Tennis Roundup: March 7, 2022
Headlines this week were dominated by Ukrainian storylines that dwarfed a couple of blockbuster business deals in women’s tennis.
2 responsesIdeas to Build Relationships in Tennis
This first weekend in March we have been examining the “Gift of Relationships” that are bestowed upon us by our chosen sport. Today’s final post in that series is a list of ideas for building your own tennis network.
The Gift of Relationships in Tennis
Heading into New Year’s Eve last year, I shared 12 “Gifts” that people can give themselves to jumpstart their tennis life. Each item on that list is essentially a tennis related life hack shamelessly adapted from a cybersecurity career development webinar that I once delivered. In 2022, I am taking an in depth look at each one of those items on first Friday of each month. The “Gift” for March is relationships in tennis.
World Tennis Number: Second Serve
The World Tennis Number (WTN) is a new ITF global rating system for all tennis players, regardless of age, gender or ability. The USTA recently announced the adoption of WTN and has been conducting informational webinars on the forthcoming system. A couple of weeks ago, I attended one of those sessions and gathered some additional information about WTN from both the presentation and the question and answer session that ensued.
Draw Fragmentation Equals Less Tennis
When the USTA established three age-based playing divisions for each NTRP level, there were consequences to the decision. One of the more subtle effects of dividing a single draw into three smaller brackets is that significantly less tennis is played. The numbers don’t lie.
How Fragmentation Hurts Tournaments
Last Friday I wrote an essay highlighting how early entries into tournaments encourage other players to also participate. That post ended with a call to action for the tournament community to enter tournaments early and often. As it turns out, it is unlikely that I will be entering any NTRP tournaments early this year. The reason is fragmentation.
Tennis Roundup: February 21, 2022
The highest ranking ITF tennis official resigns, Novak Djokovic grants his first interview on his vaccination status, and Alex de Minaur denies paying for a fake Covid vaccine certificate.
Citizen Ashe
Citizen Ashe is a recently released documentary about Arthur Ashe. The film traces the entire arc of Ashe’s life from early childhood all the way through to his death from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1992. I was surprised at how much detail the producers managed to pack into the movie with a relatively short runtime. It delivered new insight and perspectives while remaining entertaining for a wide range of audiences. Tennis history buffs, casual players, and even people who aren’t interested in tennis or civil rights at all will likely enjoy the movie.
I Love It When a Plan Comes Together
Last week I wrote about how I was using a Post-Match Evaluation Worksheet as a part of maintaining a Player Development Journal in 2022. That post framed out the initial use of the worksheet during and after my first “real” match of 2022. In strange twist of fate, I wound up playing against the same exact doubles team the following weekend. I was playing with a different partner this time around, but the quick rematch still provided valuable and immediate feedback on the impact.
Leagues without Nationals
When the USTA first formalized NTRP based league play, the organization simultaneously self-imposed a requirement to conduct a series of National Championships. It has been an implicit part of the system from inception. That is probably why people look at me like I am crazy anytime I suggest that USTA Leagues would do just fine without National Championships. There is a pervasive belief that if the USTA eliminated League Nationals that participation would plummet. I’m not so sure.
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