Wimbledon is Here

Wimbledon is finally here. This blog article is intended to give you all the info you want about the most prestigious Grand Slam. Every year it is possibly the most anticipated Grand Slam because it is arguably the classiest and most prestigious of the Grnd Slam tournaments (US Open, French Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon).

In this article from the BBC, Djokovic--who is currently ranked number four in the world--agrees that Wimbledon is the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. The article quotes him as saying so, and there is also a short video interview next to the written article that is worth looking at.

Lets take a look at some of Wimbledon's facts.

Wimbledon is actually the oldest of the Grand Slam tennis tournaments, starting in 1877. Wimbledon has an excellent page about their history; it is worth checking out. For example, did you know that person who was nearly a Wimbledon champion ended

up murdering a woman over gambling in Monte Carlo? It's all on Wimgledon's official site.

I found a PDF online that posts Wimbledon's prize money. Just for a few facts: The men's and women's singles champions each get 850,000 British pounds for winning. In dollars that would be close to $1.4 million. In all, Wimbledon will pay 12,550,000 in British pounds in prize money in 2009. Thats roughly $20 million.

If that dream vacation is somewhere in the near future, here is a link to maps of Wimbledon. And just in case you're taking your kids, here is the ball boy/girl application information.

Also, here is a PDF that talks all about the grass courts. Some of the most interesting facts I learned are that each court is mowed and repainted every day of the tournament, that the grass is 8 mm tall, and that the bounce of the ball is determined by the soil not the grass.

Tickets to Wimbledon are easily accessed online. Here is a link to ticket info for 2009. I noticed that a center court ticket on the day of the finals costs 100 pounds ($160). I feel like that is a pretty reasonable price for the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.

Wimbledon is also very selective about their providers. They only are affiliated with the best and choose sponsors who will boost their image. A few of their sponsors are Rolex, IBM, Slazenger, and Polo. For a complete list of their sponsors, click here.

Well, in the excitement Wimbledon has to offer, I hope these random facts add to some of the thrill of the best tennis tournament of the year. Will Roger Federer really get #15? We'll all know by July 15.

Racquet Guide

Having the right tennis racquet can make all the difference in your tennis game. But, as you've probably found out, finding the perfect racquet for yourself can be difficult. We all like something a little bit different.

The first step to raquet buying is knowing what to look for. It's easy to get overwhlemed by the millions of choices. Just type "tennis raquet" into Google, and you'll get more hits than you ever wanted, or can sort through.

Here are a few sites you might want to look at for a guide on what to look for in a racquet. If you're already familiar with racquet specs, don't take the time with these sites: Site 1, site 2, site 3. Site 1 is a great simple synopsis of what is most important to look for in a racquet. Site 2 is a more in-depth look at the balance between a control racquet and a power racquet. Finally, site 3 is a 6-step break-down for beginners buying a tennis racquet for the first time.

In addition to narrowing down a great racquet through research, smart racquet buyers will "demo" their potential racquet before buying. Demoing racquets means that you play with the racquet a bit before you actually buy it. It would be comparable to test driving a car. Here is a good link that discusses the benefits of demoing raquets, and here is another site that discusses how to properly demo a raquet.

Most tennis clubs will allow you to demo raquets for an hourly fee. Usually, if you decide to buy the racquet from the club, they will subtract any money you spent demoing the racquet from the overall price. So if you think you have found a winning racquet, demo it a few times to be completely sure you love it.

There are even some internet companies that will allow you to demo racquets via mail. This site charges $6.95 per racquet and you can demo up to three racquets at a time. This is another site that allows you to demo up to four racquets and keep the racquets for a week. Check out each site because depending on where you live, or how many racquets you want to demo, the price will be cheaper at one site or the other.

We often hear the common cliche, "The right tool makes the job easier." It's true in tennis and life. The right tool, or racquet, makes the job easier, healthier, and more fun. So spend a little time making sure you pick the right racquet. In an upcoming post I will analyze three of the top racquets on the market.

Roger or Pete?

Since Roger Federer has just tied Pete Sampras as the winningest tennis player of all time, I thought it would be fun to try and find a video that showcased both players' top plays of all time.  Here is a video that compiles 10 of Roger's top plays of all time.  Sorry it is only a link, the embedding was protected.

It was a lot harder to find videos that compiled Pete Sampras's great shots.  Maybe it's because he didn't hit as many.  But whatever style each plays, both sit with 14 grand-slam titles under their belt.  Here are two videos of Pete Sampras.  The first shows his hard slam dunk style of play.  The second is a tribute to his 14 grand-slams. 

So who is the greatest player of all time? A hard question. But one thing is for sure, one of the two is still playing and has an opportunity to lay hold of the title.  Sampras himself said it should be Federer.  Check out this article from ESPN that discusses who is #1.

It's All About Strength

As I've been posting about the French Open, a lot of articles and videos will talk about the strategies players use to win matches.  An example of this is found in my post on June 4th.  There is a YouTube video that analyzes exactly how Soderling defeated the returning champion, Nadal.

In this post, I just want to remind players of the most fundamental of these strategies-- in tennis remember to play to your strength and make the other player play to his/her weakness.  Fundamental right?  But do you do it.  I have watched more players lose a match because they forget this one strategy.

It is also important to remember that a lot of times it isn't enough to play your strengths.  You also must try and force your opponent to play to their weaknesses.  As you warm up with your opponent, start to analyze their skill level and where their strengths and weaknesses are.  

Off the tennis court this isn't bad advice either.  There are certain things that we are better at than other things.  So in life, play to your strengths.  

As a side note: the greatest tennis players after identifying weaknesses in their game will spend the majority of their practice time making their weaknesses strengths.

Federer Makes History. Greatest Ever or Not?

Robin Soderling is a player that just took the tennis world by storm. This is the 3rd time I have posted about him in the last few days. But as miraculous as his run at Rolland Garros was, he was no match for potentially the greatest player of all time, Roger Federer.

It only took Roger Federer 3 sets to put him away too. If you want to see a summary of the final match, click here. I found a nice article in The Times that does a nice job summing up what this victory meant for Federer.

I wanted to break down a few of his stats a little further. In this article, it is mentioned that only 6 players have won all 4 grand-slams. They were Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Andre Agassi, and Roger Federer.

For a nice overview of grand-slam stats, click here.

Congratulations, Roger, we've been waiting for you to win the French Open and tie Pete Sampras for years. So who is the greatest player of all time. . . Roger or Pete? And how about Roy Emerson and Bjorn Borg? This is another small article that discusses that issue.

Soderling to Final

Soderling advances to the finals at Roland Garros, but it took an emotional and controversial match. The underdog story continues. In his article in The New York Times, Christopher Clarey does a nice job of summing up the highlights of this match between Gonzalez and Soderling.

Soderling went out "swinging" and jumped quickly to a two-set lead. But Gonzalez would pull himself together and win the next two sets--not without controversy, though, at 4-4 in the second set. Clarey commented,

"Soderling hit a backhand down the line that looked like a winner and was called good. González disagreed and asked the chair umpire Emmanuel Joseph to descend from his chair and take a closer look. Joseph did so and then asked for the linesman who had made the call to confirm which mark on the clay was the proper one.

With González growing agitated, Joseph confirmed that the call had been correct, but González was convinced they were using the wrong ball mark. He argued more and then returned to the spot in question, sat down on the clay and used his bottom to wipe out both marks."

Here is a YouTube video that shows the action. Sorry it's in French, but you'll get the idea.



All tied with two sets each, Gonzalez gained a quick lead at 4-2 up 15-30 in the 5th set. But Soderling determined to not be sent home, and he put together two great returns, making the score 4-3. Soderling would use the energy he gained from those two returns to propel himself to a semi-final victory (6-4 5th set).

Soderling has to be intimidated by Federer. But Clarey quoted Soderling as saying, “Roger, he’s going to be the favorite by far, but I think Nadal was favored against me, too.” Soderling, we all wish you good luck; it's David vs. Goliath.

Roland Garros. . .It's about Time.

So it’s finally June, and that means one thing, Roland Garros—The French Open. The biggest story this year has to be Robin Soderling’s victory over #1 seeded Raphael Nadal. Check out this Youtube video that not only briefly summarizes the victory, but describes the records that are on the line for each player.


It's easy to see how these Grand Slam tournaments become more than just another tennis match for the participating players. There are records and reputations that are being played for too.

It is refreshing to see a player like Soderling "slam" the tennis circuit and give us all a fresh breath of underdog excitement. For the past three years it's been a Nadal vs. Federer final. Finally we have some new blood to cheer for with our hearts. Check out this YouTube video for a six-minute analysis of how Soderling was able to break down Nadal.

Of course it is impossible to tell what will happen from here (click here for a live score feed), but one thing is for sure, Soderling definitely has the eyes of the tennis world. Can it be done?