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 sturdy begin to the season by our ladies transition gamers like Victoria Mboko, Carson Branstine, and so forth.? What has been the important thing to their collective success?
I believe they really feel a variety of willpower. 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’s to enter the grand slam qualifiers as a result of there, you’re within the larger pond. And so, I believe she sees that it’s attainable and that’s the place their willpower 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 present. 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 perhaps of coaching. We’re at all times higher when we’re not alone.
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Denis and Felix have rebounded properly in 2025. What have you ever seen from them that makes you suppose they’ll be capable of preserve acting at a excessive stage?
What I see is I believe that, in the long run, they have been just a little extra affected than we realized by the truth that usually they performed with out essentially being 100% and that subsequently it takes time. The margins are skinny in the intervening time between the gamers and it’s a must to be good. I believe that in actual fact they’re higher bodily than they have 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 searching for? Are there any indicators that indicate this child might be the actual deal?
After all, in some unspecified time in the future it’s a must to have a sure stage anyway, so there are minimal outcomes. After that, there are some points for which we will be extra affected person. It’s about bodily growth typically.
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We’re searching for gamers on whom we really feel that there was a terrific bodily growth nonetheless to be performed, who has room for enchancment on that and I believe we’re searching for gamers who’re decided, who’ve drive, somebody who has a undertaking, 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 grow to be 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 bottom line is for the kid to seek out the enjoyable within the reality of competing. For me, it’s crucial factor that the match doesn’t grow to be a mountain, one thing unfavourable too usually. If it’s unfavourable, it should be uncommon. At that age, the entire expertise must 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 he was somebody who was not simple to handle in sure points as a result of, as he was very cerebral and clever, he couldn’t stand to play badly. He couldn’t stand imperfection. And that generally led to a scarcity of combativeness that exhausted me. He pressured me to work rather a lot 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 at all times a stability between the 2.
As we speak, 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 regularly.
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 a must to be a tennis skilled 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 keep in mind who it was.
Even then, at 13, 14 years outdated, he educated so professionally by way of dedication, funding, regularity, and so forth. I used to be with Martin Laurendeau and we have 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. It’s important to be nonetheless after all. On the similar time, sometimes, it’s a must to be reactive since you additionally must shake your participant generally. There are matches if you end up calmer than others, however, in the long run, I don’t suppose I’ve ever been actually calm throughout a match. There’s a variety of nervousness.
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