How Difficult is Tennis Part 1

The difficulty of tennis relative to other sports is one of my perennial topics of discussion. It is also something I can probably be rage-baited into arguing. I will be blunt that those who doubt or dismiss tennis as “easy” irk me. This topic is a great candidate for a deep dive on my end….

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Tennis Coaching: Nerves and Upsets Part 1

Prelude: A few years ago I played chess with my brother, I lost the match when his sole surviving pawn and king marched down the board to doom my lonely king. On multiple occasions, I was one move from winning if he overlooked a trap. After the match, I noted, “That was a close match.”…

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Infinite Jest: Hal Incandenza and Masking

As Tennis Abides heads into 2025, I expect to write a great deal more about tennis and tennis coaching that lies outside of tennis played on professional tours. I am ducking into Infinite Jest again as part of this shift. Warning Spoilers Infinite Jest opens with Hal Incandenza’s interrogation by university officials regarding discrepancies between…

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Tennis Coaching: Mike Agassi’s Plan & Making the Tennis Ball Behave

Mike Agassi wanted Andre to hit 1000000 tennis balls annually to train a future world #1. Andre Agassi spent 101 weeks ranked #1. Being able to control the ball and put it where your opponent does not want it has always been a good strategy for success in tennis. Today’s elite tennis training rightly focuses…

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Wimbledon 2024: Paolini vs. Krejcikova Prediction

7 Jasmine Paolini vs. 31 Barbora Krejcikova The BIG Question How much does Wimbledon 2024 grass play like grass from 2002 and earlier? If the grass is generally low bouncing, I think the match is largely on Barbora Krejcikova’s racquet despite having a worse seed than Jasmine Paolini. If the grass is amenable to grinding…

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Tennis Abides on Jerry Eaves Sports Radio

I talked tennis with a Louisville Legend on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. The whole show is worth a listen. Tennis and I are on with Jerry Eaves from 14:55-24:10. Give Jerry Eaves a follow on the platform formerly known as Twitter: @JerryEaves5 Jerry Eaves grew up in Louisville and played basketball for the great Denny…

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Roland Garros 2024: All Hail Queen Iga IV and King Carlos I

History Made by Both Champions Iga Swiatek won her 5th major title, capped off a great clay court season*, demonstrated why she is ranked #1, and won her 4th French Open title in 5 years by claiming the title in pretty routine fashion during the final 5 rounds of the tournament. Her 2nd round win…

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