As the sport continues to evolve, many players and fans of tennis will debate the merits of the most important skill that a player can possess.

There are arguments that can be made for a handful of different elements of the sport, and while it may all boil down to a matter of opinion, it’s still fun to look at the possibilities.

Here are the most important factors. Let’s see which one you think matters most.

Is it volleying? After all, a well rounded net game can pose a threat to any opponent and easily end a point. Look at the past success of players like John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, and even Pete Sampras to a degree.

Many tennis buffs would argue that the modern game favors baseline play over the net. After all, look at the dominance of Rafael Nadal from the back of the court. Even players like Andy Roddick, who once spent more time at the net, are recently favoring the baseline and opting for ground strokes.

Any player with a powerful serve can easily take control of the court if their opponent is unable to break them and this will give them an overall advantage. Take Roddick as a good example of a big serve.  Read more...

The Australian Tennis Open is conducted in every January at the Melbourne Tennis Stadium, which contains the Rod Laver Arena and Vodafone Arena now known as Hisense Arena. The Australian open tennis tournament is one of the four major grand slam tennis tournaments, the other three being the French Open in Paris, the Wimbledon in London and the US Open in New York. However, the Australian open tennis is considered one of the toughest due to the hot weather existing in Melbourne in January. Further, it is considered the first Grand Slam Tennis Tournament of the year, since it is conducted in January. The temperatures will often reach 40o and potentially the heat will be a few degrees higher than that. To help reduce the often crippling impact of the heat on players the Australian open tennis tournament organisers installed retractable roof systems over the playing areas that could be shut if the heat is extreme or if rain occurs. An Australian, Rod Laver, is the only person that had won all the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments in one year, twice so far in the world.  Read more...

If you play tennis, or even are just a spectator, you will be aware of that unique red playing service known as a clay court. This surfaces dates right back to the original game, and is particularly popular in the tennis playing countries around the Mediterranean.

This is a unique surface and makes the style of play completely different from other surfaces. To actually play on clay is an exhilarating experience.

We are all fascinated by both its appearance and the way that red clay changes the game of tennis. Here are a few snippets of information that you may not already know.

This surface lends itself more to those that play from the baseline, as opposed to those who serve and volley. A great clay court player must have impeccable ground strokes.

If you do ever see a player approach the net while playing on clay, it is a very rare thing indeed. Those who rely on their booming serve will also find that it hasn’t the effect on this surface as it does on others.

So why is the strategy for this game so different? Well, it is very simple, the clay is a thick and heavy surface which sticks to the ball and therefore slows it Down considerably.  Read more...

As the sport continues to evolve, many players and fans of tennis will debate the merits of the most important skill that a player can possess.

There are arguments that can be made for a handful of different elements of the sport, and while it may all boil down to a matter of opinion, it’s still fun to look at the possibilities.

Here are the most important factors. Let’s see which one you think matters most.

Is it volleying? After all, a well rounded net game can pose a threat to any opponent and easily end a point. Look at the past success of players like John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, and even Pete Sampras to a degree.

Many tennis buffs would argue that the modern game favors baseline play over the net. After all, look at the dominance of Rafael Nadal from the back of the court. Even players like Andy Roddick, who once spent more time at the net, are recently favoring the baseline and opting for ground strokes.  Read more...

As far as ping pong is concerned, you will often see that most people play this sport indoors. It is a game after all that makes since to play indoors. Perhaps you have given some thought to trying your skills at the game outdoors though.

These days there are a lot of fans of ping pong enjoying a game the sport outside.. You have to consider the fact that there is a big difference in enjoying a game ping pong indoors and outside. The environment when enjoying a game inside is completely controlled. There is virtually no wind to affect the flight of the ball, and the lighting is controlled.By enjoyin a game outside table tennis, you will encounter wind that will force you to adjust your shots carefully, and you may also be temporarily blinded by the bright sunlight.

It is preferable that outdoor table tennis should be played only during the summer months. Why? The reason for this is that the weather can be to difficult to play in with the wind and other foul weather that you get in the other seasons.  Read more...

Grip, Footwork, and Strokes and Tennis Lessons Online Made Easy.

Great footwork is in reality about weight control, something you learn quickly in tennis for beginners training. It is getting the most effective body posture for each shot, and from there pretty much all shots will grow. In explaining the various kinds of shots and footwork I am talking about are as a right-hand player. The left-hander aught basically reverse the feet.

Racquet grip is an vital ingredient of your shot, since a n inferior hand grip can spoil the finest serving. A natural hold for a top forehand drive is essentially flawed for the backhand.

To acquire the forehand grip, hold the tennis racquet with the side of the frame toward the court and the face perpendicular, the handle toward the body, and “shake hands” the racquet, just as if you were greeting your friend. the grip settled easily and naturally into the hand, the general line of the hand, racquet and arm are one. The swing brings the racquet in a general line with the arm, and the full tennis racquet is basically an extension of the arm.  Read more...

It is highly unimaginable that people will not have heard of the French Open tennis championship, because it is a competition which is an annual topic of conversation. In French the name of the competition is ‘Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros’ or ‘Tournoi de Roland Garros’. This tournament, which lasts for about two weeks is held in Paris at the Roland Garros Stadium, from which it got its name.

The French Open is one of the most publicised and broadcast sports events in the entire world of sport and many VIPs attend it. The attendees are fanatics who wait with baited breath on every stroke, especially when there is a close struggle between the two teams, trying their best to win. Even TV viewers actually get a feeling of being there live.

The French Open tennis championship is the second on the annual schedule of the Grand Slam tournaments and its history stretches back to the year of 1891 when it became an international competition. At that time it was called the ‘International Championship of Tennis of France’ or ‘Championat de France International de Tennis’ in French.  Read more...

Martina Navratilova used to be the top female tennis player on Earth. Although she became a United States citizen in 1981, she was originally from Czechoslovakia where she was born in 1956 on October 18th. She was first introduced to tennis by her stepfather and coach, Miroslav Navratil. When she was only 15 years old, Martina became the national tennis champion of the Czech Republic. After competing in Orlando, Florida, she won her first title for the singles division when she was just seventeen. In 1975, she moved beyond being an amateur tennis player.

In 1975’s Grand Slam singles tournaments, she was one of the finalist in both the Australian Open and French Open, but she lost in both the finals to Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Chris Evert, respectively. The same year, she even lost in the semi finals of the US Open the same year after which she made her mind to get the green card of United States. In 1978, Navratilova got her first victory in the Grand Slam singles at Wimbledon and at the same she acquired the world number 1 rank after defeating Chris Evert.  Read more...

If we rewind by a few years in the women’s tennis world, we’ll arrive at a time where Justine Henin was the world’s best female tennis player. Not only was she the best, but she was rather dominant.

Suddenly, Henin decided to call it a career during the summer of 2008. Many were shocked by this revelation, as there was simply no reason for her to retire. After all, it’s not as if she was slowing down.

According to Henin, she had grown tired of all of the training and traveling that came with the grueling lifestyle of being a pro tennis player. As a result, she thought that a retirement would be the best personal move.

There were personal initiatives that she preferred to focus on, including a camp for children where she’d teach them how to play tennis.

There was definitely a void in the world of women’s tennis. The number ones of the world weren’t truly the best in the minds of some fans, because they wondered if Henin would still be at the top of the ranks. Out of nowhere, some wishes were granted a few months ago when she said she’d return to the sport.  Read more...

With the Australian Open kicking off the new 2010 tennis year, the action is officially back. There are many players rounding out a field that finds itself more competitive than it’s been in quite a few years.

Things will certainly be interesting in men’s tennis this year. It’s one of the first years in recent memory where fans legitimately believe that more than just two players have a chance at finishing on top.

As a result, no one really knows who may finish out the year with the number one ranking in the world. There are three players aside from the two of them who have a real chance, though some fans would argue that even more could enter the mix.

Obviously, there’s Roger Federer. He should always be considered the favorite to finish at the top of the rankings, as he’s done so nearly every year during the course of the last decade. Still, his age of 29 means he’s getting up there in years.

The player who poses the biggest threat to Federer is Rafael Nadal, who seems to have his number whenever they meet lately. Having beaten him during their last two grand slam finals matchups, the key to Nadal’s success this year will be his knees, which gave him problems last year.  Read more...