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Speaker 1: This episode of the Racket Magazine podcast is brought to

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Speaker 1: thirty percent off your order.

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Speaker 2: Hello Renae, Hey Caitlin Ya, I'm good.

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Speaker 3: You're on the road.

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Speaker 4: I am on the road. I am on the road.

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Speaker 3: I've been on the road for a couple of weeks.

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Speaker 4: I was doing a little bit of work with Genie

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Speaker 4: Bouchad and around all the very responsible female tennis players.

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Speaker 4: Lots of great couple of events that we've had, and

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Speaker 4: the tournaments in Charleston and one just recently in Lexington,

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Speaker 4: and you know, they've been great, they've been really fantastic.

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Speaker 5: Well, I have a lot of follow up questions for that,

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Speaker 5: but that's going to have to wait until you're back

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Speaker 5: here in New York because there's so much to unpack

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Speaker 5: and those very few sentences you just talked about. But

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Speaker 5: the task at hand is to introduce someone you were

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Speaker 5: able to catch up with in Charleston at one of

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Speaker 5: those exhibitions you were just referring to, and she is,

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Speaker 5: of course, Victoria Azarenka, former world number one Grand Slam champion, mother,

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Speaker 5: fascinating person. Tell me a little bit about the backstory

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Speaker 5: of how you guys sat down. I got to tell you.

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Speaker 4: You know, we we you and I have spoken a

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Speaker 4: lot about, you know, some of the people we really

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Speaker 4: love to get and Beek has always been on our

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Speaker 4: list of players for so many reasons. And I think

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Speaker 4: what everyone's going to hear in this podcast is somebody

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Speaker 4: that maybe they don't realize that is very deep, very

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Speaker 4: very We all know she's emotional. She always showed her

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Speaker 4: heart honestly when she played. But I think what she's

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Speaker 4: gone through over the last couple of years with the

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Speaker 4: ups and downs, obviously having a fantastic couple of years

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Speaker 4: and winning you know, back to back astray and opens,

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Speaker 4: and then you know, the surprise of getting pregnant and

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Speaker 4: then having to the next year and or so after that,

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Speaker 4: dealing with custody battles and having to almost hide her

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Speaker 4: emotions of what she was dealing with through that time

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Speaker 4: is very evident in this podcast. What you don't see

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Speaker 4: is what I saw on zoom, which was someone very

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Speaker 4: very emotional at one point. And yeah, she's just a

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Speaker 4: really great introspective person and it shows in this podcast.

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Speaker 2: A couple of things to listen for in this show

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Speaker 2: that I was really really struck by when I was

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Speaker 2: listening to the audio was number one, her son Leo

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Speaker 2: is very heavily involved, So if you want to hear

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Speaker 2: what that guy's verbal skills currently are up to, you

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Speaker 2: can hear him doing a little guest chatter here and there.

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Speaker 2: And the other thing was, you know, Vicka, I think

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Speaker 2: has always been to me somebody who has had a

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Speaker 2: lot of depth, and she's always had a lot of

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Speaker 2: interest in various music or culture ideas. She's lived in

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Speaker 2: the States, I think for a long time. And to

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Speaker 2: hear her talk about the Black Lives Matter movement was

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Speaker 2: really interesting as well, Like that's not something you necessarily

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Speaker 2: would bring up as a topic for her to dive into,

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Speaker 2: and she did, and she spoke about it really earnestly,

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Speaker 2: with a lot of passionate heart, and in a way

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Speaker 2: that was really moving, and so I was really interesting

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Speaker 2: to hear her talk not only about the past and

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Speaker 2: you know the future of what tennis has for her,

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Speaker 2: but also present.

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Speaker 4: Yeah. I think one of the great things throughout this

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Speaker 4: whole process is that Vica I think has grown as

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Speaker 4: the person having her watch you know, the last you

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Speaker 4: You're going to hear it very much so on this

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Speaker 4: podcast with cust Tonight Light and gentlemen. That's it's a

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Speaker 4: great pleasure for me to have this woman on the

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Speaker 4: Racket Magazine podcast. She's down in Florida and I just

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Speaker 4: got to see her in Charleston where she played a

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Speaker 4: couple of matches. Been a long time since she's played

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Speaker 4: a lot of matches. We have former world number one,

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Speaker 4: multiple Grand Slam Singles champion Vika as a ranker. Vika,

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Speaker 4: thanks so much for joining me.

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Speaker 3: Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure.

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Speaker 4: So this is a fun podcast. We don't have to

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Speaker 4: get all serious. You can even swear if you want,

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Speaker 4: but I mean, you know me, so I'm never shoy

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Speaker 4: up with that stuff.

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Speaker 3: Let's talk a little bit.

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Speaker 4: I'm going to let you talk as much as you want,

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Speaker 4: believe it or not. I want to know Vika, like,

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Speaker 4: you know, coming from Belarus. I guess how'd you start, Like,

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Speaker 4: how did you get into tennis?

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Speaker 3: Well? I started when I was seven years old by coincident.

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Speaker 3: That is pretty much I think shaved my shave my life.

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Speaker 3: My mom started working in the tennis center, which had

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Speaker 3: nothing to really do with tennis. Neither she knew anything

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Speaker 3: about tennis or we had any any connection whatsoever to tennis.

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Speaker 3: And I was just coming from school after after my

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Speaker 3: school so to see my mom because it was just

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Speaker 3: right by our house, and and then she just like

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Speaker 3: gave me a racket to distract me so I would

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Speaker 3: let her work. And I went to this like a

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Speaker 3: little gym and started to just you know, mess around

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Speaker 3: a little bit and get myself busy with a racket.

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Speaker 3: And a group of kids with a coach came in

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Speaker 3: and they had they had their lesson and they asked

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Speaker 3: me if I wanted to join, and I was like, no, no,

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Speaker 3: I'm scared, and I ran away, and then my mom

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Speaker 3: brought me back and I started to you know, it

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Speaker 3: was it was really fun kind of way to start

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Speaker 3: because I had like forty kids in a little gym,

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Speaker 3: so it's super crowded, and we didn't start anything on

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Speaker 3: the tennis court. It was just like all the games,

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Speaker 3: you know, touched with the racket and coordination, and you know,

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Speaker 3: thinking back to it, it's like that was my first introduction.

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Speaker 3: That kind of we were driving helped me later on

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Speaker 3: to understand like the feel of the racket, the touch

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Speaker 3: and you know, the coordination and being able to do

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Speaker 3: different things. So it was really fun and I wanted

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Speaker 3: to join after and then it was history. I never left.

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Speaker 3: How was constantly playing on the court on the wall,

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Speaker 3: because that's how I started, And yeah, I was just very,

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Speaker 3: very passionate right away.

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Speaker 4: So wait, so what was your mom doing at the club?

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Speaker 3: She was just working like an administrator, you know, just

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Speaker 3: like letting people in and oh yeah, I had nothing,

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Speaker 3: absolutely like zero to do with tennis.

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Speaker 4: Oh my god, that's so crazy. It's amazing to me

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Speaker 4: how many players you know, either talked to or interviewed,

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Speaker 4: how random it is that they got into their sport.

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Speaker 4: I mean Mary Pierce, for example, said she only started

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Speaker 4: playing at ten and she went with the friends of

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Speaker 4: the courts and said that looks like fun and decided

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Speaker 4: to go on the court at ten. So I guess

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Speaker 4: that's a good thing for It's a good thing for

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Speaker 4: parents to hear because it's like, you know, you hear

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Speaker 4: these parents and get their kids into like Saddlebrook or

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Speaker 4: like you know, IMG or more Tagler at like four

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Speaker 4: and you're like getting their kids and it's about I guess.

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Speaker 3: What you're saying.

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Speaker 4: For you, it was about having fun with your other

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Speaker 4: friends and peers, right.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, like you know, being a parent now

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Speaker 3: and understanding kind of the concept. I think that also

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Speaker 3: have been pretty aware of the situation even with my

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Speaker 3: with my own fellow peers like my age, that how

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Speaker 3: much pressure there was coming from parents, you know, to

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Speaker 3: go and make it. And it's like I see something

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Speaker 3: when I see a seven year old with a personal

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Speaker 3: coach and a fitness coach, You're like, dude, seriously, like

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Speaker 3: just let them be kids and let them enjoy and

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Speaker 3: have fun because that that kind of burns out after fourteen,

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Speaker 3: and like you always question is it for You're doing

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Speaker 3: it for the kid or you're doing it for your

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Speaker 3: own reason, and you know, and trying to push them

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Speaker 3: to be who you want them to be, and so

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Speaker 3: it's it's always pretty sad and like I mean, we

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Speaker 3: have our like our ways of motivation, I guess, and

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Speaker 3: inspiration why we do what we do. But I feel

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Speaker 3: like once you lose the passion and once you lose fun,

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Speaker 3: if you're if you're doing it, it doesn't really take

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Speaker 3: you that far. Takes you, you know, to a certain limit,

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Speaker 3: but it doesn't necessarily fulfill your full potential. There is

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Speaker 3: and for kids, it's it's really tough to see that,

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Speaker 3: you know, just how how much pressure there is from

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Speaker 3: from coming from parents. I watched this documentary Trophy Kids.

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Speaker 3: It's it just like he pictured it so well and

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Speaker 3: I and I was able to talk to His name

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Speaker 3: is Peterberg. The way he captioned this whole moment, it's

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Speaker 3: basically is following four different types of horror or I

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Speaker 3: think four or five sports. It was tennis, golf, football,

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Speaker 3: American football, and that was the four sports for different kids.

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Speaker 3: Different culture is different everything, And it's just insane, like

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Speaker 3: how much First of all, this was already on camera,

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Speaker 3: so that people were aware that it was on camera,

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Speaker 3: so I can only imagine what was going on behind

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Speaker 3: the scenes. And what he did incredibly was picture while

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Speaker 3: the parent was talking the kids reaction up close and

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Speaker 3: you can see everything, and it was it was just

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Speaker 3: like I actually have seen those kids where I grew

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Speaker 3: when I grew up, And one thing I'm very lucky

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Speaker 3: about is like my parents never made me feel that way.

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Speaker 4: You know, I've never heard that story from you personally,

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Speaker 4: Like I've never asked you that question. Somebody asked me

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Speaker 4: the other day, like, what's the most important ingredient you

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Speaker 4: feel is for someone to be a successful athlete in

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Speaker 4: your opinion, like sort of looking at it from that

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Speaker 4: perspective for you, what's the most important thing that they have?

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Speaker 3: Well, I don't think there's one. I think everybody has

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Speaker 3: kind of their own strength and their own weaknesses. So

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Speaker 3: I think it's about like finding your strength and really

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Speaker 3: make that drive you and then always learning how to

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Speaker 3: make your weaknesses stronger. So I think it depends on

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Speaker 3: a person. But something that that problemly stands out from

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Speaker 3: from everybody who makes it is the ability to go

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Speaker 3: past no past I can't past, you won't you will,

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Speaker 3: Like you just make those into kind of a yes

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Speaker 3: type of situations and to never give up. I think

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Speaker 3: that's what really makes a champion, is you know you

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Speaker 3: can be talented, the hard work, it definitely has to

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Speaker 3: be there. But something that goes beyond that is ability

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Speaker 3: never to give up and turn your nose into yes's.

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Speaker 4: So the refusal to lose is kind of more important

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Speaker 4: than wanting to win.

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Speaker 3: I will say that. I will say that, but it

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Speaker 3: makes it more about the result, and sometimes it gets tricky.

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Speaker 3: I think it's more about like the process of actually

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Speaker 3: staying in the moment and going you know, no matter what.

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Speaker 3: So I think it mess like it would mess with

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Speaker 3: me a little bit more if you just think about

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Speaker 3: the result and not actually doing that, I think you

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Speaker 3: lose that, you know, the moment in the present and

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Speaker 3: but finding it, you know, finding that that kind of

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Speaker 3: being in the zone and being actually able not to

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Speaker 3: let anything bother you. I think that's really hard.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, it's funny. My answer was for me, you had

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Speaker 4: to have a passion in the end, Like it's sort

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Speaker 4: of sort of what you're saying, Like you as a

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Speaker 4: parent can push your kids so far, but if you

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Speaker 4: if you don't have the passion for what you're doing,

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Speaker 4: then it's really hard to be super successful in the

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Speaker 4: long run.

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Speaker 3: I think. I think if you've seen, like you know,

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Speaker 3: with with examples, they are very rare examples, but you

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Speaker 3: do see the people who are not passionate and they're

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Speaker 3: just really good at it. It's just really a matter

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Speaker 3: of like, was that a fault? What's that fulfilling you?

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Speaker 3: Was that everything that you could do? You know? I

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Speaker 3: mean reading a book of agacy, like I had to

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Speaker 3: close it because as soon as I heard he hates Tennis,

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Speaker 3: it was like, I don't, I don't know if I

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Speaker 3: want to read about it. You know that. No, I

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Speaker 3: didn't finish it, but that that really turned me off.

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Speaker 3: And I'm a huge fan of him, but kind of

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Speaker 3: hearing that, I understand why, I understand why, but it

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Speaker 3: just at that point when I started to reading, it

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Speaker 3: was like, mentally, don't I don't really want to go

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Speaker 3: to that place to listen.

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Speaker 4: Finish the book. It's really good in the end. I

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Speaker 4: cried the second to last page. And you'll know why

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Speaker 4: if you do finish the book, because I.

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Speaker 3: Think I think I understand I know the story with

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Speaker 3: out even the book, so I do understand. I understand

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Speaker 3: like everything that that happened. But it was just it

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Speaker 3: was just like that approach didn't resonate with me from

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Speaker 3: the way I felt before, and I have this feeling

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Speaker 3: like when I meet, you know, people that I really admire,

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Speaker 3: sometimes I'm scared to ad meet them because I like,

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Speaker 3: you kind of see the real person sometimes and you're

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Speaker 3: like I can be a fan of them anymore or

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Speaker 3: I or other way around. So I'm always very nervous

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Speaker 3: about that, all right.

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Speaker 4: So that's interesting for me because in some respects, like

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Speaker 4: when you were coming through you had obviously you had

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Speaker 4: your first success in Grand Slam play when you actually

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Speaker 4: won the USO in mixed doubles in two thousand and seven.

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Speaker 3: Randomly, I was there that.

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Speaker 4: Day, and I remember when you won it, and you

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Speaker 4: were so young, and it was like this moment. But

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Speaker 4: you were always really hard on yourself early on in

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Speaker 4: your career. Where was that period of time though, that

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Speaker 4: went from sort of that period of two thousand and

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Speaker 4: seven two in the Native having success and winning some

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Speaker 4: slams young in mixed and then having some double success

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Speaker 4: and then eventually obviously in twenty twelve, whenning the Australian

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Speaker 4: Open in twenty thirteen, What changed you in that period

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Speaker 4: of time, Because I think it was more for me

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Speaker 4: from watching you and knowing you and playing against you.

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Speaker 4: For me, it was more emotionally like you were. You

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Speaker 4: were so much more level as a as a person

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Speaker 4: on court. What was the difference maker?

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Speaker 3: Well, obviously, you know the difference is learning from your experience.

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Speaker 3: You know, I've a lot of times people think like, oh,

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Speaker 3: your success came like super fast, you know, and if

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Speaker 3: you look at it from kind of numbers wise, the

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Speaker 3: age that I was at and everything, it does seem

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Speaker 3: you know, pretty pretty significant. You know, at sixteen, I

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Speaker 3: was playing pool on tour already. By seventeen, iurs I

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Speaker 3: think top fifty or something like this. I don't so

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Speaker 3: it feels like it was quick, but to me it

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Speaker 3: felt so long, like especially after juniors, going you know,

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Speaker 3: from being pretty much undefeated. And I pretty much was

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Speaker 3: undefeated in junior, especially my last year. I won six

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Speaker 3: out of eight Grand Slams singles and doubles. I lost

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Speaker 3: like two matches in a year, So that's okay, right,

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Speaker 3: And then you go into playing you know, qualifyings in

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Speaker 3: twenty five and fifteen thousands, and you get your ass

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Speaker 3: kicked and you're like, fuck, am I that good? I

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Speaker 3: was just I was just unbidable, you know, I was

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Speaker 3: just you know, I was the shit and now it's

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Speaker 3: like you're winning, winning, and then someone just out grinds

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Speaker 3: you and you're like there, you know, your ego starts

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Speaker 3: to get hit so much because like they're not more

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Speaker 3: talented than me, Like they have some like bad shots

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Speaker 3: and whatever. That's just like going through your mind if

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Speaker 3: we're being honest, and you're like, how am I losing

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Speaker 3: the matches and stuff. So so that I felt like,

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Speaker 3: you know, that was like a process for me to

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Speaker 3: get into like Okay, you know, you gotta you gotta

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Speaker 3: fight no matter what, doesn't matter who is on the

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Speaker 3: opposite side. And it was really about I think from

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Speaker 3: starting to seventeen is like you're not losing to the opponent. Really,

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Speaker 3: you're losing to yourself. So why don't you try to

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Speaker 3: eliminate one more opponent? You just have one, don't make

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Speaker 3: two opponents, you know when you go out on the court.

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Speaker 3: And I think that that was helpful for me. But

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Speaker 3: again it's like, you know, before I won my first

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Speaker 3: Grand Slam, I was ready to like stop because I

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Speaker 3: wasn't feeling passionate. I wasn't feeling like, you know, I'm

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Speaker 3: fulfilling myself. It was just a lot of grind grind, grind,

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Speaker 3: and it's like a lot of you know, you're basically

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Speaker 3: kind of skipping your whole childhood. You're sometimes you were

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Speaker 3: like unsure, am I doing the right thing? Am I happy?

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Speaker 3: Am I not? And for me, I always play, you know,

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Speaker 3: with my heart. If I feel good, play good. And

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Speaker 3: I think it shows, it really shows. That's how. That's

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Speaker 3: one thing that I think people do notice about me

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Speaker 3: is that passion that I bring on the court. I

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Speaker 3: bring my whole My whole self is there, so I

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Speaker 3: feel you. Yeah. So it's I think that was like

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Speaker 3: you know, starting you know, to kind of learning from

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Speaker 3: your experience, taking like bad hits and some bad losses,

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Speaker 3: you know, losing like four four finals before I won

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Speaker 3: my first my first title was very like painful, but

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Speaker 3: it was really monumental for me to kind of go

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Speaker 3: go again. And then you know, I felt like after that,

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Speaker 3: there was very few finals that I've lost after I

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Speaker 3: got to the final. So I think that also kind

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Speaker 3: of shaped my mentality going into that last match, is like, Okay,

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Speaker 3: this is the most important stage, you know, how it

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Speaker 3: feels the other way And so I think it's it's

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Speaker 3: all about learning experience and it's like you have to

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Speaker 3: be ready to have that success at some point. You know,

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Speaker 3: sometimes people get success they're not ready and it kind

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Speaker 3: of goes sideways from there, and yeah, what.

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Speaker 4: Just on that subject, like, look, we've seen a number

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Speaker 4: of players win Grand Slams and really struggle afterwards. I mean,

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Speaker 4: I will say that the one thing that I have

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Speaker 4: always and said about you when you won your first

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Speaker 4: Australian Open is that you were one player after Serena

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Speaker 4: in particular, after Venus, after Serena, after those you know,

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Speaker 4: great Grand Slam champions. You know Lindsay Kim Kleisis who

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Speaker 4: would win a Slam and never looked like they were

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Speaker 4: like all right, I'm just gonna mentally kind of shut

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Speaker 4: down for a little while because this is all too

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Speaker 4: much for me. Like, and you know what it's like

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Speaker 4: when you.

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Speaker 3: Win a Slam.

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Speaker 4: Look, there's tons more press there's tons more pressure on you,

346
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Speaker 4: there's way more expectation. Everyone thinks she's supposed to do

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Speaker 4: it again, you.

348
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Speaker 3: Know, and it's not easy.

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Speaker 4: You've got social media, you've got all this extra stuff

350
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Speaker 4: on you now. But you were one player that I

351
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Speaker 4: thought handled it as well as anybody I've seen in

352
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Speaker 4: a long time that actually one wasn't good enough. Like

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Speaker 4: you were one player that wanted to consistently get better

354
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Speaker 4: the next Grandslam and wanted to win the next Grandslam

355
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Speaker 4: and wasn't afraid to win the next Grandslam. I mean,

356
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Speaker 4: that's that's unique, Like what made you that way? Look,

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Speaker 4: you had your injuries after it, we know the story afterwards,

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Speaker 4: but I felt that you were one player that actually

359
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Speaker 4: really truly believed they belonged in finals and winning Grand slams.

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Speaker 3: Well, I I think, you know, it goes back to

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Speaker 3: from you know, how I grew up and everything that

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Speaker 3: kind of put the foundation. And what I said is

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Speaker 3: like sometimes people are just not read for the success.

364
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Speaker 3: And I don't want to take away anybody's you know,

365
00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:07,119
Speaker 3: victory away from them, but when you don't win and

366
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Speaker 3: constantly play on the level, beating top ten players and

367
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Speaker 3: making it part to the tournament, just didn't make that

368
00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:20,399
Speaker 3: extra step, it's it's it seems like, well we didn't

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Speaker 3: expect that from any from that player. I think my

370
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Speaker 3: the way I played and before I won the Grand Slam,

371
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Speaker 3: like I was expected to win already the Grand Slam,

372
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Speaker 3: Like I kept showing the results that it was really

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Speaker 3: close for me making it there. It wasn't a surprise.

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Speaker 3: And we've seen some, you know, examples of players who

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Speaker 3: are I don't know, don't win a match for like

376
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Speaker 3: six months, and then all of a sudden play amazing

377
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Speaker 3: tennis and they just fully deserve that that win because

378
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Speaker 3: they were the best at that time. But I think

379
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Speaker 3: that's where consistency is lacking a little bit, because there

380
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Speaker 3: isn't consistency before, so oh, how do you expect the

381
00:21:01,119 --> 00:21:05,240
Speaker 3: consistency to be after that is a little bit questionable.

382
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Speaker 3: So and then with all those things on top of

383
00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:13,880
Speaker 3: that that adds to it is like, you know, that's

384
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Speaker 3: that makes it even harder than the first time. So

385
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Speaker 3: for me, it was like I love that feeling and

386
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Speaker 3: I always love the pressure. If I don't have pressure,

387
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Speaker 3: like I really don't see myself playing at all, Like

388
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Speaker 3: it's not fun, like if I'm bored. And there's been

389
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Speaker 3: some tournaments where are like, oh god, like I just

390
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Speaker 3: I just don't feel like going. And it's not because Okay,

391
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Speaker 3: I want to, you have to like overcome your own

392
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Speaker 3: it's just like I just don't want to go out

393
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Speaker 3: there because I don't feel like playing it's not. It's

394
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Speaker 3: not going to be fun for me. It's not. It's

395
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Speaker 3: not going to drive me to like, you know, to

396
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Speaker 3: go that extra step. So I'd rather get myself ready

397
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Speaker 3: for for big events. And for me, it was always

398
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Speaker 3: about big titles. It was always about big tournaments, big events,

399
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Speaker 3: big opponents. So when when that pressure came and being

400
00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:12,479
Speaker 3: number one and you kind of having your target target

401
00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:17,199
Speaker 3: on your back always it was it was uncomfortable, but

402
00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:20,000
Speaker 3: it was that was driving me, like it drives me

403
00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:23,400
Speaker 3: to feel like someone wants to beat me, someone wants

404
00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:24,240
Speaker 3: to be better than me.

405
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Speaker 6: So competitive side and explain uncomfortable, well, uncomfortable because sometimes

406
00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:35,160
Speaker 6: you just gotta work harder, like in the way that

407
00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:38,800
Speaker 6: you know you you And even like even if I

408
00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:42,320
Speaker 6: wasn't number one, when I wasn't number one, I kept

409
00:22:42,359 --> 00:22:44,760
Speaker 6: feeling like somebody goes out there and they're like they

410
00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:47,919
Speaker 6: gonna play harder than they play against somebody else, and

411
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Speaker 6: you're like why, man, like why?

412
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Speaker 3: And I remember that particular actually match I was playing

413
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Speaker 3: in twenty sixteen. I was playing Miami right right after

414
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Speaker 3: I wanted Dan Wells. I was playing Monica Puig in

415
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Speaker 3: second round. Man, because I was seated.

416
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Speaker 4: At not believe huh did at night?

417
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Speaker 3: Yeah? I was night match. It was night match, was

418
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Speaker 3: like nine pm, and I was like okay, and I

419
00:23:16,359 --> 00:23:18,560
Speaker 3: was I was having conversation with him and he told

420
00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:20,840
Speaker 3: me like this and that, you know, and this and that,

421
00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:23,160
Speaker 3: and then I go out there and she just hits

422
00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:27,080
Speaker 3: the ship out of every ball and like playing like unbelievable.

423
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Speaker 3: And I'm looking at him and I'm like, what the

424
00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:32,040
Speaker 3: hell did you tell me before the match? Like have

425
00:23:32,119 --> 00:23:35,040
Speaker 3: you watched the matches before? Like I mean, it's a

426
00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:36,760
Speaker 3: different player for what you told me, and I have

427
00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:40,400
Speaker 3: never played against her before. So he was like, Vika,

428
00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:43,880
Speaker 3: like I'm telling you it was like a completely different match.

429
00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:46,520
Speaker 3: I'm gonna go take that match and you're gonna and

430
00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:48,280
Speaker 3: I'm gonna show you. And I said, well, I don't

431
00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:52,159
Speaker 3: know what you did, but this was like this was

432
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Speaker 3: another player from what like, completely different for what you

433
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Speaker 3: told me. So he was like, I don't know. So

434
00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,480
Speaker 3: so that was kind of like what I what I

435
00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:03,880
Speaker 3: felt a lot of times and with a lot of players.

436
00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:07,439
Speaker 3: So what I'm saying about being uncomfortable is being able

437
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:10,919
Speaker 3: to accept that, you know, kind of that next step

438
00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:15,520
Speaker 3: and we see that with with not a lot of players,

439
00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:20,560
Speaker 3: but few players who does experienced that same kind of

440
00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:23,520
Speaker 3: I would say target on their back. And obviously when

441
00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:26,679
Speaker 3: you become you know, top ten, and obviously everybody do

442
00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:29,760
Speaker 3: want to prove that. But what I'm saying is like,

443
00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:31,720
Speaker 3: even if you're not top ten, you still kind of

444
00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:36,240
Speaker 3: have that that feeling, you know, when somebody plays against you,

445
00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:38,200
Speaker 3: the kind of extra want to win.

446
00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:41,000
Speaker 4: Yeah, did you feel like when you got to know

447
00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:42,760
Speaker 4: one and you won the Slams that you had to

448
00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:45,919
Speaker 4: not that you you always are working hard, but do

449
00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:48,200
Speaker 4: you think that you were trying to add even more

450
00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:50,200
Speaker 4: things because you knew the target was on your back

451
00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:52,320
Speaker 4: and people were going to try and just like do

452
00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:55,600
Speaker 4: whatever they could be to beat you. Was it more

453
00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:58,080
Speaker 4: the mental side or was it more you needed to

454
00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:00,760
Speaker 4: keep adding things to your game to even starf at

455
00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:02,199
Speaker 4: the best, because I mean, there was a period of

456
00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:05,399
Speaker 4: time there in twenty twelve and thirteen where you were

457
00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:06,480
Speaker 4: so good.

458
00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:12,240
Speaker 3: I mean, the thing I think physically, and you know,

459
00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:18,840
Speaker 3: tennis wise, was something that you have to just constantly maintain.

460
00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:22,719
Speaker 3: You know the thing with being mentally is like you

461
00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:25,800
Speaker 3: have to constantly adjust and that's kind of the beauty

462
00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:30,360
Speaker 3: of our sport is there's always an adjustment, Like, no

463
00:25:30,359 --> 00:25:33,040
Speaker 3: matter how good you are, how could you feel there's

464
00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:39,200
Speaker 3: days that you always always have to adjust to conditions,

465
00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:46,600
Speaker 3: to circumstances, to opponent, to whatever. So that I feel

466
00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:52,280
Speaker 3: like that was something that was helping me being there,

467
00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:57,760
Speaker 3: you know, consistent, being able to adjust to situations and

468
00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:00,680
Speaker 3: you know, like when people say, oh, you so well

469
00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:05,520
Speaker 3: twenty thirteen Australian Open. I felt so bad that whole tournament,

470
00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:07,840
Speaker 3: Like I felt like I can't put the ball in

471
00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:12,600
Speaker 3: the court. I seriously, I was so uncomfortable. I felt

472
00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:15,719
Speaker 3: like I had no timing on my and my balls

473
00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:19,400
Speaker 3: or anything like that. I was just not And then

474
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:21,879
Speaker 3: but I'm winning matches and I'm finding the way to

475
00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:25,520
Speaker 3: win matches, and it definitely wasn't the way I was playing.

476
00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:28,919
Speaker 3: It was just me finding the way to win and

477
00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:33,360
Speaker 3: finding the way to in a way like destroy kind

478
00:26:33,359 --> 00:26:36,200
Speaker 3: of my opponent. Because I think it was the third

479
00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:40,400
Speaker 3: round in that year where I almost lost to Jamie

480
00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:44,639
Speaker 3: the American girl I forgot her last name. That match

481
00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:46,920
Speaker 3: was like I was I was about to be packing home,

482
00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:50,520
Speaker 3: like because I was just not feeling well my like

483
00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:53,520
Speaker 3: my game at all, but somehow I stuck in there

484
00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:56,120
Speaker 3: and I found the way to win. Yeah.

485
00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:58,600
Speaker 4: I think that's the key, right. I mean, when you

486
00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:00,960
Speaker 4: look at people how they win a grandson, they don't

487
00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:03,720
Speaker 4: win them easily. They have to battle through a lot

488
00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:07,040
Speaker 4: of matches, and not everybody Serena sometimes just walking through

489
00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:09,639
Speaker 4: a tournament winning in straight sets, and even Serena's had

490
00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:10,280
Speaker 4: some tough matches.

491
00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:12,960
Speaker 3: There is always a match that is going to almost

492
00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,679
Speaker 3: send you home before you like pick it up on

493
00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:16,480
Speaker 3: another level.

494
00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:26,640
Speaker 1: So this episode of the Racket Magazine podcast is brought

495
00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:29,800
Speaker 1: to you by Sergio Tucchini, revitalizing and disrupting the status

496
00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:32,840
Speaker 1: quo since nineteen sixty six. Follow them on Instagram at

497
00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:36,160
Speaker 1: Sergio Tacchini Underscore Official and go to Sergio Tucchini dot

498
00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:39,120
Speaker 1: com for more. Enter the promo code Racket mag at

499
00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:41,040
Speaker 1: checkout and you'll get thirty percent off your order.

500
00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:54,240
Speaker 3: Yeah exactly.

501
00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:57,880
Speaker 4: Look, you know, you obviously had a couple of tough

502
00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:01,280
Speaker 4: years with some injuries in fourteen and fifteen, but you

503
00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:03,240
Speaker 4: know when you had the Sunshine double you talked about

504
00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:06,560
Speaker 4: when you won and then obviously you know, surprise price

505
00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:11,919
Speaker 4: everybody pregnant, Like I mean that time of your life,

506
00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,480
Speaker 4: Like can I ask you, like legit, like what you

507
00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:17,159
Speaker 4: thought when you when you realize that you were pregnant

508
00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:17,920
Speaker 4: at that time.

509
00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:20,679
Speaker 1: I was.

510
00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:23,760
Speaker 3: I was a little bit shocked, but it was it

511
00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:26,679
Speaker 3: was a really tough time for me during that, uh,

512
00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:31,600
Speaker 3: that period you know, after the Sunshine Double. It was

513
00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:36,360
Speaker 3: it was very very difficult time from me my family

514
00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:39,080
Speaker 3: because I just found out my mom had four stage

515
00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:42,960
Speaker 3: cancer and me coming back and not even knowing like

516
00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:46,160
Speaker 3: what was going on was it was a huge shock

517
00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:51,800
Speaker 3: for me. So when when I when I found out

518
00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,680
Speaker 3: what you know, I was pregnant, I wasn't. I wasn't

519
00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:58,320
Speaker 3: sure what was going to happen. It was like, oh,

520
00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:01,040
Speaker 3: I'm never going to play tennis again, you know, and

521
00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:05,160
Speaker 3: then like everything like you have options of you know,

522
00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:10,920
Speaker 3: different situations, and it was like it happened in Wimbledon.

523
00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:12,680
Speaker 3: So I was like, God, I don't know, like I

524
00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:15,920
Speaker 3: need I probably need a week to figure things out

525
00:29:16,040 --> 00:29:20,440
Speaker 3: and uh and make a decision. So it was it

526
00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:24,600
Speaker 3: was obviously a very tough choice, but I wouldn't change

527
00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:28,160
Speaker 3: it for the world for sure. And now we have

528
00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:36,080
Speaker 3: spit here these guys going does he look like me? Yeah,

529
00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:37,320
Speaker 3: looks like you've been.

530
00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:41,320
Speaker 4: Because it's a podcast, people can't see it, but we've

531
00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:46,560
Speaker 4: been joined on the podcast by Leo. How much did

532
00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:49,400
Speaker 4: that you have your and tribulations after that? We all

533
00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:53,160
Speaker 4: know sort of like the difficulties that were coming from,

534
00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:56,200
Speaker 4: you know, dealing with the relationship as well, And it's

535
00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,240
Speaker 4: been very well minted that you had to you know,

536
00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:01,640
Speaker 4: had to struggle with the custody battle, so it was

537
00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:03,840
Speaker 4: it's been a tough couple of years for you. But

538
00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:06,320
Speaker 4: can you put into words like the last few years

539
00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:10,040
Speaker 4: as far as like the tennis and you know, the

540
00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:14,120
Speaker 4: custody battle and Leo and it's it's you've had to

541
00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:15,680
Speaker 4: deal with a lot of stuff on your own and

542
00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:18,600
Speaker 4: you're obviously away from your family, you know, you're in

543
00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:22,520
Speaker 4: the US. They're not often. I mean, can you put

544
00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:24,280
Speaker 4: into words like how difficult the last couple of years

545
00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:24,720
Speaker 4: of being.

546
00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:28,640
Speaker 3: I mean, into a few words. It's kind of impossible

547
00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:34,160
Speaker 3: to be honest, but yeah, but I think you know,

548
00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:37,760
Speaker 3: I'm I've been always very protective of this side of

549
00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:43,600
Speaker 3: this side because I don't I don't really wanted to

550
00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:46,080
Speaker 3: talk about it so much of what was going on

551
00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:49,240
Speaker 3: because I'm very self aware that you know, the stuff

552
00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:52,240
Speaker 3: you post on the internet is going to be there,

553
00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:56,800
Speaker 3: and I don't want Leo to be you know, reading

554
00:30:56,840 --> 00:31:00,880
Speaker 3: this stuff after or having any kind of record, because

555
00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:04,560
Speaker 3: for me, it's the most important is always having protected

556
00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:09,200
Speaker 3: to protect him over over anything else. And and uh

557
00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:14,160
Speaker 3: and my family. So to say that it was hard,

558
00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:18,800
Speaker 3: is I mean understatement. I think that you know, being

559
00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:26,840
Speaker 3: just being on the court and playing sometimes was a

560
00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:31,320
Speaker 3: miracle that I actually went out there and I was

561
00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:34,680
Speaker 3: able to kind of like you know, put myself together

562
00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:38,080
Speaker 3: and people wouldn't know what's going on. So and I

563
00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:42,640
Speaker 3: and I don't ever look at it as oh, you

564
00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:48,520
Speaker 3: know what, what what you've been doing is actually really difficult.

565
00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:51,040
Speaker 3: Like I'm like, okay, well this is what i gotta do.

566
00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:53,160
Speaker 3: This is what I gotta do. I just have to

567
00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:55,840
Speaker 3: go out there and I have to perform. And then

568
00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:59,520
Speaker 3: you hear all she's not the same, she doesn't play

569
00:31:59,520 --> 00:32:05,560
Speaker 3: as well. Well, she doesn't like that was unnecessary extra

570
00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:12,120
Speaker 3: to to kind of deal with, you know, So I

571
00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:14,080
Speaker 3: don't know, it's hard. It is still hard.

572
00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:21,160
Speaker 4: And I think the important thing for you is that

573
00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:24,200
Speaker 4: you never wanted you never for me growing up, you

574
00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:27,000
Speaker 4: were never poor poor me. You never want to be poor,

575
00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:31,560
Speaker 4: poor me, feel sorry for me. You're always so self

576
00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:33,880
Speaker 4: motivated to be able to go and give one hundred

577
00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:35,880
Speaker 4: percent every time we walk on the court, is what

578
00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:40,440
Speaker 4: you're so admired but for on tour with other players,

579
00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:46,000
Speaker 4: but also knowing you like giving one hundred percent is

580
00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:50,440
Speaker 4: always been your number one thing, you know. But but

581
00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:53,760
Speaker 4: I think it's normal also for people to know. And

582
00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:56,080
Speaker 4: I think one of the things that I love about

583
00:32:56,600 --> 00:33:00,000
Speaker 4: this podcast and having people get to know these tennis

584
00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:02,000
Speaker 4: place is that you're all human, right, and you've got

585
00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:05,160
Speaker 4: things that are going on that nobody sees behind the scenes.

586
00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:09,280
Speaker 4: Of course, you're a public figure and you don't want

587
00:33:09,280 --> 00:33:11,760
Speaker 4: things out in the public. It's very hard not to

588
00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:15,000
Speaker 4: tell your story to be like yeah, but but listen,

589
00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:16,800
Speaker 4: you know, you want to just go and play and

590
00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:18,920
Speaker 4: you don't want to get asked these questions all the time.

591
00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:22,920
Speaker 4: But but it's also it's your life, you know, and

592
00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:26,880
Speaker 4: it's and it's not it's not easy, and performing on

593
00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:28,640
Speaker 4: a tennis court in front of ten thousand people and

594
00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:30,760
Speaker 4: you being everyone expecting you to be at your best

595
00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:31,560
Speaker 4: is not easy.

596
00:33:32,280 --> 00:33:37,360
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it's like it was. I mean, I

597
00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:41,240
Speaker 3: look at it it's like, okay, learning experience, right, because

598
00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:47,520
Speaker 3: that's what that's what I've always been. That's what made me,

599
00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:50,200
Speaker 3: I think, you know, the champion that I am and

600
00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:54,280
Speaker 3: is learning how to get out of the situations that

601
00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:58,840
Speaker 3: are been in front of you. And that's kind of been,

602
00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:02,960
Speaker 3: you know, something that keeps pushing me. Like I mean,

603
00:34:03,440 --> 00:34:06,479
Speaker 3: everybody have their own moments or weakness and stuff, but

604
00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:09,479
Speaker 3: like I know that no matter what, like I'm never

605
00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:12,800
Speaker 3: gonna give up, no matter how good or bad I feel.

606
00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:16,440
Speaker 3: Like I will, you know, be sad for a moment,

607
00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:19,840
Speaker 3: but then I'm gonna keep going. So you know this

608
00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:26,520
Speaker 3: the situations like this, I've definitely grown so much as

609
00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:31,640
Speaker 3: as a person compared to you know, as a tennis

610
00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:33,960
Speaker 3: player and people when it goes to the tournament, it's

611
00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:36,919
Speaker 3: like people look at you as a tennis player. It's

612
00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:38,840
Speaker 3: like the human side doesn't exist anymore.

613
00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:39,040
Speaker 5: You know.

614
00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:41,600
Speaker 3: It's like you play and you win or you lose,

615
00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:44,839
Speaker 3: and that's what you define by kind of and that's

616
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:48,640
Speaker 3: that's fine. But you know, you have your own like

617
00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:52,560
Speaker 3: self evolution that you go through and then you know,

618
00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:56,520
Speaker 3: you answer like these questions that that I understand. This

619
00:34:56,640 --> 00:34:58,960
Speaker 3: is part of the job is like so where when

620
00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:01,680
Speaker 3: what you were to in twenty twelve, how far you've

621
00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:04,239
Speaker 3: come from there? And it's like, you know what, like

622
00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:09,399
Speaker 3: super far. But all you get judged by is like, yeah,

623
00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:12,560
Speaker 3: but you want that year and this year you lost

624
00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:14,600
Speaker 3: in the first round or a second round or a

625
00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:18,080
Speaker 3: third round. But that's there's like some things that are

626
00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:20,480
Speaker 3: a little bigger than what it is, you know. And

627
00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:25,120
Speaker 3: I see with like some other players who are playing

628
00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:27,680
Speaker 3: and maybe not showing their best results because of whatever

629
00:35:27,760 --> 00:35:30,840
Speaker 3: reasons that they might be going through, and people are like,

630
00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:34,000
Speaker 3: you know, just retired, Like what are you doing here?

631
00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:37,560
Speaker 3: Like the fuck do you want? Like why? Like why

632
00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:40,120
Speaker 3: is your business? Why I'm playing? Or why am I

633
00:35:40,239 --> 00:35:44,000
Speaker 3: doing what I'm doing? And it's like why is that?

634
00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:49,080
Speaker 3: Why is that somebody's problem? Let me be me, let

635
00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:52,400
Speaker 3: me do me. And to other people, it's just so

636
00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:56,080
Speaker 3: much like so much judgment and so much you know,

637
00:35:56,239 --> 00:36:00,719
Speaker 3: like talking and stuff for no reason. And that's like

638
00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:03,320
Speaker 3: that's where the point is. Like I feel like sometimes

639
00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:06,560
Speaker 3: you're like you don't really want to you don't want

640
00:36:06,560 --> 00:36:09,400
Speaker 3: to go back into that, Like I love tenants, I

641
00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:14,040
Speaker 3: love competition, but all that bullshit around it's just it's

642
00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:16,960
Speaker 3: just you don't don't don't really want to do that.

643
00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:19,680
Speaker 3: And I'm not at the point in my career where like,

644
00:36:20,239 --> 00:36:23,200
Speaker 3: let me prove you this. I mean, like, I don't

645
00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:28,200
Speaker 3: got to prove nobody nothing. I've done more than a

646
00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:31,360
Speaker 3: lot of people will be able to do in their lifetime.

647
00:36:31,520 --> 00:36:35,400
Speaker 3: But it's not about that. It's just about like seeing

648
00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:40,799
Speaker 3: like how sometimes just damaging, you know, that type of attitude,

649
00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:43,960
Speaker 3: especially for like young young players who are just coming

650
00:36:44,040 --> 00:36:48,280
Speaker 3: up and you know, dealing with like stressful situations. It's

651
00:36:48,840 --> 00:36:52,080
Speaker 3: it's not it's not easy, like you like. That's where

652
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:57,080
Speaker 3: my like mama bear type of part comes in. It's

653
00:36:57,200 --> 00:36:59,080
Speaker 3: like the protective side, you know, So.

654
00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:03,000
Speaker 4: You feel like, I mean, I've known you a long

655
00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:05,279
Speaker 4: time because and you know, I think I told you

656
00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:06,960
Speaker 4: when you came back and I saw you for the

657
00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:09,719
Speaker 4: first time, and I said this to a lot of

658
00:37:09,719 --> 00:37:13,359
Speaker 4: people around me, there's no question that you changed when

659
00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:17,680
Speaker 4: you came back that you were I mean, don't take

660
00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:20,040
Speaker 4: this the wrong way. You were definitely more a mama bear.

661
00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:24,239
Speaker 4: You were you were you were, you talk more, you

662
00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:27,400
Speaker 4: seemed a lot more relaxed, and I think it was

663
00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:30,200
Speaker 4: all for the better for you. Because you also recognize

664
00:37:30,239 --> 00:37:32,760
Speaker 4: this is your family, like out here with the players,

665
00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:35,920
Speaker 4: or you know, with with Serena and being you know,

666
00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:37,640
Speaker 4: her being a mom as well. Like I think you

667
00:37:37,719 --> 00:37:42,960
Speaker 4: were relating better to everyone, and I mean for me,

668
00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:46,759
Speaker 4: it was like you're like a totally different person in

669
00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:50,600
Speaker 4: the best of ways. And I think you eating and

670
00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:53,040
Speaker 4: doing what you're doing with all this stuff going on

671
00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:55,200
Speaker 4: in your life as a as a miracle, you know,

672
00:37:55,280 --> 00:37:57,640
Speaker 4: and it's amazing. I'd love to see you out there playing.

673
00:37:58,960 --> 00:38:00,680
Speaker 4: I mean, what did you learn what was the most,

674
00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:03,600
Speaker 4: you know, last thing on this situation, Like, what was

675
00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:05,759
Speaker 4: the thing that you learned the most about yourself? And

676
00:38:05,800 --> 00:38:07,759
Speaker 4: you're still learning but you're still going through a lot

677
00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:08,000
Speaker 4: of it.

678
00:38:08,719 --> 00:38:13,360
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, I definitely I feel like, you know, that

679
00:38:13,719 --> 00:38:17,640
Speaker 3: kind of a soft side of me that always been

680
00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:21,680
Speaker 3: there but been covered by manu layers of hard ass

681
00:38:21,719 --> 00:38:27,680
Speaker 3: experience opened up. And you know, It's like I was

682
00:38:27,719 --> 00:38:30,440
Speaker 3: just having this conversation today with someone and they said, like,

683
00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:34,520
Speaker 3: your kids, you'll teach kids stuff, And I always say

684
00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:37,680
Speaker 3: that how I feel is that my kid is teaching

685
00:38:37,719 --> 00:38:40,719
Speaker 3: me everything. It's like they're kind of being like a flashlight,

686
00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:43,600
Speaker 3: you know, into into the darkness of your of your

687
00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:46,120
Speaker 3: own self, and they're just pointing out, oh look there's

688
00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:50,160
Speaker 3: something over there. There's something over there. So I definitely

689
00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:54,840
Speaker 3: learned how to be softer, how to you know, not

690
00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:58,799
Speaker 3: be only thinking about yourself because that that is not

691
00:38:58,960 --> 00:39:02,319
Speaker 3: existent anymore when you when you have a kid, like

692
00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:07,680
Speaker 3: you stop thinking about yourself at all. And it made

693
00:39:07,719 --> 00:39:12,640
Speaker 3: me feel like from a different perspective, you know, from

694
00:39:12,719 --> 00:39:16,320
Speaker 3: kind of trying to understand people better, being more aware

695
00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:25,759
Speaker 3: about other situations, what are you doing and the patients

696
00:39:25,920 --> 00:39:27,920
Speaker 3: a little bit that I still don't have a lot.

697
00:39:27,800 --> 00:39:30,880
Speaker 4: Of great patience.

698
00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:35,359
Speaker 3: It's him I actually do, like with It's just like

699
00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:39,520
Speaker 3: with myself, you know. It's what actually it also taught

700
00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:44,440
Speaker 3: me is like how how strong I can be for somebody.

701
00:39:45,520 --> 00:39:47,799
Speaker 3: So I'm learning how to be strong for myself in

702
00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:52,560
Speaker 3: a way, like relearning that stuff. But it's yeah, it's

703
00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:56,719
Speaker 3: a lot of things change for me, honestly, even in

704
00:39:56,719 --> 00:40:00,120
Speaker 3: two thousand, I would say in twenty fifteen, the way

705
00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:05,760
Speaker 3: I was on the tour, and it feels like there's

706
00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:12,600
Speaker 3: just unfortunately there sometimes h you are around people that

707
00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:16,880
Speaker 3: I feel the need to protect you, and I'm gonna

708
00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:23,320
Speaker 3: because people don't understand, I don't see my quotations protect

709
00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:29,000
Speaker 3: quotation marks, right shield you from everything and everyone to

710
00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:32,840
Speaker 3: kind of feel control over you, you know, to manipulate you

711
00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:37,800
Speaker 3: into into whatever situations. And I've had that, and I

712
00:40:38,239 --> 00:40:42,680
Speaker 3: felt like I've been in a way isolated from anybody

713
00:40:42,719 --> 00:40:46,680
Speaker 3: and everybody, you know. And and I not necessarily that

714
00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:50,040
Speaker 3: that much because it's very hard to put like isolate

715
00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:53,200
Speaker 3: me completely because of my personality. But I felt that

716
00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:57,440
Speaker 3: I wasn't close enough with with the players, with especially

717
00:40:57,480 --> 00:41:00,439
Speaker 3: with with people around because you know, we all busy,

718
00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:05,040
Speaker 3: we all doing our stuff, our stuff, but there's we're

719
00:41:05,080 --> 00:41:08,080
Speaker 3: still around each other and we still need to find

720
00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:10,840
Speaker 3: a way to communicate with one another and just be

721
00:41:11,280 --> 00:41:14,719
Speaker 3: just be nice. So from from that moment, they kind

722
00:41:14,719 --> 00:41:16,560
Speaker 3: of like open up my eyes and I was able

723
00:41:16,600 --> 00:41:21,320
Speaker 3: to to be more more open and be more myself

724
00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:23,360
Speaker 3: because for a few for a few years, I was

725
00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:26,400
Speaker 3: really you know, closed and I didn't really want to

726
00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:30,560
Speaker 3: uh be connected to anybody. But but after that it

727
00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:34,279
Speaker 3: really helped me to open up. And I enjoy h

728
00:41:34,440 --> 00:41:38,960
Speaker 3: I enjoy being in that you know, in in in

729
00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:42,759
Speaker 3: this type of energy and connecting with people. So but

730
00:41:42,840 --> 00:41:46,960
Speaker 3: it's you know, it's there are some people around you know,

731
00:41:47,080 --> 00:41:49,840
Speaker 3: tour in your life that are unfortunately are not a

732
00:41:49,920 --> 00:41:52,600
Speaker 3: great influence and we have to experience that to to

733
00:41:52,719 --> 00:41:56,520
Speaker 3: know better and how to you know, move past that.

734
00:41:57,120 --> 00:41:59,279
Speaker 4: And also to see it. And it's probably a good

735
00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:01,440
Speaker 4: thing for you to say it. Maybe you're going to

736
00:42:01,440 --> 00:42:03,600
Speaker 4: be that great influence over somebody one day and be like,

737
00:42:04,280 --> 00:42:06,080
Speaker 4: maybe you should just watch out for that, because I

738
00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:09,600
Speaker 4: can see you being an amazing mentor like in your

739
00:42:09,719 --> 00:42:11,960
Speaker 4: older years, not yet you still got a world.

740
00:42:12,960 --> 00:42:16,040
Speaker 3: I mean, I I think I think that's important and

741
00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:21,800
Speaker 3: I hope, like you know, players and some older players

742
00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:25,640
Speaker 3: who have their experience sometimes share that with with younger players,

743
00:42:26,280 --> 00:42:31,560
Speaker 3: so so they have kind of an understanding impression.

744
00:42:32,160 --> 00:42:36,240
Speaker 4: That is Vika telling Lea not to use the headphone.

745
00:42:36,920 --> 00:42:40,520
Speaker 4: But on that note, Vika, like you are being really

746
00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:43,120
Speaker 4: great over the last couple of months with social issues,

747
00:42:43,200 --> 00:42:46,960
Speaker 4: like with you know, really getting behind Black Lives Matter.

748
00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:50,920
Speaker 4: You you know, reposted Cocoa golf and said how you

749
00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:53,000
Speaker 4: know you go Coco and I'm sure that's the moment

750
00:42:53,239 --> 00:42:55,480
Speaker 4: coming out in you as well. And you did you

751
00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:58,840
Speaker 4: know a bunch of stuff with a frontline workers with

752
00:43:00,120 --> 00:43:03,520
Speaker 4: COVID and I just see you really you're you're trying

753
00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:06,759
Speaker 4: to be a macro view on the world now and

754
00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:11,080
Speaker 4: has that changed since since obviously having Leo and just

755
00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:13,840
Speaker 4: take trying to take that knowing that you are a

756
00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:15,640
Speaker 4: voice and it's important for you to use it in

757
00:43:15,680 --> 00:43:16,160
Speaker 4: the right way.

758
00:43:17,160 --> 00:43:20,120
Speaker 3: Well, I think, you know, I think it's it's it's

759
00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:25,600
Speaker 3: really about like fine balance, because you know, there's there

760
00:43:25,640 --> 00:43:28,600
Speaker 3: are things in the world that that happen and you

761
00:43:28,719 --> 00:43:31,640
Speaker 3: just can't ignore them and you live in the same world,

762
00:43:31,760 --> 00:43:36,520
Speaker 3: you know, something like thing with black Lives matters is

763
00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:41,439
Speaker 3: a really really difficult subject for me to understand. I'm

764
00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:46,640
Speaker 3: from a different country and I've never had any experience

765
00:43:46,719 --> 00:43:51,080
Speaker 3: like that, and it's and it's been a difficult, difficult,

766
00:43:52,560 --> 00:43:54,840
Speaker 3: you know, situation for me to even understand. And I

767
00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:59,839
Speaker 3: had this conversation one time with like with Serena. Actually

768
00:44:00,080 --> 00:44:03,480
Speaker 3: I understand, like I can never understand that emotion, just

769
00:44:03,520 --> 00:44:08,440
Speaker 3: the emotion of like just hating someone because of their

770
00:44:08,480 --> 00:44:11,680
Speaker 3: skin color or whatever, like it just doesn't like I

771
00:44:11,719 --> 00:44:15,520
Speaker 3: can't even understand that. So, you know, going beyond like

772
00:44:15,960 --> 00:44:18,600
Speaker 3: understanding what people are feeling, I can't say what I

773
00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:23,880
Speaker 3: can't say that I understand I absolutely can't, but you know,

774
00:44:25,080 --> 00:44:27,440
Speaker 3: I just want to be helpful where I can be helpful,

775
00:44:28,080 --> 00:44:30,719
Speaker 3: no matter what the situation really is. It's like, if

776
00:44:30,760 --> 00:44:33,840
Speaker 3: I can help somebody to do better or to be better,

777
00:44:34,280 --> 00:44:37,520
Speaker 3: why wouldn't I take the chance to do that? And

778
00:44:37,719 --> 00:44:43,560
Speaker 3: I course, like sometimes with people use you know, some people,

779
00:44:43,560 --> 00:44:45,600
Speaker 3: when you say something, they use you as a front

780
00:44:45,640 --> 00:44:48,760
Speaker 3: line for their for their agenda, if it's good or bad.

781
00:44:48,920 --> 00:44:51,920
Speaker 3: So sometimes you're just like have like you feel like,

782
00:44:51,960 --> 00:44:54,719
Speaker 3: oh do do I want to say something? Do I

783
00:44:54,760 --> 00:44:57,360
Speaker 3: have a backlash? And it's like this stuff with the

784
00:44:57,400 --> 00:45:02,360
Speaker 3: social media backlash you know from it's like it's it's extra.

785
00:45:02,600 --> 00:45:05,880
Speaker 3: Just just be nice, try to be helpful, listen sometimes

786
00:45:05,920 --> 00:45:09,400
Speaker 3: more than talk, you know, and then just do do

787
00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:13,600
Speaker 3: your best in anything. And you know, and I hear

788
00:45:13,719 --> 00:45:17,080
Speaker 3: sometimes like you you help somebody with us, and then

789
00:45:17,160 --> 00:45:19,120
Speaker 3: somebody else comes, oh, well you didn't help us with that,

790
00:45:19,239 --> 00:45:22,960
Speaker 3: and you're like, well, I can't be everywhere all the time,

791
00:45:23,360 --> 00:45:27,640
Speaker 3: but enough issues. I just like, you know, like it

792
00:45:27,800 --> 00:45:30,799
Speaker 3: it's sometimes it's just overwhelming because even if you do good,

793
00:45:30,840 --> 00:45:33,920
Speaker 3: it feels like sometimes it's not enough or like you

794
00:45:33,960 --> 00:45:36,640
Speaker 3: know it's not but you know you still gotta keep

795
00:45:36,680 --> 00:45:41,120
Speaker 3: going and still feelish, so.

796
00:45:41,239 --> 00:45:44,000
Speaker 4: Rika, I mean, you know, I gotta. I'm gonna bring

797
00:45:44,040 --> 00:45:47,480
Speaker 4: it up just because why not. But you know, the retirement,

798
00:45:47,800 --> 00:45:50,839
Speaker 4: I mean, that is far from your thought process right now,

799
00:45:51,160 --> 00:45:55,000
Speaker 4: I would imagine because I see, I see you still,

800
00:45:55,520 --> 00:45:56,279
Speaker 4: I can't.

801
00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:58,600
Speaker 3: Really say that. I can't really say that because I

802
00:45:58,640 --> 00:46:00,640
Speaker 3: wasn't even sure I was going to come play again.

803
00:46:01,040 --> 00:46:07,080
Speaker 3: I honestly I haven't touched my record since September until February,

804
00:46:07,239 --> 00:46:10,600
Speaker 3: and I really wasn't sure if I'm going to play,

805
00:46:11,640 --> 00:46:17,080
Speaker 3: So I can't really say that I'm not thinking about it.

806
00:46:17,120 --> 00:46:20,400
Speaker 3: I haven't thought about it. Sometimes I just keep you know,

807
00:46:20,600 --> 00:46:23,319
Speaker 3: I want to try to play again because I really

808
00:46:23,320 --> 00:46:26,160
Speaker 3: feel like I can still do what I can learn.

809
00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:28,160
Speaker 3: As long as soon as I feel like I can't

810
00:46:28,239 --> 00:46:31,799
Speaker 3: learn anything, I can can go further. I think that's

811
00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:36,120
Speaker 3: where it's going to be a moment for me. And

812
00:46:36,160 --> 00:46:38,840
Speaker 3: that's that's kind of it. You know, it's like self,

813
00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:43,320
Speaker 3: I guess self progress when self progress stops on the court,

814
00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:49,200
Speaker 3: because you know, in life it will never stop. We

815
00:46:49,400 --> 00:46:53,240
Speaker 3: are I'm going to keep trying to play, and I've

816
00:46:53,400 --> 00:46:55,880
Speaker 3: honestly thought I would never play the past twenty seven

817
00:46:56,000 --> 00:47:01,840
Speaker 3: but here we are, so it's yeah, we'll see. I

818
00:47:01,880 --> 00:47:03,799
Speaker 3: don't I just don't want to predict anything because I

819
00:47:03,840 --> 00:47:05,960
Speaker 3: feel like every time I say something that's going to

820
00:47:05,960 --> 00:47:07,080
Speaker 3: happen and nothing happens.

821
00:47:07,080 --> 00:47:11,319
Speaker 4: So yeah, well, well I can tell you that. I mean,

822
00:47:11,560 --> 00:47:13,440
Speaker 4: for God's sake, I want you to keep playing for

823
00:47:13,480 --> 00:47:15,359
Speaker 4: as long as you have the passion and you love it,

824
00:47:15,400 --> 00:47:20,280
Speaker 4: because you know, you're you're you're a great rare player.

825
00:47:20,360 --> 00:47:22,879
Speaker 4: And the fact that you know, I'll say to even

826
00:47:22,920 --> 00:47:25,279
Speaker 4: with Genie last week and we were watching you play,

827
00:47:25,320 --> 00:47:26,799
Speaker 4: and I just said, you know, Vika is such a

828
00:47:26,840 --> 00:47:29,520
Speaker 4: good She's such a good role model for every young

829
00:47:29,520 --> 00:47:33,600
Speaker 4: player to watch because every point is at one hundred

830
00:47:33,600 --> 00:47:36,560
Speaker 4: percent capacity every time, whether you win or lose the point,

831
00:47:36,920 --> 00:47:40,840
Speaker 4: it's your path or giving your best is it's a

832
00:47:40,960 --> 00:47:43,120
Speaker 4: rare thing. And a lot of players get very upset

833
00:47:43,160 --> 00:47:44,960
Speaker 4: and they you know, play one or two bad games

834
00:47:45,000 --> 00:47:47,799
Speaker 4: and they get down on themselves. But you've always been

835
00:47:47,840 --> 00:47:50,279
Speaker 4: such a great role model for these young kids, and

836
00:47:50,360 --> 00:47:54,720
Speaker 4: so I just hope you keep playing being happy because

837
00:47:54,760 --> 00:47:58,319
Speaker 4: that's super important for so much of us that love

838
00:47:58,440 --> 00:47:59,120
Speaker 4: to watch you play.

839
00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:02,480
Speaker 3: Keep doing Yeah, that's that's really like, you know what

840
00:48:02,560 --> 00:48:05,680
Speaker 3: I'm working. I like to find that balance to to

841
00:48:06,040 --> 00:48:08,000
Speaker 3: to go out there and just enjoy it because it's

842
00:48:08,040 --> 00:48:11,040
Speaker 3: been a while since I had that feeling, you know,

843
00:48:11,280 --> 00:48:16,520
Speaker 3: and it obviously shows with the results, you know, finding

844
00:48:16,560 --> 00:48:20,480
Speaker 3: myself that you know, going through these difficult times is

845
00:48:20,520 --> 00:48:23,359
Speaker 3: I feel like in the end, the reward of that

846
00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:26,000
Speaker 3: and that feeling to regain that back, that's what's going

847
00:48:26,080 --> 00:48:28,160
Speaker 3: to be worth it. So that's why, you know, kind

848
00:48:28,160 --> 00:48:32,840
Speaker 3: of going through this tough time is important for to

849
00:48:32,920 --> 00:48:37,040
Speaker 3: be able to appreciate it, probably more after and I think,

850
00:48:37,440 --> 00:48:40,799
Speaker 3: you know when when people like I remember people ask

851
00:48:40,880 --> 00:48:43,399
Speaker 3: me like, how does it feel to win your Grand Slam?

852
00:48:43,600 --> 00:48:47,360
Speaker 3: And honestly, my first feeling was relief. It wasn't like

853
00:48:47,800 --> 00:48:51,440
Speaker 3: joy or anything. It was just like relief finally, like

854
00:48:51,520 --> 00:48:53,239
Speaker 3: and you and you don't think about, oh, I just

855
00:48:53,280 --> 00:48:55,360
Speaker 3: wanted it, just like all of those bad kind of

856
00:48:55,480 --> 00:48:58,840
Speaker 3: days and those tough moments, that's where you kind of

857
00:48:58,840 --> 00:49:02,759
Speaker 3: relieve and then everything else shows up. So you know,

858
00:49:03,200 --> 00:49:05,799
Speaker 3: I feel like the when you when you do have

859
00:49:05,880 --> 00:49:11,759
Speaker 3: that success is built on a lot of failures. But

860
00:49:11,920 --> 00:49:18,879
Speaker 3: definitely it's like it's hard to you know, appreciate when

861
00:49:19,160 --> 00:49:21,800
Speaker 3: when something is given to you and rather than something

862
00:49:21,880 --> 00:49:24,800
Speaker 3: is is you, you really earn earn.

863
00:49:24,680 --> 00:49:27,439
Speaker 4: Them so well, I don't know. Maybe there's crazy time

864
00:49:27,480 --> 00:49:31,120
Speaker 4: with COVID and not being able to play and spending

865
00:49:31,160 --> 00:49:33,520
Speaker 4: time with Leo, and you know, getting all of that

866
00:49:33,680 --> 00:49:36,360
Speaker 4: sort of settled in your life is maybe a blessing

867
00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:39,400
Speaker 4: in disguise that maybe a lot of players don't like

868
00:49:39,440 --> 00:49:41,320
Speaker 4: everyone else is jumping at the bit. Maybe it was

869
00:49:41,360 --> 00:49:43,279
Speaker 4: a good thing for you to step away and be

870
00:49:43,440 --> 00:49:47,040
Speaker 4: told you can't play, and maybe it'll reevaluate how you

871
00:49:47,040 --> 00:49:50,000
Speaker 4: feel about going forward, whether it's to play on or

872
00:49:50,239 --> 00:49:52,399
Speaker 4: you know, to spend the family life that you want

873
00:49:52,440 --> 00:49:54,520
Speaker 4: to now and make something of that. So maybe it's

874
00:49:54,560 --> 00:49:56,239
Speaker 4: maybe it's a blessing in disguise either way.

875
00:49:56,239 --> 00:49:56,480
Speaker 5: With you.

876
00:49:57,200 --> 00:50:01,239
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think so. I think that that is. I mean,

877
00:50:01,280 --> 00:50:03,359
Speaker 3: no matter how hard it is to think now, it's

878
00:50:03,480 --> 00:50:07,920
Speaker 3: just it definitely makes you pause and think about things

879
00:50:07,960 --> 00:50:12,360
Speaker 3: that you don't you kind of blame on being busy

880
00:50:12,440 --> 00:50:16,320
Speaker 3: and not being able to address that. And now it's like, well,

881
00:50:16,920 --> 00:50:20,759
Speaker 3: you've got all the time in the world, so let's

882
00:50:20,800 --> 00:50:22,800
Speaker 3: see how you feel today and then we'll check you

883
00:50:23,040 --> 00:50:26,120
Speaker 3: back tomorrow. And then I'm still going to be here

884
00:50:26,400 --> 00:50:29,040
Speaker 3: the next day, so might as well talk to me.

885
00:50:30,480 --> 00:50:34,319
Speaker 4: No excuses, no listen, Beca. I don't want to keep

886
00:50:34,320 --> 00:50:38,040
Speaker 4: you much longer because Leo, Leo, you have been very patient,

887
00:50:38,520 --> 00:50:40,399
Speaker 4: and I want to thank you for giving mom up

888
00:50:40,440 --> 00:50:42,480
Speaker 4: for a little while so she can talk to us

889
00:50:42,600 --> 00:50:45,680
Speaker 4: in the in the podcasting world. And Vica, I just

890
00:50:45,719 --> 00:50:48,480
Speaker 4: want you to know I just adore you, and you

891
00:50:48,520 --> 00:50:51,920
Speaker 4: know I've watched you grow from this young, skinny, little

892
00:50:51,920 --> 00:50:59,120
Speaker 4: precarious uh an incredible woman, an amazing mom and Mom.

893
00:50:59,000 --> 00:51:03,920
Speaker 3: I'm still skinny, Holy, still skinny.

894
00:51:04,960 --> 00:51:07,120
Speaker 4: But you know I want you to keep playing as

895
00:51:07,120 --> 00:51:08,560
Speaker 4: long as you have the passion you need, love it

896
00:51:08,600 --> 00:51:11,120
Speaker 4: because there's very rare athlete that's come along like you

897
00:51:11,239 --> 00:51:13,319
Speaker 4: and the tennis tour that just that gives as much

898
00:51:13,360 --> 00:51:16,239
Speaker 4: as you do. And and I know that the last

899
00:51:16,280 --> 00:51:18,359
Speaker 4: couple of years is being tough, but you have come

900
00:51:18,400 --> 00:51:21,799
Speaker 4: through it as tough as anybody I know. So so

901
00:51:21,920 --> 00:51:24,440
Speaker 4: thanks for sharing some of your story with us.

902
00:51:25,160 --> 00:51:28,279
Speaker 3: Thank you, thank you for having me, and I'll see

903
00:51:28,280 --> 00:51:28,600
Speaker 3: you soon.

904
00:51:28,640 --> 00:51:30,919
Speaker 4: Renee, you bet I better see you soon.

905
00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:36,360
Speaker 1: And that's it for this episode of the Racket Magazine podcast.

906
00:51:36,360 --> 00:51:37,120
Speaker 3: Thanks for listening.

907
00:51:37,600 --> 00:51:40,760
Speaker 1: Our host is Renee Stubbs. Our co host and producer

908
00:51:40,840 --> 00:51:43,759
Speaker 1: is me Caitlin Thompson. Music by International are Now and

909
00:51:43,840 --> 00:51:47,000
Speaker 1: DJ stretch Armstrong. Thanks to tim Or, Jerry And and the

910
00:51:47,040 --> 00:51:50,680
Speaker 1: team at acast. Find us at racketmag dot com, slash podcast,

911
00:51:50,920 --> 00:51:54,040
Speaker 1: and subscribe to us at any of your favorite podcatchers.