This is an interview with world #1 doubles player and 2023 Roland Garros champion, Austin Krajicek.
Austin recently rose to the top of the doubles rankings with his first major title, and he joined me from London where he was beginning his grass court season (he won the Queen’s Club Championships a few days after our conversation). Austin and his partner, Ivan Dodig, lost in the Roland Garros final in 2022, so I ask Austin to compare that run to his recent title in Paris.
We also discuss:
- What Austin has improved over the past 2-3 years that helped him move from a ranking of 40 at the end of 2021 to #1 today.
- How he spends his off days at tournaments, as well as his off time outside of tennis.
- Advantages of being a left-handed doubles player and advice for righties who are playing with lefties for the first time.
My takeaway from this conversation is that hard work and details matter. At one point Austin said “there are no secrets”, and he’s right. Sustained effort and improving the little things have helped him move to #1 in the world.
This is a great episode for doubles fans who want to get to know Austin and adult players who want to learn from the best.
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Interview Notes from this Podcast
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- Follow Austin: Twitter | Instagram
- Austin’s current doubles partner is Ivan Dodig
- They won the 2023 French Open
- Austin was recently on the Tennis.com Podcast with Kamau Murray
- Austin’s coach is Philip Farmer
- I first met Austin at World Team Tennis in 2021 where he played doubles with Steve Johnson
- They returned with backhands in the middle which we discuss in this episode.
- Several days after this conversation, Austin & Ivan won the Queen’s Club Championships in London
- Favorite Books
- Tennis: Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey
- Non-tennis: Books by Dr. Gundry MD, David Goggins, and Cameron Hanes
- Favorite Tournament: French Open
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