The mindset of a super squad: How Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul became U.S. tennis stars

The breadth and depth of American players has been one of the defining characteristics of professional tennis since the turn of the millenium. Their playing styles have brough tthem achievements as diverse as their origin stories, and proved that there is no tried and true method to the top.

Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul are the perfect example that path to greatness isn't linear. But despite their unique paths, they all have one thing in common: They'll forever be able to say that they were among the best of the best. All former Top 10 players, they also couldn't be more different in how they've cultivated success, or tackle challenges on the court.

Collins didn't have much of a junior tennis career, while Navarro reached three girls' major finals in 2019; but neither transitioned straight into top-level pros, instead choosing to hone their games in college first. And Paul, a former Roland Garros junior champion, needed nearly 10 years since that crowning moment to find the right formula for staying power in the men's game.

That’s what inspired Matchup Mindset, a 15-episode series that digs into how players think, prepare, and find their edge. (Stream them all, here, on TennisChannel.com)

In this article, we explore how these U.S. stalwarts all go about their craft differently, but have become critical parts of the red, white and blue tapestry flying proudly on the tour.

Danielle Collins: "I try to always be unpredictable"

The mercuial Collins has reached the highest highs of the group, from her appearance as the runner-up at the 2022 Australian Open to a world-beating run last spring that saw her capture two titles (including her first at WTA 1000 level) and put together the longest winning streak of her career. She managed those results in between long stretches of injuries and health challenges, making Collins the type of player who often needs to adapt: both to how she's feeling, and to what's coming from the other side of the net.

Read more: On chicken farm, Danielle Collins embraces “crunchy granola lifestyle”

The key to being able to turn on and off at will? Prioritizing intuition and spontaneity (and perhaps, a little cosmic intervention).

"What makes a great player a great player is their ability to change their patterns before their opponent starts reading those patterns ... I try to always be unpredictable," she says.

"I go off my feelings, for sure. I take what my coach says and I just decide how I'm going to appy it, but at the end of the day, you don't really have that much time to think out there."

👉 Stream the full episode of Matchup Mindset with Danielle Collins here, on the Tennis Channel app.

Emma Navarro: "I'm learning how to trust myself through thick and thin"

Collins' Billie Jean King Cup teammate Navarro is more of a creature of habit, instead preferring to stick to one or two standard deviations around what she does best.

"I think you have to find the balance a little bit between trusting what you do, and not changing that up too soon just because something isn't working in the first two or three games," she says. "I like to keep what I do pretty consistent, and make a couple of tweaks here and there based on who I'm playing and how they play."

But Navarro's sticktoitiveness sometimes is a handicap, she admits. To take herself to the next level, she has surrounded herself with a team she trusts implicitly, relies on those around her for reassurance that pushing herself outside her comfort zone can be the right move.

"I pride myself a lot on my ability to problem-solve and adjust when needed. I think, if anything, maybe I get a little bit too optimistic and committed to what I'm doing so it might take me a little bit longer to commit to an adjustment... when things get tough, I tend to get very inward-facing, so I'm learning how to trust myself through thick and thin."

👉 Stream the full episode of Matchup Mindset with Emma Navarro here, on the Tennis Channel app.

Tommy Paul: "It's very rare that Plan A works every time"

Paul, Collins and Navarro's 2024 Olympic teammate, lands somewhere in the middle. In between tournaments, the New Jersey native is introspective, "training for me, and my side of the net," and focuses more on what his opponents bring to the court when he's in tournament mode.

But whether its the practice court or the match court, Paul's secret weapon isn't one you'll find in his racquet bag. His easygoing nature is a natural salve to the inherent ebbs and flows of tennis, and the pressure cooker of the ATP tour.

"For me, I just like going out and competing, no matter the match or the points on the line," he says, adding that "it's very rare that Plan A works every time" in the heat of a match.

"You're always adjusting something whether it's your serve, where you're standing on return, how much you're coming to net," he says. "You're always adjusting ... there's no sport that Plan A works every time. You always have to adjust."

👉 Stream the full episode of Matchup Mindset with Tommy Paul here, on the Tennis Channel app.