Julia Grabher is looking for a trainer: bizarre call on LinkedIn!

Julia Grabher is looking for a trainer: bizarre call on LinkedIn!

Julia Grabher can look forward to an important success: the 28-year-old won her first tournament victory of the year at the W35 clay court tournament in Sardinia. Not surprisingly, this success is followed by the search for new ways to further improve and build on past successes. Grabher has struggled with injuries in the past, adding to the urgency of her current coaching search.

In order to find the right support, Grabher took an unusual step and published a call on LinkedIn. In this call she is asking for applications for the coaching position. The demands on the new coach are high: at least three years of experience coaching on the tour or an active career as a player in performance class (LK) 1 are essential. In addition, the new trainer should be willing to travel worldwide in order to optimally support Grabher.

The importance of mental training

In tennis, mental focus is crucial to generate performance and prepare for matches. sport-psychologie.ch highlights that mental training is used to optimize athletic performance. Professional trainers integrate sports psychology methods with young athletes in order to learn rituals and promote safety and motivation.

A well-known model for mental training is Löhr's “16-second cure,” which consists of four steps:

• Verarbeitung des vorher gespielten Balls (positive Gefühle oder Ausdruck negativer Emotionen).
• Konzentration auf einen festgelegten Punkt (z.B. Racket oder Schweißband) und kurze Entspannung.
• Überlegung, wie der nächste Punkt gespielt werden soll.
• Standardisierte Handlung für den Aufschlag oder Return.

Rituals in tennis

Every professional player has their own rituals that help them maintain concentration. A prominent example is Rafael Nadal, who is known for his extensive rituals, such as arranging his drinking bottles or specific foot movements. Through mental techniques and rituals, players learn to recover quickly from failure and to focus on the current moment - a crucial factor for success in tennis.

The combination of Grabher's current search for a coach and the importance of mental training illustrates how crucial professional support is for an athlete's performance. Grabher's constant search for optimization and an experienced coach shows that she is determined to make the most of her talent and compete on the WTA Tour.