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Speaker 1: Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of The sit Down.

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Speaker 1: I'm Matt Trolope, a writer an editor for ozopen dot com.

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Speaker 2: And I'm of Christie, managing editor for Australian Tennis Magazine.

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Speaker 2: And Matt, why are we sitting down this week with

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Speaker 2: Jennifer Capriati.

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Speaker 1: Well, we're sitting down with Jennifer because she was actually

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Speaker 1: in Australia for the first time in over twenty years,

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Speaker 1: and she's returning to a tournament that I guess is

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Speaker 1: the site of her greatest career achievements. It was where

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Speaker 1: she won her first Grand Slam title, it was where

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Speaker 1: she defended a Grand.

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Speaker 3: Slam title for the first time.

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Speaker 1: Australia is also a place where she's enjoured lots of

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Speaker 1: career high its not just at the Australian Open, but

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Speaker 1: other tournaments. She told us it was a place that

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Speaker 1: she loved coming to for the people, the culture, the conditions,

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Speaker 1: and so I guess it just all felt right that

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Speaker 1: she was back here after all this time.

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Speaker 2: And Jennifer told us that this was her first podcast interview,

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Speaker 2: so it was an incredible privilege to hear her talk

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Speaker 2: about the highs in her career. Some of the challenges

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Speaker 2: she faced in what was at times an emotional and

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Speaker 2: a very candid conversation. Jennifer Capriati, thank you for joining

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Speaker 2: us on the sitdown. How good is it to be

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Speaker 2: back at the Australian Open.

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Speaker 4: It's my pleasure. It feels fantastic, amazing. I'm just kind

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Speaker 4: of on an elevated level right now. Just it all

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Speaker 4: feels a little surreal actually, and I'm really excited, and

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Speaker 4: I think that excitement is really coming out and it's

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Speaker 4: showing where excited.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Yeah, when were you last in Australia?

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Speaker 4: I would it's quite some time ago, I would say

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Speaker 4: over maybe twenty twenty years ago, two thousand and three. Wow, yeah,

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Speaker 4: I haven't been back since then, so it's quite a

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Speaker 4: long time.

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Speaker 2: It's the twenty fifth anniversary of your first Australian Open title.

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Speaker 2: How clear are those memories?

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Speaker 4: First Australian, first Grand Slam? So pretty amazing. That really

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Speaker 4: just kicked off, you know, a whole new new career, home,

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Speaker 4: new start for me. You know, I couldn't come at

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Speaker 4: a better place.

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Speaker 3: And we heard when you came in.

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Speaker 1: You're like we're in podlav Arena or all these new

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Speaker 1: studios the time it must be and the site must

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Speaker 1: be so different to when you were last here. Like,

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Speaker 1: what have you made of coming back twenty years later

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Speaker 1: and seeing the AO now?

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Speaker 4: It's amazing. I mean I haven't seen that much honestly,

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Speaker 4: as much as I wanted to see of it. But

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Speaker 4: you know, maybe should have made time and come back

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Speaker 4: come earlier, and you know this is maybe not going

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Speaker 4: to wait another twenty years to come back. So I mean,

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Speaker 4: it's fantastic. You know, obviously I've watched it on TV

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Speaker 4: and you know, just everything and the magnitude of it

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Speaker 4: is really impressive.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, And you said when you won your AO here

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Speaker 1: that it couldn't have come at a better place. And

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Speaker 1: you seem to have a great relationship with this country

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Speaker 1: dating right back. You made pour finals here in the

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Speaker 1: ninety two or ninety three, You made the Sydney Final

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Speaker 1: in ninety seven, and then you made before you won

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Speaker 1: in two thousand and one. You made the semi finals

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Speaker 1: here in two thousands, so there's such a history of

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Speaker 1: strong results here. What was it about Australia that brought

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Speaker 1: out your bests?

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Speaker 4: Well, I think it was like the first Slam of

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Speaker 4: the year, and you know, I was a little bit fresh,

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Speaker 4: you know, mind rested, body rested, really looking forward to

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Speaker 4: I love the conditions, thriving, the conditions. Being from Florida,

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Speaker 4: I felt it was like kind of just like home,

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Speaker 4: you know a little bit maybe a little hotter, that's

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Speaker 4: even possible, but you know, it was just the overall

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Speaker 4: feeling of the culture and the people and the you know,

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Speaker 4: the animals and this, you know, and just the accent

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Speaker 4: and it was just really you know, for a young

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Speaker 4: kid especially, it would be exciting to come down here.

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Speaker 2: You won your first Grand Slam title here in two

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Speaker 2: thousand and one, as we know, then you went on

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Speaker 2: to win Roland Gross and became world number one. I mean,

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Speaker 2: that must have been an incredibly special year for you.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, it really stands out. I mean I did

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Speaker 4: pretty well at Wimbledon too and that stuff there, but

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Speaker 4: you know, it's just the year that really everything turned

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Speaker 4: around in my mindset, you know, just getting in such

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Speaker 4: great shape and just really having the belief and you know,

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Speaker 4: I just felt so strong, and you know, even on

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Speaker 4: maybe not my.

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Speaker 5: Best surface as well as the as the.

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Speaker 4: Clay, so but you know, it all came down to

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Speaker 4: you know, the physical you know, I really thrived in

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Speaker 4: those conditions, and I think there's that's you know, made

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Speaker 4: a really conscious effort that I knew that's what I

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Speaker 4: had to do to maybe get to that to that level,

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Speaker 4: to the next level.

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Speaker 2: And your win in two thousand and one was a

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Speaker 2: straight set win in the final. But two thousand and

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Speaker 2: two was very different. Oh yeah, one of the first

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Speaker 2: matches I ever reported on.

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Speaker 4: So I remember Crazy one, right, Yeah, I remember it

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Speaker 4: so well.

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Speaker 2: You fought so hard in that final four match points,

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Speaker 2: the brutal hate. Yeah, was it even more rewarding having

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Speaker 2: to work so hard for the title?

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Speaker 5: Yeah?

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Speaker 4: Absolutely, absolutely it was. It was different, and I know

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Speaker 4: she was playing really really well, you know, so the conditions.

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Speaker 4: You know, I had never even really felt anything like that,

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Speaker 4: experience that kind of heat, and I thought to myself, Man,

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Speaker 4: this is gonna be tough. And it really was like

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Speaker 4: another opponent out there, you know. You know, I had

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Speaker 4: to really like figure out how to pace myself a

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Speaker 4: little bit too. And there were so many like momentum

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Speaker 4: shifts going on back and forth because I think, you know,

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Speaker 4: you would give it all you could and then you're

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Speaker 4: like completely depleted from all those points and then you

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Speaker 4: had to like almost rest, and then she would take

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Speaker 4: over and I would take over, and it was like

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Speaker 4: swapping back and forth, and it just you know, this

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Speaker 4: is an endurance game, and you know, just hang in there,

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Speaker 4: just hang in there and tough it out as best

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Speaker 4: you can. And it was really just just to get

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Speaker 4: through it.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, a little bit lock your rolland Garol's final in

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Speaker 1: two thousand one. I remember distinctly watching that on TV

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Speaker 1: and it was twelve ten in the third set basking classes,

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Speaker 1: and again you came out on top against an incredibly

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Speaker 1: talented opponent.

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Speaker 5: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, what's it like to win those ones that are

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Speaker 1: just like their epics, their classics.

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Speaker 3: We don't have them anymore. You can't use avantage.

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Speaker 5: Keep going three out of fave now, Yeah.

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Speaker 4: I mean to be a part of that history is

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Speaker 4: really that makes it even more I think cool and

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Speaker 4: special till some of it it was pretty historic matches.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and history, You've your career is defined by that

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Speaker 1: in terms of creating history. When you came along, you

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Speaker 1: were like one of the first true prodigies. You I

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Speaker 1: think made your first final when you were thirteen or

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Speaker 1: something like that, and you were in the top ten.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, for a tournament.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, your first.

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Speaker 1: Tournament and you're winning the gold medal at age sixteen.

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Speaker 1: What are you proud of about part of your career

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Speaker 1: chapter that you did so well so young?

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Speaker 4: Absolutely? I mean winning the Olympics was yeah. I mean

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Speaker 4: we don't talk about that a lot, but that was

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Speaker 4: really meaningful to me, especially winning for my country, playing

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Speaker 4: for my country. So and I played the match of

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Speaker 4: my life there as well too. So I did pretty

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Speaker 4: well in some big finals, right, doesn't need to get

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Speaker 4: to the vitals.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, So it was just so exciting.

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Speaker 4: It really was exciting. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, you obviously enjoyed playing on it. It sounds like

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Speaker 2: a big stage.

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Speaker 5: Yeah.

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Speaker 4: I think I was, you know, built for the moment

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Speaker 4: and for that and you're not. You know, it didn't

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Speaker 4: it didn't always turn out great either, but you know

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Speaker 4: a lot of think shuit it did, you know, and

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Speaker 4: so many times, so you know that's what happened. You

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Speaker 4: win and you lose, but you know, at the end,

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Speaker 4: it's just doing the best you can.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, your game it was so a power game. You know,

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Speaker 2: you're kind of brought in the power era really in

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Speaker 2: alongside Lindsay and Monica Salas and Mary Kays. Did that

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Speaker 2: come naturally for you or is that something you worked

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Speaker 2: on over the years.

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Speaker 5: I don't.

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Speaker 4: I think I pretty much came natural. I think I

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Speaker 4: was taught that pretty much. Yeah, it would be interesting

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Speaker 4: to see some of the you know, what do they

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Speaker 4: have the raider You know, it would have been on

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Speaker 4: the ground strokes back then. It would have been fascinating

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Speaker 4: to see what it was what we were hitting.

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Speaker 3: At, the speed, data and the yeah, yeah.

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Speaker 4: Data and everything. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I just wonder. I

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Speaker 4: don't think that too much has changed with that.

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Speaker 5: We're pretty.

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Speaker 1: We actually had Lindsay on the podcast yesterday, okay, yeah,

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Speaker 1: and she reflected on that generation she was a part

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Speaker 1: of with you Venus Arena, Martina, Justin and Kim came along.

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Speaker 1: It was an incredible, incredible golden generation of women's centus

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Speaker 1: that you were part of. And yeah, what was that

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Speaker 1: like to be a part of it? And who were

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Speaker 1: the toughest opponents for.

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Speaker 5: Your dream team? Awesome?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, and you know, there was still a lot of variety.

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Speaker 4: There was so much variety back then.

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Speaker 5: I mean I came up.

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Speaker 4: And faced a lot of the Serve and vollyers. I

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Speaker 4: was still so I'm really like fortunate to be part of,

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Speaker 4: like like two different generations of playing in that style

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Speaker 4: and technique that I didn't maybe like so much then

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Speaker 4: and do my best at so, but you know it became,

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Speaker 4: h you know, more and more power moving forward and

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Speaker 4: a little bit more of the variety being phased out.

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Speaker 4: But it was you know, I see less of that now,

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Speaker 4: so maybe uh try to get that back in there,

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Speaker 4: and maybe it would just you know, change the game

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Speaker 4: up a little bit and see how some of these

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Speaker 4: power plays, you know, being against the still playing against

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Speaker 4: the diversity and in the different style of play. Yeah,

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Speaker 4: it's hard, though, It's hard against such powerful base landers

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Speaker 4: to keep that you know kind of stylee and be successful.

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Speaker 1: You were very successful with it though, back in your

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Speaker 1: era and some of the matches that you played against

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Speaker 1: many of those names we talked about matches people still

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Speaker 1: talk about today, rivalries. They were on the biggest stages.

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Speaker 1: It was Grand Slam, chorters and Semis and finals. What

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Speaker 1: are some of the I don't know, best matches or

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Speaker 1: battles that you remember from that time that stick stick

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Speaker 1: in your head now, I.

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Speaker 4: Mean the great ones. There are some bad, there are

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Speaker 4: some unfortunate ones too. You know, but they are classics

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Speaker 4: as well, and you know, looking back on it, I

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Speaker 4: mean it's no regrets, don't change anything. I mean, well maybe.

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Speaker 3: I think everyone has.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, don't take it

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Speaker 4: for granted and just you know, really go for it

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Speaker 4: because you never know when the opportunity when it might

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Speaker 4: come again or never come again. You know. That's what

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Speaker 4: I would say to everyone now playing is you never know,

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Speaker 4: so you know, maybe your whole mentality, like some of

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Speaker 4: the fear, you know, hesitation comes in and it's just

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Speaker 4: it's really I mean it's easier to look back on

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Speaker 4: it and speak of it.

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Speaker 2: But you did play so many incredible matches. Do you

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Speaker 2: do you have a favorite one or one that you

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Speaker 2: remember the most.

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Speaker 4: I would say the two thousand and one the finals

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Speaker 4: was in just the whole tournament and.

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Speaker 5: The harder they were, the better I like them.

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Speaker 4: So you know that final and the next final in

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Speaker 4: two thousand and two is really quite something. So and

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Speaker 4: all the Olympics.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and against incredible players too. That was Stephie in

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Speaker 3: the Olympic five.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you're Australian Open that you won in

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Speaker 1: two thousand and one. It was Monica, Lindsay and Martine

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Speaker 1: the final and they were all top four like that, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: makes it special to go through such tough opposition, I'm sure.

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Speaker 4: Absolutely, Yeah, I know I had it play and being

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Speaker 4: my best for the gold condition to be able to.

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Speaker 5: Go through.

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Speaker 4: I just you know, it was like one match at

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Speaker 4: a time and just if I could get through this one.

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Speaker 4: You know, I knew in my mind I had trained

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Speaker 4: and I physically felt strong, and you know, I was

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Speaker 4: you know, we didn't have like gyms, you know, mandatory,

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Speaker 4: and there was a treadmill in the lock, you know,

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Speaker 4: so I was like going and running on the treadmill

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Speaker 4: after the matches and the yeah, because I really felt

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Speaker 4: and it's kind of and I did a little bit

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Speaker 4: of that in the Olympics too, but yeah, so it was,

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Speaker 4: uh yeah, I was thrilling.

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Speaker 1: So in two thousand and four, you played your last,

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Speaker 1: your last matches, you were still in the top ten

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Speaker 1: and you'd made the US Open semis I think you

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Speaker 1: wanted to probably keep playing, and so it was it

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Speaker 1: a was it a shoulder or a back injury that

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Speaker 1: was the ultimate like what forced you to stop playing?

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Speaker 1: I guess it was a shoulder.

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Speaker 4: It was the shoulder, and then I also had wrist

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Speaker 4: surgery as well, so that was a dum me. I

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Speaker 4: don't think a lot of people know that, but yeah,

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Speaker 4: it was my shoulder that just gave out, and I was,

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Speaker 4: you know, feeling a little bit of the effects of

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Speaker 4: on my on my body. So you know, just has

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Speaker 4: been a struggle to get through that. You know what,

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Speaker 4: I look back again, maybe I would have hesitated a

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Speaker 4: little bit if I had known a little bit more

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Speaker 4: of what I was getting myself into. And I wish

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Speaker 4: I had more information and making that decision, you know

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Speaker 4: when when I did that, But I you know, a

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Speaker 4: little bit of me wanted a little.

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Speaker 5: Bit of a break as well.

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Speaker 4: And I was a little bit tired, and I you know,

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Speaker 4: I knew something was not right and not off about

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Speaker 4: the way I felt, and it you know, it was

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Speaker 4: just getting into actually just figuring out what I had

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Speaker 4: to change because that you know, I had a couple

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Speaker 4: of heartbreaking losses too, especially at the US Open, and

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Speaker 4: those times, you know, why was I falling short and

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Speaker 4: I was losing something a little bit. So I just

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Speaker 4: wanted a break, but it turned out to be a

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Speaker 4: little too permanent. Yeah, So you know, it is what

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Speaker 4: it is.

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Speaker 2: Did you did you ever think about coming back at

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Speaker 2: that point?

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Speaker 4: Absolutely? Yeah. Yeah, I had no intention of stopping. I

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Speaker 4: had no intention of retiring. So it's very hard. It

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Speaker 4: was very hard, was shocking, actually, and it took a lot.

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Speaker 4: It took a lot, and I'd go through mentally just

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Speaker 4: trying to you know, go through the rehab and go

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Speaker 4: through the physical therapy and just searching for answers and

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Speaker 4: going all over trying everything possible to figure figure it out.

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Speaker 4: I mean, I just didn't give up. So I mean,

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Speaker 4: even only a few years really ago, I kind of

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Speaker 4: give up. And so, you know, I think about it

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Speaker 4: all the time, you know, but I really believe, you know,

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Speaker 4: whatever is meant to be is meant to be. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Of course that kind of defined your careers in your

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Speaker 2: career in a lot of ways, that you didn't give

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Speaker 2: up during your career.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, I did.

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Speaker 4: I was not I did not give up. I did

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Speaker 4: not give you. And part of it has been so

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Speaker 4: hard because I don't give up and I'm such a

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Speaker 4: you know, a fighter, and so it was really something

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Speaker 4: that I had to fight out, fight at and I

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Speaker 4: couldn't you know, work it out and figure out what

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Speaker 4: was going on. So that was really frustrating for me.

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Speaker 4: So but this is you know, it's just you know,

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Speaker 4: I'm not going to be thinking about it for the

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Speaker 4: rest of my life. And twenty years ago, you know,

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Speaker 4: it's just we're here, you know, to celebrate and I

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Speaker 4: mean be back here with such tremendous memories. And I

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Speaker 4: missed a lot of you know, the advancements and a

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Speaker 4: lot of stuff that went on in the last twenty years,

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Speaker 4: you know, with like the sports science side of things. Yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 4: I mean things that are just yeah, it would have

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Speaker 4: been great to have and kind of the things I

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Speaker 4: was searching for. And you know, obviously yeah, you know

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Speaker 4: a couple of players that are still around that had

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Speaker 4: you know, found the answers too. And the longevity.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah, it's been it seems.

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Speaker 1: So you're an enormous fan of the game and you

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Speaker 1: still follow it and you come to tennis tournaments like this,

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Speaker 1: and you're active on social media. It was really cool

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Speaker 1: seeing you follow the US Open and what Carlos Elchiz

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Speaker 1: was doing.

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Speaker 3: Wow, yeah, he's fantastic.

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Speaker 5: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: So what like I mean, yeah, we're in a pretty

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Speaker 1: special place in the game now. With what Sinner and

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Speaker 1: Alkoraz are doing. Sablenca and Fiontek and Golf are an

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Speaker 1: amazing generation on the women's side.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, what do you make of it all now?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean it's really like there's they're so good.

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Speaker 4: It's so fun to watch and I'm like a spectator.

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Speaker 4: I'm like a fan now, you know, to watch it

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Speaker 4: and just see how, you know, the evolution of the

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Speaker 4: game and it will be you know, just seeing it

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Speaker 4: live and being a part of it too, you know,

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Speaker 4: just seeing uh, you know, how the growth of the

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Speaker 4: sport and where it just goes from here. I think

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Speaker 4: it will be tough acts to follow, you know. You know,

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Speaker 4: there's you know, there's been some gaps and re emergence,

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Speaker 4: you know, some gaps to fill, you know, so I think,

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Speaker 4: uh no, see who steps up to the plate and

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Speaker 4: you know there's history being made now.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and we this obviously this episode will be being

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Speaker 1: in after the io. We know that you're presenting the trophy,

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Speaker 1: which is fabulous. Yeah, who it is vredibly sunning and meaningful.

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Speaker 1: Years later, it's amazing.

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Speaker 3: Who might you be presenting it to?

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Speaker 5: I you know, I'm run biased.

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Speaker 4: The best the best player win and just be happy

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Speaker 4: for whoever the winner is. And I'm just happy I'll

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Speaker 4: be there and I get to touch it, Like what will.

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Speaker 3: This will be the first time. Amazing, But you're doing

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Speaker 3: this right.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, amazing, amazing. It's really really honored. It's a real

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Speaker 4: honor to be back here and to be able to

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Speaker 4: do that.

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Speaker 2: When you look back at your career, what is the

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Speaker 2: biggest lesson that Tennis ever taught you?

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Speaker 4: Oh? Gosh, I mean, I'm still I'm still learning, but

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Speaker 4: just you know, love who you are, except who you are,

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Speaker 4: believe in who you are, and just you know, it

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Speaker 4: all comes down to that. You know, at the end

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Speaker 4: of the day, you just gave it. You know you're

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Speaker 4: defined by these things, but you know, you just give

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Speaker 4: it your best shot. And I really think it's about,

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Speaker 4: you know, just learning self acceptance and certain you know,

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Speaker 4: self love and really, you know, just staying true to yourself.

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Speaker 4: Thank you, Okay, So wonderful to have your podcast to thank.

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Speaker 3: You, Yeah, thank lovely to make you Oh, thank you you.

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Speaker 2: Too, well, Matt, wasn't it wonderful to talk to Jennifer

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Speaker 2: Capriati in an absolute icon of our sport? And that's

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Speaker 2: actually one of many interviews that we were able to

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Speaker 2: conduct during is Drawn Open, so we're looking forward to

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Speaker 2: bringing you those episodes over the next few weeks.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, and please remember to subscribe to The Sitdown so

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Speaker 1: you never miss an episode when it lands in your feed.

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Speaker 1: And as always, if you could give us a rating

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Speaker 1: or a review, we'd be really appreciative. We'll see you

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Speaker 1: next week, Viv, see you then, Matt,