Coach Spotlight: Milan Kalaba

At SportsProsConnect, we’re always looking to highlight coaches who are not only working at a high level, but who also think deeply about the game. In this edition of Coach Spotlight, we speak with high performance tennis coach Milan Kalaba, whose work focuses on match strategy, decision-making under pressure, and helping players build a competitive identity that stands up when it matters most.

Q: Good morning Milan, it’s great to have you with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your journey in tennis?

Absolutely. My name is Milan Kalaba and I work in high-performance tennis, with a strong focus on match strategy, decision-making under pressure, and helping players build a game that holds up in the moments that matter most.

Over the years, I’ve worked across different levels of the game. More recently, I’ve coached on the Challenger and ATP circuits, travelled to Grand Slams and Masters events, and supported players not just in improving their level, but in developing a clearer competitive identity.

That part is very important to me. There are many good players in tennis, but not every player fully understands what their game is supposed to look like. A big part of my work is helping close that strategic gap.

I’m particularly interested in what sits beneath technique and tactics. What actually drives momentum, control, and belief in a match? Why does one player seem to own key moments, while another starts forcing or reacting? That layer has become central to how I coach.

Alongside this, I’ve done consultancy work around match planning, performance reviews, and practice structure. Ultimately, what motivates me most is helping players become more dangerous, more self-aware, and more reliable when matches truly turn.

Q: Tell us more about your playing background growing up in the Netherlands.

Growing up in the Netherlands, tennis was something I naturally connected with. Like many coaches, I first experienced the sport as a player, competing, improving, and learning how demanding the game really is.

Even at a young age, I was drawn to the competitive puzzle of tennis. Why does one match feel controlled and another chaotic? Why can two players hit similar shots, but one is imposing themselves while the other is just surviving?

Those questions stayed with me.

The environment I grew up in gave me a strong foundation in work ethic, structure, and respect for the game. It also taught me that progress in tennis is rarely linear. You improve, struggle, adapt, lose, learn, and repeat.

That cycle shaped how I now see players. I understand how much identity can become tied to performance, and how important it is to build a game that fits the person behind the racket.

Q: What led you into coaching?

Coaching felt like a natural direction because I was always more interested in understanding than just playing.

I wanted to know why matches swing, why some players consistently find solutions, and why others underperform relative to their ability. That curiosity became more important to me than simply winning.

I would rather lose but understand why, than win without clarity.

Over time, I found real meaning in helping players solve problems, see themselves more clearly, and improve in a way that actually shows up in competition. That gap between training and performance fascinated me.

From there, coaching became a craft. How do you build decisions, patterns, and confidence that hold up under pressure? How do you develop ownership, not just technique?

For me, coaching is a combination of strategy, psychology, structure, and honesty. That’s what makes it so engaging.

Q: You clearly have strong coaching philosophies. Can you share some of these with us?

One principle that’s very important to me is that tennis is not won by preventing loss, it’s won by making more profit.

Technique and physical level matter, but the best players consistently make the right decisions in key moments. They know when to absorb, when to press, and when to take space away from their opponent.

Another key idea is that players must understand their own game honestly. Not the version they wish they had, but the one they can rely on under pressure.

I think in terms of identity. How do you create pressure? How do you handle it? How do you convert it? Players become much stronger when they stop copying and start building something that is genuinely theirs.

I also talk a lot about what I call “profit-making tennis”. Are your decisions actually increasing your advantage, or are they just keeping you busy? A player can look active while still losing control of the match.

Confidence is another important area, but I see it differently. Real confidence comes from clarity. When players understand what they’re trying to do and why it works, confidence becomes more stable.

Ultimately, my role as a coach is to simplify. High performance is detailed, but players still need clear truths they can trust in big moments.

Q: What are your best memories on court, both as a player and a coach?

As a player, the best memories are those intense moments before and during matches, the nerves, the problem-solving, and the feeling of finding a level under pressure. When it goes well, it feels genuinely earned.

As a coach, of course the big wins and career milestones are special. Seeing players perform at major events or reach new rankings is always rewarding.

But some of the most meaningful moments are smaller. When a player truly understands something. When hesitation disappears and ownership takes over. When a pattern clicks and their body language changes.

Those moments can happen anywhere, in matches, practice sets, or even a single drill. As a coach, they are incredibly satisfying.

I also value the experience of being part of the professional environment, travelling, preparing, and working in a space where details really matter.

Q: 2026 is shaping up to be a big year. What are your goals?

I see 2026 as an important year both for the sport and personally.

One of my main goals is to continue growing my impact at the high-performance level, working with ambitious teams and helping them improve not just technically, but strategically and competitively.

I also want to keep developing and sharing my thinking around match dynamics, pressure, and decision-making. A big part of my work has been identifying what truly shifts control in a match and how that can be trained.

Interestingly, while exploring this, I created a model that can predict match outcomes after the first 4–8 games with around 86% accuracy, based on 300 ATP matches in 2024. That has opened up some exciting directions for future work.

I’d also like to continue bridging the gap between coaching intuition and structure. Tennis has always had great instincts, but there’s still room to make certain ideas clearer and more transferable.

Ultimately, my goal is simple: help players become more complete competitors and feel more certain about the tennis they bring.

And who knows, maybe a book on tennis strategy will follow.

Quick Fire Questions

Padel, Pickleball or Beach Tennis?
Padel

Beach holiday or city break?
Beach holiday

Favourite car?
Ford Gran Torino 1977 (green)

Other sports followed?
F1

Sporting idol?
Tiger Woods

Favourite drink?
Cappuccino

Left or right handed?
Right handed

Motivational quote?
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” – Sun Tzu

You can find out more about Milan and connect with him via his SPC profile: https://sportsprosconnect.com/profiles/milanokalaba-2/