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…
I often sit in meetings with other head coaches from a variety of sports at the college where I lead the men’s and women’s tennis programs. I attend forums and seminars, spending time trying to learn new ways to improve within the coaching profession. I share coaching stories with other instructors, and invariably, there is…
Hey fans of Roger Federer … this installment of “The Jensen Zone” is for you! Even if you do not have Federer as your favorite player, it is easy to respect the Swiss champion and his approach to sportsmanship, competition and appreciation for the game he plays. One thing that makes me sad is that…
A friend of mine just returned from a three-week trip to Japan and told me a story I found impossible to believe. This same story also brought tears to my eyes. It occurred at the end of a long day of shopping in Kyoto. She was in a very high-end department store and it was…
The 2015 Grand Slam season has concluded and on the men’s side, Novak Djokovic walked away with the U.S. Open trophy, defeating Roger Federer in four sets. Both Novak and Roger have had consistently solid years. They are both poster boys for the thread which I have woven into my articles during the previous year:…
Thank you, Roberta Vinci. Finally, someone has opened our eyes and made a clear statement: Tennis is not all about hitting the cover off the ball. Somehow, we all bought into the idea that the only way to play is to stay on the baseline and slug it out. Vinci showed us that simply changing…
The USTA has announced that its Player Development Division will host a series of coaching education symposiums geared to engage under-represented coaching communities. The overall goal of these symposiums is to continue USTA Player Development’s ongoing efforts to create a collaborative partnership with a full spectrum of its American tennis stakeholders. At the symposiums, USTA Player Development…