Ask me anything about being a professional tennis player

[dominikk1985]

great to have you here.

Maybe if you have some boring time you could come over to the tips/instruction subforum. there are some pretty heated discussions and the opinion of a pro would be very interesting.

what do you think are your greatest assets in your game?

[CCNM]

Welcome Filip. I wish you good luck in your career. Hope you are able to become a big name in Canada and the world.

[Firstking]

Originally Posted by thejackal

just as a FYI, Filip had no idea what TalkTennis was until I showed him a week or so ago.

Being on tour IS pretty boring at times, though, especially when it rains...

Great job on the TC podcast!

And thanks for doing this Filip!

[thejackal]

Originally Posted by Firstking

Great job on the TC podcast!

And thanks for doing this Filip!

Thanks! Wished I had a better mic because I didnt sound too great. A late night out the day before didnt help the vocal chords either....

[FEDERERNADAL13]

Hi filip! I'm a 17 year old Canadian guy and a big fan of yours! Congrats on your career so far! I just have a few questions for you, if you don't mind:

1. Out of everyone in pro tennis, who would you most like to beat?

2. What's your favourite grand slam?

3. How often do you spend time at the rexall centre in Toronto?

4. What's your favourite shot?

5. Kind of a proposition, not a question, but: If your ever in southwestern Ontario, would you consider meeting/hitting with some of your fans?

Thanks for your time man!

[fpeliwo]

Honestly, if I had to choose one person to beat, it would be either Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic, although I'm not quite sure who of those 3 I should choose :S

They are all amazing in their own different ways, but Wimbledon is special to me, as I won my first slam there.

I am almost never in Toronto, and when I am it's not to train at Rexall, as most of what I need is already in Montreal.

I like to use my forehand to dictate, although I'm quite comfortable hitting any shot from either side, in any position.

As far as that goes, I would consider it if I was in the area, and if I had any extra time on my hands.

[fpeliwo]

Originally Posted by FEDERERNADAL13

Hi filip! I'm a 17 year old Canadian guy and a big fan of yours! Congrats on your career so far! I just have a few questions for you, if you don't mind:

1. Out of everyone in pro tennis, who would you most like to beat?

2. What's your favourite grand slam?

3. How often do you spend time at the rexall centre in Toronto?

4. What's your favourite shot?

5. Kind of a proposition, not a question, but: If your ever in southwestern Ontario, would you consider meeting/hitting with some of your fans?

Thanks for your time man!

Forgot to quote you the first time... Oops

Honestly, if I had to choose one person to beat, it would be either Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic, although I'm not quite sure who of those 3 I should choose :S

They are all amazing in their own different ways, but Wimbledon is special to me, as I won my first slam there.

I am almost never in Toronto, and when I am it's not to train at Rexall, as most of what I need is already in Montreal.

I like to use my forehand to dictate, although I'm quite comfortable hitting any shot from either side, in any position.

As far as that goes, I would consider it if I was in the area, and if I had any extra time on my hands

[fpeliwo]

Originally Posted by dominikk1985

great to have you here.

Maybe if you have some boring time you could come over to the tips/instruction subforum. there are some pretty heated discussions and the opinion of a pro would be very interesting.

what do you think are your greatest assets in your game?

I think that my game off the ground, movement/speed, mental/intensity and returns are probably my biggest strengths, although I feel like I can dictate with any shot.

[fpeliwo]

Originally Posted by TheCanadian

I find this fascinating. Rafael Nadal was already playing 4 - 5 hours a day when he was a ten-year-old. I'm very impressed by your success considering that you didn't play all that much. How did you solve the problem of a lack of hitting partners? What type of drills did you do back then with your dad? What was his knowledge of the game of tennis? Was he a good player himself? It's interesting how many parents had a determinative impact on their children's development as tennis players. What do yo make of that? Malcolm Gladwell in his bestseller Outliers cites scientific studies that purport to show that practice time is the biggest predictor of acquiring expertise in any field. Typically, 10 000 hours of practice time is required to be an expert in a field such as music or sports. In sum, it's not the nebulous quality called "talent" that makes one a champion but how much time one spends working/practicing. What's your take on this?

I didn't really solve that problem until I moved to Montreal to work with Tennis Canada, so until then I was behind a bit, mostly on the matchplay aspect (I didn't have the chance to play as many tournaments as most other top-level juniors because of the expenses).

With my dad, I would do the general feeding drills that everyone does, such as 2 crosscourt 1 down the line.

I believe that hard work is the most important factor in becoming a top pro, but with that being said, talent is also necessary. In my opinion, there has to be some talent to begin with in order to achieve that level.

[JamieSafe]

What was it like growing up? Did you spend most of your time in the same training center as Raonic?

[fpeliwo]

Originally Posted by DolgoSantoro

Welcome to the forum! I hope our insanity doesn't scare you off.

I was wondering, who is the highest ranked player you've hit with/played against and what did you think of them?

Good luck with your future!

I think that the highest ranking player I've hit with is Milos Raonic. I think he is an amazing player, and a great ambassador of Canadian tennis.

[fpeliwo]

I used to train in North Vancouver, so I never got a chance to train with Dimitri. I like the pic

[fpeliwo]

Originally Posted by BlueB

Welcome on board! Very nice that you do this!
Very cool to have the next tennis hope from the same city and also of the Slavic origin! I'll be cheering for you.

I hope you don't mind that I posted this nice pic of you.



Question: Have you trained with Dimitri at Global, or in the North Van?

Forgot to quote it again...haha

As I said, I trained in North Van, so I never got a chance to work with Dimitri

[FEDERERNADAL13]

Originally Posted by fpeliwo

Forgot to quote you the first time... Oops

Honestly, if I had to choose one person to beat, it would be either Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic, although I'm not quite sure who of those 3 I should choose :S

They are all amazing in their own different ways, but Wimbledon is special to me, as I won my first slam there.

I am almost never in Toronto, and when I am it's not to train at Rexall, as most of what I need is already in Montreal.

I like to use my forehand to dictate, although I'm quite comfortable hitting any shot from either side, in any position.

As far as that goes, I would consider it if I was in the area, and if I had any extra time on my hands

Thanks for the answers filip

[fpeliwo]

Originally Posted by tennisaddict

Fillip
Welcome to the boards.

I loved your Gangnam dance, it was posted on Sports Illustrated couple of days back

http://tennis.si.com/2012/10/08/gang...-laura-robson/

I have been following you since the begining of this year. I noticed you beat some very good players even at the Pro Level in the Canadian Challengers.

Also i noticed you were part of the practice team for the Davis Cup.

I hope you will reach the upper echelons in the next few years.

One favor : Tell something awesome about Federer.

Thanks..

Thanks! When I met Federer at the Champions' Dinner at Wimbledon, he spoke to me as if he knew me for years. He is such a great person, really takes time to talk to everybody. I definitely gained a lot of respect for him after that encounter. He is truly a class act.

[fpeliwo]

Originally Posted by Long Face

Hey Filip,

Greetings from a fellow Vancouverite. Congrats on your success this year!

Where do you train, when you're not travelling?

Thank you! When I'm back in Canada, I train at the National Training Center in Montreal.

[Charlzz]

Who do you think is better at Gangnam dancing--you or Novak Djokovic?

But seriously, what are you working on to get you to the top 100?

[fpeliwo]

Originally Posted by Hidious

Hi Filip,

It is so generous of you to post on this forum! I became a big fan of you after i saw you win the Wimbledon JR title, live on RDS! I was instantly won over by your intense attitude and body language (and of course your game).

I am very excited about the future of Canadian tennis, people here have been waiting for a Canadian breakthrough forever and having you and Eugenie as the 2 JR #1s is very exciting to say the least! Let's hope the successes can keep coming in the big leagues!

Questions:
1- Have you tried hitting on Eugenie (yes, on, not with) at the club and do you think I have a shot with her?
Just kidding of course. On a more serious note:
2- I am obviously curious about your gear. As a sponsored player, I am not sure you're allowed to divulge such info, but are you playing with a retail Blade? If so, any lead/modifications?
3- You are not a big guy physically but i was amazed at the amount of power you could generate. The modern game is so geared towards power, do your trainers put a lot of emphasis on training in the gym or is that not really a priority for now?

BTW, I am from Magog, QC and some of the other pros working for my organization (Tennestrie/Tennis Sherbrooke) told me you were suppose to make an appearance at the Hermitage Club this summer. I haven't seen them since; did either Jordan or Alex get a chance to hit with you?

Thanks again and keep up the good work!

I do not use any lead or modifications on my racket. I use a stock blx blade 98 SL3 mold, although I will be trying some lead tape modifying soon.

Yes, physical training is almost as important a part of my training (if not as important) as tennis. These days you need to be extremely fit and powerful (not necessarily big, just strong) to compete with the top guys on the pro tour. It's a much more physical game than it has been in the past.

[KoolTennisKid]

Hey, a hundred congratulations man!!!! i love your playing style, very aggresive and just full of that "spark" that we all need. just a quick questions, now that your a pro will you be planning to change any small part part of your game, equipment wise or like the way you play? And what is your current string set up and what tension?

[fpeliwo]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Filip, hope you don't mind a technical question. The Tips section in this forum is dominated by advice by club players who have never played high-level tennis so this is a rare opportunity.

What tips can you give about hitting a topspin forehand with the right balance of spin and pace (depending on the situation), and the control over the direction (down the line or cross court), even though the swing motion is approximately the same? In other words, what is the difference you consciously make to achieve a particular speed/spin mix and direction compared to another combination?

Technical questions are tough to answer without physically demonstrating it, but I will do my best.

Basically you need to get under the ball with your racket and legs, transferring your weight up and through the ball, in order to keep the pace and depth.

As for changing direction, you need to be turned sideways as preparation, (this applies to every stroke) and use your weight transfer and hand/racket manipulation to direct the ball. Pretty much all you have to do is guide your racket and weight through the ball in that direction.

Again, these are difficult to answer, as it is a lot easier to learn if you actually see somebody demonstrate it in person.