We're back for Roland Garros 2026! Host Dan Kiernan is joined by our Grand Slam panellists, two of them live from Paris during qualifying week, to preview all the action we can expect from the clay courts over the next fortnight.

They discuss the Carlos Alcaraz injury situation and the wider player burnout debate, the future of US college tennis, and the prize money controversy making headlines at this year's tournament. Plus dark horses across both draws, key storylines to watch, and their winner predictions!

Meet our panellists:

1. Denmark's Davis Cup Captain and 2012 Wimbledon Doubles Champion, Freddie Nielsen - currently coaching August Holmgren, who is in the final round of qualifying as we record.
2. Performance analyst and coach Mike James making his panel debut! Mike works with Oracle Tennis and is currently coaching Linda Fruhvirtova, also in the final round of qualifying in Paris.
3. Sports broadcaster and former CNN anchor Candy Reid, Tennessee Vols alumna and one of the great voices of tennis.

Key talking points:

1. Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from both Roland Garros and Wimbledon with a wrist injury, and the panel debate whether rising ball speeds, heavier balls and relentless scheduling are pushing players beyond their physical limits.
2. US college tennis is at a crossroads, with the Arkansas programme cuts a sign of things to come as NIL money floods into football and basketball and squeezes tennis budgets at major universities.
3. The panel share their genuine dark horse picks across both draws, with some bold names put forward on the men's side in particular.
4. Top players are reportedly refusing all non-mandatory press at Roland Garros as a prize money protest, and the panel debate whether they are targeting the right thing.

Will Yannick Sinner march to a dominant Roland Garros title, or will the wide open draws on both sides deliver a first-time Grand Slam champion? The panel have their say and there are some bold calls in there.

Who do you think will be this year's Roland Garros champions? Tag @ctc.podcast on Instagram or Twitter or drop us an email to let us know who you're backing!

Links mentioned in this episode:

1. Listen to: August Holmgren: Wimbledon Sensation and Challenger Champion
2. Listen to: Candy Reid, From the Court to CNN
3. Listen to: Mike James - A Numbers Game
4. Listen to: Freddie Nielsen & Jonny Marray Part One: Pre Wimbledon 2012

Today´s episode is a tribute to one of sport's greatest minds Dr. Jim Loehr, who sadly passed away last month aged 83.

Dr. Loehr was one of the world’s leading performance psychologists and a true pioneer in mental fitness. Across a remarkable five-decade career, he worked with hundreds of elite athletes including Grand Slam champions Jim Courier, Monica Seles and Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario.

His work helped transform the way athletes viewed mental performance — not as a weakness, but as an essential part of achieving greatness.

We were incredibly fortunate to welcome Dr. Loehr onto the podcast in 2021, and his episode remains one of the most listened-to conversations on Control the Controllables.

In this special CTC Short, Dan reflects on Dr. Loehr’s impact on tennis and sport before revisiting a powerful clip from their original conversation.

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• Listen to Dr Jim Loehr´s episode in full
• Episode 120: Marcus Daniell
• High Impact Athletes
• SotoTennis Academy

What does it really take to coach at the very top of the game?

And how does a 32-year-old coach find himself leading the journey of one of the fastest-rising players in world tennis?

In this episode of Control the Controllables, we sit down with Maxime Tchoutakian, the coach of Vicky Mboko — a 19-year-old who has taken the tennis world by storm, breaking into the Top 10 in less than a year.

But Max’s story is just as compelling as the player he now coaches.

Ranked 530 in the world as a player, he took the US college route at Baylor University, rebuilt his career from scratch after COVID, and walked into the Mouratoglou Academy with no clear coaching plan, only to have one practice with Victoria Azarenka and receive a call from her agent 30 minutes later.

What he shares in this episode gives a rare, honest look at what it really means to operate inside the world's best tennis teams.

In this episode:

• What it was actually like telling a former World Number 1 how to improve her game at age 26.
• The moment Azarenka asked him to become her full-time coach and how scary that felt.
• Why adaptation is the single most important skill to survive life on the WTA tour.
• His honest take on whether coaches are paid well enough for what they sacrifice.
• What makes Victoria Mboko so special and why Max believes she will win multiple Grand Slams.
• The brutal truth about French tennis: why talented kids keep falling short when it matters most.
• His biggest coaching regret and why he wishes he'd trusted himself sooner.

CONNECT WITH CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLES

• Website: https://www.controlthecontrollables.co.uk/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ctc.podcast/
• Email us: ctc.podcast@sototennis.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Train Smarter Anywhere: Strength & Conditioning for Tennis Players On the Go 🎾

For players who don’t always have access to in-person coaching, progress doesn’t have to stop. TennisAthlete is an online Strength & Conditioning platform, designed specifically for tennis players who want structured, affordable and flexible training. Wherever they are in the world. TennisAthlete helps you stay consistent, improve performance, and train with purpose. Train smarter. Anywhere.

TennisAthlete