My Tennis Journey

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 play...

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...

Today’s guests Dr. Amanda Stanec and Richard Way are on a mission to protect the joy children get from sport!

After reading their book Protect The Joy and chatting with them on this episode it is a mission I am joining them on! And with as many as 70% of children quitting sport by the onset of adolescence, it’s a quest I hope you’ll support.

From burn out to early specialisation, an overwhelming focus on results to it just not being any fun anymore there’s loads of reasons why children quit sport. We dive...

You’ll have seen products that come with government health warnings. Don’t do this or this might happen. My question for you today is this, should the junior tennis journey come with a financial health warning? And I think the answer is YES! 

If your player ends up spinning on the hamster wheel which is performance junior tennis, it is going to cost you. Individual lessons, group sessions, rackets, tournament fees, travel costs, strings, shoes, clothes…the list could (and does) go on and on. 

The reason for this episode is that I don’t think an...

Let me start with a confession - at times I’ve found being a tennis parent challenging! The trials and tribulations of the ‘performance’ tennis journey have surprised and at times shocked me.

So three experts coming together to create an online course that aims to help tennis parents navigate a positive path through the journey has to be a good thing!

That’s exactly what Dr Liya Jacob (wellness coach and tennis parent), Chris Johnson (Level 5 Master Coach) and Ellie-Rose Griffiths (former GB jnr no.1) have done.

An online course called Winning Tennis P...

PLS NOTE: There is some swearing in this episode and it is not one that is suitable for children.

What’s it like to be the no.1 12U player in the World? To be the youngest player ever to be signed by the IMG management company. To win a full scholarship to one of the most famous tennis academies in the World.

Reckon the future for that player and his family was bright? Fame and riches around the corner?

Today’s guest, Todd Ley who hails from Adelaide in Australia, was in exactly that...

In this episode on why players, parents and coaches should absolutely think about what strings they put in their rackets, the Pro Tour stringer Huw Phillips who runs RacketSpec says:

‘You wouldn’t buy rubbish tyres and put it on a Formula 1 car. It’s the same with a tennis racket - it’s the strings that hit the ball’

He explains that you can make a £100 racket play ten times better by having it professionally restrung with decent strings and you can make a £300 racket play awful by having it strung badly.

What’s more...

Welcome to the 100th episode of My Tennis Journey. And what an episode it is!

In many ways, Conor Niland has had the ultimate tennis journey.

He’s taken the unbelievably hard step from promising junior to pro player. He’s played Grand Slam tennis. He’s played Davis Cup tennis. He reached number 129 in the World! Some achievement. Since retiring he’s become a Davis Cup captain.

However, what Conor has become best known for is bringing the whole journey kicking and screaming to life in an absolutely brilliant book called The Racket...

Over the past 20 years, Spanish Tennis has established itself as the World leader when it comes to producing world class players and establishing world class academies. Led by coaches like Pato Alvarez and Louis Bruguera and players like Nadal, Muguruza and Alcaraz as well as foreign stars who have trained in Spain like Murray, Spain has been a leading force in World tennis. It’s little wonder therefore that players and parents have headed to Spain to aid their players’ development at the host of amazing academies.

But what are the secrets of Spanish tennis and with powe...

Back in 2023, changes were made to LTA Junior County Cup 11U-14U that undoubtedly had good intentions but have resulted - I think - in a competition that just isn’t quite as good as it used to.

The objectives behind the changes were worthy but as I hope my original blog post on LTA County Cup 11U-14U shows the actions taken are not resulting in the objective being met.

I set out to find out if County Coaches and parents of players think the same way as I do or if they believe th...

Do you ever read a book and love it so much that you go round telling people about it? Like everyone you meet. That’s exactly what happened with myself and Conor Niland’s book The Racket! From his experience as a junior on the tournament circuit (one I know a lot of tennis parents will recognise) to his days on a tennis scholarship in the US to the rollercoaster ride that is the Pro Tour, Conor’s book is a compelling read. If you are anything like me, you’ll finish it in a couple of sittings.

BUY TH...

You might have heard of tennis coach Todd Larkham for a host of reasons.

It was Todd who spotted a young Nick Kyrgios and coached him through to the Pro Tour and beyond. It’s brilliant to hear about that journey on this episode. You may know Todd was some player reaching no.136 in the World and that he played at each and every Grand Slams. Or have you seen Todd is one of the Coaches who feature on the ace Coachlife website which brings hundreds of video lessons from the Junior Coaches of some of tennis’s gr...

Just to be clear, County Cup’s one of my favourite things in the whole wide world. I want to start with this as everything you are going to listen to comes from a starting point of love and wanting to make something that is great even better!

And you see, I do think Junior County Cup (focusing in on 11U, 12U and 14U) can be improved as a result of a couple of flaws - and I’d love to know if you agree and what improvements you’d make to LTA Junior County Cup.

For...

Sporting parents, coaches and players - today you’re in for a treat! Wayne Goldsmith is an international coaching expert from Australia who has influenced the thinking and teaching of some of the world’s leading athletes, coaching and teams.

But if I’m honest that’s not why I was so excited about speaking to Wayne. The reason I was buzzing to chat with Wayne is because he is my no.1 go to source for wisdom on navigating the challenges of being a sporting parent and a coach too.

As you’ll hear, Wayne gets it. I...

You know in life there are some people who are amazing at making things happen. Who are driven to get things done. And when it comes to tennis I think Fabio Molle is absolutely one of them.

Fabio runs a successful tennis e-commerce business called Functional Tennis. He came up with an idea for a brilliant tennis product called The Saber which he took from concept to manufacture. A process I loved talking to him about on this episode.

He’s a very successful tennis podcaster - having recorded over 200 episodes of The Functional Tennis po...

Amazing adventures can be had by tennis players at American Universities! However, if you’re going to make it a great adventure rather than an OK or not so good adventure you’ve got to plan and prepare effectively. And that is where this episode comes in!

Today’s guest, Marleyna Trifunovic, is in a unique position to tell you all about the US uni experience as she has just returned from three years at Wilmington University in Delaware. Marley’s story and guidance can, I think, give players and / or parents the info they need to know if...

This is episode 91 of My Tennis Journey. As you’ll probably know, the vast majority of the episodes have been dedicated to the sport I’ve loved since I first picked up a racket in Skelton in Cumbria aged 9 or 10.

But dear, lovely tennis - I’ve got a confession to make. Whilst as Whitney sang I will always love you - I’ve also fallen for another sport.

And that sport is pickleball.

I’d like to explain why and what I plan to do in the world of pickleball.

I’d also l...

What happens when you put one of the world's most famous tennis coaches together with an outstanding neurologist with a passion for our beautiful game?

The answer is a fantastic book that can help shape the approach you take to tennis and the approach you take to life. The book is called Billion Dollar Mind, and in today's episode, we have the two authors.

The coach is the world famous Rick Macci, who featured prominently in the King Richard film as he coached Serena and Venus as juniors, as well as Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova...

Calling tennis parents, tennis coaches and tennis people - please do play today’s episode as Alison has an inspirational story and shares inspirational guidance on her tennis journey and her approach to coaching which has kickstarted a love of tennis in some of the UK’s rising stars like Hannah Klugman and Arthur Fery.

From a tennis parent perspective, I loved hearing Alison talk about the importance of the relationship between the coach, the player and the parent too. The importance of being a team together! Can you honestly say that about your relationship with your coac...

Ever read a book that has changed the way you think, the way you behave? Today’s interview is with the co-author and a stakeholder in the publication of a brilliant book that has had such an impact on me! 

The book is called Sports Performance Parenting and the co-author in question is Gordon MacLelland from Working With Parents in Sport. This edition of the book is a collaboration with British Gymnastics and joining Gordon and I to talk all things sports performance parenting is Alex McGregor, the Head of Performance Pathway at British Gymnastics. 

The...

There’s loads of podcasts about tennis from the Pros to the grassroots - but I’m not aware of any podcasts that are hosted by juniors with a focus on junior tennis - until now!

In today’s episode Stan Salmon (13) a junior tennis player from Derbyshire interviews Emily Appleton about her journey from the juniors to the Pro Tour.

Emily had an amazing junior career reaching no.10 in the World and is now making strides as a Pro. As you’ll hear,

Emily has some great guidance for juniors on how they can...

Sally Appleton is the Mum to Emily Appleton. Following a successful junior career which saw her reach World no.10, Emily has gone on to be a professional tennis player competing around the World on the Tour.

Today’s episode is an episode of two halves. In the first half, I asked Sally about her experiences as a tennis parent to Emily as a junior. Then in the second half we get to chat about a parent’s perspective of being a Mum to a pro player!

Sally’s in a brilliant position to do this as she...

Ceire Mullins has had an action packed journey from GB tennis junior to international padel player and now Head Coach of Church Broughton Tennis Club where she will take over from me! As you’ll hear, Ceire has an infectious energy for the the sports of tennis and padel…

MUSIC CREDITS

Earth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden

Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0

What does it take to make the journey from a talented junior to being a rising star on the pro tennis tour? There’s many variables and if there was a set recipe I’m sure thousands of parents and coaches would cook it up for their little proteges!

But I firmly believe lessons can be learned from those who have made the journey. Today, I’m really excited to talk to one such stakeholder. Shane Deacon is an LTA GB National Pathway Coach, he’s the inventor of the amazing TargetBound tennis coaching aid and he has also...

Dear Tennis Parents, I totted up recently and our three children have played around 800 matches at tournaments. I know what attending tournaments with your child/children can be like. I know it can be rewarding, inspiring and joyful. I also know it can be stressful, challenging and frustrating. Today’s episode is with a leading sports psychologist who can help us tennis parents with our journeys! I know this is an episode I will listen to again and again…

For more info on Callum Gowling please visit his website: https://www.liquidsportpsychology.co.uk/

MUSIC CRED...

Hello everyone, as anyone who knows me knows…I love Church Broughton Tennis Club. I love the role we play in the Community and seeing so many players of all ages enjoying our brilliant game(s).

Today, I’m announcing that I’m going to be stepping down as Head Coach at Church Broughton at the end of Dec. And I want to explain why…

MUSIC CREDITS

Earth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden

Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0

Andrew Jarrett has had an amazing tennis journey from the early years in Derbyshire, to playing Davis Cup for GB, Coaching GB at The Olympics - and then going on to Wimbledon as The Championships Referee from 2006-2019.

Andy has talked all about this and a whole lot more in his book Championship Points which has gone to the top of the Amazon charts!

In this episode, we talk about a subject which is close to our hearts - County Week or LTA Summer County Cup as it is also known. An event we know...

Ben Bartram may only be 17, but as you’ll hear he’s already had a series of amazing adventures in the wheelchair tennis world!

He’s won the Junior US Open, risen inside the top 20 men’s rankings and recently returned from being a member of the winning GB World Cup team alongside Alfie and Gordon.

Ben’s passion for the journey shines bright, but just don’t ask him to play FIFA - you’ll hear why! Enjoy…

I truly believe that listening to Sandi Procter’s tennis journey is worth an hour of your time! The LTA President has an incredibly compelling back story within our sport!

Ever wondered how the red, orange and green balls came about? Wonder no more! Been impressed with the LTA’s Tennis Leaders programme? Find out how Sandi made it happen! Having listened to Sandi’s journey, I'm confident she'll make good things happen as LTA President.

Whether you’re a tennis player, coach, parent, official or volunteer, I feel sure you’ll enjoy hearing about Sandi Proc...

You might not be aware but we are currently in the midst of the LTA Junior Nationals. These are singles and doubles competitions for 16U and 18U girls and boys. You might not be aware but I think you should be aware and I think your tennis playing children or pupils should be aware to!

Today’s guest is Richard Joyner, the Tournament Director of the LTA Junior Nationals and together we’d like to put forward the case on why the LTA Junior Nationals are worthy of your attention.

The events showcase the future star...

I'm writing this on my 50th birthday! Having successfully navigated through to my half century, I figured that it would be a good time to tell My Tennis Journey. My good friend and LTA Lifetime Achievement Award winner Keith Reynolds kindly offered to do the honours of interviewing me. I loved chatting to Keith about my early tennis years, my time working in beer and football and meeting some of the game's biggest stars and why I left that all behind for a chapter in tennis! I hope you'll enjoy listening...

MUSIC CREDITS

Earth by...

'What affects my tennis and training the most?' Today's guest Mylène Petitpas posed this question and explained the answer is nutrition because food affects every part of our body from head to toe!

As a tennis parent, I find what foods to give the children before, during and after tennis tournaments puzzling. I try my best when it comes to providing decent nutrition options - but if truth be told I haven't found much information out there to help. So I've tried to go and find some answers!

Mylène is passionate about th...

Abbie Lench (LTA Head of Clubs, Parks, Counties and Volunteering) and Simon Spalter (Tennis Volunteer Community Facebook Group) join me to look at the amazing contribution volunteers make to the clubs and counties of British Tennis. We cover a range of topics which will hopefully help existing volunteers and inspire new volunteers.

As a Coach and tennis parent, I am aware of just how much work volunteers do in our club and our county. And I know it is the same throughout the Country - this episode is a big thank you!

If you are a...

Exciting news! A friend Hugo and I have launched a new Community Interest Company called We Say Play. A Community Interest Company is - in the words of Wikipedia - ‘designed for social enterprises that want to use their profits and assets for the public good.’ And that’s exactly what we want to do!

I’d love it if you’d have a listen to this short little podcast to hear about our We Say Play mission to inspire children to get playing…

To find out more about We Say Play or to get in touch - w...

What if you could put on a Virtual Reality headset and be transported to a tennis court when you can train like you do on a court in the real world? Not a game, but a fully immersive, impressively real training environment. That’s what Sense Arena have made happen! 

Find out all about Sense Arena from their Tennis VP, Yannick Yoshizawa and World renowned Coach Claudio Pistolesi who has worked players like Monica Seles and Robin Soderling…

If you’d like to find out more about Sense Arena please head to the Sense Arena Virtual...

When I was researching today’s guest, I came across an article on the LTA website with a headline that said: ‘How Tennis Saved My Life.’ As I read the article, I immersed into the World of a man who has faced some incredible challenges, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2012 and who has had some dark days. Yet through the challenges and the dark days, tennis has always been a beacon shining bright.

Oli Jones is a tennis coach and Mental Health Ambassador for the LTA as well as Movember. As we’re in the midst of...

October is the LTA’s Parents in Tennis month so it was a perfect time to speak to Kay Gilbert in the latest of our series of My Five Top Tips For Tennis Parents.

Kay is one of the driving forces behind the Tennis Parents Community Facebook Group - which I highly recommend - and as you’ll hear has some brilliant tips for tennis parents! If you are a tennis (or sporting) parent please do take a listen, I’m sure you won’t regret it…

If you’re a tennis parent, please do consider joi...

This episode shows what a wonderful adventure sport can bring you both on the court and off it! Thaddea Lock is the UK’s no.1 pickleball player and is enjoying a fantastic chapter in what is America’s fastest growing sport. I’d heard how pickleball is taking America by storm in the way The Beatles did in the 1960s. I knew from a work point of view that the ace TopspinPro pickleball version has received a very warm welcome in the community. If truth be told though I didn’t know too much about pickleball, what it is, why it i...

I’m a tennis coach and a tennis player but I spend a lot of time in another tennis role - a tennis parent! This podcast shares the things that I’ve learnt from going along to a whole lot of tennis tournaments, plus the tips that experts such as Lisa Stone and Mark Tennant have shared. I also did the excellent LTA ‘Supporting Parents of Competitive Juniors’ course just the other day and felt there was no time like the present to do my little bit to try and make the role of being the tennis parent a little b...

The Laver Cup is coming to London and what an event it is set to be! In this edition of My Tennis Journey, Laver Cup CEO, Steve Zacks talks about his passion for tennis, the origins of the Laver Cup and the ever so ace story of how Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray ended up joining Team Europe. Hopefully this episode will whet your appetite for the excitement of the forthcoming Laver Cup…

For more information on the Laver Cup please visit: https://lavercup.com/

What a journey Derbyshire’s Andy Wood has had from promising badminton star, to becoming a GB Olympic Head Coach and co-founder of Derbyshire Institute of Sport. Along the way, he’s inspired huge numbers to play sport and from a badminton perspective coached Simon Archer and Joanne Goode to GB’s first ever Olympic medal for Great Britain (Bronze) in Sydney 2000 as well as coaching Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms to Silver Medal at Athens Olympics 2004. Andy has an inspiring story and an exciting current chapter with the Derbyshire Institute of Sport. I hope you’ll enjoy listening to Andy...

It was fascinating to talk to Michael Gradon, the CEO of Game4Padel - one of the fastest growing companies in one of the fastest growing sports in the UK.

Padel was described recently as the biggest fitness trend of the Summer by GQ magazine. Jurgen Klopp loves it, Pep Guardiola loves it, Annabel Croft loves it, Zlatan loves it, my Mum loves it and so does my wife and my children. 

Michael has a wealth of experience within the corporate World and the tennis World having been on the board of Wimbledon and Game4P...

Tennis is a game for life and today’s interview proves it! Professional tennis players may retire on average at 27, but for amateur players your tennis career can run and run up to and beyond your 80th birthday. Seniors Tennis GB are passionate about inspiring players who are over 35 to get involved in the game from giving it a go, to playing competitions and even having a chance of representing GB. As you’ll hear from Seniors Tennis GB Head of Selectors for the men’s teams Edward Oakenfull, whatever your level there are some fantastic opportunities to get involv...

Fantastic news! John of Rolleston Primary School where I coach has been named the LTA School of the Year for the Midlands! This follows on from the school being named LTA School of the Year for Staffordshire.

The recipe that has led to this Award has featured six main ingredients that when mixed together produces an ever so ace tennis programme. Find out what the ingredients are in this short episode…

For more info about the LTA Youth Schools programme, please visit: https://lta-tennis.force.com/schools/s/

MUSIC: Earth by MusicbyAden https://so...

Tom Murray has had an amazing journey from teaching English to a future World No.1 at a Spanish Academy as a young tennis hopeful to heading up one of the World’s fastest growing sports at the LTA. Hear how Tom has helped drive the growth of the game in the UK, what the future holds for padel players and coaches and which World Cup winning footballer he played padel against…

My club Church Broughton Tennis Club has just opened the county's first padel tennis court. We are having an open day on Sun 1 May - find out...

He’s so excited and he just can’t hide it, Paul from online retailer PDHSport is a massive fan of padel and he thinks you’ll like it… 

Find out why in this introduction to padel as we discuss why Paul is enjoying the sport so much at the brand new court at Church Broughton Tennis Club where I coach. 

As you’ll hear, Paul has a number of reasons why he thinks padel is a fun sport for the whole family…

The court at Church Broughton is Derbyshire’s first padel tennis court and...

Ellen Taylor is a Coach at Church Broughton Tennis Club. Ellen has put a tremendous effort into organising a She Rallies Fun Day at the club on Sat 2 April between 2-4pm. Everyone is welcome at the day, but the aim is to get as many women and girls playing tennis as possible. It was brilliant to hear from Ellen about why she is so passionate about the She Rallies initiative which is brought to us by Judy Murray and the LTA. Enjoy listening and if you’re anywhere near Church Broughton on 2 April, do come on over for so...

Tips for tennis parents really is the specialist subject of today’s guest. Lisa Stone is a tennis parent, a tennis broadcaster and the person behind the ever so ace podcast called ParentingAces whose slogan is For Tennis Parents by A Tennis Parent. So who better to deliver our next Top Five Tips For Tennis Parents? As you’ll hear, Lisa has some fantastic advice for all of us tennis parents!

To find out more about ParentingAces, please visit Lisa's website: https://parentingaces.com/

You will also find Lisa on these social channels

http...

Hello everyone and welcome to this impromptu podcast episode. I’m delighted to say I’ve won an Award in the Derbyshire Tennis Awards!! Let me take two minutes to tell you all about it…

MUSIC CREDITS

Earth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden

Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0

SwingVision is the tennis app featured in Apple’s TV commercials!

If you’re a tennis coach or player with a liking for apps, then I reckon you should find out about SwingVision - and a great place to start is my interview with co-founder and CEO Swupnil Sahai! 

SwingVision brings you video highlights, shot speed and placement analysis and even the ability to challenge line calls. It’s easy to set up and use and is backed by Andy Roddick and James Blake. Swupnil has a great story of his first encounter with Andy Roddick...

Prepare to be inspired! Roy Turnham was registered blind from birth but as you’ll hear he has never let his sight hold him back. Indeed, Roy’s made over 100 appearances for the England Blind Football Team, he’s won the National Singles and Doubles championships in the GB National Visually Impaired Tennis Champs and he’s combined it all with a spot of rock and roll - having toured as a drummer with the fantastic Liverpool band She Drew The Gun. I found Roy’s story incredibly inspiring, I hope you will too…

To find out more about Br...

Tennis parents know that being a tennis parent can be testing at times! This episode is for all you tennis parents out there.

Mark Tennant is a hugely respected tennis coach and coach educator who co-founded inspire2coach (i2c) - the leading coach education provider. Mark is a Level 5 coach, a Coach Education Master Tutor and has a huge amount of tennis experience having worked for the LTA and the ITF.

Mark has tutored or presented in approaching 100 countries around the World. What’s more, Mark is also a tennis parent! So what a br...

Matt Allen and Steve Davies from tennis holiday company Active Away went inside the BBC’s Dragons’ Den and ended up receiving investment from Peter Jones who is a big tennis fan.

Find out how the appearance came about, the inside story of their Dragons’ Den appearance and what has happened to Active Away since their television adventure including their biggest challenge to date...

To find out all about an Active Away Tennis Holiday please visit: https://activeaway.com/

MUSIC CREDITS

Earth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden

Creative Common...

Psst! I have a new job and it's a load of spin! Let me tell you all about it...

To find out more about TopspinPro, please head to my blog post here: https://www.serveandvolley.net/tennis-gadgets-gifts/topspinpro-my-favourite-tennis-innovation

MUSIC CREDITS

Earth by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden

Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0

Ned Salmon (who is my 8 and three quarter year old son) made his debut for Derbyshire u9s in 2021. I was recently doing a sound check in preparation for a forthcoming episode and Ned kindly agreed to help. I asked him a few questions about his debut for Derbyshire and the answers were ace - so I thought I’d publish them! I particularly liked how Ned talked up how great LTA County Cup can be for developing friendships and how it is not all about winning. I hope you’ll enjoy…

MUSIC CREDITS

Earth by Mus...

As I write this, we were supposed to be on a plane to the Dominican Republic - but as you’ll hear it wasn’t to be!! This short episode is kind of my end of year reflections with a load of massive thank yous (one of which is for you - yes you!). Do take a listen and if you make it right to the end you’ll hear me doing the Wham Rap! Seriously…

Early on in my journey as a Tennis Coach, I joined the Tennis Coaches’ Support Network - a Facebook Group for tennis coaches. It didn’t take me long to realise that is was going to be a really helpful resource for learning and a fantastic place to meet coaches around the UK. During lockdown the webinars and catch ups were so useful at a time when no tennis was possible. The Group is run by a tennis coach called Jonty Solomons. In this episode, we hear about Jonty’s journey to becoming a Coach, how and why he starte...

Louise Holtum is Derbyshire Ladies Co-Captain. In this episode, we find out what’s in store for Derbyshire Ladies at the LTA Winter County Cup from 10-12 Dec and we hear about Louise’s journey from the beautiful courts of Bamford to Loughborough University and beyond. A journey accompanied by a passion for County Tennis!

If you enjoy listening, please do hit the SUBSCRIBE button so you can find out about future episodes.

Coaches can inspire players to start a life long journey with our brilliant sport. Today’s guest is Merlin Van de Braam, the Head of LTA Coach Development. It was great to speak to Merlin and hear how passionate he is about the new Coach Development Plan and how he believes it will help support coaches be the best they can be. As Merlin says: ‘I hope we can reach all coaches out there to let them know we DO listen.’ Listen to.find out all about the new plan...

PS If you enjoyed listening and would like a...

Today’s episode focuses around a really important topic - coaching and mental health. And we’re discussing it with a guest who is making a really positive contribution to a subject that can be tricky at times to talk about. Callum Gowling from Liquid Sport Psychology hosts regular coach catch ups where coaches come together for self and collective reflection. They are brilliant sessions. Callum recently ran a get together in aid of Movember where mental health and coaching were discussed - I couldn’t make that one so I thought it would be brilliant to chat to Callum...

Today’s episode has an important life lesson as well as many tennis ones and at the heart of it is the importance of BRAVERY in making things happen!

Bravery has been a constant theme in Rob Morgan’s rapid ascent from a promising junior to Tour Coach helping Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram win Grand Slam titles. Enjoy listening to Rob's journey…

You can find Rob on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/robmorgan91/

Could sport be a force for good that unites us in these most challenging of times? That’s the question which today’s guest - the highly respected sports business leader - Matt Rogan looks to answer in his ace new book ‘All To Play For: How Sport Can Reboot Our Future’. The answer - of course - is that it most certainly can! Speaking to Matt and reading his book have really got me fired up to do all I can to get more children to start a life of sport and more adults to realise the benefits of sport...

David Haggerty made a commitment to tennis aged five and many years later he is still delivering on it! His adventures as a player, an exec at Prince, Slazenger / Dunlop and Head, the Chair, CEO and President of the USTA and now ITF President form a compelling story. A story with a passion for tennis at its heart…

In today’s episode Keith Carder, the LTA’s Head of Competition, tells us all we need to know about the new ITF World Tennis Number. We get to the heart of this exciting new ITF system which is being adopted by the LTA and tennis federations around the World. As you’ll hear, the World Tennis Number is kind of similar to the golf handicap system. It aims to be at the heart of a new global tennis community…

To celebrate becoming a member of the coaching team that delivers County Training in Derbyshire, I’ve put a short little six min episode together on why I love County Tennis and why it can be a constant positive companion as tennis players make their way through life…

Derbyshire’s Millie Devey Smith had a glittering junior tennis career and after attending Repton School decided to head to the University of Bath rather than go on a US tennis scholarship. Find out why it’s a decision she’s glad she made as well as what it’s like to play Emma Raducanu and how she has ended up working at Nottingham Forest FC…

Abbie Breakwell may only be 18, but she’s already had a remarkable journey into the world of Wheelchair Tennis which has seen her rise to no.3 in the girls world rankings! Abbie is from Long Eaton in Derbyshire and also has a strong affinity to Nottingham. I loved our chat because Abbie is great fun and as you’ll hear destiny really did come calling to start her on court adventures. Adventures which are set to get more exciting over the coming months and years…

Further Info…

Give wheelchair tennis a go with the LTA’s wheelcha...

In this short podcard, Lee Taylor explains why tennis coaches and players from 10 upwards should be wearing sunglasses on court to protect their eyes from the sun! As the Moorfield Eye Hospital website says: ‘Excessive sun exposure can cause irreversible damage to your eyesight.’ 

You use suncream to protect your skin so surely you should use sunglasses to protect your eyes when playing tennis? As you’ll hear from Lee, who is the distributor of Solar Bat tennis sunglasses in Australia and Europe, the case for wearing sunglasses whilst coaching or playing is a compelling one…

To fin...

I’m such a fan of what County Tennis can bring to you as a tennis player but also the amazing adventures and friendships it can bring to your life! Today’s podcard is from a man whose passion for County Tennis and Derbyshire Tennis absolutely shines through. Andy is now Head of Tennis at The Caesarean Tennis Club in Jersey and as you’ll hear he is as passionate now about County Tennis as he was when he first became involved as a lad growing up in Chesterfield…

Chris McPherson has had a remarkable sporting journey from the courts of Derbyshire to representing Brazil in hockey at the Olympic Games! Find out how it happened…

Please do check out my website if you’d like to get in touch: www.serveandvolley.net

What a County Week it was for Derbyshire Men! The team played five and won five to win Division 3. In this episode, Derbyshire Men’s Captain James Rushby takes a look back at what was a memorable week in Ilkley…

Over the Summer Term I have LOVED teaching tennis in two schools near where I live - John of Rolleston and Outwoods. In this short episode, I look at why teaching tennis has been so rewarding for me and why I believe sport can make such a positive contribution to the education and lives of pupils as well as being a whole lot of fun…

County Week is back and as James Rushby, Captain of Derbyshire Men says: ‘We are buzzing for it, we can’t wait!’ Listen to James’ preview of the action and hear which Grand Slam winners he’s managed to defeat in his time on LTA County Cup…

Please do hit SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy the podcast!

I love LTA County Cup and it was brilliant to speak with Danny and celebrate the 125th anniversary of the event many know as County Week! Danny has played in every Grand Slam, he’s played Pete Sampras in the third round at Wimbledon and reached 170 in the World in singles. As you’ll hear, his record with Surrey, who he represented as a player or Captain for 35 years is remarkable. Find out why Danny, who now runs an amazing charity called Bright Ideas For Tennis, and I and thousands of others around the Country think LTA County Cup is s...

A lovely little story of how one of the World’s best tennis players ended up calling one of my pupils at Church Broughton Tennis Club a ‘legend’! It's a story that really does shows a positive side of social media.

Please follow John on Twitter @johnisner and check out our chat @rsalmonuk

Thanks very much to SiRobbiTennis.Photos for making the picture of John available on a share alike basis. Please check out https://www.sirobitennis.photos

In the first of a new series, Cal Loveridge delivers out first tennis podcard*. You’ll get the lowdown on Cal’s journey from Church Broughton primary school to playing for Derbyshire u18s, heading off to an American Uni and building a life with his family in the U S of A! It’s an inspiring story which shows just what an ACE role tennis can play in your journey through life…

* A short 10 min audio update - the podcast equivalent of a postcard!

PS If you have any ideas on guests that would make a g...

Get ready for the World’s finest tennis tournament by listening to Andrew Jarrett’s reflections on the annual rollercoaster ride that he went on as Championships Referee at Wimbledon from 2006 to 2019. You’ll also hear about Andrew’s future plans plus his passions for County Week, Derbyshire Tennis and, of course, Derby County!

I’d love love love it in a Kevin Keegan stylee if you’d hit SUBSCRIBE and if you’d like to say hello please head to https://www.serveandvolley.net/

You’ve only got to read this quote from Howard Green, who is one of the UK’s leading Strength and Conditioning (S&C) coaches to understand why I am so FIRED UP about the Tennis SuperMovers Mission to get kids active! ‘Kids are starting WEAK and they are getting WEAKER. They are all on their IPADS.’

I’ve experienced this first hand and I think it’s time for a crusade to increase exercise time! Join us and as you’ll hear, that’s exactly what Howard - who has had an amazing journey from The Marines to being...

Exciting! The French Open is upon us and we welcome tennis aficionado (and MASSIVE Novak Djokovic fan) Pav Gill back to share his knowledge on who is going to fly high at Roland Garros and who we both think will be lifting the trophies...

Whilst you’re listening, it would be AMAZING if you could hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep up to date with all our podcasts!

To find out about my MISSION to get as many as people as possible playing tennis in Staffordshire and Derbyshire please head to my tennis website.

Are tennis players and parents adequately and effectively prepared for the psychological demands of the game? And if not, how should we go about it? These questions lie at the heart of what I found to be a fascinating and insightful conversation with leading UK Sports Psychologist Julie Blackwood. The mental side of our game is massive, so take a little time to listen find out how you can help yourself, your players or your children thrive when it comes to competing and find out why I believe sports psychology deserves a place at tennis’s top table…

H...

Tennis has been a positive part of my life for as long as I can remember, but a year ago I took the plunge and delivered my first lesson as a full time tennis coach. And what a year it has been! I’d love it if you’d take a listen to my reflections on my first year, the challenges, the things that have made me happy and why I started coaching on an old milking parlour… A massive thank you to each and every one of you who has supported me on my tennis journey!

If you...

Tom plays a pivotal role in the new LTA Youth Schools initiative which is designed to give huge numbers of primary school children the chance to give our brilliant game a go.

With a £250 voucher available to primary schools to spend on coaching or equipment as part of the programme, it was brilliant to hear how well the programme is going and learn about Tom's journey to becoming LTA Head of Education and Community.

If you have children at a primary school or know a primary school teacher please do share this episode with them! L...

Jane Rushby has been a player (representing her County Derbyshire 126 times), a coach (playing a key role in developing a thriving tennis scene at the club she helped establish) and a parent (all four of her children have played to a high level and have an ongoing love for the game). So it was great to hear about Jane's journey and her experiences. I hope you’ll enjoy hearing about it too…

If you have any questions about My Tennis Journey or my tennis coaching up here in Derbyshire, please do contact me at my website. I’d love...

In this episode, I give a quick fire update on my tennis journey! How buzzing I am about my first day at school, my new role as a County Captain of not one but two teams and how and why I ended up getting a letter from Downing Street about my podcast…

To find out the ace LTA Schools initiative I mention in this podcast please go to: https://lta-tennis.force.com/schools/s/

If you’re a tennis coach and would like to find out about the  Facebook group that I mention in the podca...

I loved speaking to Wingfield CEO Maik Burlage about their connected tennis court solution which can deliver a pro court experience to amateurs up and down the land via the Wingfield app. Watch that unbelievable lob you made on the video highlights or check out your first serve speed or percentage of unforced errors with a wealth of Wimbledon like data. As you’ll hear, the Wingfield system is more affordable than you might think…

You can find more info on the Wingfield website: https://www.wingfield.io/

Please do hit SUBSCRIBE on Apple or FOLL...

The persistence and resilience Dom learnt on the tennis court helped prepare him for life as a football commentator working for the BBC covering teams like Manchester United. If you’re interested in tennis and / or football this is an episode for you! Plus we hear how Dom ended up making national headlines with a genius idea involving the Eat Out To Help Out scheme…

You can find Dom's ever so ace The Next Best Thing podcast here: https://linktr.ee/TNBTpodcast

Dear friends, I have a big career change announcement to make today. It’s a decision I’ve not taken lightly. I hope you’ll understand…can you spare a minute to hear about the exciting next chapter of my career!? R x PS It’d be amazing if you’d hit FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to help my new career get off to a flying start!

David Rawlinson’s passion for tennis shines through in this episode. We hear how David’s tennis journey began and as LTA President he gives an insight into the inner workings of the game in Britain. David explains the role the LTA Council play and what he’s excited about for tennis in 2021…

It would be AMAZING if you could hit Follow / Subscribe so you can be notified about future episodes.

Alex is a multi award winning coach at a multi award winning club and in this episode he shares his recipe for how he and the team at Ashby Castle have made it happen. Alex and the club have been incredibly active during lockdown(s) and as you’ll hear he managed it whilst having and recovering from a heart operation. It’s quite a story…

What is it like to be on a sports scholarship at one of the top tennis universities in the US? Find out as we speak to Derbyshire’s Vic Allen who has gone from starting to play on park courts to Junior Wimbledon and now Florida State University where she is a key member of their highly successful tennis team.

You can follow the progress of Vic and the FSU Women's tennis team on Twitter @FSU_WTennis and Instagram @fsuwtennis

Yay! It’s my birthday…a good time to reflect, say thanks for those who’ve supported my coaching and podcast and look to the future. It’d be amazing if you could have have a listen (it’s just over a minute long) and give a birthday subscribe / follow! R x

PS I’m a (sort of) poet and I didn’t know it…

PS I’m a (sort of) poet and I didn’t know it…

Discover why schools offering tennis is so important to the future growth of our game! John is a font of knowledge when it comes to making a thriving schools program happen. Indeed, he led a coach collaboration that resulted in tennis videos being sent in to 2,000+ school during lockdown. Plus find out why John feels the key to success is collaboration…

FURTHER INFO

John's website is: https://www.tennisworks.net

The excellent Tennis Coaches' Support Network Facebook Group for tennis coaches that John and I discuss is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TennisCoachesSupportNetwork

If you’re in to tennis and / or digital then Ian’s Essential Tennis journey is (hopefully) an essential listen! Essential Tennis, which Ian founded, delivers compelling tennis content to players around the Globe. And we’re not talking one or two fans here and there. Indeed, Essential Tennis has over 240,000 YouTube subscribers. Listen to Ian’s tennis journey and find out what drives him and the team to deliver innovation after innovation…

If you get a second while listening, it would be amazing if you’d please SUBSCRIBE or FOLLOW.

Find Essential Tennis here:

Websit...

Charlie Pick and Chesterfield Tennis Club did the double last year! Charlie won LTA Midland’s Development Coach of the Year - an award I know he’d love to share with the whole team - and Chesterfield won LTA Midland’s Club of the Year. It was great to chat with Charlie and hear the ‘magical’ formula behind Chesterfield’s success.

What decides who wins and loses a match? Technique? Tactics? Or the hidden power of momentum? Alistair Higham’s a leading momentum expert and explains why it’s so important. He’s also responsible for GB University tennis and is a former LTA National Team Manager. Finally, as you’ll hear, Alistair was my first ever coach in Cumbria and he’s as passionate about our brilliant sport now as he was back then.

Alistair has just launched his new online courses on making the most of the opportunities momentum presents. Find out more here: www.coachingedgeuk.com where...

The remarkable story of how a chance encounter saw Derbyshire’s Chris Archer go from a US tennis scholarship to playing for Burton Albion and scoring a free kick against Nottingham Forest! As you’ll hear though, his proudest sporting moment is still a Derbyshire Tennis one and it is tennis that has opened many doors in Chris's life…

When I see Pav at the Derbyshire Tennis Awards I tell him he should be doing a podcast and now he’s on this one to tell us about his tennis journey and share his Australian Open preview and predictions. As you’ll hear, Pav is passionate about every element of tennis from playing for Rolls Royce in Derby, to following British Tennis and the pro tours at every level. And of course he’s a MASSIVE Novak Djokovic fan!

Derby's Yasmin Clarke has had a remarkable tennis journey and there's much more yet to come. From GB No.1 Junior to turning Pro, becoming a Master coach and a key member of Team Clarke which supports Jay Clarke on his pro tennis quest. And now a commentator too! As you'll hear, Yaz's tennis journey is a truly compelling ongoing story...

Derbyshire’s Ashley Broomhead has won numerous national titles, is a leading coach educator and along with Keith Reynolds founded the legendary Watchorn Tennis Club which was a stop off for some of the World’s best young players on their journey to the top. Whatever your profession, if you’re interested in creating a winning environment, take a listen to the wise words of Ashley Broomhead…

If you've listened to the first part of Sam's interview, you'll know he has a truly remarkable story. Sam grew up in a Civil War torn Sierra Leone and went through some horrific experiences but his dream of playing tennis for his Nation kept him going. In this second part of the interview, Sam talks about playing for Sierra Leone, the continued challenges he faced and his experience and approach to tennis in the UK. Despite all the adversity he has encountered, Sam has such a life affirming positive outlook on life.

Sam has written a book...