By playing a local tournament or two lately I have realised that tennis is not in fact an environment that I am totally comfortable with anymore, due to more than one reason. The book I put together last year included a post called 'The Pigeon' which highlighted my thoughts on players who puffed their chests out at tennis tournaments which resembled our feathered friend, the pigeon.
My reasons for playing those last two tennis tournaments of the season locally were simple, I wanted to see if anything had changed over the years. Without going into it too much it's like this, every few years I get an 'itch' so to speak and I dust off the rackets and give it a go against the youth of the game and I still find that part of the sport educational as a writer as well as coach of the sport.
What does interest me greatly is the lack of education that spectators of the sport own, or don't own to be more precise. I see that nothing changes over the years as far as etiquette is concerned and I suppose it never will but I must admit that this lack of education can in fact be something to make you play better.
Take for example this; I am in the middle of a tough match in the final competition of the season in singles and my opponent hits a solid return but straight to me, I miss the backhand, an unforced error to be more precise.
A 'peanut' from the 'peanut gallery' claps and says 'great shot........'
I think to myself, that comment comes from someone who knows nothing about tennis, they may as well clap a double fault, that too is an unforced error. If someone hits an outright winner then I believe that this perhaps is worth a clap and 'great shot', until then, well just keep a lid on your actions as a spectator please.
This went on a bit during the match however I must be mellowing because my old self would have walked to the back of the fence and explained court etiquette to them but now days I love it when someone gives me the shits from the spectator seats, it just makes me dig in more and refuse to lose.
After winning the last 3 games of the match I noticed that the peanut gallery was rather quiet, that's how you do it buddy, ignore it, be big enough to use it as a spur to make you get over the line and nothing else.
I saw the highlights of the Kyrgios/ Federer match in Miami and that was a complete joke the way the crowd turned on Nick but that again is an uneducated crowd who have a favourite and will look at any way to put the opposition off their game.
It's nothing new but it can be disheartening as a player because you are trying your guts out though you are not viewed upon as anything but the enemy and you are treated 'accordingly'.
I have stated on more than one occasion that 'peanut galleries' are part of tennis tournaments as much as strawberries and ice cream at Wimbledon. Some hang off the fence, many are obsessed with the score rather than watching the match themselves and keeping count of who is actually winning or losing and many love to clap your mistakes. Each to their own I suppose.
Personally I have hung up my rackets for this season, I played and won the last two events of the season, a doubles and a singles event, albeit as a 48 year old 'Dinosaur' of the sport who has no right to beat the youth of the game with just a forehand and a desire to still achieve.
Yet that's what I did, I achieved something this season and tennis is like that, it's a sport where your ability to solve a problem or two on a tennis court can go a long way to helping you get through some sticky situations in life also.
Tennis is a sport that hands you a puzzle, a messy puzzle, a jigsaw of sorts, it's a sport that will never hand you the answers on a piece of paper, it's all in your head as to how the match can be deciphered and only your mind can solve the puzzle.
As I age in tennis I look for things, just little things that can help put the jig saw together and it's funny but I love it when the people behind the court don't want you to win and make a point of letting you know that they have no time for any ability that you may own.
As you walk off the court give 'em a big cheesy grin and a wink, you know you put the jigsaw together with a minimum of fuss and without complicating it all by mouthing off at their uneducated ways.
There are ways to get even in tennis with a spectator or two who own a brain the size of a hamster's wedding tackle, simply win, that usually shuts 'em up......
Regards GT
Monday, 17 April 2017
Sunday, 16 April 2017
'MONTE CARLO'
With one of the most picturesque World Tennis Tournaments about to begin on the French Riviera I thought it appropriate to post a chapter from my book that I put together last year on this site.
Monte Carlo is a place of rare beauty.....
When you travel around Europe with 2 mates in a very small car the sense of humour wears thin , that's when you call on your 'other self' for ideas on how to create some sanity. My idea of leaving one of our touring party at a truck stop was rather harsh to say the least , my next idea turned out to be possibly the greatest idea of my life .
I don't quite remember the ins and outs of our conversation that day but all I know is that my idea to leave Brett and Peter and go look at The French Riviera was a 'master stroke'.
'See you guys in two weeks' were my last words as I left Peter and Brett in Paris and bound a train for the French Riviera. I started at the top as far as destinations were concerned and I enjoyed every minute of the five hours or so of silence . No singing, no threatening to kill anyone, no arguments regarding who had the worst haircut , just peace and quiet.
When I hopped off at the train station all I heard was noise, loud noise, the noise of cars. Here I was expecting the sound of birds singing and waves rolling into the harbor so what on earth was this ?! I saw a Policeman ahead of me and asked him the following;
'Eskoo voo parlay ongley'(Do you speak English?)
'Wee, Bonjour'.
"Bonjour, what's the noise please ?
'Grand Prix'
"What Grand Prix ? Monaco Grand Prix " ?
'Wee Monsieur'.
"You dinkum" ?
'Dinkum Monsieur' ?
"Sorry mate Aussie slang, thank you for your help ".
I jagged the one weekend of my first ever trip to Europe and in particular Monte Carlo and the Monaco Grand Prix was on. Like the Mid Strength beer commercials on television, what's the chances ????
I stayed at a Youth Hostel just out of the main part of town in Monte Carlo, from memory it cost me about $25 Australian for the night, cheap as chips. I drank Fosters beer ( Fosters was a sponsor ) and watched the Monaco Grand Prix , practice one day , the real deal the next, I could not believe my luck.
I 'lived it up' with fellow tourists at a hostel that I had to share with five other room mates, sure, not luxury but affordable on my budget.
My two days in Monte Carlo were nothing short of unbelievable and I visited the Monte Carlo Country Club, the scene of Bjorn Borg's final match on tour plus his come back match. The following chapter from my Blog documents my thoughts on the most amazing tennis club I have ever visited.
Monte Carlo is a place of rare beauty.....
The following two posts are ones I wrote while thinking about the place I wanted to visit more than any other ever since I was a young lad with dreams of becoming a pro tennis player. I think it was because the name of the place has a feel to it like no other.
Monte Carlo has many things written all over it, glamour, exclusiveness, among others. There was no chance of it ever being a let down.
Blog May 2014When you travel around Europe with 2 mates in a very small car the sense of humour wears thin , that's when you call on your 'other self' for ideas on how to create some sanity. My idea of leaving one of our touring party at a truck stop was rather harsh to say the least , my next idea turned out to be possibly the greatest idea of my life .
I don't quite remember the ins and outs of our conversation that day but all I know is that my idea to leave Brett and Peter and go look at The French Riviera was a 'master stroke'.
'See you guys in two weeks' were my last words as I left Peter and Brett in Paris and bound a train for the French Riviera. I started at the top as far as destinations were concerned and I enjoyed every minute of the five hours or so of silence . No singing, no threatening to kill anyone, no arguments regarding who had the worst haircut , just peace and quiet.
When I hopped off at the train station all I heard was noise, loud noise, the noise of cars. Here I was expecting the sound of birds singing and waves rolling into the harbor so what on earth was this ?! I saw a Policeman ahead of me and asked him the following;
'Eskoo voo parlay ongley'(Do you speak English?)
'Wee, Bonjour'.
"Bonjour, what's the noise please ?
'Grand Prix'
"What Grand Prix ? Monaco Grand Prix " ?
'Wee Monsieur'.
"You dinkum" ?
'Dinkum Monsieur' ?
"Sorry mate Aussie slang, thank you for your help ".
I jagged the one weekend of my first ever trip to Europe and in particular Monte Carlo and the Monaco Grand Prix was on. Like the Mid Strength beer commercials on television, what's the chances ????
I stayed at a Youth Hostel just out of the main part of town in Monte Carlo, from memory it cost me about $25 Australian for the night, cheap as chips. I drank Fosters beer ( Fosters was a sponsor ) and watched the Monaco Grand Prix , practice one day , the real deal the next, I could not believe my luck.
I 'lived it up' with fellow tourists at a hostel that I had to share with five other room mates, sure, not luxury but affordable on my budget.
My two days in Monte Carlo were nothing short of unbelievable and I visited the Monte Carlo Country Club, the scene of Bjorn Borg's final match on tour plus his come back match. The following chapter from my Blog documents my thoughts on the most amazing tennis club I have ever visited.
Blog, May 2014
MONTE CARLO
When you get off a train on the French Riviera you don't just get out and start walking, you almost count your steps, it's like one of those great privileges in life that you feel you should be taking notes on. All I really remember from that day in May all those years ago was that I was in a place that I was sure only really existed on a postcard.
Tennis to me as a kid began at Monte Carlo because Bjorn Borg lived there, he owned a sports store there and he won the tournament on three occasions.
In fact Bjorn Borg may just own the record for the least amount of games conceded at Monte Carlo as in '77, '79 and 80 he lost just 17 games in three finals which back then were best of five sets. To put that into perspective the great man from Sweden won 54 games, that's a winning game percentage of a little over 72 per cent.
So to be heading to the Monte Carlo Country Club on cobble stones past views of the harbour and million dollar cruise liners was a walk that perhaps was out of a Hollywood movie as opposed to real life.
Have you ever seen 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' starring Steve Martin ? That movie from memory was shot on location not far from Monte Carlo, Villefranche-sur-Mer, another magnificent French town built on the side of a mountain overlooking the Mediterranean ocean. If you were fortunate enough to watch that rather silly movie you will appreciate the stunning way in which the French people live.
It was a rather surreal feeling when I finally made it through the gates at the Country Club where my hero played his final tennis match in a career that defied logic and one that ceased all too prematurely at age 26. My thoughts on Borg's career were simple.
If he had played until he was Roger Federer's age who knows what his record may have looked like but maybe it's what makes Borg's eleven Grand Slam victories even more brilliant. By age 26 I don't believe there have been too many better Grand Slam records, perhaps only Federer's record surpasses it.
The Monte Carlo Country Club is a place of tranquillity and a place of Hollywood movie status where every step you take is one of respect toward not only the game of tennis but towards your inspiration to play the game. Yes I was inspired by two tennis players from Sweden but Borg was my hero in life before he was my hero in tennis. I loved what he did and he did it with a calmness that I have not seen since.
Mats Wilander replaced Borg for me as someone to follow after Borg's retirement from tennis but he would never replace the aura that surrounded Borg.
I will never forget the way he waved to his wife Mariana when the going was getting real tough in a Wimbledon final, it was his way of letting her know that he was in control despite the score line. He was known as the 'Ice Man' but that gesture was his way of showing that he had a human side to his almost robot like mannerisms on court.
Borg owned a style that has never been replicated since, he did it with grace and he owned a conscience. He was polite, courteous to officials and ball kids and he was a player who you would aspire to be like. He was a 'Rock Star' and a tennis player all rolled into one.
Monte Carlo and Bjorn Borg were as big a part of tennis to me at age 21 as they were when I first hit a ball as a 12 year old and it inspired me to eventually visit Europe.
If it weren't for Borg I would never have played tennis and I would never have visited a place that I still regard as the most amazing place I have ever seen.
It is a part of the World that has been sculptured out of a mountain overlooking the water where the rich and famous spend their spare time.
Tennis can give you a hard time mentally however it can also take you places, literally.........
In fact Bjorn Borg may just own the record for the least amount of games conceded at Monte Carlo as in '77, '79 and 80 he lost just 17 games in three finals which back then were best of five sets. To put that into perspective the great man from Sweden won 54 games, that's a winning game percentage of a little over 72 per cent.
So to be heading to the Monte Carlo Country Club on cobble stones past views of the harbour and million dollar cruise liners was a walk that perhaps was out of a Hollywood movie as opposed to real life.
Have you ever seen 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' starring Steve Martin ? That movie from memory was shot on location not far from Monte Carlo, Villefranche-sur-Mer, another magnificent French town built on the side of a mountain overlooking the Mediterranean ocean. If you were fortunate enough to watch that rather silly movie you will appreciate the stunning way in which the French people live.
It was a rather surreal feeling when I finally made it through the gates at the Country Club where my hero played his final tennis match in a career that defied logic and one that ceased all too prematurely at age 26. My thoughts on Borg's career were simple.
If he had played until he was Roger Federer's age who knows what his record may have looked like but maybe it's what makes Borg's eleven Grand Slam victories even more brilliant. By age 26 I don't believe there have been too many better Grand Slam records, perhaps only Federer's record surpasses it.
The Monte Carlo Country Club is a place of tranquillity and a place of Hollywood movie status where every step you take is one of respect toward not only the game of tennis but towards your inspiration to play the game. Yes I was inspired by two tennis players from Sweden but Borg was my hero in life before he was my hero in tennis. I loved what he did and he did it with a calmness that I have not seen since.
Mats Wilander replaced Borg for me as someone to follow after Borg's retirement from tennis but he would never replace the aura that surrounded Borg.
I will never forget the way he waved to his wife Mariana when the going was getting real tough in a Wimbledon final, it was his way of letting her know that he was in control despite the score line. He was known as the 'Ice Man' but that gesture was his way of showing that he had a human side to his almost robot like mannerisms on court.
Borg owned a style that has never been replicated since, he did it with grace and he owned a conscience. He was polite, courteous to officials and ball kids and he was a player who you would aspire to be like. He was a 'Rock Star' and a tennis player all rolled into one.
Monte Carlo and Bjorn Borg were as big a part of tennis to me at age 21 as they were when I first hit a ball as a 12 year old and it inspired me to eventually visit Europe.
If it weren't for Borg I would never have played tennis and I would never have visited a place that I still regard as the most amazing place I have ever seen.
It is a part of the World that has been sculptured out of a mountain overlooking the water where the rich and famous spend their spare time.
Tennis can give you a hard time mentally however it can also take you places, literally.........
Thursday, 13 April 2017
'SOME HOPE' ( REDA EL AMRANI )
Here's a story about a tennis professional that may just give every aspiring player some hope for the future despite what their current ranking is.
Reda El Amrani is a 28 year old pro tennis player from Morocco and he reached a career high of World number 160 in singles in 2010. He has won 8 singles events and 5 doubles titles in the Futures Series. His prize money is minimal, just over $150, 000 in his career, this year just over a grand. His current ranking defies logic, he's ranked 667.
If you get the chance to look up the highlights of his match with young gun Borna Coric at the current tournament being played in Marrakech, Morocco it is well worth the view as his style is unique to say the least. Drop shots a plenty, a one handed backhand, a sound volley and a great forehand. He is also wearing a knee brace which quite possibly gives away the fact that injury has played a part in his ranking and time away from the game which is obvious if you look at his playing history which can only be described as spasmodic.
I say that his ranking defies logic because of the effort he put in against Coric who has had wins over Murray and Nadal and gained a career high of 33 in singles two years ago. Coric is currently ranked 79 though he has recently dropped twenty something places due to some 'average' results. Those average results have still netted him more this year than El Amrani has won in his entire career however.
For the record Coric won the match 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 ( 7-5 ) but not before El Amrani served for the match at 5-4 in the third.
So how does a guy ranked 667 take it up to someone who has beaten the World's best on more than one occasion ? Your guess is as good as mine but I think self belief has a lot to do with it because El Amrani has been inside the top 200 albeit several years ago but to gain a ranking of that number you need to be of a remarkable quality.
To the naked eye a ranking of 160 seems rather low and it doesn't really give off an aura that says 'this guy is talented' but to reach that number you have to own a game that doesn't own many technical weaknesses, it's a head game when you are top 200.
So where does Reda El Amrani go from here ? Well he's only a 'young fella' and players such as Victor Estrella Burgos from the Dominican Republic and Mr Federer are 36 and 35 years of age respectively and playing the best tennis of their lives currently. Maybe 28 is considered now more an age to excel rather than retire.
Personally I am looking forward to tracking Reda El Amrani's progress for the rest of this season as guys like him do the sport proud with their determination to still succeed despite age, injury or any other restrictions that were once considered as career limitations or career ending for that matter.
Tennis is a tough sport to make a dollar out of and every player is looking to get inside the Top 100 to guarantee themselves a handy pay day at Grand Slam events which offer a first round 'loser' up to $50,000 for their effort in making the main draw.
Four of those per year and you may just cover your expenses and put a few bucks in the ash tray of your car to cover your fuel to a few smaller events around the country as well. Top 100 though is a tough gig.
Reda El Amrani, good luck Champ, keep swinging.......
Reda El Amrani is a 28 year old pro tennis player from Morocco and he reached a career high of World number 160 in singles in 2010. He has won 8 singles events and 5 doubles titles in the Futures Series. His prize money is minimal, just over $150, 000 in his career, this year just over a grand. His current ranking defies logic, he's ranked 667.
If you get the chance to look up the highlights of his match with young gun Borna Coric at the current tournament being played in Marrakech, Morocco it is well worth the view as his style is unique to say the least. Drop shots a plenty, a one handed backhand, a sound volley and a great forehand. He is also wearing a knee brace which quite possibly gives away the fact that injury has played a part in his ranking and time away from the game which is obvious if you look at his playing history which can only be described as spasmodic.
I say that his ranking defies logic because of the effort he put in against Coric who has had wins over Murray and Nadal and gained a career high of 33 in singles two years ago. Coric is currently ranked 79 though he has recently dropped twenty something places due to some 'average' results. Those average results have still netted him more this year than El Amrani has won in his entire career however.
For the record Coric won the match 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 ( 7-5 ) but not before El Amrani served for the match at 5-4 in the third.
So how does a guy ranked 667 take it up to someone who has beaten the World's best on more than one occasion ? Your guess is as good as mine but I think self belief has a lot to do with it because El Amrani has been inside the top 200 albeit several years ago but to gain a ranking of that number you need to be of a remarkable quality.
To the naked eye a ranking of 160 seems rather low and it doesn't really give off an aura that says 'this guy is talented' but to reach that number you have to own a game that doesn't own many technical weaknesses, it's a head game when you are top 200.
So where does Reda El Amrani go from here ? Well he's only a 'young fella' and players such as Victor Estrella Burgos from the Dominican Republic and Mr Federer are 36 and 35 years of age respectively and playing the best tennis of their lives currently. Maybe 28 is considered now more an age to excel rather than retire.
Personally I am looking forward to tracking Reda El Amrani's progress for the rest of this season as guys like him do the sport proud with their determination to still succeed despite age, injury or any other restrictions that were once considered as career limitations or career ending for that matter.
Tennis is a tough sport to make a dollar out of and every player is looking to get inside the Top 100 to guarantee themselves a handy pay day at Grand Slam events which offer a first round 'loser' up to $50,000 for their effort in making the main draw.
Four of those per year and you may just cover your expenses and put a few bucks in the ash tray of your car to cover your fuel to a few smaller events around the country as well. Top 100 though is a tough gig.
Reda El Amrani, good luck Champ, keep swinging.......
Wednesday, 12 April 2017
'GIVE IT A GO'
I once received an anonymous message on this site accusing me of 'trying to wind back the clock' as I was still rather focused on playing tournaments as well as coaching. My reply from memory was simple as I stated that if a coach can still move then they should in my opinion still play the occasional competition. The reasons add up if you take the time to think about it;
Inspiring your students.
Showing your students that you can actually hit a ball under pressure, not just in practice.
Supporting local events.
Keeping the thought process active rather than just going from memory.
There are no doubt many more reasons why a coach of tennis should give it a go but I believe that those four examples top the list.
I looked up the results of a recent Country Championship where teams from all around our State took part and the thing that struck me most was that the students' coaches also took part in the senior events. That to me is inspiring to read because it shows a lack of fear and it would have been inspirational for those junior players to witness their mentors having a red hot go also because a kid will look up to the person who teaches them.
If that person, mentor, coach is leading by example then I think that is probably a huge factor in driving a student to become better at the game.
I recently wrote on my site a post titled 'AN EXPERIMENT' ( Silly Idea ) where I detailed my thoughts on a couple of local tournaments I competed in, a singles and a doubles event. It was irrelevant that I had success in both of those events, it was more important that I simply played because at age 48, well I suppose you are not expected to trouble the score board.
Is however that last statement an excuse for many ?
I once read that the great John McEnroe was still classed as the 'best over 50 player in the World' and that when you think about it, is rather inspiring but it's who John is, he's competitive even at age 55 plus.
Several years ago Bjorn Borg at age 54 took on Jim Courier in a singles exhibition match but I can guarantee you that Borg wanted to still gain some respect. Courier, at around 15 years younger took the match 3 and 6. Not bad for an 'old bloke' Bjorn.
Remember also that with a guy like Courier, he still hits with current Davis Cup players as he is the Captain of the US team and Borg is simply playing for pride and from a very long memory, that's inspiring once again.
Was I really trying to 'wind back the clock' as I was accused of by that anonymous messenger ? I think it has more to do with trying to stay in the game and not gather cobwebs because many coaches and mentors of the sport of tennis do this way too early and regret it later. We all go through stages in tennis, loving it, hating it, craving for the adrenalin rush once again, despising it for what it does to us physically and mentally, yet we keep coming back to it , well some do anyhow.
My theory on it is simple, you are a long time retired, many years to sit back and think about how good it was to be able to play a sport that can do so many things to us both physically and mentally whether good or bad yet we can look upon it all as a test of character. So I ask the obvious question, do you own character or do you just own an ability to hit a tennis ball ?
Any coach of the sport of tennis who owns an astute mind will tell you that character is what defines you as a person and a player and possibly the number one thing that a player or even coach for that matter requires for either success or respect.
There are many active tennis coaches out there and I take my hat off to all of them because their students are the ones who will reap the rewards of an 'active' mentor whereas a coach who simply goes from memory and You Tube instruction is lacking a hands on approach to their tuition.
Give it a go if you still can, play a Mixed Doubles event for a bit of fun, no one says you have to play 15 year old kids in singles who can run all day but show you actually still know how to compete. Justifying your $60 to $80 an hour price tag is something that is important to the consumer.
Do we put a limit on age do you think ?
I will post that clip of Courier and Borg on this site and you take a look at the physique and ability of Bjorn at age 54. You tell me whether or not you are a bit 'soft' for not still having a go at your age.......
Inspiring your students.
Showing your students that you can actually hit a ball under pressure, not just in practice.
Supporting local events.
Keeping the thought process active rather than just going from memory.
There are no doubt many more reasons why a coach of tennis should give it a go but I believe that those four examples top the list.
I looked up the results of a recent Country Championship where teams from all around our State took part and the thing that struck me most was that the students' coaches also took part in the senior events. That to me is inspiring to read because it shows a lack of fear and it would have been inspirational for those junior players to witness their mentors having a red hot go also because a kid will look up to the person who teaches them.
If that person, mentor, coach is leading by example then I think that is probably a huge factor in driving a student to become better at the game.
I recently wrote on my site a post titled 'AN EXPERIMENT' ( Silly Idea ) where I detailed my thoughts on a couple of local tournaments I competed in, a singles and a doubles event. It was irrelevant that I had success in both of those events, it was more important that I simply played because at age 48, well I suppose you are not expected to trouble the score board.
Is however that last statement an excuse for many ?
I once read that the great John McEnroe was still classed as the 'best over 50 player in the World' and that when you think about it, is rather inspiring but it's who John is, he's competitive even at age 55 plus.
Several years ago Bjorn Borg at age 54 took on Jim Courier in a singles exhibition match but I can guarantee you that Borg wanted to still gain some respect. Courier, at around 15 years younger took the match 3 and 6. Not bad for an 'old bloke' Bjorn.
Remember also that with a guy like Courier, he still hits with current Davis Cup players as he is the Captain of the US team and Borg is simply playing for pride and from a very long memory, that's inspiring once again.
Was I really trying to 'wind back the clock' as I was accused of by that anonymous messenger ? I think it has more to do with trying to stay in the game and not gather cobwebs because many coaches and mentors of the sport of tennis do this way too early and regret it later. We all go through stages in tennis, loving it, hating it, craving for the adrenalin rush once again, despising it for what it does to us physically and mentally, yet we keep coming back to it , well some do anyhow.
My theory on it is simple, you are a long time retired, many years to sit back and think about how good it was to be able to play a sport that can do so many things to us both physically and mentally whether good or bad yet we can look upon it all as a test of character. So I ask the obvious question, do you own character or do you just own an ability to hit a tennis ball ?
Any coach of the sport of tennis who owns an astute mind will tell you that character is what defines you as a person and a player and possibly the number one thing that a player or even coach for that matter requires for either success or respect.
There are many active tennis coaches out there and I take my hat off to all of them because their students are the ones who will reap the rewards of an 'active' mentor whereas a coach who simply goes from memory and You Tube instruction is lacking a hands on approach to their tuition.
Give it a go if you still can, play a Mixed Doubles event for a bit of fun, no one says you have to play 15 year old kids in singles who can run all day but show you actually still know how to compete. Justifying your $60 to $80 an hour price tag is something that is important to the consumer.
Do we put a limit on age do you think ?
I will post that clip of Courier and Borg on this site and you take a look at the physique and ability of Bjorn at age 54. You tell me whether or not you are a bit 'soft' for not still having a go at your age.......
Tuesday, 11 April 2017
'THE ART OF NOT MISSING'
I wrote this almost a year ago and I felt that with the clay court season just around the corner it was worth reposting. It is unfinished, as many of my posts are but you will get the idea of what I am trying to say.
I feel I could elaborate on this particular topic and I am sure that I will as the season unfolds. The particular match that I wrote about was quite remarkable even though it was a straight sets win to Nadal.
What strikes me is the mindset of a player like the Spaniard who basically says to his opponent 'If you can make less errors than me, you can have the match'. Fifteen French Open titles later I still believe that between Nadal and Borg, well that is the way to win on the dirt.....
2016;
The French Open Tennis Tournament usually holds records that no other tennis tournament does, it's pretty obvious why, it's a tournament played on a slow surface, clay. If ever there is a doubt as to what a player should be training on to refine their ground strokes look no further than the European clay court specialists, their error count is minimal.
These players are technically brilliant especially from the back of the court but some struggle on quicker surfaces, naturally.
If you look at the way Rafa hits his forehand then you will see that this style can only really be taught on a slower surface , one that gives a player time to hit it to it's full potential. If a kid trains on a grass or synthetic court the style will be abbreviated, the ball will come through too quick, even on some hard courts. Clay is the answer to refining ground strokes, Rafa is the greatest exponent of this fact.
In the French Open this year in round three the Spaniard played Leonardo Mayer , ranked 65 in the World , a sensational tennis player from Argentina who has won over two million dollars in prize money. The score was 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 but the most impressive thing about this match was the amount of unforced errors that Nadal hit. He missed 2 in the first set, 3 in the second and 5 in the third, that's pretty impressive, so why doesn't he miss ?
Rafa hits the ball so high over the net that he invariably only hits long if he misses , many people don't realize this fact, they just see him hitting it hard, they don't see the height. The net clearance of Rafa is not unlike Borg's, if you don't pick it early it will be up around your ears, every tennis player's worst nightmare.
Rafa has won the French on 9 occasions because he rarely misses, Borg won it 6 times, he missed a hand full of shots each match also, there must be something in this way of playing.
Clay court tennis training will separate the great from the good, it's what needs to happen in each Country if they are to keep up with a nation such as Spain who have I believe 14 players in the top 100 men, give or take one or two . It is a surface that will develop ground strokes and a thinking man's game like no other, the proof is in the rankings.
Maybe one day other countries will follow Spain's lead before they have a strangle hold on the game that will be difficult to catch up to.
The art of not missing is what will take a player to victory, not the winners. You don't have to hit a winner, just don't miss and you will be pretty hard to beat........
I feel I could elaborate on this particular topic and I am sure that I will as the season unfolds. The particular match that I wrote about was quite remarkable even though it was a straight sets win to Nadal.
What strikes me is the mindset of a player like the Spaniard who basically says to his opponent 'If you can make less errors than me, you can have the match'. Fifteen French Open titles later I still believe that between Nadal and Borg, well that is the way to win on the dirt.....
2016;
The French Open Tennis Tournament usually holds records that no other tennis tournament does, it's pretty obvious why, it's a tournament played on a slow surface, clay. If ever there is a doubt as to what a player should be training on to refine their ground strokes look no further than the European clay court specialists, their error count is minimal.
These players are technically brilliant especially from the back of the court but some struggle on quicker surfaces, naturally.
If you look at the way Rafa hits his forehand then you will see that this style can only really be taught on a slower surface , one that gives a player time to hit it to it's full potential. If a kid trains on a grass or synthetic court the style will be abbreviated, the ball will come through too quick, even on some hard courts. Clay is the answer to refining ground strokes, Rafa is the greatest exponent of this fact.
In the French Open this year in round three the Spaniard played Leonardo Mayer , ranked 65 in the World , a sensational tennis player from Argentina who has won over two million dollars in prize money. The score was 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 but the most impressive thing about this match was the amount of unforced errors that Nadal hit. He missed 2 in the first set, 3 in the second and 5 in the third, that's pretty impressive, so why doesn't he miss ?
Rafa hits the ball so high over the net that he invariably only hits long if he misses , many people don't realize this fact, they just see him hitting it hard, they don't see the height. The net clearance of Rafa is not unlike Borg's, if you don't pick it early it will be up around your ears, every tennis player's worst nightmare.
Rafa has won the French on 9 occasions because he rarely misses, Borg won it 6 times, he missed a hand full of shots each match also, there must be something in this way of playing.
Clay court tennis training will separate the great from the good, it's what needs to happen in each Country if they are to keep up with a nation such as Spain who have I believe 14 players in the top 100 men, give or take one or two . It is a surface that will develop ground strokes and a thinking man's game like no other, the proof is in the rankings.
Maybe one day other countries will follow Spain's lead before they have a strangle hold on the game that will be difficult to catch up to.
The art of not missing is what will take a player to victory, not the winners. You don't have to hit a winner, just don't miss and you will be pretty hard to beat........
Friday, 7 April 2017
'WHICH PART DIDN'T YOU UNDERSTAND' ?
Here's a rather amusing story, one that unfortunately involves myself , one that I have learned from and one that I will make sure is never, ever repeated. It goes something like this;
A few weeks ago we played a local tennis tournament, a ripper, one that I will put down as possibly the best tournament I have played in ten years because the teams in it were all tough. It was a pleasure to be a part of it. Unfortunately the local newspaper didn't share my thoughts on it and the coverage of it was less than complimentary.
Not sure why but tennis in my home town is not regarded as 'cool' particularly by the local journalists who are ex footballers and cricketers, current footballers and cricketers, wannabee footballers and cricketers and football and cricket addicts.
In a nutshell it's like this here in sleepy hollow, if it's not football and cricket, well your sport may not really be looked after as far as newspaper coverage is concerned. Sorry basketball gets a look in as well, can't forget basketball.
So this is what I did, I gathered some information on the tournament we played including scores, names and a bit of history that I felt was necessary to make the article readable to the public. I sent it to A local paper, we have three, unfortunately it was not published due to the time frame however they requested that I send them results from future tournaments and put my spin on it so to speak. No worries, happy to give our sport of tennis a leg up, so to speak.
I did request one thing though, that my name is NOT to be put to the article because if I am playing the tournament I am not comfortable, win, lose or draw about stating what I did in the competition as it may be perceived as 'biased journalism'. I thought that request was pretty simple to follow.
Maybe for a ten year old kid but for an experienced bunch of people at a local newspaper ?? Read on.....
So to our local season ending tennis tournament, club versus club, five events, a chance to finish with some bragging rights as the champion club of the region, a great concept however one that I haven't played for a few years.
Ok so this is what happened with my write up; I gathered all of the scores that I felt were worth a mention, put an article together, sent it to A local newspaper on Sunday night, the night of the tournament including the one and only request that I had of the article; FOR MY NAME NOT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ARTICLE, I was merely happy for our sport to receive some publicity locally as it struggles against other sports as I have mentioned.
No reply, no 'thank you Glenn for the results and article', not a thing, I was not certain whether the hierarchy at the newspaper were even interested in my article even though the write up was requested over a personal phone call.
Thursday rolls around, I grab a local newspaper, I open the back page and finally, it's there for all of sleepy hollow to read, a tennis article, yep tennis, football and cricket take a back seat please, tennis is finally having a moment in a local newspaper.
As I begin reading the article however I see from the very first paragraph that my version of the day has in fact been changed and in the final paragraph it states that a mixed doubles match was in fact 'between' a certain team when in actual fact it should have read AGAINST. In tennis there is a fair difference. So I thought I had better check the original article that I sent the newspaper.
Nothing wrong with my writing skills as I did in fact state that the match was AGAINST and not BETWEEN. How the f... can you have a match 'between' two players in the same team ??!! Spelling error ? Nope, I would suggest that right from the start of the article that I sent the newspaper they reworded things to suit themselves without any thought of how it actually read to the public. Now here's the icing on the cake.
What do you think was at the bottom of the article that was sent in by an avid tennis supporter and writer who did not want to be associated with the piece of writing that was simply done to give tennis a bit of publicity locally ? C'mon don't be silly, surely not my name ???
Yep my name, my f....... name !!!
Which part didn't you understand buddy ???!!!
The spelling was wrong but it was still my name.
Now I do have a theory on this, as I do with most things. The person who put ink to paper at the local newspaper thought that by spelling my name with one n, Glen as opposed to Glenn they must have assumed the following :
That the public who read the article would in fact think that Glen Thompson ( the writer of the article ) was a totally different character than Glenn Thompson the competitor. That I think was the most logical answer, what do you reckon ???
So to my conclusion on this whole ridiculous affair, NEVER AGAIN will GT be offering a local tennis article to a local newspaper even if it is to give the sport a much needed publicity boost as it is obviously all way too hard to follow a simple request from the person who wrote it.
On top of that it's obviously also way too hard to follow what someone had written regarding whether certain teams had in fact played against or was that 'between' each other ? Is it just me or do you get the impression that Mickey Mouse may have had more chance of doing this thing correctly ?
Personally when I write on this silly site of mine I am happy to be GT, happy to receive criticism or accolades, it's all my doing but when it comes to helping a local newspaper with a write up I INSIST on being the 'Ghostwriter'. That's just me.
Good luck next season when you want some tennis results written up for your local paper, I am already booked up........
REGARDS GLENN THOMPSON ( That's Glenn with two N's )
A few weeks ago we played a local tennis tournament, a ripper, one that I will put down as possibly the best tournament I have played in ten years because the teams in it were all tough. It was a pleasure to be a part of it. Unfortunately the local newspaper didn't share my thoughts on it and the coverage of it was less than complimentary.
Not sure why but tennis in my home town is not regarded as 'cool' particularly by the local journalists who are ex footballers and cricketers, current footballers and cricketers, wannabee footballers and cricketers and football and cricket addicts.
In a nutshell it's like this here in sleepy hollow, if it's not football and cricket, well your sport may not really be looked after as far as newspaper coverage is concerned. Sorry basketball gets a look in as well, can't forget basketball.
So this is what I did, I gathered some information on the tournament we played including scores, names and a bit of history that I felt was necessary to make the article readable to the public. I sent it to A local paper, we have three, unfortunately it was not published due to the time frame however they requested that I send them results from future tournaments and put my spin on it so to speak. No worries, happy to give our sport of tennis a leg up, so to speak.
I did request one thing though, that my name is NOT to be put to the article because if I am playing the tournament I am not comfortable, win, lose or draw about stating what I did in the competition as it may be perceived as 'biased journalism'. I thought that request was pretty simple to follow.
Maybe for a ten year old kid but for an experienced bunch of people at a local newspaper ?? Read on.....
So to our local season ending tennis tournament, club versus club, five events, a chance to finish with some bragging rights as the champion club of the region, a great concept however one that I haven't played for a few years.
Ok so this is what happened with my write up; I gathered all of the scores that I felt were worth a mention, put an article together, sent it to A local newspaper on Sunday night, the night of the tournament including the one and only request that I had of the article; FOR MY NAME NOT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ARTICLE, I was merely happy for our sport to receive some publicity locally as it struggles against other sports as I have mentioned.
No reply, no 'thank you Glenn for the results and article', not a thing, I was not certain whether the hierarchy at the newspaper were even interested in my article even though the write up was requested over a personal phone call.
Thursday rolls around, I grab a local newspaper, I open the back page and finally, it's there for all of sleepy hollow to read, a tennis article, yep tennis, football and cricket take a back seat please, tennis is finally having a moment in a local newspaper.
As I begin reading the article however I see from the very first paragraph that my version of the day has in fact been changed and in the final paragraph it states that a mixed doubles match was in fact 'between' a certain team when in actual fact it should have read AGAINST. In tennis there is a fair difference. So I thought I had better check the original article that I sent the newspaper.
Nothing wrong with my writing skills as I did in fact state that the match was AGAINST and not BETWEEN. How the f... can you have a match 'between' two players in the same team ??!! Spelling error ? Nope, I would suggest that right from the start of the article that I sent the newspaper they reworded things to suit themselves without any thought of how it actually read to the public. Now here's the icing on the cake.
What do you think was at the bottom of the article that was sent in by an avid tennis supporter and writer who did not want to be associated with the piece of writing that was simply done to give tennis a bit of publicity locally ? C'mon don't be silly, surely not my name ???
Yep my name, my f....... name !!!
Which part didn't you understand buddy ???!!!
The spelling was wrong but it was still my name.
Now I do have a theory on this, as I do with most things. The person who put ink to paper at the local newspaper thought that by spelling my name with one n, Glen as opposed to Glenn they must have assumed the following :
That the public who read the article would in fact think that Glen Thompson ( the writer of the article ) was a totally different character than Glenn Thompson the competitor. That I think was the most logical answer, what do you reckon ???
So to my conclusion on this whole ridiculous affair, NEVER AGAIN will GT be offering a local tennis article to a local newspaper even if it is to give the sport a much needed publicity boost as it is obviously all way too hard to follow a simple request from the person who wrote it.
On top of that it's obviously also way too hard to follow what someone had written regarding whether certain teams had in fact played against or was that 'between' each other ? Is it just me or do you get the impression that Mickey Mouse may have had more chance of doing this thing correctly ?
Personally when I write on this silly site of mine I am happy to be GT, happy to receive criticism or accolades, it's all my doing but when it comes to helping a local newspaper with a write up I INSIST on being the 'Ghostwriter'. That's just me.
Good luck next season when you want some tennis results written up for your local paper, I am already booked up........
REGARDS GLENN THOMPSON ( That's Glenn with two N's )
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