Between Two Beers podcast: What it's really like to be a tennis pro in NZ

In this episode we meet the 'real' Marina, not muted by boring post-match press interactions and interview soundbites.

Marina Erakovic was New Zealand's no. 1 women's tennis player from the age of 15, and spent over a decade inside the world's top 100 rankings.

Arriving in New Zealand from the former Yugoslavia as a six-year-old who didn't speak English, she quickly rose to prominence and she was the lone flag bearer on the WTA tour for so long.

In this episode we meet the 'real' Marina, not muted by boring post-match press interactions and interview soundbites.

Listen at iheartradionz or wherever you get your podcasts.

Highlights of the pod include:

* Her music journey released under the pseudonym The Mad Era

* Her creative Instagram account and why her Wikipedia page is so intense

* The special treatment she got at high school as a minor celebrity

* The cost to make it as a tennis pro

* Behind the scenes stories about what life is really like on the tour

* Why the media never got the best out of her

* Working as a field reporter on The Crowd Goes Wild

* Advice for young athletes, Tennis NZ and much more