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CTC Podcast Live Show April 2024

Posted on: April 11, 2024 |

We’re so excited to announce that Control the Controllables is hosting it’s first ever Live Show!

On Friday the 19th April we’re coming to The Gallery in Tileyard Studios in London, where Dan will be joined by special guests to discuss one of the hottest topics in tennis right now: Is the New ‘Elite Tour’ Good for Tennis?

This is the Grand Slams’ proposed takeover of the top level of the tour, inviting the top 96 male and female players in the world to compete on a reduced schedule. This ‘Elite Tour’ would comprise of the four Grand Slams and another 15 Masters Series tournaments in order to give the worlds top players more rest time, and in turn a higher quality of tennis.

It has, however, been criticized as a corporate money grab by some, and an attempt to create ‘tennis elitism’ by others.

Join us live in London on April 19th to hear our panellists debate whether this will in fact be good for the sport, and what it means for those of us who work in the tennis industry.

We’ll also discuss other topics surrounding the future of our sport, including Saudi Arabian influence in tennis, proposed changes to doubles by the ATP and WTA, whether disruption is inevitable in tennis, and so much more!

You’ll also have the chance to ask your questions to Dan and the panel.

Our panellists for the night will be:

JOHN MORRIS

John is one of tennis’ super agents, finding himself right at the heart of the ‘Elite Tour’ discussions as he represents current Men’s World Number 5 Andrey Rublev and Women’s World Number 76 Elina Svitolina. John is also the former agent of some of the game’s biggest names, including Nick Kyrgios and Emma Raducanu. John also appeared in Episode 88 of Control the Controllables, discussing his insights and experiences on the tour.

GABY DABROWSKI

Gaby is one of the best Women’s Doubles players in the world, and is right at the top of her game having won both the US Open and the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023. She is currently a WTA Player Representative, giving her behind-the-scenes access to all of the discussions taking place in the halls of tennis. Gaby appeared in our 2023 US Open Doubles Champions episode alongside her partner Erin Routliffe, and has also featured in our most recent Grand Slam Preview and Review episodes. Gaby is currently being coached by CTC Host Dan Kiernan!

FREDDIE NIELSEN

Freddie is a tennis legend, winning the Wimbledon 2012 Men’s Doubles title alongside home favourite Jonny Marray, before taking up the mantle as Denmark’s Davis Cup captain. Freddie is an expert on the inner workings of tennis both at elite and at grassroots level, therefore is perfectly placed to explain how an ‘Elite Tour’ would disrupt the ecosystem of our sport. As a regular on CTC’s Grand Slam Preview and Review episodes, Freddie is a very recognizable face for regular listeners of our podcast.

CALVIN BETTON

Calvin is a coach on the ATP Doubles tour, and is the current coach of top 100 British doubles talent Henry Patten. Any regular listeners of CTC will know that Calvin always brings strong opinions to the show, and those who listened to our 2024 Australian Open Review will have heard a sneak preview of Calvin’s thoughts about the ‘Elite Tour’! Calvin is strongly opinionated, which promises to make this a blockbuster evening…

It’s going to be a fantastic evening! You can pick up your tickets for the Live Show below:

If you can’t make it to London, don’t worry! You can still join us by purchasing an online ticket and ask all of your questions as if you were in the room.

See you in London soon!

Control The Controllables Podcast Team

SotoTennis Academy 2024-2025 Placement Opportunities

Posted on: December 4, 2023 |

Calling all University Students!

Did you know SotoTennis Academy offers Student Placement Opportunities every year?

Starting in September 2024, we’re offering 4 Student Placement Roles in our Marketing, Communications, S&C and Podcast teams!

Going on a placement year is the perfect opportunity for university students to gain invaluable work experience before graduating.

Our goal at STA is to offer students the chance to not only work and connect with athletes and experts from different backgrounds and nationalities, but also become an integral part of our team.

In October 2022, STA also had the pleasure of accepting the Award for the University of Bath’s Humanities & Social Sciences International Placement of the Year.

If you want to know more about our current opportunities, including the job roles, requirements, remuneration and application details, please click the links below!

Equally, if you know somebody that might be interested in any of the opportunities, please do spread the word by sharing this blog.

Applications close in April 2024, but we strongly encourage earlier applications, as we might offer the roles to exceptional students before then.

We look forward to welcoming some excellent Placement Students in September 2024!

STA Director Dan Kiernan guides players to two US Open Trophies!

Posted on: September 14, 2023 |

Grand Slam Champions

It’s been an incredible fortnight at the US Open for STA Director Dan Kiernan, as his players won not one, but two doubles titles!

First Denmark’s Harri Heliövaara and Anna Danilina from Kazakhstan became Grand Slam Champions for the first time, winning the 2023 Mixed Doubles title without dropping a set.

Harri and Anna only met for the first time at the sign-in desk the previous week, before beating top seeds Jessica Pegula and Austin Krajicek 6-3 6-4 in the final.

Dan has been working with Hari Heliovaara and former STA Full Time player Lloyd Glasspool since January.

"Good things happen to good people. Harri and Anna deserve this for their ability to stay courageous in the key moments throughout their 5 matches beating some fantastic pairs. They performed to such a high level against the current world no. 1 doubles players in both the Men's (Krajicek) and Women's (Pegula) games to win the trophy. It is a real pleasure to be a small part of this amazing achievement and I have no doubt this experience will have a positive effect on their Men's/Women's doubles careers."

Dan Kiernan

STA Academy Director

Women's Doubles Triumph

Harri and Anna were followed by Canada’s Gaby Dabrowski & Erin Routliffe from New Zealand, who triumphed in the Women’s Doubles Final.

Gaby is a regular on Dan’s podcast Control the Controllables as a panelist who previews and reviews the Grand Slams. Dan and Gaby started working together at the US Open, and what a start they’ve made!

Gaby and Erin swept past No.12 seeds Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva 7-6(9), 6-3 in Sunday’s final. It’s Gaby’s 14th career doubles title, and Erin’s 4th, and their first together after only their fourth tournament as a team.

"This victory is a true example of sticking together unconditionally - something we don't do enough in 2023! The girls stayed in 'their moment' regardless of the situation, and their commitment to this has reaped the biggest of awards. I am very proud of them both, and this is only the start of what their partnership can achieve together."

Dan Kiernan

STA Academy Director

Team Soto Family in NYC

It was so special having some of our Team Soto family there to support Dan and the players court-side at Flushing Meadows.

A massive congratulations to all 4 US Open Champions on an unforgettable Grand Slam! And of course to Dan for guiding both pairs to victory!

Victory in Italy

Congratulations must also to Team Soto Pro Tamara Zidanšek on an amazing run at the Open Delle Puglie tournament in Bari last week – WTA 125 Winner! We are very proud of Tamara and her team, including STA Performance Coach Mike Digby.

Good luck to Tamara competing this week at her home event, WTA Zavarovalnoca Sava Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Let’s go Tamara!

Magic Moments

What an inspiration these magic moments have been to our Full Time Players here at SotoTennis Academy, who are all just starting the new year back at base.

You can hear Dan and Gaby chat all about the final Grand Slam of the year in the US Open 2023 Review episode of Control the Controllables, released later today!

Join SotoTennis Academy’s Pro Team

Posted on: August 16, 2023 |

SotoTennis Academy has a history of working with both professional tennis players and aspiring young high performance players as they start their journey on the ATP/WTA Tour.

We have limited spaces available in our Pro Team from September 2023!

Read on for more information about STA’s Pro Player Programme.

Success Stories

Over the years STA has seen many success stories including –

Lloyd Glasspool, who as part of STA went from unranked to #280 ATP Singles in one year, and is now a top ATP Doubles player (career high of #7) still working with our team.

Evan Hoyt, who went from unranked to #319 ATP Singles, as well as making the Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2019.

Peter Bothwell went from an unranked ITF Junior to being #602 ATP, winning a 25k ITF Pro title, and becoming Ireland’s number 1 Davis Cup player.

Valeria Savinykh broke into the world’s top 100 WTA, and Panna Udvardy reached the top 10 juniors during her time at STA. Panna went on to enter the top 300 WTA in her first year on the tour supported by STA, and is now top 100 WTA.

Familiar Faces at Base

We have also loved welcoming multiple Pros and their teams to STA for training blocks in their personal programmes.

Players have included the likes of current WTA World Number 1 Iga Świątek, GB’s Dan Evans, WTA Player Shelby Rogers, and multiple Wheelchair Grand Slam Champion, Gordon Reid.

It’s been awesome to welcome them into our team environment, and many of them have been kind enough to spend time with our aspiring young performance players.

Team Soto Pros

Currently our Coaching Team supports 2021 French Open Singles Semi-finalist, Tamara Zidanšek (with a career high WTA Singles ranking of #22), and top 5 ATP Doubles Team Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliövaara.

Join our Team

Excitingly we are opening up 4 more spots in our Pro Team for September 2023.

To apply for a spot, please send us:

Your tennis CV – showcasing your journey to date
A cover letter explaining your reasons for wanting to join Team Soto and what your goals and ambitions are
Please also detail what you can bring to the Academy, as our Pro Players have always been our cultural leaders – this is as important to us as winning trophies and titles

As an STA Pro Player, you will have access to the following:

Bespoke programming with experienced ATP and WTA Tennis Coaches & Hitting Partners
Strength & Conditioning support, including personalised fitness screening and tracking
Hard and clay court year-round training base in highly-accessible location
Travelling Coach available
Remote tennis/S&C support when travelling
Accommodation if required
A chance to play for more than just yourself, with a whole community behind you

For more information about opportunities for current and aspiring Pro Players, please contact:

Dan Kiernan, STA Director – dan@sototennis.com

Mike Digby, STA Performance Coach – michael.digby@sototennis.com

Lloyd Glasspool moves into the World’s Top 10 ATP Doubles

Posted on: May 22, 2023 |

Tennis is a relentless sport: multiple tournaments every week, the striving for the next event, the next feeling, and for many, the pressure of the next dollar, the next compliment, and justification for why we play. Anyone who stays in the game beyond the age of 18 deserves a massive pat on the back. You have shown persistence, perseverance and, in turn, learned a hell of a lot in terms of life lessons.

But do we really understand the challenges of the sport? Unless we have been close to a player’s journey, it is sometimes hard to truly understand the magnitude of the challenge. Yet, when we ‘achieve’, we often don’t stop and positively reflect on what we have accomplished, as we are off again on our next pursuit…

So, this blog post is about stopping and reflecting on a 20+ year journey for Lloyd Glasspool, and all the amazing people who have helped him on that journey. None more so than his parents, Sian and Neil, and the Warwickshire coach that started it all for him, Claire Williamson. We also have to mention STA Director Dan Kiernan, who has been a big part of Lloyd’s journey for almost 20 years, including when Lloyd was a Full Time Player at SotoTennis Academy.

But most importantly, this is for Lloyd, who today moved into the World’s Top 10 ATP Doubles Players after his win in Bordeaux last week. An astonishing achievement, and yes, as current coach Dan says, “it’s only the start…”

Lloyd – keep striving, keep growing – but we want to take this moment to say a massive congratulations on this achievement from all of us at SotoTennis Academy.

And of course, even though he is an old hand at this now, a big well done to Harri Heliövaara on regaining his place back in the Top 10.

All the best to Lloyd, Harri and Dan at Roland Garros!

Keep building boys, but don’t forget how far you have come.

Listen to Lloyd and Harri’s Control The Controllables podcast episode here!

CTC wins Best Tennis Podcast at the 2023 Sports Podcast Awards!

Posted on: May 5, 2023 |

Best Tennis Podcast

Wow – we can’t believe it! Our podcast, Control The Controllables, has been awarded Best Tennis Podcast for the second year in a row at the 2023 Sports Podcast Awards!

We are so excited and proud of this achievement, and our Podcast Team, who all work so hard behind the scenes.

Thank You!

A massive thank you must go to YOU, for listening to and supporting Control the Controllables. If you took the time to vote for us, we are so grateful! 🙏

The Sports Podcast Awards are voted for by listeners, so this is extra special to us.

Here’s a little message from STA Director Dan Kiernan…

A Message from our Host

“You guys are the best! Not only listening in your thousands, but also taking the time to vote for us – it wasn’t an easy process, so thank you! We love podcasts and we love tennis, so we feel very lucky to have the opportunity to speak to so many amazing personalities in the sport and dig deeper into so many interesting subjects.

I also want to take this opportunity to say thank you for your messages of support or for sharing your stories when you get in touch. This is your podcast, so please keep sharing and reaching out, as we love to connect with you!”

What's next for CTC?

We’ve got some exciting plans in the pipeline for Control The Controllables, including a “rocking” upcoming episode, so watch this space!

Episode #188 clue: widely regarded as one of the greatest serve-and-volley players of all time, this guest was the first player to climb into the Wimbledon stands to celebrate with his loved ones… any guesses?

In the meantime, you can also catch up on all the latest episodes of the show here!

We hugely appreciate all of your continued support.

Vote for Control The Controllables at the Sports Podcast Awards 2023

Posted on: March 30, 2023 |

We have some exciting news to share with you!

Our Podcast Control the Controllables has been nominated for the “Best Tennis Podcast” at the Sports Podcast Awards for the second consecutive year, and we could not be more proud!

As a Podcast Team, our ultimate aim is to give those in the wider tennis community access to the most experienced people in the sport.

We feel the recognition from the Sports Podcast Awards would help us reach more aspiring young players, parents, coaches and tennis fans who can benefit from the incredible stories, learnings and advice that our guests give, which is at the heart of what makes our podcast tick.

The amazing support from the Control the Controllables community helped us win Best Tennis Podcast last year, and we´d love it if you could spare some time to vote for us again!

If you would like to support us, please click the button below and vote for CTC!

Voting closes on April 6th! 🙏

We hugely appreciate all of your support.

Control the Controllables

News & Blog

CTC Podcast Live Show April 2024

SotoTennis Academy 2024-2025 Placement Opportunities

Calling all University Students!

STA Director Dan Kiernan guides players to two US Open Trophies!

Grand Slam Champions

Women's Doubles Triumph

Team Soto Family in NYC

Victory in Italy

Magic Moments

Join SotoTennis Academy’s Pro Team

Success Stories

Familiar Faces at Base

Team Soto Pros

Join our Team

Lloyd Glasspool moves into the World’s Top 10 ATP Doubles

CTC wins Best Tennis Podcast at the 2023 Sports Podcast Awards!

Best Tennis Podcast

Thank You!

A Message from our Host

What's next for CTC?

Vote for Control The Controllables at the Sports Podcast Awards 2023

We have some exciting news to share with you!