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What It's Really Like to be a Tennis Professional on Tour
Season 7 · Episode 14

What It's Really Like to be a Tennis Professional on Tour

Former pro, and three-time Grand Slam winner, Kevin Ullyett on the pressures and challenges of professional tennis

The Real Science of Sport Podcast · Mike Finch

July 7, 20251h 28m

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Show Notes

Kevin Ullyett has won 34 career tennis titles - including two doubles (2001 US Open, 2005 Australian Open) and one mixed (2002 Australian Open) Grand Slams - and had a world ranking of 107th in singles. So he knows what it's like to fight his way through the ranks and play among the best. In this interview with Ross and Mike, Ullyett explains what it takes to make it to the top tier of professional tennis, the daily and financial pressures of just breaking even, how players cope with loneliness and the ups and downs and how modern developments in string technology have changed the face of the game in the last 10 years. It's a fascinating insight into the realities of a career where unwavering determination is one of the most important qualities a player can have,


SHOW NOTES

Kevin Ullyett's Wikipedia page


Andre Agassi's mind games with Boris Becker


Another funny Agassi story about a young Rafael Nadal


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