Letters from the Editors

Scott Colebourne Editor-at-Large

Scott McCulloch Editor-at-Large

EVERYONE CAN BE ON TOUR As my partner and I continued hitting we began to sweat more, it was a hot morning, even before the sun came up. The humidity that would dissipate later in the day still hung in the air and drenched our clothes. As I travelled from city to city, training each morning as the sun rose over the courts, the beach, or whatever was our training ground for the day, I was starting to feel “it”. On this day I definitely felt different; I felt better, stronger, faster, I was hitting the ball cleaner, crisper, deeper. We hit down the line, then cross court, then played points, serves, volleys, groundstrokes. It all became a blur of ball fuzz, sweat, and the constant thud of the ball on strings. As we walked off the court that morning, I felt more like a tennis player than I’d ever felt in my life! I was on tour!

One aspect of the tennis life that I love are the unique feelings that it can create in all of us. Whether you’ve recognized this or not, we all play tennis for different reasons and those reasons can evolve over time. Currently I play tennis for the feeling of hitting the ball cleanly and the discipline that it takes to do this, again and again. I gain great joy (and pain) from trying to position myself in the right part of the court at the right time to enable me to use perfect technique. This is a very elusive target and it keeps me motivated as perfection is rarely obtained in relation to my game.

That summer day when I was on tour, I was 14 years old and in the middle of my high school summer vacation. I was playing in a series of local adult tournaments in rural New Zealand, traveling from town to town with my best friend and hitting partner. We got around through a combination of my mother driving us and using the longdistance bus service. It was a far cry from the US Open, but for me at that time, I felt like a real tennis player and for a 14-year- -old in New Zealand whom had dreams of playing in that US Open one day, feeling like a real tennis player was all that mattered.

GIVING CREDIT TO OUR COACHES

As a kid growing up on the coast of Sydney, Australia, my early childhood days were consumed by swimming practice/ competitions, heading to the beach with friends, or competing at the surf club. Over time I was losing a little interest in the swimming so I needed another sport I could play year round, but the options were limited.

During my youth, I had epilepsy and regular seizures. This ruled out contact sports. Determined to find a match my mum introduced me to tennis, to which I had no idea the lifelong journey that I was about to embark on, and the impact it would have in shaping my life nearly three decades later.

As I flash through that journey something that stands out to me is the merit and acknowledgement that coaches deserve, and the profound impact they have on us; they are not only our teachers, but also our mentors. I was shy and very self-conscious because I couldn’t play the sports my friends did because of my epilepsy. However, I had such great parents, mentors and teachers that helped me focus my energy into my tennis. I also found a place, a voice and a self-expression that allowed me to grow and gain self-confidence as a person.

I am proud that the qualities of those who impacted me exist in our CDT culture of excellence, challenge and evolution. It is evident in our team as they are stepping up with a firm grip on their “tomorrow vision” to impact their community, club and colleagues. An achievement that I am proud of that we are experiencing across the board is the success of our Tennis 101 program. It is not simply a 4 week beginner tennis program for adults, but one that runs much deeper than that.

Our team is creating an environment and experience that breaks down social barriers and connects the inner tennis player in us all with a lifestyle; friends, exercise and a tennis community. The commitment, learning, ownership and pride of the team is seen in the result with a retention rate of 50% of players completing the program, staying with tennis, and growing in the game. I look forward to future achievements as an industry and hope we all take a minute to recognize the merits of coaches that are around us.

Katie Steck Managing Editor

SUCCESS IS PERSONAL Every player has a different baseline for what defines success. For Roger Federer, his successful career is largely defined by the number of Grand Slams he has won. For the average player, including my own, success looks very different. The moment they do is gratifying for everyone involved. At our many Cliff Drysdale destinations and experiences, it is our absolute pleasure to have front row seats to the moments our players define – and achieve – success.

For me, success as a player was defined late in my senior season when I overcame an opponent who had never lost a collegiate match; this win propelled me to an appointment on the All-Conference team. As my competitive days have faded into the rearview, I quickly realized one of the most rewarding things is witnessing the success of others through the eyes of a coach.

For many players, success is often defined much more narrowly. It may be mastering the kick serve, finally feeling comfortable transitioning to the net, winning their first match or finally triumphing over their hitting partner. As a coach, you watch others put in a consistent effort to improve and reach those varying definitions of success. Beyond being extremely personal, it is important to remember success is fluid, and often incremental. Even though Roger Federer has achieved the highest level of the game and secured the most Grand Slam Titles, he continues to redefine his definition of success – as evident by his recent tournament results. For me, success on the court nowadays is just striking the ball on a more frequent, consistent basis. At Cliff Drysdale Tennis we push each other, and our players, to define success early and often. This issue of Experience Magazine is special as we highlight varying stories of players, travel destinations, and industry news that define the same level of merit and are worthy of distinction in the tennis world.

Joey Hanf Managing Editor

PRAISE FOR THE PIONEERS

I’ve always found awards to be a precarious subject. The last decade in particular has seen the introduction of numerous award ceremonies, shows, lists etc. At the end of the day, it’s human nature; we all love the accolades, it feels good! But what I’ve seen happen, in tennis as well as other industries, is that we have created complacency in our goals, and lowered our standards of what success really means. It’s what’s referred to now commonly as the participation trophy issue. And while that term is usually thrown around in youth sports, it has clearly crept into the corporate world as well.

So when our editorial team discussed the possibility of making one of our biannual issues a platform for praise, we did so with very specific criteria. First, we wanted to make sure that we gave attention to those that are pushing boundaries, not sticking to the status quo. Our piece on Oakley Foy and Racquet Wars feels like one of the best examples of that goal. Second, we wanted to recognize both organizations and people. From our look at the USTA’s success with Net Generation, to Ashleigh Barty’s surreal comeback story, we hope you agree with us that this issue is all-encompassing.

Next, we wanted to honor those that merited recognition through measurable results. Anyone can talk, but very few can back that talk up with real action. Everyone in this magazine has taken action, accomplished something new, and earned praise.

Finally, we wanted to give a voice and tell the story of those that are often left untold. To me, there’s no better symbol of this than Novak Djokovic, who is arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, yet rarely gets the same coverage as his counterparts. He consistently draws crowds that are against him, but it won’t be long until those same crowds change teams. It’s the same reason we love giving the world a look inside some of CDT’s most impactful employees, who do most of their work behind the scenes.