Talent Identification and Development in Tennis

Accurately identifying individuals at a young age who are most likely
to excel in a given sport remains a pursuit for coaches, parents and
national governing bodies worldwide. In a sport such as tennis, the
financial investment needed to support a player’s development is
substantial, although this is offset by the vast sums of money that are
on offer for those few elite players who reach the very top of the
game. As such, tennis can be considered to represent a high risk,
high reward venture, where the value of being able to better identify
those who are likely to ‘make it’ takes on extra emphasis.
The debate surrounding the timeless ‘nature versus nurture’ conundrum
rumbles on and shows no sign of abating. The relative contribution
that deliberate practice (Starkes & Ericsson, 2003) as opposed
to genetics (Tucker & Collins, 2011) play in the development of champions
remains a contentious issue. Popular texts such as ‘Bounce’
(Syed, 2010) and communications intended specifically for tennis
coaches (Roetert, Kovacs & Crespo, 2009) have served to engage a
wider community in the debate. It is the intention of this short article
to summarize the key points emerging from this body of work and to
offer some guidance to coaches moving forward.