Peter Smith is our guest for the seventh episode of Baseline Intelligence. Peter coached Division I men's tennis for over 30 years, winning 5 NCAA championships, 2 National coach the year awards, and took four different schools into the top 25. He also spent time coaching top American professionals Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey.

We talk:

3:25 Why his teams won so many NCAA championships

6:00 How the love of his players improved performance

8:37 Loving the big moments

10:00 The difference between good and great

12:00 Common "walls" players put up

17:05 His coaching philosophy

19:00 Coaching a college match

24:48 Top thing he looked for in a recruit

28:27 Top thing a 3.5 player can do to improve

29:51 How easy it was to coaching against me

32:10 A legendary coaching story

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Marc Lucero is our guest for the sixth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Marc spent time as the assistant coach at Princeton University, was a USTA national coach, and has coached several top professional players including Shelby Rogers, Genie Bouchard and Steve Johnson. He also has his own podcast "Check the Marc" and is a commentator for collegiate and professional tennis matches.

We talk:

1:40 How he comes up with a game plan for his players

5:18 Why it takes time for a game plan to work

9:39 What a relationship between a pro player and their coach looks like

11:41 Differences between the men's and women's games

14:52 What tactics the pros use that you can add to your game

16:53 His coaching influences

20:53 His communication style

22:53 The most important skill to have as a coach

26:10 His biggest mistake as a coach and what he learned from it

** Sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Carlos and Josh Goffi are our guests for the fifth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Carlos is the author of "Tournament Tough" and was the longtime coach of world number 1 and 7-time grand slam champion John McEnroe. His son, Josh, is currently the head men's tennis coach at the University of South Carolina where he helped coach Paul Jubb to the individual NCAA Singles title in 2019.

We talk:

2:30 Carlos' first tennis lesson with John McEnroe

4:45 What you should be doing between points

6:30 Controlling your opponent

10:22 The traffic light analogy

14:45 The two phases of junior development

21:00 The role of the tennis parent

28:30 Kids who have parents as their coach

34:00 Not all points are worth the same

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Nick Saviano is our guest for the fourth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Nick is widely regarded as one of the world's preeminent tennis coaches with over 45 years of world class experience. He has helped helped train over 75 players who have gone on to professional careers on the WTA and ATP tours, including world number ones, olympic gold medalists and grand slam champions.

We talk:

1:25 What he looks for in a player

6:12 The difference between nerves and fear

9:08 The ground rules for playing a tournament

15:30 Everybody has an on-court personality

19:05 Every practice shot should have a tactical objective

24:26 Core fundamentals for developing an elite serve

28:52 How much time a player should dedicate to practicing serve and return

31:11 What to do when you aren't playing well in a match

**sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Craig O'Shannessy is our guest for the third episode of Baseline Intelligence. Craig is the leading strategy analyst for the ATP Tour and most recently spent three years as the strategy and data analyst for Novak Djokovic from 2017-2019. He is also the founder of braingametennis.com, an educational website with multiple courses for the avid tennis player.

We talk:

3:32 - When he learned the value of using video for the first time

8:45 - Focusing on yourself vs. focusing on your opponent

13:45 - How he helped Rajeev Ram get back into the top 100

20:03 - What your strategy should be in the first four shots

23:48 - How often you should practice serve and return + 1

28:53 - The storm cloud analogy

30:24 - The leaking cup analogy

34:47 - The "center window" of the doubles court

37:50 - The future of tennis strategy

40:04 - What tactic makes him cringe the most

41:27 - The most important statistic in tennis

43:00 - What type of errors you want to make

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Rajeev Ram is our guest for the second episode of Baseline Intelligence. Rajeev is ranked 4th in the ATP Doubles Rankings after a fantastic 2021 season where he (and partner Joe Salisbury) reached the Australian Open final, the semifinals of Wimbledon and won the US Open.

We talk:

3:42 - How he maintains his emotional energy throughout a long season

5:04 - Managing 10 point tiebreakers

11:10 - What he and Joe need to work on to finish as the top ranked doubles team

12:40 - What it's like preparing for a grand slam final

16:00 - How the game of doubles is changing

21:30 - What makes a great doubles partner

27:20 - What it means to be a "performer"

31:45 - How to avoid burnout

**sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

18th ranked Jessica Pegula joins us for the first episode of Baseline Intelligence. She recently wrapped up a career year by reaching the quarterfinals of the 2021 Australian Open and jumping 44 spots in the WTA Rankings.

We talk:

1:55 - What she credits her jump in the rankings to

7:25 - How 1% improvement makes all the difference

10:35 - What she counts as a bad error

14:45 - Her most basic tactic in a match

21:36 - What she did as a junior that helped her become a pro

23:56 - What she would do differently as a junior player

34:34 - Tells us about practice "tickles"

38:10 - Why she feeds her dogs so much before she goes on the road

**Sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Welcome to the Baseline Intelligence podcast! Each episode will feature a prominent player or coach who will share what they've learned throughout their careers. We'll discuss their strategies, techniques, mindsets, fitness plans, and anything else they consider when trying to be great at the game we all love. My hope is that each episode will help you learn something new and improve your game without even hitting a tennis ball.