Reframe pressure as confidence gained from high expectations
“I think pressure is obviously difficult, but it means that you've done something to deserve that expectation. So you can kinda use that to give you confidence, and I think breathing always is helpful. I do certain breathing techniques before matches to try to calm the nervous system down if you're feeling nervous and the pressure. But I think you just have to know that it's normal, and it should give you confidence that people expect things of you because that means you've done some pretty good things too.”
Tennis success often dictates when the sport chooses you
“I love to compete. I hate to lose, and I started competing in tennis. And I kinda just got obsessed with the with the process, getting better. Again, the competition, I wouldn't trade competition for anything else. And out of all the sports I played, I was the best at tennis. Right? So I wanted to do that. I really think the sport chooses you. And if you love to compete, you're gonna do what you're good at.”
Nerves are unavoidable but manageable through acknowledgment and breathing
“Nerves always exist. Like, people always say, how do you not get nervous? I'm like, well, you don't. You just manage it better. Right? Like little techniques like she mentioned, they don't go away. Everyone has ever played tennis. It's okay to have nerves. And you can acknowledge it too. I have a lot of parents who say you can't say you're nervous. I'm like, you can't deal with the problem if you can't talk about it.”
Iga Swiatek’s clay dominance relies on superior court movement
“I personally love watching Iga, especially on the clay because some of those runs she's had, especially at the French Open, have been ridiculous. I mean, not losing games, but the way that she's able to open up the court and play with different spins and shapes to push her opponents back—the way she moves, I think is very dynamic. And I think when she's playing her best, it's fun to watch.”
Novak's advice focuses on court geometry and angles
“I would say the best advice he's given me is about ground stroke patterns and how to how to open the court better, finding the the angles. I play good with my depth, but sometimes finishing shorter in the court or bringing them out and in almost will then make the depth even more penetrating and surprising to them. So that's that's very specific, but that is something he told me that I think is really useful for me.”
Prioritize long-term skill development over junior match wins
“I would definitely say that I know every result in every tournament seems so serious and so the make or break moment, but it definitely isn't. And please, please don't be stubborn and work on the things that you know you need to work on and take some l's if you need to. That's something I could have done better, definitely. I was very stubborn with wanting to win. So do the things that are gonna make you better, and then the winning will come with it.”
Reframe pressure as confidence gained from high expectations
“I think pressure is obviously difficult, but it means that you've done something to deserve that expectation. So you can kinda use that to give you confidence, and I think breathing always is helpful. I do certain breathing techniques before matches to try to calm the nervous system down if you're feeling nervous and the pressure. But I think you just have to know that it's normal, and it should give you confidence that people expect things of you because that means you've done some pretty good things too.”
Tennis success often dictates when the sport chooses you
“I love to compete. I hate to lose, and I started competing in tennis. And I kinda just got obsessed with the with the process, getting better. Again, the competition, I wouldn't trade competition for anything else. And out of all the sports I played, I was the best at tennis. Right? So I wanted to do that. I really think the sport chooses you. And if you love to compete, you're gonna do what you're good at.”
Nerves are unavoidable but manageable through acknowledgment and breathing
“Nerves always exist. Like, people always say, how do you not get nervous? I'm like, well, you don't. You just manage it better. Right? Like little techniques like she mentioned, they don't go away. Everyone has ever played tennis. It's okay to have nerves. And you can acknowledge it too. I have a lot of parents who say you can't say you're nervous. I'm like, you can't deal with the problem if you can't talk about it.”
Iga Swiatek’s clay dominance relies on superior court movement
“I personally love watching Iga, especially on the clay because some of those runs she's had, especially at the French Open, have been ridiculous. I mean, not losing games, but the way that she's able to open up the court and play with different spins and shapes to push her opponents back—the way she moves, I think is very dynamic. And I think when she's playing her best, it's fun to watch.”
Iva Jovic prioritizes match count over tournament level
“I really believe in match count and I really believe in getting confidence and getting better. I feel like I get so much better when I'm playing matches. If it's at a 35K or if it's at a Grand Slam, you're improving so much when you play matches. I'd rather take a semis or final at a lower level event than a second round at a higher event.”
Elena Rybakina enters the World Number 1 conversation
“She's in this number one conversation for the year, folks. I'm just telling you, she is firmly... She's not having a lot of off weeks. This consistency over a four or five month period is not something we've seen from Rybakina before. This feels different than what it's been before with her in as far as I can tell.”
Carlos Alcaraz faces wrist injury before Roland Garros
“A photo of him on Instagram at a restaurant circulated him taking a photo with the restaurant owner, we assume, also showing his right wrist in a removable cast of some kind. That's not an image you necessarily want to see a month before Roland Garros, is it? Feliciano Lopez actually has been sort of talking about the extent of the injury.”
Ben Shelton breaks American clay court title drought
“Ben Shelton coming through. First American man since 2002 to win a 500 level event or better. Ben won on slow clay in Munich. I was really impressed. I like what I saw. On tour, this is a different win. This is like, oh, OK. This is a nice win. Like, we say statement too much, but this is at least kind of, may I have your attention for 12 seconds while you're eating lunch?”
“The way that the Saudi Investment Fund has gone about putting money into tennis is the opposite of what they did with live. I feel like this is a correction on strategy based on what they did with live. They are not going against the tours. Everyone's swimming the same direction and they're trying to provide resources to that direction. They are not overpaying for assets like a Masters 1000, it's not by a multiple of 47 like they were for live golfers.”
