The Court House

Coach Billy Pate from Princeton gives us amazing insight and information on what it means to be in the Ivy League and to be a student athlete at one of the best academic institutions in the world. We talk through the difference in the recruiting processes, what it takes to be a Princeton Tiger, navigating new college rules and regulations, and of course, advice for players and parents to use on their journey!

In this episode of The Court House we get a glimpse into the life of a tour legend Mark Knowles. He shares how he started, his story of getting to #1 in the world, and what the grind was like for him. Now he’s retired, coaching on the tour, commentating, and loving being a Dad. There is so much to learn and take from a guy that’s quite literally done it all. Enjoy the episode!!! Had a brief audio hiccup that will be resolved soon.

Coach Roditi is one of the best college coaches in the country. Period. Sustaining a top 10 nationally ranked D1 college program year after year is an incredible feat. He takes us through recruiting, the climate of junior tennis and college tennis, and then puts us in the inner circle to give us some insight into what happens when you reach your dreams and get to play for a school like TCU.

Savannah was an All-American at Pepperdine and currently traveling in her first year on tour. Solymar (Soly) was an All-American at San Diego and playing on the tour as well. We discuss tennis life, the journey, handling the grind, and just get a great perspective from two amazing young athletes. Enjoy!

Professional Tour Coach Philip Farmer joins the podcast! He gives us great insight into the lives and experiences of Grand Slam Champions “The Bryan Bros” and Austin Krajicek as well as working with the next generation of touring pros. He is in the player development phase of peak performance and consolidation, and is helping players, that are already at a high level, to perform more consistently, embrace high stress environments, and to weather the storm of the professional tennis grind. Enjoy!

This episode of the Court House is a very important one. We are talking 10 and Under Tennis with one of the best 10U coaches in the country, Coach Grayson Vanover. He’s a long time friend and protégé of mine and has catapulted himself into a 10U Player Development machine. We discuss everything from starting players out to full skill development by 10 years old, and everything in between. Great advice for parents to stay grounded and enjoy the ride.

In this episode of the courthouse, I have a very special guest: NBA 2X MVP Steve Nash. Steve has a great love for the game of tennis and grew up playing multiple sports, eventually choosing basketball as his career and the rest is history. We dive into his passion for sports and competing, as well as an insatiable willingness to learn and improve at anything he does. Steve found a love for tennis later on in life and is now a tennis nut, so we dive into all things tennis and player development, he picks my brain about what it takes to be successful on the court, and what it’s like to coach players growing up in this crazy tennis world.

One of the world’s top performance consultants and coaches, Simon Wheatley, brings us great insight into talent identification and how to stay grounded in a very competitive tennis environment. He has traveled and consulted players, parents, coaches, and programs all over the globe in a wide range of topics including 10u Tennis, High Performance, psychological performance, and program development. I hope you enjoy and absorb all of the great info we discuss.

Grant Chen is the head men’s tennis Coach at SMU. He has been in the game a long time and shares his journey from starting out as a manager at UCLA to the head of SMU. We talk everything tennis to life skills to college tennis to finding balance on and off the court.

Learning from one of the greatest athletes of our time is a huge honor. Dirk gives us some insight on his journey and how he navigated his younger years, and we dive into what it takes to be successful beyond the normal. Being passionate about what you’re doing, and then loving the hard work that it takes to be great, is what it’s all about. We talk basketball, tennis, life, and his new world of tennis parenting.

Navigating the storm of the teen and pre-teen attitudes, on and around the court. Manage your expectations, and try to save your experiences, by finding common ground and understanding the end game.

The secret is there is no secret. How much is your player doing on their own to build up their confidence? Ownership and perseverance are the building blocks for a successful career.

In this episode, we will be talking about the loaded term of “trust the process”. This is a staple term in the industry for anybody involved in player development, but we will dive deeper into what it means. Success can often be about who’s left, not who’s the best. Prepare yourself for the long haul!

Starting the tennis journey with your kids can be very difficult. Have you started to get frustrated? Are you wondering how to communicate with them? Are you finding yourself anxious and nervous while they compete? I will be talking with a newbie tennis parent with the aim to guide others through the ever challenging tennis parenting world.