The Player's Box – Episode 3 | US Open Wrap Up, Breaks During a Match and What’s Next

Date: September 9, 2025
Hosts: Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Jennifer Brady, Desirae Krawczyk

Overview:

This episode brings listeners directly into the post-US Open lives of four top tennis pros—Keys, Pegula, Brady, and Krawczyk—with behind-the-scenes stories, honest talk about match “peaks and pits,” the realities of injuries and comebacks, peculiarities of tennis tour life, player friendships, and a taste of tennis fashion and swag. This episode covers not just wins and losses, but the deeply personal, often hilarious, sometimes frustrating moments that shape life on the WTA tour. The group’s energy is equal parts candid, supportive, and disarmingly funny.

Key Discussion Points & Insights:

1. US Open Peaks and Pits: Real Talk

• Hosts open up about their own tournament highs and lows:

  • Madison Keys:
    • Pit: “Losing first round.”
    • Peak: “Flying home on Monday, having a whole extra week at home.” [00:40]
    • Story about getting recognized by a Delta flight attendant: “She saw my tennis bag and was like, did you play in the US Open? I was like, yeah…she was like, well, we still like you.” [01:19]
  • Jessica Pegula:
    • Pit: “When I walked off the court on Wednesday.”
    • Peak: “Turned it around…solid couple weeks, can’t complain.”
    • Details post-loss fun: escape room, drinks, refinery rooftop outings. [02:36]
  • Desirae Krawczyk:
    • Peak: “My mom came to NYC for the first time…the rest of the family was there.”
    • Pit: “Random people you don’t talk to ask for tickets. Not really fun…” [03:32]
  • Jennifer Brady:
    • “Been here for three weeks, I’m still here at the Intercontinental…Aaron Routliff’s warmup partner. She won. We got a little liddy last night. I am not okay right now, bags under the eyes.” [04:43]

• Funny and relatable stories about early tournament exits and airport encounters:

  • “It was like, I lost…like, four days ago, and someone was like, aren’t you supposed to be at the US Open? I was.” – Keys [02:15]

2. Life Inside the Tour: Training Rooms, Physios & Locker Room Culture

• Ode to the Tour Physios:

  • Stories about how “they keep us healthy” and are often as young as the players now.
  • Jennifer Brady: “These last two weeks have been like the most beneficial during my long road grind of a journey.” [08:21]
  • Jessica Pegula: On missing training room access: “The one thing I’ll miss when I retire is having access to a training room.” [08:58]
  • The difference between tennis physios and local clinics, with a litany of “clamshell” jokes:
    “Yeah, I do 500 clamshells a day to warm up…” – Keys [10:35]
    “Like, I came out the womb doing clamshells. Have you seen my glutes?” – Brady [10:56]

• Locker Room Hijinks:

  • Random encounters, lingering, FaceTime break-ins, “charging my phone, then leaving, then coming back…” – Brady & Pegula [05:51]
  • Physios always get a shout out: “Kathy Queen, she’s a queen. Yeah, she is.” [07:40]

3. Bathroom Breaks, Match Rituals, and On-Court Realities

• Strategic Bathroom Breaks:

  • Pegula: “I went to the bathroom solely because I needed to lay down on the floor and do some core exercises…my back was spasming.” [11:49]
  • “The bathroom off of Ash is gross…Donna’s like, ‘two minutes,’ I’m on the floor doing crunch leg drills.” – Pegula [12:59]
  • Brady: Confession of a mind game: “I go to the bathroom at the same time as my opponent, do a fake flush…lose the third set 6-0. No more bathroom breaks.” [14:01]
  • Hosts laugh about the physical comedy of changing wet sports bras: “I have cramped before trying to take off a wet sports bra.” – Pegula [16:35]

• Fans & Bathroom Break Debates:

  • “People online…‘that’s cheating, she took a bathroom break,’ I’m like, dude…” – Pegula [15:17]
  • Discussion on the regulatory “bathroom break” rules, with anecdotes about heat breaks and accidental ice baths. [18:00–20:44]

4. US Open Culture: Candy Bowls, Locker Room Life, Influencers & Honey Deuce

• Players’ favorite off-court moments:

  • Lockers and gifts: “The locker room attendants asked my favorite candy…I got a massive bag of Sour Patch Kids.” – Keys [25:30]
  • Locker room attendants are “so nice,” and the candy bowls are “everywhere on site.” [26:16]
  • “Venus’s locker…a collage of all her best moments…it’s a nice touch.” – Krawczyk [27:52]

• US Open as a Social & Fashion Event:

  • Reflections on celebrity sightings and influencer culture: “So many influencers at the US Open this year, and great outfits…the videos and content I saw was out of control.” – Pegula/Krawczyk [32:13, 33:08]
  • “You hear people cheering and drinking champagne in the suites, and I’m on the court in emotional distress.” – Pegula [37:11]
  • “Would you ever come back to the Open as a spectator?” “Absolutely – girls trip, stacks of Honey Deuce.” – Group [36:22]

• Adoption stories:

  • US Open dog rescue stories: “Asia adopted Wilson, he’s in Vancouver with her…and Jamie.” [34:38–35:46]

5. Tennis Swag, Kit Distribution, and Fashion

• How do players get their clothes?

  • Detailed explanation of “distribution” at Slams and during the season:
    “At a Slam, our sponsors set up a space where we pick up our new kit, shoes, and all…for that tournament and the next couple…then I take duffel bags, and donation bins, because I can’t take it all home.” – Keys [57:40]
  • Stories about the volume: “It’s a lot. You’re basically interchanging your whole wardrobe.” – Pegula [58:32]
  • Arrangements differ with hotels and brands, and kits are chosen/shown up to a year in advance. [61:44, 62:55]

• Fashion Notes:

  • Favorite kits: “I really liked my Y-3…and the matching bag…the detail looked sick.” – Pegula [43:12]
  • “Naomi’s sparkle jacket…was so pretty.” – Keys/Pegula [43:35, 43:44]
  • “Sabalenka’s dress, the Nike cutout, her shoes were cool.” – Krawczyk [44:04]
  • Brands all following color trends: “Green is really in, purple is really in, red is really in…It’s literally following fashion trends.” – Pegula [62:56]

• Labubu Toy Craze:

  • “Naomi signs a massive deal with Labubu, and Jess gets a box of Dum Dums. Well done, well done.” – Brady [40:09]
  • “I still don’t understand Labubus, personally…I think they’re really ugly.” – Keys [41:15]
  • Comparison to Beanie Babies: “Is a little Boo Boo of 2025 the same as Beanie Babies in 2005?” – Krawczyk [42:36]

6. Fan Questions

• Where do you go after a tournament? Is there a “base”?

  • “Depends how much time you have, where you are, if you can find a place. Sometimes you stay at the tournament to train, sometimes home, sometimes straight to the next event.” – Keys [49:03–50:38]
  • Krawczyk is based on the West Coast and gives tips about making the most of time in Europe: “If I lose early, maybe I hop over to Florence for a day.” [50:55–51:39]

• Playing Friends: Is it awkward?

  • “It depends on your personality and the friendship…with all of us it’s genuine and real.” – Brady [53:15]
  • “It can be a little awkward when your locker’s right next to someone you’re playing…” – Pegula [54:25]
  • “Jess and I played the finals in Adelaide…morning of the final, we’re texting: ‘Should we just fly together to Melbourne?’” – Keys [55:05]
  • “You see each other every day, it’s part of the job.” – Group [54:15]

• Kit Distribution (clothes/shoes):

  • (See notes in “Tennis Swag” above for the detailed process.)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments:

• On returning home after an early loss:
  • “Pit moment: Losing first round. Peak moment: Flying home.” – Madison Keys [00:40]
• Airport encounter:
  • “Did you play in the US Open? …How was it? …I said, bad. She said, oh, well, we still like you.” – Keys [01:19]
• Bathroom break origin story:
  • “I went to the bathroom solely because I needed to lay down on the floor and do some core exercises.” – Pegula [11:49]
• Physio jokes:
  • “I came out the womb doing clamshells.” – Brady [10:56]
• Locker room culture:
  • “It’s always a little awkward when your locker’s right next to somebody and you play them, and you’re both naked standing next to each other…” – Pegula [55:04]
• US Open FOMO:
  • “You hear people cheering, drinking champagne in the suites, and I’m on court in emotional distress…Like, I would like to switch roles.” – Pegula [37:11]
• On influencer & celeb overload:
  • “There were so many influencers at the US Open this year…it’s out of control.” – Krawczyk/Pegula [32:13]
• Labubu craze:
  • “Naomi signs a massive deal with Labubu, and Jess gets a box of Dum Dums.” – Brady [40:09]
  • “Is a little Boo Boo of 2025 the same as Beanie Babies in 2005?” – Krawczyk [42:36]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:40] – US Open “peaks and pits” moments
• [05:43] – Locker room stories and shout-outs to physios
• [11:49] – Pegula’s bathroom break workout
• [14:01] – Brady’s bathroom break mishap
• [18:00] – Heat break/ice bath US Open story
• [25:30] – Locker room candy bowls and “attendant appreciation”
• [32:13] – Influencer culture and celebrity sightings at US Open
• [34:38] – Dog adoption story
• [37:11] – On-court vs. suite “emotional distress”
• [41:15] – Labubu/Beanie Babies discussion
• [43:12] – Favorite US Open outfits
• [49:03] – Fan Q: “Where do you go after a tournament?”
• [53:15] – Fan Q: “Playing friends—awkward?”
• [57:40] – Fan Q: “How do you get your kit/clothes?”
• [62:56] – Fashion trends and color choices

Closing Thoughts

This episode illustrates the real lives of WTA pros beyond the pristine veneer of televised tennis. From airport sprints to candy-fuelled locker rooms, and the bittersweetness of losses and wins, the hosts let listeners in on the camaraderie, absurdities, stresses, and deep joys of life on tour. You'll laugh, you'll learn, and you’ll never think of a bathroom break or a bag of clamshells the same way again.