In this episode, Brian and Josh interview Dominik Hrbatý. Dominik Hrbatý is a former professional tennis player from Slovakia. He reached the semifinals of the 1999 French Open, and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 12 in October of 2005. Hrbatý is one of only three players, alongside Nick Kyrgios and Lleyton Hewitt, to have beaten each member of the Big Three (Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal) the first time he played them. During his playing career, he had over 30 wins vs top 10 players. In this conversation, we discuss Dominik's upbringing in the sport, the key role his father played in his development, how he learned to play his style of tennis, and his thoughts on being a coach.

Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership
To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis you can email us at tennisiqpodcast@gmail.com. If you’re enjoying the show please rate us on your favorite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and write a review. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes.

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the benefits of slowing down. Slowing down begins as a perspective that then translates into action. The process and benefits of slowing down apply in the long-term (your career), as well as in a match, and between points. Players can also benefit from the idea that “slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership
To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis you can email us at tennisiqpodcast@gmail.com. If you’re enjoying the show please rate us on your favorite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and write a review. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes.

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss how tennis players can embrace pain, uncertainty, and hard work. The inspiration for this topic came from the chapter titled ‘“I LOVE PUH” (YOU?)’ on pages 600 and 601 from the book Areté by Brian Johnson. The co-hosts reviewed how tennis players can embrace the challenges of life and competitive sport including the necessary pain, uncertainty, and hard work that come along with the journey. They offered practical suggestions that tennis players can implement to embrace the challenges they encounter head-on, and learn to love these challenging aspects of life and tennis.

Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership
To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis you can email us at tennisiqpodcast@gmail.com. If you’re enjoying the show please rate us on your favorite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and write a review. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes.

In this episode, Brian and Josh talked with Bob Litwin about how to use storytelling and writing to improve your tennis and your life. Bob Litwin is an executive, sports and life performance coach and author of the best selling book, Live the Best Story of Your Life: A World Champion’s Guide to Lasting Change. He was the first non ATP tour, non Division 1 college tennis player inducted into the USTA Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame, and was a recipient of the Vitas Gerulaitis Community Service Award. His tennis career includes being an ITF World Champion, ITF #1 world ranked player, two-time ITF World Team Champion, two-time Maccabi Gold Medalist and 29-time USTA National Champion.

Bob's Book: Live the Best Story of Your Life: A World Champion’s Guide to Lasting Change

Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership
To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis you can email us at tennisiqpodcast@gmail.com. If you’re enjoying the show please rate us on your favorite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and write a review. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes.

In this episode, Brian and Josh respond to two questions from a listener. The first question was about how to handle playing against weaker opponents, and the second question was about how to play with a partner that is weaker than you. The co-hosts discuss each question in detail and provide some guidance on both of these common scenarios.

Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership
To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis you can email us at tennisiqpodcast@gmail.com. If you’re enjoying the show please rate us on your favorite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and write a review. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes.

Some losses are tougher to digest than others, and in this episode, Brian and Josh discuss how tennis players can handle tough losses in the best possible way. They start by defining different types of tough losses such as losses in big events, losses in close matches, losses when it feels personal, losses against weaker players, and losses when a player feels like they let their team down. Next, the co-hosts discuss how players generally don’t handle tough losses in the best way through making excuses, not wanting to address the loss or talk about it, and avoiding future competition. Lastly, they offer suggestions for what players can do to move on from tough losses including learning and making adjustments after the loss, viewing the loss as a “necessary experience,” and adopting the perspective of everything being practice for the future.

Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership

To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis you can email us at tennisiqpodcast@gmail.com. If you’re enjoying the show please rate us on your favorite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and write a review. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes.

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the 2024 US Open through the lens of sport psychology and mental skills. Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 to win the women's singles championship while Jannik Sinner defeated Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 to win the men's singles championship. The hosts talk about the various upsets of the tournament including the losses of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff. They also review the breakthroughs of Taylor Fritz, Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, and Jack Draper.

Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership
To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis you can email us attennisiqpodcast@gmail.com. If you’re enjoying the show please rate us on your favorite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and write a review. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes.

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the necessity of trust and commitment to a game plan by looking at the concept in three ways: 1) how players can develop their playing style and game plan long-term, 2) committing to a game plan going into a match, and 3) trusting the game plan and committing to it between points.

Tennis IQ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/tennisiqpodcast/membership

To learn more about Josh and Brian's backgrounds and sport psychology businesses, go to TiebreakerPsych.com and PerformanceXtra.com. If you have feedback about the show or questions on the mental game in tennis you can email us at tennisiqpodcast@gmail.com. If you’re enjoying the show please rate us on your favorite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and write a review. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) to stay up to date on future episodes.