WEBVTT - Madison Keys 0:00:04.960 --> 0:00:07.800 This podcast is supported by BNP Parbias as part of their 0:00:07.840 --> 0:00:11.159 global commitment to tennis at all levels. BNP Parribas is 0:00:11.160 --> 0:00:14.120 the world's leading tennis sponsor and the title sponsor of 0:00:14.160 --> 0:00:15.520 the BNP Paribas Open. 0:00:34.120 --> 0:00:36.760 Hi, everybody, Welcome to the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast. What 0:00:36.920 --> 0:00:40.400 a treat I have for you all today, the one 0:00:40.400 --> 0:00:45.159 and only now Grand Slam champion Madison Keys. If I 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:48.120 had a clapped thingy that I could afford, I would 0:00:48.120 --> 0:00:53.760 have done that. But welcome my friend. Wow wow wow. 0:00:53.880 --> 0:00:56.639 First of all, the first thing I want to say 0:00:56.680 --> 0:01:00.400 to you is before the Australian Open started, Jessica Pegula 0:01:00.400 --> 0:01:04.480 has told everybody this. I saw her in the player's 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.360 concierge at the Australian Open, and I walked up and 0:01:07.400 --> 0:01:10.600 I said, hey girl, great week last week, you know, 0:01:10.720 --> 0:01:12.120 way to make it through the finals. 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:12.880 Good start to the year. 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:16.120 And she goes, Rennae, if Madison plays anything like she 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:18.960 did against me in the third set, she's winning this tournament. 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:21.800 And I was like, okay, that's some pretty high praise 0:01:21.840 --> 0:01:25.000 from you. Sure enough, she was right. So I'm just 0:01:25.000 --> 0:01:28.160 gonna give Jess all the credit here. No none to you. 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:31.840 She texted me after a match. I mean we traveled 0:01:31.880 --> 0:01:34.160 together as well, but she texted me like, I got 0:01:34.200 --> 0:01:37.479 this long message as we're like meeting at each other 0:01:37.520 --> 0:01:40.319 at the airport, and she was like, no, you don't understand. 0:01:40.440 --> 0:01:44.240 You're playing unreal. Like She's like no, no, no, but 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:47.560 but you don't get it. It's like unreal tennis. Like 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:50.320 just just do that again, Like I can't. She's like, 0:01:50.360 --> 0:01:52.520 I'm not even like sad that I last, because like 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:54.560 that was insane. 0:01:56.040 --> 0:01:58.400 I mean, you know, I've got so many questions when 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:01.520 I ask you, but did that did that resonate in 0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:05.120 you at all? Like hearing it from someone who knows 0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:07.240 you so well, also knows how you can play, but 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:09.640 also as being in the latter part of grand slams, 0:02:09.680 --> 0:02:11.959 particularly the last one at the US Open. 0:02:12.280 --> 0:02:14.560 I mean, yes and no. I think it's one of 0:02:14.560 --> 0:02:16.560 those things where I definitely felt like I was playing 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:18.679 really well. I feel like I almost played better in 0:02:18.720 --> 0:02:22.720 Adelaide than I did in Melbourne. I was playing just 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:26.480 unreal tennis. Everything just kind of was coming together really 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:29.720 easily and just kind of worked my way through the 0:02:29.840 --> 0:02:34.880 draw fairly simply. But you know, those weeks where you 0:02:34.960 --> 0:02:36.960 kind of are just like, yeah, like this is just 0:02:37.040 --> 0:02:39.120 kind of my week. So it was just one of 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:41.440 those things where I was like thanks, like, yeah, I've 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:43.600 been working hard, but like it was a good week. 0:02:45.040 --> 0:02:47.160 But it's funny. After I won, she was like, I 0:02:47.160 --> 0:02:50.320 feel like I'm very happy for you, but I feel 0:02:50.440 --> 0:02:52.280 she was like, I feel like everyone else is just 0:02:52.360 --> 0:02:55.720 catching up to where I've been for two weeks. So 0:02:55.760 --> 0:02:58.600 she's like, I'm not surprised. I'm not like I just 0:02:58.680 --> 0:02:59.920 expected this to happen. 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:03.320 Yeah. I will give Casey Dellacqua a lot of credit 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:05.200 to because she picked you as well because she saw 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:09.639 you play a lot in Adelaide. So before we get 0:03:09.680 --> 0:03:11.840 to the match and all of the things that I 0:03:11.960 --> 0:03:13.760 want to talk to you about, what's the last few 0:03:13.800 --> 0:03:16.640 weeks been like for you? And I just want you 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:19.360 to tell people what the moments were like, as in 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:23.040 the hours after you won the tournament, like what are 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:25.480 the things that people have no idea? Yeah, it looks 0:03:25.480 --> 0:03:27.639 all glamorous, you get this big check, you get a trophy, 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:29.960 and they think you just walk away. Nah, can you 0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:32.280 tell people what you've what you had to do immediately 0:03:32.320 --> 0:03:34.600 after the match and then subsequently after. 0:03:34.400 --> 0:03:39.920 That, Yeah, it's been it's been kind of crazy, and 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:45.000 even being a player, I had no idea like the 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:50.440 hours that go into it. Immediately from the court I 0:03:50.480 --> 0:03:52.360 went and I did. I think we did like six 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:58.320 live TV interviews all in a row, hadn't even showered yet, 0:03:58.560 --> 0:04:02.000 had no food. Literally at I was like, I'm so thirsty, 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:03.920 Like I haven't had a drink of water. It's been 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:08.480 like an hour. So did that, and then finally had 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:14.680 like twenty minutes, had drug testing that I had to do. Yeah, yeah, 0:04:15.440 --> 0:04:19.400 finally took a shower, shoveled food in my face because 0:04:19.440 --> 0:04:22.800 I was like, oh, I'm already late, and then probably 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:27.360 did another like two hours of media. So I think 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:32.240 we got back to the hotel at almost three. It 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:34.919 was like two thirty. And of course then I'm like 0:04:35.000 --> 0:04:38.960 I can't sleep, so I don't think. I don't think 0:04:38.960 --> 0:04:43.440 I even partially fell asleep until like five am, and 0:04:43.480 --> 0:04:45.280 then I think it was like eight o'clock. I had 0:04:45.279 --> 0:04:47.599 to wake up in the morning and had like more media, 0:04:47.720 --> 0:04:51.320 more stuff, did that for the morning, and then finally 0:04:51.360 --> 0:04:54.520 around like I think it was probably around noon or 0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:57.080 one o'clock, we were finally like done for the day. 0:04:57.720 --> 0:05:01.000 And then I had to pack. I was just a zombie. 0:05:01.400 --> 0:05:04.360 I was like so happy, but also it was like 0:05:04.480 --> 0:05:09.120 I hadn't even taken a breath and absorbed anything that happened. 0:05:09.480 --> 0:05:11.280 And then we had to fly. We flew back to 0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:13.039 the States. I went to New York. I had like 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:15.719 an entire day of press in New York. Got back 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:22.400 like Tuesday night, I think, got back to Florida Tuesday night, 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:26.480 and before the season had even started, we had agreed 0:05:26.520 --> 0:05:29.200 to do. One of the commitments that I had to 0:05:29.240 --> 0:05:33.200 do was for like that Wednesday. So I literally landed 0:05:33.240 --> 0:05:35.680 and had to go back in and do more stuff 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:40.000 the next day. And then it's like the just kind 0:05:40.000 --> 0:05:43.640 of the follow up, last minute interviews and everything, and 0:05:44.240 --> 0:05:45.880 I think it was probably I think it was like 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:48.680 Thursday night, and I finally said to my agent. I 0:05:48.720 --> 0:05:51.200 was like, I'm done, Like I can't. I'm gonna put 0:05:51.200 --> 0:05:54.279 my phone in a drawer. I can't talk, Like I'm 0:05:54.760 --> 0:05:58.080 I cannot talk to anyone else. I can't be on 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:00.960 my phone. It's going in a drawer. If anyone needs me, 0:06:01.440 --> 0:06:04.480 caled Yarn, I will talk to everyone on Monday. 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:07.880 Yeah, So I don't I really wanted you to tell 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:10.800 people that because I want people to understand what it's 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:14.640 like to you know, and I'm sure you have such 0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:16.920 respect now for people that do this all the time, 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:20.480 that have won, you know ten twenty plus Grand Slams. 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:22.119 It's like, this is the way it is, and clearly 0:06:22.360 --> 0:06:24.640 they're used to it, so they know what's coming. But 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:27.280 I wanted people to understand that it's not just all 0:06:27.279 --> 0:06:29.920 these roses. It's a lot of work, you know, and 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:32.760 you can't say no to that kind of thing. So 0:06:32.839 --> 0:06:36.920 I want to know. There's moments like I'm not putting 0:06:36.920 --> 0:06:40.440 myself any even remotely close to winning a singles Grand Slam. 0:06:40.440 --> 0:06:42.200 But I remember first time I won a Grand Slam, 0:06:42.200 --> 0:06:44.120 and I got into the shower after the match, and 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:46.240 it was the first time I felt like I was alone. 0:06:46.520 --> 0:06:49.440 Was there a moment where you were alone where it 0:06:49.480 --> 0:06:51.400 all hit you that you had just won. 0:06:55.160 --> 0:06:58.440 I think it was probably like it was kind of 0:06:58.520 --> 0:07:02.240 after all of the interviews and everything were done, because 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:04.200 it felt like I was finally able to sit with 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:10.040 my own thoughts. And I think I was just kind 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:14.400 of like sitting at home and going through like just 0:07:14.440 --> 0:07:17.560 the normal routine of you're back home, you're making coffee 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:20.280 or whatever. And I think this was back in Florida. 0:07:20.320 --> 0:07:24.720 It was like days later. It was like days later, 0:07:25.040 --> 0:07:29.320 and I finally just sat there. I was like, holy crap, 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:34.520 I did that. Like that actually it actually happened, And 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:39.560 and it's it's a it's a weird thing when something 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:42.360 that you've been like dreaming of and working towards since 0:07:42.360 --> 0:07:46.080 you were a little kid and then you finally do it, 0:07:46.200 --> 0:07:51.360 the like mental and emotional shift that happens where you're like, wait, 0:07:51.440 --> 0:07:53.680 I actually did it, yeah, and then you kind of 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:56.880 were sitting there and you go, wait, what do I 0:07:56.920 --> 0:08:02.520 do now? Like, oh wait, like what's next? Like I've 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:06.360 I've spent almost thirty years of my life essentially like 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:09.280 working towards this thing, and it's always felt like it was, 0:08:10.440 --> 0:08:14.040 you know, just a little bit far away and like 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:16.600 I had to still keep working for it, and then 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:19.240 I did it, and now I have to like totally, 0:08:19.400 --> 0:08:22.880 I feel like I'm like shifting as a person. Yeah, 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:25.880 And it's I think it's also weird because it's like 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:29.680 I think when when it's still a dream and it's 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:33.720 still a goal, you kind of have like all these 0:08:34.360 --> 0:08:36.440 bows and rainbows around it and you're like it's going 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:39.440 to be the greatest moment of my entire life, and 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:42.640 then it happens and you're like, Okay, that was really 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:44.840 really great and I really loved it and I'd love 0:08:44.920 --> 0:08:48.920 to do that again. But also, that's not really what 0:08:49.000 --> 0:08:50.560 I thought it was going to be, Like. 0:08:51.200 --> 0:08:56.480 Yeah, that's interesting in what way? In what way? Like 0:08:56.679 --> 0:08:59.319 it is it because you're like, oh, well, what's next. 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:03.240 I think there's a little bit of that, And part 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:05.800 of that, actually, as a tennis player, kind of annoys 0:09:05.840 --> 0:09:10.040 me that that's like the first thought because every other 0:09:10.120 --> 0:09:13.160 sport they have like their thing and then they have 0:09:13.240 --> 0:09:15.360 all this off time and they get to enjoy it, 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:19.040 and for us it's like, oh, there's another tournament two 0:09:19.120 --> 0:09:19.560 days later. 0:09:19.800 --> 0:09:22.960 Yeah, yeah, yeah. They don't have an office like four months. 0:09:23.600 --> 0:09:25.200 No. So I think that's part of it. But I 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:27.800 think the other thing was I think for a really 0:09:27.840 --> 0:09:33.520 long time for me, I had this kind of thought 0:09:33.600 --> 0:09:35.880 around winning a Grand Slam and what it would mean 0:09:36.040 --> 0:09:39.840 and what it would do, and I think in my 0:09:39.960 --> 0:09:42.680 brain it was like it would be like this life changing, 0:09:44.080 --> 0:09:48.840 insane thing that I finally felt validated in all this, 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:51.880 and then I think I finally got to the point 0:09:51.880 --> 0:09:54.439 in my career where I was like, Okay, I don't 0:09:54.840 --> 0:09:57.640 really need to win a Grand Slam to feel like 0:09:57.720 --> 0:10:01.480 I've achieved a lot in my career. So I think 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:03.680 I kind of stopped thinking about what it would be like, 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:07.880 and then it kind of just all happened in my 0:10:08.160 --> 0:10:12.480 brain quickly, and so it was just kind of it 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:16.360 just it was like my brain had to actually get 0:10:16.400 --> 0:10:19.559 on track with like everything that had happened so quickly. 0:10:20.520 --> 0:10:23.040 So I always talk about I've talked about many times 0:10:23.040 --> 0:10:25.520 on my podcast or just in general terms, and I 0:10:25.559 --> 0:10:29.640 always talk about the subconscious and conscious minds, And so 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:32.559 for me, it's like your conscious mind is always has 0:10:32.600 --> 0:10:34.400 always said to you, you're good enough to win this, 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:36.600 and yes, you know, when you made your first Grand 0:10:36.640 --> 0:10:38.680 Slam final, You're like, yeah, I'm going to win this match. 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:42.680 But there's this little, tiny, little tiny Madison Keys in 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:44.560 the back of the This is how I describe it. 0:10:44.559 --> 0:10:46.000 It's like the little one that's in the back of 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:47.880 the mind going no, you're not, You're really not You're 0:10:47.880 --> 0:10:50.079 really not, You're really not ready. Idon't know if you're 0:10:50.080 --> 0:10:52.240 good enough. Is it a little bit like you talked 0:10:52.240 --> 0:10:54.720 about already, You've always said you felt like was maybe 0:10:54.760 --> 0:10:58.120 a little bit an attainable thing. You weren't quite sure 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:00.600 if you could get there, so well, I want to 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:04.000 know then, like after Adelaide and going into the Aussie 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:08.240 and having an extraordinarily bad, tough draw like you had 0:11:08.240 --> 0:11:10.800 the you had arguably the hardest draw in the tournament, 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:12.960 which maybe was a good thing for you. I don't know, 0:11:13.440 --> 0:11:17.720 but do you was when you played, particularly the Semis 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:21.160 and the final against arguably the two best players in 0:11:21.160 --> 0:11:25.920 the world, were your subconscious and conscious minds a little 0:11:25.920 --> 0:11:30.680 bit more aligned, better than they've ever been, Like, was 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:33.120 that little madisone sort of being shut down a little 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:33.560 bit more? 0:11:35.200 --> 0:11:40.240 I think I think there was definitely there's I mean, 0:11:40.720 --> 0:11:43.200 I think there was still moments of doubt, I think, 0:11:43.559 --> 0:11:46.160 but I think that's the one thing that I'm kind 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:51.680 of coming to terms with is that there's always going 0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:55.960 to be doubt. It's it's a normal reaction feeling. It's 0:11:56.000 --> 0:11:58.000 just life. You're never going to go through life and 0:11:58.040 --> 0:12:00.720 say I'm one hundred percent confident all of the time. 0:12:00.880 --> 0:12:02.400 It's just it's not possible. 0:12:03.360 --> 0:12:11.240 So I think not having the negative reaction towards doubt 0:12:12.000 --> 0:12:16.080 and and wasting energy and time being mad at myself 0:12:16.320 --> 0:12:21.520 for having doubt and just and almost like fighting against 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:23.920 it and saying, well, no, I. 0:12:23.840 --> 0:12:26.360 Don't think that, like that's not true. I know I 0:12:26.400 --> 0:12:30.640 am confident, and instead saying like, okay, like that's a 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:33.320 fine feeling to have, but like you can have that 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:36.360 feeling and you can also still win this match, so 0:12:36.400 --> 0:12:39.320 like it doesn't have to be you don't have to 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:42.079 be one hundred percent. I'm gonna win this and everything 0:12:42.160 --> 0:12:44.599 is gonna be perfect. So I think that's that was 0:12:44.640 --> 0:12:47.520 a big shift for me. That helped a lot, just 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:51.719 kind of knowing even throughout a match, there's gonna be 0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:54.839 ebbs and flows, and there's gonna be times when you're 0:12:54.880 --> 0:12:57.120 super locked in, and then there's gonna be times when 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:00.160 you kind of get lost in the clouds. And I 0:13:00.240 --> 0:13:03.720 think the reason that the top players are so good 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:06.120 is because when they do get lost in the clouds, 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:10.920 they come back so quickly and without judgment. So I 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:15.440 think that's kind of where I've gotten a lot better, 0:13:16.360 --> 0:13:19.840 just kind of being able to refocus and not have 0:13:19.960 --> 0:13:25.200 the judgment around the negative thoughts or things or doubts 0:13:25.240 --> 0:13:27.840 that pop up in my head and wasting time on 0:13:27.920 --> 0:13:30.960 being annoyed at myself for having them. 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:35.000 Yeah, so how much is you know? I love so 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:38.360 much that you talked about going to regular therapy and 0:13:38.440 --> 0:13:40.640 not a sports psychologist, which a lot of people do. 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:45.880 And I'm a really big believer in. It's probably your 0:13:45.960 --> 0:13:48.280 actual self that's the problem here, you know what I mean. 0:13:48.320 --> 0:13:50.520 It's not necessarily how you react in a certain point, 0:13:50.559 --> 0:13:54.160 it's how you perceive yourself. So even the way you've 0:13:54.200 --> 0:13:57.320 just talked, now you know how much did actually just 0:13:57.960 --> 0:14:01.720 going in to actual regular therapy and you're happy in 0:14:01.760 --> 0:14:03.559 your life. It's not like you were fighting with your 0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:05.680 boyfriend at the time and like you were going in 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:07.319 and I need to fix my or maybe you were, 0:14:07.360 --> 0:14:10.560 I don't know, but like I'm pretty sure you weren't, 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:13.280 but I haven't hear we were crying. Pretty sure, I'd 0:14:13.320 --> 0:14:16.560 beyond be hard to argue with. But but like, who 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:19.760 was the catalyst that said how about this? Or was 0:14:19.800 --> 0:14:21.640 that all you? And I got to give Petko a 0:14:21.640 --> 0:14:24.120 lot Andrea Petkovic a lot of credit because we were 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:27.040 talking about you know, your racket and beyond and the 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:30.080 service motion and all the things which we might get to. 0:14:31.000 --> 0:14:33.280 But Petko's like, yeah, but she's the one that made 0:14:33.280 --> 0:14:35.880 that decision. She's the one that decided to go to therapy, 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:38.240 so I want to know how that came about. 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:46.320 So it was it was kind of funny. I definitely 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:51.560 went originally and like sit down and I was like, 0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:54.040 I want to make ten ofs better and I want 0:14:54.040 --> 0:14:55.720 to be good and I want to have fun on 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:58.680 the court. And she was like okay, and then she 0:14:58.800 --> 0:15:01.120 asked me one question about my life and I just 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:06.040 started like sobbing, and she was like, do we think 0:15:06.080 --> 0:15:09.480 maybe this isn't just about tennis? And I was like, oh, 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:16.520 maybe you're onto something. But I was just to a point, 0:15:17.400 --> 0:15:20.360 and I think I think the reason that a lot 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:23.640 of things are highlighted in tennis is because it's I mean, 0:15:23.640 --> 0:15:27.640 it's high stress. You're out there by yourself. I mean, 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:31.640 it's just if you have anything going on, you put 0:15:31.640 --> 0:15:33.840 yourself in tennis and it's just a pressure cooker. So 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:37.640 everything just feels amplified. And I think off of the court, 0:15:37.640 --> 0:15:40.600 it's a lot easier to hide from any sort of 0:15:40.640 --> 0:15:44.000 things that you're trying to ignore. Yeah, and then on 0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:47.280 a tennis court, it's you double halt on breakpoint at 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:50.080 five all in the third and you're ready to just 0:15:50.240 --> 0:15:57.640 completely lose your marbles. So I think for me, I 0:15:57.720 --> 0:16:00.920 definitely started in the thought of, like, I just want 0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:03.680 to make tennis better. My life is great, I'm fine, 0:16:03.840 --> 0:16:07.320 I feel great about myself. I just you know, get 0:16:07.360 --> 0:16:12.240 really more of us storing Kinnis matches. But I was 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:17.440 I was really struggling with my relationship with tennis, and 0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:22.520 that's kind of a hard place to be when it's 0:16:22.640 --> 0:16:26.640 not only your job, but your job basically consumes ninety 0:16:26.680 --> 0:16:30.160 five percent of your life. And it was really kind 0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:36.160 of starting to bleed over into my personal life. And 0:16:36.240 --> 0:16:38.680 I think at the core of it, it was just 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:45.480 how I felt about myself, yeap. And I think that's 0:16:45.520 --> 0:16:50.920 the tricky part about I mean about just deeply caring 0:16:50.960 --> 0:16:57.520 about your career path and what you are very passionate about, 0:16:57.800 --> 0:17:01.920 is it's hard to separate the two things. So when 0:17:01.960 --> 0:17:04.280 you feel some way about something that you're doing, it 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:09.960 kind of it's all just one. So I was starting 0:17:09.960 --> 0:17:14.840 to kind of just really struggle just overall. And I 0:17:14.920 --> 0:17:17.280 would say that it was it was just kind of 0:17:17.320 --> 0:17:20.199 starting to become a little bit more apparent to a 0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:23.680 lot of people that hey, I think maybe you need 0:17:23.720 --> 0:17:27.200 to go talk to someone, and it's obviously more obvious 0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:30.040 on a tennis court. So it started with maybe it'll 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:32.520 help the tennis and all that, and then from there 0:17:32.600 --> 0:17:37.120 it was really, you know, Okay, I think I need 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:40.240 to like work on some of my own beliefs that 0:17:40.920 --> 0:17:45.600 have kind of started to become pretty deep inside. 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:49.880 Yeah. I mean, honestly, I think it's such a phenomenal 0:17:50.000 --> 0:17:52.399 thing that you're talking about it so openly, because I 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:54.879 think you'll hope so many people realize that, you know, 0:17:54.920 --> 0:17:58.760 there's so much, especially someone as good as you, you know, 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:03.399 you cannot not help. But hear people say, but Madison's 0:18:03.440 --> 0:18:05.720 so good, she hits the ball bigger than everybody. She 0:18:05.760 --> 0:18:08.959 should be winning these matches. And at some point it 0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:11.320 has to start, You have to. I would imagine you 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:13.320 would start thinking, well, why the fuck am I not 0:18:13.359 --> 0:18:15.600 winning these matches? You know what I mean, And then 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:17.760 it starts to chip away at you just as a 0:18:17.840 --> 0:18:19.879 human being. You know, you're just like, well, I'm just 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:23.000 not good enough, I guess you know. So I'm so 0:18:23.080 --> 0:18:25.720 proud of you for doing that, because that's a huge 0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:27.280 step to be able to go in and like dig 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:32.520 really deep into into your own life. So you know, 0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:33.920 before we get back to the match, I want to 0:18:33.960 --> 0:18:36.320 know quickly, who was the first phone call that you 0:18:36.400 --> 0:18:39.199 made after you won? Because I mean, the people that 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:41.080 you love so much that have been in your corner, 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:44.639 you know, Kayla and Richard and beyond, they were there immediately, 0:18:44.680 --> 0:18:46.560 you know, in tears and it was amazing. But who 0:18:46.600 --> 0:18:48.359 was the first phone call you made? 0:18:49.240 --> 0:18:50.080 I called my mom? 0:18:51.840 --> 0:18:53.439 Yeah, what was her reaction? 0:18:57.200 --> 0:19:01.399 Honestly, it's funny. It's a lot of swear words, I 0:19:01.480 --> 0:19:06.040 love you tears, followed by I'm so proud of you. 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:08.159 I mean, you could do it. I mean just it 0:19:08.240 --> 0:19:10.679 was just it was funny. It was funny then, and 0:19:10.720 --> 0:19:13.600 I was like, I am I am my mother's child. 0:19:14.000 --> 0:19:18.639 You are definitely definitely, oh mean, I love that. I 0:19:19.040 --> 0:19:21.000 figured it would be your mom. But you never know, 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:23.119 you know, Max might want you to call him first 0:19:23.119 --> 0:19:23.760 for some reason. 0:19:23.800 --> 0:19:27.199 But you know, no, he was he was mess. He 0:19:27.320 --> 0:19:29.439 was like, you can't call me. I'm still weeping, Like 0:19:29.520 --> 0:19:31.400 I can't, I can't talk to you for a few 0:19:31.480 --> 0:19:33.600 days because I'm just gonna just weep. 0:19:34.800 --> 0:19:36.399 Have you watched the match? 0:19:36.640 --> 0:19:42.520 Since I've watched some highlights, I have watched match. 0:19:42.200 --> 0:19:44.680 Just so you know, I've watched the match three times. 0:19:45.040 --> 0:19:47.480 I swear to god, I've watched it three times. It 0:19:47.560 --> 0:19:49.000 was such a good tennis match. 0:19:49.119 --> 0:19:53.600 But anyway going, I've watched some highlights, but I haven't 0:19:53.680 --> 0:20:00.400 actually sat there and just like watched it. Fully. Yeah, 0:20:00.480 --> 0:20:03.280 there's definitely there are some highlights, and I feel like 0:20:03.280 --> 0:20:05.040 there's a few points that are just like. 0:20:05.119 --> 0:20:09.320 On replay, which tell me which ones? 0:20:10.240 --> 0:20:15.000 Honestly, the one that I still cannot believe was five 0:20:15.040 --> 0:20:21.679 all thirty all in the third. The return, and I 0:20:21.720 --> 0:20:26.160 have no idea, but I remember just even like how 0:20:26.200 --> 0:20:29.040 I reacted after I made it, did you like fun? 0:20:29.600 --> 0:20:31.240 I was like, oh, that was a big point. 0:20:32.560 --> 0:20:34.480 Well, I have to say to you you know, clearly 0:20:34.480 --> 0:20:37.119 I was doing the coverage court side and Mary Joe Fernandez, 0:20:37.240 --> 0:20:39.320 I believe, I'm not sure one hundred percent sure, but 0:20:39.359 --> 0:20:43.800 I'm fairly certain she said, just deadpan, just went that 0:20:44.040 --> 0:20:46.800 is the shot of the tournament, or it might be 0:20:46.840 --> 0:20:49.560 in the match. It was like, you couldn't say anything 0:20:49.600 --> 0:20:52.080 other than that because you were on the edge of 0:20:52.119 --> 0:20:56.600 that precipice there, right, and you know, we all know 0:20:56.880 --> 0:20:58.919 we can all talk about the US Open match, and 0:20:58.960 --> 0:21:01.879 they were so similar the match with Sebolenka, like you 0:21:01.880 --> 0:21:04.040 won the first set seeks love, and I was thinking, 0:21:04.160 --> 0:21:05.840 did you think about losing a game in the first 0:21:05.880 --> 0:21:07.600 set at the Australian Open, just so you didn't do 0:21:07.640 --> 0:21:08.080 the same thing. 0:21:10.520 --> 0:21:13.159 You know. It's funny. I didn't even think of the 0:21:13.200 --> 0:21:16.520 match at the US Open at all. Well, didn't even 0:21:16.520 --> 0:21:17.359 popp into my head. 0:21:18.080 --> 0:21:21.400 That is remarkable because I just getting ready to talk 0:21:21.440 --> 0:21:22.760 to you today I saw of you know, I was 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:25.359 wanted to go back and watch that match because I 0:21:25.400 --> 0:21:27.399 did the match, but I couldn't really remember. I know, 0:21:27.400 --> 0:21:29.080 you're up a set in five to three, but I 0:21:29.119 --> 0:21:31.320 have to say Sabalenka played off her trait from a 0:21:31.320 --> 0:21:32.560 set in five to three. 0:21:32.320 --> 0:21:35.639 So I mean she played well and I think she 0:21:35.800 --> 0:21:38.920 played so well. And I think the thing that going 0:21:39.000 --> 0:21:42.920 into this final I kept saying to myself was she 0:21:43.119 --> 0:21:47.440 played brave. She went after her shot, she didn't back up, 0:21:47.920 --> 0:21:52.640 she went after everything. And I really wanted to make 0:21:52.640 --> 0:21:55.560 sure that I did that this match because I felt 0:21:55.640 --> 0:21:58.560 like at the US Open, I let my foot off 0:21:58.600 --> 0:22:03.040 the gas pedal one hundred and gave her more opportunities 0:22:03.240 --> 0:22:06.400 than she already is capable of creating by herself. 0:22:06.800 --> 0:22:13.680 I actually wrote down here five three, fifteen thirty lazy legs. Yeah, 0:22:13.720 --> 0:22:16.240 because you at fifteen thirty went had a chance to 0:22:16.240 --> 0:22:17.639 maybe win the match at five to three in the 0:22:17.680 --> 0:22:19.399 second set. You had a ball that was kind of 0:22:19.440 --> 0:22:21.480 like mid range. It was like one of those ones 0:22:21.480 --> 0:22:23.240