WASHINGTON — Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk grappled with two key questions before starting their podcast, The Player’s Box, during the opening week of the 2025 U.S. Open.
Who will want to listen to us? And will people like it?
Less than a year after launching and 52 recorded episodes later, the answer to both questions has been a resounding yes from fans and fellow players on tour. After initial nerves and apprehension, the thoughts and ideas once reserved for a group chat are now shared on a grand scale, with episodes released every Tuesday.
However, the impetus for starting the podcast lies much deeper than that. Pegula, who joked that she pressured the others into it, isn’t much of a podcast listener herself. Yet, she was intrigued by Jason and Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast and the way they offered insight into their pre- and postgame thoughts as active players.
After Brady, Keys, and Krawczyk were fully committed, Pegula began researching the idea, noting the small number of active female athletes in the space. In today’s sports media landscape, where athlete-hosted podcasts are increasingly prevalent, the four women sought a way to differentiate themselves in a crowded field.
They have since done so, carving out a niche as four unique personalities with differing interests who blend seamlessly to shed light on their individual on- and off-court experiences.
“We’re sharing our own individual stories, and we’re able to control that narrative and what we want to talk about,” Pegula told The Baltimore Sun. “If we want to talk about tennis, great. If we don’t and we want to talk about something stupid that happened, also great.
“It’s also day-to-day what’s happening, and more of a behind-the-scenes, natural way to talk about things instead of maybe more traditional tennis media, which has been more question-answer, question-answer, and you’re not really seeing much personality out of somebody.”
Early on, they consulted with retired tennis players John Isner, Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson, who host the Nothing Major Show, as Pegula also knew their producer. Their podcast vibed with the relaxed vision the four women wanted for their own show. Isner, Johnson and Querrey shared how much fun they were having, which aligned with what they were looking for in their new endeavor.
Active athlete podcasts are more common in team-centric sports, but a rarity in tennis. At the outset, Pegula vividly recalled people questioning the viability of four people on a single show, saying it would be too much.
However, the four women were unwavering in their belief that it would be successful. They’ve since been proven right, evolving from episode one until now and finding comfort in their individual strengths.
Pegula leads the Tennis Headlines segment, reviewing the latest updates in the sport, while Keys’ reality TV rundowns are widely popular. Brady showcases her humor by leading the fan question segment, while Krawczyk’s relatability to fans has amplified her presence as a doubles player.
The podcast has amassed more than 23,000 subscribers on YouTube, highlighted by its snack hauls and food reviews featuring foods from around the world.
“Tennis to me has been one of those sports that’s been hard to break into as far as the personality of the players, because we’re all on our own individual teams,” Pegula said. “You don’t have that team camaraderie where you can get a lot of personality pulled out of a lot of different people.
“Everyone in tennis is very to themselves, and they don’t like a lot of people coming in, and they don’t do a lot of things. We’re starting to see more of it, but I think tennis has lacked a little bit of being able to show personality. I felt like back in the day, maybe with more of Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier and before social media, you got to see more personality, and I think fans really like that.”
With tennis’s grueling travel schedule and mental and physical challenges, the podcast serves as an outlet. For one hour every week, the players gather to talk about the latest developments in their lives as Pegula joked that it’s like “group therapy.”
“I think we just genuinely really like the people that we’re able to do it with, which makes it much easier and therapeutic at the same time,” she said.
Roughly a year into the show, the Player’s Box has established a loyal, widespread fanbase, particularly at tournaments across the U.S., and has hosted two live shows. Pegula shared that fans often share inside jokes from the show with the players, further proof of concept.
However, the fans aren’t alone. Other players on tour also provide support and gravitate to the show, as two-time major champion Coco Gauff, world No. 16 18-year-old Iva Jovic and 21-year-old phenom Alex Eala have each appeared as guests.
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Pegula explained that other players often ask questions about the show or about appearing as guests. Those conversations, particularly with younger players, help foster new ideas, and the group is hopeful about having more players on in the future.
Brady, Keys, Krawczyk, and Pegula are eager to craft new ideas and build on areas of success, such as food reviews and snack hauls. Moving forward, increasing female viewership is a priority, potentially shifting some snack hauls to skincare hauls to better resonate with women.
After not knowing what to expect in this new venture, Brady, Keys, Krawczyk and Pegula’s biggest question now is: how much more can the Player’s Box grow?
“It’s been so much better than I thought it would be,” Pegula said. “The four of us play off of each other very well. It’s been proven right. It has worked. We’ve been able to carve out what we’re good at, and we’re still learning. There’s a long way to go, but it’s been really fun.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
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