8 | Staying Motivated & Speaking Gen Z

Summary

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The Player's Box | Episode 8: Staying Motivated & Speaking Gen Z

Hosts: Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Jennifer Brady
Date: October 14, 2025

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Episode Overview

This lively episode explores the realities of staying motivated over a long tennis season, the mental and physical challenges of life on the tour, and how the hosts are grappling with the latest Gen Z slang. Expect stories from life on and off the court, candid confessions about mishaps and scheduling, humorous takes on travel, testing protocols, pop culture, fan Q&A, and plenty of generational banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unforced Errors of the Week (00:10–07:16)

• Desirae’s Absence & Jenny’s Headphone Mishap:
  Jenny recounts frantically searching for missing AirPods minutes before recording, only to realize they were left at the gym days earlier. She pivots to cheap Walgreens wired headphones thanks to Maddie’s advice.
  "I just went to Walgreens and still made it on time at 9pm. Shout out to Maddie for the idea of going to Walgreens and getting this pair of wired headphones. They were only $8.99, so that was my unfortunate error." — Jennifer (00:55)

• Maddie’s Shoe Scare:
  Madison almost starts a workout without shoes after throwing out her worn pair and nearly forgetting to bring new ones.
  "I was like, please tell me they didn't take the trash yet. And I found my shoes in like a donation bin in the corner." — Madison (02:24)

• Jess’s Scheduling Chaos:
  Jessica details the chaos of multi-time-zone podcast planning and narrowly avoids missing the recording due to a miswritten time.
  "I wrote 5am for West coast people. It was actually 5pm. But just a small little planning, just a little off." — Jessica (05:45)

2. Tournament Updates & Motivation (06:43–08:51)

• Both Maddie and Jess celebrate qualifying for year-end finals and discuss the grind of back-to-back three-set matches.
• Candid commentary on how relentless the tennis schedule can be and the importance of rest.

3. Practice Stories & On-Court Banter (08:52–11:46)

• Recap of a high-energy practice with praise and playful criticism from “hype man” Ben.
• Loving the supportive atmosphere between the women and male players during training.
• Self-motivation:
  "You gotta have fun out there. Like if you're not having fun, then, like, who wants to do it?" — Jenny (11:13)

4. Drug Testing Woes (12:07–21:16)

• Jessica shares a confusing experience with pre-match drug testing at Billie Jean King Cup, highlighting how anti-doping rules differ by event and country.
• Maddie explains how procedures and regulations change between ITF and national bodies, and how unpredictable testing can be.
• The stress and paranoia that can come with filing "whereabouts" for testers and getting notification emails.
• Jenny on logistics:
  "If they show up at 6 and you haven't peed yet, they're probably leaving at like 6:30, ish. Like 6:35. Like if it's like super smooth." (18:37)

5. Tour Schedule Fatigue & Athlete Wellbeing (21:29–27:45)

• Discussion of Daria Kasatkina and Elina Svitolina ending their season early, sparking a broader conversation about burnout.

• The exhausting effects of lengthened tournaments, travel, and time away from home.

• Insightful reflections on needing to protect mental health, even at the cost of ranking points.

  "It's like really hard sometimes to actually just stop and say, I think I'm gonna go home and, like, see my family that I haven't seen." — Madison (27:01)

6. Gen Z Slang Challenge & Generational Banter (27:45–38:13)

• The group tackles a list of Gen Z slang, with playful banter over who’s qualified to use it and which terms are confusing.
  • Riz ("Charisma"), Delulu ("Delusional"), Mid ("Average"), Touch grass ("Get a clue"), Phantom tax (someone takes a bite of your food), Six, seven (meaningless, to confuse), Ratioed (more comments than likes; usually bad), Gyat ("Big butt"), Unk ("Older person"), No cap ("No lie"), Sigma ("Independent, nonconforming dude"), Aura farming ("Performing for the aesthetic"), Chopped ("Poorly dressed/messy"), NPC ("Non-playable character; awkward/robotic"), Beige flag ("Mildly odd trait").
• "You look chopped in that outfit." — Jennifer (36:11)
• "Jenny is main character energy." — Madison (44:40)

7. Fan Q&A: Gen Z Lingo Edition (38:18–47:24)

• Fans ask about match prep, pre-match meals (“mid”—just chicken and rice), why tennis balls don’t fall out of skirts (“You just kind of open up the spandex, throw the ball up there and then the spandex are tight enough…” —Jennifer, 42:24), and off-season plans.
• Hosts are challenged to incorporate Gen Z terms into their answers, with mixed/funny results.
• Jenny’s off-season excitement:
  "I'm so excited to eat some wings. I've already planned out too many restaurants for the amount of days that I'm there." (45:23)
• Jess’s charity event and staycation, joking about being allergic to vacation after a full year of travel.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On burnout:
  "It's a long year, especially if you play all the weeks... It just still feels more draining." — Madison (22:22)
• On drug testing paranoia:
  "It's so stressful. And then they, you don't know, like, if you're. They don't send you, like, oh, you're clean. It's just you would only get notified, I'm assuming, if you failed." — Jessica (19:57)
• On travel fatigue:
  "We travel all year. Nothing sounds worse than getting on a plane..." — Jessica (47:51)
• Gen Z banter:
  "Gyat. She got a dump truck. Gyat. It means, like, big butt." — Jennifer (33:11) "You look chopped in that outfit." — Jennifer (36:11)

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Useful Timestamps

• 00:10–07:16: Unforced Errors & Team Logistics Fails
• 07:16–08:51: Year-End Finals, Practice Sessions
• 12:07–21:16: Drug Testing & Administrative Stress
• 21:29–27:45: Athlete Burnout & Tour Grievances
• 27:45–38:13: Gen Z Slang Game
• 38:18–47:24: Fan Q&A (with Gen Z Language)
• 47:24–End: Off-Season Plans, Closing Banter

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Episode Tone & Vibe

Candid and comedic, the episode mixes vulnerability with quick wit. The athletes riff off each other's stories, poke fun at travel struggles and tennis bureaucracy, and bond over both the grind and joys of the tour. The Gen Z segment heightens the fun, revealing generational quirks and self-deprecating humor, while sincere discussions on athlete wellbeing and burnout give the episode its heart.

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Transcript

[A]

This is the players box.

[B]

Hi, everyone. Happy to be back with another episode. I am Jessica Pegula alongside Jennifer Brady and Madison Keys. Please remember to give our podcast five stars and subscribe on YouTube. We really appreciate you. So let's get right into our unforced errors this week. As you can see, Desiree is not here, so I feel like that is her unforced error. Jenny, you just had a very recent unforced error. If you would like to share.

[C]

Yeah, it was probably at what, 8:40pm and we are filming at 9pm Eastern standard. Eastern standard time. And I was charging my AirPods and I went to open the case to put my AirPods in to log onto my computer before our recording and there were no airpods inside of the case. So then I kind of freaked out a little bit and realized I left them in the gym five days ago. So there have been no AirPods in my case and I just went to Walgreens and still made it on time at 9pm Shout out to Maddie for the idea of going to Walgreens and getting this pair of wired headphones. They were only $8.99, so that was my unfortunate error. Yeah, I just wanted to be like, dafu.

[B]

So, yeah, you're obsessed with me.

[C]

Yeah, maybe. Yep. So that was my unforced air of the week. I had no headphones right before recording, but then, you know, I locked in and I have headphones.

[B]

That's true. You were unlocked, so then you locked in very quickly.

[C]

Yeah, the lock, it was locked and then unlocked and now we're locked again. Maddie, what was your unforced error?

[A]

Jenny actually witnessed my unforced error. It was more of like, an almost unforced error. So I typically leave my shoes, like, on site and, like, leave them in my locker. And they're like three weeks old now and they're basically getting holes in them. So I tossed them out and was like, okay, I needed to bring new shoes the next morning. And literally in the middle of warm up, I paused in the gym and was like, I definitely didn't bring new shoes today. So I ran out of the gym and, like, went through, like, literally went back into the locker room and was like, please tell me they didn't take the trash yet. And I found my shoes in like a donation bin in the corner. And I came back in and Jenny and Bjorn, like locked eyes and were like, you almost. I was like, yeah, but it's fine. I have shoes. We are all good.

[C]

Yeah. Bjorn was literally about to lose his cool.

[A]

He would have lost his mind because I know.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Like, literally the day before, he was like, okay, you have to bring new shoes tomorrow. And I was like, yeah, obviously, I got it.

[B]

Whoops.

[C]

Didn't get it.

[A]

Oops.

[C]

You were locked. Unlocked and unlocked.

[B]

I love, like, the, like, when you forget something and it's like, it hits you in the. Out of nowhere and, you know, whether it's like, in the middle of the night or you're in your car driving and you're like, oh, my God, I forgot it. And you, like, freaking pop a U turn and you're, like, freaking out. It's the worst.

[A]

So Raven, like.

[B]

Where she stares in.

[C]

The space, she sees the future where she looks constipated.

[B]

Great show, by the way. Great.

[A]

Jess, what's your unforced error of the week?

[B]

You know, I don't. I don't really know. I feel like this is not really an unforced error, because it's not. But, like, my matches have been, like, crazy. I've been, like, blowing match points, saving match points, playing three hours, playing three sets for the last eight matches. So it's not like an unforced air because I'm winning, but at the same time, it's kind of a lot. So I don't know if that really counts. My also other unforced error was actually one that just happened as well. Well, last night for me, because I'm still in China, was trying to set up this call. Me and Des just, like, butchered the time zones for this call. So I was actually gonna basically agreed to get up at 6:30am but obviously I didn't think it was 6:30am so I probably wouldn't have even showed up for this podcast sleeping. And I was like. It was like 18 1am When I was, like, trying to figure this out. So anyways, I would just say still technical difficulties, trying to get the time zones right. But you have to admit, our time zone recording schedule right now is insane. I'm in China, Des is in Japan. You guys are east coast time. And then the rest of our team for the podcast is west coast time. So we literally send it, and we're like, oh, 8am, 8pm, 9am and 5pm Is that great? Does that work for everybody?

[C]

Or you wrote. So you wrote 5:00am yeah, that's really okay.

[B]

That's. That's actually the unforced air. I wrote 5am for West coast people. It was actually 5pm but just a small little planning, Just a little off.

[C]

Yeah, but everyone shows up. Everyone shows up. Except for Des for today because she's practicing. But.

[B]

Yeah, that's what it is. Sorry. Yeah, we tried, but yeah. Didn't work out.

[C]

So hopefully it didn't work out. Jesse wasn't gonna wake up at 6am she needs her sleep.

[B]

How to lay down.

[A]

I mean, she's been playing three hours every single day. She needs her rest so she can play three hours the next day.

[C]

Exactly three hours tonight. Yeah.

[B]

Can't wait. Continue to grind. Continue to grind. China. God, keep grinding.

[A]

Qualified. So.

[B]

Yeah. Yes.

[C]

You both qualified.

[A]

Year and finals, here we come.

[B]

Well, I think we talked about Maddie qualifying last episode. Yeah. You've been qualified.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

For like a week, right? I. Yeah. Just qualified not yesterday, but the night before. Officially, nobody really knew if I qualified because people in the States weren't awake yet to rerun my numbers and. But I did. I qualified officially. So I'm excited. Me and Maddie.

[C]

Yay, Congrats.

[B]

Get to meet up in Riyadh. Thanks. Yay excited.

[C]

It's Jess.

[B]

Who's that girl?

[C]

Who's that girl?

[B]

Oh, you went a different way with that.

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Wait, what?

[A]

That song.

[B]

That's definitely not new.

[A]

Girl.

[C]

Who's that girl? No, it's not.

[B]

It's just.

[C]

I know.

[B]

Well, then why did you go?

[C]

I don't know. That's just where my brain took me.

[A]

I hit with Jenny today. Just constant sounds like songs. Like, what's the song that you're obsessed with?

[C]

Oh, man, I need, Man, I need.

[A]

Like that kept going. And then she would say something and whatever. And Bjorn looked at me and he was like. Does she always make like noises?

[B]

Just constant sounds. That's hilarious. Yeah. Well, so you guys practice. How is everybody feeling?

[A]

Yeah, we feel good.

[C]

Yeah, Good. Love that Jenny's Maddie looks great.

[A]

Ripping.

[B]

Oh, well, Maddie ripping for him.

[C]

Ripping. Maddie was ripping.

[A]

We had a nice little practice sesh. We had Ben next to next to us also practicing hyping us up, which is always nice. Love that really good hype, man.

[B]

I love the guys hype you up. It's like the best feeling. Yeah, they're so good at it.

[A]

Yeah, he looked. He like looked over at one point. He's like. That was like the most unreal forehand I've ever seen.

[B]

Thanks.

[A]

Thanks.

[C]

Yeah, Maddie, I'm amazing. No, she hit the back tarp on the next one, but on the one before she hit it was this drill. She's hitting it open stance, backhand, and then forehand approach. And Ben was like, wow, that was the best. Like, backhand, forehand. Combo I've ever seen. And I was like, yeah. Like. And then I was like, wow, that approach shot was pretty bad. Like, best approach I've ever seen. Next ball literally in the air, hits the back tarp. And I'm just laughing. And I look over, but Fatty's not laughing. So I was like, this is kind of serious on that side. But I was like, how do you not laugh?

[A]

Like, because it happens too often sometimes. You're like, it's just. It just happens.

[C]

It's just normal. But, yeah, when at the end, we were doing serves and returns. Maddie was serving, and she's hitting bomb serves, and she's going wide and on the AD side. And I'm obviously sitting on the return because I know exactly where she's going. And I hit, like, a good backhand return. And Ben goes, oof. Great return. And I go, yeah, I know exactly where she's serving. She's like, I'm sitting on it.

[B]

I love when the guys are great hype. And though especially, I mean, at least the American guys, because that's the only people I would be talking to next to a practice. But they. They definitely, like, they hype you up. You feel so good. You're so fired. Like, it just gives you confidence. And then I'm like, do they think about. Do they, like, think about that to themselves? Like, when they hit a good shot, are they, like, telling themselves? And I'm like, yeah, probably. Yeah.

[C]

Because I do the same thing.

[B]

Wow, I'm so good.

[A]

Bjorn still does that. We'll be hitting. And he's like, I'm, like, feeling it today.

[C]

Good.

[A]

Like.

[B]

We love it. You tell yourself that, Jenny?

[C]

Yeah, I do. I mean, it's fun, right? Like, you know, you gotta have fun out there. Like, if you're not having fun, then, like, who wants to do it? I don't know.

[B]

I hit, like, a really good volley against Zenyakova the other day, and I was like, wow, that was a sick volley. I'm not gonna lie.

[C]

Well, I hit a passing shot today, and I was like, come on. Put my arm pissed off. I was like, come on. And I was like, oh, okay. Just practice.

[B]

Moving on.

[C]

I already know where the ball's going.

[B]

I don't know where we go from here.

[C]

Should we. Does anybody else have any good stories? Jess, you have a.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Drug testing story.

[B]

Yes, I do. A recent one from Billie Jean King cup when I was in Shenzhen. So I didn't know that there, I guess, is a separate rule at either BJK or Davis cup that you can get tested before you play your match. My problem was that I got contacted super late to do my test. So it was the day that we played first matches and our opening ceremony was at like 10am or something. Like, I don't know, I'm just making. I don't know what it was. And I left the ceremony and then went to go warm up because Emma Navarro was playing the first match ahead of me. So I ended up going right after the ceremony and about 45 minutes later, when I was walking off the practice court for my warm up, this lady is like, you have to do drug testing. And I was like, but it was like, I think almost the first set was over in Emma's match. And I was like, but I don't understand. Like I. I have to go play a match. Like I could be on in like 30 minutes. Like, I have to go change, I have to get ready, blah, blah, blah. So anyways, I had no idea that this was a specific rule to Davis cup and bjk. And it was just really, really confusing. And I may have gotten into like an argument with one of the. What do they call the Off. Like the. He wasn't like the dco. Yeah, no, wait, not the. I don't think it's the dco. It's the other guy that doesn't test you. But he just. The chaperone wasn't the chaperone. He was just like there. I don't know what his name. It was weird. And he's like, yeah, he was just there and he spoke good English. So then he came to talk to me and they're like, no. So basically this was wild. I had to go give a urine sample. But if I went. So if I went to the bathroom, I had. That had to be my urine sample before my match. But if I went to play my match and had to go to the bathroom during the match, they don't take that as a urine sample. But my first time I had to go to the bathroom after the match, that would also have to be a urine sample. So I'm like, so if I don't have to go, it's fine before the match and during the match, but then my urine sample obviously would have to be collected right after the match. Or if I had to go to the bathroom before the match, that had to be a urine sample. So it was just like this wild set of rules and I didn't really understand it. I was like, it's fine, I will go. But why didn't you ask Me an hour ago when, like, I could be on in 30 minutes. And the guy's like, oh, no. It's just. It's so quick. And I was like, oh, you've. You've done drug testing before? And he's like, no. I was like, oh, okay. So, like, you don't know how, like, fast it's gonna be. He's like, no, you just. Come on. It'll be like, you know, like five minutes, like, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, no, sir, it's not that quick. So anyways, that was my story. I ended up doing it before the match. And they went to three sets, which helped. So I actually waited, and once they split, I went and did it.

[C]

Yeah, it's not a quick process.

[B]

Very confusing.

[A]

That would be a nightmare for me because as you all know, I cannot pee.

[B]

No, I know. I was, like, freaking out. Thank God.

[C]

Yeah. So, like, what happens if you. If you couldn't pee?

[B]

Like, well, if you were listening, just do it. You were speaking in the chat.

[A]

She was distracted.

[C]

I wasn't listening.

[B]

So if I couldn't pee, they would let me go play the match. And if I had to go to the bathroom during the match, they said, that's fine. It won't. It won't count as a sample. But when the match finishes. Yeah, whatever. That has to be the sample.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Which is so bizarre to me. So you could, like, go play the match and then go to the bathroom, and then that doesn't count.

[C]

Like, I don't know. That's.

[B]

Yeah, it was very confusing also. I just have never had to do that before. But they tested everybody that day. I think pretty much the entire team during the day. And then I think Emma did hers after her match because they didn't do hers before because she was first match. So it was just very. Yeah. New rules that I had no idea about.

[A]

It always changes where it's like ITF kind of has, like, some of their own rules. Like, certain events have different rules, and then the Olympics obviously have their own rules, and then you can be tested by, like, we get tested by Internet, like by the itf. Like, technically, it's the ITF that, like, oversees our testing. But then we can also get tested by different countries. Like in the U.S. it's USADA.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, USADA.

[A]

USADA. But then, like, every nation has their own. So you can get tested by them. You can also get tested by itf, but then they kind of all use, like, the one whereabout system. I've had times where I've got tested by the ITF one day, and then I got tested by like a national federation the next. Literally the next day. One time they came the same day and I was like, guys, what are you doing?

[B]

I get that sometimes at home, mostly where you'll get tested by the ITF and then USADA comes and tests you like the same week. Or they sometimes like, remember that year in Australia, they didn't send the idtm. They like use Tennis Australia to do all of the testing. And their rules.

[A]

Well, not tennis, I'm sorry, but the.

[B]

Australian one testing, their federation testing. And then their rules are a little bit like, it's all kind of similar, but there's some things that are always a little different. So it throws us off because all of a sudden they're like, oh no, you can't do this, you can't do that. And you're like, wait, what? Like, I just, I get tested, you know, like all the time and that's not what the rules are. So I think that's what gets really confusing. Olympic, same thing. I couldn't shower after and that was like new for me. I had no idea. And they're like, no, no, this is an Olympic rule. And then like USADA was like, no, it's not. And there was, it was this whole thing and I ended up just, you know, listening. Like, you don't have a choice. You just do whatever they tell you to do at the time. But it can be very frustrating. Yeah. Do you want to talk about the app real quick?

[C]

Where we do our whereabouts? So you submit or you give an address in a time slot every single day. So usually you provide an overnight accommodation. So whether that's a hotel or you know, your home address, wherever you're sleeping that night. And then you provide a one hour time slot. So usually for me, I would always do 6am, but then I ended up doing 5am because I would wake up and like have to pee at like 5:45 and I'm like, oh my gosh, I literally can't hold it for another 15 minutes. Like just in case, if somebody rings my doorbell at 6am and I would go pee and then all of a sudden, ding dong. And I'm like, oh. So then they're there at 6am and I'm just like canoodling with them like, you know, downstairs, just do like, you know, waiting to have to pee because I just peed 15 minutes ago. So then you have to wait another like two hours until you pee. So it's just annoying. And the actual like testing process, like if you, if they end up doing blood and urine, like, it's not like a five minute thing. Like, it's, you know, you have to fill out all the paperwork and then you have to pee in the cup and then you have to sit there. They take the blood. It's like, what, like, probably like if it's super smooth. If they show up at 6 and you haven't peed yet, they're probably leaving at like 6:30, ish. Like 6:35. Like if it's like super smooth. Yeah, like, I would say so it's about like 30.

[B]

I would say 30 minutes. Like, I always try to see how fast I can be. It's. It's usually like, I'm like, I. 25 minutes is like pretty fast. But I also take a while because you have to list all of, like, if you. Anything that you're taking or whatever. And I'm like super diligent about that. Like, I'm like Advil, like Tylenol. Like, I list everything because it's just like, I don't know, you see like all these stories and I just get super paranoid. It's so stressful. And then they, you don't know, like, if you're. They don't send you, like, oh, you're clean. It's just you would only get notified, I'm assuming, if you failed. So, like, it's stressful when they send you like the text or the email, like, you have a new oh my gosh. In your mailbox regarding your.

[C]

Yeah, I'm like, I failed a test that I haven't even taken. I don't even remember when was the.

[A]

Last time I was.

[C]

And it's like, it's.

[B]

It's terrible. It's so stressful.

[A]

And then you open the notice and it's like the app will be down.

[C]

Yeah. I'm like, oh my gosh. You could have literally just sent that in the text. Like, why do I have to do all this? And then do the. Yeah, it's the code, the sign in all this.

[B]

Very.

[C]

It's really stressful.

[B]

And then just having to remember whether you're in competition. So when you're playing an event or out of competition, marking your hour every single day for the rest of your life, pretty much. It's a lot.

[C]

Yeah, it's a lot. It's draining. Speaking of draining, Casakina and Svitolina have said that they're ending their season early.

[B]

That was an incredible transition.

[C]

This.

[B]

Wow. Sorry, I could not say it. That was so good.

[A]

She's training these days.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[C]

What are your thoughts on them being so outspoken on ending the year early? I wouldn't even say it's early.

[A]

I. I feel like it's not that early.

[B]

I feel like Maddie's the queen of. Like, you're probably like, yeah, yeah.

[A]

I dip out this time of year every year.

[B]

Maddie's a great decision.

[C]

Yeah. After U.S. open, it's like deuces.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, it's a long year, especially if you play, like, all of the weeks.

[B]

Katina plays a lot. Like, Dasha plays a lot. Yeah.

[A]

And I think the. I think for whatever reason, it's like the schedule hasn't necessarily gotten. It's not like we have to play more tournaments, but because a lot of the events have gone to two weeks. It's like, more weeks that you're not at home, you're at tournaments. There's more downtime in between tournaments. And I think there's more stress of, okay, if I lose early, like, what am I gonna do for the next 10 days? Because I have a really long time and it's not enough time to go home, but it's like, maybe enough time to go somewhere else and train, but not really. How am I gonna practice? It's just. I just feel like there's been a little bit of an extra layer of stress added to the calendar just with like, one the events being longer. And I think even though you have the day off in between, it just still feels more draining. And then the stress of before every single match, it's like, oh, my God.

[B]

If I lose, where am I gonna go?

[A]

What's gonna happen? Throwback to. In Madrid, when I told you guys, I woke up in the middle of the night, like, crying, like, I don't wanna go to the next 125 league.

[C]

Like, oh, my gosh. Yeah. You're like, if I lose, I'm gonna go play the 125. I was like, what?

[A]

It's like 3am Full panic attack. Like, I have to win tomorrow.

[C]

Like, maybe not what we should be thinking.

[B]

No, but I, like, 100%. I thought about that in Beijing. I was like, oh, my God, I need to, like, at least win two matches. Or this entire week, I'm gonna just be sitting around like, what am I gonna do? Like, that's.

[C]

But that's what you just drink Boba.

[B]

Start thinking about. Yeah, that's true. I could do that. But it's just like. Like you said, it's just. It's Groundhog Day. Like, Everything turns into Groundhog Day. So then, I mean, some of the places are great and you have more fun than others for whatever reason, but it's just mentally exhausting and then not being able to go home. So then you're just sitting in like a hotel for like a week. I mean, staying. If you do well in a two week event or a slam, I mean, you're there for three weeks pretty much. That's a long time to be in a place for three weeks. So imagine being in like, no, it's long Madrid for three weeks. Let's say you do well and then you go to Rome. Well, that's two weeks. And then you go to the French and that's three weeks. Like, that's a lot of time in a room. Yeah. In one place.

[C]

It's a lot.

[B]

Yeah, for sure it's a lot.

[C]

Just like on the mind and the body. But it's more mentally draining. Like after slam, it's like, oh, so draining.

[B]

For sure.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I. So I think it's good that they ended. I mean, you got to do what you got to do to like reset and refresh yourself. Yeah.

[A]

I mean, good for them to be able to also like actually take a break before off season starts. Because so often everyone's like, off season going to be awesome. Like time at home and your days are so long and so tough. It's not like you're off, like you're.

[B]

Like one week vacation.

[A]

So limited everyone. Exactly. And then it starts all over again. And it's not like you feel like super refreshed as you're going into your like, hardest training of the year.

[B]

And that's why people like, oh, you guys start up in January. I'm like, yeah, but like, we have to be ready to play in January. It's not like we take the off season obviously all the way through December and then, oh yeah, we start our, our camp the start of January. I'm like, no, like, we have to be like ready to go win Australian Open. Like, like it's.

[C]

Yeah. Like there is no time off. No, it's like maybe like a Sunday.

[B]

I also feel like it's there, but.

[A]

I do think it's, I think it's pretty impressive that people are starting to take time and actually say, like, you know what, I'm actually gonna take some time and prioritize like feeling good. Because there's also, I feel like for a lot of us there's the stress of like, I don't want the zero on my ranking if I miss this Tournament. And if I don't hit my required tournaments, like, that's multiple zeros. And it's. It's hard not to just get sucked into. I need to play. I need to play. I need to play. Or if you're, like, not playing super well or you don't feel great, I feel like a lot of us start chasing so bad. Okay, well, if I just play one more tournament, it'll have one more tournament, and then I'll do well. Like, then I can stop. It'll happen. Like, if I just keep going and you're just, like, burning out and you're freaking out. And I think sometimes it's. It's almost. It's like, really hard sometimes to actually just stop and say, I think I'm gonna go home and, like, see my family that I haven't seen.

[B]

Exactly.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

No, it is.

[B]

It's like that where they say it's, like, harder to just say no and stop. Like, that's. So that's why I'm like, that's great for them. Like, you have to know yourself and not feel like you're chasing points and chasing players and. Yeah. So it's. It's great. I think it's. I mean, it's not great that they have to be pushed to do that, but, hey, they gotta do what they gotta do, so. Sounds like it was a good decision for them.

[C]

Onto a lighter note, let's play a little Gen Z game here. Learn the lingo. Gen Z slang. I'm backing myself here to do pretty well, considering I spent a whole year with a bunch of Gen zers last year at ucla, so. So hopefully the girls taught me well.

[B]

I'm excited to use this as a learning experience for myself because I have no idea.

[C]

Yeah. Who knows? I'm probably gonna do the worst since I said that. We all know that.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Riz. Riz.

[C]

I'm the only one.

[B]

I know.

[C]

Charisma.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

That one's so easy.

[B]

Charisma. You're cool. Riz, is charisma oozing aura.

[C]

Whatever. Oozing aura. Yeah.

[A]

Such a good definition. Oozing aura.

[C]

Delulu.

[A]

Delulu. That's like my favorite thing in the entire world to say.

[C]

I taught delusion.

[A]

I taught the training room. I forget where we were, but I taught the training room of physios. Delulu. And they were all saying it. They were all like, we're going to Lulu.

[C]

Does that mean delusional?

[B]

Yeah. Yes. Wait, I feel like Maddie says that all the time, so we knew that one. You say that one a lot.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Guys, I'm on Tick tock.

[B]

That's mid.

[C]

Mid, totally average middle. It's like if you go to a restaurant and you give it like. Like a 5 out of 10. Actually, that's pretty bad.

[B]

Oh, here we go with our rating system.

[C]

Jenny.

[B]

Yeah, I would like to know if. Oh, okay.

[C]

Touch grass. Guys.

[A]

I'm so young.

[B]

Wait, these aren't that like. Like, I thought I was gonna be really struggling.

[C]

Yeah, we need some better means. Like go.

[B]

Like, I don't. I was gonna say something bad. Whatever.

[A]

Get a clue.

[B]

There we go.

[A]

Like, come back down to earth.

[C]

Yeah, like wake up, smell the roses. Phantom tax.

[B]

Okay, that one. That one. I don't know.

[A]

Don't know what that is.

[B]

Phantom tax. I have no idea. Tax.

[C]

Like tax season. March.

[B]

Got it. To guess.

[C]

Phantom text.

[A]

All I can think. All I keep getting in my head is like, freak em dance. Is that a Beyonce song?

[B]

Freak em dress.

[C]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

Freak em dress.

[C]

When someone takes a bite of your food without asking. Wow.

[B]

Okay, that makes sense.

[C]

I hate that.

[A]

I was about to say Jenny's gonna have big feelings about it.

[B]

Go ahead, Jenny.

[C]

I do not like that phantom tax. I'm phantom taxing everyone.

[B]

Is that how it's used?

[C]

I don't know.

[B]

I don't think you phantom tax people.

[A]

In a sentence properly.

[C]

I don't like to share my food. If I order.

[B]

She didn't even care that something.

[C]

I ordered it because I want to eat all of it. I don't want to share it. I'll ask you if you want to share, but don't be reaching over on my plate so I see you don't phantom tax me.

[A]

Yeah, there you go.

[B]

Okay. Six, seven. I've seen this one. Nobody knows what it means. You just say it.

[C]

That was Jesse's score today. In the third set or yesterday.

[B]

Yeah. There's no definition. People just say. Kids just say it to confuse the shit out of you. They just.

[A]

They also, like, don't they just freak out?

[C]

Oh, my gosh. Wait, Jess, what were those kids saying at the school we went to in Charleston? Remember they were like saying something to me and they were asking me, hey, what's 34 plus blah blah blah? And I was like, oh, easy 50. Blah, blah blah.

[B]

Was it 67 or whatever?

[C]

The answer? Oh, maybe that's what it was.

[B]

I don't know.

[C]

I gave them the answer and then.

[B]

They were all like, yeah, like, giggling at you. And then I was like, yeah, I actually just learned.

[C]

Are these kids making fun of me.

[B]

I just learned about that one. It doesn't mean anything.

[C]

You just say ratioed. Ratioed.

[A]

Ratioed is when you like. So if you're. When you're scrolling on Tik tok and there's not a lot of likes, but there's lots of comments, you got ratioed.

[C]

Like in a good way or a bad way.

[A]

Usually if there's a lot of comments on a TikTok video, but not a lot of likes, it's not a good thing. It's usually very bad.

[C]

I like comments, though.

[B]

Jenny likes it.

[C]

Comments are like. Yeah, I like comments more than likes because it's like they took the time to actually, like, type, whether it was like, mean or, you know, love. Gyat.

[B]

I've seen it. I don't really know.

[C]

She got a fat ass. She got a dump truck. Gyat. It means, like, big butt.

[B]

I'm like, dying. You were so excited.

[A]

Didn't even give us a chance to guess.

[B]

How excited were you to use that word?

[C]

Oh, my gosh. So excited. So excited. Yeah, it means like, yeah, like, godamn.

[A]

Unk. Like, isn't that just like uncle?

[C]

Yeah, like older person.

[A]

Like, but like.

[C]

Yeah, like. Yeah, like. Yeah, yeah, like older. Older person.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

No cap.

[A]

Well, that's. Is that a Gen Z thing?

[C]

Yeah, no cap.

[B]

Yeah, no cap.

[A]

I feel like everyone knows what no.

[C]

Cap is is like, what is that.

[B]

Gen Z or do you like. I feel like that's also one that's like, not really Gen Z. We're going rogue. What is Sigma?

[C]

Sigma. Sigma. Oh, I've seen this.

[A]

Isn't that like. It's like instead of. Go ahead, Jenny, you're excited.

[C]

It's. It's a fraternity.

[A]

Isn't it? Like, isn't it like the new. It's like a new definition of like, describing a dude.

[B]

They're like, independent, doesn't care about social norms. From Sigma Male. Are you urban dictionarying these, by the way, to our Danny. Our. Our girl that's sending these. She's all doing this, by the way. Like, we didn't know what the word. She's like, we need to do this live so we get real reactions. So that's why I was wondering Aura farming or. Or you try to get. That one's like, where you try to look good on purpose, basically. Or something's like, planned to look so you look like a good person or you look cool. It's kind of. I think that's what it means.

[C]

Not like. Not by like, actual looks.

[B]

It's like fake. Yeah, it's like, kind of planned. What did she say? Acting in a cool way.

[C]

Vibe points.

[B]

Yeah. Performing for the aesthetic. Yeah. It's kind of like on purpose chopped.

[C]

You've just been.

[B]

That's literally all I think of is chop. The TV show. That's definitely not a Gen Z thing.

[C]

Yeah, definitely not. Like delete, like canceled.

[B]

You look chopped.

[C]

Oh, you look chopped in that outfit.

[B]

I kind of like that. I might throw that one in there.

[C]

Ooh, chopped. Like, is it a good chopped or a bad chopped?

[A]

Good or bad?

[B]

Poorly dressed.

[C]

Oh, it's bad. Poorly dressed or messy. Hopefully I don't get a wow, Jenny, you look chopped today.

[B]

I'm gonna start saying that to you. Wait.

[C]

Yeah, you probably will. While Jenny, you're looking chopped, I'll be like, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. Anymore. Oh, npc.

[C]

NPC energy.

[B]

Npc. That's like not a real person. Oh, my gosh.

[C]

Npc.

[B]

I know what that means.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Not so. NPC means non playable character in video games and gaming. I think that's what it means. Right? Just.

[C]

Do you remember.

[A]

Do you remember when we.

[B]

Is an npc? Good. Yes.

[C]

Everyone's an npc.

[B]

Yeah. So acting.

[C]

Me and Jess were gaming. Me and Jess were gaming. And NPC came up a lot when we were gaming.

[B]

Well, it's like you see people and you're like, I wonder like, who is this? And like, my Taylor says it all the time. He'll just be like, they're an npc. They're just like, not. Yeah, they're just like a computer character, basically. Beige flag.

[C]

I've heard flag. Oh, red flag. Beige flag. Green flag. Beige flag is like middle, like. Yeah, like mid.

[B]

That's what it's.

[A]

Beige flags. Just like a weird thing that they do that you're kind of like, huh?

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. You're like, oh, it's not a green, but yeah, it's like right in the middle.

[B]

Beige.

[C]

Oh. Now we need to use as many Gen Z terms as you can while answering fan questions.

[B]

Perfect.

[C]

Okay, we have a little challenge. Okay. All right, challenge accepted. Use as many Gen Z terms as you can while answering fan questions.

[B]

Take it away, Jenny.

[C]

Okay. And we have fan questions. Okay, question from Anna. During tournaments, do you watch the games that are taking place or your opponent's games, or do you stay focused?

[B]

Wait, say the beginning of that again.

[C]

During tournaments, do you watch the games that are taking place or your opponent's games, or do you stay focused? I mean, watch at least for me every time. Yeah, I'm always watching.

[B]

Well, there's always TVs all over the the site showing matches. So I feel like it's impossible not to watch some of the matches.

[C]

Yeah. And my favorite thing during a tournament is coming back to the hotel and turning on the TV and laying in bed and watching matches.

[B]

Walking into the night session and being like, I'm glad I'm not playing at 11:00pm yeah.

[C]

Or looking at, looking at doordash and.

[B]

For like an hour.

[C]

Yeah, for an hour and a half. And then deciding what I want while watching matches.

[B]

Wait, you kind of.

[A]

You didn't use any Gen Z terms.

[C]

I know. I couldn't think of any.

[B]

Well, there you go. It's kind of unk.

[A]

So that was chopped. Oh, chopped Answer.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

One point for Maddie.

[C]

Wow. Okay, next question from Mary. What is your pre match meal? Ooh. Well, this gap has usually, usually I go with something that's a little bit mid and white rice and chicken. Pretty mid meal if you ask me.

[B]

Same.

[C]

But you know what? Usually it eats eight, seven plus one six, seven. That meal. Eight. Yeah, I would, I would say I, I always just go chicken and rice. Keep it simple. Same plain.

[B]

I don't really actually like to eat that much before matches. Like I eat really light.

[C]

I don't like to like feel bloated.

[B]

You know, I don't even eat that much after matches if it's too late. Like I'd rather just eat like a good breakfast in the morning or else my stomach stomach like. Yeah. If it impedes my sleep.

[C]

Addie.

[A]

I pretty much just eat chicken and rice and hate eating before matches. It's truly like the worst part of a pre match day is having to sit there and eat. Especially if you're at a tournament where like the chicken or rice is not very good and you get like the undercooked like crunchy rice or something and you're like, okay, gotta eat for my math.

[B]

Yeah, it's not fun.

[A]

Yeah, very mid.

[B]

Super mid. That's a great mid Question.

[C]

No cap. Okay, next question from Martin. As a clueless man, can you explain or demonstrate how you shove a ton tennis ball up your skirt so quickly and why it doesn't fall out during the point. Oh, demonstrate. Oh, that is really unfortunate because today I've decided to wear sweatpants and not a skirt during.

[B]

So we will not be so.

[C]

I'm sorry Martin, if you're watching on YouTube, maybe next time there will be a demonstration or you could just turn on the television and watch. But yeah, you just kind of open up the spandex, throw the Ball up there and then the spandex are tight enough to where the ball like doesn't really slide out. Yeah, it doesn't really move at all.

[B]

So remember when you were younger though, and like you like, just like I used to always wear shorts with pockets because I was like uncomfortable trying to like do that when I was really young. And then as I got older, you had to like learn how to do it. And so you do like two hands and you'd just be like trying to like get it into the screen because it was so awkward. And then eventually like you got like good at it or you were like, cool and you could just like, you know, I don't know. That was my. That was how I learned.

[A]

Do you guys ever, like, watch to see if people do weird things? Have you ever noticed when Mackie McDonald plays, he puts the ball in his right pocket?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

That's strange.

[C]

Yeah, he puts it in his right.

[B]

Yeah, usually everyone does left. Well, it depends on what hand you play with when you do the opposite.

[A]

Well, the opposite of your right.

[C]

Because then when he misses a first serve, he has to put the racket in his non dominant hand and then reach into his pocket, throw the ball out and then switch back, switch again. But he does it so quick you don't even notice.

[B]

I don't even think I've noticed that before.

[C]

Yeah, he does it so fast. Last question from Briebeeq. Is there anything you guys are looking forward to during your off off season? Maddie, is there anything you're looking forward to after Riyadh?

[A]

Well, hopefully our house renovation is done, so looking forward to that.

[C]

Woohoo.

[A]

And there's going to be some people in town training at the national center, so maybe we'll have a little party, invite some people over. Jenny can be particular and tell me what she wants me to make for her.

[C]

Main character energy.

[B]

Jenny is main character energy.

[A]

Jenny, are you looking forward to off season?

[C]

Yeah, I am. I mean, I'll be in Orlando, so you'll get to see me. Unfortunate for you, there will be lots of noises, lots of sounds. You'll probably get annoyed with me, but I actually have a friend's bachelorette in November, the second week of November, which I'll be reunited with Desiree and then going to Buffalo, which I'm so excited for. Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. Never been to Buffalo, obviously. Huge Josh Allen fan, Buffalo Bills fan, Bill's Mafia. Unfortunately, I will not be going to a game, but one day I will go to a Bills game. But I'm going for. Well, we're both going, Maddie, but I think I'm a little bit more excited than you are. But I'm so excited to eat some wings. I've already planned out, as just said, I've planned out too many restaurants for the amount of days that I'm there, so I'm gonna have to choose wisely, hopefully. Yeah. Six to seven restaurants there for 12 and a half days. So I'm really looking forward to that in November. So it'll be like a good little November for me. So does Josh Allen.

[B]

Josh Allen have a lot of Riz. Would you let him jot. Phantom tax you?

[A]

Yeah. Would you let him Phantom tax you? You would.

[C]

No, don't.

[B]

You would.

[C]

Yeah. You're a. You're a liar.

[B]

You're a free. Take it all.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah. You look. You look famished. Take my whole plate. Take all my wings.

[B]

I would say.

[C]

Say Josh Allen has a lot of Riz.

[B]

Yeah, I would say. Yeah. I'm doing the charity event that you guys are coming to for my. A Lending Paw charity. So if you. I know Jenny's for sure coming because of all the reasons she just listed. So that'll be fun. We're, like, planning that right now. So I think that'll be a cool weekend after Thanksgiving, so I guess I'm looking forward to that. But the game isn't. It's actually. They play the Steelers the Sunday after the party.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So everyone was kind of bummed that, like, they couldn't go to the game, but we might just do a little watch party. Although I'm still not sure. I feel like people are gonna drive to Pittsburgh because it's only like four hours, and so I feel like some people might pop down and drive, but we didn't really have a choice with the NFL schedule. But I think that'll be fun. So I guess I'm looking forward to that and being home.

[C]

Just a little staycation. Staycation.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I love a staycation.

[B]

I don't think I'm planning on.

[C]

I don't really do vacations. We travel all year. Nothing sounds worse than getting on a plane and going to.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Somewhere.

[B]

The travel. I'm not trying to. Yeah. Travel more when we travel all the time, I guess.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Plus Florida's nice that time of year, so. Nice.

[C]

Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Today it was cold. Like, I was cold. This evening, I was cold. I put on my steering wheel. Heat warmer.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

That was 71 degrees.

[A]

That was a DeLulu statement. It was over 70 degrees.

[C]

It was windy. The wind chill.

[A]

When she 71 feels like 70.

[C]

Yeah, it was windy and cold. Wind felt like Chicago out there.

[B]

Oh my God.

[A]

Oh my gosh.

[B]

Okay, well that note.

[C]

Thank you everyone for your questions. Please leave us a rating and review. It helps people find out about the podcast. And don't forget to watch us on the players box YouTube page. And if you want to ask us a DM, slide on in on Instagram at the players box pod or email us at theplayersboxpod at gmail com. Thanks for watching and hope to see you next week.