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Right now at globalgaming league dot com, that's globalgaming league dot com everybody games.
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Welcome back crack fans to another edition of the cracked interviews podcast.
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I'm your host Alex gruskin.
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We are once again live on site at another event this week.
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It's the 2026 Arizona tennis classic maybe the premier ETP 175K event we have on the
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counter as of course this event splits the middle of our sunshine swing all those players
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who lost early at Indian Wells but are looking for a little more match toughness before
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Well just about all of them are here competing in Phoenix this week and thus it's just awesome
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to have a front row seat to the action once again of course in my capacity as MC I get
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the opportunity to interact with so many of these athletes competing here this week I
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have the opportunity to set up subsequent interviews with them those interviews are what
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we want to share on the cracked interviews podcast here this week it's what we call another
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de facto press rose segment where I will try my best to sit down with as many of our
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players in the main draw of both singles in doubles here this week in Phoenix and get
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the scoop what's going down in their respective careers what do they hope to accomplish here
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in this 2026 season again I'm going to try my best to speak with every player still around
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here in the draw we're going to try our best to post all those conversations as videos
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available to be watched over on the cracked rackets YouTube channel so if you prefer watching
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to listening to these videos make sure you go check out that platform of course we will
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try our best to get these interviews out to you as quickly as possible here on this cracked
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interviews podcast feed as well so again another week of press row content here on this cracked
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interviews podcast it's our experience live at the 2026 Arizona tennis classic joining us now here
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on day three of the Arizona tennis classic a man who put together one of the most impressive
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performances of the two a straight set victory that has him through two round number two it's
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our old friend michael mojo joining us once again michael first of all congratulations to you
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on the win just talking me through your level last night to get a win like that what it means to you
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to to have that sort of when to start this tournament you know it's big I know that Emilio is a really
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dangerous player you know sometimes he can take the bracket out of your hand and you know I've played
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him one time in the past practice with him a bunch and you know obviously he's at a career high
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right now so I knew that it was going to be a tough one but I believed that at the end of the day
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it was a pretty good match up for me and you know I thought if I came out served well you know stuck
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to my game that you know I could have success and I was definitely happy with the performance I put
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out there I I've gotten to watch a lot of Michael will footage over the years and certainly again
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always a joy to watch you play I felt like yesterday the forehand like I said with love I can't
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remember your forehand absorbing pace that well like the way you did last night I'm curious how much
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that's been a focus for you if I'm on to something there and what I saw yeah no for sure you know
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that's something that I've been working on a bunch you know I think I can absorb really I can
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absorb a pace really well off the backhand side for sure sometimes out the forest forehand side I
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could do a better job I think last night did a great job of that honestly like even at times my
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backhand was missing more shots than usual compared to my forehand I felt like my forehand was
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rock solid yesterday and these are tough conditions you know it's pretty lively the balls are
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kind of zooming through the air yeah and if a guy's hitting big like he is sometimes it's tough
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you know to get that ball up and down but I thought I did a really good job of that yesterday
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something I've been working on in the practice court or emphasizing you know absorbing off that
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especially you know when they push me with the inside and ball with the deep onhand crossball
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you know what what do I do and not just absorbing and trying to get some depth on it as well yeah
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so you know if you leave it short if you leave it hanging guys are gonna at this level they're
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gonna make you pay and I thought I did a good job of absorbing but then at the same time getting
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depth off that forehand wing no it was remarkably impressive the other thing I saw and I saw
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flashed this really for the first time in Huahin to start the season where of course you made that
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quarter final run and again I pride myself to people tuning in on being a scholar of all things
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Michael Motennis there was a time we'll call it the 2010s we're volleying just wasn't your thing
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and I just feel like to watch you now to see how instinctual this to see you get forward to see
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how much easier that first volley comes I'm curious how much that has been something you have worked
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on and like how how hard you're trying to how how much you're more you're trying to implement that
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within your game all big time you know something that's been a very big focus for me you know
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because if you look at some of the guys that might play similar to me in a sense they all have the
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ability to come in close off that volley and it's not like I'm gonna be out here serving in
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volley or anything like that but just to add that element yeah just to add the element of surprise
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when you see a guy you know stretched with one hand on the racket you know you most likely you're
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gonna get that volley where you want it rather than letting it settle him neutralizing the whole
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point starting over again you know just coming in sneaking in something that I've been working on
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a bunch and I think guys are not necessarily expected me to do that as well so that's adds the
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element of surprise and it just adds another layer to my game yeah no quietly again good at it
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like I it's been really fun to see because it's like again it's just another gear to add for you
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in my last two questions here because again don't want to take up too much of your time
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um what is the focus for you now 20 years old uh obviously to be healthy to start this
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is I know that's got to be priority number one but what are you hoping to accomplish here in 2026
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yeah definitely you know like you said staying healthy you know I haven't had a complete season on
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tour in quite some time um I think if I can give myself opportunities weekend and week out
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get some of that rhythm and keep that rhythm and momentum going I think that'd be big you know
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Hong Kong was great and then I had to kind of get sideline I couldn't play surely an open so
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that wasn't the most ideal situation had some rhythm had some momentum there but got halted you
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know due to a little setback thankfully it wasn't anything like I've been dealing with these last
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couple of years it was a lot more minor um but yeah first and foremost stay healthy give myself
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opportunities weekend and week out but on a ranking perspective I would like to see myself back
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in the top 100 I think that would be a good uh goal you know definitely I've done it before
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and if I stay healthy I see no reason why I can't do it again yeah now I completely agree my last
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question is to that point again I was looking at a photo last night the first interview we ever did
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was Cincinnati 2018 I have aged like an avocado you have not aged at all my friend and the
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I'm just the reason I'm bringing that up is to say what are the things you do in the gym now maybe
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that you weren't doing those years ago to try and stay healthy here in 26 I mean it's been such a
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focus for me um you know obviously spending one of the things that's been holding me back or one
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of my biggest roadblocks is for sure just not being able to stay on the tennis course so I've been
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you know picking you know brains from some of the smartest people in that field I've been trying to
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get a lot more resources when it comes to injury prevention when it comes to strength and conditioning
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and I think now you know over the course since 2018 like I've gained a lot of knowledge when it comes
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to that and I've figured out my body also a little bit more and I think through that I've found
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I believe a blueprint to keep me healthy and I'm pretty optimistic for the rest of this year
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that staying healthy won't be an issue yeah well if you need a spine a ligament whatever it may be
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I'm always happy to donate to you my friend and uh sincerely it's always a pleasure to get the
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chains to Chad Michael my congratulations on the victory and always appreciate my friend thank you very
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