Middle Georgia State Men's Tennis

Bates believes in constant improvement as both a player and a coach, and can be found at various professional tournaments in Atlanta, Charleston, Hilton Head, Macon and more; networking with other coaches and players to learn the latest in professional training and match strategies. Tom emphasizes to his players that daily improvement should be all team members goal, no matter how small the improvement. Time wasted can never be regained, so practice and match play should be a source of continual self-improvement. This philosophy applies to players and coaches. The mental game of tennis is equally important as technical instruction, and practice time is often devoted to the psychology of all sports and competitions, not just tennis.  Coach Bates is a lifelong tennis player, dating back to his days in south Florida.  He is still an active league tennis player, has achieved a USTA ranking of #4 and #1 in Georgia for mens and mixed doubles; and maintains PTR tennis professional certification. Tom is married and has a young daughter.  Coach Bates believes in balancing tennis with academics and places equal emphasis on both.  Ultimately, our student athletes are here to earn a great degree from a fantastic 4 year institution. We will win and lose matches, but at the end of 4 years I want to proudly watch my players receive their degree. If I am able to do this, then that is what I measure success by. -Tom