Making a successful  transition from juniors to the pros is something a lot of tennis players struggle with. One of the keys to succeed in this transition is to have the right team to help you reach your goals. Vlado Platenik, a former tennis player from Slovakia has been a very successful coach who over the 20 years he spent coaching on tour, he took 4 players from the ITF circuit to top 20 WTA and many more from top 400 to top 50.

Some of the players Vlado coached are: Dominika Cibulkova, Daria Kasatkina, Anjla Tomjlanovic, Henrietta Nagyova, Nadia Petrova and many more. Few months ago, he joined the team of Veronika Kudermetova  as a tennis consultant with already great success as she won her first WTA title in Charleston and is ranked 28 at the WTA,  her highest ranking so far. In a very candid  conversation, Vlado shared a lot of wisdom about the ups and downs of the life on tour. You will learn:

1) How to join an already existing team as a tennis consultant? From 2'40 to 4'58

2) What was Vlado's biggest challenge as a coach during the pandemic and how he used the cover crisis to help his players improve? From 5' to 8'09

3) What are the strategies Vlado used over the years with his players to achieve a successful transition from the juniors to the pros? From 8'10 to 13'03

4) How Vlado's personal story as a tennis player got him into coaching? From 13'04 to 20'13

5) How do you implement mental training into your coaching of young tennis players? Vlado explains how he used these techniques with Cibulkova and Kasatskina From 20'14 to 23'56

6) The importance of communication with the entourage of the player and what are the consequences when difficulties between the coach and the player's family arise? From 24 to 32'

7) What are some of the money strategies players can use when they start on tour with limited funds? From 34'28 to 39'53

8) As a coach, how to remain honest with your players? From 39'55 to 45'40

9) What is the biggest quality successful tennis players share? From 45'45 to 47'23

10) How is the covid crisis changing the dynamic between the more experienced and upcoming players on tour? From 47'24 to 50'47

11) Vlado's advice to junior players starting on tour: from 50'48 to 57'49

12) What are some of the values Vlado teaches his players on and off the court? From 57'50 to end

If you would like to get in touch with Vlado Platenik and learn more about the services he's offering as a tennis consultant, you can email him or visit his website:

Website: https://www.vladimirplatenik.com

Email: [email protected]

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How often do we hear stories about the so-called “crazy tennis parents”? A lot. But how often do we discuss the struggles tennis parents encounter or the tips and tools they can use to help their children reach their full potential? Not so much. In this episode of The Players’ Lounge, my guest Hernan Chousa shares his expertise on this topic.

Hernan Chousa is an author and public speaker. He lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and runs a zinc flake coating business.He is a former top 300 ATP tennis player and willing to share his youth sports parenting experiences from both sides of the coin. He was gracious to share his wisdom for The Players’ Lounge podcast right before the release of his 4th book called Parentshift: The Skills You Need To Become a Tennis Parent. He published My Son the Tennis Player and How to Help Your Kid Succeed in Sports. He also published Unplugged, his first novel, where he could fuse two passions: music and writing. tHe is married to Marianne with two sons: Julian and Sebastian.

During this candid conversation with Hernan, we discussed several themes:

1. Hernan’s tennis career and his relationship with his parents while he was on tour and why he retired at only 21: from 2’08 to 13’16
2. His transition from being a tennis player to becoming a “tennis parent”: from 13’16 to 16’34
3. How to pick a tennis coach for your kids and how to help them build their mindset off the court: from 16’35 to 23’18
4. The 5 most common mistakes tennis parents make: Hernan shares his own experience with his son Julian: from 23’19 to 28’35
5. How to keep the family dynamic healthy when you are a tennis parent and what to do if your child wants to quit tennis: from 28’36 to 35’54
6. How can young tennis players find balance between and develop their identity outside the game and engage in other activities: from 35’55 to 39’39
7. How is the covid situation benefiting the young tennis players on tour: from 39’40 to 44’40
8. The financial aspect: how to build a solid financial strategy to fund your children’s tennis career: from 44’41 to 47’08
9. How to remain humble when your child is having good results, the importance of mentoring: from 47’09 to 53’27
10. Closing remarks: final tips for tennis parents: from 53’28 to end

If you would like to get in touch with Hernan Chousa, you can find him on LinkedIn and learn more about sports parenting by purchasing his latest book Parentshift: The Skills You Need To Become a Tennis Parent on Amazon.

Don't hesitate to subscribe and follow The Players' Lounge podcast on Instagram @theplayersloungepodcast and Facebook! 

Since the resumption of the ATP WTA circuits, several players have spoken publicly about their difficulties dealing with the new sanitary restrictions on tour due to the covid pandemic. If Benoît Paire stirred a lot of controversy with his recent poor performances on court and controversial statements, it seems that more and more players seem to mentally struggle with navigating the "tennis bubbles", staying motivated, the multiple covid testings and most importantly the difficulty to play in empty stadiums. 

In this episode, we will identify:

-The 5 main reasons why some ATP and WTA players are struggling mentally in the "new tour" and what are some of the best practices used by the players who have been adjusting well.

Token podchaser: AD5Z28PP3SB8LPHk4nvs

Don't hesitate to subscribe and follow The Players' Lounge podcast on Instagram @theplayersloungepodcast and Facebook! 

Alright Australian Open 2021, that's a wrap! Besides the dominant performances of Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic, we saw great matches and multiple reasons to be excited for the rest of the season! Let's see how you can learn from Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic to take your game to the next level!

In this episode:

-Naomi Osaka: How being a leader outside the court can help you win on the tennis court
-Serena Williams: How to Build a Champion mindset and keep your determination high despite the doubts and external judgments;
-Daniil Medvedev: How to quickly learn from your mistakes and become a Champion;
-Novak Djokovic: Prevail despite adversity and how to use your opponent's strengths against him/her and undermine his/her confidence


Don't hesitate to subscribe and follow The Players' Lounge podcast on Instagram @theplayersloungepodcast and Facebook! 

The fear of winning... We have all at least once faced it. On the eve of the Australian Open, first Slam of the year, let's discuss the topic of fear of winning, how it comes unannounced at the worst possible time, and how to face it by analyzing one of the most iconic matches of the tournament: the 2009 semi-final between Verdasco and Nadal. You can watch the highlights or the whole match by typing this on Youtube: Verdasco Nadal Australian Open 2009

The themes of this episode are:
-What is the fear of losing ?
-When does it happen ?
-How to accept it ?
-What strategies you can use to manage it better

Don't hesitate to subscribe and follow The Players' Lounge podcast on Instagram @theplayersloungepodcast and Facebook! 

Happy New Year everyone ! In this first 2021 episode of The Players' Lounge, we won't talk about New Years resolutions but will reflect on how 2020 was a big shock to everybody but forced tennis players to rethink how to approach their career. You will learn:

-How to deal with mental health struggles when there's still uncertainty;
-Why tennis players need to adapt an "entrepreneur mindset" in order to find sustainable ways to fund their careers even if they can't earn money from tournaments

Follow the The Players' Lounge podcast on Instagram @theplayersloungepodcast or on Facebook

"I lost because he/she cheated the whole match..."
"He/she called the physio but he/she wasn't injured..." 
We hear these often and in this episode you will learn: 

-The NUMBER ONE MISTAKE players make when their "injured" opponent keeps playing
-If cheating is a "valid" strategy ?
-How to win the game using your physical strenght and body language
-What is the "Green light-Red light strategy🚦" and to effectively use it?
-How your opponent's cheating ways can become an asset
-Bonus: cheaters will crumble if you do this... (to use with caution ;) )

Follow The Players' Lounge podcast on Instagram @theplayersloungepodcast and on Facebook ! 

Many thanks! You are more and more to follow The Players' Lounge podcast on Google and Apple podcasts and Spotify, and after 10 episodes I want to give you the floor! In order to produce content that is more in tune with your needs in terms of content to improve your mental performance !

That's why I'm organizing from Tuesday 25th until Sunday 30th of August, free coaching sessions to help you improve your mental performance ! Each session will be 45 minutes via Zoom and it is limited to 15 people ! (one session max per person)

To participate:

1) Follow my Instagram account @theplayersloungepodcast

2) Book a session on Doodle on this calendar: Free coaching session The Players' Lounge calendar

3) Send me a message on Instagram with your name and date of session, so I can send you the link for our Zoom meeting

Can't wait to hear from you and meet you!

Jennifer

This week, Rafael Nadal has announced that he would not defend his title at this year's US Open and also implied that he wouldn't play at the French Open if he was not sure about the safety measures. That news is a great opportunity to take a closer look at this incredible champion who is quite shy and introverted in his daily life but who knows how to unlock his alter ego, the fearless gladiator who's been electrifying the ATP Tour for almost 20 years.

In this episode you will learn :

What's an alter ego in sports (from 2'37 to 5'19);

How Toni Nadal created Rafa's alter ego to build his champion's mindset (from 5'20 to 17'26);

Why and How you should create your sports alter ego (from 17'27 to 30'53);

The importance of rituals to improve your performance (from 30'54 to 37'23);

How to find a good balance with your alter ego (from 37'24 to 43'06)

Last week, Brenda Furvithova, 13 years old beat her fellow Czech countrywoman Katerina Siniakova ranked 54 at the WTA rankings at an exhibition tournament. Earlier this year, Furvithova already made her name for herself when she won Les Petits As, the "unofficial" under 14 world championship. As some tennis observers are already predicting her a very bright future, this episode will discuss the topic of "tennis prodigies" and what are the keys  or pitfalls to their success on the ATP/WTA tours. 

You will learn:

The common characteristics of tennis prodigies
*born and raised in an environment in which excellence is the normal standard (from 2'47 to 7'28 );
*very close role models they can learn from (from 7'29 to 14'45 );
*being the engine of their tennis dream (from 14'46 to 18'42);
*a structure built around their goal (from 18'43 to 23'49); 

The common pitfalls to avoid
*lack of emotional stability from closed ones (from 23'50 to 30'18); 
*short-term goals and excessive playing (from 30'19 to 37'43); 
*not building the individual  alongside the athlete (from 37'44 to 43'57); 

If you enjoy the content on The Players' Lounge don't hesitate to subscribe, to rate and share with people who will find it valuable too! Thanks :)