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CAN YOU PLAY YOUR BEST TENNIS AT 3AM?

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Several years ago I was on a practice court with Tamarine Tanasugarn. She was part of a team that had traveled with me overseas to compete. It was 7am and everyone was taking time to adjust to the unfamiliar conditions. Everyone except Tamarine that is! This was our first practice session after the long flight. Tamarine was striking the ball as cleanly as ever.   Her timing was perfect from the first ball until the last. What created her ability to adapt so well to the conditions and thrive? Later Paradorn Srichaphan, who reached a career high of #9 ATP had the same adaptability. I began to ask myself what this quality was and more importantly whether I could actually teach it to my students on-court. I began to formulate what I called 'The 3am Theory', the ability to play your best tennis at anytime, anywhere, on any surface, any, any… even at 3am in the morning.   Imagine you were woken from a sound sleep at 3am and asked to play a tie-break against a tough ...
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BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN PRACTICE AND MATCH-PLAY: Retaining and Applying Lessons Under Pressure

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I recently worked with a young player who had made tremendous strides in improving her ball control. She had learned to balance her powerful game with better ball placement and reduce her unforced errors.  Her progress was obvious when she won a local tournament in her age group, defeating a national team member in the final. Notably, she won both the semi-final and final in the third set, showcasing her newfound ability to handle pressure and construct points more effectively. However, last weekend, she competed in an ITF event against a higher-ranked opponent and reverted to her old erratic self. Instead of maintaining her newfound control and confidence, she reverted back to making repeated unforced errors. It was as if all her progress had vanished under the weight of higher competition. Why does this happen? And more importantly, what can be done to guard against players slipping back into old negative habits? "One of the biggest challenges for tennis  coaches is ensuring...
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Location: Paris, France
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WHY HITTING ACES IS A MUST: They reflect your mindset

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  The Necessity of Hitting Aces in Professional Tennis In professional tennis, the serve is more than just a way to begin a point—for advanced players, the ability to hit aces consistently is not a luxury but a necessity. Let’s explore why delivering aces is crucial and how it impacts a player’s overall game and match performance. Dominating with your serve is a crucial part of  professional tennis. 1. Serving Aggressively: Protecting Your Service Games Losing your serve can spell disaster, and often means also losing the set. Matches at the professional level are frequently decided by a single break of serve, and recovering from such a loss of serve can feel like climbing a mountain. This is why maintaining an aggressive mindset and aiming for aces throughout the match is vital. An aggressive mindset keeps you "honest". Hitting regular aces can save energy while also sending a psychological message to the opponent, signalling that they will have few chances to break your se...
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Location: Bangkok, Thailand
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TRAINING WITH CONSEQUENCES: Why Every Mistake in Practice Should Matter

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  Why “Playing On” in Practice is Hurting Your Match Performance In many tennis practice sessions, whenever a player hits the ball out they “play on,” believing that the goal of practice is to hit as many balls as possible—prioritizing volume over accuracy. This mindset creates a dangerous disconnect between practice sessions and match play. The Problem: No Consequences in Practice In a real match, every mistake has a consequence. A missed shot could mean losing a crucial point, a break of serve, or even the entire match. But in practice sessions, many players ignore errors and keep hitting, assuming that "playing on" and sheer repetition will make them better. They're seeking comfort in their practice. Unfortunately, this approach leads to a (mentally) painful realization when they step into a competitive match: suddenly, every mistake matters, and the mental adjustment can often be overwhelming. The transition from practice to actual matches will  become a lot easier f...
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Location: Bangkok, Thailand
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DRIVING YOUR SUCCESS IN TENNIS

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Driving Your Success in Tennis: Why Strategy and Mentality Trump Perfect Strokes Imagine planning a long road trip to another state and you've never made this particular trip before. Your car is ready, but what are the real essentials you'll need for the trip?  A map to guide you, and the ability to navigate highways, follow routes, and drive within the stressful environment of the motorway.  Getting to your destination requires knowing where to go and driving skills In tennis, many competitive players and their coaches obsess over perfecting their strokes, believing flawless technique is the key to winning matches. That's like polishing your car in the driveway at home every day and expecting that a clean car makes a difference in getting where you want to be, but of course, it doesn't. Similarly, great strokes don’t suddenly translate to great results. Just like a spotlessly clean car doesn’t guarantee that you will reach your destination, classic strokes won’t win...
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