I played tennis thanks to my parents. Today, after many—perhaps too many—years, I realize that the most important reason I played tennis and was able to compete on the circuit was because of my parents; and I’m not just talking about the financial side of things.

I’ve been working in tennis for 8 years since I retired, and every day I’m increasingly alarmed by what I see. I played professional tennis thanks to the respect my parents showed by understanding and entrusting my tennis to those who truly knew what they were doing—because they themselves had no real idea, and with humility, they accepted that the work had to be done by the experts.

I grew up at the Alfredo Acuña Academy, under the guidance of Daniel Spatz and Cocho Rojas, who instilled in us values that have been transformative for me: order, passion, professionalism, friendship, teamwork, and fun! All these values were bundled together. We trained in groups, with no private lessons; we learned to practice with both the good and the not-so-good, growing together as a team before showcasing ourselves individually.

Today, everything is the opposite. Parents are making poor decisions: scheduling endless private lessons for their children until they’re exhausted… it becomes impossible to follow a proper process. In fact, if they don’t make the national team by age 11, it’s already considered a failure—and if their children don’t win the matches their parents want them to win, it turns into a tragedy.

Understand this: tennis is an incredibly tough, individual sport, with enormous pressure, and by the time you’re 17 or 18, you practically have to live independently! So, is there really no way for your children to have fun until that age? Is it so crazy to think that they need to enjoy themselves in order to grow and improve? Isn’t it hard to imagine that the calmer they are, the more high-quality information they will absorb?

Let your children be children; be parents, not coaches, and leave tennis to the experts!

— Lucho Horna, ex ATP #33

by Federico Coppini
https://www.coppinifedericoacademy.com/