By
THIRSTY
Paul Annacone is a legend in the
world of tennis. He has coached many of the greats, like Roger Federer and Pete
Sampras, among others, and as Roger Federer wrote about his relationship with
Annacone, “The pursuit was often difficult, but in the end, when you achieve
your goals, it makes all the hard work pay off…” Lauded by tennis stars from Pete
Sampras to Chris Evert to Martina Navratilova to Tracy Austin and Tim Henman,
Paul Annacone is the quiet force behind 21st century tennis-coaching
philosophies, habits and lessons.
Stay
Thirsty Magazine was honored to visit with Paul Annacone about his new
book, Coaching for LIFE, while on his
trip to the 2018 Australian Open with Roger Federer, who earned his sixth
Australian Open victory a few days later.
STAY THIRSTY: In your book, Coaching
for LIFE, you focus on the concepts of Process, Power of Belief and the
Positive Sense of Inevitability. How did you arrive at those three ideas and
what have they meant in your life?
PAUL ANNACONE: I used my past experiences as a developing player, then
a competitive player, then a tour player, combined with my coaching experiences,
to formulate my philosophy. I have been very fortunate to have coached some of
the most accomplished male players in the history of the game. Although their
personalities are different, there are some very clear commonalities that allow
their talents to shine in the biggest moments. I feel these traits are
transferrable to many professions and to life in general. That was the genesis
of this book and it built from there. These processes and this philosophy have
really helped me deal with adversity in life and helped me be more pragmatic,
empathetic and mindful as life happens.
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| Roger Federer and Paul Annacone at 2018 Australian Open |
STAY THIRSTY: Although you have written a book based on your
experience as a tennis coach to some of the greatest professional tennis
players, like Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, your tennis philosophy seems to
be transferable to life in general. How do people outside the world of tennis react
to your advice?
PAUL ANNACONE: I live in a collaborative environment so I am very
fortunate to continue to learn from so many people. Every tournament I have
conversations and dialogue with very successful people on and off the tennis
court. We all seem to share philosophies and ideas that help formulate our
individual beliefs and pathways to success and happiness. I have had terrific
reaction to my book and the philosophies it discusses. I'm very happy about
that.
STAY THIRSTY: In your book you make it clear that when there is
adversity, one must adjust and adapt. In your life, how has that philosophy helped
you?
PAUL ANNACONE: It has helped incredibly; given me terrific
perspective and understanding that "things happen." It is all about
how we choose to react to those things that define us and build the foundation
of how we deal with life in general. It is important to feel emotion and use
the emotion in positive ways. That has helped me immensely.
STAY THIRSTY: You organized your book into sections like: Power of
Belief; Spirit of Belief; Maximizing Your Potential; and, Positive v. Negative,
just to name a few. How do you view each new day personally and what is your
antidote to difficult times? How do you maintain your view of the “big picture”
when the going gets tough?
PAUL ANNACONE: It is so cliché but so true: "Every day is a new
opportunity!" I believe that and try to live it; try to enjoy and embrace
whatever that day is. Sometimes it is a great, optimistic day, other days there
are challenges. You have to embrace, evaluate, digest, then choose how best to
proceed. Sounds easy, but it often isn’t. So I try to make optimistic choices
and decisions that can help my quality of life.
STAY THIRSTY: Do you personally feel a sense of destiny or
inevitability?
PAUL ANNACONE: I really do. I believe things happen for a reason and
I feel personally that I have been incredibly fortunate. I am thankful for that
and try to set up my environment so that it makes it more likely for good
things to happen!
STAY THIRSTY: What role does the control of emotions play in the
life of a professional tennis player? What ideas do you bring to the table to
deal with the winning-and-losing nature of the sport?
PAUL ANNACONE: The tennis arena is about you and the person on the
other side. It is an emotional environment, so it is vital to manage those
emotions to use the positive ones to drive you. You have to be able to digest
what’s happening and problem-solve in real time. And you are doing this in
isolation. I love that dynamic. It says so much about the person and how they
deal with adversity. You can learn and build from this regardless of where you
are in each moment. I love the possibility to grow and get better. Let’s be
honest, life in general is a journey, so you better keep learning and enjoying
because your personal environment evolves and you better be able to as well.
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| Paul Annacone and Roger Federer (credit: Marianne Bevis) |
STAY THIRSTY: As you look back at your career as a professional
tennis player, did you ever think you would reach a career high ranking of No.
12 or did you think you could have gone all the way to No. 1? How did you
adjust to the idea that being the top tennis player in the world was not going
to be your fate? Do your aspirations live through your pupils like Pete Sampras
and Roger Federer?
PAUL ANNACONE: My achievements really fit my skills. I think I did
well to get to #12 in the world, I wasn’t better then that in the
"macro," so I am proud of what I achieved. In retrospect, you can
always do things differently to improve, but I don't really think about that
much because I am very happy with the level I achieved. I had to learn in order
to help the greats, understand their personalities, environments, their
expectations and their processes. You have to listen. You have to be a sponge
of sorts to get better and to fully grasp things. And guess what, things change!
You formulate your way of assisting, but the dynamics change and are as fluid
as are the personalities. So you have to think on your feet and embrace each
opportunity. I have loved them all.
STAY THIRSTY: If you could do one thing over again in your career,
what would it be? If you could repeat one moment, what would that be?
PAUL ANNACONE: I would take better care of my body
in terms of rest recovery and maintenance. I was fine with my training but did
not understand the importance of physical and mental recovery; that’s part of
the evolution of sports science as well.
You can
never get the same feeling of competing on a major court in a significant event
– any of those feeling I would repeat – they are magical and fuel for the soul.
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