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Tennis Newbies

Did You Know . . .

3
4 weeks ago
in ,

I just found this out this morning! It applies to both USTA and ITF events per Friend At Court.

Players may enter two tournaments which occur at the same time if they receive permission in advance from both tournament directors in writing/email.  This is not a new rule but is one that has not been reported on every occurrence in the past.  Most tournament directors will approve if asked before the entry deadlines.  Once entry is gained in one tournament, you should then advise the other More >

Been There, Done That

3
1 month ago
in , ,

I was on the tennis court this weekend playing a league match with 3 other women. Of the four of us, 2 had junior players playing tournament matches elsewhere – one at a local event and one out of state. Yes, one of them was me.

The other Tennis Mom among us checked her phone at every side change for a score update on her son’s match. She couldn’t wait to get to the bench to see how he was doing. When he won the first set, she was visibly relieved. When he won the match, she was elated.

A few More >

What to Take With You on Tournament Day

5
3 months ago
in ,

A friend of mine called me last week – her sons decided they wanted to start playing junior tournaments, and she didn’t have any idea how to get them started. I pointed her to several articles on this website to give her an idea of how things work. I guess she found them helpful because her boys are playing their first ever tournament matches today!

That said, she called me again yesterday afternoon asking me more questions about how these tournaments work, and I realized I needed to provide a More >

The Emperor Has No Clothes (reblogged from 10sBalls.com)

9
5 months ago
in , ,

[The following article was originally published on the website 10sBalls.com - I saw the link posted in a Facebook group frequented by tennis coaches and former players and felt it would be appropriate to repost it in its original form here.  Please take some time to read through the author's words and share your thoughts in the Comments box below.  Although the author chose to remain anonymous, there are some very viable suggestions contained in the article that could help all of us parents More >

New Rules in GA for U10s & U12s

12
8 months ago
in ,

Why, you might ask, is there a French magazine cover pictured at the top of this post?  Well, 2 reasons . . . first of all, because I want everyone to notice that it features French pro, Richard Gasquet, at the age of 9, playing tennis using a yellow ball.  Second of all, because in just a few weeks I’ll be at Roland Garros watching a couple of days of phenomenal tennis at the French Open and am pretty darn excited!  (P.S. Anyone who wants to hook me up with courtside seats, you know how to More >

Where Do My Tournament Fees Actually Go?

0
9 months ago
in ,

A question was recently posted on Twitter that caught my attention: Approximately what percentage of the entry fee goes to the host site in USTA junior tournaments?  It’s a question I’ve been pondering for quite some time, especially since all this talk started about cutting draws at tournaments and the impact that would have on Tournament Directors and local communities.  So, I contacted my local and sectional USTA junior tennis staff members as well as some tournament directors who run More >

Blast from the Past

1
10 months ago
in ,

This past weekend, we had one of the Regional Segment tournaments in Atlanta.  My son didn’t play, but one of his good friends from North Carolina did.  And we invited him and his dad to stay with us.

My son met Danny (and I met Danny’s mom) about 3 years ago when they were both playing a tournament in Augusta.  The boys hit it off right away and have stayed friends ever since.  While they don’t get to see each other as often as they would like, they communicate daily and are a strong presence More >

Facing A Friend

6
10 months ago
in ,

The longer your child plays tennis, the more likely he or she is to face a friend across the net in a tournament match.  For my son, at this stage of the game, it happens more often than not, especially in local or sectional events.  It’s really important that we help our kids learn how to separate competition from friendship – easier said than done!

When my son was younger, I used to have a little chat with him before he went on the court to play a friend.  We would talk about how preserving More >

Community

0
1 year ago
in ,

The tennis community is truly something special.  If you haven’t experienced it yet, just wait . . . you will.  Whether it’s a coach inviting your child to join his academy’s warmup at a tournament or a parent offering a protein bar to your child when he forgot to pack one or a child comforting your child after a tough loss, the community is there and it’s there en force.

And, when a challenge or a tragedy strikes our tennis community, we rally.  We speak out.  We show up.  We stand together More >

How ITF Junior Tournaments Work

6
1 year ago
in ,

Just when I thought I had the USTA tournament thing finally figured out, my kid decided he wanted to try playing some ITF events.  And, after reading the current ITF Junior Regulations and searching all over the Web for information and coming up pretty much empty-handed, I started asking questions of those with way more knowledge than I have so I could understand how the ITF process works.  Here’s what I’ve learned so far about ITF events held in the US:

  • You must be between the ages of 13-18 More >
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