Doubles Only Tennis Podcast

Ellen Perez Interview: WTA Partnerships, Rennae Stubbs Lesson, US Open Mixed, & 2025 Goals

• Will Boucek • Episode 231

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0:00 | 17:52

Ellen Perez is the #17 doubles player on the WTA tour. I spoke with her at Indian Wells on an off day after her 2nd round win with Jelena Ostapenko. We discussed their partnership, working with coach Rennae Stubbs, US Open Mixed changes, and more.

  • Working with Rennae Stubbs and understanding strategic shot placement
  • Ostapenko's funny on-court nature
  • Partnership changes early in the 2025 WTA doubles season
  • Goals for the rest of 2025
  • Adjusting to playing with doubles specialists like Melichar-Martinez vs more baseline-oriented/singles players like Mertens & Ostapenko
  • Her candid reaction of the US Open mixed doubles format changes
  • Finding the right communication style with different partners' on-court personalities

Check out our previous episodes with Ellen below where we dive deeper into her full tennis journey.

Other interviews with Ellen:

Learn more about Ellen & follow:

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Speaker 1

This is my last conversation from Indian Wells, this time with WTA number 17 doubles player, ellen Perez. I caught up with Ellen after her second round victory with her partner at Indian Wells, helena Ostapenko. We talked about what was clicking in their partnership. We also talked about on-court dynamics. Helena has a very funny on-court personality so Ellen shares a little bit of insights into that. We also discussed her coach at Indian Wells, renee Stubbs.

Speaker 1

So Renee is working with Ellen for Indian Wells in Miami the Sunshine Double and I asked Ellen what she's learned from Renee. As we know, renee has a very brilliant strategic mindset and Ellen shares a little bit about what she's learned and what she's kind of adjusted by working with Renee. We also talk about partner shakeups early on in this WTA season and then we get into goals as well as US Open Mix changes. And then strategically, how does Ellen handle playing with a player like Nicole Melicar Martinez, who she partnered with for the past two and a half years, versus this year playing with Elise Mertens and Helena Ostapenko so far, who aren't quite as active at the net they're not really focused on doubles as much so she talks about what changes or what that changes for her strategically. So this is a very brief conversation. I've had Ellen on several times so I'll link below to the longer episodes with her if you do want to hear her kind of full story and how she got started in tennis. But without further delay, enjoy this conversation from Indian Wells with Ellen Perez.

Speaker 1

Hey everybody, welcome to the show. I'm here at Indian Wells again, this time with Ellen Perez. Ellen, welcome back.

Speaker 2

Thanks, thanks for having me.

Speaker 1

So this is maybe the third, fourth, fifth episode that we've had you on Losing track. I know we chatted at Indian Wells once before. Talk about how the week's been, as well as kind of how does this part of the year compare to the rest of the tour?

Speaker 2

Yeah, so far the week's been really nice. I feel like I've had a pretty kind of cruisy schedule in a sense. You know I got to play on Thursday and Saturday and now I've had two days off, but I feel like so far I've had the better weather in Indian Wells. I know there's some bad weather coming and before I got here there was some wind, but no, everything's really nice. It's a very laid back lifestyle tournament. I've got Renee Stubbs working with me this week so I feel like I'm, you know, feeding off some of her um, good tips and advice, um, and yeah, just really about having fun, and I feel like you know me and Yelena this week have been gelling and, um, having a good laugh. So everything kind of uh, on on the court and off the court has been going well.

Speaker 1

You mentioned Renee, um, I think so y'all are going to be working together for the next couple of weeks in Miami as well. It sounds like what's something you've learned from her over the past week or so here.

The Undefeated Ostapenko Partnership

Speaker 2

I would say the value in making balls and balls uncomfortable back to opponents. I've always been a player that likes to hit pretty hard and aggressive and play on my turns, but sometimes just relying on the fact of making one extra shot is just as valuable, and not always having to create. I think you know she's very big on that more handsy type of play, so I'm trying to develop that and kind of you know, understand where balls should go after you know certain shots. So I think she's been valuable in that aspect and many others as well.

Speaker 1

Yeah yeah. She's a brilliant kind of strategy mind, as we know. Talk about the partnership with Astapinko. Y'all are 7-0 now on the year Y'all won in Abu Dhabi earlier this year. Things seem to be clicking, I don't know. Have y'all lost a set this year? Things seem to be clicking, I don't know. Have you all?

Speaker 2

lost a set this year. Haven't lost a set.

Speaker 2

We've been knowing that when we've gone into tiebreakers we're like we can't ruin the record. But yeah, this partnership kind of came about very last minute. I know she had asked me to play in Brisbane, but I was playing United Cup and I was obviously also playing with Elise um for the start of the year. So it came around to Abu Dhabi and I Elise wasn't playing there. So I asked her if she wanted to partner and yeah, she said she was keen to play. So we started there and everything just went kind of perfect.

WTA Partnership Shakeups

Speaker 2

Um, you know, we had a really good time on court. I thought we we clicked right right away and yeah, I think our games match pretty well and we had a very successful week. And kind of from that it was always in the back of my mind like what could this be? And yeah, just things didn't obviously work out with Elise. We went our different ways and that was kind of the first person that came to mind and I knew she wasn't playing with Sue Way here. So I reached back out and I was like, do we want to do this again? And yeah, she was super receptive and here we are.

Speaker 1

So the next obvious question is what are the plans going forward for your partnership? There's been a lot of shake up early in the year, I feel like. Do you think it's been more than most years as far as WTA partnerships?

Speaker 2

I do. Yeah, I think this year there's a lot of mix ups, you know, and I feel like Some have tried very short periods of time and bailed on each other early, and that's something I'm not so familiar with. I feel like, you know, I want to give it a fair chance and a few tournaments Normally after Miami is kind of the shakeup, where everyone kind of gives themselves those five, six big events and you know if you're not cutting it by then, you kind of know, but yeah, there's definitely been some early separations. But I think, you know, it's interesting, it's interesting to see those changes and seeing who you know sticks with it, who doesn't. But yeah, for me, going forward, I was obviously, you know, early to change from Elise, but yeah, I mean, I would obviously love to keep playing with Elena.

Speaker 2

I think we work well, but I do know and I'm aware she's been playing with Sue Way, so I work well, um, but I do know and I'm aware she's been playing with sue way, so I think that's kind of something we wait and see. I I, you know, I'm not trying to get, you know, steal someone, but it would be that situation of if we do work really well. You know the ball's in her court and I'd love to continue. Um, but, yeah, I'm very aware that you know you're playing with a singles player. You never, you never know if they're going to play every tournament. Um, yeah, I'm very aware this year could be very much a switch up and working with whoever's available at different times.

Speaker 1

Yeah, it seems like this might be a year where the year-end top eight is like whoever, just kind of stuck together for a lot of tournaments.

Goals and Tournament Aspirations

Speaker 2

Yeah, I think so. I think you know I've always the last few years playing with Nikki. We've always put a big emphasis on making year-end finals and as great as the year-ends are, I think they're important to have that goal. But I've realized, you know, if it doesn't mean I can't make it, I can't make it there because I switch up a lot. As long as I feel like I'm having successful tournaments throughout the year and you know, ticking off goals and doing other things and being successful, I'm okay with missing year-ends. But yeah, it would be nice to find that partner and be able to work towards that yeah, the um.

Speaker 1

I think last year, moving to riyadh the, the prize money went up pretty significantly, so that's got to be a at least a little bit of a factor as well.

Speaker 2

Yeah I mean for sure. It's hard to just give up that great prize money and say, oh, I don't care for it. No, I would love to make it and I definitely want to find that partner that can work towards it. But I I wouldn't be sad if I went on to, you know, win a slam and a 1000 and whatnot with different partners and never be able to go. I would rather take that year than an average averagely good year, but make year ends.

Speaker 1

Yeah, do you have any specific goals for this year in terms of ranking or trying to win a specific tournament or type of tournament, anything like that?

US Open Mixed Doubles Changes

Speaker 2

I mean I would always want to improve my ranking every year. I'd said last year I got to seven, so I definitely want to crack top five. That would be, you know the number in my head. That would make me super happy. I've always put winning a slam as something I'd want to do and I think you know I believe this year it's something that I could do. So that and a 1,000. I think when me and Nikki played, we maybe made about five or six 1000 finals and didn't win any. So, yeah, I definitely hungry to go that one extra round. So those would be the goals, yeah.

Speaker 1

Talk a little bit about the mixed doubles changes at the US Open. What were your initial thoughts when it came out? What are your thoughts now?

Speaker 2

Yeah, I mean, when it first came out, I thought it was ridiculous. I still do believe it's pretty ridiculous. It's purely a revenue money-based scheme for them and they sound like geniuses. I will give it to them. What they're trying to sell can be fun and can be enticing. You know, I will give it to them. What they're trying to sell can be fun and can be enticing and I think it will make them a lot of money.

Speaker 2

But I do believe my first thought is is that it's an exhibition and that they're ruining history. They're taking away the value of what it means to be a Grand Slam champion. I think, yeah, you can't put a price on that. And I think it's also disrespectful to change the score to a first, faster four format that they're doing. I think that definitely makes it more exhibition in my head. I would also love to see, I mean, I think, where they're trying to go with it could be really cool.

Speaker 2

I think you do want to get singles players involved. You do want to grow doubles and make it more interesting, but at some point I do believe you need to give the doubles players a chance. And you know I said that I was like, look, we're not, you're not giving any doubles players a chance. You know they think that singles would be really good at mix. I was like, well, why don't you pit them against each other, make this a battle, like, are the doubles as good as the best singles players? I was like, but you're not going to get that battle if you don't have any. And um, well, I guess we're going to have to see. We're going to have to see. We're going to have to see what the draw looks like. I think they've obviously got a lot of wild cards. We don't know how they're going to distribute those.

Speaker 1

Maybe they do go out and give a bunch of we kind of know, don't we? I think we do know.

Speaker 2

But we don't know. Maybe it's a lot of doubles players American.

Speaker 1

Yeah, townsend will get one.

Speaker 2

Yeah, so she's doubles player. I mean she plays singles. Sinewakova might yeah. Desiree might yeah. It'll be interesting if they can give irani and bavasori one past winners, but they could both be in qualifying. How? Does that kind of look um yeah, I. I don't want to totally trash it until I see the product, but my first thoughts and yeah, I believe so it's not. It's not what we want to see going forward.

Playing with Ostapenko's Personality

Speaker 1

Yeah, and I don't imagine it's going to stay not what we want to see going forward, yeah, and I don't imagine it's going to stay the same in years to come. Uh, I think this is just like kind of the first step, maybe, and like a long series of experiments I guess. Yeah, um, what about from like a player perspective? So I've talked a lot of recently about, and I've had players on who've talked to me about you know they're not marketing us enough um the at these tournaments. I'd imagine in australia you get more requests for like media stuff, like going to, I don't know whatever it is uh the tournament ask of you, but I'm. So how heavy is that being a doubles player versus a singles player? Do you feel like you have free time to kind of dedicate to? You know, if they want to do a photo shoot with Ellen Perez and Elena Ostapenko to promote the doubles?

Speaker 2

Yeah, I mean, if anything, we have way more free time than the singles players.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 2

I mean, I know that those singles players have a lot of media requests. They have to really work out their schedule practice times around that. A lot of media requests. They have to really work out their schedule practice times around that a lot. Um, and yeah, I see that as a way of easing up some of this pressure on them um to be able to, you know, take a few doubles players and use them in a way that helps the tournament as well. Um, but yeah, I can tell you now doubles players have plenty of time and are very willing, um to get involved. Um, but yeah, it's just first starts with that opportunity so playing with astapenko?

Speaker 1

um, she's one of my favorite players to watch on the court because of her mannerisms and personality. What is it like playing with her, though, like when? I feel like when I used to watch her play with ludmilla ludmilla would double faults or something and she would just do a. I used to watch her play with Ludmilla Ludmilla would double faults or something and she would just do a blank stare to her box, but Ludmilla it didn't seem to bother her that much, I guess because they had a good relationship for so long. I don't know, but what is it like? How do you handle that? What is it like playing with her? Share a little bit of insight on that.

Speaker 2

I think Yelena is such a character. I've thoroughly enjoyed playing with her. I think she actually doesn't take maybe it's because it's doubles and it's not maybe her sole focus, but she doesn't take things too seriously Like she's okay with missing and losing and whatnot, but at the same time she's super competitive, she wants to win and you know, if something bothers her from our opponents she'll fire up and probably play some of her best tennis. Um, but in terms of us, yeah, like I feel like she's pretty supportive, she's all about. She'll sometimes tell me, like just hit the ball, I don't care if you miss, type of thing, and you know that's reassuring. It's like she actually doesn't care, it's as long as we do it in the right way.

Speaker 2

Um, so yeah, and then there's moments you know she'll try and give me a little bit of advice, like you've got to get closer to her, this and that little things, and I think it's important as long as you take it in the right way. I look at it as you know. She's an experienced player with a good grasp on the game, so I try and take it in a positive manner and most of the things. If not, I laugh it off. I mean I don't technically mean it, you can understand. Like you know, sometimes things are just funny. Um, yeah, I'd say, that's kind of the dynamic what about um?

Adapting to Different Partner Styles

Speaker 1

so you played with Nikki for like two and a half years. She's obviously a doubles player active at the net, played with Elise earlier this year and then now Elena been at the net. I would say, um, probably because they're not working on it in practice, because, again, it's not their priority, like you said. How does that change things for you strategically or tactically? Are there things that you are able to communicate with her and say like, hey, I need more help at the net, let's run I formation, or how do you kind of approach that?

Speaker 2

yeah for sure it's a very different approach. Playing with all of them, um, you know, with singles players like Elise and Jelena, they have their you know things that they're amazing at the return and from the baseline game. So it's trying to put them in scenarios where they can do what they do best a lot of the time. So it was looking more like them on the baseline me trying to get to the net, more like them on the baseline me trying to get to the net. But both of them you know everyone those players they're very comfortable at the net too.

Speaker 2

Maybe don't read the best times to move and things like that, but when you can set up the court to kind of bring them into it, you know they do their job. And I think it's sometimes being aware of what they're vulnerable at and what they're good at and making sure that we set up the plays in that way, or at and what they're good at, and making sure that we set up the plays in that way, um, or just like a lot more, like actually calling go or like I and go here, and then it's like very simple to let them know what their job is in that moment the first one or two shots and then when the you know the point gets going, it comes down to instinct and sometimes you know that's where things could get messy, but that's like that's doubles. I think if you can kind of structure the court in the first three balls, then you're good to go.

Speaker 1

Good advice First three balls there. Yeah, okay, ellen, I think that's all I got today. Thank you again for hopping on. Hopefully we will chat again soon and we're looking forward to watching you the rest of the season. Thanks,