It's All Exhibition to Me Until The Australian Open

Well, the US Open is done and fall is approaching here in Canada and probably in a good deal of the US and Europe.

Personally, I won't pay much attention to what happens on the tour until Australia. To me, it's all about money for the pros now.

Now, don't get me wrong. I think these guys should make as much money as possible. I'm just saying that there's a difference when they play for money and when they play for history.

A lot of guys will kill themselves and play through injuries in the slams. But, they usually don't show the same attitude in the regular tournaments.

Do you think Andre Agassi would have played through that horrendous back pain if it wasn't the US Open?

Now's the time when I focus on my own game. I'll meet up with Fed and the boys down under in January.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of The Top Selling Tennis Tactics Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

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US Open Tennis

Federer Is Truly Amazing

Yesterday's exhibition of superb tennis was a sublime experience.

When Roger Federer is on his game, it is an absolutely breathtaking experience if you're a tennis fan. His game is so solid, so cleverly constructed, his strokes so smooth that he literally makes the game look so easy.

I think that what a lot of people don't give a lot of thought to is Federer's tremendous defensive ability. Clearly, Federer is an otherworldy shotmaker.
Watch what happens when he's pushed and the matches get tight (doesn't happen too often obviously). But,when he's in a litle trouble, he relies on extraordinary footspeed and quickness to play superb defensive tennis. And, he's the best I've ever seen at turning defense into offense in a flash of a heartbeat.

There have been other great offensive tennis players in recent years. Players who were dangerous everytime the ball hit their rackets. Pete Sampras and John McCenroe come to mind right away. Anytime these guys touched the ball they could put the ball someplace difficult fot their opponent and be at the the net in a heartbeat.

But, neither Pete nor Mac were the greatest defensive players. Sampras actually was a better defensive player than Mac in my opinion because he had a lethal flat forehand -- a a weapon the that the continentally gripped Mac never possesssed.

And, when I think of great defensive players Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg come to mind.

But, Federer is literally the best offensive player and nearly the best defensive player in the game today. This is what makes him so unbeatable. When his offence is off, he can rely on his defense to keep him in the points. And, sooner or later, his offense starts to perk up again.

The other player who comes to mind as both the best offensive and the best defensive player of his time was Michael Jordan in basketball. And, he didn't do too badly did he?

By the way, I've just added a new section on my website about tennis strings. It's starting slow but will eventually have some really good info for you.

Cheers,




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US Open Tennis

It's Sad To See Agassi Retire but.......

The great career of Andre Agassi is now over. Well maybe it's over. There's always the examples of Michael Jordan and Evander Hollyfield. But, both of those guys retired when they were getting older but still healthy.

Andre is not coming back and it's precisely because of his back that he's not coming back. It was sad in a way to see how he was moving in these last two matches. He moved in a very stiff way and looked like the older guys at the local tennis club.

It's absolutely remarkable that Andre could play such high level tennis with such a stiff back. It's totally a tribute to his anticipation, tactics, and great ball striking ability.

Now the tournament really gets going. For the past week no one has been talking about Nadal or Federer. It's been all Andre --all the time.

How great was Andre? Where does he rank among the all time greats? These are questions that will be hotly debated in the next little while.

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Agassi

How Far Will Andre Agassi Go At The US Open?

This is the last go-round for Andre Agassi.

And fans don't know whether they should check out his early round matches to form final life-long memeories or just start watching the second week.

With Andre these days everything depends on his health and fitness.

If he's not hurting he can still play with anybody. But, if he's hurt, he can be beaten by anybody.

And, Andre's draw is tough.

His first round opponent is the veteran Andre Pavel of Romania. Pavel has been around a long time and won't be intimidated by the circumstances. He won't beat himself -- Agassi will have to beat him.

If Agassi manages to get through the first round he'll probably play the 8th seed Marcos Bagdhaitis. Obviously, Bags is one of the most talented players on tour so, even a full-strength Agassi, would have his hands full.

In the fourth round looms Andy Roddick.

So, let the games begin and let's see how Andre fares.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of The Top Selling Tennis Tactics Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

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US Open Tennis

Five Sets favor Federer And Nadal At The US Open

Right after Wimbledon every tennis fan would have layed all their money down on a Federer versus Nadal final at the 2006 US Open coming up.

So, what happens?

Nadal loses in the early rounds for 2 consecutive weeks. Federer wins at the Rogers Cup in Toronto but then loses to Andy Murray in straight sets at the Masters event in Cincinatti.

Nadal's woes are less difficult to explain. He doesn't have a great serve although it is improving.
And , he struggles with his returns against big servers. So, he can't get into the baseline rallies as easily as he can on clay where he dominates.

Federer obviously has to lose once in a while so it's really no big deal.

The US Open matches are best of five sets , unlike these recent tournaments which are best of three. And, I feel that the best of five format favors both Nadal and Federer but for different reasons.

Nadal is like a body puncher in boxing. He makes you run and reach and work very hard physically to return his balls which have heavy top and sidespin. By the time you've played two or three sets against him you're usually starting to wear down physically. That's why a lot of Nadal's matches are close in the beginning and then he pulls away easily.

It'll take a lot of physical endurance and mental toughness to beat Nadal in five sets. Now, maybe he'll be off and someone will beat him in 3 or 4 sets but I like his chances the longer the matches go.

With Federer it's a different story. To beat Federer you need him to be off and you have to be playing at your highest level. If he's on and you're off, you''ll get rolled --just ask Lleyton Hewitt.

And, I don't see anybody except Nadal giving Federer trouble over 5 sets.

So, on to the Open and let's see what happens.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of The Top Selling Tennis Tactics Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

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US Open Tennis

Watching Tennis Pros Practice

One of the great secrets in learning how to improve your tennis game is to go watch the pros practice. And where can you see the pros practice?

This week I went up to see the qualifying rounds at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. I bought a general admission ticket for $11. And I didn't even bother to go into the stadium and watch any matches.

Instead, I went to the practice courts where in the space of 2 hours I saw both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal practice while standing about 10 feet away.

Name me one other profession where you can see the world's best practicing in public. Do the world's top musicians practice every day in public? Do you get to see a brain surgeon work on his operative technique?

And when you see these amazing athletes up close you learn so much if you watch closely.
Especially as they loosen up -- because here they're doing everything almost in slow motion and you can really focus on their body movements and racket technique.

So next time you really want to glean some amazing tennis knowledge go to a pro tournament and head to the practice courts.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES The Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

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Learning How To Play Your Best Tennis Against Lesser Competition

Recently, I've had the experience of playing in the early rounds of a club tournament and also playing doubles against ex-Davis Cuppers in a provincial championship.

Even though I won at the club but lost to the ex-Davis Cuppers, I felt I played far better in the loss.

As I think about my mental state as I played both matches, I would summarize the difference as following:

In the club match I played safe tennis. I didn't really swing through anything aggressively. It was good enough to win and I knew I was going to win.

In the tournament I went for everything. I rotated and really followed through because I knew just getting the ball back wasn't enough.

And, I ended up playing some great tennis and was complimented a number of times by my opponents.

The lesson I draw from all of this is that I must maintain that state of really going for it every time I step on the court, regardless of the competition.

I really believe it's that attitude which is one of the differences between good players who can compete at the top levels and the top echelon players who can always play and win at the top levels.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES The Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

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Tennis Coaches -- Do They Improve Your Tennis Game?

The big news in the tennis world today is that Andy Roddick has hired Jimmy Connors as his new tennis coach.

Now, most club players don't have tennis coaches. Instead, they have tennis pros who give them lessons but, for the most part, these tennis pros do not scout matches and give tactical advice.

For my money, Andy is in dire need of an experienced tennis coach --especially one with an attacking mentality like Jimbo. Somehow, Roddick got it into his head that should be playing Spanish style defensive tennis. But, Andy doesn't have the quickness and sold backhand neccessary to play that style.

If I were Andy's tennis coach I would I would build his game around the following:

1. He has to hold serve everytime. This means that he must become a master of changing speeds and locations as well as just using his power. And, he must improve his volleying.

2. He must attack the returns. No point for Andy to just get the ball back. This is where I think Jimbo will help Andy the most as his tennis coach.

3. Andy must look to end groundstroke rallies early, especially the backhand exchanges. I would like to see Andy rip his backhand up the line frequently to break the crossocurt pattern.


Anyway, with Jimbo as his new tennis coach it'll be fun to see what happens.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATGIES. This Ebook has sold in more than 50 countries and is full of Tennis Tips And Tennis Tactics . It's guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

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Club Tennis -It's Good And Bad For Your Game

The next few postings are going to be about my experiences in the last little while. I've just finished a tournament where I faced some of the top players in the country in my age group ( ex-Davis Cuppers) and where I've played a relatively easy match against a B player at the local club.

There's no question in my mind that if you play high level competition where you're slightly outclassed ,you're going to start really going for your shots because you know you can't win any other way. In a way it's liberating. And, when you see that those shots can actually win you points against the top players it certainly makes you think.

The trick is to continue to play this way when you're playing lesser competition.

I'll write more in my next post about what typically happens when you play lesser competition.

Dr. Glenn Sheiner ( aka TennisDoc) is the author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES the Ebook all about tennis tactics, tips, and strategies that is guaranteed to improve your game. Check it out now!

Federer's Strategy At Wimbledon

Well, it was a decent final. And a fair result. Federer was the better player and deserved to win. But Nadal exceeded everybody's expectations and actually almost took it to five sets.

The key to the match was that Federer came out with a strategy to neutralize Nadal's lefty slice serves. He did this by returning with a slice backhand as opposed to topspin as he tried in the French Open final. He also may have adjusted his return position slighty to stand further to the backhand side to protect against the Nadal slice.

By protecting against the slice serve Federer was betting that Nadal could not completely change his serving pattern and serve effectively to the Federer forehand.

Federer's bet payed off but it's interesting to analyze exactly what happened. In the ad court Nadal started serving very effectivley down the middle to Federer's forehand. He won 80% of the points when he served to the forehand and ended up hitting about 50% of his serves in the ad court to the forehand.

In the deuce court it was a different story, and this is what won Federer the match in my opinion. Nadal only served 10% of the time to Federer's forehand in the deuce court. When he did go there he had good success but his relucatance to serve to the forehand in the deuce court is a deficiency which Federer capitalized on.

Look for Nadal to work on his serve wide in the deuce court and , if he gets it going, I'd be worried if I was Federer.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES The Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.




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Nadal versus Federer -The Final Everyone Wants

Ok. It's a miracle. Nadal made the Wimbledon final. Now he has to play Fed tomorrow.
What should we look for?

In my opinion, the most critical matchup will be the Nadal lefty slice serve against the Federer backhand return. This is partly what killed Federer at Roland Garros -- he tried to come over his returns with topspin instead of just slicing them back.

On grass, the slice is a far more effective shot and I'm sure this will be Federer's plan. He should get a lot of returns back in play.

As for Nadal, the key will be what he does with these low slice returns. He needs to take control of the point right away with his forehand.

Anyways, should be a very interesting tactical match.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES The Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

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Roddick's tactical play at Wimbledon

What is Andy Roddick thinking? Here is a guy who doesn't have top ten ability in speed or groundstrokes who's decided to play defensive tennis!!

He will not go far with this tactical approach.

If I were Andy's coach I would tell him to keep the points as short as possible. This means standing a little further inside the court and going for penetrating shots right away. He has the forehand to play this way but it's his backhand that is a liability and that his opponents take advantage of.

So, on the backhand side I would tell him to rip a lot of flat backhands up the line.
Yes, it's a higher risk strategy but Andy wins very few of the backhand crosscourt exchanges anyway.

Even at the top level in tennis tactics determine winners and losers.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES The Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

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Andy Roddick

So Far Federer Hasn't Been Pushed

What a great tournament so far for Roger Federer. He's played well and hasn't been pushed on the clay. Well, that's about to change. He faces David Nalbandian in the semifinals, and if he gets by him, he'll probably face Rafael Nadal in the final.

If you're a student of tactical tennis you can see how easy it's been for Federer. By and large, he's played guys who couldn't hurt him very much and aren't as steady off the ground. So Fed won by playing very high percentage tennis --mainly crosscourt rallies until he got an opening.

But against Nalbandian he'll be playing someone who is almost as quick and who possesses a better backhand. Nalbandian will win a great deal of the crosscourt backhand rallies and will hurt Fed with his beautiful down the line backhand.


So Fed will be forced to go for more off his backhand or run around it exposing his forehand corner. He'll probably win but it won't be easy and he'll have to play a higher risk game.

Let's see what happens.


Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES The Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

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Roger Federer

Don't Teach Anybody To Play Like Nadal Plays

Ok, Rafael Nadal is an amazing tennis player. But, in terms of a model to learn from --as Tony Soprano would say --forget about it.

First of all his whole tactical strategy is based on the fact that he is an amazing athlete. He stands way behind the baseline and actually dares to people to attack him. And , because of his incredible speed and strength, he can hit winners off shots other players wouln't even reach.

After a while his opponents realize that to win a point they have to hit even harder and aim for the lines. This is a low percentage tennis and Nadal then usually starts winning easily.

So, the first ability that Nadal posesses that most human beings can only dream about is world class speed.

But, the other amazing thing about Nadal's game is that he is hitting winners with bad technique!

Watch the form on a lot of his incredible forehand passing shots. He is completely stretched to the side and is barely even able to get his racket behind the ball. But he is able with just his outstretched arm and wrist to generate great racket head speed and even hit with insanely good angle.

So admire Nadal, enjoy his artistry, but don't try and copy his game.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES The Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

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The 2006 French Open and the drop shot

If you're getting into the French Open on TV, you're probably seeing way more drop shots than you traditionally see on hard courts or grass.

There's a couple of reasons for this. The main one is that power isn't the great weapon on clay that it is on hard courts because the red clay slows the ball down. So, all those crosscourt blasts which are winners on the hard courts are merely rally balls on clay. Plus, many players stand much further back on clay than they do on hard courts knowing that it's rare that the opponent will rush the net on clay.

So, what's an aggressive player to do?

Well, enter the drop shot.

Because the opponent is well behind the baseline a well-placed and well-disguised drop shot will often be a winner. Even if the opponent makes a great sprint and reaches the ball there is little he or she can do with it.

So, start watching masters of the clay like Nadal and Nalbandian use the drop shot.

Next time we'll talk about the technique and how to disguise it.



Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES The Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

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Watching the 2006 French Open makes me think about red clay

For most North Americans red clay is something we hear about a lot and see mainly on our TV screens as we watch the French Open every year.

It's an ongoing debate as to which surface ( hard or clay) is better for developing young players.

Having played on both, I think that if I had a choice as a national director of tennis training, that I would prefer to see the kids train on clay.

Obviously, clay ( especially the red variety seen mainly in Europe and South America) slows the ball down and makes it harder to play attacking tennis. But, it encourages full flowing strokes with lots of topspin, drop shots, angles, and wily tactics.

Of course, because clay doesn't tend to favor attackers, often clay courters don't serve that well and don't have particularly good volleys. You can see that now in the game of Rafael Nadal --one of the most dominant clay courters of all time.

Anybody have any thoughts?

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES The Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

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Red Clay

Well, it's French Open tennis time again. The whole tennis world is wondering who will be holding up the crown as the 2006 French Open winner in 2 weeks time.

One thing is for sure. Everyone in the tennis world is hoping for another Federer versus Nadal match in the final to be played at Roland Garros on June 10.

The draw for Federer looks good and, earlier today, he won his first round match against an Argentinian qualifier. The hope for Federer, if he is to achieve his goal of being the 2006 French Open winner, is to avoid extremely physically tiring matches especially late in the tournament so that he can be fresh for his anticipated match with Nadal.

Let the 2006 French Open begin.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES The Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

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More On Playing Artful Tennis Pushers

The last time we talked about the psychology of playing pushers and how important it is to respect the skills they are bringing to the table.

If you're struggling in a match and all you're thinking is how embarassing it is or how you should be wiping the pusher off the court, then the pusher has won the battle of the minds.

Instead, you should be relaxed, enjoying the challenge, and focusing your thinking on how to outsmart the pusher.

From a technical point of view, the pusher usually gives you a ball with less pace than you're used to. And, for most players, this throws off their timing and they end up being out of sync.

When faced with slow balls, most people plant their weight too early and lock into this position thus freezing the hips. And, then when they swing, they don't have any power left in their lower bodies and they end up with less powerful arm swings.

And, because the swing doesn't feel smooth, the frustration level grows and the whole thing just gets worse and worse.

So, first of all , keep your feet moving until the last second and then plant your weight on the back foot and begin your swing. This will solve many of the problems with a slow ball.

Until next time,

Glenn Sheiner M.D. author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES The Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

Playing The Artful Pusher

The question I probably get asked the most by aspiring tennis plaers is how to beat a pusher.

The answer --it's not easy and I'm going to explore this in the next few blog entries.

The first thing though is that you have to get over the idea that because you hit the ball harder than the pusher you are therefore a better tennis player.

Wrong, wrong, wrong!

You hit with pace - the pusher usually hits with precision. Isn't precision as important if not more so than pace?

You lose your cool - the pusher maintains his. Isn't controlling your emotions an important part of winning tennis?

You get sucked into patterns you don't like - the pusher controls the patterns. Isn't being smart tactically part of winning tennis?

So lesson 1 -- GET OVER YOURSELF. The pusher may be a better player than you are.
Don't get overconfident just because you hit the ball harder and don't lose your cool when you are forced to hit the shots you're not used to.

Next time we'll explore some of the patterns that pushers like to use.

Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES The Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take yout tennis to the next level.