In an age where tennis academies across the world are churning out players by the dozen, one young coach from New Delhi is quietly rewriting the playbook. Meet Coach Gaurang, or as his students affectionately call him, Coach G — a high-performance tennis coach at Centercourt Marlboro, New Jersey, and the youngest ever to earn the prestigious GPTCA Level A certification.
His secret? A fusion of data, discipline, and deep love for the game.
When I sat down with Coach G, his energy was unmistakable — a blend of scientific curiosity and childlike enthusiasm.
“I picked up a racquet when I was nine,” he says, smiling. “That summer never ended for me.” Even during his days studying Physical Science at St. Stephen’s College, he knew tennis wasn’t a hobby — it was destiny.
“We’ve been practicing tennis wrong for decades.”
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One of the first things Coach G tells me sounds almost rebellious.
“Traditional tennis training is outdated,” he says. “We spend hours hitting endless rallies, but in matches, 70 percent of points end within four shots.”
He’s referring to a striking data point from his article Revolutionizing Tennis Training, which argues that practice sessions need to mirror match realities.
“Most coaches still focus on long baseline rallies,” he explains, “but in real competition, what really matters are the first few shots — the serve, the return, and the next one or two exchanges. That’s where matches are won.”
His proposed shift is simple but radical: “We should simulate pressure from the first ball — not the fiftieth. Practice should be intense, short-burst, and tactical. You’re training for the first four shots, not a marathon rally.”
“Numbers don’t lie — they take bias out of the equation.”
When asked what inspired this data-driven rethink, Coach G credits both curiosity and heritage.
“My grandfather was an engineer and my father is a CPA — so I grew up respecting numbers,” he says. “Numbers don’t lie; they strip away personal bias and force you to see the truth.”
That mindset led him to reexamine everything about how players train. “When I became a full-time coach, I realized many were still teaching exactly what they’d learned decades ago. But tennis has evolved — surfaces, strings, biomechanics. If we don’t adapt, we fall behind.”
He grins. “Everyone says ‘train like the best,’ but few actually look at what the best are doing. That’s what I call the Tennis Paradox.”
“Men and women play far more alike than people think.”
Referencing another of his studies, The Data Behind Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Coach G lights up again.
“There’s this myth that women’s matches have longer rallies,” he says. “But at the 2024 US Open, the average rally length for men was 3.83 shots. For women? 3.87. Practically identical!”
He laughs. “It’s funny how perceptions lag behind facts. Both tours now rely heavily on serve and return — on aggressive, proactive tennis. Even net-play stats are similar. So when people say men’s tennis is more exciting, I say, look at the numbers.”
For him, it’s not just statistical — it’s social. “Women’s tennis deserves equal respect. The athleticism and tactical sophistication are extraordinary. It’s time we acknowledged that.”
“Djokovic teaches us to attack the strength.”
Talk of data turns naturally to strategy — and to Novak Djokovic, whom Coach G calls “the perfect modern player.”
In his analysis Attack the Strength, he studies Djokovic’s 2018 US Open win over Juan Martín del Potro.
“Djokovic didn’t avoid Del Potro’s forehand,” he says. “He attacked it — made him hit just enough winners to stay dangerous but forced errors through precision and percentages. That’s genius — turning strength into vulnerability.”
Then he draws a life lesson: “You can’t always avoid pressure. Sometimes you have to walk straight into it, absorb the punches, and trust your process.”
“The extra four shots that change everything.”
In The Key Stat for Breaking Serve, Coach G discovered that when players are broken, they play just four more shots per game on average.
“That’s it — four shots,” he says. “So I tell my players: make your opponent hit four more balls. It’s not just physical — it’s psychological persistence.”
He integrates analytics with emotion. “We use live data, video review, even player journaling. Strategy should feel alive — not abstract.”
On his journey and reinvention
What has this journey — from a nine-year-old in Delhi to a sought-after coach in the U.S. — taught him?
“Being an athlete teaches you routine and responsibility,” he says. “Reinvention comes from curiosity. If we keep repeating what our predecessors did, the sport doesn’t grow.”
After seven years of coaching Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup players, Division I athletes, and top-ranked professionals, his focus remains clear: intent, structure, and strategy.
“As coaches, our job isn’t to fix weaknesses — it’s to build strengths. I use a 75–25 rule: 75 percent on weapons, 25 percent on shields. Every player brings something unique. My job is to turn that into a winning advantage.”
On Indian vs. American players
“The difference begins with access,” Coach G explains. “In India, tennis is often a luxury sport — facilities are limited, costs are high — but Indian players are incredibly resourceful. In the U.S., players have world-class systems that allow them to fully explore their potential. Both bring something unique to the court.”
He also highlights the importance of family and education. “Parental involvement is critical. Coaching the player is half the job — educating the parents is the other half. Growth in tennis isn’t linear. Players face emotional highs and lows; if parents understand that, everything changes.”
He pauses, remembering his own childhood. “I grew up hearing, ‘Sports aren’t a real career.’ But what I tell my students — and what I’ve always believed — is simple: keep your head down, work hard, and let your racquet do the talking.”
“We’re not just building players — we’re building people.”
As our conversation winds down, Coach G becomes reflective.
“Tennis isn’t just about trophies,” he says. “It teaches resilience, independence, patience. I want my players to carry that mindset into life.”
He smiles, eyes bright with conviction. “I fell in love with this game as a kid and never got over it. My mission now is to make sure they never do either.”
In a sport obsessed with rankings, Coach G’s philosophy feels like a breath of fresh air — a reminder that while numbers tell the story, passion gives it meaning. His blend of analytics and authenticity might just be what tennis — and the next generation of players — truly needs.