WEBVTT - The Sit-Down with Jelena Dokic 0:00:02.360 --> 0:00:05.360 Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of The sit Down. 0:00:05.600 --> 0:00:07.840 I'm Matt Trolo, a writer for ozopen dot. 0:00:07.640 --> 0:00:11.040 Com, and I'm viv Christie, Australian tennis magazine managing editor. 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:13.800 And Matt. Why are we sitting down this week with 0:00:14.000 --> 0:00:14.880 Jolena Dockicch. 0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:17.680 We're sitting down with Jolna because it's almost twenty five 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:20.120 years to the day when she burst onto the scene 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:22.800 with her first round win at Wimbledon nineteen ninety nine 0:00:22.880 --> 0:00:25.400 over world number one Martina Hingis, so we've got a 0:00:25.480 --> 0:00:27.479 chance to ask her about all her memories from that 0:00:27.520 --> 0:00:30.280 incredible result and then the career that took off in 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:36.559 a golden age of women's tennis. Elena Dockitch, thank you 0:00:36.600 --> 0:00:38.720 so much for joining us in the studio today on 0:00:38.840 --> 0:00:41.559 the sit Down. It's great to see you, pleasure, thank 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.400 you for having me. This is a great time of 0:00:43.479 --> 0:00:46.280 year to chat to you. I mean, it's always great 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:48.880 to pick your brain, given you your tennis experience and 0:00:48.960 --> 0:00:51.680 career and your involvement in the media now, but we're 0:00:51.720 --> 0:00:54.640 in the middle of the grass court season, Wimbledon's just 0:00:54.640 --> 0:00:58.960 about to begin, and certainly when you emerged on tour 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:01.400 in the late nineties. Your results on grass were so 0:01:01.440 --> 0:01:04.759 good so quickly you won twenty of your first twenty 0:01:04.800 --> 0:01:07.800 four matches at Wimbledon, which is amazing. That's an amazing 0:01:07.800 --> 0:01:10.000 strike rate. Sounds like you kind of hit the ground running. 0:01:10.040 --> 0:01:12.560 I did well. I first played juniors as well, so 0:01:12.640 --> 0:01:16.360 I played the year before in nineteen ninety eight when 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:19.240 I became junior well number one. I actually played lead 0:01:19.280 --> 0:01:22.160 up tournaments going into Wimbledon, and then I played Winmweden 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:25.520 juniors as well. I got to the Semis, so yeah, 0:01:25.520 --> 0:01:27.760 I already had a bit of that taste of what 0:01:27.959 --> 0:01:32.560 Wimbledon was like and what kind of the site was like, 0:01:32.920 --> 0:01:35.200 and what it was like to play on grass, even 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:37.920 though even though I played juniors in Australia quite a 0:01:37.920 --> 0:01:40.520 bit on grass as well. But yeah, I just loved 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:42.560 winmwed and I liked the tradition of it as well. 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:44.800 I have to be honest. I like the whole tournament, 0:01:44.840 --> 0:01:47.680 the whole feel, and yeah, for me, it's just a 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:50.040 very special place. As much as Australian Open for me 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:54.320 is like the Holy Grail. Nothing beats that, but Wimwedon 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:59.120 is right there, right after the Australian Open. There's just 0:01:59.480 --> 0:02:02.720 it's unique, it's special. There's not a little thing out 0:02:02.760 --> 0:02:05.520 of water. I loved wearing the white for example, it's 0:02:05.560 --> 0:02:07.880 not something we would wear. We would wear often to 0:02:07.920 --> 0:02:10.239 be honest, that you're in all white. And yeah, I 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:14.360 liked playing on grass and I liked that kind of 0:02:14.760 --> 0:02:18.280 it had a tradition. It was so respected. Even the 0:02:18.320 --> 0:02:20.960 crowd is different at Wilwood and they are a little 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:23.600 bit more kind of I would say, subdued and respectful. 0:02:23.639 --> 0:02:26.160 So you kind of have a whole, very different feel 0:02:26.639 --> 0:02:27.720 to any other Grand Slam. 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:30.880 Can you remember that experience of walking through the gates 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:32.520 at the All England Club for the first time. 0:02:32.760 --> 0:02:34.120 Yeah, I remember it was a few of us with 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:36.280 going through with the juniors and it was kind of 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:40.960 like wow for me, that's all we kind of hear 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:44.520 about when you're growing up, especially in Australia. That was 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:46.840 our goal to get to Wimbleden and to get to 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:49.639 Wimwooden Juniors and then hopefully to play there one day. 0:02:50.080 --> 0:02:52.880 Same with the Australian Open for us at home. So 0:02:53.520 --> 0:02:57.760 it was special. And yeah, I found my footing pretty quickly. 0:02:57.800 --> 0:02:59.400 I was still on the fifteen, but did well on 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:02.880 grass and even one the lead ups going into Wimbledon 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:05.560 as well. But it was special. But if you told 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:07.480 me that a year later I would make the quarters 0:03:07.480 --> 0:03:10.520 from qualifying, I wouldn't have believed you. So yeah, I 0:03:10.560 --> 0:03:13.520 always had a special relationship with grass. I think because 0:03:13.520 --> 0:03:15.200 of the way that I played, I could use my 0:03:15.600 --> 0:03:19.520 game to my advantage. Again, lucky that the coaches taught 0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:21.880 me what is kind of the best way to serve 0:03:21.919 --> 0:03:24.320 and how to use your slice serve grass to make 0:03:24.360 --> 0:03:28.000 it kind of skid away as well. And those few 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:30.600 little things that you learned from the legends of the 0:03:30.639 --> 0:03:32.560 game and the greats of the game really helped me 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:34.920 early on. And that's why I think I had a 0:03:34.960 --> 0:03:38.080 big love for playing on the grass, because I've got 0:03:38.120 --> 0:03:39.400 some really good tips early on. 0:03:40.720 --> 0:03:44.080 You alluded to ninety nine. Obviously the result we're almost 0:03:44.080 --> 0:03:46.800 twenty five years to the day where you beat Martina 0:03:46.880 --> 0:03:49.160 Hingis in the first round of Wimbledon, and that well, 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:52.600 certainly in Australia your profile exploded after that. Actually remember 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:56.080 a story. It would have happened overnight when in Australia 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:59.520 for us, and I remember my mum calling down the hallway. 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:01.360 She must have woken up before me and It was 0:04:01.400 --> 0:04:04.840 the lead story on the ABC News that this Australian 0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:08.640 teenage qualifier had stuned Martine Hingkis in the first round. 0:04:08.960 --> 0:04:12.320 Matt get up Elainey Docs. I remember that really vividly, 0:04:12.360 --> 0:04:14.840 and that was that was a huge, a huge result, 0:04:14.960 --> 0:04:17.279 and what do you remember about it twenty five years on? 0:04:17.600 --> 0:04:20.960 Look? It was the match in a way was almost 0:04:20.960 --> 0:04:23.560 a blur because it went by quite quick and you're 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:26.480 so focused. I already went through a couple of matches 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:29.560 of qualifying. I got to the third round of Australian 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:32.440 Open just five months before as a fifteen year old, 0:04:32.440 --> 0:04:34.400 and I actually lost to Martin in the third round. 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:36.920 And then we had a practice week going into Roland 0:04:36.920 --> 0:04:38.920 Garross and she was always lovely and we used to 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:41.960 practice together, so I remember I did feel a little 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:45.560 bit more comfortable going into this match, but still Martina 0:04:45.600 --> 0:04:47.480 can do anything on the court that you just didn't 0:04:47.520 --> 0:04:50.479 know what was coming next. She was so crafty. But 0:04:50.839 --> 0:04:52.800 I went out there and I had I was on 0:04:52.839 --> 0:04:54.760 a mission and I knew exactly how I wanted to 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:56.760 play and what I needed to do, and I needed 0:04:56.800 --> 0:04:59.400 to take the match out of her hands. On grass, 0:04:59.600 --> 0:05:01.480 she would come in a lot. She would also use 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:03.839 the drop shot as well, just like I would. But 0:05:03.960 --> 0:05:06.000 I needed to keep her back and that was the 0:05:06.040 --> 0:05:08.480 main goal. Take take that match out of her hands, 0:05:08.560 --> 0:05:11.320 be aggressive, try and dictate those points. And I knew 0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:14.280 I needed to serve well, not have to hit too 0:05:14.279 --> 0:05:16.640 many second serves because she would put pressure on me. 0:05:16.680 --> 0:05:20.280 So I had a very very kind of clear game 0:05:20.320 --> 0:05:23.560 plan and I was very focused. But I remember walking 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:26.440 out on court was very special, but at the same time, 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:28.880 you are like a sixteen year old qualified, it's also 0:05:28.920 --> 0:05:31.839 daunting to play a world number one, right, So I 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:34.000 remember that. But then when I got into the match 0:05:34.040 --> 0:05:36.360 and I started to feel comfortable after about two or 0:05:36.400 --> 0:05:38.400 three games, and after one of the first set, there 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:42.719 was this kind of like shock around the stand, like 0:05:42.760 --> 0:05:44.640 you can you could literally hear and you know when 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:47.800 you're a player and you can just hear people and 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:51.440 that feeling and that noise going. It's like a mermaid 0:05:51.600 --> 0:05:55.760 yeah yeah, yeah, going, oh wow. A qualifier is just 0:05:55.800 --> 0:05:59.440 taking the first set like as you could feel it 0:05:59.440 --> 0:06:01.120 as a player, you could feel it. And then when 0:06:01.120 --> 0:06:03.760 I got on top in the second set, the crowd 0:06:03.839 --> 0:06:06.240 was kind of extra. I felt like on my side, 0:06:06.240 --> 0:06:08.000 which I kind of thought, oh, maybe you would switch 0:06:08.000 --> 0:06:10.200 a bit, which would be absolutely normal. They were very fair, 0:06:11.200 --> 0:06:13.600 but once you kind of got to the more towards 0:06:13.600 --> 0:06:15.240 the end of the match, you could see like they 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:17.640 were just yeah, I was probably because I looked like 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:20.600 I was about ten, but yeah, they were really like 0:06:20.680 --> 0:06:23.800 excited for me to actually win this match. And when 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:26.920 I won, it was just like this raw that. Yeah, 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:29.200 I could I could sense or I could feel those 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:33.640 kind of emotions still today if I go back and 0:06:33.680 --> 0:06:35.840 if I go back to court number one of what 0:06:35.880 --> 0:06:38.279 that kind of sounded like. So we didn't used to 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:42.320 have sit downs that sets. It was always on the uneven, 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:45.440 so the first set finished on it even so we 0:06:45.480 --> 0:06:48.320 didn't sit down. You stay on your side. But I 0:06:48.360 --> 0:06:51.359 remember people were like, oh, like you could hear like 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:54.279 you could literally hear people go, wow, what are we 0:06:54.320 --> 0:06:58.279 watching here? So I remember I could distinctly like feel 0:06:58.320 --> 0:06:59.839 that and see it on people's faces. 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:02.640 Yeah, I love all the details that you're remembering that. 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:05.560 Yeah, yeah, so do I. In two thousand at Wimbledon, 0:07:06.000 --> 0:07:07.640 you went one better at Wimbledon and you made the 0:07:07.640 --> 0:07:10.640 semi finals. Yeah, and I just wonder how satisfying that 0:07:10.760 --> 0:07:12.680 was for you to back up what you've done because 0:07:12.680 --> 0:07:14.680 a lot of the you know, the way the rankings work, 0:07:14.680 --> 0:07:16.560 there's pressure to defend points and all that, and you 0:07:16.560 --> 0:07:20.360 actually went better. Did that feel especially satisfying to do that? 0:07:20.840 --> 0:07:22.960 It did. I had a bit of a after that 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:24.880 when wood On quarterfinal. I had a bit of a 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:30.119 kind of let's say, growing year where I was now 0:07:30.440 --> 0:07:34.240 ranked inside the top forty thirty, and yeah, I was 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:37.200 playing on the tour, big tournaments every single week, but 0:07:37.800 --> 0:07:41.160 I was still only sixteen. Just about the next year 0:07:41.480 --> 0:07:44.480 actually turned seventeen, so I was not actually fully physically 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:48.680 and mentally and emotionally ready to be on top in 0:07:48.720 --> 0:07:50.800 those certain parts of the year and Grand Slams because 0:07:50.800 --> 0:07:53.120 I had still no experience. So for me, it was 0:07:53.160 --> 0:07:55.560 a bit of a growing i would say year and 0:07:55.600 --> 0:07:57.920 an experience year where I had some losses in the 0:07:57.960 --> 0:08:00.440 first round of Grand Slams, including the US Open, but 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:03.520 then I also had some wins as well, and then 0:08:04.080 --> 0:08:06.080 I had a lot of pressure going into that wind 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:09.240 Wooden in two thousand because we used to have bonus 0:08:09.280 --> 0:08:12.760 points based on players that you beat by ranking, and 0:08:12.800 --> 0:08:15.320 me alone by beating Martina at a Grand Slam, she 0:08:15.320 --> 0:08:17.200 was number one in the world plus double points at 0:08:17.200 --> 0:08:19.280 Grand Slams. Even if I got I think I had 0:08:19.280 --> 0:08:22.840 to get to the final or something like that to 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:24.000 be able to defend that. 0:08:24.200 --> 0:08:26.840 So I knew you'd also beaten ps as well, who. 0:08:26.720 --> 0:08:29.880 Was a top ten player exactly. Yeah, so oh wow. 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:35.080 And when you're young, it's all about kind of defending. 0:08:35.240 --> 0:08:37.920 That's the mindset, and later you learn it's a bit different. 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:40.439 So yeah, I had a bit of a up and 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:43.120 down up and down year, had some great things, but 0:08:43.160 --> 0:08:45.880 then had some you know, tough losses as well. So 0:08:46.600 --> 0:08:49.360 I went into that wind wouldn't kind of yeah, under 0:08:49.400 --> 0:08:50.800 a lot of pressure. But I was able to get 0:08:50.840 --> 0:08:52.680 to the semi's pretty much defend all of it. But 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:54.959 it was more about the fact that I had another 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:57.520 great result at a Grand Slam. I went one further 0:08:57.760 --> 0:09:01.680 as well, and yeah, it was really satisfying to be 0:09:01.760 --> 0:09:04.200 able to not just go one better at Wimbledon, but 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:08.520 just another proof that I can play at that level, 0:09:08.640 --> 0:09:11.880 especially on the big stage. I think as tennis players, 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:14.000 you want to be able to perform on the big 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:16.840 stage just as much as you have to be able 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:19.400 to get through those stuff weeks when the tournaments are 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:22.800 smaller and they're not covered by the media. You don't 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:25.320 have big crowds, and sometimes you play tournaments when not 0:09:25.360 --> 0:09:27.840 a lot of people were watching, and that's important, but 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:30.040 it's also important to be able to deal with pressure 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:33.720 and expectation on the big stage like the Grand Slams. 0:09:33.800 --> 0:09:38.680 So for me that was massive in terms of, well, 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:41.920 it's not a fluke type of thing, just for myself 0:09:41.960 --> 0:09:45.280 as well, my expectations. And I got to a semi 0:09:45.280 --> 0:09:46.560 final of Wimbeden. 0:09:46.679 --> 0:09:48.600 Yeah, I was going to ask the last bit about Wimbledon. 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:50.360 So when we talked about you winning twenty of your 0:09:50.400 --> 0:09:52.760 twenty four matches and that took you through to three, 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:55.160 you played you made the third round in O three 0:09:55.200 --> 0:09:58.480 and you played Maria sharpover Yes, and twelve months later 0:09:58.840 --> 0:10:01.959 she won. Yes, And think everybody knew what a talent 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:05.120 she was, Like what was she like to face? And yeah, 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:06.640 what do you remember? I was tough. 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:12.000 I remember that match and I wasn't in the best 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:14.360 for myself, not taking anything away from her, nothing at all. 0:10:14.400 --> 0:10:17.160 I still think I played a pretty okay match, decent 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:22.479 match against her, but I remember, yeah, she actually overpowered 0:10:22.480 --> 0:10:25.840 me already a little bit in that match and yeah, 0:10:26.200 --> 0:10:27.880 I came off the court and I said, this girl's 0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:30.240 winning Wimbeddon in the next two or three years. 0:10:30.480 --> 0:10:30.680 Yeah. 0:10:30.720 --> 0:10:34.679 It was just unbelievable, and just the way that she played. 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:38.040 She was very focused and consistent. Her forehands and back 0:10:38.080 --> 0:10:41.040 hands were like laser sharp, and she had a lot 0:10:41.040 --> 0:10:43.880 of power. She was tall, big reach as well, and 0:10:43.960 --> 0:10:46.199 even though she got better with her servant her movement, 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:48.840 even at that time, she had incredible accuracy with her 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:51.160 cross courts and with her down the lines, and she 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:55.240 was really brave with going for it and taking the 0:10:55.280 --> 0:10:57.240 ball out of the air when she hit good shots. 0:10:57.280 --> 0:11:00.120 But I was more so i'll tell you this one. 0:11:00.720 --> 0:11:03.040 So she comes back and she wins, right, But I 0:11:03.080 --> 0:11:04.960 actually even thought actually in that match that I lost 0:11:05.000 --> 0:11:07.120 to her, I was like, okay, I actually played some 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:09.720 decent tennis. I just couldn't close. Yeah, I couldn't hold 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:12.160 my So it was one break of serve in each set, 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:14.079 and I was like, yeah, she's playing well. But I'll 0:11:14.080 --> 0:11:17.880 tell you what. Years later. This was in two thousand 0:11:17.920 --> 0:11:20.920 and nine, I think after I made that austral Open run, 0:11:21.480 --> 0:11:25.800 I practiced with her at Wimwooeden. So two days before Wimwoeden. 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:28.400 We organized a practice I know exactly which court it was, 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:31.520 and we said, okay, we'll practice. We had a hit 0:11:31.600 --> 0:11:35.720 and we'll play two sets. Right, So I was like, 0:11:36.160 --> 0:11:38.840 oh my god, now I see even more so why 0:11:38.920 --> 0:11:42.079 she's so good and why she's won Winmweden and all 0:11:42.120 --> 0:11:44.920 the other Grand Slams, because it's been a while since 0:11:44.960 --> 0:11:49.360 I practiced or played against her. I mean, I don't 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:52.079 think that there is anyone in the world. And I've 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:56.439 practiced with some amazing players and champions and greats of 0:11:56.480 --> 0:11:59.160 the game like Sellas and Capriati and stephie Graff and 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:05.240 Lindid Davenport. I've never faced a ball that comes flatter 0:12:05.440 --> 0:12:09.480 and deeper and harder, especially on grass, that shoots that way. 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:12.000 And I was like, oh, now I get it, like 0:12:12.080 --> 0:12:14.280 even more so, you know what I mean. But it 0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:17.320 was amazing because she was We had a great practice 0:12:18.120 --> 0:12:20.040 and it was actually once at all I was really 0:12:20.040 --> 0:12:24.760 proud of myself. But it was great because yeah, I 0:12:24.800 --> 0:12:27.280 just saw she was so focused, just like she is 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:29.960 in her matches. It was interesting to see that. So 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:32.760 as soon as she stepped on the court, I was 0:12:32.960 --> 0:12:35.960 pretty focused and intense myself. I like that also, So 0:12:36.520 --> 0:12:38.840 there wasn't much talking when we sat down. We had 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:41.360 a quick drink and it was like a little bit, 0:12:41.400 --> 0:12:43.920 but it was all about busy. Were out there like 0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:46.800 to We had a court for two hours and yeah, 0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:48.720 it was amazing to see exactly what she does in 0:12:48.760 --> 0:12:53.240 matches is exactly what she does in practice. So it 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:54.760 was great to have that experience. 0:12:55.080 --> 0:12:57.480 That sounds amazing and that actually I'm just going to 0:12:57.559 --> 0:13:00.679 list some of the people that you beat. So we've 0:13:00.679 --> 0:13:03.920 talked about Hingus, you beat Clasters, you beat Capriati, you 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:08.400 beat Venus, you beat Maresmo, Piers, Hennan and Sellers. All 0:13:08.480 --> 0:13:12.480 of them have won multiple majors. And in that period 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:15.480 you got to world number four. That's considered, like I 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:17.520 think a lot of people considered this like the golden 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:20.000 age of women's tenners. It were so many stars all 0:13:20.040 --> 0:13:21.800 at the top at the same time, all doing such 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:24.720 great things. How proud are you to have reached the 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:27.400 top five in the strength of that era? And also 0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:29.719 what was it like to be at the top in 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:30.160 that era? 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:33.040 Oh, very proud, because some people might say, oh, unlucky 0:13:33.320 --> 0:13:36.559 or unfortunate, but no, I actually look at it as 0:13:36.600 --> 0:13:39.880 being very fortunate. Because I got to be on the 0:13:39.920 --> 0:13:43.439 tour at the same time with his amazing legends, champions 0:13:43.480 --> 0:13:46.600 of the game. Some of them were my childhood role 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:49.439 models and heroes like Stephie Graff and Monica Sellis. All 0:13:49.480 --> 0:13:51.440 I wanted to do was meet them and practice with 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:53.880 them and play against them. That was that was my 0:13:53.960 --> 0:13:57.959 goal from the age of six, and yeah, I got 0:13:57.960 --> 0:13:59.960 the opportunity to do that. But with so many other 0:14:00.000 --> 0:14:03.319 they're amazing players, like you said, from Davenport to Capriati 0:14:03.400 --> 0:14:06.960 to Hingus to Moresmo, They've all everyone's wan Grand Slams. 0:14:06.960 --> 0:14:11.520 I've been well number one, and yeah, it's quite quite 0:14:11.520 --> 0:14:14.600 an error that we kind of went there through. And yeah, 0:14:14.600 --> 0:14:17.679 it was very very Serena and Venus, very very competitive. 0:14:18.280 --> 0:14:20.400 But I'm lucky. I think I'm lucky to have been 0:14:20.440 --> 0:14:23.480 able to experience that, to know those players, to play 0:14:23.480 --> 0:14:27.680 against them, and just to have that experience on tour. 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:31.720 Some of them are my friends still today. And yeah, 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:35.000 I still highlight though that I'm very fortunate to have 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:38.680 been able to practice and play against Stephie and Monica. 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:41.640 That was my goal as a child, and I got 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:43.840 to do that, and I've got to talk to them 0:14:44.000 --> 0:14:47.120 and yeah, have some great matches against them, especially in 0:14:47.160 --> 0:14:50.200 Monica because she retired a little bit later than Stephie, 0:14:50.600 --> 0:14:54.080 and we had some great matches and that was amazing. 0:14:54.120 --> 0:14:56.320 As much as I hated to play against them because 0:14:56.360 --> 0:14:59.160 there were a nightmare of play against, but are still 0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:01.160 at the same time loved that. It was always I 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:03.240 was always very proud to go out there on the 0:15:03.240 --> 0:15:05.960 court and go, oh my god. I used to watch them. 0:15:06.000 --> 0:15:07.760 I used to dream about this. There used to be 0:15:07.840 --> 0:15:10.760 my role models when they were winning Grand slams. I 0:15:10.880 --> 0:15:14.120 was just kind of starting to play tennis. So it 0:15:14.200 --> 0:15:15.880 was amazing to be able to experience that. 0:15:16.400 --> 0:15:18.520 And was of all of those names we discussed, was 0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:21.880 one of them the toughest for you to face. Yeah. 0:15:21.920 --> 0:15:24.240 Look, Davenport was stuff for me to play against. I 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:26.480 never beat her. There was something about her game. We 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:29.160 just my game did not match up well with hers. 0:15:29.680 --> 0:15:32.520 For me. It was a nightmare with a serve and 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:36.000 just with the way that she played. Yeah, I still 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:38.920 to this day can't tell you why. It just just 0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:41.600 didn't suit me. I had a very hard time reading 0:15:41.640 --> 0:15:44.560 her game and maybe we do play kind of similar, 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:47.479 but she had a bigger serf, so that was always 0:15:47.880 --> 0:15:49.840 kind of Yeah, a little bit of a tough one 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:55.520 for me. Tough, well, I would say, I would say Serena, 0:15:56.880 --> 0:16:00.880 and I would say sell Us as well. I had 0:16:00.880 --> 0:16:04.760 some Sellison, Stephie, two very different game styles, all three 0:16:04.800 --> 0:16:07.080 of those. So those three would be the toughest in 0:16:07.120 --> 0:16:10.240 their different ways. Whereas Monica was so intense, didn't let 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:12.280 you breathe would take the ball so early. She had 0:16:12.280 --> 0:16:15.280 the best angles in the world by far, and the 0:16:15.320 --> 0:16:19.800 most accuracy is Stephie had the bestand off fourhand ever 0:16:20.560 --> 0:16:23.480 a great serve. The slice was a lot tougher than 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:26.240 people think. That thing stayed this slow off the ground, 0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:28.920 Like you literally had to get your back knee on 0:16:28.960 --> 0:16:31.560 the ground every single time to dig that one up. 0:16:32.040 --> 0:16:36.920 And yeah, extremely smart. And then Serena best serve in 0:16:36.960 --> 0:16:40.280 the world probably ever, that was tough, so you already 0:16:40.280 --> 0:16:42.960 went into it. Yeah, really on the back foot. It 0:16:43.000 --> 0:16:45.920 was really hard to break Serena, especially. I played her 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:49.160 quite a bit in that really peak era of Serena 0:16:49.200 --> 0:16:51.320 when she was winning a lot of Grand Slams as well, 0:16:51.960 --> 0:16:57.120 and just her sheer power and athleticism and physicality. But yeah, 0:16:57.160 --> 0:16:58.080 I would say those. 0:16:57.920 --> 0:17:02.720 Three, so you had another burst on grass In twenty eleven, 0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:06.400 you reached the Denbosh final and you pushed she've only 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:10.520 two three sets, just after she'd reached the rolling grass final. 0:17:10.840 --> 0:17:12.240 What was that period like for you? 0:17:13.920 --> 0:17:16.080 That was that bit of a resurgence period from me. 0:17:16.320 --> 0:17:19.920 But yeah, at the same time, I retired not too 0:17:20.000 --> 0:17:24.360 long after that with injuries and yeah, with a resurgery, 0:17:24.920 --> 0:17:29.320 and then yeah, just in general with mental health struggles 0:17:29.320 --> 0:17:31.879 that I was facing and battling already for ten years. 0:17:32.000 --> 0:17:36.720 So it was yeah, I wish, not I wish. I 0:17:36.720 --> 0:17:39.159 think everyone has their own story and there's a reason 0:17:39.240 --> 0:17:41.800 for kind of our paths, but yeah, it would have 0:17:41.840 --> 0:17:44.159 been nice to play and a few more times and 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:46.200 on the grass, but just in general on the tour, 0:17:46.480 --> 0:17:48.359 because I had no plans of retiring yet. That was 0:17:48.359 --> 0:17:50.720 only twenty nine when I retired, so yeah, that was 0:17:50.760 --> 0:17:53.320 something for me that I had to navigate. But it 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:56.200 was great. HERTG and Bosh was amazing. I used to 0:17:56.240 --> 0:17:58.960 play that tournament all the time and getting to the 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:02.280 final was was great. And they still kind of have 0:18:02.400 --> 0:18:05.080 that old school grass courts where they are fast and 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:08.480 low balancing, so that hasn't changed there and in yeah, 0:18:08.520 --> 0:18:11.080 it's a really lovely tournament, So it was nice. It 0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:14.720 was really nice to Yeah, to get that kind of 0:18:14.760 --> 0:18:17.120 result there when I still when I was going through 0:18:17.280 --> 0:18:20.200 kind of a bit of a tough period and turbulent period, 0:18:20.280 --> 0:18:22.400 and to still be able to get on the grass 0:18:22.440 --> 0:18:25.000 and play well was really lovely. Yeah. 0:18:25.119 --> 0:18:27.480 Can you describe what it's like to play on center court? 0:18:28.400 --> 0:18:31.920 Oh, I don't know what. You're more worried about doing 0:18:31.960 --> 0:18:34.639 something wrong if you have to, because we used to 0:18:34.680 --> 0:18:39.280 have to curtsey, so we don't have that today anymore. 0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:42.879 So I was more worried about that than anything, to 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:45.359 be honest. So when we were told that, I know 0:18:45.440 --> 0:18:48.560 it's quite simple, but I was like, where do I look? 0:18:49.160 --> 0:18:51.359 We both so where the players are as looking at 0:18:51.400 --> 0:18:53.639 each other? Do we turn now together? Because it was 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:57.280 like on the service line, between a service line and 0:18:57.359 --> 0:18:59.520 the net, when you're walking on that side. Where do 0:18:59.560 --> 0:19:02.959 we look? Who is there? How do we curtsy? Smile? 0:19:03.080 --> 0:19:05.320 It was like this whole thing. And I did it 0:19:05.359 --> 0:19:08.080 for the first time when I was when I was sixteen, 0:19:08.800 --> 0:19:12.359 so that was kind of very special at the same 0:19:12.400 --> 0:19:15.560 time as well, and you pretty much always when you 0:19:15.600 --> 0:19:19.800 were on center called there's someone from in the Royal watching. 0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:24.920 So yeah, it's special. I really find the walk from 0:19:25.119 --> 0:19:31.520 the locker room to center Court amazing and it's the 0:19:31.560 --> 0:19:36.919 longest walk we have, and it's just it just speaks 0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:40.760 for itself. Where you go through the corridors and the 0:19:40.800 --> 0:19:43.800 big windows are there where you see a big part 0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:46.520 of Wimwood, and then you get to the members area. 0:19:47.080 --> 0:19:51.560 Then there's all of the different stories and trophies in 0:19:51.880 --> 0:19:56.920