Ivan Lendl does have enough to do (coaching Andy Murray) so he has decided to open his own International Junior Tennis Academy in Hilton Head Island, S.C. The spring class features students from Canada, New Zealand, Russia and the U.S.
“The enrollment influx from fall to spring is a tribute to the elite instruction our coaches provide students each day,” says Peter Orrell, President and CEO of Junior Sports Corporation, owner/operator of the Ivan Lendl IJTA. “Ivan Lendl IJTA offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for passionate junior tennis players to reach their ultimate potential.”
Ivan Lendl IJTA students (grades five through 12) will attend Heritage Academy as they see school as a vital piece of the puzzle.
p.s. In the photo it looks like Ivan has been eating a little too much over the Christmas period. Im hoping he starts to do some fitness training himself when coaching Andy
Here are the results from the first day of the Junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup 2011
Group A
Great Britain (1) defeated Thailand 3-0
Evan Hoyt (GBR) d. Chayanon Kaewsuto (THA) 60 61
Luke Bambridge (GBR) d. Pruchya Isaro (THA) 76(5) 76(1)
Luke Bambridge/Kyle Edmund (GBR) d. Chayanon Kaewsuto/Pruchya Isaro (THA) 64 62
Canada (8) defeated Germany 3-0
Brayden Schnur (CAN) d. Adrian Obert (GER) 26 75 97
Hugo Di Feo (CAN) d. Maximilian Marterer (GER) 76(4) 76(7)
Hugo Di Feo/Brayden Schnur (CAN) d. Maximilian Marterer/Hannes Wagner (GER) 64 67(5) 61
Group B
Tunisia defeated Japan (4) 2-1
Iskander Mansouri (TUN) d. Takashi Saito (JPN) 16 61 61
Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) d. Mehdi Abid (TUN) 63 62
Mehdi Abid/Iskander Mansouri (TUN) d. Yoshihito Nishioka/Takashi Saito (JPN) 75 64
France (6) defeated Ecuador 3-0
Quentin Halys (FRA) d. Andres Cabezas (ECU) 63 61
Alexandre Favrot (FRA) d. Jose Chamba (ECU) 62 63
Alexandre Favrot/Quentin Halys (FRA) d. Juan Carvajal/Jose Chamba (ECU) 63 64
Group C
Australia (3) defeated Argentina 2-1
Pedro Cachin (ARG) d. Jay Andrijic (AUS) 76(3) 64
Nicholas Kyrgios (AUS) d. Juan Pablo Paz (ARG) 63 60
Jay Andrijic/Nicholas Kyrgios (AUS) d. Pedro Cachin/Juan Pablo Paz (ARG) 75 64
Israel (5) defeated South Africa 2-1
Igor Smilansky (ISR) d. Matthew Roussouw (RSA) 57 63 75
Or Ram-Harel (ISR) d. Wayne Montgomery (RSA) 64 61
Wayne Montgomery/Matthew Roussow (RSA) d. Or Ram-Harel/Eyal Cohen (ISR) 62 64
Group D
Italy (2) defeated Mexico 3-0
Matteo Donati (ITA) d. Lucas Gomez (MEX) 57 64 61
Gianluigi Quinzi (ITA) d. Ricardo Medinilla (MEX) 63 60
Matteo Donati/Stefano Napolitano (ITA) d. Ricardo Medinilla/Rogelio Siller (MEX) 63 63
Chile (7) defeated Hong Kong, China 2-1
Christian Garin (CHI) d. Chun Hun Wong (HKG) 60 62
Guillermo Nunez (CHI) d. Pak Long Yeung (HKG) 46 76(1) 75
Pak Long Yeung/Chun Hun Wong (HKG) d. Christian Garin/Guillermo Nunez (CHI) 64 64
JUNIOR FED CUP BY BNP PARIBAS
Group A
Mexico (7) defeated Great Britain 2-1
Alejandra Cisneros (MEX) d. Pippa Horn (GBR) 46 63 63
Victoria Rodriguez (MEX) d. Katy Dunne (GBR) 64 64
Beth Askew/Katy Dunne (GBR) d. Alejandra Cisneros/Renata Zarazua (MEX) 36 75 64
Australia (1) defeated Argentina 3-0
Belinda Woolcock (AUS) d. Carla Bruzzesi (ARG) 75 46 86
Ashleigh Barty (AUS) d. Maria Constanza Vega (ARG) 64 60
Ashleigh Barty/Brooke Rischbieth (AUS) d. Stephanie Petit/Maria Constanza Vega (ARG) 60 57 64
Group B
Spain (4) defeated Thailand 2-1
Miriam Civera (ESP) d. Nahathat Khuntaket (THA) 63 64
Sara Sorribes (ESP) d. Kamonwan Buayam (THA) 75 61
Kamonwan Buayam/Nahathat Khuntaket (THA) d. Miriam Civera/Miriam Rosell (ESP) 61 75
Czech Republic (5) defeated South Africa 3-0
Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) d. Madrie Le Roux (RSA) 63 64
Petra Rohanova (CZE) d. Lynn Kiro (RSA) 61 62
Aneta Dvorakova/Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) d. Ilze Hattingh/Madrie Le Roux (RSA) 63 63
Group C
Italy (1) defeated Bolivia 3-0
Camilla Rosatello (ITA) d. Ana Laura Gutierrez (BOL) 60 64
Giulia Pairone (ITA) d. Nabila Farah (BOL) 62 61
Giorgia Marchetti/Camilla Rosatello (ITA) d. Nabila Farah/Ana Laura Gutierrez (BOL) 61 62
Germany defeated Japan (6) 2-1
Antonia Lottner (GER) d. Mami Adachi (JPN) 64 62
Ayaka Okuno (JPN) d. Antonia Lottner (GER) 63 63
Sonja Larsen/Antonia Lottner (GER) d. Mami Adachi/Ayaka Okuno (JPN) 46 76(2) 64
Group D
Canada (2) defeated Chinese Taipei 3-0
Erin Routliffe (CAN) d. Ya-Hsuan Lee (TPE) 62 76(5)
Carol Zhao (CAN) d. Ching-Wen Hsu (TPE) 63 64
Erin Routliffe/Carol Zhao (CAN) d. Chu-Chen Chueh/Ya-Hsuan Lee (TPE) 64 26 75
Brazil (8) defeated Romania 2-1
Cristina Oana Ene (ROU) d. Carolina Meligeni Alves (BRA) 63 61
Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) d. Iona Loredana Rosca (ROU) 46 61 63
Beatriz Haddad Maia/Luisa Gerstner Rosa (BRA) d. Nicoleta Catalina Dascalu/Cristina Oana Ene (ROU) 63 62
The ITF have announced the teams and draw for the 2011 Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup Finals. The Finals will be played on September 27 – October 2 October at La Loma Centro Deportivo and Club Libanes Potosino in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Jack Sock has retained his USTA National Boys 18s Championship. Sock was the top seed and cruised to a win in the final 6-3 6-0 over Mitchell Frank.
Frank, who had beaten Sock at their last meeting back at the 2009 Orange Bowl was just unable to compete. Frank gave away a lot of free points and just couldnt handle Sock’s serve.
“Things obviously could have been a lot different if I had gotten broken there,” said Sock, who needed only an hour to retain his title and collect his 23rd gold ball. “I was fortunate to get out of that game.”
“I felt I was dictating a lot of points and I feel when I’m dictating a lot of points, hitting a lot of forehands in the middle of the court, I’m going to do pretty well,” said Sock, who ended the match with a 125 mph ace. “With serving well, and putting a lot of returns back in play, getting in points, I think I was able to force some errors, and the momentum just took it.”
George Morgan recently won the Wimbledon Boys Doubles Championships with Mate Pavic and he has sat down with the Mancunian Times to talk about the tournament and what we wants to achieve in the future.
George won the boys doubles against Oliver Golding and Jiri Vesely 3-6 6-4 7-5. The pair had previously beaten Stockport’s Liam Broady, last years winner in the same contest and his Slovakian partner Filip Horansky.
Last years US Open junior boys champion Jack Sock has decided to turn professional and not go to University. It must have been a very tough decision to not go to college and test it out on the pro tour. Especially considering Sock has an ITF ranking of only around 550 in the world!
“The past few weeks, I thought my game was to the point to where I thought I could go out and compete with the top players in the world,” the 18-year-old said. “I’m ready to make a full-time commitment to it.”
Sock is now going to be represented by CAA Sports and has Adidas as his new clothing sponsor.
He will attempt to defend his 18s Nationals title at Kalamazoo Aug. 5-14.
Wimbledon Girls Singles Champion, Ashleigh Barty, visits the Richmond Tigers AFL team. This all happened last week and her dad must be very jelous as he’s a Tigers supporter.
Having coached for over 20 years at every level of play I have seen quite a bit. There are a few parts to this subject which we will get into in different articles.
How to pick a coach
Doing your part as the student
When and why to change coaches
Picking a coach… There are coaches all over the place, just Google it and you can find a coach but how to you find the right coach for you. Take a few things into consideration, your level of play and what you are trying to accomplish. Taking this example… a junior player with a mid range ranking trying to get to a top 10 ranking in their section.
First, do your homework. Ask other players where they train and why they like it there. Ask parents as well. Once you have a few names look into, What is the coaches’ background? Do they or have they played competitive tennis? Do they currently work with competitive players? Please understand that this is just to get things started and hopefully getting you on the right track. If this particular junior player is serious about reaching their goal, the process of picking the right coach can be a bit lengthy.
Next, schedule a few meetings with a minimum of three coaches and do an informal interview. Get a feel for the facility and most important ask if you can watch a class or practice session (this is mainly for players looking to join a group class) Take note as to how the group is run, do they look organized? What is the player-coach ratio? And most important, is there any instruction taking place or is it just a bunch of hitting balls and rotating courts? After you have met with a few coaches it’s time to select which one you are going to try first.
So, you have selected someone that fits what you are looking for, great, now the work begins. I always recommend to try a coach for a minimum of 30 days which means you will either take four private lessons and/or participate in the coaches junior program a minimum of two times per week. In this time you can learn a lot about the coach, their personality, their style of coaching and most important, do they have a plan for you?
Now that your 30 days are over, you either go thru the same thing with your number two pick or you decide to stick with the coach you just tried out. Next we will discuss doing your part as the student.
It seems like Australian tennis is slowly getting it right, but it still seems they have the eye on the wrong prize. Luke Saville recently won the junior Boy Singles at Wimbledon 2011 and there was an article published this morning on the Tennis Australia website that stating: “Saville eyes No 1 Junior Ranking“. I find this to be the wrong mindset all over again!
Its great to be the number 1 junior in the world, but as Saville stated in the press conference embedded in the article, he only wants to focus on his ITF ranking. Tennis Australia really need to get some focus on pushing these young players into the top 100 adult players in the world and not letting them focus on their junior careers, because at the end of the day adult tennis is everything!
Saville keep on playing great tennis and working on your game. Focus on bringing home those ITF points and pushing up the rankings. We dont want to see yet another top junior tennis player fall by the way side when trying to make it to the professional ranks.
Australian tennis had an amazing Wimbledon tournament. Australia picked up both the Boys and Girls Singles events at Wimbledon 2011.
Ashleigh Barty, 15, completed the double with a 7-5 7-6 (7-3) win over Russia’s 16-year-old Irina Khromacheva, the No.3 seed, on court one. In winning, Barty became the first indigenous Australian to win a title at Wimbledon since Evonne Goolagong-Cawley’s second triumph in 1980.
Barty’s parents cheered her on from their home in Springfield, Queensland.
“We were just so pleased and so proud for how she handled herself, the way she managed the situation,” father Robert Barty said.
“It’s amazing, it really is. You always hope that your children can achieve some really special things, and what she’s doing – even if she didn’t win – the fact that she’s the number-one ranked girl for her age is phenomenal.
Australian tennis is not currently at its strongest, but with the return of Dokic this week, things are looking up. As well as Dokic doing well the Australian boys are also growing every single year. An Australian boy has won the singles title at the Australian Open for the last two years and they still have a chance to make it three in a row. The boys singles draw is currently into the round of 16 and there are still three Australian boys who have an opportunity to win the title. Keep a watch out over the next few days to see if one these boys can take the title. Australian tennis is going to be very strong in 5 years time if the juniors is anything to look by.
Health and beauty brand Garnier, associate sponsor of the Australian Open, this week broadened its support of tennis to a rising star of the game, signing Bernard Tomic as a brand ambassador.
The two-year deal will see Tomic appear in both print and TV advertising for Garnier and make personal appearances at the hugely popular Garnier World during the Australian Open.
I have seen Tomic grow up as a player when he was training back at school on the Gold Coast. He used to get coached by the same academy as myself. Bernard has grown up as a player and a person a huge amount in the last 3 or so years, and this new sponsorship is a great stepping stone for him to reach his goals on the ATP Tour. Plus it helps to have IMG on your side!
In 2008, Tomic became the youngest player in the Open era to win the Australian Open Junior Championships, and reached the finals of the Wimbledon boys’ doubles.
In 2007, Tomic led the Optus Australian Junior Davis Cup team to victory at the world final and hoisted his third Orange Bowl trophy. In 2006, at just fourteen, he announced his presence on the international scene by winning four International Junior Tennis Federation (ITF) 18/u titles in just two months, and was recognised with the Garnier Rising Star Award, a $10,000 tennis scholarship in January 2007.
Announcing the signing, General Manager of Garnier, Mark O’Keefe said, “Garnier is excited to announce a partnership with Bernard Tomic. We believe Bernard reflects perfectly the youthful energy and passion that lies at the heart of the Garnier brand.
Even kids need a strategy. This is something I see all the time. People learning to play tennis are so focused on the technical aspect they have very little direction in a match. Children, in particular are focused on technique AND VERY vulnerable to distractions.
So, parents, here is a great tip to tell your children, just before they go out on the tennis court to play match.
* win the first two points of every game.
* hit two balls to the backhand, then one to the forehand.
By telling children to focus on just these two simple things, they now have a plan. When times get tough in the match they have a friend. Their plan.
People learning to play tennis do not have distinct strengths and weaknesses, therefore your opponent of equal ability really has no massive strength or no massive weakness. Therefore a basic plan really focussing on yourself will be the most effective.
Let’s talk about the two tips in more detail.
Win the first two points of every game. This actually applies to players at every level however it is very important to beginners who need to understand the importance of getting in front in an individual game. Beginners in particular are more likely to have a negative reaction to losing the first two points. They are more likely to throw the towel in, have a tantrum, drop their bundle. Especially kids. Therefore if you can focus on winning the first two points they may be handed the rest of the game with easy points.
Hit two balls to their backhand, then one to their forehand. the goal of this tip is to basically have some direction with every shot that they hit. So many kids just hit the ball aimlessly. Everybody needs direction with every shot. In actual fact, it doesn’t matter where the ball ended up, just as long as you have a plan. I have chosen to to the backhand won to the forehand because usually players backhands are weaker than their forehands. If there is an obvious weakness, play two shots to that side and one to the strong side.
Recently I saw a great example of this work. The standard of the two young players was very similar. Before the match I told his father, to tell his son, to concentrate on those two tips. During the match, the opponent became very annoying on court. He was screaming “come on” on a double fault. For an innocent ten-year old this is very distracting. By having the basic plan – this gave him direction during hard times. He was able to focus during a very distracting match and beat this opponent.
This is a story has been blown totally out of proportion. I was reading on the Mail website today about one of Britains top junior tennis players and how he has been hit by a ban from the LTA. Dan Evans was the player in question has has been stripped of all funding and support from the LTA for four months because he went out on the piss during Wimbledon. Evans was seen with his doubles partner Smethurst leaving a Wimbledon town nightclub at 3am. I think this is just a little over the top!
Most tennis players on tour especially juniors really enjoy to go out and party. I know he picked the wrong time to do it, while playing at Wimbledon and of course he should be punished for this. However, you have to expect these to players to unwind somehow and with him still being in juniors most of the top players will see their funding stop when they move into Adults anyways. I do think that British tennis is getting it wrong with funding anyways, but that’s another article. Evans only has another year or two of funding left before they will just remove him from the system, so he might was well enjoy his time at the top of juniors while he has it, because the next few years will be the hardest of his life, if he wants to make a career out of tennis.
This is a story has been blown totally out of proportion. I was reading on the 
