Ben Haran

[simone]

Born: Lichfield, UK 1978

How did you start tennis?

I began by annoying the hell out of my parents by hitting on the wall until the early hours of the morning, after numerous smashed windows and my continued passion, at the age of 7 they decided to take me down to the local sports centre for squads. I played short tennis for a year, and then moved onto real balls where I was integrated into county/regional tennis squads. I remained at home until the summer of 1988 where I was spotted by David Lloyd and invited to trials for the Slater Squad. I was offered a tennis scholarship in the September of that year and I began my journey to become a tennis professional.

Who was your influence to start playing tennis?

My Father was instrumental in my passion for sport as a whole. He came from a sporting background and he made me aware that sport was a fantastic thing and that it would give me many opportunities in life. It wasn’t until watching Boris Becker at Wimbledon 1985 at the age of 7 that I realised the sport I wanted to pursue most of all was tennis.

Which coach do you remember in the most positive light and why?

I had many good coaches that I had huge respect for growing up, the first being Tony Lloyd who coached me from 10-16. I would have to say the coach sticks out most of all for me would be Sean Cole. Unfortunately I only really spent time with Sean towards the end of my career around the age of 20. I was struggling at this stage but Sean was always there to listen and offer positive advice. I remember Sean always making you feel that there was more to life than winning or losing tennis matches and regardless of the outcome there were always things to look forward to. To me Sean was more than just a coach as he dealt with off court issues just the same as on court.

What’s the best moment of your playing career?

I would have to say there are two defining moments. The first one was stepping out onto court 3 at Wimbledon for the Semi of the Junior Doubles. The second I wasn’t really aware of the meaning at the time, but I received a WC into the Nottingham Open ATP event in 2001 and played probably the greatest player we will ever see Roger Federer losing 6-2 6-1. Very one sided but I did manage to break serve!!!

What was the worst moment of my playing career?

After a bad couple of years where my love for the game was still there but the improvement wasn’t, the hardest thing was the realisation that I was not going to achieve my ambition and the time had come to stop competing. To go from having the feeling of chasing a dream from the age of 9-22 then realising for whatever reason you were not good enough was hard and the worst moment for me.

Why did you choose coaching?

The main reason was the love for the sport that did not go away after I finished playing. A passion that if I could not achieve my goals through competing I could try to help other players realise theirs.

Why did you choose to coach at David Lloyd Academy?

I was offered the job to come back to Reeds in the summer of 2004. David Lloyd and the school still had a very fond place in my heart for all the opportunities it had given me in not only tennis but life also. I felt that coming back to coach at DL Academy (Reeds) was an opportunity for me to re pay David in some way for all he had done for me from the age of 10-17.

In which part of coaching tennis do you think you are special?

I would not regard myself as special, as for me that’s the pinnacle that I am striving to achieve every day and it’s an ongoing process. I think my main strengths as a coach are my passion and dedication to the job, not only in trying to bring out the best in the players but demand high standards from myself. I work hard to try and instil the right attitude and work habits at a young age.

What would be your advice to young players?

Look to develop a consistent work habit every day. Does not matter how talented you are without the right work you will not progress. What you’re capable of achieving is determined by your talent. What you attempt to do is determined by your motivation, but how well you do is determined by your attitude. Always try to take responsibility for your own tennis and never look to blame others; no one can control your attitude but you. Also you must learn to be patient and understand that development is a long process, making a tennis player is a long journey with many ups and downs along the way.

What would be your advice to tennis parents?

The role of a tennis parent in my opinion is vital. You, more than anyone have the most influence on your child’s tennis. If you look at almost any successful player on men’s or women’s circuit there is one parent heavily involved. If you can build a good honest team around a player where the feedback from the coach is being backed up by the parents this is pivotal in a player’s progress.
Again be patient and be ready for many ups and downs this is part of any sport in the pursuit of excellence.

What would be your advice to young coaches?

The coach must set the standards that he expects from his players. You can’t expect a player to have excellent attitude and commitment if you’re not prepared to do the same. Pay attention to detail and always be planning ahead. Be aware of the standards outside of your daily training environment, look to challenge the players and see how they handle it.

Be patient, a tennis player is not built over night; it’s a long old road!