Becoming a Coach Wasn't Part of the Plan

Becoming a coach was never part of my plan.

When I first started my tennis academy, I was an entrepreneur, a manager, a recruiter and, mostly, a man with a passion and a mission: helping young talents achieve their dreams in tennis.

My academy was first known by the name “Bob Brett Tennis Academy.” I had partnered with, at the time, one of the greatest coaches in the world in order to attract players into the academy.

Bob Brett played the game brilliantly, committed to spend 50 days a year at the Academy, spent all day on the courts with the players, and took me under his wings by teaching me some key lessons about coaching.

Together, we placed dozens of players inside the World Top 100 in less than 6 years. 

Until, one day, he left, and opened his own tennis academy.

I realized I had just made the worst investment of my life, putting time and efforts in building a brand that wasn’t mine, and that could slip out of my hands from one day to another. 

That was one of my first failures. I was so angry at myself, so disappointed. 

I almost gave up, but chose perseverance. I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. I decided that my academy would be called the Mouratoglou Academy.

But what could the Mouratoglou Academy become if Patrick Mouratoglou wasn’t on the court coaching? That’s when I took the decision to become a tennis coach.

 My team told me “you’re crazy, you know nothing about coaching.” I answered “Yes you are right. I know nothing, but be careful, I learn fast.”

 And it’s specifically because I knew nothing that I succeeded. I started every collaboration as a blank page. With no pre-conceived ideas. With an open mind. 

Sometimes, when we learn tools, we have an irrational urge to use them. We use the tools mechanically, even if they don’t need to be used. Just because we have them. We are on automatic pilot. We do things that we know. It is comfortable, and brings son stress.

We forget to think, to dig, to try things, and to focus on what our player real needs. 

Knowing nothing forces you to find solutions, forces you to understand. It is more stressful because we enter a world in which we don’t have the solutions but have to find them. 

This is real coaching, and a win-win situation. For the player, we provide his real needs and for us as coaches, it makes us grow. And this is the way to grow.