🎾 Off Mic with Todd Martin
On Choking, Composure, and the Bit After the Dream Dies
Welcome to a new series of my posts in The Green Room - BONUS content from the podcast. I’d love you to take a look.
This week, we go behind the scenes of my and Dan Biggar’s conversation with tennis legend Todd Martin.
Here’s the thing about Todd Martin. He was one of the good guys. Not the media-trained, post-match-soundbite kind of good — the real-deal, scars-on-the-inside kind. Top 5 in the world, two Grand Slam finals, decades of tour mileage and mental bruises. No bravado, no nostalgia — just a clear-eyed take from someone who lived it fully.
He joined us on A Load of BS on Sport and did something few elite athletes ever do: he was honest in the way most people only manage when the cameras are off. The real deal. Like what it actually feels like to choke on Centre Court. Or how it is to know — not suspect, not fear — know you're not ready for the biggest match of your life.
☠️ “It’s definitely a choke moment”
That’s what he said about the 1996 Wimbledon semi-final against his great mate Mal Washington. He was up 5–1 in the fifth. Couldn’t lift a paper cup of water without spilling it. Mind gone, body not far behind. It’s the kind of moment some athletes would either bury or blame on a hamstring. Todd just lays it out — no excuses, no dressing it up. Just the shakes, the silence, and the moment getting too big.
🎓 Composure wasn’t optional in his house
There’s no myth in how he started. Just good parenting, a decent coach, and a lot of repetition around being “calm, cool and collected.” Not the sexiest brand story — but it stuck. Composure became his currency. And, ironically, the fire he suppressed was often the part his coaches wished would show up more.
🎾 Practice with Courier. Next in Agassi’s world
Here’s the bit we loved. Todd didn’t arrive on tour with a neon headband and a Nike deal. He wasn’t part of the American tennis royalty — just close enough to spar with it daily. He entered quietly, with a sparring gig with Jim Courier. Within a year, he was holding his own against Pete and Andre. No shortcuts. No rebrands. Just years of showing up until the gap closed.
🎯 “Win the right points.”
He dropped this in passing: the Big Three — Federer, Nadal, Djokovic — win just over half their points. That’s it. 54–56%. But it’s the right 54%. The ones that tilt matches, tilt careers, tilt history. It's not about consistency, it’s about knowing when to go full throttle and when to wait — because pressure does the job for you.
🏆 The best of them all
The impossible question. But Todd’s perspective was less obvious and based on the delta between rivals’ Grand Slam achievements.
Novak: 24
Rafa: 22
Roger: 20
Sampras: 14
Agassi: 8
That Sampras won 6 more than his closest rival makes him the GOAT. End of.
🧠 After sport, the silence is loud
Todd thought he was prepared for retirement. CEO gigs, coaching Novak, running the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Except he wasn’t prepared. Not really. Because for 20+ years, every day had a built-in purpose: hit the ball better. Then one day, that thread snaps — and you’re just another ex-athlete with motivational speaking offers and a LinkedIn bio.
Even now, he says, he misses the simplicity. Not the fame. Not the stage. Just the deep, chemical satisfaction of knowing what you’re meant to do that day.
🥊 Novak vs Mardy
This was a fun sidebar. He coached both Novak Djokovic and Mardy Fish. Different talents, same lesson: champions don’t get built from the outside. Eventually, they either decide to get serious — or they don’t. No one’s dragging them there.
Novak, age 22: “Champions come from within.”
Todd: “Yeah. And that one’s going in my autobiography.”
🪞 Only you know
Here’s the final bit that hit hardest. When all the noise fades, all the gear is packed up, all the followers go quiet — you’re left with one person. Todd - looking in the mirror. Only he knows if he trained hard enough. He knows if he bottled it. He knows if he showed up when it mattered. It’s brutal. And maybe that’s the best you can ask for.