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