Barbara Schett-Eagle – Game, Schett & Match

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Daniel Kiernan  00:09

Welcome to Episode 154 of Control the Controllables and today is International Women's Day. And what better way to celebrate than having one of the most recognizable female faces and voices in tennis? On our show today,

Barbara Schett Eagle  00:28

I look at tapes and I'm thinking okay, I should have done this or you know do that because it's the same as on the tennis court. Sometimes you play match and you think your forehand was outstanding, but it was actually not and it's the same thing when you when you host the show, you go like, Oh, that was really good or that was really bad. And then it just comes across completely different.

Daniel Kiernan  00:48

If you haven't guessed it, that is Barbara Schett Eagle. She is a former top 10 singles and doubles WTA player, and is famous the last 16, 17 years on the show on Eurosport Game, Set and Mats with Mats Verlander where we see her talking, analyzing the day's tennis at all of the grand slams, and what a brilliant job that she has done. Barbara was supposed to be our guest last week. But those of you that are listening regularly to the podcast will know that we felt it was more fitting when we had the opportunity to speak to Sergey star kowski. Sergei is a former Ukrainian tennis player, who is just a devastating story as so many stories out there right now. He has left his wife and three kids to go on enlist in the Army Reserves out in Ukraine, an incredible man brave to the core. And if anybody hasn't listened to that episode, I strongly recommend you episode 153 to take 1520 minutes in your day to really connect to what is truly going on out in Ukraine right now. So there isn't a mention of that throughout the podcast because we did. We did record this episode a couple of weeks ago now. But for any of you that do want to hear Barbara she did interview Elena Svitolina, which you'll find on Eurosport, and we'll we'll put the link in the show notes. But as it's International Woman's Day, it's also an opportunity to shout out all of you brilliant women out there. And a message that I'd like to give that we all continue to fight the great fight of equality of making a safer, a kinder world for all of our kids, our sisters, our wives, cousins, aunties and mums that are out there. And this episode is dedicated to all you amazing strong independent women out there keep leading the way and I'm going to hand you over to Bob rachet So Barbara Schett Eagle a big welcome to control the controllables how're you doing?

Barbara Schett Eagle  03:08

Hi, I'm really well thank you. Thanks for having me today. Looking forward to this chat.

Daniel Kiernan  03:13

Well, it's lovely to have you in it and especially in a time when I feel I've watched you a lot over the last this time of year you know I think we all we all wake up turn on the TVs in Europe and and now you are talking so well about about Australia. So have you recovered from that crazy few weeks? Because it's a difficult time I would imagine lots of hours. Yeah,

Barbara Schett Eagle  03:37

it was not and it was not only the Australian Open I worked a couple of tournaments before I was in Adelaide and in Sydney as well. So it was a full on month in in Australia for for work but yeah, you know I mean it's a privilege for me to be at every Grand Slam pretty much and especially this year it was unbelievable and Ash Barty won and then Rafa Nadal one is 21st. It was just a real pleasure to be on site. But I have to say, talking about recovery, I think usually when I finish a Grand Slam, I'm as tired as the finalists. So I'm really like the Monday after I completely collapse I wake up and I don't know who I am. What My name is where I am, because I'm that tired. So it does take me a few days like three four days of a lot of sleeping, a lot of good eating little talking to just get back to normal. It's pretty intense. The hours I work and sometimes people I think look at me and they go oh my god, it's so looks so fun and have any this fun. Don't get me wrong, but the hours are very long, like they're 1415 hour days every day for two weeks and it's pretty tiring.

Daniel Kiernan  04:49

And I would imagine and obviously we'll get to your tennis playing career a little bit later. But tennis players have to prepare them selves. For events, obviously, physically, mentally, you know, all of all of those type of things now, is that something, I guess Christmas period comes around, I guess you've got to be a little bit careful Christmas and New Year to be partying too much and, and losing the voice and not being in the right headspace. Is that something you have to prepare for?

Barbara Schett Eagle  05:21

Well, to be honest, I live a pretty, pretty healthy lifestyle. So I even Christmas time, which I actually always spent back in Austria, I'm pretty active. So I do all the winter sports, skiing and everything. And this year, we couldn't have a lot of gatherings or big gatherings, as well. So there were no Christmas parties, they were all canceled as well. So there was no temptation as well, for me, but yeah, I do, I do prepare, I want to, you know, physically feel good before Grand Slam as well, because I know it's long hours and early starts late finishes and stuff like that. So I still look after my exercise regime and routine, which is very important, they pretty much eat healthy, of course, I have a glass of wine, here and there. But yeah, I want to be fresher, especially, not only physically, but mentally, and I do prepare, also, you know, like, you know, during the tournament, I don't sometimes remember all the results, what happened a few years ago, and here and there. So I do a bit of research as well just be on top of my game, because I feel like that people expect that from me. So it's not just hopping in from the jumping in front of the camera, and just, you know, talking which I do do a lot as well. But you know, I want to I want to especially be good with my with my expertise. So I always do research. Because

Daniel Kiernan  06:52

it's almost, it's quite an unforgiving job in lots of ways when we can talk on this podcast, I can mess up and I can edit it out, no problem, ya know, things can get edited out. If you're good, almost people don't realize that you're there. Because it's in lots of ways you do it, you're doing your job. And that's what people are expecting. If you if you do mess up, or if you don't quite have the right fact, people are ready to jump onto you, you know, so it's got to be quite, there's quite a bit quite a bit of pressure, I would imagine.

Barbara Schett Eagle  07:23

I don't see it as pressure really, I just tried to be prepared as well prepared as possible. And, you know, people I make mistakes, sometimes. I mean, not fatal mistakes, but every now and then, you know, I get a little a little statistic maybe wrong or, but that's, you know, that's life TV. And I think that's why it's so fun, as well, because it's very spontaneous things and, and then I do have somebody in my ear, most of the time who tells me maybe something wrong, sometimes it happened as well in the past and a statistic was wrong. And I was the one who delivered it. And I was the one who prompted them. But you know, as long as it's not a major thing, people are pretty forgiving. I mean, I do get a few messages here and there. Why did you say this? Why did you say that? Just today I got a message from my agent who sent through an email from from from someone because I asked Iga Swiatek, for example, at the Australian Open if she has finished her book, you know, because she loves reading and she was reading Gone With the Wind and now Yeah, people are that particular person that said if I was a racist, so it's really interesting. So as a lot of a lot of times, we can't do it wrong, or you can't make it wrong and can't make it right for everyone. And there will always be somebody out there who doesn't like you, you know, you can't be liked by everyone, but that's fine. That's fine. I just you know, I just try my best and, and enjoy what I do. And yeah, and that's all I can do. Pretty much.

Daniel Kiernan  09:00

Well, thank you for your brilliant work, you know the tennis community as a lot better for the work you do. And Australia. You mentioned Australia Australian Open. Yep, it's it captured, not just tennis fans, it captured almost the world before the event. And then luckily we got out we got the focus back onto the tennis. The tennis was incredible. What are your reflections now that you've had a couple of weeks after the events of the Australian summer? What are your big reflections of the Australian Open?

Barbara Schett Eagle  09:33

Yeah, of course, it was very turbulent. Before the Australian Open. We all know the case. Novak Djokovic, Can he enter Australia? Can he not enter Australia? It was going on for quite some time. I think it was almost a couple of weeks. And it was unfortunately a lot of a lot of it was very, very negative and the whole world looked at the sport of tennis in particular that case you know in a in a quite critical and negative way and I I didn't I didn't like that too much because tennis you know a sport is something that brings people together pretty much and and it was very the people were very divided what was going on there and I didn't really enjoy that but I have to say from the first point onwards you know the main draw was played at the Australian Open people didn't really talk about that incident much anymore and they focused on the tennis and and I mean how good was the tennis we have ash body when the Australian Open after such a long time and Aussie could lift up a trophy again and then the whole Rafa Nadal story again and how dramatic was that finally it couldn't have been better. It was certainly entertaining and it was important as well I think for tennis and for for the Australian Open to to finish the tournament on a high. No,

Daniel Kiernan  10:53

Absolutely. I think. Firstly, I don't think any of us saw Nadal coming. I know we are on the podcast, we do a review, a preview and a review show and I had Xavier Malisse on and I had Kieran Vorster there was there was a Freddy Nielsen none of us even mentioned Rafa, it was almost like we should mention Rafa because Rafa is rough on the Dow. But really, when people were making their predictions, he wasn't someone that was coming in. Whereas on the other hand, I think we all picked Ash Barty in lots of ways. You know, it felt like it was felt like it was her time. And, and watching her and I know someone who you you know very well, it's, it seemed as if you know, when you turn up to a junior tournament, and you have just the top seed, who was maybe a year or two older than everybody else, and just has that maturity over over the rest of the field. It really did feel that with Ash, so And obviously, the pressure she would have had in Australia, there's no way it was like that. So So I guess my question is now and for someone who's so close to, to the ground on tennis, does she now start to clean up a little bit in these grand slams? Or was that a bit of a one off that she was seemed to be so far ahead of everybody else?

Barbara Schett Eagle  12:18

Well, not necessarily. I mean, she felt it felt like when you watched her play in every match, and I watched every single match, she was at ease, you know, with herself. He has she had this lightness about the way she presented herself on the court. And we all know, tennis wise, she has the game, the game, which the girls these days, don't like at all with that backhand slice with that big forehand, she has an unbelievable serve. But yeah, it was amazing how she dealt with the whole pressure. And she has been working for quite some time now with a mental coach with, with with someone intensely, and he helped her a lot. And it's not necessarily about tennis itself. It's more about how she is so how she develops as a person. And she mentioned that Ashe mentioned that so many times after her matches that all she wants to do is try her best and you know, be the best version of herself every single day. And that's pretty amazing. And, you know, if she continues to love tennis, and if she continues to be into the sport, and I think she can win many more grand slams. She's definitely the best player out there on the tour on the women's tour at the moment. And yeah, I'm sure she has her eye on the US Open. For example. She hasn't won the US Open. Yet another title in Wimbledon would be amazing. And she's the most consistent player at the moment on the WTA Tour, as well. And yeah, she seems like she has the right. The right team around her. Whenever she talks about her success. She always refers not to an eye, she says we as a team, and you can see how close she is with everyone and how every single person in her team has such an importance to her. So she's just doing it right the right way at the moment. And I'm here in Australia now. And it's really interesting. You don't really she just won the Australian Open, you know, after so many years for the first time and you don't really hear anything from her. as well. She keeps such low key. She just wants to be home. She wants to be with her fiance. She wants to play with the dogs and her niece and it's really, really interesting to have such a different world number one.

Daniel Kiernan  14:38

It is and so so well put Barbara and I think the one point before because I want to get into your tennis story in a minute. But the one point I want to pick up on because I'm I'm a big believer of this and we've had Iga Swiatek train at the academy who travels with her sports psychologist. And I just think people often And then the tennis world and certainly coaches players, parents can almost think you either have it or you don't mentally. Whereas it is a skill just like developing a forehand or backhand, a slice to serve. And to hear that Ash Barty. The world number one, is still having this growth mindset of saying, right, I need to work and continue working at this side of my game. And you hear it I love interviews with players because I think you, you pick so much up from their mindset and ash, like you say, always uses we, she you know, talking about she just wants to enjoy and give our best and enjoy the Australian summer. You know, and the byproduct of that is the ability to perform. If I move that question into your tennis, the world number seven, you know, an incredibly high level tennis player, was that an area of your game that you worked at, or bucking back in our day, I won't throw you under the bus with the age but I'll say back in our day, it was It wasn't looked at in quite the same way maybe.

Barbara Schett Eagle  16:05

I think now there's people or players or just in general, the population, you know, is a lot more open about mental health, and about issues maybe on the on the court, you know, in any sport, and I think anybody everybody can work on something, I mean, you hit your practice every day, your forehand, your back end, but what about the mental aspect, and once again, I don't think it's just necessary or only necessary in tennis in sport, it's necessary as a human being because everybody's carrying a certain backpack, you know, everybody can view things differently, or look at yourself in a different way, reflect and I think we should all do that a little bit more. Coming back to my Korea, I have worked with a sports psychologist, as a psychologist for a couple of years. And he's helped me a lot, I had my issues on the court and I was getting a very hard for me to accept errors and mistakes, and I would have a tendency to get very negative and down on myself. So he has worked. Or he's he's helped me a lot, you know, to just change my way of thinking how to deal with negative thoughts. And, and that was the best time in my career, I had my breakthrough, then I was I was top 10. And I worked every single day. And in that department pretty much and I think I think once again, I think every player should have a good look at themselves. And, and every player has certain doubts, certain thoughts coming out, especially in the game of tennis, which can last a very long time, you know, between I don't know, two hours and five hours, you have a lot of emotions coming up. And it's a matter of how you deal with those emotions, you know, if you deal with pressure, how you deal with anxiety, decision making, and all these things. So I think, yeah, I think it's a really important, important part of tennis, which should not be underestimated. And I love it, that people are so much more open about it now.

Daniel Kiernan  18:14

Absolutely. And in terms of in terms of our childhood, in our start in the sport of tennis, how much do you think our experiences at those ages impact how we are once we're older, and we're on the court as well,

Barbara Schett Eagle  18:29

very much. So I think it really impacts you, the first coach, you've had the way you started to play tennis, the way your parents have handled success. And you know, and sometimes when you would lose matches, I think, as we all know, when you're a little child, you know, the things you remember everything people say, what your parents tell you, and that can be a very good thing. But that can also be a problem down the track. Because it's very hard to get out of those patterns. I, for example, always thought that I had to practice five, six hours a day I had to have to have to and when I didn't practice that amount. I thought I'm not prepared enough, you know, so it was really hard to get that out of my brain. Pretty much that sometimes less is more. And yeah, I mean, that's just an example. For example, you know, what, what players are dealing with and definitely does pay path not the path is set, but whatever whoever you know, is your mentor when you grow up or your culture is yeah, that's pretty much in your head, I think. Yeah,

Daniel Kiernan  19:45

no, we have the norms, the norms are set very early, aren't there in terms of in terms of what's expected and it's it's really hard to break through. I actually not so much on a tennis thing, but I went back I went back home To see my parents this weekend, and unfortunately, my mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about three, four years ago, pandemic has stopped us being able to go back to march from Spain back to the UK. And, and when I was there, and every single day, as much as I love being home, everyone treats me like the role I played when I was a kid. So as a kid, I was a bit clumsy, got in a little bit of trouble. And, and then as I've developed, I own my own tennis academy in Spain, and I've got 18 staff members, and you know, people that I employ, and, you know, I've got quite a lot of responsibility. Yet, when I go back into that environment with my cousins and my uncles, it's almost like, I'm young Dan, who still messes up and does all of those things, it is quite hard to lose those labels, you know, and those norms that you have at that age, so, so what was your young tennis experience? Because I know you were you were very good early. You know, looking back, you know, I think you brought up under around about 18 years old, or playing WTA tournaments at almost 1516. But your earlier earlier tennis experiences, do you have fond memories? Do you look back and go that was that was a really challenging time? How was that for you?

Barbara Schett Eagle  21:20

No, it was mainly fun. I mean, the way our generation started to play tennis is probably different than this generation. So my parents socially played tennis and my brother and I, we were dragged to the tennis court each weekend and not that they would play a lot of tennis without us, we had to entertain ourselves. So we would just hang out with other kids and play hide and seek and then just started to play tennis against the tennis wall. And I found that fascinating. And my parents for example, they because my brother is seven years older, they tried to teach him a little bit and I was just hanging out and just playing against this wall. And I basically learned the basics or just the the hand eye coordination or getting complex alone with that tennis wall and I just loved I just loved it, you know, I just love the sport and from the age of six onwards, I was already in the state Federation and Tyrell and I practice that a couple of times a week so I basically base went to school and I played tennis and I did all the other sports my family's various was always very athletic. So we would go skiing, we would go hiking, everything outdoors, cross country skiing, and athletics and all that stuff. So that's all that mattered to be I just wanted to be physically active and I have very good memories from from my childhood there and the pressure may became a little bit later you know, when you have to perform and the first time I felt really pressured was probably when I was around 617 or 18 Just before I broke into the top 100 Because the Austrian Tennis Federation because I moved to Vienna when I was 14 to train in the Institute of Sport there which was very young and then at the age of 18 or I think I might have been already top 100 they said okay, we can't help you financially anymore now you have to you know do it yourself pretty much and that's when I kind of panicked I was like okay you know those days the prize money was a bit different than this year this nowadays and also now if your top 100 You know how expensive it is to travel on the tour with the coach you know the whole year because as a tennis player, you have to have to pay everything yourself so that really stressed me out and I at one point was thinking oh my god, how am I going to be able to perform when I have this pressure you know, on my shoulders but I I dealt with it somehow it all turned out to be alright but I also turned pro when I was 16 so I stopped school because I was traveling so much already and I decided together with my parents that I'm gonna go this path and if it doesn't work out, I'll go back to school finish school and then I can go to university and study and all that together was a tricky time I think 1718 years of age where the pressure was quite overwhelming. But then you know, here I am, you know talking to you I was top 10 I have a great job and everything so right. And it just made me the person who I am now pretty much that the whole tennis tour.

Daniel Kiernan  24:44

So isn't to just show though because everyone and me doing this podcast has been fantastic because I've spoken to so many different people that have got so many different lenses of the sport, but also so many different people that have gone on and won Grand Slams or mean top two And in the world, because when we take tennis as an industry on the whole, if you think a 1718 year old girls just broken top 100 in the world, you would almost think she can't have any worries in the world. You know, like, there's, you know that but everyone has their own personal journeys. Everyone has their own personal battles. Wherever you are, you end up kind of normalizing, you know, the way that your life is. And those and those other pressures come and I think it's, it's so refreshing and important for people to hear these stories.

Barbara Schett Eagle  25:33

Yeah, no, I think I think so too. And, you know, it's those days when I when I broke into the top 100 It was quite normal to do it fairly young, because, you know, there was already, Jennifer Capriati, Martina hankies. They were 1516 when they were top 10. So and I was always very aware of money, for some reason. I mean, my, you know, I'm not coming from a wealthy family, but both of my parents were bankers. So I'm a well, I was always very aware of the cost of living, you know, how much it is to rent an apartment, how much it is to, you know, pay for your insurance and, and all these things. And when I added it up, I'm like, okay, and how much does it cost me to go to this tournament, you know, to 25 tournaments a year to pay my coach and to probably pay a fitness coach. I was, I was thinking, Oh, my God, I have to make so much money now before tax before even paying tax. So maybe I knew too much about it. Maybe it's better, you know, to not know about that. But after all, I always knew and I still know exactly how much money I have, on my account. How much I'm making how much I'm spending? It's probably because because of my mum and dad,

Daniel Kiernan  26:50

maybe you should have gone and worked in the bank.

Barbara Schett Eagle  26:55

No, I don't think so. No,

Daniel Kiernan  26:58

yeah, the career that you've you've had and also the life, the life that tell us gives us you know, I actually I saw I saw a few times the fine in the final when your husband caught caught the ball, that party hit into it and hit into the well not even the stands. And that alone, your front row seat and watch these amazing events, you know, what, what incredible experiences they are that money certainly can't buy. And if not just moving into your your professional playing career, you know, a very successful career from the outside, you know, World World Number seven, and I believe on three WT events. Do you view your playing career as successful?

Barbara Schett Eagle  27:47

Um, yeah, I do. I'm very proud of what I have achieved. You know, my big goal since when I was a little girl was always to become the best Austrian female tennis player internationally. So that was Barbara Powell. So it was 10 in the world. And then there was Judith reasoner, she was 12 in the world, I wanted to be better. So that meant that I have to be top 10 My goal was never to be number one in the world, which is funny, because I see all these kids, you know, now over the last 1015 years, since I retired in Austria, they say I want to become number one in the world. And I never, I never said that. Maybe that was a mistake. But most of those kids have most of those kids, none of those kids have made it, you know, so I always wanted to be very realistic. And it was a dream when I was a little girl, but then you know, when I noticed, okay, I'm pretty good at what I do, I can actually achieve that. And looking back now, of course, with my knowledge now, I will do quite a few things differently as well. Especially my way of thinking, but it's always easier when when when you've left that certain period in your life to know what you do better, or what you could have done better. But overall, you know, I'm still proud of it that no other Austrian female tennis player has achieved what I've achieved and and that's it. I don't have any regrets. And, and yeah, and maybe I could have played a little bit longer retired when I was 28. But, you know, I'm, yeah, I'm so happy with how things have developed afterwards. You know, within my second career, I pretty much managed it all myself. You know, I thought about what I wanted to do and what direction I wanted to do. And I knew pretty much right away. I wanted to stay in tennis and it's such a privilege to be able to be in this industry now for over 30 or 30 years pretty much now, and it doesn't feel like a job to me at all. It's, it's you know, it's my passion and I really, really love what I do and that Why it's it's just great. You know, it's my dream job.

Daniel Kiernan  30:03

I think it's an interesting topic around goal setting and how you know, it's really interesting that you had in your head, you wanted to be in the top 10 you and you you got there you know, and that drove you forward. My very poor tennis career compared to yours, Barbara, that I set my mind on. I was going to be British. I knew that I was better at doubles and singles. And I was okay, I'll be British number one in doubles. And I'll I'll play Wimbledon. That was that's where I'm at. But I almost felt in some ways I set a bit of a ceiling. Now I reached British number one doubles player, I played Wimbledon. So then I was I want to win a match at Wimbledon. So then the next year I want to match at Wimbledon and not mad not just because I said it, but I never really pushed I don't think the ceiling higher or even took the ceiling away. And I guess my question to you, which is a bit seems like a bit of a cheeky question when you got to world number seven. But But do you think that you set is granted your ceiling was very high? But do you think you set a ceiling of being because you are the greatest ever female Australian tennis player on ranking? You know? So you? Austrian? Austrian, Austrian, Austrian? I feel like I mean, Dumb and Dumber when Jim Carrey when he he gets the mix up? Yeah, so you're the greatest ever Austrian female tennis player by being ranked world number seven, do you think that was a ceiling you set and maybe if you hadn't set the ceiling, you could have gone a little bit higher? Probably

Barbara Schett Eagle  31:43

Probably. And, and that's, that's definitely what I'm thinking. Because, you know, when I was number seven in the world, and when I broke into the top 10, I did have my next goal, okay, I want to be number six, I want to be number five now. But it was not half hearted, but I probably didn't believe in it. 100%, I was quite happy with what I achieved, because that was the dream I've had since I was a little girl, you know, and you finally get there. And and then I couldn't push myself any further. That's why I have so much respect of the likes of Federer or Serena Williams, just to keep that motivation level up that desire to win more to do better. It's unbelievable. For me, it was I was happy. I always say now, you know, I'm happy that I wasn't number one in the world because I couldn't live, I couldn't go down the street and you know, just get a coffee or I couldn't go do my grocery shopping, it will be a nightmare probably. So I didn't I always say I didn't want to sacrifice my private life. But I think you can see it in in the in the few players out there as well, once they achieve this is one goal, winning a Grand Slam title maybe or getting to a certain ranking, then it's very hard for them to reset goals. But talking about goal setting that's still in my life. It's unbelievable. That's something I have had when I was playing tennis and I still set myself goals in different ways, even if it's okay, this way, I'm gonna run five K's in that time, you know, or I'm gonna, I'm gonna do yoga every single day, I'm not gonna have coffee for two weeks, things like that. They're always present in my life. I like to challenge myself a little bit. As tennis players or as athletes, you have to be disciplined, and I still implement that in my life, which is pretty funny. I feel like I really need that. And I think for anybody goal setting is really important because it makes you reflect on what you do. Where are you at? What can you change, you know? And it's really, really important. Yeah, yeah,

Daniel Kiernan  33:57

to give it giving those small bits of purpose every single day. And and also then bringing in awareness, isn't it? I think the skill, the skill of awareness is is a massive skill that that is quite a challenging skill as well at times.

Barbara Schett Eagle  34:13

Yeah, totally. Nobody is perfect. Again, everybody has, has issues, you know, and doubts and this and that. And I think the older you get, the better you get at that, that you reflect yourself, or you reflect you know yourself as a person and when you're young you just don't think about it you think you own the world and you know everything anyway, but the older you get, you know that you actually know nothing about life and it's the same like when you grow up, you know, and you always think about your parents, they know absolutely everything and they they are perfect. But then suddenly, you know at the age of 20 you realize oh, they're actually not they're just trying their best basically and they you No, they also have faults like everybody else has. But I think in certain departments and certain parts in your life, you can definitely work on yourself. And you can change things when things don't go so well. You know, not not being afraid of certain changes, you can, you can steer your your life in, in the right direction. I mean, of course, there's some some families or some people have horrible, horrible things that have happened to them. But I think if you're not happy with your life, change it to something different. And I hate it when people don't change things, you know, they're afraid of that change. And I don't really know how we got to this now. Well,

Daniel Kiernan  35:45

I'm gonna have to correct you on some firms. Barbara, because you said that when when children are young, they think their parents know at all? Well, I have three children. And they they tell me quite regularly that I don't know anything, actually. So they already already they've, they've worked it out. So maybe, maybe they're very smart that they that they've managed to work out that their dad doesn't know anything. Certainly don't have me on that pedestal. I don't think I've known everything. But no, but moving back into your into your playing. And I think it's always fun. I mean, to have a top 10 player on the world in the world. On on the on the podcast. There's so many amazing experiences that you have so many players that so many people listening will know that you've played against. So if I put you on the spot, what what's your greatest moment, your greatest playing moment that you can remember or that sticks with you?

Barbara Schett Eagle  36:44

There's been quite a few playing moments. You know, greatest moments when I played when I loved playing FatCat for example, when I represented my country. I remember the one moment where I played in my hometown in Innsbruck, and we played there was a tennis court built into the you know, we have this big ski jump at the end of the ski jump where the ski jumpers basically stopped them and there was a big tennis court and towards the end of my career, we played against America there Billie Jean King was there Martina Navratilova, and we beat them as well. That was one of the highlights. highlights were always playing against Steffi Graf because we she was my giant childhood hero. I never won more than five games against her because I was just so shell shocked and I just went to look forward hoping that I was going to survive pretty much never thinking that I could beat her. And then you know, moments where I had match points against Martina hangups and Monica Salas even though we lost those matches and they were hurtful and painful I thought it was they were great matches you know and that's just love the atmosphere and are playing on Arthur Ashe stadium, you know, in a night match. That's unreal, my quarterfinals at the at the US Open as well. And I wish I just could have done a little bit better at Grand Slam events. But it was just such a tough time when when I played in that era, because you had pretty much the Williams sisters you had Hindus you have to have input you had peers you had more was more. I was hanging cam Yeah, exactly. So there were I mean, it was it was a it was a tough time there was so many heroes of our sport playing in that and it was just sometimes I thought I do I belong there really. And I did which is which is great for a year or a bit more. And yeah, and then this these are the moments which which come up in my mind and lots of doubles so I love playing doubles with Parrish, Anita were very successful together and we were very good friends. And we are very good friends and Anki who were for example as well. I'll never forget those matches doubles matches when I played with Anna Kournikova because the people the crab was just going nuts. You know, we always had everybody cheering for us and, and when when, especially when Anna was out there, I mean, it was just the atmosphere was just unreal. I have to say. So yeah, these are Olympics was pretty, pretty special to me, too. I nearly won a medal there. And unfortunately, I got into an argument document with my then boyfriend in the quarterfinals of the Olympics, which wasn't so good. So yeah, but it's just as a whole now that makes me proud. And now I'm thinking I could have I should have probably won a medal there. Yeah, there were so it's very hard for me to pick one particular moment of my tennis career. First of all, I forgot most of those moments probably already because it's that long ago and There's just been too many as well.

Daniel Kiernan  40:02

Well, it didn't really answer the question I said one moment you just give me 45 But that's but I think you're but I think your answer was better because you gave us you gave us a flavor of of sort of so many amazing experiences and an eye as you were talking there I had so many questions jump in my head because I would say I'd love to know about that I'd love to know about that. But the one thing that probably the I've two questions and I'm gonna ask one first How good was Steffi Graf slice ah,

Barbara Schett Eagle  40:35

it was so freakin good it was unbelievably so it was so fast it was so flat I think because I cuz I watch the ash body a lot courtside seating in that whisper position and we talked about that slice so much in her slice is really good. But Steffi Graf slice I think was faster, much faster. The bounce was was much lower as well. And I feel like that that slice was nastier than her forehand definitely.

Daniel Kiernan  41:03

Yeah, I mean it was because that just the amount of times when I I've coached a lot of players over the years and I always will go to Steffi Graf slice you know, no matter if I'm coaching a man or woman or boy, you girl, I don't care, Steffi Graf slice has to go down as one of the greatest ever shots of all time. So to to experience playing against it must have been special. Now my second my second question, and I, I hope I'm not going to get you in trouble, but part of me hopes that I am I am gonna get you in trouble as well. You did not mention making a Grand Slam final with your now with your now husband as one of your greatest ever moments on the telescope.

Barbara Schett Eagle  41:48

That's what you do with husbands? Yeah, yeah, we did make the finals of of the mix that the Australian Open in 2001, I have to say we were not a couple of them. We were just really, really good friends. And it just happened. I mean, we used to play a bit of mixed doubles here and there. And we just had a great time Josh was top 10. And in doubles, I had a pretty good ranking, I was probably top 10 or something like that. And we just had a really good time. And I remember just before we played that finals, we started to practice we were like, Okay, let's let's hit a few, you know, like moves let's practice a few moves. Before we play this this finals. And we played her renders, it was the worst match we have played, Josh got broken a couple of times, not because he surf was was not great. Also, because I was just sending it the net like with two nails, you know, in my shoes, I couldn't move at all. So at one point, we were just saying we looked at each other and said let's just try to make this you know, over an hour pretty much this this final so that we don't get whipped or underneath an hour or less than an hour. So we did have a lot of fun playing there in the in the finals. And if somebody would have told us, then hey, you guys, don't worry. You're going to spend the rest of your life together. You're gonna get married, we would have been like what really? Okay. We certainly, yeah, we were there with our partners, Josh was in a relationship. I was in a relationship and we just we just got along really well. And when our careers came to an end, then suddenly love sprang and I just couldn't think about life without each other anymore. It's

Daniel Kiernan  43:35

lovely and, and in terms of that, I guess. It's almost takes my wife was was also a tennis player. She went to US college and we actually met not we didn't we met at Wimbledon, but we also we got together playing a mixed doubles tournament. So but but I do think some ways for crazy tennis people and what it takes to be involved in tennis in so many ways. It sometimes makes life a bit easier when you have someone who understands because if you're coming from the outside of tennis, it's almost quite hard to understand the way that the tennis world works or I would imagine that's worked very well for you guys.

Barbara Schett Eagle  44:15

Yeah, totally. I mean, once again, we were not a couple in our playing careers. But since we both retired so since 2004 2005, we've been we've been together and I mean tennis you know we talk about tennis every day. Some some point there is something about tennis which comes up and my husband is very passionate about it as well. He used to use to coach a lot now it's a little bit hard with the traveling being based in Australia so he's not coaching as much anymore on the tour he can't travel but he's the one who coaches because I don't have the patience to coach anybody. I just do the TV part and and we love it and he has you know the Understanding of the circuit last year, for example, during COVID, we were apart from each other for four months. And, and that was a very long time, and I don't think a lawn tennis husband would have played the former player would have, would have understood that somehow what I've done, you know, or for example, when I go to tournaments, who do I work with? What do I do? And how is life on the tour, and we do have that understanding for for each other. And a few years ago, my husband was traveling with Sam Stosur, you know, all the time. So I think it's a very different way of living a very different lifestyle you have, and a very different way of thinking overall, you know, so we're certainly not the typical. So typical couple, we go through stages where we just don't see each other now, for example, when I go to Europe, in May, we're not going to see each other for a month and the month for us is a piece of cake. So the support is amazing. And to To be honest, I could not imagine being with somebody who doesn't have that passionate that background about tennis and you see it so many times on the tour, I mean with Elina Svitolina guy Morpheus, and there's there's so many other couples, Roger Federer and America, you understand each other and lie life on the tourists is pretty hard, because you're traveling pretty much 1011 months a year. So it's not that easy to find somebody who understands that you're away from home for that long.

Daniel Kiernan  46:43

So you touched on that a little bit there. What do you have any day to day involvement in tennis right now? Or is it just just the not not just but as it was at the events that you you're doing with the with the TV and the media? Yeah,

Barbara Schett Eagle  47:00

so this is that my downtime, so whenever I finished the Australian Open these three and a half, I'm about three and a half months before I get ready to pack my bags and go back to Europe again. I don't I don't work at all. So this is the time where it just recharge my batteries. I'm a mother, I make lunchboxes I cook, I exercise, and I follow the I follow the tennis news. Follow the results, of course and and I talked with my husband about it, you know, did you see this result? Do you see that result? Failing, so really esteem winning his first title, and we do it I mean, tennis comes up in our conversation all the time. And then once I'm, once I'm leaving in May, I'm pretty much working all the way until November. There's the Grand Slam tournaments. There's lots of other events. There's, I'm doing some stuff on the court with with the Austrian Federation as well. So in lots of different ways. I'm connected with tennis, which is a lot of fun, because every time I work, it's very different, you know, it's never the same. And I work in English language for Eurosport. And then I work for an Austrian network, as well at some other tournaments in German. So it's a work with different people. So every event I go to every time I work, it's with different people, but then people I've known now for many years and they've become friends with me as well. And it's just a lot of fun. It's very intense, but it's a lot of fun I have to say, but

Daniel Kiernan  48:39

are you still are you still playing it all? Because I know you used to play the invitationals Are you still playing the Invitational events at the Grand Slams Yeah,

Barbara Schett Eagle  48:46

I just played at the Australian Open we played we it was a very small group this year. It was just for now it was six six for girls and for guys and we played two doubles matches where we just swapped and rotated around and one mixed doubles match and it was a bit of a surprise to me because I didn't know I didn't think there was going to be a legends event this year but I had one record with me so I had to steal another records from someone else and Sam Stosur gave me strings and grips and I'm lucky enough to still get get my my tennis gear from auditors so I said all emergency emergency I need a tennis skirt. I need a top and I played and yeah, I'm hoping to be able to play the Invitational doubles in Wimbledon again. It's so much fun and they feel very special until it's kind of when you turn back time you know and you go to the locker room and you get ready for your match and then you stand up there and nothing works the way it used to work can't move as much anymore as far nobody

Daniel Kiernan  49:51

can tell when they're watching. They can but I've drunk too much PIMS

Barbara Schett Eagle  49:58

maybe yes sometimes they Maybe I can tell them actually if I play again that they should just hand out a few more free pimps before but it's, it's, it's so it's so much fun and all the girls who are playing they love it as well and we just get together we talk about old times and and try to entertain the crowd and I tried to play tennis, it sounds stupid but once a week now just to you know, to keep the flow going and everything but again I just do a lot of other sports you know, I've played so much tennis in my life that I want to do other things as well. So, but but there those are highlights, exhibitions and Invitational double sets for

Daniel Kiernan  50:40

sure. And I have to mention Barbara 2014 Wimbledon Invitational champion with Jana, Jana Novotna. You know who three years later we tragically lost, you know, and you know, where to soon. How, how was that? How's that memory for you? Very special.

Barbara Schett Eagle  51:00

Yeah, it was very special. Because Jana, she was a player. She was an established player and a Wimbledon champion, I believe when I was just coming up, you know, in the rankings, and she would always support me, she'd always chat to me. I had some tough matches against her, which I was where I was leading and and last, but she always would take the time. And then when we teamed up in Wimbledon for the invitation of doubles. I think we played a year before maybe a couple of years before radio as well. She was just, she was just unbelievable. She was almost like a mum, you know, the way she was. She was talking to me and about life and about her experience and everything. And she had a great sense of humor, too. It was just so much fun playing with her and getting to know this other side of her. And yeah, she never, she never mentioned her health problems. She didn't want anyone to know what she was going through. And it was it was heartbreaking for me to find out a few years ago that she has passed and I will never forget that Wimbledon when we want to gather for her. She wanted in doubles, she wanted in singles. But for me, it was my first title. And we celebrated and we it meant a lot to both of us. And and this is a memory I will never forget as well. And I should have mentioned that before when you asked me my biggest memories, you know, when I was playing? Because that's certainly certainly one of them. And yes, she's she she was a great role model and a beautiful, beautiful woman.

Daniel Kiernan  52:41

I love lovely words and a lovely memory to have Barbara as well. Yeah. And I'd like to I know we've we've talked about your media career kind of integrated within within the chat. But one thing that does really interests me is going from on being a tennis player was almost see what it seemed like would you seamlessly transition into into working in the media and doing such an amazing job for the last 1617 years? Did you have training? Was that something going on behind the scenes? How tell us about how that happened? And and yeah, how you establishes yourself so quickly?

Barbara Schett Eagle  53:26

Well, I'm in this business now for Believe it or not 17 years. So it's quite a long time. Certainly a lot longer than my tennis career. But I wasn't I was playing towards the end of my career, I was already thinking about okay, what what do I want to do and that one thing was, was working for TV because I like to speak I like to talk I I think I make people comfortable. And I can be quite funny. And I thought that could be a very really good path for me. So I've done a bit of commentary work for four years, but in Germany there and, and I've expressed them that this is something I'd like to do down the track, you know, like in media and TV. And that's, that's how it all started in 2005 At the French Open, I retired at the Australian Open and the French Open I was already working for Eurosport and I, I was there as an expert kind of alongside Mats Wilander already and I've done my first interviews here and there. And I would love to see some of those interviews because they would have been horrible. But, you know, I kept on you know, doing interviews and other stuff. And every year. The head of tennis there especially at Eurosport, you know, just asked me to do more things and different things. So he kind of trained me a little bit without me knowing you know that I was trained. And I think it caught comes with experience and what I do, what I do and what I have done in the past, I haven't had any media training, but I think the important thing is to, to watch other people to also do watch yourself on videos. And what was always important to me is to get feedback, you know, from from my team, I always told them just be honest, even, you know, even if it hurts, but I can only get better if you give me feedback. And sometimes that was a little bit harsh. And and I think that's that's the way I have, yeah, evolved and develop myself as, as an expert as a host as I'm certainly not perfect as well. But I think in that business, you know, it's it's just important that you know, what you're talking about. And I feel that with the players that they all know, even though they might have not been around on the tour, but they it gets passed down somehow they're very open to a form of former player and yeah, and I, you know, it never ends you still, there's so many things you can do better. And I still I always work on myself where I look at tapes, and I'm thinking, Okay, I should have done this or, you know, do that because it's the same as on the tennis court. Sometimes you play match, and you think your forehand was outstanding, but it was actually not. And it's the same thing when you when you host the show, you go like, Oh, that was really good. Oh, that was really bad. And then it just comes across completely different. So it never it never ends, the progressing. I'm also I have to say I want to evolve, I want to progress. I want to get better, I think you can never stop. And certainly those companies are yours, what they keep me on my toes, because I always have different roles, you know, it's never the same. And I think that's important as well. But otherwise, you tend to get lazy, I think if you always do the same thing. So that's what's fun. And that's what's good. I think that you you always get pushed in a certain way.

Daniel Kiernan  57:11

Yeah, because your roles seem to be different this year than Yes. Normally you're in the studio. And yeah, the one that I have have to ask you about that. I always find that I think it was maybe last year when it came out. Was this kind of player that appears in the studio when you're watching on the TV? Station? Yeah. And and at first I remember obviously, and I go what's going on? How come? How come Rafa's stood right next to Barbara and Matz. You know what's How's how's that? Or I guess is that just you almost having a video call, and not necessarily experiencing the maybe the strangeness that we do as the viewers at first?

Barbara Schett Eagle  57:53

Well, it should appear as we were all actually standing together in the studio. And sometimes it probably doesn't deal with the teleportation, but it's an unbelievable technology. And we started two years ago, when we had the first Grand Slam package. I believe that was the US Open in 2020. Yeah, 2020 Exactly. Because the French Open was afterwards and the whole world looked at us like Jesus, what is yours for doing? So? It's really funny, but I mean, we Mats and I, obviously, we don't see the person standing next to us, we see the person, we pretend to see that person, but also the person who we interview doesn't see us. He basically looks into a camera wherever he is, or she is. And there's a photo of Mats and myself underneath, so they know who's there. But yeah, that's, it's a great technology, especially during COVID When we could not travel anywhere. And it's, we use it now to the Olympics as well, your sport and it's been pretty amazing. But you have to get used to that as well, not being able to touch somebody or sometimes there's a little bit of a delay as well that you can't interrupt anyone. But that's what I meant with challenges. There's always something new we used to have a studio on site and this you know, this whole technology thing in the cube in London where where we spent a lot of time as well. And then now at the Australian Open, I did a lot of other things again, so I think that's important that you're versatile. And I feel like at this stage of my second career, I can pretty much cover everything I can hold that can commentate, I can be the expert, I can, you know, do play by play. So I think that's that that was always important to me that I can can cover cover a lot because there's a lot of people who can only do one thing and I always wanted to be able to do Um, yeah, pretty much to it all, if I have to.

Daniel Kiernan  1:00:05

My My last question before I go into, we have a very quick fire round Well, It's as quick as you want it to be at the end. Yeah, there shouldn't be anything too tricky in there, Barbara. But you now as, as someone who is very high profile in the media, someone who was very hope high profile it as, as a player, and also, as a husband, who has been a player coach, very high profile, you've, you're well situated to understand how the tennis industry is as a whole. You know, obviously, we hear varying things about that, you know, during COVID, obviously, a lot of people give opinion, there was there was fractures within the sport, if we're not careful, the sports on the on the down, you then watch your grand slam, and you see it packed to the absolute rafters for pretty much every match. And you say, well, actually what you're talking about the sports in an amazing place. So from your lenses, how do you see the tennis industry as a whole right now,

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:01:13

I still think that tennis is one of the biggest sports in the world. And, and I love that about our sport, you know that in every country, people play tennis. And you can see this, as you mentioned that the grand slams, you know, you just have to look at all the TV ratings, and all the people who were on site, what kind of an atmosphere it was. So I don't think there's too many sporting events where you can see this in the course of two weeks as well, you know, you have big sporting events, which go for one two days, there's one game here in soccer in football, or something like that, but in tennis, it's, it's the whole year, pretty much. And I think it's a beautiful sport, and I'm sure there has to be, you know, always have to be changes over the years, it can never be the same, like it was 100 years ago. And now I think you have to modify certain things, which we have seen now with, you know, with, with Hawkeye, for example, or with, you know, different different rules and regulations that at matches or a tennis tournaments. What, what one thing is certainly harder is, I think, to have that break through in in the top 100. Because I think now especially through COVID, I know it on the women's, so a lot of the tournaments couldn't survive. And there's not a lot of opportunities, sometimes for lower ranked players to be able to compete. And that's something which is a little bit of a worry, we see the grand slams, and they're very successful. And, you know, the Master series and the in the big events. But then those smaller tournaments, they're the ones which I'm worried about, and the players who are trying to make their way up because as we know, and that was my biggest worry, tennis is a very costly sport. And if you have to travel all around the world, there's a lot of kids spend a lot of players who have to stop playing tennis because they just can't finance it. And that's very, very sad to hear. And I don't have the solution. That's not my my department, but I'm sure that you know, they're, they're working on it on certain strategies. And what I would like to see a little bit more as well, which is happening, I think, is just the best more WTA and ATP events together. And I know next year for example, this year that's the one in Hamburg will be a combined event I think the men and women both can benefit a lot from it, you know, when you go to as a family to tennis tournament. How good is it you know, when you have men's players, you have women's players there at the same time. And I think you just have to put all the forces together and tennis and and yeah, have a few more combined events have a tour together. Maybe even Yeah, and we'll see how that goes. But I'm not worried about the tennis sport. Okay, there's always countries you know what sometimes it drops maybe a little bit the popularity and then it goes up in another country. But tennis it's such a timeless sport, which a lot of people people can relate to. They play themselves so it'll it'll always be around to always be one of the popular sports. Do you

Daniel Kiernan  1:04:44

think the players and Xavi Malisse said this to me actually, when I quite good friends Xavier and we were we were talking he was saying when he played he just had so little regard really for for the media for sponsors for, you know, didn't really understand the concept of, of supply and demand and having to have the TV rights and having to have ticket sales and having to have these things ultimately to bring in bringing the money into the sport. Whereas now that he plays a lot of the legends events, you know, and Xavi, I'm sure he's the first person to get to the bar when he gets invited now, but he's your buddy, everybody said that, you know, he now really understands how important it is to be accessible as as a player, because those events wouldn't happen without that. Do you think that now that you're in the media, does it frustrate you that you, the players aren't accessible enough that you can't? Is there a way that we can do it that we actually get like this, you know, this, I know, this is an hour long, but getting to know the players? You know, and I've had Kazakh Kina, II guess young tech have had, you know, bought a charge quite a few people come on the podcast. And, and I and I know the listeners feel so much more connected to them, because they hear the insights and they they get to know them a little bit more, is that a frustration you have that working in the media, that the players aren't accessible enough? Sometimes,

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:06:19

and, you know, some players are accessible, and some players are not as accessible, I think it's, it's a matter of education for the players. So you know, when they are young, that this is part of the deal, you know, that you can only make that much money, you can only be that successful if the media is is around pretty much and you know, the media is around, there will be TV stations, there's sponsors that so it's a big cycle. And I think everybody has to always helping everyone in that department. It's really fresh, straining, and has been really frustrating for me, sometimes when players would just say no, I'm not going to do this, you know, this takes five minutes, or this takes 10 minutes. Or sometimes the request doesn't even get to the player because the agent thinks, you know, no, it's this is not necessary to do. But I think that's where in other sports, maybe sometimes they do a bit of a better job with golfers or in Formula One or in skiing. I mean, it's very hard to compare that because it's not a world sport. But you know, the athletes need to know that everybody, you know, you the athlete needs the media, and the media needs the athletes. So it's a given take, and I think I would, I would really appreciate it. And I would really, if I would coach a kid, then I would spend a lot of time just explaining that that kid you know, that it's not just the tennis game on the court. It's not just you, it's every everything else, you know, and you're building, you can build a legacy for the sport. I mean, look at you know, a lot of the kids don't even know who Billie Jean King is. And you're thinking, oh my god, we owe everything to her, you know, she has passed away for us and and I think a lot more should be done there. And that's not necessarily the WHA it's the coaches as well. The coaches have to educate the kids, especially when when they're young. And they the problem is then some of the coaches have no idea because they haven't been there. They haven't done it. But that's a really the important matter and a lot of players Xavier is not the only one. I think you realize this afterwards Jesus, why didn't I go to the tournament director and say thank you, you know, you're doing a great job. And I do work at the tournament. So that's why I'm an ambassador and in in Linz for many years with a tournament director called Sandra I can I know there's a few players who are coming in, they're thanking her for a wildcard and it makes the days it means the world to her, you know, when when the players are coming in? Because there's not many who do that anymore. And, yeah, it's up to the team who to educate the players there a little bit more, I think, let's

Daniel Kiernan  1:09:19

say this Netflix documentary, I think is going to be Yeah, it's good. That's going to be exciting. And I think that could that could maybe open the door to a little bit of a different crowd. It's gonna get the sport out there certainly worked well, for Formula One. You know, I think the Netflix shows had a big impact on Formula One. So that's exciting. So I think Watch this space on the Netflix show. And yeah, I think more more things more accessibility has to be good for the sport. Barbara before I go into the quickfire round, I want to say a massive massive thank you to you. You're welcome. So the listeners know I sent Bob For an email approximately 36 hours ago, and, you know, your the difficulty I have on getting some guests on, you know, and, you know, for you to have just come on so quickly, so willingly so enthusiastically, and bringing your amazing insights and wealth of knowledge. I thank you massively for myself, but also on the behalf of all the listeners. So a big, big thank you.

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:10:25

Thank you. That was so much fun. And I can see it's an hour 15 It certainly feels like that. And I do have the 24 hour rule. So if somebody sends me an email or text message, I get back to that person within 24 hours. That's one of my goals, one of my rules. And that's why that will have come so quickly. Well,

Daniel Kiernan  1:10:44

you were you were a star. But are you ready? This is the this is the real moment. This is what we

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:10:49

oh my god, I try to be so quick fire around.

Daniel Kiernan  1:10:53

What does control the controllables mean to you?

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:11:01

Control the controllables Well, you can't control the weather. You can't control the way somebody is thinking. So I think I know what I can control. I can control myself. But I can't control anybody else or anything else. Pretty much. Maybe my TV I can control. Yeah. If

Daniel Kiernan  1:11:24

you've got a battery in the reward. That's right. So ownership and responsibility is what I'm taking from that, you know, taking ownership of yourself. You're your favorite Grand Slam. Australian Open

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:11:39

for high surprise.

Daniel Kiernan  1:11:40

While everybody says that 95% of people on the show, say Australian. So they're doing something well done. Craig Tiley, who's also been on the show but well, well done to Craig. forehand or backhand. Backhand. Serve or Return. Return. Indoors or Outdoors outdoors, clear quartz or hardcourts clay. Three sets or five sets in male grand slams. Five sets, three sets of five sets and female grand slams. And resets. You don't you don't like the idea of playing Five. Now. This is an interesting one. You got to listen carefully. What do people often get wrong about you? Austria Australia. Good answer. Good answer. Medical medical timeout or not?

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:12:42

Yes. Medical timeout. If it's a real injury, yes. But do you know

Daniel Kiernan  1:12:50

Serena or Venus? Serena? Roger or Rafa. Paul,

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:12:59

Do I have to answer that

Daniel Kiernan  1:13:01

you have to it's in the contract? I'm Roger. Matt's or Tim.

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:13:09

Mats.

Daniel Kiernan  1:13:13

They say this is 60% of our listeners are in the UK and they're not going to be happy with that answer. What what's one rule change that you would have in tennis?

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:13:25

Um, I think the serve the service. Let's just continue.

Daniel Kiernan  1:13:31

Like college US college. That's exactly yeah,

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:13:34

just continue. That's more excitement.

Daniel Kiernan  1:13:37

And before you answer this question, I need to let you know you are responsible for getting this next person that you mentioned. So be careful who you say. Who should our next guests be on control the controllables?

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:13:53

Oh, I think you should speak to the I have to be responsible for it.

Daniel Kiernan  1:13:59

This is this is it was in the small print of the email is you've got to pass even to pass the baton on to the next person to come on to the show.

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:14:08

I think Roger Federer should come on the show you think? Well,

Daniel Kiernan  1:14:13

I certainly think he should. But when Ferreira also told me that Roger Federer should come on the show but when when has not got Roger on the show for me yet.

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:14:25

Yeah, I'm gonna struggle there a little bit. I think this is not such an easy question to answer. I would think you know, especially because you're in the UK. You know, Mark Pesci, Sam Smith.

Daniel Kiernan  1:14:38

So Sam hasn't been on markers. Okay.

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:14:42

Sam Smith. Mr. O'Connor would be amazing. But I can't organize you Mr. O'Connell. I'm sorry. There'll

Daniel Kiernan  1:14:50

be there'll be three or four rolls of agents I think to get through forever. So I think we need to settle on Sam Smith. So I do I do know some I but I don't have a context I might, I might drop you drop you an email. And as you get back in 24 hours, it's not gonna take long. Barbara, you have been an absolute star. Thank you so much. And yeah, all the best to have a good evening and Australia evening for you. So, enjoy the next couple of months before you're back to, to the hard work on the tour.

Barbara Schett Eagle  1:15:22

We'll do cheers. Thank you so much. Well, once

Daniel Kiernan  1:15:26

Again, what a fantastic treat to have such an amazing guest as Barbara, and I'm sure you love that one as well, Vicki.

Victoria Kiernan  1:15:36

Yeah, I knew I was going to enjoy that one before I even listened to it from tennis player to broadcast a similar story to me, but obviously, she's been far far, far more successful in both of those. Depends

Daniel Kiernan  1:15:49

How you define success, doesn't it? You know me, you know me? Well,

Victoria Kiernan  1:15:53

A success factor for me would definitely have been even to have been on the same tennis court as Steffi Graf. I absolutely loved hearing all of those stories. But I also really enjoyed hearing about how she prepares for work presenting on Eurosport and how similar that is, or the habits that she has is so similar to what she was doing when she would have been playing tennis. She talked about you know, preparing physically and mentally, for covering the Grand Slams like she would have done is when she was playing, eating well, keeping up a fitness and setting herself goals in everyday life. Now all these kinds of habits that she's carried forward into her day to day life now,

Daniel Kiernan  1:16:34

I thought you might like the stories, you know, when they when they were coming out. And I must admit I'm with you. I got very excited when she was talking about Steffi Graf slice backhand. Slice is you know, and it's just that and then obviously the great Jana Novotna, you know, a net and then when you think as well, what a career she's hard. And we do talk about success. And, you know, it is measured in so many different ways. But there she was, as we were watching the, the ash Barty final of the Australian Open, and the ball went into the crowd and her husband grabbed the ball. And and it was I must admit, I thought at the time, oh my goodness, here we are in our house imagine being in that stadium. But not just in that stadium being so close to that action. And it almost feels like she's got the dream job. I think so many of us will be envious of Barbara, and all of the fantastic journalists and and commentators that are that are in that world. But at the same time, the dedication that it takes and and you talk there Vicki about how she eats how she looks after herself, spending three months away from her kids, you know, there's a there's a whole world of dedication that goes into it. And that fits into what I believe now for a long time than we've talked about it on the podcast, this this performer. And almost no matter what you do, you are looking to perform to the your highest level. And in order to do that a big part of performing well is preparing, you know, making sure you have a plan, making sure that you have determination or purpose. You know, all all of these things that Barbara spoke about, that sounded just like a tennis player. And in any one thinking the investment that you are putting into your tennis isn't worth it. Because you're not lifting the Wimbledon trophy at the end of it. You can forget that because all of those skills that you're picking up are just so incredible. And they're going to put your put yourself in a place where you will be be able to go on and learn the knowledge bit of whatever field and industry that you then go into as well. And I think Barbara is, is living proof of that. And it was it was so fantastic to talk to her and get those details. I would imagine that the Edit was fairly easy. She spoke so smoothly for it throughout the conversation, and is obviously a real natural, what she's doing.

Victoria Kiernan  1:19:13

Oh, such a pro such a pro. I hardly had to touch that it was she speaks so well. I'm talking about learning. She was saying, you know, she's still learning now and from a journalists point of view is listening with two heads really from the tennis side and from a journalist side and you know how easy her transition was from being a tennis player into you know, cameras being on the other side. And I had a lot of respect for her when she said she you know, she didn't mind making mistakes. It's okay, she understood that, you know, she makes them sometimes I mean, I still have nightmares about reading the news on the radio, you know, radio where no one can even see you, you know, making mistake on air and I'll wake up and be like, Oh, no, I've just, you know, these are things I really worried about at the time and I still think about it. And obviously, I still have dreams about it now, but she had a very, very good attitude towards that, you know, it's okay to make mistakes, I'm doing the best that I can. And she's still learning, you know, she said, she's always looking for ways to improve. And after being in the business for 17 years, I think that was an awesome message.

Daniel Kiernan  1:20:19

Yeah, and it's another great example of how the two things are connected, you know, you've got your, you've got your tennis and you've got your outside life of tennis, and they do connect back and forth, you know, the things that you are learning in your life, are able to then help you on the tennis court, and then the skills that you're learning on the tennis court and in your tennis training, you're able to then transfer transfer over because ultimately, tennis is a sport of, of being able to tolerate, and there's no sport like it where you know, you win a match, but you lose 48% of the points, almost half the points in a you make unforced errors, you lose, we've talked about the realities of sport a lot on this podcast. And I think when you learn that skill of tolerating, it's something that you're able to take into other forms of your life. So I'm not surprised, you know, someone world number seven, is she's done very well. But she's also able to tolerate a lot of losses along that way. So maybe the odd mistake that she's made on air, I would imagine, she's got some pretty strong resilience to overcome that. And that was a skill she worked on. She's talked, didn't she, she talked about working with a sports psychologist, you know, in her younger days, as a player, you know, as we've all players, you know, having having challenges have an internal challenges having mental challenges, and she was able to, to work through some of those things and find strategies that work for her. And I think for anybody listening, you know, I think there'll be a lot of young tennis players, a lot of parents of young tennis players, it's like any skill, you know, you can't be amazing at it when you start, but you keep working on it on a day to day basis, day in, day out. And you'd be amazed at how good your mental skills can be. Just as your technical skills or your tactical skills and physical skills as well. And it was so lovely hearing, hearing that story. And for me, I just kept finding myself connecting and going in between the two tennis player, journalists, tennis player, journalist, and how and how closely linked they both are.

Victoria Kiernan  1:22:35

Are they really are and from the performers side that you need. You get those nerves beforehand, like you were before a match, you get that adrenaline high afterwards, if you do well you get the disappointment. If you feel you haven't done something very well, you're you've made a mistake or you've not asked that person something, the feelings are very, very similar. And so I think if you are a good talker, you are a good communicator, it is such a good fit for tennis players for sports people because you are transferring so many skills, the listeners benefits they've got someone who's so knowledgeable of the sport and the individual benefits because they're still in a sport that they love and still getting the highs and lows that they perhaps might have missed if they moved into something completely different. And the final thing for me that kind of got me thinking was when she was talking about the build up to the Australian Open With it being so focused on Novak Djokovic and how she didn't like it because it divided the tennis community so much, and how you know, tennis brings people together and kind of fast forward a few weeks. Obviously, we had Sergei Sakowski on the show last week, but kind of we've seen through talking to so many people in the tennis community, so many tennis clubs, tennis academies around Europe, as horrendous as it is watching everything that's going on in Ukraine at the moment it it has been so lovely seeing the tennis community kind of come together. How can we help what can we do? And

Daniel Kiernan  1:24:09

For any of you listening that, that feel helpless as I think we all do? You know, I think there's so many of us want to be able to do something about the tragic events that are happening right now in Ukraine. Now, a couple of things I've seen quite a few friends of mine have been have been ordering, or they've been reserving Airbnbs of people in Ukraine. I think that's such a great idea as a way of getting instant, instant cash injection into people that need it, you know, they'll never need it more more than now. And that's something that I certainly want to share here on this podcast. But as for the tennis community, please reach out to us you know, we we've tried to be proactive this end. We are in touch with a number of coaches. There's a number of charities that were that we're trying to help out whether that's bringing players over to the academy, whether that's trying to advertise that fact, through through our podcasts and getting people in the tennis community talking about it, you know, as aware of us providing tennis, training, places to live, you know, you can't you can't imagine what some of these families and people are going through. So that's my big plea to anybody that's listening. Reach out to us, we will also put some links in the show notes. And we can only do what we can do at the in this time. Keep those messages going out there. Sergey said last week to receive messages from the tennis community. Yes, it can't physically change what's happening. But from the mental side, from the feeling of being together on having people on your side, it goes a long way. It goes a long way to morale that that Sergi and the rest of the people in Ukraine are currently experiencing. We will keep trying to do what we can as an academy as a podcast that are open to any suggestions from you. But until next time, I'm Dan Kiernan and we are Control the Controllables