Host Lisa Stone discusses the various aspects of developing a tennis player from beginner through the juniors to college and beyond. Her weekly guests include experts in coaching, parenting, mental toughness, fitness & nutrition, technology & equipment, and college recruiting. Stone provides invaluable information for parents, players, and coaches.
Host Lisa Stone discusses the various aspects of developing a tennis player from beginner through the juniors to college and beyond. Her weekly guests include experts in coaching, parenting, mental toughness, fitness & nutrition, technology & equipment, and college recruiting. Stone provides invaluable information for parents, players, and coaches.
Welcome to Season 14 Episode 24 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa is joined by coach Mark Carruthers, the early developmental coach of the 2025 French Open Junior Girls Champion, Lilli Tagger.
Mark Carruthers was born in New Zealand and is 44 years old. As a junior he was the New Zealand National Champion a number of times and played for NZ all over the world since the age of 10. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury followed by some tough mental health challenges at age 16 cut his playing career short. However, he has been coaching professionally since age 24 after earning his degree in History and Journalism. He has coached all over the world including Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, and Austria where he currently lives with his wife and two children.
Most of his work these days is with young juniors looking to develop their games for national and international tournaments although he also does a lot of work with adults and basically anyone who wants to learn. He joins the podcast to talk about developing Lilli and what he saw in her from a very young age that convinced him she had what it takes to become a world champion.
If you're interested in talking with Mark, you can email him at mwgcarruthers@gmail.com. You can also find him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/make.tennisgreatagain/.
For some additional information on the Italian method of training young players which Mark talks about in this episode, go to https://tennisrecruiting.net/article.asp?id=11804&.
As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
