EPISODE · Mar 10, 2026 · 1H 29M
Larry Stefanki talks Coaching Iconic Players, Winning Indian Wells As A Wildcard, & More
from Served with Andy Roddick · host Served Media Network
Larry Stefanki has coached them all: John McEnroe, Marcelo Rios, Tim Henman, Fernando Gonzalez, and of course, Andy Roddick. Today, Larry joins Andy and Jon Wertheim to pull back the curtain on the world of elite coaching, why Carlos Alcaraz is the closest thing to Bjorn Borg, and some funny stories from coaching Andy. From winning Indian Wells in 1985 as a wildcard to managing the biggest "psychos" in tennis history, Larry breaks down the mental discipline required to reach World No. 1. Read here for more on Larry Stefanki: https://www.palmspringslife.com/history/the-wild-card-larry-stefankis-1985-la-quinta-win-that-launched-a-no-1-tennis-coaching-career/ 📩 Sign up for the Newsletter here: https://servedmedia.substack.com/ Check out some Served Merch: https://store.servedpodcast.com/ 📱If you're new to the Served with Andy Roddick, we're happy you're here! Follow us for more: https://www.instagram.com/servedpodcast/ https://x.com/Served_Podcast https://www.tiktok.com/@served_podcast Learn more about ServiceNow here: https://www.servicenow.com/?campid=271869&cid=pc:brd:brnd:served:26q1:paitwfp_audioredirect_PAITW2_GAI_PAITWFP_HostRead_:none:br_ams:awa&utm_medium=podcasts&utm_source=served Theme music composed, produced, and mixed by Dan Whittemore. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwhit.wav/ ⏰ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction 1:34 Welcome to Served 8:26 Larry Stefanki joins the show 11:01 Coaching different personalities: From McEnroe to Roddick 13:21 Larry's career journey 19:33 Day 1 coaching Andy 22:23 Weight loss, wheatgrass, and the "Starch Ball" muffin story 27:32 Managing the employee-coach dynamic 31:34 Managing Marcelo Rios’ talent 34:31 Why Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz are unique 38:01 The underrated genius of McEnroe’s backhand 41:01 Novak Djokovic’s ball control vs. the power game 44:11 Larry’s critique of modern style of tennis 48:16 Knowing when a player is ready for critique 51:29 Remembering John Brodie 59:15 The 1985 Indian Wells run as a Wild Card 1:05:30 Chaos in the stands: A heart attack during the match 1:16:17 Would Larry ever return to coaching on tour? 1:18:38 Vetting job offers (Monfils, Murray, and Gauff) 1:22:27 Andy’s reflection on the 2009 Wimbledon run 1:24:01 Final thoughts and outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
Larry Stefanki has coached them all: John McEnroe, Marcelo Rios, Tim Henman, Fernando Gonzalez, and of course, Andy Roddick. Today, Larry joins Andy and Jon Wertheim to pull back the curtain on the world of elite coaching, why Carlos Alcaraz is the closest thing to Bjorn Borg, and some funny stories from coaching Andy. From winning Indian Wells in 1985 as a wildcard to managing the biggest "psychos" in tennis history, Larry breaks down the mental discipline required to reach World No. 1. Read here for more on Larry Stefanki: https://www.palmspringslife.com/history/the-wild-card-larry-stefankis-1985-la-quinta-win-that-launched-a-no-1-tennis-coaching-career/ 📩 Sign up for the Newsletter here: https://servedmedia.substack.com/ Check out some Served Merch: https://store.servedpodcast.com/ 📱If you're new to the Served with Andy Roddick, we're happy you're here! Follow us for more: https://www.instagram.com/servedpodcast/ https://x.com/Served_Podcast https://www.tiktok.com/@served_podcast Learn more about ServiceNow here: https://www.servicenow.com/?campid=271869&cid=pc:brd:brnd:served:26q1:paitwfp_audioredirect_PAITW2_GAI_PAITWFP_HostRead_:none:br_ams:awa&utm_medium=podcasts&utm_source=served Theme music composed, produced, and mixed by Dan Whittemore. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwhit.wav/ ⏰ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction 1:34 Welcome to Served 8:26 Larry Stefanki joins the show 11:01 Coaching different personalities: From McEnroe to Roddick 13:21 Larry's career journey 19:33 Day 1 coaching Andy 22:23 Weight loss, wheatgrass, and the "Starch Ball" muffin story 27:32 Managing the employee-coach dynamic 31:34 Managing Marcelo Rios’ talent 34:31 Why Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz are unique 38:01 The underrated genius of McEnroe’s backhand 41:01 Novak Djokovic’s ball control vs. the power game 44:11 Larry’s critique of modern style of tennis 48:16 Knowing when a player is ready for critique 51:29 Remembering John Brodie 59:15 The 1985 Indian Wells run as a Wild Card 1:05:30 Chaos in the stands: A heart attack during the match 1:16:17 Would Larry ever return to coaching on tour? 1:18:38 Vetting job offers (Monfils, Murray, and Gauff) 1:22:27 Andy’s reflection on the 2009 Wimbledon run 1:24:01 Final thoughts and outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Larry Stefanki talks Coaching Iconic Players, Winning Indian Wells As A Wildcard, & More
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