Tennis has become such a big and powerful sport. Some see it as a way to make money and escape the poverty of their country, as it is increasingly high paying. Some see it as a road to a free college degree. Some see it as a way to become famous as it is highly publicized and offers lucrative campaigns for the select few. Some see it as a way to stay healthy and get fit. Some see it as a stimulus to be the best, or win an Olympic medal, or fall into the record books. All see it for the great sport with many opportunities that it is. Taking all of these factors in, tennis is one of the most powerful and influential sports in the world. Tennis produces role models, who produce champions, who have the opportunity to give back by becoming role models themselves, and perhaps inspiring new generations of champions. It is a worldwide sport, most players become ambassadors for their countries, like Sharapova and Federer. Their high earnings give them a chance to donate money and build schools and inspire because they stand for something positive and great. They become lucky in many ways.
Ana Ivanovic used to receive Unicef greeting cards in the mail when she was a kid, now she is the one sending them. That is such a great turn around of events and this shows not only the potential of the sport, but justifies the rewards of these athletes turned media super stars.
Serena Williams also just opened a school in Kenya in her off season. She was there for the opening, and got to reveal the metal plaque on its walls with her name on it, cut the bow to the entrance and pose for pictures with her biggest fans. The kids in Kenya that want to grow up and become just like her no doubt.
Charity is not a pity party and it is not a tax write off. It is the desire to make things better, because things not always are. Where a chain is weak, it rips, and the strongest links will always hold the most power to fix the weaker links of this universal chain. That is the power of athletes and celebrities, and it warms the heart to see them following through on these missions.If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org
Over the past couple years Internet has consumed us entirely.We rely on it for information, for meeting people, for keeping in touch with those we already know, paying our bills and consuming products online. We store all of our information there.Everything we Google is on record and everything we post and write about ourselves is free to the internet world.This is great, but this is also scary.
Internet is a blurry line today between the big brother that watches over us helping and the big brother that watches us reporting.Our consumer patterns perhaps help define our interests and customize to our individual needs, but our individual needs are often misread and misinterpreted, perhaps to the gain of others, some bad guys.People are now getting fired from their jobs based on their internet affiliations and social network information published online, defamation in a way, private life in a way, but all of a sudden punishable.For example, an employee of an Ottawagrocery chain was fired for his posts and affiliation with a “just for fun” Facebook group, despite his outstanding record offline.This definitely affects athletes as well.College athletes are closely administered by their school’s communication departments for inappropriate Facebook material and email content.This recent event that had to do with the election is proof of that.When a UT Football player posted a racist status update about Obama to his facebook profile.He may have meant it as a joke, but it is in writing and that is enough to look bad for the University. He was consequently kicked off the team.
The web is worldwide as it is called, and this is true for other countries.Recently Internet postings have affected junior tennis players in England. When the British Lawn Tennis Foundation cut off its funding to their top two junior tennis players in England, Naomi Broady and David Rice. They were being supported by a professional organization that paid for their achievements but also invested in their ideal, and thus they were expected to conduct themselves accordingly. Clearly hacking into their Facebook/Bebe accounts and digging up photos of them partying, drinking and eating junk food was unacceptable.
The problem is clear; you have to be responsible for what you represent about yourself online. The issue is not clear, is this monitoring of private lives justified?People can’t get hired, or get fired for revealing messages that can be read in several ways without proof?The solution is not clear.The Internet remains both friend and foe.
Thanksgiving has just passed and it is time to acknowledge what Tennis Racquets for Kids is thankful for... 1) Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal taking tennis to unprecedented heights and this years Wimbledon Final!!! 2) Website live scoring for Pro and collegiate events 3) The beauty and grace of past champions like Steffi Graff and Andre Agassi (not to pick on families) 4) The talented and dedicated juniors evolved as the bright stars of the present and future: Girls: Namely Sharapova, Jankovic, Ivanovic, Radwanska, Wozniacki, Azarenka, Cibulkova Boys: Namely Djokovic, Tsonga, Simon, Murray, Del Potro, Monfils, Gasquet, Young. 5) Super siblings Williams and Bryans. 6) Youtube videos of tennis prodigy's 7) Health, Family, Love, Happiness 7) The opportunity to help underpriviliged kids jumpstart tennis
Two teenage boys are playing a practice match.One serves an ace out wide and does a little fist pump, while the other unhesitating, calls it out.“Are you sure?” asks the server.“Positive” replies the returner.In a match, this would be an altercation and a roving umpire would be called for following points, based on suspicion of playing a “cheater”, bad eyes or not.But its practice, the smirking server yells out, “I demand a challenge!”As if! Challenges are for the big time only.
“Cheating” is an unspoken truth in the game of tennis.Tennis is a fast sport that requires rapid and accurate perception of the line to call the landing of the balls, and the ability to make a split second decision.Not everyone is perceptually accurate unfortunately, and not everyone has perfect vision and reaction, not recreational players’ young and old, hungry for each win juniors and not even professional tennis linesmen.There are many contributing factors other than sight, such as concentration, gamesmanship and bias.These cause many disputes among the tennis fanatics, ranging from those enjoying a hit in the park; bickering parents watching their kids play local tournaments, juniors trying to get an edge in order to secure a win, and even pros questioning the refs and refs overruling other refs.That goes both ways as well; some players miss calls and rule against their own favor. How about that match at Wimbledon when the umpire messed up the score against Venus and nobody noticed until the match was over?But that hardly ever causes controversy, it is always more interesting to follow the drama.Needless to say that some of today’s professional greats have been notorious cheaters in the juniors, but we won’t name names here.We will just take a look into the modern day savior, of course technology, of course line-call challenges.
George Mather, a psychologist in the UK, published an interesting study called “Perceptual uncertainty and line-call challenges in professional tennis” in the Proceedings of the Royal Society journal in April of this year.The challenge technology now provides physical evidence that can be compared to the opinions of players and line judges.Human observation has undergone many tests throughout time and while it as been proved that humans can be extremely precise in their perceptual judgment, our vision is still limited, because our eyes don’t allow us 3D sight spanning 360 degrees around the object we are observing, thus, there will always be uncertainty.There is also some internal noise and our reactions to similar physical situations never produce exactly the same neural responses, which causes us to hesitate in our uncertainty.
What is the challenge system?The ATP uses the Hawk-eye ball tracking system which can locate 3D position of the ball within 3mm of the bounce.Multiple cameras are setup on the court and image processing software follows the trajectory of the ball from all its sides in each video frame.Players are the allotted no more than two incorrect challenges per set, and the balls are still called by linesmen, not to take away their jobs entirely.Since all guesses are recorded and so are all the challenges and their outcomes that is a lot of data that can reveal some interesting things.To be precise, this study evaluated 1473 challenges made by 246 pros during 15 ATP tournaments worldwide in 06 and 07.Keep in mind that 100mm is less than twice the diameter of the ball.What they found was that calls are challenged 94% of the time when the balls bounce within 100mm of the line, which makes sense; it’s harder to make close calls.The other 6% occur over a wide range of bounces greater that 100mm.The greatest distance recorded was 449mm and the line judge called that one easily and correctly.The challenges are made equally for balls called out and balls called in, which shows that no matter how far the player is from the ball that is not a cause for more or less challenges.They found that 60% of the calls challenged were correct, a positive statistic towards human vision and perception and a plus towards the rule allowing only 2 bad challenges per set.However the remaining 40% were incorrect and that is of significant importance.To think before the hawk eye, 40% points were lost unjustifiably.Ball bounces along the base and service line are evidently much harder to judge than side lines, this is due to an uncomfortable visual trajectory and speed of the ball.
This particular study implemented a statistical model which gave a clear reading of human accuracy.It is also important to remember that even if professional tennis players exhibit proficiency to just a few centimeters of the bounce, they have been staring at tennis ball landings for years, and their eyes are thus more trained, as are the line judges.This is clearly not the case for recreational and junior tennis players.The model of this study hypothesized that all balls called within 100mm of the line would be called incorrectly due to limitations of their vision and perception.They also figured that an even pro match consists of 50 points per set, or 10 games made up of 5 points each, with each point getting a call.If errors are made 40% of the time, then the expected number of errors in this model is 4 per set.Of course, not every point ends in a borderline call, and that can be logically reduced to 2 errors per set.
For our purposes this study shows us that human error is inevitable when doing their best job in professional tennis.Most likely, in junior tennis, the untrained eye and the lack of refereeing on each court, as well as temptation for gamesmanship is still a problem.And it shows us that tennis deserves this technology because a lot of sweat, pride and hard earned money are on the line.Especially in a sport as mentally difficult, where one point lost may not take a tow on physical stamina, but may break someone mentally.The next thing is, imagining a world of possibility for fair play.What if, one day, the challenge system will be in effect at the park, at the local junior tournaments as well as all the professional events?Maybe that will change the game, maybe it is about time it should.
Novak Djokovic capped off the year with as big of a bang as he started it. Vying for the title among the world’s elite eight, Djokovic came out on top over Nikolay Davydenko with a 6-1, 7-5 victory. One could almost say, an unlikely winner, as the majority of the year he was getting overshadowed by the likes of Nadal, Federer and Murray. Nadal pulled out of the Master’s Cup before it began with tendonitis in the knee and Roddick withdrew after his first match when he sprained his ankle in practice. Federer, really wanting this title on his resume, was also nursing a back injury and lost a tough match to Murray. "It's been a good year, you know," Federer said. "Tough to start off with. Tough to end. But I think it gives me the opportunity to start over all new again next year." This has not been an easy season for Djokovic either, with injuries and illnesses like his persistent asthma, but things must have fell into place for him in Shanghai. He opened the year with his first Grandslam victory at the Australian Open and he finished the final leg of the official year end race a winner at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. He told the press after the win, "It was special because I've played in the second part of the season in a couple of finals, and I didn't manage to win the title for a long time, since Rome. That's probably the reason why I couldn't close it out at 5-4. I was a bit nervous. It's not easy, you know. There is a lot of pressure involved. I'm happy that I managed to hold my nerves in the end." This win solidifies Djokovic as the number three racquet in the world. “It means a lot,” said Djokovic. “I would put it in the same league as a Grand Slam, because the best eight players in the world are participating here and everybody has a lot of motivation to finish the season in the best possible way."
Also in Shanghai, the doubles masters were crowned. Canada's Daniel Nestor and Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic, went undefeated in the round robin and deprived the Bryan brothers of their third consecutive title in the event.Nestor and Zimonjic beat the Bryan’s7-6 (3), 6-2 in the final round for the year-end No. 1 ranking.
Other news cast is the retirement of Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman.This great tennis player has finalized his 17 year professional tennis career having played in 1, 791singles and doubles matches, winning 709 in doubles and 414 in singles and a prize money total of $14.5 million.
On the fun side of news.Jimmy Connors, the eight time Grandslam champion and former number one, was recently arrested in Santa Barbara at a UC Santa Barbara game after refusing to leave the arena upon request and bickering with an officer.
After Monica Seles appeared on Dancing with the Stars this year, 52 year old Martina Navratilova, has signed on a British reality television show filmed in the Australian jungle, which sounds a lot like Survivor from its description.
Holiday shopping does not exclude the rich and famous. Sharapova was spotted shopping this past week in the big apple. Sharapova has also done a photoshoot to be featured in Spain’s December issue of GQ and she looks phenomenal.Speaking of shopping, buyers in India are all set with a new Reebok product line that Vaidisova helped launch with Sunitha Rao recently.
"An apple a day keep the doctor away" - so does Tennis. Just what are the benefits of tennis on the body?Immediately you think it is exercise, so it must get you fit.Correct!We looked into some scientific proof to attest to that.
Referencing something published in the Journal of Sports Medicine by Babette M. Pluim, et al. (2007) in a study entitled “Health Benefits of Tennis”, we explore what the relationship is between diseases that affect the lazy lifestyle such as obesity, hypertension, and heart disease and bone problems to playing tennis.
This particular study referenced over 84 articles on the subject of disease and tennis.Running, biking and swimming are among the favorite types of exercise known to have significant health benefits, however not everyone participates in these over the course of a lifetime.Tennis is one of those sports you can play forever, is played by millions of people worldwide and is therefore an ideal target for the improvement of health for the general population.Tennis is also not a continuous exercise at the recreational level, but is characterized by short bursts of energy, making it a highly intense form of exercise.Over time the recommended dose of exercise has changed, and mostly grown from 20 minutes to 30 minutes of moderate intensity daily.Although it has grown, it is also proven that short intense periods of exercise are as effective as longer continuous types of exercise.Tennis makes the cut.
In conclusion, this study produced many numbers and equations and summed up the fact that tennis and health are positively associated.Not only are there reduced risks for heart disease, obesity and hypertension, but since it can be played long term, it increases bone density in the playing limbs.Basically, people who choose to play tennis have many important health benefits.Aerobic fitness for one, lower body fat percentage for two, a reduced risk for disease three and lastly, improved bone health.All you have to ask yourself is, “Got Tennis?”
"RSVP: I am sorry I can't make your birthday party, I have a tennis tournament"; "I will be celebrating my birthday on the road, probably at Applebee with my coach"; or the infamous Facebook group "This weekend, did you...No, I had a tournament".
When kids dedicate themselves to a sport, it often comes with many social sacrifices. Whether it leads them to homeschooling or traveling for weekends at a time - in all case scenarios they give some other part of their average life up such as going to late movies, attending birthday parties or trick or treating on the weekend of Halloween. At the time each of these events seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity and the parents and the sport take the role of bad guy and "punisher" when kids are told they can't be like their school friends. Matter of fact is that these are sacrifices that are not pin pointed at one kid here or there, they are shared by all kids pursuing tennis or anything else with high goals in mind. In most cases missing holidays is unavoidable due to the fact that most tournaments are hosted during and around holidays because those days allow kids to travel without missing school. After all, it builds character. Reasonable sacrifice is a necessary ingredient to being really good at what you do, another ingredient is having demanding parents.
I know from personal experience and talking to many players who went from junior to pro in the past 10 years, that of course you regret missing your ordinary could be life, but you find your social life on that tennis circuit and if you make it big one day, the sky is the limit for the attention you receive, parties you attend and cakes you are baked. Still doesn't mean you'll be at home, but at that point you're one experience will top the other.
Just yesterday Ana Ivanovic turned 21, during the Sony Ericsson in Doha and the sponsors threw her a birthday party. Still on the road and I am sure with limitations due to her tennis schedule but the attention and press it garnered must have been a pleasant surprise. Too bad she got sick and pulled out of the tournament. Check out her cool Babolat looking cake!
Launching in January 2009 is the new live streaming site TennisTV.com. For fanatics it will offer over 700 matches, tournament highlights and player interviews as well as special on and off court features from over 40 tournaments world wide. This is a great idea given the capabilities of our mobile phones and up and coming city wide wireless networks, the real tennis fans will be able to stream live tennis not just from their home and work stations but from other devices and locations. It would be awesome if these websites had stro-motion features of technique that coaches could use on their phones. Time will tell, for now this is wonderful news.
Roger Federer is now the biggest all time money maker in men’s tennis.He has now surpassed Pete Sampras with career earnings to $43.3 million as he advanced to the third round of the Madrid Masters Tournament last week.According to Sports Business Journal, Federer has one of the most lucrative (supposedly up to 13$ million a year of endorsements) Nike contracts among Nike represented stars such as Tiger Woods ($40 million a year) and Lebron James (7 year $90 million deal).According to the paper, Federer also costs a million dollars for an exhibition in Asia during off season.Today even with these figures, arguably the best player in tennis history, Federer, may even be underpaid compared to greats in other sports.
Perhaps this was a glimpse of the future of tennis or maybe even a highlight of the present creative tennis promotions that feature top players playing on crazy courts, but the creativity of breath taking opportunities today’s stars get must have the past champions like Chris Evert wishing she was born a few decades later.A while back Andre Agassi hit with Federer on the rooftop of the only 7 star hotel called the Burj in Dubai.This time around it’s the ladies turn to hit in an exotic location, a desert island to be specific.PalmIsland of the Arabian Gulf was staged for a tennis showdown when the only mise en scene was a purple and green tennis court built for the occasion for the two tennis belles, Ivanovic and Dementieva.Events like this are not only a great way to gain new fans but also to promote the sport itself, especially on the women’s side.The Championship is to start today, Nov. 4th.
Tennis players often fret about the type of racquet they should get and the grip size that they should order for their new racquet. Often times they will test out several different frames, and thanks to the web it’s as easy as going to a website and getting a front door delivery the next day. Racquets come in different shapes and colors, varying in weight and balance, all of which are in part marketing schemes but also attempts by manufacturers to involve studies and come up with different racquets that fit the needs of different types of players. Players usually end up picking the ones that feel the best, the ones that give them the best power or control, or whatever they are seeking and then they move onto ordering grip size.
Does grip size matter as much as your racquet choice? Tennis magazines always say that the wrong grip size can lead to tennis elbow and other overuse injuries, but is that really the reason? In order to find out more, I looked in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. I came upon the following study by George Hatch et. al (Jul, 2006) “The Effect of Tennis Racket Grip Size on Forearm Muscle Firing Patterns”. Now that is too scientific for us, but in short, these scientists hypothesized that ¼ of an inch change in either direction from the recommended grip size won’t affect the forearm. Keep in the mind the notion of the correct grip size was developed by a guy named Nirschl who believed that depending on the grip size being bigger or smaller a player would have to squeeze their hand around it harder or looser and overwork or under work their forearm. Nirschl then recommended measuring grip size by determining the distance from the tip of the player’s ring finger to their proximal hand crease, and the resulting distance was to be the grip size, which would have been neither too big nor too small. This idea was then adopted by racquet manufacturers.
In this particular study, these scientists took a group of D1 and D2 college players and had them hit one handed backhands with 3 different grip sizes while connected to these little wires that gave a reading of how their forearm muscles reacted to the sizes. They concluded that the forearm muscles didn’t show a difference in reaction to 3 different grip sizes and that it really doesn’t matter what grip size you use as long as you can grip the racquet. By extension, they also don’t think grip size can be blamed for injuries like tennis elbow since the muscles work the same regardless of size. Now as a player, you know that grip size matters in terms of comfort, so having read this, and taken all risks aside, just like you evaluate your new frame, in the end, its best to choose whatever is most comfortable.
This is also good news for people that do not have the option of being selective about racquets and grips, as is the case of people using Tennis Racquets for Kids, if grip size doesn’t matter and you can get your hands on a frame, you’re half way there!
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