Latest / Bleacher Report / Coco Gauff Talks Racquets Mishap, Being Olympic Flag-Bearer _ 2025 Roland-Garros

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Coco Gauff Talks Racquets Mishap, Being Olympic Flag-Bearer _ 2025 Roland-Garros · Bleacher Report

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  Speaker 1: It's John Isner here from the Nothing Major podcast at
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: the Bleacher Report set here at Roll on Garros, and
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  Speaker 1: we have an extremely special guest, the number two seed,
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  Speaker 1: American superstar Cocoa Golf with us today. She is through
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  Speaker 1: to the second round with the six to two, six
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  Speaker 1: two victory. Coco, You've been playing pretty well coming into
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  Speaker 1: this tournament. You made the finals of Madrid, the finals
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  Speaker 1: of Rome, two massive tournaments. How would you assess your
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  Speaker 1: play in your first match today?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it was a weird day because it's super windy.
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  Speaker 2: So overall we say it pretty good, but it's one
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  Speaker 2: of those days where you don't like feel the best playing,
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  Speaker 2: but I'm just happy to get through it.
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  Speaker 3: Okay.
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  Speaker 1: Was your day made weirder by the fact that you
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  Speaker 1: walked out under court Fleet Chatre without tennis rackets in
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  Speaker 1: your bag?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah?
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  Speaker 3: And can you tell us what happened?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? So usually JC, my coach, he like puts them
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  Speaker 2: in my bag before the match. Okay, and I had
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  Speaker 2: to use the bathroom before the match, and you know
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  Speaker 2: they have their like you have to be ready in
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  Speaker 2: like two minutes because we have to walk on court
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  Speaker 2: this time. So I just rushed and went to the bathroom,
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  Speaker 2: grabbed my stuff to get walk on the court. Didn't
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  Speaker 2: think anything of it. I go on court. I open
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  Speaker 2: one zipper and I usually had like six rackets, six
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  Speaker 2: or seven rackets in my bag. I open one zipper.
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  Speaker 2: I'm like, okay, he must have somehow fit all six
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  Speaker 2: on the other side of my back. I opened the
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  Speaker 2: other zipper and there's no rackets. Then I look at
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  Speaker 2: my box and there's nobody in the box, so I
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  Speaker 2: don't even know who to tell. I try to go
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  Speaker 2: on my phone. Then the ref was like, you can't
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  Speaker 2: go on your phone. I'll call who you need to call,
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  Speaker 2: and I was like, I don't know his number. And
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  Speaker 2: then I look at my box and my new balance Rep.
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  Speaker 2: Evan is there, and I just show him opened the
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  Speaker 2: bag and show him that there's no rackets. And then
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  Speaker 2: somehow they found JC and he like got the rackets
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  Speaker 2: on the court.
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  Speaker 3: So you're blaming your coach a little bit.
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  Speaker 2: My fault too, like should have noticed the weight on
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  Speaker 2: the back with no rackets, But like, yeah, yeah, I
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  Speaker 2: mean I'm just sticking to routine.
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  Speaker 1: You know, absolutely, you're focused on the mat. Coach got
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  Speaker 1: to put the rackets in the back. Yes, the only
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  Speaker 1: person I think anyone's ever known to do that is Francis.
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  Speaker 2: Tiappos, and I hate to be in the same conversation.
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  Speaker 1: You were in the same list as our good buddy Francis. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: congratulations on that Coco.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you. Yeah, well, I think did it Nick lose
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  Speaker 2: Lee forget his shoes on court one time?
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  Speaker 1: Yes, yes, that's shoes. I think Francis did that as well.
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  Speaker 1: I mean Francis is.
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  Speaker 2: So I'm in the same tatline as Francis and Nick.
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  Speaker 2: I know that's not such a male thing to.
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  Speaker 1: Totally all right, You're no stranger to doing well here
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  Speaker 1: at Rol on Garos. You made the finals in twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty two. What would you say the special sauces for
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  Speaker 1: you here in Paris?
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  Speaker 2: I think Paris is like my favorite city. So I
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  Speaker 2: think just when you enjoy the place that you're in,
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  Speaker 2: I feel like you typically tend to play better and
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  Speaker 2: then just clay, I feel like I do well on
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  Speaker 2: this surface. I like to move and I like the
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  Speaker 2: clay cords here, so I think that has a combination
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  Speaker 2: of all that.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I want to stay on the Paris team.
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  Speaker 2: Okay.
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  Speaker 1: Last year Summer Olympics here in Paris. Yes, you were
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  Speaker 1: one of the two American flag bears a long way
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  Speaker 1: with Lebron James.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, what was that like? And when were you told
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  Speaker 3: that you were going to be one of the two.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I didn't think there was a possibility because Chris
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  Speaker 2: you Banks, actually told me that he was going to
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  Speaker 2: nominate me just to be in the voting pool. I
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  Speaker 2: told him not to because I was like, there's zero,
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  Speaker 2: zero chance that the all my fellow Olympians would nominate me.
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  Speaker 2: I never did the Olympics before. I literally told him
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  Speaker 2: not to, so I'm just assuming all this time that
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  Speaker 2: he didn't do it, so there's like no chance. And
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  Speaker 2: then we're trying on our jackets or opening ceremony jacks
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  Speaker 2: and he starts going on this rant and like Chris
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  Speaker 2: is known to hype me up and stuff, but I
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  Speaker 2: was like, now it's not the time, like in front
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  Speaker 2: of the whole team, and like you could see in
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  Speaker 2: my face, I was kind of annoyed by the whole thing.
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  Speaker 2: And then he told me that, and then he saw
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  Speaker 2: the jack and I really didn't register and tryed. I
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  Speaker 2: heard Lebron James, and I think I was more excited
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  Speaker 2: for the fact that it was Lebron James. Yes, but
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  Speaker 2: that was really cool being on the sam with the
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  Speaker 2: whole team, and being with my tennis team and also
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  Speaker 2: the whole entirety of the Olympics the basketball team is
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  Speaker 2: one of the coolest experiences of my life.
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  Speaker 3: Unbelievable treat. I remember watching that.
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  Speaker 1: I thought that was so cool, obviously especially for you,
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  Speaker 1: but for our sport as well.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, for you to represent our sport like that.
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  Speaker 1: And you've done so tremendously well. Congratulations. That was an
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  Speaker 1: incredible honor to be able to do that. I know
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  Speaker 1: you know that, Coco, let's call it space fade. You
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  Speaker 1: are very famous, very well known. You've been so successful.
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  Speaker 1: But there's a difference between famous people and one name
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  Speaker 1: famous people. You know, I'm win a name if you hear, Yeah, Tiger, Lebron, Beyonce.
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  Speaker 3: Kobe, and Coco.
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  Speaker 1: How does it feel being on that list? It's a
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  Speaker 1: much better list than the list with Francis Siapo. You
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  Speaker 1: were on that one name famous list.
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  Speaker 3: That's pretty special.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess that is specially. I didn't really think
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  Speaker 2: about it like that. I don't I don't feel famous.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know. I just like I do well at
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  Speaker 2: hitting a ball and it's like, Okay, it's cool. But
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  Speaker 2: other than that, I'm like, you know, just like everybody else,
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  Speaker 2: So that is insane. Also to hear that, I guess
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  Speaker 2: people think that, but yeah, I just I Yeah, being
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  Speaker 2: on that list is I guess it's crazy. But shout
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  Speaker 2: out to my parents for a nicknaming me Coco because
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  Speaker 2: my real name is Corey. I don't think people would
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  Speaker 2: have took to Corey as a Coco. So I think.
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  Speaker 1: So, is there anyone in the last five six years
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  Speaker 1: of your life that you have been starstruck that you've
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  Speaker 1: met because of your success as a tennis player.
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  Speaker 2: I would say there's a few, but I guess the
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  Speaker 2: first person I could think of is when I met
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  Speaker 2: President Obama. He just didn't feel like a real person
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  Speaker 2: when I was the whole time, I kept staring at
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  Speaker 2: him and I was like, this man feels like a fake,
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  Speaker 2: like AI like simulation in front of me. I was like,
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  Speaker 2: there's no way he's real. And yeah. I met him
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  Speaker 2: at US Open two years ago, and I literally he
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  Speaker 2: probably thought it was like weird though I was literally
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  Speaker 2: just like looking at him. I was like, oh my god,
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  Speaker 2: this feels so fake. So I think that. And then
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  Speaker 2: just standing next to Lebron like the first like five
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  Speaker 2: minutes of meeting him, like he walked in all super
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  Speaker 2: cool with his shades on, and I'm standing there and
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  Speaker 2: I had played a cool. He's like nice to meet
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  Speaker 2: and I was like, yeah, nice to meet you too,
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  Speaker 2: and then I'm like looking at like Tommy and Jess
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  Speaker 2: and then I'm like, oh my god, Lebron James is here.
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  Speaker 2: And then I worked up enough turn curse to ask
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  Speaker 2: him to say hi to my TikTok. But I was
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  Speaker 2: pretty nervous sitting like standing next to him, and then
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  Speaker 2: I just kept saying He's so tall and He's like
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  Speaker 2: I'm not that tall, and I was like, okay, you're
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  Speaker 2: like a massive dude.
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  Speaker 3: Was that I'm not on TikTok.
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  Speaker 1: I'm kind of like that's way past, Like you know,
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  Speaker 1: my view was that one of your highest Oh is
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  Speaker 1: that the number one.
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  Speaker 2: Your Actually my little brother has the most viewed TikTok.
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  Speaker 2: He's like playing a I think whatever intr me he
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  Speaker 2: plays a trumpet or whatever to Tyler to Crator song,
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  Speaker 2: I got eleven million views, but I think I think
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  Speaker 2: I don't know how much the Lebron one got but
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  Speaker 2: I guess my brother has a bigger pool than Lebron.
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  Speaker 1: Apparently, I shout out to your little brother. All right,
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  Speaker 1: I want to stay with the TikTok theme here. You've
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  Speaker 1: been on TikTok Apparently it used to be called musically.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, again, I'm not that well versed in this.
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  Speaker 1: I want you to pick one TikTok star to be
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  Speaker 1: your doubles partner, and pick two TikTokers to play against
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  Speaker 1: in a match you think would be fun.
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  Speaker 2: TikTok star to be my doubles partner. That's a good question.
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  Speaker 2: Who would be good? Okay?
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  Speaker 3: How about fun?
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  Speaker 2: Just fun, a lot of fun. I really like my
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  Speaker 2: name McMichael. I think she's like she does makeup beauty,
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  Speaker 2: like lifestyle fashion. I'll go against, I'll go with her
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  Speaker 2: and against. I'm gonna just go with. Let's say Charlie Dmilio,
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  Speaker 2: just because I feel like she's like the TikTok number
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  Speaker 2: one person on there. And then I guess we'll do
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  Speaker 2: a little sister action, so it'll say Dixie too. All right,
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  Speaker 2: do you know who they are? Nope, she's like the
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  Speaker 2: most famous person on TikTok and she's like.
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  Speaker 1: A forty year old like like like, I'm just just
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  Speaker 1: I don't know.
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  Speaker 3: You're a lot younger and hipper. So you give me
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  Speaker 3: a little breakdown.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, all right, okay, I'll give you the break You're
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  Speaker 1: twenty one, you're in that world.
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  Speaker 2: She's so famous though, she's like one hundred million followers.
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  Speaker 3: It's bad on my part. I know enough about me.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, We're gonna go to someone else who's really famous that.
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  Speaker 1: You're a big fan of Beyonce.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, I love her.
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  Speaker 3: I know who that is.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, thank you, I'm sorry.
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  Speaker 3: I at least got that.
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  Speaker 1: My first question is are you a fan of country
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  Speaker 1: music Beyonce?
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  Speaker 2: Of Beyonce? Yes, I wasn't a huge fan of country
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  Speaker 2: before she went in that kind of genre, but you know,
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  Speaker 2: now I find myself trying to listen a little bit more.
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  Speaker 2: But I'm gonna say I'm a more Beyonce country fan.
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  Speaker 3: Okay, I would you like her country? Oh?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm like finding a way to go to Coway
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  Speaker 2: card or tour there you go.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, she's a Texan, she's got some country roots.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: On your Spotify get top three most listened to when
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  Speaker 1: you did your wrapped.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, beyond Spotify. What was it?
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  Speaker 2: I think it was Tyler, their creator. I think he
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  Speaker 2: was up there. I can't remember who was up there.
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  Speaker 2: I think Dochi was probably a there, and then I
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  Speaker 2: don't Maybe Frank Ocean might have been number one.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know Frank Ocean.
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  Speaker 2: Do you know Frank you know Dochi?
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  Speaker 3: No?
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  Speaker 2: Okay? Do you know Tyler the Creator?
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  Speaker 3: No?
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  Speaker 2: Okay, but at least Ocean I know Frank.
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  Speaker 3: I do know that. We're almost done with you, Coca.
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  Speaker 3: I appreciate your time.
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  Speaker 1: You've won nine singles titles, yeah, nine doubles titles so
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  Speaker 1: far in your career. Give us your let's leave the
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  Speaker 1: doubles out. Give us your top three victories of your
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  Speaker 1: of your life. We know about the one, but let's
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  Speaker 1: just let's put it in there. So let's see the
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  Speaker 1: top three.
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  Speaker 2: Top three uh wt A finals last year against Quinwin,
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  Speaker 2: I have to say Venus at Wimbledon twenty nineteen, that.
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  Speaker 3: Was your breakout.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, that was absolutely when the world was introduced to
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  Speaker 1: Coco off twenty nineteen Wimbledon.
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  Speaker 2: And then I guess I could go with obviously US
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  Speaker 2: Open one, just because it was US Open. I guess
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  Speaker 2: I'll go with that one, but another one on a
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  Speaker 2: mole mention, I would put the Rome one literally like
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  Speaker 2: the three hour and thirty minutes matching his win win.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, I do remember that match, but I think most
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  Speaker 1: like casual even casual tennis fans, they remember that twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty three US.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, so I have to put that one as number one.
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  Speaker 2: But Ottible mentioned Rome.
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  Speaker 1: That was so inspiring. Yeah, my daughter, that was the
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  Speaker 1: first match that she remembered watching.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, Oh so that's sweet.
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  Speaker 3: She knows you. She calls you Coco. You're the one neighbor, right.
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  Speaker 2: She probably knows who Charlie is. She's young, No.
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  Speaker 3: She's young. Yeah, she's almost seven.
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  Speaker 2: So okay, yeah, actually she might seven maybe maybe No.
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  Speaker 3: Actually don't know think she does. But she certainly knows
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  Speaker 3: who Coco Go Go Golf is, that's for sure. All Right,
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  Speaker 3: this is my last question.
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  Speaker 1: I want you to give me your American Women's tennis
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  Speaker 1: Mount Rushmore or top four, top all time.
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  Speaker 3: I feel like definitely, no no particular order on Mount Rushmore.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, Serena has to go up there. Oh this
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  Speaker 2: is tough. I feel like Billy just because of the
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  Speaker 2: impact of it that she put left on the game, Chris, Chris.
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  Speaker 3: Ever, there's a lot of real choices out there.
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  Speaker 2: I guess I have to go with Venus too.
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  Speaker 3: So, yeah, what's it gonna take for you to get
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  Speaker 3: on that Mount Rush?
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  Speaker 2: At least when a few more slams? Yeah, at least
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  Speaker 2: double digits of slams for sure, a lot more. Maybe
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  Speaker 2: I can be on like the second or third tier.
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  Speaker 3: You know, you've done very well. You've got a lot
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  Speaker 3: of years ahead of.
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  Speaker 1: You, and we believe and we believe you can do
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  Speaker 1: very well this year at long Garol. So best of luck, Coco,
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  Speaker 1: and thank you, thanks so much for joining the d
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: Thank you