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Speaker 1: Well, thank you so much for doing this little chat.

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Speaker 1: Of course, of course I'm really excited. It's very strange

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Speaker 1: being interviewed by you.

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Speaker 2: I mean we were like the opposition and like playing

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Speaker 2: against each other, so that.

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Speaker 1: We are kind of on the same team. We're on

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Speaker 1: the same team. Yes, that strange, the retired team. Do

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Speaker 1: you like having me on your team or no?

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Speaker 2: I absolutely love it? Okay, good, well we It all

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Speaker 2: depends on this interview, it does.

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Speaker 1: I have my notes. Let's see how it goes. You

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Speaker 1: mentioned your partnership with Evan and I want to get

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Speaker 1: into it. But I think we are here as kind

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Speaker 1: of the coolest watch party to have ever that ever existed.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, like the coolest watch party.

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Speaker 1: This is the coolest watch already that has ever existed.

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Speaker 2: We're going to see the Statue of Liberty and all

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Speaker 2: the bridges.

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Speaker 1: What can possibly be better? What could go wrong? What

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Speaker 1: can go wrong?

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Speaker 2: So much?

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Speaker 1: But I have to say, Maria, we don't get to

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Speaker 1: see you so much at tennis tournaments anymore, but we

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Speaker 1: did see you yesterday.

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Speaker 2: Yes, during the I couldn't miss that. I couldn't miss that.

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Speaker 2: I just didn't you make it. I felt like it

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Speaker 2: was a match that would you know, seeing Coco on

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Speaker 2: that stage and all the expectations from the beginning of

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Speaker 2: the tournament, I didn't think it was the highest quality

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Speaker 2: of match because there was so much nerves. I think

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Speaker 2: on on both sides, I was so happy to see

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Speaker 2: Cocoa when I've been saying it for years, I think

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Speaker 2: she has the ability to transcend the sport into so

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Speaker 2: many bridging entertainment and sport and culture and fashion. She's

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Speaker 2: got such a great voice, and she's and and most importantly,

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Speaker 2: she's an amazing competitor, which is just like this full pack.

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Speaker 2: And it came together for her in New York City,

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Speaker 2: so I wanted to be there.

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Speaker 1: And how you won your first Grand Slam title when

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Speaker 1: you were very young, even younger than Coco seventeen, and

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Speaker 1: then you repeated it here two thousand and six US

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Speaker 1: Open champion Maria Sharapola.

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Speaker 2: Thank you give it up, plea.

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Speaker 1: It's five times Grand Slam title holder and many more,

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Speaker 1: thirty six titles, number world number one for twenty one weeks,

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Speaker 1: so many success. We don't have to get into it.

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Speaker 2: Please let's not. But actually, if you want it, I mean,

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Speaker 2: keep going. I don't hear this every day.

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Speaker 1: Now. This is an absolute tremendous, tremendous career by this

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Speaker 1: lady here. And I was wondering, what is of waiting Coco.

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Speaker 1: Now you've been in this position. Do you think she

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Speaker 1: can handle it? And we've seen other past champions that

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Speaker 1: have crumbled under the pressure. Can you tell with your

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Speaker 1: experience this one's going to make it and this one

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Speaker 1: will struggle.

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Speaker 2: I think her journey has been interesting because from the

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Speaker 2: age of sixteen, she's been this the prospect and the target,

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Speaker 2: and everyone believed that she would get there, and it's

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Speaker 2: perhaps I think from everyone's expectations, it's taken a little

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Speaker 2: bit longer. But I think for her that may be

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Speaker 2: helpful because it took a few years to figure it out,

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Speaker 2: as opposed to coming out on top from the very

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Speaker 2: beginning and then just being so surprised by everything that

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Speaker 2: comes your way. And I just think she has you know,

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Speaker 2: she has a great team and her you know that

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Speaker 2: the support from the genuine support from her parents is

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Speaker 2: very evident, and it's a beautiful story. And I think,

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Speaker 2: and look, does that mean that she's going to go

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Speaker 2: out and win every single Grand Slam? This is sport.

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Speaker 2: It never happens. Most of the time, you know, you

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Speaker 2: end up losing a few more than you win. But

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Speaker 2: those wins are very special and I'm sure that she

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Speaker 2: she will handle the ups and downs brilliantly.

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Speaker 1: And you mentioned the team Coco had a bit of

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Speaker 1: a change in her coaching team. And you just mentioned

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Speaker 1: also that you've been partnered with Evion for ten years.

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Speaker 1: Evion has been the sponsor of the US Open for

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Speaker 1: thirty five five years.

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Speaker 2: That is insane, that is inside years.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that is. And you know what's interesting. I'm European,

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Speaker 1: I'm from Germany, and I always knew of Evyon, but

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Speaker 1: I had two or three Americans come up to me

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Speaker 1: saying that they heard of evy On when they started

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Speaker 1: sponsoring the US Open. Wow. So it just shows you

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Speaker 1: what partnership it takes.

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Speaker 2: The absolute sense. I think you know just as well

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Speaker 2: as every athlete, the importance of nutrition and hydration and

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Speaker 2: how we prepare our bodies and not just when we're competing,

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Speaker 2: but actually when we're away from the court, like that

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Speaker 2: recovery aspect and element and and you see all the

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Speaker 2: players with their you know, within the wimble and they

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Speaker 2: had the sustainable bottles which was very cool and they

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Speaker 2: were refilling it. I thought that was a brilliant idea

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Speaker 2: and we've just done. I think they're also so creative

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Speaker 2: and how they how they approach the partnerships and fun ways.

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Speaker 2: I mean, look at us now floating on the water,

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Speaker 2: and we've done incredible sustainable projects. One with Iris van Harpin,

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Speaker 2: who's an incredible Dutch designers. She created she created a

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Speaker 2: material from use plastic bottles that I ended up wearing

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Speaker 2: on a red carpet. So we've done the Live Young

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Speaker 2: campaign several years ago was one of my favorite personal

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Speaker 2: brand campaigns of all time. So they're just innovative and cool,

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Speaker 2: and they've what they're able to bring to sport just

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Speaker 2: elevates the sport and tennis in so many fun ways.

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Speaker 1: Well, and you've you also, I have to say, you've

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Speaker 1: been always a very loyal person also with your coaching teams,

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Speaker 1: with your partners. How important do you think is loyalty

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Speaker 1: in your relationship, in your business relationships but also in tennis,

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Speaker 1: Like how can you transfer it from tennis to your

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Speaker 1: business relationship? I think it just takes.

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Speaker 2: Time, Like when you have a new coach or a

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Speaker 2: new person on your team.

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Speaker 1: It to you.

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Speaker 2: Okay, you might know, like if something goes wrong and

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Speaker 2: you're just really unhappy, but you let them go. But overall,

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Speaker 2: I think it takes time to develop a strong partnership,

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Speaker 2: and it takes time to get to know each other

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Speaker 2: and build trust and and understand like the value use

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Speaker 2: of each But yeah, once you're once you're aligned on

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Speaker 2: a vision and you're able to like work together toward

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Speaker 2: the same goals. Like one of the things I miss

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Speaker 2: about the sport was having having the team members there,

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Speaker 2: like they're with you until the very last step as

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Speaker 2: you go through the tunnel. You know, you get your

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Speaker 2: bag and you're like, you know, you give them the

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Speaker 2: little fist pump and you know that, yes you're on

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Speaker 2: your own. But like their whole life revolves around that match, right,

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Speaker 2: their family schedule, where are they going next? So I

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Speaker 2: just took that to heart because I think, you know,

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Speaker 2: we're all human, we have a lot of things going

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Speaker 2: on in our lives, and so I wanted to win

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Speaker 2: with them. And just like in partnerships and in business.

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Speaker 1: Or you're just really bad at firing people, probably that too.

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Speaker 2: I mean, that's really hard, that's an that's an entirely

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Speaker 2: like new skill that I've had to learn in business.

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Speaker 1: What else have you been up to since you've been retired.

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Speaker 1: You've been retired for a few years.

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Speaker 2: Yes, I became a mother about a year ago, which

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Speaker 2: I think was one of the greatest accomplishments that I've

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Speaker 2: ever experienced. I have an entirely new respect for motherhood

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Speaker 2: and parenthood and just the moment of how you like,

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Speaker 2: you know, your body is experiencing completely different your mind

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Speaker 2: somewhere else, and that's been challenging rewarding because I'm also

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Speaker 2: you know, I love to work. I'm very ambitious. I've

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Speaker 2: always had big goals about where I you know, I've

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Speaker 2: said foundation in the business world for several years during

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Speaker 2: my career, and I knew that I wanted to take

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Speaker 2: it to another level and grow, but yet I wanted

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Speaker 2: to come home and have this beautiful family, and so yeah,

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Speaker 2: it's just a it's a bit of a juggle game. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Well, but you were actually really famous for that because

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Speaker 1: you were had always interest outside the court, but at

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Speaker 1: the same time you were known as the most professional,

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Speaker 1: hardworking athlete in the entire world. How did you strike

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Speaker 1: that balance then, and does it help you now to

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Speaker 1: keep striking that balance.

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Speaker 2: I think I just genuinely loved what I did. I

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Speaker 2: loved like this, waking up, putting on my sports gear

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Speaker 2: and just getting better at this sport. I thought that

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Speaker 2: was I still believe it was so rewarding. And you know,

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Speaker 2: when I don't know, it's maybe you can relate to

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Speaker 2: it as well. As a woman, I think it's a

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Speaker 2: very powerful feeling to have a job at which you like,

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Speaker 2: you're able to see improvements in real time, right, And

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Speaker 2: it's it's very very empowering. And I had a stage

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Speaker 2: with an incredible loyal following, and there's a part of

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Speaker 2: that camaraderie that you know, you start building and teamwork

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Speaker 2: comes into play. And yeah, I just I loved it

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Speaker 2: so but I also knew that there were limitations to

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Speaker 2: what I could do when I was outside of the court,

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Speaker 2: and and so that's where I wanted to learn. And

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Speaker 2: I would take classes in Harvard Business School, I would

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Speaker 2: go and intern with Adam Silver at the NBA. So

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Speaker 2: I found, you know, I found little moments to grow

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Speaker 2: because I didn't just want to swim in one lane.

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Speaker 2: And I knew that also as a woman, at one

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Speaker 2: point you have to make a decision on whether you

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Speaker 2: know you want to stop for several years or you

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Speaker 2: want to retire to a family. You know, things don't

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Speaker 2: just happen fast like this is a process. So yeah,

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Speaker 2: I don't know where I was going with them, just.

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Speaker 1: That you are really good at striking balances.

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Speaker 2: I don't know if I was good, but I definitely

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Speaker 2: had a goal and I set to it, and I

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Speaker 2: just I love the sport and I love competing.

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Speaker 1: How do you feel about all these mothers in the

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Speaker 1: tennis world now coming back and we hope to see.

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Speaker 2: I don't know how they do it.

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Speaker 1: I'm so.

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Speaker 2: I don't see that in my future.

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Speaker 1: Well, actually, I have to say that I asked a

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Speaker 1: bit around about you, trying to get anecdotes about you

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Speaker 1: that I can't google on the internet.

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Speaker 2: Oh wow, And.

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Speaker 1: I heard one thing. I don't know if it's well,

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Speaker 1: I heard one thing. I don't know if it's true,

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Speaker 1: but somebody told me that you were different because from

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Speaker 1: very early on as a teenager, and I'm not sure

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Speaker 1: if it's true, you wanted to be c seed on

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Speaker 1: all emails, and you wanted to be kind of in

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Speaker 1: the know of everything that was going on.

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Speaker 2: Okay, from very early on, is that controlling? Is that like, No,

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Speaker 2: I think it's controlling and possessed, not at all.

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Speaker 1: Actually that you wanted to learn about the business side,

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Speaker 1: I did.

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Speaker 2: I love the process. I think that's you know, like

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Speaker 2: last night seeing you know, a woman's final whare, but

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Speaker 2: that's like the last step. It's like I love seeing

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Speaker 2: where those athletes start, where are they from, how did

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Speaker 2: they get there, what work did they do? Who helped them?

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Speaker 2: How did so many things have to come together? And

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Speaker 2: I see a lot of similarities in business, like to

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Speaker 2: understand how these puzzles align. And sometimes you want them

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Speaker 2: to align and you do everything you can and they don't.

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Speaker 2: You know, it's just the way, and then you have

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Speaker 2: to like go back to the drawing board. And yeah,

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Speaker 2: but I love I love stepping back. I love seeing

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Speaker 2: how players practice. I love seeing how they do the

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Speaker 2: work that's not fancy, you know, that's not on stadium court.

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Speaker 1: Well, and do you you've mentioned the team, the people

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Speaker 1: around you helping you. Do you have specific values that

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Speaker 1: you look for when you enter a partnership. Clearly you

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Speaker 1: have a good hand in it. You've been with Evion

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Speaker 1: for ten years and others as well.

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Speaker 2: I think you have to have like the same north Star,

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Speaker 2: you have to have the same goal, you know, but

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Speaker 2: the way that you all get there could be slightly different.

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Speaker 2: And that's why you hire them, because they give you

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Speaker 2: a different idea, different ideas and different vision. And also

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Speaker 2: I love like having a team that was from different

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Speaker 2: parts of the world. I think it's very interesting, like

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Speaker 2: to connect and mix different cultures because you learn so

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Speaker 2: much from their own backgrounds and like how they came

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Speaker 2: into this profession and what makes them, you know, what

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Speaker 2: gives them the fuel, what gives them the fire to succeed,

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Speaker 2: and who are they as people? I was very interested

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Speaker 2: in that.

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Speaker 1: So do you want to call out somebody specific here,

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Speaker 1: like who gives you the fuel?

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Speaker 2: Oh?

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Speaker 1: We should just brushure. Come on, everyone, everyone, How was

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Speaker 1: the transition for you retiring from tennis? Some players talk

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Speaker 1: about it as very painful, as losing a part of

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Speaker 1: the identity. Others can't wait to start the new chapter

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Speaker 1: of their lives. How was it for you?

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Speaker 2: I look, I think it's always, as you know, as

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Speaker 2: if I can be honest, it's always it's always difficult

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Speaker 2: because you've had something for so many years of your life.

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Speaker 2: You committed everything right, you get you know, you gave

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Speaker 2: up the birthdays and holidays, do you know, just to

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Speaker 2: work on this craft and and it's yeah, it's it

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Speaker 2: becomes a huge part of your identity. And so I

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Speaker 2: don't but I don't think you realize that until you

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Speaker 2: let it go, and you don't realize how and where

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Speaker 2: and at which instances it affects you. But but after retirement,

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Speaker 2: we went into you know, these lockdowns and COVID and

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Speaker 2: so it was a very different existence for for not

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Speaker 2: just myself and where I was in life, but I

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Speaker 2: think for everyone around the world. So I don't know

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Speaker 2: if it was like a true additional retirement. So I

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Speaker 2: can't really.

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Speaker 1: You face your demons if you think about it.

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Speaker 2: I mean, I wanted to travel the world, and I

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Speaker 2: did not travel the world. For a long time.

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Speaker 1: We were just at home.

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Speaker 2: I was just at home with my parents, and I

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Speaker 2: was like, well, this is back to basics. But no,

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Speaker 2: we had there were moments that were really really nice

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Speaker 2: during that time, but it was very it's different. But

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Speaker 2: I was my body was ready. I mean I struggled

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Speaker 2: with my shoulder and several other things for so long,

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Speaker 2: and so you know, the stubbornness that propelled me to

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Speaker 2: the top. I think in the end almost became a

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Speaker 2: demon because I wanted it. You know, I worked so

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Speaker 2: hard to try to get my body back, but ultimately

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Speaker 2: you can't let let stubborness get in the way of

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Speaker 2: better things in your life. So it was a moment

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Speaker 2: of letting go.

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Speaker 1: Interesting that actually your strength became your weakness in the

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Speaker 1: end because you just abs because you were known as

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Speaker 1: Actually this is something that I personally just need to know.

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Speaker 1: You were always as the woman with the most mental

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Speaker 1: fortitude on the tour. Is that something you were born

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Speaker 1: with or did you work on that?

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Speaker 2: I don't know. You're leaning in an answer you want.

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Speaker 1: I wish I had asked you this question.

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Speaker 2: But I don't know if I should lean in answering this.

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Speaker 2: I just I you know, I didn't grow up being

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Speaker 2: the like the most talented. Like people expected good things

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Speaker 2: and perhaps great things for me, But I just thought

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Speaker 2: my mind was always my weapon, and I wasn't the strongest. Actually,

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Speaker 2: I didn't grow until I was like late teenager, so

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Speaker 2: I didn't have the like some of the athletic skills

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Speaker 2: that a lot of a lot of tennis players have.

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Speaker 2: And I thought that, my you know, tennis is just

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Speaker 2: so many flows and momentum changes, and I thought, if

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Speaker 2: I could just stick it out for a few extra points, right,

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Speaker 2: if I could just hang in there with my opponent

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Speaker 2: and give them something to think about, you know. I

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Speaker 2: think that's what like Coco almost did yesterday. Like she

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Speaker 2: she probably knew she didn't play a terrific first set,

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Speaker 2: but she just stuck in there. She hung in there

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Speaker 2: against an opponent that can become a bit erratic, that

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Speaker 2: could make more mistakes, and she did and then she

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Speaker 2: found her groove.

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Speaker 1: So how have you followed tennis? Have you followed tennis

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Speaker 1: at all? I love watching, I really do. I like

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Speaker 1: I have this. It's nice to have a healthy distance

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Speaker 1: with it, but also know exactly what is going on.

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Speaker 2: I was like sitting there yesterday, I was like, this

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Speaker 2: is a huge point, and everyone is like sipping beer,

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Speaker 2: and I'm like, can you focus? This is a huge point.

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Speaker 2: So I like, you know, it's like I know this,

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Speaker 2: these the secret moments that are important.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, I absolutely I love watching. And do you

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Speaker 1: miss the competition at all? Or you do the competition?

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Speaker 1: That's the one thing.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, It's like in business, it's not like you get

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Speaker 2: a great dealer. You make a good investment and there's

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Speaker 2: like a great return. It's not like you like fist pump,

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Speaker 2: you know what I mean. Like I'm not waving in

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Speaker 2: the cross.

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Speaker 1: Or I could, but I have it so.

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Speaker 2: That Yeah, I think you should bring that into the businesses.

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Speaker 2: I miss the fans tremendously. It's so special to hear

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Speaker 2: and see you know, like young boys and girls that

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Speaker 2: would wake up, like in the middle of the night

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Speaker 2: to watch you play a tennis match.

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Speaker 1: Well, I know that they miss you too, and I

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Speaker 1: want to veer a bit. We don't have I'm not

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Speaker 1: checking my Instagram. I'm just checking the time check.

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Speaker 2: I don't think yeah, I think we all check our

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Speaker 2: Instagram like every no, no, no, when you're not when you

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Speaker 2: are talking. This is very interesting, But I want to

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Speaker 2: hear Dave's ment, Yes, by microphone is not working properly.

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Speaker 2: We're going into the men's final. Are we making predictions here?

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Speaker 1: Maybe predictions? First? I want to know Novak we are

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Speaker 1: all born in eighty seven, Novak Q and me, we

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Speaker 1: are all the same generation. Did you have an inkling

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Speaker 1: that he would become the greatest of all time by

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Speaker 1: growing up next to him or did you just know

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Speaker 1: he was a.

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Speaker 2: Great funny story with Novah. I remember we were I'd

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Speaker 2: won a couple of Grand slams. It was it was

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Speaker 2: at the time when he was like getting there, like

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Speaker 2: getting to the top, but his body was still not

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Speaker 2: not at the level of his tennis.

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Speaker 1: I won Grand slams before, very important to make.

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Speaker 2: Yes, and we were we we played this like little

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Speaker 2: mini exhibition in Indian wells and he said, he said,

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Speaker 2: if we if I win the next point. I don't

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Speaker 2: know what the bet was, but he won the bet

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Speaker 2: and he's like, if I win the bet, I'm gonna

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Speaker 2: we're gonna go to dinner. And I was like, oh, okay, fine, whatever,

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Speaker 2: like that's never gonna happen. And he ends up winning

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Speaker 2: and he's like, yeah, we're going to dinner. And I

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Speaker 2: was like, and it was this moment. It was so funny.

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Speaker 2: It was this moment where we just went to dinner.

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Speaker 2: He's like, can we take a photo? It was like, so,

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Speaker 2: you know, I know him very well, and it's it's

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Speaker 2: incredible to see how passionate, how like the element of

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Speaker 2: this longevity of how he handles, his treats, his body,

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Speaker 2: how his preparations are. I just it's fascinating.

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Speaker 1: Well, and you have a lot of things in common

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Speaker 1: if you think about it. Novak's mind is also something

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Speaker 1: that has transcended his abilities. If you looked at them

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Speaker 1: Rafa Roger Novak, if you looked at them, you wouldn't

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Speaker 1: put him on the highest top of the tennis skills.

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Speaker 1: But his mind kind of transcended that. And now we

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Speaker 1: are veering into the predictions. First of all, let me know,

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Speaker 1: what do you think about men's tennis right now, like

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Speaker 1: where it's at for you in your opinion?

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Speaker 2: I think it's so exciting. I love seeing the younger generation.

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Speaker 2: I mean, can't even call Alcoraz younger generation because he's

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Speaker 2: already you know, at the top of the top. But

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Speaker 2: there's an hour about, you know, the men's game that's

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Speaker 2: very evident. You know, my last coach in my career

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Speaker 2: also coach center for several years, so I got to

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Speaker 2: play with him a little bit, so I'm always you know,

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Speaker 2: rooting for him, and I just I like, you know,

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Speaker 2: his a humble approach to the sport. But what's interesting

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Speaker 2: is they're all so different. They're different styles of play,

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Speaker 2: they're different personalities, they're from different parts of the world,

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Speaker 2: and it's just fun to see these rivalries come together.

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Speaker 2: So I think I think the men's game is in

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Speaker 2: a in a good state. Do you agree?

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Speaker 1: I agree with you. I think the that was a

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Speaker 1: bit lacking in the women's game for a while, and

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Speaker 1: now we finally have it is exactly what you mentioned,

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Speaker 1: the rivalries. You either had one dominant player or everyone

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Speaker 1: had a shot. And I think in especially your time,

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Speaker 1: what made it so interesting were the rivalries because you

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Speaker 1: pick teams and you hope somebody when somebody loses. And

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Speaker 1: now we are getting there with the with the US

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Speaker 1: and the zabal Ankas and they rebuking us, shooting for

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Speaker 1: to win her first yees. Yeah, I think we all do.

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Speaker 1: I think we all. Yeah, I see nodding in the crowd.

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Speaker 1: I think we all do. And we were talking around

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Speaker 1: it now for a few minutes. But now we want

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Speaker 1: to hear your prediction for the men's finals.

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Speaker 2: Okay, so actually yesterday I predicted Cocoa and three, Oh

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Speaker 2: my god, I did. And today take out.

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Speaker 1: Your betting page.

404
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Speaker 2: Just right now. I think I think it all depends

405
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Speaker 2: on Novak right. I think it depends on even though. Look,

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Speaker 2: Medvedev came out against al Karaz and you thought it'd

407
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Speaker 2: be like a competitive match, but you always believe that

408
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Speaker 2: al Karaz would come back and get it and and

409
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Speaker 2: and Daniel was like right there every moment of the way.

410
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Speaker 2: So perhaps that that can happen again. He's such a character.

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Speaker 2: I mean, I've seen some of the interviews of Medvedev

412
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Speaker 2: this week and I was like, it's pretty funny. I

413
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Speaker 2: was like, whoa, Okay, yeah, well, I guess it's the

414
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Speaker 2: relationship with the crowd that he has and he's he's

415
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Speaker 2: playing into it, which is which is fun. I'm going

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Speaker 2: for Novak and I'll say in four, but I don't

417
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Speaker 2: know if I would be entirely surprised if Medvedev also

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Speaker 2: wants it. So I'm not sure I just gave you

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Speaker 2: a prediction.

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Speaker 1: But okay, so maybe put a bit I see you

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Speaker 1: few people with their phones. Maybe put the betting side

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Speaker 1: side again. And what do we as a collective here

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Speaker 1: have to do to see you back on court? Is

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Speaker 1: there anything?

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Speaker 2: Nothing? Just drink some more avon.

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Speaker 1: Nice and Maria. I think we are so lucky to

427
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Speaker 1: have you as a ten I'm talking now in the

428
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Speaker 1: name of tennis. I think you brought so much to

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Speaker 1: the sport, you're bringing so much to it after the sport,

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Speaker 1: and we are just so lucky to have you and

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Speaker 1: hopefully we will see you more at some tennis events.

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Speaker 1: You don't have to come to everyone all of them.

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Speaker 1: Thank you, but like maybe my son.

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Speaker 2: Appreciates that, we just like to see you in there

435
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Speaker 2: way help for a few more years. But yeah, it's

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Speaker 2: nice to pop in here and there, So thanks for this, guys,