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USTA League Captains and Conflict of Interest

On By Teresa Merklin

A couple of weeks ago a player posted a question to the Facebook group of the active USTA tennis tournament players in Texas. The fundamental question is whether it is fair for a single person to captain multiple teams within the same league that play in the same flight. The hallmark of this site is using these types of situations to dissect and analyze the individual and organizational dynamics involved. This is a terrific case study to examine the rules and incentives in the USTA League framework.

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Tennis Tactics and Patterns of Play Part 4: Looking Across the Net

On By Teresa Merklin

We are in the middle of a multipart examination on strategies and tactics for competitive tennis play. The first three weeks we have been focused on our own side of the court. All tennis players must have a deep understanding and awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses in order to develop strategies and tactics that work for them. Today we are shifting our attention to the other side of the net.

Holding Court: Pickleball vs Tennis

On By Teresa Merklin

One of the immutable differences between pickleball and tennis is the size of the court. Four pickleball courts can be constructed in the same space as would generally be allocated to one tennis court. In fact, the “four pack” arrangement of pickleball courts into the same size area as a tennis court is a very good configuration for considering the social dynamics of pickleball.

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Tennis Tactics and Patterns of Play Part 3 : Using Your Strengths

On By Teresa Merklin

In 2019, Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic to win the men’s singles title at Rome. In the course of doing so, he provided us with a statistic that is probably one of the best examples of how to develop strategies and tactics around a player’s own strengths. The very best players in tennis have a sharp understanding of what they do well. More critically, they are able to develop tactics and techniques that maximize their strengths.

Laykold Court Surface: The Rest of the Story

On By Teresa Merklin

In March of this year, the USTA announced a new court surface for the US Open and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Since the Cincinnati Open was also played at that facility as a part of the COVID-19 “Double Bubble,” we have already experienced a preview of play on the surface. By all reports, the surface is playing extremely “fast” especially on the outer courts.

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USTA Adult Tournament Framework 2020: Summary

On By Teresa Merklin

Since I first wrote “Innovate or Die: USTA Adult Tournament Structure in 2021,” pretty much every “Fiend at Court Unplugged” post has examined some aspect of the upcoming changes. Until the USTA publishes something new on this topic, or we start to see events scheduled under the new structure, it is time to move on. Before I do that, I want to create a single page that chronicles what has been written up to this point in time.

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