Kazakhstan Tennis Federation for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan
Argentine apparently has one coach that came up with something like 5 pros.
Is Switzerland also doing something right? Or were they just that lucky to produce two good players, one of which is just so talented the coaches didn't have to do that much?
It's easy to call spain and France, but their big nations, and tennis is big there. I wonder whether countries like Israel or Croatia aren't doing a better job?
Spain and France of course judging by the numbers, but I'm not sure their education is the best.
Australia and UK are doing a poor job I think.
We have a serious problem. Haven't got anyone coming through. We've had the same mgmt @ tennis Australia for too long though people like Hewitt are starting to speak out against it now. Unfortunately Pollard got re elected but I'm hopeful his days will soon be over. Not that I have much hope in his putative replacement (one of the non descript Macs - I forget which one) but at this stage I'm willing to try for the devil I don't know.
Is Switzerland also doing something right? Or were they just that lucky to produce two good players, one of which is just so talented the coaches didn't have to do that much?
It's easy to call spain and France, but their big nations, and tennis is big there. I wonder whether countries like Israel or Croatia aren't doing a better job?
Spain and France of course judging by the numbers, but I'm not sure their education is the best.
Australia and UK are doing a poor job I think.
Is Switzerland also doing something right?
Australia and UK are doing a poor job I think.
I think Roger Federer is a rare breed. It wouldn't have mattered where he was from. Hell, he could have been from the UK and as long as a racquet found it's way into his hand he was destined for greatness.
Would he say c'mon like Murray then?!!!
Yeah the list of players Bollitieri's trained is astounding. And not all Americans.
-Maria Sharapova
-Jelena Jankovic
-Tatiana Golovin
-Nicole Vaidisova
-Sabine Lisicki
-Tommy Haas
-Monica Seles
-Mark Phillipousis
-Daniela Hantuchova
-Mary Pierce
-Paul Henri Mathieu
Those are just some of the international players who trained at Bollitieri's. Not to mention, 10 former world #1s trained at Bollitieri's. Maybe Bollitieristan is the best country for producing tennis talent! :lol:
Those two countries are ahead of the rest, honorable mention to my own country ARG, that I don't know how we still produce pros
In terms of having a structure which allows the vast majority of players to fulfil or exceed their potential then Spain and France are doing pretty well. The "system" that you talk of is simply that, an ability to put players in situations where they can thrive and achieve. A cohesive and unified approach to coaching and coach education helps too.
Womens tennis looks to be the former eastern bloc countries and I know China are plowing resources into womens tennis - but I havent worked in any of those countries so I don't know the "system" they have.
Some Argentine players work a lot with Spanish coaches and/or assistants, and because language and certain closeness (not geographical, obviously, but personal) they have some opportunities to hang around Spanish system.
Anyway, there must be at least ONE -if not more- academy in Argentina that is making some things right. I know Argentines like to say there's not a system there, but if you look to Spain 30 years ago there wasn't a "system" either, but some academies that were working in the right path. They were not very known by then, but they existed and produced the Spanish tennis boom. Of course a great player can appear anywhere as an isolated phenomenon -and usually because they have some kind of early connection to tennis world. Rafael Nadal is not really a result of Spanish system, but an isolated phenomenon himself because his uncle was a tennis player and became his coach. By how many Nadals would you get that way? Not many if you ask me.
Argentina creates loads of good players for a country that doesn't have any kind of system. I think there's a big myth among Argentine fans about players coming out of nothing by talent alone (a myth very common in Argentina, it exists not only about tennis, but it's a myth anyway). But a country simply can't have 10 players in the top 100 without any kind of system, or without using academies from other countries at least.
:shock: Ash, your post rocks, clear and solid, congrats.
I think Roger Federer is a rare breed. It wouldn't have mattered where he was from. Hell, he could have been from the UK and as long as a racquet found it's way into his hand he was destined for greatness.
Lol, that's pretty funny.