A Coach's Diary

“The thing I learned is that you can have all the talent in the world, but you have to work hard, stay focused, and be mentally tough to achieve at the highest level.” - Pete Sampras What does it take to be the best? Pete Sampras was one of the greatest tennis players of all time. He knew what it took to be the best, but more importantly, he did what it took. He once said, “I always wanted to be the best, I wasn’t just out there to be one of the guys. I was out there to be the best, and that took everything I had.” Then, “The thing I learned is that you can have all the talent in the world, but you have to work hard, stay focused, and be mentally tough to achieve at the highest level.” Finally, “When you’re playing against the best, you have to bring your best — mentally and physically. That’s what separates champions from everyone else.” You have to make a decision that you want to try to be the best you can be. Then, you have to work hard at it while staying focused and eliminating a...