USTA High performance coaches quitting

[willshot]

I've heard from the grapevine that 4 of them recently left the USTA. Wonder whats going on...... maybe you can't blame them for leaving.

[mrmo1115]

Do you know which coaches left?

[gauchotennis]

Definitely would like to know who has left, is this at Carson or Boca ?

[dannythomas]

I hope it's the coaches involved in the talent id program so someone can be brought in to choose kids on ability and talent instead of who you know in the USTA. Patrick Mcenroe and his team should have been fired long ago. Look at the complete absence of any young high level US players on the pro tour with any remote chance of getting into the top 10 or on the WTA tour the top 30. But then I almost forgot Quick Start will change all that. The whole of US tennis structure needs to be re- thought if there is any chance of competing with the Europeans.

[TennisCoachFLA]

I wish they would scrap the entire high performance nonsense. Throwing millions at a few select kids is silly. The USTA should support tennis, grow the game, and make tournaments and local coaching as affordable as possible. If a kid proves to be a true talent then pay for their private coach or an existing academy to train them further.

[gauchotennis]

TennisCoach,
you are right on the money. The talent ID portion of the USTA has never been developed properly. You would have to go into rural areas, inner cities all over really and develop a talent pool of athletes, no matter what race, socioeconomic level or what have you.

The very best players are the ones who start early with the best coaching and have drive.

[willshot]

i agree.... the usta stinks in this department. It seems like theres been too much of a corporate political game than anything. Alot of very talented kids can use the help......

dilouie and hugo are 2 of the 4 that are no longer there.

[polski]

Originally Posted by TennisCoachFLA

I wish they would scrap the entire high performance nonsense. Throwing millions at a few select kids is silly. The USTA should support tennis, grow the game, and make tournaments and local coaching as affordable as possible. If a kid proves to be a true talent then pay for their private coach or an existing academy to train them further.

TennisCoachFla - You should apply for a job at the USTA. This is the best I have ever heard this stated & you did it in 60 words. If you implemented this, you would save the USTA millions of dollars (or redirect those funds better) & do a better job than they are doing.

I hope the USTA is reading these boards.

[mackimac]

I think we need to look at the college park tennis center and take notes from those guys. They seem to be doing a great job and its non profit and good for tennis.

[mackimac]

speaking of that I saw Pasha play at Kalamazoo. that kid is not very good wasted alot of money on him

Originally Posted by mackimac

I think we need to look at the college park tennis center and take notes from those guys. They seem to be doing a great job and its non profit and good for tennis.

I think College Park is a "USTA regional center". So maybe they have looked at them already.

Originally Posted by mackimac

speaking of that I saw Pasha play at Kalamazoo. that kid is not very good wasted alot of money on him

He's not the only one, from the 14s on so much money is wasted on these guys. Look at 15 yr old Diguilio and his whole 1995 crew (full time at Boca, went to spain, so many w/c's, junior team to Serbia) and I don't think any of them are doing a thing.

they need to stop producing roddick clones and let natural talent shine through.

Originally Posted by TennisCoachFLA

I wish they would scrap the entire high performance nonsense. Throwing millions at a few select kids is silly. The USTA should support tennis, grow the game, and make tournaments and local coaching as affordable as possible. If a kid proves to be a true talent then pay for their private coach or an existing academy to train them further.

The whole system is in a bit of disarray.

---> Most private coaches cost between 60-90 per hour with some of the bigger names pushing 150+ (for a junior with zero or limited prospects at the time the coach starts with them).

---> Most full time academies are between 20 and 30K per 10 month school period.

---> Most tournaments are between 60 - 100 when room and board is added we are at roughly 500 - 1000 per away event.

The cream of the crop is not going to come from the group that can afford this. This group has zero desire to be professional touring players. This group is playing to include it in their Harvard, Stanford, Yale applications.

[chalkflewup]

I disagree with TCF on this one. The private sector has failed many times over and will continue to take money from the rich regardless of their abilities. I believe USTA grows the game on numerous fronts well beyond the high performance program. It's a lot more complex than growing the game, making lessons cheap, etc...

[chalkflewup]

Originally Posted by willshot

I've heard from the grapevine that 4 of them recently left the USTA. Wonder whats going on...... maybe you can't blame them for leaving.

I don't believe there is a mass exodus. Andy Brandi has joined USTA as a national coach - great addition. Gullikson has also relocated to Boca Raton from Carson. One of his students Coco Vandeghewe had a great result in CA last week beating Madduk-Sands, Sloane Stephens, Dulko, and Zvonereva before losing to Kuznetsova. You can't ignore Mardy Fish's recent success either. I believe he also receives coaching from USTA.

[bsardana]

TennisCoachFLA and tenniscrazed - you folks summed it right. Tennis in US is a business. Developing athletes and running a business are two completely different objectives and cannot be combined. USTA needs a new vision and expert help to determine how to produce next set of dominant players - NBA, NFL and MLB have done it, so can USTA.

[chalkflewup]

Originally Posted by bsardana

TennisCoachFLA and tenniscrazed - you folks summed it right. Tennis in US is a business. Developing athletes and running a business are two completely different objectives and cannot be combined. USTA needs a new vision and expert help to determine how to produce next set of dominant players - NBA, NFL and MLB have done it, so can USTA.

With all due respect, that makes absolutely no sense. Don't you think IMG is in the business of developing athletes? Of course they are! And of course they can be combined. That's what business is all about. It just boils down to developing a strategy and being able to execute that strategy.

[christo]

Do it the way they do it with Russian WTA "fem-tenn-bots"
Select the biggest, strongest girls and have them hit baseline groundies for 12 hrs a day from the time they can walk. Makes for really entertaining matches.

[TennisCoachFLA]

Originally Posted by chalkflewup

I disagree with TCF on this one. The private sector has failed many times over and will continue to take money from the rich regardless of their abilities. I believe USTA grows the game on numerous fronts well beyond the high performance program. It's a lot more complex than growing the game, making lessons cheap, etc...

I don't think it is more complicated chalk. The game is not supported on the local levels and the tournies are too expensive. Local coaching and local tournaments are not supported enough financially by the USTA.

And the private sector has not failed because I included private coaches and existing academies and clubs. That also includes parent coaches. All of the top players have been coached at local clubs or academies or parents or local private coaches.....please name the ones developed by USTA high performance? Can you think of 1?

The USTA can have its talent scouts like they do now. But instead of selecting 30 kids for Boca and Carson, instead of maintaining dorms and facilities and a team of high performance coaches, pay for the talented kids to train where past champions have.

Its a case by case basis.....if you find a Nadal type who is grooving with his coaching Uncle, support his training. If you get a call from a tennis club in Georgia who has a Melanie Oudin, pay for her training. If you find a kid at a tennis academy in Texas who is awesome, support them. Maybe some kids will need to be moved to a better facility...again, case by case.

There is no need for the USTA high performance to maintain its own facilities and high performance coaches.

[polski]

Originally Posted by TennisCoachFLA

All of the top players have been coached at local clubs or academies or parents or local private coaches.....please name the ones developed by USTA high performance? Can you think of 1?

I agree with pretty much everything you stated except for the above. It's just not fair to judge the USTA HP yet on results since this is still relatively new. Academies definately have plenty of failures per every champion they produce.

Also, from speaking with one HP coach in particular, they push kids to play towards college more than just thinking about going pro. They don't put pro pressure on them & instead make sure they keep strong academics so that all options can be open for them.