The struggles of age-group tennis players who are transitioning to the professional level of competition is currently being addressed.
That’s what Jonathan Stubbs did in his role as a development officer of the International Tennis Federation during a five-day national training camp at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Malate, Manila.
“The age-group players have trouble shifting from junior to senior play. It’s more of a traditional problem. You can see here that the skills’ level is very good from the juniors,” said Stubbs, who had been in charge of development for South, South East, and East Asia region since January 2018.
A training camp in Hong Kong last October for 20 Filipino coaches was conducted to help young players advance to a higher level.
Stubbs, who worked as a high-performance coach before he was appointed as Director of Player Development for the Hong Kong Tennis Association, oversaw how coaches attended to the training of 22 young players aged 12 to 16 years old.
The players, who came from various regions in the country were given lessons in many aspects of tennis development, with fitness coach Jimbo Saret also among the lecturers.
Saret talked about strength and conditioning, while many-time Davis Cup team coach Martin Misa shared his knowledge on planning and goal setting.
Stubbs observed that many players had exposure from tournaments, while others did not.
He said there is a need for players to have quality matches here and abroad.
“This will further advance tennis development in the country. My thrust is to help the children,” said Philippine Tennis Association president Antonio Cablitas.