Beyond the Baseline Podcast: Robbie Koenig

On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with Robbie Koenig about all things ATP tennis, including Federer, Kyrgios, Djokovic and more.
Beyond the Baseline Podcast: Robbie Koenig
Beyond the Baseline Podcast: Robbie Koenig /

On the Beyond the Baseline Podcast, Sports Illustrated executive editor, Tennis Channel commentator and host Jon Wertheim takes fans between the lines with tennis commentary and exclusive interviews with the top players and newsmakers on the ATP and WTA tours.

On this week's episode, Wertheim talks with Robbie Koenig. A former ATP top 30 player who reached three major semifinals in mixed doubles and one in men's doubles, Koenig joins the podcast from South Africa in between his time as a tennis commentator for ATP tournaments. Wertheim and Koenig talk about all things ATP tennis, including the three top storylines in the game right now: the resurgence of Roger Federer, the question of whether Nick Kyrgios will progress or regress this season, and what is happening with Novak Djokovic's 2017 season. Koenig talks about traveling in tennis, how the constant global travel can affect results and how it differs from other major sports, such as the NFL or NBA. In addition, Koenig talks about how much he watches the women's game, why he thinks Kyrgios will be a future No. 1 player, why he thinks Federer should skip the French Open to prepare for Wimbledon and more.

• MORE BEYOND THE BASELINE: Sloane Stephens | Tracy Austin

​Also on the podcast, Koenig talks about the difficult balance of covering Djokovic's current state as a journalist and the strategies he uses when preparing to commentate men's and women's matches.

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

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


Published
Jon Wertheim
JON WERTHEIM

Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and has been part of the full-time SI writing staff since 1997, largely focusing on the tennis beat , sports business and social issues, and enterprise journalism. In addition to his work at SI, he is a correspondent for "60 Minutes" and a commentator for The Tennis Channel. He has authored 11 books and has been honored with two Emmys, numerous writing and investigative journalism awards, and the Eugene Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Wertheim is a longtime member of the New York Bar Association (retired), the International Tennis Writers Association and the Writers Guild of America. He has a bachelor's in history from Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in New York City with his wife, who is a divorce mediator and adjunct law professor. They have two children.