How Do Tennis Players Actually Improve? From 3 UTR to 5… 5 to 7… 7 to 10

One of the biggest questions in tennis is simple:

How do players actually improve?

Why does one player go from a 3 UTR to a 7 in two years, while another stays stuck at the same level for five?

Is it talent? Coaching? More hours?

The answer is more nuanced than that.

Coaching Matters — But Only to a Point

You need a good coach.

You need someone who:

• Guides your fundamentals

• Gives you technical parameters

• Shows you what’s acceptable and what isn’t

• Corrects major inefficiencies

But here’s the reality:

How often are you actually with that coach?

• Once a week?

• Twice a week?

• Privates every day?

• Just squads?

There’s only so much a coach can do in limited contact time.

The real question is:

What are you doing with the other 90% of your training time?

The Players Who Improve Fastest Do One Thing Differently

In my experience, the players who improve the fastest are:

• Switched on

• Curious

• Asking questions

• Constantly gathering information

They don’t just hit balls.

They don’t train like robots.

They don’t let the coach do all the thinking.

They actively think.

“Gather Information” — The Skill Most Players Never Learn

When I played professionally (career-high ranking around ATP 220), I didn’t have much coaching growing up.

At 10 years old, I had six great months.
At 16, another six months.

Apart from that, I was largely coaching myself.

That forced me to develop one habit:

Every day, I gathered information.

Every shot.
Every contact.
Every match.
Every opponent.
Every condition.

I was constantly asking:

• Where was my contact point?

• Did that feel clean?

• Was my footwork efficient?

• How did my strings feel?

• How did the ball react in these conditions?

• What worked against this opponent?

That process is where real improvement comes from.

Why Some Players Stagnate

Most players plateau because they:

• Train without intention

• Hit balls without thinking

• Wait for the coach to correct everything

• Don’t reflect on sessions

• Don’t write down what they’re working on

They become passive participants in their development.

And improvement stalls.

The Smartest Players Improve the Most

This might sound harsh, but it’s true:

The smartest players tend to improve the fastest.

Not academically.

But cognitively on court.

They:

• Absorb information

• Retain it

• Apply it

• Adjust

• Problem-solve in real time

They’re not just physically training.

They’re mentally engaged every session.

Reinforcement Is Everything

Some players can hear a technical change once and apply it.

Others need daily reinforcement.

That’s normal.

But here’s something I always encouraged:

Write Everything Down

Before practice:

• Read what you’re working on.

After practice:

• Reflect on what improved.

• Reflect on what didn’t.

That daily reinforcement compounds over time.

A Real Example From My Coaching in Ireland

After finishing my playing career, I coached at a normal club in Ireland — not a national program.

I only coached these players for two to three years, but their backgrounds are important:

• One player was a complete beginner at 14

• Another started at 15 as a very late starter

Despite that, both players eventually reached around ATP 800, and several others went on to play college tennis.

They trained:

• 10–12 hours per week in squads

• 4–5 days per week

• Plus a couple of private lessons weekly

The Key Difference: The Training Model

I would work on something in a private lesson, then see them every day in squads.

That meant:

• Immediate reinforcement

• Real-time feedback

• Quick adjustments

• Simplification when needed

After two to three years, I stepped away from coaching.

But that combination — private lessons plus daily supervised squad training — was the most effective development model I’ve ever seen.

This same development model — combining private technical work with daily reinforcement inside structured training — is exactly the approach we use at the CoachLife Academy, where players build habits through consistent supervision, repetition, and long-term planning rather than isolated lessons.

The Coach–Player Relationship Should Be Collaborative

A coach can give you:

• A framework

• Technical boundaries

• A range of acceptability

But tennis is nuanced.

The player must figure out:

• What feels right

• What contact point works best

• What movement patterns fit their body

• What tactics suit their personality

The best development is collaborative — not authoritarian.

Improvement Comes From Active Engagement

Every time you step on court, you should be gathering information about:

• Technique

• Movement

• Opponent tendencies

• Conditions

• Ball response

• Energy levels

• Decision-making

Not mindless hitting.

Not autopilot reps.

Conscious repetition.

That’s where real growth happens.

A Note on Elite Juniors & Work Ethic

This same theme came up on our podcast with Sly Black, longtime junior coach of Coco Gauff and Sloane Stephens.

One of the biggest differences he noticed about Coco was simple:

She gave 100% every single session.

She was fully switched on, fully engaged, and deeply invested in improvement — every day.

Check out the Podcast episode with Sly Black

Why I Didn’t Break the Top 100

I reached around 220 in the world.

Looking back, I didn’t need more motivation or more hours.

I probably needed:

• Slightly better technical guidance at key moments

• More structured reinforcement in certain areas

But being switched on — constantly gathering information — is what allowed me to get that far without much coaching.

And it’s the same habit I see in players who improve the fastest today.

If You Want to Improve Faster

Ask yourself:

• Am I training actively or passively?

• Do I reflect after every session?

• Do I write down what I’m working on?

• Am I gathering information every single day?

Because improvement in tennis isn’t random.

It’s intentional.

And the players who treat every session like a problem-solving opportunity are the ones who move from:

3 → 5
5 → 7
7 → 10
And beyond.