Control the Controllables

In this week's instalment, we bring you someone at the very cutting edge of player development at the USTA, who had a fantastic playing career herself, Megan Moulton Levy!Having reached the top 50 in the world in doubles, and the top 250 in singles, all whilst being just 5 feet tall in a game which is fast becoming dictated by height, Megan brings a unique perspective to developing a young tennis player. From stories about her own process, growing up going to boarding school in Switzerland and on to US college, to her current roles on the board of the USTA and as Head of Player Development at the JTCC, Megan really has been behind the scenes at all levels of tennis, which makes for a fascinating interview!Some links from the episode:Our socials: Instagram | Twitter | YouTubeEric Butorac's Episode is hereOur Female Tennis Empowerment Episodes: Sue Anstiss | Olivia Nicholls

What an incredible two weeks of tennis we've had to enjoy! Iga Swiatek winning her third consecutive Roland Garros title, and Carlos Alcaraz becoming the youngest player ever to win 3 Grand Slams on three different surfaces. We've brought back our amazing panel to react with Dan to all this and more.Denmark´s Davis Cup Captain and 2012 Wimbledon Mens Doubles Champion Freddie Nielsen.GB Coach Calvin Betton who is currently working with Henry Patten.Women's tennis stalwart who recently won her 1000th match on the tour Emily Webley SmithTop tennis strength and conditioning coach and CTC legend Kieron VorsterOur panel debate and dissect a range of the cutting edge topics at the forefront of the tennis world, including scheduling, Rafa Nadal's retirement and much more!And we want to hear your opinions on this! Tag @ctc.podcast on Instagram or Twitter and check out our YouTube to let us know what you're thinking, and to check out exclusive video clips of all our podcasts!

The second Grand Slam of 2024 is finally underway! We´ve brought our panel back together to preview everything we can expect from the French Open.Dan is joined this year by:Denmark´s Davis Cup Captain and 2012 Wimbledon Mens Doubles Champion Freddie Nielsen.GB Coach Calvin Betton who is currently working with Henry Patten.Women's tennis stalwart who recently won her 1000th match on the tour Emily Webley SmithTop tennis strength and conditioning coach and CTC legend Kieron VorsterThey discuss all of the big storylines coming into this year's Roland Garros tournament, from saying goodbye to a 14-time champion to the upcoming Olympics, as well as giving their insight on some of the up and coming stars to look out for.We want to hear who you think will be this year's French Open champions!  Tag @ctc.podcast on Instagram or Twitter and check out our YouTube to let us know who you´re backing!Check out Emily's amazing charity triathlon here!

This week we welcome back to the show another one of our classic guests, it’s seven-time NCAA national champion winning coach with the team at UCLA, Valorie Kondos Field.Valorie initially appeared on Episode 62 of Control the Controllables, soon after her viral Ted Talk, ‘Why Winning Doesn’t Always Equal Success,’ and she shared her experience coaching in a sport that she didn't grow up playing or coaching in, and talked about her plans after she retired from UCLA in 2018.In this edition, Valorie returns to talk about her experience since then and how that has shaped the way she has cultivated her philosophy on coaching and life.Valorie also talks about writing her new book, an update to her first book, Life is Short, Don't Wait to Dance, where she discusses a possible return to coaching and her experience of motivating athletes to compete at the top level whilst experiencing personal trauma, in her case this was breast cancer in 2014.Once again, Valorie is an incredible listen for coaches and playing a life, bringing her experience of a whole career of learning the art of coaching to the episode.Connect with us:Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for all the latest news on Control the Controllables Podcast!Valorie’s social media: Instagram - TwitterEpisode 62 of Control the ControllablesValorie’s Ted TalkCTC YoutubeSotoTennis Academy: Instagram | X | Website

Tennis is being disrupted, whether we like it or not! As we prepare to debate this in our first ever Control the Controllables Live Show on April 19th, never has it been clearer that we need to sit up and listen.Today´s episode is a new extract from Dan´s chat with Jonathan Overend a few weeks ago. They trade opinions on the Saudi Arabian influence on tennis, the future of doubles, and the topic of our upcoming live show - The Great Tennis Shake-up: Is the new ‘Elite Tour’ good for tennis?The new tour being is proposed by the Grand Slams and would see only around 100 players compete in a streamlined calendar.But what does all this mean for the tennis industry? Join Dan at the Tileyard in London on 19th April as he debates this in our first Live Show with special guests..John Morris - Tennis super-agent at the heart of these discussionsFreddie Nielsen - 2012 Wimbledon doubles champion and Danish Davis Cup captainGaby Dabrowski - 2023 US Open champion and WTA Board MemberCalvin Betton - ATP doubles coachIf you can’t join us in person, don’t worry, you can still follow online live on the night and ask your questions directly to the panel. ⇨ Get your tickets and find out more about the event! ⇦

We´re excited to announce that Control the Controllables is coming to London! We´re hosting our first LIVE SHOW on Friday 19th April 2024. This is your chance to come and join CTC Host Dan Kiernan and our special guests as they debate one of the hottest topics in tennis right now: Is the new ‘Elite Tour’ good for tennis.You´ll also have the chance to ask your own questions to Dan and our guests, live at the event.The new tour being proposed is backed by the Grand Slams and would see only the top players compete in a reduced number of tournaments for an exponential rise in prize money.Join us at Tileyard in London, as we discuss the biggest potential shake up we've ever seen in tennis, and what it means for those of us working in the sport.Can´t make it to London on April 19th? You can also join us online on the night. Book your tickets here!In today´s episode, you can hear more details from Dan about the Live Show and our exciting panellists. You can also head to our Instagram for more details.We look forward to seeing you there!

In today´s episode we speak to top British tennis coach, Justin Sherring.Justin has had the distinction of bringing through some of the brightest young tennis players of British tennis’ current golden generation including Jack Draper, Johanna Konta, and former doubles World Number 1 Joe Salisbury.Justin is currently working with Salisbury on the ATP tour and took some time to chat to Dan about how he´s developed some of the best British Players of the past 15 years.Justin shares his coaching philosophies, including the importance of learning how to bring the best out of your player, and tells lots of stories along the way including talking himself onto court with Nick Bollettieri!Tennis coaches and parents, this is not an episode to be missed!Links Mentioned in this Episode:-#166: Jack Draper - GB´s Rising Star on the ATP Tour #132: Joe Salisbury - Double US Open Champion!#102: Louis Cayer- The Doubles Guru#100: Nick Bollettieri - The Godfather of TennisFollow CTC on Instagram: @ctc.podcast

To mark International Women´s Day, we have author, podcaster, presenter, campaigner, triathlete and all-round inspiration Sue Anstiss on the show.Sue has been campaigning for women in sport for over 20 years through her organisation Fearless Women, receiving an MBE for her service. More recently, Sue has released her book, Game On: The Unstoppable Rise of Women’s Sport in 2021. This was commissioned as a documentary by Netflix in 2023, which she directed and was susequently nominated for a Broadcast Sport Award.Sue has also got her own podcast, The Game Changers, on which female elite sports stars share their stories, including top tennis players like Caroline Wozniacki.Sue has come on the show as part of our Women’s Tennis campaign here at SotoTennis Academy, as she talks to Dan about her work fighting for gender equality in sport, and what we can do to help.Sue has had a great career making real change in women’s sport and she makes this episode a fantastic listen.Connect with us:-Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for all the latest news on Control the Controllables Podcast!Listen to more of Sue on The Game Changers PodcastFInd out more about The Women´s Sport CollectiveSue’s Socials: Instagram | Twitter

In this week’s episode we are speaking to British doubles player Olivia Nicholls.Olivia is a former Wimbledon mixed doubles semi-finalist and a role model for young players looking to make it on the tour. She took the non-traditional route of going to Loughborough University in the UK, as opposed to US college or going pro, and has built a remarkable career as a doubles player on the tour.Olivia has reached a career high ranking of 59 in the world, with appearances in the main draw of all four Grand Slams. She´s represented her country on the biggest stage at the BJK Cup Finals in 2022, losing out in the tightest possible fashion against Sam Stosur and former world number 1 Storm Hunter.She is a guest who has epitomised the mantra of this podcast ‘control the controllables,’ and is a fantastic listen.Episode Highlights include:-Life on the tour for those not at the top of the gameIs US college the best route to make it pro?What it’s like to compete at the biggest international tennis tournaments in the worldHer Wimbledon mixed doubles run with Jonny O’Mara in 2022Announcing Our First Live Podcast! Join us for a live recording of Control the Controllables on April 19th 2024 in London!We´re so excited to be coming to the UK for our first live show! Dan will be joined by a panel of pro players, coaches and agents to discuss The Great Tennis Shake Up: Is the new ´Elite Tour´ good for tennis?Keep an eye on our Instagram for more details in the next few days!

In today’s episode we welcome the voice of tennis for his second appearance on the show, it´s Jonathan Overend!Jonathan speaks to us in a week where Sky Sports are launching their own tennis channel in the UK and Ireland, Sky Sports Tennis. Jonathan is a major part of the team they have in place to deliver their promise of 24/7 coverage from all of the ATP & WTA events. Jonathan had some beautiful words for the late Mike Dickson, the tennis correspondent at the Daily Mail for the last 30 years who we devastatingly lost during this years Australian Open.He also shares his top commentary secrets, and look out for who he thinks could be dominating women´s tennis over the next few years.This is not an episode to miss. CTC Wins Best Tennis Podcast!Control The Controllables has won Best Tennis Podcast at the Sports Podcast Awards for the third year in a row!The winners are voted for by listeners, and there were some amazing tennis podcasts in the category this year, so this really is very special to us. If you took the time to vote for us, thank you, we are so grateful!