The GreatBase Tennis Podcast

The GreatBase Tennis Podcast Episode 192 - USTA PLAYER DEVELOPMENTOn the 192nd episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith, Ivan Ozerets and Dave Anderson address the USTA Player Development (USTA PD) program. The following are attached:1) A letter written by Jose Higueras on American tennishttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1m8rnoacjivjOMt3sc5lRDo9Nccub9wgQ/view?usp=sharing2) A letter written by Wayne Bryan on American tennishttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1wIEoZk1rEZKlP3M_g9uZCEyCCVeB9I88/view?usp=sharing3a) Patrick McEnroe holding three significant tennis positions - spoof by Steve Smithhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1d_T6m_bo3EP4_7VaQUIYEwYf7X_sS9Ie/view?usp=sharing3b) Craig Tiley turning down the opportunity to direct the USTA PD - letter by Steve Smithhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1JmPx3pIfvp3FWlCYoZu5rGmarbVhHqIz/view?usp=sharingAdditional input from numerous podcasts and various blogs were also interfaced with the experience of Smith and Anderson.A book should be written on the subject. One title for consideration: Honey & Money Isn't Funny.

On the 191st episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Lawrence Hyde. The Englishman recently spent 350-plus hours studying with Steve. The primary topics covered were: tennis, tennis teaching, coaching, character development, player development, and the ins and outs of the tennis industry. Also, a healthy percentage of Lawrence's time was assisting with the production of personalized technical and tactical videos.Lawrence's impressive work ethic earned him the compliment that he was not just another intern. Steve said Lawrence's approach reminded him of some of his tennis-teaching students from the 80's. The Brit wrote notes by day and typed them by night.  Prior to starting his internship, he completed all five of the GBTE online courses. Experience is best measured in a case-by-case scenario as opposed to just time in the game. Lawrence had the chance to observe and study early childhood development, juniors and college players as well as pros. He also sat in on meetings with parents and fellow coaches that were led by Steve.The goal of our podcasts is to share a tennis language that has been created by studying the contributions of eight outstanding pillars and logging 50 years of coaching players, teaching coaches, and guiding parents.Lawrence's notes were presented on the GreatBase Tennis Facebook page on 4/11/2024.

On the 190th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Ilja Semjonovs. The theme of the session was based on the title of a hockey podcast called 32 Thoughts with Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek.Ilja, who has spent nearly 10 years working with Steve, formulated a list of 32 talking points. The information, ideas, and insights shared will help anyone and everyone connected to player development.

On the 189th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Ilja Semjonovs interview Andy Durham.Andy has a lifetime of diversified experiences in tennis. The veteran tennis educator has a deep connection with match analysis. He was mentored by Bill Jacobson, the father of electronic charting and the founder of Compu-Tennis.Andy is leading a campaign to have Bill inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Bill is one of the best tennis minds the game has ever known. His intellect and innovative thinking reached millions of fans watching televised tennis from their living rooms.  Andy is shining a bright light on Bill's contributions with https://www.racketstats.com/. Mr. Durham's project offers a free and simple introduction to match charting. We are confident that our listeners will thoroughly enjoy spending time with Andy. To make an understatement, he has an extremely high Tennis IQ.

On the 188th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Lawrence Hyde talk tennis and life with Mark Bey. The discussion starts with Mark's beginning days in junior tennis. He also shares his experience playing college tennis under the legendary George Lott at DePaul University.Since graduating, Mark has logged over 30 years acquiring diversified skills and earning numerous awards. Mark was inducted into the MidWest USPTA Hall of Fame and, most recently, he was honored by traveling with the US Davis Team as an assistant coach. Mark has completed educational courses for the USPTA and served as a tennis commentator for ESPN and the Tennis Channel.Mark has non-stop passion and love for our game. A highlight of his career has been his relationship with the Bryan brothers and their parents.  He has known the twins since they were young teenagers and has been part of their inner circle through junior, college, and pro tennis.Mark considers himself the best-mentored tennis coach in the US. His confidence is an important factor to experience. To quote Arthur Ashe, "One must believe in themselves first before they can get others to believe in themselves."By listening, one will be able to add golden nuggets to their tennis treasure chest. We would like to thank Mark for his time and for sharing information, ideas, and insights.   

On the 187th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Dave Anderson shares Do's and Don'ts for Players. Dave previously shared a similar list for parents and coaches. His next list will be for tennis administrators.Dave joined Steve in 1985 as a student. Steve revised a general recreation curriculum into a comprehensive curriculum for students seeking occupational competency as tennis-teaching pro-managers. Dave spent a third year in the two-year program working as a lab instructor. Then he had autonomy directing one then two tennis clubs in a nearby town. In the second five years of the ten-year project, the collective efforts of their small group produced more Texas state champions than Dallas and Houston combined. On another podcast, Steve and Dave have promised to discuss the Florida academy scene. For a short period of time, the two led the program at the now-defunct Seguso-Bassett Tennis Training Center; which is now the Chris Evert Tennis Academy. Since then, Dave has spent more than 30 years in Dallas. He is based at the Brookhaven Country Club and has led a junior program that has produced more than 500 college tennis players. To make an understatement, he has a wealth of knowledge and experiences to share. 

Tribute to Andy Brandi1952-2024Our condolences to Andy's wife, Nancy, and their son, Chris. Our thoughts also go out to their family members and their close friends.On the 186th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith discusses his connection to Andy. He worked for Andy in the late 1970's. At the start, Andy was 24 and Steve was 22.Steve states that Andy's highly successful career should earn him a place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Andy impacted the lives of many professional players and his record as a college coach is truly outstanding. In fact, no other college coach holds a higher winning percentage.Steve shares some stories about Andy and, more importantly, he thanks Andy. Based on Andy's recommendation, Steve was able to study and work under Welby Van Horn. Literally thousands of tennis enthusiasts have benefited from Welby's system of instruction. Please consider listening to this episode, anyone who follows our content is and or will be fortunate to be part of an amazing coaching tree.Again, thank you to Andy Brandi and all he stood for.  Andy Brandi, Rest in Peace

On the 185th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Ivan Ozerets have a conversation with Lisa Pugliese LaCroix. To make an understatement, she has a story to tell. From hitting a backboard in her family's garage that her father painted with Wimbledon colors to becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist to establishing a non-profit organization called Love Serving Autism.As a junior player, she held numerous number-one rankings. As a college player, she was a member of an NCAA championship team while playing for the University of Florida. Unfortunately, her pro career was cut short by a back injury that demanded surgery.During the conversation, Lisa discussed the opportunity and privilege she had playing for the late Andy Brandi. Andy connected Steve with Lisa because he simply loved what she was doing with young children with autism.By listening to Lisa, one can quickly tell that Lisa has a heart of gold. She has found a way to combine her tennis background with her education and experience in the field of personal and interpersonal communication. Research more about her altruistic and heartwarming project by visiting Lisa's website (https://loveservingautism.org/).

On the 184th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Ivan Ozerets have a conversation with Luis Perez. Their guest is a tennis teaching professional who is based in London, England.Luis stumbled upon the free educational tennis content provided on the Internet by GBT.  From there, his intellectual curiosity and thirst for knowledge compelled him to travel across the Atlantic to spend a week at the Wintergreen Resort in Wintergreen, Virginia. Luis, who traveled with one of his students, was grateful to be treated as both a player and coach. Even though their visit was just one week, the two Londoners experienced A2Z. They were off the grid at a beautiful mountainside resort and were able to not only have their games analyzed but also study matchplay from the Aussie Open to the Les Petits to the UCLA campus. Students of the game who have an in-person experience with  GBT will find that when they re-visit our content, their overall understanding will be greatly enhanced.We are confident that Luis's story will be inspirational to those who love the game of tennis.

On the 183rd episode, a young Ivan Ozerets, an old Andres Barbosa, and a real old Steve Smith are a dollar late and a day short. The threesome randomly chat three weeks after the 2024 Australian Open. New listeners may quickly agree with their comment about putting them in section F to eat a hot dog but insiders to the GreatBase Tennis Podcast will likely think otherwise.The session has some information, ideas, and insights that one will not find on the typical tennis podcast. Tennis enthusiasts listening to all of our podcasts will start to make sense of the weird, wacky, and wild side of the wonderful game of tennis.

University of North Carolina2023 NCAA Women's Tennis ChampionshipThe Power SuggestionOn the 182nd episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith reconnects with Sophia Patel. She shares many golden nuggets for one to add to their tennis treasure chest. To make an understatement, she possesses deep and insightful wisdom.Sophia was an integral part of the UNC 2023 national championship team. She was the lone captain and MVP of the team. By listening to the story, one will discover in this case that MVP stands for the most valuable person.As a fifth-year senior, Sophia earned the trust and respect of her teammates and her coaches. The head coach, Brian Kalabas, who was open to his captain's suggestions, said the following:"Sophia took on more for this program than any player I have ever coached. She really pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me a better coach to these 10 girls. I will be forever grateful for her attitude and her incredible commitment to the team and this program. Without her, this title wouldn't have been possible."

On the 181st episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Ivan Ozerets talk tennis. Their topic centers around Alex Michelsen, the young player from southern California. They discuss and speculate as to why and how Alex reached a top 100 ATP ranking as a teenager.Perhaps Steve and Ivan should just go sit in section F and eat some popcorn. On the other hand, those who listen to their conversation may find a few pearls of wisdom. One thing is for sure, Alex's story is nothing short of refreshing and uplifting.

Great person, great family, great competitor. On the 180th episode of the GreatBase Tennis, Steve Smith's guest is Rachel Rohrabacher. She talks about her background in junior tennis and college tennis as well as her current life as a pickleball professional. During their conversation, Rachel shares golden nugget after golden nugget. Their dialogue will help parents, athletes, and coaches. Check our GreatBase Tennis Facebook account. In the upcoming days, old videos showing her tennis development, an excerpt from 'Journey to the Truth' (featuring Rachel), and clips of her pickleball play will be posted.  The followers of the GreatBase developmental pathway will clearly see how Rachel's fundamental tennis foundation translates into an explosive and exciting skill set for pickleball.

On the 179th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with John Valenti.To make an understatement, John Valenti has a story to tell. He claims to be the only person to have always made money from playing tournament tennis at the professional level. For over ten years, he followed the circuit living out of his van.The native of Rochester, New York played hundreds of Futures events and strung thousands of tennis racquets. Along his journey, he met and played numerous opponents who climbed their way to the top of the tennis world. And through his unusual and unique experiences, he gained valuable and insightful wisdom that would help everyone trying to find their way in the world of tennis.Listening to John Valenti makes perfect sense. His time on the road defines his unstoppable passion for our game. Living out of a van is certainly one way to prove that you are not a "Comfort Zoner."In addition to listening to our podcast, one can find out more about Steve's guest by going to YouTube and plugging in MrJohnnyblazed.  

On the 178th episode, Steve Smith has a tennis conversation with Cris Valverde. Steve's guest is a veteran tennis teaching professional who resides with his wife and their two boys in Portland, Oregon. He has worked at the Irvington Club for the last 21 years.Insiders of the GreatBase will quickly discover by listening that Cris has done his tennis homework. We are confident that Cris's knowledge and command of the material will inspire newcomers to zone in on our free educational tennis content. One bonus of the podcast is Cris' comments about Gundaris Tilmanis. The native of Riga, Latvia was raised in Australia and through his accomplished career was based in the Portland area.  Another bonus is to learn that Cris's son, Rafael, is known as the Real Rafa.

On the 177th episode of the GreatBase Tennis (GBTE) podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Tomas Placatka. Steve's guest was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (1972), and grew up in nearby Kladno. Tomas's primary sport was ice hockey. He played at the professional level in his homeland and in Denmark. Like many of his fellow Czechs, tennis was his sport in the off-season. Since retiring from hockey, he has worked in the healthcare industry. Yet tennis is his true passion. Tomas has coached part-time for ten years and is a dedicated student of our educational content.A number of topics were discussed; including thoughts on why the Czechs are so successful in tennis.

On the 176th episode of GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a tennis conversation with Domantas Sadauskas. Domi recently joined Steve to be trained to teach and coach a couple of young tennis hopefuls that Steve and his associates have coached for the last two years.To make an understatement, the Lithuanian is passionate about the game of tennis. Domi studied in Ireland, France, and the US and has worked in Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Senegal. Among the highlights of his young career is serving on the staff of the Rafael Tennis Academy.A wide range of topics were discussed and listeners are assured to be enlightened. 

On the 175th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Dave Anderson presents the Do's and Don'ts for Tennis Coaches. Anderson, who literally has developed hundreds of college tennis players, previously shared a similar list for tennis parents. In the future, he will present a list for players and administrators.Thank you for listening to our tennis podcast. The goal is for our audience to add golden nuggets to their tennis treasure chest. Please note, one can find additional free educational content on our website (www.greatbasetennis.com).

On the 174th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith, Ivan Ozerets, and Dave Anderson review a document pertaining to GBTE (GreatBase Tennis Education). Their discussion should help listeners obtain a more in-depth understanding of the comprehensive curriculum that has been assembled over decades.Based on the contributions of our eight pillars and numerous others, we are confident that one would find the free educational content found on our website (www.greatbasetennis.com) to be rich in value.Thank you for listening and thank you for your support.

On the 173rd episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Sujay Lama. Steve's guest was formally educated in his native Nepal, India, and the US. His education in tennis is also very diverse and complete.By listening one will learn of his father's passion for tennis and the influence of his siblings, especially his brother Raj.  Sujay's journey in tennis has taken him all over the world and one will find out that he is equally excited about running a tennis camp for kids as he was with traveling and coaching top players in the world. His career is filled with highlights, one being part of a championship culture at the University of Florida. The veteran coach, husband, and father is now leading the women's tennis team at Arkansas State. Sit back and enjoy listening to Sujay's story. One is sure to add golden nuggets to their tennis treasure chest.