An engineer overthinks tennis in a daily journal.
Last week in “Low-Impact Interval Training” I outlined a training routine that I developed after learning that USTA Player Development regularly uses low-impact cardio machines for interval training. Low-Impact refers to the amount of stress placed on the joints. The workout itself is extremely high intensity and effort. If I am going to work that hard, then I am also going to collect data to know if it is effective.
The hosts of Compete Like a Champion periodically speculate that one of the reasons that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have exhibited unprecedented career longevity is because they are doing the majority of their conditioning and interval training on low impact cardio equipment such as an exercise bike or elliptical trainer.
It is important for tournament players to have the things they need on court with them. Some basic first aid items are essential. A player who can self-treat medical issues does not have to use a medical timeout timeout to seek treatment. That could be critical if there is a subsequent injury in the match.
One of my more rewarding projects in 2020 was making my own custom cargo bay organizer. I carry a lot of tennis gear in my car. This includes my tournament style racquet bag as well as additional gear that I like to have handy. I frequently refer to my vehicle as a rolling tennis locker.
One key difference between USTA league and tournament match play is that in a tournament you generally have some amount of advance notice of who your opponent will be. In league play, players generally do not know who they are playing until the rosters are exchanged. The net result of that is that the scouting report culture is very different between leagues and tournaments.
It will probably not surprise anyone that I love the “Bag Check” feature that runs on the Tennis Channel. I actually used to like it even more before it started to be dominated by product placement trope. Still, that segment occasionally turns up some genuine gems. I am very interested in what players at all levels carry in their bags.
It rained during the early rounds of the US Open this year. I was completely disinterested in the two matches in progress on the courts in the covered stadiums at that time. Rather than switching over, I left the stream rolling on the rainy court. It was peaceful. For inexplicable reasons, I enjoy watching rain fall on a tennis court — as long as I am not the one actually waiting to play.
When watching the Western and Southern Open and the US Open over the past three weeks, I could not help but to notice the blue ice chests that were placed adjacent to the player seating area on each court. It took a little internet sleuthing, but I am reasonably certain that the device in question is an IcyBreeze portable air conditioner.
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If you have ever seen a dude carrying a jar of pickles around at a tennis tournament and wondered what that was all about, there is a two word explanation: Muscle Cramps. Pickle juice is widely regarded as a magical cure for muscle cramping within tennis circles for a very simple reason. It works.
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In March of this year, the USTA announced a new court surface for the US Open and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Since the Cincinnati Open was also played at that facility as a part of the COVID-19 “Double Bubble,” we have already experienced a preview of play on the surface. By all reports, the surface is playing extremely “fast” especially on the outer courts.
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