Tips From the Tennis Pro: Four Things Great Players Do

All great players do many things that helps separate themselves from the rest of the field. My coach in the 1980s always talked about Bjorn Borg’s diet being superior to the players of his time.

My friend Viorel Marcu (longtime practice partner for Borg) says Bjorn would practice in the morning and then again after lunch and a nap. Asking Viorel if Bjorn was as calm and likable as he appeared on the court, he laughed and said, “He was the nicest guy in the world. Just don’t interrupt his nap time.” Borg had great respect for practice, fuel, rest and recovery.

The first thing a player with their eye on greatness can do is surround themself with great people—coaches, practice partners, trainers and friends. The player needs a coach who has a similar vision and is willing to provide the time to keep extending the growing volume of balls necessary for growth under their watchful eye. The player needs practice partners who are collaborative in their needs. The player needs a trainer who matches their endurance, speed, strength and flexibility. The player needs friends who understand the demands of high performance and aren’t demanding of their time. Lastly, the player needs supportive parents who are encouraging, caring, sympathetic, understanding and concerned. If any of these elements are missing, the support network of the player is not complete.

One of my students, Michelle Roitgarts, recently asked Jimmy Connors about the key to maximum junior development. He said, “Parental support.”

The second thing great players possess is they are very specific in what they want and do. Their goals are very specific. Not just their ranking or what they want to achieve in their next tournament, but in their entire schedule which should be plotted out meticulously. They should be aware of their learning breaks, build ups, tournaments and recovery periods well in advance. They never just go out to hit, but practice with a purpose. The same with practice matches. Training should have short-term and long-term goals.

The third thing very successful players do is to hold themselves accountable to all of their actions and situations. Ever lose to a pusher? It was the pusher’s fault, right? No! Ever been late for a practice match? Are you practicing to be late for your next match? Do you blame it on the traffic? Can’t play at school because you are failing a class? Is that the teacher’s fault? If you are failing at school, you may not be eligible for that college you have been eyeing. Too many faults. You must be accountable for all of the necessities I’ve covered in this article.

The last thing is to try something new. In practice, always explore what else you can do to protect and expand your game. Pete Sampras was a top national junior when he stepped back to leap forward as a one-hander. As a 12-year-old, Rafael Nadal was a righty. What if his Uncle Toni didn’t have the vision to turn Rafa into a lefty?

If you’ll notice the great players in this article, they all surrounded themselves with great people who were very specific in what they wanted, were held accountable and tried new things.