Interesting Facebook post by tennis coach Reno Manne about Billie Jean King today…
I, like most people, appreciate and respect Billie Jean King for all her wonderful achievements and contributions to tennis over the years. What a wonderful person! However, the one thing I’ve always thought she might want to think about is how she’s always telling others how to live their lives, what they should and shouldn’t be doing. The last time I was at US Open watching matches she felt the need to lecture me on my life. Get more involved with tennis, do this, do that, don’t say that and you must say this, you need to work with this player and travel a bit with that player etc etc etc.
Lecturing me on everything. I ended up getting annoyed and regrettably we argued in a VIP box with others listening. To be honest she made it unavoidable. Today she emails me as she’s probably bored, doing the same thing in a email, lecturing me. I responded telling her that she takes the giving advice to people thing a little too far. She takes herself way too seriously.
Yes I accept advice and criticism, of course I do, always have done or I wouldn’t have achieved what I have done in my life. My relationship with her is now on the edge, after self analysis many times I don’t feel it’s my fault. To be brutally honest, I think she feels your honored if she speaks with you or wants to give you advice. I’ve chosen to do other things in life, to be brutally honest I often feel bored with tennis and some of the people involved with tennis really bore me. I mean what is it I have left to prove from a coaching perspective, I’m sorry if that comes across as being headed, it’s not my meaning. If a person chooses to do other things why can’t she respect that. I don’t want to get involved with the USTA, never have done. I’ve always had a consistent opinion of them based on what’s ethical and right within the sport, especially from a coaching perspective, the USTA doesn’t doesn’t do enough for coaches all around the USA. She can’t accept my criticism telling me I must accept the politics. If I kiss certain peoples asses I’m going all the way with them, she’ll see to it. No way!
Reno Manne doesn’t kiss ass, he kicks it. I won’t sell my soul to the devil playing politics. I’ve always done what I feel is right. Yes OK over the years I’ve got my self into a few predicaments mouthing of to Federations here and there, but it’s always been the truth. Politics and truth don’t mix, never has done. Corruption, greed and politics do mix.
I’ve always known what side of that fence I am on.
No tags
catherine · March 30, 2020 at 1:43 pm
What’s this about ? Seems a little personal to me. Who’s Reno Manne and why should we care about his beef with Billie Jean ? Is there some big issue involved ?
BJK’s always going on about something – you put up with her or you don’t. She won’t change.
Jeanius · March 30, 2020 at 2:36 pm
Katherine I was wondering the same thing why is he using this for him to vent his personal problems with Billie Jean King a waste of space in a waste of breath
Scoop Malinowski · March 30, 2020 at 3:00 pm
Catherine, Reno is a renowned coach in Florida, coached some pros, many elite juniors. Played and trained with Sampras back in the day, and other pros. A tennis world insider. He has given me major scoops and confirmed others. It looks like BJK is big timing or bossing him around and he finally had enough. BJK may be able to dominate some people or weak minded people, but not an alpha male like Reno. Reno is featured in my Facing Sampras book.
Scoop Malinowski · March 30, 2020 at 3:02 pm
Well Jean there is not much going on in the tennis world and I found this to be newsworthy, as it exposes an interesting point of view about an all time iconic figure in the sports world. Nobody likes to be bossed around.
catherine · March 30, 2020 at 4:12 pm
Billie Jean’s a legend, an icon, but not really active in the game now and her spats with other people don’t seem to me truly newsworthy.
I’m wondering if anyone’s got anything to say about the cancelling of W’don and the outlook for the rest of the season, consequences for the players etc. I posted Craig Tiley’s view below.
Scoop Malinowski · March 30, 2020 at 5:59 pm
Catherine, this whole thing is beginning to really bother me now. The media seem to want to extend this longer and longer and hurt everyone. They want people to die to blame Trump. They want a total lockdown for as long as possible. Is this really a deep state operation to hurt Trump to save their own asses from treason and the corruption? This virus thing started exactly right after the impeachment hoax failed. Tennis is getting killed by this. Tennis players are getting their careers wrecked by this. People are losing their jobs, savings. If all this is a diabolical scheme to try to ruin our president, heads must roll. BTW did you see Federer hitting against an outdoor wall in snow and icy conditions? No sign of any knee injury or surgery. Who would do something like that just weeks after major knee surgery? Looks like Fed does not need any rehab. Like I said, it could have been a fake surgery.
Jon King · March 30, 2020 at 7:20 pm
So we have been deeply involved with junior tennis in Florida and the US for over 10 years now. Traveled all over the state and country. Know so many tennis coaches, players at all levels. pros, college, juniors….and I never, ever heard this guy’s name until now. I googled him and he obviously has been involved with coaching….but for whatever reason, never heard of the guy. Probably because so many guys worked with this former #1 or that former # 1, they all blend together. Anyone in tennis coaching who spends literally any time with any player, showing them literally anything related to tennis, puts on their bio that they worked with that player.
Did get to meet BJK twice though. Once she was hosting a clinic at Villanova University. She walked around the crowd, super nice. She pulled my daughter out who was 5 years old at the time and told her how talented she was. We still have the picture of them. The 2nd time was 4 years later, she came to a college tennis tournament we were attending. We spoke and she was again very down to earth.
Scoop Malinowski · March 30, 2020 at 8:03 pm
Jon, I did a Biofile with BJK, she was charming and super nice. Very good in public situations. But I guess everybody has a dark side to varying degrees. OJ proved that. So did Joan Crawford 🙂
catherine · March 31, 2020 at 1:16 am
Scoop – The US is not the only country in the world – corona virus knows no boundaries and it has no politics – neither did bubonic plague and all the other great plagues which have afflicted mankind. Please read a little history.
Re BJK – I once interviewed her face to face, she didn’t have to speak to me but gave up over an hour at a very difficult and fraught time in her life. She was extremely helpful and frank about quite personal matters – she had no particular reason to trust me and I have to say out of respect for her honesty I never used the interview. A lot of the press used to argue with her and wind her up, provoking a yelling match and she responded in kind. Tough.
catherine · March 31, 2020 at 1:27 am
Sam is an authoritative coach,” she said. “But I do not judge coaches by their name or merit. For me, the most important thing is the exchange of energy that occurs between people, not only in sports, but also in life. Alas, many coaches have a huge ego and they too often repeat the word ‘I’. Because of this, problems often arise.”
Wise words from Pavs discussing her split from Sumyk.
(Tennis Now)
Scoop Malinowski · March 31, 2020 at 6:45 am
Translation. We had bad chemistry. I didn’t like him.
Jon King · March 31, 2020 at 9:29 am
Tennis coaches, and most coaches, are pretty much the result of the players they are given to work with. Steve Kerr was the best basketball coach on the planet when he had the best team, the worst record now without the best players. Rick Macci is still touting that he worked with the Williams sisters 30 years later, and in those 30 years since it took Kenin who he worked with at 6 years old to give him more success with a pro player. The other thousands of players he worked with over 30 years did not have success. So Macci is batting about 5 for 2000 with players who came to him with pro goals and succeeded. Same with Nick B. Most coaches work with dozens, hundreds, thousands of players over their careers, you only hear about the very few than make it.
Coaches can make improvements on the margins. Most have 1 or 2 aspects of the game they are good at teaching, so players go from coach to coach as they develop. But unless the player has work ethic and rare talent, not much will happen.
Scoop Malinowski · March 31, 2020 at 9:54 am
I wonder how much of an impact Macci really had on the Williams sisters and Kenin too. I also wonder how many highly regarded coaches ruin or impede a super talented prospect with miscoaching?
Jon King · March 31, 2020 at 10:34 am
Good question Scoop. Macci worked with Williams sisters from ages 8-11 and Kenin at ages 5-6. So perhaps he set some fundamentals. But the focus, work ethic, advanced strategy and tactics, recovery plan between pro matches came much later.
I can speak to Macci specifically. When she was 9 I took my girl to him for one session which he allowed me to record for future use. He made 2 big changes, one to the serve, one to the forehand. I can flat out say the serve change was a help but the forehand change would have been a long term disaster. I see girls who did make the switch he was touting then and it is a mess now that they are older. He tried to make every player hit the same forehand back then.
So even good coaches can get set trying to make every player do the same thing, and not every player can have success using the same techniques.
catherine · March 31, 2020 at 10:50 am
I thought Pavs’ comment was interesting because not many players say anything specific about their coaches when there’s a split but here you don’t have to read between the lines to get a good idea of Sumyk’s approach and why it failed with her. And possibly with Muguruza although Garbine took a while to reach the point of dumping him.
Of course many top players also repeat the word ‘I’ and the clash of egos usually ends with someone out of the door.
Scoop Malinowski · March 31, 2020 at 11:33 am
Catherine, maybe Muguruza enjoyed bossing and bullying Sumyk around for years, like BJK is apparently, or was, doing to Reno Manne. Not all pro coaching relationships are as perfect as Halep Cahill.
catherine · March 31, 2020 at 12:51 pm
Muguruza may have as big an ego as Sumyk so it was a kind of game until she maybe grew up a little and returned to Conchita who wouldn’t tolerate such childish stuff.
Halep/Cahill wasn’t always perfect. Simona could behave like a 3 year old. Kerber could do that too – during occ she’d sound distraught – opponents eyeing this behaviour keenly (Angie’s on the ropes). If WTA had any sense it would make rules keeping coaches and players as far as possible from each other during matches.
Scoop Malinowski · March 31, 2020 at 2:05 pm
What has Sumyk accomushed in tennis as a player or coach? Besides marrying former player and current agent meilen tu. He got the job coaching azarenka because his wife is her agent.
catherine · March 31, 2020 at 2:52 pm
Do tennis coaches have to have qualifications ? They do in the UK but I expect quite a few private coaches don’t bother. In football coaches have to get badges to coach at different levels – ex-players often go this route.
Jon King · March 31, 2020 at 4:54 pm
In the US anyone can call themselves a tennis coach. But there are also certifications available through several organizations. If a coach wants insurance or to work at a resort or for a township, they will need to get some level of certification. However with juniors, its word of mouth. If a kid wins a match or tournament parents sometimes want to know who trains them and want to work with that coach. Lots of coaches in S. Florida have quite a few kids they train with zero certifications. I went through the steps to get certified by the USPTA, but really just work with my girl and her friends.
Jon King · April 1, 2020 at 11:22 am
No Wimbledon this year.
catherine · April 1, 2020 at 11:23 am
http://www.tennisnow.com/Blogs/NET-POSTS/April-2020-(1)/Dominic-Thiem-Hits-Back-at-Gunter-Bresnik-s-Commen.aspx
More coaching spats. All a little undignified.
catherine · April 1, 2020 at 11:26 am
Jon – yes, the AEC took its time. This was clear a week or so ago. I’m with those who think we may not see much tennis, or any big sport, for the rest of this year.
Jon King · April 1, 2020 at 11:32 am
Its amazing how stuck on stupid so many are here still. We went up to the rural courts yesterday, all the older people from Palm Beach County found them. An entire pickle ball league and women’s doubles league was playing a full event there. Super crowded, all of them from ages 55-70 years old. High fiving, acting totally normal. Before that it had only been a few parents or coaches with 1-2 kids, all spread out. All those people yesterday drew attention from the park workers and police. So now that county is announcing that things will close this starting this weekend. Unreal how adults can not use a tiny bit of sense and are ruining things for everyone.
catherine · April 1, 2020 at 11:52 am
Jon yes – just because the virus hasn’t arrived in some areas that doesn’t mean it’s not going to, and isn’t lurking around waiting for the right time to make an entrance.
Sad tweet from Kerber on the W’don announcement. Germany has handled the epidemic well and unfortunately will see their new grass tournaments – WTA in Berlin and Bad Homburg postponed until 2021. Angie was going to be TD for Bad Homburg, but as she says, sport takes a back seat now. Except in your living room.
Scoop Malinowski · April 1, 2020 at 12:42 pm
From the outside, Thiem seemed to be stagnated and needed the words and experience of a coach who had won majors, who had excelled at the highest level. Bresnik lacked that and he was not enough of a coach to uplift Thiem above Fed Rafa Djokovic. Massu has uplifted Thiem a little closer to the ultimate goal. So the history shows that Thiem did make the right move to fire Bresnik and Bresnik is understandably bitter about it. What really matters most here is Thiem winning a major and he appears to be on the way. Muster pushed hard with his ideas, too hard and Thiem resisted it. My view is Thiem is too nice, too emotionally flat, too normal. You have to bring out the beast, get down and dirty, be more vicious arrogant ruthless to destroy Fed Rafa or Djokovic. I think Muster emphaszed this and Thiem is too nice and didn’t want to change his character. Intriguing storyline drama unfolding. Imagine if Muster speaks out next 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · April 1, 2020 at 12:44 pm
Bradenton shut down all the public courts yesterday. Luckily I have four private hard courts to use. People are coming over from great distances to use my courts. I miss clay though. Imagine if this virus was an inside job hoax to destroy a thriving ecomony and president. Head will have to roll. Treason. The media seems to excited to make this thing last as long as possible to wreck the country and Trump. Only sick evil people would do that.
catherine · April 1, 2020 at 1:44 pm
As I’ve said Scoop, it’s not just Trump and the US. Can we please stay away from conspiracy theories at T-P ? And how can a ‘hoax’ can kill people ? None of that talk in the UK or Europe where our lives have been turned upside down.
You’re very fortunate in having 4 private courts to play on.
Scoop Malinowski · April 1, 2020 at 3:03 pm
Catherine, all indications are this is a much bigger battle going on beneath the surface. This virus part is all just a deflection from the real war. I am favoring this school of thought now. The black hat deep state will do anything to survive what is coming. Karma is a you know what. Yes I’m very fortunate, thank you LORD. Had a great 3 hr hit today with two strong juniors and their coach at my court.
catherine · April 1, 2020 at 3:23 pm
OK Scoop, those are your beliefs and you’re entitled to them, but there are other sites which cater for those who share your views and T-P surely should continue to be a tennis only site. We don’t currently have many people posting here regularly and are not likely to attract more during the current hiatus unless we try to stick to tennis discussions. There’s plenty to talk about.
I thought that had been agreed. Otherwise there seems little point in continuing.
Scoop Malinowski · April 1, 2020 at 4:39 pm
Catherine, this big mess has momentarily killed the sport we love. There is a very real possibility that it’s a deep state attack using a cover of a man made virus for distraction purposes to fool the one side of the matrix. I don’t believe a damned word the media says. In order for our world to go on again we must expose and condemn the evil doers. I truly believe a war is going on now betweem good and evil. Good will win soon and tennis will resume. God will win.
Scoop Malinowski · April 1, 2020 at 4:43 pm
I recommend you all follow former NFL running back @2LarryJohnson7 he is an awake brother and is dropping truth bombs every day about the elites, satanists, child trafficking. I met Larry once and we did a Biofile at Giants Stadium, he is a very very intelligent man, awake and brave to expose what he is exposing.
Scoop Malinowski · April 1, 2020 at 4:46 pm
2000 kids go missing every day. 800,000 each year. Trump is stopping it, destroying wings. Richard Branson Island allegedly as bad as epstein island. I have a friend who was at Branson’s neckar cup and said he felt bad vibes down there. If you are brave enough to red pill yourself go here https://www.qmap.pub/
catherine · April 1, 2020 at 5:15 pm
I know what red pill means and I want nothing to do with it or any stuff related to it. T-P has disappeared for me. I’m very sorry.
Jon King · April 1, 2020 at 6:33 pm
Scoop, I am also out like Catherine. I truly hope you have a close loved one who can help you get counseling and deprogramming. You are on a dangerous road to more and more paranoid thoughts with that Qanon cult. Several guys have already ruined their lives committing crimes, while many others have lost their family and friends because of that cult. I wish you luck and hope you get the mental health counseling you need before it ruins your life too. Take care.
Scoop Malinowski · April 1, 2020 at 6:38 pm
They said Jesus Christ was crazy too…then they killed him. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, “All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident.”
Scoop Malinowski · April 1, 2020 at 6:46 pm
Proclamation on National Child Abuse Prevention Month 2019: Save the children. @whitehouse
Jeanius · April 1, 2020 at 8:21 pm
Jon king– was it team tennis at Villanova? I was a volunteer with Philadelphia freedoms,her team i had my autographed t shirt made into a cushion. Who knows if the autograph is authentic. Her relationship with this guy takes nothing away from her accomplishment and I doubt anyone cares about this relationship. She probably has worse stories to tell about how she has been treated
Jean@jeankirshenbaum.com · April 1, 2020 at 8:27 pm
Re virus. History may look at this as the toilet paper panic of 2020.we won’t be alive
Sam · April 2, 2020 at 1:05 pm
“Today she emails me as she’s probably bored, doing the same thing in a email, lecturing me. I responded telling her that she takes the giving advice to people thing a little too far. She takes herself way too seriously.”
Hey, who needs Dear Abby when you’ve got Billie Jean King? 😉
At first I thought this might have been an April Fool’s Day joke, but this appears to be a serious article.
King sounds like a classic control freak. Control freaks live empty lives, and can only find meaning by controlling others. It’s best to stay as far away from such people as possible. In fact, sometimes it’s necessary to cut off contact altogether.
At the same time, I’m not sure why Manne decided to go public with this. Well, something tells me that he won’t have to worry about BJK interfering in his life anymore. 😉
Scoop Malinowski · April 2, 2020 at 1:20 pm
Is it time now for the media to shut itself down too? Why is the media putting itself and the people at risk?