March 2008 -- Over the last several years, USPTA has worked diligently to build its Player Development Program and offer our members the most extensive tennis education possible. To do this, we've aligned ourselves with the world's best teaching professionals, fitness experts and sports psychologists to present you with the latest trends that will help you build your teaching skills and, in turn, enhance the playing skills of your students.
We're very proud to call many of the best experts in tennis USPTA members. Nick Bollettieri and Rick Macci are perhaps two of the best-known coaching personalities and have been profiled in past issues of
ADDvantage. These coaches and many other experts in other areas of player development have graciously volunteered their time to help us build an educational program that is unprecedented for tennis and teaching professionals. We have in the past profiled these people and their teaching facilities in our magazine and explained some of their personal insights on their teaching philosophies.
One of the newest members of our Player Development Advisory Council - Emilio Sánchez - graces this month's cover of
ADDvantage and is the subject of an interview on Page 9. Emilio is the most recent world-renowned member to serve on our player development team, and we were excited to welcome another high-profile name to our council. His involvement will benefit USPTA members through his contributions to our player development curriculum, his speaking engagements at USPTA conferences and through magazine articles and other educational opportunities.
Many of you probably already know that Emilio is a USPTA member, former touring pro, former Spanish Davis Cup player, academy owner, the current Spanish Davis Cup captain and USPTA World Conference speaker. He is joined in the cover photo by Luis Mediero, USPTA Master Professional, president and founder of the Registro Profesional de Tenis and past USPTA Professional of the Year. Luis has also been a frequent speaker at USPTA World Conferences and our Competitive Player Development Conferences in Houston.
In an effort to get an exclusive look at the Sánchez-Casal Academy and Emilio's personal coaching style, we asked Luis Mediero to travel to Barcelona, Spain, to conduct an interview with his fellow countryman and friend. During their conversation, Emilio explains why he and his partner, Sergio Casal, who are already known for being top player developers at their academy in Spain, decided to open a second academy in the United States in Naples, Fla.
Emilio and his group of teaching professionals are not only building a loyalty to the development of U.S. players, but they're also building a loyalty to USPTA and its certification. Every teaching professional on the Sánchez-Casal staff is required to earn a USPTA certification, and to date this includes 50 coaches at his Spain and Naples locations.
USPTA is excited that players and their local teaching professionals will have an additional outlet when it comes to enhanced competitive training. The Sánchez-Casal Academy hopes that by building more successful U.S. players it will also contribute to an increased public interest in our sport.
I think you'll enjoy reading the interview and agree with me that it demonstrates that Emilio and his coaching staff want to positively influence the level of professional play in the United States and help all the players be the best they can be.
