They Know Your Next Shot Before You Hit It I Tommy Rounds

About this episode

Mike Rogers and Tommy Rounds discuss the importance of self-analysis in tennis strategy for competitive players over 50.

What does poker strategy have to do with your tennis game? More than you think. In this episode of Insider's Playbook, Mike Rogers sits down with Tommy Rounds — professional poker player and tennis strategy analyst — to explore one of the most overlooked problems in competitive senior tennis: predictability. Most players over 50 spend their match prep time studying opponents. Tommy argues you're missing half the equation. The best poker players in the world spend 80 to 90 percent of their preparation analyzing their own tendencies — and the strongest tennis players do the same thing. In this episode you'll discover: Why predictable players are essentially competing with their cards face up — and how opponents use that against you The "scout yourself" exercise: how to build your own scouting report before your opponent does it for you How Alcaraz uses the drop shot as a strategic bluff — and what that means for your game at any level The critical difference between pattern-based weaknesses and structural weaknesses, and why it changes how aggressively you should exploit each one One simple serve adjustment that makes you significantly harder to read starting in your very next…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Rogers

Guest: Tommy Rounds

Topics covered

• tennis strategy
• predictability
• self-analysis
• competitive play
• senior tennis

Keywords

• tennis
• poker strategy
• predictability
• self-scouting
• competitive senior tennis
• match preparation
• Alcaraz
• serve adjustment

More episodes of Insider's Playbook: Smart Strategies for Competitive Senior Tennis Players Over 50

• Anticipation Beats Speed After 50 — Here's Why I Nathan Martin · June 9, 2026 · 22 min
• Miss Less, Win More: Consistency for Senior Players I Jonathan Stokke · June 2, 2026 · 19 min
• Stop Playing Old, Weak Tennis - This Is All It Takes I Nathan Martin · May 26, 2026 · 21 min
• Fix Your Overhead: Neutralize the Most Annoying Shot I Jonathan Stokke · May 19, 2026 · 18 min
• The Tennis Footwork Myth Killing Senior Players (Do This Instead) I John Craig · May 12, 2026 · 20 min
• Your Net Position Is Wrong — The Real Reason Your Doubles Poaches Fail I Jonathan Stokke · May 5, 2026 · 22 min