Its really hard for Tennis parents
Since the start of lockdown things have been hard for everyone so I hope you are all keeping well in these difficult times and our thoughts are of course with everybody who has been affected by Coronavirus.
We all have a little time to reflect at the moment and with some of the recent conversations that I have been having about parents not always prioritising their kids Tennis training it has made me think about some players I have coached in the past.
I coached a young lady for 3-4 years who had a passionate father who really wanted his daughter to do well in Tennis. Nothing wrong with that in theory but it didn't help that he was also watching the pennies all the time as well. Of course we all want to get the best value that we can and not spend more than we have to but this was in a way that even the basics weren’t being covered at times because of his refusal to pay what was necessary (not due to a lack of funds on his part but due to his opinion of what he should be paying and stubborn attitude to being told he was incorrect). The young lady was talented and had a great work ethic and awesome attitude (I am sure these attributes have taken her a long way in life). The challenge was the pressure that everyone felt from her Dad who would bring up funds every time we met and always in front of his daughter. I did my best as a relatively young coach and reduced my rates to help. I eventually blocked the fee into an amount for the week/month to give them more savings on Tennis and allow them to budget. Inevitably, the young lady eventually broke down and talked to me about the pressure that she felt. It was heart-breaking and I really felt for her. The situation with her Father had really taken all the joy and enthusiasm she once had for the game out of her. I tried to have a conversation with the Father as sensitively as I could however it unfortunately led to our Tennis partnership ending as there was no flexibility or willingness to compromise or in fact change. He still wanted amazing, international standard results for very little investment of time and money. You could argue that it was not really a partnership in the first place but that was my perception at the time (perhaps naively).
There is a middle ground between the situation that I experienced above and where most parents are now where they see Tennis as a convenient activity for their child to participate in once a week as part of a schedule of after school clubs & activities but nothing more than that. I cannot think of many players that have chosen Tennis post 12 years old with all round player/family commitment to achieving the players full potential and going as far as they possibly can (recently). The younger kids are fine at the ‘having FUN’ stage but it is hard to get talented young kids to give tennis a go more seriously.
Having said that, there have been a few players very recently that have shown the right kind of commitment backed up by great parental support and I cannot wait to help them to become as good as they can be. I am hopeful that this will continue and grow. Watch this space!