Most anyone who has ever played a tennis match has some appreciation for how mentally challenging this sport can be in addition to the physical aspect of the game. One mistake, at an inopportune time, can turn a match around 180-degrees. If maintaining focus is difficult (hint: it is!), then regaining it after a lull…
Do you love your serve? I certainly hope so because it is the most important shot in the game of tennis. It would make sense that anyone who loves the serve should love the overhead as well, but that’s not necessarily true. One thing that is certain … if you don’t love your serve, you…
Sparks flew during a panel discussion held at the First Annual New York Tennis Expo in April of this year. Following sophisticated presentations by a former touring pro and local tennis leaders, Nick Bollettieri opened his remarks by challenging the need for such highly technical information. I think/hope that Nick had a veiled twinkle in…
Imagine the scenario: You are watching your child play, and it feels like you’re the one playing. Your palms are sweaty and your feet are tapping with the immediacy of how Rafael Nadal awaits the coin toss. You look across the way and see your opponent’s parents pacing up and down, burning a hole in…
In the last issue of New York Tennis Magazine, Coach Tim Mayotte of 360 Tennis spoke about the importance of the split-step and its three components in his article, “Wow … What a Great Split-Step.” They were: 1. Width of base and posture 2. Timing of the split 3. The height of the split At…
Do you need new tennis shoes? Maybe you are reluctant to make that purchase because of past bad experiences getting shoes that did not fit well. Maybe your shoes are so comfortable that you are willing to live with them even if they are no longer supportive or cushioned. A few guidelines may help save…
When you have a real passion for a particular sport or game, you’ll find a variety of unconventional ways to practice and improve. Take tennis, for example. It can be played with nothing more than a racquet, a tennis ball and a wall. The wall acts as the unforgiving competitor. Players work to hone their footwork,…
The game of tennis played by the pros of today is explosive and exciting to watch. Back when I played on the ATP Tour in the late 1980s and most of the 1990s, not many players could, what I call, "Turn a Point.” What I mean is to take a defensive situation like being put…
New York Tennis Magazine has the unique opportunity to pose questions from our readers to tennis coaching legend Nick Bollettieri. Nick has coached 10 world number ones, including Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Martina Hingis, Jelena Jankovic, Marcelo Rios, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, and Venus and Serena Williams, as well as a host of…
The serve is the most important and the most under-practiced shot in the game of tennis. We all want a blistering serve, but wanting and owning are two very different things. Personally, I think that most players don’t fully understand the importance of the serve, so don’t put the effort into fully developing it. Most…