Coach Tip July 2007
Australian Player Development – Alicia Molik Style
Alas we have mourned the state of Australian Tennis for too long. But let us look at the bright side…
- We have a former world #1 who when fully fit can only be beaten by a handful of players in a big grand slam match.
- Four Australian boys have places in the ITF U/18 Top 10 (July 2007) and another junior has the promise to lead Australian tennis out of the desert at age 14.
- Furthermore, we have two of the most well rounded players in the women’s game, their names are Sam and Alicia.
Alicia Molik is somewhat of an icon in Australian Tennis. Like the much admired champion Pat Rafter she is both charming and humble (a rare quality in pro tennis players). While the outstanding 2005 Australian Open will be remembered for Hewitt reaching the final – it was Molik’s performances, on and off court, that won over audiences who don’t find Lleyton’s attitude their “cup of tea.” To add to her appeal she “Danced with the Stars” and became a local celebrity when injury tragically cut short her magic run of form in 2004 – 05.
Her debilitating injury may have taken some of the best years of her career from her – but Alicia is back! She looks strong and fit and recording some great results, becoming a grand slam doubles champion again. She needs a good run in the hard court season – regain her seeding in grand slams and begin competing in the big matches again.
Her doubles results are critical, because confidence is the key to unlocking potential. In the summer on ’05 Alicia was supremely confident – she had ambitions of reaching #1 in the world and her confidence was not misplaced. Had “hawk eye” been in place at the ’05 Australian Open she would have reached the semi finals and been pushing for a place in the world’s top 5. At that time her confidence stood out – and now that she is re-emerging – self belief will help her think and move better on court.
What sets Alicia apart from many other modern female players is her game style. She has a heavy forehand; a one handed backhand, that is her weaker side but adds the variety of slice; a massive serve; and a net game that is well developed through a heavy work load of doubles. She is a far cry from many of the one dimensional “baseline sluggers” who are so boring to watch in today’s tennis. Alicia’s style is more like Mauresmo or Henin – who are the real stars in women’s tennis today.
This all round game style is the future of women’s tennis. The “sluggers” haven’t the variety or feel, and Henin and Mauresmo are already showing them up. When Alicia regains her confidence and movement she will also have their measure. In her break through victory over Sharapova at the end of 2004 Alicia lost the first set 1 – 6 before varying her game plan to comprise big serves, heavy top spin forehands and low skidding slices to upset the Russian slugger’s rhythm.
As a tennis coach – the thing I love most about Alicia is her relatively “normal” development in the sport. It can be discouraging to see teenage players triumph in Grand Slam tournaments and players as young as 8 basically turning pro with endorsement packages, management groups and full time tennis programs.
How do you keep a thirteen year old student who loves the game and dreams of one day playing the circuit from becoming disillusioned when Maria Sharapova was taking on the best from age 16? .” Alicia appears to have followed a very traditional child hood dream to the world’s elite. She finished her schooling and had a fairly “typical” Australian upbringing with a tennis program that worked around school times and included time to build friendships and watch some “Aussie Rules.” I finally have a great role model for my best junior girls who are addicted to tennis playing 6 times a week, but not quite 2 – 3 years from taking on the William’s girls or Sharapova.
The young “prodigy” phenomenon is far more pronounced in the women’s game, stretching as far back as Tracey Austin. In the next generation we had Jennifer Capriati, Martina Hingis, Anna Kournakova and Jelena Dokic experience incredible success before their 16th birthday. One of the characteristics of these prodigies is their lack of longevity, and their break away from a dominant parental influence. To call the childhood’s of these girl’s “normal” would be a stretch.
As coaches who are interested in developing our players as “people” the Alicia Molik pathway is surely the road best travelled. I was horrified at a recent Victorian Championship to see an 8 – year old player being “berated” by her father both during the warm up and after a very narrow loss. It is a common occurrence and an example of the pressure that can be placed on a young tennis player.
Well done Alicia, her coaches and parents for showing us a successful and sustainable way to develop our players, relying on lots of hard work, but patience as well. She has worked incredibly hard to reach the top of the women’s game and deserves the chance to become a top ten player again, I’m sure coach Paul Kilderry and her believe it too.
