SO YOU WANT TO BE A PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER



A no-nonsense look at what it takes to be a professional tennis player

After what many would consider a successful career, Jo-Wilford Tsonga recently retired from professional tennis.

But I felt he could have done a lot more with his talent.

I could observe Tsonga off-court quite a bit, and over the last few years, he had become just a shell of the player he was when he first burst on the scene.

He seemed to have accepted the role of a journeyman tennis player, a player who was merely going through the motions at each tournament and wasn't willing to put the extra work in to maintain his position as a top 10 player. 

Many players, men, and women, merely show up each week to make up the numbers.
Becoming a professional tennis player is not easy, and it's perhaps even more challenging to stay at the top once you get there.

If your goal is to turn professional one day, there are 3 essential elements that you might not have thought about much.

Watch out for outdated training methods.

1. Training Methodology

It's a big word, but it's essential to becoming a professional tennis player. 

What method of teaching do you train under?

The training you undertake needs to include as many elements as possible that mirror an actual match. If these "real" match elements are not present, it will be harder for you to bridge the gap between what you do in practice and how well you play during competition.
The common term used is "gamed-based training,"

It also means the type of teaching style the facility or coach uses. If you're not happy getting yelled at and screamed at during practice (yep, some players and parents are okay with that!), look for a coach that better suits your personality.

2. Technique & Strategy

The way you strike the ball and having the ability to implement specific strategies for each opponent has to be part of the make-up of a professional player. 

But surprisingly, the technique is less important than you think. 

Most people believe the technique is the most critical element to reaching the top. But a player's mind has a much stronger influence on whether a player can become a professional tennis player or not.

Nadal has a great game, but his mind separates him from others.

How can you know that the training can provide the most up-to-date technical and strategic training? 

The best way to know is to look at the coach's record. Have they been able to create winners consistently over the years? Don't get distracted by 1 to 2 players who have done well with this coach. That can be based on luck.

3. The Mindset

Becoming a professional tennis player takes time. 

It takes time to train yourself to reach that level, and when you're there, it takes a unique mindset to stay motivated to improve or maintain that level for some years.
This is where Jo-Wilford Tsonga came unstuck.

The professional tennis circuit is a rarefied world. You fly into a country, stay in the best hotels, are treated like gods, and can pick up good money by playing within your comfort level. 

If you're successful, the professional tennis tour can be amazing.

Many professional players today are simply going through the motions. Some have done exceptionally well a few years earlier and then later opted for an easier lifestyle. Sometimes I can't blame them.

Only a few players have the strength of character to reach the top and maintain the drive to keep improving their games over many years. 

How can you know whether you have the mental strength to reach the top and stay there? I'm not sure anyone knows until they experience the lifestyle themselves.

We seldom excel at anything we don't enjoy. 

It's important that tennis is a positive experience when you are growing up. It should be fun. Tennis should be your passion, not a chore, because someone is pushing you to do it.

This is the only way to ensure that you are productive on the court during practice and that you continue to be challenged to improve your game over the long term. It's the only way it can work.

Tennis is not about beautiful strokes. It's nice to have an attractive game, but everyone has a different style, and any "style" can reach the top.

The most essential elements to take a player to the top primarily involve the brain. 

It's time for tennis teaching to reduce its infatuation with stroke production and put more of the spotlight on developing players mentally.

Once this happens, tennis will undertake a significant leap forward in the standard of matches.  





Location: Bangkok, Thailand

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