“I forgot she was a lefty.” This was Sarah’s response during the 10-minute break after splitting sets at a USTA National match. I had asked her what she was seeing out there and about her game plan and the adjustments she made. Sarah said she was trying to keep the ball high to her opponent’s…
For junior players, summer is a great time to improve upon all aspects of their game. These student-athletes do not have the pressures and responsibilities that go along with their education and schoolwork, and can work on their game with a free and focused mind. Summer training is crucial to their development as solid tennis…
I have worked for many years with top level athletes and have come to realize that the 24 hours leading up to any big event will determine how you do during your match. Here are the basic psychological approaches that will help you to win: 1. It ought to be obvious that any high level…
As a former junior player, I fully understand the ups and downs of playing tennis consistently. You love it when you are winning, but lose interest when losing. Passionate when the weather is perfect, but frustrated when conditions are unfavorable (wind, sun, heat). The key to keeping juniors passionate about the sport of tennis is…
Tennis can truly be the “Sport of a Lifetime” if your skills can age as gracefully as your passion for the game. As we get older, everyone from the recreational player to Roger Federer has needed to make adjustments to keep themselves competitive and enjoy their longevity in the sport. I have worked with numerous…
The top tennis stars have distinctive styles that we love to mimic because the sport is so highly individualistic. Back in the 1970s, young players carefully applied surgical tape to their racket grips to be like local hero Vitas. They wore Fila headbands to embody the coolness of Borg. They had huge windups to try…
For many young tennis players, finding the right tennis program or academy that offers a consistent balance of academics and tennis can be an elusive process. But if you look far out onto the South Fork of Long Island, The Ross School is providing just that. Five years ago, the institution launched The Ross School…
In the March/April 2016 issue of New York Tennis Magazine, I wrote Part One of what I have learned in my 20 years of teaching tennis. Each student I have worked with over the course of two decades has added to my body of work and my coaching philosophy. In the first part, I wrote…
In the March/April 2016 issue of New York Tennis Magazine, I discussed the ways in which the partner of the server can be instrumental in helping hold serve. Let’s talk about some other ways partners can be helpful to each other. First and foremost is to be constantly supportive when shots are missed by your…
Commandment #1: Thou shalt always be forgiving The most important key to good tennis is to learn how to accept a lost point. If you allow the point to get under your skin, you will begin to make the long downward spiral to defeat. You must learn to totally forgive yourself for a…