Ep. 13 - Bill Tym and the Evolution of a Champion

Coach Bill Tym was an All-American at the University of Florida where he won 2 Southeastern conference singles titles, and is also in the UF Athletics Hall of Fame. He went on to compete on the professional tour where he won 10 national and international titles. As a coach, he is a USPTA Master Professional and past USPTA president, and a member of the USPTA Hall of Fame. He was named USPTA Professional of the Year in 1982, College Coach of the Year in 1989 (Vanderbilt), and Touring Coach of the Year in 1997 and 2002. He also received the George Bacso Lifetime Achievement Award from the USPTA in 2001.

Interview highlights:

2:43 - Bill describes his introduction to competing as a college tennis player and professional player, and how he started coaching college tennis

25:10 - The Evolution of a Champion - "Champions are not born. They are made."

27:58 - The importance of developing each part of the tennis game from a young age

33:53 - Bill describes his approach to coaching college teams and how he utilized different surfaces to help players develop their games

41:05 - Developing mental toughness within college tennis teams

42:10 - The Greatest Salesman in the World - Og Mandino

49:18 - Tennis as a proposed mandatory subject in schools

53:23 - The Winner's Creed

1:07:25 - Using tennis as a vehicle for personal growth

1:09:15 - Creating the Perfect Practice

Links:

The Winner's Creed: https://www.tennistakes.com/winners-creed/

Bill Tym's Coaching Philosophy - The Evolution of a Champion: https://performancextra.com/evolution-of-a-champion/

Creating the Perfect Practice: https://performancextra.com/bill-tyms-perfect-practice-formula/