vtennisports-blog

Millions of people worldwide follow tennis, mainly as a spectator sport, since it only involves two to a maximum of four players on court at a time.  Regardless of the low number of players, tennis is considered to be as gripping a game to watch as basketball or even football.  The mechanics of the game are pretty simple, yet the different dynamics each player and match-up brings to the game makes it very interesting and engaging.  If you want to learn the sport yourself, here are a few tips:

Get the right gear.  Go to the nearest sports shop and skim through the rackets available.  It is best to know the type of player you are—your arm length, the strength of your swing, the athleticism of your body.  These factors will prove consequential in choosing a tennis racket that is perfectly suited for you.  Most beginners shouldn’t settle for a very heavy or a very light racket.  Heavy rackets may be hard to control, and light rackets tend to simply compensate for your swing strength.  Ask the dealer what racket best suits you, and be sure to try out several types as well, to see which one feels right.
Study the mechanics of the game.  Basically, tennis scoring is as simple as: four points to win a game, six games to win a set and two (and possibly three) sets to win a match.  Points are achieved whenever a player fails to send the ball back to the other players’ field, or when the server sends the ball out of bounds.  A game usually starts with the winner of the coin toss sending the ball upward and hitting it with his racket—also called the serve.  The player on the other side of the court must hit the oncoming ball with his racket, and so on, and so forth, until a player fails to once and for all send the ball back to his opponent. Know the different moves and maneuvers.  In tennis, there are basically four moves.  The serve, which has been discussed previously, starts off the game.  A player can hit the ball back using a set of three moves—the forehand, the backhand and the overhead smash.  The forehand is achieved by extending the arms away from the body.  The backhand, on the other hand, is done by extending the gripping arm across the body and onto the other side (so if the gripping arm is the right, extend the arm to reach towards the left side).  The overhead smash is attained by raising the arms overhead.  Which type of move is needed on a play depends solely on the direction of the ball, so always keep your eye on it.
Watch live games.  In order to learn how the professionals do it, watch several games of tennis on the TV, or, if possible, live on court.  These professionals employ different tactics and strategies, which you can emulate to help you improve.
Remember, you can master any sport by virtue of continued practice.  There’s no use filling your mind up with tactics, techniques and strategies if you don’t bring them to the court and apply them.  It’s tough to get it at first, but with continued practice, you’d be able to play good tennis in no time.

Are you aware that you need a new tennis racquet, but afraid to make the choice? Maybe it’s the price tag that’s scaring you away. Maybe it’s that frightening pro shop smell of stale palm sweat and tennis balls (you love it, though - admit it). Most likely, however, you’re intimidated by the sheer number of racquet options. Choosing a tennis racquet can be tricky, whether you’ve been playing for three days, three weeks or three years. After three decades, you should have the idea. In the meantime, this article can get you started on the right path.
Are you a beginner? If you’ve only been playing for a few days or haven’t played at all, you’ll probably want a cheap racquet with an oversized head. The larger hitting area will likely make it easier for you to connect the ball with the strings instead of the racquet frame (or missing the ball entirely), and there’s no point spending a hundred dollars on a racquet if you aren’t yet sure you want to seriously pursue this sport. Give it a little time and then, if you desire, by all means buy a nicer racquet. At that point you’ll probably want a smaller head, as opposed to the unwieldy oversize.
Intermediate and advanced players have a much better idea of their style of playing. Do you like to hit with a lot of spin? Do you rely on your strong, flat serve? Does your stroke involve a full backswing or do you hit the ball in shorter, compact motions? Do you approach the net all the time and want a racquet that will respond quickly at the net? Do you prefer to play your game from the baseline with large, steady ground strokes? Or are you one of those rare all-around players with a truly balanced game?
Guess what? We hate all-around players. Just kidding. Here’s the deal: you’ll find a tennis racquet out there marketed toward every possible kind of player. Big spin racquets, power-enhancing racquets, racquets with more control, racquets best for serve-and-volley - you name it, you’ll find it. But though the variety can be overwhelming, there are some guidelines that can help you sort through all of your racquet options, saving you from a lot of frustration and elbow pain.
How big is the head? The bigger the head, the more power you can generate. Also, your chances of hitting the sweet spot will increase because the sweet spot is simply larger. These are the reasons why an oversized racquet makes sense for a fresh beginner. But as you improve and gain strength in your swing, you’ll likely want to graduate to a tennis racquet with a smaller head, as it will provide greater control and maneuverability.
How light is the tennis racquet? Perhaps you’ve developed the impression that a lighter racquet is a better one. It is rather amazing to visit a pro shop, pick up a new tennis racquet and be blown away by how light it feels in your hand as you wave it effortlessly through the air. It feels like nothing! You might think, “This will totally make it easier for me to play - I won’t be carrying around a club anymore.” 
The truth of lightness is a little more complicated. Though counterintuitive, it’s nevertheless true that a feather-light tennis racquet actually can stress your arm out more than one with greater substance and weight. You’ll have to swing harder to achieve the power you took for granted with your heavier racquet. Your new hard swing will probably lead to compromised accuracy and control. Think twice before you buy an inconceivably light racquet if you’re used to one that’s on the heavier side. If you’re used to a light racquet, but feel constant elbow pain, you probably should seek the greater substance of a traditionally weighted tennis racquet. 
How is the racquet’s weight distributed? Is the racquet head-heavy or head-light?
As mentioned above, racquet weight can be a little deceiving; you may be surprised that a racquet could feel so light and yet have a heavier head than a traditional racquet. But that’s the truth: some racquets are lighter, yet have heavier heads, the idea being to enhance power and spin. However, power tends to have an inverse relationship with control. Not only that, but you may find it more difficult, surprisingly, to maneuver this lighter racquet, because its weight rests more in its head. At the net, you might feel like you’re wielding a broadsword. If your swing is abbreviated and you generate very little power, you might consider buying one of these racquets. But remember, the lighter weight will mean that more shock is absorbed by your arm and wrist, stress that over time can lead to joint pain.If your racquet is head-light, that’s probably good news for your arm, since it means the racquet as a whole is heavier and will not pass as much shock along to your arm. You’ll enjoy greater maneuverability, enhanced net-play and recovery. Greater control is generally what you gain with this racquet - control of ball placement and of your own racquet movement. But these traditionally weighted racquets are designed for a comfortably skilled or advanced player who has no problem generating power and spin. If power is an issue for you, then you shouldn’t buy the most light-headed racquet available. You’d probably feel like you were stuck in a nightmare out there on the court, swinging your tennis racquet fiercely at the ball but producing no power.
The flexibility of tennis racquets also helps you determine which one to purchase. Those head-heavy racquets usually are stiffer (they bend less upon impact with the ball), which also adds to your power when you use such a racquet. However, stiffness will detract from spin potential and control. If you are a beginner who needs power and doesn’t provide as much of it in your swing, then this racquet can be useful. But keep in mind that stiffness can cause arm discomfort as well. Head-light racquets tend to be more flexible, catering to those players who are already powerful, but want to focus on control and speedy maneuverability.
Are any of us on the pro circuit? Doubtful. I’m guessing that most people reading this article are beginners or players with intermediate skill. But take a look at the tennis racquets the pros use. They’re not oversized. They’re not head-heavy. Instead, these racquets tend to be more head-light with smaller heads. Now take a look at what beginners use. You’ll see a lot more head-heavy racquets and oversized heads.
Consider your skill level and style of play. If you are just starting to play and need lots of hitting area and power, then get an oversized or head-heavy racquet and use it until you feel that you’ve gained enough of your own power and technique to buy a smaller, more control-oriented one. If you’re already an advanced, powerful player who wants to enhance control and still produce spin, then a head-light racquet with good flexibility should satisfy your needs.
But there is no rule that applies to all players when it’s time to choose a tennis racquet. Racquets are made along the entire spectra of head-weight, overall weight and flexibility. Somewhere along those spectra, probably in the mid-regions, all of you intermediate players will likely find the ideal racquets for yourselves. The most valuable advice I can give you is to try the tennis racquets in play before you buy them, if at all possible. Tennis clubs have pro shops where you can rent demo racquets. Though the tension of the strings may not be tailored optimally to your play, these demos will still help you a great deal when choosing a tennis racquet. Have fun!

Tennis began as a sport for the upper classes, and its evolution into a sport for every income level is still far from complete. If you don’t have a lot of money to throw into tennis racquets, court time, and lessons, don’t let that stop you from playing. With a little creative effort, you can cut the cost of playing tennis dramatically.
Racquet
A racquet is the single most expensive piece of equipment most tennis players buy. High-end graphite and titanium racquets go for as much as $300. At the other end of the spectrum are aluminum racquets that start at around $10.
With graphite and titanium, you’re basically paying for lightness and rigidity, but the advent of wide-body design has enabled aluminum racquets to be much more rigid than they used to be. For beginning players, flexibility is not important. Flexibility causes inaccuracy when the ball is hit hard, but beginners don’t hit very hard or accurately. Advanced players need a frame that won’t distort upon impact with the ball, so they almost always opt for graphite or titanium. Could an advanced player be happy with an aluminum racquet? Unlikely, but not impossible, if he or she did not mind a beam wide enough (in the side profile) to provide sufficient rigidity.
If you’re just getting started with tennis, you’ll be happy with a $10-$20 aluminum racquet with a fairly wide beam. If you’re an advanced player on a budget, look for closeouts and demos of graphite racquets. I’ve seen discontinued models of top-notch graphite racquets on closeout for as little as $60. Check the online retailers for bargains. Your local pro shop probably sells demos, too. These slightly used racquets usually sell for around half price. The auction sites are also worth a look. They typically have lots of racquets for sale, some of which are brand new.
Keep in mind that a racquet will last for many years. It can be a substantial purchase, but if you take good care of it, its cost per year will end up pretty small.
Balls
Unlike racquets, balls wear out quickly. The air seeps out of a pressurized ball, and it loses its bounce. Here are a few ways to stretch your ball budget:
Buy the cheaper balls. You can get entirely adequate balls for around $2 a can at most discount chains.
Try the new, extra-durable balls. These are designed to lose air less quickly.
Use a ball repressurizer. Our forum members had some good ideas on these.
Try pressureless balls, which don’t depend upon internal air pressure to remain bouncy. They’re stiffer than regular balls, and all but Tretorn are a little less bouncy, but you might like them. They get bouncier as they lose their fuzz, but you start to lose some important aerodynamics with a bald ball, so you can’t really take advantage. Tretorns are incredibly bouncy. If you have a big kick serve, get out those Tretorns.
Store balls at a cool temperature. Balls bounce higher when they’re warm, but they also lose air faster. If you keep an opened can in a hot car for any length of time, they’ll go flat pretty fast. If you keep balls cool, they’ll bounce a little less when you first start playing with them, but once they warm up on the court, they’ll be fine.
Some very inexpensive balls (around 99 cents for three) that are sold at the discount chains in plastic bags are not pressureless, so the lack of a pressurized container is a sure bet that they won’t bounce well. They’re often lopsided, too, and can crack open or lose most of their fuzz in less than an hour of play.
Strings
Strings lose tension over time and eventually break. Here are some stringing savings:
Use a kevlar hybrid string set: kevlar mains and synthetic gut crosses. If you don’t mind the relative stiffness, these strings will last 7-10 times as long as most other types.
Luxilon makes a few 16-gauge strings that last 5-10 times longer than the average nylon or synthetic gut strings, and they feel much less stiff than a kevlar hybrid set. Luxilon strings are usually 1.5-2.5 times as expensive as kevlar hybrids.
Do your own stringing. You can get an adequate stringing machine for around $150. If you’re going to restring a lot, it’ll pay for itself pretty fast, and you can make some extra income by stringing for other players.
String savers are worth a try. These little bits of plastic hold strings together at their intersections, which keeps the strings from rubbing on each other. The one time I tried them, my strings broke faster than ever. I may have just been unlucky, but I wonder whether they concentrate stress upon very small spots along the string, which might cause the string to break there.
Don’t use natural gut. It’s expensive, breaks quickly, and reacts badly to moisture.
Court Time
If you live in an area where public courts are available and you can play outdoors year-round, court time is free. If you’re in a colder climate, though, you can stretch your outdoor season with a little hardiness and creativity. As long as the courts aren’t covered with snow, I’ll go out in any weather to play. You can get a used net for around $20. If your local courts don’t leave the net cranks up in the winter, get a “come-along” (portable winch) for around $20, and you’re all set to put up your own net after the public courts have taken theirs down. Get a pair of gardening gloves with the little rubber spots all over the front, and you’ll be able to grip your racquet comfortably in 30-degree weather. It’s pretty invigorating to play in the cold.
If 30 degrees is too chilly for you, and you must play indoors, sign up as a sub for as many of the local leagues as you can. A lot of clubs won’t charge you for your play as a sub, and you’ll probably get more calls than you need.
Lessons
Inexpensive private or semi-private lessons are pretty rare, but you can get some good, though less intensive, instruction in low-cost group lessons. The USPTA Tennis Across America program offers free instruction as a special annual event. You can also pick up some good tips from the resources listed in my Instruction section.
If you’re on a budget, the last thing you want to do is buy an inappropriate racquet. See the Racquet FAQ for answers to the most important questions you should consider.

When the news hit that Richard Gasquet tested positive for cocaine, he released a statement to the press professing his innocence. He says he’s gathering evidence to show that he didn’t do cocaine, and will tell us more at a later date. Now the Frenchman, who faces a two-year ban if found guilty, must summon the will to go up against his toughest opponent ever — the anti-doping machine.
Good luck. The prospect of trying to beat the system was enough to send Martina Hingis into early retirement. She, too, tested positive for cocaine, in 2007, but decided that spending endless hours and countless money on her defense was simply not worth it. That, of course, is enough to lead some to believe that Hingis was guilty. And what about Gasquet? Was the test botched? Is he a cokehead? Did he drink out of the wrong cup at a party, as Marat Safin has alluded to?
Unfortunately, the debate is misplaced. As a sport, we shouldn’t be concerned with whether or not Gasquet took cocaine. We should be asking ourselves if it’s fair that a player be banned from professional tennis for doing recreational drugs.
The answer should be a resounding “no.”
First of all, the drug policy should be designed to prevent players from gaining an unfair competitive advantage. Juicing up to speed recovery and develop Superman-esque powers is cheating. Taking recreational drugs is not. Doing cocaine (or pot, or any other recreational drug) is more likely to hurt your chances on the court. On the other hand, you could make the case that pot should be banned from competition — if your competition revolved around eating. No one wants to go into a hot dog eating contest against an opponent with the munchies. But pounding a bag of Cheetos before a tennis match is going to do you no favors.
And is it fair that Gasquet could be sent off tour for two years? Consider the penalties of other anti-doping cases that involved either a performance-enhancing substance or a masking agent. In 2001, Guillermo Coria tested positive for the steroid nandrolone and served a seven-month sentence. Soon after, Mariano Puerta tested positive for clenbuterol, an anti-asthma medication that’s also an anabolic agent. He was suspended for nine months. A year later, he tested positive for the stimulant etilefrine and was suspended for eight years, though the punishment was reduced to two years after he claimed he inadvertently drank water from his wife’s glass, which he said was tainted. In 2005, testers found the masking agent hydrochlorothiazide in Guillermo Canas’ system and suspended him for two years (the sentence was eventually reduced to 15 months). In 2006, Karol Beck was suspended for two years when he was caught with clenbuterol in his system.
Then there’s Diego Hipperdinger. In 2004, he was suspended for two years for cocaine. In 2005, Simon Larose retired after receiving the same punishment.
It is absurd that players who’ve been found guilty of taking performance-enhancing drugs or agents to mask them are given suspensions on par with those pros who’ve taken recreational drugs. The sport should be after cheats, not players who like to party.
If the sport is so hell-bent on prosecuting players for taking drugs of virtually any kind, why isn’t alcohol on the list of banned substances? It’s every bit the drug, but no one in their right mind would want to suspend someone for having three fingers of Glenlivet. And if a player shows up on the show court completely hungover and still wins his match, you know what? More power to him.
In the meantime, we’ll have to watch Richard Gasquet fight the good fight as the cogs in our sport’s anti-doping machinery grind away.

Taking care of a tennis racquet is a lot easier now that graphite, resins, ceramics, and metals have replaced wood in the construction of frames. We no longer have to carefully clamp a big, heavy brace onto our racquet after each match to keep it from warping. Of course, we don’t get to peer suspiciously at the racquet’s side profile when the ball goes eight feet astray, either. No, your racquet’s not warped. Maybe it’s the strings.
Racquet care is mostly common sense:
Don’t expose it to extreme heat or cold such as by leaving it in your car in summer or winter. A hot car can soften a graphite frame enough that the string tension will pull it out of shape.
Keep it out of the sun when not in use.
Don’t throw it, bang it, or sit on it.
Avoid scraping it while picking up balls.
Put protective tape over those parts of the outer surface that you might scrape reaching for low balls.
Install a fresh overgrip whenever your grip gets slippery. Having the racquet slip out of your hand is a common cause of breakage, and it can injure another player.
String within the recommended range. Exceeding this range can break your frame and will usually void your warranty.
Stringing is a little more complicated. I’ll try to answer the three most common questions: