Beyond the Baseline Podcast: Irina Falconi

On this week's episode of the SI Tennis Beyond the Baseline Podcast. host Jon Wertheim talks with Irina Falconi.

On this week's episode of the SI Tennis Beyond the Baseline Podcast, Sports Illustrated executive editor and host Jon Wertheim talks with Irina Falconi. 

Calling in from Madrid ahead of next week's Mutua Madrid Open, No. 67-ranked Falconi discusses her first career WTA title in Bogota, Colombia, and what it's like to be in the middle of her tennis career. Falconi also talks about her college tennis career at Georgia Tech, why she chose that school and what the pro life is like after going to college. The 25-year-old is also finishing up her degree at Indiana University through the WTA Tour's program and she talks about why it was important for her to complete her degree. Wertheim and Falconi also talk about her origins and family in Ecuador, where she grew up in Inwood Park, New York, how she started playing tennis, her boyfriend and more.

Beyond the Baseline: SI's tennis podcast
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Also on the podcast, Falconi talks about the recent earthquake in Ecuador, which affected her hometown and childhood home. Since the earthquake, Falconi has started a GoFundMe page to raise money to send to the people affected by the disaster. You can donate to the fund here.

Listen below and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher.

Check back on SI.com next week for another episode of Beyond the Baseline.