Random Acts of Tennis Kindness
Engaging in random acts of kindness can profoundly and positively impact the world. Our actions can contribute to a more compassionate and empathetic society andRead More
4 responsesTheragun Mini and a Mystery
I am surprised at how far it was into the new Netflix docuseries “Break Point” before a portable percussive massager first appeared. Since so manyRead More
Complaining about the Balls in Tennis
From the earliest days of organized lawn tennis, there was controversy over the ball used for the sport. One of the first orders of businessRead More
Rethinking Smartwatches
For the past few years, I have been playing tennis with the understanding that wearing a device that was capable of receiving communication was officiallyRead More
4 responsesDealing with Rain at Tennis Events
Over the past couple of weeks, I had the honor of competing in two USTA National Championships. Yesterday I compared the USTA League Nationals andRead More
A Tale of Two Nationals
Over the past couple of weeks, I had the honor to compete in two different USTA National Championships. First up was the National Championships forRead More
2 responsesTeam Tennis and Ranking Points
The very last rankings point table in the USTA Adult Tournament Ranking System document is for Team Tennis events. In the Adult context, I am guessing that people generally associate Team Tennis with USTA League play, but that isn’t what we are talking about here. I suspect that most Adult Tournament players are not even aware that Team Tennis is a valid tournament format and that it is actively used.
My First Take on World Tennis Number
In certain pockets of the tennis ecosystem, there is a general awareness that a new “World Tennis Number” system is coming soon. The same people that whisper that bit of tennis insider information inevitably follow it up with breathless exhortations that it’s going to be amazing. No one can ever claim that tennis organizational insiders have a lack of enthusiasm for vague forthcoming changes that will revolutionize the administrative side of the sport. By the same token, no one can claim that there is any semblance of a track record of success in such initiatives. In any case, the World Tennis Number is apparently coming soon.
9 responsesUSTA Tournaments: The Points Matter
Rankings points matter for more than just the position where a tennis player’s name appears in a list. Sometimes rankings points translate to selection to play in nationally and internationally significant events. That incentive is most pronounced in the upper echelons, but it has also been replicated at the sectional level for NTRP levels in the USTA Texas Section.
How to Lose a Tennis Point: Getting Pegged
Losing a point is figuratively painful. Sometimes losing a point is literally painful. This brings us to the topic of a player losing a point due to direct contact with the ball. The actual wording of the rule makes this sound gentle and innocuous. The modern tennis vernacular for losing a point in this manner is “getting pegged.” If the ball was delivered with enough velocity, this is can also be known as the “Wilson Tattoo.”