Control the Controllables

Welcome to an all new feature here at Control the Controllables, our Podcast Shorts.

With these we’re bringing out all of the most entertaining, informative, heart-warming and hilarious moments from all of your favourite CTC episodes in bitesized chunks for you to enjoy.

Whether you’ve been listening to CTC for years or if this is your first sample, Shorts are perfect for you to submerse yourself in the world of tennis and elite sport in short, manageable chunks, or whetting your appetite for more!

In this first CTC Podcast Short, we join Dan with Episode 62 guest Valorie Kondos Field as she talks openly and honestly through the challenges of coaching and parenting in elite sport. 

Valorie was Head Gymnastics Coach at UCLA for 29 years, leading them to 7 National Championships despite having no experience in gymnastics.

In this clip, Valorie talks frankly about being too hard on her athletes in the early stages of her coaching journey, and how important it is to make sure athletes enjoy their sport. She also gives her key pieces of advice for parents getting used to their child competing in elite sport.

What better way to start our brand new series of shorts than with one of the most successful coaches in US college history giving key lessons for young coaches and parents on how to get it right when developing athletes!

Read full show notes here.

Links mentioned in this Episode

• Listen to Valorie´s Full CTC Episode here.
• Valorie´s Tedtalk: Why winning doesn´t always equal success
• Get your Black Friday Discount to train at SotoTennis Academy HERE!

Mentioned in this episode:

Train Smarter Anywhere: Strength & Conditioning for Tennis Players On the Go 🎾

For players who don’t always have access to in-person coaching, progress doesn’t have to stop.

TennisAthlete

In today’s episode we speak to former Canadian pro tennis player Patricia Hy.

Patricia was a top 30 WTA player and a Grand Slam quarter finalist, who has since become a successful mental skills coach, using her perspective as a former player, coach and tennis parent to help nurture relationships between the three.

As a child, she faced hardship like no other tennis player at that time. Born in Cambodia, Hy and her mother were forced to flee the country on foot, escaping to Thailand and then Hong Kong just a week before the Cambodia border closed in 1971.

Patricia chats to CTC Host Dan Kiernan about how this experience shaped her professional tennis career and life, and how she dealt with hardships in the sport, including falling off the world rankings 3 times.

Patricia’s story is one of hard work, perspective, resilience and mental strength.  Get the notepad ready for some life and tennis lessons from someone who has seen all areas in the sport.

Read full show-notes here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Train Smarter Anywhere: Strength & Conditioning for Tennis Players On the Go 🎾

For players who don’t always have access to in-person coaching, progress doesn’t have to stop.

TennisAthlete

A month on from the US Open, and we´re delighted to say we´ve been able to bring the 3 winning doubles pairs together, to tell us about their incredible fortnight in New York.

First we chat to Rajeev Ram & Joe Salisbury who made history by becoming the first pair in the Open Era to win the US Open Men´s doubles 3 years in a row!

We then catch up with Women´s Doubles Champions Gaby Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe, who reflect on their amazing run at Flushing Meadows in just their 4th tournament together.

And finally we speak to Harri Heliövaara and Anna Danilina in their first chat together since winning the Mixed Doubles title after only meeting at the sign in desk the week before!

Six Grand Slam Champions in one episode makes for a special listen! Gain a deeper understanding of the unique dynamics and strategies at the highest level of men´s and women´s doubles. Enjoy! 

The key moments in this episode are:-

• The emotions of winning a Grand Slam; before, during and after.
• Why Rajeev & Joe´s 3rd US Open title was the most emotional.
• The ideal scoring system in pro doubles.
• The Challenges of enjoying success in tennis.
• Perceptions of Success and Failure.
• Success Factors in Women's Doubles.
• Hear how Gaby & Erin manage expectations and focus on the process.
• The Story of How Harri & Anna became partners for the Mixed Doubles.
• Overcoming Nerves in a Big Match.

Mentioned in this episode:

Train Smarter Anywhere: Strength & Conditioning for Tennis Players On the Go 🎾

For players who don’t always have access to in-person coaching, progress doesn’t have to stop.

TennisAthlete

The 2023 US Open didn´t disappoint as we saw Coco Gauff win her first Grand Slam title, and Novak Djokovic collect his record-equalling 24th!

It was also an incredible fortnight for our very own CTC Host Dan Kiernan who guided his players to not one, but two doubles titles!

CTC regular Gaby Dabrowski and her partner Erin Routliffe won the Women´s doubles title, while Harri Heliövaara and Anna Danilina won the Mixed Doubles after only meeting at the sign-in desk the week before.

Gaby reunites with Dan for our US Open Review to tell us about her amazing 2 weeks in New York. Also returning to our US Open Panel is:-

• Denmark´s Davis Cup Caption Freddie Nielsen
• S&C Coach to Liam Broady, Dan Evans & Sorana Mihaela Cîrstea, Kieron Vorster
• GB´s Emily Webley-Smith who has been on the women´s tour for more than 20 years. 

We look into many topics including:-

• Coco Gauff´s amazing American summer on the back of her new player coach relationship with Brad Gilbert.
• The influence (or not) of courtside coaching. Are players becoming too dependent on their coaches?
• Should the Slams be broadcasting what the coaches are saying to players and private moments of the players?
• What drives Djokovic to keep going?
• The all-British Men´s wheelchair final between Alfie Hewitt and Gordon Reid

And so much more! Enjoy!

Mentioned in this episode:

Train Smarter Anywhere: Strength & Conditioning for Tennis Players On the Go 🎾

For players who don’t always have access to in-person coaching, progress doesn’t have to stop.

TennisAthlete

In today´s episode we speak to British pro wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett.

Alfie is 25 and already a 25-time Grand Slam Champion, winning 7 singles and 18 doubles titles with fellow Brit Gordon Reid.

Born with the congenital heart defect Tetralogy of Fallot, Alfie was diagnosed with Perthes Disease at the age of six.

He chats to CTC Host Dan Kiernan about his journey from being told he was wheelchair-bound at just 7-years-old , to becoming the youngest men´s singles world number 1, aged 20.

Alfie´s story is one of perseverance, resilience and the power of family. Enjoy listening to this inspirational chat with an inspirational young man.

Read full show-notes here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Train Smarter Anywhere: Strength & Conditioning for Tennis Players On the Go 🎾

For players who don’t always have access to in-person coaching, progress doesn’t have to stop.

TennisAthlete

As the final Grand Slam of 2023 gets underway today, we´ve brought our amazing panelists together to discuss all things US Open.

Joining CTC Host Dan Kiernan is 2012 Wimbledon Men´s Doubles Champion and Denmark´s Davis Cup Captain, Freddie Nielsen, WTA doubles player Gaby Dabrowski, and S&C Coach to Liam Broady, Kieron Vorster.

They share personal stories, insights into pro life at Flushing Meadows and their predictions for this years Champions, as well as players to watch out for.

Will we see a repeat of the amazing final in Cincinnati between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz? Will Coco Gauff be able continue her recent form over 2 weeks in New York?

Send us your thoughts and predictions by tagging in @ctc.podcast on Instagram or @sototennis on all social media platforms. We will share the best picks!

Celebrating our 200th Episode with Sir Andy Murray

Have you listened to our 200th Episode of Control the Controllables yet? To celebrate the milestone episode, we had none other than Sir Andy Murray as our guest. It´s not one to miss! Listen here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Train Smarter Anywhere: Strength & Conditioning for Tennis Players On the Go 🎾

For players who don’t always have access to in-person coaching, progress doesn’t have to stop.

TennisAthlete

To celebrate our 200th episode of the Control the Controllables podcast we speak to none other than British sporting legend, Sir Andy Murray.

Andy is the most successful British tennis player in history, winning 3 Grand Slams and two Olympic Gold medals.

In 2015 he led Great Britain to their first Davis Cup title since 1936. He backed that up in 2016, winning his 2nd Wimbledon title, and finishing the year as World number 1.

Since 2016, Andy has had to deal with adversity as his career came to a stop whilst he had a hip resurfacing operation. He has shown incredible grit and resilience to make his way back into the worlds top 40 and winning ATP events again.

Arguably, Andy will not only go down in history as a multiple slam champion, but also for his off court ‘voice’, arguing for equal pay in tennis and highlighting subtle sexism.

Listen to him chat to CTC host Dan Kiernan about his career, the challenges he´s faced and much more in this brilliant episode.

Episode highlights include:-

• What makes the immortals of tennis.
• How three main significant events when he was younger shaped his life.
• How important watching tennis is to his development, and how he made notes on players on the tour when he was a junior! 
• What he is most proud of in his career and what he wishes he´d done differently.
• His opinion on the GOAT!
• What he would like to do after his playing career.

Connect with us

Don´t want to miss an episode? Follow us on Apple Podcasts and on Instagram @ctc.podcast.

You can also check out our 199 other episodes, including chats with Iga Swiatek, Holger Rune and Judy Murray here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Train Smarter Anywhere: Strength & Conditioning for Tennis Players On the Go 🎾

For players who don’t always have access to in-person coaching, progress doesn’t have to stop.

TennisAthlete

Czech tennis has quietly been leading the way in tennis player development for the past 10-15 years, particularly on the women’s side of the game.

What seems like a conveyor belt of world class players have been arriving into the worlds top 100 players and beyond, including Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova.

Marketa Vondrousova became the latest Czech player to rock the tennis world when she won Wimbledon in July. Czech players also lifted the ladies doubles, the girls and the boys doubles trophies, showing that the future continues to be bright for the nation. 

So what is the secret to the success of Czech tennis? In todays episode we speak to Jan Stoces, Head of the Czech Tennis Federation to find out!  

Episode highlights include:-

• Why he thinks the country is producing so many female players.
• Can the Czech system be copied in other countries?
• The Importance of Goal Setting and how it helped him overcome a career-ending injury.
• Adapting to the player, not the player adapting to the system.
• The importance of a good tournament system in player development.
• Why he thinks Doubles is so important for the development of players.
• Staying Humble in the Face of Success

Read full shownotes here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Train Smarter Anywhere: Strength & Conditioning for Tennis Players On the Go 🎾

For players who don’t always have access to in-person coaching, progress doesn’t have to stop.

TennisAthlete

In today´s episode we talk to Dave O´Hare who coaches one of the best doubles teams on the ATP Tour.

Dave is a former pro player and still represents Ireland in the Davis Cup. He´s been working with Joe Salisbury & Rajeev Ram for almost 3 years, helping them to World number 1 doubles pair and the 2022 US Open mens doubles title.

Dave and Joe were college roommates and doubles partners at the University of Memphis. They also played together on the tour before Dave started coaching Joe & Rajeev in 2021.

Dave´s passion for the sport and doubles shines through in this chat. Highlights include:-

• Imposter syndrome on the tour.
• Helping his players through the highs and lows of pro tennis.
• Individual vs. Team Coaching in Doubles.
• The importance of process over outcome.
• Louis Cayer´s Impact on British doubles.
• His and Joe´s transition from College teammates to Coach and player.
• The importance of communication and synergy in doubles partnerships.
• Which doubles pairs to look out for in 2023.

Other Episodes you might like:-

• #102: Louis Cayer- The Doubles Guru (Our most popular episode!)
• #132: Joe Salisbury - Double US Open Champion
• #140: Rajeev Ram - Multiple Grand Slam Champion

Full shownotes here

Help Dan & Vicki raise money for Alzheimer's Society as they take on the Great North Run in Newcastle next month.

Mentioned in this episode:

Train Smarter Anywhere: Strength & Conditioning for Tennis Players On the Go 🎾

For players who don’t always have access to in-person coaching, progress doesn’t have to stop.

TennisAthlete

In today´s episode we speak to British tennis coach Nigel Sears who has worked at the top of the women´s game for the past 35 years.

During that time, Nigel has worked with 8 players who have reached the top 10 in the world, including Daniela Hantuchova, Ana Ivanovic and GB´s Emma Raducanu.

His success as a player and a WTA Tour coach has taken him to various roles including Head of Womens Tennis at the LTA, GB Fed Cup Captain and a commentator. He´s also Father-in-Law to a certain Sir Andy Murray.

Nigel´s wealth of experience in the game is there for all to see, and now for you all to hear!

Enjoy 68 minutes of storytelling, insights and advice. Whether you´re a player, parent, coach or just a tennis/sports enthusiast, this is not one to miss.

 Episode Highlights:-

• How Nigel became a known as a WTA Coach
• How his coaching philosophy has changed over the years.
• Nigel´s non-negotiables when working with a player
• The impotance of adapting your coaching style to match players' individual needs and game strategies.
• His reflections on his coaching career

Links Mentioned in this Epsiode:-

• Connect with us : Website | Instagram | Email us
• Help Dan & Vicki raise money for Alzheimer's Society as they take on the Great North Run in Newcastle next month.
• SotoTennis Academy: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Mentioned in this episode:

Train Smarter Anywhere: Strength & Conditioning for Tennis Players On the Go 🎾

For players who don’t always have access to in-person coaching, progress doesn’t have to stop.

TennisAthlete