An engineer overthinks tennis in a daily journal.
The impact of the pandemic has raised the public consciousness on the importance of supporting small locally owned and operated businesses. The retail pro shop attached to clubs or tennis centers are firmly in that category. If you are considering giving someone the gift of tennis, the pro shop at your local tennis center is an obvious first start.
This year’s list has the most items ever carried on this annual traditional Black Friday Post. They are divided into categories for convenience.
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Most people who compete within the USTA system are blissfully unaware of the sheer magnitude of the USTA and the complex bureaucracy required to operate the organization. While the USTA has a number of full time paid staff positions, the organization is chiefly powered through committees largely of volunteers. Throughout the recent challenges with the new USTA tournament structure and digital platform, it has become apparent to me that a lot of USTA members don’t have even a passing familiarity with the USTA organizational hierarchy and where to lodge their… let’s call it feedback.
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If the request to the impacted tournament community is to continue to be patient, then open and honest information on the actual status and decisions that are being made should be extended to those people.
Tournaments are an essential and vital part of the tennis ecosystem. They are an effective engagement mechanism for both first time and returning players. Tournaments are also a vital outlet for players that have achieved a level of mastery above competitive players in their local area. This post outlines how tournaments are essential for building and sustaining tennis participation across the board.
This post is my thought exercise on what a single source rankings table would look like in practice. It turned out to be easier than I expected.
When the NTRP National Championships were unveiled, players in the Texas Section were already well versed and primed for the rankings chase. For players competing for the 8 spots in each division at the Texas Masters, the fact that 3 spots were open for NTRP Nationals simply created a new tier of achievement.
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Whatever you call it, there is a foundational philosophy that encapsulates the criteria used to separate right from wrong. There is a currently a raging debate within the USTA Texas Section over points allocated and awarded at a recent closed Level 4 tournament. Understanding the player frustration requires a conceptual understanding of a fundamental truth that most experienced tournament players hold to be self-evident: The draw format of a tournament should not materially alter the rankings point allocation for the players.
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The Wightman Cup was first contested in 1923. The occasion also marked the official dedication and first time use of the new concrete stadium at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills. Four trumpets heralded the start of the dedication ceremony which featured hoisting of flags and erection of the net posts and nets on the court. The West Side Tennis Club president threw in the balls for the first match.
The 1986 Wightman Cup left the world with some iconic artifacts that still grace the internet. The team photo of the victorious United States team drips with “The eighties called and they want their hair back” awesomeness. Additionally the competition was held at the Royal Albert Hall. Fitting for the venue, the Opening Ceremony featured trumpet fanfares and live vocal music from the choir loft.