The training ground of champions

We have been lucky enough to work across many different areas of tennis but none is quite as close to our hearts as our involvement with junior tennis. 

My first experience of junior tennis was watching the boys’ and girls’ matches at the 2001 Wimbledon Championships as part of what was then a new writing gig for the International Tennis Federation (ITF). From the start I found it fascinating to see these talented young players serve their apprenticeship and learn not just about how to prepare for and win matches but also how to function in the unique atmosphere of a major tennis tournament. 

Faye Andrews, my co-director at The Emilia Group, spent eight years immersed in junior tennis as part of a long-term, full-time role at the ITF so her bond with this aspect of the sport is arguably even stronger than mine. That’s why we were both delighted when we began working with Tennis Europe at the start of this year, an organisation of member nations across the continent which runs, among other things, the Tennis Europe Junior Tour.

The TEJT has a roster of events for players aged 12-under, 14-under and 16-under, including a season-ending Masters tournament for the top eight players in each category. It boast players from more than 100 countries across Europe, players with a range of personalities and backgrounds with one thing in common - the desire and potential to end up being the best tennis players on the planet. Rafael Nadal, Justine Henin, Caroline Wozniacki, Andy Murray, Victoria Azarenka, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Maria Sharapova (to name just a few) were all in their shoes once; finding their way and growing up while playing Tennis Europe Junior Tour events. 

Rafel Nadal at a Tennis Europe junior tournament

That impressive list of former TEJT players is not limited to Europeans either; Guillermo Coria, Andy Roddick, Juan Martín Del Potro and Sania Mirza all got their first taste of European competition on the tour. If you go back further you get a sense of the role that Tennis Europe has played in nurturing some of the greatest players of all time, from Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to Steffi Graf, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker and Mats Wilander. 

Clockwise from top left: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray,
Roger Federer, Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg

As part of our role as media consultants to Tennis Europe, we have twice been lucky enough to attend the Tennis Europe Junior Masters, which is held in Reggio Calabria each October. On both occasions we have loved watching how the players bond and learn from each other, as well as from the educational sessions held during the tournament in which we deliver interactive media training. The ethos of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour is very much like that of the global ITF Junior Circuit (which includes the 18-under Junior Grand Slam events) in that it combines the highest levels of competition and professional-standard tournaments with a commitment to support players’ off-court development too. 

These junior tours are designed to mirror the ITF Pro Circuit, ATP and WTA Tours in every way, even down to having a cumulative ranking system and anti-doping programme. In every sense it is where champions learn their trade.  

If tennis's big four are boring, what's the solution?

Ernests Gulbis might not have lasted very long at this year’s Roland Garros but his declaration to L’Equipe that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are ‘boring’ ignited a debate that looks set to rumble on all summer.

In the aftermath, Murray and Federer both admitted that they try to avoid controversy if they can, because the resulting brouhaha can prove to be a distraction. Media revels in conflict. Frankly, speaking as an ex-journalist, it makes the job a lot easier if there is a good row going on. You can simply cover the initial outburst and then spend the days that follow chasing up reactions and counter-claims - which is exactly what happened with the Gulbis story.

It’s hard to conceive just how all-consuming the business of trying to win tennis matches is until you spend time around athletes in competition and, personally, it took me leaving the press room to really appreciate it. While working with athletes, we’ve seen first hand how much a negative story or a controversy surrounding a player can weigh on a player’s mind and distract them, their coach and those around them. Not only does it cause anxiety in the camp and the sort of hassle which can effect performance, but it makes the player wary of doing interviews for fear of making things worse. A gun-shy player is, in turn, far more likely to give ‘boring’ answers and long-term that helps no-one.

The solution is for players to find a way of being themselves without being censored in a way which robs them of any charisma or sense of edgy competitiveness. Getting the right advice helps and that should be a good deal more detailed and nuanced than the oft-repeated: “Don’t say anything which might get you into trouble.” It should include guidance on getting your point across without being disrespectful to opponents or making yourself look bitter or like a moaner. And yes, players do have accept that if they express an opinion then some people will disagree with it. That means those advising them need to help them maintain a sense of perspective about what people write, say, think and tweet about them.

Federer put his finger on one of the biggest issues at play here, namely an overly formal and exhaustive cycle of press conferences, which leads to a saturation of quotes from the same small group of players. Press conference exchanges, involving large groups of journalists addressing a player usually sat behind an imposing desk and in the glare of TV lights, do not allow for much creative questioning or quirky answers.

"I understand it, our interviews are not always the most exciting. But that's not just our fault, that's the machine. After each match, we have to give press conferences,” Federer told Swiss reporters at Roland Garros. "But also you cannot say anything you do not like about something to someone without being totally criticised by many people. Therefore, everyone is very careful."

Of course some press conferences are necessary but tennis needs to explore other types of media interaction which allow players’ personalities to come across more. Murray in particular has suffered from the majority of his media, particularly early in his career, being conducted in the press conference format. He has grown more comfortable with them over the years but it is still clear from Murray’s body language and general demeanor that he does not particularly enjoy press conferences. With the TV camera focused on him alone, the Murray the public sees often appears grumpy and awkward. This is a shame given that, in small group interviews, Murray can be funny, eloquent, humble and engaging.

The ATP, which runs the men’s Tour, has recently been experimenting with the kind of mixed zones common at the Olympics. This could present a way forward, at least in the early rounds of tournaments, with press conferences brought in as additional access from, say, the quarter-finals onwards. Since players enter a mixed zone immediately post-match, it would free up players’ time and mean that media would not have to wait half an hour or longer to speak to a player.
With fewer press conferences to do, players could then be asked to do more individual or small group interviews which would encourage creative questions and allow players to express themselves more freely and help us all learn a little bit more about them.