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Welcome to The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast , where I speak with the most interesting people in the sport. This is the show for tennis insiders.
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115 Episodes
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With pro tennis at an ominous crossroads, the great Stan Smith and I had an important chat that was a mix of a walk down memory lane as well as a pointed conversation about tennis' potential next steps. Stan opined on the USTA's budget cuts as well as the impending Saudi incursion into our sport, and what it means for the smaller tournaments like Bastaad, Gstaadt, and Vienna. And to that point we talked about The Ojai and how important that small tournament was to his career. We discussed college tennis and how the new rules regarding NIL are hurting the competitiveness of many schools. We talked about his documentary, Who Is Stan Smith, and it's theatrical release next week. Recorded and Released on 5.26The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by DiadoraScopesports.io is the official fan club platform of the podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Hall of Famer Rosie Casals and I had a world class chat, as it was a real honor to have the former world #3 and one of The Original 9 players that created the WTA on the show. Rosie talked about what it was like growing up in tennis in San Francisco was like, and how Billie Jean King showed her how to become a more disciplined athlete, and how the Virginia Slims media training was pivotal in the formation of the WTA. She shared her front row experience before, during, and after The Battle of The Sexes, and it was an incredible history lesson. She was plain speaking and shared her views on the current state of the WTA as well as the budget cuts made by the USTA, and how the players need to do a better job promoting the WTA and the tournaments. Class was in session. Recorded 4.17 Released 4.23The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered By DiadoraScopesports.io is the official fan club platform of the podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Like many players on tour, John Millman has had an incredible journey in tennis. The youngest of 5, he was snubbed by Tennis Australia as a junior and used that as motivation to grind, and he went to Europe as an 18 year old. It wasn't until after his 2nd shoulder surgery that he cracked the top 100. In 2018 he beat Roger Federer in the 4th round at the US Open and that October he was 33 in the world. We talked about his career, and what retirement has been like. He sat on the player council at the ATP, and we discussed the crunch time decision that tennis faces in the coming weeks with regards to the PIF. Recorded 4.17 Released 4.18The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by DiadoraScopesports.io is the Official Fan Club of The Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The former world #6 José Higueras won 16 titles on the pro tour, semi'd the French twice, and upon retirement coached a massive amount of players to huge success. José coached Michael Chang to his French Open title in 1989, and then was with Jim Courier fort his 4 majors and ascendance to the #1 ranking. In 2008 after they won the US Open, he left Roger Federer to join Patrick McEnroe at the USTA, as head coach of player development. He and Patrick instituted what they called THE PHILOSOPHY, a huge amount of players and coaches benefitted from their direction and we discussed this.Just last week José penned an open letter expressing deep concern for American tennis as a result of extreme budget cuts within the USTA and we discussed his letter in length. Recorded March 30 Released April 1The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered By DiadoraScopesports.io is the Official Fan Club Platform of the Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Giri Nathan of Defector and The Second Serve chatted with me via Zoom, we both were in Indian Wells and we discussed all of the on and off court hot button topics, including Novak's odd departure from tournament, the Rybakina propensity to pull out of tournaments, the Sabalenka Situation, the PIF incursion in to tennis, as well as the Halep re-emergence onto the WTA Tour. We talked about the good form of Sakkari as well the strong play of Kostyuk. Recorded and Released 3.20.24The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered By DiadoraScopesports.io is the official fan club platform of the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Patrick McEnroe the Stanford Cardinal and the former World #28 in addition to being a broadcaster for ESPN is now the president of The International Tennis Hall of Fame. We had a tremendous chat here in the desert, and covered all of the hot button topics of the day, including the Saudi and Emirates incursion into our sport, The future of The Netflix Slam and Agassi's reemergence, the demise of the USTA player development budget, and the future of the Hall of Fame. Recorded 3.11 Released 3.14The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by DiadoraScopesports.io is the official fan club app of the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The 4 TimeMajor Champion, World #1 The Hall of Famer Jim Courier and I chopped it up on the Tennis Channel patio in what has become an annual event, discussing the BNP Paribas Open and all the hot button topics of the day including the Netflix Exhibition, the demise of BREAK POINT, Rafa's last stand, and the difficulties both Frances Tiafoe and Jess Pegula are having. Recorded and Released 3.11.24The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered By DiadoraScopesports.io is the official Fan club app of the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jonny Levine has lived an incredible life in tennis. In the early 80s he reached the finals of the Kalamazoo National 18s and was a 2 time All American at Texas. He appears to have the distinction of being the first player to beat Andre Agassi in a professional tournament, and he reached the quarters of the French and US Open doubles in 1988 with the lightning bolt serving Eric Korita, and we discussed it all. He is now the owner of The Arizona Tennis Classic which is played at The Phoenix Country Club next week (March 11-17), and because of his location and spot on the calendar boasts the strongest men challenger draw in the world, with the cutoff currently at 70. Recorded 3.4 Released 3.5The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by DiadoraSubscribe to our weekly newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Maria Timofeeva, known to all as Masha, was born in Moscow in 2003, learned tennis at the famous tennis school Spartak and In 2017 she won the prestigious under 14 tournament L'Petit As, and from then was on a trajectory to become a professional. In the summer of 2023 her ranking shot from 250 to 120 after winning Budapest as a lucky loser, and then this past January she entered the 2024 Australian Open qualies ranked 170 in the world, and then proceeded to win 6 matches, including wins over Cornet, Wozniacki, and Haddad-Maia to reach the round of 16. She left Australia ranked 100. We talked about what it was like to be a Russian player on tour, and what her journey has been like. It was fascinating to talk to a young woman with such a unique story. Recorded 2.29 Released 3.2The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered By DiadoraSign up for the weekly newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As it pertains to her son, the world #7 Holger Rune. she is always in the mix. For me, she is the preeminent tennis mom in our game, dressed in black head to toe, conspicuously cool in the player's box. Aneke Rune and I had a wonderful chat, we discussed her son's trials and tribulations at length, including the former and current coaching situation, the importance of his team as well as their connection to the Mouratoglou Academy, and the challenges of being a mom on tour. The former ballerina in the Royal Danish Ballet joined me from her home in Charlotteslund, Denmark and was remarkably forthcoming and honest and didn't shy away from any of the tough questions.Recorded 2.5 Released 2.6The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered By DiadoraSubscribe to Our Newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On January 16th Ben Rothenberg and I hosted a full house at the best coffee shop in Melbourne for a live podcast/book signing. The Osaka book was available for purchase and Ben signed books, and Naomi's agent Stu Duguid joined us . We talked in length about the Osaka comeback, the book, and then we hit the hot button topics of the day including gambling in tennis and the Zverev situation. It was an awesome Australian Open kickoff. The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered By DiadoraRecorded 1.16 Released 1.19 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Giri Nathan of DEFECTOR and I kick off the 8th season with a current events special to get everyone excited about the Summer Down Under. We talked the Rafa situation, the Joker wrist, as well as Grigor, Coco, Iga, Rybakina, and all the others that are already in killer form. We talked Adrian Mannarino and Emma Navarro, and how Alex de Minaur is a top tenner. We talked Naomi Osaka .We talked domestic and European TV deals and the future of BREAK POINT. It was a great chat. Recorded and Released 1.8.24The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by Diadora Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Born in Montenegro and raised in the suburbs of Toronto, a decade ago Milos Raonic put Canadian tennis on the map, and in 2016 got to 3 in the world, reaching the finals of Wimbledon. The big server has made over 20 million dollars on tour and won 8 titles, has posted wins over Roger, Rafa, and Andy. His career has been marred by a multitude of injuries and we discussed his propensity for injury in length. He is the son of two engineers and is one of the more cerebral players that we have had on our show. We talked in length about the politics of the ATP, and he shared his thoughts on the future of tennis. Recorded 12.19 Released 12.22The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered By Diadora Today's Episode is also brought to you by Baha Mar Resorts the home of the Bahamar Cup. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ben Rothenberg is the host of the podcast No Challenges Remaining and was the tennis writer for the New York Times from 2011-2021, and spent the better part of his career with a keen eye on Naomi Osaka, from way before she became a household name, through her greatest achievements as well as her well documented struggles. His biography, NAOMI OSAKA comes out on January 9, and we discussed the book, and Naomi, at length. Additionally Ben and I discussed all of the hot button topics of the day, including the impending Saudi incursion into tennis, the flailing machinations of the WTA Alexander Zverev saga, the curse of NETFLIX, as well as the incredible year of Novak Djokovic. Recorded 12.5 Released 12.8The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered By Diadora.Today's show is also brought to you by Vacation® - creators of the legendary Ball Boy Scented Candle, made exclusively with Prince® Tennis. Use my code "SHAPIRO" for 15% off the Vacation® Ball Boy Scented Candle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Laura Siegemund has lived an incredible life in tennis. She was born in Filderstadt, Germany and was identified as talent by the German federation at a young age, culminating with a big win at the 2000 Orange Bowl where she won the twelves. With a coach that eschewed the traditional path of playing junior events, from the age of 13 until she was 24 she played in pro tournaments, losing matches, until it became too frustrating, too emotionally hard. And that's where the story becomes amazing. The former World #27 and the current #5 doubles player in the world discussed her incredible path, her controversial 1st round match at the US Open vs Coco Gauff, her experience at the WTA Finals, as well as her opinions about the WTA. She was earnest and plain speaking and we had a great chat. Recorded 11.20 Released 11.29The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered By Diadora. Today's show is also brought to you by Vacation® - creators of the legendary Ball Boy Scented Candle, made exclusively with Prince® Tennis. Use my code "SHAPIRO" for 15% off the Vacation® Ball Boy Scented Candle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Bahamian with the tight blond curls Mark Knowles has lived an amazing life in tennis. He was identified by Nick Bollettieri when he was 10 years old and was given a scholarship to join the action in Bradenton, Florida. He played at UCLA, and the turned pro in 1992, he reached the top 100 in singles, but it was in doubles where he distinguished himself, reaching world #1, winning 3 majors and 55 tournaments over the course of a 20 year career. Now a broadcaster and the elected player representative on the ATP board, Mark provided a birds eye view of the hot button topics facing men's tennis, and we discussed it all. The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by DiadoraToday’s episode is also sponsored by Baha Mar Resorts as the fourth annual Baha Mar Cup ishappening in The Bahamas Friday, December 8 through Sunday, December 10. .Recorded 11.21 Released 11/22 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
He's the closest thing to tennis' version of a street ball legend. Elite Brazilian junior, goes 78-12 at UCLA playing 4,5,and 6, then sort of waits to try playing pro tennis, and supplements tennis teaching income by playing and winning men's local "money" tournaments. His backhand return becomes legendary, everyone says he's so smooth it's incredible. He gets to top 400 and stops. Then he becomes Naomi Osaka's hitting partner, creates a popular Youtube Channel and brand and now is trying to make it on the tour again. He's Karue Sell and we had a great chat. Recorded 11/2 Released !!/12 on location at UCLA The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by Diadora Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In his first match at the 2023 Australian Open, the left handed Frenchman Corentin Moutet snapped the sheath that holds the ligaments in his right wrist, and went on to play with a one handed backhand for the entire year. It was an odd year to say the least as he had surgery and continued to compete at the highest level with a one hander instead of taking the protected ranking and letting the right wrist heal. We discussed this wild year, his mercurial nature as well as what it has been like to grow up in French Tennis, and he explained the significance of being tossed out of the FTF. Per usual we discussed all of the hot button topics of the day. It was a serious, tremendous chat. Recorded 10.26 Released 11.2The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered By Diadora Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Amos Mansdorf grew up outside of Tel Aviv, a 2nd generation Israeli, as his grandparents migrated to Israel in the 20's. In 1987 he got to 18 in the world, the highest ranking ever for an Israeli, and had an awesome career, beating Hall of Famers Connors, Becker, and Muster to name a few. He appeared in 16 finals and won 6 titles.Amos joined me from his home in Tel aviv where just hours earlier the sirens were sounded and missiles flew overhead, as Israel is at war. We discussed the situation at length, and then were able to successfully segue to tennis. It was an important and exceptional conversation.Recorded 10.24 Released 10.26The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered By Diadora Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There's just nothing better than taking a deep dive with a player that has been through the fire, and Dan Evans fits that bill. In August Dan came out of a six match losing streak and won his second ATP tournament in Washington DC, defeating Frances Tiafoe and Grigor Dimitrov en route to the championship that got him to his career high ranking of 21 in the world. The flashy shotmaker followed up the DC win with a virtuoso performance in a losing effort to Carlitos Alcaraz in the 3rd round of the US Open, wowing the crowd and Carlitos, himself. Just a couple weeks later he put the British Davis Cup Team on his back coming off the mat twice to lead his team to victory over France in one of the moist electrifying scenes we've seen all year. It was a triumphant moment for a player that had been banned from the tour for a failed drug test six years ago, in the prime of his career- and we discussed it all. Recorded 10.16 Released 10.18The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered By Diadora Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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