Behind the Racquet Pod

Michael Kosta

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mike (Cation) here. I've known Michael Kosta since I started working in tennis, right out of college, when Craig Tiley asked me to be the public addre...

Behind the Racquet with Federico Gomez

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This podcast drops as Federico Gomez is just about an hour away from his first Australian Open appearance, taking on Joao Fonseca in the first round o...

Behind the Racquet with Johannus Monday

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Johannus Monday enters 2025 at 371 in the world, but as we know on the BTR Pod, the ranking very rarely tells the full story.The 6'6" lefty has evolve...

Behind the Racquet with Gabriel Diallo

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Canadian Davis Cup Champion Gabriel Diallo joins Mike on the pod this week. The 23 year old provided another big jump in the rankings in 2024, moving ...

Behind the Racquet with Nate Lammons

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nate Lammons is one of my favorite people to run in to at every tournament. He's down to earth, not impressed by pretense, and just a good human to be...

Behind the Racquet with Learner Tien

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Learner Tien is 18 years old, has a record of 53-9 this year, which now includes a total of 7 titles, including his third challenger title on Sunday i...

Behind the Racquet with Ethan Quinn

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ethan Quinn is 20 years old, ranked 246 in the world, out of Fresno, California. He won the NCAA Singles title at Georgia in 2023.On the eve of US Ope...

Behind the Racquet with Nishesh Basavareddy

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week's guest is Nishesh Basavareddy, a 19 year old from Carmel, Indiana, currently ranked (as of July 29, 2024) 296 in the world. He's reached tw...

Behind the Racquet with Cooper Williams

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Cooper Williams is an 18 year old originally from New York City. He's currently ranked 1250 on the ATP Tour, but this summer he will no doubt see a ma...

Behind the Racquet with Marcus Willis

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus Willis is a 33 year old from Slough, Great Britain, ranked 116 in the world. He is a 5 time (at this moment) Challenger doubles champion.Once, ...

Behind the Racquet with Tristan Boyer

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

First, unfortunately, Mike's mic shut down in recording, so as the least important person on the pod (Noah and Tristan agree on this)..his voice will ...

New Balance Winner's Circle with Thanasi Kokkinakis

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thanasi Kokkinakis sat down with Mike after winning the Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open, his 6th Challenger Title. We talk about his return to the top 1...

Behind the Racquet with ATP Player Council Member Miguel Angel Reyes Varela

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Miguel is now 36 years of age, and remains very much in the discussions at the slams as a top 75 doubles player. The former Texas Longhorn talks about...

Behind the Racquet with Jill Craybas

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jill Craybas had an incredible playing career, as a top 40 player in both singles in doubles, a WTA singles title, 5 doubles titles. She's most well k...

Behind the Racquet with Eliot Spizzirri

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

First, apologies for some of Mike's audio issues in this one. Unfortunately, the wifi in his hotel this past weekend caused a few issues so we're goin...

Behind the Racquet with Aleks Kovacevic

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Aleks Kovacevic sat down with Mike before the Dallas Open to discuss finally hitting top 100 after his run through qualies and in to the 2nd round of ...

Behind the Racquet with Robert Galloway

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

31-year-old Robert Galloway is a top 50 doubles player from South Carolina. His path took him a different route than most. He was at the peak in the 1...

Behind the Racquet with Karue Sell

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Karue Sell is a force to be reckoned with. After a successful junior career, and collegiate career, he took a year off, got to about 350 in the world ...

Chats with the Champ: Zachary Svajda, Tiburon and Fairfield, 2023

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Zach moves to ~139 in the rankings with a 10 match winning streak. This is a nice addendum to our full podcast, which is the previous one in your fee...

Behind the Racquet with Zachary Svajda

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Zachary Svajda is 20 years old from Southern California, currently ranked 170 in the world. This fall, he won the Cary Challenger, and this past Sunda...

Behind the Racquet with Brian Koppelman

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Koppelman is a DEVOTED tennis fan, but you'll know him best for his involvement as Executive Producer and Showrunner for the Showtime series Bil...

Behind the Racquet with Bryan Shelton

03 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bryan Shelton is best known at this moment as Ben Shelton's Coach and Father. We chat about Ben's progress, where he can go, how far he's come, and ho...

Behind the Racquet with Wimbledon Quarterfinalist (!!!) Christopher Eubanks

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 27 year old Atlanta resident woke up from a well deserved nap to join us on Wednesday night, and go through how his life has changed in the span o...

Chats with the Champ: Alex Michelsen, Chicago 2023

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 18-year-old defeated Yuta Shimizu on Sunday in Chicago to win his first Challenger title, and moved inside the top 200 for the first time.Along th...

Break Point Part 2, and Behind the Racquet with Alex Bolt

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Noah spent the last several days fully analyzing the latest "part" of Break Point. He breaks it down for us, strengths and weaknesses, and we list who...

French Open Recap, Blair Henley begins her Commentary takeover, and Alex Lawson knows flags

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alright, LOTS to get to.Mike and Noah discuss the big topics post RG, including Novak, Iga, Sabalenka's fake indignation, Miyu Kato, new #1 Austin Kra...

Winner's Circle with Nicolas Moreno De Alboran

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nicolas Moreno De Alboran defeated Mikhail Kukushkin in 3 grueling sets on Sunday in Tyler, Texas to win his second career Challenger title. Before h...

Winner's Circle with Mark Lajal

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mike sat down with Mark Lajal after he won his first Challenger title at the UAMS Health Little Rock Open. The 20 year old became just the second Est...

Behind the Racquet with Alex Michelsen

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

18 year old Alex Michelsen (pronounced like the golfer) joins Mike on the eve of the Little Rock Challenger, where he'll attempt to have a decent week...

The (nearing) Retirement Episode, with Bradley Klahn and Bjorn Fratangelo

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With Rafael Nadal announcing he would miss Roland Garros, and (likely) shut it down at the end of 2024, Noah and Mike are joined by Bjorn Fratangelo a...

Expansion by Subtraction

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lots to catch up on for the boys this week. We start by answering Noah's question on whether the Alcaraz upset Monday shows that we haven't been respe...

Patrick Kypson wins the USTA Wild Card for Roland Garros

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick Kypson reached his second Challenger semifinal in 4 weeks in Savannah, and in doing so, he earned the USTA's reciprocal wild card to the Frenc...

Zizou Bergs Wins The Tallahassee Challenger

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Zizou Bergs is a 23 year old from Belgium who won the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger on Sunday in straight sets over Tung-Lin Wu. During the event, he ...

Behind the Racquet with Christopher Eubanks

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 26-year-old from Atlanta sits down with the boys post Miami to talk about the process of getting to the top 100 for the first time in his career a...

Behind the Racquet of Gender Finances with Jamie Loeb

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jamie Loeb rejoins the show to gives us the full details of what financial inequalities look like at the lower levels of tennis, after Denis Shapovalo...

Behind the Racquet with Grant Chen

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Grant Chen is now the Head Coach for the men's tennis team at SMU. He came to Dallas after a legendary run from the team manager for UCLA, all the way...

Behind the Racquet with Mackenzie McDonald

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mackenzie "Mackie" McDonald is 27 years old from Northern California, ranked 53 in the world as of March 6th. He was the NCAA singles and doubles cham...

Behind the Racquet with Alexis Galarneau

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mike here- This pod got DRASTICALLY delayed (totally on me), but this pod was recorded in Melbourne immediately following qualifying, as Alexis was he...

Why American men are making a push; AO TV miscues, Break Point, and a terrible record on Domestic Abuse

07 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hey all- In between interviews with Ernesto Escobedo, and Alexis Galarneau, the boys reconvened to chop up the American men at the AO, why the TV cove...

Behind the Racquet with Ernesto Escobedo: Why he's now playing for Mexico

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have to preface all of this by noting that this was recorded the day after Neto qualified in Australia. As a result, it's important to note that it do...

Re-Release: Ben Shelton following his third title in Champaign

17 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Top 100 star Ben Shelton gave his thoughts on his whirlwind year, his three straight titles to end the year, his offseason, his girlfriend Anna, and M...

2022 Recap Pt 1: Davis Cup Kerfuffle, Misogyny, and an emotional end to the year

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Quite an end to the year, although did the year ever really "end" A slew of exhibitions, Davis Cup distractions for the US, and really questionable (a...

Ben Shelton on his first Challenger title in Charlottesville

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike here. I sat down with Ben immediately following his victory in straights over Christopher Eubanks to talk about playing against his close friend,...

Behind the Racquet with Sam Riffice

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The always mature Sam Riffice joins Mike during his run to the semifinals in Fairfield, California. They talked about his childhood in Sacramento, his...

Noah Reveals His New Path- Pickleball

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Well, it was quite a revelation last week when Noah Rubin announced he'd start playing pickleball. He finally sits down with Mike to discuss the whys,...

Michael Mmoh on his Seventh Challenger Title

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's a seventh Challenger title for Michael Mmoh in Fairfield, California. Immediately after taking home the title, he sat down with Mike to talk abou...

Zachary Svajda Wins his First Challenger Title

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Zachary Svajda won the Tiburon Challenger with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Ben Shelton on Sunday. The 19-year-old grabbed his first Challenger title ...

Fed, Foe, and Finally some Challenger Changes

27 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We talk over Fed's retirement at the Laver Cup, the absolutely inexcusable abuse thrown toward Frances Tiafoe after he beat Fed in his final match. An...

Noah Rubin steps away. And so did some other guy.

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Well now that the announcement is out there, Noah talks us through why he's stepping away from tennis, and what he'll miss most.We also talk about Fed...

US Open Recap; Where will the rivalries come from, and Mike's take on three straight five setters with Carlos

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded immediately preceding Carlos Alcaraz's victory in the men's singles final, Noah visits Mike in Queens to wrap up the Open.We talk rivalriesTh...

Serena Says Goodbye, and Make Mike Best Man 2024

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We start with Noah's engagement, as our lil boy is all done growed up.But the real story is Serena Williams' retirement announcement. We discuss that,...

Behind the Racquet with Enzo Couacaud with Guest Host Christopher Eubanks

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Guest Host Christopher Eubanks guides us through the career of French tennis star Enzo Couacaud, and take you Behind the Racquet to tell you his story...

Yibing Wu on winning three straight titles on the USTA Pro Circuit

24 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the more remarkable runs I've witnessed on the USTA Pro Circuit over the last 9 years. Yibing Wu lost 2 sets in 15 straight wins. He's moved fr...

Behind the Racquet with Andrew Harris

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The body has not been kind to Andrew Harris over the years. Back issues have limited his ability to play a full schedule since an incredible junior an...

What's it like to face Nick Kyrgios

04 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tsitsipas and Kyrgios' Saturday clash once again highlighted how players all have different interpretations of what's OK on court. Mike and Noah go th...

Look who's back. It's Noah! Wimby, dumbing down of surfaces, and the US summer swing

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Noah rejoins us after his three month sojourn to introspection.We go through the Wimbledon controversies, how the surfaces now all feel alike, and tal...

Behind the Racquet with Blair Henley

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We go Behind the Racquet this week with presenter, commentator, personality, and fantastic human being Blair Henley to talk about the challenges of be...

Behind the Racquet with Ben Shelton and Special Guest Host Christopher Eubanks

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Really enjoyable chat with the rising junior at the University of Florida, Ben Shelton. We talk about how he's planning his summer, what he's learned ...

Behind the Racquet with JJ Wolf

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A Noah-less episode this week, as Mike talks with former Ohio State star JJ Wolf from Little Rock, Arkansas, site of this week's Baptist Health Little...

Behind the Racquet with Somdev Devvarman

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Somdev Devvarman was an All-American and NCAA Champion at Virginia, and reached as high as 62 in the world during his professional career. He's now re...

Jack Sock on his Savannah Title

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A quick 7 minute interview with Jack Sock after he won the Savannah Challenger on Sunday, before our full episode with Somdev Devvarman, which will be...

Iga, Carlito, and Mike meets a Hero

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Noah and Mike catch up on the misbehavior of some of Noah's contemporaries, and discuss Iga and Carlos' victories in Miami, along with some stories fr...

We've got a LOT to catch up on, don't we?

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Noah and Mike reconvene after a month apart. We discuss:Mike's first time as an on court reporter, in AcapulcoKristie Ahn's retirement, and the potent...

Behind the Racquet with Filip Peliwo

02 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A quick recap from Noah on his last several weeks on the road before we talk with the now 28-year-old from Vancouver, who had a dominant junior career...

YOU GET DEPORTED and YOU GET DEPORTED and...

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Noah joins us from Chile, after winning his first round match this morning, and boy let me tell you, he's got some stories. While Novak's deportation ...

Emergency Pod on Novak Decision: Not Great, Bob

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike and Noah take on the Novak crisis (as of Monday Jan 10 in the morning), and decry the fact that this continues to make tennis look bad. And what ...

Ben Rothenberg on Australia, Peng Shuai, and the changing world of journalism

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Rothenberg is one of the most well informed, and polarizing figures in the tennis twittersphere. He's a fantastic writer, working for outlets such...

Challenger University? Get Me a Job.

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

First, yeah, Mike has covid. (I'm fine, I promise). So, this week's plans for multiple pods got completely shot in the foot.But, Noah was a trooper an...

Stefan Kozlov wins the Australian Open Wild Card

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, hear Mike's interview with Stefan Kozlov, who won the USTA's reciprocal wild card to the Australian Open by virtue of a final, title, and t...

Behind the Racquet with Aleks Vukic

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Quiet, business like, and driven are great ways to describe Aleksandar Vukic. As opposed to a lot of the pros, who have had an amazing junior pedigree...

Vasek Pospisil on the state of the PTPA and how it impacts Challengers and Futures

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One of the co-founders of the PTPA, Vasek Pospisil, joins Mike and Noah from Charlottesville, where he's the top seed at the Charlottesville Men's Pro...

Quick Update on Noah's ankle (yes, again); and Mike's Indian Wells trip. Big guests upcoming...

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Catching up with Noah here after a few weeks off, as the final stretch awaits. Back with new guests and shows next week. Learn more about your ad ch...

Mary Carillo on the Zverev Allegations and Tennis Journalism

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We dive in deep to the legendary commentator's decision to resign from her commentary duties with the Laver Cup this past weekend. You'll hear her exp...

Behind the Racquet with Francesca Di Lorenzo

22 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ohio State? The transition to the pro tour? Fishing? Insulting Noah Rubin? You name it, this pod has it. We talked with the 24-year-old about her stan...

Behind the Racquet with Jamie Loeb

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jamie Loeb takes the court on Grandstand this afternoon against Iga Swiatek after a gritty, and hard earned qualifying run last week. It's her first m...

Behind the Racquet with Paolo Lorenzi

30 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mike here: There are few people that I respect more than Paolo Lorenzi. When I heard that he had made his decision to retire last week here in New Yor...

"Lucky" Loser

25 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Yeah, you heard about it. Noah Rubin decided yeah, sure, I'll play Andy Murray on Sunday after losing a heartbreaker 20 minutes earlier in Winston-Sal...

Behind the Racquet with Taylor Townsend

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor Townsend's life has been a bit different of late, shifting to a new role as Mom, and also just recently returning to the tennis court! She and ...

Catching up in Cary with Krueger

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The boys have a quick chat about Noah's return to competitive tennis, and why it's so important to him again after a difficult stretch.Mike takes a lo...

Behind the Racquet with Petros Chrysochos

19 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Petros Chrysochos is 25 years old, from Cyprus, and is currently ranked 359 in the world on the ATP Tour. But his story is fascinating. A junior top 2...

Update time: Noah talks PTPA, Novak vs the world, and....Sewer Cat

12 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's been nearly 3 months since Noah and Mike have caught up and discussed issues of the day, so what better time!Here's a little timeline for you, an...

Behind the Racquet with Goncalo Oliveira

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Noah will be back this week, after we air this episode I recorded in Orlando a few weeks ago!Goncalo Oliveira will take us on a ride through a fascina...

Behind the Racquet with J.C. Aragone

21 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What a treat to have J.C. stop by my house while he was in Tulsa for a Futures this week. Noah joins us by phone from Minnesota.With J.C., we go throu...

Behind the Racquet with Ulises Blanch

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Of note, no Noah this week, as he was both traveling, AND he had Islanders rinkside seats while I knocked out this pod, as well as one with Goncalo Ol...

Behind the Racquet with Jason Jung

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

NOTE: PLEASE EXCUSE THE DOUBLE AUDIO FOR THE FIRST MINUTE OF THE INTERVIEW. I got it sorted out after about a minute or so. -MikeThe ankle injury cont...

Behind the Racquet with Ellen Perez

24 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's a big week with Roland Garros qualifying underway in Paris, so we were thrilled to have a few minutes on Sunday to chat with Ellen Perez. Ellen w...

Behind the Racquet with Jenson Brooksby

03 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a pretty damned decent 2021 already for Jenson Brooksby, He's now won three Challenger titles, including both Orlando in Tallahassee in Apri...

Welcome Back Cation

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mike got back out on the road, so he shares his thoughts on the Challengers in Orlando and Tallahassee.Then, we get in to your questions, including Ja...

Behind the Racquet with Denis Kudla

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded Friday night, Orlando Finalist Denis Kudla joins us to discuss how marriage has changed his life both on and off the court, and given him new...

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Podcast

07 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Both guys are now on the mend, after Mike gives you the details on his recent medical trauma.Hoooobi is the champion in Miami. What does it mean for w...

Exploring the complexities of being an Asian-American on Tour with Thai-Son Kwiatkowski

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After Jeremy Lin's comments recently about being an Asian-American in the NBA, we wanted to explore the same topic in the tennis world, and we brought...

Yea?

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After food poisoning wrekt Noah for a week, the boys get back together to mark one year in to the pandemic and still survival mode in terms of the str...

Tara Moore and ITF Inequality

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic has been difficult for the entire tennis community, and has been well documented. But when @annak4ever posted a graphic this week about t...

Noah's Quarter Life Crisis

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's Noah's 25th birthday, so the boys get together to celebrate, recap the AO, and recap the last several weeks on multiple different levels.-Novak's...

Behind the Racquet with National Champion Will Blumberg

15 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks so much for the support of the Behind the Racquet Podcast. You can help by visiting patreon.com/behindtheracquetpod.This week's guest is 23 yea...

Behind the Racquet with Luke Saville

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Luke Saville and his partner Max Purcell won seven Challenger doubles titles in 2019, and moved up around 30 spots in the ATP rankings. But they recei...

Behind the Racquet with Stefan Kozlov

19 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Noah Rubin and Stefan Kozlov met in the Wimbledon 2014 final, it was thought to be one of the many steps in the progression for Stefan Kozlov, at...

New Year; Same Mohawk

05 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A quick note from your editor, Mike: There was a major issue with Noah's recorder in Delray halfway through, along with another issue which you'll hea...

Rejoining Reilly

28 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Young American Reilly Opelka spoke with Mike during a trip to NorCal back in 2018. A heck of a lot has changed since then. He'd just started his foray...

Where in the World is Jared Donaldson?

14 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jared Donaldson is just 24 years old, but has been out of action for essentially two years, since originally hurting his knee in the summer of 2018. I...