Giving your opponent a short ball essentially gives them more angles to work with. From that spot, you are playing a guessing game of where they might place the ball. This is a far more difficult point to battle for. Do yourself a favour and keep the ball deep! If you are up or , be sure to take risks! This is a perfect opportunity to try that serve and volley you have been working on, or go for that down-the-line forehand winner. To you, you are already leading the game and will, most likely, win. But by taking a risk, it will keep them on their toes and keep them second-guessing what your next shot will be.
This will work in your favour when the game is tied , or when you are losing, as your opponent may think you will go for that serve and volley where in reality you are going to be more conservative. Whether or not you think that Serena or Carlos were in the wrong, one can agree that at times they both lost their cool.
If you are reading this and do not know what I am talking about, I suggest that you stop reading and watch this conflict on YouTube.
More or less, what I am exuding to is the fact that both individuals had lost their cool at times during the match. What I mean by this statement is that emotions got the better of both individuals. They had lost their focus and became frustrated. Carlos was not as obvious as he was not yelling, but by the punishment that he handed Serena, it was evident that he was shaken by the instigation.
For Serena, it meant that it cost her a game. For Carlos, it damaged his reputation as an umpire in the tennis world. In a match, as soon as you lose your focus your opponent has already won. Not only does it affect you, but it also gives your opponent an opportunity to strike; to notice they are in your head and ultimately give them the extra added confidence to win.
To be fair, she was already down prior to the altercation with the umpire. However, any chance of coming back was completely gone. This major conflict between a tennis superstar and a reputable tennis umpire in the final of the US Open made me think about the tools an athlete must have in order to stay composed. If we are witnessing this happen to one of the greatest athletes of all time, then the chances are it can probably happen to us as well. When you are down a point, a game, or they have just doubled faulted, what would you do? I wanted to hear from some tennis gurus about what strategies they use to stay cool.
Both Kenny and Dana stressed the importance of having a routine! This is something that I have mentioned before in previous Fresh Takes. This cannot be emphasized enough; you must have a routine! For Dana, it is as simple as bouncing a ball on her racket against the ground several times before she serves. This lets her calm down and forget the previous point before moving on to the next.
Kenny only lets himself have seconds to be frustrated after a point and then he moves on. During this time, he often adjusts his strings to calm down and re-focus before the next point. This is something that I can definitely relate to. I often get caught in the moment when playing someone who has a quick serve routine, which makes me feel like I also have to rush. I have to be ready quicker because I do not want to make my opponent wait for me. But you are just as important! Do not start the point until you are ready as well. There is nothing worse than losing a point only to quickly lose the next.
Another important strategy is to breathe! It might sound like common sense and incredibly obvious, but you would be surprised how often players hold their breath during and after points. Breathing lets you relax your body and mind. Make sure to take nice deep breaths before every point, if you need it. I promise you will feel more refreshed and in turn you will be fresh.
This month I had the opportunity to sit down with the one and only Dana Radivojevic, a. Rad — a nickname Dana has decided to give herself since her last name is nearly impossible to pronounce. I will provides updates in the future if whether or not this nickname actually sticks. Dana is one of our lead coaches here at the UBC Tennis Centre and has been working here for the past four years. She is also a UBC students and future teacher about to begin the Bachelor of Education program this fall.
This is probably why she gave herself that nickname… it is all starting to make sense now. Whenever we hit after work or with other coaches in our free time, Dana impresses everyone and almost never misses. Serving is a skill that I am trying to work on, so I was naturally curious to pick her brain about her technique to have such consistency.
Dana not only gave me a couple of tips to help with my consistency, but was also kind enough to explain a game that you can play on your own. I thought some of you might benefit from her advice, so here it is! Below is our conversation. I think it is really important to establish a routine in order to get your mind focused. A huge part of serving is being able to be focused yet relaxed at the same time. Being able to calm down after a tough point and re-focus for the next is important. Having a routine is a must to get your head in the right space for the next point before you serve.
For me, I focus more on the mindset of serving rather than the physical aspects. By really taking your time and slowing it down, you can focus on the next point and gather all your thoughts. If you were to choose one physical element of serving, what would you consider to be the most important? The toss — having a consistent toss that you can count on and knowing how exactly to hold the ball. A toss can make or break your serve.
If you toss too far out front or too far behind, that can mess up your rhythm. So I think just having a consistent toss that you can fall back on is really important. This way the toss is more controlled and will translate to a consistent serve. What would you consider to be a good serving drill for both competitive and beginner players?
I like to play a game where you are practically playing a match against yourself. You start at and each time you serve in successfully that is a point for you. If you miss your first serve or it lands out, you get a second serve. If you miss your second serve, then that is a point for your imaginary opponent. A double fault would translate to For experienced players, you can create more of a challenge by having specific targets, such as serving down the tee or out wide.
Well there you have it folds. The on what it takes to have a consistent serve from one of the most consistent servers I know, Ms. Stay tuned to see if the nickname sticks. His quiet demeanour, sense of humor, and wealth of knowledge has made a tremendous impact on players and coaches alike. He is always happy to chat about the game of tennis, give coaching advice, or simply crack a joke.
On court when I am working alongside Bob, I will often entice him to tell a joke or two to the class, just to see the reactions from the kids to a punch-line that goes way over their heads… and usually over my head as well. As a tennis coach with only three years of experience, I am inspired to see someone who has been coaching for years and still has the passion and excitement on a daily basis.
First off, I am one of the oldest coaches, as a matter of fact I think I am the oldest coach here, and I enjoy working with young people.
VIDEO - Simona Halep’s emotional embrace with coach Darren Cahill
They keep me feeling young. I obviously love the game and I want to inspire kids to have the same enjoyment. Aside from coaching, Bob has also kept in touch with his competitive edge in tennis, as he has been invited to play for the national team on several occasions. This year I was again selected to go to Germany, unfortunately through family obligations and a minor health issue I have decided to not participate… but I am hoping to train again for next year and hopefully make the team.
It is always exciting to play for your country and it is a thrill to get asked. You have to be in the top four-to-six players in the country to get an invitation, so it is not easy, and you have to play a couple tournaments to get ranking points to potentially make a team. It is very competitive across the country and there are a lot of talented players so it is always exciting when you get asked.
As a coach and player, it is hard doing both because you are on the court a lot and then you obviously have to find time to train too. Only time will tell if Coach Bob will play on another national team. Until then the jokes will keep coming and the legend will keep building. It is unbelievable what can happen when one has an audience. An athlete playing in a tennis match with one person watching, three people, 50 people, people — it can either make you crack under pressure or, on the contrary, you can rise like a phoenix and embrace it.
Usually it is the former for beginners. Tall and lean, Garcia-Lopez carries himself like a tanned Spanish movie star, yet something is clearly bothering him. Garcia is the 32nd best player in the world, according to the ATP rankings. Djokovic can retain title. Djokovic can retain title At the moment, though, Garcia-Lopez is struggling just to get to get some rest. But what can you do? It's our life," he adds. Tennis is almost certainly the most individual of all professional sports. Matches can drag on for hours, with no coaching allowed in between breaks.
When you win as a singles player, the credit is all yours, and when you lose, you can't blame it on teammates. Off the court, the sport is just as individual as it is in between the baselines. Players are responsible for booking their own flights, accommodation and transfers not to mention those of their support staff , without overwhelming their budgets.
For the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray -- who frequently hop on private planes out of convenience -- handlers and personal assistants are the norm, offering a huge advantage over nearly everyone else on the tour. Could the disparity in lifestyles partly explain why top players maintain their foothold on single digit rankings year in and year out?
Sign Up For The Daily Serve
Since July , the aforementioned three plus current world No. Spaniard David Ferrer joined them in October and has been a fixture ever since. Meanwhile, outside of the dozen or so household names on the men's and women's circuits, tennis pros are often scrambling on short notice to lock in the best deals for their 30 to 40 weeks on the road each year. Most travel with their coaches, while some bring along friends and partners too. More rooms, more flights and more meals equal more costs. Kvitova plans her Wimbledon defense But like this, it's a really, really serious problem that you have to organize everything.
The modest two-bedroom apartment is set atop five flights of stairs with no elevator. A mattress is laid out on the floor of the living room for his coach Albert Portas, while Andujar uses the spare bedroom. He will move to an apartment just before Wimbledon starts.
Enjoying the game and feeling something that only a few people can feel on the court; that for me is being rich. Andujar has played in five of the past six Wimbledon singles tournaments, getting bounced out of the first round each time. Imagine having Rafa Nadal over to stay In the event that Andujar loses again, he says attending Wimbledon is still financially worthwhile -- at the very least, to pad his budget for further travel.
Both Garcia-Lopez and Andujar have reaped the benefits of being born into Spain's golden generation of players, when the sport took off in the s and training facilities mushroomed around the country. The downside, however, is that for all their talent and success they are currently ranked sixth and seventh in their homeland, losing out on any shot of lucrative sponsorship money. Had either of them been from countries that haven't produce clumps of players in the top 50, it would be a different story, according to Diego Dinomo, who coaches Garcia-Lopez.
Like nearly every player in the top , Garcia-Lopez has his clothing and rackets sponsored he's signed with Lacoste and Head , but gets little out of it other than free gear. The challenges of maintaining a grass court The sponsors want the players who don't need the money ," he explains. They are always on TV. We are also, sometimes, but not all the time, and the big companies want the exposure. Falconi, who has an incentive-based deal with the Japanese athletics brand Asics, applauds Sharapova for doing "an amazing job" at maintaining a high ranking touching No.
I need to know that if someone messes up, it's on me," she says, stressing that inputting passport numbers, dates of birth and names onto online booking forms are particularly worrisome when your livelihood depends on getting to a tournament on time. Real Tennis owes a great debt to Bruce for making available such an eclectic list of Real Tennis titles at prices the majority of collectors can afford. In his earlier life, Bruce was a renowned colonial administrator in mid-Africa. After returning to the UK, Bruce became Company Secretary to Oxfam, and this became a very important part of his life.
Tilden; 1st UK edition of ; pp; 8vo. Tilden wrote many book, ostensibly as coaching manuals but inevitably they all finished up as being biographical, historical, and often controversial. This tended to get him into trouble with USLTA who did not like his journalistic input, least of all his books. This title is very wide-ranging and deals with players, events, countries, and even his own artistic qualities.
The dust-wrapper on this book is chipped round the edges and has small loss on the spine and front covers. The French Musketeers were top of the world in terms of tennis at this time and often in constant head-to-head battles with Tilden and other leading players. At the time of writing he is described as Champion of the World. It is soundly constructed and well illustrated. It is slightly chipped at the base and has minor loss on the front edge. Tilden; 1st UK edition of ; pp; small 8vo.
Tennis Blog | UBC Recreation
The dust-wrapper is generally in good condition. Slight chips at the edges, a little darkened, otherwise as good as I have seen on this title. Burrow; 1st UK edition of ; pp; 8vo. The Referee of the Championships at Wimbledon for the last 18 years writes his memoires, not only about his time at Wimbledon but also about the many other less high profile events at which he has officiated. He was in charge throughout the period to , which included the domination of the game by the French and the Americans.
He is very observant and quite wry in his text. The dust-wrapper is sun-faded at the spine but is otherwise complete and in good condition. Wallis Myers; 1st UK edition of ; pp; 8vo.
- Boris Becker scotches rumours he will coach Zverev, Tennis News & Top Stories - The Straits Times.
- November/December 2018 Digital Edition.
- Josh Berry's Ace Impressions: King Federer's message to fans.
- Resumes & Cover Letters for Managers (Real-Resumes Series)!
- Wimbledon 2015: Below top 10, a life of budget dwellings and last-minute deals.
- Tax Policy, Women and the Law (Cambridge Tax Law Series)?
- Mary Walkers Lighthouse?
Lawn Tennis correspondent for The Telegraph, and competent lawn tennis player, Myers was able to write about the game from the late 19th century onwards, as he started playing in that era. He went on to become a travelling competitor, and then started writing books on the game. His triumph was editorship of the Ayres Lawn Tennis Almanack from to This book is full of marvellous personal reminiscences. The dust-wrapper lacks a portion of the lower spine 3cm x 3cm with only minor loss on the top edge.
This is the 2nd oldest Lawn Tennis title dust-wrapper that I have been able to offer in 18 years. This gives me the opportunity of honing the stock and releasing many books at low values. The condition of a few of these books may not be in my normal pristine state, though most of them are pretty good; this is reflected in the very low price.
Moss; c; 47 pp in pb; basic coaching manual. Jones; ; pp in hb; ex-lib; tactics, temperament and training to improve your game. Jones; ; 92 pp in large format hb; great colour pix illustrate this coaching manual. Creek; ; pp in hb; big-selling coaching manual. Dubey; ; pp in hb; a useful coaching manual published in India. Lethbridge; ; 90 pp in small format pb; a pocket coaching manual.
Stonebridge; ; 64 pp in pb; useful coaching manual. Murray; ; pp in hb; a book described as having all the secrets! Autographs are guaranteed original and correct: Please note that I have not viewed these videos, all of which are VHS. It sold in prodigious numbers at the Royal Albert hall and Ilie signed them all and posed for endless photographs.
Jonathan Edwardes organised the whole exhibition and I staged a display of books on the 2 sports. Some were for sale and these sold very well. Others were examples of the major classics, some of which I had never seen, and these caused considerable interest. Many visitors came and inspected the exhibits and we experienced considerable positive feedback. One great pleasure for me was to meet for the first time so many players from the USA and Australia with whom I have been dealing in books for 10 years or more.