← Served with Andy Roddick
Served with Andy Roddick
Kim’s Racket Smashing, Victoria Mboko in the Top 10, & More | Love All w/ Kim Clijsters
00:50:57
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- [00:01]
Kim
Close your eyes. Exhale. Feel your body relax and let go of whatever you're carrying today.
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Blair
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.
- [00:22]
Kim
Oh, sorry. Namaste.
- [00:25]
Blair
Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order. 1-800-contacts Spring break isn't what it used to be.
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Kim
It's better this spring.
- [00:35]
Blair
Stay three nights and get a $50.
- [00:37]
Kim
Best Western gift card.
- [00:38]
Blair
Life's a trip. Make the most of it at best Western.
- [00:41]
Kim
Visit bestwestern.com for complete terms and conditions. Hi everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Love All. I want to apologize for the greasy hair look because I saw online that it is a Chinese New Year today and it's important that you don't wash your hair because you kind of wash away your blessings. That's one of the important things to not do. So I decided not to wash my hair this morning, which I usually do before the podcast to make sure that I kind of look halfway presentable. So apologize. Apologies for the, for the look. But Blair, excited to be back on the podcast to listen what you've been up to. I know you were in Dallas, so we'll talk about that in a second, but I think you had some follow up questions for me or something about last episode.
- [01:39]
Blair
Yes, this is how I operate in most conversations in my life where I walk away and five minutes later I say, oh man, I should have said this or I should have asked this or this would have been a great comeback to that. Yeah, right. No, it's great to see you. I feel like it has been been a year, it's really only been a week, but I was, you know, pretty much sleeping on site at the Dallas Open. So what is time at this point? But no, great to see your smiling face. And yes, I have some follow up questions for you before we dive into some of the behind the scenes from Dallas. I wanted to ask first, Kim, we need an Achilles rehab update. How are you doing? What are you doing? Give us the update.
- [02:23]
Kim
I'm doing good. I am walking without a boot. I'm doing a lot more exercises on my one foot where basically I'm at the stage where I need to learn to kind of shift my weight forward into the foot and really train up the calf muscle. And so putting in A lot of work for that. But when I see Holgeruna's videos where he's standing on the tennis court and hitting balls, I'm like, shall I try to go hit some balls? And I tell the trainer and she's like, absolutely, absolutely not. He's 20 years younger than you. Like, keep that in mind. You know, I'm like, okay, I get it. But I'm doing well. I'm happy that I can, you know, a drive, first of all, and be halfway, you know, some. Something useful at the house and, yeah, can walk and started doing walks on the boardwalk here in New Jersey. And so I feel like I'm definitely improving the way that, you know, I need to be.
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Blair
So, yeah, I. I kind of want to come in for your first hit, Kim. Like, when. When do we think it's going to happen? Can I come?
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Kim
Sure, sure.
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Blair
I'm signing myself up for that right now. Great. Okay. So keep us posted. We'll put it on the calendar. Okay. My next follow up question for you. We were talking a couple of weeks ago about coco golf and the racket break scene round the world at the Australian Open, and you said to me, did you break rackets? And I said, yes, shamefully. The answer, I have broken rackets in my day. And I, for whatever reason, did not ask you that question. Did you break rackets?
- [04:00]
Kim
I did break rackets. Probably most or I think all of them would have been in. In. In practice. I don't think I ever broke a racket on the match court, at least not on purpose. Like, I did break rackets sometimes because when I would do the splits or slide, I would kind of really slam my racket down or push off. And, you know, I've broken a few, like, cracked a few frames that way, but I definitely have broken a few rackets in the practice court.
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Blair
I think that's probably surprising to people, don't you think?
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Kim
Really? No, I don't think so.
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Blair
Maybe not to people who, like, know you really, really well. But I think to most people, they'd be shocked to hear that. But it's also so relatable, right? You know, I feel like in practice, you know, even it was funny. I just saw a clip this morning of Casper Rude on the practice court in Delray. And he is not a guy who I see express his anger in visible ways. He flung that racket at the back fence again in a practice session. So I think it's important to know that it doesn't matter what level you are or what your personality type that you could have that level of frustration.
- [05:14]
Kim
Yeah. And I think I'm also the type of person that when I get mad in the kitchen, I'll look for something that I have with me and I'll just like, whether it's a rag or I'm not gonna throw glass or anything, but like, yeah, I, I just like get that frustration out, like in, you know, in something physical. And it's not like a cursing or, or it's more something physical. But definitely, I mean, it's, it's. I feel like in practice, you set the bar so high and you want everything to go perfect and, and it gets frustrating, you know, when you're really working on something and you're trying to push and push to perfect it, and sometimes it can just be a little bit too much. But, yeah, I guess, you know, we all understand it when we see somebody break their racket. It's very, very recognizable and understandable. So.
- [06:00]
Blair
Okay, so my last follow up question for you, Kim, as we were talking a couple of weeks ago about the Australian Open champions and now me being in Dallas this week, and oftentimes at the smaller tournaments, I sort of have a finger on the pulse of what the player move. Like, they are often flying out the night of what is a huge win for them. So there's not even an opportunity to have a nice dinner with the team or a glass of something to celebrate. You are literally on to the next. And I'm curious for you, whether it was winning a slam or even a smaller tournament, did you have time to soak it in at all?
- [06:36]
Kim
No, I, yeah. Don't remember really sitting down and having a, you know, a big celebration. It was more like after the long. The trip was finished, I would go home and then you kind of get to celebrate a little bit. But after tournaments, right away, like a lot of times, I remember in my first WIN at the U.S. open in 2005, I would, you know, after you finished all your media responsibilities, and I would be back in the hotel room and I would, like, I was sitting on the floor, like I was by myself. I was, I was sitting on the floor, like folding laundry with my suitcase open, you know, making sure, like, my, my bag was packed because we were flying out the next morning. And so I, and I remember sitting there thinking, this is it. Like, I just want to slam. And look at me, like, I'm still sitting here. Like, life goes on, like nothing's changed, you know, and you feel really good about it, right? Like it's a. You have a good Feeling, and you're excited, but that. That happened. But I think my. My proudest moments came later, was when you go to the next tournament and they announce you as the US Open champion. And those kind of things are like little moments where you. You get motivated, but you also try not to let it get to you or get. Let it get to your head. And you just want to really try to stay. Yeah. Focused on what to do. Because I had that experience once as well, I think. In 2001, I won Stanford for the first time. And so I was. I think I just turned 18 and beat Lindsey for the first time in the final and won the tournament. Was really excited, like, beat Chanda Rubin, who was top 10 at the time. Lindsay and I had to fly to San Diego, or maybe we drove. I forget how. I think we flew. But I played Penguin probably two days after my first Stanford win, and I was super excited. Like, I was pumped. You know, everybody's, ah, congratulations. You get very excited about that moment. And I ended up losing the first round, and I lost to Penguin at the time was like, 85 or 80 in the world. And so that was a moment for me where it really clicked, where I was like, okay, I cannot. You cannot let yourself kind of lose focus for one second. Like, that happened in the past. And it's kind of sad because you do want to live that, you know, moment a little bit longer. But, yeah, so that was a very big kind of moment for me that I remember as a kid. I was 18, thinking, like, okay, big lesson to learn that you have to stay committed, and there's really no time to kind of let loose.
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Blair
It's sort of the great part of tennis and also the tough part of tennis if you're at the very top. Because the great thing is, if you lose, have a terrible week, you have another week coming up. So that part is fantastic. It's one of the brilliant pieces of our sport. But then on the flip side, if you are at the very end of these events and you want to actually be able to soak something like that in, there's really not a lot of time for that.
- [09:42]
Kim
No, no. And in 2010, I lost first round of the Aussie Open to Petrova. And, like, that was a moment like, you know, just won the US US Open in 2009. Like, a big expectation. One of the CH players that had the chance to win the tournament, and then you deal, but then immediately after, you can go, you know, play another tournament, or you have three more slams that year where you can do well and still have a great season. So that's definitely the bonus about our, you know, about the way that our tour is set up is that we have so many opportunities to, you know, to come up and win the tournament and still, you know, have at the end of the season have a great season regarding the losses that you dealt with. So that was. Yeah, there's all these little moments that you remember throughout your career and that were definitely learning like milestones where you really had to overcome and absorb it by people can tell you that. But until you experience it physically, the lesson can only be learned really by experience it. Okay.
- [10:53]
Blair
All right. Well I'm glad I asked my follow up questions. Really interesting perspective. Okay, so now we're going to shift to some of the behind the scenes from Dallas. That tournament has grown so much since it was at smu. It started off and it was great and we loved it. But it's now at the Cowboys practice facility. The players are using the Cowboys practice gyms. We are eating it where the Cowboys eat like during the week. You're at lunch and there are, you know, Cowboys coaches and the occasional player meetings right alongside. Yeah. So. So the site is. Is really neat. We also had the Cowboys cheerleaders come out. So they had sort Friday Night Lights theme they performed last year. They performed again this year on the tennis court which they had never done before as of last year. So we made Dallas Cowboys cheerleader history. My kids came and thought the cheerleaders were far more impressive than the actual tennis. They thought that was great. So it really. The tournament itself has grown so much and the atmosphere was so fantastic. That's why my voice is a little bit. It's going in and out today. It's because I was. There were times when I could not even hear my own voice. And we have an incredible sound system in. In Dallas. So it was just really. It was a fun week with a great finish. We had I think the stat, Kim, I don't know if you saw it that they're the number one and two seeds played in three ATP events on the same day for the first time since 1981. Wow. So first time in. In 44 years. So we had. Yeah. Ben Shelton taking on Taylor Fritz. Ben got the win in the end. Trinity Rodman was in attendance and Ben did not shy away from talking about her in the post match interviews.
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Kim
I love that.
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Blair
Yeah, it's always so interesting in those situations because you don't really know like how much do you want to veer into to that the off court side of things, how much is the player comfortable talking about? These aren't conversations you often have before you're actually in the moment. But I asked Ben because he's so good at giving other people encouragement and props and explaining why other people are great. I said, you know, can you explain to the people here what she is doing on and off the court to make an impact? And she, over in the corner was like, nope, absolutely not. You don't, don't feel like you have to do that. And he proceeded to give a fantastic answer about how when he goes to her games, he sees little girls who have braids just like her and how popularity of soccer has come such a long way and she is a big part of that. So it was just neat to have her there as well. So just a great tournament all the way around.
- [13:47]
Kim
Exciting. I love being there. I was there a couple of years ago when I played Martina Hinges and that's right, it was. I just loved the convenience of it as well, like everything, the hotel, you can literally walk from the hotel to the site, like through, you know, underground tunnel and parking and just so convenient. And you can just see how players, you know, why they love being there. And the food was good. It was, you know, everything is right there. And because, you know, there's a lot of tournaments where, you know, you have to drive a long time to get to the practice courts or to the site. And it was, yeah, I just loved, I took my youngest son, so he loved going into the locker room of the, of the Cowboys and just seeing, you know, what that is all about. And it was a nice experience.
- [14:31]
Blair
Yeah, definitely.
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Kim
Yeah.
- [14:33]
Blair
And I have one more behind the scenes story just because I feel like these aren't the stories that you often hear. But my kids were also there on the day of the final, so again, they got incredible tennis. But my, my youngest, who is excited by very little in life, or she at least doesn't want you to know she's excited lest she, lest you think that she's happy and fine, but she was very excited about the prospect of maybe having the chance to say hi to Mr. Ben. But I, I said to her, listen, there are so many things happening after the trophy ceremony. I have, I can't promise you what's gonna happen, but we were sort of hanging in the hallway and I didn't even see Ben walk up. He walked up behind me, saw them. I hadn't told him that they were going to be there. And he introduced himself, shook hands with both of them, Asked them their names, asked if they had fun, and then said, would it be okay if we got a picture together and, and took a picture with my, with my girls? Maybe we can throw it up for those watching on YouTube. But their probably year was made so huge thanks to both Ben and the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Was a great week for them.
- [15:49]
Kim
So, yeah, Ben did that to my youngest as well. When we were there, it was super nice. Like I was warming up and my son had like a big tennis ball, like a basketball sized tennis ball. And he went over, asked him to sign and Ben just talked to him about basketball and about, you know, what he likes to do. And he just loved, yeah, loved Ben and, and he loves Andy because Andy, my two boys think Andy is like the coolest guy ever. And I tell him all the time, he's like, we played an exhibition, a doubles exhibition at the US Open a few years ago and we were miked and they just thought like Andy was hilarious and which he is, you know, at times and.
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Blair
But yeah, it was like, not that it was that hilarious.
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Kim
It's Ben and Andy in the tennis world, that's who they talk about, but.
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Blair
It is, you know, those are the things that people don't see. And oftentimes it's the opposite of that. When people can see it, that's when the player will go out of their way to do the photo op or shake the hand. But it's behind the scenes when you know that that is just a character trait. And so it's just, it was really neat. Trinity took pictures with so many people while she was there as well. And they just seem to be loving life and happy for them and good for them. What do you think is possible for him, Kim, for Ben?
- [17:14]
Kim
Oh, I think he still has so much ahead of him, like so much growth possible as a tennis player, you know. And I'm not saying like tennis wise or technique, but I also think mentally like being able to learn when to use the energy, when to, you know, like, I think that's where he can still grow so much. And you know, we all know, you know, his big, his big traits, his strongest points, the serve, the forehand and everything. But I do think, yeah, every experience, right, that he builds like you build up and you use for the next moment and the next moment. And I think he still has so much more like to be able to build on and to get to that point where he can, you know, get to the final of a Grand Slam and then, you know, be. Learn to use that Energy in the right way and yeah, come on, come out on top. And I do think that he has that in him.
- [18:06]
Blair
We shall see. But a great week in Dallas next year, Kim. We gotta get you back there. More mixed doubles with Andy. That would be fun.
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Kim
I need to get return triple my leg better first.
- [18:18]
Blair
Okay, sounds like a fair deal.
- [18:23]
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- [18:52]
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- [19:24]
Blair
Let's move on to Henley's headlines and we are going to start with the action. Last week in Doha, Carolina Mohova defeated Vicky Mboko in the final four and five. She's 29 years old and it was just her second title, first since 2019. Now in that time, she's reached three major semifinals and a major final. So she's a big match player. But this is a result that we've been waiting for from her and, and to know that she's healthy and playing great Tenn is such great news for tennis as a whole. But I'm curious for the tennis nerds out there, Kim, in addition to the fact that she has variety, I feel like we throw that out as sort of a. A blanket. Well, she's got variety so she messes with people. But can you explain that? Can you take that a step further? Why is she so effective?
- [20:12]
Kim
Yeah, so definitely the variety. The variety is only. I feel like a strength if it's used at the right time. And she has the combination of. She can hit the ball flat, hard, but she can also. She has the serve where she first sets up the point right where you feel like on your own service games you have a lot of pressure because she's such a good server and she can hit serve and volley. She can hit the Next shot she can hit the forehand winner. She has all the parts that can make it really tough for her opponents. But the variety again is what she's. She, she's able to break down. She's a smart player as well. Like she uses the variety. There's players who I feel like on Strabeur early on in her career have. She has a lot of variety as well. But when you have the option in front of you to hit, you know, five different shots from coming out from what with one ball, you can hit the slice, you can hit the drop shot, you can hit the backhand angle. Like there's. They have so many opt that it becomes hard at times to figure out what is the best option to make at that time or the best decision to make. And I think Mukova has really learned to the timing of her variety. When do I use the slice, when do I use a drop shot, when do I come in? So I think that's the biggest difference that I see that I've seen with her and even with ans over the years is to learn to use the variety at the right time and not just use it as a tool tool for fun or to play or to show some cool tennis is to really learn when to use it at the right time. But she's a great mover. She defends well, but from a defending position she can also become very dominant. And so I think is her physically staying healthy and being locked in for a certain amount of time to get the results and to build is something that she, you know, has had to work on and has been an issue I think for a while with the injuries. It's not, it's not easy, you know, every time to come back from an injury and start from zero physically and you know, put in that work and it can become frustrating as well. So to see, you know, that she's putting in the work. I know that she works with, you know, she's worked. She had surgery in 2024 on her wrist and then she had surgery by a guy in the Czech Republic who also did the surgery on Kvitova, her hand. But then after that she went to Belgium, to my hometown in Bree where I to work with Sam Verslagers who was also my osteopath and trainer that I worked with. So he's kind of become a go to person for people with wrist issues. He had Kei Nishikori went and trained with him. Sisu Berrigs I did my rehab. So there's a doctor in Belgium who does a lot of wrist surgeries on the tennis store, I feel like. So Belgium has become a little bit of a wrist specialist place, but good for her. I love seeing that she's working with Sven Grunefeld now as well, and that that kind of collaboration has really, you know, showed really good results very early on. And a lot of times it's just the ability to be locked in or to have a new voice telling you this is what you need to do, and you have to do it for a long, certain amount of time for the results show. And, you know, great to see her having, you know, having that back up already.
- [23:56]
Blair
Yeah. And shout out to Sven as well. I didn't tell you this, Kim, before we came on today, but I messaged him to see if he would maybe talk to us for 15 minutes, maybe about what she's been working on and also his incredible coaching career. And he said, you know, I so appreciate the invitation, but this is a new relationship and we're still building trust. And I really feel like at this point it needs to be all about the player, which, again, I think there are certainly coaches out there who do a great job of sort of balancing both of those things. But credit to him to say, listen, I feel like at this point, we're still at the beginning stages and we're building that foundation. I thought that that was a really kind response. That made a lot of sense to me.
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Kim
Yeah. And it's a lot of things that we don't think about. Right. Or that you. When you hear that, you think, yeah, of course. Like, it's so normal. Because, you know, who would want to coach, you know, that after, you know, a tournament victory is on every, you know, interview and every podcast or whatever it is to kind of. Yeah, you don't want that either. So I think that finding that balance and building that trust is. Is super important. So good for him to, you know, recognize that.
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Blair
All right. And Vicki Mboco, back in another 1000 final. She's now a top 10 player, and she is into the top 10 less than one year after winning her first unbelievable tour level match. Unbelievable. My head's exploding.
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Kim
I was looking a little bit at her history, like, on the tour, online, and, you know, there's a few things to me that I feel like her biggest breakthrough, I think, was when she won the Canadian Open last year, right before the US Open and in 2025. But then when you look back, like, she got her first wild card there. She's only 19 at the moment, so she got that her first wildcard when she was 15 years old at the Canadian Open and she lost in the first round. But I do feel like it takes experience to be at these events, to feel comfortable going to these tournaments, to feel comfortable playing against, training with players who are ranked a lot higher than you and who have a lot more experience than you to get a feel for. Okay, this is what I need to do. I actually feel really good when I played against this top 50 player. And I feel like I can hang. Like those are all moments that help you build your confidence. And so I do think that we're seeing these incredible results in a short amount of time. But it's the moments, the years leading up to that, that help you with taking these little steps. And so great for her to be able to absorb it all in the right way, to be able to use it. You know, the fact that she, you know, she's such a good mover, she's physically strong, she's mentally strong. You know, I love watching her kind of rip her forehand and, and taking control of the rallies and, and still have that kind of free spirit out there as well. I remember like I can see her like, you know, reminds me at times a little bit about, of Carlos Alcaraz when he first came on, on tour. You know, he was so, so excited to be out there and to be playing tennis. And I feel that from her side as well is when she's playing and you still see that innocence, but there's that she's also very locked in, but super excited to be out there playing and it's showing.
- [27:18]
Blair
Yeah, she had some big wins. Andree Eva and Elena Rybakina. And I also wanted to ask you Kim, about Maria Sakkari who reached the semifinals there and she got a win over IGA Witek, her first win over her in several. But their head to head is now 4 4. And I'm wondering what you're seeing in Maria's game that could potentially take her back to the, the type of tennis that she was playing back in 2021.
- [27:48]
Kim
Right. We talked about it, I think in our first episode, right when she was going through the United cup and having good results there. Just to see her, you know, she's serving better. She is one of the things that I noticed maybe a little bit in her technique and I don't know if that's an overall kind of maybe Mindse that she used to be a very kind of straight up tennis player. And when with straight up, I kind of mean the chest was Always kind of up. Even when she was attacking, it was a lot with the arm. Whereas now I feel like her chest and her upper body is a little bit more leaning into the court. And she's creating more power. She's creating more. I feel like she's hitting less kind of frame shots. She used to at times, like, out of nowhere in the rally, just kind of. How do you say that? Like, shank a shot, like, hit the frame. And I was like. That was so. That was like. I was like. That was so weird because she hits the ball clean but then out of nowhere. So I think the positioning of her. Her upper body is. Is, yeah, leaning into the court a little bit more, which is why she's creating pace. And people, you know, I see, like, online people talk about, like, IGA is not the same. And I don't think it had anything to do with iga. I think. I think it was Sakari who's really, you know, finding her calmness out on court and learning how to kind of put all the pieces together. But I noticed, like, the serve definitely has improved a lot, but it's her way of stepping in and using her body weight into the ball that has improved a lot.
- [29:20]
Blair
Interesting. Yeah. Well, I know tennis is better when she is at the top of the game because people love her. I certainly have introduced her at many a tournament. And the roars are something else. So all the best to Maria.
- [29:37]
Kim
Exciting.
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Blair
Moving on. In Henley's headlines, IGA Witek and Arina Sabalenka both pulled out of the dubai duty free 1000. The tournament director was displeased. Salah Talik had quotes in the national. Courtesy of my friend Reem Abolil, who has done some incredible coverage over there. And he said not only was he displeased that they withdrew from his tournament, but he felt like there need to be harsher punishments that perhaps, in addition to just fining players for withdrawing from these mandatory events, there should also be a rankings penalty as well. Kim, and I am curious what your thoughts are on that.
- [30:20]
Kim
Well, I, you know, as a. I probably still think as a player, most. First of all, right. I do think that the reasons may not look like a big deal to people who are not in the sports world. Right. Small injuries. We all know, like, I've had small injuries that, you know, where I wanted to be very cautious of and pulled out because I didn't want them to turn into bigger, bigger injuries that will then make you be off the tour for a longer amount of time. So when I See that small injuries can definitely have a bigger impact in the long run if you push through them. So. So I understand that, but I do think for a tournament like the one in Dubai, I've played there, it's a great tournament. They put up a great venue. I mean, one of my favorite players parties that I've been to, I think they make it really, really nice for the players. So they're trying to put up the best thing, the best show event that they can for their players. And then for that to be to lose the two biggest names in the sport at the moment is very, very frustrating and disappointing, which is normal. But I worked as a tournament director, so I kind of also had the feel for that side of the tennis world, of the tournament in Antwerp. And it takes. I'm not going to say a country, but it takes a lot of people to run an event like that. And you need sponsors, and you need to please the sponsors. They have to stay involved, and they have to be able to sell it to their company. Why are they sponsoring the event? And we had. In the finals of our tournament in Antwerp, we lost the final, actually, because Sanchez Navarro woke up, which can happen. It's not her fault. Woke up with a sore neck and decided not to play the final, which then you get to a stage where the title sponsors aren't happy, they're frustrated. There's a lot of VIP seats that are being sold, and then all of a sudden, yeah, you. You don't have. Have a. An official match. And. And so there is those frustrations. And very understandable that tournaments want the best players, and that's why they pay a lot of money and they want, you know, the prize money is up and they run. A really good event is to. To host the best players possible. But it's. It's always going to be an issue. I feel like it was an issue years ago when I was on the board and when I was younger playing. And my dad had an issue with the. With Larry, the CEO of the WTA at the time. I had wrist surgery in 2004, and I had to pull out of the Moscow event, and I was gonna get fined. I think it was like €90,000, if I remember correctly. And my dad was like, wait, but she's in a cast. Like, she had surgery last week. So you're telling me that she needs to be on court because she's going to be fined. And my dad was like, okay, she'll come. She'll fly to Moscow and walk on court in a cast and Then you'll see with these rules how ridiculous you look. Anyway, that's a different story. But it's really hard to find that fine line to please the tournaments and to, you know, promise them or to give them what they were promised. But then on the other side, you know, players want to play. And unless, you know, if they're not feeling well, that's the most important part, is they have to feel healthy, whether it's mentally or physically, you have to feel healthy to compete at your best.
- [34:07]
Blair
Yeah, it's part of the tennis ecosystem. Right. So, yes, the players are independent contractors, but if there were no tournaments to play, they're not making money. And so it's that ecosystem idea. And it's interesting that he wants to dock ranking points because essentially that is what's happening, because they get a. What's called a pointer, a zero pointer. So. So there are 18 tournaments in a year, 19 if you make the WTA finals. That can count towards your ranking. And this is a big fat goose egg for the players who decide not to play this event. So, in a sense, you are already getting docked ranking points. And just to give people an idea on the fine, so if you pull out of one mandatory 1,000. So Arina Savalenka pulled out of Doha also $20,000, and then the fine is then doubled. This is per the WTA rule book, it is doubled for each additional infraction. So, again, based on what I read in the rule book for pulling out of Dubai, that fine would then have been 40,000 and so on and so forth. So those are the kind of dollar numbers that we're dealing with here. But I do think that there are two sides to this story.
- [35:22]
Kim
Yeah. And it's always going to be a tough kind of balance to keep everybody happy. Right. Because I think Richard Krychek at the ABN Amro in and Rotterdam had, on the same night, had Alcaraz and I think Zverev pull out of the. The tournament as well. So it happens at a lot of events, and it's unfortunate, but, yeah, it happens.
- [35:46]
Blair
Yeah. And things did not get better, sadly for Salah Talik, the the DDF tournament director, because as of our recording, Ella Seidel retired after playing a set with illness. Sarah Balik withdrew with an AB injury, giving Bencic a walkover. Kazakhina had a hip injury, Andreyeva got through with a walkover, and Krejcikova with a thigh injury, gave Anisimova the walkover. So it's just a tough week. And sometimes, sometimes that happens. So, again, interesting things to Discuss. And I know it's a conversation that is not going to stop this week. I know it's going to be something.
- [36:22]
Kim
It's a very tough week in the schedule as well. I feel like. Yeah, it's unfortunate. Right. I wouldn't want to be him right now. And trying to please all your sponsors and the players at the same time.
- [36:38]
Blair
The next topic we want to cover, this one is a sad one. 25 year old Australian player Destiny Iowa announced her retirement. She had a career high of 133. She was a teenage prodigy, but in this retirement announcement she did not not mince words. I'm gonna give you some excerpts here. She called tennis her toxic boyfriend. She said she wanted to say a ginormous F you to everyone in the tennis community who's ever made her feel less than F you to every single gambler who sent her hate or death threats. F you to the people who sit behind screens on social media commenting on my body, my career, whatever the F they want to nitpick and F you to a sport that hides behind so called class and gentlemanly values. Behind the white outfits and traditions is a culture that's racist, misogynistic, homophobic and hostile to anyone who doesn't fit the mold. She went on to say she was dangerously naive to the consequences of trusting the wrong people early in her career. And she said that tennis took things from her. Her relationship with her body, her health, her family, her self worth. And then she says, would I do it all again? I really don't know. But one thing this sport has taught me is that there's always a chance to start fresh. And she also said her ultimate goal was to wake up every day and love what she does. And she also thanked the Pacific Islander community and those who've supported her along the way. So a heavy announcement, no doubt. And you hope that she's able to take the positives out of her time on tour, but gosh, that's a lot.
- [38:19]
Kim
It is a lot. And you know, when I read it, like you feel the pain, right, that she's kind of dealt with and, and maybe kept suppressed for a really long time as well. And I hope that maybe over time she is able to, like you said, like learn maybe some get some more positives out of it that she can take with her whether, whatever she starts, whether it's, it's a new job, if she stays in the tennis world, in the tennis community like that, she can use it.
- [38:50]
Blair
Yeah, she's, she's been open about mental health issues and she also made positive headlines about a year ago for shopping on ebay, depop some of the. The fashion sites where she could purchase old vintage tennis clothes. So she was wearing outfits of Maria Sharapovas and Caroline Wozniacki and Anna Ivanovich and wearing these dresses that for so many of us who love tennis, we're like, oh, that dress reminds me of, you know, whenever in the grass Open. Yes, exactly. So what a neat story. I had the chance to get to know her a little bit in Newport this past year at the grass court 125. As you know, Kim and I got to go through the hall of Fame with her and look at all the vintage dresses that the hall of Fame has on display. We even took her into the vaults, which, for those who haven't seen the vault, it is so cool. Just racks on racks on racks of Ted Tinling dresses. Just some of the most incredible tennis fashion.
- [39:55]
Kim
We might have to do a vault tour when we get to Newport. Blair.
- [39:59]
Blair
Yes. Oh, my gosh. I am so in. I wonder. I wonder if Nicole, the sweet, you know, Nicole would probably be like, don't, you know, you can't try it on. But, like, wouldn't that be cool if we could do. Although I wouldn't be fitting into any of those dresses.
- [40:12]
Kim
Me. Definitely not. No. But I. But anyway, yeah, I hope that, like, she. She can maybe find a. An opportunity or that the WTA, like, you know, so that. That mental health, like, she can find a role where she can still contribute back and use her negative experience into something that she can, you know, try to make sure that it doesn't happen to the next player. And, and which I know the WTA, you know, works very hard and they, they do a good job, but I think a lot of the times, like, I feel like, like a lot of the pain and struggles have already come earlier. It's within the federation. It's. It's in the up, like earlier on and. And where a lot of the pain kind of starts already and, and kind of the love, hate relationship with the sport of tennis. So, yeah, I really hope that she can, you know, find purpose and, and, yeah, and enjoy the tennis world because, you know, there is a beautiful community that's a part of it as well, and I would love to get a chance to meet her, too.
- [41:18]
Blair
And then speaking of the hall of Fame, Kim, in perhaps the least surprising news of the week, tickets for Roger Federer and Mary Carillo's hall of Fame induction, which is taking place August 27th through the 29th, sold out on Wednesday in a grand total of.
- [41:40]
Kim
Two minutes.
- [41:41]
Blair
Two minutes.
- [41:43]
Kim
Two minutes. I mean, yes, unreal.
- [41:47]
Blair
But again, not. Not a surprise to hear that. And then the hall of Fame put out a statement saying we've got a live watch party happening over on their. Their stadium court area there, which has.
- [42:02]
Kim
3,600 people and was sold out right away as well. So. So I have. I have never gotten messages in my, you know, few years as. As the honorary president of the hall of Fame. Like, I never got messages of people that were like, hey, can I, you know, can you get me tickets? Or so now it's like, hey, they put me on the wait list. Like, how is this possible? Like, I was there. You know, I've been there for a few years. Like, why am I wait listed? Can you try to get me in? And so, yeah, it's. It's definitely going to be an amazing experience, and we all know that, but I think the people. Yeah, people want to be a part of it, and it's very, very exciting. And by the way, Mary Carillo, I've known her as, you know, the tennis broadcaster and commentary and how awesome she is at that. But then I saw her doing the Winter Olympics and doing everything, and I'm like, she's incredible. Like, how. Yeah.
- [43:03]
Blair
Did you hear the story behind that? That she was put. When Savannah Guthrie was unable to go to the Olympics, Mary Carillo got the call and they put Mary in her.
- [43:15]
Kim
Yeah. And she did such a great job. And again, you know, I follow Savannah's news. I try to stay updated. And what has it been now? 17 days, I think, since her mom has gone missing. So keep thinking about her as well. But Mary Carrillo is incredible and so natural and, yeah, she's unbelievable. So excited to see her get celebrated as well.
- [43:41]
Blair
Same. Have you seen her rant on badminton, Kim?
- [43:45]
Kim
No.
- [43:47]
Blair
I'll send it to you. It's iconic. If you have not seen Mary Carillo on badminton, I believe it was an Olympics dispatch. Just Google it. Find it on YouTube. You will not be sad. So, yeah, shout out to Mary, who. Who also, I just want to say, has done an incredible job of welcoming other women into the industry. And I will tell you that that's not always the case from other women. Mary calls it sending the elevator back down. Like, once the elevator has taken you up, send the elevator back down for the next crew. And she's done that for me and so many other people. So I am excited to celebrate Mary as well. So should we finish up today, Kim, with our rec room Section segment. We have some recommendations for you. Kim doesn't know what I'm recommending. I don't know what she's recommending. No, I want you to go first.
- [44:37]
Kim
I'm actually going with. And this has something to do with you because I will never forget that the surprise I got, I think within my first week of being after my second surgery, I was at home and, you know, had to have my leg up. Couldn't cook, couldn't do anything. And you send me, I got this box and I was like, wait, is it another Amazon box? I don't think I ordered anything. And then I opened it and it was the most amazing, amazing gift that couldn't have been. Yeah, it just really warmed my heart to a point where I was like, how does she know me? Like, like it was so nice. And it's from. And then I looked it up and it was spoonfulofcomfort.com and it was delicious fresh made soup. It had little rolls with it. My husband, they had chocolate chip cookies that my husband absolutely loved. Loved. It had one of the. What do you call the soup spoon?
- [45:33]
Blair
Ladle.
- [45:33]
Kim
Like a ladle that I use and. Yeah. And to this day, like I still think about it and it was just so perfect because I'm the one here that is known to make a lot of soups and when people are sick, like I'll make soup and send it over to them or. Yeah. So spoonfulofcomfort.com is what I wanted to. Because it's such a great little. Yeah. Such a warming gift. So thank you for that.
- [46:00]
Blair
Oh, you're welcome. Well, thank you for posting videos of making soup.
- [46:05]
Kim
I haven't done one in a while. I need to get back into it.
- [46:08]
Blair
Also, you don't want me cooking for you, so.
- [46:11]
Kim
No.
- [46:11]
Blair
Nobody wants to eat my soups. So thankful for spoonful of comfort so that nobody actually has to eat soup that I make at home.
- [46:21]
Kim
Well, good.
- [46:21]
Blair
I'm so glad that that was meaningful. All right, so my recommendation for the day is my taming wand. I don't know if you can see. So the brand is kitsch, but there are several brands that make this. But you can't even really. It looks like clear mascara. So it's like a little mascara wand. And for like flyaways, you know, the little hairs that like I have baby hairs and probably hairs that are falling out and probably gray hair hairs also that just kind of like stick up.
- [46:56]
Kim
Do different things than the others.
- [46:58]
Blair
Yes, exactly. They're not falling in line. This is the Most amazing thing. And I don't know, I'm using my zoom screen as a mirror here, but you just sort of. Yeah. Wipe it in and then. And it's like perfectly smooth.
- [47:17]
Kim
It is.
- [47:17]
Blair
This has been the greatest thing for doing things on camera for me because again, like, even if there's just one hair. Hair going the wrong way.
- [47:25]
Kim
I see it.
- [47:26]
Blair
You sure will. And so this thing has been a game changer. And also for those who like the, you know, the slick back look is very trendy. Kim, you had no idea that your dirty hair was trendy today. But it. The slick back look is very in. There are wax sticks that people use to try to slick it back. But the problem with the wax is once you put the wax in your hair, your hair has wax in it.
- [47:50]
Kim
Like you.
- [47:51]
Blair
There's no resurrecting your hair after you put the wax stick. This is more like almost like liquid hairspray. And so you can brush it out when you're done with it so your hair isn't. You know, if you do this on like day two after washing hair, your hair is not then ruined and you don't have to wash it again. So shout out to all the taming wands out there.
- [48:10]
Kim
Great, thanks. Might have to go get one of you this. Yes.
- [48:15]
Blair
Your next care package.
- [48:16]
Kim
When I can be on court again.
- [48:17]
Blair
Wand. There you go.
- [48:18]
Kim
Or maybe keep my frizz in place for your hair.
- [48:24]
Blair
It would be. I probably. If you ever wanted that. Just because my hair is less curly. But. But yeah, there you go. Taming wands. It is Taming wands for your Wednesday. But I think that does it for us today. Kim, this has been so much fun. I feel like I have struggled to complete sentences today. I blame that on extreme fatigue. I'll be rested up by next week, I promise.
- [48:45]
Kim
You deserve the rest. Bliss. There.
- [48:48]
Blair
Thank you. Well, make sure you're following us on all social media platforms. Love all podcast. And make sure to follow us on YouTube as well. Like and subscribe. Thanks to our entire team behind the scenes. And we'll see you next Wednesday for another episode.