The Tennis Files Podcast

On Episode 105 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with dietician Jeff Rothschild about different types of diets and which ones are the best and worst for competitive tennis players  Jeff is a Registered Dietitian (RD) and NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with a Master’s degree in Nutritional Science. Jeff’s clients include Mike Bryan, Stefan Kozlov, and James Valentine from Maroon 5. He has also worked with other elite ATP and NCAA tennis players, endurance athletes, boxers, swimmers, and a number of touring musicians at TriFit in Santa Monica, CA.  It was great to have Jeff back on the podcast to talk about how food affects your body and why certain diets are good for tennis players while others aren't conducive to performing your best on the court.  I hope you enjoy this podcast episode about the best diet for your tennis game with Jeff and find it helpful! Let us know what you think about it in the comments below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 104 of The Tennis Files Podcast, you'll hear my top 10 tips for surviving and thriving in the extreme heat when you're playing tennis matches  Recently temperatures have reached around 100 degrees and tennis players worldwide have been suffering in the heat. That's why I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about my favorite tips that I've learned and implemented successfully to allow me to perform optimally, even in the face of record-breaking high temperatures.  Do you know your sweat rate? How about the maximum amount of liquid you can absorb per hour? You'll learn about this, along with my 10 most effective tips for dealing with extreme heat on this episode of The Tennis Files Podcast!  If you're playing in a hot climate and want to perform at your best, then you won't want to miss this episode!  I hope you enjoy this podcast episode and find it helpful! Let me know what you think about it in the comments below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 103 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with Tennis Express Playtester and Content Writer Sam Jones about the ins and outs of testing the latest tennis gear.  Sam has tested and reviewed hundreds of racquets, strings, shoes, and other tennis gear throughout his career with Tennis Express. Playtesters are super helpful to the tennis industry because they are among the first to get their hands on, test, and share their thoughts on the latest tennis gear and equipment. Often we use reviews online to guide our purchasing decisions, so cheers to a big shout out to all the tennis playtesters out there!  In addition to his experience in the tennis industry, Sam was a 4 year member of The Southwestern University Men’s Tennis Team (2001-2005), and served as a team captain during his junior and senior seasons. He achieved All-SCAC (southern collegiate athletic conference) status his senior year, and then began a 10+ year coaching career. Sam was also certified as a Master Racquet Technician in 2011. He has always been fascinated by new string and racquet technologies, and how they can help players improve their games and avoid injury.  On this episode, we discuss what it is like to be a playtester, the ins and outs of his unique job, how you can become a playtester, his advice for how to choose the best racquet and strings for your game, and much more!  I hope you enjoy this podcast episode about the life of a playtester with Sam and find it helpful! Let us know what you think about it in the comments below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 102 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I explain step by step the different equipment and accesories that you need to record your tennis matches.  Recording your matches, practice sessions, and stroke mechanics is hands down one of the best way to improve your game. The only way to improve is by knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and often we have weaknesses that we never know about unless we watch ourselves on camera.  I walk through the different types of recording devices and accessories you can use, their pros, cons, cost, specific product suggestions, and my recommended full setup for recording yourself playing tennis.  But don't just listen to this episode; take action and start recording and watching yourself play! Trust me, you'll see things you didn't expect and will wish you started recording yourself way earlier in your career.  I hope you enjoy this podcast episode and find it helpful! Let me know what you think about it in the comments below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 101 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with Dr. Greg Rose, the co-founder of The Titliest Performance Institute and founder of RacquetFit, about how we can reach peak athletic performance.  Greg specializes in assessing and treating athletes, 3-dimensional biomechanics, strength and conditioning, manual therapy, rehabilitation and therapeutic exercises. Throughout the past 23+ years, Greg has helped thousands of athletes of all skill levels greatly improve their flexibility, mobility, strength, speed, power, and athletic prowess.  Greg is a Board certified Doctor of Chiropractic and holds an engineering degree from the University of Maryland (go Maryland!). He has combined an engineering background with an expertise on the human body to help pioneer the field of analyzing 3-dimensional motion capture models of the golf swing. Then Greg brought what he learned over to the tennis world through RacquetFit. Pretty impressive stuff!  He has worked with countless amateurs and professional athletes in golf (ever heard of Rory McIlroy?), tennis, football, and many other sports and I am really grateful that Greg spent his time educating us about how we can improve our tennis games by becoming better athletes on the podcast.  On this episode, you'll learn the difference between flexibility and mobility, why it is crucial to understand your body's physical abilities and limitations when working on your strokes, advice on creating the right fitness routine for you, and much more!  I hope you enjoy this podcast interview episode with Greg! Let us know what you think about it in the comments below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode is a very special one! We are celebrating 100 episodes of The Tennis Files Podcast with a mega episode featuring several of my most favorite interviews over the years on the podcast!  I have learned so much from my podcast guests over the years, and wish I could have included every one of them on this episode......but I knew that 100 hours in one episode might be a bit too much :O)  Here's the list of tennis experts, coaches, and players you'll hear from in this special 100th episode of The Tennis Files Podcast:  Dr. Mark Kovacs (Episode 33) Paul Annacone (Episode 83) Jeff Salzenstein (Episode 74) Will Hamilton (Episode 91) James Blake (Episode 96) Peter Freeman (Episode 70) Ian Westermann (Episode 61) Gigi Fernandez (Episode 59) Allistair McCaw (Episode 54) Jamie Loeb (Episode 66)  I really hope you enjoy this 100th episode celebratory podcast episode that I put together for you!  Let me know what you think about it in the comments below! :O)  Thanks for all your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 99 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with mental performance expert Badri Narayanan about how we can use technology to boost our mental game so we can win more tennis matches.  Badri is a Sports Psychologist Consultant and Mental Conditioning coach for players on the ATP and WTA Tours and the USTA circuit. He is also a certified Neurolinguistic practitioner, and specializes in using relaxation response and progressive relaxation methods to prime the body and mind in the optimal state for performance.  Badri has over 16 years of experience in sports psychology and mental conditioning, and also works with other top-level athletes including Formula One and Cricketeers.  The mental game is often ignored in favor of technique and strategy, but in order to achieve our true tennis potential, we need to get better at this very important and essential facet of the game! That's why I really enjoyed speaking with a fantastic mental game expert like Badri on this episode of the podcast!  I hope you enjoy this podcast interview episode with Badri! Let us know what you think about it in the comments below!  And get ready to celebrate a very special Episode 100 of The Tennis Files Podcast next week!!! :O) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 98 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with legendary coach Rick Macci about the most important principles for developing rock-solid technique on our strokes.  Rick has coached five number one players: Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Andy Roddick, and Maria Sharapova, as well as hundreds of world class professionals. He has guided his players to a combined 247+ USTA National Championships since 1985, and is widely regarded as one of the best tennis coaches of all time. Rick is also the founder of Rick Macci Tennis Academy, and is a highly sought out motivational speaker, clinician, and author.   On this episode, Rick discusses his philosophy on developing biomechanically-sound technique, gives us simple yet super-effective technique tips, and explains some huge mistakes in our technique that, if fixed, will supercharge your efficiency and power. I particularly love the power leak Rick mentions for the serve in the interview (I won't spoil it for you, you'll have to tune in to find out! :O) ).  I hope you enjoy this podcast interview episode with Rick! Let us know what you think about it in the comments below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 97 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I discuss why it is so critical to understand our body's physical limitations and talk about some really helpful principles that I learned at a RacquetFit seminar that I attended recently.   Many players think they can just copy the exact strokes of the pros and hit shots like Federer, but unfortunately it isn't that simple....  We have to know our body's capabilities to achieve our true tennis potential, and this is what RacquetFit is all about. My mind was blown by what I learned at the RacquetFit seminar, and to say that I really enjoyed both learning about the body-tennis connection, taking a deep dive into the serve and meeting so many fantastic people at the event would be an understatement.  Several of the best tennis coaches and experts on the planet and podcast/summit guests such as Jeff Salzenstein, Dr. Sean Drake, Dr. Greg Rose, and Dr. Mark Kovacs are teaching the world about RacquetFit and bringing advancements from other sports to our game.   On this episode, I'll give you the inside scoop on the most important principles I learned at the RacquetFit seminar and why RacquetFit is going to change the way we coach and learn the game.  I hope you enjoy this podcast episode! Let me know what you think about it in the comments below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with former ATP world #4 James Blake about how he used preparation, planning, and visualization to propel himself to the top of the rankings. I feel very fortunate and proud to say that this is the second time I've interviewed James (first interview here) and it was another fantastic experience.  I interviewed James a couple weeks ago during a livestream session on Tennis Summit 2019, which was the third edition of my annual online conference tennis conference. James is a very intelligent, insightful, and super nice guy, and I know you will really learning how you can apply what James learned throughout his career to your game.  You'll also here James talk about an amazing product called CrampsAway that has helped him, along with a ton of players on the pro tour and countless other professional athletes get rid of cramps almost immediately.  James has amassed 10 singles titles, appeared in 24 singles finals, and beaten some of the greatest tennis players in the world, including Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, and Andy Roddick. One of the things that stood out the most about James to me was his class on the court.   When my dad and I used to watch James play in DC at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic (now the Citi Open), he would thank the ballkids every time they gave him tennis balls or fetched him a towel. James also had one of the biggest forehands on tour, which he used to propel himself up the ranks into the top 5 of the ATP Tour.  And a big shout out to Jack Little from CrampsAway for making this interview happen! Jack and his team also set up a special deal where you can get 20% off CrampsAway by clicking here and using the code FILES20.   I hope you enjoyed my interview with James! Let us know what you think about it in the comments below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices