Make no mistake, County Tennis needs your support in 2026! I’ll explain why…

In Q4 2025, the LTA decided to make the 2025 Adult Winter County Cup the last ever staging of the event - a decision made by the LTA and one of their sub-committees without a meaningful consultation - and in 2026 they will launch a review into county competitions - it is like to include Junior County Cups and Summer County Week.

The power of County Tennis to bring communities together, initiate life long friendships and play a major role in the game development of players should never be under estimated.

So if you are passionate about County Tennis please take a listen to this podcast episode for my take on what has happened, what is likely to come next and how you can help!

And to kickstart showing your support for County Tennis, please join the Friends of County Cup and County Week Facebook group - together we are stronger. Here’s to 2026 — a year where County competitions are shaped with the community, not for it.

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When you think of the voice of tennis who do you think of? There are some great commentators / co-commentators out there from David Law to Annabel Croft but for me personally there is only one answer. I think of Russell Fuller.

When it comes to experiencing big tennis events and immersing myself in to them - my go to is not the TV it is most definitely the radio.

Russell Fuller is the BBC Tennis Correspondent and many of you will know his commentaries from Wimbledon and the other big tournaments.

Tennis Journeys take all sorts of different pathways. All sorts of different destinations. They can’t all lead to Wimbledon glory. But so many to lead to incredible adventures. Russell’s journey to BBC Tennis Correspondent is a compelling one and I hope you’ll enjoy hearing about it as much as I did…

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Today’s guests Dr. Amanda Stanec and Richard Way are on a mission to protect the joy children get from sport!

After reading their book Protect The Joy and chatting with them on this episode it is a mission I am joining them on! And with as many as 70% of children quitting sport by the onset of adolescence, it’s a quest I hope you’ll support.

From burn out to early specialisation, an overwhelming focus on results to it just not being any fun anymore there’s loads of reasons why children quit sport. We dive deep into these areas in today’s episode and also look at ways that you can proactively help keep the joy.

Listen to today’s episode (and read Protect The Joy) and you’ll be onboard with why forward thinking governing bodies like Tennis Canada are championing Long Term Athlete Development.

You’ll understand why the way a competition system for juniors is designed can be responsible for the challenges you see in the actions of coaches and the behaviour of parents.

You’ll know why you should be championing task based goals and keeping away from solely focusing on ego based goals!

So what are you waiting for? Hit PLAY now!

About Dr. Amanda Stanec and Richard and the Protect The Joy Book

Amanda was born in Canada and is the founder of MoveLiveLearn, has a PhD in physical education, has played soccer at uni and is Mum to three sports playing daughters. Richard is also Canadian and is the founder of the Sport for Life society. He is a leading light in the field of Long Term Athlete Development. Richard is also Dad to three sports playing children.

Protect the Joy is available now and offers a fresh, positive approach to youth sports, helping parents, coaches and sports leaders create a supportive environment where children can thrive. With practical strategies for collaboration and empathy, this book ensures that sports remain fun and growth-focused, empowering kids to build confidence, resilience, and a lifelong love for physical activity.

BUY PROTECT THE JOY HARDBACK ON AMAZON UK

BUY PROTECT THE JOY KINDLE EDITION ON AMAZON UK

BUY FROM PROTECT THE JOY WEBSITE (SHIPPING TO UK UNAVAILABLE)

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You’ll have seen products that come with government health warnings. Don’t do this or this might happen. My question for you today is this, should the junior tennis journey come with a financial health warning? And I think the answer is YES! 

If your player ends up spinning on the hamster wheel which is performance junior tennis, it is going to cost you. Individual lessons, group sessions, rackets, tournament fees, travel costs, strings, shoes, clothes…the list could (and does) go on and on. 

The reason for this episode is that I don’t think anyone really warns parents of what the costs are going to be. And I think they absolutely should.

So what is the price of a tennis journey? Just as everyone’s journey is different, so everyone’s costs are different. But I want to put a marker in the sand to give some sort of indication of what you’ll be looking at. And that is the point of this episode.

Ahead of publication, I shared the costs listed in this episode with some tennis parents and asked them what they thought. The majority thought I had been conservative. That the journey costs more. I find the cost I came up with mind blowing - but the fact is it is probably on the conservative side for many families who are on this journey. That’s even more mind blowing

I don’t want this to be a depressing episode - the benefits of a tennis journey are many and have been covered extensively on this podcast. And this absolutely isn’t me having a go at tennis coaches and their charges - coaches work incredibly hard often in unsocial hours and need to earn a living. I do, however, think parents whose children are starting on the journey should be aware of what could be in store cost wise. 

Maybe in time we can do an episode on solutions to the problem of junior tennis costs - but for now let’s start with what the costs are…

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Let me start with a confession - at times I’ve found being a tennis parent challenging! The trials and tribulations of the ‘performance’ tennis journey have surprised and at times shocked me.

So three experts coming together to create an online course that aims to help tennis parents navigate a positive path through the journey has to be a good thing!

That’s exactly what Dr Liya Jacob (wellness coach and tennis parent), Chris Johnson (Level 5 Master Coach) and Ellie-Rose Griffiths (former GB jnr no.1) have done.

An online course called Winning Tennis Parents full of helpful information and tips to help parents help themselves and their players.

The course is live now and costs £49.99 - less than a pair of new tennis shoes or a couple of individual lessons!

I found this episode and the course mega useful and I hope you will too!

The episode is really a taster for the course and after listening I’d really encourage you to go that one step further and enrol on the course. I’ve gone through the course and all the materials and it is excellent. I think it will help me with our tennis journey.

ENROLL ON THE WINNING PARENTS TENNIS COURSE NOW

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PLS NOTE: There is some swearing in this episode and it is not one that is suitable for children.

What’s it like to be the no.1 12U player in the World? To be the youngest player ever to be signed by the IMG management company. To win a full scholarship to one of the most famous tennis academies in the World.

Reckon the future for that player and his family was bright? Fame and riches around the corner?

Today’s guest, Todd Ley who hails from Adelaide in Australia, was in exactly that position. And has written all about that part of the journey and what happened next in a searingly honest book called Smashed.

As you’ll hear today, what happened next was not fame and fortune. What came next was darkness and at times despair. A chapter which Todd is now moving on from as he rides the rollercoaster of life working in the world of coaching - and I hope setting down what happened in the book will help him do just that. It has certainly helped me think about the journey we are on as a tennis family and why we are on it. It has helped me gain perspective of what is important and for that I thank Todd.

Today’s episode may not be easy listening at times, you might not agree with everything Todd says, but do take a listen because Todd’s story and messages will I think help our family and our tennis journeys and I hope it will maybe help yours too.

Visit Todd Ley’s website to find about more about the book and BUY A COPY OF SMASHED NOW

Thanks to FeedSpot for naming My Tennis Journey as a Top 5 UK tennis podcast - much appreciated! You can see the list here: https://podcast.feedspot.com/uk_tennis_podcasts/

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In this episode on why players, parents and coaches should absolutely think about what strings they put in their rackets, the Pro Tour stringer Huw Phillips who runs RacketSpec says:

‘You wouldn’t buy rubbish tyres and put it on a Formula 1 car. It’s the same with a tennis racket - it’s the strings that hit the ball’

He explains that you can make a £100 racket play ten times better by having it professionally restrung with decent strings and you can make a £300 racket play awful by having it strung badly.

What’s more the strings you have in your racket could result in you or your player sustaining injury if they use strings which aren’t right for them. 

So what are you waiting for? Dive in and find out what it’s like to be a Pro Stringer, what strings you should be using on your racket, what the different tensions mean and why a light racket isn’t necessarily the way to go for young players.

Ladies and gentleman, over to Huw Phillips to tell you all you need to know about tennis strings and tennis restringing. Enjoy…

Click this link to find out more about Huw and his company RacketSpec

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Welcome to the 100th episode of My Tennis Journey. And what an episode it is!

In many ways, Conor Niland has had the ultimate tennis journey.

He’s taken the unbelievably hard step from promising junior to pro player. He’s played Grand Slam tennis. He’s played Davis Cup tennis. He reached number 129 in the World! Some achievement. Since retiring he’s become a Davis Cup captain.

However, what Conor has become best known for is bringing the whole journey kicking and screaming to life in an absolutely brilliant book called The Racket. A book which became the first tennis book EVER to win the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year. A book that is about the rollercoaster of tennis and the rollercoaster of life.

Whether you are a player, parent, coach or someone interested in what life is really like as a sporting professional, I reckon you’ll find the book a compelling read. And I think this podcast episode will give you a whole load to think about and reflect on. And that is why I’m very happy that the 100th episode of My Tennis Journey features Conor Niland! Enjoy.

READ MORE ABOUT THE RACKET BY CONOR NILAND AND BUY IT NOW:

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Over the past 20 years, Spanish Tennis has established itself as the World leader when it comes to producing world class players and establishing world class academies. Led by coaches like Pato Alvarez and Louis Bruguera and players like Nadal, Muguruza and Alcaraz as well as foreign stars who have trained in Spain like Murray, Spain has been a leading force in World tennis. It’s little wonder therefore that players and parents have headed to Spain to aid their players’ development at the host of amazing academies.

But what are the secrets of Spanish tennis and with powerhouses like France and Italy emerging, is Spain still as dominant as it once was and if not why not? In this episode we will find out from an absolute expert in the Spanish game. An American coach who was so passionate about Spanish tennis that he bought a plane ticket as a young man and headed to the academies of Spain where he became friends with Alvarez, Bruguera and a host of other top coaches.

I’m passionate about Spanish tennis, our boys have trained at the Ferrer Academy near Alicante and when I studied for my Level 3 coaching qualification I took the RPT course - which is a Spanish organisation.  I also bought a book by today’s guest called the Secrets of Spanish Tennis and I used the drills in it to drive my coaching.

The book is now newly updated with new material including a chapter on Toni Nadal - and today author, coach and social media influencer Chris Lewit is going to share the six Secrets of Spanish tennis with you! Enjoy…

BUY SECRETS OF SPANISH TENNIS ON AMAZON UK

VISIT THE SECRETS OF SPANISH TENNIS WEBSITE

Alternatively, to get hold of a signed copy of Secrets of Spanish Tennis Volume 2 please contact Chris Lewit directly on WhatsApp on +1 (914) 462-2912.

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Back in 2023, changes were made to LTA Junior County Cup 11U-14U that undoubtedly had good intentions but have resulted - I think - in a competition that just isn’t quite as good as it used to.

The objectives behind the changes were worthy but as I hope my original blog post on LTA County Cup 11U-14U shows the actions taken are not resulting in the objective being met.

I set out to find out if County Coaches and parents of players think the same way as I do or if they believe the changes are a good thing.

To do this I put a survey live with some questions and a section where people could add their thoughts and ideas. I’m delighted to be able to share the survey results with you alongside news of my meeting with a member of the LTA competitions team and what the next steps are.

A massive thanks to each and every person who took the time to share thoughts and ideas.

Suffice to say, I see this as the beginning of a campaign for change not the end of one.

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