Hello! We're the Anti-Doping officials!

Tennis requires monstrous physical strength in this day and age. As a matter of fact, all sports require monstrous physical strength these days, because the level has jumped tremendously in the last decade. When we watch sporting events, there are often history flashbacks to past champions, or similar sport situations from the past that the editing crew comes up with during the airing, and first we may remark about the hairstyles or the clothes from back in the day watching this footage, but when that screen flashes back to present, we can’t help but think how far along this or that given sport has come along, mostly in a super human way. Then of course we think of the issues in sports that propel them to that type of height, mainly doping. It is a spoken or maybe unspoken fact that some Federations force their athletes to take things, some athletes experiment on their own, so many have been caught and denied achievements in their sporting careers because of it. Is it worth it? They don’t make bad players better; they only make great players greater. Sports are no longer sports when people go out of their way, literally. The restrictions and check ups on doping today are pretty stringent too, which is good. In a way, its invasive yes, when officials can show up at your door any day asking you to take a test, and when they force you to disclose your location on a daily basis. At the same time, how else do we control for these types of substances to level the playing field to the natural and the truly talented and hard working, not all of the above and then some. A lot of athletes speak up against this. They compare it to the paparazzi, stalking their lives and questioning their abilities instead of appreciating them. And then the question of doping matters is so interesting in itself. Do the substances evolve like computers; are the doping officials as up to date as possible? Is there a chemistry team somewhere working on new developments and their override-systems like hackers do? Either way, if there is no other way to check up on athletes, then it must be done. After all this is their job and if employees can be subjected to tests by the corporate world, athletes can handle this too, especially since it is something that has the potential to change the face of sports.

Serena Williams claims the new anti-doping restrictions are “over the top” and she is not alone. Rafael Nadal is one of the most outspoken critics claiming it makes players feel like “criminals” and that it is “harassment”. Andy Murray is also against it. The only top player that is ok with it is Federer. He acknowledges that it is not the easiest system but nevertheless says, “I know it's a pain, but I would like it to be a clean sport, and that's why I'm OK with it." Maybe these protesters have something to worry about; they are “monstrously fit”. Maybe they really do feel insulted in a way, that they give it their best and still have to be subjected to this random testing. But hey, if it keeps the sport pure and keeps one of them from turning into the Hulk of tennis, it is worth it. Besides for a sport so concerned with apparel and appearance, that wouldn’t be a very pretty sight, we have enough muscle and grunting out there as it is.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=3902886

Nadal vs. Federer

There are so many questions surrounding the two great champion rivals of our time, or ever. Questions like who will be better in the end, will Federer ever break the recent domination by Nadal, will Nadal be able to stay in this insane shape with his knee injuries, will Federer ever win the French Open? We can only wonder for now and hope for a long continuation of these amazing history topping results from both. But being of the human nature that we are, seeking out patterns to predict things, we will always try to make the best guestimates that we can.

This is just a really great breakdown of this amazing rivalry that I came upon on the ESPN website and instead of changing it up and rewording it, I will just paste this link so you can check it out for yourselves.

Prejudice Invades Tennis in Dubai

Discrimination in the tennis world?? Of course, why should that surprise us? Prejudice is present in our daily lives and we cannot ignore it. Israeli tennis player, Shahar Peer was banned from a Women's Tennis Association, sponsored tournament in Dubai,United Arab Emirates, because she is Jewish. The official explanation for this disgraceful action was to protect her from angry Arab fans. This two million dollar tennis tournament was not interested in protecting the player by adding more security, or standing up for freedom of religion, but instead cowered to mass mentality. Where is the outrage from the tennis community and the rest of the free world? More than any other sport, tennis crosses boundaries of race, ethnicity, and religion. These players are welcomed with open arms all over the world. Why has the WTA, ATP and other companies, not withdrawn their sponsorship?? How oblivious or greedy, are the top women players in the world, that they have not immediately withdrawn from this tournament in a show of solidarity. The men should also boycott Dubai. Why has only The Tennis Channel tacitly cancelled its broadcast plans. Why are the other sponsors not pulling out of this tournament? Why would other sports figures succumb to the money in Dubai and design golf courses, and play exhibitions in Dubai? How many matches has Federer,Nadal and Agassi played there? Everyone needs to take notice of this horrific action, and act, before this type of prejudice becomes malignant. There is no place for hate in tennis, or the world we live in. This is not the lesson that our children should learn. We urge everyone to raise their voices and be heard now!

Motivation in Tennis

Motivation is a huge part of tennis. Players think so, coaches think so, and parents think so. Miguel Crespo and Machar Reid were so interested they ran a few tests and published them in the Br. J. Sports Med. 2007, in an article properly entitled “Motivation in Tennis”. We will briefly go over their findings.

Motivation is a very important psychological skill without which we wouldn’t do half of the strenuous things we do. Of course it comes along with things like drive, passion, persistence, competitiveness, effort, and desire to participate and win.

What is the importance of motivation? When coaches are asked what important psychological skills are needed in tennis they say fun and enjoyment, together with motivation and passion, self-confidence, positive thinking/self talk, positively managing mistakes, focus/concentration, emotional control, honesty/integrity, practice intensity, and keeping competition in perspective. Now that is a lot of things, but they are all related. Out of all these, when coaches of junior players were asked to list the hardest of those to teach, the majority said motivation. Which is true, how do you motivate an unmotivated kid?

What gets kids motivated to play? This is interesting because it varies among groups of people. Young tennis players seem to want to play to increase playing level, keep physically fit, enhance skills and make new friends, in that order. They also list things like satisfying parents or friends, feeling important, being popular, and earning rewards and prizes as secondary reasons for playing. Boys and girls differ too. Boys prefer competition, challenge, status, entertaining and rewards much more than girls do. Players over 12 are motivated by being popular, using tennis equipment, being around friends and satisfying parents to a greater extent than players under 12. Younger players also really want to be in good standing with their coach and perceive their role as tennis player positively unlike older players. So, it seems that reasons for playing are intrinsic and that extrinsic motivation comes with age. Age, gender and club atmosphere tends to influence motivation a lot. Boys on average are a lot less social and more competitive in groups, as I have noticed and age is definitely highlighted accurately here. I would even add that location influences motivation, not just the club. From personal experience, everyone in Florida is “going pro” no matter how much they believe in the fact themselves or exhibit potential for it, while players living in the north east tend to speak of playing for good colleges a lot more. These things are almost contagious.

What is goal achievement motivation? Goal perspective theory is one of the modern approaches to understanding motivation in tennis. This theory states that players that are “task-involved” define their progress in terms of how their skills have improved and how much they have learned versus “ego-involved” players who base their progress on things like doing better than others and being a lot better than everyone with minimal effort. This theory suggests that being “task-involved” is a more positive outlook for young players. Players that think this way perceive the sport as more important, and exert more effort playing. “Ego” players tend to experience more stress and have impaired concentration.

No less important is the climate surrounding the player, as it has to be motivational. It is basically how goals are structured in the players life, their training and competition situation as perceived by those around them. This climate is mostly created by close people like coaches and family members. Through the climate is how players seem to become either “task” or “ego” oriented. Players that grow up in a “task” oriented environment are less likely to burn out. This environment focuses on things learned and skill improvement and reinforces effort and directs players to focus on intrinsic rewards. The players in this environment have a better work ethic, more improvement, higher self confidence, satisfaction, enjoyment, persistence and sportsmanship. They are also happier with their coaches, peers and parents. “Ego” oriented environments emphasize results and outcomes, compare to other players, punish mistakes and recognize work of only the talented players which isn’t helpful for a team or club environment. This setting promotes out doing others and getting things without putting in the work. It detracts from player enjoyment, decreases their satisfaction with coaches and increases feelings of pressure. Self confidence also plunges as tennis performance goals are not met.

Tennis seems to become more “ego” oriented as players go from beginner to competitive. Evidently “task” system works for beginners and although “ego” may motivate competitive players more as they get older, coaches should refrain from using it and stick with the “task” method. The player’s support group has to foster positive patterns in players. They should address things like the meaning of success and failure. Reactions from parents and coaches after lost matches, extrinsic factors in training and player self esteem should all be spoken of and thought about. Tennis should be taught in an individual way promoting rewarding task involving environments based on skill level and drill difficulty. Practices should be stimulating, with a lot of variety of drills. Practices shouldn’t be overtly competitive but more cooperative, emphasizing effort and learning over beating other players. Helping individual players set realistic and measurable goals based on improvement and effort and autonomy in drill selection will help players stay in the “task” zone longer and out of the “ego” zone. It is also a good idea to mix up boys and girls in their practices, not keep it boys with boys and girls with girls. For variety on the one hand and to lessen the pressure that this gender exclusive sport places on kids that train together.

All in all, focus on yourself and how much you’re improving and how much you are learning. You will be a happier camper. And coaches and parents, teach don’t berate! You don’t want to be blamed for an early burn out!

Tsonga inspiring kids in South Africa

"As a kid I never had a chance to go to clinics which were conducted by the world's top players," said Tsonga. "It's really great for them although I think many of them do not know the players here. But I would like them to go home and dream about becoming professional tennis players one day. They've got to be able to dream about it because that could be the start of great things for them. It's so important that they are able to dream."

Without a break after the Australian Open, Tsonga was on his way to the South African Open. He is now through to the semifinals and that is not the only good news from the trip thus far.

The tournament director arranges for the top players to teach a clinic to the little kids playing in the area. Escorted by the police, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie visited Soweto (South Western Townships) on Wednesday to meet these little kids at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre in White City, Jabavu. The pro players took an hour of their time to run drills, play games and try to inspire and relay their love of the game to the children of these townships, many of them seeing tennis and holding racquets for the first time. The kids thanked the guys by singing them a song. This really sounds so cute! "It's extra special for me because I am part African. Hopefully by coming here today I can build on the legacy that the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre has started. It was an important opportunity for me to come here to Soweto. As tennis players we are really well looked after, so the chance to give something back to the community is very important and I am glad that I was able to play some tennis and muck around with the kids and hopefully I can inspire more kids from Africa to play tennis in the future" said Tsonga of his visit.

South African Wesley Moodie was also really touched by the experience and said, "It was great. I was on the court with kids who had never played tennis before and I was pleasantly surprised how good some of them were. It just shows what type of potential can come from Soweto and if they have the right funding and the right guidance stars can be produced from there."

Moodie's doubles partner, Jeff Coetzee, also loved the opportunity, "I think it’s such a great thing! Arthur Ashe was such a great legend and to have something like that at that stadium - and I know they are going to have a Challenger there in a couple of months - and just to get tennis going, especially in Soweto, is going to be phenomenal. Hopefully people will come and support it and get tennis growing again in South Africa and in development areas. I enjoyed it, obviously giving back to development. You know I come from that kind of thing and it’s nice to see. I was lucky to hit with some players that had never touched a ball and I was very impressed. If they keep doing what they are doing there might be some guys and girls coming through hopefully in the near future somewhere."

It is really great the the ATP is not only hosting tournaments in under developed regions where tennis isn't as popular as some other sports, but also encouraging these types of workshops. South Africa already has some great players, but as a region of the world, it is an amazing place to further develop the sport. All you really need is a dream, some nice weather, a couple tennis courts and someone to pass the game on!

ITF JUNIORS

Pictured: Itf player Valeria Pulido =)

Some new rules have come out regarding the International Junior Tennis Circuit that we have to catch up on, as a couple points catch the eye.

1. You have to be between ages 13-18 - pretty sure a few years back it was 14- 18
   
2. If you do not win a round in a tournament, you get no points, even if you have a bye or a walk over. If you win a round and then get a walkover, your can keep your points - It used to be that first round walkovers counted as a round if you won your second match
   
3. If you withdraw in the middle of a tournament in doubles or singles without a medical note, you will lose all points won in that tournament - this should stop players from skipping out on matches due to travel arrangements and what not, especially doubles
   
4. All matches are 2 out of 3 sets in singles with no break after the second set - there used to be a several minute break before the start of the 3rd
5. All doubles matches are 2 out of 3 sets with a ten point tie breaker for a third set and no ad scoring throughout the match - I think this is a shame, I think that ad scoring makes matches so much more interesting, it would almost be better if they implemented the 8 game pro set that collegiate tennis uses. The worst by far is the short sets used in some qualifying matches for challengers, sets to 4 games each. Those are the worst!
   
6. Players can only play one tournament a week - this will stop the extreme point chasers who don't win many matches but gain points in a lot of costly first rounds
   
7. Top 4 players from each nation should be in different sections of the draw so as not to play one another early in the tournament - this is fair although may prove difficult as there is an overwhelming number of Russian and American players in the draws these days
   
8. You can’t play 12 and under if you aren’t 10 years old - I don't know that many of the intense tennis parents will like this one
   
9. Can’t be internationally or regionally ranked if you’re under 12 - perhaps this will either stop some players from lying about their age to be the best 8 year old in the 12's to gain attention, or maybe it won't
   

Check out a link to an article about my friend's little sister - 7 year old tennis prodigy Amanda

There is a lot to cover, so if there is anything else you would like to know, go ahead and check out the official link

If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org

CHAMPION INTERVIEWS

Check out some memorable quotes and links to the interviews from the Australian Open.

Federer FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-02-01/200902011233411537875.html

Nadal FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-02-01/200902011233415660437.html

Bryan brothers FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-02-01/200902011233468139906.htm

Mahesh Bhupathi & Sania Mirza FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-02-01/200902011233474903000.html

Serena Williams FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-01-31/200901311233404291046.html

Dinara Safina FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-01-31/200901311233399228468.html

Recap Australian Open

WOW. Need we say more? The men’s final once again proved to be the most interesting rivalry today of any sport out there. Even if you’re the most dedicated Nadal fan, admit it you cried! Nadal, a super talented all court, all surface fitness machine with now 6 Slams vs. Federer, the all court, 13 Grand Slams behind the belt with every shot in the book, cool factor. Another great final between two masters of the game! The two fierce competitors that always seem to rise to the occasion. Despite Nadal’s record breaking 5 hour semi final with Verdasco that must have spent him of energy vs. Federer’s 3 set breeze past Roddick; despite Nadal’s overall winning record over Federer vs. Federer’s lead on surfaces other than clay over Nadal, we can assume that Nadal probably felt less pressure going into this match. For those who watched the heartbreaking battle that took place during the Wimbledon final, and for those that know how much losses that mean everything to you have the ability to give you a mental block, can probably suppose that Federer may never be the same against Nadal in finals. It may not show on the outside, his shots are still there, but it may be on the inside, breaking down in the biggest moments of the match. Pleasing fans all over the world, what more can we ask of our favorite sport than this high level of tennis from two “fighters” in the tennis sense of the word.

On the women’s side, fans may be a little disappointed. Paying 200 some dollars to attend the final, just to see one end of the see saw hang up in the sky the whole hour or so. Serena proved herself to be the unbeatable force to be reckoned with, a force that has had its presence for a decade now. Back to #1, with no contender in sight. Serena walked out on the court, looked like she had a game plan, played so aggressively it seemed like her baseline was on the service line and broke Dinara Safina into an array of unforced errors and double faults. Experience, confidence, all of the above. Why are women’s finals so lopsided? Why are three set finals so rare? This brings us to another question. Is equal pay for women’s tennis today, really equal play? Maybe that is poorly worded, seeing as play is not equal in the sense that Serena can’t beat the #5 FSU men’s tennis player. But in the sense of competitiveness, it doesn’t live up to equality. Nadal has to play almost ten hours of tennis to get through the semis and the finals and Serena wins the tournament with a total of about 16 hours of play. Fans turn up to see the final and the first set is over in 20 minutes. Maybe women should play three out of five sets. Its not like they have to play against men, but tennis may get a little more competitive in that case, perhaps that’s the way to get it more equal to men and more deserving of the same prize money. This is of course open to discussion and will find a strong opposition, but why not? Tickets cost a lot, the best of women’s tennis are clearly unbeatable on average, female tennis players are more fit than ever for today’s game styles and the WTA could try it out with one tournament at first and see how it goes. I think it would be an interesting idea.

Last but not least, nor less significant is the doubles recap. Siblings on both sides of the draw ended up sweeping doubles crowns. The Williams sisters beat Sugiyama and Hantuchova, while the Bryan Brothers continued to wreck havoc in doubles for yet another Australian Open title. Does this say something about siblings and doubles; can no one cover two sides of the same court better than blood relatives?

Business Lady of the Court

Serena’s career prize money is officially top of the top for women in sports.

Serena’s first pay check on the WTA tour was $204 at an event in Canada, nearly 14 years ago. Now, 14 years later, down under, she is in the singles and doubles finals of the 2009 Australian Open, breaking Annika Sorenstam’s record for career prize money by a female athlete. Serena is nearly at $23 million. If she happens to win, she will be nearly at $24 million. That is not even including endorsement deals. No wonder the draws on all tennis events, from local juniors to challengers have gotten bigger. Parents play their kids like the lottery now; everyone wants to try their luck at tennis. You go girl! This is a clear positive for women’s sports, tennis, girl power and a marker of unimaginable talent and hard work.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/aus09/news/story?id=3870020

Desperately Seeking Aid for Tennis

Tennis is an expensive sport. Lessons, Court time, Racquets, Grips, Strings, Apparel, Hotels, Flights, Entry Fees, Missing work. The list goes on and on and on. Some parents try to coach on the side to save some money, some send their kids to boarding schools because they can’t afford to drive them around and travel to tournaments, some give up their jobs to just travel. People try to get by. In this time of failing economy, job and salary cuts, the number of tennis players has not decreased but the amount of withdrawals from tournaments has. Meaning people are suffering a bit more. Here are some tips to save the family budget:

1. Write a letter to some racquet manufacturers stating your problem, your kids ranking and maybe a character sketch from their coach, asking for a discount or some free frames, strings, grips

2. See if your kid can volunteer to be a hitter at a local park or a club to get some free court time. Or just have your kid jump into other practices, extra tennis never hurt anyone

3. Send your kids to bigger tournaments alone, most nationals and ITfs have housing and transportation to and from

4. See if you can find sponsors among local chains, they could write it off and you could give them free advertising by sporting their logos.

5. See if you qualify for a USTA grant. Check out the official player development website for that.

6. Tennis Racquets for Kids,Inc. can also help provide racquets to those children who are not tournament players, but wish to experience the game.

Alley Pond Tennis Center Supports Tennis Charity

The Alley Pond Tennis Center is supporting Tennis Racquets for Kids Inc. The center has many programs for children of all ages. Owner Hemel Cosme is excited to help provide an opportunity to less fortunate children to have fun and experience the game of tennis. The Alley Pond Tennis Center is now an official drop off site for used racquets that will be collected and then donated to organizations that work with underprivilged children.
If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org