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Even More Separate (But Unequal) Balls

On By Teresa Merklin

On the hard courts of Texas, bringing a can of regular duty tennis balls to a match is the epitome of poor taste. It simply isn’t done. The felt used for regular duty tennis balls doesn’t hold up to the wear and tear of play on an outdoor hard court. Consequently, I was surprised that regular duty balls were in use when I played the National Senior Women’s Hard Court Championships in Mission Hills, California earlier this month. I assumed that the selection was driven by necessity due to the the ongoing tennis ball shortage. As it turns out, the culprit is USTA policy.

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Come to Win: Venus Williams

On By Teresa Merklin

Slightly over a decade ago, Venus Williams was the lead author on a book about how athletics has shaped highly successful business leaders. The premise of the book is that athletic competition develops essential life skills including teamwork, problem solving, resilience, time management, and commitment. Those attributes are also important in the boardroom. Some of the leaders featured in the book competed professionally. Other contributors played collegiate and junior sports.

Coaching and the Point Penalty System

On By Teresa Merklin

Last Friday I described how Brad Gilbert was once ejected by a court official for attempting to coach with hand signals during one of his son’s tournament matches. That story prompted me to take a look at exactly what the Rules in the USTA Friend at Court have to say about the matter. Gilbert did not disclose the year that his ejection occurred, so I will use the current version of the rules as a basis for discussion.

The Best of Bag Check: Oatmeal Edition

On By Teresa Merklin

One of the most unusual items from a Tennis Channel “Bag Check” video emerged without comment during last week’s post. The jump rope was originally highlighted from the video featuring Edina Gallovits. On subsequent consideration, I should have focused on the bag of oatmeal she whipped out with the description “best thing ever.” That is… not typically how I personally describe oatmeal.

Coming Full Circle on Parental Tennis Strategy

On By Teresa Merklin

A few weeks ago I competed at the USTA Level 1 National Clay Court Women’s Championships in Houston. My adult daughter that played junior tennis currently lives in Houston. She came out to watch some of my matches on her off days from work. After missing my third swinging volley during one of my singles matches, I loudly exclaimed “Can someone please write down that I need to work on that?!?!?!” She was on the spot to record that fact for me. Additionally, that statement was interpreted as an open invitation for additional observations regarding my play.

Brad Gilbert Ejected: Coaching in Matches

On By Teresa Merklin

Brad Gilbert was once ejected from a junior tournament during one of his son’s matches. Zack’s opponent that day was one of those unusual players with a relatively weak forehand. Somehow his son failed to notice that tactical opportunity. Gilbert couldn’t control his impulse to signal his son to hit more balls to that side of the court. Failing to convey the message, Gilbert resorted to an increasingly intense series of gestures. He was busted by the roving umpire and ejected from the match.

I’ve Got Your Back: Brad Gilbert

On By Teresa Merklin

Brad Gilbert is arguably of one of the best tour level coaches ever to work in professional tennis. Under his leadership, Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick rose to #1 on the ATP rankings list. Their success was in large part to Gilbert’s philosophy on winning. As it turns out, those ideas on performance are also applicable in a corporate setting. In 2005, Gilbert distilled his coaching wisdom into a very good book targeted at business leaders.

The “No Let” Alternative

On By Teresa Merklin

The idea to eliminate service lets in tennis is gaining momentum. There are currently two high profile places where the no let rule can be observed in action. The first of these is World Team Tennis where the no-let rule was implemented to speed up play and create drama. It was also implemented in NCAA men’s tennis where the motivation was to eliminate cheating.

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