'MERRY XMAS' ( A TENNIS XMAS CAROL BY GT )

Usually around this time of year I deliver a Xmas post on this site, in fact in 2015 I did and it received 436 hits, to be precise. 
Not sure why, it wasn't controversial, I simply stated some facts.
In 2018 , December 25 I will state some facts about the sport of tennis that I have accumulated in my silly mind over 35 years of playing and coaching the sport.
Firstly;
Tennis is still grossly over priced, $80 per hour now seems the 'norm' to learn a sport that will take hours, weeks, months, years to learn and that's just the hitting side of tennis.
Learning how to play the game, well that's a whole different story, how much money do you have ?
Tennis is a 'caged' sport, you have to pay to play it, nothing in tennis is free, good luck finding an unlocked, free tennis court to have a hit on, 9 times outs ten, well, you will have to pay to play.
When's the last time you saw an unlocked tennis club ?
Throw a basketball at the local park, it's cheaper.
Most do.
Decision making at the top end of the scale leaves a lot to be desired whether it be with funding issues of players who apparently are too 'poor' to pay for their own court hire or the Davis Cup selection Committee who couldn't pick a winning team if their lives depended on it.
The Governing Body of Tennis in this Country require a good dose of common sense and a cap on what they dish out to players who don't need the contents of the dish, so to speak.
Comedy routine.
Acknowledgement from certain people who own certain jobs in tennis in the Land of Oz that their job is made easy through the hard work of others, but hey, that's tennis in a nutshell isn't it ?
Yep, it'll never happen.
A cap on a Tennis Coach's Club Court hire so that 'reasonable' cost may be handed down to people who in fact wish to not only take up the game but continue to learn it at an affordable price.
Hahaha.
An hourly rate to learn the sport which is in relation to the 'Coach's' credentials.
In other words, if a 'Coach' of 5 minutes is new to the sport then how are they allowed to charge the same as a real Coach of say 25 years ?
Well, that's tennis in the Land of Oz, a free for all, yet no one asks any questions, they just pay a lot of money and hope it works.
Hard work learning tennis in the Land of Oz.
Did I mention it's expensive ?
No more 'Mickey Mouse' decisions as far as appointing Club Coaches who are not in fact doing the lessons on a regular basis.
In other words, if a Club Coach signs a piece of paper to say that they are in fact the Club Coach and do not deliver the lessons ( you know the story, a young kid turns up in place of the guy who said he would do the job yet the public still pay the same amount to 'LEARN" the game ) well I believe that Club should send the Coach a letter explaining the facts;
'Hey Coach, weren't you supposed to be doing the lessons.............'?? Explain yourself please.......
It'll never happen, trust me.
Look, we could go on but it's almost the Australian Summer of Tennis so let's finish this post with the obvious, as there will be plenty of things to write about over the next 6 weeks, no doubt about it.
Open the Coaching Circus to ALL COACHING PROVIDERS and NOT just Tennis Australia.
In other words allow the AATC ( Australasian Academy of Tennis Coaches ) plus the ATPCA ( Australian Tennis Professional Coaches Association ) to EXIST, as for those of you who are not up with it all in the Land of Oz, it's like this ;
Tennis Australia will not RECOGNIZE any accreditation of a Tennis Coach in this Country unless it is a TA accreditation.  
Interesting.
With tennis 'success' in this Country which is as rare as rocking horse shit, it should be open to anyone who can teach the sport with half an ounce of tennis intelligence as far as 'credentials' are concerned to actually find this Country a winner or two.
Kyrgios is our best chance currently as we all know however as we also all know, he's a nutter, we need someone other than a nutter to rely on to win the big ones on the World stage.
You never know, the ATPCA or the AATC may just own a program or two that may own some merit yet you will have to be a part of TA if you want a few bucks to fund your travel plans plus be a part of one of their programs if you want any help whatsoever, cos they know best.
Just ask em.
Funny sport tennis, run by funny people, particularly in the Land of Oz.
Deck the halls......
Merry Xmas.
Regards GT

'LLEYTON HEWITT, NO ONE TO ANSWER TO'

Some people ask me why I don't like Lleyton Hewitt and I pause for about 3 seconds then tell them the following; I never liked the way he said 'C'mon ' when his opponent made an error.
( Sorry I am from the old school of tennis where when an opponent made an error, well you simply smiled inside and looked to the scoreboard ).
I especially despised the way Hewitt took the Swedish sign  (which was 'invented' by Niclas Kroon called the 'vicht' or 'for sure' ) and turned it into something called 'C'mon' and even put a patent on it for Business purposes .
I would go as far as to call that 'parasitic behaviour'.
Mats Wilander won seven Grand Slams, I first saw Mats use the 'vicht' against Ivan Lendl in the 1987 US Open Mens Singles Final. I thought it was unusual for a guy as cool as Mats to show any emotion whatsoever let alone a hand signal that the Tennis World had rarely seen before.
Did I mention that Mats was a good buddy of Niclas Kroon and used the hand signal with Kroon's blessing ?
Sorry if I didn't.
By the way , Hewitt was around 6 years of age when Wilander started using that hand signal.
Back to Lleyton.
I found Hewitt's on court behaviour nothing short of disrespectful to the sport of tennis yet he is still up to his old tricks even now days as Australian Davis Cup Captain.
It was one thing to not acknowledge part of World Tennis history in the Kroon/ Wilander 'vicht', it is another to not acknowledge coaches who make life easy for 'Coaches' who step into a job without so much as anything to do with a player's development.
Take the Davis Cup Captaincy for example.
I read just recently on the ATP site an article and video in relation to Alex De Minaur's rise to stardom over the past 12 months, yet no word of his actual Coach, Adolfo Guiterrez who has actually done the work with young Alex over the past ten or so years.
The video was all about Aussie Davis Cup Captain Hewitt talking about Alex and how he could improve a few things.
Sure Lleyton, we all could improve a few things in all of our own lives but how about you improve how you should acknowledge the fact that you have been 'given' World class tennis players to play for Australia, all you have to do is slot them into 'some sort' of order.
You have ONE job.
Haven't heard one word from Lleyton that his job has been made easy by the hard work of the coaches who have developed the players, not sure why not, it may show 'humbleness', that'd be a first Lleyton.
The Davis Cup semi final of 2017 against Belgium was possibly the worst display of team management by a Davis Cup Captain yet Lleyton answers to no one.
It is still a mystery as to why John Millman did not play again that Tie after his epic opening match against perennial World Top Tenner David Goffin in which Millman stretched his more fancied rival to the absolute limit in a 4 set epic match.
For reasons not known to anyone but himself Hewitt threw in a last minute change with Jordan Thompson to play the final deciding match against Steven Darcis, a disaster. Millman would have won with a leg in the air, no risk, tired or otherwise. 
Jonny M would have been way too steady.
For the record, Thompson didn't win a set.
For the record Lleyton played doubles with Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International a few months later.
Interesting.
 “Everyone gave 100 per cent. We left it all out there. But that doesn’t make it hurt any less,” Hewitt said after the tie.
How about the obvious Lleyton ?
Sorry guys I f..... up.
Lleyton Hewitt cost Australia the 2017 Davis Cup Semi Final, no doubt about it yet no apologies, no taking the blame, no nothing from a guy who will forever be involved with Tennis in the land of Oz due to a larger than life profile due to his arrogance and a hand signal who he 'borrowed ' from someone else.
Did I mention Hewitt answers to no one ?
In fact Lleyton Hewitt has an 'open cheque book' in the Land of Oz as far as anything is concerned in the sport of tennis.
Just wondering why Lleyton Hewitt is still allowed to turn up at tennis tournaments and take the spot of a player who could do with the points and the prize money while his own Bank Account surely wouldn't notice the extra figures.
Or is it simply the ego craving the spotlight once again ?
Jonny Farnham and Lleyton Hewitt are on a personal quest to make the most comebacks in a single life time that the great Bjorn Borg did just once after ten years of retirement.
The difference between Borg, Farnham and Hewitt is rather obvious, Borg waited a 'little ' longer to get itchy feet, the other two waited 5 minutes...…..
Aussie Summer of Tennis on it's way folks, it's Lleyton time, personally I can't f..... wait...…..

TENNIS, KEEP IT IN PLAY

TENNIS
FORGET ABOUT TRYING TO WIN
JUST CONCENTRATE ON NOT LOSING 

This tennis season it may finally be time to do what you've been promising yourself for years, become a more complete, consistent and smarter tennis player.
We've all done it, year after year and season after season as we look back on another wasted opportunity to show our club mates that we are no slouch when it comes to the finer points of tennis.
How many times after your New Years resolution have you failed to deliver that personal promise to yourself ? ( 'This is the year I have to limit my unforced error count, I am giving points away, let's make the opposition earn a win'. )
You are not alone.
It takes an extraordinary amount of self discipline to stray from what we know best in sport (or in life for that matter ) as the 'comfort zone' is a wonderful thing.


So to the headline, and is there any proof in the pudding that less errors in tennis will prevail consistently against a higher winner count ?

If the recent US Open is anything to go by it's fair to say that tennis is not a sport you in fact have to 'win', it's more a case of 'not losing' that seems to secure a win.
Confusing ?
Absolutely, but here's the facts.
Rafael Nadal is the best player in the World currently though his run through to the semi finals in New York this year was anything but smooth as he took around 12.5 hours to complete three matches.
A total of 901 points were required for Rafa to progress from the third round to the semis yet the Spaniard only won 21 more points than his three opponents combined, 461 to 440.
So how did he win ?
Simple, he didn't lose.
While his opponents were intent on clubbing winners,  Nadal simply rode the bumps and waited for the opposition to miss, hence his rather 'modest' winner tally.
Rafa had 196 winners blasted past him while he could manage just 134 himself yet he won all three matches by doing the single most important thing in tennis at any level, he made less errors.
The Spanish legend made just 107 unforced errors in 13 sets of tennis while his opponents made 65 more at 172.
That's just over 8 unforced errors each set and when you consider that most of Rafa's sets go for about an hour, well that's just plain ridiculous.

In 2011 Nadal won a match at Wimbledon with just three unforced errors in a three set win. In simple terms he didn't over play, an example to all of us, though maybe easier said than done. 
Where's the fun in being conservative I hear you ask ?
Well it all depends on whether you want to actually be more competitive or belt the fluff consistently off the ball.
An 'unforced error' is widely known in most tennis circles as a 'silly' mistake, so next time you play the game perhaps it may just be time to tweak the exuberance and simply make the opposition play. 

Now obviously we can't all hit a ball like the great man however thinking like him may just pay handsome dividends this tennis season no matter what grade we are playing. 
The statistics prove that even at the absolute highest level of tennis you don't actually have to win, you simply need to make sure that you don't lose. 
If you try too hard to win you will probably lose however if you play it smart tactically and perhaps play a little more conservatively you may just find yourself winning more than losing rather than losing because you are trying to win.
Tennis, it's complicated but why not try something different this season ?
After all, what have you got to lose ??
GT

'TENNIS COURT HIRE'

'TRUE STORY'

I turn up to the local tennis club with a few dollars in the pocket ( I do not own a membership ) and make my way to the local shop adjacent to the club that takes court bookings.

'Hi, just looking for half an hour court time thanks'.

Sorry, we only hire courts out for an hour.

'Sorry' ?

We only hire courts for an hour.

'OK how much please' ?

$12.

'OK can you please write me out a receipt that says 'Paid $12 for one hour, but played for 30 minutes' ?

Yes I suppose I can.

'Thanks'.

(Now just on the membership thing; If I do not play enough to warrant taking out a membership I should not be discriminated against, just the same as a holiday maker. If I want to play for 30 or 60 minutes I should be allowed to, surely.)

So off I go, armed with a key, a receipt that tells me I can play for 30 minutes but have a credit for another 30 at a later date and I set about hitting some serves.

I hit 107 serves in 25 minutes. I hit the net twice, yep just twice, I pride myself on serving accuracy as I simply do not serve hard. I hit maybe 15 long and a couple wide but all in all I was happy with the session as I have not really played much lately due to coaching.

On my drive home it dawned on me. What the f... is wrong with tennis clubs, tennis committees and tennis in general where someone enters a shop asking to hire a court for 30 minutes and the answer is no ?

I will tell you the problem.

Tennis in the Land of Oz is f....d.

My son joined a local basketball association just recently and he doesn't even play basketball, this is how he learned to play. 

He goes down to the park where basketball is FREE and he and his mates throw hoops, they play scratch matches, they develop their skills FOR FREE. No one asks them to pay, basketball at the local park is FREE.

My son and his mates simply have a bit of FREE fun though when they joined the local association in C GRADE they were way too good. So they were elevated to B GRADE.

They have only lost two games in B Grade and sit second on the ladder, not bad for a team of non basket ballers who simply go down to the local park to practice their skills for FREE.

When I got to the local tennis club today the weather was perfect, better than perfect even, it was simply magnificent. 5 pm is always the best time to play tennis down here in 'Sleepy Hollow'.

Now here's the thing, I was the ONLY one at the tennis club, yep the ONLY player wanting to play tennis at the best time of the evening. The courts were locked, YES LOCKED, not sure why, it's holiday season, tennis season, the time of year when tennis clubs should have HAPPY HOUR for tourists.

The tennis club backs onto a caravan park that is full of holiday makers, how about getting a few of them onto a tennis court between 5 and 7 pm for a minimal cost ? Perhaps even a bit of free time ?

Tennis Clubs all around Australia at this time of year should swing the gates open for tourists just like basketball does all year round for youngsters wanting to trow a hoop or two.

Tennis is always a cost, to play, to get coaching, to have fun, it always costs money to play tennis. Tennis ALWAYS COSTS MONEY, even when a kid just wants to have a hit and a giggle at holiday time.

Scenario; two 10 year old kids;

'Excuse me I would like to play tennis for half an hour with my buddy'.

Sorry we don't hire for 30 minutes.

'OK we are going to go throw a basketball instead'.

Those two kids may have been future tennis players, they may have owned some ability to play tennis. They may have hit some shots in that 30 minute session that would bring them back the next day for another 30 minutes, maybe even an hour.

Tennis can grow on you.

Tennis is also full of money making committees, Dinosaur type committee members who only see dollar signs even at holiday time and it's full of people who can't see the forest for the trees.

FREE basketball may just be a whole lot more appealing.....  

'GREATEST TENNIS COMEBACK'

In 1984 at the French Open in Paris there was a gentleman by the name of Hans Gildemeister from Chile who owned a rather interesting style of playing, he hit with two hands off both sides. Hans went into Roland Garos un seeded in '84 as his ranking had dipped quite dramatically from his career high of 12 in 1980. He in fact sat outside the top 100 for his shot at the title in Paris in '84.

Gildemeister was not just a singles player however as he reached World number 5 in doubles in 1987, the year he actually retired. He won 23 doubles titles in his career, 17 of those were with 1990 French Open Mens Singles Champion Andres Gomez of Ecuador. Hans was a remarkably talented tennis player as he had to be to survive in the Borg era of the 70's and early 80's. 

He in fact played Borg in the quarter finals at Roland Garos in 1979 losing in straight sets though the final set was 7-5. Anyone who knows tennis will realise that if you managed to get to five games all against Borg on clay you were a gifted tennis player, to say the least. So back to the draw of 1984 and Gildemeister started his campaign with a straight sets win over the '79 finalist Victor Pecci and then won even more convincingly against Brad Gilbert in round two.

In the third round Hans was drawn to meet Swedish Davis Cup hero Henrik Sundstrom, the number 9 seed, a tough assignment on clay as the Swede was known for the brutal amount of spin he put on the ball. On clay that is tough to deal with. It is unclear just how Gildemeister actually did it as footage of this match is not available yet he lead Sundstrom by a score that would have any tennis die hard searching for the video for tactical ideas.

It is set in concrete that Hans Gildemeister of Chile lead Henrik Sundstrom of Sweden in the 1984 French Open, round three by the score of 6-2, 6-0, 5-1, 30-0. He then lost. Yep he LOST from there. How did that happen ??! It is uncertain what on earth went on in that match from that point that seemingly had the Chilean cruising to an easy straight sets upset victory against one of the fancies for the title in '84.

At 5-1 up in the third set Hans Gildemeister was receiving Sundstrom's serve and won the first two points then after that his whole game fell apart. There were no fewer than 12 unforced errors in a row from Gildemeister from that point on which later Sundstrom would in fact describe as a 'choke'. Not quite sure about the etiquette of players back then however can you imagine that being said now days of an opponent ? Would go down about as well as a fish milkshake.....

For history's sake the final score in that particular match was 2-6, 0-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to Sundstrom and he would go on to win his next match in straight sets before the great Jimmy Connors found a way to hit through the topspin with his flatter style of play and beat him in straight sets.

I would give anything to watch what transpired from the 5-1, 30-0 moment in this match as it may in fact be the all time greatest comeback and 'choke' in the history of tennis.

There have in fact been more high profile matches such as the Davis Cup final of 1996 where Boetsch defeated Kulti after trailing 6-7, 0-40 in the final set in the fifth and deciding match but that particular match was tight throughout. The Gildemeister/ Sundstrom match was ridiculously one sided for the first three sets yet it went the way of the player who needed an alarm clock inside his head to wake him up before posting an outrageous comeback victory.

Sometimes in tennis a player can almost pace himself to a win even when victory it seems is not even on his agenda but we as spectators are non the wiser as to what is going on in their thought process. Did Faldo's win against Norman at the Masters in Augusta in 1996 have the same type of feel to it do you think ? After all the scoring was similar if you compare them.

Norman lead by six shots going into the final round yet shot a 78 whereas Faldo shot 67, there's an eleven shot discrepancy not unlike the twelve shot 'discrepancy' from the Gildemeister/ Sundstrom match.

The match in Paris in '84 will without a doubt go down as one of the all time greatest tennis comebacks from a seemingly impossible position yet the match was not a high profile one that people still talk about as they do the Norman/ Faldo result. Coming back from those types of losses is however where the mind comes into play.

Can you imagine the devastation ? It would be a tough thing to recover from.

For history's sake again, Gildemeister recovered, he won another nine doubles tournaments. Norman won three more including a million bucks in one particular event which required a birdie on the final hole for victory. The Swede Niclas Kulti went on to win the pivotal doubles with Bjorkman in the Davis Cup finals of '97 and '98 which set Sweden up for their two titles of those years.

A tough thing is professional sport. We as spectators simply look at it and offer our thoughts, "he choked, he's got no heart" or  "he's in the zone, he's a freak show".

A professional sportsman is a genius whether he wins a match or loses because he owns a mind to compete against the World's best and that requires something special.......