The Functional Tennis Podcast: Recent Episodes
Fabio Molle
Presented by Fabio Molle, The Functional Tennis Podcast is a downloadable audio show featuring weekly interviews from people in the tennis world. We talk to pro tennis players, coaches, parents, trainers, physios, agents, business owners and more. Huge thanks to our Podcast sponsors, Slinger.
This week on the Functional Tennis Podcast, Fabio chats with Jonas Eriksson, better known as Tennis Nerd, the go-to voice in the tennis world for rackets.
With the Functional Tennis Racket of the Year competition underway, Fabio and Jonas break down the most talked-about rackets of 2025, what to expect from the 2026 launches, and why so many pros are playing with blacked-out frames. They also dive into Wilson’s upcoming Pure Aero-style spin racket, shifts in pro player trends, and what makes the modern racket scene more competitive than ever.
If you love tennis gear talk, this one’s for you, and if you want info on all the rackets, check them out at Tennis Warehouse Europe and check out Jonas's YouTube account if you want in-depth reviews on the rackets.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This week I’m joined once again by Dutch ATP player Jesper de Jong, who has continued his steady rise on the professional circuit.
Since our last chat, Jesper has broken into the top 100, reached his first ATP final at the Swedish Open, and played a key role for the Netherlands in Davis Cup. We talk about what feels different now that he’s inside the top 100, the lessons he’s learned from the tour grind, and how he balances results with enjoying the process. Jesper also shares insights from training blocks in Bali, the unforgettable match that sealed his top 100 spot, and what he’s learned from his girlfriend, a professional speed skater.
If you’re curious about the mindset and habits behind steady, sustainable progress, this episode is a great listen.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
This week on the Functional Tennis Podcast I’m joined once again by Portuguese player Jaime Faria, who continues to make strides on the ATP Tour.
Since our last chat, Jaime has broken into the top 100, won two Challenger titles, and battled through Grand Slam qualifying winning 11 of his last 12 matches and even sneaking into the US Open as a lucky loser. One of the standout moments of his year was facing Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, an experience that gave him a clear view of what it takes to compete with the very best.
In this episode, Jaime shares what he learned from that match, the challenges of staying inside the top 100, the grind of playing qualies, and whether he still enjoys the process as much as he once did.
🔑 Key Topics:
🎾 Lessons from playing Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open
🏆 Breaking into the top 100 and winning Challengers
🚪 Getting into the US Open as a lucky loser
💪 The mental and physical grind of Slam qualifying
🧠 Staying motivated and enjoying the process
A real behind-the-scenes look at the ups and downs of life on tour from one of Portugal’s rising stars.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This week on the Functional Tennis Podcast, I’m joined once again by Garry Cahill, one of Ireland’s most respected coaches, former Davis Cup captain, and Performance Director at Tennis Ireland.
In this episode, Garry dives into the realities of tennis parenting and why every family’s journey is unique. He explains why no two kids are the same, why parents shouldn’t try to copy someone else’s pathway, and how circumstances from finances to geography to coaching support, make every story different.
We also talk about the challenges parents face in the early years, how to handle the car ride home after a loss, the importance of communication with coaches, and why there’s no one-size-fits-all manual for raising a tennis player.
🔑 Key Topics:
👨👩👦 Why every tennis parent’s journey is different
🚗 The car ride home and handling emotions after matches
📈 Setting milestones and planning for the long term
💬 The importance of clear parent-coach communication
📚 Why tennis needs better resources for parents
Whether you’re a tennis parent, coach, or player, Garry’s advice is packed with insights that can help you navigate the junior journey with more confidence and clarity.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
This week on the Functional Tennis Podcast I’m joined by John Williams, coach and mentor to world number 1 doubles player Taylor Townsend.
John’s approach to coaching is anything but conventional. He doesn’t just build tennis players, he builds characters. In this chat we talk about the characteristics he looks for in players, how his outside-the-box thinking shapes their development, and why mindset and life skills are just as important as technique.
Key Topics
🎾 The traits that separate good players from great ones
🧠 Why developing character is as important as developing skills
💡 How to think differently about tennis and avoid a conformist mindset
📈 Lessons from coaching top pros and upcoming juniors
Quote
“I’m not just coaching forehands and backhands, I’m building people.”
From guiding top pros to developing juniors, John shares invaluable lessons for players, coaches, and parents who want to understand what it truly takes to succeed in the sport.
Enjoy
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
In this episode, I chat with 17-year-old American wheelchair tennis player Charlie Cooper, a rising star who’s already claimed 2 junior wheelchair singles Grand Slam titles.
Born with spina bifida, Charlie’s journey into tennis started with local clinics and has now taken him to the top levels of junior competition. He shares how making the decision to go full-time in 2023 completely changed his development, both mentally and physically.
We talk about the improvements he’s seen since going all in, the structure of wheelchair tennis, his tournament experiences, and what he hopes to achieve in the future.
Key topics:
• How going full-time helped Charlie raise his level
• What a typical training week looks like for him
• Differences in mindset between juniors and pros
• How wheelchair tennis works at the top level
• His goals for the coming season
A super insightful conversation for tennis fans and players alike.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
🎙️ This week on the Functional Tennis Podcast, I’m joined by Dasha Vidmanova, the former US College #1 player and 2024 NCAA singles, doubles, and team champion.
Born in Moscow and raised in Prague, Dasha’s journey through tennis has been anything but linear. From nearly walking away from the sport to becoming a dominant force in college tennis, she now has her sights set on making waves on the pro tour.
We chat about:
📍 How college tennis reignited her passion for the game
🎓 Why she initially didn’t plan to turn pro
💪 Learning to lose as part of going pro
🧠 The mindset shift that led to major improvements
🇺🇸 What it’s like being the best female college player in the US
🎯 Her short-term and long-term goals on tour
💼 And why she majored in finance, just in case tennis didn’t work out
Whether you’re a parent, coach, or young player weighing up college vs pro tennis, Dasha offers refreshing honesty and insight into both paths.
Enjoy, Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
This week on the Functional Tennis Podcast, I’m joined by American ATP player Aleks Kovacevic, currently ranked #77 ATP
Aleks takes us through his surprising journey to the pro tour, from not thinking he’d ever go pro to finding belief during college and climbing the ATP rankings, including a big win over world #5 Andrey Rublev. He opens up about learning to lose, building confidence, and handling pressure on tour.
We also dive into his one-handed backhand, how he approaches training and improvement, and why he’s added the Functional Tennis Saber to his warmup to help with timing and focus.
Packed with honest insights and practical takeaways, this is a great listen for aspiring players, coaches, and fans of the grind.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
In this episode, I speak with Clinton Coleman, Senior Scout at IMG Tennis, who helped discover and guide some of the sport’s brightest young talents, including Nick Kyrgios, Alexander Eala, Mirra Andreeva at 11. Clinton shares what he really looks for in juniors, why mindset often matters more than strokes, and how parents can either help or hinder a player’s development. We also chat about the biggest scouting misconceptions and what separates good from great in today’s tennis landscape.
- What he really looks for in young players
- How Clinton spotted Mirra Andreeva at age 11
- The biggest misconceptions about talent and technique
- The role of parents in player development
- Why mindset and competitiveness matter most
Hope you enjoy
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
This week I’m joined by Luca Van Assche, one of France’s top young players and a former Roland Garros junior champion. We chat about his fast rise to the ATP top 70, what it really takes to make the jump from juniors to the pros, and how Futures helped build his resilience and confidence. Luca opens up about the pressure of expectations, how he’s managing a ranking drop, and why balancing university studies with tennis keeps him grounded. There’s loads of insight here into how belief, hard work, and enjoying the game really shape a career.
🗣️ 3 Key Quotes
1.“You can win 20 junior Slams and not win matches in the pros.”
2.“Sometimes you’re in a bad place and you say, maybe just one year as a normal person would be nice.”
3.“If you’re not 100 percent from the first point, you’re out in 40 minutes.”
✅ 5 Takeaway Points:
•Winning a junior Slam is just the beginning, not the end goal
•Futures helped him build confidence and mental focus
•The ATP level demands intensity from the very first point
•Balancing school and tennis adds purpose beyond rankings
•Long-term goals fuel motivation during tough stretches
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
Liam Broady returns to the Functional Tennis Podcast to reflect on the highs, lows, and lessons of his 11-year pro journey. From dealing with a concussion just before Wimbledon to learning how to separate self-worth from rankings, Liam opens up on the mental battles that come with life on tour. He also shares what a conversation with Pep Guardiola taught him, and why sacrifices though tough are worth it in the long run.
🗣️ 3 Key Quotes:
1.“You’ve got to be willing to make sacrifices that people don’t see.”
2.“You have to learn not to tie your self-worth to your ranking.”
3.“You don’t get to the top without a few scars.”
✅ 5 Takeaway Points:
•Mental resilience is just as important as physical fitness
•Sacrifices are part of long-term success
•Separating identity from results is crucial for mental health
•Injuries can strike at the worst times, even when you’re ready
•Lessons from other sports (like football) can fuel growth in tennis
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
In this episode, I’m joined by rising Argentine star Francisco Comesaña, currently sitting inside the ATP top 70. Francisco shares the grind of coming up through Futures with no funding, how a mindset shift helped him break through, and what it was like beating top names like Rublev and Zverev. We also talk about his first Slam experience at Wimbledon, what it’s like playing on grass for the first time, and why belief, fueled by hard work has been the key to his rise.
✅ 5 Takeaway Points
1.Breaking through in Argentina is tough without sponsors or early exposure.
2.Belief and mindset are often more important than talent.
3.Playing Futures is a grind that can break many players mentally.
4.Big wins against players like Rublev and Zverev gave him confidence he belongs.
5.Long-term goals include becoming a better person first, and reaching the top 30.
🗣️ 3 Key Quotes
1.“The most important thing was that I started to believe in myself.”
2.“Sometimes players are stuck because of mindset, not level.”
3.“Since I was a kid, I dreamed of playing in Grand Slams.”
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
The return of Joe O'Dwyer to the Function Tennis Podcast marks a significant occasion, as it has been five years since his previous appearance. In this enlightening conversation, O'Dwyer, a seasoned ATP and WTA coach, reflects upon his extensive career on the tour, which began in 1999 and has traversed through various eras of tennis. He recounts his experiences coaching notable players such as Robbie Ginepri and Alexander Stevenson, shedding light on the mental fortitude required to succeed in the highly competitive world of professional tennis. The discussion delves into the often-overlooked realities of life on the tour, emphasizing the psychological challenges and the grind that players endure week after week. O'Dwyer poignantly articulates the importance of mental resilience, echoing the sentiments of fellow coaches regarding the necessity for players to possess unwavering determination to navigate the rigors of professional tennis. This episode serves as an invaluable resource for aspiring players and coaches alike, offering insights into the complexities of coaching at the highest level, and the various pathways that can lead to success in the sport.
Takeaways:
- Joe O'Dwyer shares invaluable insights from his extensive experience coaching on the ATP and WTA tours, emphasizing the importance of mental resilience for aspiring players.
- The journey through junior tennis to professional levels often involves overcoming significant mental and physical challenges, which can define a player's career trajectory.
- O'Dwyer highlights the critical role of a supportive coaching team and the necessity for players to develop not only technical skills but also mental fortitude in competitive environments.
- The podcast revisits the narrative of Conor Nyland's success, showcasing how individual stories can inspire and shape perceptions of Irish tennis on the global stage.
- The conversation includes reflections on the rigorous demands of the professional tour, where physical stamina and mental strength are equally paramount for success.
- Finally, O'Dwyer underscores the notion that success in tennis is often a marathon rather than a sprint, requiring dedication, patience, and a willingness to adapt in the face of adversity.
🗣️ 3 Key Quotes:
1.“He didn’t ask if they had a forehand—he asked if they were mentally strong enough.”
2.“Just because you played the tour doesn’t mean you can coach.”
3.“It takes a village—and a lot of money—to build a top player.”
⸻
✅ 5 Takeaway Points:
1.Mental resilience is the #1 trait needed to survive the tour grind.
2.Talent is common—coaching and structure make the real difference.
3.Parental pressure can derail even the most talented juniors.
4.The college pathway is a strong option—if done right.
5.Tennis has a hidden dark side, including gambling and Adderall abuse.
Hope you enjoy it
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
In this episode, Lorenzo Petrucci, performance coach to WTA top-20 player Liudmila Samsonova, shares his journey from a tennis-playing student in Milan to working alongside some of the sport’s top talent. He reveals how success on tour is about far more than hitting balls, it’s about managing pressure, building smart routines, and knowing when (and how) to push. From insights learned under Ricardo Piatti to the importance of on-court collaboration with tennis coaches, Lorenzo gives an entire look into elite tennis's mental and physical demands.
🗣️ 3 Key Quotes:
1.“It’s not about how good you are—it’s about understanding who you have in front of you.”
2.“The best fitness coaches are the ones who understand tennis.”
3.“You must be clear. The player doesn’t allow you to be in doubt.”
✅ 5 Takeaway Points:
1.Success in tennis depends heavily on mental resilience and communication.
2.Strength and conditioning must align with on-court movements, not just gym work.
3.Understanding each player’s physical and emotional needs is key to long-term progress.
4.Female and male players require different training and recovery strategies.
5.A cohesive and collaborative support team makes all the difference.
Hope you enjoy it
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
In this episode of the Functional Tennis Podcast, host Fabio Molle interviews Pol Toledo, coach of Paula Badosa, discussing her journey, training methodologies, and challenges on the WTA Tour. Pol shares insights into his coaching philosophy, the impact of statistical analysis, and the importance of mental resilience in elite tennis. He also reflects on his transition from player to coach, his longstanding relationship with Badosa, and the challenges of managing injuries and performance on the tour.
5 Key points
- Smart Post-Match Analysis – Pol gives Paula time before reviewing matches, using video and stats to refine strategies.
- Data-Driven Training – They analyze key stats, focusing on serve +1 shots and improved return positioning.
- Technical Enhancements – Pre-season work includes specialized tools (Saber racket, elastic bands) to sharpen footwork and shot power.
- Mental Strength & Adaptability – Paula quickly applies coaching advice, with a strong focus on confidence and communication.
- Injury Management – Overcoming back issues taught her to understand pain, adjust training, and stay competitive.
I hope you enjoy
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
Today I chat with Chris Lewitt, who recently updated his book, "Secrets of Spanish Tennis 2.0." Chris, a distinguished coach with extensive experience in the Spanish tennis system, elucidates ten pivotal lessons derived from his interactions with renowned Spanish coaches. These principles not only encapsulate the essence of Spanish tennis training but also offer actionable strategies for players and coaches alike. Throughout our discussion, Chris emphasizes the critical importance of footwork, mental resilience, and the tactical utilization of topspin in achieving success on the court. This episode serves as a comprehensive exploration of the methodologies that have propelled Spanish players to prominence in the world of tennis.
5 Key areas:
🔵 Chris Lewitt's book, 'Secrets of Spanish Tennis 2.0', encapsulates key lessons learned from Spanish coaches.
🔵 The importance of footwork, movement, and developing a strong defense on the court
🔵 The necessity of teaching players to control their emotions and maintain focus during matches.
🔵 Focus on building fitness and endurance. The Spanish training philosophy emphasizes off-court conditioning as a crucial part of player development.
🔵 Embracing suffering is integral to the Spanish tennis philosophy, building resilience and mental strength.
I hope you enjoy
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
Today I chat with coach and author Adam Bilcher, who recently published a book called Winning Words. The book focuses on how good communication can improve tennis coaching, highlighting the importance of respect and understanding between coaches and players. Drawing from his experience with the Danish Tennis Federation and his podcast series, Adam shares insights into the mental and emotional aspects of coaching. The book is a helpful guide for both coaches and parents, showing how better communication can help players reach their full potential. In this conversation, we explore the key ideas from Adam’s book and discuss how communication is crucial for developing young players.
5 Key areas:
🔵 Building trust and respect as a coach to get buy-in from players.
🔵 How external cues (like analogies) work better than internal cues for learning and performance.
🔵 The value of clear roles and expectations between players, coaches, and parents.
🔵 Normalizing nerves and using focal points to refocus during matches.
🔵 The role of post-match evaluations based on focal points rather than just results.
I hope you enjoy
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
Fabio Molle sits down with Rene Zandbergen to discuss the exciting launch of the new ASICS Gel Resolution X tennis shoe at the ASICS Tennis Summit in Melbourne. Rene shares insights about his role in the shoe's development, emphasizing the shoe's enhanced comfort and innovative features, such as the Dyna Lacing system that allows for a customizable fit. The conversation delves into the extensive testing process with top players, highlighting how their feedback shaped the final product. Rene also addresses the shoe's durability and performance, making it an ideal choice for both competitive players and coaches who spend long hours on the court. Tune in to discover how the Resolution X is designed to elevate your game and enhance your on-court experience.
Takeaways:
- Rene Zandbergen discusses the importance of player feedback in developing the Resolution X shoe.
- The new Dyno Lacing feature allows for customizable fit and enhanced support for players.
- Comfort and stability are emphasized in the design of the Resolution X tennis shoe.
- The Resolution X incorporates a softer foam for improved cushioning while playing.
- Rene highlights how player preferences influenced the shoe's design and construction process.
- The shoe's performance benefits include better grip and stability for aggressive movements on court.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
I randomly came across the Yonex popup while in Melbourne and inside Darren Cahill (Coach of Jannik Sinner) was having a Q&A with some people so I joined in briefly.
Darren a former player has previously worked with Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi and Simona Halep.
- The importance of resilience in tennis success
- Building strong habits for consistent performance
- Why Yannick Sinner’s parents stayed out of coaching
- Turning setbacks into opportunities for growth
- The transition from player to coach and team-building
The sound quality is lower than normal as I only had my phone and it was noisy but there's plenty to learn in this short recording.
Finally a big thanks to Asics Tennis for flying me down to Melbourne to help launch their new Asics Gel Resolution X.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
Let's learn about Swing Speed, modern tennis and the New Tecnifibre T-Fight which has just launched.
The next-gen forehand has evolved and requires faster swing speed and more manoeuvrability. Tecnifibre has been tracking this with their tecnilab programme and today the head customizer Dieter Calle joins me alongside the Tecnifibre Chief Marketing Office Matthieu Bauduin to discuss why and how it has changed and how the. new T-Fight is aligned to these changes.
If you're interested in tennis and equipment there is plenty to learn in this episode and a new racket to consider for your game that pros such as Medvedev and Iga Swiatek are using
Takeaways:
- The evolution of tennis rackets has led to a significant decrease in weight and swing weight, making them more manoeuvrable for modern players.
- Customization of rackets is crucial for players, as it allows them to achieve optimal performance tailored to their specific playing style.
- The new Technifibre T-Fight racket is designed for the fast-paced nature of contemporary tennis.
- Players today often prefer lighter rackets that still provide power and stability, shifting away from heavier models.
- The input from top players during the development of the T-Fight was invaluable, guiding its specifications and design.
- Technifibre's focus on player feedback ensures that its products align with the needs of both amateur and professional players.
Jesper De Jong, a rising Dutch tennis player, shares his journey from a young athlete to competing on the world stage, including his experiences qualifying for his first Grand Slam and playing against top players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. With a steady rise in rankings and a strong team behind him, Jesper emphasizes the importance of consistency and hard work in achieving his goals. He discusses the challenges of balancing training in a beautiful yet distracting location like Bali, while also reflecting on the camaraderie fostered by training with teammates. Jesper candidly reveals the impact of his battle with mononucleosis on his career trajectory, and how he has managed to regain and build upon his form. As he looks forward to breaking into the top 100, he highlights the significance of enjoying the sport and maintaining a healthy mindset throughout his journey.
Takeaways:
- Jesper De Jong emphasizes the importance of enjoying tennis, especially during the early years of training.
- He shares his journey from a tennis novice to competing against top players like Alcaraz and Sinner.
- The experience of qualifying for his first Grand Slam brought immense relief and joy.
- Jesper highlights the significant role of team spirit during preseason training in Bali.
- He reflects on the differences in playing styles between top players like Sinner and Alcaraz.
- The support from the Dutch Federation was crucial in shaping his early professional career.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
Czech tennis player Linda Noskova joins Fabio Molle to discuss her impressive rise in the WTA rankings, achieving a spot in the top 25 by maintaining a consistent mindset and dedication to continuous improvement. At just 20 years old, Linda reflects on her journey since winning the French Open junior title in 2021 and shares insights on the importance of playing junior tournaments as a foundation for success. She emphasizes the significance of having realistic goals and the long journey it takes to transition from juniors to the professional circuit. Linda also touches on the supportive Czech tennis landscape, which has historically produced many great players, and the confidence that comes from competing against familiar faces from her junior days. As she looks ahead to her goals for 2025, Linda expresses her excitement for the upcoming season in Australia, focusing on her passion for the sport rather than the pressure of defending points.
Takeaways:
- Linda Noskova emphasizes the importance of consistency in achieving success in tennis.
- She believes that enjoying the competitive nature of tennis has driven her passion.
- Transitioning from junior to professional tennis requires significant mental and physical adaptation.
- Noskova highlights the historical influence of Czech tennis legends on current players' aspirations.
- She shares that her commitment to continuous improvement guides her training and competition.
- Being grounded and focusing on personal development rather than rankings shapes her approach.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
Jaime Faria, a promising 21-year-old Portuguese tennis player, has made an impressive leap in his career, climbing from a rank of 411 to a career-high 116 this year. Despite not being the top junior in Portugal and facing tough competition, Jaime chose to remain with the Portuguese Tennis Federation rather than pursue college tennis in the U.S. His journey is marked by an incredible run that includes winning four Futures titles and two Challenger titles, showcasing his determination and talent. In our conversation, Jaime opens up about his rise through the rankings, the support he received from the federation, and his aspirations to break into the top 100. With a bright future ahead, Jaime's positive attitude and hard work are sure to inspire aspiring players everywhere.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
Join me, Fabio Molle, as I share my top 13 favorite products for tennis players that make perfect gifts for the upcoming season. From rackets to shoes, grips to training aids, I've curated a list that caters to every tennis enthusiast, whether they are just starting or are seasoned players.
One of the highlights of this episode is the Bablot Pure Aero, which has been voted our Racket of the Year for the second consecutive year, alongside the Wilson Blade as a close second. I also dive into my personal favourites from Asics shoes. Plus, I’ll touch on some essential gear like grips, tennis balls, and even tech products that can enhance your game. Tune in for some great recommendations that will surely delight any tennis lover!
The products
- Wilson Blade
- Babolat Pure Aero
- Functional Tennis Saber
- Solinco Hyper G (I forgot to mention these!!)
- ASICS Solution Speed FF3
- ASICS Court FF3 Novak
- Wilson US Open Ball
- Dunlop ATP Ball
- Tecnifibre Endurance Duffel Bag
- Tecnifibre Endurance Backpack
- Oura Ring (10% Off newest Ring)
- Whoop (30 day trial)
- Swing Vision (Free Gift)
Let me know what else should be on this list!
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
What does it truly mean to "make it" as a tennis player? In this episode, I delve into this question with Belgian player Kimmer Coppejans, a former junior French Open champion who reached the top 100 for a brief period. Kimmer shares his journey through the highs and lows of professional tennis, including the mental challenges he faced, such as the yips and the struggle to regain confidence after injuries. He discusses the importance of consistency and the evolving landscape of the sport, where even players ranked outside the top 100 can pose serious threats. Additionally, Kimmer reflects on balancing life as a professional athlete with family responsibilities and the insights gained from participating in the ATP Player Mentoring Program, which aims to prepare players for life after tennis.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
French tennis player Laurent Lokoli joins the Functional Tennis Podcast to share his journey through the highs and lows of professional tennis. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on individual game styles rather than just results, advising young players to stay true to their strengths. Throughout the conversation, Laurent discusses players' challenges on the circuit, including mental health and the pressures of consistency at different levels, from futures to the ATP tour. He reflects on his experiences qualifying for Grand Slams and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with the sport. As he looks ahead to his future, Laurent expresses a desire to help others and continue sharing his love for tennis through his YouTube channel.
Hope you enjoy
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
// Photo credit of Larent : Dumè Alfonsi
Jason Jung joins the Functional Tennis podcast to share his journey as a professional tennis player, including the challenges he faced with injuries and the decision to switch national representation to Taiwan. He discusses the financial and personal motivations behind this choice, highlighting how it opened doors for sponsorships and competitive opportunities. Jason candidly reflects on his struggles during a tough year in 2017, where he faced numerous first-round exits, and how a pivotal win at the University Games revitalized his career. The conversation also touches on the rigorous travel schedule of professional players and the mental toll it can take, especially toward the end of the season. As Jason prepares for fatherhood, he shares his thoughts on whether he would encourage his child to pursue tennis, balancing his expertise with the challenges of the sport.
I chat with Jason Jung and we discuss, his ups and downs as a player, whether he would go back to college looking back on his career and why players are on edge late in the tennis season.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
6-time grand slam coach Wim Fissette joins us on the Functional Tennis Podcast to chat about his coaching career.
Wim set a high standard for himself winning 3 out of the first 6 slams he coached at.
Wim worked with some of the best players in the past 15 years such as Kim Clijsters, Sabine Lisicki, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Johanna Konta, Angelique Kerber and recently finished working with Naomi Osaka. With Iga Swiatek recently finishing with her 3-year coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, is Wim the man to take the job.
He tells us a bit about his coaching journey with each player, some anecdotes and learnings throughout his coaching career.
Hope you enjoy it.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
Today I speak to 23-year-old US College graduate Lulu Sun who has had an impressive run since graduating from the University Of Texas.
In only 1 year of College Tennis, she rose to number 3 in the rankings and over the past 12 months on the WTA tour she has risen from no.210 to her current ranking of no.40.
We chat about her early junior days, the importance of education and college tennis, why she switched nationality from Switzerland to New Zealand, her quailes to quarterfinals run at Wimbledon this year and her secrets to her rankings jump.
Hope you enjoy and learn
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
Part 2 of the 2024 Functional Tennis Racket of the year breakdown with Jonas Eriksson (aka Tennisnerd). We chat about round 2 and 1/4's results as well as a semi final previewa
Jonas is one of the leading racket experts and puts out great reviews on his YouTube channel which you can see here.
Head over to the Functional Tennis Instagram stories to get voting.
Finally a shoutout to Tennis Warehouse Europe who are sponsoring this event along with the Shoe of the Year which will run in. a few weeks. You can get details on all the rackets over on the Tennis Warehouse Europe site here.
Finally, we will run a giveaway with the prize of the winning racket, sign up here to enter.
Enjoy the episode
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
The racket of the year is back and Jonas Eriksson (aka Tennisnerd) jumps on to chat about results from round 1 and previews round 2.
Jonas is one of the leading racket experts and puts out great reviews on his YouTube channel which you can see here.
Head over to the Functional Tennis Instagram stories to get voting.
Finally a shoutout to Tennis Warehouse Europe who are sponsoring this event along with the Shoe of the Year which will run in. a few weeks. You can get details on all the rackets over on the Tennis Warehouse Europe site here.
Finally, we will run a giveaway with the prize of the winning racket, sign up here to enter.
Enjoy the episode
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
In episode 235 of the Functional Tennis Podcast, I sit down with Sandra Zaniewska, coach of WTA Top 20 player Marta Kostyuk.
Sandra, a former pro herself with wins over the likes of Ons Jabeur and Ash Barty, transitioned into coaching at a young age and has since worked with top names like Petra Martic and Alizé Cornet.
Sandra shares her journey from player to coach, her experiences leading the development of high-performance players at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, and her role with the Champ'Seed Foundation. We dive deep into the dynamics of coaching, exploring key themes like respect, communication, and trust. Plus, we tackle the big question: who’s really in charge—player or coach?
I hope you enjoy this insightful conversation!
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
And check out our famous Saber tennis training racket here
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
I chatted with pro doubles strategist Will Boucek. Will works with numerous ATP/WTA doubles pros, and USTA and helps amateurs improve their doubles.
We chat about how Will got into doubles strategy and created a niche for himself, patterns he has noticed, analysing Carlos and Rafa as doubles players as well as tips and tactics for doubles players.
Will also has a weekly newsletter and podcast where he shares doubles tips to help you improve your doubles and you can check it out here.
Enjoy the episode
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Former top Junior and College Tennis player Govind Nanda joins me on the podcast.
Govind has left University and is making a push back up the rankings where during his College days at UCLA he got to a high of 339 ATP which is impressive for a College tennis player.
He chats about his early tennis days, the decision to play college tennis, training with Novak Djokovic and more.
hope you enjoy and learn
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Today I chatted to Justin Van Malderen, 3rd generation in the Luxilon family business. Luxilon manufactures great strings used by many top pros.
Justin tells us all about the Luxlilon beginnings, who owns the company, how strings are made, what % of the top pros use Luxilon and more.
I hope you enjoy this episode
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
I dug through the audio archives and found my chat with Wimbledon Finalist Jasmine Paolini when she was a top 70-ranked player only a few years ago. She talks about what's needed to be 1% better every day, patience, challenges along the way and the struggle to qualify for slams!! It’s a short but insightful partner.
Hope you enjoy
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
I speak to Irish former pro Conor Niland who has just released a book called The Racket which documents his tennis journey from the first time he picked up a racket until retirement.
Conor reached a career-high ATP 129 and made Grand Slam appearances. He recites many stories from all aspects of his journey from the junior Irish circuit, going to boarding school in the UK, missed opportunities at Bollettieri, College tennis at UCLA, turning pro, Davis Cup and more.
It’s a great insight into how hard it is to become a tennis player and it leaves you with questions. I asked Conor some of the questions that entered my mind while reading the book.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Mini episode this week with current WTA number 63 Diane Parry.
I met Diane at the Asics Rally for Your Mind event in central Paris. We discussed:
- Playing in Paris as Parisian
- Her 1 handed backhand
- Advice for parents/players
- The best advice she has received
Louis Rouach who runs event activations for Asics also tells us about the Rally for Your Mind event.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Today I chat with former pro and entrepreneur Peter Clarke.
Peter was a fiery Irish promising tennis who quickly reached an ATP ranking of 229. Retiring quite young today, he got into coaching and soon after set up multiple successful businesses.
He talks about growing up in Australia, his tennis days, some good anecdotes and his most recent project is called Coach Life, an online video platform. He chased down coaches worldwide for the past 12 months who worked with today's top players when they were juniors to learn their coaching methods in those early days. Currently, there are over 350 videos to learn from and I haven't watched them all but those I have, I found exceptional.
On the platform are the junior coaches of Iga Swiatek, Nick Kyrgios, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz, Genie Bouchard, Coco Gauff, Sloane Stephens, Kei Nishikori, Pete Sampras, Francis Tiafoe, Pat Rafter, Denis Shapovalov and many more.
Each month a new coach will be added to the platform. And it's not all on-court coaching, there is also fitness, nutrition, mental and more.
Check it out here with a free 7-day trial.
Enjoy
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
I chatted to Italian coach Andrea Ramundo who I met at the IMG Future Stars Event.
Andrea works with promising Italian Juniors, Ilary Pistola, Tommaso Panto and Pietro Marinelli.
We discuss
- Coaching Journey
- Italian Tennis Federation
- What he learned at the IMG Future Stars Event
- Working for free for 1 year with his mentor Jofre Porta
- Member of Team Asics Academy
Andrea is super nice with some nice insights.
Hope you enjoy
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
I'm just back from the IMG Future Stars event in Greece where I saw some of the world's best 12 years in action.
Last year I did a special episode on 14 things that make these kids special, this year I decided to change it up and better understand the journey these kids are on.
What stood out is how hard it is, you probably already know this but I found it interesting speaking to the parents and coaches about this.
I've put together some of my learnings in this rare solo episode.
If you are a parent this is an episode for you.
I hope you find it useful.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social MediaInstagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week I caught up with Peter Hemanns, the tennis product manager at Asics. Peter tells us about
- His Role
- What's new with my favourite shoe the Solution Speed 3
- If any updates on the Resolution and Court FF
- Did he know about Dimitrov wearing Asics
- Technology in their clothes
- The Asics Paris and London House
If you are a listener to the shoe you know that Asics are our sponsors and it was a great opportunity to learn more about Asics and Peter.
I hope you enjoy it
Fabio
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
In a few days, I'm off to Greece for the IMG Future Stars which brings together 48 of the World's best boys and girls along with their parents and coaches. I get to spend the week with them observing, learning and interacting with them.
We've many new listeners and this was one of our top episodes into 2023 so I thought this was a timely episode to bring back up.
I hope you enjoy it and if you've heard it before it's a good refresher.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
I am excited to have David Norrie on the show this week talking to guest host Dave O'Hare.
David is the Dad of British number 1 and career-high ATP no.8 Cam Norrie.
David chats about :
- The early days in New Zealand
- Building character
- Being a tennis parent is not easy
- Not specialising too early
and more.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Coaching great Brad Stine joins guest host Dave O'Hare on this week's episode.
Brad Stine is the current coach of US Number 1 Tommy Paul and has worked with greats such as Jim Courier, Mardy Fish, Kevin Anderson and more.
He chats about:
- The imposter syndrome as a young coach
- You can't Bullsh*t tennis players
- Be the best at teaching fundamentals
- Stop playing to the stats
- Coaching is an art form, not a science
And much more.
It's one of my favourite episodes and is required listening for all Functional Tennis Fans.
Hope you enjoy
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
The title says it all, Tennis is difficult. Guest host Dave O'Hare kicks off his first-ever episodes as a host with Freddie Nielsen. Freddie is a former pro from Denamk, a Wimbledon doubles champ and the current Danish Davis Cup Captain.
It’s a great discussion with thoughts on compassion, anger, perfection, acceptance, competing, disagreeing and more.
It's a bit different to my usual conversations but its great to see 2 experienced tennis people chatting with plenty of lessons to learn.
I hope you enjoy it
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week former guest Dave O’Hare is back on the show.
Dave will be guest hosting a few episodes of the Functional Tennis Podcast and I ask him who he has lined up. We also chat about
- Empty locker rooms
- Been process driven
- The current ball situations
- His thoughts on making doubles better
and more.
I hope you enjoy the chat.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Today I chat with the current world number 1 junior Joel Schwarzler. Joel is from Austria with a South African mother and is transitioning to the pro tour.
We chat about:
- Early days playing tennis
- Dislike of his parents watching his matches
- Austrian inspirations
- His coach, former pro Jurgen Melzer
- Junior versus pro tour
- His 1st ATP Point
- Advice for other juniors
I hope you enjoy the chat
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
I speak to 15-year-old Tyra Grant, a top 10 ITF Junior this week.
We previously had her mam, Cinzia Giovinco on the show and her coach Tom Gutteridge.
Tyra is a mature hard-hitting 15-year-old. We chat about
- What it feels like to be a top 10 junior
- What is hard work to her
- Living away from her family
- Her competitive nature
- Advice for other Juniors
- Players to watch out for in the future
I hope you enjoy the show.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
In this episode, join me with Branko Avramovski the father of 12 year old rising star Damyan Avramovski (aka 'Nana') from Bulgaria. We talk things junior tennis from coaching, rackets and, tournament play.
Hope you enjoy the episode,
Fabio.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Mentioned in this episode:
Asics Tennis Webinar
Reserve your spot now for February 1st as well as secure 30 days of access to the content
https://asicstennisacademy.coachtube.com/
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Kicking off 2024 is Brandon Holt, a former All-American with a career-high ATP 180.
Brandon has a huge US Open in 2022 getting through qualifiers and then taking down US Number 1 Taylor Fritz. Brandon is also the son of former Number 1 and 3 times slam champ Tracey Austin.
We chat
- Easy decision to play college tennis
- Benefits of College tennis
- 2022 US Open
- Striking with the Saber
- Inspirations from my mam
- Advice for Juniors
I hope you enjoy the episode.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week for our final episode of the year we have an in-depth chat with Pablo Andújar. Last week he was on the show along with Kenneth Carlsen advising junior players. Today there is more advice and stories throughout his career.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Last week I got to spend the week at the Tecnifibre junior training camp in Valencia. Tecnibifre brought 5 of their juniors running from 11-16 years of age along with their parents and coaches for a week-long training camp. Their objective for to push the players outside their comfort zone on and off the court as well as give them advice which will be invaluable in their junior career. Tecnifibre wants to help these players as much as possible make the transition to the senior game.
Leading the on-court sessions was former world number 32 Pablo Andujar and there also was former world number 41 Kenneth Carlsen who was there as a coach with a player.
Both were so nice, full of advice, open to any questions and told great stories of life as a junior and on the tour.
This episode is them talking about their experience as a Junior, lessons they learned, advice for the juniors and the 5 juniors who got to ask them a question.
You could say this is an unplanned episode but the advice was so good I felt it had to be shared.
I hope you enjoy it.
Fabio
Ps. We had Kenneth on the podcast before and tap here if you want to know more about him
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast I speak with former world no. 65 and coach of Coco Gauff when she won the US Open title in 2023.
We discuss:
- His pro career
- Decision to retire after a road accident
- Transition to coaching
- Working with Coco Gauff and Brad Gilbert
- Advice for junior players today
I hope you enjoy!
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast I speak with former world no. 63 and NCAA Champion Bradley Klahn.
We discuss:
- Advantages of college tennis
- How he dealt with multiple injuries on tour
- Deciding to end his pro career
- Transition from tennis to an office job
- How tennis prepares you for life ahead
I hope you enjoy!
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast I speak with top ATP doubles coach, Rob Morgan. Rob has coached players at the last 4 Nitto ATP Finals and is currently the main coach of world number 8 and Wimbledon Champion Wesley Koolhof.
We discuss:
- Rob's learnings over the past 4 years as a top doubles coach
- How he's improved as a coach in these past 4 years
- Importance of getting the player in the right mindset for matches
- How doubles has changed and where it's heading
- His tennis academy "M2 Performance Academy'
Rob is a fountain of knowledge and even has some great advice for tennis parents at the end of the episode.
His previous episode with me can be found here. We talk about his journey into tennis and the start of his coaching career.
Fabio
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast I speak with Andy Murray's long-term S & C Coach, Matt Little. Matt works with Andy Murray to this day, alongside work for the LTA and his online conditioning programme (Contact Matt on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram if you would like to work with him)
We discuss:
- Being prepared to back up your decisions as a coach
- Regular mobility and how older players can keep fit with busy work schedules
- The importance of setting aside training blocks for physical development of pros
- What is it when players “run out of steam”?
- The data of tennis players and how fan experience in tennis can be improved
- Sliding vs planting on a hard court
Matt is a great guy and a fountain of knowledge so I have no doubt you'll enjoy this one!
His previous episode with me can be found here. We talk about how he got into the S&C world and combined it with tennis as well as working with Andy Murray and much more.
Fabio
Pre-order the Functional Tennis Saber Junior here
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast I speak with 3 time International Tennis Photographer of the Year Clive Brunskill. Clive is one of the world’s best sports photographers who has been commissioned to shoot the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, David Beckham along with other celebrities Hugh Jackman, Beyonce and Britney Spears.
We discuss:
- Differences between shooting in football and tennis
- Favourite tournaments to photograph at
- Most famous and notable photographs
- Photographing the Big Four at the Laver cup
- Has the digital era made life as a photographer easier?
Hope you enjoy hearing about tennis from behind this lens!
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast we have Matt Terczynski. Matt is a long time friend and permanent hitting partner of top 20 player Hubi Hurkacz.
It was great speaking with Matt as he gives in depth insights into the life of a pro hitting partner, as well as some really useful advice for those players and parents who are starting out on their journey in elite tennis. Matt loves competing and managed to earn a spot in the Boss Open ATP 250 in Stuttgart last year, so he sure has the level to be playing with the top of the game.
We discuss:
- Great start with Hubi as his hitting partner
- Why would a player have a hitting partner
- The mindset of Hubi Hurkacz
- Why it is important to feel stress in match situations instead of just practicing
- The key to being a hitting partner!
- Advice to players/parents on becoming great players
This episode is awesome and Matt is a great guy so hope you enjoy!
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast we have on another great tennis parent, Kalin Davidov. Kalin is the father of one of the world's best juniors Teo Davidov.
Teo is an ambidextrous player. I was seriously impressed with Teo's skills and attitude when I saw him reach the semi finals of the IMG Future Stars event.
We discuss:
- Kalin's background in pro sport coming from a volleyball career in Bulgaria
- His knowledge of meditation, yoga, nutrition, chinese medicine and tennis
- The commitment he has made to coaching his son and how he can become a better coach
- The reasons for wanting Teo to use both hands to play tennis
- How Teo's game will cope with the men's game
- The importance of athleticism, olympic weightlifting and controlling the mind
There's so much to learn from this episode so I hope you enjoy it!
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast we speak to a functional movement specialist who works specifically in tennis. He's helped to develop the movement of reigning US Open Champion Coco Gauff.
Jeff Drock has worked in the industry for nearly 20 years. Originally, Jeff played college tennis at the University of North Florida where was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame! Jeff has worked as the Director of Sport Science at the Rick Macci Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Florida and in 2009, Jeff founded the Home Fitness Professionals Association that provides in-home and mobile fitness training business skills.
In our chat, we talk about the following:
- The formidable Coco Gauff and her athleticism as a young teenager
- How Jeff got into specialising in tennis footwork and movement and how he actively improves tennis players’ movement
- Jeff shares his advice for young athletes and how they can improve their own fitness from various resources online
Hope you enjoy it!
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
In this week's episode, we jump into speaking to one of the most experienced physical trainers in our sport.
I was lucky enough to speak to Kieron Vorster, the current physical trainer of Dan Evans, Liam Broady and Sorana Cirstea. Kieron has previously worked with Tim Henman, he's been the South African Davis Cup Captain and he's lead the Strength & Conditioning at the Qatar Tennis Federation.
In our chat, we also cover ⬇️
- Dan Evans and his physical training
- Similarities between Dan Evans & Tim Henman
- Why Djokovic's body is SO pure
- What's so impressive about Dan Evans
- The physical screening of junior tennis players
Hope you enjoy it!
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Today I speak with Patrick Harding, long-time performance coach for F1 driver Alex Albon. Patrick spends 31 weeks a year with Alex has been working with him for six years. Patrick looks after all aspects of Alex's physical and mental performance.
Look out for some similarities with tennis. There's lots of them!
In our chat, we cover ⬇️
- Controlling boundaries with the athlete
- Building trust and relationships
- Being focussed in intense moments
- Optimising performance conditions
- How fit F1 drivers really are
Hope you enjoy it!
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Today I speak with Gary Cahill, former Irish Davis Cup & Billie Jean King Cup (formerly Fed Cup) captain as well as a previous High-Performance Director for Tennis Ireland. Gary is now the Performance Director and founder of Prodigy Tennis which provides high performance training programs to junior tennis players. Their mission is quite simple - to produce champions.
In my chat with Gary, we discuss his recent research project at Dublin City University in which he looks into the journey of parents in tennis at various age groups. We discuss his findings at large in what is a really fascinating topic for any parents or coaches. This is a great chance you guys to also learn about all the different options open to junior tennis players and how to make the best decisions.
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Today I speak to Timea Babos, a former doubles world No.1 and 4-time Grand Slam champion, as well as a former top 25 singles player. At a young age of 30, Timea tells us how her motivation and love for the game is as high as ever as she tries to move back up the rankings after injury.
Timea speaks about growing up in a tennis family in her home country of Hungary and how her sister was a hugely talented player before her, having won the prestigious NCAA college tennis championships in the United States. She sheds light on her opportunity to train in and play for Great Britain when she was younger, as well as the challenges of coming from a smaller tennis nation when working her way up through the ITFs to the WTA Tour. And finally what I think you guys as listeners will find fascinating is how Timea deals with nerves, especially in the biggest stages of the sport at Grand Slams.
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball.
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@functionaltennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Today I speak to Craig Boynton, the coach of Hubert Hurkacz. I was lucky to meet Craig last year at the IMG Future Stars event in Greece as Hubie was playing in the exhibition match and also stayed on to train for a few days.
Going into chat I didn’t know too much about Craig and I was intrigued to find out more about his early tennis and coaching career. He gets straight into it talking about stories of Pete Sampras and Jim Courier. He also talks about the type of coach he is and how he adapts to players he has worked with. He tells us about his relationship with Hubert, we touch on his match against Novak in the Wimbledon 1/4s and he ends by giving advice for our listeners who are tennis parents.
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Mentioned in this episode:
Personalise your Saber today
Head over to Functionaltennis.com/laser today to laser engrave your name into a saber
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Hi
I am on the search for a Content and Marketing freelancer to help with this podcast. I thought this might be a good place to ask.
You can get all the details here.
If you know somebody who might be interested please share this with them.
Thank you
Fabio
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Welcome to our 200th Episode.
Today I chat with Former Australian Open winner and current coach of Sorana Cirstea, Thomas Johnsonson. Thomas gives us a look back at winning the Aus Open, what changed in his life afterwards, being forced to retire, his advice on the skills needed to be able to coach males and females, characteristics of top pros and a lot more.
Hope you enjoy the episode.
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Mentioned in this episode:
Last chance to get a London Edition Saber
Check out the London saber at wwww.Functionaltennis.com/london
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
It’s been a while since we had a top S&C trainer on the podcast so I’m excited to chat with Dalibor Sirola, the current S&C coach of Sasha Zverev.
As well as working with Sascha, Dalibor is the head of S&C at the Piatti Tennis Centre. He has previously worked with Ljubic, Seppit, Milos, Jannik Sinner, Born Coric and Sharapova.
We chat about his role at the Piatti Tennis Center, getting confidence back into Zverev, what differentiates the top players, testing players, strength levels, flywheel technology, touching on a development model for juniors and a lot more.
Strength trainers are probably my favourite guests to talk to and this chat did not disappoint.
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Today I have a quick catchup with Queens Finalist and Current ATP number 17 Alex De Minaur. Alex was visiting the Asics House of Tennis located near Wimbledon carrying out some sponsor work and I got to quickly ask him a few questions in between his work.
He tells me what high performance is for him, where the extra pop has come from in his serve this year, playing Alcaraz and he tells us his advice to be 1% better Every day.
There are also 2 bonus questions in there.
And if you enjoy it check out our original chat with Alex back in episode 83.
Enjoy
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week I speak to renowned former chair umpire Carlos Ramos. Carlos has umpired over 5000 matches in a career of over 30 years.
We chat about what life was like as an umpire on the road, umpiring all 4 slam finals and the Olympic finals.
We also get into the umpire code of conduct, keeping focused in long matches, what he learned in umpiring over 5000 matches and I ask him, with all his experience watching the greats play coach, if could he be a tour coach.
Enjoy
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Today is the 5th and final part of our 5 part Asics mini-series which I recorded at the Asics house in Paris. And I chat with Marina Caiazzo, a global sports marketing expert.
Marina is a former player who trained at the Bollitieri Academy with the likes of Tommy Haas and Anna Kournikova.
Marina worked directly for Asics for 11 years and recently set up her own consultancy business, Soma Sports and is still heavily involved with Sports Marketing for Asics.
She looks after the Asics' global sports strategy, deciding what players to work with, building long-term partnerships, characteristics she looks for in potential players. She played a big part in helping to convince the Asics board to get Novak on board when he was looking to switch from Adidas. She also gives advice for players looking for sponsorship and much more.
If you are here looking to signup for the London Saber - Tap here.
I hope you enjoy the episode
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Mentioned in this episode:
Join the London Saber Waitlist
Signup to get early access to the launch of the limited edition London Saber.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Today is the 4th part of our 5-part Asics mini-series which I recorded while at the Asics house in Paris.
And I chat to Borna Coric. Borna has recently had shoulder injuries but he is now back stronger than ever and looking extremely fit. I ask him about a characteristic that defines him, his non-negotiables, advice for parents and his advice on how to be 1% better every day.
Hope you enjoy
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Today is the 3rd part of our 5 part Asics mini-series which I recorded while at the Asics house in Paris and I talk to Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.
Belinda chats about her characteristic on the court, aiming for perfection but not expecting it, how to be 1% better every day and some advice for tennis parents.
Hope you enjoy
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Today I chat with 25-year-old Slovak Alex Molcan. Alex is currently ranked in the top 80 and has a career-high of 36. He’s coached by Novak Djokovic’s former coach Marion Vadja (listen to Marian In episode 90). Alex tells us his main characteristic on the court, the importance of focus and intensity on the practice court as well as the need to chill.
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Today I chat with an Asics athlete Rohan Bopanna. Rohan was one of our first-ever guests on the podcast 4 years ago, he’s one of the nicest guys, on the tour (that I’ve met) and this year at 43 years of age he has re-entered the top 10 with some great wins throughout the year with his partner Matt Ebden.
Rohan tells me has no cartilage in his knees and how he has managed this as well as what has changed in his game physically and mentally that has him in great form.
Enjoy!
Fabio
Ps. If you are here to find out the name of the Yoga, its called Iyengar yoga 😉
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week I caught up with Rene Zandbergen. Rene has worked with our podcast sponsor Asics for 22 years helping develop shoes and working alongside the world's best athletes to help continually improve the Asics range of shoes.
We talk about:
- His 22 years at Asics so far
- Working with Novak to develop his latest shoes, the Court FF3
- The differences in the 3 top Asics tennis shoes, Resolution 9, Solution Speed FF2 and Court FF3
- Finding the right shoes for Juniors
- Using the correct sole for your playing surface
- Sliding on hard courts
It's a really insightful episode into Tennis Shoes and if you are like Novak and always looking for small areas to improve this episode is for you.
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast, I meet parent and coach Cinzia Giovinco.
I met Cinzia during my week at the IMG Future Stars event in Athens, Greece. Cinzia is the parent to 11-year-old Tyson who was competing at the event. She is also the mother to US Billie Jean Cup player Tyra Grant.
In our conversation, Cinzia explains how she manages to balance the involved role in her children’s careers with her own life.
She also describes why parents are the most important influence on the development of junior players and how encouraging kids to have fun is the key to a long career.
Hope you enjoy the insight into the parents of high-level Juniors.
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week is a bit different to our usual weekly interviews. Recently I was away at the IMG Future Stars which features some of the best under 12's in the world. With an idea from a previous guest I decided to document what I find makes these great tennis kids so good. I was there for a full week and it wasn't a usual tournament where the players and team would leave early if beaten so I got a good chance to watch/learn and listen and gather my thoughts.
These may not be new ideas but they are definitely a reminder of why these kids are so good.
A big thanks to IMG for having me at the event and to the Tatoi Club in Athens for offering their beautiful facilities.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast, I speak to top tour coach Mark Gellard.
In our conversation, Mark explains why players need to coach themselves during the game as well as give a strong defence for on-the-court coaching.
We also chat about Mark’s work with Magda Linette and I ask him what the difference is between a top 100 player and a top twenty player.
Hope you enjoy it,
Fabio
Find out more about Mark here on his social and his own podcast account
Podcast: The Diary of a Professional Tennis Coach
Instagram: @coachgellard
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast, I meet Amanda Jane Napier Owens - a leading sports and performance psychologist.
In our conversation, we talk about how early we should introduce pressure into the training of tennis juniors, and how we go about doing this. I ask Amanda how to get players fired up before a big game and if this really improves performance.
Dr. Owens gives some really fascinating insight into why anger isn’t effective in tennis, and we also discuss the science behind yips - and how players can stop it from happening to them.
Hope you enjoy it,
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on Functional Tennis, I meet coach and former player Gianluigi Quinzi.
In our conversation, Gianluigi describes how mentally challenges, the media attention and pressure impacted the early part of his career.
We also talk about Gianluigi’s work in the Piatti Tennis Center and I ask Gianluigi how difficult the transition from junior to pro can be.
Hope you enjoy it,
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast, I speak to Tallon Griekspoor.
Tallon is a Dutch pro tennis player who has just reached a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 36.
In our conversation, Tallon explains why the competitiveness he had with his brothers helped develop him into the player he is today.
I also ask Tallon about his challenger performances in 2021
And I ask Tallon what it was like to win his first ATP title, play Alcaraz and Sinner and much more
Hope you enjoy it,
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast, I meet Human Movement & Sport Performance Specialist - Andrea Bracaglia.
In our conversation, we talk about Andrea’s involvement in football and how he moved into the world of tennis. We chat about how andrea worls with his athletes, and Andrea explains why player development should come before short term success & results. I also ask Andrea who works harder - tennis or soccer players.
Hope you enjoy it,
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast, I meet one of the top juniors from 2022 who has just recently turned pro - Jakub Mensik.
In our conversation, Jakub tells us all about his famous 2022 Australian Open boys' singles final and what is was like to train with Novak Djokovic. I also ask Jakub about how he’s dealing with all the media attention and what the jump from junior to pro was like.
Hope you enjoy it,
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on Functional Tennis, I meet Dr. Dario Novak.
In our conversation, Dario details what Donna Vekić and Borna Coric were like as juniors.
I ask Dario about his work with Stan Wawrinka and Elena Rybakina.
We also speak extensively about Dario’s research into what makes a tennis great.
Hope you enjoy it,
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast, I meet Belgian coach Olivier Grignard.
In our conversation, Olivier tells me how his tennis story began.
Olivier also tells me about his coaching role in china, we discuss some of the cultural differences between juniors in Europe and juniors in Asia, and much much more.
Hope you enjoy it
Fabio
Carlos Rodriguez episode: https://www.functionaltennis.com/blogs/the-functional-tennis-podcast/carlos-rodriguez-former-coach-of-justine-henin-li-na-ep-143
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on the podcast, I meet the current Lead National Coach with USTA Player Development - Johnny Parkes.
In our conversation, Johnny explains why playing a young Nikoloz Basilashvili was a bit of a reality check. We also talk about Johnny’s role in the US setup, and what his biggest challenge was in his early coaching days.
Hope you enjoy it
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on Functional Tennis, I meet former Northern Ireland player and now coach - Peter Bothwell.
Peter was the first man from Northern Ireland to have an ATP world ranking in singles or doubles. He played in the Irish Davis Cup and he also won the Irish Open in 2018.
In our conversation, Peter tells me about how his journey in tennis began, he also opens up about the decision to retire and why he always wanted to become a coach.
Peter also tells me about his ‘non-negotiables’ and much more.
Hope you enjoy it
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on Functional Tennis, I meet legendary coach - Rick Macci for a fantastic chat.
In our conversation, Rick details his experience training Venus and Serena Williams when they were kids. Rick also shares the moment he was told they were making the film about the Williams sisters and their father King Richard - and what he felt like being portrayed on the big screen. Rick also gives some amazing advice for how players can recover from setbacks and much more.
Hope you enjoy it
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
This week on Functional Tennis, I meet the former world no.3, Ivan Ljubičić.
In our chat, Ivan opens up about the challenging circumstances he experienced growing up and how this lead to his tennis career, Ivan also tells me about the amazing academy he started in Losinj, Croatia, and what its like to coach Roger Federer.
Hope you enjoy it
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
On today’s episode, I meet online with Bill Eckstrom - CEO and founder of Ecsell Institute, the parent company of Ecsell Sports.
In our chat, we discuss Bill fascinating new TedX Talk: “A New Way To Win: Re-defining the Student-Athlete Experience,” that puts forward the idea that the key to developing elite teams, in both sport & beyond, may be more down to developing strong relationships between team members rather than honing specific skills. Bill also gives his own tips for what makes a great coach and why, in his words, comfort can ‘ruin your life’.
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
This week on Functional Tennis, I meet physical therapist and now founder of Tennis Tour Agency - Matteo Tinelli. Matteo was ATP-ranked back in 2017 and has since moved on into becoming a therapist for players and starting the Tennis Tour Agency.
The TTA is an organisation that wants to make tennis more financially accessible for young players, and their families, by building a network of coaches and therapists.
In today’s episode we deep dive into the genesis of the TTA & Matteo’s vision for it going forward. Matteo and I also discuss his early life in tennis, training with greats like Berrettini, and he also shares his advice on managing injury and the importance of prevention over recovery.
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
On this week’s episode, I meet Michael Logarzo to discuss the art of coaching with Michael Logarzo. Michael is a top tennis coach based in Australia and has worked with a range of players from juniors just beginning their tennis journey - to established tennis professionals like Zoe Hives.
In our conversation, Michael explains why one of the keys to being a great coach is having a broad range of knowledge. We also discuss the best methods for motivating players and Michael shares some really interesting ways of keeping players engaged by making them more responsible for their own sessions.
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
This week on the Functional Tennis Podcast, I meet three top tennis pros at the ASICS event in Marbella.
In the podcast I speak with WTA Top 60 Player Jasmine Paolini, British number 2 and WTA top 100 Harriot Dart, and I also meet 17-year-old Croatian tennis player Petra Marcinko.
In my three chats, I ask all of them about the greatest challenge they have faced in their tennis career so far, all three give their tips for how to build discipline in your everyday life, and I quiz all three on how everyone can get 1% better everyday!
Hope you enjoy it
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Hi, I'm Fabio and I'm happy to announce new episodes of the Functional Tennis podcast with a slightly new format. I will continue to chat with the biggest hitters in tennis about the game but now I'll also be spotlighting how we all can get 1% better everyday!
On the 17th of January, I'm serving you two episodes: An ASICS special recorded in Marbella where I talk to three top tennis players: Jasmine Paolini, Harriot Dart and Petra Marcinko. I'll also be releasing my interview with Michael Logarzo - Australian tennis coach - about the art of great coaching and how to motivate your players.
Then on the 24th, I will be posting my conversation with private therapist and founder of the Tennis Tour Agency Matteo Tinelli about his exciting new business.
I will be releasing new episodes every Tuesday and I'm really looking forward to the new year so we all can get 1% better everyday - together!
Hope you enjoy it
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?
Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
I’m happy to announce this podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 with the purpose of giving more people the opportunity to experience how sport and movement can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing. ASICS is an acronym "Anima Sano in Corpore Sano", a Latin phrase meaning Sound Mind, Sound body. Today, the brand is still dedicated to that founding belief of demonstrating the positive effect sport and movement can have on our mental wellbeing all over the word.
To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
This week I do a deep dive into mental training and virtual reality with a new tool on the market called Sense Arena.
We are also giving away a Sense Arena Kit and you can get the details here.
I speak to 2 Sense Arena Ambassadors Pavel Vizner (Former ATP doubles no.5) and Beau Treyz (ATP Coach) as well Yannick Yoshizawa.
We chat about mental training in tennis, and what it means to Pavel and Beau. We then find out about Sense Arena, its advantages, how it can be used, scenarios it is used and how it can replicate real-world nerves.
Yannick then gives us a breakdown of costs and further details on Sense Arena.
Hope you enjoy it
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisYouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
We are back with Irish player Conor Gannon this week in the 3rd part of our mini-series with him while he is on his College Tennis Journey at the University of Memphis.
We have a general catchup with a chat about Davis Cup, adjusting to college life, improvements, mental work and the plan for the rest of the year.
To listen to our previous episodes with Conor tap the links below
- Episode 1
- Episode 2
- The original episode with Conor where we dug deeper into his earlier tennis days
Hope you enjoy
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisYouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: ...
This week we have our 2022 Functional Tennis Racket of the Year and who better to get on the show than Jonas Eriksson aka The Tennis Nerd.
Jonas is the main man for info on rackets and strings. We discuss the lineup of rackets and he gives his thoughts on all the models.
Also head over to our Instagram account to get voting and you can see the full draw here.
Hope you enjoy the show and pick up some racket knowledge.
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisYouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: ...
This week I chat with Fred Gil, the former Portuguese number1 and career-high ATP 61 who recently became the men's 35's worlds singles champ.
We chat about his career, challenges along the way, what he is up to now and how he will always be a competitor.
Hope you enjoy the episode.
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?Check it out here and don't miss the video of Stan Wawrinka crushing the ball
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisYouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: ...
Super chat this week with Franco Herrero, the physical trainer of Tommy Paul and Sofia Kenin.
We chat about a wide range of topics
- His upbringing and interest in Strength & Conditioning
- Moving from Argentina to work and become director of fitness at Evert Academy at a young age
- Advice for 8/9 years old as well as teenagers and 40-year-olds!
- Working with top pros
- Why the best movers are the best players
An much more.
Franco is super nice and knowledgeable.
Hope you enjoy it!
Fabio
Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber?Check it out here
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisYouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
I've taken 4 excerpts from previous guests that had mentioned Federer in this short episode. We have
- Paul Annacone
- Francis Tiafoe
- Nikolay Davydenko
- Sven Swinnem
If you have any great Federer stories please let me know!
Fabio
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcastYouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
This week is the 2nd part of our mini-series with Irish Tennis player Conor Gannon. I plan to catch up with Conor every 4 to 5 weeks during his 2nd year (or sophomore year) at his new University.
He spent his first year (aka freshman year) at the University of Tennessee, which at one stage where the No.1 ranked university.
Conor felt he needed a change and transferred to the University of Memphis. The former university of the world's number 1 doubles player Joe Salisbury who we plan to have on the podcast later this year and our podcast friend Dave O’hare, who was Joe’s doubles partner back there where they had a successful College career. Dave is now the travel coach of Joe.
I have general catchup with Conor where we discuss the changes, new teammates, his coach, finding his way around the campus, the facilities, his plans for the autumn, his 1st ever Davis Cup call-up for Ireland and after we finished the call we were still chatting and he brings up one of the dangers most parents fear in the US, I was still recording and Conor was happy to share his story but I was extremely shocked.
I hope you enjoy the episode
Fabio
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Quick chat today with up-and-coming Swiss player Joanne Zuger. Joanne is currently ranked in the 160s and is on top of 2022 goals.
I find out about her career so far, her introduction to grand slam tennis, conscription in the Swiss Army which is not as bad as it sounds and more.
I hope you enjoy this episode.
Fabio
This week I speak to world-renowned coach Riccardo Piatti.
Riccardo has been working as a coach for 40 years and has a wealth of experience working at the top of the game from junior to senior level.
Riccardo has worked with great players such as Ivan Ljubicic, Maria Sharapova, Milos Raonic, Borna Coric, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Richard Gasquet as well as having numerous great young juniors at his center in northern Italy.
We chat about:
- Where coaching started for him
- The Piatti center, model and method
- His willingness to learn from people younger and older form him
- Importance of video
- What he looks for in juniors
as well as some anecdotes from players he has worked with.
It's a super chat which I hope you will enjoy.
I catch up former pro and now coach and commentator Kenneth Carlsen.
Kenneth was a Danish number for over 10 years as well as reaching a career-high ATP No.41.
We chat a lot about junior development and some of the players he worked with (a young Holger Rune and Clara Tauson) and young juniors he is working with right now.
- Day-to-day life for Kenneth
- Holger Rune as a young kid
- Time young juniors should spend on court
- Getting juniors to buy into long-term success
- Teaching players to be brave in high-pressure situations
- Kenneth's most memorable match on tour
I hope you enjoy this episode
Fabio
This week I have a joyful chat with week with Mexican tennis player Fernanda Contreras Gomez.
Fernanda made her Wimbledon debut this year to the joy of her late grandfather who was a former semi-finalist at Wimbledon.
She tells us all about her experience there, what it meant to her and we also chat about her college days, how she decided to go pro, her plan b as well as her writing a book which is launching soon.
I hope you enjoy it,
Fabio
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Today I speak to 27-year-old Tamara Korpatsch (ranked WTA 130) who made her first main draw Wimbledon appearance this year.
She tells us all about the up and downs of it, from the excitement of being a main draw player to a tense match with Heather Watson and to the disappointment of her doubles partner pulling out an hour before her 1st round double match.
She also tells her about some great wins she has had, her team and her hobbies.
I hope you enjoy it,
Fabio
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This week is the start of a new mini-series for the next 10 months. It involves following the progress of Conor Gannon, who we had on the show earlier this year.
Conor was on a tennis Scholarship at the University of Tennessee, where at one stage last season they were ranked number 1 in the US. Conor had to fight it out for his place on his team. For one reason or another Conor decided he wanted to leave and move to a new university that would suit his game style better.
I’ll be checking in with Conor every 2 to 4 weeks to see how his progress is going and to check in on his goals for the year.
Today we chat about:
- Pressure to perform
- Becoming a smarter player
- Advice for players/parents planning to go on a US Tennis scholarship
- The College Tennis transfer protocol
- Why the University of Memphis
- The goal moving forward
If you enjoy this show please check out all our other episodes with US college players such as Stanfords Arthur Fery who was ranked number 1 NCAA player at the start of the year, and last week's guest Adam Walton who was a teammate of Conor as well as an All American and had an illustrious College tennis career and who has made a great start to his pro career. I also recommend you check out the episode with Peter Smith who was an extremely successful coach at USC.
Hope you enjoy it,
Fabio
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Today I speak to Adam Walton who has made an impactful start to his pro career with 2 future titles followed by a semi-final.
Adam is about to finish his master's at the University of Tennessee where he was a 4 time all All-American, number 2 national ranked in singles and NCAA doubles champion.
We chat about his decision to go to college, his college days, dealing with pressure on the court and balance off the court, finding belief in himself and as well as what motivates him.
It's a short impactful episode.
I hope you enjoy it,
Fabio
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Excited to speak to Facundo Lugones this week on episode 157 of the Functional Tennis podcast.
Facundo first met Cam at Texas Christian University and has been working with him since 2017. Facundo tells us about his tennis and coaching journey insights into Cam and challenges along the way.
Make sure to check out our other episodes with ATP/WTA coaches.
Fabio
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After a few weeks' break from the podcast, I am back this week with former guest Dave O'Hare. I haven't done too many in-person chats and really enjoyed sitting down with Dave to catch up. The last time I had Dave on the show pre the covid pandemic breakout he was on waiting on his visa to start a coaching role at the University of Memphis.
He tells us what happened and his journey to working with Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram, the world's number 1 doubles team. He chats about what he learned the past 2 years, his new philosophies, judging himself, mentors and more.
In this episode, I mention our other episodes with tennis coaching guru Louis Cayer and US College Tennis player Conor Gannon who Dave works with when he is back in Ireland.
I hope you enjoy my chat with Dave.
Fabio
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This week I speak to Shane Liyanage from Data Driven Sports Analytics. Shane provides a range of data/analytical services and works with players such as Ons Jabeur, Aryna Sabalenka, Emil Ruusuvouri and Taro Daniel.
We chat about
- How Shane got into the tennis data world
- Process when working with senior and junior players
- Shane’s team
- Pricing for his services
- What’s changed in the game on the court and from an analytical point of view
If you enjoy this episode check out our other episodes with data analysts Mike James and Craig O'Shannessy
Enjoy
Fabio
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Today I speak to performance coach Lapo Becherini. Lapo is based at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy and works with players such as Holger Rune, Lorenzo Musetti, Alexei Popryin and more.
We chat about his early career and the differences between soccer players and tennis players. How the world's best train. How lower-ranked players are fitter than higher-ranked players, the process when starting with new players, cramping, inertial training and more.
It’s a great chat and If you enjoy it check out our previous chats with performance coaches such as Eric Hernandez, who works with Daniil Medvedev, Marcel da Cruz - The physical Trainer of Casper Ruud, Matt Little - trainer of Andy Murray, Sebastian Durand, trainer of Grigor Dimitrov, Jason Stacy trainer of Aryna Sabalenka.
Enjoy
Fabio
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This week I speak to Ukrainian WTA Top 40 player Anhelina Kalinina. She tells us about how she and her family's life has been since her last visit to Ukraine in February.
Anhelina also tells us about her Junior days on the ITF Development squad and what changed in her game from being a top 150 player to a top 50 player
I hope you enjoy the episode.
Fabio
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With Roland Garros currently on, it's great timing to have the youngest ever Roland Garros champ in the open era on the show, Michael Chang.
I initially saw Michael at the IMG Future Stars event in Greece and asked him to come on the show, it's taken a few weeks but it happened!! We chatted about the famous match with Ivan Lendl in the 4th round where Micael cramped, hit under arm serve and was about to retire in the 5th and more. He talks about junior tennis, playing Sampras from 8 years old and offers advice for tennis parents.
I hope you enjoy the episodes.
Fabio
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This week I chat with Tina Lee, a former player now coach at the USTA National Campus and mother to the boys under 12 winner at the IMG Future Stars, Jordan Lee, who is one of the world's best 12-year-olds.
We have a great chat about her journey, her coaching role at the USTA National Campus, balancing the parent/coach relationship with her son Jordan, managing future expectations for Jordan and learnings from being on the court with Marián Vajda.
I hope you enjoy it
Fabio
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This week I speak to Felix Mischker who you may know from the extremely popular Tennis Brothers Youtube Channel.
Felix is currently documenting his journey to 1 ATP point with very interesting content on his YouTube account. Along with his brother Lucian the Tennis Brothers' presence on social media channels has always been strong with great content. We chat all about the Tennis brothers, Youtube, planning ahead and more.
Main areas covered:
- About the Tennis brother Felix and Lucian
- Planning/filming YouTube videos
- Managing energy levels
- Setting public goals
- Most Popular YouTube Videos
- What opportunities has a large social following given
- Tennis costs
- The level difference between Felix and higher ranked players
- Plan for summer 2022
- Felix’s thoughts on the Saber
- Advice for juniors to document their journey on social
- Filming match content
Hope you enjoy the episode
Fabio
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This week I speak to Hungarian WTA player Anna Bondar. Anna broke into the top 100 last year 6 years after turning pro. She tells us about her journey of breaking through and what her plans are this year.
Main topics:
- Training in Budapest
- ACL injury and recovery
- Anna’s team
- Nervous last push t break the Top 100
- 2022 goals
- Advice for upcoming players
- Favourite tournament
Hope you enjoy the episode
Fabio
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This week I am out of the office and recording live with IMG super-agent Max Eisenbud at the Tatoi Club in Athens Greece. We are here for the IMG Future Stars event featuring some of the world's best under 12 players in the world.
Max tells us about his early IMG days where on his first day at the IMG academy he met an 11-year-old Maria Sharapova. We chat about his experience as an agent, he gives advice to parents and importantly he tells us all about this fantastic under 12 event at the most beautiful club I have ever been at.
Hope you enjoy the episode
Fabio
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This week I speak to Claudio Pistolesi. Claudio is a former player turned coach who has worked with many players over his expansive coaching career. He now looks after a JTCC centre in Jacksonville Florida and consults with pros, one of them being Emil Ruusuvuori.
We chat about many of his experiences on the court and off the court.
Major topics include:
- Intro / Pistol Pete
- Toughest player Claudio has ever played
- Moving into coaching
- Learning from Monica Seles
- Players Claudio has coached
- Working with Robin Soderling
- Daniela Hantuchová
- Deciding to settle down
- Do you miss Rome?
- Berrettini could have gone to US College
- Claudio’s GOAT
Hope you enjoy the episode
Fabio
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Welcome to Tie Break 03.
Next week's guest is a former player and coach of over 23 years Claudio Pistolesi. Claudio works with many great players and when he slowed down on the travelling he was based in the US and an Italian coach asked him to help get Matteo a US tennis Scholarship. Listen to see how they got it all wrong!
It's' been a while since I've had a strength and conditioning coach on the podcast and when the opportunity came to have Eric on I jumped on it. Eric Hernandez is the S&C trainer of Daniil Medvedev. They've worked together since June 2014 when Daniil had just finished the junior tour and was getting ready to make the transition to the senior tour and Eric has been there all the way up until Daniil because world number 1 last month.
Eric chats about how he started to work as an S&C trainer, to his early days with Daniil and he gives his thoughts on various things within the S&C tennis world. He is super knowledgeable and you are bound to pick up something from this episode.
Major talking points
- Starting to work with Medvedev
- Is Medvedev a beast in training?
- What is a physical big base for a tennis player?
- Essential strength exercises for tennis players
- What's the secret to a long term working relationship?
- Eric and travelling with the Medvedev team
- Working with Gilles Cervara
- Important exercises for the transition to the clay season
- Strength levels after preseason versus the end of the season
- Challenge for Daniil getting back to fitness after his hernia operation
- Does Eric work with other players?
- Which sport has the best level of fitness?
- Evolution of fitness from when Eric started 10 years ago
- Do you have to play at a high level to be a coach to a top player?
Hope you enjoy the episode
Fabio
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A short clip from next week's episode with Eric Hernandez, the strength and conditioning coach of Daniil Medvedev since Daniil turned pro in 2014.
Eric tells us how he has maintained his long term relationship with Daniil.
A very interesting episode this week with Goran Novakovic. Goran founded the Ten-Pro Global Junior Tour which I only became aware of recently. It's a junior tour for under 10's to under 15's where juniors are guaranteed to get a set amount of matches, costs can be more controlled for parents and players are treated like pros.
Goran tells us how it came about and the major difference between his tour and other international junior tours. It's really interesting and I wish I was a junior again and could play in these tournaments.
Major talking points:
- How did the Ten Pro events come about
- Shortcomings from regular Junior International Events
- What is the Ten Pro Format?
- Are draws seeded or is there a ranking system?
- Is it invite-only?
- Linda Fruhvirtova
- How many events are hosted and where?
- How do you finance Ten Pro?
- The entry fee to take part
- What lessons has Goran learned from running Ten Pro events?
- Advice for parents with kids competing
- % of players who bring a coach
- What is next for Ten Pro?
Hope you enjoy the episode
Fabio
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Welcome to a new series called Tie-Break where I mainly plan to release a short preview of upcoming episodes. I may also release a throwback from one of our 145 Plus episodes of a story that was entertaining or a lesson not to be missed. Finally, on a rare occasion, I may jump in to discuss a topical tennis matter.
We start off this week with Goran Novakovic, the founder of the Ten-Pro Junior Global Tour which is a set of international tournaments for juniors in the under 11 to under 15 age category. It's an interesting story and in this short clip, he shares a story of a lesson he learned from an under 11 player.
Let me know if you enjoy this idea/format.
Fabio
Arthur Fery is on this week's episode. Arthur was ranked No.1 in US College Tennis earlier this year, in only his second year playing for Stanford. We chat about the Brit's decision to play College Tennis, life in the US as well his run to the last round of qualies at Wimbledon in 2021.
Areas we cover
- Growing up nearly Wimbledon
- Importance of playing french men's tournaments as Juniors
- Go pro or go to College?
- Why Stanford?
- Typical Day
- Enjoy the team aspect?
- An important lesson you learned when you arrived
- Coach Goldstein
- A most memorable moment on the court so far
- Collecting a paycheck at Wimbledon
- The plan for Summer 2022
- Arthur’s Goat
- Advice for juniors trying to make the College v going pro decision
Hope you enjoy the episode
Fabio
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Excited to have world-renowned coach Carlos Rodriguez on the Functional Tennis Podcast.
Carlos is currently the technical director at the Justine Henin Academy. He has worked for over 35 years as a tennis coach with 16 years as the coach to 7-time Slam champion Justine Henin, 3 with Li Na who won an Aussie Open Slam. He also worked for 10 years running a high-performance tennis academy in Beijing as well as working with other top players.
We chat about
- His role at the Justine Henin Tennis Academy
- What differentiates the academy from other academies
- How they select players to join the academy
- Li Na and Justine
- Carlos's GOAT
Hope you enjoy the episode
Fabio
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This week Sven Swinnem joins me for a chat. Sven is a former player turned Swiss Federation Coach and looks after the up and coming Swiss player Dominic Sticker. We chat about
- Early Tennis Days
- Living with Federer at the Swiss Federation
- US College Tennis at Oregon
- Giving the Pro tour a go
- Moving into Coaching
- Working with Dominic Sticker
- Learnings from training with Federer in Dubai
- Advice for Juniors
Hope you enjoy the episode
Fabio
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This week I chat with JY Aubone. Former college player, JY quickly got into coaching and got the opportunity to coach a future top 20 tennis player; Reilly Opelka! After a first experience with the giant American, JY had to split his relationship as Reilly couldn’t offer him a full-time job as a coach. Jean Yves then went back to his studies and worked for a bank until the day he got a call from the USTA, offering a full-time job as Reilly’s coach on the tour. This healthy relationship enabled Reilly to enter the top 20 on the ATP Tour.
At the end of 2021, JY became a dad and took the decision to lower his hours with Reilly. Since Jean Yves has created his own platform of coaching and offers his services to anyone from anywhere in the world. Analyzing statistics as well as footage of your matches, JY advises you with his experience.
We touch on his journey to becoming the coach of one of the best American tennis players, on his best and worst moments on tour with Reilly, the working process with his athlete, and his personal life as a dad. If you enjoy it please share it with your tennis community :)
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Today I chat with Zack Thomas, known as The Foot Doctor. I came across his YouTube channel in 2021 and I've been a big fan since.
He uses his medical background to help give more information about each shoe and how it can affect your foot. I love the way he slices open the shoes to show you want is inside them. We chat about all of this, including what makes a cheap shoe cheap and an expensive shoe expensive. We touch on Federer, Nadal's foot injury, common tennis injuries and more.
If you enjoy it please share it with your tennis community :)
Main topics
2:15 About Zack
3:20 Tearing up shoes
5:05 What’s a good shoe for your foot?
7:23 The Difference between cheap and more expensive shoes?
10:04 Zack’s goto shoes
11:02 People wear the wrong shoes
16:00 Federer and Nadal wearing the same shoes for years
17:19 Federer's new ON shoes versus his Vapor’s
19:52 Common foot injuries for tennis players
22:05 Best shoe for heel pain, Achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis
23:55 Shoes for young tennis players
27:15 No new tech in tennis shoes
28:10 Correct shoe for each sport
29:27 Rafa’s foot injury
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It was an honour to speak to Frances Tiafoe. Currently ranked at 34 in the world Frances is a threat to any of the higher-ranked players.
Frances provides great answers and is a great thinker and student of the game.
We cover:
[02:42] What’s it not been able to compete
[03:34] What’s it like going back to a tournament that you won?
[04:23] What’s it like going back to the JTCC
[06:00] Trust your training
[08:15] Going back to your younger days at the JTCC
[10:15] When did think a pro career was realistic
[11:58] What is your Why?
[13:10] Francis biggest idol and beating him
[15:49] Watching tennis on YouTube and studying tennis
[18:31] Francis’s GOAT
[20:25] The Fed Oura
[20:58] The banana slice video
[21:40] Advice from Francis
[*23:13] What’s it's like playing your junior tennis pals today.
If you enjoy it please share it to your tennis community :)
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What a great episode this week with Vesa Ponkka from the JTCC (Junior Tennis Champions Center) in College Park, Maryland. Ever since it was set up the JTCC has been run as a non for profit tennis training center which is unique within the tennis world.
I really enjoyed this chat where I learned all about the center from its early days to today. You may have heard the Francis Tiafoe story before and this is where he grew up playing while his dad worked there. Vesa has some great points which you will enjoy listening to.
They are people first player second focus and they encourage all athletes to TRUST THEIR TRAINING.
I hope you enjoy it.
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Conor Gannon, a freshman at the University of Tennessee speaks to us this week about what it's like to play for the top ranked college team in the US!
Conor is Irish & is currently fighting for his sport in the starting team.
We talk:
- Where tennis began for him
- The need for consistency
- The competitive atmosphere within the team
- Training drills
We've had plenty of college tennis players on the podcast before, but never a current player. Conor has some work to do, but is working hard to make it happen 💪
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
2:26 -** Where tennis began for him
9:45 - Contemplating College Tennis
14:02 - Training
19:52 - What he has learned
29:44 - Advice for anyone wanting to play college tennis
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18 year-old, James McCabe joins us this week to speak about what he got up to at this years Australian Open.
James was one of only two people who managed to hit with Novak Djokovic in Melbourne this year 🔥
We talk:
- Where tennis began for him
- Playing singles & doubles at the Aussie Open
- Hitting with Novak Djokovic in Melbourne
- His Irish heritage
- Plans for 2022
It was nice to be able to catch up with James & get to know each other a bit better. He has a solid future ahead of him 😃
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
2:42 -** Where tennis started for him
4:22 - Coaches & Mentors
5:49 - Playing against Kyrgios/Kokkinakis
7:56 - Hitting with Djokovic at Australian Open
13:10 - Plans for 2022
15:28 - Players to look out for in the future
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For the first time ever, we have 3 guests at once on the Functional Tennis Podcast. On numerous occasions, we have had 2 guests, but this is uncharted territory for us!
Phil, Taylor & Jenny Dent are all former professionals & now run the Dent Tennis Academy in Texas 🇺🇸
Phil is an Australian Open singles finalist & champion in doubles, as well as being a Davis Cup Winner. Taylor, Phil's son, is a former world #21 & winner of 4 ATP Singles titles. Jenny, Taylor's wife, is a former world #52 🔥
We talk:
- Dent Tennis Academy in Texas
- Reflecting on their tennis careers
- Coaching young talent
- Parents becoming involved
- Favourite memories
Really hope you enjoy this episode. It's a bit different in the sense that there are 3 guests at once but they are all super qualified & well clued in to tennis 😉
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
2:34 -** Academy in Texas
7:03 - Players at Australian Open
19:24 - Taylor Dent as a kid
23:28 - Coaching Michael Chang
27:23 - Parents being involved
32:28 - Stand out matches in their careers
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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This week is one of the rare occasions that we have had the opportunity to meet our guest in person. Although we recorded the episode virtually, we met up with Merlin Van De Braam a few weeks ago in Dublin to talk all things tennis 🎾
Merlin is the Head of Coach Development & Support at the LTA.
We talk:
- Early tennis days
- Working with the ITF
- Joining the LTA
- Female coaches
- Coaching your own child
- Psychology in Tennis
This episode is great for any coaches out there, but also for any tennis parents who have children that play. There's something that everyone can learn in there - guaranteed 😅
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
2:34 -** Journey to the LTA
6:35 - Building blocks for future of British tennis
11:19 - Coaching your own child
19:20 - Female coaches in tennis
22:05 - Psychology & Tennis
30:50 - Who’s the GOAT?
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we're joined by Kelsey Anderson, who is the wife of Kevin Anderson! Kelsey has spent a number of years travelling on tour & tells us all about her life with Kevin, their daughter Keira & their dog 😀
We talk:
- How she met Kevin
- Watching matches from abroad
- Her role as 'Support Team Chairperson'
- Playing college golf
- Life on the road
This was our first time ever having a spouse on the podcast! It's a perspective that we haven't heard before - making it all the more interesting.
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
6:49 -** Her role on the team
8:47 - Travelling with both a child & a dog
11:04 - Meeting Kevin for the first time
14:54 - Deciding to travel more
16:34 - Challenges of travelling
23:34 - Favorite tournament
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Nikolay Davydenko played tennis at the highest level over many years picking up 21 titles along the way, including the ATP Finals in 2009. This week, he joins us on the podcast!
Nikolay has now retired & focuses his time on coaching, along with commentary for Eurosport.
We talk:
- Playing junior tennis in Russia
- Who the best player of his generation is
- Having a winning record against Nadal
- Mental strength needed to compete
- Coaching at his brothers academy
- Winning the ATP Finals in 2009
Our chat with Nikolay was informative, relaxed & has funny moments throughout. This episode is another good one - trust us!
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
4:22 -** Junior tennis in Russia
8:10 - Winning record against Nadal
16:34 - Best player of his generation
24:46 - Decision to retire
34:52 - Aslan Karatsev
40:20 - Mental strength
47:32 - Advice
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Sascha Bajin joins us this week to talk about how he has dedicated his life to become the best tennis coach possible. Sascha is a former pro, who became the hitting partner to Serena Williams & has gone on to coach some of the best players to ever play the game.
Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens, Caroline Wozniacki, Naomi Osaka & Karolina Pliskova are some of the players that he has worked with...
We talk:
- Dealing with payers getting injured
- Mindset of elite players
- Working & living with Serena Williams
- Transitioning into coaching
- Commonalities of top athletes
Our chat with Sascha is a fantastic way to start the new year...we have listened to it multiple times already 😅
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
2:35 -** Players getting injured
7:06 - Hitting Partner of Serena Wiliams
18:58 - Learning from Azarenka
22:40 - Coaching Naomi Osaka
31:00 - Learning patience from Naomi Osaka
32:29 - Working with Karolina Pliskova
39:24 - Commonalities of top athletes
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we are joined by Katrina Adams, who is a former player, was the President & CEO of the USTA, is Vice President of the International Tennis Federation, is the Chairman of the Billie Jean King Cup Committee & has recently released her own book!
We talk:
- Her playing career
- Running the USTA
- Her new book, 'Own The Arena'
- Gender Equality in Tennis
- Grassroots Tennis
Katrina is extremely well known in tennis circles & is involved in so many different areas of the game! Her new book, 'Own The Arena' is out now & is on our reading list 😀
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
2:00 -** Playing career
5:11 - First role after retiring
10:07 - Typical day running the USTA
12:49 - Book: Own The Arena
16:17 - Gender equality in Tennis
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Everyone knows Bernard Tomic & we are very excited to release this emergency bonus podcast episode with him!
Bernard is now focusing on a comeback to professional tennis, with the goal of finishing in the Top 100 for the upcoming 2022 season 😉
We talk:
- His new focus
- Who is on his team
- His favourite memory of his career
- Whether he would beat Nick Kyrgios
- How he has matured over the years
Bernard has been out of the limelight for quite some time, so to connect with him & to hear all about his new focus was super interesting. This is one of our shortest episodes, but hope you enjoy it 😀
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
2:00 -** New focus
3:47 - Team around him
4:54 - Diet
6:20 - Would he beat Nick Kyrgios?
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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2021 was the most successful year on-court for Panna Udvardy so far. She started the year as #350 & is now a Top 100 player!
We were lucky enough to catch up with Panna to discuss what has changed for her & to understand more about her journey 🙌
We talk:
- Preseason training
- Rising up the WTA rankings
- What has changed in her game
- Trying to improve every single day
- Being sponsored by Redfoo
Panna has really dedicated herself to her tennis recently & it shows! We look forward to seeing what 2022 has in store for her 😉
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
2:07 -** Preseason
5:36 - Rising up the rankings
8:32 - Biggest change in her game
11:00 - Attention from press
13:02 - Playing with Redfoo
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we have Andre Villas-Boas join us on the podcast! Andre is one of the world's top football managers, who has coached Porto, Chelsea, Tottenham & more! Andre is also the youngest manager to ever win a European title.
We spoke to Andre live at the Web Summit earlier this year, which was held in Lisbon, Portugal 🇵🇹 The topic of our talk with Andre was 'Inside The Mind Of The Elite'.
We talk:
- Combining talent with personal drive
- How he has adapted his leadership style of the years
- The 'Untold: Breaking Point' Netflix Series
- His love of racing
- Advice for people listening
We very rarely release podcast episodes that have taken place live in person, so this episode is a bit different for us. It's also the first time that we've had someone from football join us. A special thanks to the team at Web Summit for organizing this 😃
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
5:28 -** ‘Untold: Breaking Point’ Netflix Series
6:41 - Combining talent & personal drive
12:06 - Similarities between football & racing
14:36 - Playing for club vs country
16:13 - Leadership & advice
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
The founder of HALO Hydration, Anshuman Vohra joins the podcast this week to speak about his early tennis day & his journey to get to where he is today!
Anshuman played college tennis & went on to become an investment banker at JP Morgan. He then went on to found Bulldog Gin & now runs HALO 😃
We talk:
- His tennis & business background
- What differentiates HALO from other brands
- Launching HALO right before COVID
- Business experience helping later
- Andy Murray, Patrick Mouratoglou & HALO
We had a fun chat with Anshuman & it was cool to hear about how they are involved with the tennis industry. We have been aware of HALO for some time now, so to connect with Anshuman was pretty cool 😉
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
2:21 -** His background
6:40 - Launching before COVID
12:54 - Banking experience helping later
14:20 - Working with Andy Murray
26:18 - Partnering with college athletes
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we are joined by Katie Spellman, who is an independent PR consultant to two of the most successful players in women's tennis - Simona Halep & Petra Kvitova!
Katie also does some work with tournaments & has previous experience working as part of the WTA as well as woking in journalism.
We talk:
- What her role involves
- How she got into tennis
- Working through the pandemic
- Australian Open
- Best of 5
We also talk about the Peng Shuai situation in China, which is particularly relevant at the moment. There is obviously a huge media element to that story so it was great to be able to get Katie's perspective on it!
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
1:32 -** What a PR consultant does
7:56 - Schedule around grand slams
14:00 - How Covid has changed how she works
19:21 - Working as part of the Australian Open
26:17 - Best of 5
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
It's a special week as we are extremely happy to speak to our very first umpire on the podcast!
Sultan Gangji is a former umpire that has worked at some of the biggest tennis events in the world. He has umpired Wimbledon finals & has had the best seat in the stadium for many epic matches.
Sampras, Agassi, Edberg, Graf, Seles, Becker, Courier & Borg are just a few of the players that he has worked alongside 🤩
We talk:
- Working at this years UK Pro League
- How umpiring has changed over the years
- Social gatherings after matches
- Wimbledon Finals
- Most memorable moment of his career
We have wanted to get an umpire on the podcast for quite some time now but have had trouble securing guests as current umpires are not able to do media/interviews - so to speak with Sultan (semi-retired) was a real treat 😃
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
1:55 -** Working at the UK Pro League
5:20 - Umpiring now vs back in the day
9:15 - Umpiring while McEnroe was playing
12:28 - Social gatherings after matches
14:32 - Wimbledon Finals
19:14 - Standout Match
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
We are delighted to be joined by Robin Montgomery, who recently won the US Open Girls Singles & Doubles titles!
Robin is 17 years old & is already proving to be a strong force on tour 😉 She has experience playing both senior & junior tournaments.
We talk:
- Winning the US Open Juniors
- Playing a mix of junior & senior events
- What a typical training day looks like
- Her diet
- Plans for 2022
It was cool to speak to Robin, especially considering it has just been two weeks since we spoke to the 2021 US Open boys champion, Dani Rincon.
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:49 - Winning the US Open Junior Championships
5:15 - Playing both senior & junior US open
9:59 - Typical training day
11:26 - Her team
15:54 - Plant-based diet
17:59 - Plan for 2022
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
ATP Doubles Coach, Rob Morgan from the UK talks to us this week about what it's like working with one of the best doubles teams in the world 🤩
Rob currently works with Joe Salisbury & Rajeev Ram 👍
We talk:
- Committing to tennis at a young age
- Transitioning from singles coaching to doubles
- Why he bought a Functional Tennis Pointer
- Team dynamic of having multiple coaches
- First Grand Slam Final with Joe & Rajeev
- Plans to finish the year
We have had plenty of coaches on the podcast, but it's been a while since we had a doubles coach on for a slightly different perspective 😃
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:50 - Where tennis started for him
16:30 - Working with Joe & Rajeev
25:36 - Team dynamic of having multiple coaches
28:29 - First Grand Slam Final
32:01 - Plans for the rest of the year
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Recent winner of the US Open Boys Singles title, Dani Rincon joins the podcast this week to chat about his transition onto the senior tour!
Dani is 18 years old, trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy & has a career high junior ranking of #2 🔥
We talk:
- Winning the US Open Junior Boys Title
- Training at the Rafa Nadal Academy
- Hitting with Rafa in practice
- Practicing with Casper Ruud
- Expectations going forward
Dani also breaks down what a typical training day at the Rafa Nadal Academy looks like. Sounds super intense...make sure you listen to hear more 🙌
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:43 - Winning the US Open Junior Championships
6:34 - Training at the Rafa Nadal Academy
9:04 - Practicing with Rafael Nadal
11:23 - Hitting with Casper Ruud
13:02 - Expectations & transition to pro tour
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Fresh off his maiden ATP Challenger title, Liam Broady joins us to discuss the changes that he has made in his life & how his tennis has changed for the better!
Liam is coached by former podcast guest, Dave Sammel - who he credits to having played a large part of the success that he is now enjoying 😃
We talk:
- Winning his first Challenger
- Changing off-court habits
- Media Pressure
- Being resilient
- Receiving advice from other players
- Working with David Sammel
Liam really opened up during our conversation & gave us a very honest interview. There are also some funny stories thrown in - really hope you enjoy it 🙌
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:07 - Winning his 1st Challenger Title
13:36 - Media pressure
20:49 - Resilience
24:24 - Andy Murray Story
34:04 - Mindset College with Dave Sammel
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Former World #33, Andreas Vinciguerra joins the podcast this week to reflect on his career & to tell us about what he is up to these days!
Andreas was one of the best juniors in the world growing up & continued that success through to the senior tour, where he progressed quickly 😃
We talk:
- Growing up in Sweden
- Choosing between Sweden & Italy
- His junior tennis days
- Beating Roger Federer
- Dealing with injuries
Andreas is also about to hold multiple Futures events in Sweden next year, which he tells us all about 😉
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:51 - Growing up in Sweden
3:21 - Junior tennis days
5:58 - Playing against top tennis players
8:43 - Setting up Futures events
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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It's been a while since we've has a hitting partner on the show, so we are delighted to release this podcast episode with Giannis Stergiou, who is the hitting partner of Maria Sakkari 🇬🇷
Giannis works closely with Maria, as well as Tom Hill (coach of Maria), who we've had on the podcast before 😃
We talk:
- His tennis background
- Starting to work with Maria
- Pressure he feels on the practice court
- Fitness sessions
- Tennis hype in Greece!
Giannis is a pretty relaxed & down to earth guy, so it was nice to be able to chat with him. He also tells us 5 things that he has learned from being a professional hitting partner 💪
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:56 - Tennis background
5:18 - Starting to work with Maria
9:07 - Pressure on the practice court
15:34 - Fitness sessions
18:57 - Learning strategies
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we are joined by former pro, Diego Moyano. Diego now works as a full time coach to Kevin Anderson, but also does work with Sloane Stephens & Alja Tomljanovic 👌
Previously, Diego worked at the USTA as the Lead National Coach, where he worked with almost every top American junior at some point! He also runs a small academy in Boca Raton - where he currently lives 😃
We talk:
- Struggles as a pro player
- His previous role at the USTA
- Coaching Privately
- Working with Kevin Anderson
- Running a small academy
Diego is a super busy guy, so it was nice that he ws able to take some time out of his schedule to talk tennis. Plenty of interesting stories & nuggets in this episode 😉
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:09 - Living in Boca Raton
4:31 - Professional playing career
14:27 - His role at the USTA
30:26 - Beginning to coach privately
35:32 - Dealing with player injuries
38:58 - Running a small academy
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Bastien Fazincani, a long time coach on the WTA Tour talks to us this week about his life on the road & what it's like coaching at some of the worlds best tennis academies!
Bastien is French & lives in the French Riviera, where many top tennis academies are based. He recently left his role at the All in Tennis Academy to focus on tour level coaching 😃
He has also been in the unique position of coaching two players at a tournament that faced off against one another 👀
We talk:
- Working at different tennis academies
- Coaching both males & females
- Having both of his players play eachother
- The commitment needed from players to progress
Bastien is a good friend of Functional Tennis, so it was nice to be able to get together & talk about his tennis journey so far.
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:28 - Starting to get involved in tennis
14:21 - Working at different academies
21:22 - Coaching Male & Female players
36:14 - Starting a new chapter
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Tennis agent & tournament director of the Croatia Open in Umag, Tomislav Poljak joins us for Episode 115!
Tomislav is part of Starwing - a boutique sports management agency that represents top tennis players. Alongside his role as an agent, he oversees tournament operations of the ATP 250 clay-court event in Umag 😃
We talk:
- Day to day life as an agent
- Signing junior talent
- What he looks for in players
- Running the Croatia Open in Umag
- Securing top talent to play in Umag
We rarely get the chance to talk to tournament directors the podcast, so to get some insight into the running of a top level tennis event from Tomislav was particularly interesting.
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:33 - Spending time in Croatia
5:19 - Becoming a Tennis Agent
9:49 - Recruiting battles
15:56 - Signing junior talent
18:51 - Running the Croatian Open in Umag
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Abigail Johnson, who is an up & coming tennis commentator joins us this week to discuss what its like trying to break into the industry 🙌
Abigail recently commentated at her first grand slam (Roland Garros 2021) & hopes to continue working at tournaments of all levels!
We talk:
- Getting her first break into the industry
- Working at tournaments of all levels
- Preparing for tournaments
- Unpredictability of her working schedule
- Advice she has received along the way
Abigail is already a fantastic commentator & is only getting better! It was great to be able to speak to her before she hits the big time & covers the worlds biggest matches 😃
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:30 - Her Tennis Background
4:45 - Getting into commentary
14:49 - Getting tips from other commentators
19:40 - Difference between radio & TV commentary
28:45 - Preparation for tournaments
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Legendary Canadian Doubles Coach, Louis Cayer joins the podcast this week 🔥
Louis works with the LTA & specialises in Doubles. He coaches multiple high profile British tennis players & has found plenty of success along the way 📈He has a wealth of knowledge which he has used to transform the British doubles scene!
We talk:
- The US Open this year
- His passion for tennis
- What it takes to become a champion
- The differences between doubles & singles
- Reaching your potential
Louis is someone that we have wanted to have on the podcast for quite some time, so to finally speak to him was exciting! We wanted to get back out to play some doubles after chatting with him, so hopefully you want to do the same after listening 😂
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:14 - US Open this year
8:02 - Why he doesn’t work with singles players
20:16 - Working with players to reach their potential
24:45 - His book / DVD
32:04 - Mentoring
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
We are back from our summer break & are delighted to announce that 19 year old Jack Draper is our first guest back 🔥
Jack is on a really solid trajectory to become a top level tennis player. He has shown fantastic form recently by beating top players at Queens as well as pushing Novak Djokovic to 4 sets at Wimbledon 😉
We talk:
- When he started playing tennis
- Getting his first ATP Point
- Dealing with pressure
- Role models
- Dealing with media attention
- Difference between the junior & senior game
It was really exciting to speak to Jack & get back to releasing new podcast episodes! We hope that Jack can continue his good form & his rise to the top.
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:59 - Where tennis started for Jack
3:04 - Managing school & tennis
9:05 - Team that he works with
13:04 - Beating top players at Queens
17:48 - Playing Djokovic at Wimbledon
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
As we are on a short summer break, we have decided to rerelease another one of our favourite podcast episodes from the past!
Joe O'Dwyer is an experienced tour coach & was the coach of previous podcast guests, Jeff Salzenstein, Conor Niland & James McGee! Joe is Irish but has spent most of his life in the US or touring with players 💪
We talk:
- Tools needed to break the Top 100
- Unwritten rules of Tennis
- Stories of time on the tour
- Importance of having a good coach
- Reaching your potential
This episode is packed with cool stories! Joe is a natural coach (& storyteller!!). Really hope you enjoy it as much as we do 😃
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
5:57 - Implementing a game plan
25:03 - Players reaching their potential
32:30 - Where can coaches learn specialised skills?
38:57 - Importance of playing up
42:16 - Go straight to Futures!
46:29 - Travel in moderation
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
As we are on a short summer break, we have decided to rerelease one of our favourite podcast episodes from the past this week!
Janko Tipsarevic joined us on Episode 44 to reflect on his career, coronavirus & life after tennis. Janko is a former Top 10 player & won the Davis Cup with Serbia 🏆
We talk:
- Life during lockdown
- Developing habits
- Recovering from injuries
- Dealing with distractions
- Playing against the worlds best players
- Building a life after tennis
Our chat with Janko is one of the best that we have ever had. We really hope you enjoy it (if you haven't heard it before!) 😃
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:17 - Life during Lockdown
9:34 - How he developed his game
35:27 - Coming back from injuries
40:23 - Deciding to retire
46:23 - Building a life after tennis
59:53 - Advice for juniors
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Jason Stacy, the current fitness coach of Aryna Sabalenka joins the podcast for Episode 111 💪
Jason has worked with other top athletes in various sports & talks to us about how he approaches things in his own way! He also talks about the importance of finding the right coach that you can connect with 👌
We talk:
- His early life/background
- Starting to work with tennis players
- Overcoming challenges to be where he is today
- Life on the road
It was also very cool to be able to speak to Jason, especially as Aryna holds a career high ranking of #3 🔥 We wish them the best of luck for the upcoming hard court swing!
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:45 - Jason’s Background
11:21 - Starting to work in tennis
23:37 - Willingness to be open
43:41 - Advice for young aspiring players
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Alexander Ostrovsky joins us this week to talk about his tennis academy, the sports management agency that he owns & what its like running top professional tournaments 👊
We talk:
- How he became involved in the tennis industry
- His High Performance Tennis Academy in Moscow
- The Sports Managements Agency that he owns
- Running top professional tennis tournaments
Alexander has accomplished so much in tennis already & continues to build everyday. It's not very often that we get the opportunity to speak to guests that are involved in so many different aspects of the game - so we really enjoyed the chat 😃
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:53 - How he became involved in tennis
3:39 - Facilities at the academy
10:20 - Setting up a sports management agency
13:24 - Running pro tournaments
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week Timo Glock joins us. Timo is an avid tennis fan/player, a former F1 driver & currently races for BMW in BMT 🔥
Timo is a Functional Tennis follower who we have been in contact with for a while! We always like to mix it up on this podcast by occasionally bringing in guests from other sports, so we hope that you enjoy listening to our chat 😃
We talk:
- When he started to play tennis
- Similarities between tennis & racing
- Life as an F1 driver
- His most memorable races
- Fitness levels needed to compete at the highest level
Speaking to Timo was really cool! He is passionate about tennis & we hope that he can find some time in his busy schedule to continue playing 😉
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:56 - Starting to play tennis
9:42 - Similarities between Tennis & Racing
14:31 - His first F1 Grand Prix
17:51 - Most competitive competitor
19:17 - Fitness level needed to compete
26:26 - Managing his busy schedule
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we talk to Mike Ballardie, who is the CEO of our podcast sponsor, Slinger Bag 🤩
Mike has worked in tennis for a number of years, including stints working at Wilson & Prince. He now runs Slinger, the company who produce the well known portable ball machine, the Slinger Bag!
We talk:
- His tennis background
- Purchasing Prince Tennis
- Signing new endorsement deals with top players
- Seeing the Slinger Bag for the first time
- Future plans for Slinger
Speaking to Mike was super enjoyable & it was a pleasure to be able to have him on the show. Not only does he have a really interesting back story, but has committed to sponsoring this podcast for quite a while now. A big thanks to him & his whole team 🙌
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:50 - Mike’s Background
19:12 - Buying Prince Tennis
26:03 - First hearing about the Slinger Bag
34:42 - Tennis as a lifestyle brand
37:50 - Slinger becoming a ‘Connected Brand’
41:51 - Advantages of trading publicly
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Canadian Coach, Larry Jurovich joins the podcast this week 🇨🇦
Larry has worked with top juniors around the world, including a stint at the LTA. He has also worked with former podcast guests James McGee, James Cluskey & Sharon Fichman!
We talk:
- Working during COVID
- Lessons learned during his time coaching
- His time spent working in Ireland
- Working with the LTA
- His new tennis centres in Canada
It was great to be able to chat with Larry, especially as he has such a wealth of knowledge & experience in the coaching industry.
Fun fact: Larry also played ice Hockey for Ireland during the time that he spent living there!
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
**Episode Chapters
1:23 -** Life during COVID in Canada
8:00 - Values in his tennis programs
10:57 - Working with the LTA
15:48 - Playing Ice Hockey for Ireland
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we take a sneak peak into the tennis media world with Nick McCarvel 🇺🇸
Nick is a sports media expert, who has worked in tennis for a number of years & is now involved with the Olympics 🤩 He is a writer, presenter, commentator & producer.
Cian, who works at Functional Tennis takes over from Fabio as host for this Episode!
We talk:
- Breaking into the industry
- LGBTQ Community in Tennis
- Getting to know Billie Jean King
- Boundaries between work & personal life
- Staying up to date with tennis storylines
- Olympic Tennis
It was great to be able to speak to Nick, especially as the Olympics draw closer. Hope you enjoy the chat & the change up this week 😃
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:28 - Breaking into the industry
4:45 - More drawn to journalism or tennis?
12:35 - Setting boundaries between work & personal life
16:37 - LGBTQ Community in Tennis
22:36 - Getting to know Billie Jean King
28:37 - Current role with the Olympics
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Marcel Da Cruz joins the podcast this week to talk about his work with Casper Ruud 🇳🇴
Marcel has been working with Casper for almost 10 years & he has been instrumental in helping Casper get to where he is today!
We talk:
- The upcoming grass court season
- How tennis players fitness levels compare to other athletes
- Casper's decision to take a year off
- Avoiding injuries
- Junior players working with S&C coaches
This episode is a deeper dive into strength & conditioning training, which was particularly interesting as it has been a while since we talked about it on this show 😉
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:25 - Getting ready for the Grass Courts
9:49 - How do tennis players compare fitness wise to other athletes
15:45 - Too much muscle causing injuries
19:25 - Starting to work with Casper
29:58 - Working with Casper during his year off
33:46 - Juniors working with fitness trainers
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Marco Chiudinelli from Switzerland joins the podcast this week 🇨🇭
Marco had a 17 year long career, which saw him rise to a career high #52 as well as winning the Davis Cup with Switzerland in 2014 🏆
We talk:
- What life after tennis looks like
- Running Tennis Camps
- Can Novak compete the Golden Slam?
- What he misses from travelling on tour
- Winning the Davis Cup
It was nice to be able to see what Marco is up to these days, but also to look back and remember all the good times that he has had on court 💪
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:25 - Life after Tennis
6:00 - Running Camps in Halle
11:50 - Can Novak complete the golden slam?
16:28 - Up & Coming Swiss talent, Dominic Sticker
19:41 - What he misses from his travelling days
25:55 - Winning the Davis Cup
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
It was nice to be able to speak to Garry Cahill again, who has previously joined the podcast on Episode 10!
Garry is a Tour Coach & former Irish Davis Cup captain, who is currently setting up his own academy 🔥
We talk:
- What he been up to since our last podcast episode
- Importance of having a mentor
- Leadership in Tennis
- Producing top players on limited budgets
- Problems with short term success
We haven't had podcast guests on very often for more than one episode - so it was nice to be able to tie back in with Garry 😃
Check out our previous interview with Garry here
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:53 - Life since last podcast episode
11:44 - What makes a good mentoring program?
21:47 - Why some federations produce so many successful players?
32:54 - Problems with short term success
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we speak to Canadian couple Sharon Fichman & Dylan Moscovitch 🇨🇦
Sharon is a professional tennis player, while Dylan is a former Olympic figure skater 😃
We talk:
- How they met
- Sharon's decision to break from tennis
- Dylan's life as a figure skater
- Travelling together
- High Impact Athletes
It's not very often that we get the chance to see to speak to two people at once on the podcast, with this interview being our first time interviewing a couple!
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
4:09 - How they met
5:52 - Taking an indefinite break from tennis
10:08 - Life as a figure skater
15:05 - Inspiration to get back to tennis
20:25 - Travelling together
24:39 - How Yoga helps
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
We are joined by British tennis player, Emily Appleton this week for Episode 101 😃
Emily recently won 3 of the 4 UK Pro Series titles & is just back from a trip where she was playing in Israel & Georgia 🙌
We talk:
- UK Pro Series success
- Working with her coach (& former podcast guest David Collins)
- The Sky Sports Scholar program
- The importance of media training
- Plan going forward
It was really great to be able to talk to Emily & hear about all the hard work that she puts in with her team. We wish them the best of luck going forward 💪
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:57 - UK Pro Series
4:33 - Playing in Israel
8:47 - Working with David Collins
11:12 - Being a Sky Sports Scholar
13:10 - Importance of Media Training
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
We are proud to announce that Casper Ruud is our guest for Episode 100 🥳🎉
Casper is in unbelievable form recently, having just made SF runs in Monte Carlo & Madrid, as well as capturing the title in Geneva. He is currently ranked #16 in the world ⭐
We talk:
- Growing up playing tennis
- Training with Rafael Nadal
- His love of golf
- Important factors that helped him break the Top 20
- Playing his Dad in tennis
It was a real pleasure to have Casper on the show. He was a super nice guy & we wish him the best of luck going forward 🙌
We also announce the winner of the Slinger Bag at the end of the episode 😉
Finally, a big thanks to all of our listeners! We are delighted to have been able to release 100 episodes & hope to release at least 100 more 😉
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:18 - Recent results & form
5:05 - Training with Rafael Nadal
7:41 - Biggest takeaway from hitting with Nadal
9:12 - Playing tennis growing up
11:11 - Love of Golf
20:07 - What helped you to breakthrough?
22:11 - Playing tennis with his Dad
Find us on Social Media:Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Aussie, Matt Ebden is our 99th guest on the podcast 🇦🇺 It was nice to be able to speak to yet another established name on tour as we near episode 100!
Matt is an Australian Open mixed doubles champ, who also has a few ATP doubles titles 😉
We talk:
- Shadows at the Madrid Open
- Training ahead of Roland Garros
- Coming back from injury
- Most memorable match
- His enthusiasm for watches
- Investing & off court interests
Matt was training at the All In Tennis Academy when we spoke. He will play Lyon before he travels to Paris for Roland Garros 🎾
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:42 - Shadows in Madrid
6:31 - Training at the All In Tennis Academy
10:14 - Coming back from injury
14:06 - Training with Federer
15:23 - Most memorable match
19:31 - Cryptocurrency & investing
21:30 - Love of watches
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Ron Yu, a well established and respected stringer & racket technician on tour joins us for Episode 98 😃
Ron has strung rackets for the likes of Agassi, Sampras, Federer, Djokovic, Murray, Wawrinka & more! The list is endless 😅
We talk:
- How he got involved in the industry
- Players he has worked with
- Strings used by pros
- Surviving through the COVID pandemic
- How tour dynamics have changed
- Upcoming tournaments
Ron joined us from his office, just a week before he is to travel to Geneva to string for Roger Federer 🔥
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:33 - How he got into the industry
3:41 - Players that he has worked with
5:29 - How meticulous are players?
9:47 - Signing players for a year
13:45 - How many rackets do pros use?
15:51 - What strings do pros use?
17:44 - Surviving through COVID
19:26 - Upcoming Tournaments
21:00 - Dynamics on tour changing over time
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
A very promising Scottish tennis prospect, Aidan Mc Hugh joins the podcast this week for Episode 97!
Aidan told us a few good stories on this edition of the podcast & opened up about the differences between the top pros & others players that he has played 😃
We talk:
- Growing up in Scotland
- Deciding not to go to college
- The junior circuit
- Relationship with Andy & Jamie Murray
- Role models growing up
At the time of recording, Aidan was currently training in Roehampton 🎾
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:06 - Training on clay in the UK
3:42 - Growing up in Scotland
9:44 - Junior Circuit
12:23 - Playing with the Murray’s for the first time
18:20 - Seeing how hard the pros work
21:00 - Role models growing up
21:48 - Hitting with Federer
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Argentinian tennis coach, Martin Rocca joins the podcast this week from Barcelona!
Martin is a junior tennis coach, who also set up the charitable organisation, Tennis Aid 🙌
We talk:
- His career coaching
- Barcelona ATP 500
- Working online during the pandemic
- Patience while working with young kids
- Tennis Aid & the work they do
Martin has vast experience in some of the best clubs & academies out there - so to tap into some of his knowledge was exciting 🔥
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:06 - Martin’s career journey
8:28 - Working through the pandemic
17:33 - Needing patience to work with younger kids
20:37 - How Tennis aid came about
27:59 - Is Tennis Aid needed in Europe?
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
James Cluskey, a former professional player turned entrepreneur is our guest this week 🇮🇪
James specialised in doubles, played Davis Cup for Ireland, toured the world & had plenty of success along the way 😃
We talk:
- Tour stories
- Players that he has played with
- Helping Richard Branson with his tennis game
- Transitioning from tennis to life afterwards
- Starting his own business
It was about time that we had James on the show! We often mention his name, so to hear from the man himself was great 🔥
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
4:10 - Tour Stories
8:56 - Players that he played with
10:25 - Starting his own business
27:05 - What he has learned from Richard Branson
32:59 - JC Invitational
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
David Sammel, a former tennis player & current tour coach joins the podcast this week to talk about the importance of mindset!
David is the coach of Liam Broady & former podcast guest, Marcus Daniell 🔥
We talk:
- Mindset College
- The role that maturity plays in individuals
- The negative influences of social media
- Importance of training the mind
- Our upcoming Functional Tennis Webinar with David
There are plenty of life lessons in this episode! Whether you are tennis crazy or not, you can definitely pick something up from our chat 😃
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:21 - Managing his time
19:38 - Maturity plays a big role
37:18 - Using your phone sparingly
52:55 - Does Federer feel more pressure now than before?
56:48 - More information on David
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
The coach of CiCi Bellis, Tom Gutteridge joins us this week to talk about how he became a top level coach & what his day to day really looks like 😉
It was fantastic to have another coach on the podcast - we always learn so much from them 😃
We talk:
- How he got into coaching
- Starting to work with CiCi
- What a typical day looks like
- Goals for the future
- Why he plans to use the Functional Tennis Pointer
Tom has a really interesting story of how he started coaching CiCi, make sure to check it out 🎧
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
3:05 - His early tennis career
6:33 - Starting to work with CiCi
12:38 - Decision to coach
22:03 - Dealing with injuries
23:57 - Typical training day in Orlando
29:46 - Using the Functional Tennis Pointer
31:41 - Advice for juniors
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we speak to tennis parent & former pro, Julia Efremova. Julia is the mother of Ksenia Efremova, an 11-year old who is widely regarded as a future tennis star! Julia and her family live at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in France 💪
We talk:
- Julia's tennis career
- Moving to the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy
- Her typical day
- Ksenia's goals
- Dealing with pressure
Julia is the first tennis parent that we have had on the podcast & it was really nice to be able to hear about her story - albeit from a slightly different perspective than we are used to 🙌
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:18 - Julia’s tennis career
5:11 - Moving to Mouratogloou Academy
8:11 - Typical day for Julia
15:19 - Typical day for Ksenia
18:19 - Ksenia’s goals
21:35 - Dealing with Pressure
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Mirjam Bjorklund, an up & coming player from Sweden joins the podcast this week to talk about her transition onto the WTA Tour 🔥
We talk:
- Playing recently in Doha
- Junior vs. senior game
- Using social media to help fund her tennis career
- Tips for juniors
It was great to be able to chat with Mirjam as she continues on her journey to become a top tennis player 🙌
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:54 - Playing in Doha
6:49 - Challenges in transitioning to the senior game
9:55 - Playing Iga Swiatek in 2020
17:18 - Using social media platform to help fund her tennis
18:51 - Tips for juniors
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
We have a super exciting episode this week as we are joined by the coaching team of Novak Djokovic 🔥
Both Marian Vajda & Goran Ivanisevic join us to talk about Novak's journey to 311 weeks as world #1 🥇
We talk:
- How long can Novak keep it going?
- What sets Novak apart from other players?
- Seeing Novak for the first time
- Improving his serve
- Marian & Goran playing each other on tour
It was an absolute pleasure to have both of Novak's coaches on the show. With Goran being a more recent addition to the team & Marian being Novak's long time coach - we got to hear about the journey from multiple perspectives 🙌
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
4:28 - How long can Novak keep the #1 ranking?
9:39 - What sets Novak apart from other players?
12:11 - Seeing Novak for the first time
18:19 - Improving Novak’s serve
19:20 - Marian & Goran playing each other
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Adam Blicher, a tennis coach/speaker/podcaster from Denmark is this week's guest. We cover a lot of topics - including how coaches can communicate better with their players 😃
We talk:
- His work with the Danish Tennis Federation
- Receiving a cancer diagnosis
- How coaches can improve their communication
- Improving/Reflecting on match routines
Adam is still young but is extremely knowledgable 🙌 Attend any tennis conference & the chances are that he will be there as a speaker!!
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
4:21 - Working with the Danish Tennis Federation
10:53 - Being diagnosed with cancer
17:03 - How coaches can communicate better
40:51 - What players do pre match, during the match & after the match
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Sleep Expert, Nick Littlehales joins the podcast to talk about how people can improve their sleep patterns 💤
We talk:
- Advantages of getting good sleep
- Is napping a good thing?
- What can you can to get better sleep
- Using technology to track sleep
Nick has almost 30 years of experience in the sleep industry & has worked with some of the world's top athletes 👊
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:41 - Getting involved in the sleep industry
15:27 - Advantages of getting good sleep
30:48 - Should I nap?
39:36 - What can I do to sleep better at night?
45:15 - Sleep Technology
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
James McGee, a former professional player from Ireland is this week's guest 🇮🇪
James played on tour for many years & now works with the charitable organization, Inspiring Children Foundation in Las Vegas 🤗
We talk:
- Spending time with Bob Brett
- How tough life on tour can be
- Playing Davis Cup
- Falling out of love with tennis
- Inspiring Children Foundation
- Plans going forward
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
3:06 - Spending time with Bob Brett
7:05 - His last tennis match
20:14 - His favorite match
29:09 - Mental exhaustion after playing on tour
31:32 - Inspiring Children Foundation
44:57 - Advice for juniors
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we talk to Marcus Daniell, the ATP Top 50 doubles player from New Zealand 🇳🇿
Marcus is a busy man - juggling a pro tennis career & multiple off-court projects, but is able to still pull it off 💪
We talk:
- Quarantine in Australia
- Why he decided to turn vegetarian
- Founding High Impact Athletes
- Being part of the ATP Player Council
- Life on tour!
Marcus is a really nice guy that is easy to listen to! It was great to be able to talk tennis, but also about things going on off the court for a change 😃
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:54 - Routine during quarantine in Australia
5:52 - Changing up his diet
18:24 - High Impact Athletes
28:17 - People involved with HIA
36:45 - ATP Player Council
Find us on Social Media:YouTube: Functional Tennis Podcast
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
We have an agent on the podcast for the first time ever this week! 🤝
Marijn Bal is a Dutch agent at IMG, who works with some of the biggest names in tennis 🎾
We talk:
- Quarantine in Australia
- Going to college in the US
- Players that he works with
- Misconceptions about agents
- What to look for in a player
It was a real pleasure to speak to one of the top tennis agents out there! Marijn is a man that wears many hats as you'll find out when you listen 😉
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
2:06 - Quarantine in Australia
5:37 - Working with players in Australia
15:21 - How to choose which brands to work with
27:38 - Players that he worked with early on
34:19 - How he discovers talent
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
The legendary South African commentator, Robbie Koenig is this week's podcast guest 🇿🇦
Robbie is a former player and coach who now finds himself in the commentary box 🎤 He is well known in the tennis world for his coverage of some of the best moments in the sport 💪
We talk:
- Quarantine in Australia
- His professional tennis career
- The transition to commentary
- How he comes up with his iconic one-liners
- Traveling on the tennis tour
There are even a few Netflix movie/documentary suggestions in the episode 😃
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
6:59 - Quarantine in Australia
10:14 - Historical match analysis
12:27 - Playing professional tennis
25:27 - How he got into commentary
28:30 - Legendary commentary lines!
34:14 - Playing Andy Murray in Doubles
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Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
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Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Alex De Minaur, the current #1 Australian player on the men's side joins us from Melbourne to talk about his journey so far 🇦🇺
Alex is currently #23 in the world, plays Davis Cup for Australia and already has an ATP title to his name in 2021 🔥
We talk:
- Playing Nadal at the ATP Cup
- Is there more pressure playing in Australia?
- How he got his nickname
- Playing against his mentor, Lleyton Hewitt
- Friendship with Nick Kyrgios
Special thanks to Asics Tennis for helping set up this interview 😃
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
1:41 - Freedom after quarantine in Melbourne
4:18 - Rematch against Nadal at ATP Cup
6:12 - More pressure playing in Australia?
7:16 - Asics Solution Speed Tennis Shoes
15:11 - Was playing professional always the dream?
20:58 - First time being called 'The Demon'
21:47 - Playing against his mentor Lleyton Hewitt
23:35 - Relationship with Nick Kyrgios
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Craig O'Shannessy, a strategy analyst to the pros joins the podcast this week to talk about how data & video can help players play smarter.
Craig used to work with Novak Djokovic and is currently working with Matteo Berrettini & Jan-Lennard Struff 🔥
We talk:
- Dynamics of joining a team
- Importance of video analysis
- Working with all levels of tennis
- Being part of team Djokovic
- Accessing tennis data
Craig is one of the leading strategy analysts out there! There are also a few stories in there - don't miss it 😉
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
4:15 - Dynamics of working in a team environment
8:08 - Is tennis behind in video analysis?
9:44 - Advantage of using a strategy Coach
19:04 - What types of players he works with
23:29 - What it's like working with the Djokovic & Berrettini
35:34 - When should you start using a strategy coach?
46:26 - Sports psychologist or strategy coach?
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Dutch tennis ace, Matwe Middelkoop joins us on the podcast for our first episode of 2021! Matwe has been on tour for many years and has plenty of interesting stories 😉
We talk:
- Choosing to specialize in doubles late in his career
- Stories from playing tournaments in Africa
- What life is like on tour
- Playing Roger Federer
- Life after tennis with his new clothing brand
Our chat with Matwe is fun, high energy & makes for easy listening 🔥
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
3:18 - Hitting a roadblock in his career
8:15 - Working with psychologists
12:02 - Playing tennis in Africa
24:56 - Psychology of playing players that are injured
29:28 - Dealing with sponsors
31:31 - Playing Roger Federer
40:43 - Quarantining in Australia
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
For our last episode of the year, we have mixed it up a bit! We are bringing you 10 memorable moments from episodes that aired in 2020 🔥
We have snippets from former top 10 players, grand slam winning coaches & much more. Be sure to check out the full episodes individually 💪
We are in a fortunate position to have so many fantastic moments to choose from. These are just a few of our favorites & are in no particular order 😉
This is our last episode of 2020. We will be back soon and hope to bring you more interesting podcast episodes 😃
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
3:35 - Matt Little
6:10 - Sergi Bruguera
8:04 - Joe O’Dwyer
10:12 - Mansour Bahrami
13:37 - Nick Saviano
15:57 - Daria Abramowicz
18:26 - Janko Tipsarevic
20:54 - Robin Söderling
23:38 - Piotr Sierzputowski
26:31 - Paul Annacone
Find us on Social Media:
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Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Daria Abramowicz joins this weeks podcast. Daria is the Sport Psychologist of current Roland Garros Champion, Iga Swiatek 🇵🇱
We cover many topics, including:
- What her role on the team is
- How she got into tennis
- Working with other top-level athletes
- When she started working with Team Swiatek
- Creating a balance throughout the team
- Winning Roland Garros 2020
Daria gave us some very cool insight into Team Swiatek and how they operate/work together 🔥 This is just the start for this team by the sounds of it!
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters
4:29 - What her role involves
11:55 - How she got into Tennis
18:42 - Working with Iga while she studied full time
25:07 - Time leading up to Roland Garros 2020
34:15 - Simona Halep match at Roland Garros
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Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we speak to Robin Soderling, a man who needs no introduction! 🇸🇪 We cover many topics & Robin offers great bits of advice. Some of the areas we cover:
- Staying fit/Family Life
- Tennis vs. Padel
- The Rafa Match and moving on to the Final vs. Federer
- How would he play Rafa today
- Unaware of Stress/Anxiety slowly building
- Recognising/dealing/recovering from mono
- RS Tennis Balls / Padel / Future
- Listener questions
Throughout, Robin offers plenty of advice that you will want to hear 🙌
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we chat to Mark Kovacs, Mark has combined his scientific brain and his passion for tennis to create the Kovacs Institute. We touch on many topics throughout this chat and Mark shows a wealth of knowledge in so many important areas of the game.
Mark is author of 2 must have tennis books, Complete Conditioning for Tennis and Tennis anatomy
We cover:
- His days as a Junior with Lleyton Hewitt/Andy Roddick
- Combining a phd with tennis
- Breaking down the makeup of a top 50 player
- Tennis Benchmarks
- Best athletes in the world // Comparing Athletes
- Training periodisation
- The benefits of players taking a break each year
- What is the Kovacs institute
- Weights for Junior Players
- Wearable technology
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Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
I thought it would be great to see what the life of a professional skier is like. I speak to Trevor Philp and Erik Read, 2 Canadian World Cup and Olympic skiers and we hear about their journey to the to top the Skiing world.
We talk about
- Growing up / choosing skiing over Tennis
- Junior Skiing scene
- Joining the National Team
- NCAA Champions
- Expenses as Skier / The Team
- Team sport or individual sport?
- The different skiing events
- Olympics versus the World Cup
- Typical Ski Day
- Shutting off
- Can you make money?
- Planning for the Future
- Canada V The States/Europe/Russia
- Accidents
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Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Swedish Doubles player and Grand Slam Champion, Robert Lindstedt joins the podcast this week 🇸🇪
Our chat with Robert was insightful, surprising, funny & everything in-between 😅
We talk about:
- Secrets to longevity
- Dealing with losses
- How nutrition habits have changed
- Winning the Australian Open
- Having the right mindset
- Biggest regret in his career
Robert was extremely honest and open in this interview. It's definitely worth a listen 👌
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
2:35 - Secrets to longevity
7:11 - Dealing with losses
12:04 - How nutrition has changed
15:36 - Winning the Australian Open
27:44 - Biggest regret in career
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Andy Murray's longtime S&C Coach, Matt Little joins us this week 🇬🇧
Matt has worked with Andy for the majority of his career and has been part of some of the greatest moments ever in tennis - Grand Slam titles, Olympic golds, Year-end #1 rankings, the list goes on 🔥
We talk about:
- How he got into tennis
- Implementing technology in training early on
- How training has changed over the years
- Being part of Team Murray during 2016
- Working alongside Ivan Lendl
- Celebrating wins
- His new book
Our chat with Matt is one of our best podcast episodes yet. The episode is slightly longer than our usual length and could have talked for much longer 😃
Hope you enjoy it & let us know what you think!
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
3:43 - Getting into tennis as a child
11:31 - Implementing technology early on
16:19 - How training has changed over the years
28:20 - Introducing data related change in teams
47:32 - Being part of Team Murray during 2016
54:20 - Celebrating after a win
1:05:27 - Matt's new book
Find us on Social Media:
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Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Federico Ricci, an experienced tour & academy coach joins us this week! 🇮🇹
Federico is the current coach of Emil Ruusuvuori, but has coached a number of players over the last few years 🔥
We talk about:
- How his coaching journey started in Florida
- Moving to Finland to start an academy
- Working with Emil Ruusuvuori
- Plans for the future
It was great to be able to chat with Federico about the differences between coaching in an academy and coaching an individual player on a full time basis. It was also eye-opening to hear about the number of weeks each year that he travels for work. Being a tour coach often means that there are very few weeks off! 😯
Hope you enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
4:24 - Developing his coaching skills
12:19 - How he started working with Emil Ruusuvuori
18:29 - Emil's transition to professional tennis
21:15 - Instilling belief in players from Finland
29:42 - Advice for juniors
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Zizou Bergs - the young Belgian tennis player that won his first ATP match last month in Antwerp joins the podcast this week 🇧🇪
Zizou made headlines earlier last month for beating Vinolas in R1 of the European Open and pushed Khachanov to 3 sets 👏
We talk about:
- ATP events vs Futures events
- Practicing with other professionals
- Playing Khachanov in Antwerp
- Putting in the work & constantly improving
- Juggling Study and Tennis
There are plenty of interesting parts in this interview! Don't miss it 🔥
Hope you enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
2:10 - Difference between ATP & Futures events
6:05 - Practicing with other pros
9:14 - Playing Khachanov in Antwerp
13:17 - Who is part of his team?
14:42 - Difference between Tennis Federations in Belgium
17:08 - Why he studies in Europe rather than in US
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Eric Hechtman, the coach of Venus Williams is this week's podcast guest🔥 Eric is the full-time coach of Venus and travels with her to tournaments around the world!
We talk about:
- Life after College
- Hitting with Federer & Nadal in Miami
- Getting into coaching
- Off-season training plans with Venus
- Advice for juniors
It was really interesting to hear how Eric manages his time between his family, coaching Venus and his role as tennis director at Royal Palm Tennis Club.
Enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
5:36 - Life after College
7:21 - Being a Hitting Partner for Federer & Nadal
11:29 - Starting to work with Venus Williams
14:20 - Top 3 Learning Points from Venus
16:23 - Best moment with Venus
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Iga Swiatek's coach, Piotr Sierzputowski joins the podcast this week! Piotr has just recently coached Iga to a Roland Garros title - with Iga being the first Polish player to ever win a slam 🔥
We talk about:
- How he got into Tennis
- Working with a sports psychologist
- Managing expectations & working hard
- Roland Garros 2020!
- Advice for juniors
It was great to be able to speak to a coach that has had so much success recently! Piotr really opened up during the interview, which allowed us to really understand what was going on in the Swiatek camp in the run up to Roland Garros 😀
Enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
5:46 - How he got into Tennis
15:15 - Why Iga has transitioned so well into the senior game
29:31 - How hard did the team work during lockdown?
31:56 - Attitude after winning Roland Garros R1
44:18 - Advice for juniors
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Ukrainian tennis player, Illya Marchenko is on this week's podcast! Illya is a current pro player, who has a career-high ranking of #49 🔥
We talk about:
- How he started playing Tennis
- Injuries & setbacks
- Breaking the Top 100
- His growing YouTube Channel
Illya tells us all about life on tour as a player & how he navigates his way through it all 😀
Enjoy! 💯
Check out his YouTube channel here
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
8:31 - How he started playing Tennis
15:51 - Most Unpleasant Matches
18:01 - Learning points after playing top players
21:57 - His growing YouTube Channel
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we are talking to Kevin Niksich, who runs the tennis brand Tourna. Tourna's blue overgrips are well known across the globe and are used by plenty of top professionals 🔥
Kevin's father started the company & Kevin now runs it along with his brother & father.
We talk about:
- Origins of the grip
- Working with Pete Sampras
- Partnership with HEAD
- Current Players using Tourna
- Other grips & machines available
Kevin tells us some cool stories and talks a bit more about the brand and how it started. The company is still a family business - one that has taken over tennis!
Some of the players to have used Tourna: Sampras, Courier, Murray, Bryan Bros, Pliskova, Roddick, Shapovalov, Isner - the list goes on! 😮
Enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
4:04 - Origins of the grip
6:31 - Pete Sampras & Tourna
12:45 - Current Players using Tourna
20:35 - Other Grips Available
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
An essential member of Grigor Dimitrov's team joins us this week. Casey Cordial is a sports medicine chiropractor that works and travels with Grigor 🔥
Casey has worked with numerous professional athletes, including other tennis players!
We talk about:
- How he got involved in tennis
- Working with Fitness Coach, Seb Durand
- Should top players travel with a physio?
- A typical day with Grigor
- Monitoring sleep
We talk about these points & much more in the episode. It was great to hear some real insights into how pro athletes take care of their bodies.
Enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Find out more about Casey on his website
Episode Chapters:
2:22 - How he got into Tennis
8:50 - Working with Fitness Coach, Seb Durand
13:42 - Typical Day with Grigor Dimitrov
25:30 - Monitoring Sleep
33:18 - Other tennis pros he has worked with
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Two-time Roland Garros Singles Champion, Sergi Bruguera joins us this week.
Sergi is a former Top 3 player and is a true clay-court specialist. He won back to back French Open titles in the '93 & '94 and was a finalist in '97 🔥
We talk about:
- His career & coaching Tsonga
- How Roland Garros conditions have changed over the years
- Seeing Rafa play for the first time
- Captaining Spain at Davis Cup
- Playing on hard-court for the first time at 18
Sergi is the most successful player that we have ever had on the podcast. It was a true pleasure to have him on and hear more about his story 🙌
Enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
6:05 - How Roland Garros conditions have changed
9:23 - Playing on hardcourt for the first time at 18
13:20 - Winning Roland Garros against Courier
17:54 - Toughest ever opponent
21:06 - Seeing Rafa for the first time
23:30 - Thoughts on new Davis Cup format
24:45 - Bautista Agut coming back after fathers death
28:44 - Coaching Tsonga & his rehabilitation
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
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Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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This week we talk to ATP Doubles Coach, David Collins.
David coaches a number of different players in both singles & doubles - but is best known as the coach of John Peers & Michael Venus 👌
We talk about:
- Who does the player stats?
- Playing on the pro tour
- The Functional Tennis Webinar that he will join
- Advice for coaches
- Best memory as a coach
David is fortunate enough to have been involved in tennis for a long time and really knows his stuff 😃
Enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
3:34 - Who does the player stats?
12:08 - Playing on the Pro Tour
19:16 - Functional Tennis Webinar
23:29 - Best memory as a coach
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Tina Pisnik, a former WTA top 30 player from Slovenia joins the podcast this week.
Tina, now retired from professional tennis coaches in Chicago. During her playing career, she was involved in the Olympics on two separate occasions, won WTA tournaments and played all of the grand slams 🔥
She retired after a car crash that she was involved in, set up a tennis club, set up a coffee shop & captained the Slovenian Fed Cup team.
We touch on all of these moments, along with the importance of mental health in tennis.
Enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
4:46 - Struggling with Injuries & mental health
9:09 - Having Mark Petchey as a coach
12:52 - What she has learned from her career
16:06 - Representing Slovenia at the Olympics
Find us on Social Media:
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Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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This week we speak to Philipp Born, a tennis coach who has studied various tennis patterns as part of his doctorate.
Philipp talks to us about:
- Various tennis patterns that he studied for his PhD
- German League Tennis
- The importance of second serve speed
- Advice for juniors
Philipp is super knowledgable about tennis and about different strategies that can be used on-court.
The episode is slightly different to others - but offers an insight into patterns & strategies that pros use in real life from a different perspective.
Enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Check out the breakdown of the tennis court that Philipp was talking about here
Episode Chapters:
1:32 - Mixing Tennis & a PhD
13:17 - Pros training with certain patterns
21:58 - Importance of Second Serve Speed
25:14 - Advice for juniors
Find us on Social Media:
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Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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Gary Kushnirovich joins the podcast this week.
Gary is one of the most passionate people about tennis out there... no question!
We talk:
- Struggling to find tennis video content as a junior
- Playing the New York Open
- Coaching full time
- Managing his successful Instagram page
Gary has played college tennis, but found his calling on the court as a coach!
It's another short episode - meaning that there is no excuse to miss it! 😉
Enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
2:14 - Gary's Tennis Journey
7:50 - Playing New York Open
15:29 - Gary's Instagram Account
19:44 - Slinger Bag
Find us on Social Media:
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Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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Karue Sell, who is Naomi Osaka's hitting partner talks to us about what life is like inside the bubble in New York.
Karue 🇧🇷 joins us from a suite in Arthur Ashe Stadium & tells us how things are being done differently this year and gives us an insight into his daily routine with Naomi.
It's a short episode, but very interesting!
Enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
2:41 - Arriving in New York
8:54 - Player Suites in Arthur Ashe Stadium
13:07 - More focus - fewer distractions!
14:58 - Could this model work in other locations?
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Paul Annacone joins us this week for a chat.
We talk about what it's like coaching top players such as Sampras, Henman, Federer & Sloane Stephens 😃
We also cover topics like mindset, preparation & pressure.
This episode is one of our best and we can all learn so much from it 💪
Enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
1:42 - Paul's current day jobs
13:20 - Coaching Federer vs. coaching Sampras
21:54 - Federer vs. Sampras at Wimbledon 2001
31:43 - Evolution of coaching
40:41 - His best tennis moments
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
This week we speak to Jude O'Reilly, who is a personal performance advisor 😁
Jude has had many years of experience working with top professional athletes - most notably in golf.
Jude talks a lot about how athletes can improve through off-court techniques and tells us in detail about ways that top athletes use these techniques. We also talk about the transition from the junior to pro game.
Enjoy! 💯
Leave us a review on iTunes 📱
Episode Chapters:
1:29 - Intro about Jude
4:57 - Transition from Junior to Senior game
12:44- What you can train inside yourself
21:26 - Importance of sleep
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Jude Contact DetailsWebsite
Former pro player, Conor Niland joins the podcast for a chat about his playing days.
We talk about stories from his playing days, playing Federer as a child, training with Sampras & Murray as well as advice for junior players 🔥
Hope you enjoy!
Leave us a review on iTunes 😀
Episode Chapters:
3:05 - Playing at Wimbledon & US Open
7:27 - Playing Federer as a kid & training with Sampras
18:04 - What he has learned through the years
23:03 - Sending your child to an academy
Find us on Social Media:
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Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Mikael Torpegaard, the Danish #1 male player joins the podcast this week 💯
Mikael talks about his days as a college tennis player, playing Davis Cup and about how he is adjusting to the pro tour.
Some interesting topics in this episode - especially about playing Nadal as a student 🤩
Let us know what you think & leave us a review on iTunes!
Stay safe & have a great week!
Episode Chapters:
3:15 - Playing Junior Tennis
9:35 - How college changed his game
15:50 - Playing Nadal in Davis Cup
22:42 - Main College rivals
27:29 - Life on Tour
Find us on Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennisPodcast
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Dan Kiernan is back for Part 2!
This episode focuses on the challenges that tennis & tennis academies have faced because of COVID. We also talk at length about mental health issues and how important it is to talk about them.
It was our first time talking about mental health on the podcast this week. Really eye-opening stuff. Check it out!
Let us know what you think & leave us a review on iTunes!
Stay safe & have a great week!
Episode Chapters:
1:37 - Challenges for the academy during COVID
11:48 - Mental Health in Tennis
20:50 - Tennis needs more security!
29:01 - Advice for young players
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Find Functional at:
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Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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Dan Kiernan, the owner & director of Soto Tennis Academy joins the podcast this week.
We talk Coaching, Tour Life, Wimbledon, Soto Tennis Academy (program, schooling & costs). Dan is honest, transparent and says it as it is. It's very refreshing to listen to him!
We had a long chat with Dan, so decided to split our conversation with him into two separate episodes. This is Part 1.
Let us know what you think & leave us a review on iTunes!
Stay safe & have a great week!
Episode Chapters:
5:30 - How Dan ended up coaching
10:52 - Playing at Wimbledon
21:07 - All about Soto Tennis Academy
30:48 - Core values at Soto Tennis Academy
35:45 - Cost of attending Soto
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Professional tennis coach, Peter Smith joins us this week. Peter has been a successful college coach for many years and now coaches on the professional tour (Steve Johnson & Sam Querrey).
Peter talks to us about:
- How he came successful in coaching
- What made Steve Johnson the best ever college player
- Learning competitiveness vs. being born with it
- College Coach vs. Tour Coach
Peter has also coached his children and gives some advice on how to keep the parent/child relationship healthy.
Hope you enjoy the episode.
Episode Chapters:
8:54 - What made Peter a successful coach
12:29 - Why Steve Johnson was so good in college
18:38 - Born with competitiveness or learned?
37:11 - Keeping parent/child relationship healthy
44:42 - College Coach vs. Tour Coach
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Find Functional at:
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Former Junior World #1, Jonas Forejtek joins the podcast this week. Jonas has won the US Open Boys Singles title and has decided to pursue tennis full time. You may know him from the famous video of him hitting with a wooden spoon online.
Jonas talks to us about:
- Learning how to hit with the Wooden Spoon
- Changing his on-court mentality
- Winning US Open
- Playing Davis Cup
- HEAD Tennis Racquets
It is a short episode, but worth listening to.
Hope you enjoy it!
Listen on your favorite podcast app!
As always, tell your friends, tennis buddies or anybody you know that may be interested in listening!
**Episode Chapters
2:27 -** The Tennis Pointer (Wooden Spoon)
8:04 - Changing on-court mentality
10:12 - Winning US Open
16:11 - Most memorable tennis moment
19:27 - HEAD Tennis Racquets
Win some FREE Functional Tennis Products by leaving us a 5-star review with your Twitter/Instagram handle.
Find Functional at:
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Karue Sell, the hitting partner of Naomi Osaka joins us this week for Episode 53!
Karue has played pro, coached and is now a hitting partner to 2x Grand Slam Champion, Naomi Osaka. He has previously worked as a hitting partner for the USTA.
He talks to us about:
· College Tennis @ UCLA
· Turning Professional
· Starting to work with Naomi
· 10 things he has learned from Naomi
· His new website, My Tennis HQ
Listen on your favorite podcast app!
As always, tell your friends, your tennis buddies or anybody you know that may be interested in listening!
**Episode Chapters
1:51 -** College Tennis @ UCLA
8:25 - Turning Professional
14:00 - Starting to work with Naomi Osaka
16:12 - 10 things Karue has learned from working with Naomi
37:18 - HEAD Pro Tour 2.0 Racket
42:26 - My Tennis HQ - Instagram & Website
Win some FREE Functional Tennis Products by leaving us a 5-star review with your Twitter/Instagram handle.
Find Functional at:
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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Facebook: Facebook.com/FunctionalTennisOfficial
Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
For Episode 52, we are joined by Nick Winkelman, an athletic performance and science expert, who has many years of experience working with professional athletes. Nick's journey started off in the US, but he now finds himself working with top athletes in Europe.
During the episode, Nick discusses:
- His new book - The Language of Coaching
- The difference between internal and external cue words
- The Coaches Communication Loop
- How to prolong your career and much more!
Nick is a slightly different guest from our usual ones but offers just as much insight as anyone we have had on the show. We always try to showcase the sport from all different perspectives - and Nick is the perfect person to help us do it.
As always, tell your friends about the podcast!
I hope you enjoy it.
Fabio
Nick has kindly offered 30% off his book, the Language of Coaching which can be ordered from http://www.humankinetics.com/ Use the code FTCOACH30 for 30% off. (valid until July 25, 2020)
**Episode Chapters:
08:28 -** Nick's Book - The Language of Coaching
16:00 - Internal & External Cue Words
28:23 - Coaching Communication Loop
40:23 - How to Prolong Your Career
51:49 - Sleep Tracking Devices & Importance of Sleep
Win some FREE Functional Tennis Products by leaving us a 5-star review with your Twitter/Instagram handle.
Find Functional at:
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Andreas Seppi joins us this week for Episode 51 of the Functional Tennis Podcast.
Andreas has 18 years of experience on the ATP Tour and has beaten some of the biggest names in the sport: including Federer, Nadal & Wawrinka.
Andreas talks to us about:
· Growing up in Italy
· Meeting Jannik Sinner for the first time
· Moving to Colorado
· His favorite match & favorite grand slam
· Life after tennis
Andreas was very generous with his time and gives us a true insight into the life of a professional player. Don’t miss this episode.
As always, tell your friends about the podcast!
I hope you enjoy it.
Fabio
Win some FREE Functional Tennis Products by leaving us a 5-star review with your Twitter/Instagram handle.
Find Functional at:
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
WTA Tour Coach, Tom Hill joins us for Episode 50 of the Functional Tennis Podcast.
Tom has coached some of the world’s top players, including Danielle Collins and currently Maria Sakkari. He has a remarkable story, especially considering how young he still is. What he has accomplished in a matter of a few short years can usually take upwards of many more for others.
Tom talks to us about:
· Moving to IMG Academy to train as a child
· College Tennis
· Becoming a hitting partner to Sharapova and other top players
· Transitioning from hitting partner to coach
· What he has earned from coaching top 40 players
As always, let us know what you think and let your friends know about us!
I hope you enjoy the episode.
Fabio
Win some FREE Functional Tennis Products by leaving us a 5 star review with your Twitter/Instagram handle.
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We can back to the Mansour Bahrami story and follow on from where we left at the last episode with him losing all his money in a Casino shortly after landing in Nice, France.
I hope you enjoy the rest of his story.
Fabio
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Find Functional at:
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It was a pleasure to have the great Mansour Bahrami on the Functional Tennis Podcast. He has a fascinating story with all the challenges he had to over come first in Iran and then in France. It you shed tears easily have the kleenex ready as there are a couple of times where you really feel for the pain that Mansour had to endure.
This interview was much longer than our usual and honestly we probably need a few more hours also. I've split it up into 2 episodes with part 1 this week and part 2 next week.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
Fabio
Win some FREE Functional Tennis Products by leaving us a 5 star review with your Twitter/Instagram handle.
Find Functional at:
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
Super episode this week with Craig Tiley who is the Tennis Australia CEO and the tournament director for the Aussie Open. He has done an amazing with with Tennis Australia for 15 years. The Aussie tennis system is world renowned and Craig has put a great system in place that has seen many players move successfully into the senior game.
He has also been at the epicentre of turning the Aussie Open from the least favourite of the Slams to the most favourite. When you speak to the players they absolutely love it and all the work that has gone into to make it so special.
Craig tells us about:
- His days as a NCAA D1 Winning Coach
- His desire to help people
- Challenging himself
- Developing a great system in Australia
- Whats needed to break into the top of the game
- His 1st time meeting Roger Federer
- Tennis Australia during the Covid Situation and the coaches relief
- Listener question 1 on his best moment as tournament director
- Listener question 2 on the best to develop a business with focus on high performance tennis
I hope you enjoy the episode.
Fabio
Win some FREE Functional Tennis Products by leaving us a 5 star review with your Twitter/Instagram handle.
Find Functional at:
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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This week we speak to Liam Smith, the coach of Gael Monfils. Liam is a very experienced coach that has worked with great players at all levels as well as working for academies and Federations around the world.
We talk about:
- His early coaching days at Saddlebrook and Van de Meer
- Been part of a great Aussie system that has produced world class players
- Working with Radu Albot and Gael Monfils
- Had he learned form Radu and Gael.
- Coaching 2 ATP players at the same time (Radu and Matt Ebden)
- Transitioning from junior to seniors
- His new online Tennis Player Development Course
- His ideal male and female player
I hope you enjoy the episode.
Fabio
Win some FREE Functional Tennis Products by leaving us a 5 star review with your Twitter/Instagram handle.
Find Functional at:
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This week I speak to the man behind the world renowned Saviano Tennis Academy, Nick Saviano. Nick was a former top 50 player who quit tennis to start his own academy and has worked with some great players from a very young age to been in the players box on the Grand Slam finals day as well as securing places places for countless teenagers in top US universities.
We talk about
- His academy
- What it was like to be a Top 50 player in the 70's along with his most memorable match
- Helping juniors on the big decision to go pro or to college
- Working with Sloane Stephens as an 11 year old and the feeling of seeing somebod you have worked with win a Slam
- Working with Genie Bouchard
- How to get the most out of female players and how they mature quicker than the boys
- The parents as a junior players CEO
- Nick's new online course
We also have a question from one of our listeners.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
Fabio
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Find Functional at:
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This week I speak to Top 30 Doubles player Neal Skupski. Neal is the younger brother of Ken Skupski who we spoke to in episode 12. Neal came through the US college system and made a decision after college to concentrate on doubles and it's proved to be a wise one.
We talk about
- Current Covid-19 situation with training, eating and old friend
- US College tennis
- His brother taking a risk playing doubles with him with his low ranking
- Teaming up with his current partner Jamie Murray
- What Neal has learned form Jamie
- How Louis Cayer has helped his game
- Travelling with your countrymen and downtime
- Memorable matches
- Rafa as a doubles player
- Advice for young players
I hope you enjoy the episode!
And if you want to listen to his bro's Ken episode tap here
Fabio
Win some FREE Functional Tennis Products by leaving us a 5 star review with your Twitter/Instagram handle.
Find Functional at:
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
I am super excited to have Janko Tipsarevic on this weeks episode. Janko is a former top 10 player, won the Davis Cup as well as 4 ATP Titles and 15 Challengers. His career span nearly 20 years on the pro tour excluding his years as the world number 1 from under 14's to under 18's.
He tells us all about his career, we talk about the highlights and struggles as well as his love for philosophy, playing Federer, Roddick and his academies and alot more.
It's packed with great insight and tips.
Hope you enjoy it!
Fabio
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Find Functional at:
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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This week we speak to career high ATP #14 Kyle Edmund. This recording was taken fro our Instagram live feature with Kyle.
I had not intended to convert the Instagram live series to the podcast but feedback from our viewers was great and I also found Kyle answers very insightful so thought it would be great for an episode of the podcast.
We chat about his current setup in lockdown, training tips, his forehand, beating Andy Murray, differences in the different levels of the pro game and much more.
Hope you enjoy it!
Fabio
Win some FREE Functional Tennis Products by leaving us a 5 star review with your Twitter/Instagram handle.
Find Functional at:
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
This week we speak to strategy coach and data analyst, Mike James.
Mike has worked with some top pros and coaches. He worked alongside Magnus Norman to analyse Stan Wawrinka pre and post injury and is currently working with NextGen Miomir Kecmanovic.
We talk about working with the above guys, tennis stats, interpreting stats, hawkeye, gps training equipment and more
Hope you enjoy it.
Fabio
Win some FREE Functional Tennis Products by leaving us a 5 star review with your Twitter/Instagram handle.
Find Functional
Website: www.FunctionalTennis.com
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Twitter: twitter.com/functennis
This week we speak to Top 200 ATP player Thai Kwiatkowski. Thai was the 2017 NCAA champion and has been on the pro tour for the past 2 years. He tells us about his tennis, plans during the COVID lockdown, differences in the college and pro game and other tennis nuggets.
If you are new to the Podcast, hello and welcome. If you have been here before and haven't subscribed please hit the subscribe button
Excited to bring you this bonus episode of The Functional Tennis Podcast.
We speak to Sebastien Durand, the strength and conditioning coach of Grigor Dimitrov for over 10 years, one of the fittest players and best movers on the tour.
Seb wanted to share how to turn this negative lockdown situation we are in into a positive situation and he dives into it. He offers great advise that you should definitely listen to.
He also talks about how he is handling the lockdown personally, his early tennis days, how he became a fitness trainer and a lot more.
If you enjoyed this episode please leave us a review on your podcast app 😀
This week to speak to former pro Sebastian Lavie who has recently setup the Lavie Tennis Academy at the Nextgen arena in Auckland New Zealand. As a 9 year living in New Zealand he relocated with his family to train in Australia and then at 10 they all moved to France where he spent most of his teenage years training at he Mouratoglou Tennis Academy and living with Patrick Mouratoglou. We hear about the challenges and fun along the way as well as bringing his learnings from the setup and Team at the Mouratoglou academy to his own Academy.
Some of the areas we cover:
- Where Tennis Began
- Packing everything into a container and moving to Europe
- Stay in France or move back home to NZ?
- Living with Patrick Mouratoglou
- When Grigor Dimitrov arrived at Mouratoglou
- Cost of training at the Academy
- What would he do differently as a kid today
- Was there a Plan b?
- Failure at pro tour
- Great coaches
- Best / favourite match
- Going from top junior to a senior player
- Junior with sponsorship deals
- Getting his first point
- Dream of a tennis academy
- College tennis versus direct route
- Life at The Lavie Tennis Academy
If you are new to the show welcome and check out our other episodes. If you liked the episode please share it with your tennis loving friends and family :)
Fabio
This week we speak Italian Simone Vagnozzi, former pro player and ATP coach of Stefano Travaglia.
Simone retired as a player at age 31 and has been coaching on the tour for the past 5 years. I've been following his Instagram account @SVTennisTeam for a while now and he puts out some good content.
We talk about
- Why there are so many good Italian Pro players
- What is special about top players
- Working with Stefano Travaglia
- Beating Djokvoic at Roland Garros when coaching Marco Cecchinato
- Learning from Medvedev
- Working with top Juniors and long term planning
- His new academy
- Advice for coaches and players
Tap the Play Button!!
POWERED BY HEAD TENNIS
This week I speak to fellow podcast host, Craig Shapiro. Craig is the founder of the Under Review Tennis Podcast and he speaks to the unwritten heroes of tennis.
Craig tells us about his show as well as his days working with Andre Agassi as a stringer, what happened after his short stringing career, his documentaries on Agassi and Patrick Mourtaglou, the burning down of the Wilson Pro Staff factory and more.
Press the Play Button!!
This week we speak to South Africa Number 1 boys Junior and ITF World Number 12 Kholo Montsi.
Kholo is a great young kid with a wise set head on his shoulders. His positive attitude and fighting spirit shines though during the interview and I love his win or learn outlook on every match.
We talk about:
- Where tennis began for him
- Training with Anthony Harris
- Part of the South African ATP Cup Team
- What he learned at the ATP Cup
- Kevin Anderson / Lloyd Harris
- His first friend on the ATP Tour
- Future Plans
As usual a big shout out to podcast sponsors, HEAD !!
Tap the PLAY Button !!
Fabio
This week we see life on tour from the view of Italian Stefano De Pirro who is Denis Shapovalov's full time physio.
We speak about:
- His match day routine (Pre and Post)
- Injury prevention
- Denis's perfect body for tennis
- How Stefano became a physio
- Eating versus ice bath recovery
- His I LOVE MONDAY MORNINGS posts on Instagram
I hope you enjoyed it and picked up at least 1 bit of knowledge that can help you.
Thanks to our podcast sponsors HEAD :)
This week we speak to former pro (Top 100 singles, Top 20 doubles) and academy owner Alexander Waske. Alexander runs the Alexander Waske Tennis University in Frankfurt Germany. He has worked with pros such as Kerber, Melzer, Haas, Berankis and currently works with Bemelmans, De Loore, Gunneswaren and former world number 1 junior and junior slam winner Jonas Forejtek who is also famously known for his video as a 12 year hitting with the wooden spoon!
Alexander tells us about:
- His academy and academy life
- Players he works with
- What he looks for in players
- Jonas Forejtek and the pointer
- What’s needed to break into the top 100
- Advice for players, parents and coaches.
It was great to have him on the show and promise you will love this episode.
We mention the Tennis Pointer on the show and here is the link to it
Shout out to our Podcast Sponsors Head.
This week I speak to 24 year old Scot Jonny O'Mara. Jonny has moved up the doubles rankings quickly and having recently got to the quarters of the Aussie Open he has an exciting year ahead.
We speak about
- Challenges transitioning from the Junior to Senior tour
- Going to College in the UK
- Difference in attitudes between Futures and Challenger/ATP level
- Louis Cayer
- Doubles partner relationships
- Playing without expectations
- His Golf Handicap and more
If you are new to the Podcast please hit the subscribe button!
Finally a big shoutout to our Podcast sponsors HEAD.
This week we speak to tour veteran Joe O'Dwyer.
Joe was the coach of one of our recent guests Jeff Salzenstein who said we should get him on the show. Joe is also Irish but spent most of his life in the US or touring with players but I had seen him in Dublin on a few occasions.
Joe is known for his good stories and tennis wisdom. We hear plenty of stories with players you'll know as well as advice for tennis players of all levels who want to be pros and tools they need to get there.
Its definitely one of our more entertaining episodes but also carries just as much advice.
Hope you enjoy it!!
Shout out to our Podcast sponsors Head.
This week we speak to pro Marcus Willis. Marcus is known for his impressive run at Wimbledon in 2016 where he came through pre-qualies, qualies, taking down players such as as Medvedev, Rublev, Sugita and going on to face Roger Federer in Round 2 of the main draw on a packed Centre Court.
Marcus tells us about:
- Junior Career and difficulties moving into the mens game
- Build up and aftermath to the Wimbledon run
- Challenges he has faced throughout his career
- How parenting has changed his outlook
- Preparing for a return to the tour
- Advise for Juniors
- Answer some questions from our Instagram followers
Tap the PLAY button above and enjoy.
Thanks to our Podcast sponsors Head, who make the best rackets in the game 😀
I mention The Functional Tennis Match Journal and Practice Journal on todays episode and you can check them out here.
If you use Apple Podcast, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher or have another favourite podcast player you will find us there, just search for "Functional Tennis"
This week we speak to full time pro hitting partner, Mike Digby.
Englishman Mike graduated from US College in 2019 and decided to work as a full time hitting partner rather than go after a singles/doubles career. He tells us why he choose to go down this route and how he got into it as well as 10 things he learned from hitting with some of the best players in the world such as Federer, Osaka, Tsitsipas, Nadal, Halep, Djokovic and more.
Download a review of Mike's 10 points here
You can follow Mike on Instagram here or checkout his website here
Big thanks to our Podcast Sponsors HEAD 😀
This week we have 29 year old Irishman David O'Hare on the podcast. David (Dave) is a former pro who quit due to an unfortunate injury but used his connections to stay in the game and to coach some of the worlds best doubles players.
He talks about his Junior and College (#3 ranked doubs) career and how he went from a coaching gig in New Zealand just before the 2019 Aussie open to be drafted in as a coach to Luke Bambridge to coaching at the ATP Tour finals with Rajeev Ram and his College doubles partner Joe Salisbury.
We speaks openly about the challenges on the tour and sometimes it's not what it's made out to be. It's very interesting and I really enjoyed my first in person chat and look forward to more in the future.
Shout out to our Podcast Sponsors Head who have just realised a new Prestige which I am looking forward to testing.
This week we speak to Jake Eames who is involved in tennis on a few different levels. He is a former pro from Australia who:
- Is a coach and works with promising Aussie Juniors
- Hitting partner to WTA pros such as Caroline Wozniacki, Ash Barty, Sam Stosur and more
- Founder of Letour, an upcoming tennis brand adding colour to he game with eco friendly clothing and awesome designs
I was lucky to meet Jake In Australia 12 months ago and I through it would be a great idea to share his story on the podcast.
Its a great listen, hope you enjoy it!!
Shoutout to our Sponsors HEAD, you rock 😀
Follow Jake and Letour
https://www.instagram.com/eamesjake
https://www.instagram.com/letourtennis/
You may seen some of Jeff's instructional video online, I certainly have and was very excited to get him on the Podcast.
Jeff Salzenstein is a former Top 100 players who played during the Agassi / Sampras generation and then at the early Federer / Nadal generation. He gives some great insight into his career, stories about Sampras, Federer and his fun Irish coach Joe O'Dwyer
He also gives great advise on life lessons on and off the court.
With everyone so busy this week spending time with their family I originally wanted to not upload an episode this week but I decided to do a solo slow and do a review of Functional Tennis in 2019, plans for 2020 and thank yous. This episode helps give us a small look inside Functional Tennis.
If you have have any suggestions for 2020 you can find me at:
- email - ace@functionaltennis.com
- Instagram - @functionalTennis
- Twitter - @fabmol
Also huge thanks to your Podcast sponsors HEAD.
This week we speak to the founder of the touchtennis, Rashid Ahmad. touchtennis is a fun adaptation of tennis.
Rashid tells us all about his early days writing about classic tennis matches to figuring out a way to beat tennis pros with his rules to growing touch tennis into an International tips. There are also business and life tips throw in.
It's a fun but interesting episode which you cant miss!!
This week we have a short episode with Mexican Pro Tennis Photographer Regina Cortina.
As well as speaking to players and coaches we like to talk to people working in tennis who don't hit tennis balls!
Regina tells us how she got into photography and tennis as well as travelling around the world and how she gets the key shots.
You can check out Regina's awesome work here.
Huge thanks to our Sponsors HEAD who make our favourite tenis rackets here at Functional Tennis
This week I am super excited to speak to USC (University of Southern California) Head Coach Brett Masi. USC are one the US's best College Teams, and have won countless national titles. It was a privilege to speak to Brett.
Brett tells us about his College Coaching career, working with players such as Steve Johnson and Robert Farah and legendary coach Peter Smith, winning a National Title and been able to deal with the pressure of coaching at USC and trying to keep their success moving forward.
This week we speak to German player Dominik Koepfer. Dominik had one US College option at The University of Tulane, he took it and by end of it he was the top college player in the US and has managed to raise the level of his team bringing them from an unranked team to a top 25 team.
He tells us about his journey from playing only twice a week as a junior to becoming a Top 100 ATP player and challenges he met along the way.
We also speak to Dominik's assistant coach at Tulane, Niall Fitzgerald who tells us what coaches and the other players saw in him.
Shout to our Podcast Sponsors HEAD, our #1 rackets at Functional Tennis
This week we have ATP/WTA Coach Billy Heiser who is part of the Add2PErformace Team and together with them he is the coach of Top 20 WTA Alison Riske and Top 100 Dominik Koepfer.
Billy is a young coach but has helped his players move quickly through the rankings. He tells us what it's like been a coach, working with and the qualities of his players, we speak about coach finances and salaries and he offer advice on how to improve as a coach.
In episode 20 we speak to Dave Mullins who works for the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) and he tells us the in and outs of College Tennis and what you need to know if you have thought about College Tennis.
Dave was a top junior playing in the Junior Grand Slams, he played College Tennis at Fresno State followed by a playing on the Irish Davis Cup team and then moving into College Coaching where he spent 10 years achieving different levels of success throughout his tenure.
Dave has plenty to offer in this episode and if you want to know more about College tennis this episode is for you.
This week we have a short and snappy episode with the 21 year old Jay Clarke.
Jay is a former Tennis Europe Number 1, British Under 18 number 1 and within 2 years of starting out in the mens circuit was in the worlds best 200. He tells us how he achieved this with the coaching help of his family and without the need to base himself in an expensive academy. He talks about his focus to move from the Futures tour quickly, his great matches at Wimbledon as well as telling us whats its like to play Roger Federer on the grass of SW19.
Thanks to our Podcast sponsors Head. Tap the PLAY button and enjoy
I am a long term fan of the Top Tennis Training and was delighted to have its founder Simon Konov on todays episode. Simon tells us all about how he got started in tennis and onto coaching and how over working left him in hospital where soon after Top Tennis Training was born where now they offer great tennis training courses as well as putting out great content on all their social platforms. We hear all about how he runs Top Tennis Training day to day along with his business partner / ex pro Alex Slabinsky and also talks about working with top pros such as David Ferrer and Nalbandian as well as Roger Federer!!
In this weeks episode we speak to Scottish Master Performance coach Kris Soutar who many people told me I must interview! It was great to eventually chat to him where we talk about all the things he is involved with on a daily basis from working with top coaches around the UK to travelling and working with Judy Murray, online work and his passion projects, The Service Box and the Tennis Journal Podcast.
He also offers great advice for coaches, parents and kids which you should take onboard.
Tap the Play Button!!
Excited to have Noah Rubin on this weeks podcast.
- Beating Benoit Paire on his Grand Slam debut
- The successful Behind the Racquet platform which Noah is the brains behind. It provides a platform for tennis players to share their mental health challenges throughout their career
- Former Junior Wimbledon and USTA Nationals champion
- Spent 1 year at Wake Forest, reached the NCAA finals and went pro
- ATP/WTA level versus ITF Juniors
- Injury challenges
If you find it interesting please share with your tennis friends and family.
Thanks to our new sponsor HEAD
This week we have rising teenager Kaja Juvan from Slovenia. Kaja has quickly moved from a top ITF junior to just outside the WTA Top 100 with her rise only slowing down due to her commitment to finish school. She tells us about missing the US Open due to exams, playing Serena at Wimbledon, easy going parents, advice for juniors, difference between WTA players and top Juniors and more.
If you are new to the Functional Tennis Podcast, Hello! 👋 Please hit the subscribe button on your favourite podcast app and share with your tennis friends!!
Hope you enjoy the show
Delighted to have Women's Tennis Coaching Association founder Sarah Stone on this weeks episode.
Sarah tells us about growing up in the tennis world, partnering Sam Stosur, coaching her to 3 grand slam doubles titles and world doubles number 1. She tells us about the WTCA and how it helps coaches and how to get involved. We touch on some controversial tennis topics and she ends offering advice for juniors and advice.
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This week we have Nikki Roenn from Unstrung Customs who talks about his tennis career and how he moved into the string and customisation business. Unstrung Customs string and customise rackets for pros and players all over the world, they use 3d printing to make custom pallets affordable and a quicker process and also offer a custom racket painting service.
If have have any interest in string, stringing, rackets and racket customisation you should have a listen. Nikki answers questions from our Instagram followers in all the sections above. You'll learn some simple tricks to get your strings setup better as well as advice on some new strings. He even tells us about the rackets of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray which he has worked on.
We speak to former top 20 ATP pro Florian Mayer. You may remember Florian unorthodox strokes and jumping backhand dropshots. He made life difficult for so many players on court and the list of players he beat is very impressive.
Florian tells us about his career, best matches, playing a 16 year old Rafa, beating Rafa at the Shanghai masters, the 3 players he could not beat, dealing with injuries and more!
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Super excited to have Ken Skupski on this weeks episode. I know Ken quite a while as he is a great customer from my real job, FunkyChristmasJumpers.com!!.
Ken is a doubles specialist and he has enjoyed success on the world tour and even more since the arrival of his kids. He has 3 kids and tells us what it's like to be a pro with kids and how he deals with it. He tells us of his dream coming through having his brother as a partner to having to end that partnership (His brother Neal now plays with Jamie Murray). We also speak about his early days playing doubles as a young kid, moving into college tennis tennis and then onto his pro journey. He also talks about the exciting World Team Tennis.
Tap the play button, I promise you will enjoy it!
This week we speak to the first Liechtensteiner to play in a Grand Slam, Kathinka von Deichmann who played in the 2018 US Open. Kathinka tells us about her early days in Lithuania, training in Europe, her first slam and whats happened over the past 12 months. Her positivity shines through and will bring her success in the future.
On this weeks episode I speak to a good friend of mine Garry Cahill. Gary has been at the top level of Tennis performance training in Ireland for over 10 years with the National Federation and is now setting up his own performance business, Prodigy Tennis, which he will work with not only with players, but academies and Federations outside of Ireland. He speaks to us about all things tennis and gives great advice for players, parents and coaches.
This week we speak to the 2019 NCAA Division 1 Singles Champ. Paul tells us about his junior days, been advised to go to college in the USA, winning the NCAA's singles title and getting a Wimbledon wildcard.
If you found this episode interesting please share with your tennis friends and subscribe so you don't miss out on next weeks episode.
We speak to Anthony Harris, coach of ATP Top 100 Lloyd Harris.
Anthony has done so much good for tennis in South Africa with his Match Foundation helping kids from under privileged background find success in tennis and life.
We speak about
- His early tennis days and becoming No.1 in Zimbabwe
- Going straight into High Performance coaching
- Building an academy in Cape Town
- The Match Foundation
- Lloyd Harris
- Advice for Coaches and Juniors
Super stoked to have the super nice Rohan Bopanna on this week's episode.
Rohan has been playing pro tennis for 20 years and is currently still a top doubles player. He has been ranked as high as Number 3, has played in 3 slam finals winning 1.
Rohan tell us about
- Managing his body after 20 years in the game
- Doubles in 2019 compared to 20 years ago
- Playing doubles with singles players
- Grand Slam Finals
- Winning his first Challenger title in my home club in Dublin
- His all time favourite match
- The Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy
- His love of coffee
Make sure you subscribe and share this episode with your tennis friends 😀
On this week's episode we have the inventor of the TopspinPro, Phil Hofmeyr.
Phil tells us how he came about with the great invention of the TopspinPro as well how he got it from that stage to now selling all over the world. The tennis product market can be very hard to break into and Phil has definitely achieved this.
Tap play and listen to Phil's great story.
I was very excited to speak to Mark Petchey, former pro players, coach and commentator for over 20 years. I remember seeing/listening to him commentating and providing valuable player insights from my younger days and it was a privilege to speak to him.
We talk about:
- Wimbledon 2019 reflection
- Why the speed of the courts must change
- Roger is the last link to Serve and Volley
- Mental ability of the top 3/4
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Look at tennis in 5 years
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Playing Agassi in 94
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Beating Chang/Stick/Haas
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Moving into coaching
- Andy Murray as a 16 year old
- Maria Sakkari
- Esteban Carril
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Felix Auger-Aliassime ball toss issue
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Life as a coach v commentator
- Hawkeye Data
- Prime video
And more
Hope you enjoy it.
We have had some audio issues which I though where my fault speaking over guests but after concentrating on not speaking over Mark and our next recording and editing I have realised it my issue but a software issue. Apologies about this and from episode 7 it will be fixed.
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Fabio
We are delighted to have Allistair McCaw in this weeks episode. Allistair has a vast array of experience in the top level of tennis and many other sports and professional fields.
Allistair is
- Mindset expert
- Physical trainer
- Keynote speaker
- Motivator
- Podcast host
- Growth mindset
- Consultant
- Multiple book author
Areas that we cover with Allistair are:
- His early life
- Leadership
- Coach and player characteristics you should look out for
- Difference between Kevin Anderson and Svetlana Kuznetsova
- Commitment to work
- Advantages of going to University
- Balance (on court)
- Advice to his 15 year old self
Hope you enjoy it!
Allistair has 3 books:
- Building a great team culture
- Champion minded
- 7 keys to becoming a great coach
and you can find Allistair at the below channels
Website
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Introducing the Functional Tennis Podcast. A brief intro Functional tennis and whats in store.