Mats Wilander: Manage Your Game Like a Team
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 05:38PM CAtennis 
I had the fortunate opportunity to hit with 7-time Grand Slam Champion Mats Wilander in his hometown of Sun Valley, Idaho. He was giving a clinic to recreational players and I was very curious about what advice he would give to club level players. His energy and enthusiasm for the game was impressive, not feeding any balls but hitting with each player who came out on the court. He was jumping around, hustling down balls (no one could control the ball), and sweating. His attitude was contagious.
When he slowed down, he asked how many people played team sports growing up. Almost everyone raised their hand. Then he started to explain how he thought of his game as playing on a team. His forehand, backhand, serve, slice, volleys, return of serve- all of these different components to his game formed his team. He looked at tennis as a team effort. If one part of his game was not having a good day, others parts of his game had to pick up the slack. Before playing each match, he told himself that nobody on his team was going to have a perfect day. But it was his job to recognize which strokes (players on the team) were having a good day and which were not.
He explained how like in basketball, you can make substitutions. Relating to his tennis game, if his hard low forehand wasn't hurting his opponent, he would substitute in a high looping forehand to their backhand. If his baseline game wasn't doing the trick, he would substitute in his serve and volley attack. Every tool in his arsenal of weapons together formed a team, each having to do their part when called upon. Smart players are flexible and are ready for anything; willing to adapt to win in that very moment.
Maybe this "team" analogy will help you be less stubborn on the court and be a better thinker on the court.
Someone asked him at what age should kids start to get serious about the game. He quickly said he was a big believer in playing all sports at a young age to develop your athleticism. He was an avid skier and played soccer before he dived full-time into his tennis at 13.
Reader Comments (5)
i've never heard tennis described in that way - mats is brilliant! definitely sharing his advice with my son and my teammates!
great analogy to team sports. 1 thing to keep in mind howver is that in the 70s' and early 80s tennis wasn't as competitive as it is today. Focusin on tennis at 13 and expecting the same results as Mats' might not work in this day and age. maybe strat takin tennis seriuos at 11 may be better
nowadays it seems teenagers dont even exist in the top 100 of the ATP rankings, the game is somehow different than before, or maybe maturation seems to be more important to actually crack the top 100 nowadays - even with awesome talent and starting at age 3
It's gotten way more physical..also, getting the experience to beat the sharpest guys on a day-in day-out basis at an early age is difficult.
I was at a Wilander on Wheels event where someone asked Mats about the 10,000 hours rule. In response, he told a story. He said that when growing up he would camp near a tennis site and play all day, every day. He would enter all of the tournament divisions—men’s A, B, C, D—and play four or five full (two-out-of-three sets) tournament matches a day and play even more just for fun. And then he would hang out around the fire at night. He gave the impression that he blew right through the 10,000 hours and had a lot of fun in the process. Perhaps with that approach, someone could enjoy skiing in the winter and playing some soccer with friends while banking the 10,000 hours in time for a French Open at seventeen.