Nicole Melichar-Martinez, ranked #21 on the WTA doubles tour, shares insider perspectives on partnership dynamics, tournament conditions, and the future of doubles. The clay season in Europe offers beautiful cities, but she isn't a fan of the extended tournaments Which tournaments treat the doubles players well, and which ones need improvement WTA now conducts post-tournament surveys to gather player feedback Her take on the 2025 season so far, including partnership breakups, WTA Finals favorite...
May 21, 2025•39 min•Ep. 237
Craig Veal shares his experience coaching three top-40 WTA doubles players: Desirae Krawczyk (#14), Olivia Nicholls (#32), and Teresa Mihalikova (#34). Currently in Paris, preparing his players for the upcoming French Open, Craig and I discussed how he manages multiple players while sharing strategy insights, and more. Craig's coaching philosophy centers on "coaching people first, tennis second," which has led to long-term coaching relationships He shares one doubles tactic that is more effectiv...
May 16, 2025•44 min•Ep. 236
John Parsons from the No-Ad No Problem Podcast brings his expert knowledge of college tennis to the show. We break down the NCAA Sweet 16, discuss the broader college tennis landscape, and explore how it can increase its television presence. We dive into the lessons college tennis can learn from beach volleyball's TV success and explore how the sport could experiment with formats to become more broadcast-friendly. College tennis hasn't been on ESPN linear networks since 2017, while beach volleyb...
May 09, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 235
Luke Johnson is currently ranked #40 in ATP doubles and is coming off his biggest career win at the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona with partner Sander Arends. I spoke with him earlier this week about his recent success, doubles strategy, and more. How he and Sander's complementary playing styles create an effective partnership Advantages to using different returning styles and court positioning The journey of rising through the ATP rankings, effectively halving his ranking each year for fi...
Apr 24, 2025•46 min•Ep. 234
Erin Routliffe, the #3 ranked WTA doubles player, unpacks her recent title run in Charleston with Jelena Ostapenko and shares insights about navigating the 2025 season so far. How her off-season injury affected her at the start of the year and how Gaby Dabrowski supported her Experience playing doubles with Ostapenko and winning in Charleston Differences between playing with Ostapenko versus her regular partner Gaby Dabrowski Plans for the clay court swing Why she doesn't look at draws Her ...
Apr 11, 2025•33 min•Ep. 233
In this special episode on the state of doubles and the professional doubles debate, I speak with ATP & WTA Coach, Dan Kiernan. Dan is the coach of Gaby Dabrowski, Michael Venus, and Nikola Mektic, and has been on the show several times before (below). In this conversation, we examine the future of doubles from multiple perspectives and challenge current assumptions about the format's viability. Reactions to the idea that "doubles specialists have no place in the future of tennis&q...
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 232
Ellen Perez is the #17 doubles player on the WTA tour. I spoke with her at Indian Wells on an off day after her 2nd round win with Jelena Ostapenko. We discussed their partnership, working with coach Rennae Stubbs, US Open Mixed changes, and more. Working with Rennae Stubbs and understanding strategic shot placement Ostapenko's funny on-court nature Partnership changes early in the 2025 WTA doubles season Goals for the rest of 2025 Adjusting to playing with doubles specialists like Melichar...
Mar 25, 2025•18 min•Ep. 231
Andrea Vavassori is the #9 doubles player on the ATP Tour and won the 2024 US Open Mixed Doubles title with Sara Errani. He also reached the final of the men's doubles at the Australian Open earlier this year. I spoke with him at Indian Wells this year about those achievements, his vision for the future of doubles, the controversial US Open mixed doubles changes, and a lot more. Potential innovations for mixed doubles including a ranking system and year-end Masters event to increase visibil...
Mar 20, 2025•33 min•Ep. 230
Demi Schuurs and Asia Muhammad join the show for their 3rd and 2nd times respectively (listen to the previous episode with Demi | episode with Asia ). This team just won the BNP Paribas Open and I chatted with them after their second-round victory at Indian Wells just before practice on their off day. We discussed their impressive run to that point in the tournament, how their partnership formed, what's working so well, and more. Defeating Olympic champions and major finalists Paolini/Erran...
Mar 17, 2025•16 min•Ep. 229
Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten are the #1 doubles team on the ATP tour, having captured two of the last three major doubles titles including Wimbledon 2024 and Australian Open 2025. I spoke with them in Indian Wells a few days before the start of the BNP Paribas Open. In this conversation, we discuss their practice routines, their partnership, the state of ATP doubles, and more. Detailed breakdown of their practice sessions, including specific drills like "volleyball" for serve and ...
Mar 14, 2025•37 min•Ep. 228
Kimberly Birrell is the #76 singles player on the WTA tour and reached the finals of the Australian Open in mixed doubles a few months ago. I spoke with Kim after her round-one victory in Austin Texas at the ATX Open. We discussed her recent Australian Open performance, how she's improved her game as her career has developed, and more. Kim's experience playing AO mixed with doubles veteran JP Smith Singles vs doubles mindset, and the importance of belief and partnership trust Discussin...
Mar 06, 2025•24 min•Ep. 227
Heather Watson is a Wimbledon mixed doubles champion. Maia Lumsden is the #72 doubles player on the WTA Tour. I spoke with them in Austin after their round one win at the ATX Open. We spoke about the match, the playing conditions, and more. Heather's plans for doubles and why she wants to play more How Heather prepared for the 2024 Olympics where she reached the quarterfinals in the women's doubles draw Maia's goals for the rest of the season Strong opinions on the recent mixed do...
Mar 05, 2025•13 min•Ep. 226
An exploration of the ongoing debate surrounding professional doubles and its future. In this episode, I directly address the recent comments about doubles from Andy Roddick and Jon Wertheim on the Served Podcast, ignited by Reilly Opelka. I also created a separate video addressing the issue (see links in show notes below) . I believe one of the problems we face is that there has been an echo chamber culture around the doubles debate. We need people with different opinions to come together for c...
Feb 28, 2025•32 min•Ep. 225
Rob Galloway is a top 30 doubles player on the ATP Tour. He made the finals of the 2025 Dallas Open with Ariel Behar. Rob's great story shows the importance of hard work and mindset to improve in doubles. In this conversation, Rob shares. Early obstacles and his decision to pursue a professional career The transition from college to pro tennis The significance of staying healthy and having a growth mindset as a player Mixed doubles and being a part of Team USA at the United Cup Improving th...
Feb 26, 2025•25 min•Ep. 224
Jamie Murray is a 7-time Grand Slam Doubles Champion and a former world #1 with 34 career men's doubles titles. I set up a 15-minute interview with Jamie during the Dallas Open and we didn't talk about any of that. We also didn't discuss strategy, tactics, or mindset for improving your doubles game. I never asked about his story, or mentioned his brother Andy or his mother Judy. Instead, we talked about how to grow professional doubles. And the conversation lasted a full hour. Jam...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 223
Robert Cash and JJ Tracy are two rising doubles stars on the ATP Tour. They reached the semifinals of the Dallas Open, propelling their rankings inside the top 100 for the first time. College teammates at Ohio State, the chemistry between them is obvious when they play. I chatted with them after their quarterfinal win in Dallas about college tennis and a lot more. The serve dominance in their quarterfinal win Discussing their Dallas Open tournament experience and venue appeal Tactical adjustment...
Feb 15, 2025•7 min•Ep. 222
Ariel Behar and Rob Galloway made the finals at the Dallas Open and are now ranked #41 and #25 on the ATP doubles tour, respectively. In this post-match interview, we discuss their quarterfinal win in Dallas, their goals for 2025, the potential for making doubles more popular, and more. Insight on their quarterfinal and R16 match where they faced the top seeds and friends of Rob - Nate Lammons & Jackson Withrow Goals vs process and enjoying the journey Enhancing doubles visibility through so...
Feb 14, 2025•10 min•Ep. 221
Jamie Murray and John Peers are both multiple-time Grand Slam Doubles Champions. They reached the semifinals of the 2025 Dallas Open where I spoke with them after their quarterfinal win. They reflect on their crazy comeback victory from a set and 2-6 down in the 2nd set tiebreaker. By ATP standards, this is a huge deficit. We talk about resilience, adjustments related to the match, and more. How they climbed out of their big hole in the tiebreaker Insights on mental strength and key strategic ad...
Feb 13, 2025•9 min•Ep. 220
This episode includes two post-match interviews with 2025 Dallas Open Champions, Christian Harrison and Evan King. They won six matches without dropping a set, resulting in new career-high ATP doubles rankings of 55 and 54. They share the importance of teamwork, communication, and chemistry. We also discussed the effective return strategy that I believe helped lead them to the success they had in Dallas. Importance of chemistry and their off-court friendship Strategy of the two-back return forma...
Feb 12, 2025•15 min•Ep. 219
Louis Cayer is one of the smartest doubles minds on the planet. He is a Senior Performance Advisor for the LTA, and the strategic brain behind every successful British ATP doubles player of the last few decades. He's worked with players doubles grand slam champions like Jamie Murray, Joe Salisbury, Neal Skupski, Henry Patten, and more. I spoke with Louis at the 2025 Australian Open, several days before one of his teams (Henry Patten & Harri Heliovaara) won the title. Whether you're...
Feb 05, 2025•27 min•Ep. 218
For the 4th year in a row, I bring Peter Lebedevs on the show to preview the Dallas Open. The 2025 tournament is undergoing remarkable changes as it transitions to an ATP 500-level tournament, bringing in a stronger singles and doubles field. It's also moving to a larger venue at the Dallas Cowboys' practice facility in Frisco, Texas. Fans can expect world-class tennis, great food & drinks, and unique player engagement opportunities throughout the tournament. We discuss: Transition...
Jan 29, 2025•25 min•Ep. 217
Mark Petchey is a commentator and analyst for Tennis Channel and other television networks. He is also a former top 100 singles player on the ATP Tour. He's been around this sport for decades and understands the ins and outs of the tour, TV, and doubles. I spoke with Mark at the 2025 Australian Open, a few weeks after he sent out this tweet which created some buzz in the doubles world. I spoke with him about what he meant, and what he'd like to see change on tour for doubles. We discus...
Jan 22, 2025•31 min•Ep. 216
Calvin Betton is an ATP doubles coach. He works with Henry Patten & Harri Heliovaara who won Wimbledon in 2024, and Luke Johnson. I spoke with Calvin on the middle Sunday at the 2025 Australian Open. Calvin shares his work over the past year with Harri and Henry, including their run at Wimbledon. He breaks down the matchups, draw, and how he scouted their round 1 opponents incognito. After that, we dive into the growth of professional doubles. If you've listened to the podcast for a whi...
Jan 20, 2025•37 min•Ep. 215
The 2025 Australian Open is underway and this episode previews new teams and picks for the first major of the year. I recorded this from Melbourne with Tennis Tribe beat writer, Hanlon Walsh. We review the ATP then WTA draws discussing new partnerships and making 3 picks each for the 2025 AO Champions. I'll have more conversations with players and coaches from Melbourne over the next several weeks. Mentioned in this episode: Read Hanlon's 2025 Australian Open Doubles Preview Podcast wi...
Jan 14, 2025•38 min•Ep. 214
To celebrate the new year, I'm re-releasing the three most popular episodes of 2024. This was the top #1 episode from 2024... enjoy! For the strategy nerds... Jonathan Stokke joins the show for a second time as we discuss his Stokke Six. What are the Stokke Six? Simply put, they are errors to avoid that will dramatically improve your game. And I mean dramatically. Jonathan and I could talk strategy and tactics for days. He's one of my favorite coaches because of his ability to simplify...
Jan 09, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 213
To celebrate the new year, I'm re-releasing the three most popular episodes of 2024. This is #2... Tony Huber is the former coach of multiple doubles world #1 players including Liezel Huber, Martina Navratilova, Cara Black, Lisa Raymond, Ai Sugiyama, Latisha Chan, and Sonia Mirza. Today he coaches adult club-level players and I absolutely love his approach to the game. This is one of those conversations that you'll want to listen to multiple times. I believe it will change the way you ...
Jan 01, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 212
To celebrate the end of 2024, I'm re-releasing the three most popular episodes of the year. This is #3... Styrling Strother is an innovative tennis coach who trains junior players and adults to transform the way they practice and think about the match court. He is a Tennis Performance Trainer (TPT) with the International Tennis Performance Association (ITPA), a PTR Professional Coach, a best-selling author, and the founder of Styrling Strother Tennis, a player development program located in...
Dec 26, 2024•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 211
Harri Heliovaara is the 2024 Wimbledon gentlemen's doubles champion and the 2023 US Open mixed doubles champion. He's currently ranked #16 on the ATP doubles tour. Heliovaara is also one of my favorite players to watch because of his entertaining celebrations and on-court demeanor. This interview with Harri covers his Wimbledon run, doubles changes, his story, and more. Why he quit professional tennis in 2013 before returning in 2017. How he mentally overcame being down multiple match ...
Dec 18, 2024•57 min•Ep. 210
Are you using the right tennis racquet? What about strings? Jonas from Tennisnerd is one of the world's leading experts in tennis racquets and strings, having reviewed 1000s of racquets and consulted for ATP & WTA tour pros. I first met Jonas in Austria at the Head headquarters on a trip with Tennis Warehouse to test out the new Gravity. Recently, we went to SLO California to test more gear with the TW team. I've learned a ton from Jonas and wanted to have him on so you can too. In...
Dec 11, 2024•51 min•Ep. 209
It's the offseason, a time to reflect and prepare for next year. How will your training or practice improve in 2025? In this episode, I share 5 tips for improving your doubles game through more effective training this offseason. You cannot improve without tip #1. A common mistake in practice made by club-level doubles players. My favorite training tools (links below). What off-court training has helped me the most. If you can implement these tips, you'll be a better doubles player in 2...
Dec 05, 2024•22 min•Ep. 208
