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The NTRP Championships Rules Get Weird Quadruped Alternating Toe Mobility Stretches Tennis Beyond the Headlines: February 24, 2025 For the Love of Competition Rankings Point-Chasers The Importance of Why Game, Set and Match: Secret Weapons of the World’s Top Tennis Players

Team USA: Women’s Olympic Tennis Speculation

On By Teresa Merklin

The tennis players who will be selected to play in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics is expected to be announced by July 5. The protocols and procedures for Olympic qualification are significantly divergent from what is used in professional tennis tournaments. For one thing, the nationality of the players really matters. Additionally there are Olympic rules that are intended to create balanced international participation. For most tennis fans, the process is foreign and mysterious.

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Less Tennis is Never the Answer

On By Teresa Merklin

Today I am wrapping up my final observations from a feedback letter I recently submitted to the USTA Adult Competition Committee (ACC). My letter was one of many from tennis advocates within the Senior Women’s Tennis Community. The conclusion of my letter shares that some of the recent innovations were likely sourced or justified from a belief that court capacity is an issue driving necessary change.

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Stan Smith’s Winning Doubles

On By Teresa Merklin

One of the best books on the game of doubles in tennis was written by Stan Smith. Smith was an accomplished professional singles and doubles player. The “Stan Smith” model of tennis shoes is iconic. Smith’s partnership with Bob Lutz formed one of the greatest doubles teams of all time. It should come as no surprise that Smith’s is able to sharply enumerate the key factors for competing successfully in doubles.

Pressureless is a Privilege

On By Teresa Merklin

Each Wednesday this site examines, dissects, and generally overthinks the rules of tennis. Currently we are examining the specifications for the different types of balls that are approved by the ITF for sanctioned competition. Last week I stumbled across an article on the USTA Colorado website that provided a tidbit of information that had eluded me in previous analysis. Pressureless tennis balls are recommended for play at high altitude. In fact, pressureless balls have previously been used by ATP tournaments played in Mexico City. I was astonished to learn that fact.

After-Market Insoles for Tennis Shoes

On By Teresa Merklin

The first thing I always do when unboxing a new pair of tennis shoes is replacing the insole. The default configuration provided by the tennis shoe manufacturers simply doesn’t work for me. The arch supports are not high enough and there isn’t enough cushioning for my feet. Recently one of my practice partners remarked that she couldn’t wear a particular brand of shoe because the insole wasn’t good for her feet. Before that time, It had simply never occurred to me that some players could wear tennis shoes out of the box. It was a mind blowing moment.

2021 Tennis Participation PAC Report

On By Teresa Merklin

The Physical Activity Council (PAC) issues an annual report tracking sports, fitness, and recreation participation in the United States. The USTA and the Tennis Industry Association (TIA) lean pretty heavily on the 2021 report as the source of good news on tennis participation. In fact it is the go-to “filler” content used in periodic emailed newsletters from both organizations.

USTA Tournament Seeding Matters

On By Teresa Merklin

On a tournament by tournament basis, seeding is one of the most consistently controversial topics for USTA recreational play. Whether it is too early to complain about the seeding at an event is a frequent theme in the Facebook group for active USTA Texas tournament players. I am of two minds on this topic. Those divergent perspectives are reflected in the point from a feedback letter I recently submitted to the USTA Adult Competition Committee (ACC) which has purview over USTA Adult Tournament Tennis.

Even Shorter Formats at Nationals

On By Teresa Merklin

I participated in the inaugural year of the USTA NTRP National Championships. That tournament is played using “Fast4” format. I have also played a similar version of short set tennis in local UTR tournaments. Those experiences is what brings me to the next point of my feedback letter recently submitted to the USTA Adult Competition Committee. (ACC) In a way, it is a preemptive strike against something that the USTA hasn’t done yet, but might consider in the future.

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Let’s Play 3

On By Teresa Merklin

This weekend the “Unplugged” themed posts continues to expand on points of feedback that I recently submitted to the USTA Adult Competition Committee. (ACC) A lot of women in the Senior Tennis Community are currently doing the same thing. The declining participation in tournament tennis coupled with recent USTA “innovations” exacerbating the problem has brought us to a precipice. Point #4 advocates that the scoring format in the main draw for National Level 1 (and really 2, and 3) tournaments should always be a full 3 sets.