In the first half of this recent Super Bowl, San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick was shut down by the Baltimore defense. His "play action" fake handoffs to his running backs were just awful and fooled absolutely no one. As an analogy to tennis, disguise in shot-making can be an effective method to take away time…
In the third set, it seemed that Serena had fully recovered from a back ailment. Both women were serving well, hitting great groundstrokes. Many of the rallies were long standoffs. However, the game-changer was that Sloane was very comfortable and adept at coming to the net. She had a great feel for her approach shots,…
I Googled "Tennis" today at 4:00 p.m. and the first news story that came up is about an estate auction of Arthur Ashe’s trophies and wisdom teeth. Besides being bizarre and slightly disturbing, it seems to demonstrate a real lull in tennis news that this is the top story. The number two entry is an…
Sloane Stephens is the real deal and that’s great news for U.S. tennis. She is a star in the making and has the power, speed and temperament to be a truly exceptional player for many years ahead. As of this writing, she is getting ready to face Serena Williams in the quarterfinals of the Australian…
Instinctively knowing what to do and doing it automatically. Comes from long and hard practice. Be decisive. Stay with the shot. It’s simple. It works. It must be automatic. It is the holy grail of tennis.
The U.S. Open is increasing its prize money by a "record" $4 million in 2013. The Open will also add an extra day with the Men’s Finals to be played on Monday. According to Jon Vegosen USTA Chairman of the board and president, "The record increase in U.S. Open prize money and the changes in next…
Taylor Townsend, the 16-year-old from Stockbridge Ga., became the first American female in 30 years to be ranked number one for the year by the ITA. USTA.com reports: "The effervescent Townsend trains at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla. with national coach Kathy Rinaldi and is known for taking the court with…
I was watching NOVA on Channel 13 last night. It was about the brain. The speaker was describing how when she was young, she had a chance to make the U.S. Olympic soccer team as a goalie. On the day she was being scouted, she said that she "choked" and let an easy shot pass under…
According to USTA.com, the USTA hosted a "listening session" on Saturday, Nov. 24 at The 14s National Open in Connecticut with regard to the proposed changes in the 2014 junior competition structure. "We are here for one reason," said incoming president Dave Haggerty, "and that is to listen and learn." This same article further states,…
So many of us on Long Island, in New York City and the entire Tri-State area have been deeply impacted by the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, it’s overwhelming. Things are far from normal for many people and will not be for a long time. I was relatively lucky, a few trees on my home…