BTA Player of July
BTA Player of July is Maria Volkov, who has been training with us already four years. Here’s how our team of sports psychologists provides a rationale for their choice:
‘In July 2016 Oriol Mercade began to collaborate with BTA as a sports psychologist. He received a call from the director of the BTA academy: “Hi Uri i need your help. Can you organize 3 group sessions to teach competitive routines to the players of the academy and afterwards meet a girl called Maria? She is a little down in motivation and I want to help her”.
I sat down with Maria and despite her youth I found her a very mature girl. Rafa's demand was clear, I don't see her motivated as before. Maria's response was more clear ‘It’s because I see that I don't have enough talent to become a professional, which was my dream.’
There are thousands of Maria's who realize that less than 1% have both talent and effort to become a professional. So why is Maria a success story?
Because the main opponent we face is the 81% of youth sedentary lifestyle (World Health Organization, 2017). "I no longer have a good time", "I do not win games", "the pressure of the championships makes me anxious" ,“the coach pushes too much”, “I have no time for study” and, above all, "since I am not going to be a professional, it no longer makes any sense" All of these lead to dropping not only the racket but also sports practice.
Tennis has many evolutions, not only a line of excellence and professionalism, scholarships, but also playing as a healthy lifestyle, competing at the amateur level. There are more opportunities to derive from tennis than reaching the top 100.
Today Maria is a great student, who remains healthy and enjoys playing and competing in tennis at our academy. She releases the stress of exams on the court and shares her passion with her parents, who also play in our Academy facilities (we love that) .
Maria could spend afternoons playing the play station, tik toks, or just thinking about partying and drinking, but her life is more complete than that. She won't be a professional but tennis will help her develop as a person and just be happier.
Congratulations Maria for your effort, Maria's parents and BTA coaches, because Maria is still in the 19% of the active youth.’
‘A maximum effort is already a success in itself’ Mahatma Gandi