'DO I EVER.......?'

Do I ever get sick of having a shot at an industry that has been rather good to me over the years ? Well in some ways I am disappointed that it has got to this stage as it's an industry that keeps me in touch with the public , keeps me fit , keeps me from sitting at home. When I was a lad I once had a tennis lesson with a guy from Perth who tore strips off my style , yet I respect him to this day , Rob Casey , a Western Australian tennis genius , both in playing and coaching ability.
It was one of those tennis lessons you look back on and think ' shit am I that bad'? But it wasn't that I didn't have some good results or near misses for that matter. I remember two matches in State Championships in the 16's age group , in the same year . I lead by a set and a break to two guys who were seeded 2 and 3 respectively , one went on to win the Tournament (Damian Hampson), the other was runner up(Mark Leuba) . I wondered what could have been if I had held my nerve , yet Rob didn't see it like this , he had other theories.(by the way look these guys up , they could play the game).
'You are good enough to push the good players but you simply aren't good enough to beat them , your game has flaws , it isn't a game that can consistently match it with the best in the State, but you are competitive'. That to me gave me heart to persevere, so I did , I was runner up in the Fremantle State Champs the same year , just not quite good enough to win , but as always and what I still pride my tennis on , I was COMPETITIVE.
I read some recent results of State Championships and did some analyzing of certain players and it's amazing how many 0 and 0 matches there are, that's not competitive. A 6-2, 6-3 loss to a seeded player means you were competitive, a big difference from a belting where you don't get a game. To me this is where guys like Rob Casey should be utilized by the game in Australia as it needs honesty , not a fictional opinion.
Despite Rob's opinion of my game I spent 18 months in Queensland and I gave it my best . I hit at the Coops training facility in Brisbane each day and I practised against Pat Rafter and Andrew Kratzmann , a Queenslander who once made it to number 13 in the World in doubles and who also lost an epic 5 set Australian Open Doubles final . I never lost to Andrew in any challenge match at Coops , but looking back I was always realistic, it wasn't tournament matches that we were playing.
So back to my take on the tennis coaching industry; If every Tennis Coach in this country had the same views on the game as Rob Casey then most of the Australian Institute Of Sport scholarship holders would not have been given the time of day as far as the game of tennis is concerned , they would be the next posties, gardeners and City council workers of the community. But Tennis Australia don't see things like this , and they don't get guys like Rob Casey to assess tennis players before they give up their lives to try and make it on the tennis circuit. Instead they prefer to justify their existence by employing 'Mickey Mouse 'tennis 'coaches' who know nothing.
I will continue my 'shot' at the tennis coaching industry until we see some results . I will do my bit to achieve these results ,realistically at a realistic rate per hour, just like any other job goes, it's called 'being accountable'.....

'A HEART MUSCLE OR AN INJURY'?

Some players retire in matches early or some don't turn up at all to certain tournaments due to what is commonly known as an 'injury'. At 45 i am still waiting for my first 'injury'. Front up , toughen up and grit the teeth . There's no shame in losing , you lose respect by either not finishing a match for one reason or another or you use the old 'injury' line if you think the opposition are too good and you pick and choose your tournaments according to who enters. Recently i lost a doubles final locally to two young fellows who i taught to play when they were 12 years old, did i feel embarrassed by this ? No, i couldn't have been prouder for two reasons , one that i can still give kids half my age a run and two that what i taught them as kids has helped them become good players. I know my limitations and i won't go chasing 'glory' around the state , too old and slow , but in my town i like to set an example for my students , front up , have a go , set the standard , simple really. If you don't like who is playing then do things the old fashioned way , turn up and beat them , simple really........
*FOOTNOTE- Italian Tennis Professional Fabio Fognini recently retired during his second round match in Barcelona after trailing his opponent 0-6, 0-4. Would it be fair to say that Fabio , who is renowned for his up and down mental state was in fact having a bad day and went the 'injury' story to save his reputation at a possible bagel bagel??
You do the sums..... 

'MONTE CARLO'

What's the chances of going to Europe in the same year that the great Bjorn Borg decides to come out of retirement and start playing again ? What's the chances of visiting Monte Carlo at the same time that the Monaco Grand Prix was on ? Monte Carlo in 1991 was quite possibly the greatest experience in my life as this was the place i wanted to visit more than anywhere else due largely to Bjorn Borg. When i was a kid i read the book on Borg and how he spent many years as a resident of Monte Carlo due to the taxation breaks that the country gave sports stars earning millions. So i was curious , to say the least.
Brett , Pete and i watched Borg lose his come back match in Monte Carlo from a Sports club in the French city of Bordeaux , a wine growing region in France, we were all shattered, he was our hero. I told them that i was going to spend some time on the French Riviera and Monte Carlo was my main destination. Pete and i had just won a doubles tournament in the French town of Garoult which Pete beat Brett in the final of the singles also, but i was strangely more interested in seeing some history of the country.
My first impression of the Monte Carlo Country Club was one of awe , it is a Tennis Club that beats all other tennis clubs that i have ever seen and the back drop is nothing short of perfection , the Mediterranean Ocean, a post card . I took a photo that i still have in a frame on my wall that i will treasure forever, a photo that typifies the sort of place that Monte Carlo is , rich , beautiful and non replicated, tennis courts in the foreground and the blue waters behind. 
I would love to have had a hit on the courts at Monte Carlo however my two travelling buddies weren't with me and my French was not fluent so i was more than happy to simply take in the beauty of the place. If you look at the past winners of the tournament it has all my hero's on the winner's board , Borg , Wilander , even Joakim Nystrom , another Swedish player who i admired for his shot making and temperament. 
Of all the places i have ever visited i would put The Monte Carlo Country Club at the top of the list , a place of remarkable beauty and tranquility and a place that i believe is still the bench mark of World Tennis back drops. 
The Monaco Grand Prix was simply a bonus and i spent an afternoon watching the race from a vantage point in a cafe overlooking the harbor that  is possibly the richest playground to cruise liners and yachts that you could ever imagine.
This game of tennis never earned me any money , not life changing anyhow , but it gave me some memories that i will never forget and that have given me the outlook i now have on the game.
It's a game that can take you anywhere in the World , no matter what standard you play and it's a game that can give you some life long memories , i am one of those lucky ones.......

'IT'S NOT HOW GOOD YOU WERE'....

What motivates us to play tennis ? Is it a fight with our inner demons to win at a sport that is quite simply a mind battle as well as a physical one ? Is it a personal quest in a one on one sport because we simply aren't a team player ? Is it because we simply want to test ourselves to the maximum and with a good result comes the satisfaction of being a winner where we don't have anyone else to blame if we lose ? Risky sport tennis. If we played a team sport we have our team mates to help share the blame if we lose, tennis doesn't afford us that luxury. 
Personally i like to prove people wrong who knock me for still having a go against the youth of the game , it quite frankly inspires me to achieve. A while ago i read something negative about myself that i used to motivate me in both my coaching and playing. I began riding up hills on a daily basis , got the legs strong , lost a few kilos , went from 79 kg to 74, made some room , started thinking more when i played and also when i coached. I read that comment on a daily basis to motivate myself to get better , it's worked. I need to send that person a thank you at some stage for helping me to get fired up .
Tennis is like that , a sport that unless you get some fire in the belly you just may lack the necessities to get you over the line . I read somewhere that the great Jimmy Connors made a point of 'hating his opponents'. Now this is taking things to the extreme but hey it worked for Jimbo as he still holds the record for the most ever pro tournament victories. 
Motivation for winning at the game of tennis can come from many avenues but personally i use two main things to get myself in the right frame of mind. Credibility; Now this is a big thing for a coach of the game and as i have mentioned before , some coaches are happy to simply 'talk the talk' . Personally if i am fit enough which i now believe i am then just teaching someone how to play is not enough to satisfy me , i make an effort to also show them. I love the opportunity to 'walk the walk', especially against the young blokes as it's a way to gain respect , you can't beat that .
There's an old adage in tennis that i love to follow ; It's not how good you were , it's how good you can still become. I love this one as it is where i stand with my own ability. Sure i need to get fitter but i am working on that because i am not just someone who is happy to talk about the game , i love the challenge , physically and mentally.
Find what gets you enough inner strength to play the game and run with it . I'm just on the lookout for that next negative comment regarding my 'old legs'........

'DREADLOCK HOLIDAY'

Now Dustin Brown is no household name , Bec Hewitt probably dislikes him as he prevented her from spending another day in the player's box at Wimbledon last year when he sent her hubby Lleyton packing early. Today he beat American John Isner the World's number 9 player in the US Claycourt Championships in a thriller 6-4, 6-7, 7-6. Now this win will go down as a remarkable mindset victory for Dustin who is in fact ranked 101 as he had two match points in the second set. To put that behind him and regroup mentally in the final set particularly after a 5-1 lead in the deciding tiebreaker closed to 5-4 was nothing short of outstanding. What this victory does is rather obvious ;
What really is the gap in standard between a top ten player and a guy ranked outside the top 100 ? It's the mind , that's all . Any guy in the top 200 can hit a tennis ball , that's obvious , but it's what a player can do with a ball that defines him as a player . Just how good are guys like Novak , Rafa and Roger to be able to win each week on the Pro Tour even when they aren't perhaps at their best physically or mentally ? 
These guys are brilliant , no other word for them . If Mr Brown was to do some practice drills with Mr Federer it would be rather entertaining , Mr Brown would hold his own , he may even win more than he loses , but Mr Fed is a genius , Mr Brown is an apprentice. 
I mean that in all due respect to Dustin Brown , he is a brilliant tennis player and if his ranking were higher he would be a marketer's dream , the long dreadlocks give him an almost 'young Andre Agassi' appeal. If this guy breaks the top 50 you watch the sponsorship dollars that get thrown his way . Mr 'Dreadlock Holiday' is just a tournament win away from his biggest bank account seen since his induction into World Tennis many years ago . I hope he is able to back up his Isner victory , tennis needs Dustin , he is someone just a little different from the regular player , 101 ranking but World Class as far as entertaining. It's what the sport needs.........

'WINNERS ARE GRINNERS'

How can you wipe the smile off the face from a bloke who can still win his local singles championship against kids who move way quicker , way better, hit the ball cleaner and pull up from games of tennis with barely a sweat ??? I am still having trouble walking , so i am riding my bike around instead just to loosen the old legs up , I think i will be ready to go again by Friday . 
As you get older in this game you don't take any of it for granted . You gain respect by still having a go . You are a long time retired , do it while you can, make every match count.
Having an early night , the legs are still tired but the mind is still thinking " I gained some respect with this win , it'll take an awful lot to upset me at the moment"...........

'JUST DO IT'

When you get to age 45 as a tennis coach you look at your past days on court as a player and sometimes ask the question " did I achieve anything"? We have all played the game of tennis however much of our success in the game has come from handing down our knowledge as a mentor of the game as opposed to perhaps 'glory days' as a kid.
I just played a local tennis championship and found myself up against an 18 year old kid who had every shot in the book , but not quite the knowledge to impart it on his ever improving game . Took me two hours of physical pain and mental frustration to get over the line , but I put it on the line.
It's good for students to watch their mentors and Coaches play tennis tournaments as it reinforces what they are being taught. Some of us call it 'walking the walk' as well as 'talking the talk'.
When I was 28 I played my first coach in a local tournament in singles , he was 40 , he had a great game and very smart , but I had the legs . I had a win . Did I lose respect for him ? No , I liked him more . I appreciated his effort to still play the game as his legs were starting to move a little slower.
There is no disgrace in losing as a Coach of the game , people appreciate the effort put in as teachers of any sport or profession have a go against kids young enough to be their kids , it's character building on both fronts.
I haven't walked properly for two days , but I am a proud man and Coach of the game of tennis because I followed a terminology that the company Nike told the public to do many years ago and I did just that ; JUST DO IT .........