Britain's High Hopes

For years, Great Britain has not had a tennis players that has stood above the rest. Fred Perry was the last British player to win a major grand slam title, which was back in the 30's. At this years Wimbledon, Andy Murray gave Britain high hopes for his people as he fought his way through the matches. He played as the #4 ranked player in the world and played with control and precision. Although he was knocked out by Andy Roddick, his skill gave hope to Britains future in tennis. In August, Murray achieved the #2 rank in the world but quickly fell back to #4 after a loss.

Murray is known for his particular skill set in tennis. He is able to control to tempo of the match like no one else. He also has amazing precision in his shots that combine to make him a deadly player. Although players don't have to run very far, when they do run, it is a very quick sprint to the other corner. Andy controls exactly where his opponents run and when they least expect it, he drives it right past them.

"If you give someone (the) opportunity to dictate, not only on his own service games, but on yours, it’s very difficult to win" -Andy Murray

The only thing Murray lacks is having power and consistency in his shots. In some matches he will start to fade as the match goes on or if he is getting beat he will seem to get into a "funk" to where he can't play his way out of it. All in all, Andy Murray shows potential to be an amazing player and he could easily turn into the best player in the world.

Taking It To Another Level

The Princess Tower in Dubai is one of the most famous hotels in the world and Roger Federer and Andre Agassi made it even more famous. These players have shown their skills on almost every venue in their career. I guess some people get bored playing tennis on solid ground. The top of this multi-million dollar hotel has a helipad that sticks out from the hotel and one day, it was converted into a tennis court. See what happened:



Thankful, these two players made it down okay, but what an experience! Some times doing things just for the fun of it is all we need. These guys will never forget the time they played tennis while they were hundreds of feet in the air.

Kickin' It Old School

The legends of tennis are not known by people that don't love tennis. Names like Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Michael Chang, and Jimmy Connors. These men have brought tennis into what it is today. They have brought fame and evolution to the sport and a whole new way of viewing it. Bjorn Borg brought a fame to the sport that had not been seen in tennis till his time. His long blond hair and wicked awesome head band made him an icon to women.

"When I first played at Wimbledon, in 1973, it was crazy. I was this young Swedish guy with long hair, and suddenly it went mad and there were girls everywhere. There were girls on the way to the practice court, girls by the match court, and girls waiting in the lobby of my hotel ... The girls had found out where I was staying and so when I went into the lobby there were hundreds of them waiting for me. They were screaming and they wanted my autograph, they wanted to talk to me and they wanted to get close to me. It was like I was a pop star. Tennis had never seen anything like it before." -Bjorn Borg

We can learn from the legends of tennis and see what they have done. There are lessons to be learned from everyone and we should take the time to learn. We can see how their actions have shaped the sport of tennis and from there, we can look at our own actions to see what we are doing to shape tennis.

The Backhand

For many tennis players, their forehands mature a lot faster than their backhands. The movement of a backhand is not as natural as a forehand and some players try to shy away from it. The truth is, it can't be avoided. The backhand is a vital part of a player's skill set and it can win or lose a match. If a player does not have a solid backhand then this will be the target of the opponent. Players target the weak parts of a player's game and for many players, this is a backhand. Like the other types of hits, there is a technique to the backhand and players must learn the basics of this first before they seek to improve their game. Many players do a backhand that is comfortable for them and almost all the time, the technique to their backhand is wrong. The backhand consists of two different types of hits. The one-handed backhand and the two-handed backhand. The two-handed backhand is known as the reliable and efficient backhand and almost all players use it. The one-handed backhand does not give as much power and precision as the two-handed and some players see it as a "lazy" backhand. However, it can be used effectively. Roger Federer uses a one-handed backhand a majority of the time and obviously, he's pretty good. This is a video that shows the proper technique for a two-handed backhand:

Paris Masters

Novak Djokovic continued his roll of victories as he won the Paris Masters this Sunday. Djokovic was ranked third and fought through Nadal and Monfils for the victory in Paris. This victory gave him back-to-back tour titles. The first being against Federer in the Swiss Indoor finals. Beating Nadal and Federer meant that Djokovic beat the #2 and #1 ranked players in the world. Novak has showed is potential in the past and he is beginning to come into his own. He has showed that he can play and beat the best of the best but one thing he hasn't shown is that he can beat them on the major stages. In the U.S. Open, Djokovic fell short as it seemed like he gave up on winning. His emotions can take over and he can lose all motivation in a match. Even in the matches that he has won, Novak has hot and cold streaks where it seems like he could just as easily win as he could lose. In his match Sunday he had 21 unforced errors. If Monfils and Djokovic play each other again in a few years, this match will go very differently. Monfils has the potential to be an amazing tennis player. He has a height and wing-span that gives him a huge advantage and as soon as he gains the skills to use them, he will be unstoppable.

Many players must come into their own as a player. This is not a fast or easy process. Players must work to be confident and consistent on the court, especially in tough situations on big stages. Seeing players make that transition is an awesome sight. They mature in front of your eyes into a professional player with physical and mental attributes needed to be the best.

The Power of the Serve

One of the most important parts of tennis is serving. For some professionals, it can be the most important part of their game. A serve can win and lose a match and the perfection of serving is vital to the game. A good server can place the ball where ever they want and put a tremendous amount of power behind it. However, sometimes the secret to a good server isn't power, it's consistency. If a server can put the ball in play on their first serve every time then they have a much better chance of winning. It's amazing to see how powerful and fluent professionals are at serve. They make it look so easy! But the fact is, it involves technique, time, and repetition. Then more technique, time, and repetition. Here is a video that helps teach how to serve:

The Racquet

Only a few brands dominate the courts of professional tennis. The main brands you will see on professional courts are Wilson, Head, Babolat, Prince, and Dunlop. Many people look at these brands and try to find the best one; the one that all the pros use. The truth is, none of them are better than the other. The top racquets from each brand all have the best basic technology in them. Professionals don't all use the brands. The secret is finding the racquet that you play best with. Some brands might differ in small innovative technologies but none of these are necessary to be a better player. Each player must find the racquet that fits them and the size, grip, and weight that they desire. Professionals are sponsored by the brand they play with but that is because these professionals have chosen that brand to play with. Just as they have done, people must ignore what is popular and looks cool and instead, they must find the racquet that fits them.

Take It To Court

Everyone knows that there are different types of courts that people play on. If you turn on a tennis match you're likely to see players on a clay, solid, or grass court. What many people don't realize is how much the courts change the way people play their matches. Players even have to change what they wear. Shoes are vital in gripping the different surfaces.

Grass courts are the fastest type of courts and they consist of grass grown on very hard-packed soil. This leads to many factors that affect how a player will play. Factors like how well the grass is kept up, how worn it is, and how freshly it has been cut. Solid courts are the second fastest. They can vary in speeds but the speed of a court will stay consistent. Almost all recreational and school courts are solid because that hold up well and are easy to maintain. Clay courts are the slowest courts. They are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. Red clay is slower than green clay. These courts slow the ball down but it produces a high bounce when the ball hits.

Players must train on all of these courts, especially right before matches there. They must know how the courts play and what to expect. This is another reason why professionals are so amazing. They have mastered the ability to play on all kinds of courts. The diversity of their skills is astonishing. What can we do!? Just sit back and enjoy the show.

The Williams Sisters

The Williams sisters are two of the most recognizable faces in tennis and for good reason. It is rare to see two siblings be professionals in the same sport, and even more rare that they are spectacular players. Venus and Serena started playing tennis at an early age. They were coach by their father, Richard Williams and still today, they are coached by him. They have become dominant singles players and doubles partners. Both have multiple championships in singles and doubles as well. The sisters have both been ranked #1 as singles players and have even had to face each other in the finals of some grand slams. The sisters are almost even in the number of grand slams they've won. Venus has won 7 singles titles ans Serena has won 11. One would think that these players were very similar since they both do so well, but in actuality, they are total opposites. Their personality and style of play differs tremendously. Venus is a passive, laid-back player and Serena is a fast, active player. They are a foil as they bring out each others attributes. They compliment each other and work together to make their game as successful as it is. Where one of them lacks. The other compensates. However, one thing that both of the possess is an unmatched power in hitting the ball. They let everyone know it too as the boast a loud grunt every time they hit the ball. Maybe that's just a psychological tactic to their game? Who knows? But they are known as being some of the loudest players out there. They are still playing as strong as ever and they are on their way to being legends of tennis.