US OPEN CHAMPION Aryna Sabalenka EXCLUSIVE: Transforming Doubt, Pressure & Loss into HUGE Success

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
There have been heart breaking losses for Savalinca this year.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
For all of the emotions, she felt that she must
composed richly deserved women.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Arena Sabalanka, It's for a Grand Slam title and another
US Open shrot.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Copy the number one health and Wellness podcast.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Jay Setty Ja Shetty See One the Only J Shetty.

Speaker 3 (00:32):
Arena Sevelenka. Congratulations. I am so excited to have you here.
I've been looking forward to this for such a long time.
I got to beard the game on Saturday. You are
absolutely incredible. I can't believe we have you here forty
eight hours after you just won this incredible trophy the
US Open Women's Finals. Unbelievable. Congrats and thank you for

(00:54):
doing this.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
Thank you for having me. I think I am more
excited that you have been watching your pots and following
you for for I don't know for how long, so
I'm probably more excited than you.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
That feels really good to me. The fact that you
watch it, it means the world to me. But honestly,
I've been really excited watching you live. There was nothing
like it. The attitude, the personality, the amazing sportsmanship, like
just incredible play. It was fantastic to watch, truly.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Yeah it was. It was a great match, and I'm
really really happy that you enjoyed watching it, and yeah
you had fun.

Speaker 3 (01:28):
How does it feel when you're winning Grand Slam after
Grand Slam? This is the second time you've won the
US Open in a row. Does it feel different from
the first time? Does it feel the same? Like what
goes through your mind and heart?

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Like every time you win the Grand Slam? Every time
is an incredible feeling, and every time it's just you
feel like the biggest thing that happened to you. And
I feel like it all depends on the situation in
life and stuff, because this isn't I struggle a lot,
So I feel like this time it feels like like
it happened for the first time. You know, it's like

(02:00):
my first Grand Slam, So it's it's a big moment.
And I felt like relief after after getting this this beauty.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
Actually, thank you for bringing here. This is this is
the first trophy everyone on purpose, So this is a special.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
The first one.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
What were you what were you struggling with this year?
Like when you say like I was struggling this year,
That's why it feels like a relief. What were you
struggling with? Like, what were you going to?

Speaker 1 (02:25):
Yeah, I mean I played earlier in the season. I
played two Grand Slam finals in Australia and in Paris,
and I lost those two finals, and I like they
consider me favorite, so I kind of like, you know,
I thought that I felt like, Okay, it's coming my way.
I was so excited, but then I would lose in
the final and I was sort of like really sad

(02:47):
and like it was really tough to go through those
stuff lessons, stuff losses and and getting this this trophy
means a lot and means that I learned the lesson
and became a better player. I have better control over
my emotions, and I'm super happy that I was able
to win this trophy.

Speaker 3 (03:03):
Obviously, you just won, and we'll talk about that. I
want to know what do you do when you lose?
Because losing is so much harder, It hurts so much
more painful, it hurts so deeply. What do you do
Do you analyze the game? Do you feel angry? Like
what are the emotions that you go through when you've
lost the game, lost the final.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
The final? You know, I think it's all about like
losing in the final, it hurts more because you know
you're getting so close to your dream and then it's
like it feels like it's sort of like slips away,
if I can say like that. So you're really depressed,
and me personally, I want to leave the place as
soon as possible, just so I like forget it. But

(03:43):
then I need like some time to sit back, to analyze,
to like you know, to actually learn the lessons. So
it takes some time to possess the losses.

Speaker 3 (03:54):
How long before you can watch the game back when
you've lost.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
I have to be honest, I never want my like
finals that I lost. I let my team do that
and bring me on the plate. Okay, you like you
did this, this and this wrong. I know, like mentally
emotionally what I did wrong and where I made the
mistake in like the way I approached the final or
what was my mindset. I know this part, but like

(04:20):
the tennis part, I let my team figure. Then they
bring it, they tell me, I remember because I don't
want to watch it. I don't want to see myself.
They're losing, and of course, like the finals that I
lost earlier this season, I was like not behaving my
best and I had seen myself being not not the
kindest person, so I never watched my.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yeah, that's really interesting. I also imagine when you're watching
yourself back, it can kind of make you repeat that
behavior sometimes as well. Like it's like if you if
you watch something closely enough, you almost like you keep
pushing the wound. It's like you keep pressing all this. Yes,
so if that makes sense.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
Exactly, you just want to learn it, you know, like
make sure that it's never going to happen again and
forget it like like a nightmare. Because yeah, I feel
like watching it back it just triggered that you know,
that that pain and something that you wanted to forget badly.
So I feel like, for me, for for my mental health,
is better not to watch it.

Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yeah, who's the first person after you win or lose
that you want to talk to, that you want to hug,
that you want to call? Like?

Speaker 1 (05:26):
Whose is the I run to my team straight away.
I run to my team because I know the work
they put it in for this win. So I ran
there and I hug my boyfriend first of course, then
my team, and because I know how much of a
work they've done to to make sure that I'm able

(05:47):
to compete on such higher level. And then and then
I message my family.

Speaker 3 (05:51):
Nice, yeah, let me talk to me about We would
just talking about this offline. You were just saying, you know,
this morning, you're on the Today Show. I'm sure you
have a million interviews to today. It's been forty eight
hours since you've won. But like people forget that these
tournaments are played in like these really tight time frames,
like this was two weeks right us open, Yeah, it's
really intense. You're playing all these games, multiple sets, really challenging,

(06:16):
Like the pressure is all compressed into this short timeline.
Like talk to us about the preparation as a team,
as an individual for the intensity of the two weeks
that the games are being played in.

Speaker 1 (06:28):
Well, yeah, I mean we also have tournaments that leads
to the Grand Slam, and then you have like a
week before the Grand Slam where you come to the
place where you're going to compete and you practice training.
But also you have a lot of like brands, dinners,

(06:48):
like meetings, some interviews as well, So people doesn't know
that before the Grand Slam there is like a week,
really busy week full of meetings and this this kind
of stuff which is also not easy to handle, and
also your training during that period and then the tournament

(07:09):
starts and there is another pressure which you deal with.
But the preparation it's all about, you know. Of course,
physically there is like tennis, there's gem, there's fitness, all
of this stuff, but also mentally you're preparing yourself for
like really tough two weeks, two weeks of great tennis
hopefully because you never know, but also two weeks of fighting,

(07:29):
like fighting for your dream. And like mentally you have
this constant conversation in your head like you're gonna do that.
You're capable of it, You're strong enough, so you like, really,
I feel like if someone would hear like my conversation
in my head throughout like this three weeks period, they
would think that, Okay, this is something like something wrong

(07:50):
with this person because it's constant conversation.

Speaker 3 (07:53):
Talk to us about that self talk, because I think
we forget Yeah, right now, we're all so obsessed with
the conversation online. Yeah, we're looking at what Twitter is saying,
excess saying, we're looking at what media social media, and
then you forget that the real conversation is happening inside
the champions head exactly. Yeah, walk us through what that
conversation looks like, Like what are the ups and downs,

(08:14):
what are the shifts in that in a dialogue?

Speaker 1 (08:17):
Well, I mean, I think it's absolutely normal to feel
nervous before big tournaments. And I think that every athlete
feel nervous, every athlete adapting his I don't know ability
will he be able to do that again, or like
how it's going to go, because you never know, like
support is such a beautiful thing that you go out

(08:38):
there and you don't know how it's gonna feel, will
the will the game works, like will will you feel
great or beat? Or what you'll have to deal with
because you know, people look from the outside and that
doesn't doesn't know. For example, I don't feel myself like
I don't like I feel uncomfortable doing something on court,
and I have to deal with that. So before the tournament,

(08:58):
I prepare myself that I am ready to handle anything.
Like I'm just talking that it's normal. I'm just trying
to kind of like settle those those like thoughts in
my head, not by trying to like make them go away,
because I feel like the moment when you try to
make things go away. They actually like growing more and
it's it's like more and it's not easy to handle.

(09:22):
So I'm just trying to tell myself it's okay to
feel that, it's okay to think that it's absolutely okay.
Everyone thinks that it's all about you going out there
and fighting no matter what, and like constantly having this
conversation in your head throughout two weeks. It's tough. Yeah,
it's tough, but I kind of like love it.

Speaker 3 (09:41):
Yeah, yeah, you've learned to enjoy it.

Speaker 1 (09:44):
No, I'm just so grateful to have opportunity to experience that.
Of all of that, not everyone have this opportunity in life,
So I'm just so grateful. And I big opportunities is
also like big responsibility, big pressure, but not everyone have
that opportunity, so you've got to be grateful for that.

Speaker 3 (10:05):
Yeah, that's beautiful. You reminded me of that famous quote
that says what you resist persists, the idea that if
you're trying to get rid of a thought or trying
to get rid of a feeling, it just expands and
it takes up more space and as soon as you
accept it, yeah, you're fine. When you reject it, it just
gets bigger, it gets hard about the rejection.

Speaker 1 (10:24):
That's not the cue.

Speaker 3 (10:25):
Absolutely when you accept that. Of course, of course it's
natural to feel nervous. Of course everyone's feeling uncomfortable, everyone's
feeling stressed out. All of a sudden, it kind of
calms you. Whereas when you think that, oh, I'm the
only one. Yeah, everyone else looks so calm and confident,
but I'm stressed out. That's why we all get.

Speaker 1 (10:43):
I think that was my my main mistake. When I
was just like starting playing tennis, I said that I'm
the only one who feel that, and I would focus
too much on that, so I would forget about like
my opponent and I would struggle a lot at the
beginning of my career. But then the moment when I realized,
like and I that everyone experienced that, and I started

(11:04):
seeing that in my opponent, and I was like, Okay,
then it's normal. Then we're both in the same situation.
We're both dealing with the same things, and it's all
about who's going to do that better. So it's actually
like a trick. I feel like, like my trick, like
just accept it.

Speaker 3 (11:20):
Yeah, what what's the what's the hardest thing about being
a champion, about being number one for you.

Speaker 1 (11:27):
I don't know, I don't know it's hard. I mean
I think there is nothing like when you call someone
like champion, when you hear the champions, like, how can
I actually complain about it? And you think like if
you're like if you want like a trophy, like there
is nothing to complain about.

Speaker 3 (11:44):
Yeah. Yeah. I loved when you came out after you've
won and you had the champagne bottle you had that.
I was like, I was like that sponsor must be
really happier in it. Like I was like, that was
like the best reaction ever. I shouldn't care with with
the tequila sponsor.

Speaker 1 (12:02):
Champagne. But you know, you got to celebrate it. You
got to enjoy it because you know, the hard work
is done. Now it's time to you know, celebrate it.

Speaker 2 (12:13):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (12:13):
Yeah, I was thinking. I was thinking about the moment.
I don't know if you remember that tournament where Ronaldo
hit the Coca cola and he put the water up.
Did you ever see that interview? So this is a
press conference a few years ago and it was Christiano
Ronaldo football, OK, and they'd put Coca Cola in front
of him and he put it away and he said,
drink water, don't drink Coca cola, and Coca Cola stock

(12:34):
price went down that day, Like it was crazy. Sounds
like you just took my way. Champagne's like stock price
must have like gone up.

Speaker 1 (12:40):
And probably need to check it out.

Speaker 3 (12:43):
Yeah, the ski goggles too.

Speaker 1 (12:44):
I was like, it was so funny. I didn't know
that I'm gonna look that funny.

Speaker 3 (12:48):
Look great.

Speaker 1 (12:49):
It came straight from the locker room where they spread
like I don't know how much a bottle of champagne
on me it was. It was. It was a fun moment.

Speaker 3 (12:57):
I think, celebrate, you know what. I was so happy
to hear you say I want to celebrate on a
fun because I think we forget and sometimes you need
to see the number one person in the world say
I need to celebrate, because I think this applies to
everyone wherever you are at your stage in life. We
don't celebrate any milestones, yes, and then when you don't

(13:17):
see the people at the top celebrate, you kind of think, oh, well,
what what permission do I have to celebrate? So I
feel like you gave everyone permission to say, you know what,
it's Okay, well you have to exactly.

Speaker 1 (13:27):
You have to celebrate absolutely, especially when you in my case,
like losing the finals, losing some tough matches, dealing with
some struggles. You know, when you finally able to win
something big for you, I think it's important to celebrate
that moment because you never know when this moment gonna

(13:47):
gonna happen again, So you have to celebrate. It doesn't
matter in which industry in life you are, whatever achievement
you achieve, like you have to go and just have
a little moment for yourself.

Speaker 3 (13:58):
Yeah, do you do? You take a moment yourself as
well to celebrate on your own, Like what does that
look like? What does that personal celebration look like?

Speaker 1 (14:05):
I usually celebrate with my team, with the people around me,
because you know, it's not like it was done only
by me. You know, I've done it with the help
of people. So I feel like it's it's not only
mine trophy, it's our trophy. But my celebration is like
one again in my head, I just tell myself, Okay,
I'm proud to be able to handle have this trophy.

Speaker 3 (14:28):
Yeah, I think it's important to have that inner celebration
as well. Yeah, because I love that you just said that,
I sit down and I'm proud to have this trophy.
Like I feel like we're constantly looking for validation outside
and when you win something like this, of course, the
whole world that loves tennis and loves you is validating you,
which is a beautiful feeling, of course. But I love
that you said that, you actually sit there and say

(14:50):
I'm proud of this trophy for myself because I feel
like that inner validation is something no one can take
away from you and something that stays with you long after.

Speaker 1 (14:58):
Yeah, because like only I know, like what I had
to go through, how tough it was, and how it
all started, and you know, like this is important to
you know, appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (15:11):
Yeah, it's beautiful. I want to go back, are in
it because I feel like I was watching a lot
of your interviews when I was preparing for this, and
I know we've been messaging for a while on Instagram too.
I was thinking about it. I was like, I actually
don't think a lot of people know your journey and
know your story that deeply. I think people know a
little bit here and there, but on on purpose, that's
what we like to do. We love to know how
people found their purpose became yeah, became who they were.

(15:34):
And so I wanted to ask you, like, what is
a childhood memory that you have or a memory that
you can recall that you feel defines who you are today,
that has impacted the person that you are today.

Speaker 1 (15:47):
You know, I have so many great memories, but I
remember watching my dad being really like funny guy, the
guy who would just you know, make everyone feel happy
and smile and would I remember I would just look
at him and think, oh my god, I want to
become this kind of person, being like just like a
positive person, like the person who brings like positive pipes

(16:09):
everywhere she goes. So I think that's why I'm like,
quite I have this quite funny personality.

Speaker 3 (16:16):
Is that where that playfulness comes from?

Speaker 1 (16:18):
Uh?

Speaker 3 (16:18):
Yeah, watching your dad?

Speaker 1 (16:20):
Yeah yeah? And another story. But this story it's not
like I remember that, but I think it's perfectly shows
my personality. When I was a kid and someone came
to me because I was grunting while hitting the ball,
and someone came to me calling me Sharapova, and I
looked at the person saying like, no, I'm future sabal Anka.
I was a kid, I was like what nine or

(16:42):
ten and saying that I was just like when my
mom told me the story, I kind of like was
proud of myself.

Speaker 3 (16:51):
I love it. And to me, it's all your even
when I was watching on Saturday. To me, it's all
your micro expressions, Like you just have this face that
can just like make so many different angles and faces
and I'm like just watching you. Just I was telling
you about a moment earlier. Ananda played an amazing shot
the other day and you just like turned around, You're
like clapping it on the side, and I was like,

(17:12):
it was a great shot, it was a great show,
It was amazing. Just it's all these micro things. But
you're saying your dad inspired all of this, Like.

Speaker 1 (17:19):
That my personality, I think hundred percent comes from my dad.

Speaker 3 (17:23):
And he was also the one who introduced you to tennis.
Is yeah, yeah, yeah, walk me through that. How did
he discover tennis? How did he introduce it to you?

Speaker 1 (17:30):
It's actually by not like accident, but he was just
like trying to find some activity for me because I
was very active kid, and he wanted me to be
busy and to do stuff, and he was trying to
find a sport for me, and he was just like
passing by the tennis court. He was like, well, why
not just try it? So I tried it and I
loved it, and that's how it started.

Speaker 3 (17:51):
That's crazy. Was he good at tennis? No?

Speaker 1 (17:54):
No, No, he used to play ice hockey, but then
he had bi crash so he was afraid to come
back in sport.

Speaker 3 (18:00):
Oh wow. So yeah, it was quite a bad injury there.

Speaker 1 (18:03):
It was a very bad injury. He barely survived when
he was eighteen or nineteen, so and since then he
didn't want to come back to sport because he was
afraid that it will affect his health.

Speaker 3 (18:14):
Did he do anything to help you feel confident about
tennis or what was that relationship like? Because I heard
in another interview you said you said it was quite
funny that you didn't actually think you got good at
tennis until you were like sixteen seventeen years old, And
so that's a long time. If you started playing tennis
quite early and you only felt really good at sixteen seventeen,
what was happening between that age when you started playing and.

Speaker 1 (18:36):
No, but I was I was pretty good. I was
been in these local tournaments all the time. I was
pretty good. And my dad would always just say, just
as long as you just go out there and you
fight and you give your your best, you're good. He
didn't care like if I win a loose, so he
was like a really great supporter. But I realized at
sixteen seventeen that it can be maybe good, like internationally,

(18:57):
you know, like going for those Back then, I was
like ten thousand event like a woman's sport, you know,
like w T. It started like actually, I think it
was like ITF or something like, because I started from
like ten thousan twenty five fifty one hundreds, so like
slowly made my way to WT eight tennis. So yeah,
back then, I thought like maybe maybe I can be

(19:19):
good when you compare yourself to like other ATHLETs. So
that's why I probably are.

Speaker 3 (19:24):
Who did you grow up watching? Who are the people
that you admired? Because you already said you're like, no,
I'm going to be future Sevlenka. You know.

Speaker 1 (19:30):
It's so funny because I think back then it wasn't
that much of a social media, so I didn't have
like like an iPhone, you know, to go to Instagram
and watch other ATHLETs, and I was just like I
was training. The whole I was going to school, I
was training, and then I was just like having fun
with my friends outside. So I was never like watching

(19:52):
TV or any internet much. So I didn't really look
up to someone, you know, like of course I've seen
like Serena the Mina eating like there and there, so
when I was like thinking, like I wish I could
become like her one day, you know, so, but no,
I wasn't like really looking up to someone. And like

(20:12):
this question question makes me feel really terrible as a person,
Like I feel like everyone have their like idle someone
they look up to, and I never have someone. But
I think the answer is just like because we didn't
have that social media, we didn't have like something that
you just grew up and you look and okay and
you see this this life.

Speaker 3 (20:31):
No, I mean I didn't. I didn't want to make
you feel bad by asking you I was.

Speaker 1 (20:35):
You didn't make me bad.

Speaker 3 (20:36):
I don't know. And I almost think there's something beautiful
about it, because I think sometimes sometimes watching people can
inspire us, but sometimes not having that can actually help
you find yourself, like not having acts even I mean
when I was growing up, I'm ten years older than
you but when I was growing up, I was reading
books about people because I couldn't follow them on social

(20:57):
media either. So I read David Beckham's autoiography when I
was like sixteen seventeen years old, and then I read
Steve Jobs's biography much later, and so I was reading
about people that I was fascinated by at a young age,
but I didn't get to watch clips of them or
whatever else it may be. And I think there's something
beautiful about that, because then you get to define who
you are, and sometimes you can get caught comparing yourself

(21:19):
to people. I think social media has made it so
hard for young athletes or young anyone. Yeah, you're looking
at everyone again. I wish I was more like that.
I wish I looked like that. I wish I had
that game, you know, And so it's kind of nice
to not have that. Actually, sometimes because you're free.

Speaker 1 (21:33):
It's a good and a bad thing at the same time, right, Like,
you see more stuff, you learn more, but at the
same time, you can compare yourself to people and then
feel better about yourself for some reason. So it's like
it can bring like really strong consecureence in you. So
I don't know, I think it's important to find something
that you'll laugh, you truly laugh, not like because you
see like a social media posts and you think, oh,

(21:54):
I want to live that life, But do you really?
You know, you have to find something that you'll love.
And I think if you do what you love and
your passion, and you dedicate your life to that and
you do everything you can to become successful in any area,
I think that's that's the way to go, you know.

Speaker 3 (22:12):
Boll said, Yeah, absolutely. I feel like it's so because
winning the trophy is one percent of your life. The
other ninety nine percent is what we don't see. We're
just seeing the two weeks at the tournaments or whatever
it may be.

Speaker 1 (22:25):
It's the whole life.

Speaker 3 (22:26):
It's the waking up, it's the walk me through your
morning routine, Like, what does your routine look like? How
do you set yourself.

Speaker 1 (22:32):
Up during the tournament?

Speaker 3 (22:34):
Do me a game day and a non game day?

Speaker 1 (22:36):
Well, the game day depends on the match once again,
but I like to sleep in. I need to have
a good recovery. But then I take it easy. If
it's like an evening match, I take it easy. I
do like some my ability in the gym, like to
wake me up. I mean, of course, breakfast before lunch.
Then I go on side, I do my warm up again,

(22:56):
I do tennis hit, and then there's a much game.
And when it's not much day, then it's like even
a longer sleep. Later, wake up and easy start a
little bit of aheat and then it's a treatment recovery process,
and then it's a dinner. I love to go out

(23:16):
for dinners.

Speaker 3 (23:17):
Nice. Did I read somewhere that you meditate as well
or I've tried before. Do you practice any sort of
meditation or work with the sports psychologist as well.

Speaker 1 (23:24):
I worked with the sports psychologist for four or five years.
We did some sort of meditation. We did. Yeah, we
did a lot of things at the beginning of my career.
But then, you know what, I found that I was
relying on her so much. She was a woman. I
was relying on her so much, so I was expect

(23:47):
expecting her to fix my problems, like my emotions so
and I was like repeating the same mistake over and
over again, and I was like getting upset about that.
So at some point I decided, Okay, I have to
take responsibility over my actions, and I stopped working with psychologists.
And that was the moment when I start like learning

(24:10):
about myself, when I actually understood myself better and I
start to control my emotions much better, and I felt
like more balanced when I like took that responsibility. So
it was I think for me personally it was it
was a great move. But you never know, like maybe
one day I'm going to come back to get back

(24:32):
to psychology, meditation on all of that stuff.

Speaker 3 (24:36):
I think that's the right process. Though, with anything, I
feel like it's learned, learn, and then you have to
go lead yourself and it's learned and then lead yourself.
And I think the challenges if you constantly remain a student,
then you always dependent, and I think anything we become
dependent on controls us and then we're subject to how
good we feel that day. But when you learn something
and then you go and try it and you practice

(24:58):
it and you apply it, then you get to see
whether you act actually internalized there. And so I think
that is a good process. I feel like for anyone
who's practicing any sort of coaching, therapy, psychology, it's great
to be able to learn and then go test all
the stuff in the real world and and then see
where it goes back rather than keep it there forever,
because then you're almost someone's holding your hand the whole time,

(25:20):
and then you keep holding tire and tire entire.

Speaker 1 (25:22):
Yeah, it's good to like, you know, go back and forth,
like work with psychologists, but then go out there and
and try to figure it by your by yourself, and
then the moment you feel like you need to talk
to someone and you need to find some yeah, some
some answers. So yeah, it's it's a it's always a
learning process, right, Like, as long as it's good for you,

(25:44):
it's great.

Speaker 3 (26:01):
How would the people that know you beyond tennis personally,
deeply intimately, how would they describe you? What would they
say about you?

Speaker 1 (26:09):
Oh, I don't like to talk about myself, but I
feel like they would. They would say that I'm very kind,
funny of course, and very generous, and I think, I mean, yeah,
I think that's that's how they would describe me. I mean,
that's what I.

Speaker 3 (26:23):
Hope they're gonna.

Speaker 1 (26:26):
Maybe they're gonna just say, okay, you know what, just
just crazy, that'll just stay away. Who knows, but that's
that's my hopes.

Speaker 3 (26:34):
Funny kind of generous is a good is a good
good three. I like this.

Speaker 1 (26:39):
I see myself, but reaps it's just different.

Speaker 3 (26:42):
We'll check after it. As to ask a few people,
how much does your life off the court, in your
personal life impact your life on the court.

Speaker 1 (26:52):
Well, I think anyway, everything it's you know, kind of
like works together. So but I think it's all about
like balancing you're of the court and on the court
live because I feel like on the court, I'm like
really aggressive, I'm so focused. I'm like I'm just chasing
my dreams. So I feel like people who doesn't know me,
they can they can say that I'm super crazy person

(27:15):
and super aggressive on another court, but it's not who
I am. I feel like off the court, I'm more
fun and I love to have fun. And you know,
you have to balance, you have to like put the
hard work in, but also you have to go and
and and enjoy and do things that brings you brings
you joy. Because then when you feel feel balanced and

(27:36):
feel like you're enjoying your life, then you you're you're
able to go there and to you know, bring everything
you have and to fight and to to be focused.

Speaker 3 (27:46):
Yeah, I feel I feel Tennis has done so much.
Hopefully to start leveling the playing field with men and women.
Have you ever felt that divide personally while playing? Like
do you feel the pressure that everyone in the media
puts on the spots, like you know, men and women
are not equal, there's this challenge like have you felt
that or do you feel that? Doesn't really cross your mind?

(28:06):
How do you process that.

Speaker 1 (28:08):
I'm trying not to focus on that because I just
try to represent women's for the best way possible. And
of course we're all fighting for equal price, money and everything.
But also at the end of the day, it's all
about who brings them, who brings the show, who brings
people into the sport. But I think like now the
price money is equal, everything is getting closer and closer

(28:32):
between man and women. So I of course I love it,
and that's what women athletes are fighting for. Thank you
billaging King for you know, fighting for us. I agree
that we deserve to be paid the same. Of course,
like the level is different just because of the physical abilities,
but the work that we're putting is it's equal to

(28:52):
the work that they putting. Of course the level can
be different, but it just it's live. That's that's men
meant to be stronger than women.

Speaker 3 (29:02):
So yeah, but it's interesting to hear that you don't
think about it, because I think that's because I guess
you've just got to focus on playing the game.

Speaker 1 (29:09):
Yeah, you cannot, you know, focus on many things. You
just got to focus on yourself and bring the best
best of you and uh, and of course try to
fight for having like equal price money to be like
closer to what man's are earning and and and that stuff.

(29:32):
And I think like actually lately like women's tennis, especially
tennis women tennis, it's more fun to watch like more
people coming, like attending, people speak more about that. Maybe
it's like fashion related because it's such a fashionable sport
right now, but I feel like we are getting really
close to men.

Speaker 3 (29:52):
Yeah. Yeah, I think it's been brilliant. I think the
sport's done a great job at trying to make Billy
jin king as you said, Yeah, such a reason for that.
It's been amazing. So it's incredible talk to us about
the fashion because you're as soon as you put your
like outfit on that then you put the silver jacket
on and like I was like, is like going for it?
Like how much how much fun do you get? To

(30:13):
have with all of that.

Speaker 1 (30:14):
I love it, you know, I love fashion. I love
you know, I love experimenting with the with the with
my looks and stuff. And for me, it's important, you know,
to look good on court to feel good about myself.
So I love that. I think it's all about, you know,
having fun with it and bringing fashion into tennis. I
think it's also going to help to explore our sport more.

(30:37):
So I'm enjoying this.

Speaker 3 (30:38):
Yeah, yeah, you see it in sports like I feel
like basketball, especially in America, like all the basketball players
very fashionable. Like it kind of creates it brings sports
and culture together quite a lot. How do you find
your inspiration for your looks? Like is it just something
you like the look of? Like how do you kind
of go about picking colors, silhouettes everything else.

Speaker 1 (30:57):
Well, I started to work with the Carla Welch, the stylist.
She's the best, and she teached me a lot about
you know, how to mix stuff together, which colors works
better for me. So she teached me a lot. And
I follow a lot of like queshion influencers just to
like see how they dressed up. And sometimes I find
the inspiration. I ordered a lot of stuff, and you know,

(31:20):
I'm like, I cannot stop shopping. That's my that's my weakness.

Speaker 3 (31:26):
Yes, yeah, there was a click that I saw where
it's like as soon as after the game, the first
thing that went on was the ap. It went on
straight after the game.

Speaker 1 (31:34):
You know, you gotta take care of the fashion stuff
of the game.

Speaker 3 (31:39):
Quess on part of the game. I love it, will
you will you crush A crush when I think. One
of the things that I love talking to about with
successful people, champions who've been through it is like defining
moments in their life. You know, I feel like defining
moments in every human's life are just it either propels
you forward or it can, you know, slow you down
or break it down. And for you, I feel like

(31:59):
one of the one. Just losing your father like that
is for anyone, losing a parent is such a huge
part of the journey. For you, it's critical to your
journey because it's the person who gave you what in
love walk us through that moment in time.

Speaker 1 (32:15):
Well, I hope I'm not gonna start crying right now,
but it was it was unexpectable. It just happened like this,
and uh, it was It was a tough moment because
I was so close to him. The reason is because
we have similar personalities and we understood each other much better.

(32:37):
He knew what to tell me when I was like
struggling on court. You know, I would just call him
and he would just say a couple of things and
I would be like, oh, that makes sense. So losing
him was it was a tough moment. But you know,
instead of like really going depressed, I just decided to

(33:01):
take it as you know, like he's like here with me,
He's in my heart, in my memory. He raised me.
I feel like the best way possible. Thanks thanks to
him for you know, like I feel like I'm the
champion right now because of because of him, and I
know that he's here with me. He you know, he
supports me, He takes care of me, he protects me.

Speaker 3 (33:24):
And yeah, I.

Speaker 1 (33:25):
Took it as as a metiation to put the family
name in the history and thanks to him.

Speaker 3 (33:30):
Yeah, how did you a grieve at the time, Like,
what was useful to you? Because I feel losing someone's
always hard and there's no perfect way to grieve. But
what worked for you? What did you have to do
in order to process that?

Speaker 1 (33:42):
Well, I had to stay really strong because yeah, my
mom was she it was tough for her to handle.
So the young woman to lose her husband that she loved,
it was tough. So how to stay really strong and
not really strong my emotions. But I was crying a
lot back then when no one's saw me. But the

(34:02):
best way for me was to go on court and
practice and train. It was the only time when I
wouldn't think, you know, like the beginning of the practice
till the end, I was just focusing on like tennis,
like hitting does like balls, repetition after repetition, and then
the moment the practice was top, I would like constantly thinking,
like remembering like something from the past, start crying harder.

(34:26):
That was the best way for me to go through
it is like go out and practice and practice and practice.

Speaker 3 (34:32):
Yeah I feel like, yeah, I feel like you just
break down straight after, because I mean, I'm surprised you
could even focus during the practice. That's impressive because.

Speaker 1 (34:40):
There was Yeah, I don't know how. Actually I just
figured that I went on court, start practicing. I realized that, Okay,
this is the moment when I'm not thinking about that,
and I was training.

Speaker 3 (34:50):
A lot you're trying to like channel it all into.

Speaker 1 (34:54):
Yeah, like just let it, like go, let it go,
because it's nothing you can do about you know. I
feel like in life there is like birth love, and
that's something that you have zero control on. So I
was like, it was his journey. I was grateful that
I was able to spend twenty one years with him,

(35:15):
and yeah, I know that he's protecting me.

Speaker 3 (35:20):
That's so beautiful. Thank you for sharing that. That's so
beautiful to hear about. My wife recently lost her grandmother
and I always say to people that my like my
wife's I don't even come close. My wife's favorite person
in the world is her grandmother, and her grandma's ninety one.
She lived an amazing life. But losing someone that close
to you that's raised you that you have all these

(35:41):
memories with, it's never easy. And you know, my wife
was by her bedside for four months every day before
she passed away, like sleeping in hospital and together with
her and just you know, it was beautiful for me
to watch just that love, that connection. Yeah, that connection
and that level of love and that level of and
I love what you said now about how birth, love

(36:02):
and death are the only things that are guaranteed, And
it's how do you how do you think about love?
Like what your views on love? I'm intrigued as seeing
as you brought those three important things.

Speaker 1 (36:14):
I think love is something that you cannot really explain, right.
You just you just feel complete with the person, right,
You just feel comfortable. You you're not adopting anything, You're
having fun. You love everything about the person good and
because everyone have good and bad parts, right, So you
love everything And I think that's something that gives you

(36:38):
that feeling that I don't know that like that warm
in your heart?

Speaker 3 (36:43):
Yeah, feel would you.

Speaker 1 (36:45):
Describe you know? All right? How co can? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (36:50):
Love to me is when someone accepts you for who
you are, and you accept them for who they are
and not changing your right trying to change them exactly.
Like the biggest mistake is when you either want someone
to never change or you want someone to change today,
because chances are if you spend long enough with someone,

(37:10):
they will change and you will change. And if I
want to change you, that means I'd never really loved
you in the first place. And so very when I'm
willing to accept, Yeah, when I'm willing to accept and
be with you and sit with you and understand you.
I'm trying to be more curious than I am judgmental
exactly because I'm trying to understand why you are the
way you are and I love that what made you

(37:32):
this way?

Speaker 1 (37:33):
And I totally agree, Yeah.

Speaker 3 (37:35):
Because it's because I feel like it's it's so easy
in any relationship. This isn't just romantic. I think applies
to parents, family, sisters, siblings, brothers, everyone. It's like you
don't know why someone is the way they are.

Speaker 1 (37:47):
You don't know what they've been through, right, what made
them the way they are? And when you understand understand
that about like you said, family, friends, just people right, yeah,
makes you yeah, just feel the person.

Speaker 3 (38:03):
Yeah? When did you start to feel successful and feel
like you were a champion? Did you ever? Do you
feel that way? Or is there?

Speaker 1 (38:11):
I don't know, I never think about that. I think
for me, success is the discipline that you put in.
I think this is success, like being able to be
there every morning, every practice, doesn't matter, how you feel,
doesn't matter if you want it or you don't want

(38:32):
to be there, you know, because there is days when
you just don't want to go and work or practice
and do your job right and if you're still there,
this is success. This is meant that you love what
you do and you want to be successful.

Speaker 3 (38:46):
That's a great definition of success. I love that. That's
such a great answer. Success is actually showing up when
you don't want to, when you don't feel like it.
That's really what it is.

Speaker 1 (38:57):
I think that's why I'm able to, you know, hold
this troph is because I was there like no matter what,
since like a very young age. You know, remember going
to practice not feeling well, but I don't know someone
was just something was just driving me like I was
just going there. I loved it. And that's why I
say that people have to find something they love, because

(39:18):
when you love something, what's like what you do, that's
what pushes you, like to go to to do better
every day, like and to improve too. That's important.

Speaker 3 (39:31):
I love what you're saying, and I'm thinking about some
of the things I think my audience struggles with sometimes.
Let's say you find some people struggle to find something
they love. Do you think that's because we have the
wrong view of it? Like I think some people think
if you love something, you always like it. But what
you're saying is you could love something and there'll still
be days where you don't like it, which I think

(39:52):
is a really important point. Yeah, that makes sense.

Speaker 1 (39:55):
Like I feel like so many people give up on
things because they feel like, Okay, I don't want to
go there that okay, I'm done, And I think this
is actually the moment where you can make the like breakthrough,
you know, because you yeah, like you said, you're absolutely right.
You can love something, but at the same time, you
can experience those days when you just don't want to

(40:15):
do that and it's normal. It's normal. It's just it's
it's a routine. So it's important to if you love
something at first and you you felt happy, and like
all of the sudden you're like, Okay, I don't want
to go there. It's it's doesn't mean that you have
to change something. You know, you have to change your job.

(40:36):
You just have to go through this period. It's it's
like in every relationship, it's not perfect all the time.
You have to, you know, go through something.

Speaker 3 (40:44):
Did you ever think about giving up like it? Was
there ever a time in your life where you like,
I think this is it.

Speaker 1 (40:49):
Yeah, there was a moment in my career when was
that three years ago when I was double faulting, I
couldn't like serve. I don't know what happened with me
and Surf, just something happened and it wouldn't work, and
I was I was still playing. I was. I actually
ended up year in top ten somehow without the SERF.

(41:12):
But it was like, really I was pretty close to
just quit because I was like, I don't know how
to fix it. Like we tried everything, like psychology, we
read everything, like like like going like through repetitions, like
practicing like different like everything. We tried everything and we
couldn't fix it. And I was like, Okay, I'm about
to quit. But then we we hired it by Behney

(41:35):
guy and he helped to understand some details and and
you know, like so that's what I'm saying, Like it
was the moment for me to like, you know, to
stay strong, to go through it, to like never give up,
you know like how we say. And I didn't quit,
and after that I was able to win my first

(41:56):
Grand Slam, And that moment was crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy emotional.

Speaker 3 (42:02):
I feel like that's always the case where it's like
you love something something about it's not working. You're struggling,
you're not getting it right, and that's the point where
you're required to be a bit more dedicated. Like it's
like that's where the unlock is.

Speaker 1 (42:16):
Yes, I feel like Universe got you call however you
want it, send those challenges because you can handle it
and for a reason, you know, like everything happens for
a reason, And that would actually kept me in sport
because I was like, Okay, this has happened, happening for
a reason, I need to change something, you know. And

(42:39):
I think you have to go through this stuff challenges
to see why it happened to you. It's not only
about sport, in everything in life, you know.

Speaker 3 (42:48):
Yeah, And I feel like those are the moments that
give you confidence and courage that when you overcome something whichever.
And I think people forget how much they've overcome, Like
I love that you just said, like I've been just
showing up since I was a little kid, Like you know,
you've been showing up for so many years. And I
think people think confidence is how you show up today
or winning a trophy or it's like no, no, no,

(43:09):
Like think about it, and everyone has showed up in
their life, Like the people that are going to work,
for their kids, for their partner. Like people have been
showing up. And if everyone could think of all the
times in their life where they had the courage, had
the confidence to show up even when they didn't want to.
You're going to feel a lot more of that today
rather than waiting to win to feel confident.

Speaker 1 (43:32):
I think confidence it's a process. You know, you're building
this confidence like step by step, like by waking up
the like the early morning, by showing up somewhere you
didn't want to, you know, like and like slowly building
your confidence. It's all about like this little little steps.

Speaker 3 (43:51):
Do you have any unusual rituals or any like things
that you do before you got on court or on
a day like you do you bound the ball a
number of times? Do you throw it a certain way?
Is there like a little little trick or a little
thing that you have personally that works for you?

Speaker 2 (44:08):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (44:09):
Well, I have the same breakfast the tournament.

Speaker 3 (44:12):
That's my You know what is your go to breakfast? Oh?

Speaker 1 (44:14):
I love avocado toast with two fred eggs from both sides,
over easy. It has to be perfect. I give so
much trouble to some of the places with this X.

Speaker 3 (44:27):
It has to be perfect.

Speaker 1 (44:28):
It has to be perfect. I don't know. Maybe I'm
crazy and the smoke someone on the side.

Speaker 3 (44:33):
That's my go to that your go to breakfast.

Speaker 1 (44:35):
I love this breakfast. I always come back to this.

Speaker 3 (44:37):
One very specific. Yes, yeah, it's good.

Speaker 1 (44:40):
Maybe this and then I think about the bounce in
the ball. I think it's all about the habit. Maybe
I actually pick the balls from the ball kids. I
always pick from, Like if I win the point and
I picked from, like it doesn't matter which corner, like
for example, from the right right corner, how the right

(45:00):
I mean left corner. I will keep like picking up
the balls from that kid. I don't know why. It
just like gives me, give me, I don't know, a
good feeling.

Speaker 3 (45:12):
Yeah yeah, I feel like we all have these little
things things.

Speaker 1 (45:16):
As long as it as these things in your control,
it's good. When you like, you know, rely on something
that it's not in our control, then it can become
a problem.

Speaker 3 (45:26):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. I mean, I'd be honest.
Any athlete I've ever interviewed who has continued to be
a high performer in their life for a long time
has a definite breakfast for their game day. It's like
a very common trait, like to have a specific breakfast. Well,
you know, I have that continuity.

Speaker 1 (45:44):
Because I love, like, for me, the man meal is breakfast.
I like to sit there enjoy my breakfast, have like
have my cup of coffee and yeah, that's my ritual.
You know.

Speaker 3 (45:57):
Yeah, who do you? I asked this to know Bauck
recently when you on the show. It's like, who do
you can consider your toughest opponent mentally?

Speaker 1 (46:08):
Oh? Did he say?

Speaker 3 (46:09):
He said himself himself. It's a good answer.

Speaker 1 (46:13):
It's a good answer.

Speaker 3 (46:14):
I'll cut that out. You can say as well.

Speaker 1 (46:17):
Yeah, myself. Thanks, no work, No, I cannot pick one.
You know why because everyone is tough, you know, like
it's tough, like everyone brings like different challenges, you know,
and it's tough to like say, okay, she's like the
toughest one for me, because then you underestimate the rest
of the group, which is not right. So all of

(46:38):
them brings like different challenges. But I think, no work,
thank you for that.

Speaker 3 (46:42):
You're the biggest Yeah, you're your biggest mental competitive Yes,
because you're the one pushing yourself exactly exactly. It's a
good answer. What about your toughest opponent physically.

Speaker 1 (46:54):
Coco um Ego. Yeah, the two. Like I think physical
brings the biggest challenge in what sense they move really great.
So sometimes you build a point and probably with others
like this show will be a winner. But with them
sometimes you have to like rebuild the point. And yeah,

(47:15):
physically it's not easy. Physically and mentally it's not easy,
like to like, you know, stay stay strong and be
ready that the ball going to come back every time,
and you have to like be really strong physically to
handle that intensity.

Speaker 3 (47:30):
Yeah, how does it feel? Do you have lots? I'm
sure you have so many young tennis players, both men
and women coming up to you feeling inspired, excited about
your journey, Like, how does that feel?

Speaker 1 (47:40):
I think that's the goal in life. And I always
wanted to be a good example for next generation. And
when kids run to me and say, I love you, You're
my inspiration, that's you know, that's what I actually matters
in life.

Speaker 3 (47:53):
What do you say to young athletes who are inspired
by you, are moved by you? What you advice to them?
What's your weds of wisdom?

Speaker 1 (48:02):
Surround yourself with the right people. That's the main thing,
because with the right people, you can achieve anything, just
good advice? Is it?

Speaker 3 (48:11):
Did it take you time to find the right people
to surround yourself with? Like, is that is that hard?

Speaker 1 (48:16):
It's hard. It's really hard because there's so many, let's say,
interesting people around. But yeah, it took me. It took me.
It took me time. I was really happy to have
my uh my coach with me for you know, like
how many years already, my fitness coach and a tennis coach,
so they've been there for me. And and then find

(48:39):
the right the right agent, the right I mean, yeah,
it took it took time to build the right people.

Speaker 3 (48:46):
Yeah, it does. I feel like that's true in again,
in business, in sports, in everything finding you go through
tough everything.

Speaker 1 (48:53):
Yeah, you go through being betrayed by someone, and you know,
like people come, people go, and it's a process. But
I feel like the moment you found your people, you
better stick to that group because this is what gives
your energy and power to keep going.

Speaker 3 (49:09):
Yeah. I remember I had a physical therapist that I
was working with at a time, but we ended up
talking while I'd be doing physical therapy too, and it
was really interesting. She said to me once this was
years ago. This was like maybe six years ago now,
and she said to me, she said, yeah, it's funny,
like it feels like the only people that stress you
out are the people you pay. And because she was

(49:32):
saying when I talk, when I am inventing, when I'm
saying something, she was saying, it was only the people
in your professional world. She's like, it seems like your
personal life's great, like my relations with my wife, my
relation with my family, my sister, my parents. But she
was like, oh, it seems like whenever you're going through
something painful, it's always to do something in your life
that's part of your business. And it really was like

(49:54):
a moment for me because I was like, oh, I've
got to I've got to think about this as much
because I think when I first at least for me,
when I first started moving, I didn't know anyone in
the entertainment industry, I didn't know anyone in this world,
and so I was just trying to surround myself with
people who were smart, who knew what they were doing,
but they weren't necessarily on the same energy and vibrancy
if that makes sense. Yeah, does that makes sense? Like, yeah,

(50:14):
you've had to find people on the same frequency. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (50:16):
Yeah, I think it's important to have people with a
good energy, the energy that fits and that you yeah,
you understand each other, and this seems like your people
you know.

Speaker 3 (50:27):
Yeah, that's why right now, when we said what do
you want to get for food? You were like, now,
my team knows me, you know, I trust them, like
it was.

Speaker 1 (50:34):
That's that's what I mean.

Speaker 3 (50:36):
And this year you launched Arena's arena, right, yeah, actually
I love which is giving people more access. Yeah, I
know your team and the Dynamics talk to us about that. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (50:45):
I want to share myself. I want to share my life.
I want life. I want to, you know, show those
little kids that like we're all people like you know,
you don't have to be perfect to be successful, right,
And I want to show, oh, like what it takes to,
you know, to be where I am, and that is like,

(51:05):
that is real and you just got to work.

Speaker 3 (51:25):
The truth is, tennis is such an individual sport. And
I've had the fortune of interviewing people from so many
different sports, but tennis and Formula one are like so
dependent on the individual in the sense that you're the
one playing in the game at the same time, like
you said, there is a team, and so it's important
to show that same in F one, there is a team,
but there's just so much even when you celebrate that day,

(51:47):
like when you won, I was like, wait a minute,
when you're on the court, you have to celebrate on
your own, like the moment you win, Whereas if you
watch any other sport, the team will come together, players
run to each other, and it's like, obviously you can
do that when you get into the stands, but that
moment you've got to savor it, like when you drop
to your knees and you know.

Speaker 1 (52:05):
Yeah, there was very very emotional moment. I still, you know,
feel this because you know, yeah, you have a huge
team and the amount of work that those guys putting
it's incredible. And I feel like kind of like responsible
for that because I know that they deserve to be

(52:26):
the best coaches, like the best agent, the best feasure,
like the best team, you know, So I feel responsible
when I'm out there competing because doesn't matter how much
work they're put in, you know, it's at the end,
it's like all depends on me, you know, and they
don't know, like if you know, if I'll go out
there and I'll play my best and if I'll win.
You know. So when I'm there competing, I'm not only

(52:49):
competing for myself. I compete for my team, but I'm
like there and I'm responsible for that, you know, on
my own. Yeah, yeah, exactly. So it's it's tough. And
that's why I feel like most of the athletes, like
they not athletes, but tennis players and formult one they
sort of like crying after like winning something, because you know,

(53:11):
all that pressure, all that things in your head, they
just slowly go away and you feel, Okay, I did it,
you know, But Formula one is another level. Like I'm
a fan, I don't I don't know how how they
do that. It's like, you know, they put sort of
like their life in risk, and it's so fast and
so crazy. And for me, this is intense.

Speaker 3 (53:35):
Yeah, I mean, I mean it's all intense because you know,
we have.

Speaker 1 (53:38):
Breaks, like between the points between the games. Those guys
they're there for I don't know how long, like hour
and something right and they're there and like if they
just lose focus for a second, God, you know, this
is stuff.

Speaker 3 (53:53):
It is scary knowing that you could take your own
life and someone else's and it's got the sport. It's
got so much safe for over time.

Speaker 1 (53:59):
So it's yeah, I know it's safe for now, but
still you know.

Speaker 3 (54:02):
Yeah, yeah, what are there any sports that you watch
that you love that you follow.

Speaker 1 (54:06):
I love basketball, I love ice hockey, but it's not
like I really have like one team, one team that
I support. I just love to watch, especially like with
the basketball. Sitting on the court side. When I see
the way those guys move, like with their like height
and everything, I'm like, I always like message my fitness

(54:28):
coach and like, Okay, we gotta do something, you know.
But I'm like, I'm just like frozen in the moment
because I just look how they move. You know, probably
it's like a professional defect or something, you know, because
I just watched that they're like movement and it's it's crazy.
It's crazy what those.

Speaker 3 (54:45):
You're watching a different game because you're looking at it.

Speaker 1 (54:47):
I look at different things for me and Formula one.
I'm just like sitting there and I'm like, how they
can be focused for so long without like losing their focus,
like corner after corner. It's crazy.

Speaker 3 (55:00):
Yeah, and it's repetitive as well it's like.

Speaker 1 (55:02):
Yeah, you know, like it's crazy, that's what. That's what
actually crazy?

Speaker 3 (55:07):
Yeah, yeah, no, And how how much time do you
give yourself to now celebrate you're doing press today? I mean,
like we said, it's twenty four eight hours. How long
before you have to get back to training, back on
the grind, back to the discipline.

Speaker 1 (55:20):
Well, the schedule is tough, you know, but I think
I'm going to give myself a couple more days to celebrate,
and then we're going to go back back to work,
but like also slowly, like starting probably from the gym,
and then yeah, we're going to build up because we
have a couple more tournaments and then the finals, which
is like top eight players compete for the you know,

(55:43):
for the for another big trophy. So we have a
couple more big tournaments coming up. But for now, I'm
gonna take a couple of days to celebrate because you know,
when I was struggling, I was always going back to
those moments when I when I was winning those and slams,
and I was like I was thinking, like I wish

(56:04):
I could just experience that again, and I will celebrate
like crazy, because you never know if this woman is
gonna come again. You know. Of course you work, you hope,
you do your best, but at the end of the day,
you never know, right. So, so earlier this season, I
said to myself, Okay, if I will win it this year,
I'm gonna I'm gonna celebrate and I'll truly enjoy it,

(56:28):
you know. So the plan is for the next couple
of days, enjoy it. It's good.

Speaker 3 (56:33):
It's good that you're honoring that, because sometimes you say
that before and then after you win it. Now I
need to just get back to it.

Speaker 1 (56:39):
No, no, no, no, I'm like, I have this control like
I'm like that. I'm like, okay, I need to go back.
But I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, we gotta it.

Speaker 3 (56:46):
We gotta gotta do it.

Speaker 1 (56:47):
Enjoy it.

Speaker 3 (56:47):
Yeah, we gotta do it. I love that. I loved
what you posted on your Instagram. You wrote to my team,
I wouldn't be here without you. But don't forget you
wouldn't be here without me.

Speaker 1 (56:56):
You wouldn't be me without joking.

Speaker 3 (56:59):
Some little you know. Don't forget that's who I am.

Speaker 1 (57:05):
You know.

Speaker 3 (57:07):
No, I genuinely, I genuinely love that you're honoring your
time and energy to celebrates. It's such a great reminder.
I feel like for years and years and years in
my career, I was just going, going, going, going going,
and there was to be more mindful, to be more present,
to really take it in because.

Speaker 1 (57:22):
And also mentally to be healthy. Right, it's important to
balance this hard work with a little joy.

Speaker 3 (57:27):
Yeah, you only come back sharper. Exactly have you found
that as well? Has that been a big part of
your recovery. Just recognize you're talking about sleep earlier, Like,
talk to me about the need for rest and recovery
and what you do to really find stillness.

Speaker 1 (57:39):
I feel like recovery is the key, you know. And
if before I would blame myself even for going for
a dinner during the tournament, because I would think I
would feel like, oh it just struck me, and I
wouldn't be able to be focused tomorrow. No, it's wrong.
You know, you have to you have to go for know,

(58:00):
you have to do things that brings your joy. You
have to, like sleep, you have to focus on your
recovery as well, because this is part of the process.
You know, like to be able physically and mentally handle
this pressure and this intensity, you have to have a
good recovery. So it's also one of the main priorities

(58:21):
for us.

Speaker 3 (58:22):
I love that. So Aerna, I know you have this
battle of the Sexiest game coming up with Nick. Nick
had been on the show very excited about this repeat.
I don't think it's ever been done again.

Speaker 1 (58:33):
No, I think it's been done like a long long
time ago. Yeah, like really long. Yes, why was that?

Speaker 3 (58:39):
What was the year the seventies? Yeah, great, but it's
been a while. Movie about if anyone hasn't seen the
actual game, that's a great movie about it too. And
so with them a Stone, I think.

Speaker 1 (58:48):
It's bringing it back.

Speaker 3 (58:50):
Yeah, it's yeah, you're bringing it back. But what inspired this?

Speaker 1 (58:54):
Well, yeah, since we're fighting for Ecopress money, I believe
that's that's the reason. No, no, But mostly it's just
I think it's fun and it's cool to see and
it's interesting for me to play against the man, and
I'm ready to kick his We're allowed to use this
his ass, right, I'm putting a lot of pressure on

(59:16):
him right now, So I hope he's gonna just withdraw
from from feeling all of the pressure.

Speaker 3 (59:22):
You can say whatever you want, give us that message
to Nick. I'm gonna send it to Nick straight away
after this message, Well, Nick.

Speaker 1 (59:27):
You gotta be ready, you better be ready, and yeah,
I'm gonna I'm gonna kick your as I love it.

Speaker 2 (59:37):
I love it.

Speaker 1 (59:38):
I think the AHP gonna cancel the bottle, gonna be like, well, okay,
if it's happening, let it be like Yannick or or
or Carloss. But no, not Nick.

Speaker 3 (59:48):
This is turning into like a boxing match.

Speaker 1 (59:49):
It feels like, yeah, I'll make sure that I'm I'll
send him some drinks before the before the bottle, just
so you know.

Speaker 3 (59:56):
Oh yeah, and you got some little tricks up your
sleeve like that.

Speaker 1 (59:58):
Yeah, yeah, you know, I'm gonna make sure he's not ready.

Speaker 3 (01:00:01):
I love it, And talk to me about this court change.
They're going to have to help make it make so.

Speaker 1 (01:00:07):
Basically I'll be on the side with like a smaller
court and here he has a yeah to hit and
and he's he's going to be on the regular size,
So kind of like unfair already, Radio.

Speaker 3 (01:00:22):
I don't know if it's unfair.

Speaker 1 (01:00:24):
And I think we're going to have one surfage. That's it.

Speaker 3 (01:00:30):
That's very exciting. Where's it taking place.

Speaker 1 (01:00:32):
We're still trying to figure it.

Speaker 3 (01:00:33):
Okay, I want to come watch. Yeah, you're gonna sit
on on for you. I'm gonna message Nickna and I'm
sure side. Thank you, Arena. Is there anything I haven't
asked you that you wish I did ask you? Anything?

Speaker 1 (01:00:50):
You know? I think you? I mean, you know what
you do, you know what you do, you ask everything
I wish the of talking about.

Speaker 3 (01:01:00):
Yeah, I'm making sure because I like, I don't take
these opportunities for granted. I feel so lucky that I
get to sit with you forty after forty eight hours
after winning. I feel so fortunate I get to speak
to one of the best.

Speaker 1 (01:01:12):
You know, I'm so happy. I'm so happy to be
in your podcast, and it's been a dream of mine
for so long and finally we did it.

Speaker 3 (01:01:22):
We did it. I'm so grateful that I get to
be part of your dreams. I mean that we end
every episode with a final five, So these have to
be answered in one word to one sentence maximum. Okay,
but I always I always go away from that, so
don't worry about it. Okay, Arena Savalanka, this is your
final five. The first question is what is the best
advice you've ever heard or received.

Speaker 1 (01:01:44):
Focus on yourself and don't listen to people because most
of the people want you to fail. So focus on
yourself and on people close to you.

Speaker 3 (01:01:54):
Who said that to you? My father, that's awesome. How
old were you when you first said that?

Speaker 1 (01:01:59):
He said it to me when I was seventeen. I think, okay,
he was waiting probably for the moment for me to
be ready to I don't know, to accept some sort
of deep advice.

Speaker 3 (01:02:13):
Actually, how long before you feel you really took it
to heart and really understood it?

Speaker 1 (01:02:18):
Maybe when he passed away. You know, I feel like
when we're losing a person, this is the moment when
we actually realize how much well last, you know, like,
and we appreciate every little small detail. And the memory
is kep still coming up in my head, you know,
I'm like, oh, you know, so you have to You

(01:02:43):
have to appreciate if you still have your family just
for people, you have to appreciate it. And you have
to really take care of your closest one.

Speaker 3 (01:02:55):
Do you keep any physical part of them on you
anytime when you're playing, or in your bag or anywhere
or not. Really, that's it's more in your heart.

Speaker 1 (01:03:02):
It's more in my heart. It's more in my heart.
When he passed away, I had audiers from him. But
then I was crying like crazy when I uh, when
I figured that they disappeared after like a year, and
I didn't like record it, saving it somehow. I was
in in the app just to like keep his voice,
and because he wasn't the person who would like take

(01:03:23):
a lot of videos, you know, like pictures and stuff.
I don't have that either either, so I was really depressed.
I don't have his like voice, but he's in my
in my heart, in my memory. I think that's the
most important.

Speaker 3 (01:03:36):
Beautiful Question number two, what is the worst advice you've
ever heard or received?

Speaker 1 (01:03:41):
You know, like bad things never stay in my head?

Speaker 3 (01:03:43):
So good answer.

Speaker 1 (01:03:45):
I don't remember any like bad advice with I am.

Speaker 3 (01:03:49):
Maybe good answer, all right, very cool. Question number three,
I'm gonna say, oh, what would you say are your
three most life changing games that you've ever played? Three
much life changing matches and they don't have to be
finals or wins.

Speaker 1 (01:04:07):
Yeah, I think the semi final against Medicine. Key said
that you was open two years ago. I think, yeah,
two years side that one because I was down set
and I think five to one or something, and I
came back in the match and I want that one
and I made my first finals. So I think there

(01:04:28):
was the moment when when I realized a lot of things.

Speaker 3 (01:04:33):
How does it feel to be five to one down?

Speaker 1 (01:04:35):
Oh feels feels terrible. It's a terrible feeling. But you're
still hoping that maybe.

Speaker 3 (01:04:41):
How do you keep hoping that moment? Because five one
is literally like, yeah, it's like your life.

Speaker 1 (01:04:47):
Against big server.

Speaker 3 (01:04:48):
You know, you're like no chance, I don't know what
are you holding on to?

Speaker 1 (01:04:53):
You just trying, you know, like you I was like
reminding myself. I mean, it's a dream to be in
the semis, so there there is no way you're going
to give up, even like it doesn't matter how things
going on and how badly it is, you have to
like still try and then maybe maybe there's going to
be a moment when you figure it something and you
find your game, you're eat them when you get the win.

(01:05:14):
And I did it and it was kind of like
a life changing moment. Then oh what else? Winning the
first slam, of course gave me huge, huge belief you
know that, Okay, I'm capable of it, and my life
wasn't waste of time, you know. And the third one.

Speaker 3 (01:05:37):
Your life was definitely not a waste.

Speaker 1 (01:05:40):
No, but you know, I want just you know, like
it's it would be really difficult for me to finish
my career without the Slam. And the third one, I
don't know. I don't know there was one much when
I want there's a tournament and do and I won

(01:06:01):
the tournament. But I think in quitter finals I was
also like down the set and was struggling a lot,
was playing really not my best tennis, and I want
that match and then I want the tournament also was
kind of like a big moment for me.

Speaker 3 (01:06:15):
I think the three it's amazing that the two of
the ones you chose are when you're down, yeah, and
you come back like there's something.

Speaker 1 (01:06:22):
This is the moment where you like gives you like
that power because next monch you play, you think, oh,
I mean, come on, I've been down five one Seriously,
you think that I'm going to give up like that
just because I lose my surf or whatever. So it
just gives you that power to fight.

Speaker 3 (01:06:39):
Yeah. It's a great reminder to all of us that
no matter what, those the moments to look out for
because they become your best story, they become your best glory.

Speaker 1 (01:06:46):
There, stay there, keep fighting, and this is this is
probably the biggest moment.

Speaker 3 (01:06:51):
Yeah. Question number three, what do you think people misunderstand
about you that you'd like to clarify.

Speaker 1 (01:06:57):
Well, I think because now I'm sharing myself more on
social media, they have better understanding about me. But I
think there's still some people that they think that the
way I'm on court this is like a reflection of
me off court, which is not true because I think,
as I said earlier, you know, I'm quite aggressive because

(01:07:17):
I'm on court because I'm fighting from my dream there
and this is not the time where you have to
be nice. Yeah, because of the court, I'm much nicer,
Like I'm chill. It's really tough to get into a
fight with me, you know, so you have to do
something terrible. Probably my boyfriend will say different, but I

(01:07:39):
still think, yeah, so people misunderstand that that I'm different.

Speaker 3 (01:07:45):
Yes, if people say like, oh, she's too emotional or
unstable or whatever it is, You're like, that's just on
the court.

Speaker 1 (01:07:52):
I have to that's yeah, that's on the court. That's
arena on the court.

Speaker 3 (01:07:55):
Yeah, and that's not arena of course. Yeah, I get that.
I mean this sounds ridiculou, but it's so true. Like
me and my friends just play amateur everything, Like I
don't play any sport well, but we get so competitive
just playing around. So I can't imagine love.

Speaker 1 (01:08:12):
Watching like you know people, yeah, play play tennis for fun.
That's what I can't even But they're not taking it
as fun, you know, they go full.

Speaker 3 (01:08:19):
Exactly and you're like actually playing a tournament. Like I'm like,
I'm pretty, I'm pretty. All my friends know that when
we're playing a sport, I'm extremely competitive and I'm not
like that in real life or in person, you know.
And that's and I'm not even playing the final lot,
you know. And so yeah, there's there has to be
a bit of grace. I feel like there has to
be a bit of grace for athletes. I'm like, you're
you realize.

Speaker 1 (01:08:40):
Yeah, like a little bit, like you know, like stump
yourself and like look at everything as a bigger picture,
you know, like Okay.

Speaker 3 (01:08:46):
Yeah, definitely number question number four before the fifth, which
way do I want to go here? One day? Long
time from now? We hope you're going to win so
many more grand slams. I'm putting out loads of good energy.
What would you when you look back on your career,
what would you like for yourself to feel about it?
What would you like to say about your own career.

Speaker 1 (01:09:05):
I would love to look back and say I've done
everything I could. And I want my career to be
remembered like and and then I want to see young
kids being inspired by me. And I want to look
back and know that I actually inspired a lot and

(01:09:26):
and yeah, I want to be in the history.

Speaker 3 (01:09:31):
I love that. I love that you already are.

Speaker 1 (01:09:36):
Not even close to the greatest. But but try and.

Speaker 3 (01:09:39):
Yeah, I trying. The trying is the most important part.
It's wonderful to hear you say that. It's it's really
specially if you remind kids to try. I think that
would help a lot of kids. Yeah, because not you know,
not every kid will become number one, but every kid
can try and chase their dream. That would be a
good world to live in.

Speaker 1 (01:09:54):
So just give your best and that's that's all you
can do.

Speaker 3 (01:09:59):
Yeah. Fifth and final question Arena. We asked this to
every guest who's ever been on the show. The question is,
if you could create one law that everyone in the
world had to follow. What would it be.

Speaker 1 (01:10:11):
I want everything to be decided in the conversation and
no wars and stuff, just like sit down, speak and
figure it all of the problems.

Speaker 3 (01:10:25):
That's a great law.

Speaker 1 (01:10:28):
That's what we need in the world right now.

Speaker 3 (01:10:30):
Save a lot of lives. Yeah, save a lot of lives. Yeah.
If we were able to solve things by just.

Speaker 1 (01:10:36):
By talking, sitting and figuring and not leaving the room
before you figure it something.

Speaker 3 (01:10:42):
Yeah, that's a great answer. We never had that before.
Arena Sblanca, congratulations again, thank you for doing this on
many years. Usually when people come on once, they come
on a few times, so I look forward to doing
this many times.

Speaker 1 (01:10:55):
Yeah, let's make it as our transition.

Speaker 3 (01:10:58):
Yes, I'd love that. I'd love congrats and thank you.
Thank you for bringing the first time the show. You
deserve it and you're a true champion and a true leader.
So thank you, so thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1 (01:11:10):
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (01:11:11):
If you love this podcast, you love my episode with
Lewis Hamilton. Lewis and I talk about why you should
stop chasing society's definition of success and how to be
more intentional with your goals. You don't want to miss it,
Like it's not about being perfect. It's about just every day,
one step at a time, trying to be better, trying
to do more. I'm learning a lot about myself, how

(01:11:33):
to break myself down in order to be able to
be better.

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