French Open Champion

by Richard Evans

Why does a man who has just won a great victory throw himself onto the court and then sob uncontrollably into his towel?

Take a look back at each of Rafael Nadal's seven Grand Slam titles. Rafa's trophies

We who only watch and wonder will never know. Only people who cycle first up the Champs Elysees in the Tour de France, flatten a heavyweight boxer in a world title fight or climb Mount Everest really understand what strain it takes on nerve and sinew to achieve these things.

And Rafael Nadal is one of them. The man who hates to lose a point, let alone a match, lost the crown he regarded as his own here last year to Robin Soderling, and Sunday he made the Swede pay with an awesome display of clay-court tennis to regain that crown in front of his Queen, Sofia. Even she, applauding enthusiastically, could not really comprehend what emotions were flooding through her country’s proudest sporting son.

The score line looks so neat: 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. But it was never that easy and, in any case, it wasn’t about this one match. It was about two weeks of intense concentration and physical endeavor in a sport that allows no support in the heat of battle. Top athletes from team sports comment time and again on how lucky they are to have a teammate to pass to — or even blame — when the going gets tough. Even a golfer has a caddie to turn to.

Not so the tennis champion. He has to do it all by himself — lungs bursting, head spinning, arm aching, no matter. Just get on with it. And when things go wrong, work it out for yourself.

Congratulations Boca!

Last week the Boca mixed doubles teams took on and beat Jacaranda by a team total score of 4-1.
Scores:

Fitz and Tomi Rawls won 6-1, 6-4
Pat Hagan and Arlette Dwiel lost 1-6, 4-6
Don Thomas and Fran Miller won 4-6, 6-3, (12-10)
Gil and Paula Elrod won 6-4, 6-3
Shelia and Dennis Charles won 6-1, 6-3

Way to go Boca!

RULE 1

Don't complain about how someone plays the game if they beat you.

Congratulations Boca!

For the first time, our very own Boca mixed doubles teams defeated Courtside Tennis Club by a narrow margin. Of the seven teams that participated, four won giving them the victory. Congratulations teams! Check the bottom of this page for PHOTOS!

Team 1
JoAnn Friedell and George Fuchs won 6-2, 7-6
Team 2
Chuck and Kay Barnell won 6-2, 7-5
Team 3
Tom Murphy and Fran Miller won 6-1, 6-3
Team 4
Ron and Rasma Larkin lost 7-5, 5-7, (7-10)
Team 5
Dennis and Sheila Charles lost 2-6, 0-6
Team 6
Tiff Williams and Kathy Hutchinson lost 5-7, 1-6
Team 7
Bob and Joannie Sheperd won 6-3, 6-2

To Swing or Not To Swing...

Tennis Tip: The Swinging Volley
By--Matt Cunningham PTR Certified Tennis Professional
You may have asked yourself: “If Roger Federer can hit that shot, why can’t I?”
There are certainly many aspects of the game that club players can learn from the touring professionals. But, just as in all sports, the average player simply cannot execute certain shots used on the tour. The most obvious of these shots is the swinging volley. Many tour players now take a full swing at a ball before it bounces on their side of the court. Some pros even attempt the shot from well behind the service line. My advice is don’t even try it. You are far better off using a more traditional short swing or blocking volley. Keep the racket high in your ready position, take very little backswing and step forward “punching” the shot.

Making Changes in Your Game

MAKING CHANGES

So, why can't most people make the desired changes in their games to improve? According to Vic Braden, it's because the pain of making a specific change is greater than the pain of losing to the same people over and over again that they perceive as better players than they are. And, the deepest psychological reason for not making the change seems to be that students are afraid of being even "lousier" than their current playing level and that they would lose any self esteem they previously possessed.

MEMBERSHIP PROMOTION

NEW MEMBER PROMOTION

Our GM, Don DeSantis approved in July a promotion designed to get some new members flowing into the club. I wrote an e-mail in July to get things started. It really is a good promotion and we hope some of you will take advantage of it.

Please remember that this is for new members only.

Promotion 1--If your spouse is interested in joining, he or she may pay $300.00 + tax for the entire year.

Promotion 2--New members may pay for 9 months dues and receive 3 months at no charge.

There is no initiation fee involved, but the member joining must be either a new member or have been inactive for at least 2 years. These promotional dues must be paid in advance.

Please tell your friends about this great member promotion.

Thanks,

Matt

New Men's and Women's PROGRAM!

Summer is drawing to a close, leagues are forming and I can hear the northerners starting their engines. Down here at the Club I have a new program to throw at you. Beginning in October I have arranged with a tennis specific personal trainer to set up a workout and "recovery zone" within the tennis pro shop.

When you return, Jorge Munoz will be available a few days each week to work with you on strength conditioning, stretching, agility and other tennis related fitness. And most of his programs will be offered at no additional charge to club members!

Jorge Munoz is a Nationally Certified, Florida Licensed Massage therapist (L.M.T.) specializing in Active Isolated Stretching. Certified Wellness coach from American Sports and Fitness Association International. In his beginning years he started as a distance runner, judo student, and Soccer player. His initial introduction into Sports therapy began by heading the physical conditioning of the Judo Team sponsored by Good Year (the tire company) and as the soccer coach at a high school. Former fitness coach of Celsius Tennis Academy in Sarasota Florida, assisting in prevention and rehabilitation of injures. He also leads group clinics at the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort, Bath & racquet, YMCA Englewood and Serendipity Racquet Club where he practices as a one of the therapists on staff.

I am excited about this new program and I encourage your participation.

Matt

Middling Tennis

No one wants to play "average" doubles. What is an average shot? Once you know the answer to this question, you can make your game exceptional.

One way average (in doubles) can be defined is a ball hit with an average pace at an average height above the net. My advice is to stay away from "average." Hit shots either very low or lob. Hit shots either hard or soft. Hit shots with an extreme angle or down the middle. Never settle for average.

No Excuses Tennis

We all tend to look for answers as to why we lost a match or played poorly. After all, if we can figure that answer out we can become better tennis players.

The issue of "no excuses tennis" arises when we vocalize those answers to anyone within earshot. The difference between an excuse and an analysis is clear cut to someone listening, but not always to the person talking. For example, lets say you lose a tight doubles match and you vocalize to your husband or wife that the other team had made several bad calls. That explanation plainly becomes an excuse, not an analysis. On the other hand, lets say you said of that same match that the other team volleyed well and you and your partner could not keep them away from the net. This would be an analysis, not an excuse.

Here's a quick quiz:

1. I couldn't hit my backhand well at all today.
Analysis or excuse?
2. My opponent wouldn't let me hit a forehand today.
Analysis or excuse?
3. The wind was really strong out there.
Analysis or excuse?
4. The gal serving had the wind to her back making it tough to return her serve.
Analysis or excuse?

Even though these examples are similar, there is a clear difference between an excuse and an analysis. The common thread is that when we talk about what our opponent did there tends to be analysis involved. When we talk about ourselves, excuses surface.

Recycling Tennis Balls

General Tire and Rubber Co., the maker of Penn Tennis Balls recycles many materials during the process of making a tennis ball...

..."Unfortunately, finished tennis balls cannot be traditionally recycled, due to the many materials and components used. However, Penn encourages non-traditional recycling:

Balls are used for a tournament and then put into teaching baskets
Balls too old to be used at a club are donated to a school or park
Balls too worn to be used for play are used in schools or nursing homes for the bottoms of chairs and walkers
Also, Penn offers its defective non-playable balls for schools and nursing homes to be used on the bottoms of chairs and walkers. We donate these balls and only charge a nominal shipping fee."

Survey Results Boca Women's Tennis For 2009-2010

Hello Ladies of Boca Royale Tennis,

A little over a month ago, we sent you an email soliciting your input as to preferences in regard to team tennis for the upcoming fall season. We asked for your replies by May 30 and have heard from all but 2 people. That is an overwhelming percentage of participation of the membership and we thank you.

Now for the results based upon the survey.
There are enough people to create three teams for the fall season. Those teams are 3.5 Tri-cities, 4.0 Tri-cities, and a 3.5 USTA Super Senior (over 60) team.

As soon as we receive team information from the respective league coordinator's, we will share that information with you via email.

Hope everyone is having a great summer.
We look forward to a fun fall/winter tennis season!

Thank you again for your input and decision making participation!
Fran & Spike