For former ATP world No. 7 and Grand Slam champion Johan Kriek, a career in coaching was a natural progression. A self-proclaimed student of the game, Kriek began coaching young athletes in Austria to make extra money when he first began training to play at the professional level. Now, decades later, he runs the elite Johan Kriek Tennis Academy in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Kriek first started his Academy in 2007, and now over 10 years later, it has blossomed into one of the premier tennis academies in the world. Located at the PGA National Resort and Spa, the Johan Kriek Tennis Academy is home to hundreds of athletes from beginner to ITF, ATP, and WTA level.
Despite the demands of running a high-performance academy, Kriek continues to coach on court with the goal of ensuring that each and every athlete receives training that is individualized for their own unique objectives and desires.
In order to personalize each athlete’s experience, Kriek relies heavily on his talented coaching staff, which includes five-time Grand Slam Champion Hana Mandlikova and former top-30 WTA player Sabina Simmonds. However, what’s most unique about Kriek’s staff is that the female coaches outnumber the male coaches, a statistic virtually unheard of in tennis.
Kriek recognizes the immense value that each of his female coaches have brought to the Academy. “It’s very important to have female coaches in your staff lineup, it lends itself to a really good balance,” said Kriek. “The girls tend to tell our female coaches more than they tell the male coaches for instance. I think it balances out a lot of the psychological matters. Girls can easily assimilate with their coaches about issues that they have. It could be school, could be boyfriends, could be parents, could be siblings. A lot of times, they’re more open with the female coaches.”
Not only have the female coaches made an immense difference in the lives of the athletes at the Johan Kriek Tennis Academy, but they have also made a major positive impact on Kriek himself. “I’ve learned a lot from my coaches,” he explained. “If you’re an academy head, you have to be very current and understand what’s going on in the world. Tennis is an ever-changing landscape, and you better be on your toes.”
Additionally, in an effort to create a personalized experience for each athlete, Kriek has relied on his coaches to make up for the gaps in his own coaching knowledge. “It’s an interesting dynamic because my biggest wealth of information is probably for the 12-year-olds and beyond who are already playing a lot of competition tennis,” said Kriek. “That’s where I shine my best, where my talent is most needed. That’s where being a good steward of your academy comes in, you know what works and what doesn’t work.”
What has worked extremely well for Kriek as a coach is his uncanny ability to balance hard work, while still creating an enjoyable atmosphere that keeps young players engaged and excited to return to the court each day.
“I think a coach needs to be able to translate the knowledge in some fashion that makes sense to the kids,” Kriek said. “Coming from South Africa, I use a lot of metaphors with the animal kingdom. Kids remember these types of things, it’s fun, they laugh at it. When kids laugh, they’ll remember, it’s not a painful experience. My coaching style is a blend of tough work, but a very fun way to transmit the knowledge that I want them to receive.”
Keeping young tennis players in the sport has been a challenge across the industry as a whole, particularly with female athletes. According to Kriek, coaches must understand the intricacies of coaching each player based on their own distinct personalities.
“My approach with the girls is a little bit softer,” he explained. “I’m not trying to be a softie, but I’m sensitive to the different personalities because girls learn a little bit faster and differently. They have to be coached differently.”
“It’s also different from player to player, and as a good coach, you recognize who you can be tough on and who you need to use more honey than vinegar with. Everybody is different. I tend to have a good rapport with my girls, they learn, and they want to come back time after time.”
Anyone who is familiar with tennis has seen the staggering statistics on the retention rate of young female players. Kriek is hoping to change that narrative through both his own coaching style and the culture that he and his staff have created at the Johan Kriek Tennis Academy.
“We hear the statistic that 73% of girls drop out by the age of 13, that’s worrisome,” said Kriek. “Everybody is different. You have to instill the sense of want and desire. There’s the fun part, there’s the social part, there’s the camaraderie part, the tournaments part. We try to instill a sense of family in our academy, and that goes a long way.”