← Served with Andy Roddick
Served with Andy Roddick
Coco Gauff’s Double Fault Struggles, Alex Eala’s Rise & More | Love All w/ Kim Clijsters
00:58:10
Loading summary
Transcript124 lines
- [00:00]
A
Here we go. Hi, everybody. Welcome back to our new episode of Love All. I'm looking out of my window, and the sun is shining. We had a pretty. Pretty heavy snowstorm, and we've been shoveling and trying to clear the paths and the roads and everything, but we're back and the snow is starting to melt. So, Blair, sure you guys didn't have any snow in Texas, right?
- [00:29]
B
We did not this time around. We had snow while I was enjoying Australian summer. But as of today, I think a high of 75. So no snow in sight for us. But gosh, Kim, what a few days it's been for you. I feel like you've had quite a weekend then. Quite a Monday.
- [00:46]
A
My son, My Sunday was, I think, where it all went wrong. I wanted to take my son to, like, a car wash where you do it all yourself. Ended up losing my credit card. Lost. Lost my phone somewhere or he lost my phone. Was playing a game on there to try and keep him, like, busy, and my battery died. He must have put it down somewhere. And so I have been without a phone and a blocked credit card for a few days. But once we finish this episode, I'm gonna go and maybe do a little tour, drive around and see if I can find a little bank of America credit card laying around somewhere and look for my phone. It's been nice to have, you know, no phone on me for a little bit, but at the same time, yeah, it's time to try and find one or at least get a new one.
- [01:32]
B
Well, Kim, little do you know that when you find said phone, you're gonna have, like, 27 minutes worth of voice notes from me because I just kept voice noting you.
- [01:42]
A
You.
- [01:42]
B
You were not responding, and I was like, sorry. I didn't know until late on Monday night that Kim was without her phone. Anyway, I mean, it will be such a gift to finally locate.
- [01:54]
A
Thank you.
- [01:55]
B
To listen to the minutes and minutes that I've sent you. But you also had. You had some other good news to report, right?
- [02:05]
A
My husband, he's a basketball coach at Christian Brothers Academy, cba, and they won the Shore Conference tournament. So, yeah, they won on Friday night. They beat Red bank, and, yeah, they beat them pretty easily. So that was really nice. The guys were really, like, ready from the start and. And ended up winning the trophy. So in about next week, they're starting the state championships. So that's, you know, another busy, busy few weeks coming up for them.
- [02:38]
B
Well, congrats to them. I. I, too, witnessed my child. Well, not. Not husband out there. Competing, but my child competing. This weekend, my daughter played a local UTR tennis tournament. And man, it is just always a wild ride.
- [02:58]
A
I can only imagine it was.
- [03:00]
B
I can't remember, did I talk about what Lisa Shelton, Ben's mom, said to me last week? I don't know that I did. I think we talked about it, but I asked her in Dallas. I said, lisa, are you as calm as you look on the sidelines? And she said, what is there to not be calm about? Which is a fair point. She's like, he's out there doing his job, living his dream, getting the chance to compete in front of people. You know, this is all sort of icing and gravy. And I was like, that's a really great point. But then she added, she's like, honestly, you know, the tough part was junior tennis. You know, junior tennis was savage. And I'm like, yes, that is a fact. And my daughter's only 10. But even there where you're, you know, there are line calls, and I still run into, you know, even parents of my girls, friends whose kids are in other sports, and they cannot believe that 9, 10, 11 year olds are out there calling their own lines. But that's the reality of it. So it is just a wild ride and will continue to be. I will come to you for moral support.
- [04:08]
A
Good. Congrats to her. That's exciting.
- [04:12]
B
She had fun, which. Which is the goal for sure. Um, and speaking of fun today, Kim, I'm excited for our episode. We're gonna start off with Henley's headlines, and then we're gonna go into a segment that Kim is not so thrilled that I am calling Kim Formation,
- [04:30]
A
where
- [04:30]
B
Kim is going to break down some X's and O's for us of some of the players who have been performing well on court recently. So should we start with Henley's headlines?
- [04:41]
A
Yes, please. Let's go.
- [04:42]
B
All right, well, the first one, Kim, is a doozy. I am going to do my best to explain this in as few words as possible. If you just heard me explain that I left Kim 27 minutes of voice notes, you might be doubting my abilities right now, but I'm going to do my best. Uh, all right, so we're going to start off with Tara Moore, 33 years old tennis player from Great Britain. She's been ranked as high as 1:45 in singles, 77 in double. She is suing the WTA for $20 million, saying that they failed to protect her from the dangers of contaminated meat in some locations throughout the world. Specifically in her case, South America. So I'm going to give you a quick timeline, Kim, and then we can weigh in. So, back in the spring of 2022, Tara Moore tested positive for two anabolic steroids, Boldenone and Nandrolone. By December of 2023, she was cleared of fault and negligence in an independent tribunal. Then the itia, the governing body in charge of the Tennis Anti Doping Program, appealed that decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, or Cass. You've probably heard that if you're listening to this. And they upheld the appeal and suspended Moore for four years. And that judgment, that ruling was given last year, July. So here we are today, Moore is suing the WTA, saying that they failed to protect her. Now we can talk about the amount she's suing them for and everything that led up to this. But is it coincidence that this week we also became aware that Acapulco, the ATP event that's happening this week, has actually banned the presence of red meat from their tournament? I don't think so. So you see on the WTA side, and I believe Los Cabos has also done that in the. Where they have said, we're just taking meat off the table, no pun intended, to protect players from the potential presence of banned substances. So your takeaways, Kim, there's a lot to unpack here.
- [06:50]
A
There is, and it's obviously for Tara Moore, it's a very, very disappointing situation to be a part of. Right. And one of the things that I did find online when I was trying to get my timeline, because I felt like it was handled, it was taken care of. And then, you know, I do think. Or the. The itia, they based their conclusion or their decision on the fact that they said that the levels were too high to be contaminated through meat.
- [07:22]
B
Right. Specifically of the nandrolone. Exactly. Yep.
- [07:25]
A
If she is innocent, then how hard is it to test the meat and how hard is it to. To, you know, go for, like, check how much that has an impact on the body? And it's just a very frustrating situation. And the fact that she's suing the WTA, I don't know. You know, is it. Did she try to sue the tournament? Was that. Or, you know, was that not a way to go about things? And is there a better. Maybe a better option to try. Try to sue the. Is it also the ITIA that she's suing? Right. And the WTA, or.
- [08:00]
B
I think it's just the WTA, I believe.
- [08:04]
A
But it's such a very, very unfortunate and disappointing situation for every party. I Know that the WTA, they try their absolute best when it comes to providing, making sure that all the tournaments and the tournament directors are aware of the risks and of the catering services that work for the tournaments. I know that they're very, very involved in making sure what's important for what's healthy, what should be available and whatnot. But yeah, when it comes to the quality of certain meats, and we've seen it before where, you know, players get sick and whether it was from, you know, vegetables that weren't washed, salad, you know, we've heard it over and over again that few players get sick. And is that. I don't think there's a lot that the WTA can do about those kind of things, but we'll see how this turns out. And I just feel bad for Tara. If it is because of that contaminated meat. It is a very sad situation. And that she gets punished for it is just very, very unfortunate. And I hope she can get something back from it. Will it be 20 million? I don't think so, but yeah. I remember a few years ago, I forget what year it was. Was it where Ginny Bouchard slipped in the US Open locker room and 2015 and ended up suing the USDA and I guess they settled. So there is definitely abilities to go about that and make these kind of injuries or these situations maybe feel a little bit better afterwards. But Jeanne is doing well again and she's playing good on the pickleball tour and doing well and making finals there in the singles. So happy to see that she's, you know, has this new career outside of tennis.
- [10:04]
B
Yeah, it's an interesting question just in terms of, of what the, what the WTA should be doing to protect players. And has this become such a common occurrence that, okay, all South American or Central American tournaments are going to start saying, to be safe, we are just not going to have meat on the table, which again, is, is an unintentional pun. But. But you do wonder if this is going to be a domino effect where a couple of events on the ATB Tour are doing it. I don't know if the WTA has done this. I would love to do some research. I will report back. But if they haven't, will they consider doing it in the future? Because just last week there were three players on the ATP Tour who were cleared from fault or negligence. They tested positive for boldenone and blamed it on contaminated meat. And all three of them were cleared. So I do think the fact that Cass, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, said we agree with the ITIA that the amount of nandrolone in her system could not be explained by contaminated meat. You do wonder how much that is going to play into the outcome of this case.
- [11:17]
A
Right, Right. Yeah. So there's. We'll see. We'll keep following this situation and see what will. And if we hear things on the WTA Tour and behind the scenes, we can report on our weekly, weekly Lovel podcast. But it's, yeah, it'll be interesting, very interesting to see where this, where this will go and what measurements the WTA will take.
- [11:39]
B
All right, the next Henley's headline comes from Coco Gauff. And again, this was last week and it was something that she said on court during her semifinal loss to Alina Svitolina. That was an incredible match. If you haven't seen it, go check out the highlights. But she looked over in the direction of her camp and she said, quote, I've been doing everything you wanted for the last six months. And this was presumably directed at Gavin McMillan, her biomechanics coach and her coach in general, who has obviously tried to make adjustments on the serve. And as Gil Gross so adeptly broke down on his YouTube channel, he was explaining the fact that in the last 52 weeks, Coco has the highest double default rate on the WTA tour at 10%. To give that context, Yelena Ostapenko is next at 8%. And so that's again, one out of every 10 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]
A
In our first episode we had Ansjabur on and she talked about, like, why is everybody talking about her serve and how she has a good serve and it, and that's the thing that I think people and the media and you know, commentators at times too, like, there's so much focus on her serve right now that when she serves a double fold, everybody jumps on it right away. And, and I think for her mentally, you can only kind of avoid it so much, right, that, that it is being looked at as a weakness and it is at times. But she at times serves really good as well. And I think that's where I'm very intrigued about the fact that why at times the double folds kind of build up. And a lot of times if you hit a double fold when it's 15 all two all in the first set, there's really no meaning, there's no impact behind that. But if it happens at four all in the third on break point down or on these Important moments where there is added pressure. And I think Brad Gilbert, who worked with her, explained that in an interview when he sat down, I think it was on ESPN or something. He was in the broadcast studio, and he says, like, listen, we go out on court after a bad serving match, literally from the court to the practice court, and she won't miss a second serve. She'll hit every second serve. So a lot of times it's also, you know, your mind, okay, there's that pressure of the score and everything, but also to be ready for the next shot, to be ready for the return. And I dealt with that a little bit, and where it's not that I wasn't was hitting double faults, but I just was not getting the pace on my second serve that I had to have when I was playing somebody like Lindsey Davenport or Serena or Venus Sharapova, like the hard hitters, because they will punish it right away. And so I would serve, but in my motion, I would already kind of retrieve a little bit and kind of collapse my chest down or bring my. Pull my left arm down too soon. And I think at times that's what's happening with. With Coco a little bit as well. And, yeah, it just, you know, there's a few things, to me, it's like the mental side of it, right, where the focus and you start to doubt, you know, your. Your shot more and more, and it becomes, you know, an obsession to. To try and fix it. But a lot of times working too hard on it can also kind of get into, you know, the negative spiral and. And become an obsession in a way.
- [15:22]
B
Yeah. One last note for me on this topic. I remember talking to Coco Gauff in press at the WTA Finals last fall after a match that she won, but I think had was well into the double digits in terms of double faults. And she was saying, I just kept going for more and more. And I said, what does that say about your personality, Coco, that you are struggling to get your serve in and yet you are going for more and more, you are hitting it harder, you are going for more rotation. And she said, I guess I just feel like I always want to go big or go home. And I thought that that was really telling. But also it makes you wonder, could she potentially shift that mentality for a match and just go for the serve that she know she can get in just to build the confidence. It just made my wheels turn in terms of a. That's probably why she's as good as she is, because she has the go big or Go home mentality. But also, are there points where you need to maybe shift that?
- [16:24]
A
Yeah, I think there is. To really practice my kick serve. I remember my coach, Carl, throughout my career when I wasn't feeling it. Sometimes you just don't really feel or the tosses off a little bit. He used to sit me on a little chair on the service line and I literally had to do 50 kick serves where I wasn't moving. You know, you take a lot like the service motion is, you know, the most complicated shot in our, in our sport. And when you can take away some of the, you know, the early steps, right. Of the motion and just worry about kicking, like just the arm motion, forget about what's happening with your feet. It. Your brain kind of absorbs it and stores it and, and it's. It's made me. It made me just more confident putting in that kick serve and having the variety. And that's the thing that I think for Koko, it's going to take time and it's all about the communication that she has. Okay. We saw her get frustrated, which is totally fine. And I get the frustration, the disappointment in herself in the serve. I totally get it. But it's going to take time and I think she's going to just keep having to put the time into it and the hours. And a lot of times when it is that mental side of it that is something that you can practice, right. You can't say, like, oh, let me get that feeling of being a little bit tighter in my arm or worried about my next shot. You don't create that same kind of feeling and pressure in practice. And so she almost has to take those big matches like she had in the Dubai semifinal and really try to push and focus on certain. Certain aspect. I always loved aiming on targets. I used to visualize targets during my match even when they weren't there. And that really helped me a lot as well. So, you know, there's a lot of things that they can do. But, you know, sometimes less is more. I think, especially in this situation. I think so many people. And we're talking about it now too, right? Like, it's. So many people talk about it and I know. And so I think sometimes in her situation, less. Less is more.
- [18:44]
C
Monster Energy. Everybody knows White Monster, Zero Ultra, that's the og it kicked off this whole Zero sugar energy drink thing, but Ultra is a whole lineup now. You've got Strawberry Dreams, Blue Hawaiian Sunrise and Vice Guava. And they all bring the Monster Energy punch. So if you've been Living in the white cans branch out Ultra's got a flavor for every vibe and every single one is zero Sugar Tap the banner to learn more.
- [19:13]
B
Moving on now to an update from Dubai. Of course that tournament is done and dusted, but as we reported at the beginning of last week, the Dubai tournament director was not pleased with the number of withdrawals from his event, even suggesting that the WTA should start docking ranking points for players who withdraw from mandatory events in addition to the the zero pointer that they get and the fine that they get for that. Well, it did not get better, Kim, for the Dubai tournament director because the final tally, 16 players withdrew, three walkovers and there were four retirements. So is it a coincidence that just this past week the WTA announced a new tour Architecture Council? I'm, and I'm going to read what their goal is. They want to develop meaningful improvements to the calendar commit and other core elements of the TOR framework. And Jesse Pegula was announced as the leader of this new council. So what are your immediate thoughts when you hear this?
- [20:21]
A
Well, I think that's all, all great. You know, I do feel like this has been something that's been talked about for a very long time. I was on the board of the WTA in the early 2000s and you know, that was an issue calendar, schedule and that, that will always be an issue. To go back on the Dubai tournament, I do think the tournament ended really well. If you look at the semifinals that we had and you know, like it felt like the Australian Open kind of semifinals where we had great, great three set matches and, and a great final with, with Jesse winning. So you know, I do think the tournament director can be happy with how his tournament ended. Maybe not with how it started but definitely with how it ended. But I do think it's great. You know, the WTA is there for the players and they want to make changes for the players. And I think in this situation there have been many, many complaints and I think it's good that the players can keep somewhat or have a say or have a little bit of control with where this might be going. So yeah, another interesting new topic that's come out that we want to keep our eye on and see what, when especially because this is obviously not something that's going to happen overnight and changes like that. So interesting to see what will happen and how you can please as many as players as possible. You're not going to please everybody, but at least try to do as many as you can.
- [21:55]
B
All right, moving on now Kim to I don't know if it was a headline. But I will tell you after this happened. So it was Carlos Alcaraz getting a little bit chippy with Maria in the chair during his quarterfinal match in Doha last week. And it lasted more than one changeover. There was. There was just talk going back and forth, maybe less, from Maria Chichak, who is a woman of few words. At some point at the. At the end, she said, okay, I think we got the point. Which would have.
- [22:27]
A
The facial expressions are good.
- [22:30]
B
I love Maria Chichak.
- [22:32]
A
Me too.
- [22:32]
B
So much. Uh, in. In. Quick side note, I once had somebody come up to me at Indian well, and. And I often got asked, you know, I still, you know, when I'm an emcee at a tournament, I often get asked, you know, which court is so and so playing on. And I can usually show them the order of play. This person came up to me and was like, hey, any chance, you know, which matches? Maria Chichak is the umpire for today, just full on. Maria Cheechak stands roaming the grounds at Indian well, so. So she's kind of like a. A cult figure in the sport of tennis. She's not. She's not taking it. And Alcaraz, listen, he was. He was frustrated because he felt like he wasn't given enough time between points or the clock was started and then stopped and shouldn't have been started again. It's a tale as old as time in tennis. Right? But I think it made headlines because it's so rare that Carlos Alcaraz has anything negative to say. He's like, Mr. Golden Retriever. And Kim, I don't want to stereotype here, but I feel like you were Miss Golden Retriever, and I'm just wondering, was there ever a time in your career where you felt like you not snapped, but. But where you were like, I can't hold it in. I'm annoyed. And I'm going to tell you that I'm annoyed.
- [23:51]
A
There was a moment, but it wasn't on court. I mean, I definitely got frustrated, and I think I just kept it in more. And I tried to get the frustration out with my racket and the tennis ball and maybe, you know, just hit the ball a little harder, and that got a lot of that frustration out for me. But there was a moment years ago, and it was one of the first times that I played in Canada, and I played the night match and finished my match pretty late. And then I saw the schedule after my match after I won, and I saw that I was on first at 11 o', clock, and I was like, how is this possible? They always say that if you play last and you finish late, that you don't. They can't play you in the first. In the first round. I was like, listen, I'm gonna put my foot down. I'm gonna go to the WTA office and. And kind of just, you know, don't let this happen too often because, you know, maybe because I never complain, I don't want to say anything. And let me just go in there and just say that I don't agree with this, right? So I go there, get, you know, all nice brave and stuff. And it was Georgina Clark from Great Britain, who was the supervisor at the time. And. And I go in there and I start saying. I'm like, georgina, how is this possible that I'm playing this, you know, early tomorrow morning, and it's finishing at 10:30 tonight? And she goes, Ms. Kleistus, come here. And she takes me to her desk, and she just shows me all the players that she had to schedule, all the matches that she had to schedule in, and the singles matches, the doubles matches. I was playing doubles, and she showed it to me and explained it, and I just walked out like I had nothing to say. Like, there was nothing I could do. So then I said, like, okay, I'm not gonna complain. I. You know, you just go out and compete hard, and whatever gets put in front of you, you just deal with it. And that's kind of a little bit the mindset that I, I think, kept. And I don't also want to spend energy on negative things, like. And focus too much on that. So. Yeah, but I love that Alcaraz actually is. Is saying that stuff, because I think it does. For him to do it, it must be really be frustrating or something. Must be triggering and. And. And it comes from a place then where he's actually very annoyed by it. So I enjoyed that he. That he spoke up and that maybe behind the scenes, you know, where he mentioned the ATP rules and, you know, maybe they'll change a little bit about the. The shot clock. Because I agree, like, I think we saw something at the Australian Open with no semifinals in the fifth set, where he got a time violation after a super long, long, long rally. And it's. You know, there's times like that where I feel like, as a referee, you just have to be. Or a chair umpire, you have to be. Just read the room a little bit as well, because for me, as a tennis fan, when I'm watching this, you have to be able to give These players, just their moment to just recover. And a little bit, whether it' or two seconds more is really not going to make a big deal.
- [27:03]
B
Yeah. Which is why I just think that this is gonna continue to be an issue. And I didn't set this up particularly well, but he did get a time violation warning, and that is where the chippiness with cheat Jack stemmed from. And on one hand, I agree, read the room. But on the flip side, reading the room is sort of what led us to have a serve clock in the first place, because chair umpires were potentially, according to other players, maybe partial in the way that they read the room. You know, people for a long time contended that Nadal got preferential treatment in terms of reading the room. So on one hand, I'm like, okay, the serve clock is great because it takes out that subjective judgment. On the flip side, though, you're right. If there is a lung busting point, in order for the player to then play a solid next point, they have to be able to potentially get the towel and breathe for a hot second.
- [28:00]
A
So I'm just very curious because you mentioned Rafa, and I don't think Rafa ever went over 25 seconds.
- [28:10]
B
You don't?
- [28:11]
A
I don't think so.
- [28:12]
B
Okay. Well, not like you don't think he ever got a time violation.
- [28:16]
A
No, I'm sure he did. And some players use that, too, as a, you know, a way, you know, but I think in general, most of the time, like, you, you stick to, you know, you know, your routines, you know, you know, I was a fast player in between points. Like, I didn't even want to go and walk to the towel. I just used my wristband and wiped off the sweat. But I don't. Yeah, I. I also don't think, like, they. They put that. The shot clock in, and I'm not saying they need to get rid of the shot clock. I think it's a good kind of guidance, but I think read the room when it is a very close moment, like set. Like moment in a fifth set match like Novak had there. And, you know, just, yeah, if he's bouncing the ball, then just kind of let it. Let it run out. That's how I think. But anyway, okay, I love how I think.
- [29:08]
B
I care. I care, but I love. It is an interesting. It's an interesting debate, but there's people
- [29:14]
A
that are like, once it's hit zero, if you haven't served, you're done. But to me, the ball, The. The bouncing of the ball is part of starting the Point.
- [29:25]
B
I feel like even if we're talking like, Novak, Djokovic, Marin, tillage level, not fans. Okay, but it's. It's a fascinating argument, but shout out to the heavy sweaters out there who have to go to the towel. I was a heavy sweater where it did not matter. Wristbands, my hands. I was a disaster. So I would have needed the towel. Rafa needed the towel, and he was
- [29:52]
A
a heavy sweater, wasn't he? Did he go to the towel a lot or.
- [29:56]
B
Let's ask.
- [29:57]
A
Yeah, we should need to ask him. But back then, we had, like, ball kids that used to run with the towel to give us, you know, the towel. And do you want to know my
- [30:07]
B
hot take on this topic? Kim?
- [30:08]
A
Go for it.
- [30:09]
B
The ball kids should still be bringing the towels.
- [30:11]
A
I agree.
- [30:12]
B
The ball kid who brought the towel and thought that was, like, the coolest part of my job.
- [30:17]
A
Yeah, it was such great interaction, too. Like, I love that the kids, you know, but I guess with COVID and all, they, you know, got rid of that. But I thought it was nice. And, you know, I wrote a whole
- [30:28]
B
op ed on it if anybody wants to look it up on tennis.com. but I.
- [30:33]
A
Yes.
- [30:33]
B
Yeah, I. And granted, I believe at. They changed. What was it maybe two summers ago where they made it possible for the ball kid to bring the towel again. So there are certain tournaments that have that. I know at Dallas, they had the two boxes, and you just got your towel from the box. I don't know if that's a decision made by the tournament, but I know that post Covid, the option was made available for the ball kids to then bring the towel again. But anyway, we have derailed. I derailed us. But I love. I love a hot take. And I feel like people got so fired up about ball kids bringing towels. Shout out John Wertheim, who vehemently disagrees with me here. I know he was like, this was child abuse that we were having kids do this in the first place, but I thought it was great. And I actually interviewed several ball people, ball kids and ball people who were like, I was cool with it. It was. It was like the time I got to interact with the player.
- [31:30]
A
Yeah.
- [31:30]
B
Anyway.
- [31:31]
A
Yep.
- [31:32]
B
All right, moving on. Unless you have anything else on.
- [31:35]
A
No, I don't.
- [31:35]
B
Kids handling sweat and not okay. This week in Austin, our friend Isla Tom Janovic has a first round match against Venus Williams. And this was after we joked with her that if Serena comes back, she might not be the last person to beat Serena Williams after she beat her at the US Open in 2022. And what do you know in Austin? We're recording this on a Tuesday. She plays today, so by the time you listen to this, we will know how that match ended. But what are the odds that she gets Venus in Austin?
- [32:09]
A
It's so funny how things work out like that, right? And it's just, you know, I think for her, just exciting to be back on court and, you know, when you get to a certain age in your career and you've had some injuries and everything, you know, you get to a point where your opponent really does not matter anymore or not as much. It's not the priority. It's more focused about, you know, how healthy do I feel? Am I ready to go? What do I want to focus on? And I think that's the mindset that she's going to be in is like, I'm excited to be back out there. And she's had a taste for what life in the tennis world is like when she's not playing and she's. And she's been commentating and she's been a guest on our podcast. And so for her, she still wants to play tennis, and there's an excitement about that as well, to be back out there. And so I hope that she really enjoys her time on the court and plays some good tennis and get off whether she wins or loses. It's like having that feeling of like, yes, this is what I've missed. This is what I wanted to kind of feel again and focus on and this worked and this not. And kind of take that with her into the next round or into the next tournament. Good stuff.
- [33:19]
B
Well, we will see how that all shakes out at the ATX Open. And shout out also to that team there, that social team, they do some great work. So go follow them. ATX Open. Close your eyes.
- [33:31]
A
Exhale. Feel your body relax, and let go of whatever you're carrying today.
- [33:37]
B
Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh, my gosh, they're so fast. And breathe. Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order.
- [33:52]
A
Oh, sorry. Namaste.
- [33:54]
B
Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order.
- [33:58]
A
1-800-contacts.
- [34:00]
B
Kim. Should we move on to Kim Formation, my new favorite segment?
- [34:05]
A
Yes, please. Let me give me some. Some details about it. I don't even know. Like, what do you. What do you want me to I want confirmation.
- [34:14]
B
Okay, Obviously. All right, so I want to start by having you tell us. You know, obviously one of the storylines last week was Alex Ayala and the massive crowds that she was bringing to Dubai, which is not a tournament.
- [34:30]
A
That and everywhere else that she plays
- [34:32]
B
and everywhere else that she plays. I think it was perhaps maybe more notable there because that's not a tournament that is typically packed to the gills. And it was because the Filipino fans had come to watch their player. And I think Coco did such a great job on court saying, you know, this is amazing. I know you're not here for me, but keep supporting your player because this is, this is a great way to get new eyeballs on tennis. But I would love to ask you about her actual tennis because a year ago. Hang on. I'm going to make sure I'm getting this right. She was ranked 137 in the world, and after this past week in Dubai, she's ranked 31 and she's obviously a lefty. I watched her in Miami last year, which was kind of her breakout tournament, and she just frustrated some incredible players there. And I'm wondering if you can tell us, in terms of her actual tennis, what is it that she does so well?
- [35:27]
A
Well, there's a lot of things that she does really well, and I think there's a lot of things that make her make her opponents feel very uncomfortable. And she has, you know, one of the things that she can't control is that she's a left handed left hander. And so there's always something about playing a left hander that you get pulled out of the court a little bit differently. She can with her forehand, cross court, her forehand is, is really good, but I think her backhand is better. Her backhand is a little bit more of an aggressive shot, whereas the combination of her aggressive baseline shots with her backhand and then the ability to hit a heavier spin and make your opponent kind of step back a little bit behind the baseline. Being able to make the angle with her forehand and open up the court a lot of times to her opponent's backhand is something that a lot of players have a really hard time dealing with. And her footwork is really good. She has great stamina. She can play. You know, we've seen her. Was it IGA last year where she played a really good match and she's starting to feel. How old is she now? 19, 20, I believe. 20. She's still very young, but we see the mental growth as well, having that support we talk about that, but at times, and we saw it this year after the Australian Open where Rafa spoke out about being a little bit of a protector for her as well, because when she lost to Alicia Parks at the Australian Open in a closed three setter, she also got a lot of hate from her fans and from the Philippine world and the fans that support her from her home country. And so, you know, there's a lot of new things that she's dealing with at such a young age as well. And she's been in Spain for many years, since I think she was 13 years old. I think she moved to Spain and trained at Rafa's academy and has been, you know, around people with a mindset that demands a lot, but is also very focused on, you have to put in the work, you're respectful. And she's been around that environment and I think there's no coincidence that she has the results that she has. But I think 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, and just the ability to keep focusing on what she has to do. And, and again, when it comes down to the on court stuff, her, she reminds me a little bit of a, you know, like she has that kind of pitbull. Like I remember Sibyl Kova was a little bit like that to me as well. Like, they have such quick feet, but the ability to, from a defensive situation, still move into the court and, you know, become an aggressive player is a very tough combination to, to handle on the other side of the net. So very interesting. Has done great things so far at a young age, but still has some improvements to get to. And the consistency is something that is going to be very important. A lot of players know her now, know her strengths, know her weaknesses. So that's something that she's going to have to deal with as well, is to make sure that she can make her strengths become even stronger, but work on some of the weaknesses and, and, yeah, and deal with this life of being Michael Jordan, like Michael Jordan in the Philippines. And it's not as people just think, it's online and it's in the news and everything, but it's not easy, I think, to deal with changes like that so quickly.
- [39:06]
B
And I wanted to follow up on this, Kim, because during the Australian Open, we asked fans for questions and we were still sort of getting our feet under us as a product podcast, getting our routine set up. We did not answer all of those questions. But one of the questions I thought fit in perfectly here. It was from one of our listeners named Lachlan. And the question was, does the crowd supporting you or your opponent have any effect on how you're feeling on court during a match? Do you actually take notice of what might be happening with the crowd, or are you just laser focused? And I know that you certainly played in situations where you had the crowd that was, you know, full on Kim Kleister support. I'm wondering what that was like. As Lachlan asked, do you feel it? Does it add pressure? Can you explain that feeling?
- [39:55]
A
Yeah, definitely. There is definitely moments or matches where, you know, I'm so locked in that basically it felt like I walked in on into the stadium and I walked out without really absorbing much that was going on. But then there were matches where I felt like I needed or I would feed off somebody. Especially at the US Open where the crowd is probably the loudest. If you, you get to play a night session at the U.S. open, and you know, the people who are sitting on the lower, you know, on the lower side, like, you're. They're right there, basically, and you can. You make eye contact with them. You can hear them. You can, you know, when they yell and they say things to you, they're like, oh, come on, go for an ace. And then you hit an ace. And I'm, like, looking at them like, there's little things like that that make you connect with the crowd. I felt like I had support also if I, or I got the crowd into the matches, if I was defending well, if I would do a, you know, a split or would retrieve a ball and then would run for a drop shot. Like, people love kind of that effort and the, you know, to go all out kind of mindset. And I've been able to use that kind of energy as well to play better in important moments. And so I definitely loved. It's not that it happens all the time, but I definitely loved, really love playing those matches, especially at the U.S. open, on center court. Those night matches have been, yeah, were great and, and I loved it. And just, it just gives you energy sometimes when you feel a little flat or, you know, you're, you're, you're not fully focused. And it's just sometimes nice to kind of have that interaction with somebody that makes you forget the score for a second or that you're serving for the match or whatever. Like, it's just really nice to be able to be a little bit distracted in between the points, but then be Fully focused against. Once you step out onto the baseline,
- [41:49]
B
did it ever add pressure? Because I personally would be thinking, I do not want to disappoint this stadium.
- [41:56]
A
No, I did not. No, no.
- [41:58]
B
Gosh. That's why you're a champion, Kim, and I am a podcaster.
- [42:03]
A
No, but, you know, I did. You know, you know where I did feel pressure was for my teammates, like the people on my team, like my trainer, because I knew that he was leaving his family to make me a better tennis player. My coaches, I wanted it for them just as much as I wanted it for myself. And if I lost, I felt more disappointed for them as well. And it's a different story if you play in my time, the Fed Cup, Billie Jean King Cup. Now, if you lose a match for your country, and, yeah, you do take that a little bit more to heart when you're playing. You know, in my case, I was playing for Belgium, and that does hurt a little bit more, I think, than, you know, you're playing a tournament around the world and you're losing, you know, for yourself. But it's. Yeah, I think the Fed cup, the Billie Jean King Cups, and then losing for my team, teammates, especially big matches were for me, the hardest for them.
- [43:03]
B
All right, our last bit of Kim formation. I would love your thoughts on Jesse Fagula, who, of course, won her fourth WTA 1000 title in Dubai last week. It is also on this day that we are recording her birthday. So happy birthday, Jesse. She's turning 33. I think I confused my number. Is she 32? Yeah, there you go. 32, 30, turning 33. But one of the most impressive stats is that she has won nine of her 10 career titles in the last three and a half years, which makes my head explode because she really is the definition of a late bloomer. I chuckle after. So she said in Riyadh last fall that she. She thinks it's funny how people talk about her tennis iq. That's, like, one of the things that people always talk about when they reference her game. And she's said, honestly, for the first, like, eight years of my career, I was dumb on the tennis court. I had no idea what I was doing. So I think it's so funny that that is something that people focus on when they talk about my game. But you've had a chance to hit with her. You've obviously watched a lot of her tennis. So again, from a tennis perspective, tell us what makes her so good.
- [44:21]
A
The first time I watched Jesse play was in World Team Tennis in West Virginia. It was 2018. We were all in West Virginia. I think the event took like four weeks. It was like a really long time. We were all quarantined together. But I watched Jessie in one of her matches and I think she had just come back from. Or she was coming back from a hit, hip injury, hip surgery, maybe even that she had. And I hadn't heard from her. So I watched her play and I was like, man, she hits the ball so clean. Like, I love how she stays on, like, you know, almost on top of the baseline. Doesn't let anybody push her back. And so that was kind of my first, my first kind of feeling or opinion about Jessie and loved her. I spoke to David, who was her coach at the time, and was just asking questions like where she, like, what's happened? Like, how does she come out of nowhere? Like, she should be in the top 30 when she plays like this, Right? Listen, they were only one set matches at World Team Tennis, but they were. She made an impact on me and I loved watching her play. And then just seeing how she's, you know, she's still doing the same things as she did back then, but she's doing them even better. And she's, you know, and I, I don't mean this in any disrespectful way, but I practiced with her in Chicago and I came off the court and I'm like, man, it feels like, you know that video game, it's called Arkanoid? Have you. Do you know that one where you have the little bar and the ball and the wall keeps going down and you have to break as many of those.
- [46:14]
B
Yes.
- [46:16]
A
That's what it's like playing Jesse Pegula. Jesse Pegula is that wall that keeps coming down and you feel like, oh, I can't, I can't. It can't. I can't hit it harder. I can't hit faster. Like, I can't break through this. And that's a little bit what it's like. I feel like when you play Jessie is. It's not like she has the heaviest spin. Like, she plays the ball pretty flat. It's. It's a lot of time, the same pace. But she doesn't miss. She does. She takes a lot of time away from you because she stays on top of the baseline. She's so good at moving from left to right. But in the last, and I feel since that she's been working with Mark Knowles. Even in her final against against Vitalina, more drop shots she's putting in her serve is getting Better, she's hitting faster. The accuracy of her serve is getting, you know, even more. The placement is, is better. So, yeah, she is such a tough player for a lot of people. And, and, and as you know, if you want to talk about the Sabalenkas and the Igas and Rebaki, to be able to beat somebody like her, they have to play their best tennis because from the moment that they drop to 80%, 85%, Jessie is there and she'll take her chances and will break you down. And that's why she's so tough to beat. And I think last year she won. I think for a long time, I think most of her wins were on hardcore. But then last year she won. She was the only player to win three tournaments on different surfaces. On the green clay in Charleston, on grass, in. Was it Hamburg?
- [47:59]
B
I'm not positive.
- [47:59]
A
Yeah, she won a Grass Corps tournament and then a hardcore. So really that type of game, it's so consistent, but her consistency is just getting better and higher because the intensity is being built up. She's physically getting stronger, moving even, Even better. So I love watching her play it because I think about the video game too.
- [48:22]
B
I love that you said, no disrespect. If somebody compared my tennis game to a video game, I would think that was the ultimate compliment.
- [48:29]
A
But that's the feeling that you get when you play somebody like her who doesn't give you anything for free and you feel rushed. She makes you feel rushed. She makes you take risks that you don't usually take. And that's when why you start making mistakes and why you make. Make errors. And I think the fact that she has such a good head on her shoulders also helps her, you know, in tough moments and to stay calm through it all. And she has good people around her all the time, which is great. And I like her. She has great interest off court as well. So she's, to me, yeah, very, very interesting. And not your typical, I say tennis player that, that you expect, I think.
- [49:16]
B
Yeah. The. You. You mentioned her off court interest. She's got her ready 24 skincare. My girls and I just got a box from Ready 24. We. We love her product. She also has her Lending Paw charity, which has been doing really cool things. She of course, has the players box podcast. Did you happen to see Chinwen make a guest appearance on the Dubai tasting?
- [49:41]
A
Yeah, I did see that on the,
- [49:43]
B
on the snack call.
- [49:44]
A
Where.
- [49:45]
B
Cause. Cause you know about Jesse's nickname in China, right? Dafu, which. Which means big Rich.
- [49:51]
A
Oh, no, Way. I did not know that. Oh, my God.
- [49:53]
B
So everybody sort of at this point knows that her nickname is Dafu in China. And, and Xin Wen was so funny. She's like, everybody in China wonders why she's not somewhere living the high life. And, you know, instead, she's playing a really difficult sport. It was, it was really funny. But again, the fact that we can all laugh about that, that, that is something. She's been really honest about her background and, and how that, that affected her mindset in the sport of tennis. Anyway, just. Just a great player and somebody that I enjoy being around and shout out, Jesse Fagula. Jesse for president.
- [50:30]
A
Yes. Humble, nice, caring. That's the champions we need.
- [50:36]
B
There you go. All right, Kim, let's finish with our rec room segment. We have some recommendations for you this week, guys. I'm, I'm really excited about it.
- [50:48]
A
All right. Mine. Mine is a very. What to me is a very practical thing that I use a lot and that we have used a lot on the, on the WTA Tour. In the physio room is the heat patches. Listen, I shoveled snow yesterday at our house, at my parents in law's house. Let me tell you. At night, my lower back. So I open one of these. I stick it onto my lower back or my neck. I take these on the plane because it does get cold sometimes on the plane and I hate having, you know, my back or my neck cold. And I wear these, and they're incredible. This one is from Walgreens. There's a lot of different ones, different sizes, and this one is for a lower back, but they have them for the neck and, and I always carry a few with me in my carry on. And even when I take the kids to, to basketball tournaments, I'll just, you know, if we sit in the car or. Yeah, it's just easy to have with you. And it keeps everybody, everybody warm. So this is one of my favorites.
- [51:50]
B
I love that. Next week. Well, next week when we record qualifying for Indian Wells will be going on, when we release, it will be day one of main draw play at Indian Wells. And if you know me, you know that I have. I. I'm helping out a T shirt company based in Australia. I got to know them through last year's Australian Open when they had these awesome match day shirts. So they have the order of play on the back for whichever day of the tournament you go. So if you go on day three, they have the order of play on the back of the shirt for the top five or six courts tour or exactly. It's like a. Kim. Yes, it's like a concert tee, but for tennis.
- [52:35]
A
And what a great idea.
- [52:37]
B
You don't even need the order of play. And granted, in the early rounds, are there more than six courts in action? Yes, there are. But how cool to be able to buy a T shirt in the morning and have the schedule for the top quarts on your back. Or if you happen, it's so often at Indian Wells where you hear just like deafening roars coming from court five because there was a surprise tie break in the third and a match that nobody saw coming. But the stands are packed and you can say, hey, I, I watched this incredible match and it was the best match I've ever seen in my life. And you have a little memento and
- [53:10]
A
imagine getting that shirt signed by the player.
- [53:13]
B
Like even better. Kim. So I again got involved with this company in Australia and we are again, we're waiting for final approvals but as of this moment it looks like we are going to be in the Indian Wells store as well. So if you're going to Indian Wells, go check it out, get your match day shirt. We also have Match day totes. And then send us pictures.
- [53:38]
A
Great idea, Great idea.
- [53:39]
B
Well, I can't take credit for the idea, but I can take credit for the fact that I thought it was great and told anyone who.
- [53:45]
A
What's the company or the brand called?
- [53:47]
B
Yeah, the brand is Badge of Honor and again based, based in Sydney and they've, they've done some really great work. They're doing FIFA stuff this year. So sh. Out Badge of Honor. And if you're on the ground in Indian Wells, keep an eye out again. I'll, I'll let you know when we get all the, the confirmations but as of this moment looks like we'll be in the, the store there. So. All right, there you go.
- [54:10]
A
Good stuff. Can't wait.
- [54:13]
B
I know, I know.
- [54:14]
A
It was always my favorite, like that favorite part. I always love the first part of, until I think I got to the clay courts. But that first part of the, of the tennis season being in Australia, leaving Europe, you know, in the middle of the winter and playing there and then at times I also played in Antwerp right after the Australian Open and then Indian Wells, Miami were. Yeah, that was one of my favorite trips. So might be in Miami for a few days actually. So I'm excited to go to a few qualifying matches.
- [54:47]
B
We're both going to be there, Kim.
- [54:48]
A
All right, exciting.
- [54:50]
B
Our first in person meeting as co host. So of love.
- [54:56]
A
All that's pretty cool.
- [54:58]
B
Breaking news here at the end of the show. For those of you who are still
- [55:01]
A
with us, I hope everybody stayed. All right.
- [55:04]
B
Obviously, surely everyone is listening to.
- [55:06]
A
Everybody wants to see what the recommendations are.
- [55:10]
B
Oh, my gosh. All right. Well, on that note, Kim, this has been an absolute delight. Thank you to all of you for joining us for another episode of Love All. We will see you with new episodes every Wednesday. Make sure to like and subscribe on YouTube and follow us on all of our socials. OVALLpodcast. And we'll see you next time.
- [55:29]
A
All right, bye.