Catherine Harrison Interview: Facing the World No. 1s, Having a Two-Handed Forehand, & Returning Down the Line

This is an interview with current Top-100 doubles player Catherine Harrison.

We talk about her time at UCLA, her match against the World No. 1s at the Australian Open (she & her partner were the only team to win a set against the Czechs), and her two-handed forehand.

You will find out how she got into tennis, who her least favorite team to play is, and what we can do to make doubles more popular.

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Interview Notes from this Podcast

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• Follow Catherine: Twitter | Instagram
• Her mindset, preparation, and execution at the Australian Open
  • Being drawn against the No. 1 doubles team helped her relax some and focus on execution.
  • It wasn’t ideal to face them in the 1st round, but she believed in herself and faced the challenge.
  • In preparation for the match, Jake De Vries helped her study film and develop drills specific to their opponent.
  • After she won the 2nd set, she didn’t change anything tactically but felt like they were just outplayed by the slightest margin.
  • If she could do anything differently, she would try to be less nervous at the start, but the game plan felt good.
  • Related Podcast: Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova Interview
• Scheduling and planning for a tennis professional
  • It’s hard for her to schedule because she often has to sacrifice either singles or doubles even though she feels like she can compete in both.
  • Her coach helps her with scheduling some, but she does most of it and the planning herself, and has to always think ahead.
• Having a two-handed forehand
  • Growing up she was small, so she had to use both hands to hit a forehand.
  • When she got older, she continued to use it and when she was old enough to not have to use it, it was too late.
  • She feels like maybe her reach is a weakness with it, but she gets more power from the forced rotation.
  • Related Podcast: Jack Broudy Interview
• Peter Lebedevs as a coach
  • Peter is a great coach because he is really good at explaining things in different ways until the student gets it.
  • She also thought her biggest strength was her mentality much like Vania King, while Peter thought it was her serve.
  • Related Podcast: Peter Lebedevs Interview
  • Related Podcast: Vania King Interview
• Ideal doubles partner & least favorite team to play
  • Her ideal doubles partner would be someone who plays like her and is very solid all around.
  • She would like to play with Shuko Aoyama because they both have two-handed forehands and Christian Harrison because there would be two C. Harrisons.
  • Her least favorite team to play is Elena Rybakina and Veronika Kudermetova because they can hit teams off the court.
• Return preferences & going down-the-line
  • She thinks it’s important to let her partner know where she’s going before the serve.
  • However, if it is a 1st serve, she may just let her partner know that if she sees something she likes, she’s going to take it down the line.
• Favorites
  • Tennis Book: Open by Andre Agassi, The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey
  • Tournament: Wimbledon