Western Australian athlete Tristan Schoolkate shares insights into his practice routines in our “Train with the pros” series.
Australia, 23 March 2024 | Jackson Mansell
A strong work ethic is helping Tristan Schoolkate reach impressive heights.
The 23-year-old from Perth achieved a career-high doubles ranking of world No.144 late last year and his singles ranking peaked at No.237 in February.
Schoolkate recalls some of his favourite training sessions and important practice lessons in our Train with the Pros series.
Do you have a favourite time of day to practice?
I think sort of mid-morning is pretty good for me. I find that’s pretty regular and standard when I’m training. So, nine o’clock start or 10, something like that is pretty good. Gives me a little bit of time in the morning. I’m up early usually, but like a bit of time to have breakfast and then get going.
How many hours per week, on average, would you spend on the practice court?
I’d say probably two to three hours a day at least, maybe even four some days. Through the preseason, we’d have some pretty big sessions as well, so that can even range up to five hours, maybe even more. Just probably depends on what I’m trying to get out of it and then also what sort of training I’m doing. If it’s a bit of a block, then I’ll have some longer sessions and then some specific stuff in the afternoon. But if it’s before matches or in tournaments, it’s probably not as many hours. One to two sessions a day. I’d say three days in the week, I’d do two (sessions) and then maybe two of the days would be one longer session. Then, a bit of match play on the weekend or if I have Sunday off, then a long session on Saturday.
Do you have a favourite part of your game to work on?
I think it’s always nice to work on your strengths. You feel pretty good about yourself if you’re doing something you’re good at. I enjoy working on my volleys and net game, that’s pretty enjoyable for me. Not a lot of players have that aspect of their game which they probably work on as much as I would, and I find that it’s something a bit more unique and I enjoy it.
Do you have a least favourite part of your game to work on?
I wouldn’t say there’s any bad parts. I enjoy training, I obviously love the sport. I think some days, some parts of your game might feel a bit down in the dumps as such and then almost anything can be annoying, especially even if your…
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