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Tennis Beyond the Headlines: December 23, 2024 The Definitive Captains Guide to USTA League Player Descriptions The Definitive Players Guide to USTA League Team Descriptions Shameless Strategies: Never Pick Up Your Share of Drill Balls Again Tennis Players as Works of Art Which Team is Your Main Squeeze? Cowtown Edition Speed Through / Double Back

Enter Tournaments Early, Enter Tournaments Often

On By Teresa Merklin

One of the best way for individual tennis players to support tournament play is to enter tournaments. Paradoxically, I have heard players complain that no one entered a tournament that they themselves didn’t enter. I have even done the same thing myself. In addition to actually entering tournaments, players can maximize the chances that other players participate by throwing in their entry early. Timing matters. Waiting until the last minute to enter a tournament is almost the same thing as not entering at all when the goal is boosting participation.

2 responses

Citizen Ashe

On By Teresa Merklin

Citizen Ashe is a recently released documentary about Arthur Ashe. The film traces the entire arc of Ashe’s life from early childhood all the way through to his death from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1992. I was surprised at how much detail the producers managed to pack into the movie with a relatively short runtime. It delivered new insight and perspectives while remaining entertaining for a wide range of audiences. Tennis history buffs, casual players, and even people who aren’t interested in tennis or civil rights at all will likely enjoy the movie.

I Love It When a Plan Comes Together

On By Teresa Merklin

Last week I wrote about how I was using a Post-Match Evaluation Worksheet as a part of maintaining a Player Development Journal in 2022. That post framed out the initial use of the worksheet during and after my first “real” match of 2022. In strange twist of fate, I wound up playing against the same exact doubles team the following weekend. I was playing with a different partner this time around, but the quick rematch still provided valuable and immediate feedback on the impact.

Leagues without Nationals

On By Teresa Merklin

When the USTA first formalized NTRP based league play, the organization simultaneously self-imposed a requirement to conduct a series of National Championships. It has been an implicit part of the system from inception. That is probably why people look at me like I am crazy anytime I suggest that USTA Leagues would do just fine without National Championships. There is a pervasive belief that if the USTA eliminated League Nationals that participation would plummet. I’m not so sure.

3 responses

Movin’ On Up: What USTA Tournaments Can Learn from League Play

On By Teresa Merklin

The USTA League Move-Up/Split-Up rule was put into place to keep the same teams from advancing to the National Championships in consecutive years. Usually I perceive that league play and the associated regulations are depressive influences on tournament culture. Today is a rare exception. It is quite possible that tournaments can appropriate a thing or two from league regulations to improve the overall ecosystem.

2 responses

USTA League: A Move-Up/Split-Up Loophole

On By Teresa Merklin

USTA League teams that advance to the National Championships are subject to a provision known as “Move-Up/Split-Up.” In fact that is the exact title of section 2.06 in the USTA League Regulations. Teams that qualify for Nationals are prohibited from competing together at the same level the following year. Last weekend, someone pointed out an insane loophole in where the spirit and intent of those rules can be violated. In fact, there is at least one team in my local area who has apparently made the same discovery.

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Whirlwind: The Godfather of Black Tennis

On By Teresa Merklin

Dr. Robert Walter Johnson was a powerful force of change in tennis that accelerated the acceptance of players of color at the highest echelons of competitive tennis. It is not a stretch to observe that the tennis careers of Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe would not have happened in the same way without the support of the doctor. “Whirlwind,” the nickname he picked up while playing college football, is an apt moniker for both his life story and influence on tennis. Whirlwinds create turbulence. So did Dr. Johnson.

2022 USTA League Regulations: Your NTRP Overlords

On By Teresa Merklin

The USTA recently released the 2022 USTA League Regulations. Unlike in years past, there are some non-trivial changes in the document from the draft version circulated earlier in 2021. The most striking change is in the page formatting and layout. For reasons that defy my understanding, the final document is not a standard paper size. It is thin and narrow and not particularly friendly for printing or viewing on a mobile device.