Mischa Zverev joined me from his apartment in Monte Carlo in advance of his trip to New York for the US Open. We discussed his brother Sascha Zverev's domination of the field on his way to winning Olympic gold, and why he won the tournament. We talked about the proliferation of uber fans in tennis, as well as the myriad of obligations he has now as he is managing Sascha's career. 
We discussed his life in tennis, from being an elite junior to moving through the pro ranks, and how he has kept serving and volleying all the way through his career. He talked in length about what it is like to face Roger, Rafa, and Novak, and we discussed what his brother brings to the table and why he can be #1 in the world. He told an incredible story about going into a full body cramp for 7 hours, and discussed prize money inequality on the ATP Tour. 
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Mischa Zverev

Welcome to The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast , where I speak with the most interesting people in the sport. This is the show for tennis insiders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sports

I sat down with Grigor Dimitrov in his hotel in Rome just a couple days ago and Grigor discussed his feelings about the future machinations of The ATP Tour and the players' disdain of the long tournaments, his Lacoste deal, the sore subject of his Vapor 9s, his racquet secrets, and his beginnings in Bulgaria. 
Recorded 5.8 Released 5.10 
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Grigor Dimitrov Talks Tennis with Craig Shapiro

With pro tennis at an ominous crossroads, the great Stan Smith and I had an important chat that was a mix of a walk down memory lane as well as a pointed conversation about tennis' potential next steps. Stan opined on the USTA's budget cuts as well as the impending Saudi incursion into our sport, and what it means for the smaller tournaments like Bastaad, Gstaadt, and Vienna. And to that point we talked about The Ojai and how important that small tournament was to his career. We discussed college tennis and how the new rules regarding NIL are hurting the competitiveness of many schools. We talked about his documentary, Who Is Stan Smith, and it's theatrical release next week. 
Recorded and Released on 5.26
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Hall of Famer Stan Smith Talks Tennis with Craig Shapiro

The Hall of Famer Rosie Casals and I had a world class chat, as it was a real honor to have the former world #3 and one of The Original 9 players that created the WTA on the show. Rosie talked about what it was like growing up in tennis in San Francisco was like, and how Billie Jean King showed her how to become a more disciplined athlete, and how the Virginia Slims media training was pivotal in the formation of the WTA. She shared her front row experience before, during, and after The Battle of The Sexes, and it was an incredible history lesson. 
She was plain speaking and shared her views on the current state of the WTA as well as the budget cuts made by the USTA, and how the players need to do a better job promoting the WTA and the tournaments. Class was in session. 
Recorded 4.17 Released 4.23
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Hall of Famer Rosie Casals Talks Tennis with Craig Shapiro

Like many players on tour, John Millman has had an incredible journey in tennis. The youngest of 5, he was snubbed by Tennis Australia as a junior and used that as motivation to grind, and he went to Europe as an 18 year old. It wasn't until after his 2nd shoulder surgery that he cracked the top 100.  In 2018 he beat Roger Federer in the 4th round at the US Open and that October he was 33 in the world. 
We talked about his career, and what retirement has been like. 
He sat on the player council at the ATP, and we discussed the crunch time decision that tennis faces in the coming weeks with regards to the PIF. 
Recorded 4.17 Released 4.18
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Aussie Stalwart Johnny Millman Talks Tennis with Craig Shapiro

The former world #6 José Higueras won 16 titles on the pro tour, semi'd the French twice, and upon retirement coached a massive amount of players to huge success. José coached Michael Chang to his French Open title in 1989, and then was with Jim Courier fort his 4 majors and ascendance to the #1 ranking. 
In 2008 after they won the US Open, he left Roger Federer to join Patrick McEnroe at the USTA, as head coach of player development. He and Patrick instituted what they called THE PHILOSOPHY, a huge amount of players and coaches benefitted from their direction and we discussed this.
Just last week José penned an open letter expressing deep concern for American tennis as a result of extreme budget cuts within the USTA and we discussed his letter in length. 
Recorded March 30 Released April 1
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Mischa Zverev

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