We had so many great doubles tips this year and today I'm sharing a few of my favorites. 1:01 Paul Annacone on communication 2:48 Kelly Jones on basics of doubles 5:14 Mark Gellard on returning against I formation 6:42 On hitting the ball at it's highest point 8:37 Kelly Jones on being active at the net 10:56 Jessica Pegula on getting closer to the net 12:44 Erin Routliffe on leaving her alley open
Rajeev Ram is our guest for the 52nd episode of Baseline Intelligence. Rajeev is the reigning 3-time US Open Doubles Champion, is currently ranked 6th in the world, and recently won the ATP Tour Finals with his partner Joe Salisbury. We talk: 1:28 ATP Tour Finals 3:25 Deferring the toss 6:02 Being effective at the net 8:10 Covering the net 9:42 Tips for reflex volleys 12:24 I formation 15:31 Calling poaches 19:18 Turning the season around 20:11 Increasing his energy on the court 22:48 Communicat...
Dr. Jon Finn is our guest for the 51st episode of Baseline Intelligence. Dr. Finn is the author of the best-selling book "The Habit Mechanic" and is the founder of the award-winning Tougher Minds consultancy. We talk: 1:39 Why knowing doesn't lead to doing 4:54 The VUCA world 7:06 How to build positive habits 9:21 The nine factors that shape your behavior 18:16 Taking advice from other players 21:48 Triggers in a tennis match 25:18 Using court locations as a trigger 26:58 The best habit you can ...
Dustin Taylor is our guest for the 50th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Dustin helped UVA win three consecutive NCAA championships as the associate head coach and is currently the head men's tennis coach at Oklahoma State University. We talk: 1:38 Hands, eyes, and feet 4:42 Ball dropping vs. ball rising 7:20 Solving every ball 10:13 Hitting the outside of the ball 13:08 Creating space 17:58 Heavy and through 22:45 Discipline leads to freedom 25:58 Trusting your good is good enough 29:47 Best c...
Erin Routliffe is our guest for the 49th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Erin is ranked 12th in the WTA tour doubles rankings and partnered with Gaby Dabrowski to win this year's US Open. We talk: 1:23 Treating all matches the same 3:55 A losing record on the year 6:02 How she almost quit the game 11:27 Not covering her doubles alley 15:25 Net play when your partner returns 19:19 How to gel with a new partner 23:01 Poaching more often 25:49 Something people don't know about pros 28:04 Best coa...
Mark Gellard is our guest for the 48th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Mark is currently the coach of WTA #23 Magda Linette. Magda has experienced one the best seasons of her career, having reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in singles and reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open in doubles. We talk: 1:29 A normal day on tour 3:36 Using video to scout an opponent 6:38 Reviewing matches with a player 8:33 Coaching in pro matches 11:04 Magda's win vs. Azarenka 13:10 Avoiding the seco...
Paul Annacone is our guest for the 47th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Paul has coached some of the best players in the history of the game, including Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Tim Henman, Sloane Stephens, and Taylor Fritz. A former top 15 ATP singles player, you can see him weekly as a regular analyst on the Tennis Channel. We talk: 1:42 Why he rushed the net as a player 3:02 Mixing in serve and volley 5:30 Where to place your first volley 7:48 Height over the net 11:30 Doubles formations...
Our friend Joel Myers joins the pod to talk about this year's US Open. We talk: 1:12 Coco's breakthrough 6:00 How to compete against a consistent player 8:07 The Medvedev serve 11:31 Ben Shelton's game 16:30 The Shelton serve 19:30 Closing the net in doubles 25:58 What you can learn from pro doubles
Franco Herrero is our guest for the 45th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Franco is one of the premier fitness coaches in the tennis industry. He's worked with Reilly O'Pelka, Monica Puig, Sofia Lenin, and Tommy Paul. We talk: 1:51 How he got started in strength and conditioning 4:10 Observing a player's movement 7:40 What makes Tommy so quick 10:07 Applying force 13:14 Training during tournaments 16:39 Recovering after a match 18:54 Ice baths 24:19 Body weight exercises 28:36 Changing directio...
Grant Chen is our guest for the 44th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Grant helped UCLA reach the elite 8 in five of his six seasons as an assistant/associate head coach and is currently the head coach at SMU. His teams have won back to back conference championships and he's earned AAC coach of the year honors two years in a row. We talk: 1:38 His cell phone contacts 2:52 An epic NCAA final 6:34 Using a tough loss to spark growth 8:28 Helping his players become pros 10:06 Building a support tea...
Shelby Rogers is our guest for the 43rd episode of Baseline Intelligence. She has career high rankings of 30th in singles and 40th in doubles on the WTA tour. She reached the quarterfinals of both the French and US Opens, and helped lead the US team to the 2017 Fed Cup title. We talk: 1:32 Her start in tennis 4:04 Skipping college for the pros 7:13 Building belief 9:54 Difficulties of being on the road 11:35 Preparing for different surfaces 13:44 Practicing at tournaments 18:00 Playing different...
Our friend Joel Myers joins the pod to talk about the tactics, shots, and pressure points played by the best players in the world at this year's Wimbledon. We talk: 1:24 The greatness of Alcaraz 7:35 Chris Eubanks' magical run 10:09 A great volley tip 11:45 The women's championship 13:45 Hanging in there when you're down 14:49 Returning a lefty serve 17:26 Playing on a faster court 21:49 Accelerating on your forehand 22:49 Surprising patterns of play 26:55 Bad execution vs. a bad decision...
** Today's episode was brought to you by Online Tennis Instruction. Please visit moreservepower.com to redeem your free, four week all-access pass. Steve Johnson is our guest for the 41st episode of Baseline Intelligence. Steve has been ranked as high as 21st in the world in singles and 39th in doubles, and won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. He's also a four-time team NCAA champion and a two-time individual NCAA champion in singles. We talk: 3:06 Jumping a level in college 5:43 How improvi...
Brian Kalbas is our guest for the 40th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Brian is a 3-time ITA National Coach of the Year and his teams have won 15 conference titles, 7 ITA National Indoor Championships and this year's 2023 NCAA Team Championship. He's coached 27 All-Americans and has helped three doubles teams win the NCAA Doubles Championship. We talk: 3:16 Finally winning the NCAA Championship 8:31 How he helps his players relax 10:15 The character of his players 11:30 Keeping practice fun 14...
Our friend Joel Myers joins the pod to talk about the tactics, shots, and court positioning of the best players in the world at this year's French Open. We talk: 2:34 Novak's sustained success 5:22 Playing on pressure points 8:55 Kick serve as a first serve 13:20 Iga's movement and return game 14:10 Best advice for improving court position 16:00 Attacking second serve returns 18:34 Ad side to ad side pattern 19:58 Getting out of the ad court pattern 22:12 What to do when receiving a drop shot 25...
Jermaine Jenkins is our guest for the 38th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Jermaine was an All-American at Clemson University and went on to spend three years as the hitting partner for Venus Williams. He coached Naomi Osaka in 2019 and 2020 and now works as a lead national women's coach for the USTA. He also recently served as a vice captain on the USA BJK Cup team in their win over Austria. We talk: 1:46 His family's success on the tennis court 3:19 Starting tennis at age 14 4:25 How he got ...
Gil Reyes is our guest for the 37th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Gil was the longtime strength and conditioning coach for Andre Agassi, and has spent time training several world number 1s including Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka, Ash Barty, Simona Halep and Angie Kerber. We talk: 1:45 How he got started with Andre 6:58 Creating a program for Andre 8:47 Starting and stopping 13:57 Inspiration, information and application 18:34 His special equipment 23:16 Variable resistance 28:26 Using bands 30...
Andy Fitzell is our guest for the 36th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Andy is a USPTA Elite professional who spent several years learning from and working alongside legendary tennis icon, Vic Braden. He is currently the coach for Kimberly Birrell, who is ranked 111 in the latest WTA rankings. We talk: 1:41 How he met Vic Braden 5:00 His favorite tennis myths 8:05 Wrist position on forehand contact 10:23 Fundamentals for pure topspin 13:35 The geometry of the court 16:08 Why players try so man...
Thomas Johansson is our guest for the 35th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Thomas was ranked 7th on the ATP tour and won 9 titles, including the 2002 Australian Open. He won a silver medal in doubles at the 2008 Olympic Games, and has gone on to coach David Goffin and Sorana Cirstea. We talk: 1:22 His start in tennis 5:41 Sustaining his success from juniors to the pros 8:35 Working towards the top 10 13:39 Knowing yourself as a player 15:41 Winning the 2002 Australian Open 19:02 Poor play lead...
Craig O'Shannessy is our guest for the 34th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Craig is the leading strategy analyst for the ATP Tour and spent three year as the data analyst for Novak Djokovic. He is the founder of braingametennis.com, an educational website with multiple courses for the avid tennis player. We talk: 1:31 Where mistakes are made 10:21 How to limit errors in position A 13:27 What type of error is "unforced" 17:53 What is considered a bad error 20:56 Thinking about your opponent 22...
Lindsay Davenport is our guest for the 33rd episode of Baseline Intelligence. Lindsay won 55 WTA singles titles and 38 WTA doubles titles, including 3 singles grand slams and 3 doubles grand slams. She won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1996 and was ranked number 1 in the world in 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2005. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2014 and Tennis Magazine voted her as the 29th greatest tennis player of all time. We talk: 1:32 How she got into the game 4:30 Workin...
JY Aubone is our guest for the 32nd episode of Baseline Intelligence. JY was a 2-time All-American and ACC Player of the Year at Florida State University. As a professional he won 3 singles titles, 14 doubles titles and represented the US in the Pan-American Games. He worked with USTA Player Development and went on to travel with Reilly O'Pelka from 2018-2021. We talk: 1:30 Traveling with Reilly 3:23 Overcoming difficult times 5:10 Focusing on yourself vs. the opponent 7:36 How to spot your oppo...
Kelly Jones is our guest for the 31st episode of Baseline Intelligence. He won two NCAA doubles titles at Pepperdine University and went on to become world number 1 in doubles in 1992. He won 8 career ATP doubles titles, 2 ATP singles titles and has coached top pro players like James Blake, Mardy Fish, Sloane Stephens, Rajeev Ram, and his daughter Makenna, who also won an NCAA doubles title in 2021. We talk: 2:16 The foundation of his coaching philosophy 8:09 Volleying cross court more often 12:...
Allistair McCaw is our guest for the 30th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Allistair is the author of several books, including "Champion Minded" and "Winning Attitude and Mindset". He has worked with olympic gold medalists, grand slam champions, Fortune 500 companies, and several top Division I collegiate teams on developing a winning mindset and maximizing performance. We talk: 1:43 How the big 3 personify an elite mindset 4:57 Self discipline 7:45 Champion minded 9:30 Mental toughness 12:47 C...
Our friend Joel Myers comes back on the pod to talk about the tactics, shots, and movement patterns the best players in the world used during this year's Australian Open. We talk: 2:07 Why Novak dominates tiebreakers 6:35 How you can play better tiebreakers 8:07 How the pros play break points 10:55 Thinking in terms of two balls 12:38 How to flip pressure 14:56 Best serve + 1 patterns 16:05 Training your wide serve 19:04 The role of the forehand and the backhand 21:38 How the best players were u...
Brad Stine is our guest for the 28th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Brad is one of the most accomplished coaches on the ATP tour, having helped Jim Courier reach world number 1 while also winning 4 grand slams. He also spent time coaching Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson, Mardy Fish, Sebastien Grosjean, and currently works with ATP #35 Tommy Paul. We talk: 2:21 Coaching Jim Courier 5:34 Backhand slice fundamentals 9:30 How the slice helped Jim get to 1 in the world 12:54 Four situations to u...
Jessica Pegula is our guest for the 27th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Jessica reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, French Open and the US Open in 2022 and won her first WTA 1000 event in Guadalajara. She's currently ranked 6th in the world in singles and 3rd in the world in doubles with her partner Coco Gauff. We talk: 1:32 What it's like to be a two-time guest on the podcast 2:15 What her off-season looks like 5:53 Working on her heavy forehand 7:28 Getting worse before you ge...
This episode marks the end of season 1 of Baseline Intelligence. In this episode I'll share some of the clips I found the most insightful and entertaining from the first season of the podcast. 1:05 Craig O'Shannessy on the first four shots 4:58 Rick Macci's best ball striking tip 7:45 Tom Gullikson's 3 keys for Agassi at the olympics 10:37 Dr. Mark Kovacs on serve power 14:40 John Isner and his serve tips 16:42 Michael Joyce talks Sharapova beating Henin 19:02 Alistair Higham on momentum 21:12 C...
Desirae Krawczyk is our guest for the 25th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Des has won four mixed doubles major championships and seven doubles titles on the WTA tour. She's currently ranked 16th in the world and reached a career high ranking of 10th in the world this past summer. We talk: 1:52 Reaching the top 10 milestone 2:42 Building self confidence 5:25 How she handles losing 6:39 Her post match process 8:28 Playing in pressure situations 9:37 What her preseason looks like 12:00 Off court...
Joel Myers is our guest for the 24th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Joel was a 3x All-American for Point Loma Nazarene University and was the 2010 national player of the year. He is currently a USPTA elite professional teaching out of San Diego and his educational instagram page has well over 100,000 followers. We talk: 1:36 His tennis background 3:32 When he knew he wanted to be a coach 4:46 Coaching influences 7:08 How to know if you're getting good information 10:23 Learning discipline at ...
