WEBVTT - The Worry Index 0:00:14.520 --> 0:00:15.160 Hi, everybody. 0:00:15.160 --> 0:00:17.599 Welcome to the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcast. Caitlin and I 0:00:17.680 --> 0:00:20.000 are back together. We had a little of sabbatical last week. 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:20.840 Hope you didn't mind. 0:00:21.880 --> 0:00:22.919 You were on school holiday. 0:00:22.920 --> 0:00:23.319 Where were you? 0:00:23.400 --> 0:00:24.680 I was a tennis camp with my family. 0:00:24.720 --> 0:00:27.320 Oh, that's allowed. I was just chilling. 0:00:27.480 --> 0:00:28.840 Actually, that's you deserve that. 0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:31.240 I thank you. I do deserve that from time to time. 0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:35.120 But we are back. We are back in regards to 0:00:35.200 --> 0:00:37.120 the last couple of weeks. Let's talk about the last 0:00:37.120 --> 0:00:39.120 couple of weeks. But more importantly, there was a lot 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:43.479 of very interesting results this past week, including before we 0:00:43.520 --> 0:00:45.840 get to anything, the fact that Germany took an entire 0:00:45.880 --> 0:00:47.720 day off at a tournament for Easter. 0:00:48.440 --> 0:00:52.400 Didn't realize Germany was that Catholic. Well, apparently to be 0:00:52.440 --> 0:00:53.959 off for a good Friday, because I was like, this 0:00:54.000 --> 0:00:57.000 is your prime time, this is SAMI finals day. They 0:00:57.040 --> 0:00:58.800 just skipped d Do they always do that? District? I 0:00:58.920 --> 0:00:59.440 always sky. 0:00:59.440 --> 0:01:03.480 I don't remember Easter moves around, right, Great, you don't 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:07.200 know remember the whole Biden situation where they had trans 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:09.360 Visibility Day and it was on the same day as 0:01:09.400 --> 0:01:12.240 Easter Sunday, and what the people in the right, lost 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:14.679 their money. I lost their mind and their money. Oh 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:17.400 I'm losing my money right now looking at the stock market. 0:01:17.440 --> 0:01:19.800 But yeah, they all lost their mind because they're like, 0:01:19.840 --> 0:01:22.040 how can Biden do that? It's like, well, Easter, he 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:25.200 comes around and changes all the time, and it just 0:01:25.240 --> 0:01:28.360 so happens. It was on trans visibility Day, so he 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:31.320 honored both, which is what the president is supposed to do. 0:01:31.440 --> 0:01:35.560 The normal presidents do that. I was shocked because it 0:01:35.600 --> 0:01:37.480 was a Monday final, which meant that we did not 0:01:37.560 --> 0:01:39.959 know the results of Schuecoat until this morning on Monday. 0:01:40.040 --> 0:01:42.959 I mean, come on, like, I mean listen, I'm all 0:01:43.000 --> 0:01:46.800 for it, like celebrating Easter. And I had an amazing 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:49.800 event last night that I went to. It was called 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:53.800 later Sata. I had my Jewish friends here in New 0:01:53.880 --> 0:01:55.960 York invited me for this really fun event and it 0:01:56.000 --> 0:01:59.400 was great. And like everyone like, I'm all for people 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:01.720 celebrating way they want to celebrate. You're a party gal, 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:03.720 But to take a whole day off a tennis tournament for. 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:06.720 Well, one thing. I was thinking to myself when I 0:02:06.800 --> 0:02:11.520 was watching Carlos Alcaraz and Holgaruna play in Barcelona in 0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:13.880 their final, which we will talk about on Sunday. On 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:16.720 Sunday is you know I've lived in Spain. I love Spain. 0:02:16.800 --> 0:02:20.240 They are very very progressive there, but they're also a 0:02:20.280 --> 0:02:23.799 majority Catholic country. And I played, Oh, this is interesting 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:27.480 that they are playing on Easter. They played on good Friday. 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:29.600 And Germany, which is not I just think of Germany 0:02:29.639 --> 0:02:30.520 as like very secular. 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:36.520 Apparently from our very German cohort, Trya Pekovich, Apparently that 0:02:36.680 --> 0:02:40.880 area Stuttgart is quite Catholic and conservatives. 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:43.040 Yes, okay, that makes more sense because that's why I 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:45.240 don't think they were shutting down stuff in Berlin on Friday. 0:02:45.320 --> 0:02:47.040 No, but I just don't even remember that happened. I 0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:49.120 don't think i've ever heard that in a tennis event. 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:51.680 And I played a long time, and I played over Easter. 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:55.519 I was shocked to see no tennis on my TV 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:58.200 from Stutgart on Friday. Yeah, but I was very happy to. 0:02:58.240 --> 0:03:00.000 And I was like, did it rain? And I was like, wait, 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:00.720 it's indoors. 0:03:00.960 --> 0:03:02.840 Great, it's indoors. I was happy to have a little 0:03:02.880 --> 0:03:07.160 extra tennis on Monday morning from Stutgart. A final. Usually 0:03:07.160 --> 0:03:08.920 you just see the beginning rounds of a tournament shall 0:03:08.960 --> 0:03:11.520 we start with Stugart as a result, and Sugar, let's. 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:14.040 Get to it. Let's get let's get to and then 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:15.880 we're going to get to some really sort of funny 0:03:15.880 --> 0:03:18.120 things that happened also in the tennis world this past 0:03:18.160 --> 0:03:23.359 week or so. But Elena Alona Osta Penco, like when 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:26.400 she's on, forget it seriously, like she's that type of 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:29.120 player that you just pray and hope that she has 0:03:29.240 --> 0:03:31.320 one of those days and just things don't really go 0:03:31.400 --> 0:03:33.800 her way and then it can be pretty horrendous the 0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:36.200 tennis that she plays. But when she's on and she's 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:40.200 confident and especially indoors, okay. And also this court suits 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:43.440 her because it's a bit of a slippery clay court. 0:03:43.480 --> 0:03:46.760 It's not great for footing. Like, you know, even even 0:03:46.800 --> 0:03:49.880 the great movers, and arguably Eagerciante is by far the 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:53.200 best mover on clay, and Coco Gough you see them, 0:03:53.200 --> 0:03:55.040 they're kind of slipping a little bit. They don't really 0:03:55.040 --> 0:03:58.600 have that same ability to slide and be controlled into 0:03:58.600 --> 0:04:01.600 the shot and you're a little bit It's kind of 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:04.080 like how Charleston as Charleston is also very so brief. 0:04:03.920 --> 0:04:06.480 Aus of the hard true being a different. 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:09.080 In particular, it's pretty well. I've played on them both. 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:11.760 I did not play on Stuttgart's hard court. It was 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:13.440 I played it when I was a hard court tournament, 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:15.360 so clearly the footing was much better. 0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:18.640 But now that you say that, Sugart has been the 0:04:18.839 --> 0:04:22.520 scene to some horrific, horrific injuries actually on the women's tour. 0:04:22.560 --> 0:04:24.520 I'm thinking actually of a friend after a Packvich I 0:04:24.560 --> 0:04:27.120 think had to pull out of a tournament, had to 0:04:27.160 --> 0:04:28.640 put out of the tournament a couple of years ago 0:04:28.720 --> 0:04:30.640 with a high ankle spring. I feel like I was 0:04:30.760 --> 0:04:32.719 one of the worst injuries I've ever seen. So maybe 0:04:32.720 --> 0:04:35.240 there is something to the fact that it's slippery in 0:04:35.320 --> 0:04:38.400 there and indoor clay, I don't know indoor clear I 0:04:38.400 --> 0:04:38.960 think it strange. 0:04:39.160 --> 0:04:41.039 I think what it is is is when you do 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:43.160 an indoor clay court like that, that is a they're 0:04:43.200 --> 0:04:45.400 bringing the clay in and they're laying it down over 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:47.960 a certain amount of time and hoping it settles and 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:50.719 then they play. Whereas when you're playing outside on a 0:04:50.760 --> 0:04:53.719 clay court that is like a Barcelona or a Munich 0:04:54.000 --> 0:04:56.200 or any of these other tournaments, those clay courts are 0:04:56.200 --> 0:04:58.599 there all year long. They're being played on all the time, 0:04:58.600 --> 0:05:02.279 they're getting warded all the time, getting packed down all 0:05:02.320 --> 0:05:05.640 the time, they're getting you know, rolled all the time. 0:05:05.680 --> 0:05:07.920 So they're a perfect clay court. So when the ball 0:05:08.000 --> 0:05:11.680 when you're sliding, it's the same feel, whereas indoors they're 0:05:11.720 --> 0:05:13.800 sort of laying that down and it's kind of just 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:17.600 like it's not really the same anyway. Having said that, 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:20.240 Ostapenko's game lends itself really well to that because she 0:05:20.320 --> 0:05:24.200 serves big and she hits it into the corners hard, 0:05:24.240 --> 0:05:27.040 and it's not as easy. Like if Eager was ever 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:29.800 going to play on clay court, which most of us 0:05:29.800 --> 0:05:32.080 would say, if she was going to beat Ostapenko, it 0:05:32.120 --> 0:05:33.160 would be on a clay. 0:05:32.920 --> 0:05:34.120 Court, right absolutely. 0:05:34.200 --> 0:05:36.400 But if there was a clay court for her to not. 0:05:36.400 --> 0:05:38.120 Play her on, it would be this one. 0:05:38.200 --> 0:05:40.680 It would be this wise, And so I think that's 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:42.799 why it wasn't that big of a shot that Eager 0:05:42.839 --> 0:05:44.720 did lose to her on clay. Even though now it's 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:47.200 zero and six, it's starting to be a little mental, 0:05:47.240 --> 0:05:51.000 but it's also that surface that clay court did not 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:54.520 suit Eager. It'll be interesting because they're going to play 0:05:54.560 --> 0:05:59.160 each other if they win their subsequent rounds in Madrid 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:03.039 this week again not ideal for Eager. It's a little 0:06:03.080 --> 0:06:06.600 altitude and Madrid, so that ball does like fly on you. 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:09.760 The serve is important and the biggest issue for me 0:06:09.960 --> 0:06:14.440 if we go back before Ostapenco beating Saberlenca, etc. The 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:17.400 biggest issue for me when Eager plays her is the 0:06:17.520 --> 0:06:20.839 serve is so vulnerable, and I have talked about this 0:06:21.160 --> 0:06:23.599 ad nauseum and I will talk about it when it 0:06:23.600 --> 0:06:25.880 comes to players like Eger, when it comes to players 0:06:25.880 --> 0:06:29.760 like Coco. The serve is so bloody important, and Eager 0:06:29.880 --> 0:06:33.920 hits the same serve almost every time on the second serve. 0:06:33.960 --> 0:06:37.000 It's that kickserve that goes right into Ostapenko's best shot 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:40.600 her backhand. She's deadly on the returns. Eager has got 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:42.440 to figure out a better way to get more first 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:45.719 serves in the court. Her service motion is so discombobulated, 0:06:45.760 --> 0:06:48.120 there's no fluidity to it, and you know when she 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:50.320 hits it well, she hits it really well. And you've 0:06:50.320 --> 0:06:52.560 got to serve well against Ostapenco because if you don't, 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:55.599 she's crushing returns on you, and she can serve you 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:59.080 off the court as well, because indoors, particularly os Penko 0:06:59.200 --> 0:06:59.880 serves well. 0:07:00.200 --> 0:07:02.640 So here's a question that we got into it a 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:04.800 little bit over the weekend because there's so many people 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:08.800 who've been watching the Osta Penco Schiantech matchup for years 0:07:08.839 --> 0:07:13.400 now and sort of marveling that there is such a 0:07:13.440 --> 0:07:16.880 lop seted head to head. One thing that's you know, 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:19.960 you started the show by saying, you know, if Ostapenko 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:23.320 is on watch out, sure, but the truth is Elene 0:07:23.320 --> 0:07:27.440 Ostapenko is not on all the time. Otherwise she would 0:07:27.440 --> 0:07:29.800 be winning more than one Grand Slam and winning more 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.040 than you know, one tournament a year basically, which is 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:33.920 kind of where she's netting out, which is not bad. 0:07:34.000 --> 0:07:36.840 I take that career in urbeat but well, you know, sure, 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:41.920 but there does seem something particular about this matchup if 0:07:41.920 --> 0:07:44.400 some of us find it sort of comical or nuts 0:07:44.520 --> 0:07:49.400 or unexpected. But because you have coached against and with 0:07:49.600 --> 0:07:53.000 players who have maybe matchups that are certainly unfavorable and 0:07:53.720 --> 0:07:55.480 at a certain point become a little bit mental, which 0:07:55.480 --> 0:07:56.600 I have to imagine, you know. 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:58.240 One of the face wife. Yeah. 0:07:58.360 --> 0:07:59.600 One of the folks that I that I talk to 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:03.120 a lot on the is Anaesthesia from the grounds pass podcast, 0:08:03.120 --> 0:08:05.200 and she was like, you know, maybe I'm just crazy, 0:08:05.240 --> 0:08:07.680 but it looked like Ego went out there and was 0:08:07.720 --> 0:08:09.320 sort of expecting to lose, and the fact that she 0:08:09.360 --> 0:08:11.520 got three sets was actually sort of positive. You know, 0:08:11.840 --> 0:08:15.120 there's so much fraughtness about this particular matchup that, yes, 0:08:15.160 --> 0:08:16.600 of course youlln ask to pink A one on to 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:19.360 beat her innes Abalanca in a pretty you know, close 0:08:19.400 --> 0:08:22.280 but decided affair today, But like, what is it about 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:24.720 that matchup other than you know, the server you know, 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:27.200 talking to me about how important sort of matchups are 0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:30.240 and why this is maybe something that's festered between the 0:08:30.240 --> 0:08:30.680 two of them. 0:08:30.840 --> 0:08:32.800 Yeah, listen, it's it's always going to be a matchup. 0:08:32.920 --> 0:08:35.520 It's always going to be how someone plays, you know, 0:08:35.559 --> 0:08:39.000 whether it be myself. In my playing days, you would 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:40.800 walk on a certain court against a certain play and 0:08:40.880 --> 0:08:43.120 just be like, I have their number, I know exactly 0:08:43.160 --> 0:08:45.280 what they do under pressure, I know exactly what I 0:08:45.320 --> 0:08:48.240 can do under pressure against them to hurt them. And 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:52.000 so there's that sense of comfort level when you walk 0:08:52.040 --> 0:08:56.040 on the court knowing that your best or your you 0:08:56.080 --> 0:09:00.120 know a game will always beat their a game. And 0:09:00.160 --> 0:09:02.880 that's a good feeling, right, So Ostapenko knows that she 0:09:03.160 --> 0:09:06.160 is going to take advantage of the second serves. That's 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:08.640 for one. She knows that if egg is not controlling 0:09:08.640 --> 0:09:11.920 the point, she's not a great defender, particular on the 0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:17.920 forehand side. And so you know, oster Penko uses her 0:09:18.120 --> 0:09:22.280 flat ball striking and aggressive play. And also Ostapenko and 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:25.960 I have coached against her a bunch of times. She 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:28.520 is a play that you go, Mmm, what's her strengths 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:30.520 and weaknesses and where does she go under pressure? And 0:09:30.840 --> 0:09:32.920 a lot of coaches will tell you that they don't 0:09:32.960 --> 0:09:35.880 really know, you know, because she she has a tendsity 0:09:36.000 --> 0:09:38.040 like the forehand cross call, there's no question about that. 0:09:38.160 --> 0:09:39.760 But then she can pop one down the line and 0:09:39.760 --> 0:09:41.320 you're like, Jesus, where does that come from? And it 0:09:41.320 --> 0:09:43.160 could be on the biggest point of the match. So 0:09:43.200 --> 0:09:46.760 the unpredictability of how she plays is actually such a 0:09:47.160 --> 0:09:50.080 positive thing for her. And it's honestly, it's what I 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:51.599 like about her game. And I realize she has a 0:09:51.640 --> 0:09:54.160 lot of haters and a lot of sometimes you don't know, 0:09:54.280 --> 0:09:56.080 I don't even know if she thinks she knows where 0:09:56.080 --> 0:09:56.599 she's going with it. 0:09:56.920 --> 0:09:59.160 Like I like watching her because she's a chaos. She's 0:09:59.160 --> 0:10:02.079 a chaos agent. That's what I like. I recognize that 0:10:02.120 --> 0:10:05.200 it's not that you know, enjoyable probably to play against. 0:10:05.240 --> 0:10:08.400 But also I think you're right, she doesn't necessarily know. Yeah, 0:10:08.440 --> 0:10:11.959 she doesn't seem that connected to reality in always. 0:10:11.640 --> 0:10:15.080 And I want to see eager start producing a little 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:18.240 bit of a variety when she plays against her. I 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:22.400 didn't see one drop shot. I didn't see one attempted 0:10:22.440 --> 0:10:27.600 real slice. There's no attempt now it is let me backtrack. 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:30.280 It is not easy to do that against Ostapenko. She's 0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:33.360 hitting the ball so hard and flat immediately. But there 0:10:33.440 --> 0:10:36.360 were times where I felt she could have done a 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:39.000 drop shot, hit a bit of a different shot, and 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:41.760 she chose not to. There was a huge point in 0:10:41.840 --> 0:10:44.560 the third set to go. I think it may have 0:10:44.600 --> 0:10:46.559 been to even it up in the third set when 0:10:46.600 --> 0:10:49.000 she went down that break and she had a second 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:52.200 serve backhand, I think it was maybe to go fifteen forty, 0:10:53.000 --> 0:10:55.840 et cetera. And she chose to go for her backhand 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:58.240 down the line, which is a very good shot for her. 0:10:58.520 --> 0:11:00.800 But every now and again to see her do it 0:11:00.840 --> 0:11:02.960 on Shaburt just like hit a little drop shot off 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:06.160 that return you know, Ostapenko's running backwards. She's not a 0:11:06.200 --> 0:11:10.480 great mover on plays, She's definitely not a great mover. 0:11:10.960 --> 0:11:14.000 So you've got to get her moving. And sometimes you've 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:16.960 got to get her moving in uncomfortable areas on the court, 0:11:17.040 --> 0:11:21.000 like slice the ball, short drop shot once or twice 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:24.119 in your life in a match, because when you become predictable, 0:11:24.280 --> 0:11:26.720 that's predictable for them to be able to read what 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:30.199 you're doing. Offer them return all the things, and Eager 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:33.959 made some really bad bad choices of shot and bad 0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:36.960 errors in the third set, particularly offer a turn like 0:11:37.000 --> 0:11:40.040 she'd be getting into the third set or getting into 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:43.240 the game, it'd be fifteen thirty on Ostabenko serve or 0:11:43.400 --> 0:11:46.120 fifteen you know, love thirty and she would just miss 0:11:46.160 --> 0:11:48.320 a return, and it's just like what is that? And 0:11:48.360 --> 0:11:50.640 that is pressure because she knows if I don't hit 0:11:50.640 --> 0:11:52.400 a great shot, she's going to hit a winner. But 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:57.280 sometimes you have to force your opponent, particularly in really 0:11:57.320 --> 0:11:59.920 critical moments, to hit a winner. And it was very 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:02.760 similar to what Runa did to Alcharz today. We'll get 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:05.920 into that, but I just feel like Eger panics. She 0:12:06.080 --> 0:12:10.120 doesn't play the ball behind Ostapenco enough. She doesn't play 0:12:10.240 --> 0:12:12.840 enough variety. She doesn't hit a couple of high balls 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:15.680 like Ostabenka loves the ball in her hitting zone, get 0:12:15.679 --> 0:12:17.960 it above her shoulder, particularly on the forehand. She doesn't 0:12:18.000 --> 0:12:20.400 like that shot. But she doesn't try the variety. 0:12:20.960 --> 0:12:23.559 So the next time they're projected to play and I 0:12:23.559 --> 0:12:25.880 don't like doing the like, well, you know, they're probably 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:28.000 gonna beat in the quarterfinals. They'll probably, you know, because 0:12:28.000 --> 0:12:29.480 I feel like tennis, one of the things we like 0:12:29.480 --> 0:12:31.679 about it, right, I like about it is it's so unpredictable, 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:34.080 you don't know, you know, making projections into the semis 0:12:34.120 --> 0:12:37.080 and finals just feels like an exercise and stupidity. But 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:40.480 there's a chance they could play again very soon. 0:12:40.600 --> 0:12:40.840 Yeah. 0:12:40.880 --> 0:12:43.280 On this surface, which is also Madrid at elevation, is 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:45.800 a fast court, which even though it's clay, will probably 0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:48.680 also favor well, it's certainly what they do play. 0:12:48.760 --> 0:12:50.520 It won't be a massive like if it will be 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:54.760 the play against Ostapenko on in Rome or in Paris, 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:58.440 I think it will be a different result. But if 0:12:58.520 --> 0:13:00.880 I was coaching her and we got sort of getting 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:02.839 to this before we started the pod, is that how 0:13:02.880 --> 0:13:05.959 do you change that mindset for the player, and it's 0:13:06.040 --> 0:13:08.839 kind of like a you know, a reset in their 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:12.000 own brains. And I would say to her, look all 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:14.319 these other times before you've done this, you've done that, 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:18.480 you've tried this. You need to go out there without 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:21.160 a doubt in your mind that you're winning this match. 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:23.679 And you know, I had a situation where I was 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:27.000 coaching Carolina Plushkov and she had lost many, many many 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:30.719 times to Petrik Vitevaunt her country rooman. They played a 0:13:31.000 --> 0:13:35.760 club levels. They weren't exactly great friends. They you know, 0:13:36.600 --> 0:13:41.760 she didn't necessarily like losing. And I gave Carolina three 0:13:41.800 --> 0:13:44.120 things only to think about in that match. I wanted 0:13:44.120 --> 0:13:47.200 her to cover a certain forehand, I wanted her to 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:50.080 cover a certain serve on a big point, and I 0:13:50.080 --> 0:13:52.359 wanted her to hit it to one spot in particular. 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.360 And I literally gave her two or three things, and 0:13:55.400 --> 0:13:58.480 I said, and you're not losing this fucking match today, 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:01.360 Like no, And even her husband said to me, what 0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:02.599 do you think? You know, he would always sort of 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:04.240 say what do you think? And clearly I was always 0:14:04.280 --> 0:14:08.440 positive with ever whoever she played, But I was like, oh, no, 0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:10.439 she's winning today. And he looked at me, are you serious. 0:14:10.440 --> 0:14:12.960 I go, oh, yeah, she's winning today, because I knew 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:16.120 that there was two shots that Petra particularly liked. And 0:14:16.160 --> 0:14:18.520 I think that once you know that, it's sort of 0:14:18.559 --> 0:14:21.040 like knowing what your opponent's strengths and weaknesses are. When 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:22.520 you walk on the court, you know what they're going 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:24.920 to do and you think, oh, oh, I've got that. 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:28.720 And I think that that helped in the very first 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:32.560 game when Petra, you know, hit a certain shot or 0:14:32.560 --> 0:14:35.520 two and it was almost like Carolina looked at me like, oh, 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:38.840 I've got this. So you've got to be very very 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:41.840 positive to your player, tell them one or two things 0:14:41.880 --> 0:14:44.040 and tell them you're not losing this fucking match today, 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:46.040 And that's the way you have to be. I would 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:48.160 be with Eager. I would give her two or three things. 0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:50.160 I would definitely tell her to hit some drop shots 0:14:50.200 --> 0:14:53.080 more and make her move and hit some angles, get 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:55.000 her off the court, and then drive the ball. But 0:14:55.040 --> 0:14:56.560 if you're going to just try and hit with her, 0:14:56.640 --> 0:14:57.400 you're not going to win. 0:14:57.800 --> 0:14:58.960 Last thing and your serve. 0:14:59.000 --> 0:14:59.920 You've got to change your surf. 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:01.440 So yeah, last thing, I need to because some of 0:15:01.480 --> 0:15:03.960 the things you talked about, and I was asking about, 0:15:04.000 --> 0:15:09.160 were like a matchup specific strategy. More broadly, you know, 0:15:09.400 --> 0:15:11.480 I think obviously this is the part of the season 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:15.520 that Ega tends to emerge as our dominant. Obviously clay 0:15:15.600 --> 0:15:18.720 quarter she's got, you know, some competition maybe from the 0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:21.800 Elena's Fidelina's of the world at the Cocoa Goths. You know, 0:15:21.800 --> 0:15:23.640 it was nice to see Mukova obviously get to the 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:25.960 French Open final last year. But by and large, like 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:29.840 when the clay season goes outdoors to a slower surface, 0:15:30.040 --> 0:15:33.920 it's egos to lose any concern for you with EGA's 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:36.560 play so far this year, this isn't typically when she 0:15:36.600 --> 0:15:38.720 does that. Well anyway, she doesn't typically have a good 0:15:38.720 --> 0:15:41.880 Australia or a good Middle East. She doesn't you know typically, 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:45.320 But yeah, like between that hardcourt season, she said, periods 0:15:45.360 --> 0:15:47.800 in the Sunshine doubles, you'd want her to, I think, 0:15:48.120 --> 0:15:50.160 be better looking than she has looked so far this year. 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:51.479 Well for sure, any. 0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:53.520 Look at two three years ago she had a thirty 0:15:53.560 --> 0:15:57.640 seven match win streak, right, I mean from the Straina Open, 0:15:57.800 --> 0:16:00.320 the moment esh Body pulled out as number one player 0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:04.080 in the world, eager one, you know, Indian Wells Miami, 0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:07.320 every Clay caught tournament, the French Open, she was on fire. 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:11.720 So you can't say it is starting to okay. I 0:16:11.760 --> 0:16:13.600 call it plak on the brain. Right when you have 0:16:13.640 --> 0:16:16.440 a little bit of you know, where you're not confident, 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:19.600 you start there's little things that start getting into your 0:16:19.600 --> 0:16:22.400 brain and you got to chip away at them. And 0:16:22.440 --> 0:16:24.280 so you got to chip away at this eager match 0:16:24.360 --> 0:16:27.920 up with with Ostar pan Cope in some way. But 0:16:28.440 --> 0:16:31.120 a lot of it is she now has this like 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:34.320 scared feeling of I'm not winning what I should be 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:37.520 winning and I'm not getting the wins on Clay. What's 0:16:37.560 --> 0:16:41.239 happening to me? And so I is there concern? Yeah? Absolutely, 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:43.440 I think there's a little bit of concern. Can she 0:16:43.520 --> 0:16:46.920 get it back and write the Ship in Madrid, Rome 0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:50.720 and the French for sure? But if she doesn't, yes, 0:16:50.800 --> 0:16:53.960 I do worry about her psyche going forward because her 0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:56.680 game is so predicated on confidence, and that's where I 0:16:56.680 --> 0:16:58.480 would like to see her get a little bit more variety, 0:16:58.520 --> 0:17:01.720 because when game plan A is not on, she can 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:04.399 start tapping into game plan B and see and it's 0:17:04.560 --> 0:17:07.680 it's it does It confuses me because she started the 0:17:07.760 --> 0:17:10.440 year so well, like that match she played against Keys, 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:12.760 And I talked about this with Petgirl a couple of 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:14.960 weeks ago. I think that lost to Keys has really 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:17.280 hurt her this year. A sliding door moment of that 0:17:17.440 --> 0:17:19.680 might have been a sliding door of twenty twenty five, 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:21.720 the beginning of it, because if she wins that match, 0:17:21.760 --> 0:17:23.920 maybe even if she loses in the final, I don't 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:26.199 think that would have bothered her that much. Losing to 0:17:26.200 --> 0:17:28.280 Sabalanc in the finals the strain open. Just getting to 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:30.159 the final would have been a thing for her. But 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:32.359 having a match point and losing that, I don't know, 0:17:32.440 --> 0:17:35.680 that has sort of put a little chip or a 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:38.960 little park in the brain. Maybe she's lost the confidence 0:17:39.000 --> 0:17:41.920 to finish matches or I don't know, because. 0:17:42.640 --> 0:17:47.240 She's definitely one of the more mental players, you know, 0:17:47.359 --> 0:17:50.280 and I think, you know, I'm confident Topeka, who just 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:52.960 looks like she's literally kind of just hitting balls and 0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:54.000 whatever happens happens. 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:57.119 It's a different pressure level too, Let's be on. 0:17:57.800 --> 0:17:59.879 Yeah, it's easy to go out and take out a 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:02.120 one seed when you have no pressure and everyone's sort 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:04.159 of you know, you can smile. I mean, even in 0:18:04.160 --> 0:18:08.040 the Magic against Sablenkaaka had all the pressure then has 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:10.720 to pick all with house money for sure, Whereas Ego, 0:18:11.080 --> 0:18:14.040 I think she has a lot of expectations, you know, 0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:16.359 and I think compounded by the fact that she's already 0:18:16.400 --> 0:18:19.600 a player who's like pretty mentally, you know, on or off, 0:18:19.880 --> 0:18:20.560 and I think that. 0:18:22.240 --> 0:18:24.239 Sort of believes that she's going to beat everybody on 0:18:24.280 --> 0:18:26.199 any day, whether she goes or not. 0:18:26.320 --> 0:18:26.760 She doesn't. 0:18:26.880 --> 0:18:29.359 She's like, well, it was just me. I played terrible. 0:18:29.440 --> 0:18:32.480 It's never about her opponent playing well. She's either I 0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:36.200 played great and I won. Yeah, you know, never never 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:39.560 mind the fact that they played like crap. She played great. 0:18:39.560 --> 0:18:41.879 That type, but she is that type of player, and 0:18:41.920 --> 0:18:44.159