Eddie Elliott on helping Lauren Davis return to the Top 70

"A lot of times it’s like I’m trying to live my best life—whether it’s working out, having a positive approach after matches, before matches, having a positive attitude at tournaments. Because that’s a big thing I feel on tour, your player feeds off of that type of energy."

This week's TENNIS.com Podcast guest is Eddie Elliott, the coach of American pro Lauren Davis. Elliott joined the WTA tour in July of 2018, helping Davis rise from outside of the Top 250 to No. 62. 

Elliott grew up playing tennis in Juno Beach with podcast co-hosts Nina Pantic and Irina Falconi, under the guidance of former world No. 7 Brenda Schultz-McCarthy. The 30-year-old played at Northwood University and Appalachian State, and was the director of Schultz's tennis camp and a coach for her high-performance program. He spent three years away from tennis as a real estate agent before being drawn back in. 

Through his connections with Schultz and Davis' former coach Mark Schanerman, Elliott began working with Davis full time last year, just after she took a break from the tour for the clay-court season. Davis' ranking has steadily risen in 2019, as she won an ITF $100K in Bonita Springs, Fla. and upset defending champion Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon. In his rookie year, Elliott navigated through a lot of unfamiliar territory with the help of resources like Schultz, his positive attitude and a healthy work-life balance that includes fishing, surfing and bowhunting hobbies.

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