We as Americans are often quick to build up a champion then decide they have won too often, and that it is now time for them to lose.  How many times have you pulled for the underdog just because the other player has won enough in our minds?  That is one of the several reasons we become Dallas Cowboys or Los Angeles Dodgers haters.

What is great to see is not only the greatness of Roger Federer but people around the world still like for the guy to win.  Even the finalist at the French said he hoped Roger could win his Career Slam.  Seldom do you see someone continue to win, be on the verge of breaking records and the majority of people still pull for the champion instead of the underdog.  Did you see the amount of celebrities in attendance at the French Open from other sports?

Congratulations to Roger on his Career Slam (1 of 6 to achieve this title), winning the French Open, and being presented his trophy by another Career Slammer – Andre Agassi.  Most of all congratulations on being a winner that has earned the appreciation and respect of tennis fans around the world.  The action of the audience and tennis fans tells you what a true champion and person you are.  Their actions speak louder than words.

Photo Credits: y.caradec

• A Moment of Hope – A Moment in Time /caption]With the difficult economic times and stress in the United States at this time, Americans, ever the hopeful, were ready for good news. They were eager to be a part of a celebration that times were changing. America had elected a new president – an African-American president and a new......
• Australian Open Coaches Conference 2010 250 Aussie Coaches seated in Hisense Arena with the roof retracted and you get to present on the court that the top players in the world compete on.....  Great feeling. Looks like an invite back next year to speak again.  Sold all my DVD's and had requests for more.......
• 7 Habits of Highly Successful Tennis Professionals 1. Be "Pro" Active Sure you have been teaching for years and may not need a lesson plan. But just as you would prepare to play a match, you still would need to review.  So, have a game plan for your student or opponent and think about your last......
• Australian Open Update #2 This is my third day in Melbourne as a speaker and my first time to Australia.  It has been an awesome experience..... Today I walked about 6 blocks from my hotel on Russell St down to the tram (trolley) which I took over to Hysense Arena.  I am the......
• Andre Agassi – the player, an interview and book signing 2009 [/caption] We have all heard and even seen parts of Andre Agassi’s new book “Open,” the book is a “Best Seller.” Excerpts from his book have been in Sports Illustrated, People Magazine and hundreds of other publications.  He has been interviewed on the Tennis Channel, major network channels and the......

• History of Opening Day - Major League Baseball [/caption] Opening Day of baseball is one of the most anticipated days of the year. So it should come as no surprise that some of the best season-starting performances in history have come from players who have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. For over a century, baseball......
• Nadal Back to Number 2 with Madrid Masters Win Rafael Nadal, previously ranked 3rd in the world, has now earned the number 2 spot by defeating the number 1 player in the world and winning the Madrid Masters for the second time. Nadal beat Roger Federer on Sunday, 6-4, 7-6 (5) and took home 18th Masters win, breaking Andre......
• First Day of the Australian Open In the first day of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Andy Roddick, who recently won the Brisbane International and took the first major win of the season, defeated the Netherlands' Thiemo de Bakker 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. A rain delay interrupted Roddick's match during the second set as the Hisense......
• Tennis Preview: Rogers Cup In a preview of the Rogers Cup, we find that Federer and Nadal are returning! Judging by the name on this particular tournament, you may think that the winner for this particular game has already been determined. When you consider the results in the past two slams, you may be......
• Tennis Player Profile for Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Hewitt was born on February 24, 1981 and is a former World No 1 tennis player that hails from Australia. He became the youngest male ever to obtain a number 1 ranking in 2001. He has numerous career achievements, awards and wins, including a 2001 US Open win, a......

Win the warm up.

1. Introduce yourselves to your opponents.
2. Spin the racquet before beginning the warm up so you will be on the correct side when warming up and know the serving order as to who will serve first, second and so on.
3. Immediately be the one who “spins” the racquet to decides who will have 1 of the 4 options (don’t spin the racquet on the ground as it often takes too long, scratches the end of the grip when it falls to the ground and depending upon how it is picked up the racquet you can control the be “up” or “down” call. Just spin the racquet in your hand with the butt of the racquet toward your waist until they make their call, “up” or “down” then show them the butt of the racquet to see who won the spin.
4. If the opponents win the “spin” and choose to serve, make them serve from the sunny side of the court first and prepare to lob them a lot during the first game of the match.
5. In the warm up, the first server for each team will take a lot of practice serves as they will begin the offense for their teams initially. The third and fourth servers will take a lot of overheads, a few serves and focus on returning the servers as the first two servers warm up. This is important as the third and fourth servers will play several games before serving and have opportunities to be warmed up before actually being called upon to serve. However they can play an important part of their teams success by focusing on returning well early in the match.

You and your partner need to have a plan before the match starts. This gives you confidence and a purpose for what happens early in the match.

Photo Credits: GeoNando

• Ken DeHart Presents "Strategy and Tactics of Tennis" at Missouri Valley USPTA USPTA Master Professional, Ken DeHart was the kick-off speaker at the 2009 Missouri Valley USPTA Conference at the Homestead Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken presented a 4 hour continuing education course on Strategy and Tactics to more than 80 tennis teaching professionals and high school coaches attending......
• 10 Tips to Winning the Middle of the Match [/caption]As the match goes on analyze what has happened.  Ask these questions: What patterns do they use with their ground strokes to set up points? How do they handle pace and off-pace balls? Are they predictable with where they hit under pressure? Based on their grips, where are their power......
• 3 Secrets to Winning Doubles, pt 2 [/caption] This is the second post of three consecutive posts on the secrets to winning doubles in tennis. Secret #2 "Tennis Dance" Where to move & when to move there! Dance of the server's partner: Find the middle of the service box, half way between the net and the service......
• Do you know your Job Description for Doubles Positions as a Doubles Team? /caption]It is difficult to perform well at work, home or play, when you are not knowledgeable or confident in your job description. Too often players and partners on a doubles team are not aware or confident in their job description. Great teams like the Bryan brothers talk between points, keep......
• Ball Machines – Using them for Singles Practice Ball machines are great for practicing your singles shots – if positioned correctly. 5 things NOT to do when using a ball machine: Do not place the ball machine only on the baseline in the center of the court Do not have the ball machine oscillate only from deuce court......

• Tennis Glossary pt4 Pass - This means hitting a shot that goes beyond the opponent, typically when that opponent is either at or close to the net. Passing Shot - This is a shot that goes past the opponent in the court. Penalty Point - This is another word for point penalty. Pickup......
• 6 Tennis Tips and Tricks Tennis tips and tricks are like small tweaks that you can make to your game in order to improve your play. If you are looking for a way to improve your capabilities as a tennis player, consider these tennis tips and tricks and then move on to look at other......
• DVD-Easy Steps to Acoustic Blues Guitar #1- Starting From Scratch User Reviews Send this to a friend DVD-Easy Steps to Acoustic Blues Guitar #1- Starting From Scratch Manufacturer: Homespun Tapes Customer Rating: List Price: $29.95 Sale Price: $17.23 Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours Free Shipping Available Buy Now Product Description So you want to play the blues? Well,......
• Williams beats Henin in Australian Open final [/caption] MELBOURNE, Australia —Serena Williams put an end to Justine Henin’s hopes of a Grand Slam title in her return from retirement with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory in the Australian Open final on Saturday. Williams withstood a determined challenge from Henin before securing her second straight and fifth Australian......
• How to Improve your Tennis Game 1 - Try to Hit Your Racquet On Edge. In order to hit both accurately and consistently, you are going to need to be sensitive to your racquet's position during the swing. If during contact the racquet's hitting surface is slanted toward the sky in a more open position,......