The USTA Newsletter for Tennis Coaches
2010
3
High Performance Coaching
Vol. 11, No. 2
The USTA Newsletter for Tennis Coaches
2010
Q: You got to play Fed Cup under Billie Jean King as
captain. Is there a piece of advice that she gave you
that you've imparted to your own team?
Have a purpose. Have a plan from the very first shot.
I played for Billie Jean in Fed Cup and on the Olympic
team and that was something that she always stressed.
From the first ball, you have to have a purpose, you have
to be moving and thinking right from the start. You're not
just going out there and hitting balls. And the harder you
practice, the easier it is in the matches.
Q: Is there a specific area in which you'd like to see
more of the younger players improve?
I think it depends on the individual but one of the most
important things is to learn to play around what you
do best. As a player, you need to have a thorough
understanding of your strengths and weaknesses--and
work on both. So many people work on weaknesses, but
I think it's very important to work on your strengths as
well. You should really have a goal every time you go to
practice. You should always have some point of focus.
Q: What's the best coaching advice you ever got?
Well, I was very lucky because my dad took me to all
the best coaches, from Don Petrine to Fred Stolle, Tim
Gullikson, Jose Higueras, Harold Solomon.... I benefitted
from all their experiences and all of their input and
expertise. But I started working with Jose when I was
about 15, and he really taught me about constructing
points. I remember him telling my dad, "You know, she
hits the ball great, but she doesn't really know how to
play." And he was right. He pointed out that I was hitting
the ball from the same position every time. If the ball
bounced short, I was on the baseline; if the ball bounced
deep, I was on the baseline.
Jose was the first one who really made me aware of the
importance of positioning on the court--and that made a
huge difference.
Q: And how did the others help shape you from there?
Well, Tim was so good at strategy; he would chart every
point and he had set plays. So he really helped me more
with patterns and understanding how to construct a
point and play percentage tennis. Technically, I've never
known anyone better.
Fred was big on working on your strengths as well as
your weaknesses, and also was big on endurance.
Harold came in a little bit later and really showed me
how the game was changing and that I'd have to change
and adapt with it. He made it clear that it wasn't good
enough anymore to just not miss. If I was going to
compete, I would have to develop a bigger forehand
and try to come in more and be more aggressive. I was
lucky because every coach I worked with added to my
development as a player.
Q: And if you were a coach, what would you be looking
for in a player--other than obvious talent?
Again, the most important thing to me is attitude. Talent
is one thing and hard work is another, but when you get
the combination of the two, it can go a long way. That's
what really stood out the first time I saw Melanie was her
attitude and how she approached every match and every
point. You can tell right away the ones who are willing to
work all day to do whatever it takes to get better.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands volleying during the first round of the
2010 Fed Cup.
Fernandez at the 2010 US Open signing autographs for her fans.
Fernandez (center) with her 2010 Fed Cup team after beating
Russia in the semifinals.