Cristina Rolo and Dave de Haan (Rolo Mental Coaching) have been pioneers in the development and implementation of Sport Psychology methodologies and techniques to improve performance and quality of life of tennis players, coaches and parents in Romania.
When I met them they were already well known and respected experts in the field of mental coaching applied to elite tennis. Meeting and working with Dave and Cristina delayed my retirement for about 5 years, leading me within this period to reach the top 50 of the ATP world tour ranking.
The Mental Skills Training programs by Dave and Cristina assisted me improve my performance and helped develop life skills essential for being successful in tennis and life. I became more aware, assertive, started trusting my instincts, improved my communication skills and learned how to better deal with the media. Throughout these years, the Mental Coaching work with Dave and Cristina had a significant impact on my performance as a professional tennis player as well as on my development as a human being. Additionally, the performance enhancement consulting services I received, assisted me in several transition phases in my life, such as when I became a father and when I retired from professional sports career. They supported and prepare me for several transitions in my life by helping me develop my awareness and effective coping mechanisms necessary to have smooth and successful transitions.
In 2016 I have decided to retire from my professional tennis player career and dedicate myself to give back to the young generation of elite tennis players in Romania and international players. I am thankful for the insight, support and guidance provided by Dave and Cristina in defining action plans that lead to the foundation e implementation of the pioneer project in Romania “VH Train Like a Pro ”, as well as the creation of the “Academia Victor Hanescu” in Bucharest, Romania.
Romania is a country with great level of tennis development in terms of technical, tactical and physical, but the mental domain is still underdeveloped and often neglected. Cristina and Dave have been doing extraordinary work to change this reality and to contribute to the inclusion of mental training within the other areas of the training process. Cristina and Dave’s “Mental Training in Tennis: applied strategies for success” Portuguese book, which is a valuable resource (for players, coaches, parents and sport psychology professionals), has been translated into English to assist fulfill this mission to make Mental Training a common practice in the Romanian and international tennis community.
Cristina and Dave’s extensive international experience in mental coaching applied to tennis, their attention to detail, associated with their unique methodology and work ethics, contributed to the camps’ success. Each “Train Like a Pro” camp lasted 10 days and both Cristina and Dave worked non-stop on- and off-court: interacting with the players during practice, competition, during meals, while walking between the hotel and tennis club, and during all additional non-tennis related program activities. Their professional and personal investment made it so that they were able to address by name each of the 28 players of the camp, and got to know each of them to identify individual needs in order to personalize their Mental Skills Training program.
The methodology used by Cristina Rolo and Dave de Haan is unique, as the Mental Training is not done in an office but instead on-site, during practice and competition, integrated with the technical, tactical and physical training. It also includes the whole team (tennis player, coach, parents, medical staff, and significant others), contributing to a more effective and efficient goal pursuit. Cristina and Dave’s methodology focus not only on performance enhancement, but also in fostering well-being and developing life skills. Their innovative/unique methodology associated with the fact that it is still unusual to see mental coaches included in the professional tennis teams working/traveling on the ATP world tour, makes Cristina and Dave pioneers in their field.
Cristina Rolo and Dave De Haan’s work in Mental Coaching have produced great results not just on my performance, personal development, career and life transitions, as well as well-being, but also in the performance and well-being of many youth elite players, coaches, and parents who have been exposed to their services.
My current mission is to give back to the youth Romanian elite tennis players (as well as international tennis players) by providing top-level education in the areas of mental, technical, tactical and physical training. My personal experience working over the years with Dave and Cristina and the positive impact of the mental coaching program at the “VH Train Like a Pro” camps offers us the guarantee of success. The inclusion of the mental training in the academy program reflects my belief that if I had access to Mental Training earlier in my career I would have reached even higher ATP world tour ranking. Therefore, I want to provide to the youth tennis players in Romania the opportunity to have regular access to this life-changing area.
I am thankful to have the support of Cristina Rolo and Dave de Haan to provide customized mental coaching programs (for athletes, coaches, and special parenting programs) as well as to consult with the players who compete and travel on the ITF, WTA and ATP World Tour. I feel very honored and enthusiastic to have extraordinary professionals like Cristina and Dave in our team, and with their support, I foresee great developments for tennis in Romania, as well as for the international tennis community.
