Doubles Only Tennis Podcast

Anna Danilina Interview: Ad Court Returning, Developing Belief, Lessons from Coaches, & Her Sweet Tooth

• Will Boucek • Episode 288

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Anna Danilina, a 4-time major finalist and 2023 US Open mixed doubles champion, is ranked #6 in the world in doubles. She and Aleksandra Krunic are the #2 team in the 2026 race to the WTA Finals. I spoke with her recently as she prepared for Wimbledon.

We discussed her development over the last several years, mental resets during matches, and how to create belief in yourself. She also shares tactical details you can steal for your own matches, including mixed doubles adjustments and an ad-court return drill that makes big serves feel slower. 

  • Her favorite off-court things to do at tournaments
  • Influences from watching great champions and what she studies in elite doubles play
  • Playing doubles on grass
  • Building belief through repetition, preparation, and proof in practice
  • College tennis benefits and her time at Florida
  • How she decided to focus on doubles full-time after trying to do both
  • Why her partnership with Alex clicks and how they approach Grand Slams
  • The spontaneous mixed doubles sign-in that led to a US Open title with Harri Heliovaara in 2023
  • Ad-court return tips and advice
  • What could help pro doubles draw bigger crowds

Anna has become one of the WTA's top doubles players a great one to study. Watch her this week at Wimbledon and throughout the 2026 season!

Learn more about Anna & follow:

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Anna Danalina’s Doubles Rise

SPEAKER_00

Anna Dannalina is the number six doubles player on the WTA tour. She has 12 career titles. She won the mixed doubles title at the U.S. Open in 2023, and she is a four-time major finalist in women's doubles, including making three of the last five major finals, including both the Australian Open and Rolling Garros this year. I chatted with Anna as she prepared for Wimbledon a few days before the tournament uh began. I first asked her about her Instagram story from that morning. She was at a bakery, and I asked her uh what she got at that bakery, and you'll learn a little bit about um the types of restaurants she likes to eat at and her uh tendency to have a sweet tooth. Um then we dive into tennis. I asked her who's had the biggest influence on her as a tennis player and as a doubles player. We talk about her coach, Jeff Coates, who was on the podcast earlier this year, and what lessons she's learned from him, how he's helped her develop her uh belief that she belongs at the top of the women's game, um, and also how she's developed it on the court. I really loved her answer to this. And if you're somebody who has trouble believing in yourself or believing that you belong at uh the 4-0 or 4-5 level, um, even at the club level, I think what she shares can definitely apply. I also discussed with her her college tennis career and how that has impacted her pro career, the transition from singles to doubles, and making that decision to focus on doubles full-time. We talked about mixed doubles and her 2023 US Open title with Harry Hiliovara. It's a really funny story of how uh they met and then also signed up and eventually won the title there. She discusses how she adjusts her strategy for mixed doubles and why she actually finds it a little bit easier than women's doubles at times. After that, I asked her about returning from the ad court. She's one of the best ad court returners on tour, so she shares a drill or something that she really likes to focus on when practicing returns. And I'm gonna start implementing this into my own practice routine, and I think you should too. And then at the end, I asked her, of course, about what needs to change to make Pro Doubles more popular. So I think you're gonna love this one. It's a very short conversation with one of the top doubles players on tour currently. Uh so without further delay, enjoy this chat with Anna Danalina. Hey everybody, welcome to the show. Today we have Anna Danalina on. Anna, welcome.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, hi, hello. Uh, thank you for having me. Yeah, it's uh yeah, it's nice to be here.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, thanks for coming on. Um, so I want to talk about tennis, talk about doubles, but uh before I get to that, on your Instagram story this morning, you shared a photo of a bakery. I want to know I want to know what you got at the bakery, and then also what types of restaurants do you like to go to when you're at a tournament? What do you like to do off the court?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, this is one of the big things that I like to do off the court, just explore all the sweet treats of the city that I'm at. So I'm constantly on the lookout for a nice dessert spot. Yeah, uh, I got a lot of things, too many. Hopefully, my coach will not listen to this podcast and will not hear exactly what I got. But uh yeah, no, I enjoy a nice breakfast, you know, breakfast food, all the pastries, everything. You know, I have a big sweet tooth, so I'm you know, trying to control myself, but here and there, you know, I yeah, and I enjoy a nice treatment.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think it's okay. The tournament doesn't start for uh like

Bakery Finds And Tournament Food

SPEAKER_00

four or five days. So I think you've got a little time.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_00

Awesome. Um, so I want to move on to tennis.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah, exactly. Yeah, I'm sure I mean y'all are so active that a few sweets are okay. Um who uh who's had the biggest influence on you as a tennis player and then also as a doubles player?

SPEAKER_01

Um growing up, uh one of my favorite tennis players was Roger Federer. Always, I don't know, just the way you know he played, the way he uh uh you know handled himself on the court and off the court. I always enjoyed um watching him play. Uh also uh yeah, growing up I uh uh loved watching Sharapova and uh Justin uh uh Hennin. Um I might be mispronouncing, sorry, here and there.

SPEAKER_00

Justine Hennin.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, yes. Yeah, yeah. I I enjoyed uh watching them always. And uh uh doubles doubles also uh I mean there there's been you know so many great players. I always liked watching um Hingis. Hingis, yeah. Yes, I I enjoy watching her play a lot.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. What about um coaches? Which

Tennis Influences And Coaching Lessons

SPEAKER_00

coaches have had the biggest influence on you, and then what lessons have you learned from them that you could share with the audience?

SPEAKER_01

Um, I mean, I think uh every coach that I had throughout my career taught me, you know, different important things in different stages of my life. So it's very difficult to say, you know, one particular one because I I used to play singles and I had coaches who were coaching me singles and doubles at the same time. Um, you know, uh also when I was a junior, you know, it's just this different stages, different types of coaching, and uh, you know, every every one of them was important and uh played a big role of you know for me becoming a tennis player and who I am right now. And uh Jeff obviously uh we've been working together for uh more than three years, I think. Uh till till now, yeah. And obviously, yeah, we uh did uh you know great work. We keep working on a lot of things and yeah, I really enjoy our partnership.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. What are some of the biggest lessons you've learned from him or some of the things, maybe areas of your game that you feel like he's impacted the most?

SPEAKER_01

Uh I think we yeah, we work definitely a lot on certain returns. I think it's very important. I mean, yeah, not just in doubles, you know, in general, it's uh this is how you start your points. Uh so we definitely focused a lot of that and uh um a lot of volleys, a lot of poaching, you know, like uh different formations and uh yeah, also just uh on a mental aspect of it as well, because I think in doubles everything uh changes so fast, especially when we play, you know, just our tour events, it's uh format, you know, deuce point up to 10 points. You don't have a lot of time to be upset, you know, at on one specific point, everything is changing so fast, you always need to be, your head always has to be in the game. So I've been trying to work on that as well.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So you feel like especially with the short format, um, there's no time to kind of linger on maybe a missed shot or a bad point.

SPEAKER_01

Uh yeah, exactly. Or not not as much time. Obviously, yeah, you can get upset here and there, but yeah, the longer you stay, you know, upset or you feel like you're going down, the the more it will affect you and uh the whole team, you know.

SPEAKER_00

So uh a lot of the listeners are also doubles players, but they're you know adult club level doubles players, not not quite as good as you. Um, but they also get frustrated on the court, right? What advice would you have for them, or maybe some tips that have helped you when you get frustrated to kind of move on and think about the next point?

SPEAKER_01

Oh, it's yeah, it's uh yeah, it's always a tough question because you know, uh uh every player and every person handles emotions differently. For me, I'm trying to stay as calm and consistent as possible and not to waste my emotions and my, you know, just not to get um just disrupted by the emotions because this affects me a lot. So I'm trying to stay in a neutral position and not go too much into being too happy or too upset, just trying to stay as neutral as possible. Yeah, obviously I still have to work on it a lot. It's still, you know, there's still room for improvement, but this is what I'm trying to achieve because for me, the uh calmer I am uh on the court, the more, you know, like the the better my tennis is. At least this is how I think.

SPEAKER_00

Interesting. Yeah, it's it's such a good topic because like

Staying Neutral Under Pressure

SPEAKER_00

you said, everyone's so different, right? Like for some people, um, like for me personally, I don't get too high or too low, but sometimes that can make me play too flat, right? So I need to I I need to a partner that can kind of bring some emotion to the game for me. Um, whereas some people are the opposite, right? They need somebody a little bit calmer. So uh it is certainly different for everyone.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I guess it also sometimes depends on the day, you know. Sometimes you just your energy is down, then you know you you kind of feel that you you should know yourself. You are the one who knows yourself. So maybe uh on one day I'm like, oh, I'm lacking the energy, then I need to bring a bit more of it to the court. The other day, I'm like, oh, I'm already too nervous, so maybe I need to stay, you know, as calm as I can and try to control that. So depends, I guess. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Is that something you handle like personally, or do you tell that to like Alex and Jeff, like your team before the match, and say, like, hey, my energy is kind of low today, I need some support. How do you handle that?

SPEAKER_01

Uh trying to handle it within myself uh first, and then and if if there's something like you know going on during the match, uh obviously yeah, I'll I'll communicate it to yeah, my devil's partner or my coach, or well, I'm sure my coach sees it right away. If something is off, yeah. If Jeff Jeff will for sure know he knows me too well now by now. So then yeah, then uh you know we try to work in uh in each specific situation, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So when I talked to him at Indian Wells, um, I don't know if you listened to that interview, but one of the things or one of the topics that get kept coming up when he talked about how much you've improved in your development was the word belief. Um, he talked about you kind of believing that you belong at the top of the game, and now you've reached top five, you've made more Grand Sem finals, won more tournaments. Um talk about the development of your own belief in your game and how that's kind of progressed over the last several years.

SPEAKER_01

Um yeah, I mean, yeah, that's uh yeah, that's the big thing that we always um uh talk about, but tough. And yeah, um I'm gonna uh I mean it's uh it's it's tough to I guess to for me to explain, but for me it comes from uh work. For me, the the more work I put, the more I believe in, you know, in myself that I can actually do it because I um it kind of helps me to believe because I did the work, I know I can make the shot, I know I can make the surf. I I know I've done it several times. So repetition for me helps a lot. So I try to put a lot of work uh during the practice on the court of the court fitness so I can feel

Building Belief Through Daily Work

SPEAKER_01

you know confident in the things that I do. For me, practice I guess makes perfect.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. No, I love that answer. I I think for a lot of people, um they think that belief comes from like, I don't know, some internal thing within. But it sounds like for you, and I think for most people, honestly, even though not everybody would admit it, um the belief comes from just reps, like having done it over and over again, right? Um so I think that makes a lot of sense. Uh talk about your time at Florida. You you played collegiately there, um, and uh how did it impact your pro career? I think you played three or all four years, maybe.

SPEAKER_01

Um yeah, I did three years because I yeah, I transferred so I played uh three years, but no, I really yeah, enjoyed my time there. And uh yeah, looking back, it was uh yeah, it was a great time. Uh you know, uh what I like about college tennis, it's definitely it's a lot of matches, and that sometimes on a on a pro level you can lack if you lose early, you know, it's almost like uh sometimes more than a week between the matches. So it college tennis definitely helps to you know keep you keep playing, keep working on your game, uh playing a lot of matches. You don't have too much time to you know dwell in the past because you play one match on Friday and you have another one on uh Sunday. So that also helps, I I guess from the mental perspective, not to be like you know, too upset on one match, you just focus on you know, like continue improving, working, and uh obviously yeah, uh I played a lot of singles, a lot of doubles as that as well. It yeah, so for me it was uh I I had a yeah good time uh

What College Tennis Teaches Pros

SPEAKER_01

and uh and playing, you know, uh I played different um different positions, you know. I started uh playing I think six my first year and gradually uh moved up. And my last year in the lineup, I was playing number one. So I played in uh all different places, so played different players and different levels. So yeah, it was a great experience for me.

SPEAKER_00

When you left college um and you start your pro career, like most people, you're starting out uh probably with a belief that you're gonna work on your singles career, right? And focus on that. Um, at what point did you I don't know if it was a decision or maybe just a gut feeling, um, but kind of realized that doubles was gonna be your future rather than singles. And was that a hard decision to make?

SPEAKER_01

Uh I think for me, yeah, it kind of happened uh uh I won't say naturally, but eventually uh I think after uh 2022, uh uh because in the in the beginning of that year uh I made the finals of Australian Open and my ranking went uh up. And of course, when your ranking goes that you know up and uh that high in the doubles, it doesn't make sense to skip all the big events. And uh I tried that year to play both, but my singles ranking was uh much lower. So it was it was very difficult to play both, and I tried and I basically I played almost every single week. I played either doubles or singles, and yeah, but by the end of the year I sat down and yeah, I was I was thinking about it, and yeah, it's just it just wasn't um you know, it wasn't satisfying for me because I was feeling like I was not preparing for singles enough and then I was kind of jumping all over, and it's uh yeah, not what I wanted for my tennis because I like to when I step on a court to give my best, you know, be as prepared as I can to play

Choosing Doubles Over Singles

SPEAKER_01

each specific match, and I yeah, I wasn't feeling that I was doing that. So I I guess that's how like gradually yeah doubles became um uh you know my only field of expertise right now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, the focus, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I I feel like I hear a similar story a lot, and it's it's always interesting to hear how people or how how the players uh deal with handle the decision, I guess. Um, I feel like for some players they stay in that limbo for a long time, and then others are are happy to transition to doubles. So uh certainly different for everybody. Um I want to ask about your partnership with Alex. Um, y'all have had a lot of success the last uh couple of seasons. You've made three out of the last five uh major finals, including two straight this year. Um, what makes your partnership work so well? And how are y'all able to elevate your game during the majors?

SPEAKER_01

Uh yeah, I mean that's the that's the question we get a lot. I mean, we are uh yeah, we started last year, we played at uh French Open uh first time in a while, and we made the finals right away. So it's hard to say what's you know working when we started, we started that great right away. Uh, but yet we've been playing together for basically over a year now, and obviously we know each other uh very well, we know our games, you know, our uh weaknesses and our you know greatest things of the game. So it helps when we can help each other out, you know, and uh trying to complement each other. Uh yeah, I mean this year we studied really well, but um for me personally, uh when it comes down to Grand Slams, I'm trying not

Why Her Partnership With Alex Works

SPEAKER_01

to uh focus too much on the end goal because obviously you want to win every single tournament you're entering, but I'm trying to just go from match to match because uh yeah, Grand Slam is you know you're gonna have all the all the matches will be tough. You know, there is the best players in the world that are coming all together to to play the SLAM, and I'm just trying to focus on each specific match and be as prepared as possible for every yes, every single round.

SPEAKER_00

Do you try to this is something I feel like I don't know, more singles players do more, especially like uh somebody towards the end of their career, like a Djokovic or something, where they will try to like peak during the majors. Um, you're only 30, so you're not towards the end of your career yet, especially in doubles. Uh, but is that something you try to focus on, like looking at the year as a whole? Because there's so many tournaments. I imagine it's hard to really stay locked in every single week, right? You need a break, you need to be able to go to the bakery and get your sweets, all of that. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01

So exactly. Yeah, I need time for that. It's not that uh easy to get a break from practice to get to the bakery and back, yeah. So uh, but yeah, ideally I'm trying to, you know, it's all about um how you do the weeks uh leading up to the grand slam uh and how you feel if you feel like you need a bit more matches. That's for me, it's all about yeah, how you feel each specific week. You know, sometimes you do really well uh two weeks prior to the slam, and then you uh and then I feel like yeah, maybe that's a now it's a good time to take a break and maybe skip one week to to be fresh. Because ideally for the Grand Slam, you wanna show up in your best form, but uh in the best form, but also fresh. Because it's uh yeah, it's uh it's a long stretch. It's a week and a half of uh matches, maybe sometimes back to back, or uh you have a day in between, but and uh you also play a longer format. So you need to be physically ready to play uh three-set matches. Uh so I think for each Grand Slam, it it depends uh how you do the weeks before, but uh also some of them, like when you start in the beginning of the year in Australia, it kind of makes sense to to play all the tournaments leading up to it because you just starting the season. Uh you you want to get those matches in by by by the end of the year when you play before the US Open. Uh maybe it makes sense to skip here and there because you already have too many tournaments, you know, under your belt leading up to it. So yeah, it's just I think on a case-by-case basis.

SPEAKER_00

Sure. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. You have to stay kind of match ready, but also keep your body healthy and get the rest in need.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00

Um a couple more questions here. Do you have like five more minutes? Yeah, yeah, of course. Um so you and Alex have made three out of five major finals. Um, you also made the 2022 Australian Open Finals. Uh how do you learn from those losses in those finals?

SPEAKER_01

Uh yeah, I mean, definitely each uh each one of them I uh I still still remember even the 2022 one. Uh but I think each final, if you uh how I was looking at the game, there were very different ones. Uh the the first one in 2022, you know, the first final always more nerves, you know, coming in because it's the first ever uh I played, and yeah, each each one of them was different. And uh I'm you know obviously after each each one of them, I'm uh um going back and I'm watching the match and reviewing it with uh also with Jeff, obviously. And uh uh yeah, we'll try to improve and um hopefully yeah, the the next one, the next chance we get, we're gonna finally get the the title.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I'm sure y'all will. Y'all are playing such at such a high level. Um it's just a matter of time. Um I want to ask about mixed doubles. You won the US Open with Harry Hilivara. Um, if I'm not mistaken, I think y'all had just met like that day at sign in. Um basically, yeah. Basically, yeah. And went on to win the tournament. Um, talk about that experience and then how do you change or adjust your your strategy and your game style when you're playing mixed doubles versus women's doubles?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Um Um no, I mean, yeah, I remember it was uh it was very funny. We just uh showed up at the same time at the referee's office where the sign-in is because I want I just wanted to put my name on a looking list. And yeah, uh Harry was staying there. We just looked at each other like, hey, uh, this is you, yeah. Do you want to play? And we just basically uh signed up on the spot like this. Uh yeah, it was yeah, and yeah, we ended up winning the slam in the end of it. But uh uh no, I really enjoy uh playing mixed. Um uh for me it's uh uh kind of I mean it's still double, but it's a bit different. For me, sometimes it's even easier uh to play mixed than the regular doubles because I kind of just expect every ball to come to me because I feel like yeah, obviously, like

The Mixed Doubles Sign In Story

SPEAKER_01

um uh when I play, like I feel like the uh women are a bit more of a target. And uh you just maybe sometimes you just need to be ready for the ball to come to you. So that's that's how I see it. And obviously, yeah, of course, uh serving and returning it's the same, it's very important no matter what it's double the mix, but uh yeah, in that regard, for at least for me, that's how I feel when whenever I play mixed.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, it's a lot of fun to watch as well. I wish the tour would do more of it at some of the 1000s like they did at Indian Wells the past few years and other tournaments. Um so last two questions for you. Um you return from the ad court, you're one of the best returners on tour. Uh, what tips do you have for people listening for returning from the ad side?

SPEAKER_01

A lot on uh forehand return because one of the uh one of the best combinations uh as a server is to go IT left. So you kind of expect a T-serf. And I'm I always work a lot on on maybe you know pulling that forehand down the line or cheap lob returns. Uh what sometimes works for me is also change the um how you say the return position, maybe uh move inside the court a little bit so the ball is coming even faster. So you shorten your swing and you work on the on those returns forehand or backhand doesn't matter. So then when you go back to your normal position, it becomes easier to return the ball is not coming as fast as you think.

SPEAKER_00

Is that something you work on in practice too? Like you you step in and take the return early uh to improve that timing.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, yes. Yeah, I yeah, I I step

Ad Court Returns And A Simple Drill

SPEAKER_01

in maybe two or three steps, depends on the surface inside of the baseline and try to return from there. Obviously, I know exactly where my my coach is serving. I'm not trying to guess, but I'm just trying to work on the on the consistency on the return. Because yeah, of course, when you're returning, you kind of you're kind of reacting to the serve. You cannot, you know, 100% be sure what's coming, a good serve, but you just uh all you want is to put the ball uh back into play, and then you you start the point. You just want to start the point because when when you're serving, of course, you're more in control because this is your surf. It's all it's all about you return, you are reacting to what your opponent is doing.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I I like that idea of practicing those returns from inside the baseline too. I feel like people people listening should definitely try to implement that, and I think it'll make their return better overall. Um, so last question for you. What needs to change to make doubles more popular?

SPEAKER_01

Oh, that's uh that's a good question. Yeah, I don't I don't think I have a like a answer right away, but yeah, I wish I I wish doubles. Uh I hope doubles will become popular and uh yeah, I always enjoy playing uh you know with uh with a good crowd that always I always like it. So hopefully uh yeah, more people will be watching and supporting doubles. And yeah, we would yeah, we would love to see everyone who wants to come and watch. And yeah, it's uh yeah, it would be great.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Do you feel like there's any changes like the tournaments can make to help draw more crowds or get more kind of eyeballs on doubles?

SPEAKER_01

Uh I mean it's I think it's always uh yeah, always room to improve uh always room for improvement. But uh I always I think it's uh usually it's a very good crowd when we have a combined event. Uh so it's uh yeah, maybe it's just easier when people uh yeah buy uh you know ground pass a ticket for the whole day and then they can watch a lot of different matches. So that always

Making Pro Doubles More Popular

SPEAKER_01

helps. So but yeah, it's uh it's it's not an easy question, and there is no one, you know, uh one right answer to how to to do it. But yeah, hopefully, hopefully something can be can be done.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, the combined events do really well, um, at least in my experience, like going to them. Um and they're a lot easier to I guess just navigate the grounds and and find some of those matches like you're talking about. Awesome. Anna, this was a ton of fun. Um thank you so much for joining us and and best of luck at Wimbledon.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, thank you. Thank you for having me. Yeah, thank you. Bye.

SPEAKER_00

Bye.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, bye. Thank you, thank you.