"Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around it or through it."—Bruce Lee This last weekend inspired me to remember that the heart of a champion refuses to quit with the adamant belief they will succeed. Now I'm no…
Venus versus Serena, Roger versus Rafa in a Grand Slam finals. It happened this weekend after a nine-year hiatus and it was well worth the wait. The storylines were dramatic and the stakes were high. Serena was going after Grand Slam title number 23, hoping to break her modern record tie with Steffi Graf and…
The new shiny USTA Center in Lake Nona, Fla. looks amazing, but looks aren't everything when it comes to building champions. This beautiful facility is 64 acres on a $63 million dollar (at least) campus with more than 100 tennis courts. The USTA claims that it is the "Most technologically advanced facility in the world,"…
A new study in The British Journal of Sports Medicine using data from 11 health surveys for England and Scotland between 1994 and 2008 suggests that tennis reduces mortality rates 47 percent, the highest rate of any sport studied. In comparison, swimmers had only a 28 percent reduction in mortality rate. The tennis industry is…
Andy Murray is the world's number one for 2016, and no one is arguing … not even Novak Djokovic who said after losing the Tour Finals in London, "Andy is definitely number one in the world." Well no one except for the venerable magazine Newsweek with the article "HOW TENNIS'S FLAWED RANKING SYSTEM MADE ANDY…
Should I play high school tennis? It's a question that every highly-ranked player confronts (along with should I attend school or should I be home-schooled?). It wasn't always this way … Once upon a time in a tennis universe far away, almost every top player attended and competed for their high school. I can go…
WTA CEO Steve Simon has proposed that professional tennis singles match scoring be modified to include no-ad scoring and third set "super tie-breakers similar to the changes made in doubles so that match length will be shorter and more predictable. The world's number one player Novak Djokovic has strongly endorsed this change and I couldn't…
Facility and grounds Really like the ultra-modern, spacious look. It's almost hard to recognize the new steel, glass and tension fabric facility from its former "concrete jungle" motif. It's what I always envisioned the U.S. Open of the future would look like. Grade: A Covered stadium No rainouts, no wind, ultra-cool and a little cold….
The U.S. Open is a great event, and we are blessed to be so close to the action, but a trip to the Open can be hot, crowded and expensive. To best enjoy the Open, it's useful to know how to negotiate the experience and here are a few suggestions. 1. Dress for the weather…
The Wimbledon Championships have been over for a week, so it's time for some reflection. It's a bit interesting that the new Men's Champion is defined mostly by defense and the new Women's Champion by incredible offense. It would seem that the power gap between the men's and women's game is getting thinner. No man…