By TennisUpToDate.com

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The WTA Stars Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk joined forces for a new chapter of The Player’s Box Podcast, a project the four American players launched just a few weeks ago to talk not only about tennis, but also about personal stories and experiences from life on tour.

Right from the beginning, the group dived into one of the juiciest topics for athletes: dating while traveling the world. “There’s been lots of headlines about like who is dating who and breakups and all of that on the tour,” Keys admitted. “Dating on the tour is hard.” Brady didn’t sugarcoat the challenge either: “Your options are very slim. It’s like another tennis player… a fan? Or just a regular…” Pegula quickly added, “Or someone you will never see ever.”

That led to a hilarious but also heartwarming example: former world No. 1 Garbiñe Muguruza marrying a fan. Pegula reminded everyone of the story: “Remember, she like met him in Central Park walking and he said, ‘Oh, good luck tonight,’ or whatever. And he was like, ‘Yeah, good luck tonight. I know who you are. I’m a big fan.’ And then she’s like, ‘He was very handsome. So I just kept talking to him.’” The others burst out laughing. “Oh my gosh, that’s actually awesome,” one said, while Pegula concluded: “And they got married. That’s one way to shoot a shot.”

The four agreed Muguruza’s romance was an exception. Most players end up dating within the tennis bubble. Keys confessed: “I was always like, when I start dating someone, it’s not going to be a tennis player. But I married one.” She is now engaged to ATP pro Bjorn Fratangelo, who not only understands her lifestyle but also occasionally shares advice on court — sometimes too bluntly for her liking. Pegula then admitted she once promised herself the same but ended up with her husband Mike, who keeps a lower profile outside of tennis.

When Tennis Meets Tennis

Keys’ relationship with Fratangelo is one of the best-known player-to-player romances on tour. She laughed about the challenges of mixing personal life with professional advice: “Most days, it’s great. But occasionally, it’s like… the information may have been necessary, but I didn’t love the tone in which you delivered it. Now my feelings are hurt and I want to fight you.” She even joked that sometimes her coach Craig delivers the exact same tip, but she only listens to him: “Andrew’s like, ‘I just said the exact same thing.’ And I’m like, ‘It’s not the same thing. You said it differently. It landed in my head differently.’”

Krawczyk, who is dating Australian player Andrew Harris, was quick to agree that mixing love and coaching can get complicated. “If we want to stay in this relationship, we’re going to have to separate the two. I’m stubborn and it’s just hard.” She admitted Harris does sometimes offer tips, but she sets limits: “It depends what tip and how you say it. The tone and delivery is what makes it work or not work.”

The Long-Distance Struggle

Not all WTA romances involve tennis players. Pegula’s husband Mike is outside the sport, and the same is true for Brady, who is still single but joked about needing a partner who “loves FaceTime” because of how much she relies on video calls. “We’ll just lay the phone down… or you stare at the ceiling the whole time,” she laughed. Keys teased her: “So whoever you date, Jenny, needs to be heavy on FaceTime. That’s like a deal breaker.”

Krawczyk shared that technology has been crucial for her relationship: “I couldn’t imagine trying to date long distance while you’re playing on tour… like 20 years ago, without quick text, FaceTime and stuff like that?” Pegula agreed, saying, “I think FaceTime was a big thing for me in my relationship.”

The conversation also turned to another young tennis couple admired by the group: American star Ben Shelton and football player Trinity Thomas. Pegula marveled at their effort: “They’re like, oh yeah, I don’t know how. Flying here and there, a red eye after her game…” Keys admitted she would struggle to pull that off: “A part of me would want to, and then a part of me would be like, ‘I need to recover and train tomorrow.’ So that’s not optimal for me.”