TALENT IS NEVER ENOUGH
Having a lot of tennis talent can sometimes be a problem for some players because at the beginning of your tennis career talent goes a long way. At lower levels, talent alone can win matches. It’s only when you get higher up the rankings and play the bigger events that your reliance on talent alone will really hurt you. I was at a group 1 ITF Junior event last week and the standard of tennis was very high. Certainly, much higher than the level just a few years ago. Techniques and physical conditioning were exceptional. However, there was one area that was almost invisible, strategic intelligence! Many of the young players on display last week were the best in the world. Many will be participating in the Grand Slam events this year. I can imagine that in their early years many of these top juniors dominated the junior events in their countries. And there lies the problem. Most of the players last week are so gifted, tactics were never needed. They won on talent alone!