45 | Out of Context Texts & Grass Court Season

Summary

The Player's Box: Episode 45

"Out of Context Texts & Grass Court Season"

Date: June 23, 2026
Hosts: Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Jennifer Brady, Desirae Krawczyk
Podcast Theme: A candid dive into tennis life beyond the baseline, mishaps, wild travel stories, pop culture, and the authentic group chat energy of four top WTA pros.

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers an insider’s look at the realities of the grass court season, from literal wake-up calls to quirky lounge naps and international adventures. The hosts break down the latest tennis headlines, swap personal (and hilarious) unforced errors, recap wedding adventures, and finish with a game matching their own out-of-context group chat texts to the sender. Plus: fan questions, behind-the-scenes tennis rules, and plenty of laughter.

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Main Segments & Timestamps

1. Unforced Errors: Tennis Life Fails

[01:40-08:14]

• Fire Alarm Fiasco:

  • Jess & Maddie’s Shared Error
    • Both were forced to evacuate their hotel at 3:15am by "a very shrill man speaking over a speaker telling us that we needed to evacuate" ([01:48] – Madison).
    • "I think we did what most people do and we kind of sat there for five minutes and were like, do we actually need to leave?" ([01:53] – Madison)
    • The entire tournament was outside for an hour with no fire detected; “just had to try to go back to sleep.”
    • “It happens a lot on tour where the fire alarm goes off.” ([02:46] – Madison)

• Jenny’s Getaway Driver Flop:

  • Panic at seeing a motorcycle cop; no ID, so she made a random hard right turn—"I'm gonna throw him off my trail" ([04:11] – Jenny).
  • “Yeah, I'm evading cops by going 37 miles an hour in a 35 mile an hour speed zone.” ([04:59] – Jenny)
  • Teasing from the group about her questionable escape tactics.

• Dez’s Couch Caper:

  • Dez and Asia nap in the VIP lounge, get called out by a mass text: “please refrain from using the VIP area for napping…” ([05:36]–[07:19] – Dez)
  • “I would bet a thousand dollars that this was because of Dez; no one else is going to be in the VIP area taking a nap.” ([06:40] – Madison)
  • Replies with crying emojis because “Asia and I had a great nap on those couches, let me tell you.” ([07:18] – Dez)
  • The group roasts each other for their travel mishaps.

Memorable Quote:

“Yeah, Jenny would be a bad getaway driver.”
– Jess Pegula ([05:21])

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2. Tennis Headlines & Grass Court Updates

[10:48-15:54]

• Mira Andreeva’s Roland Garros Win:

  • Impressed but not surprised; “She moves so well… she’s so young.” ([11:08] – Madison)
  • "Congrats, Mara. Not surprised." ([12:29] – Jess)

• Sasha Zverev’s Maiden Slam:

  • Discussion of pressure and draw scenarios.
  • “Do you think he’s looking at the draw and he’s kind of like, everyone’s out…this is my slam?” ([11:47]-[11:59] – Dez)
  • Praise for Flavio’s five-set challenge.

• Where Are They Now? Life on Tour Locations:

  • Maddie & Jess are in Berlin.
  • Jenny in Florida ("Everyone knows the picture behind Jenny's head" ([12:52]) – classic pod running gag).
  • Discussion of Queen’s event (London) vs. Berlin grass: rain, slickness, court speed.
    • “Queen's was very rainy...grass in Queen's was pretty slick, pretty fast...here [Berlin] the match courts are more similar to Wimbledon, like, slower.” ([13:30]-[14:47] – Dez & Jess)
  • Differences in playing styles on clay vs. grass: ball height, footwork, and grip issues.

Memorable Quotes:

• “If you have a really extreme western grip, it’s really hard to hit forehand on the grass. Let me tell you, gotta use that slice…” ([15:31] – Dez)
• “Give me your serve, I’ll just take over at the net.” ([16:06] – Dez)

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3. Dez the Explorer: When Tennis Isn’t Everything

[16:10-17:44]

• Dez shares on staying sane while on tour by exploring cities solo or with friends.
  • “It definitely helps me stay sane and not think so much about tennis…and just keeps me a little more grounded…” ([17:31] – Dez)
  • Group pokes fun at Dez’s solo “bike tour” habits.

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4. News & Highlights: Wimbledon Buzz, Grass Gems, and Weddings

[17:44-22:24]

• Serena & Venus Doubles at Wimbledon:

  • “It’s pretty crazy that she’s just…back crazy, but it’s also like, she never left.” ([17:54] – Jess)
  • “I don’t want any part of that [facing them first round]…” ([18:11] – Dez)

• Donna Vekic’s Queen’s Win:

  • Nicknames: “Diamond Donna.” ([18:28] – Dez)
  • Story of her big jump from outside Top 100 to possibly being seeded at Wimbledon.

• Ben’s Stuttgart Win & Lucky Charm:

  • Trinity as Ben’s lucky charm; “That’s a lot of pressure on her…” ([19:12] – Dez)

• Casper Ruud’s Vogue-featured Wedding:

  • “It’s wedding season, guys…Players getting married.” ([19:48] – Jess)

• Host Wedding Stories:

  • Tales of debauched fun at each other’s weddings (“got really litty titty”; “margaritas were so good”; “we were standing [where the food would come out]…get first dibs” ([20:12]-[20:55]))
  • Personal cocktail hour hacks and an anecdote about a server shadowing Maddie with food.

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5. Out of Context Texts: Group Chat Chaos

[24:03-32:45]

• The hosts attempt to identify which pod member sent bizarre, funny, or savage texts previously posted to Patreon.
• Samples:
  • “They’re all dead.” ([24:27] – Madison, referencing a Shakespeare/Taylor Swift convo)
  • “I will 100% not be doing the nom nom.” ([25:37] – Jess)
  • “I’ve got a big gap between my last two fingies.” ([27:23] – Jenny, about sending a photo of her hand)
  • “Director of merch needs to actually get shit done.” ([30:05] – Jess about herself)
• Lots of laughs, inside jokes, and playful accusations.
• “Oh my god, not the green [text]!” ([29:30] – Jess/Group, Dez briefly losing iMessage connectivity).

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6. Fan Q&A & Tennis 101

[35:22-39:43]

• Lucky Loser Explanation:

  • “At WTA’s, it just goes in order from highest ranked to lowest ranked [from the last round of qualies].” ([36:30] – Madison)
  • “At Slams, they take the top three and they actually pull them out of a hat…” ([36:30])
  • Jenny shares her experience: got in as a lucky loser at Stuttgart but “lost first round to Strycova.” ([37:22] – Jenny)

• Net Etiquette:

  • Is what you say at the net always the same? “I would say it’s very custom.” ([38:29] – Jess)
  • “If I’m playing a friend…I’m gonna give my friend a hug…” ([38:40] – Dez)
  • “It’s funny when people say ‘tough one’ and I’m like, what?” ([38:52] – Dez)
  • Jess: “Sometimes I just say sorry.” ([39:24] – Jess)
  • Laughter at the idea of apologizing for a beating.

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7. “Who Am I?” and Wrap-Up

[34:00-35:50], [39:48-end]

• Last week’s “Who Am I?” answer: WTA dogs on tour.
• Jenny’s clues this week: “I was the first player to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open as a lucky loser, was born in Ukraine, but represent Germany, and my Instagram profile picture is a disco ball.” ([35:22] – Jenny)
• More fun in guessing!
• Call for fans to submit outrageous wedding stories for future episodes.

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Notable Quotes

• “Yeah, Jenny would be a bad getaway driver.”
  – Jess Pegula ([05:21])

• “If you have a really extreme western grip, it’s really hard to hit forehand on the grass. Let me tell you, gotta use that slice…”
  – Dez Krawczyk ([15:31])

• “It definitely helps me stay sane and not think so much about tennis… just keeps me a little more grounded…”
  – Dez Krawczyk ([17:44])

• “She’s Serena, so… yeah, she could win with all of them.”
  – Madison Keys ([18:06])

• “We got really litty titty there.”
  – Dez Krawczyk on Maddie’s wedding ([20:17])

• “Director of merch needs to actually get shit done.”
  – Jess Pegula ([30:05])

• “Sometimes I just say sorry.”
  – Jess Pegula (on net etiquette, [39:24])

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Recurring Themes & Tone

• Group Chat Energy: Exuberant, irreverent, teasing banter flows throughout, especially during the "Out of Context Texts" game.
• Transparency: Honest sharing about travel struggles, competition nerves, and the necessity of self-care and humor on tour.
• Expert Insight: Tennis technicalities (court surfaces, rules), but delivered with wit and lived context.

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For New Listeners

This episode of The Player’s Box is a perfect blend of sports insight, backroom stories, and pure friendship — showing you tennis stars as humans first and athletes second. It’s as much about late-night mishaps and group chat roasts as it is about championing and analyzing the game. A must for tennis fans who want the story off the scoreboard.

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(Skip to specific timestamps above for your must-hear segment!)

Transcript

[Jess Pegula]

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[Madison Keys]

This is the players box.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Hey everyone. Welcome back to the players box. I'm Desiree Krafczyk alongside Jenny Brady, Madison Keys and Jess Pegula. As always, a friendly reminder to please give our podcast five stars and subscribe on YouTube. Today we will give you an update from the grass court season. Talk about recent tournament winners and hop into the group chat and see if we can remember some out of context texts. But first, let's get into our unforced errors. Jessica.

[Jess Pegula]

Well, Maddie and I have a shared unforced error today. Maddie, do you maybe you want to tell the story?

[Madison Keys]

Yeah, it was like 3:15 this morning and we were woken up by a very shrill man speaking over a speaker telling us that we needed to evacuate the hotel because the fire alarm was going off. So I think we did what most people do and we kind of sat there for five minutes and were like, do we actually need to leave? And eventually we got dressed and we went outside and it was just a group of all of us standing outside and it took like, it was like an hour. And we all just kind of stood there and were waiting around and yeah, we eventually got back to our rooms, there was no fire and just had to try to go back to sleep. But I feel like it happens a lot on tour where the fire alarm goes off.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, it does.

[Madison Keys]

Like weirdly alive.

[Jenny Brady]

It was brutal at like 4:00am always.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah, yeah, it was tough.

[Jess Pegula]

The whole tournament's just outside. It's really funny. It was a tournament, the entire tournament. Unforced error.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, Jenny, Jesse already knows, but people probably are gonna like believe me now when I like tell these stories, but whatever. So yesterday I was driving and there was a cop on her motorcycle checking speed on the side of the road. And it was a really slow zone, maybe like 30, 35 miles an hour. And I was going the speed limit, but I just at, like, panicked. As soon as I saw the cop, I. I panicked. I slammed on my brakes, and I immediately made a right turn, and I would. I was supposed to keep going straight for literally, like, two or three more miles. And I just, like, made a right turn, and I was like, yeah, I'm gonna throw him off my trail. Like, you know, like. And then, like, I was. But the main reason why was because I left my wallet at home and I didn't have my driver's license. And the first thing I thought of was, oh, crap, he's gonna pull me over. And I don't have my driver's license or ID on me, so I'm gonna, like, you know, escape him. Like, you know, just turn right, right here and then hard left on the next one and then loop back around. So, yes, that was my unforced error.

[Madison Keys]

Well, in the future, I think you have, like, time to prove that you have your driver's license. So if you get pulled over and you don't have your identification, you can do it later.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I didn't even know that.

[Jenny Brady]

Good to know.

[Madison Keys]

Just so you know, in the future. So you're not evading cops?

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, I'm evading cops by going 37 miles an hour in a 35 mile an hour speed zone.

[Madison Keys]

Oh, my God.

[Jenny Brady]

I don't know. Yeah, it was just like, my automatic reaction was just slam on my brakes and make a hard right.

[Madison Keys]

He won't notice this.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, yeah. No turn signal. Oh, gosh.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah. Jenny would be a bad getaway driver.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, it'd be terrible. I think I'd just stop in the middle of the road.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Hazards on.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, Desiree.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

My unforced error actually happened today.

[Madison Keys]

I.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

So at the tournament, there's a VIP lounge area, and there's a bunch of couches out for everyone that attends. And I was sitting there with Asia, and these couches are so comfortable, and it's like, probably much better food outside where the VIP area, which is so nice. And I was wanting to take a nap for, like, just close my eyes for about a few minutes. Ended up being, like, more than 20 minutes. And I leave the site, and we're getting, like, a mass text sent out to everyone saying, hi, if you want to utilize the lounge area, please do so. There's tons of couches and chairs in the player lounge area, but please refrain from using the VIP area for napping and relaxing. And I was like, oh, my God. That's for sure. Me and Asia that were taking a nap on. We took up, like, two couches, so.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, my gosh.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

That. Yeah, But I mean, I thought it was public space, you know, for everyone. So, yeah, that was.

[Madison Keys]

That.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

That mass text was from us. Guys. Sorry.

[Madison Keys]

When we got the text, I was like, I would bet a thousand dollars that this was because of debts because no one else is going to be in the VIP area taking a nap.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Okay? But these couches were so good.

[Jess Pegula]

I texted back Jaslyn. I was like, who that? Like, who is doing that? Like, what do you mean people aren't? Because she was trying to be nice about, like, please use the dining and, like, the player lounge. And I was like, aren't there people in there? Like, I'm so confused. Like, what do you mean we're not using? And then that's when she's like, no, I guess the tournament didn't appreciate players napping in the vip.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

She literally said, respectfully asking you guys to utilize the player area. And it says, should you wish to relax and possibly nap, please use the back bench area. And I was like, oh, my God. And I sent her three crying face emojis. I said, asia and I had a great nap on those couches, let me tell you.

[Madison Keys]

She just laughed.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, my gosh.

[Madison Keys]

Oopsie.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

But can't confirm. Great couches. I think Maddie and Jess win this.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, that's brutal.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

That's tough winning that unforced error because.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, DEZ was sound asleep. They both were texting in our group chat. It was like 10:30pm 10:00pm Something. I don't know, maybe our time. And I was like, what? And then they were both like, the freaking fucking fire alarm.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

And then I was like, wow, I slept great last night. You can't hear a thing.

[Jess Pegula]

Oh, my God. Imagine, like, cranky Des outside of the hotel room.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Oh, cranky DEZ was out there in Montreal.

[Jenny Brady]

I don't want any part of that.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Nobody wants that. I just won't talk with my bathrobe or something. Just come out.

[Jess Pegula]

There were lots of robes. It was funny seeing random people in robes and slippers with the slippers.

[Jenny Brady]

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[Jess Pegula]

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[Jenny Brady]

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[Desiree Krafczyk]

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[Desiree Krafczyk]

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[Jenny Brady]

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[Madison Keys]

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[Jenny Brady]

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[Desiree Krafczyk]

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[Jess Pegula]

So some tennis headlines. Obviously, we didn't get to react yet to Mira and Driva winning Roland Garros. Not really that surprised. She's really good at tennis.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I mean, good for her.

[Madison Keys]

That's very good.

[Jess Pegula]

Amazing. She's really freaking good.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, she's very good.

[Madison Keys]

She moves so well. She does everything so well. And she's so young.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

What was the stat? Was she one of the youngest to win her first slam?

[Jess Pegula]

I mean, I'm sure, I'm sure she's one of them. She's still under 20, right? She 19?

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, she's 19, I think. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Madison Keys]

Crazy.

[Jess Pegula]

Congrats, Mara. Not surprised.

[Jenny Brady]

No.

[Jess Pegula]

Sasha Zverev also winning Roland Garros getting his maiden slam. Finally, everyone Finally. I can't imagine playing with that pressure, though, like, knowing he was the outright favor favorite to win.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Do you think he's looking at the draw and he's kind of like, everyone's out. Oh, my gosh. Like, this is my shot. This is my slam, like, for sure. And with all the pressure that, like, you said yes, it's just.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I mean, 100.

[Madison Keys]

Honestly, everything that you're saying. Yes, yes.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

With all this, I mean, it's crazy.

[Jess Pegula]

But kudos to Flavio for, like, pushing him to five sets.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Jess Pegula]

Because it wasn't looking great there for the first couple sets. It was looking a little or like a set and a half. It got. It was, like, looking bad. And I was like, oh, God, please make this a match. And he did. He made. He made Sasha, like, win that, which was cool.

[Madison Keys]

In the end of the fourth set, he played very high level. It was, like, very, very good. But.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah. So where is everybody right now? Whereas, I mean, Maddie and I are. Sorry for anybody. Des. I was gonna say Maddie and I are in Berlin. And I are in Berlin. Jenny, where are you?

[Jenny Brady]

I'm in Florida.

[Madison Keys]

Everyone knows the picture behind Jenny's head. Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

If you see this, whatever boat situation, it is me in Florida.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

What do you mean? Are you saying you don't travel with that wherever you go?

[Jenny Brady]

Maybe I will just make it a staple. Yeah.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

We are here in Berlin.

[Jess Pegula]

What are your thoughts on the grass season so far since you got to play Queens and then obviously you're here in. In Berlin and you won today, so you've been able to play. What's the difference with the. The grass in Germany and back in England?

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Well, Queens was very rainy. I will say. You have to mention prepare for the rain during grass season because you can't even. There's no reason to risk being on the grass and moving around on that because it's so slick. But the grass in Queens I thought was pretty slick, pretty fast, and I think it's usually known for being pretty quick and then coming from there. I mean, that's a great tournament. Love going to Queens. It's the second year they've had it, so it's been. It's been really nice to do a great job and coming from there to Berlin. We've had so much rain this past weekend too, so got to grind it out with the patience and just trying to get on court as much as you can. So, um, yeah, the courts are a little different. I think they're closer to Wimbledon, the match courts, than they Are the practice courts. But no, I. I actually really, like, enjoy Berlin. When the sun's out, the tournament's actually pretty good.

[Madison Keys]

Did you find the Queen's courts to be way faster than Berlin?

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Oh, 100%. I think they were so, like, fast. I definitely think the match courts, like I said, they're pretty slow here in Berlin compared to Queens. Yeah.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah. You're saying they're. The match courts here are more similar to Wimbledon, like, slower.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

And it's the same. It's the same people. They run the tournament here in Berlin and they also do bad Hamburg.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah, yeah. Because they try to make the grass as nice as possible and realistic. Yeah, Wimbledon.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Exactly.

[Jess Pegula]

Interesting. What are some of the challenges? Do you guys think of switching from grass to clay or. Sorry, clay to grass.

[Jenny Brady]

I think both are a challenge, but, yeah, probably. Probably the footwork. I mean, on clay, you're sliding, and then on grass, you're taking more shorter, choppy steps. It's a lot different.

[Madison Keys]

I think the ball stays a lot lower.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, both balls are pretty heavy in general, but, yeah, for me, I think clay, obviously is pretty livelier than grass. And if you have a really extreme western grip, it's really hard to hit forehand on the grass. Let me tell you, gotta use that. That slice doesn't seem to have any problems. Yeah, you know, well, not. Not everyone can be as good as Maddie.

[Jenny Brady]

Okay, but, dez, you have the volleys.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, I think I just gotta come in, you know.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, you can't be standing back at the baseline rallying.

[Madison Keys]

No, no.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I'll just leave that to Maddie. When we play dubs.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

Points are a lot shorter.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Give me your serve. I'll just take over at the net.

[Madison Keys]

I'll cover the back. Perfect.

[Jess Pegula]

Des, what are some of the places you've explored since you've been over the swing the entire time? And your Dora the explorer. Des the explorer.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Wow. I feel like everyone. We always do an update on the exploring, so I am definitely the explorer of this group. Like, today, I had to, like, hustle from my little bike tour that I had in Berlin and, you know, just cut it short a little bit. So.

[Jess Pegula]

You're welcome, everyone. Thanks.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

No, I actually ended up. I actually ended up doing some stuff here.

[Madison Keys]

I just rolled my eyes at you.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I saw your eyes go like that.

[Jenny Brady]

It literally, like, hit the moon and came back down

[Madison Keys]

anyways, all through the night. And it's like, can we stay up until midnight to film tonight so I could go on my bike tour?

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

And then you guys were like, wait, Is this a solo bike tour? And I was like, I mean, kind of, but I am going with a couple of people. But, yes, I did go explore.

[Jenny Brady]

You made it sound like you were going alone. Like, you were like, oh, I mean, I'll just see where the wind takes me.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I was gonna go by myself and then just see if they followed. So. But, yeah, I've done a lot of. I've done a lot of exploring in Europe. I think it definitely helps me stay sane and not think so much about tennis, and it just keeps me a little bit more grounded just to be able to see a bunch of different places around Europe. So, yeah, I love it.

[Jess Pegula]

Obviously, everyone is talking now that we're not quite at Wimbledon yet, but Serena and Venus playing dubs at Wimbledon. Serena also played here in Berlin, doubles with Mukova. So what are our thoughts about that? It's pretty crazy that she's just, like, back crazy, but it's also like, she never left.

[Madison Keys]

Also, she's Serena, so, yeah, she could win with all of him.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Crazy. But it is cool to see them in the draw. I don't really want to see them in my first round, but, you know, it's cool that they're in the draw while we're playing.

[Jess Pegula]

Our girl, Donna Vec wins Queensland.

[Jenny Brady]

Great diamond.

[Jess Pegula]

We love that for Donna.

[Jenny Brady]

Diamond Donna.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I just made that up.

[Jess Pegula]

We love that for Donna. That.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah,

[Jess Pegula]

she was a lucky loser, but

[Madison Keys]

she's also, like, so good on grass. She made some semis of Wimbledon. Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah. So good on grass.

[Jess Pegula]

But she was out of the top 100.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, she was out of the top hundred. And then now she's gonna be. She's been seated at Wimbledon, right?

[Madison Keys]

I don't know. I think it'll depend on this week.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah.

[Jess Pegula]

Ben winning Stukart beating Taylor Fritz in the finals. And called Trinity his lucky charm because I don't think he's lost a final since. Or every time that she's flown in for a final or been there with him.

[Jenny Brady]

I think he said, yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

And she flew in from Brazil.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah. That's crazy.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

After a game.

[Jess Pegula]

That's a pretty cool stat to have, though.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I mean, that's a lot of pressure on her, though, too, right?

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

He's gonna be like, it's your fault. Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

What happened?

[Jenny Brady]

I lost because you weren't there.

[Jess Pegula]

And then Casper Rude, we saw, got married and was featured in Vogue, which was really cool. They looked amazing. I saw some of the pictures. It looked beautiful.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

They got married in Mallorca.

[Jess Pegula]

Really cool. Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

Mallorca.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah. Mallorca. It was really, really pretty.

[Madison Keys]

I was so grown up.

[Jess Pegula]

I know.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah.

[Jess Pegula]

It's wedding season, guys. Like.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah.

[Jess Pegula]

Players getting married.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Jess Pegula]

There are any crazy wedding stories that we have to share? I don't really have any, to be honest.

[Madison Keys]

I don't either.

[Jenny Brady]

I got so lit at Jesse's wedding.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Maddie's wedding was really fun. We were up till, like, four in the morning, wouldn't let her go to sleep. Oh, yeah, that was fun. Doing tik Toks.

[Jess Pegula]

Maddie's wedding.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah, we got very drunk.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

We got really litty titty there.

[Madison Keys]

Wow, the margaritas were so good.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, my gosh, they were amazing.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Food was really good.

[Jess Pegula]

The cocktail.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, wait, the cocktail hour.

[Jess Pegula]

Drinks got me phenomenal. So good.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Because we had no food, and it just one and done.

[Jenny Brady]

It was on the floor at one point. Then we were standing at the bar, like. And then we were standing where the food would come out. The servers were coming with the tray of food, and I was like, guys, they're coming from over there. So we migrated over there. So that way when they would come out, they would see us first and we would get first dibs.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

That's so funny. Yeah. Jenny and I were standing there with Mackenzie, and Christy was great.

[Madison Keys]

The best part was at one point, Jenny came up to me and I had, like, a personal server that had, like, all of this food. And Jenny went to, like, take some, and the woman was like, no, no, no. This is for Madison.

[Jenny Brady]

I was very embarrassed. I was like, oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

That was hilarious. She was, like, following Maddie the whole time.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, I was like, what? I was like, oh, there's a lady over there with food.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Let's grab it.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

So since it's wedding season, we want the fans to send in their craziest weddings horror stories or Bridezilla moments you've seen or experienced, and we will go through them on an upcoming episode, since none of us have any of those stories, fortunately. Okay, so you guys obviously saw Mute's F bomb interview.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

So on brand.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah. And I was. I was like, like, oh, my gosh. Did that really happen? I think he kind of got, like, a little, like, fired up by the crowd laughing. Like when he first said, like, in his first sentence when he dropped, you know, that first F bomb. And then the crowd giggled. And then he was like, ooh, like, you know. Yeah, let me do it again.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

When she actually said, okay, we apologize to the crowd. You know, let's watch our language here. And then he. She asked him A question. Then he did it again. I'm like, dude, seriously? I felt. I was like, oh, this is awkward. Because he's like. She's like, okay, we're gonna end this interview now. Thank you so much.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

And he was just laughing. Very on brand. It was.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah, very.

[Jenny Brady]

It was funny.

[Madison Keys]

It was hilarious. I feel like she kind of should have known that. Like, the way that she worded her question and was like, make sure that you don't swear anymore. I was like, he's obviously going to swear now.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jenny Brady]

Maybe if she didn't say anything, he would have just maybe not.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

How much is his fine gonna be? Is what I want to know.

[Jenny Brady]

I guess we'll find out.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, I can't wait to hear how much that fine is. That's. That's a lot.

[Madison Keys]

It's gotta be. You have to think it's gonna be a lot.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Like 30k.

[Jenny Brady]

I don't know.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I mean, I said. I said F word once and it was 4K.

[Jess Pegula]

I mean, he, like, I think it depends, like, over and over again.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

So that's how many times? Nine times. 36 grand.

[Jess Pegula]

Maybe like 50. And he's gonna appeal it, but I definitely think, like, she antagonized it. Not like she did, but just knowing his personality. You tell him not to say it, not to do it. He's gonna do it.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

He's not.

[Jess Pegula]

And then at first I thought she was joking, but yeah, it was funny, though. The crowd laughed.

[Jenny Brady]

If I was in the crowd, I think I would. I would have been like, oh, that was pretty funny.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

If you had kids where you'd be like, oh, my God, your ears don't listen.

[Jenny Brady]

No, they've already heard that word before.

[Madison Keys]

Okay. Because we've been posting all of our out of context text screenshots on Patreon. We thought we would put ourselves to the test to see if we can remember who sent each. So.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Oh, boy.

[Madison Keys]

The first one is. They're all dead.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

They're all dead. Are we talking about, like, clients or something?

[Jenny Brady]

I feel like Maddie.

[Jess Pegula]

Maddie.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Maddie.

[Jenny Brady]

That's a. Maddie.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

They're all dead to me too.

[Jess Pegula]

Maddie.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, like, they're dead to me.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah, I said that when Jess was asking where all of the Shakespeare stands. That's so good.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

That's just too good.

[Jess Pegula]

That's so funny.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, my gosh.

[Madison Keys]

Oh, my God. I don't even remember saying that. Oh, man. Is this during, like, Taylor Swift?

[Jenny Brady]

Yes.

[Madison Keys]

When Jess was like, I'm getting destroyed where all my stuff. Shakespeare stands.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Madison Keys]

Oh, man. Okay, the next one is I will 100% not be doing the nom nom.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Is that Maddie, too?

[Madison Keys]

Me.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, that was dez.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I was gonna say the nom nom.

[Jess Pegula]

The 100% makes me think it's Jenny.

[Jenny Brady]

I know, but I think it's dez.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Who said I say nom nom.

[Madison Keys]

I think it was Jess when Jenny sent the ad read. Ad read that she wrote was it really

[Jenny Brady]

doesn't know yet. I think it was.

[Madison Keys]

I think it was Denver. Jenny sent, like, a voice note of

[Desiree Krafczyk]

her nom nom, nom nom. Yeah, Maybe it was Jess.

[Jess Pegula]

Good call.

[Jenny Brady]

100% will not be doing nom nom.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I think it was Jess.

[Madison Keys]

Yes, it was Jess.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, it was funny.

[Jess Pegula]

It was me. Yeah. You sent the voice note of you saying it from an ad read, and I was like, I have No, I never sent it.

[Jenny Brady]

It wasn't a voice note. It was the script. So I, like, wrote the script, and

[Desiree Krafczyk]

she added it and said, I wrote, num, num, num, num num.

[Jenny Brady]

No, I.

[Jess Pegula]

You wrote it out?

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, I wrote it out. And then you looked at it and saw, mmm, nom nom nom. And you were like, I 100% will not be saying nom nom. And I was like, it's fine. I'll do it. Yes.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Jenny's so pumped for it.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

I was like, I get to read my own script. Great.

[Madison Keys]

Oh, my gosh. Okay, the next one. I've got a big gap between my last two fingies.

[Jenny Brady]

No, that's me. No one else in this.

[Madison Keys]

Jenny.

[Jess Pegula]

Jenny. That has to be Jenny.

[Madison Keys]

That's some really weird stuff.

[Jenny Brady]

It was me when. When Mark. When Mark asked us to send a photo of our hands. This one? Yeah, like, of your hand. And I was like, this or something. I mean, I'm the only one in this group who says fingies.

[Madison Keys]

Everyone here is correct. Okay, the next one is. It looks like I gave Eva the booster seat.

[Jenny Brady]

Des.

[Madison Keys]

That was Des.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

When they were filming in Dubai. In Dubai.

[Jenny Brady]

Gosh. Yeah. When she was sitting higher than you. Yeah.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah. Yes. Oh, that's funny. The next one is. They're doing that again this year.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Is that Maddie?

[Jenny Brady]

100% Maddie.

[Madison Keys]

It's for sure. Maddie.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah, Maddie. Definitely Maddie.

[Madison Keys]

So something.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, it's something to do with sports.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah, it was me about the super bowl.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

On Brand of Maddie.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah. Okay, next one. Let's all freak out.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Maddie. Oh, it's definitely. That was me. Oh.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, dez. It was dez.

[Madison Keys]

It's me.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

When you guys are Pop. I don't know.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, it's dez. When we were trying to decide something.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Oh, like clothes or something, like what to wear for Wimbledon. And then you guys all like, oh, we need to. Don't overdress us. Is that it? Is it the wrong one?

[Jenny Brady]

No, it's something, though.

[Madison Keys]

That's the wrong time. Dang. But it was you.

[Jess Pegula]

Me? Was it me?

[Jenny Brady]

No, it was dez. It was dez.

[Madison Keys]

No, it was dez.

[Jenny Brady]

It was not you, Jesse.

[Madison Keys]

It was Des. When everyone bullied her, threatened to leave the chat when her SIM went out for 15 minutes.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, my God.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah. Turned green.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Madison Keys]

Oh, my God.

[Jenny Brady]

Not the green. I think I was like, oh, no. Dez's texts are green. And then someone was like, no, not the sim. And then DEZ goes, okay, let's all freak out.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yep. I think I was gone for about, like, five minutes.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah. It was. Trying to explore.

[Jenny Brady]

It was definitely longer than that. But I knew because I sent you a photo and it went through his green, and then I went to the group.

[Madison Keys]

Okay, the next one. Director of Merch. Needs to actually get shit done.

[Jenny Brady]

Jess.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Jess.

[Jenny Brady]

Jess is talking Jess.

[Madison Keys]

About herself.

[Jess Pegula]

I'm the director of merch.

[Madison Keys]

Oh.

[Jess Pegula]

Just so everybody knows.

[Jenny Brady]

So if you have any complaints, code it.

[Jess Pegula]

Jess.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

She's the director of polls as well.

[Jenny Brady]

She's the director of Merch.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Updated.

[Madison Keys]

Yes. It was when Jess was fighting for her life to figure out the next merch drop while the group chat ignored her. And we were all talking about Amanda and West.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Madison Keys]

Who's west

[Desiree Krafczyk]

without the tea.

[Jess Pegula]

Speaking of. Literally, the merch girl just texted me. So then I can now send you the new merch update. See?

[Desiree Krafczyk]

You're gonna love this merch.

[Madison Keys]

Okay, next one. Lol. Who told you that? I feel like that was Jenny.

[Jenny Brady]

I feel like I'm the only one

[Desiree Krafczyk]

who writes LOL at the beginning.

[Jess Pegula]

Jenny.

[Jenny Brady]

And at the end, sometimes I do

[Desiree Krafczyk]

a double lineal thing. Jenny. She look comfy.

[Madison Keys]

Jenny. Trick question. It was Jenny's sister. When Jenny asked if she was. Wow.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Oh, my God, that's so good.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, my gosh. Wait. Yes, I remember this.

[Madison Keys]

I don't know.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Who told you you were a good singer?

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, I asked her. I texted her, I said, am I a good singer? And she responded, lol. Who told you that?

[Madison Keys]

So good.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Jess Pegula]

And then I said, that's actually so good. Trick question. Wow.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah, that was good. Okay, last one. It's such a weird word. We need to axe it. That was definitely Jess.

[Jenny Brady]

Jesse.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Jess. Maddie.

[Madison Keys]

No, it was Jess for sure.

[Jenny Brady]

It was Jess saying something about, like, crispy or

[Jess Pegula]

me yelling out for his weird words.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, no, Axe.

[Jess Pegula]

It's like, stop talking.

[Madison Keys]

Stop talking. It wasn't that, Jessica. It was just when we were telling the intern which words they were allowed to say and which words they can't.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Oh, poor intern. Oh, my God.

[Jenny Brady]

Nothing but love intern.

[Madison Keys]

Those were good.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Those were really, really funny.

[Jess Pegula]

Okay.

[Madison Keys]

We've been in Europe for a while now and it's been hot. It really makes me miss AC being cold at night in my Quinn's bedding because it's always light, breathable and genuinely comfortable.

[Jenny Brady]

It's luxury without the markup, so it's the perfect balance where everything feels elevated but still effortless.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

It's time for a summer upgrade. And I love that they have duvet covers in seasonal colors and timeless patterns like stripes and soft neutrals.

[Jess Pegula]

Their 100% European linen embedding is woven from high quality flax and somehow just gets softer every time you wash it. If you're more of a cotton person, their organic cotton sheets are incredibly soft and breathable. Plus they also make mulberry silk pillowcases and eye masks that help keep your hair smooth and your skin hydrated overnight.

[Jenny Brady]

Everything at quince is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. They work directly with ethical factories and cut out the middleman. So you're paying for quality, not brand markup.

[Madison Keys]

Everyone knows I love my sleep. I have the European linen duvet and it really has elevated the quality sleep I get. It makes being on the road even harder.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Elevate your summer betting. Go to quint.com playersbox for free shipping on your orders and 365 days returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q U I n c e.com players box for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com players box. All right, we are going to get into our who am I? And from last week's episode, Hannah Burner was on and her clues were, I can overheat if I don't have enough water. I'm in a lot of tick tocks and I'm spoiled. I don't know if anyone guessed this. Well, we definitely didn't. But it's the. Is it the WTA dogs on tour?

[Jenny Brady]

She said, yeah, it was like Costyuk's dog, Sabalenka's dog,

[Desiree Krafczyk]

basically Kalinskaya. All of theirs.

[Jenny Brady]

Everybody's dog on the.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Everyone's dog. Which is true. I mean, they're all.

[Jenny Brady]

That was a good one. That was really.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

It Was really good. It really threw us off.

[Jess Pegula]

Somebody commented Sabalanka's dog, so.

[Madison Keys]

No way.

[Jenny Brady]

That's actually really fun. Wow.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

That.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

Wow. I would have.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Well done. Jenny, you're up with your clues.

[Jenny Brady]

Okay, so here are my clues. I was the first player to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open as a lucky loser. I was born in Ukraine, but represent Germany. My Instagram profile picture is a disco ball.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah, we all know that when you meet.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, nailed that one.

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah, we know that immediately.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Great clues, Jenny.

[Jenny Brady]

Okay, let's move on to some fan questions and low stakes advice from Lance. I just finished watching Donna Vecich win at Queen's Club. How does a tournament decide who gets to be the lucky loser? I assume there are specific rules they must follow. Also, have any of you been a lucky loser? And if so, how far did you go?

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Maddie, you want to answer that one or just.

[Madison Keys]

Am I the director of rules?

[Jess Pegula]

Yes.

[Madison Keys]

The rule book.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yes.

[Jenny Brady]

You kind of are.

[Jess Pegula]

Yes. You are

[Madison Keys]

so out of WTA. Lucky losers go by the highest ranked person who's lost in the last round of Qualys. At Slams, they take the top three and they actually pull them out of a hat for the order. But at WTA's, it just goes in order from highest ranked to lowest ranked. And whoever. If someone pulls out after Qualys has started, that spot opens up for a lucky loser. I've been a lucky loser once, I think. Yeah, you have to sign in every day.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Say you just forgot to sign in as lucky loser for the first day. On the second day, can you sign in as lucky loser?

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Madison Keys]

Yes. Okay.

[Jenny Brady]

You just hope that nobody pulls out on the first day.

[Jess Pegula]

Right?

[Jenny Brady]

For sure. Like, first. But yeah. So like. And also, if there's a seated player in the draw and they got a buy. So let's say Jess in Berlin was seated and if she pulled out, then a lucky loser could take her spot if there was a lucky loser on site and signed in. So actually, I've. I remember being a lucky loser in Stuttgart and Asia Muhammad, actually. She was pulling the lucky losers and we went in the back and she went in and she pulled it and she got my name and we were both like, jumping up and down and we were like, so excited that she pulled me. But then I ended up losing first round to Streetsova Strakova.

[Jess Pegula]

Wow.

[Jenny Brady]

Next question from Bill. What do you say to a player at the net after a match? Is it the same thing every time? Custom based on the player, etc. Oh, good question.

[Jess Pegula]

Oh, I would say it's very custom.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah. Yes, to me.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Jess Pegula]

That's a good way to put it. It's a custom.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah. If I'm playing a friend or something, I obviously, I mean, I'm gonna give my friend a hug. I mean, it'd be awkward if they didn't give me a hug.

[Jenny Brady]

I say the same thing every time. Whether I win or lose. I say good match.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah. It's funny when people say tough one and I'm like, what?

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah. Or a lot of Europeans say thanks.

[Madison Keys]

Okay, but is it worse if someone says good match after they, like, killed you?

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, I always just say that.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

What do you. I just say just give that face just the handshake. Unless they speak first. But. Yeah. What if you. What do you say to someone when you say when you beat them pretty handily? You don't say good match, do you?

[Jenny Brady]

Well, some say thanks.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Tough one.

[Jess Pegula]

Sometimes I just say sorry.

[Jenny Brady]

What? Yeah, you say sorry.

[Madison Keys]

Jess is like, sorry, sorry I so badly. What?

[Jess Pegula]

Yeah, I just say like, I'm sorry. Like, I don't know.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Oh my God, Jess, don't be so bad. Yes.

[Jenny Brady]

No.

[Jess Pegula]

Well, it depends on which way you take it. Well, like sometimes I'll do it if it's like a really, really crazy match and it's just like, it's kind of like you just appreciate that you guys just had a good match and you're just kind of like. Or you got like a cheap, like, point or something happened at the end. Crazy. Then I'll say it. Maybe.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

But you're not saying it when you're winning like 6, 1, 6, 2.

[Jenny Brady]

Are you?

[Jess Pegula]

No, I don't think so. I don't really know. I don't know what I. I don't know what I do. I panic.

[Jenny Brady]

All right, thanks everyone for your questions and low stakes advice. Please leave us a rating and review. It helps people find out about the podcast and don't forget to watch us at the players box YouTube page and send us fan questions or low stakes advice to our email at the players box podmail.com or DM us on Instagram. You can also sign up on Patreon for ad free listening every week and even more behind the scenes of the group chat. Thanks everyone and see you next week.