Physical

When you watch tennis on TV and admire Fédérer’s fluidity, Nadal’s dynamism and physical condition, Ferrer’s serious-mindedness and endurance, and the explosive energy of Tsonga or Monfils, you are above all admiring the years of hard work needed to get to that point.

You need to know that to become an athlete, and still more a champion, it takes ten years of work at a rate of three hours’ training every day. As you can see, that involves a great deal of time sweating on the court!

At the beginning, the focus is on technique so that you learn the essential moves in tennis. After that, learning how to play takes over from technique. This is like a musician who learns pieces in order to become a composer.

Finally, when athletes are at their peak in technical, tactical and strategic terms, they concentrate on pushing out their mental limits. The only element that accompanies players without interruption throughout their careers is physical condition

It is true that physical work will vary during their careers, but it is undeniable that the cultivation of effort needs to be learned as early on as possible.