The GreatBase Tennis Podcast

Steve Smith, Dave Anderson, and Pol O’Callaghan keep things loose on episode 323, with Steve working through a stack of random notes from a weekend at the Battle of Boca. He took a van of Ave Maria players there, including a young player from Madagascar. The group also takes up the future of pro doubles, with Steve and Dave arguing that doubles players should break away and run their own circuit while keeping a place in the majors.

From the tournament, Steve pulls out lessons on backboard work, practicing after matches, charting points, skipping rope, and getting fit. He argues that juniors need to be hungry, be good teammates, and “bleed tennis.” Dave and Pol add their own takes, with Pol sharing how hitting the backboard at Campbell changed his feel for the ball.

Steve Smith and Richard Hernandez welcome former NHL player Dominic Moore to episode 322 of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast for a deep conversation about family, resilience, and the path that took three brothers from a Toronto cul-de-sac to Harvard. Dominic traces his hockey and tennis upbringing alongside brothers Mark and Steve, the adversity his family has weathered, and the role his parents’ sacrifice and structure played in shaping all three into elite athletes and students.

The conversation ranges from Dave Fish and the Harvard tennis team’s role in helping Dominic through his first wife’s cancer battle, to stories about Martin St. Louis and Robert Steckley, before closing with reflections on what team sports teach that tennis often doesn’t, namely loyalty and being a good teammate.

Steve Smith, Dave Anderson, and Pol O'Callaghan welcome content creator and teaching pro Jeff Lewis to the latest episode of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast for a deep dive into grips and stroke production across the history of pro tennis. The group works through the evolution of forehand grips from Eastern to extreme Western, naming benchmark players for each style, from Don Budge and Welby Van Horn's "championship grip" to modern players like Del Potro, Alcaraz, and Swiatek.

The conversation moves through backhands, volleys, overheads, serves, and returns, with the group naming benchmark pros for each shot along the way. They also tackle the inverted racket face trend and why so many juniors are copying it without the fundamentals to back it up. Throughout, the group returns to the same theme: the pros who succeed are the ones who honor the physics and keep things simple, while juniors today are often chasing flashy nuances instead of building a complete, fundamentally sound game.

Steve Smith, Dave Anderson, and Pol O'Callaghan welcome longtime listener Simon Schlesinger, a teaching pro from Toronto who caught up on nearly 300 episodes of the podcast, to hear his story of falling in and out of love with tennis before finding his way back into coaching. Simon traces his path from childhood tennis in Ottawa, through a detour into arts and creative writing in Montreal, to eventually landing in Toronto and discovering GreatBase through fellow coach Will Resnick.

The conversation covers how Will's clear, repeatable routines helped Simon understand stroke production rather than reverse engineering it from ball control, along with the challenges of building a coaching career in Canada's limited club system, and shoutouts for other influences like Al Millar and content creator Connor Casey. It closes with reflections on gratitude, mentorship, and Simon's hopes of one day leading a group of coaches himself.

Steve Smith, Dave Anderson, and Pol O'Callaghan dedicate episode 319 of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast to a deep dive into Roger Federer's meticulous approach to building his game, breaking down the list of over forty shots he set out to master and what that "begin with the end in mind" mentality means for junior development today.

The group closes with a broader discussion on why so many juniors are playing tennis without ever developing the full skill set the game requires, drawing comparisons to basketball and other sports where players simply don't take the court without foundational skills. Steve and Dave make the case that parents and coaches need to prioritize building a complete, well-rounded player over short-term results, even if that means fewer laughs and games along the way.

Steve Smith, Dave Anderson, and Pol O'Callaghan dedicate episode 318 of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast to a wide-ranging review of the U.S. Open, opening with Roger Federer's emotional Hall of Fame ceremony and moving into a deep discussion on the brutal, unforgiving nature of professional tennis. Drawing on Matt Futterman's book "Tennis is the Cruelest Game," the group breaks down the economics, physical demands, and mental toughness required to survive on tour, with plenty of stories and insight mixed in along the way.

The conversation ranges from junior tennis parenting and brain type training, to a heartfelt tribute to wheelchair tennis and the athletes who compete in it, closing with reflections on the U.S. Open's grassroots impact and the ongoing challenge of growing the game at the community level.

Steve Smith and Dave Anderson dedicate episode 317 of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast to a discussion of the new Novak Djokovic documentary, Wolf in Winter, breaking down its themes of sacrifice, discipline, and the unusual path that shaped one of the greatest careers in tennis history. The two dig into Djokovic's childhood in war-torn Yugoslavia, his early coaching influences, and the family dynamics that pushed him to transform every part of his life in pursuit of greatness.

The conversation broadens into a reflection on mental toughness, the difference between being a fan and a student of the game, and why Steve and Dave believe coaches should sit their players down to watch and discuss the film together. They close with thoughts on Djokovic's legacy, his place among the all-time greats, and what young players can learn from a documentary built entirely on the idea that wisdom is knowledge earned over time.

Steve Smith and Dave Anderson welcome Cris Valverde, a longtime pro from Portland, Oregon, back to the GreatBase Tennis Podcast to talk about his son taking a gap year at the Ave Maria program before college. The conversation opens light, touching on teaching your own spouse and staying humble in the profession, before moving into a broader discussion on mentorship, onboarding new coaches, and the never-ending pursuit of learning that Steve and Dave believe separates good teachers from great ones.

The back half of the episode dives into the difference between coaching and teaching, with stories about pros like Tennys Sandgren and John Isner who admit they never learned to volley despite reaching the top levels of the game. Steve and Cris close with reflections on honesty, free access to their content through greatbasetennis.com, and the importance of respecting the teachers and history that built the sport.

Steve Smith and Dave Anderson are joined by Pol O'Callaghan for episode 315 of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast, kicking off with news of the USTA's new AI-powered coaching platform co-founded by Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf. The three dig into what AI can and cannot do for player development, making the case that no amount of technology can replace thousands of hours of hands-on coaching and the human relationship at the heart of real teaching.

The conversation moves into a wide-ranging discussion on tennis parenting, drawing on stories from Steve and Dave's decades of experience with players and families, including the "three-legged stool" of parent, coach, and player, and the danger of a child's dream becoming a parent's dream instead. Pol closes with a thoughtful question on adapting to a generation with shorter attention spans, and the group lands on a shared belief that there is no substitute for hunger, hard work, and going back to basics.

Steve Smith and Dave Anderson dedicate the latest episode of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast to the Chrissie and Martina documentary, taking listeners on a deep and detailed walk through the records, rivalries, and history behind two of the greatest careers in tennis. Steve runs through an exhaustive list of Chris Evert's win loss records against nearly every rival of her era, while both hosts reflect on what made the rivalry so enduring and why the mutual respect between the two players pushed them both to greater heights.

The conversation ranges well beyond the documentary itself, touching on the evolution of the serve across generations, the challenges of getting players to accept technical changes, and the deeper philosophy behind coaching as a relationship built on trust and information transfer. Steve and Dave close with a broader reflection on what today's game could learn from that era, and why being brilliant with the basics still matters more than anything else.