Carlos Martinez — What Really Goes On Behind the Scenes in Pro Tennis

Former World No. 5 and First&Red ambassador Anna Chakvetadze sits down with Carlos Martinez — the new coach of Diana Shnaider — for an honest and wide-ranging conversation. Where has Carlos been all these years? Why are there so few truly great coaches on tour? And what makes Russian players different? A rare, behind-the-scenes look at life in top-level tennis. Timestamps to help you navigate the video: 00:00 – Intro 00:29 – Carlos on being compared to Roger Federer 00:46 – On the shocking early exits of top players at Wimbledon 01:49 – How Russian players differ from athletes from other countries 02:44 – On maintaining a great relationship with Svetlana Kuznetsova 03:51 – Why trust and personal connection between player and coach matter 05:11 – The hardest part of being a coach 06:55 – Taking a break from the tour 08:40 – What makes a truly great coach — and why so few exist today 10:30 – Red flags in coaching 11:45 – Top 3 coaches on tour (according to Carlos) 13:43 – Why there are more male than female coaches 14:54 – Are tennis players really as hardworking as people think? 17:01 – Is it OK for coaches to publicly criticize their players? 18:26 – Starting work with Diana Shnaider 21:00 – On Diana's frequent coaching changes 21:49 – Has Carlos learned Russian after working with Russian players?