Russell Simpson Interview

SS: Why is tennis such a great game?
RS: Oh my gosh because it has everything-it’s complex, it’s about yourself it’s a chess game, it’s a physical game, it’s a technical game it’s a game that’s ongoing you’re constantly working on it it’s like living being. You’ve got to keep working on it and working on it it’s a constant challenge
SS: Why is it so hard?
RS: It’s so hard because it’s so complex-there’s a lot of things to it and if it was easy it wouldn’t be the same you just can’t pick up a tennis racket and be good you can pick up a paddle tennis whatever they call t hose things and be pretty proficient at it you can kick a soccer ball and be okay at it but tennis there’s just so much to it and it takes years to sort of get into your groove to find out where your game’s at-you’ve got to develop strength, you’ve go to develop movement. You’ve got to develop strategy – confidence in your game –
SS: How is tennis like life?
RS: Well everything is like life. They say – well, as a tennis teacher – well, as a competitor also when you play tennis your personality becomes naked. This is who you are – it doesn’t mean to say you have to be a good tennis player to be successful in other things it’s just the way you approach the game if you like to call in a little tight, so we speak, that’s way the play life a little bit. If you have fun with it if you beat yourself up with it-all these sort of things it just reflects who you are-you know are you a perfectionist are you satisfied with just being whatever-it’s just who you are as a person – the Australians used to say to me, I used to like John McEnroe, but they used to say to me he’s a cheat on the court, he’s a cheat off the court – and I can’t say I disagreed-I found he wasn’t really-that was their beliefs-of the Australian touring pros at the time
SS: This is a jump-in your estimation – but is it better to have kids learn team sports-as opposed to tennis if one had to choose-
RS: I know what you’re saying. I think team sports are important. I certainly played a lot of team sports and I excelled at team sports. Ultimately, I chose tennis because tennis because I want to take responsibility for winning and losing. I didn’t want the responsibility to be shared and I felt that the standards that I held I didn’t feel that were held up by my teammates-I think that I enjoyed winning a lot more than my teammates did and so it sort of turned me off to team sports where other people flourish in team sports-it’s just who you are it’s not a good or a bad thing
SS: Other people that you were playing team sports with didn’t care about winning?
RS: Some were. I was very successful at soccer and my club team won our division every year. If not, we came second. When you go on and you represent your city and it’s at that higher levels-I didn’t know the people so much-I didn’t build camaraderie with…it just turned me off at the end.
SS:: Do you think that parents should make their kids practice?
RS:: Make them, no. Encourage them-yes-However I had a very wise tell me sometime – and his daughter just really wasn’t into it. And he said yes, but I still want her to play once a week and you’ll see her turn around and sure enough you know she did turn around and she was into it for a while and she had some success with high school tennis and then she turned off again-but her father just wanted her to participate in high school tennis and she did and in the end I think she appreciated what her father did for her
SS: But you’re either into it or your not
RS: Yes. There are certain kids that sort of get the game and others that don’t get the game initially-some get it pretty much straight away-most of them it takes time it’s very rare that you can get kids that get the game early on
SS: Did your parents make you practice?
RS: No-I lived in a little beach community where we were restricted from where we could go because we lived on the other side of the harbor and in the weekend everybody-not everybody went down to the tennis club- we just hung out at the tennis club and out of sheer boredom we wanted something to do we hit balls against the backboard and then when it rained or something we were able to get on the court and when it dried up and had puddles-the members obviously didn’t want to play next door was a soccer field so when everyone was fine we went next door and played soccer-it was just a question of being bored and having nothing to do
SS: And not having a computer or TV
RS No. We didn’t have a TV
SS: So when did you know that you had a talent for it.
RS: Well I just won-I remember I wasn’t allowed to play in junior tennis until I was 9 and my mother gave me a lecture before I played the match she said now Russell if you lose today I don’t want you crying and I remember looking at my mother and thinking ‘Who the heck’s going to lose, mom?” And I won every game except one match and I lost to a guy called Bennet and I got a bad call on the baseline-I still remember that. I lost 9-8
SS: And you didn’t cry?
RS: Oh no. I was pissed.
SS: So you had been playing for a couple of years—if you were nine
RS: Yes-I started when I was 7-I started playing matches with the other kids when I was 7 I probably started around 6 or 5
SS So when was it clear that you had a special talent?
RS Well I didn’t know I had special talent; I just played because I enjoyed it. Winning became a habit. I started winning tournaments-Juniors-Actually I was losing in semi-finals and finals to one particular guy in the city and depended on where they seeded me-if I played on my side of the bridge they seeded me second and I lost in the final if they played on this side of the bridge where he was from, they seeded me third I lost to him in the semi finals because they were trying to push the other guy-and one day the other guy came over the bridge and played on our side-I played against him in the semi finals and beat him. He never came over again –he didn’t want to lose to me.
SS But – did you think-this is high school that you’re talking about?
RS No-this was before high school-before I made high school I was number one in the country in my age group
SS What was that like
RS I didn’t think about it
SS Did your parents think about it?
RS Yeah. My parents were pretty excited about it-my father was out of control but I was lucky because I had two other brothers and so you know I would turn him off-and he would get frustrated with me and he would turn to the other two In retrospect I would have liked to have been coached a little more I would have taken some coaching a little more. I still remember all his little sayings to me One of the main sayings. “Russell. You can lead a horse to water but you sure can’t make it drink.” And he would shake his head.
SS What do you think he meant by that?
RS I wouldn’t listen to him. He always thought I had to learn the hard way and I you know-in retrospect-he was right.
SS You were thinking-like a lot of American kids- “Oh. I can be a famous tennis player.”
RS That wasn’t even in my head-I loved to play for the sake of playing-that particular player who wanted to be that famous player-he later on became that famous tennis player got to the final of Wimbledon-but it never – even thought about it. I just enjoyed it. It was an outlet for me. Sports were a total outlet for me.
SS: From what?
RS: Well, I was a very introverted kid, very shy but kind of snobbish also – And I lived through my sports
SS: What is the best thing about tennis?
RS: I can’t – I don’t know – Tennis has just become-I have played so much tennis and have been involved in tennis so long it just everything is just so natural to me. I can’t sit back and say what is the best thing about tennis because when I walk on the tennis court that is my – I am confident. There is nothing that can go on that tennis court that I haven’t experienced and I know that and I am even arrogant in the sense that I know what I know. I don’t want to put in your face but I do know. The happiest time I would say that I have had in tennis is when I was at the peak of my career and play in front of a large crowd and you know you’re going to win-you’re just playing so well it’s a real buzz-you can push your body to the limit it’s just so much fun and of course sometimes you lose though
SS: When you think you’re going to win-
RS Yes and I remember those years shaking hands I was holding back the tears and I was so upset that I lost but I would go out and I would practice even harder and I would just try to win the next time I professional tennis is 24/7 you just eat, you sleep-everything is about-and it’s a very selfish world – that’s why a lot of marriages aren’t successful (laughs)
SS What’s it like on the road? That’s probably a long answer, but-
RS No- I hated the road. I hated flying I hated hotels. I hate airports. I loved competing. I hated bad conditions. I love great conditions. I love great atmosphere. When things are right it was so good when things weren’t right it was frustrating-you know, nothing beats center court at Wimbledon. Nothing. It’s the most perfect place in the world to me
SS Why?
RS Everything is perfect Everything is perfect
SS What’s the worst thing about tennis?
RS I thought you were going to ask that
SS Yeah-
RS Well for me the worst thing about tennis is age-the body not being able to do what the mind wants to do – but you know you can take your pick, injuries-and wet and windy days when you can’t play
SS Why on earth do you prefer golf to tennis?
RS I don’t prefer golf to tennis – Golf happens to be a game and by the way I don’t think it’s a sport. I think it’s a game, which is great for broken down athletes.
SS It’s a game, not a sport?
RS: Yes
SS Why is that? Because you don’t have to be in shape?
RS You don’t have to be in shape. You don’t – there’s no opponent trying to kill you.
SS Is that true?
RS Your opponent is the golf course – so that is a stable factor and there’s no adrenaline rush-there’s no physical to it-but it’s a great game-but at $40 million a course it’d better be a great game.
SS What’s great about it
RS To me what’s great about-I’m able to work on my game-I’ve lived my life working on my tennis game – back into a comfort zone where I’m working on something constantly-tweaking –and I’m out in the open-in the green golf course
SS Are you still able to tweak your tennis game?
RS Well you’re always working on your game. I love to fool around with it. I try different things. As you know I try every racquet that’s put other there- I try different things. I try different shoes. I like to know what’s out there as far as product and things are concerned – strokes I try different things-but basically you have to stay within the basic fundamentals
SS But those have changed
RS No-they have evolved-it’s gone from a low ball hitting game to a high ball hitting game-lighter balls as opposed to heavier balls more permanent surface as opposed to a natural surface
SS So in your estimation-how much is physical how much is mental
RS And how much is technical. The game is split in three ways
SS What can one do to improve the mental and can one do sports psychology on oneself?
SS So how do you want to take this question?
RS It’s 33-33-33. The pro game even though it’s become so much physical and it’s sort of like and there’s so much in an ante-you have to have the physical to be able to play the pro game but once you’re at that level the technical and mental game are still as important as they were on the lower level – it’s still 1/3. 1/3, 1/3. Modern people have broken it up into confidence and all this but the mental side is whatever-then you’ve got the technical side and I tell my students every one makes fun of the American army – the American solider but nobody wants to fight the Americans why because they have the best weapons. The weapons are the serve, the volley the forehand, the backhands and so forth and then you have the mental side and how you use your weapons your strokes against somebody else and that takes playing – there’s never going to play a player that comes from China or the Russian Siberia that’s going to suddenly take over the world. They have to go through the men’s circuit and play, play play and evolve.
SS But what about Martina an Lendl
RS But they didn’t instantly take over – it took them years before they became number one. It’s playing against the top player that gives you that ability to become the best player. Can’t do it without playing on the circuit. And the circuit is kind of like a jungle where the strong survive and as soon as you’re weak you get eaten up
SS Tell me the difference between physical and technical
RS Physical is moving-your ability to move-your speed-your stamina and your movement-
SS Coordination
RS coordination is physical
SS And technical
RS Your stroke production because in technical no matter what sort of game you have. There’s no such thing as a tech perfect game. There’s close to perfect but there’s always a way to beat every style there is-Feder has come close to being perfect
SS What is the single most important thing to do on the tennis court
RS Hit the ball in. And in the case of a woman, she’s got to look good in her outfit
SS Martina didn’t look good in her outfit
RS I said woman
SS And Serena and Venus don’t look good in their outfits
RS They look okay as good as they can
SS Who are better sports in your estimation, men or women
RS Men
SS Really. Why?
RS I can only say when I was playing the circuit. Men get on pretty much. There were a few people you didn’t get on with but it wasn’t that much – the women they hardly talked to each other some time. They wouldn’t talk and hence it’s a very lonely sort of existence
SS But on the social level, here, who are better sports, men or women? Obviously it’s not competitive, I just mean, for you-Who do you enjoy playing more?
RS At the club level-
SS Yes who is better sports
RS That’s about the same-I don’t think it’s split-I enjoy people that love to play
SS Why didn’t women talk to each other on the
RS So much cattiness going on…and they hold grudges-I had a particular player that I held a grudge against but it didn’t affect me that much-I was talking to a famous girls’ mother and I told her how I much admired a certain other famous girl who she played and she didn’t want to entertain it because that was her rival and I wasn’t allowed to say anything about her rival-(laughs)-Men can leave it on the court a little easier. I once taught a young girl that I thought was going to be my protégée, I took her to some tournaments and we played this one particular match and she couldn’t play. And I said to her after the match, what happened today? And she said, “Did you see that look she gave me when we were introduced. That look could kill.” And I realized right then I didn’t have a protégée. (laughs) I couldn’t understand that.
SS Do you understand it now?
RS No-not at all. To me it’s all about shaking hands a winner and I’ll do whatever it takes to shake hands a winner unless you see that big picture shaking hands a winner because I’ll tell you it’s so much better than shaking hands a loser
SS But you’ll shake hands a loser-
RS: Of course-you’ve given your best and that’s all you can do
SS If you didn’t become a professional tennis player what do you think you’d be doing?
RS I was heading towards being an accountant
SS Oh my god
RS Yes I don’t know if I could have done that
SS Are you good with numbers?
RS I’m very good with numbers – but I’m not good at sitting down and staying in one place. Before cell phones I had all my lessons’ numbers in my head
SS Wow
RS Now I’m pretty hopeless.
SS Everyone says that you should write a book. When’s it coming?
RS I’m not writing a book.
SS How come?
RS Because I’d only write a book to be totally honest and I would hurt too many people
SS What about just writing about tennis?
RS It’s too limiting. I would like to talk about everything about tennis. That’s why I kind of like Agassi’s book. I haven’t read Agassi’s book but I kind of think he was honest in most things-except one
SS What’s the one-
RS His performance enhancing drug-but I don’t think it’s up to him I don’t think he wanted to open that Pandora’s box
SS Is it anybody else’s business if somebody is doing drugs and playing tennis
RS No. Not in my opinion. As I said before-the circuit is a jungle and if you are weak you will be exposed and that is enough in my opinion; however, if they want a level playing field, performance-enhancing drugs, they should clamp down on them –
SS Do you think they will
RS I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes-I believe they are trying to do that but I don’t believe they want to expose top players at all-
SS Do you think they’re doing that
RS I don’t know I can’t see how they can perform week in and week out and such a high level and not either be Superman or not be on something that helps them
SS What if they’re on the thrill of the success
RS That’s the greatest drug of all
SS Do you think that’s possibly enough to sustain them?
RS Unfortunately I can’t answer that (laughs) I wish I could have. I will tell you something though; you’re not as tired when you’re winning. You’re certainly tired when you lose.
SS The 33percet that’s mental
RS Yes
SS What can someone do
RS There are lots of way-they’ve got really a lot better today with sports psychology. I know that I went to a sports hypnotist when I was struggling a little bit and he really helped my mind was racing and my mind wasn’t staying in the present and that’s a constant problem with me even today and he gave me a few exercises to do that I did to stay in the present and I had another thing that I did before I played and I didn’t enough as I should have to calm myself down and prepare-mental imaging is brilliant. It’s absolutely brilliant and I encourage people that are serious in the game to sort of picture themselves hitting the perfect shot and things like that
SS How long should someone do that for?
RS Well I was – what I did I learned to do that right before I went to sleep. I went over the night before who I was playing and I would imagine winning every point against that person hitting perfect shot sand then I would forget about it and wake up and play the next day. I found it helped me a lot-you know you try to dwell on success you don’t dwell on failure at all. You try and keep that out of your system
SS What does that mean
RS You know-it just means. Picture yourself winning. I can tell u a little story-I beat my childhood hero John Newcomb and I was in England and I woke up the next day and I bought all of these papers and the headlines read Newcomb injured and I was so upset about this and quite a few years later I was in the bar with another Australian. We had a few too many drinks and I said to him, I relayed the story. And he said to me, “Listen mate. Nuke’s never lost a game in his life and he just found a way- Newc found a way. He never did lose – there was reason. I was injured. I was blah, blah, blah. And that was his way of you know keeping the mental edge of his game
SS So mental imaging is the best way-beyond saying to yourself, I’m going to this. I’m going to that-staying mentally tough on the court
RS Mentally tough on the court Stacy is a lot to do with practice, practice practice. And it’s amazing how mentally tough you are when you’re physically fit and have good technique-they go hand in hand
SS Let’s just talk about the 33% that has nothing to do with technical or physical
RS It does have to do with technical and physical
SS They’re not separate-they’re three things together
RS Together. That’s part of it. You know-you don’t see nay great tennis player that looks like John Daly
SS And what about that one person that you don’t play well against every time
RS That generally is a match up thing-well I have a saying..I don’t know if the saying is true. A can beat B and B can beat C-it’s different way people play against each other—the other way you can look at it is rock paper scissors=speed will beat power-sorry no-power will beat speed speed will beat junk-junk will beat power
SS Junk beats power. What’s junk?
RS: Short, shitty shots
SS Junk beats power?
RS Yes because power gets set up to hit powerful shots because junk is all different
SS But powerful players get mad at the junk players
RS They don’t like to play the junk players but a speedy player will beat a junk player they’ll run down on the junky stuff and get it back
SS So it’s best to be speedy
RS Well no-a power player will beat a speedy player because a speedy player can’t run down the power
SS If you’re powerful and speedy shouldn’t you be able to beat the junk?
RS Yes obviously every player is a combination at these things-an Andy Roddick is sort of power and a little bit of junk-Roger Feddre is speedy and powerful – Andy Murray is – speedy and junky
SS But how about keeping that mental edge on the court when your last point-when you’ve lost the last few points-keeping focused-how do you keep focus on the court?
RS Keeping focus on the court is staying in the present. And looking at the big picture if you get caught up in the minutiae of I missed that shot a little while ago-this lady gave me a bad call um—that’s all negative-you’ve got to stay with what is happening all-like the professionals always say, “Well, I played each shot at a time, blah blah blah” And that’s very true and that’s sort of their sports psychologist coming out and telling them what you’ve got to do-is very true
SS Andrea who used to teach here said she never thought about the score isn’t that impossibility—do you think about the score?
RS Yes-I thought about the score; however, not in the sense the score is not that important each shot is important however at certain times there are times to put a little more pressure on-when to go for things-when to not go for things depending on what the score is-at 30-40 it’s imperative that you get a serve – if you’re returning at 30-40 it’s imperative that you get the return over-and 40 love you can go for stuff a little more-things like that so no the score’s not that important there is time when you change tactic because of the score
SS So you know what my last question is, don’t you?
RS No-
SS Gun to your head, life on the line, could you turn me into a fantastic tennis player?
RS Gun to my head-what’s the second part-
SS life on the Line
RS Life on the line-could you turn me into a fantastic tennis player? Well, if I had a gun t6o my head and my life was on the line the answer is I could turn you into a pretty good tennis player- but it would probably take a whip and a sword
SS And fantastic
RS And fantastic-that three letter word. I’m sorry. Age
SS Painful sigh-
RS Laugh
SS Alright-so I ma going to have to stick with good, how long will that take
RS It depends on the investment you’re willing to take on it
SS Assuming my back doesn’t kill me, what’s the investment?
RS Well, the investment is time and not time just on the tennis court but time off court things as well-the physical part of tennis is not easy to get into tennis shape real tennis shape is heavy price to pay
SS It’s hard on the body
RS But it can be made easier on the body by doing different things – I do for instance twice a week Pilates and I can’t tell you how much that has helped me-there is massage, there is stretch there is working out-there are all sorts of things to do to get to that physical level and of course tennis is very one armed-so you have to balance that
SS I’m much more worried about the technical
RS You don’t have to worry about the technical so much because you have the ability if you can let go mentally to have the technical
SS And how do you let go mentally
RS You just do – it just comes there-you are very preoccupied in the score-and the to you don’t see the big picture good enough where the overall game play is involved – if you go for a certain shot at a certain time you’re worried about missing that shot – you never worry about missing it – ultimately you can tighten the bolts to do that that’s critics of golfers have of tennis players well every shot doesn’t count in tennis-well every shot shouldn’t count in tennis in the sense that sometimes you can send a message by going for a certain shot you’ve sort of sent a mental message over there you worry about losing that shot you’re most worried about you turn into that other person and how you beat that person
SS If you play doubles you’re worried about disappointing your partner – you can go for more a single’s player in a way – you know you’re worried about letting your partner down
RS You’re letting your partner down but worrying about letting your partner down for one-you have to play your game and they have to play your game and actually you’re very good at that Stacy-you’re very good at getting the best our of your partner, so that part comes natural to you a lot of people sort of they make faces when their misses their shot I remember berating a member here who made all sort of faces when their partner missed a shot and I said that’s not a way to have your partner playing their best you put them in a shell-you want your partner to feel good about themselves, not worry about missing a shot and playing at a higher level by playing comfortable if they’re afraid to miss they’re not going to play well-but you do that-you encourage your partner an you say don’t worry when they miss it you’re good at that-so you don’t have to worry about that.
He points to a picture on board of…
RS Those guys could play
SS And look how they dressed
RS We should get that back
SS (nods in agreement) Good stuff, Russell.