Liezel Huber - Doubles Specialist

Tennis doubles specialist Liezel Huber holds the current number one doubles ranking on the WTA tour with Lisa Raymond. Over the course of her career Huber has etched her name deeply in the history books excelling in her professional role. Huber is the distinguished title holder of being ranked number one for the second most weeks in women’s doubles history. In the next few days Huber will partner with another doubles specialist, Lisa Raymond to represent the United States at the Olympics in London.

Huber was born in Durham, South Africa and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2007. During her career Huber has won fifty-two doubles titles including five Grand Slams and three WTA Championships. In 2009 Huber successfully teamed up with Bob Bryan to win the mixed doubles at the French Open and in 2010 at the U.S. Open. Prior to partnering with Lisa Raymond in 2011 Huber won four Grand Slam titles with Cara Black from Zimbabwe. 

SZ: What age did you begin playing tennis? Who introduced you to the sport and what opportunities did that person provide to open the doors to your future as a tennis pro?

LH: I probably always had a racket in my hand. My twin sister and I were 6 weeks old when my mom played her first league match again. We were next to the court! My parents both played. My grandfather and uncle were avid players. For sure it was my mom's influence that opened the doors to my career! My sister and I took our first lessons at age 5.

SZ: You left your home in South Africa at 15 to attend the Dennis Van Der Meer Tennis Academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina. How many years did you train at the Van Der Meer Academy? What training and insights did you gain during the time you lived at the Academy that help you as a professional?

LH: I trained at Van Der Meers for 4 years on and off while playing junior tournaments and pursuing my pro career in the satellite and challenger events. At Van der Meer we spent 6 hours a day on court. I needed that! 

SZ: Who are/were your athletic role models? What qualities do you admire about them? Are there any of these qualities you have taken on and applied to your own life? 

LH: I have a huge respect for all professional athletes. They are so dedicated, disciplined and have huge goals. That is inspiring to me. I admire the natural athlete and the self made athlete. I am the self made one, not all the talent, but worked really hard. Everything I do I try to give 100%. 

SZ: Your doubles partnership with Cara Black is regarded as one of the greatest women’s doubles teams in history. When you partner with someone over a lengthy period of time how do you plan out the tournament schedule? Do you negotiate a calendar date to sit down and discuss your goals as a team technically/strategically/physically?  How far in advance does the team decide these things? 

LH: A partnership with another doubles player (specialist) is much simpler, than someone that plays singles too. The schedule becomes simpler when you only play doubles. You decide together. It's that simple. We don't play week after week anymore like we did when we started on the tour. Having a week off is very valuable. We know our schedule at the end of each year for the next year. 

SZ: When a doubles partnership continues for an extended period of time what do teams do to keep the game and the doubles relationship fresh so both players skills grow and you remain engaged in the team process?

LH:  I think what keeps a partnership fresh and keeps me as an individual motivated, is reinventing my game as I go along. Tweaking my game by adding a shot, improving my serve and adding some plays as a team. 

SZ: Do you travel with a coach full-time? What are the duties of the coach? 

LH: Yes, my husband coaches me. We have been married for 12 years. He has coached me on and off for most of that time! He knows me best. He can tell just by looking at me what I am feeling at that time. He knows my strengths and weaknesses. It hasn't always been easy having a dual relationship, but we have made it worked nicely. 

SZ: Lisa Raymond and you are partnered to represent the United States in the 2012 Olympics in London. Depending on the draw which teams will be the biggest challenge and why? Besides playing in the event what are you looking forward to as an Olympic Athlete? If you have time to watch other events what will you go and see?

LH: We are extremely excited to represent Team USA in the Olympics! We don't look ahead in any competition and this will be no different. I love my Team USA apparel! I look forward to the opening ceremony (marching of the athletes) and meeting my fellow team mates! I love exchanging pins and try to find the very rare ones. We are there to compete, so I highly doubt we will have time to see other events except for tennis.

SZ:  Are you retiring from professional touring in the next few years? What are you looking forward to during retirement that you haven’t been able to do while playing professionally?

LH: Of course retirement is nearing. You can't play professional forever! I look forward to becoming a mother, God willing. I look forward to spending time on court at Huber Tennis Ranch. We have a big program with many aspiring young players. I also look forward to taking vacations in our motor home!

SZ: What are your hopes/expectations for American women’s tennis in the next 3-5 years? Do you envision the Huber Tennis Ranch as playing a role in developing American tennis? 

LH: America has a lot of strong, talented, up and coming female players. They are already shining and will continue to rise on the rankings. I hope Huber Tennis Ranch will play a role in developing players for sure! We have 15 Quick Start courts. We even have a beach volley court too! 

SZ: After Hurricane Katrina in 2005 you began a charity, Liezel’s Cause, to help the families that relocated in Houston in the aftermath of the massive flooding from Katrina. You receive much praise and appreciation for your charitable involvement. How has your charitable involvement broadened your life? 

LH: I am not very active right now in my charitable causes. I have a lot on my plate and think it's unfair if I can't give 100%. We still do food can drives, cereal drives, toy drives and give back to the community whenever we can. I love helping people! We teach our kids at Huber Tennis Ranch to give back. 

SZ:  Do you have a favorite quote or story that has guided you on your professional path?

LH: Celebrate the good and the bad times. Enjoy the good times, because there will be bad times ahead. Enjoy the bad times, because that is how we learn! I celebrate both!

SZ: Liezel thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat. July 28th tennis begins at the Olympics in London soon followed by the 2012 U.S. Open beginning August 27th in New York.

*Photo credits to Julian Finney/Getty Images (Raymond & Huber defeated Mirza & Vesnina in the WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship Feb. 2012).

*Featured guests are not current nor former clients of Susan Zaro

*This article can also be read @ examiner

Keith Wilbur - SCU Water Polo

Keith Wilbur stepped in as the Santa Clara University men’s and women’s water polo coach in 2002. In 2006 he became the all time most successful men’s water polo coach and surpassed the 100 wins mark in 2008. Wilbur began his coaching career as the boys varsity water polo coach at Menlo School. Wilbur is a graduate of Princeton University. As a player he was a team captain his senior year, leading the Tigers defensively to three Ivy League Championships. Wilbur was also a member of the U.S. National Team in 1997-98 and competed at the l997 World University Games in Sicily, Italy. 

SZ: In 2002 you took over the coaching job at Santa Clara University. In 2006 you achieved the honor of becoming the most successful men’s water polo coach in the university’s history. What have been the staples of your coaching success? What are some of the changes you’ve brought to this program that got it rolling?

KW: In terms of being the winningest coach, I think that has mostly to do with longevity.  I really like Santa Clara University, and I made a commitment to be here for the long term when I was hired.  I have been very active recruiting since my first day here, and I think that change probably had the most impact.  Other changes have been more gradual, from lifting weights on a year around basis, running workouts in the off season, and creating a club program over the summer to give the athletes more opportunities to play.  As we have improved, I have challenged the teams with a tougher strength of schedule every year, and I think they have benefitted a lot from playing high level competition.

Another huge change for us was the construction of the Sullivan Aquatic Center. About four years ago, Jack and Joanie Sullivan donated the money for this pool and it has made a huge difference for us.  We went from having a non-regulation, too shallow, too short, and too narrow of a pool to having one of the best facilities to play college water polo.  Practices are better, recruits are more interested, and we play 10-15 home games a year whereas we used to average about 2 home games a year.

SZ: Highlights of your athletic playing career include playing for Princeton University, being on the U.S. National Team (1997-98), and competing at the 1997 World University Games in Italy. What useful experiences in training and playing have you brought into your collegiate coaching role?

KW: I learned a lot from the different coaches that I have had from high school to club to college to National teams.  I have definitely drawn lessons from the best coaches I had, but I also learned from negative experiences I had with other coaches, and I try not to do the same as them.  Tim Hugar was the coach at Princeton my freshman year, and he was the best coach I ever had in terms of getting the team psyched up to play games.  I just remember his pre-game talks, and by the time we hit the water, everybody was so amped up to compete.  I felt like we exceeded our potential in every game we played that year.  Paul Nelson was the coach at Princeton my last two years.  I really like the strategies that he taught, and the relationships he developed with the players.  I think there is a fine line to being a coach where your players can like you, but also need to respect you.  Paul was able to balance the two very well.  I also thought he was great at identifying his player’s strengths and putting them in the best situations to excel.  

SZ: As coach of both the men’s and women’s teams how would you describe the mental/emotional difference of coaching/communicating with players? Is there a noticeable difference?

KW: I am asked this question a lot and I definitely notice a difference coaching the men and women. I truly enjoy coaching both teams and regardless of gender there are many different personalities with all the player’s. I really like the challenge of figuring out the best coaching approach for each personality and how to get those personalities to mesh well to work as a team. I find need to talk more when I coach the women. Whether it’s constructive help or positive feedback, they like to know what I am thinking and how they are doing. If I am not doing this they feel ignored. The men do not desire as much constant feedback. If I let them go without saying much, they usually assume they are playing well until I point something out.

SZ: Besides a player possessing athletic skill what are the clues you look for that demonstrate a player will be a good fit for the team dynamic?

KW: Outside of athletic skill I look for work ethic, responsibility, intelligence, competitiveness, maturity, the ability to work well with others and leadership. 

SZ: What types of team building exercises do you set up for the player’s to promote team chemistry?

KW: I have been fortunate to have a sport psychology consultant, Adam Saucedo work with both programs and he does a lot of these type of team building exercises. Adam started with us three years ago as part of his final project for his Master’s, and now works with over half the teams at Santa Clara U. One of my favorite exercises that he does each week with our team is having every player stand up and pick a teammate that they appreciate and explain why. This is not something I expected my player’s would buy into right away, but they were totally into it. I think it is a great skill to be able to recognize another person for a job well done. It also means a lot to receive that recognition from a teammate. I find this exercise really opens up communication between player’s, motivates them to work hard for each other and builds our team chemistry. 

SZ: What are your duties as a coach during the summer months? Is there down time or is it recruiting time?

KW: In water polo we are actually allowed to run club teams over the summer that include our college players.  Most college teams in California also have summer club teams, and we have practice throughout the summer and play in a league with games most weekends.  I run practices from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at night, so the players can still get summer jobs and internships that work with our schedule.

I also do a lot of recruiting over the summer.  There are lots of club tournaments with great opportunities to see players from all over the country.  The biggest summer tournament is Junior Olympics, and it is a four-day event for the boys, and then another four days for the girls.  Every year I camp out at JO’s, watch about 10 games a day and see a ton of players.  This year Stanford is hosting JO’s, so I do not have to travel very far.  Boys JO’s are July 28-31, and Girls JO’s are Aug. 2-5.

SZ: You have a very busy schedule what do you do to recharge your energy to avoid burn-out? 

KW: This may sound funny but I still like to play water polo. I find playing is a great break from coaching. I have a master’s group called BAM and we practice a couple of times a week. I usually go with them to a couple of tournaments a year. My master’s team has asked me to coach them, but I refuse because it is my break from coaching and I really just want to play. I just returned from a World Master’s tournament in Italy and had a great time. I feel totally recharged for coaching and recruiting this summer. 

SZ: Do you have any favorite quotes, stories, tips that have guided you on your path to success as a water polo coach?

KW: I have read a lot of books and quotes by John Wooden, and I really like his approach and the life lessons that he taught while coaching. I also feel that I benefitted a lot from coaching all levels.  Right after I graduated from college, I came back and coached my high school (Menlo School) junior varsity team, then the varsity team, then club teams, and then college.  I learned every step of the way, and I am still learning.  

SZ: Keith thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview.

Go Broncos!

*This article can also be read @ The Examiner
*Featured guests are not former nor current clients of Susan Zaro