The Biggest WTA Questions FT. David Kane

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1:01You're not only empowering your child with a premium, personalized education, you're also enabling them to thrive. In both their academic and athletic pursuits, start the school year off right and visit Laurel Springs.com today to learn more. You can join them for an upcoming virtual open house and learn more about every program. Every resource they offer, again, go to Laurel Springs.com to start your school year off right. Laurel Springs, a proud partner of Crack Crackles. Welcome to the mini bird, your date podcast for the big storylines results and consciousness from the tennis world today is Thursday, April 23rd, but of course this podcast being released on Saturday, April 25th and thus accordingly, the first thing I have to say is not a

2:07hello to my guest, but a happy birthday to my younger brother Nicholas Grasket. Maybe the lone person in this world, I love more than myself. He will not be listening to this, but it is his birthday. We celebrate that fact and even equally important. We celebrate the return of a guest to our podcast today that has, of course, excuse me, I'm choking up. I'm so excited. He's back. He's graced us with his presence. Oh, so many times over the years, of course, you know him best as the lead editor for all things tennis.com. I know him best as a man I feared. I lost to a competing podcast. It's great to have back David Kane on our show today, DK, welcome back to the show. It's been far too long. It's my fault. I appreciate you still responding to my text, my friend. How are you doing today? I have been on gay or podcast, but I cannot say I have been on campier podcasts than the mini break, although I do have to follow up because I just made a quick trip to my refrigerator

3:08to follow up on the fact which gruskin is celebrating a birthday, the middle gruskin. Okay. Congratulations, and happy birthday. It's the Pignol Morose Dignia as they say. I always say what's his, well, he has many claims to fame. He's the reason I'll always remember Whitney Osigwe's birthday, April 17th. It just didn't, he's eight days older than Nicholas Gruskin, fun time. You do need a mnemonic device for Whitney Osigwe. How should Kandapi, April 18th, shout out? Yeah, Nicholas Gruskin, the truth is, though, if you stand behind him, him and Yannick Sinner had the same body type. That's the thing. They do. I was behind Yannick Sinner once in a hotel, and I think this is the second street podcast. I've told this because I spoke about this with Gil, and I like, all right, this is a look behind the curtain. If I'm standing behind Nicholas Gruskin, I'm probably grabbing him in a bear hug, and like, I'm not even kidding. This is why it stands out in my head because I'm standing behind this guy, and I'm like, is that Nicholas? Like, am I about to bear hug this guy? Because I think it's Nick. I'm like, dude, that's actually Yannick Sinner, and so it was striking to me, like, how similar

4:10they are. Maybe that helps deepen my understanding of the current world number one. That's why we bring it up on the podcast. Maybe I'm deep in my understanding of your brother, basically, when I know Yannick Sinner shape. And let me tell you, I never thought I was going to make a joke. I think Nicholas Gruskin could use some performance enhancing, or surrounding him right now. He's got to rehab the knee. Okay. The only gruskin we were wondering were we athletic enough to tear an ACL? Turns out the answer is yes. Maybe for a different time. It's good to have you back, DK. I've missed your smiley face. I've obviously gotten to enjoy some of your writing while you haven't been on this show. But of course, it's different when I get to speak to you, and again, we get to have this. I'm a lot meaner in person. I'm going to get the tone. I would say a lot more honest. It's been that. Yeah. I've been very busy talking to my very good friend Madison Keys, who, as everyone knows, I've never had a crossword to say about her tennis, but we've just been talking all the time about our mutual love of Real Housewives.

5:12So it's really, it's the thing that now that I know this about her, she can never retire, because she's the only one on tour that I can talk to about this. Well, I saw an adjacent person then as walking into the national campus, same week as the big 12 conference championships. I saw Bjorn Frattangelo walk in there, and I was like, oh, Bjorn, my old friend. Good to see you. He does not watch Housewives. As I've learned. Good to know. By the way. He finds it too loud. I did see the clip. I like it. If we're going to start a beef, I just think, let me ask you this. Are you partnering with me or Gil? Oh my gosh. So I thought I was already signed up to play with Tony. I see I'm a little bit. But me and Gil would smoke you. So like we guess. Well, no, it wasn't going to be against you and Gil. It was going to be against one of you and Ben, which was going to even the playing field. I mean, for me, as someone who's played a lot of recreational doubles, I fear I would have to go with the taller of you, so I would probably have to go with Gil. We're going to start a rumor that Gil is like six foot four. I think you and I, if we played amongst the three podcast guests, and this is why I'm

6:16starting with this, if it's me and either you or me and Ben versus either you and Gil or you and Ben, all I'm saying is I still talk to everyone of my doubles partners from the past. There's a reason for that. We've had some fun. We've had some success. So I think we're, we would balance the fun and I would like to. I would like to. Asking me who I, and Tony is his name, right, the, the host who brought this up, no disrespect to him that don't want to leave him out of this. I would take the most pleasure out of beating Ben and Gil. So I would really like to partner with you in this, I feel like we would have a better communicative vibe. I feel like sometimes I'll say things to Gil and God love him. He's just like so. Like the bright eyes and I'm like, are you taking what I'm saying? Are you falling in love with me? Are we having a challenger's moment right now? I don't know. I didn't have that, that wouldn't have the problem with you. Gil's going to offer you a commentary on your technique that he believes might help the two of you in that moment, find better success. I'm not going to worry about that. I'm going to worry about devastating critiques in your day and say, DK, we do these three

7:17things. We're smoking their ass. Let's have some fun. Yeah. The vibes will be high. I think it would be most fun if it's me and you versus those two. We'll find a way to make that happen. Since we can't do that today, what we are going to do today is talk about the biggest WTA questions that have emerged from the first four months of this season. Of course, Madrid is underway, Rome is on the horizon, Roland Garros after that. We got a big stretch coming up before we're too deep in that stretch. Some things to address have been lingering on my mind, and I could think of no better person to discuss them than with you, DK. Let's start with the biggest one, and I said this at the start of my show with Gil. I want to refer to the same thing here with you. If this was the tennis barber shop, and you know, you attend this barber shop because this one, great company, great camaraderie, cool environment, fantastic haircuts, and also, the conversations are tennis-centric. That's what they're known for. It's a cool place we all get to hang out. What would be the conversations when we're all shooting the shit, talking about the biggest things on tour? And we'll get to things, Sabelanka, Shviontech, top of the tennis world beyond that, of

8:21course, in our discussion today. But I think number one, very clearly, at the top of the list, is the debate? In who has the higher upside between the two teenagers? And you have two fantastic teenage options, of course, in both 18-year-old Mera and Dreeva and 19-year-old Victoria and Boko. And certainly, this conversation would not have existed one year ago at this time. And one year ago, at this time, it's worth remembering, Ega Shviontech, excuse me. Mera and Dreeva was fresh off of beating both Ega Shviontech and Arena Sabelanka on her way to an Indian Wells title, one of two Indian Wells titles she picked up in the first three months of last season. Since then, she has sustained her spot in the top pent of the WTA rankings. She's sitting right now at sixth in the points race. She's sitting right now at eighth in the rankings. For any 18-year-old to sustain that level for 50 plus weeks consecutively.

9:25That's remarkably impressive. And this is someone who, of course, probably should have made another role on Gero semifinal last year, kind of gave that match away to Lois Blossom. And certainly, it was a little bit unfortunate that she wasn't able to qualify for the two or finals. And, you know, post-Wimbledon things did slow down for her. Nevertheless, there are so many things to celebrate in the game of Mera and Dreeva. And yet, it is undeniable. By coming out of the first four months of this season, Victoria Emboco has joined the chase. And you look at what the 19-year-old has done this season. Emboco, overall, on the year, just again, a remarkably impressive 19 and sixth overall on this season. Again, that's top 10 in total victories this year. You look at where and who she's beaten, obviously, Adelaide Final, week two of this season where she beats keys, gets knocked out by Andreeva. She's really an open beats tossing to make the fourth round fun match with Sabelanka.

10:28Then she makes the Doha final, Beats in Dreeva. Beats were abokin' up before getting knocked out by Mughva, Indian Wells, quarter-final beats in Nisa Mova there, Miami, quarter-final beats in Dreeva again there. The fact that we've got to see these two play three times has maybe been the best rival sub rivalry. I mean, abokin' a Sabelanka is one because of where they've played and what's that meant. But this is on the short list of best rivalries in tennis. We've seen play out in 2026 and again, these are two teenagers who given their success and given what it looks like and the skills that they possess and we can break down those skills in this argument here in a second, it's very easy to see how each of these players will have success, not just this season, but for the next decade plus moving forward. I mean, again, the numbers themselves in Boko, 19 and 6 this season that the losses are twice to Sabelanka, twice to Mughva, once to Andreeva and yes, once to Mertens, but

11:29that's first week of the season. Miriam Dreeva, by the way, 22 and 7 overall on the year. She's sixth and wins. You look at where that success has come and again, who she has beaten this year, but again who is she lost to? You can play the same game. Kostya, Svitalina, Emboko, Anisimova, Emboko, Rabakana, and yes, Indian Wells with Sinyakava was the lowest point you feel like for either of these two players this season. You have a longer track record with Andreeva. Obviously, Emboko's beaten Andreeva the last two times they've played. It's a fascinating debate and I'm not sure there's a right answer right now, DK, which side of the argument do you lean towards? I mean, I have to say a year ago, you're right, it wouldn't have been a debate, but I have to say now, it's also not a debate, but in the opposite direction. And I often bring up figure skating and it's a reason, I have a reason for it. You know, there are two marks in figure skating, there's technical and there's artistic in quotes, but it's really just the reputation mark. And I have to say at the beginning of the year, I would have rated a Mira Andreeva at

12:34like a high eight out of 10, and maybe a low eight, like a high seven for Victoria and Emboko. And now I would have to say it's flipped because to hear all of those stats of Mira Andreeva's year, you would think she's had a great year. And having watched a lot of Mira Andreeva's matches and having watched a lot of her sort of spectacular crash outs, it feels like it's been an awful year. So the fact that she's like six than wins makes me wonder what's going on with seven on down, because like I have seen her really, I've seen her crash out to Emboko in Doha. I was in Doha earlier this year and I think like it's one of those things where like yes, we have more data points from Andreeva, which is like helps her and hurts her because you know what I haven't seen from Emboko? Like multiple disastrous emotional meltdowns that really just, and we have a long track record of that. We saw that back as early as Rowling Garros, 2023, in the, I believe was the third round against Coco Goth, and that was like a winnable match for Andreeva.

13:37Coco was not playing well, and Andreeva felt very much like she was on the ascent, and she had a meltdown that day, and she was like through her racket and almost got defaulted. And you felt like, okay, she's like just turned 16. You give her a minute. She's working with Conchita Martinez, like that she's like, you know, probably one of the best coaches on tour, arguably. And since that, since that lost to Barcelona or everyone in Garros, I feel like it's just been one embarrassing loss after another to the point where like, yes, she won Lins, but it's like, I don't know, like I just, I feel like there's still so much more upside to Emboko, the way that she, not only one candidate will last you, I'm not done yet. And then she won Hong Kong, and then the way she started the year in Doha, like I feel like Emboko to be just has so much more runway, and she's so much more mentally strong. Is my argument? Well, the reason I wanted to pause you is I want to give you plenty of time to articulate all things in Boko, because I do think that's a separate part of the argument. I just wanted to stop you because you made a bunch of Andriva points that I want to follow

14:39up on before we get to the Emboko part. I promise. It's a prisoner of their own track record sort of thing that I get a little frustrated with because the standard for me or Andriva that she gets graded against, which you acknowledged, by the way, is higher than you had for Victoria Emboko. And I just think like blank sheet of paper, you don't know the name. If I present you 22 and seven, 18 years old, 250, 500 title, because that's what Lins was, Australian Open Round of 16, Stuttgart semi-finals with a win over Schviontac, and a win over this Victoria Emboko in week two of the season, like, I'm like, no, I'm like, no, no, no, no, I immediately come back and say my house down, but I don't know. I just, given what we see from Ega the last few months, she's definitely like in a process. I missed you. This is good to have you back. Still a good win. Still a good one. For an 18 year old. I was shocked she won. I'll tell you that. I was surprised that she closed.

15:39For an 18 year old, like, that's a ridiculous one. The point is this, that's a ridiculous season for any 18 year old, who, like you said, by the point race. Again, sixth right now in the points race now again, the Sinyakava loss, it's almost like the golf part of it, where it's just like, and that's why I think the best comparison has always been from Irangriva has been Coco Gough, because the vulnerability is so evident. In the case of Gough, it's the serve, in the case of Andriva, it's the forehand. It's just again, that forehand will break down on her, she'll start slicing it defensively because she's lost confidence in pulling it across court. Obviously, when that starts to fall apart on her, the frustration starts to build mentally, and obviously, I think, I mean, I don't want to compare the two of them as competitors. I don't know how to compare anything. It's so much more emotionally resilient. Well, Coco is a wonderfully generation competitor. Yeah, and it's just like that's where, and I'm not saying Andriva doesn't have that within her, but Gough's had that since she walked down the to the two, whereas a 4-2 year old, that's like, that's why she's Coco Gough.

16:44Put the way Andriva moves, like, this has been my take in the mini break podcast I've recorded is I doubled down, and I was like, everyone who's selling your Andriva stock, I'll buy all of it, because I think Andriva's in store for a massive clay court season. We're just back on a surface where everything makes more sense for her, where she has that much more time on the forehand to get under the ball, to provide depth to the ball, where the physicality, she can still already bring at 18 years old, which separates her from so many, separates her that much more on this surface. And again, the Kerstell win is a top 25 win in Lins, beating that Potapova, which, I mean, the first set from Potapova in that match, I was like, oh, we're back, like, call the boys, we're back. That was a good win. You add up to the Eagle win as well, and certainly didn't get blitzed by Rebecca and that semi-final, like, I just think that the ship has been righted. And the other point you made, which will get us to Emboko, and this is, though, a defense of Andriva, is you're absolutely right.

17:46I don't know what things going wrong for Victoria Emboko looks like. And I will explain why that's a positive for her in a second in this argument. We have more data, so we know what things look like when they go wrong for me or Andriva. And I just don't think that should be held against her in this argument, if that makes sense. Or, to your point, and this is where I don't want to say if I'm right or wrong, so I think it's so fun, if maybe it's just like, well, actually, we're not holding it against her. It's just that Victoria Emboko, I don't know what you're going to attack within her game. Like, that's a credit actually just to Emboko. Yeah, I just feel like we saw the flaw in Andriva's game very early, which is the emotional volatility. We saw that right away. And like, so we didn't need a ton of sample size to see, that was like Andriva's third or fourth, like tournament on tour, where she like has a, has a meltdown in a match that again, she probably could have won against Coco that day. Like, Emboko, it just seems so much emotionally steadier.

18:49She's not as like, like, who would I rather talk to? I would rather talk to Mira. Like Victoria is still so like, she's still so new, I think. And I think she needs to really kind of like ease into this whole, and she's still young. She's the ease into this whole media process. I feel like she's still very closed. And in look, if it's helping her succeed in fair enough, but like, that's its own issue. But like, from a tactical emotional resilience standpoint, I just, the way that Emboko has conducted herself over the last year is like, very impressive to me. And the fact that we're still talking about, like, Potem, I mean, it was like a little dicey today for Andriva against Panna Udvarti, which is not a sentence I should be saying in a debate of who's going to have a better season. If you're struggling in morning, and then like, maybe we give up the ghost a little bit. But yeah, I wouldn't totally give up if I do maybe want to see through Wimbledon, what we're dealing with with Andriva. And maybe if she has a great clay court season, maybe I'll feel differently, but it's just it's been, I have been shocked by how I was in Australia too for this Fiddle in a Lodge, where she was similarly like, that's supposed to be mod, as they say.

19:54The other thing is again, for Emboko, and really again, now she's going to start defending tour level points because she qualified last year on one match before losing in three to goff. She's 49 and 18 during this time. Her debut 52 weeks on tour, that's fucking nuts. I just made eight different quarter finals, seven of them at the tour level, Indian Wells, Miami, obviously, back to back most prominently in this past sunshine swing during this stretch. Again, it's really been her first matches against top 20 opponents. She's 8 and 11 against the top 20. Only two of those wins came in her run to the title in Montreal. So it's not like it all happened there. She's got six different top 10 victories, speaking to Nisimova, Rabakina, Goff, Andriva, of course, prominently twice. And it's also about the tennis, like we talked about it tactically again. Andriva's serve has gotten better and that first serves a weapon for her no doubt about it in a way. It wasn't when she was younger and again, the backhand so good in the corner.

20:55But the thing with Victorium Boko, every time I watch her play, I just feel like she's added a new piece to the equation, like she didn't have the forehand to go shot for shot with Savalanka in that corner when they played in the round of 16 in Australia. And then she did when they played in the quarter finals at Indian Wells. And to see her get just get better at adapting to, okay, this is the pace the best play with. Now I know what that feels like. I can do that as well. And I still don't feel like she's swinging her hardest, like it feels like there's still another gear for her to get to nails out of the backhand corner, comfortable value or good for serve. It's a little flat. Like, do I wish she could do more with it, sure. But it's a 19 year old. And the thing you're saying is I wish she can do more with her serve every 19 year old. You wish could do more with their serve. And most of the ones at this level figure out how to do those things. And I certainly believe she will. I also just don't know the vulnerability. I used to think like, again, overwhelm her through the forehand corner.

21:56That's not really an option anymore. Maybe you can do it with Sabalanka pace. Who the fuck else on tour has Sabalanka pace? Like Rabakana? Okay, but I saw her withstand that and win in Doha. It's just, I just feel like the baseline you're going to have to be to beat Emboco is so fucking good. And for me, Andrea, I can say there's a tactical vulnerability in that forehand wing, regardless of the conditions, regardless of the surface. I think they're both exceptional. And again, I think the best version of Andrea, what she could do out of the backhand corner, what she could do with her serve. Again, when she's playing her forehand high and heavy, it's a really difficult weapon to deal with. She's getting much more comfortable as a volunteer, good on the overhead now. There's a, she's also, by the way, younger than Victorian Boko, which sounds like a stupid thing, but this gets back to like, again, unfair just because she's been around longer. She is still younger. It's a fascinating debate decay. I'm really, even after these first four months, I'm not sure where I lean like, I really

22:58do think Mira and Dreeva is going to have better results than Emboco does on the clay. And Emboco kicks off her clay court season, round of 64 match in Madrid against McNally. I'm excited to see it. I can tell you that as well. Again, I think it's, it's really, I think it's surface dependent. I will take Emboco on hard courts now. I can't wait to see it more on the grass, even though she was, got some wins at Wimbledon last year. But I haven't written off in Dreeva. I still think it's very much an undecided, I mean, of course, they're both still teenagers. But I just don't think like anyone, I guess I just don't find values the wrong word. I just think it's crazy to have a definitive opinion one way or the other. Well, I guess it's just we're all kind of forecasting out. Like if she doesn't have a great clay court season, how much more can this partnership with Conchita Martinez, but Stan is my question. If that thing falls apart, then where does she go, you know, it would have to, it would most likely be a downgrade unless she ends up with like, Fizzett, who's also, when Fizzett

24:02is also like kind of floating around in the ether right now, like she can get him, then that would be good. But if like, she gets dumped by Conchita, and then she ends up kind of having to float around, then like, oh, you know, and then she's, and gradually she's not defending a ton of points for the next, you know, six months after Wimbledon, so maybe she'll have some time to kind of float around, but I don't, I don't know, I just, I just really thought we were past a lot of the emotional volatility and just to see it rear up so many times in the last 10 months, I mean, it was like, it was in Paris, it was a little bit in Wimbledon, it was, you know, in the fall, it was in Australia, it was in Doha, it was in India, like, it just every week, and just like, I can't remember the last time someone's been that, you know, and then in the, in spite of that, racking up a lot of wins, I'm like, that's cool. I mean, how many of them are in Adelaide and Lins? Like, probably half of them, right? Because it's like, oh, she's got 22, and that's, yeah, 10, maybe eight, they might have been four in Adelaide. Okay, so if you take like that out, that's sort of not as impressive to me, but okay,

25:05I mean, second week Australia, again, decent in Miami as well, but yes, I just have my final Stuttgart, like, again, it's a fascinating debate. Let me ask you this. We're back going to exclude it. Who's the next player to reach number one for the first time? Oh, boy. Because these two golf, I mean, golf, who's never been number one, golf, these two are the three names at the top of the list. Like for the first time, so it's okay. And we're back and it would be on the top of that list as well. I mean, Coco is still ranked pretty high, where like, she could, I can see a situation perhaps where she gets on one of her hot streaks at a moment where arena is like defending a lot of points, but it also doesn't, it doesn't have to be this year, could be 2029, could be 2031. Like, who knows? That would be something if we're talking about. I mean, I guess we're also like kind of making more virulent to sneak in in the interim,

26:09but yeah, that's, or Shion, that come back also possible. Well, you said for the first time. Yeah, no, the exactly that's what I'm saying is in this scenario, making room for that as well. Should we born again with her new code? Yeah, I look, it's, that Embokos elevated herself to that level, so credit to, she has been the story of these first four months, the new story, certainly at least if you're talking outside of all things, Arena Sapulanka. And I could have lead with Arena Sapulanka. That's where I'm turning to next, EK, as I moved through the list of questions I want to offer you here today. I have said this on the podcast before, so it's not a novel take. I think this version of Arena Sapulanka is the closest we have seen to peak Serena Williams since peak Serena Williams. And the numbers for Sapulanka since winning the 2024 U.S. Open are just laughably exceptional. You look for Sapulanka now during this stretch. 109 and 16. Let me say that again. 109 and 16. It's a ridiculous number. She's played six different

27:10majors, of course, during this stretch. It's made the finals of five of them. She's won two major titles. You look beyond that. She's made 16 different finals, won 10 different titles and they're all at the biggest events you have on the calendar. She's 43 and 11 against top 20 opponents. She's 28 and eight against top 10 opponents. I mean, again, it's world number one, Hall of Fame, Pantheon. We're talking now, you know, if everyone only gets one entry, here's my best two and a half years. We're in the midst of probably the best two and a half year stretch. And maybe one of the best 10 two and a half year stretches we have seen in WTA 2 or history. As I've said, there's the unequivocal, the peak five that are on their own plane, Serena, Martina, Steffi, Chrissy. And I always have Monica Celis on that tier as well, because it was that good at the start. It's not that, but it's not going on the door of everyone else, the peaks of ending, the peaks of share of pova, the

28:12peaks of Venus. We can have a sabilecha Venus discussion at some point. Here's my question for you, DK, better run, sabilecha from 2024, U.S. Open to now, or Ika Shiontech from the start of her run, where she ripped off, what was it? 37 consecutive matches on her way to a 126 and 17 record between that stretch and the end of 2023. A stretch that saw her, of course, over that time play in seven different majors, when what was it? A total of three major titles, only made three finals, but that is still one more than sabilecha. During that stretch, 17 different finals, 14 different titles. Again, the numbers against the top 20 pretty comparable sabilecha 43 and 11. She's 43 and eight against the top 20 sabilecha. What was it? 28 and eight against the top 10? She's 28 and seven. Very similar numbers is the point I'm trying to make DK. I think we can finally have that conversation of whose

29:13best has been the best of the 2020s, and you can't just unequivocally say Shiontech. Would you go the sabilecha route here, even all the way? Well, if we're saying it's similar numbers, and you listed a lot of numbers, but you assured me that they were similar. They are. I will go with sabilecha, because I think the field is stronger. I do think there's something to be said about the level of schematics dominance and the hardware she was able to achieve, but I think just the field is better, like we're mocking, it's playing better, and as Coco is more consistent, Amanda and Nisimoba, you know, was a big factor. Shiontech still exists. Yes, and Ega is still there, as part of the, the, the, the, the, the, pantheon, the continuum, so to speak, and so like, you know, I, we think of that post-COVID party retirement haze. I mean, like, that is an essential, it's like a pretty essential part of the Shiontech lore is that she became number one when, you know, a player retired, you know, like, and then, you know, she was able to obviously take that mantle and run with it and just be a phenomenally dominant number one. And, you know, did, did a lot of

30:17work to kind of stabilize the top of the women's game at a time where things really would have been calamitous right below it. I mean, they were like a lot of, a lot of movement below number one when Shiontech is kind of holding down the fort for everybody. And so I think there's a lot to be said about what she was able to do for that, but I still don't think we've seen Sabilek as best, which is like kind of scary too. I like, I just think she is, she's so close to being just like shutting out the rest of the, totally shutting out the rest of the field, the way that she's even today in Madrid, you know, against Peyton Stern, just the way that she was able to just pull out clutch games at the end of each set. Yes, it was a little complicated, but just like there was never in doubt that she was going to figure out a way to solve that match. Just someone who plays with such little margin ostensibly should not be winning these sorts of close matches. They're first match on clay of the season against the player who's pretty good on the surface, made back to back fourth rounds in Madrid and Rome before. I was very impressed. I continue to be impressed by Sabilek. So I do think that it's been, she's had the better stretch because

31:18her stretch is not over yet. So many different points I want to hit on. I agree with so much of what you said. And I'm glad you emphasized that Shiontech filled the gap in a such a vulnerable moment because post party, you're right. Like you look at the rest of that field that Contevade reached world number two, named three titles and at Contevade one, not you, DK, but all listening and listening at home. Yeah, exactly. Like, can you name the three biggest? What are the biggest moments in an at Contevade's career? You had a flash of Mugaroza, but not really. Obviously, Andreski wasn't available. You had the Rotaconu moment, which was an electric moment, but it's not like her, Layla Fernandez, set at the top of the tennis world. Sure, you had your Crutch Cove, a spell, your Von Thruce of all the checks, making moves. But again, through it all, the constant was eager when we needed a constant, when we needed a standard to be set. And you said it, the gap between Ega Shiontech and the rest of the field during her run, 22 to 23, it was bigger than the gap between Sapolanka and the rest of the field as good as Arena Sapolanka is now again, three major titles, the 37 match win streak.

32:23It was a joke. What Ega Shiontech was able to do? And you just felt like the rest of the field was helpless if they didn't have, they were lesser than Ega Shiontech. They just did not have a pathway to victory. The way I described this Sapolanka and why I would take it as well over that is there's just in an inevitability to Arena Sapolanka, which does feel like that final piece. It feels like, okay, you might be at for all. You might be at five all. But she's going to find that one extra hold. She's going to blitz that one forehand by you. I continue to say there are the two most underrated pieces of Arena Sapolanka's game is one, the creativity. And in particular to that creativity that shows when she comes forward, she can hit the drop ball. She can hit the swinging ball. She can hit the overhead. She can hit the one on the full stretch. She anticipates really well a testament to her successful doubles roots as she was emerging as someone at the top of the tennis world. The slams came in doubles before they came in singles, folks. And

33:25you do all of that combined with the power combined with again, like, where are those finals coming for her over this last stretch in particular? It's that the finals are at the biggest events, two at Indian Wells, two at Miami, two at the Australian Open, the five in slam finals in six majors. And the other one was a semi-final. Like, she just, if it's a big event, you have to go, she's either winning the title or congratulations, you beat her on your way to the title. That's what it's been now for two years to your point against a field that has features heavy hitters, like a mid-20s, Ega Shvian Tech, in Elena Rabakina, whose best tennis is unequivocally world number one. I would also say, despite the age being over 30 now, give me 2026 Jessica Pagula over 2022. Jessica Pagula, no question about it, 2026 Cocoa Golf, over 2022 Cocoa Golf. Like, the only one you're not going to say that about is 2022, Maria Sockery, I'll take over 2026, but I'll take this version

34:28of the field, of course. I'll take any year, Maria Sikari. And Dreeva, Emboko, Emerging, Moova, is still playing at that same level. Like, the field is better. And a read of an usabalank is best accordingly has had to be better. And it has been. And so even though the gap is smaller because the players are better now, the best required has been better out of arena. So I know that's a non-quantifiable thing, but it's just who she's beating their respective levels, where she's doing it, the power tennis that she can play, the helplessness, the inevitability. That's my thoughts. Final words belong to you, my friend. Yeah, well, I will say it is somewhat quantifiable because the field is stronger and yet, Shabalanka has managed to maintain a two to 3,000 point lead over the rest of the field. I mean, so that's even, that is in and of itself impressive. I wonder how long she'll be able to maintain that kind of dominance, given the fact that she seems to be adopting a Serena Williams style schedule, which seems to be working, you know, she skipped the Middle

35:28East and then won the Sunshine Devil. That is an acceptable excuse for skipping major tournaments. If you're then going to win back to back two of the biggest tournaments of the year, what I've also been impressed by with Shabalanka, how she has been able to win, what I would deem sort of like must win matches and must win tournaments over the last six months, like she had to win the 2025 USO. She kind of had such a good point. And she kind of had to win the BNP part about open over Rybaki. She could not lose like a third straight big final to Elena Rybaki and Rybaki was a point away from doing it. And she wins that tournament and then goes on to win Miami beats Rybaki again, which I almost found almost more impressive because I feel like Shabalanka has been very good at winning these tournaments with her back against the wall, but she's been less good at winning matches that winning big tournaments were like, yeah, that kind of does it matter if you win it or not, but like it'd be good, but like it would like destroy your career. She's been like, had these really dark night of the soul tournaments where she's had to win them and she's won them. And so like, I want to see that energy everywhere else. That's really the only thing

36:32standing between her and just like abject dominance. And we're like, this close to getting there. She's been awesome. Again, we're going to look back. It's going to be the Wikipedia part of the chart. I mean, it's been like four years now, this Wikipedia part of the chart. It's just, if you want to make the case, her best is one of the 10 best we've seen in WTA 2 or history. I don't think it's any long. It's definitely not outlandish to make that claim any longer given how good she's been consecutively here, DK. Yeah, I will also add that like we've not heard a ton about this potential Serena Williams come back. And if we haven't, I have to think it's perhaps because Serena's been watching who's been playing these big finals and maybe seeing less of an opening, you know, for her to win these how, you know, if all of the big big finals this year were Sabelinka, we're back in a Sabelinka, we're back in a Sabelinka golf. Like, yeah, maybe she feels like she could beat Coco, but like, can she beat arena and Atlanta possibly? Can she do it every week? That almost certain. It's a good point to make. Again, the top of the tennis world, I don't think has ever been strong, has ever been stronger than the

37:332020s than this right now in the women's game. And I've said it, like, are you really, do you want to compare it to the late 90s, early 2000s? I don't know if it's all the way there yet, but it's certainly the strongest. It's been, it feels like since then. And so, yes, a lot of fun tennis is happening at the top of the tennis world. And in that spirit DK, as we all prepare for Madrid, Rome, upon us, Roland Garros right around the corner of course, as well. Sabelinka is the favorite. She's the unequivocal world number one. I think this question would have been more fun had her back in a not one stoop guard. So let's put, well, I guess I'm not going to do it by default. Who is the biggest threat to arena, Sabelinka on clay DK? Is it in Atlanta, or back enough fresh up of a stoop guard title that I would remind everyone was indoors, but nevertheless, it's in Atlanta, or back in a who's made second weeks at Roland Garros, who's competed for big titles, certainly at the 1000 level on clay before as well. Do you go with the Kashfiantek, who I would remind all of you? We're still not that far removed from her winning the treble, Madrid,

38:37Rome, Clay, Roland Garros all consecutively. That was 2024 DK was not that long ago. Goff was two matches away last season. As she finals, Madrid, finals, Rome wins Roland Garros. Obviously, there are plenty of other heavy hitters, looming, and Dreeva and Boko would be high on the list. Pogool is playing the best tennis of her career. If these two months were on hard courts and not clay courts, she'd probably be the answer to this question, non-roboc in a selection. Who's the biggest threat DK? The biggest threat to arena, Sabelinka's clay court season is Sabelinka. Oh, I mean, look up what we saw last year. I mean, she should have won Roland Garros last year. People got real mad because obviously, you don't want to say that Coco didn't deserve to win. Obviously, she won, so yes, she deserved to win. But I mean, arena was up for one double break, 40 loved to win that first, and potentially six two. We really got in her own head in her own way about the win and just had a full-on panic attack where she knew this was potentially, at the time, she felt like it was her first big

39:39chance to win the French Open and kind of, you know, facocked it for herself. So I just think that that remains the case. Obviously, there are some really talented players and there's some talented clay court players, but I don't know if like, like, if you're taking the most like talented rival right now, it'd be Robocaine of the most talented clay court players. It'd be like Iga and Coco. I don't know if either of them have that like, have that both combined right now where like, they're both like super informed and really good on clay. So like, that's the question. And like, Robocaine has notoriously been very like allergic, you know, like the European swing and the European spring has not always been very friendly to her and her, her, her, her histamines. So like, I, I'm loafed to say perhaps, or reticent to say that it's abjectly, or if it's anybody, it's probably Robocaine of it, but I just think Sabelink has been her biggest cheerleader and her own worst enemy over the last few years. And so like, I think if she doesn't win Roland Garros, I would be surprised if it was because someone really just took the racket out of her hand. I think

40:40it's, it'll be because Gopher bit another issue popped up like what happened in the final last year. And I hope we don't see that again. That's for sure. So very fair answer to give for those who have forgotten for Robocaine, two quarter finals for her Roland Garros, 21, 24. Obviously, she was opposite of Nika last year in the round of 16 as well. Oh, we remember. She had success. Rome, 2023, Madrid, 2024. She's done well. She took out a couple of times, obviously, included one of the title here. This season, I mean, yeah, look, her power tennis translates when she is healthy, when she is informed, doesn't matter where you're playing. A laner, Robocaine can sting you. And again, you look for a laner, Robocaine, I hear in 2026 and what she's been able to do this season, 25 and five, the losses are Mojava and Boko, Ruzic, Sapelanka, Sapelanka. She's also beaten Sapelanka. She's beaten Shviante. She's beaten Pagula. She's beaten Andrew. She's beaten everyone. Like, on paper, of course, she is the pick. I 20 mentioned the histamines. Like, I forgot that it's allergies season that really will play a role in her story. She withdrew

41:48from RG in 2023 because of like viral. I mean, and then like had bad allergies the following year in Rome. I remember she came to like a media day, like, zooted out. Like, look, she'd taken like a million bedrooms. I just, my thing is once again, it's just so fascinating. We're right back here a year later, which is like all the eyes are on Nika. And Nika really doesn't have many points to defend. I mean, she did make Roland Garros semi finals last year. But this is her surface. And that's like the baseline. Everything was going wrong for her last year. And she still made the semis. And Madrid semis, too. New code. Yeah. Because of the way that that agenda, of course, but new coach, new perspective. Obviously, it's a tough three set loss from a set up against injury. Even Stuttgart, it's a tough like starting point to be at. But her best on this surface, what she can do physically, sliding out of the corners, she has more time now on her forehand. In theory, you just think more time in general to not hit herself out of matches because she knows how her face, there's just more trust inherently in her game on this surface. And there is her rushing through so many different

42:52other surfaces. I mean, again, golf, like who started to find form as she did in Miami. What if she gets hot? That her best might be the best on clay courts right now. And certainly again, she has this thing. No one else has. She beats have a like a and that slam final. I guess we're rocking has that too. I think those are the three clear picks. Obviously, there's going to be a move of a moment. There always is. I mean, she kind of had a moment. What was that lens final photo? Well, I mean, move it just beat golf. Like in Stuttgart, she's something we've seen make a French open final. Like this gets me to my next question. I guess we can roll right into a decay. Most likely to win a major this year. Three players so I think have all been top eight and maybe closer to number four than they've been number eight this season, maybe even higher than that. I should say three than eight. Pagula, Mujava, Svitalina. Who would be your pick and why? Obviously, as a very serious journalist, we don't root for any particular result to happen. But I will say if Alina's Vitalina

43:56were to win a grand slam after all that she's been through, I will, I will cry. I will just be like, I will write the the self-improvement of Alina's Vitalina story the way that she has like, you know, radically changed her game from post-maternity leave to like shape herself into a grand slam champion. I don't think there's a better story in tennis. That said, I mean, I have to say I was in Charleston earlier this month and the way that Jessica Pagula won that title, sort of like baptism by fire, like hitting through like multiple clay quarters who all had her on the ropes. Like there was no reason for there was ever no reason for Pagula to just be like, peace, I'm out, I'm down for one again. You know, like I'm just gonna, you know, pack it in and get ready for Madrid. And she was like, no, I want to win this title. And she won the title and was super dominant in the final. And just was like in a great mood all week, even if she wasn't playing amazingly on the court. That attitude, I feel like does get rewarded. And so I feel like I've never felt as confident in Pagula's ability to win a slam that I had coming out of that week. I just felt like that feels like the kind of player where like, I'm not saying she'll have her destiny

45:01entirely in her own hands. I think something would have to happen to that draw to make that possible. But I do think if there is ever a door open, she would be the one to walk through it. Pagula's losses this year are week one costume. They're the best play in the world. Rebacana, Rebacana, Rebacana. That's it. Like those are the losses. Yeah, she is, she won one of them. But like, yeah, well, she has been on Equipically the third best player in the world. Obviously, yeah, she wins two thousand and does well. But she's been the third best player in the world. I say it again, if this, if we had two more months on hard courts here and weren't switching surfaces, I think she'd knock off a Sapulanka, a Rebacana in one of these events. She's getting closer and closer. She's playing the best tense of her career at 32. She still has a US open ahead of her. I just, I don't see it for Svitalina. Move of us, the one where it gets really interesting because Move of us had an outstanding 2026 season. You look for Carolina Mojoba, who right now your favorite number in DK. She's fifth by Elo Rating, fourth by yearly Elo Rating.

46:02It's 22 and five overall on the season DK. And again, it's like who have you lost to? Sapulanka, Goff, Shvion, Tec Goff, Rebacana. Those are her losses this season. By the way, she got her first win over Coco Goff in Stuttgart. Beats Fitalina there as well, has beaten in Boko. Couple times this season. Be Rebacana and Brisbane Week 1. But week 1, you always take with a grain of salt still, good three set win. The level's been there. The attacking tennis has been there. I'm not going to use the H word because I don't even want to speak it out loud right now, but the H word has been there for her. She's played six months consecutively. We're always happy when we can see that. The H word being health. She has weapons. But so does Pagula. I don't know. It's a good debate. It's a good debate, DK. Yeah, I know. I've seen her do it on multiple surfaces. Clay, I like her attacking tennis should translate to grass courts. That's the versatility, even if you might take Pagula's hard court

47:06success over any singular surface success for either of them. Yeah, I just, I mean, I feel like because you're looking at what's more likely effectively like Pagula winning the US Open or Mocha of a winning Roland Garros. And I feel like there's probably more obstacles. Mocha of a winning Wimbledon. Yeah. And I don't know. She's not just like, yeah, but just because she checks own Wimbledon and things get a little weird there. That's still the one where we have to allow a little breathing room for things to get funky. Like she doesn't just want a Wimbledon final O&L. Anything is possible. I mean, she's played well at Wimbledon. She's also lost her last four first rounds at Wimbledon. Yeah. That's the issue. It's almost one of those where like you play better younger. Also, how healthy has she been? Like the success last, it was like 2024, the Chen Wen years. She wasn't healthy till Parma, which was after Wimbledon. Like last year, she was just coming back from injury right around Wimbledon. This year, she actually, I'm knocking on what, as I say, it has a runway of tournaments to get into grass court form. I feel like it's one of those

48:09like red herring games. She's so athletic and she's like, she can serve in Bali. You feel like, does her like stroke technique really lend it? Is it compact enough to lend itself to grass? I'm less, but she plays flat, plays low. It's the point is, listen, I remember when she beat Pushka in that wonky, donkey like third set tie break or no, it was like, what was it? Like it was that weird scoring format where it had to be like 13 all or something. It was like they were they were cutting the tie break or like a really random like point of the score, but that's the last time I really remember her playing being that efficacious son, grass courts. 26 Fidelina versus 2019's Fidelina, who wins? Oh, 26. I mean, granted, I don't love answering that question on that day where she lost to Anna Bondar, but I think otherwise she's played pretty good this year. I was like, again, I was the way that she like beat Coco Gough in Australia. I was like, that's a shame that did not reward her with something bigger than a grand slam semi final. That felt like something

49:12that should have been at least like, oh, you did that and you made a slam final. It's like, oh, no, you did that and then you had to still play a semi. Oh, fair enough. All right, rapid fire down the home stretch for you here, but I got a couple more questions for you before I let you go. More panic to Emma, Navarro Rodicano. I mean, the thing about Rodicano is that I feel like should you panic? Because it's like, she won a grand slam, you know? It's just sort of like everything else is sort of whatever happens. And you know, she was playing well last summer. You know, like I, I feel like if you're panicking about either of them, which feels like a lot of emotion for Emma Navarro, but like if you're going to panic about her, I guess you could now. It's been, I feel like I was very assured by someone on this podcast of like, Navarro just had like long term staying power because of her game and she's sort of like a really durable tactician and that's not. Well, she's clearly been injured. She has been healthy. I mean, she has played since Austin skipped Miami. Of course, I wonder we are not seeing her here in Madrid either. I mean, she was clearly just not healthy to start the season 4 and 8 overall,

50:16but things that sort of slowly start to fall off a little bit for her last year. The surface has just been an issue for her Faradakano. It's just like, I mean, again, she is Gucci brand Seppi Korda in the sense that it's like, well, when we get them healthy for six weeks straight, you're like, oh, yeah, that's why I get so excited about this tennis player as a talent. The problem is you get them six weeks a year and that's it. And it's like then they're gone. It's like, it's unfortunate. And I say Gucci brand because absolutely the ceiling has been a little bit higher for Radakano. I think looking back, it was like Emma had that really close match against Saba Lincoln Cincinnati. And I was like, she kind of had to win that match. You kind of feel like maybe things would have been a little bit different for her. She at least in the short term, or she had won it. And the fact that she kind of didn't kind of lend itself to like a bit of a reversion and a regression. And the momentum she'd been building up to that point. The big thing is, and you said it, she won a slam. So she should be okay. Navarro, it's just someone who played so many matches to deal with some injury issues like that's a little

51:16concerning just because she played so many matches to build her way to the top. And you just wonder if the wear and tear from that might be it might have accumulated here. But all right. We'll move on to our next one, DK. Most surprising result of the season, some fun nominees in this category for you. Sarah Baylek winning Abu Dhabi didn't see that one happening at the start of February. That was certainly a shocker. The Talia Gibson sunshine swing back to back quarter finals. Top 60 of the WTA rankings now still again under 24 years old. How about Serrana Kirste up playing her best tennis in her final season. And it really starts with her comeback last year. I was there in Cleveland when it really got rolling. But she's been pretty clearly one of the 20 best players in the world for six months now. Didn't see that coming. Eva Yovic's electric January. I think all of us thought highly of the teenager didn't think it was going to be this good, this fast Belinda Benchich being the second best player in the world at United Cup behind only Saplanca who obviously wins Brisbane that week or the third best player in the world

52:17that week. Marta Kostiuk's Brisbane and everything that disappeared since. I think those are six fun nominees, DK. Who's your pick? Well, first of all, I feel like my favorite part of the Talia Gibson rise is the fact that up until that point or at least up until Australia, I thought there was a player named Taylor Gibson where in fact there is one player named Talia Gibson. Taylor Preston. And by the way, I like Taylor Preston's game more, but continue. Love that name. Yeah, really just can't beat it. So like, that's Taylor. I love a fanatic moment, just like I was certain that they were the same person or they were like a fusion of a person. Now learning that they're two people, I am all the better for it. My favorite Taylor. That's good. It's not Taylor. It's Taylor. Oh, no. So it's not Gibson? No, I'll also give a shout out to Serrana Kirste. I feel like I take

53:18some credit for this because she was, she had that moment obviously with Osaka and Australia and we were all kind of asking about it because it had been a slow news day and we were all kind of trying to ask about what happened with Osaka and I like, she'd already answered two questions about it and that she was kind of annoyed and like I kind of misjudged the moment. I was like, oh, just kind of like put a bow on it and like just one more question. She was like super not happy about it. She was like, it was like, did nothing else happen today? And I was like, kind of, it was just like, was this the biggest drama? I was like, I mean, it was pretty dramatic. So since then, she's been playing great. So you're welcome, Serrana. Because I paid it really quickly. First of all, Serrana, I remember when you beat Samantha Stozer at the Australian Open in 2012. So don't talk to me about like someone who's just there for the clicks. Like, I've been on the Serrana, Chris Day of Trames since she beat Yelena Yankovich at 2008, Roland Garros. So like, I know my Serrana, gross day of facts. That said, my winner, I don't know if I'm surprised, but it's certainly my favorite result of the season is the Yovich like explosion because I have loved that game for a very long time. It is girly pop to the max. It's just so aesthetically pleasing

54:21and so to see that kind of tennis succeed, it's very, it's very joy making. I just, I love it. And like, because I remember talking to our mutual friend, Collette Lewis, you know, feeling like that, you know, is she big enough strong enough to kind of hit through some of these players? Because the tennis did kind of remind me a little bit of like a Maria Kiralenko. And the fact she was able to, you know, really barnstorm her way into that Australian Open Quarter Final and continue to play well through the clay. Very pleased. And I just love her like her personality she's like kind of really chill and cool. And she was giving very 90s at the tennis show desk today with like the hair clips at the front of her head. I'm just like, love it. New millennium were you born before the year 2000? No, you weren't. I don't think you were. Love that. Amazing. More of that, please. You might have already had your first job in tennis when she was born because what she was born oh seven. I want to say turns 19 this year. I was a freshman in high school in 2007. There you so you so you claim. No, I'm just kidding. I just have really nice skin.

55:23No lines. Yeah, it's you look good, my friend. You have not aged today in the absence. I mean, the Petschitz United Cup front was like, whoa. I mean, I go with the lefty baila because sure, I would have seen it happening on clay, but on hard courts, Middle East, first week of February, like that was one of my wait, what? Like, who won? What happened to Alexander over in the final? I know. I feel like I was I feel like I was on my way to Doha that week. So like, I was not super plugged into Abu Dhabi. And I remember thinking, I remember seeing Sarah Baylick on the scoreboard and being like, that's a second round match, surely. And not a final. And it was the final. I also, I almost didn't. Instead of most panic, Emma, most panicked E, and then we've gone E Navarro, E Rada, kind of where E Alexander Opho, but I was like, you know, that feels like a stretch. Or E, sweet. Yeah. I think I'm going to go Baylick there. All right, rapid fire for the last three.

56:24Who ends the season right, Tyre? Chinwena Riala. Oh, I mean, probably Chinwena, just because she's got more upside. And she could play pretty well at the, you know, in Doha, but she pushed her back into three sets. I still like, Yalus still so up and down, like she'll have a great day and then she'll have a horrible day or she'll have like multiple horrible, horrible days in a row. So I'm just like, I certainly want as much Yalus success as possible because she is great for Dennis. But I don't know if she will end the season ranked higher than Chinwena unless there's like a situation where they're both like 31 and 32. I do feel like that Chinwena has the potential to get back into the top 20. I just want Chinwena to be healthy. Because on surf when it was right against Saplanka, you saw a taste of it. A five really fun minutes, but the return was very much auspied. Although you watch Chinwena hit a tennis ball and you feel like deeply unsurprised that she's got like chronic injuries. It's a lot. It is a lot. But when it's on, it's really fun to watch. It's a little like peck of a tree. It's the way that peck of a tree at the ball. You're like, of course, you're injured every 10 seconds. Rank these three by projected 20, 26-year-end ranking in

57:27your mind. Nosciva Schneider Tossin. Give me numbers. Where they're ranked to end the year. I feel like Nosciva, what does she like 12 right now? I'm not going to bias you with current rankings. I just want your projections. Yeah, I feel like Nosciva, probably top 12, Towson, top 15, Schneider 18. I feel like it's more consistent than the other two, but she's also had a few pretty spectacular collapses, too, where I've lost faith in her as well. Even if she may a mass amount of enough points to be ranked ahead of them, I don't feel spiritually in my soul that she's a better tennis player than the other two, so I probably would put her third. How old do you think that Nosciva Schneider is? Oh God, I could do this. All right, she was born in... She went to college recently. Oh, she was born in and she was in college.

58:28Right. 2020... No, 2000. She is... 2003? She was born in 2004. Just turned 22. I was close. Yeah, and crisis-right rules, one way you went on this, so we'll accept it. That's a fun thing with Coco Gop. It's like talking about Coco's rivals, or the next generation, and she's still younger than them. It's very weird. She's younger than Claude Tossin, which is a crazy thing to speak out on. End of Boko, I think. No. No, in Boko's 19. No, no, they're like two, three, but they're like two years younger. That's what it is. Yeah, exactly. All right, Boko's 30 years old. I just started business when I was 12. My last one for you, just because this is my gauge of mainstream, and you know what question is coming. Have you watched a lowly tagger? Yeah. I mean, I've seen like a point or two. As I said to you offline, the thing I'm most excited about is her connection to Francescichibone, who we are fast approaching the, I believe, 18th or, no, 16th anniversary of her winning.

59:32Something like that. Rolling Eris in 2010, just like, love her. She should coach everyone. I, she should have a podcast. She should have this podcast. Like, she's great. So more, more Francesca in my life, for sure. Another podcast for you to avoid doing this one instead of, um, that's all I got for you, invitations, and I come. I have not, I was like, looking at my phone recently, I said, I haven't heard from Alex Croscumley, like, what is wrong with him? Are we fighting? Did I like pop off of the group chat, and I like offended him? I don't even remember. I barely even took my college tennis anymore. Never. You could never offend me. That's all I got for you. You got anything else for me? Decay, anything you need to plug? No, I think so. I like to hear. No, that's not true. That's not true. I just, um, I did a one-on-one with Jessica Bacoolo that just came out this week, spoke to her after she went Charleston. I have a few more stories coming out potentially in the next few weeks with Madison Keys, with Bianca Andrescu, with Daniel Collins, who made her fabulous turn from player to commentator. We spoke for, oh God, an hour. Um, and yeah.

1:00:37All right. I like to hear. We'll make sure to check that out again, tennis.com. Always a pleasure to have you, my friend Decay. Appreciate you joining me today. Of course, I always appreciate the efforts for Super Producer Daniel Westoff, making him do some work on a Saturday Decay. I feel like that's quite the job. What sort of job is it? I mean, he does a thing job, but I have, I miss him. We're big brother season, fast approaches. I'm like, I've got beat brother 28 fever. I've been watching Ethan and Mel videos like crazy. I only know what I'm talking about. You're doubling down on big brother. Just again, it'll keep you in Westoff's life. Oh, man. I'm not going to get as crazy as last year. Last year, I was like, I had the live feeds on my TV. Like, I can't say that. That was a little like cuckoo, but like, it was, it was something. No, we no longer live in the same place. I mean, we live near each other for no longer in the same home. A lot less big brother in my life. I won't lie. You don't hear like the bomb. I still hear Terran's voice. I could do, I feel like I could still do a pretty decent impression of him. But yeah, no, I can't say I've watched an episode. I feel like you should revisit last season,

1:01:39because there's one player who does very well named Morgan. I feel like she's very much like, she's like a gamer baddie. And I feel like that's sort of perhaps your vibe. Interesting. That's the vibe I give. If you know what, I feel like we'll lead with that for the next topic. Yeah, for the next podcast, that could be where we follow things up, but a shout out to West off with all that said, for the fantastic David Kane, our super producer, Daniel West off from all of us here at both Cracked Records, and the belief podcast network. I'm your host Alex Graskin, DK. What do we tell all of our listeners? And that's the break. And we will see you all tomorrow. Thanks everyone. Thanks, DK. That's Vitania.