Featured Post

Last call for the gotta play tennis podcast

Sunday, April 29, 2012

NEWS: The Reign in Spain continues with Rafael Nadal

Another clay court title for the Spaniard
Two of the best players that the country of Spain has ever produced are no doubt Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer. So it should be no huge surprise that they were the ones to face off in the finals of the the Barcelona Open BancSabadell in Barcelona, Spain. The first set was a spectacular display of quality ball striking as the grunts produced by the two men showed their effort into each shot. When the clay dust cleared, Nadal had taken the tightly contested first set in a tiebreaker. The second set saw Nadal taking an early break, but Ferrer–ever the fighter–fought back and found himself at 5-6 in the second set and serving to stay alive. Nadal was to have none of that however after 2 hours and 40 minutes, as he became the only player in history to have won two tournaments at least 7 times.  
    In 2012, he has already won the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on red clay for the 8th time, and he took away his 48th ATP World Tour career title with the win in Barcelona. Ironically, David Ferrer has actually taken one more match this year than Nadal and has an additional championship trophy to his name for his troubles. 
    Nonetheless, Rafael Nadal walked away the champion of this matchup and is no doubt the man to beat for the remainder of the clay court season. 

Monday, April 23, 2012

NEWS: Nadal once again owns the red clay in Monte-Carlo with a win over Djokovic

Nadal congratulated by Djokovic
When is an upset not an upset? That depends on your definition. The world number one, Novak Djokovic, went up against a man he has beaten the last seven times in the last 18 months–Rafael Nadal–and lost. This took place at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in a dream final for a tournament director. When you get the two best players in the world–known rivals–to showcase your event by battling it out on the red clay, you have something special.
    As far as the rivalry is concerned, their performance at the Australian Open earlier this year was a much better performance with more drama and flip-flopping leads. Novak has been struggling all week while dealing with the grief of losing his grandfather during the term of this event. But professionals of his stature have a will of steel which will not bend until perhaps going up against nothing but the best. That describes Nadal on clay as he has won the last seven finals in Monte-Carlo. In this match, Rafa was the unabated windstorm who kept the pressure on Novak the entire match. The result was a less-than-stellar performance in return from Djokovic who lost by an uncharacteristic score of 3-6, 1-6. Hitting 25 unforced errors versus 11 winners for the match is no contest against probably the best the red dirt has ever seen.
    Djokovic may have struggled with mixed emotions about continuing to play tennis while feeling the loss of a very close family member, but that is not to take anything away from Rafael Nadal's performance. The Spaniard once again showed  how dominant he can be, and now with this win over Djokovic, he has broken the stranglehold Novak has had over him over the last 18 months. No one said it better than Nadal himself when he commented, during the trophy presentation, "after seven times, thanks for this one." Novak smiled and patted Nadal on the shoulder, but there is no doubt this rivalry will continue to heat up as the tennis year moves on.
    Congratulations to Rafael Nadal as the 2012 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters men's singles champion. 

Saturday, April 21, 2012

EPISODE 89 (Podcast): When OPPORTUNITY knocks, open the door

Matches are won or lost on only a few critical points. When opportunities present themselves, it's essential to evaluate the circumstances, plot the counter-tactic, and proceed with implementation. Since tennis only allows a few seconds for all this processing, we need a roadmap that identifies common routes to success.


Subscribe in iTunes:

Friday, April 13, 2012

NEWS: USA into the semifinals of the Davis Cup with Isner standing tall

The U.S. may be looking down the mountain for a change in Davis Cup action thanks to 6'9" John Isner. Currently ranked number 9 in the world and rising fast, Isner IS the mountain to climb. Defending champion Spain–three times a winner in the last four years–is the next opponent for the Team USA camp's quest for the Davis Cup as Isner and company took out a feisty French team in the quarterfinals this early April by a score of 3-2. 
    The win was clinched when Isner beat Joe Wifred-Tsonga in four sets by the score of 6-3, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-3. Big John had already defeated Frances' Gilles Simon two days prior, and along with a win in doubles by the Bryan Brothers, a large task fell to the now Davis Cup veteran Isner as he faced world number 5 Tsonga. No problem, right? After all, Isner only took out Roger Federer by a score of 4-6 6-3 7-6 6-2-feds first loss in Davis Cup in 8 years-as the US defeated the Swiss team 5-0. 
    American captain Jim Courier–himself a 4 time Grand Slam title champion–feels very confident that his team's momentum will carry them into a formidable battle with Spain. Said Courier, "Spain, we’d probably lose it on paper. “But they don’t play it on paper. We have to play it and we have players who are capable and passionate and hungry. We’re going to be the underdog but we’ll be ready to play.”
    The U.S.A. has been the Davis Cup champions 32 times, but they have fallen short since their last win in 2007.

NEWS: Announcing FREE QuickStart Tennis Family Event in Sicklerville, NJ

Gloucester Twp. Community Park
Peter Cheeseman and Hickstown Roads
Sicklerville, NJ

Sponsored by Ron Miller of Gotta Play Tennis 
and Gotta Play Tennis Kids
in cooperation with Gloucester Twp. Recreation

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

EPISODE 88 (Podcast): Weapons of Mass CONSTRUCTION

We'll take a look at four underrated shots in today's tennis and evaluate  how these offensive and defensive weapons can help us construct a point.






Subscribe in iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/gotta-play-tennis/id310096949

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

FAVORITE SITES: Timeless Tennis by Gary Bala

Posted: Sunday, April 8, 2012
Tennis Quote: Wanna Have Better Tennis Concentration? Get Back to Nature . . .


"Philosophers, writers and laypeople alike have long suspected that interacting with nature can have a positive effect on our ability to operate at our best. Recently, scientists have confirmed these...read more

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

REFLECTIONS: Plan "B" on the court

One of the careers I have been involved in along life's journey has been education. But for as much of the planner that I am, things do not always go as expected in the classroom. Therefore, when lesson plans are out the window, there needs to be a "Plan B."
    I began hitting again in 2012 thanks to the unseasonably warm weather this year. In this part of the upper northeast, I typically need wait until early April to be outside on the court (I rarely have played indoors  during the winter months). Last week was my third venture to the public park, and my hitting partner of several years and I have been working to regain the remnants of how we left our strokes back in mid-December of last year. Interestingly enough, we did retain quite a  bit. Session 1 was a great start, and session 2 continued along the right path. But session 3 was something I was not expecting. Usually one anticipates that they will peak sometime in the season when all has come together–physically, mentally, and emotionally. Early season hitting is expected to be the hard work and tuning that greases the wheels towards better ball striking.
    Then there was session 3. The ball seemed to always be in my wheelhouse. The court sucked my shots down to its surface. And my power and commitment to each stroke was, in my evaluation, off the charts (from my hitting experience). Power, consistency, tactics all clicked in combination. It felt AWESOME!
    Then there was hitting session 4. How do I follow a week in which I have had my best ball-striking ever? How do you NOT feel a letdown after the exhilaration of feeling at the top of your game? Well, there was a letdown indeed. Shots that always landed in the week before with pace and spin were missing their mark. Power was throttled as the timing was not exactly right. The ball found itself outside that ideal hitting spot more often than not. I felt a bit flat and underwhelmed by my performace.
    Enter "Plan B."  If PACE and hitting on pure talent was not winning me the rallies, and since it was obvious that the magic of a perfectly timed kinetic chain was not to be, then CONTROL was the new black (as opposed to pink). I transitioned my game from high-racquet speed, pulverizing forehands and solidly-driven backhands to shorter but extremely accurate placements. I mixed up the pace and spin, and most importantly, continued to place the ball always just slightly out of reach. Never underestimate how much this both physically and mentally wears out an opponent. Drop shots and sidespin slices became standard fare and worked their magic indeed.
    As I've gotten older, I've most definitely become a much smarter and better player. But we all have our good days and bad ones. A bad day is when I leave the court and think of shots that might have been. But with experience comes the ability to turn things around. To keep doing what is not working, and expecting to get better results, is not intelligent tennis. Thanks to having the courage and practiced-skills to execute a "Plan B", I now believe that I can, more often than not, turn an initially disappointing hitting session into a fighting chance to leave the court with my head held high. And if we walk away uninjured, having had a great workout, and leave with a feeling of accomplishment, can we expect any more of ourselves or this game than this?

Monday, April 2, 2012

NEW CONTENT OF NOTE: Stitcher Smart Radio and Gotta Play Tennis–a match you don't want to miss!

Are you taking advantage of 
Sticher Smart Radio™ yet?

If not, you had better see this video.


Click above for a  Stitcher Smart Radio special offer
and a chance to win a $100 cash card

Use promo code "tennis"

NEWS: Novak no Djoker in win over Murray in Miami

Joining an elite group of only two others who have hoisted this trophy for the third time, Novak Djokovic repeated as champion at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida on Sunday, April 1st. In the good company of Andre Agassi and Peter Sampras–both three time winners–Novak took the win from the 2009 titleist Andy Murray by a score of 6-1, 7-6(4).
    Although April 1st is traditionally known as April Fools Day in the states, a day earmarked for one to play practical jokes or hoaxes on one another, Novak was no Djoker. He totally dismantled Andy Murray in the fist set with offensive powerful forehands, defensive all court coverage, and the overall solid play we have come to expect from the man sometimes referred to as simply Nole.
    The second set was a horse of a different color–91 minutes in length–as this seesaw battle went the distance (in two sets) and was settled in a tiebreaker 7 points to 4. In the end, Novak come through with some strong serving and relentless groundstrokes that absorbed the Murray offensive push and gave it back in spades. 
    Since January of 2011, Djokovic has won 4 of 6 matches between the two. But Murray's recent win over Novak in the semifinal round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in straight sets, and his epic 5-set loss in the semi's of the 2012 Australian Open, show that Andy certainly has the chops to give the world number one something to think about each time they take the court.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

REFLECTIONS: Something is missing from P.E. in schools


Maybe it is just me, but something seems to be missing from P.E. in public schools in the U.S. Besides the smelly sweat socks and aroma of wintergreen-scented muscle soreness cream I recall from my youth, team sports was the curriculum most impressed upon us. It seemed like the gym class mission for every student in this country was to be taught how to hit and run bases in baseball, defend and attack a soccer goal, and play a man-to-man defense in basketball. Track and field events were a close second as we seemed to be always working towards running the elusive comfortable mile.
    But times have changed. Or have they? I am not and have never been a teacher of physical education in schools so I don't pretend to have any idea of the content in their curriculum. In other words, I am far from a P.E. expert. However, it seems to make sense that our youth would be given the same level of instruction in sporting endeavors that included both individual and team oriented activities. That was not what I experienced.
    This time of year, or actually further into the season (since it has been so unseasonably warm this year in March), students would be pushed onto a tennis court with ancient racquets, tennis balls only suitable for one's pet, and little to no instruction about technique, scoring, strategy, or movement. I can't really blame the teachers since I know all too well from my own educational experience how much content they are probably required to cram into about a 185-day school year. But it is clear that tennis in NOT a priority in the curriculum. It seems to barely be a blip on the radar.
    So no one cares about tennis you say? I beg to differ. We just recently finished the BNP Paribas Open located in Indian Wells, California. The largest of the combined ATP World Tour (men) and WTA (women) events, it broke attendance records for the sixth straight year and welcomed 370,408 fans to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden during this two-weeks of world class tennis. Certainly attendance like this as a U.S. tennis event must warrant another look at the growing popularity of tennis and how much emphasis we place on sports in schools that we are unlikely to actively pursue past our school years. How many parents over the age of 40 play soccer, football, baseball, or run track and work on standing broad jumps? In other words, it seems that kids are being primed for sideline-adults who become content to simply follow their favorite teams instead of enjoying a scaled-back version of healthy athletic action.
   The last time I checked, tennis was A LIFETIME SPORT. Certainly it is not the only one since golf ranks highly in this category. But I challenge you to compare the physical advantages gained by hitting tennis balls in a court versus a golf ball on a course. Notice any overweight tennis players on tour versus what we see on the PGA? That could be because the ATP and WTA players are hitting balls about every few seconds while golfers take a swing maybe every few minutes or even longer. Oh, and there is no cart in tennis that takes you to the next shot.
   The reason I bring this up is that my continued observation of teenagers on the courts show that most have absolutely no clue about anything tennis. They are having fun, getting exercise, and breathing in relatively fresh air. This is all good. But they seem to have learned nothing from P.E. classes about this sport, and it is a shame that their level of frustration grows quickly as they miss one shot after another due to a lack of even rudimentary knowledge of stroke production or court positioning. Why would any kid want to keep pursuing a sport that schools care so little about. I know in my high school, most of the sports budget went to the football team. I wonder how many from the team are playing football today? My athletic pursuit was the tennis team, and decades later I'm still running around the court. I may have not been one of the highly popular football jocks, but at least I'm still using the skills I started developing in my youth. This is simply the nature of a lifetime sport.
    Is is possible we can elevate the status of tennis just a bit as we see the well-documented healthy and worthwhile activity it could be in our public school systems? Tennis has a low barrier to entry, free public court availability, can be played day and night (where lighting is in place) and needs as few as two people for participation. If we could just break out of the "must be a team sport" mentality and realize that LIFE is an individual sport that brings the following: your individual report card, your individual high school diploma, your individual college degree, your individual résumé, your individual interview, your individual job, etc.
   No man is an island, and we must interact with each other in a synergistic fashion for maximum results. There is little doubt that teamwork is an extremely valuable lesson. But you might think that P.E. teachers never heard of the Davis Cup where the best international tennis athletes come together and compete for their county on a team of players who on any other given day would be their individual competition at tournaments. Perhaps we could pay attention to the individual-effort sports just a little bit more. Physical Education in schools seems like it would be a great place to promote the lifetime activity of tennis in order for one to potentially gain a healthier and more energetic lifestyle. Screaming for your favorite team from the couch may be fun, but actually competing head-to-head in an athletic activity is much better for you and unquestionably more aerobic.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

EPISODE 87 (Podcast): The key qualities of a tennis instructor

How do you know if someone is a good fit for you, or your child, when it comes to adding or growing tennis in your life? Here are a few characteristics to look for in a good tennis instructor.







Subscribe in iTunes:


Sunday, March 18, 2012

FAVORITE SITES: Timeless Tennis by Gary Bala

Posted: Sunday, March 18, 2012
The 2012 BNP Paribas Open Championships at Indian Wells, CA USA
Indian Wells, CA - Like fine wine or cheese, he just keeps getting better with age...read more

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

FAVORITE SITES: Timeless Tennis by Gary Bala

Posted: Sunday, March 4, 2012
Energy! It's the Foundational Force in Tennis and the Universe...

Energy in the Universe
On October 04, 2011, three U.S.-trained physicists, Saul Perlmutter, Brian Schmidt and Adam Riess, won the Nobel Prize in Physics for a stunning discovery...read more

Sunday, March 4, 2012

NEWS: Federer continues his winning ways as he takes the Dubai Duty Free title



After losing in the semifinals of the U.S. Open to Novak Djokovic in 2011, one might have thought that the now thirty-year-old Roger Federer might have had a let down. After all, he has won 16 Grand Slam titles and is certainly always discussed when considering a name for the best tennis player of all time. But since that loss, Roger Federer has won 33 of his last 35 matches. 
    The 2012 title and trophy from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is now his for the fifth time in 10 years as he defeated No. 4 Andy Murray by a score of 7-5, 6-4. "It's great. There is no substitute to confidence," said Federer. And why wouldn't this Swiss maestro be confident. This is his second victory at a final in three weeks having taken the ABM AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam where he beat No. 10 Juan Martin in straight sets.
    Andy Murray had been hoping to capture the Dubai title after soundly beating world No. 1  Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals by a score of 6-2, 7-5. When asked about the tournament, Murray replied, "But overall it was a good week. It was perfect preparation for the stretch over in America. Got through very tough matches against top, top players, so it was good."
    Federer is playing some very inspired tennis in the twilight of his career as he eyes more Grand Slam trophies for himself as well as a potential Gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The year started off in spectacular fashion for tennis at the Australian Open, and if the tennis  continues to sizzle with performances from Federer and the other top players we have seen so far, we are all in for a real treat.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

NEWS: Tennis Night in America 2012



Tennis continues to grow in the U.S. as it returns to Madison Square Garden, New York, NY on Monday, March 5th, for the BNP Paribas Showdown.The event also known as "Tennis Night in America" has annually marked the start of the tennis season in the United States. A month of professional events follows that include the BNP Paribas Open and Sony Ericsson Open.
    Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA says "The night is sure to generate momentum for youth tennis and create excitement for spring and summer programs at facilities nationwide." Special events and programs are rolling out across the country designed to get more kids playing the sport for a lifetime. This is the USTA’s largest-ever youth tennis recruitment effort.And there has never been a better time to involve kids in tennis with the new 10 and Under Tennis format internationally accepted as the standard for youth enjoyment, progress and competition in the game. 
    The BNP Paribas Showdown 2012 will showcase two matches: three-time Grand Slam champion and currently world number 2 Maria Sharapova of Russia takes on Caroline Wozniaki of Denmark ranked number 4. Following this ladies battle, All-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer of Switzerland goes up against U.S. favorite Andy Roddick. They will revisit their intense battle at the 2009 Wimbledon championships where Federer captured his 15th Grand Slam title–breaking the tie with Pete Sampras for the most in history–during the five set marathon that lasted four hours and 16 minutes on Centre Court at the All-England Club. Both ladies and gentlemen's matches are set for best two-out-of-three sets. 
    "Playing in Madison Square Garden has always been a dream of mine,” said Sharapova. “Everyone wants to play there at least once in their career. I look forward to coming back to New York for the Showdown."Roddick added, "I have never had a chance to play at the Garden before and to play Roger there will make it a special night. I am really looking forward to a great event."
    The BNP Paribas Showdown is produced by MSG Sports and StarGames. Tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, online at www.thegarden.com and all Ticketmaster outlets. For more information fans can visit www.tennisshowdown.com.
    In 2011, four tennis legends took the court: John McEnroe vs. Ivan lendl  and Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi. These were the first nationally-televised professional matches on a court with 60-foot blended lines, for the 10 and Under Tennis program, on a 78-foot regulation court. This event became THE event to showcase professional tennis legends as well as display the new way of tennis with shorter courts, smaller racquets and softer and slower tennis balls designed for youth.

Friday, February 24, 2012

EPISODE 86 (Podcast): Retrieval, Response, and Release zones on the court

Court positioning may be important in tennis, but it is really what we do with it that counts. We'll divide the court into three zones and discuss the possibilities.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

NEWS: Roger Federer wins the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament

Roger's 2nd career win at this venue

It was a very good 1 hour and 26 minutes for Roger Federer at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Tournament director Richard Krajicek must have been sporting a wide grin when Roger Federer, number four in the world, and Juan Martin DelPotro, the current number ten player, took the court for the final. Federer controlled the match rather comfortably by a score of 6-1, 6-4 and extended his winning streak of at least one ATP World Tour title each season for 12 years in a row.
Roger looked good on the court as he flowed like a gushing river devouring all in its path. Del Potro had his moments, but on the clutch break points, could not capitalize on any Federer let down. Although the tennis itself was enjoyable to see, and no doubt  Roger felt good about establishing himself agains the man who beat him in the 2009 U.S. Open finals, what stunned me moreover was what I read afterwards.

As one would expect, there was a trophy ceremony. And just as expected, the requisite press conference followed. What still amazes me however are the six TV interviews Roger gave–using three different languages. To be blessed with so much athletic talent, and to have a mind and linguistic ability such as his, always seems a little unfair to us mere mortals. But then again, even in the twilight of his career at age 30, he is still Roger Federer.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

NEWS: The season that never ends, and a quarterfinal slot by Tennis Team USA

Imagine life after FOOTBALL especially when it isn't called BASKETBALL. Yes, there is actually an international sport taking place that should warm the cockles of even the reddest-blooded national sports fan. It is called the Davis Cup, and the sport is tennis. What, isn't that a fair weather sport? Isn't that season over yet? Well, it may seem to some that the tennis season never ends. That is because IT DOESN'T! Tennis is the only professional sport with NO OFF SEASON. And our national pride is on the line, as of this writing, in a competition that pits the best tennis players our country has to offer against that of other countries. For those not aware that tennis is also a team sport at the pro level, this is a chance to follow the best-of-the-best in competition for a trophy resulting from multiple wins by various players on the team. 

And wow, do I have good news to report or what? The United States team just finished off team Switzerland by a score of 5-0 with wins over none other than 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer and world-class #28 Swiss player Stanislas Wawrinka. Mardy Fish, currently ranked number 8 in the world, beat Wawrinka in five grueling sets–the third longest match in Davis Cup history lasting 4 hours and 26 minutes. Federer was taken down by big-serving American John Isner in four sets. And the team of Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan took out teammates Federer and Wawrinka in doubles even though the American's began by losing the first set. Ryan Harrison and John Isner finished out by steamrolling the Swiss team with straight-set wins over Michael Lammer and Marco Chiudinelli respectively. 

The U.S. team, captained by former four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier, now moves into the Quarterfinal round against the winner of the Spain vs. Austria contest (correction: FRANCE). So yes, the tennis season continues. The competition is hot enough to keep even a casual sports fan's interest warm since, although not grabbing the eyeballs generated by basketball, it provides great competitive match-ups, nail-biting tiebreakers, and national pride. And that is not a bad combination especially in a Summer Olympic year where tennis players will compete for the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals on the courts of the All-England Club directly after the Wimbledon championships. 

What a great year 2012 is turning out to be for American tennis and sports fans all over the world. 

Saturday, February 4, 2012

REFLECTIONS: Sports and Tennis–KIDSIZED

In a world of Super-sizing, and Go Big or Go Home, Kid-sizing is just the ticket for fun and success in Tennis.

Children's Tennis Infographic - Learning to Love Tennis
© 2012 10 and Under Tennis