December 2020

Nothing is as Important as it Seems

On December 11, 2020 By Teresa Merklin

Unplugged

I am suddenly and unexpectedly spending a lot of time in the house of the Umpire Who Gave Birth to me. She took a tumble shortly before Thanksgiving and has been in the hospital until yesterday. There is a whole lot more to the story. The trivial side effect of that development relevant to this blog is that I am finding all sorts of tennis artifacts in her house. In fact, I am probably going to be writing a lot in the future about some of these found objects.

Rafa Autobiography with John Carlin

On December 10, 2020 By Teresa Merklin

Books

I regularly consult list of the best selling tennis books on amazon. Rafa, an autobiography of Rafael Nadal with John Carlin, currently sits at #8 on that list. It’s really #6 because The Inner Game of Tennis and Andre Agassi’s Open each appear twice above that spot.

Making a List: Coaching in Tennis

On December 9, 2020 By Teresa Merklin

Rules

Perhaps it is a sign of the season. As I write this final installment on the “Coaching” section of the ITF Rules of Tennis published in the USTA Friend at Court, I have a Christmas carol stuck in my head. More specifically it is the lyric “He’s making a list, and checking it twice…” from Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

Touch Volley Double Tap Drill

On December 8, 2020 By Teresa Merklin

Tennis Technology

Last week, the Fiend at Court household shared a video of an excellent drill for developing touch volleys. Today we are sharing another drill that is good for that purpose that was made during the same practice session.

T Minus 25: 2021 USTA Tournament Changes

On December 7, 2020 By Teresa Merklin

Tennis News

There are exactly 25 days until the new USTA tournament structure for 2021 is officially enacted. It is almost time to take a deep breath and collectively say “Let’s do this.” There seems to be a perceptible uptick in the rate of new information trickling out for what USTA sanctioned tennis tournaments will look like in 2021.

Take Two: Casey Carlson’s Very Good Weekend

On December 6, 2020 By Teresa Merklin

Unplugged

We have spent the previous two days contemplating the USTA League rules and ethical considerations of a captain having two teams in a local league Championship. Today we are kicking it up a notch and contemplating the same scenario at the Sectional level. A berth to the National Championships is on the line.

Take Two: Captaining Multiple Teams and League Championships

On December 5, 2020 By Teresa Merklin

Unplugged

Christy Vutam is to be congratulated. As outlined yesterday, she captained both the Champion and the Runner-Up Women’s 4.5 teams in the Dallas Fall League. It makes a great backdrop for discussing edge cases in the USTA league regulations and operating procedures.

Take Two: Captaining Multiple Teams

On December 4, 2020 By Teresa Merklin

Unplugged

A couple of months ago, I posted a series on “The Ethics of Captaining Multiple USTA League Teams.” That topic was prompted by a spirited discussion in the Facebook group of the Texas Tournament players about a proposed rule change in the Austin CTA to limit people from captaining two teams in the same league. That proposal had already been voted down twice.

The Three Books Every Tennis Player Should Own

On December 3, 2020 By Teresa Merklin

Books

Tis the season for recommending thoughtful gifts for tennis players. Today we will consider the three books that every tennis player should own, rather than read. A book that is a “must read” can usually be cast aside after initial consumption. The books that should be owned are those which get re-read and consulted over time. They are enduring.

Tennis Coaching: Prepared Notes

On December 2, 2020 By Teresa Merklin

Rules

It is a generally accepted practice that players can bring written notes to the court during a match. This is captured in a USTA Comment within the ITF Rules of Tennis published in the Friend at Court.

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Month: December 2020