WEBVTT - Paul Kilderry: The ultimate tennis insider 0:00:01.720 --> 0:00:04.480 Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of the sit Down. 0:00:04.840 --> 0:00:07.280 I'm Matt Trolop, a rat an editor for OZ open 0:00:07.280 --> 0:00:10.440 dot Com. Really looking forward to welcoming give Christy back 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:12.639 next week. She's on her way back from Paris very 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:15.200 soon after a great time at Roland Garras. But again 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:19.120 this week, I'm joined by Victoria Rudnikov, producer for Tennis 0:00:19.120 --> 0:00:21.120 Australia and the Australian Open. Good to see Vic. 0:00:21.320 --> 0:00:23.880 Thank you for having me again, Matt. It's a pleasure 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:25.599 to be here as always. 0:00:25.720 --> 0:00:27.680 And I need to ask you, Matt, why did we 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:29.400 sit down with Paul Kilderry today. 0:00:29.760 --> 0:00:32.280 Well, we had plenty to dive into with Paul after 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:35.200 a great result for the Australians at Roland Garras last week. 0:00:35.240 --> 0:00:38.200 He is the director of Professional Tennis at Tennis Australia, 0:00:38.280 --> 0:00:40.360 so it was really cool to hear his insights about 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:42.480 what the Aussies did in Paris and then looking forward 0:00:42.520 --> 0:00:45.080 to the grass court season where we've traditionally thrived. But 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:48.400 then we got the chance to dive into his tennis story, 0:00:48.400 --> 0:00:51.279 which we found out is really unique and it goes 0:00:51.320 --> 0:00:51.920 back a long way. 0:00:52.280 --> 0:00:52.800 Definitely. 0:00:52.840 --> 0:00:55.480 He was a great junior player he trained at the 0:00:55.520 --> 0:01:00.400 Volitary Academy, but even after his professional playing career taken 0:01:00.440 --> 0:01:05.399 on the roles as coach, agent, manager, tournament director of 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:07.240 the Hotman Cup. I mean, there are so many to 0:01:07.360 --> 0:01:09.800 list on top of his current role now as well. 0:01:09.920 --> 0:01:12.200 Yeah, it's an incredible tennis journey and we hope you 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:16.479 enjoy his story. Paul Kilderry, thanks very much for joining 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:18.240 us today on the sit Down podcast. 0:01:18.319 --> 0:01:18.680 Thank you. 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:22.119 I seen the sit Down before and I've never been 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:24.040 invited to, so it's a real honor to be here. 0:01:24.120 --> 0:01:28.000 Oh you're welcome, and you're currently the director of Professional 0:01:28.040 --> 0:01:29.120 Tennis at THA. 0:01:29.600 --> 0:01:32.120 Can you tell us about your role and what that entails. 0:01:32.400 --> 0:01:34.640 Yeah, I've been in this role for about three and 0:01:34.640 --> 0:01:38.800 a half years, I think, so basically my role is 0:01:38.959 --> 0:01:42.200 to help to be the conduit between the players and 0:01:42.280 --> 0:01:46.320 our and Tennis Australia. So I support all our players 0:01:46.560 --> 0:01:49.800 pretty much in the men and the women in the 0:01:49.800 --> 0:01:53.280 top two fifty so and part of that is overseeing 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:57.440 Davis Cup, Billy Jenkin Cup, Olympic team, national teams. 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:01.280 That's in the essence of my role. I guess. I've 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:03.240 been at tenth Astralia now for over twenty years. 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:06.080 So I do have strong interest in a lot of 0:02:06.440 --> 0:02:10.080 other areas of the business, whether that be tournaments or 0:02:10.560 --> 0:02:13.920 the pathway, and trying to support the team wherever I can. 0:02:14.120 --> 0:02:16.680 When you say support, like how does the support look? 0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:19.920 Giving advice and trying to you know, whether it be 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:24.160 the tournament team, and trying to you know, really advocate 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:28.760 for tournaments and for our pro players, and trying to 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:31.360 just give my feedback on things that where I feel 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:33.440 like we can really aim to improve. 0:02:33.840 --> 0:02:36.400 And speaking of some of our Aussie players, obviously this 0:02:36.480 --> 0:02:38.400 year we've had Tarlie Gibson have a bit of a 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:41.880 breakout year at the Sunshine Double, then at Roland Garross. 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:44.840 More recently, Adam Walton and Kim Berrell had some incredible 0:02:44.880 --> 0:02:46.399 wins over top ten players. 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:47.880 What do you make of these results? 0:02:49.000 --> 0:02:52.400 Well, starting with tari I was in Indian World watching 0:02:52.400 --> 0:02:55.440 her play Qualities and she was down double match point. 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:57.560 I think it was last round of qualities. 0:02:57.760 --> 0:03:01.639 And then you see, you know, a week later and 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:04.200 she's in the quarter finals and it was just so 0:03:04.400 --> 0:03:08.200 good to see. You know, I'm originally from Persevn and 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:11.880 Tally and her family since she's a young girl and 0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:15.000 to see her develop and really come out of a 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:17.400 shell and start playing tennis like that, and you could 0:03:17.440 --> 0:03:20.280 just literally date by day see the self belief growing. 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:23.560 That was pretty special for her from memory. She had 0:03:23.760 --> 0:03:28.280 three four top twenty wins that week, including one top 0:03:28.320 --> 0:03:31.440 ten win over Palini, so really amazing. 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:33.600 Backed it up the next week with a fourth. 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:36.640 Round run in Miami where she defeated Osaka again coming 0:03:36.680 --> 0:03:39.800 through qualifying. So so many wins, so many wins, So 0:03:39.800 --> 0:03:43.120 it's a great you know, and like I said, to 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:47.360 see her just you know, evolving right in front of you, 0:03:47.480 --> 0:03:50.240 and you see her off court really gaining confidence. And 0:03:50.800 --> 0:03:52.760 you know, I give a lot of credit to her coach, 0:03:52.880 --> 0:03:55.360 Jared Barnt. I think he's doing a really great job 0:03:55.400 --> 0:03:58.800 with her this year. And you know, we've got we 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:00.760 have a lot of co which is on the road 0:04:01.040 --> 0:04:05.440 and strength and conditioning stuff and physio stuff and all 0:04:05.480 --> 0:04:07.400 on the road with our players, and they do such 0:04:07.400 --> 0:04:09.880 a great job every time I come back from a 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:12.320 tourn and I sort of admire the hard work they 0:04:12.360 --> 0:04:14.760 put in and our players are really fortunate to have 0:04:14.840 --> 0:04:15.440 such support. 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:17.920 And the Roland Garrels piece had happened, I mean, like 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:20.839 scoring two top ten wins in one day at Roland 0:04:20.839 --> 0:04:23.880 Garrels like Clay's not traditionally the surface at Australians like 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:28.120 associate with as much success, but today it was really interesting. 0:04:28.160 --> 0:04:29.960 Talking to Casey de Laqua in the lead up, she 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:33.159 said that a lot of the Aussies actually have a 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:35.880 really good game for clay, and we saw that. I 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:37.919 think we had the most into the second round in 0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:40.000 seven years or something that was six have got through. 0:04:40.040 --> 0:04:43.200 So are we better on clay than we think will 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:44.400 help us going forward? 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:47.760 It is the one probably Grand Slam where you sit 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:49.920 there going I hope we get a few wins today 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:53.839 because you just never know. And I think James Duckworth 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:56.880 was the first player to get through on day one, 0:04:56.960 --> 0:05:00.279 which was nice, and Isla Tomlanovitch lost to heartb Maker 0:05:01.360 --> 0:05:04.320 on the same day. So you know, for years we 0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:09.560 had Sam Stozer who was a great arguably definitely her 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:14.400 best surface was clay. When Sam Sam's Tubbins story when 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:16.400 she first toured Europe, she didn't want to match the 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:19.039 whole clay courts, so it does take a few years 0:05:19.040 --> 0:05:22.440 to get used to it. You know, every time I 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:26.520 come home from the French Open, you just see I 0:05:26.640 --> 0:05:29.760 love watching tennis from Paris. You know, you just see 0:05:29.760 --> 0:05:34.159 the physicality of the sport, the shop making, the patients required, 0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:38.160 and it's just a brutal mental test out there. You know, 0:05:38.200 --> 0:05:40.000 it's hard to win a point at times, they'll learn 0:05:40.000 --> 0:05:42.719 a match and you just see what the players go through. 0:05:43.240 --> 0:05:45.880 So I really admire the way the game is played. 0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:49.480 Now we turn our attention to the grass, and digs 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:52.679 tend to happen a little easier for us on the grass, 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:56.120 which a lot of our players, like Tylie Gibson for example, 0:05:56.120 --> 0:05:59.680 grew up playing on grass in perse so it's sort 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:02.320 of a much more natural thing for us. 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:02.880 Yeah. 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:04.560 Well, we were going to ask you that because I 0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:07.599 think the grass court season technically starts this week. The 0:06:07.680 --> 0:06:09.800 challenges start in the second week of the French and 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:11.360 a lot of ossies will already be heading there. And 0:06:11.400 --> 0:06:13.640 traditionally we have had so much success. Is it just 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:16.760 because of our well, culturally it's ingrained in Australian tennis. 0:06:16.800 --> 0:06:18.480 We used to play on grass, but a fair bit 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:20.960 of grass still exists. Is that why just naturally more 0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:24.080 time on it, aspiring to Wimbledon, that kind of thing 0:06:24.120 --> 0:06:25.279 we tend to thrive on it. 0:06:25.480 --> 0:06:29.520 Our courts in Australia just typically quicker than clay courts, 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:33.520 whether that be hard courts, you know, the hard courts 0:06:33.560 --> 0:06:38.160 we have here at Melbourne Parker quicker than a clay court. 0:06:38.279 --> 0:06:41.600 And there's a lot of synthetic grass still in New 0:06:41.640 --> 0:06:45.840 South Wales especially, so they're really quick. WA has a 0:06:45.880 --> 0:06:49.000 lot of grass courts, So around Australia there's just a 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:53.480 splattering of faster courts, so it's a much more natural 0:06:54.120 --> 0:06:56.560 progression to grass and we have a lot of grass, 0:06:56.600 --> 0:06:59.479 so I don't think it holds fears for Australian players 0:06:59.480 --> 0:07:02.440 like it does for some of the Europeans who literally 0:07:03.120 --> 0:07:05.600 probably played two tournaments a year on grass with. 0:07:05.640 --> 0:07:08.200 Our Aussie players and Australian tennis in general. What do 0:07:08.240 --> 0:07:10.240 you think we can expect in the coming future. 0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:15.040 Well, you know, we've got some great young women who 0:07:15.080 --> 0:07:19.200 are really excited about their future. Certainly Tarlie who spoke 0:07:19.200 --> 0:07:21.160 about's already up to fifty. 0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:24.040 Five in the world. And you know, I think when 0:07:24.080 --> 0:07:24.520 you look. 0:07:24.400 --> 0:07:30.720 At her progression, there's no I don't think there's really 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:33.200 a ceiling there for her at the moment. I think 0:07:33.560 --> 0:07:37.680 her just getting confidence and self belief and sometimes the 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:40.160 Yussie players it does take a little longer to really 0:07:40.280 --> 0:07:44.520 get that ingrained self belief. So hopefully Tarlie can keep 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:48.720 growing in those aspects. And you know, Emerson Jones is 0:07:48.720 --> 0:07:52.200 a very exciting prospect, Taylor Prest and Tarlie Ka Keenness. 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:55.400 We've got a bunch of young women who are really 0:07:55.480 --> 0:07:59.640 exciting all in that age group. On the men's side 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:03.040 of our top hundred, around top hundred players are sort 0:08:03.040 --> 0:08:06.360 of heading towards thirty now, so hopefully we can get 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:08.240 a bunch of a few more years out of those 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:11.720 players and some great results. And you know, Alex Diminar 0:08:11.800 --> 0:08:15.520 has been incredible for the last number of years and 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:17.720 he's really leading the way from men. And it's been 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:22.040 good to see Alex Epopron start to show some better form. 0:08:22.200 --> 0:08:24.160 He's struggling there for a little bit, but I think 0:08:24.200 --> 0:08:27.680 he's working his way through now and starting to playing 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:29.560 much better and feel more confident. 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:32.320 So you know, we're a little bit of a gap. 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:34.640 I'd love to see some of our sort of eighteen 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:37.080 to twenty two year olds really step up and start 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:41.000 to show how good they can be. And obviously Cruz 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:46.240 Hewitt is doing really well in his age group, and 0:08:46.360 --> 0:08:50.080 I think he hasn't played much juniors anymo, always moving 0:08:50.080 --> 0:08:53.120 on to the pro tour, and it's a you know, 0:08:53.200 --> 0:08:55.240 you start on the pro tour and you've got no ranking, 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:58.040 and then you've got to I don't give your ranking, 0:08:58.120 --> 0:09:00.079 you know you got you've got to win matches. You 0:09:00.200 --> 0:09:01.920 just got to get out there, and it takes time. 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:08.000 And you know, cruises seventeen and a half. He's a 0:09:08.120 --> 0:09:12.360 late December birth year in birthday, so he's. 0:09:12.200 --> 0:09:14.000 A young he's young for his age. 0:09:14.400 --> 0:09:16.600 I know he's going to play junior Wimbledon, but really 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:20.280 focus on building his men's ranking. But he's winning a 0:09:20.320 --> 0:09:22.480 lot of matches all around the world and no doubt 0:09:22.559 --> 0:09:26.800 gaining great experience. A young boy I believe a year 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:30.920 younger than Cruz. Taiki Takazawa who lives over at. 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:33.679 The Nadal Academy. He's an exciting prospect. 0:09:34.920 --> 0:09:37.600 Yeah, we've got a lot of you know, certainly some 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:41.800 of our young junior team representatives have had a pretty 0:09:41.840 --> 0:09:45.480 good time recently as well, So hopefully that next wave 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:48.360 can come through. And I still have really high hopes 0:09:48.400 --> 0:09:50.520 for you know, James mccabs. 0:09:50.559 --> 0:09:52.000 You feel secular. 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:56.040 These boys have certainly got the potential, Pablo Marinko, but 0:09:56.280 --> 0:09:59.480 it does take time, and you know, you've got to 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:03.160 keep getting better than all the time because it's really 0:10:03.200 --> 0:10:03.839 tough out there. 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:08.280 You mentioned you grew up in Perth and your father 0:10:08.400 --> 0:10:10.760 was a professional player as well, and so I'm assuming 0:10:10.840 --> 0:10:13.080 is that how you discovered tennis. I think on your 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:15.680 ATP profile it says you began hitting a balloon around 0:10:15.720 --> 0:10:17.720 at one and a half or something like that, so 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:20.280 it sounds like tennis was like in your bones from 0:10:20.320 --> 0:10:20.840 a young age. 0:10:20.960 --> 0:10:21.120 Yeah. 0:10:21.160 --> 0:10:25.240 Dad was a tennis coach, a player coach. I think 0:10:25.280 --> 0:10:29.120 he was a stay coach, and so he ran a 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:31.320 club and I just hung around the club. So basically 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:33.000 from the time I could walk, I had a tennis 0:10:33.080 --> 0:10:35.280 racket in my hand. I actually got to play hit 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:37.680 with like Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe when I was 0:10:37.720 --> 0:10:41.120 eight years of age and wow, and that was fine. 0:10:41.960 --> 0:10:46.240 At thirteen, I signed with IMG, so I I think 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:49.280 I'd just won the fourteen and under national championships in Australia, 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:54.120 signed with IMG, and then they moved my whole family 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:58.960 from Perth to America. So Mark McCormack, who was the 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:04.480 founder of IMG organize my father a job, the whole 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:08.200 family moved from Perth. We moved to Florida and I 0:11:08.280 --> 0:11:12.440 went to Nick Boltari's tennis academy. So crazy to think, 0:11:12.679 --> 0:11:15.160 you know, I look back now and I think was 0:11:15.160 --> 0:11:18.880 the world smaller then it was? You know, like it 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:22.120 just but coming from PERFCT just seems so far away. 0:11:22.280 --> 0:11:23.199 Yeah, definitely. 0:11:23.440 --> 0:11:25.400 Yeah, Just it's interesting you say that, like, so you 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:28.160 got spot, you won the national championship. So but Matt 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:29.120 mccormacks American. 0:11:29.200 --> 0:11:32.080 Yeah, well I didn't tell you the whole story. So 0:11:32.280 --> 0:11:35.520 when I was did they find you? When I was eight? 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:37.760 I hit with beil Borg and. 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:42.640 His manager was on the side of the court and 0:11:42.679 --> 0:11:44.679 he saw me playing as an eight year old and 0:11:44.720 --> 0:11:48.120 as where was this in Perth? Yeah, And as a 0:11:48.200 --> 0:11:51.920 joke he sent a telegram to Mark McCormack at IMG 0:11:52.720 --> 0:11:56.360 and so I've just discovered the next big star tennis planer. 0:11:56.559 --> 0:12:00.640 We need to sign him up now. You know, today 0:12:00.679 --> 0:12:03.040 they would probably sign an eight year old, But this was, 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:05.640 you know, nineteen eighty one or whenever it was. 0:12:07.120 --> 0:12:08.559 And Mark never forgot that. 0:12:08.920 --> 0:12:13.120 And if you knew Mark, who we ended up being 0:12:13.280 --> 0:12:18.360 really close family friends, he never forgot anything. And he 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:23.240 met my father, you know, five years later on when 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:26.360 my father was coaching Jenny Byrne, an Australian pro player, 0:12:27.000 --> 0:12:28.760 and he said, oh, there used to be a boy 0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:30.880 from Perth who was meant to be quite good. Do 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:32.480 you know who it was? And my father said, I. 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:33.120 Was my son. 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:36.440 So when Mark in nineteen eighty seven, Mark came to 0:12:36.520 --> 0:12:38.760 the America's Cup which was in Perth, and he asked 0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:41.520 to see me play. And then after he saw me play, 0:12:41.559 --> 0:12:44.440 he basically offered my father a job and meet a 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:47.679 scholarship to go to Nick Bolatari's tennis academ Wow. 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:49.240 So it was pretty crazy. 0:12:49.240 --> 0:12:51.880 I had a sixteen year old sister, nineteen year old sister, 0:12:52.679 --> 0:12:53.679 so they had to pack up. 0:12:53.640 --> 0:12:54.319 And leave as well. 0:12:54.400 --> 0:12:58.240 The whole family moved to Florida for via tennis, which 0:12:58.280 --> 0:13:01.240 I look back noround I think, you know, crazy that, 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:05.440 you know, but we sort of probably Mum and Dad 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:07.600 probably felt they had nothing to lose and let's go 0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:10.440 for it. And you know, I thank them for that 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:15.960 because it's certainly opened a lot of doors for the 0:13:15.960 --> 0:13:18.760 world we live in, you know, the opportunities that gave me. 0:13:20.160 --> 0:13:23.600 So I remember nineteen eighty seven, just after the US 0:13:23.679 --> 0:13:26.880 Open rolling up to Voltaris and three hundred and fifty 0:13:26.960 --> 0:13:30.360 kids there, and I didn't know anyone, but Nick was 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:33.240 great to me. And but you know, I tend I 0:13:33.280 --> 0:13:35.960 go to my class. I was in class with Monica 0:13:36.040 --> 0:13:39.880 Sellus and wow, you know, Agacy was there, and Jim 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:42.120 Currier and David Wheaton. 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:47.679 You know, so many players were there that class. 0:13:48.320 --> 0:13:49.560 That's the thing we were going to talk to you 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:52.040 about this because it was at the Bolitary Academy was 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:54.559 famed and all of those people were there at the time, 0:13:54.559 --> 0:13:58.160 and subsequently players like Sharapova, cornicover and Sharapova came through. 0:13:57.960 --> 0:13:58.360 It as well. 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:00.720 It was kind of the leading tennis academy. What was 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:03.440 that like? So with all of those people there, what 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:06.040 did that mean for who you were hitting against and 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:07.880 training with and what did it do for your career 0:14:07.880 --> 0:14:09.559 progression going through Boltary? 0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:14.040 It was amazing, Like Nick was incredible to me. There 0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:15.880 were probably three hundred and fifty kids there, but there 0:14:15.880 --> 0:14:21.400 were probably twenty on scholarship who probably you know, got 0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:24.480 everything they needed. And I remember it was a bit 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:27.040 of a hierarchical thing. You know, you're in group to 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:30.320 be in group one was pretty cool, you know. And 0:14:30.520 --> 0:14:32.920 you in group one. Yeah, I was in group one, 0:14:33.200 --> 0:14:36.000 but you know, there'd be one one coach for Group 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:39.040 one and in the after so you'd go there and 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:42.080 you'd drill all morning. I was supposed to be a 0:14:42.120 --> 0:14:45.200 school but it's more I didn't go to school a lot. 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:47.520 But in the mornings were drill a lot, and then 0:14:47.560 --> 0:14:50.160 the afternoons you'd play sets. So the coacher just roll 0:14:50.200 --> 0:14:53.000 out balls and you'd go with it against another Group 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:55.880 one player. But Nick used to give me a lot 0:14:55.920 --> 0:14:58.720 of attention and a lot of private lessons, and he 0:14:58.840 --> 0:14:59.800 really looked after me. 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:00.760 Probably helped that. 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:04.480 Mart McCormack called him, who owned the academy, and said, 0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:05.760 you've got to look after this kid. 0:15:05.840 --> 0:15:09.040 But he was amazing to me, and we stayed friends. 0:15:10.080 --> 0:15:10.320 You know. 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:13.480 I used to hear from him right up until he's passing. 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:17.280 So he was terrific to me. There were just so 0:15:17.360 --> 0:15:20.960 many players going through there and coaches, and really opened 0:15:21.040 --> 0:15:23.480 up a whole new world meeting a lot of people 0:15:23.560 --> 0:15:24.080 in tennis. 0:15:24.240 --> 0:15:27.960 Yeah, for sure, And I think maybe this, I don't 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:28.960 think this is a coincidence. 0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:29.440 Maybe it is. 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:32.160 But your best result on tour, so when you started 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:34.760 playing in the early nineties. Your best result you made 0:15:35.080 --> 0:15:37.920 the Miami Master's fourth round in ninety five, was that 0:15:38.400 --> 0:15:41.080 you knew Florida. Like it's right, isn't it right. It's 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:44.720 not super close to voluntary, but similar conditions that condition. 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:46.520 I played well there. 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:49.640 To be honest, you played well there frequently, like because 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:51.280 you also had really good doubles results there too. 0:15:51.880 --> 0:15:56.560 Yeah, I got a good partner, It's actually true. I 0:15:56.560 --> 0:15:57.520 did get a good part of that. 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:03.480 So I sort of started on the tour about ninety one, 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:06.000 so I was number five junior in the world. I 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:08.640 lost to Thomas Enquist in the seventies of junior women. 0:16:09.560 --> 0:16:11.400 And I remember that because I saw him last week. 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:14.600 He was coaching Verytidi in Paris, and he loves reminding 0:16:14.640 --> 0:16:19.760 me how he kicked my butt in Sely So I couldn't. 0:16:19.480 --> 0:16:21.200 Play a grasp, but I still killed you. 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:23.880 So we'll never let you forget that one. 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:28.240 Yeah. Yeah, So then I but ninety three it was 0:16:28.440 --> 0:16:31.080 first time I quali for a Grand Slam, which was Wimbledon, 0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:34.280 and I call it on one court in pat Raft 0:16:34.400 --> 0:16:37.720 right next to me. I lost second round and he 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:40.000 went onto the third round, where he lost to Agacy 0:16:40.280 --> 0:16:43.200 instead of ninety four is to make my way probably 0:16:43.600 --> 0:16:45.080 round to one in the world. 0:16:45.240 --> 0:16:46.440 Ninety five I played. 0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:49.680 I started to get some momentum at the back of 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:52.520 ninety four, I think, and then ninety five I started 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:55.520 the year pretty well. I lost in chang first round 0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:57.840 of the Aussie Open here that year in four sets, 0:16:57.880 --> 0:16:59.880 but that was a fun experience, and then played well 0:16:59.880 --> 0:17:00.400 in Miami. 0:17:00.440 --> 0:17:00.960 I beat. 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:05.280 Richard Kraichek, who was top ten, and Aaron Krickstein. Yeah, 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:07.959 so that was a good win. And then the next year, 0:17:08.000 --> 0:17:12.560 actually broke my knee, broke my leg really where the 0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:16.080 knee meets the leg meets the knee. 0:17:15.760 --> 0:17:19.040 So that set me back pretty badly. 0:17:20.240 --> 0:17:22.560 So I probably barely played for a year after that, 0:17:23.520 --> 0:17:25.720 but I did play the next year. I did play 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:29.560 Miami in doubles like you referenced, and we made the court. 0:17:29.600 --> 0:17:31.440 I was playing with Wayne for Era and we made 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:34.320 the quarterfinals. But I can't tell you how badly I 0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:37.760 was playing and how I still couldn't move properly, but 0:17:37.840 --> 0:17:40.720 he was playing unbelievable. And again last week in Paris, 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:43.399 I bubbed into Paul Harhu's who and we beat Elting 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:46.320 Hahu's They were number one in the world. It was 0:17:46.400 --> 0:17:48.399 almost like I shouldn't have got the prize money or 0:17:48.440 --> 0:17:50.000 the points because Wayne for. 0:17:50.000 --> 0:17:52.480 Her was playing that well. I was that bad, but. 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:55.760 We happened to sneak a wins. Yeah, it was a 0:17:55.760 --> 0:17:58.240 great tournament. I've been to the new site, but it 0:17:58.280 --> 0:17:59.760 was really good at keep a Skating. 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:03.280 So you mentioned two of those wins, Christine and Krychik. 0:18:03.320 --> 0:18:05.040 You also beat Pat I think in Tokyo. 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:08.600 I beat Rafter. Yeah, a couple of times in Tokyo. 0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:11.919 Yeah, so I were one of those matches perhaps like 0:18:12.000 --> 0:18:14.520 your is that your most memorable or like you kind 0:18:14.520 --> 0:18:16.479 of reference you were playing you kind of hit your 0:18:16.480 --> 0:18:18.639 stride in mid nineties. When was your what was your 0:18:18.680 --> 0:18:19.120 best result? 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:22.040 I think ninety four it was when I beat Pat 0:18:22.240 --> 0:18:24.080 and he sort of had a break through a year. 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:28.920 We'd played juniors together since we're eleven when we first met, 0:18:29.040 --> 0:18:32.520 and I'd always been beaten him. I don't think I 0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:35.239 ever lost to him, So when we did play in 0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:37.560 the pros, I always felt like, even though he was 0:18:37.640 --> 0:18:40.040 top twenty and I was probably one hundred and fifty 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:43.920 or whatever, I always felt like, you know, you had 0:18:43.920 --> 0:18:44.720 that on your rafter. 0:18:44.840 --> 0:18:49.320 He's terrible. You know, I always felt like I. 0:18:49.240 --> 0:18:51.360 Had a pretty good opportunity to beat and I knew 0:18:51.359 --> 0:18:54.399 his game very well, and I did get him that 0:18:54.520 --> 0:18:57.320 day in Toto. 0:18:57.240 --> 0:18:58.280 Which was good. 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:01.240 I actually beat him, and he talks about it a 0:19:01.320 --> 0:19:04.200 little bit. He was traveling with his mother in I 0:19:04.280 --> 0:19:06.520 think it was ninety two, and we played in Tokyo 0:19:06.560 --> 0:19:09.440 as well, but in the qualities, and I beat him there, 0:19:10.119 --> 0:19:12.760 and I remember he felt like he was never going 0:19:12.840 --> 0:19:13.320 to get there. 0:19:13.680 --> 0:19:16.480 It was like that period of because Pat. 0:19:16.280 --> 0:19:20.800 Wasn't a great junior, but he grew a ton, like 0:19:20.840 --> 0:19:23.040 when he was eighteen nineteen years of age, all of 0:19:23.080 --> 0:19:27.520 a sudden, this not huge of a kid who tried 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:31.760 to serve and volley was now a huge, really tall, strong, 0:19:32.000 --> 0:19:36.240 great athlete servant volley. And he was like this transformation 0:19:36.480 --> 0:19:41.440