What is development? A buzzword? A marketing tool? The USTA Player Development's mission is "to develop world-class American players through a clearly-defined training structure and competitive pathway as well as through the implementation of a comprehensive coaching philosophy and structure." In my opinion, development is gradual growth where a student progresses from dependence to independence.

I had a problem with one of my students that drove me loco. An otherwise quick 12-year-old boy was confusingly slow on the court. One of the fastest sprinters in our program, he was slow and disorganized with in his movements. I was stumped until a friend of mine hinted I should look at his split-step.

Rafael Nadal won his eighth trophy in nine years, defeating fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-3 in the finals of the 2013 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, his 39th clay-court crown.

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin and tennis star Maria Kirilenko, are planning to get married. The Washington Capitals forward and two-time NHL MVP took to Twitter and announced: "We are engaged !!!!!!! )))))))))"

Rafael Nadal survived his Friday match at the 2013 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, defeating Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals. An eight-time defending champion at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, Nadal had only lost six sets at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament since winning the title for the first time in 2005. On Friday, however, he was tested by Dimitrov, as he dictated play for large periods of the second and third sets.

A recent article by Fritz Buehning in the January/February 2013 issue of New York Tennis Magazine on string technology was a refreshing reminder of how important it is for tennis professionals and coaches at the grassroots level to stay informed and to take a lead in educating the tennis community regarding equipment and technological advances.

Just because he won four of his six ASICS Easter Bowl matches after dropping the first set--and five total three-setters--doesn’t mean that Gage Brymer enjoys playing in them. “No, I don’t really like them,” was Brymer’s response to a question posed by USTA First Vice President Katrina Adams, who was handling Tennis Channel on-court commentating duties following the unseeded Brymer’s 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, win over Luca Corinteli in the Boy’s 18s ITF singles final on the final day of the 46th annual event ...

Brooke Austin just can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to draws in Southern California tournaments. Faced with a very tough draw in the Girls 18s Division in four consecutive important ITF events in Southern California over the past two years, the 17-year-old Indianapolis resident survived three match points to upset top-seeded Jamie Loeb of Ossining, N.Y., 5-7, 7-6(7), 6-3, in the second round of the 46th annual ASICS Easter Bowl.

A match that featured early uncertainty for Serbia’s Novak Djokovic finished as another victory for the world’s number one player and his country, as Djokovic shook off an early ankle injury to defeat world number 20 Sam Querrey, the top-ranked American, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-0, in the Davis Cup World Group Quarterfinal tie, 3-1, on an indoor hard court at Boise State University’s Taco Bell Arena.

Can you really make huge strides in your game in just one hour? Absolutely. The key is to be organized, have a plan and don’t waste time. In this article, I am going to provide a foolproof workout that, done regularly, will make you a better player in a very short period of time. It may be tough going at first but you will soon find improvement.

I have an idea for what could be the most boring video game of all time … imagine a large blob that doesn't move, cannot fire back and you get unlimited opportunities to shoot it. Unfortunately, young players tell me that this game is not in the same league as Mortal Kombat because it presents no obstacle to success.