Podcast Summary: Coco Gauff’s Double Fault Struggles, Alex Eala’s Rise & More | Love All w/ Kim Clijsters

Served with Andy Roddick
Date: February 25, 2026
Featured Hosts: Kim Clijsters (A), Blair Henley (B)
Key Theme:
This episode looks at recent high-profile stories in tennis, including Coco Gauff's serving woes, the legal battle revolving around contaminated meat, the meteoric rise of Alex Eala, recent WTA developments, and provides technical breakdowns and personal insights from Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters.

Overview

The episode blends tennis news analysis with player insights, tackling significant ongoing developments: legal actions surrounding anti-doping and contaminated meat, player health and scheduling controversies, Coco Gauff’s serve issues, and rising WTA stars. Kim Clijsters offers rare technical and mental perspectives, while Blair Henley keeps the tone conversational and informative.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Henley’s Headlines — Major Tennis News

A. Tara Moore’s $20M Lawsuit Against the WTA

• Background:
  • Tara Moore (GBR) tested positive for boldenone and nandrolone in 2022, claimed contaminated South American meat was the cause.
  • Initially cleared of fault (Dec 2023), then handed a 4-year ban by CAS (July 2025).
  • Moore is now suing the WTA, claiming insufficient player protections regarding food contamination.
• Tournament Response:
  • ATP Acapulco event has banned red meat; Los Cabos did similarly—an apparent defensive move to prevent future anti-doping controversies.
• Kim Clijsters’ take:
  • Expressed empathy, called it “a very, very unfortunate and disappointing situation for every party.”

    “If she is innocent, then how hard is it to test the meat?” (07:25)

  • Cited the WTA’s effort to ensure safe catering but acknowledged limits.
  • Compared to Genie Bouchard’s lawsuit after her US Open accident—for context on how tennis deals with lawsuits and compensation.

B. The Coco Gauff Double Fault Dilemma

• Incident:
  • During her Dubai semifinal loss, Gauff directed frustration toward her coaching box:

    "I've been doing everything you wanted for the last six months." [12:05]

  • Gauff leads the WTA with a 10% double fault rate.
• Analysis:
  • Blair: “One out of every ten serves is a double fault, and she is still managing to play incredibly high level tennis. But, gosh, you can just feel the frustration.” (12:43)
  • Kim Clijsters:
    • Emphasized the mental aspect:

      “There's so much focus on her serve right now… when she serves a double fault, everybody jumps on it… and for her mentally, you can only kind of avoid it so much.” (12:43)

    • Discussed serve mechanics and psychological pressure.
    • Advocated for less tinkering and more trust:

      “Sometimes less is more, especially in this situation.” (18:44)

C. WTA Scheduling & Withdrawals Crisis

• Dubai Director's Complaint:
  • 16 player withdrawals, 3 walkovers, 4 retirements.
  • Suggested docking additional ranking points for pullouts from mandatory events.
• WTA Response:
  • Formation of new “Tour Architecture Council” led by Jessie Pegula to address schedule reform.
• Kim’s insight:
  • Recalled the long-standing nature of scheduling issues (“It was an issue in the early 2000s”), appreciated player involvement and council creation.

D. Alcaraz's Umpire Clash – “Chippiness” & Serve Clock

• Context:
  • Alcaraz clashed with umpire Maria Chițak over time violations during Doha.
• Debate:
  • Kim Clijsters reminisced on her own (rare) moments of speaking up (“I definitely got frustrated, but tried to let it out with my racket rather than at the supervisor.” 23:51).
  • Discussed balancing serve clock objectivity vs. human discretion—should “read the room” after extreme points.
  • Fun tangent: nostalgia and controversy of ball kids bringing towels (“I thought it was nice… great interaction.” 30:16)

2. Player Spotlight & Technical Analysis – “Kim Formation”

A. Alex Eala: The Filipino Tennis Phenomenon

• Background:

  • Rank surged from #137 to #31 in a year.
  • Left-handed, huge popularity with Filipino fans worldwide.

• Kim’s Breakdown:

  • Her backhand is her best shot (“her backhand is a little bit more of an aggressive shot” 35:26).
  • Blends aggressive baseline hits and heavy spin, opens the court to opponents’ backhand.
  • High stamina, quick feet; likened to Dominika Cibulkova for ‘pitbull’ energy.
  • Noted challenge: Eala receives enormous national attention, which can shift from support to online abuse when she loses.

    “It's going to be very important for her to be a little bit protected from the craziness that comes with that all as well…” (37:10)

• Fan Impact:

  • Listener question from Lachlan: Does the crowd (positive or negative) affect a player?
  • Kim:
    • Sometimes locked in and tunes out, but often draws energy from crowd—especially at night US Open matches.
    • Crowd doesn’t add pressure for her; only team commitments in Fed Cup did.

B. Jessie Pegula: The Late Bloomer Superstar

• Achievements:
  • Won 9 of 10 career titles in last 3.5 years; won Dubai last week.
• Kim’s Experience:
  • First noticed Jessie in 2018 World Team Tennis: “She hits the ball so clean. I love how she stays on top of the baseline.”
  • Pegula’s game compared to ‘Arkanoid’ video game:

    “Jesse Pegula is that wall that keeps coming down… I can’t hit it harder, I can’t hit faster, I can’t break through this.” (46:15)

  • Stays on the baseline, takes time away with flat groundstrokes, improved serve and drop shots recently, consistency improving.

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Coco Gauff on her own mentality:

  "I guess I just feel like I always want to go big or go home." (15:22, paraphrased by Blair)

• Crowd support impact:

  “…there were matches where I felt like I needed or would feed off somebody… especially at the US Open, where the crowd is probably the loudest…” (39:54)

• On Alex Eala fandom:

  "…she's going to have to deal with this life of being Michael Jordan, like Michael Jordan in the Philippines." (38:44)

• On player schedule reform:

  “You’re not going to please everybody, but at least try to do as many as you can.” (20:34)

• Jesse Pegula’s Chinese nickname:

  “You know about Jesse's nickname in China, right? Dafu, which means ‘Big Rich.’” (49:44)

• On ball kids and towels:

  “I think it was nice… great interaction too.” (30:16)

4. Timestamps for Notable Segments

• [04:42] Tara Moore lawsuit and contaminated meat debate
• [12:43] Coco Gauff’s double faults, coaching dynamics, mental side of serving
• [19:13] WTA scheduling and withdrawals, council formation
• [21:54] Carlos Alcaraz vs. Maria Chițak, serve clock controversy
• [34:00] “Kim Formation” – Technical break-down: Alex Eala’s game
• [43:02] Deep-dive: Jessie Pegula’s late-blooming excellence
• [48:21] Jessie Pegula’s game compared to a video game (‘Arkanoid’)
• [50:35] “Rec Room” (hosts’ favorite products and ideas – eg. heat patches, match day shirts)

5. Memorable Off-Court & Personal Moments

• Kim’s lost phone and credit card saga (00:46)
• Henley’s story of messaging Kim with “27 minutes worth of voice notes” (01:31)
• Both hosts reflecting on parenting junior athletes—wild ride of junior tennis (02:37)
• Shout-out to ATX Open social team, Venus Williams vs. Ajla Tomljanovic (31:35)
• “Rec Room” recommendations: heat patches for tennis aches (Clijsters); innovative tennis “match day” T-shirts (Henley) [50:48]

6. Language & Tone

• Warm, conversational, and candid.
• Frequent tennis-insider anecdotes and peer-to-peer support.
• Balance of technical analysis and personal stories.
• Friendly, sometimes playful banter (especially around show segment names and tennis traditions).

Conclusion

This episode of Love All is a robust discussion of breaking tennis news—serving up legal controversies, player struggles, breakthrough performances, and the everyday realities of the elite tennis world. Kim Clijsters’s player insights are especially rich, as is the show’s balance of technical detail and relatability for fans and newcomers alike.