Australian Open 2015: Serena Williams Wins 19th Grand Slam Women's Singles Title in Open Era

Tennis Quote of the Day: The Language of Life

"It's no accident, I think, that tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love, the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature. Even the structure of tennis, the way the pieces fit inside one another like Russian nesting dolls, mimics the structure of our days. Points become games become sets become tournaments, and it's all so tightly connected that any point can become the turning point. It reminds me of the way seconds become minutes become hours, and any hour can be our finest. Or darkest. It's our choice." 

-- Andre Agassi, Open: An Autobiography

Tennis Quote of the Day: Tennis is Chess-on-the-run

"Tennis [is] like chess on the run, beautiful and infinitely dense. The true opponent, the enfolding boundry, is the player himself. Always and only the self out there, on court, to be met, fought, brought to the table, to hammer out the terms. The competing boy, on the net's other side: he is not the foe: he is more the partner in dance. He is, what is the word, excuse or occasion for meeting the self. As you are his occasion. Tennis' beauty's infinite roots are self-competitive. You compete with your own limits to transcend the self in imagination and execution. Disappear inside the game: break through the limits: transcend: improve: win. . . . You seek to vanquish and transcend the limited self whose limits make the game possible in the first place. It is tragic and sad and chaotic and lovely. All life is the same, as citizens of the human State." 

--- David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest       

Tennis Topic of the Day: Keep the Ball in Play!

A few stats for you

Mens Pro Tour (ATP)
-- 70% of points end with an error
-- 30% of points end with a winner
Womens Pro Tour (WTA)
-- 80% of points end with an error
-- 20% of points end with a winner

What do you think the % is with Club Tennis?
Probably 90%+ of the points end with an error

Moral of the story:
Keep the ball in play!

Courtesy:
Tennis Professional Office, Healthplex Tennis
Springfield, PA USA (January 2015)

Tennis Quote of the Day: Responsibility

"Tennis taught me so many lessons in life. One of the things it taught me is that every ball that comes to me, I have to make a decision. I have to accept responsibility for the consequences every time I hit a ball."  

--- Billie Jean King 

Australian Open 2015 Player Party

Tennis Quote of the Day: Risk taking

"I think the most important part of taking risks is that you actually believe in what you're trying to do, that you're 100% committed; 80% commitment is not enough. As you're running up to the ball or trying to take the ball early, if you have a little bit of doubt that it's not the right play - it's funny enough - you'll fail every single time. You just have to believe and visualize beforehand what's going to happen. You see the play happening in your mind just before you hit it, and then you have the best chance of making it work." 

--- Roger Federer
Post First-Round Press Conference
Australian Open, January 2015 

Here comes the Australian Open 2015!

Podcast: Tennis in 2015 - A Look Ahead and Behind

As we begin 2015, join Ron Miller of GottaPlayTennis.net and me in our Podcast discussing an exciting new tennis season. 

Best, 
Gary 

Podcast: Tennis in 2015 - A Look Ahead and Behind (Apx. 60 minutes)

Tennis Topic of the Day: Spanish Tennis - The redeeming value of suffering

"[Spanish coaches] stress the same principle: suffering. Suffering to the Spanish means mental toughness, perseverance, and a fighting spirit. It is part of the tennis culture and every young Spanish player is expected to learn to fight and suffer on the red clay - to never give up. Rafael Nadal demonstrates this mental strength better than any other professional player. . . . Spanish players are taught to be fighters but also to be humble sportsmen. There is beauty in the toughness yet humility and integrity that typifies the Spanish mentality."

Chris Lewit
Chris Lewit Tennis Academy, New York City, NY USA
"The Secrets of Spanish Tennis: Suffering", found on
Web: www.tennisplayer.net (January 2015 Issue) 
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Tennis Topic of the Day: Footwork Errors

Three Common Footwork Errors

"The Bob Marley" - When you get too close to the ball, you are "jammin"!
"The Cinderella" - When you can't get to the ball because you don't move your feet! (Cinderella could not get to the Ball)
"The Neil Armstrong" - When you only take "One small step" or "One giant leap" (because tennis requires lots of small adjustment steps).

Courtesy: Tennis Professional Office, Healthplex Tennis, Springfield, PA USA (January 2015)

Tennis Quote of the Day (Modified): Pool and Tennis

"Pool [and tennis] is geometry in its purest form - a science of angles and forces." 

--- Champion Fats Brown (played by Jonathan Winters) 
A Game of Pool, The Twilight Zone (1961) (by Rod Serling)        

Happy New Year 2015 from Timeless Tennis!