Speaker 1: Hi Ramond, Welcome to the re Nice Up Centers podcast.
Speaker 1: I am in Washington, d C. And Kaitlin you are
Speaker 1: in New York City. Got a lot to talk about
Speaker 1: this week. What's on your mind before we get going, Kaitlin,
Speaker 1: I haven't seen you at all.
Speaker 2: No, you came back from travels and you were only
Speaker 2: in New York for a couple of days. I was
Speaker 2: not here and now I'm about to go to Europe
Speaker 2: myself because we just put our latest issue to bed
Speaker 2: and this is one of the only times that anything
Speaker 2: I do doesn't matter because the issue is already on
Speaker 2: the printing press, which you know, we make an analog product,
Speaker 2: so it stays in the world of the real So
Speaker 2: you have to send it to them, they have to
Speaker 2: print it, they have to bind it, and then they
Speaker 2: have to send it to people. And while that is happening,
Speaker 2: there's absolutely nothing I can do. So it's a really
Speaker 2: actually nice forced break because, as you've very well know,
Speaker 2: between coaching and broadcasting and doing the many things that
Speaker 2: you do, the slams are just absolutely hectic, crazy times
Speaker 2: and that's definitely true for us at Racket, and we
Speaker 2: have all these.
Speaker 1: Events and many da da da dah. Maybe we even
Speaker 1: will do a.
Speaker 2: Live podcast edition at some point if you'd like, during
Speaker 2: the US Open season here in New York. So it's
Speaker 2: a nice little forced sort of disco nap of sorts
Speaker 2: for me. And I'm about to go to Europe, but
Speaker 2: tell me about d C. I love DC and I
Speaker 2: love that tournament, and I know you do too, so
Speaker 2: I would love to start there since it is hard
Speaker 2: court season and they have an incredible field this year.
Speaker 1: They do. But I just want to ask, what is
Speaker 1: a disco nap? Oh, it's you don't know this.
Speaker 2: You're always telling me all sorts of insane Australian slang,
Speaker 2: so I'm sort of surprised you don't know this, which
Speaker 2: must be maybe more North American slang.
Speaker 1: A disco nap is at the disco.
Speaker 2: No, it is a brief rest you take before you
Speaker 2: go out so you have renewed energy to hit the town.
Speaker 1: Okay, things I learn. I mean, there are things that
Speaker 1: I say as an Australian that you probably think, what
Speaker 1: the WTF is that? But there you go. I know
Speaker 1: what a disco nap is, Thank you very much. DC.
Speaker 1: It is hot. It is incredibly popular in the evenings
Speaker 1: because after about seven pm it gets real beautiful to
Speaker 1: watch tennis here, but in the day it is a
Speaker 1: hard slog for these players, so they start at eleven,
Speaker 1: they go through the day. We've got an incredible field
Speaker 1: ahead of us here, including you know, the likes of
Speaker 1: Iyala playing Chin Win in the first round. Of course,
Speaker 1: what Venus Williams back. Even the qualifying was super competitive.
Speaker 1: We've got some great guys playing here as well. The
Speaker 1: first matchup with Alex Dimenor, who's of course the defending
Speaker 1: champion here up against your favorite Steph sits a pass.
Speaker 1: So yeah, it's awesome. I love this week. Mark Ian
Speaker 1: does a great job here of promoting tennis, and you know,
Speaker 1: the local area really love tennis here.
Speaker 2: You know, I know you have a personal connection to
Speaker 2: the city. You plead for mark Ain's World Team Tennis
Speaker 2: team there for a time, along with Venus and Serena.
Speaker 1: Right, yes, I did both Venus and Serena, so they
Speaker 1: love coming here, I think, you know, originally even Serena
Speaker 1: was maybe thinking about coming here just because of her
Speaker 1: friendship with Mark Iroin as well, but that was put
Speaker 1: on the back burner. But Venus World Team Tennis was
Speaker 1: something I love to play at the late thirteen season
Speaker 1: World Team Tennis, and I can honestly say that playing
Speaker 1: on Mark's team was also always so great because he
Speaker 1: treats the players really really well here, you know, from
Speaker 1: the food to I know that he's trying to get
Speaker 1: the community and the actual city of Washington to expand
Speaker 1: this site. And it does need to expand because of
Speaker 1: the popularity, because of the field that they do get.
Speaker 1: It's it's they need the help from the the city.
Speaker 1: It's kind of like in New York, why we can't
Speaker 1: expand a little bit more at the US Open. It
Speaker 1: is because the park, which is right up against the
Speaker 1: Flushing Meadow area of the National Tennis Center, it means
Speaker 1: the city to say, yeah, you can expand a little bit,
Speaker 1: but they sort of don't want them to do that,
Speaker 1: and they are constantly fighting against it. So Mark's always
Speaker 1: kind of trying to schmooze. I mean, I'm in his
Speaker 1: suite quite a bit this in the week, just because
Speaker 1: I'm here all day, the amount of politicians that come
Speaker 1: through there for him to try and convince them to
Speaker 1: expand this great tournament. So hopefully that continues and the
Speaker 1: park does get a little bit more and an expansion
Speaker 1: because they do need it. I mean, the courts are
Speaker 1: packed here, but it's a great event if you want
Speaker 1: to come down, if you're in the Tri State area
Speaker 1: before the US Open and you don't want to pay
Speaker 1: the astronomical fees of the US Open, you get a
Speaker 1: field that you get here because they do a great job.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Actually you know on that point.
Speaker 2: My wife is an urban planner, and I can tell
Speaker 2: you the perspective of the New York City leadership is
Speaker 2: that the USTA has not always paid its bills, and
Speaker 2: they are a nonprofit, and there's a lot of stuff
Speaker 2: in the USTA side scoop can and should be doing.
Speaker 2: I mean this has been reported the New York Times.
Speaker 2: It's they're not exactly great tenants and they were given massive,
Speaker 2: massive tax breaks already to build on that site. So
Speaker 2: for me, the USTA one of the many things that
Speaker 2: Craig Tiley can and should consider doing now that he
Speaker 2: has taken over the leadership as the CEO of the USTA,
Speaker 2: is thinking about what would make for a better US
Speaker 2: Open experience, thinking about what would make for good improvements.
Speaker 2: I know they have a massive budget, couple hundred million
Speaker 2: dollars to improve the facilities. I would love to see
Speaker 2: them reconsider the site altogether and bring it in close
Speaker 2: to the city like Melbourne has done with their fantastic
Speaker 2: urbanized playing center, so that it becomes a year round utility,
Speaker 2: a place for concerts for families. Yeah, I would put
Speaker 2: it on Randall's Island. Yeah, I take over Randall's Island.
Speaker 2: I think that that's an actual not a bad idea.
Speaker 1: You know, as much as the USTA have tried to
Speaker 1: change so many things and tried to it does need
Speaker 1: to be bigger, It needs to be expanded, It needs
Speaker 1: a little bit easier access from the city like Melbourne does.
Speaker 1: That would be a great idea. And I know that
Speaker 1: the Arthur Ash Stadium, as huge as it is, it's
Speaker 1: just I mean to watch in there. The noise, the
Speaker 1: ambient noise, ambient noise is just rough. The roof they
Speaker 1: had to put over the top. They couldn't attach it
Speaker 1: to the stadium because if they attached it to the
Speaker 1: actual stadium it would sink. Because the USTA site is
Speaker 1: on an actual landfill, so over the years it just
Speaker 1: goes down slowly every single year. So if they put
Speaker 1: the stadium with the roof attached to it, it would have
Speaker 1: just sunk. So they had to put these massive pielines
Speaker 1: all the way down to the literally the Earth to
Speaker 1: be able to put a canopy essentially over the top
Speaker 1: of Arthur Ash Stadium. So you know the amount of
Speaker 1: money that has been spent on that. Yeah, I mean
Speaker 1: I'm for it, like start again, but yeah again. Yeah,
Speaker 1: but they can't, Caitlin, because they've just put so much
Speaker 1: money into.
Speaker 2: Real I do anything if I were to believe that.
Speaker 1: The points on Earth were fixed.
Speaker 2: I mean, we thought that Earth was flat a couple
Speaker 2: of hundred years ago, and people can't go to space
Speaker 2: like people could do anything they want to like. For me,
Speaker 2: it's a matter of getting public will and trying to
Speaker 2: figure out what's best for the community. But anyway back
Speaker 2: to d C, Mark Ein has done a fantastic job
Speaker 2: for me between Washington d C, which because of Mark,
Speaker 2: gets a phenomenal field and has some phenomenal VIP experiences,
Speaker 2: even if it is built on a public tennis facility,
Speaker 2: one that I used to play when I lived in
Speaker 2: DC and worked for the Washington Post. I would go
Speaker 2: play at Carter Baron, which is in a national it's
Speaker 2: in a park, Rock Creek Park, I believe, and you know,
Speaker 2: it's one of a handful of tournaments that if your
Speaker 2: price out of the US Open, if you looked at
Speaker 2: the grounds, past day costs and how much they've astronomically
Speaker 2: risen in the last couple of years, and gotten frustrated
Speaker 2: with the fact that the tournament is kind of oversold
Speaker 2: and overbooked and it's filled with, you know, influencers getting
Speaker 2: free tickets who maybe don't appreciate tennis as much consider
Speaker 2: the rest of the US and North American hard court swing.
Speaker 2: Montreal is a fantastic town. It happens to be my hometown.
Speaker 2: Toronto is a fantastic town. Both have incredible food cities.
Speaker 2: They're both incredible hospitality places to visit. The tournament obviously
Speaker 2: attracts the best in class. You're in DC. We did
Speaker 2: a project this year with Los Cabos, mainly because I
Speaker 2: like Los Cabos and I think it's a really, really,
Speaker 2: really fun place to visit. There's amazing hotels, and Misslin
Speaker 2: stands like there's a lot of options for watching tennis,
Speaker 2: and one of the things I would love to use
Speaker 2: this platform of our conversation that we've been having now
Speaker 2: for you know, almost a decade. Is to encourage people like, hey,
Speaker 2: you've been to some of the slams awesome deeper cut time, like,
Speaker 2: let's go venture forth into some of the other tournaments.
Speaker 2: You're going to be shocked at how much you enjoy them.
Speaker 2: And it doesn't carry the fee and the headache and
Speaker 2: the you know, logistical nightmare of a lot of the
Speaker 2: bigger tournaments because they're more excited for you to be
Speaker 2: there because they are hungry for fans.
Speaker 1: And that's definitely true of DC. Yeah, I agree one
Speaker 1: hundred percent. And there are some amazing places around the
Speaker 1: world that you can go and watch amazing tennis all
Speaker 1: the time. I think you put Rome up there, you
Speaker 1: put Madrid, even though not really a lover of that stadium.
Speaker 1: But you know, when you think about the places, you
Speaker 1: can actually get lost Carba. So you can go to
Speaker 1: some amazing Indian Wells, which is why Indy Wells is
Speaker 1: so popular because it's such a great place. And guess what,
Speaker 1: you can go watch the WTA finals at the end
Speaker 1: of the year in a time where the weather will
Speaker 1: be kind of nice, it will be cool at night,
Speaker 1: it'll be interesting to see how the weather goes there,
Speaker 1: And I guess to be continued with that conversation until
Speaker 1: it's over. Speaking of before we get to some of
Speaker 1: the great things that happened over the last week, but
Speaker 1: speaking of Montreal and Toronto, of course Yannick Sinner and
Speaker 1: Novak Djokovic out in Canada because this calendar, we've been
Speaker 1: talking about it forever. In a day, I just how
Speaker 1: do we fix this? How do we fix an amazing
Speaker 1: And I want to preface by saying the Canadian Open
Speaker 1: one of my favorite tournaments. Every single time I played,
Speaker 1: the crowd support is astronomic, how good it is. They
Speaker 1: love their tennis in Canada, they love this time of
Speaker 1: the year. But when you lose, you know, your two
Speaker 1: biggest marquee stars in Janick Center and of course no
Speaker 1: Carlos al Karaz and now Novak Djokovi, Like, how do
Speaker 1: we change this narrative, Caitlin of this calendar being such
Speaker 1: a nightmare. And I don't blame Yanick for not playing.
Speaker 1: It was a bear of a schedule for him doing
Speaker 1: what he dared, played all those clay court tournaments, lost
Speaker 1: at you know, really tough match to the French. Then
Speaker 1: goes and wins Wimbledon. He doesn't play anything prior. Maybe
Speaker 1: he learned a lesson about the load of tennis that
Speaker 1: he did before the French And then people have the
Speaker 1: audacity be like, well, he has an opportunity to when
Speaker 1: all the masters won thousands this year, why wouldn't.
Speaker 2: He do it?
Speaker 1: I was like, well, cause do you think he cares
Speaker 1: about that? I mean, it really cares about that. Like
Speaker 1: he's got so many records now for being the youngest
Speaker 1: to do this and the youngest to do that. He
Speaker 1: just won Wimbledon. His only thinking right now is how
Speaker 1: can I win the US Open? So not playing in
Speaker 1: Canada clearly opens up the book a little bit for
Speaker 1: him to do the rest that he needs and then
Speaker 1: do the workload in Cincinnati and then take a week
Speaker 1: off and then play the US Open, which is a
Speaker 1: too sick.
Speaker 2: But by the way, I kind of want to answer
Speaker 2: your question with another question, which is I have my
Speaker 2: own opinions about how we go forward, because I think
Speaker 2: the emphasis on the Slams has hurt everything else and
Speaker 2: now we're really seeing.
Speaker 1: That it's not changing. Caitlin, that's not changing.
Speaker 2: Don't tell me that because one of the conversations that
Speaker 2: I most enjoy, and I would argue one of the
Speaker 2: conversations people most enjoy hearing is when we come up
Speaker 2: with solutions. And one of the quickest ways to shut
Speaker 2: down a solution is to say it's been done before,
Speaker 2: nobody's going to change it. My point earlier stands, who's
Speaker 2: to say we can't radically alter the entirety of the tournament.
Speaker 2: All it would take is one sizeable outside investor, which
Speaker 2: by the way, that exists in other sports, to come
Speaker 2: in and say, Nope, we're going to totally up everything
Speaker 2: on its heads, or we're gonna withdraw player support for
Speaker 2: the Slams. Slams weren't always the measure, and they became
Speaker 2: overemphasized in the last couple of years because it's fun
Speaker 2: to track counts. But the truth is, and I think
Speaker 2: you would agree with this players. My impression is players
Speaker 2: in the forties, fifties, sixties and seventies would rather have
Speaker 2: a roam open than some of the other Slams. Maybe not,
Speaker 2: but certainly Australia Norue. No, you cannot tell me that
Speaker 2: people would prefer to go to Rome over Melbourne. I'm
Speaker 2: not saying they would prefer to go. I'm saying that
Speaker 2: that tournament was less prestigious. I'm also saying.
Speaker 1: One hundred, yes, sixty years ago. Absolutely, that's what you're saying.
Speaker 1: You're not going to tell me that Madison Keys not
Speaker 1: not right now.
Speaker 2: But again, the future doesn't need to be what we
Speaker 2: have today. And in fact, when we were doing the
Speaker 2: World Team Tennis documentary film along with A twenty four,
Speaker 2: my impression is that that film currently sits with the
Speaker 2: new owners of World Team Tennis.
Speaker 1: So I'm excited to see what happens.
Speaker 2: Is that they paid the athletes to commit to seasons
Speaker 2: that put their schedule in conflict with the Slams, and
Speaker 2: so they would miss the French Open in Wimbledon. So
Speaker 2: but it comes down to them, because of course, of
Speaker 2: course it does. But my point is it's not about
Speaker 2: the prestige. If all of a sudden the Master's one
Speaker 2: thousands prize money were double the Slams, how fast would
Speaker 2: the dynamic change?
Speaker 1: The Slams were the most important thing, it's sports. Well
Speaker 1: just answer the question immediately. Well, I can tell you
Speaker 1: you're talking live right, You're talking live golf over the
Speaker 1: PGA Tour. You're talking necessarily just but I'll the same
Speaker 1: thing follow the I'm telling you, Like, yes, players would
Speaker 1: go and play, But players can go and play an
Speaker 1: exhibition for a million dollars like Kyle's Alkoraz and Janick Sine.
Speaker 1: I can go and play an exhibition anytime they want
Speaker 1: for a million dollars. If Rome, let's take Rome.
Speaker 2: If Rome paid twice the Australian Opens prize purse and
Speaker 2: we're scheduled at the same time, what would happen?
Speaker 1: I think that most players would still want to have
Speaker 1: a Grand Slam under their belt.
Speaker 2: How long do you think it would take for Rome
Speaker 2: to be considered the forced Slam instead of Australia.
Speaker 1: I think touching hypotheticals that are honestly not going to happen.
Speaker 1: They're just not going to happen. Because I get what
Speaker 1: you're saying. I understand the premise of what you're saying.
Speaker 1: You're trying to say that in so many ways, it's
Speaker 1: like players did this once upon a time, Right, they
Speaker 1: did this. They chose the money, they chose the they
Speaker 1: chose not going to Australia, for example. And I don't
Speaker 1: like the fact that you pick Australia and one of
Speaker 1: the reasons. It's an outline. It's an outlier because back
Speaker 1: in the day, you would have to get on a
Speaker 1: fucking boat to go to Australia. Okay, so you know
Speaker 1: that that's a small difference. Right now you can go
Speaker 1: first class and emirates and have your own room. So
Speaker 1: it's like, I think the difference is, rather than try
Speaker 1: and detract from the slams and sort of change that narrative,
Speaker 1: I think we have more of a Formula one style
Speaker 1: right where you have like ten, ten, fifteen prestigious events.
Speaker 1: I mean, look what they're trying to do with doubles now,
Speaker 1: they're trying to condense that down and sort of like
Speaker 1: pill for that out. You know, I've had a few
Speaker 1: people come to me and like you should support doubles.
Speaker 1: I'm like, well, I do to a certain degree, but
Speaker 1: I don't support someone ranked sixty five in the ROLD
Speaker 1: playing I'm going to get in so much shit for
Speaker 1: saying this, but you know, someone playing doubles only that's
Speaker 1: seventy in the world as a doubles ranking. Ah, And
Speaker 1: I think that the WTA should be supporting them necessarily, right.
Speaker 1: They're not adding, they're not you know, no one's going
Speaker 1: to watch a seventieth ranked doubles player playing a doubles tournament,
Speaker 1: you know, when there's five people watching. So I mean
Speaker 1: Riley Opeerlka has a point there to some degree. Now,
Speaker 1: if you're top ten in doubles and you're in the
Speaker 1: semis and finals every week, you're sort of adding to
Speaker 1: a finals experience for a fan. So I don't mind
Speaker 1: those smaller draws to take away some of the expenses,
Speaker 1: especially for the smaller tournaments. But you know, in the end,
Speaker 1: I think that I like the prestige of the Grand Slams.
Speaker 1: I like the prestige of on golf, for example, the Masters,
Speaker 1: the PGA, the US Open, you know, for women, the Avian.
Speaker 1: There is a prestige about that, and I think that
Speaker 1: that's really valuable for the context of of greatness in
Speaker 1: our sport, right It's like winning a Super Bowl. But
Speaker 1: at the same time, I think that we can do
Speaker 1: a better job at condensing the tours down and you know,
Speaker 1: finding sponsorship that will bring a smaller calendar where we're
Speaker 1: not having back to back Masters one thousands like we do,
Speaker 1: or w taer one thousands like we do in Canada
Speaker 1: and Cincinnati, because Canada is the one that is going
Speaker 1: to be the one that's going to flip the weeks,
Speaker 1: flip the weeks, maybe, you know. So Cincinnati is the
Speaker 1: second week and Montreal is the second week because every
Speaker 1: player is going to play a Cincinnati over a Montreal
Speaker 1: because they don't want to have two weeks before a Slam.
Speaker 1: They want to have a week, right, they want to
Speaker 1: have great tennis and then a week because whoever wins Cincinnati,
Speaker 1: for me, is always a favorite for the US Open,
Speaker 1: for example, because they're playing the best. Then they get
Speaker 1: the week off and then they go into the US Open.
Speaker 1: But winning Montreal, it's like, now we've got three weeks
Speaker 1: till the US Open. I don't know, it just feels.
Speaker 1: Look what happened at Wimbledon. Noskova and Mukhova, they won Berlin,
Speaker 1: they won bard Hamburg, they had a week off. That's
Speaker 1: who did the best at one right.
Speaker 2: I think, yeah, I think this sort of makes my
Speaker 2: point for me, which is, I'm not talking about I'm
Speaker 2: glad izing that for you, decreasing the relevance of the Slams.
Speaker 2: I'm talking about elevating the relevance of the Masters. One thousands,
Speaker 2: because I think part of that is and part of
Speaker 2: the downside of DC, for example, is and I'm sure
Speaker 2: Mark would tell you this. I bet he wishes he
Speaker 2: had a better week on the calendar. You see, it's
Speaker 2: the swampiest, it's the hottest, it's about one thousand percent humidity,
Speaker 2: and so those evening matches are glorious, but the day
Speaker 2: matches are tough, and I think if they could have
Speaker 2: a different schedule they would, and frankly, it might be time.
Speaker 2: Considering how many resources and how big a city DC is,
Speaker 2: that that could or should be considered, especially because it's
Speaker 2: dual gender, a bigger deal than it is now. They've
Speaker 2: already fought to get it to five hundred status on
Speaker 2: both tours, which is awesome, and I think it could
Speaker 2: and should be higher. Winning the Canadian Open used to
Speaker 2: be more prestigious than now, people thinking of it as
Speaker 2: as a warm up act. And so I think this
Speaker 2: all comes down to the same point, which is there
Speaker 2: needs to be some push and pull on the calendar.
Speaker 2: That absolutely means winners and losers. Unfortunately, Yeah, it means
Speaker 2: it needs to mean that the tournaments are not It's
Speaker 2: not you know, it's not Jeff Bezos or people living
Speaker 2: in favelas, which is essentially what we're trending towards, both
Speaker 2: in our society and also on the tours, where the
Speaker 2: slams of the haves and everybody else's the have nots.
Speaker 2: But it needs to be okay, these one thousands are
Speaker 2: the Formula one tour. Maybe some of the tournaments have
Speaker 2: more history and have more prestige, but it needs to
Speaker 2: be closer to parody. And I think the reason that
Speaker 2: the tournaments are so plagued with with jaws is, as
Speaker 2: you suggest, the calendar, but also because this past year
Speaker 2: we've had the two week Masters one thousands, and that
Speaker 2: theoretically was supposed to buy the players more rest days.
Speaker 2: It theoretically was supposed to buy the players an easier
Speaker 2: travel schedule, and what I think it actually has done
Speaker 2: is create a catastrophic situation where the players are intelligently
Speaker 2: don't have time. Nightmare and they don't have time, so
Speaker 2: there's just skipping tournaments as opposed to missing some days.
Speaker 2: That's obviously terrible, I feel, And there's.
Speaker 1: Zero points if you don't come, you know, nonsense, no one,
Speaker 1: no one gives a shit anymore about that They're like, well,
Speaker 1: so what I'd rather win the US Open. You know,
Speaker 1: I'd rather have another week where I actually rest my body.
Speaker 1: And that's the bottom line. You know, from the first
Speaker 1: look what happened at Wimbledon. Janick Sinner went five sets
Speaker 1: in the first round, five sets in the first round.
Speaker 1: So you think about the parody of Tennessee's days. Even
Speaker 1: though Yannick is beating most people, and you know, after that,
Speaker 1: he won I think every match in straight sets except
Speaker 1: the final. It's like, you know, he is going to
Speaker 1: win matches quite comfortably. But at the same time, it's
Speaker 1: the stress. It's not just the playing, it's the stress.
Speaker 1: And you think about, you know, the mental emotional stress
Speaker 1: that the best player in the world or the best
Speaker 1: couple of players in the world feel every single time
Speaker 1: they play and wake up. It's a lot of emotional stress.
Speaker 1: And so to have that extra week of not stressing
Speaker 1: is really important for these players to be able to
Speaker 1: have longevity in their career. Anyway, I agree, Yeah, let's
Speaker 1: have a break, let's come back, and we got so
Speaker 1: much more to talk about from DC. Okay, so, Caitlin,
Speaker 1: some fun little things that happened this past week before
Speaker 1: we get to some questions from our view as our
Speaker 1: listeners is Lily Tagger.
Speaker 2: I can't wait to talk about Lily Tagger. I watched
Speaker 2: a single one of her matches in Prague. I give
Speaker 2: it to a person in Rome. I watched hours and
Speaker 2: hours of Lily Tagger. She is the real deal. This
Speaker 2: was I heard some stirrings of her, especially when she
Speaker 2: competed in Lean's. I believe towards the end of last
Speaker 2: year she went pro. She won French Open Junior Girls
Speaker 2: Austrian girl six to one, beautiful one handed backhand. I
Speaker 2: can't wait to talk about it with you, because you
Speaker 2: appreciate this more than other people.
Speaker 1: I don't want to get.
Speaker 2: Ahead of myself, but it seems to me this is
Speaker 2: the most excited I've been about watching a player in forever.
Speaker 2: It seems to me she is the reincarnation of Justin Anna,
Speaker 2: which I am always trying to talk about Justine Hill
Speaker 2: for a couple of reasons, because she has a beautiful game,
Speaker 2: but also because she played very brave all court tennis.
Speaker 2: She had incredibly soft hands. She moved forward with these
Speaker 2: and she really took it to a lot of players
Speaker 2: who were bigger and hitting through the court more than
Speaker 2: she was because of her incredible timing and you know
Speaker 2: sort of determination. Lily Tagger has all that, and she's six'.
Speaker 2: One she's got a serve that's a, cannon and she's
Speaker 2: got a forehand that's a, rifle and her backhand is
Speaker 2: not only not a, weakness it is a multifaceted tool
Speaker 2: with which she can do whatever she. Wants and she's
Speaker 2: not afraid to come.
Speaker 1: In.
Speaker 2: Now i've seen this girl play in. PERSON i watched
Speaker 2: her At Indian wells lose To Maria. Sachary In, STRAITS
Speaker 2: i saw her Play Maria sakary again in person In,
Speaker 2: rome got to set Off Maria zachary this, time little,
Speaker 2: inexperienced little nerves looking, up this is WHEN i realized
Speaker 2: she was being coached by again one of my favorite
Speaker 2: players of all, time Frances Kis. GAVONE i looked up
Speaker 2: in the box BECAUSE i hear This austrian girl speaking
Speaker 2: Fluent italian with the umpire asking FOR i don't, know
Speaker 2: more bananas or, something AND i was, like, wait, What
Speaker 2: and THEN i look up in the coaching. Box It's lallynessa,
Speaker 2: Herself milan's finest grandson Winner Francescas gavone And i'm, like,
Speaker 2: Okay i'm locked. IN i see this girl week in
Speaker 2: week Out, wimbledon she lose his first round but gets a.
Speaker 2: Set In, athens she wanted a couple of, rounds fell
Speaker 2: a little. Short this week In prague second finals she'd
Speaker 2: ever been. In won it, handily especially after kind of
Speaker 2: mounting a pretty good comeback after The ukrainian player, sneaker
Speaker 2: who's got kind Of Angelie kerber. Vibes but really the
Speaker 2: match of the tournament was her incredible win Over Barber
Speaker 2: kujikova in the. Semifinals did you watch that match With
Speaker 2: Barbara kujigo And Lily. TAGGER i have a feeling it
Speaker 2: was popcorn for, you BECAUSE i know that was parpcorn for. Me.
Speaker 1: YEAH i mean she's a. Kid she's, eighteen and we
Speaker 1: say that Mirror andreva just want A Grand, slam not
Speaker 1: that much. Older but the difference is her game, style,
Speaker 1: right as you already, mentioned the, serve the all court,
Speaker 1: play the, slice back, end the one, hander the coming
Speaker 1: into the. Net she's kind of she's very. Tall she's
Speaker 1: going to grow into her, body and most people that
Speaker 1: become that tall so young are also a little bit
Speaker 1: like a deer on. ICE i MEAN i remember talking
Speaker 1: To Maria sharapova about that when she grew like an
Speaker 1: enormous mount between the, ages like fifteen, sixteen but an
Speaker 1: all court, player which she, is a player that likes
Speaker 1: to come, in a player that has that sort of
Speaker 1: like A Carolina mouhover in a lot of ways Except.
Speaker 1: Carolina Maybe carolina should have had a one hander because
Speaker 1: her backhand is her. Weakness AND i said, that, honestly
Speaker 1: same As Sam. Stosa sam had a two hander back,
Speaker 1: end should have had a one, hander Ash, BARDY i
Speaker 1: thought could have been better even with the one. Hander
Speaker 1: And i'd bring up these people because they all have
Speaker 1: weaknesses on their, backhand AND i think.
Speaker 2: The greek, places and if they had paired the great
Speaker 2: slice with a great topsman, Backhand you're totally, right it
Speaker 2: could have gone from defense to offense.
Speaker 1: Because they're, strong right Ash Sam. Mukhova they're all naturally
Speaker 1: like kind of jockey and, strong so they could have,
Speaker 1: probably but they were taught with for two. Hands, anyway
Speaker 1: that's a whole different story we could talk.
Speaker 2: About but, well ACTUALLY i kind of do want to
Speaker 2: get into it because the bravery of committing to a
Speaker 2: one hitded, backhand especially for a, woman should Be and
Speaker 2: that's really WHY i want to talk, about not only Justin,
Speaker 2: hannah But Amaly. Moresmo this has disappeared on the men's
Speaker 2: tour and it's.
Speaker 1: SCAVY i mean it's been atomized on the women's. Tour
Speaker 1: almost no.
Speaker 2: Swears navarro generation had. It Rambon Suarez navarro one of
Speaker 2: my favorite. Players it's a dying art and then all
Speaker 2: of a sudden you see it back and you're, like,
Speaker 2: well why did this ever go? Away when it's deployed,
Speaker 2: correctly when coaches have the patience to teach, it it
Speaker 2: can be a. Weapon can, you as a coach and
Speaker 2: a player who has an excellent one hinded, backhand both
Speaker 2: slice and?
Speaker 1: Over what is this?
Speaker 2: About why it's hard to, Teach why maybe not everybody's
Speaker 2: up for. IT i switched from two to one and
Speaker 2: it was the best THING i ever. Did what can
Speaker 2: you tell me about the decision to do? It BECAUSE
Speaker 2: i think we're going to be talking About Lily tagger
Speaker 2: for a long time AND i want to go on
Speaker 2: the record, now both as a fan and also somebody
Speaker 2: who really wants to understand how she could represent WHAT
Speaker 2: i think should be a weave and maybe won't be
Speaker 2: or maybe will.
Speaker 1: Be but what are your thoughts about. That there's a
Speaker 1: couple of reasons why this happens.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 1: Right one is a lot of young women we're talking, six,
Speaker 1: seven eight years of, age, right they pick up a
Speaker 1: racket for the first. Time it's really hard for them
Speaker 1: to hit technically a one handed back end because they
Speaker 1: don't have the. Strength, Right so most young, kids most
Speaker 1: coaches will see a young woman and men and men
Speaker 1: to a certain, degree but little you, know young, boys
Speaker 1: they just are, stronger you, know with their one arm
Speaker 1: to be able to hit a one handed back. End
Speaker 1: and most girls grab the racket with two hands and
Speaker 1: they hit a two handed back, end and then the coach,
Speaker 1: goes great, Job, okay keep that doing. That so it
Speaker 1: comes down to, physicality comes down to, Strength it comes
Speaker 1: down to just the basics of hitting your first tennis
Speaker 1: ball are easier with technically two hands on the. Racket
Speaker 1: SO i think it comes from the very start of
Speaker 1: when a player starts playing tennis and they a young
Speaker 1: girl will put two hands on the. Racket and also
Speaker 1: when you see, it you want to be. It so
Speaker 1: if you love watching tennis and your parents love watching,
Speaker 1: tennis and you're watching Sable, anka and you, know go
Speaker 1: down the list of women that are playing on the.
Speaker 1: Tour they all have two hand a, backhand so of
Speaker 1: course they naturally start wanting to play, like, oh my favorite,
Speaker 1: Player Serena, Williams, oh my favorite, player you, Know Angie,
Speaker 1: kerber whatever it. Is you all have two. Hands so
Speaker 1: that's part of, it and the physicality part of. It
Speaker 1: it also is part of you, know most people will
Speaker 1: say to return a, serve especially serve that's coming out
Speaker 1: you at one hundred and. Twenty you, know if you're
Speaker 1: playing Against Cocoa golf or Sable anka and you're hitting
Speaker 1: serves that are one fifteen miles an hour and, above
Speaker 1: it's easier to return that with two, hands for. Sure
Speaker 1: SO i think that we're going to continue to see
Speaker 1: the two handed back ends because also on the women's,
Speaker 1: tour ninety nine percent of, them ninety nine percent all
Speaker 1: have better two handed back ends than four. Hands like
Speaker 1: if they had to choose to hit a backhand or
Speaker 1: a foehand on match, point they're hitting. Backhands unless They're Carolina,
Speaker 1: muhova they're hitting for who's going to run around that
Speaker 1: forehand backhand and hit a fourhand, Right so you, know
Speaker 1: and the people THAT i brought up At Ash party
Speaker 1: Is Sam. Stozer they're going to run around and hit
Speaker 1: a four hand all. Day so it comes down to the,
Speaker 1: Physicality it comes down to what they, see and it
Speaker 1: also comes down to the strength to be able to
Speaker 1: hit a return of serve or a big. Ball with
Speaker 1: two hands is. Easier SO i wouldn't necessarily teach a
Speaker 1: one handed. BACKHAND i think you have to see what
Speaker 1: a player is physically like if they if A Lily
Speaker 1: taggert for, sure came and was like oh, BOOM i was, like,
Speaker 1: okay well you can turn and still strike that backhand
Speaker 1: as well as a two, hander and you are a
Speaker 1: little bit of a, jock which she, is and you're,
Speaker 1: Strong keep the one, hander keep the one. Hander. Now
Speaker 1: that's where comes down to having such an important role
Speaker 1: model or coach in your life at early stages of
Speaker 1: when you start playing tennis and, recognizing for, example On Nash,
Speaker 1: PARTY i would, say, listen you have really strong. Arms
Speaker 1: you're able to hit a fourhand toppy like Justin, anna
Speaker 1: very good. Example you know your favorite is that you
Speaker 1: had the strength to be able to hit a fourhand
Speaker 1: the way you. Do that's why Sam stoza should have
Speaker 1: had a one hander back, end because she had that
Speaker 1: short back swing with really quick, hands and that's what
Speaker 1: her one handed back end would have been like as.
Speaker 1: Well she was, strong and she was very very. Strong
Speaker 1: well look at her, kicksurf so her shoulders and her
Speaker 1: ability better hit one handed back end would have been
Speaker 1: much better for her than to have a two, hander
Speaker 1: which was very slappy and not good with the left.
Speaker 1: Hand if you Watch serena, practice And i've done this
Speaker 1: a million times, now she will hit one handed four
Speaker 1: hands with her left, hand and her one handed forehand
Speaker 1: with the left hand is as good as my regular,
Speaker 1: forehand like any good two handed Backhand Maria. Sharapova, SERENA
Speaker 1: i would, argue most everyone has a really good left
Speaker 1: hand and they use it a lot right, so which
Speaker 1: is Why Raphael nadal was so good with his, backhand for,
Speaker 1: example because he was a natural right. Hander SO i
Speaker 1: think it comes down to a lot of those. Reasons
Speaker 1: but With, LILY i, think And i'm going to make
Speaker 1: a big statement, here she's good now at eighteen she
Speaker 1: just won her first. TOURNAMENT i think she's going to
Speaker 1: be even better at twenty, eight, agree because she's going
Speaker 1: to learn how to utilize all of those beautiful strokes
Speaker 1: like A mohova when she gets to the twenty, six twenty,
Speaker 1: seven twenty eight years of her. Age AND i think
Speaker 1: that's Why muhova's doing. Better she's not injured every week as.
Speaker 1: Well knock on, Wood BUT i think when you have
Speaker 1: the choice of shots that these players have and they're
Speaker 1: not just a ball basher like with just whacking the
Speaker 1: ball at like eighteen, YEARS i, Mean Mira andreva is
Speaker 1: a little bit different because she doesn't really have a
Speaker 1: quote unquote massive, game but she has a very beautiful.
Speaker 1: Game but she's a little different because she's in tactfully
Speaker 1: very good and or dwell and has good. Hands but,
Speaker 1: yeah all of the.
Speaker 2: Things tagger has more, tools AND i think those tools
Speaker 2: take longer develop AND i think that's where you, know
Speaker 2: for the casual tennis, fan why it's such a delight to,
Speaker 2: watch even if you're not sure why you love. IT i,
Speaker 2: Mean federer is the best example of all people who
Speaker 2: even casually like, tennis understand that they're watching something very.
Speaker 2: Beautiful it's not just the one hit a, Backhand it's
Speaker 2: not just the feathery. Footsteps you, Know cinner has. That
Speaker 2: nobody who's a better, mover probably Than Novak. Djokovic you,
Speaker 2: know there's certain aesthetic things that you look at a
Speaker 2: court and you, say, ah now that's, incredible and you
Speaker 2: maybe can't describe. It for, me what is so exciting
Speaker 2: about this young kid is she has these tools that
Speaker 2: you say are going to. Develop she, has Like Yannick,
Speaker 2: cinner a background in skiing in The Austrian. ALPS i,
Speaker 2: mean In sinner's, CASE i think it was more The Italian,
Speaker 2: alps but it's from a pretty similar part of the,
Speaker 2: world and they are, solid, strong and there's a base
Speaker 2: there that's not just you, know it's not just. FLASH
Speaker 2: i think it's going to take her a while to.
Speaker 2: Develop but why we Like Carlos alkaraz is because he
Speaker 2: can improvise and he has a lot of, tools and
Speaker 2: like And, ocova and why we Like center so much
Speaker 2: is because he's so solid and he moves so well
Speaker 2: and he's. Grounded AND i think for me watching this,
Speaker 2: WOMAN i was, Like, wow this is the most Excited
Speaker 2: i've been about watching a tennis. Player and don't get me,
Speaker 2: Wrong i've loved The, MUKHOVA'S i love The, Barties i've
Speaker 2: loved The you, know there's many many tennis players that
Speaker 2: you like to watch for the contrast and style as
Speaker 2: much as for their. Games but this from a game,
Speaker 2: perspective she's only going to get better and. Better AND
Speaker 2: i love the way she's being coached and mentored because
Speaker 2: it seems to me That, skiavone who has had her
Speaker 2: at her high performance academy outside Of milan for now
Speaker 2: the past couple of, years is playing the long. Game
Speaker 2: and oh, yeah tennis is the longest of. Games, yeah
Speaker 2: because you really have to work so hard upfront and
Speaker 2: believe that it's going to, work believe that the tools
Speaker 2: you're building now are in ten years, time as you,
Speaker 2: say going to pay. Dividends AND i hope that is.
Speaker 2: True AND i hope more than anything else is THAT
Speaker 2: i get to watch this girl get better and play
Speaker 2: better and better opponents and higher and higher stakes, matches
Speaker 2: AND i, hope really truly that she inspires more and
Speaker 2: more people to fall in love with, tennis because when
Speaker 2: you watch somebody play it like she, does it is
Speaker 2: hard not.
Speaker 1: To, well we're going to take another, break but we'll
Speaker 1: come back with the questions that were sent to me
Speaker 1: on the. Socials BUT, aj we answered your question BECAUSE
Speaker 1: aj asks full breakdown Of Lily tagger's, game and so
Speaker 1: there you. Go all, Right we're going to take a
Speaker 1: quick short break and be back with reader's questions after. This, Okay,
Speaker 1: calaitland it's time for reader's. QUESTIONS i did shoot out
Speaker 1: a tweet about an hour, ago So johnny on the,
Speaker 1: spot everyone who wrote, in thank you so much BECAUSE
Speaker 1: i have to get going to the tennis tournament here In,
Speaker 1: WASHINGTON dc. Soon so good Old. Nebby do you have
Speaker 1: the questions? Up, caitlin would you like to read?
Speaker 2: Them give me a, second just BECAUSE i got wee
Speaker 2: laid On twitter looking at all The Lily tagger love
Speaker 2: our Friend vance he's saying that she's the real. Deal
Speaker 2: it's it's so hard not to get excited and talk
Speaker 2: about this. Woman so thank you for letting me indulge
Speaker 2: in a little bit of you, know.
Speaker 1: One handed backhand. Love, Listen, hey we're both one headed
Speaker 1: backhand so we love to see. This SO'S i can,
Speaker 1: say great kid like great, kids such a nice, kid
Speaker 1: and of Course Francesca scivoni and MAY i just also
Speaker 1: add female, coach female.
Speaker 2: Coaching, okay so these days doing pretty well on the
Speaker 2: two of these, days present company very much. Included all, Right,
Speaker 2: SO aj we gave you a full breakdown Of Lily tiger's.
Speaker 2: Game here's a related question From raydon while we're on the,
Speaker 2: subject and THEN i promise you we'll move. On Lily
Speaker 2: tagger was not the only person playing tennis this past,
Speaker 2: week even if to me it felt like it. Was raydon,
Speaker 2: asks what are the future prospects of the one hitting
Speaker 2: backhand Aka Lily. Tagger there's another young WOMAN i believe
Speaker 2: She's french who is on THE itf, tour who has
Speaker 2: a gorgeous one hit of backhand that a lot of
Speaker 2: coaches like to post about on the. Socials you, know for,
Speaker 2: ME i, agree it's hard to imagine that this is
Speaker 2: going to cause another resent. Renaissance but what do you
Speaker 2: think the future of the one handed backhand is what
Speaker 2: it is?
Speaker 1: Now we will see the odd one or two that
Speaker 1: will come out that will be. Beautiful they'll get all
Speaker 1: the love that they deserve because they had the. Courage
Speaker 1: as you, said, earlier and their coaches had the courage
Speaker 1: to not change what they did really. Well AND i
Speaker 1: think it's really important for coaches to understand the physicality
Speaker 1: of their young. Player if they have a one handed back,
Speaker 1: end they're strong and they have quick, hands they have quick.
Speaker 1: Forehand if a player has a really whippy, forehand like
Speaker 1: And i'm to keep bringing out the same, people But Sam,
Speaker 1: stoza Ash, Bardi Carolyn, mukhova if they have that, good
Speaker 1: strong forehand that's quick with the racket, face let them
Speaker 1: try it with the one handed. Backhand SO i think
Speaker 1: that's super. Important and you have to develop a slice.
Speaker 1: Backhand so if you have a one, hander your slice
Speaker 1: back end is going to be good, naturally just because
Speaker 1: you're going to be, stronger which is why two handed
Speaker 1: backhands don't have great slices except for the greats Like Kim,
Speaker 1: kleisters for, example had a great slice. Backhand so IF
Speaker 1: i had to model someone after a, BACKHAND i would
Speaker 1: model it off To Kim. KLAISIS i would have that
Speaker 1: beautiful slice AND i would have a two handed back.
Speaker 1: In so we're not going to see many one hand as,
Speaker 1: anymore but, boy when we, do we love. It, WELL
Speaker 1: i hope you're, wrong BUT i suspect you're. Right, YEAH
Speaker 1: i Hope i'm wrong, Too BUT i don't think. Wibboble,
Speaker 1: NO i don't think so.
Speaker 2: Too Kitty kat asks With, Andreva Mira, andreva who we
Speaker 2: spoke about, earlier and Now Linda noskova who just won
Speaker 2: wimbled in and MAY i say she turned up at
Speaker 2: The Prague open where all This Lily tagger match for
Speaker 2: Berber kujigovia stuff went down and did a sort of
Speaker 2: victory lap BECAUSE i gather That prague is her. Hometown
Speaker 2: and she looked amazing and was, amazing And i'm delighted
Speaker 2: that she has joined the ranks Of slam. Winners it
Speaker 2: seems both deserved and also probably. Repeatable but back To
Speaker 2: Kviti kat's. Question As andreva And noskova are first time,
Speaker 2: winners who is next a young player Like Iva djovic
Speaker 2: Or Alex, yala or maybe Even Lily tagger or more
Speaker 2: experienced players Like Jessica pagola Or Elena. Spiddelina what do
Speaker 2: you think in terms of Next slam? Winner it is
Speaker 2: literally like shooting a fish in a? Barrel how do
Speaker 2: you predict that it's, like just.
Speaker 1: Shoot it on the women's do her. ANYTHING i don't.
Speaker 1: KNOW i will say this after she comes back from.
Speaker 1: INJURY i Think Vicki ambocco has the ability and the
Speaker 1: hutzba and the, confidence very quiet confidence because She's canadian
Speaker 1: so they're very, sweet but she has this very quiet
Speaker 1: confidence about. Her she doesn't get overly. Nervous she goes for.
Speaker 1: It she can improve a lot of, things most importantly
Speaker 1: her SERVE i think can get even better. TECHNICALLY i
Speaker 1: think her forehand can technically get. Better but her quiet
Speaker 1: confidence is what makes me go probably. Her so let's
Speaker 1: hope when she comes back from this knee injury which
Speaker 1: she suffered At. Queen's, UNFORTUNATELY i think she really can
Speaker 1: win A slam in the next few years because of
Speaker 1: not only can she hit the ball huge and she
Speaker 1: has a massive first. Serve she just believes in. Herself,
Speaker 1: internally she doesn't show. It she's not this outwardly cocky.
Speaker 1: Person BUT i think she has the game a little
Speaker 1: bit more Than Yala yala serve is just never going
Speaker 1: to get win her. SLAM i JUST i know IT'S i,
Speaker 1: mean you can say the same thing About Angie. Kober
Speaker 1: she didn't have a great serve, Either BUT i just
Speaker 1: feel like that is what is holding her. BACK i
Speaker 1: think it's what Hold Jessica pagoula. BACK i think it's
Speaker 1: what WE'VE i talked about this yesterday with a friend
Speaker 1: of mine on the, Phone Like jessica PAGOL i keep
Speaker 1: picking her to win a, slam and she keeps letting me.
Speaker 1: Down AND i think it's a lot because her second
Speaker 1: serve is so vulnerable against these big, hitters and So
Speaker 1: i'm still have hope That jack can win, one BUT
Speaker 1: i just don't see. It same With. Fitzalina second serve
Speaker 1: is so, vulnerable doesn't have the power to. Overplay it can.
Speaker 1: Happen look what happened to Was. Niaki we've had players
Speaker 1: that are technically not big hitters of the ball. Win
Speaker 1: but IF i had to pick, ONE i Pick Vicky
Speaker 1: amboco and, Hey Lily. Tager but not. YET i give
Speaker 1: her about five.
Speaker 2: YEARS i think she needs a little more time in the.
Speaker 2: BEARER i, Mean i'm going to see something incredibly. Controversial
Speaker 2: carolyn Was naki slam was an act that He.
Speaker 1: It was A she won the W Ta finals two
Speaker 1: three months earlier and beat every one and served everyone
Speaker 1: off the, court hit everyone. Off the quote was, unbelievable
Speaker 1: and then took that confidence Into. Australia SO i won't
Speaker 1: say that About caroline because you had to Beat caroline.
Speaker 2: And She, yeah, sure you had to beat, her And
Speaker 2: Simona hallepp did not that. Day but my belief about
Speaker 2: her is best. Encapsulated And Yolena asapeko's, quote which you
Speaker 2: can look. Up, okay speaking of, quotes Is venus's comment
Speaker 2: On Maya joint fair or. Unfair venus's comment About Maya,
Speaker 2: joint who you'll remember Beat serena in the first round
Speaker 2: Of wimbledon in three, sets and Had venus had this
Speaker 2: to say about. It she Meaning serena played stellar in that.
Speaker 2: MATCH i think her level was so extraordinarily.
Speaker 1: High it was very.
Speaker 2: Unlucky sometimes you play players who are on fire and
Speaker 2: they don't seem to maintain that level.
Speaker 1: Afterward, yeah she's not. WRONG i, mean she's not. Wrong
Speaker 1: serena played. Well we know what happened with the. Knee
Speaker 1: she was very much hobbled and that was definitely a,
Speaker 1: problem certainly in the third. Set But Maya joint played
Speaker 1: the match of her. Life she made not the match
Speaker 1: of her. Life she definitely played the, WELL i would,
Speaker 1: say probably the match of. Life but she played the
Speaker 1: best match this year and then subsequently lost the next
Speaker 1: match the following, day played a great first set and
Speaker 1: then just fell away AND i think lost the third
Speaker 1: set six. Love so when you have technically quote unquote
Speaker 1: nothing to lose and everyone thinks that you're shouldn't you're
Speaker 1: probably not going to win this match because you haven't
Speaker 1: won a match SINCE i don't even, know six months or,
Speaker 1: something and you play against you, know the greatest player
Speaker 1: of all time as somebody who's won the tournament seven. Times,
Speaker 1: yes she hasn't played a match in three and a half,
Speaker 1: years but, still you, know everyone's, like, ah what a great.
Speaker 1: Draw maya joint hasn't won a match in so, long
Speaker 1: this is the perfect. Match and then she came out
Speaker 1: and played, unbelievable served well every big, point and she
Speaker 1: had a little stumble at the end of the second,
Speaker 1: set started missing a few balls here and, there but
Speaker 1: overall she played. Great and so What venus is saying
Speaker 1: IS i have no problem with her saying that because
Speaker 1: it was. Correct and then you, know Unfortunately maya went
Speaker 1: and lost the Next so, YEAH i Mean. Caitlin there's
Speaker 1: so much that players or people don't say in public
Speaker 1: that they want to say that they say in their private.
Speaker 1: Lives and it's not Just, venus this is. Everyone it's trust,
Speaker 1: me you're getting One you're getting one fifth of what
Speaker 1: they really want to say about. Anyone SO i Think
Speaker 1: venus is being very protective if her little, sister And
Speaker 1: I'm i'm okay with it because she didn't say anything
Speaker 1: that was not.
Speaker 2: Correct, Yeah AND i want to bring up a point
Speaker 2: that you've made time and time and time, again and
Speaker 2: you were actually just making it About Yannick, center which
Speaker 2: is the amount of pressure it is to be the
Speaker 2: best in the world and defend it week in and
Speaker 2: week out and weekend and week out and week in
Speaker 2: and week.
Speaker 1: Out you can't have a bad match.
Speaker 2: Anymore maybe you could at certain points in like the,
Speaker 2: nineties when you can win a couple of matches just
Speaker 2: by showing up and being better skills, wise but that's
Speaker 2: not true. Anymore the tours have too much. Depth everybody's. Good,
Speaker 2: everybody especially when they know they're playing, you is going
Speaker 2: to try to have the match of their. Life sometimes
Speaker 2: they want. Succeed most times they want, succeed but sometimes they.
Speaker 2: Do and if you're not one hundred per because maybe you're,
Speaker 2: injured or because maybe you're a little out of, practice
Speaker 2: or maybe you're not feeling, confident it's a to. Me
Speaker 2: it's a lot about that, belief which is why the
Speaker 2: belief stuff is so so. Important as you mentioned with
Speaker 2: With victoria And, BOCO i do wish sometimes and this,
Speaker 2: is you, know as toxic as many online spaces, are
Speaker 2: it does fuel a lot of fun because people can
Speaker 2: sometimes indicate how they really feel about certain. Things and we're,
Speaker 2: all you, know trying to be on our best.
Speaker 1: Behavior WELL i.
Speaker 2: Don't know that you AND, I i, mean but, HELLO i,
Speaker 2: mean have you met. Me we're certainly more filtered than
Speaker 2: we would.
Speaker 1: BE i get into trouble every week for comments THAT i,
Speaker 1: make and it's just like fuck. Me like with social.
Speaker 1: Media think, god social media wasn't around WHEN i was.
Speaker 2: Playing holy oh my, god that would be, terrible catastrophic for.
Speaker 1: You it would have been, Great, okay that's what. Entertaining
Speaker 1: it would have been, great AND i probably would have
Speaker 1: had a vlog and you know, what probably would have
Speaker 1: made more. Money let's be, Honest.
Speaker 2: Okay if you hadn't been. Canceled, okay next, question this
Speaker 2: is From. Neby this is a very very good question
Speaker 2: because it's a little. Tough how do you Think Elena
Speaker 2: rebuccin his year will go from? Here her first third
Speaker 2: of the year was so, strong but sub part of
Speaker 2: the last few months it does appear that she is.
Speaker 2: Adrift wouldn't you? Say? Naw?
Speaker 1: Absolutely you KNOW i picked her prior to months Before
Speaker 1: wimbledon started THAT i thought she would Win. Wimbledon for
Speaker 1: her to lose To Alisa, murtens WHO i believe she
Speaker 1: had an eight and one record against there was just.
Speaker 1: Crazy of all the upsets At wimbledon this, year that
Speaker 1: was the one that just blew me away the. MOST i, was,
Speaker 1: like WHAT i MEAN A Lisa murtens is a good,
Speaker 1: player a very solid, play always round to, sixteen third,
Speaker 1: rounds always like sort of doesn't lose to anybody you
Speaker 1: know below her. Often but to lose that match Against,
Speaker 1: rebutta to Beat rebuccin in that, situation to, me was
Speaker 1: the biggest shock At. WIMBLEDON i had heard the day
Speaker 1: before she did like hours on the practice court and
Speaker 1: like was looking exhausted and so came into that. MATCH
Speaker 1: i don't, know maybe hitting too many balls a day.
Speaker 1: BEFORE i don't know what's going, on but this is
Speaker 1: a player that should be winning more slams than she already.
Speaker 1: Has she won These Strain, open she played great tennis.
Speaker 1: There hard court is definitely more her. Jam, so just
Speaker 1: LIKE i said last, NIGHT i did a little thing
Speaker 1: FOR espn last night when the question was asked About
Speaker 1: sabalanka at THE Us. Open she has not won a
Speaker 1: Tournament sablenka Since. Miami, OKAY i was going back to
Speaker 1: back her. Up Actually Indian wells And. Miami we know
Speaker 1: how well she plays on hard. Court same With. Rebakina
Speaker 1: SO i will say, this If rabakina doesn't Win montreal Or,
Speaker 1: cincinnati she's still one of the favorites for THE Us
Speaker 1: open because she is so good on hard, court as Is.
Speaker 1: Sabalanka SO i still put them at the top of
Speaker 1: the list to win THE Us open just because they
Speaker 1: play so well on hard. Court but there are definite
Speaker 1: questions that need to be answered By rebakina going into
Speaker 1: the sun and leading into THE Us. Open having said
Speaker 1: the fact that she hasn't played well in this latter
Speaker 1: part of the, Year she's still a player that nobody
Speaker 1: really wants to, play let's be. Honest and Also cincinnati
Speaker 1: is quite similar to THE Us. Open the speed of the,
Speaker 1: court the conditions are, hot so we will see to be.
Speaker 1: Determined when we were sort of counting her out a
Speaker 1: couple of years ago or a year, ago she comes
Speaker 1: back and wins this Strain. Open so still a player
Speaker 1: with all the ability to win A Grand. Slam so
Speaker 1: she'll still be definitely knocking on the door at THE Us,
Speaker 1: open but we will soon find. Out, okay we're done
Speaker 1: with our. Questions thanks for sending them in so nice of, You.
Speaker 1: Caitlin thanks for joining. Me i've got to jump on
Speaker 1: the bus and get to the tennis courts here In.
Speaker 2: Washington, wonderful wonderful week In. Washington you've got an absolutely
Speaker 2: gangbusters a number of matches to, watch AND i hope
Speaker 2: anybody who did not hear us earlier in the show
Speaker 2: please CONSIDER i don't care if you live In, ROMANIA
Speaker 2: i don't care if you live In Hong. KONG i
Speaker 2: don't care wherever you. Are go support your local tournament
Speaker 2: and look at these smaller weeks on the tour as
Speaker 2: opportunities to get close to this amazing sport BECAUSE i guarantee,
Speaker 2: you whoever you are watching a name you know or
Speaker 2: a name you're about to, know you're going to watch
Speaker 2: some incredible. Tennis and so much of our sport is
Speaker 2: made or broken in the weeks that are Not slam.
Speaker 2: Weeks we love The, slams no shade to The, slams
Speaker 2: but a tournament LIKE, dc a tournament like Those, cabos
Speaker 2: a tournament like The Canadian, open these are phenomenal places
Speaker 2: with the best player in the, world and they're also
Speaker 2: great cities to. Visit so really think about getting outside
Speaker 2: of your comfort zone and going to a smaller tournament
Speaker 2: if you don't, already because it is an incredible.
Speaker 1: Experience exactly my, sentiments. Exactly last couple of things before we.
Speaker 1: GO i want to also say well done to Friend
Speaker 1: jones who WON a one twenty. Five yes you don't
Speaker 1: know her, story please look Up Franny. Jones please look
Speaker 1: up what she has to deal with as a tennis.
Speaker 1: Player it's incredible she won a tournament this past, week
Speaker 1: and well.
Speaker 2: By cin a, row two tournaments in a, row and,
Speaker 2: yeah two tournaments a you're, correct, yes.
Speaker 1: EXACTLY i Love Linda's noskova is trolling THE wta by
Speaker 1: saying why AM i? Here because she was posted on
Speaker 1: the the transgender that was the funniest Thing i've.
Speaker 2: Seen she has the news hilarious transgender update to the
Speaker 2: testing and they just she was, like, walla what AM?
Speaker 1: I what DO i have to do with any of?
Speaker 2: This.
Speaker 1: EXACTLY i also want to throw out a congratulations To
Speaker 1: Tommy paul and his new wife who got, married and
Speaker 1: of Course Alex demonor And Katie bolter who also got
Speaker 1: married over the last.
Speaker 2: Week and they Are geese and they and married AND.
Speaker 1: Dc they're all. Here Tommy pole's, Here Alex demonoi is,
Speaker 1: Here Katie bolter's, here all the new married couples are
Speaker 1: all here IN. Dc so stay tuned On Tennis channel
Speaker 1: and watch that and you might catch me on the
Speaker 1: court interviewing the. Play so stay tuned on. That if
Speaker 1: you've got questions you want me to ask, them send
Speaker 1: them to me on the Old. Socials all, right, guys
Speaker 1: thanks for joining us this. Week we'll see you next. Week,
Speaker 1: CAITLIN i know you're probably trying to go To. Europe
Speaker 1: you're also going to an area that has got a
Speaker 1: little bit of fire going, on so good luck with, that.
Speaker 1: MATE i just twitched my.
Speaker 2: Tickets i'm not flying into the wildfair, okay good for.
Speaker 1: You i'll be In, marseille not Cap Foray.
Speaker 2: Mercibuku have a great, week ENJOY dc and watch tennis
Speaker 2: in person or live if you.
Speaker 1: Can all, right thanks, everyone see you next. Week bye
Speaker 1: b