Welcome to Tennis Canada’s month-to-month mailbag for February, 2025. This month, Tennis Canada’s Vice-President of Excessive Efficiency, Guillaume Marx, is answering questions on his teaching profession and the state of Canada’s gamers.
How impressed have you ever been with the robust begin to the season by our girls transition gamers like Victoria Mboko, Carson Branstine, and so on.? What has been the important thing to their collective success?
I believe they really feel numerous dedication. I see it in what they do. There may be additionally Kayla [Cross] who had a great finish to final season, who’s No. 253, near coming into the Grand Slam qualifiers. Their objective now could be to enter the grand slam qualifiers as a result of there, you’re within the greater pond. And so, I believe she sees that it’s doable and that’s the place their dedication comes from. I believe that each season they’ve a plan after which they handle to solidify their rating.
There may be Marina [Stakusic] who’s 114. Victoria is 212 at the moment. Carson is 223, Kayla 253 so it’s very fascinating, 10 ladies within the 300. There may be additionally Cadence Brace who’s Prime 300 this week so we’re assured. I believe there’s a small impact possibly of coaching. We’re all the time higher when we’re not alone.
Learn additionally: Introducing the Highway to the NBO – Tennis Canada to Award Wild Card to Canadian Winner
Denis and Felix have rebounded properly in 2025. What have you ever seen from them that makes you suppose they’ll be capable of maintain acting at a excessive stage?
What I see is I believe that, ultimately, they had been slightly extra affected than we realized by the truth that typically they performed with out essentially being a hundred percent and that due to this fact it takes time. The margins are skinny in the mean time between the gamers and it’s important to be good. I believe that in actual fact they’re higher bodily than they had been a 12 months, a 12 months and a half in the past, and it makes a distinction.
In Denis’ case, I believe the route his sport is taking, particularly what we noticed in Dallas and Belgrade on the finish of final 12 months, is fascinating as a result of he nonetheless tries to remain offensive on a regular basis, being extra stable. That’s what was missing. So he defends extra and it’s already bearing fruit.
When evaluating a younger aspiring participant, what are you on the lookout for? Are there any indicators that suggest this child might be the actual deal?
In fact, sooner or later it’s important to have a sure stage anyway, so there are minimal outcomes. After that, there are some points for which we might be extra affected person. It’s about bodily growth normally.
Learn additionally: Q and A – NBO Montreal Event Director Valérie Tétreault on Keys, Halep, and Planning for a 12-Day Format
We’re on the lookout for gamers on whom we really feel that there was an awesome bodily growth nonetheless to be performed, who has room for enchancment on that and I believe we’re on the lookout for gamers who’re decided, who’ve drive, somebody who has a challenge, who is aware of she or he needs a profession in tennis. I’d say that it’s the mixture of those components.
How do you see the transition from U10 to U12 as they turn into extra aggressive, as they play extra matches? What are the keys to proceed growth?
I believe that clearly, between U10, U12, as you begin to compete, the secret’s for the kid to seek out the enjoyable within the reality of competing. For me, it’s crucial factor that the match doesn’t turn into a mountain, one thing destructive too typically. If it’s destructive, it should be uncommon. At that age, the entire expertise needs to be optimistic.
Any enjoyable tales out of your time touring with Milos Raonic?
It was a really particular expertise. I believe Milos is an endearing particular person, very clever. I rapidly realized that he’s smarter than me. And so I needed to method working with him in a novel approach as a result of, as he was very cerebral and clever, he couldn’t stand to play badly. He couldn’t stand imperfection, which meant I needed to discover new options to assist him when he wasn’t enjoying at his finest. He compelled me to work lots on myself to each attempt to make him perceive that he needed to evolve and on the similar time settle for the truth that he was like that. It was all the time a stability between the 2.
Immediately, Milos is somebody who’s extraordinarily organized and that was not essentially the case again then. He was looking for himself and he discovered his efficiency by a spell of extremely group that he struggled to seek out when he was younger. When he was actually younger, he had bother placing it in place, and that got here steadily.
At what level when teaching Félix Auger-Aliassime do you know that he was going to be a star?
I don’t suppose it’s important to be a tennis professional to have recognized that at 13, 14 he was one thing particular. I’m removed from the one one to have detected that there was one thing particular about him. The primary time was a coaching session on the clay courts of the middle, most likely on a Saturday morning, the place he was enjoying with a a lot older, skilled participant, however I can’t bear in mind who it was.
Even then, at 13, 14 years previous, he educated so professionally when it comes to dedication, funding, regularity, and so on. I used to be with Martin Laurendeau and we had been actually impressed. If you find yourself impressed at that age by the dedication and the standard of the extent, it means one thing.
How do you keep calm when a participant you’re teaching is enjoying a giant match?
I’m not calm in any respect, truly, after I watch a match. You must be nonetheless after all. On the similar time, once in a while, it’s important to be reactive since you additionally should shake your participant generally. There are matches when you find yourself calmer than others, however, ultimately, I don’t suppose I’ve ever been actually calm throughout a match. There’s numerous nervousness.
January Mailbag: Tom Tebbutt on Rising Stars and Experiences with Legends
