Control the Controllables

We´ve had to wait two years, but we´re now just a few days away from watching the green grass of Wimbledon on our screens!To celebrate the return of SW19, we´ve brought together a group of 10 former and current British Tennis players to talk about the highs and lows of being a British tennis player during the grass court season!And what a line-up it is...Kyle EdmundHarriet DartKatie O´BrienLucie AhlChris WilkinsonDanny SapsfordClaire TaylorLee ChildsLuke MilliganJulie SalmonAll 10 players share their Wimbledon experiences, and what that feeling is really like walking out onto Centre Court. They also discuss how they managed the expectations of the press, the crowds and the opportunities and challenges that the grass court season brings for Brits.A brilliant episode, full of memorable Wimbledon stories! Not to be missed for British tennis fans!Want more Wimbledon discussion? Don´t miss our Wimbledon Review and Roland Garros Review episode also!

As the grass court season moves into its second week, our Grand Slam panellists are back!Former Belgium number 1 Xavier Mallise, and GB Coach Mark Hilton join host Dan Kiernan to review the French Open and preview Wimbledon.Hear their thoughts on all the action at Roland Garros, and what the short transition from clay to grass is like for the players.Can Roger lift that Wimbledon trophy one more time? Will Serena be able to clinch her 24th Grand Slam? The panellists give their predictions for the men´s and womens title, and picks for ´outsiders to watch!´It´s without doubt our favourite time of year, and we´ve had to wait 2 years for it! Enjoy this episode and enjoy watching all the grass-court action!Don´t forget to check back in at the end of the fortnight for our Wimbledon Review! You also won´t want to miss our special Wimbledon episode on Friday 25th June! Dan chats to 10 former and current British Tennis players including Kyle Edmund, Harriet Dart, Lucie Ahl & Chris Wilkinson about the opportunities and challenges of the grass court season for British players. A brilliant episode and not to be missed for British tennis fans! Connect with us!Head over to Instagram and follow us at @ctc.podcastYou can also keep up with all the latest from Control the Controllables on our website!

If you were a tennis fan in the 80´s and 90´s, you wouldn´t have missed the Jensen Brothers!The original American doubles brothers, Luke & Murphy Jensen were known for their high energy on court, chest bumping and high fives, as well as their long hair and bandanas.Nicknamed the Rock n Roll tennis brothers, they won the mens doubles title at Roland Garros in 1993. Product endorsements poured in and the pair went onto appear on the cover of Rolling Stone and People magazines, increasing global recognition of doubles.In this episode we speak to Luke Jensen, the elder brother, about his tennis journey which saw him reach world junior number 1 in singles and doubles, and number 6 ATP in doubles.Luke has since moved into coaching and is also an analyst for ESPN. He was Head Coach of the Women´s Syracuse tennis team for 7 seasons, and is current Coach of the NY Empires who won the 2020 World Team Tennis title. He also co-founded the Jensen-Schmidt Tennis Academy for Down Syndrome.Luke tells us what is was like growing up in a successful tennis family, his sisters also played to Grand Slam level, and discusses Murphy´s struggle with alcohol and drug addiction during their playing days, and how they are using that experience to help others.An episode full of energy and fun, enjoy!Links Mentioned in this Episode:-Watch Murphy Jenson´s story on The Tennis Channel´s Heroes We Connect, the technology company founded by Murphy Jensen that helps people struggling with drug & alcohol issues.The Jensen-Schmidt Tennis Academy for Down Syndrome.Coco Vanderwegh´s forehand return winner to win the 2020 World Team Tennis Title for the NY Empires.Connect with Us!Catch up with all the latest episodes on our website, www.controlthecontrollables.co.ukHead over to @ctc.podcast on Instagram and hit followDon´t miss an episode! Hit Subscribe on Apple Podcasts. You can also Rate and Review the podcast and let us know what you think. We´d love to hear from you! 

Mike Digby has been a hitting partner to some of the biggest names in tennis.A late-comer to the game, the 23-year-old Brit played tennis to US College level.He´s since travelled to some of the biggest tournaments in the game, practising with and warming up players like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Simona Halep and Coco Gauff.He´s currently a coach at SotoTennis Academy, and has recently returned from hitting with ATP & WTA players at the Madrid Masters.Not an easy job, it´s often role of the hitting partner to emulate the next opponent as much as possible, so having a versatile game, being flexible with your hours and catering to the players wants and needs is a must! In this episode, Mike gives us an insight into what life is really like as a hitting partner to the pros, from the best experiences to the worst! Episode Highlights: [09:00] Hitting with Coco Gauff at the Madrid Masters[13:54] The difference between hitting with the younger and more senior players on the tour[16:03] How Mike got started as a hitting partner to the pros[17:58] Listen to his Novak Djokovic experience![22:18] Find out which player was Mike´s worst hitting experience[31:14] What a typical day as a hitting partner looks like[34:17] How he became a regular hitting partner for Simona Halep[37:30] What´s Medvedev really like?[55:25] Listen to his experience hitting with Roger Federer at the ATP FinalsLinks Mentioned in this EpisodeMike Digby on Instagram: @mikedigbyySotoTennis Academy on Instagram: @sototennisEpisode 98: Tom Hill - Return on InvestmentSee all the latest episodes on Control the Controllables and read more about our guests on our website.

Naomi Osaka´s withdrawal from the French Open this week has called attention to the mental health of professional tennis players.The world number 2 was fined $15,000 for not taking part in a post-match press conference, and threatened with expulsion if she continued to not talk to the media. She pulled out of the tournament on Monday.In this bonus episode we speak to Daria Abramowicz, the sports psychologist of defending French Open Champion Iga Swiatek.A former competitive sailor for Poland, Daria has been a part of Iga´s travelling team since 2019. She gives us her thoughts on the chain of events leading up to Osaka´s withdrawal, and how she hopes this will be a turning point for the mental health of athletes.She also describes her work with Iga and gives advice to players who aren´t able to work with a sports psychologist.ConnectFollow Daria on Twitter: @abramowiczdFollow Control the Controllables on Instagram: @ctc.podcastVisit SotoTennis Academy´s Website: www.sototennis.comListen to the episode with Iga Swiatek on Control the Controllables

Marcus Daniell is not your ordinary professional tennis player.The 31-year-old from New Zealand has reached as high as 34 in the world in Doubles and has 5 ATP doubles titles to his name, but he´s also known for his work off the court.Since 2015 Marcus has donated a percentage of his earnings to charity, and in December 2020 he launched High Impact Athletes. The organisation channels charitable donations to the most effective evidence-based charities in the word, including extreme poverty, children´s, and environmental impact charities. In just 6 months, he´s signed up dozens of professional athletes including tennis players Stefanos Tsitsipas and John Millman to pledge a percentage of their earnings to help others. His goal is to reach $1 million in donations by the end of the year.In 2021, Marcus announced that he would be donating at least 10 per cent of his annual winnings to effective charity organisations for the rest of his life.Listen to Marcus discuss this, his career and more in this very inspiring episode.Some highlights of the episode:- [05:21] Growing up playing and competing in New Zealand[11:43] His experience moving to Slovakia as a junior to train[20:07] Imposter Syndrome and how he needed to break through a belief barrier to help him rise up the rankings[28:56] How he´s using his voice for doubles as a member of the ATP Council.[29:54] Marcus discusses the drop in prize money for doubles players at the this years French Open.[33:23] What ranking do you need as a pro doubles player to break even?[37:27] Discovering Effective Altruisim and donating 10% of his winnings to charity.[38:54] Why he decided to set up High Impact Athletes and the potential impact it will have as it grows.Links Mentioned in this Episode:-Follow Marcus on Twitter: @MarcusDaniellWebsite: High Impact AthletesGiving What We Can80,000 HoursEpisode 39: Mental Health Awareness Week - Joe Dixon

With less that 24 hours to go until Roland Garros gets underway in Paris, we´ve brought our panel of former and current pros back together to preview the French Open.Our panellists are:-GB´s Billy Jean King Cup Captain and former British number 1 Anne Keothavong2012 Wimbledon mens doubles champion and former Denmark number 1 Freddie NielsenGB Coach Mark HiltonHear their picks for the mens and women´s title at this years event, as well as their ‘outsiders to watch’.Defending champion Iga Swiatek will make her return, after her win in Rome. She spoke to Control the Controllables at the start of the clay-court season. Listen to the episode here.Meanwhile Rafa Nadal will be aiming for his 14th French Open title. A win again at Roland Garros would give him 21 Grand Slam titles, moving him ahead of Roger Federer.Anne, Freddie and Mark give us lots of insights, predictions and stories ahead of the the start of the first round matches tomorrow. Don´t forget to check back in at the end of the fortnight for our French Open Review!Connect with us!Head over to Instagram and follow us at @ctc.podcastYou can also keep up with all the latest from Control the Controllables on our website www.controlthecontrollables.co.uk

Alex Ward is a British tennis coach and former player.He reached a career high ATP ranking of 242, winning 14 Futures titles.Alex was part of the 2010 GB Davis Cup squad and played Wimbledon in 2016 & 2017. He came through Qualifying in 2017, losing to fellow Brit Kyle Edmund in the first round. He retired from professional tennis in 2018, moving into coaching, and has most recently been working with Heather Watson.In this episode you´ll hear Alex talk to Dan about:-[06:46] His move to a Spanish Academy at 16 after being coached by his Father[10:43] Spanish Academies v the British tennis system[22:17] The influence the late Paul Hutchins had on his career[25:27] How he was able to play for 10/11 years on the tour.[30:26] His experiences at Wimbledon[39:55] His transition into coaching and working with GB´s Heather WatsonConnectAlex on Twitter: @alexward1990Alex on Instagram: @theawarddControl the Controllables on Instagram: @ctc.podcastDon´t forget to rate, review & subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts!

Paul Annacone is one of the world´s leading coaches. He´s worked with some of the greats including Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Tim Henman.  Annacone guided Sampras to nine of his 14 Grand Slam Titles, leading to Sports Illustrated calling him “the court whisperer”. He helped GB´s Tim Henman rise from number 41 in the world to a career high of 4. He also led Roger Federer back to World number 1 and his 7th Wimbledon title in 2012.In between this, Annacone was also Managing Director of the USTA Performance Programme from 2001 - 2003 and was LTA Men´s Head Coach for 3 years. More recently he´s worked with Sloane Stephens and is currently coaching Taylor Fritz.A former professional player, Annacone won three ATP titles and reached a career high ranking of No. 12 in singles and 3 in doubles. He won the Mens doubles at thenAustralian Open in 1985 with long-time partner Christo van Rensburg, and won 14 doubles titles during his career.In this episode, Annacone discusses  his coaching philosophy and how he thinks his playing career helped him as a coach. He also tells us stories from his time working with Sampras, Henman and Federer and the differences between them. A must listen!Here´s some of the highlights:-[09:00] Why it´s important to know how to give the same message to different personalities.[18:24] The importance of game identity and working on your/a players strengths.[19:50] Find out what he learned from Pete Sampras as a young coach that helped shape his coaching philosphy.[23:33] Listen to Roger Federer´s reaction to a heartbreaking loss at Wimbledon[28:29] Big picture mentality: Paul discusses his run to the Wimbledon Quarter-finals in 1984 straight out of US College.[33:31] Listen to Paul´s stand-out memory from his time working with Sampras.[38:55] Why he thinks Henman had an ideal game for Clay[44:06] Listen to his memories from the 2012 Federer v Murray Wimbledon Final[47:51] Does he think Federer can win another Wimbledon?[48:51] Who was the easiest to coach? Who had the best backhand? Find out in the Sampras v Henman v Federer Quickfire round!Links Mentioned in this Episode:Paul Annacone on Twitter: @paul_annacone Paul Annacone on Instagram @paulannacone10s Website: https://paulannacone.com/Episode 114: Iga Swiatek - Teenage Grand Slam ChampionIga Swiatek at SotoTennis AcademyEpisode 62: Valerie Kondos-Field - Winning doesn´t always equal success

In this episode, we´re talking all things data with ATP/WTA tennis analyst Mike James.Mike is a former UK tennis coach who moved into the world of tennis data analysis in 2014. Since then he´s worked with many top players and coaches like Stan Wawrinka and Misha Kecmanovic and is now the data analyst for the 2020 French Open Champion Iga Swiatek. He has also set up his own company, Sport Analytics.Mike tells us how he fits into a pro players team, and what information they will ask him for. He explains what he tracks, what trends he looks for and how that data and video footage can be used for player development, scouting reports, pre and post-injury comparison reports etc. If you´re a Coach, he also gives you his top tips for how you can use data to help you improve, and in turn improve your players. He also details how he sets up a scouting report on a player.A great listen!Highlights from the episode:[06:50] Mike describes his journey into tennis analysis[20:03] Mike talks about his experience working with Stan Wawrinka and his coach Magnus Norman[23:32] Pen & paper at the ready! Mike details how he sets up a scouting report on a player.[30:31] Find out at what stage in a match there would tend to be longer rallies.[33:33] Why his relationship will be with the Coach and not the pro player.[37:11] What is the criteria for a "net point" and why it varies.[50:19] Mike talks Primary Patterns and if this applies to the top players[53:52] How he fits into Iga Swiatek´s team and how they use him[1:00:56] One for Coaches! Mike gives his top tips for how you can use data to improve your players. Links Mentioned in this Episode:-Mike James on Twitter: @mikejamestennisMike James on Instagram: @mikejames_tennis_analystTennis Coaches Support Network on FacebookSummer Training Weeks at SotoTennis Academy. Email info@sototennis.com for more information!