Tennis

Tennis

Fun, Friendship and Fair Play

A Conversation with Tennis Coach Tomas Biernacki

Tomas is the tennis coach at The American Club in Singapore (TACS) and works with many AWA Tennis players. Below is a little bit about him and his top tennis tips.

Please tell us how and when you got into tennis:

I started playing tennis when I was five years old. My dad gave me a racket and a ball as a present and I started hitting against a wall on a playground nearby. I got hooked on it and begged my dad to let me join a tennis club, Fair Play Tennis. 26 years later I was the tennis director for this same club, the largest in Scandinavia with 3200 tennis players weekly.

How long have you been in Singapore and where did you move from?

Almost four years now. I moved from Malmo, Sweden. I was Davis Cup/Fed Cup National coach for Denmark before my assignment at TACS. I got headhunted by the Danish Tennis Federation to run/ coach their National Program.

Please set the record straight ...are you Swedish or Polish?

Both as I have dual citizenship. My Polish parents migrated to Sweden 1981, but I consider myself Swedish since I’ve lived most of my life there when not around the world—approximately150-200 days a year from the time I was a player and later on as a coach.

What is the most embarrassing (or funniest) thing that has happened to you whilst coaching?

Losing a bet against my Swedish women’s elite team (top 100 players in the world) so I had to play in a skirt and women’s top, in a bright pink color.

Tomas Biernacki in action

What are your top three tips for success on the tennis court and in a tournament?

Being prepared, attitude, effort/fighting spirit

How many times a week should we be playing if we want to improve our game?

It depends on your goals. If you want to be a decent level player, two to three times a week. But if you want to be in the top 100 in the world, you’re talking six to seven times a week, 365 days a year, which is a very heavy grind.

What frustrates you as a coach when you are teaching?

I don’t mind players making mistakes. To learn, you will commit a huge number of mistakes, but I do mind and might get a bit frustrated when you do them over and over again without trying to correct them. When players keep repeating the same mistakes and expect different results – for me that’s not being coachable and it frustrates me. These are a few bullet points I expect my players to do because these require ZERO talent: • Being at practice before time • Being prepared • Energy • Attitude • Passion • Work ethic • Effort • Body language • Being coachable • Doing extra