Western Australian coach Brad Dyer has been working with Perth talent Taylah Preston since she was eight years old.
Perth, Australia, 22 May 2024 | Leigh Rogers
When an eight-year-old Taylah Preston first signed up for tennis lessons, Perth coach Brad Dyer had no idea of the journey they would soon embark upon together.
“You can never really know, but she had really good qualities as a person and was quite driven,” Dyer recalled of his first impressions.
Now in their 11th year of collaboration, Preston is one of Australia’s top-ranked women and verging on breaking into the world’s top 100.
“I think that’s pretty cool, because you don’t hear of that happening too often,” Dyer said of their enduring partnership.
“Often kids get to a certain age then find a different coach or move to a different academy. The grass is always greener, right?
“But Taylah and her parents have stayed extremely loyal to me. We’ve stuck together and gone through it all together. From developing her game to her early teenage years, we’ve been learning as we go.”
Such loyalty is even more admirable, considering the 39-year-old Dyer’s inexperience coaching at an elite level.
His first foray into coaching came as a means “to earn a little bit of money” in between playing State League in Perth.
“I just sort of fell into it a little bit,” he explained. “I started coaching some kids groups in the beginning.”
This transitioned into becoming a hitting partner and then coaching some promising teenage talents, before joining the team at his brother Ash’s Next Step Tennis Academy in Perth.
“I just love being able to help,” Dyer said of why he decided to pursue a full-time coaching career.
“I find it satisfying to see them grow as people, as well as tennis players.”
He said this was particularly true for Preston.
“Tay has evolved and changed so much over the past 10 years,” he noted. “It’s nice to see you can have some impact in them getting better.”
As Dyer has guided Preston, he too has evolved and grown as a coach.
“Who wouldn’t want to sit in a players’ box at a Grand Slam and see their player get to that level?” Dyer said.
“I don’t think specifically that I always wanted to do that, but it was definitely something I was happy to set out to do if the right player came along.
“I wasn’t a Grand Slam player, so it’s all new for myself too. As your player gets better, you’re…
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