Alison Riske on taking part in the Fed Cup final

“In my experience, not even one week, it’s one match—if I’m able to get through that one match to give me the confidence back—honest to God, that’s usually all it takes to turn something around.”

 Podcast co-hosts Nina Pantic and Irina Falconi met up in Lake Nona, Fla. to chat with American pro Alison Riske. She was preparing for this weekend's Fed Cup final against the Czech Republic in Prague where she will be the veteran on a team that includes newcomers Sofia Kenin, Danielle Collins and Nicole Melichar.

 Riske shares behind-the-scenes facts about what it’s like to play Fed Cup—from finding out who made the team and being part of the 2017 title-winning team to choosing opening night outfits and making rookie speeches (00:40).

 The world No. 63 talks about her off-seasons plans (11:00) and reflects on her 2018 season (18:25)—her highlights include reaching the Nurnberg final, winning a $100,000 ITF title in Surbiton and scoring three Top-15 wins. She opens up about overcoming doubt throughout her career (21:38), why she turned pro (29:53) and how influential her dad was in keeping her in the sport (33:38).

 The 28-year-old adds in some tips for being witty on Twitter (26:00) and gives her no-nonsense strategy for dealing with keyboard warriors (28:00).

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