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The Secrets of Spanish Tennis 2.0 Tennis Has No Replay for Doubt Mirra Andreeva’s Reaction Ball Drill Tennis Beyond the Headlines: April 20, 2026 When Local Rules Stop Being Local Playoff Season and the Politics of Availability The Myth of the Primary Team in USTA League Tennis

The Tennis World’s Most Interesting Man: Torben Ulrich

On By Teresa Merklin

Torben Ulrich has a couple of albums on Spotify. I know that for a fact because as I was drafting this essay on his life I was struck with the sudden realization that his music was probably available there. Ulrich is one of the most fascinating characters I have stumbled across while writing for this site. While his music will not be a regular fixture on my Spotify rotation, I do have a sudden desire to own some of his artwork. To say that he is living an interesting life is an understatement.

The Wall

On By Teresa Merklin

The author of “Dynamite Doubles: Play Winning Tennis Today!” details how she got her start in tennis by hitting against “The Wall” at a tennis club in Denmark. Helle Sparre-Viragh’s parents essentially used the wall to keep her occupied while they played their own tennis. In addition to illustrating her early passion for hitting a tennis ball, Viragh advocates that the wall is an effective way to train. The top ranked professional player in Denmark would occasionally drop by the wall and train alongside Viragh.

Tennis Drill: Take Away the Net Drill

On By Teresa Merklin

Today I am sharing a tennis doubles drill which was adapted from Pat Blaskower’s “The Art of Doubles: Winning Tennis Strategies and Drills” and Helle Sparre Viragh’s “Dynamite Doubles: Play Winning Tennis Today” which are two books recently reviewed by this site. The drill explains the core principles of the staggered positions when both players are at the net. Even better, it is excellent practice for mastering that court positioning under dynamic playing conditions.

Celebrate #NationalTennisMonth by Becoming an Ambassador to the Sport

On By Teresa Merklin

I am in lockstep agreement with first item listed in the USTA Long Term Strategic Plan. “Attract, engage, and retain new generations of diverse tennis participants.” This weekend I have been examining how difficult it is for beginning players to engage in the tennis ecosystem. #NationalTennisMonth is a perfect example of how tennis promotion tends to be isolated within a tennis echo-chamber. Surely we don’t think that the non-tennis community follows tennis organizations on twitter in any great numbers. Right…?

Desperately Seeking Beginning Tennis Lessons in #NationalTennisMonth

On By Teresa Merklin

The USTA Strategic Initiatives unveiled in 2020 includes the imperative of providing positive experiences to new players who are experiencing tennis for the first time. As a sport with a steep learning curve, it is essential to get new players engaged with quality information and instruction on how to play the sport. It shouldn’t be hard for a player new to tennis to discover opportunities to engage with professional instruction, but it is. Tennis needs to rethink how it presents itself in the modern era.

Getting Started in Tennis #NationalTennisMonth

On By Teresa Merklin

It is intuitively obvious that every single person who actively plays tennis had that moment when someone pressed a racquet into their hands and they took their first swing at a ball. In other words, everybody was a beginner once upon a time. Even Roger Federer didn’t emerge from the womb with his elegant one-handed backhand. Additionally, it is highly likely that Federer missed the first time he took a cut at the ball. In observance of #NationalTennisMonth, today’s topic is how beginners can get started in tennis.

Reality TV Pitch: Cash Cab – Tennis Edition

On By Teresa Merklin

This weekend I have been pitching ideas for tennis themed reality shows into the ether. To round out weekend, I have one more proposal. The idea is pretty simple. Bring back the Reality TV quiz show “Cash Cab” picking up passengers from tennis tournaments and asking questions relating exclusively about tennis. It might not inspire anyone to pick up a racquet, but it would certainly be entertaining.

Reality TV Pitch: Venus and Serena’s Play Tennis Challenge

On By Teresa Merklin

This weekend the Fiend at Court is proposing ideas for Reality TV shows that would be entertaining while promoting the sport of tennis. Today’s pitch is for a reality show that features a head to head competition between Venus and Serena Williams. Each sister would have a team of players who have never played tennis before. The challenge for the two sisters is to teach each player to play the game of tennis. Each week would feature wacky tennis skill related challenges that would culminate in something resembling a “World Team Tennis” showdown.

Reality TV Pitch: Billie Jean King coaches Nick Kyrgios

On By Teresa Merklin

This weekend the Fiend at Court is even more unplugged that usual for the weekend series. Stick with me. I have been brainstorming potential solutions to the most pressing problems in tennis. First, there is an urgent need to expand public spectator interest in the sport. Second, Nick Kyrgios needs a coach. For me, it is a short trip from the juxtaposition of those two problems and a genuinely inspired (and, well… crazy) idea.

Who in the Heck was Perry T Jones?

On By Teresa Merklin

Perry T. Jones was known as the czar of tennis in Southern California in the 1930s and 1940s. He is widely credited for the Southern California tennis factory that produced the likes of Ellsworth Vines, Don Budge, Jack Kramer, Pancho Gonzales, and Tony Trabert. He is enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame for his contributions to tennis. His early encounters with both Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs presents an unlikely common linkage between the two players who went on to meet in the “Battle of the Sexes” match. In fact, Jones discouraged both players in the early stages of their playing careers.