TENNIS.com Podcast

"I'm never really used to seeing people in the hotel especially not in New York because usually we all kind of do our own thing with where we stay. And now you see all these players and it’s such a big event that it’s just different so it’s kind of like our own little village." Ajla Tomljanovic joins the TENNIS.com Podcast from inside the New York City bubble. The world No. 57 has spent quality ti...

“I don’t want to be gone when important things are happening. So hopefully I can play for a few more years, but there’s going to be a side of me that probably will be more at home than he is on the road.” After a quick catch-up with Irina Falconi as she heads for the New York bubble, Nina Pantic chats with world No. 63 Stevie Johnson (interview starts at 7:07). The 30-year-old discusses his impend...

"It was interesting trying to think about what to do after I got inside of 100; that was always my goal to get inside of 100. It took six years to do that for me. It was like what do I do now? Do I just move the marker to 50? Can I do that? Am I good enough? You just don't know." This week brings Tennys Sandgren to the show to talk about his career, the fallout he has dealt with, and what's next f...

"If someone calls you and is like, 'Hey, do you want to be in Vogue, yes or no?' What are you going to do, say no? And tennis brought me that opportunity, so it’s like, of course, I'm a tennis player first and foremost, but it opened other doors." Eugenie Bouchard joins the show this week (interview begins at 8:28) and discusses juggling her playing career, her online presence and the off-court op...

"My last year was so bad that actually, I'm not going to lie, it feels like this year is better." Daria Gavrilova joins the show to give everyone an update on her comeback and how the latest shutdown in Australia has impacted her plans. The 26-year-old explains why this year has been better for her than 2019, when injuries pushed her from starting at No. 34 to ending outside of the Top 200. In Mar...

"Right now it’s just deciding between whether you want to play tennis or you want to just end the career, so at this point it's just, yeah I want to continue, so I’ll have to make the sacrifice." Former University of Virginia standout Julia Elbaba is on this week to talk college tennis, injuries, reality TV and the US Open. The 26-year-old was working on a comeback from an elbow injury when the sh...

"One of my biggest strengths on the court is definitely my mental game and just being in every point, in every match, and not getting too down on myself or getting too excited." This week, listeners get to meet one of the newest and mentally toughest teens on tour, Brandon Nakashima. After just one semester at the University of Virginia, the 18-year-old turned pro. He'd win his second ITF Futures...

"Comedy is in a way a lot like tennis. You’re by yourself, you’re thinking through a lot of things. If you have a great gig you feel amazing, if you have a terrible gig it’s like taking a hard loss." It's a hilarious episode this week with comedian Elliot Loney. The Australian unleashes some of his best impersonations, which include Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Jim Courier.  Loney grew up play...

"In my generation, it's all new, a black woman on the tour; I better be on my best behavior because I don’t want to mess it up for the next generation. So for [Coco] to have that freedom and to take advantage of that platform, it's fabulous." Leslie Allen is known as “The Professor” and she joins us this week to educate. After a career at USC, Allen competed in the 1970s and '80's, becoming the fi...

"I’ve experienced a lot of discrimination. I've been kicked off courts before and told like I don’t belong here and I shouldn’t be playing here. That actually happened really recently." Sachia Vickery is our guest this week, and she's got a lot to say. The world No. 158 sounds off on the US Open's decision not to host a qualifying draw this year and shares what inspired her to create a Check Your...

"I think as a wheelchair coach you have to have some comfort of being in the chair and understanding mobility patterns, understanding chair set up. That takes time." USTA Wheelchair National Manager and Head Coach Jason Harnett is on the show this week to talk wheelchair tennis. Harnett has coached wheelchair athletes for over 20 years, and guides the World Team Cup and Paralympic squads. Wheelcha...

"I think athletes, if they are organized, can be the biggest element of change of anybody because they have a platform. They can stand up and talk everyday and people want to cover them." As tennis' first sports agent Donald Dell has a lot of insight on how far the sport has come, and how much farther it has to go. The Hall of Famer joins the TENNIS.com Podcast this week to talk about why a tour m...

"Sometimes it’s uncomfortable the changes that you need to make in your game, but you know that if you don’t make them you’re not going to get to that level." This week, Christina McHale gives an update on her preparation for the upcoming World TeamTennis season. The world No. 88 has been training and quarantining with her sister Lauren and brother-in-law Ryan Harrison in Atlanta. McHale has been...

"He picked the image by the way, and my time that I spent with him is absolutely priceless." It's Roland Garros Week on Tennis Channel and 12-time champion Rafael Nadal's achievements stand alone in history. Artist Bruce Sulzberg joins the show to talk about his experience working with and painting the King of Clay. A child prodigy, Sulzberg has spend decades developing a unique 3D painting techni...

"When you’re deeply rooted in the principles and the values that are most important to you then navigating rough waters are a little bit easier." This week, USTA national coach Andy Gerst joins the show to talk about his unique journey in tennis. Last year, the 32-year-old was handpicked by Kathy Rinaldi to work with American WTA pros, and he's even been coaching TENNIS.com Podcast co-host Irina F...

"It is somewhat of a life changing moment. I’m not going to sit here and say it’s not because it was. I tried to win one of these for a long time." World No. 9 Rajeev Ram joins the show this week to talk doubles, Indiana and Pete Sampras.  As the reigning Australian Open men’s doubles champion he shares what it was like to win the crown with Joe Salisbury, what he looks for in a partnership and ho...

"Pete [Sampras] and Andre [Agassi] were obviously as different as a mongoose and a cobra." This week features esteemed coach Tom Gullikson as he dives into stories from his 40-plus years playing and coaching professional tennis. Known affectionately as Gully, the 68-year-old American became a pro after a college career at Northern Illinois and stint as a teaching pro alongside his twin brother Tim...

"It’s hard sometimes when things aren’t going well, but realizing it’s a moment and the next one could be much better allows you to move forward." It's Underrated Week on TENNIS.com and Dr. Larry Lauer joins the show to talk mental strength, one of the most underestimated skills in the game. The mental skills specialist chatted with co-hosts Nina Pantic and Irina Falconi at the USTA National Campu...

"That period of my life was tough because I had to try and figure out, at 21, 22, 23 years old, how I was going to turn my career back around into a positive direction where the later stages of my career could be more successful than the early stages." Ryan Harrison joins the show with co-hosts Nina Pantic and Irina Falconi to give updates on his elbow recovery, his comeback hopes and his growing...

"All of the scenarios of what players' lives are like on the tour, and what people who work with them lives are like on the tour, I tried to make as real as possible." This week brings author Sally Bradfield to the show to talk with co-hosts Nina Pantic and Irina Falconi. Bradfield published a tennis-centric fiction called Not Quite 30-Love in January. Starting in 1996, Bradfield spent two decades...

"The more time that goes by, and the more that we’re out of our routine, the harder that it is." Taylor Townsend joins the show this week with co-hosts Nina Pantic and Irina Falconi. The world No. 73 calls in from her home in Atlanta, where she's trying to stay active during quarantine season with hikes, puzzles, musical instruments and online workouts. Townsend talks about how she's had to adjust...

"That's the one good part in this [tour suspension], for me, is that I get to be home with my little newborn son." Sam Querrey joins the show this week alongside co-hosts Nina Pantic and Irina Falconi to talk fatherhood during the corona virus pandemic. Querrey and his wife Abby Dixon welcomed their first child, Ford Austin, on Feb. 19. The world No. 45 has adapted quickly to staying in shape whil...

"I’ve just been trying to help keep people entertained, even if it's for a couple seconds, couple minutes of the day." Kristie Ahn joins the TENNIS.com Podcast to help everyone get through the quarantine with an inside look at how she makes her popular videos. Ahn launched herself into TikTok fame with tennis-centric videos, including a clever one about Roland Garros' rescheduling and a practical...

"The decisions that have been made in the sports world, as drastic as they may be, it's the best thing that has happened to, at least, protect those athletes and their families." This week's episode features Katrina Adams, who has one of the most decorated resume's in the game. She gives an inside take of how the ITF is handling the coronavirus pandemic and how difficult decisions in this new era...

This week calls for a break in our normal programming to talk about how the coronavirus pandemic has brought life, and tennis, to a screeching halt. First, co-host Irina Falconi talks about how her comeback is on pause, as she adjusts to the WTA's announcement of no tournaments until May 2 (and the ITF shutting down until April 20). Falconi thinks those dates are wishful thinking, but is staying p...