Coaching

As a former professional tennis player and current coach, some of the questions I receive involve developing confidence and being nervous in tournaments. I explain to most parents that their child is nervous in tournaments because they are unsure of what the outcome will be and they are looking...Read more

Tennis is a very tough game. In addition to having very good technique, you also need to possess these other skills: ► Mental: You must be resilient and positive. ► Physical: You need to be fast, strong and with good stamina. ► Tactical: You must make the right decisions in very limited time frames...Read more

The era of the serve and volley is pretty much over. Today's tennis pros are stronger, faster, hit harder groundstrokes and return serves better than ever. These factors, combined with slower courts and improved string technology, have allowed players to easily pass their opponents at the net after...Read more

The main objectives of playing the net in doubles is to be helpful to your partner, be a threat to the opponent and to finish points. But it can also turn into something else: YOU being a target. Getting hit at the net or being attacked by the opponent can be dangerous and a real problem. Sometimes...Read more

At the most recent PTR International Symposium for coaches, featuring more than 600 coaches from around the world, I was a presenter on the topic of Spanish exercises and principles. One of the main points of the presentation was the importance of footwork and movement training in the Spanish...Read more

Finding the right school to play college tennis is intimidating and scary, with many unexpected twists and turns. Coaches negotiate deals with recruits for a living, players and their families do not … advantage: Coaches. I's not easy to get past the superficial, as my longtime student and friend...Read more

I find it quite amusing when I attend junior tennis tournaments and see the teenagers huddled around either socializing or trying to snap a photo for social media. Then, suddenly their name is called and they need to rush to the court to play a match. They may win or lose, but if they do not...Read more

The final matches of the Orange Ball Box league during the spring of 2017 were critical. After five consecutive months of weekly matches hosted and organized by Center Court Tennis Academy in Chatham, NJ, the point spread between the top performers was marginal. My son, Rafael, was the youngest...Read more

Many people have their opinions of how someone became so good on the ATP Tour and then there are those who played and saw the progression of how someone became such a great tennis player. I am not sure if I was fortunate or unfortunate to have played Kevin Anderson five times on the ATP Tour. I was...Read more

There are several important factors that contribute to match performance of a tennis player, including: Physical, Psychological, Technical and Tactical (management of skills or decision-making), respectively. Although these different factors all together contribute to a tennis player’s match...Read more