Tennis prodigy Todd Ley on the underbelly of elite junior sport
About this episode
Todd Ley discusses the pressures faced by young athletes in elite junior sports and the impact on their identity and well-being.
Todd Ley exposes a high-pressure world where talent is everything, but protection is rare; where overzealous parents, manipulative coaches, hungry sponsors and indifferent associations can push young athletes to their breaking point. It's not just a story about tennis, it's about what happens when a child's identity is consumed by a dream that may not be their own and the long road back to self-worth after the cheering stops. Presented at the 2025 Byron Writers Festival Speakers Todd Ley Former world's top Junior tennis playerAuthor of SMASHED: Prodigies, parents and parasites Anna Featherstone Author; non-fiction advisor to the Alliance Independent Authors, publishing consultant for the Australian Society of Authors
People in this episode
Guest: Todd Ley
Topics covered
- elite junior sport
- pressure in sports
- athlete identity
- parental influence
- coaching ethics
- mental health
Keywords
- junior tennis
- athlete pressure
- parental influence
- coaching
- mental health
- identity
- sports sponsorship
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Alliance Independent Authors, Australian Society of Authors
Books & works: SMASHED: Prodigies, parents and parasites
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