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A Tale of Two Tournaments

On By Teresa Merklin

During the US Open this year, I received numerous daily emails from the USTA reminding me to tune into the broadcast of the tournament. Other messaging that hit my inbox promoted purchase of tickets for the event. There were also frequent reminders to engage with the “virtual grounds” of Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The messaging repeatedly hawked US Open merchandise. Following the conclusion of the tournament, I received notifications from the USTA inviting me to participate in an auction of the art that was displayed on the tournament grounds this year. It was a lot of direct email marketing.

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Outside the Lines: Court Surface Advertising

On By Teresa Merklin

A couple of weeks ago I played a practice match on the park courts near my house. Recently someone painted numbers directly on the surface of the court. Unfortunately, whoever did this was obviously not terribly familiar with tennis. The new numbers were placed behind the baseline where tennis players typically position themselves during normal baseline singles tennis play.

Split Squats for Tennis

On By Teresa Merklin

The cardio fitness stations that I stumbled across last month at a DFW area tennis court continues to provide fodder for the “Tennis Technology and Training Tuesday” coverage. Last week I started in on “Squats” and assumed that the direction was simply to perform body weight squats. However, in the interim it has occurred to me that for a cardio workout the intended squat variation might have been “Jump Squats” which are also great for tennis.

Love Game: A History of Tennis from Victorian Pastime to Global Phenomenon

On By Teresa Merklin

Elizabeth Wilson is a cultural historian who turned her attention to the game of tennis in ‘Love Game: A History of Tennis from Victorian Pastime to Global Phenomenon.’ The book is a sweeping history of the sport viewed through the lens of the world around it. The result is a brilliant and densely packed intellectual examination of tennis. It is a “must-read” for true tennis enthusiasts.