High Performance Episodes

Dave Sammel was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has spent his 30 years as a coach in the UK working with some of the best players in GB. He is currently Liam Broady´s coach. Dave has strong views, and clear philosophies which have proven to work and they will also provoke thought. Enjoy a great listen. Twitter: @davesammel As mentioned in this Episode, here’s the LINK to have a preview and sign up option to STA’s Online Courses ➡️ https://sototennis-academy.teachable.com/...

Fabio Mole set up Functional Tennis 4.5 years ago and it’s now one of the biggest online tennis platforms out there. Fabio talks through his journey from the Astro courts in Ireland to his fast food business, to Christmas jumpers before heading back to tennis where his true love is. How do you make a living through social media? Is it sustainable? Find out more... enjoy 😊 As per mentioned in this Episode, here’s the LINK to have a preview and sign up option to STA’s Online Courses ➡️ https://sot...

What a story! Leon went from decent junior player to coaching one of the best juniors in the world, Sir Andy Murray. He was catapulted to GB Davis Cup Captain over 10 years ago where he´s guided the team to glory on the court as the 2015 Davis Cup Winners, but also to a collective culture that brings positivity, team spirit and much more. Leon is the LTA Head of Men’s Tennis and he doesn’t hold back his insights in the podcast. See him as you haven’t seen him before. A wonderful listen. Tw...

Valorie Kondos Field was Head Gymnastics Coach at UCLA for 29 years. She led them to 7 National Championships and her background wasn’t even in gymnastics. She dramatically changed her philosophies throughout her coaching career. Find out why in this episode. Valorie has since gone on to deliver TED Talks with her philosophy of ‘Winning doesn’t always equal success’. Her inspiration has come from meetings with the late Kobe Bryant, her mentor John Wooden and listening to her team, some of who...

James Cluskey was top 150 ATP and represented Ireland in Davis Cup. He has used his tennis as a vehicle to attack the business world. He is Sir Richard Branson’s private’s tennis coach and he has leveraged this and more to move forward in the business world. A fascinating story and so many learnings for us all. Enjoy

Bruno and Juan both have extensive experience of being brought up through the ‘Spanish System’ as players and coaches. Yet both have had experience in the British Tennis world as players at Stirling University. Bruno is now a National Coach at the National Academy in Stirling, UK and Juan runs his own Academy in Sevilla, Spain. We explore the differences, positives, negatives of both tennis cultures including characters, tournament structure, climate and much more....

Dan spent many years in the top 5 in the UK and top 250 ATP after a successful junior career including making final of the prestigious Tarbes U14 event. Dan retired aged 26 back in 2016, but as the pandemic has had an effect on us all, it has got Dan motivated to give it another go on the tour. Hear about all the ups and downs that go into these careers and the insights into why decisions like this are made. A great listen

Michael Joyce had a very successful playing career with a career high of 64 ATP. Michael has gone on to coach some of the biggest stars in the women’s game including Victoria Azarenka, Genie Bouchard, Johanna Konta, Timea Babos and most notably Maria Sharapova. The American worked with Sharapova for 7 years, winning 3 Grand Slams together. In this episode of Control the Controllables, Michael gives us fascinating insights into his role as a coach, from contracts to training. It´s a must li...

James McGee is a former Irish Davis Cup Player and number one. Reached the top 150 ATP including qualifying at the 2014 US Open in dramatic circumstances, listen out for that. Shares his insights into the tour, Irish Tennis, his mental battles and how he now put all of those learnings to great use. A great listen

Matt has competed on and off on the ITF futures tour for the last 7-8 years whilst juggling a tennis coaching career to fund this. But then does he do either to the best of his ability? And what mental health difficulties does this bring? A common tennis story and so grateful that Matt has shared his thoughts and experience for many to learn from.

Liam Broady discusses the mental health battles he has experienced over the past few years and how he has worked through and built himself back up, just as you would do with physical health problems. A short, sharp and insightful podcast we are sure many will relate too.

Fran is a tough coach in Wales working with top International Juniors. She discusses the potential challenges for coaches working with young elite players around expectation of time, commitment and from parents which can lead to mental health difficulties around work-life balance. A great listen

Noah Rubin has been as high as 125 ATP and is a former Junior Wimbledon Champion. Noah has set up his own ‘Behind the Racket’ platform which is giving players a voice on their stories. We speak about current affairs around tournaments and what can learned from the period, as well as Noah opening up in detail on his mental health journey. So many great lessons for us all. Enjoy

Former Irish National Coach Paul Casey talks from the heart about his ideas on how Irish Tennis can and should develop from his experiences as a player and as a coach for 40+ years. He talks about his support for former ITF President Dave Miley and how that may have been a big opportunity missed. Straight talking and open. A great listen

Donald Young has been on our screens since he was World Junior Number 1 aged 15, to top 100 ATP AT 18. His story is full of ups and downs which he shares in detail, but one things hasn’t changed.. his love for the sport. A great listen

Martin Lee is one of a very select few British Male Players to reach the ‘Holy Grail’ of Top 100 ATP. Was it an easy journey there? Find out more....

Former GB Davis Cup Player Barry Cowan discusses his tennis journey which took him from Liverpool to taking Pete Sampras to 5 tough sets at Wimbledon. Since then he moved onto the other side of the camera as a Sky Sports and Amazon Prime Commentator. An open, honest chat with many great takeaways.

Irish Davis Cup Player Peter Bothwell has recently retired from the ATP/ITF Tour after 6 years of professional tennis. We dig into why Pete has made that decision at the age of 24 and the realities of the futures tour and in turn difficulties that so many have. A great insight.

James Trotman was a top 10 player in Europe from an early age, before winning multiple Junior Grand Slams. He was then struck down with a career ending illness. Not a one to dwell, he put his passion into his coaching and has become one of the UK’s finest. Working with many top 100 ATP players and representing both Tennis Australia and the LTA for the last 20 years where he currently oversees the players on the LTA Pro Scholarship Programme. A great story..

Aisam Qureshi is a tennis player from Pakistan who has made the top 10 ATP Doubles and two Grand Slam finals. He is Pakistan´s most successful singles and doubles player and at age 41, he is still going strong. Aisam has used his tennis platform to create awareness and open up political doors through his connections and his amazing way with people. In November 2010 he was appointed goodwill ambassador for The United Nations Development Program. That same year, Aisam and his doubles p...

Judy Murray is a Scottish tennis coach and the Mum of global superstars Jamie and Andy Murray. A former player, she became Scottish National Coach in 1995. She was the GB Fed Cup Captain between 2011-2016, and in 2017 was awarded an OBE for services to tennis, women in sport and charity. Away from tennis, she´s also appeared on The Chase, Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Masterchef. In this episode Judy discusses her journey into tennis, her life as a coach and Mum to the boys, and t...

John Millman has been ranked as high as 33 in the world. He has beaten Roger Federer to progress to 2018 US Open Quarter-final. We delve into his tennis journey and into his strong intelligent opinions on the direction of the sport and so much more...

Sarah Borwell went from a nervous young girl who didn’t want to compete to the top 200 WTA singles and 65 in the world in doubles. Listen to why, how and what she is now doing helping 100´s of young players realise their potential through US College Scholarships. Website: https://tennissmart.net/ Facebook: TennisSmart

Craig O´Shannessy is recognised as a world leader in data analysis and is changing the landscape of how coaches view data within tennis. He spent 3 years working with Novak Djokovic and is the strategy analyst for the ATP Tour, Wimbledon, the Italian Tennis Federation and The New York Times. Craig talks to Control the Controllables about his tennis journey which has taken him to the top of the game as a data analyst. Connect with Craig Follow Craig on Twitter: @braingametennis Visit ...