Control the Controllables - podcast cover

Control the Controllables

Dan Kiernan, Director of SotoTennis Academy in Spain has created a podcast to entertain, educate and energise the tennis community. Hear Dan pick the brains of professional tennis players, coaches, parents, and others involved in High Performance Tennis.
Last refreshed:
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

French Open Week 1 Chaos Round Up!

Our CTC Live series continues from Roland Garros 2026! Host Dan Kiernan is joined by broadcaster Candy Reid and performance analyst Mike James to round up an extraordinary first week at the French Open. From Fonseca's stunning comeback against Djokovic to Sinner's shock exit in the heat, the drama has been non-stop. Dan also gives us a first-hand account of being at the tournament with his players, including a brilliant moment with Landaluce after his 5hr 58 minute epic. This is the place to go ...

Jun 01, 202646 minEp. 285

French Open Live

Listen to Dan and guest Freddie Nielsen chat through all the action from Day 4 & 5 at Roland Garros, including the shock departure of Jannik Sinner. They analyse what went wrong for Sinner, key upcoming matches, and who they think could now lift the trophy. Key Topics Yannick Sinner's unexpected exit and the implications for men's singles With the men´s draw wide open, anyone from Felix to Zverev or Cerundolo could take the title Heat, mental fatigue, and injuries are influencing player perf...

May 29, 202645 minEp. 284

French Open Live Breakdown! Talking about the 1st few days of action in Paris. W/ Calvin Betton.

Our CTC Live series is back for Roland Garros 2026, bringing you first-hand updates from the courts of Paris! Sponsored by Novellus Finance: https://novellusfinance.com/uk/ In this episode, Dan is joined by Calvin Betton, a 2 time Grand Slam-winning coach, live from the tournament, to break down the action from the first three days. They cover the extraordinary heat gripping Paris, the big seeds falling, integrity questions around the doubles draw, and some brilliant stories from inside the lock...

May 27, 202646 minEp. 283

French Open 2026 Preview

We're back for Roland Garros 2026! Host Dan Kiernan is joined by our Grand Slam panellists, two of them live from Paris during qualifying week, to preview all the action we can expect from the clay courts over the next fortnight. They discuss the Carlos Alcaraz injury situation and the wider player burnout debate, the future of US college tennis, and the prize money controversy making headlines at this year's tournament. Plus dark horses across both draws, key storylines to watch, and their winn...

May 23, 20261 hr 28 minEp. 282

CTC Short: Remembering Dr. Jim Loehr — The Sports Psychologist Who Changed Tennis Forever

Today´s episode is a tribute to one of sport's greatest minds Dr. Jim Loehr, who sadly passed away last month aged 83. Dr. Loehr was one of the world’s leading performance psychologists and a true pioneer in mental fitness. Across a remarkable five-decade career, he worked with hundreds of elite athletes including Grand Slam champions Jim Courier, Monica Seles and Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario. His work helped transform the way athletes viewed mental performance — not as a weakness, but as an essentia...

May 19, 202622 minEp. 281

Maxime Tchoutakian: Coaching Vicky Mboko & Life on the WTA Tour

What does it really take to coach at the very top of the game? And how does a 32-year-old coach find himself leading the journey of one of the fastest-rising players in world tennis? In this episode of Control the Controllables, we sit down with Maxime Tchoutakian, the coach of Vicky Mboko — a 19-year-old who has taken the tennis world by storm, breaking into the Top 10 in less than a year. But Max’s story is just as compelling as the player he now coaches. Ranked 530 in the world as a player, h...

May 01, 20261 hr 20 minEp. 280

CTC Short: British Doubles Pioneer – Celebrating Jamie Murray’s Legacy

A tribute to a British tennis legend. This week on Control the Controllables, we're marking the retirement of one of Great Britain´s greatest ever players, Jamie Murray. 7 Grand Slam titles. 39 tour-level titles. World Number 1. Davis Cup Winner & Olympian. The man who put British doubles on the map and helped spark a generation of GB doubles players that continue to thrive on the tour today. We went back into the archives to pull out one of our favourite moments from our episode with Jamie ...

Apr 17, 202619 minEp. 279

Adam Jones: Inside Life as a Hitting Partner to the World’s Best

What does it really look like behind the scenes with the best players in the world? This week on Control the Controllables, we sit down with Adam Jones -hitting partner to the world's best, doubles professional, and the man behind Forehands & Flat Whites, the Instagram account quietly taking over tennis feeds everywhere. In 2026 alone, Jonesy has celebrated with the Australian Open women's champion on Rod Laver Arena, hit with Djokovic, Sinner and Rybakina and won his first professional doub...

Apr 02, 20261 hr 16 minEp. 278

Sander Gillé: The Unconventional Path to the Top of Professional Tennis

What if you didn’t have to be a top junior to become a professional tennis player? In this episode of Control the Controllables, we speak with Belgian professional tennis player Sander Gille, a Roland Garros finalist, Olympic competitor, Davis Cup player and former World No.18 in doubles. Sander’s journey to the top of the game is anything but traditional. He wasn’t a standout junior, didn’t grow up expecting to turn professional, and at 17 he chose US college tennis simply to continue playing w...

Mar 13, 20261 hr 27 minEp. 277

Australian Open 2026 Review

Join us as we unpack the biggest storylines from the 2026 Australian Open! From Osaka´s dramatic outfit entrance on Rod Laver Arena to Djokovic rolling back the years to take out Sinner in the semi-finals, we analyse the epic matches, player performances and behind-the-scenes moments in Melbourne. Host Dan Kiernan is joined by our Grand Slam panelists: Denmark´s Davis Cup Captain and 2012 Wimbledon Doubles Champion, Freddie Nielsen Top S&C Coach Kieron Vorster who has worked with Liam Broady...

Feb 03, 20261 hr 31 minEp. 276

Australian Open 2026 Preview

We’re back for the Australian Open 2026! Host Dan Kiernan is joined by our Grand Slam panelists to preview all the action we can expect from Melbourne over the next fortnight. They discuss the standout players, popcorn match-ups and potential dark horses. They also look at the impact of this years tennis balls for players, new 2026 partnerships in the doubles draws and give their predictions for this years winners! Meet our Panelists: GB Coach Calvin Betton who is currently working with Henry Pa...

Jan 17, 20261 hr 38 minEp. 275

Lloyd Glasspool´s Journey to ATP Doubles No.1

In this special episode of Control the Controllables, Dan Kiernan looks back at one of the most remarkable journeys in British tennis — Lloyd Glasspool’s rise to Year-End World No.1 in ATP Doubles, aged 32. This episode is built around clips from Lloyd’s three previous appearances on the show, recorded across five pivotal years of his career. From being ranked 150 in the world in doubles in 2020, to winning his first Grand Slam in front of a home crowd at Wimbledon in 2025, listen to Lloyd´s dev...

Dec 31, 202549 minEp. 274

CTC LIVE: Reaction To Alcaraz & Ferrero Split

One of the most successful and emotionally connected player–coach partnerships in modern tennis has come to an end. In this episode, Dan breaks down the split between world number 1 Carlos Alcaraz and his long-term coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, analysing their statements, the timing, the power dynamics, and what it means for the 2026 season — including the ripple effect on rivals like Jannik Sinner. Ferrero first spotted Alcaraz at age 14 near his academy in southeast Spain. Their official partners...

Dec 18, 202531 minEp. 273

From Louisiana to the ATP Finals: A Tennis Family’s Journey with Christian Harrison

Christian Harrison’s story isn’t your typical tennis journey. Formerly a top 200 singles player, his career has been repeatedly derailed by surgeries, setbacks, and a foot injury at Wimbledon 2022 that convinced him to walk away from singles altogether. 8 surgeries before age 25 would finish most players. Cristian just adjusted. Now at 31, he’s producing the best tennis of his life on the doubles court. In 2025 Harrison has rocketed to world number 15 alongside partner Evan King. The pair starte...

Dec 15, 20251 hr 33 minEp. 272

From Antigua to the Pro Tour: Jody Maginley’s Tennis Journey and Podcast Success

This week we sat down with Jody Maginley , a professional doubles tennis player and co-founder of The Changeover Podcast, one of the fastest-growing shows in tennis. Jody takes us from growing up in Antigua (population ~90k) with limited access to high-level tennis, to navigating US college and chasing points and paychecks on the pro tour. We get into the realities most fans never see; money, logistics, late-night travel and tough losses, and how that experience pushed him to build a platform th...

Nov 30, 20251 hr 45 minEp. 271

What Data is Making a Real Difference on the ATP Tour with Tom Corrie

It´s been said for many years that data and performance analytics in tennis is way behind other sports. Not just for improving player performance but also fan engagement. One of the reasons for this is the inconsistency of how the data is presented across our industry. TennisViz is trying to correct that. Today we speak to Tm Corrie who is Head of Performance, Media and Broadcast for TennisViz. They provide data for coaches and the media for the ATP tour. In the episode you´ll hear Tom and Dan s...

Nov 11, 20251 hr 35 minEp. 270

WTA Finals Semi-Finals LIVE Round-up

In today´s episode, Dan is joined by sports journalist Candy Reid to chat through all the latest action from semi-finals day of the WTA Finals in Riyadh. This episode was originally aired live on our Control the Controllables YouTube channel . Listen to Dan & Candy discuss the dynamics of the event, recap matches, preview today´s semi-finals and answer questions from listeners. They also make their picks for who will win the singles and doubles titles! What we do know is that we will have th...

Nov 07, 202554 minEp. 269

WTA Finals Round-up LIVE from Riyadh

In today´s episode Dan is coming to us LIVE from the WTA Finals out in Saudi Arabia. This is a replay of his live stream on our Control the Controllables YouTube channel , where he gave us a round-up all the action from the first 3 days of tennis in Riyadh. Listen to behind-the-scenes insights into the event set-up, and how the top 8 singles players and doubles teams are looking. Dan also recaps of the singles and doubles matches so far. Episode Highlights: Dan discusses the improvements made on...

Nov 03, 202533 minEp. 268

Teaching the Mindset: What Tennis Players Really Need (But Rarely Get) with Dr Callum Gowling

Anger, tears, frustration - all junior players have experienced this at some point on a tennis court - but these are not signs of weakness. In this powerful episode, leading sports Psychologist Dr. Callum Gowling explains how emotion can fuel performance when it’s understood, not punished. With decades of experience working with elite players and coaches, Dr. Gowling breaks down the real challenges tennis players face, from pressure and confidence to stress and relationships, and how honest conv...

Oct 09, 20251 hr 38 minEp. 267

US Open 2025 Review with Gaby Dabrowski & Erin Routliffe

Listen to our very special US Open Review episode brought to you by Novellus, as we are joined by the 2025 Women’s Doubles Champions Gaby Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe! The pair who are coached by CTC Host Dan Kiernan, share their journey to their second Grand Slam title, and answer questions from our panellists and listeners. Our panel also look back on the highs and lows of what was a very eventful 3 weeks at Flushing Meadows, which saw both Carlos Alcaraz & Aryna Sabalenka crowned Champion...

Sep 09, 20251 hr 33 minEp. 266

Andrea Vavassori: Why winning the US Open Mixed Doubles Title was so Important for Doubles

A fortnight on from the much anticipated new mixed doubles format at the US Open, Dan chats to Andrea Vavassori on his win with fellow Italian, Sara Errani As the only specialist doubles team invited to enter, they saw off some of the top singles tennis players in the world to successfully defend their US Open Mixed Doubles title. In this live YouTube episode, Dan is joined by Vavassori to talk about the excitement surrounding the event, the energy from the crowds and why winning the event in Ne...

Sep 02, 202541 minEp. 265

US Open 2025 LIVE Preview

With the US Open getting underway today, we´re bringing you the Live YouTube episode of our US Open 2025 Preview Dan was joined by CTC favourite and Denmark´s Davis Cup Captain Freddie Nielsen to look at what we can expect from the final Grand Slam of 2025. Listen to them break down the best match ups in the draw, give their dark horses to watch out for and potential winners. Plus, how the unique atmosphere that Flushing Meadows provides can affect player performance. Head to our CTC YouTube cha...

Aug 24, 20251 hr 14 minEp. 264

CTC Shorts: Why has the US Open Mixed Doubles evoked such strong emotions?

The US Open Mixed Doubles has been the talk of tennis the past few days. The new format has been debated for months, and now it´s over, opinion is still divided! Host Dan Kiernan jumps on to today´s CTC Short to recap the event in New York and look at why it has stirred up such strong feelings in the tennis world. With Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori beating Iga Swiatek & Casper Ruud to sucessfully defend their title, Dan looks at why this feels like a victory for all doubles players. What ...

Aug 21, 202523 min

August Holmgren: Wimbledon Sensation and Challenger Champion

In today's episode, we have the Danish star August Holmgren. Straight after his incredible run at Wimbledon, reaching the 3rd round with 2 matches that lasted 5 sets across qualifying and main draw, before playing Alex De Minaur. And directly following Wimbledon, he went on to win his next Challenger tournament in Granby. August attended the University of San Diego and advanced to the NCAA individual final, where he faced a certain Ben Shelton. Reached a career high of 144 in the world and climb...

Aug 13, 20251 hr 12 minEp. 263

Tristan Boyer: Fighting for the ATP Top 100

In today´s episode we speak to American pro tennis player Tristan Boyer. Tristan has a career high ranking of 109 in the world, and played college tennis at Stanford University. He shares his experiences of moving up the rankings as he tries to break the ATP top 100. From playing Futures as a junior, to winning Challenger events after turning pro in February 2023, to playing top players like Tommy Paul and Alex De Minaur. Episode Highlights:- Tristan reflects on the challenges of managing expect...

Aug 03, 20251 hr 18 minEp. 262

Lloyd Glasspool & Julian Cash - Wimbledon Champions 2025

In today´s episode Dan speaks to 2025 Wimbledon Champions Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash. Glasspool and Cash made history at SW19, becoming the first all-British pair to win the Mens Doubles title since 1936. A week on from lifting their first Grand Slam trophy, they tell us all about their run to the title, how they are feeling and if it has sunk in yet. Episode highlights:- What went through Lloyd´s mind as he served for the Championship. Julian talks us through how he almost had to withdraw ...

Jul 19, 202553 minEp. 261

Wimbledon 2025 LIVE Review

Wimbledon 2025 did not disappoint! From early upsets, unexpected runs by qualifiers (and alternates!), to two new Wimbledon champions in Sinner and Swiatek, it´s been an exciting 2 weeks at SW19! And the sun shone throughout! CTC Host Dan Kiernan went live on YouTube to review all of the action with our Grand Slam panellists:- Denmark´s Davis Cup Captain and 2012 Wimbledon Doubles Champion, Freddie Nielsen Top S&C Coach Kieron Vorster who has worked with Liam Broady, Dan Evans, Tim Henman an...

Jul 15, 20251 hr 13 minEp. 260

Wimbledon Lives Day 12 Recap and Finals Preview W/ Calvin Betton and Freddie Nielsen

Our CTC LIVE series is back for Wimbledon 2025! Dan will be rounding up all the action from the Championships, joined by special guests from the world of tennis. Who is winning each final? These are shorter episodes that we´ll bring you throughout the tournament to provide you with insights and a round-up of the biggest talking points of the tournament. Today, Dan is joined by two CTC fan favourites, Calvin Betton and Freddie Nielsen! Episode Highlights:- Reviewing the Men's Singles semi-finals ...

Jul 12, 20251 hr 6 minEp. 8

Wimbledon Lives Day 11 Recap and Day 12 Preview W/ Mel South & Will Boucek

Our CTC LIVE series is back for Wimbledon 2025! Dan will be rounding up all the action from the Championships, joined by special guests from the world of tennis. These are shorter episodes that we´ll bring you throughout the tournament to provide you with insights and a round-up of the biggest talking points of the tournament. Today, Dan is joined by Mel South, commentator and former WTA top 100 player. As well as Will Boucek, host of the Doubles Only podcast. Episode Highlights:- The amazing Me...

Jul 11, 202550 minEp. 7

Wimbledon Lives Day 10 Recap Day 11 Preview

Our CTC LIVE series is back for Wimbledon 2025! Dan will be rounding up all the action from the Championships. Today's episode, we talk about the singles and doubles semi-finals, mixed doubles final and all the action from day 10. We are joined by podcast host, journalist, and former CNN sports anchor Candy Reid. These are shorter episodes that we´ll bring you throughout the tournament to provide you with insights and a round-up of the biggest talking points of the day. Episode Highlights:- Dan ...

Jul 10, 202541 minEp. 6
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android