He Quit Tennis, Was Hitting With Sharapova as a Favour — Now He's Coaching a Top WTA Player | Tom Hill
Tom Hill never planned to be a tennis coach. He finished college, put his rackets in the wardrobe, and was planning law school. Then a chance encounter at a bar in Santa Monica led to a hitting session with Maria Sharapova. Then a call from Danielle Collins — ranked 250 in the world at the time. Eight months later she was Top 30. Then came Maria Sakkari. And six years, a Top 3 ranking and countless close-misses later, Tom is one of the most respected coaches on the WTA tour.
In this episode, Tom joins Caroline Garcia and Borja for an unfiltered look inside professional tennis coaching:
- How he accidentally became a tennis coach — via Sharapova, a bar in Santa Monica and a visa expiry
- Going from 0 coaching experience to taking Danielle Collins from 250 to Top 30 in 8 months
- The real story of coaching Maria Sakkari to World No.3 — and why they eventually parted ways
- How to handle a player who's losing their confidence — what you say, and what you never say
- The match point Maria had against Kvitova at Roland Garros — and how that one moment changed everything
- Why he never sets ranking goals — and what he focuses on instead
- The truth about travelling 45 weeks a year with a player and why he burned out
- How to coach two players at once — and why it only works if roles are crystal clear
- What coaches like Wim Fissette get right that most coaches get completely wrong
- Why winning junior Grand Slams means absolutely nothing for your professional career
Timestamps:
03:30 The bar in Santa Monica — the conversation that changed everything
04:30 Hitting with Maria Sharapova at IMG Academy
07:00 How Danielle Collins found him — and why that hour changed his life
10:30 Falling in love with coaching — helping players become their best
12:00 Taking Collins from 250 to Top 30 in 8 months — with zero coaching experience
13:30 "Me and you against the world" — starting out with no reputation
15:00 The Instagram post that led to Maria Sakkari
16:00 Working under Thomas Johansson — still messaging him once a week
18:00 Imposter syndrome as the youngest coach on tour
19:00 The hardest part of being a coach — 45 weeks a year on the road
20:30 Never setting ranking goals — why he focuses on the process
22:00 How Maria went from 30 to No.3 — four years of consistent improvement
29:30 "The best skill a coach can have is becoming what the player needs"
31:00 Why great coaches with one player often fail with the next
32:30 Can you be friends with your players?
34:00 The coach-player disagreement — what the coach sees vs what the player feels
37:00 How to handle a player after a devastating loss
40:30 How to plan a schedule — training weeks vs tournament weeks
43:00 More hours on court vs smart hours — what actually works
45:30 Why they stopped working together — and why coming back was an easy yes
47:30 Bringing in consultant coaches — threat or opportunity?
49:00 Two coaches at once: why roles must be crystal clear
50:00 Yannick Sinner's team — why Simone and Darren work so well together
51:30 The hitting partner debate — when do top players need one?
53:30 Why men rarely travel with hitting partners
54:30 Managing a big team — physio, fitness coach, psychologist and more
55:30 Every person in the team has their specialty
57:00 "If you're happy off the court, you play well on the court"
59:00 Parents as coaches — when it works, when it doesn't
1:00:00 Caroline opens up about her dad as her coach
1:01:00 Why coaches can't have emotions — the hardest part of the job
1:03:00 Would he ever coach on the ATP tour?
1:04:00 His advice for young players: build the right style, not the best results
1:06:00 Why winning junior Grand Slams means nothing for your pro career
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