1 The duration
You have to figure out if a long-lasting coaching relation is helpful for the player. I had a short-term relationship with Kristian Pless from Denmark, which I helped to come back after his injury. When we started, we agreed that as soon as he was back in the top 100 he would get his own coach because I was at this time coaching Rainer Schuettler and Lars Burgsmüller and to have 3 players in the top 100 would not have been good for Kristian.

To have a good relationship with a player is always based on some principles. First of all, honesty.

If a player doesn’t feel that you are honest and don’t feel like they can trust your words, there is normally no chance to have a long-lasting relationship with them.

2) Learning
You should be ready every day to learn by yourself and to adapt to a new situation.

3) The player
I never saw it as a job where I needed to earn money and therefore, I was more open towards the interests of the players than what is the interest of myself. I was never afraid that a player might fire me or doesn’t want to work with me anymore. I always had a chance to do what I believed was the best for the player and the best for the relationship.

4) Success
At the end, you need to be successful. No player will stay long with you, when they are not successful and that is your job as a coach to make the player a better player every day.

(Inspired by the podcast episode #74: “Managing a Top 100 Player” w. Dirk Hordorff on The Adam Blicher Show — Dissecting High Performance in Tennis)

Want to listen to the full episode: http://shorturl.at/jktA8