Baseline Intelligence with Jonathan Stokke

Paul Annacone, former top 15 ATP singles player and coach to tennis legends like Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, discusses rushing the net, serving and volleying, and evaluating opponents. He shares the best coaching advice he's received and gives tips for 4.0 players. The podcast also explores the limitations of metrics, handling failures in tennis, and playing to your strengths.

Our friend Joel Myers joins the pod to talk about this year's US Open. We talk:1:12 Coco's breakthrough6:00 How to compete against a consistent player8:07 The Medvedev serve11:31 Ben Shelton's game16:30 The Shelton serve19:30 Closing the net in doubles25:58 What you can learn from pro doubles

Franco Herrero is our guest for the 45th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Franco is one of the premier fitness coaches in the tennis industry. He's worked with Reilly O'Pelka, Monica Puig, Sofia Lenin, and Tommy Paul. We talk:1:51 How he got started in strength and conditioning4:10 Observing a player's movement7:40 What makes Tommy so quick10:07 Applying force13:14 Training during tournaments16:39 Recovering after a match18:54 Ice baths24:19 Body weight exercises28:36 Changing directions30:42 Best advice for the 4.0 player

Grant Chen is our guest for the 44th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Grant helped UCLA reach the elite 8 in five of his six seasons as an assistant/associate head coach and is currently the head coach at SMU. His teams have won back to back conference championships and he's earned AAC coach of the year honors two years in a row. We talk:1:38 His cell phone contacts2:52 An epic NCAA final6:34 Using a tough loss to spark growth8:28 Helping his players become pros10:06 Building a support team around a player15:07 Who's on your bus?18:38 How to become a college player24:27 Favorite doubles drill29:16 Best advice for the 4.0 player

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