The Functional Tennis Podcast

Today I speak to Craig Boynton, the coach of Hubert Hurkacz. I was lucky to meet Craig last year at the IMG Future Stars event in Greece as Hubie was playing in the exhibition match and also stayed on to train for a few days. Going into chat I didn’t know too much about Craig and I was intrigued to find out more about his early tennis and coaching career. He gets straight into it talking abou...

Hi I am on the search for a Content and Marketing freelancer to help with this podcast. I thought this might be a good place to ask. You can get all the details here . If you know somebody who might be interested please share this with them. Thank you Fabio

Welcome to our 200th Episode. Today I chat with Former Australian Open winner and current coach of Sorana Cirstea, Thomas Johansson. Thomas gives us a look back at winning the Aus Open, what changed in his life afterwards, being forced to retire, his advice on the skills needed to be able to coach males and females, characteristics of top pros and a lot more. Hope you enjoy the epis...

It’s been a while since we had a top S&C trainer on the podcast so I’m excited to chat with Dalibor Sirola, the current S&C coach of Sasha Zverev. As well as working with Sascha, Dalibor is the head of S&C at the Piatti Tennis Centre. He has previously worked with Ljubic, Seppit, Milos, Jannik Sinner, Born Coric and Sharapova. We chat about his role at the Piatti Tennis Center, getting...

Today I have a quick catchup with Queens Finalist and Current ATP number 17 Alex De Minaur. Alex was visiting the Asics House of Tennis located near Wimbledon carrying out some sponsor work and I got to quickly ask him a few questions in between his work. He tells me what high performance is for him, where the extra pop has come from in his serve this year, playing Alcaraz and he tells us his...

This week I speak to renowned former chair umpire Carlos Ramos. Carlos has umpired over 5000 matches in a career of over 30 years.  We chat about what life was like as an umpire on the road, umpiring all 4 slam finals and the Olympic finals.  We also get into the umpire code of conduct, keeping focused in long matches, what he learned in umpiring over 5000 matches and I ask him, with all...

Today is the 5th and final part of our 5 part Asics mini-series which I recorded at the Asics house in Paris. And I chat with Marina Caiazzo, a global sports marketing expert. Marina is a former player who trained at the Bollitieri Academy with the likes of Tommy Haas and Anna Kournikova.  Marina worked directly for Asics for 11 years and recently set up her own consultancy business, Sam...

Today is the 4th part of our 5-part Asics mini-series which I recorded while at the Asics house in Paris. And I chat to Borna Coric. Borna has recently had shoulder injuries but he is now back stronger than ever and looking extremely fit. I ask him about a characteristic that defines him, his non-negotiables, advice for parents and his advice on how to be 1% better every day. Hope you enjoy Fabio...

Today is the 3rd part of our 5 part Asics mini-series which I recorded while at the Asics house in Paris and I talk to Olympic champion Belinda Bencic. Belinda chats about her characteristic on the court, aiming for perfection but not expecting it, how to be 1% better every day and some advice for tennis parents.  Hope you enjoy Fabio Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out he...

Today I chat with 25-year-old Slovak Alex Molcan. Alex is currently ranked in the top 80 and has a career-high of 36. He’s coached by Novak Djokovic’s former coach Marion Vadja ( listen to Marian In episode 90 ). Alex tells us his main characteristic on the court, the importance of focus and intensity on the practice court as well as the need to chill. Hope you enjoy Fabio Have you seen the Functi...

Today I chat with an Asics athlete Rohan Bopanna. Rohan was one of our first-ever guests on the podcast 4 years ago , he’s one of the nicest guys, on the tour (that I’ve met) and this year at 43 years of age he has re-entered the top 10 with some great wins throughout the year with his partner Matt Ebden.  Rohan tells me has no cartilage in his knees and how he has managed this as well as wha...

This week I caught up with Rene Zandbergen. Rene has worked with our podcast sponsor Asics for 22 years helping develop shoes and working alongside the world's best athletes to help continually improve the Asics range of shoes. We talk about: His 22 years at Asics so far Working with Novak to develop his latest shoes, the Court FF3 The differences in the 3 top Asics tennis shoes, Resolution 9, Sol...

This week on the podcast, I meet parent and coach Cinzia Giovinco. I met Cinzia during my week at the IMG Future Stars event in Athens, Greece. Cinzia is the parent to 11-year-old Tyson who was competing at the event. She is also the mother to US Billie Jean Cup player Tyra Grant. In our conversation, Cinzia explains how she manages to balance the involved role in her children’s careers with her o...

This week is a bit different to our usual weekly interviews. Recently I was away at the IMG Future Stars which features some of the best under 12's in the world. With an idea from a previous guest I decided to document what I find makes these great tennis kids so good. I was there for a full week and it wasn't a usual tournament where the players and team would leave early if beaten so I got a goo...

This week on the podcast, I speak to top tour coach Mark Gellard. In our conversation, Mark explains why players need to coach themselves during the game as well as give a strong defence for on-the-court coaching. We also chat about Mark’s work with Magda Linette and I ask him what the difference is between a top 100 player and a top twenty player. Hope you enjoy it, Fabio Find out more about Mark...

This week on the podcast, I meet Amanda Jane Napier Owens - a leading sports and performance psychologist. In our conversation, we talk about how early we should introduce pressure into the training of tennis juniors, and how we go about doing this. I ask Amanda how to get players fired up before a big game and if this really improves performance. Dr. Owens gives some really fascinating insight in...

This week on Functional Tennis, I meet coach and former player Gianluigi Quinzi. In our conversation, Gianluigi describes how mentally challenges, the media attention and pressure impacted the early part of his career. We also talk about Gianluigi’s work in the Piatti Tennis Center and I ask Gianluigi how difficult the transition from junior to pro can be. Hope you enjoy it, Fabio Have you seen th...

This week on the podcast, I speak to Tallon Griekspoor. Tallon is a Dutch pro tennis player who has just reached a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 36. In our conversation, Tallon explains why the competitiveness he had with his brothers helped develop him into the player he is today. I also ask Tallon about his challenger performances in 2021 And I ask Tallon what it was like to win h...

This week on the podcast, I meet Human Movement & Sport Performance Specialist - Andrea Bracaglia. In our conversation, we talk about Andrea’s involvement in football and how he moved into the world of tennis. We chat about how andrea worls with his athletes, and Andrea explains why player development should come before short term success & results. I also ask Andrea who works harder - ten...

This week on the podcast, I meet one of the top juniors from 2022 who has just recently turned pro - Jakub Mensik. In our conversation, Jakub tells us all about his famous 2022 Australian Open boys' singles final and what is was like to train with Novak Djokovic. I also ask Jakub about how he’s dealing with all the media attention and what the jump from junior to pro was like. Hope you enjoy...

This week on Functional Tennis, I meet Dr. Dario Novak. In our conversation, Dario details what Donna Vekić and Borna Coric were like as juniors. I ask Dario about his work with Stan Wawrinka and Elena Rybakina. We also speak extensively about Dario’s research into what makes a tennis great. Hope you enjoy it, Fabio Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? Check it out here and don't miss the vi...

This week on the podcast, I meet Belgian coach Olivier Grignard. In our conversation, Olivier tells me how his tennis story began. Olivier also tells me about his coaching role in china, we discuss some of the cultural differences between juniors in Europe and juniors in Asia, and much much more. Hope you enjoy it Fabio Carlos Rodriguez episode: https://www.functionaltennis.com/blogs/the-functiona...

This week on the podcast, I meet the current Lead National Coach with USTA Player Development - Johnny Parkes. In our conversation, Johnny explains why playing a young Nikoloz Basilashvili was a bit of a reality check. We also talk about Johnny’s role in the US setup, and what his biggest challenge was in his early coaching days. Hope you enjoy it Fabio Have you seen the Functional Tennis Saber? C...

This week on Functional Tennis, I meet former Northern Ireland player and now coach - Peter Bothwell. Peter was the first man from Northern Ireland to have an ATP world ranking in singles or doubles. He played in the Irish Davis Cup and he also won the Irish Open in 2018. In our conversation, Peter tells me about how his journey in tennis began, he also opens up about the decision to retire and wh...

This week on Functional Tennis, I meet legendary coach - Rick Macci for a fantastic chat. In our conversation, Rick details his experience training Venus and Serena Williams when they were kids. Rick also shares the moment he was told they were making the film about the Williams sisters and their father King Richard - and what he felt like being portrayed on the big screen. Rick also gives some am...