5 tips to find good kids tennis programs
Posted on February 21, 2010
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When you first decide that you want your kids to play tennis, you need to know a little bit about it. Kids tennis is like any other kids program. There are good programs, and bad programs. There are good coaches, and there are bad coaches. And, you can buy a $25 racket or a $250 racket.
1- When your child decides or you decide for him, that you want to play tennis, you first need to find a program. A program , or tennis class is very important. Beginners, can start by going to the United States Tennis Association’s web page. There, you can find the National Junior Tennis and Learning, or NJTL section to find beginner programs to see if your child has the interest or potential. Go to http://www.usta.com/GetInvolved/NJTL.aspx for more information. Once you get exposed to that, you can decide if you want to get more serious.
2- If are already into tennis as a family, then maybe all you want to do is find a coach. This is critical as he or she is the center of your child’s progress. Interview the coach, don’t let the coach interview you. Decide what you want for your children. If all you want is for them to have fun, then tell that to the coach. Don’t listen to how your child is the next Federer or Sharipova at 7 or how many college scholarships he has gotten kids. Make sure your child will have fun, or they will never last and you will be unhappy.
3- Equipment. Do not go out buy a high end, very expensive racket. Go to Academy Sports, Sports Authority or even Wal-Mart and spend less than $30. Once you determine your child is serious, you will need to buy better equipment and shoes, but for now, see if they can hit the ball.
4- Don’t have any expectations of your own. Let them be kids, and if by 12 they are not beating every kid in the club, be careful about expecting them to be a pro. Let them be kids and have fun.
5- Learn how to be a tennis parent. Don’t coach your child. Don’t scold your child for losing. Don’t ignore your child’s bad behavior on court. I once locked up my son’s rackets for a month because of bad on court behavior. Learn when to applaud, and don’t fight with other parents.
I will write more about these subjects in the future.
If you have any questions, you can write me at mike.anderson@thetennisdad.com or leave a comment.
Mike
THE GREATEST MEN’S TENNIS PLAYER WHO DIDN’T WIN A SINGLES MAJOR? TRY BRIAN GOTTFRIED
Posted on February 18, 2010
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By Charles Bricker
Now that I’ve given you Elena Dementieva as the finest woman player never to win a Grand Slam singles title, it’s only right that we place a similar dubious distinction on the best man never to win a major. Only this isn’t going to be as easy. It’s a difficult call. Nikolay Davydenko is going to be an obvious choice of many because
(a) as an active player he’s on your mind and
(b) he’s been so consistently good over the last three years.
It also hasn’t hurt his chances for this “honor” that he’s beaten Roger Federer twice in the last several months. But is he really a better tennis player than Brian Gottfried or Jose-Luis Clerc, a couple of names out of the earlier days of the Open Era?
Certainly someone is going to mention Andy Murray, but I don’t want to consider him here because the whole idea behind this analysis is to find a player who has had a long and successful career — EXCEPT that he didn’t win a Slam. Murray is just 22 years old and, while he has hoisted the runner-up trophy twice (2008 U.S. Open, 2010 Australian), he’s only played 13 majors. Let’s let him simmer a few more years. I’m going to throw my top five out there, in order, and if you don’t see Miloslav Mecir, Kevin Curren or Aaron Krickstein, it’s not because I didn’t give them consideration.
1. Brian Gottfried: 677-321 (68%) overall W-L record, 25-26 in finals, 0-1 in Grand Slam finals (1977 French Open) and a high rank of No. 3 in 1977. Great player. Great guy. Great post-career teacher of the game. And he’s barely out of the all-time top-10 for most career wins.
2. Nikolay Davydenko: 387-232 (63%) career, 12-2 this season, 20-5 in finals, never played a major final and a high rank of No. 3 in 2006. The Stroke Machine who, as you may have noted, plays his best tennis when he reaches championship matches. But he’s never been past the semis of a major with a 0-4 mark when he hits the final four.
3. Jose-Luis Clerc: 375-148 (72%) overall with a 26-10 record in finals, never reached a Slam final and a high rank of No. 4 (1981). Stylish and great on clay, twice reaching the semis of the French (1981-82). Won more titles than anyone on this list.
4. Harold Solomon: 567-321 (64%) overall and a 22-16 record in finals, 0-1 in Slam finals and a high rank of No. 5 in 1980. Had a long career and, at 5-foot-8, his chief weapons were his legs and his brain. Lost to Adriana Panatta in the 1976 French final.
5. Marcelo Rios: 391-192 (67%) overall and 18-13 in finals, 0-1 in Slam finals and a high rank of No. 1 in 1998. Lost the 1998 Aussie Open final to Petr Korda. Why don’t I have him higher, since he reached No. 1 (for four weeks)? Here was a phenomenal talent who retired or gave walkovers, by my count, in 22 matches, and no one who came to know Rios believes he was injured in many of those tank jobs.
What a waste.
As with the women, there are men who won a single Slam but who, on balance, couldn’t match the overall talent of the players mentioned in this piece — Korda, Al Costa and Jan Kodes, to name three. As always, if you disagree, email your own greatest player never to win a major.
Charles Bricker is a guest columnist for WorldTennisMagazine.com. He can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com
Verdasco rallies to beat Roddick in SAP Open final
Posted on February 15, 2010
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Fernando Verdasco had come so close in recent matches against top-10 players only to fall short at the end. He saved his best tennis for the final set against Andy Roddick, bringing an end to a frustrating streak.
Verdasco rallied to beat Roddick 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 Sunday in the SAP Open, earning his fourth career title and ending a 15-match losing streak against top-10 players.
Verdasco often did just enough to lose against the world’s best players, going the limit in three-set losses to Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro and Andy Murray at last year’s season-ending tournament in London and dropping a five-setter to Nikolay Davydenko in the fourth round of last month’s Australian Open.
“I know that against the top-10 guys there are always tough matches,” Verdasco said. “Last year in a lot of them I was really close and I won finally. I was a little bit unlucky in London against Federer, Del Potro and Murray. Those were three matches I could have won and I lost all three. This is a match I hope gives me confidence. I’m so happy I was able to beat him here. It’s special for me and I’m happy I did it.”
This matchup lacked the high level of play and intensity of the last final between the top seeds in this tournament back in 2002, when top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt beat Andre Agassi 4-6, 7-6, 7-6. But there were a few tense moments in the final set when both players were dominating their serves.
The servers lost only two points in the first five games of the final set with Roddick taking a 3-2 lead. Verdasco earned the only break point of the final set with a backhand cross-court winner at 30-all in the ninth game. Roddick then hit a forehand volley into the top of the net on the following point, giving Verdasco a 5-4 lead.
Verdasco lost the first two points on his service game, before winning the final four. His 141 mph ace made it 30-all and Roddick followed by hitting a forehand long off a 93 mph second serve. Verdasco then closed it out with his 15th ace.
“I served much better in the second and third set than in the first set,” Verdasco said. “I also was more aggressive. I started to push him a little bit more and tried to play inside the court and move toward the net.”
Verdasco became the first Spaniard to win a title in the Bay Area since Manuel Santana did it in 1964 in Berkeley.
Verdasco had lost seven consecutive matches to Roddick. His only previous wins came when Roddick retired in a 2005 match and when Roddick overruled a linesman on what would have been his match point only to see Verdasco rally for the three-set win in Rome.
“He has game,” Roddick said. “He has improved. The knock on him a couple of years ago was he could hit the ball a ton but he would get in his own way sometimes. He’s definitely been improving.”
After breaking Verdasco’s serve twice to win the opening set, Roddick seemed to be in a good position in the match. But Verdasco picked up his first break in the third game of the second set to take a 2-1 lead. He hit winners on the first two points, then was the beneficiary of a fortunate net-cord winner to earn three break-point chances, leading Roddick to throw his racket at the net.
Roddick erased one break opportunity before hitting a backhand wide to lose the game. He whacked a ball into the second deck, earning a code violation warning from the umpire.
The frustration only grew later in the set. Roddick blew four break-point chances in the following game, then took out his anger on the officials in the sixth game.
Roddick was upset at a ball that he thought should have been called out and yelled at the umpire, “You can’t see if the ball is an inch out! … It’s not possible!”
After Verdasco held in that game for a 4-2 lead, Roddick screamed into his towel, “Make them all machines! All of them! Automated scorekeeper.”
Roddick didn’t even know if he would be able to play this week because of a pinched nerve injury that caused him to lose feeling in his fingers in the fifth set of a quarterfinal loss at the Australian Open. But he was pleased.
“I was underpracticed, I was underprepared and I felt that way,” Roddick said. “It was a game-time decision. I said I would have to work my way into the tournament. It felt like I was just doing that the whole time. It felt like I was trying to find something as opposed to earning something.”
Verdasco also was dealing with a nerve injury in his leg that limited his practice time and almost forced him to miss this tournament.
“It was a very big surprise to be in the final and even more to win,” he said.
In the doubles final, Americans Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey beat Benjamin Becker and Leonardo Mayer 7-6 (3), 7-5.
Roddick beats DeHeart in straight sets at SAP Open
Posted on February 11, 2010
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)—When Andy Roddick last played a tennis match, his right shoulder was so sore he couldn’t even feel his fingers.
Because of that he didn’t know what to expect when he took the court for his first-round match at the SAP Open. He was certainly pleased with the results Wednesday night after beating qualifier Ryler DeHeart 6-1, 7-6 (1).
“It felt better than I expected,” Roddick said. “It’s one of those things that maybe it was slow coming around and healing but when it turned, it turned pretty quick for me which was nice.”
AP – Feb 9, 11:40 pm EST
Roddick was bothered by the pinched nerve in his shoulder in his five-set loss to Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open last month. Roddick, also recovering from a knee injury, was limited in practice time and wasn’t sure he’d be able to play in this tournament.
But the numbness finally subsided and he was able to take the court Wednesday. He served better than he expected, recording 11 aces and hitting 146 mph on the radar gun.
“I’m probably going to have to work my way into this tournament and prepare a little bit more on the go than I’d like,” he said. “That’s what you do. You get there and you try to work your way into a tournament. I’ve done that before when it hasn’t worked out and I’ve done that before where I’ve won a tournament. Hopefully it will be closer to the latter option there.”
In the other night match, second-seeded Fernando Verdasco beat Yen-Hsun Lu 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 in his first match. Third-seeded Radek Stepanek and fourth-seeded Tommy Haas lost second-round matches earlier Wednesday.
Roddick seemed less bothered by the shoulder than he was by the giant videoboard over the court. He complained to the umpire before his first service return game that seeing his opponent on the screen was distracting as he tried to prepare to return serve. Midway through the first set, the live video feed was cut from the scoreboard.
“That was weird,” he said. “There’s enough for us to focus on without seeing a 14-foot version of our opponent running around up top of you.”
Roddick rolled through an easy first set, breaking DeHeart’s serve twice and winning the set on his sixth ace. DeHeart, who was playing just his fourth match ever on the main tour, found his groove in the second set but was unable to pull off his second career win. He broke Roddick’s serve in the second game of the second set to take a 2-0 lead, ripping off a winner on a 132 mph serve by Roddick.
DeHeart took a 5-2 lead and served for the set at 5-3 but was unable to finish the job. He double faulted on his first point of that game, and then made three straight errors after taking a 30-15 lead.
Roddick dominated in the tiebreaker. DeHeart hit a forehand long on the first point to get down a minibreak and Roddick followed by taking the next three points. Roddick won it with a forehand passing shot on match point, advancing to a second-round match against Leonardo Mayer on Thursday night.
Stepanek became the first defending champion in two decades to lose in the first round of the SAP Open, falling 6-3, 6-4 to Xavier Malisse. Stepanek was broken once in each set to become the first defending champion to lose his first match the following year at this tournament since Brad Gilbert was knocked out by Gary Muller in 1990. Stepanek beat Mardy Fish for the title last year in San Jose after losing the championship the previous year to Roddick.
Haas fell to Denis Istomin 7-6 (3), 6-2. Haas had five set points on Istomin’s serve in the first set before falling in the tiebreaker. He double-faulted on break point in his first service game of the second set and then was broken at love to lose the match.
In other second-round matches, Philipp Kohlschreiber beat Dudi Sela 6-2, 6-0, and Tomas Berdych beat Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-2.
Also, the top-seeded doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan lost in the quarterfinals to Benjamin Becker and Leonardo Mayer 7-6 (6), 6-3.
What is tennis elbow?
Posted on February 2, 2010
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For the new player, at some point, you will most surely suffer from some pain in your elbow, often referred to as tennis elbow. While called tennis elbow, it is a condition that can be experienced by mechanics, golfers, and computer users.
WHAT IS TENNIS ELBOW? (from www.essortment.com)
Tennis Elbow is actually tendinitis of the wrist extensor muscles. Micro tears in part of the tendon surrounding the elbow and muscle coverings are the first stages in Tennis Elbow development. After the initial tears heal, repeated tears commonly occur in the same areas of tissue. This eventually leads to hemorrhaging or the formation of rough tissue and calcium deposits. Collagen then leaks from the injured areas, causing inflammation and pain. Untreated tears and injuries cause so much pressure that they cut off the blood flow and pinch nerves responsible for controlling muscles in the arms and hands.
SYMPTOMS
Recurring pain on the outside of upper forearm.
Pain immediately below the bend in the elbow.
Pain that radiates from the elbow to the wrist.
Difficulty or pain when extending forearm.
Numbness or tingling in shoulder, elbow or wrist.
Stiffness that restricts movement of elbow.
TREATMENT
ICE. If you suddenly develop pain in the elbow region, pack your arm in ice immediately to reduce swelling. This will often help to relieve pain, as well.
REST. It’s important, especially if you have tears to muscles and tendons, to rest the arm completely. Do not continue activities which over use or place unneeded strain on the elbow for 1-4 weeks.
HEAT therapy helps to reduce pain, as does ultrasound and physiotherapy treatments. Applying moist heat for up to 3-hours, twice daily will help to keep your arm at rest and make you more comfortable.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY drugs, like Tylenol, can be used for the treatment of pain and inflammation.
SEVERE cases sometimes require an injection of steroids to the affected area.
See your doctor for more information.
BRACES are sold over-the-counter in many shops and drugstores. Braces can help to isolate muscles and reduce the amount of range elbow muscles can use.
CREAMS, which warm joints, work well to reduce pain and inflammation. Topical ointments specifically designed to treat Tennis Elbow are now available over-the-counter.
In most cases, tennis elbow is not serious and rest to allow healing, and a brace to help support the joint is all that is needed.
Have a great day!
Mike
I want to get my children into tennis – where do I begin?
Posted on February 1, 2010
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I remember when I started my kids playing tennis. In all honesty, it was quite accidental. All my kids have always played in what I would call traditional team sports. They played soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball in the spring and summer.
One summer, between the end of baseball and the beginning of fall soccer, my kids had nothing to do, had tired of swimming, and were driving their mother to the brink of insanity when she received a call from a friend who was in preetty much the same situation. She heard that the local parks and rec was signing kids up to play two hours of tennis, five days a week at the local tennis courts. The cost was quite nominal, and we thought this was a great way to kill some time, and expend some energy – where do we sign???
Well, to make a long story short, the kids loved it. They were actually pretty good little players, and such began the start of the Anderson family tennis journey. Some nearly twenty years later and we are all still playing and are actively involved.
To find out more or to find a program in your town, contact the USTA at the www.usta.com, or email me at mike.anderson@thetennisdad.com and I will be happy to help.
Have a great day!
Mike
Federer wins 16th Grand Slam title
Posted on January 31, 2010
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Federer timed his run to perfection at the season’s first major, beating fifth-seeded Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (11) in the Sunday night final to collect his fourth Australian Open title.
A year ago, Federer was sobbing after a five-set loss to Rafael Nadal at Melbourne Park. He’d missed a chance to equal Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slams, compounding an emotional few weeks.
Since then he finally won on clay at the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam of all four majors and equal Sampras’ record. Then he triumphed at Wimbledon for his 15th record title. He also became a father of twins.
This time, it was Murray who was fighting tears after missing a chance to become the first British man since 1936 to win a major.
Federer, however, enjoys making history. This was his 22nd Grand Slam final, his 18th in the last 19, and he compared this triumph with last year’s Wimbledon win.
“This felt similar in a way, because all of a sudden it was over and it hit me,” he said. “It was very much a rollercoaster with the emotions. I guess the match point was over, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is it. It was great.”
Not so much for Murray, who drew deep breaths as he apologized for failing to end a 74-year-old drought for British men.
“Firstly, congratulations Roger, his achievements in tennis are incredible,” he said. “He was a lot better than me tonight.
“Hopefully, one time I can come back and win here,” he added, his voice breaking. “I got great support back home the last couple of weeks. Sorry I couldn’t do it for you tonight but …”
Murray could barely finish his thank you, explaining: “I can cry like Roger; it’s just a shame I can’t play like him.”
Both the crowd and Federer embraced Murray’s display of emotion.
“In a way it was hard to watch, but at the same time I like seeing players who care for the game,” Federer said. “It’s nice to see, you know. So you wish only the best for him.”
And Federer, who had to be consoled by Nadal last year, offered Murray some reassurance.
“Well done for your incredible tournament; you played it fantastic,” Federer said. “You’re too good of a player not to win a Grand Slam, so don’t worry about it.”
Federer dropped serve only twice in the match and hit 46 winners. He said he felt as good as ever.
“I’m over the moon winning this again. I think I played some of my best tennis in my life these last two weeks,” he said.
Federer saved five set points and wasted two match points in the tiebreaker with some uncharacteristic shot selection before clinching it when Murray netted a backhand after 2 hours, 41 minutes.
Murray was desperate to become the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win one of the four tennis majors, but seldom had the answers to Federer’s unrivaled finals experience. He set a record for British men just by reaching two major finals in the Open era.
“I don’t feel great,” Murray said. “I think it was more the way the end of the match finished … Obviously, it was pretty emotional end to the match.
“If it was a complete blowout, if I lost 3, 4, and 2, you know, it probably wouldn’t have happened. But I had my chance to get back into the match. That was probably why I was upset.”
Federer also beat Murray in straight sets in the 2008 U.S. Open final, the only previous meeting between the pair at a Grand Slam.
Murray still holds a 6-5 advantage over Federer in career head-to-heads — one of only four players who can boast such an advantage — but has lost the last three.
Last year, Federer had just discovered — unknown widely at the time — that he was to be the father of twins.
The emotions bubbled over after his loss to Nadal. But he recovered from that defeat to win at the French Open.
He won Wimbledon before his twin daughters were born. Federer reached his fourth Grand Slam final of the year at the U.S. Open, only to lose in an upset to Juan Martin del Potro.
Federer ensured no recurrence of the upset here, though, adding the 2010 title to his wins at Melbourne Park in 2004, 2006 and ‘07, becoming only the fifth man to win four Australian titles.
American Andre Agassi, who won the last of his four here in 2003, was the last father to win a Grand Slam title.
“It’s also very special the first Grand Slam as a father,” Federer said as his wife, Mirka, smiled and clapped from the stands, almost crying herself. “You get the best out of me.”
Federer got on top early, taking a 2-0 lead. But Murray broke back immediately with consecutive passing shots — one which the Swiss star even had to applaud.
Federer had to save three break points in the fifth game before holding with back-to-back aces. He then broke Murray in the eighth game, lifting his intensity in perfect time so that he could serve for the set.
Federer dominated the second set after breaking Murray’s serve in the third game, but his intensity dropped slightly in the third.
Murray pounced, taking a 5-2 lead before Federer rallied again, winning four of the next five games to force the tiebreaker.
After saving three set points, Federer missed his first chance to finish it off when his curling forehand just missed the line.
His unusual decision to try a drop shot at 10-9 backfired when Murray surged to the net and put a winner over Federer’s head.
The Swiss saved another set point, then converted his third match point.
In the mixed doubles final, Leander Paes and Cara Black beat Ekaterina Makarova and Jaroslav Levinsky 7-5, 6-3 for the Australian title.
The top seeds fared well at the Australian Open, with Serena Williams defending her singles title over Justine Henin and combining with her sister Venus Williams to win doubles — the sisters were seeded No. 2.
Another set of American siblings won the men’s doubles, with twins Bob and Mike Bryan beating Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic.