Coaches Go Round
So Andy Roddick has added Jimmy Connors to his camp while Andy Murray has Brad Gilbert on board. Like many players, Roddick has been through several coaches over the past few years, i.e. Tarik Benihabiles, Brad Gilbert, Dean Goldfine and his brother, John. Why do some players stay with the same coach for years, even sometimes their whole career, e.g. James Blake (Brian Barker), Rafael Nadal (uncle Toni Nadal), Justine Henin-Hardenne (Carlos Rodriguez), Maria Sharapova (her father), Serena and Venus Williams (their parents). The simple answer is probably that when a player starts to lose, it’s easiest to think that a change of coaches and some new ideas might improve their play. Sometimes that is true… sometimes not. But the traveling coach-player relationship is about so much more than just how to hit tennis balls and win matches. It’s really a relationship because players and coaches spend hours and hours together for 30+ weeks a year. Fifty percent of marriages fail, so it’s probably not surprising that so many coaches find themselves on the sidelines after a year or two.
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hi
Posted by: shahram | August 31, 2006 02:51 AM