The Tennis Players Show

Wake Forest Men's Tennis Head Coach Tony Bresky joins the show to discuss his philosophy of recruiting in the new age of collegiate athletics, how he measures success and how rewarding coaching is to him. 

Bresky has won two National Championships as the head coach at Wake Forest and is coming off a season in which his team went 34-4 and made a run to the Final Four. 

LSU Women's Tennis Head Coach Taylor Fogleman joins the show to discuss the evolution of the program and how he's evolved as a coach. 

We discuss how he sees the coaching calendar, what leadership means to him, his role in the development of his staff as they move towards their own goals, and what the most rewarding thing is about being a coach. 

Auburn Women's Tennis Head Coach Jordan Szabo joins the show to discuss the progress the Tigers program has made. 

We also discuss what he's learned being a coach, what he looks for in his players and how he deals with every day life, with coaching being a 365 day job.

South Carolina's Helena Buchwald joins the show to talk about her college tennis experience in Columbia as well as her mindset for this past season, which saw her get six ranked wins in the last three months of the season, finishing with a 15-5 record in the regular season playing No. 2 for the Gamecocks. 

TCU Men's Tennis Head Coach David Roditi joins the show to discuss his viewpoint of college tennis, as well as his experiences as a coach in Fort Worth.

We discuss what his role is as a head coach and how he does his best to help young men grow as players and as people. 

The Director of UTR James McKie joins the show to discuss his goals for the brand, as well as his passion around helping tennis players achieve their goals and gives advice on how players can best do so. 

ATP World No. 67 Ryan Seggerman joins the show to discuss his pro tour experiences, and his journey through the game. 

We talk college tennis, his time at UNC and Princeton as well as the current state of the game. We also talk about his time traveling and his progression as a player. 

ATP Doubles World No. 89 James Watt joins the show to talk about his journey in the tennis world. We talk about his experiences traveling, how he's in a tough spot in the rankings, and his process of preparing for matches. 

What a week it was. If you were following on the Instagram page, you caught a lot of it, but I thought it would be best to upload a full recap of the event from my perspective as a media member. 

I give my best Alex Gruskin/John Parsons/Chris Halioris impression and give a recap of all the matches, but also try to give some insight of what it's like covering the event from a media perspective. 

I speak about the venue, the atmosphere in the crowd, the scheduling of media day, the layout of...

I spoke to Violeta Martinez after the Aggies 4-1 win over the Auburn Tigers, a match in which she got a 7-5, 6-1 win over Ashton Bowers. 

Martinez went 3-0 on the weekend with wins over Anna Frey, Sofia Rojas and Bowers, and was a key piece in the Aggies championship run. 

We talk about her weekend, her progression as a player and her views on believing in herself and her teammates. 

I spoke with NCAA Champion Stiles Brockett after the Hoos 4-3 win over the Texas Longhorns, a match in which Brockett won on court five against Abel Forger 6-4, 6-4, helping the team secure their seventh national championship in school history. 

A bit of a fun thing from press, Dylan Dietrich spoke about a text that he got from Stiles after a 6-1, 6-2 loss to Raphael Vaksmann on Thursday night, that is also included. 

I spoke with Daria Smetannikov after the Aggies 4-3 win over the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday night. 

Smetannikov tied things up on court six with a win over Patricija Paukstyte, handing the ball off to one of her best friends, Lucciana Perez, who took it home for the Aggies. 

Colette Lewis of Zoo Tennis, John Parsons of No-Ad, No Problem, and I spoke with Seb after his three set, clinching win against Duncan Chan in the Final Four, sending the Longhorns to the Championship. 

Gorzny talked about what he's learned from his very few past failures in big moments, as well as his celebration when he won. 

I got to chat with the number one player in the country, Lucciana Perez after her 6-3, 6-1 win over Reese Brantmeier and the team's 4-3 win over UNC.

We spoke about her win, as well as the team's win and her thoughts on Violeta Martinez's epic match against Anna Frey. 

I got to chat with Georgia's Emma Dong after the team's win over NC State on Friday night. We talk about why she chose Georgia, as well as her influences as a player and their win over the Wolfpack. 

A chat with Ohio State's Teah Chavez after the team's 4-0 win over Pepperdine, sending the team to the Final Four.

We talk having fun, Nishino's clinch at number five, and growing up in Canada. 

The No. 1 player in the country, Dylan Dietrich discusses a 4-1 win over Mississippi State which included a 6-4, 6-3 win over the No. 9 player in the country, Benito Sanchez Martinez.

We also discuss his progression on the mental side of the game of tennis and what it's like playing in Athens. 

A quick chat with Georgia's Aysegul Mert after afternoon practice. We discuss hosting, being the only lefty on the team and what it's going to take to win a National Championship. 

Wake Forest's DK Suresh chat's after afternoon practice about his college tennis experience. We also discuss the difference between playing Davis Cup and College Tennis. 

Got to catch up with Baylor's Connor Van Schalkwyk after a morning practice in Athens. We discuss his experience in the Super Regional against Pepperdine and how his game style and preparation. 

Live from Athens! 

Got to catch up after a morning practice with Baylor's Zsombor Velcz. We discuss the win over Pepperdine and keys to getting a Quarterfinal win. 

The pod will be going to Athens for NCAA's, starting on Wednesday! 

I will be covering the whole event on Instagram and X!

The IG for the show is @beingtheathletepod

My personal X account is @jacklegwin

Hope to see everyone there! 

ATP No. 92 in doubles, Reese Stalder joins the show to discuss his professional tennis journey, how playing at TCU helped him progress as an athlete and what he's learned through the game of tennis. 

We also discuss his viewpoint on the collegiate game, talk about his experiences playing the Grand Slams, and his subscription based coaching website, RA Tennis Performance. 

Stalder is coming off a Challenger Tour win in Gwangju and is through to the quarterfinals of the Cagliari Challenger with partner Mac Kiger. 

Oklahoma's Edda Mamedova joins the show to discuss her impressive transition to college tennis and what she's learned along the way. We also discuss how difficult language barrier can be and how being uncomfortable helps you grow. 

Mamedova is currently ranked No. 34 in the country in singles in the most recent ITA rankings with a 13-5 record in the regular season and seven ranked wins, six of which are over players in the top 60. She is also ranked No. 17 in the country in doubles with partner Evialina Laskevich.

She has helped the Sooners to a 23...

Arizona's Alexander Rozin joins the show to discuss the Wildcats season, his progression as a player and growing up playing tennis in Canada. 

We also talk about how he developed his one handed backhand and how he best learned how to be creative with it. 

Rozin (13.58 UTR) is currently ranked No. 97 in the country with an 18-12 record in singles and a 19-12 record in doubles. He has helped the Wildcats to the No. 8 ranking in the country with a 21-4 record.

Wake Forest's Luca Pow joins the show to discuss his time in Winston Salem as a Demon Deacon as well as his experiences playing college tennis. 

We discuss work ethic, big moments in big matches and winning both the NCAA Title last year and the ACC Championship this past Sunday. 

Pow, ranked No. 26 in the country in the most recent ITA rankings, has a record of 75-10 in singles in dual matches in his career and a 18-3 record on the year with his last loss coming on Feburary 15th. He has helped the Deacs to...

Baylor's Devin Badenhorst joins the show to discuss his progression as a player in his time in college tennis as well as his growth as a person in the program. We also talk about the upcoming match against TCU and the impact the senior class has had on his growth as a player and person.

Badenhorst is currently ranked No. 7 in the country in the most recent ITA rankings with a 15-8 record and 11 wins over ranked opponents, five of which were against top 25 players.

Benjamin Kittay (ATP doubles #107) joins the show to discuss his rise through the doubles ranks and his journey through tennis. 

We talk his run to the finals at Delray Beach, how he trains, how college tennis helped to prepare him for the next step to the pros, and how he's risen from #1700 in the world to #107 in just nine months.

We also discuss the shot heard round the tennis world at the Miami Open. He also gives a small shoutout to Alex Gruskin's tennis skills, and creates a new segment that we have dubbed "Ask the...

Maryland's Oliwia Orlinska joins the show to discuss her experience playing college tennis in College Park. We discuss how she chose the University of Maryland as well as what she's learned in her two years in the program. 

Orlinska is currently 17-7 playing #1 for the Terrapins this year. She is ranked No. 87 in the most recent ITA rankings. She also helped the team to the #40 ranking in the country with a 12-4 record and recent win over #27 Wisconsin. 

Vanderbilt's Célia Belle Mohr and Bridget Stammel join the show to talk about their careers in Nashville playing for the Commmodores. We discuss how they've seen the sport change in their time playing college tennis and how what they've learned through all of their experiences. 

Mohr is currently ranked No. 24 in the country in singles playing #1 for the team with a 13-2 record and No. 5 in the country in doubles with a 22-6 record with partner Sophia Webster playing #1 doubles. The pair were runners up at the NCAA Individual Championships in the fall.

Stammel is...

Appalachian State's Savannah Dada-Mascoll joins the show to discuss her four year career in Boone for the Mountaineers. We discuss her preparation for the game of tennis and how her faith has helped her along her tennis journey. 

Dada-Mascoll is ranked #9 in the country in the most recent ITA rankings with a 27-3 record on the year and is 14-1 in the regular season.

Illinois' McKenna Schaefbauer joins the show to discuss her journey back to the state of Illinois. We discuss the life lessons she's learned through the game of tennis and her goals for the future. 

Schaefbauer is ranked #29 in the country in the most recent ITA rankings, and has a 19-7 record on the year. 

Kentucky's Julia Zhu joins the show to discuss her experiences playing tennis in Lexington. We talk about the transition from juniors to collegiate tennis, her experiences playing in the SEC and transitioning back and forth between different surfaces. 

Zhu is 17-11 on the year for the Wildcats playing No. 1 and No. 2 for the team. 

Chattanooga's Addison Iacono joins the show to discuss her freshman year for the Mocs. We discuss what she's learned from the experience of playing #1 in her first year in college and why she chose Chattanooga.

Iacono is 21-4 on the year, 9-1 in the regular season for the Mocs. The team is currently 13-2 (2-0 SoCon) on the year.

Arizona State's Emilija Tverijonaite joins the show to discuss her tennis journey in Tempe, as well as the transition to college tennis from Lithuania. We also discuss how the culture has changed for the Sun Devils over the past three seasons. 

Tverijonaite is currently ranked No. 22 in the country in the most recent ITA rankings. She is 24-6 on the full season and is 12-2 playing #1 for the team. The Sun Devils are currently 13-4 and are the No. 13th ranked team in the nation. 

DJ Bennett and Merna Refaat join the show to discuss their historic season for Auburn tennis, helping them to a 24-2 record and the highest ITA ranking in school history of #3 in the country (3/10). They are currently projected to be the #2 team in the country when the new rankings come out on Tuesday (3/24). 

Bennett is an NCAA Individual Finalist from the 2024-2025 season and currently holds the #43 ranking in the country, playing #1 for the team. 

Refaat is 12-2 on the year playing mainly 3-5 for the Tigers and is ranked #122 in the country with a UT...

SMU's Sophie Llewellyn joins the show to discuss her time at SMU, growing up in Florida and her goals for her continued tennis journey. 

She is currently ranked No. 61 in the most recent ITA rankings, and has helped SMU to a ranking of #32 in the country. 

Tennessee's Catherine Aulia joins the show to discuss her four years in Knoxville playing collegiate tennis. We also talk about her growth as a leader and what she does to overcome obstacles on the mental side of the game of tennis and much more. 

Aulia is currently ranked #91 in the country in the most recent ITA singles rankings and is ranked #24 in the country in doubles with partner Leyla Britez Risso, helping the team to the #18 ranking in the country with an 8-4 record. 

LSU's Ella McDonald joins the show to discuss her experience playing college tennis in Baton Rouge as well as playing Wimbledon as an athlete from the UK and her journey playing pro tournaments this past fall.  

McDonald is currently ranked #88 in the most recent ITA rankings in singles and #11 in doubles with teammate Kayla Cross. 

She is also ranked #473 in the world WTA in singles and #171 in the world WTA in doubles.

Furman's Elle Warren and Lillie Murphy join the show to talk about their experiences in Greenville as freshmen, qualifying for NCAA's and their goals for the team as the season progresses. 

They've helped one of the youngest teams in Division I tennis to an 8-4 record, and are 12-3 playing doubles together on the year. They also qualified for NCAA's, playing Duke's Liv Hovde and Shavit Kimchi in the first round.