2023 Coaches Roundtable

The local tennis community boasts some of the top coaches in the world, and with this wealth of talent available, New York Tennis Magazine took the opportunity to pick the brains of some of these coaches.

These coaches share their thoughts on a wide variety of tennis topics and issues, ranging from junior tennis to the professional game.

Mike Barrell is the Executive Director of Tennis for SPORTIME Clubs. A coach for over 30 years he is a Level Five LTA Coach, a former PTR Professional of the Year, and ITF Expert. As a coach and consultant around the world he has worked and delivered training in over 80 countries, supporting the development of tennis in five continents. He has been a keynote speaker at three ITF Worldwide Conferences, and presented at multiple USPTA World Conferences, PTR International Symposia, plus multiple National Conferences including USTA events.

Pasha Bednarzh is the Director of QuickStart Programs at MatchPoint NYC. A native of Ukraine, Bednarzh was nominated for his country’s Master of Sport award, given to top coaches and experts in their respective sport, and has been coaching junior tennis players for 30 years.

Gilad Bloom is a former Israeli Davis Cup player and two-time Olympian, played on the ATP Tour 1983-1995, reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open in 1990, reached a highest ranking of 61 in singles, was Israel Singles Champion three times. Bloom has been running his own tennis program since 2000 and also was director of tennis at John McEnroe Tennis Academy for two years.

Vinicius Carmo is the Director of Tennis at the Ross School Tennis Academy. A former standout player from Brazil, Carmo attended the University of Tennessee on a full tennis scholarship, before moving on to direct several prestigous tennis programs in the Hamptons before going to RSTA. Carmo has expanded the program to include events, competitive training techniques and more, using his NCAA experience and extensive connections to help RSTA graduates in the next stage of their tennis careers.

Yesica De Lucas is the Director of Junior Programming at The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning.De Lucas has previously coached at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain, and recently completed an outstanding career competing for the St. John’s Tennis Team.

Steve Kaplan is the owner and managing director of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, as well as director emeritus of Lacoste Academy for New York City Parks Foundation, executive director and founder of Serve &Return Inc and co-director of The City Classic Junior Tennis Academy. Steve has coached more than 1,100 nationally- ranked junior players, 16 New York State high school champions, two NCAA Division 1 Singles Champions, and numerous highly-ranked touring professionals. In 2017, Steve was awarded the Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award by the USTA.

Ed Krass coached the Harvard Women’s Tennis Team to four consecutive Ivy League titles from 1986-1990. Ed is the founder and director of the Annual College Tennis Exposure Camps, which are taught exclusively by all head college coaches for high school-aged players (15-18). Ed is also the founder of One-On-One Doubles tournaments, which have been played at USTA, ATP, ITA and USPTA national events.

Chris Lewit is a former number one for Cornell and pro circuit player. He is a high-performance coach, educator, and the author of two best-selling books: The Secrets of Spanish Tennis and The Tennis Technique Bible. He has coached numerous top 10 nationally- ranked players and is known for his expertise in building the foundations of young prodigies. Chris coaches in NYC and year-round at his high performance tennis academy in Manchester, VT, where players can live and train the Spanish Way full- time or short-term.

Pablo Montesi is the Tennis Club and Camp Director at Future Stars Southampton, and has been at Future Stars Camps for more than a decade. Montesi also runs a tennis academy in Miami Beach. A USPTA Certified Professional and PTR Certified instructor, Montesi is a native of Chile who first came to the United States on a tennis scholarship to Benedictine College in Kansas, where he led the team to three conference championships.

Ognen Nikolovski is the general manager of CourtSense and director of tennis at Bogota Racquet Club. He is a former top junior from Yugoslavia who went on to play college tennis at Rollins College where he became an all-American. He went on to become a world-ranked singles and doubles player on the ATP Tour and was a captain of the Macedonia Davis Cup team. He joined CourtSense in 2008 where his passion and experience has become instrumental in developing the program.

Jay Pinho is the Head Professional of 10U and High-Performance at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. He is a USPTA Elite Professional, a former NCAA DI coach and player, and has specialized in developing competitive junior players over the past decade. Currently, he is the private coach of three national champions and a WTA touring pro.

Joel Richmond is the Co-Director of QuickStart Programs at Advantage Tennis Clubs. Originally from central New York, Joel began playing tennis at the age of 6 and started coaching at 16. Joel competed in Division III tennis and soccer for Bard College, where he was the tennis captain for three years. As a PTR L2 Certified Professional, Joel uses a game-based approach to help junior players get into the game and develop a proper technical and tactical foundation.

Conrad Singh is the CEO at Centercourt Tennis Academy in New Jersey. He has recruited and developed team of coaches who have produced two junior Wimbledon finalists and one champion, as well as countless athletes competing at the highest college levels. Singh is a renowned Biomechanist with degrees in Sports Science and Education. As a Grand Slam Master Coach at over 50 Grand Slams, he has a passion for Elite Player Development. Singh is a former National Coach that is heavily involved in Coach Education and holds Elite credentials from Australia, Europe and USA. He is a regular Keynote Speaker at Global Coaches Conferences and currently has multiple Touring Professionals which he is Specialist Coach and Advisor to.

How do you find the right balance between training and rest/recovery for junior tennis players?

Carmo: Tennis is a year-round sport with no time off. That’s why it is so important to learn how to rest and recover physically and mentally.  It is essential to warm up before practices and matches. It is of utmost importance is to stretch after practices and matches. Cold tubs are also another way to help with muscle recovery. It is also important to have hobbies and enjoy other things besides tennis. When you do other activities besides tennis, you reset your energy and return to the courts even stronger. Make sure to find other things that you enjoy doing outside the tennis court.

Lewit: It’s important to push hard to achieve greatness but also know when to take recovery time. Typically my top national kids will train six days week with one day off and 2-3 tournaments a month. That schedule could be just a couple hours per day if the kid is in regular school up to 15 hours per week, or if the child is homeschooling, training could be 20-30 hours per week. It’s important to discern whether a kid is overtraining or under-recovered.  Most kids are in the latter category. You don’t want to take too many days off per year because it can hurt momentum; but you don’t want to burn your player out mentally or physically either. It can be a tricky balancing act for parents and coaches. You have to carefully monitor your player at all times and make continual adjustments.

Nikolovski: This is always a challenge as most of the kids in this part of the country. They have more on their plate than they can handle when you consider the demands of training for and playing at the higher levels of high school tennis and/or USTA events, along with school, college prep work, other activities, tournament travel, etc.  The key is that there is a clear communication with the players and their parents in regards to understanding when the busy periods with school are, trying to optimize tournament schedules, and in general always consider the physical, emotional and mental state of the player. Ultimately, it all starts with the daily check in with the player at the beginning of each practice session, and also making sure that the weekly schedule is alternating intense and medium sessions for tennis and fitness.

Pinho: This can vary greatly based on the player’s age and goals, as well as the time of the year. For example, young players should alternate sports throughout the week and use the benefits that each sport has as a way to develop their overall athletic abilities. Given sports can vary quite a bit, a player will rest some areas of the body when off from tennis, and work on other areas when playing other sports. For more competitive players, that play tennis only, it’s important to have a balance between academics, tennis, and social life. This includes having at least one day a week off from any training, having periods off throughout the year as a total rest, such as short family vacations, and an appropriate tournament scheduling; which will include specific training blocks and weekends off.

Mental health is an important topic that has been brought to the forefront of athletics recently. How often and how do you engage your players on their mental well-being, both on and off the court?

Barrell: As an example, this season we are launching a new component to our program called JMTA You. It’s a modular program based on developing competitive skills and wellness. All the skills we cover have huge value on and off the court. Our coaches are integrating this into our on-court delivery every day. The subjects we cover include topics like goal setting, resetting, routines and mindfulness. We have developed this curriculum with a sports psychologist who also coaches players in fields like academic performance so we know there is a clear crossover.

Bloom: The first questions I ask every student before every lesson is, how are you doing? How was your day? How’s life? It is very important to know in what state of mind the student is in, and as a coach you want to push the kid but often it is wise to do a lighter session if the kid is tired or a more entertaining session if the kid is a bit burnt out which can happen with tournament players who train five-six days a week. Yes, it’s a competitive sport and there’s pressure involved. At the end of the day the practices and the matches should be a positive and a fun experience: a learning one and a part of a process. It’s extremely important to enjoy the process and end each session with a smile to build a healthy habit of optimism, that’s the healthy way to look at it .

Richmond: As coaches and providers of tennis learning experiences, it is important to introduce players to competition and the mental game on court in a healthy way early on by promoting in equal measure sportsmanship, the will to compete, and mental strength, resilience, and fortitude, especially in a sport where failed outcomes (points, games, sets, and matches) are so rapidly and frequently accumulated. At the same time however, it is equally important that off the court we see all players as human and therefore not only subject to mental health issues, but deserving of consistent and safe channels of conversation about their experiences in order to promote and facilitate further mental health education and well-being.

Montesi: It’s all about health and wellness. Communication is key and not only with the students but also with the parents/guardians.  Creating a safe place at practice, that is judgment free and caring for each individual, allows students and coaches to feel comfortable about sharing their feelings. It is extremely important to understand what’s going on in our student’s life to properly coach them. I regularly talk to my students and parents before or after practice.

Gamesmanship and cheating are always controversial topics at the junior level. How do we begin to try and eliminate those sorts of things from the game?

De Lucas: It is important to emphasize good behavior and fair play not only during competitions but also at practice. When someone cheats during practice you should call them out and talk to them separately, without necessarily punishing them. Ask them if they would like to be on the other side of bad calls and discuss the potential ramifications of inappropriate behavior during competitions.

Richmond: Unfortunately cheating is prevalent in just about every form of competition. At its core, cheating is a security issue: it’s a constant race to catch and prevent cheaters and their dirty tactics before new ones sprout in their place. Reinforcing collaboration and introducing competition in healthy ways to our junior players is critical in their development as tennis players and as people, and it goes a long way in building the community of trust we all want and expect. Education and gamesmanship will get us most of the way there, but ironically the best practices for stamping out cheating in competition is to rig the game to prevent it: neutral referees and officials to root out cheating tactics and observe a fair game, electronic line calling to eliminate poor judgment, and standard disciplinary protocols for offenders.

Singh: I am very sad to say that these problems are saturating the tennis landscape, and having coached and travelled all over the world and worked with multiple national associations – it is clear that America has the largest problem of all those other nations. I believe education of parents and monitoring parent behavior off the court is critical. Parents reacting to the matches force children to react. Coaches can make sure they emphasize good sportsmanship, but the real impact will be felt in the home when parents teach their children that good behavior on court is more important than results. Children are passionate and let’s be honest winning is the goal of all kids, but as the adults we need to maintain the reality that becoming a great sport and a true competitor is above all else, and this takes practice and encouragement from those around the player.

Where do you stand on players overly celebrating points/being animated and showing emotions during matches?

Barrell: Emotions show we care and it’s important to let young players know that emotions are a normal part of everyday life, the key is perspective. For example, one of my young players lost a close match and cried, she was disappointed and upset, and it showed she cared but as soon as she understood that she was not being judged on this result or the emotion, the tears stopped quickly. The issue of overly celebrating is a little different, especially if it is designed to intimidate the opponent. As coaches and parents, we need to help our young players understand what is appropriate. It is our opponent that gives us the opportunity to compete and pushes us to higher and higher levels of play. We are all different so we should not expect everyone to celebrate in the same way.

Bednarzh: For me, I personally don’t care at all how my opponent reacts or celebrates. If anything, it just adds more motivation for me to win and prevent them from doing those celebrations.

Kaplan: There is no reason to provide more motivation or information to your opponent by demonstrating negative emotions or by celebrating in a disrespectful manner. While discrete displays of positive emotion can be helpful and motivating , negative displays of emotion can alter how we feel because behavior influences emotion often as much as emotions influence behaviors.

What do you find most rewarding about being a tennis coach?

Bednarzh: The communication and interaction you have with kids is such a rewarding aspect of being a tennis coach, and being able to mold young people in a positive way is something I think all coaches cherish. I love being able to see them grow and develop, and then seeing the looks on their faces when they achieve good results.

Krass: I find tennis coaching very rewarding in these areas: Being able to help a player learn more about the game of tennis and also in the game of life. AND being able to give my energy of life to players through my sheer enthusiasm for them as people and players!

Montesi: Coaching is extremely rewarding. You get to help, develop, teach and educate a student. I still admire many of my coaches growing up. They were great role models and taught me more than just tennis. I love to be in the position where I can impact someone and truly help them with the sport. I’ve become good friends with my students, seeing them grow and become adults has been fulfilling.

Singh: The relationships built with players and families are the most rewarding, combined with the memories we create from the adventure of the tennis pathway.  I come from the old school of maintaining players over the long haul, which creates a far healthier atmosphere to work with players as they grow and change. The wins are certainly the highlight of the time spent together but the memories created on the road, at the practice courts and through crucial stages of life are truly rewarding. I have been fortunate to witness incredible stories unfold and being part of that adventure has been what i take away. When players are able to evolve and improve and eventually experience success is just an amazing feeling.

There has been a surge in popularity of other racquet sports in recent years. What are the pros and cons of how this affects tennis?

Barrell: New sports will continue to arrive. Who would ever have thought that cornhole and poker would both receive TV airtime or that playing Fortnite could get you a college scholarship? The key is to focus on what we do and why tennis is a valuable option for people. Some have argued that these other sports are complementary, but that same argument could be made for soccer improving a tennis player’s footwork, or chess improving strategy. There really are no pros or cons to other racket sports, just a need to stay focused on what tennis is delivering. Tennis is booming and it is important to keep it that way.

Bednarzh: My opinion is that every sport has the right to exist, and tennis should still be able to exist and thrive even in spite of all these other racquet sports. It’s up to the individual person to choose and play whichever sport they like, and oftentimes, there is crossover between the different paddle and racquet sports.

Nikolovski: Overall, the pros are that more people are getting involved with racquet sports, so hopefully with time as people get comfortable playing new sports such as padel or pickleball, they would be willing to try tennis as well.  The cons are that in the short term, tennis is losing players that are moving to pickleball and padel, and also that a certain percentage of tennis courts are being transitioned to pickleball or padel courts, which technically takes away opportunities for new players to try tennis.

Richmond: First, the major con: as expensive as it is to build and maintain tennis courts, compared to the relatively cheaper pickleball scene, it is disheartening to hear of popular tennis courts being dismantled and converted to pickleball courts when pickleball should be building its own. This is less of an issue with padel since padel courts also require a surrounding plexiglass structure to contain the court. Unused spaces – tennis courts included – are a different story and are fair game, but builders should generally be encouraged to build and utilize spaces conscientiously, and do their best to preserve original spaces for their original intended purposes. On the other hand, the pro to having more players involved in and attention placed on racquet sports nowadays is self-evident to providers: more players and more attention means more business.

What fundamental beliefs about tennis technique have you questioned or changed over time?

Kaplan: 1: The wrist does not snap. It extends and reduces to a fixed position through contact. 2: We don’t bend our knees, we hinge our hips. 3: The ball does not always go where we point the racket and in the direction we swing because of physical forces like friction. 4: We should not always swing “low to high.” Most balls are struck at a diagonal and high balls are often hit “high to low.” 5: Balance is zero acceleration. The goal of a hit is to momentarily lose racket balance by accelerating and to regain body balance with stability and smooth movement. 6: The goal of a swing is not extension, it is momentary velocity and acceleration at impact.

Krass: About 33 years ago, I questioned if the traditional serving motion– the full backswing down, around and back– was the best and most efficient way to serve? My answer came in 1990 when I produced a video called the Biomechanically Efficient Serving Technique, aka B.E.S.T SERVE. I am credited, by many in the Tennis Industry, as being the innovator of the ABBREVIATED SERVE that Andy Roddick and others use to their advantage!

Lewit: As a technician, I think about this a lot. There are many areas of technique that have changed. First, groundstrokes need to be more elastic and players can load and explode—leaving the ground and going airborne. Second, topspin is a huge part of the modern technical game. Third, open stances are the norm now. Fourth, jumping on the serve is standard. Fifth—follow-throughs on the forehand are typically no longer around the neck and more wrist is involved in the swing. All these areas were technical taboos in the past.  Unfortunately many coaches still teach old-school technique and still see these areas as taboo—which is crazy!

Singh: As a biomechanist, I have certainly adapted my thoughts that technique is the most essential part of tennis.  I now believe that player character and player personality are even more important than technical capacity. When I started my coaching pathway back in 1994, it was all about the technical skills and my coaching philosophy was all about this.  Though the last 30 yrs as a coach and due to the multiple varied experiences, I believe it is all about the character first.  Ultimately, technique is often more a mental than physical skill, and if the player does not have the character, drive or discipline to correct strokes, we won’t see changes in the competitive environment anyway.

What is something you think you can improve on as a coach?

Carmo: I am always looking for ways to improve as a tennis coach.  Coaching is an art and there is not only one way of doing it. Players learn in different ways and players need different perspectives. I learn from other coaches and players daily. I still need to improve and observe in players how much they need to be pushed and how far I can push them mentally.

De Lucas: Being in the early stages of my career, there is a lot of room for improvement for me as a coach. Something I admire about the best coaches and players in the world is their commitment to ongoing education and improvement. At the Cary Leeds Center, I am surrounded by great coaches who I look up to, and I would love to incorporate more of their coaching techniques into my practices.

Pinho: To maintain the same level of enthusiasm when working with groups or a demographic that I normally don’t work with. As I value the personal connection that is developed with the players that I work with regularly, at times it can be more challenging to work on groups where there’s less of that.

What advice would you give a former player who has desires to go into coaching?

Bloom: When you switch from a player to a coach you have to say goodbye to your ego and realize, first of all, that it’s not about you anymore, but instead its about your student. Do what your student needs, and say what they need to hear, not what you want to say. Also, realize that 99.9 percent of the time, you are preparing the student for their next coach, it’s just reality. You should have red lines that you don’t cross. For example, don’t compromise your professional integrity because  of money or pressure from parents.

Kaplan: Coaching is a passion and a business driven by soft skills so learn the personality, attitudes and habits of  your targeted market  to predict their behavior and what makes them tick. Don’t overestimate your strengths and underestimate your weaknesses. Use all your resources, opportunities don’t wait for you. As an entrepreneur get used to rejection and don’t rely on being told what to do. Finally be realistic and reliable. Being interested is better than being interesting, being respectful is better than being respected.

Lewit: Be humble. I have trained many young coaches. Sometimes a former player—if they were very good—think they know a lot because they played at a high level. While that does give them an edge, there is a still A LOT to learn about teaching and junior development. Be humble and seek out good mentors.  Learn the art of coaching. Never rest on your laurels. Mentors, for me, are the most important key to becoming a great coach. Education is also crucial. Keep learning and try to get better every day!

Pinho: To invest in him/herself from an education perspective and gain knowledge and expertise from others who have been in the industry for a long time. Additionally, to ensure that they go into a club that can help them to develop a multitude of skills and support their continuing education efforts.

How do you feel about students who question you?

Barrell: Tennis players must become independent critical thinkers so in one way I would be more concerned about players that do not ask questions or engage in conversations with the coach. It is their tennis, and a two-way coach-player relationship should be at the center of all learning. And if a player is asking difficult questions, we should ask why. It might be that they are feeling that they are not being heard or receiving enough attention. We should also not forget that classroom education has massively changed in the last 20 years and while it is important to be respectful, players are required to solve problems and ask questions every day at school. So as coaches, we must set the boundaries and then actively engage players in finding solutions.

De Lucas: If a student questions me, I will always listen and try to understand their thoughts. As long as they are respectful, I will explain to them the purpose of each drill and the reasoning behind the decisions I make to avoid misunderstandings. I want them to know that I am there to help them.

Lewit: Some coaches rule with an iron fist and discourage questioning. I have learned that questions from students reveal their thoughts and can help create trust and rapport between the coach and the student.  The coach should answer in an intelligent way and explain himself or herself. The student will appreciate the honest response and this will build trust in the relationship.  I try to listen carefully to the concerns of my students and answer them as honestly as I can and to the best of my ability.  If a coach doesn’t want to answer questions, I think that’s a red flag for any player or parent.

Montesi: I like having good open communication with my students, they should feel comfortable asking questions. If they question the next exercise or routine as a coach I have to take the time to reinforce the benefits of it and I do enjoy explaining further the reasons behind any activity. There always has to be mutual respect between coaches and students

Who do you look at on the pro tour currently as a role model for your students? Why?

Carmo: I know that Novak Djokovic is not everyone’s favorite player. But we need to respect and learn from him. His flexibility,  his technique, his enthusiasm to compete after all these years and most importantly, his mental strength makes Novak a role model for other students.

Krass: Role models, on the Men’s tour for my students, could be Carlos Alcaraz, for his all-court, versatile Singles game, Max Cressy for his relentless serve-and-volley Singles game and American Davis Cuppers, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, for their relentless commitment to Serve-and-Volley Doubles play. On the Women’s Side, I like Iga Swiatek for her pursuit of greatness through her disciplined shot selection, shot placement and net play!

Nikolovski: Rafa Nadal and especially Novak Djokovic have really raised the level of professionalism to a level that has never been seen before. Their ever-evolving passion for the sport has also been something that we have not seen before. From the younger players, it would be Swiatek, Coco, Sinner and Alcaraz, as they are all very exciting to watch, as well as being aggressive, professional and respectful, regardless of if they win or lose.

How will the continued development of AI change the coaching landscape as we go forward?

Kaplan: AI is going to continue to infiltrate tennis coaching in the very near future and it has the potential to be a great help to how effectively coaches can elevate students. The key is recognizing that it is a collaborative tool, not a substitute for knowledge, experience and understanding of the sport. As with all tools it can be used to serve us and AI can provide an enormous amount of information and analytics to give us greater insight. It also has the potential for abuse and can dumb us down with laziness, complacency, misinformation and a sense of false competence. Coaching should exercise caution with AI because it is so powerful and with great power comes great responsibility.