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Hey, this is Shaun with the award-winning GoTennis! Podcast powered by Signature Tennis.

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Check us out at LetsGoTennis.com and we invite you to learn more about the award by following

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the link in the show notes.

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And as you're listening to this, please look in your podcast app where to leave a review

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and do that for us.

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We would love to earn your five star reviews.

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And now let's get into our recent conversation with Greg Caccia.

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Greg talks about balancing traditional club work with independent coaching, the challenges

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of nurturing future racket sports professionals and how the sport can evolve to keep players

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engaged longer.

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Have a listen and let us know what you think.

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Who are you and why do we care?

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I am Greg Caccia.

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I've been who am I?

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Wow.

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I go way back originally from New York and I could probably take up a full time talking

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about who I am.

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But I'll put it in a nutshell, I guess.

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Yeah, I grew up in the Northeast, New York.

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I grew up playing all sports, but tennis was my focus and my love, my passion, but played

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all sports and was fortunate enough to move to the southeast for college.

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Went to a small college, fight for university.

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Only one who offered me a tennis scholarship.

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So took it, had a good career there.

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And I played some minor league stuff after college, satellite tour out in California and

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Hawaii and a great experience there.

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And then got into the teaching profession as most guys who do don't quite succeed on tour.

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And then I was fortunate enough to get involved with Hamball and that brought me to Atlanta, 1996

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Olympics.

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I was fortunate enough to represent our country and team Hamball and people say, how does a

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Hamball player become a tennis player?

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Well, it was vice versa.

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I played tennis my whole life and I became a Hamball player.

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And then just, you know, I did sales for a number of years, 20 years, but always kept my

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foot in my hand in tennis.

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Thanks to Bobby.

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I helped Bobby out at Windom here, mainly as sort of a side hustle.

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And a couple of years ago, I decided to get out of corporate America, second best decision

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of my life, get out of corporate America and focus on my true passion, tennis.

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Yeah.

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I had a head pro at the Chattahoochi Country Club in Gainesville.

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I like it.

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And you have won an award this year.

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I'm not sure when this will actually publish.

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It might actually be in 2026 by the time this goes out.

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But 2025, you were nominated for and chosen as the American Racket Sports Association head

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pro adult head pro of the year coming out of Country Chattahoochi Country Club.

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That's fantastic.

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Yeah.

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Unbelievable.

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What a great surprise that was last week.

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You actually contacting me.

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I was shocked and honored and looking forward to the awards ceremony.

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Yeah.

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Absolutely.

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Absolutely honored.

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So this will be fun.

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Bobby, tell us a little bit about why you think Greg would have won an award like this.

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Because I can ask Greg, you know, how great is he?

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We assume is the guy he works for at Chattahoochi Scott Gates is going to say good things about

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what we hope he's going to say good things about him.

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So Bobby, you've worked with Greg a long time.

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He is one of your go to coaches that you won around as much as anybody.

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Tell us about him and why by him.

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Well, number one, dependable.

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You know, and you hate to downplay it, but dependable.

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We have a history.

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I mean, we literally grew up at the same academy.

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Now, the funny part is I don't think we really met.

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We had a mutual friend down here and we were playing each other in an out-of-match and

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a mutual friend who was dating Andre Janisak.

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So it's all within the tennis world introduced us.

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And here I am thinking of, well, even if we knew each other, he wouldn't remember me because

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I was about 125 pounds when I graduated high school.

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And I'm this working out guy now.

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And he goes, oh, you probably want to recognize me there.

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I was five nine when I graduated and I looked up, I was like, what happened to my eight

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inches?

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You know, so we both changed a little bit after high school.

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And once we met, we became very fast friends.

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We did the later part of our bachelor lives together.

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So we had a lot of fun.

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But again, great on the court.

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Somebody you're going to be lying to demands, commands respect from the people and very, very

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knowledgeable and an unbelievable competitor.

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I mean, again, it goes back to you.

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What you can't, you know, we went to that seminar all together on Friday and all the things

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they talk about that you, you know, you can and cannot teach.

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And I'll argue now to the end of time, you can't teach competitiveness.

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But Greg has got a fire.

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He's almost joining the club next year at 60, you know, near 60 that he still goes out and

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we want to, I had to do it.

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But, you know, he was hurt and we'd like to slow down, you know, but it's just once you

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have that, it's hard.

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You know, it's probably better that we're not at the same location because we had a third

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gentlemen with us that was kind of like our mediator because we're both pretty competitive

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and we don't respond well to lack of effort as well as our third Thad Arnold does.

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So Thad was a good balance for the two of us.

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But yeah, I mean, I trust to Greg.

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It gave me the opportunity to go to Atlanta Country Club and search that opportunity out

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and decide that that wasn't the right fit because I knew that Windomere was in good hands

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while I was running back and forth in the mornings.

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So, you know, like I said, great player, great coach, respect.

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When we were younger, the ladies absolutely loved him.

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I can tell you the first time we hung out story, as I always pre-emphasized that we were

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at, when we were at, they don't, jocks and jails, right?

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Yeah.

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We were at Jocelyn Jails during like quarter finals, you know, NCAA basketball and the manager

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comes up to our table and we're being good.

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But we had a big group of people and what he comes up is you guys got to get in out of

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here and we're like, we didn't do anything.

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And he goes, all my waitresses are useless.

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They keep coming by the table and see if you see the big guy with the blue eyes.

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Get him out of here.

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So I was like, wow.

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So he was the king as we know him.

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But we asked the king in question, this is really the closest thing I've come to Royalty.

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Thank you.

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Thank you for all you've done for me.

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I mean, we've worked together and yeah, it's been a great working relationship and not

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just working, but friendship we live together.

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So kudos to you as well.

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Thank you.

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Greg, you kind of balanced that between country club now and independent a little bit of both.

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How does that work?

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Atlanta's a fairly unique market with as many independent coaching opportunities as are

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the out there.

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Yeah.

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We're starting to see a little bit of an adjustment in the culture where country club types

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are able to kind of loan themselves out in the independent world or even the opposite

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where Bobby, the independent type is loaning himself out into other country clubs.

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What does that like for you?

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Yeah.

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Advantage is in disadvantages to both totally different mindset, you know, being independent

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versus country club.

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I had a situation actually a couple of weeks ago at my country club and I had a junior

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boy, a young boy, seven or eight.

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It just wasn't listening, just acting up, just disturbing the entire class.

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And if I was independent, that child would have been reprimanded, reprimanded, sent home,

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you know, which in retrospect we could have done anyway.

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But a little different at the country club, we have to, you know, sort of watch our peas

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and queues.

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You know, I don't want to say tied to the club, but you know, it's, it's, you just have

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to be careful.

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You know, we can't fire anybody as we used to say, how you still fire clients, right?

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Hey, you don't, you know, you don't fit in to my lesson plans.

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You don't, I don't enjoy my time with you.

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I'm not going to coach anymore.

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So that doesn't happen anymore.

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You have to take them as they come, but a lot of advantages to, I'm fortunate enough to

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do a little bit of both, but, you know, having, having the country club role has been, is

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great this time of year and the winter time.

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And a salary, of course, you have a split with the club dollar wise.

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So it sort of balances out, but advantages and disadvantages to both the other big one is

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the junior programs.

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We can't go outside the gates to bring in junior players.

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So you're kind of just having to have your program with whoever the membership is.

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So those are the things that sort of jumped to mind.

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And Bobby did a pretty good job of sharing some of your uniqueness, but I want to ask from

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your perspective, that second question we usually ask is, why are you unique?

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Is there anything about you that means you're not just another tennis coach?

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Yeah, I think, and we talked about it Friday at the meeting, you know, I think when people

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leave and come back and you see player kids that use to coach or now, you know, is taller

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than yours, you know, grown up, let's say they don't really remember, oh, you helped me

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fix my backhand, Bolly, right?

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Are you helping me fix my forehand on the line or my sir?

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It's more about, you know, I enjoyed playing, I enjoyed my time with you.

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I enjoyed, you know, your programs.

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I had fun, you know, while improving, while competing.

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I really think it comes down to enjoying our great game and really not losing sight of that,

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you know, being there for kids at all to them ever, whoever you're spending your time

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with, you know, it's almost like being a bartender, right?

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You have to, you know, being able to listen to their, as we all know, we hear a lot of stuff

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on every morning I go on the court, I'm hearing it all from the ladies and even the gentleman

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at night.

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So just being able to relate with people, I think, personality wise is sort of what sets

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me apart.

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And I enjoy that.

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It made me think, Bobby, we saw Wes recently as well, Wes Adam, another award winner this

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year, 2025 in the American Raga Sports Association, independent pro of the year.

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And he mentioned that when he was in that room, it was interesting for him because there

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were two guys there in the room that coached him when he was a junior.

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Was that right?

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And he was now coaching and it was kind of an interesting perspective for him and probably

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for them as well.

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But to see that as a coach, that's probably a wonderful feeling to realize there's someone

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you coached that became a coach because you've got to picture that as if I wasn't a good influence

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on them, they probably would have run away streaming, right?

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Joe, Joe's in a different path for sure.

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Yeah, I'm trying to think as we talk.

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A lot of kids come back that still play that have gotten, you know, good players and she,

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I don't know, Bobby, do we know?

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I can't think of anybody.

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It's actually turned around and become a coach since we've coached them.

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But in time, I'm sure it'll happen.

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We're getting up there.

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So it'll happen.

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Volume, volume will play out.

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Actually, Bobby, the Dave Chatterjee's son, I don't think he counts.

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You didn't work with him.

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I do not work with Dave.

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I don't work with Dave's though.

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That's true.

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So you can ask the father and the father.

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Yeah.

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Well, the funny part.

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And I didn't want to co-opt the meeting on Friday.

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But I really want, when they were talking about your influences, your past coaches, and

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because Greg and I shared a coach and I do, and it's funny because Wes is the same way.

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Wes and I share a mentor.

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And I see both of them is very reflective.

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Greg and I shared King Ben Austrian.

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And I told this story a thousand times to people that, you know, why didn't you play tournaments?

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I was like, well, because they were 25.

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That it could have destroyed me at the club.

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I didn't need to travel to lose.

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I was quite comfortable losing at match point.

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It was just one of those moments in time.

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And then this gentleman was just that.

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I mean, he wasn't loud.

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But he worked with his wife.

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And when you walked in there, you felt like you were family.

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And it was just amazing.

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And you were just so respectful of him because if you had to look at somebody and Greg knew

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him better because he was also a teacher at Bayshore.

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Am I correct there?

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Greg?

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Yeah.

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His brother Allen, twin brother.

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Yeah.

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So they got to see him in that environment as well.

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I saw him as a tennis coach.

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And you know, where I have a tendency to be a little more sarcastic.

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And flip a King was just, you know, you just felt good being there.

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You felt safe.

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You couldn't.

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There weren't enough walls.

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You could run through this guy.

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00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:48,120
You know, through he would be on his wife's boots was just as, you know, I would remember

240
00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:49,760
it being sick one time.

241
00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:53,520
And literally, you know, when you weren't playing, she'd be putting a blanket around you.

242
00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:58,800
And it was just, you know, it was a great time to be 14 to 15.

243
00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:04,520
You know, if you ever look back at, you know, your influences, King would definitely be one

244
00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:08,800
of the people that I just was always just an off for just respect.

245
00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:14,880
He was amazing just just to just to, you know, expand on Bobby's point.

246
00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:21,680
He was number one in the world in the 60s, 65s, 70s, 75s, 80s, 85s.

247
00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:24,640
I mean, the guy played Mike Stillby playing.

248
00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:28,240
But number one in the world, the guy was just like Bobby said, he didn't say much.

249
00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:31,760
But when he spoke, people really, really listened.

250
00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:36,280
And I was fortunate enough to have him as my coach at match point at the club.

251
00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:41,520
And then my varsity genocime at Bay Shore Eye was his brother, Alan, another well-respected

252
00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:42,520
guy.

253
00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:44,000
So coach and teacher.

254
00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:49,760
So I was gosh, I don't think I could have had any better growing up as a junior.

255
00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:51,520
I'll look.

256
00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:54,000
We were contemporaries with his two daughters.

257
00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:55,640
The sons were older than us.

258
00:13:55,640 --> 00:14:01,840
But Jane worked out with us and Molly, who was my age, was, you know, major to win building.

259
00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:02,840
16s or quarter finals.

260
00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:03,840
Quarter finals.

261
00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:07,560
And she ended up going to, and it's all I'll never forget the last time I saw her because

262
00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:09,200
she ended up going to SMU.

263
00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:12,400
I went to TCU and we were coming home for Thanksgiving.

264
00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:15,920
And we ended up on the same plane sitting next to each other.

265
00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:21,200
In the small world of the party, I hadn't seen her since I was 15 or 16 and there she is

266
00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:22,960
sitting next to me on a plane.

267
00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:25,320
And we got to come back from Dallas together.

268
00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:28,760
And I was probably the last time I started getting because he met them at the gate.

269
00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:29,760
So long time.

270
00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:30,760
Amazing.

271
00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:31,760
Yeah.

272
00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:34,200
I have a friend who met his wife on a plane.

273
00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:39,360
They were those just sat next to each other, started talking and there you go.

274
00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:42,560
One direction and the direction back, which I found is interesting.

275
00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:44,680
Like there's a little bit of a little kiss met there.

276
00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:48,520
But I think we've covered who you are and I like the way you put that Greg in the beginning

277
00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:52,000
where you said we could probably spend a lot of time on that, which I can appreciate

278
00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:56,800
because that means you understand the volume that we can beat.

279
00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:58,560
It isn't just, well, I'm a tennis coach.

280
00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:01,120
Well, that's what you do.

281
00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:06,640
But who you are, if people really think about it, should be a difficult question to answer

282
00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:08,920
in a brief amount of time and you recognize that.

283
00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:10,160
So I appreciate that.

284
00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:13,120
Is there anything as we move toward finishing up here?

285
00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:15,640
Is there anything you have going on?

286
00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:16,840
I know you just wanted a ward.

287
00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:20,840
So you probably, you know, you're probably not a type to scream that from the rooftops.

288
00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:22,640
We're going to do that soon.

289
00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,160
But does Cheta Hootji, you don't have anything outward facing.

290
00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:26,880
You just finished your pro-amp.

291
00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:28,680
Is there anything you got you want to talk about?

292
00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:33,480
You have something in life that you like to discuss that you're passionate about?

293
00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:34,480
With me.

294
00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:35,480
Well, at work, I'll start with.

295
00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:38,280
We have a great pro-amp that we finished up with.

296
00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:39,800
Yeah, it's fantastic.

297
00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:46,280
Event, three days and what makes it great is our membership, but really houses all the

298
00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:53,920
pros and really dives in and just loves the event and it's just a really, really great event

299
00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:54,920
up there.

300
00:15:54,920 --> 00:16:01,420
I think the next big thing on our board is we have the Athens Cup Challenge where we play

301
00:16:01,420 --> 00:16:03,480
Athens Country Club every year.

302
00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:08,560
I took a team, actually, Scott put it on my plate last year and I chose the team, men and

303
00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:15,040
women, 12 men, 12 women, all different levels and we went out to Athens Country Club and

304
00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:16,040
then we won.

305
00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:21,600
So they're coming strong in February to come get us back at our place.

306
00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:25,440
So we host and then travel and we're hosting.

307
00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:32,240
So that's the next big event for us and we're having a $25 million expansion of our club.

308
00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:34,240
Everything's coming down.

309
00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:37,720
The blueprints look absolutely amazing.

310
00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:43,160
So we're moving the pickleball courts, adding pickleball will be keep the same eight tennis

311
00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:52,080
courts, three clay, five hard, but new buildings, new pools, new everything, $25 million project

312
00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:57,640
and that's going to start happening in the spring of 2026.

313
00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:05,520
And I mean other than that, I stayed busy as much as I can playing Alta mainly, a more singles

314
00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:09,680
these days and I really had fun with that.

315
00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:12,520
I think my pro league days are over.

316
00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:13,520
It's just too much.

317
00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:17,440
Friday nights is a bad, I'll say Friday nights is a bad time, but that's a lie.

318
00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:19,640
I'm just not good enough anymore.

319
00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:21,120
Those guys are too good.

320
00:17:21,120 --> 00:17:26,520
So the pro league's probably done, but I just, I enjoy the playing part.

321
00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:29,520
I just don't have time to practice much anymore.

322
00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:34,040
But hey, how great is this sport that we can play till we die?

323
00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:38,440
I mean, and we get nine years, we live nine years longer, racquet sports players.

324
00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:42,760
So it's the greatest, greatest game ever invented.

325
00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:48,160
And I mean, I just love telling my kids who played multiple sports, keep playing multiple

326
00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:50,680
sports, but make tennis one of them.

327
00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:53,920
You know, John McArrow's Academy, he tells them they go play other sports.

328
00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:56,960
So we should be telling our kids to play all sports.

329
00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:01,880
And at the end of the day, tennis, you'll be playing for the rest of your life if you choose

330
00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:02,880
so.

331
00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:03,880
Let me just help.

332
00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:08,240
We just help Greg real quick strong. So he doesn't get in trouble because he's actually a client

333
00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:09,240
of mine too.

334
00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:13,480
He is also in a new, wonderful relationship with someone.

335
00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:14,480
Lori.

336
00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:16,840
So you guys got to go to the airport to pick up.

337
00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:21,960
And so I just want to make sure that Lori gets her props during this little shout out.

338
00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:22,960
Nice.

339
00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:24,920
Well, that's going to, that's a thank you, Bobby.

340
00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:25,920
Let me go along.

341
00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:26,920
Thank you.

342
00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:31,960
We've got a couple of friends now at clubs that are doing major renovations upcoming.

343
00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:33,360
You got anything coming at Wendermere?

344
00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:36,960
You guys putting in any fancy new courts or getting your lights fixed there?

345
00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:37,960
What's going on?

346
00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:38,960
Well, we have great lights.

347
00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:39,960
I don't know.

348
00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:44,760
The ones that go out from time to time or they're state of the art when they were.

349
00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:48,080
Just a matter of whatever that happens.

350
00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:49,080
Just a different life.

351
00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:50,080
All right.

352
00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:51,800
You got anything else for Greg or should I hit him with King of tennis?

353
00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:55,240
Let's, we can go Greg King of tennis since he's got a little timeline.

354
00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:57,480
We can keep going, but let's do it.

355
00:18:57,480 --> 00:18:58,480
Sounds good.

356
00:18:58,480 --> 00:18:59,480
All right.

357
00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:03,280
So my last question and was become kind of our favorite question is the King of

358
00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:07,960
tennis question, which is Greg, if you were King of tennis, whether it was the whole world

359
00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:13,840
or just Atlanta or professional social, any aspect that you can picture, if you were

360
00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:18,520
King of tennis, if there is there anything you would do or chain?

361
00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:19,520
Yeah.

362
00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:21,240
I'm going to take it to the pro level.

363
00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:27,480
So I took, took a few notes actually and I think it's all about the fans, you know?

364
00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:31,680
And today's all of our major sports baseball has done a good job, I think.

365
00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:33,880
All our major sports.

366
00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:36,480
Fortunately or not, we could talk about that for hours.

367
00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:41,680
They're tweaking them right to make it, make it shorter and make it more fan friendly, I

368
00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:42,680
guess.

369
00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:47,600
And, you know, some of the purists and maybe some of our other guys, you know, don't like

370
00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:51,920
it, but I kind of do for me to sit and watch a baseball game for four hours.

371
00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:54,800
I'd rather, you know, watch grass grow.

372
00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:58,600
But I think just, I think playing Lets would be great.

373
00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:00,880
That's the first thing I came to mind in college, right?

374
00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:02,520
Lets, you know what?

375
00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:05,000
Half the time we can't tell if it was a letter, not anyway.

376
00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,120
So let's play all Lets.

377
00:20:07,120 --> 00:20:10,800
We play them during their alleys and I think you would add a little bit of excitement to

378
00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:11,800
the game.

379
00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:12,800
Play the Lets.

380
00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:14,120
I like this fast-for-format.

381
00:20:14,120 --> 00:20:15,640
We play it at our pro-am.

382
00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:20,360
Men and women can each play five best of five sets, fast-for format.

383
00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:25,680
I really enjoy that format again for the fans, trying to speed things up a little.

384
00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,680
And I think, you know, you know, we've all been the major events.

385
00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:32,600
You have to open or whatever it is, Miami open, right?

386
00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:37,160
This waiting outside of a court sitting there in the heat, standing there in the heat while

387
00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:41,560
they play 12-duce points and you can't go sit down.

388
00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:43,600
Give me a break.

389
00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,160
Let's let the people come and go as they want.

390
00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:50,560
Tennis players, if we have to start at some time, the only reason why it's quiet is because

391
00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:52,160
we grew up that way.

392
00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:55,240
We grew up playing in a quiet atmosphere.

393
00:20:55,240 --> 00:21:00,120
If we start changing it, we can certainly play in a noisy atmosphere.

394
00:21:00,120 --> 00:21:01,120
People are always comparing.

395
00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:05,320
Why can't tennis players play baseball and football or yelling and screaming?

396
00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:10,040
We could, but we just, we've grown up in a different environment, right?

397
00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:16,240
So why not, at some point, I think I would start it if I'm the king of tennis.

398
00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:17,320
Let's start it up.

399
00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:21,360
Let's make, I don't say make noise, but let people come and go.

400
00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:23,160
Let people go get their drinks.

401
00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:24,680
Let them come back to their seats.

402
00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:32,720
I mean, to stand outside the court for 25 minutes and miss a lot of tennis is kind of absurd

403
00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:33,720
to me.

404
00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:35,560
What do you guys think about that?

405
00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:39,000
I think the guys that intense will love it, first of all.

406
00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:43,880
I think I was speaking with John Hannah about, we were talking about all the things that could

407
00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:50,480
be massaged and no getting rid of the duce ahead was one thing that we were both like,

408
00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:55,680
again, tough with the purists, but like you said, I'm a baseball fan as well and we've said

409
00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:56,680
a thousand times.

410
00:21:56,680 --> 00:22:01,560
Since they went to the pitch, you know, the clock, it makes the game go so much faster.

411
00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:02,560
Yeah.

412
00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:06,200
It's a two hour, it's not four hours and it makes baseball a lot more fun.

413
00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:10,720
And I've gone to a lot more games over the last two years that I had in the previous 20

414
00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:11,720
because of that.

415
00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:16,480
And then it goes back to the biggest thing in great can validate this when we first got

416
00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:17,960
to wind him here.

417
00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:21,880
And I would play music on the courts, people are trying to play a match here.

418
00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:26,600
Now you literally go to wind him here and there's 12 different, you know, areas going on

419
00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:28,840
because everybody brings music now.

420
00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:33,520
So, you know, it's just a matter of changing the culture and getting used to it and realizing

421
00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:36,280
what background noise doesn't hurt, not at all.

422
00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:38,680
And it might even make you play better because it might make you relax.

423
00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:40,320
So, yeah.

424
00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:44,560
I think something else we could throw around is just, I don't know how to do it, but

425
00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:50,200
I think the lower levels, you know, the guys that are playing futures and these lower levels,

426
00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:55,520
how do we get them more financially secure to go on to the next event?

427
00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:59,440
To go, I mean, the money down there is just pathetic.

428
00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:04,680
And we all know players here in Atlanta that really, I think, could have played professionally

429
00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:08,480
and maybe succeeded, but they just didn't have the funds to do it.

430
00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:11,120
So how do we get more money in their pockets?

431
00:23:11,120 --> 00:23:14,120
How do we, you know, I don't know the answer.

432
00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:18,400
I'm just throwing it out there because it just doesn't seem like it's, I mean, I think

433
00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:23,680
the USDA and they choose certain players to focus on and to coach and they get well taken

434
00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:24,680
care of.

435
00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:29,480
But what about the guys that are, you know, are not on that team, aren't inflarded with

436
00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:36,520
the USDA and, you know, you know, struggling out there, ranked 1500 in the world, 18, 2000

437
00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:37,520
in the world.

438
00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:38,520
I mean, these are amazing players.

439
00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:42,160
If they could continue to play, you don't know what they can do.

440
00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:46,480
So I just think more money for the lesser players.

441
00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:48,680
I know joke of it was involved with it.

442
00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:53,760
He was trying to have a push that way a number of years ago, but I haven't heard anything

443
00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:55,200
much about it since.

444
00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:56,200
Right.

445
00:23:56,200 --> 00:24:00,160
We've had that, that's come up a lot and it's something that we completely agree with.

446
00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:04,720
And it's, I mean, just this weekend, you look at basketball, for instance, I watched

447
00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:08,960
OKC last night, you know, and if they're not a juggernaut with everybody, well, they got

448
00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:14,720
a third string center that was playing some minutes because the Hardenstein, their number

449
00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:18,240
one center has been out, guys, 29 years old.

450
00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:22,000
And he's been out of the league, you know, been just jumping around and now he's been playing

451
00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:27,480
the last two years because there's enough money in other areas and the guy that Golden State

452
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:32,240
brought up, a guy that was a professional lacrosse player and just decided it like 26.

453
00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:34,280
I'm going to go play basketball.

454
00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:36,240
And there was avenues to doing it.

455
00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:42,680
Look at Greg, somebody who grows from, you know, five, nine, to six, five over four years,

456
00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:46,280
in 18, they might not have been looking and now they're going to send it to 22, they're like,

457
00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:47,600
well, what the heck?

458
00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:49,840
But, you know, how do we help them get to that spot?

459
00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,360
So, yeah, nobody gets better now playing.

460
00:24:52,360 --> 00:24:56,200
So if we can keep the sticks and people's hand, we might see some of those achievements

461
00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:58,360
as well and tennis.

462
00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:00,120
People mature differently at different times.

463
00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:04,360
I mean, look at these quarterbacks in the NFL and ones from the New York teams, everybody

464
00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:05,360
thinks they stink.

465
00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:07,680
Well, they played, you know, 15 games.

466
00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:10,640
Now they're playing 30, 40, 50 games.

467
00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:15,720
You know, they're doing great and Arnold's a great, a very good quarterback and, you know,

468
00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,080
Daniel Jones until he got hurt yesterday.

469
00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:20,480
Guys, everybody matures differently.

470
00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:26,120
You can't look at somebody in a minute setting and say, oh, he stinks and he's never going

471
00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:28,000
to make it.

472
00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:29,000
You don't know that.

473
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:33,280
You got to give people time to mature and to improve.

474
00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:38,000
So, yeah, I think a little bit more of that and maybe US tennis, US tennis is doing well,

475
00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:41,560
but everybody in this country wants champions.

476
00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:44,680
So, I think we'll get it with Ben, but we'll see.

477
00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:46,880
And then the 250 events going away.

478
00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:47,880
I'm not so sure.

479
00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:48,880
That's a good thing.

480
00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:49,880
It's all about money.

481
00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:50,880
I get it.

482
00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:55,240
They want to make these two-week events kind of morph them into men's and women's thousand

483
00:25:55,240 --> 00:26:01,920
events, but the 250's were really good for these lower level pro players.

484
00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:03,920
I mean, these are guys that need to do those two-

485
00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:07,520
He's so, I think those need to stick around as well.

486
00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:08,520
I love it.

487
00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:09,520
I love it.

488
00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:12,520
We'll add it to the list, Bobby, if a good idea is made.

489
00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:14,120
But Greg, I appreciate your time.

490
00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:15,120
Thanks so much.

491
00:26:15,120 --> 00:26:16,840
We've been talking about doing this for a while.

492
00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:20,080
Really appreciate you taking the time to tell us about who you are and what you're doing

493
00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:21,080
now.

494
00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:22,080
Bobby's always, thank you.

495
00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:23,080
I appreciate it.

496
00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:24,080
Gentlemen.

497
00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:26,200
Well, there you have it.

498
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:30,600
We want to thank reGeovinate.com for use of the studio and signature tennis for their

499
00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:31,600
support.

500
00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:33,400
And be sure to hit that follow button.

501
00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:37,600
For more Racket Sports content, you can go to LetsGoTennis.com.

502
00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:42,320
And while you're there, check out our calendar of events, great deals on Racket Sports products,

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00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:43,920
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504
00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:47,960
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00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:53,160
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506
00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:55,760
merchandise to the Racket Sports World.

507
00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:57,520
And with that, we're out.

508
00:26:57,520 --> 00:26:58,040
See you next time.

509
00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:08,040
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