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Marc van der Merwe | Pro tennis player and coach

@marcplaystennis

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“Professional tennis coach for 6+ years”
🎾Currently making a comeback
@jomasportsouthafrica
@s3.fit

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I feel that it is fitting to pin this post as Gael Monfils’ career is coming to an end. One of my favourite players to watch. If i turned on the tv and he was playing i would get so excited. I get goosebumps thinking of my times wat hing monfils, i would go to the court and just be so inpired to be the best athlete i can be and get to every ball!

When i was about u/14 or 16 i was watching the SA Open ATP 250 and @coachstephandk came to me and asked if i would like to warm up @iamgaelmonfils . I raced to the car grabbed my tennis stuff and got ready. We played soccer as a dynamic warm up and then did some hitting and played points. He said the loser of the breaker gets to give the other guy buttsup. In one of the pictures you can see me sitting in the service box as a target! I clearly remember how smooth and explosive his movement was. The whole thing was an unbelievable experience.

Thanks to Egon Samaai for the photos!

#tennis #gaelmonfils #junior by @marcplaystennis

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7 months ago

I walked away from professional tennis at 18.

No injury. No burnout. Life just took me somewhere else for a while — and I let it.

For six years, I did other things. And then life brought me back at 29.

I’m Marc van der Merwe. I grew up in a tennis family — my dad reached #480 in the world and beat Boris Becker, my mom reached #363 on the WTA and beat Conchita Martinez, and my uncle Stefan Kruger reached #39 in the world in doubles and #227 in singles, with a Wimbledon doubles semifinal to his name. His brother, Dolf also playes realky good tennis amd played Div 1 college tennis. Both my brothers and my sister play too — and they’re really talented players. Tennis has always been a huge part of who we are as a family.

I was ranked #1 in Africa Under-14. I represented South Africa in junior Davis Cup. I got a Division I scholarship to Vanderbilt. And then, somewhere along the way, I stopped.

This page is that journey. The wins and the losses. The craft and the grind. The strange, beautiful thing it is to love a sport enough to come back to it.

Tennis has changed my life in ways I never could have planned. It’s given me purpose, perspective, and a path I didn’t see coming. And that’s the thing about God’s plans — they go far beyond anything we could map out for ourselves. Looking back, I can see His hand in all of it. The walk away. The years in between. The comeback. All of it.

If that resonates with you — stick around. 🎾

@marcplaystennis by @marcplaystennis

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3 months ago

The journey continues

#tennis #atpplayer #utr #ptt by @marcplaystennis

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15 days ago

by @marcplaystennis

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2 months ago

Legends along the way

#tennispeople #tour #itf #atp by @marcplaystennis

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3 months ago

First Mens ITF title! Did not think it would come in doubles, but we all know how difficult it is to predict things in this life! Really proud of myself and @g_voelzke for a great week!

Excited for more!

#tennis #doubles #itftennis #title by @marcplaystennis

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3 months ago

Usually the first thing that is off when you are missing balls, is your spacing. Tennis is played from the ground up, when we are miss hitting the ball or not “feeling” the ball it is very often a footwork and spacing issue.

Here is a great drill to help you with creating a consistent contact point. The first feed you catch with your non hitting hand, the next one you start your swing toward the ball as soon as the ball is just in front of the non hitting hand.

Great drill to get your groove back!

#tennis #atpplayer #itftour #coach by @marcplaystennis

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4 months ago

Surfer, surfboard shaper, elite tennis player, as well as a good friend - this week I invited @marcplaystennis.

Currently on tour, battling it out against some of South Africa’s top talent, we caught him just in time before his flight out. Thank goodness for the @fynbos_sauna_plunge facilities, which gave us the chance to sit down and discuss a huge part of his career: the importance of recovery.

@fynbos_sauna_plunge has three vital pieces of equipment that I have been using weekly - Red Light Therapy, the Sauna and the Cold Plunge - and I couldn’t wait to share this new establishment with him. Marc’s attitude is refreshing, and I was greatly impressed by his ability to handle the cold plunge.

With the Body Float and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy still to enjoy, follow the journey of local athletes at @fynbos_sauna_plunge. by @marcplaystennis

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4 months ago

Clean down the line bullet from today!

#tennis #itftour #atptour #coach by @marcplaystennis

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4 months ago

Repetition is the key to improvement in tennis. In a world of quick fixes and “with this tip you will see instant results” nonsense, it is easy to forget that nothing worthwhile or significant comes from a quick fix.

Keep going, push through the tough reps and Don’t stop!

#tennis #itftour #coach #atpplayer #coaching by @marcplaystennis

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4 months ago

Most points end in 4 shots or less.

So ask yourself — how much of your practice time is spent on serve, return, and first ball?

Here’s what people get wrong about consistency: they think it means rallying all day and keeping the ball in play. And yes, that’ll take you somewhere. But at the pro level, consistency means something different.

It means consistently executing patterns that put your opponent under pressure.

Anyone can hit balls. The best players can repeatedly impose their game on the match — on demand, under pressure, when it matters.

Train with intent. Every serve rep, every first ball — there should be a purpose behind it.

That’s the difference. 🎾

#tennis #atpplayer #coach #itftennis #coaching by @marcplaystennis

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5 months ago

This is a great drill to help you stay stable and follow the line of your shot. It’s very important to stay balanced and not fall out of your shot.

Aim of the drill:

Hit every ball inside the doubles alley. The fact that the coach is feeding from a closer position to the net every time helps the player get the feeling of moving forward through the ball.

Good luck and enjoy!

#tennis #coach #coaching by @marcplaystennis

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5 months ago