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MCTA
train with former
top 100 Pro,
George Bastl
 It
is the mission of the Monte Carlo
Tennis Academy (MCTA) to produce Top
100 tennis players that compete at
Grand Slam tournaments, and so the
presence of former World No.71
George Bastl at a training camp in
Monte Carlo last week was a perfect
opportunity to show the players
where they are, and where they need
to get to.
Bastl, who famously ended the
Wimbledon career of Pete Sampras by
beating the seven-time champion on
Court 2 in 2002, joined the Academy
at its base – the Monte Carlo
Country Club - for an intense
training block to put the players
through their paces.
Director of Coaching, David Sammel,
was pleased to see his players adapt
well to the game of a fully-fledged
professional.
“George is one of only 11 players to
ever beat Pete on grass and it was
good to have him around, bringing a
seasoned pro’s intensity to the
court. This was very helpful to
Ilija Vucic and Henri Kontinen – a
Finnish player who is working with
us for six weeks. Ilija showed how
much progress he has made by
competing effectively with George,
who is still a top 200 player.”
 The
players were also able to work out
in the gym alongside former World
No.4 and last year’s Wimbledon
semifinalist Jonas Bjorkman
and world no 13 Daniela Hantuchova,
which again gave the Academy players
and insight into the world of a top
professional.
“Jonas
demonstrated his dedication
but we also saw that our players
have a similar focus – it is just
not as self-induced yet, which is
our job to instill. Already this
week we are seeing the benefits of
the camp and it also helps the
coaches to personally spend time all
together as this is a very demanding
job on the road. Everyone is
refreshed by the interaction and
this is energizing,” said Sammel.
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