January 24, 2023 • 9 mins
You know Casey Dellaqua from the court and the commentary box. Behind the scenes, she's a vocal advocate for her LGBTQIA+ community, and will be front and centre at this year's AO Glam Slam and Tennis Australia's World Pride activities. TDA's Sam Koslowski sat down with her at the Australian Open for a wide-ranging chat in the Mastercard Pride Hub.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
The time for talking is over. The match clock showing
four hours and twelve minutes. It all loves.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Him, Jackson, Curiosity.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Ristmas Medvedev too.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
About that we're coming up the lines of Carencious Stag
is a rafael Without. Good morning and welcome to another
installment of Out in the Open, the podcast produced by
The Daily Os and the Australian Open, all taking part
(00:37):
in the MasterCard Pride Harp here at the Aussie Open.
Man what a tournament it has been. Plenty of ups
and downs, plenty of contenders that we thought would see
in the last week knocked out and a whole new
fresh crop coming up. But today's focus of the podcast
is about a former tennis star who's now grace your
screens pretty much every day this tournament. Her name is
(00:57):
Casey t'laqua. She made the fourth round at two Australian Opens.
She also was a semi finalist in the twenty twelve
Texas Tennis Open and the twenty fourteen Birmingham Classic. And
her highlights really came in the doubles space, where she
absolutely dominated the space, including one Grand Slam Mixed doubles
title at the twenty eleven French open today. Casey de
Laqua is part of the Channel nine commentary team as
(01:19):
well as Tennis Australia's efforts in diversity and inclusion, and
she's got a really special place in this conversation and
it was an absolute pleasure to talk to her in
the Pride Hub. Casey, thanks for joining us at the
massacred Pride Hub. How has your tournament been?
Speaker 1 (01:36):
So far? So good? It's really exciting when we get
to finals week and there's less matches, but there's a
lot of still exciting content going on around the ground.
So yeah, so far, so good. Busy, but really enjoying
every moment.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
And he said that Novak Djokovic was your tip for
the men and Jessica Bigula was your tip for the
women's she's playing tonight. Do you still hold those two
as your favorite? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Look, I'm going pretty good so far this tournament, so
that's good. And look, Jessica Bogoula is definitely for me
looking like the favorite on the women's side. She's got form,
she's got consistency, and she's also got some experience, so
I think when you tiele that together, she's going to
be pretty tough to be. I think she's also in
the quarterfinals of the doubles with Cocoa Golf, so she's
(02:18):
getting a lot of court time. But yeah, she's looking
really good for.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Me, and so I wanted to talk to you quickly
about pride to LGBT inclusion in the tournament. What do
you think Tennis Australia and the Aussie Open does that
the rest of the world can look to look.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
I think we're just so fortunate. I work for Tennis
Australia and I'm so fortunate to work within an organization
that genuinely values inclusion, and we know that tennis is
for all and it is a sport for all, So
we want to make sure everyone that walks through a
tennis club with a racket and wants to play feels
included and at a club environment or at an Australian
Open environment where they can be themselves. And that's what
(02:54):
we're about. So I think they can just learn off
the fact that we make ourselves proud of what we represent,
proud of our values and making sure that you know,
we have activations like this on site so that people
can come and talk about themselves and feel themselves. So yeah,
I'm just really fortunate that I'm in a sport that
I've always felt extremely welcomed in. So yeah, I think
(03:15):
we do a really great job and there's always more
to do. You can never put your foot in the pedal,
but I do think we've made a lot of gains
over the years.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Did you find as a player, but also now as
someone so heavily involved in the sport, do you find
those differences in individual sports versus team sports in terms
of how pressure and individual performance relates to how open
players can be about their sexuality.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yeah. Look, I think you know, obviously, when you play
an individual sports, like myself, everything's on you, right. You
don't have to answer to others. You don't have to be,
you know, made accountable to a team or an environment
where you might feel like, you know, a little bit
more uncomfortable. And my experience was, you know, very individual.
I came out when I was ready to come out
(03:57):
in a sport that I felt very comfortable in with
you know, everyone involves. So I do think that probably
being an individual that doesn't mean to say it was
probably easy, but I do think that you just have
that decision for yourself. I think when I came out
thirteen years ago, we didn't have social media and those
type of things, so I couldn't speak ultimately for myself
(04:18):
and put words out there for myself, but I knew
that it was right for me, And yeah, I do
think ultimately that's probably easier coming from an individual sport.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
How do we get the male side of the tournament
to be more open about these discussions?
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah, I think there only needs to be one right
where they set that example and be that role model,
and you know, I think, you know, hopefully where getting
to a place where they might feel comfortable to do
so we just obviously haven't seen that yet on the
men's side. I think other sports we've seen some great examples.
So I know for myself, there's definitely value in knowing
(04:55):
that someone's done it before you, whether it be Billy
Jinking or you know, for me, those type of women
that had come out, So I think definitely having that
role model to look out to makes that's why you
do it, right, Like that's why I wanted to do it,
was so that if there's someone else out there that
felt like they just wanted to be themselves or be
who they were, that they had someone to look up
to who had done it, and ultimately, I think that's
(05:17):
probably just the shift that we need to see.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
And what I noticed from reading kind of the reports
that Tennis Australia has released over the last decade or
so and some of the comments that you and other
players have made is that it is a holistic attempt
to try and make that change. It's about you know,
facilities at games, it's about fan engagement and coming down
on homophobic remarks in the stands, and it kind of
comes from everywhere. Is there a particular area that you
(05:41):
think we need to do more work on.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Yeah, look, I work in more of the performance space,
but also at participation kind of level. And I guess
i'm you know, really upskilling our clubs at grassroots so
that you know, yeah, anyone off the streets can walk
into a club and the club is got the skill
that they can make sure that their club is inclusive
so that that person feels like they can come in
(06:04):
and be who they are. I think ultimately, you know,
for a lot of clubs, they've been around for many years,
perhaps stuck in their ways a bit. So I think
just shifting the dial in terms of what we're doing
and have that filter from club level all the way
through to the Australian Open. But I do know the
work that's being done and I see it on a
daily basis within Tennis Australia. So I'm fortunate to work
(06:26):
within our I and D teams and seeing what they're doing,
and there is some great work being done and obviously
leading into World Pride next month, super exciting, going to
be huge. I'm Sydney based, I'm going to be probably
going to every event possible. It's going to be such
an exciting time.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
And there's a tennis event, there's a tennis.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Events by Tennis Sydney, so that's cool. But yeah, there's
a lot of stuff happening and it's just really great
to see US sport, yeah doing all of that as well.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
What's your take on the presence of LGBT discussions in
sport in Australia in general. Is tennis got more to
do in terms of being at the top or do
you feel like Tennessee is leading the way.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
I think tennis leads the way in a lot of
ways that I love it. But I think that's just
I'm just fortunate that, I guess from lived experience, right
So I've had that. I'm talking about Tennessee here. Sure,
I've had lived experience of being around leadership teams and
people within organizations that have really given me every opportunity
based on who I am and not because of it.
(07:25):
I've never felt anything but valued because of who I
am and what I do, not because of my sexuality.
So I think that's just my experience and it's lived,
and I like to share that. And I also can
see the teams and the work that's being done and
as I said, how value that is to our leadership
and exec teams at Tennis show, which is really where
it starts. So yeah, I think there's always work to
(07:48):
be done though, right doesn't matter if we're talking about,
you know, the LGBT space or First Nations or Women
and Girls. There's so many different spaces that we need
to keep the dial up with and making sure that
we keep doing great work for them to make sure
that they love the sport just like everyone.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Last question from me a bit of an abstract one. Yes,
do you think in fifty is time you'd still want
to see a Pride Hub at the Australian Open and
a glam Slam or would you rather not see it.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah, that's a really good question. Oh gosh, you put
me on the spot a bit. Look, I think I
think if we don't see it, I think that will
be a positive thing, right, because really, why do we
do this work so that we just it's not almost
an issue in a way, it's we all are. But
then like seeing you know, some of the entertainment and
(08:38):
the fun that comes along with having like a pride hub,
I think it's pretty cool and fun and exciting, and
we've always got to make sure that we keep that
uptake of these type of things so that we make
our sport accessible to all. So can I sit on
the fence?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
I guess a high question on the case. You're a
wonderful human being. Thank you so much for
Speaker 1 (09:27):
O
The time for talking is over. The match clock showing
four hours and twelve minutes. It all loves.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Him, Jackson, Curiosity.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Ristmas Medvedev too.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
About that we're coming up the lines of Carencious Stag
is a rafael Without. Good morning and welcome to another
installment of Out in the Open, the podcast produced by
The Daily Os and the Australian Open, all taking part
(00:37):
in the MasterCard Pride Harp here at the Aussie Open.
Man what a tournament it has been. Plenty of ups
and downs, plenty of contenders that we thought would see
in the last week knocked out and a whole new
fresh crop coming up. But today's focus of the podcast
is about a former tennis star who's now grace your
screens pretty much every day this tournament. Her name is
(00:57):
Casey t'laqua. She made the fourth round at two Australian Opens.
She also was a semi finalist in the twenty twelve
Texas Tennis Open and the twenty fourteen Birmingham Classic. And
her highlights really came in the doubles space, where she
absolutely dominated the space, including one Grand Slam Mixed doubles
title at the twenty eleven French open today. Casey de
Laqua is part of the Channel nine commentary team as
(01:19):
well as Tennis Australia's efforts in diversity and inclusion, and
she's got a really special place in this conversation and
it was an absolute pleasure to talk to her in
the Pride Hub. Casey, thanks for joining us at the
massacred Pride Hub. How has your tournament been?
Speaker 1 (01:36):
So far? So good? It's really exciting when we get
to finals week and there's less matches, but there's a
lot of still exciting content going on around the ground.
So yeah, so far, so good. Busy, but really enjoying
every moment.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
And he said that Novak Djokovic was your tip for
the men and Jessica Bigula was your tip for the
women's she's playing tonight. Do you still hold those two
as your favorite? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Look, I'm going pretty good so far this tournament, so
that's good. And look, Jessica Bogoula is definitely for me
looking like the favorite on the women's side. She's got form,
she's got consistency, and she's also got some experience, so
I think when you tiele that together, she's going to
be pretty tough to be. I think she's also in
the quarterfinals of the doubles with Cocoa Golf, so she's
(02:18):
getting a lot of court time. But yeah, she's looking
really good for.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Me, and so I wanted to talk to you quickly
about pride to LGBT inclusion in the tournament. What do
you think Tennis Australia and the Aussie Open does that
the rest of the world can look to look.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
I think we're just so fortunate. I work for Tennis
Australia and I'm so fortunate to work within an organization
that genuinely values inclusion, and we know that tennis is
for all and it is a sport for all, So
we want to make sure everyone that walks through a
tennis club with a racket and wants to play feels
included and at a club environment or at an Australian
Open environment where they can be themselves. And that's what
(02:54):
we're about. So I think they can just learn off
the fact that we make ourselves proud of what we represent,
proud of our values and making sure that you know,
we have activations like this on site so that people
can come and talk about themselves and feel themselves. So yeah,
I'm just really fortunate that I'm in a sport that
I've always felt extremely welcomed in. So yeah, I think
(03:15):
we do a really great job and there's always more
to do. You can never put your foot in the pedal,
but I do think we've made a lot of gains
over the years.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Did you find as a player, but also now as
someone so heavily involved in the sport, do you find
those differences in individual sports versus team sports in terms
of how pressure and individual performance relates to how open
players can be about their sexuality.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yeah. Look, I think you know, obviously, when you play
an individual sports, like myself, everything's on you, right. You
don't have to answer to others. You don't have to be,
you know, made accountable to a team or an environment
where you might feel like, you know, a little bit
more uncomfortable. And my experience was, you know, very individual.
I came out when I was ready to come out
(03:57):
in a sport that I felt very comfortable in with
you know, everyone involves. So I do think that probably
being an individual that doesn't mean to say it was
probably easy, but I do think that you just have
that decision for yourself. I think when I came out
thirteen years ago, we didn't have social media and those
type of things, so I couldn't speak ultimately for myself
(04:18):
and put words out there for myself, but I knew
that it was right for me, And yeah, I do
think ultimately that's probably easier coming from an individual sport.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
How do we get the male side of the tournament
to be more open about these discussions?
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah, I think there only needs to be one right
where they set that example and be that role model,
and you know, I think, you know, hopefully where getting
to a place where they might feel comfortable to do
so we just obviously haven't seen that yet on the
men's side. I think other sports we've seen some great examples.
So I know for myself, there's definitely value in knowing
(04:55):
that someone's done it before you, whether it be Billy
Jinking or you know, for me, those type of women
that had come out, So I think definitely having that
role model to look out to makes that's why you
do it, right, Like that's why I wanted to do it,
was so that if there's someone else out there that
felt like they just wanted to be themselves or be
who they were, that they had someone to look up
to who had done it, and ultimately, I think that's
(05:17):
probably just the shift that we need to see.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
And what I noticed from reading kind of the reports
that Tennis Australia has released over the last decade or
so and some of the comments that you and other
players have made is that it is a holistic attempt
to try and make that change. It's about you know,
facilities at games, it's about fan engagement and coming down
on homophobic remarks in the stands, and it kind of
comes from everywhere. Is there a particular area that you
(05:41):
think we need to do more work on.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Yeah, look, I work in more of the performance space,
but also at participation kind of level. And I guess
i'm you know, really upskilling our clubs at grassroots so
that you know, yeah, anyone off the streets can walk
into a club and the club is got the skill
that they can make sure that their club is inclusive
so that that person feels like they can come in
(06:04):
and be who they are. I think ultimately, you know,
for a lot of clubs, they've been around for many years,
perhaps stuck in their ways a bit. So I think
just shifting the dial in terms of what we're doing
and have that filter from club level all the way
through to the Australian Open. But I do know the
work that's being done and I see it on a
daily basis within Tennis Australia. So I'm fortunate to work
(06:26):
within our I and D teams and seeing what they're doing,
and there is some great work being done and obviously
leading into World Pride next month, super exciting, going to
be huge. I'm Sydney based, I'm going to be probably
going to every event possible. It's going to be such
an exciting time.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
And there's a tennis event, there's a tennis.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Events by Tennis Sydney, so that's cool. But yeah, there's
a lot of stuff happening and it's just really great
to see US sport, yeah doing all of that as well.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
What's your take on the presence of LGBT discussions in
sport in Australia in general. Is tennis got more to
do in terms of being at the top or do
you feel like Tennessee is leading the way.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
I think tennis leads the way in a lot of
ways that I love it. But I think that's just
I'm just fortunate that, I guess from lived experience, right
So I've had that. I'm talking about Tennessee here. Sure,
I've had lived experience of being around leadership teams and
people within organizations that have really given me every opportunity
based on who I am and not because of it.
(07:25):
I've never felt anything but valued because of who I
am and what I do, not because of my sexuality.
So I think that's just my experience and it's lived,
and I like to share that. And I also can
see the teams and the work that's being done and
as I said, how value that is to our leadership
and exec teams at Tennis show, which is really where
it starts. So yeah, I think there's always work to
(07:48):
be done though, right doesn't matter if we're talking about,
you know, the LGBT space or First Nations or Women
and Girls. There's so many different spaces that we need
to keep the dial up with and making sure that
we keep doing great work for them to make sure
that they love the sport just like everyone.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Last question from me a bit of an abstract one. Yes,
do you think in fifty is time you'd still want
to see a Pride Hub at the Australian Open and
a glam Slam or would you rather not see it.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah, that's a really good question. Oh gosh, you put
me on the spot a bit. Look, I think I
think if we don't see it, I think that will
be a positive thing, right, because really, why do we
do this work so that we just it's not almost
an issue in a way, it's we all are. But
then like seeing you know, some of the entertainment and
(08:38):
the fun that comes along with having like a pride hub,
I think it's pretty cool and fun and exciting, and
we've always got to make sure that we keep that
uptake of these type of things so that we make
our sport accessible to all. So can I sit on
the fence?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
I guess a high question on the case. You're a
wonderful human being. Thank you so much for
Speaker 1 (09:27):
O
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.