Open Stance Audio

On today's episode, Joey discusses the mental evolution and improvement of Simona Halep, the world no. 1. Halep reached her fourth major final Thursday at the French Open with a win over Garbine Muguruza in the semifinals. Halep has yet to cross the finish line in majors, but continues to put herself in difficult positions, which is exactly how you improve your mental strength.

Joey is joined by freelance tennis writer Ben Rothenberg to discuss the shocking upset of Marco Cecchinato, who took out Novak Djokovic to reach the Roland Garros semifinals. The 25 year old Italian had never won a grand slam match prior to this tournament.

And his story isn't all "Cinderella"; he was convicted of match fixing just two years ago by the Italian Tennis Federation but got off on a loophole. Ben discusses these details and more.

Check out Ben's story on Cecchinato's past: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/25/sports/tennis/italy-tennis-match-fixing-suspensions.html

The one handed backhand; a beautiful stoke that almost any tennis player wishes they could produce. But has the game gets faster, will it stick around in years to come?

Our host Joey Hanf has mixed thoughts, and explains why it's so tough to develop players with a one hander in the modern game.

After watching some long, grueling battles on the clay of Roland Garros, we've seen a few players suffer through cramping on court. It's a difficult thing to watch, and if you've ever experienced it yourself, you know just how painful of an experience it can be.

So today we have a few tips to help prevent cramping, and how to best deal with the situation on court once the cramps have begun.

Jack Sock, who many thought was the biggest hope for American men's tennis going forward, has had an abysmal year in 2018. His loss Tuesday at the French Open put his singles record to 5-11, and it all seems to be going wrong for the 25 year old who stormed into the top 10 at the tail end of 2017.

What has gone wrong? A few things, as host Joey Hanf explains.

Ahead of the year's second major, we break down the best first round matches to watch in both the men's and women's draws. From former champions to entertainers and grinders, there are some fantastic first round matchups to watch.

Have a great memorial day weekend!

The Draw was released for the 2018 French Open today in Paris. Who were the winners and losers? Where did Serena land? How does Nadal's course to an 11th title look?

Host Joey Hanf discusses all of this and more.

Today I pose to you a simple question: what is the best value in professional tennis? From a fan's perspective, I personally believe that major qualifying is the best bang for your buck(because it's mostly free!).

What's the best value in your opinion?

Doubles is the most popular game in modern club tennis, and being a good partner is a huge key to success! We go over some important tips on how to be a better partner on the court; this has nothing to do with actually changing the way you play. You can become a better partner by working on your communication, preparation, energy and much more. Let us know what you like to see in a doubles partner!

So many players, both juniors and adults, take private tennis lessons. But often we are not getting the most our of time on court. In this podcast, Joey gives you 6 things you can do have more valuable lessons and improve quickly.

Thanks for listening everybody!