Madison Keys, Patrick's Academy, Kerber discussed on No Challenges Remaining
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To keep an eye on for sure. And also pushing up to be in that higher level. Madison keys backed up her run to the Australian semifinals with a nice quarter final here and then got absolutely blitzed by sviat tech. Love and one. In that match, let's just showed how this sounds like was when she and then it wasn't even surprising. That was the thing that really shocked that message. Yeah, I was saying we were at that little mingle event as that match was starting. And I was telling the media director there in time and she's going to she's going to destroy her. You just wait. Destroyer. And she did. So anyway, that's pretty much the women's rapid and some of how he had nicest here building back. Yeah. Looks like on a fast track to be back in the top ten potentially by the end of the year if she keeps this up. Yeah, with a new situation in coaching right with the background and she went to an academy for the first time in her career, which is interesting, considering her age. At 30, which she likes to point out herself, like I'm 30 now. She's a new chapter for me. That she's gone, yeah, to Patrick's academy. And got a new coach there. Two more. Other people just who are on an upswing dimension. Kerber had a nice tournament made the fourth round played tough in their first tour meeting three setter that was a nice match to swatch. And Harriet dart, another qualifier made the fourth round. Had a surprising win over elina svitolina, and then had a win over the always challenging kaia kanepi in the other. For losing the keys. So good one for her. And Allison risk also was down, what was it? 6 love two love or 6 love three love to muguruza. And I think it's a lot of 6 love three love. I remember before winning. That match. That was a wow. It was a long term. That actually looks like a long time ago, but it did happen. At Indian Wells 2022. Speaking of that, you were in the last 2021, I was not the fall edition of the tournament. I was curious and you can compare it to Rotterdam, obviously, where you've been also this year. This was a term that I was struck by how aggressively back to normal parts of it felt like there were just no masks happening. Most anywhere on the tournament grounds, we were required to wear masks when we were in the press conference room with players, which honestly was seemed alarming for the players because they were so not used to seeing mass. They were like, wait, why are you wearing a mask? We haven't seen this anywhere. This kind of reaction I got in some one on ones with players like I need a mask now. I haven't eaten mask all week. Kind of vibe. And then in the press room, I got to say for me this was sort of a little bit jarring. I was in Australia where we wear masks constantly in the press room and certainly a lot of other places on the grounds there were sort of encouraged required. But there really seems to be a sort of attitude now of pandemic over, let it go. We're done. Although they still didn't get back to the access to the player areas we'd normally had as it were members, which is frustrating for reporting purposes, very frustrating hopefully that comes back. But yeah, I'm curious what you make of the state of tennis and what it's like being back on site at tournaments now with in person press and a whole lot of stuff pretty back to normal. Yeah. But all the people on site had to be vaccinated. We need to mention that, I guess. For the staff, not the players, but yes. Yes, except for the players for staff and fans as well. So that explains, I guess, the no mask policy on the grounds. Rather than was much different though, we had to wear masks at all times and there was still a curfew there. So there were two night matches scheduled in Rotterdam then the first one would then be with the crowd and then the second match, the crowd had to go and even mid match, it could have been required for them to leave. So any wells was much different for sure. And comparing it to October, it was a whole other world because back then we couldn't talk to the players in the press room in person. It was all still virtual. Like we would be there, but we wouldn't see the players either. That was a thing that got solved now, which was great, obviously. Because the quality of the pressors I feel rises, the players are more into it. Significantly. Yeah. Which is good for everyone. I suppose. Yeah, no. It was back to back to the old days in most cases. And there were more journalists as well. They turn out, yeah. Yeah. We have our major catch sort of a group chat. We have like 20 tennis media people who are at the grand slams whatever. And 11 of them were Indian Wells, which is a high number. It was a big, big turnout of people. From all over the world as well. So yeah, there's tournaments are stopping to remember so it's no longer an option more and more. There was no video, press conference option. Which can be rough, you know, obviously for people who are far from the tournament, it was a way for no expense to portal into a press room and get access to people you're covering..