Players rarely stay committed to something when they cannot feel themselves progressing. Yet when tennis players lose motivation or leave a programme, coaches often blame: “They weren’t committed.” “The parents expected too much.” “They didn’t practise enough.” “Tennis was too difficult.” Sometimes those explanations may be valid. But sometimes, the coaching environment is the problem. Much of traditional tennis coaching is still built around reproducing an ideal technique, repeating predictable drills and removing the variability that players must learn to navigate during matches. The player may look better during the lesson. They may complete the drill successfully. They may even appear more “consistent.” But improvement within a controlled drill does not automatically mean the player has become more skilful at playing tennis. Skill development requires players to perceive relevant information, adapt their movement, make decisions and solve problems within environments t...