Player Special: Beating Serena Williams, training with Carlos Alcaraz and Wimbledon runs

Player Special: Beating Serena Williams, training with Carlos Alcaraz and Wimbledon runs

In this third on-site episode from the Lexus Ilkley Open, Sam Jacot and Jerome Coombe sit down with a range of Top 150 players competing during the grass-court season, bringing together stories from behind the scenes of the tennis world as the road to Wimbledon continues. Featuring Darwin Blanch, Lulu Sun, Viktorija Golubic, Arthur Gea, Dane Sweeny, Harmony Tan and August Holmgren, the episode explores the journeys, experiences and moments that shape life on Tour. The guests reflect on memorable Wimbledon runs, breakthrough moments at Grand Slams and what it is like competing on some of the biggest stages in tennis. Along the way, they share stories involving some of the sport’s biggest names, including Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz, while also discussing career-defining matches, favourite practice partners and the unseen realities of life on Tour that fans rarely get to hear about. In the first Ilkley special, Sam and Jerome spoke to the people who help bring the tournament to life in Ilkley, including tournament director Rik Smith and broadcaster Abigail Johnson. In the second Ilkley special, they chatted with the British players ahead of Wimbledon. Both episodes are live in the feed. 🚨 Stay tuned for a special episode from Eastbourne on Wednesday 1 July, featuring Taylor Fritz. Subscribe now. 📲 🎙️ Our background episode & our special in-focus 20th episode are live in this feed if you’d like to learn more about who we are and why we created Tales from Tennis. Follow us on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talesfromtennis/ [https://www.instagram.com/talesfromtennis/] X: https://x.com/TalesFromTennis [https://x.com/TalesFromTennis] The podcast is independently produced and not affiliated with or endorsed by the ATP.

The road to Wimbledon: British players on Jack Draper, Stan Wawrinka and Challenger life

In this second on-site episode from the Lexus Ilkley Open, Sam Jacot and Jerome Coombe sit down with a range of British players competing during the grass-court season as the countdown to Wimbledon continues. Featuring conversations with Jack Pinnington Jones, Charlie Broom, Paul Jubb, Toby Samuel, Oliver Crawford and physio Sam Carter, the episode explores the realities of life at ATP Challenger level, the importance of the college tennis pathway and what it takes to build a career in professional tennis. The guests reflect on memorable Wimbledon experiences, breakthrough moments on the ATP Tour and the challenges of climbing the rankings. Along the way, they share stories involving some of the biggest names in the sport, including Stan Wawrinka, Jack Draper, Nick Kyrgios and Taylor Fritz, while also discussing their love of the grass-court season and the unique opportunities it presents. In the previous episode, Sam and Jerome spoke to the people who help bring the tournament to life in Ilkley, including tournament director Rik Smith and broadcaster Abigail Johnson. Part two of the Ilkley player special will go live on Wednesday 24 June, featuring interviews with Harmony Tan, Lulu Sun, Darwin Blanch and many more. 🎙️ Our background episode & our special in-focus 20th episode are live in this feed if you’d like to learn more about who we are and why we created Tales from Tennis. Follow us on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talesfromtennis/ [https://www.instagram.com/talesfromtennis/] X: https://x.com/TalesFromTennis [https://x.com/TalesFromTennis] The podcast is independently produced and not affiliated with or endorsed by the ATP.

Ilkley Special: What it takes to run a professional tennis tournament

In this special on-site episode of Tales from Tennis, Sam Jacot and Jerome Coombe head to the Lexus Ilkley Open to uncover what it really takes to run a professional tennis tournament. While fans see the matches, the atmosphere and the drama on court, there is a huge team working behind the scenes to make the event happen. Throughout the week, Sam and Jerome spoke to the people who help bring the tournament to life, including tournament director Rik Smith, broadcaster Abigail Johnson, British player Charlie Broom, the event's lead stringer, a groundsman responsible for maintaining the grass courts, hospitality staff and fans attending the tournament. Together, they provide a fascinating insight into the many moving parts that keep an ATP Challenger and WTA 125 event running smoothly, from preparing courts and stringing rackets to welcoming players, broadcasters and spectators through the gates. This episode offers a unique look at the unseen side of tennis and the people whose work often goes unnoticed but is essential to the success of every tournament. We also recorded a host of player interviews during our time in Ilkley, which will be released across the next two Wednesdays as the grass-court season builds towards Wimbledon. In the meantime, listeners can also find exclusive content from the event on our Instagram, including a fun Q&A with comedian Josh Berry, practice-court moments and quick-fire questions with ATP Next Gen star Darwin Blanch. There is plenty more from Ilkley still to come on Wednesday 17th & 24th June. 🎙️ Our background episode & our special in-focus 20th episode are live in this feed if you’d like to learn more about who we are and why we created Tales from Tennis. Follow us on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talesfromtennis/ [https://www.instagram.com/talesfromtennis/] X: https://x.com/TalesFromTennis [https://x.com/TalesFromTennis] The podcast is independently produced and not affiliated with or endorsed by the ATP.

Alex Hyman: Managing Andy Murray, playing Ben Shelton and working with Stan Wawrinka

In this episode, Sam Jacot and Jerome Coombe sit down with Alex Hyman to discuss his journey from competitive tennis player to working across some of the biggest events and stories in the sport. Hyman reflects on his early experiences in college tennis, including a memorable battle against Ben Shelton, before explaining how he broke into the tennis media industry and built a career spanning communications, content production, broadcasting and event operations. The conversation explores his work behind the scenes with players including Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, the unique challenges of managing media at Challenger events and what life is really like working across tournaments throughout the season. Hyman also shares stories from his experiences at UTS, discusses spotting rising French talent Moise Kouame before his breakthrough and explains the unsung work that goes into delivering professional tennis events. From Challenger Tour life and media operations to player relations and building his own company, Aliko Sports, this episode offers a fascinating look at the many roles that help keep professional tennis moving behind the scenes. 🎙️ Our background episode is live in this feed if you’d like to learn more about who we are and why we created Tales from Tennis. 🚨 Stay tuned for another special guest from the tennis world on Wednesday 10 June. Subscribe now. 📲 Follow us on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talesfromtennis/ [https://www.instagram.com/talesfromtennis/] X: https://x.com/TalesFromTennis [https://x.com/TalesFromTennis] View Alex's company Aliko Sports: https://www.alikosports.com/ [https://www.alikosports.com/] The podcast is independently produced and not affiliated with or endorsed by the ATP.

Sam Jacot & Jerome Coombe: How we got into tennis media and our story so far

In this 20th episode of Tales from Tennis, Sam Jacot and Jerome Coombe turn the microphones on themselves to share the stories behind the podcast and how they ended up covering tennis full time. The pair reflects on their journeys into tennis media, from first tournaments and nerve-filled early interviews to surreal moments alongside some of the biggest names in the sport, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Andy Murray. The conversation dives into the reality of life covering tennis behind the scenes, with chaotic travel days, fun interviews, quirky press conference moments and the unexpected experiences that come with working around the sport week after week. From funny tour stories to the journey to this point, this episode offers listeners a closer look at the people behind the microphones before the show returns to its regular format next week. 🚨 Stay tuned for another special guest from the tennis world on Wednesday 3 June. Subscribe now. 📲 Follow us on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talesfromtennis/ [https://www.instagram.com/talesfromtennis/] X: https://x.com/TalesFromTennis [https://x.com/TalesFromTennis] Watch highlights and analysis from across the tennis world at The Tennis Pass: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTennisPass [https://www.youtube.com/@TheTennisPass] The podcast is independently produced and not affiliated with or endorsed by the ATP.