk?

00:49:20
Speaker 1: That's the question? Well, she speaks always French when she's d Yeah, but also like really weird French, and nobody understands because I speak French that I don't understand.

00:49:29
Speaker 2: What when it comes up a pre match interviews, somebody said they want to get to get rid of them, so do I.

00:49:37
Speaker 1: Well, listen, you know what I said in the last year of my career. One day when I have a pre much interview, I'm just gonna be like, fully honest, just put it off. You know when you come out there and they're like, so, how did you prepare for this match and you go like, honestly, not great, didn't sleep, hat diarrhea all night, feel terrible. Honestly, I just hope I can hold it in today. Maybe if one player would say that, maybe they would get rid of these interviews. Well yeah, well the.

00:50:00
Speaker 2: You got a players, I'm throwing it out there for the pre match interviews.

00:50:03
Speaker 1: Well, also your former pupil I might say, oh, student, Kaya Pliskova, she's want to oh man. Last year at Indian Wells, it was it two years ago when she lost in the Semis to Kuznetsova. That was two years ago in Western I one. I've never seen anything like that pretty much. Interview, and I think it was Pam Shriver goes like, so, Kaya, we all know you're the ace queen. What is your favorite serf? And she goes like, oh no, she said, like in the most important moments, I always said, surf down the tea and Swetlana was already on court and they show her and you could see her like unpacking her back and just going like did she just say that? And the worst part of that is kuznetso won seven five seven five, two breaks and she broke both times when she like closed the cover the fucking tea at Plisko. I mentioned it, and I was like, maybe this is coincidence, but maybe Kaya appreciate your honesty. But I kind of love that. I love her, I know, but it's sometimes it's just self distracting, all right.

00:50:54
Speaker 2: A lot of people ask about the Asian swing, how difficult it is After slams.

00:50:58
Speaker 4: I can tell you. From my perspective former player, it.

00:51:01
Speaker 2: Sucks and it's really tough to be here for three or four weeks after.

00:51:05
Speaker 1: I did enjoy going to the.

00:51:06
Speaker 2: Indoors in Europe, yeah, and enjoying that moment. But you know, it's a bit of a know nothing against obviously anywhere in Asia.

00:51:14
Speaker 1: But oh, honestly, I think it's not. It's really they have a tough standing with the with the calendar, with the schedule of the calendar. I think every player after the US Open, after the last time in the year, feels just a big, huge void and emptiness inside of themselves, because, yes, the Slams are the tournaments you prepare for, and I wish the other tournaments would gain more importance than that. There are really important tournaments after the US Open, But in a player's mind, it's just I prepared for the Slams, and especially if you done bad at the Slams beforehand, and you want to put it all out in the in the US Open and you emotionally gatther yourself and then when it's over, there's a big hole after that. So just by pure scheduling, it's a bitch for Asia and so and then most of the players. I think the Asian players love it, probably because that's the one time they get to go home, and good for them because but for most of the players who are European and America, it's a long way and the jet like kills us. But you know, I wanted to say that earlier, and it's a good time to butt in on that when we talked about Cocoa, Gough, Serena and Venus were the first generation to profit of the h eligibility rule, because if you come to think of it, they were already amazing when they were fifteen sixteen and they couldn't play as many tournaments. And look where they are now, thirty eight, thirty seven, thirty nine, still playing, still playing, amazing. So maybe this age eligibility rule really did favor favor the young players. Who was my question.

00:52:39
Speaker 2: Look at the once who came before that that struggles, Yes, you know, the Andrea Jaegers, the Tracy Austin's.

00:52:45
Speaker 1: All one ranked number one or two or three.

00:52:48
Speaker 2: In the world, winning slams, yeah, and getting to finals and slams.

00:52:53
Speaker 1: When Tracy Austin quit with twenty one twenty.

00:52:56
Speaker 4: Two, like it's crazy, yeah, something like that.

00:52:58
Speaker 2: But I mean this is not It's like, so, you know, for people to say, oh, you know, you're stopping a player from making a living, it's like, calm the fuck down.

00:53:06
Speaker 1: Like, I think she's fine with the sponsors.

00:53:08
Speaker 2: Also, yeah, I mean they're going to play until they're in their late thirties. Yeah, you know, this is a long career ahead, and it's a lot, a lot of tennis, and it's a lot's.

00:53:17
Speaker 4: A struggle man every year to play ten months of the year.

00:53:20
Speaker 1: So I think it's fine. If you're good enough, you're going to be good enough for a long time.

00:53:23
Speaker 2: You Kim classes she's coming back with a third time thirty six, it's it's you're fine.

00:53:28
Speaker 1: And if she comes back fourth time, please make a better video of WTA not better, just different music. Just don't scare the shit out of me.

00:53:38
Speaker 4: I want to have full control of Kim's.

00:53:42
Speaker 1: Fourth Yes, And I also want to have full control over my emotions because I can't deal with that. Okay, that's good.

00:53:48
Speaker 2: Just to touch on why the thirty is the new twenty, it's because there's a lot more money you can afford to travel with you know, a physio or somebody helping you.

00:53:57
Speaker 1: And and I.

00:53:58
Speaker 2: Think that the game course of the money, you can play a little bit longer, and people want to play longer, and they realize, oh, someone can do it at thirty five, so I can.

00:54:05
Speaker 1: I So you don't just go to thirty now and go, oh it's time to quit. Well, And I think a lifestyle has just adjusted to the tennis right. Everyone is watching what they eat now, everyone is taking care of sleeping enough, taking care of the jet like, scheduling better, having better advisors. As you said, physiotherapy has evolved. Training off the court has evolved. I remember ten, fifteen, twenty years ago, even Stepfie, she was probably the first one who did things in the gym, but everyone else was just hitting okay, but everyone was just hitting tons of bars but not doing anything in the gym, and then would get injured. And nowadays you do your prevention, you do exercise for your shoulders and back. Yeah, I think about someone like Stephie.

00:54:44
Speaker 2: I think that somebody Stephanie would have maybe had an even longer career if she'd taken a little bit better care of her body because she was just beat up, yeah, big time. But I think that's also just her nature was to go onereds now with you really doubles about picking doubles partners, it's just kind of I think it's a little bit of a if you like somebody, you know, maybe you talk to them as a friend.

00:55:07
Speaker 1: That can happen.

00:55:08
Speaker 4: Also, what are their rankings that matters?

00:55:11
Speaker 1: You know, if someone has.

00:55:12
Speaker 2: The same ranking as you, you can get in a singles ranking as well, So you have to combine those things. It's kind of a little bit complicated yet and on, but I think overall, you just want to play with people that you like.

00:55:20
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I think what's showing now that a lot of singles players want to play with singles players and doubles players tend to play with doubles players just because I think I know, from my perspective, there are tournaments in the year where it's just too much and I don't want to play doubles. Other tournaments two week tournaments where I would want to play, But then if I get far and singles, I might want to take it easy on the doubles. And I think another singles players understands that better. Plus, it's not the whole livelihood, whereas if you have I did play with doubles players in the past respect and I felt so responsible. I played terrible because I just felt so much pressure for them because that was the only thing they had. And at least in singles, you're the only one to blame if you lose, right, You're like, I messed it up. Fuck ship, and you go off and you cry, you cry yourself to sleep, and then you go on and do it the next But in the doubles, it's not only up to you, it's up to your partner a little bit too. So that was so much pressure for me. Man, it was more pressure than all the semi finals and the slams. I did one. All right, Well, I think we've sparked enough.

00:56:24
Speaker 2: I think we've answered most questions that people said to us.

00:56:28
Speaker 1: We can get into these questions if people are interested in a maybe separate podcast a little bit longer. But I really, like, I really thought we had to dig into this years something because they were so phenomenal this year, like, oh my god, phenomenal, and nobody talked about how well.

00:56:46
Speaker 2: You had an upset win in the first round against Patrick.

00:56:50
Speaker 1: You had the greatest what do we call them posse ragtag? What did I call them? Wild cards?

00:56:59
Speaker 2: All of wild had the most unbelievable crew of people. You had the band Tennis watching you. Literally there's a band called Tennis that were watching you.

00:57:07
Speaker 1: That are awesome.

00:57:08
Speaker 2: You had the Brooklyn rug Rats, you had the East Village rug Rats.

00:57:12
Speaker 1: You had everyone there cheering for you. So you had quite the fun oh man. And this is what I really loved this year. Both women and men had amazing stories because the last few slams, the men were a little boring with the tree. I mean, if you didn't have the Wimbledon finals with between Roger and Djokovic, they would have been the most boring grand slant.

00:57:32
Speaker 2: And actually the men was boring up until about the beginning of the second week and that's it.

00:57:37
Speaker 1: So it was really exciting.

00:57:39
Speaker 2: We're going to have to have a depression now for a couple of months waiting for the Austrain Open and we'll get all those great storylines again.

00:57:44
Speaker 4: So all our racket magazine podcast fans.

00:57:48
Speaker 2: Petco is not going to do a fashion correspondence for China because she might be politically incorrect or she's a little tired and we've gone on too long, but maybe she will definitely do.

00:57:59
Speaker 1: One at some age, possibly in Australia.

00:58:02
Speaker 2: But thank you Andrea Haadkovich for joining me as your as my co host.

00:58:09
Speaker 1: This is Me, Caitlin Tamson, your co host and plus and as us making funny okay dry so bunny us jeers jeers h m hm