TENNIS.com Podcast

"It is somewhat of a life changing moment. I’m not going to sit here and say it’s not because it was. I tried to win one of these for a long time."World No. 9 Rajeev Ram joins the show this week to talk doubles, Indiana and Pete Sampras. As the reigning Australian Open men’s doubles champion he shares what it was like to win the crown with Joe Salisbury, what he looks for in a partnership and how he ended up teaming up with Venus Williams in Rio. The former singles world No. 56 stopped playing singles in 2017 after winning two titles (both in Newport) and now focuses solely on doubles.The 36-year-old sounds off on solutions to doubles always being in the shadow of singles, while opining on ways the game might stand to change in the future. And finally, the Indiana native looks back at his humble beginnings in Carmel as reasons why his game is modeled closely after Pete Sampras and also why he’s so invested in helping young players with his charity EntouRaj for Kids. Watch TENNIS.com Podcast episodes on YouTube and Facebook.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Pete [Sampras] and Andre [Agassi] were obviously as different as a mongoose and a cobra."This week features esteemed coach Tom Gullikson as he dives into stories from his 40-plus years playing and coaching professional tennis.Known affectionately as Gully, the 68-year-old American became a pro after a college career at Northern Illinois and stint as a teaching pro alongside his twin brother Tim (who passed away in 1996). Within a year of turning pro, Gully cracked the Top 50, and would peak at No. 34 in singles and No. 4 in doubles.After he got into coaching full-time, Gully worked with the likes of Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Todd Martin, Michael Chang and Pete Sampras. He was one of the first-ever USTA Player Development coaches, and was the Davis Cup captain from 1994-1999, leading the U.S. team to victory in 1995. As Team USA's coach, Gully also helped Agassi win a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"It’s hard sometimes when things aren’t going well, but realizing it’s a moment and the next one could be much better allows you to move forward."It's Underrated Week on TENNIS.com and Dr. Larry Lauer joins the show to talk mental strength, one of the most underestimated skills in the game. The mental skills specialist chatted with co-hosts Nina Pantic and Irina Falconi at the USTA National Campus (before the coronavirus pandemic began).Lauer works for USTA Player Development and has been a sport psychology consultant for elite tennis players for over a decade. He shares how he got into the field after his own baseball career, and why he relates so well to the loss of identity athletes feel after their playing days are over.He shares some of the mental exercises he practices with players, including how to deal with chasing results and how to learn from failure. He also explains the overall values of improving your mental strength, both for your game and your life.Watch this TENNIS.com Podcast episode on YouTube and Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"That period of my life was tough because I had to try and figure out, at 21, 22, 23 years old, how I was going to turn my career back around into a positive direction where the later stages of my career could be more successful than the early stages."Ryan Harrison joins the show with co-hosts Nina Pantic and Irina Falconi to give updates on his elbow recovery, his comeback hopes and his growing maturity in dealing with online trolls.Harrison checks in from his new quarantine normal in Atlanta, where he's lucky enough to have a running track near his home for workouts. The 27-year-old was mid-comeback when the coronavirus halted tennis after undergoing elbow surgery in October.After starting tennis at the age of two with his father Pat, and turning pro at just 15, Harrison has been through a lot of stages. The former world No. 40 explains how his strength and maturity has been tested throughout his 20s after early success as a teen flipped into heavy pressure, injury setbacks and unfulfilled expectations.Harrison explains how he's relied on his support system, which includes his wife Lauren McHale (Christina McHale's sister), and the 2017 Roland Garros champion shares why team tennis has been so important to him (be it doubles, World TeamTennis or Davis Cup). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"All of the scenarios of what players' lives are like on the tour, and what people who work with them lives are like on the tour, I tried to make as real as possible."This week brings author Sally Bradfield to the show to talk with co-hosts Nina Pantic and Irina Falconi. Bradfield published a tennis-centric fiction called Not Quite 30-Love in January.Starting in 1996, Bradfield spent two decades working in tennis, first touring the globe alongside the pros as a WTA communications manager and later becoming an ATP brand manager. Her book started off as a memoir of her experiences at the WTA, but turned into the fictional tale of a protagonist based on herself called Katie Cook.Cook joins the WTA tour as a 28-year-old and has to deal with the ins and outs of the stressful job, the relentless travel, her colleagues (including her biggest opponent Brenda), and an unexpected love interest (a very attractive ATP player).Bradfield reveals who the characters are based on in real life, how she came up with the scandals, and what the book-writing process was like. Based on her WTA experience, she shares what it was like juggling journalists and players every day, which players left an impact on her (Maria Sharapova, Martina Hingis and Dinara Safina, to name a few) and how she had to put aside any traces of fandom to do her work properly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The more time that goes by, and the more that we’re out of our routine, the harder that it is."Taylor Townsend joins the show this week with co-hosts Nina Pantic and Irina Falconi. The world No. 73 calls in from her home in Atlanta, where she's trying to stay active during quarantine season with hikes, puzzles, musical instruments and online workouts.Townsend talks about how she's had to adjust her 2020 mindset given the shutdown of the tour. She reflects on her 2019 US Open breakthrough (where she reached the fourth round complete with a third-set tiebreak upset of Simona Halep), and opens up about her relationship with Billie Jean King thanks to World TeamTennis.She also gives her take on how the coronavirus could change the world—far beyond tennis—forever. On a lighter note, the American shares a funny story on how she discovered she's left-handed, explains why she's so inspired by Martina Navratilova, and reveals a new TikTok challenge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"That's the one good part in this [tour suspension], for me, is that I get to be home with my little newborn son."Sam Querrey joins the show this week alongside co-hosts Nina Pantic and Irina Falconi to talk fatherhood during the corona virus pandemic. Querrey and his wife Abby Dixon welcomed their first child, Ford Austin, on Feb. 19.The world No. 45 has adapted quickly to staying in shape while at home (Peloton, Mirror workouts and walks with his new family). He's also staying busy as a member of the ATP Council, which is navigating a period of unprecedented confusion.The 2017 Wimbledon semifinalist reacts to the cancellation of the grass-court Grand Slam, which has been his best major during his career. And the 32-year-old explains why the Olympics moving to 2021 doesn't affect him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I’ve just been trying to help keep people entertained, even if it's for a couple seconds, couple minutes of the day."Kristie Ahn joins the TENNIS.com Podcast to help everyone get through the quarantine with an inside look at how she makes her popular videos.Ahn launched herself into TikTok fame with tennis-centric videos, including a clever one about Roland Garros' rescheduling and a practical one on how to clean and work out at the same time. She's hunkering down in New Jersey to wait out the coronavirus pandemic, and staying busy by making videos and appearing on Tennis Channel.The 27-year-old American is currently ranked No. 96 after a breakthrough 2019 saw her reach the fourth round of the US Open and crack the Top 100 for the first time. The Stanford graduate's dad famously gave her three years to make it as a professional before getting a real job, and she made it just in time.Ahn reflects on her family's impact on her career, the importance of belief, the challenges the WTA council is facing, and, of course, how to make a successful TikTok. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The decisions that have been made in the sports world, as drastic as they may be, it's the best thing that has happened to, at least, protect those athletes and their families."This week's episode features Katrina Adams, who has one of the most decorated resume's in the game. She gives an inside take of how the ITF is handling the coronavirus pandemic and how difficult decisions in this new era are being made.Adams was a standout star at Northwestern, winning the NCAA doubles crown in 1987, before taking her skills to the pro tour. She would reach as high as No. 8 in doubles and No. 67 in singles, winning 20 doubles titles across an 11-year career.After getting her foot in the door as a USTA coach, the Chicago native made her way all the way up the ladder to serve as president from 2014-18. She's currently a vice president for the ITF, executive director of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program and chairman of the Fed Cup.She shares what it's like being privy to big decisions during the coronavirus, her best advice for young professionals, what should go into the choice to turn pro, and what has helped her rule so many boardrooms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week calls for a break in our normal programming to talk about how the coronavirus pandemic has brought life, and tennis, to a screeching halt.First, co-host Irina Falconi talks about how her comeback is on pause, as she adjusts to the WTA's announcement of no tournaments until May 2 (and the ITF shutting down until April 20). Falconi thinks those dates are wishful thinking, but is staying positive and busy in her at-home gym, as her training facility at the USTA National Campus shuttered its doors.We then catch up with Tennis Channel producer Kyle MacLelland to find out what it was like working on-site at Indian Wells when the event was called off. He interviewed dozens of players even after the news broke, and shares what the atmosphere was like, and how past champions Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu handled it.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices