If you are a tennis fan and actually play yourself, you may well have experienced a game on a clay court. This is the very old, red surface that has been used in countries like France and Spain since the game originated.
There is no other surface quite like clay to have a game of tennis on. The strong red color is very attractive and literally makes tennis a whole different ball game!
Whether or not you have yet to experience playing on a red clay court, I have a few fascinating facts about this unique surface to share with you.
A player who constantly serves and volleys on other surfaces will find themselves really struggling on the class. As will those whose success depends on the accuracy of their booming serves.
If you do ever see a player approach the net while playing on clay, it is a very rare thing indeed. Those who rely on their booming serve will also find that it hasn’t the effect on this surface as it does on others.
So why is the strategy for this game so different? Well, it is very simple, the clay is a thick and heavy surface which sticks to the ball and therefore slows it Down considerably.
So as where you are used to seeing a ball hit the surface then rise at great speed, you will be seeing the opposite happening on a clay court.
There have been some marathon tennis matches played on clay, and that has been because the ball has slowed as it hits the surface and given the player time to be able to reach it.
The rallies are obviously longer and shots easier to reach than they would be on the fast courts. A sure fire winner on grass is probably reachable on clay.
Although the ball is easier to reach, the faster player will always have the advantage over their slower opponents.
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There are qualities which are vital to any great tennis player and as the world of tennis progresses on, these qualities are debated over by fans and players alike.
It can be fun considering the different perspectives and opinions of the many arguments that evolve from the different aspects of the game.
Some very important aspects are listed. Are there any that you would find most important?
Is it volleying? After all, a well rounded net game can pose a threat to any opponent and easily end a point. Look at the past success of players like John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, and even Pete Sampras to a degree.
Many tennis buffs would argue that the modern game favors baseline play over the net. After all, look at the dominance of Rafael Nadal from the back of the court. Even players like Andy Roddick, who once spent more time at the net, are recently favoring the baseline and opting for ground strokes.
Any player with a powerful serve can easily take control of the court if their opponent is unable to break them and this will give them an overall advantage. Take Roddick as a good example of a big serve.
How about speed though? Guys like Nadal can get to just about every ball, making it extremely difficult for their opponents to win points. The harder your opposition has to work for a point, the more unforced errors you’ll ultimately cause.
I think that the x-factor wins over all others. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have a mental attitude that goes with winning. The type of ‘no lose’ attitude which, I think gives them an edge over their opponents.
With the ability to rarely be rattled, their stoic composure and never say die attitude wins them so many more matches than the stats would indicate.
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There are qualities which are vital to any great tennis player and as the world of tennis progresses on, these qualities are debated over by fans and players alike.
It can be fun considering the different perspectives and opinions of the many arguments that evolve from the different aspects of the game.
Some very important aspects are listed. Are there any that you would find most important?
Is it volleying? After all, a well rounded net game can pose a threat to any opponent and easily end a point. Look at the past success of players like John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, and even Pete Sampras to a degree.
What about baseline play, is that important? Many experts would say that it is the more modern approach as opposed to playing at the net. Take Rafael Nadal for example, he spends a lot of time hanging at the back of the court rather that up at the net. And other players such as Andy Roddick have changed tactics in favour of the baseline play.
Any player with a powerful serve can easily take control of the court if their opponent is unable to break them and this will give them an overall advantage. Take Roddick as a good example of a big serve.
Players have a hard time winning points if their opponent is fast at reaching the ball. Players like Nadal manage to reach almost every ball coming their way. If your opponent has to play hard to get a point then you will be causing them to make unforced errors.
What I think is the most important aspect is the x-factor, as in the mental game. Rafael Nadal knows how to play a tough mental game and as a result has some of the toughest in the history of tennis.
With the ability to rarely be rattled, their stoic composure and never say die attitude wins them so many more matches than the stats would indicate.
If you’re an avid tennis player, perhaps you’ve enjoyed the privilege of playing on red clay courts. This is an old surface with a deep rooted history of tradition that dates back to the origins of the sport in parts of Europe like Spain and France.
While these courts are common in other parts of the world, they’re far more rare in America. Still, they do exist, and you should consider yourself lucky if you have the opportunity to play a match on this surface.
Many people wonder about the differences between clay courts and other surfaces like hard and grass courts. If you’re wondering the same thing, you’re about to learn the key characteristics of these courts and how they may impact your strategy.
First of all, the most effective strategy on this surface has always been one from the baseline. Players traditionally rely on powerful ground strokes as a means of winning their matches.
If you’re a serve and volleyer or a net player, the impact of your game will most likely take a hit. Unfortunately, players with this strategy don’t seem to fare as well on clay.
You might be wondering why it would matter, but there’s a good reason for this. The makeup of the clay lends itself to a ball that bounces high and slowly off the ground, giving your opponent a lot of time to get to it.
This is very different from what you’d observe on grass and even hard tennis courts, as the ball almost skids off the ground on these other surfaces. These are faster courts, unlike clay ones.
The ball will bounce higher, giving opponents that much more time to get to the ball during the course of a point. As a result, some of the longest tennis matches in history have been matches played on clay.
If you’ve ever watched the French Open, you’ve probably noticed that the points are much longer here than at other tournaments, and this is why. While it’s fun to watch, as a player you’ll need some great endurance in order to succeed.
As a result, anyone who moves quickly during the course of a match will definitely have an edge.
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With the Aussie Open kicking off the very new 2010 tennis calendar year, the action is officially back again. There are plenty of pros comprising a group that happens to be a lot more cutthroat than it’s been in many years.
Gone are the times of Federer and Rafa dominating each and every tournament. There are some additional participants on the tour who have genuine chances any instance a tournament begins.
Even if Roger Federer and Rafa occupy the top two rankings in the tour, there are two or three competitors that could end up the year ranked at number one. Let’s get a look at the most probable heirs to the throne now.
Typically, there is Roger Federer. He must always be classified as the most likely to wind up at the top of the rankings, as he’s been the best practically each year through the course of the past 10 years. However, his age of twenty nine reveals that he is getting old.
If Rafa Nadal is going to remain free of injuries, there’s no basis to think that he won’t be able to end up there. On the contrary, many folks consider that he would most likely have ranked there in 2009 had he not been forced to pass up Wimbledon on account of his knee injury.
Also in the mix is the youthful twenty year old Juan Martin Del Potro, whose incredible win at Flushing Meadows shocked numerous tennis devotees. To knowledgeable fans, the Argentine’s emergence was not such a shock. The Argentine is amazingly gifted and has the potential to catch the world’s top ranking this season.
Rounding out the field are a pair of additional promising men. Let’s get a glance at these dark horses.
Novak Djokovic is considered one of those competitors that the tennis world thought would be number 1 at some point, but he hasn’t actually gotten there thus far. He’s a bit more experienced at the current age, and may possibly finally have both the mechanics and psychological toughness to make it happen.
Finally, there is Andy Murray. At 22 years old, the English phenom is still improving and found himself as high as #2 last year. With several clutch titles this year, he may possibly be this season’s unexpected surprise.
If we rewind by a few years in the women’s tennis world, we’ll arrive at a time where Justine Henin was the world’s best female tennis player. Not only was she the best, but she was rather dominant.
Suddenly, Henin decided to call it a career during the summer of 2008. Many were shocked by this revelation, as there was simply no reason for her to retire. After all, it’s not as if she was slowing down.
While all appeared to be going well on the outside, Henin was mentally exhausted. She was sick of the two decades that she had devoted entirely tennis, and needed to get away from the sport.
There were personal initiatives that she preferred to focus on, including a camp for children where she’d teach them how to play tennis.
There was definitely a void in the world of women’s tennis. The number ones of the world weren’t truly the best in the minds of some fans, because they wondered if Henin would still be at the top of the ranks. Out of nowhere, some wishes were granted a few months ago when she said she’d return to the sport.
Before her first match, fans of the sport had doubted her abilities, thinking that either age or rust would have gotten the best of her by now. This would be a natural expectations, as most athletes initially stumble on the comeback trail.
Boy, were they wrong. Justine Henin looked as if she never took a day off after easily beating Nadia Petrova in straight sets at Brisbane. The competitive fire still burns in this warrior. In fact, some people claimed that she looked as if she never even took a day off.
After seeing Kim Clijsters’ triumphant return to the sport after her US Open win last year, nothing should be considered unrealistic for Justine Henin.
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There are a handful of different tennis court surfaces. Each one has its own unique set of attributes, adding an interesting element to this already exciting sport.
The most popular surface in the world at the moment is the hard court. This is typically a green or blue court with painted lines and a concrete surface. You’ve likely seen it at the US Open and many other events.
As each court type has its own unique traits, I’d like to discuss some of the nuances of hard courts and the right strategies to deploy when playing on this surface. Let’s take a look at some.
The ball moves really quickly on hard courts, and you’ll be in for a surprise if you typically play on clay courts. Those who excel in the serving department always enjoy the advantages of this surface, as fast serves will be even harder to hit back.
As far as baseline play goes, hard courts don’t really work for or against people with this strategy. This is a good thing in many regards, as it won’t ruin your chances of winning a match should you choose to stay back. Hard hitting can be an asset here.
If you’re a fast runner, this never hurts in the sport of tennis, but it won’t be something you can exploit, so to speak. Your speed will be a bigger asset on hard courts than it is on grass, but it won’t let you get to as many balls as you can on clay courts.
Still, this isn’t to say that your speed won’t be an asset during a match, because it absolutely can and will. You’re far better off as a fast runner playing here than you would be on grass, and a speedy player is certainly difficult to defeat if there are other weapons that player possesses as well.
As far as net play goes, some of the best volleyers in the world have had great success on hard courts. This is because of the fact that a serve and volley strategy is a terrific way to take full advantage of this surface.
In light of the above, develop a strategy on these courts that lends itself well to your game. Most of all, have some fun in the process.
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After having performed thousands of sports physicals over the years, I have seen an ever increasing trend in poor posture. Often, the posture is altered before a sport is undertaken, and frequently the posture is affected by repetitive motions of a particular sport.
You can simply perform an assessment of your own posture by having another person observe you from behind you (six feet directly behind you). Does one shoulder look higher than the other? Does one hip look higher? Check to see if your feet are straight, is one flaring out more than the other? The knees should be in alignment as well, facing the same direction. Your head should be equally balanced, not leaning to one side. If some differences are noticed, you may have a biomechanical problem that is inhibiting your sports performance.
I like to use the analogy of your car being out of alignment. If your car is misaligned, your tires will wear out unevenly, you will not get optimum fuel efficiency in your car, and it will not run like it should. The same principle applies to the human body. Do you believe that your body would be more or less susceptible to injury if you were a runner and you had one hip higher than the other, which caused one leg to be an inch shorter? Running day-after-day, mile-after-mile?
The body will respond to the misalignment with its innate ability to compensate for its differences and will adapt to the change. However, there is an insidious process, disease starts, and so the person will not have symptoms for many years before they experience other health issues. One of the most common conditions that occur is degenerate joint disease of the spine and pelvis. The fact of the matter is, if your biomechanics were in proper working order, you would be a better, more efficient runner.
One of the most common comments I hear when a new patient visits the office is “I can golf fine if I take two anti inflammatories or pain pills before I golf, but after I’m done I have a lot of pain”. Do you see the point that I am trying to make? If our bodies are giving us pain or it has restricted our range of motion in some way, it is trying to tell us that something is wrong. Like your car oil light coming on to warn you that the oil is low, do you turn the light off?
We often treat our automobiles better than our bodies. We can thank the pharmaceutical companies and medical profession for constant bombardment in radio, print, and television advertisements. Billions of dollars are spent yearly to convince you to take that little miracle pill or potion for fast relief. They advise us to get rid of that symptom quick, ignore what the cause is. We need to take responsibility for our own health. Listen to your body; no one knows it better than yourself.
A pre-exercise warm up is imperative, but often disregarded. Most people want to “get right into their workout” and therefore begin their exercise regime before their muscles and ligaments have warmed up sufficiently. Without this precaution, one pre-exposes themselves to abnormal strain on their ligaments and muscular system.
It is even more urgent that we take a serious look at this with the looming changes in our Healthcare System. The quality will not be as good. We should open our eyes, and look to the future. Say to yourself, what if 10, 20 or 30 years from now I have (fill in the blank). What could I have done to prevent that, should I have done this or that? The time for action is now!
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If you already play tennis, then I take for granted that you already appreciate what tennis players dress in, so this article is aimed at those people who would like to obtain tennis apparel for a loved one for a special occasion. After all, it is not as easy as it appears to obtain sports garments for the player of a sport you know nothing about.
There is a certain image we are inclined to associate with a tennis player: white Polo shirt with shorts or skirt and similar shoes. They are fashionable and stylish, comfortable and classic at the same time. Items of tennis kit often signify a great deal to people who are not just sports fans. If the person you shop for is a tennis aficionado, tennis clothing becomes a fantastic gift that could also prove pretty affordable in spite of the rumors that it costs a fortune.
In case tennis apparel is something unfamiliar to you, Google it over the Internet and you will be astonished to see how much information there is available. Very many forums will tactfully inform you about prices and discounts going on at an assortment of retail stores and online dealers.
They will also provide you with information as to which marques are considered the best, which are considered the least hard-wearing and reliable, which are affordable and which more than usually dear .
What many tennis clothes users suggest is that you procure the sort of top or shirt that would make you feel most comfortable and that will permit the very wide angled movements that are peculiar to the performance of this sport. For instance, the shorter the sleeves of your tennis kit, the freer the swing during the game. Some purchase tennis attire also according to the season in which they intend to play. Still others go for the materials that can be worn in both warm and cold seasons.
They firmly believe that the tennis clothing must keep them both warm and cool at the same time. As far as the t-shirts for men are concerned, you ought to know that most players speak of Polo shirts in very high terms, as the collar offers you some neck protection from the sun’s rays.
Advice about tennis clothes like that above are to be had on very many web sites. If you are not quite sure what to go for when purchasing your friend a gift, then you can always inveigle him or her to have a discussion about his or her favourite sport. Using a little guile, you will surely be able to direct the conversation to a connected topic that interests you, i.e. tennis clothes. Making it all look like idle conversation will not make him or her guess what you have in mind for the special occasion.
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If you are an avid tennis player you may want to have your own backyard tennis court. Even if you do not want to incur the expense of a complete tennis court, it is advisable to have your own tennis net in case the one at your local court is damaged or missing.
The greatest benefit of buying your own tennis net is that you will have one available to play whenever you want! Tennis supplies, including nets, can be found for sale online or in local sporting good stores; look for moneysaving discounts. As for your buying options, the selection of nets will vary from store to store.
If you play often on hard surfaces you will need a net that is durable and long lasting. This is typically one made from braided cord with double mesh at the top and reinforced coated cables. These can be a bit pricey though so if you do not play often, you may want to consider a less expensive option.
If you only play tennis on occasion, have an indoor tennis court that is not exposed to varying weather elements, or if playing on a softer surface, you can cut a few corners and avoid spending as much. By opting for twisted cord, instead of braided cord, you get a quality tennis net that you can use and one that costs a lot less.
If you are only getting a tennis net to make do now and intend to replace it later on, you can opt for cheaper materials. High-grade netting has its benefits; it looks more attractive and will holdup better to normal wear and tear. This is an important benefit if your tennis net will be used outside and exposed to extreme weather conditions.
You should also look at the quality of the dowels, grommets and cables that help keep the apparatus taut and attached to the posts. If you have substandard attachments you may find that the housing becomes loose and it starts to sag.
There is also the option to buy a portable net that is easy to install and remove. While they are light and easy to carry, they are not designed for long-term use. However, this option is ideal if your local court has damaged or missing nets. With an affordable price, you can also have a portable net as a backup incase your permanent net is damaged.
A tennis net is required to play tennis correctly. Without it you can not play properly or distinguish when a ball clears the required height. You can purchase a net at sporting goods stores but ensure you have one that will be durable and last a long time.