In this interview, we chat with tennis media personality, Blair Henley. If you can think of it, post-match interviews, player introductions, trivia, writing, etc…, Blair does it.
Blair has interviewed Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and more. She’s also been featured by Tennis Magazine, ESPN, WTA, and dozens of other outlets.
This was a special episode, as I was joined by fellow Tennis Tribe writer Hanlon Walsh who wrote a Tennis Media Roundtable article that included Blair in 2020. You’ll gather some insights into what it takes to get into the tennis media business, what’s it’s like to interview top players, and what a day is like for Blair.
We talk about the Dallas Open, Blair’s tennis story, and, of course, how to make doubles more popular. In addition to many more ideas, Blair had several interesting thoughts on doubles:
- She believes that, contrary to some opinions, a lot of people really enjoy watching doubles.
- It is a lot like women’s sports in that it doesn’t get the platform it needs to prove its worth (great analogy here).
- And, doubles players should focus on their personal brands more.
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Show Notes from this Podcast
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- Follow Blair on Twitter and Instagram
- For more information about Blair, check out her website https://www.blairhenley.com/
- Blair has been around tennis her whole life
- Growing up, her dad was a tennis pro, so she spent a lot of time watching and playing before going to Rice University to play.
- After college, she taught some and helped develop a club before eventually writing for a tennis website.
- She would eventually land a job with Tennis Now before finding her current role.
- Blair has interviewed several players, but a few stick out
- Grigor Dimitrov always gives good answers and is very genuine.
- Frances Tiafoe is really good at one-on-one conversations.
- Aryna Sabalenka never fails to make her laugh.
- Blair’s Favorites
- ’22 Tennis Wish: Roger Federer is able to come back healthy and end his career on his own terms.
- Under The Radar Tournament: Hall of Fame Open
- Dream Mixed Doubles Team: Juan Martin Del Potro and Gabriela Sabatini
- Tournament: US Open
- Tennis Book: The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey
- Non-Tennis Book: Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace
- Other People Mentioned
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