The Payers & Players Podcast

This podcast focuses on the journey and process of player development, while promoting American junior and college tennis. Established: March 2018

[The Payers & Players Podcast @PayersPlayers]

Puerto Rico Vlog
https://t.co/Hra4RLNMRv

[notyourcountryclub @showfortennis]

Last 2 Parsa Bombs today 😑😑😑

LSU is bringing in guys who will be 23 and 24 years old at NCAAs.

If the NCAA can’t create guardrails, the US government has to step in somehow.

All for college athletes making good money 👌

But allowing former professional athletes to come back and take college NIL money is so far removed from what makes college sports special.

WHAT ARE WE DOING?!

[NCAA Division III @NCAADIII]

THE BIG RED ARE YOUR NATIONAL CHAMPIONS‼️🏆🙌

@DenisonSports walks it off 4-3 in the tenth inning to win the 2026 DIII Baseball National Championship!!

#WhyD3 | #D3baseball

[The Payers & Players Podcast @PayersPlayers]

American Juniors committing to P4 schools 📉

[The Payers & Players Podcast @PayersPlayers]

Fun Storytime: at the 2024 Lexington Challenger, Fonseca was warming up for his match in the Finals - the same time as Novak was playing for the Gold Medal. He asked me if I had the score. I told him that Novak was up a set and in the 2nd set tiebreaker and he asked if I could pull the match up on my phone. So we watched the 2nd set tiebreaker and Novak win the gold medal on my phone. He was really happy that Novak won - said he was a big fan of Novak.
Also talked about his college recruiting and why he chose Virginia over Texas and Stanford.

#GoToChallengers

[Roland-Garros @rolandgarros]

BORA JOAO 🇧🇷

#RolandGarros

[Nishi @nishikoripicks]

One of Spain’s biggest newspapers, El Mundo, has just published a very interesting article about Rafa Jodar.

A player who did not look like a future star as a kid, has now become one of the stories of Roland Garros.

Here a summary:

• As a kid, Rafa was small, slow and not considered a top talent, he was not specially good. Other promising Spanish players were going to elite academies in Barcelona or Valencia, but he stayed home and grew up like a normal teenager.

• Before becoming Rafa’s coach, his father had a degree in Sports Science and worked as a physical trainer in athletics and basketball. Both his father and mother were teachers.

• His father is described as very methodical and respectful. Rafa spent countless hours training seriously with him at the club. He would even count the number of balls Rafa hit in each practice session.

• Rafa came from Club Chamartin in Madrid, the same club as Landaluce, Dani Merida and Jessica Bouzas.

• He was very slow. Opponents knew that moving him around was the way to beat him. That probably explains why he now plays so aggressively and tries to shorten points.

• Even in his second junior year in 2023, he missed several tournaments because they clashed with classes or exams, and his parents did not want him to skip school.

• He started to break through at 16, won the US Open juniors in 2024, and in 2025 joined the University of Virginia.

• Quiet, polite, intelligent and not very extroverted. Big Real Madrid fan, and now friends with Bellingham.

• Now this guy is the 3rd favorite to win Roland Garros, only behind Zverev and Djokovic.

[Colette Lewis @zootennis]

My Thoughts on the Division I NCAA Team Championships Return to Athens:
https://t.co/Q1b8OQYP8Y

[The Payers & Players Podcast @PayersPlayers]

@showfortennis College Beach Volleyball...

[The Payers & Players Podcast @PayersPlayers]

@showfortennis College Wrestling....

[NCAA Division III @NCAADIII]

Survivor of the bracket. Owner of the title 🏆

📸: @barlowscreative

#WhyD3 #D3Tennis

[NCAA Division III @NCAADIII]

The trophy’s heading home with these doubles 🎾🏆

📸: @barlowscreative

#WhyD3 #D3Tennis

[The Payers & Players Podcast @PayersPlayers]

Marcel Latak (13.21), #2 Class of 2027, 2025 Boys 16s Kalamazoo 🏆 commits to @Stanford

[NCAA Division III @NCAADIII]

‼️TUNE IN‼️
Day 6 Whip Around Coverage: Men’s Individual Round of 32/16 Singles, Men’s Round of 16 Doubles, Women’s Individual Singles and Doubles Quarterfinals
https://t.co/JKLLJ6o6l0

[College Soccer Truth ™ @ImCollegeSoccer]

NCAA confirms a vote on the 5-year, age based eligibility policy on June 22nd.

Uncommitted and Committed Recruits, you should be concerned‼️🚨

Here’s the Truth!

-It will pass!

-There WILL be schools cutting committed 2027’s and you won’t know it until you get close to signing day on November when they tell you you’re no longer needed.

-Uncommitted 2027’s, there are coaches right now that would have given you chance at a D1, but they are waiting on this rule to pass so they can figure out if they need to recruit you or ask their senior to come back for their 5th year.

-2028’s, the fact that the date to vote on it got pushed back to June 22nd is significant. You’re going to see more schools be hesitant on offering you on June 15th until they know the guidelines of the new rule.

-2028’s, there will be LESS D1 Power 4 and D1 roster spots in general for you to make.

-College coaches will look to retain more seniors with experience over true freshman.

-The transfer portal will be packed with 5th year kids and college coaches will run there for players

-Making a college roster spot at every level will be difficult since we expect D2 to apply the same rule. This will eliminate a lot of kids from college soccer.

Lastly and probably the hardest truth to hear, if you’re a committed 2027’s, your coach will more than likely tell you you’re fine, not to worry, but they will know by late September if the senior is coming back and not tell you.

#CSTruth

[NCAA Division III @NCAADIII]

The Men’s Tennis National Champions!🏆🎾 @uchicagoath @UChicagoTennis

#WhyD3 #D3Tennis

[The Payers & Players Podcast @PayersPlayers]

@UConnFanDotCom @CamLemons_ Wake Forest tennis won the national championship last year and has been a perennial top 5 team for the past 8 years. Not impressed?

[NCAA Division III @NCAADIII]

Congratulations to Wesleyan, 2026 Division III Women’s Tennis National Champions! 🏆🎾

@wes_athletics @wes_tennis

#WhyD3 #D3Tennis

[The Payers & Players Podcast @PayersPlayers]

@jsicairos13 @MegynKellyShow @megynkelly @PatrickMcEnroe USTA needs to address this! Ultimately, you should play for the love of the game and it is a life-long sport. But increasingly the dream of college tennis is changing.

[The Payers & Players Podcast @PayersPlayers]

@ClayTravis Indeed - At the recent NCAA championships, the 8 Quarterfinalist teams had only 9 American starters out of 48 possible starters (19%). As a conference, the SEC only has 11% of Americans as starters - 89% international.

[The Payers & Players Podcast @PayersPlayers]

Bring it Nate!! 🔥
@showfortennis

[notyourcountryclub @showfortennis]

The Virginia Cavaliers, your 2026 NCAA National Champions ⚔️ 🏆

What a week in Athens.

One we won’t ever forget.

Film premieres soon ⏳

[The Farm & Forge Club @FarmForgeClub]

Clay season in full swing 🎾

Our first ITF event—the J200 College Grove—brought elite junior tennis to Farm & Forge this month.

Select Farm & Forge student-athletes earned wildcards into qualifying and main draw action, stepping onto a global stage.

#ForgedForGreatness