Growing up, one of the biggest inspirations I had each year was going to the Miami Open. Every March, my parents would take my brother and I to the tournament, and it was one of the most exciting times of the year. It was an opportunity to see the best players in the world, up close and in-person, learning and studying the best.

We would marvel at how quiet Jonas Bjorkman’s feet were even though he never stopped moving.

We would be amazed at how great Martini Hingis’ hands skills were to maneuver the ball around the court.

We would be inspired by Agassi’s impeccable groundstrokes.

And then just blown away by Sampras’s serve.

I remember getting Sampras’s autograph twice after one of his practices. He signed one photo I had of him as he was walking off the court, and then I ran out to where the rest of the fans were to get him to sign a second photo.

It was the best time of the year. 

And I remember going straight to practice afterwards, pretending I was Agassi or Hewitt as I was ripping groundstrokes.

I’d shorten up my take backs like Agassi would. I’d practice my pinpoint service motion with the great back arch like Hewitt. I’d practice my serve and volley like Rafter. I’d test out a more closed one-handed backhand grip like Guga Kuerten and Gaston Gaudio.

I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be as good as them. I wanted to compete at the highest levels, in the biggest of stadiums, with prize money on the line, and rankings to be played for. I imagined myself playing in front of my friends on Center Court at the Miami Open, waving to them as I walked on the court.

I never had that moment at the Miami Open, but I always dreamt of it growing up. It was a yearly motivational experience that kept me hungry throughout my development.

And I think it’s something the United States needs a lot more of.

The United States is such a big place that even though we have a bunch of professional events, they’re far away from people, and it’s a monumental effort to attend them.

And if you can’t see these things in person, it’s hard to get inspired by them. It’s hard to feel the magic. It’s hard to feel the crowd come alive. It’s a completely different feeling to see a 145mph serve in person come off of Isner’s racquet. To hear the sound of Juan Martin Del Potro’s forehand as it connects with the center of his strings. To see Federer’s beautiful gliding slice that barely goes over the net. To see and hear Nadal’s huge fist pump after a forehand buggy whip winner on the run from the back corner of the stadium.

Seeing these things, and feeling the energy of the crowd as they happen are what turn a cool moment on tv, to an unforgettable moment in person.

So if your child is showing any type of passion for the sport, take them to a professional event.

And if you can’t do that anytime soon, take them to a collegiate event! They provide electric atmospheres as well.

Collegiate players compete with so much heart and fight for their team that there’s an incredible energy throughout their dual matches. The local community is there to support them. They’ve got their matching uniforms on, roaring into the crowd as they represent their school as well as possible.

And I wouldn’t stress about going only to a top D1 team. Any collegiate match, from D1 to D3 or even NAIA is filled with great players, passion for the game, and a level of intensity that makes it easy to get inspired.

You can even take a step further and take your child to watch collegiate practice as well.

Practices are open to the public, and most high performance tennis kids have goals of playing collegiate tennis. If those are their goals, they should go watch the intensity and focus collegiate players play with not just on match day, but at practice too.

Because that’s always been one of my frustrations with kids. They have these high goals, but struggle to understand the energy and effort they need to have on a daily basis in order to achieve their goals. A big part of that is their lack of exposure to collegiate or professional tennis, and they don’t train at a facility that has those types of players training next to them, providing a great example of what they need. 

I was fortunate enough to have those examples growing up and it was an incredible benefit to my development. My dad coached professional tennis players, as well as some of the best junior players in the country. On a consistent basis I was watching the highest level of training on the court next to me. And it didn’t provide just a great example for me. It inspired me.

I wanted to be on the court training with the them, training with the best. But I knew the only way that was possible was by improving enough so that they’d be comfortable practicing with me. I also needed to give such an amazing effort everyday so that I would stand out, and they’d want to reward me by giving me a shot with the best.

It took years to finally get the call, but when I did, even if it was just for a few minutes, I was so happy.

When I’d go back to my regular practice court, I’d be over the moon, thinking if I got to be on the court with a pro or top level junior, maybe that meant I was on the pathway to be like them.

BOOM. Inspired again.

So please, take your kids to a collegiate match or pro tournament. It’s the best source of inspiration they’ll ever have. At the very worst, if they don’t get inspired at all. And their daily training and playing habits aren’t affected whatsoever, you just learned something very important about your child:

They might not love the sport in the manner in the manner which you thought. And that’s okay! You just now know how much time, effort, and resources you need to invest into what they truly want out of tennis.