Craig Tyzzer is helping develop the nation’s most promising junior girls in Tennis Australia’s National Player Support Program.
Melbourne, Australia, 26 June 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Craig Tyzzer is one of Australia’s most esteemed coaches, best known for the role he played in Ash Barty’s rise to world No.1.
After guiding Barty to three Grand Slam singles titles, he is now helping to develop the future stars of Australian tennis as the Girls’ Lead in Tennis Australia’s National Player Support Program.
The role, which Tyzzer began in late March, involves him mentoring the most promising junior girls across the country aged between 11 and 16.
“Previously Ben Pyne has been looking after the whole program, but I’ve come in to help with the female side and progress our girls through and get them to the next level,” Tyzzer explained.
“In the program we’ve got 29 girls, who are the best kids in the country. I do have to travel a bit to see them all, but it’s mainly just overseeing their program and making sure we’re getting enough time into them.
“I’ll keep a track on their progression and do follow-ups next term, and the term after, to make sure they are hitting the targets we are setting for them.”
The motivation for Tyzzer, who was named the WTA Tour’s Coach of the Year in 2019, is to ensure Australia maintains a strong presence in the world’s top 100 in the years to come.
“I know the journey that Ash went through and know what the level is at every stage, so now it’s trying to translate that to what we’ve got,” he said.
“I want to know ‘How far off are we? What do we need to do to get the girls to the next level? How do we progress them to the top 100?’”
Tyzzer is particularly impressed with the talent among the younger female players in the program.
“We’ve got a really good crop in the younger age groups, the 12s and the 11s,” he said.
“We seem to have more depth there, which is great. It’s a matter of then keeping them in the program and making sure they all progress together.”
Craig Tyzzer with Ash Barty at Australian Open 2022. Picture: Getty Images
The Melbourne-based Tyzzer did consider returning to the international tour, but admits he is “much happier being at home”.
“There was a temptation to get back on the road and do it again, but I think this one is a pretty good fit for me,” he said of his new role.
“I had a few interesting offers which were…
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