I asked Ari a few questions on the differences between coaching today and coaching in the past with respect to the international junior tennis players. All the areas are being used to educate tennis players such as the technical, tactical, psychological and physical components. Coaches today have to be very knowledgeable in these areas when coaching high performance tennis athletes. I asked Ari to elaborate on the support teams that are necessary for a junior to be able to develop. Of course, the coach needs to be well educated, but the parents will have a great influence on the psychological perspective a player adopts over time.
Pressure is something that is present in high performance tennis.
The coach needs to be committed to the player and to furthering their own tennis knowledge as well. But you know, the most important element is the player's own intrinsic desire to develop and improve. They need to have a strong work ethic and develop very good practice habits both on and off the court. I asked him how he felt about Tennis Canada, its structure and the people behind the scenes. There are some organizations whose people are not too active in the field.