2024 US OPEN RECAP w/ Kim Clijsters

Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters recap the 2024 US Open all the way from the incredible victories of Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, the deep American runs from Taylor Fritz, Jessica Pegula, and Frances Tiafoe, and what this tournament showed us form players like Naomi Osaka and Calros Alcaraz. Andy and Kim also discuss the intense tennis schedule, what it does to players, and how it could get fixed.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Served
• 3:29 Kim's daughter's return to the US Open
• 11:30 2024 US Open Women's Final
• 38:29 Thoughts on WTA players post-US Open
• 57:23 2024 US Open Men's Final
• 1:10:25 American Men's Tennis
• 1:21:13 The problem with the current tennis schedule

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Hey everybody, welcome to Served. I am Andy. We are brought to you by the good folks at Chase man. Us Open is a big event. I thought it was a big event when myself and our friend of the show, kim kleisters, who is going to join us for this recap, show to everyone's delight. They always love hearing what she has to say. Uh, but, kim, you've been on site. This thing is is just a monster. Now it's.

Speaker 2: 0:37

It's like as much of an event as it is a tennis tournament right, and as when I was playing I don't know if you thought about that there was this whole other compartment to the US Open. I never thought about any of this, and so, to be a part of you know, even the on on site stuff, right, the clinics that you get to do and the sweet appearances and the heck, the craziness, I feel like I think I've seen more celebrities in these last two weeks than I've ever seen in my whole life. Like it's, it's incredible how much, um, how much goes on and um, and I've missed a few days here and there too. So, uh, crazy, crazy. Two weeks, yeah, really cool you're right.

Speaker 1: 1:14

I mean I don't know. I mean they passed a million fans for the first. I mean there are baseball teams in major league baseball that don't do a million fans through the gate in an entire season Right, I won't name names Oakland athletics but there are some teams that drift around that 800, you know 800, that for you know 80, some odd home games. They have made it into a three week event with fan week, 240,000 through the gates for fan week, for qualifying, and a couple of of exos, which for the most part are free, uh, which is which is great. So props to, props to the usda and everyone who has made this into as much of a spectacle. Um, as it is a tennis tournament, but the tennis tournament obviously is the heartbeat of it and you think you can't like.

Speaker 2: 2:03

It can improve every year but it's been improving every year and that's yeah, that's, that's, uh, the great part about it.

Speaker 1: 2:09

So fun, fun to be a part of the other, the other fun parts, and I think my the thing I want to do next week and we're trying to put it together. Hopefully we can pull it off. It's like a business of the U? S open, so all the things that you're talking about like so having different guests where their job is, you know, to run corporate hospitality for massive companies, right, they, massive companies, choose for this to be their biggest annual corporate offering and that's kind of what makes it tick. And even the little details of the U S open where you're going around the grounds and there's music and they're like the food 20 years ago was a dumpster fire that might be offensive to dumpster fires, and now it's like I mean you can get like morimoto sushi, I mean it's just a it's anyways, I, it's just, it's just a different they're even in the players area I feel, like the food I.

Speaker 2: 2:57

I always thought the us open maybe was my least favorite when it came down to food and maybe the quality of it. And now just seeing, like the buffet and the options that you have.

Speaker 3: 3:10

Crazy.

Speaker 2: 3:10

It's definitely definitely big improvements.

Speaker 3: 3:12

The players area is like a machine. You showed me that.

Speaker 1: 3:15

I mean, it was like yeah, you were there on day one.

Speaker 3: 3:16

It was like a packed mall in the 90s.

Speaker 1: 3:18

It was nuts.

Speaker 3: 3:19

It's like a train station. Yeah, it was crazy, it was cool.

Speaker 1: 3:23

Well, there was some tennis too, that we want to get a former US Open champion. Hey, one thing I want you to talk about off the top, which we only, kim and I, only saw each other for a quick hug and a quick conversation. You know, I think we were like trains passing in the night. The last day, right, yeah, for most of the US Open, um. The last day, right, yeah, for most of you, for most of the us open, um.

Speaker 1: 3:49

But I was doing a, a suite visit with tracy austin, where we walk in and we say hello, we talk about the matches, do some pictures, and she's like my work wife for a week, um. But there are monitors in all the suites, right. And so all of a sudden, you know the women's finals about to start, and then I see Kim and Jada walk out. So like one of my favorite pictures of all time and everyone's favorite picture of all time, very iconic photo. And let me know what details of this I get wrong, kim, I think Jada saw herself on the big screen and you're kneeling down next to her, kind of on her level, and you're both looking up at the screen, but you have the trophy and it was this like perfect moment of accomplishment on grand scale, but also like a child's focus is look at him on the screen Like it was. It kind of connected the two versions of life. Anyways, what happens? When did you know that you were going to do the coin toss?

Speaker 2: 4:52

Walk us through that process, because I looked up and I'm getting chills right now talking about it just because it was cool for me to see as a friend and also someone who's a fan of the sport.

Speaker 2: 4:56

Literally Saturday morning, the morning of the final yes, like Eric Buderek, I got a text message from him like hey, I know it's been 15 years this year that you won your title as a mom in 2009. Would you be willing to do the corn toss with Jada? And I was like, oh, you know, obviously, with all the things happening that day, like let me reach out to Jada if she's even willing to do it, because she's usually like a little bit like no, I don't want to do any of this. So I kind of told her like hey, like I, I don't want to do any of this. Um, so kind of told her like hey, like I heard Steph Curry's gonna be there, so she doesn't follow tennis too much.

Speaker 2: 5:32

She's a huge Coco Gauff fan, like anything. Um, coco Gauff, basically off court, even more than the stuff that she does on the court, is what she really really likes. Um, but yeah, so I was able to, um, to get a hold of her. She was still in bed, uh, and she was like, okay, mom, I'll do it, uh, but I'm kind of nervous, like what should I wear? And you know, she started sending me like outfits, whatever, and yeah, so, um, yeah, so she's now 16 and um it was. It was nice to share that moment with her and it's a fun memory um together and it's it's.

Speaker 1: 6:03

It's strange because, like before, like even during player walkout, the stadium seems extremely distracted, right, Everyone's doing their own thing, Everyone's trying to set up their food, Everyone's having a conversation, trying to find their seats, Like there's a lot of moving parts Even through the first like three or five games of a match. I feel like people are kind of trying to find their their groove. But I think people instantly got the connection when they saw the photo and then the two of you walked out. There was like this moment of appreciation and those don't always land Like you can have a script and a good story and you just hope that people are actually paying attention to the coin toss, Right. But from from where I was watching and I kind of stopped every I was probably unprofessional. I stopped everything I was doing to watch it and made a room full of people watch it.

Speaker 2: 6:48

I was already like drying my tears, like waiting for the players to come out. No, when Jesse got announced on court, it was so loud and I got chills and I had to like yeah, I was like wiping my tears before I had to go out there, like I don't know, it's been so long since I was in like a moment like that and it just really overwhelmed me like hearing the crowd supporting Jesse as an American, as a New York, like you know, like born in New York, and it was really really loud. And and Jada too, she was like mom, this is crazy, like I can't believe. You know, a tennis player has to be out on court by themselves. Like, at least when I play basketball, you know where I can share this with my team and we can laugh and we can kind of joke and fire each other up, but it's just you out there and so it's um, it was, yeah, it was, uh, very, very cool to be able to be it's a good segue.

Speaker 1: 7:34

I think we later on the show we have our show notes of like talking points for when you leave us after the show. Um, and that's kind of one of them, like the isolated existence of a tennis player out there, specifically like we were going to reference it with Jack Draper and what happened with him. But it's so true when Jada, when you did it and then you left, does she? She obviously understands, like that moment picture photo? Is her association like it just doesn't exist in real life until the US Open comes around, or is it cool for her? Is it just doesn't exist in real life until the us open comes around, or is it? Is it cool for her? Is it weird for her? Is it all of that?

Speaker 2: 8:09

yeah, no, I think it's. It's the association. Is there even for us, like I don't think about this stuff when I'm cooking lunch for the kid. You know, like it's not part of my life really anymore and it's basically for me too, it's those two weeks at the open when I'm there and that I get you know, reminded and talk about it. Um, and it's the same for the kids. I mean my youngest, you don't even probably. I mean they do now that they were older up until a few years ago.

Speaker 2: 8:33

They don't know that I play tennis like they, or you know at to what level that I play tennis and um, so it's um, yeah, it's, it's not something that I um, she thought it was really cool, like she thought it was fun, she thought it was cool to be a part of. She's kind of always been like, yeah, but basketball is so much cooler, the hype, you know, it's so much more exciting. And then I said I always told her just wait and see until you come to the US Open, or you know, if I take her to Wimbledon or anything like that, and um, and she was like mom, this is so cool and I can't believe you played in a stadium, you know, we don't you know whatever 19, 20 000 people and and so I think as they get older, it kind of has a little bit more of a an impact, or, yeah, they understand it all a little bit better yeah, she had like probably she probably dunked on her entire class on instagram what did?

Speaker 1: 9:25

you do this weekend.

Speaker 2: 9:27

Look what I did so I know I just arrived from last week, or like the the starting, uh, the tuesday of the main draw. Um, I just flew back in from hungary with her. Like she was playing european championships under 16 for belgium in in hungary and she forgot her phone the day she had to fly out. She left her phone in Hungary in the hotel room, so she didn't have a phone for three weeks.

Speaker 3: 9:51

Oh.

Speaker 2: 9:52

Yes.

Speaker 3: 9:52

Great, that's incredible. She lost her phone and by lost her phone.

Speaker 1: 9:56

She means Kim locked it in the safe before they left.

Speaker 2: 10:00

No, no, no, no, because she traveled with her team. I wasn't a part of that. She, no, no, no, no, because she traveled with her team. I wasn't a part of that. She left it in the room in the morning. So finally it got to New York. One of the Belgian dads has a business and he was doing something in New York City and he brought it over, but literally three weeks later. So she hasn't had a phone for three weeks, and so she just started catching up over it again, like, I think, saturday night or or Sunday morning after after the event.

Speaker 3: 10:27

So, um, yeah, so she was, uh, catching up and I love that you used another person to carry the phone back Like you couldn't. Fedex.

Speaker 1: 10:36

Yeah, that's what I was going to say. Do they have FedEx?

Speaker 2: 10:46

I've never been systems, I know, but I was kind of like listen, you left it.

Speaker 3: 10:47

Oh, okay, you deal with it, like you know, like that's great, I like that I like that a lot and she and she's like, she's like three weeks, that's my only option.

Speaker 2: 10:52

Yeah, yeah, that's great yeah some of the other moms were like so you're gonna buy her a new one? I'm like buy her a new one. Like no way. Like she can wait, you know kim kim's like.

Speaker 1: 11:02

It's like the 1930s. She's trying to find someone who's catching a boat over. Deal with it, I'm sure you can find. I don't know why I became irish we were in a beautiful.

Speaker 2: 11:14

We were in a beautiful place in hungary, but there was yeah, it was still very old school and very you know. So it took me a little bit, and again, again, I was at the US Open. I didn't want to deal with too much of it.

Speaker 1: 11:26

So let's, let's be honest. I think Kim and I could just tell stories like this for like an hour, but let's, I'm sure the listeners probably want our thoughts or your thoughts, on the final of which you were able to toss it to Konojita A very cool moment. Talk through Arena Sabalenka and jess pagula. You said you got emotional when jess got announced. I think we were all listen. I say the same thing about you all the time. Uh, if you have a problem with jess, I think it's your fault. Like she's generally really really well liked. You don't really. She doesn't really have, you know, enemies in the locker room, which is rare for most of us, maybe not kim and uh, you know there's probably the locker room, which is rare for most of us, maybe not Kim and uh, you know there's probably like six others um, throughout the course of history in our sport. But uh, talk through uh, Jess Pagula's run and then kind of balls and strikes of what you saw, uh against Sabalenka.

Speaker 2: 12:15

I think that quarterfinal for Jess was a very big moment. Right To be able to after you know, losing a few quarterfinals and a couple of them where she kind of should have won, I think, but to be able to kind of win her first quarterfinal. You could feel in the on-court interview afterwards that it was a huge relief, like she was so excited to kind of take her career to that next step, next phase, into Grand Slam, which is a huge deal. Right to make the semis of a Grand Slam grand slam, um tennis wise, like I've always felt like she's capable of doing it. It's at times, I also think, um the experience believing that you're good enough to be there right, like that was something that is also super important and is to be able to believe that you can, you can do like beat these players at the grand slams when there is a lot more attention, when the craziness is happening around you, just to see she's so level-headed, she is so mature, I feel, to see her win the semis and with the, her strength is her consistency. She's not going to have a lot of variety in her game, but I felt like that was her strength to be able to beat somebody like Sabalenka.

Speaker 2: 13:30

She wasn't able to do it because there was a few points here and there when she had to, where she maybe didn't play quite her best tennis. But she has the consistency to break somebody down mentally as well and tennis-wise. Sabalenka was too strong and too all-round. Like we all talk about Sabalenka as like this powerful hitter and it almost makes it look like she's only powerful. But you know you saw her come to the net Like we saw her move well, like she's moving better than she's ever done. You know she puts variety in there. She mixes it up with the slice once in a while. It's maybe not always the most natural looking way of of slice and and and volleys, but she makes it work and it's the combination of the hard hitting that um and and and the great serve. I mean it's uh fun. She's fun to watch.

Speaker 1: 14:18

I love watching her yeah, and just to put a bow on Jess's run. I think there's like something that maybe it isn't an issue mentally. When you have to answer for it over and over and over again, it might become it. So it's like a story that you have to answer to and, frankly, no one would give a shit about Jess Pagula not being past the quarters if she wasn't so good Like, if she didn't produce and win Masters 1000s and career high three in the world and if there weren't, frankly, a lot of other players who are a lot less accomplished, who have made slam runs and even won Grand Slams, you know, as opposed to Jess Begula. So I think the narrative is especially, or was especially, interesting because she outperformed her Grand Slam performances so consistently on the other weeks of the year.

Speaker 2: 15:10

But the match against I also felt like she was moving so much better too than ever before. I feel like Her movement, like staying on top of the baseline even when she gets pulled back, she's able to retrieve a lot more balls. And that was yeah. Yeah, that really caught my eye, like I felt like even compared to, to like wimble in the last grand slam, like that was, I felt like she made a big improvement there yeah, I think the the the three things that you'd spot on in.

Speaker 1: 15:36

In my opinion, I think she's gotten this. Listen, jess is never going to be, uh like tour elite as far as just speed. Um, I don't think she's going to be tour elite as far as, uh, pace of serve Uh, I think she's underrated. As far as a ball striker, I think her ball gets through the court very quickly. And her ability to switch directions Um, you know, I don't think she's too stressed whether she's hitting line or cross court, which is a huge skill that rarely ever gets talked about, uh, in commentary. But the best players on earth like I obviously Novak is the best of all time at finding the pattern he wants. With doing that, I think she's great. I think, getting out of the corners I totally agree with you. I think this tournament she won more of those like 30 all points where it wasn't scripted right, where it wasn't the way that she drew it up, and also sneaky, good little defensive slice now like where she can kind of live to fight another ball, um, not something like yeah, like she gets overpowered.

Speaker 1: 16:33

But then she's basically finding a way to sneak three more points a set right, like with where it's kind of weird looking, where it's not. This, you know, first ball, drive to the corners, get control of it and getting a little bit more movement on the second serve right, like just a touch more, where it's moving by the time you hit it and you're not getting that clean strike on it.

Speaker 2: 16:54

Andy. So do you think like a guy like Mark Knowles now like in our team, do you think, having been like a male player, like, is that the influence of like having a male former player on your side, a little bit like helping the variety of the slices and the and I don't know like?

Speaker 1: 17:10

you know what I think? Well, not necessarily because, like, if I could counter the other way, like d wit goes from jess pagula and all of a sudden francis is coming in more than he's ever come in and d wit has has mostly worked with on the men's side. You know what? What I think it is, I think a relationship being a home run of a success and then, at a certain timeline in tennis, it becoming stale and you just need a fresh set of eyeballs on what you're doing. Um, I think that matters. Like I think there's a point where, six years in, you can tune someone out. It's like you need to use your slice more and you're too comfortable and you're like get off my case, whereas someone comes in and was like we need to do this or there's a certain level of focus. And also, like Jess has played a ton the last three years I don't know if there's been that much time to work on it. She's missed some time this year where maybe there's two or three weeks at a time where you're not under the under the gun of pressure of having to play a match, where you can actually work on things. And this is all just guessing, um, but anyways, I thought I thought the win against ego was one of the best matches she ever she ever played. Um, I think uh Mukhova maybe might've played the best set I've seen in six years of tennis, the first set against Jess Pagula. It's like she was playing video games. I don't think Jess gets herself out of that headlock two years ago and then I thought she did great. I mean, I saw Blanca is a very tough, like she did the tough opponent for because she's going to munch on second serves with which Jess it's, you know, it's it's not elite, um, you know, and and but I I thought Jess was phenomenal. I'm happy she had that moment. Um, it's funny.

Speaker 1: 18:52

You mentioned uh, the the Sabalenka where she's obviously like blunt force, trauma, right, like she's, um, you know she comes out of the gates. Her goal is to get as aggressive as possible as soon as possible, but there is that nuance. I think the shot that saved that from going three sets for her was just serving for, uh, the set of five, four, second set. Sabalenka comes in, plays a couple awkward shots and then hits this like turnaround backhand high, you know, lob over the backhand side and kind of lays it down, shorten the court. That's not power and that's a clutch shot where there's a little nuance involved. To your point, it might have been the most important point of the match that kind of stopped Jesta's momentum in that second set and then kind of got to shush the crowd a little bit.

Speaker 2: 19:42

No, you're right, I think that it was very noticeable Coming in even the drop volleys once in a while. It's just you don't know what to expect and you're trying to keep her as far back as possible so that she can't kind of use the strength. But I actually hit against Jessie a few years ago in Chicago and I think we played a set got killed a few years ago in Chicago and I think we played a set got killed. Um, but like her strength is like to try to keep the ball as low over the net and as deep as possible right, like like to keep you on your back foot, and it's just you have, she has to have the chance to do that. And against Sabalenka is the first two shots of the rally. The return and the serve are just too strong and and she beats her to it and um, but definitely, yeah, her it's just uh, she's adding, you know, adding to her game and that's.

Speaker 2: 20:30

It's great to see like she's, she's uh just just jess is.

Speaker 1: 20:34

Jess is gonna make her year by getting on the front foot and it's just tough because against sabalenka, with what she brings, you normally start going back before you go forwards. You know whether it's on the return or whether it's on how close of a comp is. So if you talk about kind of, who you played is Sabalenka and I'm not saying she's as good or as great and the movement's not the same, the consistency of serve is not the same but as far as just style wise, where you're constantly having to deal with the power, is her closest comp Serena Williams.

Speaker 2: 21:06

Yeah, yeah, definitely. When I was watching, um, when I was watching the match and just sitting, you know, behind the court and seeing the power of of that comes off the one side, like it reminded me so much of like trying to hang in there, you just have to try to stay with her. Obviously, when, when you have somebody who's serving as well as sabalenka, you, you put a lot more pressure on your own return games too, and and and and on your service games, especially, like there's so much more pressure on your own service games. So if you're not serving quite as well and, and you just constantly feel under pressure and you feel like every shot that you hit you you have to do something with it and that becomes, yeah, sometimes a little bit overwhelming and um, um, but being able to move. Well, I think Jess was able to to, um, yeah, to to really kind of break her down in certain points.

Speaker 2: 21:59

And I remember back in the day, like when I was able to play against Serena and win a set or win a match, like it was because of that, like just by bringing one or two shots back and just making them doubt in those kind of situations, and like one or two more and then they start overhitting or they try to go a little bit more to the lines and and they they go a little bit more out of the comfort zone and I think that's, yeah where Jess had to try together and she was very close to getting Sabalenka to that point, because if she could have won that second set, who knows what could have happened there. But overall, a really good learning experience. I think she leaves this match saying I feel I can beat her. She definitely had chances to do it.

Speaker 1: 22:41

Yeah, and also just the mental scar tissue of having done it. Next time she's in a quarter. There's not going to be that pressure set where you wake up and you're thinking all these things had chances to do it, yeah, and also like just the mental scar tissue of having done it. Next time she's in a quarter. There's not going to be that like pressure set where you wake up and you're thinking all these things, we will be right back. All right, you chuckers. Summer's officially over. Yep, the US Open is done, and you know what that means.

Speaker 1: 22:59

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Speaker 1: 24:00

It was Sabalenka, and then we'll move on to maybe some other names that were in the tournament. Sabalenka, it's weird. She's had like a long road of shaking certain narratives, right. So I feel like in tennis specifically, like the way someone starts is kind of a lot of the talk that follows them for a long time in their career. Right, we don't easily accept a change, right? So six, seven years ago, as an example, like Sabalenka's reputation was like, okay, she's a change, right. So six, seven years ago, as example, like Sabalenka's reputation was like, okay, she's up and down mentally, she can be streaky. Who knows if she's going to stay in the match? Is she mentally tough? All of these things. And when I hear people and fans, they're asking questions, it's like they're they're still as dumb narratives and I'm going okay, what else does she have to do? Um, she's been the most consistent grand slam performer across surfaces. You know Egas won more slams, but you know she's dominant on clay and then as soon as they step onto other surfaces, you know Sabalenka, for the last three or four years, has been the standout Um, I think, um, and not just as far as wins, but as far as she's. If you had to scribble a name in the semis in three out of the four slams she's probably the one that you're scribbling in. Okay, so that's consistency, which we normally give credit to as far as mental toughness.

Speaker 1: 25:12

The thing that hardly even got mentioned during the US Open is there are not a lot of players who go through serving yips just complete chaos. Through serving yips just complete, like chaos. We forget that two and a half years ago she would, she would hit one out of 10 serves on the frame Like it was. It was, she was in a terrible place and then all of a sudden she disappears for an off season, puts in the work, doesn't fire. Team member said this is on me, let's add it, let's add, not take away. Goes through biomechanics and all of a sudden she has one of the best servers in the world and it's like we just picked up and like, oh, like that never happened, like that's like if we can't talk about her with having like mental fortitude at this point. We're being lazy I get.

Speaker 2: 25:57

I actually get chills about it because to me, like seeing or like not seeing it from up close, but hearing about some of the things that she has to have to go through, like in her private life, that do change how you think, with the stuff that happens to you on the court and and I think, having what happened you know to her father, the situation in miami with her ex-boyfriend like those are all like big, like kind of life, like they have an impact on your life and and and a few years ago I don't know exactly at what tournament it was like she did a press conference. I think it was at the australian open a few years ago. I don't know exactly at what tournament it was Like she did a press conference I think it was at the Australian Open a few years ago where she said like yeah, I was started to look Everybody's recommending a psychologist to me. And then a couple of times I went to talk to my psychologist and I realized, like everything you're saying is things that I have to handle myself, like I don't need this, like I need to grow up, I need to like this, like I need to grow up, I need to like figure out like, okay, my attitude needs to change in certain and there's not a lot of players who can do that Like a lot. Like you said, a lot of players are so stubborn and they've gotten to a point. You know, if you make top 50 or top 110, it's like you're, you know, seen as like a top player, and but she wanted to make more out of it and she realized, like listen, I'm not happy with just being a top 10 player or a top 20 player. I need to make it. I mean, I need to make a difference.

Speaker 2: 27:29

And she felt like where her weaknesses were and I think that's a huge mental kind of maturity that she's gained, or the attitude that she's built and is to always improve.

Speaker 2: 27:43

And she does it in a way that is so playful and that that kind of I feel like, yeah, it's with good energy as well. And if I see the you know the, the camera, the footage of of the, the players in the, in the, the player, the warmup area, where they don't know that they're being filmed like she's dancing, they're laughing. She's like the, the atmosphere with her team is it. She's dancing, they're laughing. She's like the atmosphere with her team is it looks good and she needs to have fun, and that's what it's all about. Like it's having that combination of like knowing when to have fun but then also knowing when to turn it on and be focused on the match, and I think she's grown so much in realizing like okay, this is what I have to do to become a better tennis player. She like dropped the doubles a few years ago to really focus on developing her overall game and her mind as a, as a singles player and um, and it's all worked and it's only gone upwards.

Speaker 1: 28:32

And I feel like certain times we, we, we have this picture of what mental toughness is Right and it's like so Borg didn't say anything, so he's he's mentally tough. Rafa is allergic to negative, showing negative energy, right. Roger is calm, cool and collected. It feel like. I feel like we didn't give Novak enough credit for how mentally tough he is for a long time. Because he emotes, right. He just goes about a different way, like negative, he like does better when there's friction, like he can, like.

Speaker 1: 29:04

We just need different energy and I feel like we haven't given her credit soon enough, meaning Sabalenka, because she emotes, because she lets us in, because we never have to wonder what she's thinking and say, okay, we all have those insecurities, but look at how she's dealing with it, like we never, we never closed the loop on on the answer, as opposed to pointing out, uh, the kind of uh, real time equation, the other thing that I'm watching her live and and I finally like dawned on me, I'm like I didn't have this at all and I wasn't even close to it, but she's up a set in three, oh, and it looks like it's could be over in 12 minutes. Jess goes on a run, wins five games in a row. The ability to be that aggressive and keep shooting your shot even though you've missed 17 balls in the last 12 minutes, is a skill that I didn't have Like I need to. If I'm missing, I'm losing confidence. I'm trying to make balls Like I'm trying.

Speaker 2: 30:06

Serena had that too.

Speaker 1: 30:08

Oh God, how you and Roger, how you commit to like just going back there, like deleting all the stress, deleting the insecurity, and going and shooting again is a skill. I don't know if you're born with it. It's crazy.

Speaker 2: 30:23

Yeah, it's almost like they say all right, enough messing around, get your shit together, focus. I mean, I've felt it many times against Serena, where you think you're so close to winning and then all of a sudden there's three aces and a four-hand return winner and it's nonstop. They just step it up and the ability to just step up when needed. And she has that too. And yeah, it was very clear for us to see in that second set.

Speaker 1: 30:50

On Saturday I was with another former player who's super accomplished and we're kind of talking through it in real time. She's like gosh, she just needs to tighten it up and make some balls. I'm like, okay, so let's walk this out over 10 years. Does Sabalenka have a more successful career? And this is impossible for a player to think about in real time, Cause you don't think about it in 10 year fragments. You think about it like the next 10 minutes, the next four shots over 10 years, and this is it gets to the point where I'm like I admire this ability so much over the next 10 years.

Speaker 1: 31:22

Sabalenka just keeps shooting her shot right and just all out aggression and I'm going to smother you and I'm going to miss some, but I'm going to keep shooting. Does she have more success doing that or actually being situational, with like one shot here, two shots there, branding it in doing that, or just full on, like I'm going to commit to offense for the next 10 years? I think she has more success and wins more slams the way she's doing it, Like I don't even know that she. I think she can improve skill sets, like Kim was talking about coming in volleying like improve your skill sets, but as far as that mentality, like play to your strengths, Like that is a superpower to have, like the delete button on the last 20 minutes, that have been horrendous yeah.

Speaker 2: 32:03

Like I like the delete button on the last 20 minutes that have been horrendous, yeah, and I've like I feel like in my situation, like I didn't have that delete button until I got older, like where I learned to, you know, as I got older, to be like not not feed the negative voice anymore, like I it was still there at times but I I wouldn't feed it.

Speaker 2: 32:20

Like I was able to push it aside and Like I was able to push it aside and and but with her, like you can see it, like it came very it's almost like I'm going to say like animalistic in a sense, right, like it's almost like that, that instinct of like oh, it's got to come out, like I got to like change it around here and it was, yeah, really, really impressive and I agree, like I think her best, her best and I also think, like a lot of like players personalities show in those kind of moments, right, like how, how is somebody like yeah, in, in, in extreme stress situations or under pressure, pressure situations like you, you, I feel like you can see the personalities of players that will come out and in those times and and um, and yeah, whether it's through the experiences like we've mentioned in the past.

Speaker 2: 33:06

Past, like finding that deeper kind of strength is, I feel like what you need in those certain times. And Serena, like she was to me the best I mean over how many years 20 years she was the best at it on the women's side and yeah, so Sabalenka is is incredibly, incredibly strong, uh, when it comes to that and can you talk about that in the context of the fact that she had to make it through two americans also?

Speaker 1: 33:35

yeah, I mean, it was a good point.

Speaker 3: 33:37

What's the mentality? Like you know, you know you're going out that tunnel not as the crowd favorite in one of the loudest environments I don't, you can't speak for her.

Speaker 1: 33:45

I mean, she handled it well. It weird to. It's weird, where I think it's a credit to her, and Kim touched on it quickly and I have it written down as like the next talking point is that she's also done it her way, right it's. It's like I would have never in my life had my trainer show up with a tattoo on his head where all of a sudden, like it's a laughy, jokey thing during a slam, I would have wanted to vomit. But also her committing and I put this in a tweet afterwards Like it's this weird mix of grit, intentionality with progress and also never losing your sense of humor, and I think that's.

Speaker 1: 34:21

I think that serves her well and to her credit. It's not like she's going out there and is mad at the crowd. She fully understands the situation. It isn't like screw you, you know making a big thing or whatever she goes, competes. She gives them grief sometimes, but then, as soon as the match is over and she she's at the interview stand, the crowd goes nuts for her yeah, she offers like yes, she's like now you guys are cheering for me, which is great, great.

Speaker 2: 34:44

Which is perfect.

Speaker 1: 34:46

It's perfect, like. But I think the thing that we get so narrow minded with and I'm learning it as I have more distance from the sport Cause I think we're too close, we're too like in our own shit when we're out there, it's just that there are so many different ways to get to greatness, right, sabo Lenka is laughing, joking and making bets about tiger tattoos and, you know, center is very calm. He's the most relaxed person I've walked. I met him. I'd never met him before. I met him before the final cause. It was like I awkwardly bumped into him in the locker room and it was would have been awkward, not to say something, um, but relaxed and like. It's just like.

Speaker 1: 35:23

I always use the example what if someone tried to coach the volleying technique out of McEnroe? Or what if someone tried to coach the? You know the, the, the, the Vamos finish from from Rafa? What if someone tried to coach those things out of them because they weren't technically accepted at the time? What if someone tried to coach out this friction, the ability to create friction for Novak, and you know the, the, the, the for Novak, and you know the, basically laying off and you know not getting into it Like. What if someone tried to coach those things out of players? And how often does that happen?

Speaker 1: 35:55

You have to commit to who you are and find your best process. You know it's not one. It's not one size fits all. Look at Roger, roger, rafa, novak, serena. Literally you could not have four more different personalities in the way that they go about things, the way that they act an hour before a match. You know, serena was like Serena's, like fuck you, you're not taking my lunch, like get out of here, I'm, I'm. You know. Novak is like this, he's just intense. Rafa's doing kangaroo jumps and somersaults for an hour before they go on. And Roger is like playing Angry Birds. They say it's time to go play Wimbledon final. He flips his thing, puts his ding on and puts his headband on and then he goes out and dominates you. But with Sabalenka I appreciate there's just different processes and hers just looks really fun and she dives in afterwards and she like has a smile and it's like she's up for a joke but also is committed to improvement. I don't know. It seems like she has a great balance. I admire her more and more.

Speaker 2: 36:56

Yeah, and when you see, like, let's say, somebody like Iga Sviatek, who's like the opposite of that, who's so like focused and walks around like the players area like, does it like, like, like yeah, still like focused up there about the next game or the next practice, like this, constantly tennis on their mind, it almost seems like, whereas, yeah, I think it's it's so important to be able and I call it like the tennis switch, like like a light switch, like to be able to turn it on and off when, like at the right time, that works for you is something that's super, super important, especially you, especially in such a long kind of tournament At the US Open. They're there training the week before. You're so committed and you have to be able to switch it off. And when the nerves are there laughing, joking, doing a little bit of dancing it helps to kind of release it. But everybody's personality comes through differently.

Speaker 1: 37:47

We're going to have more US Open recap, with friend of the show, kim Kleisters, coming back after this break. What's going to happen with Naomi Radikano, rabakina, coco Ons, I don't know. Let's have a quick thought on all of them. Then we'll get to the men's final as well and the new dominance of center-center chicken dinner. We'll be right back.

Speaker 1: 38:07

This is served brought to you by chase. Chase, the perfect match. Wherever you are in the game of life, chase is here to support your goals, just like they have supported the US Open for 43 years and counting. Find out how you can make more of your US Open at chasecom. Slash US Open. Welcome back to serve presented by chase.

Speaker 1: 38:30

Uh, listen, I I have fun when kim comes on because I always like to learn from, uh, the perspectives of, of champions. Um, it's a, it's a real gift. And sabalenka is fascinating. Uh, the juxtaposition between her and ego that you you mentioned before break. It's like I watch EGA and I'm like, yeah, I was that stress ball all the time, like I was, but that's like how I had. I always had this thing where it was like I don't know, if I relaxed and I was 15 in the world, would I be happier or am I maximizing everything and is it worth it? And I don't know. They're probably both a little true and it's probably where I retired when I was 30, like I just woke up one day I was like I can't do it but were you like, also, like, really really stressed off the court, like during tournaments were?

Speaker 1: 39:10

you, I was good at being easy but like the day of a match, like tournaments, and I was very specific about how I wanted things done. Big thing of routines like I, I was difficult. I wasn't to the point where I couldn't say hello, like I, it wasn't. It wasn't kind of that manifestation of it. But yeah, I feel like I had to win a practice at the Friday before Monday. Otherwise it was like panic. It wasn't always fun and I wish I had a little more Sabalenka in my game.

Speaker 2: 39:43

The year I won the Australian Open I lost in the. I think it was the Sunday or the Saturday before my first. I lost a first like a set six. Love to Sabine Lissicky she just got smoked. Did that bother you? I mean at the time a little bit, but the next day new practice felt the ball. It was good and I'm ready to go.

Speaker 1: 40:05

That would have sent me into a tailspin, that would have been a. That would have been a. That would have been a problem, all right. So give me, like, basically just give me a quick thought. Where do we go from here with kind of some of the bigger names on the women's side of the game? We have a lot more clarity around just Pagula and who she is after this tournament. A lot more clarity, as if we needed it At this point. Now she's entering the legacy era with Sabalenka. Does she have three? Does she have seven? Does she have eight? Where does she end up? She's kind of entered that conversation. I still think she wins a Wimbledon title at some point. She literally hasn't played it two of the last three years, so I think that is for another day. But Naomi Osaka, after coming back, you've been through kind of the comeback after becoming a mother. What's your takeaway, what's your stock? What's your take on her moving forward?

Speaker 2: 41:01

I felt already at the French Open, when the best match that she played was against Ia swiatek, where she had match points, I felt like she made a big improvement, um, at that stage.

Speaker 2: 41:13

And then her first round. I think it was ostapenko right that she, that she beat in the first round of like great tennis, like, and there I was like listen, like if once you have that feeling you could see that she like there was a relief, like also when she was on court afterwards, like when she walks off the court, there was like a, an enjoyment back in it, like okay, listen, this is where I want my tennis to be and it's nice to feel that after maybe not having like felt that consistently for for a long time. And so I really really thought that she kind of that was kind of a new, fresh start for her where she could could maybe push, you know like deeper into the second week of of of the U S open. But then, yeah, at times, like when you then watch her next match, you still feel like there's that yeah, the doubt creeps in at times and the yeah, maybe the inability to kind of read the opponent at times as well.

Speaker 1: 42:07

I inability to kind of read the opponent at times as well. Um, I mean, we do need to say she, she probably had the worst draw.

Speaker 2: 42:11

I mean, she plays ostapenko, who definitely is.

Speaker 1: 42:13

And then mukova and mukova. I I like I don't know how she hasn't been top three in the world forever, like I watch her and it's, it's, it's she hasn't been able to stay healthy. I I know, I hope, I hope she gets that run because I think she is an elite tennis player, I think she's phenomenal. Um, but Osaka, it's a brutal draw, like you, everyone's like. Oh, she got upset by Mokhova. I'm like she's been to the finals of the French open.

Speaker 2: 42:40

It was in the semifinals of the U S open last year and semis again, like that, that's, that's absurd but but like she definitely, like I watched her play elise mertens and um in indian wells this year and like you could still see and feel there that like once you got her to, to move out wide, like she wasn't just as quick yet to recover and and so, but that takes time, like it takes time to get your body back to you know, the same tennis kind of shape that you were in before and and so I felt like french open, which maybe isn't like her favorite surface, but the us open, like she was moving well again.

Speaker 2: 43:13

I felt like she was, yeah, just doing all the right things and and um, you know, obviously not, yeah, tough, tough draw, but I do think she's going in the right direction and I think, if she can keep consistent and putting the work in and and um and finding enjoyment in in, you know, being like on tour for many, many weeks in a row and playing a few tournaments in a row to get that routine back, I think she, um, she can definitely cause, cause some more damage and and win slams and the movement pieces tennis is good enough yeah, and the movement piece is interesting and it must be tougher also Cause, if I can draw a comparison to your comeback, your movement was elite from the day you picked up a racket.

Speaker 1: 43:54

Like you're, you're one of the best movers ever, like Osaka. It's probably the toughest thing to come back. Like we, you don't forget how to hit a tennis ball, but the movement piece is massive, but that's not Osaka's strength Like. But the movement piece is massive, but that's not Osaka's strength Like. She's not an elite mover, she was never an elite mover. She's an elite ball striker and she's powerful. She serves massive, you know. So I think it's going to be tougher for her to find that back, maybe a tougher process back, because the footwork and, uh, the getting defending sideline to sideline isn't you know we, we all have parts of our game. Like I could, you could wake me up at three in the morning and I could hit a serve, right, but I can't do anything else like I on on, on call, like that. So I think it will be tougher for her coming back, but I hope she is motivated to schedule a heavy schedule again next year because I think she's on the cusp of making like a massive run again and being a problem for more consistently. I agree, yeah, I hope she, I hope and I hope she gets there, because it seems like she has perspective, as in an and and is enjoying process as much as she ever has, despite not having the results that she's used to and that we're used to for her Next one. That's interesting to me and I'm really curious to hear your opinion on this, because I'm a fan of hers and I think sometimes she gets treated unfairly and also she doesn't do herself any favors with scheduling and decisions and it just I can't figure out where I'm at with it out where I'm at with it.

Speaker 1: 45:24

But is, is Raducanu right? She, she, she does well, it's like she. She won't play qualities at all for whatever reason. Um pulled out of the French once she had to play qualities and it's not a good look when someone who has the pedigree of Naomi Osaka decides to play qualities in Cincinnati and she's not too proud to do it. Um. But Raducanu has a great run.

Speaker 1: 45:45

I feel like she almost creates her own speed bumps and getting back to where she wants to go, uh, wimbledon, she plays well. For a minute it was like gosh, is this going to like is she going to make a run? You know, all of a sudden kind of disappear and then come back and make a run again. Um, dc, she plays well, you know, make semis, but it gets through a bunch of matches and then doesn't get wild cards. So she goes home for three weeks, doesn't play anymore, after having played back-to-back as a player. When you're coming back, you want to build those weeks where it's like okay, fourth round of a slam, semis of a tournament, let's keep it going, let's keep building. The last thing you want is a stop sign at that point, and especially a self-imposed stop sign before the US Open.

Speaker 2: 46:27

She comes in and time before the us opens, she comes and loses first round. Yeah, no, I there's like two things that that either you know that I think could be the reason because of it. It's either is it maybe not having the right people around you who kind of guide you and, and you know, saying, okay, this is, this is important to you, like the scheduling, building enough time weeks off in between, like having training blocks to improve, to kind of mentally switch off a little bit as well, um, or is it her like? Is there other things going on mentally where she's kind of just had it with the? You know, whatever it is, media pressure, whatever it is, I don't know, it's to me it To me it's only those two things that could be the cause.

Speaker 2: 47:08

I think I don't know how you think about it, but I don't know enough about her. I don't know her personally, I don't know her team, I really don't know much about the whole situation. But I mean, yeah, some of the things you mentioned, like I'm sorry, but if you have a team of coaches around you or whoever it is that is in charge, there's obviously some misguidance there, I feel like.

Speaker 1: 47:35

I don't know what it is. I just get frustrated because obviously if she wins it's going to be amazing for the game, like it's going to be so additive.

Speaker 2: 47:41

She's great.

Speaker 1: 47:42

she's great like she so it's like more just, I want. I'm like she goes home after washington and I'm like like you're gonna like no build, build, build, build, build, build, build exactly that's how we feel.

Speaker 2: 47:54

But then who said who? Who does she want to go home or who is saying that in her, in her closed environment? Is it parents? Is it?

Speaker 1: 48:02

I mean coach is it herself? Is it listen?

Speaker 2: 48:05

no, fine, but like my kid, I'm not having a go at anybody, but it's just like where is that decision making coming from? Like, and I think that's where you need to start looking is like okay, how can we kind of attack or learn about, yeah, those kind of decisions that are being made?

Speaker 1: 48:20

because yeah I mean, I think if you talk to any past player, they're all gonna say like, yeah, that was weird, that was probably not the right move to do listen, my, my kids want ice cream six times a day and sometimes you gotta say like, maybe that's not the, maybe that's not the play for you right now.

Speaker 1: 48:35

You know three, three is only enough, yeah maybe, like, maybe we can just like work backwards from that six number um. Another one that's interesting and I, I this don't know, the circumstances here are, I just don't know but Elena Rabakina. You look, there's a coaching mix-up and she's pulled out kind of suddenly from six or seven events. It's not as if the level's completely dropped off, because when she plays she plays great and she makes finals and wins tournaments and you know when, when she's in full flight, she's as good as anyone in the world but wins convincingly, first round, the U S open, after coaching breakup and doesn't mention specifics but just says like I'm injuries, I'm out, like I'm done, and it seems like that's. I don't know.

Speaker 1: 49:22

I hope I don't feel like we know the full story and and I hope it's something that is is a short-term problem or an issue, or if it's hell. We just don't know what it is. But like are we just in wait and see mode with her? There's obviously more to this story, but like I, I mean we can't really come we. It's tough to have an opinion on something you don't know anything about.

Speaker 2: 49:47

Exactly Like. I think there's definitely more like. More will come out, you know once her coach got banned from.

Speaker 1: 49:53

Like the, there's a coaching list of available coaches and they kicked them off. So you don't get kicked off for nothing.

Speaker 2: 49:59

No he was like he got banned, he open, he had a credential, like you know, he was there and and it's like a weird yeah, so it's a um, yeah, it's all a guess I think to to everybody really. Besides, you know some people who are part of the organization, but I think we'll find out more in the future about it, but at the moment, um, I don't think it's anything, it's not going to be anything good um, same.

Speaker 1: 50:21

There's like a, it's like an impending feeling of like bad news coming or like the news coming or like a bad story coming, and I would love to be wrong. This is purely conjecture, this is pure just wondering out loud, I don't know. What I do know is that she is elite when she is ready, happy, focused playing. For my money, the best serve in the women's game can hit all four corners, easy stroke production, doesn't look violent, is very smooth, especially for her size, with movement. I hope she finds her happiness on the tennis court and health on the tennis court sooner rather than later.

Speaker 1: 51:04

Coco, I kind of feel like she had to get past this U S open Cause I think there have been issues in her game that are well-documented in that the, the, the game planning for her has become, you know, pretty straightforward for players Um, you know, and then the, the serves, an issue like it's just, it's tough, um, you know, she, she I think she had 10 or 11 double faults in the third set against you know, emma, and that's no matter how good you are, no matter how elite you are at other parts of the game, it's, it's tough to get around that right yeah, and also it.

Speaker 2: 51:40

It also kind of it seeps through to the other parts of your game a little bit. Once you have that doubt when you start the point with the serve and you know your next shot's going to be like it's just not the same. And so, yeah, it's unfortunate and again, you know it takes like we've all had to develop, we've all had to learn. Look at Sabalenka you mentioned it before, like how she struggled with her serve at times and I think with Coco it's a little bit more of a. It's not the yips as much, I think, it's a little bit more like maybe it's like some technique issues here and there she's been able to win a lot of matches, a lot of matches.

Speaker 1: 52:16

Still Imagine how good she can be.

Speaker 2: 52:17

I know, you know that's like there's. I still, when I watch her play, I still feel like there's so much more growth to be done, like for her, Like she can improve so much more still. Yes, and yeah, and that's the great part about it, that's the positive thing about all this is that she can still improve so much. Uh, you know, if she can shorten the points with winning forehands and and yeah, there's so much, so much improvement still to to like possible for her and the part that she I'm I'm happy she just said it, because I think it's easier.

Speaker 1: 52:53

When you're just acknowledging something, I think the path to fixing it becomes a lot, uh, more straightforward. Um, but she said a person like I could go out on the practice court right now and hit 40 serves and not miss one, and that's the, that's the gun. I won't you know. She said it, so I'll say it. Um, but BG says the same thing. Like you go out there and try to fix something afterwards and it's fixed as soon as you leave the stadium. Like it's a, it's a weird.

Speaker 1: 53:19

So listen, she still gets too forward the ball. Like there's no way that your head can consistently be ahead, inches ahead of where you're making contact. It kind of has to be a little bit more above. You cannot create spin when your head is leaning and your racket is following. It happens to some extent, but there are some technical issues seep in and for some reason, those old habits, even if they're not productive, feel more comfortable, more comfortable for her to go to the tighter it gets, even though they're almost like self-sabotage at this point I almost felt like when I watched her against emma that also.

Speaker 2: 54:01

It's almost like she's already worried about the next shot before she's finished her service motion.

Speaker 2: 54:05

Yeah, yeah like she serves and in the like, the upward motion there's like it's like she's almost already thinking about oh, I gotta get ready for the next shot and I have to like push back whereas I don't know, yeah, finish the serve and like she's fast enough and she's strong enough to counter a good return coming at you, but it's almost like she wants to get it in the service box and then make sure that she's ready for that return.

Speaker 1: 54:42

To kind of echo what you're saying throughout the whole year, when struggling with serve kind of manifest itself in different areas of the game, forehand type moment. So she's gone through all of this stuff and like, having one shot that doesn't feel great is brutal to deal with when you're out there and exposed, having two shots to deal with, like, and she's still. She was still two in the world, uh, yesterday, um, when, when, when this stuff all starts going right, like anyone who like right now I'm I'm buying low on on on coco, right, like everyone's kind of bagging on her this, that and the other, when that shit starts working she's going to be a problem and I do think it will work. She's 20 years old. Like we also forget when people are around, we like to just age it, like I love Emma and we need to talk about her as well, cause she's so much fun to watch. But it's like Emma, you know, young up and coming, yeah, but then Coco, it's like, oh, she's on the way down. I'm like she's three years younger, like I mean, it's like you know, time doesn't equal age. Um, all right, so let's, uh, we'll move on. Yeah, I'm not worried about ego, she's going to be fine, like she's going to win a bunch of slams and the whole thing. A muhubo is a genius. Uh, let's take a quick break and we'll. We'll spend, uh, some time on the men's If, if Kim can stick around. I always take more time than she's promised.

Speaker 1: 56:03

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Speaker 1: 57:23

All right, we are back on serve presented by chase. Uh, kim probably has shit to do, but we're going to keep her on for another segment. She can't go anywhere now. It'd be weird. Um, we, let's, let's. Get to the men's side.

Speaker 1: 57:36

Um, yannick center uh, weird. Three weeks, um, that ended in just a dominant performance. Uh, over the weekend, semis and finals. Uh, you know what? You're pretty good. You uh run the table three out of five without losing a set. In the semis, uh, in the finals, um, I'll tell you what.

Speaker 1: 57:58

Like I was at that match and this is the most I've watched center in person over the last couple of weeks and really got down low court side. His movement is insane for someone who's six foot four to be able to get in and out of the corners and create, create like stick and pace on the full movement. And when you watch him from that like bird's eye view that I hate in tennis that we've been watching for five decades where you can't really understand movement and spin. His ball has so much more shape on it than I ever knew, like he tops out on four hands and it's still going hard through the court right Normally, okay.

Speaker 1: 58:37

So like to explain like we talk about just the gulas ball, flight Novak's ball flat on the back end.

Speaker 1: 58:42

The special sauce is it's low and it forces your opponent to have to attack from low positions, which means you have to get it up and down as opposed to just flatten through Right. So it's an easier prospect when the ball's up, you know, a little bit above waist level. That's where people like Kim Kleister's can fuck you up Right Center, center, like tops out on his forehand. He has them all like he can, he can from any ball position he can hit heavy line, heavy cross, heavy inside out, flat, heavy inside out with with speed. It's just like the options of his forehand side are unbelievable. I mean there were a million balls yesterday against Taylor Fritz where I thought he had missed it by six inches and all of a sudden it was six inches in front of the baseline and then the bottom drops out like that guy. That that ball's reaction to gravity is more than most. I mean, what do you see when you watch yannick center? It's, it's, it's I.

Speaker 2: 59:35

It's insane in person to me, it's also his movement that really stands out to me and it's it's, you know, like, yeah, hearing you talk about, like his forehand and the options that he has.

Speaker 2: 59:46

Like it's to me that all starts with being in the right position to have, you know to, to give yourself the time and the space to let that arm rip and and, yeah, so to me I feel, when he runs out wide, he's so low to the ground like he, you know, he bends his knees.

Speaker 2: 1:00:01

Maybe at times it looks a little bit like, oh, he's gonna fall backwards or he's a little bit off balance, but he pushes off and and, um, yeah, he's, he's incredible and and he's obviously has gotten maybe doesn't really look it as in muscle stronger, but he's gotten stronger, like he's gotten better physically to be able to do that, you know, to play like that, for you know, five sets as he, if he has to, and and that's um, that's what I've loved about him, uh, especially in these last few months, is the ability of of moving out of the corners and then being fast enough to take over when he's in a defensive situation it's like I'm watching the match with, with, with, with fritz, and it's at the end of the first set and taylor didn't serve well, so that was.

Speaker 1: 1:00:49

You know, he was 38 in the first set but otherwise hitting the ball, great, like he came out, like they were pumping the ball. But to the point where it's like you get to the point in the match where it's like, okay, I'm losing. What adjustments can be made? And based on taylor's playing style, I'm not like taylor's not going to serve in volley, he's not going to serve and volley. He's not going to chip and charge. It's not the way his game is built and you can't just say do that, I don't know where he goes. It's similar to Novak where it's like you can't go through himhand right who like flip that wrist back. They can't create the speed on a moment's notice. Normally they need a little bit more time in their feet underneath them, his quick, like he lags it. And then I mean you have people who are quick to the ball but they don't have that lag Like Andre was quicker on the ball than anyone I've ever seen. You know could create, you know, recognize and create offense Like you're just under the gun, the threat of it. The whole time center can do it, but he has that lag also, like I don't. It's like our, he's like a rubber band, like I. Just it's just absurd.

Speaker 1: 1:01:57

And the one thing is you were talking about his movement. I'm writing names down and I'm going okay, so the one, the single, non-negotiable. Seemingly now that's more different and you were great at this, but is more different than 20 years ago as far as, like, winning slams and being dominant. As I run through these names, think about their footwork and think about how little it gets talked about whether you're teaching, whether it's commentary. We talk about forehands and backhands. We talk about serves, rafa Nadal's footwork teaching, whether it's commentary. We talk about forehands and backhands. We talk about serves, rafa Nadal's footwork, never in a bad position, always in control, especially from the center of the court. We celebrate the dramatic movements to the sidelines but being in position from the middle of the court, that little circle C movement.

Speaker 1: 1:02:41

Elite Federer, the movement in and out where he can cut off three feet of court to create the speed not actually have to like hit a shot harder is something I saw too often. But elite Novak, his footwork to the corners in the stretching and that, like him, building on the thing that Kim created, where she created a monster where everyone can slide into every shot. Now in a hardcore, like it's, it's, it's, it's, it's elite you look at Shviantek elite Like she never is off with those little small steps Like watch all of these people in isolation, right, don't watch the ball go back and forth, just watch their footwork. Elite center elite Alcaraz elite.

Speaker 1: 1:03:22

Kim started this shit with the weird movement and the sliding and all that stuff and like the splitty, the splits, magoo and all that stuff. Elite Like you cannot negotiate movement and footwork. Now it just doesn't. You don't have people who don't have great footwork doing well. Even Sabalenka is not elite and the rest of her shots they kind of look weird Like she's pulling off and it's a dramatic movement, but the footwork and the rhythm between shots is very good. Maybe not elite like the rest of them and she makes up with it with power, but footwork is non-negotiable like you.

Speaker 2: 1:03:51

Yeah, it's, it's not negotiable that make that makes you hit the ball better.

Speaker 2: 1:03:55

Right, it's the tool.

Speaker 2: 1:03:56

Like it's yeah, it's not going to just win you matches, but you need it to be able to kind of set up, you know, to get out of a enough like a defensive situation to be able to go back and counter punch and be be the one in the in the attack mode again, like, like that's where I felt at my best is, okay, I'll run two, three times to decide if I have to, but as soon as I can take that step forward or to like stay, to try, like the goal was to try and stay on top of that baseline and to start dictating the point, the point again, like that's, that's the goal and that's where, like it was a tool for me to get back to that situation where I wanted to play tennis and that was from on top of my baseline, where I was the one dictating, guiding the ball like my opponent, left to right, and that's where I feel sinner has gotten.

Speaker 2: 1:04:41

I've, I've been lucky enough that you know, back in the day when I was dating late, and I've been able to be on court with Darren Cahill.

Speaker 1: 1:04:47

That's fucking Leighton Jesus. He's the fastest guy I've ever seen.

Speaker 2: 1:04:54

Yeah, but listen to those guys talk and to hear them analyze matches of their opponents, their own game, you learn so much from that and seeing the drills that they do, and there's not a second that they do and and nothing is. There's not a second that they step on court, even if it's in mini tennis drills, like the warm-up, like from when I was younger. It's. It's like, don't just stand there and, like you know, like, like hit the ball back and forth.

Speaker 2: 1:05:20

No, like that can be a drill where you can really really really well work on footwork and on yeah I mean, we used to do drills all the time. I can name so many of them but it's so, so important and it needs to be a part of your DNA, in a sense, like when you start doing it as a kid, you will never not do it anymore.

Speaker 3: 1:05:42

Yeah, I think this makes me think of the quote from Seal about technique.

Speaker 1: 1:05:46

Oh yeah, that's like a. We'll get it wrong, We'll put it in here, but we can do a voiceover. But I would butcher it right now.

Speaker 2: 1:05:53

Yeah, I saw that, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:05:56

To your point though, like with, it's something you can practice. The thing that drives me absolutely fucking bonkers is when I watch junior players and they spend the first seven minutes of a practice doing this lazy, cool guy warmup. You know where? They're not moving at all. It's like no, no, no, you, you I'm not asking you to go sprint before you're warm, but that little tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, split, tap, split, tap, split, tap. Where you're, where you're creating that rhythm. You're wasting 10 minutes a day doing these stupid lazy, like I don't know what it. I don't know how to explain it for tennis players. You know what I'm talking about. Like it's just this cool guy where you're doing like weird finishes and like posing and shit.

Speaker 1: 1:06:44

Like Connors was in. I worked with him for two years and he was like the original Layton of footwork, right. Like he was like the guy. I mean, his footwork is just insane, perfect, perfect. And his whole thing was like you have 10 minutes at the beginning of every practice to work on your footwork without anyone realizing. That's what you're doing, whether it's a warmup for a match, whether it's what. And now start the compounding effect of those 10 minutes over time and started at seven years old when, like we talk about, we talk about Malcolm Gladwell in 10,000 hours. I'm not.

Speaker 2: 1:07:20

I can't do the math on this, but you gotta be close to an expert at footwork if you do that in our practice like, okay, what you know, from the moment that we started with mini tennis, like we had to be on our like, on the front of our feet, like, and that was it, that was like it.

Speaker 2: 1:07:40

That was like so, like drilled into us and if you know, if the coach or the head coach came in and they saw us, that was it. Like we have to plank or we have to do like what do you call them wall squats or like like that. That it was so drilled into us from when we were seven, eight years old, that and they call like you had got to keep dancing, you got to stay on the on the front of your feet, like, but it's, yeah, it's it's and it feels a little bit awkward in the beginning, but that's yeah. Once if you're used to it, then that becomes the norm and that's what everything right and is running for shots that are out, like, go get them in practice. If you can get them when they're out, you, you will for sure get them when they're in and and so it's yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:08:22

That was kind of how we got pushed, I feel, when we got we're younger and um I, uh, I'm sitting here, I'm like doing the branding campaign for the for branding campaign for the Kim Kleister school of footwork, footwork. It's not something you do, it's a way of life, but to the point, like it's. I just watched center and it, his movement and footwork and just everything is just so complete. And he's like he's just taking like the Novak school of I'm solid Absolutely everywhere. And Taylor Fritz creates as much ball speed as anyone on earth. Like through the court, straight through the court. You can't go through them tough to go around them serves well, like in you know to hear a center talk about himself. He's like no, I don't volley that well yet, like I, he's, he's so good.

Speaker 1: 1:09:16

All he talked about post U S open victory was process and how he can't wait to get back to the process. Like that's intimidating in its own way. Like, and he's just, it seems like he's low stress. I said I, I said hello to him because you walk into the locker room and my walk lockers like way to the right, but he takes up kind of that center area right before you got to make a move left or right. Uh, in the men's locker room and you know, darren was there and Andre was there and uh, you know, at that point it would have been like I was just being a dick if I didn't. You know it's say hello to all of them. Um, and the last thing I want to do, like I had never met Yannick center before in my life, like I don't know a lot of out of the way, because my biggest fear ever is like being in someone's way when they're getting ready for a match or something. But kind of, like you hear it was the most, he's the most relaxed person I've ever seen this side of Roger before a slam final. Like he's just, it feels like he has this very, very quiet confidence about the way that he goes about things. Even his celebrations aren't like for anyone else. It's like this relief, like okay, and you feel like he was ready to start again, like like an hour after, after the U S open, which is a problem for the rest of earth.

Speaker 1: 1:10:23

Um, it, it this next part that we're going to talk about. I I hate more than most things right now, but like the, the, the Taylor Fritz is not. Taylor Fritz is not like an emotional, he's not someone that I think cries at Hallmark commercials, right, like I don't think he is a weepy person in general. I don't think like there are criers and there you know people that don't and he's not. And then after the match against Francis, you know where it's it's they run through the litany of just overplayed stats, of not of no american finals since this and us open since that and finals us open since that. And his attachment to wanting to be the guy to end this drought is is I watch it and I'm like man, like I, like I hate that you have that on, like I just. And then after the final, he, um, he's like I know we haven't had any started getting like he doesn't get choked up about anything, but this thing that he lives is just, it just sucks. And I get anxiety every time they ask about it.

Speaker 1: 1:11:31

Um, I found myself watching the match and pulling for Taylor. Um, I don't know if we're supposed to do as journalists or whatever, but you know we have our own media company. I can't fire me. Um, so, yeah, I'm pulling for him. But then, once the match finished and like the reality of this never ending fucking lame narrative happening and it wasn't about me, it was about how much like it. It it's there, it's like a presence. These guys have to talk about it and I was. I felt like I had lost a match, Like I was. I sat there and I just like for like 10 minutes and it was just like. I hate that he has to think about this. I hate that next year it's going to be another. It's so tired and I hate that they have to deal with it. They're playing against ghosts.

Speaker 2: 1:12:23

It's such a media thing too to always bring stuff like that up To me. Maybe I'm a little bit biased. It's not that I wouldn't have wanted Taylor to win. To me it is more like I'm not an American, I'm a Belgian, but I watched you win that title and to me I'm like that was such a great moment and I don't know like it's yeah, like you know, I feel like american tennis, like we had so much, like there was so many great stories this tournament and okay, maybe it's not the one at the end holding the trophy, but how many were there?

Speaker 2: 1:12:53

was there four, seven, no? Yeah, four three semi-final we had a half of all semifinals yeah, exactly like that on its own is already a really good achievement. And if you want to compare that to you know how? How is american tennis like that's what I have to like answer all the time like how come a country as small as belgium creates like good, good tennis players? I mean, it's what America like. What happened for American tennis in these last two weeks has been amazing.

Speaker 1: 1:13:22

It's been amazing.

Speaker 2: 1:13:24

And I think, just looking at it from that side, okay, yeah, maybe it's not with the winner's trophy, but it is definitely great to see players improving and working on getting better and creating great stories for sports and having an impact and putting tennis even more on the on you know, on a higher platform here in the states and listen.

Speaker 1: 1:13:46

I I gotta give credit where credit's due, because there are a lot of players, prominent players, uh that I think are scared to really really try and commit Even players that are not currently playing but that are way more talented than Taylor Fritz, and I think they're scared to get punched in the mouth and have to get back up. And the fact that Taylor talks about it, commits to it, is not scared to take it on the chin. I don't think he's scared of losing, I just think he wants that thing right. I don't think he's easy. I admire the way he talks about it, just plain speaks. I know you've been waiting. I wanted to do it. I promise you I want to do it. You know, maybe maybe next time I will, but like I just I liked. I don't know Taylor. I've never met Taylor, or if I have, he was probably like 12.

Speaker 2: 1:14:38

And it was like I don't know I met him a few years ago when we were playing world team tennis in West Virginia. It was during COVID. We were all kind of in a bubble there Seeing how much he works and how hard he worked on his fitness to become stronger to everything. Right like maybe not like at that time, it wasn't all the on-court stuff, but it was like to help his body. Like we said, the movement, his movement has gotten so much better too.

Speaker 1: 1:15:05

He's not. He's not. He's not an elite ball striker and he's big and he can create speed and he gets emotional serve, but he's not. He wasn't born an elite mover.

Speaker 2: 1:15:16

No, no, but he, like that was really stood out to me where there was so many other players there that were kind of just like, hey, this is fun, we're playing tennis, but we get to go and have fun afterwards and we're not really doing too much.

Speaker 2: 1:15:28

He was so committed and and that's what it is right the commitment like to to get great, great results. It doesn't just happen like two weeks before, like it literally happened like five, six, like it's that commitment that you have to put in, like week after week and having the players maybe don't think long term, but having the right people on your, on your team, who can think like, okay, this is what it's going to take physically and and to work on certain things that are going to help you get better in two, three years time. Like it takes that much work and I think he's done incredible when it comes to his movement and and and you know, knowing that you put in the work, that helps you mentally as well and it just builds your confidence listen and he's not responsible for the the failings of the rest of us right?

Speaker 1: 1:16:10

I could andy how?

Speaker 2: 1:16:11

how many years? Uh, was it um, when you Like, how many years was there between the last Americans?

Speaker 1: 1:16:18

that won Nothing. It was January of that year. Andre won the Aussie Open that January?

Speaker 2: 1:16:25

Yeah, but what about the US Open? Like how long, oh no.

Speaker 1: 1:16:27

Pete won the year before. That was the last tournament. Pete won.

Speaker 1: 1:16:30

Oh, really there was no time, like I didn't have to. Like I had to deal with. Oh shit, like was no time, like I didn't have to. Like I had to deal with. Oh shit, like I have to continue the and I didn't, but I have to continue this. This fucking thing of monsters from the past 25 years. Um, but there wasn't this. There was zero drought, like there was. There was nothing. Every like I, I was right on the heels of andre and pete, like they were winning every year. But is that because because of the media brings it up all the?

Speaker 2: 1:16:54

time? Or is that because it's justete, like they were winning every year? But is that because because of the media brings it up all the time? Or is that because it's just so like you were brought up like watching them and knowing that american tennis is the most dominating, or what like what? Why is it such it has that such a big impact?

Speaker 1: 1:17:08

mine wasn't so much like you have to win a slam. Mine was like the responsibility of they've built this amazing thing, whether it it's, you know, viewership, whether it's everything else. I knew there were two parts to it. I didn't win as much as I wanted to, right, but there was also the responsibility of being a good steward, not, you know, having to deliver. If I wasn't delivering on court, I at least had to, you know, be available and at least do my part for tennis and this legacy that they've built.

Speaker 1: 1:17:38

And then, all of a sudden, on the other side of the door, there's Venus, serena. Like it's, like okay, there's a lot going on and I just have to hang on. Like I just have to, like I have to at least do enough to where you know where it's, you know, it's not a narrative, you're in finals. At least you know you're, you're in the conversation. Um, so I felt I, I had, I had a sense of responsibility and it, it affected the way that I worked, like in a good way. Um, I think I was, I think I was better for having had it. But it wasn't as if there was this be all end all with a given match, based on the ghosts of careers of people that I might not even know Right there were. It's a very different scenario where, all of a sudden, these guys are having to apologize for what the rest of us didn't do. I could have cut six years off of this narrative if I won Wimbledon in 09, like it. So part of it's on me too, and I get pointed to as like oh, you were fine, like I fucked up in a million finals, no-transcript going. I can be that guy too, like give me a shot, I can make that final. Tommy Paul thinks he can make that final. Francis thinks he can make that final. That is great. That is what is eventually going to do it. It's not one guy.

Speaker 1: 1:19:14

I think the fact that we, if we can throw enough darts at the board, someone's going to hit the middle Like I really, really, truly believe that and I'm inspired by it, I think it's great, and I don't have to come up with word salad anymore. I can plainly say these guys want it. They're not shying away from it, they're going for it. And you know what? Let's give them some fucking credit for taking it on the chin and not hiding from it. Right, like I just I think. I think I think they're doing the right things. I think they're working. I think they're trying to improve. Um, credit to Taylor. I sent a. I sent a text to Mike Russell, as coach, who was on tour when I was on tour. Um, and just pass along my congrats Like I don't know what he does differently in that matchup against Yannick center.

Speaker 1: 1:19:54

I don't know what his options would have been. Um, you know, he played. He played a terrible game to start the match and he played a terrible game when he was trying to serve out the second set. You know, and that's a bad three minutes of two and a half hours. That dictates a lot of a lot of what happened. But I was really proud of the U S guys. I really what happened, but I I was really proud of the us guys. I really was and and and jess and emma navarro, who we don't. I mean shit. We have so much to talk about and so little time, but emma navarro is a rock star like I love. I love the way she goes about it. She's me too. She acts to me.

Speaker 2: 1:20:25

She reminded me like like her and mukova to me feel like a like, very similar in a sense, like where it comes to attitude, the presence, um, maybe the game style a little bit as well, maybe, yeah, maybe um mokov has a better serve, but like there's just a flair to their game. They can come into the net, they can, they have the good slice, like it's.

Speaker 1: 1:20:47

She's been so much fun to watch and and um, yeah, really, really uh the way that she like, the way that the way that she walks and carries herself, and like the stroke production is pretty. It reminds me a little bit of chrissy, too. Like she doesn't, she doesn't give you much, but you know she's just like. You see her, you catch her talking to herself and you're like there's a killer in there, even though she's not showing us. Like there's a. You know she has that kind of thing where she doesn't need to show you. She's a killer, she just is a killer. Um, um, you know, but listen, the, the, the men's, the men's draw fell apart. The last thing that we need to talk, talk about and I don't know what the fix is. Um, but like the Olympic hangover was real and at some point, at some point in tennis, and I don't know who's responsible for it. Maybe we all are and we're just.

Speaker 1: 1:21:35

It's like plausible deniability if we can get away with it, but the schedule in tennis has to give and all it does is we keep adding and nothing gets taken away. Like you look at Alcaraz, if you're looking at mid-May, when you're ramping up for Roland Garros while trying to recover from an injury, which he was and we conveniently forget that he barely played tennis leading into the Roland Garros this year. It's like four and a half months of basically playoff tennis Roland Garros into Wimbledon, into the Olympics, switching surfaces back on the hard courts For anyone at some point. Same with Novak. Like in Novak, it's even worse because he's had to do it for two decades. So it's not as if it's not as if he arrives at the U S open. It's like, oh shit, warm and fuzzies. I've only been here three times before. Like you know it's. It's even tougher mentally for him and he's a I mean, he's a savant with the way that he's been able to manage this over decades.

Speaker 1: 1:22:32

But something has to give and we know this is the case. We talk about it ad nauseum and what do we do? We start adding another week to every fucking masters 1000 on earth and it's like, under the guise of, this is more rest for the players on off days. No, no, no, give us rest in November. Like I don't know what the fix is. Like I got to fight. Ptp is coming on in a couple of weeks Cause I said something and started fights on Twitter. Um, and it's not their responsibility, they're generally. Their intent is good, but there's like in the, I'm sure, a lot of people with good intentions, and seemingly nothing gets done with what I view as the single most important issue outside of generating revenue, which keeps the business going, and nothing happens.

Speaker 2: 1:23:20

But this was an issue already. I used to be on the board early, whatever 2004 or 2005. It was already every year. That's a big issue. What is the middle ground?

Speaker 1: 1:23:35

Well, it's gotten to the point where there's no middle ground, in the point where it's like oh yeah, we'll have conversations, to your point. This conversation has been going on forever and there needs to be a players union at some point. I'm not sure the PTPA is that. I think they're well-intentioned. I'm not sure what the and we're going to get smarter in the next couple of weeks with having them on CEO and Vasek Pospisil, which I look forward to because I have many questions, but I'll be.

Speaker 2: 1:24:06

Can't wait to listen to that one.

Speaker 1: 1:24:08

I will be researched AF for that one. I'll tell you that. But listen, I don't know what to do because at some point it's like well-intentioned, lots of conversations, nothing happens. We're wearing our players out Like Iguizfate cannot keep up that level of intensity over the course of time in the sport as long as we can. And if that answer is yes, don't we work backwards to solve for that answer? I don't know, it just drives me crazy.

Speaker 2: 1:24:45

I also feel very stuck kind of with my thoughts, not to the point where it's kind of like it is what it is. I feel a little bit more towards that. It will never change. That's kind of the feeling I have.

Speaker 1: 1:24:55

There's only one way.

Speaker 2: 1:24:56

It's yeah, yeah, you're right.

Speaker 1: 1:25:01

There's only one way and for those who don't get the awkward pause, it's participation. There's only one way. It is ever going to change and I'll I'll map it out for you. There needs to be singular representation and post us open, or us open to get attention. I don't know what it is, maybe it's probably not that, but listen, they've been betting against difference of opinions. For for people that, like different services, speak different languages, are from different places, prioritize different things, the most that's been the bet against players for the last 40 years is like we all have different opinions and we can't organize. We can't organize thought, and not everyone falls in line. We're all independent contractors. What we have is our ability to show up and play. Until that chip is on the table, nothing will ever change. I'm not for it. It would be ugly. I think you would schedule a month of charity events. You know that benefits something, but at at a certain point, the only thing that ever changes it is is participation. And am am I? Am I wrong?

Speaker 2: 1:26:03

I know it's severe, but we've been avoiding severe forever and now we play through december 15th but I think they're in the past, like people, like players have talked about it and not showing up or a few. But if you only have a couple of them, not everybody feels the same at the same time. Right, like like that's. That's a little bit of the issue too. Is is like, yeah, iga may say like I'm not saying, I'm just using her an example, like, oh, I'm feeling like you know the US Open, like it's getting too much, like I'm going to talk to a couple of other players and they're're like no, I'm okay, it's fine, I had an injury. I was out for a month earlier. Whatever it is, everybody has a different kind of feeling towards this at different times and it's really really hard to get people thinking in the same direction on this. And it's tough for the organization too, thinking about the tournament directors and they always want, they're know, the lower tournaments to have, you know, the top players. But there's, it's um, I understand.

Speaker 1: 1:27:03

I understand both sides of it. I also in my tennis post life until very recently, I went away from tennis for eight years and did a bunch of other things and in no part of my business life has one side been represented as the same as has had this different sets of goals and represented by the same table in any business negotiation I've I've ever been a part of in my entire life. And for some reason, in tennis you can work for this, coach this, do this, be on a player board where you have influence and you're currently coaching someone while work. It's just, it's so insane that the stuff that we accept that if we leave our little tennis bubble is is just Looney Tunes, like it's. It's. It's absurd. Um, listen, solutions are easier, uh, than problems. But, um, until that gets talked about, I just have no faith. I feel like we've been saying, oh, yeah, yeah, let's, let's, let's, let's, let's talk about that next year. We got a lot going on and I feel like that has been the conversation for for 30 or 40 years and it's just too much seeing these athletes and how great they are and how physical the sport is and how mentally isolating it is. It's. I just hope we don't get to the point where it's so full and there's so many expectations on players, um, that it just explodes Like, also, like the quickest solution.

Speaker 1: 1:28:33

Then you get the arguments where you know, oh well, the, the, the players. That are arguments where you know, oh well, the, the, the players that are 80, 70, 80, 90 in the world, they need those paychecks and they need those points at the end of the year. Great, why don't we have our, why don't we have a wraparound tour where the last six weeks of the season are only two fifties and you can choose to play those. Carlos Alvarez doesn't need to play two fifties so he can actually make that choice, where, right now, we have the thing where the best players who play the most matches go the longest, which is which is? I don't know. It doesn't make sense to me, but that was a side tangent. Um, I've taken up too much of, uh, our friend, our friend Kim's time. Um, kim, before you go, uh, tell us about, uh, your new venture, prestige tennis retreats. Uh, where can people go? Uh, tell us a little bit about what you got going on.

Speaker 2: 1:29:23

Yeah, we've been working on it, uh, with the team, with my agency that I work with, and, um, we got approached by a company that does a similar thing and, um, in squash, um reached out, um, and uh, yeah, we've been brainstorming and putting together the, the prestige tennis retreats. We're starting the first one in Indian Wells from March 12th till the 17th in 2025. The idea is to have a professional you know, still fun but intense kind of tennis a few days, where in the morning you get to hit tennis balls with former grand slam champions. Um, I'm going to be a part of it, I think in india wells. It's going to be with the brian brothers.

Speaker 2: 1:30:02

I think you're going to be in india in at the us open next year. Um, so still a long way ahead, but, um, yeah, we're going to play tennis. We're going to have some good coaches a part of it as well, where people get the, the insight of some professional coaches and their thought process and learn, and then combine that to be in a beautiful city or beautiful tennis place watching professional tennis and do it with a fun group of people. So that's happening next year but people can start signing up.

Speaker 1: 1:30:34

Everyone sign up because for those of you that have been out to Palm Springs, there's not there aren't many better places in mid-March than is up there Bob and Mike are like. As far as like clinics and pro-ams and stuff, I don't know that there's anyone better about learning from and the techniques and the whole thing Kim is just always a great time, so check it out. Prestigetennisretreatscom. Kim, I think this thing is going to blow up. If you're a tennis fan and a tennis player and a fellow tennis nerd, playing with former number ones and Grand Slam champions in the morning, maybe watching a little tennis in the afternoons out at Indian Wells, sounds like a pretty good time to me. This thing is going to take off. So get on the list now so that you're not crying in your Cheerios when it works and you're not on the list because you weren't an early adopter. Kim, thanks for your time. You know we love you.

Speaker 1: 1:31:27

Thanks for your analysis. There's no one better in the game and I hope we can keep doing these Grand Slam recaps. Thank you, andy.

Speaker 2: 1:31:33

Cheers, kimmy, I hope we can keep doing these grand slam recaps.

Speaker 1: 1:31:34

Thank you, andy Cheers, give me all right. Producer Mike, I got to tell you a lot of tennis talk last couple of weeks. Um, this has been fun, though, like Kim makes it so easy.

Speaker 3: 1:31:45

Yeah, she's just the best.

Speaker 1: 1:31:46

Yeah, she's, she's the best and I love that. Like the goal of this show is just to kind of have a conversation and she's so good at like analysis without feeling scripted, like she's just. I think she's just a savant, she's one of the best people.

Speaker 3: 1:32:04

I like that with this format for her, she can go off and really tell you how she feels with patience.

Speaker 1: 1:32:09

Yes.

Speaker 3: 1:32:09

Because the conversation with her is exactly what like when the mic's off. That's exactly the same thing you're getting when the mic's on.

Speaker 1: 1:32:15

Totally. Yeah, this is. This is basically like Kim and I calling each other and getting on one about something so cool. Yeah, she's the best, um, anyways, hey, thanks for watching serve. Wherever you're watching it Maybe it's YouTube, maybe you're listening on Apple or Spotify Uh, we appreciate you. Um, try to put together a show for next week. I'm I've put out some. I want to do a show like the business of the us open is so massive and the experience is so unique. Now it's, it's like it's it's bigger than the. It's, it's just crazy. So I'm trying to find some interesting stories. Having kim on is great. Having players on is great. We also, uh, I'd like to think of us as stewards of storytelling, um, with the stories you don't normally get around tennis. So, hopefully, hopefully, we can make that happen. We have some texts in. If not, then forget. I fucking said anything. Thank you for watching and listening to Served.