Fifteen months ago Toby Samuel was ranked 1,870 in the world, injured, out of college, and unable to get into the qualifying draw of a 15K.

This month he broke into the ATP top 100, made his Davis Cup debut at the Copper Box and won the first rubber for Great Britain to help them qualify for the Davis Cup Finals.

In 2025, Toby won 62 matches and climbed further up the rankings than any other male player in the world. He did it without fanfare, without headlines and by his own admission, still staying in the bedrooms at the National Tennis Centre.

This is a conversation about the mental side of the game more than anything else, and Toby's answer on competing is one of the best things we've had on this podcast. If you have a junior in your house, play them that bit twice!

In this episode:

• The Davis Cup call-up he wasn't expecting, and the most nervous he has ever been before a match.
• Losing the first set and finding a way back, and why that is now a pattern rather than a panic.
• "Everything is a choice." Toby on how he transformed the mental side of his game.
• What he says to his coaches before every single match, and why it has nothing to do with how he is hitting the ball.
• Why he has always preferred being the favourite, and what that has cost him against the top guys.
• Going from 1,870 in the world to the top 100 in fifteen months
• The bone bruising injury that wiped out his ranking, and the ATP Accelerator wildcard that turned it around
• Choosing South Carolina over Florida State, the decision that changed his career.
• What NIL money has done to college tennis, and why he thinks it needs a limit
• How he actually uses data, and the six-monthly meeting that shapes his development
• His honest view on the proposed ATP doubles changes
• The Quickfire Round

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

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Two Retirements. Two Incredible Careers.

This week on Control the Controllables, we're marking the retirement of Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, two of the finest doubles players of their generation and two of the most generous guests we´ve had on the show.

Between them: 6 major titles each. 4 men's doubles crowns together, including the Australian Open in 2020 and that remarkable US Open three-peat in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Joe became only the second British man ever to reach World Number 1, holding the position for 23 weeks. Rajeev picked up two Olympic silver medals, 32 ATP titles, 9 Masters titles.

Then this year, with barely any matches between them, they made the US Open semi-finals from nowhere. Form is temporary. Class is permanent.

We've gone back into the archives to pull out the moments from their episodes that we think every player, coach and parent should hear.

In this episode:

• Joe on the gap between belief and confidence, and why the two are not the same thing
• Rajeev on walking away from singles at 56 in the world to become a doubles specialist
• Following your heart when the decision is genuinely difficult, from college to retirement
• Why 11 partners in one year is the hardest way to build a career
• What Rajeev saw in Joe before anyone else did
• Joe on what he wants his legacy in British tennis to be
• Dan's challenge to British tennis: what happens when the Louis Cayer era ends?
• The Rajeev Ram Instagram post that everyone in this sport should read

Listen to Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury´s full episodes on CTC:

• Rajeev Ram - Multiple Grand Slam Champion
• Joe Salisbury - Double US Open Champion!

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• Follow CTC on Instagram
• Tennis Athlete - Online Strength & Conditioning for Performance Players
• SotoTennis Academy

Follow the Podcast Here: https://www.instagram.com/ctc.podcast/

Follow Tennis Athlete Here: https://www.instagram.com/tennisathlete_sta/

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Email us: info@sototennis.com

US Open 2026 preview. Dan is joined by Freddie Nielsen, Denmark Davis Cup Captain and 2012 Wimbledon doubles champion, Candy Reid live in New Yorks, and first-time guest Johnny Delgado, coach and podcaster.

In this episode:

• Are both the men’s and women’s draw wide open?
• Qinwen Zheng, Paris Olympic champion, coming through qualifying despite elbow surgery
• Stan Wawrinka getting a wildcard at the last minute and why the panel loves it
• Alcaraz, will he even make it to the court on day one and how far can he realistically go
• Men's and women's dark horse picks and winner predictions
• The Djokovic debate: can he recover match after match at nearly 40 and go deep in a slam?
• Debate around the future of doubles tennis

TennisAthlete provides age-appropriate, research-backed strength and conditioning programmes from proven S&C coaches. The platform Dan recommends for physical development. Visit sototennis.com/tennisathlete

Brought to you by Novellus: https://novellusfinance.com/uk/

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Email us: info@sototennis.com

You've drilled the technique. You've done the fitness. And still, in the match or the tiebreak, when you have chances to close out, something else takes over. That's not a skill you're missing. It's something that's never actually been measured, until now.

Click the link here for a FREE diagnostic: https://clutchquotient2026.scoreapp.com/

Ingrid Neel

Ingrid Neel was one of the most decorated US juniors of her generation, winning every Little Mo age group, a 10-and-under world championship in France, and the deciding match in the NCAA finals. Then came a slipped disc in Tokyo, wrist surgery, two and a half years away from the sport, and a ranking that dropped to zero.

A year on, she made the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, which was her best-ever Grand Slam result. On the court she loves most.

This episode is one of the most honest and warm conversations we've had on Control the Controllables. Ingrid speaks about injury, identity, friendship, family and what it really means to keep going when you've lost your relevance, your ranking and your answer to the question of who you are without the sport.

In this episode:

• Wimbledon quarterfinalist, reflecting on her best ever Grand Slam result a year after wrist surgery
• Being present at Wimbledon and the US Open while injured and not competing, and why it helped
• How she genuinely celebrated others' success while struggling herself
• Can you have true, real friendships in an individual sport and still be the ultimate competitor?
• The back injury that nearly ended her season in Tokyo, and how she won the tournament anyway
• The wrist surgery that made her question whether she'd ever play again
• Growing up in Minnesota, the Bollettieri Academy and Nick giving her open access
• Being a prodigy, winning every Little Mo age group and a 10-and-under world title in France
• Did the values her parents instilled help her, or hold her back?
• Self-worth, identity and who you are when the ranking says inactive
• Choosing to represent Estonia and the story of the grandmother she is named after
• The Quickfire Round

TennisAthlete provides age-appropriate, research-backed strength and conditioning programmes from proven S&C coaches. The platform Dan recommends for physical development. Visit sototennis.com/tennisathlete

Reaction to the 2026 US Open Mixed Doubles event. Was it a success?

About Control the Controllables US Open Live

Dan Kiernan and a different special guest across the US Open fortnight, bringing you analysis from inside the grounds. Live on the CTC YouTube channel. Episodes drop as podcasts the next morning wherever you get your podcasts.

Brought to you by Novellus: https://novellusfinance.com/uk/

TennisAthlete delivers age-appropriate, research-backed strength and conditioning programmes from proven S&C coaches. The platform Dan recommends for physical development. Visit https://linktr.ee/tennisathlete

Send your questions via Instagram @ctc.podcast or email info@sototennis.com.

Follow the Podcast Here: https://www.instagram.com/ctc.podcast/

Follow Tennis Athlete Here: https://www.instagram.com/tennisathlete_sta/

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Day 1 of the Control the Controllables US Open Live series, recorded in New York City. Brought to you by Novellus.

Live across the US Open fortnight with tennis icons, coaches, players and special guests joining Dan from inside the grounds at Flushing Meadows.

In this episode:

• Will Boucek joins Dan live from New York
• The US Open Mixed Doubles new format - what changed, why, and whether it belongs at a Grand Slam
• 1st round picks and predictions across the full Mixed Doubles draw
• Doubles specialists vs singles stars and what it means for the sport
• Roger Federer on site at Flushing Meadows
• Dan's open coaching offer to Riley Opelka

About Control the Controllables US Open Live

Dan Kiernan and a different special guest across the US Open fortnight, bringing you analysis from inside the grounds. Live on the CTC YouTube channel. Episodes drop as podcasts the next morning wherever you get your podcasts.

Send your questions via Instagram @ctc.podcast or email info@sototennis.com.

Brought to you by Novellus: https://novellusfinance.com/uk/

TennisAthlete delivers age-appropriate, research-backed strength and conditioning programmes from proven S&C coaches. The platform Dan recommends for physical development. Visit sototennis.com/tennisathlete .

Follow the Podcast Here: https://www.instagram.com/ctc.podcast/

Follow Tennis Athlete Here: https://www.instagram.com/tennisathlete_sta/

Follow SotoTennis Academy Here: https://www.instagram.com/sototennis/?hl=en

Email us: info@sototennis.com

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. GB Coach Calvin Betton who is currently working with Henry Patten & Harri Heliövaara.
3. Top S&C Coach Kieron Vorster who has worked with Liam Broady, Dan Evans, Tim Henman and Wayne Ferreira.
4. Sports broadcaster and former CNN anchor Candy Reid, Tennessee Vols alumna and one of the great voices of tennis.

The ATP is proposing to reshape men's doubles from 2028. Halved draws. Halved prize money. Doubles specialists effectively pushed out of the sport. In this episode, Dan takes on the proposals in a full debate segment, then reviews the fortnight at Wimbledon 2026 that has just wrapped up. Recorded after the Wimbledon Live series ended.

THE MAIN DEBATE: Should the ATP be allowed to kill men's doubles?

• The 2028 proposal in detail: doubles draws halved at Masters 1000s, prize money split shifted from 80-20 to 90-10 in favour of singles, Challenger Tour entry handed to singles players ahead of doubles specialists.

Our panelist discuss these proposals in depth.

In the Wimbledon 2026 Review:

• Sinner defends his title, 5th career Grand Slam, only 10th man in the Open Era to defend Wimbledon
• Linda Nosková becomes the youngest women's champion since Kvitova in 2011, in the first all-Czech final in the Open Era
• Arthur Fery's historic wildcard SF run, the deepest British men's Wimbledon run since Cameron Norrie in 2022
• Djokovic equals Federer's all-time record of 105 Wimbledon match wins
• Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid win their 7th Wimbledon men's wheelchair doubles title
• The 3 Czech Wimbledon women's champions in the last four years: Vondrousova (2023), Krejcikova (2024), and now Nosková (2026)
• The women's draw wide open: 10 different champions in 10 years, the longest streak in Wimbledon history

Timestamps

• 05:21 -Inside Sinner's fifth Slam: why he wins even when he's not at his best, and Vozzi breaks down his movement
• 09:06 - Arthur Fery's fairytale run: turning heroic losses into gritty wins, and what his future really looks like
• 16:36 - A new Alexander Zverev? How Roland Garros changed him, and dissecting that stunning first set of the final
• 22:14 - Djokovic at 39: the chase for 25, why his body can't do back-to-back matches anymore, and the Sinner semi
• 27:53 - Nosková's astonishing comeback from 6-2, 5-2 down, plus the truth about her "friendship" with Muchová
• 36:20 - The Doubles Debate Begins

About Control the Controllables

Hosted by Dan Kiernan, Director of SotoTennis Academy and coach to top ATP and WTA doubles players. Control the Controllables was voted x3 Best Tennis Podcast.