Pat Mitsch, publicity associate of the USTA, sent me an e-mail the other day with an attached press release about the new USTA "Feeder Program" at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. He asked if I "Can use it in New York Tennis Magazine," and I am happy to accommodate. As explained on USTA.com,…
Flushing Meadows, N.Y. was the center of the tennis universe again and it wasn’t the U.S. Open that got thousands of tennis fans to gather at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on a beautiful Sunday. If you love tennis and you stayed home, you missed out on not just the biggest, but the…
On April 16, the New York State Department of Education begins administering the English Language Arts (ELA) tests for grades 3 to 8. A similar math test begins next week. A small, but vocal, group of parents are objecting that schools are spending too much time in the classroom preparing kids to take tests and…
A New York Times article titled "Reasons Not to Stretch" by Gretchen Reynolds was published today, April 3 and posted on the USPTA Eastern Division Facebook page. This article refers to two recent studies that add to the scientific body of evidence that pre-exercise static stretching alone is counter-productive to athletic performance, and dynamic warm…
Less than 10 percent of all tennis shots are hit from a center position on the court. Note that every serve is hit from a slightly off-center start, and each return of serve is hit from even closer to the sideline. Why is it then that more than 90 percent of all tennis balls are…
Tennis, at the most elite level, is incredibly physical. The very best players may be some of the best athletes in the world … in any sport. That’s why when I hear the simplistic statement "at the top level of tennis, everyone has the physical skills to succeed. The difference is mental," I wonder what…
In the first half of this recent Super Bowl, San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick was shut down by the Baltimore defense. His "play action" fake handoffs to his running backs were just awful and fooled absolutely no one. As an analogy to tennis, disguise in shot-making can be an effective method to take away time…
I Googled "Tennis" today at 4:00 p.m. and the first news story that came up is about an estate auction of Arthur Ashe’s trophies and wisdom teeth. Besides being bizarre and slightly disturbing, it seems to demonstrate a real lull in tennis news that this is the top story. The number two entry is an…
Sloane Stephens is the real deal and that’s great news for U.S. tennis. She is a star in the making and has the power, speed and temperament to be a truly exceptional player for many years ahead. As of this writing, she is getting ready to face Serena Williams in the quarterfinals of the Australian…
The U.S. Open is increasing its prize money by a "record" $4 million in 2013. The Open will also add an extra day with the Men’s Finals to be played on Monday. According to Jon Vegosen USTA Chairman of the board and president, "The record increase in U.S. Open prize money and the changes in next…