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  • The Wave of New Coaches on the ATP Tour: A Breath of Fresh Air for 2014

    The Wave of New Coaches on the ATP Tour: A Breath of Fresh Air for 2014

    Edberg and Federer

    It is with lots of interest in all media especially social media that we read of the new additions on the men’s side. What is striking is the fact that all of the coaches that are hired were superstars from the 80′s and 90′s. It started with Murray hiring Ivan Lendl and we can clearly see the improvement since Lendl joined the Murray camp. Now Roger Federer has hired Stefan Edberg, former number 1 serve and volley expert from Sweden, and Boris Becker is hired by Novak Djokovic, another specialist at the serve and volley game. Connors was hired some years back by Roddick and lately Connors briefly worked with Sharapova.

    As a former Top 10 player, I have firsthand knowledge of all of these guys since I played them many, many times. In fact, I predicted that Boris Becker will win Wimbledon in 1985 after he beat me in the finals of Queens in London. He did. I beat Stefan Edberg at Wimbledon when he was making his debut from the juniors, although that win was in five sets and one of my best ever comebacks from two sets down. I lost to Lendl in the 1986 semis at the French Open so I have intimate knowledge of their games and being around them for decades, one gets to know their thinking…

    You may ask yourself, why are these top guys hiring guys who played totally different styles than them? Here are my answers:

    1. Besides a new fresh pair of eyes, it is exciting to have a new guy at your side, which brings the desire up to perform and that is hugely important. Desire is a must!

    2. The men’s tour has become so brutally physical that players are thinking about how to shorten points. These coaches played 90% of their points “short”. Meaning serve and volley, chip and charge, etc. That was their state of mind. Roger and Novak are looking for some of that. (More on this aspect later in this blog.)

    3. Publicity for the “team” brings a whole new flavor to their camp. It is all good! Their sponsors like it, the fans like it, and with the explosion of “immediate news” on social media, it is all good!

    I will break down the different “celebrity” coaches here from Connors to the sudden hiring of Edberg and Becker.

    Connors is an absolute icon in our sport. A tough guy, with a very hard edge, who won more ATP tournaments than any man on this planet! It was the perfect “American story” for Andy Roddick to have hired Jimmy when Andy was on the verge of being more dominant. The heartbreaking final against Roger at Wimbledon was perhaps the moment that extinguished that “flame”. None of us will know when it happens but I suspect that match really affected Andy. That type of relationship has very little to do with a new “technical improvement” rather the player is looking for that extra mental boost that may help them reach a little higher. No guarantees that would happen.

    Ivan Lendl joining Andy Murray was the perfect fit in my opinion. Andy Murray was “bridesmaid” to Roger and Rafa for a number of years, and it was beginning to look like he would not be able to get “over the hump” mentally at Majors in particular.

    Ivan was in that same position for years. He was in the finals of eight Majors before he won his first! Remember Brad Gilbert, who coached Andre Agassi with great success and was hired by Murray via the LTA in England to help Murray? It did not work! Why? Murray did not have the same respect for Gilbert as he has for Lendl. It was so obvious that it was embarrassing at times at tournaments and the relationship ended shortly after that. Lendl helped Murray understand what it will take mentally to get his first Major win and he did! Now Murray has a US Open, an Olympic gold medal, and a Wimbledon title under his belt. Murray also just came off back surgery so he has issues physically. He may have to start thinking about shortening points…

    Federer hiring Stefan Edberg is another smart move after a long stint with another serve and volley expert, Paul Annacone. But since Roger slid in the rankings to No. 7, it was the right time for a change of scenery. It happens all the time. Edberg is the consummate gentleman of our sport. An eight time Grand Slam champion, he knows how to move forward to the net and is a very cool cucumber. A perfect mental fit to help Roger understand how to shorten points and what it takes to perhaps serve and volley a little more. It is all about finding that “little edge”. None of these coaches are hired for a new forehand or backhand, but certainly could be of great assistance in the volley area, movement, and reading skills at the net, and how to be a little smarter about attacking at the right time and the surprise effect of coming to the net. This is a great fit for Roger. I think Roger bends his elbow too much on his backhand volley and gives it too much “chop” at contact. It would be interesting to see if Edberg helps him shorten his backhand volley preparation to be more solid. There, I criticized Roger!… 🙂

    Djokovic hiring Becker was another surprise! I was with Becker and Edberg at Richard Branson’s fundraiser on Necker Island a few weeks ago, and had a conversation with both of them. None of them let on what they were up to for 2014.

    Novak is an incredibly gifted athlete that has all the stuff physically and mentally. His volleys are not his stronger shots but again, I think him hiring Becker points to a “fresh” start with new excitement in trying to be more aggressive with a new team member. It is all about finding that extra mental edge at this high level. Novak is looking to be No. 1 again after Rafa snatched it back at the end of the season.

    David Ferrer just fired his longtime mentor/coach. Perhaps the best player out there today who may never win a Major unless he adds a little more risk in coming to the net. Ferrer has all the stuff mentally. His serve has improved but I think he can still improve on his serve a little and coming forward will be necessary. Like they say, no risk, no reward. I am a huge fan of Ferrer. I certainly hope he can add a Major to his mantle. But it will require him to risk a lot more and to throw the “kitchen sink” at those moments in big matches where he used to play “not to lose” and then did lose. Perhaps play closer in to the baseline and risk blistering shots down the line from closer in and follow it in… Again, no guarantees but that is the only way to get the rewards.

    Rafa needs no “celebrity” coach. He is a simple thinker, is perhaps the best “self-motivator” out there. Uncle Toni is there and I do not see any changes in the family set-up. They “tinker” with his game all the time, and I suspect that if the Nadal camp see improvements from Roger and Novak in shortening points, they will follow suit.

    I, for one, will be watching closely in 2014. Adding these coaches will be interesting to see if any changes “sank in” and will bear fruit! Go at it, guys!

  • Johan Kriek On His Coaching Philosophy

    Johan Kriek On His Coaching Philosophy

    Johan Kriek Coaching
    My coaching philosophy…

    If one thinks there is just “one right way” to hit a shot, a serve or he/she is playing too flat, too much topspin or he/she is playing too defensively or too aggressively, etc. I say it is shortsighted. If a coach wants kids to play like he/she did, I say it is shortsighted and will shortchange the student’s tennis development.

    I was very aggressive as a player, and it showed in my fines!… Lol! Although that is what I liked to do as a pro, as a tennis coach and mentor to my academy kids, I really study a kid’s “tennis persona” and coach accordingly. However, I also teach my students every shot imaginable. Some shots we work on a weekly basis I call “specialty shots” such as clay court sliding low and close to the net drop-shot gets, drop-shot get lobs, topspin volleys off both sides, backhand and forehand topspin lobs in every direction, backhand jump overheads while moving backwards down the line and crosscourt, etc. My reason is that I would like to send my kids into the tennis battlefield with as many “tennis tools in their tennis toolbox” as I can. Only then will I be comfortable, regardless if they win or lose, that I have done my job. Obviously, the mental side is a huge factor in executing everything in the match, starting with the shots, then the tactics, etc. But I will talk about mental issues in later articles. It is the most neglected part in US kids’ tennis development. I see a lot of “mental midgets” (just like I was at that age) running around playing tournaments.

    Let’s return to my previous comment about a kid’s “persona.” I have girls in the under 12′s that hit quite flat and parents asked me if I should change their shots. Heck no! I will, however, make sure they understand that to be a little bit more effective and safer with their groundstrokes, is to dip the racket a little more in the “rally mode,” to use the forearm/wrist a little more in creating topspin, aim a little higher over the net, and keep the same good intensity in footwork, reading skills and look for that opportunity to attack, be it an outright winner with their favorite “flatter” shot or to come in and attack the short ball or put away the volley or overhead.

    Just listen to the commentators talk about Nadal and his “flatter shots” suddenly magically appearing, as if it were the biggest thing since sliced bread! I know they gear their commentary mostly towards a “low information” tennis public, but it is so clear that all sorts of spins and flat shots have their place in a match. A very clear example of spin is Stosur’s kick serve that puts a lot of pressure on right handers especially returning Stosur’s second serves on the ad court. Another super topspin that is in the history of our sport — probably the biggest and most effective shot — is Rafa’s forehand. He pins Federer in the ad corner with huge high and heavy topspins, especially on clay, and then plays ping-pong from there. Winners start popping everywhere off his forehand.

    However, I also saw James Blake beat Nadal some years ago twice in a row by hitting flat! Blake hit his forehand to Nadal’s forehand so hard that Nadal could not create the same power or topspin to neutralize Blake’s penetrating and skidding forehand. That was very smart! Blake was so confident doing that over and over that he ended playing incredible tennis in all other areas of his game. As we say it, he played “in the zone.” Pretty simple concept but to execute it well all together to win is another story.

    In closing, I teach my kids all the shots they may need in a battle. But I also know some like to play more baseline-based tennis, be it a runner retriever, or an aggressive runner and a big hitter while others are more aggressive moving to the net quicker. But all need to know what to do in all situations. It all comes down to executing the right shots for the right application in a particular situation. The rest is “luck of the draw”…

  • Johan Kriek on Character in Tennis

    Johan Kriek on Character in Tennis

    As an owner/operator of an elite tennis academy in Charlotte, NC, I would like to talk about character. It matters the most in my book. We all make mistakes, but it is the person with character who realizes they have made a mistake and can fess up and truly feel sorry, say so, and apologize and try not to make the same mistake again. That is a person with good character.

    Character also plays a huge role in becoming successful in tennis. It is so refreshing to see our kids listen and truly try new things which we coach all the time because tennis coaching is a step-by-step process with ever increasing demands in “execution” of shots as well as the building of maturity in the mental side of the game. Needless to say, there are so many “boxes” to check off to learn to play this game at the best of our ability, it takes a lot of time, huge effort, and dedication coupled with a limitless “thirst” to do better every day. It would be easy for me to try and focus on getting a “player” from the top ranks in the world. Would be a great “feather in my cap”, however, I truly enjoy seeing a kid start to bloom from a very early age and create their own “look” and build their tennis character. That, to me, is by far the most satisfying aspect of the academy business. I can’t wait to see where some of these 8-16 year olds will be in the next decade, etc.

    So how does one break out of the “pack” of all these boys and girls playing ITF Futures and Challenger events, such as the older boys we are working with the past few weeks? There are thousands of very good players out there, all trying to make it on the ATP or the WTA tours. It takes one tough character to “stand out”. Having talent and weapons is great, but if you are not one tough character, talent will only take you so far. It is the person with a strong character who will leave no stone unturned to achieve their goals. Setbacks will be there, no doubt. Failures will pop up aplenty. Losing will make one feel like a failure. But it is the person with a strong-willed character, a never-say-die attitude, even if the odds seem overwhelming, that eventually makes it.

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