Tennis participation numbers are down all over, and the Long Island/New York metro area is no exception. This could be a temporary cycle or an alarming trend and I hope it's the former. It's difficult to say exactly why, but I suspect that the skyrocketing cost of college is a real drain on the resources of the tennis-playing demographic….
It seems that tennis, like football and basketball, is making news off the court because of insensitive and ignorant jerks. This latest incident has Russian tennis chief and International Olympic Committee member Samil Tarpischev calling Venus and Serena Williams "The Williams Brothers" and "Scary to look at." He has been universally condemned for these racist and sexist comments…
One of the greatest coaches in tennis history, Vic Braden, has died at the age of 85. Vic was a pioneer in the tennis instructional field. While other coaches were limiting their teaching to a reliance on personal experience, Mr. Braden was breaking barriers using science to support his instruction. Vic Braden teamed with another…
Patrick McEnroe resigned a week before The New York Times reported he was to be fired by the USTA as director of player development. Pat is a very nice and decent person, but he leaves behind a dismal record of developing top players given the system's resources. The "churn and burn" of the tournament system, as well…
Evert, Austin, Capriati, Davenport, Williams, Williams, Bellis? Not quite yet, but 15-year-old CC Bellis, TR Blue Chip and rising sophomore, Class of 2017 has the best chance to ascend to become the next great American since Serena. She is also the total package for marketers: Young, talented, attractive, sincere and best of all, she can play. I have a…
Caroline Wozniacki is going to run the 2014 New York City Marathon for the "Team for Kids" charity. "When I cross the finish line in Central Park it will be one of the most proud days of my life, not only because of the personal accomplishment, but also because it will help thousand of kids to get…
The FIFA World Cup, Tour de France, Lebron, Melo … forget about it! The biggest local sports news for Long Island tennis fans is Noah Rubin. He's the 2014 Wimbledon Boy's Champion, which is a truly remarkable achievement, but not his biggest accomplishment of the week. He also announced that he's going to Wake Forest University, and by choosing to…
That's what the television ratings say and it's troubling. The Group stages of this year's World Cup have drawn 62.3 million U.S. viewers to Univision Deportes, while Wimbledon ratings on ESPN are about 1/10 of that number. I love Wimbledon, it's a magical place and a great event, but let's face it, Wimbledon’s image is…
John McEnroe wants to get rid of umpires in professional tennis. "It would be 30 percent more interesting," McEnroe claimed in a pre-Wimbledon press conference. He can't be serious and it would be sad if McEnroe, who is lauded for speaking his mind, has lost his filter with this high-minded but silly idea. Any sport might be…
Mark Twain once wrote, "There are liars, damn liars and statistics." If Mr. Twain had attended this year's Second Annual New York Tennis Expo, I think he would have some choice words for those who tout declining tennis participation numbers. Four-thousand people showed up for this grassroots event, but record attendance statistics don't begin to tell the whole story. The fans…