The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast

Nicolas Lapentti reached the semis of the 1999 Australian Open and the quarters of Wimbledon in 2002. In 2000 he got to 6 in the world and over the course of his career he posted wins over world #1s Kafelnikov, Moya, Kuerten, Hewitt, and Ferrero. We discussed the machinations of the ATP, as well as his memories of Roger Federer. We talked about the exhibition he promoted with Rafa Nadal and Casper Ruud, and what his impressions are of Carlos Alcaraz. He explains why Alcaraz is better at 19 than Rafa was at 19. He told me about running to be on the ATP Tour Board, and how he believes the Faze 2 part of the Tour's plan to combine the WTA, ITF, and ATP. We talked about how he got very good, training at The Guayaquil Tenis Club and being named to The Davis Cup Team when he was 15. We talked about what it was like to be a top ten player,and he told me a great story of how he got to the quarters of Wimbledon. Recorded 11.4 in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Released 11.27The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by Sergio Tacchini Diadora is the official shoe of the podcast.

Elite player. Davis Cup Captain. Agent. Broadcaster. Businessman. The Ultimate Dealmaker. Hall of Famer Donald Dell's life in tennis has been remarkable. The architect of the ATP, the first player agent, he has the distinction of negotiating two of the most significant endorsement deals in history- The Stan Smith Shoe and The Air Jordan shoe, respectively. We discussed it all, from being a highly ranked junior, to a star at Yale, to a member of RFK's presidential election team, to a broadcaster, Donald and I talked about the prize money improvement at the ATP, the role of the ITF and the new Davis Cup, the origins of appearance fees, and what he thinks about the different agencies in the game. Recorded 11.18 released 11.27The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by Sergio TacchiniDiadora is the official tennis shoe of the show

Over the course of her incredible life in tennis, Lisa Raymond won 2 NCAA singles titles, led the University of Florida to their first team title, and then got to 15 in the world in singles, posting wins over Venus Williams, Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati, and Martina Hingis. She distinguished herself in doubles, reaching #1 in the world, won 6 majors, as well as another 7 in mixed, and won 79 titles. She is on the ballot for admission into The Tennis Hall of Fame, and is the coach of Allie Kiick. We had a tremendous chat and covered a lot of topics, as Lisa shared her perspectives on what it takes to be competitive on the WTA Tour, how she got to 15 in the world, why she stopped playing singles, why she likes a plan when it comes to poaching, and talked about some of her favorite moments on tour. Recorded 10.31 and released 11.4The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is powered by Sergio Tacchini. Diadora is the official shoe of the show.

Nicole Melichar-Martinez joined me last week on a moist day in San Diego, as she was getting ready to play the semifinal of the San Diego Open. Born in the Czech Republic and raised in Florida, Nicole and I discussed her life in tennis including her connection to Andrey Pavel, we talked about her and partner Ellen Perez's hot streak since the hard court season began, and her perspectives on the current state of the WTA. It was a tremendous chat. Recorded 10.11 Released 10.20 The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is powered by Sergio TacchiniThe official shoe of the podcast is Diadora

With the 2022 tennis season just about finished, Jon Wertheim joined me while on a road trip from Erie, Pennsylvania to Cleveland, Ohio, and we discussed the year in review. We discussed Emma Raducanu, Ons Jabeur, the health of the WTA, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, the retirement of Ash Barty, the emergence of Carlos Alcaraz. We discussed the legal issues facing Nick Kyrgios and Sascha Zverev, as well as the fact the Russians didn't play Wimbledon. We discussed MTOs and TUEs, and the rumors of the prevalence of Adderall usage on the tour. as well as the genesis of the SI Mailbag. Recorded 10.11 Released 10.18The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by Sergio Tacchini and the official shoe of the show is Diadora

Back by popular demand is the tennis shoe special featuring the great Dr Zach Thomas, the Tennis Shoe expert that forensically studies and dissects all the shoes. The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast is Powered by Sergio Tacchini. Diadora is the official shoe of the podcast Recorded October 3 released October 11