TennisIDENTITY

How do your tennis strokes compare to the pro's? Video analysis without the big tag.

No question, visualization is an effective method for reinforcing tennis strokes but professional video analysis can be expensive. For those who want a look but can't afford packages being offered at clubs and training centers, Ultimate Pro Compare offers VOTSA (Video Overlay Tennis and Sports Analysis), an accessible and affordable way to analyze your tennis strokes. Analysis per shot/stroke starts at $20.

Here's how it works: Peruse the strokes of a number of touring pros Ultimate Pro Compare has hosted on the site. Pick a pro and shot you want to compare with and then upload a video of you making the same shot ( f. ex. a serve or cross court forehand). VOTSA compares your strokes to the pros by placing them side by side for comparison. That's level one.

Take it a step farther and for $50 you get a complete stick figure overlay with swing path and eye contact analysis (as illustrated above in screen grab). The stick figure is your selected pro's exact position at every point during your stroke. You will see, for example,  if your racquet position before point of contact is as close to the pros as you think. Pro strokes on the site also include those of: Kevin Anderson, Jeremy Chardy, Mark Knowles, Dmitry Tursunov, Donald Young, Fernando Verdasco, Mahesh Bhupathi (cousin of VOTSA's creator), Agnes Szavay, Nadia Petrova, Alize Cornet, Sorana Cirstea and more.

Each video on the site was professionally video taped for instructional purposes. Groundstrokes, volleys, inside outs and tricks are included and shot from a number of different angles. 

Notes: You need to enter an email and create a password to access any portion of Ultimate Pro Compare's website aside from the home page. You will not be charged for anything unless you upload a video and ask to be charged.

There are no restrictions on the type of video you can upload. Have someone use your iPhone, flip camera, anything that creates a video file for you to upload from your computer. Each video should have a sequence of 4 shots of each stroke you want looked at; one separate video per stroke.

Your personal video analysis is available within your VOTSA account online within 2-4 business days.

Learn more at Ultimate Pro Compare.

Ivan Lendl Opens Junior Tennis Academy on Hilton Head Island.

 Junior tennis training choices are expanding in the US and it's good to see. Former world #1, Ivan Lendl, will open a full-time Junior Tennis Academy on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina this fall. 

“For juniors who love the game, love working hard and love challenges, we can promise a great experience on and off the court,” said Lendl. “You play the way you train, so if you train at a high level, you will play at a high level.” In addition to strengthening strokes, footwork and essential mechanics, the Academy will subscribe to a hands-on holistic approach instilling dedication, focus, hard work, attitude, motivation and overall preparation.

Students enrolled in the full-time boarding school will be book-schooled at the Heritage Academy on Hilton Head Island.

Learn more at Lendl Tennis. Applications are currently being accepted.

 

 

 

Who gets the point? The rules of unofficiated tennis matches. Friend at Court 2011.

There are a myriad of odd situations that come up during unofficiated tennis matches: A ball rolls on court during a point, someone's contact lens falls out, a player purposely distracts his or her opponent while serving. Wouldn't it be nice to know the offical call right then and there and put an end to the guessing?

Friend at Court The USTA Handbook of Tennis Rules and Regulations 2011 is a big help when issues arise and it's a FREE downloadable PDF (click that last link) making it easy to reference on court via your smartphone. Bookmark it and you've got the word on just about anything that could possibly come up.

Want the book for your bag instead? Buy it at the USTA shop.

Tennis Travel 2011. World's Top 10 Tennis Resorts and Camps.

Tennis Resorts Online has just published its 2011 list of the Top 100 Tennis Resorts and Camps in the world. I'm a big fan of vacation (who isn't actually) and a tennis vacation...heavenly. Sites were selected based upon reviews by over 2,500 avid tennis playing vacationers. Below, no pay-to-play favors here, just the straight-up on the top 10 in each category:

2011 Top 10 Tennis Resorts:

1. Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina

2. Rancho Valencia, An Auberge Resort, California

3. La Quinta Resort & Club, California

4. Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt, Austria

5. Wild Dunes, South Carolina

6. Caneel Bay, A Rosewood Resort, U.S. Virgin Islands

7. Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Hawaii

8. Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, South Carolina

9. Topnotch Resort & Spa, Vermont

10. Longboat Key Resort & Club, Florida

2011 Top 10 Tennis Camps:

1. Roy Emerson Tennis Weeks, Switzerland

2. New England Tennis Holidays at Sugarbush, Vermont

3. Cliff Drysdale Tennis School at Stratton, Vermont

4. PBI Tennis Camp at Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt, Austria

5. Saddlebrook Tennis, Florida

6. Topnotch Tennis Academy, Vermont

7. Wintergreen Tennis Academy, Virginia

8. Reed Anderson Tennis School, California

9. Vermont Tennis Vacations at The Essex, Vermont

10. Stan Smith Tennis Academy, Sea Pines, South Carolina

Visit Tennis Resorts Online for the full 100 lists and detail on how the locations were ranked. The website, launched in 1999, is run by Roger Cox, the former travel and resorts editor for Tennis Magazine.

 

 

New app. Tennis 109 with Jimmy Connors.

Tennis109 with Jimmy Connors is a new app for iPhone that features the 109 title winning phenom as your personal pro.

The app includes a section loaded with game improving instruction on a wide variety of shots and strokes, and a section featuring his thoughts/insight on the game past, present and future as well as his greatest matches, toughest opponents and more. There are bulleted tips and a spot within the app to jot notes down on your own game as well. 

The content is presented in rich, clear video filmed on the courts of the Malibu Racquet Club. Man is it gorgeous.

As apps go, this one is up there at $9.99 USD, but with privates running from $30-200 per hour depending on the pro and area, it's a relative bargain that offers the recreational player some good things to think about when on court and the ability to reference it all again and again.

If you are a Connors fan from back in the day you'll also enjoy the insight interview segments. The signature vest is omnipresent.

Keep in mind that Connors hits a pretty flat ball. If you are a modern-day heavy spin hitter some of the instruction will not feel like a fit for your game. More old school shot makers will feel a fit right away.

Find "Tennis 109 with Jimmy Connors" in the iTunes store. At this time the app is only available for iPhone. The developer is aiming for a Windows version in time for Wimbledon.

Download tip: There is a lot of video content here and the app should be downloaded from your computer first. Load it to your phone from there.

Here's a video (more of a commerical):

Mats Wilander comes to you...on the wheels of a Winnebago. WOW.

 

Want Mats Wilander as a tennis coach for a day or two? Give him a call at 787.GET.GAME or visit his WOW website (Wilander On Wheels). Eight people max per session.

Via The Wall Street Journal 03.03.2011.

THE TENNiS APP. Tennis lessons from the Bryans in your iPhone.

File this one under How did I miss this? THE TENNiS APP offers detailed tennis instruction courtesy of Bob and Mike Bryan, yeah - the number one doubles team in the world. Whatever you want to work on, slice approach, forehand volley, overhead, the basics are there (trick shots too) and in the palm of your hand (for iPhone and iPad).

The App offers a look at the strokes of a few pro players and gives succinct text commentary on what you are watching. You can replay again and again frame by frame to visually ingrain the techniques in keep-on-doin-it-the-old-way brains. 

Add news, rankings, scores for current tournaments and, bonus for lefties, the App can automatically flip instruction to help a lefty's game. You won't need to mentally transpose the videos.

Behind the App are the Bryans of course as well as a team of teaching pros and tour players.

Find it now in the App store under THE TENNiS APP. Free. Available for Android devices later in 2011.

 

Move Over NTRP There's a New Cowboy in Town.

So you want to see how you might fare in a match against Joe Braggart at your club? The USTA's  National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) system offers some guidance but if you (and he) don't play USTA you are stuck with eyeballing and espionage in assessing your chances against JB.

Enter TencapTennis. The Tencap ranking system assesses an initial rating (0 to 80 -- 80 being a first time beginner) based upon basic data you enter to start and then adjusts as you play others in the Tencap system. The service helps you determine your level and find competitive games in your city, region or when traveling. It can also help you to identify a similarly skilled doubles partner. Your rating adjusts every time you enter new scores. Within a couple of matches you will begin to know where you stand.

If you play USTA and already have a NTRP, Tencap provides an even more accurate measure of play. NTRPs only adjust once a year and a 3.5 player can be a rollover from 3.0 or just about to move to 4.0. This system can help team captains justify placements at 1, 2 and 3 and can help you find people to play outside your regular group.

The biggest challenge I see with this is getting enough people into the system. First step in the right direction though, the company allows anyone to register, free of charge.

Here's a video with more detail:

Video: Be Faster with adidas miCoach and Andy Murray. Turn your smartphone into a personal fitness coach.

So you want to be faster on court? The answer is fitness training. The amount of off-court work ATP and WTA tennis players are doing has expanded dramatically; some players devote more time to fitness than actually hitting balls.

The problem? Maintaining a regime and paying for a personal coach. Most players of paying ability travel with fitness coaches who insure their athletes stay strong, fit and resilient to injury. Most of us can't afford this. adidas miCoach (pronounced My Coach) has a solution.

miCoach is a FREE downloadable app for iOSdevices (iPhones etc) and Blackberrys using GPS for real-time pace-based coaching. adidas says that Andy Murray uses miCoach to supplement his live personal training.

Pick one of the training programs geared for your sport (tennis in our case) and the app will offer you real-time audible coaching, keeping track of your activity and reporting back to miCoach online. Individual workouts are set based upon your weight, age, height and degree of fitness (be honest for safety's sake). You can track your workout online and map your progress and goals. The app doesn't yell at you to get up and going but it is motivating to see results if you stick to it.

Visit miCoach for more info and sign up. You can download the app right to your phone.

Watch the US Open Live Online FREE. Plus the TV schedule and App.

For those stuck at home, at a desk or simply light in the wallet, you can now watch the US Open FREE online.

For the first time ever, all matches played on the five television courts of the US Open (Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, Grandstand, Court 11 and Court 13), will be streamed domestically live for free on USOpen.org. In all, more than 200 matches will be made available free of charge, including the men’s and women’s finals.

Here's the TV schedule. I'm also enjoying the free app.for iPhone.

Give Your Tennis Game a Plan. Tenniscrunch.com Launches New Player Development Tool.

Juniors and adults bent on improving their tennis game should take a look at TennisCrunch.com, a new online tennis notebook designed to keep track of player goals, next steps, conditioning, tactics, opponents and more.

A player and his or her coach(es) can all access the secured notebook and can work together to update, comment and set plans for training and future matches.

"I like it a lot," says Mario Llano, director of the Rhode Island Tennis Academy. "It is simple but covers all the steps that it takes to get someone to the next level in a nicely organized fashion. Navigation is easy. A great tool for any parent, player or coach." 

Here are Tenniscrunch's top 25 reasons to sign up -- all pretty compelling.

Use of the service is $14.99 for three months or $49.00 for a year. Good price for an integral part of your tennis investment.  Visit Tenniscrunch to learn more.

Time to restring? Check it first with this .99 cent app from racquetTune.

If you are wondering if your tennis racquet needs to be restrung and you have an iPhone, here's a solution. raquetTune is a downloadable app that allows you to check racquet string tension any time, anywhere.

The app uses the sound of the racquet strings to analyze the frequency of the strings when hit with a pen or like object. The frequency is then converted to the tension of the stringbed. The accuracy is shown by an indicator light on the display and can be improved by repeating the "test" several times in a row.

Here's how to run a test: Set your app to register pounds or kilograms, click the racquet button to set your string's linear density (you can find some on the racquetTune website) or set your string type. Polyester, nylon, gut and kevlar are all options, and then set your gauge (string thickness). This part feels a little confusing as there are so many different strings and materials on the market. Again you can use the listing on their website for help. There is an option that enables you to input a hybrid combination.  You then set your racquet head size.

Hold the racquet face over your iPhone in a quiet setting and hit the strings a few times with a pen. The results register right away. You can compare the results to the recommended tension printed on the racquet or base it on your particular likes. Here's a video:

The app has gotten great reviews from stringers who are far more concerned about exact measurements than me. I thought it helpful as it indicated that a couple of racquets in this household's arsenal needed a restring despite the face that the strings looked fine.

For .99 cents my first thought is why not? It's just about the cost of one tennis ball but you do need to know detail on the string you have in your racquet to use this. Ask your stringer for the string package if you are not completley sure of what you are using. Unless you change strings, once you've input the data it's there till you change it again.

Learn more at racquetTune or download it from the AppStore.

Tennis Magazine's 2010 Racquet Guide. PLUS What You Need to Know About Pro Sticks.

Tennis Magazine's April issue contains the publication's 2010 Racquet Guide, a great overview of all of the new racquets and technology on the market. You can also find an online guide on the Tennis.com site. 

The issue also features racquet customizer Nate Ferguson of Priority One, based in Tampa Florida. He is the go-to guy for players such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and many more who spend big bucks on customizing. Cool stuff.

The customizing article, however, prompts me to point out a fact that MANY tennis experts have relayed to me but is not obvious to the tennis playing public; high-level professional tennis players don't play with the racquets consumers can buy, they play with versions of them, every one customized.

The golf industry is similar. Robert Sauerhaft, Managing Editor/Equipment at GOLF Magazine says that "Recreational golfers know that, for the most part, they're playing similar technology with different specs." You cannot buy the equipment Tiger Woods uses.

Recreational tennis players should know the same. Jean-Christophe Verborg, Global Sports Marketing Manager for Babolat comments that "Pro players are key ambassadors for our products and our brand so it's essential they use our products...Players under the Babolat international contract use a 'normal' Babolat racket, same as the rackets sold all over the world, produced in the same factories, under the same process. Yet, because our Pro players are more expert and more sensitive than 'club players' we offer an exclusive and qualitative 'customization' service to them. This service enables [players] to customize their racket with the precise weight, balance and inertia they want."

Laura Lualhati, Communications Manager at Wilson confirms that Wilson sponsored pros play with versions of the models they endorse but also make modifications/customizations based upon their needs at this very high level of the game. "While we do cater to our athletes to a certain extent, they are more often a part of the process of creating the rackets from the very beginning" says Lualhati. Modifications that the pros make are often built into next generation racquets at Wilson.

I suspect most other racquet manufacturers do the same. Some did not respond.

That said, this site will continue to discuss racquets in relation to the pros using them but the prospective buyer should pay attention to specs and buy into new racquet technology at their level. If a racquet is rated for a 5.0 player as example, a 3.5 player might look for the version (similar cosmetic) rated closer to their level of play. It IS possible to get the Fed, Nadal or Williams vibe and cutting edge tech at a level that will grow game.

Hey you can also customize a bit yourself too. Customizers do serve the general playing public as well as the pros. But, if you insist on using the EXACT version a pro is using try asking Ferguson (or Roman Prokes). Not sure they'll do it for you but you can ask.

Related article: New year, new racquet. Tips on choosing a new racquet.

MyTennisNetwork.com Moves into New England. Tennisidentity.com to Provide Tennis Apparel and Gear Content for National Roll-Out.

MyTennisNetwork.com has announced its move into the New England region in a next step towards providing organizational resources to competitive junior tennis players across the United States. The site has chosen Tennisidentity.com as its apparel and gear content provider.

MyTennisNetwork.com is a subscription-based website dedicated to the organization and development of all aspects of junior tennis in America including tournaments, player development and funding. Now in addition to the U.S.T.A.'s Tennislink, the thousands of U.S.T.A. registered junior players age 10-18 have MyTennisNetwork to help organize their U.S.T.A. tournament schedules.

MyTennisNetwork launched in early 2009 and has been operating in the entire Southern Section of the U.S. for a year. It moves today into New England in a next step towards a 2010 national roll-out.

Junior players (and parents of) rejoice! MyTennisNetwork streamlines the organizational side of the game by offering advanced USTA tournament search, email and mobile phone reminders about sign up closings and weather delays, up to date consolidated ranking lists, and a personal tournament planning calendar. Junior players now have access to USTA tournament details, auto fill medical release forms, maps, directions, shopping, restaurant, camp/academy directories, and special travel deals all in one place.

"The site has been very well received by tennis families who have been overwhelmed by tournament planning, especially those with multiple tennis playing children," says Louise Fahys, founder of MyTennisNetwork and mother of three young competitors. Site users can also access player profiles and links to photography and videos that have been taken at tournaments.

My Tennis Network's alliance with Tennisidentity.com allows the busy junior competitor the chance to check out what’s abuzz on tennis courts around the world. Tournament juniors are juggling school, privates, practice, travel, tournaments and social time. Although hungry tennis consumers they have little time to source gear outside of their immediate tennis circle. If their pro has a contract with a racquet manufacturer, for example, they might not be encouraged to try other brands. The easy access of the Tennisidentity feed through the MyTennisNetwork site will enable these aspiring players to see the range of products and styles available from all brands and manufacturers while they plan their tournament schedules.

I personally have found planning and signing up for junior tournaments an onerous task and have been excited about the help MyTennisNetwork offers. My favorite aspects of the new service? The online calendar and email reminders. No more 11:45 pm sign ups for me. Now if only someone could do the traveling too.

Visit MyTennisNetwork to learn more. A subscription is $50 a year or $4.99 a month. A free account allows access to portions of the site.

Junior players/parents in the following states can now access U.S.T.A. tournament info through MyTennisNetwork: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. At this time players in other states can visit the site but cannot  plan tournaments in their region.  I'll keep you posted as the network rolls-out. It'll be soon!

 

How Fast Can YOU Serve? The Answer is One Mobile Download Away.

According to The Bud Collins History of Tennis, Andy Roddick belted a 155 mph serve at Vladmir Voltchkov during the 2004 Davis Cup semi-final. Curious about your own serve? The answer is a download away.

 Speedhero, is a new mobile app that turns your mobile phone into a sports radar. Share your results on Facebook or on the Speedhero site for a little competitive fun.

Select your distance (39 feet -- the distance from the baseline to the net), place the mobile phone within range and you're ready to start speed shooting. You will need to serve against a wall or curtain in order to generate the impact sound. Mark the height of the net on the wall with tape. Our tester John recorded a high of 128 mph.

Speedhero uses algorithms and your phone's microphone to detect the impact sounds of your contact with the ball and the ball's impact on a wall/curtain. Using a sport specific flight time dynamic formula, the app instantly calculates your top speed. Because the impact sound comes from the wall and not the court/service box, spin is not taken into consideration. A very cheap and pretty fun alternative to a pricey gun.

Cost: $8.80 USD. Visit Speedhero for more info.

The Eddie Herr International Junior Championships at Bollettieri in Florida. Live via RadioTennis.com December 1-4.

Day 1 live coverage from the Eddie Herr International Junior Championships at the IMG Bollettieri Academies in Bradenton Florida begins today and you can follow all the action via RadioTennis.com.

The tournament runs through December 4. There are 1600 participants from 97 countries. "If you win this tournament it informs the international tennis community that you have arrived as a serious ball player and your future as a professional is on the right track," said Ken Thomas, announcer. "This is truly one of the greatest junior tennis tournaments in the world." Past junior champions include: Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, Melanie Oudin, David Nalbandian, Ivan Ljubicic and Jelena Jankovic. Enough said.

Follow the action worldwide FREE by visiting RadioTennis.com. You'll need to register with a name and email. You'll be on their list for notices regarding upcoming coverage.

Here's the tournament link.

Tennis lessons too big for your budget? Look to FuzzyYellowBalls.

Private tennis lessons in some parts of the U.S. are running $85 - $120 per hour. That's a big chunk of change for most of us to drop once a week. Group lessons, match play and practice are all good but that private...it can make a big difference. What to do?

Take a look at FuzzyYellowBalls.com. The site offers detailed, quality instruction that can be downloaded and reviewed again and again. No odd camera angles, wind blowing, grainy picture, etc. These well thought out lessons put together by PTR certified pros can reinforce what you are currently working on or help with a particular shot or even help you think about how to practice better. Here's one on practicing with purpose.

FuzzyYellowBalls offers some content free of charge. The other, labeled Premium Content, costs $24.95 per month. They call it your "unfair advantage." It's very comprehensive and I love how you can download to iPod making it possible to bring the videos to court.

Hey, if you're looking for feedback on your game, there's no substitute for an in-the-flesh private. Consider this an affordable, high-quality substitute or supplement if you've got the bucks. Learn more at FuzzyYellowBalls.

ATP and WTA 2009 Tour Calendar Links. It's A Busy Year Ahead.

 

Click here and bookmark or print the tournament calendars for the 2009  ATP  and Sony Ericsson WTA Tours. You'll not only have the dates handy for all the slams, but also every other event as well.There's a lot of great pro tennis ahead.

Roman Prokes, RPNY Tennis. Racquet Stringer To The Pros.

Ever wonder where the pros get their racquets strung? The names are tough to read here but believe me, this line-up covers an international spectrum of players: Tommy Haas, Andy Roddick, Ivan Ljubicic, Maria Sharapova, Andre Agassi, Stephi Graf, Nicole Vaidisova and more. The place, RPNY Tennis in New York City. The man, Roman Prokes, who has been customizing tennis racquets for 25 years.

Most recreational players merely change string and overgrip. Tour pros and others in the know (possibly those with a little extra dough) have theirs customized. Weights can be changed, tension, mix of string, balance and length as well. Want to add a little more zing to your spin? Prokes can help. Pros actually have molds made and notes taken on their specific racquet wishes and that stick is duplicated by the RPNY crew time and time again. Many of Prokes' innovations have been incorporated into production models over the years.

Prokes and his team will be on site at the Australian Open where they will become part of the official Wilson sponsored stringing team. They will be at all of the 2009 slams and at eight masters events. When not at these venues, client players needing customization ship their racquets directly to New York.

Prokes meets players on court or by phone to discuss specific racquet needs. Locals and NYC visitors itching to play can also talk with him at the very posh CityView Racquet Club where RPNY Tennis has a satellite shop. Visit RPNY Tennis to learn more.

Tennisidentity.com Nominated for Best Tennis Blog of 2008!

 On the Baseline's 2008 Baseline Awards are up for grabs and Tennisidentity.com has been nominated for Best Tennis Blog in the Media category!  Other blogs in the running include: Nicks Picks, Peter Bodo’s TennisWorld, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Player Blogs, Women’s Tennis Blog and Zoo Tennis. We are thrilled to be among such good company.

Visit the 2008 Baseline Awards and rock the vote! Cast your choices for female player of the year, fan favorite, doubles team, tennis writer, tennis blog, biggest upset of 2008 and many more. Voting runs now through December 29, 2008. The winners will be announced January 1, 2009. Tennisidentity's platform? You got it...Know what's new. Own the best. Let us help you hone your tennis identity.

On the Baseline is devoted to professional women's tennis news and we have to say they do a great job of it. Check it out.

QuickStart Tennis Grows an Early Love of the Game Fast. Get Your Kids Out There!

You love tennis. Wouldn't it be great if your kids loved it too? Tennis can be frustrating to learn. Kids want to rally and if they can't enthusiasm hits the road. QuickStart Tennis is a new program being introduced nationwide by the USTA for kids ages 4-10; think of it as the t-ball of tennis. QuickStart has morphed into names like pee-wee tennis or mini-tennis but essentially it involves a smaller net, court and over sized or low compression balls. The balls are easier to track and the rallies...well get out there and give it a try...the rallies these little players have are tremendous! Totally fun, easy and yes, addictive.

Ask your club or recreation department if they offer this program or go to Quick Start Tennis to find one near you. If you want to go it alone with your kids, it's a great driveway or hard-top game. You will need a mini collapsible net (in carrying case), sponge balls and racquets. Racquets start at 19" long for a child between 3 and 4 feet tall.  The taller the kid, the longer the racquet. You can order supplies on the QuickStart site or at Tennis-Warehouse. Look there for the Head Junior tennis Net for $39.99 USD, Gamma Revolution Foam Balls (a 12 pack is $29.99). Junior-sized racquets start at $16.95.  The QuickStart tennis site is loaded with more detailed information about this great new program. Have fun playing with your kids now because in a few years they WILL be beating you.

A USTA Membership Offers Plenty of Opportunities to Play

Those of you who are not already members, think about joining the USTA. Aside from the great discounts and early-bird sales on USTA sponsored tournaments, you will find people in your area, at your level who are just as passionate about tennis to play with. If your tennis club offers a league, jump in and your match play will be all set. If you'd rather go it alone, look through the USTA tournaments listed in your area. It doesn't matter if you are just beginning or if you haven't played in a while. There are great opportunities at every level.

Check it out. Go to usta.com and click on "Tennis Link Membership" in the upper right hand corner. Click on "Tournaments" and you will be taken to the "Tournament Finder" page where you can look for tournaments in your area. There are hundreds nationally, each one is listed by level so no fear Mr. Former  College Player, you will not be playing Joe Beginner. Click on your region, adult, singles, etc. You may need to self rank, and the site gives you an opportunity to do so. The following link offers a little ranking tutorial. Get yourself an USTA number and start signing up. You'll have some great matches to look forward to. A little healthy competition is great for everyone's game. A one-year individual USTA membership is $40 USD, for a family it's $65.

Love everything about your game except organizing it? Here's what to do.

Help has arrived for tennis players who love their game but cringe at the task of organizing it, especially when it comes to doubles.  MyTennisGroup.com provides 24/7 assistance for team captains and recreational players looking to develop rotations, practice times and yes, (thank you, thank you) it also helps find last minute subs. Once you have an account you and your players can log-on anytime and jump right into your group. Team line ups and cancellations are no longer a problem. The service manages player availability, sends reminders, and can help schedule matches and practices. No more phone calls! Team captains can register their U.S.T.A. or league team for $9.95 a season! Recreational season courts are $40.00. With an eight player rotation, that's $5.00 per person -- a couple bucks more than a can of balls. Visit www.mytennisgroup.com more information.