Tennis Is the Easy Part: Mike Louis Feature

For Mike, much of that experience is about relationships. From the beginning, he tries to be “as genuine and transparent” with his team as possible. He wants players to understand that the relationships they form in college can last a lifetime. They will remember the van rides, the celebrations, the challenging days and the reunions. One of the most revealing things Mike shared was what his players often say after a long or difficult day in the classroom: “I get to go to practice. I get to be with my teammates.” That speaks volumes about the environment he creates.

The same philosophy extends to player development. Mike wants players who are curious about how they can get better. He wants them to “get in the lab.” Practice is a place for experimentation, including uncomfortable things that might make a one or two percent difference. The player is not simply executing the coach’s instructions but becoming an investigator of her own game. There is seriousness in that approach, but also joy. Improvement becomes something the player owns.

That may also explain why Mike has changed his definition of a good coach. When I asked him to finish the sentence, “The coaches who improve the most are the ones who…” he answered quickly, “…are still learning.” He learns from coaches older than him and from coaches younger than him because they help him see players differently. They enlarge his lens. As he put it, “There’s so much about this universe that we don’t know. We’re crazy if we think that we know everything.” Curiosity, then, is not simply something he wants from his players. It is something he believes coaches need as well.