Beyond The Baseline

On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim and Jamie Lisanti recap and review the 2019 French Open, after two weeks on the clay in Paris concluded with Rafael Nadal winning his 12th Roland Garros and 23-year-old Ash Barty capturing her first major Grand Slam title. What are the biggest takeways from the second major of the year? Wertheim and Lisanti talk about what they learned, including: what Nadal's victory means in terms of tennis history and what it says about the Big Three's dominance over men's tennis for the past decade; what Ash Barty's two-year break from tennis before surging to win Roland Garros says about burnout and mental health in tennis; how the sport and the major tournaments can fix the problem with empty seats at majors; plus, way-too-early picks for Wimbledon 2019 and much more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's epsiode, host Jon Wertheim and Jamie Lisanti break down the 2019 French Open men's and women's draws and preview the second Grand Slam tournament of the season. With Simona Halep and Rafael Nadal returning to defend their titles, Wertheim and Lisanti discuss the possibility of Halep winning her second major title and Nadal winning an incredible 12th title on the clay in Paris. Ahead of the tournament's start on Sunday, Wertheim and Lisanti also discuss the best first round matches to watch; the top off-court storylines that could dominate the conversation at Roland Garros; dark horse picks that could make a run; top players to keep an eye on it the draw; their picks and predictions for the winners; and much more.  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with 22-year-old American Tommy Paul, who won the USTA wildcard entry into the main draw of the 2019 French Open, about what it means for his career; how he has dealt with injuries and develop his maturity; why he loves playing on the clay; and much more. On the second part of the podcast, former player Tim Mayotte talks about why he wanted to run for the ATP Board of Directors position vacated by Justin Gimelstob; some of the issues he sees; and how he would've responded to some of the challenges facing men's tennis, had he been chosen for the position; and more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with 20-year-old rising American, Sofia "Sonya" Kenin, from Madrid. Now ranked No. 37 on the WTA Tour, Kenin talks with Wertheim about her quick transition from the juniors to the pros; her 2017 U.S. Open third round match against her idol, Maria Sharapova, under the lights on Arthur Ashe; how that match helped her make the decision to turn professional; why she likes having her father as her coach; and much more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks Rennae Stubbs about the clay court tournament results so far and her early thoughts on the French Open predictions. Will Rafael Nadal be the favorite once again at Roland Garros, or will he see a tougher challenge from other players looking to dethrone the King of Clay? And how will Roger Federer play into the equation as he returns to the dirt for the first time since a quarterfinals finish in 2015? On the women's side, is Simona Halep the favorite? Wertheim and Stubbs also discuss the increasing age of players in the sport; how much the clay court lead-ups factor into French Open results; and much more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with Washington Kastles owner, investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Mark Ein. As a longtime fan and player of the sport, Ein discusses how he was introduced to tennis as a child and how his experiences as a ballkid growing up have influenced some of his business ventures as an adult. As the owner of the Washington Justice, a professional Overwatch esports team, Ein talks about what tennis can learn from the world of esports and how it can attract younger fans; why he decided to take control of the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. and much more.  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's episode, World No. 3 Petra Kvitova joins the podcast in between practices in Prague, Czech Republic, to talk about her runner-up finish at the Australian Open, taking a break in mid-April, her 2019 season goals, her thoughts on Tiger Woods and his Masters victory and more. Host Jon Wertheim and Jamie Lisanti also discuss some tennis headlines and the Mailbag question of the week: What are the best tennis accounts to follow on social media? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ahead of the release of his new book, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, out on May 28, 2019, David Epstein joins the podcast to discuss the opening chapter on Roger Federer vs. Tiger Woods. Wertheim and Epstein dive deep into the sports science of generalization vs. specialization, specifically in terms of Federer in tennis and Woods in golf and how Federer grew up playing a variety of sports, from skiing to wrestling to swimming and more, while Woods was surrounded by golf from a very young age. Why did Federer benefit from a generalist childhood vs. a specialization one? Epstein discusses Federer's characteristics and reveals how his specific skills and experiences have helped him climb to the top of the sport. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with rising Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime and recaps with Miami Open with Andrea Leand. Now up to No. 33,  the 18-year-old Auger-Aliassime discusses his rise in the rankings, his goals for the future, why family is important to him, his relationship with fellow young Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Bianca Andreescu and much more. On the second half of the podcast, Andrea Leand recaps the pros and cons of the "new" Miami Open tournament and location, Roger Federer and Ash Barty's win and more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

After being named the Miami Open tournament director in January 2018, James Blake joins the podcast to talk about the tournament's move from Key Biscayne to its new location at the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins. Blake talks about what his role entails; what fans should expect from the new location and tournament; whether the rivarly between Indian Wells and Miami has now resumed; how he is managing the various requests from players; his thoughts on the results from Indian Wells; and much more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

From the grounds at Indian Wells, Jon Wertheim checks in with Jamie Lisanti to discuss the top storylines and results from the BNP Paribas Open, including: Naomi Osaka, her performance so far and her recent comments on Twitter about becoming a role model for young tennis players around the world; Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's comments on the announcement that ATP president Chris Kermode will not continue as ATP president beyond his current contract, which expires at the end of 2019; and much more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

From his home in Florida, Kevin Anderson joins the podcast to talk about his ongoing recovery from an elbow injury, how he's managing his time and when he is expected to return to tournament. Following up on his guest appearance in the Mailbag, Anderson also talks about tennis' sustainability efforts and his suggestions for how the sport can improve parts of the game to help the environment. Anderson and Wertheim also talk about the Rafael Nadal–Nick Kyrgios match and more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A former ATP player with a career-high ranking of No. 864, Daily Show correspondent and comedian Michael Kosta joins the podcast to talk about his tennis and comedy careers. Kosta discusses his transition from playing Challenger events on the tennis tour to pursuing a career in comedy. Kosta talks about why he made the decision to switch career paths; the comparisons between tennis and comedy; and how he worked his way up to appearances on shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Seth Myers; and much more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's episode, poet and writer Rowan Ricardo Phillips joins the podcast to talk about his Nov. 2018 book, The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey, which chronicles 2017 as seen through the unique prism of its historic tennis season. Wertheim and Phillips discuss his inspiration behind the book, what he learned about tennis and himself through examining this particular season, how tennis touches the world in many ways and much more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A few weeks after the Australian Open, Pam Shriver joins the podcast to discuss the latest tennis news and an outside-the-box proposal for the USTA to augment its place in the sports world and bolster American tennis. After Gordon Smith announced his plans to step down as CEO and executive director of the USTA at the end of the year, Wertheim and Shriver believe that there is an opportunity to reassess and rethink the way the organization is operated. What started as a fun conversation turned into an idea that could actually be feasible and successful, and Shriver and Wertheim lay out the details of their plan, which involves the NBA's involvement in the organization and management of the USTA. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

After returning from Melbourne, host Jon Wertheim joins Jamie Lisanti in the studio to discuss the results and top storylines from the 2019 Australian Open, including what the victories mean for Osaka and Djokovic; candid moments with Stefanos Tsitsipas; reactions to Danielle Collins and her controversial "swagger" on the court; the quirky personality of Osaka; the impact of Andy Murray's retirement announcement and how it may have been blown out of proportion; and much more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

From the grounds of the Australian Open during the second week of the tournament, Wertheim sits down with USTA general manager of player development Martin Blackman to discuss the breakout performances and disappointing results from the American contingent in Melbourne, including the remarkable run of Danielle Collins and the impressive showing from Frances Tiafoe. Blackman talks about how he (and the USTA) define and measure success for American tennis; the new installation of Mardy Fish as U.S. Davis Cup captain and why he believed he was the right person for the job; and much more. Blackman also addresses the 2019 ITF Transition Tour—now called the ITF Pro tour—and shares details on how the USTA is dealing with the changes; what impact he thinks the changes will have, both on the rankings and U.S. tennis; and more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

At the start of the 2019 season ahead of the Australian Open, Chris Evert joins the podcast and gives an update on her own life, including what it was like to attend the funeral of George H.W. Bush in December; her thoughts on mental health issues and her own personal experience with depression and anxiety; how she has re-established herself as a commentator and voice in the tennis community after her career and more. Also on the podcast, Wertheim and Evert discuss the 2019 Australian Open and make picks and predictions for the first major of the year. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Geoff Grant joins the podcast to discuss the details of the new ITF 2019 transition tour, which is a part of a major restructuring of professional tennis. Grant and Wertheim discuss how the creation of the transition tour—which includes a new worldwide tournament structure between the ITF, ATP and WTA and is expected to reduce the number of professional players with ATP and WTA rankings from 3,000 players to approximately 750 men and 750 women—will impact tennis, at the professional, college and junior levels, particularly in relation to match-fixing. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this week's episode, Mike Bryan joins the podcast to talk about his successful six-month partnership with Jack Sock, which saw him win doubles titles at Indian Wells, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the ATP Finals, what he had to do to adjust to a new doubles partner, how he would feel if he were sidelined and watched his twin brother Bob succeed with a new partner and more. After a hip injury and subsequent surgery forced Bob to miss the majority of the 2018 season, Mike discusses his brother's rehab and recovery from injury, what he's expecting of his comeback and what it's been like to readjust and reunite with Bob after playing with Sock for several months. Bryan also gives some updates on his personal life and forecasts his 2019 season and beyond. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy