← Served with Andy Roddick
Served with Andy Roddick
Winning Australian Open, $1M One Point Slam, & More | Love All with Kim Clijsters
00:53:24
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- [00:00]
A
Here we go. Welcome back, everyone. Welcome to Love all where we are less than a week away from the main draw event at the Australian Open. First of all, I want to thank everybody for all their amazing feedback on our first episode, their great comments. I'm Kim Kleisters and I'm really excited to be back with my partner in crime, Blair Henley.
- [00:26]
B
Hi, Kim. I am coming to you from Australia. It is after midnight here, so I don't know that I can take full ownership of everything that comes out of my mouth tonight. Apologies if there are some more ums and us than usual. I'm going to attempt to put together complete sentences, but it's been an incredible first couple of days on the grounds and it's like everyone here. Kim, has gotten the memo that this is now a full three week event. My mind was absolutely blown when I saw the numbers out of day one from what they're calling opening week. We call it fan week at the U.S. open. The previous attendance record, Kim, 7,543 people. And I can attest to this because I was here last year on the first day of qualifying, there were not many people around the grounds at all. The day one attendance record as of two days ago, 29,261. So I don't know if that was fantastic marketing or if people realized what an incredible product qualifying week is. The Australian Open does such a good job of making this feel like a tennis festival and they do have an advantage. Kim, it's, it's so interesting having been to the other slams. The, the Australian Open has space. They have so much room to. I mean, everything is decked out in graphics design. There is a life size Barbie playhouse that is a makeup store on the grounds. I mean, literally everything you could imagine from sponsor activations to food to drinks, to games for families to play. And I know that the US Open, for instance, would love to have that much space to work with, but the Australian Open does a great job of taking advantage of the space that they have. And it really does feel like that happy slam vibe is just reverberating around the grounds. It has been so much fun to be a part of. I do have a little bit of a bone to pick him with the weather because all I saw on social media before getting on the plane were people melting. It's so hot. You know, it was 107 degrees Fahrenheit. I was legit cold today. I woke up, it was about 67 degrees on my walk to site, which is about, what is that like 20 degrees Celsius for our non American viewers. Somewhere, somewhere around there.
- [02:58]
A
I'll take that, I'll take that.
- [03:00]
B
Kim. My hotel room thermostat right now is set to 25 degrees Celsius, which is about 77 degrees Fahrenheit. And I realize I might have a circulation problem, but no joke, I ordered tea today just so I could hold the hot cup in my hands. Yes, it was, it was overcast. It also was windy, which didn't help. But I think that is, that's one of the challenges for players at this event, right? Yes, it's the Aussie summer, but I'm sure you experienced it. You get the super hot days, but you can also get the cold days as well, right?
- [03:35]
A
Especially in Melbourne. They say Melbourne is, the saying is four seasons in one day, right? You can have the, a really bad storm and then have scorching heat about two hours later. So you kind of know that and kind of adjust your preparations to it. Whether it comes to the clothing that you pack. Like you were saying, it's not that I brought hand warmers or anything, but you do kind of make sure that you have warm clothes and plenty of clothes to get changed into.
- [04:01]
B
Well, in today's episode, we are going to have Henley's headlines. Per usual, we are also going to have the chance for me to ask him all of my burning questions about her Australian Open experience. And then we have a special guest with a guest question for us today. I cannot wait. Kim does not know who this is. I think only techie Sean knows. So if you are not following us on our socials at Love all podcast, I hope you will do that now because we asked for questions from all of you a couple of days ago. We got some really fantastic responses. I can't wait to get into those as the Australian Open progresses. Before we get to Henley's headlines, though, Kim, we, we must discuss perhaps my new favorite thing in tennis, the one point Slam. You've seen it on social media, right?
- [04:51]
A
I've seen it, but I don't know anything about it. I feel like I don't know the ins and outs of it. So I, I, I'm very curious. It looks like a lot of fun. I saw some footage of Coco in the stands where she's really enjoying it and I've heard you talk about it a little bit as well. But I, yeah, I just want to know the rules and all that stuff. So bring it on.
- [05:11]
B
Well, admittedly I was not fully versed on all the rules until yesterday afternoon when I was told a couple of hours prior to the event that I was going to be emceeing the qualifying, the on site qualifying for the one point Slam. So.
- [05:25]
A
So did you have a heart rate spike at that moment or were you like, I got this.
- [05:30]
B
I had a moment of, let me write everything down. I'm a visual learner, so I just needed somebody to cite it for me so I could see it on paper and then input it all. What really threw me off is the fact that we had nearly 64 players yesterday as well as today. It was a 128 draw for on site qualifying. And one of the things that I really love about the one point Slam that I have learned over the past couple of days is the fact that this is a real community event. There are eight qualifiers from all over Australia that are already into tomorrow evening's grand finale on Rod laver arena for 1 million. Also, the last non pro standing gets a Kia, gets a car in addition. And there is also money on the line for some of the local clubs. So. So there's the community aspect of this as well. But the on site qualifying has been a mix of. We've had some local celebrities, we have had some local qualifiers, maybe people who won a club tournament and had the chance to come into this qualifying draw. They, there were people who learned just minutes before that they had been accepted. They signed up online. We had a, had a guy out there today in jeans. I asked, you know, what was your inspiration for the fashion? And he said, well, I just found out one hour ago. Andre Agassi, 100%. And he ended up qualifying, I believe so. So you have this incredible mix of people. You have. There were coaches, WTA coaches, ATP coaches out there and there were current players. And so the rules. I'm just going to give you a quick rundown instead of a coin toss. There's Rock, Paper, Scissor. The winner of Rock, Paper Scissor gets to choose serve or receive. The loser of Rock, Paper, Paper Scissor gets to choose the end of the court and the side that they want to play on. So deuce or add. And Kim, it has been so fascinating that every single person has been nervous. The pros have been nervous, understandably, the amateurs have been nervous. Everyone has been nervous. Because, because I think obviously there are the stakes. You want to make it to the main event, have a chance to win $1 million. But also no one wants to make a fool of themselves.
- [07:46]
A
You don't want to hit a double fold or miss an easy return.
- [07:50]
B
That's exactly right. And speaking of the serve. So the pros, active pros only get one serve and the non pros get two. So we had some retired players, for instance, who were very good tennis players who got two serves because they were not active pros. But we had Flavio Caboli's father out there. I saw him, I. Yes, I saw him this morning and I saw him showing a video of his one point slam performance to Gilles Servara, who is Daniel Medvedev's former coach, now coaching Nishesh Baza Verretti. Interestingly, another side note, but. But showing the video of his performance, he did not advance to the final two rounds of qualifying tomorrow. We had Simone Magnaz, Yannick Sinners coach was out on court. There was some great video of Jannik watching the monitor back in the locker room. Darren Cahill was in the stands with his phone out filming him. Hilarious stuff. Well, that's what I asked.
- [08:54]
A
Is it men against men and women against women or they mixed everything? Mixed.
- [08:58]
B
It is mixed. So we had an absolute legend out there today named Joanne. She's like, thank you so much for not asking me. My age, just decked out in leopard print. I said, what's strategy? She said, girl. And I said Joanne, I love that for you. She. So she played against an active pro. She got a couple balls back. Props to Joanne, but that is sort of the fun of this. And you mentioned you saw a video of Coco out out there cheering today. We're on court six, it's the bar court, which is probably fitting for the qualifying of one point slam. But she was out there cheering on her hitting partner, Johan Tatlow, Joe Tatlow. And he was fantastic. He said that the coaching that Coco gave him was don't double faults. And when he got out there for his second round, I said has the coaching change? And he said no, just don't double fault.
- [09:57]
A
Right.
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B
But what's so fascinating there is that if Joe makes it through tomorrow, so we have the final two rounds of qualifying tomorrow, he will then take part in the main event on Rod Laver arena and potentially have the chance to play against Coco who is playing on Wednesday night here. There, there are amazing names. Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Naomi Osaka, IGA Spontech, Coco, as I mentioned, it is going to be so much fun. Kim, that was a lot of talking, but I had the time of my life.
- [10:34]
A
Yeah, it sounds so fun. I can't wait. And he, Coco's coaches, he's a, he was a very good junior player and he was a good pro player. So that will be very interesting to see him go up against some of the pros, actually. So can't wait. I hope you can see it live here.
- [10:48]
B
So into it. Yeah, no, I've been told that it is either airing on ESPN or Tennis Channel. I wasn't able to confirm which one. One can only hope though that you will be able to replay the entire thing on the Australian Open YouTube page as well. So one way or another, I absolutely think you should watch because it's just a feel good event. It moves quickly, which I think is important. It keeps people engaged and it pulls in players of all ability levels. And that plus the Mixed Devils event at the US Open. To me, those are the two best innovations in tennis in recent memory. It makes me wonder, Kim, is there going to be a Slam arms race with this kind of event and how important are these events in growing the game on a larger scale and allowing people to see tennis in a different light?
- [11:40]
A
I think that those events are definitely very important. I just remember like early 2000s when I came on tour and seeing, you know, some of the changes that were happening. Right. More night matches, later night matches. Right. Especially at the US Open. I think I started one of the finals or one of the semifinals at 9pm at night. Like those were all a lot of things to kind of draw in more people. Whether it was in the stadium or more fans, you know, from home watching on tv. It's not a surprise like the Australian Open, knowing how big the side is and how much is capable, that they have been expanding not just in the interest for what is best for the players, but also, you know, how can we, how can we entertain the fans when there's, you know, when there's, you know, the, the people who have day tickets when they're waiting to go into the night sessions. Like there's so many different layers of an, of this type of event. Wimbledon and the French Open have the smallest venue. Wimbledon is, you know, in, in a situation where they are looking to expand or they've bought land to expand, but there's some legal issues I still think that they need to handle. So all the Slams, they know they have to look at, you know, how can we bring in more people? We want a third week. How can we use that more? And I'm always so amazed about, you know, how they can keep coming up with new initiatives. Now the one point Slam, we saw the mixed doubles week. In the beginning there was a lot of people that weren't against it, because, you know, as a tennis player, you always, you know, we're so stuck into our routines and into the tradition as well. But at the same time, you know, I loved watching, you know, what, what happened in New York during those mixed doubles during that, those days. And, and now the one point slam is so exciting. As a fan, sitting here, you know, in, in the States, watching a little bit of it on social media, like, I want to know more about it and I can't wait to watch the event on TV tomorrow.
- [13:38]
B
Yeah, absolutely. So I, I'm all for it. And, and you, I think, hit the nail on the head when it comes to change. Tennis has not always been the best at it. So props to Tennis Australia who has turned this event from, from a small experiment. Last year, the winner was Omar Jessica. He actually competed again this year and he won, I think, $64,000 and absolutely just exploding the heck out of this thing and making it a primetime show with over 10,000 tickets sold as of a couple of days ago in Rod Laver Arena. So, I mean, props to them. They have done a fantastic job because it's not an easy task to create something out of nothing. So, yay, Tennis Australia.
- [14:25]
A
The great part about is that the foundation of the tournament is still very traditional. Right. It's still the sport of tennis. The matches, the routines that come with it that stays the same. But it's the outside, I feel like, especially at the Australian Open. I haven't been back in a few years, so I might have to make a cameo in 2027 with everything that I'm hearing. Yes. But it's becoming like a, I would feel like a family, like, amusement park or something where, you know, a sports amusement park where you have, bring everything together. You have entertainment, music, great food, you have, you know, everything like makeup, shopping. It's very entertaining and I want to. Want to experience it as a fan this time.
- [15:12]
B
Yeah, there's a video game cube. There is a literal water park on site for kids. It's unreal. But anyway, I could go on and on and on. Let's move on, Kim, to Henley's Headlines, which still sounds funny coming out of my mouth, but I am trying to own this segment with my last.
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A
I like it.
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B
All right. Third time was a charm for Poland. So it was their third time in the United cup final. They finally got the title. But there are a couple of results throughout that week that I want to run by you. And the first will probably come as no surprise. Coco Gauff getting a straight sets win over Iga Witek 4 and 2 after initially being 1 and 11 against her. So she's won eight straight sets against Iga. And I would love to get your feel on how. Why, how do you change. Turn the tide in the way that Coco has been able to do it.
- [16:09]
A
I think what stood out to me the most today, or not today, but in their last matchup was that the variety of Coco's game was really causing IGA a lot of issues. And it's the variety. I mean, you know, people talk a lot about Coco's forehand, but she hits such a heavy ball. And it's not that she, you know, she doesn't hit the most winners with her forehand, but it is such the combination of the depth of her forehand, the heavy topspin on a court that, you know, that I hear that has been popping up a little bit more is hard for somebody like. Like iga. I think the combination with that backhand where she can step in, where she can. Can cause, you know, a faster pace. And so she was using her drop shots a lot. IGA was standing a little bit further behind the baseline, which she was constantly kind of looking to. To. To. To step in for. To look for that drop shot. So there was, yeah, Coco was really putting IGA out of balance, like, not giving her a lot of rhythm. And then on IGA's side, I feel like she just. In moments where she's starting to doubt herself, she panics a little bit, and her go to is, I want to play harder, I want to move my feet better. And it all starts to look very kind of forced and cramped, I would say. But, yeah, all credit to Coco there. I mean, she's really found a way and a game plan that really works against iga. And I think it's become also a little bit of a mental bonus on Coco's side where she has the confidence. IGA is starting to doubt. I think the last time she beat her was semifinal of 24 at the French Open. So it's really starting to. Yeah, the ties are turning right, and good for Coco for working on finding solutions, because that's what all the great champions do.
- [18:05]
B
What was it like for you, Kim? Because you're talking about when IGA is stressed, her go to is to maybe press a little to go harder. I think some people, when they're stressed, go into push mode. I would say Coco is similar in a lot of ways. At the WTA Finals, she was saying that her second serve wasn't feeling good, and she just was Going for more and more and more. And I said, well, what does that say about your personality? That it's not feeling good and you're trying to hit it harder? And she said, well, I guess I just feel like my personality is go big or go home. And I'm wondering what it was like for you when you were stressed. What was the default?
- [18:42]
A
Well, I think I've had different. Different reactions at different stages throughout my career. I think early on, when you go through a stressful period in a tennis match or in your career, I think you automatically rely on your natural way of playing tennis. And because that's familiar, that's home. Right? And so for me, early on, it was, let me take a step back, run a lot of balls down, and if I can, you know, try to be dominant and work my way into the point. But I was too defensive for a long time, I think, and then over time, I really learned to use my defensive skills. But from, you know, those kind of situations, become a good offensive player and, and have the power, and I had to get fitter and stronger and. But the tough part about tennis is that everything has to be intense, but your mind has to stay calm, right? Your footwork has to be intense, your arm, your strength, your focus, that all has to stay really intense. And you have to be in the zone. But your mind, because there's so many triggers that, you know that are uncontrollable, but that has to stay calm. And the way that you talk to yourself has to stay calm. And then going back to ego, like, I feel at times, you can see when that calmness is gone, like she doesn't have control over the kind of. The structure and stepping away from. Yeah, she. She goes out of the moment, and it's. It's hard to do that. But I feel like for me, I've. I've had different experiences throughout my career like that.
- [20:18]
B
All right, next headline. Belinda Benchic had quite the week at the United Cup. Went 9 and 1, her only loss coming in mixed doubles. Which leads me to my question for you, Kim. When you're a player like Belinda, who has maybe not played her best tennis in a slam yet, is it possible to play too well in the lead up to where all of a sudden people are thinking, oh, gosh, she could win the Australian Open? And then there is added pressure.
- [20:48]
A
Yes and no. I think it's always great, right, when you start an event, and she's had a long off season, she's worked hard, and she's gotten a lot fitter. And she's worked on some tactical things as well. And you can see that, right, she came out, she was ready to go. Like they had game plans in every match. I think in Belinda's sake, like, she hasn't been able to do it in a match, but she's capable of doing that. And that's the biggest confidence booster that you can, can kind of tell yourself is like, I can beat these players. I just haven't been able to do it, you know, match after match in the Grand Slam. So it's not about not being able to do it or not being good enough to do it. And out of my experience, like, for me, I've had, you know, when I won the Australia, when I won Brisbane in 2010, played one of the best matches I think that I've ever played was against Justine in the, in the Brisbane final. And I think it was seven, six in the third. I ended up winning. I was match points down, but I feel like that was one of the matches where both Justine and I, at the same time of most of that match, played a very high level, a high level tennis. You know, fast forward a week later, I lose first round at the Australian Open. So it didn't mean anything. I had so much confidence. I was super fit, trained really hard. I felt like I was playing, you know, hitting the ball really well. But then a year later, 2011, 2000. Yeah, 2011, I. The day before I start the Australian Open, I lose a practice set against Sabine Lisiki, six Love. And I end up winning the tournament. So it really doesn't mean anything. You just have to kind of forget about it as soon as possible and start from scratch, I guess.
- [22:37]
B
I love, I love those anecdotes. It's so true. There's, there's, it's a reminder for me that tennis is one of those sports where every day is a new story. It's, it's really very much a clean slate. Yes, these things can have input on what happens on a given day, but really it's. Every day is a new story and that's why we love it. And that's also why on certain days many of us hate tennis, because it can be so frustrating.
- [23:06]
A
That's the biggest lesson out of it all is to, to stay kind of very neutral is you can be confident, but you can't be overconfident. You can, you know, like, it's, you have to stay as neutral as possible. And basically, especially if you win, you know, a week before the Australian Open or before Grand Slam, like there's no time to kind of let loose or to kind of sit back and relax for a second. Like, that's, that doesn't exist anymore when you get to these stages of, of, you know, tournament weeks. And because that's a very dangerous kind of place to fall into is like, oh, okay, I got this. You know, maybe I'm a little bit looser on my recovery. I'm a little looser. My warm ups, like those kind of things can happen. And, and yeah, sometimes it does, you know, because confidence can also, yeah. Make you a little bit more relaxer.
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B
In other results, Alina Svitolina won in Auckland over Wong jinyu. She's now 19 and 4 in finals, which is a legit finals record.
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A
Very impressive. Yeah.
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B
Irina Savalenko won in Brisbane without dropping a set over a red hot. Marta Kostyaku beat three top 10 players en route to the final. And we were talking offline, Kim, about the fact that that match had so many interpersonal layers. And that's something, I think it's. We don't always think about what's maybe going on off the court, if there are personal layers with the person on the other side of the net and how tough that can be to deal with.
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A
Right. And I think, you know, I've never experienced what it's like to play and to travel on the road when your country's at war, right. When there is a lot of things happening in your hometown and you have family members that are still in the country. And so when I heard Kostyakur, her speech and you hear her talk about that, her sister, that they have no water and that they have no electricity and all those kind of things. And it's a really cold winter there right now, and sleeping under three blankets, I think is how she described it. Like it's imagining traveling the world and fighting hard. And I think you do fight hard because it puts it all in perspective. But there's also a pain that comes with it and that you have to, you know, that you carry with you wherever you go, which part of the world you're in. And it can be as luxurious as it is to play, you know, on a big chord or a final. And. But at the end of the day, I'm sure that's always in the back of your mind. And I think it also motivates you, but again, it also causes some heartache and doubt and pain. And so very impressive for her to be able to stay really focused on her tennis and putting her best self out there.
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B
And she and Alina Svitolina both have foundations to help juniors in Ukraine, which I think is really neat because that takes personal resources and time as well.
- [26:08]
A
And really, really exciting to see Svetolina win in Auckland. I remember when Serena came back and won there as well as a mom. So that's two moms winning in Auckland. So good news there and exciting to see. I just remember seeing the picture of during the trophy ceremony where Switolina has that cape on. And I remember seeing that picture of Serena with her daughter, with her first daughter in Auckland after she won there in 2020. I think that was so an exciting moment on the WTA Tour.
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B
All right, next, Henley's headline. Daniil Medvedev won in Brisbane. He's now won 22 titles at 22 different tournaments. One of the wildest stats in tennis. And even better news, he looks like he's playing classic Daniil Medvedev tennis. And notably Kim. As many of you know, he split with his coach, Gilles Serv, last end of last summer and now is working with Rohan Getzke and Tomas Johansson. He's won two titles since. So here's my question for you. How do you know when you need a fresh perspective in terms of a coach or when you just need to put your head down, keep plugging away and the results will come? Because I think that would be so difficult to know when it's time to cut the cord, especially if you have a personal relationship with your coach, it.
- [27:39]
A
Is really difficult to cut that cord. I think as a player and as a female player, I was really young when I came on tour and my dad was very involved, not with my on court stuff, but he was very involved with everything that came with handling the coaches, the contracts that came with it, bonuses, everything that comes with that and firing coaches or separating ways. He was also a lot of times the, the eyes, right? For me to see when a coach started slacking, when they started whatever it is, they like to have their parties when they're traveling with a player. And you need coaches that are on the same page with a player. And it can be a very difficult situation as a player to step away from a coach who you've had a personal relationship, who you have to somebody fire for the first time. I've had to experience it and it's a horrible feeling. But your intuition is so strong that you know that it's the best thing to do for you and for your, for your tennis because you need to keep improving. And you know, after a while you just notice like oh, I'm missing this with this coach. And you know what? We've seen a lot, especially on the. On the men's tour. We see it now with Coco, where they get a technical coach on tour or they get somebody who's been there before. We see it a lot on the men's side where they get a former Grand Slam champion to travel with them. And so I think from a player's perspective, it's a lot about really looking into, like, what is best for my tennis career right now. But then I also feel like on the other side, it's a coach's job to be honest and to kind of look at the bigger perspective for the player and realize maybe our time ends here and maybe I cannot give them any more or I can't teach them much more because of different reasons. Maybe the qualifier, the coach doesn't qualify or hasn't learned all the tools yet, or maybe the voice of the coach after a while. Right. Hearing the same thing is just not good enough or doesn't have the same impact anymore. And coaches need to be able to also say, okay, And I've had that experience as well. When I was younger, I had a coach step away because he says, I think I've reached the maximum that I can reach with you, and I think you need to look for something different. And that's also a very strong message. And so, yeah, I think there's both ways that it can go.
- [30:10]
B
Kim, do you know how many tournaments you repeated at? Do you have any idea?
- [30:14]
A
But a few. I've had a few favorite tournaments that I've always liked to go to and where I did well. So I know Stanford is one of them.
- [30:22]
B
Stanford. Does Luxembourg still.
- [30:25]
A
Yes.
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B
Does it still have your heart after you ruptured your Achilles there?
- [30:30]
A
Yes.
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B
Okay.
- [30:31]
A
It's a different arena, so.
- [30:33]
B
No. Well, I. I was curious because that 22 titles in. At 22 different tournaments is such a bonkers stat. It made me want to look at your titles, and I did this late at night so somebody can fact check me. Hopefully, I got it around, around 100% correct. But you had 41 titles. You repeated at 10 of those places for 26 of those 41 titles.
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A
Wow.
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B
So five at Luxembourg, four at Stanford. You had several where you had two Indian wells, Miami, Hasselt, Leipzig, Sydney, Filderstadt, WTA Finals, and of course, three U.S. open. So there is something to be said for. There's a tournament you like, you feel comfortable there, and you want to go back.
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A
I very much am a person that you Know, I have to feel good in a place, right? To me, Indian Wells, when I was a young girl, like, and the first time that I drove to the site, I was like, I want to live here one day. Now I realize that, you know, maybe I need to be a little bit older to live there. But at the time I was like, this is amazing. And I, I've always felt really good. And that translated to how I felt on court. Then I would go to Miami and I was like, ugh. Like, I just never really felt I've, I've won in Miami, but I just never really felt at my best. And like, the, the, the atmosphere at times was maybe a little bit too crazy or too wild. I loved playing on site, but I think just the vibe in general wasn't, yeah, just the humidity and all those kind of things just didn't match. So Stanford was one of those as well. I, I, you would come from the, from the grass courts in Europe and maybe not be hitting the ball as clean as I wanted to, but then I would step, you know, foot on the courts at the Stanford University and I would just immediately, the timing would be right, just everything, I would just feel really good. And it's one of the places where I felt, where I've started, you know, beating some top 10 players for the first time and just gave me a lot of confidence in the lead up to, you know, the US Open.
- [32:42]
B
Another result for you. Shout out. Alexander Bublik. He won in Hong Kong. He's now a top 10 player at the age of 28. He beat newly minted top five player Lorenzo Musetti in the final, who was 0 and 7 in his last seven finals. His last title came back in 2022. It's crazy to think that he's a top five player, so I think that just shows his consistency. But what is the mental toll of having a record like that in finals?
- [33:18]
A
I mean, I don't know him personally, so I really hope that he is not taking it with him whenever he starts a tournament. But after a while, like, I think seven is, you know, it really starts to creep in there and, and you would be a robot, I think, if you don't, you know, if it doesn't have like a certain effect or where you're, especially in the finals, where you get to like, you know, the, see the trophy on the side of the court sometimes, at least for me, like, I remember that that was at times like a, almost like a paralyzing kind of feeling that I would go through. And mine happened in the grand slams, where I was 04 in my first Grand Slam finals that I played. And I just know now that I'm older and I know how I was feeling beforehand, that I already lost those matches before I even stepped a foot in the court, because I was just so overwhelmed by the occasion and couldn't really think clear anymore. So. And then you get the questions is like, are you too nice to win a Slam? Like, how come you can beat these players in the smaller tournaments, but you can't do it on the bigger stage? And so, you know, I really tried to just focus on, okay, this is what they're asking me in the media room. I'm not trying. I'm trying not to take it with me. But you do a little bit, right? And you just try to focus on the positive side of it. And I knew that I, you know, had beaten Justine in other tournaments and that I could do it. It just. It was the. The occasion at times that overwhelmed me and. And the belief that I was good enough to win a Grand Slam at times. I don't think I always had in me, but I really wanted to. So it just took a lot of, you know, it took confidence for me to. To get, you know, to build my confidence to. To believe in myself, to become a better tennis player, decision maker, you know, on. On. On the court, and especially in those moments where the nerves start to take over a little bit, to try and stay calm and learn tools, to kind of keep your emotions under control.
- [35:09]
B
It is now time, Kim, for AO memory Lane. Are you ready for this?
- [35:15]
A
I think I am.
- [35:19]
B
Let's start off by rewinding to your first ever Australian Open main draw. That was the year 2000. You were 16 years old. What was it like being in that locker room with people who I assume you grew up looking up to?
- [35:37]
A
It was the best ever. I remember as a little girl watching the Australian Open and seeing Steffi Graff hold up the trophy. And I remember, I don't know who it was, but then putting a hat on her. I remember them putting a kangaroo or a little stuffed, like, you know, animal koala bear in the kangaroo. And as a little kid, like, I was like, oh, my God, I want to have that one day. And so that image has always stayed with me. And so then when I came on site for the first time, and I think I lost to a fellow Belgian, actually Dominique Monami, who was, at the time, maybe top 10 or top 15. So it was a tough first round, but. But I was just so excited to Be a part of it and to experience it all. And, you know, I had an academy in Belgium and there's juniors that come out of there. And to all the younger players, I always say, like, I feel like the first, you know, the first year that you are on tour, whether it's qualis or is, is about experience. It's really about learning the environment. It's about seeing all your, like, heroes and seeing them in person and talking to them maybe and, you know, those kind of things. Like, it's, there's a lot of new emotions that come with it and, and, But I was so young, like 16, you know, my daughter is now, she's about to turn 18, and so I can imagine, you know, her tra. It's crazy, Blair. Like, I, I.
- [37:03]
B
So crazy. Well, because everyone sort of sets their personal clock. So many tennis fans set their clock to Jada at the US Open in. Was it 9 or 10? 2009 or 20?
- [37:15]
A
10?
- [37:15]
B
2009, yeah, 2009. Yes, exactly. So it. Not. Not only is Jada just a beautiful young woman, but we are all feeling old.
- [37:25]
A
Imagine how I feel there, especially at this stage with my foot. No, but it's, yeah, it's crazy, like, to think, you know, as a 16 year old that I was in that situation and, and, you know, you have to be an adult a lot of times, right? Like you're, you get thrown into the media room and you have to ask questions. I remember I got asked questions about the Belgian politics and I, I had no interest in politics back then. Like, I couldn't care less, right? And so I had to start answering questions about, you know, if, if a certain player, I don't know, whatever it was, doping scandals or whatever, like, I never thought about that. So you really kind of get thrown in there. And I do feel like the WTA always was very kind of informative and would teach, you know, about, like, yeah, media training a little bit. And lucky to have, you know, parents who kind of had a good head on their shoulders and always stayed very kind of, you know, didn't go too crazy about all that stuff and the attention. But it's. Yeah, it's a crazy, crazy world to be a part of. But I loved it. I loved seeing everybody meeting the players for the first time. I have a story and I told this to Monica one day, like, because I have curly hair. She has curly hair. And like, she taught me how to put foam, like, you know, curly hair, foam in her hair. Like, I saw her do it in the locker room. She. Oh, you should try this, like. And I told her, I said, do you remember you did that? And she has no idea. It's like, she was so nice and normal, and it's those kind of things that just make you feel like you somehow belong a little bit, even though you don't feel like you do yet. So, yeah, it's a lot of. It was a lot of fun and I absolutely loved playing tennis. So, yeah, it was great.
- [39:12]
B
Well, this is Monica Selles that we're referring to, but, yes, first name basis over there, but no, that's a. That's a really neat story.
- [39:21]
A
Moving. Moving on.
- [39:22]
B
Moving on to your next milestone. You were a finalist in 2004, so you were 20 years old. Justine got the best of you in three sets in that one. What do you remember from that final?
- [39:37]
A
One of the things I remember in that match was that we didn't have electronic line calling, and I remember there was a call where I could have broken her back in the third set. And the chair empire overruled. And it was like a huge deal because I think John McEnroe came up to me afterwards and told me that the ball was in or Justine's ball was out, but the chair empire overruled. And so, anyway, so I do remember that, and I remember feeling like, oh, man, I could have broken back, but that doesn't mean I would have won the match or anything like that. So I think I was always very aware of. Of, you know, not using anything as an excuse or anything like that. But, yeah, it was, you know, another loss against Justine, I think, and frustrating. But at the same time, you're, you know, in tennis, and I think I always really felt strongly about, you know, you start as a young girl and you start playing tennis and you know how long it will take to get to a certain stage. Right. And so I think in the back of my mind, I always felt like, okay, as disappointing that it felt like losing. I really enjoyed playing. And I think the overall, whenever I stepped on, on the flight back to Europe, there was also a sense of, like, I was proud. I was proud with the level that I played most of the time. Like, not all the time throughout the tournament, but. And it's. It's a learning process. And. And more than ever, I think that's, you know, at the end of the day, you have to keep. In the back of your mind is that it is. It's a long. It's a long road, and then you have new opportunities coming up pretty soon after. And I would play In Belgium right after. So immediately you had to be locked in again and focus on the next. So you didn't have too much time to dwell on the negative that happened unless you did a press conference and media started asking about it. But for me, in general, I would just be focused on the next event and focus on practicing hard and. And that helps a lot. Right, to not overthink things and to not become too negative about the losses.
- [41:54]
B
You were a semifinalist in Australia four other times, and then in 2011, as we've mentioned already today, you became an Australian Open champion. And with that, I didn't know this until this week. You became the first mother to be ranked number one in the world, which is so cool. What sticks out to you when you think back to that year?
- [42:18]
A
I didn't know it. I didn't know it either that I became number one after the Australian Open that year. I do remember.
- [42:23]
B
I should double check myself.
- [42:25]
A
I do. Is it maybe. I remember playing Paris, and I don't know if I became number one in Paris, like the indoor tournament after the Australian Open or if I arrived in Paris as the number one, but you're probably right.
- [42:42]
B
Eventually you became number one. Yes.
- [42:44]
A
No, that was really, really great. Like, I. I was kind of. I feel like I impressed myself with it. Like, I was like, wait, what? Like I'm number one now, too. Like, after I had a daughter and it was just really exciting and. Yeah. You know, to have good results and to have good. You know, to feel good, like the flow. You can feel it with certain players. Right. You can see it with Sabalenka at times, too, where the team chemistry. Good. She's happy. She's herself. Like, you can see that she's. That the theme chemistry is. Yeah, it works. And it doesn't mean that it's always great. But, you know, you get through the tough times easy, more easily.
- [43:28]
B
Before techie Sean throws up, our guest question asker, a reminder that if you have questions for me, a journalist on site or a former Australian Open champion, you can submit them anytime on our Love all podcast social media. We are going to be taken to the socials during the Australian Open and giving you guys a lot of content there. So feel free to keep the questions coming. And with that, let's welcome our guest. It's your boy Francis here. Just got a question for you regarding your amazing career.
- [44:02]
A
What kept you motivated?
- [44:03]
B
The fear of failing or the joy of success? Let me know.
- [44:10]
A
Francis, one of my absolute favorites. Love his energy. What kept me going? I think the Fear of failing. I hated losing more than I loved winning. The. The.
- [44:26]
B
No.
- [44:26]
A
Was.
- [44:27]
B
Time out. Stop. No way. Kim, I thought for sure you were a love to win person.
- [44:33]
A
No, no.
- [44:35]
B
Really?
- [44:36]
A
Yeah. I. The. The joy of winning is so short. Then the. The. The frustration of losing lasts a lot longer than the joy of winning lasts for me. Right. Like, but that's also. But maybe because I also. I. Now that I think back, there's times that I think, like, I probably should have enjoyed my time a little bit more. It's not like I didn't enjoy it, but I didn't maybe, you know, should have done other things more. Should have visited the countries and. And, you know, all the. The beautiful places that we visited. Like, I was very locked in, very committed, which is also, I think, why I, you know, have the consistent, you know, career. But, no, it was definitely. Yeah, I hate it. It's just if I compare it that way with. With what takes longer, it's the. The frustration of losing and that playing in your head over and over again lasts longer than the joy of winning.
- [45:38]
B
You just surprised me today.
- [45:42]
A
You surprised me, too, with your questions and with Francis.
- [45:47]
B
He adores you, Kim.
- [45:49]
A
Well, it's the other way around, too. I adore him.
- [45:53]
B
All right, last quick thing. We have our rec room segment where we're going to give you a quick recommendation. Should I start us off?
- [46:01]
A
Kim, go for it.
- [46:03]
B
Okay, so I did my makeup at 8am this morning. It is now 1:13am local time, and you look flawless. Hopefully he's not zooming in too much, because let me tell you, it is not flawless. But the only reason this is the same makeup I did at 8am the only reason it's intact is because of this. This is a free ad. Sorry, we're just doing a free ad here. This is morphe setting spray, and it's a mist, which some setting sprays. Kim, I don't know if, you know, really tough to spray and to get evenly all over your face. This is a mist, and it's wonderful. And if I ever get it, does it feel sticky or anything? I am devastated. No, it just feels damp, and then once it dries, it's like nothing is on your skin. But I am, as you know, often outside all day long. When I'm emceeing at tournaments, I am sometimes outside, you know, for the better amount of 15 hours in a day. So, you know, when you need to look presentable, setting spray is the way to go.
- [47:08]
A
Well, good.
- [47:11]
B
What's yours?
- [47:12]
A
Thanks.
- [47:12]
B
I'll send you Some.
- [47:14]
A
Thank you. My, my. I mean, my favorite for this week is the Australian Open app. I'm always a big. The first thing, the favorite thing I like to do is when there's a grand slam on, I download the app. I also delete them when it's finished. But I love staying up to date with all the latest news. The schedule. As soon as the schedule comes out, you can stay up to date the live scoring. A lot of times I'll be in a basketball gym and I can't watch it live or anything. I'll still watch the live scoring. You get press conference interviews and all that. Yeah. I love the Australian Open website and it's been up and running and you get all the qualifying information and you get to see some practice sessions of the players. So there's just a lot of information on there. So Australian Open app stars.
- [48:10]
B
They're just like us. They also download the tournament app. This made me. I don't know why this made me laugh so hard, because before we had started podcasting, Kim just announced in one of our pre pod meetings. I just love tournament apps and that just tickled me so much. I don't know why. Just, just because I. I love that that is where you get your news.
- [48:34]
A
Blair. I used to get the craziest question from people. Like, in Belgium, they, like, they saw you would see me in the supermarket and they would ask me, like, you go to the grocery store. I'm like, wait, what? Like, what, what do you think? Like, I have, like, people like, waiting on me that, like, you know, hey, go do get this from me. Hey, like, no, it doesn't. Yeah, of course. We're also tennis fans and we like to stay up to date with everything and it's fun. And I like this one especially.
- [49:01]
B
All right, absolutely. Well, so much to look forward to. We've got two and a half weeks of incredible tennis coming up. Again, we are going to be doing tons on the Love all podcast social media, so make sure to follow us there. The serve team is going to have your quick serve, your daily update, so I think you guys are probably already following them, so. So do their thing. They are so fantastic. Thanks again to our team today. We've got Ella, Techie, Sean, producer Mike, Social. Sophie has been doing putting in the hard yards with the social media. Thank you all so much and we will see you guys for our Australian Open rap show. Bye, Kim.
- [49:42]
A
Bye, Blair. Have fun there.
- [49:44]
B
Thanks.