The former pro has coached numerous players, including all-time greats Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. He has also worked for the USTA, the LTA and Tennis Australia, where he was a consultant.
What’s the difference between being a coach for someone like Pete Sampras or Roger Federer, and a young junior?
As established players on the tour, pros have created habits over longer periods of time. So it’s sometimes a little more challenging to make changes because their habits—good and bad—have been ingrained. It’s a little different trying to change habits at that age. Whereas with the younger players, you are actually trying to create those habits, to create the foundation. When they are younger, the idea is hopefully they are a little more open to change and more open to being molded. That being said, with older players, and especially the great ones, there are not a ton of changes, but those little, subtle changes at the right time can have huge implications.
What’s the key to being an effective coach and how did you learn it?
I think you have to go with your own personality. To me, that’s the most interesting thing about tennis. If you look at the United States, in team sports, the teams conform to a coach’s philosophy. You look at somebody like Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, he has a certain philosophy. The players kind of shuffle in and out. Mike Krzyzewski [of Duke] in basketball, Nick Saban [of Alabama] in football, they have philosophies. In tennis, with professional players you can have your philosophies, but you have to figure out how to articulate those philosophies in a way that players will hear them. It’s different.
Who were some coaches who influenced your career and teaching style?
My first coach’s name was Whitey Joslin. He helped me from age 8 until about 14. He was integral in setting up my [tennis] foundation. When I was 13 or 14, I went to Nick Bollettieri’s [IMG Academy] for almost four years. That was my evolution from learning how to hit a ball to learning how to play. Mike De Palmer Sr. was my coach at the University of Tennessee. He really oversaw [my] maturation from the juniors to the pros and then he helped me in the pros for most of my career. My brother, Steve, actually traveled and coached me from my junior year in college to the six or seven years of my pro career. My brother was probably the biggest staple in that time period.
Do you think there will be even more specialized coaching in pro tennis in the future, like a specific serve coach and a strategy coach?
Back in the day, Sampras did that a little bit. Pete Fischer had him go to a few different people when he was younger. I think it can be helpful, but it can also be a little dangerous. I’m a huge proponent of simplicity and a unified message, particularly in tennis. The reason it is more prevalent in other sports, I think, is because there are a lot more people involved. And you’re working for something that is for a team. Whereas in this area, you have one individual who is absorbing a lot of different information. I think it’s not a bad idea, but you have to have a pretty controlled environment for the pros to outweigh the cons of the complexity that can be created. The last thing you can afford to have as a tennis player is a confused mind.
How big of a role does confidence play in all-time great players, and are you struck that even these legends can lose confidence?
You see it in every sport. No matter how great you are, you have ebbs and flows and peaks and valleys. In tennis, you can’t hide behind any of it, because it’s just you. If there’s a frailty, if there’s a lack of confidence in something, there’s nowhere to go. The strongest players and the most diligent players are the people that don’t lose that self-belief. That takes incredible talent, but also incredible intestinal fortitude. While everyone else is panicking, they are just going about their business.
What did Bollettieri teach you about tennis and coaching? You did not play what people think of as a traditional Bollettieri style.
That’s what people don’t realize, I grew up a baseliner as a kid. But when I started coming forward, he was one of the biggest proponents of, “Get your butt to the net, Paul!” Nick’s one of my closest friends and favorite people; he’s so passionate. I think the biggest thing that Nick taught me at an early age was understanding the impact
of discipline and understanding the impact of clarity. He was all about good habits, and habits formed by passion and direction. He doesn’t waste any time and he sets up an environment that is intolerant of bad habits.