The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast

In 2017 screenwriter Zach Baylin embarked on a journey to tell the improbable story of Richard and Oracene Williams' foray into the world of tennis, and how they essentially coached their daughters, Venus and Serena Williams into tennis' prominence. This past week KING RICHARD was nominated for six OSCARS , including best screenplay. Zach and I discussed in length various aspects of the film- how...

Natalia Vikhlyantseva reached a career high of 54 in the world in 2017, and recently made news because she was unable to play in Australia because her SPUTNIK vaccine was not allowed. We discussed this, as well as the Djokovic situation in length. Born and raised in Volgograd, Russia we discussed her life in tennis, how she was signed by IMG, and how she was invited to train at the Mouratoglou Aca...

Craig O'Shannessy is credited as being the first coach to utilize analytics to formulate strategies for the professional and recreational game. His "Serve +1 " mantra has become de rigueur in tennis. Craig spent 3 years with Novak Djokovic and he gave his insight on the current situation regarding his participation in the Australian Open as well as his experience being a member of him team. Craig...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, here is your gift from me... For the first time ever we give you a 2021 year in review, Rennae Stubbs joined me and we covered the year...from Novak's attempt at the Slam to Raducanu winning her first major, the Osaka imbroglio to the rise of Italian men's tennis, and everything in between. Thank you all for listening and see you in 2022. Recorded 12.20 released...

Rick Macci and I discussed what was true and what was false in King Richard , the Will Smith Oscar vehicle that chronicles Richard Williams and his family's tennis journey. We talked in length about the film and then went deep on player development and what he does at the Rick Macci Tennis Academy . Rick has done a lot of press but nobody asked him the tough questions until now. The Craig Shapiro...

Born and raised in Paris, France, Alizé Lim took a most unusual path to the WTA Tour , as her parents insisted on education, so she didn't truly turn pro until she was 20 years old. She spent 7 years on the tour with very little support, and in 2014 got to 135 in the world and appeared in 4 French Open main draws. In 2014 she played Serena Williams in the first round on Court Philippe Chatrier. He...

Rohan Bopanna has had a action packed and coffee filled life in tennis. We discussed how his family was in the coffee business, and how he was essentially taught tennis by his father, who was self taught. He explained how he was not a good junior, and how he didn't get good until he was 21. He got to 3 in the world and won 19 tournaments over 2 decades. His path to pro tennis should be a Bollywood...

The good doctor with a penchant for tennis, and more specifically, play testing and dissecting tennis shoes- Dr Zach Thomas took an hour out of his schedule to chat with me about all of the latest and greatest-and not so great tennis shoes of the moment. We talked ON Running, Nike Adidas Lotto, Diadora, and even Wilson's newest shoe. Was a great chat. The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is powered by...

Todd Martin left Northwestern University after his sophomore year and got to 4 in the world. He won 8 tournaments and beat Pete Sampras to win Queens Club, and Alberto Berasategui to win Barcelona. He reached the finals of the Australian Open and the US Open and semi'd Wimbledon twice, and we discussed it all. . Now the head of The Tennis Hall of Fame , we discussed the initiatives the Hall of Fam...

Michael Davies' TV credits include Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Wife Swap, The Talking Dead, and most recently, Jeopardy, to name a few. Along with Roger Bennett he is hosts the renowned soccer podcast and tv show, Men in Blazers . He is a tennis man with a unique story , and we had an incredible chat, dipping from entertainment to the fuzzy yellow ball. The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is power...

Former World #4, elite coach, and ESPN broadcaster Brad Gilbert and I talked about the passing of Andre Agassi's dad, Mike Agassi. We discussed the US Open in length, including Emma Radacanu, Leylah Fernandez, Novak Djokovic, and Daniil Medvedev. We chatted about casper Ruud, and Botic Van de Zandenschulp. his most interesting times at the BNP Paribas Open . The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Pow...

South African tennis legend Christo van Rensburg has had an incredible life in tennis. He made his Davis Cup Captaincy debut recently and we discussed his #1 player Lloyd Harris in length. We talked in length about the attributes that make elite players and why he thinks Lloyd is going to rise to the top of the ATP rankings. A late bloomer, he told me his phenomenal story of learning tennis and be...

Mischa Zverev joined me from his apartment in Monte Carlo in advance of his trip to New York for the US Open . We discussed his brother Sascha Zverev's domination of the field on his way to winning Olympic gold, and why he won the tournament. We talked about the proliferation of uber fans in tennis, as well as the myriad of obligations he has now as he is managing Sascha's career. We discussed his...

I rediscovered Meike Babel vis a vis her social media networks, and immediately knew I wanted to interview because I liked her coaching style. I remembered her when she came on the pro tennis scene and she has had an incredible life in tennis. She grew up with tennis pro parents near Frankfurt, Germany, allegedly stole a tennis racquet as an infant, and played her junior tennis primarily in German...

In 1984 Leif Shiras made front page news across the globe when he upset Ivan Lendl at Queens Club . He rode that wave of notoriety all the way to the final, where he lost to John McEnroe in three sets. He reached 31 in the world, got to the Rd of 16 at Wimbledon , and was a member of the US Davis Cup Teams in 89 and 91 under coach Tom Gorman. He is a longtime broadcaster, currently a fixture on Te...

Former World #4 Brad Gilbert and I broke down the 2021 French Open, now known as Roland Garros . We discussed the Naomi Osaka controversy as well as the recent coaching departures on the WTA TOUR of Sonya Kenin, Caro Garcia, and Jen Brady. We looked at the draws, and discussed them in a fun and interesting fashion. Recorded and Released 5.28.21 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...

Zina Garrison has been thru the fire, growing up in Houston, Texas she rose to become the #1 junior player in the world, and in her first pro tournament reched the quarterfinals of Roland Garros . She won 14 tournaments and in 1990 beat Seles and Graf on her way to the Wimbledon final. She and I had a tour de force chat, discussing her bout with depression at the start of the pandemic, her impress...

Tom Gullikson is synonymous with American tennis, throughout the 80's he and his twin brother Tim were mainstays on the ATP TOUR, winning 10 doubles titles and reached the finals of Wimbledon. Tom got to 34 in the world and after his playing career was over became one of the most significant coaches in tennis. He was one of the original National Coaches in the first USTA Player Development Program...

Dave Fish has lived an extraordinary life in tennis and squash, first as a player at Harvard University, and then as their coach, a post he held for 42 years. Fish was a two-time first team All-America and All-Ivy selection during his tenure on the squash team, he helped lead the men's squash team to three national titles, and the men's tennis team to an Ivy League championship in 1970. As a coach...

The pride of The Bahamas, Mark Knowles joined me from his home in Dallas, Texas, where he had damage to his home due to the polar vortex, Mark grew up at Bolletierri's with Agassi and Courier, and he shared that experience, and explained why he chose to go to UCLA. He discussed his struggles in singles, and what it was like to deal with extreme pressure. He talked about his successful doubles part...

Xavier Malisse has lived an unreal life in tennis, and we discussed how he came from humble beginnings in Ghent, Belgium to the pivotal moment when he was signed by IMG and brought to the Bolletierri Academy . He discussed how he was urged by Nick to not play The Orange Bowl and practice with all the biggest pros in the world. He talked about his great moments on tour, including beating Richard Kr...

The greatest doubles team to ever play, the recently retired Bob and Mike Bryan talked in length about what they are doing to stay busy, and what their perceptions of The Australian Open were. We had a tour de force conversation about their career, and I learned who their most difficult opponent was, as well as some of the most fun they had spending their prize money. The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podc...

Happy Valentines Day. Don't forget, Love Means Zero. He blasted onto the tennis scene when he reached the finals of the 1986 French Open, but that's just a small part of his story. Mikael Pernfors path from Malmo, Sweden to 10 in the world is one of the most incredible stories in tennis. We discussed his unusual path extensively, and his perspectives on present day tennis. Recorded 2/8, Released 2...

Elena Bovina has had a very full and interesting life in tennis. She learned the game in Casablanca, Morocco, where her dad was a diplomat, and then honed her skills in Russia, until at the age of 14 was signed by IMG and brought to the United States. She trained with Bolletierri, and from 2003-2005 was a top 20 player. We discussed her new ventures in tennis, her career in length, and her thought...

Jaime Cortes played in 11 Davis Cup ties for Colombia, got to 200 in the world, and his story of how he came to be a professional tennis player is absolutely amazing. Now a high performance coach, Jaime most recently was in the Amanda Anisimova camp, and vis a vis his academy works with many players. We had a really fun chat about his unusual journey through tennis, his thoughts on Colombian tenni...