The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers! Click Here to Order
NICK SAVIANO WTA PROFESSIONAL COACH 
Current WTA Coach of Sloane Stephens, Owner of Saviano High Performance Tennis and Author
Frank: What is your philosophy in regards to educating tennis parents?
Nick: First of all, there is no “one size fits all” approach to parenting an athlete or educating the parents. Tennis parent education greatly depends on factors such as age, gender, and travel requirements. There are so many roles of the tennis parent and too many variables to generalize but there are fundamental principles applicable across the board.
Frank: What do you feel is the primary role of the parents?
Nick: As there are developmental stages for players, there are maturation stages for parents throughout the child’s developmental process. The primary role is to use the game of tennis to teach life skills and values.
Frank: Can you share your thoughts on the parental-coach relationship?
Nick: The parents should plan on taking an active role in their child’s development. If you’re a tennis parent, there always has to be a healthy dose of skepticism along with trust in your child’s coach. The parents should verify the coaches’ actions by monitoring what’s going on and make sure that the coach is espousing the life principles that are consistent with the parents.
Frank: How important is the parent in the process?
Nick: In the early stages, besides the athlete, the parents are the most important members of the team. They are the most important people in the world to that child in most normal cases. Therefore they are a critical part of the developmental team. As such, the coach needs to be committed to be working with them for the benefit of the child.
Frank: What is your recommendation to coaches regarding the synergy of the player-parent-coach entourage?
Nick: A wise coach (unless there’s mitigating circumstances) would look to involve the parents so that everyone is on the same page. Parents should instill those fundamental life skills that need to be taught to the player in order for them to achieve the tennis skills at the highest level and at the healthiest levels.
Frank: What is the major factor in organizing a tennis parent’s level of involvement?
Nick: The ideal role of the tennis parent is predicated on the quality of the available coaches. There are so many variables regarding the coach that each individual situation is unique and therefore establishing the optimal developmental team will vary slightly depending on the situation.
Nick Saviano Email: nick@savianotennis.com www.savianotennis.com Academy: Saviano High Performance Tennis
