The Tennis Files Podcast

On Episode 213 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with New York Times correspondent and author Christopher Clarey about his new book: “The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer.”Chris is a top international sportswriter and has been a New York Times correspondent for over 25 years. He has covered Roger Federer since the beginning of the Swiss Maestro’s professional career and has interviewed him exclusively more than any other journalist since Federer’s rise to prominence. Chris has just published a new book, “The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer,” this week. It focuses on the pivotal people, places, and moments in Federer's long and rich career and features hundreds of perspectives from him and the many people he played, trained, and interacted with since his early days in tennis.I was fortunate enough to read an advanced copy of Chris’s book and have thoroughly enjoyed its detailed insights, entertaining stories, unique humor, and the many teachable principles that we can all integrate into our tennis games and our lives. As a result, I very highly recommend that you pick up a copy of “The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer” here. On the show, you’ll learn the critical decisions that Federer made from a young age which shaped his legendary career, the influence of coaches Peter Carter and fitness trainer Pierre Paganini on Federer’s game and fitness, how working with a sports psychology took his results to the next level, how he manages to live in the present, funny stories about Federer’s mischievous other half, and much more!I hope you enjoy my interview with Chris! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below!And be sure to subscribe to Tennis Files to receive the latest tennis content to improve your game straight to your inbox!LINKSThe Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger FedererChris’s Twitter Page Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 212 of The Tennis Files Podcast, you’ll learn how to develop a consistent second serve, how to anticipate where your opponent’s shot is going, my favorite pressure drills, and more on this Q&A edition of the show!I receive tons of questions from the Tennis Files audience on technique, strategy, fitness, and the mental game. On today’s episode, I’ll answer nine of them based on what I’ve learned from decades of playing and from the top pros and experts I’ve interviewed on my podcast and summits. Big thanks to the Tennis Files community and to everyone who has sent me questions!I really hope you enjoy the show! If there is a particularly useful piece of advice that you discovered from it, let me know in the comments below.And be sure to subscribe to Tennis Files to receive the latest tennis content to improve your game straight to your inbox.LINKS:TFP 210: Serve Technique Masterclass with James LudlowTopspin ProMovement Triangle Video Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 211 of The Tennis Files Podcast, former WTA pro Vania King discusses the ups and downs of a professional tennis career and her latest project Serving Up Hope.Vania reached career high rankings of #3 in the world in doubles and #50 in the world in singles on the WTA Tour. She also won two Grand Slams, winning the 2010 Wimbledon and US Open Doubles Championships with partner Yaroslava Shvedova. Vania currently works as the Community Development Ambassador for WTA Charities, the philanthropic arm of the WTA, and is a Director At Large on the USTA’s Board of Directors. Vania co-founded Serving Up Hope with former Chilean #1 ranked tennis player Hans Podlipnik to help give more human beings access to health, happiness, and equal opportunity through tennis.On the show, you’ll learn how to improve your mental health, the most impactful technical changes Vania has made to her game, how to navigate the ups and downs of the pro tour, winning doubles strategies, how to avoid injuries through tennis fitness training, the importance of routines, Vania’s inspiration for co-founding Serving Up Hope and how you can help, and much more!I hope you enjoy my interview with Vania! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below!And be sure to subscribe to Tennis Files to receive the latest tennis content to improve your game straight to your inbox!Servinguphope.orgServing Up Hope FacebookServing Up Hope Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 210 of The Tennis Files Podcast, coach James Ludlow and Mehrban take a deep dive into the toughest shot to master with the greatest rewards: the serve.James is a Certified Tennis Instructor at Online Tennis Instruction (OTI). In 2021, James  attended a tennis clinic with the Head Coach and Founder of OTI, Florian Meier. Since then, he has developed a huge passion for the technical side of tennis and had spent thousands of hours studying and testing what works and what doesn’t when it comes to stroke biomechanics. James analyzes OTI students’ strokes and creates instructional videos for OTI’s Youtube channel.On the show, you’ll learn how to improve your throwing motion, how to develop a consistent toss, whether to use the platform or pinpoint stance, the key to having a great kick serve, how to avoid overrotation, what part of the serve tennis players struggle with most and how to fix it, and much more!I hope you enjoy my interview with James! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below!And be sure to subscribe to Tennis Files to receive the latest tennis content to improve your game straight to your inbox!Online Tennis Instruction YouTube ChannelServe Slow Motion Video - Right to Left MovementFacebook OTI PageJames' LinkedIn Page Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 209 of The Tennis Files Podcast, you’ll learn the 5 keys to mastering an explosive forehand.On the show, you’ll learn how to execute a proper unit turn, how to uncoil your body efficiently, the most common forehand power killers, how the contact point varies for different grips, drills to develop powerful acceleration, and much more!I really hope you enjoy this episode! If you found it helpful, let me know in the comments below!And be sure to subscribe to Tennis Files to receive the latest tennis content to improve your game straight to your inbox!FH Power Challengemehrban@tennisfiles.comThe Tennis Files Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 208 of The Tennis Files Podcast, pro tennis coach Claudio Pistolesi reveals his top insights from over four decades of playing and coaching on the ATP/WTA Tour that will help you reach your fullest tennis potential.Claudio is the Director of the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) Bolles in Jacksonville, Florida. He was ranked as high as #71 on the ATP Tour and defeated many top ATP Tour pros, including Mats Wilander, Sergi Bruguera, David Wheaton, and Aaron Krickstein. Claudio has trained and coached numerous top ATP/WTA Tour pros, including Monica Seles, Robin Soderling, Simone Bollelli, Daniela Hantuchova, Takao Suzuki and Ai Sugiyama. He is also a volunteer coach for the University of North Florida Tennis Team.On the show, you’ll learn why Italy has so many top #100 ranked tennis players, how the sound of an Italian cannon helped develop a world class serve, how Claudio got in the zone and defeated world #1 Mats Wilander, how he brought Simone Bolelli from world #248 to #36 in less than three years, why empathy is the key to success in coaching, and much more! I hope you enjoy my interview with Claudio! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below!And be sure to subscribe to Tennis Files to receive the latest tennis content to improve your game straight to your inbox!Global Professional Tennis Coach AssociationJTCC.org Claudio Pistolesi EnterpriseClaudio’s Instagram PageClaudio’s Facebook PageRange; Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized WorldThe Inner Game of TennisMatch Play and the Spin of the BallEmotional IntelligenceEmail Claudio at cpistolesi@jtcc.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 207 of The Tennis Files Podcast, high performance coaches Mark Jeffery and Ramon Osa will reveal how to play your best tennis when it matters most.Mark Jeffery is the founder of Big Point Player Training. He is a 12 years British HM Forces veteran, former Army champion, and mentors players and coaches on how to perform their best under high pressure. Ramon Osa is a world-class tennis coach, Tennis Summit instructor, and the founder of OsaTennis360.On the show, you’ll learn the four key elements that will elevate your tennis performance, examples of mental toughness in the Wimbledon finals matches, a 20 second routine in between points to help you reset and refocus, and much more!I hope you enjoy my interview with Mark and Ramon! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below!And be sure to subscribe to Tennis Files to receive the latest tennis content to improve your game straight to your inbox!Big Point Player Free Quiz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 206 of The Tennis Files Podcast, 17-time Grand Slam Champion Gigi Fernandez will show you how to set and achieve your tennis goals. If you have a strong desire to accomplish big goals in tennis and want to maximize your potential, don’t miss this episode! Former world #1 Gigi Fernandez is widely considered to be one of the best doubles players of all time. She is a Hall of Famer, winner of 17 Grand Slam doubles titles with various partners, and 2 Olympic Gold Medals with Mary Joe Fernandez. In 2000, Gigi was named Puerto Rican Athlete of the Century. Gigi now spends her time coaching adult players how to excel at doubles and developed the Gigi Method of doubles.On the show, you’ll learn how to get unstuck when you’ve been on a losing streak and unhappy with your progress, how to set the right weekly, monthly and yearly tennis goals, how to communicate with your doubles partners, the keys to Gigi’s massive success on the WTA Tour, and much more!I hope you enjoy my interview with Gigi! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below!And be sure to subscribe to Tennis Files to receive the latest tennis content to improve your game straight to your inbox!Gigi Fernandez TennisThe Tennis Files Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 205 of The Tennis Files Podcast, world renowned sports science and fitness expert Dr. Mark Kovacs will reveal how to develop biomechanically efficient technique on your serve and backhand.Mark is a performance physiologist, researcher, professor, author, speaker and coach with an extensive background in training and researching elite athletes. He is the Senior Director of Sports Science for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the founder of The International Tennis Performance Association (ITPA) of which I am a proud member. He is also the founder of the Kovacs Institute which is based in Atlanta, GA. Mark has trained numerous top professional tennis players, including John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Sam Querrey, Donald Young and Melanie Oudin.On the show, you’ll learn the biggest technical mistakes you need to correct, optimal two handed backhand technique, visual cues for using your kinetic chain, how to transfer your weight on the serve, why your back leg is the secret to generating explosive power, exercises that most amateur players may want to avoid, and much more!I hope you enjoy my interview with Mark! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below!And be sure to subscribe to Tennis Files to receive the latest tennis content to improve your game straight to your inbox!KovacsAcademy.comKovacsTennis AppKovacs Institute TwitterKovacs Institute FacebookKovacs Institute Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 204 of the podcast, mental game expert Jeff Greenwald will reveal the keys to mastering your mind, including technical and tactical adjustments in the most common pressure situations.Jeff is an internationally recognized sport psychology consultant and licensed psychotherapist. He is the author of the 3rd best-selling tennis psychology book entitled The Best Tennis of Your Life and Fearless Tennis. He was also ranked No.1 in the world in the men’s 35 age division, and is a two-time ITF World Champion and former ATP Tour player. Jeff has been helping athletes and professionals through his personal coaching, seminars, book, and audio programs for several decades.You’ll learn how to improve your mindset and mental preparation, how to perform your best under pressure, how to stay focused and present during matches, and much more on the show!I hope you enjoy this episode with Jeff! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below!LINKS:Fearless TennisThe Tennis Files Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices