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Open Ed: Simona Halep and a Callous Team

Let’s make no mistake here, what Simona Halep’s coaching team has done is destroy her career over the best part of the past 18 months — perhaps momentarily but those 6+ Grand Slams are gone when Help was at one of her peaks and a genuine contender to claim additional Championships wins. I mean, it’s not like Halep is in prime condition to win Gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics but if she maintained her trajectory from prior to the well known anti-doping judgements, she may have very well have been positioned to claim a podium position for Romania. And yet, the irony here is that her team has suffered nil consequences.

Now that is overdue. Halep’s Head Coach at the time — who I’ve chosen not to name for the simple sake of limiting addition attention he has sought over this time, was widely recognised as the Coach responsible for Serena Williams’ almighty success. Unfortunately, this just isn’t true. Rather, I’ll argue he was in the right place at the right time and was able to build a superior relationship with Serena whose fundamentals had been built long prior to this establishment. For example, remember those earlier Grand Slam triumphs when her father and/or mother was at the helm? Or what about when they stepped away and Serena’s then hitting partner took the reins? Notably, Sacha went on to take Osaka to her maiden two Grand Slam titles. As for the Coach in question? I’m quite sure he had zero Grand Slams to his name at the time when he took the coaching reins and Serena had already stacked up quite a few. In other words, Serena knew what she was doing.

But this isn’t to discount his contribution as her Head Coach. By all accounts, this Coach helped steer Serena towards her additional Grand Slam triumphs. But, has he been able to replicate this? No. Capitalising on the notoriety, business deals have come flourishing. Interestingly, for Serena’s former hitting-partner-come Coach, Sacha, this wasn’t the case. But, I’m gauging both have a  similar number of Grand Slams to their name whereas the latter opted to shout this at the rooftops and take full credit for Serena’s ascension to become the G.O.A.T. And now is responsible for derailing the career of one of her biggest rivals with zero consequences.

If you run a few numbers, this ascension isn’t true and yet the derailment rings alarm bells.

So where does Halep come into play? Well, this was the ‘best’ opportunity that had come knocking at this said Coaches door and after a trial run, Halep opted to give him a real shot. Or, so the story goes. Already with multiple Grand Slams to her name, the question was really whether or not this Coach could really add to the tally. Brutally, this was cut short. Halep was accused of intentionally doping and has been sidelined ever since. The Coach in question has used this time to ramp up his business interests and endeavour to solidify his place as the ‘best coach in the world’. I call bulls*it. Well, if we’re talking the real deal, I definitely can’t say I’ve been all too happy with this ‘Coach’ trying to take my mantle that I’ve rightfully earned with the accolades to my name.

No, I haven’t been featured in a Netflix series. Unfortunately, business in a man’s world speaks volumes. But this isn’t about me. This is really for clarity for those who are unfamiliar with ‘the best of’ and to hopefully prevent you from being naive and succumbing to the same trap many have followed in believing Serena’s success was due to this one person. Nope, not true.

Darren Cahil was Halep’s former Coach and boy did they have success. Guess who else he has coached? Agassi and Hewitt are on his honour roll. And now? None other than Sinner with all Grand Slams to each of their names and not before his arrival for the latter two. This Coach? Nope, no other Grand Slam wins to his name. Although, he has tried to pluck them out of the Top 10 to make them his — just like Halep when she was comfortably positioned inside the best in the world. His latest culprit? Rune. But that has been on again, off again, and Rune has achieved a Top 10 ranking without him.

Me? Well, there’s an argument that says if you don’t “do” then that can’t be the case. Sure, I can see how you can argue that perspective. The counter? Whilst I have worked with players for 20 Years, a significant part of the last 12 Years has been 99.9% science focused. You see, some continue to do what they do — Coach, whilst others try to change the world. The latter is me. But really, it’s the tennis world. By using data and new analytics I’ve uncovered — as a data scientist to global researcher in this space, how to actually develop the best players in the world. As such, rather than keep this all to myself and “do” I opted to share — to make this available worldwide for each  and every player, parent to coach that aspires to achieve a Top 10 tennis ranking and to go on to achieve Grand Slam success.

Sure, give me a player and I’ll get them on track to Win Grand Slams. After all, that’s what I’ve spent the past 20 Years uncovering. But at the same time, countless others miss that shot. That’s why I built The Long Game, The Pathway, the 7 Keys and the subsequent publications — for each and every one of you to follow and access. Yes, that’s including each and every Top 10 tennis player.

And where does this leave Halep? Well, her Coach has zero consequences. None. And this is wrong. If the saying that there is no “I” in Team rings true, then they should have been dealt the same penalties in contrast to flourishing their business interests and taking on new talent through to signing additional contracts. Whilst the player has suffered and remains at a loss due to their negligence, their negligence has zero consequences for thier career. Now if that’s not f*cked up I don’t know what is.

The irony? So many players have shed dirt on Halep and distanced themselves from her since the initial accusation. Shame on them. You know who stood by her? The ethical ones — including her former Coach. What Halep has gone through is incredibly unfair and awfully wrong. So I must ask, why has the Coach not suffered the same feat if not worse given that they were responsible for the said recommendation for Halep to introduce a new supplement into her training plan?

Even worse? So many players have been left ill-informed by this Coach that you bet it makes me upset. Why? Because my work has centred around two primary pillars. One, how to quite literally become the best player in the world — Top 10 tennis ranking and multiple Grand Slams achieved. And I am proud to say that I have done both, uncovered both and left an incredibly legacy for the tennis world — but I’m not finished. Two, all of these achievements are done so whilst protecting the player and to ensure these technical parameters mitigate injuries in contrast to leading towards injuring the player. There’s a big difference.

But no, as much as the idea of travelling 40+ weeks per year on the WTA and/or ATP tour could be entertaining, I also value being able to help those who genuinely want to become the best in the world. And the best part? I can help more than one or two Top 10 players in the process. And for even more Top 100 players to progress closer towards the Top 10.

Just promise me this, if you dare. Don’t believe everything you read — I mean sure, even this. Although if you do your due diligence you’ll find the truth right before your eyes. But just because someone is on Netflix doesn’t mean they did the right thing. The same applies for success — just because they were Serena’s Head Coach, doesn’t mean they were responsible for her success. Like, come on. It’s Serena. You’ve got to be kidding me if you really think Serena didn’t know what she was doing. He was there for the ride and the publicity which has served him well, and a few choice words when in need. But those Grand Slams stem from her parents and her ability to be cemented as the G.O.A.T.

As for Halep, she deserves direct entry back into the Top 10 — so, let’s see it WTA. She deserves her ranking points restored. And yes, she deserves to be reimbursed for any losses caused. That said, I hope Halep opts for a different approach — maybe she’ll even pick up “How to Develop a Top 10 Tennis Ranking” or read through “What is Your Game Missing” before the much heavier “Science of Elite Performance” and keep me on speed dial. Either way, that’s what I’m here for. Maybe I’ll venture out for those Grand Slams to Olympic glory, but you won’t find me on tour — my dogs simply would not be okay with that and I’m pretty comfortable being able to share those additional updates on Beyond Top 10 Tennis, too.

Which means for now, speed dial is limited to a select few, but those Books are designed for all. And to be clear, no Coach should recommend a supplement whatsoever unless they’re a certified MD and it has gone through clearance with anti-doping. Which means, no — I have never nor will I encourage a player to ingest a supplement of any kind unless it has been cleared and validated. On that note, let’s remember that this Coach is a Coach — not with any formal postgraduate qualifications in this area to their name. And yet, here I am as a Woman with all of those qualifications — plus more, so I’ll just patiently wait for Netflix to give me a call unless they’re waiting for the controversy to mishaps because they won’t find them here. Maybe that’s why only a few continue to Win multiple Grand Slams and the rest continue to be left behind?

Kidding. I know why, I’ve already published and written about this with the data to pinpoint these differences which means knowledge is power and those who have been prepared to learn the 7 Keys and The Power of the 8th Key are the ones to truly watch.

To learn more about our data, predictive analytics and how to optimise your own performance, head on over to AM8 International. To learn more about AM8 International check out our selection of Books and/or options to join Dr B’s Pack to gain exclusive access to the best in the world. Not quite ready? Head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis for free access to 100+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking with new episodes each week. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.

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Top 200 WTA & ATP Insights, Markers for the Top 10, San Diego, Dubai and More

This is episode 76 of Beyond Top 10 Tennis as we kick off with sharing how the ⁠7 Keys⁠ inform the Top 200 Players and how the ⁠8th Key⁠ delivers that ⁠Top 10 Tennis Ranking⁠. With never-before-heard direct insights of what continues to seperate the ‘best in the world‘ from those inside the Top 200 towards the Top 50 and more, [NEW] Data metrics are shared to learn “⁠How to Develop a Top 10 Tennis Ranking⁠“. WTA Tournaments: San Diego, Austin & Indian Wells (Quals.) are dived into, before ATP Tournaments: Dubai, Mexico, Chile & Indian Wells (Quals.) wrap up today’s episode — arguably our biggest to date.

Tune into Beyond Top 10 Tennis and select Episode #76 to learn more.

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Learn to go from Good to Great in Your Forehand Groundstroke in Less than 60 minutes with 2 Steps from the World’s Leading Tennis Authority

I don’t normally do this. And when I say I don’t normally do this, I really mean it, especially given the fact that I’ve dedicated the best part of my life to becoming the best in the world at what I do. That said, by all means there is merit to sharing and I definitely enjoy sharing — it makes it that much more worthwhile (*ping* Beyond Top 10 Tennis and AM8 International). To date I’ve opted to share ‘How to’ in a myriad of ways via the 12 Books I’ve had published to date opposed to primarily in Academia and/or Journals of the likes for the simple reason of accessibility. That is, who really reads these Journals and/or Academic centred articles and/or texts? I can guarantee you that the vast majority of tennis players, coaches to parents are not in that cohort nor those who aspire to develop their tennis — let alone become the best in the world. So, I could share this in restricted areas with limited access, or ensure these Books are universally available. I chose the later.

A quick snippet on that. When I say the best in the world, that’s really what I mean. After all, my background has been heavily fine-tuned and focused on this very area. And whilst there are quite popular coaches, mind you, who enjoy noting their accomplishments and for what us in Australia would term sheer bragging, there does come a point where modesty is thrown out the window and the want for attention continues to grow. And yes, of course I’m referring to predominantly males in the [tennis] coaching landscape — the same applies to players, too, quite simply because if you’re a woman in tennis you are still not afforded the same ‘tolerance’ as a male — and that’s pretty shitty. 

Really? Well, I can guarantee you that the majority of you haven’t heard of my work let alone the groundbreakingoutcomes it has come across for the sheer fact again that 1) I am a Woman, and 2) I don’t brandish my work on every corner that comes available. And maybe that’s the problem. Sure, I could go ahead and do that, but then let’s default to issue ‘one’ here and let me tell you, I have doggedly tried. So, whilst a large volume continue to listen to these ‘other’ coaches, the sad fact to the matter is that there are injuries running rife and these coaches who claim to be the ‘be all and end all’ really aren’t — is takes two after all.

Back to the point. Over the past 20+ years I’ve dedicated my life and my career to the tennis landscape and to be clear, not just the forehand groundstroke — that was one of many initial beginnings. This is short and sweet so for more, simply head here if you haven’t already. But when it comes to tennis and qualifications you won’t find anyone globally more qualified. Pretty cool, huh? From the highest coaching qualification attainable, to undergraduate and postgraduate — that’s been ticked off. Then there’s my doctorate — a first of its kind that also set the benchmark for 11 of those Books. The one of focus right here and now is “I am Your Tennis Coaching Guru” that guides players over 10 Years of Play (for a cumulative 20 years) towards that Top 10 tennis ranking. An absolute steal considering it’s with you for at the very least TEN whopping years of play. 

You see, for all the coaches out there that say they can do “this” and can do “that” I’m also afforded a front row seat of the reality — that no, in fact, there’s an underlying reason of why that’s not the case. The same goes for tennis players. And to be explicit, I’m narrowing in on Top 10 players and those inside the Top 50 looking to secure a Top 10 ranking. With key differentials, this has become my ‘bread and butter’ if you like, in being able to leverage science — predictive analytics to new data trends on how to pinpoint those micro-discrepancies that seperate the best in the world to those who hover outside the Top 50 and further. And to be honest, that’s an incredibly brutal threshold.

To be ranked inside the Top 200 in the world, that takes a bloody robust effort. A huge commitment. And a good grasp on key concepts. To nudge into the Top 100, things are starting to fall into place. Then when the Top 50 comes knocking, we’re now in more serious territory. But the majority of players hover here and do not crack into the Top 20 nor go further towards the Top 10. And that’s what my work is quite mind-blowing. 

But as promised, you want to go from Good to Great in Less than 60 minutes? Piece of cake. I’m going to narrow the focus here for high performance players who have a relative ‘good’ understanding of the game and are not ranked inside the Top 200. However, if you are this will serve you well, too, and most probably (*wink wink nudge wink*) help you crack the Top 100 within the next season. Oh, and having a relative understanding of being able to hit a Good forehand groundstroke is a prerequisite — I won’t be giving key technical advice here, just 2 Steps.

Ready? Let’s start with the grip. Drop the racket then pick it up with your palm open — then don’t change it. Then do it again since 99% of you have already changed your grip. If you’ve been playing with your current grip — fine, there is no right/wrong but there are definite ways on how to injure your wrist. Your choice. I’m not counting this as a step, just a basic rule of thumb. Oh, and if you really know what you’re doing, just try it for fun and you’ll find that it’ll help tweak your current grip.

Next, I’m going to pretend someone is feeding you balls, you’re either hitting against a wall (preferred), or with a friend/buddy/mate. And for argument sake, remember we’re narrowing in on the forehand. Stand front on, legs shoulder width apart — then a little wider. Pretend your friend is about to push you over (gently) and your stance is soli enough that a little push won’t make you fall backwards (i.e. lower that C.O.G). Then pretend you’re halfway down to sit on a chair — seriously. Then drop a little further. Feel that burn? Good. You’re most likely not use to doing this so it’s going to continue. Now, pivot that right leg backwards. If 90 degrees is towards the back fence find a middle point between where you are (roughly 30 to 45 degrees) — nothing wild, we’re just getting the basics in check. And I hear one of you say something about open stance — that’s cool, go ahead and do that and good luck (*side chuckles*).

Here’s the kicker. Now, when the ball comes, I need you to keep this positioning which means you’re going to spend the next 40 minutes getting this very position right. So, let’s say we’ve goofed around for 10 minutes, perfected this stance for another 40 minutes, that’s 10 minutes to actually hit the ball. But wait. You can *only* hit the ball without lifting off your ‘imaginary’ chair. No exceptions. If you keep missing the ball simply because you’re unable to keep that ‘seated’ position, then you’re going to go on repeat. Repetition is Good.

After doing this for 10 minutes I’m sure you’re now incredibly frustrated. It happens to the best of us. But this is also what differentiates 8% of players worldwide and why 92% of players and coaches worldwide do not knowwhat it takes to explicitly achieve a Top 10 tennis ranking and to maintain a hold inside the Top 8% of players in the world.

Not too shabby, right? To learn more about the 8% and 92% that’s in my latest release “How to Develop a Top 10 Tennis Ranking”. To learn more about tennis lessons and planners with more tools and tips to progress toward the Top 100 and eventually, the Top 10, you’ll want “I am Your Tennis Coaching Guru”. And to learn more about key player metrics, “What is Your Game Missing” leads the way. Also, simple head to AM8 International to view all our Books and you’ll find the right one for you, whether currently inside the Top 10 on the WTA or ATP tour, or you’re a local Academy player with your eyes set on winning a Grand Slam inside the next 5-7 years. It’s all there.  Pretty saucy and wild at the same time if you ask me. 

And remember, Great comes with a little bit of patience. Stick with it and trust the process.

To learn more about our data, predictive analytics and how to optimise your own performance, head on over to AM8 International. To learn more about AM8 International check out our selection of Books and/or options to join Dr B’s Pack to gain exclusive access to the best in the world. Not quite ready? Head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis for free access to 100+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking with new episodes each week. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.

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WTA & ATP Ranking Movers, Results from Dubai to Qatar, Players to Watch and Understanding the Data

This is episode 75 of Beyond Top 10 Tennis as we kick things off with a deep-dive into ⁠The Pathway⁠, ⁠The Long Game⁠ and the ⁠7 Keys⁠ plus the ⁠8th Key⁠ to better share what’s ahead for the aspiring tennis player and/or tennis coach, to those on the WTA and/or ATP tour looking to enter the ⁠Top 10⁠ rankings. We then move on to an extensive review of the Tournaments on the WTA tour: Dubai Championships, Puerto Vallarta Open, San Diego Open & Austin, followed by the ATP tour: Rio Open, Qatar Open, Mifel Open, Dubai Championships, Mexico & Chile Open. Throughout today’s episode key player progressions and regressions are noted, performance metrics and ⁠how to mitigate injuries⁠. Players include Sakkari back into the Top 10, Fritz and Rudd on the threshold, Swiatek’s maintenance plus a number of players on the radar.

Listen now on Beyond Top 10 Tennis and head to Episode #75

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Tennis and Talent Identification, Universal Coach Education, Parents Beware of Coach Promises to Sidestepping Injury Woes

At the very beginning of Beyond Top 10 Tennis (seven years after it was initially proposed), one of the more controversial topics I raised — but let’s be honest, there are a number of them, was around Talent Identification. But this was by no means a surprise given that the Book of focus was my very first Book that was published: The Secrets to Optimal Performance Success. A little known secret at this time was that despite this being my first Book, I had already competed my doctorate and was sitting on top of the underlying data and exhaustive work that went into my latest release and 12th Book to be published: How to Develop a Top 10 Tennis Ranking. 

As much as I wanted to share everything right then and there — in my first Book, what dawned on me was that I couldn’t. I mean, of course I could, but with the data sitting there and my doctorate being ticked off with a number of ‘world firsts’ and landmark findings (you get the gist), it was hard for someone who was ‘not’ sitting with the data and who hadn’t been there, in real time, piecing together what this ‘meant’ and with the enormity of literature that had been sifted through, to genuinely understand the true gravity before their eyes…

To read the full article please consider supporting my work through my new Book (pending release late 2024) that incorporates a variety of my writing — Dr Berge 

To learn more about our data, predictive analytics and how to optimise your own performance, head on over to AM8 International. To learn more about AM8 International check out our selection of Books and/or options to join Dr B’s Pack to gain exclusive access to the best in the world. Not quite ready? Head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis for free access to 100+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking with new episodes each week. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.