Podcast Summary: SERVED LIVE: Tracy Austin & Brad Gilbert Join the Show

Served with Andy Roddick | September 3, 2025

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Hosted live from the US Open, this episode of SERVED brings together tennis legends Tracy Austin and Brad Gilbert alongside host Andy Roddick and regular Jon Wertheim for a lively, in-depth conversation. The panel explores what it’s like to be a teenage prodigy, the psychological and strategic demands of professional tennis, the evolution of the sport, coaching philosophies, and the futures of today’s stars—while sharing memorable personal stories, on- and off-court wisdom, and plenty of laughs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tracy Austin: Teenage Triumphs & Mental Toughness

• Early Success and Its Surreality

  • Tracy won her first US Open at 16, a feat that seems more surreal in hindsight than it did in the moment:

    “It was not weird then, and it’s very weird now...you’re kind of thinking going in that I can do this.”
    (Tracy Austin, 04:25)

  • She attributes her success at such a young age to gradual progression and lack of “emotional scar tissue” from losses, unlike older players.

• Sheltered Preparation and Coping with Pressure

  • Tracy stayed with a host family during the Open, avoiding the chaos of official practice courts to maintain calm and focus.
  • She and her brother would do tongue twisters to stay loose and distracted from the enormity of the matches.

    “I was so young, I didn’t understand...the consequences.”
    (Tracy Austin, 06:59)

• Sibling Success

  • Tracy won Wimbledon mixed doubles with her brother—emphasizing family support and superstition (ribs every night brought them luck).

• Mental Toughness Origins

  • Tracy credits her mental edge to both her own love of challenge and her famous coach, Robert Lansdorp, noting hours of focus-building drills and games at home:

    “I loved the discipline of it. And then I couldn’t have had a better coach with my personality.”
    (Tracy Austin, 11:06)

• Comparisons with Modern Phenom Coco Gauff

  • While Austin relates to young stars like Coco, she notes that the pressures today are exponentially greater due to the immediacy of social media.

    “I do think that it’s ten times more or a hundred times more.”
    (13:28)

• On Parenting a Pro

  • Austin describes the anxiety and pride of watching her son Brandon on tour—finding it harder than playing herself:

    “We have no control…when you played, we were gonna put it on the line...I have no control when he’s out there.”
    (21:19)

2. The Highs and Lows of Tennis

• Managing Adversity

  • The group agrees the real test is managing the lows, not just enjoying the highs:

    “It’s really about managing the lows, if you can.”
    (Tracy Austin, 17:36)
    “If you’re good at getting up, I think that’s a superpower.”
    (Andy Roddick, 17:47)

• Current Tour Reflections

  • Discussion of Coco Gauff’s battle with serve issues and handling harsh scrutiny—even after big successes.
  • Naomi Osaka’s postpartum resurgence is highlighted, celebrating her adaptation and coaching change.

3. Brad Gilbert: The Evolution of the Men’s Game

• Generational Improvement

  • Brad observes how each generation builds off the last, with today’s young stars (Alcaraz, Sinner) advancing levels of completeness and athleticism that continue to raise the bar.

• Inside the Sinner-Alcaraz Rivalry

  • Sinner is described as a blend of Djokovic’s tenacity and Agassi's aggression, with potential still untapped:

    “If you put Andre and Djokovic in a blender, you get Sinner. His level is outrageous.”
    (Brad Gilbert, 27:33)

• Coaching Modern Players

  • Coaching now involves huge amounts of data—sometimes too much, with Brad preferring to focus on key situational strategies over raw stats.

• Delivering the Coaching Message

  • Gilbert tailors info and motivational techniques to personality—a quick, pointed phrase for Roddick but long tactical talks for Agassi:

    “If you say red, it’s black…your attention span is completely different…”
    (Brad Gilbert to Andy Roddick, 34:02)

4. Strategic and Technical Trends

• Backhand Evolution

  • The demise of the one-handed backhand is discussed, with equipment and game speed cited as major reasons.
  • Gilbert suggests a future hybrid player, switching between one and two-handed backhands, could emerge.

• Serving & Play Style

  • Roddick and Gilbert reminisce about fine-tuning Roddick’s return position, approach patterns, and intentionally short-circuiting opponent rhythm with bold serving and quick points.

5. Coaching, Injury, and Career Management

• Philosophy of Making Adjustments

  • Brad stresses knowing when—and how much—to change, and delivering those tweaks with player context in mind.

• Dealing with Injury Decisions

  • Both Roddick and Gilbert differentiate between being hurt and genuinely injured, weighing short-term risks versus long-term career impacts, with Gilbert lamenting his old-school tendency to never withdraw, even when unwise.

6. US Men’s Tennis Outlook

• While the panel resists naming the “next big thing,” both express optimism at the rising generation and declare big upward potential for players like Ben Shelton, with Brad saying:

  “If he’s a stock, I put a buy rating on that.”
  (Brad Gilbert, 66:46)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Perspective and Young Success:

  “I was so young at 16 that I hadn’t had all of those kind of experiences. So when I beat Martina, my brother said, ‘If you beat Martina, call me, I’ll get on the plane.’”
  (Tracy Austin, 05:52)

• Austin’s Take on Gauff and Osaka:

  “Even Sabalenka is number one in the world…everybody here, they want to watch Coco play.”
  (Tracy Austin, 14:15)
  “Osaka…a year and nine months from coming back from maternity leave…now into the quarters—she hasn’t been into the quarters in four and a half years.”
  (Tracy Austin, 15:41)

• On Resilience:

  "It’s about getting up. If you’re good at getting up. I think that’s a superpower…I really do."
  (Andy Roddick, 17:47)

• On Potential and Complacency:

  “If you’re 24 years old and you’re satisfied with where you are, then that’s what happens to you… Sinner, who seems to be a much older soul…always focused on talking about the narrative about he doesn’t think he’s that good…always needs to get better.”
  (Brad Gilbert, 27:58)

• On Data and Intangibles:

  “My first thought is, you know, they have all of that data on you and the algorithm…isn’t taking any human factor into it.”
  (Brad Gilbert, 30:58)

• On Coaching Styles:

  “Andre liked to discuss in great length, and you didn’t. If I started getting in great length with you, you would tune it out.”
  (Brad Gilbert to Andy Roddick, 34:02)

• Unique Stories:

  • Brad coached Agassi while still competing:

    “Sorry, Andre, I can’t sit in your box because I’m third on court seven. How does that work?...That’s exactly what happened.”
    (43:01)

  • Agassi’s sportsmanship—delaying a final so Pete Sampras could recover from illness, then losing with grace.
    (48:01)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Tracy Austin Segment

  • Introduction & Winning US Open at 16 – 03:37
  • Coping with pressure, tongue twisters – 06:59
  • Sibling doubles win & rituals – 08:47
  • What builds mental toughness – 11:06
  • Austin on Gauff, Osaka, differences for young stars – 13:28–15:41
  • Parenting a pro, Brandon Austin – 18:48–21:19
  • Reflections on resilience – 17:36–18:29

• Brad Gilbert Segment

  • Evolution of the men’s game/Sinner & Alcaraz – 25:21–29:19
  • Data in coaching – 30:57–32:40
  • Delivering coaching feedback, individualized approaches – 32:40–36:32
  • Technical adjustments in Roddick's game – 36:32–37:25
  • Player injuries, competing when hurt – 57:59–62:35
  • US men’s prospects, Ben Shelton – 64:41–66:46
  • Listener Q&A on injuries, strategy, and US men’s chances – 55:25–68:31

Tone & Atmosphere

• Casual, quick-witted banter (“our dumb little tennis pod”), with Roddick’s self-deprecation and sharp humor throughout.
• Deep camaraderie and mutual respect, especially during the personal reminiscing segments.
• Lively interplay with the live audience, especially during Q&A.
• Honest and emotionally open, especially around the challenges of parenting, loss, and resilience.

Conclusion

This episode brings fans inside both the glory and grind of professional tennis, illuminating the psychological, tactical, and emotional journeys of champions old and new. Tracy Austin and Brad Gilbert offer rare personal and professional wisdom, perfectly matched by Roddick and Wertheim’s insightful commentary and humor. Whether discussing teenage majors, world-beating resilience, or the chess of top-level coaching, this is a must-listen for tennis devotees and sports fans alike.