Maria Sharapova confers with her former coach Michel Joyce during their time together on the Tour. Photo / Getty Images
Maria Sharapova confers with her former coach Michel Joyce during their time together on the Tour. Photo / Getty Images
Michel Joyce admits he used to "pick a fight" with Maria Sharapova - it's one of many tricks the tennis coach used to keep his star focused.
In the past, a tennis coach went largely unnoticed but that has changed in the past decade with several high-profile former greats - Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker and Andre Agassi - now in the coaching game.
But what does it take to be a tennis coach?
"There are hundreds ... thousands of people out there who can analyse a player and know what they should be doing ... or shouldn't be doing," Joyce tells the Herald On Sunday. "But not many who actually know how to do it. It's simple ... but complex."
As an analogy, Joyce recalls an encounter with long-time Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers NBA basketball coach Phil Jackson a few years ago in Melbourne.
"A few of us were playing poker with Phil - Andy Roddick, James Blake, a couple of others - and someone asked him why he had been so successful. He said: 'There's about 10 million people around the world who can coach basketball ... it's not very hard, the technical stuff. I think my talent is being able to take 12 multi-millionaires and have them believe in a system, execute it and make sure they all get along'.
"It's kind of like that with tennis. It's easy to watch a match and say 'this player needs to do this, this and this', but to get them to do it, get them to believe that's what they should do, and get them to do it under pressure ... that's a whole other story."
Joyce made his name with Sharapova, across a seven-year period when she reached No1 and claimed three grand slams. He had a brief spell with Victoria Azarenka and then coached Britain's Johanna Konta for a year before Eugenie Bouchard hired him last season. He helped the Canadian on her comeback, including a final in Luxembourg and a quarter-final at the ASB Classic.
Joyce was a former top junior who reached a career-high No 61 on the ATP tour. He claimed the scalps of Michael Stich and Jim Courier, and battled the likes of Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Lleyton Hewitt in their prime. A wrist injury hastened his move into coaching.
He estimates that at the top level, 80 per cent of the sport is mental, especially in the women's game, which can be harder physiologically than the power-dominated men's game.
Maria Sharapova celebrates after defeating Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki in their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne. Photo / AP
"It can be tougher, because generally they don't have the same weapons," said Joyce. "The mental side of the women's game is really big, because generally under pressure, you won't be able to hit three aces to get out of it, like many men."
Hence the need for strong communication skills in his role.
"To be a good coach, you have to constantly get your message across but also take into consideration that each person is different," said Joyce. "They take information differently.
"With Maria, I remember at times I would go out there and almost pick a fight with her. She would get mad at me, forget about being nervous and play great. But with another player, if I did that, they might not be able to function. Nobody knows the player better than the coach, besides parents or whatever."
The advent of on-court coaching on the WTA tour (players can seek advice and assistance once per set) has put the mentors in the spotlight.
"A lot of times, less information is better, though sometimes players want tons of information," said Joyce. "With Genie, I feel like she takes my information well, I don't have to hold back things. I feel like I can tell her the truth. Maybe it's not always what she wants to hear but the best players can take that because they know deep down inside, you want them to do their best - so you have to be truthful with them. It's a little bit touchy sometimes but also part of being a good coach."
Between tournaments, a typical day can involve two practice sessions, as well as time in the gym.
During events there's copious analysis of upcoming opponents. There's also the endless travel, up to 35 weeks on the road each year.
"You need to get your player to win," said Joyce. "They need to be happy, need to enjoy what they are doing. It's not always an easy life, being on the road all the time. And some things are out of your hands. The player has to go and win or lose the match. Sometimes coaches get too much credit, sometimes too much criticism."
The pressure to constantly achieve is relentless.
"Day in, day out, it's easy to fall into the pressure trap, but it's about who can manage it the best," said Joyce.
"It never stops. I remember when Maria was No1, she was winning grand slams and people were questioning what I was doing."
