- 15 minutes ago
The Daily Show 2026 04 22 Maria Sharapova
Category
馃摵
TVTranscript
00:03From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central, it's America's only source for news.
00:10This is The Daily Show with your host, Michael Kosta.
00:24Oh, yeah, we got a big one tonight, baby.
00:28Welcome to The Daily Show.
00:29I'm Michael Kosta.
00:30We've got so much to talk about tonight.
00:32Trump won't pull out of Iran, but he says he's so close.
00:36Influencers find a more embarrassing career, and Kash Patel's career might be just like his drinks on the rocks.
00:41Oh, and also, later, tennis legend Maria Sharapova will be here.
00:46Oh, my God, I love you.
00:48Holy shit.
00:49Hey, let's get into the headlines.
00:57First of all, happy Earth Day, everyone.
01:00Make some noise for Earth, you know?
01:02I love Earth.
01:04I love Earth.
01:06Did you remember to get her a gift?
01:08I got her some sexy lingerie, and it was more of a gift for me.
01:14Let's get started, because as of late, the glaciers are not the only thing that's been melting down.
01:19Kash Patel, FBI director, and the man voted worst kisser by Breathalyzer magazine, is having a bad week.
01:27He sued the Atlantic over a story alleging that he drinks too much, misses work, and that he's what's known
01:33inside the domestic intelligence community as a total chode.
01:37And yesterday, Kash went before the press to make it very clear that he will dodge any question that comes
01:43his way.
01:44Can you say definitively that you have not been intoxicated or absent during your tenure as FBI director?
01:51I can say unequivocally that I never listen to the fake news mafia.
01:56Yeah!
01:59Damn, that's a real master class on talking shit like a middle schooler who's terrible at talking shit.
02:05Oh, oh, you f***ed my mom?
02:07Well, I sucked your dad's d***, dumbass.
02:12Yeah, clap for that.
02:13Clap for that.
02:16Also, the fake news mafia?
02:18I appreciate that you tried to make us sound cool, but if the news were the mafia, it would be
02:23a lot more vague.
02:24Tonight at 6,
02:25Let me tell you what about the guy who's going down the place to do the thing, okay?
02:29Capiche?
02:34Come on, Cash Money.
02:36You got to give me a better defense than that.
02:38Try again.
02:38This FBI director has been on the job twice as many days as every director before me.
02:45What that means is I've taken half as many days off as those before me.
02:49What that means is I've taken a third less vacation than those before me.
03:00Let me just check the math real quick.
03:02So we got twice as many days plus half as many over a third less.
03:08Yeah, I think he's wasted.
03:09Um, but it's like...
03:20It just says boobs.
03:21I don't...
03:23But it's like, it's like my grandpa used to say, if you love your job and you're shit-faced at
03:28it, you'll never work a day in your life.
03:31But let's move on to the big update on the war with Iran.
03:35Specifically, the update is that I have no idea what the f*** is going on with the war in Iran.
03:41Nobody has had any idea since day one.
03:44Trump just started this war on us like a dog bringing us a dead bird.
03:48We don't even want this.
03:50Now, we have to clean this up?
03:52And it doesn't help that everything he says about this war is immediately cancelled out by the next thing he
03:57says about this war.
03:58It was only going to be four weeks, then six weeks, then eight to ten weeks.
04:02He wanted an unconditional surrender.
04:04Then he wanted a nuclear deal.
04:06Then he wanted to open the strait.
04:07Please, Mr. President, can you stop bullshitting us and just find an end to this war?
04:12President Trump just told the New York Post that Vice President J.D. Vance and his delegation are in the
04:17air on the way to Pakistan for talks with the Iranians.
04:21Thank you. Yes. We must be nearing peace.
04:24I mean, Trump makes up a lot of bullsh**, but if he says the Vice President is in the air,
04:28that definitely happened.
04:30But that didn't happen.
04:32Vice President J.D. Vance, who was preparing to fly to Islamabad, never laughed.
04:36Wait, wait.
04:39So he just made up a flight?
04:42Look, I know everyone who knows J.D. Vance is always wishing that he was on his way to another
04:47continent,
04:47but this is not the time to manifest it into being.
04:51The ceasefire expires today, unless you're going to extend it.
04:55The president said it was highly unlikely he would extend the ceasefire.
04:59I expect to be bombing.
05:01Shit. Okay.
05:03So J.D. Vance is not on a flight, and Trump is not extending the ceasefire.
05:08Okay. I got it.
05:09Late this afternoon, President Trump announced he was extending the ceasefire indefinitely.
05:15Indefinitely? Oh, God.
05:16So, uh, hold on.
05:19Uh...
05:19No ceasefire to ceasefire.
05:22J.D. Vance to no J.D. Vance.
05:24Oh, it doesn't...
05:24It just says boobs again.
05:26Jesus Christ.
05:29You know what?
05:33Nice.
05:34Boobs.
05:35But you know what?
05:36At least a ceasefire is better than no ceasefire.
05:38It means that nobody's getting attacked or shot at.
05:41So, phew.
05:42Actually, this is a good thing.
05:43Hours after President Trump's ceasefire extension, Iran attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz,
05:50more ships fired upon and seized by Iranian forces.
05:55Iran unmistakably sending a message to President Trump.
05:59Jesus!
06:01That's the shortest indefinite ceasefire I've ever seen.
06:05President Trump, Iran's navy is shooting at ships.
06:08Iran's navy is gone.
06:10Shut the f*** up!
06:13Just shut up!
06:14Just shut up!
06:15God, just shut up!
06:16Jesus!
06:17Nothing you say means anything!
06:21In fact, you know what?
06:22Hold on.
06:23I know how to deal with this.
06:25Never in the history of warfare has an enemy suffered.
06:29Oh.
06:32Oh, my God.
06:36That...
06:38That is so much better.
06:41Everyone, just...
06:42Just enjoy this for a second, this blissful, bullshit-free silence.
06:48Oh, my God.
06:50I wish we could just tune him out in real life, but we can't.
06:53Because even though nothing he says matters, unfortunately, his actions do matter.
06:58So we have to pay attention.
06:59And right now, his actions, they're f***ing everything up.
07:02Triple-A reports the price of a gallon of regular spiked 40% since the day before the war began.
07:08Last week, the International Energy Agency warned that Europe has only about six weeks of jet fuel supply left.
07:14That supply shock tied to the Strait of Hormuz is hitting fertilizer markets as well.
07:20Fertilizers going up.
07:21Do you understand how bad it is when the price of shit is rising?
07:27I wish I knew about this this morning when I flushed a whole retirement account down the toilet.
07:39Now, maybe you don't fly or drive or eat, but sooner or later, the effects of this war are going
07:46to get you, possibly in ways you never saw coming.
07:49The war with Iran is having a huge impact on the global condom supply.
07:54Condoms are made from petrochemicals, and the supply chain bottleneck in the Strait of Hormuz is forcing the world's top
08:00condom producer to raise prices by 20 to 30%.
08:04Well, well, well.
08:07Looks like that Trojan I've had in my wallet since 2002 is finally going to get some action when I
08:15sell it on eBay.
08:18But a 30% spike in condom prices, this is a big deal.
08:21I mean, Jerome Powell of the Federal Reserve Bank is already suggesting that people, quote, do more hand stuff.
08:29And remember, every day that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the global energy crisis only gets worse, which is
08:34why today, Earth Day,
08:36I just want to give a big shout-out to President Trump, truly, because thanks to your war, the benefits
08:43of switching to renewable energy have never been clearer.
08:47Now, we can all see the risks of anchoring the entire global economy to one narrow waterway in the Middle
08:53East that stays open or closed based on the impulses of a deranged ruler.
08:57No, not that one.
08:58There you go.
08:59Yeah.
09:06You want to know what the world would be like right now if we weren't held hostage by fossil fuels?
09:11Here's a little taste.
09:12Hey, did you hear the Strait of Hormuz is closed?
09:14The Strait of Hormuz?
09:15Isn't that the waterway that has no effect on my life?
09:18Yep, that's the one.
09:19See you later.
09:21So, President Trump, thank you.
09:23Your thoughtless war is already spurring countries around the world to invest more in wind, solar, and all the other
09:29forms of energy that you would probably refer to as gay.
09:32Now, I don't think that was your plan when you started this war, because I'm pretty sure you didn't have
09:38a plan at all.
09:38But still, you have, by pure chance, helped the Earth.
09:42At this point, you're basically Captain Planet.
09:46Except, if there are any records of you spending time with younger women, they've probably been redacted by the DOJ.
09:52And look, we know by now that praise means nothing to you unless it's accompanied by a trophy.
09:57So, allow me to present to you, Donald Trump, with the first ever Earth Day Award for being a reckless
10:05idiot who accidentally did something good.
10:12Congratulations, sir.
10:14All right, when we come back, we're going to get an update on the midterms.
10:16Don't go away.
10:40Welcome back to the other show.
10:42The midterm elections are just a few months away.
10:44So, to analyze all the campaign stories, we turn to Ronny Chang, who is in our indecision, AnalaZone.
10:56I'm Ronny Chang, and this is the AnalaZone, where we go deep into our midterm coverage.
11:05Oh, sorry, that title is really undermining the tone of this whole thing.
11:09Can we change that graphic?
11:11Like, maybe lose the hyphens?
11:13Okay, no, no, no, that's worse.
11:15Put it back, put it back, put it back.
11:16Okay.
11:18Anyway, uh, by now, America has gotten used to rich, unqualified people from TV and social media running the country.
11:26And with the midterms approaching, it's inspired a whole new crop of shitheads to throw their shithats in the ring.
11:32Mark Teixeira, a Christian, a family man, and MLB all-star.
11:36I'm Luke O'Bronson, hockey coach, businessman, and actor.
11:41Yeah, I've been on reality TV.
11:43That's drama for show.
11:45What's happening in D.C. is real drama.
11:48Tejano music star Bobby Pulido is officially launching his bid for Congress.
11:53Two live crew.
11:54Rap legend Uncle Luke said he's running for Florida's 20th Congress.
11:58This is the man that gave us the classic, me so horny.
12:06Finally, a member of two live crew in Congress.
12:10I'll admit I was skeptical until I saw his campaign slogan, me so horny, to take on the establishment.
12:18But...
12:22I...
12:24Sure, why not?
12:25But if Luke Campbell does not make you so horny, there's plenty of other D-list celebrities and influencer freaks
12:32to choose from.
12:32Like NFL sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya.
12:35I covered the biggest football games in America.
12:39I walked the sidelines when the pressure was mounting and the stakes were the highest.
12:44Starting today, I'm running for the United States Senate.
12:51I'm not sure that's a winning message.
12:55When the pressure was on and the stakes were high, I was watching from the sidelines.
13:02A very safe distance away.
13:06But if there's one thing a sideline reporter brings to the table, it's knowing her stats.
13:10Almost 30% of Californians are homeless on any given night.
13:1530%!
13:17That is the largest margin by far.
13:2030%?
13:21I think it's 28.
13:23So close to 30% of their population is homeless on any given night.
13:26Is that...
13:2730%...
13:30is 12 million Californians.
13:35Look, not every strung-out-looking person you see in L.A. is homeless, okay?
13:41That's...
13:41That's just the cast of Euphoria.
13:44The actual statistic is less than 1% of Californians.
13:48So to put this in terms Michelle can understand,
13:51here's the snap, the kick is up, and it is wide by 11.8 million people.
13:59But in fairness...
14:05But in fairness, California has its issues,
14:08particularly in Los Angeles,
14:10where none of my pilots have been picked up
14:11and wildfires wiped out entire neighborhoods.
14:15The city also has a huge deficit,
14:17and according to Michelle Tafoya,
14:1820 billion people are homeless.
14:22This city needs someone serious
14:24who can solve serious problems.
14:27It is official.
14:28Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt
14:31filed to run for mayor of Los Angeles.
14:34Or Spencer Pratt.
14:38Finally, a candidate who makes white women over 40 go,
14:42oh, yeah, that guy.
14:44Ew.
14:45In case you don't remember Spencer
14:47from the golden age of basic cable reality TV,
14:50here's a quick refresher
14:51of his consensus-building approach.
14:53At the end of the day, I can't change.
14:55I can't make you un-my sister.
14:56You can't call the brother-sister line
14:58and say, hey, I don't want Stephanie
14:59to be my sister anymore.
15:01I can't do that.
15:02The phone doesn't work.
15:03You're making me cry right now.
15:05Stephanie, you're making yourself cry,
15:06thinking about what you did.
15:08Wah, wah, wah, wah.
15:10What are you crying about, Stephanie?
15:11What the fuck are you crying about?
15:13That's why you're not in my life,
15:15you crazy bitch.
15:16Because you come do barbecues
15:17and you just start crying.
15:20Wow, it's amazing how 20 years ago,
15:23this was considered TV villain behavior.
15:25But now, this guy sounds like
15:27he should be director of the FBI.
15:30But still, I'm sure...
15:35Yay, FBI.
15:37I'm sure Spencer Pratt has grown up a lot since then.
15:41I mean, he's got a degree, he's had kids,
15:43he's become an activist after the L.A. fires.
15:45I mean, I'm sure his family is proud of him.
15:48Actress Stephanie Pratt
15:49slams her brother Spencer Pratt
15:51over his run for Los Angeles mayor.
15:54Stephanie took to X Saturday,
15:56writing that a vote for Spencer
15:57is a vote for stupidity.
16:02You know, you make someone cry
16:03at your barbecue one time,
16:05and they just throw your whole campaign
16:08under the bus.
16:10But if you want your candidate
16:12less surfer dude and more alpha male,
16:14then I've got a race down in Florida for you.
16:17Dan Bilzerian has filed paperwork
16:19to challenge incumbent Republican Randy Fine
16:22for Florida's 6th Congressional District
16:25in the 2026 election.
16:27Yes, Dan Bilzerian,
16:29the shirtless trust fund Manosphere influencer
16:31who posts pictures like this
16:33and videos like this.
16:36Oh, hell yeah.
16:38Check out that.
16:39He's crushing a car with a tank.
16:41I never would have thought of doing that.
16:43All right.
16:44This is sick.
16:45This is sick.
16:46I bet this campaign is going to be fun as hell.
16:49I'm just going to come out and say it.
16:50Like, I think that Jews are causing
16:52a disproportionate amount of problems
16:54in the United States.
16:55Ah, damn it.
16:58Why are you showing me Nazism
17:00when I was expecting only sexism?
17:05But don't worry.
17:06He's being forced to answer
17:07for his anti-Semitism
17:08by America's last remaining
17:10journalistic institution,
17:13TMZ.
17:14Are you anti-Semitic?
17:16No, I'm not anti-Semitic.
17:17I think that, you know,
17:19that's kind of a made-up term.
17:20You called your opponent
17:21this fat Jew.
17:24So, he's not from Israel,
17:26but you called a guy in Florida
17:28this fat Jew.
17:30How is that not anti-Semitic?
17:32Well, he's a Jewish supremacist.
17:34He literally talks about
17:35how Muslims are lower than dogs.
17:36So, is that Islamophobic?
17:39Yes.
17:40Yes.
17:41Yes, it is.
17:48I've heard enough.
17:51Give TMZ the Pulitzer.
17:57Yeah, thank you, TMZ,
17:59for having the guts
18:00to stand up to an anti-Semite
18:02who gets his hair cut
18:03at a dog groomer.
18:04Look.
18:06I understand we're gonna have
18:07to tolerate idiots
18:08running for office,
18:09but can they at least be fun idiots?
18:12Like this one.
18:13Reality star Farrah Abraham,
18:15teen mom star,
18:17announced that she was running
18:18for mayor in Austin, Texas.
18:19But the problem is,
18:20that race is not until 2028,
18:22and it's a fact she seemed to learn
18:24in real time on live television.
18:26The election's not until 2028.
18:29Why so early?
18:31Oh, for some reason,
18:33the mayor election is 2026.
18:36I don't know.
18:37That's just what the office told me.
18:38So it is 2028.
18:40So I think you may have jumped the gun here.
18:42I love that I jumped the gun.
18:50What, you expect me to believe
18:52a teen mom made a mistake?
18:54Okay?
18:56So, what?
18:57She filed to run for office
18:59two years early.
19:01That just shows you
19:02how badly she wants to be the mayor.
19:04It was the office
19:05she was born to run for.
19:07Abraham,
19:08she is now running
19:09for city council instead.
19:10That election is this year.
19:13Okay, you know what?
19:14At least she's willing to admit
19:15when she's wrong and adapt.
19:16I'm excited to vote for her.
19:18I don't know when.
19:19I don't know where.
19:22I don't know for what.
19:25But I do know she has my vote.
19:27And that's all for tonight.
19:29I'll see you next time
19:29in the analysis.
19:34Thank you, Ronnie.
19:35We'll be coming back.
19:36Maria Scherfell will be joining me on the show.
19:37Don't go away.
19:38Ronnie Charlie!
19:50Welcome back to The Daily Show.
19:52My guest tonight
19:52is a five-time
19:54Grand Slam tennis champion,
19:56investor,
19:56best-selling author,
19:57and host of the new
19:58Vox Media podcast
20:00Pretty Tough.
20:00Please welcome
20:01Maria Sharapova.
20:25Five-time
20:26Grand Slam champion
20:27between us.
20:28What a crowd.
20:28I know.
20:29Is that a great crowd?
20:30Fantastic crowd.
20:30It's been a minute
20:31since I've seen a crowd like this.
20:33They're hot.
20:36They knew
20:37that between us
20:39we would have five
20:40Grand Slam championships.
20:41Good joke.
20:42You got jokes.
20:44I got jokes.
20:44I got jokes.
20:45Those are my
20:46Grand Slam match wins.
20:47Grand Slam champion,
20:49former world number one,
20:50Olympic medalist,
20:52best-selling author,
20:55podcast?
20:56I know, right?
20:57That was the one thing
20:57missing from your resume?
20:58Apparently that's the evolution.
21:00Pretty tough.
21:01Like, I don't think of you
21:02as pretty tough.
21:02I watched you compete
21:04for so many years
21:04and it was 100% tough.
21:06It was all out tough.
21:07Tell me a little bit
21:08about this pretty tough.
21:09I think I have an idea
21:10of what it's about, but...
21:11Pretty tough was very much
21:12my mentality from my youth.
21:14Like, I pumped my fists
21:15from the very beginning
21:16and I did not apologize for it.
21:18I got slack for it, right?
21:20It's like the only thing
21:21I was known for.
21:22But yeah, but since I retired,
21:23it's been a few years
21:24and I had a kid
21:25and I'm like,
21:26all of those lessons
21:27still apply
21:27and you still have to,
21:29you know, fight
21:29for what you believe
21:30and work hard
21:31and be determined
21:32and all the elements
21:33of being pretty tough.
21:35Where does...
21:38Yeah.
21:42You know, from the age of five,
21:44you were training
21:45to be a world champion.
21:47The competitiveness
21:48in your eyes
21:49and your body
21:51are so evident
21:52from watching you.
21:53Where is that
21:54competitive energy now?
21:55Because you don't have
21:56the outlet of the tennis court.
21:58It's so funny
21:58when you say that
21:58because I have a three
21:59and a half year old,
22:00he's almost four
22:01and I'm like,
22:01there is no competitive
22:02energy anywhere
22:04in my child.
22:06Like, there's energy?
22:07Right.
22:07It's not competitive.
22:08Right, right.
22:09So I look back
22:10to those days
22:11and look,
22:12we moved to this country,
22:13I was just six years old
22:14and we had a vision,
22:16a dream
22:16and I loved what I did.
22:18I loved being an athlete,
22:19I loved being a competitor.
22:20Such a huge identity of mine.
22:22But, you know,
22:23as a female athlete,
22:24you know the time
22:25will come much sooner
22:26than if you were
22:27a CEO or an entrepreneur
22:29and so I started
22:30kind of building
22:31those small steps
22:32toward my future
22:33and in business
22:34and entrepreneurship
22:35and now I'm in the podcast space.
22:38What do you want
22:39to achieve with the pod?
22:40Because it's,
22:40you host it,
22:43you have female guests on,
22:45I mean, ambitious,
22:46successful.
22:47Your first guest
22:48was Zoe Zaldana.
22:49Yes.
22:49Today, today.
22:50Today, today.
22:51It's amazing.
22:51I listen to it.
22:52It's fun to hear
22:54two legends
22:55talking about
22:55such different fields
22:56and their lives.
22:58What are you trying
22:58to achieve with it?
22:59Well, it's the juxtaposition
23:01of being that gritty,
23:02leading a team,
23:03but also being elegant
23:05and being vulnerable
23:06and being soft
23:06and being motherly
23:07and those two
23:08can coexist
23:09at the same time.
23:10I often had to
23:12choose one or the other
23:13by the press
23:14and by the media
23:15and by occasionally
23:16friends and family,
23:18but especially now
23:19with being a mother
23:20and like having friends
23:21that have children,
23:22we also face similar,
23:23you know,
23:24I felt like they could
23:24really relate to the concept
23:26and the subject
23:26and it felt like
23:27a very natural evolution.
23:29Not to mention
23:30every podcast
23:31is a guy.
23:32Oh, I like that
23:32you can swear here.
23:33You can swear here.
23:34We do this shit.
23:35Yeah.
23:37Okay.
23:39When I swear here,
23:41nobody in a chair
23:41goes code violation,
23:43Mr. Costa.
23:44That's fantastic.
23:45One of my first meetings
23:46with Vox Media,
23:47I was like,
23:47I'm only doing the podcast
23:48if I can swear.
23:49Okay, great.
23:50Like, I cannot get through
23:51an hour interview
23:52without saying,
23:52did you get code violations
23:55as a player?
23:56I don't remember
23:57a lot of that.
23:57You know,
23:57I was pretty put together.
23:59Yeah.
23:59Yeah, it's all gone
24:00downhill since.
24:01So, that's okay.
24:03Yeah, I kept it together
24:04pretty good.
24:05Um, so much of-
24:06On the outside.
24:07On the outside.
24:07On the inside,
24:08I was like-
24:08Um, so much
24:10of podcasting
24:11is male-driven.
24:12Yes.
24:13The manosphere
24:14and hosted by a man.
24:15The manosphere.
24:15I've been hearing that a lot.
24:16You've been hearing that.
24:17Is your,
24:18you know,
24:18you're a competitive person.
24:19Is your intention
24:20to take on the manosphere
24:21or is it just to showcase
24:22more female-driven properties?
24:24Oh, I think a lot of men
24:25have great content.
24:26I listen to it a lot.
24:28Um, and there's-
24:29There are a few-
24:31I love how you just
24:32gave yourself a compliment.
24:34Um, but equally,
24:35there's so much room
24:36for growth for females
24:37to host podcasts.
24:38I mean, Kara Swisher,
24:39Mel Robbins,
24:40those were all my inspirations
24:41leading into this.
24:42So, I feel like there's
24:43room in the sandbox.
24:44Yeah, there is.
24:46Um, in my-
24:47In, you know,
24:48in researching you
24:49and getting a chance
24:50to talk with you,
24:50I don't get to talk
24:51with a lot of Grand Slam champions.
24:52It's awesome you're here.
24:53Thank you for taking the time
24:54to talk with me.
24:54But, you know,
24:56I-I had forgotten
24:57that you had played
24:57five Grand Slam finals
24:58you did not win.
24:59And I'm just, you know-
25:00Oh, thank you for reminding me.
25:01Well, I'm not trying to-
25:02Yeah.
25:02But it is just so impossible
25:04to even make a finals period.
25:06Right.
25:06And you always talk about-
25:08But it's so disappointing
25:08when you lose in the final.
25:10Well, I know-
25:10It's actually tougher
25:11to lose in the final
25:12than it is to lose in the semis.
25:13Why?
25:14Because you get to watch
25:15the other player
25:16receive the winner's trophy.
25:17I don't know what other sport
25:18you really do that
25:19where you're standing
25:20right next to them
25:21and they're like,
25:22and the champion is.
25:23Not you.
25:24It-
25:25It is truly remarkable
25:26that in tennis
25:27you battle, battle, battle
25:29and you have to stand there
25:30and go-
25:30It is really tough.
25:30It's such a pleasure
25:31to play you.
25:32Oh, it's so-
25:33I know.
25:33I wanted to just-
25:35I don't want to-
25:35You know, I-
25:36You talk so much
25:37about learning from losses
25:38are failing forward
25:39and I have a list here
25:40of the Grand Slams
25:41you did not win
25:42and I'm sorry
25:42that I have to bring this up.
25:43But I'm wondering-
25:44Why did I come here?
25:46Well, no, because-
25:47Okay, start.
25:48Just start.
25:49Okay, 2007,
25:49Australian Open final.
25:51You lose to Serena Williams.
25:52Yes.
25:53What do you remember
25:54about that match?
25:54What did you take
25:55from that match?
25:56Nothing.
25:57Really?
25:57Next.
26:00Well, let me-
26:00Let me preface by saying this.
26:02You beat Serena-
26:03Yes.
26:04For your first Grand Slam
26:05when you were 17 years old
26:07at Wimbledon.
26:07And she's the defending champion.
26:09She's world number one.
26:10You come on the stage
26:11and you beat Serena Williams.
26:12Yeah.
26:13From what I know about Serena,
26:15she was waiting
26:15to take some revenge.
26:17Well, that's-
26:18that's a sign of a champion.
26:19Sign of a champion.
26:20Yes.
26:20Okay, so that one worked with-
26:21that one you didn't learn
26:21anything from.
26:22What about 2011?
26:24Wimbledon final.
26:24You lost to Petra Kvitova.
26:26Oh, it's just-
26:26it's hard losing at Wimbledon,
26:28whether it's first round
26:29or the finals.
26:29But, no, the reason I say
26:31you learn so much from losing
26:32is because I think
26:32that's when you do
26:33your best work.
26:34Like, that is when you
26:35get back to the drawing board,
26:37you huddle with your team,
26:39you think of-
26:39you analyze, right?
26:41You think of a new plan.
26:43When you're winning,
26:43you're confident
26:44and things just flow.
26:45They just go according to plan
26:47and you don't think about,
26:48oh, well, what-
26:48what can I do better?
26:50Yeah.
26:50So I think you're growing
26:51when you're actually
26:52not at your best.
26:53I love that.
26:53Um-
26:54Can you relate?
26:55I-I can relate.
27:05I have kids and a wife
27:06I'm fully aware
27:07of when I'm failing.
27:10That's hard.
27:11What about the 2007 year-end
27:13in Madrid with Justine Hennon?
27:14What was that match all about?
27:15Tell me why.
27:16It was a heartbreaker
27:17because I had so many-
27:18this is against Justine Hennon,
27:20who was, like,
27:20the fiercest competitor
27:22against me.
27:22Like, her game-
27:23her on a good day
27:24and me on a good day
27:25is just-
27:25it was a better day for her.
27:27Yeah.
27:28Um, three hours long,
27:29three-plus,
27:30and I end up losing.
27:31It was back and forth,
27:32back and forth.
27:33And this is, like,
27:33season-end championships,
27:34not a major,
27:35but a big deal.
27:36Yeah, right.
27:36Like, you want to end
27:36the year on a good note.
27:38And it's sometimes tougher
27:39to lose a third set
27:40than it is to, like,
27:41just lose in straight sets.
27:42And I come off the court
27:43and they're just celebrating
27:44with the team
27:45and they have champagne
27:46and it's just-
27:47and my dad was my coach
27:48at the time
27:48and he looks at me
27:49and he's like,
27:50we're gonna get our revenge.
27:51And I went into the off-season.
27:52I didn't take a vacation,
27:53which I had planned.
27:54My friends were all disappointed
27:56and I said,
27:56I'm going back to the drawing board,
27:57back to the drawing board.
27:59And I worked hard.
28:00I came into the Australian Open
28:01just two months later.
28:02I draw her in the quarterfinal.
28:04I'm like, terrible draw.
28:06And I beat her in two sets.
28:07And I always think of that match
28:09because I got-
28:10I became a better player
28:12because of it.
28:12I love that.
28:13That's amazing.
28:14Woo!
28:15Woo!
28:21We're seeing a trend
28:23with athletes prioritizing
28:25their mental health.
28:26Yes.
28:26I mean, the WTA travels
28:27with a therapist now.
28:29I don't think that was available
28:31to you in your time.
28:32I feel like-
28:33What's your take on athletes
28:36prioritizing their mental health?
28:37In some ways,
28:38that might be seen as a weakness
28:39when you were playing.
28:41Oh, no.
28:42No, it's not.
28:42I think accepting the fact
28:44that you can-
28:45Well, first of all,
28:46it's a very expensive sport.
28:48So you have to get to a position
28:49where you can afford a team
28:51with a coach and a fitness trainer
28:52and a physio and all that
28:54and perhaps a mental coach.
28:56I usually had a small team
28:57because I just felt less pressure.
28:59I didn't have to report
29:01to that many people.
29:02Right.
29:02But the teams are growing.
29:03Now, like, the boxes of 10 people,
29:05that's not enough anymore.
29:06Right.
29:06You have a full-
29:07You have a full entourage.
29:09It's overflowing.
29:10I don't think it's a weakness.
29:11I think acknowledging
29:12that you want to grow,
29:14like, if it's mentally,
29:16if it's physically,
29:17you always want to improve.
29:18Were you focused
29:19on your mental toughness,
29:21on working on that,
29:22or is that something
29:22that was innate
29:23and you would work
29:24on forehands, backhands,
29:25and stuff?
29:25I would-
29:26Yeah, I would sometimes
29:27get off the court
29:27and say,
29:28I was a little soft today.
29:29Like, I wanted my opponent
29:32to make a mistake.
29:32I didn't go for the winner.
29:33Yeah.
29:34I'd say that.
29:34Yeah.
29:35Because I wanted to, like,
29:36if I lost,
29:37I wanted to lose
29:38in my own terms.
29:39Love that.
29:39Well, you did.
29:40You played like that
29:41and you're so much fun
29:42to watch.
29:43I'm going to flip
29:44the script here.
29:44At the end of your podcast,
29:46you ask your guests
29:46pretty tough questions.
29:48Yeah.
29:48Well, I'm going to ask you
29:49your pretty tough questions
29:50because you interview women
29:53of high achieving
29:54and high status.
29:55Well, you should be
29:55interviewing you.
29:56Are you ready
29:56for pretty tough questions
29:57that you created?
29:58Oh, my goodness.
30:02Maria Sharapova.
30:03Oh.
30:04Most common misconception
30:05about you?
30:06Oh, that I'm a cold bitch.
30:11Hi.
30:12What do we think?
30:13Why don't we think
30:13that's great?
30:15What's your relationship
30:16to perfection?
30:19Oh, it's...
30:19You want to be perfect.
30:21Believe me,
30:22I strive for perfection
30:23on the court,
30:23but I realize
30:24that it's impossible.
30:25First of all,
30:25you lose a lot more
30:26than you win,
30:27and that's just a fact,
30:28and you just got to go with it.
30:30Well, you won, like,
30:3181% of your matches,
30:32so you didn't lose more.
30:33Did I?
30:34Someone like me
30:34lost more than I won,
30:36for sure.
30:36Thank you for knowing
30:37that stat.
30:37Yeah, well...
30:38Yeah.
30:39My posture's a lot better
30:40after hearing that.
30:41This was not
30:42your pretty tough question.
30:43This is mine.
30:44Let's be real.
30:45How bullshit is...
30:45A curveball?
30:45A curveball, yes.
30:47Okay.
30:47Let's be real.
30:47How bullshit is pickleball?
30:56I...
30:58I like where you're headed.
30:59Yeah.
31:00Yeah.
31:00Have you played?
31:01I like it a lot.
31:01Oh, yeah.
31:02Yeah, okay.
31:02Yeah, on national television.
31:03Oh, okay.
31:04It didn't go well.
31:05Didn't go well?
31:05No, no, I played with Johnny Mac.
31:07Okay.
31:08And he...
31:09Well, it ended,
31:09he didn't even say goodbye to me.
31:11Oh, yeah.
31:11Well, that's on brand for him.
31:13Yeah, we lost, clearly.
31:14Yeah.
31:15We played doubles,
31:15and he was on my team.
31:17Okay.
31:18I haven't played since.
31:20I always tell people,
31:21I had a good relationship
31:22with my parents,
31:22so I don't have to play pickleball.
31:25Maria,
31:27I don't get to talk
31:28to a Grand Slam champion
31:29very often.
31:30Tennis to tennis.
31:31Yes.
31:31People who are watching
31:32who play the sport
31:32at all different levels.
31:34What's one piece of advice
31:35you could give a tennis player
31:36on a way to improve their game?
31:38Anything at all?
31:39Their game?
31:39Or just, yes,
31:40their approach,
31:41their game,
31:42their anything.
31:43Don't miss.
31:44Don't miss.
31:45I love that.
31:47Do not miss.
31:48We make it too complicated sometimes.
31:50Yeah, you overthink it.
31:51Just let it go.
31:52Just don't miss.
31:52Let it go.
31:53Trust your instinct.
31:54Just do it.
31:55Thank you for being here
31:56and talking with us.
31:57New episodes of the podcast
31:58pretty tough
31:59on Marie Sharapova
32:00coming out each Wednesday.
32:01Marie Sharapova
32:02for a quick break
32:03and we're right back after this.
32:05Thank you very much, Maria.
32:07Thank you so much.
32:11That's our show for tonight.
32:12Now here it is,
32:12your moment of zen.
32:13No one knows
32:14who's calling the shots.
32:16Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner
32:17were supposed to leave
32:18for Islamabad,
32:19but they never took off
32:21because the Iranian delegation
32:23never took off,
32:25which is suspicious
32:26because this morning
32:27Trump said the gay Ayatollah
32:29authorized the deal.
32:31Sorry.
Comments