February is Black History Month in the United States, and the TennisWorthy podcast explores the theme of boldness in tennis. Patrick McEnroe and Chris Bowers highlight the courageous journeys of three African-American tennis legends—Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, and their mentor Dr. Robert Johnson.

Chris narrates their struggles and triumphs, starting with Gibson, who broke racial barriers in the 1950s with the help of Alice Marble’s advocacy. Gibson’s journey from segregation-era challenges to winning major titles and transitioning to professional sports is a testament to her resilience. He also sheds light on Dr. Robert Johnson, who mentored both Gibson and Ashe, providing a foundation for Black tennis players through his strict training regimen and commitment to integrating the sport.

Ashe’s story, particularly his historic trip to apartheid South Africa in 1973, highlights his unique approach to activism—using his talent rather than vocal protest to make a statement. His presence in South Africa was seen as both inspiring and controversial, as he insisted on integrating the tournament stadium and meeting Black communities despite government restrictions. The memories of several close to him - Donald Dell, Mark Mathabane and Owen Williams - highlight Ashe’s influence extended beyond the court, with his visit leaving a lasting impact on the fight against apartheid.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame thanks the Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA and Oral History Project Director Yolanda Hester for contributions to this episode:

Mark Mathabane, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, Sept 4, 2020, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California.

Donald Dell, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, Feb 10, 2020, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California.

Owen Williams, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, March 5, 2021, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California.

The TennisWorthy Podcast is presented by the International Tennis Hall of Fame. For more information and full episode transcriptions, visit tennisfame.com/podcast.

What makes a Hall of Famer? What is that unique something that led to their historic success? Was it innate? Or did they need to cultivate a winning mindset?

TennisWorthy, a podcast presented by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and hosted by Patrick McEnroe, seeks to answer these questions and uncover what it takes to become the greatest of champions. These wide-reaching conversations go beyond on-court results, and reveal the mindset, accomplishments and legacies of the sport's legends.

Host Patrick McEnroe caught up with newly appointed Laver Cup Team World Vice Captain and Hall of Famer Pat Rafter in Melbourne. On site at the Australian Open, the pair wasted no time delving into January's subject of tenacity, and how digging deep played a massive role in some of Rafter's biggest moments on court.

McEnroe and Rafter discuss how Rafter's serve-and-volley style of play required incredible work ethic, and how he succeeded at the US Open with back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1998. He discusses competing and reaching the finals at Wimbledon twice, and is candid on the role nerves played in his matches against fellow Hall of Famers Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic. Finally, Rafter and McEnroe reflect on the evolution of the game and its physicality, Rafter's new role with Laver Cup, and the honor of being a Hall of Famer.

Pat Rafter is a three-time major champion and former ATP world No. 1. He remains the most recent man to reach the semifinals or better of ever major tournament in both singles and doubles. Rafter formally retired from professional tennis in 2003 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

The TennisWorthy Podcast is presented by the International Tennis Hall of Fame. For more information and full episode transcriptions, visit tennisfame.com/podcast.

Season 3 of the TennisWorthy Podcast is here, just in time for the Australian swing and welcomes a new host in ITHF President and ESPN commentator Patrick McEnroe. Patrick and Chris Bowers bring two stories from Hall of Famers Hana Mandlíková and Pete Sampras. In reliving two key moments from their careers, Mandlíková and Sampras focus on their mental resilience and tenacity in overcoming challenges.

Mandlíková, once seen as a natural rival to Martina Navratilova, became a Czech national hero, winning major titles like the Australian Open and Roland Garros. However, she struggled to break through the dominance of Navratilova and Chris Evert in the mid-80s. After improving her fitness and mentality, Mandlíková triumphed at the 1985 US Open, defeating both Evert and Navratilova, with the unexpected help of a Tina Turner anthem.

Sampras, on the other hand, learned a crucial lesson about perseverance after his loss to Stefan Edberg in the 1992 US Open final. This experience drove him to dedicate himself fully to the sport, which eventually led to his success, including his 1996 US Open victory. He shares how he battled both illness and subpar play to outlast Alex Corretja in four hours and nine minutes in the quarterfinal.

Stay tuned later in January as Patrick brings listeners more stories from the Australian Open. The TennisWorthy Podcast is presented by the International Tennis Hall of Fame. For more information and full episode transcriptions, visit tennisfame.com/podcast.

The TennisWorthy Podcast revisits Season 2 to close the year, featuring some of our favorite topics and legends.

Today we're focusing on the psychology of tennis, which is not solely about psychology, but about dealing with pressure, keeping emotions at the right level, and generally looking after a player's mental health, which is becoming a more high-profile topic given the ultra-competitive nature of the current professional tennis world. The idea of players using psychologists has really only come in over the past 30 to 40 years. Five Hall of Famers, including Jim Courier, Conchita Martinez, Margaret Court, Patrick Rafter and Esther Vergeer, share their methods for mental fortitude and how they adapted to pressure on court.

For more information on the TennisWorthy Podcast and full episode transcriptions, visit tennisfame.com/podcast.

The TennisWorthy Podcast revisits Season 2, featuring some of our favorite topics and legends. In this episode, we hear about making a different kind of history from Hall of Famers Ken Rosewall, Cliff Drysdale, Rosie Casals, Judy Tegart-Dalton and Ann Jones.

Three of the interviews in Season 2 featured five history makers from that pivotal time in the history of tennis, the sport going open in 1968, effectively the professionals and amateurs coming together in the same competitions. And the five voices you're going to hear now were all involved in that dramatic period between 1968 and '73 when tennis took the steps that enabled it to become the global professional discipline and spectacle it is today.

For more information on the TennisWorthy Podcast and full episode transcriptions, visit tennisfame.com/podcast.

The TennisWorthy Podcast revisits Season 2 to close the year, featuring some of our favorite topics and legends.

Today we're going to take some excerpts from the interviews we launched this year on the theme of a balanced life. Hear from Hall of Famers Gabriela Sabatini, Jim Courier and Kim Clijsters on how they set priorities during their careers.

How often do we hear that it's vital that young players give everything to their tennis career if they want to get to the top? You have to give almost everything, but we are talking about human beings. We all need a bit of release from our main focus in life and tennis players are no exception.

For more information on the TennisWorthy podcast and full episode transcriptions, visit tennisfame.com/podcast.

The TennisWorthy Podcast revisits Season 2 to close the year, featuring some of our favorite topics and legends.

Today, host Chris Bowers focuses on the development of champions as junior players. In most of our interviews with champions, we've asked the question, what were you doing as a junior that made you win matches against fellow juniors, who must have had roughly the same forehands and backhands? The answers were varied, and sometimes surprising. Learn what it was that set them apart, featuring Ken Rosewall, Tommy Haas, Jim Courier, Conchita Martinez, Pam Shriver and Michael Stich in their own words.

For more information on the TennisWorthy podcast and full episode transcriptions, visit tennisfame.com/podcast. 

It's a special edition of the TennisWorthy Podcast, today from Newport, Rhode Island on Induction Day.

Host Brett Haber sat down with a trio of Hall of Famers: Kim Clijsters, Tracy Austin and Stan Smith. They reminisced about their own inductions, shared their fond thoughts on the Class of 2024 - Vijay Amritraj, Richard Evans and Leander Paes - and of course, had some laughs!

Argentina's Gabriela Sabatini was a rising star as a junior, and she lived up to her early expectations. After becoming the youngest player to ever win the Orange Bowl (at age 13), she reached the semifinals of the French Open and the top 10 of the WTA rankings two years later. It wasn't all smooth sailing, though - her well-documented struggles with shyness made duties off the court difficult.

Gaby credits working with a sport psychologist and the global exposure tennis gave her as helping her become more outgoing, and take her game to the next level. After reaching five major semifinals and the final of the US Open, she broke through with the 1990 US Open title over No. 1 Steffi Graf. She credits her depth of experience on the major stage, and adjustments she made with her coaches, for her victory. Gaby details her passions outside of tennis, including charity work, and shares her advice to aspiring players to pursue balance beyond the court.

Gabriela Sabatini is a two-time major champion, former world No. 3 in singles and doubles, and Olympic sliver medalist. In 2019, she was awarded the International Tennis Federation's highest accolade, the Philippe Chatrier Award, for her achievements on court and in giving back through charitable causes. She became the second Argentinian inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2006.