Paul Annacone was born and raised on the East End of Long Island before going on to carve out a decorated career in the sport of tennis. The Long Island native graduated from East Hampton High School before moving on to the University of Tennessee, where he would win the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Player…
Knowledge is power and even though I have been in tennis for more than 30 years, there are a lot of rules that I learned or wasn’t sure about when I read Friend at Court, The Official USTA Rulebook. In the last issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine, I covered some of these rules. This…
Consistent strokes, footwork, fitness, visual skills and mental clarity … all of these tennis skills are essential to consistently winning on the court. But only one of these crucial skills makes almost every shot a good one. It’s that impossible-to-overemphasize visual ability to steady the eyes and head at the point of contact when the…
Patience. Patience. Patience. Patience is one simple word that has big meaning and impact on your game. Said once is not enough. One time turns into three: Patience, Patience, Patience. At some point in your tennis quest, it’s likely that you’ll reach a level of frustration that sends you in search of answers. Ninety-nine times…
In the fall of 2015, we are confronted with young people owning every gadget you can possibly think of, such as the iPhone. You have a computer that fits in the palm of your hand that you can do miraculous things with. A computer 40 years ago could not do half the things our iPhones…
The new year brings a chance to set goals for the following playing season. Most professional tennis players do this religiously. There is ample evidence that establishing goals and writing down a plan is effective for game improvement. After years of working with the highest level tennis players on Long Island, this is what I…
Per-se-vere Synonyms: persist, carry on, keep going, struggle on, keep at it, press on, stand firm, hold on, stay the course. When I was a junior player, I was told that in order to be a champion, I had to be a great “fighter.” In hindsight, I wish I had been told that, to be…
Most tennis players wish they could practice exclusively with better players despite the zero sum impracticality. This means that we cannot all hit up all the time because if one player is hitting "up," the other is hitting "down." Still, some players are able to overcome this challenge and are sought out by top competitors…
It's that time of year when you wish the snow would melt and the skies would clear for some real tennis fun! For the players on the pro tour, that fun is played at the "Happy Slam!" The Aussie Open, played at the end of January for two weeks, serves as a springboard into the…
Imagine this … you just turned pro. You play a few tournaments, and in your first year, your record is 2-3. Okay, fair enough as you’re just getting into things. In your second year, your record is 12-14. You play two Davis Cup matches and lose both and then lose in the first round of…