James Cerretani Interview: Gratitude, Growth Mindset, & Love for Doubles

James Cerretani is a former ATP doubles player with a career-high ranking of #45 in the world. He won four ATP doubles titles, made the Wimbledon quarterfinals twice, and played college tennis at Brown where he is in their Hall of Fame.

James joined the team of Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic earlier this year to help improve their performance. I spoke with Marcelo a few weeks ago in a previous episode and was excited to hear about the two-week run to the Roland Garros title from a different perspective on their team.

James and I discuss.

• His role on Marcelo & Mate's team and how he spent his time during and between matches.
• Why gratitude can help you in tennis and life.
• What "growth mindset" means and why it's important for peak performance.
• How to "rep your mindset" & why you should, similar to how you rep your serve.

This is a deep dive into the mental side of the game, an area I've not covered on the podcast a ton, so it was great to get James's expertise. At the end, Jamie shares his favorite tournament, books, and how we can make doubles more popular.

-----

**Join the #1 Doubles Strategy Newsletter for Club Tennis Players** 

• New doubles strategy lessons weekly straight to your inbox: https://www.thetennistribe.com/join-the-tribe/

**Doubles Strategy Courses** These video courses will help you play smarter doubles and make winning easier.

• Net Play Strategy for Doubles - The Masterclass: https://the-tennis-tribe.teachable.com/p/net-play-strategy-for-doubles
• 25 Winning Doubles Tactics Video Course: https://the-tennis-tribe.teachable.com/p/25-winning-doubles-tactics
• Mental Game Masterclass: https://the-tennis-tribe.teachable.com/p/the-mental-game-masterclass
• League Doubles Training Masterclass Video Course: https://the-tennis-tribe.teachable.com/p/league-doubles-training

**Doubles Ebooks** These guides offer proven advice to improve your doubles strategy.

• 25 Winning Doubles Tactics:  https://www.thetennistribe.com/25-winning-doubles-tactics/
• Return Strategy for Doubles: https://www.thetennistribe.com/return-strategy-for-doubles-ebook/
• Serve Strategy for Doubles: https://www.thetennistribe.com/serve-strategy-for-doubles-ebook/
• Net Play Strategy for Doubles: https://www.thetennistribe.com/net-play-strategy-for-doubles-ebook/

Chapters

• 0:00 Gratitude and Strategy in Tennis
• 11:44 Player and Coach Dynamics in Tennis
• 17:34 Mindset and Team Unity in Tennis
• 21:44 Mental Reps and Performance Growth
• 33:34 Champion Mindset in Tennis
• 49:12 In-Match Adjustments and Journaling in Tennis
• 54:05 Enhancing Tennis Tournaments and Reading
• 58:49 Promoting Tennis Through Human Stories