Tennis Insider Club with Caro Garcia

Diego Schwartzman joins Caroline Garcia and Borja Durán for a deeply honest conversation about the real cost of a life in professional tennis.
From growing up in Argentina with limited resources, to fighting his way through Futures and Challengers, to facing Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on the biggest stages, Diego built one of the most respected careers in tennis through discipline, intelligence, resilience and heart.
But in this episode, Diego opens up about the side of tennis fans rarely see: the anxiety, the exhaustion, the constant travel, the pressure to keep going, and the moment he realized that even winning matches no longer felt good.
He shares why he decided to retire, what it felt like to write his retirement letter, why Djokovic was the hardest player he faced, what young players misunderstand about building a team, and why sometimes the bravest decision is knowing when to stop.
A raw, funny and emotional conversation with one of tennis’ most loved competitors.
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Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:45 How Diego started playing tennis
02:10 The financial reality of becoming a pro
04:20 Managing outside support and pressure
05:10 Moving from Argentina to Europe
06:30 Why Diego didn’t play the traditional junior route
07:30 Breaking through Futures and Challengers
09:10 Building belief as a smaller player
10:50 Did his height ever make him doubt himself?
12:05 The tactics that shaped Diego’s game
14:20 Winning without playing your best
16:30 The team that pushed Diego to the limit
17:10 Why Diego retired at 32
18:00 Caroline and Diego on losing the fire
19:45 Why athletes don’t have to play until 35
21:15 The first signs something was wrong
22:10 When winning no longer felt good
23:20 Anxiety, burnout and listening to his body
24:30 The psychologist who told Diego the truth
26:45 Sponsors, money and the pressure to continue
27:45 Announcing his retirement
30:00 Crying after writing his retirement letter
31:20 Did Diego have balance during his career?
32:15 How COVID affected tennis players
34:45 Playing the ATP Finals with no fans
36:35 Diego’s best memory from his career
37:35 Why Diego kept tennis simple
38:40 Why your team matters so much
40:05 The Argentinian mentality in tennis
41:05 Alcaraz, Ferrero and staying fresh
42:50 Diego’s advice: invest in your team
44:45 Facing Rafa, Novak and Roger
45:25 Why Djokovic was the hardest opponent
46:10 The chaos of tennis scheduling
47:40 Was Diego born in the wrong era?
48:50 Giving back to South American tennis
49:30 Could Diego become a coach?
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In this special episode of Tennis Insider Club, Caroline Garcia and Borja Duran sit down for an honest, personal conversation about life on tour, the reality behind professional tennis, performance, pressure, identity, and what fans don’t usually see from the outside.
No guest. No filter. Just a deeper look into Caroline’s world — from the emotions of competing at the highest level, to the lessons learned through wins, losses, injuries, expectations, and the constant search for balance in an individual sport.
Caroline opens up about the mental side of tennis, the sacrifices behind the ranking, the challenge of staying true to yourself, and what it really means to build a career — and a life — beyond results.
If you love tennis, high performance, mindset, athlete stories, or the human side of elite sport, this episode gives you rare access to one of the most thoughtful voices in the game.
This episode is brought to you by Fairmont Mayakoba, a luxury resort in the Riviera Maya where nature, wellness, sport, and world-class hospitality come together. Discover the perfect destination to rest, reconnect, and experience Mexico at its most beautiful.
Follow Tennis Insider Club for more unfiltered conversations with the biggest names in tennis.
Hosted by Caroline Garcia and Borja Duran.
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Former World No. 2 Paula Badosa opens up to Caroline Garcia about the grueling reality of chronic injuries and the hidden struggles of the pro tour. Paula reveals the physical toll of playing matches on painkillers, the mental exhaustion of dealing with social media trolls, and the exclusive one-hour phone call with her idol, Rafael Nadal, that helped her navigate her darkest moments.
🌟 SPONSOR: IM8 Health A special thanks to IM8 Health for sponsoring this episode! IM8 Daily Essentials is our non-negotiable on tour—delivering 99 clinically dosed ingredients for gut, energy, and joint support to help with longevity and performance. 💪 Get 10% off your first order (code TIC auto-applies at checkout): https://im8health.com/discount/TIC
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) The reality of chronic injuries and the Miami incident
(04:01) Changing her tennis identity to protect her body
(09:00) Escaping the lonely, intense energy of the Tour
(14:00) The toxic trap of linking self-worth to winning
(19:00) "Let's try one more time": Playing through the pain
(26:00) Fighting back against social media trolls
(37:00) The one-hour phone call with Rafael Nadal
(41:00) The biggest mistake young tennis players make
(49:00) Why she is chasing inner peace over happiness
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Tom Hill never planned to be a tennis coach. He finished college, put his rackets in the wardrobe, and was planning law school. Then a chance encounter at a bar in Santa Monica led to a hitting session with Maria Sharapova. Then a call from Danielle Collins — ranked 250 in the world at the time. Eight months later she was Top 30. Then came Maria Sakkari. And six years, a Top 3 ranking and countless close-misses later, Tom is one of the most respected coaches on the WTA tour.
In this episode, Tom joins Caroline Garcia and Borja for an unfiltered look inside professional tennis coaching:
How he accidentally became a tennis coach — via Sharapova, a bar in Santa Monica and a visa expiry
Going from 0 coaching experience to taking Danielle Collins from 250 to Top 30 in 8 months
The real story of coaching Maria Sakkari to World No.3 — and why they eventually parted ways
How to handle a player who's losing their confidence — what you say, and what you never say
The match point Maria had against Kvitova at Roland Garros — and how that one moment changed everything
Why he never sets ranking goals — and what he focuses on instead
The truth about travelling 45 weeks a year with a player and why he burned out
How to coach two players at once — and why it only works if roles are crystal clear
What coaches like Wim Fissette get right that most coaches get completely wrong
Why winning junior Grand Slams means absolutely nothing for your professional career

Timestamps:
03:30 The bar in Santa Monica — the conversation that changed everything
04:30 Hitting with Maria Sharapova at IMG Academy
07:00 How Danielle Collins found him — and why that hour changed his life
10:30 Falling in love with coaching — helping players become their best
12:00 Taking Collins from 250 to Top 30 in 8 months — with zero coaching experience
13:30 "Me and you against the world" — starting out with no reputation
15:00 The Instagram post that led to Maria Sakkari
16:00 Working under Thomas Johansson — still messaging him once a week
18:00 Imposter syndrome as the youngest coach on tour
19:00 The hardest part of being a coach — 45 weeks a year on the road
20:30 Never setting ranking goals — why he focuses on the process
22:00 How Maria went from 30 to No.3 — four years of consistent improvement
29:30 "The best skill a coach can have is becoming what the player needs"
31:00 Why great coaches with one player often fail with the next
32:30 Can you be friends with your players?
34:00 The coach-player disagreement — what the coach sees vs what the player feels
37:00 How to handle a player after a devastating loss
40:30 How to plan a schedule — training weeks vs tournament weeks
43:00 More hours on court vs smart hours — what actually works
45:30 Why they stopped working together — and why coming back was an easy yes
47:30 Bringing in consultant coaches — threat or opportunity?
49:00 Two coaches at once: why roles must be crystal clear
50:00 Yannick Sinner's team — why Simone and Darren work so well together
51:30 The hitting partner debate — when do top players need one?
53:30 Why men rarely travel with hitting partners
54:30 Managing a big team — physio, fitness coach, psychologist and more
55:30 Every person in the team has their specialty
57:00 "If you're happy off the court, you play well on the court"
59:00 Parents as coaches — when it works, when it doesn't
1:00:00 Caroline opens up about her dad as her coach
1:01:00 Why coaches can't have emotions — the hardest part of the job
1:03:00 Would he ever coach on the ATP tour?
1:04:00 His advice for young players: build the right style, not the best results
1:06:00 Why winning junior Grand Slams means nothing for your pro career

💊 THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IM8

IM8 Daily Essentials is the all-in-one supplement Caroline uses on tour — 99 clinically dosed ingredients covering gut health, energy, joint support and longevity in a single daily sachet. No stack needed.

🔗 Try IM8 and get 10% off your first order → im8health.com/discount/TIC (use code TIC at checkout)

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Gavin MacMillan spent years building athletes nobody expected to make it — boxers, hockey players, tennis pros. Then Aryna Sabalenka hired him, and the tennis world started paying attention.

In this episode, Gavin breaks down the serve transformation that took Sabalenka from 6 double faults in a single final to 6 double faults across an entire tournament. He explains why 99% of strength coaches in tennis are operating on the wrong principles — and why bigger, faster, stronger is the biggest lie in the sport.

He's now working with Coco Gauff. And he has thoughts.

🎾 WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE

→ Why conventional weight training is actively hurting tennis players
→ The Federer "toothpick" principle: how elasticity beats muscle
→ Sabalenka's serve rebuild — the real story, step by step
→ What Gavin is working on with Coco Gauff right now
→ Why you can't think your way through a serve under pressure
→ The coaching lie: "I played it, so I can teach it"
→ The broken ATP/WTA system — and why nobody's fixing it
→ Caro Garcia on what she'd change about her career if she started over
→ Why tennis is the single hardest sport in the world to succeed in professionally

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⏱ CHAPTERS

01:00 Gavin's background — 7 sports, hockey, losing his mom at 15
02:00 Narcissistic tennis parents & the crystal ball problem
03:30 Why tennis is the hardest sport in the world to succeed in professionally
06:00 Tennis vs the fight business — the only comparable mental challenge
07:30 Inside boxing: weight cuts, Cotto vs Canelo, and the A-side
10:30 Why conventional weight training is destroying tennis players
12:00 Force vs power — the Soviet training science nobody in tennis is using
13:00 Federer's toothpick body vs Nadal — the real difference explained
15:00 The door analogy — why bigger muscles increase injury risk
18:00 Why there's almost no science in tennis coaching
20:00 Gavin's live analysis of Caro Garcia's game
22:00 Caro's shoulder injury & the 22,000 serves per year problem
25:00 The insane tennis calendar — no other professional sport does this
28:00 Instagram fitness coaches on tour & the science nobody uses
29:00 Technical flaws in the modern game — you cannot hide them anymore
32:00 Federer's on-the-run forehand & why Sampras would dominate today
35:00 The skills gap — why top players still can't execute the basics
37:00 Gavin joins Coco Gauff's team — his exact role
39:00 How long does it really take to change technique on a pro player?
42:00 Coco's serve numbers — the before and after
44:00 The Sabalenka serve transformation — the full story
47:00 The reps math — why "5-minute serve fixes" are for functional morons
48:00 What Freddie Roach taught Gavin about great coaching
51:00 One thing in the corner — simplicity under extreme pressure
56:00 The 70% first serve rule that made Sabalenka unbeatable
1:00:00 Advice to young players: what actually builds a career
1:01:00 The 85% rule — why going 100% loses Grand Slams
1:07:00 Women's tennis marketing — why the tour is failing its own players
1:11:00 Identity, mental health & living and dying with every point
1:18:00 The camera on Sabalenka after a loss — the tour's exploitation problem
1:22:00 Federer's parents — what Gavin learned meeting them at the Australian Open
1:24:00 Coco Gauff at 21 — changing her serve the week before the US Open
1:29:00 Caro: "I would have had a better team" — what she'd change about her career
1:31:00 Every athlete falls to their level of preparation — not one rises above it
1:34:00 George St-Pierre, stars aligning, and the luck factor in elite sport
1:37:00 The unlicensed conditioning industry — and why it's getting players hurt
1:40:00 Injury prevention: the right evaluation every player should have but doesn't
1:42:00 The serve biomechanics breakdown — why Rafter's motion damaged him and Federer's didn't

🎾 TENNIS INSIDER CLUB

The inside story of professional tennis — hosted by Caroline Garcia (former World No. 4, 2022 WTA Finals Champion)
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