The 800 Pound Gorilla in the Room

By Steven Kaplan
The 800 pound gorilla in the room of professional tennis discussion is performance enhancement drug (PED) use. I Googled "Nadal" and "Steroids" and got over 1,100,000 results. I am clearly not alone in my suspicions. In fairness, many elite athletes are under suspicion of using steroids or other...Read more

The Code

By Steven Kaplan
"So what .... who cares ... it was a good promotion for the sport ..." are some of the more prominent examples of feedback I have gotten from my blog "Mixed Signals," in which I suggested that the Chris Evert & Mike Greenberg match was fixed. No denials, just rationalizations for why it was...Read more

The 10 Pro Matches I Remember Most

By Ricky Becker
It's fun making lists..... 1989 French Open Michael Cheng def. Ivan Lendl - This gave hope to every American junior at the time. 2009 Wimbledon Roger Federer def. Andy Roddick- Recent but disappointing that Roddick couldn't pull out a second Slam. 2008 Wimbledon Rafael Nadel def. Roger Federer -...Read more

Mixed Signals

By Steven Kaplan
What do "One-on-One Doubles" tournaments, "Beach Tennis" tournaments and "QuickStart Tennis" tournaments have in common? The answer is ... these events, while greatly valuable, should not be understood as the heart and soul of tennis. They are tennis competitions, rather than traditional...Read more

Viva La Paris

By Steven Kaplan
I have a special love for the French Open, which is starting in a few weeks. Roland Garros is truly unique in that it is a beautiful, intimate club much like The West Side Tennis Club, the former home of The U.S. Open. It is a civilized place with exhilarating, strategic tennis aided by the slowed...Read more

My Opinion: What’s the Story With the Future?

By Eric Meditz
“Eric, you seem like a really smart guy. What do you think will be the next big weapon in tennis?” I hear this question a lot, especially about the part of me being really smart. Now first off, before I go into all of my rambling, I want to make it clear that I cannot predict the future. In fact, I...Read more

Young and Immature

By Steven Kaplan
In a way, it's refreshing to hear someone named "Donald" making the news other then Mr. Trump. Donald Young ranted against the USTA on Twitter after losing his French Open Wild Card qualifying match as reported by Long Island Tennis Magazine . I think Mr.Young needs to search inward to find the...Read more

Random Thoughts....

By Ricky Becker
Maybe I should follow pro tennis more. I was sitting in the doctor's office today when I picked up Newsday. (What has happened to Newsday anyway? That used to be a good paper.) Anyways, I'm going through the sports section and see the results of the U.S/Germany relegation match. I vaguely remember...Read more

The Importance of Sportsmanship

By Steven Kaplan
The etiquette and rules of tennis form a code of conduct for the sport. Adherence to "The Code" is the foundation of "sportsmanship," and responsible parents and coaches should teach and reinforce fair play. I cannot think of a time in which I have been more impressed by players' sportsmanship then...Read more

Treeing and Crying Babies

By Ricky Becker
In case you don't know, the term "treeing" means playing over ones head. It essence it means he/she is getting lucky. To me this is the ultimate sign of disrespect towards a player and seriously puts the accuser in a negative light. And I hate when people say this aloud. People aren't idiots. When...Read more

Cry Baby Cry

By Steven Kaplan
Spain's David Ferrer fired a tennis ball in the direction of a distracting, crying baby in the stands while on his way to losing to Mardy Fish in the quarterfinals of the Miami Masters this past Wednesday. In his post-match interview, Ferrer said about the incident, "It was in one moment of the...Read more

Oxy-Morons

By Steven Kaplan
The USPTA [United States Professional Tennis Association] and USPTR [United States Tennis Registry] are organizations that provide accreditation for tennis teaching professionals. In order to be called a "Tennis Professional" by these organizations, members must successfully complete a standardized...Read more
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