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Transcript

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[MUSIC]

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Welcome to the Atlanta Tennis Podcast.

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Every episode is titled, It Starts With Tennis and Goes From There.

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We talk with coaches, club managers, industry business professionals,

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technology experts, and anyone else we find interesting.

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We want to have a conversation as long as it starts with tennis.

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[MUSIC]

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Hey, hey, this is Shaun with the Atlanta Tennis Podcast, powered by GoTennis!

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Check out our calendar of Metro Atlanta tennis events at Let'sGoTennis.com,

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where you can also find deals on equipment, apparel, and

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members get 10% off our shop.

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So get yourself an Atlanta tennis monster's shirt before everyone else does.

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I've got mine and I wear it all the time.

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In this episode, we're sharing our live at the time,

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a conversation with Luke Jensen from the Championships Wimbledon, 2023.

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Have a listen and let us know what you think.

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[MUSIC]

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>> You got to get up and check the cameras.

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My May the Courts be with you shirt too close to the camera.

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>> No, it's perfect.

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>> An extra shirt plug there.

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[LAUGH]

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>> A close and personal.

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>> Yeah.

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>> Thanks for understanding that this gig is hard to do anything outside of what I do just because we have so

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many matches going on and off and interviews and it's a great gig.

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It's just there are two friends of mine that were at the tennis today and

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I couldn't even get out to say hello and it just gets crazy.

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>> Yeah, that's one of the things I want to hear about is what it's like to be you on during Wimbledon.

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Because the original plan was also for you to be coaching at the same time, right?

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>> Well, yeah, unfortunately at horrible coaching my player lost in the last round of

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quality to a player that she beat the week before like a drum.

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But that's what coaches do, they screw up, they get fired, they get scolded.

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You got to come up with better game plans, man, better game plans.

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>> Is that what it was?

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Was it a game plan, bro?

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You know it's, coach always has to take the hit game plan,

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always a game plan, problem.

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Players are never wrong, players win, coaches lose.

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It was just a, it was just a $100,000 miss, but outside of that, not worried.

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And that was to play a lucky loser to play another qualifier today.

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So not a big deal at all.

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>> All right, we got one thing.

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Yeah, that's, I saw the draw there.

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>> I saw the draw there too, I'm thinking, oh, that was a missed opportunity.

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>> It would have been unbelievable and then, yeah.

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>> And thinking last year, I'm sorry.

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>> Yeah, how does that work?

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So like I see is it, Darren K. Hill does a lot of that where he's commentating and

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coaching at the same time.

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>> Yeah, he balanced that.

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>> They're super cool with that.

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So remember when you stop playing, you lose a lot of access.

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So when you're playing, I started in 94 with ESPN.

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And I had a lot of access because I'm in a locker room with everybody.

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And it's Samperson, it's Chang and it's Courier, Agacy, everybody.

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And I'm flying, and Agacy's private jet and we're doing Davis Cup stuff.

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I mean, you can't get more locked in than a fellow player.

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And then once you retire, you can hang in there for a bit because

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you have access to all those guys because you played those guys.

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And then what happens is you get into that next phase where all the guys you played are not retired.

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And then you get into what I call the Roger Federer phase, which is he was our ball kid when we played.

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So you get access that way because he remembers you and everything.

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Well, everybody that remembered us when they were playing are now retired like Roger Federer.

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And then you got to go to the coaches who are now coaching those guys and

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girls that you played against and stuff like that.

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So you get certain access.

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But as soon as you start coaching, you're back in those players lounges,

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you're back on those practice courts in those locker rooms.

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You're in the know every single week.

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So they highly encouraged, like Pam Stryvers working with Vekitch,

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Vekitch beat Sloan Stevens today. K. Hills out there.

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So they honestly, they don't frown upon it at all.

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They make it work.

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So last year when we were in the main draw out, Wembleton,

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Coco would, you know, for the times that she had her practices.

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So a lot of depends on the schedule.

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And ESPN knows like listen, if your player wants to practice,

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we're going to work around that.

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So even though she was a lucky loser waiting to try to get in,

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the sweet spot for me is I work.

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I'll get there around eight o'clock in the morning and

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start doing all research, talking to coaches, talking to agents,

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talking to players.

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And you just watching everything you can to take in injuries.

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If someone's jacked up, any news notes, any nuggets that can't be found.

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By the normal ways of press conferences and things.

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And then you start going on the air.

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We have our first meeting at 9.59.30 and that's all hands on deck.

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That's Johnny Mac Chris effort.

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That's everybody is what we did yesterday.

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And what we can do to improve any stories,

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anything come up in our research over the last 24 hours.

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That sets us up for today.

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And that goes to about 10.

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And then we all break off to our assigned positions.

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And for me, it's in a studio.

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And with this guy, Sam Gore.

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And we've been working together for years now.

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And we just start cranking out these are the matches that you're going to see today.

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And talk about them and stuff.

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And then once that finishes,

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we start getting into bringing in Chris Everett, John McEnroe, Renee Stubbs,

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you know, and talk about topics.

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Who's playing today? What's up?

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A big one.

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We have so many Americans in it.

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We had 19 American women, 14 American men in the top in the main draw.

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And that's just singles.

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That wasn't even all the doubles players and stuff.

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So who's playing Ben Shelton was obviously a big hot topic.

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He went down today, unfortunately.

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But then we start hitting the matches and then talking about,

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especially during rain delays in everything.

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The hot topics, bringing in players for interviews, bringing in coaches.

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So we're pretty active.

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And then I just thought you and I were going to be able to kick off

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in that sweet spot when we're kind of done.

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But it didn't happen.

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We had so many storylines and stuff.

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And it's a glorious job.

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You'd love it.

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It's the coolest gig to do because you're at the best tournament in the world,

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the most historic tournament in the world.

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People want to talk about it.

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And it's super cool.

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Well, that's why I thought it'd be fun to bring it home a little bit,

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to bring it back to Atlanta, to kind of know what that looks like.

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Because we get to see you on ESPN in studio.

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But what that, we just get to see that 20 minutes,

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that's really cool, not all the preparation, not all everything that goes into that

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from the 8 AM and Joby looked at me.

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He's like, well, it's only 9 o'clock there.

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It's not that bad.

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I said, but I don't know what time he started.

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Like if he's a guy that is similar to how he grew up,

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he knows he's only as good as how much work he's putting into it.

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I'm guessing he's one of those first guys through the door.

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Yeah, it really is an awesome opportunity to work with awesome people.

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And it's, to be honest, like research,

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poor guy who's on the, in the room underneath me,

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because we get up super early.

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He doesn't get back to like one o'clock in the morning,

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and he does all the research.

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So until any Murray is done on center court and all the press conferences,

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he's got to compile all that stuff and we get a packet.

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Let's see if I can find it.

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So this is, this was just yesterday stuff that comes.

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I mean, it's just, it's loaded with every nugget,

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first serve percentage, schedule, possibility,

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singles doubles, mixed juniors,

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juniors qualifying started at Roe Hampton today.

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Lot of college coaches are over there recruiting the next superstar for their team.

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So it really is, they give you every opportunity to succeed.

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So my job specifically is to know my stuff,

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but how can I separate myself from everybody?

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And that's digging into notes that nobody else would kind of see or know.

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And it's beyond the notes to be perfectly honest.

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It's knowing the, having the relationships with the coaches.

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And that's been huge coaching, coaching, Coco Vanderey

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because I know last week's tournament and what happened in Berlin,

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what happened at Paris and watching at first hand

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from the practice courts on down.

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And then you have like the Chris U-Banks.

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He's playing tomorrow against Cam Noria court one.

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I mean, Chris didn't even know where to go for practice.

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He played qualities last year, but he never been,

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he'd never been at the big W.

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So he really didn't know and he needed like some help,

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like point, that's where practice is, that's where the locker room is.

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Total rookie.

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And because, you know, he played for my World Team tennis team in 2021.

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And I know him because George Attacuys from Atlanta,

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I'm an Atlanta guy.

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So that is a huge nugget for me that other people wouldn't know.

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So he's going to walk on the court tomorrow and I'm having edge up

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on all the other analysts and things like that.

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So that's what they want, ESPN wants, that access and that kind of intel.

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And that's right up my alley.

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I love finding a nugget that nobody else would have.

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And it encouraged it, which is great.

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Yeah, I would think so.

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And that's why the interesting question of how do you balance that?

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I can only guess ESPN would want the most up to date in the know people.

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To be part of that.

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That also means you're going to have another, you're going to be coaching, you know, coaching,

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you know, and get that.

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Yeah.

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And of course, you know, you got to be winning for your, you know, your player.

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And they got to be winning and staying relevant.

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I mean, it's, you look at, like Darren Kayle, he's, he's coaching center top 10 player,

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a possible, like a favorite to hear.

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Win here.

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That is massive because I mean, I'm coaching a qualifier.

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He's coaching a player's plan on center court, Wimbledon.

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I mean, when they start having matches,

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you can talk, you know, there's a little dip over here or the courts playing slower or we're,

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they were honestly out there hitting with Jokovic.

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And I think it was Friday or Saturday before the tournament started.

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That's a huge advantage.

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And to listen to what, you know, is going on at center, we're all, I mean, you have to,

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all of us in these meetings are listening to all that intel that we can bring to our matches

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and to our stuff.

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So it's, it's really is incredible to do it.

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This is my 39th Wimbledon.

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I started in '84 here as a junior player and then as a, you know, men's player and singles

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doubles and mixed and then as an announcer and legend, I played legends and I'm an alternate

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for the legends this year.

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So it really is unbelievable.

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How do they do that legends tournament?

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Is that, I'm interested?

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Do you actually have to qualify?

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I mean, do they, do they care how good you are or is it just your personal?

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Boy, how do you get into that?

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It would be pretty cool if they had like qualifying.

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And everything, because you would really see.

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So, yeah, no, it would be unbelievable.

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You'd see guys in shape like going, and so it's a really good paycheck and it's not as

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good, obviously, as the main draw or anything, but still a good paycheck for dinosaurs like

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us.

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But so they'll send out invitations.

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So it will be, you know, men's doubles and then you'll have mixed and they may pay,

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you, but you are actually invited.

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So in the years past when we were just off the tour of Murphy and I got invited in time.

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And then once you get 60, you're out.

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Now only, I mean, this is labor, this is the greatest of all time.

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Once you get 60, you're not invited anymore.

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They, you know, they go for the younger guys, but only the Abunt Sir Brahmi, only the great

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magician, Munn Sir Brahmi has been allowed to come back because he is the greatest show

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on earth as far as tennis and the fans want him.

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And so it's an, it's an exo, but it's, you're playing for money and it's kind of serious,

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but it's funny because in these old guy stuff, everybody, you say, listen, I've got a bad

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knee and I can't run for a drop shot.

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Okay, okay, we won't hit your drop shots or I won't go back for a lot.

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You know, you don't want to embarrass anybody, but everybody knows everybody's like, you know,

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injuries and stuff like that.

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And everybody gets injured, you know, you're not used to playing two out of three sets, three

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days in a row or four days in a row.

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And so it's a lot of fun to see your mates again, but Wimbledon invites you.

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And then because we're here for media, you'll say, hey, I'm here.

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I'm an old dog.

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I got a full thing of Advil on me.

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So if you do need an extra guy, I'm Advil Bup and I'm ready to win.

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I like that.

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That's a lot of fun because that's, yeah, she's here.

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I'm always the guy you can call me.

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And I'm very available.

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ESPN's got plenty of those guys.

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Yeah, yeah.

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And you know, some, some of the guys, you know, they don't want to play, you know, they're

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too, like Johnny Mac, he covers ESPN.

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He's got BBC.

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He's got every tennis, you know, he doesn't do tennis channel, but he, I mean, he'll do, he

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does everything.

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So it's, he will get on the court from time to time, but I haven't seen him in this

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draw.

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Yeah.

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And that case, it's just a priority thing.

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There's too much, too much to do.

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Yeah, it's good.

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He clearly win everything because he's Johnny Mac.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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No, he is, he is Johnny Mac.

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The only one who Trump's in is Roger Federer who has his own day.

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And he's invited to the Royal Box by Princess Kate.

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So it's a cool gig to be, I got this actually out of Roger Federer's locker.

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He wasn't using it.

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It was easy to spot his locker because there's eight trophies on it.

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So, oh, that's Roger's.

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You know, look in.

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There's some shoes, some brackets.

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I just needed a sweater today.

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He's not going to miss it.

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I'll get it back tomorrow after I draw a clean it.

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Sure.

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Draw a clean it and then write sign it for him.

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Yeah.

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Outside of form.

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Yeah.

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To a Fed, you know, just to let you know, I owe you one.

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I'll get you, you know, get you one for tea sometime.

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Yeah.

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For the click.

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Exactly.

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I don't think about the eight trophies that makes me think of a visit to Serbia I had where

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I got to go to the restaurant that Novak owns or something.

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Oh, cool.

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So cool.

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Have you been there?

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No, no, I got to go.

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It's neat.

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You walk up and there's just this statue of him and the armor and it's, you know, I think

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dude's like six, three or something.

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But this statue is like six, eight.

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It just makes you feel small when you walk in.

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You've got a little sitting area with all the trophies everywhere.

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No way.

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That's where all the trophies are.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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That's a, yeah.

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That's a risk.

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You think about that, right?

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Got 23 of the big boys and then all the thousands, you know, and I just can't imagine

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all those.

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What number is that total titles, but I know like San Chris has a room in his house and

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then the best collection of all time.

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I just saw Andres, but putting stuffies, stuffies, 22, I think she has 22.

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And then Andres, I think he has seven or eight.

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That's pretty impressive.

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That's a trophy collection.

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I got my little one from when I won that chest tournament when I was nine.

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I got that one.

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Hey, that's, you know what?

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Dr. Spock right there, baby.

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I got a trophy for you.

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That's right.

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Less time dusting.

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But yeah, the, the, the Serbia trip, it's worth it to see the, to see that room.

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And that was, I went with that 2017.

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So there's got to be a few more in it.

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I don't know.

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I don't know what he does.

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So is it the same place that his parents owned or is this his own place?

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No, this is his place.

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Wow.

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So the, the story, if I remember right, is they sold their restaurant to find the antennas,

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right?

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I don't know that detail, but the, he's a, he's a special dude.

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And it's unfortunate that he is very polarizing people.

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I, today people come up.

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I'm just, he's just not my cup of tea.

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And, but I just think he's in the shadow of Titans of, it doesn't matter how many he wins,

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he will never be fetter and he'll never be in a dial.

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And you know what?

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That's okay.

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You know, serena's got her own, you know, base, but I just respect him so much.

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He has committed so much to his nutrition.

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His flexibility is training.

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He goes on vacation after winning 23 in France and he still works out.

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He's still, that's just his jam, man.

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He's just knows he's got to keep the body limber and got to keep it going.

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He doesn't have to be playing tennis every day, but he definitely needs to be working out

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every day.

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Yeah.

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Now, that's, what's the, from a Novak point of view, that was going to be the thing that

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I thought about, which is, okay, is he the greatest of all time.

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Everybody has that conversation and that's a fun thing going on right now because the

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numbers say it's Novak, but it isn't just numbers.

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It's also that love, that appreciation.

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And he's, like you said, he is a little polarizing because there is, he's made a few mistakes

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and he's, I'm saying some people would hit people with ball, you know, tennis balls and

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tennis balls.

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Dude, this is things happened in his career that have, he never had that almost crisp, clean

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career that, that, that, that, that, that, that, Roger, we're really able to pull it off.

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He had to fight.

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Remember, he didn't win his first major until he was 21 and then there was like a huge, like,

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upswing, had to sort through some things physically.

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He had trouble at default matches and things like that because it was brilliant.

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Yeah.

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And that, he was the first guy that I remembered and I'd never heard this word, but

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before, but the gluten deal, I was like, what, what is gluten?

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And he was the first guy that, that I had ever heard before braiding all these guys and

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that he locked in on all that nutritional, that science, that blood work and things.

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But I just think you got the, you got the popular vote and that's always going to be Roger

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followed by Rafa.

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And that's great to be the popular vote.

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But the reality is you get the goat by the electoral college.

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That's like winning the numbers.

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That's just how you win across the board on all the majors and then you start digging deep

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into head to head matchups and the thought, I mean, just he will break outside of, I mean,

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he's got a chance at the Australian to be perfectly honest.

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He's got, I think 10 there.

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He's got a chance to break Rafa's 14 at one major.

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I mean, it's an outside shot, but, yeah, I mean, but he left a lot on the table in the sense

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where he's missed two US opens because of COVID.

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You wouldn't take the vaccine.

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And he was funny.

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He's kind of proven right, which is kind of interesting because, you know, it's such hype

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around that and, you know, a lot of us had a guy to do it if I wanted to work for ESPN.

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But he didn't.

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He stood by his, you know, his principles and everything and then he hit the one, that one

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year and 20 when he hit the lines person that he was opening the throat.

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He was undefeated that season.

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He was going to win that year.

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So that's three Australia last year where, you know, it kind of that COVID thing.

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So that's four.

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You know, he's going to win at least two of those.

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Yeah.

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So that puts them at 25.

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I mean, the dudes, the dudes of beast, Bob Rink has already said, I'm not eating the

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guy.

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He said, Bob Rink has just said, listen, I'm not, this is Stan.

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Bob Rink was one three major titles, one of the best backends that's not the best back

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in in the history of the game who can hit through players.

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He's saying, listen, I want to be competitive, but I'm not winning here.

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I'm not winning.

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I'm not beating the guy.

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That's insane.

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He's, he's right.

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I mean, you look at the head to head.

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It's 26 Novak.

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So I mean, I understand, but to come out and just say it, is it a, is it a disguise?

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Is it a false flag deal where you just like, yeah, I'm getting this head that I'm not

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even going to try and then go red line and go for winner?

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Well, you just admitted it at some point, but as a tennis coach, as a coaching type, as

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I am, and you can understand this as well, where you want your player to really believe.

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You have to actually believe that this is going to be the greatest upset of all time.

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If that's what it needs to be.

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But I think what stands pointing out is, I'm going to have to hope he breaks his ankle.

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Because I just, I think it's reverse psychology to be honest.

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I mean, stand by breaking nose if he plays his best tennis.

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He can be done.

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So why, why go out and say, yeah, you know, I've got to shout the wind.

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You know, if you saw the last dance with Michael Jordan, he, he manufactured reasons to

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get mad at opponents that get motivated.

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The last thing Novak needs is a guy like Stan going, you know what?

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I could take a shot.

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I mean, you know, I feel pretty good and pretty confident.

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I think he's going reverse psychology saying that I have no shot.

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I don't even know if I'll even walk on the court.

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I'll be in the, I'll probably get his autograph asking for his jersey, you know, just suck

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up to that guy.

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Sneak out the first set by the time Novak kind of figures it out with his head.

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Maybe a break in a second.

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Get up to sets the love.

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And then it's a, then it's a chance.

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You're telling me there's a chance.

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I got a chance.

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Yeah.

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That's so, uh, yeah.

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No, I don't think so.

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No chance.

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I'm with a break out of this one because I also, I've met Serbians.

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And then obviously not all Serbians.

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You have to point that out, right?

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I've met Serbians.

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These guys are strictly brutal.

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They do not care if you know you're going to lose.

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If you think you're going to win, they don't care.

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You're going down.

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Yeah.

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It's a bond lendel.

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It's the a bond lendel type.

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I don't care.

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Yeah.

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I think the face with a tennis ball to win as much because you're better.

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Give me your face.

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Come here.

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It's just business.

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It's just nothing personal, you know, give me your face and I'm going to wipe it off the

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planet.

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This is a million bucks.

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And if I can't do it, I'm going to do it some other way.

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Yeah.

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That's right.

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That's right.

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I love it.

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All right.

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So I don't, I know you got a, you got a lot of research to do, but I really appreciate

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the time.

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Do you have, and you're a little more keyed in maybe on the women's side because you have

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some of that access, but do you have picks?

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Do you have picks for this year?

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Can I ask for it?

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I'll tell you.

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Thank you.

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It's hard to pick.

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Yeah.

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favorites.

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Yeah.

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It's, it's to me, Joe Kovic in the rest of the field.

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It's really, do you pick Joe Kovic or the field?

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Alka Razz.

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If you watch the movie Maverick and early on in that movie, he crashes his test plane or

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something like that.

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And the admiral is telling him that, you know, your, your kind is done.

Speaker: 00:24:36

We're going to drones, unmanned aircraft.

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And he goes to the admiral.

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You're probably right, but not today, not now.

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And it was at the French open in the semis and it was like one of the matches, everybody on

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the planet who follows tennis had to watch is Alka Razz, where you take that step.

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You're going to beat, you know, there's no Nadal.

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And he beat Joe Kovic.

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And Joe Kovic was like Maverick, like, you are the future.

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You're, you're right, but not today.

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Not yet, not yet.

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And I just get, listen, you got, you got admire Alka Razz.

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The dude loves the sport.

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He loves the train, plays with a smile on his face.

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Guys, incredible.

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But he won Queens.

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Really good effort.

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Anytime you win Queens, it's a sign of the future that you're going to win.

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And you're ready for a grass court run at Wimbledon.

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He looked great in his opening round.

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Guys are beast, but not yet.

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Yeah, got it.

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It's Joe Kovic plus the field I'm taking, Joe Kovic.

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It's like, how do you bet against Tom Brady in the Super Bowl?

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I'm sorry, one game, you know, I don't think so.

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So I'm going with Joe Kovic there.

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I'm not going to risk it.

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And then on the women's side, it's interesting.

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I think that's what I think, Joe Kovic, I think, is really good.

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I think that's what I think.

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