The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast

Newly elected member of the Hall of Fame, the great Croatian Goran Ivanisevic talked with me about the state of affairs in tennis, he painted a very impressive picture of the new head of the ATP, Andrea Gaudenzi, and explained that he thought a combining of the WTA and ATP was a cool idea. We talked in length about his incredible career, and he shed light on some of the more complex moments, playing while his country was in war, why he played better in semis then in finals, and he regaled...

The great Yevgeny Kafelnikov came back for round 2, this time via satellite from Moscow, and we discussed the pandemic, talked about Andrea Gaudenzi and the tennis landscape moving forward, and then we took an incredible walk down memory lane and recalled his 96 French Open win. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Patrick McEnroe has lived an incredible life in tennis. We discussed his time dealing with testing positive for COVID-19, what tennis will look like moving forward, and we had a great walk down memory lane, and talked about what it was like to see his brother become a tennis great. We discussed merging the ATP and WTA, and what the possibilities could be. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast, a tour-de-force featuring interviews with a wide array of tennis people, from Hall of Famers to executives to innovators. Hosted by award winning documentary filmmaker, contributor to racquet Magazine, and tennis insider Craig Shapiro, the show is fast moving and asks the questions tennis people always wanted to know. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Pablo Arraya, former world number 29, has lived an incredible life in tennis. As a child he began tennis as a young boy in Cordoba, Argentina. His family escaped political harassment in Argentina and they moved to Peru. As a junior tennis player, he came to the United States and trained with Nick Bolletierri. He told us a great story about how he trained with Paul Annacone, Jimmy Arias, and other past guests of the show. On this episode PABLO ARRAYA tells us how he broke into the top...

Mark Leschly , one of the more interesting businessman we have spoken to, has lived an incredible life in tennis. As a child he grew up in Denmark and then Princeton, New Jersey, with a father, jan Leschly that was an exceptional pro tennis player. In 1967 Jan Leschly reched the semifinals of the US Open. He told us about his brothers that played at Princeton University. As a junior tennis player, Mark Leschly spent his summers in Denmark and then was recruited and played tennis at Harvard...

Brian Koppelman, the creator, executive producer, and show-runner for the hit show BILLIONS, has had an amazingly interesting life in show business, tennis, and beyond. As a child he grew up on Long Island in Roslyn, New York and played tennis and basketball. He was a junior tennis player and played high school tennis. His dad was a musc industry executive and he told us about some interesting moments when he helped put together a record deal for comedian Eddie Murphy and how he discovered...

Toure, a prolific journalist, podcast host, and an excellent player has lived an incredible life in journalism, and while not our usual tennis personality, has done some amazing things in tennis. As a child he grew up in Massachusetts and then attended Emory University. As a junior tennis player, he played in tournaments all around New England. Toure parlayed an internship into a superlative career at Rolling Stone Magazine, and then beyond. On this episode Toure tells us his perspectives...

Bethanie Mattek-Sands , a current player and now broadcaster for ESPN'S tennis coverage in the United States has lived an incredible life in tennis. As a child she grew up in Minnesota and then Wisconsin, and she played multiple sports. As a junior tennis player, she was one of the best players in North America and chose to turn professional after winning a big tournament in France at the age of 13. Bethanie Mattek-Sands rose to 30 in the world and posted wins over players such as Elena...

Greg Rusedski , former player, coach, and now broadcaster for Amazon Prime Video's tennis coverage in the UK, has lived an incredible life in tennis. As a child he grew up in Montreal, Quebec with a father that loved tennis. As a junior tennis player, he was one of the best players in North America and chose to turn professional instead of taking a scholarship to play at USC. Greg Rusedski rose to 4 in the world and posted wins over players such as Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Gustavo...

Mark Petchey , one of the more insightful broadcasters on tour, has lived an incredible life in tennis. As a child he grew up in Essex, England with a parents that were exceptional tennis players. As a junior tennis player, he was one of the best players in Europe and chose to turn professional instead of taking a scholarship to play at USC. Mark Petchey rose to 80 in the world and posted wins over players such as Michael Chang, Michael Stich, and Tommy Haas. On this episode MARK PETCHEY...

Tennys Sandgren , one of the more insightful, incisive, and polarizing players on tour, has lived an incredible life in tennis. As a child he grew up in Gallatin, Tennessee with a tennis court in his backyard. As a junior tennis player, he was one of the best players in the United States but was not identified as a top prospect by the USTA. After a standout career at the University of Tennessee, he struggled on the ATP Tour. Coming up with players such as Noah Rubin, Tennys told us his...

Wim Fissette , the coach of Naomi Osaka, has coached many of the top women on the WTA Tour in a short amount of time. He took up tennis at 8 years old when his mom began playing, and became a quality junior. As a junior, he was one of the best players in Belgium but was not identified as elite. After being invited to be the hitting partner for Kim Clijsters, he decided that coaching tennis would be his life. Wim Fissette told us this action packed story of moving from hitting partner to...

Charlie Pasarell grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the 50’s, and under the tutelage of the fabled teacher Welby Van Horn rose to tennis prominence in the United States. He won the Orange Bowl and national championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In the 60’s Charlie Pasarell attended UCLA and forged a lifelong friendship with Arthur Ashe. He also trained with Pancho Segura at The Beverly Hills Tennis Club, and rose to become the #1 player in the United States in 1967. As a pro, Charlie...

Leo Lavalle , the winner of the 1985 Junior Wimbledon Championships, has lived an incredible life in tennis. As a pro he rose to 51 in the word and posted wins over Brad Gilbert, Anders Jarryd, and Stefan Edberg. After the great Hall of Fame player Raul Ramirez, he is the best player to have come from his country, and as a Davis Cup stalwart carried the hopes and dreams of Mexican tennis onto the court with him for a record 14 years. On this episode of Under Review, Leo Lavalle, now a...

Brian Vahaly , once named to People Magazine's most eligible bachelor list, has lived an incredible life in tennis. As a child he was afraid to swim after seeing JAWS, and began tennis as an infant . As a junior tennis player, he was one of the best players in the United States but was not identified as a top prospect by the USTA. After a standout career at the University of Virginia, he initially struggled on the ATP Tour. Coming up with players such as Robby Ginepri and Andy Roddick,...

Henri Leconte the French legend joined us and we had a mid-tournament conversation. He shared how he became a longtime Australian Open fan favorite broadcaster, first at Channel 7, then 9, and now Eurosport. Henri Leconte explained that he began broadcasting when Jo Wilfried Tsonga was playing well in Australia. He told us about the immense pressure he faced when he was a contestant on Britain's Top Chef. Henri discussed Felix Auger-Aliassime and Coco Gauff. We learned what his perspectives...

Former world #1 and Hall-of-Famer Lindsay Davenport joined us and we had a mid-tournament Australian Open conversation. She shared her experience being a tennis mom and explained how both she and her husband split up the tournament obligations. . We learned what her perspectives have been at the Australian Open . Lindsay shared her thoughts on Serena and Venus Williams and also Coco Gauff. Lindsay also talked about coaching the American tennis player Madison Keys. She broke down the...

Brad Gilbert joins us for a pre Australian Open conversation. We learned what he has been up to in the off season, and what amazing memorabilia he has at his store, BG Tennis Nation. Brad shared his thoughts on the ATP Cup, Davis Cup, and Serena and Venus Williams. Now an ESPN broadcaster, Brad discussed how he grew up in a tennis playing family in Oakland, Ca. He described how a coaching change at Arizona State turned him towards junior college where he met the coach that changed his life....

Elite Coach Marc Lucero grew up in San Diego, California. He saw Andre Agassi on television and decided he wanted to play tennis. He went from playing at Boston College to coaching at Princeton University, then then at the USTA Campus in California. He has coached Genie Bouchard, Allie Riske, and had been on tour working with Shelby Rogers until now. Marc Lucero describes how a failed attempt at law school drove him back to tennis. He shares a story of Shelby Rogers' run to the...