In the book, The Competitive Buddha, written by my colleague Dr. Jerry Lynch, he speaks about the importance of patience. He says “patience is an important virtue for those of us in athletics, we want success, and we want it now…and we do not want to wait. This makes us tight, tense and tentative, which…
Just like a dancer needs music, or an actor needs an audience, an athlete needs a rival in order to grow and develop. There are many well- known rivalries in sports. We have the Boston Red Sox versus the New York Yankees, which pitted Ted Williams against Joe DiMaggio and climaxed in the 2003…
Imagine this: you just turned pro. In the first year you win two and lose three matches. OK, fair enough…you’re just getting into things. In your second year as a pro, you win 12 matches and lose 14. You play two Davis Cup matches and lose both, and then lose in the first round…
In the finals of the 2021 French Open, Novak Djokovic, the top- seed was heavily favored against the fourth-seed seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas. This was Tsitsipas’s first Slam final while Novak had already won 18 in his career. Most thought that the match would be routine, won by Djokovic in straight sets, or maybe four…
This is the 10th and final installment of Dr. Tom Ferraro’s “The Tennis Guru” series. Click Here to read the first parts. When Yin entered the castle, he was amazed at all he saw. The Tennis Guru had created a magnificent Mecca for tennis. There must have been fifty courts in all, with lots of…
Many in the tennis community know that Roger Federer has won 20 Grand slams, Rafael Nadal also has won 20, and Novak Djokovic is close on the trail with 19 slams. Similarly, on the woman’s side, Serena Williams has won 23 Grand slams and is on the heels of Margaret Court who has won…
Sometimes, as a tennis player, you exist on an island. Alone, solo, under the lights of your local club or drenched in the sun, there you are … between the lines, either gaining the accolades of glory hitting the winning shot or facing the weight of defeat. There are no teammates to pass to;…
This is the ninth installment of Dr. Tom Ferraro’s “The Tennis Guru” series. To read the first parts, Click Here. The trio awoke the next morning, cleaned up camp and continued on their trek up the mountain to meet The Tennis Guru. Yin felt strong and happy. He had met a wise mentor in Virgil…
Being a tennis coach for 20-plus years has taught me much about the game and about life. It is an ongoing learning experience … one that never ends as each new student is different and teaches you something new about the game. The coach will face difficult and challenging situations when dealing with developing players,…
This is Part Eight of Dr. Ferraro’s The Tennis Guru series. Click Here to read the previous installments Yin, Rebecca and Virgil awoke early the next day, packed up camp and made their way up the mountain path to see The Tennis Guru. Yin thought about the dream he had the night before, that magical…