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JOHAN KRIEK TWO TIME GRAND SLAM CHAMPION
ATP 2-Time Grand Slam Champion, Coach and Owner of Johan Kriek Tennis Academy
Frank: You have a very successful tennis academy in Charlotte, North Carolina (USA) – Johan Kriek Tennis Academy. What are the strong points of your academy?
Johan: I am personally on the court every day with my academy coaches and the clients. Each kid sees me every day and that is a rarity in America from someone with my credentials.
I also have created a great team of coaches that are very competent and we work in tandem as not to sow confusion when we coach privately with a kid and when the kid also trains in the academy. We have coaches on our staff from around the world and that gives the academy a very deep tennis base of knowledge to draw from.
Besides our great coaching staff, we fulfill all the necessary needs of each client whether it is coaching, changing a stroke or a grip, fitness needs, nutrition, mental training on court and in a classroom, tournament scheduling and the very important aspect of getting kids ready to apply for a college. Our connections in the college arena are very strong as college tennis is a very important aspect for most of our clients.
Frank: What would your advice be to parents of a hungry young talent?
Johan: Be supportive but not to the point that the kid feels this is becoming a “job” and their desire starts to disappear. If a kid is under ten years old, let him play other sports as well, soccer comes to mind as a great sport for fitness, endurance and footwork that complements tennis. Let the kid be a kid, not a tennis professional at age 10!
The more parents have fun with their child and avoids harping on results, at such a young age, the more the kid will want to stay in the game. The nationally ranked kid age 14 trains already perhaps 14 hours minimum a week with goals very different from a much younger child.
As a coach I need to be very aware of the expectations of parents, the child and the pressures that are “at play” in this journey. Unfortunately I see a lot of very good juniors with parents who are completely overbearing and pushing to the point it creates a very bad relationship and conflict rules the day. Even well-meaning parents that are not “sophisticated” enough in the knowledge of the sport and their child’s growth can derail a good talent easily…
It is my job to sit with the parents, sometimes many times during a year, especially after tournaments to discuss all the aspects I see that need to be addressed and “educate” the parents about the path forward.
Frank: What do you feel is the primary role of the tennis parent in today’s world?
Johan: The parent or parents have their child 20 hours of the day each day. In the academy I have the child for but a few hours. The role of the parent is vitally important to the tennis success of their child. It is tough enough to just be a parent but to be the parent of a budding tennis star is a whole different level of parenting. A child will always want to please the parents no matter the situation. So the parents must be the child’s support system in a very positive nurturing way. On this subject, “The Tennis Parent’s Bible” provides tremendous insight and information on how to deal with so many aspects of this issue. The book should be a must read for any parent or parents out there whether you are just starting out or have been “in the junior tennis world” for a while now.
Frank: How important is an “educated” parent in the developmental process?
Johan: This junior tennis journey is a very competitive world. Parents will see things happening on and off the court they never dreamed of seeing… Competition brings out a tremendous amount of joy when a kid wins but remember, there is but only one winner in a tournament! A kid will lose a lot, so get used to it. Disappointment and frustration is an everyday thing so how a parent deals with it and how a kid reacts to losing is where an “educated” parent has a huge impact on the mental well-being of their tennis prodigy.
It is so frustrating for me to see a well-meaning “uneducated” parent interrogate their kid right after they lost a match. The parent delves into the reasons why he or she lost and asking them they why did you not do this or that etc. …I see it all the time! The poor kid is already devastated from his loss and comes to the parent for support, but the parent makes it ten times worse. Parents should offer a safe haven for the child. There is a time and a place for everything. An educated tennis parent will know based on his or her child’s reaction after the loss whether they can talk about the match or whether they should just grab some lunch…
Frank: What’s your recommendation to coaches around the world regarding the synergy of the player- parent-coach entourage?
Johan: Coaches must understand that the parent is a very important part of this “triangle.” Ignoring this is a recipe for disaster. Without proper communication between the coach, parents and the player, sometimes together, unrealistic expectations may arise and lead to unnecessary conflict and stress for everybody involved. A smart coach will know parents and their child very well and this is the only way to continue on a healthy path through this rough and tumble world of junior tennis. And this applies to every sport, not just tennis!
Not a week goes by where I do not sit with a set of parents and discuss their child. Sometimes it requires face to face discussions but many times it is a phone call or an email. Communication is KEY!
Frank: Let’s go back to your junior years. What were the motivational forces that propelled you to stardom? Why couldn’t you just be another normal kid?
Johan: I guess I was normal or so I thought… Looking back, I was a very gifted athlete and exceptionally competitive by nature- I hated losing more than anything! Down deep I believed I could win. My internal drive to be “the best I could be” propelled me forward…
Frank: Back in the late 1970’s, which developmental components did you or did not focus on?
Johan: I was always a very natural ball striker. The technical components of my game were very sound, but I knew I needed the “exposure” to tougher opponents to expose and improve my weaknesses. So at the age of 17, I went to Austria to improve my match competitiveness. I trained on clay and played set after set and multiple tournaments. Although I got wiped most of the time, I was steadily improving.
Frank: If you had a “do-over”, what would you have developed differently?
Johan: Looking back, the element most lacking in my game was the mental component. Unfortunately, during my youth developmental phase, the mental components of tennis were not specialized. Most definitely, focusing on the mental application of tennis would be my “do-over” by far!
Frank: How did being South African effect your breakthrough at the International level?
Johan: Being from South-Africa was not easy. The South African political issues often blocked my participation in tournaments, but fortunately, I persevered and never let politics affect my desire to play tennis. I eventually took American citizenship which cleared my path to play wherever I wanted to play.
Frank: Can you share some incredible memories from the ATP days?
Johan: I have amazing memories from my days on the ATP tour. Some of the most memorable memories include: the first ATP tournament John McEnroe won was against me in Hartford CT., beating Stefan Edberg in 5 sets at Wimbledon, after being down 2 sets to love; winning my first ATP event in Sarasota Florida…But my most incredibly awesome memories are winning my first major in Australia in 1981 and then again in 1982! It was so farfetched that I still can’t believe that I won two Grand Slams back to back!
Even after my Grand Slam wins, unforgettable ATP memories continued. For instance beating John McEnroe, as he held the #1 player in the world ranking, a few weeks after my second Australian Open win was fantastic. My ATP career has left indelible memories- I could tell stories forever…
Frank: How did you recover after a tough loss on the ATP tour?
Johan: I once had Borg 2 sets to love in the semis of the ’80 US Open and McEnroe 2 sets to 1 in the quarters of “Wimby” and lost …it happens. I had my share of bad losses but I chose to not let them get me down for long periods of time. I actually took the negatives aspects of the losses and turned them into a positive driving force. This is because I knew I “had” the guy that I lost to and the loss forced me to work harder to beat him the next time.
After about 3 years on the tour, I rarely lost to a guy more than once in a row.
I believe growth comes from losses. One has to learn from losses and figure “stuff out” in order to improve. Once the same “pressure points” or games arrive you’re more equipped to handle the situation.
Frank: How did you take such an emotional hit and recover so well?
Johan: I ended up winning two Aussie Opens after some tough losses. Tournament competition is a grind man… It’s not easy but once you have battled through a couple of very “tough” matches, you begin to become more familiar with the experience and learn to develop the proper protocol in handling the experience.
It is still hard, but once you have experienced hard fought matches, for months or years, they become easier to deal with and “accepted” as part of the game.
Johan Kriek Tennis Academy Website: www.johankriektennis.com Email:Johan@johankriektennis.com Twitter: @johankriek
