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One Big Happy Racquets Family

By Michael Provenzano
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I used to be a tennis purist. What’s pickleball? Platform tennis? Padel?! It seemed as if a new racquet sport was being rolled out every week. I was averse to anything new; anything intruding on tennis’ territory. The first time I played platform tennis, “Awe, this is stupid. These screens make no sense. It’s too cold anyway!” When I tried pickleball, “The ball has to bounce twice? What are these three numbers? Anybody can do this, it’s too easy.” While I personally don’t think anything will ever overtake my lifelong passion for tennis, I am now in a place of acceptance of the times. Tennis isn’t the only show in town anymore, and that’s okay. We have to be able to make room for new and exciting things to grow, whether that be in racquet sports or in life in general. Although pickleball, platform tennis and padel aren’t traditionally ‘new,’ they have seen a more recent rise in popularity comparative with tennis. Technically, pickleball and platform tennis have been around for dec...
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Is U.S. Tennis all the way back ?

By Michael Provenzano
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American tennis has seemingly had a surge in the last nine months to a year, with some notable results and player breakthroughs on both the mens and women’s tours. Taylor Fritz started everything for the men last year by breaking through and winning the biggest title of his career at his home tournament in Indian Wells; dispatching Rafael Nadal in the final while dealing with a debilitating ankle injury that almost forced him to withdraw before the match. Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula have been steadily climbing and progressing through the rankings, where they both now sit inside the WTA top 10. Come next Monday following the Australian Open, a whopping ten American men will reside inside the top 50 ATP rankings. We have seen flashes from some American women who were vying to supplant the Williams’ sisters in Sofia Kenin and Sloane Stephens who lifted major trophies, but those two players have not proved to be able to remain at the top of the game and have struggled with inconsistenc...
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Remote Coaching as a viable service and addition to your business

By Michael Provenzano
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Remote coaching is something that, until recently, was not a realistic or feasible option for most in the profession. It was accelerated through the COVID-19 pandemic, but had been gaining some momentum as a coaching alternative or add on prior to the onset of the pandemic. Whether you are a freelance teaching professional running your own business or a well established club with a multitude of coaches and programs, remote coaching should be something that is part of your services and business plan. If you teach outside for all or part of the year, you know the challenges that come with doing so. A rainy day cancels all of your lessons; extremely high or humid temperatures will have your clients canceling; in addition, people have unexpected events that prevent them from making it to your session. Obviously, you as the club or sole proprietor need some protection and should have a cancellation policy, but you do not want to push clients away by not giving them a break when circumst...
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Mike Provenzano and Steve Capo Podcast: Army Men's Tennis, College Tennis and Player Development

By Michael Provenzano
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The Importance of Relating to your Players

By Michael Provenzano
An aspect of being a consummate tennis professional and coach that is often overlooked is the ability to relate to your students. The majority of players you will teach in your coaching career will not be lifting the winners trophy at Wimbledon, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t want to achieve something by picking up a racquet. Whether your student wants to play college tennis or simply run around, hit balls and get a good workout, you as the professional have to make him or her feel as if they are the most important person during that session. You have to bring out your human side and make it about more than just tennis. Not all players want to divulge every aspect of their lives while on the tennis court, but they also don’t want to feel as if the time is completely transactional. While your student’s main concern for the hour may be finding better rhythm on their topspin forehand, they also want to feel like they are interacting with another human being. Too many pros think sa...
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