Carlos Martinez Interview: Playing Under Pressure, Off-season Training, & Coaching Doubles
Carlos Martinez is the coach of top 20 WTA doubles players, Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez. He also coaches WTA singles star Karolina Pliskova. Carlos was a top junior player in Colombia, where he grew up in Bogota, before playing college tennis for division 1 teams, Western Michigan and Jackson State.
Carlos is one of the best mental coaches I’ve ever been around and you’ll learn a lot from this discussion that will help you become mentally stronger on the court.
We discuss:
- The best drills and games to use in practice to simulate in-match pressure.
- How to stop worrying about outcomes and focus on your process instead.
- What to do when you get nervous.
- Off season training and creating improvement game plans for a top 10 doubles team.
Carlos also shares his goals for 2024, his favorite tournament, and how to grow professional doubles.
COURSE
League Doubles Training Masterclass
My proven doubles formula makes winning much easier
- Game plans for every common scenario in 3.0 – 4.0 doubles
- Nearly 3 hours of video training
- 1-on-1 strategy call
Create smarter game plans that match up your strengths vs your opponents’ weaknesses.
I guarantee this will transform the way you game plan for your next league match.
Will Boucek – ATP & WTA Doubles Strategy Analyst.
Interview Notes from this Podcast
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- Follow Carlos: Instagram
- Carlos coaches his wife, Nicole Melichar-Martinez, and her doubles partner, Ellen Perez
- He also helps coach singles star, Karolina Pliskova. During our call, he was in Tenerife, Spain helping Pliskova with off-season training.
- Carlos grew up in Bogota, Colombia where he was a top junior player.
- He played Division 1 tennis at Western Michigan before transferring to Jackson State. He majored in geology and got his master’s in computer science
- For the off season, Carlos creates a week-by-week plan for his players.
- They work on technical changes and strength earlier in the off season. As the season gets closer, they do more match play and fitness.
- Carlos believes it’s impossible to fully simulate in-match pressure. However, he does create consequences during practice to try to create that emotion.
- Example: Play 5 points with only 1 serve, and if you lose the game then you have a punishment at the end like pushups, scissor jumps, or suicide sprints.
- Carlos’ favorites
- Tennis Book: Designing the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture by Ryan A. Bush*
- Tennis Tournament: US Open
