WEBVTT - ‘I Come to Do Damage’ with Taylor Townsend 0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:02.960 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're kicking 0:00:03.000 --> 0:00:05.360 Skyguide to the curb and hitting the clurb with the 0:00:05.400 --> 0:00:09.160 Chicago Sky's new mascot, Skye the Lioness. On today's show, 0:00:09.160 --> 0:00:11.760 we'll be chatting with tennis player Taylor Townsend about being 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:15.160 a Wimbledon doubles champ, how she adjusts when shit goes sideways, 0:00:15.400 --> 0:00:17.480 and all the good things that can come from sliding 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:21.479 into someone's dms. Plus a profound message on retirement and 0:00:21.560 --> 0:00:24.080 an example we should all follow. It's all coming up 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:30.560 right after this. Welcome back, my little slices. Here's what 0:00:30.600 --> 0:00:35.040 you need to know today. It was such a busy weekend. 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:37.560 We've got some good stuff that didn't fit in yesterday's 0:00:37.560 --> 0:00:40.360 show to get to. First, we finished recording yesterday's at 0:00:40.400 --> 0:00:43.480 before the epic conclusion to the Seattle Rain game against 0:00:43.520 --> 0:00:45.839 the North Carolina Courage. So let's take a minute to 0:00:45.880 --> 0:00:48.920 highlight how that one played out, because the fairytale story 0:00:48.920 --> 0:00:52.519 basically wrote itself. So first, a beautiful ceremony for Megan Rappino, 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:55.360 the first player in Rain history to have her jersey retired. 0:00:55.640 --> 0:00:57.760 There was an awesome video with messages from people like 0:00:57.800 --> 0:01:01.320 Michelle Akers, Ali Krieger, at e Ved Maclamore, Colin Kaepernick, 0:01:01.360 --> 0:01:04.759 Jewel Lloyd, and Rapino in her speech said in part 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:07.440 about looking up at her number fifteen in the rafters, quote, 0:01:07.920 --> 0:01:10.199 I look at that number, and I'll be thinking about 0:01:10.280 --> 0:01:14.039 every one of you. Every Pride flag, every trans Writes flag, 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:18.400 every Black Lives Matter flag, every Equal Pay flag, every 0:01:18.640 --> 0:01:23.920 Portland flag. End quote. Perfect perfect, It's perfectly Pino. Then 0:01:24.120 --> 0:01:26.559 the game happened, and Seattle beat the Courage one nil 0:01:26.560 --> 0:01:29.240 on a goal and stoppage time couldn't have ended more perfectly. 0:01:29.319 --> 0:01:29.399 So. 0:01:29.600 --> 0:01:32.600 Teenager Emory Adamas got her head on a cross sending 0:01:32.640 --> 0:01:35.080 it toward goal, where it bounced off the post and 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:38.600 off Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy. It technically counts as an 0:01:38.640 --> 0:01:41.600 old goal, but Adamas earned her sally, and of course 0:01:41.640 --> 0:01:44.760 she busted out the iconic Rapino arms out pose and 0:01:44.800 --> 0:01:46.800 looked up at Pino in the stands cheering her on. 0:01:47.400 --> 0:01:49.760 So cool, But it wasn't just the pose that made 0:01:49.800 --> 0:01:52.680 it super special. So earlier in the day, the eighteen 0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:55.280 year old a Damas posted a photo to her Instagram 0:01:55.280 --> 0:01:57.480 that she took with Raupino a few years ago when 0:01:57.480 --> 0:01:59.320 she was just a kid. She wasn't even up to 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:02.800 Pino shoulder. Fast forward, she's in the league, she's on 0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:05.680 Pinos old team, she's scoring on her jersey retirement night 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:10.240 Chef's kiss, and after the game, Adamas said, quote, I 0:02:10.280 --> 0:02:13.000 think I'm gonna throw up. I'm so excited. I have 0:02:13.040 --> 0:02:15.320 so much adrenaline right now. When everyone was running up 0:02:15.320 --> 0:02:16.840 to me after the game, I thought that I'm just 0:02:16.840 --> 0:02:18.480 going to wake up and be in my bed, like 0:02:18.520 --> 0:02:21.920 I actually thought I was dreaming. End quote. Also cool, 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:25.120 longtime Rain coach Laura Harvey got her one hundredth NWSL 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:30.360 win with that game too. What a night In NWSL news. 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:33.360 If you listen to our conversation with Players Association President 0:02:33.400 --> 0:02:36.600 Tory Huster and executive director Megan Burke on Monday show, 0:02:36.800 --> 0:02:39.000 you'll recall that Burke said that the new CBA will 0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:42.840 lead to a quote free agent frenzy well. On Monday, 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:45.920 the NWSLPA released the initial list of free agents who 0:02:45.919 --> 0:02:49.799 will be eligible to renegotiate new contracts starting on September first, 0:02:50.160 --> 0:02:53.239 and the list includes eighty eight names, but the Players 0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:56.240 Association indicated that even more names will be added ahead 0:02:56.240 --> 0:02:59.080 of September first, likely because everyone still needs a little 0:02:59.080 --> 0:03:02.000 time to read through the content language and confirm eligibility 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:05.760 based on the new CBA changes. Also on Monday, some 0:03:05.919 --> 0:03:08.560 trade news World Cup champ Abby Dalkemper is headed to 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:11.520 BAYFC via a trade with the San Diego Wave, with 0:03:11.560 --> 0:03:14.840 the Wave receiving fifty thousand dollars in allocation money. According 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:18.720 to ESPN's Jeff cassoof Dalkemper requested the trade so the 0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:21.760 Waves tough times continue. The team also dropped their first 0:03:21.800 --> 0:03:24.639 regular season game under new interim head coach Landon Donovan 0:03:25.360 --> 0:03:28.520 to Softball Athletes Unlimited, Softball crowned it's twenty twenty four 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:31.400 champion on Sunday night, with Amanda Lorenz taking home the 0:03:31.400 --> 0:03:34.680 an individual season title. Lorenz led the five week tournament 0:03:34.800 --> 0:03:37.080 since week three. In her fifty one at bats, she 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:41.080 recorded nineteen hits, including three home runs. After winning the crown, Lorenz, 0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:43.520 who graduated from Florida in twenty nineteen and is a 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:47.560 two time world medalist with USA Softball, credited Athletes Unlimited 0:03:47.600 --> 0:03:50.960 with helping so many players continue to compete. Quote. I 0:03:51.000 --> 0:03:53.360 don't really have the words right now, just thankful for 0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:56.360 this league and to keep playing this game. So let's 0:03:56.400 --> 0:03:58.320 take a minute to talk about what it means to 0:03:58.320 --> 0:04:01.400 be a pro softball player, because while Athletes Unlimited has 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:03.480 been a great option for these athletes, and there's a 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:06.280 couple other pro options too, it's still so tough to 0:04:06.280 --> 0:04:08.640 make ends meet in this sport, especially because of its 0:04:08.720 --> 0:04:11.560 up and down Olympic status and because the professional leagues 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:13.840 are relatively young. There's a whole bunch of players that 0:04:13.920 --> 0:04:16.800 we retired at the conclusion of this AU season that 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:18.960 really didn't get as much do as they should have, 0:04:19.040 --> 0:04:22.760 including Olympic silver medallist Haley mclenny, ten year pro Sam Fisher, 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:26.279 and Tokyo Olympian Seshell Palacios. On Sunday, an honor of 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:29.600 the season's end and of those players saying goodbye, fantastic 0:04:29.640 --> 0:04:33.000 AU reporter Savannah Collins re shared a powerful video from 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:36.480 twenty twenty. It was mclenny reciting a poem written by 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:39.320 AU pro Janie Reid about what it means to retire 0:04:39.360 --> 0:04:41.279 from the game. Janie was too shy to read it 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:43.839 that day, so McClenny read it for her. Take a listen. 0:04:44.560 --> 0:04:47.720 Women at exit the game differently, some of the greatest, 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:52.120 most talented players snuck out quietly, the same amount of 0:04:52.120 --> 0:04:55.320 practices games flies with their parents on the way home 0:04:55.360 --> 0:04:58.320 in the car, but a different level of recognition for 0:04:58.440 --> 0:05:02.919 the blood, sweat and battle scars. We don't get the 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:05.839 pension plan for playing tenures in the show. We just 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:08.600 slowly assimilate into a job working. 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:09.640 With people who don't even know. 0:05:09.960 --> 0:05:12.599 But it's truly changing now, and it started with this group. 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:16.400 The last six weeks are incredible stories played. 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:16.560 On a loop. 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:19.880 People might get it now, and people might know that 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:22.680 the best in the world deserve to be treated like pros. 0:05:24.160 --> 0:05:27.000 That we're not just athletes who play on dirt, but 0:05:27.160 --> 0:05:31.279 difference makers, world changers, strong women willing to put in 0:05:31.320 --> 0:05:35.560 the work. So thank you for the hours, days, months 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:39.000 and years of dedication. Your career deserves to be celebrated 0:05:39.040 --> 0:05:40.520 and showered with appreciation. 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:43.160 It hits a little different hear in it now with 0:05:43.320 --> 0:05:46.039 mclenny herself being the one hanging it up, but the 0:05:46.080 --> 0:05:49.280 message is so true across so many sports. The same 0:05:49.400 --> 0:05:53.840 time effort, love, grit, pain and work as male pro athletes, 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:57.320 but in most cases even more sacrifice with less fame 0:05:57.400 --> 0:06:00.640 and less monetary gain. Also, I personally want to give 0:06:00.640 --> 0:06:02.280 a shout out to Sam Fisher because she's one of 0:06:02.360 --> 0:06:05.360 my favorites. She's a woman whose softball prowess is second 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:08.800 only to her incredible sense of humor. She dances at 0:06:08.800 --> 0:06:13.560 the plate, she screams hot dogs, and she just wants 0:06:13.560 --> 0:06:16.680 someone to match her freaking shin bruises from fouling it 0:06:16.720 --> 0:06:19.039 off her leg. I made her promise not to go 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:21.479 into hiding post retirement because we need her voice, we 0:06:21.600 --> 0:06:24.880 need her perspective, we need her jokes. So go give 0:06:24.880 --> 0:06:27.000 her a follow I promise you won't regret it. At 0:06:27.120 --> 0:06:30.520 Sam Fisher fifty two on Insta. That's Fisher with a 0:06:30.680 --> 0:06:38.039 C fisc hr. Congrat Sam. All right, it's time for 0:06:38.040 --> 0:06:44.359 another edition of Yes and Yes, and the US Open 0:06:44.480 --> 0:06:46.800 is in full swing. And before the tournament began, we 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:49.000 were lucky enough to be joined by Taylor Townsend, who's 0:06:49.040 --> 0:06:52.800 competing in both singles and doubles. Growing up, Townsend idolized 0:06:52.839 --> 0:06:55.640 Serena and Venus Williams, even telling her uncle that she 0:06:55.680 --> 0:06:57.280 was going to grow up to be better than them. 0:06:57.720 --> 0:06:59.920 She's one of many black tennis players who have cited 0:06:59.920 --> 0:07:03.039 that William's sisters as role models, and rightfully so. But 0:07:03.080 --> 0:07:05.400 we got to acknowledge another star that changed the game 0:07:05.760 --> 0:07:08.719 many years earlier, and it's one who helped inspire Venus 0:07:08.720 --> 0:07:12.400 and Serena too. We're talking about Althea Gibson. Born in 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:14.840 nineteen twenty seven, Gibson grew up in Harlem, where she 0:07:14.920 --> 0:07:17.760 was introduced to tennis at the Cosmopolitan Club, a black 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:21.239 tennis club, and quickly began beaten all the club's members. 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:23.760 According to a twenty twenty two New York Times story 0:07:23.800 --> 0:07:26.000 that we'll link to in the show notes, club members 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:28.640 helped her raise money so she could attend tournaments sponsored 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:32.080 by the American Tennis Association, a league for black players, 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:35.520 but for years, the most prestigious competitions remained out of 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:39.280 reach for Althea Gibson. While US Tennis rules technically prohibited 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:42.240 racial discrimination, a bunch of the qualifying events for the 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:45.160 US National Championships, the event now known as the US Open, 0:07:45.520 --> 0:07:48.680 were held at white only country clubs, thus rendering the 0:07:48.720 --> 0:07:52.640 so called anti discrimination rules pretty moot. Following intense lobbying 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:56.160 from fellow players and ATA officials, Gibson finally broke tennis's 0:07:56.240 --> 0:07:58.760 color barrier in nineteen fifty by competing at the US 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:01.240 Open and in nineteen five fifty seven, she became the 0:08:01.280 --> 0:08:04.560 first Black American to win the tournament. In total, she 0:08:04.640 --> 0:08:08.160 won eleven Grand Slam titles during her career, and then 0:08:08.200 --> 0:08:10.679 when she retired from tennis, she became the first African 0:08:10.760 --> 0:08:13.840 American woman to join the LPGA Tour. At one point, 0:08:13.880 --> 0:08:16.840 she even toured with the Harlem Globetrotters and played exhibition matches. 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:19.360 She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:21.680 in nineteen seventy one and even later served as Commissioner 0:08:21.680 --> 0:08:24.280 of Athletics for the State of New Jersey. In nineteen 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:27.720 ninety nine, Serena Williams faxed Gibson a list of questions 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:30.160 relating to a school project she was working on, and 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:33.400 just months later, Serena won the US Open, becoming just 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:35.960 the second black woman to win the tournament, following in 0:08:36.000 --> 0:08:40.680 al Thea Gibson's footsteps, So yes, Serena and Venus and 0:08:41.360 --> 0:08:44.800 Althea Gibson, which brings us full circle right back to 0:08:44.840 --> 0:08:47.880 Taylor Townsend, who stands on all of their shoulders. She 0:08:48.000 --> 0:08:50.080 joined a couple days ago and advanced of the US Open, 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:53.160 which started on Monday. She won her opening round singles 0:08:53.160 --> 0:08:55.840 match and also has doubles coming up beginning on Wednesday. 0:08:56.080 --> 0:09:02.360 You'll hear from her next joining us now. She's a 0:09:02.360 --> 0:09:04.720 professional tennis player who's been ranked as high as number 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:07.600 forty six in singles and number five in doubles. She 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:10.360 won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon this year 0:09:10.360 --> 0:09:14.720 with partner Katerina Siniakova. She's a Chicago native stand up, 0:09:15.200 --> 0:09:17.400 she's a mom, and she just played doubles with actor 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:20.440 Boris Kojo in Stars of the Open on Wednesday night. 0:09:20.840 --> 0:09:22.640 If you don't know who that is, go ahead and 0:09:22.640 --> 0:09:26.920 google him. You're welcome, ladies and gents. Let's start with 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:30.640 the important stuff. Taylor Townsend, what great are we giving 0:09:30.720 --> 0:09:31.839 Boris as a tennis player? 0:09:32.320 --> 0:09:35.280 I give him like a beat plus plus, Like I 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:36.000 was impressed. 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:36.880 That's pretty good. 0:09:37.080 --> 0:09:40.520 It good serve he made his sers. You know, I 0:09:40.600 --> 0:09:43.400 just need to get the defibrillator out after the long points. 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:46.720 But that was time I thought you were gonna say 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:48.280 from looking at him, because I'll tell you he came 0:09:48.280 --> 0:09:50.000 into the restaurant I worked in once when I was 0:09:50.040 --> 0:09:52.720 like twenty five, and I about dropped all the silverwear 0:09:53.120 --> 0:09:56.840 and couldn't speak. So I'm impressed, Yeah, there. 0:09:56.679 --> 0:09:59.720 Are a lot of women that were like, hey, son, 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:02.000 gives him my number, and I told him that. I 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:04.000 was like, I have a lot of females that are 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:07.920 requesting me to give them their content information. 0:10:08.720 --> 0:10:12.520 So good. Let's talk about Wimbledon, because you came up 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:15.080 just short in two Grand Slam finals before coming out 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:17.760 on top this year. What was the difference and how 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:19.679 did it feel to raise that trophy? 0:10:19.840 --> 0:10:23.400 Oh my gosh, it was spectacular. You know. I went 0:10:23.440 --> 0:10:27.679 into that like knowing I'm like, this is mine, Like 0:10:27.800 --> 0:10:29.840 I'm not going to be denied again, you know, like, 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:32.280 and I just felt like it was different. But I 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:35.600 was a different person, you know, getting basically having one 0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:37.960 Grand Slam final per year since coming back from my 0:10:38.000 --> 0:10:41.960 son US Open twenty two, French Open twenty three, you know, 0:10:42.040 --> 0:10:44.360 getting so close, but you know I wasn't who I 0:10:44.400 --> 0:10:46.679 am now, and I feel like I was. You know, 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:49.440 all of those experiences helped me to be able to 0:10:49.720 --> 0:10:53.600 manage that moment, but then also like to be able 0:10:53.679 --> 0:10:56.839 to receive everything that comes along with being a Grand 0:10:56.880 --> 0:10:59.600 Slam champion. You know, that's not really a lot of 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:02.199 things that are talked about. You know, you play and 0:11:02.400 --> 0:11:04.360 you know you do the best that you can in 0:11:04.440 --> 0:11:06.439 hopes that you get to this place, but like it's 0:11:06.440 --> 0:11:08.920 a lot that comes with it, and you know, maybe 0:11:08.920 --> 0:11:11.320 I wasn't ready to handle those things at that time. 0:11:11.440 --> 0:11:14.640 So you know, now I am, which is which is spectacular. 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:16.680 Yeah, it's wild. Do you like pick up the biggest 0:11:16.720 --> 0:11:19.480 responsibility you've ever had and suddenly it's like, maybe tennis 0:11:19.520 --> 0:11:21.360 isn't that big of a deal after all. Maybe I'll 0:11:21.360 --> 0:11:23.360 just go out there and play. Because all three of 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:26.160 your Grand Slam final appearances have come after the birth 0:11:26.200 --> 0:11:29.440 of your son, Aidan Aubrey in twenty twenty one, I'm wondering, like, 0:11:29.480 --> 0:11:32.760 maybe that boy gave you some superpowers because you're just like, oh, tennis, 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:34.920 tennis is tennis, I got other things. 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:38.120 Definitely have given me superpowers. I keep saying that. I 0:11:38.160 --> 0:11:41.120 was like, I have superpowers, Oh, and I believe it. 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:44.800 But yeah, I mean, just overall, just perspective I think 0:11:44.840 --> 0:11:47.559 has been the game changer for me, and just understanding 0:11:47.600 --> 0:11:51.520 and knowing that, like there's something bigger than just the sport. 0:11:51.800 --> 0:11:55.120 And you know, tennis, a lot of people play, start 0:11:55.160 --> 0:11:57.120 playing when they're three four years old, and you know 0:11:57.160 --> 0:11:59.400 you're in it and when you want to be a professional, 0:11:59.559 --> 0:12:01.480 and people know that as such a young age, like 0:12:01.840 --> 0:12:04.280 everything is tailored to that. So you really grow up 0:12:04.280 --> 0:12:07.600 in this life and you miss a lot of experiences, 0:12:07.640 --> 0:12:11.480 and so sometimes it's hard to differentiate between real life 0:12:11.559 --> 0:12:14.920 quote unquote and you know, your profession, because this is 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:18.160 your life. It consumes so much of our time, our energy, 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:20.840 our efforts. I mean, I spend more time with my 0:12:20.920 --> 0:12:24.000 team than I do with my family and my son, 0:12:24.120 --> 0:12:26.040 you know, so like I've seen my team more than 0:12:26.040 --> 0:12:28.480 I've seen my child this year. So like it really 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:31.160 consumes just about every part of, you know, our being. 0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:34.319 So being able to step away from eight for eighteen 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:36.640 months and just kind of gain that perspective that just 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:40.040 it did wonders for me because I just realized, like, yeah, 0:12:40.520 --> 0:12:43.280 it doesn't like winning and losing, Like isn't that big 0:12:43.280 --> 0:12:46.160 of a deal. Of course I'm a competitor. Yeah, yeah, 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:50.640 I hate to lose, But overall, I understand that there's 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:54.360 a bigger you know, a bigger picture, which is I 0:12:54.400 --> 0:12:56.120 feel like that's just priceless, honestly. 0:12:56.600 --> 0:12:59.680 Yeah. You mentioned in an interview at Wimbledon that you 0:12:59.720 --> 0:13:03.960 partner up with Katerina via DMS. She slid into your DMS. Also, 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:07.280 your management team slid into your DMS. So I'm wondering, 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:09.839 it's been a few months since Wimbledon, have we had 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:12.359 any more meaningful life changing DM hookups? 0:13:13.440 --> 0:13:16.320 I have. I'm not going to give you guys that tea, 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:19.440 but I have. But it's like, I feel like I've 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:22.199 owed this because like it's been so many that have 0:13:22.280 --> 0:13:25.520 been so bad. So I feel like she's had to 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:28.880 eventually intern Oh this sounds spicy. 0:13:29.040 --> 0:13:30.480 I can't believe you're not telling us. 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:35.199 No, I keep that stuff tight to the chest earth. 0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:37.080 All right, Well, at least we know what to go 0:13:37.120 --> 0:13:39.959 digging for. Now, we know there's something there to go 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:40.720 digging for. 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:45.480 No, just now that like the like the scales half 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:50.559 the balance, Yes, okay, when it's like this eventually, okay, 0:13:50.600 --> 0:13:51.720 so it start good. 0:13:51.760 --> 0:13:53.480 That's good news for everyone out there that hasn't been 0:13:53.480 --> 0:13:57.160 getting the good dms. What was the toughest part about 0:13:57.200 --> 0:13:59.800 coming back to the game after pregnancy after your son's rival. 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:06.280 The toughest part was probably like the psychological, like management, 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:10.400 and because there were so many changes that were occurring 0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:15.440 at like once, so you know, like new mom, like 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:18.880 mom guilt of like when I started coming back and 0:14:18.920 --> 0:14:24.240 like training and everything, like having to really like be selfish. 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:27.840 And you know, when you become a parent, like everything 0:14:27.880 --> 0:14:30.200 is opposite of that, you know, especially a mother where 0:14:30.200 --> 0:14:33.160 I'm like I'm nursing and you know, all this stuff 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:36.080 is like everything is about this baby. And so like 0:14:36.600 --> 0:14:38.720 getting to the place where I'm like, Okay, this is 0:14:38.840 --> 0:14:42.400 my time, you know, Like so becoming selfish in terms 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:45.360 of like my time, the changes that of like the 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:48.560 person that I made and like the person that I 0:14:48.680 --> 0:14:51.400 had to become in order to be in this place 0:14:51.800 --> 0:14:55.200 sitting here talking to you. Like I said to my coach, 0:14:55.280 --> 0:14:56.920 I was like, hey, I'm going to be better than 0:14:56.960 --> 0:14:59.200 I was when I left. But I had no idea 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:03.000 what that meant. And like all the and of course 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:04.520 I knew that it was going to be hard work, 0:15:04.600 --> 0:15:08.000 but I didn't really understand the depth of like who 0:15:08.200 --> 0:15:10.640 I was going to have to become in order to 0:15:10.760 --> 0:15:14.600 be in this position, because I was asking something of 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:17.840 myself that I had never done before. So I was 0:15:18.200 --> 0:15:20.760 like it was uncharted territory. But like it's been so 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:26.080 fun and it's been so difficult, but worth it. 0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:30.160 Yeah, the tennis world, whether that's the media or the 0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:33.680 USTA or even the fan base is not always known 0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:37.000 for being sensitive, for asking the right questions, for being 0:15:37.080 --> 0:15:39.880 understanding of people's lives, and you personally have had issues 0:15:40.080 --> 0:15:42.040 with some of those entities in the past. How has 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:43.800 it been for you in the last couple of years. 0:15:43.840 --> 0:15:46.240 Have you felt like you've also had to deal with 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:47.600 that bs. 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:49.640 No, And that was one of the things that like 0:15:49.680 --> 0:15:52.560 I really put behind me. It was a learning lesson 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:55.080 and you know, I feel like I handled it the 0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:57.800 best way that I could at fifteen years old. Yeah, 0:15:57.840 --> 0:16:01.440 but ultimately, like the blessing is again we talked about 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:05.360 like the things turning around, like being in a position 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:08.360 where you know, I wasn't supported and now I'm like 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:11.920 wildly supported. I have such a great village of people 0:16:12.160 --> 0:16:15.880 around me that are like high quality people. So it's 0:16:15.960 --> 0:16:18.520 just like how that's turned around in terms of just 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:21.320 like feeling for so many years that I'm out here 0:16:21.360 --> 0:16:25.360 by myself having to survive to now being in a 0:16:25.400 --> 0:16:28.240 position where I have such great people around me on 0:16:28.600 --> 0:16:32.520 so many levels, you know, management, coaching, personal, you know 0:16:32.640 --> 0:16:38.400 everything like family, where I'm just so supported and so 0:16:38.600 --> 0:16:41.040 loved and so it's just like that stuff is so 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:43.960 insignificant to me when I look at my life now, 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:47.680 But I also will never disregard it because the lesson 0:16:47.840 --> 0:16:51.440 was so valuable. Yeah, that's so cool and it was difficult, 0:16:51.480 --> 0:16:52.880 but you know it's so worth it. 0:16:53.400 --> 0:16:55.640 I'm glad you're so supported now. That's so good to hear. 0:16:56.720 --> 0:16:59.480 You said recently that your doubles ranking won't be higher 0:16:59.480 --> 0:17:00.920 than you're sing for long. 0:17:01.080 --> 0:17:03.680 Tell us why, Yeah, because I know what I can do. 0:17:04.240 --> 0:17:05.760 I know who I am, I know the kind of 0:17:05.760 --> 0:17:08.840 player that I am, and you know I know what 0:17:08.960 --> 0:17:11.600 I'm doing on and off the court, So it's just 0:17:11.640 --> 0:17:14.359 a matter of time. And I think that you know, 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:17.639 I'm at my the newest career high forty six. I 0:17:17.720 --> 0:17:21.199 have again uncharted territory, has never been here before. But 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:23.960 I know that I'm a top five top like the 0:17:24.000 --> 0:17:28.639 top five player easily. So you know, my highest doubles 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:31.240 dranking is five. So that's my role. Let's get there 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:34.800 and then see what happened. But I know, I know 0:17:34.920 --> 0:17:40.320 that that's a that's a that's very attainable, and everyone 0:17:40.400 --> 0:17:43.479 in my can't knows that as well. So we're just 0:17:43.520 --> 0:17:46.240 continuing to keep our head gap, putting in the work 0:17:46.359 --> 0:17:48.959 pounding the stone and we know that eventually it. 0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:52.159 Okay, you've had different partners for doubles, so you've had 0:17:52.200 --> 0:17:55.719 to practice chemistry and style and everything else. Is it 0:17:55.880 --> 0:17:58.639 tougher to focus on singles when you're dedicating time and 0:17:58.760 --> 0:17:59.440 energy to both. 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:03.400 No, because I've I've always played any tournament that I've 0:18:03.400 --> 0:18:06.439 played in, I've always played singles. So that's why I 0:18:06.480 --> 0:18:09.399 was like, I hope that I'm yeah, working to change 0:18:09.480 --> 0:18:11.159 that where it's just like, oh, you have to be 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:14.439 one or the other. Like tennis is, it's very linear. 0:18:14.520 --> 0:18:16.960 So sometimes they I mean not sometimes all the time. 0:18:17.359 --> 0:18:19.280 They try to put you in a box, right, and 0:18:19.359 --> 0:18:21.359 so it's like this box, Okay, you're a doubles player. Oh, 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:24.320 you're really good at double see probably focusing more on doubles. No, 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:26.800 every single tournament that I go to, I'm playing singles 0:18:26.800 --> 0:18:30.919 and doubles. Singles first, doubles come after that, and it's just, 0:18:31.160 --> 0:18:33.640 you know, it just happens that at this time and 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:38.000 over the last couple of years, I've had success in doubles, 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:42.440 but that doesn't overshadow like that. I'm still playing singles, 0:18:42.480 --> 0:18:45.520 you know. Yeah, and I've accomplished two times over in 0:18:45.560 --> 0:18:48.240 the course of this year that I've accomplished like career 0:18:48.320 --> 0:18:50.719 high rankings, Like I broke it to the top fifty 0:18:51.040 --> 0:18:54.280 and now I've broken like inside out forty six. Like, 0:18:54.800 --> 0:18:58.760 so I'm hitting my markers in singles. You know, it's 0:18:58.800 --> 0:19:01.720 just happening. Not at the same pace as doubles. Yeah, 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:04.720 but you know, there's never a tie where I feel 0:19:04.840 --> 0:19:07.840 conflicted because I know my priority. 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:11.439 It gives you confidence. I'm sure when you're standing in 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:13.920 the winner circle, you're holding that trophy, you're on top 0:19:13.960 --> 0:19:16.399 of the tennis world. Even if it is doubles you 0:19:16.440 --> 0:19:18.440 go back to singles with I would imagine a little 0:19:18.480 --> 0:19:20.919 bit of extra confidence and like feeling yourself. 0:19:20.640 --> 0:19:23.800 A little bit totally and like I I again, I 0:19:23.960 --> 0:19:26.680 hope that kind of an example of like changing that 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:29.080 thought process. It's like a match is a match, Like 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:31.320 that's how I grew up. Imagine matt is a match 0:19:31.359 --> 0:19:33.720 ac court to court, ball's ball. As long as it 0:19:33.760 --> 0:19:35.960 crosses over than that, you can do what you like, 0:19:36.040 --> 0:19:38.520 you can you can do your stuff on your you know. 0:19:38.960 --> 0:19:42.399 So it's like again just trying to change that linear 0:19:42.480 --> 0:19:46.600 perspective of like, oh, like doubles is this, singles is this, 0:19:46.720 --> 0:19:49.760 you can't do both, like no, And at the end 0:19:49.800 --> 0:19:51.240 of the day, like I said this, I was like, 0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:53.280 I don't care if it's a doubles Grand Slam, it's 0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:55.119 a Grand Slam, it's Wimbledon. 0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:57.480 Yeah, like there's one Wimbledon. 0:19:58.080 --> 0:20:00.840 There's really nothing that anybody can tell to try and 0:20:00.960 --> 0:20:04.959 like to undermine my accomplishment because I know what that is. Like, 0:20:06.080 --> 0:20:09.240 so's it's literally, I don't care if it's singles, doubles, 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:13.960 mixed doubles, wheelchair anything like, it's the accomplishment is the 0:20:13.960 --> 0:20:16.480 accomplishment because the work that you put in in order 0:20:16.520 --> 0:20:20.280 to achieve that is monumental. And at the end of 0:20:20.280 --> 0:20:22.800 the day, you had to execute from start to finish, 0:20:22.960 --> 0:20:25.000