The Friendship on the Line: A Bet Involving Apple Pie and Melted Cheddar? It sounds like a culinary nightmare, but for tennis stars Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula, it's the stakes of their upcoming Australian Open showdown. Madison Keys, the defending champion, has delivered a hilariously blunt message to her friend and podcast co-host, Jessica Pegula, regarding a rather peculiar wager: if Keys loses their round-of-16 match, she absolutely refuses to eat apple pie topped with melted cheddar cheese.
“She wants to make me eat her disgusting apple pie with cheese on top of it if I lose, which I said, ‘I refuse’,” Keys declared with a laugh. This isn't your typical on-court rivalry banter; it's a peek into the genuine camaraderie between these two top American players.
Keys and Pegula share more than just a competitive spirit. Both hailing from Florida, they co-host a weekly podcast titled 'The Player’s Box' with fellow professionals Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk. Their discussions range from the mundane, like leaving credit cards at restaurants, to the more glamorous, such as attending MJ: The Musical while in Melbourne. Now, their friendship will be put to the test on the court at Melbourne Park on Monday, with the winner advancing to the quarter-finals.
Both athletes are coming off strong performances. On Saturday, the No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula, 31, secured a decisive victory against Oksana Selekhmeteva with scores of 6-3, 6-2. Meanwhile, 30-year-old Madison Keys dispatched Karolina Pliskova with a clean 6-3, 6-3 win. Both matches concluded by midday under pleasant 30-degree Celsius weather.
But here's where it gets controversial... The upcoming episode of 'The Player's Box' is set to be recorded on Sunday, just before their highly anticipated match. This might be a first: podcast co-hosts facing off in a Grand Slam. Keys mentioned they are brainstorming ways to commemorate this unique occasion, with the loser facing a penalty – as long as it's not the infamous apple pie and cheese concoction.
“It’s gross,” Keys reiterated, emphasizing her friend’s unusual dessert preference. She explained that during a Thanksgiving episode of their podcast, Pegula described her favorite dessert: taking apple pie, placing a slice of cheddar cheese on top, microwaving it, and then enjoying it. Keys recounted the team's collective disgust, noting that even their producer found it unpalatable. Pegula insisted on using good quality cheddar, not processed cheese slices, but Keys’ imagination ran wild with the idea of a Kraft Single melting into the pie.
'The Player's Box' was launched during last year's US Open to offer fans an inside look at life on the professional tennis circuit. This upcoming episode, however, promises a unique perspective given the circumstances.
Their last on-court encounter was in January of last year, where Keys emerged victorious in a three-set thriller (6-3, 4-6, 6-1) on the Adelaide hard courts. Keys currently holds a 2-1 advantage in their head-to-head record.
When asked about the podcast's content leading up to their match, Keys admitted, “I don’t know if either of us really trash talks very well, so I don’t know how it’s going to go. I’m sure we’re going to find some way to at least talk about it and hopefully make it entertaining.”
Pegula, who discovered their impending match-up only after checking the draw, suggested, “If we film tomorrow [Sunday], we can kind of market that it was us recording before we had to play each other. We’ll see what kind of segments we can come up. It could be like a trash-talk segment before we play.”
And this is the part most people miss... Keys is confident that their off-court friendship won't hinder their competitive drive. “We could literally be friends and laughing until the moment we walk on the court,” she stated. “Then in that moment, we both want to win and we both are competitors. We’re going to do whatever we can to get the ‘W’. The moment it’s over, you’re back to being friends. I think those are the things that I actually really love about tennis – because it’s taught a lot of us how to just kind of manage our friendships and relationships and be able to genuinely love each other ... but also still be really competitive.”
Keys and Pegula are part of a strong contingent of American players making waves at this year's Australian Open. World No. 3 Coco Gauff is also competing in the round of 16 on Sunday. In the men's draw, Learner Tien and Tommy Paul have already advanced to the round of 16, with No. 8 seed Ben Shelton also progressing after defeating Valentin Vacherot.
What do you think about this unique pre-match wager? Is a friendly bet like this healthy for sports rivalries, or does it blur the lines too much? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
