Tennis Expert's Blog

WHAT A DISGRACE SHE IS...SERENA WILLIAMS........no comment!

2009-09-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

Serena a disgrace in tennis

2009-09-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

What a disgrace she is to tennis.The WTA will hopefully ban her from the game for 6 months.She has disgraced tennis and her career is over in many ways.
True colors huh!!!!She's a terrible so called tennis player.There will be a fine and lawsuit too.I'm speechless!

Roger's time

2009-08-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

Roger Federer will win his 6th US OPEN title in the coming weeks.
Nadal out first round and Soderling in semis

This is Murray's chance to take #2

2009-08-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Montreal,Canada: the Roger's Cup this week is Andy Murray's chance to move ahead of Nadal in rankings. With Nadal being rusty after being out for 2 months ,Murray has an opportunity to take the #2 spot by doing better this week than Nadal. We may see a Federer-Murray semifinal.

Numerous players have not played since Wimbledon,so it will be an interesting week of tennis.

Your opinions on the WTA ranking system

2009-08-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

Do you think Serena Williams should be ranked #1 above Dinara Safina?
Personally I think NO! What's your opinion?

How wrong I was!

2009-08-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

Congrat's to Sam Querry in winning the LA OPEN Sunday. He beat the #1 seed Tommy Haas to reach the final Sunday against a qualifier from Australia Carsten Ball to claim his second ATP Tour title. Sam got through the nerves to win 6-4,3-6,6-1.

This win brings him up 6 spots in the rankings to #26, an all time high. The 6'6",200lb Querry has done well this past month being in 3 finals. To the press and tennis experts out there....don't start the hype like you do toward so many American players saying he'll be a top 10 player in a year.

It takes had work and talent to reach such a level. Sam will work hard and do his best with what he has ability wise. He doesn't need to be pressured by the press and sports analysts. Keep it up Sam.

Tommy Haas in form

2009-08-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

Look out this summer for Tommy Haas to make a run at the US OPEN,he's been hitting the ball nicely.

Since May in Madrid on clay Haas has come back to where he should be in the game,doing well at the French and Wimbledon Championships nearly taking out Federer in the semis at the French Open. He went on to win Halle on grass pre Wimbledon and Friday beat Marat Safin to reach the semis of the LA Open.

I see him taking the LA Open Sunday.At the US OPEN look for him to reach the quarter finals at least. He is in the best shape of his life at age 31 and after all the injuries he has suffered throughout his career it's great to see him play well.

What's next for Andy Roddick?

2009-07-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

How does Andy Roddick improve his game?

As a coach lets' see what he has done the past 2 years. He has lost weight and kept his power....good thing. This has made him much more agile and quicker on the court which he needed.

Now what he has to do...listen up Andy!

#1 Needs to develop flexibility. His body has always been so rigid..not good for a tennis player. Very similar to James Blake and his rigidity.How: by swimming ,stretching using yoga.
He is toned but needs muscle looseness to have his body flow as one complete uniform unit.

#2 Forehand: needs to drop the racquet head more at the end of the take back in order to have a bigger loop (not too big) in order to keep the momentum of the racquet going and to keep the stroke smooth. This will loosen up his whole body and keep that forehand flowing. As a result of this he will also get more top on the ball and more balls in court. His percentage unforced errors on the forehand will decrease with this simple change.

#3 Backhand: Same as above to keep it smooth. Knee bend on both sides needs a lot of work to get down for those low balls from Roger!

#4 Volleys: Andy get down low,move your feet as in point #1

#5 Return of serve! Again footwork and more of a loop both sides will get you more balls back.

Make the changes, he may stand a chance of winning another major.

My ATP Rankings Top 5

2009-07-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

As of July 31 2009 On Current Form.

#1 Roger Federer

#2 Andy Murray

#3 Rafael Nadal

#4 Andy Roddick

#5 Robin Soderling

WTA ranking system. Quit whining!!!!

2009-07-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

I am tired of people complaining about the women's ranking system. First of all these whiners haven't much of a clue about tennis let alone the ranking system. Serena!!! quit your whining and get out there and play more tennis.

Maybe you'd be #1 if you played even close to the amount of tennis Dinara Safina has played. If you don't play enough and "well enough"throughout the year, you don't deserve the #1 ranking. Safina has played far more consistently than anyone else on the tour.

Geeeeze!!! I don't care if you win all 4 slams in the same year if you don't have the points from playing well then keep quiet.

Country Club General Managers Take Note.

2009-07-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

I have seen so many country clubs or tennis clubs badly run and very badly staffed. Numerous,probably 75% of clubs are badly staffed with inexperienced,non certified , so called tennis professionals. Tennis Directors are employing high school and college kids to teach, not only summer camp but year round full time also.

These kids have no coaching experience,no certification and very often their level of play is below those they teach. What a shame!! This brings down a country club and makes members play elsewhere because they don't get professional coaching.

The onus comes back to the GM to hire a good Tennis Director who is certified Professional 1 USPTA/PTR and has a NTRP of 5.0 minimum.The Director's staff should have at least a minimum 3 years of teaching experience,be certified by a professional association and have a NTRP of 4.0 minimum.

GMs get your act together and get invovled in you tennis department.

How does Roger Federer keep winning Slams from this point onwards? 3 poInts where he needs improvement.

2009-07-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

What does Federer need to do to win more Slams?
#1 Off court training. He needs now to put in more training and less point play on a daily basis. Working on speed and footwork to keep that edge. Without this he will not be able to play his game.He needs to tone all muscle groups to where he has never had them before. This is the most important component of his game he will have to work on in order to stay with the top 5 ranked players over the next 3-4 years. Fitness and footwork is everything in tennis.

#2 Mental attitude. He needs to ask himself how much does he want this,titles, and decide to focus 100% on tennis after his family. If he doesn't commit 100% he will fall away slowly. He is so mentally tough but this time of his life will test him. How hungry will he be to work hard. If he does it will keep him at the top of the game.

#3 Serve. Although one of the best serves out there as far as placement and effectiveness he needs to hit with less spin at times as he gets older. He then will have more pace on his serve along with his excellent placement. This will save energy in the long run and end the points earlier.

Tennis tip for today

2009-07-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

The most neglected part and one of the most important parts of the game is? FOOTWORK !! If you can't move quickly to the ball then you can't hit the ball from the correct position on the court. It would be nice for the ball to come to us in that perfect hitting zone but unfortunately that isn't the case.

Agility on the tennis court and in all other sports is #1 on the list of taking your game to the next level. So get out there and put the hard work in off the court to improve your game on the court.You won't be disappointed.One way of getting that edge is trying Cardio Tennis, http://www.cardiotennis.com/ . My students loved cardio tennis. Happy hitting!

Tennis tip Ladies

2009-07-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Ladies!! Singles,doubles,mixed doubles! Get out there and hit to your opponent's feet when you are at the net. Short to short I call it. In other words don't be afraid to hit the ball "in the area of your opponent" not at them, so to speak.

They won't take offense and it's the fastest way to end the point. So next time you come into the net go down the line on that easier high volley or groundstroke,at the player.Be mean!!Have fun!!

Patience Pays Off

2009-07-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

Ever felt like you're on the court getting beaten in a match by a player or doubles team who seem(s) like you should be winning against? Maybe they don't hit as heavy a shot as you do but they're tenacious and stay in the match, frustrate you and start pulling ahead. Here's a tip...calm down and remember that patience and consistency win in the end.

The biggest shot makers don't always win because they go for too much and yes, on a good day hit a lot of winners...but when they're having a not so good tennis day, those players make a lot of errors. Remember, your goal is not to hit the most highlight reel quality shots but to win the match. The next time you're practicing or playing a match, instead of going for big winners on every shot, (or more often than you should) try staying consistent and setting up the point. Aim your shots further inside the line. Give yourself more room for error.

There's no need to hit the line. A winner is still a winner...even if it's a foot inside the line.....but a ball is out even if it's only a smidge out....and you lose the point. There's no need to give away those easy points to a competitor. If a player is going to beat you, let it be because they were the better player and not because you made more mistakes.Remember, like the tortoise, slow and steady wins the race.

Nadal is back training

2009-07-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

Rafael Nadal is back training after nearly two months out of tennis due to a knee injury. His last match was at the French Open where he lost to Robin Soderling. Nadal is hoping to return next month in MontrealHe will come back as world #2 .

Roger Federer regained the #1 spot after winning Wimbledon. I expect Nadal to have it very tough and maybe win 2 rounds. This is hard court season now where the body takes a beating. Good luck on the comeback Rafael.

Quick Tennis Tip

2009-07-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Doubles players.........use the lob!! It is very effective and most players never think to use it,or forget to use it. Go crosscourt when both opponents are at the net,by doing so you have more court to get your ball in.

Will Nadal ever be the same?

2009-07-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

After pulling out of Wimbledon with knee problems will Rafael Nadal ever be the same player?What changes need to be implimented in his game in order to avoid future injuries?Can he change and will his coach see that there needs to be a change?I saw Rafas problems way back when he came on the scene.

The mechanics of his forehand would lead to problems.Having grown up on clay he was taught spin,spin,spin which is fine but there is a line that has to be drawn where his spin will effect his overall game.His spin on the forehand got those balls back and to kick up on clay but on other surfaces it sat up nicely for his opponents to take a good swing at it.Where's the problem?He has to learn how to flatten that forehand (hit with less spin)in order to make it a weapon on surfaces other than clay.

His forehand is not a weapon on the hard courts,hence he has to run,run,run around the court like a headless chicken.There lies his injury problems,the knees!No player can take that abuse on the knees and hence he finds himself with this possible career ending injury.I hope he recovers fully,but he has to learn to flatten out that forehand so as to have it as a true weapon and end points with it.He needs this to shorten the points.He has tried at the end of 2008 to flatten it out and it worked,but there needs to be so much more work on it.

He won the Aus.Open with a flatter ball.Uncle Nadal ,listen to me.No more excessive topspin!!!!Let's see your Rafa playing another 10 yrs!

Welcome to Coaches Corner

2009-07-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

Coaches Corner is my tennis blog on how the game should be played. Diagnosing problems with your game and the game of the professional.

I will discuss the mechanics involved in tennis and discuss in great depth how you can improve your game and how the pros can improve theirs. This blog is all tennis. Feel free to ask a question here.

So,thankyou for joining in on the discussion. Enjoy!