IMG Tennis Academy

[hockeyscout]

What's your thoughts on the current state of IMG tennis academy?

Interesting video here on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU699Zw0MpY

Is their anything else out here like this in the world where athletes can compete against the best of the best or is this the only thing of real merit? Look like a lo of foreign kids have success in this place - it looks like they've done a hell of a job with this Japanese player Kei Nishikori, who's had some impressive results this year.

Interestingly enough I hear they turned down Marat Safin for a scholarship, which was a mistake as he turned out to be a big time player.

I see one of their top players made the top eight. Look at this alumni list. It's pretty incredible, I did not know guys like Boris Becker, Serena Williams, Paul Annacone, Björn Borg and Pete Sampras were alumni.

A few others:

United States Andre Agassi
United States Paul Annacone
United States Jimmy Arias
Peru Pablo Arraya
Morocco Younes El Aynaoui
Germany Boris Becker
Canada Philip Bester
Sweden Björn Borg
United States Jim Courier
United States Taylor Edgar
Sweden Thomas Enqvist
United States Brian Gottfried
Germany Tommy Haas
Colombia Mauricio Herded
United States Ryan Harrison
The Bahamas Mark Knowles
United States Aaron Krickstein
United States Jesse Levine
Belgium Xavier Malisse
France Paul-Henri Mathieu
United States Tim Mayotte
Belarus Max Mirnyi
Japan Kei Nishikori
Venezuela Nicolás Perrier
Australia Mark Philippoussis
Chile Marcelo Ríos
United Kingdom Greg Rusedski
Brazil André Sá
United States Pete Sampras
United States David Wheaton

Women Tennis

Canada Carling Bassett-Seguso
United States Lisa Bonder
United States Sandra Cacic
United States Jennifer Capriati
United States Pam Casale
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Jelena Dokić
Italy Sara Errani
United States Mary Joe Fernandez
France Tatiana Golovin
Slovakia Daniela Hantuchová
Switzerland Martina Hingis
Germany Anke Huber
United States Jamea Jackson
Serbia Jelena Janković
Russia Anna Kournikova
Portugal Michelle Larcher de Brito
Germany Sabine Lisicki
Croatia Mirjana Lučić
Croatia Iva Majoli
United Kingdom Tara Moore
France Mary Pierce
Italy Raffaella Reggi
Serbia Monica Seles
Russia Maria Sharapova
United States Alexandra Stevenson
Czech Republic Nicole Vaidišová
Netherlands Caroline Vis
United Kingdom Heather Watson
United States Serena Williams
United States Venus Williams
Colombia Fabiola Zuluaga

[lobndropshot]

I wouldn't say that they developed all of those great players. But they have certainly done a good job promoting themselves and getting all of those players in one place.

[hockeyscout]

I wouldn't say that they developed all of those great players. But they have certainly done a good job promoting themselves and getting all of those players in one place.

Good competition is sure tough to find. So, perhaps on that alone its worth the premium. Yes, maybe that's the thing, they created a spot where good players could come in and compete against the best in a hotspot. Interesting thought. Likely they were all good before they came there, right. Credible point.

[lobndropshot]

They other side of coin is they are currently harvesting revenue from their premium reputation. So, they may be less focused on developing talent without history or a track record.

[johnyandell]

Not sure what the percentage of levels is there now. Definitely a lot of American kids with dreams but I don't know about prospects. BUT IMG is right there for all that that can mean... for better or worse or in between...

Safin and Andy Murray went to Spain.

[klacr]

Grew up playing against many kids from that academy on the west coast of Florida. Couldn't avoid them as they unloaded from the IMG/Bollettieri buses.

Many pro players who have agent/management deals with IMG are contractually obligated to train there so many days out of the year. I wouldn't say that every coache there developed the top players but I do know that some of the coaches there are skilled at what they do. When it was just The Nick Bollettieri Academy the players had an abundance of skills and there was a certain personality, style and panache. When IMG took over, it bacame much more corporate and the level of boarding academy students seemed to drop.

It's a great place to immerse yourself if its tennis, tennis, tennis. Not a whole lot of action happening outside the acedemy walls in Bradenton, Florida.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[GeoffWilliams]

Players have to have great practice partners. There is only so far you can go off a ball machine and feeds. That is soul less practice. You have to have some fire in the belly and a great desire to beat the living hell out of your partner.

[klacr]

They other side of coin is they are currently harvesting revenue from their premium reputation. So, they may be less focused on developing talent without history or a track record.

Use IMG muscles to flex the brand, not the development of players like when Bolletieri was running it.

Not sure what the percentage of levels is there now. Definitely a lot of American kids with dreams but I don't know about prospects. BUT IMG is right there for all that that can mean... for better or worse or in between...

Safin and Andy Murray went to Spain.

Lots of foreign kids get shipped over there. Eastern European and lots of middle easterners looking to dream big and if that pro game dream fails, a college scholarship. Played against many kids in juniors from the academy and have played at academy numerous times in tournaments. Often wonder what happened to so many of them. A few made it. Vast majority did not.

Players have to have great practice partners. There is only so far you can go off a ball machine and feeds. That is soul less practice. You have to have some fire in the belly and a great desire to beat the living hell out of your partner.

Tough to teach fire in the belly. You have it or you don't. Bolletieri had a great eye for that inner strength in players. He gravitated towards them knowing their strokes could be fixed with enough reps. But that desire, that blazing inferno of competitiveness and hunger could not be taught on a court.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[klacr]

Rohan Goetzke (Former coach of Richard Krajicek) is now heading up the IMG academy as Director of Tennis. Taking over for Nick as Bolletieri becomes a figure head and PR guru for the site.

Rohan is a good guy and knows his stuff. His philosophy is quite simple as it pertains to doing the basics very well and consistency from the coaches (imagine that). His biggest issue is keeping the quailty control of coaches up and the students engaged. Coach turnover at the academy is an absurd rate, standard for industry though, having worked at Harry Hopman academy in Saddlebrook for a few years, I'm aware of the complexities. Rohan has the support from IMG to oversee all aspects of the tennis program from juniors to high school, post graduation and ATP/WTA tours.

There are now so many more academies out there now that competition for getting elite kids and athletes is much stiffer. Before, it was just Bolletieri and maybe Saddlebrook. Now there is specialized elite academy in every country that international players can choose from. IMG is no longer getting all the eggs, they are dispersed through Florida, California, Texas, France, Spain, Germany etc etc...

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[hockeyscout]

Rohan Goetzke (Former coach of Richard Krajicek) is now heading up the IMG academy as Director of Tennis. Taking over for Nick as Bolletieri becomes a figure head and PR guru for the site.

Rohan is a good guy and knows his stuff. His philosophy is quite simple as it pertains to doing the basics very well and consistency from the coaches (imagine that). His biggest issue is keeping the quailty control of coaches up and the students engaged. Coach turnover at the academy is an absurd rate, standard for industry though, having worked at Harry Hopman academy in Saddlebrook for a few years, I'm aware of the complexities. Rohan has the support from IMG to oversee all aspects of the tennis program from juniors to high school, post graduation and ATP/WTA tours.

There are now so many more academies out there now that competition for getting elite kids and athletes is much stiffer. Before, it was just Bolletieri and maybe Saddlebrook. Now there is specialized elite academy in every country that international players can choose from. IMG is no longer getting all the eggs, they are dispersed through Florida, California, Texas, France, Spain, Germany etc etc...

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Kind of surprises me they'd have a staff turnover. I hate instability. How the hell can you build a top end tennis academy, or development program when you don't commit long term to good people, and have them commit to you?

[hockeyscout]

Tough to teach fire in the belly. You have it or you don't. Bolletieri had a great eye for that inner strength in players. He gravitated towards them knowing their strokes could be fixed with enough reps. But that desire, that blazing inferno of competitiveness and hunger could not be taught on a court.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Well spoken. I agree.

[klacr]

Kind of surprises me they'd have a staff turnover. I hate instability. How the hell can you build a top end tennis academy, or development program when you don't commit long term to good people, and have them commit to you?

Because of it's "reputation". Going off the name. People on outside don't know what's on the inside until you get there. Customer/client acquisition is half the battle. The best coaches usually stay for a bit. It's the underlings that come and go with the direction of the wind.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[hockeyscout]

Because of it's "reputation". Going off the name. People on outside don't know what's on the inside until you get there. Customer/client acquisition is half the battle. The best coaches usually stay for a bit. It's the underlings that come and go with the direction of the wind.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Yah, well I have been around long enough to know its the underlings that are doing all of the heavy lifting, and are the most important aspect of any organization, team, association or business.