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Mentors: Why They Are Important

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One of the main responsibilities of a coach is to be a good role model for their players. In the world of sports, the term coach is often synonym to the term mentor. 1 By doing the right things and showcasing strong positive core values, a coach can be an important mentor in a player’s life. As a coach I strongly encourage my players to ask questions and be curious. To want to learn. To want to be better. To go beyond what they think they are capable of. But who coaches a coach? How can we ensure that we as coaches continue to grow and learn and become better, so that we can become models worth emulating? The answer lies in mentors. Mentors are experienced and trusted advisers. In other words, they have our backs. They aren’t afraid to give us their honest opinion and welcome questions from their mentees. The best mentors establish an open line of communication where you can establish trust, and openness, where the mentor can help a mentee learn from him or her and make the m...
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Desperately Seeking a New Format for College Tennis

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This week, tennis fans will be treated to the inaugural ATP Next Generation Finals in Milan, Italy. The Next Gen organizers have introduced some interesting rule changes this week and this caught my eye big time! Some of the rules include player coaching via headsets, no lets, a 25-second shot clock between points, no doubles alley, a movement-free policy for fans, shorter sets, no-ad scoring and hawk-eye on all line calls. Now THIS is what I’m talking about! In 2015, the NCAA approved some ‘major’ changes to the college tennis format, including no-ad scoring, no warm-ups and a set of doubles instead of a pro-set to 8 games 1 . The intention here was to make college tennis matches, which can last more than 4 hours, more fan-friendly. I say these ‘major’ changes to college tennis to enhance fan engagement are totally missing the mark.  To make college tennis as engaging as possible, we need to be bolder. Fans attend games to take in the social scene. 3  They also wa...
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Using the Law of Process to Help our Student-Athletes Become Better Leaders

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The best leaders are the ones who help others up instead of tearing them down. My driving passion is to help make a difference in the lives of student-athlete – this is why I chose to pursue a career in college coaching. As a coach, my job is not only to prepare these young women to win tennis matches, but also to help build the next generation of leaders. There are countless leadership skills that student-athletes will get to learn once in college, but there is one critical skill that is overlooked, and that is Process.  If more college athletes were exposed to the Law of Process, I believe they would be given a great competitive advantage. The Law of Process says that nothing happens overnight. 1 Instead, we must commit to a process to achieve our goals. If we know this to be true and obvious, why do so many of us continue to pursue instant gratification, the path of least resistance? We want results now, but often we aren’t willing to put in the hard work that is req...
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Why EVERY Female Junior Tennis Player Should HAVE to Go To College

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At 17, I had a big decision to make.  Would I go pro or accept a scholarship to play college tennis? For me, the decision was actually an easy one: my highest International Tennis Federation (ITF) ranking was 130 and I had little experience playing professional tournaments. While many of my peers also decided to go the college tennis route, some junior female players I knew opted to turn pro and join the WTA Tour. Figuring out whether to go to school or turn pro is something that many young female juniors wrestle with at some point.  I talk to a lot of recruits and feel that they don’t all have access to the information they need to make the best decision possible.  Studies show that only higher income in term of prize money, and higher performance in terms of ranking reduce quit b ehavior. 3 This means that when a player is not ranked high enough, she does not make enough money and the chances of her quitting are higher. Additionally the sad reality is that mo...
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