My Tennis Journey

Junior tennis players who compete play a LOT of tennis.They focus on the technical. They focus on strength and conditioning. They focus on the tactical.My question for you today is this… how much time do they spend focusing on the hugely important mental side of the game?How do you play at your best when it matters most?How do you deal with a perceived injustice? Out? Are you sure?How do you go again and again when things aren’t going your way?How can you see a defeat as a learning opportunity rather than a disaster?My hunch is that your player spends less time working on the mental side of the game than they do on the technical, tactical and physical sides. Ask them. See if I’m right.I hope listening to today’s episode, and hearing the wisdom and approach of Nicole Discenza, might make you think about that. Maybe the mental side of the game will move up the priority list a little.Nicole Discenza hails from Venezuela. She started playing tennis aged three and rose to a junior ranking of No.1 in her country. Nicole then moved to the States where she played D1 college tennis — an experience she describes as the best of her life.After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Nicole realised her passion lay in the mental side of the game, and she has dedicated herself to helping junior players in this area ever since.In today’s episode, we focus on why the mental side of tennis matters so much, what parents need to understand, and how they can help their players become mentally stronger.I hope you enjoy listening to Nicole as much as I did.If you’d like to find out more about Nicole’s approach please do take a look at her Instagram. Music CreditsEarth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0

Today’s episode is a belter for two reasons! Firstly, because our guest, Abbie Breakwell, has already had an amazing tennis journey although she’s only 23 years old! Abbie is one of the UK’s leading wheelchair tennis players who competed for Team GB in the 2024 Paralympic Games. The second reason is it a belter is because this episode is hosted by a special guest called Charlie. Charlie is 15 years old and was one of the very first pupils I coached when I became a full time coach. Charlie has always had a flair on the court and as you’ll hear he also has a flair for interviewing!We hear from Abbie about what it was like to compete in the Paralympics and what life inside the Olympic village was like. We hear about what it’s like to be a player on tour and what Abbie’s hopes and dreams for the future are. I hope you’ll enjoy listening to the episode as much I did!FOLLOW ABBIE ON INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/abbiebreakwellMusic CreditsEarth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0

Sports parents - how are you finding the journey? Rewarding? Stressful? Exciting? Anxiety inducing? Relationship enhancing? Expensive financially? Expensive emotionally? Any of those? All of those! Either way, I honestly believe that today’s episode will help you. Help you with the approach you take as a sports parent! Today’s guest is Garry Linton, Garry is US based and is a leading voice in parenting and youth sports. He publishes Instagram posts which are ace under takeflightcoach . Posts you’ll learn from and want to share with those you care about. Garry’s sport is basketball but as you’ll hear his guidance is relevant to all sports.In this podcast, we’ll work through some of Garry’s amazing Instagram posts and go deep on the messages he conveys. The original posts are amazing - the additional insight Garry gives in this episode even more so.I wish I’d known about Garry’s posts and his approach when I was starting out on the sports parenting journey - if you like what you hear today how about sharing this episode and Garry’s Instagram account with any sports parents you know who it might help! I think you’ll be doing them a favour…Follow Garry's Take Flight Instagram account Find out more about Garry's sports parenting journey and book a consultation. Music CreditsEarth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0

Make no mistake, County Tennis needs your support in 2026! I’ll explain why…In Q4 2025, the LTA decided to make the 2025 Adult Winter County Cup the last ever staging of the event - a decision made by the LTA and one of their sub-committees without a meaningful consultation - and in 2026 they will launch a review into county competitions - it is like to include Junior County Cups and Summer County Week.The power of County Tennis to bring communities together, initiate life long friendships and play a major role in the game development of players should never be under estimated. So if you are passionate about County Tennis please take a listen to this podcast episode for my take on what has happened, what is likely to come next and how you can help! And to kickstart showing your support for County Tennis, please join the Friends of County Cup and County Week Facebook group - together we are stronger. Here’s to 2026 — a year where County competitions are shaped with the community, not for it.Music CreditsEarth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0

When you think of the voice of tennis who do you think of? There are some great commentators / co-commentators out there from David Law to Annabel Croft but for me personally there is only one answer. I think of Russell Fuller.When it comes to experiencing big tennis events and immersing myself in to them - my go to is not the TV it is most definitely the radio.Russell Fuller is the BBC Tennis Correspondent and many of you will know his commentaries from Wimbledon and the other big tournaments.Tennis Journeys take all sorts of different pathways. All sorts of different destinations. They can’t all lead to Wimbledon glory. But so many to lead to incredible adventures. Russell’s journey to BBC Tennis Correspondent is a compelling one and I hope you’ll enjoy hearing about it as much as I did…Music CreditsEarth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0