Coach Unboxed EP12: Yannick chats with Martin Vilar, a seasoned tennis coach with 35+ years of experience on tour having coached 10 top 100 players and also worked with players in both the Davis Cup and BJK Cup for four different countries. @martinvilar
They discuss Martin's upbringing between Argentina and the U.S. and how he found his way to Europe, making it his home. Martin shares how getting involved in the club management side of tennis led him to a career in the pro tour. He also emphasizes the role of mental strength, the cultural differences he encounters while coaching players from various backgrounds and how speaking many languages has allowed him to truly understand and connect better with his players. He then reflects on the challenges faced by modern players, including maintaining a balanced life.
About Martin Vilar: With almost four decades of experience as a tour coach, Martin has developed multiple tennis programs for juniors and professional players in European academies and for the Saudi Tennis Federation. As a private coach, he has guided players into the top 3 on both WTA (doubles) and ITF (juniors) tours, as well as 2 singles top 20s (Medina Garrigues, Bovina), 4 top 30s (Dulgheru, Leon) and 10 top 100s. He is now coaching top 50 Diane Parry.
Besides private coaching and academies, Martin has also been deeply involved in team competitions. In the Davis Cup, he worked with some of the Morocco and Algeria team players, and for the BJK Cup, he supported players representing Spain and France. He has been a reference among his peers and never hesitates to share his knowledge, and great life stories.
Follow Martin Vilar on Instagram @martinvilar and LinkedIn Martin Vilar.
Subscribe to Coach Unboxed and leave your rating and comment! Full episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Follow Unbox Sports on social media for Coach Unboxed highlights: Instagram, LinkedIn, X and at unboxsports.com.
Production: Unbox Sports; Location: Embarc Collective; Music: BongÔMusics; Photo: Unbox Sports