Behind the Racquet Pod
207 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 108 ratingsThe Behind the Racquet Pod is the best glimpse you can get in to the ins and outs of professional tennis, told by its players, and voiced by Noah Rubin, and his podcast partner Mike Cation.
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Episodes
Behind the Racquet with ATP Player Council Member Miguel Angel Reyes Varela
March 12, 2024 08:00 - 46 minutesMiguel is now 36 years of age, and remains very much in the discussions at the slams as a top 75 doubles player. The former Texas Longhorn talks about his long career as a doubles specialist, what made that decision for him, and how he views the long history of Mexican tennis. We also get in to some of the ATP Player Council politics, namely how doubles gets more eyes (and money), where the ATP is on a domestic abuse policy, and whether Latin America will be getting a Masters Series event. Mo...
Behind the Racquet with Jill Craybas
March 04, 2024 22:00 - 42 minutesJill Craybas had an incredible playing career, as a top 40 player in both singles in doubles, a WTA singles title, 5 doubles titles. She's most well known for a win over Serena at Wimbledon in 2002. Since her career ended in 2013, she's become a fantastic commentator at the Slams, as well as for both the ATP and WTA. This week, she'll be one of the courtside reporters for TennisTV. We chat about her playing career, and how she's brought her inquisitive nature to her reporting and commentary w...
Behind the Racquet with Eliot Spizzirri
February 21, 2024 18:00 - 34 minutesFirst, apologies for some of Mike's audio issues in this one. Unfortunately, the wifi in his hotel this past weekend caused a few issues so we're going to ignore the fact that he sounds worse than normal, which is saying a lot. Here are Eliot's deets: Age: 22 Rank: ATP 721, ITA (College) #1 Hometown: Greenwich, Connecticut 2023 Collegiate Player of the Year, finishing #1 in singles, #2 in doubles He will definitely hop in as a Challenger level player quickly once he turns pro at the end of th...
Behind the Racquet with Aleks Kovacevic
February 13, 2024 09:00 - 51 minutesAleks Kovacevic sat down with Mike before the Dallas Open to discuss finally hitting top 100 after his run through qualies and in to the 2nd round of the Australian Open. At the time of publish, Kova is back outside of the top 100, at 102, after losing some points from the Cleveland Challenger title one year ago. But hitting 85 was just one step on his journey. He's a University of Illinois graduate, his game is gorgeous, and he's got a new coach to help him get to that next level. Learn more...
Behind the Racquet with Robert Galloway
February 05, 2024 10:00 - 32 minutes31-year-old Robert Galloway is a top 50 doubles player from South Carolina. His path took him a different route than most. He was at the peak in the 12s, stepped away from the game, and found his way back as a college star at Wofford University. As a doubles specialist straight out of college, it's a long, hard road to the top 50. Robby G takes us through his journey, with some detours as we discuss the Australian Open, the Zverev player council issue, and much more! Learn more about your ad ...
Year 6; Episode 1. Noah Finally Returns; An AO Recap; What to do with Zverev
January 29, 2024 20:00 - 1 hourOnly a month in to the year, we get back after it. Lots to get to, here's a rundown. Open- Mike's AO 12:00- Noah Returns to Professional Tennis 28:35- Australian Open Recap; We're in Good Hands 43:50- Quick outlandish predictions from Mike and Noah; Ethan Quinn and Tommy Paul 48:00- Sascha Zverev Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind the Racquet with Karue Sell
December 14, 2023 08:00 - 37 minutesKarue Sell is a force to be reckoned with. After a successful junior career, and collegiate career, he took a year off, got to about 350 in the world after returning to tennis, stepped away from playing, became Naomi Osaka's hitting partner, founded mytennishq.com with his friend Gui, coached Marcos Giron, and now has restarted his playing career, winning a title in his second tournament back. This week, he joins us to talk about how your perspective changes as a coach, his massive success on...
I Guess It's Time to do a Podcast Again?
December 11, 2023 08:00 - 44 minutesWe have a lotttttt to get to, so here are some chapter notes: 0:00 Mike beats Noah in Fantasy 3:30- Noah catches us up on where he's at tennis wise 10:30- Who does Noah most want to play 18:30- The Premiere Tour and why it's likely a disaster 25:45- Mike is headed to Australia and is dealing with existential dread 36:09- Mental Health, Constant Pressure, and No Breaks 41:30- Enjoying the Passage of Time More with a Special Guest on Wednesday/Thursday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ...
Chats with the Champ: Zachary Svajda, Tiburon and Fairfield, 2023
October 16, 2023 07:00 - 9 minutesZach moves to ~139 in the rankings with a 10 match winning streak. This is a nice addendum to our full podcast, which is the previous one in your feed! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind the Racquet with Zachary Svajda
October 10, 2023 10:00 - 29 minutesZachary Svajda is 20 years old from Southern California, currently ranked 170 in the world. This fall, he won the Cary Challenger, and this past Sunday, he won the Tiburon Challenger for the second straight year. We talk about his upbringing, his decision to go pro instead of going to college; his strong connections with Roger, Novak, Steve Weissman, and Rick Buchta; and that incredible ball-striking ability. Hopefully, more coming up from Fairfield this week! Learn more about your ad choices...
Behind the Racquet with Brian Koppelman
October 02, 2023 07:00 - 1 hourBrian Koppelman is a DEVOTED tennis fan, but you'll know him best for his involvement as Executive Producer and Showrunner for the Showtime series Billions, writer of Ocean's Thirteen and Rounders, and the director of the 30 for 30 episode "This Is What They Want", about Jimmy Connors. He sits down with Noah to chat about Billions, his tennis love, and so much more. Mike was unfortunately on air at the time, so he had to feed Noah questions about his literal favorite film, Rounders. Tomorrow ...
US Open Recap: Coco's Impact, Novak's advantage, and lay off the character assassination.
September 18, 2023 20:00 - 55 minutesLots to hit on this week: -Coco's win and its impact in the states -Novak remains way beyond the rest -Ben gets beat up, and it's completely unnecessary -Is the Halep suspension the tip of the iceberg? More next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind the Racquet with Bryan Shelton
September 03, 2023 20:52 - 34 minutesBryan Shelton is best known at this moment as Ben Shelton's Coach and Father. We chat about Ben's progress, where he can go, how far he's come, and how Bryan and his wife Lisa balanced athletics with "real life" for their two kids. Bryan is the only coach to win NCAA titles on both the men's and women's side, at Georgia Tech (women) and Florida (men). And, yes, a HECK of a player himself, reaching 55 in the world, with two ATP titles. I'm really appreciative of Bryan's time, as he likes to ke...
Did We Just Become Best Friends?
August 22, 2023 08:00 - 37 minutesLots to catch up on from the last month. What a week in Cincy, with Coco taking the title, and THAT MATCH. We go in depth on Coco and her impact. We also try to tackle how to shorten the season, and is there a need for a COMPLETE revamp of how we do the rankings? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind the Racquet with Wimbledon Quarterfinalist (!!!) Christopher Eubanks
July 20, 2023 20:00 - 1 hourThe 27 year old Atlanta resident woke up from a well deserved nap to join us on Wednesday night, and go through how his life has changed in the span of 3 weeks with a first ATP title in Mallorca, and a spirited run to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. We go through how he's processing it, the reaction at home in Atlanta, what's changed in his game, and yes, the most remarkable celebrities that reached out. Lots to cover, so dive in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chats with the Champ: Alex Michelsen, Chicago 2023
July 18, 2023 18:32 - 10 minutesThe 18-year-old defeated Yuta Shimizu on Sunday in Chicago to win his first Challenger title, and moved inside the top 200 for the first time. Along the way, he also defeated Li Tu, Aleks Kovacevic, Kei Nishikori, and Jerry Shang. Heckuva week. Chat with Chris Eubanks coming later this week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wimbledon Weather Warrants a Wrecap
July 07, 2023 07:00 - 33 minutesLegit question, does anyone read this? Mike and Noah recap Christopher Eubanks' remarkable win in Mallorca, and then launch in to Wimbledon. The weather has been rough, the courts have been slow, and why the heck was Kontaveit not honored properly? Mike is off to Taylor Swift before the Chicago Challenger. More next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Break Point Part 2, and Behind the Racquet with Alex Bolt
June 26, 2023 08:00 - 58 minutesNoah spent the last several days fully analyzing the latest "part" of Break Point. He breaks it down for us, strengths and weaknesses, and we list who we think are the biggest misses from the "profiles" so far. We do a quick analysis of the differences of qualifying at Wimbledon, versus ACTUAL Wimbledon. And then, we get in to the meat of of our pod, a rare interview with Alex Bolt. The 30 year old is currently ranked 342 in the world while coming back from injury. He's using a protected rank...
French Open Recap, Blair Henley begins her Commentary takeover, and Alex Lawson knows flags
June 14, 2023 08:00 - 1 hourAlright, LOTS to get to. Mike and Noah discuss the big topics post RG, including Novak, Iga, Sabalenka's fake indignation, Miyu Kato, new #1 Austin Krajicek, and more... Then, we get in to Mike's talk with Blair Henley, who did some commentary at the Tyler, Texas Challenger. Finally, dubs specialist Alex Lawson joins Mike and Blair for giggles. More with Alex Bolt on Monday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Winner's Circle with Nicolas Moreno De Alboran
June 12, 2023 20:00 - 11 minutesNicolas Moreno De Alboran defeated Mikhail Kukushkin in 3 grueling sets on Sunday in Tyler, Texas to win his second career Challenger title. Before he had to run to catch a flight, he chats with Mike about what it means to get a title on home turf, be at a new career high (142), and how he solved the riddle of Kukushkin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Winner's Circle with Mark Lajal
June 07, 2023 07:00 - 11 minutesMike sat down with Mark Lajal after he won his first Challenger title at the UAMS Health Little Rock Open. The 20 year old became just the second Estonian to win an ATP Challenger title, behind Jurgen Zopp. We talked about what this means at this stage of his career, handling expectations, and, yes, his hair. More this week from Tyler, Texas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind the Racquet with Alex Michelsen
May 29, 2023 09:00 - 28 minutes18 year old Alex Michelsen (pronounced like the golfer) joins Mike on the eve of the Little Rock Challenger, where he'll attempt to have a decent week to get in to Wimbledon qualies. He's already reached a Challenger final in Rome, has wins over former top 10 players Pouille and Sock, and is ready to enroll at the University of Georgia in the fall. We talk about his confidence, his on court improvement, and what he likes to do off the court. And yes, we talk about how he's processing the coll...
The (nearing) Retirement Episode, with Bradley Klahn and Bjorn Fratangelo
May 23, 2023 08:00 - 49 minutesWith Rafael Nadal announcing he would miss Roland Garros, and (likely) shut it down at the end of 2024, Noah and Mike are joined by Bjorn Fratangelo and Bradley Klahn, two American veterans who are in the back end of their tennis careers. We talked about how they viewed the retirement question, what they thought about Rafa's comments about enjoying one last run, and how challenging it is to retire on your terms if you're NOT Rafa or Roger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...
Expansion by Subtraction
May 16, 2023 08:00 - 51 minutesLots to catch up on for the boys this week. We start by answering Noah's question on whether the Alcaraz upset Monday shows that we haven't been respecting "The Big 3" enough. Are Carlos and Iga "Generational Talents?" Expectation, success, and hyperbole all on display lately. We also hit the blatant sexism in Madrid, and Mike pleas with the new owners of the Western and Southern Open to keep it in Cincy. Next week, we'll announce a giveaway of a Daniil Medvedev used ball from the day he beca...
Patrick Kypson wins the USTA Wild Card for Roland Garros
May 02, 2023 18:00 - 35 minutesPatrick Kypson reached his second Challenger semifinal in 4 weeks in Savannah, and in doing so, he earned the USTA's reciprocal wild card to the French Open. But he had to sweat on Sunday, as Tristan Boyer could have surpassed him had he won the Savannah title. We chat with him about what it means to win the Wild Card at this stage in his career, and his favorite pastime, smoking meats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Zizou Bergs Wins The Tallahassee Challenger
April 24, 2023 08:00 - 10 minutesZizou Bergs is a 23 year old from Belgium who won the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger on Sunday in straight sets over Tung-Lin Wu. During the event, he didn't lose a single set, while clinching his fifth Challenger title. It was an emotional moment for Zizou, who recently lost his grandfather. We talk about the week ,his style, and what this one means to him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind the Racquet with Christopher Eubanks
April 03, 2023 09:00 - 1 hourThe 26-year-old from Atlanta sits down with the boys post Miami to talk about the process of getting to the top 100 for the first time in his career after his quarterfinal run. A huge achievement, so we discuss how it happened philosophically, and technically. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind the Racquet of Gender Finances with Jamie Loeb
March 20, 2023 09:00 - 47 minutesJamie Loeb rejoins the show to gives us the full details of what financial inequalities look like at the lower levels of tennis, after Denis Shapovalov helped bring it to light in his recent article. We got in to the intricacies of what that looks like at tournaments that have both men's and women's events at the Challenger level, and how some of the finances break down, and why. We also explored some other reasons WHY the financial inequities might be happening, and most importantly, Mike's ...
Behind the Racquet with Grant Chen
March 14, 2023 08:00 - 40 minutesGrant Chen is now the Head Coach for the men's tennis team at SMU. He came to Dallas after a legendary run from the team manager for UCLA, all the way to Associate Head Coach. He also helps run the Dallas Open, and multiple USTA Pro Circuit events at the Styslinger Altec Tennis Complex in Dallas as well. Further, he's about as connected as anyone can be. You'll see him in the box from time to time for Grigor Dimitrov, he's tight with John Isner, and many others. So Mike sat down with him to f...
Behind the Racquet with Mackenzie McDonald
March 06, 2023 10:00 - 33 minutesMackenzie "Mackie" McDonald is 27 years old from Northern California, ranked 53 in the world as of March 6th. He was the NCAA singles and doubles champion at UCLA in 2016, winning the doubles with Martin Redlicki (a former BTR Pod guest, now coaching at Oklahoma State). Mackie joined us from Indian Wells, with the draw coming out later today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind the Racquet with Alexis Galarneau
February 27, 2023 10:00 - 27 minutesMike here- This pod got DRASTICALLY delayed (totally on me), but this pod was recorded in Melbourne immediately following qualifying, as Alexis was headed towards the airport. The guy is an incredibly hard worker, super positive, and it was fun learning a little bit more about what took him to NC State (not a traditional tennis powerhouse), and has him inside the top 200 in the world. More next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why American men are making a push; AO TV miscues, Break Point, and a terrible record on Domestic Abuse
February 07, 2023 09:00 - 50 minutesHey all- In between interviews with Ernesto Escobedo, and Alexis Galarneau, the boys reconvened to chop up the American men at the AO, why the TV coverage was down, and the horrific record tennis is starting to set on domestic violence. More next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind the Racquet with Ernesto Escobedo: Why he's now playing for Mexico
February 01, 2023 23:34 - 32 minutesHave to preface all of this by noting that this was recorded the day after Neto qualified in Australia. As a result, it's important to note that it does not have any details regarding this week's Davis Cup news with regard to the Mexican Tennis Federation. He was honest and forthright about his decision and why, and clearly is at peace with the decision he's made. More coming up next week, including an interview with Canada's Alexis Galarneau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...
Re-Release: Ben Shelton following his third title in Champaign
December 17, 2022 22:00 - 24 minutesTop 100 star Ben Shelton gave his thoughts on his whirlwind year, his three straight titles to end the year, his offseason, his girlfriend Anna, and Mike gets emotional because that's what you do at the end of the year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2022 Recap Pt 1: Davis Cup Kerfuffle, Misogyny, and an emotional end to the year
December 09, 2022 21:00 - 53 minutesQuite an end to the year, although did the year ever really "end" A slew of exhibitions, Davis Cup distractions for the US, and really questionable (at best) words from a few top male stars. More next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ben Shelton on his first Challenger title in Charlottesville
November 08, 2022 18:47 - 16 minutesMike here. I sat down with Ben immediately following his victory in straights over Christopher Eubanks to talk about playing against his close friend, his expectations for this stretch of tennis, and where he thinks he's most improved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind the Racquet with Sam Riffice
October 19, 2022 08:00 - 38 minutesThe always mature Sam Riffice joins Mike during his run to the semifinals in Fairfield, California. They talked about his childhood in Sacramento, his strong family structure, and what he's learned from his fiance, Cici Bellis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Noah Reveals His New Path- Pickleball
October 18, 2022 08:00 - 35 minutesWell, it was quite a revelation last week when Noah Rubin announced he'd start playing pickleball. He finally sits down with Mike to discuss the whys, the people who are rooting against him, and what tennis can learn from pickle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Michael Mmoh on his Seventh Challenger Title
October 17, 2022 08:00 - 14 minutesIt's a seventh Challenger title for Michael Mmoh in Fairfield, California. Immediately after taking home the title, he sat down with Mike to talk about what's changed to bring home his second trophy in two months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Zachary Svajda Wins his First Challenger Title
October 10, 2022 17:18 - 15 minutesZachary Svajda won the Tiburon Challenger with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Ben Shelton on Sunday. The 19-year-old grabbed his first Challenger title in the process, and has moved to roughly 255 in the world. It was a crazy match, and Zach sits down with Mike to discuss the match, as well as the expectations he faced as a 16 year old after winning Kalamazoo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fed, Foe, and Finally some Challenger Changes
September 27, 2022 18:00 - 35 minutesWe talk over Fed's retirement at the Laver Cup, the absolutely inexcusable abuse thrown toward Frances Tiafoe after he beat Fed in his final match. And we walk through some of the changes to the Challengers coming in 2023. TLDR: Mike is optimistic, Noah, shockingly, is not. Jason Kubler next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Noah Rubin steps away. And so did some other guy.
September 20, 2022 08:00 - 36 minutesWell now that the announcement is out there, Noah talks us through why he's stepping away from tennis, and what he'll miss most. We also talk about Fed's retirement decision, and what he's meant to both of us in our respective careers, including Noah's meeting with him at the Australian Open 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
US Open Recap; Where will the rivalries come from, and Mike's take on three straight five setters with Carlos
September 12, 2022 07:00 - 49 minutesRecorded immediately preceding Carlos Alcaraz's victory in the men's singles final, Noah visits Mike in Queens to wrap up the Open. We talk rivalries The Happy Slam in New York And Carlos' impact. We get some takes on the PTPA, US Open Broadcast times, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Serena Says Goodbye, and Make Mike Best Man 2024
August 15, 2022 07:00 - 43 minutesWe start with Noah's engagement, as our lil boy is all done growed up. But the real story is Serena Williams' retirement announcement. We discuss that, how she has impacted tennis, and our lives; and why this year has become a year full of retirements across both tours. More from Cincy, and wherever Noah heads next, coming next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind the Racquet with Enzo Couacaud with Guest Host Christopher Eubanks
July 28, 2022 17:47 - 53 minutesGuest Host Christopher Eubanks guides us through the career of French tennis star Enzo Couacaud, and take you Behind the Racquet to tell you his story. Things get interesting when they start talking about the French generation of Monfils, Tsonga, Gasquet and others, and what "greatness" is. And then we get in to how the NBA influence could benefit tennis. More coming next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yibing Wu on winning three straight titles on the USTA Pro Circuit
July 24, 2022 22:38 - 13 minutesOne of the more remarkable runs I've witnessed on the USTA Pro Circuit over the last 9 years. Yibing Wu lost 2 sets in 15 straight wins. He's moved from 1741 to 174 in the ATP rankings since returning to the tour earlier this year after surgery and covid restrictions. I talked to him immediately after he came off the court in Indianapolis. He was winded, emotional, and thoughtful, considering he was ultimately rushing to get to a flight. Appreciated the time immensely. TOMORROW!!!! And all ne...
Behind the Racquet with Andrew Harris
July 19, 2022 08:00 - 41 minutesThe body has not been kind to Andrew Harris over the years. Back issues have limited his ability to play a full schedule since an incredible junior and college career, in Australia, and then Oklahoma. He's still hesitant to use the word specialist, but he's cognizant that this may give him the opportunities to reach the sport's peaks. Here how he got started in the sport, what took him to Oklahoma, and how he's approaching this stage of his career. He's got some fun tales about 2022 Wimbledon...
What's it like to face Nick Kyrgios
July 04, 2022 07:00 - 35 minutesTsitsipas and Kyrgios' Saturday clash once again highlighted how players all have different interpretations of what's OK on court. Mike and Noah go through it to sort out what's needed to fix that issue. And Noah gives us his take on what it's like to face Kyrgios. More next week from Rome, Georgia! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Look who's back. It's Noah! Wimby, dumbing down of surfaces, and the US summer swing
June 27, 2022 09:00 - 51 minutesNoah rejoins us after his three month sojourn to introspection. We go through the Wimbledon controversies, how the surfaces now all feel alike, and talk about the upcoming summer here in the states. And as a quick bonus, Mike's daughter Marnie pops on to say hello and give her take on Noah, Chris Eubanks, and her favorite joke. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Behind the Racquet with Blair Henley
June 21, 2022 18:00 - 35 minutesWe go Behind the Racquet this week with presenter, commentator, personality, and fantastic human being Blair Henley to talk about the challenges of being a parent in the tennis media business, and finding the happy medium of social media presence versus wanting to have good time when we're away from the sport. It's not flipping easy! On top of it, those of us in the Gen X/Y age want to know, how the heck does Blair stay on top of every trend! And Blair and Mike also make their Wimby picks wit...