TENNIS.com Podcast

"Right now it’s just deciding between whether you want to play tennis or you want to just end the career, so at this point it's just, yeah I want to continue, so I’ll have to make the sacrifice."Former University of Virginia standout Julia Elbaba is on this week to talk college tennis, injuries, reality TV and the US Open.The 26-year-old was working on a comeback from an elbow injury when the shutdown halted her progress. The former college No. 1 has been ranked as high as No. 374 on tour, but is having to start over from scratch. She's also dealing with the aftermath of the USTA shutting down player development in New York.The Long Island native talks about getting into the media world and having her first taste of reality TV on the Bravo show "Summerhouse". She also opines on the US Open's unusual plans for 2020 and how her friend Bianca Andreescu winning it all in 2019 inspired her.Watch TENNIS.com Podcast episodes on YouTube and Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"One of my biggest strengths on the court is definitely my mental game and just being in every point, in every match, and not getting too down on myself or getting too excited."This week, listeners get to meet one of the newest and mentally toughest teens on tour, Brandon Nakashima.After just one semester at the University of Virginia, the 18-year-old turned pro. He'd win his second ITF Futures title in January and make his ATP debut as a wild card in Delray Beach. Making the most of opportunity, the San Diego native reached the quarterfinals. He impressed the world with his mental toughness and his all-court game style—which he likens to Novak Djokovic's.While the shutdown stalled his climb up the rankings, the world No. 220 made the most of his spare time by training hard and tweaking his team (it now includes Pat Cash and Dusan Vemic). The teen is competing for the Chicago Smash this month in West Virginia while looking forward to the tour restarting.Watch TENNIS.com Podcast episodes on YouTube and Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Comedy is in a way a lot like tennis. You’re by yourself, you’re thinking through a lot of things. If you have a great gig you feel amazing, if you have a terrible gig it’s like taking a hard loss."It's a hilarious episode this week with comedian Elliot Loney. The Australian unleashes some of his best impersonations, which include Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Jim Courier. Loney grew up playing tennis and even chased the pro dream before a skateboarding accident ruined his chances. He got into comedy quite naturally, starting with prank calls to his friends, breaking through with his Bear Grylls video "Man vs Metro 1" and progressing to stand-up. He puts a personalized spin on each impersonation, which is why he wears a sideways hat for Kyrgios and adds poetry to his Nadal skits. He's even met Nadal, quite memorably at the Rogers Cup one year. His YouTube channel boasts a lot of his best work, including a recently launched podcast. He shares how he became friends with Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios, what the secret to a good impersonation is, and how tennis' ups and downs are similar to comedy. Watch this episode on YouTube and Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"In my generation, it's all new, a black woman on the tour; I better be on my best behavior because I don’t want to mess it up for the next generation. So for [Coco] to have that freedom and to take advantage of that platform, it's fabulous."Leslie Allen is known as “The Professor” and she joins us this week to educate.After a career at USC, Allen competed in the 1970s and '80's, becoming the first black woman since Althea Gibson to win a WTA title. She would reach as high as No. 17 in singles and No. 10 in doubles. She's been a media director, a tournament director, a TV broadcaster, a WTA board director and is the CEO of Win4Life.The 63-year-old is thrilled to see young players like Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka speaking out during the Black Lives Matter movement as it's a freedom she wasn't granted during her era on tour. After always worrying about ruining it for the next black player, she isn't afraid to speak up now. She explains what upset her about the USTA's BLM statement, what exactly systematic racism is and how white people can make a difference, using Alice Marble in 1950 as an example. Watch this episode on YouTube and Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I’ve experienced a lot of discrimination. I've been kicked off courts before and told like I don’t belong here and I shouldn’t be playing here. That actually happened really recently."Sachia Vickery is our guest this week, and she's got a lot to say. The world No. 158 sounds off on the US Open's decision not to host a qualifying draw this year and shares what inspired her to create a Check Your Privilege video with her neighbor.Vickery was a top-ranked American junior and turned pro as a teenager. It took time for her to find her footing on the WTA tour, and the 25-year-old cracked the Top 100 in 2018 after a stunning upset of Garbine Muguruza in Indian Wells. During the Black Lives Matter movement, Vickery has been vocal on her social platforms and is hoping to see even more players come together for the cause. She also has some advice for anyone dealing with hate, be it online or in real life.Watch TENNIS.com Podcast episodes on YouTube and Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I think as a wheelchair coach you have to have some comfort of being in the chair and understanding mobility patterns, understanding chair set up. That takes time."USTA Wheelchair National Manager and Head Coach Jason Harnett is on the show this week to talk wheelchair tennis. Harnett has coached wheelchair athletes for over 20 years, and guides the World Team Cup and Paralympic squads.Wheelchair tennis has been in the news recently after the US Open cancelled the 2020 event. Amidst backlash, some options were discussed and the USTA announced the wheelchair tournament will be held after all.Harnett shares how he got into coaching wheelchair tennis and what it's like to be an able-bodied coach and player in his field. He dives into some of the issues facing wheelchair players while recognizing how far the sport, and its stars like David Wagner, Dylan Alcott, Mackenzie Soldan and Shingo Kunieda, have come.Recorded before the COVID-19 outbreak, this episode is available to watch on YouTube and Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I think athletes, if they are organized, can be the biggest element of change of anybody because they have a platform. They can stand up and talk everyday and people want to cover them."As tennis' first sports agent Donald Dell has a lot of insight on how far the sport has come, and how much farther it has to go. The Hall of Famer joins the TENNIS.com Podcast this week to talk about why a tour merger is necessary, how he helped push for prize money at the start of the Open era, what his relationship with Arthur Ashe was like and how he ended up working for Robert F. Kennedy.After his own career, Dell became the youngest Davis Cup captain at 29 and led the U.S. team to victory in 1968 and '69. His talented Davis Cup team included Stan Smith and Arthur Ashe, who he would represent for decades. Ashe and Dell's relationship is rich, with Ashe once referring to Dell as one of the two people in the world he would trust with his life, along with his own father. Beyond getting his athletes the best deals, Dell has been a strong proponent of growing tennis, and pushing for a more cohesive tour system. That goal hasn't changed one bit over 50-plus years. You can also watch this TENNIS.com Podcast episode on YouTube and Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Sometimes it’s uncomfortable the changes that you need to make in your game, but you know that if you don’t make them you’re not going to get to that level."This week, Christina McHale gives an update on her preparation for the upcoming World TeamTennis season. The world No. 88 has been training and quarantining with her sister Lauren and brother-in-law Ryan Harrison in Atlanta.McHale has been a staple in the Top 100 for the last nine years, reaching as high as No. 24 in 2012. She explains why, even at 28 years of age, she's not fully settled on tour as she's always looking to improve and stay on top of the new waves of players. She talks about her start on the pro tour, being a part of the 2012 Olympic team and her impressive track record against Serena Williams.The New Jersey native also shares some fun facts about herself like how she works on her Mandarin Chinese language skills, why her cooking had to improve, what her first trip to Cuba was like and how Vampire Diaries has helped her get through the shutdown.Watch TENNIS.com Podcast episodes on YouTube and Facebook.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"He picked the image by the way, and my time that I spent with him is absolutely priceless."It's Roland Garros Week on Tennis Channel and 12-time champion Rafael Nadal's achievements stand alone in history. Artist Bruce Sulzberg joins the show to talk about his experience working with and painting the King of Clay.A child prodigy, Sulzberg has spend decades developing a unique 3D painting technique, and brings to life athletes like Lebron James, Prince Fielder, Muhammad Ali, and tennis' own Nadal.A junior and college player himself, Sulzberg understands the lifestyle, work ethic and mentality of athletes, and isn't fazed by the superstars he works with. He sought out Nadal's team and made an adventurous (and costly) trip to Spain to pitch his vision in person. After wowing Nadal, "VAMOS!" came to life based on a photo of the Spaniard from the 2014 French Open.Watch TENNIS.com Podcast episodes on YouTube and Facebook.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"When you’re deeply rooted in the principles and the values that are most important to you then navigating rough waters are a little bit easier."This week, USTA national coach Andy Gerst joins the show to talk about his unique journey in tennis. Last year, the 32-year-old was handpicked by Kathy Rinaldi to work with American WTA pros, and he's even been coaching TENNIS.com Podcast co-host Irina Falconi.Gerst gives insight into the mind of a coach, and what his influences, philosophy and goals are. He shares his story from college player to club coach to ATP pro to Tennis Warehouse playtester to traveling with Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova and to now working for the USTA.His own pro tennis dreams were cut short by a motorcycle accident in Thailand. Through it all, Gerst has kept his passion for the game in the forefront and his options wide open. Opportunities have come his way in more ways than he could have dreamed of.Watch TENNIS.com Podcast episodes on YouTube and Facebook.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices