Steven White's Articles Tagged 'tennis' (60)

"ALTHEA"...A new documentary about tennis legend Althea Gibson has been created. No player, not even the great Arthur Ashe (who came a decade after Althea), overcame more obstacles to become a champion than Althea Gibson; the first African-American to play at (and win) Wimbledon and the US Open was a woman. She was celebrated by ticker-tape parades in…

Rafael Nadal is a fierce competitor. Just before he serves, he often gives his opponent a look reminiscent of a snarl. But contrary to what some of us might be thinking, that doesn’t mean he’s about to try to serve that opponent off the court. More often than not, he’s just looking for an effective serve that’s going to set up an awesome reply to an average…

Rafa in a piece titled "Bring The Action"

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As a proud member of the Tennisopolis family, I'm pleased to announce that I've finally made my illustrations and drawings available to the general public as prints on pulled canvas or as framed art on the international art stage at Fine Art America ( …

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also known as the All-England Club, London, England, is a private members club. It’s best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass. Initially an amateur event that occupied club members and their friends for a few days each summer, the…

NEW YORK, December 21, 2012 — The results of an independently performed Racket Shock & Vibration Study are in and they dramatically show that multi-solid core frames produce less shock and vibration on initial contact and four (4x) times less shock and vibration time following contact…

The notion that we should hit “through” the ball has been around for decades, but what does it really mean? Can we really hit through the ball? How long is contact? With lighter racquets and faster racquet head speeds, is this instruction still relevant? If you’re curious to see if this instruction should be sent to your recycle bin, read on.

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DURING a flamboyant career, French star Yannick Noah raised eyebrows with his athleticism, dare and flair on court.

But it is his accusations in a French newspaper last year alleging widespread doping among Spanish tennis players that, while inflaming tempers across the border, have some relevance to a development in New York this week.

"How can a…

A true legend of the sport, Navratilova was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2000. The one-of-a-kind rings are being presented to Hall of Famers at tennis events around the world, in honor of their great achievements in the sport and as an official commemoration of their Hall of Fame induction.…

David Nalbandian’s disqualification from Sunday’s final of the AEGON Championships at Queen’s Club in London is, without question, one of the most unusual conclusions to a tennis match – and tennis tournament – in the history of the sport. Leading Marin Cilic 7-6, 3-4, the Argentine kicks a wooden advertising base surrounding the service linesman, breaking it and causing part of the sign to jam into the linesman’s shin, causing a bloody one-inch gash in his leg. Chair umpire Fergus Murphy…

TennisOne's Joe Dinoffer says that the one-time joke on tennis pros used to be, “Racquet back, bend your knees, that’ll be twenty dollars please.” And I'm inclined to agree. At least in the old days, this was more or less the standard of teaching tennis. After all, it worked quite well for millions of players in the 1960s and '70s, didn't it?…

Thanks to my new cyber friend Dan Martin (creator of TennisAbides.com) for so many kind words in his review -- Steven White, Author

24 Mar

The following is from my friends @ justgotserved.wordpress.com

Purely for the reason that I am so bored that I am at my wit’s end AND that due to the lucky fact I don’t live in outer Mongolia and therefore Google Images are readily available, I have selected a few of the most amusing pictures of tennis players.

It’s at this point that you begin to say   ‘ But my friend, there is nothing amusing about tennis.  It is a fine game’.  And while the latter…

Every up-and-coming tennis player, I’m sure, knows those frustrating periods when his or her game simply stagnates or falls flat. That seems to be because tennis is a sport with various plateaus of learning. After playing a year or two, your game appears to be stuck on pause. No matter how hard you try, the same players keep on beating you and you never seem to get beyond the early rounds of a tournament. That happens to professional players too.…

As your level of play increases, simply keeping the ball in play may not be enough to win matches. The amount of control you have over the ball then becomes an important factor. Your shot placements can make all the difference. Maybe your opponent has good ground strokes and is able to effectively stay in every rally with you. If you have the ability to hit the ball short to…

Some players like to camp out on the baseline and send back a steady stream of deep crosscourt shots. When you are facing such an opponent, never let him get in a groove – he’s just waiting for you to make the error that’s going to give him the point. Remember that most tennis matches are decided by who makes the least errors, not the most winners. So, instead of trying to…

Raw, young, talented players can often hit a variety of shots but have little sense when it comes to shot selection. This underestimated and under-practiced skill is so important that it alone can separate the levels in tennis.

Your mind will begin to operate much like a computer. For it to be able to work to your benefit, it must first be turned on, and then,…

This takes some practice, and you want to start gently, because sliding the wrong way can easily turn an ankle. One important tip is to keep your front foot pointed somewhat into the direction of your slide. It's the one that's likely to catch in the clay and suffer a turned ankle. The back foot can afford to be sideways, because it will skip over any catches in the clay instead of getting jammed into them. Here’s a good illustration of how to slide into a forehand on clay. Note how the…