Episode Description
Larry Stefanki has coached them all: John McEnroe, Marcelo Rios, Tim Henman, Fernando Gonzalez, and of course, Andy Roddick. Today, Larry joins Andy and Jon Wertheim to pull back the curtain on the world of elite coaching, why Carlos Alcaraz is the closest thing to Bjorn Borg, and some funny stories from coaching Andy.
From winning Indian Wells in 1985 as a wildcard to managing the biggest "psychos" in tennis history, Larry breaks down the mental discipline required to reach World No. 1.
Read here for more on Larry Stefanki: https://www.palmspringslife.com/history/the-wild-card-larry-stefankis-1985-la-quinta-win-that-launched-a-no-1-tennis-coaching-career/
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Theme music composed, produced, and mixed by Dan Whittemore. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwhit.wav/
⏰ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Introduction
1:34 Welcome to Served
8:26 Larry Stefanki joins the show
11:01 Coaching different personalities: From McEnroe to Roddick
13:21 Larry's career journey
19:33 Day 1 coaching Andy
22:23 Weight loss, wheatgrass, and the "Starch Ball" muffin story
27:32 Managing the employee-coach dynamic
31:34 Managing Marcelo Rios’ talent
34:31 Why Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz are unique
38:01 The underrated genius of McEnroe’s backhand
41:01 Novak Djokovic’s ball control vs. the power game
44:11 Larry’s critique of modern style of tennis
48:16 Knowing when a player is ready for critique
51:29 Remembering John Brodie
59:15 The 1985 Indian Wells run as a Wild Card
1:05:30 Chaos in the stands: A heart attack during the match
1:16:17 Would Larry ever return to coaching on tour?
1:18:38 Vetting job offers (Monfils, Murray, and Gauff)
1:22:27 Andy’s reflection on the 2009 Wimbledon run
1:24:01 Final thoughts and outro
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