Fear plays a huge part in today’s tennis game.  It’s one of those factors that acts as a big dividing line between the ones with the trophies and the players that just *work hard*. If you can master it, then you win. But if you can’t, oh well, right? That doesn’t sit well with me, but that’s the way it happens a lot of the time.

So, this week we’re going to work on bridging that gap a little bit.   Because frankly,  I  hate it when I see good players like you putting all their smart and hard work into it, and then let their nerves totally ruin their chances at a great win.

MIAMI — The Miami Dolphins continue to add star power to their off-the-field roster.

Venus and Serena Williams will become the latest celebrities to own a stake in the Miami Dolphins, a person familiar with the deal said.

The person spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the team plans to announce the involvement of the tennis-playing sisters next week.Another person close to the negotiations said an agreement was near but not yet

When attempting to return any ball out there on the court, your first step is going to be the most critical, both on deep as well as short balls.

…And most balls will tend to fall into to one of those two categories, so once you get that going, you’ll find yourself in great shape in the majority of points that you face.

You’ve probably heard that your first step needs to be explosive, right? Well, that’s very true, but…

The 27-year-old world, ranked #19, said he had initially suffered a knee injury earlier that had been bothering him even before the Montreal Masters had begun.

“I had problems with my knee, I cannot play,” Ferrer said. “I’ve had the problem since before Wimbledon and I want to take some treatment.”

“Raffa” was able to…

The USTA just announced  former No. 1 Carlos Moya of Spain is withdrawing from the 2009 U.S. Open because of an injury to his foot.

Moya has been out of action for the majority of this tennis year. His ranking recently took a skid, taking him  out of the top 100.

I bet that hurt… Ouch!   Also, Kei Nishikori of Japan was atop the alternates list for the previous year, but he won’t participate because

Hey guys,

The LA Women’s Tennis Championship was amazing, wasn’t it? There was some amazing tennis being played!

There were tie-breakers, match points saved, break points saved, ball crunching serves, and wonderful fans all over. It was quite amazing, and I had a lot of fun.

Now if you watched it (…I know you did b/c we just talked about immersing yourself in the sport and watching professional competition just last week ), you should have picked up some very valuable tips. I sure did.

There was strategy being used from everywhere you could imagine: on the serve, the return, behind the baseline, at the net, and even in the chairs during change overs.

But, you know what the funny part was, with all that great stuff happening, what stuck with me the most didn’t happen while the players were on the court.

POOOOOOWER… Sorry if I offended anyone ::wink: In tennis, power can be seen as a 4-letter word sometimes.  That’s the way we players sometimes feel our coaches think at least.

Doesn’t it always seem that every time you want to add some fire, your instructor gives you the “tone it down” signal?

Yea, bummer right. They’re always saying “that’s not the right play” or “widen your margin for error,” right?

Well, I’ve got good news for you. You’re both right. Sorry fellas, but your coaches do have a point here. You don’t want to literally tee-off on every single ball that comes your way.

But wait, there’s more!  Guys and Girls, power actually CAN be a great addition to your game. So, point for you .  But the only way it’s going to do you any good is if it’s used properly and in the right situations.