You would be hard-pressed to find another person with the breadth and depth of experiences Bill Riddle has had throughout his career as a tennis coach. Riddle has held just about every job in the business, ranging from college coach to commentator for FOX.
However, a career in tennis was not always in the cards for Riddle. In fact, he never even stepped foot onto a court until the age of 13. Opting to play multiple different sports in high school, he put tennis on the backburner until a car crash ended his football career during his senior year.
“A drunk driver pulled out in front of me and we had a head-on collision. I was told I would never play football again,” recalled Riddle. “I had always played tennis, and I found myself back playing to try to rehab. Then I found myself teaching part time at a club. The the pro that was there left after a couple of months, and low and behold, I took over and ran the place for five years.”
“The best thing that ever happened to me in my whole life was that car accident because it led me to where I am today,” said Riddle.
Perhaps one of the most impactful experiences that Riddle gained as a young tennis coach happened in the 1990s when he was working for WorldTeamTennis. By assisting with recreational leagues, tournaments and professional events, he was able to meet and form a relationship with Billie Jean King.
“Getting to spend time with Billie and just listening and learning early on opened my eyes to thinking about things not only from a male point of view, but also a female point of view,” said Riddle. “You don’t realize it at the time, but it does make an impact on how you look at things.”
If Riddle could pinpoint one overarching lesson that Billie Jean King taught him, it would be open-mindedness. “Young guys tend to be very close-minded. I’m speaking in general terms, but I’m speaking from experience. I think being more broad-viewed and more open-minded were some of the key things early on that I took away from spending time with her and through the organization as well,” he recounted.
Another monumental moment in both Riddle’s life and coaching career was the birth of his daughter and son. After becoming a father to a young girl who played tennis, he began to notice a shift in his approach to working with female athletes.
“I learned different ways to communicate, when not to talk, when to just give a hug or high five,” said Riddle. “I started to realize girls and guys were a little bit different and I needed to be aware of that because one way of doing things wasn’t going to be necessarily the best way. Not only was every kid different, but each gender is a little bit different in the way they look at the sport.”
While Riddle’s daughter left the sport after high school to pursue a career in nursing, he recognizes the value of tennis as a life-long sport that she can return to at the recreational level if she so chooses. However, Riddle also hopes for a world where women involved in the sport will gain equal respect to their male counterparts.
If there was one thing Riddle could change for women in the sport, it would be opportunities, particularly in coaching. “I think it’s much easier for people to accept guys to coach both sexes, but then sometimes they are more reluctant when it comes to females coaching male players. I think that having that opportunity, whether she wanted to or not, is critical in us growing not only the sport, but society in general,” he said.
In Riddle’s opinion, the best way to create more opportunities for women in the sport is through education and open communication. “Way too often, we discount each other’s thoughts or opinions. Sometimes it’s hard to understand someone’s thoughts or opinions because you haven’t walked in their shoes. You need to imagine what it would be like if you were walking in their shoes,” he said.
Education and service to the tennis industry are areas that Riddle has dedicated himself to throughout the entirety of his career, having presented at coaching workshops across the globe.
“If I teach one person how to be a better tennis player, then I’m affecting one or two individuals,” said Riddle. “If I could help elevate across the board and help coaches become more observant and better communicators, we are increasing our numbers and odds. At the end of the day, this sport has given me so much. I could give back to one or two people, or I could give back and pay it forward as well.”
More recently, Riddle has entered a new stage in his career as the head coach of both the men’s and women’s tennis teams at Martin Methodist College in Tennessee. At Martin Methodist, he has made it a point to create a family environment among both teams.
“When I came in and first met with the team, I told them it’s important for us to practice together as one big unit sometimes. Other times, we need to practice individually as just the guys or just the women,” he explained “Since we have a lot of foreign players from all over the globe, I want to create a positive family environment between our No. 1 guy to our lowest ranked woman. Everybody is there pulling toward the same common goal.”
Riddle strongly believes that there is value to combining practices with both teams because there is always something to be learned. “The guys could learn a whole lot more about being better communicators from the ladies. Sometimes there are things that the women can take away from the guys. When they leave college, they’re going to be working alongside guys and girls from all over the place. All we’re trying to do is set them up for the best possible productive life they can have,” he said.
Through all the experiences Riddle has gained throughout his time as a coach, he offers two key takeaways for coaches looking to find success in the profession. “Listen more and talk less,” he said. “If you plan to be a coach, be passionate about being a coach. I find that coaches burnout and become more and more frustrated if there’s no passion there.”