With a few exceptions, once a player steps on the tennis court for a match, they are pretty much on their own. However, each player has a support team. The team usually consists of their parents, multiple coaches, a physical trainer, and sometimes even a sports psychologist. If a player is lucky enough to have siblings who also play tennis or are at least interested in the sport, they may also be part of the team. Each person on the team has their own duties, although what they participate in can often overlap. A player will be much stronger and potentially a much better player, if they have a strong team behind them.
Pat Summitt, the late great University of Tennessee Women’s Basketball Coach wrote an awesome piece on being a team. It is called the Definite Dozen and can be seen here:
If you go through each one, I think you will agree that they are all applicable in competitive tennis and to be honest, a great way to live your life. Take advantage of the team aspect and you will likely become a much better player than if you attempt to pursue competitive tennis all by yourself.
Steve Annacone
Steve Annacone, USPTA Elite Pro, is the Director of Annacone Tennis, www.annaconetennis.com and MyHamptonspPro, www.MyHamptonsPro.com throughout the Hamptons, NY. Sam Alexander, Steve, and Gill Gross run the TOP (Tennis Optimization Players-Top Team) program at the Tucson Jewish Community Center (Tucson, AZ) for high level players ages 8-18. Please contact Steve at sannacone@tucsonjcc.org or 865-300-7323
