Diego Varela: The Argentine who succeeds as a tennis coach in the United States

Diego, we know your long career and your great contribution in the formation of great Argentine players, what is your new professional and international challenge?

First of all, my main challenge is to continue learning, as I have been doing every day since I started in this beautiful profession. In the United States I have the chance to get to know all kinds of cultures different from ours. This cultural difference forces me as a professional to adapt to it and share my knowledge in different ways. On the other hand, in Argentina we have a first level tennis development with some characteristics that are not abundant here. Being able to transmit them is going to make the players I’m working with achieve a more complete formation.

This exchange of information allowed me to make an analysis of the teaching characteristics of both countries. The difference between American and Argentine tennis has several nuances.

A tennis player is generally accompanied by an interdisciplinary team, tell us about your contribution as a Coach in the career of a tennis player.

One of the reasons why I chose the Development Stage for tennis players (8 to 17 years old) is that I can freely choose the team that will help me in this task. This is a stage that definitely marks the future player and the coaches are fundamental in that sporting and, above all, human growth. Throughout almost 25 years as Director of the Racket Club’s High Performance Center, we have formed an interdisciplinary team made up of a Physical Preparation Director, a Sports Physician, a Nutritionist, a Psychologist, a Kinesiologist and a Physiotherapist specializing in Preventive Work. That team was always chosen by me. Perhaps if I traveled as the Coach of a Professional player, I would have to adapt to a team chosen by the player and since most are already trained players, they do not have the same incidence as when working with boys from such an early age.

Mention us some of the great tennis values ​​that you discovered, accompanied and positioned in their careers.

Some of the players who went through our Academy in the development stages were: Guillermo Coria, Franco Squillari, Agustin Calleri, Martin Vasallo Arguello, Guido Andreozzi, Kevin Konfederak (Fran Cerundolo’s current coach), Guillermo Duran, Marco Trungelliti, Gaston Etlis.

Where are you today working as a coach and trainer of professionals?

Since July 2021 I have been working in Miami, at the Saviano High Performance Tennis Academy. This Academy is considered in the United States as one of the three best in the country and among the top 10 in the world.

Tell us about Saviano Tennis High Performance Academy and your contribution to the institution.

When I was offered to be a tennis coach at Saviano Tennis High Performance, an excellent opportunity arose for my professional development. And when I met Nick Saviano, all I had estimated was little. It is the first time that I have shared my experience as a tennis coach with someone who had such a wealth of knowledge, with a keen eye for detecting details that mark an important change in the technique of a stroke. Every day spent with Saviano is fascinating. I began to approach tennis in a different way, with a recognized professional.

The Academy is directed by Saviano, one of the most prestigious coaches in the world. For many years he was Director of Development for the United States Tennis Federation. At that time he trained and trained players like Pete Sampras, Jennifer Capriatti, Michael Chang, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Eugenie Bouchard, Sloane Stevens, Amanda Anasinova. Within the Academy I have the role of Head Coach and I am in charge of training the players with the best sports possibilities at different ages. Some with Professional Tennis projects and others betting on University Scholarships.
Tennis is my passion, it is my life, it is what motivates me to get up every day and train my players looking for the best in them.

Contact information:

Instagram: @dvarelatenis

Phone: +1 754 302 4256

by CEDOC

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