Watching the U.S. Open and all the Grand Slams are so much fun! What always stands out to me is the moment in every match when the players win or lose based on how they handle turning points. More specifically, how the champions handle pressure! Pressure will pose this question to you before, during…
As the old saying goes, “You should always learn from your mistakes.” I add to that you should also learn from other people’s mistakes. Throughout my coaching career, I have tried to learn from my mistakes and just like everyone else, I certainly made lots of them over the years. The trick is to…
I have many players who come to me from New York and around the country who have been taught to attack the net relentlessly, but often without much forethought or caution. They may not make good decisions about when to attack the net, and they often harbor misconceptions about the smartest strategies to move…
Growing up, Lisa Dodson was always a big-time athlete. A four-sport athlete in high school, and the only person ever to be named All-County in four sports in Westchester County, Dodson went on to play basketball and tennis at the University of North Carolina. She was a walk-on for the Tar Heels Tennis team,…
They say New York is a melting pot. When you are here, you will be surrounded by various types of people and different cultures, all of which merge to create one of the most diverse cities in the world. If you head east from NYC and towards the Hamptons, you will find a tennis…
Choking is one of the biggest fears of many athletes in competitive sports, and it is caused by thinking about the outcome, rather than the process. This causes the explicit (controlled) learning system to dictate the player’s actions. When the player first learns to hit a ball, they usually think about the skill in…
Many of us reading this article witnessed Rafael Nadal defeat Dominic Thiem to win his 17th Grand Slam in the 2018 French Open finals. He further established his dominance as the greatest clay court player ever with 11 French Open titles. The real question is: What is the story behind the score? How did he…
Have you ever been told that you think too much? Or do you feel anxious because you cannot seem to stay focused during a match? As a competitive tennis player, you may already know the value of staying in the moment—whether you are in the point or between points. Knowing this, however, doesn’t make the…
American junior tennis is in need of saving from the perils of Thanos, Fortnite, cellphone addiction and that obsessive dance called “The Floss.” It’s time for the agents of U.S.T.A. to assemble the original tennis Avengers to come to save the day. Who would they choose to play the core roles? Pete Sampras is…
There is ample proof that tennis players often have difficulty controlling their emotions. This even holds true for players who have obtained greatness. Roger Federer was prone to anger and temper tantrums until he reached the age of 20 and well into his professional career. McEnroe was famous for screaming, “You cannot be serious,”…