Diary of a tennis pro’s journey: “I’ve witnessed heated exchanges between coaches and players”

The relationship between a coach and a pro tennis player is a tricky dynamic to say the least, as you navigate your tennis journey

In this series of ‘behind the scenes’ blogs, we’ve enlisted our own touring WTA tennis pro, Kelley Keller, to reveal the ups, downs, challenges and triumphs of her journey as a professional tennis player. Kelly will be sending us weekly updates on everything she encounters as she works her way up the WTA rankings in her quest to become one of the best tennis players in the world (and have some fun along the way).

In college, your coach is right there with you, every point if you want them to be. But on the tour, it’s a different story—until recently, it was just you out there, flying solo. In the WTA, each player was allowed to bring their coach on the court once per set, but now, both men and women can receive coaching from their player’s boxes. At lower-level professional events, there’s no player box, but coaches can sit behind the court and offer advice. This is a real game-changer because now, you don’t have to figure everything out on your own.

However, this coaching access has put a financial strain on players. Those without a traveling coach often feel at a disadvantage when their opponents can receive coaching and they cannot. Any player knows that having a coach on hand to tell you what to do isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. Sure, we’re grateful for their support and suggestions because tennis is tough to navigate alone, but during a match, when emotions are running high, those comments can sometimes feel like nails on a chalkboard.

We get accustomed to managing mid-match adjustments, strategies, and emotional roller coasters all by ourselves. After all, we’re the ones out there playing. Yet, this isn’t always the best approach, which is why the dynamic between coach and player can be tense. When the dust settles and emotions calm down, we often realize that our coaches have a valuable outside perspective, which is something we lack when we’re in the heat of battle. It’s easy to think we know best while we’re in the storm, but later, we might find ourselves wishing we had listened a bit more. Does this realization impact the next match? Maybe for about ten minutes, then we revert to our classic stubborn, emotional tennis-player selves.

Walking around countless tournament sites, I’ve witnessed my fair share of heated exchanges between coaches and players. It’s no surprise that many players prefer to fly solo, given how contentious these relationships can get. Now, speaking of tricky dynamics, nothing is messier than having a parent as your coach. We see this a lot on the tour with players like Serena Williams, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Holger Rune, and Caroline Wozniacki. It’s not uncommon for pros to fire their parents as coaches, and while that can create some tension, it ultimately boils down to one thing: tennis comes first. Whatever is best for your game is the mindset to have.

For higher-level tournaments, like Challengers for men and $75K events and above for women, coaches typically travel with their players, with the player usually covering the hotel costs. Lower-level professionals, however, rarely have this luxury since winning a few rounds barely nets you a few hundred dollars—just enough to cover your own expenses. The pressure of paying for your coach’s travel can feel immense, as their entire presence hinges on your performance. When they’re there strictly for you, every match can feel like a high-stakes situation.

Internationally, players often get support from their federations, but that comes with strings attached. Federations typically want a percentage of your prize money, which adds another layer of pressure, as there’s always the risk of being dropped if you can’t produce results. The weight of your country’s expectations is heavy, and if you’re a high-level junior or up-and-comer in the U.S., the USTA can help fund your training and travel. But signing up for that kind of assistance means they effectively own you—you have to perform, or else.

Most of the time, players will take whatever financial help they can get, preferring the pressure of funding over the alternative of not being able to travel, train, and compete affordably. Fortunately, federations or the USTA sometimes send coaches with players, alleviating some of that financial burden. However, to receive this support, you usually need to show promise and commitment to competing at the highest levels, typically at the Challenger level and above, such as $75K, $100K, $125K events, and WTA 250 tournaments or higher.

Whatever level of professional tennis you are at, the coach-player dynamic does not get easier but it is equally as important. Coaches can have great influence over your life, both on and off the court.

Kelly Keller is a recent graduate from Arkansas University where she played on the tennis team for 5 years and is now giving it her best in the toughest environment of all, the WTA Tour.

Follow Kelly’s results on her WTA profile

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