Watson impresses 'boot camp' coaches

IF Heather Watson had any doubts about how hard becoming a top tennis pro would be, they've all been dispelled now. Heather, 12, is at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida after waving goodbye to her friends and family to pursue her dream of being the world number one.

The institute has a reputation for being a tough battleground for up-and-coming youngsters; some have described it as a boot camp.

Heather's packed schedule starts at 6.30am when she gets up to prepare to start school at 7.30. She finishes at noon, but there is no time for breaks, as she has to have lunch and get ready for four hours of tennis and fitness in the afternoon.

The sound of coaches bellowing out instructions, encouragement and demands to their young prot'g's echoes around the 40 courts as the players hit thousands of balls in the blazing Florida sunshine.

If the youngsters do not give 100% all day, every day, they feel the wrath of the coaches: it's simply not tolerated.

Heather has already felt the good and harsh sides of the philosophy.

'It's so much harder here and if you do one little thing wrong, they tell you to improve it but if you get that right, they are happy. But you have to get it right all of the time,' she said.

Founder Bollettieri is well aware of the criticisms aimed at the academy he started in 1978 after borrowing $1m., but frankly he does not care.

'I take it as a compliment and why do I do that? They are talking about the academy which means they are concerned; they can say we are full of bull and we just jibe, but what you have got to look at is our record,' he said.

Despite its tough image, there were not any players complaining that their schedule was too hard or that the coaches were being nasty.

Bollettieri simply pointed at his record to show whether the system works.

There is no doubting his results: he has nurtured the likes of Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Anna Kournikova, Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova and Tommy Haas, who was at the academy last week preparing for his Davis cup match with Slovakia.

The question is can Heather follow in their footsteps? She is certainly Britain's number one at the moment but has not had any regular coaching in the past months.

However, the academy can see a future for her; she has been there only three weeks and has already caught the eye of the vice-president, Gabriel Jaramillo.

'For sure, with the attitude she has and her disposition and the way she approaches the matches and the practice, the sky is the limit,' he said.

And this sort of comment is not made lightly. Bollettieri said that despite being talented and having the best coaches to mould their game, very few of the players at the academy will make it as a pro,

Heather's coach, Percy Melzi, who has been at the academy for 16 years, also thinks she can go all the way.

'The first thing I see is she is a girl with a lot of desire.

'She has the right attitude for this tough sport. With those two things, we have a good situation with her. I hope that we can help her become a professional player,' he said.

But the coaches will tell you that they are not just building players to turn pro, they are also helping youngsters get to college and give them the tools to succeed in whatever they do. Jaramillo has been at the academy for 25 years and the average time spent by a coach is 16: they all concur with this ideal.

'It is not only about being a professional player but approaching life as a professional being ready for the matches, not giving up. The same things they learn here they are going to be able to apply later on, whether it is in tennis or whatever they do in life.'

All the players said they wanted the coaches to be hard on them, none of them expected an easy ride and all without fail wanted to make it as a professional.

Sometimes it is the parents who want the success more than the child.

One child, who was being coached by his father, clearly was not enjoying the experience ' the attitude, backchat and hunched shoulders were all big give-aways.

Attitude and desire are two things on which the academy pluts a lot of value and are the first attributes for which the assessors look. Jaramillo said they were strict on whom they let onto the programme.

'Our first concern is that they want to be here and that they know they have to work hard, that there is going to be a lot of sacrifice and if they are willing to do that, then that is the first step.'

The commitment needed to win a place and work towards a pro career or towards a college place cannot be underestimated. It costs almost $40,000 a year plus education fees, but apart from the financial commitment, most families are committing their lives to the hope that their child will be one of the few to make it.

Heather has had to move thousands of miles from home and set up a new life. The main family contact is through e-mail and web cam. They know it is early to leave home but have thought it through logically.

'It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; if she didn't go, we'd be forever thinking it was a missed chance,' said her father, Ian.

Heather has had to grow up quickly. She has to take control of her life, including organising her time and laundry effectively.

Most of it is in the schedule but she does not have the back-up of a parent making sure she has done her chores and the academy does not expect pupils to slack off in this area, either

Michelle, her mother, spent the first few weeks with her to help settle in.

Although sad to leave her daughter, she was pleased that she had settled in quickly.

'I feel very happy leaving because I know she is settled and I know this is the best place for her to be if she wants to be that much further in tennis than she would have if she was at home.'

Now Heather's big challenge is getting an entry into the Orange Bowl junior tournament which takes place just before Christmas.

It is known as the unofficial world championships and Heather's coach Melzi thinks next year she has a good chance of challenging for the title, but there's some work to be done before then. She has already changed her forehand grip.

'To make it, you have to be a very aggressive player: with the wrong grip, you are not going to be aggressive so if she clicks on that and we get her to be quicker, she will be a better player,' he said.

With her whole life now focused on the sport in the toughest playground in the world, it is time for Heather to try to become one of the 2% who make it and not the 98% who do not.