3-time US Open Champion, 2-time Olympic Silver Medalist and former ATP World #1 Rajeev Ram joins the podcast. Click here to watch on YouTube...

https://youtu.be/x9jIYxuPE6Y?si=_M98dgOW9d5dVkCe

We talk:

1:07 Offseason growth

4:53 Making practices more competitive

7:09 Adjusting to a new partner

10:07 Handling a lefty serve

15:59 One-handed return of serve

21:54 First volley footwork

27:32 Losing the right way

31:21 Getting your body ready for competition

35:49 Best advice for the 4.0 player

Jessica Pegula joins us for the 79th episode of Baseline Intelligence. If you want to watch her interview on YouTube, click the link below...

https://youtu.be/AxrDZnaVuXY?si=vixdalQ9_P9jHR7e

We talk:

1:10 Her current health situation

3:11 Load management

5:59 Her mindset entering a tiebreaker

11:38 Playing mental games to feel better about the current situation

15:34 Risk vs. reward

17:45 What she's learned from Mark Merklein

21:30 What she's learned from Mark Knowles

24:28 What she learned from the US Open

26:23 What she does when her serve goes off in a match

31:30 Tinkering with her equipment

Ashley Neaves, aka The Tennis Mentor, joins the podcast to discusses five things you can do to improve your groundstrokes.

Want to watch on YouTube? Click the link below...

https://youtu.be/vHLfCZTgee0?si=oK4sG4qZE25q-OJq

We talk:

2:12 What skills should you start learning first?

6:33 Anticipation vs. footwork

9:35 Obsessing over technique

11:13 The "Five R's"

12:42 Ready

16:50 Read

22:03 React

25:30 Respond

30:11 Recovery

34:23 Basic singles tips

38:20 Best advice for the 4.0 player

Eddie Elliott joins us for the 77th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Eddie has worked with top WTA pro Lauren Davis for the past 6 seasons.

:50 What wins on the pro tour

2:07 High percentage tennis

5:32 What loses on the WTA tour

9:12 Fixing strokes before a tournament

15:58 Staying with a player for 6 seasons

20:15 Baseline success on the pro tour

23:25 What he looks for in a player

27:02 Best coaching advice he's ever received

Charleston Doubles Camp Details

Dates: March 30th - April 1st (sold out) April 2nd - April 4th (spots still available)

Location: Snee Farm Country Club, Mount Pleasant SC

Tennis: 8-11 each mornings, 5 coaches for 16 players

Pro event: Tickets to the afternoon sessions of the WTA 500 event and a premium gift bag

Group Dinner: Night 2 of the camp

Price: $2850 or $2650 if you subscribe to the bonus episodes of the podcast

If you have questions or are interested in reserving your spot in the camp, email me at [email protected].

Today's guest is Justin Russ. Justin is a strength and conditioning coach who has worked with ATP/WTA players, NCAA national champions, and adult players of all ages and levels. Find more from Justin and his staff at https://www.coachjustinruss.com/

We talk:

1:49 What should a warmup look like for an amateur adult player?

4:05 How does rolling out help your muscles?

5:32 Low back pain

7:22 Gaining strength in your posterior chain

9:03 What is athleticism?

10:30 Multisport exposure

15:53 Genetic influence on athleticism

17:30 "Sneaky" athleticism

20:12 IG fitness coaches

25:59 First steps for starting your S&C plan

28:55 What he wishes he knew 5 years ago

Steve Smith joins the podcast for the 75th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Steve has worked with players in over 40 states and 30 countries, and has helped 12 players go on to win NCAA National Championships. You can find Steve and all of his content at www.greatbasetennis.com.

We talk:

1:07 Film your serve

7:53 Height of the toss

14:11 Being patient when changing a stroke

17:45 Second serve drills

Indian Wells Doubles Camp

Dates: March 5th - March 7th

Location: Cathedral Canyon Tennis Club

Perks: Gift bags from Yonex, Vuori, and other sponsors. Two court side seats to the BNP 1000 night sessions

Tennis: 9 hours of tennis over 3 days with 5 coaches for 16 players

Price: $2850 OR $2650 for bonus episode subscribers

Email me at [email protected] for more information or to reserve your spot!

Peter Freeman from Crunchtime Coaching joins the podcast.

On today's episode we talk:

1:40 What's a pusher?

3:53 Why do pushers win?

7:15 What's a tweener?

9:35 How to beat a pusher

17:48 Becoming more self aware

21:46 Slice disrespect

24:15 Can you improve as a pusher?

27:12 Best advice he's receive from another coach

28:48 Frustration in the improvement process

31:29 TennisCon8

Bruce Lipka joins the podcast for this week's bonus episode. Bruce is a 3-time USPTA coach of the year, has worked with over 20 top 100 WTA/ATP pros, and is currently the head coach of the Penn State men's tennis team.

We talk:

1:05 Teaching technique to support tactics

7:26 Finding your optimal tactics

17:13 Fighting resistance with players

20:49 How you spell "pusher"

27:00 How pros eliminate errors

The 20th ranked doubles player on the ATP tour and 2024 US Open semifinalist Nate Lammons joins the podcast.

We talk:

2:29 Late bloomer

5:38 Learning from his college coaches

7:31 Staying calm in big situations

11:49 Underdog vs. favorite mentality

13:33 Returning first serves

18:15 Lobbing close net players

20:28 Picking return targets

22:46 Return grip

24:44 Serving fundamentals

27:27 Second serve toss

29:58 String and racket preferences

David Roditi joins the podcast to discuss winning the 2024 NCAA D1 Championship. Roditi is a 5-time Big 12 coach of the year, has finished in the top 10 of the ITA rankings ten times, has won two ITA National Indoor Championships, and most recently won the 2024 NCAA Championship.

We talk:

2:14 What it's like to win the NCAA championship

5:47 Talking less as a coach

6:51 Why this particular team was able to win it all

9:04 Preparing for a big match

12:15 How his program develops professional players

17:40 What separates players mentally

20:25 How speed of shot impacts your level

25:08 Know what you do well