Below is an interview with Nicole Melichar.
Nicole won the Wimbledon 2018 mixed doubles title. She also was a finalist in women’s doubles that same year. Nicole has been ranked as high as #12 in the world and is currently the #19 ranked WTA doubles player. She has one title so far in 2020.
In this conversation, we talk about:
- 1:28 – Hear what Nicole has been up to since the shutdown.
- 2:44 – Nicole’s schedule for the rest of 2020.
- 3:47 – The vibe on tour about whether or not to have US Open after the Adria tour failure, including Nicole’s thoughts on the smaller doubles draw.
- 8:25 – Nicole walks us through her 2020 so far.
- 11:17 – How Nicole got into tennis and eventually focused on doubles.
- 16:54 – Nicole’s biggest strength as a doubles player and how she uses it.
- 18:22 – How she thinks about serve strategy for doubles.
- 21:46 – Using different serving formations.
- 25:27 – Nicole’s biggest weaknesses on the doubles court and how she’s dealt with them.
- 28:44 – What Nicole uses for meditation.
- 29:11 – How she chooses a doubles partner and what style is best for her.
- 32:10 – What she does to game plan against a specific opponent.
- 33:17 – What she does after matches and tournaments to improve.
- 34:11 – What a typical practice looks like.
- 37:26 – Her favorite doubles drills.
- 39:16 – Nicole’s prematch routine for an afternoon match.
- 42:44 – The difference between practices during vs between tournaments.
- 42:05 – Favorite tennis & non-tennis books, tournament, and pre-match meal.
- 47:43 – Her favorite (funny) tennis story.
- and a lot more…
Video of the Interview with Nicole Melichar
Here is the 51 minute conversation with Nicole.
Interview Notes
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Below are links to things mentioned during our conversation.
- Nicole got a scholarship to John Newcombe’s Academy where she spent 3 years.
- Nick Blackwood’s academy in Arizona.
- Nicole also trained at ClubMed Academies
- Balance meditation app
- Favorite “Tennis” Books:
- Favorite non-tennis book: The Harry Potter Series*
- Favorite Tournament: Wimbledon
Loved this interview! Great questions and a very engaging conversation. You need to join our group at Newk’s in October (if it’s open). Great job Will!
Thanks Kalim! It was a fun conversation.
It’s great to learn doubles from the best players in the world 😉
I’ll be in touch about Newk’s.