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Junior Player Bindas Inspired By Coach Mayotte
6 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Scoop
My name is Brooklyn Bindas and I turned 12 last March. I have been playing tennis since I was eight but have only taken tennis seriously for a little over a year. For the past year I have trained 4-5 days a week to be a top player. My training has paid off, I am already ranked 6 in New England G12s and 115 Nationally. My plan is to continue to train hard and work on getting stronger. In 2017, I couldn’t even make winter or summer sectionals. This year I placed 3rd at winter sectionals and 2nd at summer sectionals.
I have traveled to Florida and played in the Orange Bowl Qualifier and most recently attended Clay Court Nationals in Boca Raton last week. I will be traveling to Pennsylvania tomorrow to play in team zonals. I will also be playing at Hard Court Nationals in Alpharetta, Georgia on Aug 4th.
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Last summer I was asked to join a group of girls to train with Tim Mayotte. I didn’t know who he was but I googled him and read all about him. He quickly took an interest in me and wanted to help me become a top player in New England. He only works with a handful of kids from New England, so I felt it was an honor. Through the fall and winter, I was able to work with him.
I really like Tim because he believes in my potential and wants me to succeed. I know he does.
Tim is starting a tennis academy in Massachusetts in the Fall. It will be about an hour and 1/2 drive but we are going to make it work.
I also train a few months out of the year at Stan Smith’s Academy, Smith-Stearns in South Carolina. Stan and Tim are friends.
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The best part of my game is probably my volleys. I love the net and have really fast reflexes. My baseline strokes are good too. I am working on patterns and constructing points. I would really like to develop a stronger serve.
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Tim told me there is a 3-4 hour rule. You should always wake up 3-4 hours before your match. So if you have an 8 AM match you need to wake up at 5 AM. Your body needs this time to wake up.
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Tim has also taught me how to get power using my lower body. I use to try to swing harder, but I am able to get lots of power from my legs now.
Tim is also very concerned with nutrition. Eating healthy, staying hydrated and staying cool in the heat. He told me to use a cool towel on my neck and take ice cubes and put them on my wrists between change overs. Its the quickest way to cool the body.
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I love Federer and Serena of course. I also like watching the young female players who have just turned pro and watching them play the top players in the world.
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I love tennis because it’s an individual sport unlike soccer or other team sports. The harder I work the better I get. My parents are not tennis players, I am the only tennis player in my family. So, I feel like tennis is something I chose and fell in love with. I just love playing, especially doubles.
Junior Tennis · Tim Mayotte · USTA
Hartt · July 25, 2018 at 11:45 am
This young girl sounds like she is on the right track. I love the fact that she enjoys playing at the net. And she wants to improve her serve. Perhaps we will see her name on the WTA tour in a few years.
Scoop Malinowski · July 25, 2018 at 11:55 am
Hartt, pretty sharp girl and I was surprised she is understanding all the advanced coaching Mayotte is offering. She’s paying attention to the details and executing. It’s interesting how her results have improved so much in the last year especially under Mayotte who has an eye for talents and obviously spotted the potential in her. Hearing her explain the things she is working on helps me as a player and as a coach for players I give lessons to. I hope a lot of readers benefit from this interview.
Dan Markowitz · July 25, 2018 at 7:14 pm
Nice write up. How did she get in touch with Tennis-Prose.com or did Tim get you in touch with you. I do disagree with on thing Tim says. You need at least eight hours of sleep at night so I’d age were to get up at 5 for an 8 am match that means she’d have to go to bad at 9. I can never get Cal to bed at 9 even during the school year, but I guess it can be done.
This girl is really all in. She’s playing at the same event in Pa. that Cal’s at now, but he’s skipping Hard Court Nationals to play in a baseball event at Cooperstown although he will finish his summer at Little Mo’s at Forest Hilla, an international event and will play Winter Nationals in Arizona in Dec and Easter Bowl in Indian Wells in March. I’m not in Pa, but I’ll tell Cal to look out for Ms. Bindas.
Funny story, we were hitting on hard courts behind CVS in Newport yesterday and I saw a guy walk onto next court with a Lovster ball machine and as I often do when I see someobe’s good (and I’m tired) I asked if he’d like to hit with Cal. Turns out the guy, Marting Billington, is 67 years old, very fit and just moved full time to Newport from Norrhern Maine where it was often hard to get a game hence the ball machine. HeS playing a 65’s event this weekend in Hartford and he said he just broke into top 100 in country, no. 99, recently.
Afterward, Cal and I talked about Scoop and his game and Cal doesn’t think he can beat Scoop yet. He said, “Scoop doesn’t really have a good forehand or backhand (he asked about his serve and I said it once was sub-par, but it’s good now), but he knows how to play.”
Scoop Malinowski · July 25, 2018 at 7:43 pm
Dan, Brooklyn follows our Instagram page and I followed her and saw her photo post of her with Tim a few weeks ago and suddenly got the idea to ask her about being coached by a legend, for sort of a different perspective on tennis, and I think the feature turned into a home run. Also think your interview with Jon Glover sparked me to think more of adding junior tennis perspectives to the site, not just mostly pro tennis content. Dan, not sure if Cal realizes I am a player who doesn’t show my best stuff until it’s needed. I remember Brad Gilbert said in Winning Ugly, Lendl would only show about 70% of his best game until 4-4 in the set then he’d show his A game. That idea always stuck in my head. Maybe I need to show it earlier in these big state tournaments I’m playing, maybe it will be the difference of making semis and finals and from winning these titles. Hope to hit with Cal this summer and see where his game is at.
Dan Markowitz · July 25, 2018 at 7:53 pm
He still can’t beat me in mini-tennis. We’re close in baseline games and tie-breakers; haven’t played a full set in a while. I just can’t move as well as you these days as you know my game is predicated on movement; getting to the net, finishing at the net. Your strokes have improved, but what’s semi-miraculous is your movement hasn’t dropped much if at all since when we first started playing together maybe 15 years ago.
It’s like once when I interviewed Connors at one of his Senior events at the Westchester Country Club and I said to him (he was about 45 at the time), “Even though you’ve lost a step out there, it’s amazing how well you’re moving.” And without batting an eye, Jimbo chirped, “I haven’t lost a step; maybe a half a step.”
Still, one of my favorite quotes I’ve ever taken down.
Scoop Malinowski · July 25, 2018 at 8:25 pm
He needs that variety and touch to beat you in mini, he should play it more, it really helps to develop ball control. I saw Hewitt training on the hard courts outside the media center in Newport and later that night I regretted not challenging him to play mini tennis to 11 for $50. I think I can possibly beat Hewitt at that 🙂 I also regretted not challenging Opelka to play mini tennis at Sarasota Open this year when my friend jokingly told Opelka I could beat him in a set 🙂 It was the perfect segue way to say Hey no way can I beat you in a set but I could beat you in mini tennis. Would have been interesting. That is a great quote and quick wit by Jimbo.