Tennis Tantrum by David Nalbandian saddens me and injures lineman

I first saw David Nalbandian play in person at the US Open back in 2008 I believe.  I will never forget when he missed a key point to lose the set and bit into the collar of his shirt and ripped it off and threw it on the ground.  Before he did this I was thinking how surprised I was that he wasn’t ranked higher, he played with the skill set of the top 5 BUT his lack of self control caused his mental game to fall apart after that where he went on to lose a match that I thought he was sure to win.

David Nalbandian injures linesman final – Queens Club London, England. This is the warm up for the 2012 Wimbledon.

We’ve all heard of players that went through phases of temper tantrums in their youth that learned how to control it with the help of great coaches. Then there were legendary players that were known for their tantrums like John McEnroe.  I believe his conduct actually helped ticket sales since you never knew what he was going to do out there on the court or what would slip out of his mouth.  With most players you can expect certain things:

• Maria Sharapova will scream like a little girl every shot.
• Sharapova also does not step on the lines between points, she’s superstitious.
• Djokovic will bounce the ball at least 8x before he serves it
• Nadal’s constant de-wedgifying of his butt crack

Nalbandian was leading 7-6, 3-4 at the time but was forced to default the match, forfeiting his prize money and rankings points in the process. He definately is a hot head and will be back at Wimbledon next week unless the British police put him in prison for longer than that.

Watch the video of this stupid act below:

Why do people love to watch Tennis?

Tennis is a game which I’ve always enjoyed watching. The four most famous championships are the Wimbledon Championships, the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open. We all love watching heroes battle it out on the court with skill that we could never imagine to have.  They are the most important when it comes to tradition, world ranking, public attention and prize money.

People faithfully watch tennis in spite of the summer heat during Australian Open where it is held on grass courts in Melbourne Park or during occasional rain showers in Wimbledon Open. Sometimes however, a drizzle would postpone a game like what happened in the US Open last September 2011. Those who cannot afford to buy tickets to watch these tournaments are glued in their televisions at home just to be able to witness these sports events.

So, why do people watch tennis? It is a fast-paced game where the tennis ball is being volleyed back and forth with tennis racket. Some tennis players have made themselves famous with their acrobatic moves just to be able to send the tennis ball off to their opponent which make the crowd cheer for more and for their opponent be taken in surprise. A bit of drama also surfaces in some tournaments where fans would bicker insults to the players that they dislike or would run in the court just to be able to kiss their favorite tennis player. But the most important event is the real drama on who will emerge as the winner in the championship in the singles event. It showcases the frustration and disappointment of the player who lost and the triumph and glory of the one who won.

Golf and tennis seem to be closely related

So much of the worl believes that once you get a membership at a country club you must love to do the following:

• Leave work early on Friday and play 18 holes of golf
• Gamble against your golfing buddies with a minimum wager of $50 on anything you can think of.
• Use the club pool to do laps each morning for a refreshing workout
• Meet at the club for a guys night out and drink crown and coke telling old stories of what you did in your yonger days.
• Play tennis OR at least get lessons from the local young woman tennis coach who wears the short little skirts everyday.

I just want to clear up a few things.  In the past I worked for a large golf retailer and have played tennis since I was young kid.  I feel the need to clarify a few things. Golf and tennis players are a COMPLETELY different breed.

Golfers & Tennis Players show anger differently

• Tennis players actually sweat from running around on the court and enjoy the sport for both the technique and physical fitness aspect.
• You WILL NOT see an amazing tennis player that is OUT OF SHAPE.  You often see really good golfers that look like they were rolled out of a local buffet joint.
• Golf does take a high level of skill.  In tennis I can hit a ball within 6 inches of my target 25 feet away and it’s perfect. In golf you can use any of the golf putters and only be 10 feet away and miss the target by 3 inches and look like a complete idiot.

I will be honest, from my personal involvement in both sports I would say golfers drink a WHOLE lot more on average than tennis players. Tennis players drink alot more water. Golfers believe more in the technology of their equipment to make a difference more than tennis players. Often golfers will buy new golf drivers each year hoping for a few more yards in distance.  Tennis Players on the other hand often have a racket for 5-7 years because the stick works for them.  Of course, we mess with our string often BUT that is much cheaper than buying a whole new racquet. Cleveland Golf does a good job of keeping the upgrade costs to a minimum in golf unlike some other brands.

What do you think the biggest differences are between the two sports?  Do you play both?  I have to be honest, I prefer tennis….. of course you probably knew that….. this is a tennis blog

Golf and tennis just go together

If you play tennis, I’m sure you’ve got some friends playing golf too.  Many of my golfers have been talking about how good Srixon has been at improving their balls over the years.

Many golf companies make golf balls, but many cannot match the quality of Srixon golf balls. Srixon does not just list their golf balls as “premium,” they actually are. The company offers three different families of balls – Tour, Premium Distance, and All-Ability. Each family of golf balls is meant to perform a separate task. The Tour balls are designed to have the best spin and acceleration. Premium Distance are best for using on the first shot to gain the most distance.

After experimenting with different types of golf balls, Srixon was definitely a quality ball, and they lived up to the expectations. The ZSTAR XV Tour series in the Tour family impressed me most. At only $44.99, these balls blew me away. On Srixon’s website, they said that the ZSTAR XV Tour can be compared with the Titleist Pro V1X, Nike One Tour D, Callaway HX Tour, Bridgestone Tour B330, and TaylorMade TP Black. I found that the ZSTAR XV Tour adequately compared with all of those models. Besides the premium selection of balls, Srixon also offers cheaper models. In the All-Ability category, Srixon offers the AD333 balls for $24.99 for two dozen. The premium golf balls, the AD333, are the number one balls in the United Kingdom. It has a high launch angle and penetrating trajectory for greater distance.

All in all, I really enjoy Srixon’s golf balls. They compare to all of the top brands and the prices are quite fair. I definitely suggest one of the three tour yellow golf balls or the All-Ability at the very least. The prices beat some other manufacturers $70+ range and definitely match the quality.

Drinking and tennis don’t mix

Wofford College tennis player Randall Heffron died of inhaling food he had vomited after a heavy night of drinking, the Spartanburg County coroner confirmed on Thursday afternoon.

 

Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger said alcohol did not kill Heffron, 20, who died at 1:11 a.m. Sept. 10 at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.  The nurses were wearing their normal medical scrubs when this happened.

But the coroner confirmed that toxicology revealed Heffron had a .253 blood alcohol level, which is three times the legal definition of intoxication in the state of South Carolina for driving purposes for of-age adults. This would mean he had to have had 10 drinks in the span of 1 hour.

“A large mass of food was removed by Emergency Physicians at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center,” Clevenger said in a release. “At autopsy the following was recorded: ‘Mr. Heffron died as a result of respiratory insufficiency secondary to aspiration of food (so called café coronary).’ The elevated ethanol level may have contributed to the vomiting episode which led to extensive aspiration of food.’”

Heffron’s death has been ruled as accidental.

Heffron collapsed on the bathroom floor at Shipp Residence Hall at Wofford College just after midnight on Sept. 10. Such a sad end to a shining star in the tennis community.  Of course you still will not see nurses playing tennis in the emergency room, http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/.  They keep that to their free time.

This was written in memory of him:
Randall George Heffron, Jr. was born on April 10, 1991 and entered into eternal rest on September 10, 2011. He was the son of Robin Walker Heffron and the late Randall “Randy” George Heffron, DMD. He was the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. W. Howard Walker and the late Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Heffron, Sr. and brother to Walker Heffron, a member of the BEHS Class of 2011 and a member of the freshmen class at Wofford College. Randall attended Mason Preparatory School where he was awarded The Roy Barth Tennis Excellence Award. He was a 2010 graduate of Bishop England High School where he played JV basketball as a freshman and varsity tennis for four years. He served as captain of his tennis team and led them to the state playoffs all four years earning 2010 Player of the Year honors. Randall was the recipient of a 2010 South Carolina Tennis Patrons Foundation Scholarship and The J.C. and Alberta Long and Pinckney Scholarships through the Community Foundation and was entering his sophomore year at Wofford College having earned both Wofford tennis and academic scholarships.

Eye black on tennis players now?

Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the American who has advanced to the third round of the French Open this week, has taken to playing in eye black. I can understand if you have a sponsor that wants their message imprinted on it but really? Is golf the next sport to embrace eye black?

Got custom eye black with a tennis logo?

The stripes of grease swiped under the eyes are usually the reserve of football and baseball players, but Mattek-Sands is bringing eye black up a notch, with stick-on strips adorned with little silver Bs — for Bethanie.

In the normally conservative world of tennis, Mattek-Sands’ penchant for tattoos, knee-high socks and zany outfits pushes the boundaries. She played the 2007 U.S. Open in a gold lamé number over what looked like a black push-up bra, has been fined for wearing a cowboy hat during a match, and plans to attend the Wimbledon players’ party in a dress crafted entirely from tennis equipment by one of Lady Gaga’s designers, Alex Noble.

She said the eye black helps her game, but she also doesn’t shy away from the extra attention it has gotten her this year.

Bethanie Mattek Sands sports her eye black at her recent tennis match

“I had tried it a while back and the reason I did it again is I found it reduced the glare,” Mattek-Sands, 26, said from Paris. “Besides that, it’s something different, it’s something funky. I think tennis is pretty conservative and I’m just not. I just want to bring a fresh look to tennis.”
According to wikipedia I found this info on eye black.

Traditional grease consists of beeswax, paraffin, and carbon. Anti-glare face stripes that emulate the grease are also commonly used. One of the earliest known instances of a player wearing eye black is baseball legend Babe Ruth, who, in or around the 1930s, used the grease in an attempt to reduce sun glare. According to Paul Lukas of ESPN.com, eye black caught on with football player Andy Farkas. He also states that the original eye black was made from burned cork ashes.

A 2003 study by Brian DeBroff and Patricia Pahk tested whether black eye grease actually had anti-glare properties. The subjects of the study were divided into three groups: wearers of eye black, wearers of anti-glare stickers, and wearers of petroleum jelly. The subjects’ vision was tested using an eye chart while being exposed to natural sunlight. The study concluded that eye black reduced glare of the sun and improved contrast sensitivity

So do you think more tennis players will start sporting eye black?

Decorating your house in a tennis theme?

I love tennis but decorating your bathroom in tennis themed tiles, colors, or rugs seems a little excessive doesn’t it?  We all like our heated tiles in the winter, but I would be afraid to step foot in a bathroom that had this as their decoration…..Who would want this fuzzy tennis ball in their house?

Gaudy tennis bathroom tiles & toilets

Now if New York City wanted to do some custom subway tiles during the US Open this would be more of a lasting tribute to the game we love.  Now if your son was a big tennis player decorating his room like this would be in good taste.

Tennis themed bedroom

Overall, it would be a better idea to bring out the colors found in tennis and use them as a foundation for your decorating in one room.  Yellows and green work together well if tastefully brought together by some small pieces that bring together the tennis theme.

Looking for a tennis bag or backpack that is strange?

Everyone knows what a tennis bag usually looks like.  It either is shaped just like a tennis racket or it looks like a backpack that allows the tennis racquet to stick out of it easily but still stay secure.  Why haven’t tennis vendors thought out of the box to reach new audiences.  What about the nerd/geek that also plays tennis?

Tennis bag for geeks - made from floppy disks

Tennis & Golf in Myrtle Beach, SC

I have good friends that work at Edwin Watts Golf and many have traveled to the beautiful Myrtle Beach, SC and described their experiences on scenic golf courses like Blackmoor, Barefoot Golf Resort, & TPC of Myrtle Beach.  This location is heaven for those that love golf.

But what about tennis? Hilton Head is the better location for tennis resorts than Myrtle beach.  Though South Carolina did score 5 of the top 25 best tennis resorts in America -

• Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
• Wild Dunes, South Carolina
• Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, South Carolina
• The Sea Pines Resort, South Carolina
• Port Royal Racquet Club, South Carolina

But for the sake of my golf buddies I’m going to talk about Myrtle Beach.

Myrtle Beach, NC barefoot golf resort - The Davis Love Course

They also told me the secret of getting the best prices on your tee times or golf packages while in the area. They use a website called http://www.myrtle-beach-tee-times.com/.  I checked it out just to get an idea of what they awere talking about.

Did Christophe Rochus lose his tennis match on purpose?

Richard Bloomfield (he hails from Alpington, near Norwich), ranked a lowly 552 in the world, had a surprise first round upset victory at the ATP Tour event in Newport Rhode Island, against the former world 38 – Christophe Rochus. Thanks to a number of warning signs this match will see an investigation launched for gambling & match-fixing.  Reports of strange betting patterns before the game at the Hall of Fame Championships on Tuesday had quickly drawn to the attention of the anti-corruption Tennis Integrity Unit.  Typical low profile matches like this just don’t get £1million in wagers. Even though sports betting is legal, fixed matches aren’t.

Sports betting can be still be found in tennis matches

Fans watched as the 27-year-old underdog, from Norfolk, scored a 7-6 6-3 win over the Belgian, who is now ranked 160, in the post-Wimbledon grass court event. Strangely, It was only the second ATP tour level match he has won in his career.  The original match odds were around evens for both players, yet in the hours leading up to the match the British player was backed down to an inexplicable 1-4.  Obviously some people believed

4th of July celebration and tennis

Every 4th of July my wife and kids head up to Tennessee to escape the scorching heat of Florida.  While up here I always bring my tennis racket in hopes of playing some fresh meat on the court.  The small resort we are staying at this year seems to have let their nets get out of shape.  I’m you know the fun of a tennis game with a raggidy net is quite lessened so we found some other things to do with the kids. I ended up going to the local hunting supply store and buying an airsoft sniper rifle (very similar to this DMA VB92058) and 2 airsoft handguns (liked the Crosman Stinger P9 Airsoft Pistol from Walmart- simple and cheap) for us to shoot random squirrels with.

Glad squirrels don't fight back with airsoft sniper rifles

After teaching my kids the basic safety involved with “hunting equipment” we first practiced shooting empty cola cans and paper targets for about 45 minutes.  Once theye started hitting the targets regualrly they were for live game. 15 minutes into it. they discovered that shooting moving targets like squirrels was much more difficult.  In fact after shooting at them they seemed to disappear into the trees and stay out of shooting range.

We decided to go ahead and stick to shoot inanimate targets.  Nothing like tennis, you usually attempt to not hit your opponent but place the ball where he is not.  Of course some professionals do a good job of shooting in tennis, of course, they use cameras not guns.  What other hobbies do you have with your kids when tennis is not possible at your vacation spot?

Is Ekaterina Bychkova 30 day tennis suspension too much?

I completelythe understand the need to suspend a tennis player that is convicted and found guilty of price fixing a match, but being suspended when you told the mafia “No” seems kinda weird.  Svetlana Kuznetsova, the Russian world No 3, said she was surprised to hear of Ekaterina Bychkova’s 30-day suspension because she had been unaware that players were obliged to report any ‘approaches’ to the tennis authorities.

Russian tennis mafia

Kuznetsova declined to divulge whether she had been approached. Of course, she now nows the consequences from such actions and will keep her

What is the cause of increased professional tennis injuries?

It’s obvious we have a problem in the world of professional tennis.  Imagine if 15% of the star players in soccer, basketball, baseball or football were all injured in one season?  The sponsors of the game would investigate safety issues and see if the season was to demanding.  Even Nadal complained in a recent interview about the ATP schedule citing the toll it has taken on his body. “It’s impossible to play first of January to finish fifth of December,” he said. “It’s impossible to be here playing like what I did the last five years, playing a lot of matches and being all the time 100 percent without problems.” 

Here is the quick list of tennis injuries that have happened in 2009 and what tournament it occured at:

Tennis injuries - is the season to long?

• Roger Federer (fatigue) – after US Open taking a break
• Rafael Nadal (knee, stomach) – US Open
• Andy Roddick (knee injury) – Shanghai Masters – “I think it’s ridiculous to think that you have a professional sport

Kim Clijsters inspires Justine Henin to return to tennis

OK, Justine did not say this about Kim Clijsters but we all know it must have inspired her to “unretire” from the sport. Justine Henin’s proclamation this past Tuesday that she’s coming back after almost 1.5 years adds to the surging number of high-profile but temporary retirements in the game of tennis. Of course, she really does think she can win the next Wimbledon, I’m sure.  I doubt the picture below will happen again..do you agree?

Justine Henin being cocky & Kim Clijsters sad in 2003

In the last six years, three other former female No. 1s besides Henin—Martina Hingis (foot injury), Kim Clijsters (pregnancy/burnout) and Lindsay Davenport (pregnancy) — announced they were done and then subsequently unretired. Each enjoyed success in their comebacks, including Clijsters’ phenomenal run to the U.S. Open title this month as an unranked wild card in just her third tournament back.

Serena Williams & Kanye West have something in common

Tennis star Serena Williams and hip-hop artist Kanye West have something in common.  In the words of Bon Qui Qui, they were both “rude”.

That’s the kind of out-sized sense of self-importance that landed this unlikely pair, tennis player Serena Williams and musician Kanye West in a shared spotlight this week. Their outbursts sparked a pitched debate over the nation’s sinking morals, the presumed decline of civility, the lingering racism in our supposedly post-racial society.

Kanye West grabs mic frmo Taylor Swift - MTV awards 2009

But a week riding the roller coaster of excuses, judgments and apologies has led me to a more optimistic place. There was musical genius Kanye West — with his dark glasses and edgy haircut — muscling in on waif-like Taylor Swift in the middle of her thank-you speech at the MTV Video Music Awards. Her country music innocence upended by his Bon qui-qui rudeness.