What It Takes at U12 Level Now - Sebastian Lavie at IMG Future Stars
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In this episode of The Functional Tennis Podcast, host Fabio Molle interviews Sebastian Lavie, a former top junior player and founder of the Le Vie Tennis Academy in Auckland, New Zealand, at the IMG Future Stars event in Athens, Greece. Lavie reflects on the evolution of the tournament over its five editions, highlighting the increased professionalism, intensity, and tactical maturity of under-12 players—especially girls—compared to four years prior. He emphasizes the growing completeness of young players' games, with advanced volleying, aggressive shot selection, and a strong focus on recovery and preparation routines. Lavie also discusses the challenges of balancing elite tennis development with education, advocating for flexible online schooling to support traveling junior athletes. He shares personal insights from his own journey, warning against complacency after early success and stressing the importance of intrinsic motivation, relentless work ethic, and a strong support system. The episode concludes with reflections on the financial and logistical demands of international junior competition, and the long-term impact of exposure for athletes from smaller tennis nations like New Zealand.
Top U12 players today exhibit professional-level preparation, including warm-ups, match recaps, and recovery routines, even at such a young age.
The game at the U12 level is more complete and aggressive, with advanced volleying, varied shot selection, and higher ball speed.
Early success can breed complacency—players must treat every win as a learning opportunity and stay hungry to improve.
Flexible online education is critical for elite junior players to maintain academic progress while traveling internationally.
Success at this level is not guaranteed by training hours alone—quality, consistency, and intrinsic motivation matter more long-term.
…and 2 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Introduction to IMG Future Stars & the U12 Tennis Landscape
Fabio Molle introduces the IMG Future Stars event in Athens, Greece, as one of the premier international tournaments for under-12 players. He highlights the event's high-caliber workshops, elite coaching presence, and its role in shaping the next generation of tennis talent.
Sebastian Lavie’s Journey & the Evolution of IMG Future Stars
Lavie shares his background as a former junior player from New Zealand who trained in France under Patrick Mortogaloo. He reflects on how IMG Future Stars has matured over five editions, noting improvements in organization, player professionalism, and the overall competitive intensity.
The Rise of Professionalism & Tactical Maturity in U12 Players
“I think on the girls' side that's something I've noticed this week. There's 24 girls, I'd say 20 of them are absolutely unbelievable and four of them are probably just still learning which is really cool to see.”
Balancing Training, Burnout, and Intrinsic Motivation
“You've got to find the balance. So as a junior player, you've got to find that balance between making sure that you're hitting certain benchmarks and still playing a very high level of tennis but at the same time not burning out when you're young.”
Education, Travel, and the Role of Online Schooling
“The biggest advantage of being online schooling is it's mainly that you can travel whenever you need to and you don't actually fall behind.”
“If I could pick a ranking to be at from the age of nine years old till 18, I would say if you can stay... I don't know, it depends which country you're from... you're better off being number four in France and chasing.”
“I think on the girls' side that's something I've noticed this week. There's 24 girls, I'd say 20 of them are absolutely unbelievable and four of them are probably just still learning which is really cool to see.”
“You've got to be a bit of a bastard.”
Host
Guest
IMG Future Stars
other
Sebastian Lavie
person
Fabio Molle
person
Tatiana Na
person
New Zealand
place
Le Vie Tennis Academy
organization
Patrick Mortogaloo
person
Clay Courts
other
Tennis New Zealand
organization
Athens
place
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