Baseline Intelligence with Jonathan Stokke

Shelby Rogers is our guest for the 43rd episode of Baseline Intelligence. She has career high rankings of 30th in singles and 40th in doubles on the WTA tour. She reached the quarterfinals of both the French and US Opens, and helped lead the US team to the 2017 Fed Cup title. We talk:1:32 Her start in tennis4:04 Skipping college for the pros7:13 Building belief9:54 Difficulties of being on the road11:35 Preparing for different surfaces13:44 Practicing at tournaments18:00 Playing different opponents20:35 How to play big points23:56 Her rapping career25:55 Backhand tips** Sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Our friend Joel Myers joins the pod to talk about the tactics, shots, and pressure points played by the best players in the world at this year's Wimbledon. We talk:1:24 The greatness of Alcaraz7:35 Chris Eubanks' magical run10:09 A great volley tip11:45 The women's championship13:45 Hanging in there when you're down14:49 Returning a lefty serve17:26 Playing on a faster court21:49 Accelerating on your forehand22:49 Surprising patterns of play26:55 Bad execution vs. a bad decision

** Today's episode was brought to you by Online Tennis Instruction. Please visit moreservepower.com to redeem your free, four week all-access pass.Steve Johnson is our guest for the 41st episode of Baseline Intelligence. Steve has been ranked as high as 21st in the world in singles and 39th in doubles, and won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. He's also a four-time team NCAA champion and a two-time individual NCAA champion in singles. We talk:3:06 Jumping a level in college5:43 How improving his fitness helped his mentality12:06 Learning how to lose16:15 Performance over outcome21:15 Using his forehand as a weapon27:12 Making his opponent uncomfortable 31:14 The best coaching advice he's ever received35:21 His advice for the 4.0 player

Brian Kalbas is our guest for the 40th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Brian is a 3-time ITA National Coach of the Year and his teams have won 15 conference titles, 7 ITA National Indoor Championships and this year's 2023 NCAA Team Championship. He's coached 27 All-Americans and has helped three doubles teams win the NCAA Doubles Championship. We talk:3:16 Finally winning the NCAA Championship8:31 How he helps his players relax10:15 The character of his players11:30 Keeping practice fun14:23 What separates good from great16:33 How to add a weapon to your game19:51 Grandma's house21:18 A normal team practice 23:16 When he decided to become a coach29:08 SAP player30:31 Doubles advice** Today's episode was brought to you by Kyle Lacroix and SETS Consulting. To learn more please visit www.setsconsult.com or www.setsconsult.org. You can also DM Kyle directly on Instagram at @sets_consulting.

Our friend Joel Myers joins the pod to talk about the tactics, shots, and court positioning of the best players in the world at this year's French Open.We talk:2:34 Novak's sustained success5:22 Playing on pressure points8:55 Kick serve as a first serve13:20 Iga's movement and return game14:10 Best advice for improving court position16:00 Attacking second serve returns 18:34 Ad side to ad side pattern19:58 Getting out of the ad court pattern22:12 What to do when receiving a drop shot25:23 Moving on clay27:49 Wrong footing opponents30:38 Watching tennis on tv32:46 Playing in the wind37:14 Best tactic for the 4.0 player on clay* Today's episode was brought to you by Kyle Lacroix and SETS Consulting. To learn more please visit www.setsconsult.com or www.setsconsult.org. You can also DM Kyle directly on Instagram at @sets_consulting.

Jermaine Jenkins is our guest for the 38th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Jermaine was an All-American at Clemson University and went on to spend three years as the hitting partner for Venus Williams. He coached Naomi Osaka in 2019 and 2020 and now works as a lead national women's coach for the USTA. He also recently served as a vice captain on the USA BJK Cup team in their win over Austria. We talk:1:46 His family's success on the tennis court3:19 Starting tennis at age 144:25 How he got started with Venus7:55 Learning from Venus11:12 What he learned from David Witt13:03 Coaching Naomi Osaka16:04 Working with top junior players20:03 Tournament training schedules22:38 Calming yourself down when you're angry25:02 Getting ready for big matches28:00 Best coaching tip he's ever received31:34 His best advice for the 4.0 playersound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Gil Reyes is our guest for the 37th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Gil was the longtime strength and conditioning coach for Andre Agassi, and has spent time training several world number 1s including Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka, Ash Barty, Simona Halep and Angie Kerber. We talk:1:45 How he got started with Andre6:58 Creating a program for Andre8:47 Starting and stopping13:57 Inspiration, information and application18:34 His special equipment23:16 Variable resistance28:26 Using bands30:54 Weak legs command, strong legs obey35:24 How many workouts a week for an amateur38:45 Common traits among champions**Sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Andy Fitzell is our guest for the 36th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Andy is a USPTA Elite professional who spent several years learning from and working alongside legendary tennis icon, Vic Braden. He is currently the coach for Kimberly Birrell, who is ranked 111 in the latest WTA rankings. We talk:1:41 How he met Vic Braden5:00 His favorite tennis myths8:05 Wrist position on forehand contact10:23 Fundamentals for pure topspin13:35 The geometry of the court16:08 Why players try so many angles 17:33 Angle of the racket face on the volley19:07 The volley grip21:55 Optimal height for a serve toss25:20 Changing your technique27:03 Myelin30:20 Brain typing tennis players35:18 Best advice for the 4.0 playerSound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Thomas Johansson is our guest for the 35th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Thomas was ranked 7th on the ATP tour and won 9 titles, including the 2002 Australian Open. He won a silver medal in doubles at the 2008 Olympic Games, and has gone on to coach David Goffin and Sorana Cirstea.We talk:1:22 His start in tennis5:41 Sustaining his success from juniors to the pros8:35 Working towards the top 1013:39 Knowing yourself as a player15:41 Winning the 2002 Australian Open19:02 Poor play leading up to the tournament 21:49 His game plan vs. Marat Safin24:37 Transition to coaching27:11 Deciding what to work on32:00 His toughest opponent35:18 What he looks for in a double partner39:00 His best advice for the 4.0 player**Sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Craig O'Shannessy is our guest for the 34th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Craig is the leading strategy analyst for the ATP Tour and spent three year as the data analyst for Novak Djokovic. He is the founder of braingametennis.com, an educational website with multiple courses for the avid tennis player. We talk:1:31 Where mistakes are made10:21 How to limit errors in position A13:27 What type of error is "unforced"17:53 What is considered a bad error20:56 Thinking about your opponent22:43 Forcing your opponent into more errors27:26 What pros do exceptionally well29:01 How to win more points on your second serve34:18 Making your first serve on a big point37:06 Simplifying analytics39:07 Weirdest data anomaly40:34 Best advice for the 4.0 player**sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com