A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A 13-YEAR-OLD JUNIOR WITH THE MINDSET OF NOVAK DJOKOVIC

(Getty/Alberto Gardin)

It is natural in all sports to compare ourselves to what the best do both in and out of the sporting arena, especially young, impressionable children who see what their heroes do and attempt to emulate them in their own performances.

Tennis is no different, with youngsters gravitating to players they enjoy watching. In a game played around the world like tennis, young players can identify with a player from their homeland, a player similar in age or someone who they just love the way they play.

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Whilst I have witnessed and encouraged the use of role models throughout my years of coaching, it was never made as clear to me from a recent example. I coached a young girl, Jelena, from her very first lesson as a 4-year-old up until the age of 10.

Jelena and her family are from a Serbian background, and they relocated back to Serbia when she was 10. During these years, she always mentioned how much she loved Novak, she had his poster on her walls at home, had the Novak racquet and the prized possession was his autograph that she had collected along the way. 

She was back in Australia recently and asked to do some sessions while in town. She is 13 now and has a desire to turn professional and play in many tournaments. Jelena possesses a desire and work ethic that is unmatched for a player her age.

During our week together, I documented our days of training to let her coach in Serbia know what she has been doing.

This is what an average day looked like:

5:30am: Breakfast (as directed by personal nutritionist). 

6-6:30am: Dynamic warm-up/stretching

6:30-8:30am: On-court session concentrating on technique. (Private lesson)

8:30-10:30am: A 17-year-old boy joined the session. One hour of 2v1 hitting. One hour of 1v1 change of direction drills.

10:30-11am: Break

11-12pm: Serving - Second serves, first serves, target hitting.

12-1pm: Lunch (pre-packed lunch as directed by nutritionist).

1-4pm: Match play. One hour of different point variations with serve and return, followed by two hours of set play.

4-5pm: Stretching/journaling. 

5-6pm: Travel to gym.

6-7pm: Gym with personal trainer. 

7:30pm: Dinner (as directed by nutritionist).

8-10pm: Downtime

10pm: Bed

I was amazed by the number of hours she wanted/needed to spend on the court. When I questioned her and her parents about the volume she is spending on court and voiced my concerns around injury, burnout, etc, I was told this is what Djokovic does, and they are following the same path that has seen him become one of the all-time greats.

Jelena assured me this is a very normal training day for her. Her words to me were that whatever the other girls her age are doing, she needs to do double and nothing will stand in her way of reaching her goals. She said this is her full-time job, and every decision she makes revolves around how it affects her tennis. 

I asked how her daily schedule would change when she returns home and has to complete schoolwork. Jelena replied without blinking an eye that her downtime would be replaced by school work. My response was, 'When do you have fun and socialise with your friends?' She said that tennis is the most fun thing she does and wouldn't change it for anything.

Jelena repeated the same timeline with different on-court sessions for the week. We worked together without complaining about weather conditions, tiredness, soreness or boredom. It definitely made me think, 'Is this what it takes to make it? Is that what all the best juniors overseas are doing? Do our kids in Australia need more of this attitude? Is this just crazy, and the poor kid will end up injured or develop such a hatred for the game that she never wants to pick up a racquet again? 

Jelena has now returned overseas, so I will continue to stay in touch, monitoring her progress and wish her all the best in her quest to achieve her dreams.

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