Storm Hunter Interview: Recovery, Lefty Strategy, & Aussie Wildlife
Storm Hunter is one of the best doubles players on the WTA tour over the last several seasons. She’s a Wimbledon finalist (2023), world #1, and US Open mixed doubles champion (2022).
Unfortunately, the 2024 season was cut short for Storm as she suffered a torn Achilles in April. I spoke with her from Australia in June as she continues rehab. We discussed her timeline for recovery and her success on the court over the past few seasons.
Here are a few topics we cover:
- When does she expect to return to pro tennis?
- How has she been able to succeed with a variety of doubles partners who have different game styles? Caroline Dolehide, Elise Mertens, Katerina Siniakova…
- Why Storm started playing tennis right-handed.
- What does she do differently in mixed vs women’s doubles?
- Strategy advice for lefty’s and righty’s who are playing with a lefty.
- Which of her Aussie teammates would do best in a fight with their scary wildlife? ????
You’ll get some great insights into life on the pro tour, Storm’s childhood, and tons of doubles strategy in this episode. We hope to see Storm back soon!
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Will Boucek – Doubles Strategy Analyst for ATP & WTA Players and Team USA at the 2024 Olympics
Interview Notes from this Podcast
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- Follow Storm: Twitter | Instagram
- Learn more about Storm:
- This year, Storm teamed up with Katerina Siniakova. They made the Australian Open semifinal, Indian Wells final, and won the title in Dubai.
- Storm made the Wimbledon finals in 2023 with Elise Mertens
- Favorites
- Tennis Book: Open by Andre Agassi, Rafa by Rafael Nadal
- Non-tennis Book: The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
- Tournament: Indian Wells
Another great episode. She mentioned a drill that coach Black’s camp used. Can you elaborate on that? ????
Thanks Jack! It was a footwork drill where you try to simulate being the server’s partner at the net and shuffle side to side like your poaching or faking. Here’s the unedited transcript from that part of the interview…
Well, okay, I’ve got one for you. I learned from Cara Black. Actually I was doing a camp with her about five years ago with some 14 and under players and we were doing some doubles, footwork drills and we called this one the shimmy shimmy. So basically it didn’t involve any tennis balls or anything. We basically just kind of stood, we stood at the net kind of as if we were standing if our partner was serving, and basically we just went like side to side practicing like our shimmy, so kind of almost like practicing like fake faking at the net. So okay, kind of moving and then moving back, um, kind of trying to fake our opponents. And cara black, I would say, would be one of the best players when she played it. Kind of.
Kind of, even if she wasn’t moving to cross or to poach, she was always moving in her spot at the net.
And I think that was one of her things was that if you’re moving but you’re not even like fully going to poach the ball at the net, like you’re at least making your opponents think about it and they’re not sure if you’re going to go or not, and even watching her do it a few years ago, like she was so fast and her movement was incredible, like literally at the net, the way she moved her body.
So we were kind of just doing like side steps, side to side, but then like kind of half stopping and then going back, um, taking kind of like a half step. So, um, I have to find the video because we recorded it. It was, I felt, so uncomfortable because I was like I’ve never like even thought about seeing practicing this and she kind of was, you know, saying especially to the young girls, like it’s really important that if you’re at the net you’re not just like standing there, because even if the ball comes to you you’re not going to be ready. So you always have to be on your toes and ready and try and also kind of fake your opponents out as well.
Thank you Will ????????????