The Jensen Zone: Learning Life Values Gave Me My Tennis Values

By Luke Jensen

Tennis is a fantastic game!

Reaching for better performance is the mindset everyone should have as they work their way towards reaching their full potential. I have been lucky enough to be around great minds through my years in tennis. It began with my parents, who were athletes in other sports but not tennis players, but they gave me, and my siblings, the greatest gift, and that was a standard of excellence; and to do things with a supreme attitude and the upmost effort.

I remember numerous times losing 6-0, 6-0 in matches, but my positive attitude and my all-out effort was the measure of success my family used, and that encouraged me to keep going. I even remember winning a massive match over a tough rival, but I acted like a knucklehead and when I reached the car…let’s just say my parents were NOT HAPPY with me. That was the Jensen Family secret to success.

The other factor was finding the very best coaching possible. My parents were at every lesson but always allowed the tennis professional to lead the way as far as technique and tactics. That was the healthy separation between being a parent and a coach in my family. Striking a balance between these two important roles is always tough, especially when the parents of tournament players are investing so much into their young players. I see too many unhealthy situations at all levels of tournament play where parents are living their tennis dream vicariously through their talented children.

Competitive tennis is such a difficult journey and many mistakes are made along the way. There will never be another Roger Federer or Serena Williams. Those careers should be the goals of the children, but not their parents. The best tennis parents I have been around put family values first before results. A family’s standard of excellence and the way the young talent learns the values of hard work, education and persistence through the great game of tennis is the ultimate win. I won more matches in my life because I was constantly taught the enormous power in competing with tremendous character. I won many more matches over players with better strokes and more talent because my superpowers were built from within. Understanding how to handle both victory and defeat helped me deal with pressure better when the moments in matches arrived that required a calm mind.

These are results of having parents who doubled as life coaches, and who put me on the court with extraordinary tennis coaches like Don Dickinson, Brian Marcus, Brian Gottfried and Dick Leach.

They were the difference for me before turning professional, and the elements of extraordinary excellence they taught me in those early years have been more valuable in my adult life than they were on the tennis court. I am beyond grateful to my parents, siblings and these coaches for the unconditional confidence they instilled in me. By putting consistent wind in my sails, they always helped me reach my dreams. If you are currently in a situation where you are looking for advice on how you deal with your tennis-playing child, my suggestion is to always be patient, understanding and find coaches with a solid value system. Making the sport of tennis fun and educational will always be something that can draw out the most potential from any player. This was what I’ve learned in my journey through the great game of tennis, and I am beyond blessed to have done it with the help of my family. I have met people from all around the world that share my same passion for the game, and I never stop asking questions from these experts to constantly improve my understanding of the game. Always remember: If you are thinking, you are winning! Born in Grayling, Mich., Luke Jensen’s resume includes 10 ATP Tour doubles titles and singles victories against Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier. Jensen and his brother, Murphy, won the 1993 French Open doubles title. Luke is currently director of tennis at Sea Island Tennis Center in Georgia. He may be reached by phone at (315) 443-3552 or email lukejensen84@yahoo.com. 64 New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2022 • NYTennisMag.com