The Player's Box – Episode 10

Halloween Stories, Social Media & Confessions
Date: October 28, 2025
Hosts: Madison Keys (A), Jessica Pegula (B), Jennifer Brady (C), Desirae Krawczyk (D)

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Madison, Jess, Jenny, and Desirae trade hilarious stories, personal confessions, and behind-the-scenes insights into the off-court lives of WTA tennis players—just in time for Halloween. They open up about recent “unforced errors,” Halloween traditions, horror movie fears, being the targets of online gambling hostility, and their most memorable tennis meltdowns. The atmosphere is light, candid, and often laugh-out-loud funny, making it the perfect glimpse into their true personalities beyond the tennis court.

Unforced Errors of the Week

(00:29–08:25)

Each host shares a recent personal mishap, setting the playful tone for the episode:

• Madison (A):

  • Accidentally burned her face by “going face first into” a steaming hot, oily scallion pancake just out of the skillet.
  • “Did I just burn my face on my food? Like, what the hell happened?” (01:14)
  • Bjorn (her partner) immediately noticed and questioned her injury.

• Jenny (C):

  • Left her grocery basket at Whole Foods to use the restroom, only to find upon returning that the staff assumed she left, and her basket was re-shelved.
  • Embarrassed, she had to redo her entire shopping trip:
    • “I came out… like, where the hell is my basket?” (01:54)

• Jess (B):

  • Tried to fix a botched lash lift herself using an Amazon kit, accidentally “double permed” one eye before evening things out.
  • “I felt like I controlled my own destiny with my lashes.” (06:33)
  • “I would not recommend you try that, Jenny.” (06:46)

• Desirae (D):

  • Bought excessive souvenirs in Japan and regretted not bringing a third suitcase.

Who wins?
They debate which blunder takes the cake; consensus: “We all won and lost this week.” (08:05)

Halloween Memories & Traditions

(08:26–19:56)

• Trick-or-Treating & Age Limits

  • Madison and Jenny reminisce about trick-or-treating together—once changing costumes for repeat candy stops.
    • “We did a costume change. Costume change!” (09:38)
  • Discuss the proper age to stop trick-or-treating (consensus: around 16).
    • “If you're like 17, 18, you're taking away from the little kids.” (10:02)
  • Stories about greedy teens emptying candy bowls and even stealing entire buckets.
    • “My mom put like a bucket out, and they literally took the whole bucket.” (11:02)

• Halloween On Tour

  • Celebrating WTA Finals in costume:
    • Jess dressed as an inflatable koala, her friend as a T-Rex.
    • “We went around like the whole Dicky Stadium… we scared Iga.” (12:11)
    • “You have to hold the fan… It’s just so much air—I’m just waddling.” (12:50)

• Haunted Houses & Scary Movies

  • None of the hosts enjoy haunted houses or horror movies.
  • Favorite Halloween movies: “Hocus Pocus,” “Halloween Town,” Harry Potter marathons.
    • “I rewatched Halloween Town 1 through 4.” (14:28)
  • Madison recalls being terrified after seeing “Paranormal Activity” with Shelby Rogers, followed by a spooky walk back to the hotel. (15:16)

Fall Vibes, Pop Culture, & Pumpkin Carving

(17:09–22:10)

• Pumpkin Carving Fails

  • Jenny admits to zero creativity:
    • “It’s probably just triangle eyes, triangle nose, and then a circle mouth.” (17:52)
  • Stories of fancier pumpkin carvings—one even made to look like it’s vomiting pumpkin guts.
    • “The best one I ever did… put a cigar in his mouth.” (18:49)

• Gilmore Girls & Fall Nostalgia

  • Discussion of “Gilmore Girls” as the ultimate fall show.
    • “It’s literally, like, perfect for…I feel like you would love it.” (19:18)

• Comparing Fall in Different States

  • Jess praises North Carolina autumns, while California and Florida offer less dramatic seasons.
  • Florida: “It’s summer, really hot summer, and then, like, cool summer…two weeks of winter.” (21:36)

Life Updates

(22:10–24:43)

• Jonas Brothers Concert Plans
  • Desirae and Jenny plan to attend a Jonas Brothers concert, with Jenny’s attendance threatened by jury duty.
  • Jury duty anxieties and dreams—Madison actually wants to be selected for an “exciting trial.”
    • “Jenny’s like, I hope I don’t get selected, and I’m like, low key kind of hope that I get selected and it’s like a crazy trial that I get to sit on.” (24:43)

Gambling, Social Media & Online Abuse

(25:27–36:00)

• NBA Gambling Scandal

  • Quick chat on recent NBA headlines about gambling/fixing.
  • Madison jokes about the idea of a “Portland Mafia”: “Their outfits are flannel…all I could envision was, like, people sitting around drinking at, like, coffee shops.” (26:55)

• Harassment from Gamblers

  • The group discusses the ugly side of being pro athletes: hate messages from bettors who lose money.
  • Most egregious cases:
    • “They sent me abusive messages requesting money after they lost or after I lost.” (28:01) — Madison
    • “Request for $5,000, and I was like, what the…” (29:10) — Jenny
  • Scrambling to change Venmo handles and Instagram blocklists.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Madison: “It’ll literally be like, I lost $5 on you, and it was my last $5, and I hate you, and I hope you die. And I’m like, bro, why are you spending $5 on this?” (28:20)
  • Jess on reporting abuse: “I hate when I try to report like a comment but…they misspell things. But I know [what] they’re trying to say…Instagram [says] we didn’t see anything wrong.” (34:34)
  • All laugh about being called a “looser” in DMs.

• How They Cope

  • Madison admits to some petty revenge, leaving 0-star reviews on the businesses of abusive trolls.
    • “He had his business account attached…I went on Google and wrote, like, 0 out of 5 stars.” (31:05)
  • The “restricted words” feature on Instagram is heavily used (and shared among players) to block trolls and key emojis.

Rapid Fire Confessions: Tennis Meltdowns

(36:00–47:26)

• Desirae’s Meltdown
  “Yelling the F word really loud at French Open”—caught by the court microphones, resulting in a $4,000 fine (later appealed successfully).

  • “During the match, I was like, oh, maybe I’ll just get a warning. I got a warning. Then after, I get a letter saying you got a fine for $4,000.” (36:17)

• Jenny’s Meltdown
  Nottingham—argued with the chair umpire after a linesperson’s call change; tossed her racket and got ratted out by the lines crew.

  • “And I lost it…I lean over the net and I’m like, no! And my racket just drops.” (39:30)

• Madison’s Meltdown
  A legendary junior tournament meltdown: lost track of the score due to a disputed call, ended up sobbing and launching a plastic chair over the fence.

  • “I picked up the plastic chair and threw it over the—Oh, my gosh…I was like, this is wrong!” (43:34)

• Jess’s Meltdown
  Post-match explosions: destroyed a racket in a stairwell after a “double bagel” loss at Fort Worth, and nearly chucked another racket into the Dubai hotel pond out of frustration.

  • “I destroyed a racket in the stairwell of Dickie’s Arena…walked out of there, and it’s like the walk of shame.” (45:06)
  • “I really, really wanted to just chuck my racket into the pond so bad…think I put it in the trash can.” (47:06)

Fan Q&A

(47:27–51:11)

1. Have you ever gone on a girls' trip, just the four of you? If you did, where would you go?

   • “I think Montana would be fun.” (48:23)
   • Discussed possible trips to Magnolia (Waco) and their upcoming get-together in Buffalo.

2. What do you think about when you serve? Mantra, target, pep talk?

   • “Where am I gonna serve? What’s the score? What serve have I been hitting well?” — Jenny (49:55)
   • “I’m usually thinking about quite a lot, actually. Where their better shot is…where do I think they’re going to return?” — Jess (50:39)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We all won and lost this week.” (08:05) — Madison
• “I felt like I controlled my own destiny with my lashes.” (06:33) — Jess
• “Dress up as something for WTA Finals? I did! Inflatable koala!” (11:43) — Jess
• “I don't do like, super scary.” (14:58) — Jenny
• “It’s a tie.” (08:04) — Jess
• “My shoes were oozing.” (20:50) — Jenny, on Florida summer practice
• “They literally took the whole bucket…my mom was pissed.” (11:02) — Madison

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Unforced Errors: 00:29–08:25
• Halloween Stories & Traditions: 08:26–19:56
• Pop Culture / Fall Vibes: 19:56–22:10
• Jury Duty & Jonas Brothers: 22:10–24:43
• Gambling & Online Hate: 25:27–36:00
• Tennis Meltdowns: 36:00–47:26
• Fan Q&A: 47:27–51:11

Conclusion

Episode 10 is playful, raw, and loaded with crazy real-life stories from these top tennis pros, giving listeners an unfiltered view of the mishaps, social headaches, and secret (or not-so-secret) obsessions that come with life on the tour.

To ask a question or interact:

• DM @theplayersboxpod on Instagram or email theplayersboxpodmail.com

Catch new episodes every Tuesday.

“We all won and lost this week.” (08:05) — Madison Keys