The Tennis Spot

Open Season Coming Soon

2006-01-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

I am excited to report that the High School tennis season is about to start. Practices are to commence on Febuary 13th. I have been doing a lot of research on drills and excersies. If you have any that you recommend PLEASE let me know. I would be thrilled to hear about your favorite or least favorite training excersies. Happy Tennis.

Masters Cup

2005-11-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

I am glad to see Roger has made a full recovery and is ready to defend his Masters Cup Crown. The Tennis Masters series concludes this coming week in Shanghai, China. Federer had been struggling with his fitness and was in danger of missing out on the event. If he had withdrawn I would have petitioned for them to cancel the tournament. It is my opinion that you MUST go through Roger to lay claim to the number 1 spot. I have my tennis racquet tie ready to go Monday morning.

Changing of the Guard?

2005-10-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

Tim Henman and Andy Murray finally ran into each other in an ATP draw. And if you visit the BBC website it was the “heralding of a new era in British tennis”. That may be the biggest overstatement of the year. Tim Henman has had one of the worst years of his career. He has been battling injuries all season, the Basel tournament being only his second since sitting out a number of months to rest his back. Tim is obviously lacking matches and confidence. Murray is definitely on his way up; there is no denying that. I really like the kid too. He plays hard and with a lot of emotion. Murray did walk away the victor but he was quick to play down the British media’s urge to make this match into more than it was. I feel for Tim Henman and all he has endured through his career and I hope that these same burdens and stresses don’t dog Andy Murray throughout his. I guess that is what you get being born into a title-starved country that hosts the greatest event in sport.

Where does Federer's Winning Streak Stand?

2005-10-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

I am excited to see that Roger Federer's amazing play is finally garnering mainstream recognition. If you did not know Roger Federer has now won an astounding 24 finals in a row. The last time he was beat in a final was in Rome in 2003. A recent ESPN poll asked the question "what is the most impressive active streak in sports?" Federer's accomplishment was voted the overwhelming winner. I must admit I was a little shocked by the results. His 24 match streak was up against the Atlanta Braves 14 divisional titles, Brett Favre's 227 starts and USC's 24 wins. Roger Federer's 24 match winning streak snatched up 53% of the 37,585 votes submitted, one of those being mine.

Which wine do you prefer?

2005-09-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

I regret that I have not been unable to comment on the US Open so far. I fully intended and still intend to do so but have been so tremendously busy that merely watching the matches has been difficult enough. Until I am able to produce more I wanted to provide a very interesting link. Enjoy!

Changes

2005-08-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Katrina is rolling in bringing with it lots of rain up here in Nashville. The rain has made it impossible to make it to the courts to practise but it has afforded me the opportunity to update this blog. There are some additions and changes I have been wanting to make recently. I wanted to support fellow tennis bloggers by offering links to their sites. I also had the idea to offer links to all of the grand slam events. These sites are loaded with information you cannot get anywhere else. They also generally host the most up-to-date scores, news and interviews. I certainly hope you take the time to support all of us poor tennis bloggers. If you weren't aware the US Open kicks off tommorrow in NYC. Enjoy!

Bracketology

2005-08-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

Bracketology is the marketing name given to the studying and filling-out of the NCAA Basketball Tournament brackets, which is enormously popular in America. Four times a year I have my little version of bracketology. For the last 3 years I have filled out the draws for every Grand Slam event. It is just me so I never gamble or wager on the results, it is just for my own enjoyment. I feel like it gets me more involved in the whole tournament. I find out everyone that is in the draw. If I want I can research their previous play, look at pictures, view their results. It also gives me someone to pull for in the otherwise less-interesting matches. I have found and continue to find reasons why I enjoy doing this. All of this to say, I have filled out my bracket and am ready for the matches to begin. You can checkout the ATP's main draw preview if you need a little help filling yours out. Oh, If you need a few copies of the draw you can print from here.

USOpen Draws Announced

2005-08-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about the coming week. It is tennis time in the big-0-city. One of the most exciting tournaments in the world, the US Open starts Monday in Queens, New York. You can take a look at the just-released draws on the USopen.org site. That site has several features worth taking a look at. It will probably have the most up-to-date scores and results throughout the coming fortnight. You have to like Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal's draws. There appear to be few "floaters" that could be dangerous in their sections. Federer's draw could be tricky. You never know what you will see with Melzer, his possible 2nd round opponent. Beyond that Federer should be happy, although Juan Carlos Fererro I feel is very dangerous. He is a Grand Slam Champion and he made the final here a couple of years ago and has been looking good in recent months. The toughest portion of the draw is Marat Safin's with-out-a-doubt. The quarter is loaded with names like, Ancic, Monfils, Henman, Philippoussis, Dent and Hewitt. With only 1 of those names coming from that section, it is going to be a battle. I cannot wait. The majority of the coverage will be done by the USA network. In the past they did it really well, I recommend you check it out.

As Requested

2005-08-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

I had a request to comment on Andy Roddick's net play when playing Roger Federer. First I will say that I think it has little to do with Roger Federer and a lot to do with Andy Roddick. Ninety percent of the tour can make Roddick look a little silly at the net. The volley is with out a doubt the weakest part of Andy's game. To his credit he has improved enormously this year but he still is very vulnerable at the net. Players, Roger in particular are not afraid to grip it and rip it when Andy comes to the net. Generally Andy finds himself out of position at the net so it is easy for players to pass him. However, Andy's technique is so poor even when he works himself into the net perfectly he tends to muff a high number of volleys. Andy's game relies solely on power- there is nothing wrong with that- that is the game that works for him but power does not translate well with the volley. When at the net power is not needed. The volley is about placement touch and most importantly technique. When volleying there is no need to swing. I am sure you have seen the images of Andy's herky-jerky, half-swinging, wrist-snapping volley. That image should be your model for how not to hit your volley. When volleying your objective should be to take the pace out of the ball. The end result is to deaden the ball, just like a baseball player bunting a pitched ball. I think of the volley as a catch rather than a hit. Move forward with a continental grip and a firm wrist (snapping the wrist is a big no-no) clear your body from the ball and look to take the air out of it.

Tennis Terminology

2005-08-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you that have caught the Tennis Bug from watching the blue courted tennis this summer on ESPN here is a great link. According to ESPN their tennis ratings are at an all-time high this summer (thanks in large part to the blue courts no doubt). Seriously though, I am excited about the ratings if it turns into more matches on the tube. Back to the link I provided, If you are new to tennis and you want to clean up your tennis verbiage you should check it out.

Footwork

2005-08-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

I went to hit balls for the first time in a while yesterday with 2 work colleagues and was quickly shown how out of shape I have become. As I was laboring around the court I realized the importance of footwork. In my opinion one of the first things to go when your fitness drops is your footwork. It is also my opinion that one of the most important things on the court is footwork. Your footwork affects so much of your game. It affects your swing, your balance, your movement, your positioning and much more. My footwork was lazy (primarily because of inactivity) thus my strokes were slow and inaccurate. I sprayed the ball all over the court and I never really felt like I struck the ball well. If we had played a match I certainly would have found myself out of position in the points. The more you are out of position the more ground you have to cover. The more ground you have to cover the better shape you have to be in. You get the idea, solid footwork is essential. Roger Federer has the best footwork on tour. It is not a coincidence that his game looks so effortless and his footwork being so sound. Federer has the knack of making the difficult shots look easy, the reason for this is because he is alway in the right place at the right time. He gets himself there with his great footwork. Next time you are watching a match focus on the players footwork. Rotate between games focusing on the each player. See if you can figure out who is controling the points/the set/the match by the movement and the footwork.

Cincinnati and Beyond

2005-08-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

I am glad to see the best are back on the court. Federer, Safin and Hewitt are returning to the court for the Masters Series event in Cincinnati.
Federer's tenure at number 1 in the world reached 81 weeks today, landing him at number 7 in Open Era history. Nadal is starting to creep up on Federer. Federer will need a solid showing this week and at Flushing Meadows to maintain his ranking.
It was good to see Henman finally notch a victory today. Tim was winless since his 2nd round exit at Wimbledon in June. Hopefully this is a sign of good play to come at the coming Open.
Nadal won his 9th tournament this year, tieing Federer with the most on tour. The title was Nadal's first on hard, all of his previous were on clay. I was really impressed by Nadal play on Sunday. He really pushed Andre around. The match went to 3 sets but i never really felt like Andre had a chance. I have been extremely reluctant to jump on the Nadal-bandwagon. I was sick of Patrick McEnroe salivating all over his microphone, never daring to say anything remotely negative about the guy. But I must say this guy has got game and it appears that it is not just on the red stuff (which I had always assumed). So to you Rafael Nadal, I take off my hat... finally.

Mix It Up

2005-08-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

Mixing it up is essential in todays game. You cannot be a one-trick pony these days. You have to be multi-dimemsional. The old saying "variety is the spice of life" could not be truer in regard to your tennis game. You have to be able to pound it from the baseline as well as move forward with the volley. You have to be able to challenge on service hold as well as the break of serve.
The serve and volley (my favorite style of play) is a dieing art form, there is no denying that. But the need to have that element in your game- just a little bit- is still very important. If you can sneak in behind your serve or groundstroke once every game or so you are stacking up points against your opponent. You dont have to win every point coming forward but letting your opponent no that you are not afraid to come forward will force them to be honest. They will always have to remember that you can and will come forward. You are giving them just one more thing to think about.
I love the watching dirtballers move forward. Claycourters are known for the distaste of net play but every match you are guaranteed to see them finish a handful of points at the net. It is usually after a long exchange from the baseline; nonetheless, they still do it. Your cannot let your opponent float balls back to you. If you do you are playing their game. The likelihood of unforced errors increases with long rallies. So next time you feel your opponent is just putting balls in play- sneak up on them and finish that point early at the net.

Television Coverage

2005-08-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

ESPN continues to provide poor coverage of tennis. It mystifies me how the ESPN networks treat the game of tennis. I mean, they provide better coverage of poker, POKER! It is crazy. I made sure to be home this evening to catch the latest action from the Rogers Cup. I had my dinner and my drink ready, I sat down in front of the TV and what did I find? You guessed it, a replay of Andre Agassi's match from this morning, I was furious to say the least. Don't get me wrong, I will watch tennis anytime I can. It is so scarce these days I have to catch it any time it is around. That said, I do not have to be happy with the coverage that is being provided. ESPN has labeled itself, "The Grand Slam network", what a joke. Yes, they do air 3 of the 4 slams but the coverage is second rate. They showcase American players or "it" players. They will opt out of covering the best match (on paper or otherwise) to cover a second or third rate American on an outside court. ESPN has built its tennis coverage around Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova and the Williams sisters. Regardless of who is playing elsewhere these players supersede. Roger Federer could be playing Rod Laver on Court One but if Taylor Dent is playing the 253rd ranked player in the world, we, the viewing public will see that match instead. I know this is a slippery slop I am on. I love watching tennis, I really do. But i want to see the best tennis available not "the next hot American". I think my true passion and love for tennis shows itself in these feelings.

Rogers Cup and a Henman Disaster... Again!

2005-08-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

Well I am excited to see some Master Series caliber tennis on the television. The Rogers Cup is taking place in Montreal Canada this week. The Rogers Cup is the sixth of nine Masters Series events that take place throughout the tennis "season". I must admit I am tired of watching mediocre American tennis on blue courts, although the Rogers Cup adopted the US Open Series court coloring scheme. I am not entirely sold on these courts yet. I am also pretty disappointed in the Rogers Cup playing field. Several of the top tier players have withdrawn, most notably Roger Federer and Marat Safin. With those 2 names missing from the draw I consider this tournament a considerable dissapointment.
Well it appears that tiger Tim may have packed it in for the summer. My heart aches watching Tim play. I confess, I am a Henmaniac, what a terrible thing to do to ones self. Tim might be the most erratic perform on the ATP tour. I have never witnessed such up and down play as when I watch Tim. At times it appears as if not an intelligent thought is running through his mind in regard to shot selection. Then sometimes he plays some of the most beautiful and intelligent ball around. It hurts to watch him most of the time. Last year Tim had his greatest year ever. He reached number six in the rankings (not his highest ever) and reached 2 slam semi-finals (amazingly neither were Wimbledon). I had high hopes for him this season but all those were washed away a long time ago. This year at Wimbledon he made a shocking 2nd round exit since then he has made back to back 1st round exits and is yet to win a match since Wimbledon. Geez, who needs a drink? My hope is that Tim can get some rest and get himself ready for the US Open where he had his best showing ever last year. C'mon Tim!

Cheers Monfils

2005-08-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

I would like to send out a congratulations to Gael Monfils on his first ever ATP title. He defeated Florian Mayer of Germany to claim the IDEA Prokom Open in Poland. Mofils is a real exciting player to watch. Monfils is a really young French talent that has an enormous amount of pressure already on him. Hopefully this win will lead to many more in the future.

Have You Wikipediad Your Favourite Player Yet?

2005-08-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

I love wikipedia. If you have not taken advantage of wikipedia yet, i urge you to do so. It is a great free resource. As far as this website is concerned i urge you to go to wikipedia dot org and enter in your favorite tennis players name. This resource will amaze you. Regardless of the player, it will compile an enormous amount of information. Give it a try- you will not be dissapointed.

Great Federer Site

2005-08-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

I am a firm believer of supporting fellow bloggers. Today when i was researching for this blog i came across a great Roger Federer blog. You can find it here. Good work on the site, keep it up. Check them out if you have the time.

Blake v. Berdych

2005-08-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of playing within the court. 99% of the time the player that is playing within the court is winning the point. Marat Safin is a great example of a player that takes control of points by stepping into the court and riping the ball. Not many players have the ability to be offensive on defense, in reality the only player that does that successfully is Roger Federer. Lets be honest, your playing partner is not Roger Federer. Next time you are watching a match take notice of the players positioning on groundstrokes. Look who is trying to move forward on the ball. I can almost guarantee you the player that is taking the ball early will be controling the point and the match.