The same has been true for Esther Flores, another Florida resident who took up tennis during the early days of Covid so she could “get outside” again. She liked the mental and physical challenge that learning tennis offered, and has continued to take lessons and clinics each week, along with cardio-tennis sessions. Flores finds that she doesn’t need to compete, or move up the ladder at her courts, to find herself wanting to play, and see her tennis friends, as often as she can.
“We have a group that has played together for two or three years,” she says. “We have the same love for tennis. We have the same addiction.”
So it makes sense that USTA Coaching’s tools for teaching pros begin by emphasizing the personal, rather than the technical, side of the sport. The “High School Tennis” section focuses on three facets of good coaching—Empathy, Active Listening, and Building Trust—that don’t have anything to do with how to hit a serve.
Morris believes the organization’s track record in recent years is reason to be bullish on the future of coaching. While the pandemic gave the game a boost, he believes the USTA’s recent series of programs have also brought in new players, young and old.
“We did a lot of work with getting tennis into schools, exposed a lot of kids to tennis, which we’re really pleased about,” Morris says. “Our World’s Healthiest Sport message is starting to stick. Cardio tennis, team tennis for kids. I think all of those pieces are variables.”
Coaching is the next variable in the USTA’s 10-year-drive to add 10 million new players.
“We do have an aging population when it comes to coaches,” Morris says. “We’re going to be really intentional next year when it comes to recruitment. We want to focus on that next generation that we want to bring into the industry.”
“It’s a significant investment. Coaches at all levels are our heroes.”
