Beyond The Baseline: SI's Tennis Podcast with Jon Wertheim

Latest Episodes:

Rajeev Ram on ATP Tour life, doubles Oct 12, 2017

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On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with Rajeev Ram from the Shanghai Masters in China about his 2017 season, background and tennis career. Ram, 33, discusses why he decided to stop playing singles to focus on doubles; what it's like traveling the world as a tennis player; how he handles life on tour, including the ups and downs of the different environments and player treatment and at various events around the world; what a doubles team relationship is like, on and off the court; how much he pays attention to the singles matches and events; his education and when he is expecting to finish his master's degree and more.
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WTA Insider senior writer Courtney Nguyen on tennis in Asia Oct 05, 2017

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On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with WTA Insider senior writer Courtney Nguyen from the China Open in Beijing about the fall season in Asia and tennis' move into this market. The pair discusses globalization, what tennis is like in Asia, how it compares and contrasts to tennis tournaments in Europe and the United States, how players adapt and adjust to the culture and way of life in Asian countries, what the fall swing is like for players who represent Asian countries, Asia's influence on tennis and more.
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Laver Cup co-founder Tony Godsick, USTA chief executive Stacey Allaster Sep 28, 2017

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On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks tennis innovations with Roger Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, president and CEO of Team8 Global, and Stacey Allaster, chief executive of the USTA. Godsick talks about Laver Cup, its place in the tennis landscape, the origin story and how the event came to be, why Federer wanted to honor Rod Laver and more. In the second part of the podcast, Allaster discusses mid-match coaching and makes her defense as to why the innovation will help the game, why fan engagement is a top priority for the change and more.
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Billie Jean King, Emma Stone and the Battle of the Sexes Directors Sep 21, 2017

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On this week's episode, Wertheim talks all things Battle of the Sexes, the new movie out Sept. 22 that depicts the true story of the 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. First, Wertheim chats with BJK and Emma Stone, who portrays the 29-year-old King in the film. King and Stone discuss their dynamic, what went into Stone's research for her role and more. King also talks about the significance of the film, 44 years after the Battle of the Sexes match took place. In the second part of the podcast, Wertheim talks with husband-and-wife directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who talk about why they wanted to make this film, if they watched the match in 1973 and more.
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Dirk Nowitzki on tennis roots, charity event Sep 14, 2017

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On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with Dallas Mavericks big man Dirk Nowitzki, who will is a future NBA Hall of Famer but also a huge tennis fan who grew up playing the sport in Germany. The 39-year-old Nowitzki discusses what his offseason has been like this summer, how it compares to that of a professional tennis player; longevity in sports, particularly in terms of his own career and with players such as Roger Federer and Serena Williams; how he started playing tennis as a child and how often he plays today; what skills translate from basketball to tennis, and vice versa, what he thinks of Germany's Alexander Zverev and more. Also on the podcast, Nowitzki discusses his second annual Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic event, which will raise money for Texas hurricane relief this year.
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Paul Annacone from the 2017 U.S. Open Sep 07, 2017

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On this week's episode, Wertheim talks with Paul Annacone from the 2017 U.S. Open about Roger Federer's loss to Juan Martin del Potro on Wednesday night, including how he think's Federer will recover, what happened in the match, what were the missed opportunities against del Potro, why del Potro's forehand is the biggest weapon on the men's tour and more. Annacone and Wertheim also talk about the del Potro matchup against Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, Nadal's coaching situation, Sloane Stephens, and more.
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Checking in from Week One at the 2017 U.S. Open Sep 01, 2017

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On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim and SI.com tennis producer Jamie Lisanti check in from the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. After nearly a week of U.S. Open matches, Wertheim and Lisanti discuss the storylines of the tournament so far, including Maria Sharapova's return, the early-round struggles of men's favorites Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the wide-open men's draw after a slew of upsets in the first few rounds, the battle for the World No. 1, the sellout of U.S. Open tickets and grounds passes and more.
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20-year-old American Tommy Paul Aug 24, 2017

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On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with 20-year-old American rising star Tommy Paul, ahead of the 2017 U.S. Open, where he will be in the main draw as a wildcard. After turning in a strong summer of results and jumping up from No. 400 in the rankings to No. 159, Paul talks with Wertheim about what has clicked for him in the last few months, his expectations in New York, where he grew up, how he started playing tennis, his experience with Roger Federer at Indian Wells and more.
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Rod Laver on inaugural Laver Cup Aug 17, 2017

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On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with Rod Laver about the upcoming and inaugural Laver Cup, a Ryder Cup-style event which will be held two weeks after the U.S. Open in September in Prague. Wertheim talks with Laver about what it is like for him to attend majors, particularly Wimbledon, after playing at them years ago; about how Laver Cup came to be, including how Roger Federer approached him about it; and how he found out the new competition was going to be called Laver Cup, what his real relationship with Federer is like and more.
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International Tennis Hall of Fame CEO Todd Martin Aug 10, 2017

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On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with current CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame Todd Martin about what his day-to-day is like, what role he plays in choosing the Hall of Fame inductees, if there will be years in the future where the Hall of Fame does not induct any players, considering the stringent standards, details on the upcoming fan voting ballot and more.
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