Doubles Only Tennis Podcast

Nicole Melichar-Martinez: Warmup & Practice Routines, On-Court Smiling, Clay Season, & Food Rec

• Will Boucek • Episode 283

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0:00 | 29:43

We catch up with Nicole Melichar-Martinez from Rome and unpack the day-to-day life behind WTA doubles, from gym sessions and practice blocks to physio, massage, and travel logistics. We also zoom out on the clay season, her Stuttgart win, team chemistry, and the mindset shift Nicole is making to stay present when momentum flips fast.

  • Favorite clay-season meal in Stuttgart and the no-menu restaurant experience
  • How a Rome tournament day is structured from gym to practice
  • How tour physios and tournament massage work, including booking and priority
  • What clicked in Stuttgart with Samsonova, and why indoor clay suits her game
  • How doubles prep changes when partners are singles-focused
  • Billie Jean King Cup, the Olympics, and playing for Team USA
  • What makes Siniakova and Townsend so tough, and how to scout a streaking team
  • What she's doing on the court to help her play better under pressure and enjoy the moments (you should do this too!)

Nicole has advanced to the Rome quarterfinals alongside Cristina Bucsa. Be sure to follow along throughout the rest of the year. You can watch all her doubles matches on Tennis Channel Plus.

Learn more about Nicole & follow:

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Meet Nicole And Set The Scene

SPEAKER_00

This is a conversation with Nicole Melikar Martinez. Nicole is the number 16 WTA doubles player in the world. She recently made the Indian Wells semifinals. She won the title in Stuttgart, and she represented Team USA in Belgium at the Billie Jean King Cup. I had this conversation while Nikki was in Rome. We talked about the best meal she's had recently. I always chat food with Nikki when she's on the podcast. And then she talked about practice routines, physio massage, and how all of that works kind of behind the scenes of a tennis tournament. A lot of listeners, you probably are not familiar with what goes on with the players when they're not on the court. And this is some really good insights that Nikki provides into how much time they spend even before they step onto the practice court. So you're going to learn a lot about that. After that, we talked about the clay season, her win in Stuttgart with Ludmilla Samsonova, also Billie Jean King Cup. I asked her about the Olympics coming up in a couple of years in 2028 in LA. And then we talked about singles versus doubles players and playing alongside them. This year, Nikki has been playing with singles specialists or singles players rather than a double specialist, and that changes what practice looks like for her. So she talked a little bit about that. Then we discussed uh Katerina Tinyakova and Taylor Townsend in their recent run. I asked her what her goals are for the rest of the year, if there's anything she's working on specifically, and I loved her answer to this. And then at the end, I asked about marketing for doubles specifically on the WTA side. So it's always fun chatting with Nikki. Uh she is, like I said, in Rome preparing for that tournament at the time that I am recording this. Uh, by the time you listen to this, she'll probably have played a match or two in Rome. So be sure to follow along in Rome and throughout the rest of the year. So without further delay, enjoy this conversation with Nicole Melikar Martinez. Hey everyone, welcome to the show. Today we have Nicole Melikar Martinez on. Nicole, welcome back.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00

So you are joining us from Rome, where uh the tournament has not started yet. Um, but we're in the middle of kind of the clay swing. We have Paris coming up.

Best Meal Of The Clay Swing

SPEAKER_00

But before we get to doubles and tennis, uh, you're also a self-proclaimed foodie. So I wanted to start with um your best meal that you've had recently.

SPEAKER_01

Well, oh, recently.

SPEAKER_00

Um say last like during clay season, let's call it that. So last few months.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, in Stuttgart, there's this Italian restaurant, and it's probably the best Italian restaurant outside of Italy. And it's this family-owned restaurant, and the Italian food there was just incredible. I had basically uh Ludmila Samsonova, she's friends with the owners, and she goes there almost every night. And the the father, who's the main chef, comes to the table, and because he knows us, he's like, Okay, what do you want? Like, he doesn't give us a menu or anything. Like, basically, just whatever you're in the mood for, I'll make it for you.

SPEAKER_00

I wouldn't even know what to order.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, well, this place is fantastic. It's called Vivaldi in Stuttgart.

SPEAKER_00

Vivaldi, okay.

SPEAKER_01

And yeah, the first night I didn't really know what to order either. And then uh I was craving eggplant parmesan. I'm like, Can you make me an eggplant parmesan? He's like, Yeah, absolutely. And so he made that, and it was it was delicious, and just everything, and they'll just make stuff and bring it to your table.

SPEAKER_00

It's fantastic. That's awesome. So maybe that's the key to winning Stuttgart, is go to Vivaldi.

SPEAKER_01

Go to Vivaldi.

SPEAKER_00

Um you're in Rome right now. Uh, like I said, the tournament

Rome Practice Day Breakdown

SPEAKER_00

hasn't started yet. What did you do today? How do you prepare for uh Rome playing with uh Christina Buxa?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, we um practiced together this morning and did an hour and a half uh together off site and did some drills that you know both of us maybe wanted to touch up on, like kind of together as a team, you know, move uh like serving and being on like the same side, um, you know, against our coaches and um working on some tactics and stuff. And then in the afternoon we played point, we played an hour of points against another team as well. So we tried to put that to work. The rain did uh it was raining for a bit, and we're supposed to play from three to four, and we could only start at 3.15. So we only got 45 minutes, but we just kind of hurried up, warmed up quickly, and and got our on-site court time because obviously on-site is a little tricky. Uh, so yeah, that was basically um more or less like the practice part of it. Obviously, in the morning before practice, I did an hour of gym before even the first session. And then after my second practice, I cooled down and then I went to see the physios, I had a massage, you know, all that good stuff. So it's uh a lot more goes to it than just the tennis part.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, this is the part that I feel like understandably, like you and and other players kind of it y'all, it's so second nature to y'all. Like, obviously, I did physio after and then dealt with this practice, and but the listeners, this is all kind of new to them, right? Like they don't they're not familiar with y'all's kind of routines and schedules and stuff. Um, so it sounds like you practiced off-site first.

Off-Site Courts And Tournament Logistics

SPEAKER_00

How how does that process work at tournaments? Like, it's it's probably like pretty difficult sometimes to get off-site courts, or is it easier at some tournaments than others?

SPEAKER_01

It's more difficult. It's usually difficult to get courts on site. So normally the off-site is where players don't really want to go because the courts might be a little bit different, or just you know, players are picky. They kind of preferably they want to practice on a match court, um, ideally, or at least on site on the courts that are the most similar to the match courts. But um, with the singles and just so many players being around, uh, the earlier in the tournament, the more difficult that is. So they have, I think, four or five different off-site practice clubs around Rome, which is actually a lot compared to other tournaments. Other tournaments normally maybe just have one or two off-site practices. But at least here, because there's so many, there's more courts, we can get more time. So it's kind of rare to be able to get, you know, 90 minutes, sort of like in the middle of the day, and we got you know from 11 to 12:30. And the process is here, um, it's great. They have like an app for the players, which is kind of like Uber, um, except it only has the locations of the tournament, you know, the tournament, the hotels, and then the practice facilities, like just the few specific places that you can go. But basically, you book it at least two hours in advance. So, you know, the day before I booked it for the morning, and then I had them pick me up at my hotel, um, bring me to the practice site. I arrived just a little over an hour um before my practice. So I got there at 9:45 and I did my, and they had a gym at the um at the club as well. So I did an hour of gym work. So I ran a bit, I did some weights, I did my mobility stuff, I did my bands, I went through kind of like my whole routine, plus some exercises that um that are in my current program and got ready to to play. And then I had pre-booked my car um to take me from the practice site to the to the main site for after practice, um, went and took a shower, had lunch, and then my practice was at three. So at like 2:15, um, I needed a shorter warm-up before my second practice because I had already been active that day. So I only needed maybe 30 or 40 minutes to warm up for the practice. And so I did my stuff in the gym to get ready, and then at three o'clock it was raining, so kind of we're like walking out, walking in, you know, like how's the weather gonna be? When can we jump on? But normally you would just hop on, do the hour practice, and then afterwards, um, I stretched with my coach and then went to take a shower. I went to the physio because um sometimes on clay the ball is jumping a lot, so I was feeling my shoulder just a little bit tight, so I had some treatment on my shoulder, and then afterwards I had a massage for an hour, just general for the whole body. And yeah, so then got the car back to the hotel, walked with my husband, had some dinner, and now I'm here.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, there's so much more involved than just playing tennis, um, which again, like y'all are used to, but I feel like a lot of the listeners love to hear stuff like that. Um,

Daily Physio Habits And Body Maintenance

SPEAKER_00

in terms of like physio and massage, this is something I haven't talked a lot about on the podcast. How often are you doing that? When are you doing it? And then uh do you have like specific things like you mentioned your shoulder, for example, like that you're having them work on, or is it more general? And then also does the tour that the tour provides that or the tournament provides that, right?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, so the tour has their team of physios that travel to all the tournaments. It's not the same physios every week because um, you know, there's multiple events every week. Uh, but it's the same, you'll you'll see the same faces. So they'll get a schedule, and um, but we know more or less all of them, and they're all great. Uh, and the massage therapist, there's some that travel on the tour, and then they're uh they also hire some like local uh people, but you normally the local ones have actually been working the tournament for several several years, so like you'll only see them maybe the at that event, but every year. And I feel like most girls they have kind of their you know little aches or nickels, you know, stuff that they have general maintenance on. So, like me, for example, um, I mean, the shoulder was just, I was just feeling it a little tight today. But generally, I've always had um issues with my low back. So my routine is, you know, when I first arrive at the tournament and I get off the plane. Um, the first thing I do when I get to site is I go ask the physios to check my uh spinal alignment just to make sure everything is, you know, is moving properly and stuff before I step on court. Because, you know, sometimes you're sitting in funny positions and stuff. So that's like a routine that I do. And then I also before every match, I go and basically do the same thing. And I know players will come in and you know, maybe have something warmed up, like like a kind of like a massage, like a soft tissue warm-up on like a certain body part, or um, maybe they'll be feeling a bit stiff, and if they can like somehow help loosen up the joints to like get a little bit more range of motion and things. So I would generally say players normally come in at the end of the day after their practices or matches are done, but they might come in a little bit um occasionally before. Maybe they need tape if they're you know their quad is hurting, you know, to get it wrapped up before they go on court and then afterwards to treat it. So generally we're using the physios basically daily, and then you know, one kind of treatment session, one kind of just like, you know, practice prep or match prep or like a shorter session. Hmm.

SPEAKER_00

Okay,

Massage Booking And Tour Priorities

SPEAKER_00

that makes sense. And then what about massage? This is massage is different, right?

SPEAKER_01

So we have to like book the we have a booking link where we can go and book either 30 minutes or an hour, and then uh that is a service that they provide, but we have to we have to pay for it. They take it out of our prize money, and then we just book it when as we feel, and then there's like a bumping system. So if a bunch of players are all wanting massages, you might have to get bumped from an hour to like 30 minutes, or if there's really too many players, then it goes based on priority. Did you have a match that day or not? Are you a singles player? Are you a doubles player? So they have are you seated? Are you not? So they kind of have like an an order, priority order.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, okay. So I want to move on to tennis.

Why Stuttgart Suits Her Game

SPEAKER_00

Um, Stuttgart, obviously, you won the tournament with uh Ludmilla Samsonova. Um, what went well that week? And I think you've won Stuttgart a couple of times now. I feel like made the finals in the last several years as well. Um, what do you like about Stuttgart? Uh, what kind of works well for you there?

SPEAKER_01

Uh it was actually my first title there, but I have um lost in two other previous finals, so third times at two. Two finals. Okay.

SPEAKER_00

I knew you had made run, I knew you had made some runs there. Okay.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, no, and like last year with Luda, we played there, we made the semis, so uh had gotten like at least to the semis before as well. I think her and I had really a lot of fun that week. We were, you know, we were going for dinners together and stuff and taking the Porsche out and driving it. So I think uh I think we really enjoyed. We hadn't played together for a while, so I think it was fun to kind of catch up and and be on court together again. Um I really I love to play indoors and I actually like a slower um surface indoors. I and I feel the court there, it just it's very flat. There's not much wrong with it with the court, and it plays pretty quick for a clay court, but almost like a slow hard court. So it's kind of the nice happy medium. You don't have the sun or the wind or the other factors affecting, so you can really just sort of like focus on your own game and not have to account for all the other things.

SPEAKER_00

What about um so you you've played obviously being a doubles player, you've played with doubles players or double specific players in the past, and then last year and then this year you're playing with players who are also really good singles players.

Doubles With Singles Players Changes Everything

SPEAKER_00

How does that change things for you? I know you said this morning you were able to uh train with Christina, which I know doesn't always happen, but talk a little bit about that and how you manage that and what the differences are.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, the difference is well, this week she already lost in singles, so she's only left in the doubles. So to practice for her this time is is easier, and other weeks if she's doing well in singles and in doubles, then yeah, um, can't really get to practice with her as much. So that's a difference. So I get more court time one-on-one with my coach. So, in a sense, it's it's good because I can maybe work on more things personally instead of always maybe as a team. However, it then it does also make it harder for me to get court time because you don't have great priority if it's just yourself plus coach. So you have to go either early in the morning or late in the afternoon, not during like peak hours. Or if I want to practice with other players, sometimes I want to, you know, I want to play points, but my partner isn't available, so then I'm having to, you know, find another player that also doesn't have a partner to play with. And sometimes it's funny that we find four girls and all of them are partnerless, and then you put just four girls on the court together, and like, okay, let's play some points.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

Billie Jean King Cup Pressure And Pride

SPEAKER_00

Um you also played uh Billie Jean King Cup recently. You had a a win, the team um unfortunately lost. Talk about that experience for you. How important is it for you to be able to play for your country? And then is the Olympics 28 on your mind as well?

SPEAKER_01

I really enjoy um playing the Fed Cup ties and or the Billie Jean King Cup ties and getting to know the girls. And I didn't really know Katie McNally that well. Uh, and I felt like we bonded well, we had some good practice sessions, we we had dinner together, we even like went for a kind of a stroll along the beach just to see around the city. The city was by the coast in Belgium, and yeah, I think the win win was great. We were down zero two, so obviously you feel a little bit of pressure just knowing that like, hey, if you don't win this match, then it's over. But at the same time, like, you know, we're away, no one's cheering for us or anything. Like it was just it was exciting to be there, and I really embraced the moment. And there was a there was a moment in the match where we actually we were upset in a break. Um, I think it actually no, set in a double break, and we played a bad game to get broken back, and all of a sudden the stadium just like erupted, and people were like stomping their feet, and like the the energy from the crowd is like it was it wasn't for us, but it was amazing. And I was kind of just like looking around, and I'm not really wanting to look around very much, and I was like, this is awesome, and it actually gave me energy, and then next game we broke and then we held for the match. But I truly just enjoyed the experience and I really liked being there.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, those team environments are are so

Olympics Selection And Letting Go

SPEAKER_00

much fun. Um is Olympics 28 on your mind? Is that kind of a goal of yours, or you haven't thought that far ahead?

SPEAKER_01

Honestly, not really. If it were to happen, then it happens. But I I was honestly disappointed at the last Olympics that I didn't get to play. And it's you know, it's a select, it's based on the ITF rules, it's actually selection-based. You can't qualify yourself as a doubles player. It goes based on the the country and the teams that they want to put. Um so I of course, if I were to make the team, I would absolutely love to play. It would it would be an honor, but it's not in my control. So I'm not gonna I'm not really gonna dwell on it too much.

SPEAKER_00

Yep, understandable. Um I wanna just a couple more questions and then I'll let you go.

How To Challenge A Hot Team

SPEAKER_00

Uh I want to talk a little bit about the run that that Siniakova and Townsend have been on. Um, they've won I don't know how many matches in a row now, but uh several 1,000s in a row. Um what makes them so tough specifically? And then what does it take to beat a team that's on a streak like that? I know last year Townsend was on a similar streak, and I think uh you actually ended that in Cincinnati, if I'm correct, or maybe DC, I don't remember. Cincinnati. Cincinnati, okay. Um, so so what makes them so tough? And then yeah, what does it take to beat a team on a streak like that? What's your mindset when you when you face a team like that?

SPEAKER_01

Well, I think the mindset is anybody going into a match up against them, they know they have nothing to lose, so they can swing free. Uh, another thing is I think they have they've played so many matches, uh, people can do their homework and really obviously if they've been winning a lot, it's tough to find you know the holes in the games. But for sure there's a lot of content out there. Um, if you go watch the matches and just try and pick things here and there that maybe is bothering them. But Taylor, she has a great serve, she plays aggressive, um, she covers the net well. And I think that's uh that's something she's been doing even better than uh than before. And Kat, she she's I feel like she's making more returns. Uh she's really been solid with that, um, both for uh backhand and the forehand, especially. And I feel it's just she's just making you play so many balls. She's solid from the baseline. It's tough. She's very confident in that backhand corner. So for her to win rallies, whether it's cross court or down the line, she's she's doing a great job. And I think they're covering the spaces really well. I think they've come together well as a team where they understand who's um whose job is whose. And it's even tougher for the other players to find those holes.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, that chemistry matters so much. I feel like you see with a lot of teams, um, sometimes it'll take a few months, sometimes it'll take you know longer. Uh, but there can be a little bit of a I guess a learning curve and then like a hump they get over when they start to really have that chemistry and like cover for each other a lot.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00

Um, so last two questions

Smiling More And Playing Smarter

SPEAKER_00

here. Any things that you're focused on specifically, um, this could be near-term or long-term goals um throughout the rest of the year, any skills you're trying to work on, tactics you're trying to improve, or things even on the mental side of the game that that you're working on for the rest of the year?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I mean, mentally I've been working on the first time. A lot. Um, I feel like I've been trying to smile more on the court. That's something even some people have commented on it that they've noticed it. So just trying to actually enjoy the moments on the court, whether it's going well or especially when it's not going well, to still be able to, you know, smile and kind of you know look at things how they are and not just maybe how they feel. Um, and then I'm always trying to improve whatever whatever it is in my game, obviously on the clay, um, playing with a bit more shape and maybe using better placement rather than power. Um, and then trying to be, you know, good shot selection. If the if the ball is low, you know, maybe keep it short. If if it's high, obviously attack it and stuff. So things like that, just trying to um be smart on the court and consistently like look for the open spaces and play to the open spaces. Because sometimes I think feel like um, at least for me, it's just uh it used to be so much power, power, power, and not necessarily finding an option that's actually easier to play and not just you know having to like smack it, but just play the right shot.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah, it's interesting hearing the I don't know, seeing like the I guess the development in players' games and maturity over time. Um, like different, like a power style player like you develops control maybe later in their career, um, or tries to work on some of those things, you know, to become a more well-rounded player. Why is it important for you to smile even when things aren't going well?

SPEAKER_01

Well, especially in doubles, I feel like the momentum shifts so quickly and so many times in a match, or at least it can, right? And you just don't know when that's gonna be. And you can be down 40 love, and then all of a sudden you string four points together, you do get to break back, and all of a sudden you're right back in it. And so I think it's also important to realize like we're playing tennis as our job, and I think that's pretty great. You know, there's there's many worse things in life we could be doing, and we go to these beautiful places. So for the couple hours, or maybe not even a couple hours for the 90 minutes that I am on the court. Um, like I do love the game of tennis, and I feel like sometimes I get lost in the results of it as opposed to the experience of it. So it's, you know, just to acknowledge the fact that I'm in a battle, that I'm on the court. Okay, things aren't going my way, but I can still problem solve and I can still somehow figure it out. And if you have a clear mind, it's maybe easier to find solutions.

SPEAKER_00

That's a great answer. I love that. Um, last question

Marketing Doubles And Bigger Courts

SPEAKER_00

for you. The obviously, as you know, with this podcast and then tennis tribe in general, um, I try to help promote doubles and and make it more popular. Are there things that you've noticed the past few years that the WTA is doing or that the majors are doing to help promote doubles? Anything you've noticed with the marketing, what changes have you seen from a player's perspective?

SPEAKER_01

Well, I have seen on social media that they are trying, especially like towards the tail end of tournaments, uh, to promote more, you know, on Instagram, maybe specifically with the reels, um and or like in the trophy presentation or sending out the the messages like, hey, we won. And I know they're doing the same for singles, but they're doing it as well for doubles. So just trying to do both. I think they're trying to stack the doubles, you know, in spots like later in the week, where you know, to get us on bigger courts, like here in Rome, for example, and start instead of starting us this past week on Thursday, and then potentially having several days in between tournaments, they're trying to, they're seeing, I don't know how it's gonna go, but they're like, you know what, let's start the tournament on Sunday. And then some of the singles rounds will have already played, and then maybe we can get you players on, you know, the outside like the bigger courts, you know, Pieter Angeli or you know, some of the bigger, bigger little stadiums. And I think people with grounds passes will will definitely come and watch. So I I do feel they are trying. I I don't know if everything is you know working or not, but they are putting the effort, and I think they're trying to feed back on okay, what is working, what isn't, and then maybe catch momentum here and there. So so yeah, they are um can they do more? Absolutely, and I'm you know up for anything where they can do more, but I I will give it to them. They are putting an effort.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think seeing that progress and the effort is really what counts. And if that continues, then I think it can, you know, develop

Final Thoughts And Goodbye

SPEAKER_00

some momentum. So, anyways, uh Nicole, thanks so much for coming on again and best of luck in REM.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you.