Professional Tennis

Who are some of the current greatest tennis players of our time?  This week I'm going to talk about a couple of players who are currently the best at the game of tennis.  These players are inspiring not only because they play tennis, but their approach to life and the dedication and heart they put into playing tennis. 

 Rodger Federer

                                              

Picture Courtesy of: Top News

You may or may not know who this is, but you soon will.  Rodger Federer is currently one of the best tennis players in the world.  Rodger is from Switzerland and competes in tennis tournaments worldwide.  Rodger is currently number 1 in the ATP (The Association of Tennis Professionals) Rankings and holds countless number of records, wins and streaks.  He has won 17 Grand Slams, which is the biggest tournament held worldwide for tennis player, and currently hold the reccord for most won.  He also ties for the most wins in the Wimbledons, another worldwide tournament at 7 wins.  Not only is Rodger known for his performance on the tenins court, but also for the inspiration he gives others.  He started the Rodger Federer Foundation which is a foundation to help African children to be able to attend school and gain an education.  Rodger continues to be a great role model on and off the court.  For more information about Rodger, visit the Rodger Federer website.

Maria Sharapova

                                            

Image Courtesy of: Maria Sharapova Official Website

Maria Sharapova is a female singles player from Russia.  She is currently number 2 worldwide in ATP Rankings.  Maria has won over 25 championships from various tournaments worldwide.  It has not been an easy journey for Maria, she has overcome numerous shoulder injuries and  surgeries.  She struggled her way to the top, working her way up the rankings, and then constantly falling back down.  Dedication cannot even describe Maria Sharapova and what she has battled through.  Only currently did she fight her way up back to the top ten as well as winning a Grand Slam and Olympic Silver Medal this year.  She moved the the United States and has lived all over.  Maria also has a foundation where she became a Goodwill Abassador for United Nations projects.  She also has started funding for the children in Chernobyl, Belarus and all those affected by the incidents in Chernobyl.  She is also has her own candy line called Sugarpova.  For more information visit Maria Sharapova Official Website, and WTA,

Serving Aces

In tennis, one of the most crucial aspects of the game is serving.  Any player who has an outstanding serve will always be in the game no matter how bad they are playing in other parts.  No matter what, if you can always win your serve, then you will always be at least tied with your opponent.  Whats the best way to get better at something? Practice.  That's the same way to get better at serving in tennis.

Earlier I mentioned that serving is somewhat like an overhead except further back from the net.  This is true, but there is more routine to serving than hitting overheads. When serving, you get two chances to get the ball over and inbound to your opponent.  Usually, the first serve is the one where you want to try and do your best and faster serve, if that one fails to be in, then on your second serve do you lighten up a little bit and work on just getting the ball in to play out the point.  The best serves are the ones that are fast and hard for the opponent to return.  If you serve the ball and the opponent fails to return it, it's called an ace.  To get better visuals on how to serve, here is a picture of the court we used earlier.

Picture Courtesy of http://www.sporting-central.com/tennis-rules.html 

When serving, you start back at the baseline.  You will go back and forth each point, always serving behind the baseline from the right side of the dash to the opposite side right service box and from the left side of the dash to the opposite left service box.  If right handed, you will always face the right sideline while serving.  One of the hardest things about serving is your toss. It is a good idea to practice your toss many times before actually serving.  You want your toss to be about double your height, and in front of you, but within your reach. Once you get the hang of your toss, you want to practice throwing the ball up and the swinging through.  Your swing will be much like that of an overhead swing, you want to make contact with the ball when it's at the peak of your reach and swing down across your body.  As you toss the ball up, you should squat down, extend up, and then forward to make contact with the ball  Make sure that your toes are point in the direction that you want the ball to go, which is at a slant.

Here is a video to help you see everything I just explained.  Keep in mind that this video is just showing practice serves, and that's why sometimes he's serving from over the baseline.

Taking on Topeka

In the previous posts, I have been explaining the basics of tennis and so now you all should be ready to go! Oh, but wait! I've forgotten to mention one of the most essential things needed to play tennis: where the tennis courts are located!  Some people many know of local tennis courts around town, but some others are well hidden.  There are many tennis courts located in Topeka and they are all very nice facilities.


 
View Tennis Courts in a larger map


 I have added 7 different tennis facilities on this map, each of them labeled with a little blue ticker.  Now although these are all great places to play there are many other places to play around Topeka usually located at the various high schools.  The reason I did not include these on the map is because while most of the courts are in the open, you may need permission to use them from the school.  Places on the map that I know are definitely free to the public are the Lake Shawnee courts, Washburn Courts, and  the Shawnee North Courts.  The other facilities: Topeka Country Club, Kossover, and Wood valley do require certain memberships or signup to access the courts.  Below I have added the links to the places that do require memberships so you can read more about how great they are.  


Topeka Country Club
Wood Valley

I could not find a link for the Kossover Tennis courts, but here is a phone number to call for information: (785) 273-0030

Stunnin' Strokes

Hopefully you are now motivated to get on the tennis court and get playing!  Now that you know the basic rules of tennis it's time to move on and learn more.  In tennis, there are 3 basic strokes that one should learn.  These four are: overhead, ground stroke which consists of both backhand and forehand, and volley.  We will go into more details about each stoke individually now.

Volley

The volley can be one of the trickiest strokes in tennis.  This is because a volley is typically hit close to the net, causing players to have to react quickly to shots.  The volley should just a simple "punch" of the racket straight forward.  It doesn't require you to swing all the way through, if you do this, most likely the ball will always go out of bounds or into the net.  In volleys, if you are going to hit it on your dominate hand side, use one hand, punch the ball forward, and step forward with your left foot.  If it is on your non dominate side, you are going to put two hands on the racket your non dominate hand on top, while your dominate hand is below it.  As you punch, step forward with your right foot this time.  The volley is used more in doubles, because one player is closer to the net during a point.  However, once a player gets the volley down, it can be an awesome stroke, and fun to use.  

Forehand

The forehand stroke is the most basic stroke seen in tennis, it is also referred to as a ground stroke.  This stroke is a one handed stroke that is hit with a player's dominant hand.  Many players prefer to hit with their forehand, because it is their strongest hit. Unlike a volley, a ground stroke is one where the ball bounces before the player hits it.  

Backhand 

The backhand is just the opposite of the forehand.  The back hand requires two hands to hit the ball on the player's non dominant side.  The back hand can usually be a difficult shot for many to become consistent at simply because one has to be sure to get the proper technique.

Overhead/Serve

The overhead shot is exactly as it sounds, an overhead hit.  Although this shot seems like it should be pretty simple, it can be tricky.  An overhead is usually hit somewhere close to the net, when the opponent has either purposely or accidentally lobbed the ball.  An overhead is just like a serve except a serve obviously is further back and you get to throw the ball up.  The key to an overhead hit is to tuck the racket back behind your back before making contact and then swinging through the ball while keeping your eyes one it.  The serve can be a little more tricky, but is the same concept.  

This instructional video is awesome at explaining these many strokes thoroughly while also giving you visuals to proper positioning.  

Here is also a great website for further explanations about the strokes of tennis:

http://www.tennistips.org/tennis-technique.html