Coaching Spotlight Larri Passos Ross School Tennis Academy By Brian Coleman
arlier this year, longtime tennis coach Larri Passos came up to New York to visit the Ross School Tennis Academy (RSTA) in East Hampton. Passos is one of the most famous tennis coaches from Brazil, and knew Vinicius Carmo, RSTA’s Director and fellow Brazilian, from his days as a junior player. “I came here in January to visit them and I fell in love with the school,” said Passos. “I invited my family to come here. My daughter is now a boarding student here, and she also fell in love with it, both the academic aspect and the tennis.” That visit was prompted by a field trip that Carmo and several RSTA students took to Brazil last year. Carmo’s goal was to show the kids how the legendary coach taught his students, and Passos would reciprocate by making multiple trips to RSTA to teach week-long clinics last summer. Now, Passos has joined RSTA as a consultant, and is bringing his decadeslong career of coaching and experience to the Academy’s players. While he was a talented junior player in his own right, from an early age Passos felt a passion for coaching. After coaching at a club for more than a decade, Passos became a private coach and began working with fellow Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten beginning in 1990. Under Passos’ tutelage, Kuerten would become the top-ranked player in the world and would win the French Open three times. Their coach-player relationship
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would last for nearly two decades, and Passos helped Kuerten become an International Tennis Hall of Famer. “I think the best moment we had was in Lisbon, when he beat Pete Sampras in the semifinals and Andre Agassi in the finals,” said Passos, recalling the only time a player has beaten both Agassi and Sampras in the same tournament. “We both grew up in Brazil, and the dream was always to beat the European and American players. Also, months prior to that, in Miami, he had beaten Agassi in the semifinals but lost to Sampras in the finals. Then he would beat both guys in Lisbon, and he became No. 1 in the world after that. It was fantastic.” Based on his experience coaching the best player in the world and a multipletime Grand Slam winner, Passos knows top-level talent when he sees it. He carries that knowledge and keen eye to the junior players he coaches. “I think I bring a lot of passion to the tennis court. And a big part of my concept is I teach young kids the same way I would teach the pros,” said Passos, who has also coaches Brazilian pro player Thomaz Bellucci. “When I’m teaching them drills or a technique, I tell them that ‘the pros play like this’. I always start first with the technique, then control, and then we go to the speed.” Asked to name the trait that he looks for when trying to spot a talented young player: “If I see a player can read the ball well, that’s the first thing that tells me he or she
is a special player. If you can read the ball well, you can already see the next shot. Kuerten understood that, his mind was so fast.” Passos now brings his wealth of knowledge of the game from Brazil to the Hamptons, seeing similarities between his academy and the way RSTA operates. “My program in Brazil was almost identical to the one here at RSTA,” he said. “My players in the morning would go to school until about 11:30 in the morning, and then we would have our transportation pick them up and bring them to tennis. So to combine academics with tennis, I think RSTA is doing it the right way with this system. I hope we’re able to continue that and do even more. Your mind needs to be focused all the time, so it helps to do both together. And I love that this is the way RSTA runs its program.” Currently a Resident of the United States, Passos plans to also get citizenship in the near future. He is excited for the next chapter in his tennis life, and hopes to have a strong impact on tennis players here in New York. “I’m loving it here. I’m so proud. I’m hoping to become a citizen next year,” said Passos. “I’m so grateful that they’ve allowed me to come in here and use my experience to help their players. I’m very proud to be here, and hopefully I can do some good things for American tennis.” Brian Coleman is the Senior Editor for New York Tennis Magazine. He can be reached at brianc@usptennis.com.
NYTennisMag.com • July/August 2020 • New York Tennis Magazine
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