Tennischick's Articles – September 2009 Archive (11)

More and more, coaches seem to be buying into the idea that success in any sport involves far more than physical fitness and technical mastery. This is not to say that both of these aspects of preparation are not important. On the contrary, it is only by being superbly fit that you can have a chance of hanging with the top players. And physical fitness is certainly one… Continue

Psychological Skills Training (PST) is the process by which the conditions that produce optimal performance are broken down into requisite skills. These can be taught to players like Vera Zvonareva and Dinara Safina who have the potential to succeed but whose heads keep getting in the way.



But in order for PST to work, players have to first be able to… Continue

I sat next to a crying woman in church last Sunday. She was unkempt, her face blotchy and pimpled, her eyes blindly staring. Huge tears rolled down her cheeks. She seemed lost in her own world, her sadness painful and acute. It was all a bit unseemly. There was about her a sense of not caring that she was on display, gripped as she was by the kind of unmuted grieving that makes people uncomfortable, that makes them want to hug and shake you at… Continue

I almost feel badly for the USTA. Yes I know that that sounds unbelievable given my own relatively frequent tirades against their incompetence. But the last thing I would have wanted the organization that represents tennis to face was an allegation of racism. That is an ugly accusation. It’s the kind of accusation that even when you win, as Zina Garrison apparently has,… Continue

I wish I could say that I saw Heather Watson play at the 2009 US Open. But the truth is that I did not. Having had my heart repeatedly broken by supposedly promising Juniors who somehow never seemed to deliver, I no longer invest as emotionally in the Juniors as I once did.



And lest you think that I am being just a fair-weather fan, let me assure you… Continue

I have to tell you that I enjoyed every moment of Federer’s angry outburst during the third set of his match against Juan Martin Del Potro. It could not have been better timed. Really, I was so thrilled to see it that it didn’t bother me for a second that Federer got so rattled that he went on to lose the match. Sure I wanted him to win 16 Slams, but it’s OK with me that he… Continue

You know the expression. I don’t have to complete it for you. And it will be one of the ways in which the manner in which Serena Williams lost the 2009 US Open semi-finals will always be understood. Some will say that Serena behaved like a thug when she raised her racket in a threatening manner towards the diminutive Asian lineswoman and was possibly overheard… Continue

I forgot to mention the possible impact of the weather as one of the reasons I do not like to purchase US Open tickets in advance. When you attend a tournament for just a few days, it sucks to have rain interrupt play on any of those days. I feel for those folks who traveled to Flushing Meadows to watch tennis over the past few days. It’s been a complete… Continue

...But from the moment Oudin came on court, my attention was all hers. She was playing against Maria Sharapova, a player who normally attracts the support of American audiences everywhere. In fact, it has become almost convenient to forget that Sharapova, with her unshakable American accent, is not actually American.



My prediction was that Sharapova was in for… Continue

I’ve been going to the US Open since 1999. The first time I went, I was alone, a novice feeling her way around a major tournament. I was picked up in turn by an elderly Jewish couple with season tickets, a father and son from Columbia, and a Junior player who had lost in his opening round and needed someone to latch on to until his parents could… Continue

First it was Kim Clijsters. Then I heard talk about Mary Pierce who is reportedly in serious training with Yutaka Nakamura at Bollettieri’s. And now rumor is that Henin is training for some exhibition matches later this year and may be open to returning to competing for real. What’s going on? What’s with all this leaving and coming back?



Personally I blame Dinara. Yes I know that it’s not fair of me to lay blame anywhere but since you logged on to this blog to get my opinion I will… Continue