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The Big Picture: What Really Happened at Tri-Level Match Retirements and Unsportsmanlike Conduct Reporting Misconduct at USTA League Championships Surrounded by Idiots: The Book on Sabalenka’s Nightstand Applicability of the USTA League Suspension Point System Sabalenka and The Foam Roller Tennis News: May 13, 2024

Future Shock: Injury Prediction in Tennis?

On By Teresa Merklin

The body is a complex system. Reflecting on aches and pains experienced before and after my recent foot injury has brought me to a new realization. It is highly likely that physical indicators were visible in my court movement and stroke mechanics for some time prior to my current injury. It is possible that artificial intelligence video analysis systems might soon be able to identify biomechanical breakdowns and warn of potential significant injury. I think this could happen within the next decade.

Leverage and Momentum in Tennis

On By Teresa Merklin

A data and analytics research group will soon release a paper that studies momentum swings in tennis. “Live Counter- Factual Analysis in Women’s Tennis Using Automatic Key- Moment Detection” uses machine learning to predict how certain events in a match will play out before they occur. The paper defines some new metrics for tennis that could potentially extend the state of the art of analytic data analysis in tennis.

SwingVision: Importing Video

On By Teresa Merklin

The SwingVision artificial intelligence tennis training application is primarily designed to work directly on a smart phone. That implementation puts tremendous analysis power directly into the hands of the players and enables immediate feedback. However, the use of a smart phone during a USTA sanctioned match is prohibited. Additionally, many players may be reluctant to drain their phone’s battery in a tournament setting. Fortunately, SwingVision can import data captured from an alternate device. I recently tested out that functionality and was very pleased with the results.

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SwingVision and the Cone Game

On By Teresa Merklin

The “Cone Game” is one of my favorite tennis practice drills. It is a great development tool because it gets the players into an Zen-like focus that is still layered with the pressure of competition. I recently used the SwingVision during a practice session that included the Cone Game and was very happy with the results. I continue to be completely enamored with the SwingVision application and service.

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SwingVision is Transformational

On By Teresa Merklin

I finally got around to trying out SwingVision and was very impressed with the results. In fact, I immediately applied to be a brand ambassador for the product. I am absolutely kicking myself for not trying it out much sooner. As a strong proponent of video analysis, any technology that reduces the workload required for meaningful review is transformational.

That Hits the Spot

On By Teresa Merklin

Sometimes the best tennis training techniques are also the most simple. I am a big believer that every player should spend some amount of time in their practice sessions hitting shots to targets. That includes serves, groundstrokes, volleys, overheads, drop shots, etc. When I go a week without performing target drills, it shows up in my matches. It’s ugly.

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TheraBand Flex Bar

On By Teresa Merklin

The TheraBand FlexBar is recommended for rehabilitation of tennis elbow. It is also useful for preventative strength training for the wrist and elbow muscles used in striking a tennis ball. The use of a FlexBar for treatment of tennis elbow was first reported in 2009 at the annual meeting of the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine. Unlike a lot of other tennis training devices, there are solid clinical trials behind the marketing claims. If you can get past the fact that it looks like an oversized licorice stick, the FlexBar might be for you.