Petros Tsitsipas has spent most of his career carving out a place on the doubles tour, often alongside his brother Stefanos, but in recent months, he has been shifting his focus back to singles. I recently had the chance to sit down with him for a long conversation about life on tour, the unique dynamic of playing with siblings, the changing nature of doubles, and, of course, his gear.

In this episode of the Tennisnerd podcast, I sit down with none other than Ashley Neaves – The Tennis Mentor – to dive into all things tennis improvement. Ashley recently crossed 100,000 subscribers on YouTube, a huge milestone that reflects his impact on club players and coaches around the world. We chat about his journey creating tennis content, what he's learned from coaching thousands of players, and how you can level up your game with smart, practical tips. One of the highlights? Ashley introduces his brand new Tennis Training Deck – a unique tool designed to help players of all levels structure their practice sessions and improve faster. Whether you're a weekend warrior, an aspiring competitor, or a coach looking for fresh ideas, this conversation is packed with insight, inspiration, and actionable advice.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Swiss-American ATP pro Alexander Ritschard, who’s working hard to come back from a tricky shoulder injury. You might remember Alexander from his breakout 2024 season, where he captured three Challenger titles and looked set for a steady rise up the rankings. But, as tennis so often reminds us, nothing is guaranteed, and an unlucky muscle tear put him on the sidelines. We went deep in this conversation — not just about his comeback, but about the mindset, routines, and tough realities that come with life on the professional tennis circuit.

In this episode, WTA pro Tamara Zidanšek gets real about life on tour. From the mental battles and injury setbacks to the constant surface changes and pressure of rankings—she doesn’t hold back. We talk about confidence, coaching, journaling, and what it really takes to stay in the game. She also reflects on her deep run at the 2021 French Open and how it changed things. If you're curious about the behind-the-scenes reality of pro tennis, this one’s a must-listen.

Nikola Aracic from Intuitive Tennis returns to the pod to recap the French Open 2025. We discuss the amazing Alcaraz vs. Sinner match, Sabalenka's salty speech, why women should play five sets, why even pros struggle with their racquets, and delve in-depth into Nikola's frustrating racquet testing journey.

Christopher Clarey is a tennis writer with decades of experience of interviewing and reporting on the best players in the world. He is a New York Times bestselling author with the book The Master, about Roger Federer's astonishing career. Now he has written The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and his Kingdom of Clay, a book that is a biography of Rafa, but also of the tournament and place where he won 14 of his Grand Slam titles, Roland Garros. Read more about The Warrior.Purchase The Warrior.

Henrik Wallensten, Davis Cup stringer, racquet tester, and tennis journalist, joins the pod again to talk about the latest experiments and the never-ending racquet tinkering madness. Are you looking for a new racquet or string? Check out our page about recommended racquets or strings on Tennisnerd.net. And don't forget our exclusive deals and discounts.

Pro player and YouTuber Karue Sell is back on the podcast to talk about his latest adventures on the Challenger Tour and coming back from his recent injury. We also get into his racquet change and the YouTuber life. Karue is, as always, entertaining and refreshingly straightforward. If you are not already subscribed, you can check out his YouTube channel here.

I summarize an interesting week on the tennis tours and we get into some gear and tennis tech as well.

Conor Niland is a former tennis player from Ireland who reached 129 in the world during a career with some strong highlights and lowlights, all captured beautifully in his book, "The Racket. We talk about the book and his life on tour, starting as a College player and ending up playing Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open (and with pretty much everything in between). The Racket is a fascinating read, giving you a deep look into life on the professional tennis tour and I very much enjoyed my conversation with Conor.  

I summarize the week of the Monte Carlo Masters, talk about pro player strings and tensions from the tournament, and look ahead at the coming week. In a few days, there will be a normal guest episode, don't worry :) Ps. There is a video version of this solo pod on the YouTube channel. Ds. If you are curious about the strings and tensions, here is the link to that post.

Since we got good feedback on the first solo pod, I recorded a quick one from my hotel room with a preview of the Monte Carlo Masters and some gear talk. I hope you enjoy it. Don't miss our recent ATP string tension video, where we analyze some pro-player string tension trends. And as always, there is plenty of new content on tennisnerd.net Don't forget to play some tennis!

Lavie Sak is the founder of ADV, which makes excellent tennis bags and accessories. But Lavie's passion is not only creating tennis products; he is also keen on giving back to the sport he loves. He is involved in Tennis Cambodia and talks about his experience on the lower rungs of professional tennis and how help is needed to get the sport to grow in developing countries.

Desperation? Inability to find guests? The height of narcissism? No, we have some excellent episodes coming your way. But I wanted to give myself a Monday morning challenge and do a solo podcast talking about some recent tennis news, but also getting into pro player gear and upcoming reviews. If you don't mind a solo pod from time to time, let me know on socials. Also, if you hate it.

My buddy and fellow tennis nerd, Henrik Wallensten, joins the pod again to discuss the latest gear, his current racquet experiments and give a review of the Asics Gel Res X among other things.

In this conversation, I talk about the new Pure Drive 2025 with Olivier Carlier, Group Marketing Manager for Tennis Racquets, and Maxime Olejniezak, Product Line Manager for Tennis Racquets for Babolat. We discuss the history, innovations, and future of this iconic racket. The conversation covers the evolution of the Pure Drive, its significance in the tennis world, and the latest advancements in technology and design. The team shares insights on player feedback, target audiences for different models, and the importance of accessories and strings. They also touch on their personal tennis journeys and the excitement surrounding Babolat's upcoming anniversary.

Neya is a beloved influencer/content creator based in Melbourne who has developed a strong passion for tennis and is sharing her journey to improve in the sport. Earlier this year, she went to the Australian Open and shared some interesting opinions about the event. I got to know Neya during the Tennis Warehouse partner summit, and I find her to be a refreshing and engaging voice. You can check her out on Instagram as @supertoneyan

Giri Nathan is a tennis journalist working on his first book, "Change-over, A Young Rivalry and a New Era of Men's Tennis," detailing the growing rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. In this episode, recorded at the end of December 2024, we talk about that in-depth but also cover other players on the men's tour getting into their gear and more. You can find out more about the book here: https://bit.ly/TNchangeover

Patrice Chabrel is a senior product manager at Tecnifibre with many years of experience in the racquet industry. In this episode, we talk about the new Tfights and more! Lots of insight to be gained for tennis nerds here :)

Nikola Aracic from Intuitive Tennis is back on the podcast and this time, we focus on his recent series about finding his next racquet. Choosing a new racquet can be a very frustrating process and Nikola is feeling it! We get into ways to make the process smoother, some tips and tricks, discuss racquets overall, get into doping on the pro tour, and look ahead at the 2025 tennis season. You can check out his content on YouTube or get exclusive access to his membership content. Use the code TENNISNERD10 for 10% off. You can find other Tennisnerd Deals here.