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The following interview features part two of my interview with Cali Jankowski, the Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA) #1 ranked player! I’ve been lucky enough to have been coaching Cali since she was about 12 years old. It’s exciting to see organized teens willing to give back to the game and help the next generation. I’m sure that her advice will assist parents and athletes in maximizing their potential at a quicker rate.
Cali Jankowski
Age Started: 9 years old
First Tournament: 10 years old
Residence: Southern California
Notable Results:
- 14’s Winter National Champion
- 14’s Intersectional National Champions Team Member
- 2 Time Henry Talbert Winner
- 16’s Intersectional National 2nd Place Team Member
- 16’s National Clay Courts 5th Place
- 16’s National Selection Winner
- 18’s Yamasaki Winner
- 18’s Mike Agassi No Quit Winner
- 18’s Ojai Winner
- 18’s National Selection Winner
- 18’s National Clay Courts 4th Place
- 18’s Stanford Eve Zimmerman/Johnson National Winner
NOTE TO THE NEXT GENERATION:
An In-Depth Interview with SCTA #1 Cali Jankowski
Q: Your ranking skyrocketed in the 16’s. What were the reasons for the results?
A: In the 16’s, I started putting together a really strong arsenal of coaches and match play. This meant getting my butt kicked on a weekly basis by older boys and doing countless drills that I couldn’t stand. I became a lot more independent and began to take responsibility for my game- which I believe really helped my game. I started managing my practice schedule and training the way I wanted to train. Being in charge of my practices made me excited to practice and get better. I’ll be honest though, sometimes putting in the work wasn’t super fun, but winning several big tournaments in one year was really fun!
Q: What life skills has tennis taught you?
A: Tennis has absolutely shaped me into the person I am today. It has forced me to start thinking for myself a lot younger than the average teenager. I have also become incredibly independent when it comes to running my tennis, life, house and taking care of my dog. I also learned time management and the ability to solve problems quickly. Many of the obstacles I learned to hurdled over on the tennis court, from a young age, translated over to real life. I think any tennis player of a high level can speak on this: we are a lot more prepared for college than the average teen.
Q: Knowing then what you know now, how could you have maximized your potential at a quicker rate?
A: I wasted a lot of time from age 10 to about 13 ½. I should’ve been working smarter, not harder. Instead of hitting a ton of forehands crosscourt, I should’ve been refining my short angles, lobs, footwork, and patterns. Strokes aside, I was very late to strengthening the mental aspect of my game. I would let my emotions run my game and determine the outcome of my matches. I still get frustrated on the court, but you will never ever see it translate to the next point. I have a very fiery personality that will never change, but it has definitely been harnessed.
Q: Within the 4 major components, what would you of done differently or given more attention to?
- Stroke Development
- Athleticism
- Mental
- Emotional
I would have worked on the mental and emotional components just as much as perfecting backswings and foot speed. I wish I could have spent more time off the court learning about how to manage my emotions and how to construct points. In my early tournament years, my frustrations on the court never stemmed from my bad grip or weird stroke, but from not knowing how to reset emotionally and actually play smart tennis.
Q: What type of specialized coaches, trainers & PT’s are part of your entourage?
A: As of right now, I work with three different coaches. With Frank Giampaolo, I work on drilling my secondary shots and refining my mental and emotional tactics and routines. I also work with a hitting coach where we almost always do live ball or point play the entire training session. He adjusts his style of play based on what I need to work on. Then, my third coach watches, coaches and directs while I spar with another player. I also do a group fitness class twice a week and once every other week get a sports massage from the same fitness trainer. I go to the gym throughout the week as well. They weren’t kidding when they say it takes a village.
Q: Did you play High School tennis all four years? Why or why not?
I enrolled in an online high school starting my freshman year. This was to ensure I could travel and train without the restrictions of a classroom from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. I have never played high school tennis and have zero regrets about not doing so. High school coaches are strict about players attending all practices and matches and I feel as though hitting with girls who only pick up a racket during tennis season would’ve done nothing for my game.
Q: According to ScholarshipStats.com approximately 1% of female high school tennis players receive a full ride D-1 college tennis scholarship. What college offer did you decide to take?
A: I will be attending Arizona State University in the Fall of 2018 on a full ride.
Q: What parting advice can you share with the current crop of parents and athletes on this journey?
A: It sounds harsh but you kind of need to be selfish in this sport. Don’t feel the need to stick with a coach because you’ll hurt their feelings if you leave. If they are not working out, then move on and find something else. Same thing goes for the players themselves, don’t feel the need to keep playing when it starts to feel like a chore.
Getting a little burnt out? Consider putting your rackets down for a little while and taking a break from tennis. The break will help you to determine if you love tennis and want to play again. It is virtually impossible to have good results when you aren’t enjoying it.
Speaking of enjoying it, enjoy the wild ride of junior tennis. As someone who goes off to college in about nine months, I can confidently say that my junior tennis career has flown by.
Best luck of luck to all the juniors and parents reading this!
