The Player’s Box – Episode 34 — Charleston Open, Clay Season & Reality TV
Date: April 7, 2026
Hosts: Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Jennifer Brady, Desirae Krawczyk

Episode Overview

This episode of The Player’s Box is packed with laughter, candid stories, and a peek behind the scenes at the Charleston Open as the tennis world transitions into clay season. The hosts—Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Jennifer Brady, and Desirae Krawczyk—swap on-court mishaps, discuss tennis news, recount the epic Charleston player party, geek out about reality TV drama, and answer fan questions. It’s an episode that captures their chemistry and wit, with plenty for both tennis and pop culture fans to enjoy.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Unforced Errors of the Week

[01:09 – 09:10]

The crew share their funniest recent flubs:

• Jessica Pegula forgets her tennis shorts and borrows Jenny’s for a televised practice, still hasn't returned them.
  “That was the day they filmed my practice…so was able to, like, tuck the shorts in so no logos were seen.” — Jessica Pegula [01:37]

• Madison Keys accidentally tosses dirty clothes on top of Desirae’s clean whites in the washer.
  “Her white clothes are like, all on the inside of the drum clean, and I’ve thrown all of my dirty clothes on top of it.” — Madison Keys [02:35]

• Desirae Krawczyk loses a tennis racket, location unknown—could be Palm Springs or somewhere mid-flight.
  "To someone who found my racket, I hope you enjoy it, but yeah. Don't know where it is." — Desirae Krawczyk [04:39]

• Jennifer Brady's story involves her mom nearly wandering onto the match court while following the players and having to be corralled back.
  “She stepped one foot on the clay. I was like, no, no, no, this isn’t happening.” — Jennifer Brady [08:16]

Memorable Moment:
Shoutout to Liz (Jenny's mom, an “avid listener”) for nearly joining the doubles lineup—earning an honorary “Unforced Error” of the week.

2. Nutrition, Mornings, and Quick Product Recommendations

[09:46 – 13:00]

A light-hearted detour into everyday routines:

• “Quick honesty check—have you had a single vegetable today?” becomes a debate on what counts as a vegetable.
• The group discusses convenience breakfasts and healthy habits, plugging Huel and its pros for athletes.
• The segment is marked by playful banter:
  “If I have to mix something, it's not happening.” — Madison Keys [10:58]

3. Tennis Headlines: Coaching Breakups & Rafa on the Clay

[13:00 – 19:07]

Coaching News

• Discussion on Iga Świątek and Amanda Anisimova parting ways with coaches.

  • The bar is “number one” for Iga, making any change high-stakes.
    “I guess it's a little hard for IGA because the bar is now number one… That’s a tough bar to live up to every single year.” — Madison Keys [13:11]
  • Sometimes a coaching relationship just naturally ends.

• When do you split with a coach?

  • Communication failures, stale dynamics, or no new ideas—that’s usually the sign.
    “If you’re searching for answers and [the coach is] not giving you different options… That’s when it’s maybe not working.” — Jessica Pegula [14:28]
  • “You pay your coach, but they boss you around”—the odd power dynamic unique to individual sports.

• Iga practicing with Rafa Nadal

  • The group jokes that this is terrifying for the field:
    “The last thing we needed IGA to have on the clay was Rafa.” — Madison Keys [15:53] “This should be illegal.” — Jessica Pegula [16:04]

4. The Charleston Open Player Party Recap

[19:07 – 22:22]

• “It’s probably one of the best player parties.”
• Highlights: Italian food, seafood tower, a live band, Swedish candy dessert wall, casino games, custom shirts, engraved matchbooks, and a magician.
• Notable Quote:
  “People want to go to that players party, you know?” — Jessica Pegula [21:22]
• Discusses tradition of top-notch parties at Charleston, rivalry with Houston’s player party.

5. More Tour Life Shenanigans & Old Sports Stories

[22:22 – 25:51]

• Francis Tiafoe skipping out on Ben Shelton for an NBA game:
  “He told Ben he wasn't going, but then… he went.” — Jessica Pegula [22:02]

• Madison Keys reveals her car was totaled by doubles player Alison Riske (years ago):
  “She floored it while also reaching for food. She totaled my car.” — Madison Keys [23:36]

  • She kept it quiet; Riske outs herself on Tennis Channel Live.

6. Adjusting to Clay Season

[25:51 – 31:35]

• Clay Court Adjustments:
  • Longer points, heavier balls, more physical strain.
  • “My warmup takes basically twice as long during clay court season.” — Madison Keys [27:20]
  • Issues with sliding:
    “Des today, watching Maddie, was like, you guys look so cool when you slide. …She’s like, well, I slide after I hit... So you’re just sliding off the court?” — Jessica Pegula & Desirae Krawczyk [30:14]
  • Stories about how they tried (and sometimes failed) to learn to slide as juniors.

7. Reality TV Corner

[31:54 – 43:59]

• Maddie’s deep-dive recap of “Summer House” drama:

  • Paige, Amanda, and Sierra friendship web, messy breakups, and public hook-ups—blow-by-blow analysis.
  • “Amanda and West do a joint story post on socials, basically confirming they are in fact together. Sierra is, like, heartbroken… in the streets, like, crying in New York…” — Madison Keys [33:00]
  • “What’s the girl code on [dating] your best friend’s ex?” — Desiree Krawczyk [35:07]
  • Consensus: not OK.

• Other Reality TV favorites:

  • Married at First Sight, Love Is Blind, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Vanderpump Rules, Love Island UK.
  • “One of my favorite things about grass season is Love Island UK—because it’s on six nights a week.” — Madison Keys [40:38]
  • Reflections on the life lessons reality TV can impart:
    “Reality TV teaches one very important lesson—that real apologies go far in life.” — Madison Keys [41:46]

• Top Four Reality Shows (per Maddie & Des):

  • Maddie: Real Housewives of Salt Lake, Beverly Hills, (old) New Jersey, Love Island UK [42:27]
  • Des: Beverly Hills, Orange County, Kardashians, Vanderpump Rules [42:49]

8. “What Would You Do?” – Game Time

[45:51 – 49:28]

• Rapid-fire social scenarios:
  • Bad photo posted by friend?
    “I would care, but I’m not going to be in full melt.” — Desiree Krawczyk [46:22]
  • Not invited to group event?
    “I would probably bring it up just to make someone feel awkward, because I kind of like doing that to be petty.” — Madison Keys [47:02]
  • Friend’s ex DMs you?
    “I think I would respond and just be like, surely you have the wrong person. And then block.” — Madison Keys [49:13]
  • Like your friend’s ex’s posts? Group consensus: only if breakup was cordial.

9. Two Truths and a Lie (Chaos Edition)

[49:28 – 58:06]

• Each host plays, and hilarity ensues as some forget the rules (Des, Jess).
  • Jenny Brady: Actually failed driver’s test twice, once emailed her passport to a London club bouncer to get in.
  • Madison Keys: Attempted college for one day and quit.
  • Desirae Krawczyk: Was a child actress, but mistakenly gave “one truth, two lies”.
  • Jessica Pegula: Never won a singles ITF title, despite Junior Slam success.

10. Who Am I? / Fan Questions

[58:06 – 63:41]

Who Am I? Trivia:

• “She has won a junior U.S. open title, is known for her water bottle, and once said she listened to Mozart before a match because Rafa did.” — Jessica Pegula [59:01]

Fan Q&A:

• Pet peeves from the crowd:
  • The collective “aww” after a miss, clapping between first and second serves, passive-aggressive crowd coaching.
    “Let’s get a first serve here!” “You have to stay in that rally!” — (Multiple) [61:28]
• Locker room tension:
  • Not really tense; pros are used to seeing upcoming opponents everywhere—even in the showers. After tough losses, people just give each other quiet space.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On sliding on clay:
  “I think for myself, it’s more trying to bulletproof my body as much as possible… My warmup takes basically twice as long during clay court season.” — Madison Keys [27:20]

• On player-coach power:
  “It's like you as the player are the boss, but you're paying someone to tell you what to do... you're in charge, but you're not.” — Madison Keys [17:58]

• On group invitation FOMO:
  “I'd probably bring it up just to make someone feel awkward, because I kind of like doing that to be petty.” — Madison Keys [47:02]

Timeline of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------|---------------------------------------------------| | 01:09 | Introductions & Unforced Errors | | 09:46 | Mornings & Veggies Check, Product Plugs | | 13:00 | Tennis Headlines & Coaching Drama | | 19:07 | Charleston Open Player Party Recap | | 22:22 | Tour Shenanigans & Old Stories | | 25:51 | Clay Court Adjustments | | 31:54 | Reality TV Corner | | 45:51 | Social Scenarios Game | | 49:28 | Two Truths and a Lie | | 58:06 | Who Am I? & Fan Q&A | | 61:13 | Locker Room Life |

Summary

This episode is a lively blend of tennis insights, off-court blunders, and passionate reality TV discourse, all presented with the group's signature honesty and wit. With playful storytelling, inside jokes, and a willingness to poke fun at both themselves and each other, Keys, Pegula, Brady, and Krawczyk paint a vivid picture of pro tennis life beyond the baseline—and just how hard they fan out over Bravo shows and Love Island. The show ends with thoughtful fan-engagement, revealing just how connected these pros are to their devoted listeners.

For listeners: This episode offers plenty of laughs, candid athlete moments, and fresh perspectives on both the professional circuit and pop culture, with memorable quotes and scenarios that will have you feeling right at home in the Player’s Box.