Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to the sit Down. I'm Viv Christie,
Speaker 1: managing editor of Australian Tennis.
Speaker 2: Magazine, and I'm Matrolope, writer for oz open dot com.
Speaker 2: And Viv tell us why we're sitting down with Nick
Speaker 2: Carryous this week.
Speaker 1: Because he has announced that he'll be back this Australian summer.
Speaker 1: He is playing his first tour event at the Brisbane International.
Speaker 1: So Nick returns after a long injury break. He spent
Speaker 1: the best part of two seasons sidelined. He comes back
Speaker 1: with I think new perspective and yeah, lots to add
Speaker 1: to the sport.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and we discovered that when the two of us
Speaker 2: sat down with Nick at pat Raft arenap for what
Speaker 2: ended up being a really wide ranging chat about a
Speaker 2: lot of things. We obviously spoke about the comeback, but
Speaker 2: Nick's a great talker, great student of the game and
Speaker 2: has been involved from a media perspective, so we had
Speaker 2: lots to chat about with him.
Speaker 1: Nick was so generous with his time. This is a
Speaker 1: longer interview than usual for us, but while worth settling
Speaker 1: in to hear what he has to say. Well, Nick, firstly,
Speaker 1: thank you for joining us on the sit down. It's
Speaker 1: great to see you back on court again.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's been I've hit a lot of tennis balls
Speaker 3: in the last year and a half, but they haven't
Speaker 3: been proper ones. They've been like the furry ones and
Speaker 3: literally starting out with you know, under ten's balls, then
Speaker 3: building it up every couple of months and finally able
Speaker 3: to come out here again on a beautiful court like
Speaker 3: the Brisbane Arena and officially be you know, announced a
Speaker 3: players is an insane moment that I thought that I
Speaker 3: wouldn't get back to. But yeah, I'm super excited. Obviously,
Speaker 3: had a bit of fun today with Layton, sun Cruise
Speaker 3: and Cooper and it's good to be back out there
Speaker 3: amongst it. You know, there's a different energy to the
Speaker 3: Aussie summer that I think that I've missed.
Speaker 4: So six weeks or so out from the comeback.
Speaker 1: What are the emotions as you look forward to them.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean I'm a bit nervous.
Speaker 3: I think it's it's only natural to feel that way,
Speaker 3: and I think it's healthy. It just means I care
Speaker 3: about how I'm going to perform and the pressure of
Speaker 3: it's all. It's interesting because I got asked like, why
Speaker 3: would I put myself back in that position? And it's
Speaker 3: I think it's just something that US tennis players, us
Speaker 3: Ouzsy tennis players really missed the Australians. So I'm playing
Speaker 3: in front of our fans that they are some of
Speaker 3: the best fans in the world as well. So yeah,
Speaker 3: I'm just super excited. I feel like I'm in the
Speaker 3: best shape of my life. I've been training really hard
Speaker 3: and then I'm going to continue to do that over
Speaker 3: the next six to eight weeks and we'll give we'll
Speaker 3: give it a crack.
Speaker 1: You're returning to the scene of one of your seven
Speaker 1: career titles, the only one that you won in Australia.
Speaker 4: What's the significance of that.
Speaker 3: I just think the court in general really plays towards
Speaker 3: my game style.
Speaker 5: It's very fast, it's.
Speaker 3: Great serving conditions. It's the only thing I don't like.
Speaker 3: It's a bit humid. I forgot our humor this this
Speaker 3: place is. I was sweating literally in the first five minutes.
Speaker 3: So yeah, look, I just think it's it's amazing. You
Speaker 3: look at some of the past champions here. I mean,
Speaker 3: this tournament's always stacked with amazing talent and there's going
Speaker 3: to be some great players here and we've talked briefly
Speaker 3: about the Australian players and how good they've been over
Speaker 3: the last you know year or two, that some of
Speaker 3: them having.
Speaker 5: Career best years, career best titles.
Speaker 3: So it's an exciting time for men's tennis in Australia.
Speaker 2: What's it like hitting with Cruise, hit with Late It's funny,
Speaker 2: It's it's.
Speaker 5: Not it's not weird, it's not.
Speaker 3: But I definitely give him, you know, some stick for it,
Speaker 3: and I, you know, I like trash talking a little bit,
Speaker 3: but no, it's it's cool. And as I said, I
Speaker 3: had a conversation with Layton yesterday about potentially returning to
Speaker 3: the Davis Cup line up. So just having these conversations
Speaker 3: again and being a part of it, hitting with these
Speaker 3: guys and just playing, you know, competing with them is
Speaker 3: something that I just I genuinely thought it wasn't going
Speaker 3: to be possible again.
Speaker 5: But yeah, it's it's a bit strange.
Speaker 3: Like me obviously playing and I've competed against his dad
Speaker 3: a lot and now committing against him.
Speaker 5: It's it's funny.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's very full circle. Yes, what if you missed
Speaker 2: most in your time away from tennis? It sounds like
Speaker 2: it's the competitiveness.
Speaker 3: Yeah I missed, I missed. I mean I did compete
Speaker 3: a lot off the court. I mean it can be anything,
Speaker 3: can be a computer game, video game, anything like a
Speaker 3: board game.
Speaker 5: I'll compete a little bit too hard.
Speaker 3: But I guess it's just actually the sport of and
Speaker 3: I think winning, Like when you win a tennis match,
Speaker 3: you know that the routine, actually the routine of winning
Speaker 3: a tennis match, getting physio, gone back to the hotel,
Speaker 3: and enjoying that win with your team. I think that's
Speaker 3: what our team into the other than twenty two. We
Speaker 3: were experiencing that so much. It just became part of
Speaker 3: our culture of you know, going to the courts, getting
Speaker 3: it done and enjoying those wins together. And I think
Speaker 3: that's what I missed most, was doing it with my
Speaker 3: team and having success together.
Speaker 5: I think that's what I missed most.
Speaker 2: We were also going to ask you if there was
Speaker 2: a specific moment, because you were after you've been out
Speaker 2: for two years, effectively, if there was a moment where
Speaker 2: you felt the burning desire properly to return again, and
Speaker 2: was it that conversation with Novak at Wimbledon, or was
Speaker 2: there another time where you watch something happened, You're like, God,
Speaker 2: I'd love to be out there again.
Speaker 3: I definitely went through a lot of dips, like energy lows,
Speaker 3: highs and lows throughout the last eighteen months. There were
Speaker 3: times where I was super motivated to like, all right,
Speaker 3: I want to start the rehab. I want to sorry,
Speaker 3: I want to you know, I want to get going.
Speaker 3: I want to be better. And then there was times
Speaker 3: where I was like I don't want to play anymore.
Speaker 3: You know, this is too hard. Like I was having
Speaker 3: pain in my hand, my wrists, and I was like,
Speaker 3: this is not going to get better, Like I didn't want.
Speaker 5: To do the work required. And I guess I had
Speaker 5: a really good team around me.
Speaker 3: And then I went to Wimbledon and I tried to,
Speaker 3: you know, announce it on Twitter that i'd be hitting
Speaker 3: with some of the players there, and Novak was hit
Speaker 3: with him for three days and that's when I actually
Speaker 3: realized that, you know, I was only starting to serve then.
Speaker 3: And then he was like, it doesn't look like you've
Speaker 3: had surgery. You're moving really well, you're playing really well.
Speaker 3: And that's when I looked at my team. I was like, Okay,
Speaker 3: maybe we're on the right track, maybe we can return,
Speaker 3: And six months later here we are.
Speaker 5: So it's been a That was probably.
Speaker 3: The turning moment when when Novak said that, I was like, Okay,
Speaker 3: we're doing something right here, and we're you know, gearing
Speaker 3: for a return.
Speaker 5: At some stage.
Speaker 1: Sounds like Novak was one of the players that really
Speaker 1: supported you in the comeback.
Speaker 4: With there any other players that really reached out.
Speaker 3: Look, I think whether a player wants me to come
Speaker 3: back or not, that's one thing, But whether the sport
Speaker 3: needs it, I think it's another. I don't think there'd
Speaker 3: be too many happy faces seeing me back on to it.
Speaker 3: You know, I had a lot of friends, but I
Speaker 3: also had a lot of people that didn't get along with,
Speaker 3: which I think is completely normal in sport, and I
Speaker 3: think the tennis world needs a bit more of that.
Speaker 3: But yeah, I mean, look, there's been a plenty of supporters.
Speaker 3: You know, the American players I'm all pretty close with,
Speaker 3: and they gave me a lot of support as well.
Speaker 3: But I think people that I've drawn in spray from
Speaker 3: probably like Dominic Team, someone like that who went through
Speaker 3: a major surgery and his one actually wasn't even as
Speaker 3: severe as mine, and to see him just get back
Speaker 3: to a challenger level and play some Grand Slams was
Speaker 3: a bonus where I want to get back there and
Speaker 3: win some you know, some big matches. So I've really
Speaker 3: drawn and obviously we know the severity of people that
Speaker 3: have had risk injuries before Del Potro team like these
Speaker 3: guys haven't got back to where they were, and I
Speaker 3: don't think that's a fair for me.
Speaker 5: I want to, but I don't know.
Speaker 3: We'll see how my level is when I get back,
Speaker 3: But I don't know if it's a fair I guess
Speaker 3: goal to have in mind to get back to, you know,
Speaker 3: making a Grand Slam final after such as severe injury.
Speaker 5: But we'll see. But I think there've been some supportive
Speaker 5: tennis players.
Speaker 2: That's good. Yeah, it's obviously been as particularly the nature
Speaker 2: of the injury being so rough, it's hard to maybe
Speaker 2: see a positive in the time away and the challenges.
Speaker 2: But have there been any silver linings?
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, I mean, look, spending time with my family,
Speaker 3: you know, my partner and just you know, my brother
Speaker 3: has two kids. Now, you know, I think as an
Speaker 3: Australian tennis player, you travel so much of the year
Speaker 3: and you know, all these tennis guys will tell you
Speaker 3: you miss I think, significant moments with your and your
Speaker 3: best friends and your people that you would ideally want
Speaker 3: to spend all the time with you don't get to
Speaker 3: see them at all. So I think the positive of
Speaker 3: being injured was I was able to catch up on
Speaker 3: so many other things off the court as well that
Speaker 3: needed my attention. You know, obviously a lot of business
Speaker 3: ideas that I had, you know, I started, you know,
Speaker 3: I was very proactive in my time away and just
Speaker 3: spend time with my loved ones and the people that
Speaker 3: I thought I'd missed out so much time, Like what
Speaker 3: from literally fifteen to twenty five, I felt like I
Speaker 3: didn't even spend time with my family because I was
Speaker 3: always traveling for tennis. So now I definitely felt like
Speaker 3: I caught that time up.
Speaker 2: Do you feel Also, younger people talk about having like
Speaker 2: long periods of time actually refreshing them because you're not
Speaker 2: pounding your body, you're not traveling is not yet Like
Speaker 2: so you know you're twenty nine, but are you physically
Speaker 2: twenty nine? Do you know what I mean? You say
Speaker 2: it on the court before that you were like, I'm
Speaker 2: old now, but it's like you.
Speaker 3: Kind of I actually feel as if I'm like seventy.
Speaker 5: I feel like I've.
Speaker 3: Had so many experiences and you know, I've dealt with
Speaker 3: a lot of things in my life, and I've you know,
Speaker 3: you know, being in the spotlight at eighteen and going
Speaker 3: through the experience of I feel like I've gone through
Speaker 3: a lot for a person, and I feel like I
Speaker 3: feel a lot older than twenty nine, that's for sure.
Speaker 3: And people will assume I'm a lot older because I
Speaker 3: was on tour at seventeen, But yeah, I definitely, honest like, mentally,
Speaker 3: I do feel a bit, I guess new to the
Speaker 3: tour again, where you know, just like going into the
Speaker 3: locker room and like just before having a shower, just
Speaker 3: feeling that again and doing those things kind of feels
Speaker 3: a little bit new, which is good because there was
Speaker 3: parts where I was like, oh, here we got another
Speaker 3: tennis center and another this and all that. But yeah,
Speaker 3: I know what you mean, But I definitely I don't
Speaker 3: know if physically I feel younger.
Speaker 5: I don't know about that.
Speaker 2: So we have to ask when you do come back,
Speaker 2: who are you most looking forward to playing?
Speaker 5: Oh, I've got a couple of answers there.
Speaker 3: Ah, But look that I think the tennis world right
Speaker 3: now is in a it's definitely the changing of the guard.
Speaker 3: I think we will understand that Rafa and Fed's not
Speaker 3: being there anymore. And I think this is you could
Speaker 3: comfortably say it's the back end of Novak's career. Now
Speaker 3: you know it's open, but you know you've got the
Speaker 3: lights of you know, Olcaaz whole garoon. You're Onix Sinner
Speaker 3: like these guys that are, you know, vying for that
Speaker 3: next kind of mantle. But I would love to play
Speaker 3: obviously center at some stage, hopefully not my first match back,
Speaker 3: but I doubt did pay Brisbane. But you know, look,
Speaker 3: that's that's probably that would be circled on my calendar
Speaker 3: for sure. And I don't know, it's always fun playing
Speaker 3: tizzy paths. I think we all I think that's a
Speaker 3: very healthy one for the tennis world.
Speaker 5: Awesome.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you you came so close to winning a Grand
Speaker 1: Slam title at Wimwooden.
Speaker 4: Is how much of a motivation is it to go
Speaker 4: one better than that?
Speaker 3: I think that's probably one of the only things keep
Speaker 3: me around in the sport. I mean, obviously, I think
Speaker 3: I've got a lot more tennis to play for my fans,
Speaker 3: but I think a Grand Slam is the only thing
Speaker 3: that's kind of missing. I think in Australian tennis in general,
Speaker 3: you know we've got you know, Lexi Poper winning a Master's.
Speaker 5: Event, you know, Demon's vying for titles.
Speaker 3: But I think that at the end of the day,
Speaker 3: that all means nothing if you don't finish. I think
Speaker 3: that's the only thing that people really care about in
Speaker 3: tennis career is how many Grand Slams you have. And
Speaker 3: did I think that the doubles Grand Slam was going
Speaker 3: to calm it down, to be honest, and No, I
Speaker 3: knew that the critics always going to be like, oh,
Speaker 3: I doesn't have a single one still after I want
Speaker 3: to double one. And I agree with him, like I
Speaker 3: am a singles player and I've put in so much
Speaker 3: work to be a good singles player, and I was
Speaker 3: two sets away, a set and a half away from winning.
Speaker 3: You know, I'm a tennis event that makes you tennis immortality.
Speaker 3: So that's definitely a driver. I mean, I hear it
Speaker 3: every day that he hasn'tont to go slam, Like the
Speaker 3: amount of times I've heard that it's going to drive
Speaker 3: me insane.
Speaker 2: Most people haven't though, Oh I know, but like.
Speaker 3: They say that, oh, he's one of the most talented
Speaker 3: players like this, so that that there's I think there's
Speaker 3: a lot that comes with that, which is it's good
Speaker 3: in a way, but it's also a curse because people
Speaker 3: want you to win so bad.
Speaker 1: Your first Grand Slam back will be your home Grand Slam.
Speaker 1: How special is it to play at the Astraine Open.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's been extremely tough missing that event the last
Speaker 3: two years, not because I'm sitting there, you know, watching
Speaker 3: other people play. You know, I love watching other Ossies
Speaker 3: play at this Train Open. I love the stories created,
Speaker 3: I love the opportunities that they have and it can
Speaker 3: change careers it honestly. Can you make a run of
Speaker 3: the Austrain Open and we see, you know, all these
Speaker 3: young Aussies have good runs and then you know it kicks.
Speaker 5: Off their career.
Speaker 3: But for me, it's just there's a different feeling playing
Speaker 3: in Australia. And you know, I played my first I
Speaker 3: mean I played Australi Open Juniors when I was fifteen
Speaker 3: years old and it just seemed like that time of
Speaker 3: the year was always special for Ozsi's you know, it
Speaker 3: was Aussie summer even this time you're all hanging out together,
Speaker 3: training together. You can feel the energy kind of heating
Speaker 3: up a little bit, and I can't wait to get
Speaker 3: out there and just feel you know, I'm just going
Speaker 3: to soak up every little moment because it could be
Speaker 3: my last one and I'm not going to take a
Speaker 3: granted even if I win, not lose, I'm going to
Speaker 3: enjoy the stadium. I'm going to enjoy all the tough moments,
Speaker 3: the adversity moments, and just enjoy it all.
Speaker 1: Do you have a favorite moment from your Australian Open
Speaker 1: so far?
Speaker 5: I think, oh, that's a tough one.
Speaker 3: I mean, obviously, yeah, I mean it's been it's been amazing.
Speaker 3: I think obviously the doubles has got to be up there.
Speaker 3: You know, I never thought I'd be in the doubles again,
Speaker 3: stand literally never I thought the singles, what one would come?
Speaker 3: That's maybe at some stage if not, but I'd never
Speaker 3: thought I'd get close to any of those one and
Speaker 3: it just happened. I think the CATCHONOV match in the
Speaker 3: third round of the show and Open, when it was
Speaker 3: like a four hour and fifty out, four hours and
Speaker 3: fifty minute grind and it was it was probably one
Speaker 3: of the most insane energy I've ever been a part of.
Speaker 3: The crowd was absolutely going insane and it was it
Speaker 3: was special.
Speaker 2: Now that was on John Canaen. Yes, obviously, that's such
Speaker 2: a big part of your story. That court. You've almost
Speaker 2: kind of made it your own. We actually did some
Speaker 2: research into your Do you know your record on that court?
Speaker 5: No, I don't know.
Speaker 2: Would you guess how many matches you played and won
Speaker 2: on it?
Speaker 3: I'd be close to probably fifteen, I reckon, Yeah, fifteen
Speaker 3: and fifteen, maybe twelve and three or something, that's.
Speaker 2: What your record is.
Speaker 4: Twelve.
Speaker 2: Yeah, there you go. So that was what we're going
Speaker 2: to ask you. So, yeah, won twelve, lost three, so
Speaker 2: it's an eighty percent record. So what is it about
Speaker 2: that court that brings out your best because it is
Speaker 2: by far your best record at the AO of all
Speaker 2: the court. In fact, you played on it so much
Speaker 2: more than all the es, but you pretty much never
Speaker 2: lose on it.
Speaker 3: I think it's just I don't know, it's just something
Speaker 3: about the speed the court just feels amazing. I think
Speaker 3: I just love the dimensions of even though every single
Speaker 3: court in the same dimensions, just the backdrop, but everything
Speaker 3: or about it.
Speaker 5: I like how the crowd's really close. I'm not too sure.
Speaker 3: I really want to put a petition in when I'm
Speaker 3: done to call it the Curios instead of John. I think,
Speaker 3: I genuinely think if we called it the Curios Court,
Speaker 3: it would be it would be a lot more, it
Speaker 3: would be a lot cooler, and I think people would
Speaker 3: be like it would create a bit more buzz or
Speaker 3: you playing on the Hero's Court like, because then it's
Speaker 3: like known for being a bit of a chaotic zoo
Speaker 3: like you know atmosphere, I think, and then people will
Speaker 3: think about some of the best times I had on
Speaker 3: it and just how chaotic the crowd was going like
Speaker 3: it sometimes I was like, this place is ridiculously loud
Speaker 3: and it was a bit of like a zoo out there.
Speaker 3: I think, Yeah, I mean, I don't know what it
Speaker 3: is about that court, but I don't know. Hopefully I'll
Speaker 3: be able to play on it again this year, and
Speaker 3: if not, you know, I'm happy to.
Speaker 5: Play on Rod.
Speaker 2: So is it actually like, are the crowd different compared
Speaker 2: to say Rod Labor Because you've had some pretty wild
Speaker 2: matches on Keya in the doubles run, and you've played
Speaker 2: on MCA as well. But there's something maybe a bit
Speaker 2: specific about JCA. Is it the ground passes, it's coming
Speaker 2: right down to the court.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I think I do like the fact that it's very
Speaker 3: accessible for the fans. The fans are right there. They
Speaker 3: haven't on like ongoing conversations with me. I think they've
Speaker 3: realized that I really feed off it, and they're obviously
Speaker 3: a bit boozy around that time as well, like five vmish.
Speaker 2: Yes, that's the hour on.
Speaker 3: Yeah, And I don't know, it's just something about that court.
Speaker 3: I think that the crowd of rod Labor a bit
Speaker 3: more tame, and you know, they're a bit more I
Speaker 3: guess classy, But I don't think I fit into that
Speaker 3: kind of description.
Speaker 5: So I think I'd love to play on John Cane again.
Speaker 2: I love it. Where will the I guess we'll see
Speaker 2: where you're scheduled when you come back.
Speaker 5: Yes. Yes.
Speaker 1: When you look back on your career as a whole,
Speaker 1: what what are you most proud of?
Speaker 3: I think I think how much I've kind of, I guess,
Speaker 3: changed and matured over the course of my career. I
Speaker 3: think I'm very much still a child. I'm very much
Speaker 3: still youthful, and I love to have fun. But I think,
Speaker 3: you know, I think I was earlier in my career.
Speaker 3: I didn't really, I don't know. I just I think
Speaker 3: I enjoy it now because I know that the window
Speaker 3: that I've had as an athlete and the success I've
Speaker 3: had is not normal and it's very like, I'm very
Speaker 3: lucky to have had that success, but also I worked
Speaker 3: very hard. But not many athletes are able to say
Speaker 3: that they've you know, going to the top of their
Speaker 3: sport and really knocked on the door of you know,
Speaker 3: getting to the ultimate prize. And I think this injuries
Speaker 3: made me realize that, you know, I've got to be
Speaker 3: grateful for it, and I can't.
Speaker 5: Be so I can't be so selfish, I guess. And
Speaker 5: when I come back to.
Speaker 3: I want instant titles, I want Grand Slams Like that's
Speaker 3: not that's not how the sport works. Sometimes it's my
Speaker 3: day and sometimes it's not. And I think I'm just
Speaker 3: really proud.
Speaker 5: Of I couldn't.
Speaker 3: I would never be saying that at the start of
Speaker 3: my career. I'd be you know, really like probably too
Speaker 3: confident or too arrogant to you know, say that, No,
Speaker 3: I want more and want more all the time, which
Speaker 3: is not bad, but I think now it's like I've
Speaker 3: done the work to get back and everything now is
Speaker 3: a bonus. And you know there's a younger generation coming
Speaker 3: in now and the banging over there is.
Speaker 5: Insane, but.
Speaker 3: Always it's Yeah, I just think that I'm really proud
Speaker 3: of how much I've kind of matured. Tennis is I
Speaker 3: think makes you mature as a person. You know, you
Speaker 3: do everything alone, you travel alone. It does mature you
Speaker 3: very quickly, obviously more often not maybe not me as
Speaker 3: quick as others, but finally to that point where I
Speaker 3: think I've matured a lot.
Speaker 1: So on the flip side, it's obviously a long career.
Speaker 1: You are there any periods where you look back at
Speaker 1: any matches or times in your career saying I wish
Speaker 1: I could do that again.
Speaker 5: Oh.
Speaker 3: I don't think I regret moments in my career, to
Speaker 3: be honest, I think every little moment happened for a
Speaker 3: specific reason. I think I kind of look at it
Speaker 3: as like a building block. You take one moment out,
Speaker 3: I think the structure kind of falls down.
Speaker 5: And I'm not saying I had great moments.
Speaker 3: I've had some absolute diabolical moments on the court, meltdowns, tantrums, fines.
Speaker 5: I wouldn't condone it for the future generations.
Speaker 3: But at the same time, I think that I'm man
Speaker 3: enough now to say that, you know, they weren't like.
Speaker 5: Would I do it again?
Speaker 3: Maybe, but they're not the right That wasn't the right
Speaker 3: way to conduct myself.
Speaker 5: But I did have fun. I think at the end
Speaker 5: of it.
Speaker 3: I think I think at the end of my career,
Speaker 3: I did I did it my way and I had fun.
Speaker 3: And that's that's the message that I think from my career.
Speaker 3: It's like, you can be authentic, you can be yourself
Speaker 3: and you can still kind of find navigate yourself your
Speaker 3: own way, your own way. They don't need like there's
Speaker 3: not one specific path to get there.
Speaker 1: Sure, ahead of this interview, I did pull out something
Speaker 1: which was your first Australiant tennis magazine.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 3: The funny thing is I do remember this because my
Speaker 3: mum has this frame in my house in camera outside
Speaker 3: my room, so I see this all the time.
Speaker 2: That's awesome.
Speaker 4: What do you think you stand? Do you recognize that, Nick?
Speaker 5: I do recognize it.
Speaker 3: I recognize a kid that had no idea what he
Speaker 3: was stepping into. Honestly, like I was just I was
Speaker 3: still at the Melbourne Academy when you know, we were there,
Speaker 3: and I was living in Melbourne at the time with
Speaker 3: the Guccioni family, and I was just a young kid,
Speaker 3: just probably still in school at that time, and.
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's it.
Speaker 3: I had no idea what what the roller coaster was
Speaker 3: going to be like.
Speaker 5: To be honest, is.
Speaker 4: There any advice you would give to that.
Speaker 2: Nick that Nick is a that's AO twenty fourteen, Nick
Speaker 2: before that photo.
Speaker 5: Is I would probably just say.
Speaker 3: I'd probably say not to take criticism too hard. At
Speaker 3: that time, I think I was a very I was
Speaker 3: an emotional kid, and I was very like I was
Speaker 3: a sensory person, like I took comments very personally. So
Speaker 3: I would tell myself maybe not to take the criticism
Speaker 3: too hard because it really it really affected me. So
Speaker 3: I'd probably say, just continue to be that showman that
Speaker 3: you have inside you. But there was going to be
Speaker 3: I didn't realize that it was going to be such
Speaker 3: a I didn't realize I was going to send such
Speaker 3: shock waves I guess through the tennis world, I guess,
Speaker 3: And I was eighteen. I had no idea that I
Speaker 3: was able to do that I was a kid from
Speaker 3: Canberra still in school, like, and I was going to
Speaker 3: send shockwaves through the global tennis world. So I'd say,
Speaker 3: just don't take criticism too hard.
Speaker 4: From that perspective that you have.
Speaker 1: Now, what life lessons do you think he can take
Speaker 1: from tennis?
Speaker 3: I guess you have to be an amazing problem solver
Speaker 3: on the tennis court. You're always adapting as well. It's
Speaker 3: the one sport where it's played all around the world,
Speaker 3: different time zones, different diet, different cultures. You're always uncertain.
Speaker 3: You never know what time exactly going to play, and
Speaker 3: sometimes you never know. You could play for an hour
Speaker 3: and a half, play for five hours at a Grand Slam.
Speaker 3: There's so many variables in tennis where no other sport
Speaker 3: can can understand that, Like what other sport has so
Speaker 3: many question marks of your performance. So I think the
Speaker 3: problem solving and you realize that nothing's perfect in love too,
Speaker 3: Like the greatest of all time have only won over
Speaker 3: just over half the points they've ever played. You know,
Speaker 3: rogers et a one fifty four percent of points, so
Speaker 3: he's losing like pretty much every.
Speaker 5: Second point he's playing.
Speaker 3: So like the ability to pick yourself up after having
Speaker 3: a bad day or you know, you could have a
Speaker 3: bad relationship and anything, you've got to understand it.
Speaker 5: You know, you got to pick yourself back up.
Speaker 3: And I think tennis is a very good teacher that
Speaker 3: because you can't win, you're not winning every week, you
Speaker 3: know you're losing, pick yourself back up, go again. So yeah,
Speaker 3: you've got to be a fast learner and a good loser.
Speaker 1: I noticed today when you were hitting with cruise, you
Speaker 1: were giving lots of advice.
Speaker 4: Yeah, would you obvious see it yourself as a coach possibly.
Speaker 5: I mean.
Speaker 3: Me and Jordan Thompson always joked about like me and
Speaker 3: him would would take like kids away on a tour
Speaker 3: and we would be the coaches.
Speaker 5: That'd be a fun tour.
Speaker 3: I would probably do it, like at some stage, I
Speaker 3: think I do enjoy I actually do enjoy watching. I mean,
Speaker 3: obviously from a commentating standpoint, I enjoy watching and enjoy
Speaker 3: and I'm not a very critical commentator.
Speaker 5: I don't like when commentators, you know, beat down or.
Speaker 3: Too critical because it's not easy out there and in
Speaker 3: this today's day and age, game is so physical. But
Speaker 3: I could see myself one day maybe you know, I
Speaker 3: enjoy giving people you know, advice or tactical advice and
Speaker 3: then seeing them trying to execute that. I think I
Speaker 3: could see myself one day doing that. Yeah, I mean
Speaker 3: it's a bit of fun.
Speaker 1: It has been an amazing year in Australian and as
Speaker 1: you mentioned earlier, have you and we're heading into the
Speaker 1: Davis Cart Finals, which Australia would.
Speaker 4: Be a part of. Have you missed being a part
Speaker 4: of all that?
Speaker 5: Definitely? I love the team environment. I love being a
Speaker 5: part of that team.
Speaker 3: You know, they're so of my That's some of my
Speaker 3: closest friends, you know, Thanasi Jordan Thompson. I'm so happy
Speaker 3: for Jordan to see how how well he's gone top
Speaker 3: thirty in the world, and we literally grew up and
Speaker 3: played the exact same tournaments together from eight years old.
Speaker 3: We played each other at Wimbledon and to see him
Speaker 3: having success is so cool. So I do miss it.
Speaker 3: But at the same time, these guys are all capable,
Speaker 3: and I think, you know, I was kind of the
Speaker 3: first one, I guess knock on the door and show
Speaker 3: that it was possible, and then these guys started believing,
Speaker 3: and you know, now they're all having some amazing success.
Speaker 3: Alexi's getting you know, coming out of his shell and
Speaker 3: he's understanding what he needs to do at the highest
Speaker 3: level to execute, and it's they're more than cable to
Speaker 3: win it, you know, without me.
Speaker 5: You know.
Speaker 3: And and the fact that I even had a conversation
Speaker 3: with late and yesterday that he thinks that I'm able
Speaker 3: to still add value was a positive for me.
Speaker 5: But yeah, I missed the team environments.
Speaker 3: I love them, you know, I love I do miss
Speaker 3: the home and away aspect of Davis Cup. I will
Speaker 3: say that was the most special thing ever, you know.
Speaker 3: I remember we played a tie out here against USA
Speaker 3: and it was some of the coolest atmosphere.
Speaker 5: Well, so yeah, I mean I do miss being out there.
Speaker 2: You've alluded a couple of times today about like the
Speaker 2: business side of tennis in the entertainment. We really like
Speaker 2: tennis players that are cognizant of the business side because
Speaker 2: it's more than just hitting balls. Yes, if you had
Speaker 2: the capacity to do this, if there's one thing you
Speaker 2: could immediately or quickly change that you think could help tennis, Like,
Speaker 2: what would that be?
Speaker 3: I would make Grand Slams the best of three up
Speaker 3: until the quarterfinals. I think it would save us a
Speaker 3: lot of effort on scheduling. You know, the first week's
Speaker 3: scheduling gets out of control. I think with both the
Speaker 3: men's side and the women's side playing best of five,
Speaker 3: and sometimes the women's matches go long best at three,
Speaker 3: I mean, men's matches aren't finishing till like two three am,
Speaker 3: and it's just not sustainable, I don't think.
Speaker 5: And I think if you made it best to three
Speaker 5: of them to the quarter.
Speaker 3: Finals, you'd see some guys breakthrough to the quarterfinals, but
Speaker 3: then obviously the better players would end up winning obviously
Speaker 3: best of five anyway, So I think the best of
Speaker 3: three them to the quarter finals and then from then
Speaker 3: on its best to five. That's what I would immediately
Speaker 3: change to Grand Slam. It would save a lot of
Speaker 3: stress of scheduling, and it would make it more The
Speaker 3: first couple of weeks would be more exciting because some
Speaker 3: of these top players as well, they lose a first
Speaker 3: set in the earlier rounds and they're right away back
Speaker 3: against the wall. How many times have we seen one
Speaker 3: of the best players in the drawer lose a first
Speaker 3: set and you're just like he's going to come back
Speaker 3: and ruin anyway, Like it's it's actually boring, where like
Speaker 3: if Novak goes down a set, or even when Lee too,
Speaker 3: I think he won to set against Alcaas early on,
Speaker 3: that's one set all, and then it's one set that
Speaker 3: could change Lee's entire career. He beat Alkaaz at the
Speaker 3: Senate Quarter, You've completely you become a name, So I
Speaker 3: think that would be a cool thing to change.
Speaker 2: I love that you've got any other have you got anything?
Speaker 3: I would I would have players miked up as well.
Speaker 2: I think you like officially sanctioned on Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5: I think.
Speaker 3: I think like if you watch the NBA, they give
Speaker 3: their like obviously the uniform or the kit you're going
Speaker 3: to wear, they professionally put like a mic inside the
Speaker 3: shirt around the collar so you can I can't feel it.
Speaker 3: And then I think not doing that is being absurd
Speaker 3: for me, Like why would you not have like Novak
Speaker 3: or our Karaz or them miked up to hear what
Speaker 3: they're saying, or even even before the points, like you
Speaker 3: see some of these amazing athletes. I do it myself
Speaker 3: sometimes before every point their self, talking to themselves like
Speaker 3: why would you not have the content that you could
Speaker 3: create from that already would have tennis fans glued to
Speaker 3: their phone.
Speaker 5: I mean, I've got heaps, but that's that's another one
Speaker 5: I would do.
Speaker 3: I think from a like a fans standpoint, and I
Speaker 3: would do mixed doubles at masters events. Oh wow, because
Speaker 3: what other sport can you get your favorite female athlete
Speaker 3: and your favorite male athlete competing on the same side
Speaker 3: of the net for like good prize money. It's not possible,
Speaker 3: Like you don't see any other sport really, So I
Speaker 3: think Master's events should instead of men's doubles womens just
Speaker 3: mixed mixed.
Speaker 4: So would you would you play? Who would you love
Speaker 4: to play?
Speaker 3: I mean, there's plenty of good players I'd love to
Speaker 3: play with, past them present. I mean, look, if I play,
Speaker 3: I've had the I've had the honor of playing with
Speaker 3: Serena and Venus.
Speaker 5: I would have liked to play well.
Speaker 2: Not many people can say that I would.
Speaker 3: Have loved to have played with ash Party at some stage.
Speaker 3: I think she I think was by far one of
Speaker 3: the most talented female players to ever play the game.
Speaker 5: I think we would have done some damage.
Speaker 4: On the court for absolutely.
Speaker 2: And I guess the media your role moving into the
Speaker 2: media is a form of the business side because it's promotion.
Speaker 2: What's your favorite interview that you've ever done apart from
Speaker 2: this one obviously.
Speaker 3: Yeah, this one's been great so far. I really like
Speaker 3: doing pregame interviews. I did a bit of that at
Speaker 3: the US Open. I feel like walking on.
Speaker 5: Yes, you know, just as.
Speaker 3: You're interviewing some of these players before they're going on,
Speaker 3: you can really feel their energy.
Speaker 5: You know.
Speaker 3: Obviously postmatch everyone's kind of relieved or you know, whatever
Speaker 3: emotions they feel. But it's not as you could cut
Speaker 3: the tension with a knife, you know. I did Taylor
Speaker 3: Fritz and franc Tiafa at the US Open, and I
Speaker 3: could feel the nervous energy off them when I was,
Speaker 3: you know, right next to them, and I was almost
Speaker 3: a bit.
Speaker 5: Nervous because I could.
Speaker 3: I could, I could, I just know being in that position.
Speaker 3: They struggled to sleep that the night before all they
Speaker 3: could think about was the media, you know, saying, who's
Speaker 3: going to like? It was so good? And I knew
Speaker 3: that I had the power to get a cheeky little
Speaker 3: answer out of both of them. But I think, you know,
Speaker 3: commentating and this side of things in the tennis world
Speaker 3: is so underrated because when someone turned on TV.
Speaker 5: They might not know.
Speaker 3: Like we're not talking about the fans that have followed
Speaker 3: the sport for twenty years. We're talking about new fans
Speaker 3: bringing them to the game. They're not going to know
Speaker 3: anything about these players. So the commentating needs to be
Speaker 3: up to like. It needs to be up to date,
Speaker 3: I guess in a way, And it needs to be
Speaker 3: like kind of how the generation is now. They can't
Speaker 3: concentrate for more than a couple of minutes, so it
Speaker 3: needs to be like loud. It needs to be energetic
Speaker 3: for a twenty second thirty second. Then that might get it,
Speaker 3: that might grab a new fan. So I'm just trying
Speaker 3: to grow this mort as much as I can. I
Speaker 3: guess on both sides of the spectrum. But it hasn't
Speaker 3: been easy.
Speaker 5: Let me tell you no.
Speaker 2: Well, you've obviously, though enjoy as you said, like you
Speaker 2: want to stay in there. You really enjoy it, and
Speaker 2: you're obviously good at it. What's something like has it
Speaker 2: given you a new appreciation of how the media operates?
Speaker 2: Or has it given you like a way of looking
Speaker 2: at tent I remember it might have been storm storm
Speaker 2: Sanders when she told us when she moved into coaching,
Speaker 2: she said, it completely revolutionized the way she approached her
Speaker 2: own game because she was viewing it from a different way,
Speaker 2: and so she became really tactically aware. And so is
Speaker 2: it similar with commentary. You're viewing the game differently, So
Speaker 2: do you take that into your own tennis a little bit?
Speaker 3: I mean, I haven't had a coach for now, like
Speaker 3: seven years, so I already feel as if I tactically
Speaker 3: am very switched on about my game, and I do
Speaker 3: I study film, and I watch other players, and I
Speaker 3: know every other players strength and weakness back to front.
Speaker 5: It's more so just I just love having fun with it.
Speaker 3: Like I feel like I've only watched and played tennis
Speaker 3: for twenty years. Like it's really easy to get in
Speaker 3: there and just be funny and drop it, you know,
Speaker 3: some knowledge and some fans if someone's doing a specific thing.
Speaker 5: I just I really enjoy it. And I think tennis
Speaker 5: commentating right now needs a bit of needs a bit
Speaker 5: of a shakeup.
Speaker 1: I think was there anything that surprised you about being
Speaker 1: a commentator?
Speaker 5: How mean some of the commentators are.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, like I guess when you've really played
Speaker 3: and you understand like the futures and the challenges like
Speaker 3: how many players there are on a global scale, and
Speaker 3: how heart it is to actually make it into the
Speaker 3: top one hundred and twenty eight players to make a
Speaker 3: Grand Slam. I don't like I sometimes I don't like
Speaker 3: how much you know, I mean not to mention names,
Speaker 3: but someone like Johnny Mack, like he'll just say like, oh,
Speaker 3: this guy, like who is this guy's like this guy's
Speaker 3: like top one hundred and twenty in the world, Like
Speaker 3: he deserves completely deserves to be there.
Speaker 5: He might have battled through three.
Speaker 3: Rounds are qualifying and that as our job as commentator
Speaker 3: is to study these players and know their journey and
Speaker 3: hopefully get their name out there. We can't just continually
Speaker 3: promote the same players over and over again. You know,
Speaker 3: there are some good players out there that no one,
Speaker 3: no one knows, So that's my I take that into
Speaker 3: account when I like commentating, I like to really get
Speaker 3: it out there.
Speaker 2: That's awesome. Yeah, yeah, there's actually quite a few young
Speaker 2: ones that are coming through, like new voices in the sport.
Speaker 2: It's been really it's freshened. It's helped freshen it out,
Speaker 2: but it can keep going that way.
Speaker 3: It needs to go that way, because I mean you
Speaker 3: look at for the last twenty years, the sport's only
Speaker 3: really promoted four or five players, and then they go
Speaker 3: and then it's like, then what happens to the sponsors?
Speaker 3: And then people lose interest and so the sport essentially
Speaker 3: will lose money.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's true. Did I have another question out think? Oh? Yeah,
Speaker 2: So in your commentary, who have you most enjoyed watching?
Speaker 5: Oh, that's a good one. I really liked.
Speaker 3: I enjoyed doing Demona and Thompson at the US Open.
Speaker 3: That was a fun one, obviously, because you know, I'm
Speaker 3: close with both of them.
Speaker 5: But I think I've watched it. I've done a lot
Speaker 5: of Novak.
Speaker 3: Matches and he frustrates the hell out of me because
Speaker 3: I hate doing his matches early on in Slams because
Speaker 3: he just he just plays around with his food for
Speaker 3: like four hours, and I'm like, you could have I
Speaker 3: could have been in my hotel an hour and a
Speaker 3: half ago, and he'll be up to that's the love,
Speaker 3: and then he'll lose the third and he'll start complaining
Speaker 3: and then he'll go to his box and then he'll
Speaker 3: be a seven six in the fourth and I'm like, dude,
Speaker 3: and I'll see him.
Speaker 5: I'm like, do you just enjoy keeping me because he
Speaker 5: knows that I'm in there?
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, and then he starts like losing focus and
Speaker 3: then I'm like, like, he frustrates the hell out of me.
Speaker 3: I hate doing no vas matches, but I've done a
Speaker 3: lot of outcras as well, and I think that's probably
Speaker 3: probably one of my favorite to watch because he's so
Speaker 3: exciting and he always has something up his sleeve that
Speaker 3: I think this tennis world hasn't seen.
Speaker 5: He's going to keep evolving.
Speaker 2: You haven't played him yet, have you not yet? I
Speaker 2: think he's the only one in the top ten.
Speaker 5: Yes, yep, yeah, well that could be fun. Yeah, that'd
Speaker 5: be fun.
Speaker 2: Yeah. And I guess my my last one on this
Speaker 2: side of things is in the So you've been out, Yeah,
Speaker 2: you've played one match since October twenty twenty two. The
Speaker 2: sport has evolved a bit since then. What have you
Speaker 2: made of how it's progressed and maybe some of the
Speaker 2: new players that have come along in your absence? Like,
Speaker 2: what are you coming back to?
Speaker 3: I think yeah, the sports kind of I think the
Speaker 3: courts have kind of slowed down everywhere, so I think
Speaker 3: you see more more of the know all rounder type
Speaker 3: of game style. Now you don't see his serve dominant
Speaker 3: players anymore. I mean there's a couple in the top ten,
Speaker 3: you know, Taylor Fritz, you know Huby Hircash was in
Speaker 3: the top ten for for a while there, and those
Speaker 3: were the really the two guys that only were in
Speaker 3: sort of the stat wise of serve bots, you know,
Speaker 3: those players that were just serve dominant. But you look
Speaker 3: at everyone in the top ten. Now everyone's in a
Speaker 3: great mover. You know, you've got outcras in a whole
Speaker 3: garooon like Demona, Like, these guys move insane, and so
Speaker 3: guys like me that are six four six five, I
Speaker 3: think we kind of have to, you know, keep adapting
Speaker 3: our game and figure out how we're going to beat
Speaker 3: these kind.
Speaker 5: Of small guys that move like Gazelle's out there.
Speaker 3: So I think the sport as kind of like it's
Speaker 3: it's favoring these guys that are more all rounded type
Speaker 3: of players that have really no weakness, the incredible returners,
Speaker 3: and that you know, you look at someone like Sinner,
Speaker 3: he's moving and range and hitting absolutely he's knocking the
Speaker 3: ball as hard as he can and you just wouldn't.
Speaker 3: All these courts are kind of playing all the same
Speaker 3: speeds now, where at Wimbledon you could kind of negate that,
Speaker 3: you know, by serving big and you know, taking cuts
Speaker 3: out of it. But you can't really do that anymore so
Speaker 3: and the game is a bit Yeah, it's it's different
Speaker 3: now for sure.
Speaker 2: So are you preparing with your comeback? Are you preparing
Speaker 2: for it with that in mind?
Speaker 3: I think I have to, you know, I think, you know,
Speaker 3: I'm not going to beat some of these guys now
Speaker 3: by trying to outrally them.
Speaker 5: That's just not possible.
Speaker 3: I think Mevdev was the first one that changed that,
Speaker 3: playing five meters behind the baseline. Then these other guys
Speaker 3: started coming through, and you just have to have variation.
Speaker 3: Someone like me has to have to have variation, you know,
Speaker 3: keep them guessing, you know, two big first serves, you know,
Speaker 3: trying to take some risk because you're not going to
Speaker 3: beat these guys playing their type of game style, which
Speaker 3: is rallying and then trying to aray them.
Speaker 5: It's not possible.
Speaker 1: Is a really famous quote intenans that pressure is a
Speaker 1: privileged bliging king quote.
Speaker 4: What does that mean to you?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 3: I think not everyone can deal with, you know, especially
Speaker 3: you see that quote as you walk out to Arthur
Speaker 3: ash Stadium and when you really walk out there on
Speaker 3: a night session and the whole you know, the stadium
Speaker 3: is completely packed and there's a constant buzz because it's
Speaker 3: so loud in there, and you're getting balls as you're
Speaker 3: about to serve and you look up and it's like
Speaker 3: a wall of people just glaring down at you. I
Speaker 3: think that's when you realize that not everyone's cut out
Speaker 3: for you know, and people don't want to be in
Speaker 3: that position. I think when you realize that you're under
Speaker 3: that much pressure and you have anxiety, and you realize
Speaker 3: that you've got you know, eyes at you and you've
Speaker 3: got to hit a tennis ball on the line, that's
Speaker 3: when you realize that, yeah, you are a special type
Speaker 3: of person and you've you've worked to put yourself in
Speaker 3: a position, but not everyone's capable of dealing with it
Speaker 3: and executing under pressure. So, you know, I had the
Speaker 3: luxury of playing on that court so many times, and
Speaker 3: it's it's it's it is it's daunting sometimes, you know,
Speaker 3: and you've got five people in your box that look
Speaker 3: at you and they understand how you are as a
Speaker 3: person off the court, and then all of a sudden
Speaker 3: you're this this I guess, another person in the middle
Speaker 3: of this arena that's full staring at you. It's it's
Speaker 3: strange because then I get off the court and I'm like, yeah,
Speaker 3: you just snick again. So it's like a very interesting
Speaker 3: dynamic of if you want to be that person, because
Speaker 3: it's hard. It's hard to be in that I guess
Speaker 3: a pressure cook all the time.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I can't help noticing your cap with the word Azilien.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 4: What quality do you think has served you most in
Speaker 4: your carisofa.
Speaker 3: I have been very resilient, I think, you know, there
Speaker 3: have been times where I didn't want to be a
Speaker 3: part of the tennis world anymore.
Speaker 5: I was really struggling with mental health. I was struggling
Speaker 5: with so.
Speaker 3: Many different things, and I just kept kind of, I guess,
Speaker 3: trying to just keep moving forward.
Speaker 5: You know.
Speaker 3: I think I strongly believe that you never stay still.
Speaker 3: You either you know, move slightly in the right direction
Speaker 3: or you move slightly backwards. So I think I've just
Speaker 3: been extremely resilient. Honestly, I just I'm really proud to
Speaker 3: be here again at the Aussie summer and just being
Speaker 3: able to compete, and I think I'm carrying myself in
Speaker 3: the right way.
Speaker 5: So yeah, I probably say Resilien's probably one of them.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and just to finish up as you look ahead
Speaker 1: to the Ausy summer and you'll come back overall, what's
Speaker 1: the Is there a focus or a particular goal that
Speaker 1: you're striving for.
Speaker 5: Well, I mean I don't.
Speaker 3: I didn't want to enter the tournament just to just
Speaker 3: to play again. You know, I do want to win.
Speaker 3: That's ultimately my goal. I'm not going to sit here
Speaker 3: and say I'm the favorite, absolutely not, but I do
Speaker 3: believe that I'm able to, you know, walk. I want
Speaker 3: to walk away from the Aussie summer with some great memories.
Speaker 5: And that doesn't mean winning a tournament.
Speaker 3: That means maybe, you know, competing against one of the
Speaker 3: best in the world and I might come up short,
Speaker 3: but I realize that, wow, my level is still there
Speaker 3: after everything that I've gone through. That's success and I
Speaker 3: want to do it. And I want to carry myself
Speaker 3: in the right way. You know, if I lose a match,
Speaker 3: I want to look at the opponent of the ice
Speaker 3: too good. I want to be able to just walk
Speaker 3: away from the other summer and feel good about my
Speaker 3: performance and the amount of work I put in and give.
Speaker 5: Hopefully it gives the crowd a bit of a different show.
Speaker 2: We can guarantee that one's going to happen, and we're
Speaker 2: looking forward to the draw because yes, you're the ultimate
Speaker 2: dangerous floater in the drawer. I guess, I guess.
Speaker 3: So, I mean that's it's a question mark, isn't it,
Speaker 3: of what they're going to get. And I think at
Speaker 3: this point in my career people do understand that it's
Speaker 3: going to be a bit of a roll the dice
Speaker 3: of what they're going to get.
Speaker 5: So, I mean that's how you prepare. You just prepare
Speaker 5: for anything.
Speaker 4: Well, we can't wait to see it and wish you
Speaker 4: all the best.
Speaker 5: Thank you so much. That's great.
Speaker 1: Well, Matt Nick returns to tennis with some pretty lofty goals,
Speaker 1: as he should with as you know, considering the talent
Speaker 1: he has. But I also think it's such a win
Speaker 1: for him to even be back on court after everything
Speaker 1: that he's gone through, So really looking forward to saying
Speaker 1: that this summer.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and there were like so many things that he
Speaker 2: said in that interview. It was really like it was
Speaker 2: really compelling to listen to him speak. But there were
Speaker 2: quite a few surprising things that he said, Like I
Speaker 2: really love drilling down with him about all of like
Speaker 2: the business side of tennis and how he'd market it
Speaker 2: and package it up. And he was saying that he would,
Speaker 2: you know, maybe adopt a three set format early in
Speaker 2: the tournament and switch back to five sets in the quarterfinals.
Speaker 2: And he wants more of an emphasis on mixed doubles,
Speaker 2: Like they were I thought they were. It wasn't expecting
Speaker 2: him to say those things, but I thought they were
Speaker 2: really cool innovations.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's obvious to me that he's spent a lot
Speaker 1: of time thinking about tennis in his time away from
Speaker 1: actually playing, and he's taken a lot from his commentary
Speaker 1: career as well, so he's really thought about it.
Speaker 4: And yeah, on that mixed doubles.
Speaker 1: Topic, he would love to play with or we would
Speaker 1: have loved to have played with ash BARTI wouldn't that
Speaker 1: have been an amazing.
Speaker 2: Sight to have seen? Would have been wonderful. Well, we
Speaker 2: hope you enjoyed listening to that as much as we
Speaker 2: enjoyed doing the interview. We'll be back again next Monday
Speaker 2: with another episode of the sit Down where we bring
Speaker 2: you our chat with WTA supervisor donniic Helso. And in
Speaker 2: the meantime, you can listen to John and Brie and
Speaker 2: the team this Thursday on the Aoshow Weekly.
Speaker 1: Details for how to contact us are in the show notes,
Speaker 1: and please subscribe, rate and review.
Speaker 4: See you next week, Matt do It Again a MBB