Caroline Wozniacki has fired her coach, Ricardo Sanchez, after two months. Sanchez responded by saying, "Wozniacki … she must be more aggressive." He continued by adding, "Wozniacki should be a racehorse, not a pack horse." Perhaps if Coach Sanchez called his student a "pack horse" sooner, Wozniacki would have displayed her aggressiveness on the court,…
The energy expenditure numbers in the five-hour, 53-minute epic, Australian Open men’s finals are astonishing. According to Dave Martin, senior sports physiologist at the Australian Institute of Sports, and David Hornery, author of the report, "A Review on Fatigue in Tennis," Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal ran approximately 1,100, 10-meter sprint intervals in the match covering…
The giants of tennis keep moving forward at the Australian Open. Four Grand slam winners, as well as the top four seeds, are still alive on the men’s side in the quarterfinals including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and former U.S. Open Champion, the 11th-seeded but always dangerous, Juan Martin Del Potro….
Forgive me if I’m slightly underwhelmed by the news as reported by Longislandtennismagazine.com that the Tennis Channel will have, "Thirteen Days of Televised Match Coverage for Australian Open." It’s a reminder that since last September, very few Long Island households get the Tennis Channel since Cablevision and Verizon dropped coverage of this network and are…
I’ve just returned from my annual holiday mountain biking trek to Tucson, Ariz. It’s not easy for me to escape from tennis responsibilities while in Tucson because the 12’s and 14’s Winter Super Nationals are here, and this year, five of my players competed. While watching a student one afternoon in the Boys 14’s, I…
Each Sunday morning, I direct the Reebok Academy for The City Parks Foundation at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. This past Sunday, I was asked if Fernando Verdasco could use one of our courts. It was a request I couldn’t refuse. Up close, Verdasco is an imposing athlete; powerfully built, he looks more…
The USTA rules against coaching during matches are unambiguous; it’s not allowed except during breaks. Coaching is defined as: "Any communication between players and parents, coaches and spectators." How widespread is this illegal practice? USTA.com writes in the "Improve Your Game " section, "Maria Sharapova gets coached every match, not just semis and finals. In fairness…
Long Island Tennis Magazine asked me in the November/December 2011 edition: At what age or level, if any, does home-schooling become necessary for a serious tennis player? I summarized by stating "While the tennis rewards of home schooling are undeniable, the educational compromise and risk engendered by this road make it all too often a…
Hannah Camhi hasn’t quit school to play tennis, instead, she stays after class as she has done since eighth grade to lead the team. Hannah doesn’t see education as an obstacle to her goal of being a top ranked player, instead, she recognizes her tennis as a way to further her education. It has helped…
The Syosset Girls Varsity Tennis team has been declared 2011 Long Island Champions by default and justice has been served (no pun intended). I have little to add about this sorry event because Longislandtennismagazine.com has finally stopped snuggling in editorial Switzerland and projected a strong editorial voice in "Controversy Hits the 2011 LI High School…