ABOUT ME

In 2019 I published a book on Amazon titled 'Perspective' (A Tennis Point of View), a culmination of my life in tennis. From my early days on court in Albany, a small country town in the south of Western Australia to the clay courts of Europe and to the endless hours on court teaching the sport to students of all ages, Perspective was and still is my legacy of sorts to tennis.
Every tennis player has a story, most are probably a lot more exciting than mine, however I felt almost an obligation to describe tennis in my own words to the 'every day' tennis player, not necessarily the ones who reached dizzy heights of stardom.
Not that rankings are that important however in 1986 when I left Western Australia as a 17-year-old to move to Brisbane to train full time for 18 months I had gained enough points to secure an 18's ranking of number 7 in WA.
Those points were accumulated through several semi final and quarter final appearances that proved one thing to me above all, I was beginning to understand the sport.
There were no big tournament wins to be brutally honest. 
In fact, I actually had more success in doubles. 
I lost in the final of the 16's boys singles in the Fremantle State Championships in 1985 but a year earlier I won the Melville State Championships boys 18 Doubles as a 15-year-old with my good buddy Dale Jones (Jonesy).
We also won the East Fremantle boys 18 Doubles the same year at the Coca Cola State Championships as they were then known.
Over the course of the year and a half that I spent in both QLD and NSW both training and playing tournaments, I experienced some highs and lows of tennis that I found to be invaluable for my future growth as a player and inevitably, a coach.
As an example (and this is by no means a gloat on my behalf) I trained every day with two guys who made a living from the sport from the late 80's to the mid 90's, Andrew Kratzmann and Peter Trammachi.
Those two played main draws in either doubles or singles at almost every Grand Slam over their careers and Andrew or 'Kratz' lost in the final of the Australian Open Mens Doubles in 2000 with partner Wayne Black 16-18 in the fifth set. 
Kratz also teamed with Roger Federer at the 2000 Wimbledon Championships and they reached the quarter finals of the Mens Doubles and he reached a high of World number 13 in Mens Doubles, again in 2000.
Where am I going with this?
I never lost to Kratz in our ladder challenge matches, something I take some heart from but also much frustration.
Could I have gone further with my tennis?
The sport offers many possibilities as much of the content of my book suggests.
A cheeky little 12-year-old fellow by the name of Pat Rafter also trained at our facility in Brisbane and I vividly recall having a hit with him on a few occasions as we swapped practice partners regularly.
Pat always called me 'Mats' in reference to my hero Mats Wilander from Sweden.
As I wrote earlier, cheeky little bugger was young Pat.
Pat was no world beater back then but he had some ability as a 12-year-old for sure, however no one could ever have predicted back then that he would become the World's best in 1999.
In 1991 I travelled to Europe where I played the European Money Tournament Circuit, a step down from the Futures Circuit and two steps down from the Challenger Circuit.
To say that I learned more in that 10 weeks than I had ever learned about tennis in my life was an understatement. Playing against guys who basically did not miss a ball either in the warm up or in the match itself has a lasting effect on you in a sport that does not reward mediocrity.
I returned from Europe with a mind full of ideas as far as coaching was concerned and I naturally put those ideas into my own coaching programs.
Teaching technique was and still remains my biggest focus as it is the one thing that can either make or break a student's game. If the correct technique is implemented at any stage of a career, it can go a long way to providing a player with peace of mind when stepping on court.
Knowing that your shots own substance and consistency will never guarantee a win however it will provide a player with confidence and self-belief that when tested their shots can withstand an opponent's advances. 
If I were to describe my own style of play, even now into my mid 50's it would be this, I allow my opponents to lose without necessarily going all out for a win.
Consistency can afford you that luxury.
Correct technique affords you that consistency.
Tennis is a humbling sport as it can make you look silly some days even though you think you own some knowledge of it. There is always someone better than you at every level and there is always someone who can teach the game better than even the shrewdest of tennis coaches.
Humbling, yet enjoyable as it's a sport that is not unlike golf where one day you may play a blinder, the next day your game owns no resemblance to the previous day's 'expertise'.
Coaching is the same.
One day a student may warm to your ideas, the next day a student may struggle to implement your ideas.
Perseverance and knowledge seeking is a necessity for improvement as both a player and a coach.
In conclusion, if I were to sum up tennis it would be this;
Anyone can hit a tennis ball, only a select few know how to play tennis.
There is a difference.....
Glenn Thompson