Tennis IQ Podcast

Updated: 30 May 2025 • 221 episodes
podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tennis-iq-podcast

Ninety percent of tennis performance is mental and that's what makes the sport so difficult. Sport psychology professionals Brian Lomax and Josh Burger share their insights on mental performance in tennis, discuss current events in the world of tennis, and interview guests with a unique perspective on mental toughness. Whether you want to learn more about the mental game in tennis or you just have an interest in the sport, this is the podcast for you. Send your questions to tennisiqpodcast@gmail.com or via Twitter using #tennisiq.

Categories:

Show episodes

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the benefits of generating positive affect on and off the court. According to PositivePsychology.com, “positive affectivity refers to positive emotions and expression, including cheerfulness, pride, enthusiasm, energy, and joy. Negative affectivity is negative emotions and expres

38 min
00:00
38:52
No file found

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss the concept of mental flexibility. They review how mental flexibility can be a key to improving resilience, and they differentiate this concept from mental toughness. The co-hosts also discuss various ways that tennis players can utilize mental flexibility to help problem-solve a

40 min
00:00
40:03
No file found

In this episode, Brian and Josh discuss an article from Psychology Today by Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein entitled “The 2 Words That Spark Anxiety—and the 8 Words That Calm It.” The co-hosts review the reasons why “what-if” questions can spiral into feeling more anxiety and fearing an uncertain future. To quell this anxiety an

37 min
00:00
37:44
No file found

Inspired by the book, Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy, Brian and Josh contrast the concepts of self-centeredness and self-awareness. The co-hosts review the issues of self-centeredness and how it can hold tennis players back in different situations. Self-awareness is discussed as an alternative approach that can be buil

47 min
00:00
47:10
No file found

This episode's theme is the virtue of courage. Brian and Josh discuss courageous behaviors, why courage is an important virtue for tennis players, and the benefits of playing with courage. Included in the conversation is how courage is critical in pressure moments in matches such as tiebreakers and deuce/break points,

50 min
00:00
50:40
No file found

In this episode, Brian and Josh review an article from researchers at Exeter University who looked into how pro tennis players responded to high-pressure moments and how well they bounced back from errors in Grand Slam matches. The co-hosts discussed the research findings, and offered practical advice that tennis playe

47 min
00:00
47:27
No file found