An engineer overthinks tennis in a daily journal.
Last Saturday was a banner day of watching tennis on TV. With a temporary lull in USTA League play, and a flare up of plantar fasciitis dictating lower impact activities, I spent the day watching the Ladies Singles and Doubles finals at Wimbledon. There were a couple of moments in both matches that caught my attention.
Jill Craybas made 45 consecutive Grand Slam main draws starting at the 2000 US Open and ending with the 2011 US Open. She also represented the United States in both Fed Cup and Olympic play. According to Wikipedia, she is best known for upsetting Serena Williams at the 2005 Wimbledon Championships. I disagree. Jill Craybas should be remembered for the most epic assortment of fitness related tennis gear ever produced while filming a Tennis Channel “Bag Check” feature.
I am excited to announce that I am a USTA Tennis Champion! Over the next six months I will be participating in USTA sponsored challenges to promote tennis in North Texas. In the true spirit of this blog, I will chronicle my experiences. I am anticipating that some of the challenges may result in raucous adventures. Hilarity may ensue.
1 response
In 1990, the organization known as the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) transitioned from an association that only represented the players to a partnership between the players and the tournament organizers. The ATP Board of Directors is composed of three player representatives and three tournament representatives. The Chairman of the ATP Board only votes in the event where there is a tie between the players and the tournaments. That structure is what ultimately emerged following “The Press Conference in a Parking Lot.”
Yesterday we discussed how the organization known as the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) was established as an influential force in tennis via the Wimbledon player boycott of 1973. When the ATP was first founded, the fledging organization considered creating their own tour. However, the ATP lacked both the financial resources and confidence to make it happen at that time. The Men’s Tennis Council (MTC) was formed to fill the void and oversaw the professional men’s tennis tour from 1974 to 1989. The demise of that arrangement is a fascinating tale of power and politics in tennis.
The organization known as the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) was founded in 1972. Initially the ATP membership consisted of only the players and the organization didn’t have all that much power. That all changed in when the ATP membership pulled together to boycott Wimbledon in 1973. It was one of the most effective labor strikes in the history of professional sports.
Unless another book comes tumbling off the shelf at me again, Gyata Stormon’s volume on tennis doubles is the final installment in the series of books that I happen to own on the topic. For what is likely to be a brief window in time, I can stake the claim that I have read all the tennis doubles books that I own. It is an accomplishment, no matter how fleeting the moment ultimately turns out to be.
A first round match at Wimbledon last week between Daniil Medvedev and Jan-Lennard Struff provided a textbook example of the permanent fixture rule in tennis. It also illustrated why Reddit might not be the best source to turn to for official tennis rules interpretation.
Michael Berrer is a German professional tennis player who retired in 2016. His career high ranking of 42 was achieved in 2021. He also has the distinction of appearing on one of the earliest Tennis Channel “Bag Check” features. Berrer was the first player who pulled exercise tubes out of his racquet bag on that series.
Last weekend, this site detailed the selection criteria for players from the United States to qualify to play in the Olympics. The information included the direct acceptance criteria imposed by the International Olympic Committee. The factors that the USTA uses to nominate additional players was also described. The first post speculated on the players who would be named to the women’s team and a follow up focused on the men. As expected, the roster for Team USA was announced last week. There were some big surprises primarily involving players who declined to participate in the Olympic Games this year.