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Dr. Mark Kovacs

Dr. Mark Kovacs is a high performance expert, sport technology consultant, performance physiologist, researcher, professor, author, speaker and coach with an extensive background training and researching elite athletes. He is known as the go to expert for elite and professional athletes, corporate executives and performance artists looking for science based programming to optimize human performance. 

As the CEO of the Kovacs Institute, he oversees the direction, testing protocols and athlete monitoring programs along with his staff. Visit his personal website at www.mark-kovacs.com, and his new KI Academy at https://kovacsacademy.com

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Dr. Kovacs was leading the project while at Gatorade focused on the integration of the latest real-time technology to improve monitoring of hydration and nutrition with some of the best teams and athletes in the world. Watch the video to see a small part of the project.

https://vimeo.com/219004193 

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 Click Can Tennis Players Potentially Serve 160MPH? Check Out Dr. Kovacs working with WIRED to predict the possibility of this for the tennis serve. Click here for the full story

Sport Technology Expert & Physiologist

His unique skillset has made him one of the worldwide leading performance experts in the area of optimizing human performance through the application of cutting edge, evidence-based information. He formerly directed the Sport Science, Strength & Conditioning and Coaching Education departments for the United States Tennis Association (USTA). He developed & still teaches one the first graduate classes in Sport  Technology in the United States.

Best Selling Author, Speaker

Best Selling Author, Speaker Consultant and Media Expert: Dr. Kovacs has published 7 books which have been translated into more than a dozen languages on sport and exercise science topics focused on stretching, recovery, mental skills training, anatomy and training.  His expertise has been retained by major corporations, academic institutions and media outlets including Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Southern California, University of North Carolina, New York University Medical Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pepsico, Gatorade, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, ESPN, NCAA, National Athletic Trainers Association, National Strength & Conditioning Association, American College of Sports Medicine, International Tennis Federation, Association of Tennis Professionals, Women’s Tennis Association among many others.

Coach/Trainer

Over his career he has worked with more than two dozen top professional tennis players including John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Robby Ginepri, as well as dozens of top professional athletes in the NBA, NFL and MLB, in addition to junior baseball players and golfers.  He is actively sought after for his unique ability to combine science with the practical aspect of sports in a way coaches &  players can understand.​

Former Professional Athlete

Dr. Kovacs  was an All-American and NCAA doubles champion in tennis at Auburn University. After playing professionally, he completed his graduate work at Auburn University and earned his Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from The University of Alabama. Dr. Kovacs is a Certified Tennis Performance Specialist (CTPS) and Master Tennis Performance Specialist (MTPS) through the International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA), Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a certified Health/Fitness Specialist through the American College of Sports Medicine, a United States Track and Field Level II Sprints Coach and USPTA-P1 Certified Tennis Coach.

Sports Administrator / Executive

As a sports administrator and executive he has worked at the highest level of sports and industry. Most recently he was the Director of the Gatorade Sport Science Institute which was established in 1985 and is committed to helping athletes optimize their health and performance through research and education in hydration and nutrition science. He was also an executive at Pepsico working in the area of long term research and innovation focused on improving athletic performance and monitoring using science and technology. He also directed the Sport Science, Strength & Conditioning and Coaching Education departments for the United States Tennis Association (USTA).  During his tenure at the USTA he created the integration of the medical and sport science services for full time athletes at the National Training Center in Boca Raton, Florida as well as the development of full service care and training at satellite facilities in Los Angeles and New York. He was instrumental on securing a long term partnership with Cleveland Clinic Florida as well as creating a systematic approach to the training and treatment of tennis athletes throughout the US.  He is also the co-founder of the International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA), which is the worldwide leader in tennis-specific performance enhancement and injury prevention education and certification (www.itpa-tennis.org). Dr. Kovacs has also served on the investment and finance committees for the National Strength & Conditioning Association and gone through a Finance program for executives through the Emory University Goizueta Business School.

I want to thank Dr. Kovacs. I used to play US college tennis and I'm a tennis coach in Canada. Last week, I watched his video on practicing hitting serves off the back leg. I applied this to my serve and got immediate, amazing results. I added about 20-30 mph speed, more racquet speed, more spin, amazing consistency. All my life on my serve, as I tossed the ball up, I immediately leaned forward and hit off the front foot. My serve lacked consistency, spin, power and speed. For decades I examined my serve on video, trying to find the technical weakness. Now, taking Dr. Kovac's advice, jumping off the back leg, I feel the weight transfer, the coil, the loading and unloading, and explosion up and into the ball at impact. The difference in power and speed is staggering. (My coaches previously) never recognized this technical weakness and brought it to my attention. I would have been a much better player had they done so. Thank you Dr Kovacs. Not only do I now serve better, but I'll be a better coach and have my students realize the importance of coiling and loading off the back leg.”

​– Coach Mark

Leader in the Scientific Community

Dr. Kovacs has earned Fellow status in the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). He has published over 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles and abstracts in top research journals, in addition to presenting workshops and keynote addresses on five continents and well over 100 presentations. His research has been published in top tier scientific publications including the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, Sports Health, International Journal of Sports Physiology & Performance, Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research among others. In 2010 he was awarded the prestigious Plagenhoef Award for sport science achievement (youngest ever recipient), and in 2012 he was the youngest ever International Tennis Hall of Fame Educational Merit Award winner. He currently chairs both the PTR Sport Science Committee and the ITF Health Benefits of Tennis Taskforce. He also is a member of the USTA National Sport Science Committee and the International Relations Committee of the ACSM.

For much more information on Dr. Kovacs and to book him for private events, corporate outings, keynote speaking, media requests and team/individual specific projects please contact him through his personal website
www.mark-kovacs.com

Click below for a recent podcast Dr. Kovacs did on strength and conditioning for tennis players
http://tennisfiles.com/mark-kovacs-strength-and-conditioning-tennis-podcast

​https://www.boditraksports.com/kc/analyzing-tennis-serve-boditrak/

https://qz.com/1379932/the-2018-us-open-makes-it-clear-tennis-has-evolved-and-the-30s-are-the-new-20s/
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