Developing Before Winning

June 22, 2015 | By Jacopo Tezza
ThinkstockPhotos-466057553

All sports have a common factor: Results. I have been coaching for several years now, and I have often dealt with parents who were extremely results-oriented instead of development-oriented. The lack of results in their children caused a lot of drama in the family and pressure on both the player and the coach. So when is winning secondary in the sport of tennis?

The early stages of a tennis player are extremely important for the player’s future achievements. Until the age of 14 and 15, the primary focus of the coach should be the development of the player. In my opinion, there are three main areas during this process that should take place.

The first area involves technique. The player should have clean and sound strokes, along with proper footwork. This will help the player adjust in the future to a more physical, faster and intense game. A proper and clean technique often means less injuries, as sound swings allow more natural movements and less effort on the joints.

The second important trait in developing a player focuses on the mental aspect of the game. As a coach, you want to make sure the young player keeps learning, and at the same time, enjoys what they do. You want to create a positive environment that thrives with a mixture of discipline and fun for the players. It is very important to instill work ethic and discipline into a young player’s routine, as this establishes the foundation for their dedication to the game. It is much easier to set the fundamentals for their work ethic at the early stages than later on.

The third part of development takes place with the component of competition. When kids compete, we should not focus on the results, but more on the manner in which they compete. Do they give up when things get rough? Do they play overly passive or overly aggressive in the tight moments of the match? Do they learn from their losses? How well do they prepare before their matches? Do they implement what they work on in training sessions or do they revert to old habits? These are just some questions that are worth to focus on and work on if the responses are not positive. We often see a player performing very well in practice, only to underachieve in official matches. Teaching how to compete is not an easy task, and it requires knowledge and patience. Competing is a natural skill. Great competitors are born, but I truly believe that anyone can work on it and improve upon it.

I have often seen young players dominate the scene at just 12-years-old, but only a few years later, their game has stopped improving and the results were poor.

Boys and girls differ slightly in their development, as girls tend to show their skills and results a little earlier than boys. The development process should take priority over winning, no matter the gender at the early ages. I am always pleased to work with coaches and parents who understand the natural process of developing a tennis player … parents who let the coach do their job without putting pressure on the kid. Tennis is not a science, but I have seen more players “falling out of love” with the game than becoming successful players when the priority was winning and not improving.


Jacopo Tezza
Academy Director, Evert Academy

Jacopo Tezza is currently the academy director at the Evert Academy and began coaching there in 2010. He graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in International Communications, where the team reached a ranking of fifth in the country. He has been an assistant coach at both the University of Central Florida following a professional playing career. Originally from Verona, Italy, he was a top 30 player in Italy and was ranked as high as 1,003rd in the world. PTR- and-GPTCA certified, Tezza has worked with players such as Madison Keys, Lauren Davis, Olivia Rogwaska and Maria Sanchez. 

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